Sutcliffe not ruling out public funding for new Senators arena
As the sale of the Ottawa Senators heats up, the city's mayor isn't ruling out public funding for a new downtown arena for the team.
But Mark Sutcliffe, who is scheduled to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman next week, says it's too early for discussions about potential public money for a rink on LeBreton Flats.
Asked on Wednesday whether public funding for a new arena is on the table, Sutcliffe said "there isn't a table yet."
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"There's no question the city's budget is tight, and there are lots of other priorities, so I'm not a fan of putting city money into an arena, but it depends on so many factors," he told a news conference.
"We don't even know who the new owners are going to be, we don't know if they want to build a new arena, we don't know if they would want to do it on LeBreton Flats or they would want to do it somewhere else. There's a lot of hypotheticals here.”
Bettman is scheduled to be in Ottawa for Monday's Senators game against the Florida Panthers and meet with Sutcliffe during his visit.
"I'm looking forward to meeting with Commissioner Bettman and I'm glad to have the opportunity to speak with him on Monday," Sutcliffe said. "I think the prospective owners are just as interested in Ottawa as they are in the Senators, which I'm excited about."
"The city's got a role to play in this. It may not be a financial role, but there are lots of other ways that the city can contribute to the process. I'm ready to have those conversations, but it's very early."
Bettman said last week that the first phase of the Senators' sale was finished. The current phase involves winnowing down the number of interested parties, a process that would take "a matter of weeks,” Bettman said.
Sports business news publication Sportico reported earlier this month that nine different groups submitted bids to buy the franchise, with some valuing the team north of $900 million U.S.
The prospective owners include Montreal Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer and a consortium including actor Ryan Reynolds and Toronto-based real estate company The Remington Group, Sportico reported.
"I think this is a huge opportunity for our city to have new owners and to have new leadership of the team," Sutcliffe said. "There are some interesting names being thrown around about who the new owners might be."
The Senators reached a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission last year aimed at putting an arena at LeBreton Flats, just west of downtown Ottawa. Bettman said last week it will be up to the new owners whether the team moves downtown.
Sutcliffe said once the new owners are in place, that's when the discussion begins about where the team will play over the next 20 years.
"I think it's important for the new owners to signal whether they want to move to LeBreton Flats, to have those negotiations with the NCC and then see where we go from there," Sutcliffe said.
"I'm open to whatever's best for the city of Ottawa and whatever's best for hockey fans and for the Senators,” he added. “So if the owners want to stay in Kanata, if they want to move to LeBreton Flats, if they want to look at other options, I'm interested in having all those discussions."
During the election campaign last fall, Sutcliffe said he did not think the city should be devoting any public funding to an arena.
"I'm not in favour of putting dollars into a private arena," he said at a mayoral debate. "What I am in favour of is seeing a lot of vibrant development on LeBreton Flats, including an arena."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.