Councillors may block stadium vote

Six Winnipeg city councillors are moving to delay city council's consideration of a deal to construct a $190 million stadium at the University of Manitoba.

Couns. Russ Wyatt, Ross Eadie, Jenny Gerbasi, Harvey Smith, Mike Pagtakhan and John Orlikow havesigned a letter to the council's speaker saying the stadium deal should not be walked on to the floor of Wednesday's council meeting.

"We the undersigned will not support suspension of the rules with regard to the stadium proposal to allow this matter to be walked on," the letter states. "We believe that the city must undertake citywide public consultation prior to this important vote," the politicians said.

The councillors say they will not give the special dispensation needed to bring the deal before council just a day after they were briefed on the details. The city's initial commitment to the deal is $12.5 million, plus grants.

However, property taxes fromthe redevelopment ofprime retail land at Polo Park would be scarified over yearsto repay a $75 million loan from the province for stadium construction.

Under city rules,two-thirdsof the 16-member citycouncil must agree to allow the deal to be put up for a vote.

If the six dissenting councillorsfollow through and present their letter tomorrow, council will not be allowed to vote on the deal.

The move, however, may be moot as Mayor Sam Katz could simply order a special meeting of council to take placeto consider the deal. Such a movecould not be defeated by councillors.

In essence, the councillors are not saying no to the stadium deal, but to the process by which it came before them.

Areport on the stadium deal tabled Tuesday states the Winnipeg Football Club the managing entity for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers, will borrow $85 million from the province and repay the loan over a 44-year period.

The report states that until 2016, the loan will be interest-free, and that point the WFC must repay $15 million.