Sunday, May 13, 2018

Two more Dominion Buildings were "disposed of" by the Federal Government of Canada

  Once a federal building is privatized, the structure loses all heritage designation. If you want proof of that, look at the battle to save the de Havilland Aircraft buildings in Downsview, Toronto. Federal heritage laws supersede provincial and municipal heritage laws. The brand new owner of the Dominion Public Building, Larco Investments,can tear down this landmark;convert it into thousands of condominiums, or build towers on top of it..and nothing can stop Larco Investments:

GONE
The Dominion Public Building at 1 Front Street West in Toronto. Canadians owned this landmark until the year 2018.

 Thousands of CNR and CPR railways stations were bulldozed, re purposed or left to rot; the Laval Penitentiary in Quebec is deteriorating; aircraft hangars at CFB Rockcliffe in Ottawa were demolished. Union Station in Toronto is being "selectively demolished".

You failed miserably, you so-called guardians of Canada's architectural history in Toronto.
You did not save the Summerhill Train Station ---if the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is privatized, Summerhill Station will be transferred to the Ontario Realty Corporation. The ORC can then bulldoze the magnificent building, modeled after the Campanile di San Marco in Saint Mark's Square, Venice, Italy:
The Summerhill Train Station in Toronto, Ontario; now owned by the LCBO.
You did not save the Downsview buildings in Toronto:


When Canadians finally wake up, they will discover that all of Canada's national properties were sold off, privatized. Even the CN Tower--- Walt Disney Corporation and Viacom wanted to buy the CN Tower about ten years ago. As I mentioned before, 91 acres of Experimental Farm Land in Ottawa were privatized in 1988; a project called "Central Park" was built on the Clyde/Merivale lands.
The powerful Fraser Institute is calling for the denationalization of  Canadian government properties in the province of British Columbia---Canada Post, Canada Mortgage and Housing, Veterans Affairs...And the Fraser Institute wants to see the devolution of all the National Parks in British Columbia to the provincial government of BC.

GONE
The Higginbotham Building in Lethbridge, Alberta. During the 1970's, the Higginbotham Building housed Canada Post, Manpower, Canada Customs and other federal government agencies and departments. In 1973, my Mother received a federal grant, a Local Initiatives Project (LIP) grant. Her project, CONCERN, provided free services to elderly and disabled Lethbridge citizens---the employees mowed lawns, drove people to medical appointments, painted houses, etc.

My Mother rented an office in the Professional Building, right next door to the Higginbotham Dominion Building; and I accompanied her when she selected furniture and equipment from the Higginbotham warehouse.
I am pictured second from the left at the Higginbotham Building loading dock, 1973.


GONE
















No comments:

Post a Comment