CALGARY — Agreements have been signed between the city of Calgary, the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, the province of Alberta and the Calgary Stampede on developing a $1.22 billion culture and entertainment district in downtown Calgary, the Flames announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Construction on the new event center is expected to begin in 2024 and will be completed in either 2026 or 2027.
- The district will have a new $800 million event center replacing the Scotiabank Saddledome as the home of the Flames, with capacity expected to be between 18,000 and 18,400.
- Alberta premier Danielle Smith reaffirmed the government’s $330 million commitment to the project, as $300 million will go toward the district with $30 million contributing to the construction of a new community rink.
- The deal comes with a 35-year commitment for the Flames to remain in Calgary.
Mockup of future event center in Calgary (Courtesy of Calgary municipal government)
Backstory
Work will begin on designs and renderings immediately, according to the Alberta government. Consulting firm CAA Icon will serve as the development manager of the project, and once the event center is complete, the Saddledome will be demolished.
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The city of Calgary said in April it would commit over $537 million to the district, with $356 million coming from CSEC.
What they’re saying
“It’s really important for the city of Calgary, for all our fans and all the citizens — quite frankly — that we’ve solved the riddle on such an important piece of infrastructure for the city,” CSEC President John Bean said. “We’re delighted that we don’t have to worry about where’s our home for the next 35 years and we can get ourselves focused on getting this thing designed and built, and then maybe we get focused on winning a Stanley Cup in here as well.”
GO DEEPER
City of Calgary announces Flames arena deal
The new events center project comes two years after CSEC backed out of a previous arena deal because of “additional funding.” The initial cost of the project was $550 million but it rose to $608.5 million in July 2021.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said the Scotiabank Saddledome needed to be replaced dating back to 2017. Once it was announced in April a new arena deal had been agreed in principle, Bean said the Flames had been reinserted into the league’s rotation for hosting events such as the NHL Draft and the NHL All-Star Game.
Scotiabank Saddledome history
Oct. 15 will mark 40 years since the Saddledome was first opened in Calgary. The dome was last renovated in 1994 with a $37 million price tag. It also hosted events during the 1988 Olympic Games.
Required reading
(Photo: Sergei Belski / USA Today)
