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RURAL RESIDENTS · Since 2001, Ottawa’s rural population has grown faster than the city’s...
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Transcript of RURAL RESIDENTS · Since 2001, Ottawa’s rural population has grown faster than the city’s...
Diversity Snapshot RURAL RESIDENTS — Equity and Inclusion Lens
A City for Everyone — 2
1. Who we are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Contributions we make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. Barriers and inequities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1) Access to information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2) Urban perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3) Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4) Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5) Access to services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6) Infrastructure priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
7) Changing character of rural areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
8) Land use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. We envision – a rural-friendly city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
What can I do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5. Council Mandates and legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6. What’s happening in Ottawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7. Relevant practices in other cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8. Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
This document is one of 11 Diversity Snapshots that serve as background information to aid the City of Ottawa and its partners in implementing the Equity and Inclusion Lens. To access, visit Ozone or contact us at [email protected].
Ottawa has the largest rural area of any city in Canada. Eighty per cent of the city is made up of rural area, with ten per cent of Ottawa’s population living
there. Amalgamation has brought changes in the ways that our communities are organized, goods and services are delivered and the land is used.
D i v e r s i t y S n a p s h o t RURAL RESIDENTS
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1. Who we are
Ottawa has the largest rural area of any city in Canada. 80 per cent of the city is made up of rural area, with ten per cent of Ottawa’s population living there (City of Ottawa, Ottawa Counts). Some of us live in densely populated villages (42 per cent), while others choose to live in isolated communities (53 per cent) and a small number of us live on farms (5 per cent) (City of Ottawa 2004).
Some of us are established farmers or “estate lot” residents… others are village residents, and some others live in the new low-income housing developments. For those of us dedicated to agriculture, our lives are closely linked to the agricultural cycles. Our social life, work, interaction with neighbours, and the time and capacity to engage in community initiatives or City activities are largely determined by these cycles.
In recent years, more of us are migrating from the urban and suburban areas in search of a quieter lifestyle and closeness to nature. The east end of the city has traditionally had a significant Francophone presence, whereas the west and south ends have been mostly Anglophone.
The character of the rural areas has changed over the past generation from the predominantly agricultural, closely-knit communities to a more diverse group of residents. The amalgamation of the City of Ottawa has brought changes in the ways that our communities are organized, goods and services are delivered and the land is used. The diversity of our communities is expanding as urban in-migration increases.
Those of us who are youth often face lack of local part-time jobs in rural areas; we have to look for opportunities in the urban areas and face difficulties finding transportation to and from work, school and social activities. As women in rural areas, we are more likely to experience isolation, face conservative views or experience difficulties accessing services. Those of us who
IN OTTAWA
Since amalgamation in 2001, Ottawa has become the fourth-largest city in Canada.
Since 2001, Ottawa’s rural population has grown faster than the city’s overall average growth (8.5 per cent vs. 6.5 per cent).
Residents in each population group living in rural areas: ~ 13.9 per cent of Aboriginal peoples ~ 12.8 per cent of Francophones;~ 10.5 per cent of people with
disabilities~ 4.2 per cent of visible minorities ~ 3.3 per cent of recent immigrants.
Rural Ottawa includes the geographic townships of Fitzroy, Huntley, Torbolton, Marlborough, North Gower, Osgoode, rural Goulbourn, and rural parts of the former cities of Kanata, Nepean, Cumberland and Gloucester.
Manotick, Richmond, and Greely account for 40 per cent of the population of all the rural villages.
Roughly 43 per cent of the rural area’s land is farmland.
Ottawa has greater farming revenue than Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary combined.
As many as 10,000 jobs in Ottawa’s overall economy are associated with agriculture.
There are 16 industrial parks in rural Ottawa
(City of Ottawa 2004; SPC 2008-b; City of Ottawa; City of Ottawa)
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are visible minorities face lack of culturally appropriate services, and a long commute to access these services. Those of us who are members of the GLBT community face cultural and social barriers, deal with isolation, confront traditional views, and lack services, much more so than those living in the urban area.
Some of us question whether Ottawa’s political leaders take our views and lived realities into account. Many of us lack basic services such as child care, social services and programs, medical facilities, grocery stores and pharmacies.
2. Contributions we make
As rural residents, we contribute to our city in many ways. Volunteerism and participation in the community is an integral part of our life. We offer a wide range of tourism and recreational activities that are unique to rural areas. Heritage buildings and museums, provincial parks, mazes in cornfields, horseback-riding ranches, and pumpkin patch rides are some examples. Four rural villages Carp, Navan, Metcalfe and Richmond) hold annual fairs, attracting many people from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Rural areas are also a destination for those who wish to escape the urban environment and enjoy the green space in rural Ottawa.
Our work contributes to the overall health of Ottawa. Farmers’ markets offer a supply of locally grown food, providing a fresh alternative to food transported to Ottawa from afar. Savour Ottawa Initiative connects Ottawa-area farmers with local farmers’ markets, restaurants and grocery stores.
The rural communities have developed, in partnership with the City, a creative model to provide services to the community. This hybrid model combines City-based resources and the local resources and venues, volunteer commitment, and the strong sense of ownership from community groups and organizations. Some examples include fire stations serviced by volunteer firefighters and one full-time paid Chief; recreation facilities managed by a volunteer board with the support from one City employee; the use of private swimming pools for lessons staffed by City employees; and the use of facilities built and maintained by community associations.
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3. Barriers and inequities
1) Access to informationAs a result of the Rural Summits in 2005 and 2008, the City has made an effort to provide Internet access to rural areas – to date, 95 per cent of rural residents have access. However, access to information is still a barrier faced by many rural residents. For those who do not own a computer, the Internet is available at local libraries – but libraries in rural areas have sporadic hours and may be far away for some residents. The City has three rural Client Service Centres in Metcalfe, Kinburn and North Gower, however with limited open hours.
Amalgamation in 2001 has brought many changes to rural life. However, lack of access to information about the City has led to misinterpretations among the residents as to how the City runs programs, delivers services and collects and invests taxes. For example, in rural areas where public transit or water and sewage systems are not provided, taxes are not used to pay for these services. However, some residents may mistakenly think that the City spends their tax on the services that they do not have access to. This confusion has contributed to some of the unfavourable views of the City among rural residents.
The overlapping of jurisdictions between the City, the National Capital Commission and the Province of Ontario is also a source of misinterpretations. It is difficult for rural residents to get sufficient information to understand the different responsibilities of these three bodies. As a result, when there are changes to their lives and the environment, residents often view the City negatively as the main force behind them. Such misunderstanding can strain the relationship between the rural residents and the City.
2) Urban perspective In the past, many services in rural communities were run on a volunteer basis, staffed by local people from the area. Following amalgamation, City employees now staff some of these services. The urban perspective brought with this change – the “one size fits all” approach – has been criticized as not always reflecting the realities of that particular community.
For example, the City has partnered with private businesses to distribute important community information throughout the city. Yet, some of these businesses are only urban-based and not capable of reaching the rural communities, thus leaving rural residents without access to key community information. An “urban city” mindset may still prevail among City staff. However, the City has worked to ensure a rural perspective to decision making.
3) DistancesIn rural areas, distance plays a large part in people’s lives. It affects the residents’ relationship and interactions with the urban core. Generally, the farther away people are from the urban core, the closer their links are to the neighbouring townships. In some cases, people’s postal codes may be linked to the next township, even though they live inside the City of Ottawa. Yet, most public services are offered to them through the City of Ottawa, not the surrounding townships. This can leave rural residents in a complex and often frustrating situation, because they are too far away from City services, yet cannot access services from the townships they are close to.
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Distance also affects access to work and commuting. For those who work in the urban areas, commuting is time-consuming and can negatively affect the quality of life. Youth often lack part-time jobs in their local areas and need to look for opportunities in urban areas. However, transportation is a big challenge – whether it means taking rural bus routes with limited services or having parents drive them to and from work, school and social activities.
4) TransportationAttending consultations, community meetings and other daily activities is always affected by availability of transportation. Public transit is not available in many rural areas. If it is available, routes and stops are limited, service is infrequent and often more costly than in the urban core. (In some areas, bus service is arranged through OC Transpo and rural partner companies.) Seniors may not be able to walk long distances to access public transit, and Para Transpo costs more for those living in rural areas.
Many people rely primarily on cars for transportation. However, rising gas prices makes it hard for them to afford to drive. Young drivers can legally offer a ride to only two other young passengers at a time. Walking or biking is often not a viable option due to the long distance one must travel.
5) Access to services As the population is typically less dense in rural areas, there are usually less services available for the amount of area covered, and many local services operate on reduced schedules. As a result, people often need to travel long distances to access services.
Distance and transportation become the biggest barriers for accessing supports for special needs or culturally appropriate services. These can include age-appropriate care for seniors, youth-friendly spaces and programs or settlement services for immigrants. People with disabilities may not have supports to participate in the community initiatives in their village. Families with low incomes may not have easy access to food banks, thrift stores or affordable recreation services.
GLBT parents, or youth discovering their sexual orientation and gender identity, may experience conservative views in their neighbourhoods, lack of GLBT-friendly services and support networks, and isolation – even more so than those living in urban areas. Expectations about traditional gender roles can be a barrier for women in rural areas, who often take on family responsibilities. They may lack family support services such as child care, or shelter for women escaping abusive relationships.
6) Infrastructure prioritiesWhile some larger villages have municipal services, many rural residents do not have access to City water and sewage systems. Many residents are financially responsible for maintaining their own wells and septic systems. Some rural residents do not have access to drinkable tap water and must purchase water from private providers or supermarkets.
As new housing and commercial developments are built, the flow of water changes and affects the natural ecosystem. Drainage is an important infrastructure priority in rural Ottawa, as poorly designed systems can cause flooding of residences or fields, or damage to protected wetland environments. Roadside ditches and municipal drains are key components of drainage.
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Lack of road maintenance and snow clearing are often the focus of negative feedback from rural residents, as these greatly affect their everyday lives. However, winter road maintenance is challenging because of the microclimates that exist over the vast area of the City. For example, there may be snow in the north and west, while there is freezing rain in the south and east.
7) Changing character of rural areas The City’s amalgamation, an increasing urbanization process and growing diversity among the residents bring different expectations, challenges and opportunities to Ottawa’s rural areas.
Values of new rural residents can conflict with those of established rural residents, including farmers. For example, farmers are allowed to discharge firearms to destroy wildlife when necessary; however, people with more urban or quiet lifestyles may not agree with how wildlife is treated. The use of biosolids and farming throughout the night during harvest season, are other examples where typical conflicts occur.
Although there is still a high degree of volunteerism in rural communities, the changing relationships with the City have affected the residents’ availability and the nature of their involvement in the community. Commuting for work or other activities has reduced their time for volunteering, and now some of the services and community centres are staffed by the City instead of community volunteers.
8) Land use There are diverse, competing views on the use of the land and the pace of development in the rural areas, for instance directing growth to villages, or permitting estate-lot rural subdivisions. For example, there may be friction over the use of prime fertile farmland for new housing development. Protected wetlands can be damaged by development on a separate plot of land – by draining the underground water or flooding the surrounding areas.
In addition to these divergent opinions, there are provincial policies that must be followed when making decisions on land use in rural Ottawa, which make the matter more complex. For example, the Provincial Policy Statement and Minimum Distance Separation affect developments and land severances on or near agricultural land, and the Green Energy Act promotes new energy installations such as wind turbines and solar farms.
When reviewing development applications, City staff must consider these policies along with the City’s Official Plan. Development applications in rural Ottawa are now reviewed by a dedicated Development Review – Rural work unit so that City staff that has knowledge of the rural areas is involved.
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4. We envision – a rural-friendly city
➤ Decisions are made with the rural perspective in mind.
➤ The City recognizes that the urban model does not always apply to rural settings.
➤ The City takes into consideration the different realities, lifestyles and availability of rural residents when planning consultations, feedback sessions or activities.
➤ The City seeks input from the community in the early stages of any proposed action that affects rural residents, and uses a participatory process.
➤ The City is open to conducting business in diverse ways to meet the rural community’s needs and opportunities.
➤ The City implements innovative solutions to the challenges presented by the rural areas’ unique situation.
➤ Urban residents enjoy the many attractions and benefits from the contributions of the rural areas.
WHAT CAN I DO?
3 Listen to the voices of rural residents and learn from them.
3 Develop awareness about the diversity of rural residents and their contributions.
3 Learn about the changes that amalgamation brought to rural residents.
3 Consider how rural residents’ lifestyles, issues and service needs differ from those of urban residents.
3 Avoid viewing the urban and suburban experience as the norm of our city.
3 Partner with rural community associations and groups working in the rural areas.
3 Visit villages and towns and attend rural fairs and festivals.
3 Buy local products from farms or farmers’ markets and encourage others to do so.
3 Enjoy a “staycation” in Ottawa’s rural area.
3 And, if I live in rural areas, I know that my knowledge and experience can enrich the city.
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5. Council mandates and legislation
• Provincial Policy Statement
• Green Energy Act
• Livestock, Poultry and Honey Bee Protection Act
• Drainage Act / Tile Drainage Act
• Nutrient Management Act
• Rural Summit 2005
• Rural Summit 2008
• Rural Broadband
• Rural Tourism / Buy Local Food
• Rural Clean Water program
• Rural Association Partnership Program
• Rural Health Program
• Rural Settlement Strategy
• Rural Village Design Guidelines
6. What’s happening in Ottawa
Since amalgamation, the City’s service delivery model has been evolving, and has created innovative hybrid models in collaboration with community associations and local resources. The City’s organizational structure has also changed to recognize the needs of rural residents better. The diversity of residents, lack of facilities, availability of volunteers and the difference in lifestyles are taken into consideration when designing services and their delivery. (See Contributions we make)
• City of Ottawa Rural Affairs Office – following the Rural Summit of 2005, the City established a Rural Affairs Office to act as a liaison between City of Ottawa staff, rural residents, rural community groups and agricultural organizations. The office strives to resolve issues presented by stakeholders at both the Rural Summit I in 2005 and Rural Summit II in 2008. The office offers assistance to all City departments with community outreach and consultation in the rural area, and can offer insight into local issues and viewpoints.
• City of Ottawa Rural Connections portal – provides links to news and information affecting rural Ottawa, and sends out a monthly newsletter on rural issues to over 1200 subscribers. The Rural Affairs Office maintains the portal.
• The Rural Issues Advisory Committee – Provides advice to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and Ottawa City Council on issues affecting the rural and farming community, including agricultural organizations. The Committee assists the Council in protecting and preserving the rural area, promoting healthy rural communities that contain living, working and recreational opportunities, and respecting the natural environment and resources of rural areas.
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• City of Ottawa Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services – develops new program opportunities based on feedback from rural residents. Rural-specific information is available at Rural Recreation, provided in collaboration with the Rural Affairs Office. The Parks and Recreation branch also has a “Rural Community Services & Centers Unit”.
• City of Ottawa Development Review – Rural unit – works on land-use planning that is specific and appropriate to the rural villages.
• City of Ottawa Internet coverage – As a result of the Rural Summits of 2005 and 2008, the City has devoted financial and technical resources to guarantee acces to broadband Internet access for all rural communities. This has allowed people to stay in the rural areas, start new or strengthen existing businesses, and work from home.
• City of Ottawa Public Health Well water testing – in partnership with local businesses, collects and analyzes water well samples from the rural areas twice a year.
• City of Ottawa bylaws – recent bylaws reflect the different needs of urban and rural residents (e.g., noise, tree cutting, use of firearms).
• Rural Healthy Living Coalition – a partnership between the City and community groups that offer health-related community programs and events to rural residents.
• The Rural Health Program – a partnership between the City, organizations, businesses and individuals in the community to bring public health services and programs to adults and seniors living in the wards of Cumberland, Rideau-Goulbourn, Osgoode and West Carleton-March. This is part of the Rural Healthy Living Coalition.
• The West Carleton Country Kitchen program – provides an opportunity for people in the rural community to cook locally grown, nutritious and tasty food in a supportive, fun environment.
• Ottawa’s Rural Events and attractions site developed by the City of Ottawa’s Rural Affairs Office to highlight and promote activities in the rural areas.
• Ottawa’s Countryside – an initiative of the Ottawa Rural Tourism Council, which is a grassroots organization whose goal is to market and promote one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing industries – the rural tourism industry.
• The Ontario Rural Council (TORC) – a catalyst for rural dialogue, collaboration, action and advocacy, TORC offers a vital venue for the province’s collective rural voice.
• Rural Women’s Business Network (RWBN) is a resource network for potential entrepreneurial women whose mandate is to help women promote their businesses through networking and the sharing of ideas and resources.
• The Osgoode Ward Business Alliance (OWBA) supports economic and community development within the City’s Osgoode ward.
• Ottawa Stewardship Council, member of Ontario Stewardship: Community stewardship councils are committed to maintaining Ontario’s natural resources
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7. Relevant practices in other cities
Ottawa is unique in the vastness of its rural area (Map 1; Map 2). The combined areas of the cities of Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver fit into the rural part of the City of Ottawa. As per the 2006 Census on Agriculture there are 1,267 farms in Ottawa. Not many other cities in the country have the challenges and opportunities that Ottawa has.
• Kingston has a similar condition as Ottawa, though on a smaller scale. The city has a Rural Affairs Advisory Committee, Rural Development Plan, a thorough Agricultural Study, and a Rural Development and Affairs Coordinator.
8. Sources
• City of Ottawa. Rural Affairs Office. .
– What is Rural Ottawa?
– 2005. Rural Summit I.
– 2008. Rural Summit II.
– 2005. Ottawa Counts – Rural Ottawa (vol. 2, 2005).
– 2004. 2004 City of Ottawa Annual Report.
– Rural Issues Advisory Committee.
– Rural community associations.
– City rural facilities.
– Rural Resources.
• Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
• Social Planning Council of Ottawa.
– 2008. “Analysis of rural stats from Census 2006.” In “This is Who We Are”.
– 2008. “Highlights of the 2006 Census – Prepared for the Multi-focal Lens Reference Group.”
• Statistics Canada. 2009. 2006 Census on Agriculture.
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9. Acknowledgements
The Equity and Inclusion Lens is the product of a collaborative partnership between the community and City of Ottawa. This partnership was coordinated by the Diversity and Employment Equity Unit, Human Resources and the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI).
City staff and community leaders contributed their knowledge and insights in the creation of this Diversity Snapshot:
Contributors:Adam Brown, Rural Affairs Office, City of Ottawa
Marian Green, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
Sterling Knox, Rural Issues Advisory Committee
Maria Cristina Serje, Diversity and Employment Equity Unit, City of Ottawa
Dianne Urquhart, Social Planning Council, Ottawa
All this was made possible thanks to a partnership grant between Status of Women Canada and the City of Ottawa, which funded the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) to engage in this important work.
