Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took to social media Tuesday to say Calgary needs a new world event centre and arena.."The time to commence with the project is now," Smith said on Twitter Tuesday..In a letter written to Calgary Sports and Entertainment and Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Councillors Sonya Sharp and John Bean, Smith expressed her support to keep one of the greatest fan bases in the world in Calgary.."Given the critical cultural and economic import of this project to Calgary and the province, I would like to identify potential ways that our government can assist the city and CSEC in achieving a successful outcome for this initiative," Smith said.."As someone who has lived most of my life in Calgary, I know the Flames are an integral part of the fabric of the city. Not to mention a critical direct and indirect economic driver and job creator for the community.".Smith said she believes a new centre will attract the best concert shows and entertainers from around the world to Calgary.."In addition to hosting the Flames, Wranglers, Hitman, Roughnecks, and numerous other sporting events, the city is also home to one of the most vibrant music and cultural scenes in North America, with a population large enough to attract the best concert shows and entertainers from around the world along with the economic activity and excitement such events bring to the city," Smith said.."Although Calgary's iconic Saddledome has served this community well, it is not able to adequately complete with a host of new event centres and arenas built and under construction across North America. One need only look north to Rogers Place to see the host of world-class events being attracted to Edmonton, along with the ongoing economic revitalization that facility has brought to its downtown core.".Smith simply stated in the letter, "Calgary needs a new world-class event centre and arena, and the time to commence with the project is now given the critical cultural and economic input of this project to Calgary and the province.".Smith said she has asked Rick McIver MLA of Calgary-Hays, who is also a former longtime Calgary City Councillor to be the provincial representative..The original arena deal to replace the Saddledome was terminated in early January when CSEC walked away because it was an "unreasonable arrangement" causing the team to bear the risk of future rising costs..John Bean CSEC president and CEO, said that there "wasn't a path forward" for the new event centre project after the city introduced an additional $19 million in costs associated with sidewalks, roads and climate costs for the project..Bean said the July deal had CSEC contributing $346.5 million compared to the city's $247.5 million..Smith said Alberta's government looks forward to working on this initiative of helping get the new centre started.
