Toronto taxpayers "are being asked to pay" C$10M toward a C$120M makeover of BMO Field that would be home to the CFL Argonauts, MLS Toronto FC and Canadian nat'l soccer team, according to Sean Tepper of the TORONTO STAR. The city's exec committee is "considering a proposal" from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment that would "rely on matching" C$10M contributions from the Ontario provincial gov't and the federal gov't. MLSE itself would pay C$90M "toward the expansion that would include an additional 8,500 seats, bringing the stadium’s permanent seating capacity to 30,000." It also would "add another 10,000 temporary seats, a partial roof to cover the seating and it would reconfigure the field to meet CFL standards." MLSE as part of its letter of intent said that it would "enter into a long-term stadium user agreement" with the Argos. The exec committee report "estimates that the stadium expansion would garner more than" C$47M in visitor spending annually. MLSE would "act as construction manager and that would be responsible for any cost overruns including all environmental remediation" (TORONTO STAR, 3/15). In Toronto, Kurtis Larson noted if MLSE "gets its way," not only will TFC and the Argos share an expanded stadium, but "it could be the main selling point in eventually attracting a Winter Classic to a venue that will seat 40,000-plus for special events." MLSE President & CEO Tim Leiweke on Saturday said, "We’re committed to a Winter Classic, although the NHL hasn’t committed to it yet. We’re going to give (the NHL) a very aggressive pitch and presentation on why for the Maple Leafs’ 100th anniversary, the 2018 Winter Classic would make sense in a renovated BMO Field." Leiweke’s vision is "to turn the NHL’s marquee outdoor game into a week-long event." He said, "What we envision is a massive winter festival for a week in and around Exhibition Place and Ontario Place with hockey games and youth tournaments and fan festivals and fireworks -- a celebration of our country, a celebration of the NHL and a celebration of the Leafs" (TORONTO SUN, 3/16).
