August 28 Newsletter 2020

August 28, 2020 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

Ottawa’s Official Plan and the 15-Minute Neighbourhood

The new Official Plan is a document that describes how the city will grow and has a goal to be the most liveable mid-sized city in North America. To achieve this goal, Five Big Moves were adopted to frame new Official Plan, including the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods. 

What do we mean when we say a 15-minute neighbourhood? It is a neighbourhood where you can access most of your day-to-day needs within a 15-minute walk from your home, including when using a wheelchair or other mobility aids, on sidewalks or pathways.  

A 15-minute neighbourhood is a neighbourhood where you can walk to get to the grocery store, where you can easily walk to frequent transit, and where children can safely walk to school.    

Walkable, 15-minute neighbourhoods reduce our dependency on cars, promote equity, social connections and a greater sense of community, foster physical and mental health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

Learn more about the connection between health and our built environment here.

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey, it will close on September 4th, 2020.

Masks mandatory in indoor public spaces through October

To help limit the spread of COVID-19 as schools and businesses reopen, City Council extended, until the end of October, the temporary by-law that makes masks mandatory in indoor public spaces. Masks are also mandatory in the common areas of condos and apartment buildings. Council can extend the temporary by-law again at a future meeting.

Reminder: 245 Squadron Crescent Public Meeting

The City of Ottawa will hold a Public Meeting on September 2, 2020 from 4:30 to 6:00 pm over a Zoom conference call to discuss a proposed plan of condominium. The proposed condominium applies to 245 Squadron Crescent, within Wateridge Village.

Persons who intend to participate during the meeting may wish to register/sign up in Zoom, if they have not already done so. The following information is provided for your consideration and guidance during remote participation in the meeting:

How to Join the Meeting

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92262937020?pwd=T0pvb3Q4ZU41ZjhEeUVleGc2dTBzdz09&from=msft Zoom ID: 922 6293 7020

Password: 912314

Or Telephone:

Dial +1 204 272 7920 (Toll Free)

Webinar ID: 922 6293 7020

Password: 912314

To ask a question to the presenter or to make a comment during the meeting, there are a few options available:

1. Provide a list of your questions to City staff ahead of the meeting by emailing Jean- Charles Renaud at [email protected]. Staff will ask the question on your behalf during the meeting or respond to your question prior to the meeting. Please limit it to two questions per
2. Register to ask questions prior to the meeting by emailing Jean-Charles Renaud. City staff will go down the list of requested speakers during the question and answer period, and you may ask questions during the
3. You can also use the “raise hand” function in Zoom during the question and answer period, and you will be placed on the requested speakers

Project information can be found on the City’s devapp website: https://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__AC3LLQ

A primer on back-to-school safety 

If your child is returning to school in September, take some time to consider the best transportation options for your family. If you are not putting your student on a school bus, here is a list of tips and resources to help you plan a commute that is safe for everyone. 

Benefits of walking or biking to school 

Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Finding ways to fit this into a daily routine is hard for busy families. Walking or biking to school helps solve this issue and both are easy ways for children to become more independent, spend time outdoors and, in many cases, save time.  

Children who walk or bike to school on a regular basis also benefit in the classroom with: 

• improved concentration
• better stress-coping abilities
• reduced feelings of isolation
• increased social interaction

Other benefits include reduced traffic congestion in school zones and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions.

Visit School Active Transportation for more information.

It’s a COVIDWise thing to do 

Many young people are far less active today than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Active transportation, such as walking or cycling to school, is an excellent way for the student in your life to be more active. 

COVID-19 has been stressful for everyone. That walk or bike ride to school can reduce stress and improve the overall mental well-being of the student in your life. 

Visit Being Active During COVID-19 for more information. 

Getting started 

Parents, always remind your children to: 

• Walk on available sidewalks
• Cross only at intersections
• Use Pedestrian Crossovers, or PXOs, when they’re available

Visit Road Safety for more tips for drivers and parents  

School transportation authorities have resources to help with: 

• Walking routes for specific schools
• Walk-a-Block maps for specific schools
• Walking school buses

Check with your local school board and transportation authority about what your child needs to safely travel between home and school in a COVIDWise way. For most Ottawa students, that would be one of: 

• Ottawa School Transportation Authority
• Consortium de transport scolaire de l'Est
• OC Transpo

Fall Bus Service

OC Transpo’s fall service returns on August 30. To welcome back students this fall, school service resumes, as well as increased trips to post-secondary schools.

Customers should visit octranspo.com and use the Travel Planner to see if their regular trips are affected by the return to fall schedules. Schedules are also available by calling 613-560-1000 or texting 560560 plus the four‑digit bus stop number, or first three letters of the station name.

Fall schedules

• Service on O-Train Line 1 will run every three to four minutes during the morning peak period.
• Select trip times on Routes 30 and 34 will be adjusted slightly to provide a more consistent frequency between trips.
• Weekday overnight service on Routes N39, N57, N75 and N97 will be adjusted to reduce wait times for connections downtown.
• Some trips on the following routes will be temporarily suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and reduced ridership: 6, 7, 10, 12, 18, 25, 39, 40, 44, 61, 63, 66, 75, 87, 88, 93, 99, 111, 179, 234, 235, 236, 256, 257, 270, 272 and 277. 

Back to school service for students

OC Transpo will be there for students and parents to provide service to Ottawa high schools and middle schools in early September. Students and parents should check the Travel Planner for schedules before school starts. Some details are still being finalized, so be sure to keep checking. You can easily plan a trip to your school on the Destinations page. Some trip times are changing to accommodate school start and end times due to COVID-19 measures or to better match ridership.

School bus stop changes

At Place d’Orléans Station, some school routes will be reassigned to new stops. Customers can check octranspo.com and look for signage at the station to help with the changes.

Post-secondary school bus service

Routes serving post-secondary schools will return to fall service levels. Service will be increased on Routes 10 and 111 and Line 2 buses, serving Carleton University, and on Route 25, serving La Cité.

Fall U-Pass

The U-Pass program is back this fall and available to full-time students at Algonquin College, Carleton University, Saint Paul University, and the University of Ottawa. Fall U-Pass cards are valid starting September 1, 2020. Due to COVID-19 and a decrease in on-campus learning, changes have been made to the delivery of the U-Pass program at each post-secondary institution. Students should check their institution’s website for up-to-date information on the program. Additional information is available on octranspo.com.

COVID-19 Engagement Opportunity

The City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health are continuing to explore how best to support residents and businesses as COVID-19 restrictions are gradually eased, while keeping with the Province of Ontario’s framework for reopening the province. We want to hear from you and members of your community.
 
Phase 3 of the public engagement strategy will focus on current issues and priorities of Ottawa residents. The survey questions will gather public perceptions of the mandatory mask bylaw and other safety measures, social circles and gathering limits, and opening higher risk sectors (i.e. gyms, bars, schools). Residents will also be asked for their ideas for innovative safety practices in local business and long-term aspirations and concerns living with COVID-19.
 
Please share your thoughts with us through a new survey and weekly pulse check questions available until September 18^th on Engage Ottawa in English or Participons Ottawa in French: https://engage.ottawa.ca/covid19.

Contactless Fare Readers

Over the next several months, OC Transpo and Scheidt & Bachmann (S&B) will work together to develop and test the technology that will allow riders to tap a credit card at fare card readers on buses and at O-Train station fare gates. Testing will take place throughout 2020, with the new system anticipated to be ready for customers next year.

This partnership will result in OC Transpo having one of the most advanced fare payment systems in Canada, giving customers flexibility to choose from a range of payment options.

This enhancement builds on the innovative technology in OC Transpo’s fare gates and ticket vending machines installed at O-Train Stations. The addition of new payment options at faregates and fare card readers on buses is being fast tracked in light of the COVID-19 pandemic so that OC Transpo can offer customers additional options to easily pay their transit fare while reducing contact points along the system.

When launched, the new card readers will accept payments made with VISA and MasterCard, or by tapping a smartphone with Apple Pay or Google Pay. In the initial phase, the payment system will only be used for adult single-ride fares but can over time be expanded to other fare types.

As part of testing, customers will have an opportunity to use the new payment system at a fare gate at one O-Train Station by the end of 2020. Subject to the successful results of this trial, it is currently expected that the new payment option will be available on all buses and at all fare gates in 2021.

Construction Notice

What: Cathodic Protection is accomplished by welding sacrificial anodes to the watermain at specified intervals to protect the pipe from corrosion.

Why: To increase longevity of existing underground infrastructure and to reduce the risk of watermain breaks, the City of Ottawa will be proceeding with the installation of anodes along watermain pipes.

When: This work is expected to start in August and take approximately two days to complete at each location. The project is anticipated to be complete in the fall 2020.

Where: Crichton Street - from Charles Street to Keefer Street; Crichton Street - from Dufferin Road to Beechwood Avenue

Traffic

Vanier Parkway – Vanier Parkway will have lane reductions in both directions overnight and during off-peak hours from Presland Road to Donald Street beginning Monday, August 24 until early September for watermain and sewer work. Pedestrian detours will be in place. Visit OCtranspo.com for transit detour information.

Ramp Closure Notice:

To complete the work in a manner that is safe to the travelling public and site personnel, ACOE will be closing the following ramps on Highway 417 to facilitate milling and paving operations. If these closures are delayed due to weather, they will be rescheduled for the following day.

• Hwy 417 WB off-ramp at Nicholas Street closure is scheduled to begin Thursday September 03, 2020 at 23:00 and continue overnight until 05:00 on September 04