As many of you may remember, photo radar was introduced in Ontario in August 1994.  Eleven months later, it was gone following the election of Mike Harris as scrapping photo radar was a main campaign promise and the program was quite controversial.  Fast forward 20 years and the conversation has resurfaced.  While there were flirtations with bringing photo radar back in and around 2005, the conversation now seems to have a little more steam with several municipalities, including Toronto, having recently asked the Province to give them the power to utilize photo radar.

In Ottawa, a Notice of Motion was tabled by Councillor Riley Brockington last week on the matter.  It will come to Council on March 9th.  The motion, if approved, would direct the Mayor to formally request that the Province allow municipalities the option of using photo radar on local streets.  I’m not entirely certain how he defines “local” streets but I’m sure that will get addressed on the 9th.

The experiment from 20 years ago is still fresh in many people’s minds.  There is no question that photo radar does positively impact driver behavior and achieves greater compliance with speed limits.  However, the specific issue in 1995 was that, over the eleven months, the program cost $4.5M to run and brought in $19M, thus the claims that it was merely a cash grab.  In other jurisdictions, there has been an initial influx of fines but a tapering off eventually as more drivers become aware of the presence of photo radar.

Where do you stand on this issue?  Would you support a return of photo radar in Ottawa?  Do the pros of increased compliance outweigh the cons of a perceived cash grab?  I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts on this leading up to the March 9th vote at Council.  As usual, please email me at [email protected], call my office at 613-580-2491 or send me a tweet - @ScottMoffatt21.

Plan now to register for spring and summer recreation programs 

The Recreation eGuide and Mon Cyberguide francophone des loisirsare are now online at ottawa.ca for spring and summer programs. Choose from a wide variety of activities including swimming lessons, fitness classes and summer camps.

Registration for swimming and aquafitness classes begins online and by phone (613-580-2588) on Monday, March 7th at 9:00pm and in person at City recreation facilities on Tuesday, March 8th during regular business hours. Registration for all other classes including summer camps begins online and by phone (613-580-2588) on Wednesday, March 9th at 9:00pm and in person at City recreation facilities on Thursday, March 10th during regular business hours.

To register online or by phone you will require a client barcode and family PIN numbers. High volumes of online registrants are expected throughout the first week of registration, particularly the first evening, which could result in a longer registration experience than usual.

Residents who do not have access to the Internet are encouraged to visit City recreation centres or libraries with public Internet access. They can also visit any Client Service Centre where customer service staff can help with registration. Some community centres may provide printed brochures for their local activities.

Commemorative Naming Proposal: Howard A. Maguire Park

In recognition of Howard A. Maguire’s demonstrated excellence, courage and exceptional service, Councillor Shad Qadri has put forward a request to name a future park at 560 Parade Drive, within the new residential development at 1921 Stittsville Main Street, “Howard A. Maguire Park”.

Howard A. Maguire was a resident of Stittsville for over 60 years. During this time, he served the community as a firefighter for 33 years. In 1967, Howard was named the volunteer fire chief and in 1972, he became the first full-time fire chief in Goulbourn Township. Mr. Maguire was the recipient of the Ontario Fire Services “Long Service Medal” in 1985 and he received the “Exemplary Service Medal” in recognition of his 30 years of service two years later.

Mr. Maguire founded the Stittsville News as a monthly local paper, with the first edition being printed on December 12, 1957. This newspaper has since become a strongly established weekly community publication.

Howard Maguire and his wife Molly were members of the Stittsville United Church where Howard served on the church’s board of trustees and taught Sunday School for 13 years. In their later years, Howard and Molly moved to a property on Flewellyn Road. Some of their land is now planned for development, which includes this proposed park.

If you would like to submit comments regarding this proposal or obtain further information, please contact Diane Blais at [email protected].

Replacement of Damaged Mailboxes by a Snow Plow

Occasionally rural roadside mailboxes are damaged or destroyed by snow plows. Mailboxes will be repaired or replaced as determined by the City of Ottawa Roads Department Supervisor. Mailboxes damaged by the snow that comes off the wing of the snow plow will not be eligible for repair or replacement.

Mailboxes will be replaced by something basic; do not expect to receive your original mailbox. Damaged posts will be replaced by a temporary post with permanent repairs undertaken in the spring after the frost is gone. To report a damaged mailbox, call the City of Ottawa at 3-1-1 or report online at ServiceOttawa.ca.

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If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or contact me by phone at 613-580-2491.