Lansdowne Live update from Councillor Leadman's office

On November 16^th 2009, City Council, on behalf of the residents of the City of Ottawa, approved the Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) between the City and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). It is clear that Lansdowne has been left to deteriorate over successive Councils and is in need of rehabilitation. I am very supportive of redevelopment of the site but financial oversight is critical. Any project must be viewed past its vision into its fundamentals.

I am hoping that when this issue comes back to council in June 2010 evaluation of these fundamentals will be provided through the reports that are now set to be completed. Only then can we be better able to see if the proposal is, in fact, good for residents and the City as a whole.

The information that needs to be provided includes:

• A fair market impact study. The studies conducted to date forecasted limited impact but had the entire core of Ottawa as the impacted region. As the proposal would see the amount of commercial space in that area double, the scope is being broadened to provide a more accurate picture of the impact on local businesses.


• A firm financial model. The operating system and financial plan is currently a