Hi neighbour,
I hope you are enjoying the sunshine today. Thank you to all of you who have already sent letters to Premier Ford and to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, to demand that Ottawa get the funding we need to fight (and eventually solve) chronic homelessness. This is a rare situation where the Mayor, city council and the community sector are aligned. We all agree that #OttawaNeedsMore.
Hi neighbour,
I hope you are enjoying the sunshine today. Thank you to all of you who have already sent letters to Premier Ford and to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, to demand that Ottawa get the funding we need to fight (and eventually solve) chronic homelessness. This is a rare situation where the Mayor, city council and the community sector are aligned. We all agree that #OttawaNeedsMore.
There are lots of opportunities to have your voice heard on city policy right now, including the OC Transpo route review, Ottawa’s wildlife strategy, and Lansdowne 2.0. When citizens participate in these processes, we build a more equitable and vibrant city for everyone.
I am looking forward to next week, when the Planning and Housing Committee will hear from Carolyn Whitzman about a new report that she is releasing with the Alliance to End Homelessness on how Ottawa can scale-up non-profit housing on public land. Brigitte Pellerin gives us a preview in today’s Ottawa Citizen, and I suggest you give it a read.
Hope you have a restful weekend and get a chance to enjoy the weather!
Warmly,
Ariel
–
#OttawaNeedsMore
This week, Ottawa found out that we will be receiving a mere $845,000 increase to our provincial homelessness funding, or just 0.4% of the province’s budget commitment of $202 million dollars. Toronto will be receiving 60 times as much increased funding as Ottawa. Yet, we are the second largest city in Ontario. More than 2,000 people stay in an emergency shelter in Ottawa every night. Our family shelter system is more than 350% over capacity and we now have a waiting list to access emergency shelter, let alone housing.
Council Approves the Transportation Master Plan
This week Council approved part one of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) which includes the policies that will guide decision making on Ottawa’s transportation network over the next two decades. These new policies will address growth, climate change, road safety and complete streets.
You can learn more about the new TMP here.
Open office hours: today from 2-4 pm
Join Councillor Troster today from 2pm- 4pm for open office hours at Drip House (692 Somerset West)! Come and chat about what you want to see in the neighbourhood, issues you've noticed and all things Somerset Ward!
Synapcity: Navigating Our City
Join Councillor Troster this Sunday April 30th from 12 noon to 5pm at Nepean’s Benjamin Franklin Place for Synapcity’s civic education event, Navigating Our City. During the event, citizens will learn how to navigate our civic infrastructure, understand organizations working in the city, and ultimately create positive change in their communities. The event will feature organizations and individuals working hard to create in the city and will end with a panel of City Councilors from across the city. The event will be filmed as part of a new TV Ontario docuseries based on Dave Meslin’s book, Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy From the Ground Up.
Register now to hold your spot!
Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl
The Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl, a three-day event supporting Ottawa’s independent book retailers is starting today and going until April 30th at 5:00pm. Ottawa’s book lover community can collect stamps when they visit Ottawa’s six independent bookstores. After collecting a stamp from each shop, one lucky winner will win $150 to spend at Ottawa’s indie bookstores!
More information about the event can be found here.
Have your say on OC Transpo routes
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant changes to how often and how many customers use transit. Considering this, and the upcoming opening of Stage 2 O-Train extensions, there is a need to review the transit planning principles that are used to shape the bus route network. These principles are things like how far you walk to get to a bus stop, how frequently the bus runs, and the maximum number of people on the bus. Once this review is complete, OC Transpo will have an updated service planning framework. This will guide potential changes to the bus route network in 2024, and beyond, that may be considered in light of changing travel patterns and O-Train expansion.
Garbage disposal reminders for move-out weekend
Move-out weekend for Carleton University and University of Ottawa students is coming up! This can often bring questions about proper waste disposal.
If you’re a tenant who is moving out, please remember that garbage is collected bi-weekly.
Check the online collection calendar at Ottawa.ca/Collection for your pick up day and talk to your landlord to know where to place large furniture for disposal.
Keep items in good condition out of the landfill by giving it away or swapping it for something new. Visit Ottawa.ca/WasteReduction for a list of organizations or search the Waste Explorer to find retailers near you who accept the items.
Wildlife Strategy Review
Human-coyote interactions in urban and suburban settings have continued and now have a higher profile than in 2013. Given that the Wildlife Strategy has not been fully implemented and has been in place for a decade, the City is reviewing the strategy while specifically examining options to address issues with coyotes. The recommended review would determine whether updates or other changes are required to the Wildlife Strategy.
Residents are invited to review the existing Wildlife Strategy and provide feedback on its recommendations and implementation. The public is also asked to complete a short survey to help provide insight on the City’s current Wildlife practices. The survey will remain open until June 30, 2023.
Lansdowne 2.0
The Lansdowne 2.0 project team has developed a robust engagement strategy to ensure that the public gets the chance to voice their ideas, input, and perspectives on the project.
The consultation will last several months and is going to include a series of online and in-person surveys, a newsletter, community consultation workshops, business consultation workshops, as well as a number of pop-up engagement activities. These will provide residents and businesses with the opportunity to learn more about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback.
The first opportunity is the Concept Plan survey for the Lansdowne 2.0 project. The survey is an important step in the public engagement process and residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the project's concept plans.
Imagine living in your apartment for decades, faithfully maintaining your home and paying your rent on time. And then out of nowhere, you get an eviction notice from your landlord, claiming that they need to do extensive renovations and that you must vacate the premises.
“You can't rely on bringing people downtown, you have to put them there.” That is a quote from the great Jane Jacobs from her seminal work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I have been reflecting on that statement a lot lately, as we work to revitalize Ottawa’s downtown core in the face of post-COVID workforce changes.
Last week we hosted a virtual meeting with neighbours to discuss policy initiatives our office has worked on since our community safety meeting last summer and introduced neighbours to service providers from Belong Ottawa, Centre 507 and the Centretown Community Health Centre. These are the slides from our presentation during the meeting.