Another week has swiftly passed, and with that, Councillor Glen Gower shares some upcoming events and news from the community. This week, the Councillor is seeking nominations for the Stittsville Volunteer Awards; shares some good news for those 70+ and vaccines; extends a huge thank you to Karrie Thomas; provides information and public meetings for new developments in Stittsville; reminds that Cleaning the Capital registration is open; and his views on Ottawa’s Official Plan.
Call for nominations – Stittsville Volunteer Awards
Do you know a person, business or community group going above and beyond to make a difference in Stittsville? We want to hear about them! The Stittsville Volunteer Awards are an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the dedication of volunteers in our community. Nominations are now open in six different categories. Nominations must be received by email at the end of day on April 30, 2021, and the awards celebration will take place online on June 3, 2021. More info…
Vaccinations continue for ages 70+ in our community
I was very thankful to get a tour of the new Kanata/Stittsville vaccination clinic at Eva James Memorial Centre from Ottawa Public Health last week, along with Mayor Jim Watson and my west end city council colleagues. Thousands of people have already received vaccinations at this location, and the City will continue to add more capacity as more vaccines are made available for the province.
The vaccine roll-out hasn’t been perfect, but it is picking up speed. Last week a problem with the Provincial booking system meant that some people were double-booked for appointments – however City staff quickly put a shuttle system in place and every person with an appointment received their vaccine as planned.
We also need to see a ramp up in vaccine availability from the Feederal and Provincial governments. Ottawa Public Health and the City of Ottawa have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people each day, but we can only do that if we receive the vaccines. I’d also like to see the pharmacy vaccination program expanded into the Ottawa area.
I’ll continue to provide updates via email, web site, and social media each week as more information becomes available.
Cleaning the Capital / le Grand ménage
Early registration continues for the 2021 Cleaning the Capital campaign, running from April 15 to May 15. The campaign is a citywide event that brings together communities, neighbours and friends to help keep Ottawa clean and green. Select a location, such as a park, ravine, shoreline, bus stop or pathway – any public area that requires litter pickup or graffiti removal. Visit ottawa.ca/clean or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) to register your cleanup.
Thank you Karrie & volunteers!
Last week I dropped in on Karrie Thomas to present her with a certificate signed by me and Mayor Watson in recognition of her volunteer work with “Sewing for Ottawa”. Thanks to the efforts of Karrie and her team, over 1,450 sewers have donated more than 40,000 scrub caps, headbands, gowns, and other non-medical supplies for front-line workers, children, and vulnerable sector organizations. Thank you and congratulations Karrie for your exemplary community service!
Local Development…
1837 Maple Grove
The City has received a subdivision and zoning by-law amendment application from Mattamy Homes for 1837-1849 Maple Grove Road for 90 townhomes (28 three-storey townhomes and 62 three-storey, back-to-back townhomes). I am very glad to see that Mattamy will be retaining the two 19th century stone buildings on the property. Patrick Hartin House (pictured above) was built around 1886, and the smaller stone cottage was built around 1851, one of the only buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1870. Read more…
5725 Fernbank
The City of Ottawa is holding a Public Meeting on Wednesday April 7, 2021 at 6:00 pm via Zoom for this Plan of subdivision and rezoning application. The proposed residential subdivision will include approximately 600 new homes consisting of 206 detached houses, 261 townhouses, and 130 back-to-back townhouses. It’s the next phase of CRT Development’s Westwood neighbourhood. Read more…
6111 Hazeldean Road
We’re hosting an information session about this application on Thursday, April 15 at 7:00pm via Zoom for this Site Plan Control application. The City has received an application to construct four commercial buildings (a Halo car wash, a Mr. Lube, a drive-through Starbucks and a commercial/retail building). Read more…
Improving Ottawa’s Official Plan
Several community groups in Ottawa are asking to delay the adoption of our new Official Plan (OP) by two or three years, I have to ask: have they read our current Official Plan? If a city’s official plan is the vehicle that gets it from the present moment to the future, then our current plan is an old used car with a dangling muffler, peeling paint, and an empty tank of gas (for the cyclists out there, it’s an 18-speed bike with only three speeds that work, worn-out brakes, and a popped tube).
Our last official plan was adopted by council 18 years ago. It was the first official plan after amalgamation, which meant its main task was to herd together a bunch of plans from a group of former municipalities. It’s now 2021 and Ottawa is a very different place. We simply can’t rely on the plan we have to take us any further because it isn’t built for the job. Read more…
Keep in touch with Councillor Gower by following him on Twitter, Facebook or visit his website. You can also send comments, questions or concerns in an email to glen.gower@ottawa.ca or give his office a call at 613-580-2476.