Edmonton’s mayor says provincial funding for a new downtown revitalization deal reached between the city, the Alberta government and OEG Sports and Entertainment (OEGSE) is “a step in the right direction.”
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi spoke to Global News about the funding on Friday, one day after the Alberta government pledged in its new budget to spend $106 million over three years for downtown revitalization near Rogers Place.
Sohi said ever since the provincial government made a more-than-quarter-of-a-billion-dollar commitment in 2023 to support the Calgary Flames’ arena deal, he has been asking the province for fair treatment. Rogers Place, the current home of the Edmonton Oilers hockey club, did not receive provincial funding when it was built.
Edmonton city councillor questions Calgary arena project funding
“[They] gave them $330 million for the arena deal when we got nothing,” he said. “So I’ve been asking for this.
“What this investment does, is it allows us to build more housing in the downtown. It allows us to create more cultural [and] sports activities and events and engage with community and bring more people downtown. And that is what is needed downtown: more people living downtown, more people coming downtown. …
“Downtown has been driving our economy for decades and decades, and this council and previous city councils have invested a considerable amount of resources to bring more activity, more vibrancy to downtown and we are seeing the positive results.”
The city, the province and OEGSE have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an event park and public space in Edmonton’s ICE District, as well as to bring more housing to the city’s downtown.
“Alberta’s government is proud to be partnering with the City of Edmonton and OEG Sports and Entertainment on this exciting plan to support world-class facilities and services and revitalize downtown Edmonton,” Premier Danielle Smith said in a news release issued Friday.
“This agreement would ensure that Edmonton continues to be one of Canada’s and North America’s leading entertainment and event districts.”
What impact has Rogers Place had on downtown Edmonton?
The MOU also commits to demolishing the Coliseum, Edmonton’s previous NHL arena. In 2022, city council voted to demolish the facility which had been home to the Oilers for decades. At the time, Coun. Ashley Salvador said the building was costing the city about $1.5 million a year in dark operation.
“[The] Coliseum is scheduled for demolition and this [provincial] money will free up the city’s money that we have allocated and we can use that $35 million that the city no longer requires to demolish the Coliseum,” Sohi said. “We will use that money to unlock more housing at Exhibition Lands right in the core of the city, close to so many amenities. … [It has been a] vacant big space that we can turn into housing.
“It will bring more activity to that area and it will free up a space that has been sitting vacant, under-utilized, underused for almost a decade, and bring more vibrancy into that area. More people in the community, more eyes on the street makes our city a safe place.”
Northlands Coliseum to be demolished
Edmonton has been working to provide more housing options as its population continues to grow and Sohi said the MOU will help provide more of a “diversity of choice” when it comes to housing, and serve to have more people live in the city’s core where there are already services, noting the infrastructure costs associated with urban sprawl and suburban development.
Sohi and Smith said details of the revitalization plan are still being worked out.
“There will be more discussion on March 5 when administration will present a report to executive committee,” Sohi said.
The provincial government said the aim is to build about 2,500 new housing units and that the plan, which will see costs shared by all three partners who signed the MOU, is projected to cost $408.2 million.
“As part of this ongoing work, the City of Edmonton has released a report that outlines options to extend the end date for the Capital City Downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) beyond 2034,” the provincial government said. “This report contains new catalyst projects including public infrastructure site servicing for the Village at ICE District housing development and a proposed event park that would be funded through the CRL.
“The event park is estimated to add over $70 million to the local gross domestic product and up to 1,400 jobs throughout the construction phase.”
Tim Shipton, the executive vice-president of external affairs with OEGSE, said he believes Rogers Place and the surrounding facilities “have become catalytic drivers of investment and development in Edmonton’s downtown core.”
“We look forward to building on that success through this new agreement. This agreement is a significant step in the right direction toward creating great public spaces that will add to the community programming, activity and vibrancy of downtown Edmonton, and will bring public infrastructure investment to encourage development of much-needed housing in our city.”
