- 2 -
covenants on the Region. The first pertained to a prohibition on any
type of gaming operation while the second concerned the site's designation as a
Major Community Facility in the Region's Official Plan. Consequently, has determinedno other policies of the
formerold
City survived the sale and transfer of Lansdowne Park to the former Region.
Since the prohibition of arms
exhibitions was approved in 1989, Lansdowne Park has not hosted any such
events. However, other events have
since emerged that support companies offering a much broader range of products
and services to civilian organizations and various levels of government, as
well as appropriate military units. This included such things as emergency
preparedness and response, public safety and security, defense/detection
systems, risk mitigation, transportation, communications, etc. These are
typically closed trade shows that are not open to the general public.
In Ottawa, two events in particular
have become established for the defense and security industries, and have been
successfully hosted at the Ottawa Congress Centre for several years: Secure
Canada and CANSEC. With the planned re-construction of the Ottawa Congress
Centre scheduled for September 2008 through to April 2011, these two events
were among the numerous displaced activities seeking alternate venues to serve
as hosts. Both Secure Canada and CANSEC approached Lansdowne Park to host their
events, at least for the interim period as work proceeds at the Ottawa Congress
Centre.
Lansdowne
Park staff were wellaware of the previous prohibition
on arms exhibitions approved by Ottawa City Council in 1989 and undertook due
diligence in considering the requests of each organization.
Staff
had detailed discussions with event organizers to better understand the nature
and content of each show, specifically seeking clarification on the presence of
offensive weapons on the trade show floor. ,
believing this had been the predominant concern addressed
by the 1989 motion. In addition, staff consulted with both
Corporate Security and the Ottawa Police Service to gain more insight into the
content of the show and its operational considerations from a security
perspective.
On 18 September
2008, organizers of Secure Canada 2008 advised its exhibitors and Lansdowne
Park Administration of its decision to cancel this year’s edition of the show,
which was scheduled to take place 30 September and 1 October 2008. Organizers
cited the federal election call and the cost of security for the event as the
primary reasons for the cancellation.
According to organizers, Secure
Canada 2008 (Attachment 3) was to showcase the latest technologies and products
for security, public safety, first responder and dual use non-offensive defence
applications. It would have focused on the requirements of Canada's broader
domestic security environment which encompasses federal, provincial and
municipal government departments and private sector (critical infrastructure)
operators. Non-offensive technologies displayed range from cargo and freight
screening devices to biometric identification technologies, to robotics for
security operations, to emergency equipment and mass notification products and
secure communications required to manage operations in times of emergency or
natural disaster. It was sponsored, in part, by the U.S. Embassy and the U.K.
Trade and Investment Office.
CANSEC is a national defence and
security trade show presented by the Canadian Association of Defence and
Security Industries (CADSI), a national not-for-profit business association
headquartered in Ottawa and representing 700 companies who sell products and
services to military and defence customers in Canada and Internationally. It is
"dedicated to exhibiting technology-based solutions to current and
anticipated Canadian military and security requirements." (Attachment 4)
- 3 -
In
compiling
this information, sstaff developed
the perspective
that neither of these events constituted an arms exhibition in the context of
the 1989 motion approved by Ottawa City Council. Staff acknowledge that the
military establishment makes up a portion of the target audience for each show,
however, there is clearly a much broader target group being addressed. finally
The current status is that Secure
Canada 2008 has been cancelled by event organizers. Another agreement is
currently being negotiated with has been issued to the Canadian
Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) for CANSEC to be staged
at Lansdowne Park in May 2009.but
CANSEC is expected to attract
approximately 6,500 attendees who will generate a local economic impact
estimated to be in excess of $5
million. Retaining these types of
events would result in a direct financial benefit to Lansdowne Park of
approximately $200,000 annually. Ottawa
is also home to over 220 companies that sell to Canadian military and security
agencies, and employ approximately 10,000 knowledge-based workers in this
region.
original signed by
Barry Robinson
BR/ kl
cc: K.
Kirkpatrick, City Manager
L.
Donnelly, Deputy City Clerk
Attachment 1
Attachment
2
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Error! Reference source not found.
M E M O
/ N O T E D E
S E R V I C E
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To / Destinataire
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Mayor and
Members of City CouncilMayor and Members of Council
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File/N° de
fichier:
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From / Expéditeur
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M. Rick O'Connor, City SolicitorM.
Rick O’Connor, City Solicitor
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Subject / Objet
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Lansdowne Park – ARMX Exhibitions
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Date: DateAugust
19, 2008
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During the last several weeks, various Members of Council
have received inquiries from constituents with regard to Lansdowne Park and, in
particular, an event prohibition undertaken by the former City of Ottawa in
1989 to prohibit “future ARMX Exhibitions”.
Recently, it was confirmed that the U.S. Embassy Defense and Security
Exhibition is contracted to occur at the Exhibition Hall at Lansdowne Park
between September 30th and October 1, 2008. In response to whether or not the previous
event prohibition for such types of trade show from 1989 was still valid, staff
from the Real Property Asset Management Branch provided a response to Members
of Council and included the following brief summary of the legal opinion:
Staff also consulted with Legal Services regarding
the prohibition on hosting arms exhibitions that was approved by Ottawa City
Council in 1989. The advice from Legal
Services was that the previous motion by Council is no longer applicable, since
Lansdowne Park was sold to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton on
December 31, 1999. The Transfer
Agreement between the City of Ottawa and the RMOC did not provide any
obligation for the continuation of such then-City policies by the Region at
Lansdowne Park.
The purpose of this
memorandum is to provide a more fulsome explanation of the legal opinion given
in this matter.
Council Resolution
(1989)
On April 19, 1989, the
former Council for the City of Ottawa endorsed Motion 11/28, as amended by
Motions 11/30 and 11/31, as follows:
Whereas ARMX ’89, a Canadian exhibition of military
hardware and technology is scheduled to take place at Lansdowne Park from 23-25
May;
AND WHEREAS the arms trade has little or no
consideration of moral or humanitarian issues, in that weapons can and have
been used against civilians;
AND WHEREAS exports of Canadian military equipment
and components end up in countries which persistently violate human rights;
AND WHEREAS the international arms trade serves to
increase militarization throughout the world and is inconsistent with arms
limitations efforts;
AND WHEREAS the City of Ottawa promotes peace, and
respect for human rights;
AND WHEREAS ARMS ’89 is a closed event and
restricted to Canadian Government officials, foreign government
representations, police and security forces and defense industry
representatives;
AND WHEREAS Lansdowne Park is a publicly supported
recreation and trade show facility;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Lansdowne Park and
other City facilities not be leased to future ARMX or other such arms
exhibitions.
In the aftermath of the
passage of the above-noted resolution, various arms exhibitions were
subsequently held at the Ottawa Congress Centre (the “Centre”) for several
years. However, such an arrangement is
scheduled to end beginning in 2009 due to the planned demolition and remodeling
of the Centre.
Lansdowne: A Regional Facility (1999)
During the spring and summer
of 1999, both Councils of the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
and the City of Ottawa adopted, in principle, various reports with respect to
the assumption of Lansdowne Park by the Regional Government, as well as the
unification of local and regional sewer systems.
On September 1, 1999, Ottawa
City Council endorsed Item No. 2 of Report No. 14 from the Community Services
and Operations Committee, being “Lansdowne Park Revitalization Project –
Transfer of Asset and Review of Unification of Local Sewer System”. In this report, the former City Council
approved both the declaration of Lansdowne as being surplus to City
requirements in accordance with the appropriate by-law and, “that the framework
for the transfer of Lansdowne Park from the Corporation of the City of Ottawa
to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton” be approved as contained in
the attached document. Briefly, the
Transfer Agreement between the two municipal bodies involved an actual exchange
of money, equipment, employees and all buildings and structures on the
Lansdowne Park site, as well as for the formal transfer of legal title to the
Park from the former City of Ottawa to the former Region. Not surprisingly, there were several
covenants that the former Region provided to the former City as a result of the
sale of Lansdowne Park pertaining to life cycle contributions for the Park, as
well as the assumption of the employees on a go forward basis. That being said, there were only two
covenants that the former City sought from the former Region with regard to the
future operation of Lansdowne Park, namely:
1.
“That no future development, facility, operation or
lease/rental on any part of the site contemplate or involve the operation of a
casino or any type of gaming operation”; and
2.
“That, if in the future, the Region decides to completely
remove the Major Community Facility designation on Lansdowne Park, in the
Region’s Official Plan without the concurrence of the City, the property would
then revert to the City for a nominal fee of $1.00”.
These two requirements were
set out in the framework for the transfer of Lansdowne Park that was
specifically approved by the former City Council at its meeting on September 1,
1999. Item No. 1 was, in effect, a new
policy that the former City was imposing on the former Region since, prior to
the sale of Lansdowne Park, the City did not have a policy pertaining to gaming
or casinos in place for itself at Lansdowne Park. Consequently, the inclusion of such a covenant in the Transfer
Agreement supports the legal opinion that no other policies or the former City
survived the sale and transfer of Lansdowne Park to the former Region.
I trust the above is
satisfactory. Should you have any
questions with respect to same, please do not hesitate to contact me.
M. Rick O’Connor
RO/ct
Attach.
cc: Kent
Kirkpatrick, City Manager
Steve Finnamore, Executive Director, Business Transformation Services
Richard Hewitt, DCM, Public Works and Services
Steve Kanellakos, DCM, Community and Protective Services
Nancy Schepers, DCM, Planning, Transit and the Environment
Barry Robinson, Director, Real Property
Asset Management
Event Overview
Secure
Canada 2008 will showcase the latest technologies and products for security,
public safety, first responder and dual use non-offensive defence applications.
Secure Canada focuses on the requirements
of Canada’s broader domestic security environment which encompasses federal,
provincial, and municipal government departments and private sector (critical
infrastructure) operators. Non-offensive
technologies displayed range from cargo and freight screening devices to
biometric identification technologies, to robotics for security operations, to
emergency response equipment and mass notification products and secure
communications that enable governments to manage security operations in times
of a national emergency or disaster.
For
2008 Secure Canada features three complimentary segments. The C4ISR
component of the show addresses the needs of governments at all levels with
respect to the synthetic environment and leading technologies that enable
security operations. This includes everything from secured communications
to command and control and intelligence and reconnaissance functions.
This segment of the show, branded as TechNet North, is run in partnership
with AFCEA Canada. TechNet North also features conference sessions
addressing the theme of “National Security in a Coalition Environment.”
The
other two segments of the show are the AUVSI Canada Unmanned Systems Expo and
the Canada and the World Showcase. The
Unmanned Systems Expo is being organized in partnership with AUVSI-Canada. This
segment will highlight one of the fastest growing segments of the security
industry – unmanned systems technologies for public and private sector
applications. This includes systems and technologies for robotic
applications utilized in land, air and sea applications in both security and
industrial environments. The Canada and
the World showcase is the third segment. This area features Canadian
companies offering a diverse range of world class security technologies and products
that do not fall specifically into the previous two segments as well as
international pavilions hosted by the U.S. Embassy and the U.K. Trade and Investment
office.
Secure
Canada takes place on September 30 and October 1, 2008, in the Salons of the
Civic Centre at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.
Approximately 3000 visitors are expected to attend from across Canada,
the United States and Europe. Visitors
from within Canada include government representatives from various federal
departments including: Public Safety Canada; Canada Border Patrol; RCMP;
Transport Canada: the Coast Guard, DND, PWGSC and many others. The show is also attended by private sector
security professionals from a broad cross-section of industries ranging from
manufacturing to power generation and the services sector.
For
more information visit www.securecan.ca
or contact:
Rick
Tachuk
Exhibition
Manager
Secure
Canada 2008
613
293-5250
rick@electricstrategies.com
Attachment 4
CANSEC FACT SHEET
CANSEC is a national defence and security trade show
presented by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries
(CADSI). CADSI is a national not-for-profit business association headquartered
in Ottawa and representing 700 companies who sell products, technologies and
services to military and security customers in Canada and internationally.
TRADE SHOW FOCUS:
CANSEC is dedicated to exhibiting technology-based solutions
to current and anticipated Canadian military and security requirements. For
instance, there was an emphasis, last year, on naval systems because the
federal government is interested in modernizing Canada’s navy. That theme is
likely to continue in 2009.
Every day Canadian Forces (CF) members, RCMP officers and
other security personnel put their lives at risk, often leaving their families
and homes behind to courageously and selflessly serve in our nation, defending
Canada’s values and contributing to international peace and security. These
people act in many different capacities, both here in Canada and throughout the
world: they patrol our borders; perform search and rescue operations; provide
assistance during natural disasters and participate in international efforts to
bring stability to failed and failing states.
Millions of Canadians understand the need for such
capabilities and CADSI and its members, through CANSEC are intent on supporting
our troops wherever they are operating so that they are well prepared,
protected and equipped so that they can do their jobs effectively and with the
least possible risk. Exhibits that focus on protective apparel, communication
systems, situational awareness technologies, computer-based simulation
technologies, scanners and identity technologies are always part of our show as
are other sophisticated technologies - each essential to get the job done.
The Canadian government is reinvesting in Canada’s national
security and Canadian business wants to support the government objectives with
their products, technologies and services. CANSEC provides an annual forum for
that purpose.
WHY OTTAWA:
We are in Ottawa for our show because this is where the
federal government operates its defence and security agencies from. CANSEC is
now recognized as one of the best shows in North America for bringing industry
together with its customer base.
ECONOMIC IMPACT:
Last year over 6,500 people attended CANSEC 2008, coming
from across the country to Ottawa for most of a full week. We estimate that the
show generates in excess of $5 million in revenue for the local economy during
this period.
Ottawa is home to over 220 companies that sell to the
Canadian Forces and security agencies. They employ roughly 10,000 knowledge
based workers in the greater Ottawa area. The vast majority of these companies
sell to commercial customers as well as military and security customers in that
their technologies, perhaps created initially for the commercial marketplace,
once adapted, also are able to meet military and security requirements.
We estimate that Ottawa based companies in the defence and
security sector generate close to
$1 billion in annual revenue from their commercial and
military/security sales.
