Arnprior residents gearing up for battle over old-growth forest

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In recent days, the town of Arnprior has become littered with lawn signs: Save the Grove Again.

The first battle over Gillies Grove and its mammoth towering white pines — among the tallest in Ontario — ended in 2001 when the Nature Conservancy of Canada completed the purchase of the slice of old-growth forest, a rare remnant of what once blanketed the region, with some trees more a century old.

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But fans of the Grove are girding for another battle after eight hectares of adjacent land, including a small portion of the Grove and frontage on the Ottawa River, was sold to Cavanagh Communities for development. The company’s senior vice-president Pierre Dufresne said he can’t comment at this time because the agreement is still in the due diligence stage. That ends Sept. 16 at 5 p.m.

“This is a rare ecosystem not just here, it’s a rare ecosystem globally,” said Lacey Smith, the chair of the Save Gillies Grove Again committee. “It’s near and dear to our hearts in Arnprior. But it’s a bigger issue than just one small town.”

Gillies Grove itself can’t be sold. But members of the group argue that there’s a portion of old-growth forest on the southwestern edge of the property acquired by Cavanagh.

Developing the land will chip away at the Grove, destroy water flow into seasonal ponds and undermine the integrity of the old-growth forest, they argue.

To thrive, the forest needs to be able to keep expanding into the open space that is part of the development purchase, said Smith.

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“If a forest doesn’t have anywhere to expand, it will gradually die.”

The Grove and its surrounding lands have a convoluted and contentious history.

Once part of a large estate estate owned by the McLachlin lumbering family, the land was divided and the Grove was sold to a rival, David Gillies, who commissioned a grand Colonial Revival-style house on the Ottawa River in 1937.

The Gillies land was acquired by the English Oblates of Eastern Canada in 1986. (In an ironic twist, the staunch Protestant Gillies family had envisioned their house and grounds as a home for retired United Church ministers. But the church declined the gift and the estate was then acquired by the Catholic Oblates.)  

Gillies Grove was designated a national historic site in 1993. That decade saw a battle to preserve the Grove from housing development, with almost half a million dollars raised, much of that by the community. In 2001, the Nature Conservancy of Canada completed the purchase of the property.

The Oblates of Mary Immaculate announced plans to sell land adjacent to the Grove in September 2023. The board of directors of the Galilee Centre, a retreat on the land, made a proposal to the Oblates last October to keep the parcel of land where the retreat centre sits, with the remainder of the land to be sold separately.

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According to a statement from the Galilee Centre, Gillies Grove is legally protected from any building development, now and in the future — but the privately owned land purchased by Cavanagh Communities is not part of the Grove.

According to the Galilee statement, many conversations were held with major stakeholders in Arnprior between September 2023 and March 2024, including discussions with the Arnprior Hospital, which is located next to the Galilee lands.

“None of the conversations resulted in either land purchase agreements or financial donations that would result in Galilee Centre being able to continue its operations,” according to the Galilee Centre.

“Only after all these conversations were exhausted did the board of Galilee Centre decide to reach out to developers in March 2024. Cavanagh Communities was the successful purchaser.”

According to the Galilee Centre, the Nature Conservancy of Canada sent an email in September 2023, expressing its interest in purchasing “portions of the property near Gillies Grove.”

The option was considered, but it was determined that it would not provide sufficient money to continue the operations of the retreat centre, according to Galilee. “No follow-up from the Nature Conservancy of Canada presenting other options was made between September and March.”

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In a letter to residents dated Friday, Arnprior Mayor Lisa McGee said the purchase and sale of the lands is currently a civil matter between the two parties.

“There are currently no planning applications submitted regarding the development of the Galilee Centre lands,” said McGee. “This means that at this time there is no way to make comments on a specific application.”

Meanwhile, any significant development of the site would require an environmental impact study, stormwater management report and plans, servicing study and plans and traffic impact study, she said.

What happens next may be a complicated process, governed by provincial legislation and policies, as well as the town of Arnprior’s official plan and policies.

When an application is received, the requirements for a public meeting, options for public comments and appeal rights differ by application type. Arnprior will give a minimum 20-day notice of a public meeting to get comments from the public, said McGee.

Once a decision is made, a notice of decision will be sent to anyone who requests one in writing. After that notice is issued, there’s a 20-day appeal period for individuals authorized under the Planning Act, which may not include members of the Save the Grove group.

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“I want to highlight that it is a provincial act that determines what application types require public meetings and which ones can be appealed,” she said. “While the community does have a say in development applications, staff and council are required by provincial legislation to make decisions that are consistent with the Planning Act and Provincial Policy Statement.”

In cases of future development, provincial policies generally support development, said McGee.

The town of Arnprior is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, but it doesn’t have much developable land left because it is hemmed in by the neighbouring township of McNab/Braeside to the west and south, Ottawa to the east and the Ottawa River to the north. 

“There are always concerns in terms of what intensification would look like,” said McGee, who acknowledged the importance of the Grove to Arnprior residents.

“It’s an absolute crown jewel in our community. I myself live less than two blocks from it.”

Smith said she has lived in Arnprior for five years and is on the property almost every day. “Community use of the space is sacred. It has been that way for generations,” she said.

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“It’s steeped in history,” said Dave Joy, a member of Save the Grove Again. “Once the asphalt is down and the houses are up, it will be lost forever.”

The goal of Save the Grove Again is to prevent any development on the Galilee land, said Joy.

“It’s understood we’re the underdogs here and the chances are pretty slim. But we have to give it the old college try.”

Galilee said it has always aspired to be a good community partner and corporate citizen.

“The lands owned by Galilee Centre are private lands. However, Galilee Centre has generously allowed some public use of our private lands for walking, hiking, tennis and community gardens over the years.”

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