It’s called the National Monument to Victims of Communism. A large, multi-million dollar memorial to be built on prime federal land donated by the government near the Supreme Court, Justice Building and the Library and Archives buildings.
Ludwik Klimkowski, is a jury member and chair of Tribute to Liberty, the charity behind the monument project. Originally estimated to cost about $4.5 million, now $5.5 million, the charity group initially raised about 1.5 million, matched by the government. However the government has since doubled that donation to $3 million. Klimkoski’s group now hopes to raise another 1 million dollars.
In a 2013 phone interview with Media Co-op Klimkowski is quoted saying, “True inspiration comes directly from the PM (Prime Minister). It was Stephen Harper’s idea of recognizing the contribution of people who came from communist countries.”
Klimkowski also said his organization had its origins in 2008 when the then Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney was visiting a memorial erected by another group.
Experts note however that it is very unusual for politicians to originate monuments or memorial projects of this nature, let alone be so closely involved. The typical practice is for the government to study citizen’s and special interest group proposals, and if approved, then usually donating land but in most cases not contributing public monies.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Beverly McLachlin also has “concerns” about the project and location..
In a letter she wrote last September to Michelle d’Auray, the deputy minister of Public Works and obtained this week by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, she expressed concern about the “bleak” message such a monument would send, especially in it’s location near the highest symbol of justice in Canada, the Supreme Court. At the time there were still five designs in the running.
Adding to the controversy is that the land, worth approximately one million dollars, had long been slated for an additional justice building to allow for expansion needs connected with the federal court to complete a judicial “triad” with the Supreme Court to the north and the federal Justice Building to the east. This was to symbolically match the triad of Parliament just down the street with its East, West, and Centre block buildings
Architect Shirley Blumberg is a founding partner of KPMB Architects of Toronto and member of the Order of Canada. She was part of the seven-member jury that evaluated six finalists for the new memorial last summer. Speaking on CBC radio, she said the 5,000 square metre site is the only spot left within the parliamentary and judicial precinct on Wellington Street in Ottawa for another government building
“I think it should be a building that in scale, and quality, and gravitas is commensurate with the other buildings on the Hill and that it should not be a monument.”
She also expressed concern that the 60-year-old plan for a justice building on the site was changed within months and the land given over without public consultation to the private organization Tribute to Liberty, for the memorial.
In addition she said the costs for the memorial would be far greater than the estimates given, and also expressed concern about the durability of concrete in the Ottawa climate.
Architect Barry Padolsky open letter Sept 2014
The winning design is by Abstrakt Studio Arcithects -architect Voytek Gorczynski (Toronto), artist Janusz Kapusta (New York), and architect Andrzej Pawlik (Warsaw)- and features sloped concrete walls with walkways between to view the names of victims
It is unlikely now the project will be stopped or changed. Plans are for the major elements to be completed and ready for inauguration this fall,
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