To the Mayor and Members of Council
City of Kingston

The following is an updated revision of a letter sent to the Whig Standard on January 4. Again it examines the so far unsubstantiated basis upon which the City is proceeding with the LVEC. Expensive studies site specific to the Inner Harbour site are being undertaken before fundamental questions are adequately considered.

Blame should not be fixed on those who question. Rather the underlying problem ought to be addressed. The community needs a process whereby it can articulate and resolve its values, determine what it wants, and decide what it is willing to pay including the possible sacrifice of open space. In its haste the City has passed over the fundamental issues all too quickly.

Robert Mackenzie


The LVEC - Let's Rethink Fundamental Questions First

The City's project to do something about the deficient Memorial Centre has mushroomed into a course of action to build an LVEC on the Inner Harbour. The process is proceeding at high speed with expensive studies specific to the Inner Harbour location now being undertaken. This is being done without the community adequately addressing two fundamental questions.

To what extent should the City of Kingston use its limited resources to build an LVEC? And, Is the Inner Harbour the best location?

LVEC supporters claim that in addition to providing a replacement for the Memorial Centre, the LVEC will make Kingston an entertainment centre, promote economic development (particularly in the downtown area) and be a source of civic pride. What is the evidence to support such claims ?

Will the LVEC Make Kingston an Entertainment Centre? Presumably Kingstonians have only so much money for entertainment so money spent at the new LVEC will for the most part just alter the present pattern of entertainment expenditure. How many new entertainment dollars can be either found within or attracted to Kingston?

What is the Possibility of Economic Spinoffs? The literature casts grave doubts about the extent of economic spinoffs of LVEC type facilities. If it's economic development that is wanted it is probably more useful to adopt strategies that promote higher-end employment rather than invest in an LVEC which will provide mostly low- end jobs. The public money put into an LVEC will likely mainly benefit the hockey and entertainment interests. How many new dollars will be spent in Kingston? How many entertainment dollars will high priced entertainers take out of Kingston? Financial impacts are difficult to quantify but the attempt to do so helps to make better judgments.

The LVEC as a Source of Pride? Pride is a subjective feeling and is particularly difficult to measure. It is often the justification of last resort by supporters of LVEC type facilities. Citizens of any community will have a wide range of views as to what will make them feel good about their community. What are the options?

Should the City be in the Entertainment Business? To what extent should the City increase its stake in the entertainment business? Civic expenditure on community recreational arenas is one thing but doesn't pure entertainment fall into a lower category of priority?

Should the City's Resources be Used to Build an LVEC? The City has limited resources. What public services and facilities will have to be reduced, postponed or put off indefinitely to free up public money for the LVEC? Alternatively does the City increase taxes? Should citizens be taxed to subsidize the business of hockey and to enhance the incomes of traveling entertainers? If so, then by how much? If the business community is convinced that the LVEC will be good for business then perhaps the public subsidization should be raised by various sorts of business taxes. Should limited and valuable open space lands at the Memorial Centre and on the Inner Harbour be sold off or used to help pay for the LVEC? Is the expansion of the Memorial Centre to 5000 seats a viable alternative? What should be the limits of the City's responsibilities if it enters into a public-private partnership? What are the long term financial risks?  Is public expenditure on the LVEC the best way to use limited public resources to maximize public benefit?

Is the Inner Harbour the Best Location? The City has selected the Inner Harbour location (subject to site feasibility) without a comparative study of the merits of alternative sites. Feasibility of the Inner Harbour site is being measured only on the basis of construction and operational concerns. Feasibility in a broader economic, social and community planning sense is currently not being contemplated. Is it acceptable to make such a significant public decision on such an uninformed basis?

Need for Clear Thinking. The fundamental questions concerning the LVEC need good debate before City Council can make informed decisions. Council should slow the LVEC process and give full consideration to the fundamental questions before becoming increasingly committed to a tunnel view approach to a specific site.

The Mayor appears to have adopted the LVEC as a pet project rather than assume leadership of a community process to resolve a complex puzzle. He has begun to fix blame on those who question rather than fixing the underlying problem. The credibility of the LVEC process can only be achieved by the exchange of points of view and paying attention to what citizens have to say. The community needs a process whereby it can articulate and resolve its values, determine what it wants, and decide what it is willing to pay including the possible sacrifice of open space. In its haste the City has passed over the fundamental issues all too quickly. But those issues will not go away and if they are not addressed now they will haunt the process to the end.

As the proponent of the LVEC the City is performing the conflicting functions of developer and public regulator at the same time. Normally the City is in a better position to assess development proposals objectively. This conflict of roles requires the City to proceed at a very high level of principle. There is good reason to be concerned about the credibility of the LVEC process. The Council needs to rethink the process. and engage citizens in further consideration of the fundamental questions.


Robert Mackenzie
Kingston
February 7, 2005