June 11 Newsletter 2021

June 11, 2021 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

COVID-19 Update 

• To date, more than 729,000 doses of vaccines have been administered in Ottawa and more than 70 per cent of adults have received at least one dose. More than 74,000 doses were administered in Ottawa last week. 
• Beginning Saturday, June 12, all City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics will accept residents from any of Ottawa’s priority neighbourhoods for first-dose vaccination. 
• More appointments were made available in the provincial booking system for Ottawa residents aged 12 and older who still need a first or are eligible for a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. These appointments will take place between Saturday, June 12 and Monday, June 14 at the Infinity Centre. 
• Effective today, the Province of Ontario has moved to Step One of its Three-Step Roadmap to safely reopen the province. 
• As the City receives more vaccines from the Province and the provincial booking system is updated, more appointments will become available. Visit the City’s Vaccine distribution page for more information. 
• Visit the Frequently asked questions page for more information about COVID-19 vaccinations. 

Outdoor Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, and Beaches Reopening 

Outdoor deep-water swimming pools – June 11 

Outdoor swimming pool facilities will open on June 11. The number of swimmers will be reduced for both public and lane swims and COVID-safety protocols will be in place. Reservations can be made beginning on June 10 at 6pm at ottawa.ca/recreation for a 1-hour session. 

Beaches – June 19 

The City’s beaches at Mooney’s Bay, Westboro, Britannia and Petrie Island will be open for supervised swimming starting Saturday, June 19.  

Lifeguards will be on duty daily from noon to 7 pm until August 29. Ottawa Public Health will conduct regular water quality testing. Check Beach Water Quality Results - Ottawa Public Health for the latest water-quality results and no swimming advisories.  

Wading pools – June 24  

The wading pools operated by the city will open on Thursday, June 24.  Wading Pool Attendants are on duty during all operating hours to provide safety supervision at the pools. Reservations can be made for 30-minute sessions on site at each wading pool location. Swimmers are only required to exit the pool following their 30-minute session, if the subsequent session is fully booked. 

Call for Volunteers at Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre 

Are you interested in having a meaningful impact in your community? This volunteer opportunity will allow your efforts to directly provide community members facing barriers, with a safe, reliable and convenient way to access fresh and nutritious food. Good Food on the Move, a collaborative project of RRCRC’s MarketMobile and Ottawa Good Food Box, is looking for a small, dedicated team of volunteers to assist with the packing of our produce boxes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at our new packing space at Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, located at 815 St. Laurent Boulevard. We are seeking long-term volunteers who are able to support us on a weekly basis. Ideally, we want to have our volunteers in cohorts. This will allow for you to work with the same volunteers and staff members each week, which will help to limit the number of people in your social bubble. We will also continue to following all the COVID-19 health and safety protocols recommended by Ottawa Public Health. For more information about this volunteer opportunity; please email [email protected] or call (613)745-0073 ext.120. 

Sing for Hope Virtual Event 

On June 17th at 7pm join Shepherds of Good Hope for a livestreamed concert showcasing more than 10 musicians led by critically acclaimed recording artist, Kathleen Edwards as they present an authentic collaboration of local talent to reimagine an iconic classic Beatles tune that reflects their optimism with the light shining brightly on their community and those experiencing homelessness. Tickets are $25 each and will help provide 10 meals in their community kitchen. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here. 

Beechwood Market 

In addition to being online year-round, Beechwood Market is onsite in Optimiste Park at 43 Ste Cecile St every Saturday from June 5th - October 9th, 2021 between the hours of 9am and 2pm. The online market is open until midnight every Thursday for pickups and deliveries that Saturday. Find out more about Beechwood Market by clicking here. 

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Please find below a two-week update (June 7 to June 18) for the Montreal Road Revitalization project. The work activities planned for the next two weeks will include: 

• Vanier Parkway/Montreal Road intersection – Work continues this month in the southeast quadrant of the intersection, including the east side of Vanier Parkway. The work includes installing underground traffic signal infrastructure, concrete curbs, sidewalk and building the road box. Three out of four crosswalks will be open to allow pedestrian movement around the intersection. Upcoming work on the east leg of the intersection will require shifting the north-south crosswalk approximately 30m east, which will be controlled by flaggers during working hours. During non-working hours, the crosswalk will operate as per normal conditions. 

• Vanier Parkway to Olmstead Street North – Concrete curb, sidewalk, road box and tree grate installation is continuing along the north side of Montreal Road. Paving of the north side of the road will be completed this week. Landscaping has started on Emond Street, which is a designated public space area.  

• Marier Avenue to Lafontaine Avenue  – Installation of underground utility work is continuing as well as construction of the north side of the road from Marier to Bradley Street.  Construction on Bradley Street is underway with arrangements being made to maintain parking and access to the Wabano Centre. Road construction and paving will occur along segments including Altha Street to Mona Street. Pedestrian access to businesses is being maintained at all times 

• Lafontaine Avenue to de l’Église Street – Underground sewer and catch basin work continues. The north side of Montreal Road between Lafontaine and Cantin Street will be paved in mid-June. Ducharme Boulevard is closed, and work has started through the intersection. Flaggers located on either side of the intersections are assisting pedestrians across Montreal Road. 

• De l’Église Street to St. Laurent Boulevard – Excavations for new sanitary sewers have started at de l’Église Street and the intersection is closed. Water shuts were completed last week to several institutions and buildings along this section. Construction of a sanitary sewer on the south side of Montreal Road continues, as well as the installation of catch basins.   

• Continued traffic impacts and road closures – Montreal Road is reduced to one westbound lane from Vanier Parkway to St. Laurent Boulevard. All streets are closed between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard, with the exception of Olmstead Street, Bégin Street, Marier Avenue, Granville Street/Lafontaine Avenue and Cantin Street.  

• Month-long construction outlook – Underground and aboveground work between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard will continue, with the majority of work occurring on the north side of Montreal Road. Most of the work in the southeast quadrant of the Montreal Road/Vanier Parkway intersection will be completed. Excavations and construction of the Emond Street space will continue, and work along Bradley Avenue has started. Road paving operations will continue, with a significant section of the north side of the road being paved between Vanier Parkway and Cantin Street. Numerous soil cells have been installed to date, which will support over thirty trees. Soil cell installation will continue this month. In the coming weeks, work will start on the south side of Montreal Road, which will require shifting the vehicle traffic currently using the south side Montreal Road lane to the northside lane. In certain areas, pedestrians will be directed to use the newly constructed sidewalk on the north side while work occurs on the south side. Access to businesses on the south side will be maintained as always.