Event Centre FAQs

This deal is an exciting piece of the ongoing efforts to revitalize, refresh and re-energize downtown Calgary, specifically the River’s District (The District).

The City of Calgary has reached agreements, in principle, with the Province of Alberta (Province), Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) and Calgary Exhibition and Stampede (CES) to proceed with a significant phase of the Culture +  Entertainment District in downtown Calgary. This area will feature a suite of public amenities and public infrastructure, including a new community rink, improving connections to The District, and commercial opportunities, all of which is anchored by a new publicly owned modern Event Centre. 

The two projects e will be located in the Culture + Entertainment District . The Event Centre Block will serve as a complementary anchor to the new BMO Centre Expansion. Together, these two modernized facilities will work with the other improvements in the area, such as 17 Avenue S., Victoria Park LRT Station, Central Library and Studio Bell, as well as the Arts Commons Transformation, to support and contribute to Calgary’s downtown recovery. A map of the proposed location can be found on the Event Centre web page.

A detailed timeline of the negotiations has been posted to the Event Centre web page. The next stage of the project will be the completion of the definitive agreements which should happen throughout the spring/summer of 2023. 

The City has completed the initial negotiation process, which resulted in signing non-binding memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on the major terms with the project parties - CSEC, the Calgary Stampede and the Province of Alberta.

Now that those initial agreements are in place, The City is now working on completing the binding definitive agreements with the parties, which confirms all the details around roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities in an agreement form.

The definite agreements will set out who is accountable for what, which includes building and property use, maintenance and operations among other details. These definitive agreements are expected to be completed through the summer 2023. 

This agreement represents a generational investment in our city that will create a place where both Calgarians and visitors can make lifelong memories. The improvements in the area will include:

• Community Rink: New shared facility for public bookings evening and weekends, and a training facility for CSEC’s professional teams.
• Outdoor and indoor community gathering spaces: More opportunity for community events onsite and in Rivers District.
• Event Centre: New City-owned building capable of hosting bigger events and shows, which have been skipping Calgary, that can be experienced by more people.
• New mobility connections for people visiting the area: 6 Street underpass and improvements to 5A Street S.E and 15, 17 and 25 Avenues S.E, among other improvements to connection for people visiting the area.
• Supports a total package for Calgary’s downtown revitalization with downtown partners, who are transforming the whole downtown towards a more balanced mix of residential, office, retail, entertainment, tourism, and culture.
• Other:
  • 4,750 full-time jobs created during construction phase (2019 E&Y EIA)
  • 1,500+ Permanent jobs maintained once event centre opens (2019 E&Y EIA)
  • 8,000 Estimated new residents in the C+E District
  • More Concerts: Large-scale concerts require two venues (Calgary and Edmonton) to make coming to Alberta viable
  • 4 million sq. ft.: Estimated mixed-use development (homes, retail, hotels) in the C+E District
  • 500+ Events per year in the C+E District
  • 3 million+ Annual visitors to the C+E District
  • $3 billion+ Private investment in the Rivers District/C+E District to date
  • $500 million Investment in the BMO Centre Expansion, complementing the event centre’s impact on tourism in the city and region

One of the key pillars of this project has been transparency and The City continues to strive to provide as much information on the project as possible. However, like any business deal, there are some documents that must remain confidential as they contain sensitive business information about The City and our partners.

As the development of this project progresses, we will continue to provide as much information as possible. 

In addition to sporting events, such as professional and amateur hockey and lacrosse, and art events, such as concerts and shows, there will now be new opportunities to host “A-class” concerts and events from around the world that are unable to be accommodated in the aging Saddledome. The outdoor and indoor public plazas also offer new venues to host events, artists and shows. A modern event centre ultimately becomes a more attractive destination for more events that can be experienced by more people – those who live here now and those visiting in the future.  

Calgary’s beloved 40-year-old Saddledome has reached the end of its lifecycle as a multi-purpose facility and arena. Renovations and improvements have been ongoing for the past 30 years to extend and expand its useful and operational life, to accommodate events past its use in the ‘88 Olympics.

It does not attract “A” class events like Edmonton and Vancouver, due to its operation limitations: loading docks, structural requirements, event production requirements, appropriate spaces and logistics for talent and supporting crews, etc.

Past renovations and current design of the Saddledome still fall short of appropriate amenities: public and accessibility entrances, effective concourse and event spaces for hosting and moving people, efficient facility operations for food and services, waste management facilitation, etc.

It will always remain a Calgary icon that hosted some of the most memorable events in sporting history, including the ‘88 Olympic Games and three Stanley Cup finals, as well as some of the world’s most popular music and entertainment events. 

Formal public engagement for the Rivers District Master Plan (Master Plan) began in February 2017 and continued through to July 2018. The Master Plan was completed in December 2018, which concluded with a new event centre location in The Culture + Entertainment District. Public Engagement continued specific to a new event centre, between January and March 2020, during the Council-directed work on the previous event centre agreements. Three main themes emerged from this work:

• Pride: Many see the Event Centre as an opportunity to revitalize east Victoria Park and the surrounding neighbourhoods, catalyze growth and give Calgary a world-class facility they can be proud of.
• Variety: By and large, people want the space to offer a variety of exciting opportunities that will consistently attract locals and tourists year-round.
• Connection: The Event Centre should provide opportunities for Calgarians to connect with one another, with friends and family, business associates and their community. All parties involved in the Culture + Entertainment District and contemplated deal structure acknowledge that public engagement has previously occurred with respect to an event centre, and this work will be applied as the Project proceeds.

All parties involved in the Culture + Entertainment District and contemplated Event Centre deal structure acknowledge that public engagement has previously occurred with respect to an event centre over the last number of years, and this work will be applied as the Project proceeds. 

The City is committed to fulfilling the calls to action as referenced by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Once the Event Centre progresses to the next stages of design and development, all parties are committed to working closely with local Indigenous communities on a plan forward. 

Yes. The redevelopment sites, including the future site on the Event Centre Block, will generate property taxes once developed and in operations. Furthermore, if there are street facing commercial or retail sites that are attached to the Event Centre building and publicly assessable, they will also generate property taxes for The City. 

In addition to the property tax generated from these specific properties, the inclusion of the Event Centre in the Rivers District will also encourage additional redevelopment of adjacent properties in the District and increase the value of existing ones. 

The end result will be increasing The Rivers District Community Revitalization Levy that’s generated to fund potential future infrastructure investments in the district.  

Good stewardship of public tax dollars has remained a key priority for The City throughout our negotiations. We are pleased to say that that none of the sources of funding identified for the Event Centre Project and district-wide infrastructure improvements will result in an increase in municipal taxes or new debt.  

The event centre was identified as a priority for The City in 2018 and money was set aside for the previous iteration of the project. The balance of funding required will be transferred from the Major Capital Projects Reserve, the Fiscal Stability Reserve and the Budget Savings Account Merged Reserve. No increase in municipal taxes will be required and The City will not be taking on any additional debt. 

CSEC and The City, together, will share cost overruns 50:50, specific to the CSEC’s scope of work: Event Centre building, community rink and the parkade. Additional funds for The City’s share of potential cost overruns are proposed to be set aside from revenues from future land sales and future anticipated investment income from the Major Capital Projects Reserve.

More details of cost overruns will be considered part of the next phase of work that’s included in the definitive agreements. Once the definitive agreements are completed, more information and details will become available.

The City is excited to have the province at the table to support the surrounding infrastructure for this important agreement.  This project is more than just an event centre. With this agreement, the province is contributing to the revitalization of downtown and the creation of a vibrant Culture + Entertainment District that will include the event centre, indoor and outdoor public gathering places and a community rink for public use. This plan also includes a major investment in the surrounding infrastructure to serve the district and improve transportation options. 

We understand that Calgarians are interested and excited about this project; however, we are still in the early stages and finalized decisions on design and development have not been made. Once those decisions have been made, we will have a better idea of these metrics. 

The process to hire a Development Manager is on the critical path of the Event Centre Block. Being proactive by starting the procurement in parallel with the definitive agreements keeps the momentum moving forward and positions us to begin work soon after the Agreements are finalized. 

This is similar to a real estate deal where The City (as the owner) is building and paying for the majority of the cost upfront and then The City will recover its costs through a 35-year lease from CSEC.

The operating and maintenance costs associated with the building over the 35-year term are the responsibility of CSEC.  

It’s different than if a private company owned the building - The City is not looking to earn a profit from this transaction. The community, city and regional benefits associated with having this amenity in the Culture + Entertainment District is the return to both the community and Calgary.

The agreement between The City and CSEC gives The City a guaranteed annual payment from CSEC over the 35 year-term. That’s $17 million each year, plus 1% in escalation each year. The City is comfortable with this agreement for two major reasons:

1. It’s a predictable and stable payment that The City can count on over a long period of time.
2. After the 35 year-term is up, The City will have recovered from CSEC approximately $750 million dollars towards the Event Centre block. 

It’s unknown when construction will begin. Once the Parties finalize the definitive agreements and the Development Manager is hired, we will know more about when construction is expected to begin.