If you build it, they will come.
A heated debate regarding the future of the controversial Lansdowne 2.0 project continued into its second straight day downtown at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, with the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women’s Hockey League wondering aloud if they’ll have enough room for their fans.
While the belief is that the project to revamp the home of the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa RedBlacks, the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s, and Atletico Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League will go ahead, the battle has left many people second-guessing.
As one city hall insider told me in a text message on Thursday, this will pass, “but not happily.”
The final vote isn’t until Nov 7, but there is still time for some city councilors to change their minds, especially with an election year coming up in 2026.
There is another option staring this city council in the face that I can’t believe anybody at the City of Ottawa has raised.
The Ottawa Senators have agreed to purchase 11 acres of land from the National Capital Commission to build a new events centre, affordable housing and an ice district at LeBreton Flats, which is located 10 minutes West of Parliament Hill.
Talks are going well and the final deal will be papered in the next six months, which will push this project to the next step. The expectation is that the Senators will move into their new rink for the start of the 2031-32 campaign — if all goes as planned.
Once the dream of an arena closer to downtown, with better access to Gatineau, becomes reality for the National Hockey League team, the next decision that will have to be made is what to do with the 75 acres of vacant land where the Canadian Tire Centre sits.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has stated that he doesn’t want to leave the people of Kanata high and dry once the Senators move.
Here’s an idea: Build a new home for the RedBlacks and Atletico Ottawa on the land where the rink is once the Senators vacate the space.
It would make the area a destination and it’s not like this possibility hasn’t been proposed before. In 2008, late Senators owner Eugene Melnyk wanted to build a soccer stadium so the city could bid for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, but city planners scuttled the idea.
The idea made sense then and it makes even more now for the city to discuss the possibility with Senators owner Michael Andlauer and his partners. It would allow Kanata to remain a destination once the NHL team moves to its new home.
The 67’s and Charge could play at Ottawa’s brand new rink at LeBreton, which would also help those two teams financially.
So what do you do with Lansdowne? Build affordable housing with shops and restaurants that help complement the Glebe neighbourhood. How much of a destination will Lansdowne be once the Senators build what should be a strong destination at LeBreton?
Honestly, this idea is a no-brainer to me — and not just because I think it would work.
When taking on Lansdowne 2.0 was first floated, the idea was to repair the crumbling North Side stands, not build a new rink, but the plan has evolved.
Spending $419 million to rebuild the North Side Stands and a new 5,800-seat arena for the 67’s and Charge doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but it comes on the heels of an announcement that the city had to write an $11-million cheque last year to pay for the losses at Lansdowne.
The owners of the Charge aren’t thrilled because they have told several media outlets in the past five days that they weren’t consulted on the size of the $176-million arena, and that there aren’t enough seats to support the club’s growing popularity.
They also estimate they’ll lose up to $1 million per year under this scenario.
All this noise has left many wondering if the project, which is being led by Sutcliffe, is the right move for the city or if the council should be exploring other options.
Sutcliffe has stated the net cost to taxpayers will be $130 million.
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He threw out the possibility of the Charge finding other places to play their games if Lansdowne isn’t big enough.
“Let’s not forget there’s another arena in Ottawa and, by the time the new arena at Lansdowne is built, we may know a lot more about the future of an Ottawa Senators arena on LeBreton Flats, and maybe that’s an option for the Charge to play some or all of their games in the future,” Sutcliffe told reporters on Wednesday.
“There are lots of ways the Charge can stay in Ottawa — playing a combination of their games at Lansdowne and a current or future NHL arena, or playing all their games in the future at an NHL arena. It’s a financial question that has been raised now.”
If Sutcliffe is already suggesting the Charge may have to play elsewhere, why doesn’t the city help finance a new rink at LeBreton Flats instead of throwing more money at Lansdowne Park?
Makes a lot of sense to me.