NEWS ARCHIVESMay 15, 2009 Committee approves Carp River third party review I am pleased to announce that the Planning and Environment Committee approved the work of an independent consulting engineering firm responsible for reviewing the Carp River issue. The crux of the engineering firm’s report calls on the developers in the area to create additional water storage to safeguard against flooding. The report still must come before Council and officials from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. I am pleased with the results of the report and I am
encouraged by the discussion that has taken place among Councillors. It was
important from an environmental perspective that this necessary step to review
the modeling inconsistencies was taken. It is now time to move forward with the
development of this land. The development planned for this area includes
residential and commercial components that will be a tremendous boon to our
community. Public Meeting to discuss ward boundary review The proposal of altering the Stittsville-Kanata West and Kanata South boundaries to include the Fernbank Community Design Plan (CDP) lands will be discussed at a public meeting on June 2 at the Stittsville and District Community Centre, upper hall, 10 Warner Colpitts Lane from 7-9pm. Throughout the CDP process it has been assumed these lands would join our ward eventually. In 2005, the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decided this land would be urban; however, it is currently located in the rural Rideau-Goulbourn ward. When the ward boundary review was undertaken in 2005, the process was too far along to include these lands into Ward 6. I feel it is important to have this change made in place for the 2010 election in order to properly balance ward populations. Between 2010 and 2014, I expect there will be development in these lands and these residents should have a suburban Councillor to assist them with development concerns and other items. City Council directed staff to bring forward a report to the June 16 meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, and to be considered by Council on June 24, which would enable the Fernbank lands to be redistributed from Ward 21 to Ward 6 and possibly Ward 23, Kanata South. Staff advised it is important to have this process initiated now to ensure the boundary change can be made in advance of the 2010 election. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any
questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Fraud and Waste hotline opens to the public The City of Ottawa’s Fraud and Waste Hotline will be available for public use effective May 21. The hotline has been available to City Staff for the past three years. A recent recommendation by the City’s Auditor General, Alain Lalonde, to extend the service to the public was adopted at a recent City Council meeting. The hotline allows for an open and transparent process to ensuring proper accountability among City Staff and City resources. The hotline is an anonymous and confidential tool for
reporting concerns of a significant nature directly to the Auditor General. On
May 21 you will be able to access the tool by visiting
www.clearviewconnects.com, calling 1-866-959-9309 or by following the link
found on the City’s website. Local residents nominated for Civic Appreciation Award Local residents and associations proudly represented the Stittsville community as they were nominated in various categories for the City’s 2009 Civic Appreciation Awards. Bob Goudey was nominated in the Environment category, and Rick Desclouds was nominated in the Community Activism – Senior category. As well, the founding members of the Ottawa West Arts Association were nominated in the Community Activism – Group category. Congratulations, everyone, on this very deserving recognition. Young heroes honoured for making the right call during an emergency Local youngsters Erik Lea and Jacob Montreuil were honoured at the City's 11th annual 911 Children’s Achievement Awards for demonstrating courage and bravery in the face of danger when they contacted 911 in a time of need. Established in 1998, the Children’s 911 Achievement Awards recognizes children who use the service effectively. The City continues to educate residents of all ages on how and when to use 911. The City encourages everyone to use 911 in any situation where a fire, medical emergency or crime-in-progress jeopardizes the safety of people or property. Congratulations to these brave young men! Proposed Shopping Plaza The applicant has submitted a site plan application to permit a shopping plaza at 20 Cedarow Court. The site is located on the north side of Hazeldean Road and at the east end of Cedarow Court in Kanata West. The purpose of the application is to permit a shopping plaza with a gross floor area of 5,679 square metres in 4 buildings. Parking for 274 cars is proposed. The specific uses and tenants for the buildings have not been identified yet. The applicant proposes to provide two driveways on Hazeldean Road. The eastern driveway would be aligned opposite Fringewood Drive. The applicant is proposing traffic signals at this intersection. The western driveway is proposed to be a right-in, right-out only access. The applicant proposes to close the Cedarow Court cul-de-sac, and to provide an access easement through the site between Hazeldean road and Cedarow Court. The site is zoned "GM14[474]H(11)" (General Mixed-Use Zone, Sub zone 14, Exception 474, Height 11 metres) in the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law. For more information, and to provide comments by May 29,
please contact my office and the City Planner, Burl Walker, at 613-580-2424 ext.
27891 or Burl.Walker@ottawa.ca. Schools get charged up for battery recycling Did you know that Ottawa residents discard half a million batteries each year? Environment Canada estimates that only 2 per cent of household batteries are recycled each year, with the remaining 98 per cent ending up in our landfill. I applaud the students at A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School, Holy Spirit Catholic School, and Guardian Angels Elementary School for participating in the Batterycycle program – a pilot project joining the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Catholic School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. This is the first program of its kind to be adopted in Canada. The goal of the program is to divert large amounts of non-rechargeable batteries from our landfills, and to educate residents about the proper handling of used batteries. Students from grades four through eight will receive yellow battery collection buckets to take home to fill with used non-rechargeable batteries. Through the month of May, family members, friends and parents can dispose of their batteries using the bucket. The program currently accepts AA, AAA, C, D, 9V and “button” single-use batteries. While this program only lasts a month, there is a battery recycling service available at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex. For more information, please visit
www.batterycycle.ca.
Stittsville Scouts spring registration opens The 1st Stittsville Scouts spring registration is just around
the corner. 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. |