A local French-language organization displaced by the city’s light-rail project said it has acquired a vacant building lot in Vanier, where it plans to construct a $25-million “hub” for the Franco-Ontarian community.
The Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontariens said it has purchased a property on on the south side of Montreal Road, between Dupuis and Bégin streets.
“We had no choice,” said association president Benoit Mercier in a statement.
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
Last month Ottawa Salus launched “Opening Doors to Dignity,” a $5-million campaign to construct a 54-unit independent living building on Capilano Drive. Set to open in late 2025, this innovative
“We were served with a notice of expropriation by the city of Ottawa for our property located at 681 Belfast Rd.”
No purchase price was disclosed. The association said the cost of constructing a new office building on the site will be approximately $25 million. Architectural plans are still being drafted, according to an association spokesperson.
The city is expropriating several properties on Belfast Road to make way for a maintenance yard for the LRT project.
The French-language labour organization, which represents workers in Ontario’s French-language schools and institutions, is hoping to find other like-minded tenants to share the space in the building so it becomes a hub for Ontario’s Franco-Ontarian community.
