Stittsville Urban Boundary Expansion Application Statement

February 24, 2026

OTTAWA – As some residents may be aware, there was recently an Official Plan amendment application submitted to the City of Ottawa, which could potentially expand the urban boundary at 6435 Fernbank Road and 6437 Flewellyn Road, just west of Stittsville.

I have received correspondence regarding this application, mentioning provincial involvement due to changes that were made in the 2024 Provincial Planning Statement (PPS). With all due respect to Councillor Gower and other councillors, the decision to accept or refuse this application is fully within the purview of the Planning and Housing Committee and Ottawa City Council.

Changes in the 2024 PPS allow for private landowners to submit applications for urban and village boundary expansions. The City of Ottawa approved a framework to respond to the changes in the 2024 PPS, which required a fee of $1.8 million to be paid to the City to support review of the required studies, including transportation planning, infrastructure planning, and community planning, to name a few.

Ministry of Finance projections show that the City of Ottawa population is expected to grow at a faster rate than the 2021 Official Plan accounted for, which used 2019 growth projections. The City of Ottawa population forecast is 18% higher for the planning horizon.

At the end of the day, the onus is on the private landowner to provide the planning rationale, transportation and servicing reports required as part of any development application. The City of Ottawa staff and councillors are entitled to make their decision regarding the application, and the applicant is entitled to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal if they choose to, which is an arm’s length tribunal that deals with planning application disputes between applicants and municipalities.

At a time when housing affordability and supply is one of the most important issues to residents across the province, I feel that it is important to at least keep every option on the table to allow for housing proposals to at least be considered.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford, this Premier is the only one that has given municipalities more tools and autonomy to make decisions regarding their planning and growth.

If anyone tries to suggest otherwise, it is disingenuous.

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Office of George Darouze – MPP Carleton
Phone: 613-838-4425
Email: george.darouze@pc.ola.org
www.georgedarouzempp.ca