In preparation for the upcoming Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) Case Management Conference regarding the proposed Lépine development in Innes Ward, I have been talking to the City of Ottawa’s legal team that will representing the City at the Tribunal. In these conversations, they flagged to me that my having official status at the Tribunal may have unforeseen repercussions on their case. While it is my intent to participate solely as a representative of the community and represent its concerns at the Tribunal, the legal team explained that in front of the Tribunal, I would ultimately be unable to separate myself from my role as the City Councillor and may bring into question the City having two separate representatives in the same case.
While I have always been committed to ensuring that the community’s concerns were heard directly, I cannot in good conscience do anything that could hurt the City’s case as the primary opposition to the development as proposed. With that in mind, I have withdrawn my request seeking status at the upcoming LPAT Case Management Conference regarding the Lépine Groupe development.
City staff have consistently supported the community’s position, that this project as proposed is an incredibly poor fit for the existing community and should not proceed.
Though I will no longer be attending the Tribunal as a separate party, I will be working with the City’s team to ensure that all of the concerns that were raised to me, whether at the townhall meetings, emails to my office, or in-person conversations I have had with many of you, are heard loud and clear by the Tribunal.
