Big arena news coming Thursday

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

I cant wait to see how we screw this up. Its going to be something fantastic, surely.

"What fresh Hell is this?"

Actually, it’s going to blow your socks off!

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

Narrow concourses.

C’mon now they won’t be that narrow. They’ll need to at least be wide enough to park a truck or SUV in the middle of them at various choke points.

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Or he just misunderstood the context of the question.

For reference, the Event Centre website still says that the City and CSEC would split cost overruns on the building 50:50.

Oh so it's just a case of sending inflammatory tweets without understanding or doing any research? Ok I take it back

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Major Major

Oh so it's just a case of sending inflammatory tweets without understanding or doing any research? Ok I take it back

“inflammatory tweets” lol

That tweet was part of a thread where he was tweeting out the details of the press conference as they were being said and that so happens to be how it was said. Some of you guys have the weirdest hate-on for media members.

[Major Major]

If somebody said in the press conference that the city of Calgary will cover all cost overruns and inflation, I completely take it back.

Fact is though that is an inflammatory tweet if he did not know or understand the issue. It got lots of flam here and on other social media. He obviously understands the contentious nature of the issue and that a statement such as that would absolutely stir #### up. Just like he stirred #### up with Darryl all last year.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Major Major

If somebody said in the press conference that the city of Calgary will cover all cost overruns and inflation, I completely take it back.

Fact is though that is an inflammatory tweet if he did not know or understand the issue. It got lots of flam here and on other social media. He obviously understands the contentious nature of the issue and that a statement such as that would absolutely stir #### up. Just like he stirred #### up with Darryl all last year.

This is the exact quote Dreeshen gave when talking about funding:
“Baked into the MOU is that the City of Calgary will be responsible for any cost overruns. So the maximum amount that the province is putting in is the $330 million.”

If you didn’t actually watch the press conference and didn’t actually hear the answer, how can you possibly comment on his intent or his lack of understanding? When Dreeshen said that, I also thought he meant the COC would take on all cost overruns, because that’s what he said. If I were live-tweeting it, that’s what I would have said.

Suggesting he should have understood it better or done research before relaying what was said in the press conference doesn’t make a lot of sense. That’s just looking for a reason to be mad at him.

[Demzy84]

I thought I read somewhere on twitter yesterday that the city being responsible for overruns was in reference to any overruns on the provincials portion of the deal for instruction as Alberta was chipping in $330M and not a cent more.

City and CSEC are still splitting overruns 50/50 when it comes to dealing with the arena itself

[Major Major]

Watch the press conference? Good god man, under the threat of my face being gnawed off by a ferret I would have not watched that. Was just hoping for some reliable reporting around it. But you are correct, that the tweet is now ok and I do take back my blight comment.

I'm sure now that he's had time he's retracted his tweet and set the record straight.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Did everyone think the arena was going to be free?

Unless you’re in Quebec City it’s going to cost a bit of money. Like more than zero.

Oh, arenas are free in Quebec City?? Or only on discount?
Care to clarify??

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Locke

I cant wait to see how we screw this up. Its going to be something fantastic, surely.

"What fresh Hell is this?"

Well if the city is actually dumb enough to agree to cover cost overruns they are about as stupid as they come and have already screwed this up big time.

There is 0 chance a project like this comes in on budget, infact most major construction projects come in ~15% overbudget as a rule. Doesn't sound like much, but in today's world a 20% overrun is well within reason, and this would result in another $60M of taxpayer money down the drain.

This at worst should be shared with Murray Edwards and his bottomless pit of cash, but instead we just shoehorned it through to get a deal done.

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

“inflammatory tweets” lol

That tweet was part of a thread where he was tweeting out the details of the press conference as they were being said and that so happens to be how it was said. Some of you guys have the weirdest hate-on for media members.

There's this strange obsession about being the "first" to break the news. I'm not in media, but I would think the primary objective would be to report the news, accurately and without bias, rather than be the earliest bird.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Well if the city is actually dumb enough to agree to cover cost overruns they are about as stupid as they come and have already screwed this up big time.

There is 0 chance a project like this comes in on budget, infact most major construction projects come in ~15% overbudget as a rule. Doesn't sound like much, but in today's world a 20% overrun is well within reason, and this would result in another $60M of taxpayer money down the drain.

This at worst should be shared with Murray Edwards and his bottomless pit of cash, but instead we just shoehorned it through to get a deal done.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...&postcount=251

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by DionTheDman

There's this strange obsession about being the "first" to break the news. I'm not in media, but I would think the primary objective would be to report the news, accurately and without bias, rather than be the earliest bird.

He was accurately live tweeting (“reporting”) what was said, without bias.

I don’t think anything about that is strange unless you’ve been asleep for the last decade (in terms of live tweeting something like a press conference) or the last half century (in terms of reporters wanting to “break” the news).

I do think it’s strange that people have trouble contextualizing these things, though. Plus, end of the day, the City of Calgary is responsible for the majority of cost overruns. Slamming Salim because he reported that they were responsible for cost overruns (which is what was said) instead of responsible for most cost overruns is just searching for something to be mad at.

EDIT: To put the project into context with the cost overruns, the city is responsible for overruns on about $1.05B of the project, while CSEC is responsible for overruns on $150M.

[topfiverecords]

From the last announcement in April:

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...postcount=1100

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

This is the exact quote Dreeshen gave when talking about funding:
“Baked into the MOU is that the City of Calgary will be responsible for any cost overruns. So the maximum amount that the province is putting in is the $330 million.”

If you didn’t actually watch the press conference and didn’t actually hear the answer, how can you possibly comment on his intent or his lack of understanding? When Dreeshen said that, I also thought he meant the COC would take on all cost overruns, because that’s what he said. If I were live-tweeting it, that’s what I would have said.

Suggesting he should have understood it better or done research before relaying what was said in the press conference doesn’t make a lot of sense. That’s just looking for a reason to be mad at him.

The problem is that his tweet took the statement out of context, because the statement was referring specifically to the civic infrastructure portion of the project that was being funded by the province, not the arena portion, and his tweet was either intentionally or carelessly nonspecific enough to be easily misinterpreted as being more negative for the city than it actually is.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

The problem is that his tweet took the statement out of context, because the statement was referring specifically to the civic infrastructure portion of the project that was being funded by the province, not the arena portion, and his tweet was either intentionally or carelessly nonspecific enough to be easily misinterpreted as being more negative for the city than it actually is.

Well, when Dreeshen made the statement he did not clarify or indicate in any way he was referring specifically to the civic infrastructure portion of the project and not the arena portion.

Blaming Salim for not being specific enough because he tweeted a non-specific statement by Dreeshen is just weird. Why not get mad at Dreeshen for not being specific enough?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Well, when Dreeshen made the statement he did not clarify or indicate in any way he was referring specifically to the civic infrastructure portion of the project and not the arena portion.

Blaming Salim for not being specific enough because he tweeted a non-specific statement by Dreeshen is just weird. Why not get mad at Dreeshen for not being specific enough?

I think the issue is not Saleem so much as the need to live tweet, which is prone to error all around.

He was given incorrect info. Did he correct the info afterwards?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

Actually, it’s going to blow your socks off!

Jokes on them! I'm not wearing any socks!

Bwahahahaha!!!

[Bubba17]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

He was accurately live tweeting (“reporting”) what was said, without bias.

I don’t think anything about that is strange unless you’ve been asleep for the last decade (in terms of live tweeting something like a press conference) or the last half century (in terms of reporters wanting to “break” the news).

I do think it’s strange that people have trouble contextualizing these things, though. Plus, end of the day, the City of Calgary is responsible for the majority of cost overruns. Slamming Salim because he reported that they were responsible for cost overruns (which is what was said) instead of responsible for most cost overruns is just searching for something to be mad at.

EDIT: To put the project into context with the cost overruns, the city is responsible for overruns on about $1.05B of the project, while CSEC is responsible for overruns on $150M.

The response here is good but he did Tweet that the City was responsible for cost overruns. If he had included the words "cost overruns on infrastructure" then this discussion isn't even a point. Salim knows how to push the buttons and only stated "cost overruns" probably knowing how that the people who don't want the city investing would assume he is talking about the arena. The same group of people who don't understand that the Provincial money is for infrastructure only, which is the same as they are investing in Edmonton.

But hey, no need to read anything just wildly rant (not you, your responses are reasonable).

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Did everyone think the arena was going to be free?

Unless you’re in Quebec City it’s going to cost a bit of money. Like more than zero.

Yes, this really captures the nuance of how much an arena should cost taxpayers relative to what ownership is paying. "Did you think it'd be free?!! Well it wasn't going to be free, so shut up and accept whatever value above free it is!!!".