November 12 Newsletter 2021

November 12, 2021 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

Coming this December, OC Transpo will not be charging customers on all forms of transit. No-charge transit in December will be unlimited, and residents can find all of the details in the first item of this newsletter. To ensure that all residents have an opportunity to give feedback on the City’s 2022 Budget, Councillor Fleury and I have released a survey that will be available until November 30. Residents may wish to take note of the NCC’s final phase of consultation for the Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan for the National Capital Region. The survey is available until November 24, so be sure to make your voice heard! Another opportunity for resident feedback is the survey to vote on proposed artwork at the corner of Montreal Road and North River Road. There are still a few days left to have your say before it closes on November 16. Finally, I would like to recognize Manock Lual, an outstanding community member who is one of this year’s recipients of the Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching. Through his non-profit Prezdential Basketball, Manock Lual impact on the community is immeasurable. Inductees into the Order of Ottawa and recipients of the Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching will be recognized at a ceremony at City Hall on November 18. 

OC Transpo to offer customers unlimited no-charge transit in December 

OC Transpo will be offering unlimited no-charge service on all forms of transit (buses, O-Train and Para Transpo) to customers in December, in recognition of the considerable disruption faced by transit users following the suspension of O-Train Line 1 service. 

OC Transpo is making unlimited no-charge transit in December as easy as possible for customers:  

• From December 1 to 31, fare gates at all O-Train stations will be opened and fare boxes and smartcard readers on all OC Transpo buses will be covered. 
• Monthly December passes will not be sold. 
• Presto customers with auto-renew subscriptions will see a one-cent charge which will be credited back to their account. 
• U-Pass customers or customers with a school board issued pass do not need to tap their card at O-Train stations or on OC Transpo buses.  
• All Para Transpo trips during December will be at no charge.  

• Regular fares continue to apply to transit customers travelling on the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) system. Customers who had a monthly pass on their Presto card in November and U-Pass customers should tap their card as they board but no charges will be applied. Other customers will need to pay the applicable STO fare. 

Budget 2022 Survey 

Proceeding our Budget 2022 Ward 12 and 13 Consultation, Councillor Mathieu Fleury and I would like to extend a survey to all our constituents on the City’s 2022 Budget. You can access our Budget 2022 survey here. We encourage everyone to have a look and to fill it out so that we can capture your priorities. It will be available until end of day Tuesday, Nov. 30th and we will share the results with our communities leading up to City’s Council’s 2022 Budget meeting on Dec. 8. 

Final phase of consultation: Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan for the National Capital Region 

You are invited to participate in this last phase of public consultation on the NCC’s Long-Term Integrated Interprovincial Crossings Plan. This is your chance to share your thoughts and ideas on the proposed long-term vision, principles, objectives and overall framework for this strategic plan. 

Online survey available from November 9 to the 24, 2021. 

This strategy is one of a series of actions currently taking place to ensure the continued safety, sustainability and function of an integrated interprovincial transportation system in the National Capital Region. 

Visit the project web page for further details.  

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the NCC at [email protected] or 613-239-5000. 

What artwork should be Vanier's Gateway!? Have your say!    

Public Art is coming to Vanier. As part of the Vanier + Montreal Rd Public Art Plan, the City of Ottawa is commissioning a gateway artwork for the corner of Montreal Rd and North River Rd. See location here.  

Four (4) artists have been shortlisted to submit proposals to design, fabricate and install a permanent artwork that will be the gateway into the Vanier neighbourhood, but only one will be selected.  

We are offering a preview of the four (4) proposals and asking for input. What artwork should be Vanier's Gateway!?  

View the proposals and vote through the online survey HERE   

https://s-ca.chkmkt.com/?e=246524&h=FF4932DAACBA973&l=en 

Survey is open from November 9th to 16th.    

Manock Lual to Receive Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching 

Rideau-Rockcliffe ward’s own Manock Lual will receive the Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching at a ceremony at City Hall on November 18. Manock Lual is a former pro-basketball player who came to Canada as a refugee from South Sudan and grew up in Overbrook. 

Coach Manock is Founder and Head Coach of Prezdential, a non-profit that is dedicated to bridging the gap faced by disadvantaged youth in Ottawa, and particularly racialized youth living in low-income communities. Mr. Lual offers free basketball and life skills programming strengthened by many partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, Ottawa Community Foundation and many local community associations and resource centres. 

Coach Manock and his team at Prezdential Basketball were able to support the youth of Ottawa through initiatives that aided their general mental health and wellbeing. In addition to free basketball and life skills, Prezdential Basketball has expanded its offerings to include financial literacy programming, cooking classes, a youth media program, an annual backpack drive, after school programming, and the Overbrook Show. 

Montreal Road Revitalization 

Please find below a two-week update (Monday, November 8 to Friday, November 19) for the Montreal Road Revitalization project. The work activities planned for the next two weeks will include: 

• Vanier Parkway/Montreal Road intersection – Construction of concrete curb in the southwest quadrant of the intersection and south on the Vanier Parkway has been completed.  Sidewalk construction behind the curb will start this week and is scheduled to be completed early next week, weather pending. Once the concrete has cured, the east-west crosswalk will be reopened.  

• North River Road to Vanier Parkway – The sidewalk on both the north and south side of Montreal Road is complete, except for sections near hydro poles and at the North River Road/Montreal Road intersection. Installation of new streetlight poles and pedestrian lights on the south side of Montreal Road is now complete.  Hydro Ottawa cut the existing hydro poles between North River Road and Palace Street earlier this week.  Removal of the bottom pole bases will be completed shortly, and the sidewalk will be reinstated. 

• Vanier Parkway to Marier Avenue – The north side concrete curb, base asphalt, sidewalk, and the asphalt cycle track are complete for this section. The curb, sidewalk, cycle track and tree cell installation on the south side is now complete. Paving of the second lift of asphalt between Vanier Parkway and Olmstead South is complete. The paver stone work is completed at Emond, with the exception of some areas around maintenance holes.  Landscaping will follow next year. Temporary streetlight pole removal has started and will continue this week.    

• Marier Avenue to Lafontaine Avenue – This section of road will be the primary focus for the next several weeks, specifically on the south side of the road.  The majority of concrete curb was completed last week between Altha and Dupuis, and crews are now prepping this section for sidewalk construction scheduled to begin next week.    

• Lafontaine Avenue to de l’Église Street – Concrete curb, sidewalk and base lift asphalt is now completed between Cantin and Granville. The south side of Montreal Road from Ducharme Boulevard to de L’Église Street has been paved. All watermain work is now completed for the year.  

• De l’Église Street to St. Laurent Boulevard – Outstanding work for this section includes catch basin connections and temporary road paving for winter conditions, which will continue until the end of November.  The north side of the road will be occupied by both Enbridge and Hydro Ottawa early next year.  

• 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, except for Olmstead Street, Marier Avenue, Granville Street/Lafontaine Avenue and Cantin Street. Over the winter months Montreal Road will be reopened to two lanes (one eastbound and one westbound lane) between Vanier Parkway and St Laurent Boulevard with side street openings. Details will be provided in the coming weeks. Traffic calming flex posts installed along Lafontaine Avenue, Deschamps Boulevard and Montfort Street, which are part of the current vehicle and bus detour route, will be removed next month in preparation for the winter snow clearing. 

• Month-long construction outlook – Underground work between Vanier Parkway and St. Laurent Boulevard is now complete. Interlock buffer and construction of concrete collars around tree cells will continue into November. The curbs, sidewalk, cycle track and road paving are now complete between Vanier Parkway and Marier Avenue. Over the next four weeks, concrete work will be wrapping up, and the focus will be finishing as much sidewalk as possible. Gravel surface areas will be paved with temporary asphalt to allow for snow removal and pedestrian use during the winter. Work on North River Road over the next month will involve paving of the Multi Use Pathway currently on a gravel surface.  Both Emond Street and Bradley Avenue paver stone work is now complete for the year. Curb in the south west quadrant of the Vanier Parkway/Montreal Road intersection is complete, and sidewalk will be completed shortly.  Installation of pavers along the cycle track edges and other hard landscaping continues over the next month. Preparation for winter conditions has started.  

• Hydro update – Hydro Ottawa cut the existing hydro poles between North River Road and Palace Street earlier this week.  Removal of the bottom pole bases will be completed shortly and the sidewalk will be reinstated.