Tag: City of Ottawa

Park news: Icebreaking access, moth control, and hope for a clean-up day

Posted on by Christina Leadlay

By Karen Squires and Katherine Hall

Over the years the New Edinburgh Community Alliance (NECA) has worked with a group of volunteers to ensure the park area is preserved, kept clean and well-maintained, in collaboration with City team members.

While the park cleanup did not take place last year, the NECA parks group met with City staff members to discuss maintenance issues to do with the tennis courts, seasonal garbage bins, bench repairs, fencing and signage. As well, City staff have just confirmed that both the annual icebreaking program on the Rideau River and the Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel (CSST) tunnel maintenance will be accessed by the broadened, newly resurfaced roadway entrance near the New Edinburgh Fieldhouse. Therefore, you will see the equipment required for the icebreaking coming through this area from late February to early March. We hope to provide an update on scheduling for the ongoing CSST tunnel maintenance, which will also access the park from the same location near the fieldhouse.

During 2021, LDD moths became a major issue, destroying tree leaves all around Ottawa. City staff have confirmed there is a budget in 2022 which includes a new, temporary, full- time employee joining the Forestry department for the express purpose of developing and implementing community support programming around LDD. This role will also support the development and implementation of an Urban Forest Outreach and Engagement Strategy which is a key recommendation of the Urban Forest Management Plan. One element of this program is a burlap distribution kit, more details of which we hope to provide in a future edition. We all want to ensure we are able to protect our trees against ongoing LDD invasion.

Prior to COVID-19’s ongoing public safety restrictions, residents (with Friends of the Park) were invited to come out and do a collective spring park cleanup each May. We are monitoring the situation now to determine how best to move forward in 2022 for potential spring and fall dates.

In Spring 2021, the New Edinburgh News asked for input from residents as to what they enjoyed about the park and what they’d like to see more of. Here’s a summary of what we learned. People: 

  • love to walk in nature – natural setting is a key theme!
  • would like to see more garbage cans and recycling bins.
  • want better signage to keep cyclists off the shoreline.
  • are interested in the restoration of natural beauty and the addition of more benches.
  • would like more cleanup initiatives.
  • support more wildflowers, green space, and tree-planting to improve biodiversity.
  • would like to see better care taken of seeded grass areas.
  • want more native plant species planted to attract birds.
  • support the possible expansion of the waterfront area to Porter Island, Bordeleau Park and Rideau Falls.

In November 2021, we were pleased to hear that the City will be switching to a cleaner grass mowing alternative, to cut down on fumes. We liaised with City staff, who have agreed to reduce the amount of mowing in the “regeneration area” of the park. A consistent theme is to keep the park natural and clean, and have places where people can stroll, sit, and enjoy the scenery including birds, wildflowers, trees, and the waterfront.

Members from the Crichton Community Council (CCC) manage the Fieldhouse, the skating rink, and children’s playground area in addition to such annual events as the plant sale, in and around the fieldhouse area. NECA continues to liaise with the CCC and to provide updates, through NEN’s event listings on what’s happening. 

To conclude, while New Edinburgh and Stanley Park and nearby areas serve a diverse group of people, there are more people using the park year-round since COVID lockdowns and restrictions. We will increase our coordinated efforts with City staff to ensure we all work together for a clean, natural, and safe space to enjoy all year. As of January 2022, the City is aware of our requests and have approved the funds to do some repairs to the tennis courts and fencing near the fieldhouse. They have also noted our request for better signage for cyclists and the replacement of one bench near the tennis courts. 

Karen Squires and Katherine Hall are members of the Friends of the Park committee at NECA. To learn more about Friends of the Park, please email info@newedinburgh.ca

Burgh Business Briefs (February 2022)

Posted on by Christina Leadlay

By Andre Gagne, Jane Heintzman, Randy Mar and Tamara Miller (this article appeared in the February 2022 edition of the New Edinburgh News)

Nature’s Buzz to close forever Feb. 19

On Feb. 19, Nature’s Buzz will close its doors for the last time, ending two decades of operation in our community as a hub for organic supplies. Throughout this 20-year period, the store has been a family-run operation, launched in 2002 by Dr. Mark Patry and his family, and later purchased in 2007 by Dale Heins, partner of store associate Nancy Phillips. 

Nancy’s son Eric Passmore and daughter Chelsea Passmore – the current store manager and sales associate respectively – have become familiar figures here in the Burgh. The family has worked hard to keep locals supplied with a wide range of organic products, from meat, fish, and poultry to fresh produce, dairy items, baking supplies and more. 

The Passmore–Phillips’ tenure on Beechwood has been far from uneventful. In March 2011, the store’s original location at 23 Beechwood Ave. was completely destroyed by fire. For many months, the future of the business remained in doubt as the commercial community grappled with the challenges of relocation or, in some cases, closure. Happily, Nature’s Buzz was able to secure a spot nearby at 55 Beechwood Ave. (at Douglas Avenue), where it has since remained in operation.

In recent years, the store has faced another serious challenge: the roller coaster ride of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a food supplier and thus an essential service, Nature’s Buzz was never required to close its doors, but was inevitably affected by the supply problems which continue to plague all sectors of the economy. Operating a small business is not for the faint of heart at the best of times, less still in the middle of a global pandemic!

According to Nancy, the immediate trigger for the store’s impending closure was the expiry of its current lease. Of the two major options available – renew the lease and carry on or attempt to find a buyer for the business – the Passmore–Phillips family opted for the latter. “We had a few bites,” says Nancy, but the search was ultimately unsuccessful, so the store will soon close.

While Nancy looks forward to a well-deserved retirement, both Eric and Chelsea hope to devote their full attention to their other vocations: Eric is an accomplished singer–song writer, whose musical talent first came to light in our community following the release several years ago of his début solo album, Pages of the Day. He has since been composing and recording new works, some in Nashville by Direct Image Studios. (Visit soundcloud.com/eric-passmore-990261307)

Chelsea plans to employ her expertise as a personal trainer and yoga instructor. She also has notable artistic talent as a dancer, and with Eric’s help of her brother, has ventured into the musical realm in composing and performing a song to accompany dance choreography. 

We sincerely thank Eric, Chelsea, and Nancy for their many years of welcoming service in our community and wish them every success in their new endeavours.

So, what’s next for 55 Beechwood Ave? On Mar. 1, next-door neighbour Chilaquiles will take over the Nature’s Buzz premises and begin renovations to refit the space for the popular Mexican restaurant. Chilaquiles’ owner Kelvin Molina anticipates about a two-month construction process and hopes to make the move from 49 to 55 Beechwood Ave. at some point in May. In the meantime, Chilaquiles will remain open at its current location. After the move, Kelvin plans to launch a new business at 49 Beechwood Ave.: the specifics are still under discussion but should be nailed down in time for the NEN’s next edition in April. Stay tuned! –JH

Natural pet-food shop opens

Chew-That, a locally owned and operated pet supplies store with two existing locations in the Ottawa area, opened a new location at 141 Beechwood Ave. (the former home of Le Suq and before that, Jacobsons) at the end of January. You may already have visited Chew-That by the time NEN goes to print.

Like their Riverside South and Almonte locations, the new Beechwood store will offer only the best selection of high-quality pet food, treats, and accessories.

Chew-That owner Renée Hamilton brings a life-long passion to her business: she comes from a farming background; bred, raised, and trained dogs and horses; and trained as a pet nutritionist. She extensively researches and scrutinizes every product’s sourcing and specifications before a it lands on her shelves.

New Edinburgh and area pet owners will appreciate a unique pet-food selection and may recognize such brands as Fromm, Boreal, Oxbow, and Champion – many not typically found at big-box chains.  

“Along with the research I do, what makes us unique is that we try to source our toys and treats locally or regionally, and we appreciate working with vendors who think and operate like us” Renée told NEN. “We focus on your pet’s nutrition and overall wellness.”  

To that end, Renée and her staff are excited to offer doggy training, fitness, and daycare at the Beechwood Avenue location. The Beechwood–Acacia corner will easily allow Renée to take her own dog, along with other dogs under Chew-That’s care, to the Rockeries for great romps. The shop also offers an array of home-baked pet cupcakes, cakes, and other treats for celebrations.

Chew-That understands that animals are cherished members of our households; including, of course, feline friends and other family pets. In fact, Renée and staff often hear that they treat client’s pets like their own.

Pets and their owners are sure to extend a warm, waggly welcome to the neighbourhood!

Chew-That is located at 141 Beechwood Ave. Contact them at chew-that.ca, 613- 695-6448 or info@chew-that.ca –RM

Your friendly, neighbourhood cannabis shop

Following up on our October BBB report that Munchies Cannabis had applied for a permit to open a location at 131B Beechwood Ave., we can confirm that they officially opened for business on Dec. 26.

NEN chatted with co-owner and retail manager Mary-Anne Hanna to get an idea of what one can expect from this cannabis store.  

Munchies Cannabis is locally owned and operated by the Hanna family – long-time Ottawa residents. The company was a year and half in the making and is committed to three things: bringing in the best legal products; providing the best education; and creating a fun, friendly and positive environment for people from all walks of life. 

What sets Munchies apart from other cannabis stores is the in-house branding and décor, as well as their focus on cannabis education and information. Local artist @falldowng created the art for the store (including an Instagram wall), all of which was inspired by the Hanna family’s vision. There is no shortage of information about cannabis available to patrons to help them make informed decisions. The educational wall features nine customised poster boards with facts about cannabis. The shop’s dedicated employees – called budtenders – were carefully recruited to provide information and guidance in a safe and respectful space.

Destigmatizing cannabis is very important to Mary-Anne and the other owners of Munchies. They opened the store because of their passion for the plant, and they want community members to know that they follow provincial and federal regulations very closely. Patrons will notice a strict age-gating protocol: cannabis products are not even visible to minors who may approach the store. Only when a person’s age has been verified will they be allowed to enter the establishment.

Mary-Anne and her family are excited to be part of the Beechwood business community and encourage anyone who is curious to come and see the store for themselves and to speak with their knowledgeable employees.

Munchies Cannabis is located at 131B Beechwood Ave. Opening hours are from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. on Sunday. Reach them at 613-748-1000; follow them on social media @munchiescannaco and view their menu online at munchiescannnabis.ca –TM

Editor’s note: As of publishing, a second cannabis shop has applied to open on Beechwood. Sessions Cannabis has applied at 196 Beechwood Ave. – the new building on the site of the former Burton’s Dive shop. The public notice period ended Jan. 19. 

Orleans law firm plants new roots

Natalie Guertin and Michèle Poirier are the proud co-founders of Guertin Poirier Avocates/Lawyers, a new law firm at 203–16 Beechwood Ave. providing fully bilingual notary and legal services in real estate law and estate protection. 

Although established in 2021, the roots of GP stretch back generations, and as far as New Brunswick. Natalie carries on a century-old family tradition serving Ottawa’s real-estate community. Following the client-care model established by her father Louis, Natalie focuses on providing hassle-free, knowledgeable, and responsive legal services to homeowners and their agents.

Said Natalie: “We are very excited to open our doors to the community,” to which Michèle added: “and in turn open doors for you!”  

Graduates of the University of Ottawa and l’Université de Moncton respectively, Natalie and Michèle each hold a Juris Doctor in Common Law (French). The pair met while at Guertin Law in Orleans.

The decision to take over the family law practice and relocate from Orleans was an easy one. A long-time Vanier resident, Natalie lives a short walk from the Beechwood Avenue office, often stopping for coffee en route. Michèle also loves the neighbourhood vibe of New Edinburgh.

Rounding out the GP team is Marianne at reception and Ashley providing legal assistance. Natalie’s mother Julie will soon join the Beechwood-based team, proudly bringing more than 30 years of estate-planning experience. All team members support the collaborative, client-centric approach to reaching the end goal: negotiating and closing real estate transactions in a respectful manner.

Natalie and Michèle each balance the demands of running a thriving professional practice and growing families – you will see them out and about in the neighbourhood.

Welcome to New Edinburgh, Natalie and Michèle!

Guertin Poirier Avocates/Lawyers is located at 203–16 Beechwood Ave. Contact them at 613-744-4488 or visit guertinpoirierlaw.ca.

Pub brings warmth to those in need
With some of the coldest days of year upon us, many already facing tough times due to the pandemic are hard pressed to find warm winter outerwear. This is something Manny Garcia and Ottawa’s Clocktower Brew Pubs hope to rectify with their Take a Coat/Leave a Coat program.

Three years ago, Manny, the general manager of the Clocktower Pub on MacKay Street, spied a posting on social media offering free winter coats to people in need. He approached Clocktower Vice President Sean Rutherford, who agreed it was a program worth developing at all pub locations. 

“We saw that there was a need for it and having seven locations spread across Ottawa, we would be able to reach more people that needed a nice warm jacket in the winter with no questions asked. It’s just a nice way to give back to the community,” Manny said to the New Edinburgh News.

New Edinburgh residents may have spied the coatrack on the patio of the 422 MacKay St. location. It is left out all day and all night for those to either donate a coat or take one if needed. 

“We usually start getting phone calls in in late October and early November inquiring, but we put out the coatrack in the beginning late November or early December until we find the temperature getting warmer,” says Manny.

Donors can add coats for men, women, and children to the rack. Manny assures there are no questions asked of those wishing to take one of the donations, and adds that people have begun donating gloves, scarves, and even winter boots. Every little bit helps bring some much-needed warmth to those in need.

“The staff and I could not believe the number of jackets that were being taken on a daily basis, showing that we do have a problem with low-income and homelessness in every neighbourhood of Ottawa,” Manny says. Due to current pandemic and economic events, there is an ever-increasing number of those facing financial hardship. 


Last year, the City of Ottawa launched a Point-in-Time count – the first since 2018 – to survey persons experiencing homelessness. While the date for this count has yet to be released at the time of this article, the 2018 count listed 1,400 participants in need. 

““This is such a rewarding program…and yet so simple. If you are able to donate any item that would help, please do,” urges Manny. 

The Clocktower Pub is located at 422 MacKay St. Contact them at 613-742-3169, info.mackay@clocktower.ca or visit clocktower.ca. –ARG

Amsted Design Build

Since the launch of its satellite office, or “Living Room,” at 17 Springfield Rd. in 2014, Stittsville, Ont.-based Amsted Design Build has built up a solid local clientele of homeowners planning small- and large-scale renovation projects, or in need of regular home maintenance. COVID notwithstanding, they are accepting visits to the Springfield Road office by appointment (613-836-7434; info@amsted.ca)

Owner Steve Barkhouse takes particular pride in the company’s Home Care department – a service central to Amsted’s overarching goal of establishing “clients for life.” It handles what he describes as “Honey-Do lists,” including adaptations to improve safety and livability for seniors, as well as coverage for those with busy travel schedules.

With more than three decades of experience in the design–build business in Ottawa, Amsted has an impressive range of expertise, resources, and supply networks. They have won multiple awards in categories ranging from green building to heritage preservation and kitchen design. There are currently 50 full-time Amsted employees, including six designers with specializations ranging from modern and contemporary styles to traditional arts-and-crafts. Project planners and project coordinators are also key members of the Amsted team, taking the lead with designers to plan home renovations big and small. 

For Steve, the beauty of the design–build model is to break down the project planning process into small, manageable increments, each of which can be fully mapped out in terms of scale, cost, and availability of resources, before moving on to the next step. 

He points out that at least 80 per cent of full-scale architectural drawings are never built, in most cases because of cost. By contrast, the “baby step” model minimizes the potential waste of time and money on a no-go project, and leaves time for fine tuning. His advice to prospective renovators: “Take the time you need to get exactly what you want, and have a budget in mind.”

Amsted’s planners and builders work year-round, regardless of the weather. In that sense, says Steve, there are no “busy seasons.” But, alas, he admits, there are now “COVID seasons” with which the company has had to contend as it navigates the rollercoaster of pandemic waves, most recently the Omicron tsunami. 

A major effect of the pandemic: ubiquitous supply chain bottlenecks which have had a dramatic effect on material availability, often paralyzing progress towards project completion. But over the years, Amsted has built up an advantage: strong relationships with suppliers that allow for as much predictability as is feasible in the current turbulent environment. Another “Amsted advantage” in the COVID context is its very large team, allowing for flexibility to call in replacements if needed to cover COVID-related absences. 

If a renovation is on your list of tasks that can no longer be put off, Steve’s advice is to start the process sooner rather than later. If you’re working with an Amsted project planning and design team, they can help you get the plan in place, the budget established, and the materials ordered – the timing of the build is then yours to decide. 

For more details, visit amsted.ca or call 613-836-7434. –JH

Shift to virtual a benefit for local therapist

When NEN last featured Soul to Soul Counselling in June 2020, the practice had just moved online, and Nur Ambreen Ihsanullah’s clients were adjusting to the new approach.  

We caught up with Ambreen – mystic, teacher and therapist for more than 30 years, as well as the owner of Soul to Soul – to talk to us about her practice and how things have been going over the last year and a half.

Ambreen’s practice used to be located on Beechwood Avenue, but she shifted to her New Edinburgh home in March 2020, where she has been offering virtual counselling ever since. The move has been a positive one for Ambreen, in that she can now work with clients anywhere in the world.  

A retired teacher, Ambreen restarted her counselling practice in 2017 after returning to Ottawa from overseas. She found that traditional talk therapy didn’t create lasting change for those dealing with heavy issues, so she decided to take a different approach with her work. She calls it “soul-level work” and notes that her approach to therapy has always been holistic.

The shift to virtual practice means Ambreen now works with clients across Canada, the United States and even as far away as Dubai. In addition to counselling, she also teaches workshops using a therapeutic method known as Family Constellations, which she credits with changing her practice. This soul-based approach to healing inherited trauma and negative life patterns frees clients as individuals to live their authentic lives.

Ambreen encourages interested readers to attend one of her upcoming information sessions free of charge. “If you want to deep-dive, I am your person. We can unwrap the layers of social conditioning to discover the gift that is you!”

Visit Soul-to-Soul Counselling at soultosoulcounselling.com to request a consultation.  Contact Ambreen directly at connect@soultosoulcounselling.com or call 
613-421-9277.  Appointments are offered From Tuesdays through Thursdays. –TM

An idea to help Beechwood Village become a 15-minute neighbourhood

Posted on by Christina Leadlay

By Chris Penton, Beechwood Market president. This article appeared in the April 2021 edition of the New Edinburgh News.

Much noise has been made of the race to create 15-minute neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Beechwood Village is certainly part of that race. Like many neighbourhoods in the urban core, we have a variety of amenities. But, also like many neighbourhoods in the core, we are missing some too. Beechwood Village is more of a … 21-minute neighbourhood. 

Arguably every corner of Ottawa is a 21-minute neighbourhood. The additional six minutes comes from trips to Costco for 3kg of peanut butter, to the dentist you have been with since you were a child and, ironically, to fill up the tank for the next trip for peanut butter.  

In a city ruled by strip malls and suburban development, the need to leave your neck of the woods has become inevitable. To feel shame about the departure is not only wrong, but futile. Beechwood area businesses don’t need your guilt; they need your help. They need your business and they need you to truly get behind the #SupportLocal movement. It is too common for Ottawans to point out what is missing, quickly groan, and then jump into the car to get it. 

For years you have been told that there is no hardware store, chocolate shop, or vintage diner because commercial rents are too high. This is probably true.

What if there was a way the City could step in and help change our shopping landscape? Consider the following.

Just as there are incentives to build affordable housing (tax breaks for exceeding seven units, rent subsidies for up to 20 years for landlords and so on) there could easily be incentives to open up affordable commercial space to smaller stores and services. Mandate developers and landlords to offer a quarter of their commercial square footage at a reduced rate. Since the concept already applies to residential units, why not commercial? In doing so, local residents get a service for which they have been asking; small businesses get a chance to prove themselves; and landlords fill spots which may very well have stayed empty for years. 

The City of Ottawa talks a mean streak when it comes to supporting local enterprise and bolstering small businesses in order to create 15-minute neighbourhoods. However, extending patio licenses into the coldest months, offering up endless food truck licenses, and promoting an obscure ‘buy local’ passport are band-aid solutions. Bring in solid measures like mandated affordable commercial space and you’ll see ice cream shops, family-owned hardware stores, and bakeries reappear.

In order for these sorts of things to happen, residents must buy in. Firstly, continue to support your existing main-street businesses. Secondly, ask your local politicians why commercial rents are so high. Tell them which amenities you’d like to have within walking distance. Another sensible step is to call the Quartier Vanier Business Improvement Association (QVBIA). Charged with attracting new businesses to your main street, they want to hear from their shopping public. 

 There is no reason why Beechwood Village couldn’t be a 15-minute neighbourhood. But it will take more than talk to allow us the short walk.

Chris Penton is the President of the Beechwood Market, Ottawa’s online farmers market: beechwoodmarket.ca. A community builder, he is a past-president of the Vanier Community Association, current board member of the Vanier BIA, and ran for municipal office in 2019. A version of this column appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on Feb. 12, 2021.

City’s draft Official Plan is worrisome and aggressively anti-urban

Posted on by Christina Leadlay

By Ray Boomgaardt. This article originally appeared in the April 2021 edition of the New Edinburgh News.

In November 2020, the City of Ottawa published a draft revision of its Official Plan, intended to guide the growth of the city for the next 25 years. It invited public comments on the four volumes (Vol. 1 alone is more than 250 pages long). The Board of the New Edinburgh Community Alliance (NECA) submitted its comments on Mar. 12 (find our submission at newedinburgh.ca). Our City Councillor Rawlson King has invited residents to make any further comments to his office.

The City terms its revisions to its Official Plan as a “New Official Plan.” That’s actually a fair description, because the New Plan reverses many of the policies of the existing Plan. The extreme departure from existing policies is very strange – even bizarre – because the existing Plan is well written, has been regularly updated by Council, and seems to have served the City rather well. The New Plan is full of empty jargon, reverses not only well-established policies but also many recent Council decisions, and attacks fundamental rules and procedures protecting Ottawa’s urban neighbourhoods. 

Having been critical of the City in the past, it feels strange to be suddenly noticing all the merits of the existing Plan. But that is perhaps the easiest way to convey to you, dear reader, how worrisome this revision, the draft New Plan, is. 

Fifty years ago, the ideas of urban-renewal activist Jane Jacobs lead the citizens of Toronto in their campaign to stop the Spadina Expressway. In 1979, those same ideas galvanized New Edinburgh to stop the Vanier Arterial. Perhaps the writers of the New Plan were indulging in some black humour when they decided to label the Queensway, Ottawa’s expressway, a scenic route (yes, really!). But we digress. This article is not about that bit of Orwellian nonsense, although we do think it illustrates how poorly thought out and aggressively anti-urban the New Plan is.

One of NECA’s core values is our commitment to Jacobs’ understanding of what makes a city thriving and liveable: the city is made up of neighbourhoods. The existing Plan, was also explicitly based on this idea. The proposed revised Plan talks about developing “15-minute neighbourhoods,” but then repeatedly undermines urban neighbourhoods.

Let’s look at some examples.

An overview of the Plans

The existing Plan states: “This Plan manages this growth in ways that reinforce the qualities of the city most valued by its residents: its distinctly liveable communities, its green and open character, and its unique characteristics.”… “The environmental integrity of the city is reinforced throughout the Plan.”

The New Plan replaces these four commitments – to community, greenspace, unique characteristics and environment – with a far weaker and vaguer sentence: “we will need to find ways of supporting city neighbourhoods … as healthy, inclusive and vibrant places,” offering vague support for “healthy, inclusive and vibrant places.”

For existing urban areas, “healthy” seems to mean adequate parks and recreation facilities, and might even be construed as a back-handed reference to environmental integrity (i.e., a weakening of existing policy, but not a complete reversal); “inclusive” seems to mean more high-density buildings without lawns or trees (what the Plan calls the “missing middle,” i.e., with no accommodation for communities, greenspace, or unique characteristics); and “vibrant” seems to mean rapidly transforming with high-density infill (the existing Plan supports infill, but doesn’t require it to be dense, and does make it subject to the four commitments.)  

NECA has been fighting for the four commitments in the existing Plan to be respected by new development proposals; the New Plan simply deletes the commitments altogether. 

Secondary plans

NECA and other community associations have done a lot of work on our vision for the development of the Beechwood Avenue corridor. The new draft Official Plan proposes to designate Beechwood from the St. Patrick bridge to Hemlock Road as a “Mainstreet Corridor.” The good part of this proposal is that new projects along the Corridor are required to have ground-level commercial units and to provide extra-wide sidewalks. 

On the other hand, there is a series of additional elements that community associations would like to see included to help ensure appropriate development along Beechwood. Under both the existing Plan and the draft New Plan, secondary development plans can be initiated by the City, and, when approved, become part of the Official Plan. 

However, the draft New Plan introduces a new prerequisite for secondary plans: “the City shall require a landowners’ agreement. This Agreement shall be provided to the City prior to the commencement of the Secondary Plan. The … agreement shall include … how development and density are to be distributed, as well as how the costs of studies and plans will be divided.“

In short, landowners who do not agree with a proposed planning process can veto it simply by not signing a landowner’s agreement.

Again, the City has simply deleted the prior ability to receive community input. 

Dealing with growth

The New Plan notes that provincial policy requires the City to designate enough land to account for growth over the next 25 years; and that the City expects to grow to 1.4 million people by 2046, an annual growth rate of about 1.2 per cent.

Over the past 30 years, the number of living units in New Edinburgh has probably grown at a rate of more than 1.2 per cent annually. So you might think that the City would use us as a model for the future. You would be wrong.

The New Plan proposes that 47 per cent of the growth will occur within the existing urban boundary (this is targeted to rise to 60 per cent by 2046, sec 2.2.1(1)), 46 per cent in the currently undeveloped land at the periphery of the urban boundary, and seven per cent in rural areas. So far, so good.

The New Plan goes on to state: “The target amount of dwelling growth represents the proportion of new residential dwelling units, excluding institutional and collective units such as seniors’ and student residences, based upon building permit issuance within the built-up portion of the urban area.”

Apparently, seniors’ units do not count. Really: that’s in the New Plan! New Edinburgh has three long-term care facilities built in the last 30 years. But they wouldn’t count under the New Plan’s math. 

Dealing with intensification

Fun fact: the draft New Plan uses the word “transect” as a noun, with a meaning unknown to either the Oxford or Random House dictionaries.

Here we go. In the inner urban “transect” (which includes New Edinburgh), the New Plan provides that “The minimum residential dwelling density …for each lot” is 80 units per hectare. This intensification requirement would apply to any new construction in New Edinburgh outside the Heritage District. The density requirement along Beechwood Avenue is 80 to 160 units per hectare.

A hectare is 10,000m2. So, at 80 units per hectare, each unit occupies 125 m2, or 1,345ft2.  This is the exterior dimension, so the interior living space on each floor would be about 1,200ft2 assuming 100 per cent lot coverage. Therefore, if one wants to build a two-storey 1,800ft2 house (at 900ft2 per floor) on a 1,200ft2 lot, there is only 300ft2 of space for lot setbacks, a deck and parking. For lots that have approximately 15m frontage or wider, at least 50 per cent of the units developed on that lot must have three or more bedrooms. 

If you know the size of lots on your street, you can calculate what requirements a new development would need to meet. If a lot is 50×100 = 5000ft2 (464m2), the building would need to have four units to meet the standard, and two of them would need to have three bedrooms, since the lot is more than 15m wide. Assuming 50 per cent lot coverage, 2500ft2, and three floors, this provides 7,500ft2, or approximately 1,900ft2 for each unit (exterior dimensions).

Remember, these are minimum requirements. Presumably the by-laws will be amended to permit this kind of intensification. 

Conclusion

You tell me. What’s up with City Hall?

Ray Boomgaardt is a board member of the New Edinburgh Community Alliance.

Powerful pandemic leaves only modest mark on City’s budget and official plan

Posted on by Christina Leadlay

By Sarah Anson-Cartwright. This article originally appeared in the Feb 2021 edition of the New Edinburgh News.

The pandemic’s impacts on people and businesses are dramatic and well documented. Beyond the sad loss of lives, in Ottawa the most vulnerable, racialized, and low-income citizens have been disproportionately and adversely affected. And the city’s self-declared housing and homelessness emergency has only worsened with COVID-19-related public health measures.

Almost one year on, it is worth asking if the pandemic’s impacts on our lives and work have shaped city council’s policies or decisions. More specifically, is the city adapting to the pandemic beyond temporary, necessary measures, and is it striving to become a more resilient and inclusive place to live?

Two sources offer a view into how the powers that be at City Hall see Ottawa in a post-pandemic era. These two sources – the 2021 budget and the draft new Official Plan – give some clues as to whether Mayor Jim Watson and senior city staff are taking the lessons of the past year into account. The signals to date are mixed and modest.

Budget priorities, not pivots

The budget for 2021 was passed in early December 2020 and reflects the short-term set of priorities. In line with the mayor’s dictum, property-tax increases were limited to three per cent amid a large, expected deficit.

Pre-pandemic, Ottawa had a housing and homelessness crisis. It has grown worse since the pandemic’s start, with an average of 150 homeless people sleeping outdoors rather than in shelters, up from 90 people typically, according to a report to the Community and Protective Services Committee of Council last October.

While the budget included the city’s highest investment in affordable housing as a result of federal government funding ($32 million of a total $47 million), there was an additional $25 million for roads in an envelope for roads and other infrastructure totaling $171 million.

Roads received a higher budget, yet council refused to freeze OCTranspo fares during a period when the existing riders are facing hardships. 

A previously scheduled $13.2 million increase to the budget of the Ottawa Police Services Board was approved in a year when there were strong calls for changes to policing, including how they answer mental-health calls and deal with people of colour in our city. “The conversation has shifted with the Ottawa Policy Services Board,” a resident said, despite the budget decision.

Planning for growth

In late November, the city shared the draft new Official Plan which will guide Ottawa’s growth over the next 25 years and be voted on by council later this year. 

The plan’s goal is for Ottawa to be the most liveable mid-sized city in North America. The word “liveable” has taken on new significance during the pandemic. Many have spent more time staying close to home and exploring their local neighbourhoods, as well as seeking outdoor exercise and physical distancing opportunities in greenspaces.

In line with this experience, the Official Plan includes a policy intention to “encourage the development of healthy, walkable, 15-minute neighbourhoods,” cited as helping to “create the conditions for future pandemic resiliency.”    

There are dozens of references to 15-minute neighbourhoods which the city describes as “places where, no matter your age or ability, you can meet most of your daily needs within a 15-minute walk and can choose to live car-light or car-free.”

While there are aspirations in the Official Plan, there is also a wealth of complex technical detail. This plan changes some terminology (e.g. mainstreets are renamed corridors) and the policy areas (the plan will comprise six “transect areas” rather than the current two: urban and rural).

As one resident observed: “It feels like an exercise in obfuscation.”

The city posted the draft new Official Plan online, but citizens have expressed frustration with difficulties accessing the large and varied documents, including detailed colour maps and secondary plans. The City did not make printed copies available to the public, except for initially seven copies (now 11 copies in total) on loan via the Ottawa Public Library. 

“It is felt that communities have not been given enough time to review a massive document,” said one resident.

While the Official Plan and the 2021 budget offer modest nods to the challenges arising from the pandemic, city council continues to hew to the mayor’s agenda and decisions. Council’s Planning Committee often overturns the city’s own rules, allowing for exceptions. It is a committee where six of the nine members have received 63–99 per cent of their campaign donations from developers, according to grassroots organization Horizon Ottawa.

Citizens’ input into the new Official Plan is still necessary despite these issues. This current council will face the electorate in 2022, whereas the Official Plan will be the City’s planning bible until 2046.

The new Official Plan is huge; however, the City is offering a simplified form of feedback. For each of 21 topics within the plan, there is a one-pager and a related feedback form. Feedback forms are due Feb. 17. Visit engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan

Sarah Anson-Cartwright lives in New Edinburgh and works in public affairs.