GMC is over $400,000 in budget deficit

No new screen anytime soon, as long as the facilities continue to run a deficit, the city will not put money into a new screen. Disappointing but just makes business sense.

I'd like to see the breakdown of those costs vs revenue , how much is global spectrum management costing ???????

I found it surprising that the arena was still producing a deficit, especially with the number of concerts etc it's been holding. With regards to the scoreboard though. I would be making a pitch for one with the Pan Am money as the arena is holding the boxing if memory serves me.

The arena would be in a better financial position if it shut its doors to non-profitable events like minor hockey. That being said, I wouldn't want to be the mayor or city councillor telling the public that they would have no access to the GMC when the minor hockey community needs ice time.

I don't know whether that alone would be enough of a difference to be profitable but so long as they're turning on the lights and paying staff to operate the building without a couple of thousand people paying to watch the event, that makes it much more challenging to be profitable.

if it was built with tax payers dollars , then who says it has to make a profit ? what venture does the city run with tax payers dollars that actually makes a profit ?? nada i suspect .

sure costs can be spared , i would first look at global spectrum , they are a big city corp , that must be charging the tax payers a small fortune to run the security and whatever else they do .

why not run the building with a small management team of civil servants , already on payroll , get retired folks to be ushers like at the old civic , they were certainly more friendly and less regimented than this "team " they have now

to me the small town feel that we used to have at the civic is gone ,big yellow intimidating guards at the doors , looking into our pockets and bags , checking to make sure we aren't bringing in contraband , like a bottle of water !!!!!! where the heck are we here this is durham region , not Detroit or new jack city !!!

to me city council is spending money they don't have managing or mismanaging the building , money that could be spent on a respectable hd scoreboard .

that scoreboard sucked from day 1 .

I don't live in Oshawa , you folks that do , ought to look more carefully at what your city council does with all the money they collect from tax payers , especially given that oshawa is THE HIGHEST TAXED MUNICIPALITY IN ONTARIO

I have family that do and I feel sorry for them !

another thing they could do is shut down that fancy restaurant/bar , that serves brutal food and AC CENTRE priced BEER !

Its never very busy , and I bet is losing money !!!!

do something more "local " with the space !

mygens wrote:if it was built with tax payers dollars , then who says it has to make a profit ? what venture does the city run with tax payers dollars that actually makes a profit ??  nada i suspect .

sure costs can be spared , i would first look at global spectrum , they are a big city corp , that must be charging the tax payers a small fortune  to run the security and whatever else they do .

why not run the building with a small management team of civil servants , already on payroll , get retired folks to be ushers like at the old civic , they were certainly more friendly and less regimented than this "team " they have now.

Profit is not necessary but breaking even would be. Not sure what Global Spectrum charges but in my view they are doing a decent job. They are keeping the building full with lots of concerts and events. All of those events benefit Oshawa. The downtown restaurants do well when there are shows. Local management would not have the same contacts and ability to make deals with artists for multiple venues. It is a very different world from Bill Kurelo's Civic Auditorium. (He was the long-time manager for the facility for those who are too young to remember).

It is not the Civic Auditorium which was fun while it lasted was for a different day and age. I am happy to go to the GMC.

Security is a requirement in this day and age in order to comply with insurance requirements. I do think they need to continue to find efficiencies and work to make the building break even.

I don't think we will be seeing a new video screen anytime soon unless the PanAm games coming to town adds that to the budget.