Calgary looking at 'all viable' options for location of possible new arena
As negotiations continue for a new event centre in Calgary, the chair of the committee in charge of the project isn't ruling out that a new arena could be built somewhere other than Victoria Park in the Rivers District.
Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp said Monday morning that the committee is looking at "all viable options" for a future arena and didn't quash the idea that negotiators could consider a return to the West Village, an idea the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) first pitched in 2015.
"This is a fresh start and we are looking to build an event centre within the city, within downtown and all possible options will be presented," Sharp said following the first meeting of the event centre committee in the new year.
The proposed idea of a hybrid arena-and-stadium on the creosote-contaminated land in Sunalta was called "dead" by former mayor Naheed Nenshi in 2017.
Though Sharp wouldn't confirm that the West Village is again being considered, she also didn't say it's off the table.
A deal between the city and CSEC to split the cost of a $550 million arena in Victoria Park, adjacent to the Saddledome, fell apart after costs ballooned to $634 million. The city then launched a new event centre committee and brought in a third-party negotiator to work with the Flames' ownership group on its behalf.
Sharp also said the city's negotiating team, CAA Icon, is talking directly with Premier Danielle Smith's office about a possible role the province could play in any future project.
"MLA (Ric) McIver is the liason with the province, but we've had our deal structure advisors speak with the premier's office directly," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.