Public Works and Queen Juliana Park.

NO BUILDINGS WILL BE BUILT ON THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM EXCEPT BUILDINGS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

  1.) The Federal Minister of Public Works and Members of Parliament wanted the land to remain vacant, when the World War 11 Temporary Buildings were removed the Farm and the Dow's Lake area. House of Commons Ottawa June 16, 1958 The 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. Howard Charles Green (Minister of Public Works; Leader of the Government in the House of Commons; Progressive Conservative Party House Leader): "The policy is that no buildings will be built on the central experimental farm except buildings for the Department of Agriculture."

Mr. McIlraith: "If I may pursue the first 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 removed?"

Mr. Green: "I take it that the hon. member for Ottawa West refers to temporary buildings Nos. 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."

2.) Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the National Capital Commission and PWGSC gave Queen Juliana Park to the people of Canada in 1976: Stop the rezoning of Parks to Condos-Queen Juliana Park in Little Italy: "The City of Ottawa Planners are rezoning Little Italy to medium to high density condos for the area bounded by the 417 north to Carling south to Rochester east and the railroad tracks west. By doing this rezoning it is elimination of one park in our area used by the community at large. The park is Queen Juliana Park located at 870 Carling Avenue."

"The Queen Juliana Park was founded in 1976 when the Federal government tore down the Temporary Buildings. The purpose of the Historical was to honour Queen Juliana of Holland who donated thousand of tulip bulbs to Ottawa and to relocate community uses of Commissioner Park to Queen Juliana Park in 1976 when Italian Week and St. Anthony's Church used Commissioner Park for its activities to celebrate Italian Canadian Culture. In 1976 Mr. Edes of the NCC convinced Public Works to create the Park for Community Use because the NCC was not going to allow Associations to use Commissioner Park for its festivities. Accordingly the local Community has used Queen Juliana Park for many of its festivities including the Victoria Day May 10 to 24th, the Native Indian Pow Wow June 16th to 20th and the Canada Day Festival June 27th to July 2."

"It would be very shameful for the City of Ottawa Planners to Rezone these two Parks  for high rise condos. Our local Community has very few parks for the amount of residents in the area. If they were destroyed the Community would have to go to the Experimental farm or Vincent Massey Park to which locations they would have to drive. This is defeating the Policy of not driving and going green implemented by the City of Ottawa Councillors. Please sign our petition to keep the parks in little Italy. Thank you for your support in this matter."

 Angelo Filoso, President. Italian Canadian Community Centre of the National Capital Region Inc.

3.) Municipal politicians Katherine Hobbs and Jeff Leiper tried to save QJP: City of Ottawa Planning Committee June 24, 2014. Proposed Motion No. PLC 77/4 submitted by Councillor K. Hobbs. WHEREAS the Preston-Carling Secondary Plan proposes a Carling O-Train (future LRT station).

AND WHEREAS the provision of expanded and enhanced greenspace is a key pillar in creating a sustaining, attractive and liveable neighbourhood. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Planning and Growth Management Department when reviewing development applications for the properties currently owned by Public Works and Government Services Canada municipally known as 870 Carling Avenue and locally known as "Queen Juliana Park" that staff seek to maximize usable, programmable greenspace to create a district park and ensure safe and convenient pathways for cyclists and pedestrians to move through the space from the study area and greater Civic Hospital area. (Google: Planning Committe ottwatch June 24 2014.)

4.) House of Commons Ottawa June 14, 1978 Mr. Arthur Huntington, Progressive Conservative: "...In the late 1960's, I guess about the year 1968, a successful history of Crown construction with a system of checks and balances came to an end. We saw the evolution of well-connected developers moving in on the domain of the Department of Public Works to the point where, in the next decade, that department was reduced to little more than a real estate management function with the National Capital Commission acting as its agent in the capital region..."

QJP in 1983. The Sir John Carling Building can be seen in the background.

The image is from Reimagine Ottawa. On June 16, 1958 the PWGSC Minister told the House of Commons that no buildings would ever be constructed on land that was inhabited by Temporary Buildings # 5 and # 8. The Dow's Lake parking lot was occupied by Temporary Building #5. Public Works told MP Pierre Poilievre that the parking lot, owned by all Canadians, was worth more than $4 million dollars. Public Works donated the property to a hospital but some of land has been rezoned Mixed Use.

A March 13, 1954 Privy Council Order in Council that was approved by the highest levels of the Canadian government. The decree was approved by the Governor General of Canada and Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent: The Central Experimental Farm should remain an open area in perpetuity. Land where Temporary Buildings #5 and #8 were located were part of the Experimental Farm.

Temporary Building # 8, near the Sir John Carling Building, and Temporary Building #5, near Dow's Lake can be seen. The photo is from West Side Action.

Leave Ottawa's Greenbelt alone.

 The Greenbelt is sacred---as sacred as the National War Memorial and Memorials in all parts of Canada. But the Greber Report of 1950 and the designation National Interest Land Mass are ignored by politicians and developers.

  The "Father of Kanata" William Teron said the Ottawa Greenbelt was "a gorgeous place, but very seldom do you see people within it. Here, a million people could connect." Mr. Teron was also the head of Canada Mortgage and Housing.

Suggestions were made by local politicians that the Greenbelt should be similar to the Rouge National Urban Park.But Federal Minister of the Environment Leona Aglukkaq said that environmental integrity is not possible for the Rouge: "Maintenance or restoration of ecological integrity is the first priority for national parks under Section 8 (2) of the Canada National Parks Act. In testimony before the Environment Committee the Minister of the Environment Leona Aglukkaq argued that it was not possible to accomplish ecological integrity in the Rouge. She stated: "The ecosystems have integrity when their native components remain intact, but because ecosystems are constantly changing, conservation strategies that have ecological integrity as their goal must also allow for processes that reflect the ecosystems natural conditions...The park includes major highways, rail lines, hydro corridors, as well as farmland and seven million people live on the Rouge's doorstep."

The Rouge National Urban Park Act required amendments to The Parks Canada Agency Act and the Canada National Parks Act. Wardens patrol the land. Many different entities are involved in decision-making, including the Government of Ontario and various municipalities and organizations. New buildings have been constructed. Laws pertaining to the land have been updated/amended. Citizenship ceremonies are performed here, and also on the CN Tower. Farmers had to fight to have their long-term leases recognized. Leave the Ottawa Greenbelt just the way it is. Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Jacques Greber were visionaries. 

Swearing an Oath of Allegiance to Canada while on top of Toronto's CN Tower.

 House of Commons Ottawa February 17, 2017: Hon. Catherine McKenna (Minister of the Environment and Climate Change): "Canada's national parks and national historic sites enable Canadians to experience our rich history and heritage. The legislation before us would give Parks Canada the authority it needs to build on its role as a world leader in conservation.""Bill C-18 proposes to amend 3 statutes: The Rouge National Urban Park Act; the Canada National Parks Act and the Parks Canada Agency Act."

House of Commons Ottawa February 17, 2017: MP John Brassard (Barrie-Innisfil)CPC: "Parks Canada disagreed with the need for ecological integrity (on the Rouge.)"

The Rouge National Urban Park has wind turbines.

Also hydroelectric power lines, highways and pipelines. 

Parks Canada should not be involved with Ottawa's Greenbelt.

Parks Canada should be a gatekeeper, a protector of Canadian Historic Sites and Monuments.  However:

• The Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario was sold to a developer.
• The site of Montgomery's Tavern on 2384 Yonge Street in Toronto is a high-rise condo.
• The Ottawa Teachers College at 195 Elgin was sold or given to Ottawa City Hall.
• Prime Minister Mulroney halted the demolition of the Royal Canadian Mint on Sussex Drive.
• Plans were in place to demolish Ottawa's Union Station, Toronto's Union Station and Summerhill Station in North Toronto.
• Ottawa's Dominion Observatory campus may be flattened because the Civic Hospital does not want irregular parcels of land. And the South Azimuth will interfere with the widening of Maple Drive. Maple Drive is being restricted to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

 The United Nations agency UNESCO is thinking of removing the designation World Heritage Site from the Rideau Canal and from Wood Buffalo Park, Canada's largest park.

UNESCO State of Conservation Report - The Rideau Canal -May of 2018.

1. Various federal infrastructure investment projects along the length of the Rideau Canal World Heriage property.
2. Rideau Canal crossing pedestrian bridge. (Ottawa)
3. Chateau Laurier proposed expansion. (Ottawa)
4. Highway 417 bridge rehabilitation. (Ottawa)
5. Third Bridge crossing. (Kingston)
6. Rideau Marina (Kingston)  The Ontario Land Tribunal/Ontario Municipal Board rejected an application to build apartments on the land.
7. Former Davis Tannery Brownfield Site Redevelopment (Kingston)
8. New Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (Ottawa)

"McKenney should stick to issues she understands."

Ken Gray---The Bulldog, 09/23/2022.   "...McKenney has caught the municipal disease that overtakes candidates who become way too ambitious. It's called federalitis. Thats when pols want to invade federal jurisdiction which in the case of the Greenbelt is part of the NCC realm and thus national...as the name would imply."

"This usually occurs when candidates run out of municipal ideas so they invade other jurisdictions...We need a candidate who can fix roads and make the train run...So perhaps McKenney should stick to municipal issues."

The Greenbelt National Urban Park in Ottawa will be modelled after the Rouge National Urban Park.

The City of Ottawa, Parks Canada and the National Capital Commission may be involved in redeveloping/changing the Greenbelt.

House of Commons Ottawa February 17, 2017 Mr. John Brassard (Barrie-Innisfil) CPC: Parks Canada disagreed with ecological integrity as a guiding principle for the Rouge..The Rouge has highways, hydroelectric power lines and pipelines. 

Environment Minister Jim Prentice refused to transfer 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt to the City of Ottawa.

From: "Greenbelt development under review" Press Reader July 17, 2008. 

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009 The Hon. Gordon O'Connor: "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 side and we can protect this belt."

House of Commons September 16, 2009 MP Steven Blaney: "Our capital, which belongs to all Canadians, is world-class...Let us turn our attention to the greenbelt. What is the greenbelt? The greenbelt brings together several pieces of land along the Ottawa River on the Ontario side. It covers nearly 20,000 hectares of green space, including farms, forests and wetlands. These lands allow people to discover their rural roots and natural heritage and are a place where sustainable agriculture and forestry can be practised. What is interesting about the bill being debated this afternoon is that we will be strengthening the regulatory powers and enforcement regime of the National Capital Act. The bill contains the basis for improved protection of the greenbelt through an environmental regulatory framework."

"Think of the properties managed by the commission. We have the Rideau Canal, which stretches over 200 kilometres and was built in the 19th century to link Ottawa to Kingston. The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is located east of Ottawa. Other properties found in the greenbelt are Commissioner's Park, where there is a display of 100,000 tulips each spring."

Groups that are trying to save the Greenbelt:  Save Our Greenbelt; Save Our Greenspace!; Ontario Chapter|Sierra Club of Canada.

The Greenbelt in Ottawa should not be a national urban park.

1.)An urban park or metropolitan park is also known as a municipal park. The 50,000 acre Greenbelt is a National Interest Land Mass and it should be owned by the citizens of Canada in perpetuity, not by the City of Ottawa Corporation. The City wants the Greenbelt for housing:

BEYOND OTTAWA 20/20: TABLING OF THE OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW WHITE PAPER ON DEVELOPMENT IN THE GREENBELT-MAY 27, 2008: "It is estimated that of the 20,800 ha in the Greenbelt, at least one quarter, 5,560 ha. might be eligible for development if the Greenbelt designation was removed."

2.) House of Commons Ottawa May 25, 2010 Mr. Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Liberal) "...The Liberal members from the National Capital Region, the member for Ottawa-Vanier and I have good reason to call for enhanced protection of the greenbelt. There are, as a matter of fact, no major regulations protecting this area. Together the City of Ottawa and the NCC could do what they like with it. We believe this greenspace must be protected from developers."

 3.) The Greenbelt National Urban Park will be modelled after the Rouge National Urban Park. The Rouge National Urban Park Act raises many red flags,and the Rouge is not "national", it is not included in the official list of National Parks in Canada. The term national urban is an oxymoron.

4.) The City of Ottawa is not a champion of urban green space; they issued tree cutting permits for:

At least 750 trees on the Experimental Farm/Queen Juliana Park. 200 trees are already gone.

All 165 specimens on Sylvia Holden Park on Lansdowne.

40 trees on 563 Richmond Road near Maplelawn. Hundreds along Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard. 

If Major's Hill Park becomes an annex to the Chateau Laurier the landscape of the park will change. 

The City of Ottawa promised that the Humane Society land on 101 Champagne would be an extension of Ev Tremblay Park. But the Envie Condominiums were built.

4.4.2. Parks and Open Spaces - "The City requirements for parks and open spaces may have to be revisited to ensure that the types of spaces required by developers reflect the need for quality spaces of all sorts (active, passive, programmed, soft-surface and hard-surface) at the right sizes. The goals of a review of parks and recreational land should be: "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 green space is the plaza. The city should accept parkettes as part of the 5% parkland dedication."  (Recreational Land Strategy for Ottawa 2006-2031). Parkettes or pocket parks are less than one hectare.

 Protesting the loss of 165 trees on Sylvia Holden Park.

5.) The 22-acre Commissioners Park at Carling and Preston is a Greenbelt property. There is a reason why 265 Fairmont Avenue was re-named Princess Margriet Park.

6.) The former head of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation wanted to see a million people live in the Greenbelt.

7.) National Interest Land Mass properties cannot be sold or subdivided. The NILM designation was created to protect federal properties in the National Capital Region---from being transferred or sold to the municipality of Ottawa or to a foreign country. "...Land forming part of the NILM will be retained by the National Capital Commission on behalf of the government in perpetuity for the purposes which lie at the core of the NCC's mandate; and will be managed by the NCC with little or no further management involvement by the Treasury Board Secretariat." (Google: 1988-09-15-TB-re-NCC Land holdings.)

8.) The Greenbelt is untouchable. House of Commons Ottawa November 3, 1981 Mr. Jean-Robert Gauthier (Ottawa-Vanier) Liberal: "Last week Ottawa newspapers headlined that that NCC was prepared to give up land located in the Greenbelt, the untouchable zone surrounding the National Capital."

9.)  Prime Ministers of Canada and Members of Parliament were opposed to the sale of Greenbelt land to the City of Ottawa, to developers, the province, organizations, etc. They wanted to preserve the integrity of the 50,000 acre landscape:

Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney - Prime Minister Mulroney created the National Interest Land Mass law in 1988, to prevent the sale and takeover of important federal government properties. NILM land and buildings that are protected by the designation:

• The Central Experimental Farm
• The Greenbelt
• The Greenbelt Research Farm on 1740 Woodroffe Avenue
• 24 Sussex Drive
• Land beside the scenic parkways---Sir John A. Macdonald; Queen Elizabeth Driveway; Colonel By...the list goes on.
• The Royal Canadian Mint
• 7 Rideau Gate
• Rideau Hall
• The Parliament Buildings and Parliament Hill 
• more than 50 more federal holdings in Ottawa.

Members of Parliament who wanted to preserve Ottawa's Greenbelt:

MP Marlene Catterall

MP Gordon O'Connor

MP Jean-Robert Gauthier

MP Marcel Proulx

MP Beryl Gaffney     

MP Don Boudria

MP Mauril Belanger

MP John Baird

MP Walter Baker

MP Jim Abbott

Environment Minister Jim Prentice

Crown assets.

 House of Commons Ottawa May 21, 1982 BILL C-91,THE PUBLIC WORKS ACT-THE PUBLIC LAND GRANTS ACT. Mr. Thomas Fennell, Progressive Conservative: "...I would like to return to Clause 2 of this bill. I refer to the phrase "sold or leased by tender or at auction after public advertisement, unless it is otherwise authorized by the governor in council"...This legislation has gone too far and I do not know how much further the minister plans to go with respect to land. I know that many tourist operators would be delighted to purchase Parks Canada. There is nothing stopping the government from selling that land to the Americans, Germans, Russians or whoever might want to buy it, because this bill does not contain the proper language and has been improperly drafted so we can sell our parks to the highest bidder. Possibly it may be an improvement to have them run by private enterprise, but the fact is the parks belong to Canadians."

Mr. Lorne Nystrom (Yorkton-Melville) New Democratic Party: "Mr. Speaker, I wish to say a few words on this bill...Our main concern is that we have more accountability and a strengthening of parliamentary committees so that we as the people's representatives can make sure that billions of taxpayers dollars are spent properly. We as parliamentarians should not be here just as a bunch of people screaming, hollering and bellowing; we should have some input and legislative power over the direction of the government."

"We must do whatever we can to bring the government to the people. The government must reflect the wishes of ordinary people. I believe that the Canadian values of equality, sharing, democracy and liberty exist. I believe that those values are felt by the overwhelming majority, and I believe it is time that the Government of Canada recognized that and governed for the people. In its contracting and leasing of government buildings the government should be more democratic and allow us as Members of Parliament to have an input so that the institutions of Canada, including the Government of Canada, could be a mirror and reflect the great people of this country."

A few years ago Parks Canada wanted to sell $8 billion dollars worth of infrastructure in the National Parks---highways, roads, dams, culverts, bridges, etc,

National Parks in Canada as of September 2022.

• Jasper
• Banff
• Waterton 
• Yoho
• Kootenay
• Kluane
• Gros Morne
• Fundy
• Prince Edward Island
• Elk Island
• Bruce Peninsula - TV Ontario produced a wonderful documentary called "TRIPPING the Bruce" that can be viewed on YouTube.
• Cape Breton Highlands
• Riding Mountain
• Nahanni
• La Mauricie
• Point Pelee
• Kejimkujik
• Forillon
• Georgian Bay Islands
• Auyuittuq
• Grasslands
• Mount Revelstoke
• Thousand Islands
• Torngat Mountains
• Qausuittuq
• Vuntu
• Ivvavik
• Glacier
• Mealy Mountains
• Saquenay-St. Lawrence Marine Parks
• Parc national du Mont-Tremblant
• Parc national de la Gaspesie
• Wood Buffalo

The Rideau Canal is a Parks Canada property and the waterway has many bridges and dams. 

The federal government owned more than $40 billion dollars worth of property.

 House of Commons Ottawa February 23, 1982 Mr. Erik Nielsen (Official Opposition House Leader; Progressive Conservative Party House Leader): "...As the President of the Treasury Board is aware-and I see his colleague the Minister of Public Works sitting beside him-Canada's Department of Public Works is probably the biggest landlord in the world with well over $40 billion of property, real and other, in its list of assets..."

 PWGSC Minister Erik Nielsen was interviewed by Stevie Cameron: "The largest chunk of money in the federal government is in its real estate holdings. My guess, based on preliminary research I had gathered, was that it was pushing $60 billion." (Page 268 of the book "On the Take" by Stevie Cameron.)

Public Works donated the 14-acre Queen Juliana park to a hospital. Many trees have already been clearcut and a bulldozer is digging up the ground in preparation for a parking garage:

The 4-storey parking garage.

A letter that I wrote to MP Pierre Poilievre on July 27, 2010.

The Conroy Pit is being sold.

 I have mentioned this before: The Ottawa Greenbelt is untouchable---Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Jacques Greber dedicated 900 square miles of land in the National Capital Region to Canadian soldiers. And the designation National Interest Land Mass prohibits the sale of Greenbelt land.

"The Conroy Pit (110 ha. or 276 acres) is an abandoned sand pit, with recreational integration and development potential." (NCC Greenbelt Master Plan Background-1996, PDF page 4.) As of September 2022 the land mass is 98 acres.

Greenbelt properties that may be privatized in the future:

1. Lands east of Conroy Road and south of Hunt Club.
2. Isolated parcel bounded by Highway 416, Richmond and Baseline Roads.
3. Site at southwest corner of West Hunt Club and Woodroffe Avenue.
4. Isolated parcel on west side of 417; open field with scattered shrubs and small trees.

The study team was also requested to consider a fifth parcel for other uses, that consists of the lands located at the southeast corner of Carling and Moodie, extending south from Carling to Highway 417 and west from Moodie Drive to the Greenbelt boundary bordering the Crystal Bay community.

House of Commons Ottawa November 3, 1981- INQUIRY WHETHER POLICY RELATED TO GREENBELT IN OTTAWA-CARLETON HAS BEEN MODIFIED.

Mr. Jean-Robert Gauthier (Ottawa-Vanier) Liberal: "Madame Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Public Works who is responsible for the National Capital Commission. Last week, Ottawa newspapers headlined that the NCC was prepared to give up NCC land located in the Greenbelt, the untouchable zone surrounding the National Capital. more...

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 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, 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 this government plan on continuing the status quo with the Nepean greenbelt lands or does the government plan on putting these lands up for sale? The majority of us in Nepean clearly do not want the greenbelt chipped away for residential or commercial development."

Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and my Dad.

 

The photos were taken in the Centre Block of Parliament, Ottawa.

A government of Canada property that was sold a few years ago.

 Rochester Field, 563 Richmond Road,Ottawa - Rochester Field was a popular venue for people walking their dogs and for soccer players.

40 trees near Maplelawn were chopped down.

I believe that the following Crown assets will be privatized: "Obsolete" government buildings in the National Capital Region: A quote from Public Services and Procurement Canada-"PSPC confirms government leans to smaller office footprint, even with pandemic. But much of government-owned Ottawa|Gatineau portfolio is obsolete...room for private development sector to create new space." Ottawa Real Estate Forum. The City of Ottawa cannot wait to get its hands on the buildings.

The Greenbelt- "A million people could live here." A quote from the former head of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Parliament Hill- The American Embassy was built on former Parliament Hill property. The government wanted to return the land to Major's Hill Park,Google "Dreams of Major's Hill Park, 1969-1970".

The northern half of the Sparks Street Mall and properties on Wellington Street - As I mentioned before, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau expropriated the parcel--- to save the heritage buildings and to prevent the construction of residential towers near Parliament Hill:

House of Commons Ottawa July 20, 1973-The Hon. Jean-Eudes Dube (Minister of Public Works): "...I have today, on behalf of the government, filed a notice of intent to expropriate all the land and buildings in the area bounded by Wellington Street, Elgin Street, Sparks Street and Bank Street. The purpose of this expropriation is to protect the environment of Parliament from any development which could adversely affect it, and simultaneously provide the land for an appropriate expansion of Parliamentary facilities and other governmental requirements..."

Mr. Walter Baker (Grenville-Carleton) Progressive Conservative: "...The most significant aspect of this announcement is the aspect of control. Parliament Hill is recognized as a place of unparalled architectural beauty. More than that, it is the symbol and the centre of our national life. As such it deserves protection from the conflicts and differences in points of view that arise between municipalities and developers on land use, even though they may be well intentioned. This announcement today will ensure that the people of Canada whose national capital this City is will have a part in the development of its centre."

Mr. Real Caouette (Temiscamingue) Social Credit: "Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for sending me a copy of that statement which should have been made to Parliament some 20 years ago, I think, in order to protect the environment of Parliament..."

Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre) New Democratic Party: "...I hope it will not be regarded as a conflict of interest that we are concerned not only about the beauty and attractiveness of the area from the river over to Sparks Street but we are also concerned about the view of Parliament Hill from all parts of the city...Woe betide any developer who puts a high rise building between my bedroom window and the Peace Tower...Sir, we thoroughly approve of the decision to expropriate the area between Wellington and Sparks Streets and between Bank and Elgin for this purpose indicated by the Minister of Public Works (Mr. Dube), and I join in the incidental comments that have been made, both by the Minister and the hon. member from Grenville-Carleton.Some of us have the real privilege of spending a great deal of time in this city...It is the capital of this country and therefore it belongs to all Canadians."

The future of Parliament Hill. A CBC News image from June 18, 2020. "The Hill"--- Canada's park, my park. 

A giant crater that is currently in front of Centre Block. Is the land being sold to foreign countries for an embassy row.

My Dad and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

The photo was taken at Union Station in Ottawa, across from the Chateau Laurier Hotel, 1968. Prime Minister Trudeau prevented the demolition of Union Station. 

Separation from local politics.

 House of Commons May 26, 1970 Ottawa. Mr. Barry Mather (Surrey) New Democratic Party: "Mr. Speaker, I have a question I want to ask the Acting Prime Minister...Will the government do what it can to keep the NCC out of local politics, having in mind that people in every constituency in Canada are paying for its operation?"

Some hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"

Hon. G.J. McIlraith (Solicitor General of Canada) Liberal. (Acting Prime Minister): "I quite agree with the hon. member that matters affecting the national capital are of concern to members from all parts of the country, and because this is the capital of the whole country they are not matters for only the local area members."

Mr. Robert Muir (Cape Breton-The Sydneys) "A supplementary question. Would the Acting Prime Minister ask the Chairman of the NCC to keep his nose out of local politics, and also---"

John James Greene (Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources) Liberal: "Order."

Mr. Muir (Cape Breton-The Sydneys): "How "greene" is my valley? Would the Acting Prime Minister ask the Chairman of the NCC to name names as to the greedy speculators and greedy politicians he condemned when speaking to the children who were in Ottawa under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Canada?"

 Local interference pertaining to zoning, redevelopment and divestiture of federal properties:  Mer Bleue; the Chateau Laurier Hotel (views of the Rideau Canal and changes to Major's Hill Park); the Woodroffe Avenue Greenbelt; Tunney's Pasture; Confederation Heights; Queen Elizabeth Drive and many other scenic highways; bridges over the Rideau Canal; removing land from Parliament Hill and the Supreme Court of Canada on Wellington Street for a transit project; 

The role of the NCC was to advise the government of Canada: House of Commons Ottawa May 15, 1970 Hon. G.J. McIlraith (Acting Prime Minister) Liberal: "I do not want to be put in the position of giving a legal opinion on the National Capital Commission legislation, but it is quite clear in the Act that the function of that commission is to advise the government on the planning of the national capital region. The responsibility for decision is that of the government and not of the commission."

Contempt of Parliament: House of Commons Ottawa October 19, 1970 Mr. Francis (Chief Government Whip's assistant) Liberal: "...The head of the National Capital Commission was quoted in the press as saying that he thinks he might move the Prime Minister away from Harrington Lake. I do not know if that is an accurate quotation but it is what was printed. Such a statement is dangerously close to contempt of the executive branch, if not the legislative branch of Parliament."

The loss of federal real estate to the City of Ottawa.

 House of Commons Ottawa September 15, 1964. Hon. Paul Martineau (Pontiac-Temiscamingue): "Mr. Speaker, I wish to direct a question to the Minister of Public Works. Can the minister tell us if the national capital commission has changed its policy with regard to the transfer of buildings to the city of Ottawa, because it now charges a $100 fee for what it used to do for $1 dollar?"

House of Commons September 18, 1964. Hon. Jean-Paul Deschatelets (Minister of Public Works) Liberal: "Mr. Speaker, while I have the floor may I answer a question put to me by the hon. member for Pontiac-Temiscamingue (Mr. Martineau)?"

"A few days ago the hon. member asked me whether the national capital commission had changed its policy in connection with the transfer of buildings to the city of Ottawa. There is no change of policy. The only change to take place recently concerns fees for easements. A $25 minimum is required. However, there may be additional amounts added to this minimum because of technical surveys, legal research, travel and other administrative costs."

The book is sold by Amazon.

Roads and infrastructure within Tunney's Pasture will be transferred to the City of Ottawa. Why the Farm was sacrificed.

( Google: "Core responsibility 3-Property and infrastructure-PSPC, April 8,2022.") Also, Riverside Drive and Heron Road within Confederation Heights will be owned by the City. 

Hank LeClair, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Health Minister John Munro in the Health Canada Building, Tunney's Pasture Ottawa.

7.0 Confederation Heights|City of Ottawa- "The open space and park areas along the Rideau River will be retained as part of the City's Greenway System and will continue to serve as major recreational areas with active recreation and leisure facilities provided at Mooney's Bay and the RA Centre. Hog's Back Park and Vincent Massey Park will be maintained as passive open space areas."

How generous you are, to "retain" open space and park areas. Tunney's Pasture, Confederation Heights, Mooney's Bay, the RA Centre, Hog's Back Park and Vincent Massey Park are federal properties, owned by all of the citizens of Canada. Who gave a mayor and local politicians the power to change the capital city of a western democracy? Ottawa belongs to all Canadians. The Mayor of London, England does not have the power to sell Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens or the British Broadcasting Corporation. 

The Confederation Heights redevelopment includes the former CBC Headquarters at 1500 Bronson Avenue.

1999 Plan for Canada's Capital - "...Key Capital Parks include Confederation, Jacques Cartier, Rockcliffe, Major's Hill, Rideau Falls, Commissioner's, Hog's Back/Vincent Massey, Leamy Lake, Brebeuf and LeBreton Common." 

"Certain lands considered Capital Parks in the 1988 Plan "are no longer considered to fulfil this role as a result of the 1995-99 review" and include the Prince of Wales site except for the shore lands (Moffat Farm), and Shirley's Bay and Gatineau Park south of Gamelin Boulevard, which are both designated as Natural Heritage Areas like the rest of Gatineau Park and portions of the Greenbelt." (Google: NCC land holdings outside of Gatineau Park and the Greenbelt.)

Federal, capital parkland in the year 1950.

Rockcliffe Park - 70 acres.

Central Park - Clemow Avenue - 16 acres.

Brewer Park, End of Bronson Avenue - 39 acres.

Commissioners Park, Dow's Lake - 4 acres.

Green Island Park, mouth of Rideau River - 6 acres.

Nepean Point and Major's Hill Park - 21 acres.

McDonald Park - Charlotte Street - 7 acres.

Anglesea Square - York Street - 3 acres.  

Strathcona Park, Range Road - 8 acres.

St. Lukes Park - Frank Street - 1.5 acres.

Dundonald Park - Somerset Street - 2 acres.

Plouffe Park - Preston Street - 4 acres.

McNab Park - Gladstone Avenue - 3 acres.

Reid Farm Park - Sherwood Drive - 6 acres.

Ballantyne Park - Main Street, Ottawa East - 1 acre.

Total - 193 acres. (From: Page 125/345 of the Greber Report of 1950.) 

National Historic Sites.

Gone.  Earnscliffe on 140 Sussex Drive. The British Embassy is probably demolishing Earnscliffe.

Central Experimental Farm -When hundreds more trees are removed, the barns and greenhouses are gone, the NCC Driveway is de-paved, and the Baseline Road boundary is sold for a local transit route. 

Ottawa Teachers College - 195 Elgin Street - sold the the City of Ottawa.

Parliament Hill Grounds (?)

Chateau Laurier Hotel, 1 Rideau Street - sold to Larco.

Daly Building, 555 Mackenzie Avenue - land beneath the Daly Building was envisioned as a memorial to John Lennon. 

I will not eat crickets, while at the same time a foreign billionaire purchased 100,000 acres of federal farmland from a Crown corporation.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau never wanted foreign entities to own Canadian transportation, communications and resource industries; the National Parks, federal Crown Corporations...the list goes on. Read the Federal Investment Review Agency document:

House of Commons Ottawa April 27, 1977. Pierre Elliot Trudeau (Prime Minister) Liberal.): "Mr. Speaker, might I take this opportunity to table an exchange of letters between the premiers and myself on the question of foreign ownership of land, in both official languages."

 

More family-owned photos.

Perth, Ontario.

Me.

1968.

Mid-1950's. My grandparents home was a Parks Canada Canadian Historic Site. The 100-acre property is located between Merrickville and Jasper, Ontario.

           13th Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta, 1973.

"Canadian Historic Sites Occasional Papers-Archaeology and History, No. 10."The Architectural Heritage of the Rideau Corridor" by Barbara A. Humphries.

Federal properties that may be privatized in the future.

 The Greenbelt - 2067 Greenbelt Vision Statement: "The Greenbelt will forever protect natural systems, agriculture and opportunities for outdoor recreation that will inspire Canadians and contribute to the sustainability and quality of life in Canada's Capital Region. The Greenbelt will remain in the public domain." (Page 53/196)

 "Disneyland North."The Collins Bay Institution in Kingston, Ontario.

"A new prison will be constructed in Kingston, Ontario populated from the consolidation of Pittsburgh, Joyceville, Collins Bay Institution, the Regional Treatment Centre, Warkworth and Millhaven." (Page 198.) " Joyceville and Pittburgh farmland could be worth $2 million dollars, while the Regional Headquarters at 440 and 462 King Street West could net $17 million dollars." (Page 208.) (From: "A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety" 2007, by Rob Sampson.)

The former CBC Headquarters at 1500 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.

Organizations that tried to save Crown property.

The Heritage Canada Foundation.

The Historical Society of Ottawa - Sparks Street Mall.

Keep the Greenbelt Green.

Save the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society.

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, Steveston Village, Richmond, British Columbia.

Friends of the Kingston Penitentiary.

Save Our Prison Farms - A National Campaign.

ipetition - Don't Erase History, Protect the Kingston Penitentiary.

#ygk Challenge: Save the Kingston Penitentiary and Regional Treatment Centre.

Save the Kingston Portsmouth Harbour and Greenspace.

Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Dominion Observatory Campus in the Capital.

Alliance to Save Our Greenbelt.

Rally to Save Harbour Front, Toronto.

Save Our Rideau - A campaign to save the heritage of the Rideau Canal from the cuts by Parks Canada.

Good news from Kingston, Ontario-"...A proposal to develop an apartment building on the Rideau Marina site on the shores of the Cataraqui River (part of the Rideau Canal) has been rejected by the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal. According to the decision "...The proposal does not comply with the requirements of the Official Plan in terms of its impact on the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Designation and because of its incompatible scale and massing with the surrounding area." March 9, 2020.  (savecfbrockcliffe.) 

Identical statues of "The Man with Two Hats". The top photo was taken in Commissioners Park on the north shore of Dow's Lake in Ottawa. The National Canadian Liberation Monument photo was taken in Apeldoorn, Holland, and the statue honours Canadian soldiers who fought during World War 11 to free the Netherlands. The Apeldoorn land is sacred.

Students lay flowers at Bergen op Zoom. (The photo is from Legion-Canada's Military History Magazine, March 20, 2020. Dyann Bernard.)