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Author: Erwin Dreessen

Policies & Threats Related to Greenspaces

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Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act

The Ontario government tabled a Bill on December 6, 2018 that would make dozens of amendments to many provincial acts “to stimulate business investment, create good jobs, and make Ontario more competitive by cutting unnecessary regulations”. Included are changes to the Planning Act (Schedule 10) that would enable municipalities to pass “open for business” bylaws that would suspend the application of environmental protection and normal due process (advance notice, right

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Erwin Dreessen January 20, 2019 June 24, 2024

Greenspace Alliance 2018 Municipal Election Survey

The Greenspace Alliance has conducted a survey of the candidates for City Council on their awareness of and commitment to address greenspace issues.  The questionnaire deals with specific policies and issues that are on the City agenda and which the elected councillors will need to consider in the next term of Council. There are 102 candidates vying for 23 councillor positions. Six had no email address, one withdrew from the

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Erwin Dreessen October 6, 2018 June 24, 2024

Beyond 2036 Sounding Board

In preparation for the next revision of the Official Plan, the City has launched the Beyond 20136 Sounding Board. Around 50 representatives from a wide spectrum of organization and interests, public, private and from civil society have been invited by the City to advise it on how to frame and position the next revision of the Official Plan. What approach should it take? What kind of public engagement? Clean slate

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Erwin Dreessen February 26, 2018 November 26, 2024

LRT Extension through the Greenbelt and Beyond

With Stage 1 of the LRT expected to come into service in 2018, construction on its extension in Stage 2 is planned to start in 2019.  This will take the LRT through the Greenbelt and beyond  and so raises concerns for its impact on greenspace and wetlands along the way. Due to an unforeseen budget surplus, the City saw an opportunity to extend the western terminal of Stage 2 beyond

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Erwin Dreessen January 25, 2018 June 24, 2024

Preparing for a New Official Plan: Beyond 2036

The Greenspace Alliance was invited to sit as a member of the Sounding Board for the City planning exercise Beyond 2036. The goal of this planning project was to set the scene and context for the next review of the Official Plan. Through its participation at meetings and workshops organized by city planners over several months, the GA contributed to the production and review of the planning reports listed on

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Erwin Dreessen January 9, 2018 June 24, 2024

December 12, 2017 Public Information Session, Area 2

At an information session on December 12, 2017, Richcraft presented high level concepts for the development of Area 2, an urban expansion study area brought in by Official Plan Amendment 76 (OPA76), as confirmed by an OMB decision in 2013 following extensive appeals. Coming out of the previous information session on this project in December 2015, the feeling was that there was very little developable land on this parcel once

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Erwin Dreessen December 14, 2017 October 7, 2024

City of Ottawa Budget 2018

The Greenspace Alliance has submitted its input to the City of Ottawa regarding the 2018 Budget. It called on the City to adequately fund the recently approved Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), to replenish the capital reserve used to acquire greenspace for preservation purposes and to invest in developing the geographic data required to evaluate whether the targets stated in the Official Plan for total greenspace (4 hectares per 1000

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Erwin Dreessen November 10, 2017 October 7, 2024

GA 20th Anniversary Celebration

To mark the 20th anniversary of its founding, the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital held a celebration on October 26, 2017 at the Ferme Moore pavilion, a lovely heritage building restored by the National Capital Commission as one of its Canada 150 Confederation Pavilions. Over forty members, past members and guests attended, spanning the entire history of the Alliance, from its first days in the fall of 1997 to just

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Erwin Dreessen October 30, 2017 October 15, 2024

 A Walk in the Woods and Meadow

On Sunday, May 21, 2006, the Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee organized the first of a series of walks in Ottawa’s natural areas. The walk took place in McCarthy Woods and its Meadow to the west and was under the guidance of Erwin Dreessen and Seaton Findlay. Here is Erwin’s report. There was an excellent turnout — I estimate about 50 people, and this on a rainy day! Actually,

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Erwin Dreessen April 13, 2017 June 24, 2024

 A Birdwatching Walk with Tony Beck

In the crisp morning hours of April 5, 2005 renowned bird photographer Tony Beck led a field trip to the future Canadian Poets’ Park. Participants included Richard Scott (then of the NCC) and Councillor Maria McRae. These lines from Archibald Lampman’s “Solitude” set us on our way: Sometimes a hawk screams or a woodpecker Startles the stillness from its fixed mood With his loud careless tap. Sometimes I hear The

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Erwin Dreessen April 13, 2017 June 24, 2024