Kanata golf course dispute

Good morning! 

I blinked, and it was fall.

At exactly 2:19 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, the astronomical start of the season with the autumnal equinox began. But it felt greater than that: the leaves have begun changing colours, pumpkin spice lattes are on the menu, and Costco already has its Christmas trees out.

Personally, I love fall. The earth shows its brightest colours before it mutes itself over the winter. (I also think I look pretty good in a trench coat).

Today, we have a story on why Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he won’t get involved in a dispute between a Kanata golf course and the city. We also have the latest on Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s new housing plan that will help the city build more homes faster.

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor, [email protected], X: @Charlie_Senack

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 22 🌡️ 15 | 🌤️

Thursday: 18 🌡️ 16 | 🌧️

Friday: 21 🌡️ 11 | 🌤️

DEVELOPMENT

Province says it won’t get involved with Kanata golf course development dispute

The fight is continuing to save a Kanata golf course from future development — but it will no longer be in the courts. 

Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the City of Ottawa’s appeal of an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that declared a 1981 agreement to keep 40 per cent of the property as open space as “inoperative.”

That decision came after the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the decades-old agreement between the former City of Kanata and the former owner of the course, Campeau Corporation, should “be considered void.” Ontario's highest court said back in January that current owner, ClubLink, should not be "saddled with a perpetual obligation to run a golf course."

There was some thought the province could step in to prevent the development from occurring, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford sided with the Supreme Court and said the city and developer ClubLink will need to work together to find a resolution. 

“Between the developer and the municipality, work things out. Figure it out,” Ford told reporters while in Russell, Ont. on Monday. 

While the government is not planning to get its hands dirty in this case, they did get involved with a similar matter in Oakville. Former Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark reached a deal with ClubLink in 2021 when it had plans to build on the Glen Abbey golf course.   

Residents who use the Kanata golf course as amenity space in the winter have been fighting to save the land since plans to build around 1,500 homes on the prime property first surfaced in 2018. They also shared concerns over possible flooding. 

An application was filed the previous year by developers Minto Communities and Richcraft Homes alongside ClubLink, to keep 25 per cent of the greenspace. 

Barbara Ramsay, who leads the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition, said in a press release she was “deeply disappointed" the Supreme Court won’t consider hearing the case. 

"How can a municipality enter into a contract with any party to build, manage, or secure long-term assets or property if it can be violated at any time? The Supreme Court is the place to settle confusing legal decisions. It's truly mind-boggling that the court won't hear this case,” wrote Ramsay. 

There may still be other options for the city to act. Last week Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the city will use all its tools to prevent the development from being approved. 

“The City’s position is clear: we will not grant any of the easements that would be necessary for the site’s development,” said Sutcliffe. “We are committed to saying yes to responsible development throughout Ottawa, but for many reasons this project does not meet that standard. We look forward to hearing from the community as we assess the City’s next steps and continue to work together with the community in their best interests.”

The province could technically override the city’s planning decisions, but it looks like that won’t happen. Despite not wanting to get involved, Ford seemed to support Sutcliffe by stating “he’s protecting his community”, and said if the city didn’t want it, “they shouldn’t do it.”

In 2022, the Ontario Land Tribunal encouraged the city to approve the development and said the development would be in the public’s best interest with Clublink representing good planning. 

Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry is also encouraging residents to “have faith.” She was surprised the Supreme Court did not pick up the case given the justified community concerns.  

“As I have continued to say, there is no storm water plan produced so far that is acceptable to the City of Ottawa. And, the City does not have to agree to many of the other types of things that developers have to get agreement on in order to build,” Curry wrote in her newsletter. “The NCC also has to approve, as its lands would be the recipient of the watershed from this area. They do not have to approve/allow that.”

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THE OTTAWA NUMBER

37,000

🌉 That’s how many fewer trips there were across the Canada-U.S. border from eastern Ontario to New York State in August. It’s the seventh straight month with declining travel patterns at the typically busy border crossings. Statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection states there were 166,000 conveyances at the U.S. border locations at Alexandria Bay, Ogdensburg and Massena in August, down from 203,000 trips in August of last year. Read more. [CTV]

THE AGENDA

🏗️ The future redevelopment of Tunney’s Pasture will transform its 49 acres of mostly federal office space into a refreshed urban neighbourhood with thousands of new residential units. The plan supports a proposed 7,000 to 9,000 residential units, 93,000 square meters of office space and 8,000 square meters for commercial use as well as five mixed-use blocks, four open space blocks, one transit block and eighteen public roads. Read more. [Kitchissippi Times]

💻 Ottawa’s city manager is clarifying that, despite the city’s RTO mandate, managers will still have continued flexibility and discretion to allow employees to work remotely. Council will vote on Wednesday on Coun. Jeff Leiper’s motion recommending that the city continue to accommodate employees who want to work from home. 

And for those interested, Redditors have been keeping track of who is for and who is against the federal government’s return-to-office policy.  Read more. [CTV]

🛝 The City of Ottawa is considering renaming Emond Park in Vanier after Mary Papatsie, whose remains were unearthed at a construction site in 2022. The idea was first brought forward by area Councillor Stéphanie Plante, who said nothing in the area is named after an Inuit person. Read more. [CBC]

🤡 Ottawa is mourning the loss of Molly Penny, the longtime Clown at CHEO who brought smiles to the faces of many sick children. Alex Munter, who was the former CEO of the hospital, first announced the news on social media, saying “the world is a little less colourful” after her passing. Read more. [CTV]

✈️ Air Canada announced Tuesday that its non-stop route between Ottawa and London will continue to operate through the off-season. According to a news release, the airline will run one departure and one return flight per day on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between November and the end of March. Read more. [OBJ]

🏨 Speaking of the airport, a new Alt Hotel being built nearby is on track to open next year after construction is complete at the end of this year. A 180-room hotel that will be attached to the Ottawa airport terminal. Read more. [OBJ]

🏠 With next week’s end to the federal program housing asylum seekers in local hotels, many Ottawa families with young children are at risk of homelessness. Advocates working with local families say that the response from IRCC has been unhelpful and financially impossible for most, and that the city says it can’t step in until people are actually homeless. Read more. [CBC]

👮 Ottawa police are offering a $75,000 reward for information in last year’s fatal stabbing of Roger Lusk. Read more. [CTV]

HOME OF THE WEEK

Now this is a cute home!

If you dream of living in Westboro, this may be the spot. It boasts three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a finished basement. It’s close to great schools and is near Dovercourt Community Centre.

The price is not bad, but it’s a little small…

OTTAWA ARTS GUIDE

Performance

Ottawa Little Theatre announced their season preview for next year, including a mystery show The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, based on Agathie Christie’s book, the comedy Kimberly Akimbo about a quickly aging girl, a WWII thriller about weather and the D-Day invasion, plus a bunch more. [Apt613]

Described as “gothic noir meets carnival candy floss”, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet show Hansel and Gretel from Oct. 23-25 at the NAC, this surreal ballet performance is inspired by the silent era films and vaudeville music halls. 

For all our French arts lovers, there are quite a few shows coming up in November, including La dernière cassette, Pas perdus and Tupqan | Nos territoires intérieurs. The NAC even has 15% off three French events (not an ad, we just love local arts)! 

Movies 

Animation lovers rejoice, the Ottawa International Animation Festival is on now until Sept. 28. Full schedule here.

While ByTowne is showing many of the animated films this weekend, next week you can catch Eleanor the Great, The Rock’s standout performance in The Smashing Machine and the Hong Kong movie The Killer.

Mayfair Theatre has a couple of classics, including The Room, which is considered the worst movie ever made (but is now a cult classic), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Music

Gilles & The Barnburners perform at Art House Cafe on 25 September. The jazz quintet plays standards from the 50s, 60s and 70s with a focus on Hard Bop, ballads and Bossa Nova, joined by special guest Marianne Bolton. Tickets $10.

Come celebrate with Irene’s on its 40th Anniversary from 25-28 September.  Every night there is a stacked bill of the luminaries who have graced its stage plus a funk-packed street party on Sunday 28th. Tickets $5+. 

The Lifers bring their Honesty tour to Red Bird on 26 September. The sister-fronted six-piece from Guelph addresses sexual trauma and intergenerational pain through post-folk caresses and indie-rock bangers. Tickets $22.

Ducks Ltd. play 27 Club on 26 September. The Toronto jangle-pop indie duo brings their bright guitar tones from their Polaris-longlisted album Harm's Way. Tickets $20.

Pique takes over Club SAW on 27 September. Debaser's quarterly arts convergence features experimental and underground music, media art and more across multiple stages at Arts Court. Tickets PWYC/$45+.

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.

CITY HALL

Sutcliffe announces plan to build more houses

With one year to go before voters head to the polls in the city’s next municipal election, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is wasting no time making announcements. 

During a press conference on Sept. 19, Sutcliffe said he wants to make Ottawa the most housing-friendly city in the country. He plans to do that by waiving or pausing several fees developers need to pay while making development regulations more flexible. 

In early October, a housing acceleration plan will go before council that will include 53 recommendations. 

Perhaps the biggest change will be a five-year waiver on community benefit charges that developers pay when building multi-residential projects with at least 10 units or more than five storeys. The Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association supports the move, saying such charges can be four per cent of the land's worth. 

But not everyone sees it that way. Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said that money helps fund many key services such as affordable housing, roads, and recreation amenities. He believes council should reject the waiver or run it for less than the five years proposed. 

“These are all the kinds of things that the city doesn't otherwise have money to do after, frankly, years of austerity budgets, but they're the kinds of projects that we need to do to offset the effects of gentrification that intensification is having, and just to make living in a denser taller neighbourhood a little more livable," Leiper told CBC. 

The city hopes such changes will get shovels in the ground quicker for new builds. Since the start of this council term, the City of Ottawa has approved more than 60,000 new homes, yet many projects have faced delays due to high interest rates, rising construction costs, and procedural roadblocks at City Hall. 

• The Auditor General recently highlighted that bottlenecks and inconsistent expectations across City departments have slowed development approvals, reported CTV. 

The need for more affordable housing

Over the past six years, the average resale price of a home has increased by more than 50 per cent, while average rents have risen by 30 per cent, which far outpaces income growth. 

The city says these challenges have intensified pressure on families and contributed to higher demand for food aid services. The Ottawa Food Bank, as an example, has reduced the amount of food it sends to other agencies because of rising costs. Visits to the organization have climbed 90 per cent since 2019, with 556,000 visits for support annually.

Have some thoughts on this story? Want to share some insight with the Lookout community? Share your opinion in our Comment Corner and it could be featured in future newsletters.

OTTAWA GUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Café Amore is bringing a taste of Italy to the Heart of Orléans. [Orléans BIA]

• Redditors are compiling a list of locations where you can get sourdough starter. [Reddit]

• Jason Sawision of Stofa Restaurant will represent Ottawa at the 2026 Canadian Culinary Championship, held in Ottawa. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Here’s a great story on a local record store in Hintonburg. [Apt613]

• FREE: Is your whippet in need of winter gear? [Reddit]

• Farinella's bomboloni sounds like an Italian brainrot meme (explanation here), but it’s better because it’s a Nutella-stuffed donut. [Ottawa Citizen]

ON THIS DAY

September 24, 1953: Streetcar passengers were shaken up, and traffic on the affected lines was tied up for almost an hour when two trams collided at the corner of Preston and Somerset Streets. Damage was estimated to be at least $5,000. Thankfully, none of the passengers suffered any injuries. 

September 24, 1957: The medical health examiner for the Gatineau District ordered three schools to close after an outbreak of the flu. The chairman of the Aylmer Roman Catholic School Board said 200 students were off sick. Meanwhile, the Alymer Protestant School said 11 per cent of its pupils were absent from class. Other schools reported absences of 20 per cent or more. 

September 24, 1969: Close to 150 taxi cabs milled through Centretown and descended on City Hall to protest against a new taxi licensing bylaw. It allowed taxis to charge 10 cents more per mile, but it came with some limitations, including strict residence requirements for drivers, owners, and fleet brokers. New limits also allowed for no more than four people to be carried in a cab and brought with it higher basic licensing fees. 

Information collected from the Ottawa Citizen archives on newspapers.com

IMAGE OF THE DAY

The balancing rock sculptures at Remic Rapids along the Ottawa River in late August 2025.