Lansdowne Park is a public asset that should serve the public good. The transformation of the site over the past decade has created a vibrant gathering place and reignited passion for local sports including the Ottawa REDBLACKS, Ottawa 67s, the Blackjacks, Atlético Ottawa, Rapid FC, and the incredibly popular and successful Women’s Hockey team the Ottawa Charge.
Last week, City staff released the final report for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park, known as Lansdowne 2.0. My position on this plan has been consistently clear, and residents can review my previously stated concerns here.
The proposal in front of Council today is not significantly different than the plan presented to Council in 2023, it continues to demand a significant financial commitment from residents while stripping away key amenities, fails to improve site access, and gambles on uncertain revenue streams with little accountability and even less transparency.
As your City Councillor, I have a fiduciary responsibility to Ottawa residents and having weighed the financial approach and corresponding public benefit, I cannot support a plan that weakens public value while locking taxpayers into decades of debt and an expensive repayment strategy.
Loss of Public Amenities:
The redevelopment of Lansdowne Park is estimated to cost more than $400M, and despite the scale of the investment, residents stand to lose much of what makes Lansdowne a welcoming public destination today.
Under this proposal:
- The covered roof over the North Side Stands is removed
- 58,000 sq ft of existing green space is eliminated
- Public viewing opportunities into the stadium are lost, with the removal of the hill on the east side of the field
- Seating is reduced in both the stadium and arena, failing to accommodate the growing fan base of the Women’s Hockey Team the Ottawa Charge.
- Ticket prices are expected to rise with fewer seats and higher event costs
- The sledding hill will be smaller and less accessible to casual winter use
Most recently, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), has confirmed that the Lansdowne 2.0 plan would cut seating capacity by roughly 3,000 fans per game down to 5,500, despite the fact the team has regularly drawn over 8,000 fans for regular season and playoff games during their existence. If we move forward with this plan, representatives from PWHL have said we could be forcing the team out of Ottawa – a huge blow to sports in our city.
Site Access:
As with the plan presented to Council in 2023, Lansdowne 2.0 fails to address one of the biggest challenges with Lansdowne Park; site access. For residents of Gloucester-Southgate Ward, congestion getting to and from the site during large scale events is difficult, and finding parking can be even more challenging.
The goal of the Lansdowne 2.0 plan is to attract one million more visitors per year to the site; many of the financial projections baked into the plan count on it. However, no changes to improve transportation to the site have been proposed. It is unclear how the site will accommodate these new visitors, which is a cause of concern and a missed opportunity given the investment we are being asked to make in the park.
Unreliable Revenues
The current narrative for Lansdowne 2.0 significantly downplays the cost of the project for taxpayers. The financial plan depends on multiple speculative revenue streams that may not materialize, including:
- Future “waterfall” distributions from the partnership (which have never generated returns to date)
- Ticket surcharges and rent from OSEG
- An increase in the Municipal Accommodation Tax
- A share of property tax uplift beginning around 2035
While a small percentage of those revenues are guaranteed, in the 11 years under the current partnership, Lansdowne has never turned a net profit. This history must inform our expectations.
In addition, calling future property taxes from the new residential towers “revenue” is misleading—they are still taxpayer dollars, simply being diverted away from other city priorities.
The financial modeling also relies heavily on the success of both the 67’s and the REDBLACKS, however, in the Lansdowne 2.0 agreement, OSEG has only committed to keeping the teams in Ottawa until 2032 – the teams could potentially be sold before the project is even complete.
In the meantime, debt servicing begins years before many of these revenues are even expected to arrive. There is a structural mismatch between when we start paying and when we might receive income.
Public Debt and an Expensive Taxpayer Funded Repayment Strategy
The updated proposal requires the City to issue approximately $340 million in new public debt. Starting in 2036, residents will be responsible for $17.4 million annually—every year until 2070—paid through the municipal budget, regardless of whether Lansdowne generates a profit or not.
This annual payment is not conditional. Even if profits are realized in later years, the city will continue to collect $17.4 million annually from residents – not $4.3 million as residents are led to believe.
This is not partnership risk-sharing. This is taxpayers underwriting the entire financial risk of the project for four decades.
My Continued Position on Lansdowne 2.0
I support investing in Lansdowne, but the plan must put the public first.
Unfortunately, this plan does the exact opposite.
It dismantles public amenities, commits residents to long-term debt with no guarantee of return, and relies on highly optimistic projections that ignore a decade of financial underperformance.
I cannot support Lansdowne 2.0 in its current form. Ottawa residents deserve a better deal—one that puts you first, prioritizes public value over private gain, and ensures financial responsibility for generations to come.
I will continue to advocate for a redevelopment approach that strengthens Lansdowne as a public space without burdening residents with unsustainable financial risk.
Next Steps & Get Involved
This project is moving quickly through the approval process. The City’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee will be meeting on Wednesday October 29th at 9:30 a.m. to consider the following reports:
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Amendments to the Lansdowne Partnership Agreements
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Lansdowne 2.0 Redevelopment and Construction Approval Plan
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Economic Impact Analysis
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Lansdowne 2025 Annual Report
The Committee will hear public delegations on these items and it is anticipated that the Committee will meet for several days before rendering a decision. If you’re interested in registering to delegate please contact:
Melinda Aston, Committee Coordinator,
(613) 580-2424, ext. 21838
melinda.aston@ottawa.ca
In the meantime, please reach out to share your views on the project. There are still many more details in the project charter to be reviewed and as more information becomes available, I will update the community.
