The Downtown CRL Extension

Last week, Council debated the extension of the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy (CRL), a complex but significant decision that ties together major investments in Edmonton’s downtown core and broader provincial negotiations. I wanted to take some time to discuss the decision.

What is the Downtown CRL? Why Extend It?

The Downtown CRL is a special tax instrument established in 2015 to fund major catalytic projects like Rogers Place and surrounding infrastructure. It works by:

• Freezing the existing assessment base within a defined area

• Redirecting the municipal tax revenue from new development (i.e. increased assessment value) into a dedicated fund for downtown projects

• Including the education portion of the tax (which normally goes to the Province) — a unique feature not found elsewhere in Edmonton

The original CRL is scheduled to end in 2034. The proposed extension would add another 10 years, generating an estimated $663M to $933M for downtown investments, including absorbing $127M to $178M in municipal education tax levy.

Extending the CRL requires an updated list of eligible projects, which is what Council discussed last week. This list is then sent to the province for ministerial approval. Additions to the list include:

While the decision in front of Council was whether or not to approve the bundle of projects in the CLR list, it’s a lot more complicated than it first appears. The extension of the CRL is part of a larger negotiation with the Province of Alberta, who has signalled that Edmonton’s deal must be comparable to Calgary’s recent arena deal.

The province has made it clear that approval of Edmonton’s deal is contingent on approving the extension of the CRL, and approval of the CRL is contingent on approval of the full CRL project list.

What’s in the Deal?

The broader deal with province includes multiple funding commitments for city priorities. Here's a summary of what's on the table:

• LRT station safety and security

  • $20M–$30M through the CRL

• Winspear Centre Expansion

  • $33M in CRL loans

• Attainable Housing

  • $30M–$50M in CRL loans for 2,400–7,000 downtown homes

• Downtown Infrastructure Fund

  • $75M–$100M in CRL loans

• Event Park

  • $84M from Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG)

  • $84M from the City (via CRL loans)

  • $97M from the Province

• Village at ICE District Public Realm

  • $42M (City), $31M (Province), $3M (OEG)

• Northlands Coliseum Demolition & Exhibition Lands

  • $55M from the Province (replacing the City’s previous $35M commitment and adding $20M for site improvements)

• Education tax revenue

  • $127M – $178M over 10 years
    

A Take-It-Or-Leave-It Offer

While there is broad agreement on the majority of items in the deal, there has been significant debate over Event Park. The proposed Event Park includes 140,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space with capacity for 6,000 people outside and 2,500 inside.

A flexible event space downtown could add vibrancy and numerous organizations voiced their support for it. However, the key issue is not whether it would be a nice addition, it's whether public money should subsidize a private venture.

Given the concerns about the inclusion of the Event Park in this deal, Council requested confirmation from the province about our ability to remove it from the list. Council was then informed by the Minister that the Event Park must be included or the entire deal would not gain support.

This places Council in a challenging position where we must weigh the overall benefits associated with the deal against risks and downsides. In order to make that assessment, we need detailed information on risk mitigation and financial assessments.

We need to see the fine print of this deal. Edmontonians deserve to see this as well.

Transparency Matters

Throughout this process, I have had strong concerns about how little financial information has been shared publicly. Several public speakers shared their frustrations with the lack of comprehensive information on this deal as well.

That's why I supported a motion brought forward by Councillor Wright to vote on the CRL list and the Master Agreement together, because the two have always been linked. This would have allowed us to view the details of the deal alongside the CRL list. Unfortunately, Council voted 9-4 against doing so.

Without full public context, it’s difficult for Edmontonians to understand what’s at stake.

Approve the CRL

Despite my concerns around Event Park, I supported advancing this conversation to the next step because this is the only mechanism available for bringing the broader deal and full Master Agreement forward for public scrutiny. Council voted 9-4 in favour.

This was not a vote on the final deal. It was a vote to see the deal in full before deciding whether to move forward. Once the Master Agreement is in front of Council, we will be able to review:

• Roles and responsibilities of all partners (City, Province, and OEG)

• Legal and financial obligations of each party

• Conditions tied to funding (such as project delivery timelines or operating models)

• Governance and accountability measures

• Public access expectations for spaces like the Event Park

• Surety on housing development and timelines

The Master Agreement is essentially the legally binding document that governs how this entire package would be delivered. It’s where we’ll see the fine print and where Council can decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks. If the Master Agreement doesn’t meet expectations or fails to protect the public interest, we still have the opportunity to say no.

Only then can we make an informed decision on whether this deal delivers enough public benefit to justify the investment.

What Comes Next

The Master Agreement will return to Council in the coming weeks. I will be scrutinizing every line of it, and I want to hear from you.

I am committed to protecting Edmonton’s fiscal health, fighting for public transparency, and ensuring that if this deal proceeds, it does so with the best possible outcome for Edmontonians.