Calgary event centre dodges tariff bullet for now — but can't avoid U.S. purchases forever

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 5:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

City council's lawsuit centre committee has officially been dissolved, leaving metropolis medication with the important task of keeping the $926-million task connected clip and connected fund — successful the look of tariff whiplash.

In its last gathering Thursday, the committee heard Scotia Place has avoided immoderate tariff impacts truthful far.

Project pb Robert Hunter said they've been capable to root each materials from Canada and Europe to day — including an $80-million alloy declaration with Walters Group, which secured the worldly from Europe and volition fabricate it successful Ontario.

Other contracts, specified arsenic excavation, are being handled by section firms.

But the metropolis is lone 30 per cent done its procurement process truthful far, and it won't beryllium capable to debar purchasing from the United States forever.

"The ones that we inactive person to look astatine are seats, video boards, dependable systems that are astir 100 [per cent] U.S. sourced. So we inactive got a batch of enactment to do," said Hunter.

"Let's anticipation that things settee arsenic they are today, and hopefully they are prolonged implicit our word of procurement."

Nine months into the 36-month operation project, excavation enactment connected the lawsuit centre tract is 90 per cent complete. Roughly 308,000 cubic metres of ungraded volition person been removed by the clip that signifier of operation is finished.

The metropolis has committed $232 cardinal to the task truthful far, according to Hunter.

He said he's assured the doors to Scotia Place volition unfastened successful the autumn of 2027 arsenic planned.

It was each affirmative quality for Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, the committee chair, but she acknowledged determination could beryllium a bumpy roadworthy ahead.

"What's important is arsenic of today, we're connected clip and connected budget. Tariffs haven't impacted this project. That being said, we don't cognize what volition hap adjacent week. We don't cognize what volition hap months from now. But medication is connected apical of it all," said Sharp.

The committee was formed successful 2022, aft the erstwhile $600-million woody betwixt the metropolis and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation collapsed owed to rising costs.

After the committee revived the task with a new, pricier woody and helped the metropolis done the improvement phase, Sharp said the task is present being near successful bully hands.

At this pace, Scotia Place could beryllium pursuing successful the footsteps of its neighbour, the BMO Centre expansion, which was delivered connected clip and connected fund precocious past year.

Updates connected the lawsuit centre volition present beryllium shared done the city's infrastructure and readying committee, and operation milestones volition beryllium shared with the public.