Mr. Chair and members of the Board, thank you.
I will start the presentation with the end.
We recommend that the move of operations from the Centre Block take place during the winter adjournment period and that the transition of some members' offices from the Centre Block to the Justice, Confederation and Wellington buildings begin this summer.
How did we get there? We made this recommendation after a thorough review of the status of the project and an analysis of the risks, both potential and real. Our review included a series of discussions with our partners, particularly Public Services and Procurement Canada, in which the available data and information gathered on the project was closely assessed with the required due diligence. All the partners involved understood that a good measure of healthy challenging had to occur. Our common objective is to ensure that the House of Commons transitions seamlessly to the West Block. After all, this is not a typical office facility; it is the seat of our democracy.
I should say that we make this recommendation based on the overall assessment, not out of concern for any particular activity, as it is the sum of all the parts that is important to consider. There are so many moving parts that to assume that everything will go according to plan, leaving no room for error, would not be responsible as the date of the return of the House in September cannot be ignored. Collectively, the partners are all on the same page, meaning that the project is not schedule-driven but operationally driven. The new facilities must function as we expect them to and as they should.
To update you on the situation, and to assist you in your decision-making, I have divided the presentation into four themes: project overview, construction, technology and security integration—the security portion will be presented in camera—and impact and next steps.
The West Block rehabilitation project has taken place over approximately eight years. The condition of the building had deteriorated considerably, and it was high time that such a project was carried out. When it reopens, the building will accommodate the interim House of Commons Chamber and other legislative functions currently housed in Centre Block, while that building undergoes equally essential renovations.
In addition, phase one of the new Visitor Welcome Centre will serve as the public access point to Parliament. The scope of the West Block rehabilitation project also included plans allowing for the creation of new space, acknowledging the fact that the facilities would serve not only the needs of the current Parliament, but also of those in the decades to come.
The size of the West Block building in 2010 was approximately 15,000 square metres. In 2018, the West Block is now roughly 26,000 square metres, including the courtyard infill and other additions. The Visitor Welcome Centre, phase one, is an additional 5,700 square metres. Together they provide a total area of 31,700 square metres, effectively doubling the space originally available.
Technology includes 500 kilometres of copper cabling, 30 kilometres of fibre optic cable, over 10,000 data ports, 360 Wi-Fi access points, a large number of swipe-card access doors and security cameras, and over 100 equipment racks supporting that technology.
The general contractor, PCL, has done a tremendous job under the leadership and direction of PSPC. At times this past winter there were more than 1,000 workers on site, working night shifts and weekends.
On May 31, the building received special occupancy permits from the City of Ottawa, which means that certain portions of the building are now accessible without the need of protective gear. Major construction is now complete, and many key milestones have been achieved. Other construction activities are still ongoing and are expected to finish this summer.
The interim Chamber is currently undergoing technology integration. Landscaping around the building is projected to be completed by early September. In addition, this summer we will begin to identify and correct what we call the flaws. A flaw can be something as minor as a dent in a wall or a damaged piece of furniture that needs repair. More major material or equipment problems may also require adjustments.
We are moving into the home stretch. The technology and security integration phase is going full steam ahead. As you may recall from the March update on the project, the House of Commons team started, in parallel with the completion of the construction, to integrate 21st century technology into this 19th century heritage building. Initially the plan was to start the integration after the construction was completed. The importance of these activities and the associated simulation and testing are the key reasons behind today's recommendation.
This section of the presentation will be divided in two parts. In public we will cover the status of non-security related technology integration, and in camera we will present the integration status of the facility's security components.
In addition to housing the interim chamber, West Block will also have multi-purpose rooms for committee meetings, broadcast and video conference capability, and caucus meetings; an office for the administration staff directly involved in chamber operations; and an office for House officers. The Visitor Welcome Centre will serve as the new secure point of entry for visitors and as an interpretation centre, as you heard earlier, for the Library of Parliament and its souvenir boutique.
Full testing of the broadcast and audio systems is underway in some committee rooms. The audio system in the interim Chamber is currently being integrated.
The expected completion date for this work is between late July and mid-August 2018. At that time, we will conduct a full simulation, including testing and adjustments as required.
Broadcast cameras and lighting in the House are also being tested.
As you may already know, we held a dry-run exercise in the interim chamber on June 6. This particular simulation was not part of the initial plan, but we felt we needed to gather more data in preparation for this meeting. The main purpose of the exercise was to test the broadcasting system and acoustics. For this test, staff were invited to occupy seats in the chamber and gallery to assess how the equipment would perform in a live situation.
In addition to varying degrees of vibration in some of the cameras, the exercise showed that broadcast lights required adjustment. This was to be expected. It demonstrates the importance of testing and reminds us to be diligent.
With respect to the committee rooms, the broadcasting system and cameras will also require further testing within the next few weeks to determine whether similar issues still need to be addressed. We will also conduct more simulations from July to September to ensure that the technology remains stable and that the solutions identified are performing as planned in a live environment.
I will now present the status of the work on the security front. We will need to proceed in camera.