Councillor demanding answers on changes to flood plain in south Barrhaven
By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, June 8, 2020
When Ottawa city council approved a
major expansion of the urban boundary
less than two weeks ago, it vowed not to allow future construction on certain
sensitive types of property including prime farmland and flood plains.
Yet at this very moment, a 100-hectare swath of the Jock River flood plain —
the equivalent of four LeBreton Flats — is being significantly altered to
make way for a future development in south Barrhaven, leading one councillor
to question the city's commitment to protecting flood plain lands in coming
years.
"I don't know how we can say that," said Coun. Catherine McKenney, "when in
fact we are allowing development —significant development — on a flood plain
today."
Although the application to change the contours of the Jock River flood plain
was filed and approved months before councillors debated urban expansion,
McKenney can't understand how the project went ahead without council knowing
about it.
(...)Behind McKenney's concerns is a complex, three-year effort by developer
Caivan Communities to change part of the Jock River flood plain, north of the
river up to McKenna Casey Drive, from Highway 416 to Greenbank.
"It has been one of our more challenging files," said Sommer
Casgrain-Robertson, the general manager of the Rideau Valley Conservation
Authority (RVCA), the regulator of the Rideau River watershed, of which the
Jock River is a part.
...On Wednesday, city councillors will address whether the city should move ahead with its bid. The property is owned by Taggart Miller Environmental Services Inc. and is being put up for sale in a confidential bidding process.
wo weeks ago, the city disclosed through a report to its finance and corporate services committee that it made a "non-binding" bid to Taggart Miller.
Now the city is seeking councillors' blessing to get deeper into the bidding process.
The bid's opponents, including some residents who live near the site, as well as a number of city councillors, have raisedenvironmental and traffic concerns. They've also expressed reservations about the compressed timeline leading to Wednesday's council vote.
By Randy Boswell, Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2023
The City of Ottawa’s auditor general has slammed municipal officials for mishandling a major housing development in Barrhaven that involved extensive alterations of the Jock River floodplain to accommodate a sprawling new subdivision with nearly 1,000 new homes.
Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon has released a scathing, 14-page report detailing her team’s investigation into the project after allegations of mismanagement were made through the city’s fraud and waste hotline. The report has been tabled for discussion at the city’s audit committee meeting on Monday.
...The plan involved cutting away more than 100,000 cubic metres of soil along the north shore of the Jock and depositing more than 400,000 cubic metres of soil on adjacent land immediately to the north so houses could be safely built there, beyond any flood risk.
By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2023
In a head-spinning move that has angered some community groups, Ottawa is asking the province to reverse its decision to override the city’s official plan on building heights.
A motion, approved by council this week in a 19-2 vote, instructs city officials to ask Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to reinstate rules allowing higher buildings heights along minor road corridors. It’s something the city’s planning committee rejected two years ago, when it approved Ottawa’s new official plan.
At the time, city staff had recommended higher buildings, but council bowed to pressure and limited buildings along minor corridor roads to four storeys.