Ottawa council defers $2M conservation parcel decision

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City council is deferring a decision on buying a $2-million parcel of Ottawa River waterfront land for conservation purposes.

Councillors voted 13-12 to defer the decision to buy the 223-acre farm at 5689 Ferry Rd., near Fitzroy Harbour, until the end of April.

City staff have had an eye on the property for a decade. It has 2,650 feet of waterfront just south of the Quyon ferry dock. Acquiring it is a rare opportunity to purchase an “ecologically significant” property that includes mature forests, meadows, wetlands and an 1835 cabin, staff said in its proposal.

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The land has high value as a wildlife and aquatic habitat, the meadows can be planted with trees, and there’s a high potential for Indigenous archaeological sites, said Nick Stow, the city’s program manager of natural systems. The purchase would also fit into the city’s budget for acquiring land for conservation. 

But West Carleton Coun. Clarke Kelly, whose ward includes the land, said he had a number of objections to buying this particular parcel.

“Staff tried to use delegated authority to push this through, even though it was almost certain that it’s going to surpass $2 million once you factor in all the other costs,” Kelly said.

He added that the city had no idea what it would do with the land — and that it was 31 kilometres from the urban boundary, so there was in no danger of it being developed.

The property has been for sale for 14 months, Kelly said.

“This land is not in danger and does not need protection. It’s a beautiful property and it will be 100 years from now, even if we don’t invest $2 million.”

Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown said it would be worth it to buy some time. Brown said he received an email on Tuesday from a land trust that may be willing to partner with the city in purchasing the property, but had few details on the offer.

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“I think it would be wise if council deferred this matter until we can go back and see if there’s an opportunity to acquire this property at a lower cost to taxpayers, or through one of our partners,” Brown said.

“If we could do it for cheaper, let’s do that.”

Other councillors argue that the price of the land is a bargain. The property is unique and fits the city’s needs, Bay ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said.

“I consider it a unicorn.”

Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower said the city acquired conservation land in his ward at a cost of $700,000 an acre in the last term of council. (An agreement to buy Shea Woods, a 12.5-acre Stittsville-area cedar forest, was reached in 2017. The deal was only finalized in 2022.)

“I’m not sure we’re going to beat that in terms of value,” Gower said of the Ferry Road property. “I don’t think we’re going to accomplish a lot here except put the whole transaction at risk.”

The city has already approached the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), which is the governing conservation authority at that location, said Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, the city’s director of climate change and resiliency. 

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MVCA did not identify the Ferry Road land as a property it was able to purchase at this point, but it would be willing to partner in stewardship and rehabilitation opportunities should the city consider buying it, Hoover-Bienasz said.

Brown argued that the urgency around buying the land had been “manufactured.”

“No one else wanted the property. We have an opportunity to potentially get a better deal,” he said.

“Let’s see if we can accomplish the goals of conservation and stewardship and see if we can save a few bucks in the process.”

By the end of June, city staff are to produce a list for internal use of potential lands both outside and inside the urban boundary that could benefit from additional protections and conservation under the land purchase program.

Kelly said he did support buying conservation land, such as the cedar forest in Stittsville. It made more sense, he suggested.

“Have you seen the explosive growth in Stittsville and the sensitive lands around it?” he said. “That’s accomplishing our goals.”

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