Agriculture and Rural
Affairs Committee Comité de l’agriculture et des questions rurales MINUTES 12 / PROCÈS-VERBAL 12
Thursday, 13 September 2007, 7:00 p.m. le jeudi 13 septembre 2007,
19 h Huntley Mess Hall 2240, chemin Craig Side Road, Carp |
Present /Présent : Councillors
/ conseillers R. Jellett (Chair / Président), D. Thompson (Vice-Chair /
Vice-président), E. El‑Chantiry, G. Hunter, B. Monette
Absent / Absent : J. Harder (regrets / excuses)
G. Brooks
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
No declarations of interest were filed.
CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES
Ratification des procÈs-verbaux
Confidential Minutes 4 and Minutes
11 of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting of Thursday, 23
August 2007 were confirmed.
STATEMENT
REQUIRED UNDER THE PLANNING ACT
At the outset of the meeting, Chair Jellett read the following
statement: “This is a public meeting to
consider the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment listed as Item 1 on today’s
agenda. If anyone appeals City Council’s
decisions on the proposed amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board but does not
make oral submissions at this public meeting or does not make written
submissions before this proposed amendment is adopted by City Council on 26
September 2007, then the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of
this appeal.”
PLANNING,
TRANSIT & THE ENVIRONMENT
URBANISME,
TRANSPORT EN COMMUN ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT
planning and
infrastructure approvals
Approbation
des demandes d'aménagement et d'infrastructure
1. ZONING - 6677,
6683 AND 6687 SUNCREST DRIVE, BLOCK 62 PLAN 4M-1305 AND 6674 WOODSTREAM
DRIVE
ZONAGE
– 6677, 6683 ET 6687, PROMENADE SUNCREST, BLOC 62, PLAN 4M-1305, ET 6674,
PROMENADE WOODSTREAM
ACS2007-PTE-APR-0144 osgoode (20)
(This
application is not subject to Bill 51)
That the
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend Council approve an amendment
to the former Township of Osgoode Zoning By-law to change the zoning of 6677,
6683 and 6687 Suncrest Drive, Block 62, Plan 4M-1305 and 6674 Woodstream Drive
from Rural (RU) and Private Open Space (OS2) to Residential Exception No. 340
(R[340]) and Residential Exception No. 363 (R[363]) and Private Open Space
(OS2) to permit residential lots as shown in Document 3 and as detailed in
Document 2.
CARRIED
Verbal PRESENTATIONS
EXPOSÉ
VERBAL
2. UPDATE ON Rural Broadband SERVICES IN RURAL OTTAWA
MISE À JOUR DU SERVICES À LARGE BANDE DANS LES SECTEURS RURAUX
D’OTTAWA
Chris Cope, Economic Development Consultant, Economic and
Environmental Sustainability Branch, provided a PowerPoint presentation
detailing the background to the item.
He introduced Bill MacDonald, Vice President of Products and Services,
Barrett Xplore Inc. who provided Committee with details on the status of the
project and the services they were offering.
Copies of both presentations were distributed and are held on file.
The Committee received the
following public delegations:
Hardy Mahadeo, resident raised the following questions and
concerns with respect to the tower proposed to be installed at 2950 Torwood
Drive:
1. They already have DSL and there is a
tower at this location so why should his taxes go towards paying for another
one?
2. What is Barrett Xplore’s position on
the CRTC decision on the use of deferring counter funds to expand broadband
service to rural areas?
3. How many subscribers does Barrett
Xplore expect to have when residents are already being served by Bell, Pioneer
Wireless, Northwind Wireless and Storm Communications?
4. Will there be co-location on the towers?
In closing, Mr. Mahadeo explained
that this was the first time he had heard that a tower would be installed at
this location and he and other residents were quite surprised and very annoyed
to learn this news when they had not received previous information about the
proposed locations being considered.
Ross Mosher, resident believed there was a lack of public
consultation with residents regarding tower locations. He too had similar comments and questions
raised by the previous delegation and believed there appeared to be some
secrecy surrounding the entire initiative.
Mr. Mosher questioned the use of tax dollars to support this service,
when it should be provided by the private sector.
Sandra Mastromattei, resident spoke specifically about the tower
proposed for 2950 Torwood Drive and the impact it would have on her home, which
will be directly next door. Since the
tower would be over 16.6 meters high, she believed it would require site plan
approval and public consultation must be carried out. However, in this case it did not appear to be required and she
wondered why.
June Nesky, resident explained that she has dial-up and
it is slow and frustrating, especially when her kids have to complete
assignments for school and require the use of the internet. She believed this is a good use of tax
dollars and was supportive of this initiative.
John Kelso, resident wanted to know how the City
approached the owner of this site to request the use of the land for the tower,
or did the owner approach the City?
Also, once the location was selected, did Barrett Xplore canvas
residents within an eight-kilometre radius to see how many would subscribe to
this broadband service? He suggested
they would have had to know how many people require the service before deciding
to proceed.
Derrick Moodie, Rural Affairs
Officer, joined Mr. Cope to
address some of the resident’s questions and concerns:
·
Regarding
the question of erecting a tower when DSL is available, over a period of some
years, they studied the area to find out where service is and in the specific
area of Torwood Drive, he believed DSL was not available. He confirmed that topography plays a role
too in how effective DSL can be and the RFP required that it cover all gaps
where service does not exist
·
Regarding
the CRTC decision to take some of the Bell deferral money, it was explained
that the plan does not include any of the areas that are in the rate bands that
include Ottawa; that money will be spent partially in areas that are to the far
north and areas within certain telephone rate bands. In addition, this money has not been spent yet, and it may be
years before it is, even in these areas.
Bell would use the money to expand DSL where it is practical (village
nodes) and not the homes in between and the City has approximately 30,000 homes
away from these nodes of population
·
In
reference to the business plan around the tower in question (2950 Torwood), it
would be difficult to take the one tower in isolation because it is being built
as a network; the plan did look conservatively at the service area of the tower
(eight-mile radius) and within that there are approximately 11,050 homes; the
location will satisfy needs because it covers a lot of areas and will be able
to communicate with other towers in the network to ensure there are no gaps in
services
·
Barrett
Xplore will allow co-location on their towers; however, the towers will only be
30 meters tall and cell phone companies prefer to be up around 100 meters so
these towers will not be desirable for them.
Other broadband providers would be allowed on the tower, provided their
equipment was under Barrett’s gear and would not cause interference
·
The
tower at 2950 Torwood would be situated centrally on a large 100 acre lot, in
an area where there is a significant amount of natural screening including
trees, a barn and a house with most of the base of the tower behind natural
screening
·
With
regards to concerns raised about the apparent lack of public consultation, the
tower builders must consult with the Land Use Authority to ensure they comply
with all zoning and planning by-laws that relate to this. Site plan approvals were subsequently
granted based on their compliance with all laws and since the towers do not
have an attached building of 250 square meters, public consultation was not
required. Under site plan approval, the
City is required to conduct public consultation in a variety of circumstances
and the local councillors saw that these towers were of minimal impact. Further, the towers are placed on sites
where the pieces of land were large, so the set-back is compliant with zoning
by-laws
·
Regarding
the tax dollars being spent on these towers, the Broadband plan has been in
place since 2003 (adopted as part of Ottawa 20/20) and Council approved the funding
for this out of the 2006 budget
·
Much
of the information requested about financial information (i.e., the number of
customers, dealings between the company and the landowner, et cetera) is
confidential and would not be released.
Mr. Moodie added that staff intend
to address the issue of public consultation as part of the review of the
Official Plan and he encouraged residents to participate in that process so
they can have an impact on change.
In a closing statement, Councillor
El-Chantiry explained that it was this committee that initiated the money for
broadband and there had been demand for broadband service from the
community. While acknowledging the
concerns raised this evening, the councillor was confident that the tower at
2950 Torwood Drive would blend into the natural landscape.
RECEIVED
3. Village of Carp – Water and Wastewater
Infrastructure Upgrade / Expansion
Village de Carp – Modernisation / prolongement de
l’infrastructure d'approvisionnement en eau et de traitement des eaux usées
Roddy Bolivar, Program
Manager, Planning, Transit and the Environment provided a general overview of
the item. A copy of his PowerPoint
presentation is held on file.
Responding to questions
posed by Committee members, Mr. Bolivar provided the following:
·
the
existing Carp by-law was expanded to include this area, rather than fund it
through development charges; the growth areas are within the village boundaries
and therefore fall under the authority of the by-law
·
they
considered the deemed extension of City water to be a reasonable alternative
for an EA because Carp has a stand-alone system on a well and falls under the Clean
Water Act
·
Costs
associated with extending the water will be brought forward at the next open
house and it will be up to the group of individuals to come forward and express
their interest in paying; at the same time, residents will be advised that the
City does not build water and sewer, but that it is paid for, built and then
handed over to the municipality
·
Open
houses are anticipated to be held late in October.
RECEIVED
4. Village Green
VILLAGE GREEN
Derrick
Moodie, Rural Affairs Officer, referred to the direction to staff at the last
meeting to investigate the preservation of the Village Green and report back to
the committee outlining the financial and development implications of the
project. The following details were
provided as a result of discussion with various City departments:
Real
Estate Services -
have initiated a preliminary appraisal of the property to determine it’s worth;
it will not be a full and complete appraisal because they do not have direction
to enter into negotiations.
Ottawa Public Library - agree this would be a good
relocation site, but there are no immediate plans to move from their current
location and there is no financing available in their long-range budget to
construct a new facility or move the facility they currently have.
Parks and Recreation - they have spoken to the Sports
Field Development division and it has been determined that West Carleton has
the highest ratio of sports fields to residents of any ward within the City;
this, combined with the physical structure of the site and its shape does not
lend itself well to a sports field type of situation. One potential opportunity is that this site is well located from
a long-term perspective, so while there is no immediate need, there is a
strategic positioning of this site with the growth that is happening in West
Carleton and Kanata. To that end, this
location would qualify and fit within the parameters for the cash-in-lieu of
parkland reserve fund.
Finance – there are a couple of options on
the table, however, they do not know what any of the numbers would mean
pertaining to the individual methods that are being discussed.
When asked what kind of
time pressures were involved to act on this property, Mr. Moodie advised
that it is eminent because there is a time restriction in place. He went on to state that the site was
identified in the Community Design Plan as something that the community thought
should be maintained for future fairground expansion and open space. The Best Use Study identified that open
space as a legitimate use for this site and as services are brought to the
Village of Carp and expansion of services within the village occur, there will
be increased pressure on this site.
Staff would endeavour to
have a report on this matter for consideration of the Committee at the next
meeting.
The
Committee received the following public delegations:
Stan Carruthers,
President, West Carleton Heritage Park Association explained that it is the Heritage Park of West
Carleton that is proposing that this piece of property be bought for a
potential heritage park and because part of the Carp Fair is heritage, they
work together. He believed there should
be some sort of financial arrangements and partnerships made so that this land
can be preserved for the future of the Village and the City of Ottawa.
Wendy Deugo, Village
Green Fundraising Committee pointed out that with the expansion of the school, a lot of their
greenspace will be taken up and she hoped there could be some kind of support
from the school board to assist in funding this purchase. There are several options available to help
pay for the land and over the last couple of weeks, their Committee has raised
another $2500. Ms. Deugo emphasized the
importance of obtaining this land for the community and suggested it would be a
waste to put a subdivision in this location instead. If that were to happen, the children would have to go to school
in north Kanata because there will not be enough room for them in the Village.
Councillor El-Chantiry
advised that in light of budget constraints, no City contribution will be put
forward, however, other options can be considered, e.g., asking the City to
guarantee a loan for the community, and they would continue with the
process. He had been advised by the
City Treasurer that there might be other ways to assist, without it being a
financial contribution. He recognized
the difficulty of keeping the land but with the public pressure and attitude,
he believed it could be accomplished.
RECEIVED
5. UPDATE FROM RURAL AFFAIRS OFFICE
MISE À JOUR DU BUREAU des
affaires rurales
Mr.
Moodie provided the following comments:
·
In the
coming months there will be public consultation on the Comprehensive Zoning
By-law, et cetera and it is important that residents avail themselves of this
information
·
There
will be opportunities for people to comment on proposed changes to the Official
Plan and the Official Plan refresh (to come forward for Council approval in
2008); the Rural Settlement Strategy that was held in March fueled a number of
working groups and the Committee should recognize the incredible contribution
that volunteers have put into working through issues to get an initial
understanding of planning policy, the rules to be followed and then providing
their input with regards to what they think is best for the rural communities
·
The
Home Based Business Guide was identified through the Rural Summit as necessary
to provide information to people about what they are allowed to do in their
home; they have just begun that process and it should be released at the same
time as the Comprehensive Zoning By-law in 2008
·
There
has been a massive amount of road construction underway in the rural areas and
the final days of gravel road works and ditching is coming to an end; he hoped
the same investment would continue into the next year
·
The
second stage of the Directional Farm Signs initiative is scheduled to come
forward in November
·
The
Ontario Rural Council will be hosting their 2008 conference in Ottawa next
March and his office will be playing the role of steering committee for this;
it is hoped to have the Second Rural Summit around the same timeframe as a
complimentary activity.
“OPEN MIKE” SESSION
“TRIBUNE LIBRE”
Application
for A Municipal Drain
Mr.
Lambert McCarthy, resident of Ward 21 explained that he had applied for a municipal
drain (Adam’s Municipal Drain) in 2005.
The request went through ARAC and Council. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) made no comments
at the time however, now they have sent the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans
(MFO) to check on the ditch. He
explained that the only place where there is water in the ditch is behind a
man-made dam, which is under dispute with regards to how long it has been
there. Despite the photographs he has
provided proving the ditch is not that old, it would now appear that residents
will have to pay to have the studies done and will also incur the costs
associated with relocating the herons that have taken up residence in the
ditch.
Mr.
Moodie explained that they are experiencing lengthy delays from the time the
engineering study is commissioned to the time the municipal drain is approved
and construction is completed. He
acknowledged the increasing complexity in the requirements of studies, i.e.,
looking at fish, and wildlife habitat studies, et cetera, noting that the costs
of such studies are born by the landowners that are benefiting from the drain
application. He met with the General
Manager of the RVCA as well as with representatives from MFO and ongoing
dialogue is occurring in order to work through some of these issues. He suggested the Drainage Superintendent or
the engineer for the study, would be better suited to respond to Mr. Lambert’s
concerns.
In
response to a question posed by the Chair, Mr. Moodie confirmed that the
Conservation Authority acts on behalf of the MFO in the enforcement of the Fisheries
Act and therefore, the request for the various fish studies came from the
RVCA.
Based
on the information provided, Councillor Thompson felt the RVCA were not taking
any action against the landowner that built the dam and he wondered how they
let this happen. He asked Mr. Moodie to
investigate this because he thought they should be able to assist the
delegation and give him some advice.
Mr. Moodie indicated he would accept this as direction with a memo being
brought back, if it was the will of the committee to do so.
Chair
Jellet suggested the ward councillor, Glenn Brooks should also be contacted,
with follow-up being made with the Ministry and with the Conservation Authority
in order to settle the matter.
ADJOURNMENT
LEVÉE DE LA SÉANCE
The meeting adjourned
at 9:10 p.m.
Original
signed by Original
signed by
Rosemary
Nelson Councillor
Rob Jellett
A/Committee
Coordinator Chair