The National Capital Commission pours so much into making Ottawa a great city, even some of its critics say it would be disastrous for the capital if the agency is scrapped and not replaced.
They say the NCC's contribution to the well-being of the national capital region is invaluable, and the worst the Conservatives could do is abolish the agency and hand over its responsibilities to municipal governments or other federal institutions.
Major projects like the LeBreton Flats development and the massive waterfront transformation would be set back years, perhaps decades. And the future of a gem like the Greenbelt would be in serious jeopardy in the hands of municipal politicians always looking for a fast dollar. City governments are just too narrow-minded, and other federal departments are so lacking in vision, that their involvement in Ottawa's planning and beautification would damage its profile and threaten its future.
"The bottom line is that if you leave planning of the capital to Public Works, it will be a disaster. And the city governments have not shown yet that they can plan for a big city," said architectural commentator and critic Rhy Phillips, who once likened the NCC to a broken VCR that must be replaced with a DVD player.
Another problem may be money. Some city politicians, wary of previous experiences with downloading of services from senior levels of government, may balk at taking over the work of the NCC. Without iron-clad guarantees of long-term funding, municipal taxpayers may end up paying for the cost of services like maintaining bridges and the parks.
Erwin Dreessen, a former chairman of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital says there may be things that a particular federal department or municipal government can do. But in the totality of its work, the NCC, for all its failings, remains the better bet if the agency gets out of land speculation and opens up its meetings.
"There are some serious problems with the NCC, but abolishing it is not the answer. The underlying problem is that the city is far too beholden to developers, but historically, the NCC as an institution, is less beholden to developers," Mr. Dreessen said.
A new debate about the future of the NCC erupted after the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities questioned the need for the agency in a speech last week. He wondered if some of the NCC's work couldn't be done by the Ottawa and Gatineau city governments and others by select federal departments.
Created in 1959 to beautify and transform the city into a great capital through urban planning, the NCC's mandate was expanded in 1988 to include the organization of cultural activities, such as those on Canada Day, as a way to enhance the country's social cohesion.
Today, the agency is the largest single landowner in the national capital region, owning 470 square kilometres of land, about 10 per cent of the region's land. This includes 170 kilometres of recreational pathways for cycling, walking and in-line skating, 40 kilometres of scenic parkways, 36,000 hectares in Gatineau Park, 20,000 hectares of the Greenbelt, 2,100 hectares of urban green space and parks such as Confederation Park and Jacques Cartier Park. It also owns 72 heritage buildings on both sides of the river. As well, the NCC is also responsible for the Portage and Champlain bridges and the maintenance at 24 Sussex Drive, Rideau Hall and Stornoway. It has a budget of $124 million a year.
Others, however, say whatever the NCC contributes to the city is part of the federal government's responsibility to the capital and should not be seen as an NCC freebie. They say much of the NCC's job could easily be done by the city and other federal departments.
NCC Watch, a website that says it wants to "consign the National Capital Commission to oblivion" says Gatineau Park and Rideau Canal should be taken over by Parks Canada and planning and development should be transferred to Ottawa and Gatineau. Maintenance of federal government buildings, including the official residences of the prime minister, governor general and leader of the opposition, could be undertaken by the Public Works department. The Greenbelt and properties like LeBreton Flats could be turned over to the municipal government.
According to NCC Watch, "all of these organizations, whether federal departments or municipal governments, would provide better accountability and more transparent operation than the NCC."
Mr. Dreessen acknowledges that things like Canada Day or maintaining federal buildings can be done by other departments. But he says the core of the NCC's work, which involves planning for and creating a more beautiful capital, can only be done by a body with a mandate and outlook like the NCC's. Left to municipal governments -- which in Ottawa and Gatineau have sharp differences on everything from bridges to public transit -- nothing will ever get done, Mr. Dreessen says. He believes that if it was up to the municipalities, the region would never have had the Greenbelt or Gatineau Park, for example.
Ottawa historian John Taylor agrees that with two city governments that have different values, and two provincial governments thrown into the mix for good measure, the federal government will be asking for trouble if it hands over key parts of the NCC's mandate to the cities.
"If you believe the municipal governments can do the work of the NCC, you also have to believe that the two provincial governments can agree on what the national capital region should look like," said Mr. Taylor, a retired Carleton University history professor.
The answer, says Mr. Phillips, is a new, slimmer organization that is shorn of its responsibility for cultural programming and mandated to focus solely on the physical development of the city.
"You have to have a national capital organization because you need to have a body with a national focus," he said.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen...4e81b-9a01-4785-abad-17df474c9b5b&k=40601&p=2
They say the NCC's contribution to the well-being of the national capital region is invaluable, and the worst the Conservatives could do is abolish the agency and hand over its responsibilities to municipal governments or other federal institutions.
Major projects like the LeBreton Flats development and the massive waterfront transformation would be set back years, perhaps decades. And the future of a gem like the Greenbelt would be in serious jeopardy in the hands of municipal politicians always looking for a fast dollar. City governments are just too narrow-minded, and other federal departments are so lacking in vision, that their involvement in Ottawa's planning and beautification would damage its profile and threaten its future.
"The bottom line is that if you leave planning of the capital to Public Works, it will be a disaster. And the city governments have not shown yet that they can plan for a big city," said architectural commentator and critic Rhy Phillips, who once likened the NCC to a broken VCR that must be replaced with a DVD player.
Another problem may be money. Some city politicians, wary of previous experiences with downloading of services from senior levels of government, may balk at taking over the work of the NCC. Without iron-clad guarantees of long-term funding, municipal taxpayers may end up paying for the cost of services like maintaining bridges and the parks.
Erwin Dreessen, a former chairman of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital says there may be things that a particular federal department or municipal government can do. But in the totality of its work, the NCC, for all its failings, remains the better bet if the agency gets out of land speculation and opens up its meetings.
"There are some serious problems with the NCC, but abolishing it is not the answer. The underlying problem is that the city is far too beholden to developers, but historically, the NCC as an institution, is less beholden to developers," Mr. Dreessen said.
A new debate about the future of the NCC erupted after the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities questioned the need for the agency in a speech last week. He wondered if some of the NCC's work couldn't be done by the Ottawa and Gatineau city governments and others by select federal departments.
Created in 1959 to beautify and transform the city into a great capital through urban planning, the NCC's mandate was expanded in 1988 to include the organization of cultural activities, such as those on Canada Day, as a way to enhance the country's social cohesion.
Today, the agency is the largest single landowner in the national capital region, owning 470 square kilometres of land, about 10 per cent of the region's land. This includes 170 kilometres of recreational pathways for cycling, walking and in-line skating, 40 kilometres of scenic parkways, 36,000 hectares in Gatineau Park, 20,000 hectares of the Greenbelt, 2,100 hectares of urban green space and parks such as Confederation Park and Jacques Cartier Park. It also owns 72 heritage buildings on both sides of the river. As well, the NCC is also responsible for the Portage and Champlain bridges and the maintenance at 24 Sussex Drive, Rideau Hall and Stornoway. It has a budget of $124 million a year.
Others, however, say whatever the NCC contributes to the city is part of the federal government's responsibility to the capital and should not be seen as an NCC freebie. They say much of the NCC's job could easily be done by the city and other federal departments.
NCC Watch, a website that says it wants to "consign the National Capital Commission to oblivion" says Gatineau Park and Rideau Canal should be taken over by Parks Canada and planning and development should be transferred to Ottawa and Gatineau. Maintenance of federal government buildings, including the official residences of the prime minister, governor general and leader of the opposition, could be undertaken by the Public Works department. The Greenbelt and properties like LeBreton Flats could be turned over to the municipal government.
According to NCC Watch, "all of these organizations, whether federal departments or municipal governments, would provide better accountability and more transparent operation than the NCC."
Mr. Dreessen acknowledges that things like Canada Day or maintaining federal buildings can be done by other departments. But he says the core of the NCC's work, which involves planning for and creating a more beautiful capital, can only be done by a body with a mandate and outlook like the NCC's. Left to municipal governments -- which in Ottawa and Gatineau have sharp differences on everything from bridges to public transit -- nothing will ever get done, Mr. Dreessen says. He believes that if it was up to the municipalities, the region would never have had the Greenbelt or Gatineau Park, for example.
Ottawa historian John Taylor agrees that with two city governments that have different values, and two provincial governments thrown into the mix for good measure, the federal government will be asking for trouble if it hands over key parts of the NCC's mandate to the cities.
"If you believe the municipal governments can do the work of the NCC, you also have to believe that the two provincial governments can agree on what the national capital region should look like," said Mr. Taylor, a retired Carleton University history professor.
The answer, says Mr. Phillips, is a new, slimmer organization that is shorn of its responsibility for cultural programming and mandated to focus solely on the physical development of the city.
"You have to have a national capital organization because you need to have a body with a national focus," he said.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen...4e81b-9a01-4785-abad-17df474c9b5b&k=40601&p=2