River Ward City Councillor Maria McRae's Report to Hunt Club Community Organization 5 November 2009

Hunt Club Road In-Service Safety Review Update

The Transportation Committee will address the Hunt Club Road In-Service Safety Review on October 7, 2009. Staff identified the following items as measures to improve road safety:

Public Consultation on Lansdowne Live Partnership Plan

Upon receipt of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) on September 2, 2009, City Council directed further public consultation on the proposed plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park. Public meetings were organized throughout the city during the past two weeks. Consultation sessions will run from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

At these public meetings, you will be presented with information and exhibits that describe the key elements of the LPP. City staff and other subject matter experts in green space development, parking and traffic management, finance, and so on, will also be available to receive input from residents and answer any specific questions. You are encouraged to voice your opinions, comments and questions, all of which will be recorded by City staff and incorporated into the final report on the consultations. In so doing, the final consultation report produced will include information and input from all the consultations.

As Chair of the City's Transportation Committee, working with the Chair of the Transit Committee, I have scheduled a Special Joint Meeting of Transportation Committee and Transit Committee Meeting on October 8, 2009 to address Lansdowne Park Partnership Transportation and Transit Strategy. In addition, on October 6, 2009 the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee will meet to address the financial aspects of the Plan.

From September 28 to October 11, 2009, you are encouraged to participate in e-consultations hosted by Nanos Research. You can access e-consultation information and discussion on www.ottawa.ca

2010 Budget Process

The City has finalized key dates and a new inclusive process for developing the 2010 Budget. The new process for the 2010 Budget strengthens the role of Standing Committees and provides additional public consultation opportunities. An updated Council Strategic Plan Report and a Service Excellence Report, which will include recommendations for strategic investments in technology and resident service improvements, will be included in the 2010 Budget development.

For the first time, preliminary budgets will be released to the public in advance of Standing Committee meetings. A budget briefing will be held for Councillors, the media and the public the same day the budget is released. Throughout October and November 2009, Standing Committees will review strategic direction and challenge preliminary budget pressures within their respective operating and capital budgets. In addition, Standing Committees will have an opportunity to:

On November 17, 2009, the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee will review Standing Committee budgets, hear public delegations and table a draft Budget with Council on December 9, 2009. On January 25, 2010, Council will meet as the Committee of the Whole to hear public delegations, debate and finalize the 2010 Budget.

As Chair of the City's Transportation Committee, I am working closely with my committee colleagues to review and challenge the budgets for the departments under my responsibility, with the goal of finding savings for the taxpayer. I am also the Chair of the Audit, Budget and Finance Sub-Committee of the Ottawa Police Services Board, which will allow me the opportunity to work closely with staff from the Ottawa Police Service to find cost saving opportunities.

The Ottawa Police Services Board and Ottawa Public Library Board will undergo separate budget reviews and will present their budgets to Council on December 9, 2009.

Green Bin Program in River Ward

For many years, several Hunt Club communities participated in a Pilot Program regarding organics recycling. The citywide roll-out of the green bin program will officially begin in January 2010. Ottawa's green bin program is a new recycling initiative that involves collecting residential organic waste and turning it into compost. Green bins were distributed in River Ward throughout September and pick-up will begin in January 2010. You and your neighbours will find that using the green bin is an easy way to extend the life of local landfills, reduce greenhouse gases and make a genuine difference to our environment.

Aside from garden and yard waste, the green bin will take all food-related waste, including meat, bones, diary, cooking oils, used kleenex, food-soiled paper products like greasy, cheesy pizza boxes, and more. In fact it can be as simple as replacing the garbage can in your kitchen with the organics kitchen container as kitchen scraps will amount to mostly organic waste.

In order to promote awareness about the Green Bin Program The City has also established a Ground Crew who will knock on each door and help answer any questions that you may have about the program. For more information, please visit www.greenbinottawa.ca.

H1N1 Brief

The City has the necessary plans, partnerships and resources in place to respond to this fall's expected busy flu season. Below are the best methods to prevent the spread of the flu:

There will be sufficient vaccine for everyone who wishes to be immunized. The vaccine will initially be distributed to those people with existing health conditions and seniors since they are at greater risk of developing complications from the H1N1 virus.

Ottawa Public Health will launch 9 free seasonal flu clinics over a four-week period for seniors 65 years of age and older. The free clinics start on October 10, 2009. Seniors are asked to bring their Ontario Health card to receive the flu shot.