The location of Sudbury's new multi-million dollar arena and events centre is a debate that has many people talking.
The decision is expected to be made at Tuesday night's city council meeting.
In the meantime, it’s a topic dominating social media sites and that's where a university professor and a city councillor got into it, arguing their opposing views.
Laurentian University professor and economist David Robinson feels a new event centre downtown would attract young people to the city and foster new businesses.
He said if it lands east of the city on the Kingsway - a project that could include a casino, hotel and racetrack - it'll be the end of the downtown core
"I think if you don't reinforce the downtown we are going to slip, because we are looking at declining population in the region," said Robinson.
Robinson also feels either location will mean a tax increase for homeowners.
"Almost everybody who wants to go to the Kingsway thinks they are going to save money," he said.
"They are wrong. They will pay just as much, maybe more, in taxes if it goes to the Kingsway"
City councillor Robert Kirwan totally disagrees
He feels the Kingsway site, led by local developer Dario Zulich, will be a money maker. Kirwan said it will be able to pay for a cultural and arts centre downtown at the current arena.
"Commercial development on the Kingsway will be about $200 million once the critical mass is in place," said Kirwan.
"That will give us about $5 million in commercial taxes. It will also give us increase revenue at the casino of another $3 million and that will enough money to pay for the mortgage of the arena and the redevelopment of the downtown."
Kirwan and Robinson, who have never me, had an animated exchange online regarding this issue; with Kirwan at one point calling Robinson a 'washed up dinosaur in an ivory tower’.
"It did create a little bit more buzz in the community and got more people talking about their preference," Kirwan said.
Financial advisor and seniors activist John Lindsay has a different preference; he feels the current site should still be an option.
"I don’t think we’ve really looked at the possibility of rehabilitating our present arena," he said.
Lindsay added taxpayers should have more say via more public meetings.
