Alberta provincial officials were surprisingly open to some sort of involvement in funding for a new Edmonton Oilers (NHL) arena — but it’s most likely the money would go to infrastructure and not directly toward the facility.
When Mayor Stephen Mandel announced a funding plan for the new Oilers arena, the initial pushback from some provincial reps was negative: they didn’t see any need for Alberta money to flow in the facility. Since then, Premier Ed Stelmach has been more open to some level of funding, saying he needed to see the specifics of the arena-funding proposal and discuss with his cabinet.
Which will not be in the immediate future. With provincial officials focused on natural disasters in the province (wildfires and flooding), Mandel says he’ll wait to make his pitch until things settle down.
RELATED STORIES: Edmonton, Oilers reach agreement on framework of arena funding deal; Edmonton approves arena funding plan; Edmonton mayor lays out arena funding plan; Report: New arena needs 30-year commitment from Oilers; Complicating factor in Edmonton arena discussions: Northlands; Seat mortgages pitched for new Edmonton arena; City: New Edmonton arena would revitalize downtown; Oilers: No, we’re not moving to Quebec City; Oilers refine arena plan after public meetings; Katz ups arena offer to $200M; city willing to talk; Edmonton: New downtown arena financially feasible Katz: I will spend $100 million on new downtown arena; Edmonton: Cheaper to renovate than to build new downtown arena; Oilers arena zoning hearing delayed; Katz group submits arena application to Edmonton
Sign up for the free weekly Arena Digest newsletter and keep up with the latest happenings! You can sign up here.
