Jim Watson throws support behind new library for Ottawa
Posted Sep 16, 2014 07:06:06 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – Mayor Jim Watson wants to build a new library to replace the old downtown branch.
The mayor made the announcement in front of about 400 people at a campaign rally Monday night, saying that if he’s elected next month, he will pursue a public-private partnership to fund the project.
Watson says the price tag of the new project must be less than fixing up the aging building at Laurier and Metcalfe Street, adding that the 40-year-old branch could be replaced by a new facility at Bayview Yards or Lebreton Flats.
At Bayview Yards, the library could partner with the new Innovation Centre to offer entrepreneur programs to young people and adults.
At Lebreton Flats, the National Capital Commission is looking for a major public institution to anchor its second phase of redevelopment there.
Watson says a new main library branch would benefit residents from all corners of the city, though his challenger Mike Maguire says he isn’t sold on the idea.
“This is not an issue for an election that I’ve heard about at the door,” says Maguire. “I have never heard anyone come up to me and say ‘Jeez, I’m losing sleep at night about the central library.'”
Maguire says people are more concerned about garbage pick-up and the city’s debt.
