OttawaCoun. Teresa Kavanagh says the sprawling housing project didn’t go through proper consultation and will cost the city a fortune in infrastructure.The 445-hectare development would provide housing for up to 45,000 peopleA rendering of the Tewin development displayed at a public information session earlier this year. (Norm Li)An Ottawa city councillor is taking steps to stop the massive Tewin housing development that council approved four years ago in southeast Ottawa.Coun. Theresa Kavanagh first floated the idea in the spring, but held off to wait for the results of a byelection in Osgoode ward, where the planned community is located. Ottawa city councillor wants debate, reversal of Tewin development Council approved the 445-hectare development in 2021 during a debate about expanding Ottawa’s urban boundary. The project, on lands owned by Algonquins of Ontario Realty Corp. and Taggart Group, would provide housing for up to 45,000 people.While presenting her motion on Wednesday, Kavanagh argued that the cost of providing water and wastewater services to Tewin is simply too high, with a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”Tewin’s just way out there, and that is a problem,” she said. “We’re talking about water mains and infrastructure going out in a place where there’s no connection to anything. That is very, very expensive, not including the transit system that we would need.” Tewin’s $590M infrastructure bill locks in ‘forever sprawl,’ councillor says The cost had been estimated at $313 million up to 2046, but that rises to $591 million over a longer timeline. Though the developers have argued that Tewin will pay for itself and much of that sum would be covered by development charges, they’ve also said they’ll only pay for infrastructure that directly benefits the project.Kavanagh said the city already has enough development lands elsewhere to accommodate expected growth.The original Tewin area proposed to city council in 2021 by the Algonquins of Ontario and Taggart is seen in blue, while the 445 hectares eventually added for urban development are within the dashed line. (CBC)She also said the decision was made too quickly and with little consultation, especially with Indigenous groups.She pointed out that Taggart’s partner, the Algonquins of Ontario, is not a federally recognized First Nation. The organization was formed in 2005 to negotiate what would be Ontario’s first modern treaty, but many Algonquin First Nations located in Quebec don’t consider the Algonquins of Ontario to be a legitimate entity.Back in 2021, councillors made a last-minute decision to include the Tewin lands, and several Algonquin leaders opposed the plan. Algonquin chiefs denounce urban expansion as ‘wreck-onciliation’ Algonquin elder ‘shocked and insulted’ over Tewin land deal Kavanagh said her motion will provide a forum for First Nations groups to weigh in when it comes up for debate and a vote later this month.”This will give the First Nations community an opportunity to express their concern, which they were not able to do before,” said Kavanagh, whose motion questions whether the City of Ottawa satisfied its constitutional duty to consult. “This was done very quickly when it was added at the last minute to the official plan,” she said. “I want the rightful First Nations to have an opportunity to speak out.”The motion would have the effect of deleting Tewin from relevant sections of the city’s official plan, Ottawa’s top planning document governing land use.Opposition to ‘highly problematic’ motionBut Coun. Glen Gower, vice-chair of the planning and housing committee, spoke out against the motion. He said it’s in “stark contrast” to the city’s goal of making Ottawa a more housing friendly city.”This is a highly problematic motion. It would be unprecedented to remove land from the urban boundary,” he said.He also took issue with Kavanagh’s argument that the Tewin approval lacked adequate consultation, citing a staff report that pointed to engagement with Indigenous groups.Gower said the developer would have a good chance of overturning any decision to block Tewin at this point, since a provincial body that hears appeals of city land use decision would likely rule in its favour.”If it were to pass, which I don’t believe it will, I believe the land owner would have a very strong case to argue at the Ontario Land Tribunal, and I think undoubtedly they would be successful in that case,” Gower said.City staff already provided comment on Kavanagh’s motion when she floated it earlier this year, warning that changing course now would have wide-ranging implications.In a report, they said they would need to redo planning for transportation and infrastructure that assumes the community will be built.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.With files from Kate Porter
Councillor moves to reverse city’s approval for Tewin development
