The City of Ottawa’s General Manager of Strategic Initiatives Debbie Stewart has sent the Kanata North Office the following:
I am writing to provide an update on the City’s peer review of the environmental reports and plans related to the proposed redevelopment of the Kanata Lakes Golf Course at 7000 Campeau Drive.
On behalf of the City, Environmental Remediation Unit within the Strategic Initiatives Department has retained WSP Canada Inc. to provide independent Professional Environmental Engineering Services. WSP’s role is to conduct a third-party peer review of the environmental reports and plans submitted in support of the proposed redevelopment.
WSP was selected based on its extensive technical capacity and relevant project experience. As a large, multidisciplinary firm, including the legacy expertise of Golder and AMEC, WSP brings a broad range of in-house specialists, such as risk assessors and air quality experts, who may be required over the course of this review. WSP also has experience supporting the City on high-profile and complex projects, including work at Lansdowne Park, which involved contaminated soil excavation, air and dust monitoring, and significant public interest.
WSP was initially engaged during the week of February 17, 2026 to review a memorandum outlining proposed dust and sediment control measures for preliminary engineering works. This review is intended to confirm that the proposed measures are appropriate for the known soil conditions and consistent with applicable industry standards and best practices.
In addition, WSP is currently undertaking a peer review of the previously submitted 2021 Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment reports. It is anticipated that WSP will also review future submissions, including any remediation plan and associated dust and sediment control plans related to construction activities.
As part of this independent peer review, the City requested, and has been granted by the property owner, Consent to Enter authorization to permit WSP to conduct periodic site inspections and collect soil samples to independently verify site conditions. An initial site inspection may be scheduled as early as this week or next.
She then also sent the following:
I am providing a clarification on my previous email. In discussions with all parties, we have concluded that the best approach for peer review is to monitor the collection of samples in place of collecting duplicate samples and to undertake weekly site inspections during excavation work. This will ensure that the environmental engineering practices are conducted to industry standards while reducing risks from duplicate sampling programs. This new work is in addition to the peer review of the plans to control dust and sediment through preliminary engineering works, the Phase 1 and Phase 2 ESA, results of soil sampling, and any remediation plans. This level of peer review will provide an independent professional evaluation of the developer’s consultant’s work that goes well beyond what is usually within our purview.
The third-party engineering consultant engaged by the City to peer review the environmental works, WSP, was provided access to the site yesterday. We will provide updates on this work through the established communication channels.