Opposition grows to aboveground parking garage on new Civic Campus site
A proposal for the new Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus near Dows Lake is getting attention not for the facility itself, but for a parking lot.
Ottawa Centre New Democrat MPP Joel Harden wants the city to rethink the plan to replace part of Queen Juliana Park with a four-storey parking structure.
“We can’t pave paradise and put up a parking garage. That’s insane,” says Harden. “The community was promised that this parking facility would be underground and the Queen Juliana Park would be preserved. Now, at the eleventh hour, we’re hearing that isn’t the case.”
The parking lot would take up most of the park, but the plan includes adding green space to the top floor of the structure.
“We see this decision to push the hospital here, right next to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, uprooting 680 trees, and now we’re going to have a behemoth parking garage the size of the Ottawa Airport’s parking garage,” says Harden.
Former Ottawa city councillor Clive Doucet believes there is a better site available on which to build the new hospital.
“Dows Lake's hospital site is a nightmare,” says Doucet. “We had an NCC study, 21 criteria, 12 sites evaluated, six months, and the best professionals in the world decided on Tunney’s Pasture, which made perfect sense. More access points. More transit.”
“Clearly we have the space at Tunney’s Pasture,” says Harden. “We don’t have to worry about rerouting public transit; we don’t have to worry about parking. Let’s put it there.”
The National Capital Commission recommended Tunney’s Pasture as the site of the new Civic Campus in 2016, after the federal Liberals decided to revisit the previous Conservative government’s plan to build the new hospital on the Central Experimental Farm; however, the Ottawa Hospital’s board of directors unanimously rejected Tunney’s Pasture as an option. The board cited concerns about access, construction timelines and the cost of relocating to land already home to some government buildings as reasons for not choosing Tunney's Pasture.
The Ottawa Hospital says nothing is set in stone and there is still time to change the design based on feedback.
“We are currently consulting with communities and all levels of government in Ottawa and across the region and welcome the public’s comments on the proposed design for the new development. The site plan is not yet final, and it will continue to be adjusted based on consultations with the public and government.”
Karen Wright, president of the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association, says residents in the area don’t want to lose what little green space they have left.
“Having a world class site being used to house just a parking garage just seems like such a waste,” says Wright. “It’s an important project. We all want the hospital to be a success and this is one area we feel really does need to be modified.”
Construction on the $2.8 billion project is set to begin in 2024 and scheduled to be completed in 2028.
“You put up this huge monstrosity of a parking garage, right next to the Rideau Canal, it will be a national embarrassment,” says Harden. “That’s what I want us to avoid, a national embarrassment.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies at 65
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, who helped the provincial NDP return to power after 16 years on the sidelines, has died.
Body found in Montreal park identified as cryptocurrency influencer
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Here's why thieves may be stealing butter in Canada
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.
B.C. teen with Canada's first human case of avian flu in critical condition, Dr. Bonnie Henry says
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
What consumers need to know if Canada Post workers strike ahead of a busy holiday season
Canada's postal workers could walk off the job or the company could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. ET Friday if the union and the company don't reach an agreement. Here are tips for shoppers and businesses.
Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is conducting a "thorough investigation" to ensure it "is addressed appropriately and meaningfully."
History in Halifax is slowly being wiped off the map: study
Saint Mary's University archeologist Jonathan Fowler is sounding an alarm with a new study. According to Fowler, the centuries-old architecture that adds to Halifax’s heritage and historic vibe is slowly being wiped away as the city grows.
Bev Priestman out at Canada Soccer in wake of Olympic drone-spying scandal
Bev Priestman is out as coach of the Canadian women's soccer team in the wake of an independent report into the Olympic drone-spying scandal.
Trump picks former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Trump announced Tuesday.