Flames and Calgary agree to $880Million new arena + development around it

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
https://frontofficesports.com/flames-strike-deal-for-new-880m-arena-development-in-calgary/

"“It’s not a single venue or a single building,” said city councilmember Sonya Sharp, who chaired the committee on reaching a new deal. “The completed district will attract new people, more events and greater investment.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that the rink would be put into the hosting rotation for future All-Star Games and drafts."

Not really sure why you'd want an ASG in one of the coldest places in North America in the coldest (last week of Jan/first week of February) time of the year, but whatever.

Saddledome is 40 years old so it's due.


I'm assuming this is CAD, article isn't clear.
 

MiracleOfO2704

not AWOL
SoSH Member
Jul 12, 2005
9,528
The Island
Nope, $1.2B CAD. The city is providing the bulk of the money up-front, the Flames more gradually, and the province is just chipping in some ancillary costs for infrastructure and transportation.

EDIT: The hitch is that the province is due for an election really soon, and Premier Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party of Alberta explicitly said she wants this to be part of their election platform. Alberta is deeeeeeeeeeeeep blue, but the provincial NDP did win a majority 8 years ago, so never say never.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
880 million is at least twice that if one wanted to replace a NHL arena in most cities.
 

Sausage in Section 17

Poker Champ
SoSH Member
Mar 17, 2004
2,084
Nope, $1.2B CAD. The city is providing the bulk of the money up-front, the Flames more gradually, and the province is just chipping in some ancillary costs for infrastructure and transportation.

EDIT: The hitch is that the province is due for an election really soon, and Premier Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party of Alberta explicitly said she wants this to be part of their election platform. Alberta is deeeeeeeeeeeeep blue, but the provincial NDP did win a majority 8 years ago, so never say never.

Just a reminder (for those playing along at home) that blue in Canada=Conservative Party. Unlike....other places.
 

MiracleOfO2704

not AWOL
SoSH Member
Jul 12, 2005
9,528
The Island
True, I should’ve pointed that out.

I’ll also do a quick primer on the two parties contesting the provincial election. The United Conservative Party of Alberta is the merged parties on the conservative side (formerly the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose Parties), and Danielle Smith is the current leader and premier. She’s putting in the provincial chunk of the money, and is looking to use it as part of her party’s election platform. The Alberta New Democrat Party (orange colours on election boards) is led by Rachel Notley, who was premier 8 years ago when the NDP took advantage of the split conservative vote and a controversy-riddled PC Party, as well as the fact that the provincial Liberal party is in tatters. She’s been much more guarded in her opinion on the development and the use of provincia funds for it.

I don’t want to get too V&N on the matter, but I suspect that both sides have their reasons for saying what they’ve said.