A number of items of interest for Stittsville residents are in this week’s update from Councillor Gower. He recognizes that March is Francophonie Month; on March 8 his team will be at Ottawa city hall for International Women’s Day to attend a reception hosted by Mayor Sutcliffe; he also shares his March multicultural calendar; reminds residents of his March 11 Councillor’s Chat; and, reminds of the free family skate on March 24. The Councillor shares news about Shingwàkons Public School. Volunteers are needed for the youth basketball drop-in, as well as exhibitors and performers for the June 17 ‘Welcome to Stittsville’ event taking place at Village Square Park. Information is shared about VUT, seasonal road weight restrictions and fire hydrants. He also highlights Ottawa’s budget that Council passed on March 1st. As he will be taking a short vacation, watch for Councillor Gower’s next update on March 26.
Mois de la francophonie/Francophonie Month
March is International Francophonie Month and an opportunity to celebrate the rich Francophone heritage of the National Capital Region. Whether you are a Francophone, a Francophile or just a lover of the French language, explore the many events taking place across the country in March as part of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF), including Monday, March 20, International Francophonie Day.
Le mois de mars est le Mois international de la Francophonie et c’est l’occasion de souligner le riche patrimoine francophone de notre capitale nationale. Que vous soyez francophone, francophile ou juste amoureux de la langue française, explorez les nombreux événements qui auront lieu en mars dans tout le pays dans le cadre des Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF), notamment le lundi 20 mars, Journée internationale de la Francophonie.
Wednesday is International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. Our team will be at City Hall to take part in a special reception and presentation hosted by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Councillor Ariel Troster, Council Liaison for Women, Gender Equity and 2SLGBTQ+ Affairs.
Our multicultural calendar
Check out our March 2023 multicultural calendar for a list of cultural and religious events celebrated during the month. This is one of the actions arising from our Diversity Project, an initiative to address the emerging needs and issues we see in our community.
March 11: Councillor Chat
We’re hosting our next Councillor Chat on Saturday, March 11 from 11am-1pm at Brown’s Independent. Drop by to say hello, ask a question, or share your feedback. Hope to see you there.
March 24: Free Family Skate
Join us for another skate at CARDELREC on Friday, March 24 at 6:15pm. It’s free, but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/free-family-skate-tickets-568257181527.
Crossing guard for Shingwàkons Public School
Good news: We have approval for a crossing guard near Shingwàkons school, at the Cope and Tapadero/Continental intersection. The guard will be in place as soon as the Ottawa Safety Council is able to recruit and hire someone for the position. Learn more about recruitment here…
Volunteers for youth basketball drop-in
We’re looking for adult volunteers who can help run a youth basketball drop-in in conjunciton with the Stittsville-Kanata Kiwanis Club at Frederick Banting School. Please email me for more info: glen.gower@ottawa.ca.
Welcome to Stittsville Festival on June 17
We’ve started organizing this year’s edition of the Welcome to Stittsville Festival, showcasing Stittsville’s diverse cultures and connecting community members. We are looking for exhibitors and performers to participate in this year’s event. Please email me for more info: glen.gower@ottawa.ca.
Reminder calls – Vacant Unit Tax
The City will be phoning those remaining residential property owners who have not yet completed their Vacant Unit Tax (VUT) declarations, to remind them about the March 16 deadline. If a declaration is not filed – even if it is a principal residence – it will be deemed vacant and the VUT will be applied. More info…
Seasonal load restrictions
Beginning on Wednesday, March 15, seasonal load restrictions will be in effect. Commercial vehicles or trailers with a gross vehicle weight in excess of five tonnes or 11,000 pounds per axle will be prohibited on roads where restriction signage is posted, and on all truck routes identified as restricted on the Urban Truck Routes and Rural Truck Routes lists. These restrictions also apply to all non-truck routes. More info…
Be a hydrant hero
We’ve now had more than 300 centimetres of snow in Ottawa, making this season one of the three snowiest winters in Ottawa since the 1950s. Be a hydrant hero! If you can, find a hydrant in your neighbourhood and clear away the snow from around it. If you need help, call 3-1-1.
Council approves the 2023 Budget
After a month of review, discussion, debate and public consultation, Council approved the 2023 budget last Wednesday. Locally, there are important investments for Carp Road, Fernbank District Park, Shea Woods Park, and more.
The City will hire 14 paramedics this year and add 25 additional Ottawa Police personnel, two important investments to improve community safety.
And as Chair of the Transit Commission, I’m glad to see no service cuts to OC Transpo. In fact, the operating budget is going up 5% more compared to 2023, so that OC can hire more drivers and improve reliability. Read more about the budget…
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