This week, Councillor Gower is celebrating the nominees and award recipients for the annual Stittsville Volunteer Awards. He also shares additional details on the new Zoning By-law for Ottawa and further details on the implementation of the three-item garbage limit. The Councillor also wants you to be aware that OC Transpo has introduced the use of a debit card to ride the bus, as well as information regarding the City’s wild parsnip program. For the third year, the upcoming June 15th Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival will be taking place at Village Square Park. If you have an issue that requires the Councillor’s attention, don’t hesitate to contact his office.
Celebrating Volunteer Award Nominees and Recipients:
What a night! On May 30th we celebrated volunteers in our community, recognizing 20 individuals, groups and businesses for their contributions to Stittsville.
For more than thirty years, these awards have been an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate individuals and organizations who help make our community thrive. Thanks to everyone who joined us, including Lynn Griffiths (representing the Griffiths family), past award winners, anthem singer Lily Bedard, guest speaker Travis Blackmore from Lionhearts Inc., and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
Recipients included:
- Roger Griffiths Memorial Citizen of the Year: Phil Sweetnam
- John Curry Memorial Youth Citizen of the Year: Avery Stone
- Senior Citizen of the Year: Heather Ouimet
- Teacher of the Year: Lisa Gaudet & Elizabeth Hobbs
- Business of the Year: At the Barn
- Group of the Year: The Scarborough Family
Click here for a full list of the nominees and award recipients…
More Details Released About Ottawa’s New Zoning By-Law:
Last week City staff released the first draft of the new Zoning By-law, a set of regulations that sets rules on what can be built “as of right”, without having to seek specific permission. Residents are encouraged to review the draft and provide feedback both online and in person at open-house events. The complete draft, including maps, can be found on the City’s public engagement site, engage.ottawa.ca. You can review our Zoning By-law primer first, or dive straight into the review on engage.ottawa.ca.
You can join a virtual open house to discuss the draft Zoning By-law on Thursday, June 20. Consultations will continue through the summer until the end of September. Visit engage.ottawa.ca for dates of more open houses throughout the consultation period.
New to zoning? Read this primer on Ottawa’s Draft Comprehensive Zoning By-law…
Three-item limit for curbside waste collection starts September 30
Starting September 30, the City will be implementing a three-item garbage limit for residents who receive curbside waste collection.
Ottawa has had a six-item garbage limit in place since 2007. This limit has been far more generous than many municipalities, including neighbouring communities around our city. The new limit helps us extend the life of our Trail Road Waste Facility Landfill as we explore new options for waste disposal.
What is considered an item in this new three-item garbage limit?
An item includes the following:
- a plastic waste bag
- a bin with a maximum capacity of up to 140 litres. Households can put several waste bags in a bin as long as the weight is less than 33 pounds (15 kilos) per bin.
- Furniture or bulky item that can’t be re-used or donated
Examples of acceptable three-item combinations include:
- one 140-litre bin, a plastic waste bag and a broken chair
- three 140-litre bins
- three plastic waste bags
- two 140 litre bins and one broken vacuum
Leaf and yard waste stored in paper leaf and yard waste bags do not count towards the limit. The special collections programs for diapers and medical waste will continue. There will continue to be no limit to how much residents can set out through green, blue and black bins.
Yellow bags for excess waste
If your waste habits are anything like most Ottawa residents, you likely won’t experience any impacts on regular collection days. For those who need to go above the three-item limit, yellow bags can be purchased at participating retailers, including Home Hardware stores and Building Centres later this year, for $17.60 for a package of four. There is no limit to the number of yellow bags that are set out for collection. More info here…
Riding OC Transpo just got easier with Interac® Debit:
You can now tap your debit card on any fare gate or bus to ride transit. The introduction of Interac Debit to the existing O-Payment options makes it even easier to take OC Transpo.
Interac Debit on O-Payment will charge an Adult fare ($3.80). If you qualify for a discounted fare, consider using one of the many other fare payment options available to you.
You can ride as much as you want all day. With daily and monthly fare capping, you will never be charged more than the price of a DayPass ($11.75) or monthly pass ($128.75). Once you hit the cap, you ride for free.
Interac Debit is just one of the many ways available to pay your fare. You can also use your credit card, Presto card, DayPass or cash. O-Payment is not accepted on Societé de Transport de l’Outaouais (STO). If you transfer to STO, Presto is still your best option.
You can learn more about O-Payment at octranspo.com. You can also log into your O-Payment account to check your trip history or download a receipt.
Reducing Growth of Wild Parsnip:
The City’s wild parsnip program aims to reduce the growth of wild parsnip in highly infested areas while ensuring that environmentally sensitive areas and public safety are not adversely impacted.
Over 200 locations of parkland and approximately 1200 lane kilometres of roadsides/pathways will be treated this year. The City has significantly increased the number of lane kilometres to be treated this year within existing budgets. Roadside grass-cutting will begin early June and additional herbicide applications may be considered again for the fall season. More info here…
June 15: Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival:
We’re now just a couple weeks away from the third edition of the Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival! Hope to see you at Village Square Park in the afternoon on June 15. Follow our Facebook event page for more information about participants and performers, and how you can get involved!
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