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A major chain has already expressed interest in operating the hotel, he said.

A similar business in Vancouver has been a big success, with rooms going for $200 to $250 a night. Boyle Street’s location across the street from Rogers Place should make it appealing for hockey fans and people attending concerts, Daly said.

He also expects the group will make a profit from the 200-stall underground parking garage.

While it might be possible to sell the property and set up in another part of Edmonton, they’ve been based in the former banana-ripening warehouse for 20 years and the site is convenient for clients, he said.

He said it would also be hard to find somewhere else in the city that would welcome such a social agency after the backlash against a 2013 proposal to create housing for formerly homeless people in Terwillegar Towne.

“Imagine trying to build 100,000 square feet of Boyle Street in another part of the city. I think that’s a challenge we might not be up to.”

While no funding has been received toward construction of the centre, Daley is confident commitments will come over the next year from governments and a fundraising campaign.

“We believe the federal, provincial and municipal governments and their political platforms are very much in line with what we want to do with this building.”

Architect Vivian Manasc said the flowing lines and colours, developed after months of community consultation, evoke treaty mentions of green grass and running water, as well as Métis sashes and the four directions of the compass.