OTTAWA CITIZEN Editorial Board

The National Capital Commission’s online survey on the future location of The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic campus closed last week – but not before 7,695 responses had rolled in. Citizen readers have been active too - here’s just a sample of letters received by the Citizen in recent days.

Hospital parking: we can do better

It is unfortunate and worrisome that, from day one, the concept for the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital has been traditional, if not disconnected from environmental and other concerns of modern cities.

Civic Hospital: too old and too small? The solution is to work out a deal behind closed doors to take over the green space next door. And worse, too much of that green space would be used for parking. Even if we accept that thousands of surface parking spaces are needed (which many don’t; staff can use transit even if patients need parking) there are lots of other options instead of paving 20 acres of green space.

A private-public partnership could be negotiated for a parking garage to be built and run privately. A fundraising initiative with a philanthropic organization, industry or citizen group could be explored, as could crowd-sourcing and other non-traditional models. These should be fully considered before any thought is given to surface parking beyond the basic needs of an urban hospital. The Civic is run by administrators responsible for helping sick people get healthy again; let’s leave parking for others to build and administer. And let’s not pave 20 acres of downtown Ottawa in the process. 

Theresa Redmond, Ottawa

Can’t we do as London does?

If the city of London is anticipating building on what are now parking lots, thanks to demand for parking being drastically reduced due to driverless cars, why is Ottawa considering dedicating 40-odd acres of prime land to parking for the new campus of the Civic in the same era?

Brian Stedman, Woodlawn

Farm’s role is already clear, thanks

The discussion on use of the Central Experimental Farm as a site for the new hospital has taken a wrong turn. The Farm is a federal research facility and a National Historic Site. It really doesn’t matter what research is being done there; its role is research, whatever that might be. Until such time as the federal government decides that we don’t need this facility, no part of it should be considered for other uses.

The researchers working there shouldn’t have to justify the value of their work to the public in order to save the farm, or to avoid having to go elsewhere. For those who feel strongly about using part of the farm for a hospital, how would you feel about submitting your work to the public in order to decide whether you should quit or go elsewhere?

Stew Hamill, Merrickville

Just build it on the Farm

I very much appreciate Mohammed Adam speaking up for the great number of us who want the new Civic hospital campus built across Carling Avenue from the present site. 

Both my late husband and my son became patients of the Ottawa Heart Institute by first being cared for by the Civic’s emergency department. Both of my parents, my husband and I, our two sons and two grandsons were all born at the Civic Hospital. When rushing to the hospital, going by car, not public transit, was necessary. Parking is definitely an important requirement.

Recently, when going to a scheduled special ultrasound at the Heart Institute, I drove from Constance Bay, then got stuck at the parking gate’s bar for 15 minutes because the parking garage was full. Four cars were lined up behind me, and I got stressed about being late for my appointment.

Most visits to the Civic require quick attendance, so going by public transportation with possible delays is not workable. And close proximity to Hwy. 417 helps ambulances get to the Emergency as quickly as possible.

Fran Dawson, Woodlawn

Think long and hard about the hospital

I am so disappointed in Mohammed Adam’s article. It is disrespectful to advances in agricultural science, ignoring the laws that historically protect the farm and the fact that it is federal land going for a provincial hospital.

This city has to think long and hard about where to build its hospital.  Look at research on how unsuccessful the Gréber plan is. For example, the loss of the rail line into the city’s core led to a great loss of industry and drastically affected Ottawa’s economy. 

Are Ottawa citizens so arrogant as to think that we don’t need agricultural research? Are we really sure that by 2050 there will be enough food to go around? We eat three times a day. We may visit a hospital a handful of times in our lives.

Let’s build a new hospital on land that is not being used for scientific research to feed us and future generations in a changing climate. 

Valerie Ryan, Ottawa

Déjà vu all over again

The proposed extension of the Civic hospital campus into 60 acres of the Central Experimental Farm smacks of déjà vu.

For more than 50 years, we have watched the incursion of urban development into hitherto productive farmland while at the same time becoming more and more reliant on imported produce from regions in the south, now under threat from drought.

Just over 25 years ago, we applauded the construction of a hockey arena in what had been productive agricultural land west of Ottawa. It was soon followed by urban development that swallowed up great swaths farmland, woodland and wetland to Stittsville and beyond.

Now, with the focus on infill, we are looking at repeating the same process in the urban core. Could the proposed expansion of the Civic not become a Trojan horse, easing the way for further urban development on the Farm?

It seems ironic that what was once called the “Palladium,” touted for its easy accessibility from Hwy. 417, is now passed over as a hockey venue in favour of a LeBreton Flats location, where it would be more accessible to public transport. Perhaps it’s time to look at relocating the Civic, with its long lamented parking issues, to a place with greater automotive accessibility, such as the present site of the Canadian Tire Centre, or in its vicinity.

Les Humphreys, Almonte

We need a planner with civic vision

Ottawa Hospital CEO Dr. Jack Kitts managed to convince the federal government to give him 60 acres of land to build a $2-billion hospital. It turns out that he wants to pave over protected agricultural land to make a huge parking lot. This is unbelievable.

Hospitals are a provincial responsibility: the federal government should have nothing to do with this venture. As a taxpayer of Canada, I also object to giving land belonging to all Canadians away for the exclusive use of the citizens of Ottawa. The city of Ottawa has a policy of intensification in the city core, and downtown surface parking lots are gradually replaced by high-rises with underground parking. Why is the mayor not intervening to enforce that the hospital must be built in height over the minimum footprint required?  

Not so many years ago, another smooth-talking promoter managed to convince the city to build a major-league arena out in Kanata; we will regret this mistake for many years. Are these politicians simply irresponsible, or what?

Late as it may be, we must step back and do this right. Dr. Kitts has developed the medical requirements; a planner with civic vision must take over the project.

Richard Asselin, Ottawa

Farm is not wrapping up its research

Re: Federal report casts doubt on the future value of Experimental Farm’s climate science, Sept. 25.

This news story apparently left the impression that the scientific experiments being conducted on the Central Experimental Farm are to be wrapped up by 2018. This was because of a controversial report cited. However, a closer examination of that report does state that the science and use of these fields for long-term research climate change is expected to continue for many decades.

Science funding in most countries, including Canada, is conducted in three-to-five-year increments due to funding cycles that coincide with grant applications and federal government appropriations. In this instance, some research projects are currently funded until 2018 or 2019, however we can rest assured that if good progress is achieved, the valuable long-term research will continue.

Steve Gleddie, Ottawa

 

Heritage Ottawa will continue to advocate for protection of the Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site of Canada and active scientific research facility of global significance.

Heritage Ottawa remains committed to a win-win solution that sees The Ottawa Hospital get the new campus that it requires, while The Central Experimental Farm National Historic Site remains intact and continues its important scientific research that benefits all Canadians and the global community at large.