SAVE THE DATE: Let’s Talk Lansdowne, October 11, Horticulture Building, Lansdowne, 7 – 9 p.m.
City Council is expected to vote on this project on November 10. It is time that all Ottawa residents think about what we are getting into and share our views with our Councillors. Let’s Talk Lansdowne! is a community-led event to learn more about the final concepts and costs of Lansdowne 2.0 — and to express your views. Can’t make it in person? No worries. The meeting will be broadcast and live-streamed by Rogers at rogerstv.com/letstalklansdowne. There will also be live tweets throughout the evening. A recording will be posted on YouTube after the event.
Why Lansdowne Matters
With costs expected to be in the $500 Million range, Lansdowne 2.0 will be the most expensive project that will come before City Council this term. City Hall does not have the funds to fix public transit or affordable housing, but it is about to spend about half a billion $$ to relocate a new arena to the Great Lawn/Toboggan area and build new north side stands, creating a construction site for seven or more years.
Lansdowne is another public-private partnership that appears headed for an LRT-type mess. But there are other alternatives for Lansdowne that could be explored.
This massive project on city-owned land involves construction of a new arena, new north stands, new retail and new high-rise towers but no new transportation infrastructure. So most people in Ottawa will have a hard time getting there.
There has been no financial transparency on the initial Lansdowne development and no meaningful public consultation on Lansdowne 2.0. The October 11 event will be the only opportunity for broad public engagement after the release of the City’s final report on Friday, October 6 and before it goes to City Council. It is vital that people from all parts of the City participate because we will all pay the price of a bad decision.