Clear-cutting near Tewin
During last week’s Environment & Climate Change Committee meeting, I was proud to have played a critical role in getting closer to the truth about the extensive tree clear-cutting operation that began in mid-February adjacent to the Tewin lands east of Ottawa.
For residents not aware of this story, Tewin is a large tract of undeveloped land that was added to the urban boundary expansion a few years ago in a controversial decision at City Council. The owners of the lands are a business group comprising developers Taggart Group and the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO).
In mid-February, residents of Carlsbad Springs near the Tewin lands started noticing the smell of cut trees and heard logging trucks very late at night. After a few days of this, residents sent a drone camera up and were shocked to see that over 70 hectares of forest had been clear-cut, resulting in the loss of an estimated 25,000 trees.
Residents alerted the media, and CBC News began covering the story, which first broke on March 1. That’s when Council learned of the incident, and when a few councillors began asking questions to staff. Council then received memos from city staff which stated the following:
- That staff first became aware of the clear-cutting on February 17;
- That staff had issued a stop-work order on February 22 which has since been lifted;
- That staff had been provided information by Taggart/AOO that the clear-cutting operation was being done for two completely different reasons: first, that trees damaged during the derecho were being cleared for safety; and, second, that the trees were being removed to prepare the land for farming.
That’s where my concern and curiosity began. If they needed to clear trees for safety, they surely didn’t need to clear 70 hectares worth. And Taggart/AOO were not known to be in the business of farming. And it just so happens that the land that these developers cleared of trees lies immediately south of the land that they are going to be developing as the new Tewin community.
Several councillors, including myself, asked staff why Taggart/AOO had been granted permission to cut trees without applying for a permit, which is the usual practice under our Tree Protection By-law. We were told that Taggart/AOO did not need to obtain a permit because they met the criteria for an exception. Under Section 82.7 of the Tree Protection By-law states: “A tree permit is not required where the injury or destruction of trees is a normal farm practice carried out as part of an agricultural operation by a farming business.” We were told by city staff that Taggart/AOO had signed a lease with a local farmer.
I had a lot of questions for staff pertaining to whether this tree-clearing was a “normal farm practice”, and whether it was part of an “agricultural operation”. I certainly was not clear on how Taggart/AOO was being seen as a “farming business”, since neither Taggart nor AOO have a history of farming.
But my biggest questions pertained to the lease itself. On what date was the lease between Taggart/AOO and the local farmer signed? And when did city staff first get to see that lease?
The answer I received was as shocking as it was disappointing. It was signed on March 3, which is the same day that the city was first made aware of the lease.
In other words, on February 17 when the tree cutting began, and without a lease between Taggart/AOO and a farmer, there was no legal farming business to speak of. And so, it’s reasonable to argue that the exception to the Tree Protection By-law should not have been granted, at least not without an application for a permit. After making this information public, my first question to staff was: “Would you not agree that having a lease in place between the landowners and a farming operator would be the minimum prerequisite for this being a farming business in the first place?”
Here’s a video clip from the speech I made at Committee (you can also watch the entire segment here). I certainly caused a few heads to spin, and I was glad to have earned praise from some of my more experienced colleagues.
By asking tough questions I was able to get closer to the truth of what happened, and ensure that the public was made aware of what really happened (“Tewin owners signed farming lease weeks after clear-cutting the area.”)
But this is not yet a victory. As far as we can tell, Taggart/AOO still has permission to cut trees. Several of my Council colleagues are continuing to investigate this matter, and have requested to view the lease documents. We’re also aware that a submission to the provincial Farm Practice Board may soon be made to assess this operation. I’ll be sure to keep residents notified of any new developments.
Stay vigilant, folks!
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New Ways to Bus: Ward 9 Information Page
Thanks for visiting the Ward 9 information page on OC Transpo's New Ways to Bus (NWTB). This page is designed to provide you with some essential details on how the service changes may impact transit riders in Ward 9, including route adjustments, the rationale behind the changes, and how we have advocated for our residents.
We fully understand that many residents are legitimately frustrated with these changes. Many riders see these adjustments as another cost-cutting measure from OC Transpo, as they continue to face significant financial challenges.
OC Transpo's New Ways to Bus revised route network will focus on frequency, local service in your neighbourhood, and connections to key destinations. Through these many adjustments, OC Transpo's aim is to increase the reliability of our bus route system. Riders will see a shift in the number of downtown-focused bus routes, to routes that improve connections to community hubs and key destinations. Some customers may have to go further to the bus stop, or require additional transfers to buses or trains, or will have longer overall travel times. In addition to fewer Connexion routes, some routes will be retired due to low ridership and to improve connections to new routes and the O-Train. Retired routes will be replaced with alternative service nearby.
For now, the position that Councillor Devine and his team are taking is that we are very sympathetic to those concerns, but that we need to help residents prepare, because these changes are coming soon. New Ways to Bus comes into effect April 27th. What our office is focused on is trying to ensure that our residents are prepared for the change, and monitoring how the new system performs in its initial weeks and months.
New Ways to Bus website
For the most comprehensive information available, OC Transpo has created a dedicated New Ways to Bus website, complete with many useful items, including:
- a New Ways to Bus network map
- information on new signage
- a detailed list of routes that will not change, and routes that will change
New Ways to Bus - Travel Planner
The OC Transpo Travel Planner has now been updated to include the New Ways to Bus routes that take effect April 27th. Try it out! Enter your trip information for a trip that you might take now and then enter the same trip information for a date after April 27th and see what kind of changes there will be.
New Ways to Bus - Ward 9 Bus Routes
You can find specific information on each route in the entire New Ways to Bus network on their new website. Our office has also compiled a series of PDF route maps for all of the Ward 9 bus routes.
Public Information Sessions
OC Transpo has organized a series of community events for residents to meet with OC Transpo staff to ask questions about changes in the New Ways to Bus system. The event that was held on April 4th at the Nepean Sportsplex was poorly attended because OC Transpo did no provide clear information about where the event was taking place. Residents are encouraged to attend other sessions.
Councillor Devine's advocacy for Ward 9
Ever since the first draft of the New Ways to Bus network was rolled out well over a year ago, our office has been engaged with OC Transpo in trying to stop some of proposed changes. It wasn't altogether easy to get concessions, since Council has no authority over OC Transpo's operations. But we managed be successful in some of our attempts, though we were less successful in others. For the sake of transparency, we wanted to provide residents with a summary of our efforts over the last year.
Routes 282/82
- What we won: It's shocking to believe, but in the original draft of the New Ways to Bus network, Route 82 would have seen its service frequency cut down to peak hours only. This would've been devasting to the western part of Ward 9, who are already seeing other decreases in service. After strong advocacy from our office, Route 82 will maintain full-day, seven-days-a-week service. During peak hours, it will connect to Tunney’s Pasture, offering a viable replacement for the discontinued 282 express route.
- What we lost: Unfortunately, Route 282 was removed. While we fought to maintain express service, this decision reflects several lost express routes, due city-wide budget constraints. However, once the LRT Line 1 West extension is complete, riders will be able to take the 82 to Pinecrest Station, for a quicker ride downtown.
Route 173
- What we lost: Route 173 will no longer service Manordale, becoming a local route serving Barrhaven instead. We continue to object to the questionable rational for this decision, as Barrhaven has more than enough routes serving it. We are committed to monitoring the impact of his lost service, in the hopes of restoring something.
Routes 111/112/189
- What we won: When the first draft of the New Ways to Bus network was rolled out, we quickly noticed that the proposed changes to the 111/112 routes meant that there was no longer any bus service on Chesterton Drive, meaning that two schools, an apartment tower, and a large lower-income housing complex would see no service at all. Even worse, Chesterton Drive is on an incline! We pushed hard against this change, which resulted in Route 189 being re-directed to run along the entire length of Chesterton Drive. While this means riders will need to make an additional transfer, it would have been much worse if there was no route there at all.
Routes 89/86
- What we lost: Despite our advocacy, Routes 89 and 86 will see reductions and decreased frequency. We will continue to push for adjustments if transit reliability issues arise.
There are several other changes to service routes in Ward 9, some of which will result in an increased level of service. We'll try to post more information on these changes shortly.
