Millers Farm clears major hurdle at city hall, will be able to stay open

Millers Berry Farm on Rideau Valley Drive North is back before the city’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee after Ottawa planning staff proposed a compromise zoning solution aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over activities on the property. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

Ron Miller has won his latest battle and says he will now keep his family-run farm open for business.

On Wednesday, Ottawa City Council unanimously approved a proposed compromise zoning solution, resolving a long-running dispute between Miller and the city over activities on the property.

“I feel overwhelmed,” says Miller after the vote. “It’s not perfect, but we all can live with it. The city can live with it, and I can live with it and we can carry on.”

Millers Farm is located on Rideau Valley Drive in Manotick.

The farmer argued diversification has become essential for the survival of small family farms, pointing to rising costs and shrinking profit margins in agriculture.

“Another generation can carry on. Thank you to all my friends that came to support me,” said Miller.

This latest vote comes after council rejected a rezoning application for the farm in November 2025 over concerns about the use of agricultural land and the noise that some trucks made on the roads.

After months of mediation, staff came up with a new report recommendation. On July 30, the city’s agricultural and rural affairs committee passed the new recommendations.

The most significant recommendation is that the property’s topsoil bagging operation be shut down by Nov. 1, 2026, with associated equipment removed by the end of the year.

Staff concluded the operation is not related to farming on the site, generates significant noise and truck traffic and does not need to be located on agricultural land.

There are several other recommendations, including capping the scale of operations.

“It means we can carry on and function. We have to make a few changes, but that’s okay. We can live with it. We always have to have changes in life, and that’s okay,” Miller said.

Coun. David Brown, whose ward includes the Manotick area, says the adjustments will need to be made by November.

“This will ensure that the Millers can continue not only the agricultural farming component of their business, but the on farm diversified uses that they have been running, such as the excavating business and the snow clearing business,” Brown said.

“Once they comply in November, bylaw will go in, they’ll inspect, they’ll make sure that the conditions have been met, and after that they’ll be perfectly legal and compliant to continue operations.”

Brown calls Millers Farm a key piece of the community.

“They’re bigger than just a business in Manotick and Ottawa. They really are part of that fabric. And now we’re going to see them continue into the future,” he said.

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