The city did just fine with this negotiation, if you don't want a team here then no amount of tax payer dollars would make it pass the smell test. The city has no leverage in this situation, there are plenty of cities that are in better shape an larger markets that can make a better offer. It was important for the city to make this more than just about an arena and they did that which will make some of the initial detractors happy.
We will have a new facility which is required to maintain Calgary in the NHL, I'm happy for that. Hopefully this development will pay off over the long term monetarily but there is also a community component that is often overlooked, parks and libraries are not investments either. Taxes will go up and not everyone will be happy welcome to life.
|