If you are undergoing a +1 billion dollar development - which will be a landmark location for both the city and province - then of course the developers will seek out whatever financial assistance or government support is available to them.
This happens all the time and not just for professional sport facilities - check any recent automotive plant investment in Ontario.
Calgary Sports and Entertainment (CSE) will seek out whatever assistance they can source from municipal, provincial and federal coffers. I suspect they will find less assistance from all levels of government than they hoped for - but the project will proceed anyway.
City of Calgary may not contribute much cash, but zoning for a few condos and/or hotels adjacent to the site can hold a lot of value for CSE.
A project that is primarily privately financed is more often than not more successful than one greased with govt funds (memories of the Big O anyone) and yet still be something that all Calgarians can be rightfully proud of.
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