This week Councillor Gower focuses his community notes on a number of events, including the upcoming Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival on June 17 and an opportunity to meet and hear Collinda Joseph share her story of being a wheelchair athlete who is a member of Canada’s national Paralympic team on June 20. He shares input from his Protecting our Wetlands public meeting held on June 8; children’s immunizations; community safety; bears; a proposal for an off-leash dog park; and, more.
SATURDAY, JUNE 17: Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival
It’s finally here! We’re excited to welcome over 50 performers, exhibitors, and community groups for the second annual Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival. It’s at Village Square Park (Abbott Street at Stittsville Main) on Saturday, June 17 from 12pm-4pm. More info here…
Thanks to our business supporters for making this event possible, including CocoMutts, City Edge Vision Centre, Hazeldean Pharmacy, and Desjardins.
JUNE 20: Collinda Joseph
I hope you’ll join us for our next Councillor’s Speaker Series, featuring Stittsville resident Collinda Joseph. She has competed at three world championships on Canada’s wheelchair curling team. In 2022, her team won a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Beijing. Learn about Collinda’s journey and her advocacy work for the importance of accessibility in sports. It’s on Tuesday, June 20 at the Stittsville library branch. Admission is free but advanced registration is required through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/councillors-speaker-series-collinda-joseph-tickets-646260531647
Protecting our Wetlands
Thanks to residents who joined us last Thursday for our discussions about wetlands. Special guest (and former Goulbourn Township Mayor) Janet Stavinga gave a presentation about the ecological and social importance of wetlands, along with a history of recent development and wetlands in Stittsville. I provided an update on recent provincial decisions and legislative changes that could put natural areas west of Stittsville at risk. We’ll share a recap soon at glengower.ca/wetlands
Childhood immunizations for kids & families without a primary care practitioner
The Kids Come First Health Team is based at CHEO and has brought together public health units across Eastern Ontario, community health centres and community physicians to launch the new Vaccinate and Up-To-Date services. Check out the link for eligibility and booking info.
Community safety
Over the past two months we’ve had a small number of neighbourhood safety incidents at local parks involving vandalism, attempted arson, and in one case, physical assault. Thank you to residents who have been diligent in calling 9-1-1 for crimes in progress (including property damage and fires) and 3-1-1 to report after-hours parks usage, and damage to city property. Both Ottawa Police and Ottawa By-law are doing extra checks at several parks in our area at night. We’re also asked Parks & Rec staff to conduct a safety audit at several locations.
We’re asking residents to keep their eyes open and make a call to 9-1-1 or 3-1-1 if there’s any concerning activity. And we’re asking parents to please check-in with your kids and ask about what they’re doing at night around the community. Thank you for your co-operation.
Settling insurance claims on the 2022 Ontario and Quebec storm
If you suffered damages from the May 2022 derecho and have questions or concerns about your insurance claim, there is free, independent, and impartial help available from the General Insurance OmbudService. GIO is an independent body set up to help Canadians find a fair resolution to disputes with insurance providers. GIO can provide advice on dealing with your insurance company as a first step. If you are not satisfied with the decision from your provider on your claim, GIO can also launch an impartial complaint resolution process to help resolve your claim. Contact them here: giocanada.org/contact/
Wild parsnip treatment
Ottawa’s annual Wild Parsnip program is well underway. In the rural areas, over 650 lane kilometers have been sprayed, and work has started on parkland. Work is expected to continue for another two weeks. Please watch for signage. You can learn more about the program at ottawa.ca.
Pioneer Plains Park: proposal for dogs-off-leash hours
A proposal has been made to allow dogs off-leash at Pioneer Plains Park between 7:30am-9:30am, and on-leash at all other times. Click here for more information and how you can share your feedback…
Hydro Ottawa power outages
Last week approximately 5,500 households in and around Stittsville were affected by an unplanned power outage. At this time we do not have any information from Hydro Ottawa about why the outage occurred. When there’s an outage in progress, check out the Outage Map at hydroottawa.ca for updates on restoration.
CARDELREC maintenance shut-down
Please note CARDELREC-Goulbourn will be closed next week on June 19 and 20 for final commissioning of the new emergency back-up generator.
Now Accepting Ramp Requests
Stop Gap Ottawa is planning to have their next Ramp Paint Event on Saturdays July 22 and 29 from at the Ottawa Tool Library (877a Boyd Avenue). They are still looking for businesses who have a single step at their entrance who would like get a ramp and be included in this event! They invite everyone to stop by and help paint and apply finishing touches to some ramps! Folks can get in touch at: info@stopgapottawa.ca.
Now Until June 25: Exhibition Officer Internship
Goulbourn Museum is hiring an Exhibitions Officer (Internship). The duration of this position is 36 weeks at $21.30 per hour for 37.5 hours per week. Deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on June 25th, 2023. Full job description here: Exhibitions Officer
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us on Instagram for community updates throughout the week plus some nice Stittsville photos: @councillorglen
Bear sightings in our area
We’re aware of a bear sighting on the weekend in the Flewellyn Road area, south of Stittsville. Bear sightings are relatively common at this time of year in the Stittsville area given our proximity to natural areas. Usually bears will return to their natural habitat without incident. One thing residents can do to help is to remove any food sources from your property, such as bird feeders. You can also leave your food waste out on the morning of collection day, instead of the night before. You can report a bear sighting in urban areas by calling 3-1-1. The Ministry of Natural Resources also has a toll-free “Bear Wise” reporting line at 1-866-514-2327. More tips & info here…
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