The McCarthy Wilderness Protectors and the NCC
Between Mooney’s Bay and The Greenbelt; the McCarthy Wilderness serves as one of Ottawa’s largest nature corridor, connecting the Rideau River to the green spaces along the Airport Pathway.
Tress and Meadows Provide Important Cooling
We all know that green plants and trees photosythesize. But did you know that photosythesis cools the area around the plant? This cooling is in addition to any cooling due to shade from that plant. Ecological cooling (cooling due to the presence of plants) is essential as heat waves are getting stronger. Having nature refuges with large intact tree canopy and vegetation producing cool clean air will relieve not just those in the woods, but also the houses and streets nearby. The McCarthy Wilderness provides additional ecosystem services such as mitigating flooding and reducing air pollution that benefit the surrounding communities.
The NCC is being less than forthright
OSEAN and other concerned local groups including the Hunt Club Community Association have reached out to the NCC numerous times. While NCC representatives eventually promised a meeting, at the last minute, the meeting was postponed and although a promise to reschedule in July was made, a meeting has yet to to occur.
Beyond being disrespectful to stakeholders and local community organizations, the NCC has been unreasonably opaque and uncooperative relating to these lands. When the NCC initially tried to use a municipal by-law review to quietly rezone this land for development, the NCC claimed that it did not have any immediate plans for the area and merely wanted to be in alignment with the city’s Official Plan. If this is the case, why is the NCC spending tax payer money to appeal the zoning decision of the city? And why is it working with developers in this appeal?
The NCC’s fake “problem” with McCarthy Woods and its inappropriate “solution”
The NCC did zero consultation - and we’d argue not even visiting the lot to notice paths after fresh snow, or the constant neighbours and animals present in these woods - and determined that this land was not being used.
This land is extensively used, visited and inhabited, and is irreplacable.
The NCC doesn’t see it this way and declares it as “underutilized” (by them, because they have chosen to do nothing with the land for more than 70 years). But in that time nature has been restoring this land and created desperately needed habitate and biodiversity.
The NCC’s solution to “underutilized” land is to destroy what is here, and ignore everyone who is already using the land.
The NCC won’t listen to the community; it has no regard for the flora and fauna. A government organization that is meant to conserve and steward land is now looking at this land as a commodity to sell off to the highest bidder. When did the NCC become interested in land deals and who approved of this change in mandate.
The NCC is not a kinder type of landlord, it seems. The NCC is not stewarding the land, merely commandeering the area. This is public land if sold or leased will benefit not the public .
We have seen the government (and indeed the NCC) do similar land development before, claiming that the public does not need to worry because the land is only being leased not sold. And that any lose off trees will be replaced by planting new ones somewhere else. The ecological services and benefits of land are irreplacably destroyed once it is developed (regardless of whether it is leased or sold). Similarly, the value of a mature forest or established meadow will never be equivalent to the planting of individual young saplings or plants. .
Who Visits The Woods was a survey initiated in the winter of 2026. Upon learning of the NCC’s claims that the lands were not used, OSEAN volunteers created a survey accessible by QR codes tied to trees - understanding we wouldn’t capture all the four-legged and winged visitors, we focused on the human ones!
That’s right; in the forest, we hoped people would get their phones out of their pockets, in -25° weather, scan a random QR code, and fill out our survey. How unlikely a thing to happen. Too much to expect.
OVER 300 RESPONSES from the End of January until the End of April!
Canada is a country deeply tied to its nature, and that is not just the distant woods far from us, but also living surrounded by nature. The NCC has a constitutional mandate to steward their lands, and the wonton disregard and lack of maintenance of this parcel - significant in both size and quality - is unacceptable.
Canadian Identity, Lifestyle, and Values
The Community both Cherishes the Woods deeply, and have distaste for NCC tactics
At the end of 2025, a member of the Riverside Park Community had noticed that in 2022, the Beloved McCarthy Woods (backdrop to the Hunt Club - Riverside Community Building from where they are based and where they have a lot of community life focused around) was quietly rezoned from greenspace to development reserve. The NCC hadn’t asked, and declared the lands underused. Since then, the community has been building a case that shouldn’t need to be.
Media and Other Responses
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Sustainability
Climate
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Community
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Environmentalism
· Sustainability Climate · Community · Environmentalism
Municipal Support; Our Champion At Town Hall
Throughout this process, the HCCA, RVCA, and OSEAN have found a Champion for McCarthy Woods in Councilor Riley Brockington. He brought forward a motion for bylaw zoning to revert lands back to green use. This motion passed Dec 17th, 2025 and a further motion approved unanimously on Jan 28th, 2026.
Despite municipal leaders fixing this zoning problem when brought to attention, the NCC is steadfastly staying the course and now appealing the zoning decision at the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Showing Mayor Sutcliffe the results of our Who Visits the Wood Survey, advocating for McCarthy Woods’ continued integrity
FAQs
Where is McCarthy Woods?McCarthy Park is located between Riverside and McCarthy, mostly south of the railroad which passes through. It is accessible from South Keys and Walkley Stations, ~25min walking. Also ~25min walking from Mooney’s Bay.
Accessible by Buses 90 and 105
Can I visit? Yes! You can go alone, or with friends. Many groups organize walks through McCarthy Woods.
These lands have narrow and uneven paths in some places. It is accessible to most people, cyclists, and off-rad equipped accessibility devices.
What can I do there?The first thing is to admire nature. Be that photography, listening to birdsong, meditation, exercise, or whatever what you wish - respect nature
Everything you take it also leaves with you
Please no littering, including human food and packaging, companion poop, cigarette butts, etc
There are community organized walks and other events and activities within these natural areas.
Connected. Integrated.
Keep it whole
Ottawa's Hunt Club Community - Our History
Our area was called The Uplands by early settlers - it was one of the first to emerge from the glacial Champlain Sea, which results in a number of unique plant communities in the area, notably at the Leitrim wetland. As late as Col.By's surveys for the Rideau Canal, it was still heavily forested.
No evidence has been found of any human presence prior to European settlement. The Rideau River then was a series of sloughs infested with malaria (Plasmodium vivax, not the more lethal African P.falciparum) most of the year before Col.By began work, and was rarely used by indigenous peoples. By's surveys had to be done in the winter because the route was close to impassable during summer.
7 Questions - 0 Answers
How is the land determined suitable
How the NCC defines “underutilized”
How decisions are made between development and conservation
Why some greenspace may be considered while other sites may be available
Access to information on ecological value
Role of research and partnerships
Processes in place to ensure transparency, meaningful public consultation, and long-term alignment with the NCC’s long-term planning and environmental stewardship commitments
970 Words
6 minutes speaking
None of the questions addressed directly
130 words of disparaging dismissal
“consistent with what I spoke about earlier, in terms of the government directing us to ensure that we’re contributing to achieving the housing needs of the National Capital region.”
How McCarthy Woods Can Rest Safe
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Give These Lands Permanent Protections
The NCC says there are currently no plans to develop, but they’re opening the door by switching it to development reserve. Stop this.
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Stronger Consultation Requirements
Quorum, canvassing, community association outreach, or other means to assure appropriate public engagement.
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Integrate NCC with Federal Nature Plan
The NCC is inappropriately burdened with the expectation for find land for houses. This is not in line with its rmandate or federal nature plan.
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Change of Guard
Having different interests is an inevitability of having projects that affect multiple stakeholders. Not playing by the rules and instead dodging meetings, refusing any transparency, making backroom deals, dismissing concerns, rejecting research, or any communication with affected stakeholders is not the conduct of good leaders of public institutions. Unfortunate conduct unfortunately requires addressing.
Community groups support densification around mixed-used zoning. More of the same car-dependent sub-divisions is not taking action for the future.
Community groups organizing to protect McCarthy Woods are not doing it out of NIMBYism. The HCCA supports development nearby at 3930 - 3960 RIverside. These lands are less environmentally valuable and do not provide the same degree of environmental services. Beyond that, the HCCA encourages MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS as well as MIXED USE zoning and COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANS which seem to be lacking in current iterations of plans and proposals.
Infrastructure costs scale not with population, but with land. Low density zoning is an urban model that is not economically sustainable.
There are many lands within Ottawa - be they city lawns, highway buffer areas, parking lots, and other parcels - that are not actively providing passive benefits in the same way these lands are.
Protect the corridor.
Infill, and pivot from long-commute car-dependency planning and forced lifestyles that are bad for personal health, municipal finances, and day-to-day quality of life.
There are already thousands living on these lands
Everyone
Should Have A Home