Commons board recommending $733M plan to build Parliament Hill visitors centre

MPs on the House of Commons' Board of Internal Economy are leaning toward a$733million renovation plan for ParliamentHill's planned visitors centre.

A new report,prepared by consultants for the procedure and house affairs committee and obtained by CBC News,lays out threeoptions for the construction of the visitorscentre, which is to link the district'sWest, Centre and East Blocks together through a series of underground passages and meeting rooms.

The centre willcontain a security screening area, a visitor information centre for tour groups and committee rooms for the Senate. The estimated costs of the three options range from$552 million to$847million.

One option the one being recommended by the Board of Internal Economy has been costed at $733 million and would take another six months to complete.

Same Commons, more seats

The report also identifies the board's preferred option for renovating the House of Commons chamber: a $75 million project that would maintainthe current dimensions of the chamberwhile adding more seats.

That plan would see MPs sit closer together,either on stadium-style seating orthe long benches usedin the U.K. House of Commons.

The consultants'work beganbefore the pandemic hit and before workplaces around the world including the Commons were forced to adopt physical distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.

CBC News asked the board to explain how the $75 million reno option would accommodatephysical distancing requirements. A board spokesperson that that the board's choice of renovation options was made pre-pandemic and it hasn't discussed the possible impact of COVID-19 on its decisions.

The report does warn, however, that the pandemiccrisis may affect thecost of the renovations going forward.

Crowded house

Right now, the House of Commons holds 338 MPs. That number is expected to grow as Canada's population increases.The Commons could hold 420 MPs by the time the renovations are complete.

By choosing to add more seats, the board is rejecting two other options that would have changed the face of the Commons chamber more radically.

One other option that was under consideration would have addedtwo-storey lobbies on either sideof the chamber. The report estimates thecost of this work at $303 million and says it would require an extra year to get stakeholder approvals for the design changesand another two years to complete the construction.

A third option was dropped by the Board of Internal Economy before the consultants began their work. It would have involved ripping out Centre Block's west exterior wall to widen the Commons chamber.

MPs and senators have been poring overdifferent plans and scenarios torenovate andrestore theentire Centre Blocktohelp make it function for the next 100 years. Until they received this report, they were working without knowingtheexactcostsassociated with the options.

When she appeared beforethe procedure and house affairs committee at the end of February,Public Services Minister Anita Anandpromised to getMPs the cost estimates.

No cost estimates for Senate and other facilities yet

Thecostingreport does notincludethecosts of renovating theSenate Chamber or other parts of Centre Block.

"Detailed analyses are ongoing so that project requirements and costs can be confirmed before major construction begins," said Cecely Roy, a spokesperson for Anand's office.

So far, $4.2 billion has approved by Parliament for the renovations and close to $3 billion has already been spent on renovating the West Block, the new Senate of Canada building and the Wellington Building.

The report notes that the final cost of theHouse of Commonsrestoration could vary from the estimates by up to 20 per cent,while the welcome centre's cost could swing byten per cent.

The report also cautionsthat future design changescould substantially increase costs. That could turn out to be an important factor, since the renovations are expected to take up to ten years and a great many of the people in the Commons and Senate right now may not still be there when the work is complete.

Security renos

The report also saysthat security plans associated with the renovationhave not been finalized and could substantially increase the cost and durationof the project. It says that work could be delayed if MPs and senators decide to add enhanced blast protection to the buildings.

Centre Block has witnessed security breaches in the past, including the 2014 attack by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau and the 1966 bombing by Paul Joseph Chartier. Both men died during their attacks.

Alsomissing from the costingreportare some factors in the design of the Visitors Welcome Centre that come under the purview ofthe Senate.

Senators still have to decide if they require a separate entrance to the welcome centre.

As the senior house of Parliament, the Senateregularly hostsmany diplomatic functions which might benefit froma separate entrance.

Senators on the long-term vision and planning sub-committee were expected to make recommendationson a separate entranceto the Board of Internal Economy this week.