The Invista-Ambassador-Rona-Swish- Whig-Standard Arena

Posted on May 21, 2008, by Harvey Kirkpatrick 
Filed Under Sports & Recreation

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Kingston has more hockey arenas per capita than any other city in the world, and therefore by default we should be front runners to succeed Detroit and assume their coveted title of “Hockey Town”. With the recent allegations regarding the Mayor’s conflict of interest in naming the LVEC K-Rock Centre, many Kingstonians have been waiting on the edge of their seats to see what the new multi-million dollar, multi-rink facility on the west end would be named. On the 21st day of the 5th month in the year 2008, the City of Kingston proudly presents The Invista- Ambassador-Rona-Swish-Whig-Standard Arena.

Invista ultimately gets the most out of the deal, as their name is most likely to be displayed on the outside of the building, while the other players will be given naming rights to individual ice pads. The deal will reportedly bring in $40,000 in 2008, with annual increases over 5 years that could make the naming rights worth as much as of $221,000, which will barely make a dent in the costs associated with the $33.6 million facility. No word as to whether or not the arena will be dubbed a centre, facility, complex, or eyesore, but City Hall has announced that they will have an online poll to engage the public in determining the other half of the name game. That being said, I’m sure Invista will ultimately have final say.

All things considered, I think that the city could have selected more locally owned companies to give the four rinks a better representation of Kingston’s home grown business community. Although Invista is a fair sized employer, they are still a large multi-national company with relatively new roots in the community. Swish and Rona are similarly spread out across the country, while Kingston is simply one of many cities they call home. The most appropriate choices are the Ambassador Hotel, and the Whig, which are unique Kingston business entities.

The rationale behind the name game probably boiled down to dollars and cents, whereby the multi-national corporate bidders outbid the local players. Considering there was an initial lack of interest amongst the entire business community, I suppose we’re lucky the multi-rink has one, let alone two local names attached to it. Even so, I would have liked to have seen the likes of: Queen’s-based PARTEQ Innovations, alternative energy provider Switch, cyberspace guru WTC Communications, and major financier of the arts Empire Life in the mix. With the potential for a new aquatic centre to be attached the multi-plex in the near future, perhaps one of these companies will throw their hat into the naming ring.

Comments

One Response to “The Invista-Ambassador-Rona-Swish- Whig-Standard Arena”

  1. Ian Jackson on May 21st, 2008 10:21 pm

    Don’t forget about KCP!

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