City council seeks 3rd party to ‘start fresh,’ find partners for Calgary Event Centre
Global News
Construction on the more than $600 million arena project was set to begin this month, but the deal was formally terminated by Flames ownership on Dec. 31.
Less than two weeks after the collapse of a deal between the City of Calgary and Flames ownership to build a new event centre, city council is seeking a third party to help find a path forward.
Late Wednesday night, after hours of debate behind closed doors, council unanimously voted to engage with a third party to determine if the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) would be interested in re-entering discussions on building an event centre or if there are other parties interested in partnering with the City of Calgary to complete the project.
Construction on the more than $600 million arena project was set to begin this month, but the deal was formally terminated on Dec. 31, 2021 after CSEC notified the city it was pulling out of the deal due to rising costs.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters Thursday that a new deal to build an event centre would be a new opportunity for all partners involved.
“What we have before us now is an opportunity to work in this 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,” Gondek said. “It’s a new opportunity that unshackles us from the old arrangement.”
According to direction from council, the third party intermediary is expected to report back with more information on March 8.
Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp led the charge on bringing in a third party.
“A third party allows for some distance for the city and it’s the best deal for everyone,” Sharp told reporters Thursday. “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.”