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The "2000 to 2003 Business Plan & Draft Budget Estimates" document will be tabled on February 14^th at Council. Initial public consultation on the new City’s first Budget will include distribution of information to various facilities as well as the City’s web site. The 2001 Operating Budget will be reviewed from February 15 – March 5, when Standing Committees will begin their reviews. Council review and adoption is scheduled for April 11^th.

The 2001 Capital Budget will be tabled on March 14^th, with consultation lasting until the end of the month, followed by Committee review throughout April and adoption by Council on April 25^th.

Reports dealing with Financing Methods for Municipal Services (Area Rating, Assets and Liabilities, Phase-in) and Capital Works in Progress are also available and will be reviewed and adopted by Council.

December Ridership: December figures show an increase of 7.12% over the same month in 1999, bringing our annual ridership increase to 7% (+80 million riders). As far as the bottom line is concerned, revenues in December were $670,000 above those budgeted for the month, bringing year end in at $2,470,000 above budget.

New Buses Purchased: Council has approved the purchase of 48 new buses for 2001, 30 low-floor articulated and 18 low-floor standards. These will replace some of the Orion articulated buses, increase the active fleet to accommodate growing ridership, and allow us to increase low-floor service including critical Transitway and cross-town routes. Cost not to exceed $27 million, including applicable taxes. Next year’s plan calls for an increase in the overall fleet size from 880 to 893, and an increase in articulated buses in the fleet from 115 to 145. (The need to proceed with replacements is significant. There are still 170 buses over 18 years of age and 32 over 25 years of age in the fleet. Industry standard for useful bus life is 18 years.)

City council went on a bit of a spending spree during a special meeting of Council January 24^th . The majority of council voted to increase their staff and office budgets, creating a $1.6 million increase for the new city’s budget. This breaks down to $187,500 for each councillor, and $750,000 for the Mayor. I voted against the increases for two reasons.

• First, I believe increasing anyone’s budget is premature. We are barely a month into the operation of the new city. We do not know what workloads will be, and while I have had more issues to deal with because of the amalgamation of city and regional responsibilities, it is still unclear what staff I will need to help me handle the extra work.
• Secondly, council was not given adequate opportunity to consult with the community on this issue. By calling a special meeting to deal with the matter, only six hours notice was required for the agenda. Councillors did not receive the report detailing this item until the morning of the meeting. I believe this circumvented the public process.

The bottom line is I don’t think this was the right time, or the right way, to deal with our budgets. I will give it more consideration – and time – before deciding how best to proceed.

Ottawa’s new coat of arms was the subject of much debate at our last council meeting. Council opted to discard the Transition Board recommended design in favour of the former City of Ottawa’s coat of arms, which features a lumberjack and military officer, as well as the motto "Ottawa, Advance! - En Avant."

The general consensus was that the old coat of arms better reflects Ottawa’s rich history and diverse culture than the Transition Board version of a shield and globe with the Latin phrase, "Unitas Prosperitas."

City staff must first consult with the Chief Herald of Canada before the change is implemented.

Initial statistics suggest that fewer motorists are running red lights following the installation of cameras at Ottawa intersections. November 20-December 20 figures show that, on average, a combined total of three vehicles per day were clearly caught on film at the two local intersections equipped with cameras. Owners were subsequently issued with offence notices. An independent evaluation of the results is being undertaken to determine the program’s overall effectiveness of the program.

Biosolids are generated as a byproduct of processing municipal sewage, septage and industrial discharges at the City’s wastewater treatment plant. Solids removed from sewage during the physical treatment of wastewater are combined with solids removed during biological treatment, then stabilized in digesters where organic matter is destroyed and pathogens reduced. Stabilization occurs when anaerobic bacteria break down organic matter to methane gas and carbon dioxide – producing a dark, nutrient-rich material called biosolids.

Currently, half the biosolids produced are spead on agricultural land as fertilizer supplement and half are used as cover material at a landfill site. A comprehensive review of these practices is underway, which will include identification and assessment of alternative technologies and the establishment of a long-term biosolids management strategy that incorporates stakeholder input.

I attended a public open house/workshop on January 16^th in the village of Manotick. Land application as fertilizer appears to be popular with the agriculture sector, while rural residents are concerned with health and safety. For more information on this subject, please contact the City’s Biosolids Information line at 580-2424, ext 23257.

Parks Canada, an agency of the Department of Canadian Heritage, is currently reviewing its management plan for the Rideau Canal, and inviting public comment.

The purpose of the management plan is to provide a strategic guide for the management of this national historic site. Priorities include ensuring commemorative integrity, protecting the natural values of the Canal, creating a guide for appropriate public use of the canal, and ensuring the application of cultural resource management principles and practice.

If you wish to have a copy of the draft plan, visit their web site.

Kudos to the National Hockey League Players Association, the Ottawa Police Youth Centre and Christie Lake Camp volunteers for putting together a program to buy hockey equipment for local kids. Former players Mike Garner and Kris King joined Rob Zamuner and Jason York from the Ottawa Senators in handing out skates, sticks and other equipment to 120 local children and youth who might not otherwise have an opportunity to participate in the sport of hockey.

The City of Ottawa is a proud partner in this program and is pleased to see recreational activities expand to involve those from all income levels.

Carlington’s Neighbourhood Police Officers have developed a workplan to assess options for effective community service following the closure of the Westgate Community Police Centre last fall. One option, of course, is to re-open in a new location. The Police have asked for some leeway in assessing other options that they feel might provide a better level of service to our neighbourhood. This will be carried out with guidance from a working group comprised of key stakeholders from Carlington and the surrounding area. Consultation sessions with the public will be advertised.

If you would like to participate or be kept informed, please let me know.

As part of the City’s current tree maintenance program, trees are trimmed on a planned cycle. This year the east side of Riverside Drive, from Heron Road southerly will be done, commencing February 5^th.

Work crews will be going down each street and trimming city owned trees in the road allowance (on people’s front lawns) that are in need of trimming. A chipper and truck will come behind them and chip up the cut branches, usually within two days of the work being performed.

Prior to this work being done, residents should receive a notice in their mailbox, advising of the planned work and containing the phone number of the tree maintenance supervisor, should you have any questions.

Last fall, the RMOC put out a call for proposals seeking projects to address homelessness using funds provided from Regional housing reserves and the provincial government. In addition, this year the federal government announced funding of $17.1 million to be spent before March 2003.

Two agencies in River Ward to receive funding include: 1132 Merivale Road, $364,000 for the construction of 13 two, three and four-bedroom townhouses and stacked townhouse rental units. (see development proposals report, page 5 ); and a Carlington Community and Health Services project identified as "A Reason to Stay" which will receive $46,000 for two years to fund one half-time salary to work with 50 individuals identified at risk of being homeless.

In another joint effort between federal and municipal governments, 15 Ottawa homeless families were moved out of emergency shelters and motel rooms and into vacant homes on CFB Rockcliffe. By mid-February, up to 35 more homes will be opened up to serve as emergency housing for more homeless families. The federal government has given permission to make good use of these surplus houses, and the City of Ottawa has furnished them with stoves, refrigerators, beds and cooking utensils where necessary. The community has donated appliances, furniture and money. Donations can be made by phoning 724-4199, ext 23761.

1. Medical Centre/Hyperbaric Chamber: Bank and Vancouver: current status - A site plan to move the tank has been submitted to the City of Ottawa that meets the zoning requirements. Fire officials have no objections to the move as it addresses previous Fire Code concerns.
2. Central Park/Ashcroft/Clyde Avenue Holdings: 1241 Clyde Ave. (former DOC lands); current status - The draft plan of subdivision was appealed to the OMB. A dismissal hearing for the appeal is expected in March. A zoning amendment application calls for about 150 homes – ranging in density from singles to townhouses - on this 3.8-hectare site. Planning committee will consider the zoning amendment Feb. 22^nd.
3. Central Park, corner of Caldwell and Merivale: A site plan control proposal that was submitted in January is currently on hold pending submission of hydro plans.
4. 1172 Walkley Road: Application to permit an office or residential development on this vacant site located along the south side of Walkley Road and west of Bank Street. Staff has prepared a report and has recommended proceeding with the re-zoning. A public hearing will be held in conjunction with planning committee’s consideration of this issue Feb. 8.
5. Moffatt Farm (Prince of Wales Drive) as outlined in the January report, NCC officials have indicated an agreement was signed in October with DCR Phoenix for 50 acres of the property, conditional on re-zoning and an official plan amendment. Once the zoning and site plan proposals have been filed with the city, a full consultation process will begin.
6. McCarthy/Cahill West Development - former Ottawa-Carleton District School Board vacant site in the northwest corner of McCarthy Road and Cahill Drive West; current status - Minto Developments Inc. purchased this property and applied in late December to the city to re-zone the area to allow 155 single family homes and 18 townhomes. Minto held a public meeting Jan. 31 to present their plans. The city will conduct its own consultation process to discuss the Draft Plan of Subdivision. Residents are asked to submit their comments to city planner Cheryl Brouillard (244-5300 ext. 1-3392) by March 3^rd. It is important to contact the city if you would like to receive an outline of the proposal and notice of future meetings. Nearby residents will receive notification as per city policy.
7. 1132 Merivale Road: vacant lot at the corner of Merivale and Mayview Avenue; current status - Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation has applied to build 13 two, three and four-bedroom townhouses and stacked townhouse rental units. No re-zoning is required. The city’s Director of Planning has final approval over the site plan. This project will receive funding from the Homelessness Initiatives Fund.

1. Dorothea Drive. Two hearings were held Jan. 18 for this residential street (96 and 157 Dorothea Dr.) where the landowners wanted to demolish their existing homes, divide their property into two lots, and build two new homes on the new lots. The majority of people who contacted my office about this issue were not in favour because they felt subdividing the lots would change the character of the neighbourhood. The applications were dismissed based on residents’ concerns. There is a 20-day appeal period for all committee decisions.
2. 257 Marilyn Ave. (corner of Riverside.) An application from two abutting landowners to convey portions of their property and create a new parcel of land was approved.