Talks heating up between NCC and Ottawa Senators on LeBreton Flats

"We did meet with the NCC this week and we made a little bit of progress so we'll see."

Published Sep 04, 2024  •  3 minute read

'Definitely, this week, I've noticed a sense of urgency that we've got to make something happen,' Cyril Leeder, the Ottawa Senators' chief executive officer and president, said Wednesday. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia

There is sense of urgency with talks heating up between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission on an arena deal at LeBreton Flats.

Cyril Leeder, the club’s chief executive officer and president, told the Ottawa Citizen on Wednesday discussions between the two sides to get a lease in place to build a new arena 10 minutes west of downtown have intensified in the last few days with a Sept. 20 deadline to complete an agreement looming large.

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Leeder, who told a group of season-ticket holders last Thursday he was disappointed the club hadn’t made more progress towards a lease agreement with the NCC, isn’t sure if the two sides will be able to get a deal in place, but more talks are planned.

He said he has seen flexibility in the discussions with the NCC and he remains hopeful.

“We did meet with the NCC this week and we made a little bit of progress so we’ll see,” Leeder said. “We’re still talking. As I said last week, we’re hopeful we’ll find common ground, but we’ve got less than three weeks now to get there.”

Leeder said both sides realize it’s now or never for this project.

“Definitely, this week, I’ve noticed a sense of urgency that we’ve got to make something happen if we’re going to make something happen,” Leeder said. “We’ve got three weeks to do it, let’s get at it here.”

As Postmedia reported last week, there are still significant hurdles for the Senators and the NCC to bridge if the two sides are going to make a deal.

Leeder told the Ottawa Citizen that the organization isn’t looking at any other sites in the city and LeBreton is the hockey club’s sole focus because of its proximity to downtown and the Gatineau side.

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Are we at the point where someone has to bend to make a deal happen?

“Any time you’re negotiating, compromise is always the path forward,” Leeder said. “They’ve bent a bit, I think we have a bit, so we’re trying to make some progress here.”

The NCC has set aside a seven-acre piece of land on Albert Street between Preston Street and City Centre, just west of Ottawa’s new central library, which is under construction.

The Canadian Tire Centre and the surrounding parking lots sit on 75 acres. The original bid by the group led by late-owner Eugene Melnyk in 2021 at LeBreton only called for a 20,000-seat arena and a hotel.

The NCC said in a statement to the Citizen on Friday it’s willing to alleviate whatever concerns the club might have with the project.

“We continue to demonstrate flexility and openness in our conversations with the Ottawa Senators, we are still aiming to have an agreement in place for September 2024,” the NCC said.

Under the current scenario at LeBreton, sources say the Senators are concerned they have little to no room for public parking and the organization would have to rely on the troubled light-rail transit system.

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The club also wants to build an arena district, similar to the one that surrounds Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton, that would have restaurants, bars and other amenities that could be used before or after events.

Postmedia has also been told one of the stumbling blocks in the talks has been the environmental considerations and requirements that have been placed on the project by the NCC.

Leeder said he doesn’t believe the two sides will be working around the clock to get a deal in place, but more talks are planned, and that’s the only way the two sides will get an agreement done.

“There’s more meetings scheduled,” Leeder said. “There are things to get over and issues solved. There’s a good will to get them done. The thing is, can we find terms that work for the NCC and work us as well?

“We’ll see. I don’t want to predict where we’re going to go. We’ve made a bit of progress this week so we’ll see what happens.”

If you think Leeder is being cautious, he is, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

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