Category: MAJOR URBAN

Policies & Threats Related to Greenspaces

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A First Submission to the NCC

Since 2002, the NCC Board of Directors has been inviting “local interest groups” to make presentations to it to inform the Commission’s strategic planning. The Greenspace Alliance was the first group to respond to the call with a presentation on the proposed Poets’ Pathway. Read the submission here. Meetings with NCC staff followed. There was no offer of support.  Instead, we were referred to the Commission’s Commemoration Policy, with a request

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Poets’ Pathway: The Proposal

Poets’ Pathway: The Proposal When Ottawa became the capital of Canada in 1867, the Fathers of Confederation wanted to make it a capital worthy of comparison to any capital city in the world. They understood that a true capital is more than bricks and mortar. They wanted a city to lead Canada in arts and sciences, culture and intellect. To that end, they encouraged worthy poets, writers, scientists and artists

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Poets’ Pathway: The early history

A walking path around Ottawa commemorating the Confederation Poets and the Mouvement littéraire  Into the stilly woods I go, Where the shades are deep and the wind-flowers blow, And the hours are dreamy and lone and long, And the power of silence is greater than song. W.W. Campbell View a map of the Poets’ Pathway on the Committee’s own web site. The Poets’ Pathway Committee began as a project of the Greenspace Alliance

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The Sir John Carling site

The Sir John Carling site now destined to receive the new Civic Hospital campus is not quite the same site that was considered earlier. The Hospital’s 2007 evaluation exercise provided no specific definition for any site but in the 2016 report for the Hospital by HDR, the SJC site was described as “Located on the northeast portion of the CEF. The parcel is bounded by Carling Avenue, Maple and Birch

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Over to the NCC

On May 20, 2016 Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly tasked the National Capital Commission with a review of possible locations for a new Hospital.  A report is due in November.  (Ottawa Citizen; CBC News; more in the Citizen here and here) The Coalition wasted no time meeting with NCC officials.  We received assurances that the assumption of a 60-acre requirement will be questioned and that our input is welcomed. At

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The discussion continues

On March 10, 2016 Joanne Chianello on CBC News puts the key question: Why does TOH need 60 acres? Cameron Love gives five reasons why they need so much space and makes a comparison with a new hospital in Dallas; it, however, serves a metropolitan area of 7 million. He concedes that some parts of the desired campus will have 8 to 10 stories. Three letters to the Editor of

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Letter writing campaign

Dear Supporter of the Central Experimental Farm, Thank you for your expression of support for the Central Experimental Farm. The Coalition feels we are at a critical juncture with respect to the choice of site of the Hospital.  Now is the time to contact the decision-makers in the federal and provincial governments, since undoubtedly the Hospital will end up on federal land in Central Ottawa.  Therefore, we are asking you

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A public meeting at last – March 7, 2016

Eight years after The Ottawa Hospital decided it wanted land on the Central Experimental Farm for a new Civic campus, and sixteen months after then Minister Baird granted its wish, the public was finally invited to a public meeting under the banner “A Community Discussion on a 21st Century Hospital in the heart of Ottawa.”  Some 500 people attended the event at the Conference Centre on Coventry Road.  Among those

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The Ottawa Hospital’s basis for wanting to move across the road

January 30, 2016 Documents obtained through Access to Information lift the veil off the much-repeated assertion that, absolutely, 60 acres across the road from the Civic Hospital is the best and only option for a new campus. In March 2014 a senior official of The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) responded to the National Capital Commission answering the question “Why this piece of land?” Attached was a… 2007 Memo!  Also attached was

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At a turning point

January 28, 2016 – Minister Catherine McKenna expresses concern about the lack of paperwork leading to the November 2014 “gift” of 60 acres of the Experimental Farm.  She agrees that Ottawa needs a new hospital but will look at all the options — CBC News story & video. An overwhelming number of the large number of comments consider this very good news.  More on the Heritage Ottawa web site. January

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