1.) The former Bank of Canada Building located at 901Rue du Square Victoria in Montreal is a luxury hotel, the W-Marriott Hotel.
2.) The Government of Canada bought the Bank of Montreal on 144 Wellington Street and renamed it the Sir John A. Macdonald Building. Senate Bill S-203 will hopefully save all of the government buildings in the Parliamentary Precinct from demolition or inappropriate alteration, including 144 Wellington.
3.) The Bank of Montreal at the corner of Somerset and Bank Streets in downtown Ottawa was purchased by a provincial Crown corporation, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. If OLG ever decides to privatize the property it will be sold by the Ontario Realty Corporation. The ORC does not lovingly preserve heritage properties---look at what happened to Bowmanville's POW Camp and Rockwood Asylum in Kingston, Ontario.
4.) During the 1980's I worked as a cashier at Big Bud's, now a Dollarama, and as a cleaner in Union Station opposite the Chateau Laurier. I cashed my pay cheques in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce buildings on 62 and 119 Sparks Street. I was enormously impressed by the high ceilings and the architecture, and I felt like I was transported into another space and time.
The CIBC on 62 Sparks is now a restaurant. A man who robbed the bank half a century ago recently returned to the scene of his crime to enjoy lunch. Why did the National Capital Commission or PWGSC not buy this landmark?
5.) The CIBC on 119 Sparks Street, Ottawa permanently closed in November 2019. The Parliamentary Precinct is very close to the CIBC Headquarters. I hope the Government of Canada purchases 119 Sparks Street before a wrecking crew descends on the site and more high-rise condominiums invade my city.
6.) The CIBC on 265 St. Jacques Street Montreal is the St-James Theatre.
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