National Holocaust Monument | Completed

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by emannigol

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...caust-monument

Revised National Holocaust Monument back on track as tender closes

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 16, 2016 | Last Updated: February 16, 2016 5:19 PM EST



The planned National Holocaust Monument appears to be back on track.

The $8.95-million monument, to be built at Booth and Wellington streets opposite the Canadian War Museum, was originally supposed to open on May 4, 2016. But it hit a speed bump a year ago when bids for the construction contract came in well over budget.

According to briefing notes prepared for Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, the lowest bid was 60 per cent higher than budgeted. That forced subtle but significant design changes aimed at reducing the cost.

After its board signed off on those design changes in November, the National Capital Commission issued a new tender for the construction contract, which closed Feb. 8.

According to NCC spokesman Cédric Pelletier, four bids were received. He wouldn’t say whether the new bids were within the budget limits, saying only that the NCC is evaluating them and will announce next steps “in due time.”

The NCC, which is responsible for construction management, hasn’t made the tender documents public, but Pelletier said it will do so once the contract has been awarded.

That should happen soon, as construction is due to begin in March, with substantial completion of the monument by the end of this year. An official unveiling ceremony is planned for April 24, 2017.

The Holocaust monument, a high-profile initiative of the previous Conservative government, will be the capital’s largest and most complex new monument since the National War Memorial in 1939.

Its “overarching goal,” according to Joly’s briefing notes, is to honour the victims and Canadian survivors of the Holocaust and “ensure that the Holocaust continues to have a permanent place in Canada’s consciousness and memory.”

The federal government is contributing $4.4 million to the project, with the remaining funds raised by the National Holocaust Monument Development Council, created in 2011 by an act of Parliament.

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http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...caust-monument

[Norman Bates]

Out damn spot.

[passwordisnt123]

The Holocaust monument is almost just as gaudy, wasteful and inappropriate as the original design for the victims of communism memorial.

I don't understand why anybody would want to plop such a behemoth concrete structure right in the middle of the same area we're trying to turn into a vibrant urban destination.

The fact that it's shaped like hyper-stylized star of david too just seems so crass and trashy and not at all befitting the gravity of the event even if one did want to build this thing at Booth and SJAM Parkway.

Also, at the very serious risk of derailing the conversation here, can somebody explain to me what Germany's atrocities against Jewish people, gypsies, communists and gays from 1939 to 1945 have to do with Ottawa? Yeah, Canada obviously participated in WWII, but the holocaust was never a part of the casus belli for the war. The casus belli of that war was Germany's invasion of Poland. We didn't go to war because of the holocaust or even to prevent it. In fact, Canada was callously indifferent to the suffering of Jewish people in Europe, even going so far as to turn away Jewish refugees from our soil in their moment of need. If we wanted to make this into a monument to the Voyage of the Damned, that would be way more appropriate than what's currently proposed.

Also, while we're on the subject: why are all the Roma, homosexual and political victims of the holocaust not considered worthy victims deserving of recognition in the holocaust monument given that it's being made in this gaudy star of david design?

[HighwayStar]

what he said...

[acottawa]

Most capital cities are not ultra-xenophobic and have monuments to commemorate global events. Ottawa, for example has commemorations to various South American dictators (Bolivar and San Martin), Nelson Mandela as well as many streets named after historical events or people. Cities in places such as the UK, US, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China that were not directly impacted by the holocaust have holocaust monuments. It may not be the biggest genocide in human history, but it was perpetrated by an advanced, industrialized society that had been democracy (sort of) only a few years earlier and probably carries more lessons for an industrialized country such as Canada. The holocaust also has an active movement to deny it ever happened, which makes commemoration more important. It's true that the Jewish victims of the Nazis tend to get more attention, but that has a lot to do with the numbers involved (six million, compared to 200k Romani, 270k disabled, 15k homosexuals, 5k Jehovah's Witnesses, etc).

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Most capital cities are not ultra-xenophobic and have monuments to commemorate global events. Ottawa, for example has commemorations to various South American dictators (Bolivar and San Martin), Nelson Mandela as well as many streets named after historical events or people. Cities in places such as the UK, US, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China that were not directly impacted by the holocaust have holocaust monuments. It may not be the biggest genocide in human history, but it was perpetrated by an advanced, industrialized society that had been democracy (sort of) only a few years earlier and probably carries more lessons for an industrialized country such as Canada. The holocaust also has an active movement to deny it ever happened, which makes commemoration more important. It's true that the Jewish victims of the Nazis tend to get more attention, but that has a lot to do with the numbers involved (six million, compared to 200k Romani, 270k disabled, 15k homosexuals, 5k Jehovah's Witnesses, etc).

The monument to Bolivar is a modest and appropriately scaled statue a few metres across in area and it's located in front of Les Suites on Besserer St.

The proposal for the holocaust monument is almost the size of a city block and seems to project upwards in a massive concrete monstrosity on Sir John A MacDonald Boulevard a few blocks away from our national Parliament buildings.

If somebody wants to scale this down to something more modest and dignified, then I'll happily support it.

[Kitchissippi]

Is it worthy of having the second largest footprint for a monument in the entire capital? This thing is larger than the Peacekeeping monument, an institution that Canada had a key role in creating. The Holocaust was a terrible atrocity committed by the Nazi regime over 75 years ago, and should at most have a solemn memorial somewhere in the capital, not a jarring monument replete with a giant dismal mural in full few of the street on a central intersection.

from CanadianArt:

the monument will feature original, large-scale photographic landscapes of Holocaust sites—death camps, killing fields and forests—embedded or etched into the concrete walls of each of the triangular spaces.

Imagine if the Cancer Survivors' park featured a giant sculpture of a tumour, how pleasant that would be. This isn't a memorial to the victims, it's a monument to the atrocity.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Most capital cities are not ultra-xenophobic and have monuments to commemorate global events. Ottawa, for example has commemorations to various South American dictators (Bolivar and San Martin), Nelson Mandela as well as many streets named after historical events or people. Cities in places such as the UK, US, Australia, Brazil, Canada and China that were not directly impacted by the holocaust have holocaust monuments. It may not be the biggest genocide in human history, but it was perpetrated by an advanced, industrialized society that had been democracy (sort of) only a few years earlier and probably carries more lessons for an industrialized country such as Canada. The holocaust also has an active movement to deny it ever happened, which makes commemoration more important. It's true that the Jewish victims of the Nazis tend to get more attention, but that has a lot to do with the numbers involved (six million, compared to 200k Romani, 270k disabled, 15k homosexuals, 5k Jehovah's Witnesses, etc).

And of all those groups, it's also Jewish people who have the most votes in federal elections. That must have been pretty tempting for the Conservatives. For that same reason I imagine it would be too risky for the Liberals to make any major changes to it now. Not many votes will be lost over the major downsizing of the Communism Memorial, but this one is a different story.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

And of all those groups, it's also Jewish people who have the most votes in federal elections. That must have been pretty tempting for the Conservatives. For that same reason I imagine it would be too risky for the Liberals to make any major changes to it now. Not many votes will be lost over the major downsizing of the Communism Memorial, but this one is a different story.

But realistically, Jewish people are about 1% of the Canadian population.... even on the (very) stretched assumption that this memorial is required to secure that 1% of the vote... something just doesn't add up.

This thing is every bit as hideous and ostentatious as the Communism Memorial...

If you look at the overall picture, this now looks to be front and centre the renovated LeBreton, Zibi, downtown triad.

The more I think about this... the worse it looks...

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

But realistically, Jewish people are about 1% of the Canadian population.... even on the (very) stretched assumption that this memorial is required to secure that 1% of the vote... something just doesn't add up.

This thing is every bit as hideous and ostentatious as the Communism Memorial...

If you look at the overall picture, this now looks to be front and centre the renovated LeBreton, Zibi, downtown triad.

The more I think about this... the worse it looks...

You miss the point, I suspect. It is not about the percentage of Jews in the general population or, particularly, about the number of votes. There are numbers involved that are vastly more relevant to our two main political parties.

Personally, I have no problem with the monument, although I suspect that few people will actually ever visit it.

[AndyMEng]

This is more like it:


http://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/16/bol...-square-italy/

Come to think of it, this is also amazing, unfortunately:


http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/19/dav...onument-entry/

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

You miss the point, I suspect. It is not about the percentage of Jews in the general population or, particularly, about the number of votes. There are numbers involved that are vastly more relevant to our two main political parties.

Personally, I have no problem with the monument, although I suspect that few people will actually ever visit it.

I actually do get the point very clearly.... The fact we have to beat around the bush like this is a pretty sad state of affairs for this "democracy" of ours.

[Radster]

Originally Posted by acottawa

It's true that the Jewish victims of the Nazis tend to get more attention, but that has a lot to do with the numbers involved (six million, compared to 200k Romani, 270k disabled, 15k homosexuals, 5k Jehovah's Witnesses, etc).

What about the 2-3 million Soviet POWs and 2 million ethnic Poles? Those too were victims of the Holocaust.

[Radster]

About time this is being discussed on here. For months it seemed like I was the only one opposing this Holocaust monument, due to its in your face location and exaggerated size.

I think its time to start a petition!!!

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Radster

About time this is being discussed on here. For months it seemed like I was the only one opposing this Holocaust monument, due to its in your face location and exaggerated size.

I think its time to start a petition!!!

Earlier on in the thread several other people were opposed to this monument actually, including myself.

The location, scale and how exclusionary this monument is are problems. As has been stated, mention of other minorities targeted by the the Nazis are conveniently absent from it. Not to forget Canada fails to educate and commemorate other genocides committed against populations that call Canada home. As I've stated a few years back, we're far too eurocentric despite how internationally diverse populations. Do we even have any monuments about our genocide against First Nations people anywhere?

As far as monuments go, I think events and issues Canada was directly involved in deserve to be more prominent. Other events can be commemorated, but should be more modest.

From an urbanist perspective, this intersection is probably the least appropriate location for any monument, and this particular one is unfriendly to pedestrians anyway. If a monument takes up less space than it doesn't need to be inviting, but if it's the size of a city block then that needs to be reconsidered. SJAM and Booth are large and busy routes that discourages people from visiting this area. And considering the LeBreton redevelopment plans, at least three corners of the intersection will be dedicated to park or open space despite there being sufficient greenspace already nearby. Open space needs to be distributed more evenly throughout the city to wards that lack them. Consider in drawing the use of negative and positive space used to represent open and closed spaces (buildings). Right now the plan is to shove a lot of white space to the North and permit a tiny amount of black space to be functional. I predict few people will really use all of that open space.

Personally, this property should see development to better connect Zibi to LeBreton and something needs to be done about the SJAM. The monument could be scaled down and relocated elsewhere. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, Lowertown had a historical Jewish population. Why can't a monument to the Holocaust be located there?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

And of all those groups, it's also Jewish people who have the most votes in federal elections. That must have been pretty tempting for the Conservatives. For that same reason I imagine it would be too risky for the Liberals to make any major changes to it now. Not many votes will be lost over the major downsizing of the Communism Memorial, but this one is a different story.

For the Conservatives, it was more about the fundraising than the votes.

[passwordisnt123]

Me right now.

[Radster]

In this time and age, living in the aftermath of Harper's exploits, we have to tread carefully on this particular subject, as I believe something as simple as being opposed to a monument that happens to be about the Holocaust, can put you in hot water - as being anti-Semitic....

[1overcosc]

My two cents:

A memorial to the Holocaust is a good addition to Ottawa, but not one this big, expensive, or awkwardly located. I like the Lowertown suggestion.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Radster

In this time and age, living in the aftermath of Harper's exploits, we have to tread carefully on this particular subject, as I believe something as simple as being opposed to a monument that happens to be about the Holocaust, can put you in hot water - as being anti-Semitic....

A good point worth remembering. Memorials are emotional, and criticism of them might lead others to infer it as bigotry.

However, couldn't someone then make the case that this memorial is racist and homophobic for excluding other minority groups sent to concentration camps? Even though our numbers were quite small compared to Jews, the treatment of gay people was still significant enough that we have re-appropriated the pink triangle used to mark gay prisoners as a symbol that represents our group. (Consider Pink Triangle Services in Ottawa and Pink Triangle Press in Toronto). Intentionally excluding any other minority could also be considered an act of discrimination then.