Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle
The problem with your argument is that The City is going to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a new arena anyways, and as a tax payer I'd prefer they did that with the Flames picking up a good chunk of that while continuing to add the benefits to the city beycurrently do. I also want a new arena not to be owned and run by the City which is what will happen if the Flames were to leave. Those situations turn into real problems for cities that go that route.
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The problem with your argument is you're equating very different scales of investment. The latest figures on CalgaryNEXT estimated the city having to foot around $1b, and if you believe that the city can't build a less expensive standalone arena... a much less expensive standalone arena, then you're out to lunch. It's not so much that the city shouldn't be helping or paying for these things (because I agree, they'll have to build something eventually), but it's that the massive difference in scale and need is insane. In addition, I hate to break it to you, but the city currently owns the Saddledome, and every proposal from CESC has involved the city owning that building too.
The fact is, privately wealthy billionaires are proposing this venture as a "sure thing" but nobody wants to pay for all it, and nobody wants to own it. Why do you think that is? If it's too expensive,
come up with a cheaper proposal.