Over the summer, I spoke to over a dozen regular readers
of the blog and many asked/wondered if I would write a blog about the Shania
Twain Centre this year. As many of you
know, my office was in the Shania Centre from the day it opened until the day I
was politely escorted out of the building following a “re-org” some eight years
later. There is no doubt that I could
provide an “insider’s perspective”, I could dish some dirt (…although there isn’t
nearly as much dirt as many people would expect) and I could certainly “connect
the dots” for people on a few issues that would raise a few eyebrows. However, there is really nothing to gain by any
of it. I’ll make the following 5 points
on the Shania Twain Centre and will then refrain from commenting on it any
further unless an individual or a member of the media is unfairly spreading
inaccuracies that I feel aren’t fair to the people that genuinely worked really
hard to make the STC a success despite the hand they were dealt:
1. There
is no doubt in my mind that the Shania Twain Centre, along with all of the
other regional attractions built in Northeastern Ontario in the late 90’s and
in the early 2000’s were a failed experiment.
Neither the STC, the Polar Bear Habitat, Hockey Heritage North nor the
largest “oops” of all, Eagle’s Earth, ever generated the interest, the visitations
or the revenues suggested by the consultants and anticipated by the communities
that invested monies to have these attractions constructed.
2. The
STC was ill-equipped to deal with the realities it faced when the anticipated
number of tourists (30,000 to 40,000 per year) never materialized. This all started when decisions were made
regarding the layout and content of the building after it became clear that the
anticipated funding was going to go from a little over $10 million to under $5
million to avoid needing approval from the provincial cabinet. The government of the day was Conservative
and our MPP was a rather vocal member of the NDP so there was little chance
that we would have gotten cabinet approval.
I find it interesting that the MPP in question often takes credit for
the STC receiving funding when in fact he was one of the primary reasons why the
project was scaled down. When
visitations were lower than anticipated from the very outset, there was no plan
and, to be honest, no infrastructure in place, to develop additional revenue
streams nor was there any real way of encouraging repeat visits from local
citizens. Components such as a recording
studio, a performance theatre, meeting rooms and proper conference facilities
and technology had been discussed at different times but had to be cast aside
when the project was scaled down making it very difficult for staff to develop
additional revenue streams and making it difficult for them to create goodwill
in the community.
3. The
idea that Shania somehow owes the city of Timmins anything is ludicrous. Let’s not forget that she got her big break
long after she moved away from the community.
It is also important to note that it was not Shania who approached the
City about the STC but vice versa. It
was the City that wanted to take advantage of her famous “coat tails” in an
effort to draw some visitors and make a few bucks. She never asked for ANYTHING in return. The
fact that city officials have not publicly and vigorously shot down recent
media insinuations that she had her collection strategically removed while the
community was distracted by the forest fires in late May so that nobody would
notice makes me sick to my stomach. This
woman has used her fame to promote her hometown more often than just about any
other public figure in the world has done over the past 20 years. She has provided Timmins with publicity and
visibility that we could never afford on our own. I was at 10,000 feet in the Himalayas three
years ago when a Japanese hiker pointed to my Timmins hat and said “ah…Shania
Twain”…’nuff said!
4. To
all the critics of the STC, specifically the “coffee shop experts” who always
knew better when in fact they really did not know anything…Bite Me! My blog, my rules…I feel much better now!
5. Most importantly to all the individuals…staff,
volunteers, Fan Convention participants and other supporters that have stood by
the STC steadfastly through all the good and mostly the bad…thank you. As I write what will be my last public
comments about the STC (…ok, one of the “random thoughts” further in the blog
is about the STC), I think of Charlie Rinehart, Sam Young and other supporters
of the STC that left us way to early and realize that I need to move on…
Community Stuff
·
Was it just me or did it seem like the whole 100th
Anniversary celebration in Timmins fell flat.
For all the efforts that were made to try and generate interest, it just
seemed like the whole thing lacked “pizzazz” with no real memorable moments for
the community at large. Don’t get me
wrong, there were a number of well- received reunions, etc but there really was
no event or series of events that a 12 year old child will be telling his/her
grandkids about 50 years from now.
Considering this was our 100th Anniversary; I was expecting
more.
·
I went to the Great Canadian Kayak Challenge
this summer and actually had a good time…until they ran out of beer in the beer
garden but that is a whole other story.
My only gripe about the Kayak Challenge is that organizers would like us
to believe that the event has a much bigger impact on the community,
specifically in attracting visitors, than it actually does. It is an event mostly organized by Tourism
Timmins but does not seem to draw many people from out of town. I’m sure that
an organizer could defend this by stating that they have gone from a handful of
out of town participants to 15 or 20 but, after four years, that to me does not
make it the “Great Canadian Kayak Challenge”.
Call it what it really is the “Timmins Summer Festival” and it will seem
more appropriate.
·
Earlier this month I got into a private debate
over email with a local media outlet which publicly stated that Shania Twain
had never made a public appearance at the STC.
Now, we can debate the feasibility of the STC until the cows come home,
we can even argue that perhaps things would have gone better for the STC had
Shania been able to visit more often.
However, I believe that it is irresponsible and non-professional to
allow a story to air with so many inaccuracies in it. Taxpayers do not have to like the STC, you
can call it a burden on taxpayers if you want, you can even refer to it as a
“white elephant” if you’d rather not come up with something more original. Those are all opinions and in our country we
are all allowed to have them. However,
if you are a member of the media, you can at least check your facts and get the
story right. When I need to send you a
photo of Shania being interviewed by one of your network’s very own national
hosts on stage just outside of the STC in front of a little over 1000 people to
prove my point…that’s just sad!
Sports
·
I would like to say that I am indifferent about
the upcoming NHL lockout but I’m not indifferent. Watching billionaires fight with millionaires
about who should be getting richer is simply annoying. Ultimately whether there is hockey on TV does
not impact me directly but it does impact all of the game day employees at each
NHL Arena, you know those people working at close to minimum wage who direct
you to your seat or serve you that overpriced beer. Those are the people I feel
bad for!!! I also feel bad for people like my father who is retired, lives in
small town without much going on and essentially plans his days in the Fall and
Winter around when there might be good hockey on TV.
·
If the lockout lasts as long as many people
anticipate there will be a couple of positive repercussions – Canada’s team at
the World Junior Hockey Championships should be pretty loaded and the folks
that live in cities with American Hockey League teams will see really good
hockey on most nights.
·
It became clear to me this summer that Canada
really is a winter sport country. It was
unfair to our 2012 Summer Olympic team members that they had to follow what was
a seminal event in Canadian history however I was hoping that our Canadian team
could ride the coattails of excitement that was created at the 2010 Games in
Vancouver but that never really materialized.
·
As most Canadians are apt to do, I have
occasionally yelled at my TV during hockey games when I feel like my team has
been robbed, especially when it is an international event involving
Canada. However, I must admit that I had
never yelled at my TV during a soccer game until watching the end of the
Canada/USA semi-final game in the Olympics.
We wuz robbed!!!!!
·
One of my favourite sporting events is coming up
in a couple of week…golf’s Ryder Cup. Nothing
like watching multi-millionaires literally shaking in their spikes on a three
foot putt because they are afraid to let their team down. Rarely does an individual sport like golf
provide an opportunity for players to be part of a team event. The Ryder Cup usually delivers in spades.
Politics
·
So the people of Quebec have put the Parti
Quebecois back in power. Premier Pauline
Marois is now hinting that she will move forward with a Referendum if enough of
the population seems to support the idea. How about this…have one more go at it and if
the province votes no again, the PQ has to disband, go “buh-bye la”
forever. It has gotten to the point
where the rest of Canada just wants you to make your minds up once and for all.
·
So, the United States has a population of 350
million and these are the best four people you can come up with? Hmmmmmmm…….
·
A Congressman from Missouri is interviewed on
local TV and claims that women have some sort of magical on/off switch that
allows them to control whether or not they get pregnant when being raped. This guy has been elected six times, I kid
you not. How he can go home and look his
wife and daughter(s) in the eyes after making claims like this publicly, I’ll
never know.
Random Thoughts
·
Several weeks ago, Neil Armstrong passed
away. I have always been a bit of a
space geek and Mr. Armstrong has long been one of my heroes. The fact that he did very few interviews following
the Apollo 11 mission is so unfortunate.
Here is a guy whose name will be in history books for centuries and yet
we know very little about him. “First
pilot to make a lunar landing and first man to step on the moon”
·
I have a question for my American friends…when
the issue of gun control comes up in the U.S., usually after another mass
shooting (Colorado theatre, Empire State Building), I am left to wonder why
there is so much opposition to limitations being put on guns such as AK-47’s. There is a fairly good chance that your home
will never get attacked by a whole platoon so I’m not sure why you need a
weapon that can shoot 30 bullets in 2 seconds.
I understand that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and I get
the importance of your “right to bear arms” but it puzzles me as to what
circumstances would justify having a weapon that is built to spray bullets as
fast as possible…just wonderin’….
·
I am not a huge fan of Taylor Swift’s music but
I will be the first to admit that she and her team sure have the PR game
completely figured out. No one plays the system like Taylor Swift and boy does
it ever work for her.
·
I’ve pretty much tuned out most of the “singing
competitions” on TV these days except for the X Factor. The reason I like the X Factor is because
they provide the best test for raw talent.
On American Idol, they perform three or four times in front of the
judges and then have a few months to prepare before the live shows and singing
in front of an audience. On “The Voice”
the bulk of the contestants are already experienced singers/musicians…last year’s
winner had been a back-up singer for Alicia Keys. The X Factor holds their auditions in front
of a live crowd and the contestants have to come out, deal with nerves, deal
with the crowd and perform in front of judges.
Now I realize that they are likely pre-screened to a degree but it is
still impressive to see them in front of an audience from the get-go.
·
So I had 5 people on from my Facebook friends
list participating in the “Tough Mudder” race near Toronto a few weeks ago and
I had about a dozen people on my FB running in a half marathon in Timmins the
same weekend…impressed by all of them. I
just wish I could find motivation in running (…short of being chased by a
bear).
·
It is no secret that I like Twitter but I do get
annoyed when random celebrities go to Twitter to offer condolences to the
families of people that have passed. Like
Vanilla Ice taking to Twitter to share that he thought “Neil Armstrong was a
real important dude and he will be missed” …warms my heart to know that Vanilla
Ice thinks that Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the
moon, a hero for the ages is a “very important dude”.
On that note…I’m out!
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