Calgary council getting update on event centre talks

Calgary city council is getting another update on a potential deal for a new event centre Tuesday.

Shovels were set to hit the ground this year for a 19,000-seat arena and concert venue which would have replaced the Saddledome – the home of the Calgary Flames for almost 40 years.

Talks to build a new arena have been at a standstill for months, but hope for a new deal was reignited in late May after the city appointed a third party made up of three executives from the real-estate industry to negotiate with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation.

“This team brings considerable expertise from the commercials real estate industry, including experience in larger developments,” Stuart Dalgleish, the general manager of planning and development for the city, told event centre committee members. “The third-party reports to city administration and is under a strict confidentiality agreement.”

Calgary has since created the Event Centre Committee led by Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp to represent the city in future negotiations.

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There have been several failed attempts at brokering a deal to replace the aging Saddledome, with the most recent prospective deal falling through at the beginning of the year. Both sides butted heads largely over costs.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman notoriously briefly got stuck in the arena’s elevator during a playoff game.

Bettman has previously said the Calgary Flames will not host events like the NHL Draft or the All-Star Weekend so long as the team plays in the Saddledome.

“Well obviously this building is a little bit past its prime, to say the least,” Bettman told Sportsnet’s Ryan Leslie in an interview.

“The Flames, the City of Calgary, the people who live here, whether it’s for concerts or family shows or for hockey games, there needs to be a new arena and I remain hopeful that it will become a reality.”