TRIPPING the Niagara.

 The producers of the wonderful documentary "TRIPPING the Rideau Canal" created "TRIPPING the Niagara" which can be viewed on YouTube.

All of the roads near the Farm will be affected, to handle the increase in traffic from a hospital.

"The National Capital Commission Scenic Driveway is a tree-covered route flanked with bike trails. All of the roads serving the site with the exception of Prince of Wales Drive are expected to be widened to account for a greater density of traffic." (From:"Regenerating the Experimental Farm" 2016, page 30/74.)   This recommendation totally flies in the face of Agriculture Canada guidelines and it affects Maple Drive, Fisher Avenue, Cow Lane, Ash Lane, Birch Drive, Morningside Lane, the Observatory Crescent and the Scenic Driveway. By the way, Prince of Wales Drive is not being spared and Isabella Preston's crabapple trees that lined the route were dug up--savecfbrockcliffe.

Agriculture Canada guidelines: Fisher Avenue. "Analysis: Fisher Avenue is currently a two-lane undivided rural arterial with a sidewalk on the west side...A widening to four lanes is currently planned between Dynes Road and the NCC Driveway for transport priority purposes...Any widening of Fisher Avenue between Baseline and Carling, including improvements in support of public transit, will have visual and functional impacts on the Central Experimental Farm." Petition to Protect Fisher Avenue and Urban Forest in Ottawa's New Official Plan. 

Prince of Wales Drive. "Prince of Wales Drive should be maintained as a two lane road..(The Drive) is an integral part of the historic landscape of the Central Experimental Farm. It is a two lane undivided arterial with a proposed 26 m right of way. It is both a designated bicycle and transit route. Prince of Wales is identified in the City of Ottawa Official Plan as a Scenic Entry Route with a set of criteria related to future development applications along it." (Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site Management Plan,18/20-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.)

Future developments will affect Prince of Wales Drive. The image is from Reimagine Ottawa, a group headed by writer and mayoral candidate Clive Doucet.

Merivale Road. "Merivale is a four-lane divided arterial road. Although there are generally sidewalks on both sides of Merivale, only the west side has a sidewalk in the section through to the Farm...No further road widening should be permitted. The east side should be enhanced with a landscape appropriate to the Farm featuring a gravel shoulder, a double row of tall fastigiated trees, suggesting a windrow, within a minimum 4 meter grassed boulevard and no curb."

Merivale Road.

Maple Drive. An accurate prediction from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada:

"We are now in a phase where there is going to be a road and traffic study conducted. Already the South Azimuth is getting in the way of road widening plans."(From: Point 27:06 out of 32 minutes and 38 seconds on the RASC YouTube video.)

 Baseline Road. Agriculture Canada---Any future widening of Baseline Road will have an impact on the rural character of the fields.

Carling Avenue.

NCC Driveway.

Internal Roadways include the Arboretum pathways, Fletcher Wildlife Garden pathways, Observatory Crescent, NCC Driveway, Cow Lane, Birch Drive, Morningside Drive and Ash Lane.  Agriculture Canada stated that "No internal road widenings should be permitted."(From:Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site Management Plan,18/20, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.) According to a May 31, 2021 CBC News article by Kate Porter about the Civic Hospital, Maple Drive will be an ambulance route. 

The South Azimuth, a Classified Canadian Federal Heritage Building located on Maple Drive.The photo is from Flickr.

Bayswater Drive.

Is more Farm land being privatized?

Yes. Proof 1.) A Member of Parliament suggested that land between Merivale and Fisher Avenue may be decommissioned: House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1988. Hon. David Bruce 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 of any part of the Experimental Farm proper, and in particular that part bordered by Merivale and Fisher Avenues in the City of Ottawa?"

The Hon. John Wise (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. I appreciate also the complimentary remarks the Hon. Member made with reference to that very unique facility. It has made a tremendous contribution to Canadian agriculture. It is one of the four original experimental farms created across Canada over 100 years ago. In fact,next to the Parliament Buildings the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction here in Ottawa."

2.) The Clyde/Merivale property which is directly beside Merivale and Fisher was sold to the Municipality of Ottawa in 1988:

  

3.) During the early 1970's the Trudeau government refused to give the National Capital Commission 700 acres of Farm land between Clyde Avenue and Prince of Wales Drive. A 7,000 unit housing development was proposed for the area:

The NCC wanted a 700 acre swath of Agriculture Canada land from Clyde to Prince of Wales Drive. For housing. An Ottawa Journal article from 1973.

4.)The City of Ottawa wants to designate Fisher Avenue (outlined in red) a Minor Corridor.Is it a coincidence, that the Civic is already talking about expanding, and the government was willing to demolish 24 buildings including the K.W. Neatby Building and the Dominion Observatory campus.Is it a coincidence, that the City of Ottawa is promoting intensification and a plethora of condominiums could be built on "surplus" Agriculture Canada holdings.

5.)  The City is building more transit services on Baseline Road and is expropriating part of the CEF, a fast-food business near the Skyline Towers, land from 222 private properties and part of the Pinecrest Cemetery. (From: Baseline transit plan contributes to 'erosion' of Central Experimental Farm-CBC News, February 1, 2017.)

6.)  Councillor Riley Brockington refererred to "future residential developments"." I do believe that the new corridor will reduce travel times, improve connections and provide better mobility. I also believe that this may promote new business and future residential developments.Riley Brockington concerns"I acknowledge and recognize that very little River Ward property is being used/expropriated for this project. As a trade-off, land from the Experimental Farm is being used...How much land is 'a strip' and what is the land currently used for by Agriculture Canada...I believe the federal government needs to clarify what the long-term plans for the Farm are." (From: Baseline transit plan contributes to 'erosion' of Central Experimental Farm-CBC News, February 1, 2017.)

The Experimental Farm between Merivale Road and Fisher Avenue, north of Baseline Road, Ottawa, Canada. February 2017 CBC News photo.

1949 Report of the Federal District Commission, Ottawa, Canada.

 The Federal District Commission is currently known as the National Capital Commission.

Parks and driveways maintained by the FDC in 1949. Bronson Park. Clemow and Maitland Avenue. Confederation Park. Central Park and Linden Terrace.  Dow's Lake Park and Playgrounds.  Echo Drive. Experimental Farm Driveway. Eastview Park. Island Park Driveway. King Edward Avenue Park.

Lady Grey Drive. Nepean Point Park. Lake Flora Park,Hull. Major's Hill Park. MacDonald Garden Park.  Nicholas Street Park. Parc Jacques Cartier, Hull.  Rockcliffe Park.  Rideau Canal Driveway. Strathcona Park. Dundonald Park, Somerset Street.  Val Tetreau Park, Hull. (From: Page 10 of the Federal District Commission report.)  "Whenever possible, the parks and driveways are and will be located along the banks of Rideau and Ottawa Rivers, the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake." Dow's Lake Park - Many silver maples and elms were removed and in their place a total of 30 Red Oaks and White Pines (up to 20 feet) were planted.

The importance of green space in the National Capital.

 House of Commons Ottawa October 7,1974. Mr.Walter David Baker(Grenville-Carleton) Progressive Conservative.(Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition; Progressive Conservative Party Deputy House Leader.) "Mr. Speaker, in view of the statement yesterday by the Minister of State for Urban Affairs about trade-offs in respect of green spaces in Canadian cities, will he inform the House how this trade-off will affect specifically the experimental farm in the city of Ottawa and the greenbelt surrounding it, and indicate whether the government is now actively planning to intrude development into these areas?"

Hon. Barnett Jerome Danson (Minister of State for Urban Affairs)Liberal: "Mr. Speaker I was just speaking about the general picture in Canada, trying to make people aware of the necessary considerations we have in attempting to deal with growth in our cities. Certainly the city of Ottawa in particular has to be treated with special sensitivity. There will be further discussions on this subject before the special joint committee of the House and the Senate announced in the Speech from the Throne."

House of Commons Ottawa November 4, 1974. Mr.Walter David Baker(Grenville-Carleton) Progressive Conservative. (Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition; Progressive Conservative Party Deputy House Leader.) "Mr. Speaker, on October 7 I directed a question to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs (Mr. Danson) regarding...a theory he advanced in the course of "Question Period", that the government  certainly would have to consider the adoption of a trade-off in respect of green spaces in Canadian cities."

"...The minister, in the course of his answer, indicated that at least in so far as the two places I had mentioned in the National Capital Area, namely the Experimental Farm and the Ottawa greenbelt, he regarded these as areas of special sensitivity, and shared my view and the view of many other members of this House in respect of the necessity to preserve them." 

"...Government policy must look at green space in urban areas as a very precious commodity. It is becoming more precious each day as there is a tendency in our society...to pack more and more people onto fewer and fewer acres of land. Municipal development is becoming vertical rather than horizontal. Indeed we must consider the impact that this type of development will have on open space and particularily agricultural land.The green belt and the Experimental Farm in the National Capital Area are precious for the reasons I have mentioned."

Comments about the Experimental Farm, from a 1950 document by Jacques Greber:

                        The Agriculture, Scenic Beauty and Wealth of the National Capital Region.

"Speaking agriculturally, the Capital City is and should be the logical headquarters for research for the Ottawa region and the larger territory in this climatic zone. Equally, it is but logical that it should be the administrative headquarters for agricultural research, which is a Federal responsibility for all Canada. Thus, Ottawa is particularly favoured by having such institutions as the Central Experimental Farm, the headquarters for Science Services in Agriculture, including the most valuable research unit in animal diseases located in Hull, and the Biological Division of the National Research Council."

"It is of particular interest to note that these phases of research, which have grown with the years, have existed in or near the Capital City for nearly seventy years, while it is only within the last two decades that our great neighbour to the south has realized the great need of a similar federal institution and has established on the outskirts of Washington a tremendous and beautifully equipped research unit at Beltsville, Maryland.That institution, just as the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, is more and more appreciated by city and rural people as a research centre where valuable information is acquired for the benefit of the region itself as well as the nation as a whole." (Prepared by Dr. E.S.Archibald, Director of Experimental Farms Services, Department of Agriculture Canada.Pages 39 to 42/395, the Greber Report.)

                                            History of the National Capital.

"...The Capital revealed herself a tourist centre of rare attraction...Residence of the governor general, a university and episcopal city, she can offer convention members hotels with every modern comfort, to spcialists the Parliamentary Library, the National Archives and the scientific museums; to the ordinary tourists the Royal Canadian Mint, historical museums, the Archives and the National Gallery. For hikers here are Rockcliffe, the Driveway and the gardens of the Experimental Farm. On leaving the city, the visitor finds himself, within a few minutes, in the Gatineau Park, at the gateway to a hunting and fishing paradise..."(Prepared by Dr. Gustave Lanctot, President of the Royal Society of Canada and former Deputy Minister of the Public Archives, Page 58/395, the Greber Report.)

                                           From the Holt Report of 1915.

"...Extensive parks and playgrounds were strongly recommended, including the acquisition of lands in the Laurentian Hills for a National Park, and the development of Dow's Lake and its adjacent lands as a recreational centre was strongly urged..." (From Page 196/395, the Greber Report.)

Canada's Farm encompassed 1,200 acres in 1983.

The government of Canada was prepared to demolish 24 buildings for a hospital.

 The Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Sir John Carling location:

• On this site we have at least 24 buildings...including Buildings 1 to 9: Natural Resources Campus (including the Dominion Observatory.)
• Number 20, the K.W. Neatby Building and Oilseed Research Centre.
• Extensive demolition or relocation of buildings is required to allow for the new build to proceed.(From: The New Civic Campus:A 21st Century Hospital in the Heart of Canada's Capital, April 2016, page 10/76.) (There is no guarantee that the landmarks on the Farm will survive according to local councillor Riley Brockington---"Counc. Riley Brockington, who represents the newly leased land, has been trying to lock into the lease conditions that would preserve as many existing buildings as possible, such as the domed building that used to hold the Dominion Observatory.He was not invited to the signing, he said." From: "Reevely:Feds say they'll pay $11.8 M to clean up new Civic site" Ottawa Citizen, February 23, 2018.)

Boundaries. Located on the northeast portion of the CEF. The parcel is bounded by Carling Avenue, Maple and Birch Drives, Prince of Wales Drive and the CEF Pathway and Queen Juliana Park. Similar to CEF-Central, CEF-East has open area, existing buildings and the original pathways for the CEF.

Advantages of site #11. (1) Meets land criteria if outside the current boundaries of John Carling site-test fit shows how 60 acres fit and the boundaries of the outlines. 2.) Meets location criteria of being in the centre core.While not as close as CEF-West or CEF-Central sites, the access from Highway 417 via Carling Avenue or Parkdale Avenue is still very effective.Location overlooks Queen Juliana Park with potential for direct synergies for wellness amenities and recreational relationships within the neighbourhood and community. 3.) Meets land access criteria-access from Highway 417 and potential access from Carling Avenue and Prince of Wales Drive.

 4.)Meets transportation criteria-access from 417 and Carling Avenue.Will take longer as it is somwhat farther than CEF-Central and Cef-West. Potential access from both Carling Avenue and Prince of Wales Drive. Option integrates well with major road system for patient, visitor and emergency vehicle access.Public transportation runs along this route.Option allows for effective integration of mass transit plans in future (bus, light rail, etc.)

5.)Meets criteria to support future expansion. 6.)Minimal community impact. 7.)Potential to integrate existing mature trees. 8.)Meets infrastructure criteria. 9.)Meets patient access and proximity criteria. 10.)No impact on research plot-need confirmation from AAFC.

Disadvantages of site #11. 1.)Irregular boundaries. 2.)Located adjacent to a known fault line (need to confirm that the site will meet the hospital post-disaster building construction requirement.) 3.) Increase in height/depth of parking structure required based on tight density. 4.) Inability to maintain program adjacencies with connected buildings due to site configuration. 5.) Incompatibility with the scale of adjacent buildings.

6.) Traffic will increase on Prince of Wales Drive and the National Capital Commission Driveway. 7.) Will need to review impact of Prince of Wales Drive being used as the secondary access for service vehicles, etc. 8.)CEF is a National Heritage Designation. 9.)This location has the tightest site density. 10.)Potential impact to the community living near Prince of Wales Drive if the traffic volume increases. 11.) During construction neighbourhood may be impacted. 12.)Capital cost would be significantly higher in this option.

Dominion Observatory Building #1.,

South Azimuth Building #8.

Photo Equatorial Building #9.

Observatory House Building #2.

.A plaque honouring Sir Sandford Fleming is attached to the front of the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa.Sir Sandford Fleming was a surveyor and inventor, and he was present when Lord Strathcona drove the last spike into the Canadian Pacific Railway on November 7, 1885.

Seismology Survey Building # 7.

Geophysical Laboratory Building # 3.

Machine Shop Building # 4.

The Sir John Carling property is a poor location for a medical centre.

From: "NCC Federal Site Review for the New Civic Campus of the Ottawa Campus", November 2016, pages 67 and 68 out of 256 pages. 

Central Experimental Farm East.

Historical Context. This parcel formed part of the original CEF landscape when it was first established in 1886. While it was originally partly experimental fields and partly meadow, it was later the site of the Sir John Carling Building. That building was demolished in 2014, leaving only the West Annex (the former cafeteria.)

Formal Heritage Recognition. Part of the CEF National Historic Site of Canada. The Sir John Carling Building, a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, was demolished in 2014, but the West Annex was retained.The West Annex is planned for re-evaluation by the FHBRO.

Key Heritage Considerations. Only a portion of the proposed site is located within the National Historic Site boundary, but it would still affect the "present boundaries and spacial balance of the Farm." The site is also in the vicinity of several designated federal heritage buildings and this context would need to be considered in the design of a potential new building on the site.

Proposed Rating. Poor in that there are multiple heritage considerations including intrusion into the present boundary of the CEF National Historic Site of Canada and proximity to the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site and several Federal Heritage Buildings.

References

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The Province of Ontario will never permit the redevelopment of the Farm.The 2014 Provincial Policy Statement under the Planning Act, Page 28/56:

2.3. Agriculture 2.3.1. Prime agricultural areas shall be protected for long-term use for agriculture. (Construction of a medical facility will contravene) (i) The Ontario Heritage Act; (ii) The Planning Act; (iii) The Provincial Policy Statement. The 2014 Provincial Policy Statement declares that:"Significant built heritage resources and significant built heritage landscapes shall be conserved."

Definition of a Cultural Heritage Landscape in Ontario. "means a defined geographical area that may have been modified by human activity and is identified as having cultural heritage value or interest by a community, including by an Aboriginal community."

"The area may involve features such a structures, spaces, archeological sites or natural elements that are valued together for their interrelationships, meaning or association. Examples may include but are not limited to, heritage conservation districts designated under the Ontario Heritage Act; villages, parks, gardens, battlefields, mainstreets, and neighbourhoods; cemeteries, trailways, viewsheds, natural areas and industrial complexes of heritage significance; and areas recognized by federal or international designation authorities (e.g.) a National Historic Site or a UNESCO World Heritage Site." (From:Dan Schneider, University of Waterloo, May 26, 2018.)

The Sir John Carling property-Part 2.

House of Commons Ottawa March 20, 2017. Question 810: The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Conservative: "With regard to the government's Ottawa Hospital Site Review, which concluded with a National Capital Commission recommendation to the Minister of Canadian Heritage on November 24, 2016; (a) when did the Environment Minister decide that she would order this review; (b) when did the Environment Minister ask that the Heritage Minister take over this review; (c) did the government estimate the cost of delaying the construction of the new hospital by at least a year and if so, what were the costs; (d) what was the total cost of the review as of November 24, 2016, broken down by (i) employees' salaries (ii) contractors (iii) consultants (iv) land use surveys or studies (v) other expenses;

(f) what are the precise boundaries of the property to be be leased to the Ottawa Hospital, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site #11 by the National Capital Commission; (g) what price does the government plan to charge the Ottawa Hospital as rent for the Sir John Carling Site, known as site #11 by the National Capital Commission; (h) how much payment in lieu of taxes does the federal government pay the City of Ottawa for the Sir John Carling Site, known as site # 11by the National Capital Commission; and (i) what will be the costs for preparing the site for the Ottawa Hospital to be built, and which level of government or organization will pay for them?

House of Commons Ottawa March 20, 2017. Question 811: The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Conservative: "With regard to the government's transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital for the future site of the Civic Campus, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site #11 by the National Capital Commission: (a) what analysis did the departments of Public Services and Procurement Canada (former Public Works and Government Services Canada), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Capital Commission and Canadian Heritage, conduct at each of the 12 sites; (b) what did the National Capital Commission estimate the total land preparation costs of each of the 12 sites would be; (c) what concerns did the National Capital Commission raise regarding potential contamination of each of the 12 sites;

 (d) what are the boundaries of the Sir John Carling Site which will be leased to the Ottawa Hospital; (e) are the metal piles that were used for the foundation of the former Sir John Carling Building still present at the site; (f) if the answer to (e) is affirmative, what will be the cost of removing the piles; (h) if the answer to (f) is negative, what is the governments plan to accomodate the new Ottawa Hospital around the existing piles; (i) what is the estimated cost of preparing the site for the Ottawa Hospital to be built, and which level of government or organization will pay for them; (j) what contamination currently exists at the Sir John Carling Site, and how will it be mitigated or removed prior to the hospital's construction; (k) what is the estimated cost of remediating any contimation, and which level of government or organization will pay for this; and (l) does the government foresee any other factors specific to the Sir John Carling Site that would increase costs or delay construction of the new hospital, and if so, what are they?"

"City files re-zoning application for new Ottawa Civic Campus"--CBC News, August 18, 2017: "The City has filed an application to re-zone five hectares of land on the Central Experimental Farm to re-designate the land from 'agricultural research area' to 'general urban area' and relinquish the green space from the Farm."

The group "Reimagine Ottawa" headed by writer and politician Clive Doucet pointed out the fact that: "The Dow's Lake parking lot will be re-zoned as Mixed-Use (MCF) instead of Institutional.Queen Juliana Park will be left as Mixed-Use instead of being rezoned like all other Ottawa Hospitals. Which developers have expressed an interest in the Tunney's, existing Civic and Dow's Lake/Experimental Farm sites?" (Google: "Questions Reimagine Ottawa.")

House of Commons Ottawa June 16, 1958. Hon. George James McIlraith (Ottawa West) Liberal: "Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister is now prepared to make the statement he said he would make concerning the policy of the government with respect to buildings on the central experimental farm."

Hon. Howard Charles Green(Federal Minister of Public Works) Conservative: "The policy is that no buildings will be built on the central experimental farm except for buildings for the Department of Agriculture."

Mr. Mcilraith: "If I may pursue that question a bit further, has the Minister come to any conclusion as to what will be done when (the temporary buildings) are removed."

Mr. Green: "I take it that the member for Ottawa West refers to temporary buildings Nos. 5 and 8. For some years the policy has been when the temporary buildings are torn down nothing will be constructed on the site."

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

An Ottawa Journal article from August 3, 1941. The No. 5 War Building on Dow's Lake and the No. 8 War Building on Queen Juliana Park were demolished in 1976. The photo second from the top was taken from the roof of the Sir John Carling Building. Archives of Canada photo.


 

Dominion Observatory-Ability to receive radio emissions from outer space.

House of Commons Ottawa April 13, 1965. Hon.J.A. MacLean (Queens): "I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys and ask him if the Dominion Observatory has the capability to listen to and evaluate radio emissions from outer space, which a Russian astronomer claims are transmitted by intelligent beings." 

Ottawa astronomers find Planet X:

Buffer zones around Canadian government space observatories: House of Commons Ottawa June 26, 1972. Member of Parliament Randolph Harding (Kootenay, British Columbia) New Democratic Party: "Mr. Speaker, may I address my question to the President of Treasury Board. In view of the damage which will result to the excellent research work of the Dominion Radio Astro-physical Observatory near Penticton if a certain land development project in the area proceeds, may I ask the minister what steps, if any, his department has taken to protect this important aspect of Canadian research?"

More information about the Farm.

 My video "Buildings on the Experimental Farm,Ottawa,Canada" is on YouTube.Thank you Adobe Spark and YouTube.

The Dominion Observatory campus is part of the Natural Resources Canada portfolio.

A YouTube video showing the demolition of part of the Natural Resources Canada portfolio on Booth Street, Ottawa. Summer of 2020. The Booth Street properties are across Carling Avenue from the Observatory campus.

                                     

The Sir John Carling property-Part 1.

House of Commons Ottawa June 21, 2017. Question No. 1040. Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Conservative: "With regard to the government's transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital for the future site of the Civic Campus, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site No. 11: (a) what is the current status of the transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital; (b) on what date does the government anticipate the land transfer will be complete; (c) did the Ottawa Hospital incur any costs as a result of delaying construction by a year; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what are the costs, and will the government reimburse the Ottawa Hospital;

 (e) how many trees are there at site No. 11; (f) what buildings are currently at site No. 11, broken down by (i) name and address, (ii) purpose and current use; (iii) whether the building will be demolished or moved to another location; (g) what will be the total cost of preparing the site for the Civic Campus to be built; (h) what will be the additional cost specific to building the Civic at site No. 11, including (i) the cost of building on a sloped surface, (ii) the cost of being located near a fault line; (iii) the cost of removing or transplanting the trees referred to in (e), (iv) any other costs due to site No. 11's unique features, (i) which level of government will pay for the land preparation and additional costs noted in (g) and (h); (j) does the government have any estimates on the costs of preparing site No. 11 for a large institutional occupant and, if so, what are the details; (k) what is the market value of the land at site No. 11;

(l) what will be the rental rate or sale price of site No. 11 to the Ottawa Hospital; (m) which organization or level of government will pay for the at least $11.1 million in contamination remediation as estimated by Public Services and Procurement Canada; (n) is there any other contamination that needs to be remediated that is not captured in the $11.1 million figure; (o) if the answer to (n) is affirmative, what is the contamination and what is the expected remediation cost; (p) what design, cultural, esthetic, or architectural elements will the National Capital Commission require the Ottawa Hospital to incorporate into the hospital, and what will be the cost of those elements;

(q) will the federal government cover the costs of the elements referred to in (p); (r) has the government estimated the additional costs of constructing any building or structure on site No. 11, due to the nearby fault line and, if so, what are the costs; (s) what would have been the total cost of preparing the Central Experimental Farm site directly across the street from the current Civic Campus, known as either site No. 9 or site No. 10; (t) are there any known challenges associated with building on site No. 11 and, if so, what are they; and (u) does the government foresee any other factors specific to the Sir John Carling site that would increase costs or delay construction of the new hospital and, if so, what are they?"

(Reasons why the Farm was initially rejected as the location for a medical centre: the Farm is a National Interest Land Mass and a National Historic Site of Canada; there is no guarantee that the Dominion Observatory campus will be preserved; more than 500 trees will be clearcut; experiments conducted by Agriculture Canada scientists helped the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, and the Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens will be negatively impacted by traffic and a loss of viewscapes. Also, the United Nations may remove the designation "UNESCO World Heritage Site" from the Rideau Canal if a medical facility is built near Dow's Lake. savecfbrockcliffe.)

Drone footage,25 seconds.Google: The Sir John Carling site-Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital.

Queen Juliana Park,870 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.

The medical centre wants far more than 60 acres of land.

The hospital wants the $4 million dollar Dow's Lake parking lot; part of Carling Avenue and part of Preston Street; Queen Juliana Park; Prince of Wales Drive; Maple Drive; air rights; the Sir John Carling Building cafeteria annex; the vacant William Saunders Building; pathways and the historic Hedge Garden (which Agriculture Canada employees were forced to dig up.)

 Another reason why the Carling site was chosen: "Flexibility for future expansion over and above what is currently planned." (A memo from Mr. Cameron Love, May 28-Google: Untitled-Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital.)

Permitted Auxiliary Uses.

(a)  services for the care of dependents,

(b)  dental, pharmacy and educational services,

(c)  use as accomodation,clinics, food and service facilities and retail,

(d)  uses practised in community health hubs as may be directed by the Minister from time to time; including community centres, athletic facilities, and other non-governmental organizations providing public services,

(e)  diagnostic laboratories,

(f)  educational and research institutions,

(g)  parking which includes, without limitation, the performance of the NCC sublease and transit services,

(h)  such other services or uses required by the Minister or Province for the treatment of patients to be provided by a Hospital,

(i)  multi-use pathways connected to the community,

(j)  the performance of the Permitted Title. (From: Ground lease agreement- Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital,2018, page 8/70.)

"Surrounding Space" means the lands abutting or being or lying beside and around the Lands (which includes, without limitation, HMCS Carleton, Carling Avenue, Preston Street, Prince of Wales Drive and the AAFC (Agriculture Canada) Lands. (From: Ground lease agreement-Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital, page 10/70.)   Private vehicles will eventally be removed from nearby Carling Avenue and Preston Street----just as private vehicles are being removed from 4 lanes of University Avenue in front of Hospital Row in Toronto; all of Wellington Street in front of Parliament and the National Capital Commission parkways.

University Avenue in Toronto--"The northernmost part of the street is dominated by a series of hospitals including Toronto General Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Hospital for Sick Children...A portion of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line runs the length of University Avenue...It has been proposed to return half of the 8-lane avenue to parkland." (University Avenue-Wikipedia.)

As I have said before, Prince of Wales Drive is being changed to 4 lanes to accomodate traffic, and the South Azimuth on Maple Drive will be demolished because Maple Drive has to be widened. The North Azimuth was removed when Carling Avenue was widened.

The South Azimuth is Building Number 4 on the Dominion Observatory campus.

 From the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada YouTube video: " We are now in a phase where there is going to be a road and traffic study being conducted.Already the South Azimuth is getting in the way of the road widening plans." (Point 27:06 out of 32 minutes and 38 seconds.)

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada YouTube video.

(Note: The RCN Curling Club at Dow's Lake will have to leave because DND recently increased their rent by 1,000 per cent.)

Land allocated to the medical facility. North Boundary-Carling Avenue between Bayswater Avenue and Preston Street;  East Boundary- Preston Street to Prince of Wales Drive.  South Boundary-From Prince of Wales Drive (600 metres) to 90 degrees west to Birch Drive.  West Boundary- From Birch Drive/Maple Drive up to Winding Lane and back to Carling Avenue at Bayswater (quarter of a circle around the Dominion Observatory.)  From: A Public Services and Procurement document given to Member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons, Ottawa.)

A letter asking Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau to save the Farm.

The new hospital will encroach upon buffer zones.

The Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site of Canada buffer zones, and the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site of Canada buffer zone. 

It is not possible to integrate the medical centre and the Farm: House of Commons Ottawa March 10, 1986. Member of Parliament Barry Turner (Ottawa-Carleton)Progressive Conservative: "...The National Capital Commission will be making a fundamental planning and policy error if it recommends to the Government that the Mile Circle be used to house embassies. The local, regional and indeed national outcry of total opposition to this proposal should in itself be a proper, clear, concise message that it is making a serious mistake..."

"The Mile Circle land has been held in trust since 1904 by the federal Government as parkland...I cannot accept the argument that any development will be done in such a way as to maintain open spaces and a parkland setting. That is impossible since thousands of tons of concrete and steel will be sewn together by architects, engineers and construction workers...My professional background is in conservation and tourism development. I know what impact infrastructure can have on parkland. If parks are for people, and I truly believe they are, then you put any and all development outside of them."

The 22-acre Commissioners Park at Preston Street and Carling Avenue is part of the Greenbelt:

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009. Member of Parliament Steven Blaney (Bellechase-Les Etchemins-Levis, Quebec) Conservative: "...Other properties found in the Greenbelt are Commissioners Park, where there is a display of over 100,000 tulips."

Greenbelt Coalition of Canada's Capital Region.Position Paper for the NCC's Greenbelt Master Plan Review, September 2010. Legal protection, Part 4.5: "Greenbelt land should have clearly defined boundaries protected by federal statutes, preventing commercial and residential development and other incompatible activities".

Carling Avenue Ottawa---from "A Wall of Condos" to "Hospital Row".

 Reasons why a mega-hospital should not be built on the grounds of a National Historic Site of Canada:

1.)  The Plains of Abraham in Quebec City are federally-owned, historic and vacant, yet no one would dare construct an institution on the property.

2.)  At least 18 Agriculture Canada experimental farms have been privatized and the land was sold to real estate entities. 

3.)  The National Capital Commission wanted to preserve the Farm and that includes the Sir John Carling Building, Queen Juliana Park and all of the fields:

"NCC Interim Report on the results of public consultations on the future of the Central Experimental Farm-May 1998."

4.)  The mega-hospital is too close to the Dominion Arboretum, Ornamental Gardens, Dow's Lake and Commissioners Park. Before Covid, 500,000 people a year visited the Tulip Festival on Commissioners Park. Little Italy is a major tourist venue, and there will be a mass exodus of long-time residents because of noise pollution, light pollution, massive intensification and loss of parkland. 

5.)  A new Senate Bill, S-203, An Act to Amend the National Capital Act, prohibits the construction of buildings within 500 metres of a National Historic Site.

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                     NO ONE WANTED TO SEE A MEDICAL CENTRE ON THIS LAND.

"NCC Interim Report on the results of public consultations on the future of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. May 1998." From: The Main Public Library Downtown.

The Province of Ontario and the City have the power to save the Experimental Farm.

Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act gives municipalities the ability to designate heritage conservation districts. 

Characteristics of heritage districts. A concentration of heritage buildings, sites, structures; designed landscapes, natural landscapes that are linked by aestheic, historic and socio-contexts or use.  A framework of structural elements including major natural features such as topography, land form, landscapes, watercourses and built form such as pathways and street patterns, landmarks, nodes or sections, approaches and edges.

Historic buildings on the Experimental Farm in Ottawa: Agriculture Museum, Arc Biotech, Booth Barn, Cafeteria Annex for the Sir John Carling Headquarters, Carpenters Shop, Dairy Technology Annex,Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Engineering Annex, Genetics Building, Heritage House, Horse and Cattle Barn, Horticulture Building, K.W. Neatby, Laboratory Services, Learning Centre, Main Dairy Barn, Main Greenhouse Range, Nutrition Complex, Photo Equatorial Building, Service Buildings, Small Animal Barn, South Azimuth, Swine Showcase, William Saunders.

Landscapes: Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Arboretum.

Watercourses: The streams and lakes in the Fletcher Wildlife Garden.

Pathways and street patterns: Maple Lane, the NCC Scenic Driveway, Observatory Crescent, Sentier Trail.

Landmarks: The Dominion Observatory, modeled after Sir Christopher Wren's Observatory in Greenwich, England; the sundial in front of Ottawa's Observatory, and the Agricultural Museum. The nearby Dow's Lake and Commissioners Park are landmarks, members of the Dutch Royal Family visit these venues and hundreds of thousands of tulips bloom in the park every year. The Canadensis Sun Shelter.

House of Commons Ottawa June 16, 1958. Hon. George James McIlraith (Liberal): "Mr. Chairman, I wonder if the minister is now prepared to make the statement he said he would make concerning the policy of the government with respect to buildings on the central experimental farm."

Mr. Green: "The policy is that no buildings will be built on the central experimental farm except buildings for the Department of Agriculture."

Mr. McIlraith: "If I may pursue the first question a bit furthur, has the minister come to any conclusion as to what will be done with the land when (the temporary buildings) are removed?"

Mr. Green: "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 when the temporary buildings are torn down nothing will be constructed on the site."

Mr. McIlraith: "I want to commend the minister for continuing the policy set out a few years ago by the Liberal administration in that regard. I believe he will agree it is a very satisfactory policy." (Temporary building No. 8 was on Queen Juliana Park, 870 Carling Avenue, Ottawa and Temporary building No. 5 was on the Dow's Lake parking lot. savecfbrockcliffe.)

The Friends of the Farm are worried about the future of the Observatory Campus, William Saunders Building, Heritage House and the Genetics Building. (From: Friends of the CEF Fall 2017 newsletter.)

Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Federal Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan in front of the now-vacant William Saunders Building. The hospital evicted the nearby DARA Tennis Club.

 

Heritage Conservation Districts in Canada's Capital are the Village of Rockcliffe Park, New Edinburgh, Lowertown West, Russell Range, the Sparks Street Mall, Cathedral Hill and Centretown.

Save the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa.

A March 15, 1954 Federal Government of Canada document, from a Cabinet meeting attended by Prime Minister of Canada Louis St-Laurent: "The Central Experimental Farm should remain an open area in perpetuity."

 The people of Ottawa were told that trees would be preserved; that the DARA Tennis Club would remain on the site; that the hospital will be a smaller, Scandinavian-type institution; that the medical centre will not affect the Arboretum, Dominion Observatory Campus and nearby roads and pathways. Twelve acres of land have been rezoned from Institutional to Mixed Use.

People who wanted to preserve the Experimental Farm.

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." (From: friendsofthefarm newsletter, summer of 2013, page 10/12.)

Prime Ministers of Canada Sir Wilfrid Laurier; Mackenzie King; Louis St-Laurent; Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney.

Federal Ministers of Agriculture Sidney Arthur Fisher; William Motherwell; Thomas Crerar; James Garfield Gardiner; Douglas Scott Harkness; Bud Olson; Eugene Whelan;John Wise and Gerry Ritz.

Writer and politician Clive Doucet.

Senator Anne Cools.

Former Chair of the Council of Canadians Maude Barlow.   

Federal Minister of Agriculture Sidney Arthur Fisher and Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier on the grounds of the CEF. Early 1900's. Archives of Canada photo.

Committee of Adjustment Meeting regarding the design of the new medical centre.

A zoning change.

A UNESCO document pertaining to the Rideau Canal, and the loss of the designation "UNESCO World Heritage Site" if a hospital is built on the Farm: The UN agency received a State of Conservation Report in May of 2018 regarding the following projects:

1.)  Various Federal Infrastructure Investment Program projects along the length of the Rideau Canal World Heritage property.

2.)  Rideau Canal Crossing pedestrian bridge(Ottawa).

3.)  Chateau Laurier proposed expansion(Ottawa).

4.)  Highway 417 bridge rehabilitation(Ottawa).

5.)  Third Bridge Crossing(Kingston).

6.)  Rideau Marina (Kingston).

7.)  Former Davis Tannery Brownfield Site Redevelopment (Kingston).

8.)  New Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Ottawa).

(Parks Canada indicated that the agency cannot protect the waterway, Google:"May 2018, State of Conservation Report, Rideau Canal" go to "November 14, 2019".) The Ottawa Hospital cannot build within 500 metres or 1,640 feet of the Farm and Dow's Lake, and views of the lake cannot be obstructed. 

House of Commons  Ottawa  February 19,2007. MP Gord Brown (Leeds-Grenville, Ontario) CPC: "Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that I am speaking about the Rideau Canal on Heritage Day...It encompasses many communities, all with a unique heritage: Seeley's Bay, Newboro, Westport, Portland, Perth, Rideau Ferry, Smiths Falls, Merrickville, Kempville and Manotick...It is a heritage river, a national historic site and, hopefully will soon be a world heritage site."

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A letter was sent to the Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

A letter was sent to H.R.H. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

A letter that was sent to the Auditor-General of Canada: Coalition to Protect the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site of Canada. Report #5. Date received 28 January 2016.

The Greber Report of 1950.

Petitions.

1.)  Stop the rezoning of Parks to Condos-Queen Juliana in Little Italy.

2..)  Petition 388-Protection of the Central Experimental Farm as a research facility and a national historic site of Canada.

3.)  Petition: Save Ottawa's Precious Urban Greenspace.Change.org.

YouTube videos.

"Ottawa prepares to hand over historic federal farmland to corporate developers"-filmed at the Dominion Observatory Campus in the year 2017. 

"Snow Music: Color/Dance" by George Winston.

"Ottawa Snow Drive and Walk, NCC Scenic Driveway Experimental Farm-January 3, 2021."
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Groups that are trying to prevent the destruction of the site:

1.)  Friends of the Farm.

2.)  Friends of the Central Experimental Farm.

3.) Protect the Farm-Home|Facebook.

4.)  Saving the Experimental Farm|Heritage Ottawa.

5.)  COALITION TO SAVE THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM.

6.)  Canadian Council on Food Sovereignty and Health.

7.)  Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. (1974)

8.) Save the Experimental Farm (1975)

9.) Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital.

10.) Contentworks - "Coalition fights to save Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa.

11.)  Coalition to protect the Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site of Canada.

12.)  The National Trust for Canada.

13.)  SAVE THE FARM - Protest to save our trees and greenspace-Ecology Ottawa. 

14.)  Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association.

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Ottawa Journal newspaper articles from 1974 and 1908:

February 5, 1908, Journal newspaper.

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Protected land and waterways in the National Capital Region.

Airbase Lands-Federal, Private.

Arboretum Woods (Central Experimental Farm)-Federal.

Aviation Parkway North-City, Federal.

Brittania Conservation Area-Federal,City.

By-Pass Woods East-Federal.

Carlington Woods-Federal,City,Private.

Central Experimental Farm Woods (Central Experimental Farm)-Federal.

Champlain Bridge Woods-Federal.

Champlain Bridge Woods-Federal.

Champlain Bridge Islands-Federal.

Chaudiere Rapids-Federal.

Del Zotto Woods-Federal.

Dechenes Lookout-Federal.

Hampton Park Woods-Federal,City.

Hog's Back Woods-Federal,Private.

Lemieux Island-Federal,City.

Leopold Woodlot-Federal,Private.

McCarthy Woods and Southern Corridor-Federal.

Montfort Woods-Federal,Private.

NRC Woods North-Federal, Private.

Parliament Hill-Federal.

Pinecrest Woods-Federal.

Prince of Wales Woods (Central Expeperimental Farm) Federal,City.

RA Centre Woods-Federal.

Rideau River Islands-Federal.

Rideau River Park Woods-Federal.

Riverside Park-Federal.

Rockcliffe Park East-Federal.

Rockcliffe Park West-Federal.

Rockcliffe Shores-Federal. (Google: "urban natural features strategy, city of Ottawa, April 11, 2006."

 The National Capital Commission and City of Ottawa are anxious to acquire these properties: "Where land in a Natural Environment Area, Urban Natural Feature, or Major Open Space designation is in the hands of a public body or agency such as the National Capital Commission or a Conservation Authority, and where this property is not required to achieve their interests as expressed in their plans, and where this public body seeks to have the City acquire these lands, the City will proceed in accordance with policies (c) and (d) above. [Ontario Municipal Board decision, March 30, 2006, under appeal.]

The 22-acre Commissioners Park at Carling and Preston in Ottawa is part of the Greenbelt, and the City has identified 13,000 acres of the NCC Greenbelt that should be transferred to the City.

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The Farm is surrounded by buffer zones:

1.)  National Historic Sites of Canada have a 500-metre protective zone. New construction is banned within 500 metres of these properties, according to Senate Bill S-203, an Act to Amend the National Capital Act (First Reading November 2019.)

Senate Bill S-203.

 National Historic Sites.

House of Commons  Ottawa February 9, 1998- Member of Parliament Marlene Catterall (Ottawa-West-Carleton) Liberal "Mr. Speaker, last week the Secretary of State for Parks and the minister of agriculture designated the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa as a national historic site...It will be a permanent visible reminder in the nation's capital to all Canadians of the importance of agriculture to our economic and social development."

2.)  Astrophysical observatories have a wide protective zone. One day the Dominion Observatory will reopen.

3.)  The UNESCO buffer zone is 30 metres or 100 feet. Part of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site is located at Dow's Lake.

Small-scale cultural landscapes within the Rideau Canal.

• Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Commissioners Park.
• Colonel By Driveway.
• Experimental Farm.
• Island Park Drive. (From: NCC's "Plan for Canada's Capital" 1999.)

H.R.H. Princess Anne, the Princess Royal; and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev visited the CEF.