Advocacy Efforts
Saving Ontario’s Disappearing Wetlands – the Goulbourn Wetland Complex
In April 2024, Ontario Nature published a blog written by Friends of Stittsville Wetlands entitled Saving Ontario’s Disappearing Wetlands – the Goulbourn Wetland Complex. The blog was circulated to Ontario Nature’s subscribers across the province.
Help protect Ontario’s wetlands and secure a sustainable future for all, please consider signing Ontario Nature’s Action Alert, and joining us and thousands of others in advocating for Ontario’s wetlands.
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
Land Conservation and Resource Strategy
The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands expressed support for the draft Land Conservation and Resource Strategy that was considered by the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) on December 9, 2024.
The vision of the MVCA, its guiding principles, its objectives, and its programs and services, as summarized in the draft Land Conservation and Resource Strategy, are of the utmost importance to the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands as we anticipate that its approval and implementation will provide critical support for our efforts.
City of Ottawa
A beaver carries a branch while swimming in the Goulbourn Wetland Complex
Photo by Sylvie Sabourin
Wildlife Strategy Review
Will Ottawa take a humane approach to urban wildlife? We’re skeptical.
The Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre (OCWC) has raised concerns about the City’s Wildlife Strategy Review process. Explore their perspective in a recent Ottawa Citizen opinion piece, and learn more about the Wildlife Strategy Review and the As We Heard It Report.
Now, more than ever, we need to develop a revised Wildlife Strategy that reflects modern-day practices to coexist with wildlife in our city.
Two canada geese stretch their wings
Photo by: Sylvie Sabourin
Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment Proposal – South Bear Brook Wetland
The City of Ottawa has initiated an application to make amendments to the Official Plan and to Zoning By-law due to the identification of a new provincially significant wetland – the South Bear Brook Wetland. These amendments are intended to reflect recent updates published by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources.
Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments Affecting the Goulbourn Wetland Complex and Other Wetlands
Over 156 hectares of wetlands across 17 municipalities lost their provincially significant wetland (PSW) designation and the strong provincial protection that designation imparts from March 2023 to March 2024.
The highest proportion of these losses, totaling over 55 hectares, occurred within the Goulbourn Wetland Complex. The losses can be attributed to the changes to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) – the official system for identifying and designating PSWs.
The City of Ottawa is obligated to accept the new weakened provincial process for identifying and designating PSWs, despite the City raising objections to these policy changes in November 2022.
Join us in urging Ottawa City Council to push for robust protections for wetlands before it’s too late.
Boundary of the provincially significant South Bear Brook Wetland
Map from City of Ottawa
R. W. Tomlinson Limited – Application for a Class A Quarry below the Groundwater Table
R. W. Tomlinson Limited has submitted an application for a Class A Quarry below the Groundwater Table on the property located on the east side of the existing Tomlinson Stittsville Quarry on Jinkinson Road.
This proposed activity is within the recently de-complexed 15 ha of wetland previously connected to the Goulbourn Wetland Complex, a provincially significant wetland.
Learn more about this proposed application and the approach by the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands.
Joint Letters from Ontario Nature and the Ontario Nature Network
Ontario Nature frequently sends joint letters to government officials and other decision-makers proactively or in response to proposed legislation or policy changes. As a member of the Nature Network, a federated member group of about 150 member groups across Ontario, the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands are provided with opportunities to join forces with Ontario Nature and others to protect wild species and wild spaces and make sure our collective voice for nature is heard.
Check out these joint letters.
R. W. Tomlinson Limited – Application for a Class A Quarry below the Groundwater Table
R. W. Tomlinson Limited has submitted an application for a Class A Quarry below the Groundwater Table on the property located on the east side of the existing Tomlinson Stittsville Quarry on Jinkinson Road.
This proposed activity is within the recently de-complexed 15 ha of wetland previously connected to the Goulbourn Wetland Complex, a provincially significant wetland.
Learn more about this proposed application and the approach by the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands.
Other Advocacy Efforts
2025 Provincial Election Campaign
The provincial government plays a significant role in our day-to-day lives, from land use planning, natural resource management, health care, education, transportation, and beyond.
Unfortunately, during the 2022 provincial election, only 43% of eligible Ontarians voted, which was the lowest voter turnout in Ontario’s electoral history. The results of the 2025 Provincial Election did not show much improvement, as only 45.4% of eligible Ontarians voted.
There are certainly many reasons for low voter turnout, but the challenges Ontario faces are too important to not engage with the democratic process!
Get Involved – Become a Friend!
We are growing and we need your help! Together, we will be the voice to protect, restore, regenerate, and rewild our wetlands.