| The city is moving towards involving the public when it sells the names of its public facilities to corporations, but a formal policy on the matter is still a long way off.
At a September 25 meeting, a city committee directed administration to talk to more stakeholders and continue working on a policy that will lay out guidelines for city-owned and partnered facilities that want to change their names to recognize large donations or sponsorships.
Any new policy will likely lay out guidelines that both donators and beneficiaries must follow if naming rights are part of a deal, including public consultation.
The issue was highlighted earlier this year by the announcement that Lindsay Park Sports Centre had changed its name to Talisman Centre under a multi-million dollar deal involving the controversial Calgary-based oil company Talisman Energy, which human rights organizations have accused of exacerbating the civil war in Sudan.
"When you name a facility after a corporation, you are giving your sign of approval to that corporation," says Mel Middleton, an aid worker who lived in Sudan. "These deals have international repercussions."
Meagan Smith-Windsor, an activist against Talisman’s involvement in Sudan, says the city should prohibit the sale of naming rights for any city-aligned facilities to avoid the risks associated with corporations and to ensure all public facilities are on equal footing.
"It would be a level playing field," Smith-Windsor says. "Naming rights wouldn’t be an option in Calgary and that would have no financial impact on the city."
Fort Calgary executive director Sara-Jane Gruetzner says the corporate naming of public institutions also has ramifications for the city’s heritage. She says Fort Calgary has chosen not to sell out its name, but the attractions exists because of the lucrative nature of such deals.
"I think most Calgarians would agree... that the name Fort Calgary should not be for sale," Gruetzner says. "What motivates corporations to pursue naming rights are not the same as philanthropic donations."
She adds that the right to choose to stay away from naming rights should be respected.
"Fort Calgary’s future should not be contingent on selling its name."
But others worry city council is stepping too far into the business of its civic partners.
Representatives of the Westside Regional Recreation Association, which raised money to build and operate the Westside Regional Recreation Complex without any tax revenue, say they need enough autonomy from the city to attract corporate money under confidential agreements. They worry a corporate naming policy that requires too much public involvement will scare away potential donors.
Ald. Madeleine King says a good policy would balance the needs of citizens, corporations and public facilities, and the city will need time to discuss the issues with nearly 300 organizations that would fall under the new guidelines.
"If we were to make a decision today... without proper input, I think we would be doing this city an enormous disservice," she adds.
The committee will revisit the issue in December, but a full policy won’t be ready for consideration until next September. |
