Similarities between Stanley Park and the Experimental Farm.

 Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC encompasses 1,001 acres of land, while the Farm in Ottawa is 1,012 acres. 

They are both National Historic Sites of Canada. The Farm is also:

a.) A National Interest Land Mass certified by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1988;

b.) Part of a 900 square mile memorial to Canadian soldiers that was established by Prime Minister Mackenzie King in 1950. 

c.) An open area in perpetuity, recommended by Prime Minister and President of the Privy Council Louis St-Laurent; via a Privy Council Order-in-Council from March 17, 1954.

.Canadian Privy Council Orders-in-Council take legal effect when signed by the Head of State Queen Elizabeth 11; or signed by the  Governor General of Canada, who is the representive of the Head of State in this country. The Governor General of Canada in 1954 was the Right Hon.Vincent Massey. The architect Hart Massey was the son of Governor General Massey, and he designed the Sir John Carling Building, headquarters of Agriculture Canada. The Carling Building was demolished, and it was located on a hill near Queen Juliana Park, 870 Carling Avenue. Hart Massey also designed the West Annex Cafeteria, demolished by the Ottawa Civic Hospital.

The Rideau Canal, Dominion Observatory campus and Experimental Farm are all National Historic Sites of Canada. Senate Bill S-203 was created to protect the areas.

 Stanley Park is named the "Top park in the entire world." (Global News, June 18, 2014.) The CEF is "A sprawling Victorian farm that has been surrounded by a capital city is one of Canada's greatest treasures."..."Paris has L'Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, London has Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, Washington has the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Smithsonian Institution and Ottawa has...a farm." (Atlas Obscura.)

They were both preserved as federal public land between 1886 and 1888.

The CEF is 'A Museum without Walls', 'An Oasis in the City', 'A national treasure to be lovingly preserved' and 'Canada's Farm'.

The above maps are from the Federal Directory of Real Property website.

1983.

Pure evil.

The Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria, British Columbia is demolishing "Monuments to Colonialism" including life-sized dioramas of a train station, HMCS Discovery, a village, coal mine, and a salmon fishery... A curator is a collector of artifacts and a gatekeeper in museums. You so-called "curators" in Victoria have already hired wrecking crews and probably sold off the most valuable items on eBay and Kijiji.

A life-sized mockup of a Peace River, Alberta homestead at the Royal B.C. Museum..

I care about my country's history, future, landscape and culture.Ever since the Canadian National Railway was privatized in 1995, Canadians have lost hundreds of railway stations. One thousand federal lighthouses were decommissioned, and Cannery Row in Richmond, B.C. is threatened by encroaching development. 

House of Commons Ottawa February 24, 1986. Stanley Park--- Potential transfer of title from the federal government to the City of Vancouver. (Stanley Park is still a federal landmark. During the year 1988 Prime Minister Mulroney bestowed upon the park the title, National Historic Site of Canada.)

 

I am on the steps of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece in 1979. Greek residents told me that, years before, a shipping tycoon removed items from various locations in order to impress his American wife.

We will never lose Commissioners Park and the Observatory. Despite the fact that:

1.) The Civic has already indicated that it needs more than 50 acres of land.

2.) Sylvia Holden Park was relocated when Lansdowne was redeveloped.

Commissioners Park :"It was built from the 1920's to 1950's on the site of a former lumber yard owned by J.R. Booth. Follow the winding pathways and take in the explosion of colour in gardens filled over 250,000 tulips. In summer, the tulips are replaced by thousands of annual flowers, which create beautiful scenic views with Dows Lake in the background." (A Google description.)  A property on Fairmont Avenue is being renamed Princess Margriet Park and many tulips will be planted. 

3.) The Dominion Observatory campus was originally part of the land transaction between the Canadian government and the hospital: "The boundaries of site 11 were modified to exclude existing buildings including the Dominion Observatory, creating an irregularly shaped parcel." (NCC Federal Site Review for the new Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, November 2016, page 24/256.) However, "An irregular shape would require fundamental modifications. Rating-very poor."(NCC Federal Site Review...page 45/256.)

4.) Being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the Rideau Canal); Classified Federal Heritage Building; Recognized Federal Heritage Building and National Interest Land Mass apparently means nothing.

5.) The city is encouraging the creation of parkettes which encompass less than 1 acre:

 Recreational Land Strategy for Ottawa 2006-2031 - 4-4-2 Parks and Open Spaces - "The City's requirements for parks and open spaces may have to be revisited to ensure that the types of spaces required of developers reflect the need for quality space of all sorts at the right location, and at the right sizes." "Quality over quantity of space should be the guiding principle. Parks don't have to be grassy to be green. One of the many appropriate types of public green space is the plaza. Sized right and positioned at the heart of a community, it becomes a genuine focal point. The city should accept parkettes as part of the 5% parkland dedication." Commissioners encompasses 22 acres of land.

A survey:"A 1998 survey found that 74% of Ottawa-Carleton residents wanted to keep housing subdivisions off the Central Experimental Farm land, and even more (78%) did not want major office or commercial buildings there. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was not surprised by the results, saying that "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." Results of the survey by the COMPAS research firm were reported in The Citizen on August 3, 1998."

August 3, 1998.

The history of Commissioners Park in Ottawa.

During the 1880's, lumber baron J.R. Booth property to the government of Canada for a Dominion Farm.

The Booth Barn.The photo is from Waymark.

The Holt Commission of 1915 - "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 199/395.)

 Dow's Lake property and nearby lands are included in the 900 square mile memorial in perpetuity to Canadian soldiers:

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...The petioners call to the attention of the House that when Jacques Greber released his plan for the national capital it was dedicated, at the direction of the cabinet, as a national war memorial to those who had fought in the wars in defence of Canada. Therefore, this petition calls on Parliament to ensure that this commitment and the dedication of the green spaces of the nations capital are maintained as a national war memorial and are not disposed of or sold.      

Members of the Dutch Royal Family visit the property.

2002 - The Man with Two Hats monument is unveiled.

 Attempts to take over the Experimental Farm. I presented this information before:

An Ottawa Journal newspaper article from February 5, 1908, page 8.

Mid 1970's - Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan refuses to hand over 700 acres for housing.The land is north of Baseline Road from Clyde Avenue to Prince of Wales Drive. 

A February of 1988 Privy Council Order-in-Council pertaining to 91 acres:

An Order-in-Council.

1997 -"The fight for the Farm goes on", a Heritage Ottawa newsletter from Spring of 1997. Nearly 50  buildings were slated for demolition including the Dominion Observatory.

Starting in March of 2022 more than 700 mature trees will be clear cut.

Parks belong to the people.

The citizens of Canada are losing more federal greenspaces in the Capital:

Parliament Hill - Also, private automobiles may be banned from the Parliamentary Precinct; and cars are routinely banned from the beautiful parkways that were created by Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Why? Do we not have the right to privacy, to travel without being monitored by closed-circuit cameras? De-paving the parkways is part of a long-term plan for the National Capital Region:

The scenic parkways: Sir George-Etienne Cartier; Queen Elizabeth Drive; Sir John A. Macdonald; Gatineau; Vanier; Champlain; Fortune Lake; Aviation; Colonel By Drive and the National Capital Commission Driveway on the Experimental Farm. The NCC Driveway will be impacted by the construction of a major medical centre.

Lazy Bay Commons - More than 200 trees will be clearcut so that foreign embassies can be built along Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard. 

Mile Circle near Rockcliffe - "Confirmation of Mile Circle and Aviation Area Lands to be Preserved from Development." June 19, 2021.

Rochester Field is located next to Maplelawn on Richmond Road, Westboro. Maplelawn was designated a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

The Lebreton Flats - As I mentioned before, federal politicians John Baird, John Manley and Barry Mather wanted to see a Lebreton Flats National Park:  House of Commons Ottawa October 22, 1969: Member of Parliament Barry Mather (New Democratic Party.) "Is the government of Canada giving favourable consideration to the establishment of a national park at the LeBreton Flats area in Ottawa?"

Russell Clayton Honey (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development) Liberal: "Mr. Speaker, the answer to this question is no."

Greenbelt property - "Protect the Greenbelt from devastating development." Mer Bleue.

Commissioners at Carling Avenue and Preston Street (??) is major venue for the Tulip Festival.There is a reason why the City wants to rename 265 Fairmont Avenue, Princess Margriet Park. 

Major's Hill Park (??) - is located beside the Rideau Canal. At one time this land was part of Parliament Hill. Several acres have already been privatized.

Canadian Parliamentary Debates.

 House of Commons Ottawa November 24, 2016. The Hon. Melanie Joly (Minister of Canadian Heritage, Liberal). "Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the National Capital Commission for its hard work. Last spring, I asked it to do a thorough review of potential sites for the new Ottawa Civic Hospital. There was a rigorous, open and transparent process, with 8,000 people participating in it. Ultimately, the NCC came up with an excellent site which is Tunney's Pasture. I will ensure that we study this recommendation and have great discussions with the Ontario government as well. This is part of our own views of the NCC having---."

House of Commons Ottawa November 25, 2016. Mr. Randy Boissonnault (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Liberal.) "Mr. Speaker, before coming up with this recommendation, the National Capital Commission did a comparative analysis of 12 potential federal sites using 21 criteria. The Tunney's Pasture site best meets the 21 criteria, and its pre-eminance is supported by the most recent data concerning the long-range plans for urban transportation, demographics, and federal land use in the National Capital Region."

My family's cottage in Perkins-sur-le-lac, Quebec in 1964. (The photos have to be improved.)

Me.