U.S. Embassy in Ottawa to lose protective concrete barrier raised after 9/11
Yeah, yeah, security’s important. But what about landscaping? The City of Ottawa is asking the U.S. embassy and RCMP to consider this question as it seeks to revitalize Sussex Drive, where authorities had erected an unsightly concrete barrier following 9/11. Presumably, the wall was intended to block would-be car bombers from using the embassy as a target. But many residents felt the measure was out of proportion with the actual threat. Now the city, along with the National Capital Commission, is asking for something a little less ugly to protect the edifice, which occupies some of the most visible real estate in the nation’s capital.