Rideau Corridor Landscape Character

Assessment Project

Collaborating to protect

Ontario’s UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ontario East Municipal Conference

12 September 2012

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Rideau Canal

•Ottawa to Kingston

•202 km long waterway

•19 km of canal cut

•47 Locks

•24 Lockstations

•74 Dams

•12 Swing bridges

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Construction 1826-

1831

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Changing Use

Recreation

Defence

Transport

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The Rideau Canal Corridor –

A Unique Heritage Region

• National Historic Site of Canada 1925

• Canadian Heritage River 2000

• UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 2002

• UNESCO World Heritage Site 2007

• National Geographic Society 2008

• Google World Wonder 2012

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Why a World Heritage Site?

• …best preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America demonstrating European slackwater technology on a large scale.

• …only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that remains operational along its original line with most original structures intact.

• …a canal used for a military purpose linked to a significant stage in human history – the fight to control the north of the American continent.

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What does World Heritage Site

designation mean?

• Inscribed property

• Buffer zone

• Setting

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Lockstations 8

Defensible

Structures 9

World Heritage Recommendation

• “that following the completion of the study of the visual setting of the canal, consideration is given to strengthening its visual protection outside the buffer zone, in order to ensure the visual values of the setting are protected alongside environmental values.”

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Landscape setting 11

Landscape setting

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Landscape setting 13

Towards A New Vision –

The Rideau Corridor Landscape

Strategy • A coordinated, strategic approach is

needed to ensure:

• Strong, sustainable communities

• Conservation of the unique

character of the Canal Corridor

• Realization of economic

potential for Ontario‟s only World

Heritage Site

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Challenges

New/Continuing Development

Pressure

• Residential

• Houses, condos, cottages, subdivisions

• Commercial

• Large facilities

• Retail, hotels, trailer parks, etc.

• Energy production

• Wind and solar farms

• Infrastructure

• New bridge crossings and

transit tunnel

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The Rideau Corridor Landscape

Strategy: Working Together

• Challenges • Fragmented government

jurisdictions and processes: municipal, provincial, federal, private interests

• Need for a common understanding of key values and opportunities

• How to “get it right,” balancing economic development and the conservation of key values

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Working Together

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Working Together • Provincial ministries (8+) and 2 conservation authorities

responsible for land use planning, natural environment,

cultural heritage, mining activity, transportation, agriculture,

water quality and tourism

• Federal agencies (3+) with responsibility for federal lands

(Parks Canada, National Capital Commission, Department of

National Defence)

• Many active not-for-profit organizations, citizens groups

and countless private property owners and businesses

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The Strategy

2009 - present

• Meetings with municipalities, provincial ministries, conservation authorities, NCC, Aboriginal communities and other partners

• Rideau Landscape Forum on April 2009 in Kemptville – over 130 people from a wide range of organizations across the Rideau Corridor

• Municipal Forum in September 2009 to discuss governance model

• On-water meetings with key partners to share information on landscape values, opportunities and challenges

• Rideau Canal “Forum for the Future” in November 2009 19

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Governance Structure

STEERING COMMITTEE

Technical

Advisory

Group(s)

Other

Advisory Groups

(as required)

S

E

C

R

E

T

A

R

I

A

T

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Governance Structure

Steering Committee (28 members):

Chairperson & Vice (elected by committee members)

13 Municipal Reps (elected officials or planners)

3 County Reps (elected officials or planners)

2 Conservation Authorities

1 Provincial Rep

6 First Nations Reps

1 National Capital Commission Rep

1 Parks Canada Rep

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Planners…an invaluable resource

• Planners and local

organizations are invaluable

Eastern Ontario resources

• Planners work in municipalities

and most public agencies

• Well trained

• Know the system, the players

and the issues

• Know their community

• Experienced collaborators

• Understand landscape

character

• Trusted by the public

and elected officials

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Work To Date Planners Technical Advisory Group as the project developers and primary advisors to the Steering Committee

• Corridor-wide planning

policies and regulations

• Encouraged „world heritage

sites‟ to be noted in PPS

• Work Plan

• Scoping-out Landscape

Character

• Implementation Challenges

• Digital Mapping

• Input to RFP for Landscape

Character Assessment 24

Landscape Character

• Understanding the Corridor

• The forces of change

• Understanding landscape character

• International Best Practices

• Characterization and values

• Preference testing

• Assessing impacts of change

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Implementation Challenges

• Rank planning and management tools for long term conservation

• Input from the public and stakeholders (most of the property adjacent to the Rideau Canal is privately owned)

• Select best option for local implementation

• Indicators, methods and frequency of monitoring change

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Description

1988 Ontario Base Mapping

Watersheds and subwatersheds

Conservation Areas, Source Water

Municipal boundaries

Physiography of Southern Ontario

Bedrock Geology

Bedrock Elevation: OGS

Surficial Geology

Depth of Overburden / Drift (OGS)

Soils: 2008

Evaluated Wetlands: 2008

Woodlands: 2007

Land Cover, 2007

Stream Network

Constructed (Municipal) Drains

Road Network eastern Ontario

Agricultural lands

Streams and rivers

Constructed Drains (Municipal Drains)

Railways

Pathways and trails

Bridges, communication towers

Municipal parks,

Provincial parks

Waterbodies

Federal Parks

Urban and village areas

Building Foot Print

Impervious areas

fences

river recreation areas

Areas of Natural Interest

Tile Drains

Airports

Concession

Settlements

utility lines

towers

Bedrock Geology

Surficial Geology

Bedrock topography

Drift / depth of overburden

Physiography

solris

WRIP stream network

Indian Reserve

Rideau Canal Locks

Rideau Canal Waterway

Location or Feature Name

Elevation

Digital Mapping

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Selecting the

Right Consultant

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• Dillon Consulting working through 2012

• Selection of best implementation tools

• May lead to further studies or site specific

projects

• Report back to UNESCO by July 2013

• Success in looking at the Rideau collectively and

holistically

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• Provide clarity, certainty and transparency in planning processes to decision makers, property owners and other stakeholders

• Serve as a foundation for cooperation between First Nations, municipal, provincial, federal governments and stakeholders

• Raise awareness about the values of the Rideau Canal Corridor and promote new ways of thinking about development

More Information

www.pc.gc.ca/rideau

www.RCLS-SACR.ca

rideaucanal-info@pc.gc.ca

613-283-5170

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