Library move spurs reaction

By Rielly Riggs

Many residents of Ottawa’s downtown core are unhappy with the Ottawa Public Library Board’s proposal to relocate their new Central Library, currently located at the intersection of Laurier and Metcalfe streets, to a site west of Bronson Avenue.

The proposal would place a new library at 557 Wellington St., nearly two kilometres away from the current Main branch. The location scored highest on the board’s evaluation of 12 potential sites, but has ignited a firestorm of criticism among many downtown residents who feel the proposed venue is too far away for tens of thousands of regular users of the facility in the central core.

Some 81 per cent of current library-goers walk to the library, according to Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney.

She and several other councillors hosted a public meeting on Jan. 18 for residents to express their opinions regarding the proposed Central Library site, which was announced in December.

McKenney said she called the public meeting in order for people to tell her what they think.

She is adamant that people she’s heard from are unhappy with losing essential access to their library in the downtown core.

When one audience member at the meeting asked who is in favour of the new location, not a single hand was raised.

“We have millions of tourists who visit attractions like the NAC and Parliament Hill, a fair distance from 557 Wellington. And then there’s the residents and the folks who work downtown; the new library would be removed from all of them,” McKenney added.

There are roughly 25,000 residents who live near the library, not to mention the tens of thousands of people who commute to Centretown for work every day. About 500 people use the library on their lunch breaks, McKenney said.

The Central Library planners have been committed to public engagement, according to Anna Basile, the OPL’s planning and support manager.

“In fact, since 2012, more than 5,000 voices have been heard on the Central Library file,” she told Centretown News in an email. This includes a mix of surveys and feedback, some of which were conducted in person and others online.

Various groups have been actively promoting their view that the library is an essential service for the highly diverse community.

Tom Whillans, president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, insists that moving the library will make it hard for many vulnerable citizens, such as people with physical disabilities, to access the library’s services.

“For many people, the LRT (light rail transit) pass is unaffordable,” added Hortense Kailo, a Centretown resident who attended the Jan. 18 meeting.

Cost is also a concern for the CCCA. “Some people can’t afford the LRT, and suddenly the library is cost-prohibited,” Whillans said.

Meanwhile, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson has said he is in favour of the LeBreton Flats location. In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Watson said the location would be more accessible due to the nearby transit station.

“If you’re contemplating where a library should go… it should be closest to the number of folks who are going to use it,” McKenney said.

“Having it close to LRT is essential, but you could have it anywhere on the line.”

Many residents at the public meeting expressed their desire to relocate the library to Confederation Park, a location not even considered in the board’s proposal. One panelist at the meeting, retired architect Tony Griffiths, said he “strongly thinks (the library) should be in Confederation Park.”

Other considerations discussed at the meeting included the accessibility of the walk to the proposed library site, given that residents will have to move down a slope in order to access 557 Wellington St.

The proposal will go to the library board on Jan. 31 and to full council on Feb. 8.