The National Capital Commission should stop selling public lands to compensate for budget shortfalls, says an independent review of the Crown corporation.

The three-member panel headed by Gilles Paquet, a governance expert at the University of Ottawa, released 32 recommendations on the commission's mandate, which has been to care for federal buildings and lands in the region that includes Ottawa and Gatineau, Que.

Gilles Paquet, chair of the review panel, likened the NCC to a digestive system: "It works without you knowing it."
(CBC)

At a news conference Thursday, Paquet called for the commission to be more open in its dealings.

"I think that one of the things I've learned through this mandate is how little we know about what the NCC does. It's like your digestive system. It works without you knowing it."

The study found that the NCC needs about $25 million more than it receives each year to maintain bridges, heritage buildings, parkways and other infrastructure it owns.

This underfunding creates pressure to sell public assets, the panel noted, recommending that the NCC review its land holdings and end immediately "any sale of so-called surplus lands."

It also recommended that the commission:

• Co-ordinate better public transit, bridge building and other transportation infrastructure between the Ontario and Quebec sides of the region.
• Explore "all possible ways to increase revenues." They include user fees, rentals and fines.
• Improve transparency by opening board and advisory committee meetings to the public.
• Separate the roles of the chair of the board and the CEO. The chair would be responsible for planning and watching over the CEO; the CEO would be charged with taking action.

Barbara Farber and Guy Benoît were the other members of the panel that conducted the first review of the NCC in nearly two decades. The review, called by Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, began in August and included two months of expert, stakeholder and public consultations.

The NCC was founded in 1959 and owns land and buildings on either side of the Ottawa River surrounding the country's capital, including:

• Gatineau Park.
• The region's greenbelt.
• 2,100 hectares of urban land.
• 63 heritage properties.
• 40 kilometres of parkways.
• 170 kilometres of recreational pathways.

It has been criticized in the past for its lack of transparency and for selling off public lands to developers.