Happy New Year!

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We hope you have had the chance to take in the beautiful lights in Richmond's Memorial Park!

We hope you have had the chance to take in the beautiful lights in Richmond's Memorial Park!

Happy New Year Rideau-Goulbourn! As we embark on a new year, I do so with new responsibilities at City Hall. In December, Council approved the roles and responsibilities for the new term of council. After serving last term as Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, I had the privilege of being named the Chair of the Environment Committee. Subsequently, I brought forward a Notice of Motion to change the name of that committee to the Standing Committee on Water, Waste and Environmental Protection. The intent is to ensure that the name of the committee reflects the broad mandate of the committee and its key priorities.

As for other responsibilities, I will continue to sit on Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, Finance & Economic Development Committee and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority. I will also be joining the Ottawa Community Housing Board and the Planning Committee.

2019 Town Hall Series

In the coming weeks, 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.

 *****

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.

Flu Clinics, Woodlot Rehabilitation Program, and Dickinson House News

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While the November 1st Finance & Economic Development Committee meeting will have already taken place by the time you read this, there are two key items on the agenda with relation to Rideau-Goulbourn, specifically Manotick. One is a report that I brought forward that seeks Committee and Council approval to retain Dickinson House and Carriage Shed in City ownership. This would conclude the Manotick Mill Quarter Community Development Corporation process and ensure that Dickinson Square remains as you see it today with Watson’s Mill and the Rideau Township Historical Society calling these two buildings home.

The other item is a land swap that will place the woodlots on the Mahogany lands in City ownership. This is something that came from the OMB decision approving the Minto development in the south end of the village. The woodlots are years away from seeing development occur near them, but this land swap will ensure that these lands are protected from development.  As part of the deal, the City is giving up lands in South Nepean to Minto.

Forcemain Project

On October 25th, a Commence Work Order was issued by the City of Ottawa to Robert Excavating to complete the upgrades to the forcemain project.  As many of you are aware, this is the culmination of nearly two years of planning and consultation

The original forcemain was built in the early 1980’s and is in need of repair. The construction project will involve repairs and modifications to the existing 500mm diameter forcemain, the installation of a new bypass 300mm diameter forcemain to facilitate the repairs, the installation of a new section of 600mm diameter forcemain for the proposed future development within the Village of Richmond, and decommissioning of an abandoned forcemain in the immediate vicinity of the Richmond Sewage Pump Station (RSPS).

This work is tentatively planned to begin any day now and be completed by October 2017. Spot repairs and modifications to the transition couplings, valves and valve accessories will be made at various structures along the existing forcemain between the RSPS and Lagoon Cell C as well as on Eagleson Road between the Jock River crossing and Robertson Road. An abandoned forcemain will also be decommissioned as part of the works and runs from the RSPS from Royal York St and along King St to Chanonhouse Dr. before heading north at Chanonhouse park through adjacent wooded lands prior to reaching the Lagoon site.

Ottawa Public Health Flu Clinics

During the 2015-2016 flu season, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) administered over 10,000 influenza vaccines at community clinics, while it distributed over 379,000 doses of the vaccine across the City through physicians’ offices, pharmacies, long-term care facilities and other vaccine providers. For the 2016-2017 flu season, OPH will again focus on providing access of flu vaccine to the general population through physicians’ offices and pharmacy providers, and outreach to vulnerable populations. As in previous years, OPH will continue to run community-based clinics in areas of low pharmacist / physician coverage.

For the upcoming season, over 170 Ottawa pharmacies will be offering the influenza vaccine.  Many pharmacies are open long hours, and are located throughout the city, making the publicly funded influenza vaccine ever more accessible.  In addition, more than 300 physicians’ offices across the city will be offering the flu vaccine to their patients.

OPH will be offering 12 community clinics in different areas of the city from October 29, 2016 to November 16, 2016, including at the Alfred Taylor Recreation Centre on Thursday, November 10th and at South Carleton High School on Tuesday, November 15th.  Both clinics run from 3:30pm until 7:30pm. Local pharmacies offering flu shots include Rexall, Shoppers Drug Mart and Paul’s Pharmasave in Manotick; Richmond Village Pharmacy and Richmond IDA; and North Gower Pharmacy. The eQuinelle Pharmasave and the Kemptville Shoppers Drug Mart also offer flu shots.

Woodlot Rehabilitation Program

As ash trees continue to decline within the City of Ottawa due to the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), it is important to address the safety issues and necessary tree removals within our parks and woodlots.

Part of the City’s EAB strategy includes selective park and woodlot rehabilitation; identifying City parks and woodlots with a high percentage of ash to remove unsafe dead, dying or invasive trees, encourage non-ash trees and shrubs with the exception of buckthorn and plant a selection of native tree species.

Many parks and woodlots hold significant plant and wildlife populations and make large contributions to human health and the environment: it is important to manage these significant areas, not only for public safety but also to conserve the many benefits they provide.

This winter, the City of Ottawa will begin removing all dead/dying trees from Beryl Gaffney Park, Ashton Woods and Van Vliet Park. For public safety reasons, identified areas of the park will be closed to the public during the tree removal operations. While most of these are passive parks, maintained areas of the park will be cleared of small woody debris once the snow has melted and conditions are dry enough for equipment access.

All areas subject to tree removal are to be replanted. Reforestation species will include: red maple, sugar maple, silver maple, serviceberry, hackberry, white pine, burr oak, red oak, American elder, white cedar, basswood, nannyberry, large tooth aspen, trembling aspen, dogwood and speckled alder.

Dickinson House News

To commemorate Remembrance Day, you are invited to Dickinson House where there will be a special display featuring the contributions made during WW2  by the late Lt.- Col David L. Fromow  and  Mrs. Barbara Fromo, both long-time residents of Manotick.  The House will be open on weekends from 10:00am to 4:00pm in November, and will be open on November 11th from 10:00am to 4:00pm as well.  Admission is free; as always, donations are welcome.

The Victorian Tea, which is at 2 p.m. on November 5th, is sold out; if you wish to be put on a waiting list, please call 613-692-6455.

*****

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.

Updates on LRT and the OLG

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I hope everyone had a great Canada Day weekend and let’s hope the rest of the summer is a little less wet than June was.  According to farmzone.com, the average rainfall in Ottawa in June is 85mm whereas we received nearly 130mm of precipitation in June of this year.  For our local farmers and for the enjoyment of summer, hopefully we’ll have a much better July and August.

While summer is officially upon us, there is still some work to do at City Council in the coming weeks including a vote on the plan for LRT between Tunney’s Pasture and Baseline Station and another vote concerning a casino in Ottawa. I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss the upcoming vote on the casino issue that will come before the Finance & Economic Development Committee (FEDCO) on Tuesday, July 9th and rise to full Council on Wednesday, July 17th. 

For those new to the issue, Council first considered whether or not Ottawa was to be a willing host to a new or expanded casino in October 2012.  This was due to the Modernization Plan put forward by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) that suggested new locations for casinos throughout Ontario.  Council voted 19-5 in favour of being a willing host, sending the message to the OLG that Ottawa should be considered for a new casino.  At that time, and with the support of residents throughout Rideau-Goulbourn, I voted against the idea as I felt the only desire of the OLG was a downtown casino and this would come at the cost of the existing Rideau-Carleton Raceway (RCR).  RCR is an integral part of our rural communities and its potential closure would result in the loss of nearly 1000 jobs, which, in my mind, would be completely unacceptable.  My opposition was not against the idea of expanding gaming, but against the potential loss of the RCR.  I was always of the mind that if we expand gaming in Ottawa or if we build a new casino in Ottawa, that it should be on the same grounds at RCR.

This brings to us to a motion before FEDCO on July 9th, put forward by Mayor Jim Watson, which states “that the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation be informed, prior to the start of the RFP process, that the only location acceptable to the City of Ottawa for an expanded gaming facility is the current location at the Rideau Carleton Raceway.”  This is a welcome change in direction from the support of a downtown casino that responds directly to the overwhelming support of RCR from the residents of Ottawa.  From October until today, I have consistently heard from residents across the City, either via email or in person, if we are to see a new or expanded casino that it should be at RCR.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen one individual come forward and suggest that he should be allowed to bid on a casino for him to build on land that he currently owns.  However, at no point in the last eight months have we heard from residents of Kanata/Stittsville, or any other community for that matter, indicating that they want a new casino in their community.  A new casino in a community like Kanata/Stittsville would decimate existing restaurant and hotel businesses and create a gambling environment in a community where that environment does not currently exist.  Without the support of the people that actually live in the community, I would not support the construction of a new casino in it and nor should the elected officials that represent that community.

Rideau Carleton Raceway was established long before any new developments have encroached upon it and a considerable buffer still exists between Findlay Creek and their site on Albion Road.  It is the logical choice for an expanded casino operation and I am happy to support our call to the OLG that this be the only location considered.  I strongly encourage my colleagues on Council to do the same.   I look forward to this vote and I want to thank all of you for the support you have shown for Rideau Carleton in recent months.

Watson's Mill Beer Tasting

Join the good people at the Watson’s Mill in Manotick on Friday, July 12th, between 7:00 and 10:00pm, for their annual beer tasting event.  Your $30 event admission will include five 4oz. sample tickets redeemable at any of the brewery stations with additional sampler tickets available during the event.  Approximately 8-10 local craft breweries will be in attendance, including Hog’s Back, Kichesippi, Mill Street, Beau’s, and others.  There will be appetizers and live jazz music provided by the Swamp Water Jazz Band. Each admission ticket will be given one ballet to vote for their favourite brewery and the winning brewery will win an intimate pairing and tasting session with Indulge’s renowned Chef David Godsoe, which will take place at Watson’s Mill later in the fall. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/WatsonsMill2013CraftBeer

Treats, Treasures and Open Market

The Kars Recreation Association wants to invite local residents to stop by the RA grounds between 9:00am and 3:00pm on Saturday, July 20th to mingle, browse and purchase art, crafts and homemade edibles from people in your community. Admission and parking are free.  This event coincides with the annual International Dog Show taking place on the Kars RA Grounds from Friday, July 19 until Sunday, July 21st.  The Kars RA is located at 1604 Old Wellington Street in the beautiful village of Kars.  For more information, please visit www.kars.ca

Flewellyn Road Closure

I’d really like to thank everyone on Flewellyn Road for their patience this summer as construction will affect this particular road due to three separate projects stretching the entire length of the road.  Earlier, we announced closures between Huntley Road and Eagleson Road due to the Enbridge Gas pipeline reinforcement project.  Beginning this month, we’ll also begin the resurfacing of Flewellyn Road, between Munster Road and Ashton Station Road.  The latest notice of closure is concerning the portion between Munster Road and Dwyer Hill Road for the renewal of a bridge.  This closure will begin July 2 and last until August 22.  Local and emergency traffic will maintain access and a signed detour will be in place.  Thank you again for your patience.

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

What's going on at City Hall? Week of April 30

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The following meetings are scheduled during the week of April 30, 2012, at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, unless otherwise noted.
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What's going on at City Hall? Week of April 2

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The following meetings are scheduled during the week of April 2, 2012, at Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, unless otherwise noted.
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