Madahòkì Farm Riding Arena, Manure Storage Pad and Associated Works
Public Notice
Madahòkì Farm Riding Arena, Manure Storage Pad and Associated Works– Public Comments Invited
October 19, 2023 – The National Capital Commission must determine whether the proposed Madahòkì Farm Riding Arena, Manure Storage Pad and Associated Works located in Ottawa, Ontario is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects in compliance with sections 81-91 of the Impact Assessment Act and the National Capital Act.
To help inform this determination, the National Capital Commission is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. It is important to note that all comments received will be considered public. For more information, individual should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.
Written comments for this project must be submitted within 30 days of the date of this posting, referencing project name and registry number:
By email: IA-EI@ncc-ccn.ca
By mail: Environmental Officer, Environmental Assessment group
40 Elgin, 5th floor
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1P 1C7
The National Capital Commission thanks you for your comments, which will be considered in the project determination. Please note that responses may not be provided.
For National Capital Commission general inquiries, please contact:
Email: info@ncc-ccn.ca
Telephone: 613-239-5000 or 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free)
TTY: 613-239-5090 or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free)
The Proposed Project
Madahòkì Farm is building an indoor riding arena for its rare and endangered Ojibwe spirit horses. In association with the new indoor riding arena, Madahòkì Farm will build a new manure storage pad and access path.
The riding arena will benefit the farm by providing:
• A year-round space for the Indigenous Equine Assisted Learning program.
• A space for visitors to the farm to interact with the spirit horses.
The manure storage pad, along with the associated Nutrient Management Strategy, will ensure safe storage of manure produced by farm animals.
The access path is required to accommodate construction of the manure storage pad.
The National Capital Commission is the custodian of the Madahòkì Farm property, and all projects must receive a Federal land use approval.
The riding arena is 21.9 metres by 36.6 metres dome structure that will be built immediately east of the existing outdoor riding ring. The riding arena will be built using structural steel and a light gauge steel form. It will be on a foundation of concrete. The steel will be fabricated and built according to standard specifications for the design fabrication and erection of structural steel buildings.
The manure storage pad will have a 4 metre by 3 metre footprint. The manure storage pad will have concrete flooring and be covered. Manure will be piled away from sidewalls and turned occasionally to promote decomposition.
The access path will be about 140 metres in length and built using granular material.
Madahòkì Farm is located at 4420 West Hunt Club Road in Ottawa, Ontario. Madahòkì Farm is a 164-acre property that is a mix of agricultural land and farm buildings (a barn, pavilion, and house that is used as offices and a makers market), wetlands, and forest. The space is used as a working farm and Indigenous cultural attraction.
Construction of the riding arena, manure storage pad and access path may require minimal tree removal. Any trees removed will be replaced through a tree compensation program.
The riding arena will be built in early December 2023. Construction is not anticipated to take longer than 30 days.
The use of an excavator, a scissor lift and a skid steer on track will be needed. No modification will be needed for the temporary work area.
Document reference number: 1