--- title: "Ottawa planning committee backs three-year zoning exemption for Barrhaven mosque" description: "Ottawa's planning committee supported a staff recommendation to allow the MAC Barrhaven Islamic Centre to operate for up to three years, even though the site lacks building code approvals. Full council will make the final decision." canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/barrhaven-mosque-zoning-exemption-november-2026" last_updated: "2026-11-06T02:26:21.360Z" --- Ottawa's planning committee backed a staff recommendation on November 4 to let the MAC Barrhaven Islamic Centre stay open for up to three years, even though the site at Greenbank and Barnsdale roads is operating without the planning and building code approvals a permanent place of worship normally requires. Capital Current reported that councillors on the planning committee voted to support the staff suggestion of a temporary zoning exemption. A building permit has been submitted for the site, but the mosque needs temporary zoning approval to keep running while that process moves forward. ## What the city found A city staff report said the one-storey building and quonset hut at Greenbank and Barnsdale roads opened in 2024. Staff support the site operating temporarily but do not consider the existing structures a permanent place of worship in what will become a denser urban area. The report noted that most public comments about the site focused on traffic and parking. Staff observed that some people coming to services park off-site to avoid a bottleneck of vehicles at the end of prayers, and that this creates concerns about on-street parking and pedestrians crossing Greenbank Road. ## Speed limit and traffic questions Barrhaven West Councillor David Hill raised the question of Greenbank Road's speed limit during the November 4 meeting. The current limit along the road next to the mosque site is 80 km/h, Capital Current reported. Hill asked whether staff had a position on reducing it. Staff told the committee that no speed assessment had been completed before the meeting, and that lower speeds generally reduce the risk of collisions. You can read David Hill's profile at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/david-hill](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/david-hill). ## A call to work across committees Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster said the mosque's situation points to a wider gap in how the city handles buildings that bring people together many times a day. Capital Current reported that she said planning and transportation decisions are handled by separate committees, and that community buildings like a mosque, which may hold services five, six or seven times a day, have different traffic and parking demands than a typical church. "As our city grows and we welcome more Muslim communities to Ottawa, this is another example where planning and transportation tend to be quite siloed," Troster told the committee, according to Capital Current. She said she hopes the city can look at how to coordinate those two functions better, citing a mosque in her own Somerset ward where on-street parking generates regular complaints even though the building has worked well for the community. You can read Ariel Troster's profile at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/ariel-troster](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/ariel-troster). ## What comes next The temporary zoning amendment now goes to full Ottawa City Council for a final decision. If approved, the MAC Barrhaven Islamic Centre can continue to operate for up to three years under the temporary permission while the building permit process continues. Residents who want to follow the decision can track the full council agenda at the City's public meetings site. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/on/ottawa-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.