On Tuesday, May 16, the entire Parks department will be mobilized to do a one-day blitz across the whole City, doing a single pass on all areas yet to be cleared. Please ensure all your storm-related debris is on the curb.
Please click here for details and updates.
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We have now entered the sixth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 ice storm event. We are beginning to see good progress, but that progress is slow in some of the heaviest hit areas and there is still much to do. Public Works continues to operate under an emergency structure.
We recognize that it is taking time to get through the cleanup and many residents are wondering when the debris will be collected. The level of effort is significant given the volume of debris that residents have brought to the curb all across the city. There are still several weeks of cleanup ahead of us, but we are making every effort to get through it as quickly as we can. On Tuesday, May 16, we will mobilize the entire Parks team to do a City-wide, one-day blitz of ALL locations that have yet to receive a single pass. On Monday, May 15, we will also begin collecting leaf and yard waste separately from green bin collection which will help to clean up smaller debris piles throughout the city.
On-street chipping and debris collection
As of May 12, our crews have cleared 5,067 lane kms of debris across the city, or 39% of our roads. We expect the percentages to rise more quickly once we are through the hardest-hit areas.
We currently have crews in the following wards:
- Kanata North –99% complete
- Stittsville – 98% complete
- Kanata South – 84% complete
- Rideau-Rockcliffe – 82% complete
- College – 65% complete
- River – 40% complete
- Osgoode – 39%
- West Carleton-March – 19% complete
- Orléans South-Navan – 17% complete
- Knoxdale-Merivale - 11% complete
- Beacon Hill-Cyrville – 11% complete
- Rideau Jock – 10%
- Barrhaven West – 5% complete
- Gloucester-Southgate – 5% complete
Still to come:
- Orléans West-Innes
- Orléans East-Cumberland
- Barrhaven East
Complete:
- Alta Vista
- Kitchissippi
- Bay
- Rideau-Vanier
- Somerset
- Riverside South-Findlay Creek
- Capital
It is important to remember that all crews will do a single pass to collect storm-related debris. As noted earlier, should some smaller debris be left behind, we encourage and thank residents for collecting it and leaving it on the curb for regular leaf and yard waste removal which begins May 15. After the single pass is complete, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to remove debris that is too large for the Leaf and Yard Waste Program.
Providing precise timelines is challenging given that our crews do not always know the complexity of the cleanup at certain sites until they arrive. Residents are encouraged to place all of their storm-related debris at the curb.
We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. As we progress through the cleanup, there may be some scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here.
Free Woodchips Available
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and is available to residents – free of charge. All woodchip locations can be found here.
Forestry calls
Our Forestry crews continue to make excellent progress responding to storm-related service requests. You’ll see the number of total calls is the same as last week as any calls since then have not been storm-related.
Here are the latest numbers:
- 5,278 total calls
- 3,387 completed Notifications
- 1,060 Notifications assigned to crews and that have been triaged by Inspection Staff (Most of these have been attended to by crews but have follow up action i.e. brush, wood pick up, stump grinding.)
- 161 Notifications outstanding (awaiting assessment)
- 670 Notifications in progress by Inspection staff
Of Note
- Residents are encouraged to make use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program. Branches are to be tied in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Dedicated leaf and yard waste collection begins on May 15.
- The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
A Look Ahead
We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to get into a neighbourhood near you. Unless conditions and/or our operations change considerably, please expect our next update to follow on May 19. We appreciate the continued support as we progress through the cleanup.
