How has this area evolved over generations?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Wateridge Village: Story-Collection for AOO/Canada Lands Company Commemoration Program
Canada Lands Company is developing a commemoration program in partnership with the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) for its mixed-use community currently being developed east of Ottawa’s downtown core. Now called Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains, the 310-acre (125 hectare) site is on unceded Algonquin traditional territory and previously the location of the former Rockcliffe Airbase. ERA Architects Inc. and the Dept of Words & Deeds have been engaged by Canada Lands Company to create the commemoration program. Recognizing that community members are experts in their own history and heritage, story-collection is central to the commemoration program. To share your story as part of this program, please visit https://www.clcsic.ca/commemoration-wateridge-riverains or reach out to us directly at info@wateridge.ca.
Background
East of Ottawa’s downtown core, the Canada Lands Company is developing a mixed-use urban community. Now called Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains, the 310-acre (125 hectare) site is on unceded Algonquin traditional territory and previously the location of the former Rockcliffe Airbase.
To help achieve the goals of the Official Plan, the former Rockcliffe Airbase Secondary Plan, the Community Design Plan, and its mandate to celebrate history in new developments, Canada Lands Company is developing a commemoration program for this site in partnership with the Algonquins of Ontario.
The commemoration program will guide how Algonquin, military, francophonie, and other histories are reflected in the Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains development going forward. This Canada Lands Company initiative is being developed collaboratively with the Algonquins of Ontario and with the support of the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. ERA Architects Inc. and the Dept of Words & Deeds have been engaged by Canada Lands Company to create the commemoration program.
The commemoration program will culminate in a handbook that will provide Canada Lands Company and its development partners with collected histories, design principles, precedents, and guidelines to implement future commemorative features within the site’s public realm. Commemorative features may include community signage and wayfinding, public art, street furniture and light fixtures, pavement detailing, and artifact display.
Participants
Canada Lands Company is a self-financing, federal Crown corporation that specializes in real estate, development and attractions management and is the owner of Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains. Its goal is to help transform the places and spaces it owns and operates to meet the needs of Canadians with inspiring and sustainable new neighbourhoods. Canada Lands Company has a long-standing practice of honouring the legacy of the sites it develops with commemorative elements, such as thematic public art, signage, road names, park names, design of public spaces and rights-of-way, and detailing in street furniture, fixtures and pavement.
The Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) represent ten Algonquin communities working together to negotiate a modern-day treaty setting out Algonquin Aboriginal and treaty rights protected under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. A Participation Agreement, signed with Canada Lands Company in 2010, established a direct financial interest for the AOO in the development of Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains. It also outlined opportunities to commemorate Algonquin history and connections to the site and for Algonquin people to engage in all stages of site planning and development. Already, the AOO has been involved in street naming and planning Algonquin commemorative parks and gateway features. The AOO are helping us connect with Algonquin Elders, veterans and community members to ensure that Algonquin history and culture is expressed throughout Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains. In addition to the AOO as rightsholders, the project will engage key stakeholders and the public.
Key stakeholders for this project include veterans and residents from the former airbase and the Francophonie. The histories of these groups will be commemorated in Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains because of their connections to the site and local area. Stories will be collected from stakeholders through interviews and online roundtables.
The public will contribute to the site’s commemoration through story collection. Using a platform called Social Pinpoint, public stories about the history and meaning of the site will be gathered and shared. This builds on public outreach done between 2012 and 2014 as part of the Community Design Plan development.
The Canadian Aviation & Space Museum is supporting outreach activities and contributing local histories, especially as they relate to the stories of the Rockcliffe Airbase.
ERA Architects Inc. (ERA) and Dept of Words & Deeds (DWD) are consultants retained by Canada Lands Company to prepare the commemoration program for Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains. Their collective approach emphasizes commemoration as a collaborative, transparent, and on-going process. They see engagement as a foundation to work towards community-oriented goals and regard participants and communities as experts in their own history and culture. Algonquin engagement and knowledge collection will be directed by the AOO.
- ERA is a Toronto-based architecture firm with satellite offices in Ottawa and Montreal, specializing in landscape, heritage conservation, and planning as they relate to historical places. Their core interest is in connecting heritage issues to wider considerations of urban design and city building, and to broader set of cultural values that provide perspective to our work at different scales.
- DWD carries out engagement, policy and strategy work for the public sector and institutions. Their approach to public engagement emphasizes creative collaboration and inclusive participation in transparent processes that heighten mutual understanding and identify common ground.
Contact Information
You can learn more about the Wateridge Village/Village des Riverains development and get updates on the outreach program at wateridge.ca under “History”. For more information, you can also email info@wateridge.ca.
Canada Lands Company and AOO share a commitment to commemorate the contributions and experience of Algonquin community members, including Algonquin Veterans in this development and would like to hear from you. Do you have time to share your experience with our team?
We welcome all stories related to personal and ancestral experience and knowledge of the site and the surrounding area, including stories of the landscape, community, struggle, service, fun, family, newcomers, and beyond. Your experience does not need to be connected to the former Rockcliffe Airbase; we welcome all stories related to the AOO Settlement Area.
The commemoration program will culminate in a handbook that will provide Canada Lands Company and its development partners with collected histories, design principles, precedents, and guidelines to implement commemorative features within the site. These features may include community signage and wayfinding, public art, street furniture and light fixtures, pavement detailing, and artifact display.
You can share your stories through the public online platform at https://www.clcsic.ca/commemoration-wateridge-riverains. We would also be pleased to engage with you by email or to schedule one-on-one telephone or virtual discussions. Please reach out to us at (info@wateridge.ca).
As part of our outreach, we will provide a consent form to confirm if and how you would like your information to be used for the commemoration program and/or by the AOO in other contexts. A summary of all outreaches will be shared with the Algonquins of Ontario. Your contributions within the handbook and this summary can remain anonymous, should you wish.
If you would like further information on this project, please visit: https://wateridge.ca/.