NEWS ARCHIVES

July 16, 2007

Dear residents,

Big Decisions Made Around the Council Table Last Week

As Councillor for Stittsville-Kanata West your concerns are always my main priority, but often times my colleagues and I must make big decisions with all Ottawa residents in mind.

A number of important issues came to the Council table last week and my votes were cast with fairness and what I felt would be the best solution for our entire City. In making these decisions, I took into account what I heard from all of you during my campaign and also what has been expressed to me since I took office in December.

The first item we voted on was the 2007-2010 Draft City Strategic Directions. This includes setting priorities to improve a number of areas in the City including waste management, transportation, planning, growth and finances. I voted to move forward with this and feel it is a positive step in the right direction for all of us. It is very important to set goals and achieve them over our four-year term and I look forward to working with my colleagues and members of our community to achieve this.

Another big issue that came to Council was the hotly debated crack pipe program. I voted for Councillor Rick Chiarelli’s motion to cancel this program because I feel there are more effective ways we can spend our tax dollars to assist individuals dealing with addiction.

Mayor Larry O’Brien has committed to exploring the possibility of opening a 48-bed treatment centre in Ottawa. This solution makes much more sense as it will be providing professional help rather than enabling illegal activities on our streets.

I voted against spending $8 million on the installation of fully automated stop announcement systems in OC Transpo buses. This would be a true waste of tax dollars because every driver is capable of announcing major stops verbally and there is no need to spend money on such a simple item. I feel that informing riders of each major stop should be a mandatory step in providing exceptional service to our City's public transit users.

Council voted for a number of positive changes to the taxi industry that will benefit both drivers and customers. I voted for the issuance of 40 accessible liscenses per year for the next three years. The first plates will be issued in October 2007 and this will certainly provide better service to our residents with disabilities.

In addition to these changes, Council approved a number of recommendations that arose out of the coroner’s inquest into the death of Sarah McCarthy, a young woman from Richmond who died tragically in an accident involving a taxicab in November 2005. I voted to approve the inquest’s recommendations, which include enhanced training for drivers, illumination of taxi roof signs, installation of security cameras and global positioning systems in each vehicle.

I would like to commend the McCarthy family who have dedicated their time and efforts to encourage positive changes within the taxi industry. I was honoured to have the opportunity to meet some of Sarah’s family and friends at the meeting and would like to thank them for their ongoing efforts to improve the safety of both customers and drivers. It is my hope that these safety enhancements will help prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.
 

Landfill Odour Reporting Campaign

Several dedicated volunteers continue to work diligently to ensure the Ministry of Environment addresses any odour issues related to the Carp Road landfill.

As a community we need to send the strong message that the smells emanating from the landfill are completely unacceptable and affect our quality of life every, single day.

I encourage you to please help them in their efforts by reporting odours on my website (www.shadqadri.com) or at www.nodump.ca. It is vastly important to continue this effort and help our community work towards a permanent solution to this problem. If you have any questions regarding the Carp Road landfill, I encourage you to contact my office at 613-580-2476 or by email at Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca.
 

Odd Job Squad

Do you need help finishing odd jobs around the house this summer?

The Kanata Service Canada Centre For Youth is linking students seeking summer employment with home and business owners in the community who need extra assistance. The Odd Job Squad is comprised of students who are ready to help with a variety of tasks including housework, gardening, moving, office work and assisting individuals with special needs.

This great program runs for the duration of the summer. If you are a student interested in short-term employment or if you could use some extra help please contact the Kanata Service Centre For Youth at (613) 254-5701 or drop by their office, located at 150 Katimavik Road in Kanata, Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Sincerely,

Councillor Shad Qadri

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