NEWS ARCHIVESMay 2, 2011 Mayor Recognizes Stittsville Youth On April 27th, preceding the Ottawa City Council meeting, Mayor Jim Watson along with myself presented the Mayor’s City Builder Award to Michaela Noffke of Stittsville. Michaela is a dedicated and accomplished dance instructor who was already winning awards for her leadership at age 16. She is currently nearing completion of her studies in Sociology and Art History at Carleton University where she volunteers as a note taker, providing detailed notes to classmates with disabilities. Michaela also gives her time to the Volunteers in Education program run by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and spent time reading to grade one students at Stittsville Public School. She also volunteers at the Glee Club at Goulbourn Middle School, teaching over forty children to sing, dance and work together as a team, supporting everyone regardless of their kill level. The Mayor’s City Builder Award is a civic honour created by Mayor Watson to recognize an individual, group or organization that has, through their outstanding volunteerism or exemplary action, demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to making our city a better place today and for the future. This may include lifelong service, outstanding acts of kindness, inspiring charitable work, community building or other exemplary achievements. Congratulations Michaela! City launches three initiatives urging you to rethink your commute and get active! Mayor Jim Watson and City staff launch three initiatives, iWalk iBike, Bike to Work and Every Day in May to encourage residents to leave their cars at home and be more physically active. iWalk iBike is an active transportation campaign that encourages residents to walk or bike, or combine walking and biking with transit, to get to work or run errands. It challenges residents to leave their cars at home and urges them to try viable active forms of transportation. Bike to Work is a month long celebration in May that encourages residents to cycle to and from work during the month of May. Participants can register at biketoworkottawa.com, pledge to cycle during the month and be eligible for prizes including a brand new bike. Every Day in May is an annual campaign run by Ottawa Public Health that encourages residents to be active for at least 30 minutes a day during the month of May, which is Physical Activity Month. So why not participate in one of these initiatives. Improve your health and the health of our environment. Recycling Bins and Wind....Not a good Combination As a result of the severe winds Ottawa received on April 28th, many residents may have lost their recycling bins. If you have lost any of your recycling bins you may call 311 and request a coupon that can be redeemed at any Canadian Tire store in the city for a new bin at no cost. I have requested coupons for my Ward office at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex as well. Please call my office to make sure that we have received the coupons before coming in to pick one up. Many residents contacted my office on Thursday inquiring about the recycling not being picked up until 5:00 p.m., contractors are allowed to pick up garbage, recycling and green bins up until 6:00 p.m. The contractors were all delayed in their collection yesterday due to traffic problems throughout the City as a result of the wind storm. Despite the terrible conditions, all of the waste haulers were able to complete their collection routes before the 6:00 deadline. 2011 Spring Cleanup There are many groups around the Stittsville community that are participating in the Spring CleanUp the Capital program. I encourage you to show your pride and join your fellow neighbors by registering at www.ottawa.ca where you can receive your free kit to participate in this wonderful initiative. The Deadline for registration is May 15th. My staff and I will be out on May 6th doing our part to keep Stittsville a litter free community. Last year a record 91,305 participants around Ottawa made Cleaning the Capital the most successful campaign to date! Let’s build on this success and make our 2011 campaign another record year! Strong Winds Create City Wide Power Outages The severe winds that blasted the community on April 28th resulted in a number of caused power outages across the Ottawa region. Hundreds of trees were either up rooted or branches snapped off hitting power lines and transformers. Crews have been working tirelessly to remove debris, restore power and assist with traffic c where traffic c lights have been affected. Your Safety is a Priority Please take precaution while outside during a severe wind. If you need to be outside, whether walking or driving, be aware of possible falling debris. Please stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires. Do not attempt to move these wires or any debris that may be touched by these wires. If you happen to notice downed power lines, trees or signage or encounter a traffic c light that is out, please contact 3-1-1. I ask for your patience as 3-1-1 is experiencing higher than normal call volumes. Be Prepared....Are you ready for an emergency? While it’s always a good idea to be prepared for an emergency, the City of Ottawa is encouraging all residents to take some time during Emergency Preparedness Week, May 1 to 7, to ask your selves the question, “Am I ready?” The recent outdoor water use ban for Riverside South, Barrhaven and Manotick, issued to maintain safe drinking water, or the boil order experienced by residents in Munster Hamlet as a result of power outages during Thursday’s windstorm, show that we are not immune to potential emergency situations. A personal and home emergency preparedness plan and kit is just as valuable as any other form of insurance that you may hold for your family and dwelling. Home emergency planning is simple. Take a few moments to: make a plan, know the potential risks and put together an emergency kit for you and your family. Your kit should include at least four litres of water per adult, per day for drinking, cooking and washing, for at least a three-day period. Children, nursing mothers and people with special needs will need extra water. When individual residents and their families are ready for an emergency, the City as a whole can respond and recover more quickly. I would encourage you to review the City‘s Emergency Management Plan and “Are You Ready?” emergency preparedness program by going to the Emergency Management section of www.ottawa.ca. Leave it to Beaver Early one morning last week a little visitor captured the attention of the staff and residents at the Stittsville Villa. A beaver had made its way to the front of the Villa in what appeared to be the animals attempt to search for food or lodgings. Residents and staff were concerned that the beaver, whom I affectionately now refer to as Bucky, was going to cross Stittsville Main Street. Several attempts were made to coax the animal away from the road. Later in the day my wife and I were driving down Stittsville Main Street on our way to a local business function, unaware of Buckys’ presence at this time, when I noticed a family trying to capture the beaver’s attention. They were trying to redirect the animal from the road. At this point I pulled over to offer some assistance. Joined by a Volunteer Firefighter and Ottawa Police Officer, we managed to persuade the beaver into a large recycling bin with a lid that my wife was able to retrieve. Together we wheeled the beaver to a safer location along the Poole Creek. |