Greenbelt Coalition of Canada’s Capital Region
Coalition pour la sauvegarde de la Ceinture de verdure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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18 January 2010
The Greenbelt Coalition of Canada’s Capital is continuing to play an active role in the NCC’s
forthcoming public consultations on the future vision for the National Capital Greenbelt. In 2008, the
National Capital Commission announced that it was initiating a review of the 1996 Greenbelt Master
Plan. The review is to be completed in 2011.
n response, fourteen environmental organizations of the National Capital Region formed the coalition
to give a community-based voice to ensure the preservation and enhancement of Ottawa’s beloved
Greenbelt. The Coalition plans to offer walking, cycling and bus tours of the Greenbelt over the course
of this year to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining and improving the continuity of natural areas.
“The NCC is doing a great job of trying to involve the public in its consultations,” says Sol Shuster,
chair of the Coalition, “but they need to hear from the public that the Greenbelt needs to be protected, enhanced and, in certain areas, expanded.”
The Coalition therefore urges the public to participate in the NCC’s upcoming public consultation about
a “Vision” for the Greenbelt, to take place on January 26, 27 and 28, 2010. It also invites the public to
check out its website for more detailed information on its vision of the Greenbelt. The Coalition has
developed a set of specific goals and is preparing position papers on various aspects of the Greenbelt.
Already published is a strong response to a paper written in the fall of 2008 by City staff that argued
for development of up to 25% of the Greenbelt.
The Coalition envisions the National Capital Greenbelt as part of our national heritage and an
essential component of Ottawa’s “emerald necklace,” encompassing Gatineau Park, many other NCC
Greenspaces, and the Central Experimental Farm. The Coalition regards the Greenbelt as a natural
oasis that should be a model of biodiversity in an urban setting, while also encouraging agricultural
and recreational functions.
The Coalition sees the existence and future of our Greenbelt in an international perspective. “Across
Europe,” its Vision document states, “greenbelts are being expanded by consolidating them with other
lands such as parks, wetlands, forests and farmland to form large continuous tracts of permanently
protected land to help make cities more sustainable.”
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For further information, please contact:
Donna DuBreuil (English) – tel. 613 – 726-8178 or ocwc [@]ncf.ca
Nicole DesRoches (French) – tel. 819 – 772-4925 or nicole.desroches [@]creddo.ca
Background
For more information please visit: http://www.greenbeltcoalition.ca .
Email: info [@]greenbeltcoalition.ca
Coalition executives
Chair: Sol Shuster
Vice-Chair: Nicole DesRoches
Member organizations
- Alliance to Save Our Greenbelt (ATSOG)
- Canadian Biodiversity Institute
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)
- City of Ottawa Biodiversity Task Force
- City of Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee (OFGAC)
- City of Ottawa Rural Issues Advisory Committee (RIAC)
- Conseil régional de l’environnement et du développement durable de l’Outaouais (CREDDO)
- Ecology Ottawa
- Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa-Carleton (FCA)
- Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital
- Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre (OCWC)
- Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (OF-NC)
- Save Our Greenspace
- Sierra Club Canada
Vision, Objective and Goals
Please refer to separate document. On the web site:
http://www.greenbeltcoalition.ca/vision-and-objective/