I just had an idea about what to do with the Hurdman brownfields

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

To my knowledge there is nothing concrete planned for the Hurdman brownfields, but an eventual (and boring) possibility would just be infill like we've seen at LeBreton Flats so far. It's a tricky area to work with in terms of anything major, but this morning an idea popped into my head.

What about a permanent amusement park like La Ronde? The total area is toughly the same size as La Ronde, is easily reached by public transit and Riverside Drive, and is still in a fairly central location.

Like I said, this idea just came to me so I don't even have a general plan for it yet or anything, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this idea.

[acottawa]

Great idea.

The NCC is actually mandated by the National Capital Act to

construct, maintain and operate, or grant concessions for the operation of, places of entertainment, amusement, recreation, refreshment, or other places of public interest or accommodation on any property of the Commission;

But they have never really done much on that front.

[SF Thomas]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

To my knowledge there is nothing concrete planned for the Hurdman brownfields, but an eventual (and boring) possibility would just be infill like we've seen at LeBreton Flats so far. It's a tricky area to work with in terms of anything major, but this morning an idea popped into my head.

What about a permanent amusement park like La Ronde? The total area is toughly the same size as La Ronde, is easily reached by public transit and Riverside Drive, and is still in a fairly central location.

Like I said, this idea just came to me so I don't even have a general plan for it yet or anything, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this idea.

The tricky thing with the brownfields near Hurdman and the Rideau River is that 80+ years ago that is where a garbage dump was, along with a few other commercial/industrial operations like a fuel depot.

This means that there is quite a bit of soil contamination below the top layers of soil. There is still physical waste buried under some of the hills from the old landfill in this area as well.

http://history.ottawaeast.ca/HTML%20...s%20Avenue.htm

[daud]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

To my knowledge there is nothing concrete planned for the Hurdman brownfields, but an eventual (and boring) possibility would just be infill like we've seen at LeBreton Flats so far. It's a tricky area to work with in terms of anything major, but this morning an idea popped into my head.

What about a permanent amusement park like La Ronde? The total area is toughly the same size as La Ronde, is easily reached by public transit and Riverside Drive, and is still in a fairly central location.

Like I said, this idea just came to me so I don't even have a general plan for it yet or anything, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this idea.

I think it’s a good idea. Having this type of tourist site so close to the city would be a boon for leisure tourism.

Personally i’ve Always had the dream that Disney Canada would be located along the 416 or 417east of the city.

[lrt's friend]

I think the idea presented is adjacent to Hurdman Station on the east side of the river. This was an active garbage dump in the late 40s and 50s . For a while, the city held an annual Christmas tree bonfire here using the trees discarded by residents after Christmas. To my knowledge, there were no fuel dumps on the east side of the river.

I doubt that any permanent structure can be built on the site because of the methane seepage and the rotting material that will create an unstable building environment.


There was also a dump in the 30s, 40s and 50s on Bronson Avenue at Carleton University. The dump was active until the Carleton campus was being built in the late 50s. The areas where the dump was located is today streets, parking lots, sports fields and empty areas. No permanent buildings have been built where the dump was located.


I am not an engineer so I have no idea whether an amusement park could be considered for such a location. If it is safe to do so, I would support the idea.

[acottawa]

Obviously standards have changed, but a good chunk of Montreal is sitting on former dumps.

https://www.mtlblog.com/news/this-mo...a-garbage-dump

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Great idea.

The NCC is actually mandated by the National Capital Act to

construct, maintain and operate, or grant concessions for the operation of, places of entertainment, amusement, recreation, refreshment, or other places of public interest or accommodation on any property of the Commission;

But they have never really done much on that front.

They interpret that entire clause to mean "plant more bushes. For Canada."

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

They interpret that entire clause to mean "plant more bushes. For Canada."

As long as the bushes are in the shadow of a 14-pack of flags.

[lrt's friend]

Make it like Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Rides for the younger set, beautiful landscaping for everybody, and dining from carnie food to high end restaurants. A great tourist attraction.

[J.OT13]

Here are Ottawa's former dumps.


https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle...iens-depotoirs

I like the idea of an amusement park at Hurdman if feasible. We could build the Confederation themed park Preston Manning had proposed years ago.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

That would be an idea, though the recent addition of the hospital link road complicates the site layout and size. Either way, it's an issue I think we should explore further as a city.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

By the way, any sources for the Preston Manning idea?

[danishh]

this seems to be the original editorial where manning refers to this 'confederationland'.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opin...rticle4324008/

the premise is mostly 'Ottawa isn't representative of Canada, therefore the provinces should each get their own spot to promote life in their province'. I find this flawed, as I don't think Ottawa represents an atypical Canadian experience.

[Mikeed]

If I were doing a theme park I would root it in the very diverse and epic geography that is Canada. Not so much hokie Confederation Land or a blah-blah take on history, but refined focus on geographic themes. Arctic, West Coast, East Coast, "the west", the epic forests of Ontario/Quebec, ect.

One of my fav. places I've visited in Canada as a kid was the Ontario Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. Imagine an epic rollercoaster themed on a bush plane and forest firefighting in N.Ontario.

I am actually warming to this idea even though you'd have A LOT of pushback from area residents.

Would actually be awesome if Cedar Fair somehow saw value in running this alongside Canada's Wonderland. Because them buying CW has been a fantastic series of events.

https://www.canadaswonderland.com/bl...canada-in-2019

Bringing back the OG idea of Frontier Land with Yukon Striker. The 1st "one of a kind" at a theme park in Canada I believe.

"With speeds reaching 130 km/h, soar through four dynamic inversions, including a complete 360-degree loop – the only one of its kind for a dive coaster."

[acottawa]

These all sound so boring. Why can’t Ottawa have fun thing?

[Mikeed]

Originally Posted by danishh

this seems to be the original editorial where manning refers to this 'confederationland'.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opin...rticle4324008/

the premise is mostly 'Ottawa isn't representative of Canada, therefore the provinces should each get their own spot to promote life in their province'. I find this flawed, as I don't think Ottawa represents an atypical Canadian experience.

My 90 grandmother from Holland Marsh area always said fondly Ottawa was like "a Canadian city should be". I think she meant all the green spaces, the greenbelt and the Central Experimental Farm most people on here like to attack.

She always thought the GTA should have been developed with more patches of protected farmland and was sadden to see so much destroyed by sprawl.

Her dad is honoured at the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame for numerous reason including having the most milk-producing cow(s) in the entire British Empire at one time.

The farm he owned is now the CN rail yard in Vaughan.

Random story.

[Norman Bates]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

One of my fav. places I've visited in Canada as a kid was the Ontario Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. Imagine an epic rollercoaster themed on a bush plane and forest firefighting in N.Ontario.

A truly fabulous place. I visited it once, over a decade ago, and never forgot it.