The City owns the Saddledome. The City needs a new arean, football stadium, and field house. The Flames proposed one in the west end that would save money and also a CRL that would revitalize the city's west end. New hotel's etc. Nenshi dismissed it out of hand choosing to believe his bureaucrats' cost estimates over the Flames (who had their own Engineering consultants). Nenshi and Farrell wanted the new area in the East Village all along (where there is already a CRL) and where a lot of monied people want it (Stampede Board), etc.

Nenshi has never given an accounting of all the benefits the city currently gets or derives from the Flames. Like all socialist they refuse to see what business economic activity can bring.