Balarama Holness: Taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be used to bring back the Expos

In a report today by La Presse, Mouvement Montréal leader and mayoral candidate Balarama Holness was asked about the Montreal Expos, and whether taxpayers’ money should be used to bring the team back.

Holness confirmed that not only should no taxpayer funds be used, but that his party was the only party that wanted to use the Peel Basin for social housing, instead of as the site for a new baseball stadium in the city.

“We are the only party, long before the NDP, that said we wanted to reserve the Peel Basin for social, affordable and family housing. So, not only are we not going to use taxpayers’ money, but the Peel Basin must be for our communities. If we bring back the Rays or the Expos, whatever we want to call them, I think that groups who want to invest in them must build their own stadium.”

There has recently been talk of plan that would see Montreal sharing a baseball team with Tampa Bay. Building a stadium at the Peel Basin, an idea that’s been floating around for years, would be contingent on the participation of the Quebec government and an investment from Stephen Bronfman’s company Claridge, not to mention agreements between the Tampa Bay Rays and Montreal’s baseball consortium.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Montreal Expos (@exposmontreal)

Holness spoke about a variety of topics in the same interview, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Montreal to revitalizing the downtown core to the notion that big projects can help put Montreal on the map as a destination for tourists.

---

For the latest in news, please visit the News section.