North Bay woman sounds alarm as wetland is drained near housing development

Tracy Boucher says the pond near her North Bay home began to dry up despite record rainfall. Boucher said that doesn't normally happen until the summer. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

An investigation is underway at the site of a new housing development in the south end of North Bay following concerns from a neighbour that a wetland might have been drained to accommodate the construction, putting endangered species at risk.

Tracy Boucher has been living near a wetland located between Bunting Drive and Blair Street for 10 years. Her backyard offers a front row seat to the ecosystem and many species that call it home.

“We’ve got a blue heron that lives back there,” Boucher said.

“We’ve got Blanding’s turtles that live back there that are on the endangered species list. We’ve got migratory birds that come every single year.”

When she noticed construction of the new Meadow Woods subdivision a few weeks ago, she didn’t think much of it.

That is, until the pond began to dry up despite record rainfall. Boucher said that doesn’t normally happen until the summer.

Most of the pond is now mud.

“I noticed a gentleman over at the beaver dam with a stick poking the beaver dam and I thought to myself, that’s really odd,” she said.

“We should have a lot of water in there. He should not be able to be anywhere near that.”

At first, she was concerned. Now she has become an advocate for protecting the wetland.

Boucher posted photos about the pond in the North Bay Crime Beat Facebook group and her post blew up. She was provided drone footage that shows a trench was dug to divert water to another larger pond some distance away.

“It’s a substantial trench. It wasn’t something that was dug by hand. It was dug by machinery,” she said.

Boucher contacted the province, the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority and the City of North Bay.

The conservation authority visited to take photos of the site.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks confirmed to CTV News it has launched an investigation.

“The ministry is aware of the reported drainage, has completed a site visit to assess potential impacts to the wetland and is currently determining appropriate next steps,” spokesperson Lindsay Davidson wrote in an email.

The city entered into a subdivision agreement with the property owner, Intrigo Holdings Ltd. CTV News was unsuccessful in finding a contact for the company.

The city said its involvement is limited to land use planning and approvals under the Planning Act.

“The subdivision was originally approved by council in 1988 and has undergone several updates over the years, most recently in 2025 for the current phase of development,” spokesman Gord Young said.

“The city cannot comment on any potential ministry involvement, as this falls under provincial jurisdiction.”

CTV News also reached out to the subdivision’s developer, Kenalex Construction Company Ltd., but the company has not responded to our request for comment.

While she’s not against building new homes, Boucher wants to ensure the species are being protected.

“All that I would want is to make sure that it’s being done ethically and with the environment in mind,” she said.

The conservation authority told CTV News that “portions of the property” fall within a regulated area.