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From the Globe:
Cost of Parliament Hill renovations climbs past $1-billion
The Canadian Press
July 19, 2008 at 1:50 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The cost of renovating and rebuilding the historic Parliament Hill buildings has climbed to a minimum of $1-billion, according to Public Works budgets and plans.
The latest estimates the department provided to The Canadian Press do not include additional costs for major repairs to the Centre Block, where corner towers are already bound by steel cables to prevent possible collapse.
The entire renovation project will not be complete for more than a decade, according to the latest timetable.
In the meantime, tourists might want to be cautious.
A statue of Queen Victoria sits in the middle of the renovated Parliament Hill library in Ottawa. A ceremony marking the completion of the renovations took place in May, 2006.
Enlarge Image
A statue of Queen Victoria sits in the middle of the renovated Parliament Hill library in Ottawa. A ceremony marking the completion of the renovations took place in May, 2006. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
High wire fencing has been erected at a north corner of the Centre Block to prevent Hill pedestrians and visitors from coming too close to crumbling mortar and the danger of falling bits of stone from the walls and towers.
The southeast corner of the West Block has been shrouded in white all-weather construction sheeting for more than a year.
For the second summer in a row, brown see-through webbing is wrapped around other towers, looking like giant nylon socks over stone.
The webbing is also a protection against crumbling mortar and stone.
A veteran heritage architect blames slow progress on the fact that Parliament and the government of the day, not Public Works, controls the purse strings.
“It's delayed by the politics of the thing,†says Ken Elder, retired after a lifelong career as a federal government heritage architect.
“The change of governments, and each one hasn't got a majority, and they stall and wait; this is way overdue. Public Works can jump up and down and say ‘this needs doing and that needs doing,' but ultimately it's the Hill that decides what goes on there.â€
Though they look like gigantic elastic bands, the steel cables strung around most of the towers, holding large planks onto the cornerstones, are crucial.
“They could collapse onto the roof and come through,†says Mr. Elder.
“Ultimately, it's an eyesore, you want those things gone, you want them permanently stabilized and restored. This is your nation's capital and it doesn't look good if it's a constant work site.â€
Public Works responded in an email that “safety is a top priority for the government of Canada, as well as for the House of Commons and the Senate (and) depending on the specific condition of a structure, cables, netting and other mitigation measures are installed.â€
New Democrat MP Pat Martin says rain and moisture incessantly leak through the stone walls outside his West Block corner office, blistering interior drywall, which is constantly patched and than patched again after more weathering.
“Our Parliament buildings are a national treasure, but they've suffered terribly from decades of neglect,†he says. “Successive governments have lacked the courage to do necessary repairs.â€
Mr. Elder says long-overdue renovations of the Centre Block could add another $500-million to the cost of the project.
Public Works would only release a preliminary budget of $821.5-million the government has approved for restoration of the 19th-century West Block, saying it is premature to “speculate†on costs for the other two buildings.
The department says completion of the West Block renovations and further work on the East Block — which includes the room where prime minister Mackenzie King's war cabinet met more than a half-century ago — will not be complete until the year 2020.
It is not until then, with new temporary chambers for the House of Commons and the Senate constructed in the courtyards of the East Block and the West Block, that the long-overdue renovation of the Centre Block can begin, according to Public Works.
In 1998, then Liberal public works minister Alfonso Gagliano estimated the renovations for all three buildings would cost $483-million and take until this year to complete.
Mr. Elder said the East Block renovations will likely be a further $200-million in addition to the West Block costs.
In the meantime, he says, the buildings have become an “eyesore†after continual delays and cost overruns since the renovation project began more than 10 years ago.
If recent history is a sign of what is to come, even the $1-billion estimate may be wildly optimistic.
The only completed project so far — restoration and renovation of the library building that survived the famous 1916 fire — rang in at a cost of $136 million. The original estimate was $83-million.
A member of the Heritage Ottawa preservation society says he understands governments must establish their own spending priorities, but adds the parliamentary buildings should be high on the list.
“There are certain compulsory figures as far as heritage preservation is concerned and I think our national monuments that represent our democratic system of government should be up there pretty high,†said David Flemming.
The Conservative government has placed its spending priorities in the wrong areas, particularly in light of the large budget surpluses over the past few years, says Mr. Martin.
“They spend billions on things like drone aircraft with no discussion or debate, yet something as basic as maintaining the Parliament buildings seems beyond their ability.â€
Major aspects of the West Block renovation work include seismic reinforcement of building foundations and walls for earthquake protection, interior asbestos removal, new masonry, upgrades for emergency systems, new copper roofing, new windows, chimney restoration and excavation and repair of the tower foundations.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wreno0719/BNStory/National/home
AoD
Cost of Parliament Hill renovations climbs past $1-billion
The Canadian Press
July 19, 2008 at 1:50 PM EDT
OTTAWA — The cost of renovating and rebuilding the historic Parliament Hill buildings has climbed to a minimum of $1-billion, according to Public Works budgets and plans.
The latest estimates the department provided to The Canadian Press do not include additional costs for major repairs to the Centre Block, where corner towers are already bound by steel cables to prevent possible collapse.
The entire renovation project will not be complete for more than a decade, according to the latest timetable.
In the meantime, tourists might want to be cautious.
A statue of Queen Victoria sits in the middle of the renovated Parliament Hill library in Ottawa. A ceremony marking the completion of the renovations took place in May, 2006.
Enlarge Image
A statue of Queen Victoria sits in the middle of the renovated Parliament Hill library in Ottawa. A ceremony marking the completion of the renovations took place in May, 2006. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
High wire fencing has been erected at a north corner of the Centre Block to prevent Hill pedestrians and visitors from coming too close to crumbling mortar and the danger of falling bits of stone from the walls and towers.
The southeast corner of the West Block has been shrouded in white all-weather construction sheeting for more than a year.
For the second summer in a row, brown see-through webbing is wrapped around other towers, looking like giant nylon socks over stone.
The webbing is also a protection against crumbling mortar and stone.
A veteran heritage architect blames slow progress on the fact that Parliament and the government of the day, not Public Works, controls the purse strings.
“It's delayed by the politics of the thing,†says Ken Elder, retired after a lifelong career as a federal government heritage architect.
“The change of governments, and each one hasn't got a majority, and they stall and wait; this is way overdue. Public Works can jump up and down and say ‘this needs doing and that needs doing,' but ultimately it's the Hill that decides what goes on there.â€
Though they look like gigantic elastic bands, the steel cables strung around most of the towers, holding large planks onto the cornerstones, are crucial.
“They could collapse onto the roof and come through,†says Mr. Elder.
“Ultimately, it's an eyesore, you want those things gone, you want them permanently stabilized and restored. This is your nation's capital and it doesn't look good if it's a constant work site.â€
Public Works responded in an email that “safety is a top priority for the government of Canada, as well as for the House of Commons and the Senate (and) depending on the specific condition of a structure, cables, netting and other mitigation measures are installed.â€
New Democrat MP Pat Martin says rain and moisture incessantly leak through the stone walls outside his West Block corner office, blistering interior drywall, which is constantly patched and than patched again after more weathering.
“Our Parliament buildings are a national treasure, but they've suffered terribly from decades of neglect,†he says. “Successive governments have lacked the courage to do necessary repairs.â€
Mr. Elder says long-overdue renovations of the Centre Block could add another $500-million to the cost of the project.
Public Works would only release a preliminary budget of $821.5-million the government has approved for restoration of the 19th-century West Block, saying it is premature to “speculate†on costs for the other two buildings.
The department says completion of the West Block renovations and further work on the East Block — which includes the room where prime minister Mackenzie King's war cabinet met more than a half-century ago — will not be complete until the year 2020.
It is not until then, with new temporary chambers for the House of Commons and the Senate constructed in the courtyards of the East Block and the West Block, that the long-overdue renovation of the Centre Block can begin, according to Public Works.
In 1998, then Liberal public works minister Alfonso Gagliano estimated the renovations for all three buildings would cost $483-million and take until this year to complete.
Mr. Elder said the East Block renovations will likely be a further $200-million in addition to the West Block costs.
In the meantime, he says, the buildings have become an “eyesore†after continual delays and cost overruns since the renovation project began more than 10 years ago.
If recent history is a sign of what is to come, even the $1-billion estimate may be wildly optimistic.
The only completed project so far — restoration and renovation of the library building that survived the famous 1916 fire — rang in at a cost of $136 million. The original estimate was $83-million.
A member of the Heritage Ottawa preservation society says he understands governments must establish their own spending priorities, but adds the parliamentary buildings should be high on the list.
“There are certain compulsory figures as far as heritage preservation is concerned and I think our national monuments that represent our democratic system of government should be up there pretty high,†said David Flemming.
The Conservative government has placed its spending priorities in the wrong areas, particularly in light of the large budget surpluses over the past few years, says Mr. Martin.
“They spend billions on things like drone aircraft with no discussion or debate, yet something as basic as maintaining the Parliament buildings seems beyond their ability.â€
Major aspects of the West Block renovation work include seismic reinforcement of building foundations and walls for earthquake protection, interior asbestos removal, new masonry, upgrades for emergency systems, new copper roofing, new windows, chimney restoration and excavation and repair of the tower foundations.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080719.wreno0719/BNStory/National/home
AoD
