Construction Season, New Parking Rules & More

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It was great having a little piece of home downtown at City Hall on June 1st at the Mayor's Annual Rural Expo. Thanks to all those who participated!  

It was great having a little piece of home downtown at City Hall on June 1st at the Mayor's Annual Rural Expo. Thanks to all those who participated!  

Over the next few weeks and months, several construction projects may affect your daily commute. Road resurfacing projects will be undertaken on Rideau Valley Drive South, Potter Drive, and Barnsdale Road, between Twin Elm Road and Moodie Drive. Microsurfacing projects will also be undertaken along certain parts of Fourth Line Road, Eagleson Road, Dwyer Hill Road and Old Richmond Road. These were approved in early 2018 with the allocation of an additional $10M for road projects. Rideau-Goulbourn is the recipient of $2M of those funds. Finally, Gallagher Road, between Mackey and Malakoff, will receive its final treatment as part of the rural road upgrade that commenced last summer.

The replacement of the McBean Street bridge will commence shortly. The project has been awarded to Aecon. This massive project is expected to be carried out over the next 18 months. There will be impacts to traffic, specifically for heavy vehicles and buses. I will be providing a more detailed update on this project in the Richmond Hub shortly.

The sewer works along Martin Street are ongoing. As a part of this project, a Road Close Authorization has been granted for Fortune Street from Martin Street to Royal York Street. The road is scheduled to be closed from Friday, June 22nd to Wednesday, August 15th. On behalf of Richmond Village Ltd. (Caivan), Ottawa Greenbelt Construction Co. Ltd. will be undertaking the replacement of a sanitary trunk sewer. Notification signs will be posted. There will be a signed detour. Local and emergency vehicle access will be maintained.

Additional construction projects scheduled for this summer include the following replacements/rehabilitations:

  • Ashton Station Road Bridge
  • Munster Road Bridge (south of Jock Trail)
  • Old Richmond Road Bridge (south of Fallowfield Road)
  • Various culverts along Dwyer Hill Road, Longfields Drive, Roger Stevens Drive, Joy’s Road, Donnelly Drive, Eagleson Road, Rideau Valley Drive North

If you have any questions about these projects, please let me know.

Need new garbage, recycling bins? It just got easier!

As of June 4th, 2018, residents of Ottawa who require a new blue, black, or green bin will no longer need to request a Canadian Tire coupon to receive new bins. A new delivery service is being implemented that will simplify the process for residents to obtain recycling containers. Recycling containers will be delivered directly to the resident’s home.

Residents can now request a new recycling container by:

  • Making an online request for new bins. Once a request has been received, the bins will be delivered to the resident’s home within five (5) business days.
  • Contacting 311 to make a request for new bins. Once a request has been received, the bins will be delivered to the resident’s home within five (5) business days.
  • Visiting a City Client Service Centre (CSC) and requesting the bins. The CSC will create a service request to have the bin delivered to the resident’s home within five (5) business days.

The new delivery system will address the issue where residents had concerns about transporting the bins due to size. The service will also address and meet the requirements for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Residents who previously received coupons for the replacement of their bins must redeem their coupons on or before June 30th. After June 30th, the coupons will no longer be valid.

New, Relaxed Parking Rules in Effect

Following the approval of the Traffic and Parking By-law Update 2017 report by Council on September 13th, 2017, the Traffic and Parking By-law (No. 2017-301), and corresponding set fines approved by the Ontario Court of Justice are now in effect as of June 1st, 2018.

As part of the approved report, a significant change in the new by-law relates to the long-standing 3-Hour Parking Rule, as it applies to weekends and statutory holidays. Under the previous by-law, on weekends and statutory holidays, motorists would only be allowed to park for three consecutive hours (between 7:00am and 7:00pm), on streets where there are no parking limit signs. As of June 1st, 2018, on weekends and statutory holidays, motorists are now able to park for up to six consecutive hours (between 7:00am and 7:00pm) on streets where there are no parking limit signs.

KOTR Evening of Information

On June 20th, the Kars on the Rideau Public School Parent Council invites parents to an evening of information on supporting their children during the middle and tween years to maintain healthy lifestyles. This session is aimed at parents of children in grade 4 to 8.

This session is presented in collaboration with the City of Ottawa’s Public Health unit and Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services. Speakers will be present from both agencies discussing a number of issues, including the use of cannabis, vaping and opioids.

This session will take place at the school between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Participants are encouraged to register as space is limited. You can do so at the following link: www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-of-information-tickets-46664058455.

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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.

Richmond Forcemain Project & Street Naming

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Over the last couple of years, I have used this column in the Stittsville News to provide updates on the Richmond Forcemain project and the proposed street naming changes throughout Goulbourn. Allow me to take this opportunity to provide further updates on each item.

Richmond Forcemain Project

The following provides an overview of anticipated construction activities that will be taking place in December:

  • Crews to install dry hydrant at the end of King Street and pave the section of roadway
  • Add opening to cedar rail fence at King Street park entry location
  • Small section of fence to be installed at 34 Dallaire Crescent
  • Excavation and work in valve chambers near Eagleson Road close to the former Richmond Nursery  
  • Minor remaining work inside valve chambers on the 300mmm and 600mm forcemains along the Jock River from the Condominium building on King Street to the lagoon area is on-going.

Unrelated to the ongoing work in the village, I did also want to mention that there was a break in the forcemain on Thursday, November 30th. The break occurred near Eagleson Road and Michael Cowpland Drive intersection in Kanata. As you might be aware, the sanitary forcemain runs from Richmond, along Eagleson Road into Kanata. Repairs were undertaken immediately and the forcemain was back in operation by the end of the next day. Munster waste was diverted to the Munster lagoon system and Richmond waste was diverted to the Richmond lagoon system, as per normal emergency practices.

Looking more long-term, it is anticipated that a full pumping station upgrade and forcemain twinning will be complete by 2022. Much of the future development in Richmond is contingent on the upgrade of the forcemain and pumping station. That growth will contribute significantly to the costs of the work to be completed.

Richmond Street Naming

As you will likely recall, the City has been working on renaming several streets in Richmond to avoid duplication since these streets are disconnected.  Previously, I had also mentioned that there was a delay in getting these streets renamed because of a delay in having Google update their maps. Yes, we live in a world where Google now dictates timelines.

With the Google issue resolved, the following street names will come into effect on January 15th. Letters are being sent to all impacted residents.

  • Queen Charlotte North
  • King Street North
  • Royal York West
  • Ottawa West
  • Maitland South
  • Burke East
  • Cockburn South
  • Colonel Murray South
  • Lennox South
  • Fowler South

I continue to work with staff on potential changes to Huntley Road, Cambrian Road, Hamilton Street, Douglas Drive and Alma Court.

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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.

Looking back at 2016

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With 2017 and Canada’s 150th year-long birthday celebration merely days away, it’s time to look back at 2016 for a year in review. The past twelve months were busy with many issues directly impacting rural Ottawa. It was also a year for progress on several files and increased planning on many more.

2016 was a year of progress. More of Rideau-Goulbourn’s roads saw improvements with varying degrees of upgrades conducted on Bridge Street, Royal York Street, Ottawa Street, Moodie Drive, Mackey Road and Flewellyn Road. The village of Kars finally saw the end of construction on Rideau Valley Drive South and the end result was a main street that actually feels like a village main street. We reached a conclusion in our efforts to protect and promote Dickinson Square as a heritage district with the retention of the Carriage Shed and Dickinson House in City ownership. We also began construction on the new Remembrance Park on Dickinson Street, a beautiful addition to the Square. In North Gower, the Alfred Taylor Recreation Centre was the recipient of a new canteen building and new play equipment.

2016 was a year of controversy. City Council had many issues before it that were polarizing. In April, we brought forward a Vehicle-For-Hire By-Law creating a new policy in which ridesharing companies like Uber could legally operate within the City of Ottawa. At the same time, we loosened some of the regulations on the taxi industry recognizing the fact that, over the years, the industry had become over-regulated. In October, Council instituted a new Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Structure creating a system where the water and sewer rate budget can be managed in a more predictable manner with the aim of avoiding large rate hikes in the future. The new structure also balanced cost recovery of stormwater services across the City imposing a new fee on approximately 45,000 properties and lowering the fee on others. Earlier this month, Council approved an update to the Land Evaluation & Area Review which saw several changes to land designations, altering some from General Rural to Agricultural Resource Area and vice versa. Last, but not least this year, the City’s Public Library Board proposed a site for the future home of the Central Library. The new home is proposed to be at 557 Wellington Street, approximately 1.2 km west of the existing home at 120 Metcalfe.

2016 was also a year for community collaboration. The Remembrance Park became a reality thanks to the hard work of local residents and various community organizations, including the Manotick Legion. The preservation of Dickinson Square wouldn’t have been possible without Dickinson Square Heritage Management Inc., a group that represents over a dozen local organizations. The Manotick Arena Expansion is inching closer to construction thanks to groups like the Manotick Culture, Parks & Recreation Association. Community groups in Richmond have all come together to start planning the village’s bicentennial celebrations in 2018. Community organizations are what make our communities ever greater. My job would be impossible without them for which I am grateful. Whether it’s Burritt’s Rapids, Ashton, Fallowfield Village or any community in between, the countless local organizations work in partnership with my office, each other and the City to the benefit of all of us and that was never more obvious to me than in these past twelve months.

I hope that everyone had a pleasant Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year. See you in 2017!

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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.