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On September 12, the NCC Board of Directors met to discuss recent and upcoming projects. Here are some of the highlights presented in my Report on Activities.

Office of the Auditor General Special Examination

  • The report is positive on almost every count, but does raise the subject of deferred maintenance of infrastructure.
  • The NCC will be addressing this issue through the appropriate channels in the coming months and years.
  • The NCC’s risk-based approach to its capital budget ensures that the health and safety of the Capital’s residents and visitors is paramount.

Flood Damage

  • Repairs to damaged NCC property and assets continue.
  • Repairs to the Ottawa River Pathway began on August 14 and it will reopen as soon as possible.
  • The NCC is working on a temporary solution to allow the use of the Voyageur Pathway from the Portage Bridge to the Canadian Museum of History while repairs go on.
  • The full rehabilitation of this section of the Voyageur Pathway will take place next summer.

LeBreton Flats

  • The NCC continues its negotiations with the RendezVous LeBreton Group.
  • Last week, the Chair and the CEO met with Eugene Melnyk, John Ruddy and Tom Anselmi from RendezVous LeBreton, and they met on Monday with Mayor Watson.
  • The City of Ottawa has a crucial role to play in realizing a revitalized urban community at LeBreton Flats.
  • Maintaining effective, collaborative partnerships between the City, the developer, and the NCC are key to the project’s success.
  • Negotiations will continue in the coming months and all parties hope to advance the work required in order to reach an agreement in principle by the end of the year.

Ottawa River North Shore

  • Online consultation took place in July.
  • The Ottawa River North Shore Advisory Committee will meet the first week of October.

Mâwandòseg Bridge

  • On August 15 the new pedestrian bridge over Leamy Creek was inaugurated.
  • The bridge is built of COR-TEN steel, which is a low-maintenance, highly resilient material.
  • The name “Mâwandòseg” was chosen by young members of the Kitigan Zibi First Nation community, and means “land where we once gathered for celebration.”

Plan for Canada’s Capital 2017-2067

  • Next week the NCC will host the first of four events in provincial capitals to discuss the Plan.

Gatineau Park Master Plan Renewal

Official Residences

  • Rideau Hall is currently being prepared for the arrival of Governor General-designate Julie Payette.
  • The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were at Rideau Hall on Canada Day to unveil the new Queen’s Entrance – which complements the renewal of the forecourt that was inaugurated in June.
  • The NCC is also preparing Stornoway for the arrival of the new Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Scheer, and his family.

Confederation Pavilions

  • More than 120,000 visitors have experienced this signature NCC initiative marking Canada 150 since the opening of the Winter Pavilion at Rideau Hall in January.
  • Since the last Board meeting the International Pavilion in the new building at 7 Clarence Street has hosted an exhibition presented by the Embassy of Ireland, and is currently home to an exhibition presented by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium.
  • The remainder of the year will see exhibitions mounted by the Embassies of Hungary and the Republic of the Philippines, as well as the Delegation of the European Union to Canada.
  • The Authors Pavilion at Maison Charron opened on July 12, and will remain open until the end of November.

MosaïCanada

  • A grand opening took place in Jacques Cartier Park on June 30.
  • MosaïCanada has been attracting an average of 15,000 people every day since it opened, far surpassing its goal of 800,000 visitors and breaking the one-million-visitors mark in recent days.

Nepean Point

  • The four final proposals for the renewal of Kìwekì Point (formerly Nepean Point) will be presented at a public vernissage on October 5. There will also be an online public consultation.
  • All public comments will be summarized for the jury, which will complete its deliberations in early November.
  • The final recommendation for the design will be presented at the next public meeting of the Board in November.

National Holocaust Monument

Sunday Bikedays

  • The 47th season of Sunday Bikedays was a great success.
  • The special Confederation Loop, on opening day, was so popular that there is analysis underway to see if it can be made an annual event.
  • Also successful was a pilot project encouraging young entrepreneurs to operate small kiosks along the parkways and offering – in partnership with JA Ottawa -- free workshops in the Capital Urbanism Lab for the participating young people.
  • This program was so successful that locations on the parkways had to be added to meet demand, and a survey is underway to see how it can be improved further for next year.

Archaeology Month

  • Once again, NCC activities attracted a significant number of volunteers to take part in digs at Lac Leamy and the Moore Farm.
  • These digs provide invaluable data for study of the Region’s past, turning up artifacts from thousands of years ago up to the present.
  • Preserving and cataloguing these artifacts is an important part of the NCC’s stewardship mandate, and it is undertaken under a protocol signed with the Algonquin First Nations of Pikwakanagan and Kitigan Zibi.

Universal Accessibility

  • The NCC is committed to a vision of a Universally Accessible Capital, which forms part of the Plan for Canada’s Capital.
  • Recent projects include improvements to Mer Bleue to make the site more accessible to persons with disabilities.
  • Bob Brown, vice-chair of the NCC’s Advisory Committee on Universal Accessibility, travelled to New York in June to attend the annual conference of states that are party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  • As well, we are very pleased that Mona Lamontagne, one of the NCC’s project architects and another member of the committee, will be part of a new working group on inclusive design standards headed by Rick Hansen.
  • There are currently two openings on this advisory committee for candidates from the National Capital Region.
  • Applications for these positions – a three-year term beginning in November -- are being accepted via the NCC website and LinkedIn page until September 30.

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