Category: Edmonton Downtown Arena

crying wolf.

June 25, 2009: Cal Nichols said that losing the City Centre Airport would have a greater economic impact than if the city lost the Oilers.

December 13, 2009: The future of the Katz Group owned Oilers won’t be secure in Edmonton unless a new arena is built, says former Oilers owner Cal Nichols, an adviser on the new downtown arena proposal.

According to Forbes Magazine, the Edmonton Oilers annual revenue has increased from $40 million in 2000 to $83 million in 2009. The magazine lists the Edmonton Oilers with a $9.4 million operational income in 2009, one of the highest in the NHL.

Edmonton Downtown Arena The Katz Group

starchitecture.

I haven’t read enough information to decide whether or not I support The Katz Group proposal for the construction of an arena in downtown Edmonton, but as I wait for more information, I am continually surprised at how much Edmonton’s media has capitulated to awe of The Katz Group’s concept.

Today’s Edmonton Journal provides a perfect example of this. Without releasing any new information, The Katz Group secured a front page headline by tempting the media with vague “hints.” The headline story was largely void of new information and it appears to have reprinted much of what has already been covered in the past month.

If that wasn’t enough, the article also includes a quote from American academic Mark Rosentraub defining the buzzword “starchitecture.”

“You’re combining the word ‘star’ and ‘architecture,’ so we call it starchitecture,” Rosentraub says.

As The Katz Group moves their downtown arena agenda forward, it is imperative that Edmontonians have a mature debate about how this will shape our downtown core. I hope that when pertinent information is actually released our mainstream media can then provide responsible, balanced, and critical analysis.

Edmonton Downtown Arena

what’s a blogger to do?

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend of either:

a) Celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;

b) Celebrating the arrival of the magical chocolate egg bearing “Easter Bunny.”

Coming back to Edmonton after a weekend spent up north, I had a difficult time deciding just what I wanted to write about upon my triumphant return to Alberta’s capital city…

I could write about the proposed development of a new arena in downtown Edmonton. The arena is being proposed as a way to revitalize Edmonton’s downtown-core, but I’m still not sure if I understand how building a giant cavernous hockey arena will equal revitalizion. Anyone care to explain? I’m hoping for some good coverage by Battle of Alberta and Covered in Oil…

I also could write about Tory Minister Ray Danyluk’s political posturing for rural Alberta in preparation for the next Electoral Boundary Redistribution. It is too early to tell whether Danyluk and his gang (who shall know be known as the “rural clique“) are blowing smoke to appease the “rural clique” or are turning an issue of fair democratic representation in the Alberta Legislature into a purely political game. As I’ve written in the past, rural Alberta is incredibly overrepresented in the Legislative Assembly compared to urban Alberta. I’m really hoping that Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier, and their Councils don’t hesitate in standing up for fair provincial representation for Alberta’s two largest cities.

And finally, I could also give a shout out to the Grande Prairie Daily-Herald Tribune for their shout out in yesterday’s paper (thanks to Bill for sending me the link). The Daily-Herald Tribune is one of the better newspapers from Alberta’s smaller cities and usually makes my list of daily scans (along with the St. Albert Gazette and Fort McMurray Today).