Canada Day party to move off Parliament Hill by 2018

Federal officials are on the hunt for a new location forthe country's marquee party for Canada Day celebrations.

A select group of companies were invited to bid on the project tofind a new location near Parliament Hill for thefederally organizedCanada Day bash once the Centre Block is closed in 2018 for a decadeof badly needed repairs.

During that time, Parliament Hill won't be able to play host tothe annual July 1 party that attracts thousands to the heart of the capital.

Government bid documents show the project to find a new partyspot is budgeted to cost $30,000, with a final report andrecommendation to Canadian Heritage officials due in January. Thegovernment says "time is of the essence" to find a new home forthe gala.

The bid documents say the new site should be "optimal for thepublic experience" for "Canada Day celebrations and for futureanniversaries." It should also liebetween two bridges thatconnect Ottawa and Gatineau, Que. the Alexandra Bridge to theeast, and the Chaudiere crossing in the westmeaning the partywon't be moving too far from Parliament Hill and will likely remainalong the Ottawa River.

The Canadian Press obtained copies of the documents under theAccess to Information Act.

New launchsite for fireworks needed

Finding a new home for the Canada Day event and possiblycarnivals held in and around Ottawa's downtown core during thedepths of winter will also mean looking for a new launching sitefor the evening fireworks display.

Those fireworks usually go off from Nepean Point, a green spacealong the Ottawa River just east of Parliament Hill and next to theNational Gallery of Canada. But Nepean Point is undergoing its ownwork around the same time as workers begin renovating the CentreBlock, making it a no-go for fireworks and forcing a relocation ofthe launch pad.

Moving the site will be good news for the National Gallery ofCanada, which had asked the government to move the fireworksdisplay.

In a 2014 letter to federal officials, the gallery's CEO raisedconcerns that the "very strong vibrations caused by the fireworks"put the building's windows and its valuable collection of Canadianart at risk while also leaving a "sticky, tenacious residue" onthe glass roof.

The building itself has to be evacuated for the fireworks becauseit sits inside a safety perimeter.

Federal workers do put up barriers to protect the building fromthe pyrotechnics display, which is aimed away from the gallery. Twotechnicians stay on the roof of the building to keep an eye out forany flaming fallout and cleanup crews come through afterwards toclean up any debris.

In a briefing note to the deputy minister of Canadian Heritageahead of a May 27 meeting with the gallery, officials wrote thatlaunching site for the fireworks should stay put for now for safetyand aesthetic reasons.

Officials also recommended that the gallery be pushed to providedata and evidence that the fireworks display puts the building andcollection at risk.

Josee-Britanie Mallet, a spokeswoman for the gallery, said in anemail that the two sides have not to date talked any further aboutthe fireworks issue.