Ottawa's victims of communism memorial could be unveiled as early as next spring, more than a decade after the controversial project was first conceived.

In May 2017, the National Capital Commission decided upon the final design for the memorial, which is set to be built on the west side of the capital's Garden of the Provinces and Territories at Bay and Wellington streets.

According to Department of Canadian Heritage documents recently obtained by Radio-Canada under access to information legislation, the tendering process and construction were initially scheduled to take 15 months and wrap up in November 2018.

However the NCC has yet to grant its final authorization for the monument, which is necessary before the commission can put out a call for tenders.

That could finally happen at the commission's April 19 board meeting, according to a memo from Tribute to Liberty, the private foundation created to complete the project.

Construction timelines reduced

If that authorization comes, the memorial could be built by April 2019. Construction timelines have been reduced from 18 months to less than 12 months, a Department of Canadian Heritage spokesperson told Radio-Canada.

The project is valued at $3 million and is funded equally by the federal government and Tribute to Liberty.

The group has already donated $1 million and will be required to make the remaining $500,000 payment once the project receives the NCC's final stamp of approval.

The group's website states it's still looking for a $100,000 donation to meet its goal.