Niska Landholdings

At its January 26, 2018 General Membership Meeting, the GRCA Board passed a motion directing staff to complete a management plan for the entire Niska Landholdings property.

The Niska Landholdings Management Plan (3MB PDF) with Appendices (5MB PDF) was approved by the GRCA Board on June 28, 2024. The management plan includes information about the property's history, geography, environmental features, historic and current land management practices, mapping and recommendations.

As part of the above process, the Niska Landholdings Draft Management Plan was available for a 45-day period between May 11 and June 25, 2023 for public comment. Discussions were also held with the First Nations that were consulted on the draft management plan. The requirements for public consultation are prescribed in the Minutes of Settlement (1MB PDF), and the GRCA's process to date has fulfilled these requirements. 

The GRCA board approved the Niska Landholdings Management Plan in June of 2024. It’s three recommendations were:

Recommendation 1: Engage with the City of Guelph and other third parties to explore opportunities to enter into a maintenance agreement for parcels of land that can provide recreational or conservation opportunities.

Recommendation 2: Continue to advocate and promote partnership opportunities to manage and monitor the biodiversity and ecological systems within Niska.

Recommendation 3: Dispose of the parcel of land south of Niska Road that is associated with the agricultural lease (Agricultural Field B – see Report Appendix A). Identify other lands in the Niska Land Holdings that may be suitable for disposition.

Most of the lands that make up the GRCA’s Niska Landholdings are being transferred to the City of Guelph. Specifically, two parcels are being transferred to the City, which include the lands north of Niska Road and east of the Speed River [101.41 acres (41.04 hectares)] and a parcel of land south of Niska Road and immediately east of the river 24.75 acres (10.01 hectares), approximately 125 acres or 51 hectares in total.

The transfer does not include the 8-hectare agricultural parcel south of Niska Road or the parcel west of the Speed River (in the Township of Puslinch).

The two parcels being transferred to the City of Guelph were declared surplus, as approved by the GRCA Board on January 23, 2026, and in accordance with the GRCA’s Land Disposition Policy.

The GRCA Board will receive a report at the July 27, 2026, Special Board Meeting to consider declaring the 8-hectare parcel/agricultural field surplus. Notice of this board meeting and the intention to declare this parcel surplus was posted on the GRCA’s Niska Landholdings webpage on June 26, 2026, and the notice sent to subscribers, in compliance with the Minutes of Settlement.

In keeping with the Niska Landholdings Management Plan, the discussions with the City have focussed on the two parcels intended for passive recreation, specifically the southwestern parcel and the northern parcel, which were historically open to the public and provide the benefits of nature.

These two parcels make up most of the GRCA’s Niska Landholdings, and as jointly announced by the GRCA and the City of Guelph on January 23, 2026, these parcels are being transferred to the City of Guelph to support the City’s objectives to increase available parkland for its residents. The GRCA Board also approved the contribution of up to $350,000 from the GRCA’s Master Plans reserve fund to be used for trail construction and restoration work as a demonstration of its resolve to honour the commitments in the Niska Landholdings Management Plan and conserving the environmental features on these lands.

Through the management plan process, it was confirmed that the 8-hectare parcel south of Niska Road contains no significant natural heritage features and does not align with the mandate of the GRCA. The 8-hectare parcel has been under agricultural cultivation for at least 70 years and has never been open to the public, and is designated as Medium Density Residential and Low Density Residential in the City’s Official Plan. Should the GRCA Board declare the 8-hectare parcel surplus, public agencies, including the City of Guelph, will have the opportunity to purchase the property as required by GRCA’s Land Disposition Policy and Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines.

Any funds received by the GRCA for the disposition of land, including this 8-hectare parcel, are placed in the GRCA’s Land Sale Proceeds reserve fund for projects that benefit the public good and watershed residents, as well as enhance watershed health, ultimately creating a cycle that manages landholdings in a responsible and sustainable way.

The Province requires that any revenue generated from the land sale must go into the GRCA’s Land Sale Proceeds reserve project [unless otherwise directed by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, per Section 21(7), Conservation Authorities Act], for projects of the following nature:

• Acquisition of provincially significant conservation lands and/or managed forests
• Major maintenance of flood control structures
• Acquisition of ecologically sensitive lands
• Hazard land mapping
• Flood and erosion control projects (and related studies)
• Watershed management plans

Should the GRCA decide to declare the 8-hectare parcel surplus and proceed with the disposition, the requirements outlined in the Minutes of Settlement, the GRCA’s Land Disposition Policy, Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines and the Conservation Authorities Act will be followed, including public consultation. The disposition of the property will require GRCA Board approval.

As outlined in the GRCA’s Land Disposition Policy, Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines and the Conservation Authorities Act, the property will be offered through a public process. Public agencies, including the City of Guelph, will have the opportunity to purchase the property through this process.

GRCA staff routinely review landholdings to ensure they align with the mandate of the GRCA, mainly: flood management and the protection of people and property, as well as the conservation and management of ecologically sensitive lands. Lands that fall outside the scope of these objectives may be considered for disposition by the GRCA.

Through the management plan process, GRCA staff concluded that the 8-hectare agricultural field south of Niska Road does not align with the mandate of the GRCA and meets the Conservation Authority criteria for declaring the property surplus.

The acquisitions of the Niska lands were completed during the 1970s with municipal, provincial and GRCA funds; with the GRCA as the sole landowner on title. The GRCA’s available records state that for the 1971 acquisition of 17.4 hectares, 65 per cent of the funds were contributed by the Province of Ontario. For the 1977 acquisition, the GRCA’s available records state that 10 per cent of the funds came from the GRCA, the City of Guelph contributed 30 per cent, with the remaining 60 per cent contributed by the Province of Ontario.

The acquisitions of the Niska lands related to flood management and the recommended construction of the ‘Hespeler Reservoir’. This recommendation was removed in the 1982 Grand River Water Management Study.

Historically, the name “Hanlon Creek Conservation Area” has been used in multiple contexts and to describe different areas of land within the City of Guelph.

Hanlon Creek Park, Preservation Park, and Hanlon Creek Conservation Area, as they exist today, are located at the south end of the City of Guelph, on the east side of the Hanlon Expressway. These lands are owned by the GRCA and managed by the City through a maintenance agreement.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the GRCA had proposed a fee-for-use “Hanlon Creek Conservation Area” in the City of Guelph. The former Kortright Waterfowl Park and the lands that today make up Hanlon Creek and Preservation Parks were part of the larger area of lands included in this proposal. The historical proposal for a fee-for-use Hanlon Creek Conservation Area underwent several revisions but ultimately was not approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The GRCA did not receive any funding to support the creation of a fee-for-use Hanlon Creek Conservation Area.

It is important to clarify that the 8-hectare parcel of land was not part of the lands known as the Kortright Waterfowl Park. This parcel has been under agricultural cultivation for at least 70 years and has never been open to the public.

The current agreement between the City and the GRCA to transfer the northern and southwestern parcels, approximately 51 hectares of land, includes the entirety of the Kortright Waterfowl Park, with plans to preserve and maintain the lands for parks and conservation.

While the acquisitions of the Niska lands were completed with municipal, provincial and GRCA funds, the GRCA has been the sole landowner on title since the lands were acquired. As a private landowner, the GRCA has paid the property taxes since the time of acquisition. During the past 50 years, these lands have been managed by the GRCA, in part through lease agreements.

When the commercial lease was terminated and the GRCA took back full possession of the lands in 2015, the property was in significant disrepair. Since then, the GRCA has undertaken work to demolish buildings and other structures and address safety issues, such as hazard trees.

Niska is currently closed to the public. Use of the property has been limited to the agricultural use of two farm fields. A gate and main entrance into Niska is located on the north side of Niska Road for GRCA operational purposes. An entrance path to the field on the south side of Niska Road is available for the exclusive use of the agricultural tenant. There are no other officially recognized access or entry points into Niska and there are no trespassing signs located along the perimeter of the property.

In 2005, the Niska Wildlife Foundation (NWF) closed the trails and property to the public.

In 2014, the GRCA ended the lease with the NWF, and subsequently took full possession of the lands in 2015.

The GRCA wants to ensure that the key natural features and habitat at Niska are conserved or enhanced. They include the Hanlon Creek, areas adjacent to the Speed River, and the wetlands and forested areas found at Niska. These areas provide wildlife habitat, help protect water quality, and contribute to the area’s natural heritage system. A few ways these features are currently protected include:

• Most of the natural areas are part of a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) complex. This designation provides a high level of protection from development or incompatible uses.
• The majority of the lands are identified as Significant Natural Areas and Natural Areas in Guelph’s Official Plan. [The meadow and agricultural parcel are Open Space and Park].
• Most of the lands are regulated by the GRCA under the Conservation Authorities Act (Ont. Reg 41/24).

The GRCA will continue to own and manage these lands.