What’s ahead for the Rogers Centre? John Tory says stadium’s future is uncertain

Thestar.com
July 5, 2019
Jacob Lorinc

More than a month after the Rogers Centre turned 30, Mayor John Tory says the future of the multi-purpose stadium is uncertain.

“There’s now a decision to be made when it comes to the owners, of whether to reinvest in the building or build something new,” said Tory on Newstalk 1010 on Wednesday. “I think you’re going to see some action on it, because (Rogers Communications, the owners) have a decision to make.”

The domed stadium, once hailed as a beacon of modern technology for its fully retractable roof, has required extensive repairs over the past decade, leading some to question its sustainability and value as a sporting arena.

The question now is whether repairing the stadium is as cost-efficient as building an entirely new one for its primary inhabitants, the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I think the people at Rogers are aware of the fact that the notion that you’re going to get a lot of big cheques or any cheques written by government for the stadium is not likely to happen,” said Tory. “Therefore, they’re going to need to come up with a way to pay for it.”

Tory said it’s also unclear where a new stadium would be built, and who besides the Blue Jays would use it.

“Is it just a stadium for the Blue Jays? Is it something more than that? Do they still have ambitions for the NFL?” Tory asked. “So, stay tuned, I think you’re going to see some action on the stadium, because they have a big decision to make.”

The SkyDome, as it was originally called it was bought by Rogers Communications in 2004, opened in 1989 and seats about 50,000.

It’s the seventh oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball.

Significant changes to the iconic piece of Toronto skyline have invited controversy. In 2005, the decision to change the stadium’s name from the SkyDome to the Rogers Centre caused an uproar among some Torontonians who wanted it to keep its original name.

Although it might make financial sense for the team to move, the building has benefited the downtown core significantly, Tory said.

“I just think before you immediately say, ‘Gee, that land is more valuable for something else,’ you might want to consider the positive impact having that stadium downtown has had over many years in the downtown of the biggest city in Canada,” he said.

Numerous developments have emerged around the Rogers Centre, including a major proposal by Oxford Properties last week to build a $3.5-billion, multi-use development on a four-acre site, just north of the Rogers Centre. The development, called Union Park, would include office and retail space, residential units, and a two-acre park over the Union Station Rail Corridor.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro told BNN Bloomberg that the Rogers Centre requires improvements.

“You need to be able to provide a family the best family experience, or a young person who wants to come for a bar environment, the best bar in Toronto,” he said.

Tory, a former Rogers executive before he entered politics, is still involved in the business of the Rogers group of companies, which owns the Rogers Centre, and he has close ties to the Rogers family.

Tory has long been a trustee on the advisory committee of the Rogers Control Trust, which is largely comprised of Rogers family members.

The trust holds voting control of the Rogers group of companies, according to documents outlining the company’s corporate structure, “for the benefit of successive generations of the Rogers family and deals with (Rogers Communications Inc.) on the company’s long-term strategy and direction."

But Tory’s spokesperson Don Peat said in a statement Thursday that the future of the Rogers Centre hasn’t been discussed by the Trust and that “the mayor’s comments were based on common sense and what he has read in the news.”

Although Tory stepped down from the Rogers board of directors following his election in 2014, as he promised he would during his campaign, he refused to resign his post on the trust. He said he made a promise to long-time friend and former boss Ted Rogers (to stay involved).

In 2014, Tory's shares in the company were valued in at almost $5.5 million, according to that year's information circular.