Weekly newsletter: July 21, 2026
Hi everyone!
Happy Barbenheimer Day to those celebrating. Three years ago, the dichotomy that is Barbie and Oppenheimer were first released in theatres. My wife and I (and at least a few others we observed) saw the two movies sequentially that day. Fun times.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the community barbecue on Saturday at the Minto Recreation Complex. Though the forecast made the organisers pivot and relocate everything inside, we still had a great time! The photo above is from the event.
Transit update
Autumn service changes and additions effective August 30. Part of a larger mobility strategy↗ released by the City last week.
In response to the federal government’s decision to require public service employees on site four days a week, OC Transpo is introducing some service additions effective August 30.
For Barrhaven, additional trips will be added to routes 74 and 75, including some trips that will extend to/from Gatineau during peak periods. O-Train Line 1 frequency will increase to four minutes during peak, six minutes midday, and seven minutes in the early evening, while Line 2 will begin service earlier at 6:00 am.
Thirty bus routes across the City (including the 73, 75, and 173 in Barrhaven) will have its schedules modified to better match actual travel times to improve reliability. Details will be released two weeks prior to the service change date. The travel planner will be updated around then, too.
The resources needed to provide the additional service will mostly come from vehicles and operators freed up by shifting some school services back to the student transportation authorities (OSTA and CTSO), and improvements in fleet reliability as new vehicle deliveries have been steady since the beginning of this year.
Work to begin the process of expanding the Bowesville Park and Ride on Line 2 will be advanced, funded mostly by development charges.
Although the additions to routes 74 and 75 are valuable, especially for Barrhavenites who work in Gatineau, transit riders in Kanata and Orléans, by comparison, will benefit from additional express services to Tunney’s Pasture and Blair stations, respectively.
Frustratingly, the E1 bus route, a non-stop peak period shuttle between downtown and Blair Station, will continue operating with departures every 10 minutes, parallel to Line 1, which departs every five minutes. All that while transit users in the west are told there are no resources available to increase service frequencies to/from Tunney’s Pasture.
Resources dedicated to such a redundant route should be reallocated to supplement service in the west, such as non-stop service between Fallowfield and Tunney’s Pasture, but OC Transpo, unfortunately, prefers waiting until the Orléans LRT extension opens before ending E1 service.
Other recent issues I’m aware of include improper vehicle assignments on the 7:25 am and 8:35 am trips on the 277 and some trips on the 74. These concerns are currently with staff, and further updates will be shared as they become available.
Related communications campaign
City staff say actual work on the material has not started yet. Further clarity to be provided through a memo later today.
Alongside the service additions is some funding meant to communicate and promote those changes. As awareness is an important part of any initiative, some effort and expense for a communications campaign is reasonable.
Yesterday, the media reported on an upcoming communications campaign that would ask public service employees to stay downtown a little longer to spread out commuter traffic. That was since followed by emails from a few residents concerned about the messaging of the campaign.
Actual material from the communications campaign remains to be seen, but page 31 of the staff report↗ from the mobility strategy notes an objective is to “[encourage] workers and visitors who travel to the downtown core to extend their time in the area in order to spread the egress from downtown over a longer period.”
The City’s corporate communications staff have offered some clarity, stating the primary objective is indeed to communicate the transit service changes coming August 30, plus any adjustments that may be needed afterwards.
Secondary to that campaign is a collaboration with business associations downtown to highlight businesses, attractions, and events, similar to existing destination lists and events calendars by OC Transpo↗ and Ottawa Tourism↗.
However, that clarity doesn’t address why the line quoted from the report.
Spreading out commuter loads and promoting the downtown are fair goals on their own, but using one to support the other, especially in the context of an unnecessary extra day with commuting taking time away from home, family, self, and errands, is tone deaf and I understand why that messaging would be concerning.
Anyway, staff say they have not started work on materials yet, but the plan to release a memo later today to further clarify the intention and goal of the communications campaign. Hopefully, there will also be an explanation for the quoted line.
Communications is a nimble industry that’s supposed to be receptive to feedback. I’ve shared the feedback I received with staff, and we will see how and if that feedback is used as the material is created and rolled out.
Remote federal worksite
Renewing past and ongoing advocacy to the federal government.
Since early-2024, I, along with our business association (BIA) and Councillor Hill, have been discussing the need for a federal remote worksite in Barrhaven to bridge the gap between on-site needs and remote/hybrid working arrangements.
Early efforts were dismissed by our previous MP as the local councillors taking the wrong lane. We renewed those efforts after the third on-site day (RTO3) was implemented last year, and again after the federal government announced RTO4 earlier this year.
Barrhaven and its surrounding communities are home to approximately 30,000 federal public service employees. Locating a remote worksite here would benefit employees, the federal government, and local communities by reducing commutes, reducing pressure on existing office space, and distributing economic activity more evenly.
Although Barrhaven has no existing suitable office space, both Barrhaven wards have sizable vacant parcels owned by developers with pre-existing relationships with the federal government through past projects (including office space).
Last week, we met with MP Carney and Fanjoy’s offices to renew discussions for a remote worksite in Barrhaven. Unlike the past, last week’s meeting was more productive, and both MP’s offices were receptive to feedback from the BIA, Councillor Hill, and me.
The federal government seems to have no intention of backtracking or revising RTO4, so our conversation was based on improving the situation and how everyone can meet partway.
As it happens, the federal government issued a request for information for available office space throughout the National Capital Region late last month, so the context was even more appropriate. However, any decision will ultimately be that of the federal government (specifically Public Services and Procurement Canada/PSPC).
Although the City has a baseline policy of five days in office, the same flexibility offered during (and before, in some cases) the pandemic were retained and are still offered for most administrative positions. Unlike the federal public service, the vast majority of the City’s employees actually need to be physically present for their work.
However, given the nature of most federal positions, the federal government’s decision to implement RTO3, then RTO4 was not necessary. It also seemed other options like a remote worksite or flexibility policies were not fully explored, and there was a direct push towards the third, then fourth on-site day.
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically. New/updated items marked with asterisk (*).
Beatrice/Queensbury (bus stop 3345) shelter – Tender in progress. Staff anticipate concrete pad extension and shelter installation in August.
*Claridge Drive – Minor resurfacing and sidewalk rebuild (both sides) between Strandherd and Oakfield scheduled to begin September 21.
*Clearbrook Drive – Neighbourhood traffic calming study initiated. See Ottawa.ca/ClearbrookDrive↗ for details, concept plan, and a link to the survey (deadline August 27, 11:00 pm).
Development application, 3400 Woodroffe↗ – Minutes and supplementary information for April’s public information meeting were shared previously. The developer has indicated they expect to have an update some time in July.
*Earl Mulligan Drive – The contractor has been ordered to rebuild the speed cushions at their expense after City inspectors found them to be deficient. A rebuild schedule will be available later this week. The remainder of the project is almost complete. For more information about the project, see Ottawa.ca/EarlMulliganDrive↗.
*Fallowfield Road – Resurfacing works in progress. Crews will complete concrete works this week, with overnight asphalt milling and paving expected to begin later this week or at the start of next week. Expected completion at the end of the month. A separate request has been opened to smoothen the railway crossing, as work at the crossing requires additional permission from Transport Canada.
*Fieldgate/Grouse (north) – Works will begin late-September to replace the streetlight’s underground wiring and connect it to a new power source. The first 100 metres of Fieldgate (north leg) west of Wolfgang will be resurfaced starting September 8.
Free summer transit for youth – Youths aged 11 to 18 can use OC Transpo for free↗ until August 31. A Presto card is still needed to enter fare gates and board buses. Please ensure the card is set to youth fare to take advantage of the free fares (youths with school-issued Presto cards can use those over the summer). Kids aged 10 and under still ride for free year-round.
Highway 417 – The Lyon Street westbound onramp is scheduled to reopen July 31. The eastbound right lane from Parkdale to Rochester will be closed until the end of the summer for sound barrier replacement.
Household hazardous waste – The drop-off depot closest to Barrhaven is 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, old tires, paint, electronics, and more, can also be dropped off at retailers and other locations↗ throughout the year.
October 17, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm – Strandherd snow dump, 4061 Strandherd Drive↗ (enter via Dealership Drive)
*Kennedy Craig Forest – The pathway bridges have reopened. Crews removed debris and reset the bridges on their footings last week.
NCC Bike Days – The National Capital Commission’s weekend and holiday closures↗ of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway have resumed. Like previous years, the driveway will be closed to motorised traffic between Fifth Avenue and Somerset Street West weekends and holidays from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm until Thanksgiving. Similar closures also affect the Kichi Zībī Mīkan and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway.
*Ottawa Farmers’ Market (Barrhaven) – Every Sunday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Nepean Woods Park and Ride. Autumn edition of the I ❤︎ Barrhaven Market (semi-annual joint market with the Barrhaven BIA and Locally Crafted Markets) scheduled for Sunday, September 20.
Riverside/Bank – As part of ongoing Bank Street construction, lane reductions on Riverside Drive at Bank are in effect until the end of the summer. Starting Monday, July 13, Riverside’s travel lanes will shift to the other half of the intersection with Bank Street. See Ottawa.ca↗ for more information.
*Transitway resurfacing – Resurfacing between Berrigan and Fallowfield are expected to be complete at the end of the month. Faulty traffic signal detection loops at Fallowfield Road will also be replaced during the project.
Lastly, the City Archives is assembling a time capsule in celebration of Ottawa’s 200th anniversary, to be opened 50 years from now. Happy to take ideas on potential items to include!
Have a great week ahead!
-Wilson