Councillor's Message
Happy Fall, everyone!
As we settle into this new season, I want to highlight an essential part of my role as your councillor—ensuring that our community's priorities are reflected in the City's budget.
This year will be especially significant given the mayor’s recent campaign for fairness, which I fully support and discussed in my previous newsletter. You may have read that at tomorrow's Finance and Corporate Services Committee budget directions for 2025 will be tabled outlining a variety of suboptimal scenarios should we not receive additional funding from our federal and provincial counterparts. You can read the Mayor's statement on this here: marksutcliffe.ca/fairness-for-ottawa
Interestingly, this past week Ontario's Financial Accountability Office confirmed that Ottawa is set to see the steepest decline of anywhere in the province when it comes to per-resident subsidies for transit from the provincial government. The average per-person subsidy across the province was $111.16, with Ottawa coming in at $59.61 -- paling in comparison to Toronto's $196.49. You can read more about this here: ottawacitizen.com/provincial-report-backs-ottawas-claim-transit-underfunding
At the last council meeting, we received a presentation on the City's long-range financial outlook, which further described the City's efforts to find efficiencies and the federal government's underpaying of taxes on federally-owned buildings. A brief overview of the presentation can be read here: ottawa.ca/ottawas-financial-status-budget-2025
I know this is a lot of information to take in, but as these discussions progress, know that affordability remains top of mind for me. Public consultations are set to take place before the budget is ultimately approved in December (more details below), and your continued feedback will be crucial.
On that note, I had a ward-specific budget meeting this week with the mayor and City Manager. Over the summer, I also hosted each of them in the ward to illustrate some of our most urgent challenges. My focus continues to be on pushing for continued investments in upgrading our failing road infrastructure, my repeated request for a transit shuttle to Blair from the Chapel Hill Park and Ride, advancing the François Dupuis district park, and funding critical transportation projects like the Renaud Road realignment and Innes Road Priority Measures, among other asks.
If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you will know that the major transportation infrastructure projects our ward requires (widening of Brian Coburn Blvd. to a complete street and a bus rapid transit network) will flow through the Transportation Master Plan update that is coming in 2025. It is through this update that projects of that nature will be prioritized and funding will be identified. I am pleased to share that thanks to your engagement, Ward 19 accounted for the majority of the total comments received in the recently concluded Transportation Master Plan public engagement. The intersection of Brian Coburn / Mer Bleue rose to the top of the list of problematic intersections, city-wide. You can read CBC's reporting on it here: www.cbc.ca/ottawa-s-worst-transportation-headaches-according-to-residents
I am a broken record at council raising this issue, and spoke on it again this past week at Planning and Housing committee, but it is imperative that my colleagues understand that the commute times you experienced this past week have an impact on your quality of life. This is not lost on me, and you can be assured I am your champion on urgent and overdue solutions.
In the interim, I have raised concerns about several problematic intersections you’ve flagged and am advancing any quick fixes within my control. Recent examples include having the lines repainted at the Mer Bleue / Decoeur intersection, advancing line painting in Trailsedge, and resolving the flooding issue at the Millennium Park roundabout (more on that below).
I also want to keep you updated on the situation with Navan Road and Ashcroft Homes. First, I am well aware of the worsening depression on Navan Road - a full update on that can be found below, but cutting to the chase: it is finally being repaired by the developer tomorrow (this Monday, September 15). The work is expected to only take one day, but expect delays tomorrow (again, more on that below).
In terms of the extended road work resulting from the legal settlement in July, construction is still delayed as Ashcroft has still not signed the front-ending agreement with the City. Once more details are available, I will send out a "Special Update" to keep you informed.
As you can see, it is a busy period at City Hall, but I also want to extend my best wishes to all students, teachers, caregivers, and parents in Orléans South—Navan as the new school year is underway. Here’s to a year of growth, learning, positive experiences, and success.
As always, I look forward to seeing you at the many community events on deck for this autumn!
Update on the Navan Road depression
As many of you already know, there've been ongoing issues with a large depression forming on Navan Road between Spring Valley and Mer Bleue. Unfortunately, since remediation work was completed (twice!), the situation has worsened substantially over the last few weeks.
Because this work was carried out by contractors on behalf of Ashcroft, my team and I have been pushing the developer to have these problems fixed, with escalating enforcement. I have been informed repairs are expected to start this coming Monday. The work is expected to take one day.
Please plan your commutes accordingly as there will be alternating lane reductions while repair work is underway. Flaggers will also be on site to direct traffic and delays are expected.
Lane reductions on eastbound Innes Road just past Lamarche Avenue for Glenview subdivision servicing
As part of the next phase of their Commons subdivision, Glenview is required to connect a watermain to Innes Road. However, during construction a few weeks ago, the contractor encountered significant bedrock beneath the surface, particularly under a crucial gas main. This obstacle has delayed the project and requires lane closures to take place to get through the bedrock.
For this work to take place within the Innes/Ventus intersection, Glenview has planned for lane closures eastbound on Innes Road just past Lamarche Avenue spanning two consecutive days, from 6 am to 10 pm on Tuesday, September 17 and 6 am – 3 pm on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
My office has worked with Glenview to mitigate the impact to residents, including not permitting work to continue outside of the noise by-law.
Ottawa Police will be on scene to direct traffic through the lane reductions. Expect delays if you have to travel through that area during those two days. Our request for weekend work could unfortunately not be accommodated by the contractor.
Residents in the vicinity of Lamarche should also be aware that this work precludes the final Phase 2 site servicing, and will impede access through Ventus on and off until the first week of October. Over this period of time, residents may see an increased frequency of construction traffic; however, all contractors have been again reminded to proceed cautiously through all residential areas. I appreciate that work on this site has been incredibly disruptive to the community, and I am glad that the impactful work is coming to a close.
Thank you in advance for your continued patience.
Repairs complete on Trim Road roundabout at Millenium Park
I’m pleased to see remedial work finally finished at the Millennium roundabout on Trim Road after persistent flooding issues after major rainfalls. This issue is something I have been raising for quite some time, and I am pleased to share that an additional catch basin has now been installed to address the drainage backlog that was causing flooding at the pedestrian crossover.
Hoping this saves a few pedestrians from being splashed in the future!
A reminder that while water pooling on roadways can take a few hours to dissipate, if you notice areas of concerns after heavy rainfalls you can reach out to my office or submit a service request through 3-1-1 to ensure everything is operating according to standards.
2024 Road Rehabilitation program continues with gravel road upgrades
As part of the City’s annual infrastructure maintenance program, road resurfacing also includes upgrades to our gravel roads.
In Orléans South-Navan, the following roads will see milling/pulverizing of the existing surface and roadway resurfacing:
Wall from Tenth Line to Trim
O’Toole from Wilhaven to Innes
The road will remain open to traffic with lane closures expected. Traffic control personnel will direct traffic through the site. The work is expected to wrap up by the end of October.
I also want to thank you for your patience as we near the end of this year’s program. The $17M I was able to secure for this year has gone to good use, with repaving work complete on Innes and coming to a close on Frank Kenny. Road renewal has and always will be a top priority of mine as we head into the next budget cycle.
Road closure rescheduled on Esprit Drive for critical sewer work by Minto & partial Lakeridge pond closure
In-order to service their new subdivision currently under construction, Minto Homes is required to remove the existing sanitary sewer to install a deeper and bigger sewer to service their new Avalon Vista community.
To do this important work, a road closure is required on Esprit Drive at Mirabeau Terrace/Winterspring Ridge’s dead end.
The road closure which was originally scheduled to take place from Tuesday, September 3, 2024, until Friday, September 20, 2024 was delayed due to issues with permitting. The new dates are Monday, September 23 until Friday, October 4. Local access will be maintained for residents surrounding the closure. Minto is also working directly with the few homes who services are impacted by the closure. Construction will be restricted to working hours.
At the same time, crews will be working on the pond to install a new headwall, which will temporarily impact the pathways on the northeast corner of the Lakeridge stormwater pond. They will reopen once the work is complete within the same timeframe of the critical sewer work on Esprit.
In March, I held a joint construction information session with Minto on these impacts. To watch the recorded meeting, please visit my website here.
Update on the signalization of Innes Road and Lamarche Avenue
I’m disappointed to share that the much-anticipated signalization at Innes Road and Lamarche Avenue, which I have been pushing for, has been delayed until Spring 2025.
I was made aware of changes to the scope of the work late last month, and met with senior staff, consultants and the Lepine team to see if there was any way to have it completed this season.
This delay is due to additional design work that became necessary to accommodate the future Lapensee Mattress development on the north side of Innes. In addition to extending the left-hand turning lane, the revised plan includes futureproofing for utilities across the street, which requires coordination with Hydro Ottawa.
Unfortunately, because this change of scope came late in the design stage, work is being deferred until hot asphalt plants reopen mid-Spring next year.
Trust me when I tell you I was fuming that this project has once again been delayed and explored all possible opportunities to advance the work. I also escalated my frustrations about this project to the City Manager, as I have constantly been pushing for this project and am beyond frustrated that another construction season is passing us by.
I know how critical this intersection is for safety and traffic flow, and I will continue to work with staff and the developer to ensure it’s completed as quickly as possible and before construction begins on Lepine's development.
That said, too often I am seeing projects be completed without the appropriate due diligence regarding future capacity, so I am somewhat satisfied to see that these considerations are being made before construction begins.
Another small consolation is that I have been working with Glenview to ensure the connection via Jargeau is open as soon as possible to give residents an option to use a signalized intersection at Ventoux/Innes until the entrance/exit at Lamarche is properly constructed. Glenview expects through-traffic to be accommodated later this fall.
Removal of temporary traffic calming measures across the city is starting
This spring and summer, our office worked to implement hundreds of new temporary traffic calming (TTC) measures throughout the ward. These measures are designed to improve safety, reduce speeding, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents. Every year, my team diligently tracks speeding concerns and traffic calming requests and works with the City's team of traffic calming professionals to invest in appropriate measures that will have the greatest impact.
Since most of these measures are temporary (installed from spring-fall), in mid-October, you will see city crews removing measures like flexstakes for the winter months. You can be assured that these will be reinstated come the spring.
As always, my team will continue to track all requests for traffic calming that we receive throughout the year to review them for next year’s new TTC installation budget.
Dog swim on the last day of outdoor pool season was a paws-itive success
It was wonderful to see everyone and all our four-legged friends last week at the end-of-season dog swim. Thank you to Councillor Laura Dudas for hosting us at Bearbrook outdoor pool in Blackburn Hamlet and Councillor Marty Carr from Alta Vista Ward for joining Ruby and I with her three pups for this paws-itively great event.
It was a great way to end the summer, and I was delighted to get support for my motion to make this end-of-season swim possible across the city.
Ruby took her job as lifeguard very seriously as you can tell by the photos!
Commemorative naming ceremony for Victor Cyr Woods
It was my pleasure to participate in the unveiling of the commemorative plaque honouring Mr. (Vic) Cyr and the official naming of Victor Cyr woods.
Mr. Cyr, a long-time resident of Orleans, was synonymous with protecting a parcel of land from urban development on several occasions. The first attempt to redevelop the land for a new quarry was in the 1970s, which if it had succeeded, would have been located right behind the Rona on Innes Road. The second attempt was in the 1990s for a proposed housing development.
During both instances, Mr. Cyr fiercely objected to the redevelopment of the land, prompting him to create the Orléans South community group in the 70s and to work with his local municipal councillor, Rainer Bloess, in the 90s.
Eventually, in 2009, the City of Ottawa exchanged City property for the wooded area to preserve its natural beauty and future development - something I’m sure Mr. Cyr would have been extremely pleased to learn about at the time that the transaction took place.
It’s with this in mind, that I’m so pleased to honour Victor’s commitment to his community and to support the commemorative naming of Victor Cyr Woods.
A reminder on parking near schools during pick-up and drop-off time
I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the parking by-Laws during drop off and pick up times around schools in our community.
Please be mindful that stopping in intersections, blocking access to fire hydrants, and restricting residential and school driveway access is not permitted and would be dangerous in an emergency.
Congestion of streets and intersections can also create a barrier for emergency vehicle access and can impede visibility and maneuverability for other motorists, pedestrians, and vulnerable road users.
As well, I would like to remind everyone of the rules regarding speed enforcement cameras in school zones between September and June. In line with provincial standards, the speed limit changes in school zones depending on the day and time, the following is the speed enforcement regulations:
The speed limit in the area is 40 km/h from September to June, Monday to Friday, from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm.
This also includes non-school weekdays between September – June such as PD days, Christmas & March break, statutory holidays, etc.
Outside of these times, the speed limit is 50 km/h.
Thank you for your understanding!
Official opening of the CECCE Agro-Educational Center in Navan
I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) new Agro-Educational Centre in Navan last Thursday and I was truly impressed by this incredible space. It’s one of the only outdoor learning centres in the region, featuring greenhouses and small animals, giving students hands-on opportunities to engage with nature.
It was inspiring to see the collaboration with Garneau Catholic Secondary School alumni, and proud Navan residents, Gabrielle Perrault and Shawn Lacroix in creating this unique agro-educational space.
This initiative will help foster a deeper connection to the environment and sustainability for students from kindergarten through grade 12 and help students from all over the city learn an appreciation for our agricultural community.
Station 71 pancake breakfast to celebrate 75 years and Navan Fall Fest!
Come on out and join Station 71 Firefighters in Navan as they host their annual Pancake Breakfast, by donation! This year, they’re celebrating 75 years of serving our community.
Come visit the fire trucks, Sparky and play a few great games!
All net proceeds are to benefit the Navan Pavilion Project. The event takes place on Saturday, October 5 from 8-11 am.
Afterwards, head across the street to the Navan Community Association's Fall Fest in Navan, from 11 am to 3 pm. There will be tons of activities for the entire family!
The new three-item garbage limit comes into effect on September 30
As mentioned in my previous newsletter, the new three-item garbage limit comes into effect in two weeks, on Monday, September 30.
Starting then, residents will be limited to three items of garbage (i.e three 140L containers / 33 pounds each) for curbside pickup on collection day. Over 85% of Ottawa households that receive curbside waste collection already set out only three items or fewer. However, I’m keeping a close eye on issues of concern like illegal dumping, especially in the rural parts of our ward. I will continue to work closely with waste inspectors, staff, and by-law to ensure our community does not become a dumping ground.
While I appreciate this is a significant change from our current unenforced limit, the new limit will extend the life of our Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill as we explore new options for waste disposal, including contemplating incineration.
Also a reminder that leaf and yard waste stored in paper leaf and yard waste bags do not count towards the limit. There will continue to be no limit to how much you can set out through green, blue and black bins.
For a full breakdown, please click here.
Still time to have your say on Draft Budget 2025
Budget 2025 is right around the corner, and we want to hear from you! Although the most recent poll has now closed, below are a few more important dates I’ll keep sharing as we continue the process to make in your calendar. IMPORTANT DATES AND INFO:
Ongoing: Residents provide feedback and questions related to Draft Budget 2025 through social media (using #OttBudget), 3-1-1, local Councillors and online feedback tools on Engage Ottawa
September to November: Councillor-led budget consultations take place to receive input from residents.
Ward 19 residents are invited to a rural-focused budget consultation with my rural colleagues on October 23, at 6:30 pm in-person at the Rideau Valley Conservation Centre (3889 Rideau Valley Drive)
I will also be joining my east-end colleagues for an east-focused budget consultation on October 26 at 12:30 pm in-person at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre (1585 Tenth Line, Fallingbrook Room)
Wednesday, November 13: Draft Budget 2025 is tabled at Ottawa City Council
Wednesday, November 13 to Monday, December 9: Residents can submit questions to City staff through Engage Ottawa and register to make public delegations to the various Standing Committees
Wednesday, December 11: Draft Budget 2025 is considered for adoption at Ottawa City Council
Name a City of Ottawa plow!
Each winter, snowplows, and their operators clear and treat over 13,000 lane kilometres of roadway, which includes over 800 kilometres of roadways in Ward 19 alone. Clearing that much distance of snow is like driving from Navan to Sarnia in a storm!
The City thinks our hardworking snowplows deserve to be named and we’re asking children and youth, 16 and under, to help name them.
Name submissions can be made by visiting Engage Ottawa until September 30. After the names have been submitted, the City’s very own snowplow operators will draw a final list of names for the public to vote on. Voting will take place between October 14th and the 21st by visiting Engage Ottawa.
Residents who do not have access to a computer, mobile device, or Wi-Fi will also have the option of submitting their snowplow name and/or casting their vote by calling 3-1-1 or visiting one of the City’s Client Service Centre's.
The final 24 winning names (symbolizing the City’s 24 wards) will be announced on October 24th at Transportation Committee.
Registration is now open for fall Cleaning the Capital
Nothing is more spectacular than the fall colours in and around Ottawa. This September, help make those views in your community even more enjoyable by registering for Cleaning the Capital.
Thanks to nearly 42,000 participants, the spring campaign was a big success with over 1,000 projects registered.
Registration is now open until Tuesday, October 1 for the fall edition and can be easily done online. You can choose from a variety of public spaces to help clean up, such as community parks, roadsides, and shorelines
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