CFL board of governors unanimously approves Quebec City expansion: report

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Canadian Football League’s board of governors has voted unanimously in favour of potentially adding a franchise in Quebec City, according to a report from TVA‘s Stéphane Turcot.

The vote took place on Wednesday, September 9, paving the way for the CFL to potentially add a tenth team if certain requirements are met. Sources indicated to 3DownNation that only primary voting board members were in attendance, meaning the owner or chief executive of all nine current franchises.

A CFL spokesperson would not confirm or deny that a vote took place when reached for confirmation by 3DownNation.

“We have had good discussions with a local, serious, and determined group that is working to bring CFL football to the region,” commissioner Stewart Johnston said in an interview with TVA.

While the initial report cited efforts by an anonymous Quebec City businessman, radio commentator Sylvain Bouchard of FM 93 has since reported that the money behind the expansion push is coming from real estate magnate William Trudel. According to him, Johnston and Trudel recently met at a Quebec restaurant to discuss the plans.

A former police officer, Trudel’s business is reportedly worth upwards of $1 billion.

“We will not comment on the rumours, but we are always on the lookout for major projects that would positively advance Quebec City. We will talk only when there is something concrete to discuss,” David Chabot, the chief communications officer for the Trudel Group, said in a statement to Le Journal.

According to the report, an expansion team could begin play in 2030 or 2031. It would be contingent on the construction of a proper stadium.

The current plan is for a 25,000-seat open-air stadium on the site of the Colisée de Québec, the previous home of the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques. That venue has been closed since 2015 and is slated for demolition in 2027, opening up prime real estate beside the Centre Vidéotron.

The cost of this new facility is estimated at $350 million, and Quebec City mayor Bruno Marchandis is reportedly in favour of the project. Four out of five party leaders in the upcoming provincial election are also supportive of the proposal, as is Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Earlier this year, Bouchard reported that a source working within the league had stated with complete confidence that Quebec City expansion would take place. A potential name for the franchise was even floated: L’Attaque de Québec.

Former CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie began to float Quebec City as an alternative expansion destination in 2022, after a proposed Atlantic Schooners franchise fell through in Halifax. His successor, Stewart Johnston, has continued to cite it as a possibility, despite taking a longer-term approach to expansion.

Commissioner Johnston declined to address rumours about Quebec City expansion during an interview with 3DownNation in May, saying that there were conversations ongoing related to several locations, though he has since confirmed that the provincial capital is a leading candidate.

Pierre-Karl Péladeau, the owner of the Montreal Alouettes and Québecor, the company which operates Centre Vidéotron, is fully in favour of adding another CFL team in the province. So too is Jacques Tanguay, the powerful benefactor behind the Université Laval Rouge et Or football program.

In a recent interview, Tanguay said that he and the team would be “the most ardent supporters” of a CFL expansion franchise, believing it to be good for the city overall. That has dispelled long-held beliefs that the Rouge et Or would be an obstacle to the project, though Tanguay was adamant that a new stadium would be required.

Quebec City’s existing football fanbase has long made it an intriguing destination for the CFL, though previous forays into the market have been met with mixed reviews. A 2015 exhibition game between Montreal and the Ottawa Redblacks drew just 4,778 fans at Laval. In 2003, a crowd of 10,358 attended a preseason clash between the Alouettes and the Ottawa Renegades.