Calgary’s city council voted 11-4 in favour of the arena deal on Tuesday at City Hall. Speaking with the media and during the council meeting, it became fairly obvious why council members voted the way they did.
Why they voted yes
Mayor Naheed Nenshi, against the prior incarnation of the deal with the Flames to the point we had a whole election about it, broke down his rationale prior to the vote.
“My point here is that there are tangible and intangible benefits,” said Nenshi. “Are the things we can’t count, the intangible benefits – and every economist agrees there are intangible benefits to this kind of thing – are those intangible benefits worth $45 million or $47 million in today’s money over a 35 year period?