The Ottawa Senators are set to commemorate a significant landmark this weekend: the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Tire Centre. However, team president Cyril Leeder has tempered expectations for a swift move to a new downtown arena, acknowledging the complex and slow journey ahead for the proposed LeBreton Flats project.
A Celebration Amidst Uncertainty
As the Senators host the Montreal Canadiens for a celebratory game on Saturday, January 16, 2026, and welcome singer Michael Bublé for a Friday night performance, the festivities are bittersweet. Leeder confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that the team will remain at its current Kanata home for the foreseeable future, despite securing an agreement for a new downtown site last year.
"We're going to be here for a while," Leeder stated in an interview conducted on Tuesday, January 13, following a 2-1 home victory over the Vancouver Canucks. This anniversary weekend likely represents one of the final major milestones for the aging Canadian Tire Centre, yet the path to its successor is filled with logistical and financial challenges.
The LeBreton Project: A Real but Complex Vision
The vision for a new Senators arena at LeBreton Flats took a concrete step forward in August 2025 when the club reached an agreement to purchase 11 acres of land from the National Capital Commission (NCC) for $37 million. While the deal has not yet formally closed, it grants the organization the right to proceed with intensive planning and design work.
"The fact that we have a site under contract, it is a lot more real than it was a year ago," Leeder admitted. The project has now transitioned from a land acquisition phase into a full-scale development process, involving numerous stakeholders.
Key issues that must be resolved before construction can begin include:
- Environmental cleanup and decontamination of the former industrial site.
- Relocating critical underground infrastructure, such as hydro lines, a district energy system, and an old sewer pipe.
- Finalizing the arena's design and overall site plan.
- Securing the necessary financing for the massive project.
- Continuing consultations with Indigenous groups.
A Year of Heavy Lifting Ahead
Leeder predicts that the next twelve months will be dedicated to solving these foundational problems. The organization is currently negotiating a design development agreement with the NCC, which will specify crucial details like the timing and responsibility for the site cleanup.
"I suspect that the cleanup will start when the project starts," Leeder said, indicating that major physical work is still some distance off. The team is actively engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts, from high-level stakeholder meetings to technical calls about utility relocation.
While the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Tire Centre is a moment to reflect on the team's history in Ottawa, the comments from President Cyril Leeder make it clear that fans should not expect a quick transition. The dream of a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats is alive and progressing, but it remains a long-term project mired in complex, necessary groundwork. The Senators' future home is taking shape on paper, but the shovels are not yet ready to hit the ground.
