Report on Activities – October 2022

On October 4, the NCC Board of Directors met to discuss recent and upcoming projects. Here are the highlights presented in my Report on Activities.

From May to August 2022, a total of 318,800 people used the NCC parkways in Ottawa and Gatineau.

More than 7,600 visitors used our Gatineau Park Summer Shuttle Service between downtown Ottawa, Gatineau, and the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre.

For the second summer in a row, we sent a team of 10 students to Gatineau Park and downtown Ottawa to create a positive visitor experience.

We are making significant progress on the Champlain Bridge, the Ottawa River Pathway, and wetlands in the region.

Construction projects affected by labour disputes, namely at Westboro Beach and Nepean Point, are now back to normal.

We are taking in feedback for the Sussex Courtyards rehabilitation project, which will align with the City of Ottawa’s Byward Market Public Realm Plan, as well as the Major’s Hill Park Plan.

In Gatineau Park, we are engaging with Elders and community members from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg on the Philippe Lake Campground Renewal Project.

We will present the Preston Official Plan Amendment to the City of Ottawa’s planning committee later this month, reflecting the LeBreton Flats Master Concept Plan.

Capital Sports Development Inc. is working on its ideas for the highly awaited new Major Events Centre. We expect to provide updates to the Board and the public sometime in 2023.

After a two-year hiatus, we once again held our annual public dig in August at a pre-contact archaeological site in Leamy Lake.

We also launched the first edition of ‘Open NCC’ on September 10th. This event included walking tours, presentations, bike tours, and kiosks which attracted over 500 participants.

We launched our 9th ‘Urbanism Lab’ in September, bringing together innovative and engaging capital-building discussions. As part of this program, we’re bringing back the student ideas competition, where we will engage with university and college students across the country.

As part of Fall Rhapsody, this year marks the return of birch bark demonstrations and Algonquin cultural activities for the public at the Gatineau Visitor Centre.

This fall, we will also restart in-person workshops and public consultations with local communities. Topics will include the Ruisseau de la Brasserie, the Sir George Étienne Cartier Park Plan, and the Core Area Plan.

Work is underway to fix the damage done by the derecho storm. We estimate that about 70 percent of the upper canopy layer (about 2,700 hectares) in the Greenbelt is gone. Luckily, most of the trails are open, but work continues.

We are approaching our goal of planting 100,000 trees throughout the region by 2026. In October, 70 children from the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa will come together to plant trees within their communities.

We are drafting our next Sustainable Development Strategy for the 2023-2027 period; the Strategy will be ready in fall 2023.

The construction of the new service, maintenance and storage building at Rideau Hall is now complete. It is one of the first Government of Canada zero-carbon buildings in the region.