June 10 Newsletter 2022

June 10, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

I am pleased to say that this week, the the Finance and Economic Development Committee approved the City’s first Anti-Racism Strategy. I am incredibly proud of all of the partners, community members, and City staff who helped this strategy come to fruition. Residents can read more about the strategy, in addition to my remarks at committee in this newsletter. This week at Council, I introduced a motion, asking the CEO of Hydro Ottawa to provide an action plan to improve communication with the community during prolonged power outages. Also this week, Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa welcomed eight families to their new homes at Titus Landing at Wateridge Village. Located at 455 Wanaki Road, Titus Landing is an 8-unit stacked townhome in two adjacent buildings centrally located near transit, schools, parkland and waterfront 

The City of Ottawa has initiated the St. Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for St. Laurent Boulevard from Hemlock Road to Innes Road/Industrial Avenue. A virtual public consultation will be held on the evening of June 22. Residents are strongly encouraged to participate. As of tomorrow, June 11, masks will no longer be mandatory on public transit. While wearing a mask will no longer be required by law, Ottawa Public Health still strongly recommends people wear masks on OC Transpo buses and trains, in stations and shelters, and on Para Transpo minibuses and taxis. Finally, if you or someone you know is looking for summer employment, a seasonal position at a City of Ottawa wading pool might be the perfect fit. More information on this employment opportunity can be found in the penultimate item in this newsletter. 

Request for Improved Hydro Crisis Response 

This week, Councillor Rawlson King introduced a motion, seconded by Councillor Brockington, asking the CEO of Hydro Ottawa to provide an action plan to improve communication with the community during prolonged power outages, including the provision of neighbourhood-specific information. 

The motion also asks for a plan that examines the vulnerabilities in the local power grid and for City staff to consider merging Hydro Ottawa crisis communications with City-run systems. 

The intent of the motion, introduced at Council, is to improve the experience of residents and hydro ratepayers by asking Hydro Ottawa how future power outages of an extended period will be addressed, as well for grid modernization so that citizens are more aware of when power outages are likely to be resolved. 

You can read the full text of the motion at https://www.rideau-rockcliffe.ca/request_for_improved_hydro_crisis_response. 

Committee Approves City’s first ever Anti-Racism Strategy 

This week, the Finance and Economic Development Committee approved the City’s first Anti-Racism Strategy. It’s a five-year plan to proactively identify and remove systemic barriers in City policies, programs and services, and to realize its vision of racial equity. 

The strategy provides 28 recommendations and 132 actions to address racial inequity in governance, housing, economic development, health, child and youth development, racial equity in the workplace and institutional practices. It aims to create programs and services that meet the diverse needs of Ottawa, and to grow an equitable and inclusive workforce. 

Phase one would start next year and run until 2025, with a focus on building internal capacity and awareness, collecting race-disaggregated data, continuing engagement and relationship building and implementing recommendations and actions from the strategy. Following a mid-term review, phase two would run from 2025 to 2028, incorporating feedback, data and lessons learned from phase one while continuing to implement actions outlined in the plan. 

Councillor Rawlson King, as Council Liaison for Anti-Racism and Ethnocultural Relations Initiatives, delivered remarks to the Committee which you can read at: https://www.rideau-rockcliffe.ca/committee_approves_anti_racism_strategy. 

Habitat for Humanity Unveils New Homes in Wateridge Village 

This week, Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa welcomed eight families to their new homes at Titus Landing at Wateridge Village. Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa builds affordable homes that provide a solid foundation for local families. 

The project, located at 455 Wanaki Road, is an 8-unit stacked townhome in two adjacent buildings centrally located near transit, schools, parkland and waterfront. Construction began spring 2020 and the project includes an accessible, barrier-free 3-bedroom unit on ground floor, as well as 3-bedroom units that fully occupy the second floor and 4-bedroom units that are split level two-story on third and fourth floors.  The development provides shared outdoor space and outdoor parking. 

The project adopted the use of prefabricated construction methods to stay on schedule in the wake of build delays due to COVID-19 and ongoing challenges accessing build materials and related supply chain issues. The project also used more environmentally friendly building materials and adopted energy efficient technologies.  

The Titus Landing in Wateridge Village will offer its partner families, who demonstrated resiliency and dedication in contributing to the construction of their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, a pathway to homeownership.  The City of Ottawa contributed $1.1 million to the construction of these affordable housing units. 

Ottawa Stadium Community Visioning 

A community visioning process was directed by Council for the Ottawa Stadium in September of 2019. Staff from the Planning, Real Estate, and Economic Development department as well as Recreation, Culture and Facility services are working with all interested members of Council, local and national community groups and other key stakeholders to develop a vision for use and redevelopment of the site.  

The visioning sessions will include identifying opportunities for increased community usage of the Ottawa Stadium, opportunities to increase public and community usage of the facility, opportunities for increased community usage outside of the baseball season and opportunities to attract a more diverse mix of sport uses.  

The goal of the visioning process is to provide Council a recommendation report for the stadium and its surrounding areas, identifying what will create a more livable, inviting, and dynamic environment for people and families, while enhancing mobility, city life, and financial sustainability. 

A Community Comment and Information Session is to be held June 22nd. The community is invited to attend. Please register here: https://s-ca.chkmkt.com/?e=276109&h=C700C97FD11B0CE&l=en 

Notice of Commencement and First Online Public Consultation Event  

St. Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) Study (St. Laurent Boulevard from Hemlock Road to Innes Road/Industrial Avenue) 

Municipal Class Schedule C Environmental Assessment Study 

The City of Ottawa has initiated the St. Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for St. Laurent Boulevard from Hemlock Road to Innes Road/Industrial Avenue. The Study Corridor is illustrated in the key map. 

The EA study will investigate options to improve transit service efficiency and travel environment for all modes (walking, cycling, transit, autos, and trucks) as appropriate. The study will result in a functional design that will improve transit service and bus stop locations and amenities, improve multi-modal connectivity and accessibility, provide better connections to St. Laurent Station, implement Complete Streets design principles, and improve the public realm. There will be an emphasis on compatibility with surrounding land uses and minimizing impacts on the surrounding environment (social, economic, and natural/physical). The design will be sensitive to the wide range of contexts and characters along the corridor. 

Event Details 

Public participation is an important component of the EA process. The City of Ottawa will host a virtual public consultation event for this study through Zoom on Wednesday June 22, 2022, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The consultation will include a presentation and an opportunity to ask questions to the study team. Those interested in attending can register here:  Ottawa.ca/stlaurentblvd 

The presentation and supporting display boards will be available on the City’s project website at: Ottawa.ca/stlaurentblvd  prior to the event. 

The project website will also include a link to the online survey that can be completed anytime between June 22 and July 11. 

Study Process 

The Study is being conducted in accordance with the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) process for a “Schedule C” project and harmonized with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Class EA for Provincial Transportation Facilities if required. The planning and design process will lead to the development of functional design for the project that is technically sound, innovative and that includes effective consultation and consensus building. 

There will be ongoing consultation activities throughout the study. This first public consultation event will provide:  

  • An overview of the study objectives, background, and purpose; 
  • EA Process, consultation, and schedule; 
  • Need and opportunities, existing conditions, and study progress to-date; 
  • Planning and design principles/objectives for the study; and 
  • Next steps. 

Interested persons can provide comments throughout the EA Study. Any comments received will be collected under the Environmental Assessment Act and, with the exception of personal information, will become part of the public record. 

Accessibility is an important consideration for the City of Ottawa. If you require special accommodation, please call or email the City of Ottawa Project Manager, below, before the event. 

For further information or to provide comments, please contact: 

Katarina Cvetkovic, P.Eng. 
Senior Project Manager 
Transportation Environmental Assessments Branch 
City of Ottawa  
110 Laurier Avenue West, 4th Floor  
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1  
E-mail: [email protected] 
Tel: 613-580-2424 ext. 22842 

Masks no longer mandatory on public transit but still strongly recommended 

As determined by the Province of Ontario, masks will no longer be mandatory on public transit starting Saturday, June 11.  

While wearing a mask will no longer be required by law, Ottawa Public Health still strongly recommends people wear masks on OC Transpo buses and trains, in stations and shelters, and on Para Transpo minibuses and taxis. For more information on layers of protection against COVID-19, visit Ottawa Public Health’s Reducing the risks from COVID-19 webpage 

OC Transpo continues to prioritize the health and safety of its customers and employees. Enhanced health and safety practices that were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue. These include: 

  • Enhanced sanitizing and cleaning of all vehicles and stations daily 
  • Protective shields at the front of buses 
  • Hand sanitizer dispensers at O-Train stations and most Transitway stations 
  • Touch-free and online fare payment options 
  • Virtual Line at the OC Transpo Customer Service Centre in the Rideau Centre that lets customers reserve a spot without waiting in line 

We ask everyone to be kind and respectful of one another. We thank our customers and employees for continuing to do their part to keep our community safe.  

Stay up to date on the latest transit information by visiting octranspo.com or following OC Transpo’s Twitter accounts. 

Stay Cool: Work at a City of Ottawa Wading Pool 

Want to spend your sunny summer by the water? Work with the City at a wading pool. Interested applicants must be at least 15 years old and have standard first aid. Inquire at [email protected] or call 613-580-2590. 

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Work activities planned for the next two weeks (June 6 to 17) include: 

  • Montreal Road/Granville Street intersection underground sewer pipe — The underground work at the Montreal Road/Granville intersection will shift to the south side of the road this week and the north side curb lane will be open for westbound traffic. The underground water and sewer work will continue all month including the south part of the intersection at Lafontaine.  
  • Lafontaine to St. Laurent Boulevard curb construction — Road excavation and road box construction is now complete, and crews will start pouring the curb on the south side of Montreal Road. The curb work should be completed late this week or early next week and will be followed by sidewalk and cycle track construction.    
  • Hydro Ottawa pole topping Hydro Ottawa has had to reschedule the removal of their overhead cables between L’Eglise to west of Altha to the end of June. The removal of Hydro’s overhead cables and the top section of the hydro pole was originally scheduled for the first week of June. Any power disruptions associated with the work will be communicated by Hydro Ottawa in advance. Complete removal of the hydro poles will be undertaken later this year once all telecom overhead wires are replaced by underground cables. 
  • North River Road multi-use-path (MUP) — The MUP work on the west side of North River Road from Montreal Road to south of Tudor Place is now complete including railing installation.  Brick work between the MUP and the road curb will follow.  
  • Utility and telecommunications — Underground utility work and placement of telecom ducts to allow for hydro pole burial is continuing on the south side of Montreal Road between Lafontaine Avenue and de L’Eglise Street. 
  • Landscaping and streetscaping North River Road to Mona Avenue Preparation for landscape is well underway and street furniture installation has started, including the installation of bike racks, benches and garbage receptacles. Shrub planting in the numerous low-lying concrete planter walls will start this week. Removal of the existing Dupuis Plaza hard landscaping and surface is continuing this week and will be followed by installation of pedestrian streetlights. 

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