On Oct. 19, 2010, the Department of Public Works and Government Services planned to hold an event at the old Nortel campus on Carling Avenue to announce that the federal government had agreed to buy the sprawling collection of office buildings and move 10,000 Department of National Defence workers out of downtown.
A set of talking points prepared for the event said: "Consolidating the majority of its NCR (National Capital Region) operations onto the Campus will reduce operational and accommodation costs, strengthen departmental security, and enable the DND/CF to work more efficiently and effectively."
This is likely all true. The government of Canada got a good deal here, picking up 400 acres of land, 12 big buildings containing more than two million square feet of office space for $208 million. It should be cheaper to consolidate DND operations there, moving workers from 48 different locations around the city.
DND thought it had a good news story.
At 5: 50 p.m. on Oct. 18, though, a Public Works official sent out an email to 10 officials: "We have just been advised by our Minister's office that the announcement has been cancelled and will not go forward tomorrow morning as planned."
Another public servant - the author of the talking points, which must have represented days of work - responded with a one-word email: "Ack."
The government quietly announced the purchase in December, without mentioning the purchase price or the estimated cost of renovating the offices for their new occupants: $623 million.
Citizen reporter David Pugliese requested cost estimates, and was told by the department that they were not forthcoming. The government "must request project and expenditure approval from government through the requisite submission process and, as such, cannot speak to cost estimates at this time."
Pugliese filed an access-to-information request and ultimately received emails that showed the government did have cost estimates, but DND's deputy minister, Robert Fonberg, asked that they be removed from the planned media release.
The morning that the event was cancelled, Fonberg's assistant sent an email to the assistant deputy minister of public affairs for DND, complaining that the talking points were too forthcoming.
"Why are we using the $623m fit up cost #? It is without context and will be a lightening (sic) rod!"
I find this dismaying. A subsequent version of the talking points shows that there were no numbers included.
The Department of National Defence had to estimate the price of moving all its people and fixing up its new headquarters before it started the process, in 2008, of searching for appropriate space.
I think they ought to have gone ahead with their planned announcement and included the numbers at the time, because they are stewards of our money, and like a good poker dealer, they ought to keep their hands above the table, where we can see them.
Jay Paxton, director of communications to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, says it's wrong to criticize the government for this. It would be wrong to share numbers that might change, because estimates might not be accurate.
A set of talking points prepared for the event said: "Consolidating the majority of its NCR (National Capital Region) operations onto the Campus will reduce operational and accommodation costs, strengthen departmental security, and enable the DND/CF to work more efficiently and effectively."
This is likely all true. The government of Canada got a good deal here, picking up 400 acres of land, 12 big buildings containing more than two million square feet of office space for $208 million. It should be cheaper to consolidate DND operations there, moving workers from 48 different locations around the city.
DND thought it had a good news story.
At 5: 50 p.m. on Oct. 18, though, a Public Works official sent out an email to 10 officials: "We have just been advised by our Minister's office that the announcement has been cancelled and will not go forward tomorrow morning as planned."
Another public servant - the author of the talking points, which must have represented days of work - responded with a one-word email: "Ack."
The government quietly announced the purchase in December, without mentioning the purchase price or the estimated cost of renovating the offices for their new occupants: $623 million.
Citizen reporter David Pugliese requested cost estimates, and was told by the department that they were not forthcoming. The government "must request project and expenditure approval from government through the requisite submission process and, as such, cannot speak to cost estimates at this time."
Pugliese filed an access-to-information request and ultimately received emails that showed the government did have cost estimates, but DND's deputy minister, Robert Fonberg, asked that they be removed from the planned media release.
The morning that the event was cancelled, Fonberg's assistant sent an email to the assistant deputy minister of public affairs for DND, complaining that the talking points were too forthcoming.
"Why are we using the $623m fit up cost #? It is without context and will be a lightening (sic) rod!"
I find this dismaying. A subsequent version of the talking points shows that there were no numbers included.
The Department of National Defence had to estimate the price of moving all its people and fixing up its new headquarters before it started the process, in 2008, of searching for appropriate space.
I think they ought to have gone ahead with their planned announcement and included the numbers at the time, because they are stewards of our money, and like a good poker dealer, they ought to keep their hands above the table, where we can see them.
Jay Paxton, director of communications to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, says it's wrong to criticize the government for this. It would be wrong to share numbers that might change, because estimates might not be accurate.
"As soon as we're ready to announce anything pertaining to the upgrades to the Carling Campus, we will announce it," he said Friday. "But as of now the only expenditure approved has been for the procurement of the Carling Campus."
The Harper government has gone further than any previous government in its control of information, exercising political control over all communications by public servants, so that every bit of information that goes out the door is first considered for its political impact.
In this case, it looks like at the last minute, some political actor with juice - probably in the Prime Minister's Office - decided it was not advantageous to announce it was spending a big pile of money buying a fancy new headquarters for the military.
The political actors are calling the tune and DND's communications people must dance as instructed, which they don't like. Pugliese recently reported that more than 30 per cent of DND's public affairs senior officers have left the organization in the last two years. This year, 12 employees have left.
More will be going out the door, perhaps not all voluntarily. As the government seeks to cut its budget, it can't avoid cuts at DND headquarters. A recent report by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, who has been asked to lead a transformation at the department, calls for deep cuts at HQ, where staff has increased by 46 per cent from 2004 to 2010.
That may mean Fonberg's plans for $623 million in renovations to the old Nortel campus are in doubt.
Paxton says that given this is a time of austerity, the government will seek to save money on the project.
"The Nortel complex was procured in part to reduce the cost of DND operations. As such, the government will be taking a close look at all costs associated with renovations prior to approving any expenditures beyond the initial procurement."
The Harper government has gone further than any previous government in its control of information, exercising political control over all communications by public servants, so that every bit of information that goes out the door is first considered for its political impact.
In this case, it looks like at the last minute, some political actor with juice - probably in the Prime Minister's Office - decided it was not advantageous to announce it was spending a big pile of money buying a fancy new headquarters for the military.
The political actors are calling the tune and DND's communications people must dance as instructed, which they don't like. Pugliese recently reported that more than 30 per cent of DND's public affairs senior officers have left the organization in the last two years. This year, 12 employees have left.
More will be going out the door, perhaps not all voluntarily. As the government seeks to cut its budget, it can't avoid cuts at DND headquarters. A recent report by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, who has been asked to lead a transformation at the department, calls for deep cuts at HQ, where staff has increased by 46 per cent from 2004 to 2010.
That may mean Fonberg's plans for $623 million in renovations to the old Nortel campus are in doubt.
Paxton says that given this is a time of austerity, the government will seek to save money on the project.
"The Nortel complex was procured in part to reduce the cost of DND operations. As such, the government will be taking a close look at all costs associated with renovations prior to approving any expenditures beyond the initial procurement."
Origin
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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