A remote parcel of land in Ottawa’s south-end will remain within the city’s urban boundary after council’s planning and housing committee voted against its removal.
Coun. Theresa Kavanagh’s motion to remove the 445-hectare Tewin lands was defeated in a close 7-5 vote at Thursday’s meeting, meaning it wouldn’t automatically be brought forward at the next council meeting.
Ottawa council added the lands to the city’s urban boundary in 2021 as part of deliberations on its new official plan. A joint venture between developer Taggart and the Algonquins of Ontario, Tewin is expected to house around 35,000 to 45,000 residents when fully built out.
Kavanagh said permitting the development of the lands will drive up costs for the city because of its location far removed from roads and other infrastructure.
“It’s nowhere near any existing infrastructure, especially when compared to other areas slated for development in the coming years,” she said.
“This type of ill advised spending on sprawl will have an impact on residents across our city, whether they live outside or within the Greenbelt.”
Proponents say the city needs to take aggressive steps to add new housing to address rising costs, and developing the Tewin lands would help advance reconciliation with local Indigenous communities, pointing to the Algonquins of Ontario’s ownership stake.
However, 10 local First Nations have come out against the project, saying they were never consulted prior to its inclusion in the official plan in 2021. Questions have also been raised about whether the Algonquins of Ontario can be seen as the legitimate representative of Algonquins in the province.
They were also concerns that removing the Tewin lands would prompt a legal challenge to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A city lawyer told the committee that Ottawa would likely lose that case.
