Re: Taxpayers eat conference centre losses, (News, March 7)
Your article on Victoria’s losses from operating a conference centre illustrate the folly of government being involved.
If there really was money in it, a business like the Fairmont Empress Hotel would have built it themselves. Instead, they cleverly arranged it to be adjoining their hotel, with its fancy restaurants.
Yes, the “big expense account” crowd likes glamorous destinations. Thus the truck loggers’ convention, which should be held in a town with a lumber mill, and various aviation conventions, which should be in Sidney’s more modest accommodations. Those on limited budgets are shut out by the pricing.
And every town, like Nanaimo, wants to build its own grand convention centre, supposedly for some collective good, but in fact only benefiting some people.
Keith Sketchley
Saanich