Councillor Kelly's Report on May 2025 Constance Bay Town Hall: Addressing Key Concerns and Next Steps

May 28, 2025

Constance and Buckham’s Bay Community Centre

Constance Bay Community Town Hall

Councillor Clarke Kelly, Jim Lethbridge (Emergency Operations), Luay Mustafa (Traffic Services), Fuaad Syed (Traffic Services), Tim Marc (Legal), Laureen Dinardo (Right-of-Way), Ian Hayes (Ottawa Police), Jeffrey Kostuch (Police Services), Bianca Amaral-Stewart (Infrastructure), Matthew Strampel (Infrastructure), Bruce Kenny (Infrastructure), Chelsea Walton (TTC), Nathan Adams (Ottawa Fire), Mike Lalonde (Bylaw), Jonathon Walden (Bylaw)

DISCUSSION:

Councillor Kelly began the evening speaking about the longstanding issues that the community has been dealing with. His opening remarks touched on those that were most commonly raised in the open comment section of his community survey:

-           The goal: To receive feedback and provide what clarity can be provided on these issues to increase the quality of life for all residents of Constance Bay.

-           Wildfire risk in the Torbolton Forest. Every year, station 63 in Constance Bay considers their ability to get in and out of Torbolton Forest. They have recently gone in to look at the Forest and used that as a training opportunity for OFS. Forestry has Torbolton Forest on a workplan that involves reestablishing firebreaks and planting species of trees that would be closer to the original forest makeup. This is set to occur within the next three years.

-           Flooding in Constance Bay. Because the city has little say in how the water is managed because of jurisdictional issues, mitigation and emergency response are the key focus for the city. The ORRPB and members of OPG are the ones who manage the levels of water that the community sees. The city does not have a seat on the ORRPB. The board is made up of Government of Canada representatives from the Coast Guard, Environment and Climate Change and Public Services and Procurement, Government of Quebec representatives from Hydro Quebec and the Quebec Environment Ministry, and Government of Ontario representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Power Generation. Discussions have taken place with Minister Graydon Smith about increasing the city’s ability to protect its residents.

-           Ambulance response times. The Councillor moved a motion that made Ottawa Emergency Services release their information broken down by rural area. A new dispatch system has been implemented which has improved response times in the rural area. Discussions will take place with Mike Nolan, the chief Paramedic in Renfrew County, about how to utilize some of this group’s strategies in the city of Ottawa.

-           One road in and one road out. According to the Constance Bay Secondary Plan, there is a section of road North of Allbirch that is to become a second route into and out of Constance Bay, using Kilmaurs Side Rd. The cost for this work to take place would likely require several years’ worth of capital funding to actually be put in place. Conversations are ongoing about this need. This was discussed previously with Minister Smith during a visit to Constance Bay and this conversation will continue as we advocate for funding from higher levels of government.

-           ATV use in the Torbolton Forest. A pilot project is being put in place in Ward 5 that allows ATV riders to use the city-owned right-of-way to access trails elsewhere in the area. The idea behind the pilot was to provide an area where people can legally ATV, hoping that this will alleviate some of the illegal use that is seen in the forest.

-           Road conditions and renewals. The process for resurfacing roads involves requests from the Councillor and the final decisions are made by city staff using the metrics they use to schedule road renewals. Constance Bay Rd. is not currently planned for resurfacing but will be brought forward in our next budget discussions as decisions are made for the 2026 budget. Currently Constance Bay has the following roadwork planned:

                 Bayview Dr. – Spinnaker Way to Doris Currie Rd. – 2026

                 Doris Currie Rd. – 2026

                 Fireside Dr. -Doris Currie Rd. to Len Purcell Dr. – 2026

-           Sidewalk installation is generally undertaken with development and reconstruction of a road. Sidewalk installation is unlikely on each residential street but may be possible on the main street of the village. This will be a conversation that takes place during consultation about road resurfacing in the next budget discussion. If more streetlighting is required in specific areas, the Councillor will bring those forward to city staff to discuss the feasibility of having these installed on a case-by-case basis.

STAFF PRESENTATIONS:

Constance Bay Rd./Dunrobin Rd. intersection

The redesign project has been worked on for more than a year now. The city of Ottawa has a Road Safety Action Plan and the major goal of that is to reduce fatal and major injury collisions using four emphasis areas for planning purposes. All rural skewed intersections in the city are looked at because there is an overrepresentation of fatal and major injury collisions at these intersections. Because of sightline issues, road design looks to ensure that intersections meet at 90-degree angles and anything below 70 degrees requires movement from the driver to properly look. The angle that Constance Bay Rd. meets Dunrobin Rd. does not meet these recommendations. A study of all twenty-two rural skewed intersections in the city was undertaken and Constance Bay Rd./Dunrobin Rd. ranked as the intersection that required the most urgent work. Options available include modifying the geometry of the intersection, which may be a roundabout, or may be a standard T intersection. All of the options are assessed during the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process and the best option is presented for approval. The options for the intersection are being refined and will be presented to residents once the design has been finalized. This is still in the early stages and further consultation will take place.

Since stop signs were installed, how many accidents have happened at the location? The newest data available is from 2022 and the signs were added in that year so this information is not yet available but can be provided once it is available.

Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Public Safety

As floods begin, residents need water, portable toilets, and other supports that are provided by the city. The Emergency Operations group brings disparate groups at the city together to respond to these emergencies, using Fire, Public Works, Infrastructure and other city groups to deliver services. Emergency operations are there to support training for all Public Works partners. Emergency Operations creates an opportunity to provide a scalable response.

What about fires? Wildland fires would fall to Fire Services. Emergency Operations and Public Works would be there to offer support in creating a berm, or traffic direction.

Who is responsible for an evacuation plan? Fire Services would run lead on operations on fire tactics. Each agency between Fire, Police, and Paramedics run lead on different events. Fire Services generally lead on natural disasters. Public works would be responsible for debris management.

Is there an evacuation plan being created? Because of the need for situational awareness, Fire Services does not have a current Evacuation Plan. They have plans that depend on the circumstances that created the situation and follow those. Fire Services is going to be working with Forestry Services to look at improving Fire Access Points and improve the firebreaks in place. That work will require work with the community on a workplan.

Are there timelines for the work taking place in Torbolton Forest?

At the moment, it looks like it is in the 3+ year range.

Bylaw

Operate according to city of Ottawa bylaws and a few Provincial Acts. They run on a near 24-hour model and provide enforcement support to other city partners. In 2024, this group received around 100,000 service requests.

What is bylaw response time in Constance Bay?

Bylaw relies on the community to provide bylaw information about dog owners with dogs off leash or vehicles that are operating unsafely. Animals at large are priority calls for bylaw because they are a safety issue, and the next available officer is sent to respond. Bylaw is working on a more advanced reporting system using a better online solution than is currently in place. On a normal day, there are eight officers citywide undertaking enforcement of animals at large, property standards, etc. In the summer, there are more resources available that can be used in Constance Bay.

What is the relationship between Bylaw and Police on certain calls?

Bylaw officers do not have authority to undertake certain operations. They require assistance from Police which is dependent on officers being available. Residents commented that the length of time a response takes is not good enough. Police mentioned that there are priorities assigned to certain calls. The call taker for response is the person who sets the priority of the call which they do through organizing the caller’s responses to questions that are asked.

Officers have a large volume of calls that they need to respond to and priority designations make it so they respond to the most urgent calls first. There is a pilot project taking place where Police will function under a district model where a neighbourhood resource team is expanded in rural areas, which will help foster a better understanding of the community could assist in having enforcement take place at the right times. Police are working on a staffing stabilization plan to help ensure there are enough officers to enforce in the area.

Is there a problem enforcing bylaws because there are no signs on water access points?

There are no closing times for access points like there are for parks. Water access lanes are not governed by the bylaws pertaining to parks. Noise, and animal at large bylaw infractions can be enforced by bylaw even without obvious signage. Threats or mischief to property should be reported to Police and they would investigate from a criminal perspective or a dispute resolution perspective.

Why does the city install portable toilets to the water access lanes?

There was a report done in 2006 on the water access lanes that has been flagged for an upgrade by right-of-way. This review will help define use and rules around that use.

Traffic Services

The Temporary Traffic Calming group has a few options available to help assist Police with speeding enforcement. In Constance Bay, many roads do not meet the metrics for implementation of certain measures, like flex stakes, which require a 7m wide roadway. Most of the options for TTC offer little in the way of a change in driver behaviour.

The budget the office has for TTC needs to be used on items within the TTC inventory and, with the most effective being speed boards, we have invested in speed boards in the area and will likely be adding more. There are other options like speed humps that could be implemented but would require a significant investment that would only allow for a single speed hump. The Councillor is looking into solutions and will likely be investing a significant amount of his TTC budget in the next year in Constance Bay.

Traffic Services is working with the Councillor on a potential parking permit system. The intent of the system would be to limit the ability of residents outside of Constance Bay to park for long periods of time during the summer months. The hope is that these limitations will begin to discourage others from travelling to Constance Bay and alleviate some of the traffic and waterfront use issues that plague the community.

The idea would be to offer a specific number of parking passes to residents of Constance Bay, at a nominal fee, that can be shared with visitors to allow for parking on the road. We do not want to prohibit residents from inviting people to their houses if they do not have enough driveway space to accommodate many vehicles. The parking permit program will be worked on in the next couple of weeks and a proposal will be shared with the community before anything is implemented.

Is there a solution to the parking issue at the boat launch?

The idea for creating a different rule system in place at the boat launch was to allow for the special circumstances of the boat launch to continue to play out, while still limiting as much possible the parking that takes place at that location. This can and will likely be changed in future discussions with traffic services as we further tweak the parking permit proposal.

Most of the feedback received has stated that having the same rules throughout all roads on Constance Bay seems to be the favoured option for the majority of residents. Residents would still need to abide by the overall parking rules which create a limit of three hours on weekdays and six hours on weekends. If there is a safety issue with cars being parked on both sides of the roads near the boat launch, the residents can be petitioned to sign regulations prohibiting certain types of parking.

Can Ritchie St. become a fire lane and have parking prohibited on all sides?

There are already a number of regulations in place at the intersection of Bayview and Ritchie to ensure sightlines are clear for safety reasons. Parking can be changed via a petition for these safety issues.

Can residents use permits for their own vehicle?

No.

Can somebody photocopy or sell their passes?

There is a standardized template used throughout the city. The city moved to a new software which was more digital. The passes will have a permit number and bylaw will be able to check this number to ensure it is a valid pass.

Can non-Constance Bay-residents purchase these permits?

No

This is what we will consider moving forward trying to create a parking pass system:

• Businesses that have passes that are handing them out to their customers.

• How to enforce residents using their own passes.

• What enforcement looks like. How to ensure passes are not going to be sold, or counterfeit.

• What about parking in the water access lanes that are wide enough to allow that sort of thing?

Property Ownership

The issue of property ownership- and where property ownership ends is longstanding in Constance Bay. Property lines are determined not by the city of Ottawa. There is a lot of misinformation that exists online that lists Constance Bay as a public beach. Removal of these things is exceedingly difficult but the city does not list Constance Bay as a public beach. There is a court case, brought by property owners within these plans, from 2022 that explains the extant of property ownership in plans 410, 411, and 413. The Conclusion and Order found at the bottom of that decision, which pertains to properties in Plans 410, 411, and 413 only, states:

1.       The Applications are permitted to proceed by way of Declaration, without necessity of trial or without the necessity of serving other individuals or entities.

2.       A declaration is granted in each Application that the boundaries of the lands described in each lot extend to the water's edge of the Ottawa River.

3.       Further declaration that the lands from the 'high-water mark' to the water's edge of each lot are subject to public use and the public cannot be excluded to future use.

A copy of this decision can be found here:

Reasons for Decision of Justice Johnston dated Jul 4-22 (Perth).pdf

Download PDF • 1.92MB

In Plan 412, the plan of subdivision mentions that all lots fronting on the river in this plan extend to the shoreline. This does not grant the same rights to Plan 412 that the court decision grants to Plan 410, 411, and 413. This ownership does not allow for residents in Plans 410, 411, and 413 to block public use between the high-water mark and the shoreline. This was conceded by those who brought the case. Owners in other plans can use one of these options to try to have the same rules apply to their plans as those that apply to Plans 410, 411, and 413:

• Be served with trespass and fight that charge.

• Be a landowner within one of the other plans and bring a case to the court.

• Be the Attorney General of the Province and ask the court to make a decision.

The Councillor is committed to working with city staff on cleaning and better identifying water access lanes and providing more clear signage for parking regulations and dogs off-leash prohibitions.

ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD:

We met with Traffic Services to further refine our proposal for a permitted parking system in Constance Bay. The goal is to create a system that allows residents of Constance Bay to enjoy their properties, while discouraging non-residents from travelling to, parking, and remaining in Constance Bay all day. We are hopeful that limiting parking will lower incidences of driveways being blocked, cars being parked illegally, and confrontations between locals and those who are visiting.

We are working on proposals and will soon release a few options for residents to choose from. The goal is to receive enough feedback to demonstrate to the city that a consensus has been reached and we can begin to implement the program, or we can discard the proposals if a majority is not in favour. There will likely be another outreach from our office and the city soon to try to determine the level of consensus within the neighbourhood.

We have a meeting scheduled with Bylaw and Regulatory Services to discuss signage in Constance Bay, particularly on the water access lanes that lays out rules for parking, remaining on site, consuming alcohol and fires. We will also lay out the five access points that we will be focused on funding signage during this year’s budget cycle so that work can begin on cleaning all the access lanes. The priority lanes for this year will be the ones found at the Point, Auger’s, at Len Purcell, at Stiver, and at Sandbay.

We will continue to monitor ongoing issues and will be working with bylaw on each of the 39 water access lanes as we move forward. There is currently a Temporary Traffic Control service review under way that we will be a part of where we will be advocating for more options to add to our temporary traffic control toolbox that we can implement in Constance Bay to help alleviate the traffic concerns that we have heard about.

We have sent the results of the follow up surveys to the group working on the Constance Bay Rd./Dunrobin Rd. intersection to see resident concerns reflected in the final design. We will be a part of the process where that group take that information back and adapt their design which they will present to the public before a final decision is made.

We will work with Bylaw and Police when we begin to implement any parking permit system to organize an enforcement blitz that helps to show a presence and advocate compliance with new regulations.

QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS:

On ATVs

Osgoode brought in a bylaw that allows ATVs on roads, has Ward 5?

As part of the pilot project, bylaws were passed, allowing ATV use in the right-of-way of specific roads. In Constance Bay, the roads that have been added to this bylaw are below:

The larger map can be found here

Are motorcycles part of the ATV pilot project?

No. Dirt bikes are not part of the ATV project. The definition of ATV, and ORV within the ATV, ORV, and Snowmobile Bylaw specifically mentions machines that are on “four wheels”. There is no mention of two-wheeled vehicles in the ATV, ORV, Snowmobile Bylaw which governs the use of roads by these vehicles.

On One Road In

Has anyone done an economic analysis on the impact to the community of a major emergency occurring before a second road out has been completed?

No. That has not been completed, and it is part of ongoing discussions about the need for this work with other levels of government, in hopes that we can fund this important work.

Is the only option a bridge over Buckham’s Bay?

No. The Constance Bay Secondary Plan shows the planned second road out as connecting Allbirch Rd. to Kilmaurs Side Road, cutting through several kilometres of farmland during its construction. It seems that this is the preferred option for the city and a bridge over Buckham’s Bay would be a secondary option. Connection to Kilmaurs Side Rd. seems to be the preferred option for the city. The cost of land expropriation and road creation for connection to Kilmaurs Side Rd. would likely be less, but would be similar to the amount needed for road creation and bridge installation to connect Bishop Davis Dr. to Kilmaurs Side Rd.

Ambulance Response Times

Has anybody met with Mike Nolan and discussed the issue of ambulance responses?

Yes, the Councillor has regular conversations with Mike Nolan. Councillor Brockington and the members of the Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee are planning a tour with Mr. Nolan to look at the procedures he has put in place which have been successful.

Occasionally, calls are routed from Constance Bay through to Gatineau when 911 and 311 are called. How do we fix this?

There has been a new dispatch system implemented that should be more accurate. The new dispatch system (MPDS, Medical Priority Dispatch System) does not have any impact on the receipt of 9-1-1 calls, or the routing of calls to the appropriate dispatch centre.  MPDS is a call triage tool to assist in determining the call (patient) severity of illness or injury, so we can appropriately assign resources,

What has changed over the past few years is the addition of cell towers to receive calls, resulting in a greater likelihood of a call originating on the Ottawa side of the Ottawa River being routed to the Ottawa (Police) 9-1-1 centre. Paramedics have had few complaints regarding 9-1-1 calls being routed to Gatineau before being received in Ottawa. Please advise if you hear of instances wherein calls originating in Ottawa are routed through Gatineau. The Ottawa 9-1-1 centre has an agreed procedure with Gatineau 9-1-1 to ensure calls are transferred appropriately and quickly.

Is the 12-minute goal for ambulance response times for urban Ottawa and includes rural Ottawa?

Nobody can say for sure if this is realistic for rural response times given the sheer size of Ward 5 and rural Ottawa in general.

Munster used to deputize citizens with the ability to assist during emergency situations, can this be replicated?

It is something that has been discussed but there has been pushback from union groups.

Property Ownership

If I’m on a boat and in a storm and have to get on shore, am I going to be turned away from the shore?

In an emergency situation, it is unlikely that a court would find trespass occurred if it were truly an emergency situation.

How do Police decide who they can charge with trespass to property in a plan like Plan 412?

It is made easier by clarity being brought to the situation, which could be offered by a court decision. Responding officers will need community-specific education to help them in their enforcing of the rules. Depending on what the individual is doing, removing a person from a location can be difficult. If a crime is occurring, or a fire taking place, Police will have the ability to get people to leave the area.

Plan 412 is registered, do owners have ownership to the water in this Plan?

The only options for a determinative answer are the three options found at the bottom of the ‘Property Ownership’ section above. The judicial decision for Plans 410, 411, and 413 is not binding on Plan 412.

There was a strategy to recognize and protect the water access points. There was an attempt to create a unique subzone for water access points. What happened?

This was not created. Right-of-way have flagged the need to review the report from 2006 that mentioned this strategy. There has not been a unique subzone created for water access points.

There has been judicial precedent and jurisprudence that does not question ownership to the shoreline. Comments?

It is not for the city of Ottawa to reach a conclusion on the matter of ownership to the shoreline. There are three options to determine these things that have already been mentioned.

If a decision is made on Plan 412, one way or the other, what could happen to educate people on the outcome, will the city put up signage?

Signage to delineate what is private property is the responsibility of the private property owner. The Councillor is working on appropriate signage on the water access points that list some of the most enforceable rules that are in place.

Would parking permit proposal include the parking that takes place in the water access lanes where parking takes place?

This will be part of the conversation had with traffic services when we try to create a proposal to present to the public.

What about parked cars blocking the road at Lane St. at the restaurant?

Part of the discussion the Councillor will have with Traffic Services creating a parking permit proposal will include a parking plan for the Point. The intent will be to allow for parking at the Point, while delineating where the road is and where the parking lot is, making enforcement of parking rules easier than it currently is.

Does the city own the access routes?

Yes. The city owns the access routes, fire lanes, and road allowances, and their property ends at the water’s edge. The issue is not a problem for the city because people have access to these lanes, unlike on private property where people should not be accessing.

Is the property owner liable for injuries that occur on waterfront areas that they own? They can be. It is not a guarantee, but there is a question of occupier’s liability that will likely come up.

What is the threshold of calls that will bring out bylaw or Police?

Priority is determined during the request. A level 1 call would be like somebody’s driveway being blocked because access to the laneway is important. A dog at large call is a priority 1 call. A noise complaint is a priority 2 call. Generally, officers try to get to all of their calls before the end of their shift.

How many parking patrol officers does Bylaw have?

Monday to Friday, there are about 30 parking officers. At nighttime, it is about 10. On Weekends, there are 12 during the day and 10 at night. This is just for parking control. There are other officers that look at other infractions.

Are cameras on private property that face the public allowed?

Because there is, generally, no expectation of privacy when you are on public property, there is no enforcement pertaining to cameras that record you on public property. If that camera is pointed into private property, there may be a different issue here, but pointing to public property is generally allowed.

Signage used to exist at Auger’s and the Point that have been removed, what happened?

Those were removed by the Community Association because it could potentially open groups up to liability

Does putting in garbage cans and porta-potties with no signage invite trespass from non-residents?

The porta potties are placed on city-owned property for use by residents based on direction that followed the 2012 CDP community survey. Putting these on city of Ottawa property is not an invitation to trespass on adjacent private property. The water access lanes are owned by the city and the city can put these amenities in place for residents on their property.

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For residents who were unable to attend the May 28, 2025, Constance Bay Town Hall meeting, Councillor Kelly made sure it was recorded in its entirety. You can watch it here:

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If you have a question about this or any other Ward or City issue, just send an email to Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca or call our office at 613-580-2475. You can also submit a report to Ottawa.ca/en/3-1-1.

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