Explaining Ottawa’s Greenbelt - and its future
As the political fallout continues over Doug Ford's decision to open up formerly protected Greenbelt land outside Toronto, we take a closer look at the future (and past) of Ottawa's Greenbelt.
Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen
Published Sep 09, 2023 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 7 minute read
The controversy and political fallout continue over the Ontario government’s decision to open up formerly protected greenbelt land for housing development just outside Toronto.
First came the resignation of Ryan Amato, chief of staff to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark. Then came Clark’s decision to step down amid intense pressure, replaced by Paul Calandra. That change was accompanied by Premier Doug Ford’s announcement that all previous Greenbelt land decisions are now up for review.
But let’s not confuse what’s happening in the Big Smoke with Ottawa’s Greenbelt.
What’s the difference between Ottawa’s Greenbelt and the Ontario Greenbelt?
The Ottawa Greenbelt is a 14,950-hectare horseshoe-shaped collection of farmland, forests and wetlands that border the west, south and east ends of Ottawa. It was created in the 1950’s and is managed by the National Capital Commission.
The Ontario Greenbelt includes two million acres of land (or over 800,000 hectares), including protected wetlands, grassland and forests. One swath of territory runs from Niagara, northeast past Kitchener/Waterloo. Another large chunk includes land north of Markham and west of Peterborough.
Who owns Ontario’s Greenbelt? Who owns Ottawa’s?
In 2005, the Dalton McGuinty government declared the Toronto Greenbelt land frozen for development, a decision that current Premier Doug Ford overturned as part of Bill 23 enacted last November.
The province maintains all non-agricultural rights to the land, at an estimated cost of $500,000 per acre.
In Ottawa, however, the National Capital Commission is the landlord for 75 per cent of the Ottawa Greenbelt.
Other federal departments control 20 per cent and private owners own the remaining five per cent.
Accordingly, Bill 23 doesn’t apply.
“There is no change to development potential of Canada’s Capital Greenbelt due to changes in provincial policy or law,” the NCC wrote in response to an inquiry about the status of the property.
What power does the NCC have over Ottawa’s Greenbelt?
The National Capital Act, which governs NCC business, is vague and remarkably broad in scope.
The mandate gives the NCC the authority to “sell, grant, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of or make available to any person any property, subject to such conditions and limitations as it considers necessary or desirable.”
That power concerns the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
“The boundaries of the Greenbelt are set by NCC policy, not by an act of Parliament,” said John McDonnell, executive director of the society’s Ottawa Valley Chapter.
“With an act of Parliament, you need a public process to change the boundaries. We’re very concerned about the fragmentation of the Greenbelt.”
While the NCC says it will begin a “plan revision in 2024”, McDonnell says the NCC has done a poor job of communicating its vision for the land.
What does the boundary of Ottawa’s Greenbelt include?
The Greenbelt’s western boundary is Shirley’s Bay, and it cuts southeast behind the Ottawa International Airport and then northeast towards Orléans.
Its ecological jewels are Stony Swamp in Nepean and the Mer Bleue Bog in Gloucester, both of which are well known to legions of children on school field trips and adult hikers and bird-watchers.
Does the Ontario government’s re-evaluation of greenbelt land in Toronto matter to Ottawa?
No.
While Ford says hundreds of additional applications for land removal in the Toronto area are subject to review, possibly resulting in further changes to the protected land, the NCC does not abide by any ruling from the Ontario government.
What’s the history of Ottawa’s Greenbelt?
Following World War II, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King commissioned Jacques Gréber, a French town planner, to design a 50-year grand plan for the development of the National Capital region.
The resulting 1950 Gréber Plan included the establishment of a Greenbelt, aimed at reducing urban sprawl.
In 1958, the NCC, with the National Capital Act serving as a guiding principle, was formally established as guardian of the property.
Eight years later, the NCC purchased an additional $40 million in land, hoping it would further curb the expansion of the city.
Ultimately, the initial vision behind the Gréber plan failed. As the population of Ottawa soared and with developmental projects within the city’s old Ottawa boundaries limited, there was a massive move beyond the Greenbelt and into the suburbs, including east in Orleans, south in Barrhaven and west in Kanata.
In 2021, 103,000 people lived in Barrhaven, up from 42,000 in 2001. Kanata’s population jumped to 137,000 from 71,000 between the same 20-year span. Orleans grew from 24,000 to 70,000 from 1981 to 1991 and the 2021 Canadian census reported 139,000 called Orleans home.
Ottawa’s overall population topped the one million mark in 2021 and the city estimates the population of the Ottawa region will hit 1.2 million in 2030, 1.34 million in 2040 and 1.4 million in 2046.
Has housing development been seriously considered for Ottawa’s Greenbelt before?
The exponential growth of the suburbs in the past few decades and the push for more affordable housing closer to the city has heated up the debate about opening up the Greenbelt.
In 2008, when Larry O’Brien served as mayor, the city tabled a white paper suggesting that one-quarter of the land — at an estimated price tag of $1.6 billion — could be developed without damaging the integrity of the Greenbelt.
The informational document argued that the city had expanded well beyond the expectations included in the Gréber Plan and that it made more financial sense to develop greenbelt land.
“Right now we are building on farmland outside the urban area and the question is, does it make sense to protect agricultural land in the Greenbelt when we continue to build farther out?,” said Ian Cross, the author of the white paper. “The primary purpose of the greenbelt was to contain urban development, but that is gone. It didn’t work.”
The paper said commuters were spending an additional $60 million each year in driving costs to the suburbs and that bus routes outside of the city were costing an extra $10 million annually.
At the time, then-NCC chief executive Marie Lemay at least opened the door to consider changes to the Greenbelt.
“Everything is on the table,” she said in the NCC’s 2008 review. “Is the use we have now what we want for the next 10-15 years or are there parts where we want something different?”
Ultimately, the white paper proved too controversial and disappeared with no action taken.
Clearly, though, the lack of affordable housing in the city remains a major issue.
In 2021, Ottawa city council voted to expand the city’s urban boundaries, adding 1,280 hectares of rural land, while also pushing for more development of apartments and condominiums closer to the expanding LRT system.
What’s the working relationship between the NCC and the City of Ottawa when it comes to the Greenbelt?
As suburban development continues to grow, the NCC has worked with the city in developing the Greenbelt Master Plan, which includes the design of roadways and transit through greenbelt land.
That includes consultation on the major expansion of Highway 416 to the south, Highway 417 to the east and how to best handle future LRT traffic along the Kichi Zībī Mīkan Parkway.
“The city enjoys a strong working relationship with the NCC on various issues,” said David Wise, the city’s director of economic development and long-range planning, in a written response to questions on the relationship.
There is a current stalemate, however, between the NCC and the city on how best to handle future LRT and expanded road traffic en route to Orléans.
The city’s proposal is for a route that would cut through parts of the Mer Bleue bog, an avenue the NCC fiercely opposes because of its environmental impacts.
In that regard, McDonnell, of the local chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, leans towards the NCC’s view of the situation, with transportation routes as far away from protected areas as possible.
“We understand the need for roads and transit and support the extension of the LRT,” he said. “But in our new reality post COVID-19, with many people not going back to the office, maybe not everything is absolutely necessary.”
What about declaring the Greenbelt a national urban park?
McDonnell suggests one way for the Greenbelt to be formally protected from development is for the area to officially be declared as a national urban park by Parks Canada.
In August 2021, Parks Canada officially initiated a National Urban Parks Program, stressing the importance of conservation efforts and improving access to nature for city dwellers.
Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto serves as a model.
In a background discussion paper, Parks Canada said the project is important in “enabling present and future generations to understand, appreciate and enjoy their heritage value.”
The federal government has a target of establishing 15 new urban parks, with “at least one in every province or territory” by 2030. The goal is to have six of those in place by 2025.
The shortlist of potential sites for national urban parks includes Victoria, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax and Montreal.
Ottawa is currently not on the list. When asked about the possibility of becoming part of a national urban park program, the NCC wrote, “the current protection and management of the Greenbelt is under the authority conferred by the National Capital Act and regulations adopted thereunder.”
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