The National Capital Commission (NCC) is formally interested in establishing a national urban park in Ottawa, CBC News has learned.
Exactly where is not yet clear. In documents obtained by CBC this week under access to information legislation, all references to a specific possible location have been redacted.
In a statement Thursday, the NCC would say only that it’s in Ottawa.
Land currently owned or controlled and managed by the NCC in Ottawa includes the Greenbelt encircling the inner urban area, much of the Ottawa River shoreline from Britannia to Orléans, lands along the Rideau Canal, and smaller green spaces like McCarthy Woods, Hampton Woods, Vincent Massey Park and Confederation Park downtown.
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In its own statement issued Friday, Parks Canada wrote it has “engaged in preliminary, exploratory conversations regarding the possibility of a national urban park in Ottawa.”
“This has been an initial exploration and not a formal discussion. No other organizations, including the City of Ottawa and Indigenous partners, have been formally approached about this potential idea. No decisions have been made at this time,” the statement continues.
If a park on NCC land goes ahead, it would be the first federal property to become a national urban park, the released documents show.
Controversial opinion:
Set aside some of the green belt for this and then develop the rest for well designed medium density housing with solid 15 minute neighbourhood, pedestrian oriented design (mixed use (non SFH zoning), separated bike infrastructure, green spaces etc.).
IMO It’s simply immortal to have tens of thousand of people drive past this space every single day to get to their car oriented suburban sprawl neighbourhood. All while developing brown field developments on farm land on the outskirts. We’re in the middle of both a climate AND housing crisis, can we act like it please?