Full Report From Councillor Kelly's Village of Carp Town Hall Meeting
- Ward 5 Staff
- 2 hours ago
- 19 min read
Village of Carp Town Hall Report
Carp Town Hall Meeting
November 4, 2025
Carp Agricultural Hall
Councillor Clarke Kelly, Susan Johns (Infrastructure and Water Services), Laurel McCreight (Rural Affairs), Adam Brown (Planning – Development Review), Matthew Rousseau (Temporary Traffic Control), Inspector Ian Hayes (Ottawa Police Service), Dr. Nick Stow (Natural Systems – Strategic Initiatives), Riley Carter (Traffic Services), Ian Scott (Economic Development – Strategic Initiatives), Laureen DiNardo (Right-of-Way)
DISCUSSION
Councillor Kelly began the evening speaking about the importance of the Village of Carp to West Carleton – March. His opening remarks touched on the unique challenges seen within the village and its place as an important economic driver for Ward 5 as home to many businesses and the Carp Fair.
Councillor Kelly discussed the results of surveys collected prior to the event and mentioned the issues that most resonated with those respondents.
- That further development within the village should respect the character and history of the village.
- That the information reported about the “village population” growing to 18,000 by 2041 was a discussion about a much larger area which represented the catchment area for users of the Carp Public Library. The actual projected population of the Village of Carp for 2041 would be closer to 4,500, growing from around 2,080 at the end of 2024.
- There are changing rules coming from the province that will impact how development moves forward in the Village of Carp. These include:
A change to who has standing to initiate hearings at the Ontario Land Tribunal which can remove an individual’s ability to have their concerns about a particular development heard.
A change to the process for urban boundary expansion which allows developers to bring applications at any time.
A change to what population projections must be used for determining growth targets in city plans.
- A concern raised within the survey was the absence of, and occasionally the potential for public transportation options. Residents were split evenly on whether they did or did not want a public transportation option to be brought to the village. Residents of Ward 5 have the Rural Transit Area B levy applied to their taxes, which covers the cost of ParaTranspo only but does not fund OC Transpo service to the Ward. A move to bring OC Transpo to the Ward would require a change in how this transit levy is applied to Ward 5 taxpayers and would see a nearly tenfold increase to this levy on most property tax bills in Ward 5.
- The intersection at Donald B. Munro Dr. and March Rd. was a concern that appeared in the survey results. This intersection HAS been identified as an intersection in need of modifications by city of Ottawa staff.
- The intersection on Carp Rd. at Rivington St. was mentioned in surveys as requiring additional safety measures. While in office, Councillor Kelly has held several on-site meetings with Traffic Services staff and has had discussions with developers who own land across from the intersection. While the intersection does not meet city warrants for a change to its infrastructure, the Councillor has worked to include minor changes that would assist in providing residents having visibility issues while waiting on Rivington St., a safer egress. He has implemented a transition speed zone of 60km/h in hopes that the new zone will give drivers a longer period to recognize the changing speed limit and moderate their speed as they enter the Village. A hidden intersection distance tab has also been added to ensure that drivers on Carp Rd. are aware of the concerning intersection.
- Many survey respondents expressed concern about fire response within the Carp Hills. The rural Sector Chief and Councillor Kelly are constantly in communication about fire response in the Ward and the Chief has assured the ward office that there are plans in place that are practiced and coordinated and residents seeking information about fire response should contact the rural Fire Services office, or the Councillor’s office to be connected to the rural group.
- There is concern about a lack of parking in general and for businesses within the village core. Municipal parking does exist in the area, at the Carp Library and Diefenbunker property, though this is too far removed from the businesses that make up the Village core to offer much relief.
- Survey respondents were concerned with a shortage of greenspace or park space. The city owns thirty-four hectares near the Diefenbunker that is not currently part of the city’s park space inventory.
- A pedestrian cross walk across Donald B. Munro Dr. in front of the Carp Commons. There is a currently active motion found here: Motion report template which directs staff to complete work on the fifty-one warranted pedestrian crosswalks before any work can take place on unwarranted crosswalks. A crosswalk here would be unwarranted based on the results of a study done by traffic services.
- There is a house on Donald B. Munro Dr. that suffered a fire. There has been a demolition permit issued and work is ongoing on this property.
Questions/Comments:
Police and Fire response are not rapid enough given the influx of residents that are planned in rural villages. Why is the city not upgrading rural volunteer stations to full-time stations BEFORE more residents are moved in?
Fire Services in the Rural Area are given the same training that the full-time stations receive. Volunteers in the West Rural are now City of Ottawa employees since a recent change at the Council table. Full-time Ottawa Fire Service firefighters DO respond to fires in West Carleton-March when they are available. Ottawa Police Services are limited in the number of positions of Police graduate classes that can be sent to the Ontario Police College for certification.
There has been an increase in these positions which will increase the number of positions that are filled by Ottawa Police Services to staff based on population increases. Ottawa Police Services is making a change to a district policing model that should help equip each area of the city with more officer coverage that should better serve the rural areas of the city. The 2026 budget also saw the largest increase to the police budget in over 15 years to further support the shift to a district model of policing.
There used to be a paramedic bay that staffed a paramedic in Ward 5. Response times have gotten worse now that there is no paramedic permanently located here.
There has been progress made. Councillor Kelly moved a motion to receive rural-specific response time information to better target issues occurring with these timelines, which, anecdotally, have improved since this move was made. There has also been the hiring of forty-six new paramedics in the past two years and the beginning of a program to help with offload delays causing paramedic shortages. Level zero events (when there are no ambulances available) have dropped by 80% over the last year and a half.
There is a new road that is leading from the four-corner intersection of Carp Rd. and Donald B. Munro Dr. to the Huntley Hollow Subdivision. What are the plans for the intersection?
The “road” in question is a road allowance that will connect to the subdivision. It will not be a road, rather, it will function as a footpath, like a sidewalk.
The bank is closing. Is there anything going in the building?
The closing of the bank was a decision of Scotiabank and, while the Councillor is dismayed at this decision, he is unable to reverse it. The Councillor is happy to collaborate with any company that wants to investigate using the building for future business.
Turning left onto Carp Rd. out of Rivington St. is increasingly difficult because of traffic and the visibility at the stop sign. Can we make it easier to make this turn?
There is currently a visibility study under way. The Councillor’s office has explored all available options and are still trying to find a solution.
Manager, Development Review, Adam Brown:
Part of rural-specific development review team. The Village of Carp Secondary Plan is the guiding document for development in the Village of Carp. Changes to Provincial legislation means that individual developers can apply to expand urban boundaries and village boundaries. Applications trigger a public consultation process. The estimated current population of the Village of Carp is 2,100. Project numbers for population growth to 2041 puts population around 4,200. A significant control on development in the Village of Carp is the ability to demonstrate adequate servicing for water and wastewater. There are four applications for development in the Village that all depend on adequate services and development will only continue upon a satisfactory demonstration that services can be delivered, or an upgrade in the capacity to deliver these services. Langstaff subdivision is currently draft approved for eighty-one townhouses and approximately 128 apartment units. Some other development lands require service improvements before they can receive draft approval. A fundamental point in the planning approvals process is this demonstration of adequate servicing. Development will not move forward without it. Rules for planning files are set by the Province through the Planning Act and the Provincial Planning Statement. The next layer of approval guidelines comes from the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan first and within that document, the Village of Carp Secondary Plan.
Questions:
Will Developers need to have public meetings before their proposal can be approved?
The plan of subdivision process only receives feedback through the city of Ottawa’s DevApps portal, but a subdivision requires a zoning bylaw amendment, and that process requires both the feedback option on the DevApps portal and a public meeting at the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting before it is approved.
Will the Village boundary need to expand to include all the land for the development on Carp Rd. across from Ridge Rock?
All the developable land within that property is WITHIN the Village boundary currently, so no change is required. The Environmental Protection Zone at the back of this property will not be touched as part of development. Dr. Stow from Natural Systems has been on-site to ensure the integrity of the Environmental Protection Zone.
Can details of the Taggart proposal be shared? How will this impact the Village character? How is this addressed?
This is a proposal for 105 residential units with a mixture of singles and townhouses. Ability to limit development is impacted by the Provincial Planning Statement and the Official and Secondary Plans. Councillor Kelly has discussed with the Director of the Planning Department a desire to review the Secondary Plan for the Village of Carp to help ensure character is considered during development.
Current zoning map has three residential zones. Will the current land shown in those three zones be enough land supply for projected growth in the Village?
City Staff reviews developable land in a particular area and a formula is used to determine required land. There is review to growth projections happening currently at Provincial direction that will lead to an update to the City’s growth projections and the Official Plan and Secondary Plan policies that depend on these projections.
If there is not enough land within the Village boundary for potential growth, will it grow into the protected land and farmland that surrounds the Village? How committed is the city to protecting farmland? What is to stop the plans currently in place from changing and allowing further development?
Currently, the Official Plan has protections for development on land within the Agricultural Resource Area. That does not mean it could not be developed. An Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment would be required and both of those are processes where community feedback is collected, and a public meeting is held during a meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. There are requirements that are in place that a property owner would need to demonstrate compliance with before a property is removed from the Agricultural Resource Area.
Is there a difference between the Community Design Plan and the Secondary Plan?
Yes. A Community Design Plan has no status in the planning process. A Community Design Plan occurred for the Village of Carp in 2012.
The Secondary Plan does not reflect the Community Design Plan and was developed without public input. This Village deserves a change to that Secondary Plan that actually takes in public input. Expansion has taken place elsewhere into ANSI land, so what constrains development.
Staff mentioned that the Secondary Plan DID take in comments that were brought with the Community Design Plan as part of its creation. Developers can now apply for expansion of Village boundaries and the Urban boundary, but they would need to meet the rules in place for city staff to support these expansions. Development Review staff make the recommendations about these changes which then rises to Committee and to Councils. Developers have the right to appeal decisions by Committee and Council to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
When the Municipal system was put in place for the Village, there was a specific number of hookups allowed.
There would be real-world analysis by the Infrastructure and Water Services group that would quantify the amount of water required for what is currently in place. With the capacity that is currently in place, seventy-three townhouses within the Langstaff subdivision are allowed to proceed right now based on the services available. The rest of the proposed builds have a holding provision that requires adequate services to be demonstrated before development can take place.
What about the Carp Airport and that subdivision’s water being taken from the municipal well in the Village of Carp?
The Airport does use City of Ottawa water drawn from the municipal well within the Village of Carp. The water sent to the Airport is metered and distributed by the city and that development has a certain amount of water sent each day, often drawn from the Village system overnight. They have their own private sewer system within this development. A commitment to supply this subdivision with water was made in 2005 and would not likely be approved today. Since the airport development was approved in 2005, an extra levy has been a part of the taxes for those in that development to cover the water services.
Director, Asset Management Services – Infrastructure and Water Services, Susan Johns:
Here representing the Asset Management Services group within the Infrastructure and Water Services Department. There are four different groups within IWSD: Facility Operations, Linear Distribution Operations, Asset Management Services, and Infrastructure Services. The Carp communal well system is reported on annually and continues to meet all Ontario drinking water standards. These reports are available publicly on the City of Ottawa’s website: Lemieux Island Water Purification Plant | City of Ottawa. The water within this system does have naturally occurring dissolved iron, and hydrogen sulfide.
There was a $5 million project to improve the aesthetic quality of the water here with recent work taking place on a granulated activated carbon filter system in response to resident concerns about the quality of water in this system.
This communal well is serving the existing community and will be tasked with serving new development. In those developments, work cannot begin until adequate servicing is demonstrated. IWSD works with the Planning Department to try to ensure there is no negative impact to current residents with further development.
Because of longer-term needs for the Village, IWSD did an engineering study that determines the implications of the current system being upgraded to meet the demands of future development. The conclusion of a recent study determined that further examination of a connection to the Lemieux Island purification plant is required, and another study is set to take place to figure out how the Village can connect to the central drinking water system used by the city.
Questions:
Will the current upgrades that are taking place create the capacity required for the developments that are in the approval stage?
Yes, and no. These developments will bring the required draw from the water system closer to the cap that is in place and no further developments will be approved until these upgrades are made and it is demonstrated that the development can be adequately serviced. Further upgrades to the water system will need to be completed before development takes place.
There was a major storm in August of 2024. Is Infrastructure and Water Services looking at these increasing events and using that during their modeling and planning for future upgrades?
Part of the work done by IWSD is stormwater drainage. There is ongoing analysis about what took place during the August of 2024 storm. City Staff were on-site during the flooding issues in the Village of Carp to see what the situation on the ground was during times of the worst flooding. IWSD is trying to maximize how their infrastructure performs without impacting property owners. This storm has served to better inform IWSD about the issues that are in place and this group is noting the higher intensity and frequency of storms and it will help determine how repairs are made in the future.
Residents are looking for confirmation that improvements to the well that are planned are meant to accommodate the new developments on Donald B. Munro Dr. and Carp Rd.? Are approvals for these developments on hold permanently, or are they based on what water is made available? The only reason to bring a water pipe out would be to expand the Village and increase development, would it not, is there any way to stop this change to where water comes from?
Development approval is based on flow available and demand. If the improvements to the communal system demonstrate that capacity is met, then developments would be approved. If the upgrades do not yield enough capacity, those developments would still be on hold. Planning decisions would come first, and a water pipe would come after development to meet the capacity approved, but development would not be approved until water capacity is met.
The Village of Carp is surrounded by Environmentally Protected land and agricultural resource land. Isn’t it an irrational fear that bringing water WILL definitively impact the lands surrounding the Village of Carp? These boundaries have adequate protection against development, regardless of what water is brought in. Richmond has not expanded but has grown.
Richmond has exploded within the footprint of the Village that has been in place since 1818. Major growth has occurred in the Village of Richmond, but it has not expanded beyond its boundaries for two hundred years and is serviced most by two communal well systems.
During the August 2024 flooding event, when we get the next 155mm storm, what have we done to mitigate the amount of damage experienced by residents in the Village of Carp? Have we figured out what upgrades are required?
IWSD and Public Works are still currently investigating what occurred and what actions are taking place. Waiting on Susan Johns who, in her response, said she would look into what has taken place. We have reached out to her to get this information.
If capacity is expanded within the municipal well, is there a guarantee that the aquifer can handle expanding capacity for the Village?
The aquifer CAN be impacted by changes in the level of the water in the river, and recharge can depend on permeability of rocks. Recharging of the aquifer is determined by several factors. There is a lot of instrumentation in place as part of the municipal well system that helps city staff be sure of capacity and warns of changes and issues before they occur. City Staff have been in touch with external experts to better understand and build better mapping and better prepare the IWSD for potential future dry seasons.
While we make planning decisions and decisions on flood and drought preparedness are we updating our understanding of capacity requirements and potential flooding conditions based on latest information available?
IWSD prioritizes and itemizes how climate money is going to be incrementally added to budgets for works across the city. A climate lens is applied in five-year planning windows for Infrastructure projects. There is a lot of overlap between the Climate group and the Infrastructure and Water Services group. They coordinate their planning and work to help better understand the situation in place. A change made by the province does not require developers to apply for anything beyond a permit, which has created a situation where engineers are learning on-the-fly about how growth and infill will impact capacity needs. The new zoning bylaw will try to mitigate the risks that are presented by this Provincial direction by having planning staff consider applications holistically, rather than piecemeal.
Water is not the same quality within the Village of Carp versus the rest of the city. Should I have the same quality of water in this location than I can expect in Kanata or Stittsville?
The same water rate is paid at this location than in other locations around the city. Use of a communal well system is more expensive to the city than a central hookup. The communal well system in place within the Village of Carp consistently shows some of the best-quality water for any communal system within the city. Because the city is looking at the potential for a central hookup, there are no plans to more thoroughly treat this water before it is distributed to homes in the Village.
Traffic Assessment Specialist, Traffic Services, Riley Carter:
Responsible for paint markings, signage, sightlines, and all traffic related issues. Parking is regulated in the City of Ottawa by the Traffic and Parking Bylaw. There are signed and unsigned parking regulations within the City of Ottawa. Traffic Services generally has the authority to make changes based on demonstrated safety issues. There is also the option to amend parking regulations based on petition by residents on the street if no safety issue can be demonstrated. Traffic Services get requests to install all-way stop control more often than any other request. All-way stop control is not always the solution to speeding or safety concerns. There are warrant and “points” systems to determine where traffic services work is required. Unwarranted changes are difficult to make and often require a number of factors to be in place before a change is made.
Questions:
Can you define what is a highway?
Regardless of class, or priority, all public roadways are considered highways.
Is there anything being planned for the intersection at March Rd. / Old Carp Rd. / Donald B. Munro Dr.?
Yes. There will be options offered during a public consultation meeting later in January.
A speed board was moved on Donald B. Munro Dr.?
This was moved under direction from the Councillor, but was moved BEFORE the current term of Council, under the previous Councillor.
A sign was removed, can we have it replaced?
Each year, every street in the city is driven to determine damage to signs or if signage needs upgrading.
There has been concern about a lack of parking, either for homeowners, or for businesses, or during the Carp Fair, is there a chance for people who live in Carp to ask for parking regulations to be put in place before further development expands the issue to other streets. Can we allow parking on one side of the street and prohibit it on another, or prohibit overnight parking?
The option to petition for a change does exist and if residents on a street see a problem with parking, they can initiate this process to see that community consensus exists for a change. City staff will look to apply the traffic and parking bylaw first and if issues persist, a change can be petitioned.
Rules are fine, but nobody enforces any of these parking bylaws.
In the core, there are patrols for bylaw services. In Villages in the rural and suburban areas, there are no patrols, all enforcement takes place based on complaints. There is proactive enforcement in Constance Bay during the Summer and the Councillor is amenable to proactive enforcement during busy days or events should that be the will of the community.
Is there anything in these parking regulations that states that blocking emergency vehicles will result in a ticket or tow penalty?
Traffic Services does work with emergency groups and the Roads group to determine where problem spots exist and what problems are continuous, and they do have options to address problems in these areas. Traffic Services begin with a no parking regulation and move up to no stopping as a more stringent prohibition. Residents can call 3-1-1 to complain about the potential for emergency services to be blocked by parked vehicles.
Are there rules about parking near a school zone?
There are signs in place that can be enforced. There are no set rules for all schools. Traffic Services struggles with school zones because, even with enforcement of rules, the rules are broken. Traffic Services can look at recurring problem areas but needs residents to raise these issues to 3-1-1 for enforcement.
ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD:
Village of Carp Secondary Plan:
As part of an upcoming Official Plan update focused on Provincial regulations for growth projections, a review of Village Secondary Plans is scheduled to begin in 2026, led by planners in the Policy planning department. The plan is currently to have these reviews completed and brought before Council for approval in 2027. Staff will review the village plans to incorporate Provincial growth projections. If the Province imposes a change of framework to secondary plans this review will incorporate that framework as best as possible. Any Carp Village Secondary Plan review will include consultation with residents, but the scope will remain within what land use planning can accomplish. City staff are currently staffing a team for this review.
Councillor Kelly has been working with the mayor’s office to see what sort of protections against rampant development can be offered without a Secondary Plan update. We are currently reviewing options that may be available including a focus on Village built form during conversations for the new zoning bylaw, attempting to have the Official Plan updated with Secondary Plan provisions added, and the potential to discuss a further design plan for the Village. Much of this work depends on Provincial direction because of current uncertainty about how the province views the future of Secondary Plans. Once more concrete information is available from the province, we will have better guidance on the path forward for Secondary Plans.
The future of Carp depends greatly on the availability of water and if water is brought to the Village from the central system in the city, this will open up the possibility for further development because a guardrail against development (the availability of water) will have been removed. Larger, denser development is possible in an area that is fully serviced, and the Village of Carp would be no different.
Transportation:
Councillor Kelly would prefer to work within a private partnership and, to that end, has been engaged with the Rural Transit Solutions Group to review potential solutions that would provide these services. That group is currently working on a business case to be presented to rural Councillors to see what can be offered and at what cost to residents.
Intersection at March Rd. / Old Carp Rd. / Donald B. Munro Dr.:
City staff are currently reviewing options that will be presented to the public to determine how the community would like to move forward before a final proposal is submitted. There is a public open house currently proposed for Thursday January 29th, 2026, from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at the Huntley Community Centre Mess Hall located at 2240 Craigs Side Rd.
Intersection at Carp Rd. / Rivington St.:
Councillor Kelly has initiated a review of the physical structure of the bridge and its impact on visibility in hopes of making a change to the barriers to clear views. Changes have been made to the warrant process for rural all-way stops and with new development planned on the side of Carp Rd. opposite Rivington St. a review of the area for all-way stop control will be initiated. The mayors office is also looking into possible solutions that we may be able to implement at this location.
Parking in the Village Core:
The Councillor has been encouraging planning staff and the corporate real estate office to investigate procuring properties that could potentially be used for parking in the core and has committed to continue those discussions with both city staff and groups with development projects in the Village. This would help support the local businesses as well as ensure that you can safely move throughout the village during busy times.
Greenspace and Park Space:
The Parks and Facilities Master Plan, in place until 2031, does not have any planned off-leash, fenced dog parks in the rural west. Councillor Kelly has been working with groups, including the City Parks Planning group, looking to bring more sports facilities to West Carleton – March. There is park space currently near the Diamondview Estates subdivision where the Councillor will be pushing for sports facilities to serve the Village. The Councillor is also in very initial discussions with the community association as well as city staff on utilizing more of the City owned land around the Diefenbubker for future recreation space for the Village of Carp.
Need for Upgrades to Communal Well:
Currently this is within the design phase. The Councillor does receive monthly Ward Infrastructure Project reports. An example of this report can be found on the last page of this document where the latest update on this project is attached. Residents can reach out to the Councillor’s office to receive the latest update. An Environmental Assessment is underway to determine if the future of water distribution to the Village of Carp begins at the Lemieux Island Purification Plant or whether the communal well system can continue to serve the Village of Carp.
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.
Be sure to stay in touch with what's happening in West Carleton-March:
• Drop-in and speak with Councillor Kelly at his next Open House
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