(A City of Ottawa backhoe was seen on the Trans Canada Trail in Stittsville on April 28th where the City staff were instructed to break-up a beaver dam that had recently been constructed by a beaver family. Photos: provided)
On April 22th, Earth Day, an impressive Community Forum was hosted by the Friends of Stittsville Wetlands. This forum was “to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands and the significance of our collective efforts in ensuring their survival – for those species that call them home, for ourselves, and for future generations.” Speakers included: Chief Doreen Davis of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation; Sarah Hasenack, Conservation Campaigns Coordinator at Ontario Nature; Sommer Casgrain-Robertson, General Manager at the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority; Koreen Millard, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University; and Nick Stow, Program Manager (A), Natural Systems with the City of Ottawa. The event was very well attended and incredibly informative.
Wetlands provide essential flood control – lessening the impact of sudden large rain events – and keeping our communities safe. During drought, wetlands maintain surface water flow, helping surrounding vegetation and recharging groundwater over a very large area, helping to protect against the growing threat of wildfires. Wetlands replenish our drinking water aquifers, trap sediments and bacteria and pollutants while storing carbon and serving to protect biodiversity.
Beavers, as a keystone species are the single most important influence in restoring and maintaining wetlands and, as such, are a critical part of the cost-effective nature-based solution to stormwater management while maintaining aquatic habitats and reducing floods.
Last week, on the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) at the lookout west of Stittsville, many residents observed the beginnings of a beaver dam. And more recently, a Blanding’s turtle, considered one of the Species at Risk, was spotted.
On April 28, the City of Ottawa had a backhoe on the TCT with instructions for the driver to break the new beaver dam. This only six days after a representative from The City of Ottawa spoke at a community forum about the importance of wetlands. We can only assume that the trappers are on their way.
One resident stopped the backhoe driver and told him the City wasn’t supposed to be doing this anymore after the New Wildlife Strategy was passed by Council last June. The young man driving the backhoe said he knew nothing about it, then called his supervisor who also knew nothing about it. The resident managed to get him to not break the dam at the lookout, but he then travelled further up the trail – where the residents were sure he was breaking another dam. The next day, sure enough, the dam at the lookout was broken. The young man would have probably done this on his way back when residents were no longer present.
Donna DuBreuil, Co-Founder and President of the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre emphatically stated a few weeks ago, “that we should not see any dam breaking”! And more recently, she shared that this issue at the Goulbourn Wetlands should be made public to inform residents that the City is not following through with what Council had passed in the New Wildlife Strategy.
Ottawa was once covered by vast wetlands, but they have been steadily replaced and filled, by farm fields, quarries and housing developments. The Goulbourn Wetland Complex is one of few remaining.
In June of 2024, the City of Ottawa committed to an updated New Wildlife Strategy which reflects modern-day practices to co-exist with wildlife in our City. How do the same old neanderthal practices of breaking dams and trapping beavers reflect modern-day practices to co-exist with wildlife?
At a lead-up to approval of the New Wildlife Strategy by City of Ottawa Council, a joint meeting of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs and Environment and Climate Change Committees heard from various interest groups who made presentations and expressed their concerns with the new Strategy – especially for the lack of protection of beavers.
At the joint meeting, Nick Stow, City Program Manager of Natural Systems stated, “We’re really constrained by the restrictions that the provincial regulations put upon us regarding the relocation of wildlife.” “The province restricts where you can relocate wildlife. There’s a distance restriction, and for beavers in particular that restriction makes it impractical for us to relocate.”
Also, last June a motion was approved for an Advisory Committee to be formed, which would be comprised of representatives from environmental and wildlife organizations and the community. This group was supposed to meet regularly twice a year and monitor the actions of the City to ensure that those actions are in keeping with the New Wildlife Strategy.
Void of knowledge shared by the city to the public, residents want to know if this Advisory Committee has yet to be formed?
If what we observed on the TCT this past week is any indication, we urgently need this committee now to make sure that the City is actually committed to modern-day practices which co-exist with wildlife.
I am a member of The Friends of Stittsville Wetlands and appalled that this protection for beavers, that was promised, is again compromised. The beavers are of great interest to people when they are seen. Why isn’t the city following through on their promise! I am very angry and upset with what happened.
You should consider forwarding your comments to Councillor Gower: glen.gower@ottawa.ca
Any response from Councillor Gower? Or Nick Stow?
It can happen that the right hand at the City doesn’t know what the left hand is doing leading to this type of horrendous outcome. Next time anyone sees this sort of thing happen, they should call the councillor’s office asap, i.e. before the damage is done. Gower’s office has some power to call off the backhoe until things can be checked out and staff can be told this is against the City’s policy.
I’m not surprised the backhoe operator and his immediate supervisor didn’t know they weren’t supposed to be doing this. We can’t expect everyone at the City to be on top of all the issues there. I suppose that young man can’t be blamed for doing what he was sent out there to do that day. He should have done more though to verify that he was in the right. Calling his superviso,r who is a) probably not very far up the food chain and b) unlikely to know much City business besides dispatching staff according to work orders he’s been given, did not take this far enough.
When a resident tells you you’re making a mistake, you should actually ensure that you’re not in the wrong before proceeding. If you’re right, you can always come back tomorrow.
I am concerned about the ongoing work by the city to harm this important wetland. The city’s manager of Natural Systems says they can’t relocate beavers because of provincial regulations. Well, why would you want to relocate beavers in the first place, given their crucial role in maintaining our rapidly disappearing wetlands? And, why has this provincially significant wetland been turned into a municipal drain? The lack of environmental understanding and leadership on the part of the City of Ottawa is something that must change.
Lynda Cronin
It doesn’t really protect a lot. I have already sent messages to my councillor about the amount of transport traffic on Stittsville Main and Huntley Road and up Fernbank. I was told that it is a Stittsville problem because the place they are all going is to a huge storage facility on Fernbank just after the West Ridge subdivision that stores transport trailers, cars, home items, etc. It has ripped out a very large amount of wetland and trees and increased the amount of traffic in that area more than 100x. I feel sorry for the people living in that section of Fernbank because the traffic where it passes my house appears to be almost 24/7. But the wetlands and animal habitat there, gone. I didn’t even know the place existed until the last couple of months when the truck traffic increased.