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Montreal group selects site for MLB stadium

The group seeking to return Major League Baseball to the Canadian city of Montreal has reportedly selected the Peel Basin site as the location for a possible new stadium.

Montreal has been without a professional baseball franchise since 2004, when the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. and rebranded as the Nationals.

Groupe de Montréal, which is leading the bid to launch a new MLB franchise in the city, is headed by Stephen Bronfman. The group has now identified the Peel Basin site as a preferred option for a potential stadium, according to multiple reports.

Canada’s CBC News has reported that Bronfman and Pierre Boivin, the former president of NHL ice hockey team the Montreal Canadiens, have registered on Quebec’s register of lobbyists. Boivin is the current president and chief executive of investment firm Claridge Inc., of which Bronfman is executive chairman.

The report added that Boivin and Bronfman are seeking support from the province of Quebec during discussions with the federal government regarding the possible transfer of land for a stadium project. The land is owned by Canada Lands Company.

The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, said Peel Basin could be “an interesting option” for a stadium site.

The now-defunct Expos played home games at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 56,000.

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