We, the youth of the city ought to, and greatly wish to have our voices heard on important matters of the city that pertain directly to us. With regards to the current Large Venue Entertainment Centre proposal we wish to remind council of the following:

Kingston is a beautiful and historical city whose old elegance could only be made better by a greater commitment to the future of the city as a centre of cultural life that it has been in the past;

Kingston must commit to its future in ways that will attract youth to move here, visit here and stay here;

One of the most effective ways to ensure the future of our city is to ensure that it remains attractive to youth, students, young professionals and young entrepreneurs as a place to live, work and especially, play;

Youth look for the availability of entertainment, culture, arts and recreation as some of their highest priorities when selecting a place to settle;

Dr. Richard Florida, one of the worlds foremost experts on cities and their ability to attract youth and the creative class, has said, What drives a cityare good places to live, great neighborhoods, great cafes, night life, places to have fun.;

Kingstons own Tragically Hip have said that they will not include their hometown in their world tours to promote their albums until a better facility can be developed and they have not played such a show since February 6th, 1995 over ten years ago;

A downtown LVEC is a recipe for an exciting city core to attract performances, and athletic and cultural events to the city for the enjoyment of welcomed visitors as well as the fantastic residents of Kingston;

And so, we the undersigned, the youth of the City of Kingston, the future of the city and the inheritors of it, unify our voices in support of the development of a Large Venue Entertainment Centre. We believe that a downtown location offers the city the greatest opportunity to attract youth and celebrate history, offering opportunity to the entire city. We ask that all councilors concerned about the future of our city and the interests of its youth, support the aforementioned development.