Article content

The National Hockey League announced last week that it has chosen, as expected, Las Vegas over Quebec City to house an expansion franchise next year.

“Build it and they will come,” as the Field of Dreams line goes, was the philosophical underpinning behind a government-funded arena that remains underused; a reminder that sometimes, in politics, consensus can be dangerous.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Dan Delmar: Quebec City's Centre Vidéotron 'Field of Dreams' a nightmare for taxpayers Back to video

Quebec City’s Centre Vidéotron, managed by Quebecor, was paid for entirely by the municipal and provincial governments at a cost of $370-million. The story of how it came to be is complicated; why it came to be may be less so.

While Montreal voters have been fairly consistent and predictable over the decades, those in Quebec City have been more volatile. Before the past few elections, campaigners in all three main parties worked on the assumption the capital region was winnable.

With a popular, straight-talking mayor musing back in 2007 and onward about the possibility of an NHL return, it was tempting for then-premier Jean Charest to pledge his support, to avoid breaking the hearts of local hockey fans — and voters. By 2009, Mayor Régis Labeaume was in discussion with league officials and ground was broken by 2012.