Protection of the Parliamentary Precinct, Chateau Laurier Hotel, 24 Sussex Drive and Experimental Farm. NATIONAL CAPITAL ACT - Bill to Amend - Second Reading.
Senate of Canada Ottawa December 12, 2019. A Speech by the Hon. Senator Serge Joyal:"...I would like to talk about the issue addressed in Bill S-203, which amends the National Capital Act. That question is directly linked to the question that my colleague Senator Mercer asked the Government Representative, which is essentially to protect Parliament Hill, its archeological resources and its heritage character."
"I had the privilege to sit on the subcommittee of Internal Economy that was overseeing the renovation of Parliament Hill and singularily the Centre Block and this very building. I have also been a witness, as have all of you, to the expansion project of the Chateau Laurier at the end of the tunnel. I would not even say "across the street" because we have an organic link to the Chateau Laurier building. I have seen the architectural horror that has been proposed, especially the first plan that led the Mayor of Ottawa Jim Watson to state that it was equivalent to a container but, of course, of monumental proportion."
"There is, in my opinion, a way to approach this issue. In the course of our study at the subcommittee, so ably chaired by Senator Tannas of Internal Economy, we asked - Senator Forest, Senator Munson, Senator Bovey and myself - about the status of Parliament Hill in terms of a national historic site. The answer we received was: There is no Canadian statute in which Parliament Hill is protected by the status of being a national historic site."
"Of course, a Public Works representative informed us that Public Works follows the standards and guidelines for conservation of historical places in Canada, but Parliament Hill does not enjoy any legal protection. Not only does it not benefit from that protection, but the immediate area is a jungle for development. So that means that anything on the Hill that doesn't belong to the government, outside of that precinct, any developmental initiative can take place. We have heard the Chateau Laurier argument that this is a private hotel; as a private enterprise we can do whatever we want. We will do whatever we want, unless, of course, maybe the City of Ottawa refuses the building permit. Or maybe the City of Ottawa will impose some restrictions. But in the National Capital Act there is no power granted to the National Capital Commission to review any proposal of alteration, construction, demolition, any works - they are mentioned in here - that could change the immediate landscape of the Hill."
"I was amazed because, being from Quebec and being quite active on the issue of protection of heritage - and my colleague Senator Massicotte could testify to that - Phyllis Lambert from the Canadian Centre for Architecture and I have opposed over the years a lot of demolition in the downtown area because we thought that it would totally change the heritage value of the downtown core. A city cannot lose its identity from one generation to the other without recognizing that there is some value to protecting the heritage of a site or of a building that has been closely linked to the historical and cultural evolution of a city."
"In Quebec legislation, in Quebec's Cultural Heritage Act, section 40 - and I can quote it for you. It's very short. Section 40 of Quebec's Cultural Heritage Act states that the minister can, after having gotten advice from the commission, determine an area of protection around a building that has been classified as heritage or a national historical site."
"In other words, there is a capacity for a provincial minister to determine that if a building has been recognized as a historical site, the minister can determine an area of protection. That area of protection must not exceed a distance of 152 metres. In other words, if someone, anyone, wants to demolish a building in the close vicinity of the building being protected, that project could be submitted for evaluation and restriction."
"You may say to me "Well, it's an impingement on property rights because if I happen to be the owner of the Chateau Laurier, I will decide how I want to do any expansion, even though it would drastically change the immediate landscape around Parliament Hill."
"Hence the bill that is in front of you. It aims to give power to the National Capital Commission to adopt regulations and determine within a radius around Parliament Hill or around a national historic site the limits or the condition through which the permit would be granted."
"You may ask "Well, does the federal Parliament have the capacity to give this power to the National Capital Commission, which would limit the right of building, changing, erecting or demolishing anything around Parliament Hill?"
Save the Greenbelt and Experimental Farm - Senator Mike Duffy.
The Hon. Acting Speaker: Senator Duffy?
Senator Duffy: "Thank you Your Honour. Congratulations, Senator Joyal, on your two pieces of legislation today. I join everyone else here in expressing our gratitude on behalf of all Canadians for your amazing contributions to building a better Canada over your entire political career, and I feel confident that will continue."
"Do you think it would be a good idea to expand your bill, or would it require another piece of legislation, to preserve the unique nature of the capital so that the Greenbelt will be protected and that places like the Experimental Farm, which is in the middle of the city of Ottawa, will also be protected."
"Because of this pressure for urban development, we have developers looking at this land, saying, "Hey, there's millions of dollars to be made here." So far as I can tell, they are not in a much better position than we are with the Chateau Laurier in that those lands are quite valuable."
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