Ryan Reynolds in Ottawa as Senators sale heats up
Ryan Reynolds spent the day in Ottawa as he continues his efforts to buy the Senators, meeting with officials from the city of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission and attending the Senators game.
The Deadpool star posted a photo on Instagram with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on Thursday morning, taken at the mayor's office.
Also in the photo: Chris Bratty, the president of Remington Group. Reynolds has aligned himself with the Toronto-based real estate developers in their bid for the team.
"It was great to welcome Ryan to Ottawa City Hall and it's great to have him in our city," Sutcliffe said about the meeting with Reynolds and Bratty.
"I'm grateful for the fact that he has an interest in the Ottawa Senators and an interest in investing in our city, I think that's a really great sign of where the team and our community are and where we're going, that we're able to attract that kind of interest."
Reynolds and Bratty also met with National Capital Commission CEO Tobi Nussbaum while in Ottawa.
Bratty and senior Ottawa Senators officials, including president of business operations Anthony LeBlanc and vice-president of business operations Chris Phillips, were spotted leaving the National Capital Commission headquarters on Elgin Street during the lunch hour. Reynolds is believed to have exited the building through a side door to avoid media on Elgin Street, and was seen walking into a downtown hotel a few minutes later.
"As part of the ongoing process, we made ourselves available to answer questions the shortlisted groups of potential buyers of the Ottawa Senators may have," the NCC said in a statement.
"Our CEO Tobi Nussbaum met with representatives of The Remington Group today, including Ryan Reynolds. We answered their questions on the Memorandum of Understanding with Capital Sports Development Inc. and the Building LeBreton project."
Sutcliffe said the meeting at Ottawa City Hall focused on the future of the team and the city.
"We talked about the Senators and about the opportunity for this not to just be about a hockey team, but about the entire community," Sutcliffe told CTV News Ottawa.
"You know what's happened with the soccer team that he purchased with a partner in Wrexham in Wales, that has completely revived that community and transformed that community. He talked about the potential for the Senators to be a global brand and for this to be the beginning of something really special for our community. So that's very exciting."
Reynolds and his colleagues attended the Senators home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. TSN showed Reynolds sitting in a private box during the first period of the game.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed earlier this week during his visit to Ottawa that there are about a half-dozen groups still in the running to buy the club.
- READ MORE: Bettman: Senators sale 'a matter of weeks'
The various groups have been conducting site visits to Ottawa in the past week or so, including meeting with senior Senators staff and surveying the land at LeBreton Flats that the National Capital Commission has set aside for a new arena.
Reynolds also took in a game at the Canadian Tire Centre in November, shortly after he announced his intention to buy the team.
Sutcliffe notes Reynolds and Bratty are one of several groups bidding for the club, and he will meet with any potential bidders to answer questions.
"We're ready to work with whoever the eventual owner of the Senators is to make sure that the team is successful and that it's good for our community," Sutcliffe said.
Bettman was asked about Reynolds' interest in the team at a news conference at the Canadian Tire Centre on Monday.
"Ryan believed it was important to connect with a bidder that he believed would be a good match for him," he said. "He wants to see his bid through, and I respect his view of the process. He wants to take it from beginning to end."
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Johnston to launch foreign interference hearings in July, calls allegations of bias 'quite simply false'
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston calls the allegations swirling around his objectivity 'quite simply false,' and said Tuesday he plans to push ahead with his work, launching public hearings next month
Poilievre calls on Liberals to make killers like Bernardo stay in max-security prison
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should see to it that mass murderers serve their entire sentences in maximum-security prison.
Sex harassment case involving Trudeau Foundation should be heard in N.L., lawyer says
The lawyer representing a woman who alleges she was sexually harassed by a former Northwest Territories premier says her client would likely have to end her lawsuit if a judge determines the trial should be moved to Quebec.
Rent across Canada climbs to 20 per cent above pandemic lows: report
Across Canada, the average price of rent climbed back up after pandemic lows, with the monthly rate new tenants face now 20 per cent higher than it was two years ago, according to just-released rental data.
Charges dropped against Alberta woman accused of mailing animals
Crown prosecutors say charges against an Alberta woman accused of mailing two puppies and a kitten have been dropped.
Internal docs suggest Trudeau wants China blocked from Pacific Rim trade deal
While the Liberals insist a Pacific Rim trade bloc should welcome anyone who meets its standards, an internal document suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants China kept out.
PGA Tour and European tour agree to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf feud
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia's golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour.
Severely entangled humpback whale rescued off Haida Gwaii, B.C.
Video shows Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff leading the rescue of a severely entangled humpback whale off the coast of British Columbia last week.
What's behind the increase in orca-human interactions, boat attacks? Here’s what an expert thinks
The number of interactions between killer whales and humans has increased alarmingly in recent years. CTVNews.ca asked an expert to explain the reasons behind the increase in interactions, explore the types of encounters, and examine the implications for both humans and killer whales.
Atlantic
-
Rain has helped Shelburne firefighting efforts, crews now hoping for a break in showers
Firefighters battling the 25,000-hectare Shelburne wildfire say the wet weather has helped crews directly attack the blaze, now they’re hoping for a break in the rain.
-
Hammonds Plains Road reopens, all Halifax-area students return to school after wildfires
Hammonds Plains Road reopened to traffic early Tuesday morning more than week after wildfires began in the Halifax area. Officials say the fires in the area are contained, though crews continue to deal with hot spots and flare ups.
-
Feds warn 2023 on track to be the worst fire season ever seen in Canada
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Toronto
-
Smoke from Ontario, Quebec wildfires lingering in Toronto
The smell of smoke is in the air throughout the city of Toronto and could get worse before the week is over as wildfires continue to burn in Quebec and northern Ontario.
-
Toronto massage parlour murder was act of terrorism, court finds in 'historical decision'
The actions of the teen who repeatedly slashed a North York massage parlour receptionist 42 times with a sword, killing her and injuring her manager, were an act of terrorism, an Ontario Superior Court Justice found Monday in a 'historical' decision in Canada.
-
Wrong turn into Canada lands U.S. driver in jail for stolen vehicle
A wrong turn landed a U.S. driver in jail after she accidentally ended up on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and officers discovered she was in a stolen car.
Montreal
-
Evacuees can return in Sept-Iles, but more than 160 wildfires still burning in Quebec
One Quebec city that had been threatened by approaching wildfires has lifted an evacuation order, but other parts of the province continue to deal with out-of-control blazes that are taxing firefighting resources.
-
Vehicle theft soared in 2022, led by Quebec and Ontario: report
Insurance industry group Equite Association says vehicle theft in multiple provinces surged last year. Vehicle theft was up by 50 per cent in Quebec year over year, by 48.3 per cent in Ontario, by 34.5 per cent in Atlantic Canada and by 18.3 per cent in Alberta.
-
WEATHER
WEATHER | Smog Warnings and poor air quality continue to plague parts of Quebec
Montrealers woke up to hazy sun and smoky skies again Tuesday morning. Northerly winds from wildfires burning north of the city continue to blow smoke into Southern Quebec.
Northern Ontario
-
Emergency orders expanded in northeast Ont. due to forest fires
While firefighters get more forest fires under control in northern Ontario, travel restrictions declared under an emergency order are being expanded in several communities.
-
Northern Ont. teen, 13, facing new sexual assault charge, 10 total
A 13-year-old male from Elliot Lake in northern Ontario has been charged with sexual assault again, bringing the total to 10, after another survivor came forward.
-
Return of the tent caterpillar in northern Ontario
Tent caterpillar infestations are a problem in northern Ontario every few summers and it looks like they could be returning this year.
London
-
Londoners remember the Afzaal family
Marking the two year anniversary of the alleged terror attack that took the lives of four members of the same family, the board has announced an Anti-Islamophobia Strategy.
-
Muslim community seeks healing and safety amid lingering shadows of alleged terrorist attack
On this day in 2021, four out of five members of a London, Ont. family were killed while they were out for a walk and struck by a vehicle, in an apparently deliberate attack.
-
Tenants go face-to-face with landlord following rights rally
Members of a London, Ont. social justice group, tenants, and supporters marched into the downtown offices of a prominent city landlord Tuesday. The ACORN tenant union delivered a list of demands to an executive with Old Oak Properties.
Winnipeg
-
RCMP investigating abandoned home in connection with disappearance of woman in 2020
The search for a Manitoba woman reported missing three years ago has lead RCMP to an abandoned home in western Manitoba for an investigation.
-
'Something we need to prepare for': ECCC says warm summer expected in Winnipeg
The heat in the city of Winnipeg will moderate in the next few days, but Environment Canada says residents should expect a hot summer this year.
-
7-Eleven in Winnipeg applies for liquor licence
Winnipeggers may soon be able to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine at one of the city’s 7-Eleven stores.
Kitchener
-
Mosquito mayhem: Why the pests are so bad this year in Ontario
They buzz. They bite. They carry diseases that can be bad for your health. It seems there’s more mosquitos than ever this year – and people are noticing.
-
Air quality statement issued in Waterloo region amid wildfires in Ontario, Quebec
Environment Canada says several groups of people across southwestern Ontario are at a higher risk of experiencing health effects caused by wildfire smoke.
-
Two vehicles involved in fatal collision near Acton, Ont.
Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say at least one person is dead following a collision just north of Acton.
Calgary
-
Charges dropped against Alberta woman accused of mailing animals
Crown prosecutors say charges against an Alberta woman accused of mailing two puppies and a kitten have been dropped.
-
Michael White, convicted of killing pregnant wife, gets full parole
An Edmonton man convicted of killing his pregnant wife and dumping her body in a ditch has been granted full parole.
-
'I was really, really scared': Calgary kabab restaurant out thousands of dollars after break-and-enter
A restaurant in Calgary's Hillhurst neighbourhood is out thousands of dollars after it was broken into over the weekend.
Saskatoon
-
City emails reveal how a Saskatoon shelter was relocated and shed light on early concerns
While Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) publicly mulled moving its downtown emergency shelter to a location on 20th Street near the city's core, city documents reveal the wellness centre's present Fairhaven area location was heavily favoured early in the process.
-
Saskatoon company set to revamp bus barns into cultural hub with affordable housing
The former site of the city’s bus barns is getting a facelift.
-
Saskatoon e-scooter pilot off to a rocky start
A new pilot project that just rolled out onto Saskatoon streets is off to a rocky start.
Edmonton
-
Yellow slide at Edmonton Expo Centre to be demolished
The Kiwanis slide, commonly known as the big yellow slide, opened in 1974 but hasn't been in use since 2019 due to structural problems, Explore Edmonton said.
-
Michael White, convicted of killing pregnant wife, gets full parole
An Edmonton man convicted of killing his pregnant wife and dumping her body in a ditch has been granted full parole.
-
Charges dropped against Alberta woman accused of mailing animals
Crown prosecutors say charges against an Alberta woman accused of mailing two puppies and a kitten have been dropped.
Vancouver
-
Strike halts classes at 1 B.C. university as contracts inked with staff at 5 other schools
Job action has halted all classes at Capilano University in North Vancouver as the Ministry of Finance enters agreements with CUPE support staff at five post-secondary institutions in B.C.
-
Nurse loses registration over malpractice 'on the most serious end of the spectrum': BCCNM
A B.C. woman has agreed to cancel her nursing registration for at least 18 months after failing to provide round-the-clock care for a patient with “significant” needs.
-
Body of 23-year-old man who went missing after night out in Vancouver found in False Creek: police
The search for a 23-year-old man who went missing after a night out in Vancouver last month has come to a tragic end, police confirmed Tuesday.
Regina
-
Regina city councillor's decision to 'reply all' could result in reprimand
Regina city council will have a decision on its hands Wednesday, about whether a reprimand is needed for Coun. Andrew Stevens after he disclosed a confidential report.
-
More than 60 per cent of Sask. income support calls ignored, auditors report reveals
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Social Services had more than 60 per cent of the more than 255,000 calls to its SIS phone line go unanswered over a six-month period, the province’s auditor says in her 2023 report.
-
Yorkton library move halted, new locations being looked at as facility sale finalized at council
Over 50 people were packed into an un-air-conditioned council chamber in Yorkton on Monday, looking for more clarity on the future of the city’s public library.