Wheeling and Dealing

The year was 1966. As summer lazily drifted into autumn, the twelve-year old National Defence Employees Association (NDEA) faced exciting times in the near future. Soon they would transform into the much larger and more influential Union of National Defence Employees (UNDE). For five years NDEA had owned premises at 330 McLeod. Perhaps it was time to expand its real estate. After all had the Train Station not just moved to more spacious premises in the suburbs?

On 15 September, National Secretary Treasurer Ken Green convinced the Management Committee/Building Trust to buy 323 McLeod, a house across the street from the NDEA building. He planned to use it as the Ottawa Regional Office for UNDE in the heady days ahead when the huge potential membership in Ottawa all came under UNDE’s jurisdiction. The purchase price was $23,500 plus adjustments.

Following the founding convention for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the building was rented to the Alliance for office space at an initial rate of $195.50 per month. The rate went up to $270.25 in December 1967; however, PSAC left the building at the end of November 1968 to move all their staff into its new building on Gilmour Street. The property at 323 McLeod was finally sold 13 February 1970 for $33,000. After all commissions and legal fees were taken into consideration, the profit was in the order of $7,000. Not an overwhelming sum of money but certainly better than a loss.