Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the tentative deal for a new arena to replace Scotiabank Saddledome in April, days before kicking off her provincial election campaign. The province's $330-million contribution helped revive the long-delayed project.
That would go toward such expenditures as site preparation and land acquisition, for road and infrastructure near the area. This makes these grants the first tranche of provincial dollars for what will be a multi-year construction project."That's the only number you'll find in this report regarding the Rivers District moneys," Finance Minister Nate Horner told reporters on Thursday.
However, none of the province's contribution will go directly toward the $800-million arena itself — that cost will be shared by the city and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp.