CALGARY – A new poll suggests that while Calgarians remain divided in their support of CalgaryNext, most believe it should be the Calgary Flames who foot the bill.
The plan is for the $890-million project to be funded through a $250-million ticket tax, a $240-million community levy, $200 million from Calgary Flames Sports and Entertainment and $200 million from city taxpayers.
However, a survey conducted by Mainstreet Research on behalf of the Calgary Leadership Forum shows almost half of Calgarians think it’s the job of the team’s owners to pay for the proposed sports complex.
A further 31 per cent believe the arena should be funded by a combination of the Calgary Flames and the government, while a third of respondents weren’t sure who should pay.
READ MORE: Alberta minister not ruling out money for new Calgary arena
The same survey found Calgarians are still at odds over the arena, with 43 per cent total approval and 44 per cent total disapproval. That compares to an earlier poll from Mainstreet Research in August 2015 which found 29 per cent of Calgarians supported plans for the complex while 34 per cent opposed it.
The complex would include a 20,000-seat arena and a 30,000-seat football stadium.
The Scotiabank Saddledome, built in 1983, is one of the oldest arenas in the National Hockey League.
Mainstreet found 64 per cent of Calgarians said they were following CalgaryNext developments.
The poll from Mainstreet Research surveyed 1,020 Calgarians through live interviews via landlines and cellphones from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25, 2016 and was released on Monday, March 21.
According to Mainstreet, the poll carries an overall margin of error of +/- 3.07%, 19 times out of 20.
Results were weighed by age and gender based on the 2011 Census.
BELOW: See the complete poll from Mainstreet Research
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