Is the Nepean Sprung structure site contaminated?

Good morning! 

Remember how I said the other day that January is always a slow month for news? Well, I think I jinxed it… There are daily updates on the Liberal Party Leadership Race, concerns over US President Donald Trump imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada, and now it looks like a provincial election could be called any day. It’s safe to assume I won’t be taking a vacation anytime soon!

Today, though, we have the latest on the pushback the city is facing over how it’s handling construction for the proposed Nepean Sprung structure. Community groups near the site also believe it could be contaminated. 

Kanata residents are worried they could lose their precious golf course after a city’s appeal of its redevelopment was dismissed. It’s now exploring what steps could come next — if any. 

I also want to thank all of you who sent me kind notes after my mom's radiation procedure last week. We are constantly in awe of how supportive the Ottawa community has been. I’m happy to report that she’s doing well, and we are confident she will be back in good health in no time. 

Let’s get to the news of the day!

— Charlie Senack, managing editor

[email protected] 

X: @Charlie_Senack

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WEATHER

Wednesday: -11 🌡️ -21 | ☀️ /❄️ (2-4 cm) | Windchill up to -31 in the morning

Thursday: -7 🌡️ -12 | 🌧️(2-4 cm)

Friday: -12 🌡️ -18 | ☀️

NUMBERS

🏠 2,079: The number of multi-family unit homes sold in the Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area, a 75 percent increase over 2023, with 1,997 of that being townhouses. Barrhaven and Stittsville had 52 percent of all 2024 townhouse sales. 

🏗️ 50,000: The number of housing projects that Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the city approved between January 2023 and September 2024, but only 8,300 had actually reached the building permit phase. [CBC]

CITY

Ottawa builders demand a fair chance with Sprung structure proposals

Where’s the transparency? Ottawa’s construction company is demanding that the city reopen its procurement process to build two Sprung structures in the Capital after it announced the city annoucned they intend to enter into a contract with Toronto’s BLT Construction Services. 

In a letter sent to the mayor and members of council, the Ottawa Construction Association and General Contractors Association of Ottawa said it was “profoundly insulting to the abilities of the local industry that the City has relied on a consultant's market assessment that concludes that there are no local contractors capable of designing and building the proposed sprung structure.”

City disagrees: Last week, the city said BLT was the “only available and qualified vendor to perform the scope of the work required for this project.” Other companies were still given two weeks to demonstrate their ability to meet the builder’s requirements. 

But there is a catch: The group of construction companies said the City’s Chief Procurement Manager advised them that the market assessment of requirements is not publicly available. They are calling for it to be released immediately “in the interest of transparency.”

Defending its actions: Joanne Graham, the City of Ottawa’s acting chief procurement officer, said the city followed all necessary due diligence in determining the requirements for the facility to house newcomers, according to CTV. 

• “As part of this process, an Advanced Contract Award Notice (ACAN) has been posted on MERX.com. An ACAN is an effective and efficient procurement process that allows the City to determine if another qualified supplier can meet the highly specialized requirements for this project through a statement of capabilities,” said Graham. “It provides suppliers an opportunity to submit a statement of capabilities, including the respondent’s qualifications and experience necessary to meet the City’s minimum requirements within the desired timeframe.”

The project could be falling behind: When the city announced it was planning to build Sprung structures — also known as welcome reception centres — to house newcomers to Canada, they noted the facilities need to be in operation by November 2025. But as time passes that deadline is becoming less realistic. After a contract is awarded, the city anticipates it will take 12 months before anyone can move in. That would bring us to at least February 2026. 

Besides this, the city wants to get a head start on the project because it could be at risk if a federal election is called. The $15 million Nepean site will be fully funded by the federal government, though Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has spoken out many times against the plan and said he’s opposed. 

Kanata is next: A site at the Eagleson Park and Ride in Kanata was identified as a second potential site if another tent-like Sprung facility needs to be built. Each structure will house 150 people. Last week, the city said an estimated 300 newcomers, including asylum claimants, were being served in shelters and community centres. The goal is to have them all moved to other temporary options. 

Lack of community consultation: On Jan. 16, the Merivale Gardens Residents for Appropriate Site Selection sent out a statement saying they have continued concerns over the city's lack of engagement in getting feedback from nearby residents. They said there are “legitimate concerns related to the well-being and lifestyle of the local community.”

• “This is not about asylum claimants; it’s about 150 new residents of whatever origin suddenly living at the Sportsplex and in a small community of only about 150 homes… Without any discussion, local tax-paying citizens are being punished financially, and their lives are impacted considerably. Where is the balance between community and city interests? Is this good government?” part of the letter read. 

Concerns over site contamination

Community groups have also raised concerns about contaminated land near the Nepean Sportsplex. 

A report conducted in 2008 identified “significant residual hydrocarbons remain in the vicinity of the former heating oil underground storage tanks (UST) sites, near the site of the Confederation Education Centre.” A follow-up report by SLR compiled in 2009 identified soil and groundwater impacts stemming from the former USTs extending approximately 35 m east of the building. 

• The site has about 3,803 cubic metres of contaminated land, equivalent to about 250 dump trucks. 

While this is still the case, the city said it should not impact construction. 

• “The impacted areas are situated approximately 60 m west of the proposed temporary housing structure, and the proposed site's location being considered as cross-gradient to the interpreted groundwater flow direction, the petroleum hydrocarbon impacts in the soil and groundwater are not anticipated to present a concern with respect to the proposed temporary housing structure at the site,” the memo read. 

Advocates opposed to the Sprung structures say they are worried the contamination could have spread in the 16 years since these reporters were published. It’s unclear what kind of testing the city might have done since.  

If the city was unable to proceed with Woodroffe for some reason, staff would consider the Nepean Woods Park and Ride in Barrhaven as the next available location. You might recall that the suburban community was in uproar when it learned a Sprung structure could be located there or at Highbury Park. Multiple protests were held, which attracted thousands. 

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CITY

Housing could be built on Kanata golf course after ruling

Paving the way: A housing development could be coming to one of Kanata’s most popular pieces of green space. Ontario’s Court of Appeal dismissed the City of Ottawa’s appeal of an Ontario Superior Court decision that declared a 1981 agreement between the city and Clublink requiring 40 percent of the Kanata Lakes Golf and Country Club property to be kept as open space “inoperative,” reported CTV. 

So what’s the plan? In 1997, ClubLink, which owns and operates about 30 golf clubs across Ontario and Quebec, bought the property. All was well on the greens until 2018 when the group said Ottawa struggled to keep good courses alive due to increasing maintenance costs. The proposal for 1,480 homes includes a mix of detached and semi-detached houses, townhouses and apartments, plus parks and open space, reported CBC. 

• The community is concerned that an influx of new residents would burden the stormwater management system and decrease the value of homes that back onto the golf course. 

In 2022, the Ontario Land Tribunal said the proposed redevelopment was in accordance with both public interest and the city’s official plan. 

Outcry continues: The fight is not over for the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition, which said in a statement that it intends to continue the legal battle and explore other options. 

“For six years, the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition has led our community in its fight to stop Clublink Corp., Minto Communities and Richcraft Homes from destroying cherished greenspace in the heart of the Kanata Lakes and Beaverbrook neighbourhoods. We will continue to fight to preserve this land and the vital role it plays in stormwater management in our community,” the statement read.

THE AGENDA

😟 The news of 3,300 job cuts at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has mayor Mark Sutcliffe worried about the downtown economy, given that 1,300 of the department's 13,000 employees are based in Ottawa. At the state of the city Ottawa Board of Trade speech yesterday, he also called for more collaboration with the federal government on surplus federal building usage and more private sector investment in the downtown core. [Ottawa Citizen, CTV]

💻 The Ottawa Catholic School Board said that information about student and staff members was accessed as part of a data breach at a third-party tool used by the board called PowerSchool. No SIN numbers or credit cards were affected, but other information such as names, email and student and teachers’ gender was. It affects current and former students and staff from after the 1998-1999 school year. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏗️ The Ottawa Construction Association and the General Contractors Association of Ottawa are unhappy about the city’s plan to hire a Toronto contractor to build the sprung structure in Nepean. They want the city to delay the project by three to six months and allow local companies to bid on the structures. They say the current two-week period for other companies to demonstrate their ability to do the project is too short a time. [CTV]

🚆 Line One was paused for two hours yesterday morning due to an issue with a switch. It was the second disruption in 24 hours, with another pause taking place Monday night. [CTV]

🔥 A fire on Monday at the 800 block of Pinecrest Road resulted in 50 people being evacuated. Busses even had to be brought in to help keep people warm in the cold. The fire was in the garbage shute and was under control in a short amount of time. [CityNews]

👮 An Ottawa man shared during testimony Monday that he was repeatedly punched by an off-duty Windsor police officer in 2023. The officer faces two charges of assault and one count of aggravated assault. The alleged assault occurred at  Prohibition Public House. [CBC]

🏈 The Red Blacks signed American quarterback Dustin Crum to a one-year contract extension. Last season with the team, he completed 31-45 passes for 320 yards, backing up the top quarterback Dru Brown. [MSN]

🏒 Good news for the Senators! The team was the biggest riser in the TSN Power Rankings, eight spots from 17th to 9th, meaning that while they are 15th, the model believes that they could do well in the playoffs. [TSN]

Written by Geoff Sharpe, Lookout managing editor.

POLL RESPONSES

A reader sent us an email to remind us that we never shared the poll responses from a Dec 16 newsletter where we asked if Coun. Riley Brockington went too far with his line of questioning toward OC Transpo GM René Amilcar.

In case you need a refresher, the River Ward representative asked city manager Wendy Stephanson if she developed the “personal work objectives and assess” Amilcar at the end of the year on performance. Stephanson replied yes. After continuing questioning, the mayor interjected and asked the conversation to stay on the topic of the budget. Amilcar later called it a “personal attack,” which some other council colleagues agreed with.

Here are some readers thoughts…

For our next newsletter we want to know…

ARTS GUIDE

The NAC Orchestra is performing a show that showcases emotions throgh music. Performances include Beethoven, Nielsen and more, this Sunday.

Photographer and cultural theorist Jeff Thomas has a new series at the Ontario Art Gallery called Dream Panels, exploring his relationship with the land and resistance, revisiting 40 years of art making.

Cuba and Senegal combine with Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita, performing on piano and harp-lute. Their first album in 2017 was called “beautiful, rhapsodic… spiritual.” They’re performing this Friday evening at the NAC.

The National Gallery of Canada has a number of exhibits on now, including Woven Histories, an exploration of abstract art and woven textiles, and a photo collage from Jin-Me-Yoon exploring militarism through the natural beauty of the Pacific Rim National Park.

Want to have your event featured? Learn how here.

Gig Listings

Dillon James | Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St | Jan. 23 | Country-rock infused vocals and powerful storytelling combined into his own distinct sound. Tickets $33.

Steve Boudreau & Sienna Dahlen | 10,000 Hours, 353 Montreal Rd | Jan. 24 | Juno award-winning vocalist joins the local jazz legend and pianist for an intimate performance.  Tickets $25

umberlune | Art House Cafe, 555 Somerset St W | Jan. 24 | Bluesy, folk singer with a punk rock ethos crafts vivid and relatable vignettes that go deep and stick around. Tickets $10. 

Sum 41 | Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Dr. | Jan. 24 | The grammy-nominated Canadian pop-punk band bring their hits on their farewell tour. Tickets $59+

Lynne Hanson | Red Bird,1165 Bank St| Jan 25 | “Canada’s Queen of Americana,” blends gritty Americana, blues, and folk, with poetic lyrics and a bluesy croon. Tickets $38.

Listings for music shows are provided by OttawaGigs.ca, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Painting projects: Ontario Community Housing needs volunteers to help with the painting spaces in their buildings, such as hallways and lobbies. Beginners welcome, food and drink provided. Contact [email protected].

VegOttawa Fest planners: The festival needs people to help with tasks such as research and postering, and more permanent volunteers are needed to join the planning team. Contact [email protected]. 

Board of Directors member: If you have experience in fundraising, governance or in a start-up/charity, then you might be a great fit for Feed the City’s board which helps get people to food banks who are physically unable to on their own. Contact  [email protected] for more info.

We offer free volunteer listings for Ottawa organizations. Reply to this email and we may include it in future volunteer callouts! 

OTTAWA GEUSSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here are all the details about the free bus from Ottawa to Gatineau Park this winter.

• This puppy was left tied to a tree in Riverain Park. How could something so cute be abandoned? 

• Congrats to Alex Therien and Kate Viel from Ottawa, who were part of the gold medal-winning team at the U18 Women's World Hockey Championships. [CTV]

• Speaking of sports, this is a great interview with Ottawa Rapid FC’s goalie Mollie Eriksson. [Globe and Mail]

• This observatory was just designated a national historic site. [CTV]

• Have you seen this cat named Ducky? He’s been missing since Jan. 19 near Chinatown.