May 1, 2026 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.
A Message from Councillor King
Dear Residents:
This week at the Community Services Committee, I introduced a motion calling for better data tools to support the City's response to encampments. The Committee also approved a significant new strategy to help families experiencing homelessness move more quickly into stable housing. Together, these two developments reflect a growing and coordinated effort at City Hall to address homelessness in a more effective, transparent, and humane way.
As warmer weather arrives, encampments become more visible across Ottawa's neighbourhoods. Residents have questions, concerns arise, and ward offices field a rising volume of service requests. To respond effectively and to communicate clearly with residents and community organizations, Councillors need timely, accurate, and consolidated information about what is happening on the ground and what the City is doing about it.
The challenge is that while City departments collect encampment data, they do not consistently consolidate or proactively share it with ward Councillors. Historical reporting has been uneven, and staff noted that the manual effort required to compile and distribute this information makes regular reporting difficult to sustain.
My motion, to be considered at the next Committee meeting, calls on relevant City departments to develop a standardized reporting framework integrated with the data systems being built through the City's Unsheltered Homelessness Outreach Model. The framework would give Councillors and community organizations transparent, timely access to aggregated encampment data through public-facing dashboards, while protecting the privacy of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Staff would report back to Committee and Council by Q4 with a proposed framework, implementation timelines, and any privacy or data governance considerations.
When ward Councillors have access to reliable, real-time data, we can respond more quickly to resident concerns, coordinate response more effectively with community partners, and have more informed conversations with the public about the supports available to people experiencing homelessness.
The need for those conversations has never been greater. The numbers tell a difficult story: as of March 1, more than 660 families, including over 1,220 children, were experiencing homelessness in Ottawa. Families are now the largest group experiencing homelessness in our city, and demand continues to grow. On average, families spend 11 months in the shelter system, and roughly three-quarters of them live in overflow locations such as hotels and motels rather than in dedicated transitional housing. Long, uncertain stays disrupt children's schooling, strain caregivers, and make it significantly harder for families to rebuild stable lives.
To address this, the Committee this week approved "Pathways to Housing: Ottawa's Family Homelessness Strategy", a new coordinated approach designed to move families out of temporary shelter and into safe, long-term housing as quickly as possible.
The strategy is built around four core areas. It begins with prevention, helping families stay housed in the first place through early supports such as emergency financial assistance and help understanding legal and tenant rights. Where families do enter the shelter system, emergency and transitional placements will be treated as a brief waypoint rather than a destination, with dedicated case-management support to help families secure permanent housing as rapidly as possible. The strategy also works to open clearer pathways into social housing, portable housing benefits, and family-sized affordable units. It also calls for housing, health, gender-based violence services, settlement supports, and community organizations to work in a more integrated way, so families encounter fewer gaps on their path to stability.
There is also a strong fiscal argument for getting this right. In 2025 alone, the City spent $29.3 million on hotel and motel placements for families experiencing homelessness. The new strategy is designed to reduce that reliance on costly temporary arrangements and shorten the overall length of shelter stays, easing pressure on both families and the municipal budget. As a concrete early step, the City has set a new target: 20 per cent of new City-funded affordable housing units with two or more bedrooms will first be offered to families experiencing homelessness.
The Committee also approved updates to the City's local priority rules for rent-geared-to-income housing, where rent is calculated based on household income. With more than 16,000 households on the waiting list and average wait times of five to eight years, it is essential that the rules directing who receives priority are fair, clear, and current. The approved changes strengthen eligibility rules for households experiencing homelessness, improve support for tenants who face a sudden loss of income, and bring greater consistency to the unit selection process. Both the family homelessness strategy and the priority rule updates will go before City Council on Wednesday, May 13 for final consideration.
It is important to note that underpinning all of these efforts is Ottawa's comprehensive, human rights-informed approach to unsheltered homelessness and encampments. Rather than treating encampments solely as bylaw or enforcement matters, the City's approach recognizes that people living unsheltered are rights-bearing individuals who are entitled to dignity, safety, and access to services. This means that outreach and engagement come before enforcement, that individuals are connected to shelter, housing, and health supports wherever possible, and that any actions taken with respect to encampments are carried out in a manner that is transparent, proportionate, and respectful of the people involved. The goal is not simply to move people along, but to help them move forward into stable and supported lives.
There is also encouraging news on the community safety front. The City of Ottawa is expanding its Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response program, known as ANCHOR, to include Overbrook, with the expansion scheduled to take effect at the end of June 2026. The program deploys teams of trained community workers who provide immediate support, crisis de-escalation, and referrals to appropriate services, reducing the need for police involvement in mental health and social crises. City Council approved $700,000 in the 2026 budget to support this expansion, which includes new staff to manage the increased geographical coverage. Since its launch in 2024, ANCHOR has operated in Centretown and subsequently expanded to areas like Hintonburg, resolving more than 92 per cent of calls without police involvement. The program is delivered in partnership with community health centres, including the Centretown Community Health Centre and Somerset West Community Health Centre, and its strong track record is what is driving this continued growth into new neighbourhoods like Overbrook.
Addressing homelessness in all its forms, whether families in overflow hotels or individuals living in encampments, requires long-term thinking, cross-sector collaboration, and a commitment to making sure every resident of Ottawa has a safe place to call home. The work approved this week is an important step in that direction. It is equally important to be clear-eyed about the limits of what municipalities can accomplish on their own. Ottawa's family homelessness system is under significant strain not because the City has failed to act, but because many of the most critical tools needed to address it, including housing benefits, social housing supply, and gender-based violence shelter capacity, are controlled by provincial and federal governments and are not keeping pace with growing need. The City of Ottawa can lead, coordinate, and innovate, but lasting solutions to homelessness will require senior levels of government to step up, invest, and work alongside municipalities as true partners in this effort.
Rawlson King
City Councillor
Your Councillor in the Community
Had a great time at the CityStudio “HUBBUB” event at the University of Ottawa this week where we recognized National Youth Week, and where we explored innovative projects by local college and university students designed to enhance civic engagement!

Honoured to help co-present the Community Partnership Award to the African, Caribbean & Black Wellness Resource Centre during the Fire Chief’s Award Gala this week! Congratulations on the well deserved recognition from Ottawa Fire Services!

Thank you to St. Luke’s Community Group for offering free pizza and refreshments to youth after school this week at the Overbrook Community Centre! Much appreciated!

Amazing to commemorate the naming of the Jane Dobell Community Hall last weekend in Rockcliffe Park to honour the remarkable community builder and educator who founded both annual popular book sales in the neighbourhood!

It was amazing to attend the annual Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale last weekend in support of the local Rockcliffe Park library branch!

It was a pleasure to attend and sponsor the 11th CHEO Wonderland Tea Party last weekend with many Council colleagues in support of mental health services for children and youth!

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers, especially from the Overbrook Community Association, who came out to clean up Overbrook Park last weekend!

It was a joy to join tenants, community development workers, Ottawa Community Housing staff and Bay Councillor Theresa Kavanagh at the OCH Tenant Appreciation Event last weekend to celebrate community spirit!
Rideau-Rockcliffe News, Events and Engagement Opportunities
Beechwood Public Realm Plan - What We Learned Report now availableCity staff have produced a "What We Learned Report" following the recent initial public engagement and survey period for the Beechwood Avenue Public Realm Plan. To read the report, please visit the project webpage at engage.ottawa.ca/beechwood. The report and supplemental documentation are available on the right-hand menu under "Documents."
This May, our streets become our storybooks. In celebration of Ottawa’s Bicentenary, Jane’s Walk Ottawa-Gatineau invites you to “Walk the Story.” From the stories of the Anishinaabeg Algonquin Peoples, to the rough-and-tumble days of Bytown, to the communities that shape the city today — each walk opens a new chapter. As part of Ottawa 200, this year’s walks are an invitation to explore where we’ve been — and to imagine where we’re going.
- Carson Grove Neighbourhood - May 3 at 11 am. Meet in the parking lot at Dr. John Hopps Park, 300 Den Haag Drive. Registration required. Details here.
Ottawa Family Cinema, located at 815 St. Laurent Boulevard, presents the Minecraft Movie in 3D on Saturday, May 2 at 2 pm. But this is no ordinary movie event. A portal has opened between worlds…and it brought the KPOP DEMON HUNTERS TO THE OFC! The K-POP DEMON HUNTERS will be here LIVE, performing before the movie thanks to Fairytale Princess Parties. For details and tickets, visit www.familycinema.ca.
Voices of Service - An Evening with the Ottawa-Uplands & Ottawa Military Wives Choirs - May 2

As part of the 25th Anniversary of the National Military Cemetery of Canada, enjoy an evening of reflection and song, set within Beechwood Cemetery's Sacred Space on May 2 at 6:30 pm. The Voices of the Military Spouses honour service beyond the uniform and the vital role of families in Canada's Military Legacy. This event is a fundraiser supporting the Ottawa-Upland Military Wives Choir. Donations accepted at the door or via e-transfer: [email protected]. For details, please visit beechwoodottawa.ca. Everyone welcome. Seating is first come, first served.
Some OC Transpo services will be affected by road closures and event activity:
- Routes 88, 111 and 112 will be detoured between approximately 7:30 am and 12 pm.
- Routes 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 56, 85, N39, N45, N57, N61, N75 and 105 will be detoured between approximately 7:45 am and 1:30 pm.
- Route 9 will be detoured between approximately 8:30 am and 1 pm.
- Route 8 will be detoured between approximately 7:30 am and 2:30 pm.
- Para Transpo travel times may be affected by planned road closures.
O-Train Line 2 will be partially closed on Sunday, May 3 for planned work. R2 bus service will be operating between 7:30 am and approximately 11 am between Bayview and Carleton stations.

Echoes of Valour: HMCS Trentonian and the Corvette Navy - May 6
The next installment of Echoes of Valour takes place May 6 at 7 pm. This evening series is hosted at the National Military Cemetery bringing Canada’s military history to life through expert storytelling and immersive displays. This edition features naval historian and author Roger Litwiller, who will dive into the dramatic story of HMCS Trentonian—the last corvette lost in action during the Second World War—and the broader legacy of the Corvette Navy that defined the Royal Canadian Navy’s wartime contributions. For details and to register please visit beechwoodottawa.ca.
AI Learning Lab for Youth - May 7
New Edinburgh Plant Sale - May 9
Mother's Day Afternoon Tea with MPP Lucille Collard - May 9

Please join Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard for a Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea on Saturday, May 9, from 2 to 4 pm at the Rockcliffe Park Community Centre, 380 Springfield Road. Enjoy freshly brewed tea, create your own strawberry shortcake, and take part in family-friendly activities, including face painting for kids. Everyone is welcome — and bring your children!
Ottawa Police Week activities at the Vanier HUB - May 14

The Ottawa Police Service will be celebrating National Police Week from Monday, May 11 to Friday, May 15, 2026. This year’s theme, “Committed to Serve Together,” emphasizes the importance of partnership, collaboration, and meaningful community engagement. National Police Week provides an opportunity for OPS to raise awareness of our services while strengthening the connections we share with the communities we proudly serve. Everyone is welcome to enjoy fun games, a free barbecue, frozen treats and popcorn and meet Ottawa Police officers at the Vanier HUB, 271 Marier Avenue, on May 14 from 4 to 7 pm.
Farm Store anniversary celebration - May 16
The Farm Store celebrates its 4th anniversary with an outdoor market at 1805 Gaspe Avenue on May 16 from 10 am to 2 pm. There will be vendors and food, along with market merchandise, plus live music and and a visit from the Merry Dairy Truck from 12 to 2 pm.
Overbrook Bike Day - May 23

Overbrook residents are invited to enjoy Bike Day at the Overbrook Community Centre, 33 Quill Street, on May 23 from 11 am to 2 pm. Come test your skills, learn to fix your bike, talk bike safety, learn bike handling and traffic skills, wash your bike and enjoy some popcorn. Hosted by the Overbrook Community Centre in partnership with the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, Safer Roads Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health.
Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend - Road Closures - May 23 & 24
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend takes place May 23 and 24. The International Marathon and Half Marathon events on Sunday, May 24 will require road closures along Sussex Drive, Sir George-Etienne Cartier Parkway to Birch Avenue, Hillsdale Road, Acacia Avenue, Coltrin Road, Minto Place, Buena Vista Road, Lisgar Road and Princess Avenue. For a map of routes and road closures, please visit racepoint.ca. Click 'show closures" and scroll through the timings on the menu on the bottom left. More details will be shared as they become available.
Volunteers needed for Race Weekend Hydration Station in Manor Park - May 24
OrKidstra Vanier HUB End-of-Year Concert - May 27

OrKidstra's end-of-year concert series is fast approaching, including a performance at the Ottawa Technical Secondary School, 485 Donald Street, on May 27 at 6:30 pm. This informal evening will feature performances by our Vanier HUB students, showcasing what they’ve been working on throughout the year. It promises to be a warm and inspiring celebration of music and community. No tickets are required, but donations are welcome!
Rideau-Rockcliffe Construction Projects
St. Paul's Park - Fitness equipment project updates

New outdoor fitness equipment, featuring seven exercise stations, is coming to St. Paul’s Park. The project will also include a new asphalt pathway connection, engineered wood fibre surfacing, instructional signage, a bench, bicycle parking, and additional trees. Initial site preparation has begun. Site preparation will continue through early May. Tree planting is anticipated to take place in phases throughout late May and early June. Installation of the fitness equipment is expected from late May into early June, followed by paving work in early June. Final landscaping, including tree plantings (Red Maple, Black Cherry, Shagbark Hickory, Common Hackberry, and Black Walnut), topsoil, and sodding, is expected to wrap up in mid-June, with the project nearing completion shortly thereafter. Work timelines are weather dependent.
Signage is in place at both entrances to the park. The pathway will remain open during construction. Flaggers will be present when trucks and heavy equipment enter and exit the site from Donald Street. Project updates will continue to be shared as they become available.
UPDATE: The drainage system is in place, the ground has been prepared, and drainage systems have been built. The raised berm was expected to be completed yesterday, April 30.
Manor Park integrated renewal - road closures - May 4 to Sept. 25
The City of Ottawa has commenced construction on the new sewers, watermains and associated road rehabilitation work as part of the Jeffrey Avenue, Arundel Avenue, Farnham Crescent et al integrated renewal project. To facilitate the installation of the works, the City of Ottawa has approved the closure of portions of Arundel Avenue, Farnham Crescent and Kilbarry Crescent as outlined below. More information about this project can be found at ottawa.ca/ArundelAvenue.
What: A full road closure of portions of Arundel Avenue, Farnham Crescent and Kilbarry Crescent.
Why: The road closures are required for the safety of the residents and workers, as there is limited area to accommodate the open cut excavation and the necessary labour, materials and equipment.
When: Starting Monday, May 4 to Friday, September 25, 2026. The scheduled closures may be modified as needed, for example if weather affects the schedule, or if conditions change.
Where:
- Arundel Avenue, from Farnham Crescent to St. Laurent Boulevard.
- Farnham Crescent, from Arundel Avenue to north side dead end.
- Kilbarry Crescent, Ava Road to Arundel Avenue
Enbridge Gas construction - Brittany Drive & Montreal Road
Updates: Overnight work for Montreal from Olmstead to St. Laurent - May 4 to 15 & Overnight work at Montreal and Cummings - May 3 to 14
As part of Enbridge's St. Laurent Pipeline Replacement Project, which involves the installation of a new gas main, overnight construction is required along a segment of Montreal Road and a portion of Brittany Drive until approximately mid-May, from 7 pm to 5 am, in order to avoid major daytime traffic impacts. Construction is taking place 30 metres south of the intersection of Montreal Road and Cummings Avenue, extending westbound along Montreal Road, continuing approximately 30 metres north on Brittany Drive, and extending further west past the plaza at 548 Montreal Road. Construction noise is expected with the use of a hydrovac, excavator, backhoe and trucks.
As part of Enbridge's gas pipeline replacement project, construction will be required along the length of Brittany Drive between St. Laurent and Montreal from April through June 2026. This will require night and weekend work on Montreal Road, as well as periodic lane reductions or closures along Brittany. Once the work begins along the full length of Brittany Drive, construction will be restricted to daytime hours Monday to Saturday. Access to area homes and businesses will be maintained. During the work period, local residents may experience traffic detours, sidewalk closures and construction noise. For details, visit enbridgegas.com/stlaurentreplacement, email [email protected] or for construction-related enquiries, email [email protected] or call 1-855-801-2303. Enquiries related to overnight work can be shared with Foreman Frank Zappia by calling 613-551-9809.
UPDATEs:
- Overnight work May 3 to 14 from 7 pm to 6 am is required beginning 30 metres south of the intersection of Montreal Road and Cummings Avenue, extending westbound along Montreal Road, continuing approximately 30 metres north along Brittany Drive and extending further west past the Beer Store plaza (548 Montreal Rd).
- Overnight work May 4 to 15 from 8 pm to 4 am is required along Montreal Road from Olmstead to St. Laurent. Crews will be removing copper cables from a Bell utility holes using a scraper truck. They anticipate being at each location along that stretch for 1 to 2 hours.
Enbridge Gas construction - St. Laurent Boulevard between Sandridge and Brittany - April to September
Enbridge Gas is replacing a natural gas pipeline along St. Laurent Boulevard between Sandridge Road and Brittany Drive from April to September 2026. The next area of focus along St. Laurent will be from Brittany to Hemlock. Weekend and overnight work, from 7 pm to 6 am, will be required to avoid weekday daytime traffic and transit impacts. The traffic management plan requires periodic lane reductions or closures along St. Laurent. Access to area homes and businesses will be maintained. During this work period, area residents may experience traffic detours, sidewalk closures and construction noise related to hydrovac operations, backhoes and trucks. For project information, visit enbridgegas.com/stlaurentreplacement, email [email protected] or for construction-related enquiries, email [email protected] or call 1-855-801-2303. Enquiries related to overnight work can be shared with Foreman Frank Zappia by calling 613-551-9809.
Enbridge Gas is replacing approximately 14.4 km of their natural gas distribution network in the City of Ottawa to ensure the safety and reliability of their pipeline infrastructure. Known as the St. Laurent Pipeline Replacement Project, the 2026 scope of this project will include work in the Rockcliffe Park and Manor Park communities. As they prepare for construction, you may see construction crews doing some preliminary field work, including digging and then back-filling temporary holes or trenches to safely identify utility infrastructure located in the City’s right-of-way. This preliminary field work will continue for the coming weeks from Monday to Saturday between 7 am to 5 pm. These activities are essential to ensure that subsequent construction can proceed safely and with minimal disruption. Construction work is scheduled from May 4 through July 2026 along Sandridge Road, between St. Laurent Boulevard and Hillsdale Road. This work has obtained all necessary permits and complies with municipal requirements. Areas impacted by this work will be restored. For project information, visit enbridgegas.com/stlaurentreplacement, email [email protected] or for construction-related enquiries, email [email protected] or call 1-855-801-2303.
Hydro Ottawa work

- Tree Removal and Power Outage - Hillcrest Road, Montagu Place and Thorold Road - May 5
On May 5, 2026, Hydro Ottawa will be supporting the City of Ottawa with their tree removal efforts. In order to perform this work safely, a power outage is required from 8 am to 4 pm and will impact residents on Hillcrest Road, Montagu Place and Thorold Road. All impacted customers are contacted by phone, text or email - depending on the communication preferences indicated on their account - and informed by a written notice delivered to their door, if applicable.
2. Underground Infrastructure Installation Project - Vedette Way in
Wateridge Village - May 25 to June 8
City of Ottawa News, Events and Engagement Opportunities
Mark your calendars because May 4 marks the start of the pavement markings season! Our artists will begin with centre line and edge line painting on arterial roads, along with refreshing key transverse markings – like crosswalks and stop bars – in areas with higher volumes of cyclists, pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Segregated bike lane painting will also be a focus in May, with work – weather permitting – expected to be completed before the end of the month. Traffic pro tip: don’t ignore the signs of our working artists! When lights are flashing and a large “WET PAINT” sign is up, follow from a safe distance and never pass our working vehicles. Fresh paint can splatter as it’s applied, so staying back helps protect your vehicle. Operations are dependent on temperature, precipitation and vehicular traffic. We are asking residents to allow time for seasonal pavement marking work to be completed as part of our planned program. More than 6,000 kilometres of roads, thousands of stencils, hundreds of cycle lanes and much, much more need painting but we will do our best to get to them as quickly as operationally possible. However, issues that pose an immediate safety concern should be reported right away – these include conflicting markings, faded crosswalks, missing stop bars or locations with known compliance challenges. To report an urgent issue with a pavement marking, please contact 3-1-1.
O-Train Line 2 service adjustments on May 2 and 3
On the mornings of Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3 a segment of O-Train Line 2 will be temporarily replaced by R2 bus service to allow planned work. For details, visit ottawa.ca.
Call for contributions - Help tell the story of Black Canadians in the National Capital Region
2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Black History Ottawa, and the bicentennial of Bytown/Ottawa. Be part of celebrating these two significant milestones. Black History Ottawa is inviting new and long-time residents of the National Capital Region to donate photographs, documents and memorabilia, and to submit personal stories that chronicles the presence of the Black community in Ottawa.
- SHARE Stories and digital photographs can be submitted through the 40th Anniversary Exhibit Contribution form.
- BRING For hard copies of photographs, documents, and memorabilia please contact [email protected].
Community Greening and Gardening - applications due by May 5

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Youth in Culture Program - applications due by May 6: Applications are open for the City of Ottawa’s Youth in Culture Program, which supports youth aged 18 to 30 who are working toward professional careers in arts, culture and heritage. The program funds projects of up to $2,000 and is designed to help emerging artists and cultural workers advance project goals, address career development needs, and build experience. First-time applicants are encouraged to apply. The deadline for application is May 6 at 4 pm. For more information and application details, visit: ottawa.ca
- Equity and Inclusion in the Arts Fund – Seed Award Microgrants - Submissions due May 6: The application process is open for the City of Ottawa’s Equity and Inclusion in the Arts Fund – Seed Award, which provides microgrants to individuals to support artistic expression, capacity building, and the visibility of diverse arts practices within Indigenous and equity-seeking communities. The fund supports projects that foster self-expression, encourage knowledge-sharing, and celebrate diverse artistic practices. The deadline is May 6 at 4 pm. For more information and application details, visit: ottawa.ca
Free “Try Artistic Swimming” Sessions - May 11, 14 & 26
- May 11 (5:45–6:30 PM) – Brewer Pool
- May 14 (5:30–6:00 PM) – Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex
- May 26 (5:00–5:45 PM) – Splash Wave Pool
Registration for summer programming - opens May 12 & 14
Tartan and Red Serge - A Canadian Celtic Showcase - May 16
A vibrant celebration of Celtic and Canadian music and dance, featuring artists from across the Ottawa Valley. Experience the stirring sights and sounds of bagpipes, drums, highland dancers, bugles, fiddles, Métis jiggers and Celtic folk music as this unforgettable performance explores the deep musical roots of Canada. Presented by the world-renowned Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipes, Drums and Dancers, this dynamic production brings together exceptional talent, including the Lyons Sisters Métis Jiggers, the MacLeod Fiddlers, the Governor General’s Foot Guards Brass Ensemble, Shabraque-Celtic and the RCMP Pipes, Drums and Dancers of the National Capital Region. Performances take place May 16 at 3 pm and 7 pm. For tickets, please visit shenkmanarts.ca/en/tartan-red-serge-rcmp
Emergency Services Updates
Location: St. Elias Banquet Centre, 750 Ridgewood Avenue
Date: Thursday, May 28
Time: 8 am to 3 pm























