$250M price of Edmonton's renovation wish list for Commonwealth Stadium

Nearly 50 years after it was built, the City of Edmonton says Commonwealth Stadium could use some major renovations.

It's a topic that came up at a recent virtual town hall for season-ticket holders with the new owner of the Edmonton Elks.

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"We've already identified some hotspots that need to be revamped," Larry Thompson, who bought the Canadian Football League team last month, said Wednesday night. "All these enhancements will be for the team and for the city as a whole."

In August, Thompson had mentioned the Elks could use a new stadium or major upgrades to Commonwealth in the coming years.

The city is spending $3 million on basic maintenance work right now.

It also has a $250-million plan to modernize the facility opened in 1978 for the Commonwealth Games. The city published renderings of the planned renovations earlier this year showing upgraded bathrooms and concessions.

A rendering by the City of Edmonton of potential upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium released Sept. 4, 2024. (Credit: City of Edmonton)Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson says major concerts and sporting events often have identical complaints about the back-of-house set-up at the 56,400-seat stadium.

"When people are attending those events, too, there are challenges," Stevenson told CTV News on Thursday. "Some of the concourse movements ... They're fine and they work, but they're not necessarily the highest quality that we would hope to have."

Stevenson says the city can't pay for the upgrades right now but that council is willing to work with Elks ownership.

She would also like help from the province and the federal government as the facility benefits more than just Edmonton.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Thursday about plans to upgrade the stadium, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said financial pressures finds the city "exploring ways to focus spending on core municipal services."

"As such, we are not in a position to fund the renovations shown in these latest renderings at this time without partnership with our provincial government," Sohi said. "However, those renderings may be the basis for upgrades in the future."

Improvements to Commonwealth Stadium have been on the city's wish-list for the provincial budget over the last few years. 

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Friday, the province said it had no plans to fund upgrades to Commonwealth Stadium.