Edmonton city council debates corporate naming right for rec centres

Edmonton city council is debating selling the naming rights of more city-run rec centres and facilities to bring in more money, but some Edmontonians CityNews spoke to Wednesday are split on the idea of a rec centre name change.

“Am I going to the Coliseum? Am I going to Rexall? Am I going to Roger’s Place? Like before, you know it, they’ll be changing the name two or three times a year,” said one Edmontonian.

Another saying, “The extra money is going to take pressure off the city and the taxpayers, but at the same time, I went to Terwillegar for the first time with my grandchildren, and I had a hard time finding it.”

It can be hard enough to remember names, let alone potential new names for city rec centres and facilities for these Edmontonians, as councillors mull allowing corporate naming rights for the buildings. 

Edmonton has already renamed one facility, the ‘Booster Juice Community Rec Centre in Terwillegar’ will have that name for ten years in a recent sponsorship deal.

But Edmonton’s mayor wants some facilities to be exempt.

Sohi said millions in taxpayer dollars have been invested in the Commonwealth rec centre, Clareview, the Meadows, Coronation and taxpayers deserve to keep the name.

Having corporate sponsors who will give you a few hundred thousand dollars and have a prominent name on the building. In my mind, it undermines that community commitment to those facilities,” said Sohi.

Councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell says he understands reservations and fatigue around corporate sponsorship, but says the city needs more ways to make money. 

“You see Evermore rink boards and ice ads at hockey games, you see advertisements on jerseys and helmets, but at the same time these are revenue streams. We cannot diminish or turn our backs on any potential revenue streams,” said Cartmell.

But for some Edmontonians on a rainy Wednesday, they say the name should belong to the community. 

The name has a meaning behind it, where if someone doesn’t like Booster Juice, it defeats the purpose and ruins the name for it,” said an Edmontonian.

While others say every name takes time to grow.

“I used to have season tickets to Clarke Stadium, and then of course, Commonwealth. So again, eventually, it grows on you. because if you want to go, that’s where it is.”