Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Issie Berish
• Fred McLennan
• Marilyn Koch
• Christine Johnson
• Sylva Baroody
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
• Marc Rivard

John Sankey: There are two outstanding questions for Councillor Maria McRae: what options do we have to restrict left-hand turns from the T&T parking lot onto Hunt Club Road; what are the present and historical traffic counts at the intersections of HC and Riverside and HC and Prince of Wales
Nichole Hoover: Nicole Espenant had these files but she is no longer working for Councillor Maria McRae. She (Nichole Hoover) will follow up.
Jerry Beausoleil: Has anybody looked at the traffic problem at the intersections? Are there any ways to improve it even slightly?

Christine Johnson: On January 10, the Federation of Citizens Association will have a meeting on transportation. The meeting will take place at the Overbrook Community Centre.

Nichole Hoover: Presented the Councillor’s report.

Motion: To approve the December 2012 minutes. Moved by Sylva Baroody, seconded by Marilyn Koch, carried.

John Sankey: Last meeting we discussed membership fees. Are there further comments?
Peter Brimacombe: $10 is a minimal amount. Anything less is not worth collecting.
Fred McLennan: We have $9000. Why do we need more money?
Christine Johnson: At the next FCA meeting, she will ask the other community associations what are their membership fees.
Issie Berish: We approve the Treasurer’s Report but we don’t approve a budget. The budget should state what we are going to do with the money.

Christine Johnson: The first issue of Hunt Club My Community has now been printed and distributed. Issie Berish was in charge of distribution.
Issie Berish: 90% of the newsletters have been distributed. 3000 copies were printed. Weather and holidays made distribution more difficult.
Christine Johnson: People have been very positive. Every single person thought it was a good idea. We need to charge sponsors $100 instead of $75 in order to cover cost of production of future issues. We have already received two articles: one for Hackett Street and one for Plante Drive for our Spring issue. The next issue is due in April but in the future the issues should be March, June, September and December. She will canvas merchants in the T&T plaza.
John Sankey: A vote of thanks to Christine and Issie for their excellent work.

John Sankey: Thanks to Peter Foulger for his work in wrapping up the accounting. He has prepared a report that shows that the former Treasurer Alan Asselstine paid the items authorized at the November meeting and invested $8600 for a fixed term at the Alterna Bank. Except for the fixed term investment, the regular account at the Alterna Bank has been closed and a new account opened at the TD Canada Trust in the T&T plaza. Cheques and withdrawals must be signed by John Sankey and Peter Fouler.

John Sankey: The City has approved the puddle rink on Uplands Drive. Three volunteers are doing the preparation. A hose from a neighbour’s backyard floods the rink. The City sent a foreman to approve the rink location. He thought that there was a buried hose which could be used next year. We cannot make the rink on the tennis courts this year because they were just resurfaced. There is an outdoor rink for every 3700 people on average throughout the city – until now we had only 2 sites (Owl and McCarthy parks) for our 13,000 residents.

Christine Johnson: There are two areas which would benefit from greater involvement in our larger Hunt Club community. Quinterra is within our official territory and Wisteria is outside it. Wisteria is in Diane Dean’s ward. Christine will be informing her that we have invited them into our community association (organization).

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Citizens Association is an umbrella group that brings together representatives from community associations in Ottawa. It seeks to identify common issues and to be a conduit of thoughts. There should be two representatives from the HCCO so one person has to go only once every two months and to ensure continuity over time for our community.

Next meeting: Monday 4 February 2013 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Marilyn Koch
• Christine Johnson
• Sylva Baroody
• Nicole Espenant, Assistant to the Councillor
• Aija Auzina

John Sankey: Asked that the minutes be approved.

Motion: To approve the November minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Sylva Baroody, carried.

John Sankey: Two questions for Councillor Maria McRae are outstanding from prior meetings.
Nicole Espenant: Nichole Hoover, the Councillor’s assistant is working on them.

Nicole Espenant: Presented the Councillor’s report.
Gisèle Loiselle: She would like the notice for special collections of Hazardous Waste to appear in the Councillor’s report.
Nicole Espenant: The next special collection will be in the spring and the notice will be in the Councillor’s report. Waste Explorer is a web page the City produces. Take It Back is a program whereby retailers accept certain used products.
John Sankey: Foxy Recycle on Baseline accepts electronics and scrap metal:

Christine Johnson: John Sankey, Issie Berish and I have been working on our newsletter Hunt Club: My Community. We have 30 volunteers to distribute the newsletter. We have printing estimates from four companies. UPS on Hunt Club has the best rates: $610.20 for 3000 copies: 2 page, double sided, black and white. This cost should be offset with sponsorships from local businesses. Sponsorships are $75 per issue.

Motion: To allocate $610.20 towards the first issue of our newsletter Hunt Club: My Community. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Sylva Baroody.
John Sankey: He asked questions about the number of sponsors we should expect and how many newsletters we would have each year.
Christine Johnson: We should have 4 issues a year. We have the volunteers to distribute it but need people to write articles. People with ideas can send her an email at editor_hcmc@bell.net
Vote on motion: carried

John Sankey: Our current bank is the Alterna Bank. The interest on our account covers the monthly fees. We want to enforce the rule that all withdrawals and cheques be signed by the President and the Treasurer but at the Alterna Bank you have to be a member to sign. The Scotia Bank at the Metro Plaza has personal accounts for seniors with no fees and no minimum balance so we want to change to it.

Motion: To move our bank account from the Alterna Bank to the Scotia Bank at the Metro Plaza. The account is be a joint account between the President and the Treasurer with both signatures required for all withdrawals. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Christine Johnson, carried.

John Sankey: He has adopted Uplands Park He is organizing a skating rink at the Park. It will be maintained by volunteers. There won’t be any lighting and it will be flooded from a neighbour’s hose. He proposes that the volunteers be covered by the City’s insurance policy. It costs $1 but there is a $500 deductible.

Motion: To apply to the City to provide a skating rink at Uplands Park. Cost of insurance will be $1 to register the skating rink. Volunteers will be covered by the City’s insurance policy but the HCCO is liable for the $500 deductible in the event of a claim. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Sylva Baroody, carried.

Aija Auzina: She is interested in ecological issues, she is looking for like-minded people. She went to the Ecology Ottawa Gala.

Peter Brimacombe: Suggested that membership be raised to $10. $3 is not even a token amount.
Fred McLennan: Resisted the increase. He thought $3 was just fine.
Others suggested raising the membership to $5. Discussion to be continued at future meetings as no decision was made.

Next meeting: Monday, January 7, 2013 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Peter Foulger
• Marilyn Koch
• Christine Johnson
• Issie Berish
• Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Nicole Espenant, Assistant to the Councillor
• Eddie Rwema, The News EMC
• Sylva Baroody

John Sankey: Passed out the agenda and asked for its approval.

Motion: To approve the September minutes as amended. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.

John Sankey: We have applied to adopt three parks. On Uplands Park, John Sankey is the lead; on Erin Crescent, Christine Johnson is the lead; on Paul Landry Park, Peter Foulger is the lead. Christine is also looking at the overall picture.
Christine Johnson: She wants to clean up the area around Sawmill Creek west of Bank Street and north of Hunt Club but the area is not in our ward and it is not officially designated as a park.
Nicole Espenant: She noted that Liz Russell has already adopted McCarthy Road, Plante Drive and Owl Park. The Gateway Program may allow for official recognition of Christine’s effort to clean up the area around Sawmill Creek.
Christine Johnson: Someone has sprayed graffiti on a sign near the path from Twyford to Metro Plaza.
John Sankey: Report it to Service Ottawa

John Sankey: We have asked Marie McRae a number of questions and I would like to go over them tonight. First question, the HCCO passed a motion to restrict left hand turns from T&T onto Hunt Club. What is the status?
Nicole Espenant: The Councillor is working with staff and will have a response soon.
John Sankey: Next question. Do we have the traffic counts on Hunt Club/Riverside and Hunt Club/Prince of Wales?
Jerry Beausoleil: This question was raised over a year ago. Volume of traffic has steadily increased along Hunt Club, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are delayed, traffic is taking Uplands to bypass Hunt Club, extra traffic on Uplands causes safety concerns on Uplands. The City’s response was delayed because a key staff member was occupied with the Lansdowne appeal. A junior staff engineer said that if you considered the two intersections Hunt Club/Riverside and Hunt Club/Prince of Wales as one spot, it was the number 1 accident spot in the City.
Nicole Espenant: The question was raised before she started working for the Councillor. Even so, there has not been enough communication and we will work to to answer your questions. There is a new Transportation Master Plan (TMP) and this should be the target of our efforts.
Jerry Beausoleil: We are impacted by the worsening traffic conditions on Hunt Club Road but we are not in the 5 year plan. We hope the Strandherd Bridge will help but City staff doubt that it will. 2030 is the earliest date when something may be done. Staff have said that they do adjust the timing on traffic lights according to the volume.
John Sankey: There are a few small things that can be done to improve the intersections of Hunt Club/Riverside and Hunt Club/Prince of Wales. The traffic volumes and problems will become more pressing next year when the 417 will connect directly to Hunt Club Road.
Nicole Espenant: The Transportation Master Plan refresh will allow these new ideas to be considered.
Gisèle Loiselle: When emergency vehicles turn on their flashing lights to clear the traffic ahead of them, drivers don’t seem to know what to do. For example they don’t know what lane to be in and they don’t know if they should stop.
John Sankey: Another question: Neighbours have asked him what is the environmental justification for constructing the approaches to the bridge out of big plastic blocks?
Nicole Espenant: The designer Genivar made the decision. She will ask.
John Sankey: Another question: In the last meeting, we asked what is the process to ask for a library branch in our community?
Nicole Espenant: We are the only ward in the City without a branch. Councillor McRae has worked to get a kiosk in the expanded Community Centre. A new branch does not appear to be a priority of the present Council.
John Sankey: So the process is to go to the Councillor and the Library Board where Councillor Jan Harder is the Head.
Christine Johnson: I appreciate the kiosk but there should be a library branch within walking distance, it is something we should keep at the forefront. The kiosk is not really that convenient.
John Sankey: Christine is a former principal and has first hand experience in how reading is encouraged and fostered. In one small way, it should be easy to improve the co-ordination between the Greenboro Library Branch and the Kiosk in the Community Centre. Greenboro delivers books to the Kiosk on Wednesday but prepares the delivery on Thursday so requests are delayed unnecessarily.

Motion: That the HCCO make getting a public library branch in our community a priority. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil.
John Sankey: Most of the material in the Library is copyrighted and so it is not available on the internet.
Issie Berish: Council can provide more direction on how the Library can be accessed. His daughter goes to Bayview where the Bookmobile stops. It’s an excellent service.
Vote on motion: carried.

John Sankey: Another question: What is the process to request a new park? The first criterion is that the property be owned by the City.
Nicole Espenant: The request should be sent to the Councillor who then requests the opinion of staff. The HCCO has sent three requests to Councillor McRae. She has forwarded them to City staff.
John Sankey: Another question: What is the construction south of the Days Inn on Hunt Club Road?
Nicole Espenant: It’s not the Airport Authority. She will follow up with City staff.
John Sankey: Another question: We have tried to promote the idea of a waste container at bus stops provided that a near-by owner adopt it. What does this idea stand?
Nicole Espenant: Waste containers were removed because some households were putting their household garbage out at them. Also there were problems with people walking their dogs putting dog poop in them. The Councillor is meeting with John Manconi, Head of OC Transpo, she will raise the issue then.

Christine Johnson: Marilyn Koch organized a clean-up last Thursday. There were nine ladies from the Aerobics Class, they met at the Community Centre, from there three went down McCarthy to Hunt Club, three went down Paul Anka to Hunt Club and three went down Uplands to Hunt Club. They collected nine bags of garbage not including the cans and bottles they put in blue boxes along the way.
Gisèle Loiselle: The City should clean up the leaves before winter sets in so that in the spring there is no blockage because of them.
John Sankey: If there are specific problems report them to the City.

Christine Johnson: She and Issie Berish have been working on ideas for a community newsletter: we could have articles on the community association (HCCO), progress on adopting Paul Landry Park and the other parks. A library branch in our community, news from the schools. We could showcase members and community groups. Ideas for a banner: “HC Views”, “HC Review”, “It’s Happening in HC”.

John Sankey: Next meeting will be our Annual General Meeting: November 5 at 19:00.

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Peter Foulger
• Marilyn Koch
• Christine Johnson
• Issie Berish
• Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa
• Nicole Espenant, Assistant to the Councillor
• Sylva Baroody

John Sankey: Passed out the agenda and asked for its approval.

Motion: To approve the June minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Issie Berish, carried.

Councillor’s Report
Nicole Espenant: Presented the Councillor’s Report. The completion of the Airport Parkway Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge depends on the pouring of the concrete of the tower. , the first pour should start in the coming weeks. The contractor has done mock-ups of the bridge to make sure the construction is completed successfully.
John Sankey: The pouring will be done in two stages: the first pour must cure for 30 days, then the second pour which must cure for 30 days and then the upper deck can be completed. There is not enough time to complete the bridge this year.
Christine Johnson: She asked about a relative comparison of time needed for completion of similar bridge projects. For instance how long did it take to complete the Corkstown Bridge over the Rideau Canal?
John Sankey: This bridge is more advanced in design than any built before in Ontario.

General Discussion
Peter Brimacombe: Said that the water bags around young trees probably saved them from the drought this summer. He asked about progress on the sink hole on Highway 174 and asked about the digging project at Walkley and McCarthey.

Christine Johnson: Asked if anyone knew what is the construction project south of Tim Hortons and the Days Inn on Hunt Club Road is?
Nicole Espenant: Send me a request and I will try to find out about the construction.

Proposal to subdivide 1195 Hunt Club
John Sankey: There is a proposal to subdivide the property with the old Bingo Hall on Hunt Club Road.
Christine Johnson: Right now there is a private driveway on the property that joins with Hunt Club Road. Given this upcoming change, perhaps we could suggest that it be closed to improve through traffic. Access to all businesses on this property could be via Mountain Crescent. The Committee of Adjustment will consider the proposal on September 19 at 18:30.

Motion: That Christine Johnson speak at the Committee of Adjustment regarding the subdivision of 1195 Hunt Club Road to recommend that the private driveway be closed and access to both properties be via Mountain Crescent. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa.
Issie Berish: He thinks that the Daycare has not been consulted. He sees parents parking on the private driveway.
Christine Johnson: She will talk to the Daycare.
Vote on motion: carried

Priorities for the coming year
John Sankey: What should be our priorities for the coming year? As a starting point here are three: to adopt parks in our area, to pick up garbage in public spaces around our houses and to have our own newspaper.
Christine Johnson: She and John Sankey manned a booth at the Com Fest at the Community Centre. She used to work where there was a vibrant community newspaper but we really don’t have one in Hunt Club. We are a well-to-do community but we are isolated. We want to be connecting with each other, a newspaper will make us a stronger community but it costs money and the big box stores don’t support local newspapers.
John Sankey: We have to have advertising money and we would have to have insurance to protect against lawsuits. There are parties that sue to intimidate public groups who criticize them. The lawsuits are called SLAPPs, Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. He knows people who were subject to such lawsuits.
Issie Berish: We are going to have to print it to get it started. The problem is distribution. We have to have it available at the Community Centre and at the Metro. We could write some stories to get started. We could have a sub-committee to carry this forward.
John Sankey: Issie could do the editorial content and Christine could do the production.
Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa: Staples has a budget for community projects.

John Sankey: There are two sorts of things we can do to improve the general appearance of our community: we can adopt small public spaces near our houses and we can formally adopt parks. An example of adopting small public spaces would be to request a trash can near a bus stop. To formally adopt a park, the requesting party has to agree to a minimum of a two year commitment and must agree to do a clean-up twice a year. The Councillor receives the request and has the authority to accept or reject it. Paul Landry Park is the biggest problem, there is a lot of garbage and it is a hang out.

Motion: That the HCCO offer to adopt Paul Landry Park and that Peter Foulger co-ordinate our activities. Moved by Peter Foulger, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

General Discussion
John Sankey: Draft of City-wide zoning changes will be made available in the coming year. Two changes have already been drafted.

Christine Johnson: In order to strengthen the cooperation and participation of local neighbourhoods we need to be reaching out to them. Two local neighbourhoods are just outside our ward, in Diane Dean’s Ward: Wisteria Park and the Armed Forces Base. Another local area is in our ward: Quinterra/Riverwood. We need to make an effort to bring in people from there.

John Sankey: We had a meeting about traffic on Riverside Drive and some people from Quinterra attended but there hasn’t been any activity recently.

Next meeting: Monday, October 1 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Fred McLennan
• Peter Foulger
• Marilyn Koch
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Christine Johnson
• Issie Berish
• Kate McGrath, Assistant to the Councillor

John Sankey: Passed out the agenda and asked for its approval.

Motion: To approve the April minutes as amended. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Christine Johnson, carried.

John Sankey: At the recent Planning Summit, he said that traffic planning must be included in the main planning process. Staff just produced a report of the proceedings but his comments were excised.

Christine Johnson: When will the Strandherd Bridge be finished?
John Sankey: We – referring to the HCCO Board – don’t know.
Kate McGrath: We – referring to herself and the Councillor – don’t either.

Issie Berish: He is researching the traffic on Hunt Club Road. Do traffic counts exist? Where can he find them? He feels that traffic on Hunt Club is getting worse. Recently it took him 8 minutes to travel from Bowesville Road to Riverside Drive on a Sunday. After that the road was completely clear. The traffic lights at T&T contribute to the problem. He is curious as to the comparative change in traffic counts along Hunt Club.
Jerry Beausoleil: What is the view of the city staff? Is there data? Have they looked at the traffic patterns? What are the solutions?
John Sankey: The problem is understood but it must be co-ordinated with the ward on the Prince of Wales side. Traffic on the Sheflin Bridge is now 2 and a half times designed capacity. Small improvements could lead to a 30% improvement.

Motion: To expedite the west-bound flow of traffic on Hunt Club, the City consider a ban on left hand turns from the T&T parking lot west-bound onto Hunt Club. Moved by Issie Berish, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.
Christine Johnson: There is a ban on left hand turns from the Jewish Community Centre off Broadview and Cole. This example shows that there can be good access while putting priority on through traffic.

Motion: To ask the City for traffic counts on the Hunt Club and Riverside intersection and the Hunt Club and Prince of Wales intersection. We are looking for the counts of the last 5 years including the most recent. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Issie Berish, carried.
Christine Johnson: Has anyone seen the sign in front of the house on Prince of Wales and Colonnade Road? That is a perfect spot for a bridge.

Kate McGrath: She passed out the Councillor’s Report.

John Sankey: Neighbours asked him why environmentally unfriendly plastic blocks are being used instead of natural earth on the approaches to the Pedestrian Bridge? He supposes that it is because of the poor underlying soil structure.

Peter Foulger: The City of Toronto was given the Presto System for free but Ottawa had to pay $23 million.

Jerry Beausoleil: He had an opportunity to speak with a city engineer and reviewed with him the volume of traffic on Hunt Club. The City is acutely aware of the volume. They talked about expensive options – one such option would be to build a bridge that would put Prince of Wales over Hunt Club. Another option would be to increase Hunt Club Road from 4 lanes to 6. The engineer told him that any relief provided by Strandherd Bridge would only be temporary – 3 months. Similarly roadway improvements such as changing left and right turns at traffic lights would provide only temporary improvements. The general answer is to use other forms of transportation – other than the private automobile. A new Transportation Master Plan is underway. We need to add our concerns about Hunt Club.
Peter Foulger: He lives in Hunt Club but works in Kanata. Public transportation out to Kanata is poor.

Christine Johnson: She has two questions for our Councillor: What is the process to follow for citizens to request a library branch in their community? What is the process to follow for citizens to request the development of a local park?

Fred McLennan: Are there plans to upgrade the constructed wetlands?
John Sankey: There are no plans to add picnic tables. From his personal knowledge, plants are planned to support the principles of the constructed wetlands which are to purify the water and reduce erosion.

Gisèle Loiselle: The City cleaned up a small forested area at the corner of Twyford and McCarthy.

Next meeting: Monday September 10 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Marilyn Koch
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Christine Johnson
• Nicole Espenant, Assistant to the Councillor
• Eddie Rwema, EMC

John Sankey: Jerry Beausoleil has requested that approval of the April minutes be postponed.

Motion: To postpone approval of the April minutes. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Christine Johnson, approved.

Nicole Espenant: Presented the Councillor’s Report. The tower is a key part of the Airport Parkway Pedestrian Bridge. The contractor has agreed to tear it down and rebuild it because the concrete was deficient. There will be no additional expense to the City. The last item of the Report included a note about the City’s new Smoke-Free Regulations.
Peter Brimacombe: Bars and restaurants have outdoor patios where people can be served and smoke. Smokers don’t bother him.
Christine Johnson: She was at Chapters and noticed that men were in the parking lot smoking because they couldn’t sit at the outside tables. The new regulations seem heavy-handed. What authority does the City have to impose these regulations?
John Sankey: Health and safety are the responsibility of the municipalities so the City does have the authority. In his experience smoking regulations tend to be heavy-handed. In the federal building in which he worked, a smoking room was forbidden despite the provision of an effective exhaust fan.
Marilyn Koch: She expressed sympathy for the new regulations. She hates to see parents smoking in a car with children.

Christine Johnson: She led a clean-up of the area around Sawmill Creek north of Hunt Club near Tucson’s Restaurant. Six people filled up 25 bags of garbage which the City then collected. They really made a dent. Sawmill Creek south of Hunt Club is a designated park called [paradoxically] North Sawmill Creek. The area north of Hunt Club should be also designated as a park.

John Sankey: He and Marilyn Koch attended the Planning Summit put on by the City.
Marilyn Koch: The Mayor Jim Watson introduced the Summit. He spoke of certainty and the need to clarify what is allowed and what is not allowed. There were two speakers: Pamela Blais in the morning and Jeffery Tumlin in the afternoon.
John Sankey: He sent an e-mail to Mayor Jim Watson: “For me, the planning summit was a unique and exceptionally productive day. I especially commend the work of the staff to whom you entrusted the day’s organization – it was flawlessly done.”

Christine Johnson: She has worked with the Riverview Park Community. She is now retired and wants to add value by working with children, families and seniors. She was a school principal and would like to build better relations with the schools. She asked about a community newspaper.
John Sankey: There used to be a Hunt Club Community Newspaper which became The News and then EMC.

Next meeting: Monday, June 4 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Fred McLennan
• Peter Foulger
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa
• Christine Johnson

John Sankey: He presented the agenda for the meeting and asked for any additions.

Motion: To appoint Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa as director. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

Motion: To appoint Christine Johnson as director. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

Motion: To approve the March 2012 minutes. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa, carried.

John Sankey: He introduced the April Councillor’s Report. He talked about the structural problems with the Airport Parkway Pedestrian Bridge caused by inadequate quality control of the concrete. He is concerned that there will be political pressure to accept an inferior solution to them.

Jerry Beausoleil: He will meet with the City engineer and ask him what’s going on and how do we go about getting lane changes on Riverside Drive south-bound.
Christine Johnson: The Planning Summit, April 26 would be a good time to raise the issue of traffic problems on Riverside Drive. We should register now.
Alan Asselstine: The City is expanding the number of lanes on Prince of Wales Drive from two to four but there will be a short stretch that will stay as two lanes. In effect, there will be no relief to the biggest problem which is the intersection of Hunt Club and Prince of Wales. 50% of the north-bound traffic on Prince of Wales turns east onto the Sheflin Bridge. From there 30% turns north onto Riverside and 20% continues east-bound on Hunt Club.
John Sankey: The net result is the Bridge is jammed! He described a small change at the ends of the bridge that would provide a useful improvement. It will be needed once the eastern connection to the 417 is complete.
Jerry Beausoleil: He has arranged to meet with city staff to discuss the traffic problems which have plagued our community for well over a year at Riverside Drive, Hunt Club Rd and Prince of Wales Drive.  The Hunt Club community is concerned these major arterial roads are blocked for extended periods twice a day during morning and evening rush hours.  As a result, traffic is increasingly using Uplands Drive as a cut through in an attempt to avoid the bottle-neck at the intersection and is making Uplands Drive unsafe for local traffic and residents.  Moreover, emergency vehicles responding to situations have been stuck in traffic jams.  These issues have been brought to the attention of the HCCO and our Councillor for more than a year. We have attempted to arrange a meeting with city staff. Mr Beausoleil renews his willingness to meet.
John Sankey: He encouraged individual directors to register for the Planning Summit, April 26, 2012 to be held at the new CE Centre on Uplands. Registration is at 8:00 and the sessions start at 9:00.

Gisèle Loiselle: The new casino should be built at Scotia Bank Place and not downtown.

Next meeting: Monday May 7 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Peter Foulger
• Marilyn Koch
• Issie Berish
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Mohammed Said
• Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa

John Sankey: He presented the agenda for the meeting and asked for any additions.

Motion: To approve the February 2012 minutes. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.

John Sankey: Marilyn Koch went to the Bronson Avenue Reconstruction meeting last Monday night.
Marilyn Koch: The meeting was well attended. The City presented its plan for Bronson Avenue which is to basically rebuild Bronson Avenue as is but with a new traffic light at Arlington. While she was there, question period was calm and most of the questions were about disruptions caused by construction. There was one question about access onto Bronson from a minor street.
Issie Berish: What do the local community associations think? The original consultants’ report is not going to be followed, how will that fact affect our community?
John Sankey: The original consultants’ report would have added left-hand turn lanes which would have resulted in smoother traffic flow. There will be no improvement and in fact we will see a small degradation because of the new traffic light at Arlington.
Peter Brimacombe: With respect to through traffic, the Centre Town Community Association would be very much like the Ottawa East Community Association where he served for 10 years. There would be overwhelming opposition to through traffic. There is a contradiction in designating a street both an arterial and a main street. This contradiction also applies to Hunt Club Road where we want to preserve the arterial nature of the Road.
John Sankey: There are three options: we could do nothing; we could register a pro-forma objection; or we could make a strategic objection.

Motion: There is a conflict between the designation of Bronson Avenue as an arterial and its designation as a main street. The HCCO supports the designation as an arterial and recommends removing the designation as a main street. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

John Sankey: Passed out the Councillor’s Report.

John Sankey: A year and a half ago, Hunt Club lost community control of our recreation centre. A month ago, the Hunt Club Riverside Community Services Centre (the CSC) made the decision to abandon community control and to merge with the large South East Ottawa Community Health Centre (SEOCHC). This a great loss to our community. Over the past year and a half, the CSC had made major progress in placing the Centre on a sound policy and managerial basis. The one unresolved issue was that government agencies under-funded our Centre. They gave it one tenth the per capita level that other health centres in the city receive. The CSC Board has under-valued community ownership, involvement and responsibility and this attitude has led to two major errors. The first error was to assume that our community was incapable of correcting this inequality, that we would always be considered a second class community as we stand, and to instruct their consultants accordingly. The second error was the assumption that in joining with SEOCHC we would immediately gain access to all the services we were presently being denied. Given this fundamental disagreement he has resigned from the CSC Board.
John Sankey: He introduced Mohammed Said. Mohammed is the President of the CSC Board. He is also a professional Child Protection Worker with the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa.
Mohammed Said: Given the long history of lack of stability of the CSC and issues with mismanagement and service delivery, the CSC Board embarked on cleaning up Operations and strengthening Governance without losing focus on programming and service delivery.  A great deal of progress has been achieved so far. The Auditor General had first decided to audit the centre in 2011 but then cancelled his plan after attending our AGM. The next phase was to determine where the CSC is heading given the history, capacity and funding situation. How do we ensure delivery of sustainable quality and quantity of services to the people in the catchment area.  Our motive and focus on service delivery has been the main principle and driving force in any decision we make. A Moving Forward committee was established to review lessons learned from the past, and where do we go from here. Two consultants were hired to provide us with the perspective of external professionals.  The consultants reviewed relevant materials, examined similar experiences and met with 39 stakeholders. They came up with three options as follows: Option A: to continue as a stand alone organization.  Option B: purchase of service from a larger organization, preferably South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre. Option C: a satellite office of a larger organization, preferably South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre. Each option has pros and cons.  The consultants recommended option C. The CSC Board unanimously opted to abandon Option A.  Discussions focussed on Options B and C. We hired the consultants again to find out how much it would cost us to go with Option B (purchase of service). On the basis of all the information that is available to us as well as different perspectives and input from stakeholders (including funders and local community members), the CSC Board moved a motion to select Option C (run as a satellite office of South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre.  It will all depend on its decision.  The process is not yet complete. The CSC Board receives $350,000 from the City and $130,000 from other funding agencies.
Peter Foulger: The South East Ottawa Community Health Centre gets a lot more money than our CSC. The Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is a provincial body that determines funding.
Gisèle Loiselle: She is glad to hear that health services to our community will improve because there is a real need.

John Sankey: Ecology Ottawa is pushing to reduce the untreated sewage in the Ottawa River. Every year when the existing sewer system is overloaded, untreated sewage goes into the Ottawa River. The amount of untreated sewage that goes into the Ottawa River is significant. There is zero co-operation with the City of Gatineau.

Motion: To support Ecology Ottawa’s initiative to clean up the Ottawa River. Moved by Gisèle Loiselle, Peter Foulger, carried.

Gisèle Loiselle: A section of Twyford near her Co-op is covered with water because the drain is blocked with ice.
John Sankey: Phone the City (311).

Peter Brimacombe: Liz Russell is again organizing a clean-up day for McCarthy Road. The date is Saturday May 19.
John Sankey: He is cleaning up Uplands Drive instead. The other day he picked up the dog poop that was left over from the winter.

Next meeting: Monday, April 2 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Peter Foulger
• Issie Berish
• Dominic Lozada
• Angela Ryan, Assistant to the Councillor
• Shirley Seward, Public School Trustee
• Eddie Rwema, EMC
• Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa

John Sankey: He presented the agenda for the meeting and asked for any additions. He welcomed Shirley Seward, School Trustee of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Shirley Seward: She handed out written remarks. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is rolling out full-day kindergarten in our schools. She is centrally involved in a review of secondary schools, including Brookfield. She discussed the transfer policy at the School Board. She brought a motion to make the transfer policy more transparent and equitable. The motion was passed unanimously
John Sankey: The community service centres are able to help immigrant families better than the recreational associations because they are more racially diverse.
Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa: Muslim women expect that recreational activities be segregated between men and women but most activities have men and women together.
Shirley Seward: The Public School Board tries to make all religions feel comfortable in the schools. There are rooms set aside and time allowed for Muslim students to pray.
Peter Foulger: His wife feels that Christianity is actively suppressed in the Public School System.
Issie Berish: The staff and teachers at Bayview Public School do a good job of meeting everybody’s needs.

John Sankey: Introduced Eddie Rwema, the EMC reporter.
Eddie Rwema: Eddie spoke briefly and asked that his e-mail address be included in the minutes: eddie.rwema@metroland.com

Motion: To approve the January 2012 minutes. Moved by Issie Berish, seconded by Dominic Lozada, carried.

Angela Ryan: Handed out the Councillor’s Report.

John Sankey: At our January meeting, we passed a motion supporting the City’s proposal to build affordable housing. At our December meeting, we passed a motion that Bronson remain an arterial road and that extra lanes be provided for left-hand turns. We sent an e-mail to the City (attached) but the City just approved the plan for major reconstruction of Bronson without the extra lanes. Prince of Wales will be widened from two lanes to four between Hunt Club Road and Hogs Back. There will still be a two-lane section between the Greek Church and Baseline. The two-lane section will prevent traffic from using the Heron Road Bridge rather than the Sheflin Bridge to reach Prince of Wales South. In January, the City informed us of its initiative to tighten the regulations concerning residential pools. Board members were not enthusiastic. John asked if the Board wanted to formally oppose the initiative? Answer was no. We received a request from Ecology Ottawa for municipal support of home upgrades.

Motion: That the HCCO does not support Ecology Ottawa’s proposal for a feasibility study on municipal financing for energy retrofits. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.

Peter Foulger: The Municipal Taxpayer Advocacy Group has pointed out that the water and sewer rates for Ottawa have gone up a lot.
John Sankey: Rates have gone up because Ottawa in the past, has spent too much on services and not enough on maintaining infrastructure. Ottawa has the purest water in the Province but is adding chemicals to delay corrosion of old water pipes. It’s going to take years of extra spending to restore the water and sewage systems.
Peter Foulger: We have one of the highest water costs of any city in Ontario.

Next meeting: Monday, March 5 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Alan Asselstine Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• Peter Foulger
• Issie Berish
• Jerry Beausoleil

Motion: To approve the December 2011 minutes. Moved by Peter Foulger, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Jerry Beausoleil: He approached Councillor McRae on the Hunt Club Road, Riverside Drive traffic issues. She agreed to a meeting but as yet there has not been a meeting.
John Sankey: The Riverside Park Community Association and the HCCO should work together on Hunt Club Road, Riverside Drive traffic issues.

Alan Asselstine: He and Peter Brimacombe drafted an e-mail and sent it to the City. It stated that the HCCO supports the proposal that Bronson Avenue remain a four lane road with extra lanes for left-hand turns. We have not heard back from the City. We should be ready to present our views in front of the Transportation Committee.

John Sankey: The Provincial and Federal Governments are offering a grant to build affordable housing. In Ottawa there are 10,000 families waiting for spots but at the same time there are many living in affordable housing whose income is more than the limit. In our community, affordable housing could be built at the Ashgrove site.
Motion: The HCCO supports the city proposal to build 200 additional affordable housing units. A letter be sent supporting the proposal and asking for a review of market rent policy. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

John Sankey: A home owner on Malhotra Crescent ( in Quinterra) is asking for a zoning variance so he can build an addition on his house.
Discussion: Since no one has complained, the Board decided not to pursue the zoning variance.

Next meeting: Monday, February 6 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Alan Asselstine Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• Peter Foulger
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
• Marilyn Koch
• Dominic Lozada

Motion: To approve the November minutes. Moved by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

Pedestrian Bridge over the Airport Parkway
John Sankey: He has followed the construction of the pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway. There has been a serious problem with the concrete. It is not evenly settled and there are gaps which may cause structural problems. Without further tests it is not possible to say exactly how severe the problem is. The problem is 100% the responsibility of the contractor.

Councillor’s Report
Alan Asselstine: He read the Councillor’s Report.

Proposal to Register and Report Lobbyists
John Sankey: Pursuant to a motion distributed and approved by email (8 for, none against), he sent the approved letter to the Governance Renewal Sub-Committee. The letter states that  residents must have the privilege to contact their elected representatives about any matter without registration or report. The draft bylaw was returned by the sub-committee to staff for correction.

Federal Bill C10
Peter Brimacombe: He is against the Federal Bill C10.
Motion: The HCCO opposes Bill C10 because it restricts the sentencing discretion of the judges. They are the best placed to weigh the various issues: the need to deter crime, the need to protect society, the damage done by the prison system to the people sent there and the cost of the prisons. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Dominic Lozada.
Alan Asselstine: He will not support the motion because it is a Federal issue and we have never gotten involved with them.
John Sankey: It is outside our jurisdiction. He does not agree that the judges are in the best position to weigh the various issues. He is totally frustrated by the courts who have failed to properly deal with violent criminals who have violated the security of hundreds of people.
Peter Brimacombe: He withdraws the motion.

Bronson Avenue
John Sankey: There is ongoing political pressure to restrict the flow of traffic on Bronson Avenue, north of the Queensway. It is still officially designated a “Traditional Main Street” We need to counter this pressure.
Motion: The Hunt Club Community Organization supports the consultant’s proposal that Bronson Avenue remain a four lane road with extra lanes for left-hand turns. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Peter Brimacombe.
Alan Asselstine: What happens north of the Queensway will influence the whole road. Bronson is a designated truck route.
Peter Foulger: If you throttle the traffic on Bronson, it will be pushed elsewhere.
Vote on the motion: carried unanimously.

Next Meeting
Next meeting: Monday 2 January 2012 at 19:00