Danielle Smith says she’s ‘confident’ Calgary’s arena deal will go ahead

A day after participating in an announcement that Calgary’s enviornment deal would go forward with contributions from the town, the province and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), Premier Danielle Smith says she’s excited the settlement was struck.

“I feel really confident in this,” Smith instructed the media at a convention in Calgary Wednesday. “It was really excellent yesterday to see all the players at the table.

“The undeniable fact that we had a unanimous vote of council that affirmed that – that was very constructive.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Smith, along with Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp and their partners with CSEC, announced details of a $1.2 billion project that would see a new arena for the Calgary Flames, a community arena for the public and a revitalized entertainment district in the downtown core.

Given Smith’s strong Calgary background, she said a new arena was always high on her priority list as premier.

“It’s no secret that I wished this deal to occur. I want it had occurred months earlier than. It was one of many first actions I took as premier – I obtained sworn in on October 11 and I wrote a letter on October 25,” she said.

FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT AN ARENA

In her remarks, Smith says she took taxpayers into account when she made her decision about the provincial funding commitment.

“Taxpayers wouldn’t need us to fund the crew in capital or working so after we have been methods to ‘bridge the hole,’ we have been ways in which we may assist on infrastructure,” she said.

Those projects, Smith says, would include elements like roads and underpasses, utilities, LRT upgrades and other projects.

The funding is capped at $300 million and there won’t be any more, she said.

“We have an higher restrict on that. So, the associated fee overruns is one thing that can must be labored out between the Flames and the City of Calgary.”

The province also will be paying for 50 per cent of a community arena – up to $30 million – in Calgary, Smith said.

It’s something that will be available to all minor league teams and Calgarians as a whole.

“This just isn’t cash that is going into an enviornment,” Smith said when reporters brought up comments she’d made in the past about taxpayer dollars for NHL arenas.

“It’s going to construct out the group enviornment, it is going to construct out the roads, it is going to assist the LRT, and we structured it that method.”

As for where the money precisely will come from, Smith says there are still discussions that need happen over the next three years.

“I’m anticipating that the cash will come from the traditional finances course of in having the ability to assess the wants of our two main municipalities.”

However, Smith says her government could also tap into a surplus fund to pay for what’s needed.

‘DOESN’T BECOME AN ELECTION ISSUE’

With an election right around the corner, many would believe such a ground breaking announcement would play into that, but Smith says she wants to avoid that comparison.

She said all the elements the province would be paying for are “issues that Calgary wanted anyway.”

“I’m hoping that this does not turn out to be an election challenge,” she said.

“I might hope that, within the spirit of unanimity, we’d see the identical sort of strategy of all of the political events in supporting this deal.”

NOTLEY WARNS OF HIDDEN NUMBERS

Rachel Notley, leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition, says while she agrees with the principle of the deal, there are a number of questions the Smith government needs to answer.

In a statement released Wednesday, she hinted there is an additional burden to taxpayers in the “confidential monetary settlement” between the parties involved.

Those haven’t been made public, but Notley said they would exceed the announced $870 million.

“These are particulars the general public deserves to know, together with who’s accountable for the share of price overruns and who’s financing the CSEC’s 35-year fee schedule,” she wrote.

“We are instructed that the settlement shall be saved secret for the subsequent six to eight weeks, principally via Election Day, till a definitive settlement is signed.”

Notley added neither she nor any member of her staff have looked at the financial documents, but says it’s not just money that’s involved in the hidden deal.

If it goes ahead, she says CSEC would have “unique growth rights” to land around the arena for decades.

“It’s disrespectful to voters for Danielle Smith to attempt to make this an election challenge for Albertans on the identical time she’s hiding the main points. You would not purchase a pickup truck after solely seeing photos of the physique and cab, with few particulars on mileage or fee plan,” Notley said.

“This enviornment venture ought to be a really thrilling alternative for Calgary, however Albertans deserve the entire story.”