Calgary plans to spend $300M on sports facilities

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who is running for re-election, used his annual breakfast Thursday to announce the city will be spending $300 million to build new recreation centres and ice rinks.

Over the next decade, the plan is to spend about two-thirds of the money on three new recreation centres, while $45 million would go to new ice rinks and a fund to upgrade existing facilities.

Bronconnier said the money will come from the provincial fund for municipal infrastructure.

"Recreation is an important quality-of-life infrastructure in Calgary," he said at the Telus Convention Centre.

The mayor's breakfast is traditionally a chance to honour some of the city's top athletes.

Acandidate running against Bronconnier in the Oct. 15 municipal election is bothered by the announcement's timing.

"Why he is announcing these things now at election time, when he's had six years to announce these issues Calgarians should ask themselves why has he done this," said Alnoor Kassam.

Kassam unveiled his recreation platform Wednesday, saying he would build one new rec centre a year for 10 years, funded by partnerships and lottery money.

But Jonathan Joseph Sunstrum, another mayoral candidate, said Bronconnier is just doing his job.

"I don't think that's necessarily wrong per se," Sunstrum said. "I think anyone who's in that situation is going to say, look it, I'm still doing my job, so I can respect and understand that."

Bronconnier told reporters the recreation funding has nothing to do with the upcoming election, adding he couldn't announce it earlier because he only received the money from the province two weeks ago.

"Whether it's here today as candidate Bronconnier or Mayor Bronconnier, it is what it's about and that is Calgarians, Calgarians looking to have a re-investment in their community."