Ottawa skyline from Le Breton Flats

This is the Eastward skyline of Ottawa as seen from the Le Breton Flats. The Flats have been vacant since the 1960's when the NCC acquired it by expropriation and razed it with plans for development that had never been, until recently, brought to fruition. In the summer of 2002, construction started on the Flats: it is to receive the new War Museum, and with it a quite global redevelopment of the Flats.

History of the Le Breton Flats

This area, first to be known as Lot 40, has an interesting saga related to it. The first owner was Robert Randall, a well-financed industrialist, who purchased it in 1809 when the region was uninhabited wilderness. When his commercial empire went bankrupt, he was coerced in 1820 by his lawyer, Henry F. Boulton, to sell the lot to Captain John Le Breton, a man who had distinguished himself in the war of 1812.

Now, the interesting thing about this sale was that Lord Dalhousie (George Ramesay, ninth Earl of Dalhousie and Governor-in-chief of the Canadas) wished to acquire this land on behalf of the Crown. Le Breton may have learned of this fact during a dinner hosted by Dalhousie; in any case, he managed to acquire the land with the financial help of Livius P. Sherwood, a respected lawyer, before the Crown did. Le Breton offered the Governor to purchase this lot for at handsome profit (2500 pounds or so) for himself. Furious, Lord Dalhousie not only refused to buy it at Le Breton's price, but also debated the legality of the sale, while accusing him of breach of confidentiality. Le Breton became persona non grata within the circles of power, and remained so for a long time. The sale itself however was declared legal in subsequent legal exercises. With the expansion of Ottawa, Le Breton relentlessly tried to muster interest in lots drawn on the Flats, courting particularly the upper classes. He did manage to sell off some lots over the years, but most of the profit from was to be reaped in the following generation, by Le Breton's five nieces.

These happenings had a direct impact on the development of Ottawa. Had Lord Dalhousie been able or willing to acquire lot 40, the canal would have gone through this area instead of east of Parliament Hill; it indeed offers a direct route to Dow's Lake. But apart from giving us a longer canal to skate upon, it would have significantly have changed the development of the area. Most significant would have been the locks that could have been put at the Chaudière Falls and have thus let the whole upriver Ottawa be accessible. From a conservation point of view, perhaps it was for the best that Dalhousie was a proud man!

For a vivid recounting of the development of the Le Breton Flats, you may wish to read An Acre of Time by Phil Jenkins.

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Thu Dec 21 13:25:13 2006