Flames arena deal passes council vote (again)

It’s a done deal. (Again.)

The deal to construct a new arena to house the Calgary Flames (and Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Roughnecks and other, non-sports, events) has been successfully amended and ratified by Calgary’s city council. The vote passed through city council following roughly four hours of discussion and debate on Wednesday afternoon.

What public funds are involved now (and what’s changed)?

As noted earlier this week, the fundamental change was taking $12.5 million of public funds that were available for “eligible cost overruns” (e.g., something that was in the project scope going slightly over budget) and making it explicitly part of the budget. This bumps the city’s cash contribution…