Ottawa is staying mum on plans to purchase a landfill in the city’s rural south-east.
City council’s finance and corporate services committee met on Nov. 21 to discuss the city’s bid to buy the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre (CRRRC), located in Greater Ottawa’s Carlsbad Springs community.
But when the discussion resurfaced at the Nov. 26 city council meeting, it moved behind closed doors with the majority of the meeting held in-camera.
Still, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe provided a statement at the start of the public portion of the meeting, and gave a media availability at its conclusion.
“The City of Ottawa will continue its participation in the competitive bidding process related to the acquisition of this landfill,” he said.
“However, given the requirements for confidentiality, details will be reported once the bidding process is over and the non-disclosure agreement has been lifted.”
He further emphasized that the bidding process related to the proposed landfill project is one of timing rather than transparency.
“This entire process could have been conducted behind closed doors, but we didn’t feel that was appropriate,” he said. “We held a public meeting of the finance committee because we wanted to share as much information as possible with residents and provide an opportunity for public engagement and input. We went above and beyond what was required so that residents had a chance to share their views but also to hear our views on this important decision.”
During the media availability, Sutcliffe would not provide additional information on next steps related to the bidding process, continuously citing mandatory confidentiality under the non-disclosure agreement.
Osgoode Coun. Isabelle Skalski, who represents the area in which the proposed landfill project is located, has been outspoken in her opposition against the bid. In a Facebook post shared shortly after Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Skalski wrote: “I said it last week at committee and I’ll say it again today — I believe this process has not been fair to residents.”
“No matter who owns the site, I’m committed to protecting resident interests in having a safe, healthy and high-quality rural way of life,” she added.
At the council meeting, Sutcliffe noted that the landfill will exist, whether the City of Ottawa or another bidder successfully purchases the site. “The question is not to determine if this will be a public landfill, but it’s who will own that property,” he said. “So if it’s somebody else, there will be an impact on the residents of Carlsbad Springs and Ottawa. If the City of Ottawa owns the property, we can manage the situation in the interest of the public.”
As for what happens next, the bidding process will continue to take place behind closed doors until complete. Sutcliffe would not provide any indication of a timeline for informing residents. “When the process is finished we’ll be able to inform the population,” he said.
