Bob Chiarelli asks Province to reject proposed official plan including Tewin

The Honourable Steve Clark

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

17th Floor, 777 Bay St.

Toronto, ON M7A 2J3

Steve.Clark@pc.ola.org

September 16, 2020

(by email)

Minister Clark,

As I am sure you are well aware the City of Ottawa submitted their new Official Plan for your approval

some time ago. I am asking you today to postpone approval of the new City of Ottawa Official Plan until

such time as the incoming City Council can review this document and make any appropriate changes

prior to your approval.

I am asking you to return the proposed Official Plan back to the new Ottawa City Council for three

important reasons.

1. I believe that it is so late in the current municipal mandate understanding that we are

now into a heavily contested election where the residents will elect a new Mayor and

many new Councillors. I do not believe that at this late date it would be fundamentally

democratic to impose the will of the previous Council on a very much transformed new

Council.

2. I also believe that mistakes were made in the proposed Official Plan. Understanding that

housing development is a priority of your government, expanding Ottawa’s urban

boundary to include the unserviced so called “Tewin Lands” rather than the much better

serviced West Carleton/Kanata North property as recommended by city staff will be an

unreasonable delay on development.

3. Finally, the presented Official Plan has a short-term target of 8,000 new units being

constructed per year. That will simply not be enough to reverse the housing shortage in

Ottawa. I would recommend to Council that we expand that target to 10,000 new units

per year off the bat, growing to 16,000 new units over time.

I thank you for your immediate consideration of this recommendation as I believe that what I am

suggesting is in the best interest of all residents of the City of Ottawa

Sincerely,

Bob Chiarelli