Hi neighbour,
It was another busy week at City Hall and here in Bay Ward!
Tewin: Why it’s still a bad deal for Ottawa residents
At this week’s Planning and Housing Committee meeting, I reintroduced a notice of motion to have the City’s Official Plan amended to remove the Tewin Community lands. I first introduced this motion back in March, and now that the Council seat in Ward 20 is no longer vacant, I’m looking forward to discussions with all stakeholders, including Councillor Skalski. Including Tewin in the City’s Official Plan was a bad idea, and it’s not too late for Council to correct this. This week, staff presented the Greenfield Residential Land Survey Mid-2024 Update, providing an overview of designated and available greenfield land for residential development across Ottawa. The report indicates that the city currently has approximately 1,581.8 hectares of available land for development, exceeding the 15-year supply requirement by 314 hectares. If Council votes to remove Tewin (222.68) from the existing greenfield development plans, the city will still have “more than sufficient” space to accommodate population growth over the next 15 years. A quick look at the greenfield residential land survey shows why Tewin will be so costly for the city; it’s nowhere near any existing infrastructure, especially when compared to other areas slated for development in the coming years. There are several reasons why I oppose the Tewin development, but the most important of them are:
- the lack of appropriate consultation with the First Nations of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council upon whose land the development sits
- the exorbitant projected and still incomplete costs to the City of Ottawa associated with the project, and
- the fact that this land was not deemed to meet the criteria for inclusion in the Official Plan according to the original staff assessment, and it remains unclear how these results have now been reversed.
With all the existing financial pressures the city is facing as we look at the budget for 2026, we simply can’t afford to throw good money after bad by continuing with this development. I look forward to hearing from delegates and committee members as we discuss the future of this project at our next meeting on October 15th.
The City’s Housing Acceleration Plan
At the joint Finance and Corporate Services and Planning and Housing Committee meeting this week, we looked at the city’s plan to speed up residential development across the city. While I welcomed most aspects of the plan, and was very happy to see an emphasis on both building and providing more public metrics on affordable and deeply affordable units, I shared my colleague Councillor Johnson’s concerns regarding the suspension of Community Benefit Charges for developers, and supported her amendment to reduce rather than remove all charges. Community Benefit Charges provide much-needed funding for critical infrastructure projects like sidewalks, parks, and recreation facilities in areas where in-fill development is occurring. Neighbourhoods across Bay Ward are going to see the impact of intensification over the coming years. Parks, recreation facilities, and community spaces are what make neighbourhoods livable. As more developments are approved, I will continue to advocate for funding that meets our city’s housing needs and also supports vibrant, livable communities.
Read this week’s newsletter for more news and events across your community, including an upcoming Budget Information Night and the Bay Ward Open House!
