Advertisement

Report raises new questions about future of Northlands Coliseum

Click to play video: 'Edmonton City Council debates future of Northlands Coliseum'
Edmonton City Council debates future of Northlands Coliseum
WATCH ABOVE: The future of the Northlands Colliseum was debated at city hall Tuesday. As Kendra Slugoski explains, councillors debated whether to tear down, re-purpose or even build new ice rinks – May 30, 2017

The future of Edmonton’s Northlands Coliseum became a little more uncertain this week as a new report to council found it would cost significantly less money to tear down the arena and build a new facility.

City councillors are expected to discuss the report’s findings on Tuesday and the debate comes at a critical time as the city, the Katz Group and Hockey Canada look to sign a memorandum of understanding about the building’s future use.

Last month, the city indicated it would support Hockey Canada’s vision of installing four sheets of ice, a running track, classrooms and other amenities to form a centre of excellence at the former home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.

Get weekly money news

Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE: Edmonton city council buys Hockey Canada’s Northlands Coliseum vision

Watch below: On April 11, 2017, Vinesh Pratap filed this report about how the idea of converting Northlands Coliseum into a hockey academy centre with Hockey Canada has taken a big step forward.

Click to play video: 'Hockey Canada has unique vision for Northlands Coliseum'
Hockey Canada has unique vision for Northlands Coliseum

This week’s report found the capital and operating costs of repurposing the arena “are significant and a purpose-built facility is very likely to be the more cost-effective option.”

Story continues below advertisement

“The current conceptual estimates of a repurposed Coliseum identify an order of magnitude premium on capital costs as high as 50 per cent as compared to previous estimates after incorporating the city’s sustainable building objectives,” the report said.

Last month, the cost of repurposing the facility was pegged at $102 million, based on the administration’s report on the proposal.

Sponsored content

AdChoices