The Senators aren’t about to leave Kanata

Vincent Larue
The Senators aren’t about to leave Kanata
Credit: Capture d'écran YouTube

Senators fans who dream of seeing their team play in downtown Ottawa will have to be patient a little longer.

Plans for a new arena at LeBreton Flats are well underway, but the Canadian Tire Centre is far from having hosted its final game.

An agreement regarding the 11-acre site earmarked for the project was announced a year ago. Since then? The project is moving forward, but several major hurdles still need to be cleared.

New information reported today by Agence QMI on TVA Sports has provided a better idea of the scope of work still ahead for the organization.

Senators President Cyril Leeder explained that there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done before the new arena can be built.

However, there's still a long way to go before that happens. Leeder specifically mentioned significant site preparation work, involving the removal of approximately 514,000 cubic meters of soil, much of which is contaminated.

Added to this is the whole issue of funding, which is still far from being resolved. The Senators are seeking public funding from sources other than the City of Ottawa. For now, no date has been set for the start of construction.

In short, it's hard to pull out the calendar and circle the date of the final game in Kanata.

In the meantime, the Senators continue to invest in their current home.

Michael Andlauer explained in June that the seats on the lower level had been replaced, as detailed in this NHL.com article. The organization is also planning to remove about 600 seats in the upper deck of the arena to create a lounge area.

That's a pretty good indication: no one should start saying goodbye to the Canadian Tire Centre just yet.

However, its main problem still remains.

The arena is located in Kanata, far from downtown Ottawa, and getting there can quickly become a hassle on game nights.

Traffic around the arena and exiting the parking lots are, in fact, significant challenges.

That's also why a move to LeBreton Flats could make a huge difference for fans when it comes to public transportation within the city.

The Canadian Tire Centre can be modernized as much as the Senators want.

But it will never be any closer to downtown.


In a nutshell

– We all make mistakes.

– Must-read.

– If he says so.

– New hires for the Canucks.

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