Please also see my video below.

Many of my constituents have been asking me about my position on the future of Lansdowne Park, and the city's response to the unsolicited proposal to locate a professional football team there.

The redevelopment of Lansdowne Park should not have been driven by an unsolicited sole-source proposal from one group of developers.   The City of Ottawa should adhere to an open, transparent public process that looks at the widest range of public uses with the greatest return to our community. That is why at City Council I voted to resume the design competition that had been established by City Council in 2008. This was lost on a 14-9 vote.

We then debated a Motion to enter into negotiations with the local developers who had based their offer on the potential of obtaining a professional football franchise for Ottawa. Although there were some improvements to this - such as the preservation of more greenspace, an expanded Otawa Farmers' Market, and retention of public ownership - the procedure was flawed and without any community consultation or public input.

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