Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 31st, 2022

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you, Councillor.

This question, Madam Chair, will go to both the mayor and the councillor.

On April 25, the Canadian Police Association held their annual lobby day on the Hill. They had been watching very closely what happened in Ottawa, the resignation of the police chief and the continuation of the studies we're doing here on Parliament Hill. The Canadian Police Association proposed to me and many members of Parliament:

...that the federal government organize a national summit that brings together key stakeholders, including representatives of police executives, front-line police representatives, municipal and provincial officials responsible for public safety, and community-based organizations with experience in organizing public events, to establish a clear framework to coordinate the response to protests and demonstrations.

This is moving forward, largely with your ward in mind.

They went on:

This framework would include guidelines regarding the deployment of resources, use-of-force where applicable, member and public health and safety, and funding for police resources when additional personnel are required. As well, with certain considerations taken for operational security, this framework should be publicly-accessible to ensure that communities have a better understanding of how protests are addressed by law enforcement.

I will add to that request from the Canadian Police Association that it almost seems that they would require some legislative action.

To both witnesses, would you support that key recommendation from the Canadian Police Association?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Give a quick answer, Councillor McKenney, followed by the mayor.

Go ahead, Councillor McKenney.

[Catherine McKenney]

Yes, on first blush—this is my first time hearing about it—I would. I do believe that we needed an integrated response.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you.

Go ahead, Madame Mayor.

[France Bélisle]

I also think that all discussions that could lead to appropriate and coordinated police action must of course be considered.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Fergus, you now have the floor for five minutes.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank the two witnesses who are with us today.

I certainly have questions for the mayor of our great city of Gatineau.

Ms. Bélisle, before you became mayor of Gatineau, you had a remarkable career as director general of Outaouais Tourism. My fellow members may not know that. You are therefore very well placed to appear before the committee, not only as mayor, but also as a person who has always worked to promote the Outaouais region and particularly the city of Gatineau within the national capital region.

During the occupation of downtown Ottawa, the Farfadaas set up in Gatineau. What were the consequences for residents on Hull Island and almost all residents of Gatineau, who needed access to the bridges to get to work or visit family on the other side of the river?

[France Bélisle]

Residents of Hull Island who live nearby obviously experienced inconveniences, particularly in relation to excessive noise, just like residents of Ottawa. It was certainly a bit harder to cross the bridges.

As I said in my opening remarks, thousands of federal government employees choose to live on this side of the river, so the occupation had a significant impact. The consolation prize is certainly that we're still working in a postpandemic hybrid model, meaning there's less traffic. There were nonetheless repercussions on our side of the river, hence the importance of having a vision of this cross-river perimeter when the City of Gatineau and the federal government must make decisions.

Clear directives are needed about the actions to be taken in the area. That's really what we're looking for.

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

Madam Mayor, Laurier Street, the Alexandra Bridge and the Portage Bridge were closed. It's Confederation Boulevard, the capital's ceremonial and discovery route.

Do you believe that we should examine the possibility of the federal government at least having oversight over security on the ceremonial route? That could also facilitate the tramway route from Gatineau to Ottawa and in downtown Gatineau.

[France Bélisle]

I certainly believe so, Mr. Fergus.

I can understand that the committee is first looking at security elements, but it cannot ignore the impact of decisions on other elements that affect our cities, including transportation, mobility of interprovincial tourists and the presence of Ontarians in Gatineau.

I mentioned Gatineau Park. Almost two million Ontarians, mostly from Ottawa, come to the Gatineau Park each year. That reality must be taken into account in your consideration of security in the Parliamentary Precinct.

The repercussions will affect not only security, but also transportation, mobility and tourism. I encourage you to not ignore that. That's my main message today, as mayor of Gatineau.

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

I remember the picnic five years ago on the Alexandra Bridge. It was one of your greatest publicity successes.

Could the possibility of creating this type of loop with Confederation Boulevard and reviewing the concept of ceremonial routes offer this type of opportunity in the future?

[France Bélisle]

I will put on my mayor's hat and my hat related to my former functions in the tourism field.

I think it's in the interest of Canada's capital, which includes Gatineau, to question what it does on both sides of the river to shine and stand out in the world, I had excellent relations with my colleagues at Ottawa Tourism, Outaouais Tourism and the City of Ottawa. We made significant progress. That vision of working together to allow the capital to stand out and shine is essential. The time is right to resolve security issues, but it's also an opportunity to stand out in the world as a dynamic capital that makes coherent choices.

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

I'd like to ask a final question.

Madam Chair, through you to Councillor McKenney, I'd like to know if they support the transfer of ownership of Wellington from the city to the federal government.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Please answer quickly.

[Catherine McKenney]

Thank you for that.

Yes, I most certainly do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Thank you so much. That was really quick.

I would like to publicly acknowledge Mr. Fergus on his special day. Happy birthday on behalf of PROC committee members.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

With that, I want to thank our witnesses—

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Madam Chair, may I make one request before this panel ends?

I was wondering if Councillor McKenney could send in the motion they pointed to, so it can be circulated to all the members. In lieu of that, if the councillor cannot, the clerk may be able to look it up online and send it to all of us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Consider it done.

Councillor McKenney, you're welcome to share it with us. Otherwise, I know it is publicly available, so we'll get that done.

With that, I want to thank both the mayor and councillor for joining us today and to thank them and members for the great exchange.

I hope you keep well and safe. If you think of anything else we should consider, please do not hesitate to send it in writing to the clerk.

Have a great day.

We'll switch panels. I will suspend for a minute.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

I call the meeting back to order.

For the second part of our meeting, we will hear from the following community advocates: Mr. Claude Royer from the Alexandra Bridge Coalition, Mr. David McRobie, who will speak as an individual, Ms. Christine Leadman, who is responsible for the Bank Street Business Improvement Area, and Mr. Robert Plamondon from the Supporters of the Loop.

I'm going to ask that everyone keep their opening comments as tight as possible, up to a maximum of four minutes.

Mr. Royer, welcome to the committee.

You have the floor.

[Claude Royer, Spokesperson, Alexandra Bridge Coalition]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, members of the committee, for welcoming me.

I'm here to represent the coalition for the Alexandra Bridge.

It is our understanding that the committee is seeking input on the repurposing of Wellington Street, namely in regard to its use for public transit and active transportation.

The Alexandra Bridge Coalition was created following the decision to demolish the Alexandra Bridge in 10 years. Unfortunately, that decision was made without a full analysis of options for retention and rehabilitation based on outdated goals that give priority to motor vehicle traffic. The coalition is made up of interprovincial and multidisciplinary organizations in the fields of heritage, sustainable development and the environment.

According to the Plan for Canada's Capital, which will guide the NCC for the next 50 years, Confederation Boulevard is intended to reflect Canada, creating a route that connects symbols and places of national significance and including a loop connecting the two sides of the river. A vision of Wellington Street without cars therefore naturally extends to the Alexandra Bridge, as both are an integral part of the Confederation Boulevard loop.

I note that the Alexandra Bridge was an important achievement 120 years ago that led to international fame for Canadian builders. The bridge is also recognized as a site of national historic significance by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. It is part of our modern identity. It is also the picturesque element showcased more times than any other landmark in the NCC Plan for Canada's Capital. It is used for 40% of all active transportation crossings between the two sides of the river.

The coalition's position is to repurpose the historic landmark with a modern mission. We want to place priority on public transit and active transportation, noting that only 10% of vehicle crossings used the bridge before the pandemic.

As well, excluding motor vehicle transportation on the bridge would considerably reduce the damage caused by de‑icing salt and, as a result, the costs for maintaining the beautiful structure. We feel the idea of creating a cross-shore tramway loop that includes the bridge and Wellington Street would be a complete solution. This position is also consistent with the principles that guided the Block 2 redevelopment here and on the other side of Wellington Street, that of reusing the carbon footprint of the historical structure and integrating modern transportation into something distinctive but coherent.

The coalition's efforts led to meetings with project managers from Public Works and Government Services Canada and the classification of the Alexandra Bridge as one of the 10 most endangered heritage places in the country. There was some progress. The department revealed last month that it had commissioned a parallel study on the conversion of the bridge for tramway transportation, the preliminary findings of which are favourable. However, that study was conducted in secret. The coalition was not invited to take part and the parameters of the study are not known.

We are asking the committee to include an interprovincial tramway line in the planning for the redevelopment of Wellington Street, to ensure that the planning is compatible with a loop line that uses the Alexandra Bridge and, finally, to encourage the department to undertake transparent studies in that respect.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

You have perfectly respected your time.

Thank you, Mr. Royer.

Mr. McRobie, the pressure is on. You have up to four minutes.

Welcome.

[David McRobie, Architect, As an Individual]

Good afternoon.

My name is David McRobie. I'm a registered architect in Ontario and Quebec, founding principal of McRobie Architects + Interior Designers, and a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

For the past 30 years our office has been located at 66 Queen Street in the heart of Ottawa's downtown core, two blocks south of Parliament Hill. While recognizing concerns regarding the security of the parliamentary precinct, born out by events of this past February, I will leave it to others appearing before this committee who are more qualified than I to discuss security challenges on the Hill and the ways in which to rectify them.

My presentation will focus on the timely opportunity before us to resolve these challenges and, in the process, to create an urban design legacy that transforms Wellington Street from a congested, unregulated thoroughfare for cars, trucks and buses through the heart of our national capital, to a generously landscaped pedestrian promenade befitting a G7 capital.

Establishing the eastern and western limits of the Wellington mall will depend on inputs from security specialists, traffic consultants, landscape architects and civil engineers, to name a few. My purpose today is to describe a vision that can align their interests in a common cause; that is, to create a superior urban space, which protects valued physical assets and human beings within the parliamentary precinct, while integrated within the fabric of the national capital.

You are likely aware of the federal government's recently concluded architectural and urban design competition for the parliamentary precinct block two. This important contribution to operations of Parliament will see a substantial investment in new construction and renovation of a collection of office buildings on Wellington Street from Metcalfe to O'Connor streets. While fronting Wellington Street, the envelope of this redevelopment will extend south to Sparks Street. In essence, PP block two will formally comprise and enclose the fourth phase of Parliament Hill, established by the Centre, East and West blocks.

Defining the southern edge of the Hill's open space parade ground, PP block two would be well served if its buildings fronted a Wellington mall rather than a congested, unsecured thoroughfare for cars crossing the Hill.

The Wellington mall could produce a superior urban promenade with ample space in its 30-metre cross-section to incorporate numerous amenities for pedestrians and cyclists. It would include a bidirectional tram link between Ottawa and Gatineau over the Portage Bridge, employing electric-powered, low-threshold vehicles for barrier-free access, similar to those found in numerous urban European capitals.

While the introduction of electric-powered, low-threshold vehicles between Gatineau and Wellington mall would ease the impact of the over 200,000 daily commutes between Ottawa and Gatineau, the greater vision could be to extend the tram line beyond the Wellington mall to create a transit loop encircling the Ottawa River basin, using both the Portage Bridge and the alignment of the Alexandra Bridge.

The loop would provide hop-on, hop-off access for citizens and visitors to the national capital, linking, in addition to federal offices, sites of cultural and historical interest like the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of History, the Byward Market, the War Museum and Victoria Island, to name but a few.

In conclusion, this vision is of a generously landscaped pedestrian promenade incorporating transit and cycling, shaded in summer and brightly lit in winter under a canopy of trees over its length. The Elgin, Metcalfe and O'Connor Street intersections could each feature urban-scale illuminated fountains, public art, sculptures and other symbols of Canada and its capital.

Currently a congested thoroughfare for cars, trucks, buses, bicycles and pedestrians during morning and afternoon commutes, Wellington Street is a facility that serves no one well and compromises the security of Parliament Hill. Removing this car, truck and bus traffic could showpiece 21st-century public transit technology, while creating a spectacular and memorable urban space for residents and visitors to our national capital.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Amazing. Welcome, Mr. McRobie. That's really well done.

The race is tight.

Ms. Leadman, we go over to you for up to four minutes, please.