Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium renderings show $250 million dream reno

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Local sports fans dreaming of flashy renovations for the Edmonton Elks’ home turf are likely in for a disappointment, at least in the short term.

Renderings of the potential future of Commonwealth Stadium began circulating on social media this week after being published on the City of Edmonton’s website in January. But city council has not agreed to go ahead with the upgrades, rather only the design work costing $3.05 million.

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Municipal infrastructure projects are approved in stages, so there’s no guarantee the stadium project will continue with the next phase. No funding has been set aside for construction.

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Mayor Amarjeet Sohi doesn’t think the $250-million renovation project is in the cards right now — unless the Alberta government and the Elks can pitch in. Neither have made public commitments to cover costs.

“We know that it is a priority for the city to look at rehabilitation of the Commonwealth Stadium, but we would not be able to do this on our own. We need partnerships with the team as well as well as with the provincial government,” he told Postmedia Thursday.

“Particularly during these very difficult financial challenges that we are facing, we don’t have the capacity at this time to undertake such a major renovation.”

Besides a long list of big projects already on the books, the city is facing a potential 13 per cent tax increase for next year if there aren’t significant cuts, council heard this summer.

As well, the portion of the city’s operating budget dedicated to paying down debt for capital infrastructure projects is significant, covering 10 per cent of available funds. Only policing and public transit are more expensive, about 14 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, in 2024. Edmonton is nearing its own self-imposed ceiling for the amount of money the city can borrow for capital spending.

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Renovating the stadium, completed in 1978, has been on the city’s radar for years. Administrative staff completed a long-term stadium master plan in 2016. This included a series of potential renovations that each would take five to seven years to implement, but the previous city council decided not to go forward with the first phase in the 2019-2022 capital budget.

This could change if other dollars became available. Commonwealth Stadium renovations have been on the mayor’s public wish list for provincial funding since at least 2023. Sohi thinks if the Alberta government is giving Calgary $330 million to assist that city’s new arena project, paying for upgrades to Edmonton’s stadium is only fair.

Coun. Ashley Salvador agrees. The stadium, just outside her area of Ward Métis, is a huge driver of economic activity for the city and Western Canada, she said. Large crowds descended on the city for summer concerts, including Pink and Metallica.

“We’re pretty strapped for cash right now on the city side and don’t have a clear line of sight to a funding source to actually carry out those upgrades. So that’s the biggest question mark for me. The city alone does not have the capacity to fund a project of this scale at this time,” she said. “Edmonton needs a fair deal, right? Like that’s that’s really what it comes down to.”

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Upgrades at a smaller scale have happened over the years. In late 2022 city council set aside $1.2 million for equipment upgrades from a special reserve to maintain the building. This included a new jumbotron, new speakers, stadium lighting, concession and food services equipment.

lboothby@postmedia.com

@laurby

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