NCC seeks community input at Greenbelt open house
Posted Feb 5, 2010 By Rosalyn Stevens
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Tweet ThisEMC News Residents gathered at the Nepean Sportsplex last week to give their input on the future of Ottawa's Greenbelt. The community open house was one of three held during the second phase of the National Capital Commission's (NCC) Greenbelt Master Plan review.
Among those in attendance were members of the Greenbelt Coalition, a collection of local groups and agencies dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the Greenbelt.
Donna DuBreuil, of the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, is one of the coalition members providing input to the visioning phase of the review project.
"The Greenbelt is a major asset," she said. "It's always taken for granted, and I think it's always at risk because you have municipal governments looking for space."
One of the ideas on the table with this review, a five-year process required by the NCC's mandate, is whether or not development should occur within the Greenbelt land. Ms. DuBreuil said the coalition is vehemently opposed to development of the land and would instead like to see the area expanded.
"I think all of the Greenbelt is important," she said. "We don't want to see any of it chipped away."
The process of consultation, she said, has been a success so far. In addition to the public consultations, the NCC held a special forum in November, with guests from around the world on hand to speak about their respective greenbelts.
Sylvie Lalonde is the NCC's project manager on the file. She said community input is vital throughout the process, noting the Greenbelt land belongs to everyone.
"The Greenbelt is owned by the public," she said. "It's federally-owned."
In total, the Greenbelt is made up of about 215 square feet of land in the national capital region, including Ottawa and Gatineau.
Once this consultation phase wraps up, Ms. Lalonde said comments collected would be presented in a report, which will be reviewed by the NCC's board of directors.
The next phase of consultation, with this report ready for public viewing, should begin in the fall.
As of last week's meeting, Ms. Lalonde said there was a clear message from the community that development in the Greenbelt is not supported. Rather, she said, residents want to see enhancements and additional protection on the land.
"People are really keen to make the Greenbelt stronger," she said. "It's our living legacy and it needs to be preserved for future generations."
Ruth Tremblay, president of the Crystal Beach-Lakeview Community Association, said she attended the meeting on behalf of residents in the community who want to see the land protected. One of the more pressing issues in the area, she said, is the city's proposal to run the Transitway on the north side of the Queensway. If that happened, Ms. Tremblay said impacts on the Greenbelt and animal populations there would be drastic.
"We're very concerned that they don't put that Transitway where they think they want to put it," she said.
Beyond that aspect, she said the local residents use the nearby Greenbelt spaces for recreation, through walking, skiing or cycling. Ms. Tremblay said it's incredible to hike into the Greenbelt and find the natural environment untouched by development.
"It's one of the things that adds to the quality of life," she said.
Sol Shuster, chair of the Greenbelt Coalition, said he's somewhat disappointed with the level of community participation in the process. While he said the consultations are going well, and the NCC appears to be listening to residents, more community input is needed to really make a difference.
Beyond that, he said, the coalition will continue its campaign to protect the Greenbelt. In the coming months, the group will offer tours of the Greenbelt, in an effort to show the full extent of the land and garner support for its protection.
"We want people to understand that the Greenbelt is not just a collection of environmental hotspots," Mr. Shuster explained, adding that the mass of land is connected in an important ecological way.
In addition to their opposition to development, Mr. Shuster said the group would also like to see parts of the Greenbelt return to a natural state.
"We'd like to see some of the buildings perhaps phased out over time," he said.
Public input is going being collected online, for those residents who were unable to attend last week's meetings, at www.canadascapital.gc.ca. For more information about the Greenbelt Coalition, please see www.greenbeltcoalition.ca.
rstevens@thenewsemc.ca
