- A Heritage Study
- An Environmental Impact Study
- Traffic Study
- Site Plan
- Transportation Plan
- Parking Strategy
![]() |
This document is from the 1980's. |
![]() |
This document is from the 1980's. |
![]() |
A Royal Astronomical Society of Canada video on YouTube. |
Agriculture and Agrifood Canada National Historic Site Management Plan, Page 18/20 AAFC never wanted Maple Drive and Prince of Wales Drive altered and converted to ambulance routes.
Interior routes:
![]() |
A scene from the movie "The Perfect Assistant" with Josie Davis, Chris Potter and Rachel Hunter. |
Previous attempts to flatten Experimental Farm buildings:
![]() |
A 1974 Ottawa Journal article. |
![]() |
An Ottawa Citizen article from December 20, 1996. |
"New Civic Hospital location, the story behind the story." The Glebe Report, October 14, 2022. "...The development will result in an additional 3,000 vehicles seven days a week on Prince of Wales Drive and Carling Avenue. It will significantly compromise the public's access to and enjoyment of Commissioners Park and Dow's Lake..." (Prince of Wales is being widened to accommodate emergency and commercial vehicles including suppliers. A few months ago the federal government saved the Dominion Observatory campus, Google: "Parks Canada News Release, Ottawa, January 15, 2025." The Civic wanted to demolish the South Azimuth in order to widen Maple Drive. Birch Drive has been cordoned off, and the vacant William Saunders Building is in the path of destruction.)
Reposting---A Botanical Garden project in the year 2001:
![]() |
A 2001 Ottawa Citizen article. |
![]() |
Ottawa's Dominion Observatory discovered Planet X. |
Designations may be removed:
![]() |
A wonderful, 4-hour documentary that was produced by TV Ontario. |
Designation Procedure 7.3.C Prior to designating an area as a Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, the City must undertake a study. During the study period, alteration, demolition or removal may be regulated. (page 375/585.)
Properties Designated Under the Ontario Heritage Act 7.3.C.2 Properties that are protected by Part 1V of the Ontario Heritage Act may be included as part of the heritage conservation district to ensure the integrity of the district. (Protected by Part 1V of the OHA, or in the process:
A Restrictive Covenant affecting 40 Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard, Kingston. September 12, 2022. File: 52564-1007. To preserve the value and enjoyment of adjoining land. (Union Park redevelopment project, page 93/95.)
Saving irreplaceable buildings in Canada
![]() |
Building A-3. |
A By-Law to Designate 40 Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard, Also Known as 'The Prison for Women (P4W)' To Be of Cultural Heritage Value Pursuant to The Provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act, (R.S.O. 1990, Chapter 0.18.) Passed September 18, 2007.
The "Reasons for the Designation" include the following "important" attributes:
Notice of Intention April 8--- Notice of Intention to pass a By-law to Designate
The following property to be of Cultural Heritage Value and Interest Pursuant to the Provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.0. 1990, Chapter 0.18.)
Take Notice that the Council of The Corporation of the City of Kingston intends to pass a By-law under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.0. 1990, Chapter 0.18, to designate the following lands to be of cultural heritage value and interest:
560 King Street West (Block 183-184 and 192, Plan 54, Except Part 1 on Reference Plan 13R-14792; Together with Easement over Part Block 182, Plan 54, Being Part 12 on Reference Plan 13R-18756 as in FC 46925, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, known as Kingston Penitentiary.)
The property includes 8.5 hectares of land on the south side of King Street West at the terminus of Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard and is adjacent to Portsmouth Olympic Harbour (formerly Hatter's Bay) within the Portsmouth Village neighbourhood of the City of Kingston.
Kingston Penitentiary (KP) was the first purpose-built penitentiary in Canada and, at the time of its construction emboldened the most enlightened concepts for the reformation of incarcerated individuals. It is a major institutional complex of largely 19th and 20th century buildings designed in the neoclassical style and constructed of local limestone. Taken together, the structures, spatial arrangement and rich layers of meaning associated with KP comprise a cultural heritage landscape that has local, provincial and national significance.
Kingston Penitentiary (KP) has design value for its high degree of technical achievement, artistic merit and craftsmanship related to its prototypical configuration, layout and spacial organization, in addition to its rich collection of well-crafted 19th century neoclassical structures.
The 19th century site plan prioritized symmetry to support an ordered universe, with a primary north-south axis from the entrance portico/North Lodge carried through the centre of the Main Cell Block and the South Workshop's Greek-cross design. This symmetry was also expressed in the location/orientation of the Dining Hall/Chapel and Hospital buildings, west and east of the Main Cell Block, and the similar locating of the East and West Workshops relative to the main South Workshop.
The property's fine craftsmanship is exhibited in its use of materials and construction methods. The property is a rare and early example of a closed-loop sustainability model of construction. The property displays a very high level of workmanship and elements of technical achievement, particularly exemplified in the 'flying' staircase executed in the cut stone at the South Workshop rotunda, the remarkable groin-vaulted ceiling in sections of the South Workshop, the basement of the Dining Hall and on the main level of the North Lodge. Also of note are the cast iron 'winged' columns designed by Edward Horsey for the Dining Hall that represents an early technical achievement in the use of exposed structural iron.
The buildings within Kingston Penitentiary that contribute to the property's overall cultural value and interest include:
IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT, R.S.0., CHAPTER 0.18 AND 20 STRACHAN AVENUE, CITY OF TORONTO, PROVINCE OF ONTARIO.
NOTICE OF PASSING A BY-LAW TO:
Canada Lands Company CLC Ltd., 200 King Street West, Suite 1509, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3T4
Inglis Limited, 1901 Minnesota Court, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 3A7
Ontario Heritage Foundation, 10 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1J3
Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Toronto has passed By-law No. 1996-0378 to designate 20 Strachan (Central Prison Chapel) as being of architectural and historical value or interest. Dated at Toronto this 27th day of August 1996.
(signed) City Clerk
Barbara Hall, Mayor of Toronto
![]() |
Liberty Village Park. The former Prison Chapel is the red building on the left. |
The Ontario Heritage Act Part 1V is also protecting:
![]() |
Buildings that are being preserved on the NRC campus. |
![]() |
The 1992 Directory of Federal Real Property. |
Past information regarding the prison. City Council Agenda---May 8, 2019-Brownfield Initial Study Grant Program, Page 4. 40 Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard. "The property is bounded by Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard to the east and Union Street and King Street to the north and south respectively. The owner has stated that the proposed redevelopment of the property will include residential and commercial components that involve the construction of three new buildings and the extensive renovation of the existing Prison for Women building. The proposed redevelopment will be a mixed use comprised of residential, retail and office space for a total area of approximately 795,000 square feet of buildings and approximately 146 surface parking lots."
![]() |
Plans were underway to knock down the walls between the cells in order to create condos. And all the interior bars and window bars will be removed. |
Collins Bay Guard Towers. Photo was taken by Timkal. |
Demolition of the walls at the Prison for Women. The video "P4W walls coming down" is on YouTube. |
![]() |
The Isabel MacNeill Halfway House for Women, 525 King Street West, Kingston. |
Stone Gables
![]() |
Stone Gables and St. Helen's are worth $17 million according to the document "A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety" by Rob Sampson, page 208. |
Despite the fact that:
1.) The Kingston Pen is the most popular tourist attraction in the city.
2.) The buildings were created with limestone and will last for thousands of years.
3.) The landmark is known as Canada's Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower.
4.) Guard towers, exterior walls and 10 buildings are scheduled for demolition. Including the South Workshop where an episode of Murdoch Mysteries was filmed:
5.) "Selective demolition of the Main Walls can provide entrances for automobiles and buses." (City of Kingston Project---Kingston Pen and the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, page 74.)
6.) The Pen and the Prison for Women are National Historic Sites of Canada.
7.)
![]() |
Government of Canada heritage designations. |
![]() |
A guard tower overlooking Lake Ontario. |
1.) The Cole and Rochester families sold Maplelawn on 529 Richmond Road to the Federal District Commission (the NCC). But the Deed stipulated that all the land, including the 9 acre Rochester Field would remain a greenspace.
2.) "The Humane Society property on 101 Champagne will be an extension of Ev Tremblay Park"
3.) "The Rideau Canal will always be maintained by Canada."
4.) National Interest Land Mass properties are untouchable.
5.) 1976---The Portsmouth Olympic Harbour adjacent to the Kingston Pen should always be public and owned by the citizens of Canada:
"Since the facility would later remain available to the public, the government of Ontario provided funds for the purchase of the land, and the federal government shared the cost of the installation...The Olympic Yachting Centre, buildings and land cost $6.4 million tax dollars." (Montreal Olympics Official Report, Volume 1" page 85/275) and (Montreal Olympics Official Report, Volume 2, page 215/238.)
However, the City of Kingston wants to build condos: "Petition: Save the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour Greenspace and Character. The parkland should not be sold for condo/residential development. WE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE UP THIS GREAT WATERFRONT PARK TO DEVELOPMENT."
6.) National Historic Sites of Canada cannot be flattened or converted to housing---
Red Flags--- Zoning laws, land use regulations and environmental assessments will be removed from federal properties on the Canada Public Land Bank list---"Because they create significant delays."
Land Use Regulations that should always be respected, in my opinion:
![]() |
Stanley Park encompassed 384 ha in 1992, or 950 acres. |
From: The Greber Report of 1950, page 167/395 and a photo is included.
"Under no conditions whatever should the ground now occupied by the Experimental Farm be used for other than park purposes, should its present use as a farm be abandoned." (Ottawa Improvement Commission, 1915, page 126/238.)
Parks, Parkways and Playgrounds These parks will be accessible to the people, on the principle that parks should be brought to the people, instead of people being forced to travel long distances to the parks. (OIC, 1915, page 180/238.)
Capital Parks in 1992
![]() |
A reposting from the 1992 Directory of Federal Real Property. |
6. Ottawa. When: May. Where: Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site's Arboretum boasts more than 2,000 varieties of trees and shrubs-including flowering cherry. Some of them date all the way back to the first plantings in 1889. Trails along Dow's Lake and the Ottawa River Valley also provide pops of pink thanks to pockets of flowering trees."
Threats to the Arboretum:
The Arboretum will be partially excavated: "It has come to our attention that the City of Ottawa is proposing to claim several meters of the Farm's southern border along Baseline for a rapid transit route. Moreover, it is understood that a part of the Arboretum next to the O-Train will be dug up." (A letter from Judy Dodds, President of the Friends of the CEF, to Federal Environment Minister McKenna, January 6, 2018.)
A need for more parking by the Civic Hospital: "There is a high probability that car arrivals at the campus in 2028 will far exceed the parking capacity. My best guess is that mitigation will eventually include TOH asking the NCC for more acreage on the Experimental Farm--probably in the Arboretum and along Maple Drive and even Commissioners Park for another parking garage and more surface parking lots." (The Glebe Report, 'Risk Management and the new Civic Hospital campus': by Barbara Popel, March 18,2022.)
A huge section of the Arboretum was rezoned, without public input or consent for the new Civic Hospital. (The Glebe Report, September 13, 2024, page 5.)
"Friends of the Farm raises concerns about future hospital impact on gardens, arboretum." (Ottawa West News, Melissa Murray, March 13, 2017.)
Encroachment on historic, irreplaceable landscapes. A letter to the head of the National Capital Commission: "Friends of the Central Experimental Farm were very supportive of the NCC process and review of a new site for the Ottawa Hospital. Unfortunately, the decision to choose a site at the Central Experimental Farm has prevailed. We believe that the potential impact of this decision on the grounds of the CEF needs to be stated."
"The specific site chosen for the hospital will challenge the public areas that are an integral part of the history and raison-d'etre of the Farm, and that objective is reinforced in the National Historic Site Management Plan."
![]() |
I am reposting this document, the CEF became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1998. |
![]() |
A July 20, 1946 article in the Ottawa Journal. |
As I mentioned before, all the National Capital Region scenic parkways are dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in foreign wars. The parkways will be owned by Canadians in perpetuity. (Greber Report of 1950, page 228/395.)
The driveways are protected by the Greenbelt and National Interest Land Mass designations.
QE Driveway is also a Cultural Heritage Landscape: The value of the parkway lies in its associations with:
Directory of Federal Real Property Queen Elizabeth Drive
House of Commons Ottawa July 22, 1960 Mr. Thomas Miller Bell, Carleton, Progressive Conservative (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada): "Among the new projects to be undertaken, I believe the Ottawa River parkway takes the highest priority. Properly designed, it will be an almost revolutionary addition to our parkway system. To the whole capital it will give new character, added personality and distinction."
House of Commons Ottawa March 3, 1977 Mr. Walter Baker (Grenville-Carleton): "In view of the importance of roads, which was mentioned by the hon. member who has just resumed his seat, and in view of the importance of the quality of life, the movement of traffic and the general enhancement of the national capital, would the minister look into reactivating plans for the completion of the National Capital Commission parkway along the Ottawa River?"
House of Commons Ottawa September 20, 1968 MP Lloyd Francis (Carleton-Ottawa West): "The National Capital Commission is not responsible for providing the health, recreation, traffic engineering, street maintenance and other services that the City of Ottawa provides. I invite hon. members of this house, especially the new members, to drive along the magnificent western parkway which has just been created by the national capital commission. Drive west along the parkway on Wellington Street to its termination on Carling Avenue, and then turn around and come back. As you approach Wellington Street from the west, you will pass beside Nepean Bay which has been substantially beautified by the national capital commission's efforts. Look ahead and you will see Ottawa's skyline."
"The NCC has a long-standing policy to retain federal riverfront land." (The Hon. Ron Stewart, Official Land Use Policy in the City of Ottawa---June 1984.)
Report of the Federal District Commission, 1949, page 14/45: "The FDC is justly famous for the utilization of the scenic beauty of the federal capital. Wherever possible, parks and driveways are and will be located along the banks of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers, the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake."
Land adjacent to the Rideau Canal is part of the National Interest Land Mass. NILM holdings include "The national institutions and symbols, rivers and canal banks, Confederation Boulevard, parkway corridors, Gatineau Park and the Greenbelt. Land forming the NILM will be retained by the NCC in perpetuity."
The Old Ottawa East Community Association indicated that "Colonel By Drive and the Queen Elizabeth Driveway are essential routes for residents, as well as a vital part of the communities' green and blue landscape." (NCC Capital Urban Lands Plan and Parkway Policy Review---Public Consultation, March of 2014.)
The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway---An Ottawa Citizen interview with the NCC: "The impending removal from the parkway of hundreds of buses per day leads to the question of whether it makes sense to devote a huge portion of the city's prime real estate to a commuter roadway." February 25, 2014.
YouTube videos--- 1.)"Snow Music 'Color/Dance'" with music by George Winston. Featuring Queen Elizabeth Drive and the Agriculture Museum. 2.) "Ottawa Snow Drive and Walk" Showcasing the Experimental Farm's scenic driveway and Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Government of Canada parkways belong to the people of Canada---they are not "surplus Crown assets" that will generate billions of dollars if they are depaved.
Major cultural landscapes in Ottawa
Greenbelt Properties ---Scenic highways in the National Capital Region during 1984 and 1985 Ontario:
![]() |
I am at the entrance to Kingsmere in the Gatineau Hills. Prime Minister Mackenzie King gave his estate to the people of Canada. |
Part of a letter from Heritage Ottawa to the National Capital Commission, October 8, 2024: "Can one imagine our Capital region without its network of scenic parkways? How about our Ottawa River shoreline without the linear riverfront parks and parkways? Or the Rideau Canal without the iconic Queen Elizabeth and Colonel By Driveways that frame/embrace the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the Canal? It is virtually impossible..."
"The parkways of course did not appear by accident. They are here thanks largely to the foresight of visionaries like Frederick Todd, Herbert Holt and Jacques Greber, who all realized the need for parks for urban residents and the importance of the links with nature offered by the parkways."
![]() |
Reposting. From 2019. |