Zibi Ottawa Ontario | U/C

[McC]

Exactly, it's the honour of the the Crown at stake, and our track record in these cases has generally been dishonourable.

[Mikeed]

All physical land in Canada is the property of the Crown, who's living embodiment is Her Majesty. There is no provision in the Canada Act, or in the Constitution Act 1982 which amends it, for any Canadian to own any physical land in Canada. All that Canadians may hold, in conformity with medieval and feudal law, is “an interest in an estate in land in fee simple”. Land defined as ‘Crown land’ in Canada, and administered by the Federal Government and the Provinces, is merely land not ‘dedicated’ or assigned in freehold tenure. Freehold is tenure, not ownership. Freehold land is ‘held’ not ‘owned’.

I do not know enough on how First Nation treaty rights affect this. But that's failure in my education IMO.
http://www.whoownstheworld.com/canada/

[Marcus CLS]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

I do not know enough on how First Nation treaty rights affect this. But that's failure in my education IMO.
http://www.whoownstheworld.com/canada/

Some facts. This is not about treaty rights yet. In the case of the Algonquins it is a "Comprensive Land Claim". The Algonquins have never signed a treaty. They have never surrendered their rights. So they do in fact have rights to the private land and do have a say. It is also correct that third party interests(private lands) are to be protected in any land claim. Modern Treaties which is what the Algonquin settlement agreement will become usually comes with hefty monetary compensation to take into account the private lands they cannot take or occupy. In the case of valuable traditional lands that are put up for sale the First Nation can have first right of refusal to purchase the lands (with the settlement money received )after the Modern Treaty is ratified. Too bad for the Algonquins the treaty is not ratified and this is years away because they could have had first right of refusal and outbid Windmill.

In summary since the claim is still under negotiation the Algonquins have a right to be consulted and Windmill is doing this. Good for them.

[Harley613]

It will be interesting to watch this grow RIGHT NEXT to Claridge's botched Lebreton Flats. It will hopefully be a great juxtaposition showing the right kind of development for this city next to the wrong kind.

[waterloowarrior]

The Duty to Consult ultimately belongs to the Crown, not the private developer, however it is good that the developer is doing consulting on such an important spot.

One important thing to note about the Algonquin Land Claim we are discussing is that it only affects Ontario. There are other Algonquin groups in Quebec who are upset about this and have put the government on notice that they will be doing their own land claim for land both Quebec and Ontari, from Sault St. Marie to Trois-Rivieres.



map from http://www.saultstar.com/2011/12/13/huge-land-claim-includes-everything-between-sault-and-wawa

[m0nkyman]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

I do not know enough on how First Nation treaty rights affect this. But that's failure in my education IMO.
http://www.whoownstheworld.com/canada/

http://www.lawconnection.ca/content/native-land-claims-backgrounder

Compared to land title that derives from Crown grant—which is how most privately held land is owned—Aboriginal title is sui generis, that is, it is unique, of its own kind. Instead of deriving from grant by the sovereign Crown, as all title in fee simple does, Aboriginal title derives from the Aboriginal peoples’ original possession and occupation of the land before the assertion of British sovereignty over the land.

[rocketphish]

While the 36,000 square kilometres claimed by the Algonquins of Ontario includes most of eastern Ontario, the 117,500 acres of crown land to be transferred to them in the proposed land claims settlement announced in December of 2012 does not include any of the land currently privately held by Windmill Developments (or anyone else in that part of Ottawa for that matter). I think that it is therefore largely a publicity-seeking manoeuvre to start making noises about this now.



Proposed settlement announcement:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/alg...-claim-deal-in-eastern-ontario-1.1182254

Now I don't disagree that the Algonquins should have some land of their own in this area that is so sacred to them, but the process dictates that it's the responsibility of the government to provide that, not private landowners. Gilbert Whiteduck knows this, and he hasn't laid any claim to the Windmill site in his statements, but he knows that all eyes are on the Windmill proposal right now, and there no better time to try to get the public on his side in the fight to get the federal government to commit money to Victoria Island.

Whiteduck told the Citizen on Monday that a long talked-about National Indigenous Centre on Victoria Island should be an integral part of redevelopment of the former Domtar lands. “I don’t believe this project should go forward without the indigenous centre. It should be the jewel in the crown” of Ottawa riverfront redevelopment, he said.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Domtar+land...y+Gatineau+mayor+says/9237977/story.html

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

While the 36,000 square kilometres claimed by the Algonquins of Ontario includes most of eastern Ontario, the 117,500 acres of crown land to be transferred to them in the proposed land claims settlement announced in December of 2012 does not include any of the land currently privately held by Windmill Developments (or anyone else in that part of Ottawa for that matter). I think that it is therefore largely a publicity-seeking manoeuvre to start making noises about this now.

Proposed settlement announcement:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/alg...-claim-deal-in-eastern-ontario-1.1182254

Now I don't disagree that the Algonquins should have some land of their own in this area that is so sacred to them, but the process dictates that it's the responsibility of the government to provide that, not private landowners. Gilbert Whiteduck knows this, and he hasn't laid any claim to the Windmill site in his statements, but he knows that all eyes are on the Windmill proposal right now, and there no better time to try to get the public on his side in the fight to get the federal government to commit money to Victoria Island.

What you're saying is true for that group of Algonquins, but Chief Whiteduck is not part of Algonquins of Ontario, and is in fact has been leading the charge against the Golden Lake Algonquins land claim. Seems like it could turn into a bit of a mess.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/12/algonquins-prepare-to-launch-giant-land-claim/
http://www.ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/interests-clash-treaty-negotiated
http://www.numberswatchdog.com/news%2009...ight%20for%20NCC%20sites%20artifacts.htm

[kevinbottawa]

Lessons for Chaudiere

Here is what Windmill Development could do with massive new Ottawa development

By Elizabeth Payne, OTTAWA CITIZEN December 17, 2013

It could be years before Ottawa’s former Domtar lands are transformed into the lively waterfront community the property’s new owners envisage. There are hurdles to overcome first. But clues to what the ambitious project might look like can be found in similar developments across North America.

Cities around the continent have seen urban industrial landscapes turned into vibrant communities in recent years by combining old buildings with new uses. Some, such as Winnipeg’s The Forks, are built on water. Others, such as Toronto’s Distillery District and Portland, Oregon’s Pearl District, are built around restored heritage buildings. Some include housing as well as restaurants, retail and business. Almost all have a cultural element. Many are built around the concepts of environmental sustainability and accessible public space.

Windmill Development, the Ottawa company that is in the early stages of trying to transform the historic Chaudiere islands property, wants to include all of those elements in the project it says will be Canada’s most sustainable mixed-use community. The development, which it is calling The Isles, will also represent a public unveiling, in a sense, of Chaudière Falls, which has effectively been closed to public viewing for nearly a century.

What will it look like? It is too soon to say, but the development will likely be influenced by other successful heritage or eco-heritage districts, as similar communities have been called.

Here are some of the more prominent examples:

Granville Island, Vancouver

Once an industrial manufacturing area, the peninsula and shopping district located across False Creek from downtown Vancouver, is now a popular spot for tourism and entertainment. It has also long been the comparison designers and potential developers have used when talking about the Domtar lands’ potential. Mark Brandt, the Ottawa architect who designed the National Capital Commission’s master plan for the Domtar lands, and is now working with Windmill, has called the property Ottawa’s crown jewel and compared it to Granville Island — given its waterfront location, its link to an industrial past and its potential to be a hub for activity and tourism.

The Distillery District, Toronto

The revitalization of a collection of derelict Victorian industrial buildings in Toronto’s downtown is a lesson in how such districts can become a public draw and creative hub. The car-free area, which includes heritage buildings that house restaurants, galleries and studios among other things, has reportedly caught the eye of the developers planning to redevelop the Domtar lands. The Distillery District is a leading example of the “interesting interface between the old and the new” that defines the new urban heritage districts, according to Toronto-based urban planner George Dark.

The Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto

Built around a former brick factory in Toronto’s Don Valley, the Evergreen Brick Works has made sustainability a key to its redevelopment as a showcase for environmental design and an urban gathering place. It includes an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum office building, minimal energy and water use and more. “It’s a kind of ecologically driven heritage district,” says Dark, which is also one of the principles around which Windmill is designing the Domtar lands.

The Forks, Winnipeg

Like the Chaudière islands, Winnipeg’s popular The Forks area — at the fork of the Assiniboine and Red rivers — was once an important aboriginal meeting place, and later became an economic hub as the location of the city’s rail yards. Chaudière, Victoria and other small islands in the Ottawa River near Chaudière Falls were also important aboriginal gathering places that later became the centre of Ottawa’s, and much of the country’s, lumber-based economy. Today, The Forks is a major gathering spot in the city with museums, a market, shops, outdoor activities and river walks.

The Pearl District, Portland, Oregon

Once an area of industrial decay, the Pearl District is now one of Portland’s chicest neighbourhoods, one that has integrated the city’s industrial history into its design, and incorporated aggressively sustainable policies. It includes a historic armory converted into a theatre that is the first building on the National Register of Historic Places to achieve LEED certification. Brandt sees parallels between the Pearl District and some of the plans for the Chaudière islands. And, he notes, heritage preservation and environmental principles come from the same root. “Whether conserving natural resources or heritage resources, it is all the same.”

There are many other example including, to some extent, Dockside Green, the Windmill project in Victoria with on-site waste water treatment and a biomass gasification plant, among other green innovations, that was selected as a model development by the Clinton Climate Initiative. Windmill has said it will use similar sustainable technologies in the Chaudière development.

The community that is eventually developed on the former Domtar lands will likely reflect elements of other heritage and ecological districts but, Dark says, it will be like no other.

“It’s magical,” he says of the site. “It is one of those places that there are not a lot of around.” And, Dark says, transforming the historic lands on the islands in the Ottawa River will change the city.

“Your city is in the process of figuring out the next round of renovations, and it is not on a small scale.”

[email protected]
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa/Lessons+Chaudiere/9297742/story.html

[kevinbottawa]

Windmill attracts industry veteran for Domtar lands project

OBJ Contributor
Published on December 18, 2013

About to embark on a landmark effort to redevelop the lands on and around Chaudiere Island, Windmill Development Group has beefed up its talent pool.

By David Sali

Derek Howe, the former vice-president of real estate and development at Broccolini Corporation and a well-regarded industry veteran, joined Windmill last month. The 39-year-old will oversee the company’s financial operations, including investor relations and raising capital for the firm’s much-anticipated development of the former Domtar lands.

An Ottawa native who studied at Carleton University and earned an executive MBA from Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business earlier this year, Mr. Howe said the chance to work on a deal of such magnitude was too good to pass up.

“It’s going to be a once-in-a-generation type of project,” he said. “That excited me greatly. There’s a great vision that’s been put forward by (Windmill founder) Jonathan Westeinde for the development of the site. That was definitely one of the main reasons why I came on board.”

Mr. Westeinde said he had a “good comfort” level with Mr. Howe after the two firms worked together on the Cathedral Hill condominium project and felt he would be a great fit at Windmill.

“I know he had lots of people in town talking to him, so we were lucky to have him choose to join our firm,” Mr. Westeinde said.

Mr. Howe said he considered a number of other options, including some abroad, before choosing to stay in his hometown.

“It largely was a combination of family reasons to stay here, coupled with an incredible professional opportunity,” said the father of two, whose wife Elizabeth, a teacher with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, also grew up in the capital.

In eight-and-a-half years at Broccolini, Mr. Howe left an impressive legacy. He helped win the contract for the 18-storey, 520,000-square-foot Export Development Canada building on Slater Street, the largest office tower constructed in the downtown core in a quarter-century, and was named one of the OBJ’s Forty Under 40 recipients for 2013.

“Essentially, I was looking for a new challenge,” he said. “I had an immensely enjoyable time (at Broccolini), I had a lot of fun, I learned an awful lot. It’s a great company, but I felt that I needed to take on a new challenge. The timing was right, and one opportunity led to another.”

The grand scale of the Chaudiere redevelopment plan has Mr. Howe eager to get down to business.

“It’ll be a very large project with lots of moving parts, lots of different phases, operating both in Ontario and Quebec,” he said. “I’m very excited, very confident in the project. We have a great team here at the company, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/2013-12-18...ustry-veteran-for-Domtar-lands-project/1

[gmarshall]

....and here's an up to date picture of the site.

[kevinbottawa]

Florida architecture students sketch visions for Domtar lands

By Elizabeth Payne, OTTAWA CITIZEN January 4, 2014 11:00 AM

OTTAWA — The palm-tree dotted campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa might seem an unlikely place to catch a glimpse of the future of frosty Ottawa. But if you step inside a senior urban design studio there, that is what you will find.

Master’s students at the university’s School of Architecture and Community Design have spent the fall creating redevelopment plans for the Chaudière islands, an ambitious academic project that parallels work going on in real time. And Shannon Bassett, the Ottawa-born assistant professor overseeing the projects, hopes the students’ visions for redeveloping the islands will influence work that is eventually done there and which is set to get under way in coming months.

Ottawa’s Windmill Development has signed an agreement to purchase the 37-acre site that has long been eyed by planners and visionaries with views to reshaping Ottawa’s waterfront. The company says it expects to bring plans before the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau this spring.

The National Capital Commission had once hoped to redevelop the Domtar lands itself. But plans for the NCC to purchase the property fell through several years ago and, since then, Domtar has been trying to sell the site. After months of due diligence, Windmill announced last month that it had purchased the site and plans to turn it into what it is calling Canada’s most sustainable mixed-use community. NCC officials say they are working with Windmill on the project.

The land on the islands around Chaudière Falls has historical and sacred significance. It was a traditional meeting place for First Nations and later became the base for the lumber trade and pulp and paper industry around which Ottawa was built.

When Windmill met with members of the public last month seeking input on the project, it brought design principles, but little to look at. The company says it wants to seek input before unveiling design plans for the site.

The students at South Florida University, however — none of whom had ever seen Ottawa in person when they made the designs — have sketched drawings and models of what they think the future of the islands and the nearby shoreline should look like. Their work includes riverside boardwalks, park space around the Chaudière Falls, housing, stores and restaurants and the repurposing of heritage industrial buildings and artifacts.

Inside their classroom is a scale model of a swath of Ottawa’s downtown, complete with Parliament buildings, museums and waterfront. The students worked using satellite photographs. From that, students have built design plans that would turn the Chaudière islands and nearby Quebec shoreline from post-industrial wasteland to vibrant communities and public gathering places which would represent a “missing link” in Ottawa’s system of parkways and bicycle paths and would be a draw for tourists and people from around the area.

The work is being done by the six students from the U.S. and around the world who came to Ottawa for the first time in October to present their projects to city and heritage officials. The students and Bassett also met with officials from Windmill Development while in Ottawa to tour and present their visions for the post-industrial site. The reception from developers and other officials, she said, was positive.

Not all of the ideas presented are likely to be reflected in redevelopment of the site. One of the three designs proposed naturalizing the Chaudière Falls — which would require removing the dam that is used to provide power — something unlikely to happen. And Domtar officials wondered how realistic some of the students’ plans were for a walkway that cantilevered over the falls.

But Bassett said the benefit of having urban design students produce concepts for the areas is that they can explore ideas without constraint.

She said the site offers students the opportunity to work on the kinds of reclaimed post-industrial design projects that are springing up in cities across North America. After coming to Ottawa, her students visited Toronto’s Evergreen Brickworks and Distillery District, which have both built vibrant centres from reclaimed post-industrial districts.

Bassett, who studied architecture at Carleton University and urban design at Harvard University, said she has always been fascinated with the area around LeBreton Flats and the Domtar lands. A summer internship with the National Capital Commission, during which she wrote descriptions of the agency’s four major urban projects, piqued her interest in urban design.

That early interest has brought her and students from as far afield as Vietnam and the Middle East to the shores of the Ottawa River with ideas that could shape the city’s future.

She begins work with a second studio group on a similar project this month, and Bassett said she hopes her students’ projects can lead to a closer collaboration with the developers of the Domtar lands.

“It is a spectacular site,” she said. “The public loves these post industrial sites.”

[email protected]
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainme...+visions+Domtar+lands/9350213/story.html

[citydwlr]

Interesting Tweet from Windmill today:

A Model Neighbour - Windmill #recycles architectural model for Isles community planning [pg.4] http://goo.gl/HmHN4T

On page 2 of the SCRIBD document they have the following:

[* ignore the bottom two photos...those were for other articles in the aforementioned SCRIBD doc]

A MODEL NEIGHBOUR

Some neighbours share sugar. Ours share architectural models of Ottawa. A model was recently removed from storage at Lundholm Associate Architects’ (Studio 389) that shows a never-built proposal for a large piece of land that includes the Chaudiere Islands in the middle of the Ottawa River. Their neighbours, Windmill Developments (Studio 376), happened to see the model and realized it depicts a site that they are in the midst of developing almost twenty years later! The thirty-seven acre site straddles both Ontario and Quebec and Windmill plans to create an exemplary mixed-use community that will be developed using the highest green building standards. The model has been whisked off to Ottawa to be repurposed with modern, miniature buildings.

[citydwlr]

Received an email last week from The Isles that had a link to a summary document (PDF) of the 1st consultation. It's up on their site as well (almost hidden in the bottom right corner of the page): Consultation Report

On the last page of the document, they say the following:

We are now working diligently to incorporate these comments, along with the helpful comments we continue to receive from the City of Ottawa, the Ville de Gatineau, the National Capital Commission, key partners such as the Algonquin Nation, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ecology Ottawa, Societe d’Histoire de L’Outaouais, Vivre en Ville and many other community partners and stakeholders. We recently hosted a charrette with approximately 70 attendees, representing the Algonquin First Nation, sustainability and energy experts, regulatory bodies, conservationists and ecologists, heritage advocates, entrepreneurs and community leaders. All of this work is feeding into a master plan, which will be revealed to the public along with our sustainability action plan late spring 2014.
We look forward to sharing a drink with all of you on a beautiful waterfront terrace very soon.

[teej1984]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

Received an email last week from The Isles that had a link to a summary document (PDF) of the 1st consultation. It's up on their site as well (almost hidden in the bottom right corner of the page): Consultation Report

On the last page of the document, they say the following:

The Consultation Report is a fun read, somewhat tongue-in-cheek in certain sections. I especially like the "Things we will not do" sections.

A particular highlight: they will not "have construction workers wear historical costumes." haha

[kevinbottawa]

Just found this website although it seems to be a few years old. It's a virtual tour of the Chaudiere and Victoria islands. They even have video and a picture from the dam above the falls. There are also some historical pics.

http://www.rangsch.de/chaudiere_tour/start.html

[gjhall]

Applications submitted: http://www.windmilldevelopments.com/project-portfolio/les-isles/#more-1878

[J.OT13]

Windmill unveils plans for ‘world’s most sustainable community’ for former Domtar lands

By Elizabeth Payne, OTTAWA CITIZEN April 22, 2014 11:40 AM

OTTAWA — Windmill Development Group chose Earth Day to submit rezoning applications to the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau for the former Domtar lands, a step toward developing what the company is calling the “world’s most sustainable community” on the post-industrial waterfront property.

“We plan to bring new life and energy to this once bustling heart of industry, and to do it through historically and environmentally sensitive redevelopment,” said managing partner Rodney Wilts.

The Ottawa company also released drawings and a master plan for the proposed development, which it says will include waterfront access, including access to the long-hidden Chaudière Falls, numerous parks, retail and waterfront restaurants, in addition to housing and “innovation hubs.” The construction will make use of heritage buildings on the site, Windmill says, and, once finished, will give priority to pedestrians and cyclists over cars. The company also suggests it might develop its own site-based public transit in the form of a shuttle to and from nearby transit stops on either side of the Ottawa River.

“The redeveloped lands will feature a mix of uses in a compact form integrating existing heritage resources where possible and emphasizing sustainable and active transportation through a network of shared streets that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over automobiles,” according to the project summary.

The project will be built using “One Planet Community” guidelines, which call for zero carbon footprint, zero waste, sustainable transit and sustainable materials, among other things.


Windmill says an uninterrupted series of cycling routes will give bicycles access to the entire site. The project will also borrow the Dutch concept of woonerfs, streets that give pedestrians priority over cars, as well as public plazas and squares.

Windmill says it plans to do on the former Domtar lands what local officials have long talked about — making both cities’ waterfronts more accessible and vibrant.

“Creating new riverfronts that have not been publicly accessible for generations will create new and vibrant waterfronts for both Ottawa and Gatineau.”

Proposals include “a wide selection” of waterfront food and beverage offerings, accessible waterfront and public gathering spaces with a view of the water, as well as views of Ottawa landmarks.

The property, which is spread over several islands and includes the nearby Quebec shoreline, is considered of significance to First Nations. Windmill has had discussions with Algonquins of Ontario and Kitigan Zibi about the project and says it is committed to initiatives including a First Nations route through the site, interpretive signage, “themed places” and areas of contemplation. It is not clear whether there has been agreement among Algonquins to work with Windmill. But officials say they were told they were the first private developer to ever engage in discussions with Algonquins about a development.

The project has received warm reviews from many observers, but there a numerous hurdles before work can begin, including site remediation and zoning. The city straddles the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau as well as federal and National Capital Commissions lands, which makes zoning potentially complex, but both cities and the NCC co-ordinated the “first ever” joint design review panel, consisting of design expertise from across the country to look at early plans.

“This project appears to have captured the hearts and imagination of the community,” said managing partner Jonathan Westeinde. He said the current plans will be a “springboard” for further consultation and public engagement. “None of this is final yet.”

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa...sustainable+community/9763005/story.html

[citydwlr]

Windmill Developments' The Isles project page has also been updated with some additional information, and a render:



I highly recommend taking a look through their 148.6MB "Full Rezoning Application". There are a couple pretty nice renders, and numerous birds-eye view diagrams of what they plan for the islands. Towards the end of the document, there is also a listing of how they plan to tackle the development in 6 phases across an assumed 10-15 year period where each phase would ideally take 2-3 years to complete.

[Boxster]

Very nice!!!

Thanks for sharing with us.

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Just found this website although it seems to be a few years old. It's a virtual tour of the Chaudiere and Victoria islands. They even have video and a picture from the dam above the falls. There are also some historical pics.

http://www.rangsch.de/chaudiere_tour/start.html