The long and ugly saga that is RendezVous LeBreton bid has come to a predictable end.
Earlier today, the National Capital Commission (NCC) let it be known that the RendezVous LeBreton group, which includes Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Chairman John Ruddy, were unable to reach an agreement through mediation.
#LeBreton update: We’ve been advised by the mediator Mr. Warren Winkler that the parties have been unable to reach a settlement. Our Board will hold a teleconference on Feb. 28 to review this development. Another meeting will be held on March 7 to finalize a new process.
— National Capital Commission (@NCC_CCN) February 27, 2019
And with that, the NCC is officially moving in another direction.
The Board of Directors will meet by teleconference tomorrow and then finalize the details of “a new process” on Thursday of next week.
Exactly what that new process looks like remains a bit of a mystery. If they decide to reset the whole Request for Proposals (RFP) and go back to the drawing board, it’s a little more than two years wasted. If they turn to the second place bid, DCDLS, it’s hard to know where things might go from there.
Keep in mind that DCDLS has let it be known in the past that they are of the opinion that the rules outlined in the RFP state that the NCC is obligated to negotiate with them next.
The NCC hasn’t commented on that in the past but the previous CEO did say that they had a viable alternative ready to go back in December.
The NCC was ready for this. Former CEO Mark Kristmanson said last month the NCC has a “viable” back-up proposal “ready to go,” and it can be deployed quickly and efficiently, if necessary, to bring a living community back to LeBreton.” https://t.co/2aesEjBYtP
— Steve Warne (@TSNSteve) February 27, 2019
Meanwhile Eugene Melnyk responded shortly after saying that they will continue to look for other locations for a new rink.
“We are devastated that the dream has been shattered,” Melnyk said in a written statement. He said Capital Sports Management Inc. has invested thousands of hours of planning time to make the bid succeed. He suggested the company was not finished looking at more central locations for the new arena.
“More than ever, we are determined and committed to explore alternative approaches in central locations that could accommodate a world-class hub. We are here for the longterm and want a world class venue where Ottawans will live, work, play and enjoy the best the city has to offer.”
Yea okay. Sounds good, bud.
Honestly, it was all so predictable.
From the moment the NCC selected RendezVous LeBreton as its preferred proponent and voluntarily entered into a project of this magnitude with Eugene Melnyk, you just knew it was going to be a bumpy ride.
What is so infuriating about how this all played out is the amount of time and money wasted to this point. That falls on the shoulders of the Sens Owner for sure but it’s also on the NCC, on Ruddy, on the Mayor and on anyone else involved with this process. There were signs that this thing was off the rails as far back as two years ago and honestly, there were legitimate questions about the Eugene Melnyk’s ability to pull it off way before that.
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk talks about LeBreton plans. “We’re going to deliver everything we said we’d do.” pic.twitter.com/CGNIyBUSPz
— Paul Jay (@PaulJayCBC) April 28, 2016
Yet there were all parties involved giving us those regular update saying that everything was on track. That everything was proceeding as planned.
And here we are, 1035 days later, no closer to watching the Ottawa Senators play a hockey game downtown. And maybe even a little further away.
The dream of a downtown arena didn’t die today. But holy fuck, have we ever wasted a shitload of time.
