Dozens attend open house for new Calgary arena

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Around 100 people attended an open house Thursday night, hosted by Ward 11 Councillor Jeromy Farkas.

The first term council member wanted to hear from Calgarians about the new NHL arena proposal and events centre and whether public funds should be used.

It’s expected the facility could cost around $600 million.

One man in attendance, a local business owner, didn’t seem on board with public money for the arena.

“I have no more (money) to give, I fought like hell to defeat those Olympics.”

Another attendee said they have Flames season tickets and wants a new arena, but believes the team should pay for it themselves.

READ MORE: Talks around new arena progress

Others said Calgarians should have a say on the project, especially if it’s with their money.

“We should be able to tell them, ‘yes we would like you to go ahead with this’ or ‘no’. It’s our taxpayer dollars, if it is going to be our taxes and we should be given the choice.”

The majority of those in attendance said that there should be some sort of plebiscite or referendum to decide on what the city should do with the arena.

City Council will meet on Monday to discuss the events centre plan and funding options.

 

With files from Kendra Fowler – CityNews Calgary

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