From countless football games under the blistering sun and frigid cold, to concerts, the wintertime Heritage Classic hockey game and even the international athletics competition for which it was named, Commonwealth Stadium has hosted thousands of events that have drawn millions of people to the Edmonton sporting facility over the past 46 years.
The City of Edmonton released renderings of proposed upgrades to the 56,400-seat stadium back in January, and after two huge concerts drew massive crowds in recent weeks, renovations to increase concourse capacity are now a topic of discussion in the city.
In August, two heavy metal Metallica concerts were followed by pop superstar Pink the next weekend. Both drew crowds of around 50,000 people.
It has been a similar situation in the past when acts like U2, Garth Brooks, Beyonce and One Direction came to town.
At certain chokepoints along the concourse during those big events, foot traffic ground to a halt and people found themselves crammed in shoulder-to-shoulder like sardines, moving at a snail’s pace to get to a washroom, concession or to their seats. It’s not just an uncomfortable inconvenience — such crowding can also pose safety risks.
The city acknowledges the biggest problem at the stadium is the flow on the concourse.
It would cost about $250 million to address the list of upgrades the city said the stadium needs, such as upgrades to improve the flow, along with changes to the concessions and washrooms.
The renderings would also see more windows added to improve concourse lighting.
University of Alberta sport economist Dan Mason said there’s a strong case to be made for other levels of government or private investment, explaining the venue is unique not just to Edmonton, but in Canada.
“They have a venue that other cities don’t possess, so that can give them an advantage when it comes to hosting certain events,” Mason said.
Get breaking National news
“That has to be taken into consideration — but you also need to make sure that you’re hosting enough events that you justify those costs that you’re putting into the venue itself.”
Mason said whether that pans out depends on how entrepreneurial the owner — the City of Edmonton — is when it comes to attracting events.
To build a brand new stadium like Commonwealth nowadays would cost over a billion dollars, Mason said. That said, fixing what already exists is substantially cheaper than a new build.
“You look at the stadium and the facility itself, you’re really looking at incremental costs to keep it state of the art,” he said. “I think it’s probably smart to think about, what are the costs of events that can be held there and how much incrementally to bring it up to a standard for those events to be successful.”
There were about $2 million in upgrades to Commonwealth already over the past year, such as new point-of-sale systems at concessions, suite renovations, and a makeover of the bathrooms — where the bold yellow stalls were painted over in a more neutral tone and new flooring laid.
The city-owned and operated facility does get regular maintenance through the Commonwealth Stadium Rehabilitation Project. The city said bigger upgrades on the concourse would enhance the overall experience and modernize the space.
Ward Papastew Coun. Michael Janz said overall, the bones of the stadium are strong.
“We’re not talking about a tear-down or rebuild, we’re not talking about something major,” Janz said. “This is an opportunity to build on what is already working and continue to bring incredible acts and entertainment to Edmonton in the future.”
Since Larry Thompson has taken over the Edmonton Elks, Evan Daum with the team’s marketing and fan engagement department said the new owner has met with the city to find solutions to Commonwealth.
Daum added upgrades can improve the chances for Commonwealth Stadium to host future big events.
“We have bid on the 2026 Grey Cup and there’s going to be some improvements to the stadium that were going to happen regardless prior to that event,” Daum said.
That said, the City of Edmonton is strapped for cash and there is no funding currently in place for major upgrades at the stadium which attracts guests not just from Edmonton or Alberta, but across Western Canada.
Commonwealth is the second-largest stadium in Canada, after Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and the largest open-air stadium in the country.
“It’s really important to have this asset when we’re talking about attracting tourism and investment and events and things like that,” Janz said.
“Really it’s not just Edmonton’s stadium — it’s Alberta’s stadium, it’s Canada’s stadium. So we need to see equitable support and investment from the provincial government and from the federal government.”
While the city needs to focus its finances on maintain existing services, Janz noted the province has a multi-billion-dollar surplus.
“They are doing very well. It’s important that they invest some of that into creating jobs and economic growth and tourism right here in Edmonton. So there’s a huge opportunity here with Commonwealth Stadium.
“I think there’s a really strong case for investment here, especially when you look from the tourism and economic development lines.”
The city said if and when funding is approved, design and construction can start on the stadium modernization.
Comments