Quebec City mayor Bruno Marchand in favour of CFL expansion, requires funding support for stadium

Photo courtesy: Ville de Quebec

Mayor Bruno Marchand is in favour of the construction of a new football stadium in Quebec City and the potential CFL expansion franchise that might come with it, so long as other levels of government pick up their fair share of the tab.

Marchand addressed the topic publicly for the first time in a press conference on Thursday, video of which was shared by Stéphane Turcot of TVA Sports.

“It would be a golden opportunity, but the shovels of the (provincial and federal) governments must contribute to it. Quebec City can’t do this alone,” he said in French. “This stadium must be multi-functional; we have to be able to play multiple sports. It has to be an infrastructure that unites as many athletes as possible. It has to be an infrastructure that allows us to play in winter, with a dome, as we see at Stade Canac for baseball. We need to maximize the events to transform that neighbourhood.”

The CFL board of governors unanimously voted in favour of a potential expansion franchise in Quebec City last month. The team would be majority-owned by local real estate mogul William Trudel, with the potential for minority partners. Trudel has reportedly agreed to pay a $25 million expansion fee, but needs approval for construction of an appropriately sized stadium for the team to move ahead.

Multiple reports have indicated that a proposed 25,000-seat venue could be completed on the site of the old Colisée as early as 2030, with a CFL team set to begin play soon after. However, others have suggested that the team could launch prior to that date and temporarily coexist with the Laval Rouge et Or at Stade Telus for a season.

Quebec is currently in the midst of a provincial election, with residents scheduled to head to the polls on October 5. Marchand has published a list of requests for the next provincial government on behalf of Quebec City, which includes a financial commitment to redevelop the site north-east of ExpoCité where the Colisée stands with new infrastructure for local, international, and professional sports.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the Parti Québécois and current frontrunner in the polls, has already pledged some support for a CFL stadium in Quebec City if elected.

“I like the sport a lot. I’m convinced that Quebec City is a football market. If you add a Quebec-Montreal rivalry on top of that, it’s certain that the party will take off,” he said last week. “I will just send the signal that, after investing a billion dollars into Olympic Stadium in Montreal, there will be a financial arrangement that is yet to be determined. It is certain that the government of Quebec will be solicited, the response will be positive, and we will participate in that arrangement.”

The federal government is also expected to be petitioned for funding to support the project.  Stéphane Cadorette of Le Journal de Québec reported on Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney has “moderate” interest in funding the stadium.

Should the proposed stadium come to fruition and expansion proceed as planned, Quebec City could reportedly host two Grey Cup games in the first 10 years of the franchise’s existence.

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.