THIS is the Petition You Want to Sign, Calling for a Referendum on $493m for Lansdowne
Demand the City of Ottawa hold a binding city-wide referendum on whether we spend half a billion tax dollars on a sports stadium.
Let the taxpayers decide
Mark Sutcliffe wants you to sign his petition calling for the federal and provincial governments to give the City a bailout.
Here’s a better idea.
SIGN THIS PETITION calling on the City of Ottawa to hold a binding city-wide referendum before spending $493 million to renovate the Lansdowne stadium.
Calgary, Montreal West, Victoria and Langford, BC have all recently held similar referenda before going ahead with major sports investments. The people of Ottawa deserve the same.
Ottawa City Hall created this mess
Mark Sutcliffe is looking at big potential tax increases next year.
One option would be to trim spending.
Instead, he chooses to blame other levels of government and demand a hand out.
Lansdowne will cost taxpayers $493 million. The $20 million in required annual debt costs is equal to a 1% property tax increase.
People want a referendum
Last month I asked whether the City of Ottawa should hold a referendum on Lansdowne. The overwhelming majority voted yes.
So here it is. Please sign this petition calling for taxpayers to decide on Lansdowne through a city-wide referendum.
Why we need you to sign
We know that City Hall is going to resist a call for a referendum.
But here is why we need everyone to sign.
1. Outshine Sutcliffe’s petition
Sutcliffe is trying to show that the public is behind him in blaming others for our mess.
Let’s show Sutcliffe that what the public wants is responsible spending by City Hall.
2. Get the public engaged on this wasteful spending
Most people in Ottawa assume Lansdowne is a done deal. Lansdowne is NOT a done deal until a final Council vote in late 2025.
We can stop this wasteful spending.
When enough of us sign, we’ll get more public attention on Lansdowne, including by voters across the city.
3. Hold Councillors accountable and get traction with Council
A number of Ottawa Councillors voted yes for Lansdowne, despite recognizing that this deal stinks.
Councillors like Wilson Lo, David Brown and Stéphanie Plante. I’m sure they all came under intense pressure from the Mayor’s office to vote yes.
If we can create our own pressure with a petition, maybe we can flip their previous votes on Lansdowne. Maybe they will stand up for giving the people a voice in their city.
4. Get traction with Queen’s Park
Ottawa City Hall will probably dig in its heels. But if enough people sign the petition, we will have the authority to take it to Queen’s Park.
Queen’s Park came through for the people of Ottawa on holding a Public Inquiry into our Light Rail Transit fiasco.
If enough of us stand up for better public spending, maybe Queen’s Park will force the City to re-examine whether this is the right time to reinvest in Lansdowne.
Spread the word
Every single signature counts.
If you want responsible spending by your City Hall, please sign this petition.
And more importantly, tell your friends, family and acquaintances that if they care about keeping Ottawa taxes low, to consider signing the petition also.
Neil, thanks for your lucid factual and advisory Substack articles on specific public interest questions for Ottawa citizens. They matter.
It’s crazy-making that they seem to be seen by so few, according to the numbers of ‘likes’ and comments. What to do?
Under climate change & tempatures out of control you can tell the $$ boys who have run this city for as long has I been in Ottawa are GEN X they know how to spend $$ to give less in quality & quanity. So that the community get the bill down the road. As you see there no proposal for a stadium that could be used all year round, but the proposal for over priced condos. In a time when we need a sustainable affordable community. They seem to lack the vision. Like a house. The top is only as sustainable as the foundation it’s built on and the Gold Rush driven GDP that started with the GEN X lack of economic & business 101 sustainablity now has only two ending. Repeat history & no one win. Or apply a 21st century sustainable system. Which we do have all the tools to create a 21st century StarTrek (1968) global federation. So we can go explore the stars & not repeat the 20th century horse& buggy vision of those that think like Trump or Putin. The young understand it, $ if you have not figured it out $$ has no impact on what they do & no longer need to follow old out of date thinking,but have figured out how history retain the good parts.