In the Flames proposed funding model for the CalgaryNEXT arena project, they included a public contribution in the amount of $250 million from a "CRL" or Community Revitalization Levy. Also called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), CRL's are employed by municipalities as a way to finance redevelopment of blighted areas.
Contrary to what you might hear from the Flames and their boosters, CRL's are not "found money" for a city. In infrastructure funding, as in anything, there's no free lunch. In fact, CRL's are complex long term gambles cities take that come with attendant risks and consequences.