Sir John Carling Building Life Ends With A Bang

Ottawa, ON – The Sir John Carling building, former headquarters of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, came crashing down Sunday morning in a controlled explosion.

An Idaho-based company, Advanced Explosives Demolition Inc., carried out the demolition around 7 a.m. ET, setting off 800 pounds (362 kilograms) of explosives that were packed inside the abandoned 11-storey structure.

Hundreds of people gathered around the building as it was turned into 40,000 tonnes of rubble. Police enforced the perimeter of the site at 930 Carling Ave., to balance safety concerns with people’s eagerness for a good view.

Lisa Kelly, a part-owner of the company in charge of the blast, said the implosion went off perfectly.

The building housed Agriculture Canada employees since 1967 but was vacated in 2009.

Implosion of the Sir John Carling building former headquarters of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 13 July, 2014. Photo by Richard A. Whittaker. Images on this website cannot be used; printed; or reproduced in any way without written permission from Richard A. Whittaker. © All rights reserved.