[Maritime Q-Scout]

Seriously guys, if I had the time I'd sit down and work up a formula (alas I do not).

I think we can all agree there is an amount the city could kick in where it makes economic sense to fund a new arena.

I think we can all agree that there is an amount the city could kick in where it makes no economic sense to fund a new arena.

Based on these two agreed upon facts we can infer a third, there is an equilibrium amount that the city should kick in to fund a public arena.

The question then become what is that amount.

Given Calgary's unique factors I think that amount is closer to 0% than it is to 100% or even 40%.

You'll need to ask questions like:

How many Calgarians travel for concerts that are by-passing the city?

How many non-Calgarians come to events that are held at the Saddledome? Then how many more would come due to the new arena?

How much do surrounding businesses have increased sales on event nights? What percentage of those is spent by non-Calgarians? What are alternative sources of entertainment? Would the event money be spent in its entirety on alternate entertainment?

Would a new arena create jobs? How many temporary, how many permanent, if any at all? Are these jobs at the cost of other employment opportunities?

How much money does team personnel bring into the area? Property taxes on condos and houses, food, entertainment, etc. would this increase with a new arena?

Will property taxes on a new arena be more or less than the Saddledome?

Would there be any new municipal taxes or fees with a new arena? A luxury box tax, or a ticket surcharge that is not at the Saddledome?

Would a new arena attract more Calgarians than the Saddledome? The "bathroom lines are too long, concourse is too crowded, I prefer to watch at home than go to that dump" crowd.

What is the cost of a new arena? We are having a discussion on how much the city should pay for a new arena without knowing how much the arena would cost. That's kind of important.


At the end of the day the city should help pay for an arena to the cost of the benefits it's receiving. Measure the benefits and you have the city's contribution.

Again that's likely closer to $0 than $200,000,000.