Catch up on past newsletters

I always get weirdly nostalgic for the year that was every Christmas season, and what a unique year 2023 has been for me personally!

Staff and I have had several conversations about ways to move towards a more proactive strategy of taking care of curbside Vegetation.

We made it through the first major snowfall of the season!

Last night, Councillor Hill and I hosted a virtual town hall with OC Transpo staff to present the amended bus realignment proposals for Barrhaven and to gather additional community feedback to guide continued discussions with staff.

It was so great to see so many of you lined up along Beatrice and Strandherd on Sunday for the Santa Claus Parade! As the community gears up for the holiday season, keep an eye out for craft markets and consider supporting small local vendors when shopping for people in your life.

The route review is an ongoing exercise at Council’s request to better match transit service to the travel patterns that have changed over the last few years and stabilised only recently. This includes putting a higher emphasis on local travel, easier trips to destinations outside downtown (like employment nodes, shopping areas, and Carleton University), and introducing service to new communities.

While Canada’s contributions in wartime Europe, Korea, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and to peacekeeping are far greater and receive more widespread recognition and education, I often focus on our involvement in a place closer to my heart — Hong Kong.

Hello and happy Halloween! Please take extra care and patience driving around the community later today and watch for trick-or-treaters (possibly already on a sugar high).

The 2024 City of Ottawa budget was tabled today, and now committees will begin discussing specific areas of the budget throughout the rest of the month, expected to rise back to Council for final discussions on December 6.

Last week, I shared Lansdowne’s history, how we got to here, and a look at the proposal before Council. Now, let’s dive into the Auditor General’s report about the waterfall agreement with OSEG, what I like and don’t like about, next steps for Council, and why I will not be supporting the proposal. 

The revised Lansdowne 2.0 proposal was released on Friday, so that was my entire Sunday and Monday (we do Thanksgiving on Saturday).

Every winter thaw and every time there is a significant rainfall, a very large puddle forms on the west side of Wolfgang Drive south of Fallowfield. I dubbed it Lake Wolfgang and highlighted it as a concern with staff.

Residents may have seen a news report last week about proposed changes to yard waste collection. The story just states the City will "cease taking leaf and yard waste in the green bin" with no further information. While technically true, this is an oversimplification.

It’s been a long road for a facility that’s long been needed in the southern part of Ottawa. After being shelved twice (once to wait for the completion of the Vimy Memorial Bridge, the second time due to the pandemic, costs, and social environment), I’m very happy this project is finally pushing ahead.

If the weather is any indication, summer has wound down despite its last hurrah earlier this month (of course, by saying that, I’ve now set us up for a wicked early-autumn heat wave).

The Finance and Corporate Services Committee is currently meeting to discuss, among other things, the budget directions for 2024. Budget directions set the guidelines for city staff to set next year’s capital and operating budgets within, including the rate of property tax increase.

I attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference to connect with municipal leaders from across our province to discuss common issues, learn about initiatives to address them, and share ideas for our future. 

There is much to cover in this week’s newsletter, so I’ll just get into it. It’s fitting today is National Relaxation Day (apparently), because that’s probably what’s needed after the battle with swim registration last night.

Chief among the concerns shared with me over the last year or so is the speeding and general behaviour of motorists on residential streets, including near parks and schools, around corners, and at unsignalized intersections.

Our LRT has become exemplary for other Canadian cities in what not to do. Calgary took our lessons from contract and project management for their Green Line LRT (which previous Council here interestingly ignored when approving the Stage 2 contract).

My update this week may seem a bit less coherent - we’ve got a lot to cover: Tornado recovery, LRT challenges, and updates to Earl Mulligan

It’s been three years since society experienced a seismic shift, and probably about a year since the “state of flux” gave way to some stability. I made mention of this at the June Transit Commission meeting, after General Manager Renée Amilcar presented OC Transpo’s first ever long-term plan (yes, you read that right…more on that later). =

Many people spend the whole year looking forward to the summer, but the opposite is true for food banks. Despite usage levels that don’t change with the seasons, support for food banks is typically much lower in the summer.

Let’s talk about the updates to the Use and Care of Roads By-law which passed Transportation Committee last week. Municipal roadways are bound by an area known as the right-of-way (RoW) abutting private properties. Generally, the RoW extends a few metres from the curb or road edge.

Parsnip. Delicious root vegetable or dangerous invasive species? The answer is yes to both.

Each spring, the City of Ottawa begins its annual effort to address the species with the goal of reducing its pervasiveness in highly infested areas to protect environmentally sensitive areas and public safety.

Yesterday, the controversial bag tag proposal was discussed and voted on at the Environment Committee. Some Councillors introduced amending motions to change the bag limit, when tags would be required, and public education initiatives, but the item ultimately landed a tied 5-5 vote. 

Over the next few weeks, residents will receive a letter jointly from the City of Ottawa and Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC). SLWC is an independent company endorsed by the City to provide homeowners with optional and voluntary protection plans to cover repair costs associated with the homeowner portion of water, sewer/septic, and stormwater service lines (connecting the mains with homes).

Look up, look way up! Have you noticed new versions of overhead street name signs (mounted to traffic light posts and masts) across the city?

Earlier in the year, I was invited to join the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s (CUTA) Transit Board Members Committee (TBMC). The TBMC is comprised of people— mostly elected officials — who sit on transit committees, commissions, or their local equivalents across the country.

Last week, the Ottawa Police Service provided an update to me about their upcoming police station project (known as the south facility) at Prince of Wales and Lodge Road