Ottawa, Gatineau mayors gain seats at NCC table

Jim Watson first started lobbying for a seat on the National Capital Commission's board of directors in 1997, during his first go-round as mayor of Ottawa. 

Now, 19 years later, he's finally getting his wish, signing on as a non-voting member of the NCC's decision-making body alongside his counterpart from across the Ottawa River, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin.

"It's been a long time coming but, as they say, sometimes you have to wait for good things to happen," said Watson as he sat down to sign a declaration with Pedneaud-Jobin and NCC chair Russell Mills.

With that, the mayors become ex-officio observers and can attend their first NCC board meeting April 28.

They will not have the right to cast votes, but they will be able to participate in discussions and ask questions, and Watson said he's hopeful the mayors can help the board arrive at decisions by consensus.

Light rail, LeBreton, Lac Leamy

Watson and Pedneaud-Jobin stepped up their battle for a seat at the table in January 2014 when they called on prime minister Stephen Harper to overhaul the governance of the NCC, citing major issues affecting both cities, including transit and development.

Watson pointed to the lengthy dispute that ensued when the NCC surprised the city with a request to bury more of the western leg of the planned light rail line.

"The NCC owns lots of land that's part of phase two, so we think sitting around the table working with the NCC as opposed to finding out information afterward is a win for both the taxpayers and the two organizations."

The redevelopment of LeBreton Flats is another file that Watson said could benefit from municipal input, given that it will include matters such as zoning, sewer work and transit stations that fall under the city's jurisdiction.

Gatineau's mayor, meanwhile, wants the NCC to expand its vision for livening up shorelines beyond the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River to include Gatineau waterways Ruisseau de la Brasserie and Lac Leamy.

"For us it's important that those shorelines are included, not just the Ottawa River. So people come inside the city."

'A true change of culture'

Watson first sought a board seat at the federal Crown corporation in 1997, when he was mayor of pre-amalgamated Ottawa. 

Watson credits the minister responsible for the NCC, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, for quickly making local representation an issue for the NCC.

Just before the mayors signed the declaration Monday, Joly called it a historic chance to develop the potential of the region's economy, planning and mass transit.

"I think that this is a true change of culture for the National Capital Region," said Joly.

The two mayors may not be the only new voices around the table for long.

Joly wants indigenous people to have more say in NCC matters, and the NCC is looking at how to better include smaller communities within the capital region in its decision making.