Help protect and preserve the McCarthy Forests, Meadows, and the Southern Corridor
Welcome! If you want to know how to help protect our beloved greenspaces from the rezoning by the National Capital Commission, read on! There is still more to do to preserve this vital ecosystem, and we are stronger working together.
Backgrounder: If you aren’t sure what lands are in jeopardy, these maps can help. Note we still need to upload a map of the Nepean section of the Southern Corridor.
NCC Map of NCC land holdings
Draft 1 of Ottawa Zoning Bylaw Review (This would be great if the city had stayed with this Draft!)
Draft 3 of Ottawa’s Zoning Bylaw Review (THIS is where the problem lies…)
Committee Approved Motion (This is a compromise - what city staff would agree to)
On January 17th, 9 presenters explained the historical, ecological and cultural significance of the Southern Corridor that the NCC is trying to secretly rezone for development. Pictured (L-R): Jane Moore (Poet’s Pathway), Ben Glossop (Poet’s Pathway), Mireille Trent (Butterfly Ranger), Christine Johnson (Hunt Club Community Association), Angela Keller-Herzog (CAFES Ottawa), Riley Brockington, City Councillor)
Open House Success: Education and Awareness
On January 17th more than 70 residents attended the panel discussion co-hosted by Hunt Club Community Association (HCCA) and OSEAN. Speakers from the Poet’s Pathway, Greenspace Alliance, CAFES Ottawa, Ottawa Field Naturalists, OSEAN, HCCA and the River Ward Councillor all spoke about the value and significance of this spaces that are being proposed for rezoning by the NCC.
More than 15 residents participated in the sunset walk guided by two Ottawa Field Naturalists (Owen Clarkin and Jakob Müeller) who spoke at the panel of the rare species that can be found in the McCarthy Woods, and how visitors from other countries were brought to these woods to demonstrate the high quality habitat. A habitat that exists predominantly due to the protective border of meadowlands and forests, the exact same border the NCC is proposing to rezone for development.
Review the slides from the Open House here. Recording coming soon!
Review the Urban Natural Areas Report from 2015 (contains the ecological rating of McCarthy Forests)
Ready for a deeper dive? Check out this folder!
Municipal Action
At the municipal level, Councillor Brockington brought forth a successful motion at committee on December 17th. This motion reverts the NCC proposed zoning to a more protective one (that was originally proposed by the city in the first Draft of the zoning bylaw review) will come to city council on Wed January 28. y. At committee, the motion passed 11-4 (those not in favour: Jeff Leiper (Chair), Glen Gower, Laura Dudas and Wilson Lo), and only two additional votes are needed to pass at council.
Read the Motion: New Zoning By-law – NCC Parcels in McCarthy Woods and the Southern Corridor
Watch the Meeting: Joint Planning and Housing and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
Federal Action
Crickets….
Or more precisely, the NCC has refused to engage in any conversation or meeting with the HCCA nor even with the city councillor. Instead in a letter to city officials, the NCC has threatened that if the city dares to not zone the land in NCC’s favour, that they may be forced” to over-ride the city’s zoning designations.
When OSEAN sent this letter to the NCC (with MP’s cc’d), in the NCC’s response they tried to completely undervalue the area (despite their own analysis declaring the value of it) and pushed all requirement of consultation onto the city. This is woefully inaccurate - any proposed changes to federal lands are the responsibility of the federal government to consult, engage and be transparent. The NCC wanted to used the backdoor of the City’s Municipal Zoning Review AND wanted to have no requirement for consultation or engagement.
Letters, calls and emails to local MPs including David McGuinty and Yasir Naqvi resulted in vague responses of support (from David McGuinty) but no actual action has been taken.
Individual Take Action: Write to your MP and the NCC
This is where you come in! Politicians act when they feel their constituents are unhappy. So we need to show them that we are not happy with what our federal government (the NCC) is doing, NOR are we happy with how these elected MPs are not standing up for their constituents.
Step 1: Grab a piece of paper, your favourite writing utensil and send the following people a letter: (it’s free to send a letter to MPs!):
A. David McGuinty B. Yasir Naqvi C. Bruce Fanjoy. Mark Carney. E. Elizabeth May
How to Address your letter:
[Name of Member of Parliament]
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
Step 2: Email (or mail) a copy of that letter to the following people. Noting that you have already sent this your elected officials.
A. Tobi Nussbaum (CEO of NCC). B. Mark Sutcliffe
Coming soon: More direction!
Not sure what to say? Mention that this process was not transparent. That this area some of the highest quality habitat that can be found in urban Ottawa and even competes (and wins) against lands found IN the greenbelt. Explain that there is a housing crisis AND a biodiversity crisis, and that what makes Ottawa amazing IS the greenspace we all have access to. We need to fiercely protect this. For our own mental health and for our children’s future - trees are life and we already don’t have enough of them. We can’t afford to lose more. When designing a livable city, the location of houses is crucial and must be balanced with what surrounds them.
Summary of Media Coverage and Ecological Stakes
These lands are valuable green infrastructure that provide a significant amount of benefit for Ottawa. Preserving tree canopy, which is currently below the 25% target in River Ward, is but one of many reasons to fight for protecting this land.
Residents mobilize to prevent rezoning by Campbel MacDiarmid (Ottawa Citizen) Jan 18, 2026
"Development is swallowing up Ottawa's tree canopy..." by Laura Arenas (Ottawa Citizen) Jan 5, 2026
"Ottawa residents fear greenspaces at risk..." by Joanne Laucius (Ottawa Citizen) . Dec 19, 2025
To build a better city, figure out what you want before you change zoning rules by Rhys Phillips, Elizabeth McAllister (Ottawa Citizen)
Mark Your Calendars
Final City Council Vote: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 @ 10am. This is when the committee’s decision must be ratified by the full council .
New Forest Walk & Open House: A second community walk and discussion is being planned on Saturday January 17th from 1-4 pm. Please RSVP using our google form
Next Steps
The pressure is now on the NCC and our local MPs McGuinty and Naqvi. We must demand transparency and the preservation of greenspace for future generations. We encourage you to email and call your local MP to ask them to tell the NCC that they should withdraw their zoning.