Ottawa's expanded urban boundary includes Algonquins of Ontario land in southeast end

Ottawa's Tewin project faces opposition Land deal in East Ottawa criticized for not including input for all Algonquin community members. CTV's Leah Larocque reports.

OTTAWA — Ottawa’s expanded urban boundary will include 445 acres of land in Ottawa’s rural southeast end for a development by the Algonquins of Ontario and partner Taggart Group.

Council approved where the 1,281 hectares of land for new neighbourhoods will be included as part of the new Official Plan to extend Ottawa’s urban boundary.  The lands include 445 hectares of lands for new neighbourhoods in a satellite community called Tewin.

The Tewin project, developed by the Algonquins of Ontario and Taggart Group, is located east of Letrim Road and west of Carlsbad Springs, near the Amazon Distribution Centre.

Last month, the joint planning and rural affairs committee voted to include the land for the Tewin project in the expanded urban boundary, and removed a section of land in the South March area.

Council voted 16 to eight on Wednesday to support the recommendation. Staff will work with the Algonquins of Ontario to identify specific lands and recommend them later this year as the committee considers the draft of the new Official Plan.

“To delay this another five years is just delaying making hard decisions, which is what we are paid a lot of money and put a lot of time in to do,” said Coun. Glen Gower.

Mayor Jim Watson had called the proposed development a move towards reconciliation with First Nations.

“This is an embarrassment to our city,” said Coun. Diane Deans. “This is the farthest thing from reconciliation. This is dialing back reconciliation. This is poor planning.”

Coun. Shawn Menard introduced a motion to direct staff to spend a year studying the proposal, but it was defeated.

Last week, the chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg called for consultations with the city before council brought the Algonquins of Ontario land into the new urban boundary.

In an open letter to Watson, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Chief Dylan Whiteduck said they learned through the media that the mayor and council are supporting a development plan by the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) as part of the urban boundary expansion.

"We have not been contacted, or consulted, by any representative of the city of Ottawa. We demand that the city of Ottawa immediately take the necessary steps to consult with Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and affected Algonquin Anishinabe First Nations before voting on whether to include the AOO proposal within the approved urban boundary," wrote Chief Whiteduck

Elder Claudette Commanda said on Wednesday she will continue to fight the development.

“We keep saying wait, and they keep bulldozing. I feel like I don’t matter, but we are not going to take this lying down.”