Latest news with #AOO
Ottawa Citizen
20-06-2025
- General
- Ottawa Citizen
Meness: Tewin development signals a return for Algonquin people
There is a troubling tendency in this city to speak of reconciliation as a principle to be applauded, but not lived. Too often, Indigenous ambition is mistaken for overreach, and Indigenous vision dismissed as inconvenience. The Tewin project — slated for land southeast of the urban core — has been drawn into this recurring pattern, and it's time to break the cycle. Article content Article content Let's be clear: Tewin is not a conventional development. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Algonquin people to reclaim space, purpose and visibility in a capital that was built on our unceded territory — territory that includes the traditional lands of Grand Chief Pierre Louis Constant Pinesi. Article content Article content A respected leader in the early 19th century, Chief Pinesi allied with the British during the War of 1812, leading Algonquin warriors more than 500 kilometres to help defend what is now Canada. His family's traditional hunting grounds spanned what we now call Ottawa: roughly 1,800 sq. km. bordered by the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers and extending south to Kemptville. These were not just lands; they were lifeways, relationships, ecosystems and stories. Article content Before roads and farms, this was a living landscape: forested, biodiverse and travelled by birchbark canoe in summer and by snowshoe in winter. But waves of settlers soon transformed these lands, cutting forests, killing off game, building towns. Despite his loyalty and repeated petitions to the Crown, Chief Pinesi never saw recognition of Algonquin land rights. No treaty was signed. The land was taken: settled without consent, logged without compensation, governed without representation. Article content Article content Tewin is a response to that legacy. It is rooted in Algonquin values, designed around sustainability, and is a true partnership where Indigenous people have a seat at the table. It is not urban sprawl; it is a deliberate, planned community grounded in the internationally recognized One Planet Living framework. It will be compact, connected and climate-conscious, built with environmental sensitivity and long-term infrastructure planning. Article content Still, some residents and City of Ottawa councillors continue to cast doubt on the project's legitimacy, or on the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) themselves, many of whom are direct descendants of Grand Chief Pinesi. That is not a policy critique; it is a microaggression. It echoes the long, tired refrain that not only must we justify ourselves, but now we must justify our presence in our own lands.
Ottawa Citizen
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
‘It's not too late': city councillor wants to stop Tewin expansion plans
A city councillor wants council to revisit its 2021 decision to bring Tewin lands into Ottawa's urban boundary, a move she says was rushed, costly and based on lack of consultation with indigenous communities. Article content Article content Coun. Theresa Kavanagh recently introduced a motion to reverse the 2021 decision that brought the Taggart Group and Algonquins of Ontario-led development into Ottawa. She later withdrew the motion, citing the absence of a representative from Osgoode ward, where the project will be built. Kavanagh said she would reintroduce the motion when the Osgoode seat is filled. Article content Article content Kavanagh said the development was originally rejected by city planning staff because it didn't meet the city's planning priorities and was too far away and isolated. Article content Article content 'The clay soil is usually problematic, and it would cost a lot of money to put in infrastructure and transit to such an area,' she said. Article content Tom Ledgley, coordinator at Horizon Ottawa, said that while more housing is needed in the city, Tewin is not the way to do it. Article content 'We definitely don't disagree that more housing needs to be built,' he said. 'But this is not a dense housing development. It's not happening near existing services. And there aren't really many strong promises about this being like deeply affordable housing.' Article content In a written statement by Taggart, they said that Tewin 'is being planned to evolve alongside new investments in public infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and transit.' Article content Article content 'As growth occurs, services and amenities will be phased in to support residents with access to employment, education, healthcare, and recreation, all within a walkable, transit-ready urban fabric.' Article content Article content The statement added that Tewin is in response to 'Ottawa's housing supply pressures.' Article content Kavanagh also raised concerns about how the project was framed as a partnership with First Nations. Article content 'This project claimed it was working in conjunction with First Nations. And it turned out that this was bogus,' she said. 'The true First Nations representatives were very angry and have always been opposed to Tewin.' Article content Article content The Tewin development is a joint venture between the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) and the Taggart Group, a private Ottawa-based developer. When the project was first introduced, it was promoted by some councillors and city officials as an act of reconciliation, citing the involvement of the AOO.
