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Good morning!
All month, we’ve shared story after story from some of Ottawa’s hardest-hit neighbourhoods impacted by the floods. We’ve taken you inside flooded basements in Qualicum, Graham Park and Arlington Woods, where families have been gutting their homes and trying to piece their lives back together.
But there is another part of the city that hasn’t received nearly as much attention: Kanata. More than 500 flooded basements were reported in Kanata North alone, making it the city’s fourth hardest-hit ward.
While residents begin the long process of tearing out damaged drywall, replacing ruined belongings and rebuilding flooded basements, the storm is also shining a new light on one of Kanata’s longest-running and most contentious planning battles.
For years, residents have fought proposals to build roughly 1,500 homes on the former Kanata Golf and Country Club lands, arguing the property is not simply vacant greenspace, but a critical part of the area’s stormwater system. It now appears the July 1 storm has added more complexities to that issue.
Before we get to today’s story, if you’re in a position to help, please consider making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross’ Ottawa flood response. Every contribution will help residents — your neighbours — whose lives were turned upside down. Even a small donation can make a big difference.
Let’s get to it!
— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor
Have a story idea or editorial questions? Contact me at [email protected]
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WEATHER
Friday: 26 🌡️ 13 | ☀️
Saturday: 22 🌡️ 14 | 🌧️
Sunday: 23 🌡️ 12 | ☀️
Monday: 26 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️
CITY HALL
Canada Day flooding could help save Kanata golf course lands from development
Much of the Kanata Lakes golf course flooded during the record-breaking July 1st storm. Photo provided by the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition.
By Charlie Senack. Read the story online here.
Barbara Ramsay stood at the edge of the former Kanata Golf and Country Club on Canada Day, watching water race across the fairways.
Beaver Pond had spilled beyond its bankspathways disappeared beneath the rising water. The current carved a channel through the property, carrying stormwater toward the low-lying areas below. Residents who have lived in the neighbourhood for decades said they had never seen anything like it.
But while the scene looked alarming, Ramsay wasn’t panicked.
“What we saw on the greenspace was water moving as it was planned to do,” said the co-chair of the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition. “Yes, it was forceful, and yes, it was 12 or 15 feet wide and six or 10 feet deep at one moment when I took a video up there. It was profound, but that’s what it’s designed to do.”
The record Canada Day storm flooded more than 4,000 homes across Ottawa. According to city figures, Kanata North was the fourth hardest-hit ward, with more than 500 reported flooded basements — a number the city believes is likely even higher, as many townhouse complexes saw multiple units damaged.
For residents who have spent years fighting plans to build roughly 1,500 homes on the former golf course, the storm became a way to prove their long-standing point.
The former golf course functions as one of Kanata North’s most important pieces of stormwater infrastructure — slowing, storing and absorbing runoff before it reaches neighbourhoods like Kanata Lakes and Beaverbrook. Had homes already occupied those lands, they believe the damage could have been significantly worse.
A look at flooding on the golf course after the storm. Photo provided by the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition.
That argument now appears to be gaining traction at city hall.
This week, Ottawa City Council voted overwhelmingly to ask the Ontario government to explore every available option to preserve the former golf course lands permanently—the motion, brought forward by Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry asks the province to consider a minister’s zoning order (MZO), a land swap, legislative changes, or any other mechanism to protect the property as permanent green space.
It passed with support from every member of council except Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine and Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante.
“The motion that we passed yesterday asked for the province to consider an MZO that would designate the land as greenspace, open space or parkland forever, or other legislation,” Curry told the Lookout.
“The third part of the motion said any other option that the province can think of — a mechanism that may help us save this 40 per cent greenspace as per the original contract.”
One proposal gaining momentum is a land swap. Rather than allowing development to proceed on the former golf course, the province could provide the developer with land elsewhere, preserving the property as green space and allowing the City of Ottawa to establish the central park that residents were finally promised decades ago.
According to Curry, Premier Doug Ford has recently become more engaged now that the legal battle has concluded.
“I’ve always phrased it as really a win-win,” she said. “The province wins because they’re the problem solver. The developer wins because they get land to build on. The city wins because it gets its stormwater management plan back. And the community wins because they get the park they were promised.”
The renewed interest follows years of lobbying by residents and community advocates, who have encouraged people to write, email, and call provincial officials to urge them to intervene.
Ramsay said Ford has personally responded to concerned residents by phone and email. In one exchange obtained by the Lookout, Ford said he asked Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to look for land that can be swapped with the builder, and has urged for a city inspector to be at the site every day.
“I’ve also asked him to make sure a city inspector is at the site every single day,” said Ford. “I will do whatever I can to help.”
A park was promised decades ago
The dispute over the former Kanata Golf and Country Club is rooted in a development bargain struck more than 40 years ago between the former City of Kanata and Campeau Corporation, which was then planning the Marchwood-Lakeside community.
The 1981 agreement allowed Campeau to develop the surrounding neighbourhood while requiring approximately 40 per cent of the larger development area to remain open space for recreation and natural-environment purposes. The golf course was a central part of that calculation, alongside parks and stormwater-management lands.
Campeau was expected to operate it as a golf course indefinitely. It could sell the property, but a new owner would have to accept the same obligations. If the company wanted to stop operating the course and could not find someone else to take it over, the agreement provided that the property would be conveyed to the municipality at no cost.
“It was always intended to go back to the city for a dollar so they could create the park,” Curry said. “When those lands were originally designated, that was the central park. No other big parks were created. There are just these little pocket parks in Kanata Lakes.”
Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry has been fighting to keep the former Kanata Lakes golf course as public greenspace. Photo provided by the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition.
The arrangements were updated several times as development proceeded and ownership changed. Agreements signed in 1985 and 1988 further identified the golf course, parks and stormwater works that would count toward the open-space commitment. The 1988 agreement was registered against residential properties in Kanata Lakes and stated that its obligations would bind Campeau’s successors.
When ClubLink acquired the golf-course lands in the 1990s, it entered an assumption agreement acknowledging that it was taking on the previous owner’s obligations. In exchange, the city waived its right of first refusal on that particular sale, while the agreement stated that the right would continue to apply to a subsequent transaction.
ClubLink announced in late 2018 that it had partnered with Minto Communities and Richcraft Homes to pursue redevelopment of the golf-course property. A formal proposal followed, including close to 1,500 homes. The city responded by asking the courts to enforce the original agreements, arguing that ClubLink’s decision to discontinue golf operations should trigger the required transfer of the land to the municipality.
The city initially won. In 2021, an Ontario Superior Court judge concluded that the rule against perpetuities did not invalidate the arrangement and that the 1981 agreement remained a binding contract.
But the Ontario Court of Appeal reached a different conclusion later that year. At the heart of the ruling was an old property-law doctrine known as the rule against perpetuities. In broad terms, the rule prevents certain future interests in land from remaining unresolved indefinitely. The court found the two provisions governing the future transfer of the golf-course lands — the transfer to the city if golf ended and the possible transfer back if the city later abandoned the open-space use — created interests that might not take effect within the period allowed by law. It therefore declared those two provisions void and unenforceable.
The Court of Appeal remanded the case to the Superior Court to determine how the loss of those two provisions affected the remaining contracts. The question was whether the other golf-course protections could survive independently or whether they were too closely connected to the invalid transfer mechanism.
The city argued that the ruling should be narrowly construed: the two land-transfer clauses could no longer be enforced, but the broader commitment to preserve open space should remain.
ClubLink argued the opposite. It said the transfer provisions were essential “off-ramps” from the requirement to operate a golf course forever. Without them, ClubLink or any future owner would be trapped with a perpetual obligation to operate a golf course, even though the original agreement contemplated circumstances in which that use could end, and the property might eventually be redeveloped.
In 2023, the Superior Court largely accepted that reasoning and the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld that outcome in January 2025. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the city’s final appeal that September, leaving the lower-court ruling in place and exhausting Ottawa’s legal route for enforcing the golf-course provisions.
Kanata has a history of flooding
While the July 1 rainfall was unprecedented in many ways, Kanata has experienced a series of increasingly severe flooding events over the past 25 years.
Major flooding struck Beaverbrook in 2002. Another storm dropped more than 100 millimetres of rain in less than 24 hours in 2009, causing extensive damage throughout the community. In 2017, Stephen Leacock Public School was forced to close twice because of sewer backups following heavy rainfall. Another significant storm in 2022 raised Beaver Pond by roughly two metres above its normal level, flooding pathways and eroding parts of its shoreline.
This month’s storm eclipsed them all. A record 118 millimetres of rain fell in roughly four hours, pushing Beaver Pond nearly three metres above its normal level.
Following the devastating 2009 flood, the City of Ottawa invested more than $35 million in flood mitigation projects across Kanata’s west end.
Those upgrades reduced flood risks, but Curry said the latest storm demonstrates how aging infrastructure is increasingly being pushed beyond its original design limits as climate change brings more frequent and intense rainfall.
Residents of Kanata Lakes have been petitioning to not have 1,500 homes build on their golf course, which closed last year. Photo provided by the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition.
“It’s predominantly because there was so much water and there’s so much rock in Kanata,” Curry said. “The storm sewers all flooded. Even with the golf course absorbing all that it could and the ponds overflowing on the golf course, there was still so much water that it surged through the sewer system and backed up.”
The area’s geology presents additional challenges.
“So much of Kanata is fundamentally Canadian Shield,” she said. “You can see the rock outcroppings in people’s front yards. Water isn’t able to soak into the ground as readily as it would elsewhere. It runs off very quickly.”
For Ramsay, the latest storm showed exactly why replacing hundreds of acres of permeable greenspace with roads, rooftops and pavement could have consequences far beyond the former golf course itself.
She said the former golf course, Beaver Pond and surrounding green space all work together as part of the area’s broader stormwater management system.
“It was very telling,” said Ramsay. “If you take this land and this function away, what are we going to be left with? Beaverbrook is lower than Kanata Lakes. The water just keeps running downhill.”
The latest flooding has also renewed questions about another proposed housing development north of Beaver Pond that has remained largely stalled for nearly two decades.
Nearly 20 years ago, approximately hundreds of acres of forest along Terry Fox Drive were cleared for future housing. Despite the trees being removed, development has struggled to move forward as engineers continue working through stormwater management challenges.
“I think this potentially makes the case even more for that development as well,” Curry said. “When the 988 acres of forest were cut down almost 20 years ago, residents fought that development, too. They’ve never been able to figure out where the water will go.”
What’s next?
The future of the former golf course now rests largely with Queen’s Park.
If the community can retain it as public greenspace, Curry said the long-term vision includes more trees, trails, a play structure, and perhaps a soccer field.
It would act as a central park for the community, she said, much like other large community-wide parks such as Ken Ross Park in Barrhaven or Centrepointe Park in Nepean.
In addition to asking the province to preserve the lands, Curry said the Association of Municipalities of Ontario has urged the Attorney General to examine how court decisions involving long-standing municipal agreements could affect communities across the province.
She believes Ottawa’s legal battle exposed a broader issue that extends well beyond Kanata.
“I think the attorney general will need to review some of this as well to see what went wrong here that really hurt the municipality,” Curry said. “It’s supposed to get this land for a dollar and keep it as a stormwater management system. Now look where we are.”
Ramsay also pointed to ongoing concerns surrounding mercury contamination on portions of the property, arguing provincial involvement could help address multiple issues at once if the lands are ultimately preserved.
“Even with a poor examination, they’ve already concluded that the entire 175 acres of property need to be fully remediated. The expense of that, experts tell me, is astronomical,” she said.
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When the floods hit, we were there to report it. And we’ll continue to be there for our community
That’s what we do at the Lookout — we cover the biggest issues, help you make sense of the most pressing stories facing our city.
We did that with our reporting on Ottawa flooding, even over the holidays, and we’ll continue to report on the aftermath with stories like this.
But as a small team, we rely on readers like you to support our local journalism.
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THE OTTAWA NUMBER
$4.29 million
That’s how much parking revenue financial statements show CHEO, Montfort Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital and Queensway-Carleton Hospital took in last year. That’s up from $37 million in 2024. Read more. [CTV]
THE AGENDA
🏠 Almost three weeks after the record-breaking Canada Day storm, residents of a Britannia area highrise that saw intense flooding are finally returning home. While good news, there is still no hot water and other services on many floors. Read more. [CTV]
⛑️ As the City of Ottawa seeks to aid the thousands of residents affected by flooding, one organization that has returned to the city to offer help is facing backlash for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance. Read more. [CTV]
🚊 Could the western extension of light rail be delayed due to flood damage? The city won't say yes or no right now. OC Transpo GM Rick Leary said, “a significant amount of the electrical systems and equipment, ballast sections of the track, as well as troughs and cabling, are all impacted and need to be repaired.” Read more. [CTV]
🚌 Ottawa city council has unanimously passed a $29-million transportation plan it hopes will get public servants to and from the office an extra day a week, but one city councillor says it won’t make a difference in bad rush hour traffic. Read more. [CBC]
🏡 City council has approved a new bylaw aimed at preventing bad-faith renovictions, requiring landlords to obtain a city licence before carrying out certain renovation-related evictions. The vote was 20-5. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]
🎃 A popular Orléans haunted house that was forced by bylaw to shut down this October could welcome Halloween lovers again. The suburban family has to date raised over $100,000 for CHEO. Read more. [CTV]
🏗️ Ottawa-based developer Richcraft Homes is proposing to build a subdivision with more than 2,000 residential units on a vacant swath of land off Innes Road in Orléans. Read more. [OBJ]
🐮 The popular Millers Farm in Manotick says it will be able to stay open. On Wednesday, Ottawa City Council unanimously approved a proposed compromise zoning solution, resolving a long-running dispute between Miller and the city over activities on the property. Read more. [CTV]
🚑 A woman in her 20s was taken to hospital in critical condition after she was found with stab wounds on Cumberland Street has now had her injuries downgraded to non-life threatening. Read more. [CBC]
SPONSORED BY OWL RAFTING ON THE OTTAWA RIVER
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WEEKEND EVENT GUIDE
Spirit Horse Connections | 4420 West Hunt Club Rd | May to October | Enjoy a private cultural experience featuring a traditional welcome, Indigenous-inspired lunch, and hands-on activity while connecting with Canada's only Indigenous horse breed | Learn more [Sponsored]
Skateboard Club | 1451 Coldrey Ave. | July 17 at 6 p.m. | Check out this seasonal parking lot skate club for all ages, anybody with a board or scooter, with music and snacks | Free
Orléans Unplugged | Orléans Town Centre | July 17, 6 p.m. | Free outdoor music series showcasing local talent | Free
Gloucester Night Market | Earl Armstrong Arena, 2020 Ogilvie Rd. | July 17 at 5 p.m. | Join an outdoor market featuring local makers, small businesses and block-party energy | Free
Bistrofest | Hog's Back Park | July 18 | Outdoor music festival with food and homegrown music talent | Free
Capital Pop-Up Cinema | Beechwood Cemetery | July 18, 8:30 p.m. | Movies under the stars, this weekend it’s Romeo and Juliet | Free
Fanaticcon | Ottawa Conference and Event Centre | July 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Ultimate fan experience for pop culture fans | Tickets $29
Star Party | Ottawa Public Library, Carp Branch, Carp Road | July 17-18, 9:30 — 11:30 p.m. | Experience a free, family-friendly event and experience the night sky through telescopes | Free
Nepean Night Market | Mr. Lube + Tires, 1442 Baseline Road | July 19, 5-9 p.m. | Night market with food and entertainment | Free
Dinner in the Pasture | Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm | August 17, 6:30 p.m. | Peaches & Cream edition, curated four-course meal | Tickets $116
Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar.
COMMENT CORNER
“Great coverage of the impact and people helping each other. But how about a more critical appraisal? Seeing pictures of the 417, LRT and bike paths underwater is alarming. Civic infrastructure like this should be engineered to avoid flooding. As for neighbourhoods where streets depend on ditches instead of sanitary sewers, apparently, this isn't that great a choice. Unless the ditches are really deep and wide, and those neighbours who have covered the ditch in front of their houses to make them look better can be persuaded to remove the covering.” — Reader Andrew Hall in response to our coverage on the Canada Day floods. Luckily, we just published a story on just this topic.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Five French bistros worth checking out
Le Cellier grilled romaine & trout. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Photo by Shawn Foran/Ottawa Photography Network
Smoke from multiple forest fires across Ontario and Quebec have created a haze over the skies of Ottawa.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
The popular Stratford-Fox Run Distillery is opening up in the west end. [OBJ]
If you’re looking for Mexican food, you can’t go wrong with this place.
Now this is an awe-inspiring shot of a lightning strike over Lansdowne.
The City is changing parking tickets from white to yellow so they can be seen better. [CTV]
OTTAWA WORDLE
Think you can guess today’s Ottawa Wordle? Play it here.
