This week, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee approved a one-year extension of the expanded all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail network pilot in parts of West Carleton-March, Osgoode, and Rideau-Jock wards. In April 2025, Council approved expanding ATV routes onto more City-owned lands for a two-year pilot. The change added approximately 242 kilometres of new routes to the existing network. A formal agreement between the City and ATV clubs was finalized in November 2025.

In December of 2022, I initiated and championed the City of Ottawa's 2024 Rural Summit, our first in over 15 years. The goal was to improve services and investment in our rural communities. We held multiple Summit workshops to address rural concerns, culminating in a November 2024 summit with City leadership. On Tuesday, at the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting, we received an update on the work the City has been doing since the 2024 Rural Summit to support our

June 16, 2026 Statement from Councillor Kelly On Monday, at a Joint Meeting of the Environment and Climate Change and Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committees, I spoke in support of a new three-year pilot Extreme Weather Preparedness Grant Program, aimed at helping our great community organizations further strengthen their role in helping residents with emergency preparedness. Drawing on West Carleton-March's experiences with floods, tornadoes, the derecho, a

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, of which Councillor Kelly is Vice-Chair, today approved a new rural economic development plan to help rural businesses grow, create jobs and strengthen Ottawa’s rural economy. The plan sets out actions to support rural businesses directly and to foster more collaboration between them. It includes a new rural business liaison who would provide dedicated, one-on-one support and help rural businesses navigate City and partner servic

February 5, 2026 Council, committees and City Hall Home and community Parking, roads, traffic and transit Planning, development and construction The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee today received an update on commitments made during the 2024 Rural Summit. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe joined the Committee today, offering brief remarks on the progress made on rural issues since the 2024 Rural Summit and emphasizing rural Ottawa’s role as a place of innovation, resilience and

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee today recommended approval of a zoning amendment to facilitate the establishment of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility and associated private utilities south of the Trail Waste Facility Landfill. BESS are an emerging battery technology that can help make the electricity system more reliable by drawing and storing energy from the grid during off-peak hours, when demand is low, and discharging it back to the grid when

On Thursday (Oct. 2), the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee voted in favour of the staff recommendation to provide a Municipal...