A day after Moose Jaw's plebiscite on a $36-million hockey arena passed, the city had "a pretty good estimate" showing costs had ballooned to $63 million, Moose Jaw's mayor says.

About 70 per cent of voters endorsed spending $15 million of city money on the $36-million project in the Oct. 25 vote.

With land and extras added, the total cost was expected to be about $41 million.

Now, according to internal city document, the cost of the same project is expected to be $63 million.

Bob Peden, one of the people behind the original plebiscite, said that's shocking

He said a letter sent to the city indicates city administrators knew on Oct. 16, more than a week before the plebiscite, that costs would be $22 million more than the original estimate.

People might not have supported construction of the multiplex had they known the estimated cost was actually going to be $63 million, Peden said.

However, newly elected Mayor Dale McBain said city administrators only started working on getting the final costs when they received the Oct. 16 letter.

"They started working on what is a reasonable cost for inflation, design contingencies and those kinds of things," he said. "By Oct. 26, the day after the election, they had a pretty good estimate."

McBain said even with the knowledge the numbers were changing, the plebiscite was a legal document and the wording couldn't be changed.

'Appalled and disappointed'

Still, Peden wants an investigation into why the information wasn't disclosed.

"I was really appalled and disappointed that this wasn't made public before the people were going to vote on it," he said.

The future of the multiplex has been a hot topic in Moose Jaw for many months.

The existing Moose Jaw Civic Centre is home to the Western Hockey League Warriors. 

However, the old building, known to locals as the "crushed can" for its sloping roof, doesn't meet league standards and the possibility has been raised that the team could leave town.