March 30, 2012

Mr. David Chernushenko City Councillor City of 110 Laurier Ave. West Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1

Dear Mr. Chernushenko,

We represent the community associations of Centretown, Sandy Hill, Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South, Carlington and Rockcliffe Park Residents Association. We are writing to you to officially register our opposition to the proposal by the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC) to erect large, digital, advertising billboards on its south-facing wall. We are also opposed to the National Capital Commission’s decision to allow the billboards for the duration of a three year pilot project.

The OCC plans to erect massive, electronic advertising within a historic, residential and traffic intensive environment. These billboards will negatively impact residents that live within the area, impose significant traffic safety issues, and introduce visual blight to the protected, cultural landscape within the Rideau Canal corridor.

In an effort to receive approval from the NCC and the City of Ottawa, the OCC is characterizing the installation of the billboards as an “art wall”. This is disingenuous. The OCC presented the specifics of their digital billboards plan to the NCC Board on June 30, 2011. The details of the plan include 1:

• installing two, massive, digital billboards on the south wall of the OCC o the size of the billboards will be 94 and 129 square metres (collectively 223 square metres) 12 times the size of permitted billboards in the City 3 times the size of the Ikea wall sign

• projecting full motion video and animation, complete with title bar that may include scrolling text • broadcasting commercial and promotional advertising the majority (67%) of usage time, including; o national brands, automotive, wireless, hotel, business equipment, energy providers, financial services, airline, media/print • operating between 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Infringement on Rights of Residents to Enjoyment of Property The excessive and intrusive illumination from the proposed advertising billboards will create significant light pollution for area residents that live within close proximity to the large digital billboards.

The City is advised that any illuminated signage erected on the south wall of the OCC will be clearly visible to residential properties that are located within 500-1100 metres of the wall. This includes residences at the following locations:

• 10 The Driveway (500 metres from proposed OCC billboards) • 20 The Driveway (700 metres from proposed OCC billboards) • 40 The Driveway (800 metres from proposed OCC billboards • Kings Landing Private (1100 metres from proposed OCC billboards) For hundreds of residents at these locations, the proposed OCC billboards will shine directly into their homes like a large drive-in movie screen projecting into their living and bedroom windows -- affecting residents’ ability to live

1 NCC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, June 30, 2011 and sleep. This serious and direct residential impact must not be overlooked, there appears to be an assumption that the digital billboards will be obstructed by surrounding buildings – this is not the case for many residential properties in the area.

Approval by the City for a three year pilot project in order to evaluate OCC’s billboards will unnecessarily subject residents to a protracted period of injury and disruption caused by the excessive and intrusive light spill-over projecting from the massive digital, advertising billboards. The risk to residential property values is also a very real concern 2 to area residents.

It would be irresponsible for the City of Ottawa to disregard the direct and negative impact the OCC billboards will have on residents within close proximity and in direct line-of-sight. The scale, scope, content and animation of the billboards significantly infringes on the rights of residents to enjoyment of their property. The OCC should not be permitted to install the billboards, even for a trial period -- the request to have the sign by-law waived at the expense of residents must be denied.

Significant Traffic Safety Risks for Vehicles, Cyclists and Pedestrians The location of the huge advertising billboards proposed by the OCC will introduce significant traffic safety risks to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The billboards will be highly visible from busy bridges and roadways with heavy vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian traffic volumes, including:

• Mackenzie King Bridge (proposed OCC billboards loom directly over bridge) • Colonel By Drive (visible for 200 metres from proposed OCC billboards) • Laurier Bridge (visible from 200 metres of proposed OCC billboards)

The proposed size and animated content of these billboards introduces serious distraction hazards. Independent behavioural studies 3 have definitively shown that drivers look away from the roadway for prolonged intervals when presented with large, intensively lit and dynamic displays.

The City of Ottawa appears unaware that for safety reasons, an increasing number of jurisdictions have imposed bans on digital billboards including Hawaii, Alaska, Maine and Vermont. Moreover, the cities of Vancouver, San Francisco, Austin, San Antonio, Denver and Tacoma do not permit any digital billboards whatsoever. And while Edmonton and are now in the process of imposing greater restrictions, Michigan has also recently introduced a statewide moratorium.

Why would the City of Ottawa provide an exemption to the OCC and approve the billboards – which will be located within a busy, traffic intensive area -- when other cities are moving to protect citizens against driver distraction and the traffic safety risks that large digital billboards impose?

In light of the potential traffic safety risks, any suggestion that broadcasting occasional public service announcements or special events from the advertising billboards somehow justifies their existence is unacceptable to our communities. If the City permits the proposed OCC billboards, they’ll need to explain to residents why they’re allowing large, animated billboards at the same time the Ottawa Police are cracking down and issuing tickets to distracted drivers using cell phones.

Clearly, with the City promoting multiple modes of transportation on roadways and pathways, it would be irresponsible to permit large, distracting digital billboards at the proposed OCC site – it would be unsafe.

2 Snyder, J. (2011). Beyond Aesthetics: How Billboards Affect Economic Prosperity. Samuel S. Fels Fund 3 See attached table of references

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Impairs Heritage and Visual Values of Historic Sites and Rideau Canal The location of the proposed OCC advertising billboards impairs the culturally significant and protected viewscapes within the Rideau Canal Corridor. The proposed advertising billboards are clearly and directly visible along the “deep cut” of this UNESCO World Heritage Site located within the heart of the City.

The massive billboards will also dominate and distract from the vistas of the national historic sites that are so critical to the heritage character of our City including:

• Chateau Laurier • Old Union Station • Parliament Hill

The misguided notion that enormous digital advertising billboards will somehow attract new visitors to the area belies the unique visitor experience tourists currently enjoy when visiting the culturally rich City of Ottawa, and ’s capital.

Parks Canada in its report dated February 28, 2011 has concluded, “that the installation of a digital screen on the exterior façade of the Ottawa Convention Centre detracts from the historic and visual values and exceptional visitor experience of the Rideau Canal…”.

The Rideau Canal Landscape Strategy Steering Committee in its letter dated April 4 th , 2011, stated it “is seriously concerned about the potential negative visual impact that the proposed digital screen on the Ottawa Convention Centre would have on the UNESCO World Heritage and National Historic site designation of the Rideau Canal.”

Advertising billboards do not attract tourist dollars to heritage locations – preservation of iconic historical sites and viewscapes do! Other capital cities rich in historical and heritage character get this – Victoria B.C. and Washington D.C. have banned all forms of billboards.

The proposed plan to erect large, advertising billboards within this heritage location will:

• commercialize this historic location • jeopardize the heritage designation of the canal • create a jarring juxtaposition that shatters the harmony of the iconic surroundings • be contrary to the City’s urban design guidelines that protect heritage resources and residential communities

In order to obtain site plan approval, the OCC was explicitly barred from having both illuminated and advertising signage visible from the historic Rideau Canal and Parkways. For the City to now allow OCC’s proposed billboards via a waiver of sign by-laws , would reward efforts on the part of the OCC to pursue approval via a lower standard and suggests bad faith.

Conclusion The City of Ottawa must ensure that the OCC Board and its Management Team is not permitted to negatively impact residents, traffic safety and our heritage sites by erecting digital, advertising billboards.

The community associations of Centretown, Sandy Hill, Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South, Carlington and Rockcliffe Park Residents Association implore the City of Ottawa and the Planning Committee to deny any application and/or waiver request brought by the Ottawa Convention Centre to erect large, digital advertising billboards on its south wall.

As leaders of our affected communities, we request a meeting with you to discuss the specific, serious and negative impact the digital billboards will have on our neighbourhoods and our residents.

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References :

Beijer, D.D. (2002). Driver distraction due to roadside advertising. University of Toronto, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Beijer, D. D., Smiley, A., & Eizenman, M. (2004). Observed driver glance behavior at roadside advertising. Transportation Research Record , No. 1899 , 96-103. Fisher, D. (2009). Presentation to the Human Factors Workshop on Visual Clutter in the Road Environment. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting. Smiley, A., Smahel, T., and Eizenman, M. (2004). Impact of Video Advertising on Driver Fixation Patterns. Transportation Research Record 1899, 76-83. Smiley, A., Persaud, B., Bahar, G., Mollett, C., Lyon, C., Smahel, T., & Kelman, W.L. (2005). Traffic Safety Evaluation of Video Advertising Signs. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1937, pp. 105-112. Washington, DC: TRB. Young, M.S., & Mahfoud, J.M. (2007). Driven to Distraction: Determining the Effects of Roadside Advertising on Driver Attention. Final report of a Study Funded by The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund. West London: Brunel University.

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