Finalists picked for trades monument

Tribute timed to 2017 events

A jury has selected five finalists in a national competition to design a new monument to Canada’s building trades in Major’s Hill Park.

The monument’s sponsor, Canada’s Building Trades Unions — the national voice for more than 500,000 Canadian construction workers — made the announcement on its website on Labour Day.

The jury of experts selected the five finalists after reviewing submissions from 40 design teams who responded to an open invitation to submit qualifications for the $660,000 project.

The finalist teams will now prepare detailed proposals and maquettes that will be presented at a public open house in Ottawa on Dec. 10.

The winning design will be announced in early 2016 with an unveiling ceremony tentatively planned for May 2017 as part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.

The monument will be installed on a 100-squaremetre site, owned by the National Capital Commission, in the upper plaza of Major’s Hill Park.

It will recognize the significance and impact of construction in Canada and honour the role the trades have played in the country’s development as well as the contribution and losses of those who work in the building trades.

The five finalist teams, each of which includes at least one experienced artist and architect or landscape architect, are drawn from across the country. They include: Metz & Chew of Vancouver,

Studio West Ltd. and Exp Services Inc. of Calgary,

Noel Harding and DTAH of Toronto,

S/N/L Group (Stacey Spiegel, Nippaysage and Lightemotion) from Montreal and Toronto,

And John Greer and Brian MacKay-Lyons of Halifax

“We can’t wait to see what they come up with,” said Bob Blakely, the CBTU’s Canadian operating officer.