Council agrees to 'start fresh' on new arena deal, explore interest from partners
A deal to partner with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) to build a new arena may have died when the calendar flipped to 2022, but city council has pledged to "start fresh" and gauge the interest of the Flames' ownership group about whether to forge ahead.
Late Wednesday night, councillors unanimously voted in favour of bringing in a third party to find out whether a new deal to build an arena can be established with CSEC. If not, the city will explore whether other parties are interested in partnering to build a new event centre.
"What we have before us now is the opportunity to work in this new environment with partners and actually strike a deal that is respectful of the fact that the economic conditions are completely different globally, including in Calgary," Mayor Jyoti Gondek told journalists Thursday.
"It's a new opportunity that unshackles us from the old arrangement," she said.
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. But the deal changed and costs eventually ballooned to around $634 million before the deal expired on December 31, 2021.
Councillors spent nearly seven hours behind closed doors Wednesday, hearing from administration about why the previous deal failed and determining the next steps. The work to find a third party to act as an intermediary will begin right away and a report is due back to council on March 8.
"We can start fresh without any kind of -- I hate to use the word -- 'baggage,' but that's really what we need to do here," said Ward 1 councillor Sonya Sharp.
The council motion states that if CSEC isn't interested in re-starting discussions to build a new arena, the city would explore whether any other parties are open to partnering to construct an event centre.
"Other cities have managed it differently. They've also got partners that are responsible for entertainment, outside of sports. So anything is possible at this point," Gondek said.
The mayor said the city could be open to a tenancy agreement for a new event centre in which a private company would step in to build and manage a new arena for the Flames. Such agreements exist in many U.S. sports markets, including T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, owned by AEG, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, owned by Oak View Group.
CSEC has not yet responded to a request for comment on the new developments.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.