Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 31st, 2022

[Christine Leadman, Executive Director, Bank Street Business Improvement Area]

Thank you.

My name is Christine Leadman, and I am the executive director of the Bank Street Business Improvement Area. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to address the committee today in its consideration of expanding the parliamentary precinct.

My position today is reflective of the business members of the BIA and their desires as relevant stakeholders in the city of Ottawa. We understand the impacts by the recent activities and the groups that were here, and the probability that this will most likely not be a stand-alone scenario. We support the process of assessing the best way forward to avoid further disruptions like that the city experienced.

The impacts to the residents and businesses alike were unprecedented. However, there are two sides to the coin as the financial impacts to the businesses were, for many, worse than a full lockdown of the pandemic. This is largely due to the fact that the lack of access to the business area eliminated all potential for clients to come downtown. There was no pickup service for businesses such as SkipTheDishes or Uber Eats, a rerouting of public transit and no vehicle access for deliveries to businesses for their products and services or for their clients.

Our studies have shown that the average loss of sales was ascertained to be $357,000 per day from Laurier on, south down Bank Street. Some businesses further south may possibly have been partially opened. Otherwise, the losses would have been in the range of more than $500,000 per day.

These losses were based on the lack of access to the area by visitors, clients, employees and local residents. Despite the area having a high-modal split in transit and alternative modes of transportation, point of sale purchases are higher when clients are shopping in the area. Businesses have suffered significantly over the past two years. This was certainly exacerbated by the recent events.

However, I believe there are methods and means to avoid these types of disruptions in the future, without permanently shutting down access to Wellington Street. These can include several elements, which we'll leave to the experts in terms of policing, permitting and these types of abilities, to ensure that there are no blockages to the road network, that no encampments or semi-permanent structures are erected and that vehicle use is prohibited during protests.

As I said, my position here is in support of the businesses and the business area.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Wow, that was excellent. Thank you, and welcome to committee.

Mr. Plamondon, welcome. You have up to four minutes.

[Robert Plamondon, Supporters of the Loop]

Madam Chair and honourable members, adding Wellington Street to the parliamentary precinct is not a new idea. It is not a complex idea. It is a nation-building idea. We simply replace five lanes of trucks, buses and cars that bisect the parliamentary precinct with a space that welcomes Canadians and international visitors alike. It's a place to gather, to admire what are among the most magnificent Parliament buildings found anywhere in the world, a place to celebrate and learn about Canada, and a place for peaceful protest.

The current governance, ownership and security apparatus in and around the parliamentary precinct is awkward, if not dysfunctional. It's odd that the federal government has ownership and the RCMP full jurisdiction of Island Park Drive in a residential Ottawa neighbourhood but not Wellington Street or Sparks Street.

While serving on the board of directors of the National Capital Commission, and in the years thereafter, I proposed that Wellington Street become Canada’s national pedestrian mall. I wrote numerous op‑eds and made representations to all manner of government officials to that effect.

On the security question, I was thinking not of a convoy of trucks but of a single vehicle in an Oklahoma City terrorist incident in 1995, in which a rental truck was detonated in front of a federal building killing 168 people and causing 325 buildings to be demolished or damaged within a 16-block radius. While the security of the parliamentary precinct is an essential consideration in the use of Wellington Street, it was the idea of transforming it into a national pedestrian mall that captured the imagination and efforts of many citizens. Supporters of the vision organized as a group of citizens with a voice, a pen, a website, a petition and social media accounts, all with a goal of making our parliamentary precinct the best it could be.

The idea of marrying a national pedestrian mall with a tram to integrate the Ottawa and Gatineau transit systems in a loop project came naturally from our collaborative discussions. The transit loop would carry tremendous benefits for those who live, work and visit our national capital region. Imagine your constituents visiting the capital, touring Parliament Hill, then casually crossing Wellington Street to visit the Senate and the National War Memorial, and then hopping on a tram to the National Gallery and Nepean Point, to the Canadian Museum of History, to the Chaudière Falls, the War Museum, the Holocaust Monument, the Supreme Court and the Bank of Canada Museum. Imagine the federal public servants travelling seamlessly across provincial boundaries for work.

With a pedestrian mall and tram system in place, the opportunities to creatively showcase Canada’s national capital are endless. Simply put, Parliament Hill inspires me and others to build a better Canada. I even ran for Parliament as a Progressive Conservative, 33 years ago, in the 1988 election, in the very riding where Parliament Hill is located. I urge all parliamentarians to think 25, 50 and 100 years ahead about what is in the best interests of our capital region and of Canada. It is a place for people and a tram, not trucks, buses and cars.

We—and by that, I mean the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, the National Capital Commission and the federal government—have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to realign our parliamentary precinct for the safety and benefit of all Canadians. The timing to implement an inspiring vision for Canada’s capital will never be better than it is today. All we need is vision and courage.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

That's excellent. Thank you very much.

If we travel at this pace, we are going to be excellent for two rounds. As always, all comments and questions are through the chair.

We are going to start with a six-minute round for the Bloc member as well as the NDP. I will be merging the first and second round together so you can maximize your time. For the Liberals and the Conservatives, whatever time you go over in your slot will be taken away from your fellow colleague in the next slot, so we can try to get out of here on time. I'm going to keep a clock.

For our guests, if you can try to keep your answers about the same length as the question or comment, that would be great. If witnesses are providing important information that's not repetitive, I will not take that time away from the member. I'll make sure they're compensated for it, just so we can continue to flow.

With that, we will be starting with Mr. McCauley followed by Mr. Fergus, Madame Gaudreau and then Mr. Boulerice.

Mr. McCauley, the floor is yours.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Thanks, Madam Chair.

To the witnesses, thanks for your information.

Through you, Madam Chair, I'd like to start with Ms. Leadman, please.

Could you just fill me in on what the boundaries of the BIA are, please?

[Christine Leadman]

My district is from Wellington Street to Catherine Street.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Which side of Bank Street is that on, and is it just solely Bank or...?

[Christine Leadman]

It's mostly on Bank. There are a few exceptions that might encroach on some of the side streets, but very few.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I'm wondering if you're getting much feedback from your members about potential changes to policing and security jurisdictions.

[Christine Leadman]

I'm hearing nothing in that regard. It's mostly in terms of access to their businesses.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

What feedback are you getting about, perhaps, the changes being proposed—shutting down Wellington Street and others? I used to live in Ottawa. I live in Edmonton, and I know that our downtown has been severely affected by the COVID shutdowns, but I also know about the general problems that Ottawa shares in terms of homelessness, drugs and crime. What are the proposed changes going to do to your members?

[Christine Leadman]

This is the concern of the businesses in shutting down Wellington: losing the access to their businesses, particularly those that are closer to the parliamentary precinct.

They suffered significantly during the protests and the occupation. As I said in my comments, it was worse than the full lockdown in the pandemic in terms of the impacts to them financially and business-wise and to their employees, because there was a significant, I guess, aggressive nature with some of the people, but at the same time, I think their concern is more about access to their businesses so that they don't suffer anymore.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Right, and I understand those concerns. I think we have to realize that, hopefully, this was a once-in-a-lifetime situation, and that the city, especially in policing, has learned how to prevent such things. However, these changes will be permanent for your members, will they not?

I'm more concerned about what the members and the businesses are thinking about in going forward with these changes, and not as much about what happened in a three-week period, difficult as it was. I don't foresee that happening again any time soon, but these are permanent changes.

Are they mostly concerned about the loss of traffic coming through Wellington and the loss of people coming into the area? Some of the witnesses seemed to be portraying that changing Wellington over will create a lot more traffic for downtown businesses. Are your members seeing the opposite?

[Christine Leadman]

My businesses don't agree with the closure of the street. I have to say that, over the course of the last two years, I have closed down Bank Street in order to enable access to pedestrians and so on. We had studies done before and after, and there was a slight drop in business in the area when we did the street closures. There were concerns from the public about access to the area and lots of complaints.

Closure of a street does create a lot of concern for the businesses and anxiety, and also for the public because they don't feel that they can get down there easily. They have to renegotiate. People want easy, comfortable access. I mean, unfortunately.... I've been doing this for 30 years in the BIA and this is the general feeling: parking and access to business. Unfortunately.... People do travel mostly by vehicle to come to shop, and point of sale purchases are much higher when people are in their vehicles.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

All right. It sounds like what's proposed is almost a 24-hour-a-day permanent construction, closure and blockage.

Earlier, Councillor McKenney seemed to have the opposite view of what the constituents and the people in the area are looking for. Have you had these conversations with city hall or with the local councillor?

[Christine Leadman]

The local councillor sits on our board. Unfortunately, sometimes residential concerns and business concerns don't necessarily align. Certainly, in this particular case with the businesses, they are not in alignment with the closure of Wellington Street.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Again, through you, Madam Chair, can you give me a ballpark on what crime has been like the last couple of years along Bank. Is it getting better? Is it getting worse?

[Christine Leadman]

It is getting worse. This goes to the mental health issues and the drug addiction and homelessness issues. We have people who camp out in our business doorways, and in the back and the front. Needles, broken windows...it is continually getting worse.

In working with different agencies in the area, there are concerns from the social agencies as well of their inability to support the people, just because of the high level of violence and the different types of drugs that are on the street and are creating unsafe environments for the social workers as well.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I'm out of time. Thank you very much for the information.

[Christine Leadman]

You're most welcome.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you very much, Mr. McCauley.

Mr. Fergus, you have up to six minutes.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I congratulate all the witnesses for their extraordinary presentations.

I have questions for several witnesses, but I'll first address Mr. Royer.

Mr. Royer, in your opinion, what are the potential benefits of expanding the Parliamentary Precinct for residents of Hull Island in terms of heritage security and quality of life?

[Claude Royer]

I should point out that I'm a resident of Hull Island, so I'm very close to what could become the loop or the enhanced Confederation Boulevard. Rethinking Wellington Street to facilitate access for more integrated public transit, such as the loop, would benefit people on both sides of the river who want to visit important sites on Confederation Boulevard.

It could also be advantageous, from a business standpoint, for people in my neighbourhood who could easily go to businesses on either side of Wellington Street simply by getting on a tramway.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Royer.

Mr. McRobie, are there any international examples of there being enhanced security yet greater access for people to the legislative precincts?

[David McRobie]

I'm sure there must be. I don't have them at the top of my mind, but I think it's important to note that this is unique. It's very difficult to compare this to almost any other example. Of course, we'll compare it where it's successful elsewhere, but it's very difficult to do that because what's being offered here is a unique possibility. This is not a commercial mall. In the history of, let's say, the last 25 years, approximately 200 malls in the United States have actually failed. Twenty-four have been successful and continue to be highly successful. That's because they offer a unique product. They're not trying to compete with regional shopping centres with free parking and everything else.

We have here a unique product in Wellington Street: Parliament Hill. What could be more unique than that?