August 24 Newsletter 2022

August 24, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

Please note that this will be my last newsletter as your municipal councillor until after the October 24 when the 2022 Municipal Election has been completed. This is to respect the blackout period that is put in effect according to the City of Ottawa's Election Related Resources Policy. Members of Council who are seeking re-election may not publish electronic newsletters using City resources during this period. For City related news and information during the blackout period residents are encouraged to visit the City's website: http://www.ottawa.ca  

Please note that you can still contact my office to engage with us. 

Useful phone numbers 

• Ontario Vaccine booking number 1-833-943-3900
• Ottawa Public Health Vaccine booking number 613-691-5505
• Tele-health Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
• Ottawa Public Health: 613-580-6744
• Distress Centre: 613-238-3311
• Municipal Services: 3-1-1 or 613-580-2400

Emergency Financial Assistance 

Call 3-1-1 and press 4 for social services (i.e. medical needs, trouble paying utility bills, housing arrears, etc.). 

City of Ottawa’s Elections Office is Hiring Election Workers to Help Voters Make their Mark 

The City of Ottawa’s Elections Office is hiring election workers to fill a variety of paid positions in the 2022 Municipal Elections. Individuals are needed on: 

• Advance Vote Day 1 on Friday, October 7, 2022; 
• Advance Vote Day 2 on Friday, October 14, 2022; and 
• Voting Day on Monday, October 24, 2022. 

The Elections Office is looking for individuals who are at least 16 years old, understand the voting process, learn quickly, and possess good interpersonal skills. Priority will be given to applicants who are bilingual in French and English. Proficiency in other languages will be considered an asset and applicants are encouraged to indicate which language(s) they speak on their application form.  

For more information on the positions available, pay rates, and to apply online, visit ottawa.ca/vote. The Elections Office will begin contacting applicants from June to September to fill available positions. 

Road Resurfacing on Crichton Street and Springfield Road 

In 2022, there is approximately $88 million for roadway renewal and upgrading rural roads. The City’s road resurfacing program rehabilitates and improves the driving surfaces of Ottawa’s roadways. Localized repairs to both curbs and sidewalks, along with accessibility improvements and updates, are also part of the program. For more information about road renewal, please visit the construction map. 

As part of the City of Ottawa’s annual infrastructure maintenance cycle, road resurfacing under contract number CP000698 will begin in May 2022 and will continue until the late fall.  

What: Work will involve milling or pulverizing of the existing surface, possible granular material placement, adjustment of maintenance holes and catch basin grates, concrete repairs, and roadway resurfacing as required. 

Why: The City of Ottawa will be resurfacing roads as preventative maintenance aimed at extending the City's roadway network lifecycle. 

Where: Work will occur at various locations across the city. The roads will remain open to traffic with lane closures expected. Traffic control personnel will direct traffic through the site. 

The roadways will be resurfaced during the day and evening and will involve minor lane interruptions. Weekend work is anticipated for all locations. Traffic interruptions may also be experienced due to flagging operations. 

The work for the following locations is expected to start on August 29, 2022: 

• Crichton Street from Dufferin Road to Beechwood Avenue 
• Crichton Street from Charles Street to Keefer Street 

The work for the following locations is expected to start on August 22, 2022: 

• Springfield Road from Beechwood Avenue (OR 44) to Maple Lane 

Who: The City of Ottawa has retained the Contractor, Thomas Cavanagh Construction Inc., to complete the work. 

Contact information 

For any emergency outside normal working hours on weekdays and weekends, please call the City at 3-1-1. 

For further information about this project, please contact the City’s Project Manager. 

City Project Manager 
Philip Hulan, C.E.T. 
Project Manager, Road Rehabilitation Projects 
Design and Construction – Municipal 
Tel.: 613-580-2424, ext 15267 

Contractor Representative 
Ryan Quesnel 
Project Manager 
Thomas Cavanagh Construction Inc. 
Tel.: 613-296-3526 

Register for Cleaning the Capital  

Nothing is more spectacular than the fall colours in and around Ottawa. This September, help make those views in your community even more enjoyable by registering for Cleaning the Capital. 

Thanks to nearly 30,000 participants, the spring campaign was a big success with over 890 projects registered and approximately 24,000 kilograms of waste collected. Since Cleaning the Capital began in 1994, over 1.6 million volunteers have participated, and it is estimated that over 1,350,000 kilograms of waste has been removed from our public spaces. 

Registration is now open until Friday, September 30 and can be easily done online. You can choose from a variety of public spaces to help clean up, such as community parks, roadsides, and shorelines. 

Here are some important dates for the fall campaign: 

• August 15, 2022: Registration opens 
• September 15 to October 15, 2022: Fall Cleaning the Capital campaign 
• September 30, 2022: Registration closes 
• October 31, 2022: Deadline to submit your online cleanup report 

Starter cleanup kits are available upon request. To learn more about the campaign or register your project, visit ottawa.ca/clean. 

The Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre is Hiring 

The Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre is hiring youth (between the ages of 18-29) for various paid internship opportunities. Individuals will receive paid training and support throughout their 12-week internship. This is an opportunity for youth to build on their skillsets as well as get vital experience whilst being paid. The different positions can be found here.  

The positions range from administration assistant, communications, marketing to digital skills instructors. With the following benefits: 

• Pay of $18/hour 
• Paid extensive training 
• Support throughout the internship 
• Networking and building connections 
• Access to webinars and workshops 
• Potentially lead projects and help grow the programs 
• An entry-level opportunity that can help kickstart your career journey 

Pick Me! 

Do you have edible fruit or nuts growing in your yard? Would you like help picking them? 

Hidden Harvest Ottawa can help! All you need to do is sign up your trees for harvesting and they will look after the rest. You get to keep one-quarter of the amount harvested. The rest is shared with volunteer pickers and people in need in the community. It’s a win for everyone: less fruit dropping on the ground, more food gathered for people.  

You can also sign up to be a volunteer picker or a community leader. 

Hidden Harvest will pick grapes, pears, serviceberry, apples, cherries, plums, black walnuts, ginko, and more. Find out more at https://ottawa.hiddenharvest.ca/ . 

New Edinburgh Neighbourhood Sale  
September 17, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 

New Edinburgh Park Fieldhouse, 203 Stanley Avenue… and throughout the neighbourhood 

The annual Neighbourhood Sale returns to New Edinburgh this fall after a two year hiatus. Please save the date and begin setting aside your sale items. 

The New Edinburgh Neighbourhood Sale is the best place in the city to sell for a good cause. The Crichton Community Council (CCC) gratefully collects donations (10 per cent of sale profits) to support neighbourhood programs and the improvement of equipment. 

Plans include a new sales area, in collaboration with the Beechwood Market, at the New Edinburgh Park Fieldhouse. Vendor tables will be rented to locals and others from outside the neighbourhood. 

For more information about this and other upcoming community events in New Edinburgh please contact the CCC at [email protected] or go to: https://www.newedinburgh.ca/events/ 

a Company of Fools Presents: Hamlet 

September 12th - October 1st 2022 

For the first time in its 30 year history, a Company of Fools is tackling Shakespeare’s most iconic play. This September, a Company of Fools presents Hamlet, touring outdoors for three weeks across Ottawa and beyond. 

Our fast paced 90-minute rendition of the bard’s greatest tragedy will feature disemboweled puppets, a sword fight to the death, live underscoring, and 5 actors taking on 15 different roles. 

Join the Fools this fall as we delve into the depths of the human experience and have a few laughs along the way. Whether you’re a Shakespeare nerd or this is your first foray with the Bard since high school, our foolish take on Hamlet has something for everyone. 

WHEN: September 12th - October 1st 2022. 

TIME: Monday-Saturday at 7pm. 

WHERE: Our tour includes week-long visits to Canadensis Botanical Gardens and Beechwood Cemetery. We’re also visiting rural communities in Navan, Carp, Osgoode, Oxford Mills, and more! The full schedule is available at Fools.ca 

COST: Pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $20 per person. 

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Construction for the Montreal Road revitalization project has progressed well over the last month subsequent to the four-week work stoppage due to a labour union strike. As a result of the four weeks’ lost work time, an extension of the current Montreal Road eastbound lane closure and ongoing bus detours is required until the end of October 2022. 

The lane closures and detour are required to allow the contractor sufficient space to complete road construction and permanently open Montreal Road to two-way traffic this year. We understand the unprecedented pressures that have been faced by businesses as well as residents over the past several years, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to complete this important project.  

What does this mean? 

• Montreal Road will continue to operate with a single westbound lane from St. Laurent Boulevard to Vanier Parkway until the end of October 2022. The segment of Montreal Road between Marier Avenue and Olmstead Street South will continue to accommodate two-way traffic. Some side streets along Montreal Road will be opened as work progresses to allow for additional local traffic circulation.  
• OC Transpo routes 12, 15 and 20 will continue to operate as per current detour conditions until the end of October 2022. For more information about transit routes, please visit octranspo.com.  
• The permanent opening of two-way traffic on Montreal Road is scheduled for this year.  
• Some work will be completed in 2023, including construction at the North River Road/Montreal Road intersection, final commissioning of the cycle track and remaining landscape work along sections of Montreal Road.   

The following work is planned over the next two weeks (August 22 to September 2): 

• Montreal Road paving –  Paving of the section of Montreal Road between the Vanier Parkway and Marier started earlier this week and should be completed this week. The work needs to be undertaken during the night (7 pm to 6 am) to limit transit and traffic impacts.   
• Lafontaine/Montreal Road intersection – Underground duct work for telecoms and traffic signals have been completed. Concrete curbs and sidewalk will start on the south side of the intersection (Lafontaine leg). Both the north and south side of the intersection need to be built and this work will continue into late October.   
• L’Eglise to St. Laurent Boulevard — This section of Montreal Road is the primary focus for the next two months.  Crews are currently working on both the north and south side of this section of Montreal Road including removals, electrical duct work, hard landscaping and road construction.     
• Landscaping, streetscaping and Dupuis Plaza work — Landscape and street furniture installation is continuing, including the installation of bike racks, benches and garbage receptacles. Shrub planting in the numerous low-lying concrete planters is also continuing. Significant progress has been made at Dupuis and Bradley with decorative concrete installation which now complete. Paver installation at Dupuis is scheduled to start shortly, pending crew availability.