Nothing to report.

The Hunt Club forest has been clear cut by the Airport Authority, despite the efforts of the local community and environmental allies to preserve it. The GA sent a letter to the CEO of the Airport Authority and of the NCC decrying this loss of greenspace and calling on the NCC to proactively plan for the transition of similar unmaintained plantations throughout the Greenbelt to mixed woodlands as they reach end of life stage.

A development project for three apartment towers across Baseline Road from the Central Experimental Farm is nearing approval stage. These proposed buildings would also cast long shadows on research fields. It was considered by Planning and Housing Committee but only one tower was approved, the one furthest from Baseline, which is set back far enough to avoid casting shadows. The file is supposed to return to PHC in February 2024 for a final determination.  This was foreseen when the 1081 Carling proposal was approved and a working group involving the City, the Farm and the NCC was supposed to be struck to develop a protocol for building heights around the perimeter of the Farm. Members agreed that a follow up is required to determine the status of this working group. It was suggested that the outcome should be an Official Plan Amendment that codifies the protocol so that this shading issue is not revisited from scratch every time a development application is made around the Farm. It was also suggested that similar protocols should be investigated for greenspaces where shading from new construction could prove harmful. Natural Heritage features and other locations around the Greenbelt and adjacent to the urban boundary were identified as possible assets that could be so protected.

This development project in Barrhaven was the subject of much concern when it was being considered in 2020-2021. The GA made several submissions and delegations to Planning Committee highlighting the unusual process by which a major site alteration, a massive cut and fill that completely changed the floodplain of the Jock River over a wide area, was maneuvered past Committee, Council and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. The file is back in the news as the Auditor General of the City of Ottawa has now tabled its report on the subject. There was a finding that there were several irregularities in how this file was processed which resulted in Council’s position on the proposal being completely bypassed. The RVCA decision to allow this massive cut and fill and its role in the process is also in question, but it is beyond the scope of the Auditor General’s purview. Given the opportunity, the current Council shamefully voted to turn the page on the whole sordid matter. The Auditor General of Ontario may yet re-examine what transpired. Otherwise, legal action brought by residents for damage to their properties resulting from the alteration of the flood plain might be the only way to hold those responsible to account. It was proposed that the GA send a letter to the Auditor General of Ontario to request that an audit be conducted, adding our voice to others who may have already made such a request.

Action: Paul to draft a letter to the AGO. Erwin and JP agreed to review.

A resident has contacted the GA to report an infill development in the Glebe that would cause the removal of several mature trees. As a development application is already in process, tree protection would be exercised through the development review. The GA confirmed that the relevant City staff were aware of the situation. The case was to be considered by Committee of Adjustment on December 13.