Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force

[J.OT13]

Much-anticipated downtown task force report lays out blueprint for action in the core​

Mia Jensen

• January 11, 2024
• 3:43 PM
• ET

Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi speaks about the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force report. He is joined by co-chairs Graeme Hussey (left) and Neil Malhotra, and Christophe Rivet of EVOQ Strategies (right). Photo by Mia Jensen

• Organizations: Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force

• People: Ariel Troster, Graeme Hussey, Yasir Naqvi

There is no one fix to the many crises that face Ottawa’s downtown core, but a new report released by the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force aims to be the first step in the process, according to Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi.

“The purpose has been to highlight the challenges facing our downtown core … and bring together all different perspectives – workplace, business, tourism, and community – to make sure that those ideas are shared and to solicit ideas from the community as well.”

On Thursday, the task force released the long-anticipated report, which includes recommendations to breathe new life into the city’s struggling downtown, after several months of delay.


At a media event Thursday, Naqvi called the report “comprehensive,” adding that it brought together ideas and suggestions from over 1,000 contributors across multiple sectors.
Some of the challenges explored include: lack of affordable housing; chronic homelessness; reinvigorating local businesses in a hybrid work environment; encouraging the return of residents and tourists; creating a sustainable urban environment; and creating inclusive community spaces that promote Indigenous reconciliation.

Originally struck in 2022 by Naqvi, the task force has spent the months since holding meetings with members, as well as conducting surveys and consultations with experts, government representatives, and community stakeholders.

“The purpose of the task force from day one has been to prioritize Ottawa’s downtown core,” he said Thursday. “The last few years have witnessed profound shifts in the city, with remote work becoming the norm and our once bustling city centre suffering the brunt of it. But in every crisis, there lies an opportunity for transformation.”

Co-chair Graeme Hussey, president of Cahdco, said revitalizing the downtown core is key to ensure success for all of Ottawa.

“I was personally motivated to get involved by the firm belief that our downtown is a vital part of the city and we need a vital downtown to have a successful city,” he said. “Downtown is where some 20 per cent of property tax revenues derive from. We have over 11 million visitors each year as tourists, and it generates over $2.2 billion in annual tourism revenue.”

He added that downtown is “where some of our most vulnerable citizens reside and find the resources they need to support themselves. Helping them has to be addressed urgently, as the city is seeing an increasing and expanding need for shelters, affordable housing, mental health supports, drug consumption services, and access to food and meals.”

The report is presented in five parts, first outlining the context and explaining the approach, then examining examples of areas where change is viable.

The third section identifies three buildings as potential “transformative projects” that it recommends exploring for revitalization: The Jackson Building, the old Ottawa Public Library, and l’Esplanade Laurier.

The last two sections list short-, medium- and long-term priorities for downtown, and call for participation from leadership, including all three levels of government.

Naqvi conceded that most of the recommendations could take years to bring to life, especially when they require collaboration between multiple levels of government and leaders across multiple sectors.
The most immediate actions that align with the task force’s recommendations will come from ongoing initiatives at the city level, which were in motion before the report’s release.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said upcoming projects that residents are already starting to see include a new non-police crisis response system, shelters retrofitted with bunk beds to increase capacities, and incentives for office-to-residential conversions.

“(I’m) very happy with this partnership,” she said. “Certainly can’t do it alone, but there are many things the city is doing right now.”
Naqvi said the process of implementing the recommendations will be a long and complicated one.

“There’s no one fix that’s going to revitalize downtown,” he said. “There are many levers that are available to us that need to be worked on simultaneously so we not only achieve outcomes in the short term, but then also accomplish long-term solutions that will allow for a sustainable revitalization of downtown.”
The release of the report comes after months of delays, with the deadline initially slated for late spring 2023. When that deadline passed, a new date was set tentatively for mid-August. The report finally received “tentative approval” from members in October.

Naqvi said the delay came from the complexity of the issues and the diversity of ideas proposed from contributors.
“What we wanted to do was start this conversation,” he said. “Up to now, nobody had done this work to compile all these things together and highlight the different challenges and really put them in context.”
According to Naqvi, the report is just the first step for the task force, which will continue its work by focusing on ways to begin implementing its recommendations. That means getting all three levels of government and local stakeholders across multiple sectors to buy into their proposed strategies.
“I think the next task for us is to start implementing,” he said. “To work with those different partners and find ways as to how we can put those short-, medium-, and long-term ideas into action. That will require work and a lot of discipline.”

In the short term, the report proposes reducing municipal and federal fees for small and mid-size businesses over the next three years, including garbage removal, outside patio, and cultural activities fees. It also recommends encouraging temporary and short-term uses for public spaces by businesses.
Medium- and long-term recommendations for business include:

• Reviewing municipal and federal business-to-business services to reduce delays
• Establishing a pilot program to incentivize activities, temporary uses, policies and infrastructure
• Creating a program to identify and apply sources of funding for small and mid-size businesses
• Developing a science and technology innovation hub strategy for downtown with universities, colleges and the private sector
• Incentivizing research and academic institutions to establish a satellite presence downtown focused on innovation and supported by an entrepreneurship program
• Supporting growth of public- and private-sector employment
• Establishing an integrated business and economic develop delivery areas for downtown through the BIAs and the Ottawa Board of Trade

Much-anticipated downtown task force report lays out blueprint for action in the core – Ottawa Business Journal

There's no one fix for Ottawa’s downtown core, but a new report by the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force aims to be the first step in the process.

obj.ca

 

[J.OT13]

Redeveloping L’Esplanade Laurier a ‘critical priority’ for downtown Ottawa, task force report says​

David Sali

• January 11, 2024
• 3:54 PM
• ET

The new report from the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force suggests L'Esplanade Laurier could be converted into a mixed-use residential complex.

Converting L’Esplanade Laurier into a mixed-use residential complex with a public park and an attraction such as an amphitheatre is among the suggestions in a new report that offers a blueprint for revitalizing Ottawa’s downtown.

In the 116-page report released Thursday, members of the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force said finding new uses for aging government buildings such as L’Esplanade Laurier, the nearby Jackson Building and the current main branch of the Ottawa Public Library will be a central plank in any campaign to breath new life into the city’s core.

“The (L’Esplanade Laurier) complex is a prime candidate for a project that can help define the transformed downtown,” the document prepared by EVOQ Strategies said. “Addressing its transformation is a critical priority. It is a key location for a significant new municipal green space, an attraction, and housing."

Built in the early 1970s, the two-tower office complex at the corner of Bank Street and Laurier Avenue is among 10 Ottawa properties the federal government says it plans to sell in a bid to downsize its real estate portfolio.

The task force, struck by Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi and chaired by Cahdco president Graeme Hussey and Claridge Homes vice-president Neil Malhotra, recommends that a committee with representatives from the federal, municipal and not-for-profit sectors be created “to determine the next steps for the buildings that are to be released from the federal inventory.”

While the report singled out L’Esplanade Laurier as the No. 1 site for a “city-building initiative,” it also floated a proposal that would see the nearby Jackson Building, another federally owned office property slated to be put on the auction block, transformed into a “multi-functional building focusing on residential uses.”

Authors of the new downtown task force report say the Jackson Building could be a prime site for a market and artists’ studios.

The report suggested the building could be operated as a co-op and could include elements such as a ground-floor market, artists studios, a pop-up gallery and “greenhouses for urban agriculture.”

In a similar vein, the task force said the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library – which is scheduled to be vacated within the next five years when a new facility at LeBreton Flats is completed – could be converted into a “space for quality artistic and cultural events” featuring a multi-purpose theatre and studios, galleries and workshops run by individual owner-operators.

“The transformation of downtown will be successful through a combination of short-term actions and long-term investments,” the report said, adding the buildings were selected “based on the list of properties that the federal government intends to dispose of, the location of sizeable infrastructure whose long-term use is yet defined, the ability to apply one or more (policy) levers, and the potential contribution to city building and lifting the neighbourhood.”

The report made dozens of recommendations aimed at bringing more residents, workers, shoppers and visitors to Ottawa’s downtown, which is home to about 30,000 people and more than 600 businesses but has seen foot traffic decline dramatically in the wake of the pandemic.

“The federal, provincial, and municipal governments as well as the private sector, civil society and individual citizens need to work together to reinvent our collective relationship to downtown,” the document said.

Among its key recommendations are:

• Encouraging “major cultural, sports, and entertainment events” to establish a presence downtown.
• Establishing permanent outdoor staging locations for mid-size events to support local festivals.
• Reducing municipal and federal fees levied at businesses for garbage removal, patios and hosting cultural events.
• Encouraging temporary and short-term uses for vacant and public spaces by small and mid-size businesses.
• Providing incentives for research and academic institutions “to establish a satellite presence downtown focused on innovation in the creative, life science, and engineering industries.”
• Investing in programs aimed at alleviating homelessness and addressing mental-health issues.
• Reviewing building codes and development charges to identify incentives that favour the construction of family-oriented housing, supportive housing, affordable housing and “high-growth, innovative commercial activities.”

The task force also included business leaders such as Ottawa Board of Trade president and CEO Sueling Ching and Colonnade BridgePort CEO Hugh Gorman along with representatives from the Centretown Community Association, downtown BIAs, Indigenous groups, non-profit organizations and community housing advocates.

It said it spent nearly a year getting feedback from more than 900 local residents as well as business owners, landlords and other community members before issuing its report.

Redeveloping L’Esplanade Laurier a ‘critical priority’ for downtown Ottawa, task force report says – Ottawa Business Journal

Converting L’Esplanade Laurier into a mixed-use residential complex with a public park and an attraction such as an amphitheatre is among the suggestions in a

obj.ca

 

[J.OT13]

Full Report: https://yasirnaqvi.libparl.ca/2024/...ort-and-recommendations-for-a-vibrant-future/

 

[CapitalSeven]

Now that DND, an agency responsible for defending us from attack by everyone and thing from floods to Russia to space aliens, has decided that the Market area is unsafe for its office staff, what help can Ottawa expect in revitalizing its downtown core? If 400 Cumberland is unsafe for 8-to-4 workers, who will move in when DND leaves? Actually, I think it's leased for a few more years, so the feds will continue to pay for it to sit empty. And if it's unsafe to work there, who would convert it to apartments?

 

[J.OT13]

Now that DND, an agency responsible for defending us from attack by everyone and thing from floods to Russia to space aliens, has decided that the Market area is unsafe for its office staff, what help can Ottawa expect in revitalizing its downtown core? If 400 Cumberland is unsafe for 8-to-4 workers, who will move in when DND leaves? Actually, I think it's leased for a few more years, so the feds will continue to pay for it to sit empty. And if it's unsafe to work there, who would convert it to apartments?

Yup. Won't be long before OPS closes it's new Rideau Centre operations hub because the Market is too dangerous.

 

[hoggytime]

From OBJ.ca today:

‘Downtown champions table’ and a ‘vibrancy office’ cited as next steps in downtown revitalization​

Mia Jensen

• November 26, 2024

It’s been a year of planning around Ottawa’s downtown as local stakeholders and government representatives have floated ideas and drawn up timelines for ways to bring the ailing area of the city back to life.

In January, the Downtown Revitalization Task Force formed by Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi released its long-anticipated report outlining the most pressing issues facing businesses and residents in the core and setting out recommendations. A few months later, in May, the Ottawa Board of Trade (OBOT) came out with its Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, laying out a five-year plan to raise funds, build housing, and create new jobs.

Now, the main players behind these plans tell OBJ they’re working on getting the ball rolling.

“Since we dropped the plan in May, we’ve been working on an implementation strategy,” said Sueling Ching, president and CEO of OBOT. “We see a lot of the work moving forward and we just last week announced that we are going to move forward with the downtown champions table. We’re raising some seed funding to kickstart the agenda.”

The OBOT action plan called for the addition of 40,000 residents and the creation of 50,000 jobs in the core by 2034 to reignite activity and innovation and bring vibrancy back to the area.
It also proposed a $500-million fund to kickstart “a series of catalytic projects,” including significant enhancements to the public realms of Sparks Street and ByWard Market and the establishment of a new business incubation district and an arts/culture corridor.

Ching said “downtown champions” will be announced in the coming weeks, in addition to what she calls the “downtown vibrancy office.”

“The board of directors of the board of trade has committed to shepherding the downtown action plan over the next three years,” she said. “We will launch the vibrancy office in the beginning and it will serve the champions table. It will calibrate action items in the plan and communicate them to the community.”

The groups will work on raising seed funding, she added – $350,000 to start, through a combination of public and private funding.

Getting private stakeholders and multiple levels of government to work together is an oft-cited challenge for those working on downtown revitalization, but Ching said she’s feeling optimistic.

“We have some federal champions in the city, like Yasir Naqvi and Mona Fortier, and we’ve been working with partners at PSPC through our Good Neighbours Summit initiative,” she said. “We feel optimistic around the province … we were encouraged when the premier came here in the spring and announced a new deal for Ottawa, which included downtown initiatives. And as far as the city goes, they’ve been really working side by side with us since the inception of our call for downtown Ottawa to be a priority.”

Looming election shifts priorities, poses challenges ​

While the Downtown Revitalization Task Force is no longer active, Naqvi told OBJ that its members are still at work on the cause.

“That report was picked up by (OBOT) and they came up with an action plan that the city and the federal and provincial government, along with businesses and community partners, could start implementing,” he said. “That sort of is the second chapter to that important work and since then I believe all of us have been working on various aspects of those recommendations to put them into action.”

At the federal level, Naqvi said planning for the disposal of multiple surplus government buildings in the core has taken priority.

“One of the very big recommendations that was made in the report was to facilitate a much faster process of disposal so that buildings in the downtown core can be either refurbished for other purposes or converted for residential purposes,” he said. “The last budget in 2024 has several pieces that came directly from the recommendations that were made in (the report).”

He said that included allowing surplus properties to be leased, as well as creating a public lands bank that lists every federally owned property to improve transparency around which buildings are available.

With a federal election looming, Naqvi said one of the things he’ll be working on is facilitating collaboration with other levels of government and ensuring the city has whatever resources the federal government is able to provide.

Several months after the release of the plans, local realtor Darren Fleming said it’s hard to see how they will turn into action.

“I would broadly categorize all the efforts to date as a lot of talk,” said Fleming, CEO of commercial real estate consulting firm Real Strategy Advisors. “When you read the plan, some of their short-term things include prioritizing housing. How do you prioritize something at the beginning that’s going to take years?”

It’s not to say that there hasn’t been any movement in the downtown core, said Fleming, who points to increased traffic from employees returning to the office. But he said that type of action has been driven primarily by decisions from employers.

“It’s pretty consistent from what I expected,” Fleming said. “A lot of the problem child areas like Sparks Street are under (the federal government’s) purview. If not them, then the NCC. If they’re not part of the committee, if they’re not part of the task force, what else can we expect? They set their own agendas and timelines for what they’re going to do and, quite frankly, it takes them a long time to do anything. And in the midst of a minority government that is poised to look at an election, they’re not going to do anything.”

Actions in motion at a smaller scale​

While it will likely take years to address some of the downtown core’s biggest challenges, community groups such as the Centretown BIA have been able to implement small but impactful actions that align with parts of the action agenda.

“It was really enlightening just to be surrounded by key players around the table, to hear different thoughts and ideas,” said BIA executive director SabriNa Lemay, who was part of the downtown revitalization task force. “It’s also enlightening for me, specifically being part of the Centretown BIA, with seeing the way we were in alignment with the plan itself, prior to even being part of the task force. It really did make me feel like we are on the right track.”

The BIA has implemented initiatives focused on beautification, cleanliness, sustainability and safety, all of which have much shorter timelines than many other grander goals, according to Lemay. The BIA has also received a grant from the city’s public realm division to create a park, which would play host to community events.

For the BIA, “placemaking” – ensuring Centretown is a desirable destination with its own unique characteristics – has been a major priority in planning, particularly as the BIA expands its borders, a process that will begin in 2025.

While these efforts will help bring Centretown back to life, Lemay said other problems will persist without larger, collaborative efforts happening at a higher level.

“Our members have not seen a full return of business,” she said. “There’s been some uptick, but the biggest concern is, and still remains, the social issues on the street, mental health, the challenges we’re seeing every day. They have been working so hard, so tirelessly, and our councillor has been wonderful, but we’re still not seeing any changes on the streets.”

While Lemay said the BIA is working to keep up with concerns, there’s only so much it can do.

“I think the biggest thing I really want to push is that our members do need to be heard,” she said. “Them just sending emails (to the city) isn’t enough. They need that in-person visit. They need those conversations. A lot of them are feeling unseen and unheard.”

Still, Lemay said seeing the revitalization work being done over the past year has instilled her with energy.

“I’m super excited,” she said. “I think that we have so many options. There are very key players sitting around the table that are ready and willing to make change. I think we are motivated by the challenges we see and that we’re not going to stop until we see this change, working together. It’s really beautiful.”

 

[SweazyCavalry]

It's a good step. Acknowledging that having local residents gives resiliency to the downtown is a nice first step. Now let's see how much actually gets built in the next 4 years.

From OBJ.ca today:

‘Downtown champions table’ and a ‘vibrancy office’ cited as next steps in downtown revitalization​

Mia Jensen

• November 26, 2024

It’s been a year of planning around Ottawa’s downtown as local stakeholders and government representatives have floated ideas and drawn up timelines for ways to bring the ailing area of the city back to life.

In January, the Downtown Revitalization Task Force formed by Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi released its long-anticipated report outlining the most pressing issues facing businesses and residents in the core and setting out recommendations. A few months later, in May, the Ottawa Board of Trade (OBOT) came out with its Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, laying out a five-year plan to raise funds, build housing, and create new jobs.

Now, the main players behind these plans tell OBJ they’re working on getting the ball rolling.

“Since we dropped the plan in May, we’ve been working on an implementation strategy,” said Sueling Ching, president and CEO of OBOT. “We see a lot of the work moving forward and we just last week announced that we are going to move forward with the downtown champions table. We’re raising some seed funding to kickstart the agenda.”

The OBOT action plan called for the addition of 40,000 residents and the creation of 50,000 jobs in the core by 2034 to reignite activity and innovation and bring vibrancy back to the area.
It also proposed a $500-million fund to kickstart “a series of catalytic projects,” including significant enhancements to the public realms of Sparks Street and ByWard Market and the establishment of a new business incubation district and an arts/culture corridor.

Ching said “downtown champions” will be announced in the coming weeks, in addition to what she calls the “downtown vibrancy office.”

“The board of directors of the board of trade has committed to shepherding the downtown action plan over the next three years,” she said. “We will launch the vibrancy office in the beginning and it will serve the champions table. It will calibrate action items in the plan and communicate them to the community.”

The groups will work on raising seed funding, she added – $350,000 to start, through a combination of public and private funding.

Getting private stakeholders and multiple levels of government to work together is an oft-cited challenge for those working on downtown revitalization, but Ching said she’s feeling optimistic.

“We have some federal champions in the city, like Yasir Naqvi and Mona Fortier, and we’ve been working with partners at PSPC through our Good Neighbours Summit initiative,” she said. “We feel optimistic around the province … we were encouraged when the premier came here in the spring and announced a new deal for Ottawa, which included downtown initiatives. And as far as the city goes, they’ve been really working side by side with us since the inception of our call for downtown Ottawa to be a priority.”

Looming election shifts priorities, poses challenges ​

While the Downtown Revitalization Task Force is no longer active, Naqvi told OBJ that its members are still at work on the cause.

“That report was picked up by (OBOT) and they came up with an action plan that the city and the federal and provincial government, along with businesses and community partners, could start implementing,” he said. “That sort of is the second chapter to that important work and since then I believe all of us have been working on various aspects of those recommendations to put them into action.”

At the federal level, Naqvi said planning for the disposal of multiple surplus government buildings in the core has taken priority.

“One of the very big recommendations that was made in the report was to facilitate a much faster process of disposal so that buildings in the downtown core can be either refurbished for other purposes or converted for residential purposes,” he said. “The last budget in 2024 has several pieces that came directly from the recommendations that were made in (the report).”

He said that included allowing surplus properties to be leased, as well as creating a public lands bank that lists every federally owned property to improve transparency around which buildings are available.

With a federal election looming, Naqvi said one of the things he’ll be working on is facilitating collaboration with other levels of government and ensuring the city has whatever resources the federal government is able to provide.

Several months after the release of the plans, local realtor Darren Fleming said it’s hard to see how they will turn into action.

“I would broadly categorize all the efforts to date as a lot of talk,” said Fleming, CEO of commercial real estate consulting firm Real Strategy Advisors. “When you read the plan, some of their short-term things include prioritizing housing. How do you prioritize something at the beginning that’s going to take years?”

It’s not to say that there hasn’t been any movement in the downtown core, said Fleming, who points to increased traffic from employees returning to the office. But he said that type of action has been driven primarily by decisions from employers.

“It’s pretty consistent from what I expected,” Fleming said. “A lot of the problem child areas like Sparks Street are under (the federal government’s) purview. If not them, then the NCC. If they’re not part of the committee, if they’re not part of the task force, what else can we expect? They set their own agendas and timelines for what they’re going to do and, quite frankly, it takes them a long time to do anything. And in the midst of a minority government that is poised to look at an election, they’re not going to do anything.”

Actions in motion at a smaller scale​

While it will likely take years to address some of the downtown core’s biggest challenges, community groups such as the Centretown BIA have been able to implement small but impactful actions that align with parts of the action agenda.

“It was really enlightening just to be surrounded by key players around the table, to hear different thoughts and ideas,” said BIA executive director SabriNa Lemay, who was part of the downtown revitalization task force. “It’s also enlightening for me, specifically being part of the Centretown BIA, with seeing the way we were in alignment with the plan itself, prior to even being part of the task force. It really did make me feel like we are on the right track.”

The BIA has implemented initiatives focused on beautification, cleanliness, sustainability and safety, all of which have much shorter timelines than many other grander goals, according to Lemay. The BIA has also received a grant from the city’s public realm division to create a park, which would play host to community events.

For the BIA, “placemaking” – ensuring Centretown is a desirable destination with its own unique characteristics – has been a major priority in planning, particularly as the BIA expands its borders, a process that will begin in 2025.

While these efforts will help bring Centretown back to life, Lemay said other problems will persist without larger, collaborative efforts happening at a higher level.

“Our members have not seen a full return of business,” she said. “There’s been some uptick, but the biggest concern is, and still remains, the social issues on the street, mental health, the challenges we’re seeing every day. They have been working so hard, so tirelessly, and our councillor has been wonderful, but we’re still not seeing any changes on the streets.”

While Lemay said the BIA is working to keep up with concerns, there’s only so much it can do.

“I think the biggest thing I really want to push is that our members do need to be heard,” she said. “Them just sending emails (to the city) isn’t enough. They need that in-person visit. They need those conversations. A lot of them are feeling unseen and unheard.”

Still, Lemay said seeing the revitalization work being done over the past year has instilled her with energy.

“I’m super excited,” she said. “I think that we have so many options. There are very key players sitting around the table that are ready and willing to make change. I think we are motivated by the challenges we see and that we’re not going to stop until we see this change, working together. It’s really beautiful.”

It's a good step

 

[hoggytime]

Good news on OBJ today:

Province provides $20M for downtown revitalization, tourism in Ottawa​

• December 4, 2024

The Ontario government is advancing its “new deal” for Ottawa with a $20-million investment in tourism and downtown revitalization efforts over the next three years.

The funding will contribute to multiple revitalization initiatives downtown, including $1.5 million to Invest Ottawa to attract new investment from international and local companies to help stimulate sustainable, long-term economic growth; $1.05 million for three years of community safety initiatives by the Somerset West Community Health Centre; $11.8 million to turn William Street into a permanent pedestrian street; $3.85 million over three years to improve signage and other street-specific upgrades; and $1.35 million for marketing and promotion to attract visitors and develop a culture and entertainment initiative, launching in 2026 as part of Ottawa’s 200th anniversary celebration.

It will also provide $450,000 towards a new Downtown Vibrancy Office managed by the Ottawa Board of Trade to build business and investor confidence through additional projects.
https://obj.ca/ottawas-housing-inventory-gets-a-boost-with-the-talisman-apartments/
Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy made the announcement in Ottawa this morning at a Mayor’s Breakfast.

“Ottawa’s downtown, including the ByWard Market, is vitally important to the local economy and quality of life for our residents,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe in a news release. “This investment of $20 million from the provincial government is a boost to our revitalization efforts in the Market. This important funding will enhance the safety, vibrancy and economic growth of our downtown core.”

“Through our New Deal, our government is taking action to ensure Ottawa is a premier destination for tourism and a safe, vibrant place for those who call it home,” Bethlenfalvy said in the release. “Through our investments and partnership with the city, we’re making our national capital safer and helping attract visitors, jobs and investment for the long term.”

“The new Downtown Vibrancy Office will be instrumental to implementing revitalization projects and boosting investor confidence. We’re eager to continue our partnership with the province, the city, and local stakeholders to transform Ottawa’s downtown into a more diverse, resilient and vibrant city core, one that attracts residents, businesses, and visitors alike,” said Sueling Ching, president and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade.

“Ottawa is a magnet for global high-growth tech firms and talent that create multi-generational jobs, revenue, and economic impact. Together with partners across our community, we look forward to attracting new companies, investment, and business opportunity by harnessing the full potential of Canada’s capital. This will fuel new jobs and further increase Ottawa’s impact as an economic engine for the province,” said Sonya Shorey, president and CEO, Invest Ottawa.

The New Deal was initially announced in March by Premier Doug Ford, as a wide-ranging, $543-million investment to support the city’s economic and tourism recovery.

 

[J.OT13]

The media has a lot of trouble acquiring recent images of Downtown.