Redwood Residents Deserve Transparency and Engagement on School Sale

OTTAWA – Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Chandra Pasma and College Ward City Councillor Laine Johnson are demanding transparency and community engagement regarding the sale of the Grant Alternative School on Draper Ave in the Redwood neighbourhood of Nepean. The Ottawa Carleton District School Board site was quietly listed for sale on the website of a private real estate firm, Avison Young, following instructions from Minister of Education Paul Calandra to supervisor Bob Plamondon to sell off school board properties.

“A minister in downtown Toronto and an unelected supervisor don’t know and don’t understand the needs of our community,” said Pasma. “We should be looking at this as an opportunity to continue using public land in the public interest. Instead, Paul Calandra is allowing a private firm to choose who will get to buy this property, with no input from the community on how this land in the heart of their neighbourhood will be used.”

"I have been working with the community and City staff to ensure that this property stays in public hands," Johnson said. “There should have been an official approach to the municipality before the supervisor turned to private buyers in a secretive process. That has not happened here. As elected officials, we should be able to engage with our constituents on potential land use to make sure this public land continues to benefit the public in its future use.”

“Redwood residents, just like other Ottawa communities with school properties being considered for potential sales, deserve transparency about what’s going on,” added Pasma. “Taxpayer dollars were used to buy these lands and build these schools. We should at least know when a school is being put up for sale and what uses are being considered, before a final sale is suddenly announced as a done deal.”

Background:

• Grant Alternative School closed in June 2017. The school was used as a Covid Care Centre operated by the Queensway Carleton Hospital during the pandemic.
• Under elected trustees, the decision to place a school property up for sale would be debated at a public meeting and local residents would have the opportunity to meet with trustees to discuss the proposed sale.
• Recent rule changes by the Conservative government give the Minister of Education the power to instruct a school board on how they must dispose of school board property, including by going straight to private sale rather than alerting the municipality to a potential sale.
• In December, the Minister told the Toronto Star he had instructed supervisors to identify surplus school sites for sell offs.
• Provincial guidelines require the land to be sold at fair market value based on best use. The municipality would not be getting a special deal but would be able to address planning needs in consultation with the community. This could include housing, health care, and community recreation infrastructure.
• It is unusual for a school board to use a private real estate firm, as boards have staff in their planning departments who can handle property sales and using a private firm requires paying a commission from the sale price.