Calgary BMO Centre to get a $500M expansion
Posted Dec 18, 2018 6:51 am.
Last Updated Dec 18, 2018 7:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The BMO Centre is one step closer to getting bigger.
Council tentatively approved an expansion which would see the 5,000 square-foot Stampede Grounds facility double in size.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it’s badly needed.
“Calgary’s convention facilities are very small, compared to most cities our size,” said Nenshi. “So when you look at the convention space that’s available in Toronto and Vancouver and in Montreal, we’re really very far behind. And so this is an opportunity for us to move into a new tier; right now we’re a tier two convention city and this is a chance for us to move to be a tier one convention city.”
The approval is conditional on the federal and provincial governments confirming they will cover one-third each of the $500-million project.
The city will look at how it will cover its portion of the bill in January.
It’s hoped shovels can be in the ground by early next year.
