First Nations Community in Talks with Neko Sparks Ownership Group for Investment in Ottawa Senators and LeBreton Flats

As the sale process to the Ottawa Senators nears completion, a First Nations community with a claim to the LeBreton Flats is in talks with the Neko Sparks ownership group, which includes rapper Snoop Dogg. Atlético.

In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday, Kitigan GB Anishinabak (KZA) boss Dylan Waitak announced developments around a partnership between his community and an unnamed group still alive in the bid for a franchise of the NHL.

“While we must respect the confidentiality rules inherent in the bidding process, we can ensure that we are in discussions with one of the bidders in consultation with all Kitigan GB members regarding a significant investment in the Ottawa Senators,” he said. Wytak. wrote in a statement.

The Sparks team and the KZA representatives have met several times in recent days, as at least four separate meetings have taken place in the last 48 hours. Over the weekend, Sportsnet announced that the Sparks Confederation will offer equity in the Senators to First Nations brackets.

If the Sparks team is unsuccessful in this process, KZA hopes the winning bidder will use their negotiations as a model for moving forward.

“We invite the Melnyk family and any ownership group that is finally recognized by the NHL to embrace this moment,” Wytak said in his statement. “It’s time to set a new tone in the relationship between Canada’s First Nations, the investors who help revitalize important institutions like Senators and lands like LeBreton, and the governments able to facilitate such efforts.”

The two parties have not signed a formal contract, but the Sparks team and KZA have discussed the broad outlines of what the investment partnership could look like. Before entering into any formal agreement, the White House must return the draft agreement to its community for approval by the Assembly. The KZA must discuss the merits of entering into such an agreement and obtain the approval of the majority of the community before moving forward.

Final bids for the hockey club were due to be submitted Monday and are now being reviewed by Galatioto Sports Partners, the Melnyk family estate and the NHL.

In June 2022, the senators signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission (NCC). Arena at LeBreton Flats, a downtown site. However, that project has been stalled by a significant amount of red tape, including issues surrounding First Nations claims to the site.

At the end of April, Atlético KZA said he was frustrated with the process of trying to get a seat at the negotiating table for a new arena for senators in place. In December 2016, the KZA filed an aboriginal title claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claiming a vast swath of land that includes the Lebreton Flats district. However, after several years of unsuccessful negotiations with the NCC and the Government of Canada, KZA decided to take legal action on the matter.

In a sentence Atlético Last month, the NCC confirmed: “The National Capital Commission was notified in November 2022 that Kitigan GB Anishinaabeg intends to strengthen its legal claim against the Government of Canada.” NCC has also confirmed Atlético LeBreton Flats has worked with 11 different Algonquin communities to find a solution that works for all parties involved in land issues.

However, KZA believes that his claim has enough weight and merit to stand on its own.

“We have a strong case here. We are not going to let this go. This is a good part of our territory and lands,” Wytak said. Atlético April 28. “We have all the evidence to show that this is our territory. These lands that we are all in Ottawa and Catino, we have never given up. We never gave up. They stole it from us.

KZA is believed to have held exploratory talks with at least three prospective owners who have expressed interest in purchasing the Ottawa Senators. In addition to the Sparks group, KZA has been in talks with Ryan Reynolds and Remington Group’s predecessor group, which withdrew its bid for the hockey club last week. One remaining bidder in the process is in talks with KZA, but it’s unclear if those talks were with Michael Andlauer, Steve Apostolopoulos, or the Kimel family.

“We appreciate the honesty, consideration and seriousness with which some bidders have approached us in recent days,” Wytak added in his statement. “His approach, coupled with the bidders’ efforts to renew investment in the group and community, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure meaningful economic, social and cultural harmony among our people.”

In April, Wytak spoke about the importance of “economic reconciliation” as a more comprehensive path to restorative justice for First Nations communities like the KZA.

The senators also considered suggestions that the new arena could honor First Nations groups through artwork or designated street names in the area. But he dismissed those ideas as outdated and irrelevant.

“Change the names of the streets, the sculptures, or have our artists create murals and things? That is borderline symbolism. We are past that point,” White Duck said.

(Foto: Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)