Join the Fight to Stop the $500 Million Lansdowne Giveaway (Part 2)
Be a part of a community-led Tiger Team that is holding Councillors accountable for their decisions.
Corporate welfare
It’s hard to see Lansdowne 2.0 as little more than a bailout for billionaires.
As noted in Part 1, Lansdowne 1.0 has been a financial failure since its inception in 2014, racking up about $10 million in losses each year for the private partner, the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. OSEG is led by some of the largest and wealthiest developers operating in Ottawa.
All about the towers
Lansdowne 2.0 looks to me like we are spending half a billion dollars largely to make those private partners whole for their failed experiment with Lansdowne 1.0.
I believe that by engineering a process that allows one or more of the OSEG partners to build luxury towers on prime Lansdowne land, the City gives those developers a revenue stream that makes us for past losses and provides a cushion for possible future losses. We’re spending half a billion dollars to demolish and rebuild a sports facility, in part, so that the foundation along Exhibition Way is strong enough to support two high-rise towers.
The City would never describe Lansdowne 2.0 this way, but that’s what I believe is going on. I invite the City to debate me if they feel that’s not a fair characterization.
A City Hall that works for the man
What should be clear by now is that City Hall is more interested in serving the needs of the establishment, and in particular a handful of wealthy developers, than they are in serving the needs of ordinary residents.
I’m having a hard time finding anyone who is passionate about Lansdowne 2.0 who is not directly or indirectly on the OSEG payroll, or an immediate beneficiary of the project. Thousands of residents have voiced their concerns about this project, but City Hall doesn’t seem to care.
That’s because we have a City Hall working for the man.
When I first got involved in municipal affairs about 5 years ago, a common refrain was that “City Hall is run by the developers”.
I thought that was hyperbole.
But Lansdowne is demonstrating that it is not a cliché. We have a City Hall willing to double down on a failing business model, that puts hundreds of millions of tax dollars at risk, to bail out billionaire developers.
The Mayor and his minions at City Hall are more concerned with catering to the establishment than helping local residents get ahead.
Everyone’s problem
Lansdowne should be of concern to everyone in the city. Not just the surrounding neighbourhoods.
The $500 million that we are spending on Lansdowne represents about $20 million that we are NOT spending in each of Ottawa’s 24 wards.
Spending on Lansdowne means that we don’t have the money to fix what matters to local communities.
Councillors are hoping that no one notices
Among the 25 member Council, 9 have consistently voted against the Lansdowne giveaway. Kavanagh, King, Leiper, Brockington, Menard, Johnson, Devine, Bradley and Troster. Bravo to these 9.
But 16 Council members have consistently voted in favour of Lansdowne. Sutcliffe. Luloff, Dudas, Gower, Tierney, Kitts, Darouze, Hubley, Curry, Hill, Kelly, Plante, Carr, Brown, Desroches and Lo.
Most of those 16 are counting on their constituents not paying attention. That voters won’t see their Councillor prioritizing half a billion to renovate a Glebe sports stadium over fighting for resources for their own ward.
How we strike back
I’m assembling a small Tiger Team with a simple assignment: make sure that the constituents of those 16 council members know the truth. That’s all. We’re going to make Councillors accountable for their decisions.
No more hiding in the shadows. In the next election, let those Councillors defend their record of having voted for billionaire bailouts.
Join the Tiger Team
I need your help to hold Councillors to account. If you are able to pitch in, then please sign up for my Lansdowne Tiger Team.
I’m looking for people from across the City to help with some very specific tasks. It’s not particularly onerous and will be wrapped up by October. And it’s all complementary to the efforts of the other community groups.
You can get more details about the Tiger Team, and how to sign up, by clicking on the big orange button below.
It’s fallen on residents to stop City Hall from wasting half a billion dollars of our money.
Will you help stop the Lansdowne madness?
Another point to be made is that $500M divided by about 400K Ottawa households amounts to a bill/tax of about $1,200 per household. How many household will actually make the trip to Lansdowne, and make the trip often enough, to reap the benefits of their contribution?