Wellington: An opportunity to re-imagine our Nation’s Capital

The re-imagining of Wellington Street has the potential to bring dynamic change to Ottawa’s downtown core, setting our tourist district up for success in a post-pandemic era.

Since the illegal occupation of our downtown core, I have had numerous conversations with residents of Ottawa Centre, local city councillors, Mayor Jim Watson, Business Improvement Areas and the tourism sector to hear their perspectives and ideas on what the future of Wellington looks like. Throughout these discussions, there is consensus on the opportunity that has presented itself to be bold, innovative and thoughtful in how we re-imagine Wellington Street.

The 24-day occupation was devastating to our community and brought our downtown core to a halt. Residents and businesses were subjected to racist and bigoted taunts which had a severe impact on their quality of life. The traumatic experience has resulted in the indefinite closure of Wellington Street for security reasons and has subsequently led to a serious re-evaluation on how to prevent another disruptive and prolonged occupation.

Over the past few months, MPs have been studying a revision of boundaries of the parliamentary precinct to include Wellington and Sparks streets, following a request jointly made by Greg Fergus (MP for Hull-Gatineau) and myself. So far, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has heard from several witnesses, including Algonquin Chief Wendy Jocko, Councillor Catherine McKenney, NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum and former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly. Most of the witnesses agree that one of the best ways to enhance security around Parliament while keeping it accessible for local residents to enjoy and businesses to thrive is the closure of Wellington Street to vehicular traffic and the creation of a new, state-of-the-art, active-transit corridor and pedestrian mall.

As MP for Ottawa Centre, I am committed to taking concrete steps towards climate action in our community, and that includes seeking opportunities to reduce emissions by increasing active transportation and getting more cars off the road.

A pedestrian-focused Wellington Street provides countless possibilities. It can serve as a space for innovative tourism events and local business promotions. It can offer a space to promote reconciliation with Indigenous communities and to feature the work of Indigenous artists.

Additionally, in the long term, this can pave the way for potential development of a public transit loop that would connect Ottawa and Gatineau. And lastly, it provides a space for all Canadians to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest in a safe and responsible manner.

This is an opportunity to be bold, innovative and to contribute to rebuilding and revitalizing our downtown. It nicely complements the redevelopment of Block II, a section of buildings on the south side of Wellington Street (between Metcalfe and O’Connor). Block II Ð right across from the Peace Tower Ð will bring an entirely new character to the street, creating a parliamentary square for all Canadians to enjoy.

You can learn more about it here!.

Let’s make Wellington Street a safe and vibrant space, designated for active use, that is accessible to all Ottawa residents and visitors alike who wish to walk, run, bike or roll in front of our historic national institutions, permanently. Our Parliamentary Precinct is the heart of Canadian democracy. It’s high time it reflects our values and keeps our community safe.

I welcome your comments and feedback on this or any other issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 613-946-8682 or write to me at Yasir.Naqvi@parl.gc.ca.