NCC board approves victims of communism memorial in Garden of the Provinces and Territories

A memorial for victims of communism can be built in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories after the National Capital Commission board approved a federal land use request at its meeting Thursday morning.

• Government seeks feedback on memorial to victims of communism
• Memorial should be small, reflect Canadian values: survey
• NCC rescinds land use for victims of communism monument

Construction of the monument in the garden west of the terraces will require the "sensitive and appropriate" relocation of Twelve Points in Classical Balance, an artwork by Chung Hung, said Stephen Willis, the NCC's executive director of capital planning.

The site was previously approved in June 2011, but the NCC approved a different site near the Supreme Court of Canada building on Wellington Street in November 2013, garnering much criticism as the space had previously been pegged for a new federal court building.

In January 2016, the NCC rescinded the use of land near the Supreme Court of Canada, after the new Liberal government joined a host of critics in denouncing the site.

In February, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly invited Canadians to offer online input on a new design for the memorial, as the initial winning design was criticized for its scale. 

A new design for the memorial would still need to be approved by the NCC board for the site. 

The monument is expected to be complete in 2018.