Departure of the Nordiques: Mayor Bruno Marchand reminds Gary Bettman that Quebec has changed since 1995

Mayor Bruno Marchand responded yesterday to the big boss of the National Hockey League (NHL) on Tuesday, reminding him that the situation in Quebec has greatly improved since the departure of the Nordiques in 1995.

• Also read: Mayor Marchand affirms that it is he who will decide on the fate of the old Colisée

• Also read: The planning commission will decide on the future of the old Colosseum

“I was surprised to hear Mr. [Gary] Bettman at the end of the week said that the Nordiques left in 1995 and that there were reasons for that. We all agree. However, in 2024, almost 30 years later, the economic situation is not at all the same,” said the mayor of Quebec, before the municipal council.

The NHL commissioner went on a media tour Monday, during which he returned to the conditions that led to the departure of the Nordiques in 1995, and stressed that he did not meet an owner sufficiently financially invested to bring back a team in the capital.

Mr. Marchand emphasizes that “it is not at all the same demographic, financial, economic reality as in 1995. […] We are completely elsewhere, we are in a very good economic position.” According to the mayor, Gary Bettman “is not very aware” of how Quebec has behaved in recent decades. “That’s not what the NHL looks at when it chooses an expansion. It takes an owner. And beyond the owner, it takes the television rights.

Old Colosseum

Furthermore, the fate of the old Colosseum once again animated the debates on Tuesday. According to the latest available figures, which were confirmed by the mayor’s office, it would cost $17 million to demolish the Coliseum, $20 million to bring it up to standard and $40 million to completely convert it.

Mayor Marchand reiterated that he advocates demolition. He emphasizes that housing is needed on this site and that the Colosseum is not suitable for this. He says he will decide, when the time comes, taking into consideration the costs and the conclusions of the Commission d’urbanisme et de conservation de Québec (CUCQ), which is currently studying the question of the heritage value of the old building.

Villeneuve wants conservation

After having said that it would be up to elected officials to decide the fate of the old Colosseum, the leader of the opposition at city hall now believes that the building must be preserved.

Claude Villeneuve says he modified his position after having “better documented” and having understood that the City “cannot override the decisions of the CUCQ”.

He reminds us that citizens are attached to the building. Does he want to keep it, regardless of the costs? “Once we have a project, the costs, we can decide, always if the CUCQ allows us to do so.” He suggests various uses in the building, including housing.

For his part, Patrick Paquet, head of the Québec Priority Team, completely ruled out the possibility that the Old Coliseum could be transformed into housing.

— With the collaboration of Taïeb Moalla

Citation

“In terms of economic reality, Quebec is not at all the same as in 1995. The economic context of 1995, we are no longer in this state of affairs at all in 2024.”

— Bruno Marchand, mayor of Quebec