It’s no longer hypothetical. Calgary taxpayers have bought themselves a new NHL arena.
Coun. Jeff Davison says a final agreement has been signed to make the controversial new events 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 <a href=”https://twitter.com/cityofcalgary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CityofCalgary</a>, the <a href=”https://twitter.com/NHLFlames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NHLFlames</a> and the <a href=”https://twitter.com/calgarystampede?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CalgaryStampede</a> for Calgary’s new <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/EventCentre?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#EventCentre</a> and Culture and Entertainment District. Onward to the next chapter of our City’s story! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#yyc</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyccc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#yyccc</a>
—@JeffDavisonYYC
That taxpayers are paying $290 million toward the project has divided the community, while the city cuts deeply in services like the Green Line LRT project.
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 85 per cent — from $550 million to $75 million.
The building will be the new home of 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,” said Colley-Urquhart in July.
The deal was announced mid-July and Calgarians were only given seven days to provide feedback. Council heard on that over 5,200 residents submitted their views.
The deal was a take-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,” said Barry Munro, who led negotiations on behalf of the city.
Enthusiasm for taxpayer funding has evolved significantly in five years. Virtually all of the then-councillors were against spending taxpayer dollars on an arena at the time, the Calgary Herald reported in 2014.