Heritage Ottawa opposes the City staff recommendation that Council ignore the recent recommendations of the Ontario Conservation Review Board regarding the Horticulture Building.

"Of the 16 formal appeals and objections to various aspects of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan, ours was the only successful one," says Heritage Ottawa President, Leslie Maitland. "Unfortunately, City staff are recommending that Council ignore the CRB recommendation and proceed with the repeal of the designation by-law for the Horticulture Building so it can relocate the structure at a cost of $6 million of taxpayers’ money."

Heritage Ottawa has always supported the revitalization of Lansdowne Park, with its heritage assets (the Horticulture Building and the Aberdeen Pavilion) in situ and in toto, integrated into a successful project of which all Ottawa could be proud.

Despite rejection by the CRB, the staff report persists with the old arguments that moving the Horticulture Building is the best way to protect the heritage values of the structure. "The CRB report utterly refuted these arguments as poor heritage conservation," says Maitland, "yet the staff report still uses them as a justification for their actions."

The heritage advocacy organization is also concerned about the protection afforded to the Aberdeen Pavilion under the heritage easement agreement between the City and the Ontario Heritage Trust. "It has been three years since the Lansdowne Live plan was initiated and the City has still been unable to obtain approval from the Trust for the various elements of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan relating to the easement agreement," says Maitland. "Instead of having OSEG provide a plan that conforms to the easement, the City is supporting proposals which contravene this legally binding easement agreement."

In a letter sent to the Mayor and Councillors, Heritage Ottawa urges them to support the CRB decision and affirm the protection afforded the Aberdeen Pavilion and surrounding area under the provisions of the current heritage easement agreement with the Ontario Heritage Trust. If Council decides to relocate the Horticulture Building, they should direct staff to accept the Trust’s suggestion made at the CRB hearing that the City enter into a heritage easement agreement to facilitate the conservation and protection of the building in its new location.

For further information: info@heritageottawa.ca or visit www.heritageottawa.org.