Rubin: Make the Ottawa greenbelt a ‘national urban park’

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The National Capital Commission has been in active discussions with Parks Canada for months about creating a national urban park in Ottawa. But it continues to be secretive about those discussions, including where the park will be located, whereas Parks Canada has recently identified the land in question: The National Capital Greenbelt.

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That exciting news comes via access-to-information records I recently obtained, in which Parks Canada names the site. Such a designation could mean protecting and enhancing much of the greenbelt’s 20,000 hectares of land located in the west, south and east ends of Ottawa. Right now, the conservation emphasis is limited primarily to highly ecologically sensitive lands such as Stony Swamp and the Mer Bleue Bog.

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But with the designation, political will and citizen participation, it could mean remaking and restoring a large part of the greenbelt areas as citizen-accessible conservation areas. That, in turn, could include reforestation-trail sites, areas for wildlife and flora and fauna enhancement, and greater care of endangered species. It would mean fewer lands with corn crops, bush and invasive species. It could mean residents, instead of simply driving through, could stop and enjoy taking a role in such an ambitious restoration.

While Parks Canada’s urban-park programming differs from its national parks, it would be a step forward in environmental protection for areas such as Ottawa’s greenbelt. Ottawa would join a beginning national network of urban parks that includes plans for urban parks in Edmonton, Halifax, Saskatoon, Victoria, Windsor and Winnipeg. It’s no wonder environmentalists greeted with enthusiasm the federal government’s 2021 announcement that it was adding national urban parks to the mix of protected green space in Canada.

Locally, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society filed an April, 2024 petition to the auditor general asking that Ottawa’s greenbelt be protected and enhanced as a national urban park. But it had been stymied to-date in finding out where matters stand and in being involved. Access-to-information records show that the NCC has expressed a significant interest in creating a national urban park in Ottawa; it just doesn’t say where.

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For the greenbelt to become a national urban park, Parks Canada and the NCC will have to sign a statement of collaboration, which they have not yet done, so that feasibility and implementation plans can go ahead. Parks Canada would prefer early stakeholder consultations on this promising urban park with less secrecy, but the NCC actually asked Parks Canada to redact all references to identifying the greenbelt as the location under discussion. This contrasts with Montreal, where local authorities gave Parks Canada the green light to publicly announce that they were in exploratory talks together to have an urban park there.

And the documents indicate there are roadblocks to overcome. One is working out how to have Indigenous groups play a meaningful role in an Ottawa greenbelt urban park. Another factor is the extent to which NCC resources and influence continue, and where the 2013 NCC greenbelt master plan and its soon-to-be-done update fits into the overall plan. A further factor is where, exactly, the boundaries will be, as unlike national parks, national urban parks do not necessarily set out legal boundaries or have legal act status. And other federal agencies and some private owners control and occupy parts of Ottawa’s greenbelt lands.

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Adding to the mix, it is Parks Canada’s mission to have urban parks that are clearly conservation places. Yet at least one current incursion into greenbelt lands is occurring with the east-end Renaud transportation route through greenbelt lands. And there have been past greenbelt incursions for transportation and utility corridors and buildings. Pressures remain to hive off greenbelt lands for housing development.

Protecting, conserving and restoring green space in Ottawa for the well-being of its inhabitants and the environment is more urgent at a time of growing housing pressures, the lessening of the area’s biodiversity and the pressing needs to meet climate change challenges. Keeping Ottawa’s greenbelt intact has always been up for debate, with some seeking its dismantlement for other uses.

So, will its likely designation as a national urban park really offer a boost to fewer intrusions, greater protections, better conservation and management and more public enjoyment? What’s likely in the works could be a welcoming greenbelt national urban park for Ottawa — if only the public could know more about this and be involved.

Ken Rubin is an Ottawa researcher and environmentalist. Reach him at: kenrubin.ca

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