$39.5M project in Quebec: tensions around the curling center

Close on the heels of the opposition, who find that the $39.5 million curling center is a “cross” and costs too much, Mayor Marchand has refused to reduce it and is holding on to the $115 million spinoff from the Canada Games.

• Also read: Paid entirely by the City: a $39.5M curling center in Quebec

• Also read: “Inclusive and positive” Canada Games in Quebec in 2027

The project launched last week, which will be entirely financed by the City, has fueled tensions on the sidelines of the municipal council.

The leader of the official opposition, Claude Villeneuve, got the ball rolling. According to him, “for curling alone, it’s a significant bill”, especially since the City is building it with the Canada Games in mind, but had no prior guarantee of obtaining funds from the higher governments, he said. Which according to him is equivalent to having “the knife to the throat”.

“Why should the City of Quebec assume the risk alone? he cursed. It’s a problem, this story, if we are all alone having to assume the risk.

Lose the Games?

The opposition leader urges the mayor to request other subsidies or otherwise reduce the scope of the project. Even if it means losing the Canada Games, which must be held in 2027. “I am ready to take the risk.”

He would also have liked other sports such as pétanque and pickleball to be there.

However, the mayor, Bruno Marchand, maintains his commitment. “We will not reduce the scope.” For his part, he asserts that the previous administration had “reneged” on its promise to provide curling fans with a new center and that “what they did before with pickleball was rubbish.”

He recalls that the Games are expected to bring economic benefits of $115 million to the region. In addition, he stressed, the scope of the project, with its eight aisles, was analyzed not in response to a requirement of the Games, but rather according to the needs of the clubs present in the territory.

“You take away the Canada Games tomorrow morning, we do the same,” argued Mr. Marchand. Because it sets in motion young and old people who practice sport and who are currently in miserable conditions.”

Major competitions

He emphasizes that the center will also make it possible to host major competitions in this sport.

Cutting back on the project would force you to go back to the drawing board, which would mean it won’t be delivered on time.

As for the other sports desired by the opposition, Mr. Marchand recalls that pickleball is found in other facilities and that we are looking for solutions for pétanque.

The councilor member of the executive responsible for Sports, Jean-François Gosselin, for his part opened the door to a request for federal funding. “I asked to see if there were federal programs. If this is the case, we could file a request. For the moment, we are financing the project with the city budget as well as contributions from the two clubs with an estimated value of $6 million.”