June 17 Newsletter 2022

June 17, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

Hydro Ottawa has communicated that there will be possible outages in Rideau-Rockcliffe ward as crews patrol the hardest hit areas from the storm. After the prolonged outages that residents experienced after the storm in May, this sort of news can be anxiety inducing. While Hydro Ottawa is not able to notify residents in advance, please know that these intermittent outages are essential in order for crews to safely clean up and make repairs. Additionally, special curbside collection of tree debris will be winding down as of Friday, June 24. Residents who still have debris from the storm should take advantage of this special pickup before next Friday. 

The Ottawa Stadium Community Visioning Meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 28 due to its conflict with the St. Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) Study Online Public Consultation on Wednesday, June 22. Residents are encouraged to participate by attending these meetings and completing the surveys through the corresponding Engage Ottawa pages. More information on these two items can be found in this newsletter. 

Possible outages in Rideau-Rockcliffe ward as crews patrol hardest hit areas from storm 

While power has been restored to all residents impacted by the May 21 storm, crews continue to find debris, including trees and branches near power lines, as well as damage to equipment or other interferences, which has resulted in some unplanned outages within Hydro Ottawa’s service territory this week.  

Over the next two weeks, Hydro Ottawa will be patrolling key areas of its service territory that were badly damaged by the storm. Based on the weekend patrols, crew feedback and progress thus far, Rideau-Rockcliffe ward has been identified as an area that requires a more thorough investigation and review of its electrical infrastructure.  

In some cases, residents may experience intermittent outages as crews safely clean up and make repairs. Given the nature of this work, Hydro Ottawa will not be able to notify customers in advance. While there may be some larger outages required, most will likely impact 10 customers or less, and therefore will not appear on the outage centre map.  

It is important to note that in some cases, crews and contractors may require entry through residents’ backyards in order to access City of Ottawa right-of-ways and Hydro Ottawa electrical assets.  

Crews will also perform tree trimming or cutting on residential property that is within a three-metre clearance area of Hydro Ottawa’s equipment. Hydro Ottawa is not responsible for the clean-up of debris from storms. Field crews are solely focused on safety and restoration efforts. Residents are encouraged to collect tree cuttings, brush and debris from their property and leave them by the curb for City collection, ensuring debris does not block sidewalks, roads or fire hydrants.  

If there is a tree on a property outside of Hydro Ottawa’s three-metre clearance distance that requires removal or trimming unrelated to our power restoration efforts from the storm, residents should contact their insurance company. The organization, Samaritan’s Purse, also provides assistance to those requiring help with clean-up after the storm. This includes trees on property and debris. Residents can contact them at 1-844-547-2663. If the tree is on City of Ottawa property, residents should please call 3-1-1 to report it.   

Special curbside collection of tree debris winding down as of Friday, June 24 

The City advises residents to place their organic storm debris at the curb for special collection before Friday, June 24.  

Before next Friday, residents who still have tree and other organic debris remaining on their properties should take advantage of this special pick up – ensuring this material is placed near the curb but clear from the roadway, sidewalks or fire hydrants. Wherever possible, residents are encouraged to bundle organic waste from fallen or damaged trees to facilitate collection.  

Again, residents are asked to be patient; dedicated crews are making multiple passes to remove this debris from curbsides. 

Weekly collection of leaf and yard waste is ongoing; this remains a good option for disposing of smaller tree and brush debris. After June 24, any remaining brush, branches, or other tree remnants will need to be properly sized, bundled or bagged for weekly leaf and yard waste collection:  

• Branches can be bundled and tied using twine or other organic material. 
• Individual branches should be less than 10 centimetres (4 inches) in diameter.  
• Bundles must be less than 1.2 metres (four feet) in length and 60 centimetres (two feet) in width 
• Smaller twigs and brush can be bagged in paper leaf and yard waste bags. 

The City also continues to accept larger, organic storm-related waste free-of-charge at Trail Road Waste Facility, located at 4475 Trail Road, until Saturday, June 25. For location and hours and operation, visit ottawa.ca. 

For further leaf and yard waste set-out information, visit ottawa.ca/greenbin. For more storm recovery information, visit ottawa.ca 

Damaged or fallen private trees on residential property 

The City has been removing and clearing fallen City-owned trees on residential properties. However, private trees on residential properties are the responsibility of the homeowner.   

The homeowner can check with their insurance company or broker to see if their coverage will cover the costs for a tree-removal company.  

For vulnerable residents – such as seniors or persons with disabilities – cleanup assistance is available through Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit organization that has partnered with the City of Ottawa. They can help those residents to cut and bring tree and brush debris to the curb for the City’s special collection before June 24. The contact number for the Samaritan’s Purse is 1-844-547-2663. 

St. Laurent Boulevard Transit Priority Corridor Environmental Assessment (EA) Study Online Public Consultation 

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. 

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. 

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 22, 2022.  The community is invited to attend.  Please register here. You can learn more about the community vision project here. 

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Work activities planned for the next two weeks (June 12 to 24) include: 

• Montreal Road/Granville Street intersection underground sewer pipe — The underground work at the Montreal Road/Granville intersection has shifted to the south side of the road and the north side curb lane is open westbound traffic. The work involves replacement of a segment of the sanitary sewer and watermain work that will take approximately 3 to 4 weeks to complete. The north/south crosswalk on the west side of the intersection is closed while the underground work is completed.    
• Lafontaine to St. Laurent Boulevard curb construction — The curb on the south side of Montreal Road between Lafontaine and St Laurent is now complete with the exception of segments that require hand work.  Over the next two weeks crews will start placing granulars and preparing the surface for the cycle track and sidewalk behind the curb.    
• Hydro Ottawa pole topping — Hydro Ottawa has had to reschedule the removal of their overhead cables between L’Eglise to west of Altha and a date remains to be determined. 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 as well as installation of pedestrian streetlights.