The Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa should be protected by UNESCO.

 Canada signed the UNESCO World Heritage Convention document on July 23, 1976. "State Parties agree to identify and nominate properties on their national territory to be considered for inscription on the list." "The 1970's marked the beginning of a dramatic change in heritage designation. By signing the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1976, the federal government committed itself to protecting world heritage sites within Canada. The highest possible standards of conservation would be followed." 

The many reasons why the Experimental Farm should be included on the list:

1.)  More than 700 mature trees will be clear-cut to make room for a hospital. According to the Friends of the Farm---Remarkable Trees of Central Experimental Farm: "Trees were obtained from nurseries in Germany, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, France, England and the USA." Widening Prince of Wales Drive will decimate the cherry blossom trees. The Experimental Farm Woods and Arboretum Woods are protected by the City of Ottawa, Google "urban natural features strategy, City of Ottawa April 11, 2006."

2.)  Views of the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site have already been compromised by a massive parking garage, as big as the Ottawa Airport parking garage. 

3.) A Canadian Privy Council Order signed by Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent stated that: "The Central Experimental Farm should remain an open space in perpetuity; if it were ever desirable to move all or part of the Farm, the land should not be used for building projects but for a park or other open area." March 19, 1954. A copy of the actual Privy Council Order-in-Council is on my savecfbrockcliffe blog entry on February 24, 2024.

4.)  The entire property is part of the National Interest Land Mass.

5.)  The Dominion Observatory: 

• is part of the Parliamentary Precinct - "The popularity of the Observatory occurred when it opened in 1905, due to the support of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Laurier's advocation reinforced the idea that this Observatory was to be considered an arm of the parliamentary precinct." (From: "Journal of the Study of Architecture in Canada" and "Astronomer Mary Grey and the Architecture of Canada's Dominion Observatory." Page 10/67. Information was presented by Sharon Odell of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.)
• is modeled after the Greenwich Royal Observatory in London, England. Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• attempts have already been made to demolish Farm properties---in the year 1970; in 1996 when more than 40 buildings were endangered. And fairly recently: "Extensive demolition or relocation of buildings may be necessary for the new build (the hospital) to proceed." 
• the astrophysical observatory is a Classified Federal Heritage Building. That designation can easily be removed.
• nearby towers and noise and light pollution will prevent the Dominion Observatory from ever reopening. As I mentioned before, my classmates and I visited the landmark in 1965 and we all looked through the telescope. 
• the Ottawa Hospital does not want "irregular parcels of land." The Dominion Observatory buildings are creating an "irregular parcel of land" on Maple Drive. The South Azimuth is the first building that will be demolished because Maple Drive is being widened and converted to an emergency vehicle route.

6.)  If the Farm is included on the World Heritage List, buffer zones may prevent the creation of high-rise residential towers on Carling Avenue and Baseline Road. The towers would be detrimental to scientific research and the growth of food on agricultural land. And CEF property along Baseline Road has been earmarked for a mass transit endeavor. Buffer zones are an "important tool for the conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List."

7.) World War 11 temporary buildings were located on the Farm--- No. 5 was on the Dow's Lake parking lot and No. 8 was on Queen Juliana Park below the Sir John Carling Building. House of Commons Ottawa, June 16, 1958:The Hon. George James McIlraith (Ottawa West): "Has the Minister come to any conclusion as to what will be done with the land on the farm now occupied by the temporary buildings when they are moved?" 

The Hon. Howard Charles Green (Minister of Public Works): "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."

Mr. McIlraith: "I want to commend the minister for continuing a policy set out a few years ago by the Liberal administration. I believe he will agree that it is a very satisfactory policy."

8.)  Permitted uses of land in the L-3 Central Experimental Farm Zone:  The purpose of the L-3 CEF Zone is to: Allow a range of uses on land designated as A Research Area in the Official Plan that will help to support and conserve the cultural, scientific and historical value of the Central Experimental Farm for present and future generations. 

Allowed

• agricultural use
• environmental preserve and education area
• museum - limited to agricultural museum
• on farm diversified use, limited to a place of assembly (see Part 3, Section 79, By-law 2019-41)
• park
• research and development centre limited to agricultural research
• urban agriculture (see Part 3, Section 82, By-law 2017-48)

Buildings on the Farm cannot be any taller than 5.5 storeys. (The information about L-3 Zoning can be found on "Open Space and Leisure Zones" Sections 173-180, a City of Ottawa document, page 13/19.)

9.) A mega-hospital will have a terrible impact on Dow's Lake/the Rideau Canal, wild life, tourism, agricultural research, the Arboretum Woods, Experimental Farm Woods, Fletcher Wildlife Garden, the Macoun Memorial Garden, Historic Hedge Collection, Ornamental Gardens, heritage buildings, traffic, the scenic parkways (Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Prince of Wales Drive, the NCC Parkway), Preston Street, Maple Drive, Birch Drive and nearby neighbourhoods.

10.)  Major Cultural Landscapes in Ottawa:

• Parliament Hill
• Major's Hill Park
• Rideau Hall
• Rockcliffe Park
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Central Experimental Farm ("All dating from the 19th century, together they have played a key role in shaping people's image of the federal realm.") The information is from 'Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands' by Julian Smith and Associates, Contentworks, December of 2004, page 43/109 Greenspace Alliance.

11.)  House of Commons Ottawa May 13, 1988: The Hon. John Wise (Minister of Agriculture)"...Next to the Parliament Buildings, the Experimental Farm is the second most popular tourist attraction here in Ottawa."  The Tulip Festival and Winterlude are celebrated on the Farm.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the National Capital Commission and PWGSC gave Queen Juliana Park to the people of Canada.

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 was to honour Queen Juliana of Holland who donated thousands of tulip bulbs to Ottawa---and to relocate community uses of Commissioners Park to Queen Juliana Park in 1976 when Italian Week and St. Anthony's Church used Commissioners 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 Commissioners 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 Council. 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.