Kìwekì Point (formerly Nepean Point) Redevelopment [NCC]

[zzptichka]

Actually, Parliament is shown as "Enhanced Warning Zone" on DJI map, not "Restricted Zone" and on DJI website it says you can fly microdrone there if you exercise caution

[LRTeverywhere]

Ya Dji's map isn't always the best, Parliament is a definite no fly zone, you need an advanced liscene and to request permission to fly on a day parliament is not in session, several weeks in advance.

Here is the drone tool NRC provides, you can select the micro drone option to show no fly zones for it:
https://nrc.canada.ca/en/drone-tool/

Basically you can fly everywhere except class f airspace which is stuff like prisons / parliament and military bases.
Surpisingly you are even allowed to fly within airports (though I believe dji blocks this) but you must exercise extreme caution, and if any planes are around it means you aren't, which is fair.

[J.OT13]

People lose their minds over trees that will be lost for a hospital, yet not a peep about losing trees in a park for a slightly better park. Not a whole lot of trees, maybe a dozen, but mature trees.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ne...!4d-75.7002944

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

People lose their minds over trees that will be lost for a hospital, yet not a peep about losing trees in a park for a slightly better park. Not a whole lot of trees, maybe a dozen, but mature trees.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ne...!4d-75.7002944

Meanwhile, the Don River is being re-lined with 7-layers deep dead tree root balls, on both sides of the river bank, over a 1km stretch. Thousands.

The large trees were used as part of a movie set, and then trashed.

But yes, lets not tear down trees, especially those that have a built-in contract to plant several extra trees for each one that is taken down. (Sarcasm)

[waterloowarrior]

revised plan being discussed right now... Champlain would lose his spot on the point
https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.c...pean-Point.pdf

https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.c...with-notes.pdf




https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/st...66322695290880

[J.OT13]

So the point would just become a patch of grass/trees. Well that's disappointing. If they could at least add a small plaza and benches to add a view point, or leave space for a future National Art Gallery statement piece.

[zzptichka]

Yeah what happened to that bonfire place?

I thought it was supposed to be used by Algonquin people for their rituals? Where did it go?

[J.OT13]

Ok, so they will add a rim around the Point.

Kate Porter
@KatePorterCBC
Here's the new outlook at Nepean Point -- the park itself is to be renamed. Redevelopment to be finished in 2023.

NCC board approved those new locations for the Champlain monument and scout statue.
#OttCity #OttNews


10:20 AM · Apr 7, 2022·Twitter Web App

https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/st...Cp2Y-L-_spAAAA

[lrt's friend]

I know I am an old fuddy duddy, but why don't we just be done with it and get rid of all our national monuments to our forefathers, and put them in some monument cemetery in some obscure place? It seems that all of our European history is to be put to shame.

Rather than obscure one aspect of our history, why don't we raise up the history of indigenous peoples to show the historic partnership, which existed from the beginning.

In the spirit of compromise, like everything else, we cannot have anything prominent or beautiful in this city. Everything needs to be downplayed to avoid offending anybody. I have seen countless examples of this over the last few decades. Compromise until projects wither and die, or until it is so bland, why would you want to go there?

I am waiting to see the cross removed from Mount Royal in Montreal, because it might offend somebody who is not Christian.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Ok, so they will add a rim around the Point.


https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/st...Cp2Y-L-_spAAAA

So, the monument will be a group of trees, which exists everywhere along the river, and we plan on renaming one of the most historic locations in the city, for which Nepean Township was named. Why not give it two names, if we also wish to give it an indigenous name?

[rocketphish]

NCC Briefs: New home for Champlain statue; Westboro Beach plan revealed

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Apr 07, 2022 • 1 hour ago • 2 minute read

Samuel de Champlain will have a new home at Nepean point.

The statue of Champlain, the first European to visit the region, used to be at the apex of the point with a commanding view over the Ottawa River. The new spot will be along a pathway of the redesigned point and more integrated into the natural landscape.

Champlain will again be joined by his Anishinaabe scout, a sculpture that’s come to be known as “Zibi Annini” that was relocated from Nepean Point to nearby Major’s Hill Park in the 1990s.

The redesign also has a new circular viewing platform near the summit of the point to provide the breathtaking overlook of the river, Gatineau and Parliament Hill, and a pedestrian bridge that links the point to Major’s Hill Park above the busy road approach to the Alexandra Bridge.

The redesign follows an international competition in 2017.

<snip>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-plan-revealed

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I know I am an old fuddy duddy, but why don't we just be done with it and get rid of all our national monuments to our forefathers, and put them in some monument cemetery in some obscure place? It seems that all of our European history is to be put to shame.

Rather than obscure one aspect of our history, why don't we raise up the history of indigenous peoples to show the historic partnership, which existed from the beginning.

In the spirit of compromise, like everything else, we cannot have anything prominent or beautiful in this city. Everything needs to be downplayed to avoid offending anybody. I have seen countless examples of this over the last few decades. Compromise until projects wither and die, or until it is so bland, why would you want to go there?

I am waiting to see the cross removed from Mount Royal in Montreal, because it might offend somebody who is not Christian.

If they were going to out-right remove the statue, I might better understand your point. But if they are relocating it within the same park, I have no issue. It is a reasonable compromise.

If the cross on top of Mont Royal is ever removed, it should be because of Quebec's dumb secularism law. No one ever complained about the Province's religious heritage, but their law enacted in an attempt to discriminate against Muslims, Sikhs and other groups should also theoretically ban any christian symbols in public spaces (including Christmas decorations, the cross that was moved to the Provincial Assembly's hallway, and yes, the cross on Mont Royal) in order to avoid the blatant hypocrisy of the law.

[Harley613]

I'm not keen on the statue relocation at all. I think it belongs where it was. There is room enough in this city to display all aspects of it's history prominently.

[DTcrawler]

I agree the relocation of the statue is disappointing. It was a nice landmark to be able to look up towards when it sat on its pedestal, or from other vantage points like Major's Hill Park or the lookout behind the Centre Block.

Another thing I'm not too fond of, which might be a bit controversial, is the NCC's obsession with "re-naturalizing" all of these public spaces. We have enough trees, shrubs, and tall grass along the river. It would be nice to keep this area clear-cut to encourage picnics and whatnot on the grass. The trees will also block vistas of the National Gallery from the lookout point. Basically what this will do is force people to stay on the pathways and decrease available space. Pre-revitalization, I used to spend hours laying on the grassy hill leading up to the statue. I also used to love taking out-of-towners to the base of the statue - it had an element of grandeur, absent in most other parts of Ottawa. Now both of those elements will be gone. At least the nighttime views of the surrounding twin-cities should remain spectacular (if they aren't blocked out by trees).

Honestly, I would've been happy if they kept Nepean Point exactly as is apart from removing the amphitheatre and adding the "ring" around the lookout point.

[Richard Eade]

I agree with the "Why move the monument to an obscure place?" crowd.

The new spot will be along a pathway of the redesigned point and more integrated into the natural landscape.

This is NCC short-hand for "We are going to hide it in the bushes and hope that it gets over-grown and forgotten."

This man was 'WHITE', yes, but he was the first recorded European visitor to this area - and he had a good relationship with the people that he found here. They were essential to his survival and exploration. He could not have done what he did without help from people like 'his' scout. There was never any collar and leash on the scout. These were people that Champlain relied on and trusted.

And, as for the positioning of the monument, leave it in the place where the action would have been committed. Champlain would not have gone into the woods - to be more integrated with the natural landscape - to find out where he was.

Things like this is why the NCC has been losing any credibility that it may have once had.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I know I am an old fuddy duddy, but why don't we just be done with it and get rid of all our national monuments to our forefathers, and put them in some monument cemetery in some obscure place? It seems that all of our European history is to be put to shame.

Rather than obscure one aspect of our history, why don't we raise up the history of indigenous peoples to show the historic partnership, which existed from the beginning.

In the spirit of compromise, like everything else, we cannot have anything prominent or beautiful in this city. Everything needs to be downplayed to avoid offending anybody. I have seen countless examples of this over the last few decades. Compromise until projects wither and die, or until it is so bland, why would you want to go there?

I am waiting to see the cross removed from Mount Royal in Montreal, because it might offend somebody who is not Christian.

Here is a suggestion for that from the James Bond film "Goldeneye"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7InIZ7J5qM

[Arcologist]

The NCC has really flubbed-up this redevelopment, in my opinion.

I never thought the space needed much redevelopment to begin with, other than to fix up the old amphitheater and add the much needed connection to Major's Hill Park.

And as several have said, Champlain belongs on that hilltop. Aside from the National War Memorial on Elgin, we have very few prominent monuments in our national capital. Everything seems to be relinquished to some nook or non-invasive corner somewhere. If anything, move the native scout up there with him. Not every piece of our history has to be offensive because it is "white."

And not everything has to be naturalized either! We have so many greenspaces and parkways in this city, why add more here? Don't get me wrong, I think natural spaces are great and always advocate for more where it makes sense (like protecting farmland and forests surrounding our city, for example, rather than continue with the unsustainable sprawl), but what we need along our waterways and in our parks are social and cultural spaces: restaurants, bistros, bars, cafés, shops, art galleries and venues, pop-up art, music & entertainment, and god forbid, maybe even some residential and commercial space alongside our rivers. Something to bring life and vitality.

Back to Nepean Point though, it seems somewhat conflicting to destroy a hilltop that was in a fairly natural state just to build some rotunda viewing platform but then re-naturalize the area behind it again, and move its most prominent feature into the bushes...

I think the NCC has really lost its way on this one.

[OTSkyline]

I find Ottawa is horrible at providing nice, interesting, public spaces for people to hang out. Every place in Ottawa is just a pass through, nothing to see here. You can see the Canal or Parliament or the vistas while you drive down the parkways, but don't even think of stopping or spending time anywhere along the way.

[Richard Eade]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

The NCC has really flubbed-up this redevelopment, in my opinion.

I never thought the space needed much redevelopment to begin with, other than to fix up the old amphitheater and add the much needed connection to Major's Hill Park.

< snip >

I think that the NCC has learned something profound about itself, since it built that amphitheater; that it is really horrible at animating the spaces it originally built to be animated.

If you build an amphitheater, you NEED to keep acts booked there. Otherwise, the venue sits alone and decays, with no money for maintenance.

One could argue that the NCC does a good job with Canada Day, the Tulip Festival, and the Rideau Canal. Well, the Canada Day festival has been given to Heritage Canada to run. The Canal is mostly just preparing the canal, not animating the area. The tulips are lovely, but they are static, also.

The NCC seems to be able to handle gardening and (some) static landscaping, but they don’t seem to have a group who can keep entertainment booked in their venues. Even allowing Buskers to use empty time-slots would help. There needs to be some reason for people to go to these places - more than just once to see how their money was spent.

This criticism is not exclusively aimed at the NCC. The City of Ottawa also fails (miserably) to keep its venues busy.

[J.OT13]

I didn't think moving the statue was a big deal, but after reading many of your comments, my opinion has shifted.

Another bonus with the statue at the top of the hill is attracting people to Nepean Point. The area feels secluded and largely unknown by tourists and locals alike. By having the statue atop the hill, it draws people to the Point.