Geneviève Mollema
Vice President, Greater Avalon Community Association
Note: If you’d like to pitch a guest post of your own, email [email protected] or let me know on social media.
Not everyone dreams of having a little white picket fence, as a certain politician in power seems to think1.
My dream is to have a lively and resilient neighborhood. It’s to be able to walk to get a coffee or a croissant in the morning, because the neighborhood is densely populated. It is to have a neighborhood where we can be outside in the summer without getting too hot because there are forests nearby.
My dream is to share the land with the different species that have been there for 10,000 years, long before me. My dream is that decision-makers understand that long-term planning and strategic thinking is beneficial for everyone.
Now, how do we turn this dream into reality?
Current reality
The neighborhoods south of Innes, in Orleans, are models of urban sprawl. A future article will attempt to shed light on the political events that led to the current situation, namely the almost complete lack of environmental protection in new developments and the incredible urban sprawl in Orleans. This article will focus more on sharing information and guidance to help us navigate the situation and try to make a difference right now, in the context in which we unfortunately find ourselves.
Context
Urban expansion in the Wall Road neighborhood (E-1) was approved by the city council in 2021. Although some land in other areas were removed from the City’s official plan, these lands remained in the Official Plan because it had been identified by the City and not imposed by the Province of Ontario. The province imposed the construction of 151,000 housing units within 10 years (2021-2031). I am not against housing, I am for densification and a good use of the space we have. We can collectively choose to spread out to the suburbs, or we can take advantage of the demand for housing to truly create complete neighborhoods.
Given that citizen involvement is crucial, in the absence of (almost all) environmental protection barriers, citizens and community associations have a more important role than ever in shining a light on the effects of past decisions that have led us to the absurd situations we find ourselves in today.
Background and information for Wall Road 1
There are 55 hectares of combined forests and wetlands on this land. The current plan is to keep 4.9 hectares, according to the protections in place2. This is less than 10% of the natural space currently existing (for a project that is, initially, unnecessary if we build differently, increase density, and stop wasting space.)
To give an idea of scale, Parliament Hill covers 9 hectares. We are therefore talking about the loss of six times the area of Parliament Hill in forests and wetlands on this land, next to a neighborhood that has less than 4% forest cover (Greater Avalon Community Association quadrangle)3.
So how can we monitor an urban expansion project in an attempt to change the course of events?
Let’s take a look at what’s going on and how some people are trying to change the course of events to actually create denser and more resilient communities. Citizen involvement is key to slowing urban sprawl and truly creating 15-minute neighborhoods. Not just on paper, but in reality. Since we are not all urban planners, here is a step-by-step model to help you navigate this process and promote the benefits of 15-minute neighborhoods.
Step 1: Follow the Engage Ottawa website.
When you see a new urban expansion project or new neighborhoods being added, find out more about them. Take the time to read them in advance, as there are often many documents. Read the documents sometimes simply titled “Documents” or “Display Board.” They contain a lot of information, but with this vague and general title, you may overlook them if you don’t know that they are important documents that will give you a lot of information about the project’s stages and key dates.
Step 2: Attend the initial consultations and get involved early on to stay informed.
There are several stages and several open house events for consultations on these new neighborhoods. The further along the process is, the harder it will be to have a say in the design of these new neighborhoods. If you feel that the explanations you are given are not sufficient, ask questions, while remaining cordial, of course.
Step 3: Surround yourself with experts who live in the neighborhood.
If you are not already a member of your community association, join it. If you don’t have an environmental group in your neighborhood, know that it’s very useful. You can’t be an expert in everything, and you don’t have to be. We just have to work together.
Step 4: Ask questions. Don’t take anything for granted.
Expect to have to ask a lot of questions. Be aware that some documents are only available upon request. For example, environmental reports are sometimes not published on the Engage Ottawa website. They will be sent to you only if you request them. In the case of new neighborhood development, you must request the Existing Report Conditions. This document contains a lot of interesting information about the existing environment on the land. Among other things, there are sections on forests, wetlands (if any), and endangered species. Be aware that almost nothing is truly protected unless it is purchased. You need to know that these documents exist if you want to request them. There are a few ways to truly protect the environment, almost exclusively by following capitalist logic. Once again, citizen mobilization makes all the difference. A community that speaks out about its commitment to its green spaces, wetlands, etc., has a much better chance than a community that is less active in this area. This does not guarantee success, but it does help to highlight the importance it has.
Step 5: Be creative and propose solutions. Dare to be proactive.
Dare to reject the unacceptable, namely destroying natural environments in the midst of a climate crisis for the sake of capitalist logic. Dare to remain positive and idealistic. Change does not happen overnight; it happens step by step, day by day.
The image below, taken from Reddit, shows the city’s surface area compared to several other cities. I think we’ve taken up enough space. This is one of dozens of reasons why urban sprawl must stop.
- ‘Everyone’s dream is to have a little white picket fence,’ Ford says while changing housing rules | CBC News ↩︎
- Existing Conditions Report (available upon request, not available on Engage Ottawa) ↩︎
- Rapport environnemental de quartier, Réseau Francophone des Associations environnementales de la Capitale Nationale ↩︎
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