Somerset Ward mailer volume 13: vacant unit tax, streets for people, Dundonald Park and Happy Pride!

I hope you are taking advantage of the waning days of summer. I am definitely enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures, though I always dread the slow march toward the dark evenings of the fall and winter. After a short break, council meetings and committees are back at it, and I wanted to give you an update on some issues that we have been discussing in the community and at City Hall.

You may have heard that yesterday, council voted to keep the Vacant Unit Tax, while also improving the declaration process. In its first year, the VUT collected $10 million that will be put toward building and maintaining affordable housing in our city. We are already starting to see the VUT work as an incentive in Somerset Ward, with some owners of long-neglected properties finally moving forward on developing them into housing.

With approximately 6,000 homes deemed vacant and more than 10,000 households on the wait list for affordable housing, it only makes sense to incent landlords to fill empty properties with people. And the revenue from the VUT will help our most vulnerable neighbours find a place to live – a win/win for our community.

I did quite a few media interviews this week, largely focusing on creating people-friendly streets, and the splash pad that will be built in Dundonald Park next summer. In both cases, I underscored the need for and value of community engagement. We all have a sense of ownership and pride over our public spaces in Centretown. My goal is to find as many forums as possible to listen to the community and come up with the best ideas to animate our streets and revitalize our parks.

The Engage Ottawa survey for the Dundonald Park splash pad will go online shortly. In the meantime, feel free to email our office with ideas that you may have for capital improvements for the park. This could include things like water fountains, misting stations, ping pong tables, improved lighting and more comfortable seating. We have heard loud and clear that residents want to ensure that the tree canopy at Dundonald is protected, that the park is made more accessible, and that any improvements must respect the park’s storied history and heritage. Please do reach out about what you want to see there, we are listening.

In a similar vein, I am always eager to hear from residents and businesses about streets that you want to see slowed down or pedestrianized. As you know, I have been a vocal supporter of the pedestrian use of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, and our office supported other smaller-scale pedestrianization/patio projects, on Somerset, Frank and Flora streets. If there is a project you would like to work on with my office, get in touch!

Bank Street will be open to people this weekend, for the Capital Pride march and street fair. I hope to see you there, as we stand against hate and celebrate the ferocity, determination and diversity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Warmly,

Ariel

Ariel and Tess from the Ward 14 office at the launch of Capital Pride this week

March with Councillor Troster at Pride on Sunday!

Councillor Troster will be marching with Ottawa Public Health in the Capital Pride parade on Sunday. She will also be at the Trans March on Friday evening, the Dyke March rally on Saturday morning and the Family Pride Zone at Dundonald Park throughout the weekend. If you see her, say hi! And check out the full list of programming. Let’s show up to rally against hate, celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and enjoy some amazing music, dance and drag performances.

The Ottawa Public Health staging area is at Laurier Avenue between Nicholas St and Elgin St under area code A96. Please arrive between 12:30pm - 12:45pm.

Ottawa Public Health reminds eligible residents to get vaccinated against mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) would like to remind eligible residents at risk of contracting mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) to complete a two-dose vaccination series of Imvamune® as soon as possible. This reminder comes as OPH is following up with two individuals who recently tested positive for mpox in Ottawa. No individuals in Ottawa have tested positive for mpox since October 2022. It is believed the infections were acquired locally.

Anyone can contract mpox. Currently, most affected by mpox are men who have sex with men. There is a vaccine to prevent the acquisition of mpox. To find out who is eligible to receive a two-dose series of the Imvamune® vaccine and to book an appointment for vaccination, please visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca/MPOX.

725 Somerset St West Public Meeting

Join us on September 12 at 6:30 for a virtual public meeting for the proposed development at 725 Somerset St W. A new residential building is proposed for the site with ground floor retail.

Learn more and RSVP here.

1010 Somerset on Engage Ottawa

The city is looking for your feedback on the draft concept plan for a proposed array of elements for a complete integrated and sustainable community hub. Anchored close to the Plant Recreation Complex and the O-Train tracks, north of the Corso Italia station, the intention is to develop a destination community, integrated with the residential development by Ottawa Community Housing to the south. Please note that the proposed site plan is subject to change based on community feedback – please share your thoughts.

You can learn more and provide your feedback online here.

Latest posts

Construction season begins, zoning bylaw updates, new tree program, culture plan review, and more!

You know what they say, there are two seasons in Canada: winter and construction. And just as all the snow is finally drying up, you can expect to see cranes, diggers and other heavy equipment all over Centretown. Living through construction can be enormously frustrating, but the benefits of major infrastructure investments in the downtown core will improve our quality of life for generations.

Concerns in Chinatown, Centretown Drain Heroes, school boundary changes, and more!

I have been hearing a lot from people in Chinatown, who are very concerned about a dramatic increase in public drug use over the last two weeks. Two issues have really created a perfect storm – one where the cause and the solution are entirely in the hands of the provincial government.

Open Letter to the OCDSB Board of Trustees in re: Elementary Program Review

To the OCDSB Board of Trustees:

As you can imagine, I have heard from many parents and members of Centretown school communities on the impact that the proposed new elementary boundaries would have on their families. This is not a matter of municipal jurisdiction, and I respect that both OCDSB staff and trustees must make difficult and often unpopular decisions.

I am also aware that this is all happening in a climate of austerity, where decades of underfunding have left our school communities in increasingly precarious positions, limiting the ability to substantially respond to many of the challenges we see in our schools.

I would be curious to know why the board has chosen to only hold in-person consultations outside of the urban core, given the profound impacts that the school boundary proposal has on urban families, as well as the board’s expansive portfolio of available spaces within downtown Ottawa.

While I have heard from community members on a range of issues, and profoundly empathize with the challenges that this review poses for their families, I’ll confine my comments to issues that intersect with my position as a city councillor representing Somerset Ward.

The key theme I’ve heard about from families is about the walk to school. One of the things that brought me to Centretown years ago was the idea that my child would be able to get to school on foot or on a bicycle. In my time as a councillor, I’ve worked with families at Devonshire who loved that their kids could walk an easy 400m to school, but wanted to make sure all students were safe as possible crossing Preston and Somerset. We were able to secure a crossing guard for this intersection, but it took a long time.

The reality is that the Ottawa Safety Council simply will not have the resources to meet the need for crossing guards at the many major intersections that children in my neighbourhood are being directed to cross. I’m especially concerned about the traffic safety concerns that children who are being redistricted to Mutchmor from Devonshire will see, having to cross Preston, Carling, and Bronson.

I’m hearing from parents that the new route is something they would not feel comfortable sending their school-age children to walk or bike since it crosses three major streets. While Carling and Bronson will eventually be re-constructed by the city, we’re still years away from these projects being designed, funded, and built. Moving them up the list would still leave us years away from the kind of structural safety improvements that would make the kind of changes that would make parents feel safer sending their kids to school on foot.

Our Official Plan and our Transportation Master Plan support the expansion of active modes of transportation, including walking and biking. I have heard from many parents who love that Devonshire provides them with the opportunity to foster their child’s independence by sending them to bike or walk to school, either on their own or as part of a bike bus.

I’m very concerned that the impacts of this review in Ward 14 would put more kids on school buses or in cars, not fewer. This would seem to run counter to the boundary review’s stated goals—to mitigate socioeconomic disparity across schools, to keep kids in their communities and to bring high quality French and English education to every neighbourhood.

Regardless of the choices that trustees take, I want to be sure that the concerns in my community are fairly accounted for in the review and we that can reach a consensus. It seems that MPP Catherine McKenney’s request that the boundary for Devonshire be moved from the LRT to Preston Street may help mitigate many of the transportation safety-related concerns that we have both been hearing about.

I would be pleased to discuss any of the feedback I’ve received and wish you luck as you continue to tackle this incredibly challenging issue.

Sincerely,

Ariel Troster

Councillor, Somerset Ward

Somerset Ward mailer volume 13: vacant unit tax, streets for people, Dundonald Park and Happy Pride!

Latest posts

Construction season begins, zoning bylaw updates, new tree program, culture plan review, and more!

Concerns in Chinatown, Centretown Drain Heroes, school boundary changes, and more!

Open Letter to the OCDSB Board of Trustees in re: Elementary Program Review

Take action

Connect with Ariel

About

Information

City Hall