NCC - General Updates

[rocketphish]

NCC flips switch on capital illumination plan

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 29, 2015, Last Updated: March 29, 2015 7:21 PM EDT



Not much will happen in time for Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, but the National Capital Commission wants Canadians to see their capital city in a better light — at least at night.

The NCC has posted a request for proposals, inviting consultants who want to develop an illumination plan for the capital to submit their credentials and proposals. It expects to award a contract in May and receive a final report on the plan by July 2016.

The NCC has been gearing up for this for a while. It held a public session on the subject last fall and CEO Mark Kristmanson and his staff have held meetings with mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau and many other stakeholders.

“This will be a long-term legacy for the capital,” Kristmanson said in an interview.

There isn’t time to do a lot before 2017, he warned — perhaps some temporary installations if the NCC can secure some funding, and maybe something at the National Arts Centre, whose $110-million renovation will be completed in 2017. “But at least we’ll get started and we’ll certainly have the plan,” Kristmanson said.

According to the tender document, the NCC is looking for a multidisciplinary consultant team to develop the plan, as well as an implementation strategy that is “feasible, cost effective and reflective of the values of its users and of Canadians.”

The project is intended to create a “holistic vision for night time illumination of the core of the capital,” the document says, including public and private buildings, street lighting and the lighting of selected piece of infrastructure and public art.

It says the plan will unfold over 10 years, focusing first on maintenance and lighting updates that are already required. But it should also include a demonstration plan that supports the development of a first project that could be completed by the end of 2016.

“We’d like to have something introduced in 2017, even if it’s made up of a few permanent things and a few temporary things,” Kristmanson said.

The plan should develop an “artistic and cohesive lighting vision” that will highlight the beauty of the core area at night and emphasize sites of national significance, the NCC says.

It should also highlight buildings, monuments, streets and public spaces that have unique architectural attributes, creating a “harmonious night scape” in the capital.

That reflects Kristmanson’s own views. “I’m increasingly using the words, ‘creating a nocturnal cultural landscape,'” he said. “As opposed to lighting specific buildings and making sure things are highlighted, you’re really creating the landscape that you see at night.”

At the same time, the NCC would like to know what members of the public think are the top-10 elements of the capital that are either underlit or should be included in the program, Kristmanson said.

The biggest player is Public Works, which has responsibility for such sites as Parliament Hill and the Government Conference Centre, the future temporary home of the Senate.

“We’ll see where they’re at,” said Kristmanson. “I know their plans extend over many years, but there could be some opportunity to bring some lighting on line for 2017.”

He plans to meet soon with the new deputy minister at Public Works. “We’ll have a chance to explore that a little bit,” he said.

Kristmanson said the timing of the illumination initiative is “superb” because technological advances now mean energy-efficient LED lighting is feasible. “It’s possible now to do a major illumination plan and have it also be a green plan.”

The NCC is holding a public workshop on the illumination plan from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at its headquarters at 40 Elgin St. Space is limited, so those interested should email info@ncc-ccn.ca to register.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...umination-plan

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

[B]The NCC — or someone — needs firmer role in planning capital

Or, you know, we could have less "planning" to begin with and a little more organic development, spontaneity, freedom, and fun?

[Dado]

Planning a purge at Ottawa's major developers, are we?

Because, frankly, if we left that lot to their own devices it'd be even worse than it already is.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Dado

Planning a purge at Ottawa's major developers, are we?

Not so much a purge - such an ugly word - more like strapping Claridge and company to a rocket and firing said rocket into the sun.

Because, frankly, if we left that lot to their own devices it'd be even worse than it already is.

And yet, the planning department approves pretty well all the crap the developers put before them, and usually only ask for modifications, in response to NIMBYist pressure, that only ends up making things even worse.

A little laissez-faire might do Ottawa a little good.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Not so much a purge - such an ugly word - more like strapping Claridge and company to a rocket and firing said rocket into the sun.



And yet, the planning department approves pretty well all the crap the developers put before them, and usually only ask for modifications, in response to NIMBYist pressure, that only ends up making things even worse.

A little laissez-faire might do Ottawa a little good.

I was watching this little interview about Dutch architecture, and while I can't speak to how true what they said is, their description of Dutch optimistic attitudes (or that of Rotterdam residents) about development and design was enviable. (Part at 5:40)

People here are opposed to a lot proposed, but they are fine with 318 Lisgar because of how it "looks old". People don't like "new", they want a city that looks old, despite the fact that few modern "old-looking" buildings don't look very good. Many point to Europe and invoke them as a model for historical preservation, when a lot of Modernist movements began in Europe by European architects and governments, to rebuild their cities after they were decimated by the Wars.

Ottawa needs a culture shift to start being more positive, and developers need to be more responsible with their chosen designs. But there's a lot of resistance to modern and big due to some irrational fears or imagined nostalgia.

[rocketphish]

NCC workshop sheds light on illumination plan

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 31, 2015, Last Updated: March 31, 2015 9:15 PM EDT



Should the core of Canada’s capital be lit at night with colourful or sober lighting? Should the light be changeable and kinetic, or stable and steady? Should it be different in winter than in summer? Focused at street level or the peaks of buildings?

Does the capital, in fact, even need a formal illumination plan?

Those were some of the questions discussed by about 100 people who participated in a workshop Tuesday on the National Capital Commission‘s illumination plan for the capital.

Last week, the NCC invited bids from teams interested in developing an “holistic vision for nighttime illumination” of the core of the capital that would highlight the beauty of the area at night and emphasize sites of national significance.

Tuesday evening’s workshop represented the “project kickoff,” said Stephen Willis, the NCC’s executive director of capital planning.

If the discussion at one workshop table was any indication, most of those who turned out felt an illumination plan was a good idea. But it needs to be done thoughtfully and with restraint: too much light would make things worse.

The NCC seems to agree. Chief executive Mark Kristmanson said he expects the plan, which will be rolled out over the next decade or so, to reduce light pollution and lower electricity use.

“We’re interested in dark areas as well as lit ones,” he said.

Willis told workshop participants the NCC is aiming for a harmonious “symphony” of light that makes the core a more appealing place at night than it is now. “We’re trying to light better, not necessarily light more.”

He said Public Works and Government Services Canada is “already advancing a plan to redo the lights on (Parliament) Hill. We think that will be a major step forward in implementing this plan.”

To get a sense of what residents might want from an illumination plan, the NCC showed 30 scenes of night-time illumination from cities around the world and asked workshop participants to rate them.

Willis also displayed photos of the national capital taken from space by astronaut Chris Hatfield showing lighting differences across the region.

For example, lighting in Gatineau appears to be “gentler” than in Ottawa, Willis said, and lighting in the older parts of Kanata is dimmer than in newer suburbs.

In the core area, he said, current lighting is a “hodge-podge” with no consistent approach. Once adopted, the illumination plan will be mandatory for government buildings but voluntary for privately owned buildings.

The NCC hopes to award a contract in May and receive a final report recommending an illumination strategy by July 2016.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...umination-plan

[rocketphish]

Marking a Decade of Dead Space

Not the... New Edinburgh News
April Fool’s Edition 2015



Don’t miss the NCC’s gala celebrations marking “10 Glorious Years of Vacancy” at 50 Sussex, the short-lived Canada and the World Pavilion for which millions of taxpayers’ dollars were invested to bulldoze the formerly sylvan Rideau Falls Park, to create “a star attraction on the international sector of Confederation Boulevard.”

Participants will be treated to displays of laboratory samples of the mould which has thrived in the building since the museum’s closure in 2005, and we’re told that the NCC plans a dramatic re-enactment of the dismantling of the exhibition, with moving trucks lined up to transport the contents to the Trail Road landfill. Just in case you didn’t get a chance visit the place during its heyday, you’ll be sorely disappointed to have missed such stellar exhibits as Céline Dion’s first Grammy award, or Glenn Gould’s legendary collection of hotel keys.

Also proudly on display at the celebrations will be a plaque honouring the pavilion’s coveted status as the shortest-lived museum in Canadian –and possibly world– history with just the elegant inscription, E-Z Come, E-Z Go.

Although many dignitaries are scheduled to attend the gala, Ottawa’s mayor won’t be among them. The mayor apparently takes a dim view of the NCC’s flagrant violations of toughened municipal by-laws relating to Derelict Properties, and has no intention of being part of this enthusiastic celebration of a decade of dead space.

As to the site’s future, the NCC is rumoured to have begun planning for an even splashier event to mark 20 Years of Vacancy, having long since abandoned hope of ever finding another tenant for the building.

http://www.newedinburgh.ca/sites/def..._web-small.pdf

[Norman Bates]

I went to the pavilion a couple of times and was even quoted in a citizen article about its closure.

It was a great idea poorly executed. In the way in which the NCC seems to do everything. A camel is a horse designed by committee...

[rocketphish]

Confederation Square makeover one of 17 'big ideas' in NCC's 50-year capital plan

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 5, 2015, Last Updated: April 5, 2015 9:17 PM EDT

Mark Kristmanson has an idea that would transform Confederation Square, one of the national capital’s iconic spaces.

The National War Memorial will celebrate its centennial in 2039. And Kristmanson, chief executive of the National Capital Commission, thinks that provides a splendid opportunity to “redo” Confederation Square to give it the amenities and sight lines to accommodate as many as 30,000 people during national ceremonies.

“That would seem to me to be a major idea that could happen on a major anniversary in the future,” Kristmanson said in an interview.

The Confederation Square makeover is one of 17 “big ideas” the NCC expects to include in its long-term Plan for Canada’s Capital – the document that will chart the future of the capital region between 2017 and Canada’s 200th birthday in 2067.

The plan has been in the works for four years, but has “evolved” since the NCC’s programming role migrated to the Department of Canadian Heritage in 2013, Kristmanson said.

It’s now focused on the lands for which the NCC is responsible. Kristmanson hopes the 17 big ideas – the number is a reference to 2017, when Canada will celebrate its 150th birthday – will “complete the transformation of the capital into an international-level G7 capital.”

The NCC already has a list of about 25 ideas, Kristmanson said, many from the public during nationwide consultations on the Plan for Canada’s Capital.

He won’t talk about the others yet, but said NCC staff will take the plan to the board of directors in June, looking for authorization to conduct public consultations. If all goes well, the plan could be finalized by the fall.

Completing the plan is one of the NCC’s key initiatives for 2017. During his interview with the Citizen, Kristmanson sketched out other elements of the NCC’s still-evolving plan for the 2017 celebrations.

BEAUTIFYING THE CAPITAL

The NCC is working with its partners to “make the city look as good as possible,” Kristmanson said. It has created a group to work on spiffing up Confederation Boulevard, though the expected work will be largely life-cycle maintenance, he said.

An NCC report dated Nov. 4, 2014 – released under Access to Information to researcher Ken Rubin – says street light globes on Wellington Street are well past their intended 10-year lifecycle, painted surfaces are failing, metal parts are oxidizing, and deteriorating cobblestones and pavers pose a potential health and safety risk.

Without upgrades costing an estimated $1 million, “Confederation Boulevard, the centre stage for the 2017 celebrations, will appear tired and dilapidated during this important milestone in our country’s history,” the report says.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Upgrades to Confederation Park and the Garden of the Provinces represent the NCC’s main capital projects in the lead-up to 2017, Kristmanson said.

According to documents released to Rubin, Confederation Park is currently “not meeting expectations as one of the NCC’s major Capital parks.” The park has experienced “accelerated deterioration” as a result of its use by special events, says one NCC report, particularly the eastern section known as “the concert bowl.”

The NCC plans to revitalize the park’s vegetation and may redesign its eastern portion to improve services and infrastructure and create new connections to the Rideau Canal.

The Garden of the Provinces on Wellington Street – once put forward by the NCC as a site for the now-controversial Memorial to the Victims of Communism – needs $2.5 million in landscaping and site improvements, NCC documents reveal.

In addition, the NCC expects to complete its work to enhance and showcase Richmond Landing and the Bronson Mill ruins, two sites on the Ottawa River near Chaudière Falls, by 2017, Kristmanson said.

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Kristmanson said the NCC will work with the now-shuttered Canada Science and Technology Museum and the National Arts Centre to facilitate design and land-use approvals for the museum’s planned reopening and completion of the NAC’s renovation project, both expected in 2017.

As well, the Global Centre for Pluralism, a not-for-profit institution that works to advance respect for diversity, is refurbishing the former war museum on Sussex Drive as its international headquarters.

The centre is hoping to move into its new home in 2017, Kristmanson said. “They’re investing a large amount of money to make that into a beautiful facility with a public location. This is all quite ambitious and wonderful, so we’ll try to do as much as we can.”

MAJOR EVENTS

The NCC will continue its support for major events such as Bluesfest, Canada Day, Winterlude and the jazz festival.

It’s also interested in supporting plans to bring a major cultural event called Mosaiculture to the capital in 2017. The event, which normally takes place in Montreal, features large-scale works of garden art and has attracted as many as 1.2 million visitors, Kristmanson said.

Most of the event would take place in NCC-owned Jacques Cartier Park. But there would also be a large installation on Nepean Point, overlooking the park, Kristmanson said.

CONFEDERATION PAVILIONS

The NCC is testing the feasibility of using about six of its most interesting assets as “confederation pavilions” for public displays in 2017.

One such pavilion could be Strutt House in Gatineau Park, once the home of James Strutt, an eminent Ottawa architect inspired by the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller.

The NCC bought the house in 2011 and it’s currently empty. But it’s working with the Strutt Foundation to open the house to the public in 2017 for a project on 20th-century “built heritage” as exemplified by Strutt and other architects, Kristmanson said.

Another confederation pavilion could be established in a new NCC-owned building scheduled for completion next year at 7 Clarence St. in the ByWard Market’s Sussex Courtyards. The NCC has invited heads of missions in Ottawa to present public programs at 7 Clarence in 2017.

“We’ve had 15 responses in the first couple of weeks, so we think it’s probably going to work,” Kristmanson said.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...r-capital-plan

[rocketphish]

NCC plans design competition for Nepean Point makeover

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 5, 2015, Last Updated: April 5, 2015 9:16 PM EDT



It offers what may be Ottawa’s most inspiring vista and contains one of the capital’s most prominent statues. Yet for two decades, Nepean Point has been a squandered resource, a deteriorating place surrounding a shuttered outdoor amphitheatre contaminated by asbestos and mould.

But change is in the wind. The National Capital Commission hopes to hold a national design competition within the next two years with the goal of renewing the 11.1-hectare promontory overlooking the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal.

The project’s cost hasn’t been announced, but a 2014 NCC report released to researcher Ken Rubin under access to information estimated it at $4.4 million.

The NCC approved what CEO Mark Kristmanson called a “minimalist” project for Nepean Point two or three years ago that would have removed the Astrolabe Theatre and mitigated risks to the public.

But that didn’t proceed because “it’s just such an important national site that a minimalist project isn’t appropriate,” Kristmanson said. “We should invest more in it.”

At one point, the NCC considered making Nepean Point one of its initiatives for 2017, when Canada will mark its 150th anniversary. But there wasn’t time or money for that, Kristmanson said.

He said a new amphitheatre would be part of the redesigned site, though it could be a softer space “that’s less hardscape, more grass. The design competition will reveal what is the best way to do that.”

For years, the Astrolabe Theatre, with its spectacular views of Parliament Hill, the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal, was one of the capital’s finest sites for open-air shows. But performances ceased in 1995 and the NCC announced plans for its demolition in 2011.

The NCC also wants to include a footbridge linking Nepean Point with Major’s Hill Park in the design competition guidelines. There once was such a footbridge, but it was demolished in 1959.

A footbridge could lead to a waterfront pathway that would track the cliff tops behind the National Gallery of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mint, Kristmanson said. “We’re probably talking years before that could happen, but at least we’ll start the process by restoring the footbridge that was there.”

The NCC held a public planning workshop on Nepean Point’s renewal last June and floated the idea of moving the famous statue of Samuel de Champlain to a lower area on the point. It was moved to its current prominent position when the Astrolabe Theatre was built as a viewpoint for Parliament Hill’s first sound-and-light show in 1967.

But the idea of lowering the century-old statue “was not well received” at the workshop, said Kristmanson. “The height of the Champlain statue was important to people. We’d like to respect that.”

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...point-makeover

[Norman Bates]

I've seen this movie before. It will be a splendid competition and then nothing will be done.

[teej1984]

The footbridge between Nepean Point and Major's Hill Park would be a great idea!

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by teej1984

The footbridge between Nepean Point and Major's Hill Park would be a great idea!

As would be the renovation/restoration of the amphitheatre. It used to be a terrific performance venue.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

But change is in the wind. The National Capital Commission hopes to hold a national design competition within the next two years with the goal of renewing the 11.1-hectare promontory overlooking the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal.

11.1 hectare ???? If one included all of Majors Hill Park and the National Gallery... maybe... But it would be a stretch to call Nepean Point even 2 hectare

[rocketphish]

NCC's public profile hurt by mandate change, poll suggests

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 22, 2015, Last Updated: April 22, 2015 6:17 PM EDT

The National Capital Commission‘s mandate change in 2013, which stripped it of responsibility for high-profile events such as Winterlude and Canada Day, has undermined public understanding of what the agency does, a new poll indicates.

The Environics survey of 1,500 adults in the National Capital Region last fall, commissioned by the NCC at a cost of $80,000, shows that unaided awareness of NCC responsibilities has decreased since 2010 — the last time it surveyed area residents.

Barely half of those surveyed knew the NCC was responsible for the Rideau Canal, compared with 63 per cent five years ago. There were similar declines for other areas of NCC responsibility, including Gatineau Park, the Greenbelt and recreational pathways.

Yet 42 per cent erroneously thought the NCC was still responsible for Winterlude, which has been organized by the Department of Canadian Heritage for the past two years.

When asked to name the organization responsible for planning and developing the use of federal lands and preserving heritage buildings in the National Capital Region — the NCC’s revised mandate — only about three in 10 named the NCC.

Overall awareness of the NCC remains high, with 87 per cent of residents saying they are aware of the organization, the survey found.

“However, the recent mandate change, removing responsibility for some of the more high-profile events with which the NCC has long been associated, has reduced the ability of many residents to link the organization’s name to its core development and management responsibilities,” Environics concluded.

Mark Kristmanson, the NCC’s chief executive, said he was generally pleased with the survey results. “Where we’re known, we’re fairly respected,” he said. “Our task is to become better known.

“I think we see in the results that people aren’t clear any more what we do, who we are,” Kristmanson said. That’s an issue the NCC hopes to address in its new branding initiative, which will roll out early next year.

About half of residents see the NCC in a generally positive light, Just six per cent have a negative impression.

Eight in 10 of those with at least marginal familiarity with the NCC say it does an excellent or good job of safeguarding assets of national significance and almost all — 95 per cent — agree that it has a role to play in making the capital an inspiring reflection of Canada and Canadians.

However, nearly four in 10 aren’t familiar enough with the NCC to say what they think of it, underlining the agency’s need to raise its public profile.

More than three-quarters say they trust the NCC to make good decisions, and nearly as many say the agency shares their values. Six in 10 say it is well-managed, though less than half think it does a good job of consulting and informing the public of its plans and programs.

To find out how it is perceived across Canada, the NCC is paying Environics $51,000 to conduct a national survey of 2,000 Canadians this spring.

“We don’t expect to be top of mind across the country,” Kristmanson said. “But we need some sense of where the capital is sitting in the public mind across the country, just to help us understand how we should develop our identity.”

Both surveys will be used to provide baseline data for the development of the NCC’s engagement strategy and its corporate branding exercise.

The local survey, conducted between Oct. 15 and Nov. 2, 2014, has a margin of error of 2.5 per cent, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon


By the numbers

49 Percentage of NCR residents whose overall impression of the NCC is positive
7 Percentage whose impression is so-so
6 Percentage whose impression is negative
38 Percentage who don’t know enough to say
30 Percentage who say preserving green spaces and heritage sites should be the NCC’s top priority
77 Percentage who trust the NCC to make good decisions
48 Percentage who think it does a good job of consulting and informing the public about its plans and programs
44 Percentage who disagree
26 Percentage who have heard of opportunities to provide input to the NCC in 2014 or prior years
7 Percentage who attended a public consultation or information session

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-poll-suggests

[rocketphish]

Co-op, NCC in final stages of deal to operate Gatineau's historic Moore Farm

Norman Provencher, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 7, 2015, Last Updated: June 7, 2015 5:15 PM EDT



After years of working to figure out a solution for the historic Moore Farm property in Gatineau’s west end, Claude Sirois says he’s happy to report that kids and others can look forward to getting their hands dirty as soon as this fall.

“Schoolkids can work on their own plots of land, adults too. There’ll be ecotourists … maybe concerts,” says the enthusiastic retired foreign affairs worker in describing the proposed revamp of the century-old property at Alexandre-Taché and St. Raymond boulevards.

“It will be a wonderful site, a place where everyone can take part in history.”

The National Capital Commission, which owns the land, has been looking for groups to take charge of the 12-hectare property, which had been unused for decades after it was bequeathed to the public by former owner and horse lover Virginia Parker-Moore in 1973 so it could be made accessible to the public.

Since then, there have been no shortage of plans, but nothing seemed to take hold.

“At first, it was because the buildings were in horrible shape,” said Sirois.

The site dates on records from at least 1834 and was originally owned by Philemon Wright.

The farm consists of several buildings. A stable built in 1909 and an equestrian arena constructed in 1952 are designated federal heritage buildings. There is also a manager’s house built in 1957, and other buildings.

In 2010, the NCC stepped in and spent more than $8 million to restore most of the buildings.

“They’re all in wonderful condition now,” Sirois said. “Like the day they were built.”

Following that restoration, it looked as though the NCC had a deal with an operator to take over the property, but it fell through.

Sirois had long had an eye on the property’s fate and had worked with Gatineau Coun. Jocelyn Blondin to come up with the right mix of stakeholders and activities to make a major attraction in the area.

They have formed a co-op with a large group of users/directors to create a sort of eco-tourism attraction including an educational centre, maybe a small shop or two featuring locally-farmed or created products and a resto-café with an outdoor patio for summer relaxation.

”We want people to come up and get their hands dirty, kids and families, to see the way things used to be,” he said.

Sirois is keeping fine details close to his vest until the final agreement is signed with the NCC, expected to be sometime this fall.

But he says a key component will be school groups from both sides of the Ottawa River.

“It’s a history of a region, of buildings and of the land. We want (the kids) to work on their small plots of land, to learn about growing food, about insects, everything.”

The co-operative plans to host year-round activities tailored for all age groups, including small musical concerts, a project close to Sirois’ heart.

Supported this time by a solid team of partner organizations and experts, Sirois hopes this new project will finally see the light of day.

“It requires patience to get everything correct. Just like farming.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ric-moore-farm

[rocketphish]

NCC to start consultations on military commemorative route for capital

Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 25, 2015 | Last Updated: June 25, 2015 6:52 PM EDT

Our city needs a new place to develop whatever military monuments and other memorials come along in future years, says the National Capital Commission.

It’s picking a route already, starting where British soldiers arrived at the end of the War of 1812.

The consultation document for Canada’s Capital Proposed Commemoration Plan wants to overcome a variety of memorials that are scattered without relation to each other.

The problem is that we can’t cram any more monuments into Confederation Park, Confederation Square and other downtown centres of existing monuments.

The proposed solution: a new Remembrance Precinct where Wellington Street meets the Portage Bridge. This would be one end of the new Ceremonial Route stretching from west to east and ending up at the Cartier Square Square Drill Hall.

“This axis commences at Richmond Landing — of military historical significance as the debarkation point of demobilized soldiers from the War of 1812 who travelled up the corduroy road to settle the village of Richmond,” the planning document says.

“From the Royal Canadian Navy Monument this axis extends westward and outward to the Canadian War Museum, creating a coherent zone for future commemorations.”



The NCC directors heard that this won’t mean an endless stream of new military statues. Among the new features are trees and flowers:

• “Remembrance Grove will be a new commemorative park located east of Booth Street and adjacent to the Bronson mill pond” — in other words across Booth from the War Museum and along the south edge of the Ottawa River. “New groves of trees will be planted in such as way as to create alcoves for new military commemorations.” There’s a shoreline walk as well.

• An annual Field of Poppies could be established on the site east of the Canadian War Museum.”

A concept illustration shows a giant maple leaf made out of red poppies. The NCC notes that a huge display of red poppies outside the Tower of London last year drew worldwide attention.

• Richmond Landing is the area just below the Chaudière Falls. It’s proposed as a unified theme area relating to air, land and water, with pathways winding along the shorelines.

Access is difficult for pedestrians in that area, and the document says the NCC must overcome this.

A further challenge is to improve the setting for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial. Sightlines are bad, and the ceremony draws a bigger crowd than the location can hold, causing people to have trouble seeing and hearing.

tspears@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/TomSpears1

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...te-for-capital

[rocketphish]

Who are the new NCC board members?

Patrick Smith, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 25, 2015 | Last Updated: June 25, 2015 7:35 PM EDT

Despite the controversy surrounding the location of the Memorial to Victims of Communism, incoming board members of the National Capital Commission says they have not made themselves familiar with the issue.

The new directors, many of whom have ties to the Conservative party either at the federal level, municipal level or both, were quietly appointed last week in order to have their positions formalized before Parliament rose.

The newly appointed board members, also known as commissioners, are not paid a regular salary. The part-time role entitles them only to a per diem, no more than $375 per day, while they are on official NCC business. Additionally, board members receive a retainer of $4,000 per year.

The board, which is comprised of the chairperson, the Chief Executive Officer, five Ottawa-area residents and eight members appointed from elsewhere in the country, meets at least four times a year to discuss and monitor the use of corporation resources, as well as to monitor and report on performance of NCC assets.

Here are the new members of the board:

Lisa Macdonald: Holding an extensive background in finance and business, Macdonald is no stranger to municipal affairs, either. The current chief administrative officer for the Town of New Glasgow in Nova Scotia has done work with the Pictou Regional Development Commission from November 2003 to December 2007, including the final two years as executive director. Her history with the financial sector includes nearly a decade of work with the CIBC in various positions including customer service manager, account manager for small business and branch manager.

Though the Memorial to Victims of Communism is among the most contentious issues facing the NCC at the moment, Macdonald said she has not done any background research into the file as of yet.

“My appointment doesn’t start until July 1, so I’m actually not privy to any of the background related to that project at this time,” she said, adding that she has not done any research of her own, either.

Macdonald has donated to the Conservative Party of Canada once, in 2011, when she gave $408.92 to the Conservative Association in the riding of Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia.

In her words, why Macdonald thinks she was named to the board of directors:

“Certainly, I have a vast volunteer background where I served in provincial capacity in a number of organizations.”

Carol Loughrey: A consultant in strategic planning and governance, Loughrey has held multiple positions in government. After holding positions as comptroller and deputy minister with the Liberal Party of New Brunswick for a decade, she left in 1998 to become an adviser to the Conservative Party at both the provincial and federal level until 2006. Afterward, her political involvement continued, as she made donations to the campaigns of two Conservative candidates on the national level in 2005 and 2008, totalling $450. But despite this, she says, her political leanings are simply to “vote for the best person.”

“If I think there’s a good candidate, I support him. That’s kind of where I am, I guess … I’m not particularly political in the ‘big P’ sense.”

Loughrey has not researched the controversy surrounding the communism memorial either, saying that she requested a start date of July 1 so that she could tie up a few loose ends.

“I’ve been sent some documents, but I can’t really get at it for another week or so,” said Loughrey. “But I did understand from my predecessor that there was some controversy.”

“What I will do,” she added, “is I will read all the information that I have and come to the conclusion that I have. But when you’re just starting out, of course, you don’t have the background or the understanding.”

In her words, why Loughrey thinks she was named to the board of directors:

“I happened to support the Conservative candidate in the last election, so I guess that helped me a bit, but I understand my recommendation came both politically and administratively for this position.”

“I was asked by the predecessor, and he said … the skills that I have are what the organization needs right now.”

Basil Stewart: As mayor of Summerside, P.E.I. for 29 years, Stewart was first elected to office in 1985 and was subsequently re-elected nine times before losing his last mayoral race in 2014. The former mayor was also on the board of directors for the Canadian Federation of Municipalities from 2006 to 2009, most recently as president in his final year.

Stewart’s political career also includes a failed bid for a federal seat with the Progressive Conservative party in 1993 in the riding of Egmont, P.E.I. He lost the election to Liberal incumbent Joe McGuire. Since then, Stewart has stayed active in his involvement with the federal Conservative party. Since 2004, he has made four donations to the party or to individual electoral campaigns totalling approximately $700.

Stewart could not be reached for comment.

Brian Coburn: Ottawa-area residents might recognize Coburn, himself a resident of Navan, as a former cabinet minister in the provincial government. From 1989 to 1999, Coburn served as mayor of the village of Cumberland, following which he ran successfully for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in the riding of Carleton-Gloucester (now Ottawa-Orléans.)

He would keep that seat from 1999 to 2003, serving as the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from 2001 to 2002 in premier Mike Harris’s government. After Ernie Eves took over the Progressive Conservative leadership in 2002, Coburn switched portfolios and assumed the roles of Minister of Tourism and Recreation as well as Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Following his 2003 defeat at the hands of Liberal candidate Phil McNeely, Coburn joined the Assessment Review Board of Ontario for two years before becoming a citizenship judge at Citizenship & Immigration Canada from 2006 to 2012.

Coburn could not be reached for comment.

Victor Brunette: Brunette has a detailed past in the forestry industry. He has been involved in it since 1990, when he became executive director of the Quebec Federation of Wood Producers. He held that spot until 2002, at which point he managed the forestry program for the New York City Watershed Agricultural Council. He also managed the Alberta Woodlot Extension Program and is currently the manager of the Agence des Forêts Privées de l’Outaouais.

Brunette could not be reached for comment, but a person with the same name is listed as a member of the Pontiac Conservative Association in Québec. Brunette lives in the Gatineau area, less than an hour away from Pontiac.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-board-members

[NOWINYOW]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Our city needs a new place to develop whatever military monuments and other memorials come along in future years, says the National Capital Commission.

They have to PLAN this route?

Methinks some people are overpaid for doing very little.

[Uhuniau]

Why not just raze downtown altogether and put up a Monument to All Monuments?

Or a couple of mausoleums. Everyone loves a good mausoleum.

There is no better way to deaden and stultify a city than this official monumental ceremonial crap, and dammit, the NCC is doing its best.

Hopefully some day there'll be a monument - a plaque, really , and a small one at that - dedicated to the memory of the now-abolished NCC.