Moncton Downtown Centre

operational

Opportunity For several years there has been an ongoing discussion about replacing Moncton’s aging Coliseum-Agrena complex with a new sports and entertainment venue. A market analysis and feasibility study presented to City Council in June 2009 concluded that such a facility was not only feasible but highly desirable to secure Moncton’s role as a major entertainment centre in Atlantic Canada. In March 2010, City Council approved the Downtown Centre project subject to four major “dealbreakers”, one being that an acceptable business plan confirm the financial implications of the project for the City of Moncton and that appropriate major tenant(s) agreement(s) be signed. Challenges The project applied for P3 Canada funding but after their submission was made the agency changed its policies on funding sporting venues which contributed to a drawn-out procurement process. Innovations After PPP Canada changed its policies on funding sports venues, the City of Moncton had to change the project’s financial plan which originally required one-third of funding come from both the federal and provincial levels of government. The City ended up seeking a private partner that could finance the project. Over 40 people took part in a public session which generated a variety of design features to be considered by the project team. Results The 250,000 square-foot Moncton Downtown Centre will be a multi-use sport and entertainment facility featuring a single NHL-sized ice rink with more than 9,000 permanent seats and an additional 1,000 seats to accommodate other events. The centre will also include flex space, a club lounge, private boxes, and a multi-use outdoor plaza facility. The selected site consists of 11 acres, of which the sports and entertainment complex will only occupy 7.5 acres, allowing the remaining adjacent land to be sold for private sector development. The arena will be the home of the Moncton Wildcats—who agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding for a major tenant agreement in July 2010 allowing the City of Moncton to move forward with the project—the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. An economic impact analysis estimated construction of the project will contribute nearly $65 million to New Brunswick’s GDP. The economic impact analysis also estimated that had the Downtown Centre been operational in 2015 it would have contributed $3.9 million to Canada’s GDP —$2.4 million inside New Brunswick and $1.5 million outside the province. Construction of the Downtown Centre is estimated to create 494 full-time equivalent jobs in New Brunswick. Once the Downtown Centre is operational it will sustain 65 full-time equivalent positions. On a yearly basis operation of the Downtown Centre will generate approximately $250,000 in federal government revenues and nearly $200,000 in provincial government revenues for New Brunswick.

High