Ottawa Convention Centre

Canada's Meeting Place

Local history to become a part of the new OCC

The Ottawa Convention Centre will open April 2011 and is in the process of building a facility that will achieve LEED Silver designation. Canada’s Meeting Place has undertaken practices to create a clean, green, eco-friendly facility that will adhere to strict sustainable practices and create memorable meetings for delegates with a team of inspired people creating extraordinary events.

One of the very innovative features being created is a towering 13 story wall that will be made entirely of reclaimed wood from the Ottawa River, which spans across the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.  The Ottawa Convention Centre believes in corporate social responsibility and being an eco-friendly convention centre. That responsibility includes utilizing local resources, and supporting the local economy.  Therefore, a partnership has been formed with Logs End, and students from Algonquin College to build this iconic piece of Canada’s Meeting Place.

Logs End is a company ahead of its time using history as its eco-friendly product. During the logging era of the 19th century, a major industry for Quebec and Ontario, the Ottawa River was used as a major conduit for the logging industry to transport “old growth wood” to milling companies along the river banks for over a hundred years beginning in the early 1800’s. The river originates in Lake Capimitchigama, Quebec and extends to the Chaudiere Falls in the Ottawa-Gatineau region where it takes in the Rideau and Gatineau rivers.  From there the Ottawa Rivers flows up to Montreal where it drains into the Lake of Two Mountains and the St. Lawrence River. It is a total distance of 1,271 km (790 miles) and clearly defines the borders of two great Canadian provinces. Over the course of a hundred plus years when the logging industry was a major component of the local economy thousands of logs never made it to the logging mills and sunk to the bottom of the river.  “These “old growth” logs have been preserved over time in pristine state” according to Steve McCord, VP Sales & Marketing, “These logs were part of virgin forests that only received a couple of hours of sunlight a day so it took them hundreds of years to mature. This along with mineral deposits from the water in the Ottawa River gives them the character that you see today in our planks. These logs are frozen in time as good as the day they were cut.”

“We are recycling wood that has already been harvested from local forests” states Mr. McCord.  “The eco footprint of our product is very small compared to importing wood from other areas. The work of cutting the old growth trees was already done 100 of years ago…and they were so well preserved and safe from rot and worms.” The reclaimed wood has historical significance and can tell stories from hundreds of years ago. The mineral deposits from the water in the river resonates incredible colours in these “old growth” logs. The character of this lumber is far superior to that of today’s wooden planks that are harvested from forests that are generally only 30-40 years old.

To acquire the “old growth” wood Logs End uses several approaches.  They utilize old logging maps from National Archives, spot dives in areas known for mass production and scouting dives as well.  Once located a diver will rope each log individually, and pull them up off of the bottom of the river and secure them to a boat.  This limits any damage to the ecological stability of the area and damage to the log as it will not be dragged along the riverbed.  Up to 50 logs can be roped in one dive and hauled onto shore.  They are then transported to the Logs End mill in Bristol, Quebec were they are dried and then milled into wide plank flooring, mouldings, paneling and trim for sale.  Logs End prides itself on being a very eco-friendly organization with a “Zero” waste policy. “All waste is utilized” according to Mr. McCord, “it is sold to local farmers as bed shavings for cattle, manufactured into wood chips for gardens or burned in our furnace to heat our facility”.  

The Ottawa Convention Centre is using Logs End products to incorporate these incredible pieces of local history and create a 13 story wall that will tower through all four floors and above the roof.  The preparation of the Logs End planks will take place as part of a partnership with students from construction programs at Algonquin College.  According to Jeremy Anderson, Acting Academic Chair of the School of Transportation and Trades, teams of volunteer students will convert the planed planks into panels that are easy to transport and mount on this 13 story wall.  “It is a great opportunity for students to get involved in a major project for the city of Ottawa, to build their resume and portfolio and utilize experiential learning, an important component of the academic curriculum.”  

“The Ottawa Convention Centre is proud of its ability to support the development of local business, utilizing eco-friendly sustainable unique products such as the Logs End planks and support students in their academic endeavours” said Pat Kelly, President of the Ottawa Convention Centre.