Province funds Red Deer arena expansion

A government-sponsored expansion of the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer is raising questions about what the funding could mean for future arena projects in other Alberta cities.

Last weekend in Red Deer, Culture and Community Spirit Minister Lindsay Blackett announced $1.75 million in funding earmarked for expanding the building’s seating capacity.

"It’s important to recognize in Alberta it’s not just about Calgary and Edmonton," Blackett said. "Central Alberta, rural Alberta is very important, and our government’s mandate is to make sure that we give a helping hand to communities to make them stronger and more self-sufficient and safer."

The city is hoping the expansion will pave the way for a successful bid to host the Memorial Cup, a tournament the province hasn’t hosted in more than 40 years.

"There’s no question it enhances the bid as you can do more," said Red Deer Rebels owner and president Brent Sutter. "More seats, more corporate boxes, you can do more."

In the past the province has been wary of committing public dollars to arena projects. Two years ago Premier Ed Stelmach indicated that his government will no be pitching in for new arenas in either Edmonton or Calgary, though his stance has softened since.

"Facilities like the Centrium are often at the heart of strong and healthy communities," said Premier Ed Stelmach in a news release celebrating the Red Deer funding announcement.

Any funding request made for help with a downtown arena in Edmonton would be significantly greater – likely upwards of $50 million.

"Ours is a substantially different proposal," said Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel. "It’s about a vision for a city, a much broader vision helping to redevelop downtown."

Mandel says a preliminary funding framework has already been submitted to the province, and that he remains optimistic about the project moving forward.

"We’ll expect to hear back from the province soon on what steps they want us to take," he said.

With files from Linda Nguyen.