NDP leader Rachel Notley said she will not support the in-principle agreement established earlier this week by Premier Danielle Smith for a new Calgary Flames arena.

The long-awaited and badly needed new arena deal for the Calgary Flames seems to hinge on who wins the May 29 election. 

Earlier this week, Premier Smith’s UCP established a deal with the City of Calgary and the Calgary Flames that requires cabinet approval post-election. The entire Calgary city council approved the deal unanimously, which Smith called a testament to its strength.

But on Wednesday, Notley said the deal was suspicious and refused to support it.

Notley said Smith is “working to hide the details of the deal.” 

“There is a confidential financial agreement between the parties that identifies additional financial contributions by taxpayers, contributions beyond the $870 million outlined yesterday,” Notley tweeted on Wednesday.

While announcing the deal on Tuesday, Smith said the provincial government would contribute $330 million towards the arena. 

The agreement will also see the City of Calgary contribute $537.3 million towards the arena, which Mayor Gondek said will not result in higher taxes or more debt.

And, Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corp agreed to provide $356 million.  

Flames CEO John Bean said the new arena will be a game-changer for the entire province. Many performers choose not to come to Alberta without two solid venues, which the new Calgary arena will provide alongside Edmonton’s Rogers Place.

Smith responded to Notley’s position on Wednesday. 

“I’m not sure who is feeding Ms. Notley her latest conspiracy theory but it’s clear she is making this arena deal an election issue,” Smith said, as reported by the Calgary Sun.

“Let me be perfectly clear with Calgarians. If the UCP wins the next election we will be moving ahead proudly with this deal. I guess we now know the NDP would not.”