Ottawa city council rejects proposal to expand quarry on March Road

The sign outside City Hall in Ottawa (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa city council has voted to reject a plan to expand a quarry in the city’s rural west end.

The site in question is 4200 March Rd., between Upper Dwyer Hill Road and Burnt Lands Road, approximately six kilometres east of the town of Mississippi Mills. City of Ottawa staff had recommended council remove the green space and natural environment area designations on the site and rezone the area for mineral extraction.

The 18-hectare site is located west and north of the existing West Carleton Quarry, owned by Thomas Cavanagh Construction, which intends to expand the quarry.

“I couldn’t think of a more drastic zoning change for people in the community,” West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly told councillors on Wednesday.

City staff said in a report for council that Ontario government policy dictates that the city must allow resource extraction regardless of need, and the province sided with the applicant’s finding that the land does not qualify as an area of natural and scientific interest (ANSI).

Staff explained that council must provide a reason for refusing the proposal, and the applicant would then have 15 days to appeal the refusal. The city would be expected to retain a land-use planner and an environmental planner to make its case, which staff estimated would cost $45,000 to $50,000.

Kelly introduced a motion refusing the zoning amendment, with reasons that include resident concerns about noise, dust, heavy traffic and pollution in the area, the number of quarries and pits already in Ottawa, and insisted that the land is of natural and scientific interest and must be protected.

“I would urge my colleagues that if we are confident in what we have in our Official Plan, that we stick up for that, and we refuse this application,” Kelly said in closing remarks. “If we have to, we go to the OLT (Ontario Land Tribunal) with the rationale that I’ve just laid out in the motion that I’ve provided today.”

Kelly’s motion to reject the quarry expansion passed by a vote of 13 yeas to 11 nays.

Voting in favour of Kelly’s motion were councillors Theresa Kavanagh, Clarke Kelly, Riley Brockington, Jeff Leiper, Cathy Curry, Sean Devine, Laine Johnson, Jessica Bradley, Stéphanie Plante, Rawlson King, Marty Carr, Shawn Menard, and Ariel Troster.

Voting against the motion were Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and councillors Wilson Lo, Glen Gower, Catherine Kitts, Laura Dudas, Steve Descroches, Allan Hubley, Matt Luloff, Tim Tierney, David Brown, and David Hill.

Kelly motion

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the applications for an Official Plan Amendment and zoning amendment in respect of 4200 March Road be refused.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the reasons for refusal be as follows:

1. The 2013 Mineral Aggregate Resource Study provided that “Based on current trends and assuming 80% of the aggregate supply continues to be supplied from bedrock sources the estimated required supply for 100 and 200 year planning horizons is 1,360 and 3,640 million tonnes respectively. Reviewing licensed sites as well as active and undeveloped areas, the estimated remaining licensed resource is 861 million tonnes. Resource potential in the designated bedrock resource area but still unlicensed is estimated between 600 and 947 million tonnes. The potential 13 bedrock resources in both licensed and designated-unlicensed area is estimated between 1,461 and 1,808 million tonnes.”, and

2. Staff did not recommend any additional bedrock or sand and gravel resource overlay in the 2022 Official Plan, and

3. The City of Ottawa has, in total, an estimate of 4000 hectares of lands already licensed as pits and quarries in the city, and

4. The residents in the area are concerned with the proposed hours of operation, increased heavy traffic at the site, and the potential for dust, noise and odour pollution interfering with the surrounding environment and the enjoyment of their homes, and

5. The Aggregate Resources Act, section 12.1(1) permits the Minister to issue a licence to such operation only if a zoning by-law allows the site to be used for the making, establishment, or operation of pits and quarries.

6. The subject parcel is designated as an ANSI and merits continued protection.