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Bad Blood - Série télé sur la chute de Vito Rizzuto
un sujet a posté ConcordiaSalus dans L'actualité
Une série financée par Rogers Media sur le crime organisé à Montréal. Bad Blood raconte la montée et la chute de Vito Rizzuto comme chef de la mafia sicilienne à Montréal. Alain Desrochers produit la série mais il s'agit essentiellement d'une production Torontoise, filmée à Montréal et Sudbury exclusivement en anglais et dont la promotion se fait principalement dans le Canada anglais. La série de six épisodes débute sur CityTV le 21 septembre à 20hrs. "Bad Blood is a story of family, loyalty, deceit, power, greed and ultimately revenge. Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto is a criminal anomaly – the only man to bring peace among the disparate wings of the Montreal crime world who would serve as a de facto CEO while ensuring a lucrative payday for all. When Rizzuto is suddenly arrested and extradited to Colorado’s Supermax Prison for the 1981 murders of three Bonanno crime family members, the powerful empire he built begins to crumble. Rizzuto watches helplessly as his family and friends are killed one by one. Upon his release from prison in October 2012, a Shakespearean-level revenge tale unfolds, leading to the brutal murders of his closest companions, and ultimately, to the death of Rizzuto himself." https://www.rogersmedia.com/shows/bad-blood/ Globe and Mail, "Montreal mafia series Bad Blood is bloody good" https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/john-doyle-montreal-mafia-series-bad-blood-is-bloody-good/article36311360/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com& JdM, "Montréal, cité du vice" http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/09/20/montreal-cite-du-vice -
Nom: 1200 McGill College Hauteur en étages: 24 Hauteur en mètres: 84 Bonjour à tous! Je suis un lecteur d'MtlUrb depuis un an maintenant. J'adore la passion que tout le monde ici a pour l'architecture à Montréal, même si elle est négative parfois! Je suis bilingue, mais je préfère écrire en anglais, donc vous pouvez me répondre en anglais ou en français. Merci! La Tour Rogers in the state that it is today is a disgrace to McGill College, one of the most beautiful streets in Montreal. If you are not familiar with the rusted and faded building, here it is: Bellow is my vision to refresh 1200 McGill College. The renders were created in Revit 2017, I'm studying to be architectural technologist and making these renders are a part of the job. The renderings that usually come with a proposal are created by a team with very powerful computers. I made these renders on my laptop at home in my free time, I still think it turned out well: In my vision, the bronze aluminum sections of the elevations would be replaced by a silver aluminum. This finish would be nearly identical to the finish on Place ville Marie, I think that would be a noteworthy integration. The windows would be replaced with black reflective windows, like the ones being installed on the new Holiday Inn on R.L. For the brick section, I would replace the brick with black prefab concrete slabs like the ones on Tour Des Canadiens. I also chose to add a billboard that would be used to advertise CityTv and Breakfast Television Montreal (I wanted to put a screen under the billboard, but didn't). This is done on the CityTv building in Toronto: I know some of you hate prefab and billboards, but I think in this situation they add character to a TV studio building. I did not do any design work on the commercial section facing St Catherines, so in the render it is just a glass box. If you have any ideas for the vision, let me know! If I have free time, maybe I will add some suggestions and post new renders. Thank you!
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Voici un triste jours pour les amateurs du sports. (opinion personnelle) Source: La Presse Rogers Communications (Sportsnet) a payé le gros prix. Plus de 5,2 milliards sur douze ans pour obtenir à compter de la prochaine saison les droits nationaux sur tous les matchs de la LNH, incluant les séries de la Coupe Stanley, la finale, les classiques hivernales, le repêchage, les matchs d’étoiles, etc. TVA en tire de larges bénéfices puisqu’il devient le diffuseur francophone officiel de la LNH. RDS perd donc assurément au moins 22 matchs des Canadiens, sans doute plus, et tous les matchs de séries du CH. CBC garde ses matchs du samedi soir, mais pour quatre ans seulement. Ce qui reste à RDS? Si la chaîne parvient à garder les droits locaux dans ses renégociations avec les Canadiens, on parle d’un match par semaine, peut-être parfois deux, et encore, puisque Rogers a les droits exclusifs des équipes canadiennes les samedi, dimanche et mercredi. Donc la fenêtre de RDS se limite à lundi, mardi, jeudi et vendredi si, et seulement si elle obtient les droits locaux après cette saison. RDS perd aussi les droits d’images pour ses différentes plateformes, sauf les images qu’elles pourra utiliser à des fins de nouvelles. TSN est le véritable perdant puisqu’il ne lui reste rien. Le monde de la télé vient de changer ce matin.
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http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Deal+would+bring+Citytv+Montreal/6560252/story.html Rogers Media buys Montreal TV station Metro 14 By Steve Faguy, The Gazette May 4, 2012 9:36 AM MONTREAL - Citytv could be coming to Montreal soon. Rogers Media announced on Thursday that it had reached a deal to purchase Montreal multicultural television station Metro 14 (CJNT) from Toronto-based Channel Zero Inc. Rogers plans to turn CJNT into a Citytv station, expanding the national network’s presence. Citytv has stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The company also announced that it will sign long-term affiliation deals with three stations owned by the Jim Pattison Group: CHAT-TV in Medicine Hat, Alta., CJFC-TV in Kamloops, B.C., and CKPG-TV in Prince George, B.C. All three have been Citytv affiliates since 2009, and are, like CJNT, former members of the Canwest CH/E! network. Rogers also announced in January it would purchase educational regional cable channel Saskatchewan Communications Network from Bluepoint Investment Corp. and rebrand it as Citytv Saskatchewan. “Citytv, up until recently, has only been available in 7.2 million homes, and when we buy and produce programming, the cost of that is similar to what other networks pay when they buy national footprint rights,” Rogers Media president of Broadcast Scott Moore told The Gazette. “It’s essential for us to expand our footprint.” Though the new deals give Citytv good coverage west of Montreal, there are no stations east of the city. Moore said there are no specific plans for expansion into Atlantic Canada, but said it represented a gap in the network and “we’ll continue to work on that in the next six to 12 months.” The deal must be approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission before Rogers Media can take over. In the meantime, Rogers and Channel Zero have signed an affiliation agreement that will see Citytv programming on CJNT as of June 4. Citytv programs include American shows like New Girl, Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother, as well as original productions like Canada’s Got Talent and the upcoming The Bachelor Canada. Channel Zero president Cal Millar told The Gazette the station also will air some programming from Rogers’s OMNI network of ethnic stations. Channel Zero also owns CHCH television in Hamilton, Ont. It purchased CHCH and CJNT from Canwest for $12 in 2009 after the struggling company (which also owned The Gazette) decided to shut down its secondary network of conventional television stations. Moore said he would not comment about the purchase price, but joked that it was “more than double” the $12 Channel Zero paid for it. CJNT’s licence requires it to broadcast 14 hours of local ethnic programming each week and at least 75 per cent ethnic programming from 8 to 10 p.m. But after the sale from Canwest to Channel Zero, the station stopped producing its ethnic programming. It has since been airing reruns – some of them three years old – of its local ethnic shows. The rest of its schedule is made up of music videos, foreign films and some low-rated U.S. programming whose Canadian rights haven’t been scooped up by CTV, Global or Citytv. Moore did not comment on any changes Rogers might propose for CJNT’s licence, or whether it would even continue to be a multi-ethnic station. “We’ll be spending the next couple of months in Montreal, speaking with stakeholders in the community,” he said. As far as local programming, Moore said it was still too early to tell, but it was unlikely the station would produce a daily newscast. “I don’t know that Montreal needs another English-language supper-hour newscast,” he said. Citytv stations outside of Toronto meet local programming requirements with morning shows. Moore said it was “a good bet” that a similar strategy would be used in Montreal. Millar said the sale was bittersweet for Channel Zero, which he said had been making progress building its audience with a new morning show that’s heavy on music videos. He said Rogers has been trying to buy the station since “shortly after we acquired it” and made multiple offers. But this time, “Rogers was more determined than ever to expand their national reach,” Millar said. “It was far more valuable to them at that point than to us.” Channel Zero had been in talks with a local producer to bring back some local ethnic programming this fall. Millar said he doesn’t know if those plans will continue as the company waits for a decision on the acquisition. Rogers said it would expect a decision by the CRTC in the fall. sfaguy@montrealgazette.com Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Rogers+Media+buys+Montreal+station+Metro/6560252/story.html#ixzz1tuid8rb0
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I just got a message from Rogers saying "Starting January 1st, 2011 the GST will be 8.5%" What's even more appalling by 2012 it will be 9.5%
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900 Ste Catherine [Rénovation + Expansion]
un sujet a posté GDS dans Projets oubliés et/ou en suspens
Siège social Rogers pour le Québec. Looks like I had a few left to upload . -
Actually it is being released in Australia in June by supposedly multiple carriers. WTFBBQ Rogers you bloody cunts! Rot in hell when the auction comes around.
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Voici ce que je ferais pour que Montreal aie son times square une belle renovation de la tour ou rogers est actuellement passer de cela (ok un vague dessin) a cela, ou les sections en rouge seraient des ecrans animés.
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Après leur annonce du Rogers Arena à Vancouver pourquoi pas un Centre Rogers à Montréal avec un spectacle permanent du Cirque du Soleil maintenant qu'ils sont partenaires ? Ça serait pas mal du tout et j'ai l'impression qu'ils ont les poches profondes:highfive: ! En tout cas moi je m'abonne avec eux s'ils font ça ! http://smr.newswire.ca/fr/rogers-communications-inc/cirque-du-soleil-and-rogers-two-icons-of-innovation
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Yesterday Rogers rolled out new data plans for use in Canada/US. 500 MB @ $35 1 GB @ $40 Plus it comes different forms of payment: monthly, 1 year, 2 year and 3 year. I might finally get data on my phone. It seems worth it.
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I can't wait to get mine (had to ship it to Vermont) LOL Only reason I got this baby is Android 2.1. I never use data on my phone, I'll still be using wifi. Even if I wanted to use data on my phone the 3G wont work until Videotron launches in the summer with their AWS spectrum. Specs It does suck that it doesn't have multitouch, but the voice command feature pretty interesting to say the least. I should hopefully be reviewing the phone, days after receiving it. The competition in some way or another... Nokia N900 (3G AWS w/QWERTY) Sony X10 (3G w/o QWERTY exclusive to Rogers in 2Q10) iPhone 3GS (3G w/o QWERTY supported by multiple carriers) Motorola Droid / Milestone (3G AWS w/QWERTY) Blackberry Storm2 (3G AWS w/QWERTY) One main advantage I see with Nexus One the use of AMOLED. Only other phone from HTC that has it is Bravo. Only other manufacture that uses is AMOLED is Samsung. 3G AWS only works with WIND and soon DAVE (both are excluded from QC). Come on Videotron (summer). One thing LG came out with the EVE which is sold exclusively with Rogers at the moment. LG also working now on EVE2 which the specs will rival Nexus One, seeing Qualcomm Snapdragon processing speed at 1 GHz. One thing Apple has an advantage with ARM processors seeing they can handle 2 GHz (supposedly), time will only tell when they release their new generation iPhone in 2010. One advantage that Nexus One has right now is with the WiFi 802.11n
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From what I heard from my father, I can only have 40% of my portfolio in other markets. So what companies should I look for here in Canada? Only one I can think of is Bank of Montreal. I would put some in Bombardier but it will never go up, plus I am iffy on Bell and Rogers.
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Ça aide pas pour le moral du forum, mais ça demeure de l'actualité... ------------------ À Montréal et à Toronto Les Éditions Rogers procédent à environ 40 mises à pied 22 avril 2009 - 19h38 LA PRESSE CANADIENNE TORONTO -- La division d'édition de Rogers Communications (RCI.B) a supprimé environ 40 emplois à Montréal et à Toronto en raison d'une baisse des revenus publicitaires de ses magazines, a indiqué mercredi une source familière avec la situation. Le porte-parole de l'entreprise a confirmé mercredi que les employés des bureaux de Montréal et de Toronto avaient été informés de la nouvelle, mais a refusé de préciser le nombre exact d'emplois supprimés ou les publications touchées. Les Éditions Rogers est l'éditeur de magazines et de périodiques le plus important au Canada. Il publie entre autres L'actualité, Maclean's et Châtelaine, en plus d'une douzaine d'autres magazines spécialisés. -
Looks like the outside is getting a face lift.
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Durant la période de trois mois terminée le 31 décembre, l'entreprise torontoise a compté 199 000 nouveaux abonnés à ses services sans fil, en hausse par rapport aux 183 000 enregistrés un an auparavant. Pour en lire plus...
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«Ted Rogers fut un grand visionnaire des télécommunications, pour qui le mot risque n'existait pa»", s'est remémoré André Chagnon, ex-président fondateur de Vidéotron, huit ans après un projet avorté de fusion multimilliardaire. Pour en lire plus...
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Le PDG de Rogers Communication avait été hospitalisé vendredi après un malaise cardiaque. Pour en lire plus...
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Le Devoir 14 juin Tour de 30 étages sur l'îlot Balmoral Le projet de Rogers permettrait le financement d'une place des festivals et d'une nouvelle salle de spectacles L'entreprise canadienne-anglaise de communications Rogers veut s'ancrer au Québec en construisant une tour de bureaux de 30 étages sur le quadrilatère situé à l'ouest de la Place des Arts, à Montréal. Ce projet permettrait le financement et le développement culturel de l'îlot Balmoral avec une immense place des festivals et une nouvelle salle de spectacles, a appris Le Devoir. Des discussions sont en cours entre Rogers et la Société d'habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), le bras immobilier de la Ville de Montréal, pour la réalisation de ce projet d'envergure. La Société immobilière du Québec (SIQ) est également partie prenante dans ce dossier puisque la partie sud de l'îlot Balmoral lui appartient, alors que la SHDM est propriétaire de la partie nord. Selon les informations recueillies, la tour Rogers s'élèverait à l'angle des rues de Bleury et de Maisonneuve et pourrait permettre de regrouper les divers bureaux de l'entreprise actuellement disséminés à travers Montréal. Au sud, l'édifice Wilder, mal en point faute d'entretien par la SIQ, sera démoli afin de permettre la construction d'une salle de spectacles de 1000 places. Cela comblerait le vide laissé par la disparition du Spectrum, prévue à la fin de l'été. Sur la partie est du site qui longe la Place des Arts, entre les rues Sainte-Catherine et de Maisonneuve, une place publique destinée à accueillir les grands festivals verrait le jour et favoriserait leur pérennité. Ce projet nécessiterait des investissements considérables. Déjà, la Ville de Montréal a prévu 55 millions de dollars en infrastructures municipales dans son plan triennal d'immobilisations. Mais cela ne peut pas suffire. «Notre objectif est de limiter les investissements publics dans le dossier», a expliqué la porte-parole de la SHDM, Stéphanie Gareau. De fait, le projet de Rogers, dont le coût s'élèverait à des dizaines de millions de dollars, est intimement lié au développement culturel de l'îlot Balmoral. Le milieu culturel souhaite depuis longtemps que soit consacrée la vocation du site. De son côté, Rogers voit vraisemblablement tout l'intérêt de créer des liens et de soutenir la culture québécoise, question d'améliorer son image et de s'immiscer dans les plates-bandes de ses concurrents commerciaux. «C'est important pour Rogers d'être associée au milieu culturel, notamment le secteur francophone», s'est borné à commenter Sébastien Bouchard, de Rogers, après avoir insisté pour dire que, pour l'instant, «il n'y a rien à annoncer». Rogers est une entreprise tentaculaire. Elle est présente en téléphonie cellulaire (Fido) et en câblodistribution; elle est également propriétaire de 50 stations de radio, de chaînes de télévision spécialisées, de magazines comme L'Actualité et Châtelaine et même de l'équipe des Blue Jays de Toronto et du stade de baseball Rogers Centre (l'ancien SkyDome). En 2000, Rogers avait tenté une percée au Québec en voulant mettre la main sur Vidéotron et TVA. L'intervention du gouvernement du Québec par le truchement de la Caisse de dépôt et placement avait toutefois bloqué cette transaction et permis à Quebecor d'élargir son empire. Le développement de l'îlot Balmoral est sous la coordination de la SHDM, a précisé la porte-parole de la SHDM, Stéphanie Gareau, ajoutant que les démarches de l'arrondissement de Ville-Marie se font de façon parallèle. Ville-Marie a récemment confié un mandat au consultant Clément Demers pour élaborer un plan particulier d'urbanisme (PPU) qui doit proposer dans le détail une vision d'avenir pour l'îlot Balmoral. Le PPU doit déterminer qui pourra faire quoi, où et comment. «Plusieurs regardent l'îlot comme un terrain extrêmement intéressant pour des projets. Rien n'a été officiellement déposé pour l'instant et rien ne sera étudié avant la remise du plan de développement, le 31 octobre», a récemment soutenu le maire de l'arrondissement, Benoit Labonté, dans un entretien avec Le Devoir. Le projet de Rogers est néanmoins analysé «en fonction des besoins du milieu culturel», a souligné Mme Gareau. Ces «besoins» sont définis dans le cadre d'un protocole d'entente liant la SHDM et l'Équipe Spectra, l'entreprise privée qui orchestre entre autres le Festival international de jazz et les FrancoFolies. Les orientations du protocole sont claires: tout projet sur l'îlot Balmoral doit comprendre la construction d'une salle de spectacles en remplacement du Spectrum et délimiter une place des festivals. Spectra utilise abondamment les terrains vacants de l'îlot Balmoral pendant la période des festivals. De plus, le Spectrum, dont Spectra est locataire depuis 25 ans, doit fermer ses portes en août. L'érection d'un magasin à grande surface Best Buy y est prévue. Après avoir tenté en vain de développer en partenariat un projet d'un complexe comprenant un nouveau Spectrum, Spectra a changé son fusil d'épaule et jeté son dévolu sur l'îlot Balmoral. La SHDM ne cache pas avoir trois projets entre les mains, dont celui de Rogers. Ces projets s'ajouteraient à ceux d'autres promoteurs qui auraient plutôt choisi de solliciter l'arrondissement de Ville-Marie. Depuis 2000, différents projets ont été dessinés, puis abandonnés. Il y a deux ans, la firme Busac, promoteur du controversé îlot Voyageur de l'UQAM, avait des ambitions avec Cadim, la filiale investissement de la Caisse de dépôt et placement, pour le site. La Caisse de dépôt reconnaît avoir travaillé sur le financement du dossier mais soutient l'avoir fermé depuis lors. Busac est aujourd'hui partenaire d'un des trois consortiums qui présenteront un partenariat public-privé pour la construction de la salle de concert de l'OSM. Du côté de la SIQ, aucune position officielle n'a été adoptée. On a même affirmé hier ignorer certains détails du dossier de l'îlot Balmoral, notamment les critères de sélection des projets dont ont convenu Spectra et la SHDM. «La SIQ a acquis ce terrain pour loger la salle de l'OSM et le conservatoire de musique. Les projets du gouvernement ayant changé, le terrain est devenu excédentaire pour nous. On veut en disposer en tenant compte des orientations gouvernementales», s'est limité à dire Martin Roy, de la SIQ. L'îlot Balmoral constitue un des deux pôles de développement prévus pour le Quartier des spectacles. Le projet d'une vitrine culturelle au croisement des rues Sainte-Catherine et Saint-Laurent est sur la planche à dessin de la Ville de Montréal.
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Il s'agit d'un nouvel appareil à haute vitesse destiné principalement à sa clientèle d'affaires. L'entreprise possède le seul réseau au Canada pouvant accueillir ce téléphone «intelligent». Pour en lire plus...
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Videotron Rogers (Courtesy of Electronista)
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Les milliers de Canadiens qui ont fait la queue pour se procurer un iPhone ont permis à Rogers de battre son propre record de ventes. Pour en lire plus...
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Grâce à la croissance du sans-fil et de ses marges de profit, Rogers empoche un gain de 364 M$ ou 57 cents par action au deuxième trimestre. Pour en lire plus...
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Coupe Rogers L'avenir du tennis est assuré... à Montréal
un sujet a posté monctezuma dans L'actualité
Mario Brisebois Le Journal de Montréal 15/07/2008 06h55 http://www.canoe.com/sports/nouvelles/archives/2008/07/20080715-065501.html La commandite des grands tournois de tennis internationaux à Montréal et à Toronto est assurée pour les années à venir. Avant la visite de l'ATP à Toronto le 21 juillet et celle de la WTA à Montréal à compter du 28, Le Journal de Montréal a appris qu'un renouvellement de contrat était survenu entre Tennis Canada et Rogers. Après les Blue Jays au baseball et la chaîne de télévision spécialisée Sportsnet qui appartiennent au président Ted Rogers, le tennis est le troisième investissement majeur dans le sport pour la compagnie de câblodistribution et de téléphonie cellulaire. Les détails ne sont pas tous connus, mais la commandite dépassera les 3,9 millions en bourses offerts par année au tennis canadien, si on ajoute les hausses déjà prévues par les circuits et les coûts élevés de promotion qui s'y rattachent. La durée serait d'un minimum de trois ans. La confirmation ne saurait tarder. Tennis Canada et Rogers voudront sûrement profiter de la visite de grandes vedettes du tennis comme Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ana Ivanovic et Venus Williams pour annoncer la nouvelle avec fracas. Pour Tennis Canada, il s'agit d'un bon coup. Les grands tournois représentent la principale source de financement des programmes, notamment ceux qui appuient l'élite et le développement. De plus, les commandites ne courent pas les rues de nos jours dans le sport ou dans d'autres domaines. La situation économique en Amérique n'aide pas à débloquer les budgets. Au golf, l'Omnium canadien a dû attendre trois ans avant de se trouver enfin un partenaire financier cette année. -
Le moins dispendieux de ces plans coûtera 60 $ par mois et les consommateurs devront signer des contrats de trois ans. Pour en lire plus...
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Cutting to the chase Sean Fitz-Gerald, National Post Published: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 TORONTO -- If he had told the truth while walking into that south Florida bar that winter, in 1969, nobody would have stopped to listen. So Paul Godfrey lied, just a little, and introduced himself to the commissioner of Major League Baseball as a councillor from Toronto - and not from nearby North York, where he actually worked. Then he asked for a baseball team. "Son, where are we going to play?" Bowie Kuhn asked back. "Sir," Godfrey said, "you give us a team and we'll build you a stadium." Kuhn, with his imposing 6-foot-5 frame, put a hand on Godfrey's shoulder. "Son, let me tell you the way we do it in Major League Baseball," he said. "First, you build us a stadium, then we'll decide if we want to give you a team. Nice meeting you." After plenty of negotiation and a bit of luck, the Toronto Blue Jays staged their first regular-season game at Exhibition Stadium eight years later. And by the mid-80s, Godfrey had turned his attention to the NFL, shaking hands and making friends with the league's power brokers. Today, it is Godfrey's employers at Rogers Communications who have taken up the chase, and Godfrey's employers who are faced with the same stadium-related questions for football that the former councillor faced for baseball. Rogers Centre is too small for the National Football League. Its seating capacity has been set at about 54,000 for an upcoming eight-game series featuring the Buffalo Bills, placing it firmly behind each of the league's existing 31 stadiums in terms of size. Renovations are a possibility, but would not be executed without complication. If a new facility is deemed to be the answer, then where would it be built? And who would pay for it? Ted Rogers and Larry Tanenbaum had to navigate a number of obstacles just to secure the series, and the stadium issue is still only one in a line of hurdles stretched out between them and the finish line of their quest to land their own NFL team. There are politicians on both sides of the border who would want to be heard before the relocation of any team; there are the NFL owners who would have to be convinced the time is right to move beyond the U.S. borders; there are other, American billionaires who would likely join in the bidding for any available team; and then there is the Canadian Football League, which would loudly protest any further encroachment onto its turf. "Getting a franchise, it's like getting the games here," Rogers vice chairman Phil Lind said. "It's extraordinarily complicated." Rogers Communications will pay $78-million to lease eight games from the Bills over the next five NFL seasons. And there has been rampant speculation the move eventually could become permanent. Sports investment banker Sal Galatioto, president of Galatioto Sports Partners, was asked why Toronto does not already have its own NFL franchise, despite decades of lobbying. "There are a bunch of reasons," he said. "One is Toronto doesn't have a stadium that really is NFL-ready, that meets NFL specs. That's a big problem. And it's like the chicken and the egg - unless you have the building, it's difficult to entice an NFL team to move there, but you don't want to build a building not knowing if you're going to have a team." Rogers Centre, formerly known as SkyDome, opened in 1989 at a cost of $578-million. It was overshadowed just three years later when Camden Yards opened in Baltimore, unleashing a new wave of stadium architecture, which favoured the quaint and the retro over the futuristic feel of the concrete and steel dome. SkyDome was sold to Rogers four years ago for just $25-million. Some feel the stadium could be renovated to house an NFL team by, among other things, digging and lowering the floor. The obvious conflict that would arise, though, is how the construction schedule might interfere with the Blue Jays, the stadium's primary tenant - and another of Rogers' holdings. According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, the league does not have a minimum size requirement for stadiums. But the smallest facility, Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, holds 61,500 fans, 7,500 more than Rogers Centre. Opinions vary about where a new stadium might be built. There would seem to be some potential along the water just east of downtown, but the lack of public transit and room for added traffic flow has ruled it out for some. Downsview Park, in the city's north end, has often been cited as prime real estate, but Liberal Member of Parliament Joe Volpe vaguely suggested there was "some maneuvering" that might rule out its candidacy. "Probably the best place - and it was the best place 30 years ago when they were talking about the SkyDome - is Downsview," Volpe said. "And the second-best place is just past Canada's Wonderland." Building a new stadium is not cheap, but some believe the Toronto group might be able to avoid asking for public money by selling personal seat licences. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly charging as much as US$150,000 for a PSL - which only really gives a fan the right to buy tickets - in his new, US$1.1-billion stadium. Private financing might be the only way to proceed in Toronto. "When SkyDome was built, Metro Toronto put in $30-million, because at that time, the municipality had felt there was a need for a major sports centre," Toronto Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said. "There's no political will in this town, that I'm aware of, to basically subsidize an NFL team in Toronto by putting taxpayers' money in it." "It'd be tough," Volpe said. The same could be said of the competition to land an NFL team. Ralph Wilson founded the Bills for US$25,000 in 1959, and has indicated the franchise will be placed up for auction after his death. Wilson turns 90 this fall, and Forbes values the Bills at US$821-million. "When an NFL team comes on the market, Ted Rogers is great - he's a bidder, but not necessarily the winning bidder," Galatioto said. "There are other people just as wealthy as he is, if not wealthier, who want an NFL team." Galatioto suggested the Bills could have more than a half-dozen wealthy suitors, from those who might want to keep it in Western New York to those who might want to return the league to Los Angeles after an absence of more than a decade. "You're going to have a lot of interest around the Bills," he said. "Believe me, there are a lot of people who ask me that same question: Some people interested in keeping it in Buffalo; some people interested in the dream of L.A.; some people talking about Toronto. The Bills are a big, hot topic." Especially in Western New York, where the NFL acts as one of the region's final ties to the national spotlight. Senator Charles Schumer is reportedly scheduled to meet with Wilson and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at training camp this summer, seeking to ensure the team's future in Buffalo. Other politicians have made their voices heard, and only on the mere speculation the team might be in danger of moving. The Toronto consortium would face headaches at home, too, where B.C. Lions president Bob Ackles has pledged to make as much noise as possible in defence of the CFL. Senator Larry Campbell, a former Vancouver mayor, recently tabled a bill that would ban the NFL from playing regular-season games in Canada. "I do believe in the tradition of the Canadian Football League," Godfrey said. "And it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that there are ways that both can survive. I really believe that the CFL can not only survive, but I think with the co-operation between the two leagues, it can put teams in cities that they're not in today - possibly Quebec City, Halifax." According to Rogers Communications, though, the Southern Ontario market is NFL territory. "The NFL owners have to cross the threshold and decide whether they are international, or whether they are just American," Lind said. "And they lose a certain amount if, say, Toronto or Moose Jaw gets a franchise. They gain a lot, too, because there's a huge market in Canada that would be energized way more than it is right now." Godfrey, who started the chase more than 20 years ago, is admittedly not in the foreground of the most recent pursuit, focusing on his role as president of the Blue Jays while Rogers, Tanenbaum and Lind lead the hunt. But even from the background, he claims he can still see the finish line. "A team is coming here," Godfrey said. "Can I predict whether it will be two years, or six years, or 10 years? I can't. I have no inside information, but I do know the NFL wants to go global, and it's the only sport that has not gone North American - never mind global."
