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Environmentalists are crying foul over the extension of Terry Fox Drive, saying the roadway will pave over a pristine habitat" and the home of several endangered species. The Sierra Club of Canada blasted the City of Ottawa and Infrastructure Minister John Baird, saying plans to develop the land were fast-tracked" to take advantage of federal stimulus dollars. There is no need for this road other than to satisfy the greed of speculators and developers," said Sierra Club of Canada executive director John Bennett.

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Wilkinson said the Ontario Municipal Board approved a massive residential development for the area years ago, and as mayor of Kanata she fought to retain other environmental areas that are still being protected.

According to Wilkinson, there are environmental mitigation plans in place for other threatened species, including ginseng and the butternut trees in the area.

Claiming a fence in the snow will protect endangered species is just silly," said Bennett, who said several plant and animal species will be put at risk because of the city's plan to build a suburb in one of the last pristine wetlands in Ottawa."