Even if you could make a good case that the library downtown is a waste of money, I really don't see how that translates to making a good case for supporting wasting even more money on an even less defensible cause like the Flames.
The city probably can and should pony up some money, they will benefit from this new building in some ways. But probably not more than 25% of the cost and definitely not something as substantial and as much of a sweetheart deal as Edmonton got. There will be some public good out of this building and the city (and maybe the province) need to decide how much that is worth to them. However at the end of the day most of the business and benefits will be for the Flames, not the city and the deal made should reflect that.
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