Katz calls special meeting on stadium deal

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz has called a special meeting to counter a move by six councillors to block the stadium financing deal from being added to the council agenda as a late item.

Couns. Russ Wyatt, Ross Eadie, Jenny Gerbasi, Harvey Smith, Mike Pagtakhan and John Orlikow signed a letter to the council's speaker saying theproposed deal requiring them to contribute $12.5 million, plus grantsto the stadium construction should not be walked on to the floor of Wednesday's council meeting.

Councillors must approve a motion to add the lateitem to the agenda beforevoting on whether to put up the money.

"We believe that the city must undertake citywide public consultation prior to this important vote," the letter states.

Under city rules, two-thirds of the 16-member city council must agree to allow the deal to be put up for a vote. If the six dissenting councillors stick to their guns, council will not be allowed to vote on the deal.

'We are making a very big decision, and the process sucks, and I think you know, that's been said, but I guess we're expressing some frustration.' Coun. Jenny Gerbasi

However, Katz is planning to simply override thatby calling a special meeting of council later in the afternoon. The stadium dealwill be the only itemon thatagenda a move that can't be blocked by dissentingcouncillors.

That would clear the way for10 of the 16 councillors to easily approve the financing deal to construct a $190 million stadium at the University of Manitoba.

The regular council meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and Katz'sspecial council meeting has been scheduled for 2 p.m.

The latter was originally slated for 3:30 p.m. but Katz moved up the time after the regular meeting ended at about noon.

It iscouncil's finalmeeting of theyear and Katz has said that the financing deal must be approved or else the plan will be stalled and the costs will only increase.

Gerbasi initially thought the new deal was good for the city when councillors were briefedon it Monday.But now she has some questions, after seeingthe full report, which was tabled Tuesday.

She saidshe needs answers before she can vote.

"The report we're voting on was released at 3 o'clock in the afternoon [Tuesday]. And we are expected to be voting on it at 9:30 this morning. How are we supposed to represent the people who elected us?" she told CBC News on Wednesday morning.

"We are making a very big decision, and the process sucks, and I think you know, that's been said, but I guess we're expressing some frustration."

Gerbasi said she might vote in favour of the deal at the special meeting, should her questions be answered. But she opposes the item being added to council's regular meeting agenda because it flouts the rules.

Bombers, U of Mboards approvedeal

The Winnipeg Football Club (WFC), which will be required to borrow $85 million from the province and repay the loan over a 44-year period,unanimously approved the deal during a meeting late Monday afternoon.

And late Tuesday, the executive committee of the board of governors of the University of Manitoba also approved the deal.The U of M is not required to put up any money, but it had to approve the deal because the partnership has changed.

The original deal included businessman David Asper, who has dropped out of the revised plan.