Speculation: Sens, Lebreton, and the NCC

[BonkTastic]

For the record, I still don't think this arena is going to get built as long as Melnyk owns the team.

I fully expect a soft PR campaign over the next 1-2 years extolling how great the Kanata arena is (regardless of the truth of those claims), and the NCC will eventually move on to another developer to build the Lebreton site.

 

[Ice-Tray]

For the record, I still don't think this arena is going to get built as long as Melnyk owns the team.

I fully expect a soft PR campaign over the next 1-2 years extolling how great the Kanata arena is (regardless of the truth of those claims), and the NCC will eventually move on to another developer to build the Lebreton site.

Seems crazy given how much more the team would be worth especially with the arena as well.

 

[Knave]

I think there's too much at stake, it's not just an arena for a few hundred million, it's a multi-billion dollar development. I guess it's possible he gets bought out or the NCC moves on to the other bid (which also had an arena)

 

[BonkTastic]

Seems crazy given...

This statement unfortunately applies to a lot of things in the organization these days.

I agree with you that it seems crazy, but that doesn't change my opinion on the matter.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I'd prefer the Sens get the arena but I wouldn't be surprised if it was best, long-term for the city, if Lebreton became something really special rather than arena and condos.

Lansdowne turned out to be really lame. Effecient but lame.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I would've preferred the other bid. It had less condos, but there was more variety in buildings (iirc, there was a museum tossed in there somewhere?).

 

[18Hossa]

I would've preferred the other bid. It had less condos, but there was more variety in buildings (iirc, there was a museum tossed in there somewhere?).

An automotive museum.

 

[JD1]

My bad. Been super busy with work these days, didn't see when you posted this.



Absolutely false.

Ottawa is one of the most conservative cities in the province. We have a consistent and predictable voting pattern that alternates between highly conservative municipal governments and highly centrist municipal governments. Even in provincial and federal elections, outside of the Ottawa Center riding, the city has voted either center or right wing for over 50 years, with very, very few exceptions.

I can't remember the last time we had a left-leaning municipal government in Ottawa. Like...Marian Dewar was defeated in 1985? We haven't had anything close to resembling a left-leaning municipal government in 33 years.

Thirty. Three. Years.

what do you consider our boy Jimmy? centrist because he was a provincial liberal? Chiarelli?

if you only consider the dippers as left leaning ya it's been a while but that's not reflective of how the city has functioned.

Watson and Chiarelli were both left leaning

 

[BonkTastic]

what do you consider our boy Jimmy? centrist because he was a provincial liberal? Chiarelli?

if you only consider the dippers as left leaning ya it's been a while but that's not reflective of how the city has functioned.

Watson and Chiarelli were both left leaning

Watson and Chiarelli are the emitome of centrist governments. They pander to whatever electoral issues are important enough at the time to the electorate to win elections / retain power.

Heck, let's talk about Watson for a second here. He's lowered municipal taxes to their lowest point in years. He froze the mayorial salary and fought hard against increases in salaries across the board for municipal employees, and helmed the first municipal layoffs since amalgamation. He has cut many city services, all in the name of attempting to balance the budget. Most municipal increases in spending have been on infrastructure, not any left-leaning programs, which have all been cut since he took office.

Honestly, Watson leans far more towards fiscal conservatism than he does anything even closely resembling left-wing politics. If you think Watson is "left", then I really have to question whether or not you're even paying attention to municipal politics. I mean... I've been out of the country for 7 years, have only been back in Canada for 4 mknths, and even then this is like BASIC knowledge for anyone that cares enough to keep them informed.

Jim Watson as left-leaning... I can't even imagine the argument in favor of that.

 

[Micklebot]

Im thinking maybe move the discusion about the municapl govt and what side of the political spectrum they lean towards to another forum guys. This really isn't the place.

 

[BonkTastic]

No worries, sorry about that.

All I was doing was challenging the point made that "Ottawa's left leaning municipal government" was an issue for arena development (arena development being the point of the thread), and rebutting with the point that we haven't had a "left leaning" municipal government since the early 1980's.

JD1, if you want to continue the political conversation, I'm more than willing to do it over PM. Let me know.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Not to dwell on it, but all of North America has been dragged to the extreme right. What should be centrist is now looked at as leftist.

At this point, I hope the city, Melynk and whoever get their asses in gear and get the arena built before the Apocalypse. lol, who am I kidding....the world is gonna end before us Sens fans get anything good.

 

[Knave]

Watson isn't really a right or left wing guy. He's more of a classy populist type.

Wasn't he elected over people upset about LRT costs? Now he's bashing Melnyk and talking about how the city won't help... because that's what people want to hear regardless of whether they're right or left wing.

My opinion of Watson has slowly declined over the years starting with his reentry into the mayoral election. He's alright but for some reason a lot of people really like him.

 

[Micklebot]

Ok, so making it official:

This is not the place for political discussions, any further straying from the topic of Lebreton and the NCC will be removed and the perpetrator will probably not get any cookies from the cookie jar. So if you want a nice cookie from the cookie jar, stop talking politics.

 

[BonkTastic]

I would vote for Rosie, the Jetsons Robot Butler.

"A cookie in every jar". Hell of a campaign slogan.

 

[SPF6ty9]

I would've preferred the other bid. It had less condos, but there was more variety in buildings (iirc, there was a museum tossed in there somewhere?).

With ya there. Only reason I cheered for the one that won was because it had the Sens attached to it. Melnyk sells and the other proposal gets to move forward with the Sens attached would be my fantasy.

 

[topshelf15]

Cant see the league agreeing with EM on keeping the team in Kanata.....Its going to get done with or without him

 

[coladin]

For the record, I still don't think this arena is going to get built as long as Melnyk owns the team.

I fully expect a soft PR campaign over the next 1-2 years extolling how great the Kanata arena is (regardless of the truth of those claims), and the NCC will eventually move on to another developer to build the Lebreton site.

I can't see how he can get out of it without jeopardizing his team and its finances. If he does what you predict, the other developer will develop Lebreton and put in a new Multi-use arena that can house an NHL team. This new , hip, state of the art downtown venue with LRT access will starve Melnyk out of all the extra revenues that come from the other 300 days that the arena is not used for hockey. I don't think he can afford the team without the arena being busy as it is.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

For the record, I still don't think this arena is going to get built as long as Melnyk owns the team.

I fully expect a soft PR campaign over the next 1-2 years extolling how great the Kanata arena is (regardless of the truth of those claims), and the NCC will eventually move on to another developer to build the Lebreton site.

Lots of noise but negotiations continue on LeBreton Flats file

 

[RyCam]

I'd prefer the Sens get the arena but I wouldn't be surprised if it was best, long-term for the city, if Lebreton became something really special rather than arena and condos.

Lansdowne turned out to be really lame. Effecient but lame.

I like Lansdowne and I think it's one of the more successful projects undertaken in the city.

The problems with it have less to do with the arena and stadium and more to do with the street level activities and retail. For one, it should be a car-free zone and I don't understand at all why it's not.

 

[BatherSeason]

Lots of noise but negotiations continue on LeBreton Flats file

Why link an article from over a month ago? Especially an article by Garrioch supporting Uncle Euge? Isn't Garrioch the one who has been spreading Dorion/Melnyk's lies for the past few years? Why trust anything that comes from Boo Boo?

I am sure things have changed in the past month, this is your best buddy Melnyk at work here.

 

[BonkTastic]

Lots of noise but negotiations continue on LeBreton Flats file

I never said they would just stop negotiating immediately and thoroughly give up all hope and cancel the project as of May 29, 2018.

Not sure what your point is here.

 

[BonkTastic]

I can't see how he can get out of it without jeopardizing his team and its finances. If he does what you predict, the other developer will develop Lebreton and put in a new Multi-use arena that can house an NHL team. This new , hip, state of the art downtown venue with LRT access will starve Melnyk out of all the extra revenues that come from the other 300 days that the arena is not used for hockey. I don't think he can afford the team without the arena being busy as it is.

I agree with the basic premise of this post, but need to address the bolded...

He's already lost a ton of the extra revenues from the arena, at least from a first glance and a bit of homework. Some promoters have already stopped booking at the CTC. I'm pretty sure Live Nation has stopped booking there (I can't remember the last time a Live Nation show was at CTC, but I know it's been a long, long time). There's something going on, and CTC has hosted WAY less events over the past year or two than they traditionally do.

I'm just saying... even without a hypothetical competing downtown arena, the non-hockey arena revenue looks to be down significantly just comparing booking dates over the past couple of years.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Interesting!

The promoters are likely forgoing Ottawa and putting all their money in Toronto ans Montréal. People from Ottawa will make the trip if they want to.

 

[pzeeman]

There’s no way Melnyk’s partners let this fail. I think that’s your best hope for an ownership/management change.