The 2011 Superior Court ruling was unanimously agreed by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The ruling was that the city of Ottawa legally entered a partnership with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to redevelop Lansdowne Park. President of Friends of Lansdowne, June Creelman said the group was disappointed by the decision.

The case was brought by the Friends of Lansdowne group and the judges comprehensively rejected it. The group has argued that the deal amounts to an illegal subsidy to a business that it violated the city’s own procurement by law and the agreement was reached in bad faith.

The Friends of Lansdowne do not have an automatic right to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada because of the unanimity. It is still possible to put forward a further appeal but this would need the permission from the Supreme Court. The group was urged by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson not to pursue an appeal.

Watson said that both sides together have spent close to $1.5 million in total and they have two unanimous decisions that allow the work will proceed. He further added that he believes it is time to accept and respect the court’s validation of city council’s decisions and move forward with this important city-building project.

Friends of Lansdowne president June Creelman said that he hopes to decide in the next few days, although the group has not made a quick decision about an appeal. She said that they always knew this would be a difficult legal case because there is so little precedent for bringing a city council to court over these issues.

The case, a challenge of the city’s plans to work with a group of private developers and sports businessmen to renovate Frank Clair Stadium add a park to part of the property and commercial and residential buildings to the rest, was heard in November.

Mark Cohon, CFL commissioner, applauded the ruling and he hopes to have a CFL franchise back in Ottawa for the 2014 season. In a news release, he said that the return of the CFL to Ottawa is a major step closer.

With the Bombers, Johnson is entering his fifth season. in 2011, he was picked as the league’s the top defensive player, the first time a defensive back has been selected. For the second straight season, he was a CFL all-star and East Division all-star for the third straight season.

He sits fourth on the team’s all-time list with 594 yards and he is Winnipeg’s primary punt returner. He returned two of his league-leading eight interceptions for touchdowns in the last season. On the CFL all-time list, his career total of six is good enough for third.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are no doubt hoping many more great moments together between Canadian receivers Kito Poblah and Cory Watson during their CFL careers. Watson and Poblah are both projected to be starters this season. The Bombers gave both of them three-year deals that will take them through the 2014 CFL campaign.
It is a reward for Watson for a breakout sophomore campaign in 2011 that resulted in 69 catches, 793 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. In the Grey Cup, he also had three catches for 42 yards. Watson will earn north of $100,000 in the final two years of his deal. He was Winnipeg’s first draft pick in 2010.

In last May’s supplemental draft, the Bombers gave away their first-round draft pick this year to pick the 24 years old, Poblah. In three games, the 6-foot-2, 213-pound Central Michigan product made 10 catches for 99 yards, which includes nine for 89 in the Labor Day Classic. Poblah shows how good he can be, even though it consisted of many short catches. He believes in his LDC performance.

Just days after the Winnipeg Sun reported Johnson used Twitter to vent about his contract situation came the signing. Reports suggested that Johnson later apologized. Johnson’s Twitter account is not openly accessible to the public. During the offseason, Johnson also spoke out about his contract, when his agent arranged tryouts with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals.

But in the past six weeks, the team has done a complete 180 degree turn, having won all six games and have rocketed up to be now the top-rated team in the Canadian Football League. Led by second-year starting quarterback Travis Lulay, the Lions are not only winning, but winning huge. The Leos have outscored their opposition by an average of almost 13 points per game. And in the past four games, the offensive line has been dominant, as the team is rushing for almost 140 yards a contest, while giving up only one sack during that same four game spread.

The defence has been the real story though. In the six game winning streak, the Lions have allowed only three offensive touchdowns, and given up only 16 points per game, as they now lead the league in many defensive categories. And this after being at the bottom of the league in these same categories just a month and a half ago.

And kicker Paul McCallum has been perfect in kicking field goals, nailing his last 27 in a row to sit just one short of the CFL record set back in 1994 by Dave Ridgeway.

All things are pointing to the Lions playing at their newly renovated $550 million dollar open-roof stadium come November, when Vancouver hosts the 99th Grey Cup. The last time a CFL host team won the Grey Cup was in 1994. The winning team? The BC Lions.

One of those was linebacker Henoc Muamba, who showed why he is considered the most highly rated player at his position.

Every team in the CFL, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, interviewed Muamba. The Bombers, who have the No. 1 pick in this year’s CFL draft, interviewed Muamba twice.

“I knew I was athletic enough. I came out here and wanted to show them I could be physical,” said Muamba. “I’m pretty satisfied overall.”

Muamba, a St. Francis Xavier grad, showed he has the versatility to drop back in pass coverage, while also being physical enough to rush the passer.

“One of my nicknames in university is A.O. cause I am able to play all over,” said Muamba. “I like covering running backs, but I also love the physicality of the game and like being in the box.”

Another linebacker who impressed in drills was Jeff Hecht, who lined up across from the highest rated receiving prospect, Anthony Parker, and did not look out of place.

The Blue Bombers are at +1300 to win the 2011 Grey Cup in CFL Futures odds.

The best record in the CFL was held by the Calgary Stampeders with 13 wins followed by the Montreal Alouettes with 12 wins. Montreal and Toronto met for the last two game of the regular season and split them. Montreal winning the first of the two games 37-30 and then losing the last game of the season 30-4.

Now with the Grey Cup on the line Anthony Calvillo and his high powered offense will be gunning for Toronto in this game. The Toronto versus Montreal series has been one of the closest and bitterest in the CFL this season with the Montreal Alouettes holding a 3-2 edge over the Argonauts.

Toronto has a slim chance to earn their way into the Grey Cup. Cleo Lemon, the much maligned quarterback of the Argo’s, has shown glimpses of greatness in big games and if he can put together a big game this weekend, Toronto has a punchers chance.

Cory Byrd is another factor that can contribute to a Toronto Argonauts trip to the Grey Cup this season. Byrd is a solid up and down running back that can be a game changer. If Lemon is ineffective at the quarterback position, look for Byrd to get more carries to grind out a win.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They enter the playoffs with a winning record at 10-8 but they have lost four of their last five games. Saskatchewan won the last game of the season or they would have entered the playoffs with a five game losing streak.

Darian Durant of the Saskatchewan Roughriders was the leading passer in the CFL this year, passing for 5,542 yards but that does not tell the entire story. Durant has struggled with accuracy and grace under pressure. He has thrown 25 passes for touchdowns but he has also been intercepted 22 times over the course of the season.

On the other side of the field, Travis Lulay had his best game of the season against Hamilton with a 424 yard and two touchdown performance to close out the season. Lulay has been progressing all season long but his accuracy is not much better than Durant. Lulay has nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Defensively the Saskatchewan Roughriders have the edge over the Lions and this game could come down to big takeaway to end the game. If there is a key interception at the end look for James Patrick to be the man to make the steal.

The Tiger-Cats enter this game with a record of 9-8 and sole possession of second place in the East division. The BC Lions enter this game with a record of 7-10 and the possibility of ending their season with the second worst record in the CFL.

The Tiger-Cats are led by the quarterback Kevin Glenn who has 4,813 yards passing to go with his 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Glenn has been the one steady leader on the Tiger-Cats that has led his team into the CFL Playoffs. Glenn is also a partial reason why Hamilton is entering this year’s playoffs as a huge underdog.

The BC Lions have fallen on hard times this season and they will try to end their season on a high note even though they will still finish with a losing record. The BC Lions have won two of their last three games and have an outside chance to make the CFL Playoffs with a win and a Saskatchewan Rough Riders win over the Edmonton Eskimos. Travis Lulay continued his improved play and he could be the factor that puts the BC Lions over the top and potentially in the CFL Playoffs.

Football odds favorite, Anthony Calvillo and the Montreal Alouettes have a record of 11-5 and will be looking to sweep the final two games against their rivals, the Toronto Argonauts. Calvillo has already thrown for over 4,000 yards with two games remaining and is ranked fourth among CFL starting quarterbacks with 4,457 yards in passing. Calvillo’s favorite target, Jamel Richardson also ranks fourth among CFL receivers with 1,179 yards receiving.

Cleo Lemon may not be lighting up the board with passing yards but he does have an explosive weapon to fall back on in the Toronto Argonauts back field. Cory Boyd leads all CFL rushers with 1,279 yards on the ground and five touchdowns along with his two touchdowns and 284 yards receiving out of the back field. Boyd has shown a propensity to cough up the football with his five fumbles.

The Toronto Argonauts are a model of inconsistency with their up and down 8-8 record. This relates back to their quarterback Lemon and their offensive issues. The Montreal Alouettes have a stellar 7-1 home record but have only managed a 4-4 record on the road. This includes a loss in their last and only visit to Toronto earlier in the year.

The Toronto Argonauts enter this game coming off a tough loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and they will be looking to get on a roll to finish on a high note with the season ending in three weeks. Head coach Jim Barker took full responsibility for the loss last week.

Barker has received criticism for sticking with his number one quarterback Cleo Lemon but the Argos have already won more games this year than they have in their two years preceding the 2010 CFL season. Barker did pull Lemon from the Tiger-Cats game but Lemon will be on the field when the Argos roll into Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have a long winter trying to forget their 2010 season. They possess the worst record in the CFL at 4-11 and have struggled to gain traction all season long. The Blue Bombers are coming into this game after a close loss to the Montreal Alouettes and are looking to finish with at least a couple wins to salvage their season. Steven Jyles will get the start once again after throwing for 272 yards in the loss to Montreal last weekend.

Ricky Ray continues to hold his job as starting quarterback for the struggling Edmonton Eskimos despite only getting the ball in the end zone nine times as opposed to his 14 interceptions for the 2010 CFL season. Ray is not known for his legs but he does have 130 yards rushing to go with his 3,100 plus yards of passing.

The only record worse than the BC Lions 2-5 home record is the Edmonton Eskimos 1-6 road record. Someone has to win this game so it may as well be the home team BC Lions. The unsettled quarterback situation for the BC Lions has calmed down for now with Travis Lulay taking up the responsibilities under center over Casey Printers. Lulay has thrown for 1,433 yards to this point of the season which includes a 98 yard score.

The Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions have met three times in the 2010 CFL season with the Edmonton Eskimos scoring two of their four wins over the BC Lions. Edmonton is 1-0 on the BC Lions field and they are 1-1 on their own home field. This game on Saturday is more about which team will have the better draft position in the CFL Draft.