February 26, 2026
Following our letter to Marcia Wallace and senior city leadership on Sunday regarding the dearth of timely and accurate information to the community regarding Minto’s recent activities superseded only by the safety risks of their inadequately supervised road building and test pit construction project, Councillor Curry tabled a new motion at City Council yesterday.
It addresses these issues in a proactive and transparent way, and it was carried in two parts with majority support.
Following our letter to Marcia Wallace and senior city leadership on Sunday regarding the dearth of timely and accurate information to the community regarding Minto’s recent activities superseded only by the safety risks of their inadequately supervised road building and test pit construction project, Councillor Curry tabled a new motion at City Council yesterday. 
It addresses these issues in a proactive and transparent way, and it was carried in two parts with majority support. We encourage you to watch and listen to the informative discussion on the City Council You Tube channel . The item starts at 2:34:23. One highlight we note, Marcia Wallace, Planning GM, stated that she expects “at least a year if not two of back and forth” with the developer regarding testing and various filings in effort to successfully address the 192 OLT conditions that it must meet to apply for building permits. In other words, the activities we are seeing will continue in one form or another as Minto pushes its development forward over the coming years. This is sadly a startling awakening to many of our supporters and why we continue to support the city as it looks for and assesses alternative solution(s). Until then, we need the protection this motion provides.
Questions we get: Why is the city not stopping Minto’s building activity?
The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) decision to approve this development overrode the city approvals process. As a result of that decision and its development approval, Minto is allowed to pursue reasonable opportunities (including designing test pits and the roads to get to them) to meet the 192 conditions imposed by the OLT. While the city does have processes for monitoring, it is powerless to simply say no without inviting lawsuits. That is why yesterday’s motion is so important. It goes beyond monitoring and forces review of the developer proposals with mandatory third-party oversight and obligatory public information sharing which is exactly what the KGPC was pursuing in our letter above. Other key and very important impacts of this motion?
- a dedicated Engage Ottawa project page will create transparency and information accessibility for the public benefit including but not limited to background files and history, ongoing record of FAQs and any future studies submitted to the city and any peer reviews completed by the city
- a direct contact list (email) created by the city for the community benefit which will allow for the broadcasting of important notices and timely messaging
- independent oversight of developer work plans which will include technical/ legal third-party review of every substantive report or work plan submitted by the developer in addition to staff peer review which will expand the usual staff review. It will also require proactive broad analysis of drainage on this site prior to receiving any reports and solutions from the developer
- staff reporting obligations to City Council and the community on whether any construction activities should be paused, modified, or subject to additional controls pending the outcome of independent technical and legal reviews, where such activities may pose risks to public safety, environmental protection, or municipal infrastructure
Questions we get: How can Minto continue with the development if the property is now zoned REC3?
This development and its subsequent OLT approval were considered under the original zoning in place at application. The REC3 zoning, once implemented, will be a win for golf course properties and the protection of greenspaces going forward. The City of Ottawa should not fail to protect another expansive greenspace site for its residents.
Stay Tuned… coming up on the KGPC calendar
March 4 – Planning and Housing Committee 9:30am We also learned yesterday that the staff response to Councillor Curry’s very fulsome inquiry about this development and the perspectives and responses of senior staff is to come forward at next Wednesday, March 4 meeting. It will be important watching on the City You Tube channel.
March 9 – Minto meets with the Community Our group asked for the rescheduling of the February 23 meeting to ensure that Councillor Curry was able to participate. We are waiting for an Agenda from Minto, the meeting organizer.
Thank you for Sharing your Greenspace, Sharing your Love!
We are so appreciative of those who generously donated to our campaign. Our Share the Greenspace, Share the Love campaign successfully improved our financial position and, in addition to that, the additional donations that have come in these past two weeks with the recent Minto disruptions has been incredible. We will continue to work diligently to ensure your donations are used wisely. Donations always welcome.
We know these are difficult days. It is important for your well-being to work to find a brighter side… focus on the good news and what you can do to ensure our community-wide opposition is successful. Reach out if we can help.
We’re grateful for you and our community and… WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER!
Barbara
Chair, Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition
E – chair@ourkanatagreenspace.ca
C – 613.725.4345