How We Came to Be
On June 8, 2023, our Ottawa City Councillor Glen Gower held a meeting in our community on “Protecting our Wetlands.” He also invited Janet Stavinga, former Mayor of Goulbourn and former Ottawa City Councillor, who gave a presentation about wetlands and their ecological importance, along with a detailed history of development in Stittsville over the past 30 years, and the lessons she has learned working to protect and preserve our local wetlands.
At the meeting, the Councillor set the stage by explaining the process City of Ottawa staff and City Council went through when updating the city’s Official Plan. During this process, one of our community priorities was to ensure that land near the Goulbourn Wetland Complex west of Stittsville remained protected from new development.
Despite the efforts of City Council, the Government of Ontario overruled City Council’s decision and added two new urban expansion areas near Stittsville to the Official Plan. One of these is of great concern to our community given its proximity to the Goulbourn Wetland and protected species habitat. See Figure 3.
The meeting was an opportunity for residents to become more aware of provincial changes and what they could mean for our wetlands.
Figure 3.
The City of Ottawa Official Plan Urban Expansion Additions approved in proximity to Stittsville by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in November 2022. On October 23, 2023, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra, announced that the province would be reversing the changes they made to the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan in the fall of 2022.
A Call Out for Community Action
An outcome of this meeting was the commitment to convene a special follow-up meeting to discuss the formation of a new group dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the fragile and ecologically significant wetlands in Stittsville. This group would explore options with private landowners for protecting wetlands, including conservation easements, ecological gifts and/or acquisitions.
A recap of the meeting on June 8, 2023 can be found on Ottawa City Councillor Gower’s website here along with a copy of the presentations made.
To build on the momentum of the Protecting Our Wetlands meeting on June 8, 2023, Stittsville residents Steve Klein and Janet Stavinga hosted a special follow-up meeting to discuss the formation of a community group dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the fragile and ecologically significant wetlands in Stittsville.
This community meeting, held on June 26, 2023, was a great success with many participants committing to be part of the newly formed community group, Friends of Stittsville Wetlands.
A recap of the meeting on June 26, 2023 can be found on Ottawa City Councillor Gower’s website here along with a copy of the presentations made.
Government of Ontario reverses Decision on Urban Land Expansion
The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands welcomed the announcement on October 23, 2023 by the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra that the province would be reversing the changes they made to the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan last fall. For more information, click here.
However, despite this decision, development pressure continues. It became public knowledge on January 19, 2024, that Claridge Homes retained the service of a lobbyist in December 2023 to lobby members of the provincial government to add these same lands in Stittsville South to Ottawa’s urban area.
Learn more: Gruske, Carolyn. “Lobbying push to expand Ottawa's urban boundary faces local opposition.” QP Briefing. January 19, 2024.
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.