(Photo: submitted by City of Moncton)
The operator of the Avenir Centre has received more financial relief from the City of Moncton to cover operational losses incurred during the pandemic.
Moncton City Council has approved an amended contract with ASM Global which allows it to defer a $364,000 loan and to receive up to $600,000 in repayable loans.
This gives the company another one year extension which is in addition to the two year term extension provided in 2020.
Deputy Mayor Charles Leger remains hopeful for the future and notes how the facility has benefitted the downtown.
“I really hope next year we will have a much different conversation with everything open and we’re seeing it already with people going to hockey games and so on.”
Moncton deputy treasurer Greg Houser says it would be more expensive for the City to operate the arena.
“The Avenir Center is a key driver to downtown business and overall growth and so the hospitality area, the restaurants, bring the traffic downtown. We all saw that when it opened in 2018 and 2019 and could see the benefits that it brings to the downtown area.”
Houser says funds will only be advanced as required after reviewing the company’s cash flow.
Although council approved the deal, Councillors Shawn Crossman and Daniel Bourgeois voted against it.
Mayor Dawn Arnold was absent.
Pandemic-related restrictions have forced the cancellation of many events at the Avenir Centre while many others were held at a reduced capacity.
