Richmond Fair, City of Ottawa Official Plan & Mud Creek Open House

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Fallowfield Village had a very successful corn roast at the start of September. Over 200 residents enjoyed Jojo's Creameria truck, a busker (Jean-Guy Beaudry), and an awesome firework display by Gerry Moore. Congrats to the community for hosting such a successful event! Photo credit: Mike Giovinazzo (submitted by Martin Clarke, President of the Fallowfield Village Association)

Fallowfield Village had a very successful corn roast at the start of September. Over 200 residents enjoyed Jojo's Creameria truck, a busker (Jean-Guy Beaudry), and an awesome firework display by Gerry Moore. Congrats to the community for hosting such a successful event!

Photo credit: Mike Giovinazzo (submitted by Martin Clarke, President of the Fallowfield Village Association)

This weekend marks the 175th year for the Richmond Fair. To be precise, this year’s edition will be held from September 19th to the 22nd. Beginning in 1844, the Fair has grown to epitomize the village of Richmond. It is as much a part of Richmond as the village is to the Fair. The two are synonymous with one another. Over the years, it has been a big part of my life as well.

During my years at South Carleton, I was one of those Friday night youths who took over the fairgrounds. I never got kicked out of the fair during those years, though, so I have that going for me. In the years since, the Fair has become a significant part of my professional life as well. In 2006, I hosted my first booth at the Fair for the municipal election that year. While only a few years removed from high school at the time, it was a fun opportunity to reconnect with friends and meet new people. I owe a lot of my success in 2006 to the opportunity afforded to me at the Fair. The presence of my grandmother, Hilda Moore, didn’t hurt either. As past President of the Richmond Legion and a longtime volunteer with many local Goulbourn organizations, my grandmother was a mainstay at the Fair.

I have had the pleasure of hosting a booth at the front gate of the Fair ten different years. During each of those years, I would spend between 30 and 40 hours on the fairgrounds. It is something I look forward to every year and something my family looks forward to as well. The Richmond Fair is more than just an opportunity to be present as the Councillor for Rideau-Goulbourn but a chance for my children to enjoy what so many have for decades before them. My kids have grown up at the Richmond Fair. They have produced countless memories over the years for which I am forever grateful.

175 years is an incredible achievement. Last year, Richmond celebrated its bicentennial. That celebration came together thanks to the countless volunteers in the village. The Richmond Fair is no different. Volunteers are what make communities great and the Richmond Fair runs on volunteerism. From the concerts inside the arena to the homecraft exhibits to the horse shows, everything is put together each and every year by countless volunteers and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

I am certain it will not be long until we are celebrating the bicentennial of the Richmond Fair but don’t wait 25 years to go and enjoy the Fair, whether it is the first time you go or the 60th. Every year at the Fair is special and the Richmond Agricultural Society is doing their best to make the 175th every bit as special as the previous 174.

For more information about the Richmond Fair, please visit www.richmondfair.ca and I hope to see you around the fairgrounds.

City of Ottawa Official Plan

As we celebrate our past, staff and Councillors at the City are busy planning our future and we want to know what you think about how Ottawa will change and grow around us, now and for years to come. We are in the midst of rewriting Ottawa’s Official Plan – the strategic document that describes how the city will grow over time, where we will place major infrastructure, and what policies will be in place to support economic growth and guide the development and evolution of communities. Our goal is to position Ottawa to be flexible, resilient and, above all, a city where people want to live, work and play.

Following initial consultations with the public and stakeholders on a series of wide-ranging discussion papers, we are proposing to make a number of significant policy changes, known as the Five Big Moves: Growth, Mobility, Urban Design, Resiliency, and Economy.

We want to know what you think about these changes and how they will affect your daily lives. Learn more and share your thoughts about the Five Big Moves at ottawa.ca/NewOP from now until September 16th.

Your feedback will help us develop a set of comprehensive policy directions that City Council will consider in late 2019. Should Council support these directions, the City will develop a draft Official Plan to present to Council by summer 2020.

Mud Creek Open House

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority will host an open house to discuss new hazard mapping for Mud Creek in Manotick on Tuesday, September 24th from 4:30pm to 8:00pm at their headquarters (3889 Rideau Valley Drive). Learn about the mapping study and have your say. For more details, visit: https://www.rvca.ca/media-releases/open-house-mud-creek-hazard-mapping-study.  

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

City Budget, Kanata South Link & More

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We may be ready for spring but at least winter is beautiful! This is a church in Burritt's Rapids captured before our Town Hall in January.

We may be ready for spring but at least winter is beautiful! This is a church in Burritt's Rapids captured before our Town Hall in January.

On Wednesday, March 6th, City Council will vote on the 2019 Budget. Since the beginning of February, the various boards and committees have discussed and voted on their relevant sections of the budget. That all culminates in the full Council discussion next week.

What is being proposed in this year’s budget is a 3% property tax increase. The primary purpose of the higher increase, over the last eight years, is infrastructure renewal. In 2017, Council approved a ten-year plan to eliminate the infrastructure renewal spending gap, which was $70M. However, given the prominence of renewal during the most recent election, Council is now looking to close that gap within five years. The projected 3% increase gets us there.

What does closing that gap mean for Rideau-Goulbourn? In recent years, we have seen annual renewal spending rise from approximately $50M annually in 2010 to $125M annually in 2017. This has led to many roads throughout the ward being resurfaced. With a projected annual spend of $195M by 2023, expect more of the same. Scheduled in 2019 are portions of Fallowfield Road, Rideau Valley Drive North, Barnsdale Road, Joy’s Road, Hope Side Road and Strachan. Mackey Road, between Malakoff Road and Viola Street will also be improved and the hard surfacing of Paden Road will be finalized.

Other local infrastructure projects include preliminary design work on the renewal of the Church Street bridge in North Gower, a new sidewalk connection on Nixon Farm Drive between Cedarstone and Perth Street and the previously mentioned upgrades to the intersection of Bankfield Road and Prince of Wales Drive. From a Parks & Facilities standpoint, improvements are scheduled for the North Gower Fire Hall, Dickinson House, Richmond Arena and Chris’s Field in Manotick. We will also be upgrading Gordon & Ivy Scharf Park in the Manotick Estates this spring.

On the stormwater infrastructure side of things, the City is projecting to spend nearly $13M on culvert replacements throughout the rural area. This is a significant increase over recent years and it all plays into the road renewal efforts as well. For instance, many culverts were replaced under Rideau Valley Drive North last year and that portion will be resurfaced this year. Two different budgets but all working toward the same end result. This is where your stormwater fee goes. All told, because of the way we structured the new fee, every dollar you pay for stormwater equals $12 spent on infrastructure in rural Ottawa. What that means simply is that your money is staying in rural areas and then some.

While there is plenty more in the $3.6B budget, I only have so much room in this column. More information is available at Ottawa.ca/budget and you can always email me if you have any budget related questions.

Kanata South Link

Approved in previous budgets, the Kanata South Link (KSL) construction started on Tuesday, February 19th. The main objective of the project is to improve safety and traffic flow based on growing demands in the area. The Contractor, Cavanagh Construction Ltd., will be performing the construction work for the City of Ottawa. The purpose is to widen Old Richmond Road and a portion of West Hunt Club Road to improve traffic capacity across the Greenbelt from Kanata South. The project includes:

  • the widening of Old Richmond Road from Hope Side Road to West Hunt Club Road, and West Hunt Club Road from Old Richmond Road to approximately 200 metres east of Moodie Drive

  • roundabouts at three intersections along Old Richmond Road: at Hope Side Road; at Stonehaven Drive; and at West Hunt Club Road

  • Intersection improvements at West Hunt Club Road and Moodie Drive

  • Asphalt resurfacing of Hope Side Road

  • Utility upgrades including street lighting

It is anticipated that construction will be completed by late 2020. For more information, visit: ottawa.ca.

Municipal Parking Management Strategy Refresh

The City of Ottawa is reviewing core aspects of its Parking Management Strategy. Provide your input on the City’s paid parking program at one of three upcoming open houses and help ensure the program meets the city’s needs. For more information, visit: ottawa.ca/parkingrefresh.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Merry Christmas and Final News of 2018

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On December 3rd, I had the great privilege of being sworn in as the Councillor for Rideau-Goulbourn for the third time. In the weeks since, we have gotten to work on the business of setting out the governance for this term of Council. This week, we confirmed Committee memberships and appointed Chairs of the Committees. I am excited to be appointed to the Chair of the Environment Committee, to sit on the Planning Committee and Ottawa Community Housing Corporation and to continue my work on the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Built Heritage Sub-Committee, Committee of Revision and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

This week we also debated the matter of retail cannabis sales at a special Council meeting held on Thursday, December 13th. It was decided that Ottawa will permit retail cannabis stores beginning April 1, 2019. Permitting retail cannabis stores will help reduce the black market and provide consumers access to safer products in a highly regulated environment. The City will spend less resources shutting down illegal sellers, and receive additional funding from the Ontario Cannabis Legalization Implementation Fund to offset the costs related to the legalization of recreational cannabis. Cannabis retailers will also create economic and employment opportunities in the city, including spinoff benefits for other sectors.

The direction followed Council’s consideration of the Report on Ontario Cannabis Legislation, Cannabis Retail Stores and Response to Council Direction of August 29, 2018 and feedback from public delegations.

Council heard presentations from nine members of the public. This is in addition to 23,000 responses to an online survey conducted earlier this fall. The responses to the online survey and a random sample telephone survey generally supported permitted retail cannabis stores in Ottawa. Public input indicates that residents want stores with appropriate controls and protections to minimize the impacts on the community.

Staff will report on the impact of the legalization of recreational cannabis on City services in late 2019.

Furthermore, this report focused on cannabis retail stores, however, as new issues emerge, the City will consult with residents and provide additional reports and recommendations to Council as required.

Following the three Council meetings in early December, the Christmas break will be upon us. In the new year, the new Committees will begin their work with focus on developing the term of Council priorities and preparing the 2019 Budget.

2019 Town Hall Series

In my last e-newsletter, I announced that our office will be hosting a series of town hall meetings to help kick off the term of Council. We will host these meetings in Burritt’s Rapids, Pierce’s Corners, Kars, North Gower, Stittsville, Richmond, Munster, Ashton, Manotick, Country Club Village, Fallowfield Village and in the Quinn’s Pointe community in Barrhaven. These meetings will take place between January 9th and March 5th.

The intent of these meetings will be to look at what issues are present currently in our communities, what priorities we want to focus on and any other matters that residents feel requires our attention. It is also an opportunity to discuss how best we can improve communication. We have a number of new initiatives we are going to bring forward in order to better serve our residents. Included in that will be drop in meetings where residents can stop by and visit with our team. We will rotate these meetings around the ward every two weeks.

For the Town Hall meetings, we have the following meetings scheduled:

  •  January 9th: Canadian Golf & Country Club, 7:00pm

  • January 12th: St. Patrick’s Church, 10:00am

  • January 15th: Manotick Arena, 7:00pm

  • January 19th: Burritt’s Rapids Community Hall, 10:00am

  • January 23rd: Munster Community Centre, 7:00pm

  • January 28th: North Gower Client Service Centre, 7:00pm

  • February 4th: St. Benedict Elementary School, 7:00pm

  • February 6th: Ashton Christ Church, 7:00pm

  • February 13th: Kars Recreation Centre, 7:00pm

  • February 19th: St. Philip’s Parish Hall, 7:00pm

  • February 26th: Marlborough Community Hall, 7:00pm

  • March 5th: Goulbourn Town Hall, 7:00pm

I very much look forward to these meetings, as does our team. I hope you will be able to attend.

Mayor’s City Builder Award

The Mayor’s City Builder Award is a civic honour that recognizes an individual, group or organization that have - through their outstanding volunteerism or exemplary action - demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to making our city a better place today and for the future. Past recipients have been honoured for their life-long service, outstanding acts of kindness, inspiring charitable work, community building and other exemplary achievements.  This award is presented at the beginning of each Ottawa City Council meeting.

As a member of Council, I would like to invite you to nominate individuals, groups or organizations that have had a positive impact in our ward and in our community.  Our aim is to ensure a diverse representation of outstanding residents from all corners of our city.

Please contact my office for nomination forms.

North Gower Client Service Centre Holiday Hours

Recognizing the lower volumes of transactions that typically occur, the City of Ottawa is reducing hours or closing the North Gower Client Service Centre (CSC) on the following dates:

  • Thursday, December 20th: 8:30am to 12:00pm

  • Thursday, December 27th: Closed

  • Thursday, January 3rd: Closed

Regular business hours will resume on Thursday, January 10th. The North Gower CSC is located at 2155 Roger Stevens Drive and is open on Thursdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm. 

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

2019 Town Hall Series, Richmond Transit Meeting, Washka Park & More

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As we march into December and toward Christmas, things begin to get a little busier in the community and at City Hall. Throughout Rideau-Goulbourn, our communities will begin to celebrate Santa Claus’ arrival with countless events. Christmas in the Gower kicks it all off this Friday, November 30th. On Saturday, December 1st, the Manotick Santa Claus parade begins at 1:00pm. The Richmond Santa Claus parade takes place a week later on the 8th beginning at St. Philip’s School at 5:30pm.

Meanwhile, at City Hall, the new term of Council begins on December 1st with the official swearing in ceremony being held at the Shaw Centre on Monday, December 3rd. We will follow that up with a couple of Council meetings and the Nominating Committee as we determine who will sit on what committee or board in the coming term of Council. It is also anticipated that Council will consider the next steps for the City of Ottawa following the legalization of cannabis and Ontario’s regulations surrounding retail sales of cannabis.

2019 Town Hall Series

In 2019, we will be hosting a series of town hall meetings to help kick off the term of Council. We will host these meetings in Burritt’s Rapids, Pierce’s Corners, Kars, North Gower, Stittsville, Richmond, Munster, Ashton, Manotick, Country Club Village, Fallowfield Village and in the Quinn’s Pointe community in Barrhaven. We are still finalizing all of the dates and will communicate those shortly.

Richmond Transit Meeting

Before we host a general town hall meeting in Richmond, we will be hosting a Richmond Transit Meeting to discuss issues with the 283, transition to light rail and future opportunities. The meeting will be on Monday, December 10 from 7 to 9 pm at St. Philip's Parish Hall (127 Burke Street). Attendees at the meeting will include John Manconi (General Manger of Transportation Services Department), Jocelyne Begin (Manager and Special Advisor to the General Manager), Pat Scrimgeour (Director of Transit Customer Systems & Planning) and Troy Charter (Director, Transit Operations).

We look forward to seeing many Richmond residents there and working towards a sustainable solution. 

Washka Park

Manotick’s newest park design is seeking your input. Washka Park will be located at 855 Artemis Circle within the new Regional development, Riverwalk, on Manotick Main Street at Century Road. Comments are being accepted until December 14th. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/washkapark to find out more about Washka Park and to see the proposed design.

The name of the park is derived from an Algonquin word. Through the development process, archeologists found sherds of decorated Middle Woodland Period (approximately 500BC) pottery near the water within the development.  The Algonquins were contacted and they chose to name the archeological site with the word ‘washkà’ [wush-KAH], which is their word for ‘crooked’, and in this case acknowledges the zigzag lines impressed in the pottery sherds that were recovered.  As a result, Regional adopted that name for their proposed park.

Kanata South Link

In the past, I have mentioned the Kanata South Link project that will see the widening of Old Richmond Road and West Hunt Club as well as intersection upgrades including a roundabout at Hope Side Road and Old Richmond Road. I am pleased to report that the project is out to tender now and expected to close before year-end.  Utility work is scheduled to continue over the winter months.  Once the contract has been awarded, the priority will be to begin with layout, environmental mitigation measures such as erosion and sediment control, fencing, tree clearing for the utility works along the new road widening corridor and in-water works. 

The National Capital Commission Land Transfer Agreements were approved by the NCC Board last week. They will go through their internal processes over the next few weeks with final signature from the Director of NCC before they will finalize permission to enter the lands for construction.

Once half loads have been lifted in May 2019, the main construction work will begin and will be completed by fall 2020.  We will be sure to continue to post updates on this major project as it continues to progress.

A December Fa La La

The Village Voices Women’s Choir presents “A December Fa La La” on Sunday, December 9th at 2:00pm with special guests The Manotick Brass Ensemble at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 5462 Osgoode Main Street.  Advance tickets are available for $12 while they can be purchased at the door for $15.  Children under the age of 12 free. There will be refreshments available and gift baskets to be raffled. The evening will also be an opportunity to collect non-perishable donations for the Food Bank. Please consider a donation when attending. For additional information, please contact [email protected].

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.


Blackout Period for the Municipal Election

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This is the last time I am able to communicate through this medium until after the October 22nd municipal election. City Council adopted an Election-Related Resources Policy which includes a “blackout period” in which corporate resources and Member of Council’s office budgets are not to be used to sponsor any advertisements, flyers, newsletters or householders. The 60-day “blackout period” is in effect from Thursday, August 23, 2018, up to and including Monday, October 22, 2018 (Voting Day).
 
During the “blackout period”, advertising for City events or services cannot, in broad terms, include the name of any Member of Council who is also a candidate.
 
For any pressing City matter, we will make sure that those items are provided to the Village Voice for Manotick issues and the Richmond Hub for Richmond issues. For other areas of the ward, there is a protocol for how matters can be communicated to ensure proper notification still occurs in the meantime.
 
Please be assured that the only thing impacted here is how we communicate to the public. My office will still be attentive to anything that comes our way. Should you have any questions or concerns on anything, email my office [[email protected]] or give my team a call [(613) 580-2491] and we will assist you. For election related questions, please reference the City's website: Ottawa.ca.

Municipal Drains Explained

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There has been a lot of discussion surrounding municipal drains lately due to the proposed maintenance and upgrades to the Cranberry Creek Municipal Drain. With municipal drains being discussed, often the subject of the stormwater fee comes up as well. I would just like to take a moment and explain why the two are not entirely related.

Municipal Drains are established under the Provincial Drainage Act. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs has oversight for this piece of legislation. Through their website, they offer the following definition:

“A municipal drain is a system to move water. It is created pursuant to a bylaw passed by the local municipality. The municipality is responsible for the construction of the drainage system and future maintenance and repair. Costs may be recovered from the property owners in the watershed of the drain.

Municipal drains are identified by municipal bylaw that adopts an engineer's report. These reports contain plans, profiles and specifications defining the location, size and depth of the drain, and how costs are shared among property owners.

Most municipal drains are either ditches or closed systems, such as pipes or tiles buried in the ground. They can also include structures such as dykes or berms, pumping stations, buffer strips, grassed waterways, storm water detention ponds, culverts and bridges. Some creeks and small rivers are now considered to be municipal drains. Municipal drains are primarily located in rural agricultural areas.”

The Cranberry Creek Municipal Drain was established in 1895. The Drainage Act sets out the process for establishing a municipal drain. It is done so through a petition by those seeking improved drainage. If you are a regular reader of this column, you will have read about the Engineer’s Report that pertains to this specific drain calling for a replacement of the former pump and dyke system. Since a municipal drain is a private system established by property owners, the costs of the work on Cranberry Creek gets attributed back to the property owners within the watershed of the drain. It is important to note that, since the Cranberry Creek is already an established drain, a petition is not required for maintenance, as per Section 78 of the Act.

Some have asked whether property owners who pay for a municipal drain also pay the stormwater fee. They do. Essentially, it would be no different if you lived in a private community on private roads. Your property taxes would still pay for roads. The stormwater fee pays for roadside ditches, cross culverts and other City-owned drainage infrastructure. Whether a municipal drain was present or not, the need for stormwater infrastructure still exists. A municipal drain is not City-owned. It is established at the request of property owners, not the municipality, therefore the costs are not assessed to the taxpayer at large.

Some have referred to this as “double dipping.” It is not. The municipality provides a drainage network required for draining roads. Municipal drains are drainage ditches that exist above and beyond roadside ditches. While there are many throughout the City, they are not everywhere and, thus, not every resident pays into one. In some cases, though, municipal drains overlap with roadside ditches. That is not the norm, however.

If you happen to have any questions relating to municipal drains, please do not hesitate to contact me. On the City’s geoOttawa mapping tool, you can also locate all municipal drains within the City of Ottawa boundaries. It could be helpful for residents wishing to know if a municipal drain exists in their area.

Burn Permits Now Online!

Now that the nice weather is here, make sure you obtain a burning permit before you start to burn. Beginning this year, Open Air Fire Permits can be obtained online. Simply go to https://myservice.ottawa.ca/profile/account/login.

If you already have a myservice account, log in. If you do not have an account, follow the easy steps to create one. Online payment options include: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Interac Online, MasterCard Debit and Visa Debit.

For the more traditionally minded, fire permits may still be acquired at any City of Ottawa Client Service Centre.

The Big Give

June 2nd is the date of the 2018 Big Give. Every year, churches across the country use this day to bless their neighbourhoods through a unified day of giving.  It is not a garage sale. They are not raising money. Everything is free. It is their way of helping those in need.

This year, Manotick’s newest church, the Manotick Community Church, will be taking part for the third time.  On the Saturday of Dickinson Days, drop by 5492 South River Drive, former Manotick Medical Centre, between 8:00am and 1:00pm.  They will also have free muffins and coffee in the morning and free hot dogs at lunch.  Most importantly, they will have a parking lot FULL of free stuff to choose from.

The MCC is also looking for donations and volunteers for this big day.  Anything from books to appliances will be accepted. Please contact [email protected] should you wish to help.

The Cornerstone Wesleyan Church in North Gower is also participating at their home, 6556 Prince of Wales Drive.

2018 Food Aid Day and Mayor’s Rural Expo

This annual tradition and significant fundraiser takes place this year on Friday, June 1st between 10:00am and 2:00pm at Ottawa City Hall. The event is an opportunity for urban residents to get a taste of rural Ottawa and while they are there, partake in a fundraiser BBQ cooked by THE WORKS.

The cost of the BBQ lunch is $10 and includes a burger, side and drink (debit, credit or cash will be accepted). Music will be provided by New Country 94. As always, the event will also feature the celebrity cow milking competition.

The rural tradeshow, kicking off at 10:00am, features farmers, businesses and organizations promoting unique goods and services. Booths will be located at Marion Dewar Plaza and inside City Hall at Jean Pigott Place.

Last year the event raised $106,000 in support of Food Aid; a program run by the Ottawa Food Bank to purchase and process beef from local farmers. Beef adds nutritious protein to the diets of families requiring this support while boosting the domestic market for cattle.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

First ARAC Meeting of 2018 & Other Updates

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The first few months of 2018 promise to feature busy agendas for the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, including many items that affect our Rideau-Goulbourn ward. The first meeting of the year is coming up on Thursday, February 1st at our usual time of 10:00 am and our usual location of Ben Franklin Place. Agenda items for this meeting include:

Zoning By-Law Amendments

  • 2403 Huntley Road
  • 4534 Loggers Way
  • 5130/5208 Ramsayville Road
  • 4139 Moodie Drive
  • 2026 William Hodgins Lane
  • Manotick Area-Specific Development Charges
  • Cassidy Municipal Drain Improvements

The two local zoning by-law amendments are 2403 Huntley Road and 4139 Moodie Drive. 2403 Huntley Road is a property on the northeast corner of Huntley and Fallowfield Road, directly across from Karter’s Korner. 4139 Moodie Drive is halfway between Barnsdale Road and Brophy Drive and adjacent to the proposed Alottawata Water Park.

The 2403 Huntley Road application seeks to rezone the property from Rural Countryside to Rural Commercial in order to increase the commercial uses on the property. However, the uses will be limited to amusement centre, artist studio, convenience store, office, personal service and retail store. During consultation with residents along Kimini Drive, the use of gas station was raised as a concern and will continue to be prohibited on this property.

The applicant on 4139 Moodie Drive is Proslide Technologies, also the proponent for Alottawata. This application seeks to permit ‘research and development centre’ as well as ‘office’ as permitted uses on the property. The intent is to build an R & D centre and office building to support the water park project. The neighbouring property, 4221 Moodie Drive, is already zoned for a water park. The proposed facility will facilitate the design and testing of new water rides and emerging technologies.

The report on Manotick Area-Specific Development Charges just cleans up something that was missed when the charges report was approved a few years ago. Unfortunately, two development areas were not included at that time. The affected addresses are 1086 Antochi Lane and 5721, 5731, 5741 Manotick Main Street. The approval of this report will ensure that development on these properties is charged the appropriate amount regarding connection to the existing water supply and sanitary service.

Full reports on all of the above items are available online at Ottawa.ca.

Planning Advisory Committee

The City is establishing a Planning Advisory Committee (PAC). The mandate of the PAC is to advise on the Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department’s policy priorities and its annual work plan and may also include other matters as they arise.

Several positions are available including two members from the rural area of Ottawa. They will join counterparts from the urban and suburban areas as well as specialists in the fields of architecture, planning and landscape architecture. The PAC will also include the Chairs of Planning Committee, Built Heritage Sub-Committee and the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, which happens to be me. Members of the Planning Advisory Committee will be required to prepare for and attend meetings. It is anticipated that the PAC will meet twice per year.

For more information on eligibility, roles and responsibilities and the application process, please visit ottawa.ca/volunteer or contact Eric Pelot at 613-580-2424, ext. 22953 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or by email at [email protected].

Barnsdale Road & Prince of Wales Drive

In a recent column, I announced plans for a roundabout at the intersection of Barnsdale Road & Prince of Wales Drive. An open house has now been scheduled to discuss this project and the proposed design.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in 2019 and is subject to change depending on availability of funding. At this open house, you will be able to:

  • Review plans displaying the recommended design;
  • Identify potential issues that may have not been addressed; and,
  • Provide comments on the recommended design.

The open house is scheduled for Thursday, February 15th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and will be held at the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority building at 3889 Rideau Valley Drive. For more information, please visit www.rideaugoulbourn.ca/barnsdaleroundabout. Any comments may be sent to Kunjan Ghimire via email at [email protected] or by phone at 613-580-2424, ext. 21685. Comment on this open house should be submitted by Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

Winter Carnivals

No matter which part of Rideau-Goulbourn you live in, you are never too far away from a winter carnival. Shiverfest takes place in Manotick on Friday, January 26th and 27th and features a number of events including chili cookoff, curling, bingo and trivia. On the other side of the ward, the Munster Winter Carnival takes place on the same weekend. Munster will also feature a number of events aimed at families taking place at the Community Centre and Munster Elementary School. To learn more about these events, please visit our Rideau-Goulbourn website’s Events page.

The following weekend, North Gower will host its 56th Winter Carnival at the Alfred Taylor Recreation Centre. You can come out on Friday, February 2nd for the Kemptville Players Murder Mystery dinner theatre and then come back on Saturday for a full schedule including a pancake breakfast, bake sale, snowmobile rally, buffet dinner and talent show. Information on this will also be available on our events page.

Isle in the River Theatre Company

This year, ITR is going to do something a little different for Valentine's Day. They will be holding an Afternoon Tea at Vibration Studios (5488 Osgoode Main St.) on February 10th and 17th. ITR has selected Norm Foster's two act play Wrong for Each Other to entertain you.

“A chance meeting in a restaurant, after four years apart, sends a couple flashing back through the highs and lows of their courtship and marriage. It is a hilarious and often heart-breaking look at the rollercoaster ride of a relationship.”

Tickets are $28 per person (includes the afternoon tea) and are now on sale at www.itrtheatre.com or by calling 613-800-1165. There are only 50 tickets available per show.

As always for IRT’s Valentine's shows, proceeds will go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. 

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Storefront Industries and Shea Road Hydro Pole Replacement

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Welcome to my penultimate Stittsville News column and Happy New Year! On behalf of my Rideau-Goulbourn team, I would like to wish everyone the best for 2018. It started off incredibly frigid so it can only really go up from here.

Storefront Industries

The City is looking at introducing new zoning provisions to allow limited, small-scale manufacturing and food processing, including micro-distilleries and micro-breweries, in commercial areas. Currently, the Zoning By-law restricts all manufacturing and processing activities to industrial zones that are located in segregated industrial or business parks. These land use classifications do not align to the current trend of small-scale, light manufacturing and food-processing activities that also include a storefront retail or restaurant component in a mixed-use area. These kinds of light "storefront industries" no longer need to be isolated in industrial areas. Under certain circumstances, they are compatible with, and often better suited to more pedestrian friendly main streets.

For example, making beer is technically an industrial activity under the current zoning, regardless of quantity. The growing popularity of microbreweries and brew pubs on urban mainstreets, where the same site brews the beer and serves it to on-site customers as well as wholesaling relatively small quantities to other restaurants and retailers, is poorly accommodated by the current zoning.

The proposed amendment is intended to allow small-scale light manufacturing under certain circumstances in commercial and mixed-use areas. These "storefront industries" will, by definition, include a retail or restaurant component where the products being manufactured are available for sale and/or service to customers on-site, thereby supporting the commercial intent of these areas. However, the proposal also provides for such an operation to sell or distribute its products for resale at other locations.

If you have any questions or comments about this proposal, please contact Tim Moerman at [email protected].

Shea Road Hydro Pole Replacement

Beginning this month, Hydro Ottawa will be undertaking a project that involves replacing aging hydro poles on Shea Road (between Fallowfield Road and Garvin Road). This work is necessary to ensure reliability of the electricity distribution system in the area.

Work on this project is scheduled to commence January 2018 and continue until September 2018. Residents will notice an increased construction presence throughout the duration of the project, including excavation activities and construction vehicles. Traffic control will be implemented when required to ensure that roads and driveways remain accessible and safe to residents and staff. In order to minimize noise concerns, Hydro Ottawa will ensure that work is completed weekdays between 7:00am and 6:00pm.

Be assured that all residents and businesses in the affected area will receive advanced notice of the project and be provided with a point of contact. Customers will also receive advance notification prior to any planned power interruptions affecting their premises. Hydro Ottawa will work diligently to reduce disruptions and their staff and contractors will conduct this work safely and efficiently, ensuring that any inconvenience is minimal.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

City of Ottawa's 2018 Budget

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On December 13th, City Council approved the 2018 budget. This budget maintains the predictability of the previous seven budgets in that it focuses on priorities that matter the most and carries a 2% property tax increase. You likely heard talk of a proposed 2.5% increase but that was withdrawn following the announcement that the City had a surplus for the second straight year and $10M of that surplus would be dedicated to infrastructure renewal.

In Parks & Recreation, planning and consultation will be undertaken for improvements to Beryl Gaffney Park using the master plan for that plan and the $560,000 identified in the budget. Blue Rock Park, in Kars, will see improvements, as will King’s Grant Park and Richmond Lions Park and Gordon & Ivy Scharf Park in Manotick. New parks will be created in the form of Lela Scharf Park, Mud Creek Park and the Spring Pond Parkette, all in Manotick. Also in Manotick, a new park is planned for construction in the new Riverwalk development. Sarah McCarthy Park will be constructed in Richmond. The total funding commitment for these parks, using 2017 and 2018 budget dollars, is $1.7M.

When it comes to traffic improvements, planning is slated for the intersections of Prince of Wales Drive & Bankfield Road, Prince of Wales Drive & Barnsdale Road, First Line Road & Bankfield Road and Rideau Valley Drive & Barnsdale Road. Previously budgeted works are also expected to be carried out this year at Moodie Drive and Fallowfield Road.

The biggest issue across the City, and in every other municipality for that matter, is infrastructure renewal. For 2018, Rideau-Goulbourn will see the resurfacing of Rideau Valley Drive South as well as a small portion of Fallowfield Road around Moodie Drive. Another major renewal project for 2018 is the McBean Street Bridge. There will also be many culvert replacements throughout the ward. In cases like Rideau Valley Drive North, these culvert replacements are the precursor to full resurfacing. The previously mentioned $10M injection into renewal will be discussed early in the new year as recommendations are presented to the Finance & Economic Development Committee on how to allocate those funds.

In other areas, the 2018 budget adds 25 new Ottawa Police officers, 14 new paramedics, $100,000 for rural transportation to be distributed through service agencies, including Rural Ottawa South Support Services. This budget also sees increases to social services spending and increased transit to suburban growth areas as OC Transpo continues to prepare for the opening of LRT in 2018.

If you have any questions about any of the items listed above or anything else on the budget, please do not hesitate to contact me.

North Gower Client Service Centre

Please note that the Client Service Centre in North Gower will be closed on Thursday, December 28th and Thursday, January 4th. Normal hours will resume on Thursday, January 11th. With that said, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Onward and upward to 2018!

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Name the Trains Contest & Community Dancing in Manotick

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Residents in Richmond have likely noticed some activity near Fortune Street and Martin Street. This is the beginning of work along Martin Street to install a new sanitary trunk sewer in order to connect the new housing projects in the Western Development Lands to the existing forcemain in the village. Greenbelt Construction is undertaking the work on behalf of the developer, Caivan Communities. While this is not a City-led construction project, the City does have a project manager that will oversee the work and respond to concerns.

We have been working on the use of Arbuckle Park, off Fortune Street. The contractor is in the process of getting a culvert installed in order to access the Martin Street road allowance from the opposite side of the municipal drain and to set up their site office on that side, away from the park. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Name the Trains Contest

To help get ready for the launch of the O-Train Confederation Line in 2018, the City of Ottawa is looking for the best train name ideas from our city’s next generation of transit users.

The City is inviting children and youth, who are 16 years of age and under, to name the 34 O-Train Confederation Line train cars and the 6 O-Train Trillium Line train cars. The Name the Trains Contest will run from November 2nd to December 8th. To enter the contest, please visit octranspo.com/ready4rail.

Here are some details to keep in mind when choosing a name:

  • Names should be short (maximum of 16 characters)
  • Names should be related to trains (or train service) or have a Canadian or Ottawa-related significance
  • Names must fit into one or more of the following 5 categories: people, animals, natural world, culture or history
  • Names should be bilingual or easily translatable (English & French)
  • Names should be friendly (nothing negative, please!), have a pleasant sound and be easy to remember
  • Participants can submit as many separate entries as they wish, but each contest participant can only win once
  • Names cannot be current or future O-Train Confederation or Trillium Line station names

Winners will be notified by email or telephone in 2018 once all entries have been reviewed. For more information, including contest rules and regulations, plus guidelines on how to submit a great train name, please visit octranspo.com/ready4rail.

Community Dancing in Manotick

On Friday, November 24th from 7:00 to 9:30pm at the Manotick United Church, come out and enjoy a fun, interactive session of dance, laughter & music. Join the Ever Hopeful Stringband and caller Pippa Hall for a family-friendly, alcohol-free evening of community dancing, including circles, squares and contras. Each dance is taught and the whole family is invited. The evening begins with simple dances, followed by dances that build on skills as the evening progresses. Admission is $10, $5 for those aged 12-18, and anyone under 12 gets in for free. There is a family maximum admission of $20. For more Information, please call 613-692-4576 or visit http://dance.manotick.net.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Green Light Program for Volunteer Firefighters Awareness

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Through a new signage campaign across rural Ottawa, the City is making an effort to remind motorists that vehicles with green flashing lights are being driven by volunteer firefighters who are responding to a call. As a courtesy, all road users are asked to allow these vehicles to pass quickly and safely.

Ottawa’s rural communities are served by 470 volunteer firefighters. Through the Green Light program, volunteer firefighters are equipped with green flashing lights for their personal vehicles. When you see a green light flashing from a driver’s vehicle, it means the driver is a volunteer firefighter responding to an emergency.

Drivers are asked, to please yield the road to these vehicles with green flashing lights. This may mean pulling over, if it is safe to do so, to allow the vehicle to pass.

Volunteer firefighters responding to an emergency typically need to drive their personal vehicles to a nearby fire station where they can transfer into a fire vehicle before responding to the scene of an incident. Pulling over when you see a firefighter’s green light can have a big impact because every second counts.

Volunteer firefighters are also expected to follow the same rules of the road as all other drivers. The Highway Traffic Act allows volunteer firefighters to display a flashing green light when responding to emergencies. The use of the flashing green light on or in vehicles is restricted to fire services.

To increase awareness of the Green Light program, the City launched an awareness campaign recently. Drivers in rural areas may notice additional road signs and billboards reminding them of the program. This program has existed in rural Ottawa for several years and similar programs exist across North America in communities that are served by volunteer firefighters.

ReCollect Calendar App

The City of Ottawa is pleased to launch the ReCollect Collection Calendar app, in collaboration with the Service Innovation and Performance Department. The online ReCollect calendar has been in use since September 2012 and provides residents with a reminder of their collection day and the type of material scheduled for collection.                                                  

The new mobile app is now available free of charge through Apple and Android stores. By downloading the collection calendar app, residents will be able to receive notifications about their collection and quickly reference their collection calendar on their Apple and Android devices. ReCollect apps are used by over 100 municipalities across North America. Each of these mobile apps is unique to the municipality (name, artwork, content, etc.), and has been very well received by residents. In addition to weekly calendar reminders, customized waste diversion messages can also be incorporated into the app. 

In addition to the ReCollect app residents can access the ReCollect calendar on Ottawa.ca. They can download and print the collection calendar, upload it to personal calendars or sign up for email, telephone or Twitter notifications.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

October’s ARAC Agenda, 2018 Budget Consultation & More

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The next meeting of Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee is coming up on Thursday, October 5th. Agenda items at this upcoming meeting include the following:

  • Zoning By-Law Amendments for:
    • 3719 Dunrobin Road (West Carleton)
    • 1156 Jinkinson Road (Rideau-Goulbourn)
    • 5721, 5731, 5741 Manotick Main Street (Rideau-Goulbourn)
  • Boundary Road Agreement Report
  • Rural Coach Houses on Private Services
  • Carp Airport Development
  • Thomas Gamble Municipal Drain (Osgoode)
  • Kilroe Municipal Drain (Barrhaven)

The Zoning By-Law Amendment for 1156 Jinkinson Road is an expansion of Cavanagh’s Henderson Quarry. Already approved through the Province’s Aggregate Resources Act, the amendment changes the zoning from Mineral Reserve (MR) to Mineral Extraction (ME). A portion of the MR zone will also change to Environmental Protection (EP3) as a buffer between the quarry and the neighbouring wetland.

The Zoning By-Law Amendment for Manotick Main Street is the Regional Group/eqHomes development on the southern edge of Manotick, along the Rideau River. This property is in between Island View Road and Kelly Marie Drive. The Draft Plan of Subdivision was already approved by the City of Ottawa and this report deals specifically with the zoning of the property. That approval has been appealed and I am working with the appellant and the developer to resolve those issues. The appellant is well within their rights to have appealed, I agree with the basis of that appeal and I am confident we can resolve the matter.
 
The current zoning for 5721, 5731 and 5741 Manotick Main Street allows for detached dwellings. The proposed zoning, which aligns itself with the Manotick Secondary Plan, will allow the development of detached dwellings as well as townhome dwellings. Another element of the zoning amendment is to reduce required setbacks and increase the maximum lot coverage. The reason for this is because of the development being entirely bungalows. Bungalows require a larger footprint.
 
The report on coach houses deals specifically with coach houses being developed in the rural area on private services, i.e.: well and septic. The report attempts to soften some of the requirements imposed last year for those wishing to build a coach house on their property. For properties on municipal services, one just requires a building permit. The development on private services is a little more complex because well and septic capacity have to be considered.

The Boundary Road Agreement report deals with all of the roads that the City of Ottawa shares with our neighbouring municipalities, including North Grenville, Montague Township, Beckwith Township and Lanark County. It sets out maintenance responsibility agreements between the various partners. One such road that has caused concern is Ashton Station Road. This report is aimed at addressing maintenance issues between the City and Beckwith. As of right now, Beckwith has not agreed but the City of Ottawa continues to work with them on the agreement.

The agenda and all reports are available at Ottawa.ca.  

RCVA Tree Planing Program 

Money is available to landowners interested in planting trees. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority offers private landowners tree planting programs that help them get technical advice, planting plans and funding for trees.
 
To be eligible, landowners need at least one acre of land and are willing to plant a minimum of 500 trees. If you have the space, RVCA can help get trees growing on your land for 15 cents a tree. Since 1983, RVCA has planted over 5.25 million trees on private property for landowners. For more information please visit the RVCA’s website.

Richmond Forcemain Project Update

As many of you are aware, the Richmond Forcemain Project has been ongoing for much of 2017. Over the next few weeks, City Staff will be preparing for the abandonment of the old 200mm forcemain that runs from the Richmond Sewage Pumping Station along Royal York Street, Chanonhouse Drive and goes through Chanonhouse Park and connects to the lagoons. This abandonment will be completed by excavating a series of approximately nine pits between the Pumping Station and the Lagoons and filling the old forcemain with grout.
 
The City of Ottawa inspector for the forcemain will go door-to-door to briefly discuss the work, timelines and reinstatement work with residents that are in direct proximity of a pit. Placement of topsoil and seeding is ongoing between King Street and Eagleson Road. Chain link fence installation along the rear of the properties on Dallaire Crescent and installation of the granular access road from Eagleson Road to the west limit of lagoon cell ‘C’ is ongoing. Deficient work inside valve chambers on the 300mm and 600mm forcemains along the Jock River from the Condominium building at 68 King Street to the lagoons is ongoing.
 
The Parking lot on Eagleson Road near Barnsdale Road is now open. Trails remain closed within the project limits and fencing and signage are being maintained in the construction zone.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

September's ARAC Meeting & Proposed Site Alteration By-Law

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With the return of the school year comes the return of our regular committee schedule. During the summer months, Council will place all of the regular July meetings in the first two weeks of the month and place all of the August meetings toward the end of the month, thus creating somewhat of a break from Committee work. September 7th will be our next Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee following our last meeting in early July.

Agenda items for this meeting include:

  • Zoning Amendment – 3926 Milton Road (Cumberland)
  • Zoning Amendment – 3455 Milton Road (Cumberland)
  • Zoning Amendment – 6690 Mitch Owens (Osgoode)
  • Zoning Amendment – 1430 Dunning Road (Cumberland) 
  • Appointment of a Drainage Engineer for Wilson-Cowan Municipal Drain

Also included is a report that includes some zoning by-law amendments to accommodate reconstruction efforts in parts of the city that were impacted by the severe flooding in May of this year. Another report is a quarterly Omnibus Zoning By-Law Amendment report, which we will receive a brief presentation on with regard to any impacts in the rural area.

As always, ARAC meetings are held at Ben Franklin Place in Centrepointe in the former Nepean Council Chambers. Our meetings begin at 10:00am. All of the items listed above are available for review at Ottawa.ca or through our monthly e-Newsletter, which you can sign up for at RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Proposed Site Alteration By-Law

Last year, the City of Ottawa began a review of the current City By-Laws that regulate site alteration activities. Over the last several months, City staff have engaged with local residents, farming organizations and environmental groups to create a new Site Alteration By-Law for the City of Ottawa. The City’s goal with this new by-law is to prevent drainage problems, protect the productivity of soils in designated Agricultural Resource Areas, protect designated natural areas and other identified natural heritage features (such as significant woodlands and valleylands) from negative impacts, reduce the risk of root damage to City-owned trees or other trees protected under the City’s tree by-laws and to establish basic rules for how site alteration is done, to avoid impacts to neighbours and the environment. Ultimately, the driving force behind this proposal is the impacts on agricultural lands by those wishing to development. In some cases, we have seen land manipulation in an effort to downgrade land from agricultural to a use more compatible with development. One thing I would like to see in this by-law is an outright exemption for normal agricultural activities. That exemption doesn’t yet exist.

I would encourage any landowner or resident who has an interest in site alteration activities to review the draft by-law which is available on Ottawa.ca and to provide your feedback to City staff. As always, you can contact my office to receive a copy of the draft by-law, or to provide your comments. It is very important that the City received a variety of feedback on this matter from all parties impacted.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

OCPA Plowing Match set for Twin Elm

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As summer, or whatever you want to call the last couple of months, winds down, the Committee schedule for Council gets back into the full swing of things. The first week of every month is usually a busy one for me as I sit on Finance & Economic Development Committee, Transportation Committee and Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. Those three committees meet respectively on the first Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the month. As a result, our next meeting of ARAC falls on Thursday, September 7th. At the time of print for this edition of the Messenger, I do not have the final agenda but it will likely be light. If you are interested in seeing the details of the upcoming ARAC meeting, please subscribe to our Rideau-Goulbourn e-Newsletter on our RideauGoulbourn.ca website or you can also find the agenda at Ottawa.ca as soon as it goes live.

OCPA Plowing Match set for Twin Elm

The Ottawa Carleton Plowmen’s Association (OCPA) Plowing Match is set for August 25th and 26th near Twin Elm, at the corner of Brophy Drive and Moodie Drive.

On Friday, August 25th, there will be a brief opening ceremony at 11:00am followed by a VIP Plowing Competition and a light lunch and awards ceremony. From 1:00pm until 3:00pm, a “Plowing Workshop” will take place with coaches and equipment provided to encourage everyone, including the public, to learn more about the art of plowing.

Rain or shine, the OCPA Plowing Match starts at 10:00am on Saturday, August 26th, with competitors from across the county vying for a spot to move on to the next level of plowing perfection using both modern and vintage tractors. The day will also showcase displays, vendors and farm equipment to examine and enjoy. All are welcome, and the $3 admission includes parking.

Winners will be announced at a banquet that evening. All are welcome to it as well. Banquet tickets are $25 and should be purchased in advance by calling 613-913-0721.

Plowers must plow at local matches to be eligible to plow at the International Plowing Match (IPM) and Rural Expo in Walton (Huron County), Ontario, September 19th to 23rd, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the IPM.

Line Painting Program Update

In recent weeks and months, some of you may have noticed City crews out painting lines on our roads. Since the City’s line painting crews normally work at night, this might have been surprising to some and frustrating for others who were caught behind a crew while it was painting. They would normally work at night to avoid these types of traffic conflicts. Unfortunately, this summer hasn’t been like the ones before it.

Due to the high incidence of rain during the months of May and June (the City’s weather forecaster reported that it rained 37 of 61 days during these two months), City staff lost 25 out of 70 pavement marking work shifts due to rain. Furthermore, this past winter was particularly harsh resulting in an unusually high amount of wear on the existing pavement markings and leaving many pavement markings more faded than usual. As a result, this significantly delayed their production schedule. To compensate, Staff are working additional shifts (as weather permits) to ensure that the completion of this program is done before the end of the season. As mentioned, this work would have ideally been done at night as it has been done in the past.

ROSSS Walk of Care

As many of you know, each year Rural Ottawa South Support Services hosts its annual Walk of Care along the beautiful Doug Thompson Multi-Use Pathway. This year’s walk is scheduled for September 9th with the funds raised from the walk going to support ROSSS’ transportation and caregivers programs.

Last year ROSSS provided over 15,000 drives to seniors and adults with disabilities and offered over 6,000 hours of respite for caregivers. Current data shows that 15.4% of Ottawa’s population are seniors.  This number is expected to double by 2031 to 250,000 seniors.  As a result of this services and programs like transportation and caregiver support are critical to helping seniors age in the communities they have called home for their whole lives.

In Ontario, 65% of seniors over the age of 65 who receive care identify transportation as their number one need. 29% of Ontarians act as unpaid caregivers for family members, neighbours, or a friend. If you would like to help ROSSS continue to offer these needed programs in rural Ottawa, consider joining the Walk of Care.

Registration and pledge forms are available online at www.walkofcare.ca.

Barrhaven Seniors' Council

The Fall 2017 Newsletter and calendars of activities for September to December are now available at https://barrhavenseniors.com/. There are plenty of activities Monday to Friday, mornings and afternoons, and more new programs are being added throughout the year.  If you have any questions, please contact Don at 613-440-3620.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

The State of Our Roads: Good News for Infrastructure Renewal

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One of the most significant issues that any Councillor deals with on a daily basis, and certainly every rural Councillor, is the state of our roads. Since 2012, Council has continuously worked to close the funding gap when it comes to infrastructure renewal. This would include buildings, parks, sidewalks, roads, etc. In 2012, Council approved a one-time funding program called Ottawa on the Move that saw $340M invested directly into renewal between then and 2014. Additionally, over the last six years, Council has set aside annual increases to our renewal budget to help close that gap in our annual budget. It has helped but it hasn’t been nearly enough.

The commitment that has been made in recent years has seen vast improvements in our rural road network throughout Ottawa. Over 30% of all annual road renewal funding is spent in the rural area. This year, for instance, the City is resurfacing Shea Road, Bleeks Road and William McEwen Drive. In recent years, we’ve seen renewal of Moodie Drive, Century Road West, Donnelly Drive, Bridge Street, Church Street, Ottawa Street and so on. Every time the City resurfaces a road, though, there is really no time to rest on our laurels as we have an abundance of other roads that require attention.

The last time that the City did a Long Range Financial Plan and updated its Asset Management Plan was in 2012 and the result was that increased commitment to renewal and the Ottawa on the Move program. In recent weeks, Council approved our next Long Range Financial Plan with a major focus on infrastructure renewal. Even though we had been adding more money in every budget, our annual funding gap toward renewal is $70M. We are spending $125M on infrastructure renewal when we should be spending $195M.

In June, Council approved our most recent update to the Long Range Financial Plan with the following key recommendations:

  • That the contribution from taxation for the renewal of existing assets be increased by inflation (Construction Price Index) and an additional $10.5 million in the 2018 budget, as a priority within Council’s approved tax targets.
  • That the annual contribution from taxation for the renewal of existing assets be increased annually by inflation and an additional $7.8 million per year starting in the 2019 budget for 9 years as outlined in this report.
  • That staff continue to pursue permanent stable funding from the federal and provincial governments for the renewal of existing assets.

This significant increase in funding will help advance more roads, parks and building renewal projects in the coming years. Further to that, we have also improved some additional funding for this year and I have been working with staff to try and secure some improvements in Richmond on Strachan, Martin and Colonel Murray. It likely won’t be full resurfacing but something better than the patch work that was done previously.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Wild Parsnip, Farm Grant Program and Property Tax Deferral Programs

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With June comes Wild Parsnip. If you have been driving around rural Ottawa over the last week, you will have likely noticed small signs with red dots and green dots along roadsides. These signs are part of the City of Ottawa’s wild parsnip spraying program. Since 2015, we have taken a more aggressive approach with managing wild parsnip in the most affected areas. Through increased ditch cutting and spraying of a specific broad leaf herbicide, our efforts have proven effective.

The red dot signs indicate to the contractor that a resident has opted out of the spraying program. The green dot tells the contractor when they can restart. However, property owners who have opted out of the spraying program should still consider their role in managing wild parsnip. As soon as the invasive weed goes to seed, it spreads. By keeping the ditches mowed in areas that aren’t being sprayed, it will prevent the plant from growing and spreading. Therefore, even if you’ve requested that there be no spraying in front of your property, I would strongly encourage you to help control the spread of wild parsnip by keeping those areas mowed.

For more information on wild parsnip, please visit www.rideaugoulbourn.ca/wildparsnip.

Farm Grant Program

The City of Ottawa Farm Grant Program provides financial relief to working farmers. The grant program will assist eligible farm property owners by allowing the June final tax installment to be paid in December.

To qualify for the grant, the following conditions must be met:

  • The property must be defined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation in the farmlands property class
  • The property must not be owned by a commercial enterprise
  • Taxes have been paid up to date before the June instalment
  • The final tax instalment billed (mailed May) is paid in full in early December

How the program will work:

  • Penalty charges will continue
  • Notification of the amount to be paid will be communicated to you in the fall
  • The grant amount will be the equivalent of the penalty charges and fees added to your account during the deferral
  • The City will automatically calculate and apply a credit for the grant amount to your tax account; there is no application to fill out

Should you have any questions, please contact Revenue Branch from Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm at 613-580-2444. TTY: 613-580-2401.

Property Tax Deferral Programs

The City of Ottawa offers two property tax deferral programs for low-income seniors and low-income people with disabilities. Eligible homeowners may apply for a full or partial deferral of annual property taxes. Application for tax deferral must be made annually to the City of Ottawa to establish eligibility or confirm continued eligibility.

You may apply for one of the following programs: Full Property Tax Deferral Program or Partial Property Tax Deferral Program. For more information, visit ottawa.ca or call 613-580-2740.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Rural Clean Water Program & Eat Your Way Through Rideau-Goulbourn

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As many of you know, the City of Ottawa is celebrating Canada’s 150th in grand fashion. As part of these celebrations, we also have an Agri150 series where we showcase all the best rural Ottawa has to offer. It kicked off in February with the Fire & Ice event at Suntech Greenhouses and it will continue with nearly twenty additional events.

One such event will take place on Sunday, June 25th in Rideau-Goulbourn. Our Secret Eats event invites guests to eat their way through the Rideau-Goulbourn Ward. As host of this event, I have the pleasure of guiding participants to four stops where they will eat, visit, and learn about the people and places that contributed to the history and character of Rideau-Goulbourn.

Foodies will tour each destination on this Secret Eats adventure and sample some of the delectable local cuisine that awaits in rural Ottawa. The event runs from 11:30am until 5:30pm. Tour shuttles will depart from OC Transpo’s Greenboro Transitway Station, at the Park & Ride level. Tickets for Secret Eats are $45.20 + fees. A tour ticket enables free use of any OC Transpo bus route and the O-Train Trillium Line, to and from Greenboro Station. Tickets are to be shown to the bus operator when boarding. Free service is available from three hours before the tour until three hours after the tour.

For more information on Ottawa 2017 and Agri150, please visit Ottawa2017.ca.

Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program

The Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program (ORCWP) provides funding for projects that protect surface water and groundwater quality. Landowners completing projects in 2017 may be eligible for grants of up to $15,000 depending on the project they are undertaking. The next application deadline is May 1, 2017. Grants are available for 18 kinds of projects related to nutrient management, soil protection, water management, land stewardship, and education and innovation.

Farmers from rural and urban Ottawa along with landowners within rural Ottawa are eligible to apply. Approved applicants must complete a 3rd or 4th Edition Environmental Farm Plan (farm projects), or Healthy Home Guidebook (non-farm projects). Canadian Organic Certification is also accepted for some farm projects. Non-profit organizations can apply for education and innovation projects.

Applications will be accepted through the LandOwner Resource Centre, which works in partnership with the Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley, and South Nation Conservation Authorities and the City of Ottawa.  Contact the LandOwner Resource Centre at 613-692-3571 or toll free at 1-800-267-3504 ext. 1136. Visit www.ottawa.ca/cleanwater to see a full list of eligible projects and to download an application form.

Scott Moffatt Golf4Youth Classic Presented by Caivan Communities

Join me on July 7th for the Scott Moffatt Golf4Youth Classic Presented by Caivan Communities at the Canadian Golf & Country Club. It promises to be a fun day for the whole family with all proceeds going directly to the Youth of Manotick Association (YOMA) and the Richmond Youth Centre (RYC). I would love for you to participate!

We are also acquiring sponsorships and silent auction donations. If you are a local business and want to be involved in this event, please contact me and we’ll find an exciting way to get you involved.

For more details or to register, visit www.golf4youth.ca. Hopefully we can make this a successful event that will benefit kids and families all across Rideau-Goulbourn.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

ARAC & Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence

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Our upcoming meeting of the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee on Thursday, April 6th will be the first since February following the cancellation of the March meeting. The previously announced meeting in March was cancelled because there were only two items on the agenda. The two items that carry over from that light March agenda are the waiver of fees on the Cable Crescent closure off of Fairmile Road and the proposal to add two all-way stop controls to Osgoode Main Street. Additionally, the agenda includes:

  • Zoning By-Law Amendment for 3856, 3866, 3876 Navan Road to permit a Place of Worship
  • Status Update: Inquiries and Motions for the period ending March 30th, 2017

It is another relatively light agenda but the meeting is necessary due to the timelines surrounding the Navan Road zoning amendment. I will also be bringing forward a motion pertaining to the Mahogany Harbour dock project. This motion will allow the community to proceed to the next steps of this project including a temporary facility for the 2017 boating season.

As always, our ARAC meetings are held at Ben Franklin Place in the old Nepean Township Council Chambers. The meeting will begin at 10:00am. Full agenda information can be found at ottawa.ca.

2017 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence

Applications for the 2017 Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence program will be accepted until April 28th, 2017.

The program recognizes innovators who contribute to the success of Ontario's agri-food sector. Eligible applicants could receive one of:

  • a Premier's Award ($75,000)
  • a Minister's Award ($50,000)
  • a Leaders in Innovation Award - three awards available ($25,000 each) 
  • provincial award - 45 awards available ($5,000 each)

Program applications are reviewed by two independent panels consisting of agri-food industry representatives from across Ontario. For more information about the awards and the application process, please review the program website at omafra.gov.on.ca.

2017 Construction Season

Construction contracts for 2017 are being awarded and, in next week’s column, I will provide an update on what you can expect to see this summer. As mentioned previously, Shea Road, Bleeks Road and William McEwen Drive, south of Brophy Drive, will be resurfaced this summer. I’ll have more details next week.

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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. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.

Stormwater Update

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In March and April of this year, residents were informed of the City of Ottawa’s Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Structure Review. Over the course of those two months, we shared much information on the matter and you were very involved in these discussions. Once again, I would like to thank everyone who contacted me, submitted comments to the City and attended the public consultation sessions. The April 7th meeting held in North Gower was attended by approximately 250 residents. Your participation and input led to the eventual delay of the report so that your comments could be properly reviewed and taken into account. Since then, staff have been compiling those comments and working with members of Council on finalizing the report and its recommendations. This report, released on Monday of this week, will be presented to the Environment Committee on Tuesday, October 18th at City Hall.

As you may recall from my March 16th column, the history on this issue is incredibly important and stems from amalgamation. Prior to amalgamation, residents across every municipality contributed to stormwater management. Some paid for it through their general taxes, some through a specific stormwater rate and others as part of their sewer bill. The transition board overseeing the implementation of the amalgamated City of Ottawa commissioned a report which provided recommendations on how an amalgamated city could assess properties for stormwater costs. That report recommended cost collection through either the general tax rate or a specific fee charged as a line item on your tax bill. In April of 2001, the Council of the day chose neither. With no explanation given in the minutes of that meeting, Council voted unanimously to shift all stormwater costs to the water and sewer rate. This meant that some residents who used to pay for it no longer did and it also meant that residents who had always been paying for it started paying more. For fifteen years, that is the system the City has been using.
 
The consultations held in the spring laid out proposals to move away from that system and create a new rate structure where those who receive a service pay for that service. The main objective was to collect $42M across the City through a new stormwater fee, shifting those costs away from the water and sewer rate budget. Of that total, $8M is the amount of money spent on stormwater maintenance in the rural area. The feedback on that proposal was met with much opposition and plenty of input. This brings us to the proposal that is before us today.
 
Here is a chart demonstrating the proposed rate structure:

More detailed information is available at Ottawa.ca.

The proposal includes a tiered approach in assessing properties for stormwater management. The tiers are based on level of service provided. For village residents on water and sewer in communities like Manotick, Richmond and Munster, you will only notice a change in how your bill is presented. There will be a moderate reduction in your bill on an average of $2/month. For property owners on private services, the proposed fee would be $4/month. This is something that you don’t currently pay and it would be paid annually on your tax bill (agricultural and forested lands will be exempt). This is down from the $6 or $7 per month proposal that was floated in the spring. The report also proposed a phasing in of the charge over four years, meaning you would not pay the full amount until 2020. The total amount collected through this charge will be $2M which will go directly toward the $8M spent annually on rural stormwater services.
 
During the consultation meetings, we also heard concerns about other matters such as infilling of ditches. When all residents contributed toward stormwater services, many of us were permitted to fill in their ditch provided it did not impede drainage. That permission was removed in 2003. As a result of what we heard, the report will recommend a review of the Ditch Alteration Policy with a view to develop a process to, once again, permit the infilling of ditches. This policy review will come to Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee in 2017.
 
You will likely hear this a few times in the coming weeks but this proposal is not perfect. There simply is no perfect way to collect fees on the basis of fairness. Each and every property contributes differently. Short of any perfect solution, we have the proposal before us. Thanks to your involvement earlier this year, the proposal is better than it was and I appreciate the way you ensured your voice was heard.
 
This report has been released a week earlier than normal so that we all have an opportunity to look at it and digest the relevant information. Please take some time, have a look at the proposal and feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have. As mentioned, you can find more information at Ottawa.ca. I sit on the Environment Committee and will be there on the 18th of October. If you’d like to address the Committee on this issue, you may do so by emailing [email protected].

Happy 30th Birthday Manotick Messenger!

I was only five years old when Jeff Morris started printing the Manotick Messenger so I don’t really remember Manotick without it.  It has been there for many great moments in my life and I even had the opportunity to write for the Messenger when I was in high school.  My first appearance came when I was in middle school and then editor Steve Newman did a piece on me and my beer bottle collection, which consisted of approximately 700 different bottles.

Of course, the Messenger has been there during my entire political life as well from one of my first interviews in 2006 with Bev McRae this current opportunity to write a weekly column in the paper I grew up with.  The Messenger was there for my election loss in 2006 and it will be there when I say goodbye in this very column.

At a time when community newspapers are moving away from grassroots community coverage, the Manotick Messenger remains true to its commitment to this community and we are all lucky to have it.

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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.

Manotick Arena Expansion and the Manotick Secondary Plan review

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In May of this year, the City of Ottawa was invited to submit projects to the Government of Canada for the new Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP 150 Fund). This Federal program supports the rehabilitation, renovation and expansion of existing public infrastructure assets. This program is linked to Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017.

Subsequent to this invitation, City Council endorsed a list of 23 projects for application under the CIP 150 Fund.  The renovation and expansion of the Manotick Arena was on the list.  This project was first identified several years ago by community members looking for expanded change rooms and more community meeting/activity space.  Through the work of the community, the project was adopted by the City of Ottawa as a future infrastructure project allowing it to be considered for the CIP 150 Fund.

This brings us to Friday, July 31st and the announcement at the Manotick Arena.  After discussing the project with myself and meeting with community leaders, MP Pierre Poilievre was in town to announce that the Manotick Arena Expansion Project had secured $880,000 to expand and upgrade the facility with the addition of four new accessible dressing rooms and a community hall.

I want to thank MP Poilievre as well as representatives from the Osgoode-Rideau Minor Hockey Association, Rural Ottawa South Support Services, Youth of Manotick Association, Manotick Village & Community Association, Manotick Culture, Parks & Recreation Association as well as representatives from the various adult hockey leagues for their work on this collaborative community effort to improve the arena facilities.  With this funding, it is expected that construction will begin in 2016.

Manotick Secondary Plan: Traffic Issues

Throughout the public meetings for the Secondary Plan review, concerns were continuously raised regarding traffic issues in the village.  You may have also read about some of these issues in recent letters to the editor in this very paper.  The challenges we continue to have in addressing these issues are directly related to the City of Ottawa’s warrant system, supported by the Ontario Traffic Manual.  In essence, new intersection signage and reduced speed limits need to meet specific criteria prior to implementation.  This has been the stumbling block for addressing community concerns.

With this in mind, I’d like to suggest hosting a public meeting this fall leading up to the Secondary Plan Review approval.  The purpose of this meeting would be to explain the warrant system as it applies to local issues, discuss the local issues in question and seek feedback from the community on a way forward for these various issues.  Some of these issues include speed limit reductions on Bankfield Road and Manotick Main Street and the implementation of a Community Safety Zone on Bridge Street and on Long Island Road.  We will also look at a variety of examples where warrants were met and why versus some intersections where warrants aren’t met.  A perfect example would be the new four way stop at Barsndale Road & Greenbank Road, which did meet warrants, and the intersection of Rideau Valley Drive & Barnsdale Road, where we have received a couple of requests for all way stop controls but that intersection does not meet warrants.

We’ll also discuss the years old issue of trucks in the village and some of things we have been working on to help reduce the pressure in the village and spread the traffic load over other nearby bridges.  It is my intention to host this meeting jointly with the Manotick Village & Community Association in late September or early October.  As soon as I coordinate with City of Ottawa staff on their schedules, I will set a date and let you know.  I will endeavour to bring forward any potential resolutions to the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee alongside the Secondary Plan review.

In the coming weeks, feel free to contact me with issues you would like to discuss and have highlighted at this meeting.  I’m not going to pretend that we can solve all issues raised but a healthy discussion of such never hurts.

Open Air Fire Permits

Residents are reminded that open air fires of any kind are prohibited without an Open Air Fire Permit.

An open air fire refers to the burning of untreated wood, tree limbs and branches where the flame is not wholly contained. The City’s Open Air Fire By-law prohibits the use of campfires, brush fires, burn drums, windrows and outdoor fireplaces within City limits. Barbecues are permitted.

Definitions for all these terms, and further details about Open Air Fire Permits, can be found on the City’s website, ottawa.ca.

While open air burning might seem to be harmless, it has the potential to cause visible haze, health problems, air pollution and nuisance concerns.

Even residents who possess a permit are required to call 613-580-2880 prior to burning to ensure there is not a burn ban in effect.

Substantial fines may be issued to residents who are not in possession of a valid permit or are found to be non-compliant to conditions and regulations within their permit. Fire permits are available at all Client Service Centres and Ottawa Fire Services’ Rural Administrative offices. A list of these sites, hours of operation and more information on fire permits can be found on ottawa.ca or by calling 3-1-1.

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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.