What Ottawa can learn from Calgary and Winnipeg

Ottawa, I feel a sense of urgency. More than ever I believe that our city needs a real vision for its future. The soon-to-be released economic development strategy seems like a great place to start, attracting investment to emerging industries that have great growth potential. The arts and culture also seem to be increasingly on the City's radar in this term of council. I'm actually impressed with what's been happening during the term of Mayor Watson; I'm seeing vision from different players in the city. Nevertheless I still wonder if Ottawa is maximizing its potential as a major national centre in Canada.

This morning I read an article from Friday's Globe & Mail about the $215-million expansion of Canada Olympic Park in Calgary which WinSport CEO, Dan O’Neill envisions as a “One-stop shop for our [Canada’s] athletes.” The plan includes four new arenas, a high-performance sports institute, a new office space for Hockey Canada, new homes for Alpine Canada and the National Sports School, and a new home for the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame which will be relocating from Toronto’s exhibition grounds. Lastly, dirt from the construction of Calgary’s latest LRT project will be used to turn a hill in the park into a 180-metre high mountain for slalom skiers. All this on top of their current facilities and attractions. The goal is to make Canada into a winter sport powerhouse on the international stage by providing our athletes with a state-of-the-art place to train together and share ideas. At the same time it will make Calgary Canada’s undisputed centre for national sport, diversifying its local economy which is known primarily for oil. This is good news for Calgary which in 2009 surpassed the Ottawa-Gatineau area as the fourth largest metropolitan area despite the fact that we Ottawans still call ourselves Canada’s fourth largest city.

Also in the prairies, Winnipeg is experiencing tremendous growth as $460 million is being invested to build CentrePort, a 20,000 acre inland port being marketed as "Canada's Centre for Global Trade" and "Canada's First Foreign Trade Zone", as a part of the Mid-Continental Trade Corridor and the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APGCI). Built next to Winnipeg's James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, the site will include warehousing, distribution, and manufacturing facilities. The vision also includes a high-speed transportation corridor including a four-lane expressway to the site. Also of note, downtown Winnipeg will soon be graced with Canada’s first national museum outside of the National Capital Region with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Adding a new NHL franchise and gentrification of their downtown due to increased condo development and expansion of their university doesn’t hurt. With the growth of CentrePort, Winnipeg will soon be Canada's centre for shipping.

The level of vision being displayed here is tremendous. They aren't simply looking to diversify their local economies, they are carving out a niche for themselves in the Canadian economy, increasing their roles as national centres. 

OTTAWA IS THE NEW NIAGARA: Capital becomes Canada's newest wine region

You're probably asking, “Wait! When did that happen?”  Well it didn’t, but it’s happening in my head.  Lately I’ve been asking myself how Ottawa can leverage its vast rural land as an asset.

On a Saturday drive through Navan, Ontario in East Ottawa my wife and I saw a sign, not a spiritual epiphany, a literal sign.  It said “Winery”.  We followed the sign and ended up at the Domaine Perrault winery where we met local wine producer, Denis Perrault, and his family.  In talking to Denis I didn’t just see a wine producer but an artist who loves his craft.  He schooled me on his agricultural consulting work in Africa and let me know there were ten more wineries in the area with one more opening in Richmond.  His wine was some of the best wine I've tasted in years!

That’s when I started asking myself whether Ottawa had what it takes to develop its own wine region.  Could that be a solution for leveraging our miles of rural land (and protecting it against sprawl)?  Could that be another plank in our tourism and economic development strategies?  What would happen if the ten wineries in the area were all located in one place?  There are a few factors working in our favour.