City council prepares to do battle over which major Calgary projects should get built

With the demise of Calgary's 2026 Olympic bid, city council is going to turn its attention to a contentious list of unfunded major projects.

Coun. Jeff Davison asked his council colleagues to agree to meet in January to discuss which items to prioritize.

The list includes a new arena to replace the Saddledome, a major expansion of the BMO Centre at Stampede Park, a new fieldhouse and a major upgrade and expansion of Arts Commons.

"I think it's important for us to start considering these long-term capital projects, what their lasting impact on the citizens of Calgary will be while potentially looking at where do we place investment," said Davison.

I don't see how you move forward on more than one of them just because of the money.- Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Talk about each of the projects on the list has been ongoing for a number of years. 

But Mayor Naheed Nenshi told council the expectation that Calgary can continue its infrastructure building boom needs to be realistic.

He said Calgary can't rely on provincial grants, which are being reduced by the Notley government. 

And the end of the Olympic bid means the city cannot build some of these projects under that umbrella.

"We're now in a position where we've got to hustle for them one at a time," said Nenshi. "And we've got to make the case for each one of them in my opinion and figure out how best we can move forward."

For that reason, Nenshi said he needs to know what council's priorities are as he goes about making pitches to the federal and provincial governments on Calgary's infrastructure needs.

But he did sound the warning that it's unlikely everything on the list is possible in the near term so council needs to be realistic.

"Today, I don't see how you move forward on more than one of them just because of the money," said Nenshi.

'What stays, what goes'

Some on council are trying to be more optimistic.

Coun. Ward Sutherland said he believes more than one major project is possible, depending on which projects council chooses to pursue.

"Financially, depending on what goes on, we can afford two at the most. Two out of four at the most," said Sutherland.

But like other members of council, he's ready to get on with it.

"We have this list. We constantly go in a circle all the time with no conclusion. And we're going to have to make that hard decisions of what stays, what goes," he said. 

"At least, we've got to get it on or off the list and done with."

Coun. Druh Farrell opposed the Olympic bid for a number of reasons. She worried that winning the bid would tie up all of the city's available money for sports facilities for nearly a decade.

She's been championing the Arts Commons renovation. But she questions what is being included on the major projects list.

"I'm not sure if this list is inclusive of other projects that might have amazing city-building opportunities," said Farrell. 

Council has voted in the past in support of the BMO expansion. It has also struck a committee to examine ways of working with partners like the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation on a new arena.

City manager Jeff Fielding estimates that all of the projects on the list are in the $400-500 million cost range.

A fieldhouse remains the city's top unfunded recreation project.

The fieldhouse is in the new city budget as an unfunded project. It's listed as $285 million. 

Council approved Davison's motion which set the date of Jan. 28 for the discussion.

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