The City of Ottawa is pressing ahead with its bid to purchase a privately owned landfill in the city’s east end, amid community concerns, strict confidentiality rules, and growing concerns about Ontario’s dwindling landfill capacity.
The 475-acre Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre (CRRRC), the first and only landfill approved in Ontario in more than 20 years, is currently for sale through a competitive bidding process.
City officials say securing the site could shape Ottawa’s long-term waste strategy for decades.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who addressed council following an in-camera session Nov 21., emphasized that the public’s frustration is understandable but that the core issue is ownership, not land use.
“The decision is not around whether the site will be a landfill,” Sutcliffe said. “It is already going to be a landfill and no matter who buys it, it will operate as a landfill.”
He stressed that the process is constrained by a legally binding non-disclosure agreement with the seller, Taggart Miller Environmental Services.
“The city is bound by a non-disclosure agreement by the seller of this property,” he said.
“The material contained in the report is as much as permitted for us to discuss today. I know that members of the public have questions… about many aspects of this transaction.”
Sutcliffe added that ownership would allow the city, rather than a private operator or another municipality, to determine how the landfill is run.
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“If we purchase, we can choose how to process it, operate it, what waste we want to accept and when we want to accept it,” he said.
“We can make sure the facility is operated properly while respecting the environment and surrounding communities.”
According to city staff, acquiring the CRRRC is a “rare, strategic opportunity,” since landfill proposals can take up to 15 years to obtain provincial approval and Ontario’s remaining landfill capacity is projected to run out in less than a decade.
The CRRRC already holds all major approvals and permits, including over 10 million cubic metres of airspace, authorization to receive up to 450,000 tonnes of waste annually, and approval to accept residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, and construction waste.
The permits also include on-site processing approvals including anaerobic digestion, contaminated soil treatment, surplus soil management, and leaf-and-yard waste composting
If acquired, these approvals would transfer to the city immediately.
City officials argue that ownership would reduce reliance on private landfills and give Ottawa up to 30 years of permitted landfill capacity.
However, residents of Carlsbad Springs, a community nearest to the site, say the bid is raising concerns.
During council meeting, questions raised by residents were brought up following the discussion surrounding ownership; Many of which surrounded long raised alarms about the landfill’s proximity to an aquifer.
Other points like truck traffic, neighborhood character, and declining property values were also mentioned.
Even with those concerns, the city maintains the bid is about future flexibility, not closing the door on other waste solutions.
Sutcliffe reiterated that even advanced waste-to-energy systems require a landfill because they eliminate only about 70 per cent of waste.
“If the city does become owner of the property, we can still operate an incinerator or another waste-to-energy solution,” he said. “So purchasing this property does not preclude that option.”
The Mayor noted that if Ottawa does not purchase the CRRRC, officials warn the site could be used to dispose of waste imported from across the province.
Sutcliffe also acknowledged frustrations around secrecy but said confidentiality is standard for major municipal transactions.
“Our duty is to ensure safe disposal of waste in the city and with as much transparency as possible,” he said.
“The acquisition prices are only shared with council and the public once all transactions have closed.”
He noted that despite the restrictions, the city chose to hold a public committee meeting on the matter, to discuss what was allowed within the bounds of the NDA.
If the city is successful in its bid, more rounds of public consultation will occur as part of the Solid Waste Master Plan process.
Ottawa’s existing Trail Road Landfill is expected to reach capacity within 10–15 years.
With the city’s population projected to hit 1.5 million by 2053, Sutcliffe says the CRRRC purchase must be evaluated through the lens of long-term need.
One thing is for certain, the deal “has to be the right deal for taxpayers and must respect the concerns of residents,” he said.
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