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.”
The FIFA draw ceremony will mark the first time Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will be in the same room.
A new report finds anglophones face higher unemployment and lower wages in Quebec; gaps that researchers say carry major economic consequences.
Critics are questioning the solidity of Saab's pitch to deliver 10,000 jobs in Canada if it decides to set up shop here to assemble Gripen fighter jets.
The girl’s disappearance underscores long-standing concerns about the ease with which a parent can take a child to another country without the other parent’s knowledge or consent.
Asbestos cleanup, tight work windows and other TTC delays have slowed the build out of 5G cellular service in Toronto's subway system.
Alberta's UCP government is changing the rules to make it easier for citizens to force a referendum on issues such as the prospect of the province leaving Confederation.
An at-home DNA test given as a birthday gift solved an 80-year family mystery by revealing that a man in Quebec and a man in the Netherlands were long-lost brothers.
Lina Vargas was on the board for almost two years and told Global News that accountability and transparency are fundamental rights for all community members.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly told the House of Commons committee on international trade the move breaches federal contracts tied to manufacturing in Brampton and Windsor, Ont.
A targeted home invasion and kidnapping led to a gunpoint standoff with police and an overnight chase across Toronto. Two suspects remain at large, investigators say.
In a post on his LinkedIn account, Simon Donner says he resigned on Tuesday and he is grateful for the opportunity to help shape climate policy in Canada.
The development charges can vary greatly from city to city, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation report found.
The three leaders will be in Washington, D.C., for the FIFA World Cup draw, marking the first time they will be in the same room together.