Calgary announces agreement for new $1.2 billion arena for the Flames

[lettuceAA]

It's weird, lots of things can people privately funded, like everything could be. But for some reason people freak out and say "OMG rich owners should have just built it what a waste of taxpayers money!". It's great news for the city and way over due. Exciting times.

 

[ujju2]

Biggest concern people in Alberta should have is what happened to Edmontons ice district. A lot was over promised and the area is riddled with drugs/homelessness

This wasn't a result of the ice district being built though. It was built in an area where those things were already built with the hopes that they would no longer be an issue once the area was built up. But a combination of horrendous municipal policies and the area being essentially shut down during Covid has meant that it's continued and even grown as an issue.

 

[HabsQC]

Flames owners after the announcement

 

[Lunatik]

Biggest concern people in Alberta should have is what happened to Edmontons ice district. A lot was over promised and the area is riddled with drugs/homelessness

wasn't it already?

 

[MMC]

Still can’t get over it being called an “event center

 

[Bounces R Way]

Tell that to Edmonton’s arena. I can walk 2 blocks and experience my rejuvenation as I step over dozens of heroin needles and experience the finest tent city east of the Rockies.

Welcome to every heavily populated urban area on the continent. Damn that Murray Edwards for not personally solving homelessness. Where they're planning to put this is already just crackhouses and parking lots. Don't see how it could possibly make it worse.

Scam. The day cities have the balls to stand up to these Robber barons (might only come when pigs fly) and actually demand private corps pay for what they will profit and actually give af about their constituents will be a fine day indeed.

A for profit business acting in their shareholders' best interest? How scandalizing.

Nenshi offered Amazon a basically tax free haven to build his supercenter near Calgary. So did many other municipalities. The province flushed 1.3 billion on a pipeline that was very obviously never going to happen, but sure money for infrastructure that improves their citizens quality of life is just one bridge too far. CSEC has roots deep in the community and do a ton of charity and outreach but yeah, let's string them up as robber barons when foreign oil companies continue to plunder and pillage this province's natural resources for huge profits that end up everywhere but here, as has been the standard practice for the last 50 years.


It's the hypocrisy for me.

 

[super6646]

Welcome to every heavily populated urban area on the continent. Damn that Murray Edwards for not personally solving homelessness. Where they're planning to put this is already just crackhouses and parking lots. Don't see how it could possibly make it worse.



A for profit business acting in their shareholders' best interest? How scandalizing.

Nenshi offered Amazon a basically tax free haven to build his supercenter near Calgary. So did many other municipalities. The province flushed 1.3 billion on a pipeline that was very obviously never going to happen, but sure money for infrastructure that improves their citizens quality of life is just one bridge too far. CSEC has roots deep in the community and do a ton of charity and outreach but yeah, let's string them up as robber barons when foreign oil companies continue to plunder and pillage this province's natural resources for huge profits that end up everywhere but here, as has been the standard practice for the last 50 years.


It's the hypocrisy for me.

Love the half baked comparisons. Well this province has made plenty of shitty decisions before, so this shitty one is actually okay! I do like the implication you subconsciously made, it’s very funny.

But CSEC is so great! They contribute some charity to please the taxpaying peasants!!!!!

The only charity is coming from the taxpayers ass. It’s a total rip. You want to say you personally like it, that’s fine. It is objectively a terrible deal for the city and is just another case study if this crap continuing to happen.

 

[Three On Zero]

This wasn't a result of the ice district being built though. It was built in an area where those things were already built with the hopes that they would no longer be an issue once the area was built up. But a combination of horrendous municipal policies and the area being essentially shut down during Covid has meant that it's continued and even grown as an issue.

It was going to be an issue even after the area was built up, you can’t build a new arena next to the cities largest homeless population and expect them to just leave.

It wasn’t caused by the ice district but it was poor planning, not sure if Calgary’s downtown core is similar

wasn't it already?

Homelessness and drugs yes, the overstating your development no.

I think quite a good portion knew that plan was far too ambitious

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

Are they promising an entire Arena District that still won’t be even started six years after the new barn gets built like Chris Ilitch scammed Detroit?

 

[ujju2]

It was going to be an issue even after the area was built up, you can’t build a new arena next to the cities largest homeless population and expect them to just leave.

It wasn’t caused by the ice district but it was poor planning, not sure if Calgary’s downtown core is similar


Homelessness and drugs yes, the overstating your development no.

I think quite a good portion knew that plan was far too ambitious

Said population lives in some of the most valuable land in all of downtown Edmonton, it is reasonable to want to make more efficient use of that land by building it up. What was unreasonable was not having a concrete plan in place for dealing with the issue and just hoping.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Love the half baked comparisons. Well this province has made plenty of shitty decisions before, so this shitty one is actually okay! Also charity!!!!!

The only charity is coming from the taxpayers ass.

Oh? Are those not direct examples of superfluous and reckless public spending? By regionally elected officials? Of the same region? In the same time period? Seems like it would be a fair comparison to me. But this is about pro sports, and people actually care about that for whatever reason.

My point is if you want to blame something, blame the system that encourages this kind of greed. Not the actors. Missing the forest for the trees otherwise.

 

[super6646]

Oh? Are those not direct examples of superfluous and reckless public spending? By regionally elected officials? Of the same region? In the same time period? Seems like it would be a fair comparison to me. But this is about pro sports, and people actually care about that for whatever reason.

My point is if you want to blame something, blame the system that encourages this kind of greed. Not the actors. Missing the forest for the trees otherwise.

They are! Are you just intentionally missing the point or something? They all f***ing are!

But it’s okay. It’s about pro-sports so it’s okay to stop caring about the issue because I got a pocket dog and it’s all cool bro! To say that no one cared about the keystone debacle or YYC bending itself for Amazon is a very false assumption.

I say you can blame the actors and the system. Why shouldn’t that be the case? Especially when both are responsible to produce an outcome that is not the desire of the public will NOR empirically logical in an economic sense. Ms. Academic Mayor ought to know the latter part too.

 

[Bounces R Way]

They are! Are you just intentionally missing the point or something? They all f***ing are!

Well now I'm lost, because you said above they were half baked. Unless we're talking about something else now.

But it’s okay. It’s about pro-sports so it’s okay to stop caring about the issue because I got a pocket dog and it’s all cool bro!

I say you can blame the actors and the system. Why shouldn’t that be the case? Especially when both are responsible to produce an outcome that is not the desire of the public will NOR empirically logical in an economic sense. Ms. Academic Mayor ought to know the latter part too.

Because in the system we live in it is the fiduciary duty of CSEC's board to get the best possible deal for their shareholders. They could actually get sued if they failed to perform that duty appropriately.

I'm not addressing this at you but this idea that billionaires should be acting out their altruistic dream of saving the rest of us to serve the 'greater good' and that that is a viable solution to society's problems is on its' face one of the most ridiculous notions that a lot of the general population seems to hold. That's not how the real world works. That's never how it has worked.

 

[super6646]

Well now I'm lost, because you said above they were half baked. Unless we're talking about something else now.



Because in the system we live in it is the fiduciary duty of CSEC's board to get the best possible deal for their shareholders. They could actually get sued if they failed to perform that duty appropriately.

I'm not addressing this at you but this idea that billionaires should be acting out their altruistic dream of saving the rest of us to serve the 'greater good' and that that is a viable solution to society's problems is on its' face one of the most ridiculous notions that a lot of the general population seems to hold. That's not how the real world works. That's never how it has worked.

It’s half baked in that trying to use those examples as a way to sugar coat the CSEC deal is misplaced. They are all terrible economic decisions.

 

[biturbo19]

Well now I'm lost, because you said above they were half baked. Unless we're talking about something else now.



Because in the system we live in it is the fiduciary duty of CSEC's board to get the best possible deal for their shareholders. They could actually get sued if they failed to perform that duty appropriately.

I'm not addressing this at you but this idea that billionaires should be acting out their altruistic dream of saving the rest of us to serve the 'greater good' and that that is a viable solution to society's problems is on its' face one of the most ridiculous notions that a lot of the general population seems to hold. That's not how the real world works. That's never how it has worked.

And in the system we live in (Democracy, allegedly), it is the obligation of public offices to secure the best possible deal for their stakeholders. That being, the taxpayers and citizens of the city.

When that doesn't happen, criticism is warranted.

 

[Mike Jones]

Flames owners after the announcement

View attachment 749387

Brilliant! This says it best.

Are they promising an entire Arena District that still won’t be even started six years after the new barn gets built like Chris Ilitch scammed Detroit?

And all of the developers will be demanding tax breaks so our city will be in even worse shape then before the deal was signed.

 

[Mike Jones]

This is 100% true
Everything has skyrocketed over two or three times right now
It was a huge, huge mistake

The Flames could have built their privately funded arena years ago. They could have built it, paid for it and paid taxes on it whenever they wanted to.

 

[Devonator]

Though I despise the Flames, as a Calgarian I am thrilled about this....great for our local economy to have a new arena built and good for our city to retain the Flames......good news all around.....

 

[Bounces R Way]

It’s half baked in that trying to use those examples as a way to sugar coat the CSEC deal is misplaced. They are all terrible economic decisions.

And in the system we live in (Democracy, allegedly), it is the obligation of public offices to secure the best possible deal for their stakeholders. That being, the taxpayers and citizens of the city.

When that doesn't happen, criticism is warranted.

Well then how come the public will didn't elect somebody else? You'd think after all these terrible economic decisions the public would give someone else a shot. There was a provincial election after the announced deal was agreed upon. Instead the same party that has been ruling this province for 46 out of the last 52 years won and the status quo was maintained.

 

[Mike Jones]

Though I despise the Flames, as a Calgarian I am thrilled about this....great for our local economy to have a new arena built and good for our city to retain the Flames......good news all around.....

You obviously don't pay taxes. There are more important things we should be investing in. And with the city covering cost overruns it's going to be an even bigger disaster.

If the Flames don't want to pay for an arena they can leave. Enjoy Houston fellas.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

I am waiting to see the jumbotron before drawing any conclusion

 

[Mike Jones]

Well then how come the public will didn't elect somebody else? You'd think after all these terrible economic decisions the public would give someone else a shot. There was a provincial election after the announced deal was agreed upon. Instead the same party that has been ruling this province for 46 out of the last 52 years won and the status quo was maintained.

We'll see how the people of Peace River and Grande Prairie like seeing their tax dollars go to pay for Calgary infrastructure. Infrastructure that will help whiny rich billionaires get even richer.

 

[super6646]

Well then how come the public will didn't elect somebody else? You'd think after all these terrible economic decisions the public would give someone else a shot. There was a provincial election after the announced deal was agreed upon. Instead the same party that has been ruling this province for 46 out of the last 52 years won and the status quo was maintained.

I do like the blame being shifted to the public here, very classy stuff. It’s the peasants fault really! Just saying, the majority of Calgary’s ridings went to the NDP. Status quo my ass.

And what’s gondek’s polling numbers rn? Genuinely curious.

 

[Mike Jones]

And in the system we live in (Democracy, allegedly), it is the obligation of public offices to secure the best possible deal for their stakeholders. That being, the taxpayers and citizens of the city.

When that doesn't happen, criticism is warranted.

It certainly does in this case. A better choice could have been made and council whiffed on it. They chose the billionaires over the average taxpayers.

 

[Devonator]

You obviously don't pay taxes. There are more important things we should be investing in. And with the city covering cost overruns it's going to be an even bigger disaster.

If the Flames don't want to pay for an arena they can leave. Enjoy Houston fellas.

Born and raised in cowtown....and yes...sadly.....I do pay taxes.