The Canadian Tire Centre is both a world-class entertainment facility and home to the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club. With a seating capacity of just over 18,500, the arena is the largest enclosed facility of its kind in Ottawa.

The arena features 148 executive suites on three levels. The first level of 56 suites is just 16 rows from the ice surface, and all suites offer an excellent view of the action on the ice. The facility also boasts three full-service restaurants, an 800-seat banquet hall, meeting rooms, a fitness club, a sports medicine clinic and office and retail space. 

The arena is close to 630,000 square feet and is located on a 98-acre subdivision. With parking always in high demand, 48 acres of this was developed into parking spaces to accommodate more than 6,500 vehicles. As part of the services PCL provided to this client, extensive work both above and below grade was completed to allow access and provide services to the new facility. 

The relationship between PCL and the founders of the Ottawa Senators began years before the Senators were granted National Hockey League (NHL) franchise status in 1990. For this project, PCL assisted the client with presentations as it pursued franchise status and provided construction planning and costing of the complex facility and its associated civil infrastructure. True to form, we kept the client front of mind and looked for ways to creatively reduce costs without reducing quality. 

PCL made a long-term commitment to the Senators’ founders and followed up on the franchise pursuit with financing arrangements, design development and preconstruction.

We maintained this commitment during the construction phase of the project with stellar on-site execution that saw the facility turned over to the client — and collecting revenue — a full six months ahead of schedule.  Needless to say, this project provided the client with a much-trusted partner and us with a very happy return customer. Because of this symbiotic relationship, both PCL and the Senators scored a winning goal with this project.