CALGARY, Alberta — The
The 40-year-old Saddledome seats more than 19,000 for hockey games and hosted hockey and figure skating during the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the city council voted unanimously in favor of the deal on Tuesday.
“This is a generational investment in place-making, creating space for community to gather,” Gondek said at a news conference on the proposed site for the new arena, close to the Saddledome.
The Alberta government is not contributing directly to the arena but said it plans to spend up to $300 million on public transit and road improvements, site utilities, reclamation and other infrastructure. The province is also contributing $30 million to cover half the cost of the 1,000-seat community rink.
“Calgary isn’t Calgary without the Flames, and Alberta isn’t Alberta without the Battle of Alberta,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said.
Smith said last October that the Saddledome has served the community well but can no longer compete with new buildings across North America for events, concerts and sports.
