A recent Heritage Ottawa lecture on Kìwekì Point — the National Capital Commission’s reimagining of what was once called Nepean Point in downtown Ottawa — showcased the central role of reconciliation-oriented design and Indigenous collaboration in the $45-million project.
Garry Meus, a senior landscape architect with the NCC, guided attendees through the vision for the landmark during his Jan. 21 lecture.
Meus said the project plan was built in partnership with Algonquin community members. It is, he said, an effort to welcome Indigenous knowledge and cultural presence into the riverfront landscape, describing the relationship he nurtured with Algonquin community members as one of his “greatest accomplishments.”
“It’s really opened my eyes into seeing as a landscape architect … how the features themselves are not just part of the beautification process, they’re part of a journey that you actually are going to be taking once you’re on the site.” Kìwekì Point opened to the public in May 2025.
The prominent lookout above the Ottawa River features stone pathways, sculpted “beings” drawn from Indigenous traditions and views of Gatineau and the wider National Capital Region. From the park, visitors can see Parliament Hill, the Canadian Museum of History, the Alexandra Bridge, the National Gallery of Canada, the Château Laurier and much more.
The project design stems from an international competition in 2014 won by Toronto-based Janet Rosenberg Studios.
Meus said that the NCC worked with the firm to transform the competition concept into a buildable design while also maintaining its focus on pedestrian experience and integration of Algonquin cultural elements.
Meus noted that the project is a key component of the NCC’s long-term “Rideau to Rideau” vision, which aims to create a continuous pedestrian route from the Rideau Canal to Rideau Falls.
In this case, he said, Kìwekì Point was shaped around the place of the Ottawa River – Kichi Sibi – as storyteller and guide.
“The river is the one telling the story,” Meus said. “It introduces visitors to the people, the monuments and the history that are part of its evolution.”
Much of the project’s value stems from cultural collaboration, particularly the guidance of Algonquin community members to shape the physical design and the interpretive content on the site.
“That collaboration enabled all of these different features to kind of come together on one site and really enhance not just the visitor experience, but really the narrator, which really is the Kichi Sibi,” Meus said.
To help guide visitors through Kìwekì Point, interpretation panels in English, French and Algonquin are placed at key points, including the site entrance, monuments and artistic builds.
Rather than presenting a single historical narrative, the panels shape the Ottawa River as a living presence that has evolved through time and has witnessed and shaped generations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
“The interpretation is the river telling the story of evolution,” Meus said.
“There is no denying the presence of a variety of different communities or people who have travelled the river, and the river is essentially telling the story of all of these different pieces that are intertwined within its evolution.”
One of the key results of this collaboration is the reintegration of the Kichi Zìbi Innini monument, formerly known as the Anishinabe scout, which was once positioned submissively and controversially beneath a statue of French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who first reached the area in 1613.
The replacement of the statue was developed in consultation with Algonquin community members, and now, Kichi Zìbi Innini overlooks the river, reclaiming his role as a guide.
Champlain’s statue has been moved to a winding pathway that mirrors the history of river travel.
Meus said that “the reintegration was geared toward being able to understand his travels through the area and understand as well, his impact on the National Capital Region,” through the concept of the river’s evolution.
Along the perimeter pathway, Indigenous collaboration also extended beyond monuments to the site’s artistic elements as visitors encounter steel representations of mythical and local beings – including the Thunderbird, moose, bear, and walleye, all based on sketches by Algonquin artist John Tenasco.
But even as NCC cites Indigenous partnership as a priority of the redevelopment, not all voices are in support. Some community members have expressed frustration that the site continues to feature Champlain.
According to a June 2025 Capital Current article, Algonquin Anishinabe Elder Claudette Commanda said she was “frustrated” by Champlain’s continued prominence on the lookout’s south side, visible from Major’s Hill Park.
Commanda says Champlain’s presence could send the wrong message about whose land the site occupies, noting “Champlain did not discover Ottawa … this was always Algonquin land and will always be Algonquin land.”
Other commentators have supported the NCC’s efforts to restore Indigenous presence through sculpture placement and interpretation.
The session concluded with a discussion on future NCC Rideau to Rideau projects and site management issues at Kìwekì Point, including a December incident in which a school bus damaged part of the Whispering Point shelter.
Heritage Ottawa will continue to highlight different aspects of the city, from early Bytown to the present, through the examination of buildings and landscapes as the capital region marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the city.
On Feb. 18 a panel will discuss Demolition by Neglect, a topic that continues the broader discussion about historic preservation and cultural memory.
