A letter to Mayor Chiarelli

Mayor Chiarelli,

Frankly, I am absolutely agast!

There is so much evidence that the City is reneging entirely on the commitments noted in the Offical Plan, the Greenspace Master Plan and it's 20/20 Environmental Plan that our communities should not be the ones spending countless hours of personal time asking why, the City should be telling us what right they have at all to even consider the use of the Lester Site in it's proposal for the North South LRT Project. You can find some of this evidence below.
First off, the City's commitment to protecting the environment through the Greenspace Master Plan which indicates:

"Developing Ottawa's Greenspace Network serves to: Recognize the National Capital Greenbelt as a distinguishing feature of Ottawa that separates the core urban area inside the Greenbelt from the urban communities beyond it; Create a physically connected system of greenspaces, from urban parks and woodlands inside the Greenbelt, through the Greenbelt and into the larger natural features outside the Greenbelt and beyond the City's boundaries; Sustain natural systems by maintaining natural features and natural functions; Provide linked migration routes for other species; Contribute to the protection of cultural heritage landscapes such as the Ottawa River and Rideau Waterway System and to the health and viability of the Greenbelt; Provide greater access to public greenspaces within the network and more options for outdoor leisure and recreational activities; Help structure and define communities. "

Additionally,

"Now the challenges are to: Ensure that future development preserves Ottawa's Greenspace Network and extends it by identifying new natural features and linkages and securing a variety of open space and leisure lands; "

And don't forget the policy direction to reinforce this commitment:

"Pending completion of the Greenspace Master Plan, the City will consider premature any application filed after adoption of this Plan to amend the zoning by-law for urban and Village properties zoned park or open space, leisure, waterway, conservation, natural environment, wetland or other zone used for conservation or recreation uses. Following approval of the Greenspace Master Plan, applications to amend the zoning by-law for these lands can be assessed in terms of their contribution to local greenspace and the Greenspace Network, and opportunities to secure public access or ownership. The lifting of a holding zone provision on an area where a public special study has been conducted will be done by City Council in a public process but will not be considered a zoning by-law amendment, for the purposes of this policy. "

Building Liveable Communities

"The basics of a liveable community are straight-forward. In the urban area, a liveable community has appropriate housing at a price people can afford. It is built around greenspaces and has places to shop, socialize and play nearby."

"This Plan (The Official Plan) proposes that Ottawa's communities be built on the basics: good housing, employment, ample greenspace, a sense of history and culture."

I guess the City dictate's which communities get to continue enjoying the privelege.

The more I read the rhetoric that appears to be the City's commitments to protecting the greenspaces, wetlands and urban forests that surround our community, the sicker my stomach gets. I am completely at a loss as to why our residents need be worried at all, in fact I wait for a reply as to how City staff saw fit to even consider the site. Can you explain it?

I would appreciate it if you in conjunction with the City Councilors sitting on both the environmental and transportation committee's had an opportunity to address this issue, as well as the project implementation teams responsible.

Peter J. Hillier, CD