Polls show most Ottawa residents are against Lansdowne 2.0

There are just days to go before a final vote is cast on Lansdowne 2.0, and more concerns are being raised about the controversial project.

Capital Ward Coun. Shawn Menard — who has been a vocal critic of the plans — recently released a Nanos poll showing that residents are more likely to oppose Lansdowne 2.0 when they learn more details about what’s at stake.

The survey of 764 Ottawa residents aged 18 and older found that initial support for the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment was relatively high, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they either supported or somewhat supported the project before hearing any details. However, after being presented with an outline of what the plan would involve, support dropped sharply to 33 per cent. In both cases, eight per cent of participants said they were unsure.

Before answering the second question, respondents were told that the Lansdowne 2.0 plan would see the city replace the north-side stadium stands and arena with smaller facilities, partly extending into existing parkland. The proposal also called for selling a portion of public land to a private developer to build two condominium towers above new retail space. The total cost to taxpayers was presented as an estimated $437.7 million, after which respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed the project in its current form.

One of the points Menard has been raising is that the existing buildings could be maintained for many more years before new ones would need to be built. A total of 71 per cent of respondents agreed, with 18 per cent saying new buildings should be constructed.

“These results make clear what we’ve known for some time: Ottawa residents do not want to see the city spend $483 million on Lansdowne 2.0, replacing buildings that could be maintained for decades to come at a fraction of the price,” Menard said Friday.

“Ottawa residents do not want to see the city take on more than $300 million in debt. Residents have other priorities, including an urgent housing crisis and a massive gap in transit funding; Lansdowne 2.0 does not adequately respond to either of these concerns.”

The survey was not received well by Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who called it “misleading,” according to CBC News.

“This is a blatant political tactic and a clear attempt to discredit the work of staff and block progress in our city,” he said. “The only polls I trust are balanced surveys commissioned by independent parties, where the questions are not designed to lead to a predetermined outcome.”

Both Menard and Sutcliffe have clashed over the final cost of the project actually is. The mayor says it is under budget, with a full price tag of $418.8 million. But the Capital Ward councillor says that is not true, noting it is closer to $483 million when parking and the retail podium are included.

Lookout poll shows most residents opposed

If you’ve been reading The Lookout in recent months, you’ll know that much of our coverage has centred around the Lansdowne 2.0 development. We’ve conducted our own surveys with our readers to understand how our readership feels about the issue. These polls should not be considered representative samples like Nanos poll above but rather a sampling of those who read the Lookout.

In January, our poll found that 69.8 per cent of readers felt the project would be a bad investment for the city. A total of 712 people voted against the project, with 85 in support and 136 stating they want a revamped park but not the current plans.

A follow-up poll in August found that 86.4 per cent (614 readers) wanted city council to oppose the project, with 96 votes in support.

A final poll conducted on Oct. 22 — two days after the final information was released — found that 75.7 per cent of readers (655 votes) felt the city should not proceed. There were 127 votes in support and another 81 who were undecided.

We also asked readers to share their views:

“This is a deal to help out OSEG and further developers’ profits. There are reasonable alternatives to maintain and improve the current facilities. The access and transportation issue remains unresolved; it may be impossible to resolve it, and therefore the idea of Lansdowne as a major sports/entertainment venue may have to be abandoned.” — Erwin Dreessen

“Ottawa needs to look and be a G7 capital city! I have no idea how the federal government and the city figure out the cost of things, but I do know that Ottawa needs to improve its ability to draw larger crowds to important events and conferences and improve capacity for sports teams! We always seem to be behind — whether it’s major roads, the transit system, or access and parking for downtown events and restaurants. Like poor Montreal, we don’t have large enough venues to draw major concerts — meaning we also lose out on hotel and restaurant improvements to support bigger crowds. Ottawa is not a small town anymore.” — Veronica Phelen

“This doesn’t make any sense. How are we going to attract bigger events with 4,000 fewer seats? What is the Ottawa BlackJacks supposed to do, already selling out the current capacity? If Sutcliffe is so convinced this is a great idea, why is he avoiding the democratic process and rushing these debates before council (and the public!) have time to figure out the new plan? And why is he rushing to spend nearly half a billion dollars on a worse plan while residents are facing crumbling services, a transit death spiral, and a cost-of-living crisis?” — Maddison Welke

“I would vote yes for this project because it should’ve been included in the original reconstruction of Lansdowne. I am a former resident of Ottawa now living in Pittsburgh. I return to Ottawa often as I have an Ottawa-based business. From this story about Lansdowne 2.0, it’s easy to see that the city of Ottawa is still making the same financial mistakes on development that it’s been making for over 50 years.” — Lorne Goldenburg

“It doesn’t even look good in the rendering. The road and retail space behind the two high-rises will become dark and uninviting. And more to the point, where is the public transit? A development of this scale should be on the LRT line.” — Barbara Ustina

“Ottawa needs to update recreational areas, especially downtown — we need good attractions. As a worldwide traveller, I find Canada’s capital pitiful. It’s always a huge fight to get anything done. There is so much potential and so little being achieved.” — Nicole Paré

“This is a poorly timed, unnecessary, massive investment that will terminate or impose a seven-year halt on the recently revived use of Lansdowne — CityFolk Festival, Christmas market, etc. Lansdowne is finally pulsing with life, and this gigantic project will kill it too soon.” — Elinalina Bassett

Lansdowne 2.0 passes first step

It came as no surprise that Lansdowne 2.0 passed its first hurdle at the Finance and Corporate Services Committee last week, which voted 8–3 in support of the project. It will now go before council on Nov. 7 for final approval.

It was a marathon two-day meeting that heard from numerous delegations trying to sway councillors both for and against the project.

Speaking in support, Roger Greenberg, OSEG’s executive chairman and managing partner, dismissed concerns that sports teams would leave due to the decrease in seating. He noted that the Ottawa 67’s OHL hockey team has been playing in the capital since 1967.

“I’m happy to say that if it makes council feel more comfortable that we add another 10 years to the commitment we have right now, I’m happy to give that commitment,” said Greenberg, who later clarified that his comments also apply to the PWHL women’s team.

There was also optimism expressed for the Ottawa Redblacks football team.

“I referenced the 112th Grey Cup and pointed to the longevity of this league and its ability to thrive through the ups and downs and turmoils that other leagues have not been able to handle,” CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston told the committee. “We feel so strongly about the future of the league, and Ottawa is an incredibly important market for us. The ownership group there is one of the strongest that we have.”

Many accessibility advocates were also in attendance and spoke about how difficult it is for them to attend games. Only about half a per cent of the seating is currently accessible, there is just one elevator — or a long ramp when it breaks — and many stairs lack railings. OSEG President Mark Goudie said renovating the existing building, which was constructed more than half a century ago, is simply not possible.

“We’ve been making do with the patchwork approach — having washrooms that don’t quite meet our needs, needing assistance to get to our seats, having to move every time another person with a wheelchair wants to reach theirs, not being able to reach your food or beverages on the counter because it’s too high, or not being able to communicate with staff because there’s no assisted listening system,” said Marnie Peters, president of Accessibility Simplified.

Those opposed to Lansdowne 2.0 don’t agree with that assessment and believe the current facilities could be upgraded instead. John Dance from the Old Ottawa East Community Association said better washrooms and accessibility improvements could be added without full reconstruction.

• The vote: Councillors Matt Luloff, Laura Dudas, Catherine Kitts, Cathy Curry, Glen Gower, Tim Tierney, David Brown, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe voted in favour. Councillors Shawn Menard, Rawlson King, and Jeff Leiper voted against. Riley Brockington was absent due to a health matter.

Concerns over the construction contracts

A council representing unionized construction workers across Ottawa, eastern Ontario, and western Quebec says it has “serious concerns” about the city’s decision to award the Lansdowne 2.0 construction contract to a non-local firm, according to CTV.

In a letter to city councillors and the mayor, the Unionized Building and Construction Trades Council of Eastern Ontario & Outaouais Region criticized the move, saying they were “outraged” that hundreds of millions of dollars in public contracts are going to companies based outside Ottawa.

The city selected EBC Inc. — a firm headquartered near Quebec City but with an Ottawa office for more than a decade — after it submitted the lowest bid of $312.8 million. Competing bids came from Montreal’s Pomerleau and London, Ont.-based EllisDon.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said all bids were within a few million dollars of each other. However, the trades council argues that the city’s “race-to-the-bottom” approach on pricing harms the local economy and erodes public trust in elected officials.

Removal of an art piece

If Lansdowne 2.0 passes, roughly half of the Great Lawn will be removed and replaced by a new hockey arena to be constructed where a berm currently sits.

On top of that berm is the Moving Surfaces art installation, which cost $4 million to build.

The city says the piece will be removed and decommissioned because it has not been functional since March 2024, citing unavailable parts and a lack of funds. That decision is unsettling to the Vancouver-based artist, who says she is willing to help develop a cost-effective repair plan.

“It would be fiscally and culturally irresponsible to dismantle and discard the work — not to mention a huge waste of taxpayer dollars,” artist Jill Anholt told the Ottawa Citizen.

Anholt said it has cost only about $5,000 a year to maintain, except in 2019, when a major lighting failure required $119,000 in repairs.

This is not the first time the artwork has caused controversy. In 2017, it was temporarily removed to create additional seating for the Grey Cup Championship Game. It was reinstalled the following year, but Anholt said the process caused significant damage.

There is some hope that the light installation could be saved. Coun. Menard has put forward a motion to revitalize it, with a maximum budget of $25,000. Regardless, $2 million is being allocated for new public art as part of the Lansdowne redevelopment.