Gord Gillies: Make the arena an election issue

As it says on the front page of the Calgary Sun – Boom! Game on folks.

The Calgary Flames are no longer pursuing a new arena and it looks like push has finally come to shove.

This is good.  Let’s deal with it once and for all. No more veiled threats from the team; no more posturing from city hall that they really want a deal, but can’t tell us about it.

Let us decide. Make it an election issue.

LISTEN: Host Gord Gillies with his original rant on the arena “Let us decide”

So much of this seems to be about a whizzing match between two sides, filled with huge ego’s, who think they know what’s best for you and I. The fans. The taxpayers.

I’m a big Flames supporter. I love cheering for the team. Many exciting, thrilling and heartbreaking moments have been part of my life in the Saddledome.

But I hate the super-sized heads that seem to be torpedoing any chance of keeping the flame alive.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: But I hate the super-sized heads that seem to be torpedoing any chance of keeping the flame alive.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi now says his vision for the future includes an arena and he’s fighting to get the right deal for the taxpayers. But up until now his tone has been so condescending to the team, it’s no wonder it seems they can’t stand each other.

I love Brian Burke for his candour and no-holds-barred vision. His support for LGBTQ issues is inspiring. But a few months back when he said city council should have just said, ‘Thank you very much’ and begun building CalgaryNEXT, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

How tone-deaf could you be to how Calgarians are feeling about the touchy issue? Every time Gary Bettman says anything about the Flames, I see red.  He just rubs me the wrong way. Please, be quiet.

But you know what, I’m glad the cat and mouse game that Ken King has played over the months is over.

Let us decide.

WATCH: Calgary Flames no longer pursuing a new arena

3:05 Calgary Flames no longer pursuing a new arena

Do we want a new arena in Calgary and all that it brings? Are we willing to support it in some way? Let’s put all the cards on the table and make a decision.

If you’re against billionaire owners, millionaire players and you think us fans, the chumps, pay the freight, fine. But also consider just a few of the contributions from Flames owners:

• Hotchkiss Brain Institute:  ‘Healthy brains for better lives’
• Libin cardiovascular institute: ‘create the best cardiovascular programs/research in the world’
• Murray Edwards (yup the guy who left town): responsible for the neonatal intensive care unit at the Alberta children’s hospital
• McCaig center for ‘joint injury and arthritis research’
• Seaman stadium in Okotoks
• History made when Doc Seaman donated 11 thousand acres of land for conservation.
• Flames community arenas
• Rotary Flames house: a pediatric hospice in Calgary

I’ll stop there.

We’re not talking about a dozen Ebeneezer Scrooges here, folks, stomping on the less fortunate. We’re talking about people who set the standard for what philanthropy should be in a community. I wonder how many people are employed by the companies that have made them a success?

You do well, you give back. And they have in spades for 36 years.

Should taxpayers build a new arena for them? Absolutely not. But they’re ready to pony up millions to get something done. Should we find a way to make this work for the benefit of the city – yes. Maybe even use some tax dollars, or lands, or whatever, to keep the flames viable?  In my view, let’s get something done.

But let us decide.

I’ve probably been to 80 flames games in my life. Half of those were free tickets from work or invites from friends. For five years, I was a partial season ticket holder: a quarter-share in section 223. Not nose bleeds, but good seats.

It worked out to about $1200 a season, or about $100 bucks a month for 10 games a year. I enjoyed some great times with family and friends cheering on my favorite team. But I dropped that quarter-share of tickets a few years ago because the team was awful. Some nights it looked like they weren’t trying. Sorry Flames, I’m out.

Recently, I’ve been thinking I might just jump back in because the team is exciting again. I’m a fan, but I don’t part with my money frivolously.

Let’s make this an election issue. Let’s vote on a new arena for Calgary and let the chips fall where they may. Put it out there. Spell out the details.

WATCH: Calgary election 2017: Political analyst weighs in on Calgary Flames arena plans

2:24 Calgary election 2017: Political analyst weighs in on Calgary Flames arena plans

If it’s a deal I can live with – I’ll vote YES.

If you don’t want to give a nickle to the team – vote NO.

We decide.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: If it's a deal I can live with - I'll vote YES.</p><p>If you don't want to give a nickle to the team - vote NO.</p><p>We decide.

All I hope is that everyone considers the big picture of what it means having the Calgary Flames in our community. Think long and hard if you could really wear an Oilers jersey one day, because they would be the closest thing to a ‘home’ team.