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Robert Liebman: Show, Don't Tell—A Lesson for CAQ

Posted on by Neons

The government needs to better explain its mega-investments — from the Big O roof to the Northvolt project — if it wants Quebecers to buy in.

Author of the article:

Robert Liebman • Special to the Montreal Gazette

Posted on February 10, 2024 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 3 minutes of reading

The Olympic Stadium is seen lit up in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Quebec announced it will spend $870 million on the new roof. All options were properly explored, marveled Robert Liebman. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

Monopoly is a strategic board game that allows players to make bold economic investments by spending lots of fake money. In the real world, the government spends billions of dollars on unscrupulous taxpayers, but our elected officials often spend the same, not out of their own pockets. Sometimes, as in Monopoly, decisions are not made, and other times they fail and lead to bankruptcy.

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In our interest, we hope that major government spending will be supported by expert research and analysis. Too often, but not like this. Too often, money is allocated unwisely for political reasons, or even for important projects, governments do little to build their case or provide taxpayers with evidence to justify decisions. At a time when trust in government is at an all-time low, transparency is more important than ever.

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This is the flaw of Prime Minister Francois Legault, whose Avenir Quebec coalition government was badly damaged:

  • A multimillion-dollar campaign to build a tunnel linking Lévis and Quebec City failed to deliver on Legault's “third generation” promise. with research and analysis to support its feasibility. His flip-flops on the draft became the first domino in the CAQ's continued slide in the polls.
  • The government gambled $2.9 billion in public money to attract Swedish battery maker Northvolt to build a factory complex here. It could be a unique project if it helps position Quebec in the green economy. But again, give us the specifics. Share the economic return on our investment. How will the promised 3,000 jobs be filled?
  • This week, the government announced plans to renovate the Olympic Stadium roof for $870 million (before cost overruns). Most people's gut reaction when you mention the Great Debt is to say, “Blow the damn thing off.” The many reasons for this understandable cynicism need not be repeated. The government appears to have no choice, as The Gazette's Allison Hanes called it the “least worst option”. But here again, the government needs to do a better job of explaining why it should stop criticism and maybe even engender reluctant buy-in.

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For example, the cost of demolishing the stadium to us is about 1 billion dollars, mainly due to its location above the subway tunnel. This, of course, complicates matters. But other stadiums near major highways have exploded, and experience in the physics of explosions has grown significantly. The complexities here can be truly unique, and there are also concerns about the proximity of the stadium to a residential area, which poses a risk from dust and particles from the explosion. So show us the proof!

Also, the government could do more to discuss creative building scenarios to diversify the revenue potential. Should public-private partnerships be encouraged to integrate commercial and retail and improve acoustics to increase the stadium's appeal as an entertainment venue and exhibition hall?

The stadium, in my opinion, is an architectural and engineering marvel that has shaped Montreal's skyline. More efforts could be made to better showcase the iconic Olympic Park structure and surrounding attractions as a tourist destination. Montreal can't compete with Paris or New York, but visits to the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, which are also expensive and require periodic maintenance, bring in hundreds of millions of dollars. We can get a lot more bang for our buck.

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If this government hopes to improve its situation, it needs to do its homework. Instead of telling us, it needs to start showing us — and proving to us why these investments make sense.

At the end of a Monopoly game, if you're broke, you fold the board and move on. But if the government does, we will all pay a big price in the long run.

Robert Liebman is an architect and planning consultant, a leader of the Equality Party and the UNA, and served as mayor of Côte-Saint-Luc and a member of the Montreal Executive Committee. He was the Conservative candidate in the 2015 federal election. X @robertlibman

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