WHL Tigers told to sign long-term lease, or get out of new arena in Medicine Hat

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers could soon be homeless.

The City of Medicine Hat notified the team on Thursday that they must vacate the new Canalta Centre by noon on April 7. The Tigers insist that they have pursued negotiations for years and the city’s management company owes them revenue.

Mayor Ted Clugston said the city’s main issue is the lack of a long-term lease with the team, which finished this season out of the playoffs. He says the city has a responsibility to the taxpayers that built the arena and that the majority of councillors support the decision.

The mayor said there were temporary agreements in place, but those expired March 24.

“We are ready to negotiate at any time with the Tigers so hopefully we see some sort of conclusion to this soon and before the next season,” Clugston said.

The Tigers issued their own statement late Thursday, saying the team approached the city about a long-term lease in June of 2011 and that negotiations with the city and SMG Management — the company contracted by the city to operate the Canalta Centre — had been ongoing but the team was “extremely frustrated.”

The team’s statement went on to say that a deal had been struck but the city and SMG had gone back on the agreement.

“The Medicine Hat Tigers have been dealing with SMG almost daily for months to finalize this deal,” said the statement from Tigers communications manager Ryan Plysiuk. “On a conference call last week both parties agreed to the final issues. The Tigers then signed the contract on March 24th, 2016 believing the matter was concluded. However, once again the City and SMG decided to make changes and not to honour what was agreed to earlier that week, a trend that has become too common in these negotiations.”

The Tigers added that any further questions would be handled by the WHL commissioner’s office and that they are owed money by SMG.

“Although the team is not obligated to do so, in a gesture of good faith, the Tigers have paid their rent at the Canalta Centre earlier this season,” reads the statement. “Meanwhile all revenues that are owed to the team have not been paid by SMG. “