Showing posts with label National Capital Commission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Capital Commission. Show all posts

2013-06-21

City of Ottawa Kanata South (Terry Fox to West Hunt Club Road) Class Environmental Assessment Study – The NCC Role in Protecting the Greenbelt

Submission to The National Capital Commission
Richard W. Woodley
Bridlewood, Kanata, Ontario
June 21, 2013

I am providing this submission to the National Capital Commission (NCC) because I see the NCC as the Guardian of the Greenbelt while I see the City of Ottawa more as the guardian of roads and car drivers.

Information on this proposal and study is available on the City of Ottawa website here:

http://ottawa.ca/en/kanata-south-terry-fox-west-hunt-club-road-class-environmental-assessment-study

This proposal is in response to the perceived needs of Bridlewood residents for more roads to take private automobiles downtown during rush hours, the same time as the public transit system is optimized for. It relates more to a desire to use private automobiles with less inconvenience of time delays than a real need to improve transportation links downtown, which could be better done by improving public transit options.

The original proposal to solve this perceived problem was to, essentially, extend Terry Fox Drive to the 416 by extending Hope Side Road, which it connects directly to (essentially the same road with only the name changing), through the Greenbelt to the 416.

Apparently, according to the City, everybody agrees that that would be environmentally inappropriate, although I suspect the City simply realized that the NCC would not approve that so they decided they might as well jump on the environmental bandwagon.

So now we have a “compromise” proposal to widen and realign Old Richmond Road and West Hunt Club Road between Hope Side Road and the 416. While perhaps not as draconian as the original proposal for a new road through the Greenbelt, this new proposal still compromises the integrity of the Greenbelt by widening the road corridor through it and purposely increasing traffic through it and thus increasing the risk to wildlife and degrading their habitat.

And the reason it is proposed to do this is to reduce the inconvenience to Bridlewood car drivers during rush hour, the majority of whom could very effectively use the public transit system that is optimized for that time period. A much more effective solution would be to improve the public transit service to deal with any projected needs for more transportation capacity to downtown.

But this is really not about need but the desire of people to use private automobiles, many of them with only the driver in them, during rush hour.

I would urge the NCC to not rubber stamp this proposal from the City but to take their responsibility as Guardians of the Greenbelt and protectors of the wildlife and habitat within it very seriously before approving a proposal based on desire rather than need.

The NCC should also only consider the option that has the least impact on wildlife and it's habitat, the three lane, rather than four lane, proposal.

And finally I wish to draw to the attention of the NCC, although I am certain it is already aware of this, that along this route proposed for widening there are two NCC parking lots, P6 and P11 with trail systems on both sides where crossing from one side to the other is already very difficult and dangerous. If any widening of these roads is allowed the NCC must insist that it include a solution that provides safe passage between the trail systems on both sides of the roads at the locations of those parking lots.

Respectfully submitted

Richard W. Woodley


This submission is also being sent to:

Angela Taylor, P Eng. Senior Project Engineer Transportation Planning Branch Planning & Growth Management Department City of Ottawa Angela.Taylor@ottawa.ca

Valerie McGirr, P. Eng. Consultant Project Manager AECOM valerie.mcgirr@aecom.com

Ottawa City Councillor Allan Hubley Ward 23 Kanata South Allan.Hubley@ottawa.ca


This submission is also being published on my blog The Fifth Column
http://the5thc.blogspot.ca

2012-07-21

Open Letter to the National Capital Commission re Lime Kiln Trail Fire

The fire near the Lime Kiln Trail has been described as a tragedy. Perhaps not. If houses or roads had been built on the land it certainly would be a tragedy that the forest would never recover from, though some would call it development or progress. But the forest will recover from the fire and, though we all wish it could have been avoided, the fire presents an opportunity.

So what should the National Capital Commission (NCC) do about the site of the fire, I would suggest nothing, or as little as possible, only what is necessary to make the site safe. Please no attempts to make it presentable, or tidy it up, or artificially beautify it. What we have is an opportunity for the public to see a forest naturally regenerate itself, and perhaps a chance for scientists (an endangered species themselves within the current federal government) to study the regeneration.

I would call upon the NCC to allow the public, particularly regular users of the trails, back into the trail system as soon as possible to see the effects of the fire and to start observing the changes as the forest regenerates itself. Please avoid any further damage to the forest from heavy equipment beyond what was obviously required to fight the fire. The only tools likely needed might be rakes to clear burnt wood and debris from the trails. Trail users, who probably know the trails better than the NCC does, will rebuild the trail system by using it.

Simply closing it down would be to ignore a great opportunity and trying to artificially create an unnatural ecosystem or tree plantation would be worse. Let us seize this opportunity to build something meaningful from the ashes of this unfortunate event.

2012-01-26

NCC "Grand" "Massive" Greenbelt Expansion More Wish List Than To Do List

According to the Ottawa Citizen:

OTTAWA — The National Capital Commission brought forward a massive expansion Wednesday of the Greenbelt that will see the “emerald necklace” grow by 2,400 hectares in a bid to cement Ottawa’s reputation as one of the world’s greenest capitals.

(View Greenbelt expansion in a larger map)

The effort is part of a grand plan to protect the natural environment and ecosystem of the National Capital Region and connect the Greenbelt to features such as the Carp Hills, South March Highlands, Cumberland Forest and even across the Ottawa River to Gatineau Park.

Over 50 years, parcels of land — large and small — belonging to provincial and city governments, as well as private holders would be added to the Greenbelt through outright purchase or negotiations. By 2067, the Greenbelt would grow to about 24,000 hectares (23,875) from 21,875 hectares today. Overall, 57 per cent would be natural environment, up from 50 per cent today. Nearly 5,800 hectares would be set aside to promote sustainable agriculture, mostly small-scale operations of varied crops and livestock.
...

The biggest parcels of land the NCC hopes to add to the Greenbelt include privately owned land in Shirley’s Bay and provincially owned woodlands and natural areas near the Mer Bleue Bog. The NCC believes it can negotiate with provincial and city governments to make their land part of the Greenbelt while maintaining ownership. Other pieces of land would be part of a study to determine if they should be added to the Greenbelt. The trickier part for the NCC, which is hard-pressed for cash, is to find the money to buy private lands.
...

(NOTE: map in this article is the same map previously released on March 18, 2011 with the NCC Greenbelt Concept Plan documents - rww)
The old saying goes "if it sounds too good to be true ..." and unfortunately this sounds more like good intentions than a real plan. We have a 50 year time span over which much can change, including the NCC Board and leadership. We have no apparent budget but an admitted shortage of funding. And most importantly, some of the most environmentally sensitive lands, such as much of the South March Highlands, are in private hands and planned for development. Are they going to be put in limbo for potentially 50 years - not likely.

And talking about the South March Highlands and other similar lands, just what does "connect the Greenbelt to features such as the Carp Hills, South March Highlands, Cumberland Forest and even across the Ottawa River to Gatineau Park." mean. To me that implies that the Carp Hills and South March Highlands would be added to the Greenbelt and protected - why else connect to them. The Greenbelt is already "connected" to lots of subdivisions. The Ottawa Citizen article is annoyingly vague here and we can only assume the vague wording originated with the NCC. Unfortunately we could not find any official statement on the NCC web site last time we were able to access it (currently appears to be down).

We need more details. We need a timeline telling us when specific lands will be added to the Greenbelt. We need assurance that the NCC has the funding necessary and the willingness to expropriate private land if necessary. And we need to know that all the proposed additions will be protected from development until they are added to the Greenbelt.

Otherwise all we have is a pipe dream.

2011-09-18

The Most Annoying Thing About Cycling in Ottawa: Postscript

I was riding the shared bike path along the Ottawa River today and across from the War Museum on the pathway I noticed three yellow dots similar to the three yellow dots on roadways that mark where cars can activate traffic lights( I have tried using them on my bicycle with no effect). I can only assume that they serve the same purpose and, being on a bike path, are activated by bicycles. I returned via a different route so was not able to test them. However, if that logical assumption is true, it is doable. So why is it not done.

Previous Fifth Column Post

2011-09-07

The Most Annoying Thing About Cycling in Ottawa

We all agree that Ottawa is a great place for cycling, but it is not perfect. Apart from the fact that the City of Ottawa and NCC have to do a better job of completing the system and linking their pathways together there is the problem of a lack of washroom and drinking water facilities along the pathways.

However that is not my biggest complaint. Ottawa is supposed to be encouraging and promoting cycling and bicycles are supposed to be considered vehicles. But it all seems somewhat hypocritical.

Can you imagine someone in a vehicle stopped at a red light virtually forever, unable to move, without getting out of their vehicle and walking over to the side of the road and pushing a button. But that is the reality, more often than not, for cyclists in Ottawa who are stuck at red lights until a "real" vehicle or a pedestrian comes up to the intersection. It's that or just run the red light out of frustration and anger at the hypocrisy and lack of respect.

2011-07-31

Ottawa: Proud of It's Municipal Water Supply and It's Pathways - The Disconnect

Ottawa is very proud of the quality of it's municipal drinking water supply and goes to great lengths to assure people they do not need to buy bottled water.

Ottawa is also very proud of it's shared recreational pathway system which, along with the NCCs pathways, provides a great opportunity for lengthy bicycle rides. Indeed, I regularly ride over 40 km, often over 70 km and occasionally even over 100 km.

All the experts will tell you that it is very important to keep hydrated when exercising in the hot summer weather and the best way is to just drink water.

However it is almost impossible to take advantage of the municipal water supply when riding the city's pathways as there are very few water fountains available along them and those that are require you to almost swallow the fixture to get a drink making it impossible to fill a water bottle from them. On many long rides I have had to purchase bottled water to provide the required hydration to ride safely.

This, along with the shortage of public toilets (which I have already written about), limits the useability of the pathway system and may discourage many Ottawa residents from being as active and fit as they could be.

Along with providing the necessary missing connections in the pathway system, the City also needs to provide the proper infrastructure (water fountains and toilets) for a proper pathway system that people can use all day, rather than just for a few hours at a time.

2011-04-14

South March Highlands and Carp Hills - NCC Role in Protecting Natural Environment Lands: Beyond The Greenbelt

This post is also being sent via email to National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay
( Marie.Lemay@ncc-ccn.ca )

click on map to enlarge

The National Capital Commission has recently published maps identifying natural environment lands within the National Capital Region as part of it's concept plans for the Greenbelt Master Plan Review.

Interestingly, none of the lands identified are within the urban boundary of the City of Ottawa. It is, as if by definition, the NCC has decided that lands within the urban boundary have no environmental value.

Of course, in the case of the South March Highlands we know that is not true. There are lands within the urban boundary and within SMH that are even zoned Environmental Protection, and others that should be, and were, but were rezoned for reasons that had nothing to do with their environmental value.

There are undoubtedly other lands of environmental value within the Ottawa urban boundary as well. It is unfortunate that the NCC has decided they are unworthy of recognition.

One of the things I noticed right away from the NCC map was the identification of one large natural environment area comprising the South March Highlands and the Carp Hills. I just recently had the opportunity to hike some of the Carp Hills land (some of which the City of Ottawa apparently owns) and was quite impressed with it's natural environment value. In examining the City Zoning Map it became obvious that a significant amount of the land identified by the NCC as natural environment is not zoned Environmental Protection (not that that guarantees it will be protected). I expect this applies to other natural environment lands identified on the NCC map.

So now that the NCC has identified these lands as natural environment lands what are they going to do about it. They will do a great disservice to the community if all they accomplish is creating a false belief within the public that these lands are actually protected from development.

Now that they have raised the public's expectations the NCC must fulfil their responsibilities and meet those expectations and take the necessary measures, whether by means of purchase/expropriation or some form of ironclad federal protection that neither landowners, developers nor the OMB can overturn, to protect these lands from development. The public expects and deserves no less.

click on map to enlarge

2011-01-21

Will the Beaver Pond Forest Eve of Destruction lead to the South March Highlands Dawn of Correction



"Make no mistake about it. Those trees will come down."


Those words from City of Ottawa senior legal counsel Tim Marc, in late July 2010, make it clear that the City never intended any real consultation with the community or with any Algonquin First Nations representatives. Indeed nothing has changed since the election as far as developers determining city policies is concerned, other than perhaps an even more pro-developer City Council.

How naive do they think the public is that they expect them to believe their "pretty pleases" to the developer mean anything after they have given them full speed ahead approval to clear cut and blast the forest away.

So where do we go from here. We know the City has no intention to stand up to KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) even in the face of documented flaws in the environmental assessment process, inadequate and inappropriate storm water management plans and alleged outright illegalities, not to mention the lack of a proper response to the archaeological information provided to them and the complete lack of constitutionally required consultations with all First Nations with an interest in and concerns about the land.

We still hold out hope that someone, perhaps another sovereign level of government, will have the political will to step in and save the Beaver Pond Forest before it is destroyed.

Cutting has now been delayed till February - time to write your federal and provincial representatives and the NCC.

Regardless of the outcome of the fight for the Beaver Pond Forest the fight to save the rest of the South March Highlands continues.

We must all recognize that it is not only the KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) lands that are threatened, and it is not only the privately owned lands currently zoned Environmental Protection that are potentially threatened.

The South March Highlands are one ecosystem and one habitat for flora and fauna. If all the lands surrounding the city owned South March Highlands Conservation Forest are destroyed the ecological integrity of the protected lands will be under great stress and undoubtedly will be affected negatively. Trillium Woods, identified by the City as the most environmentally significant zone, will be under the greatest stress if destruction is allowed to continue as planned, as it is only connected to the rest of the forest by a narrow connecting strip with Terry Fox Drive running through it.

The smaller an environmentally protected zone is, the least chance it has of surviving as anything other than an urban park. That is why the 40% agreement narrow strips of land are meaningless, as is "Marianne's Pathway", essentially an urban pathway the cost of which was twice as much protected land elsewhere.

I say to the city of Ottawa do not let what happened to the lands south of the Conservation Forest happen to the lands north of it. Act immediately while these lands are zoned Environmental Protection (and valued accordingly) to bring them into public ownership and protection before it is too late, using the City's expropriation powers, if necessary. Even former councillor and fiscal conservative Gord Hunter recommended that.

As for the KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) lands south of the Conservation Forest, they are the most important to save as they provide the connection between Trillium Woods and the rest of the Conservation Forest. But we know that we cannot depend on the City to save them.

That is why we have to get the message out to our provincial and federal representatives that these lands are special. Anyone who has spent time in them or has studied then knows this. And these lands are not just environmentally significant but culturally significant to the Algonquin Peoples containing archeological sites and have been declared sacred by their Elders.

The National Capital Commission is currently studying whether to add the South March Highlands to the Greenbelt as part of their Review of the Greenbelt Master Plan, but the Final Master Plan is not scheduled to be completed till Fall 2012. This may be too late for significant parts of the South March Highlands.

Everyone must urge the NCC to expedite the decision making process on adding these lands to the Greenbelt. Write or email NCC CEO Marie Lemay and other federal government representatives and tell them how much the South March Highlands means to you and how important it is to save all of it as a complete ecosystem.

Meanwhile we have to buy time for the NCC and other levels of government to act. We must do what we can to stop the destruction of the Beaver Pond Forest and to stop KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) from moving on to the next phases of destruction.

Usually when house buyers purchase houses, they just see a housing development. They do not know what was there before. This will not be so for the Beaver Pond Forest. Potential house buyers will know that they are buying houses on destroyed sacred land. And they will know that if they buy these houses KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) will move on to destroy more land to build more houses. This fact alone can have a huge impact on preventing KNL (Urbandale/Richcraft) from moving ahead to further phases of destruction.

It is time to let our elected leaders know that it is never too late to do the right thing.




Further resources on the South March Highlands

South March Highlands Overview

Save Ottawa's South March Highlands

Ottawa's Great Forest

I want to save the land North of Beaver Pond Park in Kanata Ontario Facebook Group

The Fifth Column SMH posts

The Fifth Column SMH Management Plan posts

Virtual Nonsense (Paul Renaud) SMH posts

South March Highlands Advocacy

South March Highlands Stewardship Plan

Brunton 2004 Report

Brunton 2008 Report


2010-12-22

Can Divine Intervention Save The South March Highlands

It appears that Ottawa City Council does not have the political will to stand up to the developers and save the South March Highlands. Indeed, City Council does not appear to even have the political will to stand up to City staff.

So it is now left to divine intervention, and by divine intervention I mean higher levels of government. I have attempted to get the National Capital Commission to act by emailing NCC CEO Marie Lemay, who has shown political will in other areas.

So far, my first email, here, as well as my follow-ups below have had no success.

TO: National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay
FROM: Richard W. Woodley
RE: Saving the South March Highlands - URGENT ACTION REQUIRED

Dear Ms. Lemay

I am writing to you again due to the fact that recent decisions by Ottawa City Council have made it evident that they simply do not have the political will to save the South March Highlands from development and destruction (even as many questions regarding the developers fulfilment of development conditions are unanswered and the legitimacy of the environmental assessment processes followed is uncertain and new archeological evidence has been discovered).

Indeed, as you read this, the chainsaws may already have started to destroy the Beaver Pond Forest. If not, it's destruction is imminent barring an immediate intervention from a higher level of government.

At the same time, other parts of the South March Highlands are moving through the development process and each day action is not taken to save the remaining SMH lands we risk the destruction of more of it.

The community has organized itself and waged a valiant battle but simply does not have the financial or legal resources, such as expropriation, necessary to save it.

These are resources and powers that the National Capital Commission does have. The NCC also has you. And I have to tell you that since your appointment I have been very impressed with the leadership and vision you have shown, particularly regarding cycling issues. You have shown more vision and leadership than the vast majority of elected political leaders in this community.

The community, and the South March Highlands, needs you to show that kind of vision, leadership and political will to save this environmental and cultural heritage jewel of the National Capital Region.

For the sake of this precious land the community needs the NCC to expedite the decision making process to acquire the remaining undeveloped SMH lands through purchase or expropriation.

I implore you to make this a top priority of the National Capital Commission and to do all you can to halt further development in the South March Highlands until these lands can be brought into public ownership and protected for posterity.

Sincerely,

Richard W. Woodley
Kanata, Ontario

TO: National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay
FROM: Richard W. Woodley
RE: Aboriginal Archeological Site in Beaver Pond Forest May Be Destroyed

Dear Ms. Lemay

I apologize for writing to you again so soon before you can fully address my previous emails but time is running out for the Beaver Pond Forest.

The developer, KNL/Urbandale, has made it known that they plan to clear cut the forest in early January. Not only is the worse time possible for wildlife, particularly hibernating species, but it is also before new archaeological concerns can be properly addressed.

Serious information has been brought to both the developer and the City of Ottawa's attention regarding sites of aboriginal cultural heritage, including a possible burial site, but this information is not being given the attention it deserves.

As the National Capital Commission (NCC) has a role, even a responsibility, in protecting, not only Canada's natural heritage but also it's cultural heritage, I wanted to bring this to your attention immediately.

The following email from Paul Renaud of the South March Highlands – Carp River Conservation Inc. to Ottawa City Council outlines the matters of archeological concern:
Subject: Missing Info on Dec 15 Staff Presentation To Council
To members of City Council,

This is to advise you that the presentation made by staff on Dec 15, 2010 appears to be incomplete. In particular the 2 slides on archaeology do not contain the following important facts regarding the Beaver Pond Forest in the South March Highlands.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has said that their role is simply to review the studies provided to them. The Minister of Culture said that their prior approval was based on the info available in 2004 and that any requirement for further study falls under the authority of the City.

Some might wonder if it is disingenuous for staff to stretch this interpretation to mean that the MTC sees no merit in Dr. McGhee’s review. That was NOT what the Minister said and given that the Minister’s letter did not even mention Dr. McGhee, it is difficult to understand how this could even be implied by the attached letter.

Under KNL’s Condition 86 of subdivision approval, and in accordance with the Planning Act, the City may reasonably request that any study be redone if they have a reasonable basis for doing so. Condition 57 specifically requires KNL to perform an Archaeological Assessment – to the satisfaction of the City – as well as to the satisfaction of the MTC. It also requires that “no demolition, grading or other disturbances shall take place until any archaeological resource conservation concerns have been addressed.”

It is evident that a reasonable basis exists in light of all the NEW evidence that has surfaced since KNL’s original study was done in 2004:

1. Discovery of a significant find by Ken Swayze less than 1 km away Richardson Ridge in 2006 that was refuted by the developer and is currently being disputed in court. This site was previously confirmed as 10,000 years old by Dr. Muller-Beck, Professor Emeritus of Paleohistory and Archaeology of Hunting Cultures, when he visited the site in 2007;

2. Scientific discrediting of the thoroughness of the KNL study provided by Dr. McGhee, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and past president Canadian Archaeological Association, in June 2010.  The MTC has expressed no opinion on this review;

3. Aboriginal declaration in August 2010 by the most senior Algonquin Elder, William Commanda, that the area is significant to his people. This is the same Elder who was granted the Keys to the City of Ottawa out of respect that the city has for his position and for his contribution to preserving Ottawa’s cultural heritage;

4. Discovery of a similar significant site at the same elevation less than 1 km away on Huntmar Ridge in July 2010. This has been reported to Jim Mountain but to-date nothing has been done to evaluate this site because the city has not allocated funds for such purposes – despite its obligation to do so under the Ontario Heritage Act;

5. Discovery of the stone circle in Beaver Pond Forest in 2010. The protection of the medicine wheel site will only protect the immediate vicinity (a few meters on either side of it).

Our concern is that it is highly likely that there are several other undiscovered sites nearby that may be destroyed if KNL/Urbandale is allowed to proceed.  This view is substantiated by the City’s own assessment in its cultural resource database that the area is high in archaeological resource potential. In fact, Mr. Mountain has wisely proposed that the City should execute an archaeological master plan for the entire Carp Ridge, including the South March Highlands.

Mary Jarvis at Urbandale has stated in the press that they will get their archaeologist to do another walk through the forest, however, what can he possibly see through the snow? It appears that KNL also plans to use the same archaeologist whose 2004 summer study effectively ignored pre-contact archaeology, according to Dr. McGhee. One might question why he would do a more thorough job in winter?

Meanwhile, city staff are inexplicably refusing to acknowledge that the KNL study needs to be redone - despite overwhelming evidence that they should do so.

It is very important for the City to insist that, in accordance with Condition 57, no site alteration (such as cutting trees and blasting) be permitted until a full and proper archaeological re-evaluation of this site has been done in the spring once the snow is gone. We strongly recommend the participation of first nations when this survey is done.

Is it too much to expect that our city responds to facts and acts responsibly on them to protect cultural heritage?

Paul Renaud
South March Highlands – Carp River Conservation Inc.
The Following extract from an article in the Kanata Kourier-Standard also outlines the archaeological concerns:
Beaver Pond burial ground?
Residents call for new archeological assessment

BY LAURA MUELLER
laura.mueller@metroland.com

The discovery of a possible 10,000-year-old aboriginal burial site is unlikely to halt or even delay a KNL subdivision slated for construction on land north of the Beaver Pond, said Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson. “It’s not a way of saving the lands,” Wilkinson said.

Steve Hulaj, president of the Kanata Lakes Community Association and a leader of the Coalition to Save the March Highlands, discovered a circle of stones in the Beaver Pond forest a few months ago and took a video of it with his iPhone. When he brought it to a Christmas party last Saturday, Dec. 11, he showed it to one of his wife’s friends, John McCormick, an advisor for the aboriginal affairs secretariat for Parks Canada. Hulaj said McCormick told him it could be a burial circle and should be assessed.

Hulaj has called on the city to require KNL Developments to re-do an archeological assessment for the site. Requiring another archeological assessment wouldn’t necessarily prevent construction, Wilkinson said. It would just delay it and lead to more assessment. “Someone should take a look at it,” she said. “The community is looking really hard to find ways to save the land and I applaud them for their effort, but I can only do so much here.”

It’s the second time the group has pushed for KNL to re-do the archeological assessment. In August, Paul Renaud of the Coalition to Save the South March Highlands said the archaeological study of the lands prepared for KNL in 2003 fails to consider the heritage of the Algonquin Nation

Robert McGhee, a former curator of Arctic archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, said the 2003 KNL report ignores the land’s archaeological potential.

“The major problem with this report – and I see it as a fatal flaw – lies in the fact that is statements regarding prehistoric land use appear to be based on an assumption that the local geography and physiography described at the time of European settlement continued unchanged from the ancient past,” said McGhee in written comments about the 2003 KNL archaeological assessment. McGhee said the report ignores the fact the region underwent significant physical changes since the last Ice Age over 9,000 years ago.

In August, Algonquin elder William Commanda called for a stop to development in the area: “We are adding our voices to call for a halt of the expansion of Terry Fox Drive and housing development at this ancient sacred site,” said the 96-year-old Algonquin elder and spiritual elder. “This special area is also a place of extremely important archaeological significance to the nomadic Algonquins of the Ottawa River watershed and beyond,” he said. “Evidence has recently emerged regarding its occupation by our ancestors 10,000 years ago.”

“This was obviously a very significant island, which we’ve allowed to be developed,” Hulaj said. “We’re missing the opportunity to potentially have something significant within this forest, which one of the most noted and experienced archeologists in the country has said to the city, ‘You need to require a new archeological
assessment.’”
The full article can be read here:

http://www.runge.net/TempDownload/DownloadFiles/1292684160/kk-101216.pdf

Doctor Robert McGhee's review of the developer’s archaeological study can be found here:

http://southmarch.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/archaeological-assessment-of-knl-study.pdf

As well, further information on possible archaeological sites within the South March Highlands including The Video of the Stone Circles found within the Beaver Pond Forest is here.

http://www.ottawasgreatforest.com/Site/Archaeology.html

I trust that the National Capital Commission will be concerned that the developer wants to clear cut the forest before these archaeological findings can be properly assessed and will do whatever it can to stop the clear cutting of the forest until a proper assessment can be done.

Sincerely,
Richard W. Woodley

Who do you think should intervene to save the South March Highlands.

2010-12-14

South March Highlands - An Open Letter

As well as being posted on my blog, The Fifth Column ( http://the5thc.blogspot.com/ ), this is being sent to:

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson ( Jim.Watson@ottawa.ca )
Ottawa City Councillor Allan Hubley ( Allan.Hubley@ottawa.ca )
Ottawa City Councillor Marianne Wilkinson ( Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca )
Ottawa City Councillor David Chernushenko ( David.Chernushenko@ottawa.ca )
National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay ( Marie.Lemay@ncc-ccn.ca )
National Capital Commission Review of the 1996 Greenbelt Master Plan ( info@ncc-ccn.ca )
Norm Sterling, MPP, Carleton--Mississippi Mills ( norm.sterling@pc.ola.org )
Dalton McGuinty, MPP, Ottawa South, Ontario Premier ( dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org )
Gordon O'Connor, MP, Carleton—Mississippi Mills ( OConnor.G@parl.gc.ca )
Paul Dewar, MP, Ottawa Centre ( Dewar.P@parl.gc.ca )

Note all images in this post may be clicked on to be viewed larger


I am writing to you because we have a short window of opportunity to save much of what is arguably the most important area of environmental importance and cultural heritage within the City of Ottawa. While the South March Highlands is well known for its environmental significance, as home to a great number of species of animal and plant life, many of them endangered, recent research has also discovered that it may be just as important a site of archaeological significance, particularly in relation to our country's first peoples.


The preceding map, from the 2008 Brunton report, shows the boundary of the South March Highlands. The Google Earth view shows the lands that have already been developed and the blocked in green sections indicate the lands that are owned by the City of Ottawa and protected. The rest of the lands are privately owned, and though some are zoned Environment Protection history has taught us that all the privately owned land is at risk of being developed and at risk of environmental and archaeological destruction.

It is not the purpose of this letter to document why the South March Highlands should be saved or to reiterate the broad public support within the Ottawa area and all over Canada for saving these precious lands. That has already been well done and you have likely already seen or received such documentation. I do not wish to repeat all of that here but I will be attaching a document that provides a quick and easy overview of the significance of the South March Highlands. I will also provide links at the end of this submission to further resources on the South March Highlands.

I am writing to all of you together because saving what has not yet been developed in the South March Highlands is going to take political will at all levels of government. The City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission will be key players, but the province and federal government will also have important roles, especially in regards to funding. This land is important and precious to all residents of Ontario and all citizens of Canada.


Time is of the essence as development plans are already underway for an important section of these lands, known as the Beaver Pond Forest, and the developer is waiting for the first opportunity to clear cut the lands, even as many questions regarding the developers fulfilment of development conditions are unanswered and the legitimacy of the environmental assessment processes followed are uncertain.

The only long term solution to save these lands for posterity is to bring them under public ownership. Fortunately, I understand that the National Capital Commission, during it's Greenbelt Master Plan Review, is considering adding the South March Highlands to the Greenbelt. There is where the federal government needs to step in to assure the NCC that the funds will be available to purchase or expropriate the remaining undeveloped privately held lands in the South March Highlands. This is an imperative part of the solution.

The NCC must also expedite this part of the Greenbelt review process so that as much land as possible can be acquired. The longer the wait the more opportunity there is to "develop the lands", that is to clear-cut the forest, blast the geology and otherwise destroy the land.

Ideally, in the meantime there would be a moratorium on all development in the South March Highlands, supported and legislated by the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

Until such a moratorium can be put in place the City of Ottawa, which controls the development process, must do all that it can to prevent further development from proceeding.

The most important thing that the City of Ottawa can do, is to do what it should be doing anyway, which is to ensure that all environmental measures, including wetland and watershed provisions, and cultural heritage/archeological processes are fully and properly undertaken and that all approvals are properly in place before any development is allowed to take place.

The City must also ensure that all developers have complied with all requirements of subdivision agreements and other approvals before allowing a single tree to be cut, rock to be blasted or land to be bulldozed.

The City can also act to assure the public of their good faith by offering to purchase or expropriate the lands under imminent threat of development. There is where the provincial government needs to step in to assure the City of Ottawa that the funds will be available to purchase or expropriate these threatened lands. This is also an imperative part of the solution.

Of course the first thing the City of Ottawa needs to do is to provide an opportunity for City Councillors to get a firm understanding of all the issues surrounding the South March Highlands, particularly new City Councillors. The best way to do that would be to have the matter referred to committee where public input can be provided, before allowing any further development measures to take place on any South March Highlands lands.

If all levels of government work together and show leadership and political will we can save the South March Highlands. The people that you represent expect no less.

Sincerely,

Richard W. Woodley, Bridlewood, Kanata, Ontario ( richardw.woodley@gmail.com )


Further resources on the South March Highlands

South March Highlands Overview (attached)

Save Ottawa's South March Highlands

Ottawa's Great Forest

I want to save the land North of Beaver Pond Park in Kanata Ontario Facebook Group

The Fifth Column SMH posts

The Fifth Column SMH Management Plan posts

Virtual Nonsense (Paul Renaud) SMH posts

South March Highlands Advocacy

South March Highlands Stewardship Plan


Appendix: South March Highlands Overview

























2010-10-17

The Coalition to Protect The South March Highlands Changed Everything - The Need For A Moratorium on Development in SMH

Before the Sierra Club raised the issue of the Terry Fox Drive Extension and the Blandings Turtle, which was taken up by a group of concerned residents who expanded the mandate to include protecting all of the South March Highlands (SMH), there was no hope.

It was pretty well assumed that Terry Fox Drive would go through the middle of SMH, the KNL development south of the road would destroy that part of SMH and the only part of this ecological jewel that would be protected would be the city-owned South March Highlands Conservation Forest, including Trillium Woods and the land the city purchased thanks to Alex Munter.

My best hope at that time was that maybe the city would purchase at least some of the land north of the SMH Conservation Forest that is zoned Environmental Protection and add it to the protected lands.

Then came the Coalition to Protect the South March Highlands and due to their hard work in researching the environmental issues and raising public awareness of the South March Highlands everything changed.


I would like to thank them publicly for bringing us to the point that saving all of the South March Highlands is very much a possibility and saving at least more of it is virtually a certainty. I know how hard they have worked and how much dedication they have put to the cause and it is remarkable. I will not name names simply because I believe they would want the focus put on the land and not on individuals.

It is clear that their is a consensus among the community and City Council that the South March Highlands is an ecological jewel that should be saved. The only point of discussion seems to be how much money the City should spend, or can afford to spend, to save it.

Even City Council's most environmental neanderthal has proposed that the City spend money to purchase the lands north of the SMH Conservation Forest and the National Capital Commission (NCC) is considering adding the South March Highlands to the Greenbelt. Even the developer, KNL, is willing to give up a small portion of their lands to increase the protected area.

These lands are all environmentally inter-connected and dependent on each other, the loss of parts of it may have devastating effects on what is left. Those of us who are environmentally minded and forward thinking know that if we do not save all of the South March Highlands, or at least all of it that has not yet been developed, our descendants will look back at this lost opportunity with deep regret that we did not find a way to make it happen.

I will be the first one to recognize that there may be financial considerations that make it difficult for a municipality, the City of Ottawa, to buy all the KNL lands at their current value, the lands having been inappropriately rezoned for development when they should not have been. The blame for that must be shared by a lot of people.

But a way must be found to save this land that is of provincial significance from an environmental viewpoint, and of national significance being in the nation's capital. The responsibility and costs should be shared by all three levels of government.

What we need is a moratorium on all development in the South March Highlands until the community and all three levels of government can come together and find a solution to save this ecological jewel. All three levels of government must make a commitment to do what is necessary to put such a moratorium in place and the must do it immediately.

The decision makers must act now or their grandchildren's grandchildren will never forgive them.

2010-08-14

Cyclist Killed Near Inappropriate Pathway Detour Route

On August 13, 2010 a cyclist was killed while riding along city streets in the area of the official detour route for a section of National Capital Commission (NCC) pathway along the Ottawa River that was closed for rehabilitation.

This post is not meant to assign blame for this tragedy. I will leave that to the appropriate authorities. I also want to make it clear that I rode the official detour route and it seemed perfectly comfortable and safe to ride, for me.

That being said, the Ottawa Citizen article did raise concerns about cyclists detouring through the neighbourhood streets which I wish to address. Indeed, there are many people who choose the shared pathways to cycle because they do not feel comfortable riding on the roads and it seems appropriate to attempt to keep a pathway detour on pathways as much as possible. In this case, when there is a parallel pathway running alongside the detour route, not using it and detouring further away on city streets seems completely inappropriate. I have not been using the official route but an unofficial detour that I mapped out several weeks ago (and shared with others) before the official detour route was marked.

Click on Map To Enlarge

As you can see the official detour (and my route) follows alongside Carling Avenue for a bit on the paved shoulder. It then, out of necessity, goes down Maplehurst Avenue and then along the parallel pathway. My unofficial detour continues along the parallel pathway until it reaches the end of the construction zone and continues on an open and rideable section of the main pathway. For some reason the official detour leaves the parallel pathway at Kempster Ave. and meanders through city streets not joining the main pathway till well past the end of the construction, as the map above indicates.

As soon as I saw the official detour route I wondered why it did not follow the most logical and appropriate route rather than taking cyclists, many who choose to ride the pathways to avoid the roads, onto city streets.

UPDATE AUGUST 16, 2010

Today construction has started on the dark blue section of the detour. The old asphalt has been removed and new gravel put down and it appears to have been packed down by a roller. That section of pathway is now effectively open and being used, at least till they start repaving it. The rest of the detour, blue section, has the old asphalt removed, new gravel down, and rollers were on it today.

UPDATE AUGUST 23, 2010

All of the pathway construction is paved (lines not painted) and effectively in use, although not yet officially open.

UPDATE OCTOBER 20, 2010 (from NCC)

Re-opening: Ottawa River Pathway

The rehabilitation work of the 2 km of recreational pathway between Carling Ave. and Britannia Rd is completed. The NCC has done its final inspection and the pathway has officially re-opened.

2010-05-20

Marie Lemay Gets it Right Again

It looks like the National Capital might have a new crusader against the hegemony of the automobile in our society.

Last month she was promoting turning "the national capital into a cycling role-model for Canada" and this month she wants Ottawa and Gatineau "to put public transit at the centre of their plans for city-building, today and over the next 50 years".

The position of head of the NCC has often been criticized for being an unelected and unaccountable position. However, as NCC CEO, Marie Lemay has shown more leadership than our elected Mayor "Photo-op" Larry ever has.

2010-05-12

Submission to NCC CEO Marie Lemay on Mountain Biking and the South March Highlands

This is also being submitted directly to Marie Lemay via e-mail

To: Marie Lemay
Chief Executive Officer
National Capital Commission (NCC)

From: Richard W. Woodley
environmentalist, hiker, mountain biker, snowshoer, cross country skier, kayaker

I am writing to you about two subjects of concern to myself and many other residents of the National Capital Region. While they may not seem related at first you will see that indeed they are.

The most critical issue I am writing about at this time is saving the South March Highlands from development. The other related issue is the NCC's attitude to mountain biking.

Myself and many other cyclists in Ottawa were very pleased to read of your vision for cycling in the nation's capital as reported in the Ottawa Citizen:
OTTAWA — The NCC wants to inspire Canadians about the capital region by becoming a model for transportation, combining a network of cycling lanes and pathways across the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau.

Marie Lemay says she hopes that “people would turn to us and say: How is it done in Ottawa? How is it done in our capital?”
...

Although the NCC has maintained recreational biking paths in the national capital region for 40 years, Lemay said she realized last summer the importance of moving beyond those paths to create a safe, integrated network of cycling lanes and pathways across the downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau.
As well as being a cyclist who rides the bike paths and roads in the National Capital Region, I am also a mountain biker. The National Capital Region, with it's Greenbelt and Gatineau Park, as well as the South March Highlands, has the potential, and the geography, to be a haven for mountain biking, and mountain biking should be included in any vision for cycling in the capital.

Mountain Biking and the NCC

Unfortunately the NCC has a very poor reputation with mountain bikers, largely due to their lack of understanding of the sport, and policies based on prejudice and misinformation, as I have written previously about mountain biking in the Gatineau Park in The Fifth Column:
The NCC, in it’s wisdom, has decided that mountain bikers should be second class citizens in the park. If they want to ride single track trails they are relegated to a small section of the park (Camp Fortune) run by a private operator where fees are charged. Meanwhile hikers and trail runners have free reign over all of the public trails in the park at no charge, including the wide trails designated for mountain biking.

I appreciate having the wide gravel trails to ride, they are fun, but mountain bikers, like serious hikers, love rough natural technical single track trails, which are a lot more environmentally friendly than widened gravel roads, which the NCC loves to build and call trails.

There are two arguments for keeping mountain bikers off single track trails - user conflicts and environmental damage. However, neither of these arguments holds up to scrutiny.

In various places, including the NCC’s own greenbelt (where bicycle use is against NCC regulations but the regulations are not enforced), hikers and bikers regularly share the trails with each other with few problems. I can personally attest to never having had a conflict with hikers on the greenbelt trails while riding them regularly (several times a week). I can also attest to hiking and mountain biking in the South March Highlands and always having other trail users treat me with respect, whether as a hiker or a biker.

As to the environmental impact, the overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that hikers and mountain bikers have equivalent impacts on trails. See, for example, the reviews done by the International Mountain Bicycling Association and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

For more information on mountain biking see the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) website and the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association (OMBA) website.

...

The NCC has an opportunity to make the Gatineau Park an internationally acclaimed location for both road cycling and mountain biking. Let us see if they are up to the challenge.
I would also at this time like to reference my three submissions on Mountain Biking in the Greenbelt to the NCC's Greenbelt Review. They provide more details on how the NCC can make the National Capital Region a haven for mountain biking.

Why Mountain Biking Should Be Allowed on the Greenbelt Trails

Winter Trail Conflicts on the Greenbelt Trails

Old Quarry Youth Mountain Bike Skills Park

Saving the South March Highlands and the NCC

When I first moved to Ottawa I spent a lot of time in the Gatineau Park. However when we moved to Kanata we reduced considerably the time we spent in the park. Partly it was due to having the Greenbelt in our backyard but a large reason was because we had our own ecological jewel, our own Gatineau Park so to speak, in Kanata, in the form of the South March Highlands.

Now that jewel is threatened. While a portion of it has been purchased and protected by the City of Ottawa a large portion is slated for a housing development (KNL/Urbandale lands).

And the protected lands are going to be divided by a four lane highway, the Terry Fox Extension, using what has been described as the worst possible route from an environmental perspective. The City of Ottawa is rushing the project through even though the initial demographic projections for population and traffic have been considerably reduced (without even considering the now possibility that the KNL housing development may not proceed), and they are doing it by playing fast and loose with the environmental assessment process.

The reason for the fast tracking is free money provided as part of the federal government's economic stimulus plan. Now one might expect a government that claims to be fiscally responsible to attach conditions to it's funding requiring that the money be spent wisely and that the partners take the time to do things right. But apparently the only condition placed on the stimulus funding is that it be spent quickly.

So now we have a double threat - a housing development through an ecological jewel and a road being rushed through prematurely to serve that development.

Let us talk about the South March Highlands from an environmental perspective. The south March Highlands have been studied extensively by Dan Brunton who has authored many studies of the area, including:

Natural Environment Area boundary in South March Highlands Special Study Area: Final Report, June 2004

Natural environment assessment: South March Highlands Conservation Forest, May 2008

This is how Dan Brunton described the South March Highlands in his 2004 report:
3) OVERVIEW OF THE SPECIAL STUDY AREA (ADAPTED FROM BRUNTON 2000)

The Special Study Area is situated at the southern end of the Precambrian Shield bedrock outcrop known as the Carp Hills which extends from Kanata northwestward to the Ottawa River in the Galetta area. This wetland-rich landform is unique in the City of Ottawa, constituting a 'island' of rugged, heavily-glaciated, rocky, Gatineau Hills-like habitat on the otherwise ±level, sedimentary lowlands. The end result is a landscape with severely limited agricultural potential and substantial challenges to residential/ commercial development. It has remained largely undeveloped, constituting one of the largest areas of continuous natural landscape in the City. The more or less original natural state coupled with a uniquely complex geology has resulted in the southern portion of the Carp Hills (the South March Highlands) supporting a diverse and significant natural biodiversity including Provincially and Regionally significant features and habitats (Brunton 1992a; 1992b; 1997).

The South March Highlands incorporates a number of watercourses and their watershed areas. The SSA incorporates catchment areas for the Carp River, Shirley’s Brook and Watts Creek. Most of the drainage in the SSA is westward down the Hazeldean Escarpment slope and into the Carp River. The northeastern corner of the area drains eastward, however, flowing into the south branch of Shirleys Brook. So too does the Watts Creek headwaters which commence immediately west of the First Line Road ROW in the southern half of the area and flows easterly through Kanata (‘Kizell Drain’), eventually discharging into the Ottawa River (Dillon Consulting 2002). Numerous small and/ or intermittent drainage channels occur in the many depressions and ravines occurring in this rugged landscape, all other eventually reaching the Carp River system.

The SSA (Figure 1) is part of the South March Highlands natural area which, in various configurations, has been identified as a candidate Provincially Significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) (Brunton 1995), a High Value Natural Environment System Strategy (NESS) natural area (Ottawa-Carleton 1997; Brunton 1997) and Natural Environment Area-A and Natural Environment Area B (Ottawa-Carleton 1999). The significance of this area is reflected in the purchase of over 225 ha of natural landscape north of the railway for long-term ecological protection purposes by the former Region in 2000 (Figure 9). This ‘Regional Conservation Land’ area was enlarged by the City of Ottawa through the purchase of an additional 20 ha of adjacent natural landscape in 2002.

The SSA supports a rich diversity of native plant and animal species typical of superior examples of their respective habitats within the South March Highlands (Brunton 1992a). Some of these species are found within the Highlands only in or immediately adjacent to the SSA (see section 4.1, Significant native species, below). The mature upland deciduous forest habitat in the northern half of the study area contributes the greatest number of these representative and locally unique species (Brunton 1992b).

The SSA contains an extensive complex of common and rare habitats demonstrating a high degree of ecological integrity. Over 80% of this area supports Regionally rare vegetation types (Geomatics International 1995). A number of the nesting bird species present here and in the adjacent forested landscape to the east breed successfully only in extensive woodlands (Brunton 1992b; Muncaster 2002c). Habitat fragmentation is rare here, with the First Line Road ROW providing the only physical interruption crossing the length of the SSA.

A high level of natural biodiversity is identified as an important contributor to the identification of a Provincially Significant natural area (Ontario 1997). The contribution of the SSA to the ecological integrity of the larger South March Highlands natural area is an important element of the latter area’s overall significance and conservation value.
The following is from Brunton's 2008 report, which discusses the impact of reducing the protected area of the South March Highlands to 35% of the original conservation area. Notice the use of terms like "ominously" and "disquieting".
6.1 SIGNIFICANCE AND SENSITIVITY CONCLUSIONS

Remarkably, much of the native biodiversity identified in the 1991 - 1992 South March
Highlands inventories is retained within the 35% of the former South March Highlands conservation area presently designated as Conservation Forest. Approximately 94% of the native vascular plants of the larger area, for example, are (or were) found here. The fragility of this representation is underscored, however, by the wide variety and serious nature of present and increasing environmental stresses described in section 5. Impacts and ecological challenges (above).

It also bears repeating that the 41 Regionally Significant plant species now known from the Conservation Forest represent only 85% of the 48 such taxa known from the larger former conservation area and include none of the known Provincially Significant species of the South March Highlands. More ominously, perhaps, is the fact that 13 (27%) of Regionally Significant taxa, are either known or suspected to have been extirpated. Similarly, one known SARA-scheduled (Threatened) animal species, Blandings Turtle, has only been observed at the very western and northern edges of the Conservation Forest while another SARA-scheduled (Threatened) species, Golden-winged Warbler occurs at a site adjacent to a proposed arterial roadway corridor.

This evidently lower level of sustainability for the most vulnerable components of the native biodiversity of the Conservation Forest is particularly disquieting when future ecological isolation and the fragmentation of remaining natural landscapes is factored in. The proposed residential and transportation development within the South March Highlands (Terry Fox Road arterial, Second Line Road extension, etc.) undoubtedly markedly increase ecological stress on both the representative and exceptional natural features and functions of the Conservation Forest.
And this is how he described, in his 2004 report, the impacts the KNL development and Terry Fox Road extension would have on the South March Highlands.
KNL lands:

Residential development is committed in the majority of the KNL lands between the First Line Road ROW and Goulbourn Forced Road. This has major implications for the ecological significance of both the SSA in particular and the South March Highlands in general. That includes a major reduction in the ecological corridor function presently active between the Regional Conservation Lands north of the Terry Fox Road ROW and the Trillium Woods Urban Natural Feature (UNF) within and immediately east of the Extended Study Area, along either side of Goulbourn Forced Road (Figure 9). It will also increase the edge effect impact of the Terry Fox Road ROW on the adjacent Regional Conservation Lands habitat. The KNL residential development area is transected by Kizell Pond Urban Natural Feature along Watts Creek.

The KNL development plan dramatically reduces the existing area of ecological connectivity between the SSA and other significant natural areas of the South March Highlands (Brunton 1992a; 1992b; 2000). The remaining UNF west of Goulbourn Forced Road constitutes about 100 ac (40 ha) of upland and wetland habitat (S. Murphy, pers. comm.). The Richardson Forest in Lot 6 will be particularly negatively effected, being completely isolated from comparable natural habitats to the north and east. As well, virtually all of the interior forest values of the Richardson Forest will be eliminated.

The loss of continuous forest habitat within the KNL lands north of Watts Creek in the West Block will have similar though less intense impacts on the northern portion of the SSA. The negative impact is lessened in that area by the existence of continuous natural habitat along the top and face of the Hazeldean Escarpment to the west of the SSA (Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5). Development of portions of the West Block on the KNL property will result in the loss of native biodiversity, a reduction in biological restoration and recruitment potential and the initiation of microclimatic changes. It will inevitably reduce the self-sustainability and overall ecological significance of the adjacent portion of the SSA. Without detailed on-site examination of the lands involved, however, it is difficult to quantify the loss of particular natural features.

4.8.3 Terry Fox Road extension impact

Dillon Consulting (2003) has established that construction of the proposed Terry Fox Road extension across the SSA will have a significant, negative ecological impact ....“Terry Fox Drive will form a barrier and break between the northern and southern portions of the presently continuous South March Highlands [natural] area”. Recognizing the importance of maintaining ecological connectivity across this barrier, Dillon Consulting. (2003) proposes a system of modified culverts and a major sub-roadway ecological passageway along the preferred roadway ROW to partially mitigate these loses.

As part of the recent discussions on the design of this road, an alternative route crossing the SSA and located slightly west of the preferred route (Dillon Consulting 2003) was suggested by a landowner. Dillon Consulting (2003) considered that the Balys & Associates alternative route would have “a higher impact on the environment (volume of rock knolls to be removed, and wetland impacted)”. In a later assessment of the natural environment implications of the Balys & Associates proposed route, it was suggested (Muncaster 2002b) that the degree of ecological disturbance along this alternative route for the crossing of the Hazeldean Escarpment and the SAA might be no greater or even somewhat reduced to that of the preferred Terry Fox Road ROW. That opinion, however, does not address the question of maintaining ecological connectivity across the roadway ROW other than to suggest that roadway development along either alternative will inevitably have some impact

Regardless of the route selected, it is clear that the extension of the Terry Fox Road arterial across the South March Highlands will constitute a major ecological challenge to the Provincially Significant values in and about the SSA and throughout a large segment of the South March Highlands. Major mitigation measures, as described above, will be required to at least reduce the losses of significant ecological value here.
So where do we go from here.

The Sierra Club has launched a campaign to stop the Terry Fox Drive extension as reported in the Ottawa Citizen:
OTTAWA — The Sierra Club Canada plans to start a national campaign this week attempting to stop the extension of Terry Fox Drive through the sensitive wetland habitat of the threatened Blanding’s turtle.

John Bennett, executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada, said the club will use its network to reach thousands of environmentally minded citizens, asking them to put pressure on municipal, provincial and federal politicians to stop the four-kilometre, $47.7-million roadway.

“It’s just a stupid, stupid plan. This is about greed and avarice and building more houses in a place that’s not appropriate,” Bennett said. “They don’t need to build this road through this wetland.
As well, the Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee has recommended that the City halt construction on the Terry Fox Drive extension as reported in the Ottawa Citizen:
The Ottawa forests and greenspace advisory committee will ask city council to put the construction of the Terry Fox Drive Extension on hold and order a more thorough environmental review.

The committee passed a unanimous motion Monday night to ask the city to "immediately re-examine the demographic, transportational and economic rationale" for the project and to halt construction until an "in-depth ecological analysis is undertaken."

The request will come before the city's planning and environment committee, where it would need the endorsement of councillors before it could be voted on by City Council.
This has rekindled interest in the preservation of the whole South March Highlands and led to local residents forming a Coalition to Protect the South March Highlands .

What needs to be done now is to find a way to preserve what has not yet been developed in the South March Highlands or face a situation, as indicated by Dan Brunton, where only 35% of the original conservation is preserved and that 35% is at a great risk of being unsustainable, as Brunton indicates in his reports.

The following map is from Brunton's 2008 report. The Terry Fox Drive Extension route is added (not on the original Brunton report map).


Many believe that the South March Highlands can only be saved if the NCC becomes involved and acquires the SMH lands that remain undeveloped. I believe that may be our only hope. Although the City has been purchasing adjacent lands, they do not have the funds to buy the KNL lands, nor the other undeveloped SMH lands. And even though much of the remaining land is zoned "environmental protection" that becomes meaningless once a developer goes before the Ontario Municipal Board. The only way to really protect environmental lands is to purchase them and the only entity capable of purchasing the undeveloped SMH lands is the National Capital Commission.

Some have suggested that the NCC swap land in the Greenbelt for the KNL lands, but I believe that would be a short sighted solution that would be regretted in the future. The Greenbelt is a corridor and it all serves a purpose. Some of the farmland may not be environmentally sensitive but in many cases it provides a buffer between environmental lands and developed land. As well we are just beginning to realize the potential role that urban farmland can play in our society.

I would only consider a Greenbelt land swap to be a solution as a last resort and even then the land would have to be very carefully selected. Swapping urban development land that might be in the NCC's possession might be an alternative though.

Fast action by the NCC is necessary in order to be able to convince the City of Ottawa to stop the Terry Fox Drive Extension work before even more damage is done to the environment of the South March Highlands. As well, KNL plans to start work on its housing development very soon.

The NCC has, I believe, a short window of opportunity to save the day and save this precious environmental jewel in the National Capital Region, but they should do so without sacrificing that other jewel of the National Capital Region, the Greenbelt.

The NCC and Mountain Biking in the South March Highlands

The South March Highlands and Kanata Lakes trails are known as the place to go for technical mountain biking in Ottawa. If you are not sure what technical mountain biking is think of a rugged natural trail that you have hiked and could not imagine anyone riding a bike on, and then think about someone riding through the trail on a mountain bike and you've got it.

The City of Ottawa is currently developing a management plan, for the South March Highlands Conservation Forest. This is the 35% of the original conservation area that is owned and protected by the City of Ottawa. In developing the management plan the City has worked closely with all user groups and one of the main items of consensus was that the trail system would be a shared system with mountain biking as one of it's main uses. The City is currently negotiating a shared stewardship agreement for the SMH trails with the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association.

While I may not agree with everything in the city's draft plan, such as the denaturalization of some of the single track trails, I would hate to see the consensus that has developed regarding shared trail use threatened.

I have raised my concerns about the South Mach Highlands Conservation Forest draft management plan in the submissions referenced below:

Submission re: South March Highlands Conservation Forest Management Plan

Submission re: South March Highlands Conservation Forest Management Plan Draft Trail Plan

South March Highlands Trail Plan – Where Are The Environmentalists

Saving the remaining undeveloped lands in the South March Highlands from development can only benefit the mountain biking community, by increasing the potential trail system, to keeping the trails further from the impact and noise of development, to eliminating the need for a four lane highway beside and through the middle of the trail system.

However, you can appreciate that considering the NCC's historical record and attitude to mountain biking that the mountain bike community would have serious concerns regarding any involvement of the NCC in the South March Highlands.

There are a number of potential scenarios that could happen if the NCC was to step in and do what is necessary to purchase the remaining SMH lands and save the South March Highlands from further development. Certainly the idea of having one land manager is going to come up. There are a number of ways that this could be dealt with. One is to have the NCC deed all the lands to the City because the City has already started the process of drafting a management plan for the area. Another is to have the City and NCC jointly manage the lands. And a third option might see the NCC take over all the lands. All of these options have potential benefits.

Whatever option may be chosen, for the South March Highlands to be saved from development the more stakeholders that support the plan the better. Getting support from the mountain biking community for an NCC role, which I believe is vital, is going to require strong assurances that all the work that has been done in developing a strong consensus on a shared trail system recognizing mountain biking as an important activity in the South March Highlands will not be ignored.

I call upon the NCC to give a strong corporate assurance, and yourself to give a strong personal assurance, that if the NCC is involved in the South March Highlands that they will recognize that the trail system will be shared and mountain biking considered a legitimate and important activity in the South March Highlands.

Together we can save the South March Highlands.