River Ward City Councillor Maria McRae's Report to Hunt Club Community
Organization 3 May 2010
Hunt Club Community Pathway Environmental Study Update
The Ministry of the Environment has no record of any Part II (bump up) order requests and
therefore the City can proceed to the next step of this project.
City staff are now in the two-stage Request for Quotation/Request for Proposal (RFQ/RFP)
engineering consultant selection process. The RFQ closing date is May 6, 2010. Following the
RFQ closing date, staff will review the submissions and put together a shortlist of engineering
consultants for the RFP Stage.
Official Opening of the Expanded Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre
I am pleased to invite you and your neighbours to attend the Official Opening of the Expanded
Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre. Please join residents of our community, City of
Ottawa staff, local school principals, teachers and staff and other special guests, for a
complimentary B.B.Q, music, cotton candy and tours of your expanded and renovated Centre.
Your Centre offers one-stop shopping for many programs and services.
Event details are as follows:
Date: Friday, May 7, 2010
Time: 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
5:00 to 5:30 p.m. Formal Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. B.B.Q.
5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Enjoy the music, tour your Centre, have fun!
Place: Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre, 3320 Paul Anka Drive
Annual Community Safety and Crime Prevention Meeting
I welcome you to join me at my Annual Community Safety and Crime Prevention meeting:
Date: Monday, May 10, 2010
Time: Visit Displays 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Presentations and Q&A 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Hunt Club/Riverside Park Community Centre, 3320 Paul Anka Drive
You will have the opportunity to address community safety and crime prevention issues that are
important to you and to learn more about services available to you.
Fire Hydrant Testing
This summer, the City of Ottawa will be testing fire hydrants to ensure they are working
properly. The fire hydrant testing initiative is an ongoing program that is performed each
summer. It takes two years to complete testing of every one of Ottawa's 18,299 fire hydrants.
Between May and September, fire hydrants will be tested in the central/east and the south/west
areas of the City. Flushing water through the hydrants at a very high flow rate checks their
operation and flow capacity.
Due to weather and some hydrants that may need repair, it isn't possible to predict the exact day a
crew will be in your neighbourhood. However, a flyer will be delivered to your home to advise
you that testing will be done on your street in the near future. The City's water information line at
613-560-6089 will be updated daily with the streets that will be tested on that day.
Although fire hydrant testing is a routine maintenance procedure, it may temporarily
inconvenience residents in nearby homes. Discharging water at a high flow rate during testing
disturbs sediments in the water distribution system. As a result, during and immediately after
testing, brown or rust-coloured water may temporarily flow out of your taps. It is important to
remember that discoloured water is not harmful to your health, however, since it can stain
clothing and linens, it's best to purge it out of your water system.
Hydrant testing can also reduce regular water pressure. Reduced water pressure should only be
intermittent while the hydrants are being tested. Your water pressure will return to normal when
the testing is complete.
While hydrants are being flushed on your street, it's advisable to turn off your taps for about 20
minutes and not do laundry or run the dishwasher. When work crews have left the area, turn on
one of your cold-water taps for a few minutes to flush out the pipes until the water runs clear.
OC Transpo Rack and Roll
On April 18, 2010, OC Transpo introduced the return of Rack&Roll service for cyclists. Bike
racks will be installed on more than 350 buses, so cyclists can ride the bus and take their bike
with them. Nine routes, 12, 85, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 106 and 118, are designated Rack&Roll
routes, which have bike racks on most trips.
Integrated Road Safety Program (IRSP)
May Initiative
Speeding and running or rolling through stop signs is the focus of this month=E2=80=99s
Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). STEP is a monthly initiative operated by the
City of Ottawa Integrated Road Safety Program (IRSP). In 2008, 1,671 reportable collisions
occurred at Ottawa stop sign-controlled intersections. These collisions resulted in one death and
456 injuries - 17 of them life-threatening.
Speeding is also a serious issue on Ottawa roads. In 2008, exceeding the speed limit or travelling
too fast for road and weather conditions resulted in 3,592 reportable collisions, resulting in nine
deaths and 990 injuries (55 of those were serious).
Firefighter Summer Camp for Girls
Camp Female Firefighters in Training (FITT) is a weeklong day camp for young women between
the ages of 15 and 19 that runs August 16 to 20, 2010. It is operated in partnership with Ottawa
Fire Services and Fire Service Women of Ontario =E2=80=93 a non-profit association of career
and volunteer women from across Ontario.
Qualified members of Ottawa Fire Services will teach the young women basic firefighting
training as well as team building, basic pump and ladder operations, auto extrication and how to
use a self-contained breathing apparatus.
The cost of the camp is $150. Participants will require steel-toe boots and an OHIP or another
provincial health insurance card. Applications are available on-line to be downloaded, completed
and mailed to the return address that is provided on the form.
Camp FITT provides young women an opportunity to experience first-hand what it takes to be
firefighter =E2=80=93 including physical fitness, being a team-player and possessing a strong
work ethic. And more importantly, it provides them the self-confidence to explore a career in one
of the most reputable public service professions in the world, firefighting.
For more information on Camp FITT, feel free to visit www.ottawa.ca.
Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Program
On April 28, 2010, City Council took a step to further improve pedestrian safety at Ottawa
intersections. The Pedestrian Safety Evaluation Program, a three-year pilot project aimed at
minimizing the frequency and severity of preventable collisions involving pedestrians, was
approved by Council and will review approximately 23 intersections for pedestrian safety.
Community engagement will be a key component in all phases of the program as City staff assess
safety issues and risks at identified intersections. Donald Street and the Vanier Parkway; and
Carling Avenue and Holland Avenue will be the first intersections reviewed. Funds are already
allocated within the Safety Improvement Program Capital Budget.
Half-price Parking for Motorcycles and Scooters
Motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts can once again park for half of the regular parking price at
Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West (enter from Laurier Avenue or from Elgin Street at
Nepean Street) and 70 Clarence Street in the ByWard Market. The motorcycle and scooter
parking area in the ByWard Market, which officially opened last year, has a separate entrance
with a Pay and Display machine and 31 motorcycle/scooter-sized parking spaces. Spaces at the
City Hall parking garage are not configured specifically for motorcycles and scooters, however
visitors to City Hall, or those accessing the many restaurants and attractions nearby, can take
advantage of the half price fee.
The convenient half-priced parking is intended to encourage use of smaller, fuel-efficient forms
of transportation.