This week Councillor Gower shares some words on the recent vandalism at the Stittsville Muslim Association property and words from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. He also shares information on City of Ottawa’s mandate to ‘return to office’; the recent power outages; an update on the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan; development information for 1174 Carp Road and 4829 Abbott Street East; as well as the City’s seeking feedback on the ‘Bubble Bylaw’. Sadly, City staff are recommending demolition of Flewellyn-Jones house located at 5897 Fernbank Road due to the significant structural damage caused by the March fire. Register for the Fall Cleaning the Capital campaign – may Stittsville be #1 again! If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Councillor Gower’s office at the contact information provided below.
Support for the Stittsville Muslim Association
On Monday, I joined the Stittsville Muslim Association (SMA), Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, MP Bruce Fanjoy, Imam Sikander Hashmi from the Kanata Muslim Association, Amira Elghawaby (Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia), and many community members for a community reflection and healing circle at the SMA building on Stittsville Main Street. It was held after their facility was vandalized last week.
The incident has caused a lot of shock and hurt in the community, and I want to reiterate that residents of Stittsville stand firmly against hatred, racism, and Islamophobia. Thank you to the many community members who joined us on Monday at the SMA.
The Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit is investigating. There is video surveillance footage showing an individual spray painting a storage building at around 10:35pm on Tuesday evening. If you have any information to share with police, please call 613-236-1222, extension 5015. You can also share an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
Mayor Sutcliffe also held a news conference at City Hall last Friday to condemn recent hate crimes in the city. He spoke in support of Ottawa’s Jewish community, after a Jewish woman in her 70s was attacked at a grocery store in Nepean earlier this week. Police are investigating the incident as hate-motivated crime.
I want to express my sympathy and support to Ottawa’s Jewish community as well, and I join with the Mayor and my council colleagues in condemning this terrible act of antisemitism.
“People should be able to go to the grocery store without experiencing the risk of violence,” said Mayor Sutcliffe. “They should be able to take the bus without feeling afraid. They should be able to go to their place of worship without feeling intimidated.”
We all need to continue taking concrete actions to push back against the misinformation and hatred that continues to be shared on social media and elsewhere, and to combat hate in our community.
A reminder for residents: Witnessing or experiencing stressful events can affect mental health. People can feel a range of emotions and reactions which can affect thinking and physical health. If these feelings are affecting your day-to-day life, please ask for help. Ottawa Public Health has posted some excellent information available for adults and children, on how to talk about stressful events as well as programs and resources for help: ottawapublichealth.ca
City of Ottawa’s “return to office” mandate
The City Manager announced last week that employees will be required to work 5 days per week in the office, starting January 1. (About 85% of employees are already working entirely in-office, and the remaining 15% represents about 2,500 employees.)
I don’t support this for several reasons: The social infrastructure to support working parents still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic; our transportation network isn’t ready for a full return-to-office either; and hybrid work improves employee health and satisfaction. I’ve shared my views with the Mayor and City Manager.
The announcement from last week included a note that “any alternative work arrangements will continue to be made in consultation between managers and their employees based on role, operational needs and available space”. That seems to leave the door very wide open to hybrid work in many situations.
Thanks to the many residents who have shared your feedback on this.
Last week’s Hydro Outage
Power went out in Amberwood, Forest Creek, Fringewood, Granite Ridge and Wyldewood last Thursday evening. Hydro Ottawa says the outage was caused by a tree coming in contact with overhead lines. The outage started at 8 p.m. and crews were able to restore power to about half of impacted customers by 8:30 p.m. Full restoration was completed by 9:45 p.m.
Another outage on August 21 in the same neighbourhood was the result of a cable fault. Power went out at 9:15 p.m. and was restored by midnight.
We have heard from a lot of residents about these and other power outages in Stittsville and I have asked officials from Hydro Ottawa to participate in a community forum to update residents on what is being done to make our infrastructure more resilient, and improve hydro reliability. We’ll have more information to share soon.
Housing & Homelessness refresh
The City’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan is currently undergoing a mid-point refresh. This process evaluates progress made to date and ensures the plan remains aligned with the community’s evolving needs.
City staff are looking for feedback and experiences from residents. There are several open house sessions planned, including one in Stittsville on Thursday, September 25, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at CARDELREC (1500 Shea Road). There’s also a virtual open house on September 10. More information…
1174 Carp at Planning & Housing Committee
The Zoning By-law Amendment application for 1174 Carp Road is on the agenda for Planning & Housing Committee this week. The proposed development is a 14-storey u-shaped retirement home that wraps around a central courtyard, as well as a 1,829 square metre rectangular parkland parcel at the northwest corner of the site, which will be conveyed to the City. More information…
4829 Abbott Street East: Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control application
The City has received a Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control application for the property located at 4829 Abbott Street East, located on the north side of Abbott Street East and west of Terry Fox Drive. The proposed planned-unit development includes five low-rise stacked apartment buildings, with 12 two-bedroom apartments in each building (60 apartments total). More information…
Bubble bylaw
The City of Ottawa is considering rules to provide for safe access to places of worship and religious centres, schools, daycares, health care facilities, and care homes when demonstrations are occurring nearby. In other cities, these types of rules are often called “bubble zones.” Staff are looking for your feedback on how demonstrations may be impacting access to these facilities. Share your thoughts and experiences with us through the Engage Ottawa questionnaire until Monday, September 29.
Staff recommend demolition of Flewellyn-Jones House on Fernbank Road
In a report to the Built Heritage Committee, City staff are recommending demolition of Flewellyn-Jones house located at 5897 Fernbank Road. The property suffered a fire on March 26, 2025, causing significant structural damage to the house. The owner has applied for a heritage permit to demolish the property.
I’m saddened by the potential loss of this building which has been a landmark in Goulbourn and Stittsville for nearly 140 years. Click here for more information and history, including my comments on the demolition…
Fall Cleaning the Capital 2025 – Registration now open!
It’s time to sign up for the Fall edition of Cleaning the Capital!
- Choose a public space to clean: Parks, green spaces, roadsides, shorelines, or areas around bus stops. Check the interactive map to avoid duplicate registrations.
- Register your project: Save your six-digit registration code from the confirmation email.
- Pick up your cleanup kit (if needed): Between September 2 – October 12. Keep your registration code handy – you’ll need to provide it to staff at the kit pick-up location.
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, or submit a request online at ottawa.ca/en/311. – Councillor Glen Gower
These young men need to have hobbies, be in sports, volunteer in the community instead of doing
this type of damage to our community and its people.