Serving the Glebe community since 1973
August 14, 2026
www.glebereport.ca
ISSN 0702-7796 Vol. 54 No. 6 Issue no. 586
The Clemow noise battle continues unabated
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What’s Inside
By Alan Freeman
The battle over The Clemow and its problematic rooftop air-conditioning system continues for a second summer with few signs of a quick resolution in sight. A group of determined residents on adjacent streets in the Glebe insists that the 17-storey high-rise apartment building at 275 Carling Avenue, just west of Bronson, is emitting constant tonal noise, especially on hot days, which disrupts their sleep, makes outdoor activities unpleasant and has negative long-term health impacts. But the owner of The Clemow, KTS Properties, says it installed new equipment on the AC system in April to reduce the noise and that the fix, called a variable frequency drive (VFD), has improved the situation significantly. “The mitigation measures are working and conditions have meaningfully improved,” Tanya Chowieri, partner at KTS, told the Glebe Report in a written statement, saying that this finding has been backed by testing by the City’s bylaw services officials and by KTS’s own acoustic consultant. While there are signs the noise may be reduced when weather is cooler, members of the residents’ group say the new equipment has made no difference on hot days, when the AC unit is running at full strength. “I think the consensus among the team is that it is still very bad and that there is not much improvement attributable to the VFD,” said John Sims, a resident of Second Avenue and a leader of the ad hoc residents’ group. The residents have the backing of the Glebe Community Association, and Councillor Shawn Menard has also been sympathetic and has been working for a solution. The city’s By-law and Regulatory Services branch says it has sent inspectors to measure noise from the Clemow but has yet to spot any violations of the rules, according to Jake Gravelle, Associate Director of By-law Services. The problem, the residents’ group says, is that the city’s noise bylaw doesn’t regulate so-called “tonal” noise, the constant, loud humming sound that emanates from the rooftop AC units. And city inspectors don’t even have the right measuring equipment to pick up tonal noise. Sims says that the standard for dealing with tonal noise like The Clemow’s AC unit is not the city’s noise bylaw but NPC-300, a provincial noise-abatement regulation that’s “more stringent and
Goldie’s................................................................ Page 2
The Clemow, a new 17-storey high-rise on Carling just west of Bronson, is at the centre of an ongoing dispute between the owner KTS Properties and a group of nearby Glebe residents who insist that the building’s air-conditioning unit emits loud, disruptive tonal noise. PHOTOS: JOCK SMITH
more relevant.” For example, under the city bylaw, the maximum noise level permitted at night is 50 decibels, while under the provincial rule, it’s 45 decibels, which is considerably lower. But the province doesn’t actually enforce this stricter standard, leaving it up to municipalities to do so. And in Ottawa, said Sims, “there are no levers the city has to enforce compliance and mitigation.” Chris Lee, an assistant to Councillor Menard, said that because of delays in production of KTS’s noise assessment report, “we’re stuck waiting” before being able to resolve the issue. He said that the councillor is working with the residents’ group to see if the province would intervene, do its own noise study and enforce the NPC-300 regulations.
The only way to enforce the provincial rules is through the planning department, which requires a developer to submit a Stationary Noise Assessment, completed by an acoustic professional. Until the city signs off on that study, it won’t give final approval to a project like The Clemow and won’t allow KTS to get a refund on its security deposit. Even though The Clemow was completed last year, production of the noise assessment has been repeatedly delayed. As of late July, KTS said that its
acoustic consultant, Gradient Wind Technology, was about to complete the report and would make it available to the Glebe group. It also promised to allow the residents’ own acoustic professional to take their own measurements on-site. But the company insists the situation has improved. “We also know that sound carries differently depending on where you live, how your home sits and what else is happening around you,” Choweiri said in her statement. “We remain committed to listening, looking at the evidence and acting where the findings support it.” With densification a city priority and with global warming placing more pressure on developers to include cooling in new buildings, there are more of these noisy central AC units being installed on rooftops. Already, neighbours of a new high-rise tower at 1354 Carling on the site of the old Talisman Hotel have complained about “chronic noise” from rooftop AC units. City council passed a motion in April to update the city’s bylaws to made the existing noise rules better align with the stricter rules under the provincial NPC300 standards. But that review won’t take place until 2027, after municipal elections in the fall. The residents’ group plans to ask mayoralty candidates to detail their positions on noise abatement and to commit to stricter and more enforceable rules. “I think we are going to prevail in the long run, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” Sims said. Alan Freeman is a journalist, columnist and academic who lives in the Glebe and is also bothered by the noise.
Glebe House Tours.....................................Page 6, 7
Mark Your Calendars SCRAP METAL COLLECTION.......AUG. 15, SEPT. 19, OCT. 24 8 – 10 A.M.
PARTY IN THE PARK............................................................. AUG. 22 12 – 3 P.M., DALHOUSIE SOUTH PARK
GLEBE FINE ART SHOW............................................... SEPT. 12, 13 10 A.M. – 4 P.M., GCC
GCA ANNUAL MEETING ���������������������������������������������������� SEPT. 17 7 P.M., GCC
WALK OF ART 2026..............................................................SEPT. 19 10 A.M. – 3 P.M., OLD OTTAWA EAST
GLEBE HOUSE TOUR............................................................SEPT. 20 1 – 4 P.M., 5 LOCATIONS
GCA BOARD MEETING....................................................... SEPT. 22 7 P.M., GC
Index ART.............................................................. 26-28 BOOKS................................................... 18, 23-25 BUSINESS ������������������������������������������ 2, 9, 16-18 CROSSWORD ���������������������������������������������������37 EDITORIAL ���������������������������������������������������������4 ENVIRONMENT ������������������������������������������19, 36 FILM �����������������������������������������������������������������28 FOOD ����������������������������������������������������������20, 21 FRANCOPHONIE �����������������������������������������������33 GLEBE HOUSE TOUR ��������������������������������������6,7 GLEBOUS & COMICUS ������������������������������������37 HEALTH ������������������������������������������������������30, 31 JOURNALISM �����������������������������������������������������3 LANSDOWNE ���������������������������������������������������15 LETTERS �������������������������������������������������������������5 MUSIC ��������������������������������������������������������������29 OP-ED ���������������������������������������������������������������14 PARKS ��������������������������������������������������������������13 POETRY QUARTER �������������������������������������������22 REPS & ORGS ���������������������������������������� 8-12, 32 SCHOOLS ���������������������������������������������������������34 SENIORS ����������������������������������������������������������35 SPORTS ������������������������������������������������������16, 34
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