LeBreton Flats: Failure to launch
Re: After four years of work, LeBreton NHL plan veers toward ditch, Nov. 24; and Field of broken dreams, Nov. 23. Kelly Egan’s comments were right on about the LeBreton Flats process taking too long and wondering how to sustain the momentum.
My then-boyfriend’s family were removed from their home in the Flats to make way for development when I was in Grade 11. I am now almost 73 and I suspect that I won’t be around when it is built (even though my mother is 96). Any bets? Susan Prior, Carp
Senators don’t need a downtown arena
If building a new arena is needed to reinvigorate the Ottawa Senators, then we do not deserve to have a hockey team in this city. The Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League play in the AT&T Stadium ($1.1 billion) 20 miles from downtown Dallas, accessible primarily by an interstate highway.
Its capacity is 90,000 people and it never fails to sell out for every game. It is simply faulty reasoning to believe a new stadium downtown is needed in order for the Senators hockey team to succeed. What we need is a new owner. Lorne Werbenuk, Kanata
Obviously, this is a comedy of errors
I thought the person sporting the clown nose in the LeBreton Flats proposals was Guy Laliberté. Turns out it was Eugene Melnyk all along. Craig Butler, Breckenridge, Que.
This time, let’s really reimagine it
The seeming failure of RendezVous LeBreton provides the NCC with an amazing opportunity to reimagine LeBreton Flats. Forget professional hockey. Forget real estate. Forget profits for the (already) wealthy. Stop consulting white men in grey suits. Focus on families, both resident and visiting.
Imagine a fanciful, interactive children’s village, a carousel, a place to run around in an amazing natural environment, a skateboarding park, a family ice rink, craft and food market stalls, green spaces to have a picnic, maple ice cream. For ideas, seek out a diverse group of creative women and schoolchildren. Seek inspiration from other cities in Europe and the U.S. and from home, such as the Lego exhibit at the Museum of Science and Technology this summer, as well as Gatineau’s Mosaïculture.
Add a water feature with ducks and a drawbridge. Don’t forget a stage and roving minstrels, buskers and “animateurs.” Link the Children’s LeBreton Flats to other venues, such as the Canadian Museum of History. Think international. Think tourism. Think outside the box. I can’t wait to go there! Sylvie Hudon-Polk, Ottawa
How did LeBreton dreams fall flat?
Would it not be accurate to say that all plans, discussions and dreams have gone “flat,” one more time? Where did we go wrong and why? Sad. Jacques Faille, Ottawa
A park-and-ride site would boost transit
It is with sadness and shock I read the articles regarding the RendezVous LeBreton project. It will be some time before the shovels hit the ground.
Next Saturday, since I live downtown, I’m taking the direct bus near the new Booth transit station to the Senators game. I’m really looking forward to my first Ottawa bus ride. Here is my suggestion: Until something is done to LeBreton, why not open the area to a park-and-ride? No need for paving, just some crushed stone in the area. One could easily get access off the parkway.
This would be great for increasing transit traffic daily, as well as for the Quebec and downtown residents. One does not need to build an expensive paved parking lot, but rather a temporary lot like we often see downtown. Miville Fournier Sr., Ottawa
If not an arena, consider sharks
I’m not a hockey fan, and I don’t know much about the Ottawa Senators, or about that Eugene Melnyk guy who lives somewhere in Barbados. Other than attending Bluesfest, there’s absolutely no reason for me to head down to LeBreton Flats.
Based on the news headlines, which sound like the arena plan will be tied up in court for years, what about one of those aquariums like the one in Toronto where the naked guy swam with the sharks?
I’m just asking. What about it? Jill Young, Ottawa
We could have our own Central Park
It is about time Ottawa looked at making the majority of the LeBreton Flats into a lovely tree park. Think of New York and Central Park, think of Washington and the Mall, think of London and Hyde Park.
I have had the luxury of visiting and enjoying all three of these parks, and wondered at the forethought and creativity of the persons in power a long time ago who had the strength of character to create these fabulous urban park open spaces. Literally acres of parkland for the public to enjoy, which are now recognized as a very important carbon and moisture sink and air purifier.
The beautiful Canadian War Museum is such a monumental landmark in LeBreton that I hope anything that is built in its vicinity should be at least as beautiful. I am still embarrassed by the terrible condo building that was constructed across the road from the museum. The NCC and city should be ashamed to have allowed such poor planning and the construction of this monstrosity. Local government is way too cosy with developers and can only see tax dollars.
Please consider the longterm view and build a park to be proud of. Teddie Laframboise, Kars
Is the NCC still needed?
It seems that the NCC has failed once again. LeBreton Flats adds to a catalogue full of missed opportunities, failed proposals and outright neglect. The NCC often has big plans but no cash. The Rideau Skateway and Gatineau Park are run by private contractors. Their celebration department was moved to the Department of Canadian Heritage. What’s left seems unable to produce anything of real value.
I found quite a few examples within a few minutes.
In no particular order: the corner of Rideau and Mackenzie was developed into a bland condo. A stone building in the ByWard Market is deemed unsalvageable and replaced with a modern building, despite the fact that large areas in Europe managed to rebuild their buildings wrecked during the Second World War. The prime minister’s residence crumbles on the NCC’s watch. The theatre at Nepean Point is abandoned and events are moved to Confederation Park. I am surprised the Office of the Auditor General hasn’t covered all this yet. Denis Desjardins, Ottawa
Share the blame for Grey Cup loss
Re: Calgary Stampeders trample Redblacks to claim Grey Cup championship, Nov. 26. Ottawa’s defeat in the Grey Cup was the result of failures in offence, defence, special teams, coaching and management. Accountability must be shared across the entire organization. John Butcher, Ottawa