Quebec City arena plan gets uncertain boost

A private members bill will be introduced in the Quebec national assembly next week that represents a small victory in the campaign by the mayor of Quebec City to bring an NHL team to his city.

But it may be a short-lived victory, because one member of the assembly said Friday he intends to veto it.

The bill, if passed, would shield Quebec City from lawsuits by companies who might not be happy with the city's multi-million-dollar deal with Quebecor, awarding it naming rights on a planned arena.

The city and the province plan to spend $400 million to build a state-of-the-art arena, which they believe would attract an NHL team.

Meanwhile, Quebec City Mayor Rgis Labeaume signed the naming deal with Quebecor without going through a public tender process.

That's why the private members bill is needed, Labeaume said.

"I have to do that, and I cannot do that if I don't have the guarantee that what we are doing is legal," Labeaume said.

Initially, Qubec Solidaire member Amir Khadir and two independent members of the assembly blocked the introduction of the bill, but Thursday they said they would give consent for it to be tabled because government lawyers had assured them the deal between Quebecor and the city is not illegal.

The lawyers also said the deal is not ideal, and public tenders would have been better, and Khadir said Friday, even though he will allow the bill to be tabled, he will likely veto it.Private members' bills require unanimous support to get passed in the assembly.

Labeaume said it is critical that the legislation be passed before the assembly's summer recess, to give him time to persuade the NHL the city deserves a hockey franchise before his deal with Quebecor runs out in September.

"The deal with Quebecor is over on September 7th, and also I need to send a letter to Mr. Bettman (NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman) to say we are going to build the building. So if you want to know why we are working hard, you have all the answers," Labeaume said.