CITY HALL – More than a year of planning and conversation comes to a head at City Hall tomorrow as council votes on the proposal to expand the city’s urban boundary.

Urban boundary expansion is always a contentious issue with many residents opposed to the expansion of the City of Ottawa’s urban boundary citing the dangers of urban sprawl. The other side features a group of residents touting the importance of controlled growth as key to economic prosperity and providing the city with financial health.

A joint Planning and Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees team spent two long days listening to more than 110 public delegations discuss the issue virtually on May 11 and May 12.

On May 19 the joint committees accepted city staff’s recommendation of a growth management strategy referred to as a “balanced approach” that would expand the urban boundary by between 1,350 and 1,650 hectares (a hectare is roughly the size of a sports field) of residential land and strategically located employment land to Ottawa’s urban area. The recommendation was accepted by a 10-1 vote with Coun. Jeff Lieper being the lone dissenter.

City council is set to meet on May 27, at 10 a.m. and vote on whether to accept the joint committee’s recommendation.

“One agenda item of significant note is the City of Ottawa’s growth management strategy,” Coun. Eli El-Chantiry released in a statement today (May 26). “This is what’s being tabled for final approval at the May 27 council meeting. As part of this debate and discussion, will be my motion to ensure protection for prime agricultural lands. This motion was approved unanimously at the joint committee and I’m hopeful it will receive final approval by city council.”

To read El-Chantiry’s motion, click here.

To follow proper physical distancing guidelines, the council meeting will be a virtual meeting with all councillors calling into the meeting to participate. Residents can listen in live via the City of Ottawa’s YouTube Channel. To review the agenda click here.