OTTAWA - A controversial monument to victims of communism on Ottawa's main ceremonial street will now be significantly smaller, according to new plans for the site.
The National Capital Commission -- an unelected body of federal appointees that oversees land in and around the national capital -- says the monument would now occupy 37 per cent of a prime piece of land, instead of 60 per cent.
The Harper government wants the monument erected on vacant land adjacent to the Supreme Court of Canada on Wellington St., just west of Parliament Hill.
The plan is opposed by the a variety of groups, including the City of Ottawa, the Canadian Bar Association, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and various architectural institutes.
The commission says the new monument would also be only half as tall as originally envisioned.
It says further design refinements are expected before the project reaches the final approval stage, expected in the coming months.
