May 6 Newsletter 2022

May 6, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

I am pleased to announce that a motion authored by my office to allow residents and community groups to landscape in the City-owned right-of-way was approved unanimously by Transportation Committee. You can read the motion in bold in the first item in this newsletter.  

There will also be upcoming opportunities for residents to have their say in the next phase of the City’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy. Interested residents can attend virtual engagement sessions in addition to providing feedback through the strategy’s Engage Ottawa page.  

Residents should be aware that starting this evening until early Monday morning, the eastbound and westbound lanes on Highway 174 between Blair Road and Montreal Road will be closed for Stage 2 LRT work. This closure is to allow for the safe demolition of a decommissioned transit bridge. If you are someone with a green thumb, you may want to consider applying for a space at the Manor Park Community Garden. All details on how to apply are below. The Wateridge Village Community Association (WVCA) is once again having a rain barrel sale. Order your rain barrel online and pick it up in June! In addition to their rain barrel sale, the WVCA is hosting a spring fair and garage sale on Sunday, May 14 from 8am to 12pm. The Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale will be taking place tomorrow, Saturday, May 7. Please bring your gently used English and French books to the parking lot of the Rockcliffe Park Community Centre and Library between 10am and 2pm. Finally, the Rideau Sports Centre will be hosting their Summer Kick-off Open House tomorrow between 9:30am and 2:00pm. Stop by to participate in activities and see all that RSC has to offer. 

Naturalizing the City-Owned Right-of-Way 

This week the Transportation Committee approved a motion, introduced by Councillor Laura Dudas in conjunction with Councillor Rawlson King, that could facilitate sustainable community gardening in the city-owned portion of front yards. 

The motion supports a comprehensive review of by-laws that eventually could support the development of gardening and naturalization in the city-owned right-of-way by residents and community groups. 

By providing residents and community associations with the option to soft landscape in the right-of-way, otherwise referred to as “boulevard gardening,” the City can better support biodiversity and improve the livability of communities, while strengthening its environmental policies and objectives. 

Because the City of Ottawa declared a climate emergency it is important that the municipality take substantive action to support native plant species, pollinators, and aid in controlling rainwater runoff.  

The motion will ensure that a comprehensive review is undertaken to encourage the sustainable care of the City’s public spaces. The motion received unanimous approval at the Committee:  

That the Transportation Committee recommend Council approve that staff report back to Committee in 2023 with the results of a comprehensive review as to the feasibility of permitting resident or community group landscaping projects within the Right of Way, as well as recommendations concerning its implementation, including any necessary internal resources, by-law amendments, associated procedural and permitting requirements, and an analysis or recommendation of any broader programs or funding that could support the above framework.  

The motion was made possible by the support and research many individuals and community groups, including For Our Kids Ottawa/Gatineau and the Ottawa South Eco-Action Network (OSEAN), who worked collaboratively to advance front yard beautification while enhancing the City’s green spaces and biodiversity. 

Have your say in the next phase of the City’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy 

This year, the City will begin developing Phase Two of the Women and Gender Equity Strategy’s Strategic Framework for 2023-2025, which will continue to guide the City’s work to ensure Ottawa is inclusive for everyone by setting new organizational targets and commitments on women and gender equity.  

To help inform the design of Phase Two, the City is holding virtual and in-person public engagement sessions from Tuesday, May 24, to Monday, June 6. These sessions will build on the successes and lessons learned during Phase One of the strategy, which was first approved by Council in April 2021.  

The sessions will give residents the opportunity to provide feedback and insights on women and gender equity gaps and needs related to City programs, services, policies and facilities, with focus on the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intersectional groups of women and gender diverse persons. The City will also collect feedback on the strategy’s key outcomes and Phase One implementation strategies. 

To register for one of the following engagement sessions, please visit Engage Ottawa: 

French sessions: 

• Virtual: Tuesday, May 24 from 11 am to noon 
• Virtual: Tuesday, May 31 from 10 to 11 am 
• In-person senior, immigrant, racialized and francophone residents: Monday, June 6 from 10 to 11 am 

English sessions:  

• Virtual: Wednesday, May 25 from noon to 1 pm 
• Virtual: Thursday, May 26 from 1 to 2 pm 
• Virtual: Tuesday, May 31 from 6 to 7 pm 
• Virtual: Wednesday, June 1 from 1 to 2 pm 
• Virtual: Thursday, June 2 from noon to 1 pm 
• Virtual: Friday, June 3 from 9 to 10 am 
• In-person youth, students and 2SLGBTQQIA+ residents: Friday, June 3 from noon to 1 pm 

Residents can also share their thoughts through an online survey on Engage Ottawa. The survey is currently open and residents are encouraged to complete it by Thursday, June 30. 

All feedback from the sessions and survey will be incorporated into a What We Heard report that will be shared on the Women and Gender Equity Strategy webpage on ottawa.ca this fall. 

The Women and Gender Equity Strategy aims to ensure the City’s services, strategies and plans integrate a women and gender lens and proactively promote women and gender equity. To learn more about Phase Two engagement sessions and the strategy’s progress and achievements to date, visit Engage Ottawa. 

Calling All Gardeners 

Do you live in or near Manor Park? Do you want to build community connections and have a space to grow vegetables in a brand-new community garden? The Manor Park Community Garden at St. Columba is now accepting applications of interested gardeners! It will not be long until planting can begin. The application link is here.  Come grow with us! The deadline for applications is Sunday May 15 at 8pm. 

WVCA’s Rain Barrel Sale is Back! 

Rain barrels are great for the planet, your pocket and the community! The Wateridge Village Com-munity Association’s rain barrel sale is back - purchase your order online, pick up on June 15th from 5-6pm at Alliance Park, Codd’s Road. $10 from every barrel sold goes to the WVCA. 

https://rainbarrel.ca/wateridgevca/ 

WVCA Spring Fair & Garage Sale 

The Wateridge Village Community Association is excited to announce our first annual Spring Fair & Garage Sale from 8am to 12pm on May 14th! 

Join us for a fun morning of community-friendly activities including: 

• SuzyQ Donuts & Coffee 
• Clean our Community Initative (bags and gloves provided) 
• Neighborhood Garage Sale 
• Plant, Mulch and Seedling Sale 
• Wateridge Weeding Brigade activity for kids 

Let us know if you think you’ll be stopping here: https://www.facebook.com/events/769645687356778/ 

Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Drive 

The Rockcliffe Park Spring Book Sale volunteers are hosting the first BOOK DRIVE of 2022 on Saturday May 7. 

Please bring your gently used English and French books to the parking lot of the Rockcliffe Park Community Centre and Library (380 Springfield Road) between 10AM and 2PM. 

Place books in wine-sized boxes, in the trunk of your car. 

Enter the parking lot from Springfield Road and volunteers will direct you. 

No need to get out of the car.  Volunteers will remove the books from the trunk. 

RSC’s Summer Kick-Off! 

Join the Rideau Sports Centre on May 7 between 9:30am- 2:00pm for its Summer Kick-Off Open House! They will have many different activities for you to participate in including tennis, yoga, fitness, outdoor ball hockey, beach volleyball, and beach tennis. The Rideau Sports Centre is located at 1 Donald Street. Learn more here: https://www.rideausportscentre.com/save-the-date-rscs-summer-kick-off/  

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Work activities planned for the next two weeks (May 2 to May 13) include: 

• Adjustments to Montreal Road detour and Bus Routes – The Montreal Road detour began on Sunday, April 24 and has been in place for over a week now.  At this point, most local motorists, commuters and delivery drivers should be aware of the detour and side street closures. Some additional measures have been put in place including signage and traffic calming measures to reinforce the detour route. Some cut-through traffic will continue on local roads as motorists attempt to bypass the detour. Your patience is appreciated as we enter the final year of construction with this benign the last detour of the project 
• Watermain and underground pipe – Watermain work is continuing near the Montreal Road/Granville intersection.  Water shut offs are scheduled for this week while crews connect the temporary overland pipes to buildings located in the vicinity of the Lafontaine/Granville. Businesses affected by the water shut offs have been notified in advance. The underground work at the Montreal Road/Granville intersection will continue over the next several months which includes storm and sanitary pipe replacement.  Underground storm sewer work is also taking place on Montreal Road just west of St. Laurent  
• Sidewalk and cycle track – Crews are continuing sidewalk reinstatement and concrete work along various sections of Montreal Road east of Lacasse. 
• Road excavation – Road excavation and road box construction is continuing between de l’Église and St. Laurent on the south side of Montreal Road. 
• Utility and telecoms – Underground utility work and placement of telecom ducts has starter on the south side of Montreal Road at Lafontaine working towards de l’Église 
• Landscaping – Preparation for landscape work will start this week with some sod placement starting in the next two weeks along sections of Montreal Road. Removals at Dupuis started earlier this week.   

Highway 174 weekend closure starting May 6 

The eastbound and westbound lanes on Highway 174 between Blair Road and Montreal Road will close for Stage 2 LRT work starting at 8 pm on Friday, May 6. The closure will remain in place until 6:30 am Monday, May 9. Detour signage will be in place while the closure is in place. 

The closure will facilitate the demolition of the Blair Transitway Bridge to make room to connect the Stage 2 LRT Blair Median Rail Bridge to Blair Station. The Transitway was closed earlier this year in preparation for the demolition. 

The following traffic plan will be in effect during the closure : 

• Eastbound traffic will be detoured to Blair Road to Ogilvie Road to Montreal Road OR 174 on-ramp. 
• Westbound traffic will be detoured to Montreal Road to Ogilvie Road to Blair Road OR 174 on-ramp. 

The Stage 2 O-Train East extension will run in the median of Highway 174, on a guideway bridge that is being constructed to connect the rail line from the existing Blair Station to the new line.