Wood Buffalo, downtown arena

The downtown arena project in Wood Buffalo has finally reached the public stage, and this is a big step forward for the project. Now the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will start the public consultation process in order to finalize approval for this project. A letter of intent with Clearwater Consortium was approved Tuesday night by the RMWB Council, and this covers building and operating a Sports and Entertainment Centre downtown arena with seats for around 7,000 people. Melissa Blake, the current Fort MacMurray Mayor, said “We have to give final analysis at some point, but I’m really excited that council made the agreement to proceed to the letter of intent and that finally, the public is going to get a chance to see it and make some feedback.”

The Clearwater Consortium proposal for the downtown arena in Wood Buffalo includes various responsibilities and benefits for each party, and many believe that the proposal is fair for both sides. Coun. Guy Boutilier, who has expressed his displeasure with how things have bee handled since tender offers were received, said “I think it’s an important engagement process with our citizens, I think that this is going to be a huge expenditure, and as a huge expenditure, we want to hear from our public. Have I been pleased? No, I haven’t, and that’s why the sooner we get this out to the public and get their input before any final decision is made.” Now the public gets a chance to ask questions and get the answers that they are looking for.