Council narrowly decides not to delay Lansdowne vote and one rural representative changes their vote

The Lansdowne 2.0 file will still go for a final vote on Nov. 7 after city council refused to even consider a motion to delay the decision. 

The motion was brought forward by Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo, who has previously indicated he planned to vote no when the file goes before council on Nov. 7. Lo has advocated for at least 30 days to be given from the time information was made available to when the final decision was made. Currently, there are just 18 days. 

But the motion didn’t even reach the floor after a majority of councillors voted it down.  A total of 18 votes were needed for the consideration to be made; council voted 12 to 11. Most councillors who voted against a date change voted in support of the project before. 

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard, who has been pleading with his council colleagues for years not to support the project, said it’s “overwhelming” how many documents have recently been submitted, and said “we need the time to get it right.” 

The move was criticized by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who called the attempted move a “political stunt” whose aim was only to put off a decision. 

“I respect Coun. Menard... but he’s opposed to this project, and so when you’re opposed to something but it seems like it’s moving ahead, your only recourse is to delay, delay, delay, delay,” Sutcliffe said at a media availability. 

• No votes: Councillors Glen Gower, Matthew Luloff, Isabelle Skalski, Laura Dudas, Clark Kelly, Allan Hubley, David Brown, Cathy Curry, Tim Tierney, David Hill and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

• Yes votes: Couns. Shawn Menard, Jeff Leiper, Ariel Troster, Theresa Kavanagh, Jessica Bradley, Rawlson King, Riley Brockington, Wilson Lo, Laine Johnson, Stephanie Plante, Sean Devine and Marty Carr: 

• Couns. Steve Desroches and Catherine Kitts were absent.

A change of heart for Isabelle Skalski

It was the first Lansdowne-related vote for Osgoode Coun. Isabelle Skalski, who said during this year's by-election that she intended to vote against the project. On Wednesday, she voted against a possible delay for the vote, saying that councillors are already aware of where they stand. 

“In the news, I had heard councillors opposing Lansdowne — if councillors are already congealed in their positions, that confirms to me that they don’t need more time with the reports, they’re just looking to delay a final decision,” Skalski told the Ottawa Lookout. 

It also appears her final vote on Lansdowne 2.0 will become one that supports the controversial project.

During the byelection, Skalski said all she heard were concerns about the pricetag, design decisions, “and the assumption that taxpayers were footing the bill.” But after speaking with city staff, she said she realized only opposing views were being heard. 

“There’s a lot about this project that’s misunderstood — including the actual cost to taxpayers, the need for upgrades, and the risks of delaying the work,” said Skalski. “I’m glad I kept an open mind, because after looking at the full picture, I see how this can be good for the city.”

Sutcliffe said during a Monday press conference that the net cost to taxpayers would be $130 million, or about $4.3 million a year. Lansdowne 2.0’s final price tag is $418.8 million, and there are concerns it could be higher when considering the costs of the retail podium and parking for the two private towers. 

The Lookout has reached out to the Mayor's office for a sit-down interview about Lansdowne 2.0 but has not yet heard back. 

The new information that’s been released isn’t providing any sort of comfort to the Old Ottawa South Community Association, which unanimously approved a motion Tuesday calling on the mayor and members of council to delay the vote. 

Clarification on number of seats 

There is also some confusion circulating over how many seats will be included in the new north side stands and in the TD Place arena. The city report says the new Event Centre will accommodate up to 7,000 people for concerts and 6,600 for hockey. 

This total capacity includes: 5,850 dedicated seats and room for approximately 750 standing. For concerts, additional capacity is based on extra floor seating. The North Side Stands will accommodate 12,400 people, including 1,000 standing.

Either way, it’s still a reduction from the current. Hockey games — which have sometimes seen sold-out crowds — currently seat around 9,000. The North-side stands currently have space for about 14,000 fans.