Calgary council votes in favour of taking steps toward arena project, gauging Flames partnership interest
Councillors spent more than three hours Wednesday grilling administration about the now-dead deal to partner with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) to build a new event centre.
Council then went into a closed-door session to continue the update and to determine what the next steps could be in building a new arena to replace the aging Saddledome.
City council voted unanimously Wednesday night to engage with a third party that will look into whether or not Flames' ownership is interested in revisiting a potential partnership to build a new event centre.
The city will also be looking into other potential partners to help build a new arena, and a report is expected in early March.
The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) and the Calgary Stampede issued a press release early Thursday morning expressing their support for the ongoing discussions surrounding a new event centre.
"We are pleased to see council's interest in seeking resolution on the event centre project," said Kate Thompson, CMLC President and CEO.
"Meanwhile, we are keeping our eyes squarely on delivering the exciting and transformational projects on track for completion in 2024: the BMO Centre expansion, the Stampede Trail redevelopment, and the 17th Avenue extension and Stampede (LRT) station rebuild."
Thompson went on to say that, although a new event centre is part of the plan to revitalize the River District, the area is still moving in the right direction and is attracting significant investment.
"A multitude of interconnected projects, large and small, will collectively shape Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District (C+E) and drive its success," she said.
"We’re confident that the significant investment already committed here will sustain the vision and create something Calgarians can be proud of."
Planning department general manager Stuart Dalgleish presented a timeline of what led up to the deal, which officially ended on Dec. 31, 2021.
An agreement to build a new event centre was officially signed in December 2019 between the city and CSEC, with each party deciding to share the $550 million cost for the project.
After at least eight extensions and a three-month project pause, a revised deal was signed in July 2021 when costs ballooned to $608 million. It was then that the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation was replaced as a development manager on the project.
A development permit was approved in November 2021, which came with 70 conditions for the project, including climate mitigation and right-of-way work. It was at that point that costs increased again, to an estimated $634 million – overruns CSEC would have to pay for.
Dalgliesh said the city had proposed to cover about $6 million worth of roadway reconstruction costs and committed to help CSEC find funding to pay for the sidewalk area plan and solar panels.
The "at-issue costs" left for CSEC to pick up, according to the city, totalled about $9.6 million.
On Dec. 20, 2021, Mayor Jyoti Gondek told journalists that the Flames' ownership group had pulled out of the event centre deal. A statement from CSEC President John Bean on Jan. 4 said, "under the current circumstances we do not see a path forward that would create a viable partnership with the city."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.