Councillor Kelly's Statement on Lansdowne 2.0 Decision

In a special meeting on Friday, City Council voted 15-10 in favour of approving Lansdowne 2.0, the $418.8 million plan to, among other things, build an events centre and new north-side stands at Lansdowne.

Councillor Kelly made the following statement after the meeting:

Today, I voted in favour of the final recommendations from City of Ottawa staff to support the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park.

As I always do, I would like to explain how and why I came to the decision to do so, especially considering all the media attention this file has received and the strong opinions on both sides.

The first and most important point is that this is a City of Ottawa asset owned by the taxpayers of Ottawa. It has served the city well for many years and is currently home to the Ottawa 67’s, Ottawa Redblacks, Ottawa Charge, Ottawa Rapid FC, Atlético Ottawa, and has also been home to the Ottawa Senators and other franchises that our city has benefited from.

The current facility is 58 years old, costs more each year to maintain, has accessibility issues, and has become functionally obsolete. The fact that we will need to invest in this asset, whether it’s today or two years from now, does not change, and waiting will only increase those costs.

Cost is always a concern with a large project like this and in the aftermath of the LRT process, questions and concerns about that are reasonable and expected. If I thought that this deal carried the same level of risk as LRT, or if I thought that moving forward with Lansdowne 2.0 would put any projects or priorities in our ward at risk, then I could not have supported this project.

The larger number of $418.8 million has been a focus amongst some, particularly those who are opposed to the project. However, I think it is necessary to point out that almost $300 million of that only exists because of the project and they are offset by revenues built into the plan.

The City’s cost is the contribution from reserves, the debt premium, and $82.7 million of the debt for a total of $130.7 million. Once the other sources of revenue are taken into account, the true cost to taxpayers at the end of the day is $4.3 million annually. I think that’s a fairly good deal for an almost $500 million project that will benefit our economy and ensure Ottawa has a modern and viable venue for mid-size events.

The contracts are a fixed price and contain a 10% contingency. A fixed-price contract means the contractor agrees to deliver the defined scope of work for a set dollar value. Any cost increases that occur while completing that agreed upon scope are the contractor’s responsibility.

Any cost overruns beyond the council approved budget authority would need to be approved by council in advance. In addition, a significant scope change that was never contemplated in the original project scope approved by council would need to come back to council for approval in advance. There are ample checks and balances built into this process.

This project has been a long-time coming and it has been looked at from many different angles since the last term of council. Different approaches and structures have been explored, many public consultations have been heard, and today I supported the decision to move forward with the final plan.

There has been a lot of talk from a lot of people about this proposal, and my guess is that nobody is going to end up being exactly right and no plan will completely satisfy everyone. Just like there are those who say that some projections for this are too rosy, I think it is just as likely that some who are concerned are not giving enough credit to what will end up being possible here.

I believe that as the capital city of Canada with a population of over 1 million, (and growing!), Ottawa both needs, and will greatly benefit from, a modern, accessible, multipurpose event centre at Lansdowne Park.

After considering all of the facts, delegations, feedback, and reports I felt very comfortable with the decision to support Lansdowne 2.0.

Lansdowne Park is a place that many residents citywide have enjoyed for many years, myself included. I look forward to future generations being able to benefit from today’s decision.

Should any Ward 5 residents have questions or want to discuss this decision directly with me, I would be happy to do so.

If you have a question about this or any other Ward or City issue, just send an email to Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca or call our office at 613-580-2475. You can also submit a report to Ottawa.ca/en/3-1-1.

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