Derek Baldwin
Published Feb 13, 2023
City council struck down a second reading of a bylaw in an 8-1 recorded vote Monday quashing a $3 million purchase by the municipality of an 8.4-acre parcel from developers of Osprey Shores at the former Bakelite plastics industrial property.

Council immediately cast another 8-1 recorded vote rejecting an accompanying bylaw calling for the proposed transfer of two adjacent wetlands set to be donated to the city by the developer on both sides of the 8.4 parcel of remediated land and pond at the Dundas Street East site.

Coun. Tyler Allsopp was the lone dissenting vote cast.

The decisions followed Coun. Paul Carr asking for recorded votes on both bylaws.

The eleventh-hour upset negates a resolution by council in principle last year by the city with Osprey Shores developers Bernie Ouellette, Jerry DiRocco and Ian Brady who are proposing to construct a residential subdivision on the former Bakelite properties.

In council deliberations Monday, Carr reiterated the same argument he made at the July 25 council meeting last year insisting it made no sense for the city spend money for lands and a stormwater pond that would be gifted to the municipality as is often done in other developments.

Speaking to city Bylaw 2023-30 proposing the purchase, Carr said, “I believe this particular property is an unnecessary purchase for the city. There were conditions included in the offer. One of the conditions was the proposed area would be necessary for stormwater management.”

“As we heard from the CAO at the time, this land would become de facto city property without any cost and I just don’t think this is a prudent use of taxpayers’ money.”

As for city Bylaw 2023-31 calling for the transfer of two donated parcels to the city, Carr noted, “these are both regulated lands and will remain regulated regardless of ownership. In other words, the city owning these particular lands will not provide any added protection than the protection that was already there, so the environment and the species there are being protected so I consider this as an unnecessary property acquisition and ask for a recorded vote as well.”

Allsopp disagreed, adding, “this is something I still support today, I think it’s important to add these lands in as recreational lands along the waterfront and to allow public access through the development. I would like to see us continue with the purchase.”

Coun. Garnet Thompson asked before the recorded votes if turning down the lands would scrub plans to extend the Shirley Langer Trail eastward into the properties in question.

Rod Bovay, city CAO, said development of the 25-acre subdivision would include a trail in any event.

“The trail as engineering has looked at now would be developed in conjunction with the subdivision as part of the road allowance. So, a multi-use trail would be along the most southerly road within that subdivision tying into the Shirley Langer Trail allowing it to cross those lands,” Bovay informed council.