HERITAGE OTTAWA

Heritage Ottawa is proud to announce that one of its own outstanding volunteers, the incomparable David Flemming, is the recipient of the 2025 Louise and Eric Moore Award for Outstanding Heritage Volunteerism.

David has been actively involved in Heritage Ottawa for many years, as president (2003-2012), as a committed board member, and as chair of the busy Advocacy Committee. In fact, David has devoted his retirement to the organization, and as an outstanding leader, has played a prominent role in preserving Ottawa’s built heritage and cultural landscapes.

For over twenty years, David has advocated for the city’s heritage with countless written and in-person presentations to the City of Ottawa’s Built Heritage, Planning and Housing, and Finance and Corporate Services committees, where he has argued for the conservation of such important places as Lansdowne Park, the Horticulture Building, the Old Registry Office, St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, and Somerset House, to name but a few. He spearheaded the campaign to stop “Demolition by Neglect,” and as a member of the previous mayor’s Heritage Matters Task Force (2016-2024) he supported the creation of the City’s Heritage Watch List.

As a trusted, knowledgeable and reliable spokesperson for Heritage Ottawa, David has conducted hundreds of media interviews advocating for the preservation and adaptive reuse of our city's heritage places. Whether in writing, over the phone, on air in radio and television studios, or on the street in front of threatened heritage sites, he has helped raise awareness about the challenges -- and threats -- facing historic places that matter to our communities.

He also took the initiative to create the Heritage Conservation District Working Group with a view to sharing information and strengthening Ottawa’s twenty-one HCDs.

David has also been an active volunteer in the museum world, serving on the boards of numerous local, provincial and international organizations. He has lectured and written extensively on a wide variety of historical topics and heritage advocacy issues.

The Award was presented to David Flemming by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe during a ceremony held at City Hall on Heritage Day, February 18, 2025.

Our heartfelt congratulations to David Flemming, a most deserving recipient!

Created in 2020, the Louise and Eric Moore Award is administered by Capital Heritage Connexion.