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CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Boyle Street, Katz Group reach ‘positive resolution' after $5M legal battle
Representatives from Boyle Street Community Services (BSCS) and Katz Group Real Estate say they have come to a 'positive resolution' following a legal battle over a $5 million donation. Last year, the Ice District Corporation (IDC), a subsidiary of local billionaire Daryl Katz's business conglomerate, sued BSCS in a civil lawsuit, claiming it didn't have to donate an agreed upon $5 million because the charity failed to adequately raise funds to build a new drop-in facility. A statement of claim filed in November 2024 argued that the Edmonton charity didn't make enough efforts to raise funds for the King Thunderbird Centre replacing the former location at 101 Street and 105 Avenue which IDC purchased from Boyle Street for $5 million in 2021. King Thunderbird updated rendering The most recent rendering of Boyle Street Community Services's King Thunderbird facility, released to CTV News Edmonton on May 3, 2024. BSCS announced a $28.5-million campaign to raise money for the project, needing at least $8.5 million to begin it. As part of the deal between the Ice District and Boyle Street, a $5 million donation, a 'backstop gift' was pledged by IDC in case BSCS didn't meet its fundraising goals that would decrease dollar by dollar if the charity exceeded its $8.5 million threshold. BSCS moved out of their former location in 2023 because the lease on the building was up and it was 'no longer financially viable' for them to stay. Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) said it finalized the purchase and lease agreement with BSCS for its former facility in 2021. A two-year lease was signed, ending in fall 2023. OEG said it offered an extension on the lease at the same nominal rate agreed upon in 2021 to allow BSCS to coordinate its relocation. BSCS' new location, King Thunderbird Centre at 107A Avenue and 101 Street, has been in the works for nearly a decade, and is expected to open this fall. As of April 2025, the centre had reached the halfway point in construction. CTV News Edmonton reached out to both groups to determine what a 'positive resolution' entails, but have yet to hear back. More to come … With files from CTV News Edmonton's Craig Ellingson
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Edmonton Oilers team-building: Who should receive credit for current roster?
The Edmonton Oilers we see on the ice today had their genesis in early January 2010. The team was drowning in losses (0-10-2 that month) and the future looked hopeless. Legend has it that owner Daryl Katz was the first person to mention the word rebuild, and from that moment, it became the mission statement of the organization. The team had just delivered an attempt at a rebuild (2007-09); it was responsible for the ghastly January 2010 record that had the team in turmoil. No matter. The die was cast and management began drafting kids 10 at a time each summer, beginning in 2010. Advertisement Winning the Connor McDavid lottery in 2015 reset the priorities and trading draft picks became vogue for team managers. From that day to this, the organization has experienced six general managers, five head coaches and three scouting directors. The Oilers are a strong Stanley Cup contender. If the team wins it all, who should get credit? If the team craters, who should get the blame? Here's a look. There are eight players who were drafted by the Oilers and are either on the roster or practising with the club. Credit is given to the general manager and scouting director at the time of the draft, and to the first coach each individual player debuted with at the NHL level: The general manager who stands out for positive credit here is Craig MacTavish. He was GM for just two drafts, landing Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl without a No. 1 overall selection. Peter Chiarelli earns some points for identifying Evan Bouchard amid some impressive prospects in 2018's top 10. Among coaches, he isn't mentioned here but many of these players (specifically Bouchard and Stuart Skinner) spiked as players once Jay Woodcroft arrived. Among the coaches who have been at the helm since 2015, it is Woodcroft who has done the most to help develop NHL talent. Stu MacGregor and Bob Green are the scouting directors who should get credit for helping the current team. MacGregor helped deliver Nurse and McDavid, while Green was part of the group that found Bouchard and Skinner. Overall, current management and coaching didn't have an impact on the 2025 playoff roster via the draft. Those players who will hit the NHL from scouting director Rick Pracey's drafts are either matriculating to pro hockey or have not yet been drafted. I've included players acquired by trade and then signed as free agents in this category. Ken Holland was more likely to add via free agency in July and then use the trade option at the deadline. Stan Bowman always has his phone on: Holland made the best trade in years by an Oilers general manager when securing Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators in February 2023. Among the other Holland deals, I'd rate the Brett Kulak acquisition as being the next best on the list. Jeff Jackson was active in a very small window of opportunity as acting GM. His procurement of Matt Savoie gave Edmonton the No. 1 prospect in the system and a value contract for years to come. Advertisement Bowman may be the most active trading general manager since Glen Sather. His first 10 months in the job were busy, and he has impacted the roster in important areas. Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman have been especially strong for the Oilers since their arrivals. The major item surrounding trades in the Oilers organization is that they are more in style (so far) with this management group than we've seen in ages. The club has been spending money on July 1 free agency for years, and will likely be active this summer, too. Adding via trade can be an effective tool, as seen with the late summer additions of Podkolzin and Ty Emberson after St. Louis' successful offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. For the length of his career as an NHL general manager (so far), Holland showed an extreme preference for free-agent signings. He spent a lot of money, overpaid several times, but landed the best NHL free agent in Oilers history the day Zach Hyman signed with the team. Holland was active in procurement at the NHL level, but also signed players like Noah Philp and James Hamblin as amateurs. His use of the minor-league system was unusual, and Edmonton was not a big player in free agency outside of veterans on July 1. Holland built his teams via free agency and there are several important pieces (Hyman, but also Evander Kane, Calvin Pickard, Corey Perry, Connor Brown) pushing for the Stanley Cup who were signed by the former general manager. Jackson was very active in his one July 1 signing opportunity, adding veteran wingers at a rapid clip. Most believe the money was not well spent (offer sheets by Blues followed and had a massive impact on the roster) but the complete story of the season is not yet written. Bowman has been working around the edges of the roster all winter, and that includes players like Kasper Kapanen (waivers) and Travis Dermott (free-agent signing, but not with the club at this time). We won't know until mid-July, but it's a good guess that the Oilers' summer will not revolve around July 1 free agency as it has in the past. Advertisement From the coaching side, the Oilers benefited heavily from Woodcroft's patient development style. Bouchard and Skinner specifically spiked under his guidance, and that benefits Knoblauch and his staff today. Chiarelli's track record with the Oilers is a mixed bag, but all of McDavid, Skinner and Bouchard came to the organization via his draft team. No extra credit for McDavid but Skinner was a third-round selection and there were many options when the team chose Bouchard. Chiarelli's trade record was decidedly downbeat, but he was a helluva judge of amateur talent. Holland gets plenty of credit for this roster, including the top trade addition (Ekholm) and free-agent signing (Hyman). Give MacTavish some credit for the Nurse and Draisaitl draft day additions, too. Bowman earns a mention for several astute additions. They include Podkolzin, Walman, Emberson and Trent Frederic. At this point, the answer is Holland. This time next year, it might be Bowman. Especially if he can find a solution to the ongoing goaltending issues. For fans, looking back is a reminder of just how much talent was wasted on the way. For management, they can be secure in the knowledge that a Stanley Cup victory will go a long way to repaying fans for the sins of the past.
