NEWS ARCHIVESOctober 16, 2009 Auditing the City’s development review process In light of the July 24 flooding that caused damage to over 800 homes throughout the City’s west-end, I put forward a motion at Council to have the City’s Auditor General conduct an audit of the City’s Development Review Process (DRP). The audit will focus on DRP’s both currently and for developments that drain into the Carp River, in relation to approval of water, wastewater and stormwater servicing. In addition, there will be an Audit of the City of Ottawa’s ongoing operations and maintenance practices in relation to protecting the water environment. As well, the audit will include a review of the remedial measures regarding Glen Cairn, both already undertaken and planned for the future. The City of Ottawa has spent over $7 million in remedial measures to prevent flooding in the Glen Cairn area and these measures failed. Flooding has also occurred in other areas of Ottawa, including Orléans in 2006. I am glad Council supported this motion. It is critical that we identify where the problems lie and address them accordingly; we cannot continually revert to band-aid solutions. As development intensifies in our area, I want to ensure every homeowner, be it a new home purchaser or an existing resident, is as safe as possible. A built-in third party review in our City Hall, the Auditor General, should be used more frequently in order to maximize his office. Should you have any comments, questions or concerns,
please do not hesitate to contact me. Public Health planning H1N1 vaccine clinics Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is arranging seven flu-vaccination sites to combat the H1N1 virus. The seven centres identified by Ottawa Public Health include the John Mlacak Centre in Kanata, Tom Brown Arena downtown, Richelieu-Vanier Recreation Centre in Vanier, Walker Bake Sports Centre in Barrhaven, Fred Barrett Arena in Gloucester, alternating with the Jim Durrell Centre, Public Health headquarters at 100 Constellation Crescent in Nepean and a roving clinic and an outreach team for those who are housebound. Dr. Isra Levy, the City’s Medical Officer of Health, did acknowledge there would be disruptions to the recreational programs normally held in those recreation centres, and to many programs usually delivered OPH. I will keep the community informed as more information,
including specific dates and times, becomes available. Ottawa Public Health launches seasonal flu clinics Ottawa Public Health will launch 9 free seasonal flu clinics over a four-week period for seniors 65 years of age and older and residents of long-term care facilities. The free clinics began on October 10. The three closest venues to our community are as follows: November 2, South Carleton High School, 3673 McBean Rd., Richmond from 2:30-8:30pm; and, November 5, Kinburn Client Service Centre, 5670 Carp Rd., from 2:30-8:30pm. For more information, visit
www.ottawa.ca/health
or contact the Ottawa Public Health Line at 613-580-6744. City introduces update to the Speed Zoning Policy At a recent Transportation Committee meeting, the City introduced updates to its 30-year old Speed Zoning Policy. As you may recall, a few weeks ago I surveyed the community regarding the proposed reduction of the default speed limit in residential areas. Of the nearly 400 responses my office received, 81 per cent were in favour of maintaining the current default speed limit of 50 km/h. By comparison, 94 per cent of residents felt it important to maintain a reduced default speed in sensitive areas, such as school zones and parks. As well, 92 per cent feel the onus should be placed on education and enforcement. The proposed default speed limit reduction to 40 km/h is one component of the City’s Speed Zoning Policy. The policy also focuses on expanding the school speed zone program. Under the updated plan, the process to review speed limits will require 60 per cent consensus from property owners to change the speed limit to 40 km/h on local residential streets. The City will also petition the Province to amend the Highway Traffic Act for authority to double fines within school zones. Speeding continues to be one of the leading causes of traffic-related injuries or deaths in Ottawa. In 2006 through 2008, there were 9,926 speed-related collisions, which included 39 fatalities, 2,153 injuries and 7,734 involving property damage. During my campaign in 2006, speeding was expressed as the number one concern for residents. Over the past three years, I have conducted more than 60 speed surveys during my term in office. The results are forwarded to Traffic Management staff for their action if warranted. If you have an area of our ward that you feel a speed survey is warranted, please contact my office. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with your
comments. The City of Ottawa Speed Zoning Policy will be presented to Council on
October 28. Hazeldean Road widening Open House Thank you to those who attended the Hazeldean Road widening Open House. I hope you found the evening informative. When available to my office, I will ensure the documents provided at the meeting are available on my website, located at www.shadqadri.com. Should you have any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. I can be reached at 613-580-2476 or by e-mail to Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca. Comments on this proposal will be forwarded to Staff and are requested by October 27. Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment to reduce required
parking and lot dimensions The applicant has requested a minimum lot frontage of 4.4 meters whereas the by-law requires 5.5 meters and a lot area of 81 square meters whereas the by-law requires 110 square meters. The applicant has also requested relief from the existing parking requirements. The City's new comprehensive Zoning By-law does not permit required parking within the right of way, therefore a reduction from 2 parking spaces to 1 parking space per dwelling is being requested. Two parking spaces will still be required for rear lane townhomes abutting a public park or arterial road as street parking is limited in these areas. A second parking space at a minimum size of 5.5 meters by 2.7 meters will be provided; however, it will be within the right of way and therefore not considered an official parking space as required in the new comprehensive Zoning By-law. For more information and to provide comments by November 6
please contact myself and the City Planner, Marc Magierowicz at
Marc.Magierowicz@ottawa.ca or
613-580-2424 ext. 27820. ATU 279 Arbitrator’s award released The City and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 279 have received the arbitration award for the ATU 279 interest arbitration. A summary of the ruling is as follows: wage increases 3.25%, 2.5% and 2.5% for the three years of the contract (2008-2010). No one-time signing bonus. With respect to sick leave and special leave, no new entitlements have been granted. OC Transpo has won the right to set operators’ schedules, which was one of the biggest stumbling blocks during negotiations. The arbitration award will be incorporated into a three-year collective agreement between the parties, which will expire at the end of March 2011. It was unfortunate that the City and its residents had to
endure a 53-day long strike. A strike is never the desirable outcome, but the
City needed to have control over its staffing and keep salary increases in line
with economic reality. What are you doing for Crime Prevention Week? Crime Prevention Ottawa and the Ottawa Police Service invite you to get involved in Ontario’s Crime Prevention Week, which runs from November 1-7. This year’s theme is "Prevention Pays - Get Involved. It's your community. It's your future.” The Ottawa Police Service and the Ottawa Police Services Board will kick off the week on November 2 with the first Let's Chat About 2012 Coffee Shop at City Hall from 12-2:30pm. The Let's Chat series is an opportunity for residents to contribute to the future of policing and a safer Ottawa by discussing the question "how can we work together to create a safer Ottawa for all by 2012?" Participants will be invited to chat about the board's draft, three-year 2012 business plan. Registration is now open at www.ottawapolice.ca/2012. The Let's Chat About 2012 Coffee Shop will also be offered on November 9 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Mlacak Centre in Kanata. For more information about Let's Chat About 2012, please
visit www.ottawapolice.ca/2012, e-mail pia@ottawapolice.ca, or call
613-236-1222, ext. 6417. If you can't attend but want to stay informed and
contribute online, please visit
www.ottawapolice.ca/2012. 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 9-4pm, and Saturday 9-1pm. Please do not hesitate to pay us a visit. I welcome your call or e-mail to arrange an appointment. If you are not part of my electronic outreach list and would like to be added, please contact my office to ensure you receive pertinent information concerning our community. [ close window ] |