The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) invited the Crystal Beach Lakeview Community Association to send two delegates to their first National Capital Region Greenbelt Forum held Saturday February 21 at the Museum of Nature. Kate Twiss and Ian McConnachie attended.

NCC Greenbelt Master Plan

It’s an important year for the Greenbelt. The National Capital Commission is reviewing the Canada’s Capital Greenbelt Master Plan. (The NCC says that they will be seeking public input on the vision for the future of the Greenbelt beginning in 2026. To stay informed about each phase of public engagement, you can sign up for NCC newsletters.)

Agenda

CPAWS wants the Greenbelt to be Canada’s next national urban park, and the intent of the forum was to stimulate discussion of that idea. “Imagine a 220 km² National Urban Park within 15 minutes of Parliament Hill: a symbol to the world of Canada’s commitment to conservation innovation. Granting National Urban Park status to the Greenbelt means protecting forests and wetlands, giving a home to countless animals at risk of losing their habitat and a commitment to climate action.”

The program fell roughly into four sections: Background, Protect, Connect and Restore.

Background

Dr. David Gordon (From Green Belt to Green Heart) 

Kelly McRae and Michelle Prévost-Bisson (NCC presentation)

Protect

Maggie Hanna, CPAWS (The National Capital Greenbelt Campaign)

Paul Lemoine (Parks Canada’s National Urban Parks Program: An Overview)

Connect

Dr. Richard Pither (The Importance of Ecological Connectivity for Supporting Biodiversity Within and Beyond the Greenbelt)

Mapping and Discussion Activity: with questions such as Identify a place in the Greenbelt that you visit most often of feel most connected to Why is that place important to you?

Restore

Kate MacNeil, Ottawa Carleton Wildlife Centre, (Mobilizing the Community to Protect and Celebrate the Greenbelt)

Jeremy Colbeck (Farming the Greenbelt: When Agriculture Becomes Conservation)

Our takeaway?

It was great to spend an afternoon with people we recognized and had worked with from so many groups—the Ottawa Carleton Wildlife Centre, Federation of Citizens’ Associations, Greenspace Alliance, Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability—people who just care about the Greenbelt.

Crystal Beach Lakeview is pretty much surrounded by green space, mostly Greenbelt, and that green space shapes the character of our community and our quality of life. The community association will be very involved this year in following up with CPAWS and the NCC’s Greenbelt Master Plan review.