Larga Baffin gets green light for new home closer to airport, hospital
Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jun 18, 2023 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 3 minute read
Construction is expected to begin late this year on a new, six-storey Larga Baffin, the home-away-from-home for Inuit staying in Ottawa for medical treatment.
The project received its long-awaited green light earlier this month when the Ontario Land Tribunal dismissed a zoning appeal launched by the Upper Hunt Club Community Association. Community opposition delayed the project for more than a year.
The land tribunal rejected arguments which suggested the development would increase traffic in an area with an already-high accident rate, and create an unacceptable risk to public safety.
“The tribunal accepts the findings that the proposed development does not significantly exacerbate the existing transportation, operational or safety issues,” tribunal member Nazanin Eisazadeh concluded.
She said the proposed 350-bed facility “is representative of good planning and is in the public interest.”
In an interview Sunday, the lawyer who represented Larga Baffin, Michael Polowin, said the new development will give the organization its first purpose-built facility in an area that’s closer to The Ottawa Hospital and the airport.
The project, which will be built on a property between Hunt Club Road and Sieveright Avenue just east of Bank Street, still requires site plan approval and building permits.
“We will see a shovel in the ground on this project so it’s all good news for them,” Polowin said. “Before this, they’ve always been in a facility that was more-or-less renovated to suit their purposes. This will make what they do easier: They’ll be more efficient and able to help more people.”
Larga Baffin is an Inuit-owned company that operates a medical boarding facility for Inuit patients travelling to Ottawa for medical services they can’t access in Nunavut.
Its goal is to provide a “home-like atmosphere” for clients; services include hospital transportation and culturally-appropriate meals.
It first opened in April 2000 in a 24-bed facility on Russell Road, and subsequently moved to larger quarters on Richmond Road with 40 rooms. In November 2015, Larga Baffin moved to another site on Richmond Road with 104 rooms, but in recent years, some clients had to be housed in local motels.
The new facility, which will have four wings organized around a central core, will have 220 rooms.
The Ottawa Hospital provides specialized medical care for patients from 12 communities in the Baffin region of Nunavut, including the territory’s capital, Iqaluit. More than 1,500 Nunavut residents are treated every year in Ottawa, many of them for cancer and respiratory illnesses.
The Nunavut government pays for its citizens to stay at Larga Baffin, and patients are allowed to bring an escort to help them navigate the health-care system.
Two years ago, Larga Baffin finalized its application for official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for its new facility, but it quickly encountered community opposition.
Some local residents were concerned the development would add to traffic congestion and that its six storeys would dominate neighbouring low-rise residences.
Larga Baffin agreed to a temporary pause on its application in response to a request from then-Gloucester-Southgate Ward Coun. Diane Deans, who wanted time to work with staff on addressing local concerns.
In June 2022, Larga Baffin secured the backing of the city’s planning committee. Staff said the project better aligns with the surrounding residential community than the outdoor storage warehouse and service garage currently on the site.
The Upper Hunt Club Community Association appealed the city’s subsequent decision to approve the project.
The Ontario Land Tribunal dismissed the community association’s concerns over traffic, noting that the facility is expect to contribute only 60 trips per day through the Bank Street and Hunt Club Road intersection, representing about one per cent of traffic volume.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-for-new-home-closer-to-airport-hospital
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