City of Ottawa committee votes to reopen Wellington Street
A year after the 'Freedom Convoy' protest shut down Wellington Street, a city of Ottawa committee has voted to reopen it to cars for now.
The city's transportation committee voted unanimously to reopen the street to traffic "as soon as it is operationally feasible," but no sooner than March 1. The vote is subject to approval by city council.
Wellington Street has been closed in front of Parliament Hill—between Elgin and Bank streets—since late last January when protesters descended on the capital and hundreds of trucks parked downtown.
The street became an epicentre of the Freedom Convoy as demonstrators set up a large stage and other infrastructure, most infamously a bouncy castle and a hot tub.
Transportation committee heard from about a dozen members of the public on Thursday, most of whom advocated for closing the street to cars and turning into a space for pedestrians and cyclists.
"There is no reason to return Wellington to cars, and there's every reason to leave it open for people," William van Geest of Ecology Ottawa told councillors.
Others, such as Kevin McHale from the Sparks Street BIA, argued it's time to reopen the street to cars.
"Almost a year after the truck convoy ensnarled downtown Ottawa, the rest of the city has moved on, yet businesses and residents of the downtown core continue to be reminded of that gruelling month every day," he told councillors.
"We've had difficulty doing commerce for the last year—for deliveries, for customers getting down, for perception of Ottawa being closed. We need that to change," McHale told CTV News. "We need that rather dramatically and so I think reopening Wellington in the short term is the right decision.
Mayor wants street reopened
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has advocated for reopening the street to cars. On Thursday, he told Newstalk 580 CFRA the best course of action is to reopen it for now while a longer discussion about the street's future happens.
"If it's going to be closed to vehicles, as some people are proposing, in the long run, there's a lot we need to consider about what that will be, what that will look like," he said. "What I don't want is the status quo, which is barricades at the end of the street and it looking terrible, and I don't want this to drag on."
He also said it would take some time to prepare for the street to reopen.
"The earliest we'd have it open is mid-to-late March, because there's some work that would have to be done to get the street ready for vehicles again," Sutcliffe said.
Among other things, the traffic signals were removed at Metcalfe and O'Connor streets. City staff estimate it will take between four and eight weeks to get the signals reinstalled.
Parliamentary committee recommends closing street
Last month, a House of Commons committee recommended keeping Wellington Street closed permanently to vehicles and extending the vehicle-free zone one block farther west, to Kent Street.
"I know the federal government would wish this step didn't happen, but we see it as a blip in the road," said Linda Mathies of Parkways for People, an advocacy group."I think the direction forward will be to close Wellington to car traffic and open it to pedestrians.
"It's a dream that can happen and is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. We hope that those who are opposed will come around to see how much better it is for everyone."
A report from city of Ottawa staff earlier this month said the closure has not caused a "total failure" of the transportation network in the downtown core, but warned that an increase in traffic due to construction and federal workers returning to downtown office could impact traffic in the area.
The motion passed at transportation committee on Thursday also recommends city staff explore options for temporary road closures on Wellington Street this summer for special events, and that city officials continue discussion with the federal government about expanding the parliamentary precinct to include Wellington Street.
The motion also included an amendment to add a temporary protected bike lane to the street.
Council will debate the matter on Feb. 8.
- with files from Katie Griffin, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.