The National Capital Commission is eyeing the purchase of several Ottawa River islands northeast of LeBreton Flats in hopes of revitalizing the area and creating a new attraction for the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Victoria, Chaudière and Albert islands, as well as a stretch of the Gatineau shore, have all been “identified as lands very important to build a capital” due to their historical and cultural significance, says NCC chief executive Marie Lemay.
The islands, which lie beneath the Chaudière and Portage bridges, once served as a gateway for First Nations travelling on the waterway and were home to 19th-century industries. The NCC has long shown interest in acquiring the privately held lands, said the commission’s media adviser Mario Tremblay. The lands are owned by pulp-and-paper manufacturer Domtar Inc.
With conceptual designs developed in the early 1990s, Tremblay said the NCC now envisions the islands serving as a “bridge” between Ontario and Quebec while simultaneously offering new “public access to the panoramic views, the Chaudière Falls, and the rich history of the area.”
Along with opening up the Chaudière Falls, the NCC’s Core Area Sector Plan proposes a new aboriginal centre on Victoria Island, as well as footbridges, boardwalks, piers and docks to link pedestrians to and from the islands. New restaurants and shops are also foreseen in the long-term plan.
Another proposal suggests locating the Canada Science and Technology Museum, currently on St. Laurent Boulevard, on the island adjacent to the Chaudière Falls.
But only Victoria Island is under the NCC’s jurisdiction at the moment, and the commission doesn’t have the budget to acquire the rest of the islands, says Lemay.
“We require extra budget for that and it’s a very difficult context right now with the economic climate to be able to make such a transaction happen,” she says.
And only once the islands do become available will the NCC then look into the budget “available to acquire and develop (the) properties,” says Lemay.
So far, no specific timeline has been set in place for the acquisitions, says Tremblay.
Still, other groups within the community anticipate the thought of renewing the islands and linking them to the city.
“It would be an exciting project to revitalize an area of the city that’s not well known,” says Ottawa Tourism communications director Jantine Van Kregten. “A lot of tourists . . . don’t know that the islands are there or that they offer anything so increased attention there is a good thing.”
Van Kregten says the project would open up tourists to newer, undiscovered attractions within the islands, such as the Chaudière Falls, which she says are “woefully unknown and underappreciated in the region.”
Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown, who advocates for the river’s protection, has also expressed interest in the NCC’s plans for the area.
“This is a really great opportunity to link the people back to their river and the downtown core,” says Brown. “When the towns of Ottawa and Gatineau began on the river, there was a real industrial focus, and now the focus of the river (has) changed.”
Brown says she sees the NCC’s vision for the islands as a “fabulous project” that should be prioritized by the commission.