Big changes on the horizon.

"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.

Noteworthy information:

• "The proposed botanical garden on the east side of Prince of Wales Drive would surround but not swallow the arboretum that is a haven for nature lovers. A first, $10 million dollar phase of the proposal from the Ottawa Botanical Garden Society is being studied by an advisory council appointed by Agriculture Canada." "Later stages are expected to include a conservatory with nine greenhouses with sales to the public, a butterfly house, washrooms and small cafes. The non-profit society would charge admission to the butterfly house and garden though not to the arboretum." (From an Ottawa Citizen article by Carolynne Wheeler, August 3, 2021.)
• The society wanted to charge $10 to $15 dollars for access to buildings south of the arboretum.
• Phase 1 would fence off about 108 acres now designated for research.
•  The telescope was removed from the Dominion Observatory in 1970 and relocated to a museum. 

Ottawa's Dominion Observatory discovered Planet X.

Civic Hospital Boundaries - Located on the northeast portion of the CEF. The parcel is bounded by:

• Carling Avenue
• Maple and Birch Drives
• Prince of Wales Drive
• Queen Juliana Park
• The Central Experimental Farm Pathway

Meets criteria for future expansion. (From: The New Civic Campus: A 21st Century Hospital in the Heart of Canada's Capital, April 2016.)

The Central Experimental Farm, Site No. 11, the Sir John Carling location

• On this site we have at least 24 buildings including Buildings 1 to 9, the Natural Resources Campus (including the Dominion Observatory.)
• Number 20, the K.W. Neatby Building and the Oilseed Research Centre.
• Extensive demolition or relocation of buildings is required for the new build to proceed. (From: The New Civic Campus: A 21st Century Hospital in the Heart of Canada's Capital---April 2016, page 10/76.)

Changes to the Rideau Canal.

 Designations may be removed:

• UNESCO World Heritage Site
• National Historic Site of Canada
• National Interest Land Mass
• Canadian Heritage River

Opportunities

• Lansdowne Park redevelopment and future Fifth Avenue pedestrian bridge
• Preston Street intensification at Dow's Lake
• Future University LRT station
• Build on existing temporary use pilot projects by the NCC
• Attract new users who will enhance appreciation of Canal and heritage appreciation
• Create strategic partnerships

Challenges

• Multi-jurisdictional policies and management
• Restrictive zoning and heritage designations
• Limited utility and servicing connections

Land Use and Built Form

• Offer a variety of land uses that enhance areas surrounding the Canal.
• Buildings adjacent to the Canal and parkways should be at a height that is appropriate to the neighbourhood character and context. (Adjacent parkways include the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales, now owned by the City of Ottawa.)
• Create interesting and unique building designs that contribute to the visual integrity of the Canal. (The buildings and loss of trees will compromise the visual integrity.)
• Infill projects should be a tool to improve, rather than capitalize on the Canal's value. (Note: "Infill is the rededication of land in an urban environment, usually open space for new construction." Wikipedia.)
• Promote temporary land uses at key activity points along the Rideau Canal.
• Integrate traditional mainstreets to provide a range of land uses for the Canal Corridor.
• Enhance streets parallel to parkways with direct Canal frontage, to include uses and building forms similar to traditional mainstreets.
• Ensure cohesive relationships between the Lansdowne Park redevelopment, the Glebe and the Rideau Canal. (Information is from "Animating the Rideau Canal", December of 2013, page 1 and page 3 of 5 pages.)

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A United Nations agency called UNESCO sent a letter to the federal government regarding inappropriate development adjacent to the Rideau Canal. (During the year 2019). Google: "Save Our Rideau". The UNESCO letter of concern is on page 5 out of 16 pages.

A wonderful, 4-hour documentary that was produced by TV Ontario.

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"Urban lands are inherited---representing a legacy to be passed to future generations." (from "Capital Urban Lands Plan" page 35/123.)

Portsmouth Village---A potential Heritage Conservation District.

 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:

• Church of the Good Thief
• 440 King Street West, St. Helen's
• 462 King Street West, Stone Gables
• Rockwood Hospital, Rockwood Villa and many other buildings, 8 Gable Lane.
• P4W, 40 Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard
• Penitentiary Water Tower---244 Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard. Sold to Queen's University in 1965.
• 525 King Street West
•  "City begins process for Ontario Heritage Designation for Kingston Pen" by Bill Hutchins, The Kingstonist, April 8, 2025.)

The City intends to investigate the following areas as heritage conservation districts, including but not limited to:

• lower Princess Street from Division Street to the waterfront
• King Street West from Portsmouth Village to Barrie Street
• Portsmouth Village
• the properties facing onto Alamein Drive
• the Village of Westbrook
• Cataraqui Village
• St. Lawrence Ward, and
• Kingscourt  (all information is from pages 375,376 and 377 of 585 pages, "City of Kingston Official Plan, Consolidated as of August 31, 2024.")

A Restrictive Covenant

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

• Fram, Mark---Well Preserved. The Ontario Heritage Foundation's Manual of Principles and Practices for Architectural Conservation. Erin: Boston Mills Press.
• Heritage Character Statement Building A-3. A former women's prison within the grounds of the Pen:

Building A-3.

• Parks Canada Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.
• Ministry of Culture (Ontario) Eight Guiding Principles in the Conservation of Historic Properties.

Books written by Dr. Jennifer McKendry, an architectural historian:

City of Kingston. By-Law No. 2007-167.

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:

• hand worked limestone masonry veneer over a poured concrete core, which is smooth hammer dressed on the public faces of the C-18 Building and the rusticated blocks used on the rear elevations of C-18, the link between C-18 and C-16, and most of C-16,
• the use of the Auburn Penitentiary style cellblock reflects a desire to alter social behavior via architecture,
• its functions as a recognizable landmark in the City of Kingston and throughout Canada.

Architectural details associated with the C-18 Administration Building including:

• its more sophisticated classical architectural styling with the principle facade broken into seven bays,
• its copper coated hip roof topped with a distinctive cupola supported on a square base located just behind the central pediment in the front facade with an octagonal drum topped with a finial,
• its slightly projecting pedimented central entrance bay featuring on the ground floor a double door with a square headed transom set into a portico composed as an entablature and pediment carried by Tuscan columns,
• its distinctive fenestration which includes a modified Palladian window and a three-part window formed of narrow slides flanking a central window in the central bay of the principle facade, and the contrasting use of square headed windows on the first and third floor and the semicircle arched windows on the second floor of the symmetrical wings which flank the central section.

Architectural details associated with C-16 Cellblock, which is divided by fifteen bays with a three-bay rear wall, including:

• its classical style of architecture,
• its shallow pitched copper-covered hip roof,
• its symmetrical arrangement and distinctive treatment of windows which includes the use of semicircular arched windows with keystones,
• its cellblock design found on the third floor and mezzanine (fourth floor) which was more typical of men's prisons, and which is marked by its poured concrete walls, terrazzo floors, steel bars, elevated walkways, barriers, staircases and the locking mechanisms and
• a stone chimney on the north slope of the roof,
• its historic economic benefits to Kingston, through the creation of Federal positions, thereby contributing to the community of prison workers which were a unique group within Kingston, and
• contextual values such as views towards Portsmouth Olympic Harbour and Portsmouth Village and as part of a cultural heritage landscape of prison life within Kingston,.

A portion of the property fronting onto King Street West is included as part of the Kingston Penitentiary National Historic Site of Canada that contains the Warden's House at 555 King Street West. This portion of the property is also "Listed" as a property of cultural heritage value on the City of Kingston Register of Historic Places. (From pages 94 and 95 out of 95 pages "Union Park Kingston Redevelopment Project.")

City of Kingston April 8, 2025. The Pen is "A landmark of national significance."

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:

• The North Lodge (1841-46) with bell cupola (1895);
• The guard towers, particularly the northeast (c. 1840) and northwest (1842) towers, and sections of the prison walls;
• The Main Cellblock building (1834-57), excluding the modern gymnasium (1951), kitchen (1956) and disassociation wing (1948);
• The South Workshop (1846-8); 
• The Chapel and Dining Hall (1849-52);
• The Hospital (1847);
• The West Workshop (1858-9 and 1876-82);
• The East Workshop (1855-8) with extant isolation cells (1889);
• The Keeper's Hall (1911); and
• The Women's Prison (1913).

KP possesses historical and associative value because it has direct associations with a number of Themes, Persons and Events and demonstrates the work of various architects that are significant to Kingston, the Province of Ontario and to Canada.

KP was designed to incorporate the most progressive ideas regarding punishment of its day. The very idea of a "penitentiary"-a state-run facility based on principles of reform, rather than simply incarceration was still relatively new when KP was built. Established in 1835, KP was among the first wave of penitentiaries constructed in North America. The creation of KP was an important step towards a modern, systemic and rational treatment of legal transgressors. The history and events that occurred at KP provides an understanding of the historic role of corporal punishment and the treatment of youth, women and those experiencing mental illness in the penal system in Canada in the 19th and early 20th century.

Significant people associated with KP include Hugh Thompson, John Macaulay, Henry Smith, Henry Smith Jr., Philip Pember, Dr. James Sampson, Thomas Kirkpatrick, the Reverend William Herchmer, George Brown and John Creighton, as well as Architects William Coverdale, Edward Horsey and James Adams.

Kingston Penitentiary has a direct association with the Brown Commission report that charged a warden with 119 counts of mismanagement of the facility and the neglect and abuse of incarcerated individuals, leading to substantive changes to the Canadian penal system.

The federal penitentiary system has been a dominant part of Kingston's socio-economic life throughout most of its history. Kingston has served as the premier focus of the federal penitentiary system in Ontario from its inception. KP has strong contextual value because of its importance in defining, maintaining and supporting the character and growth of Portsmouth Village and the City of Kingston. It is physically and visually linked to its surroundings and is a landmark of national significance.

The Ontario government saved a prison chapel.

 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:

• The Don Jail, 550 Gerrard Street Toronto
• Guelph Correctional Centre
•  Booth Barn on the CEF in Ottawa
• Ottawa Gaol, 75 Nicholas Street
• Maplelawn House and Gardens, 529 Richmond Road Ottawa
• the Isabel MacNeill Halfway House for Women---525 King Street West Kingston
• the Natural Resources Complex bounded by Booth, Rochester, Orangeville and Norman Streets in Ottawa.

  

  Buildings that are being preserved on the NRC campus.

  
  

Sale of the Prison for Women. A Kingstonist article by Bill Hutchins--- October 22, 2024.

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. 

Canadian Register of Historic Places---Corrections Canada holdings in the Limestone City

• Former Prison for Women Administration Building/Cell Block (C-18, C-16).
• Collins Bay Institution Administration Building A-1 and Cell Block Building B-1
• Kingston Pen, North, East, West and South workshops
• Guard Towers, North Lodge and Main Cellblock---the Pen.
• Elmhirst House, 443 Union Street West
•  Correctional Centre---508 Portsmouth Ave.
• Former Warden's Residence, now a museum---555 King Street West, across from Kingston Pen
• Kingston Pen National Historic Site of Canada
• St. Helen's---Grant House, Red Cross Lodge and Stone Gables---440 King Street West
• Guard Towers--- Collins Bay

  

   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.

Properties that should not be on an affordable housing list.

 

The Isabel MacNeill Halfway House for Women, 525 King Street West, Kingston.

House of Commons Ottawa April 18, 2007 Mrs. Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe, NDP): "Mr. Speaker, the government recently announced the closure of Canada's only minimum security prison for women. The Isabel MacNeill House provided a transitional environment for incarcerated women offenders. It provides training to enhance their employment skills. The inmates at the prison had to take the government to court and challenge the closure under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is an equality issue and another example of of government's disregard for the welfare of women." The limestone building is located in Portsmouth Village, across the street from the Prison for Women and the Pen. It is a Federal Heritage property and protected by Part 1V of the Ontario Heritage Act. Part 1V covers the exterior and interior of the halfway house.

Stone Gables 

Located on 462 King Street West. "Once the federal government ceases to own St. Helen's and Stone Gables, the federal heritage protection will be removed, making it susceptible to demolition or remodeling." (MHC-14-017-City of Kingston.) 

I have no doubt that attempts will be made to demolish these buildings. Developers will appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (Ontario Land Tribunal) for demolition permits and air rights. The City is desperate for new housing--- forget about your tourism industry, political and architectural history and park land. 

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Intension to pass a Bylaw to Designate 462 King Street West, also known as Stone Gables to be of Cultural Value and Interest. Pursuant to the Provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act. (R.S.O. 1990). November 25, 2014.

The Ontario Regional Headquarters on 440 King Street West includes the Red Cross Lodge and St. Helen's. Listed for sale on September 23, 2024:

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.

Half of the Kingston Pen will be flattened to create housing.

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.) 

8.)  

Government of Canada heritage designations.

9.)

A guard tower overlooking Lake Ontario.

10.) City of Kingston Official Plan---Page 368/569. Potential Heritage Conservation Districts in the City of Kingston---May 1, 2018. The City intends to investigate areas for designation as heritage conservation districts including but not limited to:

• King Street West from Portsmouth Village to Barrie Street.
• Portsmouth Village.

The immediate benefit of a Heritage Conservation District is a planning process that respects a community's history and identity. The City has a concentration of heritage buildings, sites, structures, and designed landscapes that are linked by aesthetic, historical and socio-cultural contexts or use. (Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport website, page 10.)

11.)

12.) "It is not inconceivable that they could level the entire site." ( A statement by Sydenham councillor Bill Glover. "Group tries to get Kingston Penitentiary heritage status" by Peter Hendra, Toronto Sun, September 2012.)

13.) "The federal government has the power to demolish them. However, we have concluded that would be absolutely atrocious, grievous and scandalous." (Floyd Patterson, President of the Frontenac Heritage Foundation, a statement to Peter Hendra, Toronto Sun, September 2012.)

Natural and Open Spaces are protected areas:

• Hampton Woods
• Pinecrest Woods
• Portion of Mud Lake/Britannia Woods
• Prince of Wales Woods
• Chaudiere Rapids
• CEF Woods
• Arboretum
• Portion of Lemieux Islands

"The Natural Open Space Study report prepared by the City of Ottawa identifies a number of significant natural resources on or adjacent to the CEF. The Arboretum rates 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 contribution to the quality of life in an urban context." (CEF Historic Site Management Plan, part 8/20. 2019--09--17.)

 

Broken promises.

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---

• The Kingston Pen
• Prison for Women on Sir John. A. Macdonald Boulevard, Kingston
• Collins Bay Pen near Kingston, known as Disneyland North
• Laval Pen in Quebec was supposed to be a museum

7.) The scenic parkways in the National Capital Region may be de-paved.

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:

• National Historic Site of Canada
• Heritage Conservation District
• Canadian Heritage Landscape
• Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
• 900 square miles in the National Capital Region are dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers. That includes the Ottawa Greenbelt.
• National Interest Land Mass
• UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Parks Canada Act
• Museums Act
• Classified and Recognized Federal Heritage Building
• By-laws---"File contains material regarding by-laws to protect Sparks Street; commercial development on Zellers Building Site; controls on urban development, height and slant restrictions on buildings (Brouse, Slater, Bate and Birks Buildings); Simpson's; The Bank of Canada; and St. Andrew's Church development." ( The Hon. Romeo LeBlanc, NCC, March 1983 to May 1984, page 11/19.)
• Zoning in Gatineau Park---"The NCC has prepared a new zoning plan for Gatineau Park which, among other things, will preserve strictly the park's wilderness area." (1975-1976 Annual Report of the NCC, page 21/52.)
• Dominion, Ordnance and Admiralty Land---Stanley Park in Vancouver was Dominion, Ordnance and Admiralty Land in 1992, reserved for the defence of Canada. 
• Conservation Authority Act of Ontario (1990)---Conservation authorities are mandated to ensure the protection, restoration and effective management of Ontario's water resources, wetlands, woodlands and natural habitats.

Stanley Park encompassed 384 ha in 1992, or 950 acres.

The Ottawa Tulip Festival---May 15, 2025.

 

"The Experimental Farm forms a central park within a residential area of the City of Ottawa."

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

• Confederation, Laurier Ave. W.--- 2.5473 ha
• Bronson Ave. and Sparks Street--- 0.4000 ha
• Commissioners, Rideau Canal--- 6.8000 ha
• LeBreton Flats---70.0900 ha
• Vincent Massey, Riverside Dr. and Heron Road---29.5600 ha
• Moffat Farm, Prince of Wales Drive and Melfa Crescent---2.0900 ha
• River Road Park, River Road in Ottawa-Vanier---14.0500 ha
• Dow's Lake, Rideau Canal---4.000 ha
• Greenbelt Ottawa South, Hwy 417 and Walkley Rd. (land reserve)---47.6300 ha
• Rideau Canoe Club---1.67 ha
• Nepean Point, St. Patrick Street and Sussex Drive---1.4600 ha 
• Riverside Dr. Park, Ottawa South, Queensway to Bronson Ave.---22.14 ha
• Victoria Island, Middle St.---7.9120 ha
• Hog's Back Park, Hog's Back Rd. & Riverside Drive---24.2300 ha
• Stanley Ave. Park, Ottawa Vanier, Minto Bridge, Maple and Green Islands---5.0400 ha
• Wellington, Albert, Commissioner and Slater Street---0.6300 ha
• Rochester Field next to Maplelawn, Richmond Road
• Rockcliffe
• Dundonald
• Major's Hill  more

A reposting from the 1992 Directory of Federal Real Property.

 

MSN News---Today, May 1 2025. "The Best Places in Canada to See Cherry Blossoms" by Emma Yardley.

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.

(Continuation of the letter to NCC Chair Dr. Kristmanson) "The Dominion Arboretum provides many benefits to residents and visitors to the Capital, removing air pollutants, reducing stress, cleaning groundwater, providing a cool retreat, reducing climate change, supporting wildlife and much more. In addition the Arboretum provides a living historic record of trees planted on the site since 1889."

"The Ornamental Gardens are of historic importance and national significance to all Canadians, as explained in the new FCEF publication Blooms: An Illustrated History of the Ornamental Gardens at Ottawa's Experimental Farm. These gardens comprise unique plant collections found nowhere else in Canada. FCEF volunteers provide thousands of hours annually, under the direction of AAFC staff, demonstrating invaluable community involvement." 

"The first challenge to both of these areas by the intended development can be seen in the layout plan for the new hospital, including the location of the parking area. Buildings and paved surfaces will be located across Prince of Wales Drive from the Arboretum, changing both the sight and sound of the area. The construction will also displace many trees and hedges that were planted on the northwest side as an extension of the Arboretum. (Emphasis mine---savecfbrockcliffe.) It's also worth noting that while a number of Farm buildings i.e. the Dominion Observatory complex and other heritage buildings will be in the buffer zone between the research fields and the new construction, there won't be a similar buffer zone on the east side of the development."

"The second significant challenge will come from the re-design of roads and traffic management on the repurposed site. Any widening of Prince of Wales Drive to accommodate increased traffic will diminish both the Arboretum and the Ornamental Gardens. (Emphasis mine---savecfbrockcliffe.) Any change to the NCC Driveway, Birch Drive or Maple Drive will have a similar impact. Both will interfere with the intended landscape design as specified in the CEF National Historic Site Management Plan."

"A third and most significant threat will come from the precedent set that this project will make for future development. New encroachment could come from another border of the Farm, or it could come from the hospital administration's interest in continuous improvement to its facilities."

"The Friends of the Farm are dedicated to preserving and enhancing the public areas of the Farm. We believe that the NCC should be very specific in its guidance on this project, drawing on the NHS Management Plan, the CEF Advisory Council, and all resources available to protect these invaluable grounds. The NCC will be in a unique position to influence the design and construction so as to minimize the damage and additional encroachment on this National Historic Site. We urge you to exercise your full oversight responsibility to ensure the Farm is preserved for all  Yours sincerely, Judy Dodds, President, Friends of the CEF.

The Civic Hospital plans to expand - The federal parcel donated to the Civic is bounded by Carling, Maple, Birch, the CEF Pathway, Queen Juliana Park and Prince of Wales Drive. POW Drive is across the street from the Arboretum. An official document proclaims that adjacent land "Meets criteria to support future expansion." and "Traffic access will increase on Prince of Wales Drive and the NCC Scenic Parkway."

(From "The New Civic Campus: A 21st Century Hospital in the Heart of Canada's Capital"---April 2016, page 10/75.)

A July 20, 1946 article in the Ottawa Journal.

The following woods on the Farm are protected by the City:

• Arboretum Woods --- Federal
• Central Experimental Farm Woods---Federal
• Prince of Wales Woods---Federal, City (Google: "urban natural features strategy" City of Ottawa, April 11, 2006.)

Petition to STOP the Planned Permanent Closure of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. Change.org.

 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:

• The creation of Ottawa's Capital identity.
• Parkway urban design principles as they evolved from the early to the mid-20th century.
• Ottawa urban beautification projects.
• The value of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway also lies in its continuing contributions to:
• Urban design in Ottawa.
• Capital identity, including its use as the location of activities such as the Tulip Festival and Winterlude. (From: "Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands" by Julian Smith and Associates, Contentworks, December of 2004.)

Heritage Ottawa wants the QE Drive to be a National Historic Site of Canada. The idea was put forward in November of 2024.

Directory of Federal Real Property Queen Elizabeth Drive

• Property Number: 02906
• Custodian: National Capital Commission
• Interest: Crown Owned
• Restriction: No Restriction
• Primary Use: Transportation Land
• Address: Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Place Name: No Data
• Municipality: Ottawa
• Province/Territory: Ontario
• Census Classification: Rural
• Land Area: 30.9207 ha (76 acres)
• Building Count: 1
• Floor Area: 93.32 sq. m.
• Record Created On: July 30th, 1998
• Record Last Modified On: November 9th, 2023

The scenic highways.

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.

"The parkways are relics of the 20th century." From a February 25, 2014 NCC, Ottawa Citizen interview.

 Major cultural landscapes in Ottawa

• Parliament Hill
• Major's Hill Park
• Rideau Hall
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Rockcliffe Park
• the 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." ("Definition and Assessment of Cultural Landscapes of Heritage Value on NCC Lands" by Julian Smith, Contentworks, December 2004.)

Prince of Wales Drive is a gateway to the Experimental Farm, and it was transferred from the federal Department of Agriculture to the City of Ottawa. POW Drive is being widened from 2 lanes to 4.(Dow's Lake--Glebe Report, June 11, 2010.) The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is located on 901 Prince of Wales Drive. The Civic has indicated that "extensive demolition is required for the new build to proceed." Maple Drive and Prince of Wales Drive are being restricted to emergency vehicles---how will anyone have access to the museum and Dominion Observatory buildings.

"The parkways should not be viewed as commuter routes." From an NCC interview with Don Butler, the Ottawa Citizen, May 2014.

Greenbelt Properties ---Scenic highways in the National Capital Region during 1984 and 1985 Ontario:

• Ottawa River Parkway
• Airport Parkway
• Eastern Driveway
• Colonel By Drive
• Eastern Parkway
• Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Hog's Back Road
• Rockcliffe Park Driveway
• Queensway
• Island Park Driveway
• Station Boulevard
• Experimental Farm Drive
• Other parkways (From: NCC Annual Report 1984/85---page 32/70.)

Quebec:

• Gatineau Parkway
• Voyageur Parkway
• Philemon Wright
• Northern Entrance
• Hull South
• Secteur Fournier
• Lac des Fees Parkway
• Other parkways (From: NCC Annual Report 1984/85---page 32/70.) Scenic driveways in the National Capital Region are protected by the Greenbelt and National Interest Land Mass designations. And Queen Elizabeth Drive should be a National Historic Site of Canada, see the Heritage Ottawa report from 2024.  

Scenic highways in Gatineau are blocked off most of the time. Petition for the National Capital Commission to restore access to the Gatineau Park Parkways, 2021: "This is a petition for the NCC to restore access to the Champlain Parkway, Gatineau Parkway and Fortune Lake Parkway in Gatineau Park. Starting May 1st the NCC has closed the Champlain, Gatineau and Lake Fortune Parkways for motor vehicle access except from 1pm to an hour after sunset on Wednesday/Saturday and Sundays, which leaves access to the park by motor vehicles less than 15% of the time. This means there is no vehicle access to parking lots at:

• Pink Lake
• Waterfall Trail
• Lake Mulvihill
• Lake Mulvihill Picnic Area
• Penguin Picnic Area
• Etiane Brule Look Out
• Champlain Lookout
• Lake Fortune Lookout
• King Mountain Picnic Area

"There are no more short hikes to Pink Lake, King Mountain, Waterfall Trail, Champlain Lookout Loop or to the Western Cabin. This also limits access to any of these places on a morning ON ALL WEEK DAYS. We see this as:

1.) Discrimination against hikers and walkers and a total bias for exclusive Gatineau Park use by cyclers for the majority of the time.

2.) Discrimination against people with disabilities, seniors, people who have physical disabilities that affect their mobility or the amount of physical activity that they are able to do.

3.) Discrimination against families with children. Most of the parking lots are closed."

I am at the entrance to Kingsmere in the Gatineau Hills. Prime Minister Mackenzie King gave his estate to the people of Canada. 

 

"The Queen Elizabeth Driveway should be a National Historic Site of Canada." Heritage Ottawa.

 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.

Conservation areas---1992.

Reposting-The former Sir John A. Macdonald and Queen Elizabeth Parkways may be depaved. "About 30 permanent gates, that are easy to open and close, would be installed at roads ending on QED between Laurier Avenue and Dow's Lake." (Reimagining the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, NCC Parkways for People Series, November 2021,)

"Federal, scenic highways and parks in the National Capital Region are dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers who died fighting in foreign wars. They will be owned by the citizens of Canada in perpetuity." (The Greber Report of 1950, page 228/395.)

Scenic parkways cannot be depaved, privatized or off-limits to motor vehicles. They are protected by a federal designation, the National Interest Land Mass (1988):

Housing adjacent to the Queensway Carleton.

 "Much concern about the future of greenspace around the Queensway Carleton hospital if it is transferred to management under the NCC's Urban Lands portfolio." (page 17/124 of the Greenbelt Master Plan Review-LAND USE CONCEPT-Prepared for the NCC January 2012.)

"Ramifications of removing certain parcels from the Greenbelt were not well understood. There is concern about the "buildable site area" designation and and possible removal of the lands adjacent to the Qualicum community and the Queensway Carleton hospital."

"Area by the Queensway Carleton hospital should remain Greenbelt. It is a natural area used for recreation too."

Public Consultation Methodology Three public consultations, open to all members of the public were held, which saw a range of attendees:

•  Representatives of community associations (Bridlewood, Kanata Lakes, Trend-Arlington, Merivale Gardens)
• Members of the Ottawa Forest and Greenspace Advisory Committee
• Royal Galipeau MP; Rainer Bloess and Alan Hubley, City Councillors; representatives from the Greenbelt Coalitions; members of the organization JustFood; as well as concerned citizens and representatives from First Nations communities attended. 

Taxpayers of Canada are on the hook for affordable housing built on federal property---including 45 acres at the National Defence Medical Centre, 1745 Alta Vista Drive. Many social housing sites were privatized:

• Lebreton Flats---A federal agency called Wartime Housing Limited built residences for Canadian World War 11 veterans in 1946. All of the residents of Lebreton were evicted during the early 1960's. 
• Regent Park, Toronto
• Eldon Hall Place, Kingston

work in progress

 

Songs about Canada that are on YouTube.

 Bobby Gimby's Canada Song---1967

CA-NA-DA (One little two little three Canadians) We love Thee (Now we are twenty million)

CA-NA-DA (Four little five little six little Provinces) Proud and free (Now we are ten and the Territories sea to sea)

North south east west there'll be happy times, Church bells will ring ring ring

It's the hundredth anniversary of Confederation, Everybody sing together! 

CA-NA-DA (Un petit, deux petit trois Canadiens) Notre pays

(Maintenant, nous sommes vingt million) 

CA-NA-DA (Quatre petites cinq petites six petites Provinces) Longue vie (Et nous sommes dix plus les Territories, Longue vie)

Rah! Vive le Canada! Three cheers Hip, Hip, Hooray! Le centenaire, That's the order of the day

Frere Jacques Frere Jacques Merrily we roll along Together all the way.

Me at Expo 67 Montreal

This Land is Your Land Canada by The Travellers

This land is your land this land is my land, from Bonavista to the Vancouver Island

From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters, this land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway, I saw above me that endless skyway

I saw below that that golden valley, this land was made for you and me.

This land is your land this land is my land, from Bonavista to the Vancouver Island

From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters, this land was made for you and me.

The sun came shining and I was strolling, and the wheat fields waving, and the dust clouds rolling

As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting, saying this land was made for you and me.

I visited Fort Henry in Kingston---1992.