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The Greenbelt is a protected
green belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...
traversing
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. It includes green space, forests, farms, and wetlands from Shirleys Bay in the west and to Green's Creek in the east. It is the largest publicly owned green belt in the world and the most ecologically diverse area in
Eastern Ontario Eastern Ontario (census population 1,892,332 in 2021) () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies a wedge-shaped area bounded by the Ottawa River and Quebec to the northeast and east, the St. Lawr ...
. The National Capital Commission (NCC) owns and manages , and the rest is held by other
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
departments and private interests. Real estate development within the Greenbelt is strictly controlled. The Greenbelt lies within eight kilometers of
Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...
in downtown Ottawa and ranges in width from two to ten kilometers. It encircles many of the oldest communities in the City of Ottawa, and covers the same amount of land as the urbanized area of Ottawa that it surrounds.


History

The Greenbelt was proposed by
Jacques Gréber Jacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber (10 September 1882 – 5 June 1962) was a French architect specializing in landscape architecture and urban design. He was a strong proponent of the Beaux-Arts style and a contributor to the City Beautiful movement ...
in 1950 as part of his master plan for Ottawa, and the federal government started expropriating land in 1956. The majority of the lands were purchased by 1966 at an approximate cost of million (in 1966 dollars), of which around were acquired through
expropriation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...
. Its original purpose included the prevention of
urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
(which was threatening the rural areas surrounding the city), as well as to provide open space for the future development of farms, natural areas and government campuses. At the time, the greenbelt was "intended to circumscribe an area large enough for the accommodation of some 500,000 persons. The inner limit was chosen by considering what area could be economically provided with municipal services." Growth beyond the 500,000 to 600,000 limit anticipated within the Greenbelt was planned to take place in satellite towns in rural areas beyond it, although these areas were not designated by the master plan. This proposal to build satellite towns was based on Ebenezer Howard's 1898 Social Cities scheme and also drew on
Patrick Abercrombie Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie ( ; 6 June 1879 – 23 March 1957) was an English architect, urban designer and town planner. Abercrombie was an academic during most of his career, and prepared one city plan and several regional studies prior ...
's "
Greater London Plan The Greater London Plan of 1944 was developed by Patrick Abercrombie (1879–1957). The plan was directly related to the County of London Plan written by John Henry Forshaw (1895–1973) and Abercrombie in 1943. Following World War II, London ...
", especially in the proposals for the Greenbelt to be implemented by development regulations. Prior to the completion of the Greber Plan, the Ottawa Area Planning Board (OAPB) was created in 1947 to control unregulated
suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
expansion. Despite its creation, suburban townships continued to approve low-density subdivisions without municipal services. In an effort to stop low-density suburban expansion, the City of Ottawa successfully annexed rural township lands to the future proposed inside boundary of the Greenbelt in 1948. The rural townships fought the annexation and continued to refuse to zone parts of their land to accommodate a Greenbelt after their loss. After six years of conflict with the rural townships, it became clear that unlike in the ''Greater London Plan'', it would not be possible to establish a Greenbelt using Ontario and Quebec planning legislation alone. As a result, in 1956 the
Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
decided to buy or expropriate Greenbelt lands as required. Despite these efforts, research planner H.A. Hossé noted as early as 1960 that there were signs that the Ottawa Greenbelt would not be able to restrain urban sprawl. The surrounding rural townships of Nepean and
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
retained zoning jurisdiction on lands outside the Greenbelt and encouraged their continuing development to increase municipal tax revenues. The Greenbelt was easily crossed by car in a few minutes, and this did not stop civil servants from seeking more affordable homes outside of it. He concluded that without an active program of planning control by the local municipalities involved, or by the province, growth would continue unabated outside the Greenbelt. At the same time the Greenbelt was being assembled, developers were purchasing land beyond the belt for future use. The population grew much faster than Gréber had predicted, and his population forecast for the year 2000 was reached as early as 1970. In 1965, the suburb of Kanata was built west of the Greenbelt in the Township of March, and the suburban communities of Orleans (Gloucester/ Cumberland Township) and Barrhaven (Nepean Township) grew up quickly to the east and south of Greenbelt lands, even before the inner suburbs had filled out. Highway development followed this suburban population growth, with Highway 417 to
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
built through the eastern Greenbelt in 1975 and Highway 416 extended south through the southwestern Greenbelt in 1996. The rapid population increase encouraged suburban politicians to press for more development outside Greenbelt lands. With the formation of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton in 1969, suburban and rural politicians, who had a majority on the regional council used their power to press for urban expansion. Urban boundaries were continually expanded to incorporate further development on former farmland. This general pattern continued following municipal amalgamation in 2001. The result of these ongoing policies can be seen in local settlement patterns. In 1971, 90 per cent of Ottawa homes were inside the Greenbelt. Seven per cent were in rural areas and only three per cent were in the suburbs. By 2007, only 65 per cent of households were inside the Greenbelt, while suburbs were home to 26 per cent of the city's total households. In that time, 60 per cent of Ottawa's population growth was outside the Greenbelt. From 2005 to 2016 it was typical for there to be roughly twice as many housing starts outside the Greenbelt than inside. One outcome of this pattern of development outside the Greenbelt is an increased infrastructure burden on the city. While homes inside the Greenbelt pay the full cost of their development, it has been estimated that those in the suburbs receive the equivalent of a taxpayer subsidy due the gap between development charges and infrastructure costs to the city. Urban planner and geographer Barry Wellar has estimated that this subsidy may be as high as per house when the long-term maintenance costs of roads, bridges, pipes and transit equipment are factored in.


Development

The City of Ottawa is undergoing an Official Plan Review which, among other things, examines the need for additional land for urban purposes. It considers whether a discussion of urban land should include the option of some development within the Greenbelt and it is intended that this discussion will feed into the NCC’s review of the Greenbelt Master Plan. All views expressed in heWhite Paper are those of the City of Ottawa and not those of the National Capital Commission which owns and operates the Greenbelt. The City of Ottawa has identified more than of the Greenbelt, worth about $1.6 billion, that could be developed, and in their view, without damaging its overall integrity.Ottawa Housing Market: Ottawa Greenbelt Development Under Review
/ref> Environment Minister
Jim Prentice Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candida ...
, opposed development in what he considered an important part of the city's heritage. Prentice vowed to fight any such move. In 2020, columnist Randall Denley of the ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'' described the Greenbelt as "a failed attempt to contain growth, not a collection of natural treasures", and supported development within the Greenbelt because "it would give the city the land capacity it requires and deliver all the environmental, transportation and practical benefits that environment groups envision", while Ottawa city staff stated "Expanding urban lands within the Greenbelt is a more efficient use of resources than beyond it."


Conservation

Throughout its history, the NCC has acted to preserve or enhance the natural environment of Greenbelt lands. In 1961, they entered into a 50 year
forest management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, forest protection, and forest regulation. This includes man ...
agreement with the
Government of Ontario The Government of Ontario () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The term ''Government of Ontario'' refers specifically to the executive—political Minister ...
, which lead to the
reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...
of abandoned and marginal farmland. The Pine Grove and Pinhey forests were largely the result of that initiative. In the 1970s, the ecological significance of areas such as the Mer Bleue and Stony Swamps were recognized and efforts were taken to protect them. Additional parts of Mer Bleue swamp were acquired and the overall biodiversity of the Greenbelt increased. Walking and ski trails were also created to allow for increased recreational use of these natural areas.


Wildlife

The Greenbelt is home to a variety of wildlife: *Mammals: bat,
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
,
beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
,
coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...
,
cottontail rabbit Cottontail rabbits are in the ''Sylvilagus'' genus, which is in the family Leporidae. They are found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characterist ...
, fisher,
muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...
,
porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
,
raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...
,
red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
,
red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...
,
snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...
,
skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...
,
white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...
, rarely
moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
*Birds:
barred owl The barred owl (''Strix varia''), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus ...
,
screech owl Screech owls are typical owls (Strigidae) belonging to the genus ''Megascops'' with 22 living species. For most of the 20th century, this genus was merged with the Old World scops owls in ''Otus'', but nowadays it is again considered separ ...
,
great grey owl The great grey owl (''Strix nebulosa'') (also great gray owl in American English) is a true owl, and is the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus ''Str ...
,
Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North A ...
,
sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), cranes of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's S ...
,
great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...
,
red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
, American kestrel, spruce grouse,
woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of sandpipers in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...
, blue jay,
chickadee The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the family Paridae included in the genus '' Poecile''. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees; species found elsewhere in the world are called tits. They are small-si ...
*Insects:
walking stick A walking stick (also known as a walking cane, cane, walking staff, or staff) is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion acces ...
,
praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...
,
butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
*Reptiles/Amphibians: common garter snake,
painted turtle The painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in relatively slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown ...
,
snapping turtle The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and ''Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontemys' ...


Communities

Communities located within the Greenbelt: * Ashdale * Bells Corners * Blackburn Hamlet * Kempark * Merivale Gardens


Places of interest

Places of interest within the Greenbelt are from east to west: * Green's Creek Conservation Area – a nature reserve of a small tributary of the Ottawa River, cutting through a lush clay valley. *Hornets Nest soccer fields – 11 soccer fields and an air-supported dome for indoor soccer. *Pine View Golf Course – 36-hole public golf course * Mer Bleue Conservation Area – sphagnum peat bog. There are some of walking trails, including a boardwalk, through a remarkable boreal-like ecosystem normally not found this far south. Stunted
black spruce ''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of Newfoundland and Labrador and is tha ...
,
tamarack ''Larix laricina'', commonly known as the tamarack, hackmatack, eastern larch, black larch, red larch, or American larch, is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and als ...
, together with bog
rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family, Lamiaceae. The species is native to the Mediterranean r ...
,
blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...
, and cottongrass, are some of the unusual species that have adapted to the acidic waters of the bog. The Mer Bleue bog (French for ''Blue Sea'') got its name from the autumn morning fogs that make it appear as a blue sea. *Pine Grove Forest – of mixed-use forest for hiking, wildlife reserve, and
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
. *Conroy Pit – a site on a former sand/gravel pit off Conroy Road near Hunt Club Road, now used primarily as an off-leash dog park and for tobogganing in the winter. It has several kilometres (miles) of urban forest trails and wide open areas. The north end of the pit features a large toboggan hill. *Hylands Golf Club – 36-hole public golf course * Macdonald-Cartier International Airport – Ottawa's main airport for domestic, international, and general aviation. * Agriculture Canada Research Farms – site for research in animal disease prevention and treatment. *The Log Farm – a restored homestead from 1857, with guided tours. *Bruce Pit – a second former sand/gravel pit off Cedarview Road between Hunt Club Road and Baseline Road. It is now used as an off-leash dog park, and has a cross-country trail system and a toboggan hill. *Lime Kiln (Trail) – trail to remains of 19th-century Flood industrial lime
kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...
. *Stony Swamp Conservation Area – of provincially significant wetland. It is also the largest forested area within the Greenbelt and is popular for hiking and outdoor recreation. It is also the study area for the Macoun Field Club. * Wesley Clover Parks (formerly the Nepean National Equestrian Park and the Ottawa Municipal Campground ) - an equestrian facility and public campground with 127 serviced sites *The 19th Tee Driving Range – golf driving range and 18 hole mini-putt park. * Connaught National Army Cadet Summer Training Centre – Military and cadet training centre, also used by private shooting associations. * Shirleys Bay – an important wetland on the Ottawa River, home to migratory birds and water fowl. This location is ideally suited for bird watching.


See also

* Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe) - greenbelt surrounding the Greater Toronto Area *
Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt The Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt is a 62 kilometre (39 mi) long greenbelt surrounding the Greater Victoria metropolitan area in Canada. The greenbelt includes green space, forests, farms, and wetlands stretching from Sooke, British Columbia, Sooke t ...
- greenbelt surrounding the Greater Victoria Area


References


External links


National Capital CommissionOttawa Tourism and Convention Authority
{{Authority control Geography of Ottawa Protected areas of Ontario Tourist attractions in Ottawa O National Capital Commission 1956 establishments in Ontario