Event Centre FAQs

More than an Event Centre, this project includes new community amenities and infrastructure—downtown’s only community rink, new public plazas and gathering places, new mobility connections and streets and public realm improvements. These community improvements make this project a generational investment in Calgary’s future— a vibrant C+E District for Calgarians to experience, a new community for more people to live in, and even more reasons for Calgary’s downtown to be a destination for visitors, businesses and investors.

Yes. This deal is better for Calgarians, The City, and the region for several reasons:

• New public and community amenities - This deal includes considerable investments in public and community amenities that directly contribute to the quality of life for the 8,000 Calgarians who will call this developing community home, and all Calgarians who work and spend time in this new destination.
• Financial predictability - In this deal, all revenue streams including surcharges on ticket revenues and naming rights within the event centre block are consolidated into one predictable, guaranteed lease payment to The City - $17 million escalating at 1.0% per year for 35 years. Once the 35-year term is completed, CSEC will have contributed $748.3 million to the Event Centre block.
• Revenue opportunities - This deal provides new land sale opportunities that can bring in new revenue for The City. Future developments on these land parcels will also generate new property taxes to be reinvested in the district through a Community Revitalization Levy (CRL).
• Economic growth – The ability to host world-class events increases Calgary’s exposure internationally. This helps to spur growth, create jobs, and furthers Calgary reputation as a business centre for investments and tourism destination.

No. The total cost of $1.2 billion is for the event centre, and for community and public amenities and infrastructure including downtown’s only community rink, new public plazas and gathering places, new mobility connections and streets and public realm improvements 

The current deal has The City contributing 60% and CSEC's contribution representing 40% of the Event Centre cost in today's dollars. In exchange for a significant upfront contribution from CSEC in the previous agreements, The City has secured a larger guaranteed annual lease payment of $17 million, +1% /year escalation. Once the 35-year term is complete, CSEC will have contributed $748.3 million.

We are committed to being as open and transparent as possible. As with all business agreements, the documents need to be first reviewed for proprietary and financially sensitive details before they can be released to the public. The agreements will be posted on Calgary.ca when all parties are ready to have them publicly available. This is expected to take a few weeks. 

We expect enabling work to start in the coming months, weather permitting. Crews will begin moving 5 Street S.E. to the east to become 5A street between 12 and 14 Avenue to move and upgrade underground utilities to create a new larger event centre block and to help prepare for other district improvements. Construction of the event centre building, new public plazas and Calgary’s first downtown community rink on the new event centre block, and other district improvements will likely start in 2024.

A modern event centre will attract new concerts, performances and events Calgarians can enjoy for decades to come. The new deal also includes new public and community amenities that directly contribute to the quality of life for the 8,000 Calgarians who will call this developing community home, and people visiting from all corners of the city. Together, these amenities will give more people more opportunities to enjoy and experience Calgary's emerging Culture + Entertainment District and one of our newest growing communities. Public investments in this area will also attract new businesses and real estate developments, creating thousands of jobs during and beyond construction. 

Like many of our public amenities downtown—the Eau Claire promenade, St. Georges Island, East Village—to name a few, new community and district improvements made possible by this deal will be accessible and well-used by Calgarians across the city.

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 attract the concerts and shows that have bypassed Calgary and gone to other cities because we cannot accommodate them at the old Saddledome. 

More than just an event centre, this project will also create new outdoor and indoor public plazas, offering community organizations more venues to host events, artists and shows. The considerable investments that are being made in Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District ultimately make this 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.  

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 continues to be on a journey towards Truth and Reconciliation. Engaging with Indigenous communities is part of the Event Centre project’s development permit process and will continue to be guided by The City’s Indigenous Relations Office. 

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. 

Yes. The City will be working with development manager CAA ICON and design consultant DIALOG + HOK on the design of the new event centre. As the event centre lands now include additional parcels, public plazas and a community rink, The City anticipates a different design to be submitted as part of the design permit process.

This will be part of the development manager’s role to prepare the project for The City’s development permit process. We’ll be able to provide more information when details are finalized. 

This is part of the development permit process the development manager is supporting. We’ll be able to provide more information when schedules are finalized.

Yes. The Event Centre development manager, design consultant and construction manager opportunities all went through a competitive procurement process. CAA ICON was awarded the development manager contract after an RFP process initiated in June 2023 and previous contracts signed by The City in 2020 for the design consultant and construction manager were reinstated in accordance with their terms. 

The Event Centre will be designed and constructed to be LEED certified. The specific design features of the building will be developed during the design phase of the project. 

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. 

We expect enabling work to start in the coming months, weather permitting. Crews will begin moving 5 Street S.E. to the east to become 5A street between 12 and 14 Avenue to move and upgrade underground utilities to create a new larger event centre block and to help prepare for other district improvements. Construction of the event centre building, new public plazas and Calgary’s first downtown community rink on the new event centre block, and other district improvements will likely start in 2024.