The Lansdowne Debate

Following is a copy of a message I sent to Ottawa city councillors on the subject of the future of Lansdowne Park. I sent the message on Sunday, ahead of the Monday, April 20, 2009 public hearings. So far I have received responses from two councillors endorsing my position.

Members of Ottawa City Council,

I am writing regarding Monday's meeting on the future of Lansdowne Park. Unfortunately I am unable to attend in person, but have some views I would like you all to hear.

These views concern:
- city finances and associated risks,
- the viability of professional sports franchises in the City of Ottawa,
- stadium locations, and
- suitable uses for Lansdowne Park.

Firstly, the city does not have a viable track record sustaining and supporting professional sports teams, one exception being the Ottawa Senators NHL franchise. The professional football franchise has failed twice and baseball teams have also failed twice at the Coventry Road stadium location. Why then should the city take on any risk associated with a third try at sustaining a CFL franchise or a soccer franchise? With regard to professional football, notwithstanding the viability of a local franchise, the long term viability of the CFL itself is questionable. With regard to soccer, while amateur soccer participation is growing, long term viability of a professional franchise in Ottawa still needs to be proven. Football and soccer franchises combining under one roof might do something to minimize the risk if one or the other should fail. Failure of both would be a disaster.

All risk associated with the proposed enterprise should therefore be taken on by the consortia submitting proposals. If investment of any magnitude is needed it should come from private investors, not the tax paying citizens of Ottawa. Any city involvement in such an enterprise should be limited to providing a suitable stadium location at reasonable lease or purchase conditions. Financing of stadium construction and management is entirely a private sector responsibility. Clearly private sector money will only become available if the sports franchise is viable in the long term.

With regard to stadium locations, Lansdowne is unsuitable as it is not effectively supported by public (mass) transit, neither is it supported within the local community. Any site considered should be served by transit within the planned timeframe that a stadium is constructed. It should also be respectful of neighborhood concerns, something that this council seems to be incapable of addressing. Council might wish to place other condition regarding the long term location of a sports stadium within the core of the city.

With regard to future uses for Lansdowne Park, to date no concrete plans for the location, other than the work done by the Lansdowne Live consortium has been undertaken. Efforts to initiate serious planning and design studies have been thwarted and delayed. Serious planning work must be initiated. I do not see time as an issue because the city has many higher priority issues that need financing for the next several years. In the short term the integrity of existing infrastructure must be preserved, pending any final decisions on the site. The Civic Centre itself needs to be preserved and upgraded as it serves the Ottawa 67s franchise effectively and many exhibitions are held there. New uses for the park area, including the Farmers' Market that will be of increasing importance in the future are also emerging. Clearly there is a lot of work to do but entertaining the Lansdowne live proposal is not a solution.

Regards,

Colin Hine