Friends of the Farm in Ottawa.

 (The document is from "INTERIM REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM" Ottawa, May 1998.)

People who never wanted to see the Farm subdivided:

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent

Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Agriculture Minister Douglas Harkness: House of Commons Ottawa August 1, 1958: "I am very glad to tell the hon. member for Assiniboia that the central experimental farm is going to be not only retained but expanded...We expect to secure from the federal district commission something in the neighbourhood of 4,000 acres of land in the green belt, and the animal husbandry activities of the experimental farm will be established there."

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz

Agriculture Minister Bud Olson

Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan

Agriculture Minister Sydney Arthur Fisher

Agriculture Minister John Wise House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1988: "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 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...Next to the Parliament Buildings the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction here in Ottawa."

Agriculture Minister James Garfield Gardiner: House of Commons Ottawa June 18, 1954:

Member of Parliament Marlene Catterall (Ottawa West-Nepean, Lib.) House of Commons Ottawa February 9 1998: "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 historical site. This does not mean that the farm will be frozen in time. It will continue to evolve as it has for 111 years but it will evolve in a way that is consistent with the important contribution it has made to agriculture in Canada and internationally...The people of this region are proud of the nation's capital and its national institutions."

Member of Parliament Elizabeth May - See the YouTube video "Elizabeth May presents a petition to save Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm from destruction."

Musician Bruce Cockburn

Member of Parliament Pierre De Bane (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs) House of Commons Ottawa November 4, 1974:

Ms. Maude Barlow, Honourary Chairperson of the Council of Canadians.

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.)

Member of Parliament Hazen Robert Argue, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (C.C.F.): House of Commons Ottawa August 1, 1958: "I would express the hope that the central experimental farm may be kept in its present form and its present location...I think it is doing tremendous work and is, amongst other things, a most valuable tourist attraction in the capital city."

Senator Anne Cools

Mr. Walter David Baker, Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition, Progressive Conservative Party Deputy House Leader (Grenville-Carleton): House of Commons Ottawa November 4, 1974: "...There really is no open or green space available for those who live in high-rise housing, row housing, in condominiums or in densely populated areas. That green and open space which normally is provided by one's backyard, or by the neighbourhood park, must be provided in those areas by green belt areas such as the Experimental Farm."

Minister of Public Works Howard Charles Green (Vancouver) PC House Leader, Secretary of State for External Affairs: House of Commons Ottawa August 1, 1958:

The Hon. George James McIlraith, House of Commons Ottawa August 1, 1958.

Politician and writer Clive Doucet - The Reimagine Ottawa petition has more than 8,000 signatures.

Ottawa City Councillor Katherine Hobbs

Ottawa City Councillor Catherine McKenney

Ottawa City Councillor Jeff Leiper

Ottawa City Councillor Rawlson King

Ottawa City Councillor Shawn Menard

Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden

Member of Parliament David Bruce Daubney (Ottawa West) House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1998:

Organizations that want to save the Farm:

Protect the Farm-Home|Facebook

Save the Central Experimental Farm - Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital

Saving the Central Experimental Farm - Heritage Ottawa

Save the Farm - Protest to save our trees and greenspace

Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association

The National Trust for Canada

Friends of the Farm

The trees at the Farm.

159 trees near Carling Avenue and Preston Street in Ottawa are being clearcut---apparently 6 of the trees are dead and 100 are from an invasive species. Canadians were told that:

1.)  "The Sir John Carling Building cafeteria annex will be preserved." 

Already gone.The Sir John Carling cafeteria annex--- a Recognized Federal Heritage Building designed by Hart Massey.

2.) "The Dominion Observatory campus will be preserved." 

Senator Noel Kinsella.

 April 23, 2002 - Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Cools calling the attention of the Senate to:

(a) to the public's need for the Senate and the Parliament of Canada to take into their cognizance the current conflict between Ottawa residents with their Ottawa City Council and the National Capital Commission regarding the National Capital Commission's proposal to re-zone a riverfront parkland to build a 244 dwelling housing development on that riverfront parkland, a matter well reported in the media;

(b) to the national capital parkland known as the Moffatt Farm, a riverfront parkland on the heritage waterway, the Rideau River, at Mooney's Bay, near the entrance to the Hog's Back Locks, all of which form a part of the ancient and historic Rideau Canal and Rideau Canal Waterway System, a parkland which for decades has been held by the National Capital Commission as a commissioned public trust for its protection for the public good and for the public use;

(c) to the meaning in law of a commission, being that a commission is a public body with a public purpose, authorized by letters patent, an act of parliament, or other lawful warrant to execute and perform a public office, and further, that the National Capital Commission is no ordinary entity, or no simple arms length crown corporation but is a commission, a peculiar constitutional entity, intended to perform a public duty;

(d) to the current land use designation zoning of Moffat Farm which is zoned as parkland, as are other Ottawa national capital parklands such as Vincent Massey Park and Hog's Back Park, parkland whose maintenance and sustenance are of great importance and concern to Ottawans;

(e) to the National Capital Commission contracted agreements with private developers, including that one with DCR Phoenix, regarding the sale for development of the parkland, Moffatt Farm, to the same DCR Phoenix, a private developer currently acting as the National Capital Commission's agent before Ottawa City Council and the Ontario Municipal Board in proceedings about the National Capital Commission's proposed re-zoning of Moffatt Farm from parkland zoning to residential zoning so as to permit the National Capital Commision's sale of this parkland to private developers.

(f) to Ottawa City Council's unanimous decision on March 27, 2002 rejecting and soundly defeating the National Capital Commission/DCR Phoenix's proposal for redevelopment of the Moffatt Farm parkland, to the city government's strong objection to the proposed development, being the building of 244 expensive, luxurious high end houses on the Moffatt Farm parkland, a parkland also known for its environmentally sensitive lands; 

(g) the responsible ministry's and the National Capital Commission's own protocol that hold that the National Capital Commission should defer to municipal government on planning issues and land use;

(h) to another motion overwhelmingly adopted by Ottawa City Council on April 10, 2002 expressing the City's wish to purchase the Moffatt Farm parkland, also asking the National Capital Commission to honour City Council's decision and also to withdraw it's own appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board asking the Ontario Municipal Board to overturn City Council and force the re-zoning of Moffatt Farm from parkland zoning to residential zoning;

(i) to that same City Council motion of April 10, 2002, which said:

"WHEREAS the Moffatt Farm has been in public ownership for the past 50 years, since its expropriation and has until 1999, been designated a Capital park the National Capital Commission;

AND WHEREAS the NCC has determined that this property is surplus to national needs and intends to sell it;

AND WHEREAS the Moffatt Farm is outside the General Urban Area and designated as Waterfront Open Space in the Regional Official Plan, which is land in, or intended to be in public ownership and intended for public recreation and environmental conservation use;

AND WHEREAS the Moffatt Farm has no "right of development" at this time, being designated Major Open Space, Waterway Corridor and Environmentally Sensitive Area, zoning that offers the highest possible protection;

AND WHEREAS in the Ottawa Official Plan, the Moffatt Farm is designated as a District/Community Park, a use identified in the 1973 Carleton Heights Secondary Plan as a means to address inadequate parkland for this area of the City;

AND WHEREAS,since 1973 the population of this community has doubled and available parkland has already decreased;

AND WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has a policy to acquire, where possible, waterfront properties that form the Greenway System and preserve these lands for public open space use;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Ottawa offer to purchase the entire Moffatt Farm from the NCC, at a price which will be based on its current and future use as District Park;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City request the local Member of Parliament (National Capital Caucus) urge the NCC to respect Council's unanimous decision and withdraw its appeal to the OMB.

(j) to the growing public disenchantment and disappointment of Ottawans who perceive the National Capital Commission's corporate culture as running roughshod over Ottawans with wanton disregard for local communities of which Moffatt Farm is only one of several which include Lac Leamy, Sparks Street redevelopment and others, all of which have resulted in diminishing public respect for the National Capital Commission and its land use proposals in the national capital area;

(k) to the burgeoning public unease about the destiny of Ottawa's precious public lands as many Ottawans are anxious that the National Capital Commission is conducting its affairs in land use matters, more as a private development company and less as a public commission, entrusted with Her Majesty's and the public's interest in the proper use of unique, historical, heritage parklands and properties; and

(l) to the public need for Parliament's study and review of the National Capital Commission in its entirety, including its role, structure, organization, operations, authorizing statute, its parliamentary appropriations, finances and its relations with Canadian citizens, especially Canadian citizens living in the Ottawa area, its land dealings, and its agreements with private developers selected by the National Capital Commission as recipients, buyers, of treasured historic lands.

(The Honourable Senator Kinsella.)

Breaking news from the Ottawa Citizen and MSN News:

Monday, March 28, 2022 "Site prep starts Tuesday on new Civic; 159 trees to be cut."

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan said the Experimental Farm in Ottawa would be encroached upon "Over my dead body". 

Maplelawn on Richmond Road.

 Federal parkland that the people of Canada may lose:

1.)  Rochester Field.

 2.)  Queen Juliana Park, 870 Carling Avenue.

3.)  Commissioners Park - An article in "The Glebe Report" stated that the 22-acre greenspace may be needed for parking by the Ottawa Hospital Corporation.

Politicians and community groups fought to save:

1.) Lazy Bay Commons, Mechanicsville.

2.) The Mile Circle near Rockcliffe.

Westboro Community Association|Facebook - "Say goodbye to Rochester Field."

The Agriculture Canada Experimental Farm.

What the people of Canada are losing:

1.) 50 acres of an Agriculture Canada research farm; a commemorative park and eventually Commissioners Park and the Dominion Observatory.

2.) Designation of the Rideau Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3.) 750 mature trees. 165 fully grown trees were illegally destroyed at Lansdowne Park 10 years ago. And Ottawa City Councillor Diane Deans halted the illegal clearcutting of trees, when a community member phoned her office and the councillor drove out to the site and told the chainsaw crew to leave immediately.

4.) Designation of the Farm as a National Interest Land Mass. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney created the NILM to ensure that Central Experimental Farm land, the Greenbelt, etc. would never again be sold to the City of Ottawa or any other federal/provincial or municipal entity:

The National Interest Land Mass -- "The NILM consists of national shrines, the Confederation Boulevard, the Gatineau Park and the Greenbelt in the National Capital Region...considered essential to the realization of the Vision of the Capital. There are 37 individual parcels of property in this category currently owned by the NCC totalling some 44, 200 ha. in area."

"Land forming part of the NILM will be retained by the NCC in perpetuity for purposes which lie at the core of the NCC's mandate." (Google: 1988-09-tb-re-ncc.)

91 acres of the Experimental Farm were sold to the Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton in 1988.

Hundreds of trees on the CEF were clearcut to create the Central Park subdivision, strip malls and a Walmart.

5.) Canadians are also losing one of the last Agriculture Canada Research Farms in the entire country.

6.) One of the major tourist attractions in Ottawa.

7.) Maple Drive, which will be converted to an ambulance route after the South Azimuth and Photo Equatorial buildings are removed.

8.)  Prince of Wales Drive is being widened from two to four lanes and converted to a garbage truck/commercial vehicle route.

9.) The Ottawa Hospital owns the air rights above the parking garages, condominiums and clinical towers. 

Did the National Capital Commission have the authority to transfer the Farm to a municipal or provincial institution? No."The National Interest" by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau: "Under the National Capital Act, the Commission is responsible for protecting and promoting the national interest in the Capital. The objectives and purposes of the Commission are set out in the Act:" To prepare for and assist in the development, conservation and improvement of the National Capital Region in order that the nature and character of the government of Canada may be in accordance with its national significance."

"It has been argued by some that only municipal authorities have the responsibility for promulgating and implementing region-wide planning in the National Capital Region. The Commission holds that this view is unconstitutional."

"The NCC is the agent of the national government of Canada. Its programs are regulated by Parliament. It is responsible twice over to elected federal representatives: the government and Parliament. Parliament votes annual sums of money for development and conservation of the Capital Region. It does not vote this money in the interest of provincial, municipal or private ventures. It allots this money in the national interest to enhance a capital for all Canadians." (From: NCC Annual Report, 1975-1976, page 9/52.)

The Farm is federal property that is owned by all Canadians, not by the Ottawa Hospital Corporation, National Capital Commission, the Government of Ontario, City of Ottawa or municipal councillors. The board members of the NCC are from every province and territory in this country.

 Did the National Capital Commission have the authority to donate the Laurier Avenue Bridge and the Mackenzie King Bridge to the City of Ottawa? Both of the bridges span the Rideau Canal:

Did the NCC have the authority to donate the $4 million dollar Dows Lake parking lot, owned by the citizens of Canada, to a local medical centre? No.

 There is massive opposition to the Ottawa Hospital's relocation to a beloved green space and tourist venue. Little Italy is overwhelmed by current and future high-rise developments. Letters have been written to His Royal Highness Prince Charles, and Canadian musician Bruce Cockburn created a video condemning the takeover of federal property for a medical centre. Prime Minister Joe Clark's Minister of Public Works, Erik Nielsen, wanted to decommission the NCC and transfer control and management of the real estate portfolio to Public Works.

Why 265 Fairmont Avenue is being renamed Princess Margriet Park.

The Ottawa Hospital Corporation will probably need Commissioners Park for parking:"There's a high probability that car arrivals at the campus in 2028 will far exceed parking capacity. The impact of this parking shortage on staff, patients and visitors, as well as neighbourhoods will be severe...My best guess is that mitigation will eventually include TOH asking the NCC for more acreage on the Experimental Farm, probably in the Arboretum and along Maple Drive and even in Commissioners Park for another parking garage and more surface parking lots." (From: The Glebe Report-Risk management and the new Civic Hospital, March 17, 2022.) 

The precedent:

Sylvia Holden Park at Lansdowne in Ottawa. During the summer of 2012, all 165 mature trees in the park were destroyed. The videos " Lansdowne Park tree cutting" and "Tree cutting protest at Lansdowne Park, Sylvia Holden Park" are on YouTube. The photo is from The Glebe Report.

Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre Yasir Naqvi was the MPP for Ottawa Centre during the Lansdowne controversy. Is Mr. Naqvi really going to save what is left of the Experimental Farm?

A few of the 165 Lansdowne trees that are gone forever. 

Tall blue fences may cut off public access to a federal park in Ottawa.

 Are the chainsaws on their way to Queen Juliana Park, 870 Carling Avenue and the Dow's Lake parking lot? See the video on Reimagine Ottawa's Twitter site.

Concerns about the National Capital Commission from:

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau "The National Interest." The NCC was not created to plan or to finance municipal and provincial projects that are not beneficial for all Canadians.

Senator Noel Kinsella

Senator Anne Cools

Former Ottawa mayors Jacquelin Holzman and Jim Durrell

Federal Minister of Public Works Erik Nielsen

Former Chair of the Council of Canadians Maude Barlow

Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan

Former head of the NCC Jean Pigott: House of Commons Ottawa January 30, 1978. Mrs. Jean E. Pigott (Ottawa-Carleton) Moved: "That, in the opinion of this House, the National Capital Commission is not sufficiently accountable to those who live in the national capital region or the people of Canada, and exercises its powers in an arbitrary manner without adequate consultation with other levels of government and that, as a just step, there should be a permanent joint standing committee on the national capital region.

Member of Parliament Stanley Knowles House of Commons Ottawa January 30, 1978. Mr. Knowles (NDP House Leader, Winnipeg-North Centre) New Democratic Party: "Mr. Speaker, even though the hon. member for Ottawa-Carleton (Mrs. Pigott) and the hon. minister for Ottawa West (Mr. Francis) may have some matters on which they do not agree, they are in agreement on what is being asked for, both in this motion and in the name of the hon. member for Ottawa West...In both cases they are seeking some democratization of the operations of the National Capital Commission. That is a position, Mr. Speaker, that I think should be fully supported by this House."

"I was glad to hear the hon. member for Ottawa West say a few things which make it clear that, even though he is an Ottawa resident, that there is a sense in which this area belongs to Canada. It is the nation's capital. It is appropriate that the people of Canada through their parliament and their government should have something to say about what goes on in the planning of this general area. As I say, no one quarrels with that. But from that position the National Capital Commission seems to have evolved in a way which, as both previous speakers have pointed out, includes no elected members and operates on its own self-created mandate."

The Hon. Lloyd Francis, Speaker of the House of Commons and Member of Parliament.

Member of Parliament Don Boudria House of Commons Ottawa

Member of Parliament Barry Turner House of Commons Ottawa

The Dows Lake parking lot is off-limits to cars during the Tulip Festival.

"The parking lot at Dows Lake will be closed to the public due to the Ottawa Hospital's New Civic Campus development, but the festival has made arrangements for a "Tulip Shuttle" service to Commissioners Park that will make stops at the Westin Hotel, the National Gallery of Canada, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and the Lord Elgin Hotel." ("Canadian Tulip Festival planning in-person events this spring." by Ted Raymond, CTV News, March 20, 2022.)

All of the trees that surround the parking lot are being removed and that includes the trees that face Carling Avenue. 

Maps that show the exact location of trees that are being removed. Google: New Civic Development for the Ottawa Hospital, Environmental Impact Statement and Tree Conservation Report, pages 44,45,46 and 47 out of 73 pages.

House of Commons Ottawa April 10, 1974. Mr. Haliburton (Progressive Conservative) 1.) "How many tulip bulbs are purchased each year for Ottawa? 2.) How many years are the bulbs re-used? 3.) When the bulbs are disposed of, are they sold by public tender or destroyed, and, if destroyed, a) what is the manner of so doing? b.) what is the cost?"

The Hon. Ron Basford (Minister of State for Urban Affairs) Liberal: "I am informed by the National Capital Commission as follows: 1.) Approximately 200,000 to 250,000 tulip bulbs are purchased each year by the NCC. The number varies depending upon which priority display areas are replanted. 2.) There are four major priority floral display areas, they are Dows Lake, Parliament Hill, 24 Sussex and Rideau Hall. These bulbs are normally replanted every second year."

"If the first year display is poor they will be replaced the next fall, conversely if the second year display is particularly good they will be kept a third year. The other floral displays are planted when necessay every three or four years. 3.) The tulip bulbs are heeled in after they are removed in the spring, sorted during the summer and the flower size bulbs are replanted in the fall in the seconary floral display areas such as the borders along the Driveway system. a.) The remaining bulbs which are too small to produce a flower are buried; b.) Approximately $250 dollars."

The view from Commissioners Park. The drawing is from Reimagine Ottawa.

From: The Glebe Report.

A 1988 Ottawa Citizen article. The vacant federal land between Carling Avenue and Prince of Wales Drive, west of Preston Street is called Queen Juliana Park.

Limitations on access to Canada's National Parks if they are foreign and privately-owned.

Barricades; private property and no trespassing signs; exhorbitant entrance fees and laws that prohibit access to historic sites and monuments. Except for the so-called elites. 

Grey Owl in the Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.

Rent increases on federal property.

Cottages along the Rideau Canal - House of Commons Ottawa February 13, 1975. Mr. Tom Cossitt (Leeds) Conservative: "Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask, under the provisions of Standing Order 43, permission to move a motion of urgent and pressing necessity particularly to my own constituency and, to the entire area along the Rideau Canal stretching from Ottawa to Kingston."

"Arising out of the decision of the government to increase land rentals to all those owning cottages on government land adjacent to the canal by as much as 800 percent, I move, seconded by the hon. member for Grenville-Carleton (Mr. Baker): That in view of the absolutely unwarranted increases of up to 800 percent in land rentals being applied by the government  to cottage owners along the Rideau Canal, the House considers this move illogical, nonsensical, unjust and inflationary and instructs the responsible minister, namely the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, to forthwith instruct his officials to cease such increases and to re-examine the situation for purposes of establishing only increases that are fair and equitable to all concerned."

The RCN Curling Club next to Dow's Lake - "Curling club says DND rent increase will force it to close." CBC News, March 3, 2020. 

Celebrations of the Tulip Festival adjacent to Dows Lake - "Tulip Festival to uproot relationship with NCC." "The long-standing relationship between the National Capital Commission and the Canadian Tulip Festival is changing. Organizers say the festival's 60th edition will be staged at commemorative sites around Ottawa and not on NCC land.The high cost of land events on NCC property is being identified as the reason for the decision."

   A relatively small park on 265 Fairmont Avenue near the Civic is being renamed "Princess Margriet Park". Does the City want to transfer the tulips, the commemorative plaques and statues from the 22-acre Commissioners Park to Fairmont Ave? 

Archived - Planning Committee moves to protect significant woodlands.

December 13, 2016: Ottawa-The City's Planning Committee today approved a recommendation that would see a more consistent approach to identifying significant woodlands across Ottawa, in both rural and urban areas. Woodlands - which include treed areas, woodlots and forests - vary in their level of significance based on features like size, ecological function, tree species and economic and social value....In urban areas, significant woodlands could include any urban woodland 0.8 hectares or larger that is 40 years old or older.

The many times that the people of Canada nearly lost the Rideau Canal.

 1922 -

1960's - Dismantle the entire Rideau Canal and build a highway from the Capital to Kingston, Ontario.

March 25, 1970 - House of Commons Ottawa: Mr. Olio: "...Today we have the Trent Canal and the Rideau Canal system still under the jurisdiction of the federal government because it was originally a defence measure. Surely that is no longer so and it could easly be transferred to the provinces."

November 27, 1974 - The Glassco Commission recommended that the federal government sell the National Historic Site to the province or the city of Ottawa. It never happened.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau:

• refused to sell the Canadian National Railway hotels, including the Chateau Laurier, to the Hilton Corporation.
• created Harbourfront to save 100 acres of waterfront land in Toronto.
• established more National Parks.
• refused to transfer 700 acres of Ottawa's Experimental Farm to a Crown corporation for housing.

House of Commons Ottawa March 15, 1972. The Hon. Martin O'Connell, Minister of Labour, Liberal: "In our government's four years in office our national parks have increased from 18 to 28...There is a 50 per cent increase in the area set aside in perpetuity for national parks. Canada leads all the nations in the world in land set aside for future generations."

City of Ottawa Tree Protection (By-law No. 2020-340.)

WHEREAS the Council of the City of Ottawa has approved a strategic Urban Forest Management Plan with a goal to maintain and grow Ottawa's urban forest;

AND WHEREAS the protection of trees is key to realizing the objectives and principles of Ottawa's Urban Forest Management Plan and Ottawa's tree canopy cover goals and tree policies outlined in the City's Official Plan;

AND WHEREAS section 135 of the Municipal Act provides that a municipality may prohibit or regulate the the destruction or injury of trees; (more)

Tree Canopy Assessment-Canada's Capital Region (Figure 12, page 7/10.)

The ten neighbourhoods with the lowest percentage of tree canopy. (O) indicates Ottawa and (G) indicates Gatineau:

Orleans Industrial (O)

Mutchmore, Jean-Proulx (O)

Orleans Avalon (O)

Val d'Oise (G)

Lebreton Development (O)

Sarsfield (O)

Hunt Club South Industrial (O)

La Gappe (G)

East Industrial (O)

Civic Hospital-Central Park (O)

The tree canopy on the Farm, adjacent to the Rideau Canal Hartwell Locks. The photo is from smallpond.ca.

"Remarkable trees of Canada's Capital."

 What makes a tree remarkable? Natural:

• Significant maturity.
• Exceptional dimensions.
• Vulnerability.
• Remnant of an ancient ecosystem.

Social:

• Growing on a historic site.
• Planted during a cultural ceremony or event.
• Planted by an important public or political figure.
• Represents the earlier horticultural practices of the area.
• Contributes to the structural integrity of the surrounding landscape.

"As the largest landowner in the region, the NCC cares for and protects our region's natural heritage."

"The trees catalogued in this book are found on federal public lands. Most of them are in Gatineau Park, the Greenbelt and urban parks including the Dominion Arboretum on the Central Experimental Farm." (Page 10/224.)

Dows Lake Sector

"Canadians campaign to stop condo development at D-Day landing site.''

(The news and video are from CTV News, March 13, 2022.)

 Thousands of soldiers fought and died during the Battle of Normandy. My comments about this condo project are unprintable.

The government of Canada wanted to preserve land beside the Rideau Canal.

And that includes the Dows Lake and Chateau Laurier Hotel properties.

House of Commons Ottawa February 9, 1966.  Mr. Hopkins (Liberal) 1.) "What steps have been taken by the government to preserve the unoccupied lands adjacent to the Rideau system and to prevent pollution of the waters and despoliation of the area by indiscriminate land speculation?" 

Mr. James Allen Byrne (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport) Liberal: "For several years the Department of Transport has witheld action on disposal of any substantial parcels of federal lands owned by that department adjacent to the Rideau system which may be suitable for public recreational development pending emergence, as a result of joint consultations with the province of Ontario, of future plans for development of the system as a whole."

"The problem of pollution referred to would appear to be a matter within the jurisdiction of the provincial government and it is understood that the provincial authorities have been concerning themselves actively with this problem."

House of Commons Ottawa February 9, 1966. Rideau Canal Recreational Development. Mr. Hopkins (Liberal): "Has the government entered into any arrangement with the province of Ontario relating to the development of lands adjacent to the Rideau canal for recreational purposes?"

Mr. James Allen Byrne (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport) Liberal: "While no formal agreement has been made with the government of the province of Ontario, a series of discussions have taken place looking into a joint arrangement or understanding regarding future development of lands adjacent to the Rideau Canal for recreational purposes, and these discussions are expected to continue with a view to adoption of a joint plan."

The nonexistent greenbelt borders.

Threats to the integrity of this 50,903 acre land mass that is owned by all Canadians: 

1.) The Greenbelt does not have clearly defined legal boundaries.

2.) The former head of a federal Crown corporation wanted to see "a million people" populate the land.

3.) The City of Ottawa, which is now in the process of changing Mer Bleue. Once the infrastructure is in place, residential and commercial developments are sure to follow. Witness what happened in British Columbia after the Sea to Sky Highway was built for the 2010 Olympics---"Developers became the real winners of the 2010 Olympic games."

Federal politicians who wanted to preserve green spaces in the National Capital Region.

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009. The Hon. Gordon O'Connor (Conservative.) "Mr. Speaker, I am one of the great supporters of the greenbelt. I believe it is part of our heritage and it must last as long in the future as possible. The greenbelt allows the growth on the Ottawa side to be controlled, so that there is growth on one side of the greenbelt and growth on the other we can protect this belt. The long-term goal of the NCC would be to try to protect as much of the ecological basis of the greenbelt as possible and visit the greenbelt, as I do quite often on a day to day basis."

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009. The Hon. Mauril Belanger (Ottawa-Vanier, Lib.) "Bill C-37, which is before us now, talks about protecting the ecological integrity of Gatineau Park. That is what it clearly says. Nothing is said about protecting the ecological integrity of the greenbelt."

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009. MP Steven Blaney (Levis-Bellechasse, CPC.) "The greenbelt brings together several pieces of land along the Ottawa River on the Ontario side. It covers nearly 20,000 hectares of greenspace including farms, forests and wetlands. The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is located east of Ottawa. A boardwalk protects the acidic water and the bog that shelters unusual species and other plants. In 1995 the area was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, a treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Other properties found in the greenbelt are Commissioners Park where there is a display of over 100,000 tulips each spring, and Bate Island on the Ottawa River."

House of Commons Ottawa May 25, 2010. MP Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Lib.) "I have a question for the member who represents a riding in this region, namely Ottawa-Orleans. His riding contains a large section of what is known as the greenbelt on the Ontario side of the National Capital Region. How can he accept and tolerate the fact that his government is proposing to legislate the boundaries of Gatineau Park on the Quebec side, while on the Ontario side there is absolutely nothing to protect the greenbelt? His government or any other government could suddenly decide to sell or get rid of part of the greenbelt which is so important to the greater Ottawa-Gatineau region."

House of Commons Ottawa May 25, 2010. MP Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Lib.) "...I want to focus on an amendment to the bill (Bill C-20) that we feel to be crucial, and that is the amendment on the greenbelt. The Liberal members from the National Capital Region, the member for Ottawa South, the member for Ottawa-Vanier and myself, are calling for better protection of the greenbelt."

"Together, the City of Ottawa and the NCC can do whatever they want with this land. We believe that this greenspace must be protected from developers...This space is the result of a planning process that goes back many years, to the time of the Greber plan which I mentioned earlier."

Minister of the Environment John Baird.

Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice refused to transfer 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt to the City of Ottawa. ("Greenbelt development under review" Press Reader, July 17, 2008.)

House of Commons Ottawa MP Brian Jean.

Members of Ottawa City Council who tried to preserve greenspace in the National Capital.

Councillor Jeff Leiper, who prevented the construction of condominiums on Queen Juliana Park a few years ago ("City of Ottawa Planning Committee-Stop the rezoning of Parks to Condos"); and who tried to stop the redevelopment of Rochester Field located next to Maplelawn. And Counc. Leiper rejected the NCC's plan for the construction of five embassies on a park in Mechanicsville.

The members of Council who voted against the construction of a parking garage on a National Historic Site.

The Americans fought long and hard to keep Walmart from intruding on National Historic Sites.

Including American Civil War battlefields and cemeteries. But in Canada, the federal government permitted a multinational corporation, Fairmont, to build an addition to the Chateau Laurier Hotel and to "integrate" with and change the landscape of a national park, Major's Hill Park.

"The Walt Disney National Park."

Bill C-29, An Act to Amend the National Parks Act.

House of Commons Ottawa March 19, 1998. MP Rick Laliberte (Churchill River) NDP "...Our parks are a sacred sanctuary, they are part of our national identity...The Canadian Parks Agency Act is a capitalist form of commercialization of our national parks and eventual privatization when the hon. members take their children, pay at the toll gate to lift the Stornoway gate, enter Walt Disney national park and come out and negotiate the fee with the minister if she deems them to be of interest."

House of Commons Ottawa March 19, 1998. Mr. Nelson Riis (Kamloops, B.C.) New Democratic Party: "Members can probably tell that I do not support Bill C-29 at this point. This bill involves a great deal of Canada: 31 national parks, 786 historical sites, a number of historical canal systems (for example the Rideau Canal), 661 sites that are managed by third parties that are ecologically and environmentally significant, 165 heritage railway stations and 31 river systems."

Mr. Howard Hilstrom (Selkirk- Interlake, Manitoba) Reform: "Mr. Speaker, I am quite interested in the financial aspects of this bill. Is there a possibility of foreign interests getting involved in our parks system?"

Mr. Nelson Riis: "Obviously the answer is yes. We lack a national parks policy, just as we lack a national waterways policy or a national highway policy."

"In one year, with the support of this bill, it is possible that there will be no Crown land assets left." Member of Parliament Dennis Mills (Broadview-Greenwood, Toronto) House of Commons Ottawa, November 22, 1991.

A statement in the Canadian House of Commons by MP Dennis Mills on May 15, 1992.

The federally-owned Greenbelt that surrounds Ottawa is off-limits to developers.

And that includes Mer Bleue. 

"The 20,600 hectare Greenbelt belongs to the people of Canada. Compared to other Greenbelts that tend to have more privately owned than public land, the opportunities are vast to build upon the progress of the past 60 years that led to Canada's Capital Greenbelt of today." (Canada's Capital Greenbelt Master Plan, National Capital Commission, November 2013, page 38/196.) (20,600 hectares of land equals 50,903.709 acres.)

House of Commons Ottawa June 22, 1992. Mrs. Beryl Gaffney (Nepean, Liberal.) "Mr. Speaker, in the 1960's the federal government had the foresight to protect environmentally sensitive land in the nation's capital with the establishment of the greenbelt lands. The NCC is the federal agency responsible for these lands. The greenbelt was established to control urban sprawl, provide beauty to the nation's capital, assist municipalities in local improvements such as the cycling paths, the Stoney Swamp, the Pinhey Forest and the Log Farm. They have all added to the enhancement and beauty of the nation's capital."

"The people of Nepean are most concerned that the NCC is moving away from that premise. Does the government plan on continuing the status quo with the Nepean lands, or does the government plan on putting these lands up for sale?"

House of Commons Ottawa June 23, 1992. Mrs. Beryl Gaffney (Nepean, Liberal.) "Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Public Works. The greenbelt lands here in the nation's capital were created in the 1960's by the federal government to protect environmentally sensitive lands, to limit urban sprawl, and enhance the nation's capital."

"Recent actions by the National Capital Commission have Nepean and other area municipalities concerned that there is a movement away from the original objective for these lands. Does the government plan on maintaining the status quo on all the greenbelt lands or are these lands in fact up for sale piece by piece?"

The Hon. Elmer M. MacKay (Minister of Public Works, PC.) "Mr. Speaker, I am glad to inform the member for Nepean, whose interest I greatly appreciate in these matters, that the NCC as she probably knows is conducting a major review on the greenbelt to re-examine and redefine the use of the lands, and to ensure these lands continue to enhance the quality of life of the national capital into the next century. Any changes that will be made on a case to case basis will be looked at closely and all levels of government and affected residents will be consulted. I can assure her there is no drastic change contemplated. We continue to exercise the most careful stewardship over these lands."

House of Commons Ottawa November 26, 2007. Mr. Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Lib.) "Mr. Speaker, the Greber Plan gave us the greenbelt to create a green, modern and avant-garde capital. The greenbelt contains farms, forests and wetlands, which promote opportunities for recreational and outdoor activities as well as learning. The value of greenbelts in large urban areas has been appreciated in Europe for a long time. Now the new president of the NCC wants to promote urban development in the greenbelt. Does the government plan on letting (the president) do what he wants and permanently destroy our precious greenbelt?"

The Hon. John Baird (Minister of the Environment, CPC.) "Mr. Speaker, as a member from the Ottawa region, from the national capital region, I am well aware that this was a very good policy. I completely agree with the member."

I am a Canadian.

"I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand up for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose who will govern my country. This pledge of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind." The Right Honourable John George Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada.

Prime Minister Diefenbaker and my Dad, George Shaw.

The Experimental Farms will never be moved or encroached upon.

House of Commons Ottawa June 1, 1951. Winfred Chester Scott McLure (Progressive Conservative): "...I want to say that the experimental farm is one of the finest beauty spots in this beautiful city of Ottawa. It is a place where visitors and tourists should be taken because nowhere in America will you find another to surpass it."

 House of Commons Ottawa July 13, 1956. James Garfield Gardiner (Minister of Agriculture) Liberal: Mr. Gardiner: "There is a discussion about moving part of all of the experimental farm out every time they want to build a new public building in Ottawa. Somebody comes down here and says "We would like to build it on the experimental farm..." We get those suggestions all the time. Discussion comes up every time somebody has a notion of that kind. The government has always taken the position that there is going to be no moving of the experimental farm."

House of Commons Ottawa June 16, 1958. Hon. George James McIlraith (Ottawa West) 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 building on the central experimental farm."

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

The Hon. Mr. Mcilraith: "If I may pursue the question a bit further, has the minister come to any conclusion as to what will be done with the land on the experimental farm now occupied by the temporary buildings when they are torn down?"

The Hon. Mr. Green: "I take it that the hon. member for Ottawa West refers to temporary buildings No. 5 and 8. For some years the policy has been that when these temporary buildings are torn down nothing will be constructed on the site."

The location ofTemporary Building No. 8 is now Queen Juliana Park. Temporary Building No. 5 was on the Dow's Lake parking lot.

House of Commons Ottawa August 1, 1958. Hazen Robert Argue (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation-CCF): Mr. Argue: "Mr. Chairman, on item No. 11, the experimental farms services including the central experimental farm, I wonder if the minister could tell the house whether in regard to the central experimental farm it is the policy of his government to maintain that farm in its present location for futher scientific research, and whether there is anything to the rumour that one hears from time to time that because of extensive city development and increasing property values some other use may be made of part of the property now occupied by this farm."

"I would express the hope that the central experimental farm may be kept in its present form and in its present location. I think it is doing tremendous work and is, amongst other things, a most valuable tourist attraction in the capital city. I think it would be in keeping with the view of the Canadian people as well as the people of Ottawa that the central experimental farm be maintained in its present locaton."

Douglas Scott Harkness (Minister of Agriculture) Progressive Conservative: Mr. Harkness: "I am very glad to tell the hon. member for Assiniboia that the central experimental farm is going to be not only retained but expanded. The plans we have, of which there has been some indication in the press, are that the present experimental farm will be used entirely for plant breeding and plant research activities. The animal husbandry branch ...will be established at a new farm which will of course still be part of the central experimental farm, a few miles south and west of the present property in what will be the greenbelt surrounding Ottawa.We expect to secure from the federal district commission something in the neighbourhood of 4,000 acres of land in the greenbelt."

The 4,500 acre Greenbelt Research Farm during the mid-1960's. As I have mentioned before, the land is untouchable because it is a National Interest Land Mass (the Mulroney government, 1988) and the land is part of the National Capital Commission Greenbelt. (Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Jacques Greber, 1949-1950.)

The 1958 Privy Council Order-in-Council giving Agriculture Canada 4,500 acres of Greenbelt land for an annex. 

House of Commons Ottawa October 7, 1974. Walter David Baker (Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition; Progressive Conservative Party Deputy House Leader) Progressive Conservative. Mr. Walter Baker (Grenville-Carleton): "Mr. Speaker, in view of the statement yesterday by the Minister of State for Urban Affairs about trade-offs in respect of greenspaces 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. Barnett J. Danson: "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 Senate announced in the Speech from the Throne, and in respect of other reports which are forthcoming. This will give us ample opportunity to deal with the member's concern, which I share."

House of Commons Ottawa November 4, 1974. Walter David Baker (Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition; Progressive Conservative Party Deputy House Leader) Progressive Conservative. Mr. Walter Baker (Grenville-Carleton): "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 a trade-off in respect of green spaces in Canadian cities."

"At that time this indicated that the minister was at least considering the intrusion of development into green spaces. Subsequently 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 green belt, he regarded these as areas of special sensitivity, and shared my view and the view of many other members of the House in respect of the necessity to preserve them."

"I want to say that where we are dealing with the National Capital Area, which is certainly an area of special sensitivity, or with any other urban area in this country, we must regard, and 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, and in the planning of 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 particularly agricultural land. The green belt and the Experimental Farm are precious for the reasons I have mentioned."

"There really is no open or green space available to those who live in high-rise housing, row housing, in condominiums or in densely populated areas. That green and open space which normally is provided by one's backyard, or by the neighbourhood park, must be provided on those urban areas by areas such as the Experimental Farm and green belt.

House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1988. Mr. 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) Progressive Conservative: "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....In fact, next to the Parliament Buildings the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction here in Ottawa."

Some Hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"