Our drop in sessions continue in May. After a great opportunity to spend the day in the new Morning Owl in Manotick on May 1st, we will move our next drop in session to Burritt’s Rapids on Wednesday, May 15th between 10:00am and 3:00pm at the Community Hall. We will not be scheduling any drop ins during the month of June due to the pending addition to my family but we will be back on schedule in July.

If there are any specific locations you would like us to hold one of these sessions, please let us know! We are open to suggestions. The only requirement is that we need Wi-Fi. 

Stormwater Fee Update

Approved in 2016, there remains plenty of misconceptions being shared about the City of Ottawa's stormwater fee so I would like to take this opportunity to provide some context. In 2019, $12 million will be spent on culvert replacements, repairs and construction in the rural area, funded by the stormwater fee. Specifically, $3.8 million will be used to design and construct 42 culverts in Rideau-Goulbourn. To put that $3.8M in perspective, the stormwater fee collected $1M last year across rural Ottawa. The money collected in rural Ottawa stays in rural Ottawa and then some. I have included a comprehensive list of culvert replacements planned for 2019 below. Culverts, wet ponds and dry ponds found in rural areas are key pieces to the stormwater system – in the prevention of flooding, mitigating erosion, as well as protecting water quality in rivers, creeks, and streams.

As a refresher, the intent of the new fee was to improve how the City bills for water, wastewater and stormwater to create a fairer and more sustainable system for its residents. It recognizes the different types of services received by those in serviced areas of the City and those who rely on private wells in urban and rural Ottawa. One of the key outcomes of the new rate structure was the implementation of a new charge for stormwater services for properties that did not pay this fee.

Stormwater will be charged through a fixed rate fee to all applicable properties that benefit from stormwater service. For connected properties, this fee was previously included in the sewer surcharge rate for connected properties. Therefore, if you have always received a water and/or sewer bill, you have always been paying for this and nothing changes significantly except for that other residents are now sharing the cost. Properties that do not receive a water utility bill see the stormwater fee on their property tax bill instead.

Historically, all properties were paying for stormwater either on their water bill or as a tax levy, or a combination of the two. In 2001, 100% of the fee was moved to the water utility bill as part of the sewer surcharge, meaning that only connected properties that received a water bill contributed to stormwater management funding. For those connected to the City water system, the fee was charged based on water consumption. However, stormwater services are not affected by how much water you consume and nearly everyone benefits from stormwater infrastructure, even those not connected to City water. 

The implementation of the new rate structure started in May 2017 when non-connected properties first saw a new stormwater charge on their final tax bills. It was planned that the stormwater charge would phased in over four years to allow non-connected property owners time to adjust. In 2017, owners paid 25% of the fee, they paid 50% in 2018, will pay 75% in 2019 and by 2020 non-connected properties will be paying 100% of the fee. As promised, here is the list of planned culvert replacements in Ridea-Goulbourn:  

2019 List of Culvert Projects in Rideau-Goulbourn

•         Barnsdale Rd Culvert
•         Bowrin Rd Culvert
•         Century Rd E Culvert
•         Donnelly Dr Culvert
•         Eagleson Rd Twin Culvert
•         Fallowfield Rd Culvert
•         Huntley Rd Culverts (2)
•         Kelly Marie Dr Culvert
•         Malakoff Rd Culverts (5)
•         Malakoff Rd Culvert
•         Mansfield Rd Culverts (3)
•         Mansfield Rd Culvert on Mansfield MD
•         McCordick Rd Culvert
•         Montague Boundary Rd Culverts (2)
•         Old Richmond Rd Culvert
•         Phelan Rd West Culvert
•         Pollock Rd Culverts (2)
•         Pollock Rd Culvert on Shouldice MD
•         Proven Line Rd Culvert
•         Purdy Rd Culverts (2)
•         Purdy Rd Twin Culverts (2)
•         Roger Stevens Dr Culverts (2)
•         Roger Stvens Dr Culvert
•         Second Line Rd S Culverts (2)
•         South Island Park Dr Culvert
•         Southwick Dr Culvert
•         Steeple Hill Cres Culvert
•         Third Line Rd S Culvert
•         Walgreen Rd West Culvert

Golf 4 Youth Classic

Join me on Friday, July 5 for the Scott Moffatt Golf 4 Youth Classic 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. I hope that 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.