City seeks nearly $1B from Ottawa for field house, Blue Line extension

Calgary is pushing Ottawa for nearly $1 billion to build what officials say is a badly needed multisport field house and extend the Blue Line LRT northeast.

City council's governmental affairs committee will debate a recommendation to request the federal funding, which would allocate $320 million toward a GamePLAN recreational facility strategy. The field house would likely be constructed at Foothills Athletic Park, just north of McMahon Stadium, and could cost between $400 million and $500 million alone.

The remaining funds would support critical water infrastructure and the Blue Line extension. The province has committed to funding the line only to 88th Avenue N.E., while Ottawa has made no such commitment. The city's 30-year RouteAhead plan calls for extending the line further to Country Hills Boulevard and ultimately Redstone.

Calgary is the only major Canadian city without a multisport field house, while Edmonton has several that attract athletes and families from across the region, said Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal. The money would come from Ottawa's $51-billion, 10-year Building Communities Strong Fund.

City officials say 70 per cent of Calgary's recreation infrastructure is more than 75 years old and needs replacement or upgrades. A committee focusing on the field house project will meet June 26 to discuss further details.

The funding requests still require federal approval, and recent provincial legislation means any federal money to municipalities must first go through the Alberta government.