The Calgary (Political) Arena
It’s a cliché, but Calgary is the battleground for the next election. The next government will be decided by voters there and the NDP are off to a rough start. Having worked for the UCP (I’m biased), I have to say, given the way the arena deal has played out, the UCP have won the first round.
The UCP are winning on this issue because they know how much hockey means to Albertans. This is stating the obvious, but it has to be reiterated. Albertans worship their hockey players. Just ask the hundreds of men in their 30’s named Wayne and those two women named Lanny.
Issues like these are a struggle for politicos because this is a matter of emotion over reason and it’s not ideological. Supporters of the arena deal are deliriously happy. All they care about is a new crown jewel for their city in which their hockey team or any number of world-famous artists can perform - and the UCP know this. It’s giving the NDP fits.
You can see the NDP struggle because it is so rare for them to hold-back. They hit hard and fast. They usually are incredibly decisive and articulate. This arena deal has left them slow and mealy mouthed.
They’ve tried not to support the deal but without being definitive. They’ve asked questions about costs, pointed out secret deals, and have talked about billionaires and millionaires. This position can’t hold.
The UCP made a very strategic decision with their participation. Provincial funds are not going to the arena itself but necessary infrastructure to support the project. This approach could apply to any number of projects across the province like large business parks, commercial projects, or new residential developments.
It’s critical that this approach apply to any municipality because the other municipalities across Alberta will be asking for their share of funds for special projects.
This is why the city of Calgary drove this new deal. Councillors insist that the last deal focused on the arena, the new deal focuses on the whole community.
The municipal angle is where the NDP made their biggest mistake. They framed the issue as Danielle’s deal not as a City of Calgary deal. If I were Mayor Gondek, I’d be furious. She fought for this new deal over the other and is being completely sidelined by the NDP.
This is very clearly a Calgary-first deal. Every single Calgary Councillor voted for the deal and they think it’s better than the last one on the table. By labelling the deal as Danielle’s and not Calgary’s, it is a disservice to all the work that has gone into it and must be alienating Calgary City Council.
As the provincial campaign has kicked off, the UCP sent Calgary a message that they fully support their generational projects. This arena deal is one of them. It’s why the deal is standing up against the other angle of attack thrown to it: millionaires and billionaires.
The fact that the wealthy will benefit from government funding is a powerful argument against arena deals like this one. Opponents repeatedly talk about how millionaires and billionaires benefit from an arena deal. But I bet Calgarians don’t care - this is a once in a generation deal that they will be able to enjoy.
Which brings us to the last argument being made, Smith is bribing voters with their own money. It’s a weak argument in that everything government spends belongs to the taxpayers. It’s also an admission that Calgarians like what the bribe is. Every time people repeat how big the bribe is, they’re reinforcing how much the UCP dedicated to Calgary’s project. It’s free advertising from the UCP’s opponent.
With all this considered, I think the NDP will soften their opposition and finds ways to support the arena deal without giving Danielle Smith any credit. I could see a shift to support Mayor Gondek and municipalities and their priorities. NDP candidates in Calgary must be hearing about this at the doors.
If the NDP double-down on opposition to the deal, this may be the beginning of the end of their campaign for Calgary. They will spend precious time that they don’t have, with four weeks till Election Day, explaining a losing position that is unanimously supported by Calgary City Council.
It takes four rounds to win the Stanley Cup and it takes 4 weeks to win the next provincial election. And as we kick off this election, it looks like the UCP have taken the first round.
