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Spoke with Montreal owner Pierre Karl Péladeau about “how we’re going to grow the league together.”
Author of the article:
Montreal Gazette
Montreal Gazette
Herb Zurkowsky
Published Jun 13, 2025 • Last updated 16 minutes ago • 4 minute read
CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston addresses the media during his introductory news conference in Toronto on April 24, 2025.
CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston addresses the media during his introductory news conference in Toronto on April 24, 2025. Postmedia files
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We know Alouettes owner Pierre Karl Péladeau has deep pockets and is worth an estimated US$2.2 billion, according to Forbes.
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What hasn’t been clearly defined, however, was Péladeau’s motivation when he purchased the Als from the CFL in 2023. While he said at the time he’s been a lifelong Als fan — and as recently as last week said the transaction was the most important of his business career — there could be other factors at work.
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Péladeau, who has declined several interview requests by The Gazette, could be seeking an NHL franchise for his Centre Vidéotron, which is home to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. More than likely, as president and CEO of Quebecor, he’ll be after a piece of the CFL’s broadcast agreement, held by TSN and RDS, when it expires after the 2026 season, so he can televise Als’ games on TVA Sports.
Nonetheless, new CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston believes Péladeau’s intentions are honourable and said the Als’ foundation is solid despite the recent resignation of president Mark Weightman.
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“Ever since Pierre Karl Péladeau came into the league, he has infused this team with incredible energy and great momentum,” Johnston said recently. “Last season saw the highest attendance in 10 years. (RDS) ratings are up significantly in this market. We have outstanding momentum in Montreal. Having Pierre Karl as one of those nine owners has been a real blessing and benefit to the overall group.”
Johnston, 54, was named the league’s 15th commissioner on April 2 and assumed the role three weeks later. The former TSN president and senior vice-president of Bell Media replaced the retiring Randy Ambrosie, a former CFL offensive lineman who had been head of the league since July 2017.
Johnston, who was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, is in the midst of what he calls a “100-day listening tour,” meeting owners, club staff and fans throughout the league. He was in Ottawa Friday for the Als’ game against the Redblacks(7:30 p.m., TSN1, TSN5, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).
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Johnston said he hasn’t specifically asked Péladeau, 63, whether he intends to own the Als indefinitely. And while Montreal’s average regular-season attendance in 2024 was 21,302 — the team reportedly sold out four of nine home games at 23,035-seat Molson Stadium — that was still below the league’s average of 22,764.
“We haven’t had those types of conversations,” Johnston said. “We’ve talked about how we’re going to grow the league together. I think the success that the Alouettes have had over the last three or four years exemplifies this is a group that knows how to take a franchise like the Als and succeed. I’m going to leave it to the experts in this market to decide how best to do that.”
Montreal Alouettes owner and Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau crosses the field with his son, Gabriel, prior to the Eastern Final against the Toronto Argonauts at Molson Stadium in Montreal on Nov. 9, 2024.
While Johnston inherited from Ambrosie a relatively healthy league devoid of ownership issues, there are issues that require addressing.
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The CFL continues being driven by Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, two community-owned franchises that boast the league’s largest average attendance. But while the Winnipeg Football Club’s operating profit grew to a record $7 million in 2024, the Roughriders reported a $1.1 million operating loss for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That’s disturbing.
The BC Lions, under owner Amar Doman, appear stable. And in August, Larry Thompson — a longtime Elks fan and shareholder — purchased Edmonton, transitioning the club from community ownership to a private entity.
Nonetheless, six of the league’s CFL franchises remain below the league’s average attendance — including Montreal and Toronto, its two largest markets. While the Argonauts won the Grey Cup last season, their average was 15,129, not that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment likely cares.
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“I’m coming in at a strong place,” Johnston said. “The league is in an excellent place. We’re set to have a fantastic year. Growing the game is my No. 1 mission. But we have incredible players making incredible plays in outstanding games that usually go down to the wire. How do we expose that as well as we can?
“My focus is on entertainment,” he added. “The first job of the league office is to protect the integrity of the game that’s played on the field. After that, every decision we make should be done through the lens of entertainment. This market (Montreal) is so rich in football history. It’s up to us to nurture that, allow it to grow and foster that growth.”
It hasn’t been lost on Johnston that a significant portion of the league’s fan base is 55 and older. He must discover ways to lower the median age. And while games generally take less than three hours to play, the pace of some is interrupted by a glut of penalties. Winnipeg (96) was the least penalized team last season, while Edmonton (141) had the most. The Als took 113 penalties (6.3 average).
“Our game flow has improved significantly over the years, but it’s something we need to continue to focus on,” Johnston said. “We’re making decisions based on entertainment. Game flow has to be part of that. We have such a quick, action-packed game. We have to make sure the audiences are seeing that and don’t interrupt it with places where we can reduce that flow.”
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