Albion Rd. property becoming an albatross - let Super Ex stay at Lansdowne

The Central Canada Exhibition board of directors met last night. The budget meeting saw reports indicate that Super Ex will be unable to make the move to its "new" Albion Road site in 2008 due to financial difficulties.

Can't we revisit why the Super Ex must move out to the boonies anyway? We're told year after year that it must leave Lansdowne. Jim Watson tried his best to make it happen. Bob Chiarelli saved the park but did little (as far as I can recall) to further the cause of it staying put. To support the idea of making the move, some organizers will tell you that Lansdowne Park has been shrinking. They will also point out that some buildings that were once played integral roles in hosting the annual fair are no longer there. Apparently these points are factual, but are they big enough points in fact to justify the costly move?

As someone who has likely attended the Ex once in most of the last twenty-five years or so, I can't see what is missing. Well, there's the "stupid horse show" that used to be held inside the Civic Centre - my father used to drag me in there. I wanted to be outside where the air smelled like candy apples and the lights dazzled. Imagine my surprise when I tried to lumber into the Civic Centre a mere few years ago to discover that the show had long since headed to other pastures! Things change as you age a bit and I now fondly look back on those nights sitting there watching horses trot around on the dirt floor. Other than that, the rows of food vendors still line the path from the entrance down to the Cattle Castle. Car raffles are still easy to find. Carnies and their games are all there. So is the midway and pretty much everything else I remember seeing as a child.

I do not recall what was in the various buildings, but I can't help feeling that today's children could care less as long as mom and dad buy the expensive bracelet so they can ride the midway all day long and fork out a few bucks so they can try their best to win that big teddy bear!

Anyhow, back to the subject at hand. The bottom line is that Lansdowne Park has hosted the Central Canada Exhibition longer than any resident of the City of Ottawa has been alive. As for those who initiate most complaints, the rich and pretentious residents of the Glebe have all (I believe) moved into the area knowing full well that an annual fair is held there for 10 days every year and has been at Lansdowne since 1888. They also moved to the Glebe knowing that the odd sporting event and concert is held at Frank Clair Stadium. Oh, and they also must have known that all of these events bring cars into their neighbourhood streets as well. Sure, those cars are a bit of a nuisance, but these people have no business complaining. They knew what was there when they bought there. Should we advocate that the Ottawa International Airport move because of the new residents of Riverside South might complain about airplanes flying overhead? I don't think so. The airport's been there for a while and it hasn't been much of a secret.

So, members of Ottawa City Council, Mayor O'Brien, board members of the CCE: why not sell the Albion Road property and use the proceeds to renovate the remaining buildings on Bank Street? The fair that generations have visited could then stay in its rightful spot? It's easy to get to, everyone knows where it is, and the economic benefits to the immediate area are incredible.

The field of dreams is quickly becoming the field of nightmares. Will the CCE board ever raise enough money to move the fair to the "new" site? Will it ever have enough money to put up buildings to host whatever it is that was in the razed Lansdowne buildings? Probably not. Lansdowne Park ain't broke... the CCE organization is.

Mayor O'Brien and everyone else who can make something happen - do what's right and let Super Ex stay in its current home.