Upcoming projects - Public art and monuments

List of upcoming projects

• National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan
• LGBTQ2+ National Monument
• Global Affairs Commemorative Artwork
• Memorial to the Victims of Communism — Canada, a Land of Refuge

National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan

The National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan will serve as a testament to the commitment and sacrifice of Canadian Armed Forces members, police officers, public servants and civilians who served in Canada's mission in Afghanistan. The Monument will also recognize the strong support offered by Canadians at home to those who served during the mission.

Canadian Heritage is facilitating the development of the Monument in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada. The National Capital Commission will take responsibility for the development of design and construction of the Monument, with completion expected in 2024.

Please note: Key milestones for this monument may need to be adjusted given the COVID-19 pandemic. All decisions on these matters will be made under advisement from public health authorities.

The site

The Monument will be prominently located at LeBreton Flats across from the Canadian War Museum, on the east side of Booth Street, north of the National Holocaust Monument. With views of Parliament and other key federal institutions, the site will provide easy access to and high visibility to the Monument for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Design competition and consultations

In January and February 2020, Veterans Affairs Canada led consultations with Veterans, affected families and other stakeholders on design considerations for the Monument. See the results of the consultations here.

Teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects, and other urban design professionals were invited to submit their credentials and examples of prior work on similar projects as part of a Request for Qualifications that closed on February 27, 2020.

Five teams were shortlisted by a jury of experts in the fields of arts and urban design and representatives from key stakeholder groups to develop design concepts for this monument. View the designs here.

Veterans, families of those who participated in the Mission, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, other stakeholders and the Canadian public were invited to participate in an online survey to share their thoughts about the finalists' design concepts. The survey ran May 20 to June 9, 2021.

The jury will consider this feedback along with the comments from the National Capital Commission's Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty and experts in conservation, landscape, engineering and costing. The winning design will be announced in fall 2021.

Members of the jury are:

• Dr. Stephen Borys, Director and CEO, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Virginia Burt, Landscape Architect and Principal, Virginia Burt Designs
• Master Warrant Officer Steve Chagnon, Veteran of Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan
• Reine Samson Dawe, representing the families of the fallen and 2019 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother
• Ambassador Arif Z. Lalani, Canada’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan during the height of Canada’s military and civilian mission
• Talbot Sweetapple, Architect and Partner, Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
• Dr. Lee Windsor, Deputy Director of The Brigadier Milton Gregg VC Centre for the Study of War and Society, University of New Brunswick

LGBTQ2+ National Monument

The LGBTQ2+ National Monument will memorialize the historic discrimination against LGBTQ2+ Canadians, including the LGBT Purge. The purge was a prolonged and widespread campaign led by the Government of Canada to identify and expel thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the federal public service. The purge began in the 1950s and continued until the 1990s. The Monument will reflect the profound impacts of discrimination experienced by Canada’s LGBTQ2+ community, as well as celebrate the achievements of those who fought for equality, educate visitors, and inspire hope and change for the future.

Canadian Heritage is facilitating the development of the Monument in partnership with the LGBT Purge Fund. The National Capital Commission will be responsible for the design development and construction of the Monument.

The creation of the Monument is mandated by a Federal Court of Canada order. Completion of the Monument is planned for 2025.

The site

The Monument will be prominently located at the north-east side of the intersection of Wellington Street and Portage Bridge, close to the Ottawa River. Centrally located, this site offers views of the Judicial Precinct, a balance of public visibility and space for contemplation as well as the ability to host large gatherings.

Design competition

Teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects, and other urban design professionals were invited to submit their credentials and examples of work on similar projects as part of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that closed on January 5, 2021.

The following teams were shortlisted by the design competition jury to develop design concepts for this Monument:

• Team Durling: Fathom Studio, visual arts and landscape architecture (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), MVRDV, architecture and landscape architecture (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Two Row Architect (Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario)
• Team MASS: MASS Design Group, architecture, landscape architecture and urban design (Boston, Massachusetts), Stephen Andrews, artist (Toronto, Ontario)
• Team OnCommon Ground: bbb architects (Ottawa, Ontario); PWP Landscape Architects (Berkeley, California), WSP, engineering (Ottawa, Ontario); Nadia Myre, Algonquin visual artist (Montréal, Quebec)
• Team SOM: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), architecture (New York, New York); Noam Gonick, artist (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Rebecca Belmore, artist (Lac Seul First Nation, Ontario), HTFC Planning and Design, landscape architecture (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• Team Wreford: Public City, architecture and landscape architecture (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, visual artists (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Albert McLeod, Indigenous & Two-Spirited People subject-matter expert and advisor (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

The teams have until August 2021 to submit their proposals.

The same jury that reviewed the RFQ submissions will evaluate the design proposals. The jury includes experts in the fields of visual arts, landscape architecture, architecture, urban design as well as LGBT Purge survivors, representatives from key stakeholder groups, and subject-matter specialists:

• Aaron Betsky, architect
• Maya Desai, urban designer and planner
• Michelle Douglas, Executive Director, LGBT Purge Fund, and LGBT Purge survivor
• Grant Fahlgren, landscape architect
• Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M., O.N.B, subject-matter expert
• Bernard Lamarche, art historian and curator
• Ann-Marie Macdonald, O.C., author, actor, playwright, affected community member
• Courtnay McFarlane, visual artist, poet and curator
• Martine Roy, Chair of the Board of Directors, LGBT Purge Fund, and LGBT Purge survivor
• Megan Torza, architect and urban designer

Survivors of the purge, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, other stakeholders, and the public will be invited to provide feedback on the finalists’ proposals before a design is chosen by the jury. The announcement of the winning design is planned for late 2021.

Global Affairs Canada Commemorative Artwork

The Global Affairs Canada Commemorative Artwork will be a lasting tribute to employees of the Government of Canada working in Global Affairs Canada missions abroad. It will recognize the dedication and sacrifices of these individuals and their families in their service to Canada.

Canadian Heritage is facilitating the development of the commemorative artwork in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. The National Capital Commission will be responsible for the design, development and construction.

The site

The commemorative artwork will be located on the grounds of 111 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

Design competition

Teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects, and other urban design professionals were invited to submit their credentials and examples of prior work on similar projects as part of a Request for Qualifications (RFP) that closed on January 20, 2021.

The following teams were shortlisted by the design competition jury to develop design concepts for the commemorative artwork:

• Team Anholt: Jill Anholt Studio, artist (Vancouver, British Columbia); PFS Landscape Architects, landscape architecture (Vancouver, British Columbia); HOK Architects, architecture (Ottawa, Ontario); Faith Moosang, researcher and writer (Vancouver, British Columbia)
• Team Leinster: The Planning Partnership, landscape architecture (Toronto, Ontario); Douglas Coupland, artist (Vancouver, British Columbia); Karen Mills, public art consultant (Hamilton, Ontario)
• Team MacLeod: Polymetis, artist (Toronto, Ontario); James B. Lennox & Associates, landscape architecture (Ottawa, Ontario); GRC Architects, architecture (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Team Rapoport: Plant Architect Inc., architecture and landscape architecture (Toronto, Ontario); Adrian Göllner, artist (Ottawa, Ontario); Michael Belmore, artist (Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario); Pierre Poussin, artist (Toronto, ON); Mark Thompson Brandt, stakeholder engagement (Ottawa, Ontario); Fredericka Gregory, diplomatic advisor (Ottawa, Ontario)

In the second phase of the design competition, the Request for Proposals (RFP), these teams will have until October 2021 to submit their design concepts.

The design concepts will be evaluated by the same jury that reviewed the RFQ submissions. The jury includes experts in the fields of art and design, and includes representatives from Global Affairs Canada and affected families:

• Serge Belet, Senior Exhibitions Manager at the National Gallery of Canada
• Abbie Dann, President of the Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Association (AMBCANADA)
• Michel Desloges, retired Canadian diplomat and representative of families of the fallen
• Dr. Susan Fitzgerald, Architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Dalhousie University
• Dr. Karen Wilson Baptist, Acting Dean and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Manitoba

The public will be invited to view and provide feedback on the finalists’ design concepts before the jury selects the winning design. The announcement of the winning design is planned for early 2022.

Memorial to the Victims of Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge

The Memorial to the Victims of Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge will recognize Canada's international role as a place of refuge for people fleeing injustice and persecution and honour the millions who suffered under communist regimes.

Canadian Heritage is facilitating the development of the monument in partnership with Tribute to Liberty. The National Capital Commission will take responsibility for the construction of the Memorial.

The site

The Memorial will be built just west of the terraces of the Garden of the Provinces and Territories in Ottawa. This intimate site borders Confederation Boulevard and the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts and is situated near key federal institutions, including Library and Archives Canada.

The design

The winning design chosen for the Memorial to the Victims of Communism is "Arc of Memory." This concept was submitted by Team Raff, a group of architects and landscape architects based in Toronto that includes Paul Raff (artist and architect), Michael A. Ormston-Holloway (designer and certified arborist), Brett Hoornaert (landscape architectural intern) and Luke Kairys (landscape architect). "Arc of Memory" is a sculptural array of over 4,000 bronze rods intended to express the vastness of communist oppression and invite visitors to reflect on Canada as a free and welcoming country.

Design competition

In fall 2016, teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects, and other urban design professionals were invited to provide their credentials and examples of prior work.

A distinguished jury of design professionals and content specialists was assembled to evaluate the concepts for this competition. The jury was composed of five members: Alexandra Badzak (Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa Art Gallery); Larry Beasley, C.M. (retired Director of Planning for the City of Vancouver); Ruth Derksen, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia); Ludwik Klimkowski, (Board Chair of Tribute to Liberty); Ted Merrick (Director of the design studio at Ferris + Associates).

A public viewing of the finalists' design concepts was held on March 2, 2017, where attendees could view the presentations, meet the design teams, and share their thoughts. Canadians from across the country were also invited to comment on the designs through an online survey that ran from March 2–10, 2017. The survey results are available here.

The jury considered this feedback along with the comments from the National Capital Commission's Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty and experts in conservation, landscape, engineering and costing. Based on the jury's recommendation, the Government of Canada announced that the design presented by Team Raff has been selected for the future Memorial.