$232 million committed to date on Scotia Place, with excavation work 90 per cent completeon April 10, 2025 at 5:50 pm

Nine months into a three-year construction timeline, nearly a quarter-billion dollars has been spent on Scotia Place so far, an official with the project said Thursday. Read More

Nine months into a three-year construction timeline, nearly a quarter-billion dollars has been committed toward Scotia Place so far.

Scotia Place arena construction — Work continues on the new Scotia Place arena project in Calgary on Monday, March 31, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia

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Nine months into a three-year construction timeline, nearly a quarter-billion dollars has been spent on Scotia Place so far, an official with the project said Thursday.

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To date, $232 million, or 28 per cent of costs, have been committed toward the approximately $900-million arena and event centre that will replace the Saddledome in Victoria Park.

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Most of the construction work completed on Scotia Place so far has been below-ground. Shoring and excavation are 90 per cent complete, and roughly 1,100 structural piles have been drilled and installed.

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Foundation and below-ground construction began last month. By the time excavation is complete, crews will have removed more than 308,000 cubic metres of dirt.

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“Just this week, the first concrete foundation was poured and another milestone was hit,” project lead Bob Hunter said Thursday.

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“We’re down to ice level now. We still have a ways to go — it’s a very big and deep hole.”

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By late fall, Hunter said, crews hope to be back at ground level, and Calgarians should start to see steel and exterior structure going up.

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In 2026, crews will enclose the building, secure it and waterproof it so interior construction can begin. That process will take roughly a year and half, with an anticipated completion date of fall 2027.

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“It’s an exciting time in the neighbourhood, to put it mildly,” Hunter said.

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Tariff avoidance

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Many of the project team’s discussions in recent months have centred on trying to avoid the financial effect of U.S.-imposed tariffs, according to Hunter.

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While President Donald Trump recently announced a 90-day pause on tariffs, Hunter said it’s impossible to know what will happen in the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States.

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“We just hope that (reprieve) continues after the next three-month pause ,” he said.

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To lessen the effect of a trade war on the project’s budget, Hunter said the team has tried to source as much construction material through Canadian suppliers as possible.

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He cited an $80-million contract with Canadian supplier Walters for raw steel that comes from Europe, but is being fabricated in Hamilton, Ont. That contract was awarded in February.

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Local firms were awarded the excavation and concrete contracts, which Hunter said will further avoid the effect of tariffs.

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The project also requires 41,000 cubic metres of concrete, 9,000 metric tonnes of rebar and 5,000 kilometres of wire, Hunter added.

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“We’re trying to lock down the procurement process as quickly as possible,” he said. “All the major elements of construction, such as electrical and mechanical, have now been awarded.”