(On October 22, 2018, Glen Gower won the municipal election as the next Councillor-elect for Ward 6 – Stittsville. At his victory party, he thanks all of the volunteers and the campaign team who worked so hard to make this moment possible.)
A special message from Stittsville Central. They say public service is a thankless job, but the respect and affection of our community prove otherwise. Glen, you brought a rare mix of dedication, common sense, and heart to the council table. Thank you for fighting for the people here and for setting such a high standard.
As you step away from politics, know that your impact will be felt here for a long time. We, personally, will miss your diligence of providing your weekly notes and emails to keep Stittsville Central and residents up-to-date in all things Stittsville.
Cheers to your next adventure Glen — and to finally having some free time! You will be missed.
We chose a few memorable photos of Glen over the years – we hope you enjoy them.
We reached out to Councillor Gower asking him to reflect on the past eight years of sitting at the council table and working for our community. He shared the following.
Reflecting on my time as Councillor
With just a few more days left in my term of office, my team and I are winding down our office activities and preparing to hand the reins to councillor-elect Chelsea Walton. I’m also getting a lot of questions from residents: What are your proudest accomplishments? What will you miss the most? What will you be doing next?
Overall, this has been a good experience. The nature of this job brings a lot of challenges and frustration, but I’m proud of the overall progress we’ve seen in our community. After eight years I have a completely new perspective on how things work at City Hall, and I know so much more about Stittsville: the people, the businesses and community associations, the streets and neighbourhoods, the trees and trails, the wetlands and the water tower.
For accomplishments, it’s impossible to pick one thing. I am most proud of the day-to-day work that our team does to help Stittsville residents. It’s the thousands of interactions that help make Stittsville a better place to live. A few examples that stand out:
- A few years back when we put out a call for volunteers to help rake leaves for a local senior. Fifty people showed up and the work was done in half an hour.
- Last fall someone sprayed racist graffiti at the Stittsville Muslim Association building. The community responded by coming together in a healing circle, and eventually it led to installing a new sign for the association on Stittsville Main Street.
- This year we hosted our fifth annual Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival. The weather forecast called for rain and thunder, but the sun came out and it ended up being an incredible day.
- For two years in a row, we had the most participants in “Cleaning the Capital” of any of the 24 wards in Ottawa. Hundreds of Stittsville residents volunteered to clean up their local parks.
And those are just a few examples.
When I started at City Hall in 2018, one of the first decisions we had to make was whether to allow cannabis stores to operate in Ottawa. We thought that would be one of the toughest issues of the term. Little did we know. Very soon after there was the Westboro bus tragedy, the approval of Stage 2 LRT, the Chateau Laurier addition, the disastrous opening of LRT Stage 1. Then COVID-19, the convoy, the derecho, ice storms, tornadoes, and flooding. We passed a new Official Plan, then a new Zoning By-law, and the Transportation Master Plan, Lansdowne 2.0, and eight city budgets along the way. Being a councillor puts you right in the middle of life-changing events and big decisions.
There were times of celebration as well. Standouts include the annual Stittsville Volunteer Awards, the Pride Week flag raising, many park naming ceremonies, the “pre-opening” of Robert Grant Avenue for cyclists and pedestrians last fall, and the recent opening of Crossway Park. We also celebrated the launch of dozens of locally-owned businesses, many operated by first- and second-generation Canadians. All of these events brought neighbours and families together.
I’ll miss my office team, a group of creative, dedicated, and hard-working individuals who work all-out to help residents with whatever questions and issues they bring to us. And believe me, we get inquiries on pretty much any topic you can think of, from potholes to foxes to unexplained noises in the night.
I’ll miss working in the same community that I live in. I can walk to my ward office at CARDELREC in about 15 minutes, or bike there in about 5 minutes. It’s a great commute.
I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with new community groups that have emerged and grown in recent years, like the Stittsville Muslim Association, the Stittsville Cricket Club, the Youth Centre, West Side Pride, and the weekly parkrun. And I’m excited to see what’s next for Stittsville: new businesses, affordable housing on Pretty Street, the Shea Woods dog park, a health hub, continued revitalization of Stittsville Main Street, and more cycling and pedestrian safety upgrades are all on the near-term horizon.
As for the next stage of my career, I don’t have anything lined up yet. I’m getting away from politics but would like to stay in the realm of public service. I am looking for a leadership role in the non-profit sector, ideally aligned to issues that I have been passionate about in my councillor role, like affordable housing, social services, and transportation.
I’ve held a lot of big roles in my time at City Hall: Chair of Transit Committee, Vice-Chair of Planning and Housing, Deputy Mayor, and so on. A resident reminded me the other day that there is one title I get to keep with me even when my job as councillor is over: “neighbour.” That one stays the same. Please wave hello the next time you see me out and about in the neighbourhood.
Two final thoughts
First, I want to challenge everyone to get involved in our community. Help out at a local skating rink, join a school council, fundraise for a cause that you care about, or even run for office in an election. The healthiest communities are the ones with the most volunteers.
Second, and most importantly, thank you to my family and friends for their love and support, and to every resident who has shared a kind word of encouragement over the years.
See you soon,
– Councillor Glen
Councillor Gower’s staff chose some memorable moments in photos to be shared with residents.
