TORONTO — The government of Ontario is exploring the possibility of selling naming rights to stations, parking lots, and even restrooms on the GO Transit system to increase income for Metrolinx, the province’s transit operator.
Globalnews.ca reports that Transportation Minister Carolina Mulroney announced the concept Thursday, saying it could help keep fares low. Government estimates are that rights for some stations could bring in $50,000 to $500,000 (Canadian) per year in 5-to-10-year deals. Stations would retain their original names while also featuring a sponsor’s name and branding.
The initial effort is gauging interest in naming rights for five stations: Whitby, Pickering, Exhibition, Clarkson, and Oakville. It could then expand to other areas, including the “quiet zones” on trains.
This Province for sale!
This is a bizarre initiative. Who will pay for the right to name a restroom? I would be more interested if the government started to build the GO-Train station which was promised to the town of Grimsby more than two years ago. So far there is only a sign to mark its proposed location. When it is built, we can worry about naming it. Incidentally, the minister’s name is Caroline Mulroney, not “Carolina” Her father, Brian Mulroney, was prime minister of Canada 1984 to 1993.
Wasn’t it Cape Canaveral, then Cape Kennedy and now it’s Cape Canaveral again?
So everyone has a problem with capitalism working at it’s finest? Also keep in mind these naming rights for rail stations provide an additional source of income for the transit agency…it’s just like selling those wrap-around signs that go on light rail vehicles or buses…it’s all about the money, no one really cares about the name. Also keep in mind it only has to influence 1% of the people seeing it to be effective.
GERALD – This may surprise you – people who believe in free markets also have a system of values. People who believe in free markets also adhere to the dignity of human culture. Not everything is for sale to the highest bidder.
Yes Gerald selling naming rights to stations, stadia and buildings is cutting edge capitalism, but hopefully they can do it in such a way to minimize confusion especially when the contract expires and is not renewed. For example, when I visited Chicago, I went to the top of the Sears Tower. While I know Sears sold the building along time ago and it has been renamed, but I don’t know, or care what they call it now; I still think of it as the Sears Tower.
Renaming sports stadia, or college football games, are very confusing. To the casual, out of town sports fan, one could easily think the team moved to (another) new stadium. When the sponsor’s name is the entire name of the venue, or bowl game, confusion reigns. E.g. the John Hancock Sun Bowl, became the John Hancock Bowl (and fortunately its back to the Sun Bowl). The San Francisco Giants have played in PacBell Park, SBC Field(?), and AT&T Field (as their sponsor merged). In so Cal it is referred to as the Phone Booth. This year a tech company assumed the naming rights. However, my brother tells me most locals still refer to it as PacBell Park.
And don’t get me started on renaming portions of streets! Confusion, and waste of taxpayers money run amuck!
So, what is the responsible, and least confusing way which allows locals and users to remember its pre-sponsorship and historic name? Do it, as the Rose Bowl game does, “The Rose Bowl presented by AT&T”.
“Where are you getting off”>
“Tim Horton’s”
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I always thought rail station names were supposed to tell you where they were.
SEPTA sold the naming rights to its Pattison station on the Broad Street Subway, first to AT&T, and when that expired to NRG. There’s no other identification to tell you where it is.
They also sold naming rights to Market East Regional Rail Station to Jefferson Hospital/University but at least the University is right there and the station is a block from where the original Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Be grateful you don’t have to live with Guaranteed Rate Field – ugh! As mediocre as the White Sox have been this season, at least there is some good train watching opportunities from the walkways on the west side of the ballpark.
Mr. Landey, your remarks are point on. I thought the Canadians were a brighter lot than us down south.
Naming rights are a double scam, the entity selling the naming rights and the middleman (an advertising agency) that gets rich off negotiating the deal.
Oh, c’mon, is anyone going to drink more Molsons or shop more at The Bay Store or drink more Canadian Club or buy more tickets on Air Canada because of naming rights at Ontario train stations?
I drank the same amount of Miller Beer before and after Milwaukee’s Miller Field was built (none before; none since). Now that the stadium rights have been sold to American Family Insurance I’m as likely to drop my current insurance company and switch to American Family as before (zero likelihood before and even less likelihood now). In fact Brewers fans are furious at the bought and paid for name switch.
I have to laugh at sportscasters – paid flacks following orders – who with a straight face parrot the current name of the stadium bought and paid for by some company. It’s like something out of 1984. It’s American Family Field. Always has been. Always will be. Until the Brewers get a better proposal from some other sap.
The old and classic – Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field. The new and classic Yankee Stadium. Regarding (years ago) the possibility of naming rights to Lambeau Field, Milwaukee’s right-wing talk show host said, “Not everything is for sale”.
I have to agree with Ronald Hull (below) – the former Comiskey Park’s new name is as classless as it gets.
Also classless is Detroit’s renaming of part of the John C. Lodge Freeway for Aretha Franklin. Regardless of one’s opinion of the late John C. Lodge or of the late Aretha Franklin, this obsessive re-naming has got to stop. Not one Detroiter in a thousand could tell you who John C. Lodge was but everyone in Detroit knows where his namesake freeway goes from and to.
How about selling the naming rights to the whole city (sarcastic tone here)? Where will it all stop? When we sell the naming rights to planet Earth (more sarcasm)?
MBTA tried that about 10 years ago (“Citizens Bank State Street Station” on the Orange Line). Not around anymore, must have flopped due to lack of interest amongst advertisers.
Couldn’t you see USAir buying the naming rights to a station near Lester B. Pearson International Airport. (Yes I know USAir is history). Or the Montreal Canadiens buying the naming rights to the station nearest Air Canada Centre? (or is it Scotia Bank Arena). .??