Ottawa's Forest & Greenspace Advisory Committee Recommends Halt to Terry Fox Road Extension

On April 16, the OFGAC (a City advisory committee consisting of ecological experts) passed a unanimous resolution that:

Recommends that the City should immediately re-examine the demographic, transportation and economic rationale for the Terry Fox Drive Extension, and halt further construction until an in-depth ecological analysis is undertaken;

Recommends that the City of Ottawa should acquire biologically-adequate eco-linkage lands between Trillium Woods,  Kizell Pond, and the South March Highlands , as well as the parcel to the northeast of the Conservation Forest identified by Brunton in 2008 as essential to the integrity of the South March Highlands Conservation Forest;

Recommends that the City of Ottawa should undertake a comprehensive ecological study and public review of the South March Highlands and Carp Hills ecosystems with a view to better understanding the nature of the ecosystem and what will be required to protect it intact, and developing appropriate management strategies for conserving it;

We now have expert opinion that we must stop the destruction of Ottawa's most important ecological reservoir, a project that threatens 17 species at risk and the habitat for hundreds more species.  This roadway will sever eco-connectivity of the area and enable urban development of at least half of the wilderness that now exists.  The South March Highlands have the highest level of ecological sensitivity (measured by Coefficient of Conservation) as well as the highest density of bio-diversity in the City of Ottawa.

But where are the local greens on the most significant ecological issue in the National Capital? 

Harper's clandestine de-clawing of the CEAA and planned restrictions on the applicability of the federal EA oversight for Infrastructure Projects such as Terry Fox Drive in Ottawa also puts this issue squarely on the federal political landscape.  The Terry Fox Drive fiasco is being funded by Harper's pork barrel with virtually no CEAA oversight!

But where are the federal greens on challenging this poster-child example of an envioronmentally irresponsible Infrastructure project?

Meanwhile the City of Ottawa has made a mockery of the provincial EA process as well.  The MoE is allowing the City to perform this work using an expired Environmental Assessment (over 5 years old) that now bears little resemblance to the 2 federal EAs that overlap this project.

But where are the provincial greens on demanding that the MoE actually does it's job?  What is the point of having an Environmental Bill of Rights when we will soon have no environment?

A determined but out-gunned coalition of citizens needs your support!  Contact paul@renaud.ca to show that the Green party is not prepared to accept pork-barrel funded, paving of our most important wilderness areas!