NCC work closing ByWard Market courtyard businesses longer than expected

By Andrew Foote, CBC News

image from article

NCC [National Capital Commission] says process was more complex than it originally thought

Excerpt:

Work on a new building to replace the now-demolished Memories Restaurant at 7 Clarence Street was expected to start in January of this year, along with renovations to neighbouring buildings that date as far back as the 1840s, with the goal of finishing everything by January 2017. ...

The new timeline is to have 7 Clarence Street ready to be an exhibition space for embassies from around the world to showcase their countries and their relationship with Canada by January 2017, with work on Sussex Drive finished by summer 2017.

"It's really a tendering and contracting issue where we needed to move ahead with the 7 Clarence (Street) tender in order to be ready to open with our first public diplomacy initiative in February 2017," [NCC CEO Mark] Kristmanson said. ...