Pandemic puts Jays' plans for new stadium on pause

Like a lot of things in life, a new home for Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays might have to wait until COVID-19 is beaten.

While there have been some recent upgrades to Toronto's Rogers Centre, the Globe and Mail reported Friday that Blue Jays-owner Rogers Communications Inc. and a Brookfield Asset Management Inc. subsidiary were interested in tearing down the stadium and building a new one.

The Globe, citing sources involved in the project, said the new stadium would form part of a redevelopment in Toronto's downtown. Rogers, however, says any plans there might have been put on the back-burner this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Prior to the pandemic, we were exploring options for the stadium but through this year our primary focus has been keeping our customers connected and keeping our employees safe, so there is no update ...,” Rogers said in a statement to the Post on Friday. Brookfield declined to comment. Speculation about the future of the Rogers Centre had kicked up in the summer of 2019, around the 30th anniversary of the venue's opening. Redevelopment of the Rogers Centre and the surrounding lands would require certain government approvals.

For example, most of the stadium area is owned by Canada Lands Co., a federal Crown corporation, which says it is the landlord under a lease for the Rogers Centre that expires in 2088.

Ivana Yelich, spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in an email on Friday, says “at this time, our government's focus is on getting through the second wave of COVID-19 and preparing for the distribution of vaccines in Ontario.”