Alberta Premier Smith hopes funding for Flames arena won’t become election issue

Smith told reporters at a party event in Calgary there won’t be any additional money beyond what was pledged.

The deal was announced Tuesday, at which time Smith says she hopes Calgary voters give her party a clear mandate to proceed.

Smith also says the decision to help pay for the new project doesn’t contradict past comments rejecting public money for such private ventures, noting in this case the province is funding infrastructure around the arena and not the building itself.

The province has struck a deal with the City of Calgary and the group that owns the Calgary Flames to jointly fund the sports complex, which includes a community rink that the Flames would also use to practice.

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley made the following statement in response:

“The Flames, hockey, and our shared love of sport are critically important elements to this city. As a hockey fan myself, I get it!

“Any Premier seeking to lead this province must understand that hockey is part of our culture, our community, and what makes us Albertans. Any Premier seeking to lead this province should also trust the citizens of the province enough to share all the facts.

“While broad numbers on the Calgary arena deal were released yesterday, we learned today that there is a confidential financial agreement between the parties that identifies additional financial contributions by taxpayers, contributions beyond the $870 million dollars outlined yesterday.

“These are details the public deserves to know, along with who is responsible for the share of cost overruns and who is financing the CSEC’s 35-year payment schedule.

“We are told that the agreement will be kept secret for the next six to eight weeks, basically through Election Day, until a definitive agreement is signed.

“We also understand that this deal includes additional development for the land around the arena, giving exclusive development rights to the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation for decades to come.

“None of these secret financial documents are available to me, my team, or to Albertans.

“It’s disrespectful to voters for Danielle Smith to try to make this an election issue for Albertans at the same time she’s hiding the details. You wouldn’t buy a pickup truck after only seeing pictures of the body and cab, with few details on mileage or payment plan.

“The fact that Danielle Smith and the UCP insisted on this extreme level of secrecy is deeply concerning and should raise the neck hairs of every single Calgarian and Albertan.

“This arena project should be a very exciting opportunity for Calgary, but Albertans deserve the whole story.

“I’m calling on Danielle Smith today to release the full terms of the deal. If she can’t do that then Albertans need to ask themselves:

“Do they trust that Danielle Smith signed the best deal for taxpayers, or did she sign the best deal for her own personal electoral chances?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2023

The Canadian Press

(With files from rdnewsNOW)

by Canadian Press

Alberta Premier Smith hopes funding for Flames arena won’t become election issue

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