The Untold Lansdowne Park Story– making long term decisions by Larry O’Brien
It has been said that political campaigns are about promises and governance is about making decisions and progress. Sometimes it is hard to connect the dots between promises and action in a functioning and healthy democracy. Initiating the revitalization of Lansdowne Park is a good example of that difficulty.
Along with keeping taxes low, securing funding for the downtown transit tunnel and completing the new convention centre, fixing Lansdowne Park was another major campaign promise I made in 2006 that I was committed to getting done. I even had an interactive video of how Lansdowne should be fixed on my 2006 web site.
As a lifelong resident of Ottawa I was embarrassed over its run down condition. Lansdowne has been in a sad state for the last twenty years. Then Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, Bill Shenkman and Jeff Hunt approached me with the idea of bringing back CFL football to Ottawa. I pounced on this plan, not so much for the return of the CFL to Ottawa but as a way to make good on one of my campaign promises in a very tax efficient manner for the Citizens of Ottawa.
The revitalization of Lansdowne has always been a controversial subject. My goal was, first and foremost, to finally fix Lansdowne Park and to do it in such a way as to enhance the City for the next 100 years. To do so, tested the skills and patience of not only the four promoters and their exceptional teams, but also those of many of the city staff involved in steering this project through City Hall. And to their credit, they came up with a great concept that would stand the test of time.
Renown architects, Richard Brisbin, Barry Hobin and Robert Claiborne, worked well with the National Capital Commission (NCC) and Parks Canada to create a wonderful plan that would invigorate the site and bring it back to life. They truly represent world class capability in design and engineering and the design that resulted was one of beauty and functionality and was truly breathtaking. The proposed magic of the plan captured the imagination and support of the NCC, Parks Canada and most importantly, the majority of Ottawa Citizens. Lansdowne Live, as it became to be known, even solved the trade show space problem for Ottawa by including a business relationship with the Ottawa airport authority to build new trade show space at the airport that will bring exciting and new trade show business to Ottawa for years to come.
Of course not everyone was happy with the project plans. The foes of the Lansdowne renewal project were very active and animated in their opposition to the plan and to this day, they are still battling with City Hall. There were six left leaning members of my Council who really wanted the project stopped. Councillor Clive Doucet was the most ardent opposer of the group. Councillor Doucet was prepared to do anything to stop Lansdowne Live from becoming a reality. This was underscored after our City Manager and chief Lansdowne negotiator, Kent Kirkpatrick met with then Capital Ward Councilor, Clive Doucet he made an interesting observation. He said he did not realize that Councillor Doucet would be capable of justifying any means in order to stop the project.
It was startling insight and brought to mind the comment made by American President Ronald Reagan on January 29, 1981 that Soviet leadership had “…openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is what will further their cause, meaning they reserve unto themselves the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat…” In short, any means justifies the ends of many on the left of the political spectrum because they often feel they have the moral high ground in any situation. They truly believe they represent the greater good.
This belief proved very frustrating for all involved in trying to move a plan, any plan forward. One could see it on the face of Roger Greenberg on several occasions when he debated Councillor Doucet at Council presentations. In my thirty five years as a businessman, I have never seen anything as disingenuous as the debating positions taken by the opponents of the Lansdowne revitalization project.
It is a battle for any Mayor to convert promises into reality; the campaign versus governance. Lansdowne Live was a battle for me and will be a battle for the new Mayor but I am confident the project will move forward. It is the right project for Ottawa now and for the future.
Larry O’Brien is a former mayor of Ottawa, ON, Canada (2006-2010)
Larry,
I have no idea what could possibly make you want to make a public statement at this time concerning Lansdowne Park, but I am glad that you did. It serves to remind everyone of your total lack of respect for those who do not share your perspective.
This “untold story” is pure revisionist history and incredibly self-serving (not to mention devoid of anything “untold”). Better to just fade into distant memory, don’t you think?
Corry
A couple days behind, but here we go . . .
Winston Churchill is quoted as saying “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
This is a blatant attempt to write a deluded, kinder version of history for Mr. O’Brien.
The plan was certainly not supported by the majority of the city residents. – http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2009/11/05/ottawa-residents-neutral-lansdowne-live.html.
Comparing Clive Doucet to communist is craziness. If this is what his book is going to be like, then I’m really disappointed.
Cory and Tim
I certainly enjoy the fact that the two of you are annoyed because it again shows that if you do not take any flak then you are not over the target. Look for more from me in the future …. It is great to be out of public office because I can call it as I see it and my vision is 20/20.
Larry O’Brien
I’m not sure which was a bigger joke in the last municipal election – Alex Cullen or Clive Doucet, both of whom were under the impression that they had any support beyond their own wards. At least Cullen had some ideas about OC Transpo; Clive merely took the position that whatever some Glebe residents want is the only thing that matters for Ottawa. How anyone could drive by Lansdowne Park (or take the bus by, eh Alex?) and not marvel at what a rundown eyesore the place has become, is confusing to the residents of the rest of The City. But some will always stand in the way of any change, no matter how needed or wanted said change is.
Not In My Glebe Backyard indeed.
How the mighty have fallen.
How pathetic that Larry is still trying to claw his way back into the spotlight, through third rate publications and blogs.
Larry, with what little dignity you have, please just go away and stop making a fool out of yourself.
Comparing yourself to Churchill is just plain sad.
The public whomped you on October 25, and no one really cares what you have to say about the many screwups you presided over.
20/20, huh, Larry….Kind of like your hindsight…..
And I don’t doubt that you enjoy annoying people…..There aren’t many neighbourhoods across this city that wouldn’t testify to that fact….
Tim–there was another poll done by Ipsos-Reid for the Ottawa Citizen and published June 26, 2010.It showed that 63% favoured lansdowne Live. Seeing as it was taken after the CBC poll you mention, it showed a shift in favour of LL.
The best poll was the recent Civic Election that returned a council with MORE members who are on record to be strong supporters of Lansdowne Live.Many of the opponents–Doucet, Cullen, Bedard, Bellemare,Leadman for instance–were defeated.
@ corry, @ tim and @ jerry – are you guys nuts??? Lansdowne redevelopment was long overdue. Larry’s team and city staff steered it through. Watson will not change a thing because it’s a good plan
Larry did a great job with the budgets. Larry would have delivered a zero percentage increase budget this year if he won. it was already forecasted to be only 1% then the province uploaded $25 million in services. Watson just spent it plus some.
You guys need to learn the facts before you post comments.
Let’s not forget that 15 years ago a certain person, who I will not name wanted Lansdowne torn down to put social housing on it.
And furthermore, that very same person today took $14 million from the $25 million in uploaded provincial money for (Ottawa) subsidized housing. Nothing really wrong with that, except that 14 million was a cover up for the inability of a certain provincial government that had no money to put in this much needed commitment.
The plan might not suit everyone but it will improve Ottawa … Sorry Glebeites, suck it up. This is Ottawa’s decision not the residents of the Glebe.
Larry, good on you for working to make it happen!
Since Blake Batson is promoting a Larry O’Brien commentary that had already been published in the Ottawa Business Journal on March 7, 2011, I will take the liberty to reprint here my own comments on David Reveely’s blog about the kind of crass dissing and vilification that our former and defeated mayor is capable of.
Just because Larry O’Brien was raised in Mechanicsville does not mean that he is not capable of showing respect for his fellowmen. Residents of Mechanicsville are honourable. Larry O’Brien only thinks he is.
There are hockey players and then there is Chara. There are politicians and then there is O’Brien.
“Clive Doucet played football when he was younger (and he bicycles and skates on the Canal and at Brewer Park a lot). However, he has not remained fixated with football. He is able to see, analyze and comment on the state of humankind in terms of world events and its many follies.
I have just read his entry in Spacing Ottawa. It may be unnerving but it does make us think about our complacency about the great frailties of our political leaders and business entrepreneurs.
The 20th century brought immigrants from all walks of life and from all corners of the world to our fair country, fleeing hardships and hatred bestowed upon them. Many of these came from Eastern Europe, running away from the czarist regime and similar inequities and enmities.
Hatred is not a spontaneous feeling. It is nurtured with the seeds of vilification. As you well know, to vilify someone is to speak ill of someone. It is done in school yards, at hockey games and football games and in the backrooms of the Council Chambers.
Words like Glebites, NIMBY, tree huggers are nearly always used in a vilificative way.
Throughout the Lansdowne Live and the 2010 municipal elections, many such words were used to degrade opponents.
Vilification has been prevalent in much of the poorly City-planned incidents such as Minto’s Mahogany project in Manotick; Ashcroft project for the Soeurs de la Visitation convent site; KNL’s clear-cutting at the South March Highlands and of course, a business partnership arrangement between the City and a group of entrepreneurs that includes three of Ottawa wealthiest developers for nearly-free use of public land
Going through comments found online and in print for the past four years will show that much of the vilification come from a very small number of people with many nom-de-plume blurting out uncomplimentary epithets nearly on cue to anyone daring to protest against such developments. We suspect an éminence grise behind all of this.
In 1949, after a disastrous and hate-filled World War, the Broadway musical South Pacific came out with its many great songs. One of these, Carefully Taught, had the line “you got to be carefully taught”. Sixty years later, in our present days of political and religious strife, hatred, and financial distress, these words are as important as ever.”
Doesn’t this count as LIBEL by Larry O’Brien?
“Councillor Doucet would be capable of justifying any means in order to stop the project.
“It was startling insight and brought to mind the comment made by American President Ronald Reagan on January 29, 1981 that Soviet leadership had “…openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is what will further their cause, meaning they reserve unto themselves the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat…” In short, any means justifies the ends of many on the left of the political spectrum because they often feel they have the moral high ground in any situation. They truly believe they represent the greater good.”
Again, Doesn’t this count as LIBEL by Larry O’Brien? Don’t those words actually describe what O’Brien and his cohorts did during the whole Lansdowne debacle?
Clive Doucet did nothing but honourably present his defence of a blatantly illegal and immoral grab of public property for private profit in the Lansdowne “deal”. I can’t believe the Ottawa Citizen would publish Larry O’Brien’s blatant LIBEL against an honourable and stalwart citizen who was defending public land from a private profit grab.
I am appalled.
I personally think the best poll on Lansdowne and the O’Brien way of doing business was the October 25th poll. 25% support. Once we actually found out what you were all about, Larry, we realized the mistake of four years prior. You’re all flash and no substance. Hell, even the flash wasn’t very flashy…
And Ian O….Yeah, you got me…I don’t know the facts…..
Several of these pro larry posters are probably larry, his wife, his ex wife and his children.
Quite sad actually.
I love how Larry now says he would have delievered on a tax freeze THIS year. How laughable.
He promised zero means zero and had no clue how to get there, so our taxes went up about 4.5-4.9 his last three years.
Watson’s not perfect but he said 2.5 and he delivered.
And Cory is bang on. Larry squandered 4 years and was trounced in almost every poll in the city.
Larry, please just fade off to the sunset.
Fact is the orginal stadium was exceptional small compared to the new one. Times have changed and time is a major factor in going to a event.
The tax revenue should have been used to place the stadium where there is more parking and access to rapid transit.
Please refer below to the facts:
There are a few problems, I have found exceptionally disturbing, with the transportation and parking plan produced. They are as follows:
1) 100 seconds between Southbound OC Transpo buses on Bank Street during 25,000-person event?
Problem:
It does take more than 100 seconds to load a bus and longer for an articulated one thus backing up buses on a highly dense traffic area created by the congestion of the 1,130 cars parked at Lansdowne leaving and local residential traffic moving through as well as event pedestrian traffic not obeying the rules of the road.
2) 106 shuttle buses (articulated) trips to needed per hour to the satellite parking lots during a 25,000 person event?
Problem:
This creates more traffic, resulting in shuttle buses trying to get to the parking lots and back to the stadium to continue this process to maintain cost efficiency by not introducing an excessive amount of buses.
With no accurate times for the buses to depart, arrive at the satellite parking, unload and then arrive back at the stadium in reasonable time, is unrealistic.
People do not want to be waiting for a bus, an hour or more. How long do the buses wait at Scotia Bank place before leaving on their route?
How many fans travel by bus to Scotia bank place for events compared to the excepted amount of 10,000 plus traveling to the Lansdowne stadium or arena? This would be a strong indicator if this transportation will succeed?
3) On Street parking for 5,360 vehicles on Bank street to the 417, Bronson, Main, Riverdale, Sunnyside, would take a considerable amount of time to walk for the majority of event goers to arrive at where they were parked but not even considering the amount time now in traffic to arrive home. How many people would go to the great lengths to see a event by taking numerous hours out of their day to arrive at the event and depart to get back home? Only teenagers with a great deal of time on their hands!
4) There are 5,500 satellite parking spots and 5,360 parking spaces on the street, which leaves about 1,130 spaces at Lansdowne for a total of 11,990 people using their cars looking for parking, going around in circles, hoping to find one. How do you think a person parked close to Bronson/417 assuming they found this parking to arrive at the stadium?
5) One lane in each direction on Bronson and bank would just slow down the buses with the pedestrians walking across will further slow the down the movement of traffic.
This leaves 12,010 people traveling by regular bus, not mass transit; this transportation system is incomprehensible for anyone with any logic to have perceived this transportation system to a stadium as feasible.
Leave your response!
Tags
Rob Snow CFRA Jim Watson Alex Cullen Larry O'Brien Ottawa Sun Michael Ignatieff Dalton McGuinty Peter Hume Maria McRae Stephen Harper Tim Tierney Randall Denley Tim Hudak Ottawa Citizen City Hall HST Mathieu Fleury OC Transpo OttawaGuest Bloggers
Recent Comments
Most Commented
Ottawa Web Design and Development By Mediavanta