The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is blasting the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta for shelling out millions of taxpayer dollars to build the Edmonton Oilers another downtown facility. The city is spending $102 million on an outdoor event park next to Rogers Place, while the province is spending $128 million.CTF Alberta Director Kris Sims says Edmonton taxpayers can't afford to give millions to an NHL team, especially when city hall is struggling to keep streets safe and clean. "Taxpayers expect three basic things from city hall, to keep their streets safe, clean and in good repair," Sims said. ."If mayor and council want more people to go downtown, they need to make downtown clean and safe instead of forcing taxpayers to give money to a rich hockey team."The $102 million the city is spending on the Oilers could cover the salaries of about 100 new downtown police officers and about 145 new sanitation workers for five years. Meanwhile, Edmonton property taxes are up 5.7% this year, and city council members just gave themselves a pay raise..The Alberta government is borrowing $5.2 billion this year, and the provincial debt is over $80 billion. Alberta taxpayers are already paying nearly $3 billion per year in debt interest charges. "Everyday people in Edmonton are getting hit with a property tax hike this year and taxpayers should never be forced to fund a wealthy corporation," Sims said. "If the billionaire owner of one of the wealthiest teams in the NHL wants to operate a new event park, the team should pay for it without mooching off of hardworking taxpayers."
