Councillor Curry just shared an important update concerning the Kanata Golf Course Lands.
On Friday, I received the email below from a representative from the Minto Group. See that email directly below this. On the weekend, I sent an email to our City Manager and to our City Legal and Planning staff. You can read that email below the email from Minto Group.
As you can imagine, given the documented mercury contamination on the site, I have serious concerns about community safety, fish habitat and our public drinking water. Not on my watch will I sit and hope that there is no risk to the community of Kanata North, the environment, downstream landowners, or consumers of Ottawa River water.
Please take the time to read the two emails below. City Manager Stephanson has assured me that she is meeting with City Managers and City legal staff today to determine the next best steps.
Good morning, Councillor,
Following our discussion from a few weeks ago, I wanted to provide you with an update regarding the next steps for the upcoming on‑site testing works at 7000 Campeau Drive.
Beginning mid‑next week and continuing over the following few months, our team will be mobilizing to install erosion and sediment control measures in preparation for constructing four aggregate test piles in the central area of the site. We will also be completing Low Impact Development (LID) testing throughout the property. This will involve installing small temporary structures that replicate small‑scale models of various LID features. These structures, along with the aggregate test piles, will be removed once monitoring is complete. The timing for removal is still to be determined.
We will also be completing all necessary soil testing once erosion and sediment control measures are in place and before any soil disturbance occurs on site. We remain committed to monitoring site conditions and adhering to all applicable environmental standards to ensure continued protection of the surrounding community.
In addition, as a proactive measure, we will be installing vibration monitors and undertaking a limited pre‑construction survey program for approximately 40 addresses located closest to the access route to the aggregate piles. Identified owners will be contacted directly by a third‑party consultant.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Jean-Michel Le Blanc,C.E.T, PMP
Director, Development
Minto Group
200- 180 Kent Street,Ottawa, ON K1P 0B6
C 613.218.4276
Join Our Team! Minto Career Opportunities
Dear General Manager Stephanson,
I am writing with serious concern regarding the developer’s intention to proceed with intrusive ground disturbance and testing at the Kanata Lakes Golf Course site next week, during winter conditions, on lands that are a documented mercury-contaminated site.
As you are aware, the presence of mercury contamination on this property is explicitly acknowledged in Ontario Land Tribunal decisions, and the developer’s permission to proceed is contingent upon full compliance with 192 OLT conditions relating to environmental safety, remediation, and risk management. The City has also clearly stated that it will not permit the use of its easements to facilitate development on this site.
Residents have now been advised that intrusive work will begin imminently, in the middle of winter. This raises acute and immediate concerns regarding mercury mobilization, particularly in the context of snow cover, freeze–thaw cycles, and spring melt conditions. The potential for contaminated runoff entering surrounding lands, municipal drainage systems, and ultimately affecting the City’s drinking water infrastructure cannot be dismissed.
As a City Councillor, I am very concerned about the City’s statutory and common-law obligations to:
- Protect public health and safety;
- Safeguard municipal drinking water sources and stormwater systems;
- Exercise due diligence in the management of known contaminated lands; and
- Avoid foreseeable environmental harm and associated municipal liability.
Mercury is a well-documented neurotoxin. Disturbing contaminated soils without fully approved, implemented, and actively monitored containment and mitigation measures — particularly under winter conditions — presents a risk that is not speculative. Once mercury is mobilized through runoff or subsurface movement, the impact may be irreversible, and remediation may no longer be fully achievable.
Given the documented contamination, the extensive and outstanding OLT conditions, the City’s refusal to permit use of its easements, and the heightened risks associated with winter ground disturbance, I believe it is appropriate to apply a precautionary approach. In this context, proceeding with work before these risks are clearly addressed may itself be inconsistent with the City’s duty of care.
Accordingly, I am requesting that staff urgently assess whether a stop-work order or other immediate enforcement action is warranted to prevent ground disturbance until it can be conclusively demonstrated — to the City’s satisfaction — that:
- Mercury-contaminated soils will not be mobilized;
- Winter runoff and meltwater will be fully contained and managed;
- No risk exists to downstream lands, stormwater systems, or drinking water sources; and
- All relevant approvals, monitoring plans, and contingency measures are in place and enforceable.
At a minimum, I am requesting urgent clarification of the following:
- What specific approvals and permits the developer currently holds to undertake intrusive testing on a mercury-contaminated site;
- What erosion, sediment control, containment, and monitoring measures have been reviewed and approved by the City and/or relevant provincial authorities, particularly for winter conditions;
- Whether Ottawa Public Health, Environment Services, and Legal Services have reviewed the proposed work and associated risk mitigation measures; and
- The City’s authority and responsibility to suspend or halt work pending further review where there is a credible risk to public health, drinking water, or environmental safety.
This matter is time-sensitive. Once contaminated soils are disturbed and mobilized, the City’s ability to protect residents and municipal systems may be significantly compromised. I therefore request a prompt response outlining staff’s assessment, any immediate actions being taken, and recommended next steps.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this serious matter.
Sincerely,
Cathy Curry
I will keep the community updated with any news I receive.
Councillor Cathy Curry