Sutcliffe Says PWHL “Using The Leverage Of This Moment” But Believes The Charge Have A Future In Ottawa
Today is the long awaited vote to potentially finalize the Lansdowne 2.0. If it passes, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe believes shovels could be in the ground in 2026.
Sutcliffe this morning went on TSN Mornings to discuss the project, and the topic of the Ottawa Charge and PWHL’s disappointment with the capacity of the arena were again raised. While the PWHL has claimed they have not been invited to the table to have input into the project, Sutcliffe rebutted those claims.
He said the sides originally met in 2023 and that OSEG has listened to the Charge on the topic of capacity.
“From the very beginning, OSEG has said that they told the Charge ‘there’s a new project coming at Lansdowne and it’s going to be an events centre of this size,’ Sutcliffe said. “They gave us the feedback that they hoped it would be a little bit larger and we made it larger. They’ve known all along that this was the plan.”
Sutcliffe said when the Charge originally arrive the plan was to have 4,750 seats. That number was then increased to 5,500 seats.
“We listened to the Charge and they’ve known all along that this was the plan,” he said.
Sutcliffe also suggested that the PWHL is using this moment and perceived conflict to negotiate a better deal with OSEG.
“They’re smart business people and they’re using the leverage of this moment as any smart business person would to try to get the best deal they can for their business,” Sutcliffe said. “I respect that as a businessperson, but we’re building an event centre that will have all kinds of different men’s and women’s sports playing in it in the future, we’re not building an arena just for one team.”
The proposed arena at Lansdowne will be home to the OHL’s Ottawa 67s, who are owned by OSEG. Despite being a Junior team composed primarily of teenagers, the 67s will remain as the primary tenant at the arena, including having first choice of scheduling ahead of the professional women’s team.
Despite the disagreement and discrepancy between the messaging from both sides, Sutcliffe feels there is a way forward for the Ottawa Charge to stay in the City, which he believes will include moving to a different venue for a portion, or all of their game in the future.
“There is a way forward for the Charge in Ottawa,” he said. “There’s a huge opportunity for them to play at that arena. They’ll continue at Lansdowne for the next two years in the current arena, they’ll move into the new arena, and/or they’ll play lots of games at the Senators arena, whether that’s in Kanata or LeBreton Flats in the future as they grow.”
Ottawa City Council will decide this morning on the future of the project.
