The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled unanimously that the City of Ottawa did not break its own bidding rules in the Lansdowne redevelopment contract.
The Friends of Lansdowne has 60 days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court – a move that will cost $25,000.
In a news conference heard live on 1310News, Mayor Jim Watson says the city can’t wait to move ahead with the revitalization plan.
He said it is time to move ahead with the project.
“I mean now, not some distant time in the future,” said Watson. “Let’s start today pursuing a shared goal of making Lansdowne, once again, a prime gathering place for residents and visitors. Let’s start today the process that will see 26 acres of asphalt reduced to just two acres, and let’s start today to turn the current six acres of green space, including the playing field, into more than 18 acres of urban parkland that everyone in our city can enjoy.”
June Creelman with the Friends of Lansdowne said they are disappointed with the ruling but adds, it is not the end of the organization.
“We respect the court’s decision… but we do wonder if the courts and the law reflect what Canadians want and expect in terms of openness and transparency from municipal governments,” she said.
The unanimous ruling, meanwhile, sets a precedent in terms of private/public partnership agreements.
Allan Maslove, a Professor of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton tells 1310News the decision essentially clarifies the “ground rules” for municipal governments.
Ian Lee, with the Sprott School of Business, and group member of Friends of Lansdowne added they’ve also set a precedent.
“Some people have asked me already if this is all a big waste of time and I don’t believe that at all… We lost the legal decision in the Court of Appeal, but I think we won in the larger policy field because, I think, we have changed public policy in Ottawa. To test that, I would challenge, is there any serious person in this city that thinks that the city would ever be so foolish again in the future to do what they did in the past, by cancelling a competitive bid to go to a sole source?”
If Friends of Lansdowne files a further appeal, Maslove says he expects both the City and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group will sue the community organization to recoup any legal costs.