Experts pen letter of concern about Lansdowne 2.0

Five prominent Ottawans with decades of experience in budgeting, law, publicmanagement and municipal affairs have co-signeda letter to themayor expressing concerns about the latest renewal of Lansdowne Park, calling on him to be fully transparent about its cost.

The majorLansdowne 2.0 revampcalls for a new $183-million arena andnew north-side stadium stands that are estimated to cost $139 million.

The idea is costs would be offset largely by the development of three high-rise residential towers above the existing arena.

The proposal was crafted by the city'sprivate partner, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), and wasendorsed one year ago by the last council under former mayor Jim Watson.

It has been the subject of criticismwith accusations of secrecy and overly optimistic financial projections.

In their letter dated June 25, the authors ask mayor Mark Sutcliffeto answer 18 questions on topics including the project'sfinances, the impact of adding to the city's debt and due diligence.

The letter dated June 25 was signed by:

• Kevin Page:former parliamentary budget officer and current president and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa.
• Penny Collenette: lawyer,board director, and former executive in residence at the University of Ottawa'sTelferSchool of Management.
• Michael Wernick: former clerk of the Privy Council and currently that university'sJarislowsky Chair in Public Management.
• Paul Champ: Ottawa lawyer with a focus onemployment, labour and human rights.
• Joanne Chianello: former CBC Ottawa cityaffairs columnist, nowamanager at StrategyCorp.

While acknowledging that Lansdowne 2.0 offers a chance to put both the Ottawa Redblacks CFL team and the Ottawa 67's OHL teamon more solid footing, as well as create housing and jobs and support tourism, the letter questions whether enough information has been disclosed to compare the project against other potential areas of investment.

Wernicktold CBC the city should reconsider commercial confidentiality, which it has used as justification for not releasing all of the financial details.

"I've been a resident of Ottawa for 41 years and there are a lot of aspects of the project that concern me," said Wernick. "I don't think there's enough information for taxpayers, even councillors,to make a sound decision on this enormous project."

In their letter, Wernick and company tellthe mayor "disclosure exemptions cannot be used when the public interest in disclosing the information is greater than the reason for the exemption."

Concerns with staff's role

Wernick also questioned the role of city staff in presenting the proposal to councillors, even wondering whether they've become "advocates for the project."

"They don't seem to be exercising due diligence for the taxpayers," he said.

The letter asks the mayor for the revised costs of the project, the amount of debt the project would create, what that would mean for the city's ability to borrow and howservicing that debt would affect the city's bottom line.

The authors also want the mayor to release information needed to properly assess the risk for the city, including a detailed breakdown ofcash flow projections and the revenue the city would receive for allowing OSEG to build and sell condos over a city asset.

The letter also wants the mayor to outline how the city will consult the public in a "robust" way and to ensure the city's auditor general hasthe time to answer their questions before council votes on Lansdowne 2.0.

A spokesperson withSutcliffe's office confirmed the mayor received the letter but had not had the chance to properly review it.

Councillor callsfor immediate changes

On Monday, Shawn Menard, the councillor for the area, led a public walkon the grounds of Lansdowne Park wherehe demanded big changes to the existing renewal plan, specifically in the areas of housing, greenspace and public consultations.

He said the original proposal "cannot stand."

Menardhighlighted the impactof the threehighrises of29, 34, and 40 storeys, which would be builtbehind the north-side stands of TD Place stadium and contain 1,200 residential units.

The councillor wants to ensure there is affordable housing within those buildings, isworried about the wind effect at street level and doesn't want to lose too much greenspace the current plan has about 0.5 hectares of grass lost on a city park.

Menardalsoexpressed concern about transparency andthe commercial confidentiality with OSEG.

OSEGVP joins Menard's walk

Janice Barresi,OSEG's vice-president of brand and social impact, joined the councillor's walk before speaking to reporters and offering her group's perspective.

"These city facilities are in dire need of repair,"said Barresi. "The renewal of these sites is critical to the profitability and financial long-term sustainability of the partnership."

As for Menard's concerns about thesize and type of residential towers being proposed, she added: "If the city decides that they wantless density on-site or more affordable housing, we'll work with our partners on that."

City staff are expected to ask councillors for thegreen light for Lansdowne 2.0sometime this fall.