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Alberta government on defensive after donation by Oilers owner

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Round One

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: Owner Daryl Katz of the Edmonton Oilers looks on before day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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The political fallout continues in Alberta after it was learned last week that Oilers owner Daryl Katz made a sizable donation to the provincial government’s party in the midst of efforts to build a new publicly funded arena in Edmonton.

The Oilers have requested $100 million from the province for the arena.

On Monday, opposition politicians insisted that Katz’s donation was a clear attempt to buy favors.

“Let me connect some dots,” Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith said. “Given that a quarter of the government’s election donations are said to be from a single source, and given that source wants $100 million from the government for a hockey arena, and he sits on the board of a Crown corporation that invests $70 billion of assets owned by Albertans, doesn’t anyone in this government have a problem with that?”

The province’s finance minister, Doug Horner, dismissed the accusations, noting that the government has already turned down Katz’s request for arena funds and stands by its decision.