Rural Summit Emphasizes the Importance of Ottawa’s Rural Component

“What’s good for rural Ottawa is good for all of Ottawa,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe in a tone-setting statement at the City of Ottawa’s 2024 Rural Summit held Sat., Nov. 2 at Sir Robert Borden.

“This is the start of a new chapter for rural Ottawa.”

The City of Ottawa hosted its second ever Rural Summit at Sir Robert Borden High School Sat. Nov. 2. It was the second Rural Summit hosted by the city since the province turned the 11 municipalities that formed the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton into the largest geographical city in Canada in 2001.

“There isn’t any other city like Ottawa in the country,” Sutcliffe said. “We have such a significant rural component to our city. Toronto doesn’t have that. Montreal doesn’t have that. Vancouver doesn’t have that. Calgary and Edmonton don’t have that. And those five cities can all fit inside Ottawa. That’s how big Ottawa is.”

The first Rural Summit took place 17 years ago, but the circumstances were different. There was a strong movement in the mid-to-late 2000s for the former rural townships to de-amalgamate and form Carleton County. The movement had the support of newly elected Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod, and soon-to-be-elected Ontario Landowner Association activists Randy Hillier and Jack McLaren.

While the 2007 Rural Summit was intended to squash the separation movement and let rural Ottawa know that the city was listening to their concerns, it was a one-and-done. Promises of future Rural Summit events that were to take place in every political term never happened.

In the spring, the city hosted six workshops throughout rural Ottawa to give rural residents a chance to give feedback and identify their concerns. The city also issued a survey that had 1,200 responses. Over 250 ideas came into the city over email. More than 1,000 comments were recorded at the six workshops, and more than 450 local residents attended.

“That’s tremendous,” said Rideau-Jock Councillor David Brown. “If you’re an elected official, you typically only hear from folks who aren’t happy. In a lot of these workshops we heard from people who wanted to provide positive solutions that they face on a continuing basis.”

Sutcliffe grew up closer to the city in Ottawa, but spent a lot of time in the rural areas both growing up, and later in his professional career. He spent a lot of time broadcasting with CFRA from the city’s rural fairs. As he was beginning his career as a journalist, one of the first newspapers he occasionally wrote for was the Manotick Messenger.

He also mentioned that his inlaws live in rural Ottawa and his family spends a lot of time in rural Ottawa.

“Rural communities make up a significant part of our population, and farming and agriculture are a huge part of our local economy,” Sutcliffe said.

Sutcliffe said he was working to ensure that the city does not put the same solutions in place for rural residents and villages that it does for urban and suburban communities. He outlined 10 areas where he said the city was “committed to providing rural solutions for rural residents.” He emphasized that there would be no city vs. rural competition for funding.

1.Water Rate Review and Ditching Improvements. The city intends to double the rural ditching and drainage budget in 2025.

2.Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee – The city will be given ARAC more decision-making power on rural matters.

3.Enhancing the Rural Affairs Office – The city intends to increase resources in the city’s Rural Affairs Office, and to add a rural lead in each office. This change will go into effect January 2025.

4. Improving Rural Paramedic Response – The city is exploring a new deployment location and enhancing the offload daily backlog.

5.Dedicated Rural Programs for Integration Signals – The city will establish a stand-alone list for rural specific integration signals and eliminate rural-urban competition for funding.

6.Rural Lens Infrastructure – The city is moving away from one-size-fits-all model to address diverse rural needs.

7.Streamline Planning for Rural Applications – The city will be delegating authority for minor rezoning applications to ARAC.

8.Develop a Balanced Rural Growth Strategy – The city is committed to protecting the unique character of its villages while allowing for thoughtful development.

9.Advocation for Rural Properties with the Province – The city will advocate formal recognition of Ottawa as a rural city. We are a city that has a huge rural component.

10.Commitment to the Next Rural Summit – A Rural Summit will be held within the first two years of the next election. With the election planned for 2026, the next Rural Summit is expected to take place in 2026 or 2027.

Sutcliffe campaigned heavily in rural Ottawa before the 2022 election, and was in the rural wards more than any other mayoral candidate.

“I made a promise during the 2022 election campaign that I would be the mayor for all of Ottawa, not just downtown Ottawa,” he said. “That was very important to me as a candidate for mayor.  I made a commitment to rural residents that their needs would not be ignored at City Hall. Since I got the job, that’s been one of my biggest priorities.

Osgoode Councillor and Agricultre and Rural Affairs Committee Chair George Darouze said he was “very happy” with the increase in power for ARAC. “What happens at the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee impacts our daily life. We don’t want to see urban design in a rural setting.”

Darouze said that rural communities were struggling with a reduction in amenities and services.

“We’re losing our banking. We’re losing our businesses. We’re losing our schools. We are losing so many amenities for our communities,” Darouze said. “To strike the right balanced, we need to make sure that those villages are looked at in a different lens.”

Darouze added that all villages have unique and specific needs.

“Each one of the communities have different characteristics and a different way of living,” he said. “We want to make sure to be very sensitive to the communities and make sure that we look at each of the villages one by one to address their needs.”

Featured Image: Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and the city’s rural councillors hosted the 2024 Ottawa Rural Summit Nov. 2.