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$265 million upgrade to BC Place for Whitecaps MLS


Bill

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http://www.bcplacestadium.com/newsreleases/BCPlace_Upgrades_Begin_Sep4_2008.pdf

MEDIA RELEASE September 4, 2008

BC PLACE UPGRADES BEGIN

Vancouver, BC Work

is scheduled to begin this month on refurbishments to improve the guest experience

and interior and exterior appeal of BC Place.

Dominion Fairmile, the general contractor, will carry out the tendered work valued at $65 million, part of the

major renovation of BC Place announced in May by Premier Gordon Campbell. The upgrades do not include

the Stadium’s proposed new retractable roof, expected to be designed, budgeted and tendered by early

2009, and ready for use in 2011.

The improvements announced today are to be completed by late 2009. They include refurbished

concessions, washrooms and suites, improved accessibility and directional signage. Club Seats will also be

added.

The cost of the refurbishments will be funded through the BC Pavilion Corporation’s (PavCo) cash reserves

and future development of PavCo lands around BC Place. Additional revenues will come from new

sponsorships and increased business.

“BC Place has served us well in its first 25 years as the gathering place for British Columbia’s major events

and celebrations,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and Minister responsible for

PavCo. “This is the first step in our plans for the next 25 years. By making these improvements to BC Place,

we’re adding to the guest experience and ensuring it remains an important public asset that offers a stateoftheart

entertainment experience.”

“We’re really pleased to be moving ahead with the first part of our multiphase

plan for BC Place,” added

David Podmore, PavCo’s Chair. “These improvements will provide an upgraded facility that will help us

welcome the world in 2010, and allow us to set the set the stage for the proposed new roof in 2011.”

The upgrades and proposed new roof are part of an overall plan to further establish the area around BC

Place as a vibrant sport, culture and entertainment district, including a new waterfront site for the Vancouver

Art Gallery on False Creek.

About BC Place Stadium

Opened in 1983, BC Place is an icon on the Vancouver landscape and will be the site of the opening and

closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. BC Place has a tradition of

bringing the province's events and fans together, hosting more than 200 event days each year. Over the past

25 years, BC Place has welcomed hundreds of national and international events, attracting visitors such as

Queen Elizabeth, Pope John Paul II, President Bill Clinton, the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi and David Beckham.

The 60,000 seat multiuse

facility is a division of PavCo (BC Pavilion Corporation), a Crown corporation

reporting to the Province of British Columbia through the Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture and

the Arts.

So BC Place will be ready to Roar Loud for the Whitecaps in the MLS in June of 2011.:)

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$ 65 million for the initial upgrades and $ 200 million for a new Roof.

I don't however believe the Government's view that the upgrades would've gone ahead even without the Olympics happening.

A few years ago they were talking about ripping down BC Place but once they realized that tearing down BC Place and building a new Stadium of comparable size could cost $ 1 billion, well...

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