Here is a news item from Friends of Lansdowne...

Although there is no news on the legal appeal, there continues to be activity on the Lansdowne project.

  • City staff has quietly approved the Phase 2 Site Plan for Lansdowne Park. Last fall, Ottawa City Council delegated almost all authority for approving decisions on Lansdowne to staff, meaning that there is little opportunity for public review or comment even if there are major changes to the project.

  • Architecture Canada, the national association representing over 4000 architects, has sent a letter to Mayor Jim Watson critiquing the phase 2 site plan. The professional group observes that serval significant public-oriented design features in the master plan approved by Council in June 2010 have been dropped in the final site plan. Specifically, it notes that the following amenities have disappeared:

- the central plaza with a pavilion and multilevelled public spaces

- the 'veil' from the north side stands of Frank Clair Stadium

- the public art program in the mixed use area

- the interpretive walk

  • See the letter from Architecture Canada here.
  • Mark your calendars for the Lansdowne Soil Remediation Public Meeting on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. The City of Ottawa will host a public meeting on the soil remediation plans and risk management measures for dealing with the contaminated soils at Lansdowne Park. At the last public meeting on the subject, citizens raised concerns about possible risks to human health as well as risks to the environment and the Rideau Canal. There were also many questions about the budget for the clean-up and whether the City was being transparent about the mounting costs for soil remediation.

According to City staff, the draft Certificate of Property Use will be posted by March 15 on the Government of Ontario's Environmental Registry at www.ebr.gov.on.ca and the Risk Management Plan will be posted on the City of Ottawa's website at www.ottawa.ca/lansdownepartnership. For more information, you can contact Nancy Horton, Program Manager (Disposals and Environmental Remediation) at the City of Ottawa at 613-580-2424, ext. 21219 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Lansdowne Soil Remediation Meeting

Wednesday, March 21, 7 to 9 p.m.

(Presentation at 7 p.m followed by questions & answers)

St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 174 First Avenue

Friends of Lansdowne continues to monitor activities related to Lansdowne Park. We hope that our legal appeal will be successful and that this costly, sole-sourced, public-private scheme will be stopped and replaced with a fair and open public revitalization project. But whatever happens, we will work to make sure that this important public space is developed responsibly.

We continue to need financial support for our work and to compensate our lawyers for their incredible hard work on the project. Please donate again if you are able to. www.letsgetitright.ca/get-involved/donate-to-friends-of-lansdowne.

Thanks for your support. Let's Get it Right!