City of Brantford officially approved the construction of a new Sports and Entertainment Centre (SEC) on Thursday, December 4, 2025.
During the special City of Brantford Council Meeting on December 4, every Councillor sung the praises of the new facility. They also expressed their gratitude for the Bulldogs, which is completely warranted. The Brantford Bulldogs have been a wonderful addition to the community; they are a strong, skilled hockey team that has had tremendous success on the ice this season but, more importantly, the work they do off the ice, in the community, shows the true value of the franchise. The players are ambassadors and role models for the youth in the community, something you can never put a price tag on. There is no question that the Bulldogs deserve a new home; the only question is can the City of Brantford, and it’s residents, actually afford to build one?
The project, expected to be completed by September of 2028, does carry a hefty price tag of $152 million (not including interest), which could bring the grand total to approximately a quarter of a billion dollars.
According to a press release issued by the municipality, “The $152 million project will be funded through dedicated revenue sources tied to the facility, including a $140 million municipal debenture supported by a reserve fund. This reserve will draw from the municipal accommodation tax, casino revenue reallocation, property sales, naming rights, sponsorships, operator contributions, fundraising, and increased commercial property taxes from downtown development.”
There were several questions facing council during their special meeting, some were answered and some were not even addressed. I had several concerns beginning with the lack of a formal lease agreement between the two parties. I was concerned that they would proceed with the project without having a legally-binding document in place. I am happy to say both parties signed a lease agreement making the Bulldogs the anchor tenant of the new facility for 15 years, starting in 2028. There are also five five-year extensions included in the document.
The agreement also includes a revenue sharing model with the municipality and the Bulldogs will pay an undisclosed amount in rent per game under the new lease. The only thing missing, from my point of view, was a commitment from the Bulldogs to pay for some of the construction costs but that’s not the case.
I had another concern while watching the special meeting and, to my dismay, it wasn’t addressed; not during the delegations nor during council’s discussion and deliberations. The operational costs for the new SEC and the current Civic Centre. This was disappointing because residents had a right to know how much it was going to cost to operate, not one, but two sports centres. As I understand it, the City is planning to keep the current Civic Centre operational, possibly as a practice rink or for another use. Well, in 2024, the current Civic Centre had an operating deficit of $600,000 while the new SEC is expected to have an operating deficit of nearly $670,000. That means the City, and its residents, need to find an additional $1.27 million on top of the debenture.
Speaking about that debenture; it is of great concern as 30 years is a long time to be in debt. It is a long time to have this project on the municipality’s books and, truthfully, I thought it would be over 15 years. The average municipal debenture is 20 years so 15 years sounds a bit more palatable, especially because the average annual payment for the debenture will be approximately eight million dollars. Over 30 years, that comes to an astounding $240 million.
The funding of this debenture is expected to come from the sale of City-owned assets, specifically land on Powerline Road and future development in the downtown core. Future developments that yet to exist and may or may not ever come to fruition. Here are several questions for residents to ponder over the next two years… what if no new developments start in the next few years? How will the first year of the debenture be funded? Or how about the next three? What will happen if Council can’t make the first payment of the debenture?
Yes, Council has a handful of options at their disposal. For the first couple of years, the municipality could use the funds from selling the land on Powerline Road, if they are actually able to sell it. They could scale back the project, they could fund it through reserve accounts, or they could sell off their stake in GrandBridge Energy to bring in an influx of cash and pay off the debenture in full. But wouldn’t that money be better served for a new hospital, which this region most certainly needs and deserves.
I have always believed that actions speak louder than words. I have heard that businesses and corporations have sent in letters of support saying if the SEC was built, new developments would begin. That may be true but until shovels are in the ground and new businesses start sprouting up, all of this is wishful thinking. Just because Council and City staff get development permits, it doesn’t mean construction will begin anytime soon, if at all.
Building this new SEC could cause undue financial stress on future councils, staff and, most importantly, the residents of Brantford. Council has a plan that is based on POTENTIAL future development not the reality of living within their means and finding a way to fund the project from money in their current tax base.
Unfortunately, this project was not approved on reality or fiscal responsibility but rather hopes and dreams. Hopes, dreams and wishful thinking that the new SEC will have the Walmart effect where new businesses flock to a Walmart location and sprout up throughout the concrete jungle.
With construction set to begin sometime in 2026, Council only has one thing left to do… hope and dream that W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe Jackson and “Field of Dreams” were right… “If you build it, they will come.”
