Lansdowne Needs You

1:45 pm PST, Nov 18, Erik Olesen, Canada

6:45 am PST, Nov 18, Sophia Weber, Canada
I do not think the City should be subsidizing private ventures. The business model and distributions of cash flows disturb me. Where is the City's ROE on it's $120M investment in the stadium? It should be right up there with OSEG's ROE. What happens to the deficits that accrue if there is not enough profit for OSEG's ROE and equity repayment? I am absolutely against this business model.

6:16 am PST, Nov 18, Rob Young, Canada

12:36 pm PST, Nov 16, Name not displayed, Canada

5:20 am PST, Nov 16, Mandy Logan, Canada

1:52 am PST, Nov 16, Can Atik, Turkey

12:11 pm PST, Nov 15, Hille Viita, Canada
Lansdowne Park is a central and unique space within Ottawa; beside a UNESCO World Heritage designated area, and the site itself containing the Aberdeen Pavilion, which was, designated a historic site in 1982. The development of this area is not like developing a farm field or industrial lot. It sits on the banks if the Rideau Canal, and is an area that belongs to the public, the citizens of Ottawa. Once changed, it will be in place for many many years to come. We cannot be so hasty in our decision here and we need to follow proper procedures, and decision making to have something we can all be proud of once done.

9:49 am PST, Nov 15, Julia Goodman, Canada
I support an open process whereby a variety of ideas can be presented and considered. The lack of adequate parking and effective rapid transit under the proposal currently under consideration is very worrying as these factors are critical to bringing large numbers of people to the site. My husband and I attended SuperEx this year, using OCTranspo, and found the service less than stellar (buses too crowded to get on, too infrequent, etc.). This one experience would certainly colour negatively our use of the re-developed site, if transit/parking issues are not resolved.

1:55 pm PST, Nov 14, DoN Shropshire, Canada
Landsdowne Park is an under developed jewel in the heart of our city. While there is room for both public and private contributions on this space tax payers deserve to benefit from a transparent, public process that entertains proposals from a variety of proponents. I ask Council members to support an open RFP process rather than sole source this process. Don Shropshire

8:23 am PST, Nov 14, David Juden, Canada

6:29 am PST, Nov 14, Camille Lewis, Canada
Please do not waste this opportunity of a century-plus to accomodate commercial objectives, which are adequately cared for by for-profit enterprises. Landsdowne Park has the potential to be akin to Stanley Park, High Park, Central Park, Hyde Park. You can do it!

8:35 am PST, Nov 13, Marc Furstenau, Canada

10:50 am PST, Nov 12, G. McColgan, Canada
I have many, many fond memories of my joyous times taking in CFL football at Lansdowne Park on both weeknights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. How the capital city of our country can't have or support a CFL franchise is totally embarrasssing in itself to say the least. Furthermore most of the people opposed to the Lansdowne facelift probably haven't the faintist clue what a football even looks like or resembles. It's high time these people are given the message that the sporting community in our city far outweighs the community knitters and birdwatchers and the rest of the political purists opposed to bringing back the Ottawa ROUGH RIDERS.

8:40 am PST, Nov 12, Bob Fraser, Canada
I'm all for developing Lansdowne into a world class site that benefits everyone. The Lansdowne Live proposal sounds like a glorified shopping centre. Why the rush to go forward with this? Let's have an open and transparent design competition and do it right the first time!!

7:03 am PST, Nov 12, Jan Armstrong, Canada

9:38 pm PST, Nov 11, Abdullah Al Haj, Canada
Always a public space No CFL Stadium should be near TRANSIT WAY SOOOOOOON

7:54 pm PST, Nov 11, Linda Librande, Canada
At a recent luncheon in the Byward Market with colleagues from across the city, we came to the unanimous decision that we were ashamed of Ottawa as a capital city for letting the Lansdowne-wannabe development group get so out of (or is that 'into') control. This process must be opened up as a fair competition to see what really interesting possibilities there are out there, as well as what the people really want. I know we don't want something that smells of closed, backroom deals, and at this point, it does. The competition must be open and run by the City of Ottawa, not one of the business members of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan. This land is public space and must be developed accordingly.

6:05 pm PST, Nov 11, Gordon Yasvinski, Canada
Lansdowne Park should be a world class park that the city, province and country can be proud of, brimming with art and green space. After Mayor O'Brien is long gone and the CFL franchise fails, being able to say "We told you so" won't be any comfort.

5:39 pm PST, Nov 11, Beth Greenhorn, Canada

3:57 am PST, Nov 11, Rick Brison, Canada

3:45 am PST, Nov 11, Dean Flockton, Canada

7:49 pm PST, Nov 10, Name not displayed, Canada
Landsdowne Park should be a "park" for the enjoyment of the citizens of Ottawa and for visitors to the city. Every great city has such parks; Ottawa is short on them in the downtown area. Moreover, paths on either side of the canal are often overcrowded already. I therefore oppose a single source contract to any party proposing a mainly commercial, for-profit, development on the site.

6:54 pm PST, Nov 10, Renee Robichaud, Canada

3:00 pm PST, Nov 10, Ann Allain, Canada
I am not opposed to multi user of Lansdowne, but am vigourously opposed to sole source or turning Lansdowne into just another McMall like Sparks street or the Rideau Center area of the city. We have an opportunity here, let us not waste it. I don't even live anywhere near the Glebe, so you can't discount my opposition to NIMBYism. The mayor is wrong and this needs to go back to the drawing board.

9:11 am PST, Nov 10, William Walters, Canada
With its shopping mall and multiplex, is Lansdowne Live really the best we can do? As citizens we should insist on an open and transparent competition process that generates bold and creative planning ideas, and opens Ottawa to the world. Not just friends of Lansdowne, but any friend of democracy should be deeply disturbed by the way the Mayor, the City Manager and certain Councillors have conducted this affair, not to mention the encouragement they have enjoyed from certain segments of the local media.

8:57 am PST, Nov 10, Garrett Patterson, Canada
Much of the deterioration and neglect of Lansdowne Park has occurred principally during the term of the current Ottawa City management, and on the watch of the current Ottawa City Council. The remedy for the slum-like condition of much of Lansdowne Park is not to abandon the property and put complete control of public property entirely in the hands of a group of private developers. The appropriate remedy is for City Council --at last-- to expedite examination of economical proposals that ensure that taxpayers right across the city, and citizens of all ages and income ---children, teenagers, families, senior citizens--- can enjoy the present and future amenities without paying charges to use virtually every single part of the property, not to mention handing over a large amount of public property to private occupation for decades.

7:37 am PST, Nov 10, Susan McIntyre, Canada

6:00 pm PST, Nov 9, Mathieu Mainville, Canada
Lansdowne should be opened to a real competition and any stadium should only be considered where mass transit can serve it.

4:54 pm PST, Nov 9, Elizabeth Krug, Canada

3:23 pm PST, Nov 9, Nancy DellaValle, Canada

2:39 pm PST, Nov 9, Name not displayed, Canada
I just heard that you have Ed Broadbent standing with you. Good on you and please don't give up. Thanks for your courage.

4:19 pm PST, Nov 8, Peter Heyck, Canada

1:46 pm PST, Nov 8, Bob Luce, Canada
Mayor O’Brien’s opinion piece in the Ottawa Citizen this morning urged readers in “moving forward in partnership with four community leaders who are committed to returning Lansdowne to its former glory...” I think it would have been more accurate for him to state that he wants us to “support three developers and a sports club owner transform Lansdowne into a shopping centre and make a pile of money at the expense of Ottawa taxpayers!” Lansdowne Park should not be made into another Rideau Centre in the Glebe. Bank Street traffic is already beyond its capacity on weekends. City of Ottawa residents deserve better.

7:07 am PST, Nov 6, Kevin Bourne, Canada
I'm all for the development of the park and aren't even opposed to OSEG having a part to play from a construction and sports management perspective. My only problem is that they didn't allow other arcitects to bid on the project and submit their design ideas. As a result this can't be the absolute best use of space and that's what citizens deserve. I'm a former supporter who now has questions.

4:15 pm PST, Nov 2, Greg Robertson, Canada

11:13 am PST, Nov 2, Mikael Greenwood, Canada

5:38 am PST, Nov 2, Anna Curtner, Canada
Lansdowne needs a new life, but its future should be decided fairly with input from the communities that care about a sustainable Ottawa. Let's have a democratic process instead of more corrupt politics!

2:38 pm PST, Nov 1, Bertrand Braschi, Canada
Send us your memories, stories, and photos Share your ideas for how you want Lansdowne to look in the future, for many decades to come Join the Facebook Group, Design Lansdowne Together.

4:28 pm PDT, Oct 28, Barry Jessup, Canada

12:33 pm PDT, Oct 28, Name not displayed, Canada

5:58 pm PDT, Oct 25, Penny Becklumb, Canada

11:27 am PDT, Oct 25, Lesley Hay, Canada

12:48 pm PDT, Oct 23, Jacqueline Jolliffe, Canada

7:11 pm PDT, Oct 22, Name not displayed, Canada

10:14 am PDT, Oct 21, Name not displayed, Canada

9:29 am PDT, Oct 21, Name not displayed, Canada
Given the recent examples of the city failing to come even close to properly assessing costs on numerous issues (transit strike, internal savings procedures, upgrades of transit system) and its reception of numerous threats of lawsuits over its procurement process (ongoing and contentious issue), I cannot see how the current plan will result in a net benefit to Ottawa residents.

7:01 pm PDT, Oct 20, Name not displayed, Canada

10:47 am PDT, Oct 20, Loren Christensen, Canada
With all the problems the region has, why are we even contemplating subsidizing to pro-sports operators and real estate developers? Time to stop blowing the municipal credit facility on dowtown vanity dreams and corporate welfare.

5:14 pm PDT, Oct 19, Susan Mendelsohn, Canada

4:07 pm PDT, Oct 19, Natassia Ciuriak, Canada
I think open competition for design of community spaces is a fundamental democratic concept. This should not be decided in the backrooms of City Hall, but out in the open, with input from the public on what the park should look like. It is not enough to get public consultations on a pre-approved plan!!

1:58 pm PDT, Oct 18, Matt Hinther, Canada

1:58 pm PDT, Oct 16, Russell Lyon, Canada
this proposal is a disaster for the city of Ottawa a piece of land, of major significance, held in trust for generations is to be sacrificed to commercial interests, to help finance a professional football team once the land is built upon, it will be lost to the people of Ottawa FOREVER !! please use some common sense and reject this proposal

5:28 pm PDT, Oct 14, Michel Le Sann, Canada

2:37 pm PDT, Oct 14, Klaus Beltzner, Canada
Lansdowne belongs to all of Ottawa's residents - it must not be used to provide land for private residences or office space or a hotel or urban retail. It is a civic place used for a hundred years for civic events and fairs and for Canadian league professional sports. Redevelopment should be for what Ottawa's residents want - and not be looked at as merely a cost centre in the City's financial statements. This should be a City building opportunity - not simply a commercial neighbourhood renewal project.

11:09 am PDT, Oct 14, Corky McTaggart, Canada

11:58 am PDT, Oct 13, Name not displayed, Canada

10:21 am PDT, Oct 13, Name not displayed, Canada
We need a better plan, and a better process to get that plan.

11:12 pm PDT, Oct 12, Andrew Lapointe, Canada
I live in Kanata but I bus all the way to Ottawa South because I work at the historic Mayfair Theatre which I love. Landsdowne Live will put the Mayfair out of business because there's no way a modest independent cinema can compete with a major 10 screen multiplex. Many other small businesses in the area will be hurt as well and a special part of Ottawa will become just another centre for a generic mini mall with traffic and parking problems.

6:23 pm PDT, Oct 12, Una Jane Tallentire, Canada
It is inconceivable to me that precious land along the canal, now a UN Heritage Site, would be developed without a fair and exciting competitive process that could reveal the most innovative, people-friendly, environmentally-sound and exciting design for this space. Any development that includes significant parking and results in execessive traffic on Bank Street, has, in my view, completely missed the mark.

2:28 pm PDT, Oct 12, D Maclaren, Canada
Lansdowne Park belongs to the people and should be developed for the people, not for commercial and retail interests. Surely, this city has enough places to shop! Surely, the residents of Ottawa have a lot of better things to do with their leisure time than to shop. Surely, we can display more imagination in the creation of something very unique and special than converting Lansdowne Park into a suburban mall. It would appear that the citizens of Ottawa have spoken with enough resistance to the sole source proposal that, in a democratic society, it should be rejected.

9:39 pm PDT, Oct 11, Geoffrey Delage, Canada
I believe that Lansdowne Park is no longer viable for large scale events as it is not on a mass transit route, does not have sufficient parking spaces, does not have easy highway access and as a result, is not the right place to build a stadium. What worked in the past is not a good reason to believe it will continue to work in the present or in the future!

7:43 pm PDT, Oct 11, Name not displayed, Canada

2:15 pm PDT, Oct 9, Isaaf Ghaday, Canada
We need football back in this city and Lansdowne needs a facelift and encourage better employment opportunities for Canadians born and raised in this country.

11:57 am PDT, Oct 9, D Amundsen, Canada
How can the present proposal possibly be what is best for the citizens and taxypayers of Ottawa? If it is then it should be able to withstand the scrutiny of an open and competitive process. Given that the proponents are clearly opposed to such a process we may conclude who stands to gain (and who stands to lose) in all this.

7:43 am PDT, Oct 9, Lewis McCall, Canada

8:19 am PDT, Oct 8, Lynda Ferguson, Canada

2:01 am PDT, Oct 8, Christine Maki, Canada

1:42 pm PDT, Oct 7, C James, Canada
keep it up. public lands for public good! it fails on three fronts; planning, transportation and process.