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Arena at LeBreton Flats a ‘major’ opportunity for Gatineau, official says

Sens owner Andlauer admits he was unsure if a deal could be done

Mia Jensen

September 23, 2024
3:37 PM
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The head of the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce said the new deal between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission that could see an arena built at LeBreton Flats could present major opportunities for the city. “This is a major economic and tourism opportunity for Gatineau,” said CEO Etienne Fredette in an email to OBJ. “This project will increase traffic to our businesses, restaurants and hotels, while strengthening ties between both sides of the river. We are confident that this investment will benefit our business community.” On Saturday, Senators owner Michael Andlauer celebrated his one-year anniversary with the organization, saying that he’s thrilled to mark the occasion with a deal that could pave the way to building a new arena in downtown Ottawa. On Friday, it was announced that the hockey club had reached an agreement in principle to purchase 10 acres of land from the NCC at LeBreton Flats. It wasn’t an easy process, according to Andlauer, who spoke to the media in Gatineau, where the team hosted an open practice and intrasquad game ahead of the start of the season. “Obviously, it took a whole year to do it,” he said. “The potential was there. I’ve heard it everywhere, even here in Gatineau, of the desire to have an arena downtown.” The original plan was for the Senators to lease six or seven acres of land from the NCC for the project, but Andlauer said the Crown corporation’s aspirations were too high for what the team needed. “The originally agreed deal really didn’t work, as far as I was concerned, whether it be access to parking or the size of the land, in order to have activation,” he said. “And also in terms of the rest of the property. It’s been empty for six-plus years. I didn’t want us to have an arena and still have the rest stay empty.” In fact, Andlauer said he had been concerned that a deal wouldn’t be reached at all. During the initial meeting, Andlauer said the NCC wanted a potential arena to have no parking and to meet zero-carbon standards. “I think the NCC sometimes can be a bit too ideological in their approach,” he said. “They mean well, but I’m trying to think through the lens of the fans, and it wouldn’t make sense.” The new deal will see the Senators purchase the land at what the NCC called “fair market value.” The extra space will afford the team more flexibility and allow for other developments in the surrounding area, like hotels and housing. Andlauer said, “In the NCC’s defence, they recognized that it wasn’t supposed to be a financial play of any sort. I’m here to take care of the Senators and be part of this community. I’m not in the development business, but I know what our fans want. It was to create an understanding and I think the NCC got it.” While Andlauer said he’s excited to see what an arena can do to activate Ottawa’s downtown core, he added that there’s also potential to further the relationship between the Senators organization and the city of Gatineau, including its fans and its economy. “Shame on me for not realizing how connected Gatineau and Ottawa are,” he said. “It took me 15 minutes to get here. I couldn’t believe, as I came in here and talked to the fans on the concourse, how excited they are. They’re excited about LeBreton Flats and how close it is.”