May 3, 2021 Update

The past several months have seen a great deal of progress related to Tewin and we are delighted to share the following update with you.

Tewin, an exciting city-building project will transform land owned in southeast Ottawa by the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) and our partner, Taggart Group. Tewin is a development that embodies Algonquin culture and traditions; displays deep respect for the land; and fosters equity, inclusion, and the socioeconomic prosperity of the AOO and all peoples. It is a generational opportunity to create one of Canada’s most respectful, connected and inclusive communities, and we look forward to communicating each new step of our journey with you.

Recent Milestones

The City of Ottawa is developing a new Official Plan which includes a strategy intended to accommodate 400,000 new residents over the next 25 years. In 2020, Ottawa City Council approved a “Balanced” growth scenario, which identified a need for 1,281 hectares of land to be added to the urban boundary to support residential growth to 2046.

Since that time, the AOO have been working closely with Taggart Group, and a multi-disciplinary consultant team, to develop a compelling vision and plan for Tewin to become Ottawa’s next major community. On February 10, 2021, we were very pleased to learn that Ottawa City Council had approved the decision from the Joint Planning Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC), adding approximately 445 hectares of land into the city’s urban boundary to allow for Tewin to be developed.

Next Steps in the City’s Approval Process

A draft of the new Official Plan, as well as the next staff report to Ottawa City Council, is expected to be tabled in September 2021. We anticipate the final Official Plan will go to Ottawa City Council at the end of 2021, followed by Ministerial Approval in early 2022.  At that point, the Tewin lands will officially be inside the Urban Growth Boundary and we will move into detailed planning.  

As an immediate next step, the AOO are working with Ottawa City staff to clarify their workplan for the coming months and engage with them to address a range of technical, infrastructure and funding matters, as requested by Ottawa City Council at its meeting of February 10, 2021. A great deal of work remains to be done, but we are confident and enthusiastic about the path forward, and about the remarkable community development which will be the end result.

Role for the Algonquins of Ontario

The AOO remains steadfastly committed to thorough consultation both within the Algonquin family and the broader Ottawa area, and we were delighted when Ottawa City Council noted that the planning process for Tewin will be expeditious and collaborative. We anticipate a close and productive relationship with Ottawa City staff over the coming months and are very much looking forward to working with them on this important, innovative project.

We will continue to share updates as we have them and we hope you will reach out to your local Algonquin Negotiation Representatives if you have any questions.
Sincerely,

Richard Zohr
Bonnechere