By Claude Royer | As translated from original French

The Coalition for the Alexandra Bridge was able to rally local elected officials in its opposition to the demolition project, and continue to denounce the federal government's improvisation.

A hasty decision despite internal opposition

The bridge is federally owned and managed by Public Works, now part of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). In a political context, which prioritizes increasing the capacity of interprovincial highway links at all costs, the government hastily decided, in 2019, to demolish the bridge despite the opposition of in-house engineers revealed by our access-to-information requests.

Gatineau Municipal Council Reacts

Five years after the decision was made to demolish the bridge, PSPC and the National Capital Commission (NCC) finally took the time to present the replacement project to municipally elected officials in Gatineau and Ottawa.

The presentation of PSPC's project to the full council on July 2 was a resounding failure, as reported in Le Droit on the same day. Gatineau's municipal council did not appreciate PSPC's dismissal of any discussion of rehabilitating the heritage bridge. Elected officials also pointed out the inconsistency of abandoning the Alexandra Bridge at a time when the federal government announced in May that it would invest $40 million a year to ensure the long-term viability of the old Quebec Bridge, a steel structure over 100 years old. At a press briefing, Mayor Marquis-Bissonnette summarized the Council's position by stating that preserving the bridge remained the preferable option until proven otherwise.

Meeting With Ottawa Elected Officials

PSPC then appeared before Ottawa's Built Heritage Committee on July 9, to plead the so-called need for a highway link, in contradiction with Lowertown's traffic calming policies. Heritage Ottawa was able to make the case to the committee that the 120-year-old structure deserved to be preserved for its historic value, following the example of other ancient bridges in Canada and around the world. The committee's co-chair, Councillor Plante, was quick to point out the knowledge and validity of the arguments put forward by the Alexandra Bridge's defenders.

Following its setbacks in front of elected municipal officials, PSPC organized an impromptu press conference on July 10 in the secure area of Parliamentary Hill, off-limits to the public. PSPC asserted that the bridge had to be demolished, whatever its future use, based on a biased technical report commissioned to a third party with no experience in heritage conservation, who produced the report, at the drop of a hat, more than three years after the decision was made to demolish.

Disbandment of the Expert Committee and Consultation on Three Options

In 2023, PSPC and the NCC announced with great fanfare that they had appointed an Independent Review Panel (IRP), under the auspices of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), to provide professional guidance in the development of three design options to replace the bridge. The committee was also tasked with selecting the final option. The committee of 11 international experts included well-known Ottawa architect Barry Padolsky (OC).

Against all expectations, we learned last October that PSPC had quietly disbanded the IRC before the three options had even been announced to the public. According to the NCC, the committee's responsibilities are now being assumed “internally,” with no official justification. This reversal further demonstrates the lack of transparency associated with the demolition project.

The NCC then continued its consultation plan last October with a presentation to the public of three so-called "emblematic" replacement options, supposedly less costly than preserving the existing bridge. However, despite persistent questions, PSPC and NCC officials refused to specify the costs of these replacement options.

Conclusion

Until it wins its case, the Coalition will continue to urge the current or future government to reconsider the decision to demolish the Alexandra Bridge, a monument of great importance to our history and landscape. In addition, the Coalition encourages everyone to contact their civic associations and elected representatives to express their desire to preserve this jewel of our heritage. The upcoming federal election will provide the perfect opportunity!

Claude Royer is the French spokesperson for the Alexandra Bridge Coalition.