The potential collapse of RendezVous LeBreton is not a surprise

That theyears-long process to redevelop LeBretonFlats, complete with an NHL arena, is on the brink of collapsewill be disappointing to so many.

But a surprise? Not so much.

Most people believed on Thursdaywe'd get one of the National Capital Commission'susualupdates on the negotiations with RendezVous LeBreton, the group led by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Group's John Ruddy.

So when NCCCEO Mark Kristmanson revealed thepartners were unable to get along and this whole thingis likely going south if the two sidescan't get it together by January, it was big news.

But the reason it wasn't a complete shock comes down to one factor: Melnyk.

Sabotage

A number of sources close to the negotiations have told CBC the Senators owner has been "uncooperative"from the start.

The sources, who could not be named because the negotiations are confidential, said Melnyk may not have the financial means to go through with the project and believe that's why the partners could not agree on a formal business partnership.

One person involved in the talks said at times Melnyk"seemed to intentionally sabotage the partnership," by waiting untilthe 11th hour to sign documents or even missing deadlines to sign off on routine steps.

The Senators organization disputes this.

"Throughout this process, we have respected the terms and conditions set out in our agreement with our partner," wrote Nicolas Ruszkowski, the Senators' chief operating officer.

"We will continue to do so and therefore, we will not be commenting on misleading and unattributed speculation that does not move the process forward in a constructive manner."

Fair enough. It does take two to tango.

So if there has beenan unresolvableissue inthepartnership,then it's likely not completely one-sided.

'Committed' to vision

Still, look at how Melnyk has talked about this project in the past year.

Last December, before the outdoor game in Ottawa, Melnyk angered fans by taking a shot at them for not buying ticketsand saying that "it wouldn't be a disaster for us at all ifLeBretondidn't happen."

Melnykcan say, as he did in a statement sent out late Thursday afternoon, that he's "championed a downtown sports and entertainmentarena, and this important civic project, since initiating our proposal in 2014."

But the news clips say otherwise.

His statement this week says that the Senators continue"to be committed to making our vision a reality."

And yet in April, at a Senators town hall, he said thattheteam had "stabilized" inKanataand mused that perhaps theydidn't need a downtown rink after all.

"Why are we moving? Are we moving to be closer to the very people that cannot get tickets, or won't buy tickets?" he asked.

If this is the sort of thing Melnyk will say in public about a project he's supposed to be championing, then how is he behaving behind closed doors?

Constant mediation

That outburstled Mayor Jim Watson to tell reporters that he was going to demand to know whether Melnyk was serious about the project.

Themayor also alluded Thursday to having had to play referee between Melnykand Ruddy.

Watson said a "challenging relationship" existed between the twoand that he hoped they could get to a place where it wasn't necessary to be "constantly mediating between the two partners."

According to sources, negotiations took a turn for the worse after Melnykfired well-respectedCyril Leederas president of the franchisein early 2017.

Even the NCC'sCEO appeared to confirm this theory, when he talked about the "changing cast of characters in this project," andmentioned how the process started withLeeder, "who we admire and who was a great leader."

Kristmansonoffered no glowing descriptions or descriptions of any kind on other folks in the negotiations.

Failed deal could be for the best

This isn't over.

The NCC vows to move forward with a new vision for LeBretonFlats.

AndRendezVous LeBretonhas two months to fix this.

Butgiven that Melnyk and Ruddy have been partners for a fewyears, it's hard to see howa few more weeks will help them.

If the deal falls apart, it'll be a major disappointment for thousands of Ottawans.

But it also may be for the best.

This was supposed to a transformative project, estimated to be worth $4 billion.

Sure, there was supposed to be a downtown arena, but there was also a plan for 4,000residential units including affordable housing aSensplex, community centre for people with disabilities, a French public school, shopping and vast, creative public spaces, all on a 21-hectare downtown site served by two LRT stations.

This process is the closest we've been to creating a new downtown community, more than 50 years after the federal government razed the community that existed on the flat.

But are these the people to bring us this new vision?

The mayor was right when he said that, as a city, "we cannot have adysfunctionalpartnership construct and buildthis site over the next 10 to 20 years."

If the partners of RendezVousLeBreton can't get along with each other, trusting themwith this special piece of Ottawa looks like a bad bet.

Maybe their own dysfunction will mean this is one gamble we won't be called upon to make.