Real Estate Development
In Ottawa, Campeau was able to construct both office complexes and residential subdivisions to accommodate Canada's rapidly expanding civil service. Campeau frequently found himself at odds with Ottawa mayor Charlotte Whitton over planning decisions. Whitton was quoted as saying, "when I look at his (Campeau's) houses, I think perhaps nuclear bombardment might not be such a terrible thing after all." His Campeau Corporation had two main rivals in the residential housing market: Assaly Construction Limited and Minto Developments Inc., the latter owned by the family of future Ottawa mayor Lorry Greenberg. Despite opposition from Whitton, Campeau developed a reputation as a high-quality builder and became the most successful in the city. A street is named after him in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, much of which he developed.
For many years it was city policy that buildings in the downtown core not be taller than the Peace Tower of the parliament buildings. Campeau found this rule to be unnecessary and was drawn into conflict with city council over large high-rise developments such as Place de Ville.
Due to his relationships with many civil servants and ministers, he was able to have most of his projects approved. He counted amongst his personal friends politicians like Jean Chrétien, Jean Marchand, André Ouellet, Marc Lalonde, and Michael Pitfield. Campeau's real estate development success soon spread outside Ottawa. In Toronto his developments included Scotia Tower (the city's second tallest skyscraper) and the Harbour Castle Hotel (now part of the Westin Hotels chain).
Read more about this topic: Robert Campeau
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