1.) Frelighsburg Experimental Farm - Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec.
2.) Ravensborough Experimental Farm-Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
3.) Kitsilano Coast Guard Station-Vancouver, British Columbia.
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| Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Duchess of Cambridge visiting the Kitsilano Coast Guard Base. |
4.) The Mile Circle near Rockcliffe in Ottawa.
5.) The Rideau Canal from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario.
6.) Stanley Park - Vancouver, British Columbia.
Similarities between Major's Hill Park and Experimental Farm.
1.)Major's Hill Park and the Farm were cherished by the people of Ottawa. 2.) The sale of Major's Hill Park land had to be approved by a Privy Council Order in Council. And a federal OIC in 1954 prevented the Experimental Farm from being redeveloped.
House of Commons Ottawa July 6, 1908 GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY HOTEL SITE. Bill No. 89 will authorize the sale to the GTR of Canada of a portion of Major's Hill Park in the city of Ottawa as a hotel site:
Mr. William Pugsley (Minister of Public Works) "It was understood that when the Bill came up for consideration in committee, I would produce the plans of the proposed hotel, and I now lay them on the table...Apart from the towers, the height will be about 100 feet. There are five floors above ground, in addition to the attic floor and also a basement and a sub-basement."
Mr. William Pugsley (Minister of Public Works): "(Bill No. 89) ratifies the order in council, and the plans and specifications are to be approved by the Governor in Council. So that passing this Bill will not conclude the matter, but the plans will then come formally before the government for approval."
House of Commons July 6, 1908 Mr. Haughton Lennox, Conservative: " We want to know something about the cost of the building. What the minister has done is this: He has passed this order in council without knowing anything at all, without having the first tittle of information as regards the cost. He lets these negotiations all go on with the city; he says the city is vitally interested, but it is not nearly so much as the people of Canada, as we who represent the people of Canada."
"I can think of no greater outrage perpetrated on a people than this very transaction - going right to the centre of the property of the people, the beauty spot of the city of Ottawa, the place of which we are so proud, Major's Hill Park, to plant in the centre of that park a commercial ediface, a money-making institution---that is surely an absolute outrage upon the rights of the people."
"...Now I asked if there were outlets from this hotel direct to the park. The minister does not know. So little attention has been paid to this matter, so little interest has the minister taken in the preservation of the public rights that he does not know to-day if there are one or a dozen outlets from that hotel to the public park. He does not know whether this is to be the backyard of a hotel...the hotel might just as well own the whole park...The people's rights could be interfered with if there is not a fence placed between the hotel property and the park."
(A few years ago the National Capital Commission said that they cannot approve or disapprove the architectural design of the Chateau Laurier addition because the hotel is "private property." However, the government of Canada had to power to reject the architectural design of the GrandTrunk hotel in 1909 and the GTR was a private corporation.)
Documents pertaining to the Central Experimental Farm:
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| A March 19, 1954 Privy Council Order in Council approved by Prime Minister of Canada Louis Saint-Laurent and the Cabinet: "The Central Experimental Farm should remain a open area in perpetuity." In the year 2016 did the Governor General of Canada ratify or give formal consent to CEF land being turned over to a local medical centre? Did the Parliament of Canada create a Bill or Law that ceded 50 acres of a National Historic Site to a hospital? |
House of Commons Ottawa June 1, 1951 Winfield Chester Scott McLure: "I want to say that the experimental farm is one of the finest beauty spots in this beautiful city of Ottawa. It is a place where visitors and tourists should be taken because nowhere in America will you find a spot as beautiful."
House of Commons Ottawa June 26, 1952 John Sylvester Aloysius Sinnot (Liberal): "Mr. Chairman, I have just a few words to say and suggestions to make to the Minister of Agriculture. We have heard rumours that there is a possibility of losing the great experimental farm here in Ottawa. I would be absolutely opposed to that farm being given up to any housing project. Not only are the people of Ottawa and those who live in the immediate vicinity proud of this farm, it is worthy of the pride of all Canadians. I am sure if the farm were advertised more, it would be a great attraction to United States visitors."
House of Commons November 25, 1968. Mr. Walter Gilbert Dinsdale: "The national capital parkways, the experimental farm and many other specialized and beautiful park areas are supported by the people of Canada through public funds."
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| All of the land and trees north of the William Saunders Building are being taken over by a major medical centre. A 1940 photo from the Archives. |
House of Commons Ottawa March 20, 2017: MP Pierre Poilievre (Carleton) Conservative: "With regard to the government's Ottawa Hospital Site Review, which concluded with a National Capital Commission recommendation to the Minister of Canadian Heritage on November 24, 2016: (a) when did the Environment Minister decide that she would order this review; (b) when did the Environment Minister ask that the Heritage Minister take over this review; (c) did the government estimate the cost of delaying the construction of the new hospital by at least a year, and if so, what are the costs; (d) what was the total cost of the review as of November 24, 2016, broken down by (i) employees' salaries; (ii) contractors; (iii) consultants; (iv) land use surveys or studies; (v) other expenses incurred;
(e) what will be the total cost of this review, broken down by (i) employees' salaries; (ii) contractors; (iii) consultants; (iv) land use surveys or studies; (v) other expenses incurred; (g) what price does the government plan to charge the Ottawa Hospital as rent for the Sir John Carling Site or site #11 by the National Capital Commission; (h) how much payment in lieu of taxes does the federal government pay the City of Ottawa for the Sir John Carling Site, known as site #11 by the National Capital Commission; and (i) what will be the costs of preparing the site for the Ottawa Hospital to be built, and which level of government or organization will pay them?"
House of Commons Ottawa March 20, 2017: MP Pierre Poilievre (Carleton) Conservative: "With the government's transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital for the future site of the Civic Campus, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site #11 by the National Capital Commission: (a) what analysis did the departments of Public Services and Procurement Canada (formerly Public Works and Government Services Canada), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Capital Commission and Canadian Heritage, conduct at each of the 12 sites; (b) what did the National Capital Commission estimate the total land preparation costs of each of the 12 sites would be;
(c) what concerns did the National Capital Commission raise regarding potential contamination of each of the 12 sites; (d) what are the boundaries of the Sir John Carling Site which will be leased to the Ottawa Hospital; (e) are the metal piles that were used for the foundation of the former Sir John Carling Building still present at the site; (f) if the answer to (e) is affirmative, will they have to be removed in order to accomodate the new Ottawa Hospital;
(h) if the answer to (f) is negative, what is the government's plan to accomodate the new Ottawa Hospital around the existing piles; (i) what is the estimated cost of preparing the site for the Ottawa Hospital to be built, and which level of government or organization will pay them; (j) what contamination currently exists at the Sir John Carling Site, and how will it be mitigated or removed prior to the hospital's construction; (k) what is the estimated cost of remediating any contamination, and which level of government or organization will pay for this; and (l) does the government foresee any other factors specific to the Sir John Carling Site that would increase the costs to or delay construction of the new hospital, and if so what are they?" (Questions Passed as Orders for Return)
House of Commons Ottawa June 21, 2017: MP Pierre Poilievre (Carleton) Conservative: "With regard to the government's transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital for the future site of the Civic Campus, known as the Sir John Carling Site or site No. 11: (a) what is the current status of the transfer of land to the Ottawa Hospital; (b) on what date does the government anticipate the land transfer will be complete; (c) did the Ottawa Hospital incur any costs as a result of delaying the construction by a year; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what are the costs, and will the government reimburse the Ottawa Hospital;
(e) how many trees are there at site No. 11; (f) what buildings are currently located at site No. 11, broken down by (i) name and address, (ii) purpose and current use, (iii) whether the building will be demolished or moved to another location; (g) what will be the total cost of preparing the site for the Civic Campus to be built (h) what will be the additional costs specific to to building the Civic Campus at site No. 11, including (i) the cost of building on a sloped surface, (ii) the cost of being located near a fault line,
(iii) the cost of removing or transplanting the trees referred to in (e); any other costs due to the site's unique features; (I) which organization or level of government will pay for the at least $11 million in contamination remediation costs, as estimated by by Public Services and Procurement Canada; (n) is there any other contamination that needs to be remediated that is not captured in the $11.1 million figure; (o) if the answer to (n) is affirmative, what is the contamination and what is its expected remediation cost; (p) what design, cultural, esthetic or architectural elements will the National Capital Capital Commission require the Ottawa Hospital to incorporate into the hospital, and what will be the cost of these elements; (q) will the federal government cover the costs of the elements referred to in (p); (r) has the government estimated the additional costs costs of constructing any building or structure on site No. 11, due to the nearby fault line and, if so, what are the costs;
(s) what would have been the total cost of preparing the Central Experimental Farm site directly across the street from the current Civic Campus, known as either site No. 9 or No. 10; (t) are there any known challenges associated with building on Site No. 11 and if so, what they; and (u) does the government foresee any other factors specific to the Sir John Carling Site that would increase costs or delay construction of the new hospital and if so, what are they?"
(Questions Passed as Orders for Return)
Answers to some of the questions: The market value of the Dow's Lake parking lot is $4,021,000. The number of trees removed will be 750, in addition to the Historic Hedge Collection near the DARA Tennis Club.The South Azimuth is part of the Dominion Observatory National Historic Site of Canada and it will be demolished because Maple Drive is being widened and converted to emergency vehicle route.
The land mass on the Sir John Carling Site allocated to the hospital in the year 2016 - North Boundary - Carling Avenue between Bayswater and Preston Street. East Boundary - From Preston Street to Prince of Wales Drive. South Boundary - From Prince of Wales Drive (600 metres) to 90 degrees west to Birch Drive. West Boundary - From Birch Drive /Maple Drive up to Winding Lane and back to Carling Avenue at Bayswater (quarter of a circle around the Dominion Observatory). (From: A Public Services and Procurement document given to MP Pierre Poilievre.)
A March 29, 2017 Ottawa Citizen article by Elizabeth Payne: "Concerned about ballooning costs, Poilievre wants hospital site revisited." "You've got a sloped surface, contaminated land and you are building on a fault line. All of those things combined may lead to an extraordinary price tag and if thats true then we should know about it before we put shovels in the ground."
To see how many Experimental Farm trees have been removed in the past week, go to reimagine ottawa twitter, the video "After/B4 of deforestation carnage in the heart of Ottawa the Nation's Capital." And to see what the area looked like one week ago Google "870 Carling Avenue Ottawa".
House of Commons Ottawa March 24, 1986: Jean-Robert Gauthier (Chief Opposition Whip; Whip of the Liberal Party) (Ottawa-Vanier): "...My question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will he tell the House if it is federal policy to sell federally owned parklands? NCC Chairman Jean Pigott recently said she wants to sell part of an Ottawa riverfront park known as Mile Circle to the United States of America for an embassy compound. Is the Government in favour of selling our natural parklands?"
Hon. Erik Nielsen (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence): "Mr. Speaker, I believe this question has been answered several times before and I simply refer the hon. gentleman to the records of the House."
Mr. Jean-Robert Gauthier: "Mr. Speaker, could the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House whether he intends to act responsibly and give clear and precise instructions to all those responsible for our national parks, indicating clearly that none of our national parks are for sale?"
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| Trees on Queen Juliana Park/the Experimental Farm. To the politicians, multinationals and entities that control my country----You do not care about its environment or history. The photo is from Reimagine Ottawa. |
