The Big Sens ‘If’ At LeBreton
“If and when we vacate this site, we’re going to need to do something special with these lands, so that will be part of the process, part of that work that will go on.”
Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder on the Canadian Tire Centre site
Note the “if” at the beginning of this quote.
Leeder is a very smart guy and he knows he has an agreement in principle. That’s all.
It’s hard to get around the price of this for the City of Ottawa in a fiscal crisis. Cleaning up the polluted land would cost the city about $500 million for its policy to pay 50 per cent of brownfields projects. Then if the new Calgary arena is an example, the city would be on the hook for a possible $330 million to pay for a third of the stadium.
Those are big hurdles to overcome.
Then, of course, there will be public backlash in the midst of the municipality’s financial problems and other pressing civic priorities.
If all this comes together, it would mean the city would be spending about $1.3 billion in stadiums at LeBreton Flats and Lansdowne.
That’s a tough ask at present with light rail not working and a projected city debt of $8.4 billion arising out of transit and related programs.
Ken Gray
For You:
Senators’ Arena Will Shape Next Election: THE VOTER
The Question Of A Sens Arena Begins
Sens, NCC Reach LeBreton ‘Agreement In Principle’
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Lots of land is occupied by the Canadian Tire Centre, its many parking lots, and access roads. A perfect location for high density housing so the bungalow belt won’t have to be impacted. As pointed out in an article earlier this week, Woodroffe Avenue is now a better proximity to the centre of town than is Bank Street.