Calgary is already one of the best hockey markets in the world, in arguably one of the best business markets in Canada. There are owners of teams today that would happily move their team to a profitable market like Calgary, should the Flames decide to move.
From a business perspective, the city and province need to play HARD ball with the flames organization. Any funding plan that doesn't show measurable positive ROI for the city in a reasonable time frame should be ignored.
All the arts and culture benefits of a new stadium are great, for sure. But they are impossible to measure, and quite frankly the benefits could likely be attained with other lower cost investments that don't put dollars into billionaires pockets.
The Flames are most certainly a for-profit enterprise. If they were not, then you would see the Flames still spending to the cap in order to ice a better team instead pocketing $10-$15 million of savings last year and likely this year. if they were a non profit, then season ticket costs wouldn't have risen AGAIN, for a product that will likely be worse.
The Flames will try and get as much public funding as possible, however Calgary is in a very good position, and should look at any funding it gives from a business perspective as well. In a $100MM example, paying the equivalent of something like $100 for every man woman and child in the city in order get a fancy new stadium is bad business without a very good - real - ROI.
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