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

[CantHaveTkachev]

gotta love how I get to pay for an arena I'll likely never use

unreal stupidity

 

[1989]

gotta love how I get to pay for an arena I'll likely never use

unreal stupidity

That's really not the best argument to make. There's thousands of public projects you'll never participate in or make use of. Libraries you don't go to, parks and sidewalks you don't walk in, roads you don't drive on, schools you don't send your kids to, public pools and community centres you don't attend. If your thought is the prevailing reason why something shouldn't be built, then nothing should be built.

The problem here is not that it's publically funded - it's that a private organization receives the profits with the support of public money when the ownership of the organization is perfectly capable of building it on their own dime, and the profits won't ever really make its way back into the taxpayer's coffers.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Congrats to the Flames fans...Is the new Arena going to be called Rogers Rink..?

 

[Oddbob]

Not really. Scotia Bank Arena (Leafs/Raptors), Bell Centre (Habs), MetLife Stadium (Jets/Giants), Sofi Stadium (Rams/Chargers), TD Gardens (Bruins/Celtics), Chase Center (Warriors), Crypto Arena (Lakers/Clippers/Kings), Wells Fargo Center (Flyers/76ers), United Center (Bulls/Hawks), Rogers Arena (Canucks) etc. I believe UBS (Islanders) which just opened is.

So, it can be done.

Those are basically all in major markets though, which makes a huge difference. They would still be in the minority.

 

[McFlash97]

I'm all for Calgary finally getting a new arena. However f*** the Alberta politicians to give them 300 million for it when they wouldn't put a penny for the Oilers. Fxxx you biased politicians.

 

[Figgy44]

Congrats to the Flames fans...Is the new Arena going to be called Rogers Rink..?

.... ?

Rogers has nothing to do with the event centre.

They'll either leverage the naming rights as they did with Scotiabank, or it'll be CNRL Or UCP related.

Scotiabank/UCP/CNRL event Centre...

I'm all for Calgary finally getting a new arena. However f*** the Alberta politicians to give them 300 million for it when they wouldn't put a penny for the Oilers. Fxxx you biased politicians.

Edmonton is supposedly going to get something for additional development around their arena. It just isn't confirmed yet. In all honesty, even the Calgary one isn't confirmed yet. It depends on the election and depends if UCP wins or the final winning party decides to honor the deal or not.

Ontario is getting a VW battery manufacturing plant to the tune of 13 billion.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/volkswagen-battery-plant-analysis-1.6818025

I don't know completely what it is, but the politicians have an open pocket book mandate right now. I don't think it's totally related to elections. We'll all be paying extra for stuff no matter which part of Alberta we come from.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

As if we needed another reason to not vote UCP, hehe. Good for the Flames though.

 

[crazyfisherman]

What's the specific on what the city gets for it's funding and what economic benefit the new event center would provide for the city? The city is supposed to spend tax dollars on projects that help the city. Whether or not it can be privately funded or not doesn't matter, and certainly doesn't matter whether some individual taxpayer will benefit from it or not.

 

[guzzy]

gotta love how I get to pay for an arena I'll likely never use

unreal stupidity

the province isn't paying for the arena, they are paying for infrastructure. They are building an underpass and other needed things in the area. If you dig, you would find out the province did the same for Edmonton and their new arena. It may not have been announced but it was funded.

 

[Breakers]

A conservative province pumped that a billionaire doesn’t have to pony up for a new arena

Weird

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

I don't understand the hardline stance against public funds being used. It's like any other infrastructure, it can make sense.

Calgary is getting the new rink, another 1000 seat rink for the community & flames practices, plaza, community centers, parking, road improvements & a yearly 1.5M cheque from the Flames for community sports. Compare it to what the we spent on BC place's roof & renovation a decade ago - easily over 600m in today's dollars - they're getting way more.

It also guarantees the Flames stay in Calgary for a long time.

Be livid if you want I guess but if governments were entirely transparent about their spending people would livid 100% of the time, atleast your actually getting something that will be really good for the community out of it.

 

[tempest186]

Could be worse. They could be giving a few billion to oil companies to clean up the mess they left after earning all that they could ….. oh wait

 

[dalewood12]

This is also good news for concert-goers. I have a friend who is a Calgary IATSE stage hand and he says that a lot of North American tours have skipped Calgary because the Saddledome's rafters can't handle the load required for big arena tours.

 

[psycat]

Pretty absurd but nowhere close to as bad as some of the embezzlement that's going on at other places.

Like here in Sweden we have small cities(think 20.000 inhabitants) in the middle of bumf*** nowhere that decides to spend 100million dollars(and ongoing) on new public bathhouses, lol.

One can only imagine where the money ends up.

 

[AnInjuredJasonZucker]

Ontario is getting a VW battery manufacturing plant to the tune of 13 billion.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/volkswagen-battery-plant-analysis-1.6818025

What will they manufacture in Calgary's new rink, aside from sadness?

 

[Figgy44]

What will they manufacture in Calgary's new rink, aside from sadness?

Aside from narratives, wtf does anyone expect to be manufactured in an event centre/arena?

 

[PuckG]

Somehow, all Albertans get absolutely bent over by this. If they had at least chipped in for Rogers, it would be square.

 

[Rockmorton]

We also have about $90billion more debt. We also have an economy that needs diversifying. We have health care and education that are fighting for financial scraps and are under constant threat.

But yeah, let's throw money at a billionaire.

Did they announce how the revenue will be divided? I’m assuming the team wont be keeping all the profits.

 

[Pucklington]

Premier Smith: "Can't afford our schools or Healthcare but here is 300M, Murray".

 

[snag]

Did they announce how the revenue will be divided? I’m assuming the team wont be keeping all the profits.

Not that I know of. But surely they will be getting more. Which I am not opposed as they are investors themselves, but would like to see it be reasonably proportionate.

 

[Jack Spider]

ok yea, I think I'd rather feed exotic animals in a zoo in brazil.

 

[AnInjuredJasonZucker]

Aside from narratives, wtf does anyone expect to be manufactured in an event centre/arena?

I don't know. I'm not the one who compared this to a manufacturing facility that creates value-added product using Canadian resources and the associated value contribution to the Canadian economy.

 

[Brookbank]

If a deal has been made it's just devastating news for Calgary taxpayers. Not only do we have to shoulder an increasing share of the city's business taxes but we have to sacrifice hundreds of millions of tax dollars to the rich little snots who own the Flames.

The Flames should have been forced to pay for their own effing arena. I don't know why that's so tough for our council and city management to understand. If the Flames can't do the right thing and pay for their shiny toy then maybe they should think about leaving.

I remember when I was younger id have the same reaction. But politics is so sickening its not worth wasting effort on. Business is politics. The owners are paying a fair bit too and wont own the land

 

[Figgy44]

I don't know. I'm not the one who compared this to a manufacturing facility that creates value-added product using Canadian resources and the associated value contribution to the Canadian economy.

I said that the governments are throwing money around and spending them on projects and that Edmonton has been rumored to be getting some money as well to further their entertainment district. That was the context of that comment. Not that a manufacturing plant = arena, but that governments suddenly seem like they have money burning a hole in their pocket that they want to spend on projects and have tax payers foot the bill on for the excess.

 

[93LEAFS]

Those are basically all in major markets though, which makes a huge difference. They would still be in the minority.

I wouldn't call Vancouver a major market. Denver is a high-mid tier market and they are privately financed. Winnipeg the smallest market in the league in privately financed. I feel if Winnipeg can privately finance an arena before they even get a team, pretty much every other market should be capable.