News British Columbia

Door not closed on BC Place naming rights 0

By Richard Zussman, QMI Agency Vancouver

B.C. Premier Christy Clark said the government never closed the door on a BC Place sponsorship deal with Telus. (SUBMITTED)

B.C. Premier Christy Clark said the government never closed the door on a BC Place sponsorship deal with Telus. (SUBMITTED)

The Liberal government hasn’t ruled out a potential deal for the naming rights to BC Place stadium.

On Monday, Premier Christy Clark weighed in on the issue when asked if a deal was in place to sell the rights to telecom giant Telus. Last March, the ruling Liberal government rejected a 20-year, $35-million deal that would have seen the taxpayer-funded stadium renamed Telus Park.

“We’ve never closed the door on trying to get the best deal for taxpayers on the stadium,” Clark said in Vancouver.

Telus wouldn’t comment on whether it’s in active negotiations with the province, but maintained it has been committed to the building through the massive $563-million renovation. Victoria originally stepped away from the deal because, in its opinion, it wasn’t a good enough deal for taxpayers.

“Telus has always been open to naming the great building,” said Telus spokesman Shawn Hall. “We put a lot of heart into BC Place during renovations and helped make it one of the most connected stadiums anywhere. There is a lot of pride there.”

A new name for BC Place may also lead to a butting of heads between rivals Bell and Telus. Bell is the title sponsor of the Vancouver Whitecaps, one of the stadium’s main tenants.

 

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