CFL asks federal government for up to $150 million due to COVID-19 pandemic

BINGO!!! we have a winner

Sure, help players and support workers whose income is lost or reduced because of the virus ā€“ same as any other employees. But hand money to a bunch of for-profit corporations whose business is disrupted? Sure ā€“ if this is done for all corporations in this situation.

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That is exactly the same situation as every restaurant, every concert promoter, the Stratford Festival, Calgary Stampede, etc. No fault of their own. So do taxpayers bail them all out? And if so, how do we also fund vaccine, PPE, better compensation for health-care and long-term-care workers?

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Good businesses have contingency plans for disasters
I donā€™t mind helping out the employees whoā€™s lost their jobs
I do mind giving billionaires and large corporations government money
I donā€™t care how iconic the CFL is

I love going to the games but Iā€™m not willing to give them corporate welfare

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There arenā€™t too many billionaires, I donā€™t think there are any. This league is barely breaking even and many are losing, without any help they probably will fold the league.

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Without any help, they will probably fold <insert name of restaurant/bar/etc.>. So do the same for them all?

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Um, I cant think of anyone or any Sports League that could have a contingency plan for a Pandemicā€¦just sayā€™n

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The governments (both federal and Ontario) bought shares in GM and Chrysler. They did not do that with Ford - as it was unneeded. The shares were later sold (iirc) for as much if not more than their original cost - so no bailout was given.

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So I assume you did this - put money away for a rainy day - and have refused the Canada Emergency Response Benefit? Or, is it do as I say and not as I do?

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You got that right . It is ā€œnovelā€ and covid 19 doesnā€™t mean there were 18 previous outbreaks of this virus .
Do you notice that the more dogmatic viewpoints tend to repeat and repeat while the more divergent thinkers simply place their views out there . Say it once and weā€™ll figure it out.

Pat Lynch

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To paraphrase many of the above posts: ā€œI have had a rigid world view for many years, and it cannot be modified even a little bit, even for a situation unlike any the world has ever seen.ā€

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I have been opposed to government bail outs, in general principle, for years. Now that itā€™s my Cats and the CFL, Iā€™m a hypocrite.

But, I believe this request is a little different than that of private industry. When you look at a money pit like Bombardier, and the hundreds of millions thrown at them what did they do? Gave their execs big bonuses, laid off workers, sold off their profitable aero component, and still failed to meet production deadlines. What did the government do? Gave them hundreds of millions more.

Car companies? Used hundreds of millions to prop up an otherwise profitable business, then let their Canadian plants wither and die, moving production to Mexico, and consolidating operations in the US. What did the government do? Sold what shares they had, and suggest the $35.00 per hour workers look for non-existent $15.00 per hour jobs.

With the CFL, the league is an all Canadian enterprise, which will either exist here in Canada, or not at all. It provides both full-time and part-time employment, generates spin off employment in and around the stadium, generates revenue for them, and taxes for three levels of government. If the CFL received the grant, they do not have the ability to divert those funds anywhere else, nor to sell or move the product out-of-country. The repayment by ā€œwork in kindā€ is maybe far-fetched as a real repayment, but at least acknowledges an attempt to fulfill an obligation.

All in all, a long winded way to say, in this case, I am willing to ā€œhold my noseā€ and support Mr Ambrosie in his request. The way weā€™re throwing the loonies around, whatā€™s another 150 million on top of 80 billion? Chump change.

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Well said Palmer. This is a situation that is unique and sometimes the thought process needs to be flexible.

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Donā€™t know what a basic income has to do with a virus spreading. As far as just handing everyone $20 an hour right off the bat, why would a lot of people work?
Some people just love to spend other peopleā€™s money.

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Ah ha but of course we know there is not enough money to bail out all so ā€¦

Donā€™t be like the US and print and borrow it endlessly of course. :stuck_out_tongue:

With just coaching and administration , I counted about 112 jobs in the Tiger-Cat organization with over 80 players on the current roster as well. That could increase by 9 more after the draft . That is a lot of money that would not circulate through the local economy if the Cats and the 8 other clubs ceased to be . If oil companies and airlines need financial help, so does the truly Canadian sport league .

Pat Lynch (the ancient one)

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Perhaps this request could be reframed as a loan with a 10 year payback.

!0% of teams cash on hand could form the basis for collateral

People would work to better themselves. Most people want more in life than they have. Giving them a fixed basic income does not change that want IMHO. :wink:

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I think there would have to be some give-and-take. The league needs to do what it can to minimize costs and mitigate the revenue impact. Can they extract some portion of their fees from TSN or sponsors? Can they negotiate a break on expenses owed to municipalities or other suppliers? Perhaps offer incentives to fans to accept only a partial refund this year in exchange for future incentives? Players should not expect to collect their full salary for not attending a single practice or game. Nor should coaches or other management/admin.

Structuring part of any injection as a loan would help, but itā€™s not like the league and teams have a surplus of cash flow to make loan repayments in future seasons.

Pretty hard to argue itā€™s an all-Canadian enterprise, and yet we canā€™t possibly play because half our players (and probably 80 per cent of our coaches) are Americans who canā€™t cross the border right now.

And what if the Keg, to use one example of an enterprise that has sponsored the CFL, were to declare it was going to go out of business because of COVID-19? Would it also count as an all-Cdn enterprise that deserved to be propped up by taxpayers? The Shaw Festival? The Edmonton Folk Festival? etc. Iā€™m just trying to understand what businesses should qualify for taxpayer funding over and above support for displaced employees, or why the CFL deserves special consideration. And Iā€™d also like to hear someone explain whether support for any business merits priority over enhanced spending in support of health care, and if so, why.

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