Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

AND then there were six.

At least for those of you scoring at home, there are now six cities in Canada in the process of, or attempting, to renovate or rebuild their CFL digs.

The latest Bob Vila came in the form of B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, who Friday unveiled the province’s plans to sink an estimated $150 million to $200 million into sprucing up B.C. Place, including a retractable roof and a new $50 million art gallery.

Good for them, eh?

Of course, one shudders to think of the reaction in Manitoba if Premier Gary Doer, a fervent pigskin fan, were to announce even a fraction of such grandiose spending here, where David Asper’s attempts to pry $40 million out of the province (and another $40 million from the feds) in order to invest $65 million privately to build a new stadium has been tantamount to arranging a manned mission to Mars.

And to think that B.C. Place is just 25 years old, no less.

This $200 million from the province will be so Vancouverites can put their best face on for the 2010 Winter Olympics — in which the federal government has proudly announced investing $600 million… so far.

First, a question for Treasury Board President Vic Toews: Why the hell is the federal government pumping $600 million into a sporting event when so many Manitobans — as Toews is quick to remind us — don’t even have clean drinking water? Isn’t that bordering on criminal?

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