Courtesy TSN

QUEBEC - A Quebec City mayoral candidate says it’s only a matter time before the provincial capital snares a Canadian Football League franchise.

Marc Bellemare told the Journal de Quebec that Sunday’s Grey Cup finalists are based in cities - Regina and Winnipeg - with smaller populations than Quebec City.

Bellemare says a local team could use private and public funding to add thousands of seats to Laval University’s PEPS Stadium.

He noted the Montreal Alouettes recently secured about $25 million from three levels of government to add 5,000 seats to McGill University’s Percival Molson Stadium. The Alouettes kicked in $4.6 million.

The mayoral hopeful says if he’s elected, Quebec City would have a CFL club within five years.

Bellemare says a local team would mean significant visibility for the university and the city.

Tags: CFL, Expansion, Football, Quebec City