It’s no longer hypothetical. A final deal has been signed to build a new home for the Calgary Flames, with the help of $290 million from city taxpayers. A rendering shows the proposed events centre that would replace the Saddledome in Victoria Park in Calgary. (City of Calgary)It’s no longer hypothetical. Calgary taxpayers have bought themselves a new NHL arena. Coun. Jeff Davison says a final deal has been signed to make the controversial new event centre — a new home for the Calgary Flames — a reality.”I am pleased to announce that definitive agreements are signed between the city, the Calgary Flames and the Stampede for Calgary’s new event centre and culture and entertainment district. Onward to the next chapter of our city’s story,” Davison tweeted Thursday morning. BREAKING: I am pleased to announce that definitive agreements are signed between the @CityofCalgary, the @NHLFlames and the @CalgaryStampede for Calgary’s new #EventCentre and Culture and Entertainment District. Onward to the next chapter of our City’s story! #yyc #yyccc—@JeffDavisonYYC That taxpayers are paying $290 million toward the project — pegged at $565 million — has divided the community, while the city cuts deeply in services. The Calgary Flames are paying $275 million towards the arena as the main tenant. Coun. Evan Woolley convinced only three fellow councillors that reconsidering the taxpayer-funded portion of the arena was the way forward. Most of his colleagues voted against that idea last Friday. Woolley had floated the idea of diverting funds to the Green Line project instead. The arena deal also comes just over a month after a provincial budget slashed funding to the Green Line over the next four years by roughly 85 per cent — from $550 million to $75 million. Taxpayer-funded arena deal lives on after only 4 Calgary councillors vote for rethink Kill the arena deal and fund the Green Line, says Calgary councillor The building will be home to the Flames and will act as an anchor for the planned entertainment district bordering the Stampede grounds on the east side of downtown. Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart had argued the arena will be about more than hockey — it will be about development. “It is a fair deal and it is the right deal, for the right time,” she said in July. The proposed deal was announced mid-July and Calgarians were only given seven days to provide feedback. Council heard from more than 5,200 residents who submitted their views. Calgary agrees to fund half of new $550M hockey arena for Flames The deal was a take-it-or-leave-it proposal. The Calgary Stampede and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation already approved the deal based on the understanding it would be dealt with by the city at that time. “The deal that we have in front of us today … was really done on a commitment to timing,” Barry Munro, who led negotiations on behalf of the city, said back in July. Davison says a final, formal agreement has been signed between the City, CSEC and the Stampede on a new arena in Victoria Park. #yyccc—@CBCScott Enthusiasm for taxpayer funding has evolved significantly over the past five years. In 2014, nearly every councillor was against spending tax dollars on an arena, the Calgary Herald reported. The Flames have agreed to be the primary tenant, former city solicitor Glenda Cole said Thursday. Munro said there are 16 or 17 agreements that make up the entire package. He said, in his view, the deal is consistent with what was approved in July. Why Calgary ‘will not be making money’ from the arena deal — but that’s not the only consideration The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) will be the project development manager. An environmental assessment of the site will start this month, followed by public information sessions, CMLC’s Kate Thompson said. Public engagement on details around the project will start in the new year, with a report scheduled for April.
Done deal: Calgary taxpayers are paying $290M for a new NHL arena | CBC News
