Quote:
Originally Posted by Aylmer
Ugh. They ruined the parking lot! 
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I agree*. Where else in Ottawa do we have a large expanse of public asphalt that can be used for fairs, parade staging, etc.? Toronto has Exhibition Place; even little Carp had the Carp Fairgrounds – Ottawa now has nowhere in the central area.
The problem was not that we had a large surface parking lot surrounding large-space buildings; the problem was that the City has no idea at all how to book and manage a multi-use facility. Yes, the facilities needed some sprucing up (again, due to the City’s inept maintenance of its assets), but the need for facilities such as these was clearly present. As proof, a private group offered to build a new trade-show building out by the airport. No, the problem was not having an ‘Exhibition Place’ of our own, it was that the City of Ottawa was running it.
You could point out that the facility was losing money, but I’d ask you “What ‘asset’ does the City own which DOES make money – apart from Hydro Ottawa that can charge customers what it wants? How many of the City’s ‘Recreational Centres’ turn a profit, for instance?
The only good things about the Lansdowne ‘redevelopment’ are that a group other than the City is now managing the site and that some of the buildings have finally had some refurbishment.
* I realize that your comment was probably written in jest, but my comments are not; I think the City has lost some needed facilities and, again, has valued money over city services. But this is the town that the City has been trying to drive fun away from.