The Algonquin Anishinabe Nation and Senators Sports & Entertainment are working toward a long-term economic partnership focused on developing lands at LeBreton Flats.

The move is tied to the development of a new arena project for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. The proposed project include a surround mixed-use development.

The parties said discussions to date show strong alignment around a shared vision for the site, guided by the LeBreton Flats Master Concept Plan, and aimed at creating the next major gathering place for the Ottawa–Gatineau region. Plans are expected to recognize and honour the cultural and historical significance of the lands to the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation.

The collaboration is intended to bring communities together while respecting the history, identity and future of the site. The Algonquin Anishinabe Nation and Capital Sports Development, alongside Senators Sports & Entertainment, said they will continue discussions as plans evolve.

The Algonquin Anishinabe Nation comprises 11 First Nation communities on both sides of the Ottawa River, also known by its ancestral name Kichi Sibi.

The Senators and First Nation plan to release further details once once a memorandum of understanding is finalized.

In August 2025, the Sens and National Capital Commission and finalized an agreement that sets the stage for the development of the long-sought new arena just west of the city’s downtown.

Capital Sports Development, the team’s parent company, bought the property. Therpoect still requires zoning, design and approvals, as well as decontamination of the land in advance of construction.

Original plans had called for the NCC to lease out a six-acre site in LeBreton Flats to the team.

The team’s current arena, located in the outlying Kanata area, has long been considered as inadequate primarily because of its distance from the city’s core and main population base.

The club has struggled financially at times during its 28-year existence, and the arena location has been cited as a key cause of the problems.

Kanata was formerly an Ottawa suburb.