1.) During the mid-1980's a federal park known as Mile Circle was chosen as the location for an embassy row. Then the site was rejected because it was located near the Ottawa River:
House of Commons Debates Ottawa March 10, 1986. Hon. Ron Stewart (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works.) "...During the process of site evaluation, a number of sites were rapidly eliminated. Selection of these sites throw into question a number of long established fundamental capital planning principles. These principles include, among other things, preservation of our riverfront properties. The exclusion is consistent with the NCC long-standing policy to retain federal river front land in Canadian ownership for public use. This policy acts to ensure direct access by the public to the river shore."
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| 870 Carling Avenue Ottawa and the Dow's Lake Parking lot. |
I have no doubt that the future of Commissioner's Park is on the line:
a.) The National Capital Commission has the power to remove the Greenbelt designation.
b.) The hospital already wants more than 50 acres of land, and the 22 acre park is right next to the parking lot.
A super hospital will be built on the grounds of the Sir John Carling Building, with emergency facilities, operating rooms and critical care units.
Queen Juliana Park, 870 Carling Avenue is pictured below. An Ambulatory Care Tower is being constructed on the land and "hundreds of thousands" of people will flood into the high rise every year. In 1976 the Trudeau government promised that the park would always be an open space:
City of Ottawa Planning Committeee: Stop the rezoning of Parks to Condos, Queen Juliana 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 (the) 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 of construction...was to honour Queen Juliana of Holland who donated thousands of Tulip bulbs to Ottawa and to relocate community uses of the Commissioner Park to Juliana Park in 1976 when Italian Week and St. Anthony's Church used Commissioner Park 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 Commissioner Park for festivities. Accordingly the local community has used Queen Juliana Park for many of its festivities including 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 as residential for high rise condos."
2.) Loss of viewscapes.
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3.) Loss of tourism. "Next to the Parliament Buildings the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction in Ottawa." (Agriculture Minister John Wise, House of Commons, May 13, 1988.)
4.) As I have said many times before, the Farm is a National Historic Site of Canada. Senate Bill S-203 will ban new construction within 500 metres of National Historic Sites of Canada. Below, a 1998 document from the Laurier Avenue Carnegie Library downtown:
5.) Government-owned Dominion Observatories have buffer zones and that includes the Dominion Observatory on Carling.
6.) Minister of Agriculture John Wise promised that the CEF would not be divested:
House of Commons Debates Ottawa May 13, 1988.
MP David Daubney (Ottawa West) Progressive Conservative.
"Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture. He will agree that the Central Experimental Farm partly located in my riding is the flagship of Agriculture Canada's excellent research effort, and contributes greatly to the unique beauty and character of the nation's capital."
"Will he confirm for the House that the Government has no intention of disposing any part of the Experimental Farm property..."
The Hon. John Wise, Federal Minister of Agriculture.
"Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Hon. Member's continuing interest in the future of the Experimental Farm here in Ottawa. I want to take this opportunity to indicate to him that Agriculture Canada, my Department, has no plans or thoughts whatsoever concerning disposing of any portion of that property at any time. There is no question about that."
7.) People from all over the world want to see the Farm preserved, see the YouTube video "Ottawa prepares to hand over Historic Federal Farmland to Corporate Developers" March 8, 2017.
8.) Too many people were and are opposed to redevelopment of the property:
1.) Prime Minister of Canada Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
2.) Prime Minister of Canada Louis St-Laurent.
3.) Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau.
4.) Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney.
5.) Mayor of Ottawa Jim Watson: "I think the Central Experimental Farm is a real gem in the city and I don't think the public wants to take open and green space and have it developed." (friendsofthefarm newsletter, summer of 2013, page 10/12.)
6.) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works Erik Nielsen.
7.) Minister of Agriculture Sydney Arthur Fisher.
8.) Agriculture Minister James Garfield Gardiner.
9.) Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan.
10.) Agriculture Minister Bud Olson.
11.) Agriculture Minister John Wise.
12.) Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.
13.) Member of Parliament and Leader of the Green Party Elizabeth May.
14.) Chairperson of the Council of Canadians Maude Barlow.
15.) Member of Parliament Marlene Catterall, Ottawa-West.
16.) Former Kitchissippi Ward Councillor Katherine Hobbs.
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