LeBreton Flats
| LeBreton Flats | |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | |
 Location of LeBreton Flats in Ottawa |
|
| Coordinates: 45°24′56″N 75°43′04″W / 45.41556°N 75.71778°WCoordinates: 45°24′56″N 75°43′04″W / 45.41556°N 75.71778°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| City | Ottawa |
| Government | |
| • MPs | Catherine McKenna |
| • MPPs | Yasir Naqvi |
| • Councillors | Catherine McKenney |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.84 km2 (0.32 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 373 |
| Canada 2011 Census | |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
LeBreton Flats (also spelled Lebreton Flats) (French: Plaines Lebreton) is a neighbourhood in Somerset Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It lies to the west of Centretown neighbourhood, and to the north of Centretown West with Nanny Goat Hill as the dividing line. The Ottawa River forms the western and northern limit, with the western side being a wider area of the river known as Nepean Bay.
Originally a residential area, most of the Flats are now taken up by the Canadian War Museum and the Lebreton Flats bandshell. About half of the total area, on the southern side, is undergoing redevelopment. The population was only 373 (2011 Census), up from 57 in 2006, and 50 in 2001
LeBreton Flats was named after retired Royal Navy Captain John LeBreton (1779-1848), one of Nepean Township's first settlers (c. 1819) and a hero of the War of 1812 (as adjunct with the Canadian Voltigeurs in 1812). His acquisition of the flats generated a controversy that simmers to this day. The account, according his detractors, goes as follows. In 1820, LeBreton lived at the community of Britannia, Ottawa, and overheard Lord Dalhousie explain that the intended plan for the Rideau Canal was from Dow's Lake to the Chaudière Falls, directly crossing the flats. LeBreton bought for the land for £499, before Lord Dalhousie had a chance to purchase the territory. LeBreton then offered to sell the land to Dalhousie for £3000. Dalhousie recognized LeBreton's scam and was so infuriated he decided to move the canal to Entrance Bay, the current location where the canal enters into the Ottawa River. This significantly raised the cost of the canal, as it was a longer route and additional locks were now required. At the same time, Dalhousie purchased Barracks Hill as part of the agreement, which would become Parliament Hill. For his part, LeBreton vigously maintained that he had purchased the land fairly at a public auction and that he had been grievously wronged by Dalhousie and those in the community who took the Governor General's side. There is solid documentary evidence that LeBreton was one of the few to grasp the commercial value of the flats and that he had begun to make offers to acquire land there as early as 1818, well before the Canal was approved or any route revealed. LeBreton presented Dalhousie with a lengthy written defence against the allegations. These arguments Dalhousie somewhat peremptorily dismissed, entrenching the notion of LeBreton as a swindler in local legend.
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