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Make no mistake: we understand that economic reality requires some private participation in the development of LeBreton. But the overarching emphasis should be on the public nature of the space, publicly financed.

Third, during the development of the Master Concept Plan, the NCC intends to move ahead with plans for certain parts of the Flats. This, in our view, is a huge mistake. One sure way to get this wrong is to sell off bits and pieces to developers for individual projects. It must not happen.

So what should happen? Given the national significance of the project, the federal government should designate all, or almost all, of the Flats as a “National Interest Land Mass.” The NCC should then launch an international competition, inviting proposals from Canada’s and the world’s best urban planners and architects. A national project such as this deserves the best.

At the same time, the NCC should be making use of the knowledge and information gathered by the two bidders that made it to the final round of the last LeBreton redevelopment process. In preparing their multi-million-dollar proposals, both groups gained valuable insight into the constraints of the site and its commercial realities. It would be a shame if, moving forward, planners were not able to take advantage of that information.

In its 2014 “Requests for Qualifications” for LeBreton, and in its recent tender for an updated master plan, the NCC took the approach of an international competition. Surprisingly, however, interest from outside the country was low. This time, we need to make sure we attract the best ideas and submissions from around the world. An executive advisory group – composed of prominent Canadians with appropriate skills, experience and connections – should be created to assist the NCC in this effort and to evaluate the proposals in a public and transparent process.