Mayor Chiarelli & Members of Council,
Ottawa City Hall,
110 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1

Your Worship and Councillors:

I am writing to express my concern over the cuts proposed in the City of Ottawa’s 2004 Draft Budget. If approved, they would in effect completely eliminate the City’s heritage programs and services, except for those provided by the City of Ottawa Archives.

An important part of Ottawa’s heritage is our rich and diverse built heritage. From the political monuments like the Parliament Buildings and the Confederation Block to the small working class houses of Lowertown, Ottawa’s built heritage is a source of local pride and an attraction for visitors.

For 30 years, Heritage Ottawa volunteers have been in the vanguard of preserving these important elements of our heritage. Emerging from a group known as A Capital for Canadians, that formed in the late 1960's to promote the preservation of the East Block, our organization is proud to have led the fight to successfully save numerous buildings in the Byward Market, Wallis House, the Rideau Street Convent chapel, the Aberdeen Pavilion, First Avenue School, Carleton County Gaol and the Booth Barns, to name a few. Other important structures have been lost however, victims of the economics of building construction or neglect by their owners as in the 2002 loss of two Sandy Hill homes owned by Groupe Lépine. A lack of political will and leadership have also led to the demolition of many of our older buildings, such as last year’s demolition of the Caplan building.

Heritage Ottawa volunteers were instrumental in convincing the Province of Ontario to pass the Ontario Heritage Act and in the establishment of the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC). Many Heritage Ottawa members have also served as LACAC members and others make regular presentations to LACAC and City Standing Committees in support of the preservation and designation of historic buildings, landscapes and districts.

Over the years, Heritage Ottawa, with its Newsletter and other publications, its lectures, workshops and walking tours, and now with an enhanced website and electronic archives, has helped Ottawans learn about their built heritage. Heritage Ottawa was a founder and is a continuing supporter of Doors Open Ottawa, a springtime celebration of Ottawa’s rich architectural heritage, and it recently received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to enable Doors Open to prepare a fundraising and marketing strategy so that this event can continue and grow as a showcase of our built heritage.

Included with this letter is a copy of our most recent publication, a work by Barbara McMullen on the terra cotta architecture of Ottawa. This was published thanks to another grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation which was supplemented by hundreds of volunteer hours in the writing and editing of the manuscript. Neither of these grants would have been possible without our yearly operating grant from the City of Ottawa.

One of the guiding principles of the Ottawa 20/20 Official Plan recognizes Ottawa as “A Creative City Rich in Heritage, Unique in Identity” and notes that “Local arts and heritage give us community vitality; a path to creativity and innovation; and a sense of who we are.” This “sense of who we are” is increasingly important in a fast-paced society where such values as a sense of place and identity are being threatened from all sides. The City’s policy of “intensification” of development to areas of the municipality “where urban services already exist or can be efficiently provided” seems at times to be at odds with the Official Plan’s recommendation that “development must be designed to be compatible with its surroundings.” With these seemingly conflicting guidelines, it is more important than ever that the City has a strong voice advocating for our built heritage. Heritage Ottawa has provided that advocacy role for three decades and its work will be severely compromised if the current 2004 draft budget is passed.

In almost every major city which has preserved its built heritage, the initial leadership has originated within the heritage community. Some city councils followed more quickly than others but all take credit for and point proudly to these developments. Without the dedication, commitment and effort of members of the heritage community, our communities would be bleak indeed and would fail to reflect the rich heritage of our Canadian people.

Like our museums, archives, historical societies, heritage fairs and festivals, organizations such as Heritage Ottawa provide thousands of hours of volunteer labour for the City. City support permits these groups to leverage funds from other levels of government and from other sources, all for the greater good of the community. To allow our National Capital’s arts and heritage programs and services to be dismantled is nothing short of a national shame. I urge you to support the City’s stewardship of our community heritage and to reinstate the 2003 level of funding for Ottawa’s cultural programs.

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

David B. Flemming,
President, Heritage Ottawa