Steel scaffolding begins to cover Centre Block and Peace Tower on Parliament Hill

Steel scaffolding begins to cover Centre Block as part of the construction on Parliament Hill. The scaffolding will also cover the Peace Tower. (Public Services and Procurement Canada/website)

The iconic view of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill will soon be fully blocked by steel scaffolding as rehabilitation work continues on Centre Block.

As part of the construction, a 92-metre-tall steel frame tower is being built around the Peace Tower to allow construction crews to complete masonry and structural work on the nearly 100-year-old structure.

“Scaffold installation around the building is nearing completion with only the Peace Tower and portions of the south facade to be enclosed,” Public Services and Procurement Canada said in its quarterly progress report on the Centre Block project.

On Wednesday, steel scaffolding had been erected on the east and west sides of Centre Block.

The Centre Block closed to the public in 2018.

According to Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Centre Block project includes restoring the Peace Tower and using “base isolation technology to ensure that the Centre Block and the Peace Tower can meet the building code to withstand a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.”

The Canadian flag will continue to fly on the Peace Tower during the construction.

The federal government estimates the restoring and modernizing of the Centre Block and the new Parliament Welcome Centre will cost between $4.5 billion and $5 billion. Main construction is expected to be completed between 2030 and 2031, and Centre Block will reopen approximately one year later, according to the government.

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