Edmontonians should have a referendum this municipal election: Should taxpayers provide $88.5 million to the Oilers Entertainment Group for a new Event Park?
A public hearing is scheduled next week around a downtown CRL extension and I encourage you register to speak in person or online. Please see item 3.1.
Premier Smith has been clear that this is a three part deal between the province, Katz group, and the City of Edmonton. This condition alone is simply wrong. No government should be picking winners and losers for multi-million dollar deals. Edmontonians receiving overdue provincial funding should not be contingent on a taxpayer funded handout to a private interest.
This unprecedented event park/CRL extension should be put forward to taxpayers as a municipal referendum this upcoming municipal election and I am considering moving a motion to advance this opportunity (see below).
- Your property taxes are already paying debt servicing costs of $33 million a year towards $402 million of debt for the downtown arena as of December 31, 2024. Like the "Arena Agreement" that previous council signed, the taxpayer pays the costs, the business owner receives the profits. The Event Park would be no different.
- While the previous agreement may have been about stopping Gary Bettman and Daryl Katz from moving the Oilers Hockey Team, this has nothing to do with hockey. This is purely about the government of Alberta working unilaterally to enrich a property developer. Read more in my previous newsletter.
TAKE ACTION: Please sign up to speak or share your feedback by emailing [email protected].
June 26/27, 2025 Special City Council Meeting
Referral Motion:
- That Bylaw 21158 be referred back to Administration to remove all references to Event Park and prepare any necessary amendments to the financial analysis, advertise the updated bylaw and return to a future public hearing.
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That Administration provide a report to the July 2/4, 2025 City Council meeting with the following information:
- Is it possible to add a question on a ballot for the municipal election related to the public’s support for Event Park as outlined in Bylaw 21158 (Schedule A)
- Wording options for the question on the ballot (NOTE: Council must approve the ballot working, the form of the ballot has been delegated to the Returning Officer in the Election Bylaw)
- Outline implications to the MOU between COE/GOA/OEG
- Outline costs and other impacts to the municipal election
- Any other considerations
I agree with the labour-leaning Working Families Edmonton "The taxes that working families pay are for core services NOT to pad the profits of a BILLIONAIRE."
I Agree with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, “Taxpayers’ money already purchased both Alberta NHL teams a new arena. Taxpayers should not be paying to build extra concert spaces for the Oilers owner”
Agree with constituents Dr. Jay Scherer and Andy Grabia, "Danielle Smith and her government are bullying Edmonton city council into providing public financing to the 29th richest man in Canada, a man worth an estimated $5.6 billion." )
I agree with 2015 MLA Opposition Leader Danielle Smith, "We would not provide funding to a new arena in Edmonton")
If any business owner would like to expand their business ventures, they should be the ones to pay for it. It is that simple.
