Caption TextGraphic by Oliver Sachgau, Centretown News
Shaded area shows relationship between leased land and existing Civic Hospital campus.Some community groups are concerned the federal government’s recent transfer of publicly owned land from Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm could be the beginning of a slippery slope that sees parcels of historical land put up for commercial development.
The government announced Nov. 3 it will transfer 60 acres of the farm from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to the National Capital Commission to construct a new Ottawa Hospital Civic campus.
The agreement will see the Civic campus move from its current location across the street (on the other side of Carling Avenue) to the northwest corner of the farm. The NCC will lease the land to the hospital for $1 per year, according to John Baird, the minister responsible for the NCC.
Supporters of the farm argue the deal undermines the farm’s historical value.
“This was a country founded on fish and timber and agriculture,” says Leslie Maitland, president of Heritage Ottawa. “All of western Canadian agriculture pretty much owes itself to scientific advances made at the Central Experimental Farm. It’s an important cultural landscape.”
Established in 1886, the 1,000-acre plot is one of the last intact experimental farms in the country, says Maitland. The 60-acre section being leased is currently used to study soil health, the effects of various crop rotations, and disease resistance.
The federal government owns the farm and designated it a national historic site in 1998, meaning it has the ability to protect the land from threats of development.
But “only if they want to,” Maitland says. “They absolutely have in the past. Suddenly they’ve just walked away from that and didn’t even tell (us). Stakeholders didn’t even know about this until the article appeared in the newspaper.”
There are nine members on the Central Experimental Farm Advisory Council, representing organizations with an interest in preserving the farm. The council was established in 1998 “to ensure public participation in the farm’s management.”
A Nov. 18 letter to Baird sent by Heritage Canada The National Trust, a group that sits on the advisory council, warns that the land transfer “represents a significant departure” from the management plan set out for the farm after it was designated as a heritage site. The plan urges for consultation with community actors and stakeholders regarding key decisions that will impact the farm’s research.
Eric Jones, who is a member of the council on behalf of Friends of the Central Experimental Farm, says the NCC went ahead with its plans without consulting his organization.
AAFC declined to comment on why the advisory council was not made aware of the land transfer before plans were announced. It said in a statement the farm “will continue to be a key contributor of scientific research for the benefit of farmers and the agricultural industry across Canada” and that it “will remain a national historic site and be accessible to all Canadians.”
Jones says the concern is if the government can make this announcement without any discussion, it could happen again with other national historic sites.
“The fact that this can happen raises warning flags for us,” he says.
Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre, says he will be consult with the NCC and other federal groups in the future to prevent more transfers of historical land.
“The experimental farm and the surrounding lands are really a jewel in the centre of our city and something that we need to hold onto,” says Dewar.
This is not the first time development has threatened the farm and its supporters fear the NCC’s decision will set a dangerous precedent.
In the 1990s, what’s now known as the Skyline complex, a seven-building parcel on the farm’s western portion – which the government later bought back and currently houses AAFC headquarters – was sold to Nortel Networks.
“It’s definitely a fear,” says Peter Anderson, a PhD candidate at Queen’s University, who is writing a dissertation on the historical and cultural geographies of the farm.
“I don’t know if there are further plans, but I think the fear is once you show a disregard for a heritage designation, that makes it easier for the future,” he says.
Carolyn Quinn, a spokesperson for Heritage Canada The National Trust, says while it was “surprising” the NCC didn’t contact groups on the advisory committee, it’s not too late for the commission to reconsider.
“It certainly isn’t a shovel-ready project for the spring of 2015 or something,” says Quinn.
In its letter, the group asked the government if it would be willing to withdraw its decision or at least delay its land transfer to the NCC until community groups and stakeholders are consulted.
Cameron Love, chief operating officer of the Ottawa Hospital, says the plan is to have the new campus up and running in 10 to 15 years. In the meantime, the farm will continue its research until construction begins, according to AAFC spokesperson Miriam Wood.
Love says they still have a long way to get full approval on the project. Now that the land has been made available, the second stage of planning can begin, which involves working with the NCC to create a design plan.
NCC spokesperson Jasmine Leduc says the NCC plans to consult with the public and other stakeholders to address the design of the Civic campus, public access and landscape, and integration with the Central Experimental Farm.
Even so, Quinn admits she isn’t optimistic.
“It could set a precedent that (the government) would start carving off pieces of very deliberate and thoughtful landscape, which is continuing to do vital research,” she says.
Maitland says she isn’t satisfied the government did its due diligence in exploring other options for the new hospital site.
She points to the Natural Resources Canada complex at Booth Street and Carling Avenue as an alternative option, which many argue is in bad condition and in need of redevelopment.
The Ottawa Hospital considered 12 other locations surrounding its current Civic campus, including LeBreton Flats, but the farmland best fit its needs, says Love.
“I’m not satisfied that they actually looked at other perfectly good options,” Maitland says. “It’s awfully cavalier to start giving away bits and pieces of national historic sites. Let’s give away the national parks while we’re at it.”