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It was Stephen Harper who suggested Atlantic Canada suffers from a dependence on federal aid and “a culture of defeatism," adding that the lack of optimism compels large numbers of Easterners to relocate to other parts of Canada.

Fast-forward 17 years, and here we are with a chance to build a facility without federal support. Private investors with roots in Atlantic Canada are proposing to elevate Halifax and the region’s profile on the national level. No longer would only our citizens who can afford to spend big bucks to travel to Toronto or Montreal be the only ones to enjoy world-class events.

This is not just about hosting a CFL team. With a new stadium, we would have the ability to host the Grey Cup (a CFL promise), an NHL Heritage Classic Game, big-name concerts such as Garth Brooks, U2, Ed Sheeran and Madonna, WWE pay-per-view events and other sport and cultural events like the Women’s World Cup of Soccer, which we missed out on in 2015.

Combine this with Sport Nova Scotia using the stadium for 300-plus days a year for amateur sports in our province, which encourage our children to be healthier and less dependent on the health-care system, and you have a facility we can all be proud of.

Don’t tell me the city can’t afford to contribute to a stadium, either. Don’t be a defeatist. We built a new library and two new 4-pads recently, worth millions of dollars. The stadium at least would hold events that generate economic activity for the city and province.

If I told you next summer we were going to get 10 events in HRM and 20,000-plus people were going to attend each one, you would probably say, “Wow, that’s going to be one heck of a summer!” Well, that’s what the CFL brings us! Hotels, shops, bars and restaurants would all benefit from this, too!

The stadium would be a place that brings citizens together. And the rest of Canada will finally take note that Halifax is now a vibrant world-class city on the East Coast. So it’s time for us to wake up, get this stadium built for our citizens and show Mr. Harper he was wrong!

John Ramia, Halifax

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