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In late 2008 the National Capital Commission announced that it would begin a process of review of its 1996 Master Plan for the Greenbelt. The Review was due to be completed in 2012.
Under the leadership of Alliance member Sol Shuster, a Greenbelt Coalition was formed in the fall of 2008 to provide a strong community-based voice in the NCC’s review. The Coalition comprised virtually all the major environmental organizations in the National Capital Region; a full membership list is here.
The Coalition’s Vision
The Coalition envisioned the National Capital Greenbelt as part of our national heritage and an essential component of Ottawa’s “emerald necklace,” encompassing Gatineau Park, many other NCC greenspaces, and the Central Experimental Farm. The Coalition regarded the Greenbelt as a natural oasis that should be a model of biodiversity in an urban setting, while also encouraging agricultural and recreational functions.
In addition, the Coalition identified the need for an expanded Greenbelt to complete the Emerald Necklace with important natural areas such as the South March Highlands and the Leitrim Wetland complex.
The Coalition obtained generous representation in the NCC’s Public Advisory Committee and participated actively in it.
It opposed the City of Ottawa’s White Paper on Development in the Greenbelt.
It developed a series of Myths and Realities about the Greenbelt.
It opposed the Development of a <<Trade Show Centre>> on wooded wetlands in the
Greenbelt (now the EY Centre at Uplands).
It prepared a detailed submission to the Ministry of Natural Resources to designate
the <<Lester Road Wetland>> as a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW).
Finally, and most comprehensively, it prepared a detailed Position Paper on various aspects of the Greenbelt.
A revised Greenbelt Master Plan was approved by the NCC’s Board of Directors on 20 November 2013. A year later the Board approved an implementation plan and staff promised to establish a new Public Advisory Committee but this promise has yet to be fulfilled.