A letter from Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard to Sean Moore, City of Ottawa Planning Department.

 Posted on the Internet July 2,2021. Excerpts from the letter:

 Healthy Tree Cover for a Healthy City-The new civic development for the Ottawa Hospital proposes to remove 680 trees, 320 of which are distinctive, with a diameter of over 30cm. A substantial number of the trees to be removed are to make way for a surface parking lot at the north of the site close to Carling Avenue. While the environmental site assessment provides an inventory of tree species and wildlife, it does not speak to the larger question of habitat connectivity and with the arboretum and experimental farm, or the impact on overall species diversity through the area.

The parking garage - In the northeast section of the site, TOH is currently planning to build a four-storey parking garage. This is not an appropriate use of land across from Dow's Lake. The parking garage will be built upon what is currently a small parking lot, as well as Queen Juliana Park. It will also remove an important section of the Trillium Line Multi-Use Pathway. The parking garage will cut off views of Dow's Lake, and segregate Carling Avenue from Dow's Lake, and, by extension, Commissioner's Park. It will not only tower over Dow's Lake but also over the Dow's Lake Pavilion.

The intention of TOH is to move Queen Juliana Park to the top of the parking garage, greening the roof and providing outdoor space. While this is better than a layer of asphalt staring up at the sky, it does not serve the needs of residents, nor does it sufficiently replicate the current green space on offer.

A park is a destination, but just as importantly, it is a refuge. It offers relief from the noise, heat, concrete and traffic of the city. It is welcoming. It invites residents to enter, linger and stay. A four-storey trek to the top of a parking garage has none of these offerings.

Intensification-Surrounding the Civic will be significant intensification of people through much more development in this area. This includes the Claridge Icon (45 storeys), Mastercraft Soho Italia (30 storeys), Richcraft Sky at the former Dow's Lake Honda (3 towers - 55 storeys, 45 storeys, 18 storeys). In addition to these are the Canada Lands Company projects at the Booth Street Complex and at 299 Carling, the Katasa tower at 265 Carling,and the proposed development at 770-774 Bronson Avenue/ 557 Cambridge Street.