In this week’s update, Councillor Gower is seeking adult volunteers to assist the Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville, along with his team, to begin a new initiative – a youth drop-in program where youth in grades 9 to 12 can complete their homework and participate in other educational studies. The anticipated start date would be the end of February. Volunteers are also being sought for another initiative – a youth drop-in after school/evening basketball program expected to start in the Spring. These two programs will certainly benefit our youth. He also highlights the recent Transit Commission and it’s budget, as well as the Q&A taking place on the city’s 2023 budget. There are reminders on snow removal and parking. Note that the Councillor’s Family Skate Day registration is now full.
Volunteers needed for a new youth drop-in program
The Stittsville Youth Homework Centre (SYHC) is a Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville venture with the organizational support of my team. Its purpose is to provide a safe, quiet and supportive environment for students in Grades 9 through 12, to do their homework and other educational studies. The group will meet at the Stittsville Legion Hall located on Stittsville Main.
We are gearing-up to open by the end of February, volunteer dependent. Hours will be Mondays and Tuesdays, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.. To make this initiative a success we need local adult volunteers to provide the required supervision. If you are interested in participating in this exciting youth initiative in our community, please reach out to glen.gower@ottawa.ca for more detailed information.
We’re also looking for volunteers who can help run an afterschool/evening youth basketball drop-in program starting in the spring. Let us know if you can help.
Transit Commission update
Last Thursday I chaired an 8.5-hour Transit Commission meeting with several big items on the agenda, including the 2023 budget and the preliminary report on the LRT outage at the start of January. You can see slides decks and YouTube clips from the meeting here…
The budget passed 7-1 and highlights include:
- A fare freeze for 2023 on all levels of fares and passes. The EquiPass and Community Pass remain frozen at 2018 rates.
- The operations line in the budget is $567-million, up $27.5-million (about 5%) compared to 2022.
- No cuts to current level of service & flexibility to add additional service based on increased demand.
- Hiring 360 new operators.
- Supporting the upcoming launch of O-Train Lines 2 & 4.
- Fare revenue based on ridership at 70% of pre-pandemic level.
It’s a good budget with a focus on reducing the number of bus cancellations. OC Transpo delivers about 8,000 trips each day, and as many as 2.5% of those trips are typically cancelled. The goal in 2023 is to get that number down to 0.5% or less, on par with other transit systems in North America.
I had an interview on Friday morning on CBC Ottawa about the Transit Commission meeting. You can listen here…
Budget Q&A
A reminder to join us for our online budget Q&A for Stittsville residents on Monday, February 13 at 7pm. Our special guest is Cyril Rogers, Acting Chief Financial Officer (and a Stittsville resident). Click here to register…
Family Day Skate
Registration is now full for our free Family Day Skate at CARDELREC. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday!
Reminders – snow
- City snow removal continues around the clock. We get a daily list of streets scheduled to be cleared about 12-24 hours in advance that we post to our Facebook page at facebook.com/councillorglen/. (You don’t need a Facebook account to see the updates.) Progress depends on weather and other factors, and sometimes crews are unable to complete all streets on the list.
- Residents are encouraged to be a “hydrant hero” and keep your local fire hydrant clear of snow. If you are unable to clear the hydrant on your property, please call 3-1-1 for help.
- Canada Post is responsible for clearing snow from in front of community mailboxes. You can submit a service ticket online at https://canadapost.ca
Reminders – parking
- Make sure you’re not blocking a fire hydrant or driveway, and that there’s enough room for larger vehicles like garbage trucks or school buses to pass.
- Please obey “no parking” and “no stopping” signage in school areas. These restrictions are in place to ensure the safety of kids.
Get in touch!
If we can help in any way, please email me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca or leave a voicemail at 613-580-2476. Please call 3-1-1 if you require immediate assistance. – Councillor Glen Gower