210 Gloucester Street December 12, 2016 Suite 101 Ottawa, Ontario Mayor Jim Watson K2P 2K4 City of Ottawa 110 Laurier Avenue West www.centretowncitizens.ca Ottawa K1P 1J1 Tomas Whillans Dear Mayor Watson, CCCA President Re: The Location of the new Central Library The Centretown Citizens Community Association (CCCA) is deeply concerned by the prospect that Ottawa’s future Central Library might be located outside of Centretown1. We have been working with other communities and interested groups over the past months to analyze the data regarding the usage of the current Main Library Branch and to solicit feedback from residents on this important issue. The data and feedback on the importance of keeping the library in Centretown are compelling. We will start with the disadvantaged members of our community who have not received sufficient attention in this process. Locating the future Central Library outside of Centretown, and closing the existing Main Branch, will have a major impact on their well- being. Statistics from the Community and Client Profile of the Centretown Community Health Centre, September 2016 show that: 29.5% of Centretowners have household incomes below $20,000 46.3% of Centretown children (almost double the city average) have low education Indicators 53% of seniors live alone there are 2,624 social housing units Members of disadvantaged populations benefit greatly from libraries. Often, they cannot afford the cost of books, newspapers and computers. The library is free and provides a safe and welcoming environment. For many people, disadvantaged or not, libraries are not just about books; they provide vital social and community services. As examples, the Main Branch provides space for a variety of community programs, hosts resume writing workshops and conversation groups for individuals looking to improve their proficiency in English and French, and encourages other learning opportunities. It provides spaces for community meetings and a climate controlled space for seniors and residents who have no air conditioning. Centretown has a population of 25,660 and 115,000 employees work in Centretown. Many employees do not live in Centretown but use the Main Branch. Centretown has the highest population density of Ottawa neighbourhoods. This is the main reason why 81.3% of Main 1 For the purposes of this letter, “Centretown” is the geographic area bounded by Bronson Avenue to the West, the Ottawa River to the North, the Rideau Canal to the East, and the Queensway (417 Highway) to the South. Library users walk to the library and 28.9% walk from work. Centretown’s central location in the city provides easy access to the residents of surrounding neighbourhoods and many others from all over the City. Recent and planned public investments, including the Laurier Avenue and O’Connor Street bike lanes, the Corktown footbridge and the bridge over the Canal at Lansdowne and Clegg Street will only increase the accessibility of a Centretown location for the broader community. Some proponents of locating the future Central Library outside of Centretown argue that users will take the new Light Rail Transit (LRT) service to a location outside of Centretown. Even though we strongly support the LRT for many reasons, we believe that this argument is overstated for Centretown library users. Since the vast majority of users of the Main Branch walk to the library, it is very likely that many of them will not walk outside of Centretown in order to go to the Library. Moreover, behavioural economics suggests that the mere act of having to pay to take the LRT to go to the future Central Library will be enough to discourage many potential users from attending the library, especially the almost one-third of Centretowners who have low household incomes. The Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library is a key part of the social infrastructure of Centretown and several of the immediately surrounding communities. Locating the future Library outside of Centretown and closing the Main Branch would be a significant loss. If, as we understand, there are no plans to open a Branch Library in Centretown, the negative impact would be that much greater. The above demonstrates the powerful reasons that the new Central Library should be kept in Centretown. The process to select the site has been flawed in many ways but particularly in not revealing a short list of sites for public discussion many months ago. This week, on December 12, the recommended site will be revealed at the same time as the short list. The CCCA strongly urges members of Council to recognize the validity of the points in this letter, and, if necessary, reopen the process to further consultation. Sincerely, Tomas Whillans President Centretown Citizens Community Association CC: - Catherine McKenna, MP (Ottawa Centre) - Yasir Naqvi, MPP (Ottawa Centre) - Ottawa City Council - CCCA Board of Directors - CCCA Co-Chairs of Special Committee new Central Library - Members of the Ottawa Public Library Board, .