1 00:00:06,460 --> 00:00:12,680 Hi there, my name is Tobi Nussbaum. I'm the CEO of the National Capital Commission and 2 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:19,400 welcome to Capital Stories. In today's episode, we're going to talk about the Core Area Plan, 3 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:25,360 something that is important in the NCC's planning framework and something our board of directors 4 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:32,900 just passed this past June. With me today is Patrick Bunting, who really was the architect 5 00:00:32,900 --> 00:00:39,400 of leading us through this plan, which was a refresh from our 2005 plan, if memory serves. 6 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,740 So, Patrick, welcome to Capital Stories. Hi Tobi, thank you. Happy to be here. 7 00:00:44,060 --> 00:00:50,700 Great. So maybe just to start, can you tell us a little bit about 2005 to 2025. 8 00:00:51,300 --> 00:00:56,920 What has changed in the core area in the 20 years between the last time we took a look at this 9 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,080 and why was it important for us to update the plan? 10 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:07,800 Well, a lot's changed. Twenty years is a long time. So, if you kind of think back to that period, 11 00:01:08,580 --> 00:01:12,300 that's before the pandemic. Going further back, it's before kind of Truth and Reconciliation 12 00:01:12,300 --> 00:01:19,980 Calls to Action. Federal Accessible Canada Act has come into play. Business has changed. 13 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:24,700 Sustainability and environmental conversations have changed. Equity and diversity conversations 14 00:01:24,700 --> 00:01:30,240 have changed. So, a lot has taken place in that 20-year time span. And as much as it was a forward- 15 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:35,400 looking plan in 2005, a lot of those things need to be refreshed. So that's typical that these 16 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:40,760 plans get kind of reviewed and updated on a ten-to-twenty-year basis. And we were due to revisit this 17 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:46,460 plan. Makes sense. Now, core area, I understand it. I've been looking at the briefings that you've 18 00:01:46,460 --> 00:01:51,160 offered over the last number of years on this. But can you describe to our viewers and listeners, 19 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,620 when we talk about the core area of the capital, what are we talking about? 20 00:01:55,300 --> 00:02:02,300 So, it's a large area. Includes two downtowns of Ottawa and Gatineau. And it's about nine 21 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:05,880 square kilometres. So, just in terms of the landmass that's covered here in the west, 22 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:11,260 it goes all the way from LeBreton Flats on the Ottawa side to Rideau Hall. And then it includes 23 00:02:11,260 --> 00:02:16,300 all of l'Ile de Hull in the Gatineau context as well. So obviously, it includes a lot of really 24 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:21,220 iconic symbolic places, Parliament Hill, Rideau Hall, the Supreme Court of Canada, 25 00:02:21,540 --> 00:02:27,100 as well as a lot of our galleries, museums and so forth. And it's just a really culturally 26 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:31,440 significant and important place with a lot of history. We are sitting here along the shorelines 27 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:37,540 of the Ottawa River at the home of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Are we just on 28 00:02:37,540 --> 00:02:41,040 the eastern edge of the core area? Or are we outside the core area? We are inside the core. 29 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:45,280 We're just about if we went another maybe a kilometre and a half that way, we'd be outside 30 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:51,220 the core. But this is within the core. And yeah, what an amazing view where this is a really unique 31 00:02:51,220 --> 00:02:55,920 area. We have about 34 kilometres of shoreline that are inside the core. That's great. Now, 32 00:02:56,020 --> 00:03:03,340 I'm curious, you and I know that the core area plan falls underneath our master planning framework, 33 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:09,780 which is the Plan for Canada's Capital. And is this idea of having planning frameworks for what 34 00:03:09,780 --> 00:03:15,100 the Capital will look like in 10 or 20 years? Is that something that other capitals have as 35 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:19,300 well? Are we unique in that? Or do we find if we look around the world that other capitals do 36 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:23,860 something similar? I think a lot of capitals do this type of planning work. I think the NCC 37 00:03:24,460 --> 00:03:29,220 as a planning agency is unique in the sense that we are also the owners and stewards of a lot of 38 00:03:29,220 --> 00:03:35,840 lands. But it's typical for all cities, and especially major capitals, to have plans that 39 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,840 are long term, forward looking, and are kind of charting a course towards what they hope to become 40 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,080 and make sure that they preserve the most important characteristics of their cities. 41 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:51,080 So, talking about the plan, I know there are three big moves that have been identified in the plan. 42 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,680 Can you talk a little bit about what those three big moves are and why they're important? 43 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,180 Yep. So maybe I'll start by just going back to how we came up with those three big moves. 44 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:07,080 Great. So early on in the process, we looked at what had been done in 2005, took stock of the 45 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:13,180 most important pieces of that, and also looked at the important kind of character of this study 46 00:04:13,180 --> 00:04:20,500 area. So there's thousands of years of Algonquin cultural significance, the Algonquin traditional 47 00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:25,880 territory, all of the landmark sites that we have here. And that sort of started to shape the 48 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:30,660 conversation about what's important and what do we need to change. So, in the process, we started 49 00:04:30,660 --> 00:04:36,640 with going out to the communities, putting out pop-up kiosks, doing public consultations, workshops, 50 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:42,260 and so forth to identify what are the main thrusts of this plan. What is it that we want to build upon? 51 00:04:43,060 --> 00:04:47,500 Because we are starting from 125 years of capital building. So, it's not a matter of starting from 52 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:52,300 scratch, it's a matter of building and continuing that legacy. So, the three big moves that came 53 00:04:52,300 --> 00:04:57,320 out through those discussions, the first one is 'turn towards the water.' Appropriate. Appropriately. 54 00:04:58,060 --> 00:05:03,500 We have an amazing richness of rivers. I can hear the waterfall right next to me that's rushing. 55 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:07,640 This is a really, really unique characteristic of our capital and of this city. 56 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:13,780 And therefore, that was really a key part' is how do we bring people to the water? How do we activate 57 00:05:13,780 --> 00:05:19,620 those shorelines? How do we preserve the ecological integrity of the waterways and the riverfronts? 58 00:05:19,620 --> 00:05:26,720 But to create more opportunity, more interest, more services and potential for people to enjoy 59 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:32,420 and get onto the water as well. So not just how it is perceived from the land, but what can you do on 60 00:05:32,420 --> 00:05:36,620 the waterways and how do they connect back to important places? So, turn towards the water is 61 00:05:36,620 --> 00:05:42,260 number one. Number two is 'make great places.' So here we're talking about creating destinations, 62 00:05:42,820 --> 00:05:48,380 capitalizing on all the amazing landmarks and cultural resources that we have here in the region. 63 00:05:48,860 --> 00:05:55,220 So, as much as honouring and preserving our UNESCO world heritage sites and heritage 64 00:05:55,220 --> 00:06:01,860 buildings, but then also bringing new services, amenities, commercial activations, partnerships 65 00:06:01,860 --> 00:06:06,360 that can infuse life and vitality into those spaces. So, a good example of this, something that 66 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:11,380 we heard really strongly from the public, is the NCC's Bistro projects in our Capital parks are 67 00:06:11,380 --> 00:06:15,100 hugely successful, very much appreciated. And those are the types of things that we could see 68 00:06:15,100 --> 00:06:19,520 continuing to be brought forward as opportunities in different contexts with different partners. 69 00:06:20,660 --> 00:06:27,500 And lastly is 'make connections.' So, creating connections is really about the core area 70 00:06:27,500 --> 00:06:32,480 being at the centre of this whole region and the idea that we have waterways that connect us to 71 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:39,160 Montreal, Temiskaming, Kingston, Maniwaki, and on top of that also extensive pathway networks. 72 00:06:40,020 --> 00:06:44,640 We have 220 kilometres of capital pathways throughout this area that connect to Gatineau 73 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:48,220 Park and the Greenbelt and they all converge on the core area. So, it's about tying those 74 00:06:48,220 --> 00:06:52,860 things together, making sure that we have good public transit, active mobility systems, 75 00:06:52,860 --> 00:06:58,240 and that those are opportunities to get us to these destinations and major tourist sites. 76 00:06:58,700 --> 00:07:04,980 Great. So going from the macro, which are the three big moves, and drilling down a little bit 77 00:07:04,980 --> 00:07:10,580 and understanding what that means in concrete terms on a micro level, what would you say, 78 00:07:10,740 --> 00:07:17,020 let's say in 10 years time, so we're in 2035, and hopefully you're still at the NCC, Patrick, at that 79 00:07:17,020 --> 00:07:23,340 point, and you're reflecting on the previous decade. What would you like to have seen happen 80 00:07:23,340 --> 00:07:30,900 in the time between 2025 and 2035 which would show that the Core Area Plan was a successful guide 81 00:07:30,900 --> 00:07:36,800 to some of those more micro interventions? So, I think one of the biggest measures of success will 82 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:44,640 be more people' more people doing things downtown in Gatineau, in Ottawa, making sure that our downtowns 83 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,520 are strong and resilient and a place where people want to live and they want to work. 84 00:07:49,420 --> 00:07:54,300 So, I think this is as much a challenge for' it's something that, actually, we inherited from the 85 00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:58,560 past and we need to look at really what's the opportunity that we have today to change some 86 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:06,720 of the patterns. So, in 2005, one of the criticisms was that downtown is' there's not a lot of people 87 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:11,600 living there, there's a lot of federal functions, office spaces and so forth, so after five o'clock, 88 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:16,740 it's a little bit sparse, there's not a lot of things going on. That has sort of shifted with 89 00:08:16,740 --> 00:08:21,040 the pandemic and different work patterns and so forth. There's opportunity, I think, right now, 90 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:26,900 to bring more residents downtown, which then stimulates the business sectors and also provides 91 00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:32,240 the density that we need to have animation and commercial offerings within the beautiful 92 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:37,240 spaces that we are managing and planning for. So, I think one of those things is more people 93 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:43,620 doing more things and making sure that there's a wide variety of opportunities, more equitable 94 00:08:43,620 --> 00:08:49,460 options for people of all ages and abilities to really use the core area and appreciate its 95 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:54,980 qualities. So, if I were to go back then to the three big moves, for the NCC that means 96 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:03,200 figuring out ways on NCC lands to develop housing, to think about ways that we can contribute to 97 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:08,340 greater density in the downtown core; it means offering better access to the water, it means 98 00:09:08,340 --> 00:09:13,480 creating even more great spaces and then making it easy for people to get there. 99 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:19,520 Exactly, yep. It's all part and parcel, so these all come together. Conversions from office space 100 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,060 to residential, there's a lot of things that are shifting right now. We're seeing major 101 00:09:23,060 --> 00:09:28,500 infrastructure projects coming for public transit, bridges that are being replaced. 102 00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:33,820 These types of things are kind of moments in time that we can capitalize on. So, if we're clear on our 103 00:09:33,820 --> 00:09:37,740 goals and our objectives, the values that we're really trying to work towards, then we can seize 104 00:09:37,740 --> 00:09:42,040 these opportunities to say, hey, this is a possibility that wasn't present before we 105 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,840 changed this piece of infrastructure, but now we could reimagine it in a new way. Yeah, I think 106 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:51,220 that makes sense and I think the timing has been great. I mean the Board is approving this in June 107 00:09:51,220 --> 00:09:58,940 2025 in the context of, really, an attempt by both cities and the NCC and many other partners 108 00:09:58,940 --> 00:10:05,780 to think about downtown revitalization post COVID-19, and so, I imagine that in your discussions 109 00:10:05,780 --> 00:10:12,400 with partners' well, you tell me, has there been an openness to this or was this plan in the draft 110 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:18,060 stage and now that it's finished being treated with enthusiasm by partners? What has been the reaction 111 00:10:18,060 --> 00:10:22,820 in the various discussions you've had with them? So far, we're seeing a lot of alignment actually, 112 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:27,520 there's a lot of common goals. So, I think there's an acknowledgement that we all need to work 113 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:32,000 together to be able to achieve something that's good for the region and that the capital is a city 114 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,880 and the city is a capital. That's part of our main concept for this plan, is that those aren't 115 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:42,200 mutually exclusive ideas. So, I think we're seeing a lot of harmonization of different actors. I'll 116 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:47,680 maybe say that the plan as approved by the Board in June is the first volume and now we're really 117 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:52,360 starting to get into the deeper level of the conversations about specific sectors: what are 118 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:56,760 the tangible changes and opportunities that reside in each, and the roles and responsibilities 119 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:03,080 amongst different actors? So, the NCC is only one agency amongst many who have a role in this 120 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:08,880 and it's a conversation that I think is going to continue over the coming year and 121 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:14,480 will require strong partnerships amongst the cities, federal agencies, and the NCC obviously 122 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:19,220 has a strong role in shaping that conversation, as well as approving federal projects on federal 123 00:11:19,220 --> 00:11:24,760 lands. Great. I want to go back to the three big moves in the sense of, you know, we've talked 124 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:29,880 about making great places, we've talked about turning towards the water. I guess we actually 125 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,440 should be facing the other way, but if we're turning towards the water' but I'm looking at the 126 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:39,720 falls so I've got a pretty good view. Maybe the third element, the idea of the connections. 127 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:46,640 Let's talk specifically about transportation and mobility in the Capital. In 10 years' time, 128 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:52,800 with hopefully more density in the core, with even more great spaces, with even more access to our 129 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:58,960 amazing shorelines and waterways, what does better mobility mean? I think it's about having options 130 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:04,400 and there's not going to be one solution for everyone. So, I think, when we think about making 131 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:09,600 sure that the city itself, and the downtown in particular, being walkable and dense and having a 132 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:15,120 lot of opportunity in a compact space, that's the start point. Then there's the idea of people 133 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:20,200 coming to that centre point. So there's also the regional mobility network in terms of public 134 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:25,800 transit to make sure that people can access the core, in and out of the core, but also making sure 135 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:31,760 that there's specific solutions for specific needs. So, another thing that's come out is the idea of' 136 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:35,500 wouldn't it be great to be able to get to Gatineau Park and we have a shuttle service for that'but 137 00:12:35,500 --> 00:12:41,280 what about Rideau Hall? What about the Kichi Zibi Mikan parkway? There's other spaces that are outside 138 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,540 of the core, but that are essentially really great destinations. So it's about connecting those 139 00:12:46,540 --> 00:12:52,280 pieces together and potentially coming up with different ways to connect adjacent areas. I think 140 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:57,840 the waterways themselves is a really underutilized potential. So, the idea of expanding upon a water 141 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:03,240 taxi or aquabus system, connecting different waterfront nodes and activation points'that's 142 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,880 something that I think can really be leveraged in the future. I think that's right, and when I 143 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:12,460 think about 2035 in 10 years' time and I think about mobility, one of the dreams that 144 00:13:12,460 --> 00:13:18,740 the NCC has set out is: Could there be a tram loop that goes around Confederation Boulevard? So, from 145 00:13:18,740 --> 00:13:25,460 Laurier in Gatineau across the Portage Bridge along Wellington and back over by then what will 146 00:13:25,460 --> 00:13:30,720 be the new Alexandra Bridge. I don't know if it will be renamed or not at that point' and so 147 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:36,640 mobility in terms of encouraging and catalyzing more movement within the core. I think about 148 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:42,540 things like the Centre Block project, which should be done by 2035. I think about projects like the 149 00:13:42,540 --> 00:13:48,320 Cliff Street heating plant which has now' which will have when it opens' amazing accessibility from 150 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:53,000 the escarpment down to the water level. I think about the fact that we opened this past spring 151 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:59,240 K'wek' Point and Westboro Beach, and so we've got these new great places. So, I get excited about the 152 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:05,480 idea that the core area could be even more dynamic, even more interesting, lots of great places with 153 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:10,200 the density that I think you're hoping to see in the plan. That goal of having more people be able 154 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:15,980 to enjoy that from a closer distance would also be great. So that's my vision. What am I missing? 155 00:14:16,060 --> 00:14:21,080 Are there other pieces that you would add in Patrick's dream of 2035? Are there other elements 156 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,760 of the core that you would want to see or that you get excited about in thinking through it? 157 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,280 Well no' and you've touched on a lot of them. I think part of this is we're setting a long-term 158 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,860 vision. So, this is, you know, we're imagining the capital mid-century, 2050, and beyond. We have some 159 00:14:34,860 --> 00:14:40,080 ideas that might take a hundred years to realize, but it's really this idea of, we're building on 160 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,980 what's happening right now, and we don't really know exactly the full potential of that until 161 00:14:43,980 --> 00:14:47,420 we take that first step, and then there's new things that get unlocked. So, I think a great 162 00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:52,440 example of that is Lady Grey Drive, the potential to re' kind of imagine that as a pedestrian 163 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,880 promenade space with new waterfront activation. And then obviously a lot of excitement this year 164 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:01,480 about K'wek' Point opening. The photos are fantastic. Everyone's excited. We're seeing that 165 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,800 on social media right now. But where does that connect to next? And that's where those ideas 166 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:11,900 start to link together through time. So, we're at the Rideau Falls right now. There's the potential 167 00:15:11,900 --> 00:15:16,660 for the Rideau to Rideau' kind of continuity of this entire shoreline to be transformed through 168 00:15:16,660 --> 00:15:21,940 time. So I think it's this idea of, we've gone the first kind of initial steps and then we look for 169 00:15:21,940 --> 00:15:25,520 those connections and that's where all these three big moves really work together' is, 170 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:31,560 turning towards the water, creating these great places, building some destinations, reasons to go, 171 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,720 places to visit and then linking them together, and those links will come through time. So the mobility 172 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,200 and the destinations are really part and parcel with each other. I want to talk just for a minute 173 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:45,320 about Gatineau because there tends to be, probably due to Parliament Hill and due to the fact that 174 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:51,460 the City of Ottawa is a larger metropolitan area, maybe sometimes less attention paid on Gatineau, 175 00:15:51,460 --> 00:15:56,760 but I feel like the plan does a good job in ensuring that Gatineau is considered. It's 176 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:01,940 certainly part of the core area, as you talked about earlier. I know there are plans to rehabilitate 177 00:16:01,940 --> 00:16:07,700 Jacques-Cartier Park after the new bridge is in place. Yep. And I know there's lots of talk about 178 00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:13,320 how Ruisseau de la Brasserie, Brewery Creek, can be utilized to better improve the public realm and 179 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:19,520 to think about housing in that context too. Do you think there is a way for us to do even more to 180 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:25,360 integrate Gatineau into the core area, and does the plan offer some ways that we can do that? 181 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:30,060 Yeah, I think' so right behind us, we have Jacques-Cartier Park on the opposite shore here. 182 00:16:30,220 --> 00:16:34,540 So again, if we think of the waterway as a connecting space as opposed to something 183 00:16:34,540 --> 00:16:39,400 that separates the two cities, I think that in and of itself brings both of them to the table. 184 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,120 Obviously, two different cities, two different municipal contexts, different objectives for 185 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:49,740 both cities, but a lot of the' again, commonality. I think everyone wants two strong downtowns and 186 00:16:49,740 --> 00:16:55,080 how can we build connections from the public spaces that are potentially federal waterfronts 187 00:16:55,080 --> 00:17:01,680 towards the downtown. So that's part of the context. I think what we're looking to do 188 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:08,180 really is to give people cues and indications of what's available' because I think sometimes 189 00:17:08,740 --> 00:17:16,319 there's this kind of separation between public space, federal spaces and private or kind of 190 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:23,260 municipal spaces, and at times it's about rethinking this boundary effect that happens between land 191 00:17:23,260 --> 00:17:29,740 ownership or agencies. So, if we can really lean into the patterns of our city that' making sure 192 00:17:29,740 --> 00:17:33,440 that streetscapes are cohesive and connected and when you get to the end of a great street, 193 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:38,480 you're in a great park and that great park leads you to great waterfront. Those are the kinds of 194 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,100 things that are going to really start to stitch it together. So I think the Gatineau context is 195 00:17:42,100 --> 00:17:46,860 actually extremely exciting in the sense that we have huge amounts of beautiful waterfront park 196 00:17:46,860 --> 00:17:53,160 spaces there. Again, probably missing activation, probably missing specific services and amenities 197 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:58,220 for proper events to be held in those spaces. So that's part of the program that this plan is 198 00:17:58,220 --> 00:18:02,460 bringing forward. Yeah, and speaking of events, I think the other thing that we would hope for in 199 00:18:02,460 --> 00:18:08,480 the future, certainly in a ten-year time frame, is a new major event centre at LeBreton Flats and I 200 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:14,200 know the owner of the Ottawa Senators, Michael Andlauer, has talked about an interest in really 201 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:20,020 trying to increase the fan base for the hockey team, but also, you can imagine for a major event 202 00:18:20,020 --> 00:18:25,640 centre, whether it's concerts or other activities, really trying to create a draw from both sides of 203 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:30,760 the river, and I wonder if LeBreton Flats and the very ambitious plans we have for that area, 204 00:18:31,340 --> 00:18:36,760 along with Zibi, and along with other things that are happening, including the central public library, 205 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:43,300 are also going to help with that notion of using the river, as you say, of not a way of separation, 206 00:18:43,300 --> 00:18:49,760 but a way of joining the capital. So LeBreton Flats I assume is also in the core area and lots 207 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,860 of exciting things coming there too. For sure. And the LeBreton Master Concept Plan is a great template, 208 00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:58,280 so the Core Area Plan is sort of reaffirming that, but looking at how does it fit into its broader 209 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:04,680 context. So, obviously the William Commanda Bridge is a great connection right now between 210 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,660 Ottawa and Gatineau'that's again in that same vicinity. If there's new transit coming from 211 00:19:09,660 --> 00:19:15,080 Gatineau into the downtown and core, that's an opportunity to bring, you know, Gatineau residents 212 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:21,300 into these event spaces and so forth. So, all of this is really at the core area level about looking 213 00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:25,340 at what are the different pieces on the playing board and how do they connect with each other and 214 00:19:25,340 --> 00:19:28,900 are we missing anything? That's the question that we're kind of keeping in mind throughout this 215 00:19:28,900 --> 00:19:33,500 whole process. Have we covered it all off, and as we move into each of these sectors to study them 216 00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:38,140 in more detail, how do we take the goals, the principles, and the concept that we've 217 00:19:38,140 --> 00:19:42,060 established and apply that to each place to really make sure that we're hitting all of our baseline 218 00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:48,040 measurements? And that'll be the exciting kind of opportunity heading forward is' what does that look 219 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,220 like and what does that feel like? Then we're going to get into the design of these spaces and 220 00:19:51,220 --> 00:19:56,380 really start to see projects emerge that are in keeping with those aspirations. Well, I think 221 00:19:56,380 --> 00:20:01,140 that's great' I think that's a great summary, you've really described, I think, the aspiration, the fact 222 00:20:01,140 --> 00:20:06,360 that this is a framework' lots to do both on the demonstration plans and ultimately the implementation. 223 00:20:06,980 --> 00:20:12,680 I'm excited, I'm optimistic about how the Core Area Plan is going to lead us into a more inspiring 224 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:17,720 Capital not, just as you say, in the ten-year time frame, but even looking out further. So thank you 225 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,200 for all the work you did on the Core Area Plan, Patrick you and your team, and thanks for joining 226 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,800 me today on Capital Stories. Thank you, Tobi. I really appreciate this. See you later.