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The major injection of funds, which the agency plans to spend over the next 10 years, comes as Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp. seeks new and better venues for the Flames and Stampeders.

Coun. Evan Woolley, who represents Calgary’s downtown, rejected the idea that the infrastructure improvements planned at Victoria Park are intended to entice the Flames ownership group to build at city hall’s preferred location on Stampede grounds, dubbed Plan B.

“This work has been in progress since long before we even began talking about a Plan B,” Woolley said. “Never mind Plan B, the Green Line is a way bigger investment with a way larger impact on the community.

“But obviously if we move forward on any Plan B project we need to give thought to what the things around it are going to look like.”

Calgary Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Flames, Stampeders, Hitmen and Roughnecks, has put its proposal for a massive sports and events complex in West Village on hold as it considers city hall’s bid for the east end.

The city’s pitch, revealed last June, envisions a new arena and event centre at Stampede Park, a new field house in northwest Calgary and renovations at McMahon Stadium, home of the Calgary Stampeders.

Ken King, chief executive of the sports ownership group, said the improvements planned for Victoria Park are attractive features that could entice Flames owners to build a new arena there.

The area, he said, is not “a very attractive part of our city,” other than during the 10-day Stampede, “but after that it’s pretty much just surface parking lots.”