This week, Councillor Gower introduces his first event in the Councillor’s Speaker Series to take place on March 7th with Elie Nasrallah as the guest speaker. Registration at the link below is required to attend. The Councillor assures residents that the LRT trains are safe with additional inspections and procedures now in place. At the Light Rail Sub-Committee held last week, OC Transpo responded to questions from the Councillor and others – view the meeting at the link provided below. The city’s Audit Committee received the Office of the Auditor General’s Audit of the City’s response to the convoy protest. Their were 20 recommendations provided to the city which they have agreed to. You can read the report at the link below. February 23rd is Kids’ Vaccine Day – tune in to a town hall on vaccinations for children. A link can be found below. If you need some help with your Income Tax form, send an email to Councillor Gower and he can connect you to a volunteer to give you a hand. Check out the video below on how to co-exist with coyotes. The Councillor extends congratulations to Crystal Hawkins who recently received a Community Police Award. The Goulbourn Museum staff are seeking volunteers for their Collections Working Group – if you can help out or want more information, a link is provided below.
March 7: Councillor’s Speaker Series
I hope you can join us on March 7 for the first event in our Councillor’s Speaker Series, featuring Stittsville residents sharing their experience and knowledge.
Our first guest is Elie Nasrallah, a certified immigration consultant and author. His most recent book is Gates and Walls: Stories of Migration in Modern Times. He shares stories about the journeys that some of his clients have undertaken on their travels to Canada.
The event will include a short presentation and readings from his book, followed by a Q&A. Admission is free but advanced registration is required through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/councillors-speaker-series-elie-nesrallah-tickets-543159965077.
Measures are in place to ensure LRT is safe
Last week, OC Transpo released a Rail Safety Advisory letter from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) outlining findings from their investigation into the LRT’s vehicle axle bearing assemblies.
I can completely understand the concerns that I’ve heard from residents about train safety. The TSB has not recommended that train service be stopped. There have been no trains removed from passenger service due to axle issues since July 2022. The trains are safe, thanks to additional inspections and procedures that are now in place:
- Vehicle inspections of all light rail vehicles daily, prior to every launch.
- All leading and trailing bogie axles are replaced when they reach 175,000 km of service and are inspected for bearing assembly free play every 7,500 km.
- The remaining axles are inspected at every 3,750 km when they exceed 175,000 km.
- Temporary Speed Restrictions are in place at several locations along the alignment.
- OC Transpo hosts weekly status meetings on the root cause analysis with RTG, RTM, OLRT-C and its subcontractors.
- RTG has installed vibration monitoring equipment on some trains and plans to expand the installation on additional vehicles in the coming months.
OC Transpo answered questions from me and other councillors last week at the Light Rail Sub-Committee. I’ve included a link to that meeting and other resources here: https://www.glengower.ca/information/notebook-measures-are-in-place-to-ensure-lrt-is-safe/.
Auditor General’s report on the convoy
The City’s Audit Committee has received the Office of the Auditor General’s Audit of the City’s response to the convoy protest. The report notes that prior to the convoy’s arrival, the City’s Office of Emergency Management was not engaged early on by either the Ottawa Police Service or the City. This delayed the City’s planning and preparation for the protest. Further, the information received by the City during the planning stage was insufficient, further impacting the City’s response.
The City agreed to all 20 recommendations made by the Auditor General for the City’s response to the convoy protest. Management indicated two of the 20 recommendations have been implemented, with the remainder to be completed within the year. You can read the report here: oagottawa.ca.
February 23 is Kids Vaccine Day!
ScienceUpFirst & Children’s Healthcare Canada will be hosting an online town hall talking about routine vaccination for children. Tune in on Thursday, February 23 at 8 pm. For more info, visit: www.scienceupfirst.com/kids-vaccines-day/.
Income tax help
Our office is hosting free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. Volunteers will help eligible residents file their tax returns. Clinics will run from March 4 to April 30 by appointment. Contact me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca.
It’s coyote mating season
Coyotes become more visible in the late winter and early spring because of the lack of vegetation cover and because their mating period peaks in February. The Stittsville area, and in particular the Poole Creek corridor, provides very good coyote habitat. Coyotes are always among us and will almost always seek to avoid human contact. Check out our video with tips and info about how to co-exist safely with coyotes in our community: https://youtu.be/Qu3kJBZ_67w.
Community Police Awards
A big congrats to Stittsville’s Crystal Hawkins, who recently received a Community Police Award. She received the Merit award, awarded to a member of the public for an act of unselfish assistance or demonstration of unique concern for the safety and well-being of another individual or the community, for her assistance with finding a missing neighbourhood child. Crystal is pictured with Chief Eric Stubbs and Sgt. O’Connell-Smith, who nominated Crystal for the award.
Goulbourn Museum Collections Working Group
Over the past two years the Goulbourn Museum has made significant changes to its collections policy to be more inclusive. Museum staff recently formed a Collections Working Group (CWG) to guide decisions about which artefacts are accepted into the Museum’s collections. They are recruiting volunteers for this group to assess artefact donations. Members will vote to ensure that the collection represents diverse perspectives and that the stories preserved by the Museum are representative of the community. For more information about the CWG or to apply online, please visit: https://goulbournmuseum.ca/collections-working-group/.
Get in touch! Écrivez-nous!
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