Doucet promises to protect heritage, day programs for homeless

In a week where city officials are looking to demolish oneheritage building and force an owner to repair what's left of another, onemayoral candidate is promising to better protect Ottawa's heritage districts.

Clive Doucetmade his announcement while standing in front of the former Our Lady School, which has mostly crumbled.

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"The faade is all that is left of this historic school that dates back to 1904," Doucet told reporters. "Unfortunately, it is just another example of demolition by neglect."

While Doucetcentred his news conference on the "erosion" of the historic character of the ByWardMarketand Lowertown, he added that"it's not just about this area. It's about our entire city."

Report basis for platform

Just this week, the built heritage subcommittee approved the demolition of the historic Magee Housein Hintonburg andordered the owner of deteriorating Somerset Housein Centretown to make much-needed repairs.

Doucetpointed to a report released this weekfrom Ottawa heritage architect and conservationist Julian Smith that found the character of the city's "heritage conservation districts is being routinely compromised and eroded."

Commissioned by Heritage Ottawa and seven community associations that represent areas with suchdistricts, the report concludedthat the city has failed to respect its own heritage plans.

Among other things, Smith's report calls for staff reports and recommendations to have the approval of community heritage groups before going before committee and council.

When the two bodies don't agree, the community's recommendation should be the one presented to thecommittee, with dissenting opinions being offered on the side.

Doucet said, if elected, he would enact Smith's recommendations.

Requests by property owners to modify heritage buildings or structures located withinheritage districts,however, are appealable to a provincial body.

Open rent bank to avoid evictions

Rideau-VaniercandidateThierryHarris, whomDoucetis endorsing, also attendedFriday'sannouncement to call for a rent bank.

A rent bank isan agency thatprovides short-term loans to individuals and low-income families who could be evicted or have theirutilities cut off because they temporarily don't have enough money.

Other cities, including Vancouver, operate thebanks.

"We don't have to go to payday loans, and will help people stay in their homes," Harris said.

Day program for downtown homeless

Doucetendorsed the rent bank initiative, while also saying he'dbuild a community health centre in Lowertown that would include Ottawa Inner City Health's supervised injection services,currently delivered in a trailer at the Shepherds of Good Hope.

He said it's a problem that homeless people with addiction issues have no place to go during the day. Some day programs in the city were cancelled in recent years afterthe federal funding modelchanged.

As with all his previous platform promises, Doucetoffered no estimate for what theymight cost or where the money would come from.