We need a better plan for Wellington Street

PARLIAMENT HILL—Ottawa City Council reopened Wellington Street to traffic again in late April, but where is the vision for Canada’s capital city? The year-long closure of the street, following the 2022 occupation of the Freedom Convoy, has offered us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something imaginative and exciting for this iconic street. Turning Wellington Street into a people's plaza offers many new and exciting opportunities. Much can be done to make the area inviting, linking the area's Indigenous history with the more recent and current reality. Here are a few options that are included in a more detailed proposed plan. Naming the new pedestrianized area “Constitution Plaza” would recognize a core aspect of who we are and how we are governed. This could be made meaningful with some displays of the Charter of Rights in various languages, for example, using a combination of all-weather boards and flat-screen displays. In the short term—and in time for Canada Day and the summer—the pedestrianized street could accommodate many new planters (many more than the 30 or so that are usually placed there), benches, Muskoka chairs, and large street art. All this would attract visitors to spend time on Wellington. The street surface could be used for attractions such as a giant chess board, hopscotch, a painted maze, or a map of Canada with a pathway for visitors to “visit” every part of the country in every province and territory, including some key Indigenous venues. The section of Wellington Street between O’Connor and Bank Streets could be more of a marketplace with art tents and other booths (using ,say, 10 of the City of Ottawa booths that were built for the Winter market at Lansdowne Park in December 2022 and 2023), with a food court area near Bank Street with picnic benches and a changing selection of food trucks. These temporary fixtures could also be coordinated with the Sparks Street Business Improvement Area, and visitors could visit the two, providing a dynamic atmosphere. Care must be taken to make traffic barriers as attractive as possible, rather than using regular cement barricades. There are many options that would include painted concrete planters in the short term, and for the longer term grassed- and built-up medians with low walls that match the Parliament Hill rock. In the longer term, over two to three years, the surface of Wellington Street could be remodelled, removing the asphalt and replacing it with various kinds of interlock brick or rock, or even some grass—keeping in mind the need for space for large numbers of people. There are at least three options here: having interlock brick and using a pattern symbolic inspired by Indigenous basket weaving (as has been done at the Aberdeen Square at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa); having the brickwork create a map of the world with Canada at the centre showing where all the people of Canada originate from, whether Indigenous or immigrant; and using u-porous brick, a new form of brick designed to have less water flow into the drains. Some trees could be planted along the south side of Wellington Street, in conformity with the trees planned for the courtyard in Block 2 (bounded by Metcalfe, Wellington, O’Connor and Sparks Streets), while not interrupting sight lines of the Parliament Buildings. This could become a space to highlight new and innovative green construction. The bottom line is that the National Capital Commission should use its personnel and resources to make the area as attractive and meaningful as possible, while ensuring security of the parliamentary precinct. And while I am focusing on the national significance, history, and beauty of the area, it is worth keeping in mind that virtually every report on the security of this area in recent years has called for Wellington Street to be closed to traffic. It is useful to recognize that the parliamentary precinct and its future are complex. This includes jurisdiction, governance, investment, ownership, animation, beautification, policing and security. The Indigenous history of the area, most notably that of the Algonquin Anishinabe peoples, needs special consideration throughout the process of renovation. Federal Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek has asked Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to develop an agreement together that will see the federal government purchase Wellington and Sparks streets to become part of the parliamentary precinct. Ottawa City Council needs to rethink its decision on the future of Wellington Street. Otherwise, Jaczek should expropriate the area, the way the government has been doing gradually since Confederation. Andrew Cardozo is an Ontario Senator, a member of the Progressive Senate Group, and a long-time Ottawa resident. The paper mentioned is available on his website. The Hill Times