Councillor Gower brings residents up-to-date about the snow removal and realizes that it is taking some time to clear. He asks for patience and some help from residents. Beyond snow, you can now follow the Councillor on Bluesky for updates and other information. He also reminds residents to vote on February 27th if you haven’t already. The Councillor will be hosting two upcoming virtual meetings to talk about potential traffic safety improvements – details below. He thanks everyone who made donations, sponsored or came out to participate in the Coldest Night of Year walk hosted by Lionhearts. Beware of Coyotes in the community, the Councillor shares information to keep you safe. And, as always, if you require assistance do not hesitate to reach out the Councillor’s office at the contact information below.
Let’s talk about snow
Yes, we’ve had a lot of it. If there’s one thing I want to emphasize, it’s that we would really appreciate help from residents to shovel our your fire hydrant.
There are around 22,000 hydrants across Ottawa and I bet most of them are still buried under the heavy snow. The City does have personnel who clear them out, but it takes a lot of time.
Thank you to hydrant heroes who are helping out. I’d love to see photos of residents with the hydrants you’ve cleared. You can send them to me at glen.gower@ottawa.ca.
If you need assistance clearing your hydrant, call 3-1-1.
Clean-up continues
I do agree that it took a long time to get roads and sidewalks clear after the snowfall. I’ve been in touch daily with the crews to get updates, and I’ve been posting information on my Facebook page. Once clean-up is done, we will review to see how operations can improve for next time, just like we do for other major weather events like floods and tornadoes. For now, we’re going to let crews finish their work.
Crews are out there 24 hours a day, in two 12-hour shifts with every available piece of equipment, to clean up the snow. This work will continue for the next few weeks until every street is passable, sidewalks are cleared, and roads are back to a safe condition. It’s a ton of work, and we thank residents for your patience.
I want to say a huge THANK YOU to the operators and the personnel behind the scenes who are coordinating all of this cleanup. It’s not easy work and they are doing an excellent job in challenging conditions.
If you see a snowplow driver, give them a little wave or thumbs up, and say thank you for all the work they’re doing out there!
Another thing you can do to help is to move your car off the road. Even if there’s not a formal parking ban, try to find another spot for your vehicle. Remember that you also need to park your car in a way that people can get around it, and you can be ticketed if you’re blocking the road. Please find a safe place to park it.
Follow me on Bluesky
Next week a city committee will debate a motion to have city departments stop using Twitter/X for communications. I stopped using Twitter a long time ago because of the increasingly toxic environment there, as well as a big decline in the number of residents using the platform. I’m now sharing Stittsville updates (and more) on Bluesky if you want to follow me there: @glengower.bsky.social
Remember to vote!
Voting day in the Ontario election is February 27. All you need to vote is a piece of identification – you don’t need a voter card. Visit www.elections.on.ca to check who’s running and where to vote. Cast your ballot and exercise your democratic right!
Traffic calming
We’re hosting two upcoming virtual meetings to talk about potential traffic safety improvements. Click on the links for more information and to share your feedback.
- February 26: Traffic safety on Kittiwake Drive in Timbermere
- March 5: Traffic safety on Maple Grove Road in Fairwinds / Bryanston Gate
Thanks to residents who attended our meeting last week and shared feedback about traffic safety measures for Springbrook Drive in Amberwood.
Coldest Night of the Year raises over $22,500 in Stittsville
Thank you to walkers, volunteers, and sponsors for supporting Lionhearts in this year’s Coldest Night of the Year walk on Saturday. Over 100 walkers participated and raised more than $22,500 to support Lionhearts and the incredible work they do in rescuing food and household goods, and redistributing the items to food banks, shelters, and people in need. Learn more about the Lionhearts here…
Donations are still welcome at cnoy.org/ottawastittsville
Co-existing with coyotes
Coyotes are always among us and will almost always seek to avoid human contact, but they can become more visible in the late winter and early spring. That’s because of sparse vegetation cover, and because their mating period peaks in early February (usually around Valentine’s Day). The Stittsville area, and in particular the Poole Creek corridor, provides excellent coyote habitat. Click here to learn more about how to co-exist safely with coyotes…
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