Randall Denley overlooks a critical issue: the Kanata Golf Club property is not just green space — it is a key stormwater management (SWM) collection and storage site for thousands of surrounding homes and downstream areas, including the Kanata North Tech Park, one of Ottawa’s strongest economic drivers. It was designed as vital SWM infrastructure and coopted as a golf course.
The city and our experts have confirmed that replacing the natural absorptive and storage capacity of these 172 acres with homes and pavement using current engineering is not feasible or affordable. ClubLink’s last SWM proposal rested on the existence of a supposed yet undocumented underground storage cavern — one its experts are unable to locate or measure. This example is precisely why a municipality retains the authority to accept or reject any SWM plan – it remains liable for future failure of a bad plan, regardless of which party proposed it.
Compounding the risk, preliminary studies show mercury contamination across the granite-laden property, exceeding safe residential limits. The scope and cost of mandatory remediation remain unknown. Is it reasonable to allow ClubLink to begin years of blasting, grinding, and excavation that could expose more than 20,000 residents to airborne mercury without a complete understanding of the problem and risks?
Where and how we build is as important as what we build. Ensuring that all development meets engineering, safety and environmental standards is the City’s responsibility. Ottawa has handled this file transparently from the start — ClubLink has known from Day One where the city stood. That is not obstruction; it is good governance.
ClubLink’s continued pursuit of this project over six years suggests a belief that its financial gain outweighs consideration of taxpayer costs and public safety. Property rights do not confer the right to endanger neighbours or offload risks onto the wider community. Such an approach would be unacceptable anywhere — Kanata is no exception. If the same situation arose in his neighbourhood, one suspects Mr. Denley and his neighbours would be just as concerned.
Transparent, accountable municipal oversight is not a barrier to good development. It is the safeguard that ensures growth happens safely and in the public interest.
Barbara Ramsay
Chair, Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition
106-1002 Beaverbrook Road,
Kanata, ON K2K 1L1