Parks Canada News Release, Ottawa, Ontario, January 15, 2025
"Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of the Dominion Observatory Complex as a national historic site under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration." more
The Buildings
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| The Dominion Observatory |
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| Observatory House |
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| Seismology Survey |
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| Machine Shop |
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| Geophysical Laboratory |
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| Photo Equatorial |
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| South Azimuth |
Page 31/53 "Please do not break up the Central Experimental Farm. As the Nation's Capital we should have a 'Central Park' and the Farm is the only land that is not yet undeveloped."
"Don't touch the farm. Ottawa has the Central Experimental Farm, which is an invaluable green and agricultural space located in the urban core. What other urban core wouldn't wish to have such a treasure?"
Page 37/53 "Pinecrest Creek and the Experimental Farm should not even be considered as they are providing essential green space/natural ecosystem in the city core ."
"Please don't destroy any more greenspace in the middle of the city."
"My preferred option is to stay away from prime farmland. We will never get the farmland back, and future expansion and parking will keep chipping away at a prime land resource."
"People need green space. It reduces stress, encourages exercise and counteracts greenhouse gas emissions. I believe we will find more and more evidence on how important it is for peoples' mental and physical health. Ottawa needs to put more importance on preserving its existing green space, instead of viewing it as land available for development."
"Don't destroy green space for a parking lot."
"Please do not encroach on scientific uses of the experimental farm. Food security is as important as health care."
Page 38/53 "There's no reason to 'pave paradise and put up a parking lot', even for a hospital. No more land is going to appear downtown period. Why wouldn't we re-use someplace we have already built upon?"
Page 40/53 "In my view the Experimental Farm is untouchable! Food research/agriculture is the first 'health care' priority that a community and a nation must have. To build a parking lot on the Experimental Farm would be a travesty."
"The Experimental Farm should be off limits. It is an important research site and should not be sacrificed."
"It seems to me to be very short-sighted to consider taking land from the Experimental Farm. Agriculture and agriculture research will continue to be important in our future. Choosing another location may cause inconvenience to the hospital, but that is all they are. Once that farm land and research is gone, it is gone forever."
"I would be very disappointed if experimental farm lands were used for this new hospital. Ottawa has done a terrible job of protecting green space and it continues to be eaten up at an appalling rate."
"It is inconceivable that any portion of the Experimental Farm would be compromised for the hospital. The Farm provides sustenance for the body to prevent hospital stays." (All information is from "Public Consultation on the Ottawa Hospital Site Review" November 4, 2016.)
"Land forming part of the NILM will be retained by the National Capital Commission on behalf of the government in perpetuity, for purposes which lie at the core of the NCC's mandate." (1988-09-15-TB-re-NCC Land Holdings.)
Quebec
CFB Rockcliffe Jupiter Avenue, Via Venus, Mars Avenue, Polaris Avenue.
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| Avro Drive |
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"The Experimental Farm is protected against development of any kind. Period. The hospital is not permitted. But, even more obviously, the three or more mixed-use (condo) buildings are absolutely unnecessary and not permitted. Please explain why the existing protection is being ignored. Please explain why any mixed-use (condo) buildings are part of this plan. Please explain why parking for all this mixed- use (condo) is part of this plan. Thanks."
"I have been at the Civic many times over the years and I also regularly walk in the Experimental Farm. I am deeply dissatisfied with the plan to use the Experimental Farm in any way. It has been a signature green space of our centre city core for over 100 years, and thus, has trees that are over 100 years old. These trees contribute to the cleansing of the air, providing home for birds and animals, contribute to the beauty of the city. They should not be bull-dozed! Also, "the bowl" (the area near Birch) is one of the most gorgeous landscaped areas I have ever seen."
"Room to grow? One need only look at the long history of our current Civic Hospital to appreciate just how much such a world-class facility grows over time. To where, exactly, will the new Ottawa Hospital expand in the future? By further incursion into the Experimental Farm? A move across Prince of Wales Drive into the Dominion Arboretum? Or across Preston Street into Commissioners' Park? Maybe a new Dows Lake Pavilion. The fact is there is no room to grow in the proposed location without the loss of more accessible green space, historic sites and/or tourist attractions. What are the plans in that regard?"
"Using Maple Drive as an emergency access: Why turn Maple Drive, the main entrance to the Experimental Farm, into an ambulance route instead of keeping ambulances on Carling, where they already are for the current Civic campus? The noise from ambulances having to turn off Carling into the Farm will be a nuisance to residential neighbours. Alternatively, having ambulances enter the hospital campus directly from Carling nearer Preston (largely commercial), as they do now directly from Carling near Melrose would not require turning a tree-lined drive into a hospital service entrance. Plans also show that Maple Drive will be fronted by noisy air, heating and other industrial requisites; this seems a gratuitous reason for destroying old-growth trees - can these utilities not be sited elsewhere?"
"Hello, It is nothing short of a sin that the historic site of the Experimental Farm has been chosen for the Ottawa Hospital. There will be no way to contain the footprint of the hospital to simply what is being designed. People will, out of necessity, find ways to park and use other areas of the farm to avoid parking fees. Have you used a drone to see the actual footprint of existing hospitals in the City and how far out people park? With environmental impacts so front and centre, I simply do not understand why this open and formerly protected heritage area would have been chosen when other options existed...and frankly still do exist. Why designate a site to be of historical significance if years later it is destroyed. And there is no question about this, it will be utterly destroyed. There is time to correct this decision. For our future and the future of generations to come."
"It is not too late to do the right thing and change the plan for the location of the Ottawa Hospital. It would be a travesty to build it at Dow's Lake so close to the Arboretum. Ottawa needs more green space, not less; and more and more research is showing the benefits to citizens. There are other locations that are still central and are closer to public transit, such as Tunney's Pasture and LeBreton Flats. Please, please reconsider this decision."
"Destroying the green space would be a tragedy."
"I am opposed to the hospital plan and the plan to build a new parking lot on Queen Juliana Park Land on the Experimental Farm. The above ground parking lot is a bad idea for a number of reasons. There has never been an environmental assessment of the new hospital or the planned parking lot. We have no idea what the environmental impact will be of building a concrete parking lot across from Dow's Lake."
"It is nothing short of a travesty to select the Central Experimental Farm for the location of a new Civic Campus hospital. The Farm has been a gem for Ottawa, a testament to green space and research, and a wonderful zone for walking and biking within the nation's capital."
"Is the city concerned about mixing tourist/neighbourhood pedestrian/cyclist traffic - those who are visiting our National Historic Buildings - with emergency vehicles on Maple Drive. Does the city think having emergency vehicles and the Central Utility Plant on Maple Drive will negatively impact the experience of visitors to our National Historic sites?"
"Monstrous car-centric vanity project with poor pedestrian and cycling access. The new hospital project is a constant disappointment and they haven't even cut down a lifetime of heritage trees yet."
"How is it even acceptable to even consider removing over 600 trees in order to build this sprawling health complex, when we are in a climate emergency?"
"Disappointed to see this plan includes a four story parking garage that would require the destruction of the Queen Juliana Park."
"The Experimental Farm is a special spot and one that is unique to Canada. It should be preserved at all costs."
"The Queen Juliana Park immediately across Carling from Champagne Avenue is the only stretch of green space easily accessible to this neighbourhood on foot."
(The Ottawa Hospital Master Plan. Engage Ottawa.)
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| Observatory House No. 2 |
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| Geophysical Laboratory No. 3 |
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| Machine Shop No. 4 |
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| South Azimuth No. 8 |
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| Seismology Survey No. 7 |
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| Photo equatorial No. 9 |
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| Dominion Observatory |
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| William Saunders Building No. 49 |
