March 25 Newsletter 2022

March 25, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

This week proved to be very full and busy with many developments coming out of committee meetings and Council. I am pleased to say that this week the City’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management approved my motion to phase out City-operated gas-powered lawn and yard equipment. City staff also issued a response plan to moth infestation based upon my inquiry to see more response from the City. A significant item that came out of the City’s Planning Committee this week, despite my opposition, was the approval of a new secondary plan for two areas within Manor Park.   
 
As more restrictions have lifted in the province, the Ottawa Police Service will be resuming more in-person services. These services include collision reporting centres and front desk services. No-charge transit and parking will be ending soon. The last day to take advantage of no-charge transit will be Saturday, March 26 and the last day for no-charge parking will be Thursday, March 31. The Ottawa Humane Society and Ottawa Fire Services have partnered to offer residents free decals to let firefighters know how many pets are in each home in case of emergency. Residents with pets are encouraged to take advantage of the program. Hazardous waste depots for 2022 have been announced and the full list can be found in this newsletter. Finally, if your community group is looking for a way to fundraise, look no further than a rain barrel fundraiser with Rain Ready Ottawa. 

Environment Committee 

This week, the City’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management approved my motion to phase out City-operated gas-powered lawn and yard equipment and replace it with electric alternatives. This initiative would reduce the air and noise pollution generated by two-stroke gas-powered lawn and yard equipment currently in use, such as leaf-blowers. The phase-out would begin with a pilot this summer. Staff would report back with a detailed plan to reduce emissions and environmental impacts of its operations equipment later in the year. 

The Environment Committee also responded to my inquiry concerning moth infestation and published its response plan. This response plan outlines the major activities to be undertaken for a two-to-three-year period (2022-2024), which is the anticipated duration of the current Spongy moth (LDD) outbreak.  The plan incorporates communication efforts, insect monitoring, an egg mass survey, a defoliation survey, protection through tree injection, spraying, as well as community outreach activities which will include burlap distribution, training activities, as well as an online reporting tool.  
 
The Committee also made updates to the Rain Ready Ottawa pilot program, which encourages property owners to reduce the harmful impacts of rainwater runoff on our streams and rivers. Need to fundraise? Support your community and local waterways by holding a rain barrel sale based upon the Rain Ready Ottawa progrm! 

Looking for an easy and successful fundraising program? Host a rain barrel sale!  

• Minimal organization required to host the fundraiser 
• No financial investment or inventory requirements 
• Raise funds ($10 for every barrel sold plus more for attachments) 
• Get support from Rain Ready Ottawa (Facebook ads and other promotion) 
• Do good by helping your community make nature-friendly choices 

Rain Ready Ottawa is supporting local community groups raise funds through the sale of rain barrels. Rain barrels can help you save on your water bill by storing rainwater to be reused for your lawn or gardens.  

Rain Ready Ottawa is a home-grown City of Ottawa program that helps residents choose nature-friendly rainwater management choices on private property.   

Register as a partner with rainbarrel.ca and you will have support from start to finish. You will receive a step-by-step fundraising guide, a customized webpage for your sale and earn $10 or more for each rain barrel sold! Rainbarrel.ca partners with organizations and community groups throughout Canada to offer easy and profitable fundraising opportunities. Rain Ready Ottawa can also help make your sale a success by helping promote your sale and providing prizes to generate interest.  

How to get started: 

1. Register as a fundraising partner with rainbarrel.ca 
2. Fill out this form for support from Rain Ready Ottawa.  

Send an email to [email protected] for any other questions. 

Planning Committee approves secondary plan with commitments to Manor Park residents 

Despite my opposition, this week the City’s Planning Committee approved a new secondary plan to guide proposed development in two specific areas of the Manor Park community. 

The applicant plans to redevelop about 13 hectares of property over several decades, adding about 3,800 residential units, nearly 10,000 square metres of commercial space and more than 16,000 square metres of park space.  

Manor Park North, located mostly west of St. Laurent Boulevard and north of Hemlock Road, would be developed with low-rise and mid-rise buildings. Manor Park South, which mostly includes properties along Brittany Drive, would see more mid-rise and high-rise buildings.  

I opposed the planning application since I shared the concerns of most community members (after extensive consultation) who noted it would dramatically alter Manor Park through its inappropriate scale and scope and impacts on transportation and existing green space. Though I do not hold a seat on Planning Committee, I worked with Councillor Menard to propose deferring the decision during the Committee meeting, but eight of the nine committee members voted to move ahead with the application instead. 

The secondary plan however will only take effect after the applicant signs a memorandum of understanding committing them to not displace any residents living in the 650 townhouses that exist on the site. Affected residents would be given an option to relocate to an equivalent unit at the same rent within the area. The agreement would also ensure at least 10 per cent of new rental units in each phase would be offered as affordable for a period of 20 years. Also, after strong advocacy by my office, the memorandum of understanding will also support the creation of a community benefits agreement. The agreement will allow a coalition of residents and community organizations to work with the applicant to address a broad range of community needs over the lifetime of the redevelopment, which will provide safeguards to ensure that residents share in the development benefits.  

Recommendations from this week’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, April 13. While I will oppose the Secondary Plan at Council, I will support the memorandum of understanding which will enable the creation of the community benefits agreement.  

Ottawa Police Service resuming in-person client services 

In alignment with new provincial orders that are coming into effect March 21, 2022, and in coordination with recommendations from our partners at Ottawa Public Health (OPH), the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) will be resuming some pre-COVID 19 services to the public. 

This includes in-person service for:  

• Collision Reporting Centres: All collisions without injuries must be reported in person at any of our three locations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, please visit our website. Collisions with injuries should be reported by calling 9-1-1. 
• Front Desk Services:  Our police stations will be accessible to the public again at 211 Huntmar Drive, 474 Elgin Street, or 3343 St. Joseph Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, for all walk-in needs.  

The Queensview location will continue to operate by appointment-only scheduling (walk-in service is not available), but you are encouraged to continue to submit requests for record checks using our online system.  To request copies of a police report, or submit a Freedom of Information request, please visit our website to learn how to complete that request. 

For more information on hours and services, including what type of reports can be easily filed online, please visit our website. 

You can also reach us to file a report by contacting our Police Reporting Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 7300. 

If it is an emergency, please dial 911. 

No charge parking and downtown transit ending soon 

Downtown visitors have only a few days left to take advantage of no-charge parking at some City parking facilities, and no-charge transit on O-Train Line 1 and select bus routes and Para Transpo trips. 

These services were put in place to recognize the significant transportation disruptions in the downtown core due to road closures and detours in February. Residents are encouraged to express their #OttawaLove by visiting and supporting downtown businesses. 

Transit 

No-charge service on O-Train Line 1, 15 bus routes serving downtown, as well as Para Transpo trips to and from Rideau-Vanier and Somerset wards, will end on Saturday, March 26. Regular fares will resume Sunday, March 27. 

For more information on no-charge service downtown, please visit octranspo.com or contact 613-560-5000. 

Parking 

No-charge parking will continue at the following City-owned lots until Thursday, March 31. 

• 210 Gloucester Street 
• 234-250 Slater Street 
• 422 Slater Street 
• 70 Clarence Street 
• 142 Clarence Street 
• 110 Laurier Avenue West 

Regular parking rates will resume on Friday, April 1. 

Ottawa Fire Services and Ottawa Humane Society “Save our Pets” Partnership 

The Ottawa Fire Services and the Ottawa Humane Society have partnered to help keep pets safe in the event of an emergency.  

Starting now, a “Save our Pets” Emergency Decal will be available at no cost to anyone who would like one. 

This decal is to be placed somewhere on the front of the home to alert firefighters of the total number of pets inside the home. 

It is to be noted, that decals similar to this one have been launched in the past.  An issue in the past was that the decals were hard to remove and therefore were not taken down when information changed and the decal became inaccurate. 

With this in mind, the first step when creating this decal was that it was made out of vinyl material and is easy to peel on and off. We ask that home owners remove the decal when the information changes and order a new one at no cost. Also, if you move into a new home and there is a decal from a previous owner on a window or a door, we ask that you remove it. 

Our Firefighters are highly trained and highly efficient when it comes to performing rescues in dangerous environments. The more information that they have, the better chance there is for a successful rescue. For example, if the home owner is not home, these decals make for an easy way for Firefighters to identify if there are pets inside when they arrive that may need to be rescued. 

When practising your home escape plan, always make sure to keep your pet in mind and whose responsibility it will be to bring your pet to your meeting point. In the event that it is not possible to safely retrieve your pet in an emergency, we ask that you never go back in to rescue your pets. Notify the 911 dispatcher that there is a pet or pets inside and give them as much information as possible (where the pet was last seen, where it sleeps, where it may hide if it is afraid, etc.) Our dispatchers will ask the appropriate questions if something is missed and will quickly relay that information to the responding fire crews.  

To order a no cost decal, please visit: www.OttawaHumane.ca/Decal 

2022 One-day Household Hazardous Waste Events 

The following procedures will be in place at each event: 

• Upon arrival, residents will be directed into a queue where they will wait their turn to park in a designated area. All vehicles will be spaced accordingly, and residents must remain in their vehicle at all times; 
• Residents arriving on bicycles are permitted to drop-off materials, and they must follow the instructions provided by staff on site; 
• Residents will not be able to sort their material on site. Residents must remain in their vehicle at all times. Staff will remove the material from the trunk of the vehicle by complying to restrictions of physical distancing; 
• The depot will accept household hazardous waste only. No electronic waste will be accepted. Residents can bring electronic waste to the Trail Road Landfill facility at no cost or can contact a participating Take it Back! member to arrange for proper disposal; 
• Bins, totes, gas cans, etc. will be returned to the resident, if requested; 
• If using a cardboard box to transport your material, please line the box with a garbage bag for possible leaks; 
• The last vehicle will be emptied at 4:00 p.m. 

Dates and locations 

Date: Sunday, April 24, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: Tunney’s Pasture 

Note: Please follow the signage at Tunney’s Pasture for the specific location of the event 

Date: Saturday, May 7, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 4837 Albion Road South - Rideau Carleton Raceway, Hard Rock Casino 

Date: Sunday, June 26, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 200 Cyclone Taylor Boulevard - Canadian Tire Centre 

Date: Sunday, July 10, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 3100 Conroy Road - Conroy Snow Dump 

Date: Sunday, August 7, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 2170 Mer Bleue Road – Innes Snow Dump 

Date: Sunday, August 28, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 4475 Trail Road – Trail Waste Facility 

Date: Sunday, September 11, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: Tunney’s Pasture 

Note: Please follow the signage at Tunney’s Pasture for the specific location of the event 

Date: Sunday, October 2, 2021 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 1465 Michael Street – Michael Street Snow Dump 

Date: Sunday, October 23, 2022 
Hours of Operations: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Location: 200 Westbrook Road – Westbrook Snow Dump