Baseball Unlikely to Return to Montreal Soon

With the election of Valerie Plante as Montreal's mayor, the chances of baseball returning to Montreal soon were greatly reduced. Coderre proposed spending $500 million on a new stadium while Plante said she would only do that if taxpayers approved it in a referendum. The Paradise Papers scandal involving Trudeau's principal fundraiser and the Montreal baseball team's likely owner, Stephen Bronfman, would look now like a giveaway of federal government tax dollars to a crony who was hiding his wealth in a tax haven - hardly likely to win one votes. The Quebec government's announcement that it was going to spend hundreds of millions on a new Big Owe roof means it is unlikely to fund a baseball stadium also.

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Coderre was one of the biggest Expos fans in Montreal and a driving force behind bringing Major League Baseball back to the city.Then a report came out about an investigation by the CBC, Radio-Canada and the Toronto Star that found Stephen Bronfman and his Montreal-based investment company Claridge Inc., were key players linked to a US$60-million offshore trust in the Cayman Islands that might have cost Canadians millions of dollars in unpaid taxes. Bronfman and Mitch Garber are two of the businessmen involved in trying to bring the Expos back.On Monday, Bronfman insisted he has “never funded or used offshore trusts.”Later in the week came news the Quebec government had given the go-ahead to replace the infamous roof at Olympic Stadium at an estimated cost of between $200 million and $250 million — roughly half the estimated cost of a new downtown ballpark. There are plenty of Expos fans who believe the Big O — which was never a friendly place for baseball — played a big role in the departure of the team.That’s three strikes. ...
Coderre definitely believes Montreal needs the Expos, but Plante doesn’t seem so sure. During a French-language debate before the election, Plante criticized Coderre for what she described as behind-the-scenes negotiations to spend taxpayers’ money on a new stadium. Plante said she wasn’t against the Expos returning, but promised a referendum on a new ballpark if it involved taxpayers’ money. Coderre wasn’t interested in a referendum, possibly because he knew what the result would be. Taxpayers have become less willing over the years to have governments shell out public money to wealthy owners for new stadiums where they can charge fans big money to watch millionaire athletes play a game.

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https://www.pressreader.com/canada/v...82286730549368

Popcorn journalism at it's finest taking a series of unrealted events, creating an agenda and the desired clicks to do so.

Coderre never proposes spending 500 million on a ballpark. That figure came from Plante's election campaign with that big 'cheque' in the background. It seemed to have worked.

As a matter of fact, there have no propsals for a new stadium. Just behind the scenes talk because any team would be on MLB's schedule and they're ready.

As for Coderre's departure, the efforts led by Warren Cromartie started in 2012. Before Coderre was even elected into office.

Replacement of the Big O's roof was in the works anyways.

Fake news!
http://www.montrealbaseballproject.c...evelopments-2/

None of the three factors mentioned in the lead post are fake. Good or bad, Mayor Plante ran for election on a platform that included a promise to hold a referendum if any taxpayer money was involved in building a new stadium. If she were to go back on that, it would hurt her with her base.
The identification of Charles Bronfman as at least a tax avoider and possibly a tax evader through the use of tax havens, as well as Trudeau's principal fundraiser, would make it difficult for the federal government to fund a stadium which would benefit him financially as an owner of the team.
The federal Liberals have been in power for most of the last century by adapting to what the voting public wants.
Montreal's deteriorating infrastructure is described in a city report in 2011:

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Nearly one-third of Montreal's deteriorating road structures need repair work and a dozen of them are considered in critical condition.
That's according to a study that examined 555 pieces of infrastructure under local jurisdiction.
The report released by the city today found 12 were in the most critical shape, 44 were deficient, 38 were mediocre, and another 81 were just generally deteriorating.


That means just over 30 per cent of 555 structures such as bridges, tunnels and overpasses need work.
The city's chronic infrastructure problems were brought into focus this summer when a giant concrete slab collapsed onto a downtown expressway, while bridge closures caused monster traffic jams.

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https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/new...beandmail.com&

Good or bad, the new mayor promised to push for upgrading the city's infrastructure. The federal Liberals would ignore Montreal voters' preference at their peril. Montreal itself is important to the Liberals reelection both federally and provincially. Trudeau himself is elected in Montreal. So funding Plante's infrastructure requests to some extent at least would benefit him while funding a new stadium for a crony, Bronfman, who is now known as a tax avoider would create political problems. I have heard a former elected Quebec Liberal on CBC's Power and Politics even acknowledge that the smart thing for the federal Liberals to do would provide some of the infrastructure projects Plante is requesting.
The new roof for the Olympic Stadium may have been in the works for a while but its funding will come out of current and/or future budgets, limiting the funding for other projects and raising questions about whether the provincial government has its priorities right if it funds another sports project, a new baseball stadium, while ignoring Montreal's severe infrastructure problems. Politicians who don't listen to voter priorities don't usually get reelected.
When Warren Cromartie began promoting a new baseball team does not affect these political realities.

I agree that the 3 factors in of itself are not fake. Their implications weather Montreal gets a team or not truly is.

Plante wont kill any chance anymore than Coderre will enchancing it. In each case they are 1 vote. City council will decide if there will be city funding or how much or even if there will be a referendum.

Agreed money for a new roof in theory would not be money that could towards a new stadium. I would wait to see what proposal is out there first before it's determined how much money they're asking for. MLB is nowhere newr ready to expand or move a team. The Rays have 10 more years left on their lease. Lots can change in that time.
Their names appearing in the paraside papers is unfortunate but doubtful it will be fatal to any efforts. The federal government already has a policy not to fund stadiums to be used for professional sports teams. The tap can't be shut off that's not on to begin with.

Until Montreal builds a 30,000+ baseball only facility, I think this all is all moot.

Spending over $250 million on the Big Owe is a big mistake IMO, that place should've been demolished long ago. The only positive I can think of with the reno is that Montreal could host a Grey Cup.

Halifax will get a CFL team before Montreal gets another MLB team and I don't see either of those things happening anytime soon.

Manfred: Montreal won't see MLB team without new stadium

http://www.tsn.ca/manfred-montreal-w...adium-1.917397

I think everybody knew this already.

Yup! Water is wet.

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Originally Posted by ArgoRavi

Halifax will get a CFL team before Montreal gets another MLB team and I don't see either of those things happening anytime soon.

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You are correct. Halifax will get a team before Montreal gets baseball back.