The Experimental Farm, Commissioners Park and land adjacent to Dow's Lake cannot be sold or given away.

(I am reprinting this article, which I originally wrote and posted on my blog on July 13, 2021:) According to the Greber Report of 1950, nine hundred square miles of federal property in the National Capital Region are dedicated to the memory of Canadians who were killed fighting in foreign wars.

House of Commons Ottawa April 22, 1996. Member of Parliament Marlene Catterall (Ottawa West-Nepean) Liberal: "Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by close to 1,000 people. It arises from a situation that occurred in our nation's capital last year when the National Capital Commission looked at selling off part of the green space and open corridors in the nation's capital. The petitioners call to the attention of the House that when Jacques Greber released his plan for the capital in 1950 it was at the direction of the capital as a national war memorial to those who had fought in the wars in defence of Canada. Therefore, the petitioners call on Parliament to ensure that this committment and the dedication of the green spaces of the nation's capital are maintained as a national war memorial and are not disposed of or sold."

The Holt Commission of 1915 was a joint undertaking on the part of the Federal Government and the cities of Ottawa and Hull. "Extensive parks and playgrounds were recommended including the acquirement 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." (The Greber Report of 1950, page 199 out of 395 pages.)

"The Experimental Farm forms a central park within a residential area of the City of Ottawa, and its avenues constitute a part of the driveways of the Federal District Commission." (The Greber Report, page 167 out of 395 pages, and includes a photo. The Federal District Commission is now called the National Capital Commission.)

The Todd Report of 1903. "A Capital City belongs to a certain extent to the whole country, and should not be placed in such a position that any one man or company of men can have it in their power to seriously mar its beauty, and thus throw discredit on the nation. As a Capital City, the parks and open spaces should be numerous, and ample boulevards and parkways should skirt the different waterways as well as connect the principal parks and the different public buildings." (Greber Report, page 192 out of 395 pages.)