This week Councillor Gower is excited to share details on the December 2nd Parade of Lights organized by the Stittsville Village Association – make sure you come out and celebrate the arrival of Santa. The community is also celebrating the biological anthropology work of Janet Young who was inducted into the Order of Ottawa on November 16th. With the incidence of various respiratory infections travelling around the community – RSV, flu and COVID – the Councillor is encouraging residents to get their vaccinations and boosters. The Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville are seeking adult volunteers to help with their new youth centre to open in January 2024. The Councillor shares some facts about the cost of healthy eating as per an Ottawa Public Health survey of Ottawa residents. He provides updates on residential housing and the Solid Waste Master Plan. And, as always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Councillor Gower if you need assistance with a Municipal issue.
The Parade of Lights is this weekend!
This year’s parade happens on the evening of Saturday, December 2. It runs along Stittsville Main Street beginning at 6:00pm, starting in front of Brown’s Independent and ending at Carleton Cathcart Street.
Things to know:
- The parade is organized by the Stittsville Village Association, with lots of help from volunteers and other community groups in Stittsville.
- The Stittsville Lions will be collecting donations along the route for the Stittsville Food Bank.
- Volunteers are still needed to stand at barricades along the parade route. To sign up as a volunteer, visit: https://forms.gle/McDALqfEkfZCZLBGA or email Stittsvillevillage@gmail.com
- There’s a special tree lighting ceremony at Village Square Park after the parade, along with music from the Military Wives choir; a bonfire made by Stittsville Scouts; complimentary hot chocolate from The Salvation Army; a visit from Santa Claus who will be handing out cookies (thanks to Rachel Hammer Real Estate); and an Elf Cafe hosted by Stittsville Market at The Barn and Holmespun Ice Cream.
Stittsville’s Janet Young inducted into the Order of Ottawa
On November 16, 15 residents were inducted into the Order of Ottawa, including Stittsville resident Janet Young. She is the Curator of Physical Anthropology at the Canadian Museum of History.
Janet has distinguished herself as one of Canada’s foremost biological anthropologists, and is one of the nation’s leading authorities on the identification and repatriation of ancestral remains. With a research focus on population movements and settlements, and as a specialist in the study of human skeletal remains, some of her current work deals with Barrack Hill Cemetery, Ottawa’s first settler’s cemetery that existed in the early days of Bytown, examining and revealing fascinating information about the earliest European population from the Ottawa area. Congratulations Janet!
Read more about Janet’s accomplishments and the other inductees on my web site…
A reminder to get vaccinated!
Last week I visited Dash Chaudhary at Terry Fox Pharmacy (Cope @ Terry Fox) to get my annual flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine. It’s easy to get vaccinated, in fact many pharmacies are offering walk-in appointments. You can also check with your doctor or visit one of the Ottawa Public Health neighbourhood clinics. With lots of respiratory illness circulating in our community, a vaccine can help keep you protected.
Volunteers needed for a new Stittsville youth centre
The Kiwanis Club of Kanata-Stittsville has secured a space on the second floor of Frederick Banting Alternative School on Stittsville Main Street for a new youth centre!
Plans are underway to open the doors to youth in grades 9 through 12 by the end of January 2024. The centre will give youth in Stittsville a safe space to call their own where they can relax, socialize, make new friends, game, learn new skills, study, get involved in their community, and more.
Adult volunteers are needed to make this happen! If you are interested in volunteering your time, please email Glynn Kneebone from Kiwanis at Glynn.kneebone@kiwanis-kanatastittsville.ca.
Cost of healthy eating in Ottawa
Every year, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is required to do the Nutritious Food Basket survey to see how much it costs to eat healthy in Ottawa. The cost of food and rent is compared to the average amount of money that a person or family gets in a month.
This year, OPH priced 61 foods from 12 grocery stores across the city. The numbers show that in 2023, it costs $416 per month for a single adult, and $1,153 per month for a family of four (2 adults and 2 school-aged children) to eat healthy in Ottawa. (Eating out at restaurants, infant formula and foods for certain dietary requirements were not included in the costing.)
Given the recent rise in food costs, buying nutritious foods is becoming harder for more people, especially people and families that are on low incomes. In 2022, 1 in 7 households were food insecure in Ottawa. Read more…
Residential dwelling approval pipeline for Q3
Last week was a busy one for housing policy at City Hall. The latest residential housing pipeline report is out, we approved a new affordable housing incentive, we rejected changes to the brownfield redevelopment policy, and we directed staff to review allowing four residential units on serviced residential lots. Read more in my Substack newsletter…
An update on the Solid Waste Master Plan process
Last week the City’s Environment Committee received the Draft Solid Waste Master Plan, which sets out proposed actions to sustainably manage waste over the next 30 years and extend the life of the Trail Road landfill by approximately 14 years.
The City would also explore long-term solutions, such as anaerobic digestion for organic waste, waste-to-energy incineration to reduce waste going to the landfill, and mixed waste processing to mechanically separate divertible materials from collected garbage. Read more…
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