Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[ericmacm]

Originally Posted by Nicko999

With all the respect to the CFL, an NFL franchise is a completely different beast.
In MTL, it is by far the second most popular league after the NHL and I suspect it is the same in Toronto despite basketball's popularity.

An hypothetical Montreal NFL team would easily sell out the big O every game.

In more realistic news. Looks like they also want to build a hotel and conference centre.
Negotiations underway for CF Montreal move into potentially ‘world class’ Olympic Stadium: report


https://canadiansoccerdaily.com/2026/08/...ally-world-class-olympic-stadium-report/

More intensification/activation of the area surrounding Stade Olympique is going to be good for it. I have walked around the area before (went to a CF Montreal game at Stade Saputo) and something needs to be done with the windswept concrete plaza on the south side of the complex. I think a complete reconfiguration of that area with a hotel/conference centre would be fantastic.

Big question will be what happens with Stade Saputo if CF Montreal moves into Stade Olympique. I would like to see it remain in use by the CPL/NSL as suggested in the article.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

The hotel was sold as a separate entity around 1999 and remains independently owned and controlled from the stadium, there is no revenue source there for Rogers.

Well that's not great. If I owned a sports stadium, I'd want full control of the entire building. Maybe that's just me. That's a year after the Province sold the stadium to a private entity. Probably sold just the hotel for more than the Province sold the entire Skydome.

Originally Posted by Nicko999

With all the respect to the CFL, an NFL franchise is a completely different beast.
In MTL, it is by far the second most popular league after the NHL and I suspect it is the same in Toronto despite basketball's popularity.

An hypothetical Montreal NFL team would easily sell out the big O every game.

In more realistic news. Looks like they also want to build a hotel and conference centre.
Negotiations underway for CF Montreal move into potentially ‘world class’ Olympic Stadium: report


https://canadiansoccerdaily.com/2026/08/...ally-world-class-olympic-stadium-report/

Originally Posted by ericmacm

More intensification/activation of the area surrounding Stade Olympique is going to be good for it. I have walked around the area before (went to a CF Montreal game at Stade Saputo) and something needs to be done with the windswept concrete plaza on the south side of the complex. I think a complete reconfiguration of that area with a hotel/conference centre would be fantastic.

Big question will be what happens with Stade Saputo if CF Montreal moves into Stade Olympique. I would like to see it remain in use by the CPL/NSL as suggested in the article.

That's great news. Happy to hear of some potential development in the area and a tenant for the Olympic Stadium. I agree, Saputo could be great for those smaller leagues.

[many]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Well that's not great. If I owned a sports stadium, I'd want full control of the entire building. Maybe that's just me. That's a year after the Province sold the stadium to a private entity. Probably sold just the hotel for more than the Province sold the entire Skydome.





That's great news. Happy to hear of some potential development in the area and a tenant for the Olympic Stadium. I agree, Saputo could be great for those smaller leagues.

I think of the reasons why Mark Shapiro said that the Rogers Centre renovation was a temporary solution is because they don’t control 100% of the stadium and not to mention they don’t control the land Rogers Centre sits on

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by many

I think of the reasons why Mark Shapiro said that the Rogers Centre renovation was a temporary solution is because they don’t control 100% of the stadium and not to mention they don’t control the land Rogers Centre sits on

From the federal government:
Canada Lands Company (CLC) is the landlord under a long-term ground lease for the Rogers Centre, which expires in 2088.
The land on which the Rogers Centre (a baseball stadium, including a hotel) sits is under a long-term ground lease from CLC to a Province of Ontario corporation.
The province subleases [most of] the land on which the sports facility sits to the Blue Jays (Rogers) and the land on which the hotel sits to another party.

From Lexpert:

[holders of associated and intermeshing agreements surrounding Skydome include]:

• Stadium Corporation of Ontario Ltd. (Stadco)
• The Province of Ontario
• Canada Lands Company CLC Ltd.
• Canadian National Railway Co.
• City of Toronto
• Toronto Terminals Railway Company Ltd.
• GO Transit
• Oxford Properties and Renaissance Hotels which has a hotel inside the SkyDome

Over 150 intermeshing contracts are involved in stadium operations and 200 encumbrances exist on title.

The City of Toronto is the landlord of some of the land.