Pedestrian Crosswalk at Seneca and Colonel By
I’m happy to announce that designs for a new crosswalk at Seneca Street and Colonel By Drive have been approved by the city and the National Capital Commission. This will include a traffic light to provide safe access to the canal for both pedestrians and bicyclists in Old Ottawa South. This is another small but significant step in making Capital Ward the safest ward for active transportation in Ottawa.
This would not have been possible without the persistent hard work of OSCA’s Traffic & Safety Committee. Thank you!
Heron Road Bike Infrastructure
There’s a great new project that will be getting underway in 2019 that should greatly increase the safety and livability of Capital Ward. The city will be installing new protected bike lanes and better bicycle and pedestrian facilities along Heron Road. The overall purpose of the project is to close a missing link in the city's bike network between the Baseline Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and the Bank Street Renewal project. The project will also provide connections to the Heron BRT station and to the Mooney’s Bay O-Train Station.
Developers Win Again at City Hall
It was very disappointing last week when the city’s Planning Committee chose to override the Old Ottawa East Secondary Plan and approve nine-storey height limit on more than 13 acres of land in the neighbourhood. The community worked diligently with city staff and other stakeholders to develop the Secondary Plan. Residents came out in dozens to speak and show their opposition to the proposal. I spoke against the proposal. Our MPP, Joel Harden, spoke against the proposal. The community association opposed it. But, once again, plans and community consultation were considered less important than desires of a developer.
This matter will now go before the full City Council on Wednesday July 3, where it will be difficult to overturn.
I would like to personally thank Kitchissippi Councillor Jeff Leiper for being the only member of the Planning Committee to vote against the developer proposal...and in favour of thoughtful, respectful, collaborative planning.
As I told the CBC, it’s once again clear that developers are in control at City Hall. This is something that we must change.
Official Plan Consultation
On Monday June 24, the urban councillors hosted a public consultation session on the new Official Plan. Many residents attended, and we had great discussions on five key topics: the Urban Boundary, Climate Change, Active Transportation, Certainty in the Development Process and Affordable Housing.
From these discussions, we are putting together a report that we will submit as part of the development of the new Official Plan. If you want to learn more about the new Official Plan, you can visit the city’s website.
Green Bins in the Parks Pilot Project
Brewer Park North has been selected as one of ten parks across the city for the Solid Waste Green Bin in Parks Pilot Project. The one-year project is an expansion of the Recyling in the Park Pilot Project from last year, and it will allow the city to continue to collect data on the use of recycling and green bins in city parks. Hopefully, this is just a start and we’ll soon have recycling containers and green bins in all parks.
Escapade Music Festival
On the weekend of July 22 and 23, the Escapade Music Festival returned to the lawn at Lansdowne Park. This has been a popular event the past few years, but it has not been without its issues—the most common being issues about noise, traffic and trash. The festival organizer, Ali Shafaee, worked with our office, Bylaw Services and the local community associations to mitigate these issues, and I really appreciate his efforts.
Nonetheless, our office has received some concerns from residents. We are going through all the feedback we’ve received, and we will be presenting the feedback to the city’s Events staff.
Take the Bus to Bluesfest!
It’s summer and that means we’re into festival season in the capital. And one of the best ways to get to our wonderful festivals is by taking OC Transpo.
A ticket to Bluesfest is also your ticket to ride OC Transpo at no charge. Bluesfest customers can ride the bus three hours before the start and up to two hours after the event on the date or dates their ticket is valid. Customers simply show their Bluesfest ticket, card, key fob or bracelet to the bus operator as they board, or to a transit fare inspector if requested. For those riding O-Train Line 2, there will be signage or OC Transpo staff there to help you get through the fare gates.
Free Baseball Tickets
Want to go see the Ottawa Champions? We’ve got some tickets to give away. The tickets are good for any game, but supplies are limited. Send us an email or give us a call if you’d like some. You can check out the Champions schedule here.
Pools
There is nothing better than jumping into a pool on a hot summer’s day. However, sadly, ever year a number of Canadians drown in backyard pools. These deaths are preventable.
The City’s Pool Enclosure By-law is designed to increase the safety of all pools and hot tubs.
While requirements vary, the following rules apply regardless of when your pool enclosure was constructed:
- All gates in a pool enclosure must be self-closing and equipped with a self-latching device and a lock located inside the enclosed area
- All pool owners must ensure every gate around the pool in closed and locked at all times, except when the pool area is in use
- Pool enclosure gates adjoining public spaces like parks or public pathways must be locked at all times, except when the gate itself is in use.
- Portable and blow up pools that hold water at a depth of two feet or more are a potential safety hazard and require a compliant pool enclosure
If you are planning to install a pool this summer, please remember to obtain your pool enclosure permit for everyone’s safety.
For more detailed information about pool enclosures and permits, please visit Ottawa.ca.
In case you missed it, the Flora MacDonald Footbridge opened on Friday, two months ahead of schedule! This is a great way to connect two neighbourhoods, Old Ottawa East and the Glebe (at Clegg and 5th), and add to our active transportation network, helping people get around our city while also getting a bit of exercise. It’s only been open a week, but already it’s been well-used. This will be a valued and important piece of our community for generations to come.
