Hill reno update: House BOIE approves design for main entrance to new welcome centre complex
Plans for renovations to Parliament Hill are inching ahead with the House of Commons’ recent approval of a design for the entrance to the new, underground visitors’ welcome centre complex being built in the shadow of the Centre Block building. Plus, a recent update from Deputy House Speaker and Conservative MP Bruce Stanton (Simcoe North, […]
A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
NDP to focus on pandemic measures, amplifying message in winter sitting
The NDP has rearranged its critics for 2021 and is poised to tackle a wide portfolio of issues coming back into the House, aimed at helping Canadians get through the “eye of the storm” of the pandemic, while working to make more noise despite their fourth-party status, say caucus members. The six updated roles include […]
Could Parliament Hill withstand a Capitol Building-style insurrection?
The Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., shook the U.S., threatening a beacon of democracy and begging the question: could something similar happen in Canada? And if it did, could Parliament Hill withstand such an assault? The closest thing that Canada’s had to a similar surge of violence in recent memory is […]
Even through Centre Block’s shutdown and massive renovation project, McCrady keeps a steady hand on Parliament Hill’s bells
On a regular day, Dominion Carillonneur Andrea McCrady arrives at work at 8 a.m. She gears up, starting with her work boots, then puts on her orange reflective vest, her work helmet and goggles, and nowadays her mask, and heads out into the construction zone that is now the Centre Block building. Accompanied by a […]
Centre Block’s renovation of a century: inside the plans, possibilities, and priorities of the building’s overhaul
It’s been two years since MPs, Senators, and staff cleared out of Centre Block to allow for the building’s renovation. Now, interior demolition work is close to halfway complete, with exterior masonry restoration to begin in the new year, starting on the building’s north façade. “The history of Canada really resounds within this building, so […]
BOIE approves multiple plans for Centre Block’s renovation, including new glass enclosures
The House Board of Internal Economy recently green-lit a series of recommendations for the Centre Block building’s renovation, including an expansion of the lobbies into the western courtyard and an infill in the currently exposed space above the Hall of Honour. Covering over the open courtyard-like spaces, or light courts, in the Centre Block building […]
Centre Block renovation budget tops $655-million as post-holiday stonework nears
It’s been two years since the lights went out at Centre Block, and construction crews have been steadily and quietly chipping away at the renovations, despite the pandemic that has scuttled many carefully laid plans. A small group of journalists were invited, on Dec. 2, to tour the ongoing renovations inside Centre Block, where 40 per cent of the […]
MPs, Senators look to fill Centre Block’s courtyards in recent reno recommendations
Centre Block’s previously unused courtyards are likely to see new construction to provide more office space for Senators and larger House of Commons lobbies, following recent recommendations from the MP working group and Senate subcommittee charged with weighing in on renovation plans. The most recent recommendation from MPs still has to be approved and endorsed […]
A year after wrapping renovations, Indigenous space in 100 Wellington St. yet to open
One year after renovations were completed to ready the old U.S. Embassy at 100 Wellington St. for its new short-term use, featuring exhibits on Indigenous governance and history, the building still has yet to be opened to the public, The Hill Times has confirmed. “Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada [CIRNAC] and Public Services and […]
