Another week has quickly passed and it was the perfect weather for Councillor Gower’s Jane’s Walk held on Saturday. He was pleased to see so many participating and discovering more about Stittsville. This week he is updating residents on the recent power outage and shares the hydro equipment upgrades being made in Stittsville. He shares information on the measles cases in Ottawa; announces the 2025 Stittsville Community Micro-Grant recipients; provides some development and planning file updates; informs residents of a temporary sidewalk closure at Bobolink and Robert Grant; asking for input on new swings for Ralph Street Park; Metric Park could be opening soon; and shares details for the June 7th Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival. As always, if you need assistance, reach out to the Councillor’s office at the contact information below.
Notes on last week’s power outage
That power outage last Tuesday night had the worst timing possible: during Game 5 of the Sens versus Leafs playoff series! The outage affected over 10,000 customers in the west end, and Hydro Ottawa says it was due to a primary conductor damaged during the storm. The short-lived weather event included heavy rain, high winds, and lots of lightning.
We can expect more extreme weather like that in the coming years – and with more frequency – ue to climate change. I’m seeing a lot of questions from residents about what Hydro Ottawa and Hydro One are doing to improve resiliency of the system.
There is money being invested to strengthen the power grid. Hydro Ottawa says this includes a variety of measures including automating outage restoration, upgrading equipment to better withstand severe weather, and expanding options for customers interested in distributed generation and energy storage.
Burying every power line in Ottawa would cost tens of billions of dollars and take many years to complete. Due to the cost (which is passed on to Hydro Ottawa customers) and the timeline, they are taking a risk-based approach to prioritize the most significant infrastructure – for example, primary distribution lines.
I’ve shared a number of updates in recent months about equipment upgrades being done in Stittsville, and the longer-term plan to upgrade the power grid. You can read more here…
Lastly on this topic, Hydro Ottawa customers can now get outage updates, and report outages, via text message. Register for outage alerts via SMS/text by texting “REG” to 797688. Report an outage by texting “OUT” to 797688. More info on the Hydro Ottawa web site.
Ottawa Public Health investigating first confirmed cases of measles
Ottawa Public Health is investigating the City’s first confirmed cases of measles since 2019. An adult and a child, both residents of Ottawa, are believed to have acquired measles while traveling internationally. OPH is notifying individuals who may have been exposed to these confirmed cases of measles.
Individuals who visited the following locations on the dates and times below may have been exposed to the measles virus:
- Food Basics located at 1021 Cyrville Road, Ottawa ON
- WHEN: Monday, April 21, 2025, between 5 pm and 8 pm
- Costco located at 1405 Blair Towers Place (near Ogilvie Road), Ottawa ON
- WHEN: Wednesday, April 23, 2025, between 6 pm and 8:45 pm
Announcing the 2025 Stittsville Community Micro-Grant recipients
We received 29 excellent community-building applications for 2025 Stittsville Community Micro-Grant program. It was a tough decision for the selection committee, and we thank everyone who submitted an application. Here are this year’s successful projects and events, who are receiving micro-grants that together total $2,000…
Planning & development updates
- DEEP DIVE: A guide to reviewing the draft zoning by-law: City planners are nearing the end of a marathon process to create a new Zoning By-Law for the City of Ottawa. Staff recently released Draft 2, and are now accepting feedback from residents. This version of the draft includes hundreds of pages of text spanning multiple documents, along with maps and interactive features. It’s a huge amount of information! I’ve created a series of posts to help Stittsville residents understand how the proposed updates may affect your property and neighbourhood. Read more…
- Notice of provincial public consultation for a Highway Maintenance Patrol Yard: The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) is completing a study about expanding their Highway Maintenance Patrol Yard in our area. They’ve shortlisted several options including one called “Palladium West”, located south of the Queensway near the Palladium offramp. This is just north of the Kanata Connections neighbourhood. Read more…
- 1883 Stittsville Main: The City has received a Site Plan Control application from Mattamy for the property located at the corner of Stittsville Main and Parade. They are proposing seven 12-unit buildings, for a total of 84 stacked townhomes. Read more…
- Share your feedback on transportation projects for Stittsville: Resident surveys on the Transportation Master Plan Capital Infrastructure Plan are open until May 12. For a summary of Stittsville projects, and links to the surveys, please click here…
You can find all the latest updates on planning and development in Stittsville at: glengower.ca/development/
CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: Sidewalk closure on Bobolink and Robert Grant
There are temporary sidewalk closures planned for May 12-22 near the new apartment development at the corner of Bobolink and Robert Grant. More info…
Ralph Street Park swing replacement
City staff are seeking your input regarding the design of a replacement swing set for the play area at Ralph Street Park. The swings will be relocated from the existing sand play area behind the play structure, to a new wood fiber play area in front of the play structure. The relocation is to ensure that the swings meet the City of Ottawa Accessibility Design Standards. A new pathway access will be provided, as well as a new accessible park bench. More info…
Metric Park – opening soon!
We don’t have a firm date yet, but Metric Park (at the corner of Metric and Axel) should be opening soon for kids and families in the Trail View subdivision near Abbott and Terry Fox. The park still needs to pass the final safety inspections before the fencing can come down. City staff are working with the developer to expedite the work. We can’t wait to check it out!
June 7: Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival
Join us on Saturday, June 7 for the fourth annual Welcome to Stittsville Multicultural Festival at Village Square Park. The event is free! This event showcases our diverse community, promotes new connections with residents, and welcome new immigrants.
We’re still looking for multicultural community groups to join the festival as exhibitors and showcase their culture and traditions. And we’re also looking for volunteers! Please send an email to glen.gower@ottawa.ca or visit glengower.ca for more info.
Get in touch! Écrivez-nous!
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
It would have been helpful to include dates for the micro-grant events. The only one there is the November 1st date for the post-Halloween pumpkins … which is the one we could have figured out on our own.
Any comment on the beaver dam destruction by the City?