Published on June 27, 2011 10:10 PM by dbo.
To catch up on the stadium situation across the country, we serve up a stadium smorgasbord with Ottawa being the main course.
To catch up on the Ottawa situation, we need to go back to March where public consultations over the Lansdowne design were held.
Later in May, the Lansdowne appeal hearing began, the Conservation Review Board stated the Horticulture Building should not be moved and the Ottawa Art Gallery was dropped from the Lansdowne plans.
To start June, the Ottawa mayor and councillors indicated they still support moving the Horticulture Building while the Ontario Municipal Board dismissed three Lansdowne appeals.
This set the stage for the Lansdowne court appeal, a challenge by the Friends of Lansdowne that the deal struck by the city with OSEG is illegal. The Friends posted their legal case prior to it getting under way in court on June 21st. Despite a four-year process with its chance of getting underway dependent on this challenge, the OSEG partners are confident and not worried. Explaining what is at stake, Jon Willing sets up the case and the possible outcomes.
The case began with the Friends presenting first. The Friends lawyer summarized their case then went into specifics though the judge was not convinced immediately of the bad-faith allegations. The judge stated he may need to bring in an accounting expert to review the accounting aspects of the case or send it to full trial.
To start the second week, the Friends were still wrapping up their case today. The Friends presented minutes from a meeting where a Deloitte consultant stated the agreement between the city and OSEG amounted to a subsidy for the CFL team. While the city says more delays may kill the project, the Friends state they aren’t trying to stop Lansdowne redevelopment, only a single-sourced “sweetheart deal”.
Hamilton may not have to look hard for a home when they are displaced from Ivor Wynne Stadium in 2013. Already Guelph has expressed interest and Moncton has considered hosting multiple games. Construction won’t start until the Tiger-Cats complete the 2012 season and the stadium will be ready for the 2014 season.
Regina’s stadium plan B has a different tact. Instead of focusing on the stadium entertainment complex and its features for the project, the project focuses on the downtown and inner city redevelopment, with details of the stadium sketchy.
The inquest to a death at Canad Inns Stadium has resulted in recommendations to upgrade safety features at the stadium that has one season left before being demolished in favour of the new stadium under construction. At the start of the last season of the old Winnipeg Stadium, Ed Tait looks back at its first game.
Perry Lefko writes nostalgically about the replacement of the CFL’s oldest stadiums.
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Stadium Smorg was published on June 27, 2011 10:10 PM by dbo.
474 words.
This article is categorized under Stadiums and tagged with hamilton, ivor-wynne-stadium, lansdowne-park, ottawa, regina and winnipeg.