Dear diary, this week I'm selecting one theme for this column and sticking to it right to the end.
My only topic this week is basic financial planning.
Oh, I see I've lost you already.
How about basic financial planning with political twist?
Still not there?
Well, then I'm sorry, but I promised.
Bill C-36 in the provincial legislature will allow for the election of three more MLAs at a cost of $1 million more per annum. That's about $1.70 for each of us who actually pay taxes in the province. Good deal? I guess it depends who the three MLA's turn out to be. I believe most of our current crop are pretty well worth $1.70 each, but that can be debated.
These three newbies will be elected somewhere in Saskatchewan after our governing body has rejiggered the electoral boundaries and when they rejig them, they say they're not going to include the people under the age of 18 in their geographic and population reconfigurations. Apparently they're not interested in representing anyone younger than 18. I don't know why. Ask them.
Staying with my financial theme. I just found out it cost $143,000 to play host to Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla for one day last week. I figure that's a bargain and I'm not even a raging monarchist. You may think it's pricey, but think about it, that's only half of what Bev Oda, our minister of something in the federal government spends for a half day on the road and she's not even a duchess, she just thinks she is.
Staying with money, just like I promised.
It's going to cost us about $230 million to have a new events complex built in Regina that will accommodate the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The new stadium will be about the same size as the current complex that used to be called Taylor Field. It will look prettier, but won't provide any major upgrades for creature comforts outside of bucket seating versus the current planks.
It will still be outdoors, meaning roofless.
Renovating Taylor Field, i.e. Mosaic Stadium, will cost about $200 million, if it can be done at all, and they're already pouring a few million into it again to make it ready for an upcoming Grey Cup in a couple of years. Those who host the Grey Cup need to provide 50,000 seats. The new proposed outdoor stadium will house 33,000. So, they'll still need to provide 17,000 "temporary" seats for a Grey Cup game. Want a major concert? Add temporary seats again.
In my humble opinion, we need to build something significant with a roof on it for $450 million or just redo Mosaic for $200 million and reconfirm once again that we are a province where "it'll do," is the operative mantra.
We're the humble guys. We're the tough guys. We don't need no stinkin' roof. That's for those pansies in la la land west. We're better off sittin' on planks, cheering for our boys from Saskatchewan in minus 30 or plus 30 weather with lots of wind. That's football. We don't need no sissified roofs.
And by the way, I still haven't learned who actually paid for the re-roofing and renovation of that stadium in B.C. That bill came in around $480 million. Somebody had to pay for it. Who was it and how did they get it paid? And that was a rebuild! In Regina, they're still just talking about railyard condos and the "it'll do" stadium.
And don't get me going on the topic of a second CFL team in Saskatchewan.
Estevan is growing, but I don't think we're quite big enough yet to take it on. Maybe next year. And no, I don't want to share with Weyburn!
