Question Period Note: Proposed Expansion to the Château Laurier

Proposed Expansion to the Château Laurier

• Our national historic sites reflect the rich and varied heritage of our nation and provide an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about our diverse history.
• As the Château Laurier is a privately owned national historic site, the authority for the approval and regulation of this project rests with the City of Ottawa.
• Parks Canada is interest in the proposed expansion to the Château Laurier as the administrator of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and World Heritage Site and as the expert organization that supports me in the designation of persons, places and events of national historic significance.
• The Agency has offered comments on the various design proposals, in its role as administrator of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and World Heritage Site.
• Parks Canada has written to the owner of the Château Laurier to offer the assistance of experienced conservation specialists in helping to ensure the compatibility of the addition with the existing building.
Parks Canada encourages private owners to manage heritage properties in accordance with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.

• In Canada, national historic site designations are made by the Minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency.
• Parks Canada’s interest in the proposed project is twofold. First, as the operator and administrator of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and World Heritage Site—a site adjacent to the Château Laurier—and second, as the expert organization that supports the Minister responsible for Parks Canada in the designation and commemoration of persons, places and events of national historic significance. In that role, the Agency can provide support and guidance to owners and operators of national historic sites, upon request, to support them in maintaining the commemorative integrity of their site.
• Since 2017, the Agency has offered comments on the various design proposals through the municipal approval process, in its role as the operator and administrator of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and World Heritage Site. Comments have been focussed on the visual and physical impacts of the proposed addition on the historic setting of the canal and the Ottawa Locks.
• On October 4, 2019, the President & Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada wrote to the owner of the Château Laurier to offer the assistance of its highly experienced conservation architects and other specialists to maintain the integrity of those characteristics that originally supported the commemoration of the site as nationally significant.
• The addition has been criticized by many citizens, experts and heritage organizations who view the various designs submitted to the city as incompatible with the hotel’s “Château-style” architecture and its picturesque setting adjacent to the Parliamentary Buildings and the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.
• The Château Laurier is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. The City of Ottawa has jurisdiction for alterations to the designated property under the Ontario Heritage Act, as well as Site Plan Control approval authority under the provincial Planning Act.
• On June 13, 2019, the City of Ottawa’s Planning Committee approved the site addition plan for a planned expansion that would overlook the Rideau Canal National Historic Site.
• On September 27, 2019, the Committee of Adjustment rejected the hotel owner’s request for a minor variance, as it felt the variance “would allow for a new building that does not respect the landscape and character of the heritage features of the properties that surround the site”, including the Rideau Canal National Historic Site.
• On October 17, 2019, the hotel owner appealed the City of Ottawa’s Committee of Adjustment’s decision to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. The appeal hearing has not yet been scheduled.

FEDERAL DESIGNATIONS

• The Rideau Canal National Historic Site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007 in recognition of its Outstanding Universal Values. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1925.
• The Château Laurier was designated as a National Historic Site in 1981 as a Château-style hotel, which is of national significance as an architectural type.
The Government of Canada has no legal authority to intervene to protect the heritage value of national historic sites owned by third parties.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office