Restoring public access to Ottawa's 'second Niagara'
Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 29, 2015, Last Updated: April 29, 2015 6:23 PM EDT
Design plans from Douglas Cardinal for public spaces at the Chaudiere Falls Hydroelectric Redevelopment
It was once known as “the second Niagara” and was a major tourist attraction in lumber-town Ottawa. But it has been more than a century since anyone thought of Chaudière Falls that way.
The falls, whose impassable bubbling cauldron effectively dictated the site of the settlements that grew to become Canada’s capital, have been largely invisible for decades because of the pulp mills and power plants that blocked off access to Chaudière Island.
In less than two years, though, residents and visitors should again be able to get close to the Ottawa River cataract and appreciate its diminished grandeur, thanks to a new hydroelectric development by Energy Ottawa, Hydro Ottawa’s green power subsidiary.
Design plans from Douglas Cardinal for public spaces at the Chaudière Falls Hydroelectric Redevelopment (Detail)
The new generating station, formally announced in 2014, will produce 29 megawatts of power, enough to power 20,000 homes for a year. The power it produces will feed into Ontario’s grid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 115,000 tonnes a year. It will be operational by February 2017.
Because the federal government owns some of the land involved, the National Capital Commission has been working with the Chaudière Hydro Limited Partnership, which is wholly owned by Energy Ottawa, to improve pedestrian access to Chaudière Falls.
The company has agreed to the construction of a pedestrian access bridge across the new generating plant’s access channel, providing direct access to a viewing plaza near the falls. Pedestrian access will also be provided across the top of the new powerhouse, which will be built below grade.
“This is going to be the first opportunity in many decades the public is going to have to actually approach directly Chaudière Falls, which are one of the most dramatic falls historically in North America,” said NCC official Fred Gaspar.
Visitors will be able to get up close and personal with the falls on a viewing platform located near two existing heritage buildings, which could be used for programming that is yet to be determined. The design also includes several other outlooks for better observing the falls and the Ottawa River.
Not everybody is keen on the project, however. The falls are sacred to the Algonquin people, and many support the vision of William Commanda, a revered elder who died in 2011. He wanted Chaudière and Albert islands turned into an eco-park and the falls returned to their natural state.
That’s also the goal of more than 540 people who have signed a petition on change.org urging Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to “free the falls” by removing the Chaudière Ring Dam.
In the 19th century, their impressive size and a timber slide built in 1936 attracted thrill-seekers eager to “shoot the slides.” Among those who did were King Edward VII — then Prince Albert of Wales — in 1860 and the future King George V in 1901.
The timber slides are long gone, but the NCC’s advisory committee on planning, design and realty believes the restored public access will again make Chaudière Falls an important destination in the national capital
To that end, architect Douglas Cardinal was retained to develop design concepts for the falls viewing area. His designs incorporate First Nations elements, including a sacred fire and teaching circles meant to let visitors experience plant life and natural areas.
Though recommended by the NCC, Cardinal’s designs are only “aspirational” at this point, Gaspar said. Chaudière Hydro has agreed to provide allowances for the public space, but there’s no agreement yet on what those spaces will look like or who should pay for and manage them.
The Chaudière Falls from the north shore as it appeared about 1826. This drawing is attributed to Col. John By.
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
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