Behind-the-scenes work is progressing. But with the majority of the excavation site contaminated, along with other hurdles to be cleared, the Senators' dream of a new arena will probably get pushed into the next decade.
On August 10, 2025, the Senators reached a deal with the NCC to build a new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats.
One year later, if you take a summer stroll down Albert Street, you'll see a future NHL arena site that's still nothing more than a scruffy field of long grass.
It may look for all the world as if nothing has been done so far, but Senators President and CEO Cyril Leeder says plenty has happened behind the scenes, including a site study of what's beneath that long grass.
"We think the majority of the excavation is contaminated," Leeder told CTV Ottawa this week. "Our studies are showing us it's over 500,000 cubic meters of soil that has to be taken off the site."
Soil contamination at LeBreton Flats isn't some great revelation. It's been contaminated for a century and vacant for over 60 years, except for the Canadian War Museum, which opened in 2005.
So the Senators knew full well they were taking on a brownfield site when they reached that deal with the NCC last year. But now, the potential scale of the cleanup is becoming much clearer.
According to Leeder, removing the soil alone could take roughly 16 months. And that's before the actual construction of the arena and its infrastructure gets underway.
The Senators secured about 11 acres of LeBreton land from the NCC as part of a larger project that could eventually include residential and commercial development, along with maybe a park or two.
The new arena location has some obvious advantages. For one, it's downtown and much more convenient for Gatineau NHL fans to attend games.
It also sits between two LRT stations, which will be a future asset, but it will also create an extra challenge during construction, one of several.
"It's a large site downtown between two LRT stations," Leeder said. "It's contaminated; it's a tight site to work on, and there's a bunch of necessary due diligence that has to take place there."
All that due diligence is probably the biggest reason Senators fans haven't seen much happening at LeBreton since last year's announcement. The shovels aren't out yet, but the Sens say they are working behind the scenes.
"It may not seem that way, but we are making progress," Leeder said.
The major takeaway is just how far away the opening of a new arena could still be.
Once the contaminated soil has been removed, underground parking would need to be constructed before the arena rises above it. The arena itself is expected to require at least two and a half years to build, possibly more.
Put all those stages together, and the timeline gets lengthy very quickly.
"We're not quite ready yet to nail down a timeline, but if you add up those different chunks, you're getting pretty close to five, six years... if you're ready to go tomorrow," Leeder said.
And, of course, the Senators won't be ready to start tomorrow.
But they are hoping to provide a firmer timeline in the new year.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
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