February 18 Newsletter 2022

February 18, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

The illegal occupation has now entered its fourth weekend and police operations are expected to be significant over the next few days. A secure area has now been established and I continue to stress and advise to residents not to venture downtown unless absolutely necessary. Complete details and a map of the secure area can be found in the first item of this newsletter. Due to the events over the past month, many residents, especially BIPOC residents, may be experiencing unique stress and reaction. To help these community members, the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, The ACB Wellness Resource Centre, Somerset West Community Health Centre, Canadian Women of Color Leadership Network and United for All Coalition have collaborated to host Come Together Ottawa — A Conversation With Community. Details on how to participate are included in this newsletter. 

As it is Family Day weekend, there will be a number of closures and changes in service. A complete list is offered in this newsletter. This week, youth aged 12 to 17 become eligible to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Ottawa Public Health vaccination clinics. To receive a booster, six months should have elapsed since receiving a second dose. Additionally, this Saturday, February 19, there will be a COVID-19 mobile vaccine clinic at the St-Laurent Shopping Centre from 11 am to 5pm. Next week, residents are invited to attend a public information session on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Manor Park Estates. The virtual event will be held by City staff on Wednesday, February 23 at 6:00pm and residents are invited to register in advance. Finally, the Overbrook Community Association will be holding its annual general meeting next Thursday, February 24 at 7:00pm over Zoom. Residents of Overbrook and Castle Heights are welcome to attend and may register for the meeting in advance. 
 
Updated Statement on Ongoing Demonstration 

The Ottawa Police Service has begun enforcement operations to end the unlawful occupation of our downtown core and encampments at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium. 

The operations will target the aggressive and illegal behaviour by those illegally occupying the City. 

Together with the OPP and the RCMP, the Ottawa Police Service this week established of an enhanced, integrated command centre in response to a significant influx of demonstrators into the Ottawa area and escalation of the current occupation. 

Expect to observe a significantly enhanced ability of the Police Service to respond to the current situation in our City.  Operations started on Thursday and will continue in a coordinated fashion over this Family Day weekend. Integrated response will allow the Police Service to make the most effective use of the additional resources which policing partners have provided. 

On Thursday evening, a roadblock was established at Coventry Road and Vanier Parkway.  Within the downtown core, over 100 roadblock enclosures were established to contain the protestors and to create the conditions for removal of protestors and their vehicles. 

During my tenure as a previous member of Police Services Board, I worked tirelessly over the past three weeks to marshal additional resources necessary with my former Police Service Board colleagues to encourage police action, along with asking questions about inadequate police response.   

While under the Police Service Act, I could not direct police operations, I undertook maximal oversight with my colleagues when serving on Police Services Board and I will continue to encourage our Police Service to restore order. 

We will continue to monitor and encourage action at the Baseball Stadium, provide intelligence to the Police Service, and offer support to both community members and businesses in the Overbrook area during this on-going crisis. 

I want you to know that I completely stand with all residents of Ottawa. We want these protesters gone. We want our City back.  While I no longer sit on Police Services Board, I want you know that that restoration of law and order and public safety is my continuing number one priority. All law-abiding citizens in our City clearly deserve to live in a peace. We will not give up until we regain our City.  We are pleased that police action is being undertaken at this time. 

Secure Area Established 

Under the Emergencies Act, the Unified Command in control of policing in Ottawa has established a Secured Area to ensure that individuals comply with the Emergency Measures Regulations and to ensure designated places (Parliament, Government buildings, critical infrastructure etc) are protected.  

You cannot travel to or within an area where an assembly is taking place contrary to the Regulations. 

At this time, the Secured Area is from Bronson Avenue to the Canal, the Queensway to Parliament Hill. 

Anyone can enter the Secured Area if you fall under an exemption in the Regulations, meaning that you: 

• reside, work or are moving through that area for reasons other than to participate in or facilitate the assembly; 
• are acting with the permission of a peace officer or the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness; 
• are a peace officer; or 
• are an employee or agent of the government of Canada or a province who is acting in the execution of their duties. 

You can expect to see police checkpoints where you will be asked your reason for travelling within the Secured Area.  

You will be required to show proof of exemption for your travel to the Secured Area. 

Expect traffic delays in and around the Secured Area. Please avoid the downtown core if you have no reason to be there. 

“We do not take this decision lightly, we know this will impact the residents. Please bear with us while we work to return the city to a state of normalcy” stated Interim Chief Steve Bell. “We want to reassure everyone that if you live, work or have a reason to be in the area that your access will be minimally impacted.” 

We want you to be aware that entering the Secured Area for the purpose of contravening the Emergencies Act, may result in you being arrested and/or charged. 

The Secured Area will only be enforced as long as necessary. 

Family Day schedule changes and cancellations 

The City of Ottawa reminds residents of the following schedule changes for Family Day on Monday, February 21. Due to the ongoing demonstrations in the downtown core, there may be additional impacts on City services in and around the downtown core. Please visit ottawa.ca for updates on impacted services. 

Below is a list of City services, noting any impacts to schedules on Family Day. 

Client Service Centres 

• The City’s 3-1-1 Contact Centre will be open for urgent matters only. Please visit ottawa.ca/311 for more information. 
• The Client Services Centres at Ottawa City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 580 Terry Fox Drive and 255 Centrum Boulevard and the City’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Drive will be closed. 

Green bin, recycling and garbage collection 

• There will be no curbside green bin, recycling, garbage or bulky item collection on Family Day. The pick-up will take place on Tuesday, February 22. In addition, the collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. 
• Multi-residential garbage containers will be collected on the regular scheduled day. Multi-residential recycling container and green bin collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. 
• The Trail Waste Facility will be open from 9 am to 5 pm. 

Parking 

• All City parking regulations and restrictions apply. 

OC Transpo 

• OC Transpo buses and O-Train Line 1 will run on a normal weekday schedule. 

• Detours may continue on Family Day because of road closures related to ongoing demonstrations in the downtown core. Please visit octranspo.com and sto.ca for the latest information. 

• On Family Day and on every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday, the whole family can ride all day for $11.00 on a single DayPass! Purchase your Family DayPass at any ticket machine or from your bus operator. A family can be made up of as many as 6 people, with a maximum of two aged 13 or older.  

• New this year: children seven and under ride for no charge every day! 

• OC Transpo Customer Service (613-560-5000) will be open from 7 am to 9 pm. 
• All OC Transpo Customer Service Centres are currently closed, but please visit octranspo.com for the latest updates. 
• Heartwood House (OC Transpo Lost and Found) will be closed. 

Para Transpo 

• Para Transpo will operate a holiday service. Regular scheduled trips will be automatically cancelled on Monday, February 21. Customers can book trips for Family Day this week by calling 613-560-5000 or using the online web form. 
• The reservations line will be open from 7 am to 5 pm. 
• The trip cancellation line will be open from 6 am to 12:30 am. 
• The Taxi Coupon line will remain open. 
• For more information on Family Day service, visit octranspo.com or call (613) 560-5000. 

Recreation and cultural services 

• Drop-in swimming, drop-in sports and fitness activities will operate with modified schedules. Visit ottawa.ca or call the facility to confirm.  
• Registered programs and skating lessons are suspended.   
• Before and after school programs are suspended.  
• Museums, Nepean Visual Arts Centre and Nepean Creative Arts Centre will be closed.  

Ottawa Public Health 

• Some COVID-19 assessment centres will have adjusted operating hours on Monday, February 21. Please check your local testing site’s holiday hours at OttawaPublicHealth.ca/CovidTesting before booking an appointment. 
• The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics will be closed. 
• The Site Program office and supervised consumption services at 179 Clarence Street will be closed. The Site mobile van will operate from 5 pm to 11:30 pm. 
• The Ottawa Public Health Information Centre and COVID-19 Information Line will be closed. 
• The Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Booking line at 613-691-5505 will be open from 8:30 am to 4 pm on Monday, February 21. 
• Dental clinics will be closed. 
• The Baby Help Line will be open 

Community and Social Services 

• The Tom Brown respite centre, at 141 Bayview Station Road, is currently operating as a 24/7 physical distancing centre and limited respite services will be open. 
• The Bernard Grandmaître respite centre, at 309 McArthur Avenue, will be closed and will reopen on Tuesday, February 22 during regular operating hours. 

Municipal child-care services 

• All municipal childcare centres will be closed. 

Library Services 

• All Ottawa Public Library branches will be closed. The Ottawa Public Library website is available 24/7, providing access to Ottawa Public Library’s eCollections and a variety of recorded programs on YouTube. 

COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Clinic — St. Laurent Shopping Centre  

There will be a COVID-19 mobile vaccine clinic at St. Laurent Shopping Centre tomorrow, Saturday, February 19 from 11am to 5pm. Reservations are not required, drop-ins are welcome, and all doses are available for those aged 5 and older. Residents can bring any piece of identification.

COVID-19 vaccine boosters now available for youth aged 12 to 17 

The Province of Ontario recently announced expanded eligibility for COVID-19 boosters to include all youth aged 12 to 17. The National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) also recently released new guidelines on the suggested interval between COVID-19 infection and booster doses for those aged 12 and older. 

Booster doses for youth aged 12 to 17 

Effective immediately, youth aged 12 to 17 can receive their third (booster) dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Ottawa Public Health vaccination clinics. Drop-ins are welcome at all the clinics. Please visit the Ottawa Public Health webpage for clinic locations and hours. Please consult our website regularly as clinic hours are subject to change. 

If preferred, booster appointments can be booked, starting Friday, February 18, online through the provincial booking system or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. Boosters for this age group are also available at some pharmacies administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 

Individuals must be 12 years old on the day they receive the vaccine and six months (168 days) must have passed since their second dose. A longer interval like this between doses results in a stronger immune response and is expected to also be longer lasting. This age group will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.  

Booster doses for people aged 12 and older previously infected with COVID-19 

Vaccination continues to be the strongest protection against COVID-19, even for those with a prior COVID-19 infection. While infection alone may provide some protection, vaccination following infection is expected to strengthen the immune response and to provide a more robust and longer-lasting protection against COVID-19. 

The National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) recommends waiting three months after the onset of symptoms or after a positive test for COVID-19 before receiving a booster dose of the vaccine. 

Road Close Authorization - Sussex Drive 

Sussex Drive will be closed from King Edward Avenue to Stanley Avenue on Saturday, 26 February 2022 from 7:00am to 7:00pm. City of Ottawa, Roads Services will be blasting ice on the river as part of the Rideau River Flood Control Operations. The impact of the road closure will be moderate and there will be a signed detour to guide motorists. 

Notice – Manor Park Estates Memorandum of Understanding – Public Information Session   

Manor Park Management Inc. has submitted an Official Plan Amendment application (OPA) to increase maximum building heights and consider area-specific policies and land use designations for a Master Plan Development Concept with a range of buildings and uses. (Application # D01-01-21-0003) 

While not required by the Planning Act, the applicant has agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City, as part of the OPA process, to reinforce their commitment to no-displacement and support of affordable housing.   

We are inviting you to participate in a Public Information Session on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will feature a brief recap of the overall application, and a presentation that will focus on the MOU, its key agreements, and benefits to both the community and residents. Attendees are invited to participate and ask questions or provide comments on the MOU in the moderated Question & Answer session.   

You can join us virtually on Wednesday February 23, 2022, at 6:00pm. We ask that you please register your attendance through this link (Manor Park MOU – Sign in) in or please email to confirm your attendance to [email protected]   

The Zoom link and details for the Public Information Session are provided below:  

Topic: Manor Park Estates - Memorandum of Understanding – Public Information Session 

Time: Wednesday February 23, 2022 - 6:00 PM Eastern Time  

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85332464963 

Meeting ID: 853 3246 4963 

Dial by your location: 

+1 778 907 2071 

Overbrook Community Association Annual General Meeting 

Residents of Overbrook and Castle Heights are invited to attend the Overbrook Community Assocation’s annual general meeting on Thursday, February 24 at 7pm. Interested residents can register to attend by scanning the QR code on the poster or by visiting overbrook.ca. 

Come Together Ottawa — A Conversation With Community 

Recent events in the City of Ottawa have had an impact on residents. Significant increases in noise, racism and acts of aggression, the disruptions to business and community services, has taken a toll on our city and the African, Carribean & Black (ACB) community. In response to the events of February 2022, community partners have come together to acknowledge the recent experiences of those impacted and to provide information and resources. Join your fellow residents and community stakeholders for a virtual session of sharing and hope on Monday, February 28 from 6:30 to 8:00pm. 

You’ll get to: 

• Share your experience and hear from others impacted by recent events 
• Learn about resources and information to support community 

Register online at Eventbrite. 

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