The Experimental Farm in Ottawa. Why a public inquiry is needed.

1. The 2,500 page lease agreement between the Government of Canada and the Civic Hospital has been hidden from the public. I was banned from reading the document because I "do not have a valid reason" to read it. 

2. Twelve acres of land were rezoned to high-density residential. Land for the hospital is Institutional.

3. A Cabinet document stipulated that the Farm would be a public, open space in perpetuity:

A March 19, 1954 Cabinet document.

4. Decisions made by the National Capital Commission can be overturned by Parliament: Senate of Canada Ottawa May 8, 2002- The Hon. Noel Kinsella-Proposal to sell Moffat Farm-Inquiry-Debate. "Honourable Senators, I would like to make a few remarks with reference to this matter now before the Senate...The matter relates to the National Capital Act, which created the National Capital Commission."

"It seems to me, we require a provision for a recall mechanism. Section 10 (2) of the (National Capital) act, which gives the power to the National Capital Commission to sell lands held in trust, could be amended by Parliament to provide for a review mechanism by Parliament or a parliamentary committee upon the receipt, for example, of 1,000 signatures of citizens from any part of Canada."

"As well, the section of the act that gives the authority to the Cabinet to overturn any decision by the NCC to not sell land should also apply to any decision to sell land. There is a provision in the act which provides that Cabinet can override a decision of the NCC to not sell land, and I would suggest that the same provision should apply to the sale of land. Should the NCC, indeed should any agency of the Crown, in order to make ends meet, be out there negotiating away assets---in this instance assets that are held in trust for all Canadians?" The Reimagine Ottawa petition entitled "Investigate the Hospital Site Change from Tunney's Pasture to the Experimental Farm" has 9,928 signatures as of April 15, 2023.

5. The Dominion Observatory is part of the Parliamentary Precinct. However, the Civic Hospital has the power to decide if the Classified Heritage Building should be demolished. The South Azimuth is already endangered.

6. The Hon. Lloyd Francis was a future Speaker of the House of Commons. Douglas Fullerton was the head of the National Capital Commission: SPEECH FROM THE THRONE-CONTINUATION OF DEBATE: House of Commons Ottawa October 10, 1974: Mr. Francis (Ottawa West) Liberal "I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Fullerton for his imaginative and innovative use of public funds and public lands."

"However, I wish to take issue with him on one score and express quiet but firm disagreement with him. He may have been right on a number of things, but I do not think he was right when he proposed that part of the Experimental Farm should be used for housing. Despite the fact that there is a serious housing shortage in this area I do not think that my constituents would choose to sacrifice an open space which is such a precious thing for the community."

Some hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"

7. The National Capital Commission is no longer a gatekeeper, a protector of Crown property that is owned by all Canadians. 1949 Report of the Federal District Commission - Parks and Driveways that were maintained by the FDC, page 10/75 and 37/75:

• Bronson Park
• Clemow and Maitland Avenues
• Confederation Park
• Central Park and Linden Terrace
• Dows Lake Park and Playgrounds
• Echo Drive
• Experimental Farm Driveway - The NCC plans to de pave the scenic parkways and sell the valuable real estate.
• Eastview Park
• Island Park Driveway
• King Edward Avenue Park
• Lady Grey Drive - part of Lady Grey Drive and the National Research Institute on 100 Sussex Drive were given or sold to the British Embassy on 140 Sussex Drive.
• Nepean Point Park
• Lake Flora Park, Hull
• Major's Hill Park- is being integrated with the Chateau Laurier Hull. Despite the fact that a 2008 report recommended that a fence separate the two properties.
• MacDonald Garden Park
• Nicholas Street Park
• Parc Jacques Cartier, Hull
• Rockcliffe Park
• Rideau Canal Driveway
• Strathcona Park
• Dundonald Park, Somerset Street
• Val Tetreau Park, Hull

"Wherever possible, the parks and driveways are and will be located along the banks of the Rideau and Ottawa Rivers, the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake."

8. Buffer Zones

Senate of Canada Ottawa December 12, 2019-Bill S-203-Bill to Amend-Second Reading. Save the Greenbelt and the Farm:  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?"

9. View Controls- "New Tools for View Controls in Canada's Capital - 2016 (Page 28/76) The new hospital will have a negative impact on the following views:

• views from Prince of Wales Scenic Entry---including views toward proposed loading docks.
• views from entrance to Queen Elizabeth Drive/Dows Lake (at Preston/Prince of Wales.)
• views from Dows Lake to main hospital buildings.
• views from Carling Avenue both east and west of the main hospital buildings.
• views identified in the Commemorative Integrity Statement for the Central Experimental Farm.
• views from adjacent CEF heritage buildings (e.g. Dominion Observatory Complex, Saunders Building, along Commissioners Drive and/or Maple Drive.
• views identified in the NCC Visual Assessment Views Analysis (2009 and 2013.)
• views from/along the Rideau Canal including from Commissioners Park, Hartwell Lockstation and Colonel By Drive (that were assessed for the Campus Master Plan and parking garage applications.) (From: Page 18/87---City of Ottawa Development Application Search-Cultural Impact Statement-Addendum 2-D07-12-22-0168.)  United Nations UNESCO World Heritage Sites-views of the Rideau Canal cannot be blocked by new construction.-savecfbrockcliffe. 

10. National Interest Land Mass - "The Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site is designated in its entirety as part of the National Interest Land Mass. There lands are essential for the long-term symbolism, functioning, physical structure, and natural and cultural landscape qualities of the Capital. Implicit in a NILM  designation is a formal expression of the Federal government's interest in the long-term use of these lands."

"Most NILM lands are, or should be, under the custody of the federal government to ensure they are protected and enhanced. Generally the majority of these lands are, or will be, owned by the NCC, while some NILM land will also be under the custody of other custodians or departments." (CEF National Historic Site Management Plan (7-20).

"To ensure that federal capital lands in Canada's Capital Region develop in a way that is appropriate to the Capital and respectful of heritage and the natural environment, the NCC prepares long-term visionary plans. It defines National Interest Land Mass properties to be held in trust for future generations. (National Capital Commission Summary of the Corporate Plan-2006-2007.)

11.

In the year 1998, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designated the Farm a National Historic Site and a Cultural Landscape. "Federal buildings and grounds which are national historic sites of Canada should receive the highest protection and their significance should be communicated to the public." ("Plan for Canada's Capital-1999-National Capital Commission: Lands of National Significance, page 69/127.)

12. The Ottawa 20/20 Initiative. "A Green and Environmentally Sensitive City" was identified as one of the seven principles that will be used to guide the City when making day-today decisions."

13. The National Capital Commission's Plan for Canada's Capital. "For jurisdictional reasons, the lead planning document for land use decisions affecting CEF lands is the NCC's Plan for Canada's Capital. (PFCC) It sets out the federal government's goals for use of federal lands in the National Capital Region. The NCC reviews all proposals for the use of federal lands for conformity with this Plan through the Federal Land Use and Design Approvals and Land Transaction processes."

"The PFCC contains broad, high-level policies that place the CEF within the context of other federal lands in the National Capital Region:

• identifying the lands east of Prince of Wales as Capital Urban Green Space
• the Rideau Canal and nearby CEF shore lines as Waterway and Shore Land
• the Canada Agriculture Museum lands as National Cultural Institution
• the Research Fields as Rural Lands
• and the lands near Carling as Federal Node.

The PFCC further designates several roadways situated within and connecting with the CEF:

• Prince of Wales Drive north of the traffic circle and the NCC Driveway are designated Capital Parkway, connecting with Queen Elizabeth Drive on the east and Island Park Drive on the northwest.
• The PFCC designates Prince of Wales Drive south of the traffic circle as Scenic Entry, matching the designation in the City of Ottawa Official Plan. 

The Entry Zone - Expansive lawn areas with mature specimen trees and curving pathways.

Long-framed vistas and varied, dramatic topography.

Overlooks to Dow's Lake and the Rideau Canal.

Roadways designed in the parkway tradition. No internal road widening should be permitted.

14. The Natural and Open Space report: "The Natural and Open Spaces Study (NOSS) was undertaken to provide the technical information necessary to enable informed decisions regarding the City's remaining natural areas and open spaces. The Study recommends the protection of 57 natural areas City-wide:

The Farm - The Natural and Open Spaces Study (NOSS) report, prepared by the City of Ottawa, identified a number of significant natural resources on or adjacent to the Central Experimental Farm site. The Arboretum ranks in the highest category for social value, reflecting the importance Ottawa residents attach to this area for its visual and natural relief, and for its contributions to the quality of life in an urban context. The NOSS study recommends the protection of the Arboretum and adjacent open water wetland habitat, two nearby water reaches, and the CEF Woods near Fisher Avenue. It also provides management guidelines. (From: CEF National Historic Site Management Plan (8 of 20) Date modified on 2019-09-17).

City of Ottawa Department of Urban Planning and Public Works-June 4, 1999. Natural Open Spaces, Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Protection Areas:

• Portion of Mud Lake/Britannia Woods
• Pinecrest Woods
• Dechenes Rapids
• Hampton Woods
• Chaudiere Rapids
• Portion of Lemieux Island
• Arboretum
• Central Experimental Farm Woods
• Prince of Wales Woods
• Victoria Island Woods
• Brown's Inlet
• Patterson's Creek
• Rockcliffe Park Woods
• Leopold Woodlot
• Riverside Woods
• CNR Line
• Portions of Sawmill Creek
• RA Centre Woods
• Rideau River Park Woods
• Jim Durrell Arena Woods
• Coronation Park Woods
• Ramsey Creek Woods

15. House of Commons Ottawa April 12, 1961 Mr. Hazen Robert Argue (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation): "...There has been a good deal of discussion in the house regarding the government's policy in respect of construction of buildings on the experimental farm and I think it has been accepted---at least it was by the minister's predecessor and by former members of the Department of Agriculture, particularly by the Right Hon. J.G. Gardiner---that the central experimental farm should not be encroached upon by the construction of buildings, because of the fact that it is considered to be a valuable piece of property with historical records built up over many decades."

"It was felt that any reversion or change of this land to some other use would destroy the continuity of these records, and that the experimental farm should remain intact at its present location. I think the present minister has been modifying the policy as set out by his predecessor. He appears to be on record as in favour of the construction of an administrative building...but I would express hope that such a building would not be constructed at that location; and that the farm situated at this very strategic and valuable location will not be sacrificed to commercial interests..."