Robertson: Ottawa should look to Montreal to become a great city

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Last month, a plan entitled “A Living Capital” was announced, seeking $500 million to revitalize Ottawa’s downtown. This could be a positive turning point, given the foundational goal of Ottawa’s Official Plan: to be the most livable mid-sized city in North America. I wonder, though: is Ottawa truly committed to becoming more livable?

Livability is a key ingredient that our neighbour, Montreal, has taken to heart. It commissioned a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers that recommended ways for Canada’s six largest cities (including Ottawa) to recover from the pandemic by improving active transportation and pedestrianizing streets, among other steps. After taking action in the recommendations in 2021, Montreal now has the data to show that its efforts are working.

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On Montreal’s pedestrianized streets, storefront vacancy rates have dropped. For example, pedestrianized Mount Royal Avenue originally had 14.5 per cent vacancy rates, which fell to 5.6 per cent in 2023, whereas average rates sit at 13.1 per cent.

I visit these streets periodically (before and after they were pedestrianized) and the transformation is incredible! Patios and kiosks bustle where empty cars used to sit. There’s finally space for people using strollers/mobility devices/bikes without the stress of watching for vehicles. The noise pollution is diminished; the relief that comes with the removal of car traffic is real. There’s fantastic public seating and street graphics to maximize visual interest. Art, music, liveliness, safety, accessibility, community, LIVEABILITY.  If you haven’t been, invite your local BIA president or councillor and go.

In comparison, the current status of Ottawa’s Centretown is either streets designed as highways to shuttle suburban commuters in and out of the core, or dense commercial streets like Bank, Preston, Somerset and Wellington West — unpleasant, car-clogged thoroughfares. The ByWard Market largely prioritizes cars and street-level parking, ignoring the potential to make the space truly enjoyable.

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Recently, Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s former chief urban planner, sparked a conversation on social media asking people to suggest cities that COULD be great. He started by naming, you guessed it, Ottawa.

Gil Penalosa, founder of 880 Cities and the runner-up in the 2022 Toronto mayoral race, said something similar when he spoke in Ottawa pre-pandemic: We have the bones to be great, but without good active and public transportation and pedestrianized spaces, we are unlikely to achieve our potential. And recent city actions are seemingly distancing us from becoming a livable city.

Last year, there was the bizarre effort to bring cars back to the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, countering the NCC’s efforts to align with the city’s own Official Plan, which asks the NCC to “re-imagine the Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Colonel By Drive to reduce the roads’ importance as a commuter route in favour of pedestrian activity and green space connections with consideration of Canal crossings. This may include limiting vehicular access and reducing traffic speed.”

Another example was returning Wellington Street in front of Parliament to a car-congested thoroughfare instead of transforming it into what should be a grand promenade that Ottawans can be proud of and that visitors can talk about fondly upon returning home.

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Thankfully, the NCC has taken positive steps. It continued the active-use program and has also done amazing work turning Gatineau Park roadways back into park space. The same could happen at the Rideau Canal.

Imagine the two parkways and canal transformed into Ottawa’s jewel by becoming Queen Elizabeth National Urban Park, a year-round active transportation corridor. Imagine a magnificent park and perhaps one parkway becoming a skateway in the winter, since we’ve basically lost the Rideau Canal Skateway due to climate change impeding its freezing.

This new report is great. What we need now is a monumental shift in thinking and leadership. In terms of making our downtown more livable, there is no need to reinvent the wheel; just look to other cities like Montreal and embrace our own Official Plan. After all, we’ve been told we have the bones to be great — so let’s make it happen!

Dave Robertson is a public servant, small business owner, and the vice-president of Bike Ottawa, an organization that advocates for a more livable city.

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