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The last time the Alouettes held training camp in Montreal, Bob Price was the head coach, Jim Popp the general manager, Tracy Ham the quarterback and the ownership group, led by Michael Gelfand and Jim Speros, didn’t pay many of their bills at John Abbott College.

The year was 1996. The Als were returning to the Canadian Football League following a nine-year absence and, although a good portion of the roster was comprised from the defunct Baltimore Stallions, we didn’t know what to expect.

As the Als prepare for the start of this year’s camp Sunday afternoon, the team’s coming off a franchise-worst 3-15 season, having lost its last 11 games. And we don’t know what to expect.

Management has decided to hold the majority of camp on the grounds of Olympic Stadium for the increased spectator and media exposure it anticipates, following stints at the Fort St-Jean campus and Bishop’s University,

The cost disparity between remaining in Montreal, or going to Lennoxville, is believed to be fairly negligible. While the price tag undoubtedly is higher in Montreal, there’s also a convenience factor at work. Injured and released players, for example, no longer will have to be transported from Bishop’s, 150 kilometres southeast of Montreal.