The Ottawa Senators have hired a firm to lobby the provincial and federal government to help pay for the team’s planned new arena at LeBreton Flats, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports.
As Garrioch writes, the Senators hired StrategyCorp. Inc., which is a Toronto-based lobbying firm led by Aidan Grove-White.
The Senators and the National Capital Commission came to an agreement on the sale of 11 acres of land at LeBreton Flats in downtown Ottawa in August, where the Senators are planning to build their proposed new stadium.
It was reported at that time that the Senators are paying more than $30 million for the land.
The Government of Canada’s lobbying website states that six different representatives from StrategyCorp, including Grove-White, have registered with federal government officials four times since Oct. 31, including as recently as two weeks ago.
The Senators confirmed in a statement to Garrioch and the Ottawa Citizen on Monday that they have hired StrategyCorp to work on the club’s behalf.
“StrategyCorp has been retained by the developer to communicate with the government to keep them informed about the transformative residential, commercial, and entertainment destination project planned for LeBreton Flats and its benefits for the Ottawa region, province, and country,” the club said.
Some of the factors included in the pitch from StrategyCorp and the Senators include the proposed ice district that will surround the new arena – including a new hotel and affordable housing. Given the implied creation of jobs in constructing that district, StrategyCorp argues that both the provincial and federal governments stand to benefit from supplying funding for the project.
The organization stated that their client’s business is a “major events centre and entertainment district development.”
The form on the provincial government’s website states that StrategyCorp’s discussions with Ontario officials are around the financial participation in the new rink.
“Discussions with the government regarding arena eligibility for infrastructure financing and other government programs,” Grove-White said.
The Senators are using a proposed new arena being built in Calgary for the Flames, in which the cost is being covered by the province, city and the owners of the team. The cost of that stadium is more than $1.2 billion; 27 per cent of that will be funded by the province, with the city chipping in $537 million and another $356 million to come from the owners of the Flames, per Garrioch.
The Senators have publicly stated that they will not be asking City of Ottawa taxpayers for money.
