Federal government remains interested in acquiring Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill

The City of Ottawa and the federal government are at odds over what to do with the street in front of Parliament. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the City of Ottawa currently has no plans to remove vehicles from Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, as the federal government remains interested in acquiring the municipal street and closing it to traffic.

A ministerial transition binder for the new minister of Government Transformation and Public Works and Procurement shows there have been more than 100 engagements between the federal government and the city on Wellington Street since 2023 and officials say, “the threat and risk environment in the Precinct is evolving.”

The potential closure of Wellington Street has been discussed since the “Freedom Convoy” demonstration in January 2022, when the city closed the road to traffic. The city reopened the road to vehicles in April 2023, despite an offer from the federal government to buy a section of Wellington Street, with the goal of keeping it permanently closed.

The conversation about the future of Wellington Street was revived during last week’s National Capital Commission’s (NCC) board of directors meeting, when the Confederation Boulevard planning and design guidelines were discussed.

The proposal for Wellington Street, between Elgin and Kent streets, included scenarios with and without Gatineau’s tram running along the street. Staff suggested a “public plaza” could be accommodated as part of options for keeping the road open to vehicles or prohibiting vehicles from Wellington Street.

In a post on social media this week, Sutcliffe said there have been many questions about the future of Wellington Street since the NCC board meeting.

“Let me be clear: Wellington is owned by the people of Ottawa, not the federal government or the NCC,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s an important route through downtown Ottawa, and the city has no plans to remove cars from the road.”

Sutcliffe told the NCC board of directors the city is “not at a point where we can feel comfortable with saying there won’t be cars on Wellington in the near future.”

“It’s an important route through the downtown core,” Sutcliffe said.

The City of Ottawa and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launched formal discussions on the future of Wellington Street in April 2023. A spokesperson for PSPC wouldn’t comment on the current state of negotiations, but said the government “remains interested in acquiring” Wellington Street.

“PSPC remains committed to ongoing collaboration and partnership with the City of Ottawa in support of redeveloping Wellington Street in a way that balances security for Parliament with the needs of the public realm,” a spokesperson for PSPC said in a statement to CTV news Ottawa.

“PSPC remains interested in acquiring Wellington Street from the City of Ottawa but cannot comment on the details or status of negotiations.”

Over 100 engagements on Wellington Street

A ministerial transition binder prepared for Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound included a section on Wellington Street, saying there have been over 100 engagements between Public Services and Procurement Canada and the City of Ottawa since 2023.

“A non-binding draft framework agreement for the transfer of the roadway was co-developed by the City and Public Services and Procurement Canada in 2023 to fairly compensate the City on the basis of the appraised value of the street and potential costs of mitigating the reinstatement of vehicle restrictions,” the briefing binder states.

“To support the protection of Parliamentarians and visitors to Parliament Hill, departmental officials continue to pursue discussions with the City to formalize an agreement.”

The briefing binder notes within a decade, the office of the Prime Minister and 50 per cent of all parliamentary offices will be located south of Wellington Street, with construction underway in the Parliamentary Precinct.

“Several global capitals have, or are moving to, restrict vehicle traffic around their legislatures in a way that enhances security while creating more vibrant public spaces. The objective in Canada is to redevelop Wellington Street in a similar manner,” the document states.

“Restricting private vehicles on Wellington Street will help to balance security and openness and create opportunities to realize economies in projects underway in the Parliamentary Precinct in a tight fiscal environment by creating building setbacks and reducing building hardening.”

The federal government previously cited security concerns as one of the reasons Wellington Street should remain closed to vehicles, and a House of Commons committee recommended the street should remain permanently closed to vehicles.

Former Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau, a senior advisor for StrategyCorp, tells CTV News Ottawa closing Wellington Street to vehicles makes sense from a security standpoint.

“If they (the federal government) want to prevent another convoy, I think the police service has demonstrated that they can with the right plans in place, that situation will not repeat itself,” he said. “But if they want to enhance security in The Hill, or if they want to include at the buildings on Wellington Street as part of their security footprint, then it does make sense to close Wellington, to reduce the risks and mitigate any risks of any potential vehicle-borne explosives approaching some of those buildings.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Fowler