Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney acknowledged Thursday that a federal government foul-up led to Calgary being strung along in a failed bid for $100 million to help build four new recreation centres.

Calgary was encouraged to apply for $100 million from PPP Canada, but learned in November they were being turned down, even though the board of PPP Canada, an arms-length Crown corporation, had approved the projects. Kenney said the federal government only learned of Calgary's bid this spring, and officials advised there was no legal authority to fund the rec centres because of cabinet's earlier decision not to give infrastructure stimulus money to rec centres.

Richard Cuthbertson, Vancouver Sun, Jan 26, 2012