The Dalhousie Community Association and more.

Dalhousie Community Association report, August 19, 2021.

 Ottawa Councillor Ariel Troster---Protecting the Experimental Farm ",,,"Yesterday the Planning and Housing Committee heard from scientists at Agriculture Canada about the ways that tall buildings could impact important crop research---the kinds of experiments that lead to better food security across Canada. It was an interesting conversation but definitely a tough one. 

 Our city's Official Plan calls for intensification in the core, particularly on Carling and Baseline. The more we expand suburban sprawl, the more we threaten precious farmland and undermine efforts to fight climate change. But we know that the Experimental Farm is a very special and cherished space in our city---a place that few want to see compromised by development. I voted against the development in question, but it did get approved by the Planning and Housing Committee. This was not particularly surprising, given that we do not currently have any guidelines to protect the Experimental Farm, or any real understanding of what kind of development could threaten its crucial crop research..." (Note: The National Capital Commission wanted 700 acres of the Farm in 1974 "for housing". See the newspaper article on my blog, titled "The Farm on Carling Avenue". From the Ottawa Journal newspaper: "The area was north of Base Line Road between Clyde Avenue and Prince of Wales Drive".)  

Some nasty surprises when the new Civic opens by Barbara Popel. 

Protesting the Destruction of Experimental Farm trees by Yasmen Amer.

Red flags for the proposed new Civic Hospital by Brian Murray Carroll.

Ottawa Councillor Sean Devine--- Knoxdale-Merivale newsletter-July 23 2024 "As many of you will remember, there has been significant discussion at Ottawa City Council and its committees over the future of the Central Experimental Farm (CEF). The CEF is a treasured part of the city's heritage..."

The Glebe Community Association.

The Glebe Report, February 11, 2022. Opinion by Walter Hendelman. "New Civic Hospital at the Farm-A call to action "

"Construction on the site of the Civic Hospital at the Central Experimental Farm (CEF) adjacent to Dow's Lake is about to start unless we all take action to stop it now!

• 40-plus acres of the heritage site of the Farm has been signed over for the new hospital site as well as the Dow's Lake parking lot.
• About five acres comprising Queen Juliana Park will be for a 2,500-vehicle, four-storey, above ground parking lot.
• A request for an environmental impact assessment has been submitted to the Minister of the Environment by Reimagine Ottawa and others.
• The hospital board of governors has not responded to a request to hold a public meeting about the site.
• Buildings called the Carling Village (presumably condos) are to be built by the hospital on the corner of Preston and Carling. (up to 55 storeys high.)

According to information available online, 34 high rises are now under construction or planned for the vicinity of the site, adding 9,000 apartments and condos and their vehicles to the traffic load in the area. The Dow's Lake area will be severely impacted by hundreds of cars each day, seeking to avoid the parking fees in the garage. Glebe streets will be overwhelmed by traffic cutting through the area, endangering the safety of the countless children who walk or bike to local schools. Forget about access to the Tulip Festival, Dow's Lake, Winterlude and the Ornamental Gardens.

When will all this construction begin? Since both the NCC and our City Council have already approved the site plan, effectively now---next month, in March, starting with the destruction of trees and the building of the garage."

What Can You Do? Go to the Reimagine Ottawa website, reimagineottawa.ca. Look for the headings GET INVOLVED and RESOURCES. Choose your target audience, then send an email to or phone one or two or as many as you'd like of the officials listed. Please tell them that this ecological and logistical disaster cannot, should not and must not proceed, and why. There is at least one perfectly suitable alternative available-Tunney's Pasture, where the ground is flat, parking lots are plentiful, very few trees need to be cut, and its already serviced by the main trunk line of the LRT.

The Glebe Community Association has spoken out clearly and strongly about the plans for the new hospital site-please go to glebeca/ca/advocacy. Ottawa-born Bruce Cockburn, a Canadian music icon and recipient of the Order of Canada and many music awards, has spoken out against the hospital development at the Experimental Farm. His video message is on the ReImagine Ottawa website, along with a rendition of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi (...and put up a parking lot") by two Grade 11 students singing on the snow-covered site amongst trees that will be demolished. Perhaps it is time to re-read Dr. Seuss's LORAX.

The Glebe Annex Community Association.

From Carling to Bronson, to the Queensway to Lebreton South. Ottawa Civic Hospital update to GACA residents, September 2017. Some of the concerns include:

• The process by which this agreement occurred---a detailed NCC report recommended Tunney's Pasture for the best location for the civic hospital. The Ottawa Hospital rejected the report and location, pushing for the Central Experimental Farm land instead. Without further consultation a decision was quickly taken by the federal government to the give the board the location they wanted. (It should be noted, however, that while promised, the land has yet to be transferred.) This decision was felt by many to be unfair. 
• The parking lot at Dow's Lake, bounded by Carling Ave., Preston St. and Prince of Wales Dr., is included in the land that will be given from the federal government. (Queen Juliana Park is also part of this land deal and will also be lost.) Concerns were raised as to what the impact will be on the festivals that take place in the area, such as the Tulip Festival and Winterlude. The impact on local businesses is also a concern, particularly as thousands more people will be moving into the area after a series of high-rise condominiums are built in the area, squeezing parking yet further. 
• The need for the extra land as proposed in the zoning was also a point of concern. While there is a request to remove 5 hectares (more than 12 acres) of land from the Central Experimental Farm, no substantiation was provided as to why that land is required for the hospital site. (Of note, the current Civic Hospital is 23 acres of land-hospital officials are looking for a parcel more than twice that size, while only increasing the number of beds from 600 to 700 or 800.)
• There was a recommendation to increase the height of the buildings, so as to leave more land untouched. The question of "why do you need so much land" was in essence unanswered, although the hospital responded that the city is growing and that the hospital needs to be prepared. Officials also explained that measures such as individual rooms help to contain the spread of infections and make life better for the patients, to justify the need for more space. (They did not, however, answer why more height could not be the solution to this problem.)
• The request for additional height was particularly called for with respect to parking. Preliminary drawings indicate that more than a third of the land is planned to be dedicated to parking and internal roads, with parking and driving space planned to take up as much space as the hospital buildings itself. In the past, the hospital voiced that it was reticent to build a multiple storey parking garage (citing cost, even though approximately $4 million in parking revenue is generated annually at the current Civic Hospital.) When questioned about the type of parking envisaged for this space, and if it was to be multi-storey, the city responded that a parking strategy may be asked for in the future. (The hospital did not respond.) 
• There is much concern voiced over the fact that the public is asked to cite its concerns with respect to zoning now, when so much information is missing. Currently, there is no Traffic Study, Environmental Impact Study, Heritage Study, Site Plan, transportation plan or parking strategy. The city reassured attendees that all studies will be completed before the site plan application is approved, and that there would be a holding provision in place until that point, but,-this does not preclude a decision from being made on zoning. (Note: According to a letter from the Dow's Lake Residents' Association to Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, an Environmental Impact Study was never conducted---"Necessary Action-An Independent Environmental Impact Assessment must be undertaken ."Part of the content of the letter is on my November 1, 2024 blog entry. The letter is 9 pages long.)

The Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association

"The CHNA provided a wide range of comments to the city on the Revised Final Draft of the Preston-Carling Secondary Plan. We strongly opposed the excessive height for the buildings in the Preston-Carling area which will overwhelm the existing community and flood neighbourhood streets with vehicular traffic...CHNA also opposed the city's proposal for development of Queen Juliana Park, arguing that with intensification, existing park and green space is more important than ever for a healthy community." A 55-storey building will be constructed at the corner of Preston and Carling.

Preston-Carling District Secondary Plan (File No: D0I-01-14-0005): 

• CHNA strongly opposes the closing of Queen Juliana Park and strongly opposes its development into an intensified work & residential block
• Unless the City demonstrates concrete actions to preserve and enhance existing parks and greenspaces, and until the City develops and releases the Greenspace Master Plan, references throughout this document (and others) to City support for "public parks" cannot be taken seriously. The City has lost all creditability re: its commitment to greenspace in the Preston-Carling District.  
• CHNA also strongly recommends that the City of Ottawa, in particular elected officials look to the example of a Toronto city councillor who fought to keep a parcel of federal land as a park, rather than be developed as condominiums.  ("How a Toronto Councillor fights for her constituents").The parallels with Queen Juliana Park are significant.

CHNA cannot understand how the City can acknowledge and decry the lack of greenspace in the Preston District while simultaneously endorsing the development of one of the most used and beloved parks in the district-Queen Juliana Park. CHNA is perplexed and infuriated that the City is lobbying to shut down Queen Juliana Park, the only "open space" field in the Preston-Carling district. CHNA encourages the City to envision a design for the greenspace around Dow's Lake.

The Preston-Carling Secondary Plan VISION: Some of the city's tallest and finest mixed-use buildings will cluster around the Carling Avenue O-Train/future light rail transit (LRT) Station. These buildings will form a new, exciting, and distinctive downtown skyline with transition towards the adjacent stable low-rise neighbourhood. Facing Dows Lake and the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site, one of the most significant tourism and recreation destinations in the National Capital Region, these buildings will collectively present an image that is important not only to the City but also to the entire country.

Greener and more urban, the District will see the return of large street trees that historically existed in the area and an expanded network of urban space. Ev Tremblay Park will be enhanced and expanded. (Ev Tremblay Park was never expanded, the Humane Society land on 101 Champagne was sold.)

A November 7, 2021 letter from the Dow's Lake Residents' Association

 Dear Minister Guilbeault, "The Dow's Lake Residents' Association (DLRA) and Reimagine Ottawa wish you well on your appointment as the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change. We reach out to you with a spirit of partnership and collaboration, with the shared goal of protecting and preserving the environment, and affecting climate change.

As you know, Ottawa is poised to use over 50 acres of federal land - central, urban green space only a 3.6 km walk from Parliament Hill, for the Ottawa Hospital's new Civic Campus.

In 2016, the NCC in partnership with the Ottawa Hospital undertook an exhaustive site review which engaged over 8000 people for the Civic Campus. In this review, Tunney's Pasture was selected as the ideal site based on the overall impacts of developing a new hospital and the criteria put forward by the Ottawa Hospital. Shortly after the review was made public, the Dow's Lake site was chosen for the new hospital without a clear supporting rationale. The choice to use the Dow's Lake site, next to the Rideau Canal-Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage site, is one that sacrifices a significant portion of the last remaining Experimental Farm in Canada which has been deemed to be a National Historic Site. This choice will not only have environmental ramifications. It puts into question the value of "heritage" in our country and our commitment to preserving it for future generations. And what is very clear is that these lands will be sacrificed for a new hospital when other, better options were identified, selected, and continue to be available.

Using over 50 acres of federal land and urban green space which is known to be environmentally sensitive and ecologically sensitive, in the heart of the nation's capital-described as "Canada's symbolic focal point'' significantly places Canada's reputation as an environmental steward and partner at risk.

The Dow's Lake community stands at the sea wall of urban growth, tremendous change, and massive development-from a "village" of towers soaring as high as 190 meters or 55 storeys, to a new Civic Campus that will see 10000 staff ebb and flow each day to work, another 10000 ancillary jobs and 1 million hospital visitors per year-or an additional 2740 visitors each day.

The DLRA and Reimagine Ottawa fully support a new, state of the art hospital and centre of excellence. But we are deeply concerned about the lasting and irreversible impacts the new Civic Campus will have on surrounding areas, ecosystems and communities. 

Legislation in the form of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) exist to address these very issues. This legislation is a reflection of our values, who we are as a People, and the need to build a better and sustainable future for all. Environmental Impact Assessments are central to the IAA and guided by the following principles:

• Reconciliation and Partnerships with Indigenous Peoples.
• Basing decisions on scientific evidence and Indigenous knowledge.
• Providing predictability, transparency, and timeliness.
• And, meaningfully engaging with the public.

If a new hospital is to be built at Dow's Lake, in the heart of Canada's capital city, then it is absolutely imperative that we get it right-for our children, for our city and for the future.

Necessary Action-An Independent Environmental Impact Assessment must be undertaken. 

Request There is currently around the world a collective climate conscience, a concerted effort to tackle climate change, and a desire to leave a healthy planet for our children. We know that urban green spaces are good for cities. They reduce air pollution. They keep cities cooler. They naturally manage stormwater. They keep people healthy. They keep people happy. more

"A portion of the Arboretum will be dug up."

The Arboretum on the Experimental Farm covers 64 acres of land between Prince of Wales Drive, Dows Lake and the Rideau Canal. A January 6, 2018 letter from Judy Dodds, President of the Friends of the Central Experimental Farm, to Federal Minister Catherine McKenna: "It has come to our attention that the City of Ottawa is proposing to claim (several) meters of the Farm's southern border along Baseline Road for a rapid transit route. Moreover, it is understood that a portion of the Arboretum next to the O-Train line will be dug up to double track that portion of the transit route, although this area will be replanted." 

The Ottawa hospital is planning to ban private vehicles from entrances to the property: "Emergency Vehicles Only signs will be posted at the Carling Avenue and Maple Drive intersection, Maple Drive and the Site entrance and Prince of Wales Drive and the Site entrance." (Google:" 2021-05-10 Design Brief and Planning Rationale-DO7-12-21-0059-friendsofthefarm.ca" page 25/76.) 

A February 1, 2016 letter from Judy Dodds to Minister McKenna: "Representatives of the Friends of the Central Experimental Farm (FCEF) would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the importance of the Central Experimental Farm as a national heritage site, a renowned research facility and a public green space. We understand from recent media reports that you may review the previous government's decision to provide 60 acres of Farm land for a new hospital. We are also aware that City of Ottawa officials have suggested taking a strip of Farm land along Baseline Road to improve the city's East-West Transportation Corridor. We believe that any decision to radically change the nature of National Historic Sites such as the Farm should consider the full impact of that decision on the intrinsic value and significance of that site."

"The FCEF has been a supporter of the Farm for over 25 years. Our group of approximately 500 members and volunteers generously donates 10,000 hours annually to working in the gardens and through events or other activities, such as our quarterly newsletter that promote awareness of the beauty, scientific value and historical importance of the Farm and the work done there. As a tenant on the Farm we cannot take a position on the land transfer or other decisions regarding Farm property but we can share with you concerns our members have expressed."

"We are approaching you because of your interest in the transfer of Farm land for a new hospital and because the Farm is within your riding. We fully appreciate the tremendous demands on your time but hope that your schedule will permit an opportunity to meet with us to discuss the value and contribution of this wonderful heritage site. Thank you for your consideration."

A brand-new book about the Arboretum "A new book, Pathways to the Trees, highlights the hundreds of tree species at Ottawa's Dominion Observatory and the stories behind them. The CBC's Celeste Decaire met with one of the book's co-authors." (A video.)

Books 

• Building Canada's Farm - An Illustrated Guide to Buildings at the Central Experimental Farm. (A video that I created is on YouTube, "Buildings on the Experimental Farm, Ottawa Canada.")
• Ottawa's Farm by Helen Smith and Mary Bramley.
• Our Farm in the City - is a children's book by Kalli Dakos and Erin Mercer.
• Blooms: An Illustrated History of the Ornamental Garden at the Central Experimental Farm by Richard Hinchcliff.
• Guide to the Central Experimental Farm by William Saunders. "This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization." 

Videos

• Ottawa prepares to hand over Historic Federal Farmland to Corporate Developers (Vimeo)
• RASC 2019 GA-The National Heritage of the Dominion Observatory
• RIP Queen Juliana Park-Reimagine Ottawa

Movies

• "The Perfect Assistant" with Josie Davis, Chris Potter and Rachel Hunter.

The Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa should be protected by UNESCO.

 Canada signed the UNESCO World Heritage Convention document on July 23, 1976. "State Parties agree to identify and nominate properties on their national territory to be considered for inscription on the list." "The 1970's marked the beginning of a dramatic change in heritage designation. By signing the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1976, the federal government committed itself to protecting world heritage sites within Canada. The highest possible standards of conservation would be followed." 

The many reasons why the Experimental Farm should be included on the list:

1.)  More than 700 mature trees will be clear-cut to make room for a hospital. According to the Friends of the Farm---Remarkable Trees of Central Experimental Farm: "Trees were obtained from nurseries in Germany, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, France, England and the USA." Widening Prince of Wales Drive will decimate the cherry blossom trees. The Experimental Farm Woods and Arboretum Woods are protected by the City of Ottawa, Google "urban natural features strategy, City of Ottawa April 11, 2006."

2.)  Views of the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site have already been compromised by a massive parking garage, as big as the Ottawa Airport parking garage. 

3.) A Canadian Privy Council Order signed by Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent stated that: "The Central Experimental Farm should remain an open space in perpetuity; if it were ever desirable to move all or part of the Farm, the land should not be used for building projects but for a park or other open area." March 19, 1954. A copy of the actual Privy Council Order-in-Council is on my savecfbrockcliffe blog entry on February 24, 2024.

4.)  The entire property is part of the National Interest Land Mass.

5.)  The Dominion Observatory: 

• is part of the Parliamentary Precinct - "The popularity of the Observatory occurred when it opened in 1905, due to the support of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Laurier's advocation reinforced the idea that this Observatory was to be considered an arm of the parliamentary precinct." (From: "Journal of the Study of Architecture in Canada" and "Astronomer Mary Grey and the Architecture of Canada's Dominion Observatory." Page 10/67. Information was presented by Sharon Odell of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.)
• is modeled after the Greenwich Royal Observatory in London, England. Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• attempts have already been made to demolish Farm properties---in the year 1970; in 1996 when more than 40 buildings were endangered. And fairly recently: "Extensive demolition or relocation of buildings may be necessary for the new build (the hospital) to proceed." 
• the astrophysical observatory is a Classified Federal Heritage Building. That designation can easily be removed.
• nearby towers and noise and light pollution will prevent the Dominion Observatory from ever reopening. As I mentioned before, my classmates and I visited the landmark in 1965 and we all looked through the telescope. 
• the Ottawa Hospital does not want "irregular parcels of land." The Dominion Observatory buildings are creating an "irregular parcel of land" on Maple Drive. The South Azimuth is the first building that will be demolished because Maple Drive is being widened and converted to an emergency vehicle route.

6.)  If the Farm is included on the World Heritage List, buffer zones may prevent the creation of high-rise residential towers on Carling Avenue and Baseline Road. The towers would be detrimental to scientific research and the growth of food on agricultural land. And CEF property along Baseline Road has been earmarked for a mass transit endeavor. Buffer zones are an "important tool for the conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List."

7.) World War 11 temporary buildings were located on the Farm--- No. 5 was on the Dow's Lake parking lot and No. 8 was on Queen Juliana Park below the Sir John Carling Building. House of Commons Ottawa, June 16, 1958:The Hon. George James McIlraith (Ottawa West): "Has the Minister come to any conclusion as to what will be done with the land on the farm now occupied by the temporary buildings when they are moved?" 

The Hon. Howard Charles Green (Minister of Public Works): "I take it that the hon. member for Ottawa West refers to temporary buildings Nos. 5 and 8. For some years the policy has been that when these temporary buildings are torn down nothing will be constructed on the site."

Mr. McIlraith: "I want to commend the minister for continuing a policy set out a few years ago by the Liberal administration. I believe he will agree that it is a very satisfactory policy."

8.)  Permitted uses of land in the L-3 Central Experimental Farm Zone:  The purpose of the L-3 CEF Zone is to: Allow a range of uses on land designated as A Research Area in the Official Plan that will help to support and conserve the cultural, scientific and historical value of the Central Experimental Farm for present and future generations. 

Allowed

• agricultural use
• environmental preserve and education area
• museum - limited to agricultural museum
• on farm diversified use, limited to a place of assembly (see Part 3, Section 79, By-law 2019-41)
• park
• research and development centre limited to agricultural research
• urban agriculture (see Part 3, Section 82, By-law 2017-48)

Buildings on the Farm cannot be any taller than 5.5 storeys. (The information about L-3 Zoning can be found on "Open Space and Leisure Zones" Sections 173-180, a City of Ottawa document, page 13/19.)

9.) A mega-hospital will have a terrible impact on Dow's Lake/the Rideau Canal, wild life, tourism, agricultural research, the Arboretum Woods, Experimental Farm Woods, Fletcher Wildlife Garden, the Macoun Memorial Garden, Historic Hedge Collection, Ornamental Gardens, heritage buildings, traffic, the scenic parkways (Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Prince of Wales Drive, the NCC Parkway), Preston Street, Maple Drive, Birch Drive and nearby neighbourhoods.

10.)  Major Cultural Landscapes in Ottawa:

• Parliament Hill
• Major's Hill Park
• Rideau Hall
• Rockcliffe Park
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Central Experimental Farm ("All dating from the 19th century, together they have played a key role in shaping people's image of the federal realm.") The information is from 'Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands' by Julian Smith and Associates, Contentworks, December of 2004, page 43/109 Greenspace Alliance.

11.)  House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1988: The Hon. John Wise (Minister of Agriculture)"...Next to the Parliament Buildings, the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction here in Ottawa."  The Tulip Festival and Winterlude are celebrated on the Farm.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the National Capital Commission and PWGSC gave Queen Juliana Park to the people of Canada.

Stop the rezoning of Parks to Condos-Queen Juliana Park in Little Italy "The City of Ottawa Planners are rezoning Little Italy to medium to high density condos for the area bounded by the 417 north to Carling south to Rochester east and the railroad tracks west. By doing this rezoning it is elimination of one park in our area used by the community at large. The park is Queen Juliana Park located at 870 Carling Avenue."

"The Queen Juliana Park was founded in 1976 when the Federal government tore down the Temporary Buildings. The purpose was to honour Queen Juliana of Holland who donated thousands of tulip bulbs to Ottawa---and to relocate community uses of Commissioners Park to Queen Juliana Park in 1976 when Italian Week and St. Anthony's Church used Commissioners Park for its activities to celebrate Italian Canadian Culture. In 1976 Mr. Edes of the NCC convinced Public Works to create the park for community use because the NCC was not going to allow Associations to use Commissioners Park for its festivities. Accordingly the local community has used Queen Juliana Park for many of its festivities including the Victoria Day May 10 to 24th, the Native Indian Pow Wow June 16th to 20th and the Canada Day festival June 27th to July 2."

"It would be very shameful for the City of Ottawa Planners to Rezone these two parks for high rise condos. Our local community has very few parks for the amount of residents in the area. If they were destroyed the Community would have to go to the Experimental farm or Vincent Massey Park to which locations they would have to drive. This is defeating the policy of not driving and going green implemented by the City of Ottawa Council. Please sign our petition to keep the parks in Little Italy. Thank you for your support in this matter." Angelo Filoso, President. Italian Canadian Community Centre of the National Capital Region Inc.