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CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘No appetite' for municipal tax dollars to support new Sens arena: Sutcliffe
A rendering of what a new Ottawa Senators arena on LeBreton Flats could look like. (Capital Sports Development Inc.) Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he does not believe local taxpayers want city funds to go into a new NHL arena. The Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission jointly announced on Monday that they had signed an agreement for the sale and purchase of about 11 acres of land in LeBreton Flats, which the Senators plan to use to build a new hockey arena. Neither the Sens nor the NCC would comment further on the deal, but in previous discussions, Senators President Cyril Leeder said a new arena, if one is built, would take several years to complete. Mark Sutcliffe Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he does not believe there's public appetite for city money to go toward a new arena for the Ottawa Senators. (CTV News Ottawa) In the meantime, Sutcliffe says the City of Ottawa has other priorities for its tax dollars. 'I don't think there's an appetite for public dollars to go into an NHL hockey arena. There are other priorities that we're working on right now to invest in public assets, including recreation facilities, including Lansdowne Park, including roads and sidewalks and bike lanes,' Sutcliffe told CTV News Ottawa on Tuesday. 'There are many, many other priorities that we're focused on right now and I don't think the public wants us to write a cheque to support the construction of an NHL arena.' The City is notably in the process of the Lansdowne 2.0 revitalization, a nearly half-billion-dollar project to rebuild stands at the city-owned TD Place Stadium and tear down and construct an entirely new arena for teams such as the Ottawa 67's and the Ottawa Charge. The City of Ottawa has estimated the price-tag for the new 5,500-seat event centre and a north-side stands at $419 million, but a report from the auditor general warned construction cost estimates could be understated by $73.4 million. The City of Calgary and the City of Edmonton have put municipal dollars toward NHL arenas in their respective markets. Sutcliffe says the news about the land purchase agreement is a 'big step forward' for the Sens and for the city, and he's excited to see more details once the team develops its plans more formally. 'Right now, I think the ball is very much in the Senators' court. They've secured a piece of land in the centre of Ottawa. They want to build an arena. So, I think the next step is up to them in terms of how quickly they want to move and what they want to do next,' he said. 'It's so early in the process. We've not been asked for anything. The Senators have not made any requests to us. We don't even know what the plan is going to look like… it's all very early.' While city tax dollars might not go into building the arena itself, the city will still be involved in the infrastructure surrounding the site, Sutcliffe said. 'With any development in the city, when there's something exciting happening, we're ready to be partners and ready to work with the proponents in order to make sure that it's moved forward as quickly as possible and the city's doing everything it can to support it,' he said. Canadian Tire Centre The Canadian Tire Centre will remain the home of the Ottawa Senators as the club takes the next step in building a new arena at LeBreton Flats. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) If the Senators do build a new arena, moving the team out of the Canadian Tire Centre would have an economic impact on Kanata, Sutcliffe added. 'The Canadian Tire Centre has been a major economic driver for Kanata and for the entire west end of Ottawa for 30 years now. It's a major employer, it drives a lot of economic activity in the area for restaurants and other businesses, so we need a plan for that site to make sure that the economy in the west end of the city and in Kanata is sustained and preserved,' he said. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Ottawa Senators Are Building A New Arena — And An NHL Contender
Less than two years after Michael Andlauer officially took over as the new owner of the Ottawa Senators, his team has made major strides both on and off the ice. On Monday, the team's real estate arm, Capital Sports Development Inc. jointly announced with the region's National Capital Commission that the two sides had officially signed off on the land-sale agreement at LeBreton Flats which would pave the way for a long-desired new arena complex closer to Ottawa's downtown core. 'We are pleased to reach an agreement of purchase and sale with the NCC to take the next step in this process,' said Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder in a statement on Monday, while acknowledging that much more work needs to be done before actual construction begins. Decontamination of the land parcels must take place while the zoning and design are completed and approved. 'This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site,' said Tobi Nussbaum, the CEO of the NCC. The Senators' previous owner, the late Eugene Melnyk, put the wheels in motion for a potential project at LeBreton Flats back in 2016, but was never able to get the project off the ground. Since taking the reins, Andlauer has transformed the vision of a new arena from a dream into reality in just two years. The Senators are also making strides on the ice. In 2024-25, the team's 97 points marked its best showing since 98 points in the 2016-17 season, when Ottawa reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Senators also reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017, delivering a thrilling six-game first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team's talented young core got a first-hand taste of what it takes to succeed in the post-season. 'It was definitely a long time coming,' said team captain Brady Tkachuk, who has now completed seven seasons with the Senators since being drafted fourth overall in 2018. 'I know it wasn't the results that we wanted, but I think all those experiences are just going to help myself and my teammates moving forward. Getting to the playoffs is great but once you get in, then anything can happen.' Along with his brother Matthew and father Keith, Tkachuk was named one of the cover athletes for EA Sports' NHL 26 game last week, making him arguably the Senators' most visible star since Erik Karlsson was traded in 2018. Last season, with new coach Travis Green at the helm and Linus Ullmark providing a reliable presence in net, the Senators dropped their goals against by 0.60 goals per game from one year earlier. Even more impressive — they were able to move into the top half of the league defensively without sacrificing offense. An improved power play was a key weapon. The 2024-25 campaign was also a coming-out party for 22-year-old defenseman Jake Sanderson, a tireless skater with strong defensive chops. Sanderson chipped in 57 points during the regular season and scored the overtime goal on Apr. 26 that extended the Senators' playoff run thanks to the team's first post-season win since 2017. Along with Tkachuk, Sanderson also turned heads with his play for Team USA at February's 4 Nations Face-Off, announcing himself as a key talent among the NHL's next wave of elite defensemen. After Ottawa GM Steve Staios re-signed veteran leader Claude Giroux to a new one-year contract with a $2 million base salary and $2.75 million in potential performance bonuses, the team's biggest off-season subtraction was 19-goal scorer Adam Gaudette, who signed a two-year free-agent deal with the San Jose Sharks. The Senators also augmented their roster by picking up 24-year-old right-shot defenseman Jordan Spence in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings during draft weekend. Not counting the new Utah Mammoth franchise, whose home at the Delta Center is undergoing ongoing renovations, the New York Islanders were the NHL's most recent team to complete a long-awaited arena move when they settled into UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. That project was approved in 2019 and the arena opened its doors in November of 2021. The Calgary Flames had the development permit approved for their new arena, Scotiabank Place, in December of 2024. They're hoping to move into their new digs in the fall of 2027. While the LeBreton Flats project moves ahead, the Ottawa Senators are about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their current home, the Canadian Tire Centre, when the Montreal Canadiens come to town for a Saturday-night showdown on Jan. 17, 2026. The arena in Kanata, Ont., 13 miles southwest of downtown Ottawa, first opened on Jan. 15, 1996, midway through the Senators' fourth season.
Globe and Mail
11-08-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Plans for new downtown Ottawa NHL arena move ahead as Senators, NCC finalize land deal
Plans for a new National Hockey League arena and events centre in downtown Ottawa have taken a major step forward with the National Capital Commission announcing that it will sell off 4.5 hectares of land in the city's LeBreton Flats area. The NCC and Capital Sports Development Inc. (CSDI), a group led by the NHL's Ottawa Senators, released a joint statement Monday on an agreement in the long-running effort to develop a stadium to replace the 29-year-old Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators have played at the facility, located about 20 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa, since 1996. The site central to Monday's agreement is located at LeBreton Flats, just west of Parliament Hill. The flats is a largely vacant area that was once the site of a working-class community and is now managed by the NCC. Parts of the area are occupied by the National Holocaust Monument and the Canadian War Museum. There are two light-rail stations in the area. The NCC is a federal Crown corporation that manages about 11 per cent of the land in the national capital region, and owns more than 1,600 properties, including six official residences in the capital. Cyril Leeder, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Senators, said the club was pleased to reach the agreement. Now, he said it's time to move on to the next steps of the process in developing the project. According to the NCC website, these steps will include zoning, design and approvals as well as decontamination of the land parcels to prepare for construction. 'There are still many more hurdles to clear,' Mr. Leeder said in a statement. 'We look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.' Meanwhile, the head of the NCC, said the project will be a plus for Ontario's second most populous city after Toronto. 'The promise of a major events centre will provide a lively and convenient attraction for residents and visitors, inject new energy and excitement into the core of the Nation's Capital and further catalyze the development of LeBreton Flats,' said Tobi Nussbaum, NCC chief executive officer, in a statement. He said that Monday's agreement builds on a pair of previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2002 on a project to see more than 2,000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on site. In 2022, the NCC announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with CSDI.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ottawa Senators, NCC finalize land deal for new arena at LeBreton Flats
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators are one step closer to having a new arena in the city's downtown core. The Senators and the National Capital Commission have agreed on the sale of 4.5 hectares (11 acres) of land at LeBreton Flats for the project. The agreement of purchase and sale with Capital Sports Development Inc., the team's development arm, follows a deal reached with the NCC last September for a development that includes a new arena. It will allow zoning, design and approvals to proceed, along with decontamination of the site to prepare for construction. 'We are pleased to reach an agreement of purchase and sale with the NCC to take the next step in this process," Senators CEO and President Cyril Leeder said in a statement. "There are still many more hurdles to clear, and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.' Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a release, the sides said "the agreement is a key step in bringing a major events centre and arena district, including mixed-use development, to LeBreton Flats." The new arena would give the Senators a more central home than their current base at the Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata. The suburb, about 25 kilometres from the city's core, has been home to the Senators since 1996. The Senators signed a memorandum of understanding with the NCC in June 2022 to develop LeBreton Flats, and with the purchase agreement now finalized the project can move toward construction. A previous deal to redevelop LeBreton Flats and build an arena under former owner Eugene Melnyk collapsed in 2019 following a fallout between Melnyk and business partner John Ruddy. Melnyk died in March 2022, and Michael Andlauer — a Toronto businessman and former minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens — purchased the team the following year. The LeBreton Flats land deal, finalized under Andlauer's ownership, replaces the earlier plan for a long-term lease of 2.4 hectares, giving the project a much larger footprint. Last September, NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum said the arena is just one part of a broader vision for LeBreton Flats, which will eventually include more than 6,000 housing units with a target of 25 per cent as affordable housing, as well as parks and public spaces. 'The promise of a major events centre will provide a lively and convenient attraction for residents and visitors, inject new energy and excitement into the core of the Nation's capital and further catalyze the development of LeBreton Flats," Nussbaum said in a statement Monday. "This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2,000 new housing units, along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CTV News
11-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
National Capital Commission and Ottawa Senators sign agreement on purchase of land at LeBreton Flats
The National Capital Commission (NCC) has announced it has signed an agreement with the Ottawa Senators for the purchase and sale of approximately 11 acres of land at LeBreton Flats. The NCC says the agreement with Capital Sports Development Inc. is a key step in bringing a major events centre and arena district, including mixed-use development, to the area. 'With the agreement of purchase and sale finalized, both parties can proceed with next steps in the project,' the NCC and the Senators said Monday in a joint statement. 'These include zoning, design and approvals, as well as decontamination of the land parcels to prepare for construction.' Distance to LeBreton Flats from Parliament Hill The new arena at LeBreton Flats would be situated much closer to downtown Ottawa. Canadian Tire Centre is 27.1 km from Parliament Hill whereas LeBreton Flats is only 2.1 km away. The Senators and the NCC initially reached a memorandum of understanding in June 2022 to develop a new event centre along Albert Street, between Preston Street and City Centre Avenue. Michael Andlauer and his group purchased the Senators in September 2023, and the NCC extended the memorandum of understanding to September 2024 to allow for negotiations with the new ownership group. The NCC and the group representing the Ottawa Senators announced an agreement in principle last September regarding the sale of land at LeBreton Flats, with the ultimate goal of bringing an NHL arena to the site, along with other development. The two sides have been in negotiations for nearly a year. 'The promise of a major events centre will provide a lively and convenient attraction for residents and visitors, inject new energy and excitement into the core of the Nation's Capital and further catalyze the development of LeBreton Flats,' said NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum in a news release. 'This agreement builds on the two previous real estate transactions completed by the NCC since 2022 on the Building LeBreton project that will see over 2000 new housing units along with new retail and commercial spaces built on the site.' Senators rink A rendering of what a new Ottawa Senators arena on LeBreton Flats could look like. (Capital Sports Development Inc.) No details about the agreement have been disclosed. 'We are pleased to reach an agreement of purchase and sale with the NCC to take the next step in this process,' said Ottawa Senators President and CEO Cyril Leeder in a news release. 'There are still many more hurdles to clear and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.' Leeder said earlier this year that fans could start to see progress at LeBreton Flats over the next few years, but could still be several years before the Senators drop the puck for the first game at a new arena.
