Victoria councillors have postponed discussion of guidelines for corporate naming rights for civic facilities amid concerns about “selling our soul” and how revenue generated would be used.
“I think we’re on a slippery slope of selling our soul,” said Coun. Shellie Gudgeon.
The city hired Spectrum Marketing last year to study naming rights for the Victoria Conference Centre. After a closed-door presentation by Spectrum to council last month, city staff were directed to draft new naming-rights guidelines.
Despite Mayor Dean Fortin repeatedly raising concerns that councillors were revisiting a decision that had already been made to pursue naming rights, several councillors on Thursday expressed doubts.
Coun. Ben Isitt said the city’s priorities should focus more on naming facilities for philanthropic or honorific reasons. He said financial statements indicate the city has received only $10,000 a year for the naming of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“I think the benefit of keeping that as the Memorial Arena for the past decade would have far outweighed the commercial benefit to the purchaser of those naming rights,” Isitt said.
“I think we could end up in a similar situation. This conference centre, the city and its taxpayers have invested a huge amount of money in building that facility and, I guess, in terms of the potential dollars we’d get, I’d far prefer seeing if there was a deceased citizen — a city builder, male or female — who could potentially be honoured rather than a crass branding,” he said.
Coun. Pam Madoff said the idea of naming rights is something she still doesn’t support.
“To me, corporate naming rights really only achieve one goal and it is financial. Now there’s nothing wrong with raising money, but it seems to me everything else that we do as a city references, and supports and achieves other goals as well.”
Coun. Marianne Alto agreed naming rights are about money and said that’s OK. “It’s absolutely about money. This is absolutely about our obligation, I believe, as community leaders to do everything conceivable to reduce the tax burden on our residents. Everything conceivable.” To provide good public services, the city needs money, she said.
“I don’t think this is an awesome idea. This isn’t the first thing I wanted to do when I got elected. But it’s one thing that I think will take a little chunk off that tax burden,” Alto said.
Madoff said she wasn’t prepared to look at “everything conceivable” to raise money. “I’m going to look at things that I believe are reflective of my principles and of the folks that hopefully I represent,” she said.
Councillors asked that the guidelines be revised to clearly specify that council has the ability to approve or reject any partner, and that money generated through naming rights can be used “to enhance community public services and amenities” and don’t have to be plowed back into the facility in question.
They also asked that parallel guidelines be developed for philanthropic and honorific naming of facilities.
Fortin also asked that staff report in detail on the naming rights agreement for Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
