Weekly newsletter: April 28, 2026
Hi everyone!
The photo above is from the Barrhaven Food Cupboard’s volunteer appreciation on Saturday, where I had the privilege of recognising several long-time volunteers, some of whom have dedicated more than a decade to the community.
Thank you!
Vigil for Peter Clark
A community vigil for Peter Clark, the crossing guard who was tragically killed on duty last month at Cedarview/Kennevale, will be held on Sunday May 3, 2:00 pm, at Weybridge Park↗. A table and stationery will be available for those who’d like to share a memory.
If needed, the rain date will be Sunday May 9, same time and location.
Spring tree planting
Crews to plant 130 new and replacement trees across the ward.
As part of the City’s spring 2026 tree planting program, 130 new and replacement trees will be planted across Barrhaven East: 16 trees-in-trust, 42 streetscape trees, and 72 trees in parks.
Trees-in-trust are trees within city-limits in the right-of-way requested by an abutting resident to be planted in front of, beside, or behind their address. These trees are planted free of charge, with a pledge from the resident to maintain and water the tree for at least the first three years of its life.
Residents who have signed up for a tree-in-trust will receive a notification and utility locates before planting occurs. A tree may be dropped off at its planting location up to three days before it is planted. Please do not remove utility locate flags until the tree has been planted.
Interested residents may learn more about the trees-in-trust program at Ottawa.ca↗.
All 42 streetscape trees are replacement trees, 29 of them for the busway medians on Chapman Mills Drive. The remaining streetscape trees will be planted on Leamington Way, behind Ryland Street, behind Sandstone Court, and on Strandherd across the Metro shopping centre.
The 72 trees to be planted at parks are a mix of new and replacement trees:
Chapman Mills Park – 7 (five replacement, two new)
Cresthaven Park – 32 (four replacement, 28 new)
Drumlins Park – 14 (five replacement, nine new)
Panda Park – 1 (replacement)
Water Dragon Park – 7 (four replacement, three new)
Watershield Park – 2 (both replacement)
Watershield Park, stormwater pond – 9 (all new)
The nine new trees to be planted in the dry stormwater pond at Watershield Park follows three years of requests from my office.
Staff’s primary worry is the trees could compromise the function of the dry pond (though I believe the trees will improve drainage, since they absorb water) or die from contaminants in the runoff, but they have agreed to plant nine trees as a trial. If successful, small areas at other dry stormwater ponds could receive trees in the future.
In addition to seasonal planting, regular maintenance, inspection, and inventory will continue to be done by urban forestry crews throughout the year.
Greenbank transformer station
Construction timeline of new transformer station south of Greenbank/West Hunt Club from autumn 2026 to spring 2028.
Hydro Ottawa expects to begin construction on a new transformer station on the west side of Greenbank Road about 450 metres south of West Hunt Club (by the transmission wires) in the autumn, with some site preparation and pre-construction works in the summer.
The primary driver of the project is the Canada Food Inspection Agency’s new laboratory↗, currently under construction north of Fallowfield Road between Greenbank and Cedarview, as the electricity required by the new labs will exceed current supply.
However, the transformer station will also include additional capacity to provide additional capacity and improve grid stability for Barrhaven (north of Strandherd) and Nepean. Barrhaven south of Strandherd is serviced by another transformer station off Cambrian Road.
As it will be located on lands owned by the federal government, the project is currently proceeding through the federal environmental assessment process. Hydro Ottawa staff are actively drafting the formal environmental impact assessment documents.
If approved without delay, Hydro Ottawa expects a construction timeline of autumn 2026 to spring 2028, with an operational date in the summer of 2028. Site preparation and pre-construction works may begin as early as this summer.
The project will also include a distribution line connecting the new transformer station with the CFIA site. A significant section of that distribution line will be underground along the Greenbank multi-use pathway.
At that time, the pathway will also be properly upgraded, which will include widening, straightening, and improvements to the grading. Residents may recall that project was originally scheduled for 2024, but it was delayed until there was firmer information about the transformer station project. The pathway was resurfaced in summer 2025 in the interim.
During construction, a site access off Greenbank Road will also be added. Details about the construction plan and potential impacts will be shared at a pre-construction community information session in August.
In the meantime, HydroOttawa is offering two community information sessions about the transformer station project today, April 28:
Virtual – 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm, register here↗
In-person – 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm, Charlie Conacher Building (Moloughney Park), 30 Wessex Road↗, no registration required
For more information about the project, please see HydroOttawa.com/Greenbank↗.
Provincial Road Safety Initiatives Fund
New provincial funding meant to replace former automated speed enforcement cameras.
Concurrent with ending the automated speed enforcement (ASE) program, the provincial government launched the Road Safety Initiatives Fund (RSIF), a $210 million fund for traffic calming measures across the province.
As prescribed by the provincial government, the RSIF is limited to physical traffic calming measures such as speed humps/cushions, intersection modifications, raised crosswalks, roundabouts, and improved signage.
About $42 million was made available to municipalities that had ASE camera programs, including $4.05 million for Ottawa. The first tranche of funding can be used for measures at former ASE camera sites only and must be implemented by March 31, 2028.
In Barrhaven East, speed cushions are being considered for Berrigan between Longfields and Claridge and Stoneway between Locheland and Redpath north, while flashing beacons will be added to school zone signage near St. Andrew and St. Emily on Crestway and Chapman Mills.
The remainder of the RSIF ($168 million) will be released at a future date and is expected to be open to all municipalities and be application based, where plans are submitted as part of the application for funding.
I have received lots of feedback over the last three years about locations that need traffic calming, but I will have to wait and see what the remainder of the funding actually looks like.
The City’s own traffic calming program will continue in the meantime.
Earl Mulligan Drive traffic calming
Not related to the provincial program noted above. Construction expected to begin mid-May (project contract CP1025).
Construction to install traffic calming measures on Earl Mulligan↗ will begin mid-May, with an expected early-July completion.
The project (see drawing here↗) includes two speed cushions between Long Gate and Woodgate, corner tightening to slow turning traffic, a pedestrian crossover at Woodgate, and a short section of new sidewalk on Woodpark between Earl Mulligan and Armagh. A short left-turn lane will also be added at Woodpark to improve traffic flow after entering from Woodroffe.
Substantive construction will be limited to the intersections along Earl Mulligan, other than a power connection from the transformer box between 3 and 5 Shandon out to Earl Mulligan. Cuts into asphalt driveways (including interlocking that is disturbed) will be restored after works are complete.
The project was first proposed in early-2024 and included a June 2024 public survey↗ which received 283 unique responses with 126 in support of traffic calming on Earl Mulligan, 126 opposed, and 31 indifferent. Within the responses for and against, there were near 50-50 splits in level of support and opposition. Details of the feedback received are in the linked report.
Construction notices have been distributed to residents on streets off Earl Mulligan. Special notifications will also be distributed to homes on Shandon that will be affected by the electrical connection work.
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically. New/updated items marked with asterisk (*).
Beatrice/Queensbury (stop 3345) bus shelter – Installation tentatively scheduled for the spring (will try to get better information for next week, since it’s spring now).
Cleaning the Capital – Registration for the spring 2026 campaign is open until May 4 for cleanup projects between April 15 and May 31. Over 50 projects have already been registered in Barrhaven East! Learn more or register at Ottawa.ca/Clean↗.
Development application, 3400 Woodroffe↗ – The City received an application to construct 160 homes divided amongst stacked townhouses, back-to-back townhouses, and traditional townhouses. I’ve organised a public meeting about the development for April 29, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, at the Chapman Mills Community Building (424 Chapman Mills Drive). City staff and the developer have been invited to attend.
Household hazardous waste – This year’s drop-off depots near Barrhaven are noted below. See Ottawa.ca/HHW↗ for instructions and depots scheduled for other dates and further away from Barrhaven. Many items like light bulbs, spent batteries, paint, oil, and electronics can also be dropped off at retailers and other locations↗ throughout the year.
June 28, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm – Trail Road Landfill, 4475 Trail Road↗
October 17, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm – Strandherd snow dump, 4061 Strandherd Drive↗ (enter via Dealership Drive)
Hydro Ottawa Greenbank transformer project – Hydro Ottawa is hosting public information sessions TODAY (April 28) regarding a new transformer station project along Greenbank Road south of West Hunt Club. Details at HydroOttawa.com/Greenbank↗.
Virtual – 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm, register here↗
In-person – 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm, Charlie Conacher Building (Moloughney Park), 30 Wessex Road↗, no registration required
Nepean Creative Arts Centre refresh – The City is looking to improve the facility, create new opportunities for creative programming, and to have a better understanding of how the centre is used today. A public survey is available until May 5 through EngageOttawa↗.
*O-Train Line 2 – Morning rail service on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3 will be modified↗ as noted below for switch works to reduce noise in the northern section of the line. Replacement buses will operate at a 12-minute frequency.
Saturday, May 2, 6:30 am to 12:00 pm – Trains operating between Limebank and Greenboro, buses operating between South Keys and Bayview, with full rail service resuming at noon
Sunday, May 3, 7:30 am to 11:00 am – Trains operating between Limebank and Carleton, buses operating between Carleton and Bayview, with full rail service resuming at 11:00 am
Police office hours – South District officers are testing out open office hours as an added form of community outreach. Officers will be upstairs at the Walter Baker Sports Centre by the food court from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm every other Thursday, with their next day on April 30. No registration or scheduling needed.
Potholes – Please report potholes to Ottawa.ca/311↗. The requirement to provide contact information for pothole reporting has been made optional starting this year.
Recycling – Friendly reminder that all recycling inquiries, including service issues and replacement bin requests should be directed to Miller Waste at 1-888-852-2374 or Area2@MillerWaste.ca. Garbage, green bin, and yard waste remain City responsibilities.
Road cuts remediation – The road cuts near Cresthaven/Versilia (winter watermain break) and at Woodroffe/Deerfox (private water and sewer connection) will be properly remediated after hot asphalt plants reopen in May. On Cresthaven, the cold patch will receive regular attention until that work can be done.
Spring flooding – Check Ottawa.ca↗ for the latest flooding information, including road and pathway closures, especially if you’re travelling through rural Ottawa. There are currently no flooding concerns along the Rideau or Jock rivers in Barrhaven East, but please take care around bodies of water.
Summer jobs with the City – Summer student job postings in parks and recreation are now live at Ottawa.ca/jobs↗. Please note some positions are restricted to post-secondary students, while others are open to all students.
*Walter Baker Sports Centre – The swimming pools will be closed for structural and deck repair works from May 11 to June 28. Annual maintenance will also be completed during the closure. The sprinkler system life-cycle replacement previously noted here has been postponed until further notice.
Lastly, today, April 28, is the National Day of Mourning, in memory of those who have died from a workplace illness or incident. The day was first recognised by the federal government in 1991 and is now recognised in about 100 countries worldwide. Flags at all federal, provincial, and municipal buildings will fly at half-mast today.
Have a safe week ahead!
-Wilson