Nanaimo Tax Dollars Downtown

3 Downtown 'Projects' Cost Nearly $2 Million

Is Nanaimo Taxpayer Getting Good Bang for The Buck?

The following numbers are not exact amounts and if anything are understated but if you consider that the three enterprises use nearly $2,000,000.00 annually you have to question if they are giving good value for the expenditure.

Conference Centre $1,000,000.00; probably the most controversial decision made by city father's in the last century. With figures ranging from $72 - $100 million to build the building housing the convention centre was divisive from the beginning. The retail space in this building was sold for less than $4 to the same company which owns Port Place Mall. The ongoing cost of the conference centre is $1,000,000.00 annually and it is arguable what the real economic benefit this centre brings to the city. Many, if not all of the events they host could have and perhaps would have been accommodated by existing venues already in the city. In August there were no less than 5 weddings in the centre which could have been held elsewhere.

There has never been a business plan put to the public which shows this will ever be a 'plus' for the Nanaimo taxpayer.

Perhaps it is time to think outside the box and see what else could be done with this state of the art building.

Port Theatre $500,000,00: with over 250 shows and 100,000 customers annually you have to wonder why the theatre needs $500,000.00 to keep the doors open. To offset the taxpayer funding, the price of the average ticket would have to increase by a mere $5, which when you consider some events have a $70 - $100 price tag per ticket, should not affect attendance at all. If you are prepared to pay that kind of money for entertainment, another $5 is not going to keep you home.

If you consider that a $50 show will produce a total gate of over $40,000.00 per show you have to wonder how much of that money the taxpayer puts up is actually just leaving town. In fact the 'lion's share' of all ticket sales is money that leaves town, never to return.

In any case, I am certain that if a private operator were running the show, with that kind of customer base and that number of shows, you could turn a profit without going cap in hand to the Nanaimo taxpayer.

By all means, the theatre needed public support to get off the ground, but by now it should be soaring on it's own.

DNBIA $350,000,00: this is an association which exists for the purpose of revitalizing business in downtown Nanaimo and have an operating budget of $700,000 per year. Half of that budget is paid by the Nanaimo taxpayer, so $350,000 comes directly from your pocket. So, what exactly does this organization do with all that money? To whom are they accountable? Do they seem to get along internally?

Those are just a few questions which need answering if they are going to continue to get $350,000 from the taxpayers of Nanaimo.

If you think that the above expenditures are a good use of your taxes (which will likely increase by another 20 - 25% over the next five years) then well and good. If however, you don't agree then they only way change will come is if you get involved and let your councilor know how you feel, and even show up at a city council meeting and participate in the process.

The squeaky wheel does get the grease and above are three excellent examples of those wheels!