General Meeting – September 15 2025 – Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital

Meeting Minutes

General Meeting – September 15 2025

Published on:

October 6, 2025

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Meeting date:

September 15, 2025

Members present: Paul Johanis (chair), Nicole DesRoches, Iola Price, Tony Keith, Erwin Dreessen, Arto Keklikian

1. Adoption of the agenda

The proposed agenda was agreed upon.

Moved by Arto, seconded by Nicole. Approved.

2. Administrative items

a. Minutes of July 28 2025 meeting (for approval)

Moved by Erwin, seconded by Iola. Carried.

b. Association reports:

The Chair reported on a second batch of neighbourhood sustainability audits conducted in partnership with Sustainable Eastern Ontario. This is in the context of SEO’s initiative to expand its environmental network to include Ottawa’s francophone community. The GA has been supporting this effort, especially in regard to engagement with residents at the neighbourhood level. The pilot project for these sustainability audits and action plans was conducted in two eastern Ottawa neighbourhoods with substantive francophone populations, Greater Avalon and Backburn Hamlet. The second batch of audits, which like the first are conducted by University of Ottawa students as part of academic programs, covered the Sandy Hill, Lowertown and Manor Park neighbourhoods. Draft reports have been produced over the summer, which will be shared with the local community associations. A third wave is being undertaken now as part of the fall semester.

c. Website report

All the requested enhancements of the content automation functions of the GA website have now been delivered. The new process operated flawlessly for the generation of content based on the July general meeting minutes. This includes new posts on our website, the publication of a newsletter announcing the GA’s latest advocacy activities and new posts on our social media, all of which were produced though content automation. With the completion of the project, it was agreed to release the final payment invoiced by the contractor. Erwin raised the issue of training for content maintenance on the new website. The Chair agreed that this was an urgent requirement that would be attended to in the immediate future.

d. Treasurer’s report:

Funds have been received from the City’s Community Environmental Projects Grant Program. Arrangements will be made for the disbursement of these funds with the Poets’ Pathway team.

The Chair requested a reimbursement for the payment he made by credit card of the fee for the rental of our Post Office box, in the amount of $211.31. Moved by Nicole, seconded by Arto. Carried.

e. Letter to MPPs regarding anti-SLAPP

The Chair briefed the members on the issue of individuals and not-for-profit groups such as the GA to be exposed to defamation lawsuits in Small Claims Court without access to the Anti-SLAPP provisions made available through the Courts of Justice Act of Ontario. This is because of a series of rulings by the Ontario Court of Appeals that gradually removed the Anti-SLAPP motions from the jurisdiction of the Small Claims Court. As the provincial government is currently reviewing civil justice procedures, which may require modifications to the Ontario Courts of Justice Act, this may be a good opportunity to revisit this issue and make explicit that Anti-SLAPP motions can be filed in Small Claims Court, which seems to have been the initial intent of the legislator. The GA, along with GA member Ottawa Carleton Wildlife Centre, has sent a letter to local opposition MPPs and to the Attorney General of Ontario asking that this issue be dealt with at this time. Members supported this action and proposed that the letter be sent to a wider range of MPPs and in particular those who sit on the legislative committee that will consider the report on the review of civil procedures.

Action: The Chair to seek additional signatories and expand the distribution of the letter.

Comprehensive Zoning By-Law Review
The third and final draft of the new Zoning Bylaw has been released by the City and is now subject to public consultation. The GA’s main interest in the review of the ZBL is to ensure that it facilitates intensification so as to prevent future expansions of the urban boundary into the rural area, balanced by zoning conditions that preserve trees and greenspace. At a high level, the new ZBL achieves this, although in a hub and corridor pattern rather than the polycentric pattern we preferred. At this point, what is needed is a review at a very detailed level to detect errors or anomalies that convert open space and other greenspace zones to development reserve or outright development. We are aware of at least two such reclassifications that result in greenspace loss (see Poets’ Pathway under 4(b)i below). While time is short, we will seek to obtain or generate a list of all such conversions so that feedback can be provided to City staff to remove or modify them.

Action: Chair to seek a list of conversions of open or greenspace zones to development reserve or outright development zones.
Rural Greenspace acquisition
Following the debate on the acquisition by the City of a property on Ferry Road for conservation purposes, staff was directed to re-examine the process and criteria by which candidate properties are selected for this purpose. That <report> was presented and approved at the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee’s September 4th meeting. The adoption of the proposed process should solidify and strengthen staff’s ability to discharge their duties under the approved greenspace acquisition and stewardship program.
2022 Tree Canopy Study
The second regional Tree Canopy Study has been released. As per the initial 2017 study, it was sponsored by the City of Ottawa, the City of Gatineau and the NCC and covers all the lands under their jurisdiction. The 2022 study shows a slight increase in the tree canopy under City of Ottawa jurisdiction, from 34% to 36%, mostly attributable to an increase in the rural area from 36% to 39%. However, in the urban area, there was a decrease from 21.5% to 20.6%, this against a target of 40%. Many of these findings seem to conflict with views and perceptions communicated to the GA by members and residents over this period. A deep dive to really understand what is driving these numbers and how to interpret these high-level aggregated figures would be very useful to the community. Iola asked how much of the increased canopy cover was due to increased number of buckthorn trees and shrubs in Ottawa.

The report also identified priority areas for immediate action. These were selected using a new Tree Equity Score, which takes into account canopy cover and socio-economic conditions at the neighourhood level. Eight such areas were identified.

MAJOR URBAN
Poet’s Pathway Update
There are lands used by the Poet’s Pathway that are under threat of development. This is particularly true for the Southern Corridor, which in the Woodroffe-Merivale segment could be opened to residential development by a new Secondary Plan, while the McCarthy meadow section is slated for reclassification to Development Reserve in Draft 3 of the new Zoning Bylaw. The loss of greenspace in these segments would be very deleterious to the integrity of the Poets’ Pathway. To counter these developments, the GA, led by Erwin, is engaging with the lead City planners on the Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan. A first meeting was held, and some positive elements were uncovered. See report <here>. Regarding McCarthy Meadow, the local community association is engaged in the defense of this greenspace. The GA will also make representations to staff through the ZBL engagement. As these lands are federally owned, it was agreed that the GA would also engage with the Canada Lands Corporation to alert them to the potential conflicts in land use at these locations.

Action: Erwin will make contact with CLC and draft a communication as required.

Meanwhile, work continues on Poets’ Pathway redux. With the grant money obtained from the City, work on the revamped website for the PP can be initiated. This work must be completed by July 2026.

Erwin proposed that an Ottawa Choral Society event on October 26, a music and poetry reading on the theme of Canadian poets, would provide a good opportunity spread information about the Poets’ Pathway. All agreed.

Action: Chair to contact Beechwood Cemetery to arrange for the printing of 500 copies of the latest map of the Poets’ Pathway.

The Meeting was adjourned at 8:50.

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The Greenspace Alliance works with community organizations and individuals to preserve and enhance natural areas in the National Capital area, including public and private green spaces, wetlands and waterways.

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