Another week has passed quickly and another frosty one has arrived. Keep yourself and your pets warm. This week, Councillor Gower is providing updates to keep residents informed about the Primary Care Health Hub for Kanata-Stittsville meeting; an event you won’t want to miss hosted by the Stittsville Winter Trail Network; expanded service coming for O-Train Lines 2 and 4; cold weather resources; updates on local development files; the Ottawa renoviction by-law; service notices for frozen water pipes; the 2025 Paint It Up! program; statistics and information from Crime Stoppers Ottawa; and, if you need assistance contact Councillor Gower’s office.

January 28: Primary Care Health Hub information meeting
On January 28 we’re hosting an information meeting about bringing a primary care health hub to Kanata-Stittsvillle at a site on Maple Grove Road.
Similar projects in other municipalities in Ontario have been successful in attracting physicians, registered nurses, and other health care professionals, allowing them to quickly scale up primary care access in their communities.
At this information session you’ll learn from the proponents about the Kanata-Stittsville proposal, details about next steps, and how you can get involved.
Date: January 28, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (2 Mulkins Street, off Stittsville Main Street)
Registration is full (thank you!) however, we will be providing a live video stream on my web site – details to come. If you wish to be added to a waiting list to join us in-person, please email me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to fully participate. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please email glen.gower@ottawa.ca or call 613-580-2476.

February 2: Stittsville Trailfest
Volunteers with the Stittsville Winter Trail Network are hosting the first annual Trailfest information session on Sunday, February 2, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at CARDELREC (1500 Shea Road). Learn about their plan for an integrated winter trail network. Learn how to dress for winter, types of nordic skis and how to size and wax them, types of snowshoes and how to size them, and how to maintain your fat bike. Friends of the Stittsville Wetlands, Bushtutak, and Tunes on Wheels will be on hand to educate and answer questions.

O-Train Line 2/4 Saturday service begins January 25
O-Train Lines 2 and 4 are expanding to Saturdays starting Saturday, January 25.
- Line 2 and 4 trains will run Monday to Saturday.
- Parallel bus service will continue running seven days per week.
- Sunday rail service is not available yet. This will be the next step in the lines’ phased opening.
- More info: https://ow.ly/6YGP50UHN8k

Cold Weather Resources
The City of Ottawa and many community agencies and partners work together to share cold weather injury prevention messages and ensure options are available for people to come in from the cold and access services. Cold weather-related injuries and deaths are preventable. With preparation, everyone can experience winter in Ottawa without getting too cold. Stay safe and check in on family, friends and neighbours who may be at greater risk, particularly young children, older adults (65+), people experiencing homelessness, outdoor workers, and those with certain medical conditions. For help and resources, visit www.OttawaPublicHealth.ca/ColdWeather.

Local development updates
Planning & Housing Committee approved a zoning by-law amendment for 37 Wildpine … the Committee of Adjustment approved a request to reduce parking requirements at 425 Culdaff … Lépine has submitted a Site Plan Control application for 5000 Robert Grant Avenue. You can find out more about each of these files at glengower.ca/development/

Committee directs start of work on renovictions by-law for Ottawa
Through a motion, the Committee instructed staff to undertake a by-law review and to report back to the Committee in 2026. That background work would examine feasibility, legality and practicality, and could inform a new by-law that would seek to prevent bad-faith evictions of a rental unit’s tenants under the pretext of upgrading the unit but undertaken, in fact, to increase rent. More information…

Annual Frozen Water Pipes Service Notices
During typical winters in Ottawa, some homes and businesses experience a frozen water service pipe that prevents water from reaching their internal plumbing. To minimize the risk of water service interruption, as many as 2,000 customers may proactively receive Frozen Water Service Warning – Run Water Notification letters. The City will issue notices to customers who have previously experienced a frozen water service pipe and have not had the service replaced at a lower level, using a phased notification process. The first notice was mailed on January 15. More information…

Applications are now open for the 2025 Paint It Up! program
Paint It Up! is a youth engagement program funded by Public Works and administered by Community and Social Services (CSS) at the City of Ottawa. Funding is available for local organizations wanting to hire youth to create murals in neighbourhoods experiencing a high rate of tagging and vandalism. Since 2010, Paint It Up! has involved more than 2,987 youth in 109 murals across the city. More information…

Crime Stoppers Awareness Month
As a community-based tips program, the Crime Stoppers tipline allows residents to anonymously report information about crimes. The program guarantees anonymity, calls are not recorded, caller IDs are not displayed, and tipsters are not required to testify in court. If the information leads to an arrest, tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
In 2024, the community’s support of Crime Stoppers led to significant impacts:
- $357,090 worth of drugs seized
- $233,345 worth of property recovered
- 37 criminal charges laid
- 19 cases cleared
These achievements reflect the power of anonymous tips and the collective effort of residents committed to preventing crime. To report a tip, call the province-wide toll-free number at 1-800-222-8477 or visit National Capital Area Crime Stoppers.

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