Monthly Meeting
May 6, 1996
Attendees:
- Fred McLennan, President
- Alan Asselstine, Vice-President
- Ken Donnelly, Community Development
- Nancy Seaby, Community Development
- Fred Winters, Recreation
- Peter Vasdi, Memberships
- Sue Taylor, Representative for Coady Coop
- Wendy Stewart, RMOC Councillor
- Karin Howard, City Ward 0T8 Councillor
- Bruce Peever, Reporter for The News – Hunt Club/Riverside
- Art Miskew, Director at large
- Riley Brockington, Director, Riverside Park Community and Recreation Association
- Jill Hopkins, General Vanier Lighthouse Program
- Randy Ford, Coady Coop, Hunt Club
Regional Councillor, Wendy Stewart, reported on the following: Hunt Club – Rideau Bridge stormwater management facility tries to treat water throughout the time period when it is not covered in ice; even though the Region is mandated to treat water only during the swimming season. Corporate review of every Regional program and service is being driven by possible further reduction in provincial transfer payments later this year. Report and recommendations to be available later in May. Regional materials management function that was previously done by the City, will now be done by the Region. Youth program funding. Non-profit community agencies should submit project outlines to apply for funding to meet special needs of low-income youth aged 12 to 19. Deadline for submission (to the Region’s Social Services Department) is 28 Jun 96. Status of provincial housing policy. Region has decided to wait until Province reviews its role in housing before taking any action. Hunt Club Road/Airport Parkway interchange (see below). New leaf and yard waste program (see below). Purchase of road maintenance services from Vanier and Ottawa (see below). Extra help for residents in need (see below). Workfare (see below). Call Wendy’s office for more information.
City Ward 0T8 Councillor, Karin Howard, reported on the following: The Howard Report for 1995. Summary of work items, progress made in 1995, opinion survey results (500-600 responses from 20,000 questionnaires sent out), and work plan for 1996, are available from Karin’s office. Wading pools and outdoor rinks. Comments from Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association meeting 20 Mar and related meeting at City Hall on 18 Mar to be compiled into a report. Because of public feedback, City may recommend cost-saving options other than closing these services. 1996 work programs. Draft Work Programs for the Economic Development, Housing and Planning Branches, available from Karin’s office. City road maintenance fact sheets available from Karin’s office. Parking Control Courtesy Notice Programs (PC-CNP) report available. Report recommends a courtesy ticket be issued to tourists instead of fine. May reduce City’s revenue by some $40,000. Deadline for comments to City is 24 May; final report to go before Community Services and Operations Committee on 12 June. Contact Martha Boyle at 244-5300, ext. 3204 for further information. – Performance measurement report (dated 1 May) available from Karin’s office. Comments appreciated. Final report to go before Policy, Priorities and Budgeting Committee on 30 May. – 655 Walkley road (at corner of Riverside Dr.) being converted from rental units to private ownership. Application to go before Planning and Economic Development on 28 May. – Spring cleaning. City is encouraging, and supporting, individual communities to do their own cleanups (also see below). – Summer camps and programs. Your City of Activity guide available as of 5 May to give information about summer camps and upcoming programs. Supporting Neighborhood Services. A drop-off service box will be available at the RCC and fire halls in the near future. Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan (see below). Heron/Walkley corridor lands (see below). Draft Z2020 zoning bylaw (see below). Royalton Town Homes at corner of Uplands/Paul Anka being converted from rentals into town homes (see below). For city-related issues, call Karin’s office.
On/off ramps at Hunt Club and the Airport Parkway: Ramps are in preliminary design phase. This includes firming up cost estimates, and conducting public hearings (in fall). Work is expected to go to tender in fall 96, and be completed in summer 97 Call Peter Vasdi for more information.
New leaf and yard waste program: Biweekly collection, on blue box days, from 15 Apr to mid-Oct 96. Weekly collection from mid-Oct to mid-Nov 96. Waste should either be in open empty-able containers, or in compostable bags. Waste put out in plastic bags will not be picked up. Composting is encouraged. Region has team of compost “doctors” to visit homes and conduct composting workshops.
Purchase of road maintenance services from Vanier and Ottawa: Region has, in the past, paid Ottawa and Vanier to maintain regional roads within their boundaries. Based on the experience of other regions and cities being able to save up to 30% in costs, Region is now tendering these services to the public. Some outstanding issues that will need to be ironed out: City may need to let go of about 60 people previously employed to do this service. City will also have a backlog of equipment that may no longer be needed. There are some 2500 intersections between Regional and City roads, and there will need to be clarification as to who will be responsible for maintaining (plowing) those intersections and to what criteria. Up until now, residents needed to call only one phone number to inquire about road maintenance; from now on, there may be two numbers, one for regional roads and one for City roads. Residents will also need to be aware of which road is regional or city. Call Wendy Stewart for more information.
Extra help for residents in need: Region approved an additional $40,000 for regional food banks. Region will continue to develop criteria for funding. Region approved a one-time 100% subsidy of Trillium drug program deductibles for low-income people who formerly qualified for drug benefits. Expected reforms to the drug program should make it more affordable by next year. Call Wendy Stewart for more information.
Workfare: On 22 May, Regional Council will decide whether to send the Province the message that it rejects workfare, but, before doing so, the Region wants community feedback. Any community or Regional action at this point will have little or no chance of influencing the Province’s current decisions on workfare. However, community response can always be useful in guiding the implementation of political decisions. General feeling from HCCO members and guests was that the term “workfare” encompasses a spectrum of possible activities, and it is not the concept, but its implementation, that needs to be looked at. Workfare, if implemented, should be monitored to ensure that it meets its goals. The cost of this monitoring, and of the program, should not be more than existing or other solutions. The cost of administering workfare is to rest with the municipality. The program should give people dignity and opportunity, not “punish” them for not working. Any work done should be given value, and paying money for that work is one way of giving it value. Not paying for work done can indicate that the work is “worthless”, unless work is educational or otherwise benefits the person working. Those participating in the program should be made to feel good about doing whatever work they are assigned. Call Alan Asselstine for more information.
Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan: Hunt Club to receive a full neighborhood plan. Plan is to address shared concerns with Riverside Park, such as traffic, recreation, environment. Karin indicated that Windsor Park (south of Hunt Club Rd., just east and west of Uplands Dr.) now in Gloucester, is interested in getting involved in the Hunt Club community, which is in Ottawa. Neighborhood plan should include this area, especially because early community feedback would be useful if the area west of Uplands decided to build a commercial node such as Confederation Heights. Proposed plan also includes the South Keys Mall. If this area is part of the study, then Hunt Club could plan to put the library in the mall, which may be more feasible than having a library in the Hunt Club mall area. OBE area on Uplands and Cahill (now wooded) is not currently to be part of the study. It is still reserved for a future school. HCCO moved to include that area, and all areas in Hunt Club, as part of the study. Senior planner, Jeff Hunter, is invited to attend the next HCCO meeting. Call Karin’s office for more information.
Protecting our green spaces – Z2020 bylaw and other efforts: Table being prepared to highlight how the new proposed Z2020 zoning bylaw, published Nov 95, differs from the previous zoning bylaw. City is delaying deadlines for the Z2020 until wider public consultation can be done. Karin intends to organize workshops in all areas to review the new bylaw. Once table is completed, Karin plans to set a date for the Riverside Park workshop. Call Bill Royds for more information.
Protecting our green spaces – Heron/Walkley corridor lands: Ridgemont Community Association plans a rally to focus attention on their opposition to a proposed zoning amendment to allow for high-density development on these lands. Rally scheduled for 2-4pm Sat 11 May at ball diamond at Walkley and Albion. Obtain flyers from Karin Howard. City is working closely with NCC to identify alternate locations for the development. Discussed the trade-off between denser development on less land vs. urban sprawl. Focus on good planning. HCCO signed a City motion to rezone the Heron/Walkley lands to protect the green space until City has established and protected the minimum Greenway System. Call Karin’s office for more information.
Protecting our green spaces – NCC land corridor between McCarthy Rd. and Riverside Dr.: Some 84 Coady Coop members signed a petition to protect this area from development, and submitted the signed petition to the City and the Region for consideration. They have volunteered to petition the whole community, if required. Call Sue Taylor for more information.
Victoria Day celebrations and fireworks at Pauline Vanier Park, 1025 Harkness Ave., north of Walkley between Banks St. and Riverside Dr.: General Vanier School’s Lighthouse Program has been organizing this event each year. The 1995 (this year’s) celebration on 20 May will still go ahead. However, because of costs and cutbacks, they are looking for donations to cover the cost of this event; otherwise, it could be cancelled for future years. Many people from the Hunt Club area attend this event, which includes BBQs, concession stands, face painting, petting zoo, popcorn, steel band, the fireworks, and many other attractions. They are also looking for a total of some 15-20 volunteers to help man the booths and sell food and other items, like glow wands. Food shifts are from 6-7:30pm and 7:30-9pm; other sales begin at 8pm. People interested should contact Jill Hopkins by 13 May, or at least enough in advance so that she can plan and organize the effort. For the long term, in the fall Jill would like to organize a working committee to help finance and manage the Victoria Day event on an ongoing basis, and is solliciting volunteers to be part of this committee. Every year the RPCRA splits the yearly deficit with the Lighthouse Program. Last year, the RPCRA’s contribution was $650. Wendy Stewart has secured a $200 contribution from East Ottawa Optimists, and donated $100 from her office budget. The HCCO will look at its budget and see if and how much or what effort it could contribute – at next meeting. Call Alan Asselstine for more information.
Royalton Town Homes at 3255 Uplands Dr. being changed from coop rental units to freehold: It turns out that there are enough parking spaces in the existing configuration to meet bylaw requirements, and that the change benefits both landlord, existing residents, future homeowners, and the community; therefore the City has approved the application. Call Alan Asselstine for more information.
Tree planting along the renovated Hunt Club Road, and greening other areas of Hunt Club: HCCO passed a motion to work with the Region to identify areas, perhaps along the expanded Hunt Club Road, where trees and vegetation can be planted to enhance our neighborhood. Call Peter Vasdi for more information.
Spring cleaning: Was held on Sat 4 May, instead of on 11 May, because volunteers from the National Capital Commission Churches were available on 4 May. Ken Donnelley compliments the City on its support: promptness, supplies, registration. 16 people turned up. In 1-1/2 hour, they cleaned up the land around the RCC, which resulted in 26 bags of garbage. Call Ken Donnelly for more information.
16. Confederation Heights waste water treatment plan: Open house at the RA Centre on Riverside Dr. on 5-7pm Wed 12 Jun; to be followed by a public meeting 7-9pm. Open house will have engineers, botanists, biologists available to discuss wastewater treatment options with public. Call Bill Royds for more information.
17. Misc. items: Regional development strategy and infrastructure strategy open house on 20 Jun. Donation to aid the Fielding Falcons – to be discussed at next meeting. Call Fred McLennan for more information.
Next HCCO meeting is Mon 3 Jun at 7:30 p.m. at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre at the corner of Paul Anka and McCarthy. Anyone is welcome. Call Fred McLennan for more information.