OttawaCity councillors are welcoming a proposed bylaw to regulate hardscaping in Ottawa, as illicit driveway widenings leave residents stuck with hefty bills.Proposed ‘hardscaping’ bylaw would cost contractors $441 per year in feesIf approved by city council next week, the new licensing rules would impose a $441 annual fee on contractors, while ensuring they have insurance and signed contracts with homeowners. (Francis Ferland/CBC)City councillors are welcoming a proposed bylaw to regulate the “Wild West” of landscaping in Ottawa, as illicit driveway work leaves residents stuck with hefty bills.CBC has reported on homeowners who had to make costly changes after bylaw officers clamped down on asphalt, interlock, concrete, paving stones or other hard landscaping features that violate city bylaws.Those bylaws restrict the width of driveways, for example, or where they can connect to roadways. Council asked city staff to conduct a review, and they’ve come back with a licensing regime that will regulate that work, known as “hardscaping.” It would impose a $441 annual fee on contractors, while ensuring they have insurance and signed contracts with homeowners.The bylaw passed with only one vote against at council’s emergency and protective services committee on Wednesday, and will now go to a full council next week for a final vote. Committee chair Riley Brockington said non-compliant hardscaping is widespread — and costly.”It gets very expensive, very fast. Not only has a property owner invested a lot of money to do the work, they are then told by bylaw that they have to remediate their properties, which could also include tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.”You’ve heard from many members of council, they see this as the Wild West in Ottawa. This is not prevalent in one ward, this is across the city and we need to get a better handle on this.”Hundreds of complaintsIn 2024, there were 444 bylaw requests relating to driveway alterations, while 424 concerned dumping or damage to city property such as sidewalks or roads that could have resulted from landscaping work. But those numbers are driven by complaints, and city staff estimate the real number of violations is much higher.Valérie Bietlot, the city’s manager of public policy development with the emergency and protective services department, said all that hardscaping has real consequences.”Those hard surfaces cause runoff into the city sewer systems. Widened driveways reduce the amount of on street parking as well because you can’t park in front of a driveway,” she said. But enforcement has proven complicated and time-consuming, and it can be hard to track contractors down. According to a city report, homeowners often say they were unaware of the bylaws and relied on advice from contractors, while contractors say customers told them to go ahead despite the rules.City staff hope the new licensing regime will give them new enforcement tools, while ensuring that both homeowners and contractors are aware of the bylaws. The city also plans to post a list of licensed contractors online to help consumers choose reputable options.”Residents are encouraged before signing any contracts to have a look at our web page and consider the contractors that are listed there that are licensed, knowing that they will follow the regulations that are in place,” said Roger Chapman, director of bylaw and regulatory services.Some exceptionsThe licensing regime will have exceptions, including for new builds and farmers. Contractors who are already licensed for snow removal won’t have to pay an additional fee to get a hardscaping licenceBut Jonathan Gilman, who owns Ottawa Interlock Repair, said the bylaw isn’t flexible enough. He urged councillors to opt for a voluntary system, or at least create an exception for smaller contractors. “I just don’t think it’s going to do what they think the licence is going to do,” he said. “The fly-by-night contractors that they’re trying to regulate are just going to slip under the radar still, and it’s going to end up punishing the small, honest working guys who will have trouble maintaining their paperwork and keeping everything in order.”He said the licensing fee isn’t the only cost, since the bylaw will also require contractors to clearly identify their business name on all vehicles and documents. That means finding a graphic designer and printer to do decals.Gilman also asked councillors to think about young entrepreneurs. He told them that he founded his company at age 17. That wouldn’t be possible under the proposed bylaw, since minors can’t get a licence.But city staff advised against making the changes Gilman mentioned, or making any special provisions for minors, and the committee approved their recommendations as written.”I think it would be challenging for someone under 18 to get proper insurance to operate,” said Chapman.If council passes the bylaw next week, it would take effect in March 2026.ABOUT THE AUTHORArthur White-Crummey is a reporter at CBC Ottawa. He has previously worked as a reporter in Saskatchewan covering the courts, city hall and the provincial legislature. You can reach him at arthur.white-crummey@cbc.ca.
City committee approves licensing plan to tackle ‘Wild West’ of landscaping
