An independent financial plan anonymously released to
the Montreal GAZETTE showed that Labatt Park in Montreal
"could be built without government investment through 20-
year bonds issued by a non-profit stadium authority and paid
off entirely through taxes on player salaries," according to
Jack Todd of the Montreal GAZETTE. The plan "provides a
detailed schedule for raising" C$150M of the C$250M cost of
build the ballpark, through taxable bonds. The rest of the
cost would be paid off by PSLs, with "other financial
instruments to be used as a stopgap" if the team's sales
goal falls short. Todd writes, "The plan appears
foolproof." Expos President Claude Brochu said the team's
proposal to the government proposed a players' salary tax, a
car rental, hotel and cigarette tax, and a lottery to raise
funds. But he said that the club is "open to financing the
project through a bond issue." Brochu: "The bottom line is,
how they want to raise the $75 million [Quebec province's
share of the C$150M total] is up to them" (GAZETTE, 9/16).
