NEWS ARCHIVESMarch 6, 2009 Stittsville Appreciation Awards seeks nominations Do you know an individual or business that deserves recognition? This is your opportunity to bring their special contributions forward. My office is now seeking nominations for the Stittsville Appreciation Awards, a revival of the former Goulbourn Recognition Awards. Categories include the Roger Griffiths Memorial Citizen of the Year, Senior of the Year (age 65 and older), Youth of the Year (19 and younger), and Business of the Year. Nominations must be received by April 3. Winners will be announced at the Appreciation Awards evening, which will be held on April 21. I encourage you to submit your nomination form by e-mail to Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca, dropping off a form at my ward office, located in the Goulbourn Recreation Complex, or by mailing it to 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 1J1. Please include a detailed, written submission outlining why you are nominating a particular individual or business. The Roger Griffiths Memorial Citizen of the Year is awarded to an individual who best exemplifies community involvement and participation. The Senior of the Year is awarded in recognition of a senior citizen who has made a significant and long-standing contribution to our community. The Youth of the Year is presented to an individual who contributes leadership, volunteer service, serves as a peer example, and has overcome personal challenges or responds in an emergency situation. The Business of the Year is awarded to a Stittsville business that has contributed significantly to our quality of life. The Goulbourn Recognition Awards were established in 1990 to celebrate outstanding community leaders. I encourage you to submit your nominations and let the community recognize these special individuals and businesses. These awards are a tremendous way to recognize and promote volunteerism, and to encourage participation and foster community appreciation. More information is available by calling my office at
613-580-2476 or by visiting my website at
www.shadqadri.com. Have your say on my performance as Councillor My second annual Councillor’s report card is now in circulation via my outreach and my website. Copies are also available for pick-up and drop-off at my ward office, located inside the Goulbourn Recreation Complex. It is incredibly important that I hear your thoughts on my representation of your needs and concerns at City Hall and within our community. This is your opportunity to make recommendations on my performance, and to outline some initiatives that we can tackle for the year ahead, and the duration of my current term. Contained within the report card is a list of a variety of issues affecting our immediate community, and the City as a whole; items range from public transit to taxation to infrastructure. I am interested to hear what you consider to be important as we move forward. Please ensure my office receives your submissions by the
end of March. I will be communicating the results through my weekly column and
on my website. Construction work started at Coyote Park Construction work has begun at Coyote Park with the removal of organic material. Cavanaugh Construction has been tasked with the initial construction work of removing the peat from the property. Continuous hauling of material into Coyote Park will be completed until the half-load restriction is imposed by the City. City Staff believes this restriction will begin around March 15 and will be lifted May 15. During the spring thaw period, some roads within the City cannot withstand heavy loads. As a result, restrictions are placed on city roads to avoid overburdening the road network. Every year Staff conduct deflection testing at a number of test sites to watch how the pavement strength decreases as the thaw progresses. When the deflection readings are high enough, the load restrictions are imposed. This is a standard practice and will pose no threat to previously committed deadlines. I thank all residents for their patience and support. I
believe this is a very positive step forward and am I anxiously looking forward
to this summer. Youth Forum a great step forward I was fortunate enough to partner with the City's Parks and Recreation staff and the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC) at a Youth Forum held on February 20, which was aimed at reaching out to the youth of our community. Fifty-two youths attended the event, providing their feedback on the community, and what needs to be done in order to get them better integrated and engaged. Local band Jacob Knows kicked off the event and participants filled out surveys touching on many aspects about being a youth in Stittsville. Facilitators then led participants through brainstorming activities designed to capture their needs. The Youth Forum created an inspiring, creative, and interactive atmosphere where youth from the area made their voices heard on issues they face and what type of programming and activities they would like to see offered for their age group. Many youth spoke out about the need to have enhanced resources to obtain employment and volunteer opportunities. On behalf of City Staff and the WOCRC, I would like to thank all of our sponsors, including the Stittsville Community Association, Willy's Pizza, Laura Secord, The Ottawa 67’s, Therien Jiu-Jitsu & Kickboxing, Broadways, Local Heroes and McDonald's. For more information on youth programming and upcoming
meetings and events, please contact Kyla Helpin by phone at 613-580-2424 ext.
43302 or by e-mail at
Kyla.Helpin@ottawa.ca. Funding applications available for community events Local not-for-profit organizations, such as volunteer-based community or recreation associations, are invited to apply for funding to provide one-to-two-day civic events that foster civic pride, develop community cohesion and offer free admission. Under the Community Funding Division, the Civic Events Fund supports events linked to and celebrating a civic or statutory holiday, such as Victoria Day or Canada Day, are held in a specific geographic district in Ottawa, and encompass a broad range of activities, including family entertainment. The maximum allocation available is $3,000 and the
application deadline is April 2. Application forms and further details are
available through the City’s website at
www.ottawa.ca, at a Client
Service Centre, or by contacting Brenda Denault at 613-580-2424 ext. 26459. Ottawa goes dark for Earth Hour The City of Ottawa is encouraging residents to join the City in participating in Earth Hour, a global campaign that encourages individuals and businesses to turn off their lights from 8:30pm to 9:30pm on March 28 as a symbolic statement on the need to take action on climate change. The World Wildlife Fund initiated the global campaign in Sydney, Australia in 2007. This year, organizers hope to reach one billion people in more than 1,000 cities around the world. For more information, visit
www.wwf.ca/earthhour.
You can also find information on the City’s website at
www.ottawa.ca closer to March
28. 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. Sincerely, [ close window ] |
