Thank you, Madam Chair.
Hello, I'm Rob Wright and I am the deputy minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, or PSPC, and I'm responsible for the restoration and modernization of the Parliamentary Precinct.
Today, I have with me Ms. Jennifer Garrett, Director General of the Centre Block Program at PSPC; Mr. Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk for House of Commons Administration and key partner; Mr. Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer, Digital Services and Real Property; and Darrell de Grandmont, Director of the Centre Block Program.
Today, we have the pleasure of presenting an update regarding the Centre Block rehabilitation project.
Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, we have made a great deal of progress since our last appearance before the committee in February of 2020.
Today, we'll walk you through the design work and give an update on construction progress.
As you are aware, we baselined the project's budget and schedule in June 2021 as part of a public technical briefing. The baseline budget and schedule remain unchanged.
The House of Commons will also describe the governance framework that has been established to guide decision-making for the House's functional requirements, as well as provide an overview of some of the key decisions made.
I will now move on directly to the presentation, which starts at slide number 3.
It is important to start by situating Centre Block in a wider context. This project is at the summit of government efforts to restore and transform the Parliamentary Precinct into a modern and integrated campus. This work is guided by the long term vision and plan.
This work is focused on the twin objectives of supporting the operations of a modern parliamentary democracy and ensuring that Parliament and the parliamentary landscape are open, accessible and engaging for all Canadians.
It is also worth mentioning that, in addition to the Centre Block, the other key priority right now is the redevelopment of what we call “block two”, the city block directly across from Parliament Hill. The redevelopment of block two will first serve as swing space to enable us to empty and restore the Confederation building and East Block, and then will enable us to consolidate parliamentary operations into a secure, modern and integrated campus.
We are currently in the second stage of an international design competition. The independent jury, of which three parliamentarians are members, will come back together in April to select the winning design concept.
I'll now turn my attention directly to the Centre Block.
Slide 4 helps to remind us why we are doing the project. While the building may have remained beautiful to look at, its facilities were critically outdated and systems were failing. Stone was damaged by water infiltration and Ottawa's extreme freeze-thaw cycle. Water was also corroding the structural steel.
Also, concealed behind the beautiful heritage finishes were kilometres of rusted-out heating pipes that broke and leaked, causing damage.
Electrical and communication systems were inadequate and stretched to capacity in trying to support modern broadcasting that they were never designed or equipped to accommodate.
Let's move on to the next slide.
To ensure that Centre Block will be able to serve Canada's parliamentary democracy throughout the next century and continue to welcome Canadians, an in-depth restoration is necessary. This is one of the most significant and complex heritage restorations ever undertaken in Canada. The scope and scale of the project are immense. The Project Management Institute recognized its global influence, and it is ranked first in Canada.
To restore this heritage masterpiece, it needs to be carefully taken apart, undergo an extensive abatement program, and literally be rebuilt to integrate modern standards, including a reinforced structure, seismic upgrading and new building systems, including mechanical and electrical systems and a modern digital backbone and security system.
For example, significant effort is required to transform the Centre Block from one of the government's worst greenhouse-gas-emitting buildings into a carbon-neutral facility that will see a 75% reduction of energy usage and a 50% reduction in water use.
Addressing the many accessibility challenges will also require significant effort.
Although heritage buildings such as the Centre Block can present some extreme challenges, PSPC, in partnership with Parliament, is committed to making the Centre Block a leading example of accessibility. The addition of a “Parliament Welcome Centre” is core to achieving its objective, enabling Canada's Parliament to become both more secure and more accessible to all Canadians.
Let's move on to slide 7.
We had to meet many technical challenges, as we worked to modernize this heritage masterwork and have it meet modern codes and standards.
For example, the Centre Block had sprinkler coverage in only 20% of the building. It did not have modern heating and cooling, and it met only 30% of the current seismic load.
It is important to recognize that we have developed plans to overcome these challenges and ensure that Centre Block will be able to serve Parliament and Canadians throughout the 21st century and beyond, and that we have done so as part of a vast framework of partners and stakeholders. This is what is shown in slide 8. Above all, this is a partnership with both chambers of Parliament.
I now give the floor to Mr. Patrice.