NEWS ARCHIVESApril 3, 2009 Appreciation Awards evening on April 21 You and your family are cordially invited to attend the Stittsville Appreciation Awards evening held on April 21 from 7-9pm at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex (GRC). The evening will celebrate all those nominated and we will also announce the winners of the Stittsville Appreciation Award, including the Roger Griffiths Memorial Citizen of the Year, Senior of the Year, Youth of the Year, and Business of the Year. More importantly, the award ceremony celebrates the community as a whole and those who shape our quality of life. These awards are a tremendous way to recognize and promote volunteerism, and to encourage participation and foster community appreciation. The awards are presented to those who best exemplify community involvement. Past winners of the Goulbourn Appreciation Awards are also invited to attend, as the former plaques indicating winners will find a permanent home in the GRC. Refreshments will be made available following the award ceremony. My office asks that you please RSVP to Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca or by calling 613-580-2476. We hope that you can join us as we honour our new and past
community builders. This is a tremendous opportunity to connect and re-connect
with community builders, friends and neighbours. New Official Plan focuses on intensification and urban boundaries During the week of March 30, a joint meeting between the Planning and Environment Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee was held in order to hear from public delegations speaking to the City’s Official Plan (OP) Review. The process allowed for both developers and residents to speak directly with Council members on how this City will grow over the next several years with respect to the draft comprehensive amendment to the Official Plan and Infrastructure Master Plan. The OP provides a vision and framework for the future growth of our City and its physical development through to the year 2031. By way of provincial legislation, it is mandated that a review of the OP occur every five years. The most significant changes to the OP come in the form of the expansion of the urban boundary, support for intensification and design, the implementation of a rural settlement strategy and the protection of wetlands. For many, the two issues that raise the most concern are intensification and the urban boundary expansion. For the first time, the province is requiring the City put in place intensification targets that must be met before the City considers future expansion to the urban boundary. The OP also sets out a series of density targets within priority locations, specifically within the downtown core and around transit nodes, such as main street corridors and transit stations. This process will come hand in hand with our Light Rail Transit vision. City Planners and proponents of intensification are adamant that it makes development economically and environmentally sustainable. However, especially within the downtown core, there is an aging infrastructure network that is presently failing to support existing development and planned development. The City must ensure we meet intensification targets without overloading the system. It may be prudent for the City to re-implement Development Charges within the downtown core in order to assist the funding of infrastructure revitalization. Staff is recommending the City add 800 hectares to the urban boundary in a variety of locations. With the inclusion of 800 hectares, the City’s gross hectare size would be 36,065. There is a set criteria that must be met for lands to be included in the urban boundary. There are four areas of land abutting Stittsville being reviewed for inclusion to the urban boundary: land north of Jackson Trails and Echowoods subdivisions; land west of Timbermere subdivision; lands located within the Fernbank Community Design Plan, between Iber and Terry Fox; and, lands south and east of Upcountry and West Winds subdivision. A new servicing report has been released and this has affected the rating system for eligibility. More information, including the staff report with the proposed
Official Plan Amendment, is available on the City’s website at
www.ottawa.ca/beyondottawa2020. Carp River Third Party Review expected by April 9 City Staff have informed Councillors that the long-awaited Third Party Review concerning the Carp River Restoration Plan and related projects will be released on the City’s website by April 9. An opportunity for public comment will follow. The Staff Report will be released in the near future. An April 2008 audit of the Carp Water Study and Related Projects concluded there were a number of discrepancies in the original study. The Auditor General determined there was an error related to the water table modeling used to determine the sustainability of the land. The original study, necessary to begin work on land development in Kanata West, did not take into account the full implications of water runoff from development along the Carp River. Ultimately, the Staff Report and the subsequent third party engineering review will provide a blueprint for development in Kanata West going forward, specifically whether development can occur. This has major implications on our community, as there are a series of development applications, both commercial and residential, that have been placed on hold as a result of this issue. I anxiously await the results of both the Staff Report and the
Third Party Review and I will be certain to relay the findings on to the
community. I also encourage you to provide your feedback once the information is
released. The comment period ends April 20. Electronics recycling program returns Do you have any electronics that need to be recycled? Here is your opportunity to ensure they’re disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. On April 25 from 9am-noon, Waste Management will offer its e-cycling program at the Carp Road site. The cost is $10 per car, and $1 of that will go to supporting the Food Bank. Please note televisions and microwaves will not be accepted at
this time. For more information please visit
www.wastemanagementottawa.com. Easter holiday schedule changes I would like to remind residents of the following schedule changes for the Easter holiday. Ottawa City Hall and all six Client Service Centres, including the Government Service Centres located at 110 Laurier Avenue West and 580 Terry Fox Drive, will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Business will resume as usual on April 14. There will be no curbside garbage and recycling pickup. The usual Monday pickup will take place on Good Friday or Easter Monday. Good Friday’s pick-up will now take place on Saturday, April 11, and Easter Monday’s pick-up will take place on Tuesday, April 14. In addition, the collection of garbage and recycling materials will be delayed by one day for the week of April 13. OC Transpo will operate a Sunday schedule on Good Friday with minor alterations on Easter Monday. Call 613-560-1000 plus your four-digit bus stop number for automated schedule information. For more information, holiday schedules and travel planning, phone 613-741-4390 or visit www.octranspo.com. Some pools, arenas and fitness centres will be open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday for public swimming, skating, and fitness classes with modified schedules. Please check with www.otttawa.ca or the facility of your choice for details. All branches of the Ottawa Public Library are closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday and there will be no bookmobile service. Regular branch hours and bookmobile service will resume April 14. My office will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Should an urgent matter develop which requires the City's immediate attention,
client service representatives are available by calling 311. Always listening and acting on your concerns As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville. Please contact our office anytime by phone at 613-580-2476 or by e-mail at Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca. My ward office is located in the Goulbourn Recreation Complex, located at 1500 Shea Road. The hours of operation are Mondays 9-2pm, Wednesdays 3-8pm, Fridays 9-5pm, and Saturday 9-1pm. Please do not hesitate to pay us a visit. Sincerely, |
