Members of Calgary's event centre assessment committee indicated that their "search for a new arena or event centre will not stop" regardless of what happens with the Nov. 13 plebiscite regarding the '26 Games, according to Zach Laing of the CALGARY SUN. Calgary city councillor Jeff Davison, who sits on the committee, said, "With or without the Olympics, the assessment committee is looking at building a new event centre for Calgary. It’s not just about a hockey story, it’s about building ... an entertainment and cultural district Calgary has talked about for 25 years." Davison said that the Olympics "don’t play any part in their search for a building." Calgary city councillor Ward Sutherland, who also sits on the committee, "foresees a potential cost-sharing arrangement should the city get a successful Olympic bid and an event centre." Laing notes the committee recently "urged Calgary to re-engage in partnership talks" with the owners of the Flames as the "first conceptual plans for an entertainment district, including a new arena, were released for Victoria Park." A price tag "wasn’t identified for the facility." However, the committee said that in "addition to an arena, it could include 40,000 square feet of retail space within a building that would still have a smaller overall footprint than Edmonton’s Rogers Place" (CALGARY SUN, 11/2).
