Federal government urges city of Ottawa to keep Wellington Street closed, offers to buy it

The federal government has offered to buy a section of Wellington Street from the city of Ottawa with the goal of keeping it permanently closed to vehicles, CTV News has learned.

As the city prepares to reopen the road in front of Parliament Hill, the minister who oversees the parliamentary precinct has written to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe seeking an agreement to keep the street closed while the two governments negotiate a fair transfer.

The April 4 letter from Public Works and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek obtained by CTV News asks Sutcliffe to explore the possibility of establishing an “interim care and control agreement” that would keep the road closed.

“The objective of this agreement would be to address the immediate security imperative by maintaining the current road closure, while providing the City and the federal government time to establish a fair deal and launch planning activities.”

The stretch of Wellington Street has been closed since the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest rolled into town in January 2022. Ottawa city council voted earlier this year to reopen it to vehicle traffic. Officials said this week it’s scheduled to open in late April or early May.

But Jaczek’s letter asks Sutcliffe to pump the brakes on that plan, citing security concerns and a parliamentary committee’s finding last year that it should stay closed to cars.

“I have a mandate … to engage with you directly on the transfer of Wellington Street and Sparks Street into federal jurisdiction,” she said. “This of course must be done in a manner that supports efficient City operations and provides the City fair compensation.”

The transfer would be done with “with the view to working together to reimagine this space as Canada’s pre-eminent civic forum for the residents of Ottawa and all Canadians,” she wrote.

Sutcliffe, Jaczek and Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair have been holding discussions about the street’s future. In December, a parliamentary committee recommended keeping it closed to cars and transferring it to federal jurisdiction.

“As we have discussed, the 2022 illegal protests in Ottawa exposed vulnerabilities associated with Wellington Street serving as a main roadway running through the Parliamentary Precinct. It also highlighted several long-standing security and policing gaps,” Jaczek wrote. “These issues … will only increase as additional parliamentary functions occupy space south of Wellington Street.”

Despite the federal government's proposal, Sutcliffe said the city remains committed to reopening the street.

"We're open to having discussion with the federal government about the future of Wellington Street, as we have always been," he told CTV News on Friday. "But in the meantime we took the decision to reopen Wellington Street, and we're going to reopen it in the coming weeks."

Jaczek said the two governments can work together to "create a vibrant public space that works for parliamentarians, residents, local businesses and attracts visitors.” She also said the federal government would be willing to pay for the short-term beautification of the street in time for this summer’s tourist season.

“While we work on the interim agreement, we would be willing to fund short-term improvements, such as beautification and shade elements, bicycle lanes, seating and a possible bistro in time for the season’s main events, including Canada Day.”

Sutcliffe said he's keeping an open mind about transferring the street to the federal government.

"I understand the federal government's concerns about security and about the parliamentary precinct, so I'm open to whatever conversations will come in the future and whatever ideas they have," he said. "I think it all comes down to what's in the best interests of the people of Ottawa."

But a lot would have to happen before such a transfer, he said, including negotiating the terms of a deal, agreeing on the use of the space and looking at the transportation implications.

"We would have to agree on what the city of Ottawa would get in return, because that's our street at the moment, it's our property and it's an important artery through downtown Ottawa," he said.

"There's a lot of work to do before the street could be closed to vehicles again."City staff began installing traffic lights on Wellington Street on Wednesday.

Coun. Tim Tierney, the city’s transportation committee chair, said on Thursday that Wellington needs to reopen to accommodate more traffic as more public servants return to office work.

"It is our street. The city of Ottawa owns it. And if the feds want it, they can buy it," he said.

Coun. Ariel Troster, who represents the ward that includes Parliament Hill, says closing Wellington Street was an "initial reaction" to the 'Freedom Convoy', and the federal government has done nothing until now to improve the road.

"In the year that this road has been closed, the feds have done nothing to either help beautify the street (save for a couple of planters) or enter into a serious negotiation to buy it. The knee-jerk closure has had serious negative traffic impacts on our downtown core," Troster said.

"I support a pedestrianized future for Wellington. I am also not opposed to the idea of the feds taking it over. But this is a major, iconic road in our city and we sure as heck must get something significant in return. We also need to study ways to minimize the traffic impacts."

Troster says she agrees with Sutcliffe that the city should not "surrender control" over Wellington Street until "we have concluded a comprehensive negotiation."

- with files from Natalie van Rooy, CTV News Ottawa

Here is the full text of Minister Jaczek’s April 4 letter to Mayor Sutcliffe:

Dear Mr. Mayor:

I am writing to follow up on conversations that you, Minister Bill Blair and I have had concerning the future of Wellington Street in serving the needs of both Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct and the City of Ottawa. As the federal minister responsible for the care and custody of the Parliamentary Precinct, I would like to further advance these discussions with you and your team so that we seize this opportunity to work collaboratively to realize this vision, which I believe provides great potential to revitalize downtown Ottawa as a destination befitting of a modern capital city.

As we have discussed, the 2022 illegal protests in Ottawa exposed vulnerabilities associated with Wellington Street serving as a main roadway running through the Parliamentary Precinct. It also highlighted several long-standing security and policing gaps. These issues, which were also raised in a 2022 study from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs concerning evolving risks in the Parliamentary Precinct and the 2023 report from the Public Order Emergency Commission, will only increase as additional parliamentary functions occupy space south of Wellington Street, along with the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council.

To address this pressing security imperative and to respond to the recommendations stemming from the 2022 Procedure and House Affairs study, I have a mandate, with the support of Minister Blair in his role as the President of the King’s Privy Council, to engage with you directly on the transfer of Wellington Street and Sparks Street into federal jurisdiction with the view to working together to reimagine this space as Canada’s pre-eminent civic forum for the residents of Ottawa and all Canadians. This of course must be done in a manner that supports efficient City operations and provides the City fair compensation.

As we have seen in other major capitals around the world, including Berlin, Oslo, The Hague, Budapest, London and Washington, together we can create a vibrant public space that works for parliamentarians, residents, local businesses and attracts visitors. Very good collaborative work has been undertaken already toward this vision, including the Sparks Street Public Realm Plan. Consolidating the streets within the Parliamentary Precinct under federal jurisdiction allows for this work to be funded and implemented in a coordinated way with the ongoing work to restore and modernize the Parliamentary Precinct through the Long Term Vision and Plan.

Collaboration between our organizations has established a foundation for moving forward. Our organizations signed a letter of intent to formally advance these discussions in fall 2022 and launched a joint transportation study in early 2023. As a next step, I would like our teams to explore the possibility of establishing an interim care and control agreement. The objective of this agreement would be to address the immediate security imperative by maintaining the current road closure, while providing the City and the federal government time to establish a fair deal and launch planning activities, including engagement with Indigenous partners, residents and businesses, on the long-term development opportunities.

With the busy tourist season fast approaching, I acknowledge the need to ensure that Wellington Street is a vibrant space in the capital. The federal government is already working with the City and other key stakeholders, such as the National Capital Commission, to advance planning for animation and beautification of the street for the summer. While we work on the interim agreement, we would be willing to fund short-term improvements, such as beautification and shade elements, bicycle lanes, seating and a possible bistro in time for the season’s main events, including Canada Day.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the City of Ottawa’s ongoing collaboration on these matters, particularly in the wake of the challenges faced by the 2022 illegal protests. I would propose a meeting in the coming days with you, Minister Blair and I in support of providing clear direction to our organizations on next steps.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Helena Jaczek, M.D., P.C., M.P.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

c.c.:     The Honourable Bill Blair, P.C., M.P.

            Minister of Emergency Preparedness and

President of the King’s Privy Council