Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• Fred Winters, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Pat Murphy, Councillor’s Office
• Ivy-Lea Lunau, David McGuinty’s office
• Maria McRae, City councillor

Motion: Where as: Ottawa Council has approved a South Keys light rail station (on the north-south line) adjacent to the existing Transitway station and the South Keys shopping mall;
Where as: The soon to be completed Sawmill Creek constructed wetland, located primarily in the vacant land bounded by Hunt Club Road, Walkley Road, the Transitway and the Airport Parkway, will consist of a series of ponds and control structures in a landscaped, park-like setting with recreational paths;
And where as: For over 40 years, there has been an informal foot path from Cahill Drive West at Plante Drive to the west side of Bank Street, as people prefer that route over the pedestrian unfriendly Hunt Club Road.
Be it moved that the Hunt Club Community Organization requests the city to construct a footpath from Cahill Street West at Plante to the South Keys Rail /Transitway Station.

Such a path would be a constructive way to facilitate use of both the city’s light rail and bus public transit systems. It would allow the residents of both South Keys and Hunt Club to safely utilize the park-like setting being established with the Sawmill Creek constructed wetland. It would be safer then the current informal path or walking/biking on the parallel section of Hunt Club Road.

The construction of this path would involve the construction of a foot bridge over the Airport Parkway, a small bridge over the Cahill tributary of Sawmill creek and a western access door to the South Keys Rail /Transitway Station.

Now is the time to embark on this project. The South Keys station is now being planned and so the additional access can be planned and installed at minimum costs. The wetlands project is being completed and the path could be incorporated in the project. The bridge over the Airport parkway would be the most costly aspect of the project. However, this area of the parkway is lit and so electricity is available. Moved by Alan Asselstine; seconded by John Sankey. Carried.

Motion: Whereas: The city’s East/West Light Rail environmental assessment is at the stage of having a preliminary recommended route within the approved corridor between Walkley road and Hunt Club road from St. Laurent boulevard and the Rideau River;
Whereas: The preliminary route follows Walkley road from St. Laurent to the Airport parkway as this route is nearest to the most potential train users;
Whereas: After the Airport parkway the preliminary route goes south beside the parkway to the hydro lines and then west along the hydro line corridor to Riverside drive and then to the Rideau river;
Whereas: The alternate route from the Airport parkway and Walkley drive goes along Walkley drive to Riverside drive then south on Riverside to the Hydro lines;
Whereas: The Walkley/Riverside route is technical feasible but scored slightly fewer points then the Parkway/Hydro Lines route;
Whereas: The Walkley/Riverside route would serve more potential users as there are residents on both sides of Walkley and Riverside plus it would be near Mooney’s Bay Park and facilities;
And whereas: The Walkley/Riverside would avoid a crossing of McCarthy (McCarthy ends at Walkley) and bridge at the Via/CN rail line as the Walkley rail bridge can accommodate both the road and the East/West Light Rail line.
It is moved that: The HCCO request the city to utilize the Walkley/ Riverside corridor for the proposed East/West Light Rail line.

Note: although it is not certain there will be an East/West Light Rail line, it is important that we make our views known now before decisions are made. Moved by Alan Asselstine; seconded by Shelley Parlow. Carried.

City councillor, Maria McRae submitted a written report.

Fred McLennan: Fred Winters has moved and has resigned as director.

John Sankey has researched the frequency of bus stops in the City. OC Transpo says that in determining bus stops, it does balance convenience against efficiency. John wants to study two bus stops on Uplands drive with a view to improve efficiency. There was a general agreement that this study would be worthwhile.

Fred McLennan: The HCCO website is http://hunt-club.ncf.ca/ The website was discussed and everyone agreed that it should be restricted to items approved by the HCCO executive such as the agendas and the final minutes.

Fred McLennan: The annual general meeting will be held Monday 6 November 2006.

Next HCCO meeting: Mon 2 Oct 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred Winters, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Pat Murphy, Councillor’s Office
• Maria McRae, City councillor

City Councillor Maria McRae submitted a written report.

Fred McLennan led the discussion on Ottawa’s LRT system: There are two lines: north-south and east-west.

Alan Asselstine: Walkley Road is the preferred route for the east-west route from St Laurent to the Airport Parkway. At the parkway it will go south to the hydro right of way. It will follow the hydro right of way behind the South Riverside residents to Riverside Drive. It has the two advantages – it is already developed and would have a higher ridership and would preserve the existing CNR route for important freight traffic. Alan feels that West of the Airport Parkway the line should continue along Walkley until Riverside Drive and then turn south to the existing CNR bridge over the Rideau River.

John Sankey noted that he is mapping the paths through McCarthy Woods.

John Sankey: Bus stops are too close together – the constant pressure to add bus stops is slowing down the whole system. The guidelines are routinely ignored: bus stops should not be closer than 250 meters and 90% of the population near bus routes should not have to walk more than 450 meters. A group will formulate questions to OC Transpo so that it will give greater weight to this issue.

Fred Winters: The snow-removal operation last winter took out a section of the curb on Sparrow Way. He asked about the constructed-wetlands near the O-Train line.

Maria McRae: Took note of the damage to the curb. The constructed-wetlands reduce pollution and erosion along Sawmill Creek.

Next meeting: Tue 5 Sep 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• Fred Winters, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Gillian Villeneuve
• Pat Murphy, Councillor’s Office
• Maria McRae, City councillor

Motion: To thank Maria and City Council for their initiative with respect to the Firefighters and Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Moved by Shelley Parlow; seconded by John Sankey. Carried.

Motion: To approve the April minutes. Moved by Fred McLennan; seconded by Fred Winters. Carried.

City Councillor, Maria McRae, submitted a report

Maria McRae: The City and the NCC have agreed on the terms of reference for the birding study in the Southern Corridor. There will not be any action before November 2006. Maria will speak at the walk through McCarthy Woods. The walk will take place on Sunday May 21 between 13:00 and 15:00, rendezvous at Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre. Maria supports the present enforcement of bylaws in the parks and is impressed with the way the police and bylaw officers do their work. She would like to be informed about graffiti.

Alan Asselstine: Clive Doucet would like to close Findlay Drive, which provides access to Queen Elizabeth Drive from Bronson; but he has opposition within his own ward. Alan is member of the committee to review the east-west rapid transit corridor. The proposed route along the existing railway lines does provide convenient access to the downtown core where people actually need to go. Rapid transit needs to go along Albert and Slater Streets – this is the real bottleneck! The north-south rapid transit line gives us an opportunity to push for a pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway. The other alternative is a pedestrian bridge along-side the CN railway.

Post note: The larvicide to control the mosquito population is made from non-toxic bacteria that occur naturally in the soil. People who have ponds may want to stock them with fish rather than apply larvicide. It would not be practical for the City to stock surface waters such as road-side ditches and the standing water along the O-Train line. The Lansdowne Park Farmers Market will be for Ottawa vendors only – vendors from the Province of Quebec will not be permitted.

Next meeting: Mon 5 Jun 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Gillian Villeneuve

Motion: To give $100 towards the Victoria Day Fireworks and Gala. Moved by Shelley Parlow; seconded by Peter Brimacombe. Carried.

Motion: To approve the March 2006 minutes as amended. Moved by John Sankey; seconded by Shelley Parlow. Carried.

City Councillor Maria McRae submitted a written report.

John Sankey: The HCCO, in cooperation with other interested parties, is developing a logo to represent Hunt Club. An announcement will appear in The News.

Fred McLennan: received a flyer from the Task Force on Assessment and Property Tax (http://www.OuchAssessment.ca). MPAC (http://www.mpac.ca/) is the government agency that does the assessments.

John Sankey: A property owner can ask MPAC to reconsider its assessment of a property – MPAC does not charge to reconsider an assessment. However, a favorable reconsideration is good only for one year. If the property owner is not satisfied with the reconsideration, he may appeal, in which case MPAC charges $285. This charge is strictly an administrative fee; he would likely have to spend many times that amount to present his case.

Gillian Villeneuve: For two years in a row she asked for reconsideration and received a favorable answer; but last year she asked a third time and was turned down.

Shelley Parlow: The City has adopted an acquistion policy whereby at the request of the landowner, it would purchase land designated as Urban Natural Feature or Major Open Space. This policy may be relevant to the Southern Corridor. The City will present the acquistion policy before the Ontario Municipal Board. PL031324 is the relevant OMB Case No. The question of a minimum requirement for parks for a neighbourhood will be discussed at an environ-mental hearing on 9 May 2006.

Next meeting: Mon 1 May 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Art Miskew, Vice-President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Pat Murphy, Councillor’s Office
• Maria McRae, City councillor
• Ivy-Lea Lunau, David McGunity’s Office

Motion: The HCCO supports in principle the creation of a logo to represent the Hunt Club Community. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch. Carried.

Motion: To continue our membership in Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa-Carleton (FCAOC). Cost of membership is $30. moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch. carried.

City Councillor, Maria McRae, presented her report.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: Thanks to Maria McRae for the sign warning motorists of pedestrians on Twyford.

Fred McLennan: Shelley Parlow was reimbursed $10 for our membership in the Greenspace Alliance.

Shelley Parlow: Every month Peter Brimacombe has pushed development in the Southern Corridor. This development would trade the greenspace that we now enjoy for a theoretical improvement in energy efficiency. Values and logic dictate that the Southern Corridor should be preserved. Peter is afraid that the coming energy crisis will threaten our security and proposes that development in the Southern Corridor will alleviate the general crisis and provide special protection to our community. However population and air pollution would increase and we would lose our greenspace. I value our quality of life more than I fear for our security. Logically how will development of the Southern Corridor provide a significant relief from an energy crisis? No one has asked us to sacrifice our greenspace in favour of development. Why should we?

Peter Brimacombe: Peak oil is a global phenomenon, the problems posed by peak oil will grow in magnitude until they sweep through every aspect of society. Development of efficient infrastructure will be the difference between plenty and want, between life and death. The Southern Corridor provides a tremendous opportunity to develop efficient infrastructure and the HCCO is directly responsible for it. Everyone should take the time to do his own study – the following links provide compelling evidence:

• Crude Awakening is a City-sponsored forum on peak oil http://www.crudeawakening.net/.
• Audio Quicktime: the first hour deals with an analysis of the world’s largest oil fields http://www.netcastdaily.com/broadcast/fsn2005-0618-3.mp3.
• To hear this in RealPlayer, WinAmp, or Windows Media, follow this link and find June 18 http://financialsense.com/fsn/2005.html.
• Twilight in the Desert.pdf by Matthew R. Simmons the pdf is 2 million bytes! I have attached the title page http://www.simmonsco-intl.com/files/Twilight%20in%20the%20Desert%20Presentation.pdf.
• Contra arguments: http://dpodbori.livejournal.com/3590.html.

John Sankey: We are not running out of oil; it will just get a bit more expensive. There is sufficient oil in the Alberta tar sands alone to supply the entire world for 300 years to come. All it needs is a $100 per barrel price for crude oil.

Next meeting: Mon 3 Apr 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• John Sankey, Director
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office

Peter Brimacombe attended “Crude Awakening Preparing Ottawa-Gatineau for Peak Oil” on Saturday January 29, 2006. There were over 150 people of all ages, they were intelligent and aware. The Mayor Bob Chiarelli said “we are in a race against the clock”. Councillor Clive Doucet spoke of the urgent need to create an infrastructure that can survive peak oil. In the break-out sessions, Peter Brimacombe said that the Southern Corridor was an obvious choice for intensive development because it is in the City core and is next to the proposed east-west rapid transit line. The people at the break-out sessions understood that green space was at stake and reserved judgement.

Alan Asselstine remarked that the speed limit on Walkley Road was too low. The speed limit on Riverside Drive is 60 km/hour and there is no reason that Walkley be 50 km/hour. He asked that the City review the speed limit on Walkley.

Phase II of the constructed wetland has begun – it can be seen to the east of the O-Train just north of Greenboro Station at South Keyes. The constructed wetlands will reduce erosion from storm runoff and improve the water quality of Sawmill Creek. Pedestrian access to the constructed wetland will depend on the north-south rail line.

Bell Canada has asked for a special three-year levy (tax or surcharge above the original bill) to eliminate long-distance charges within the City. For example a call between Orleans and Barrhaven is billed as a long-distance call. Alan is against against a general levy and favours either the status quo or a levy directly to those who would benefit.

Pat Murphy thanked Alan for his work on Sawmill Creek and said that the City would review access to the constructed wetlands and the speed limit on Walkley. She presented Maria McRea’s report.

The Mayor’s State of the City address was circulated.

Next meeting: Mon 6 Mar 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch,, Director
• John Sankey, Director
• Fred Winters, Director
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office

Motion: To accept the minutes of December 5, 2005. Moved by John Sankey; seconded by Fred Winters. Carried

Motion: To pay the National Capital Freenet $20 to host the HCCO web site. Moved by John Sankey; seconded by Peter Brimacombe. Carried.

Fred Winters: Who looks after the skating rinks?

Alan Asselstine The Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association (HCRRA) looks after the skating rink at the Community Centre and a community group looks after the one at Owl Park.

Maria McRea: Welcome to John Sankey. He is an ecologist and can be of great help in the upcoming study on birds in the Southern Corridor. Most residents want the Southern Corridor preserved as-is but there are others that want it to be developed. The NCC owns the land and wants to sell it to developers. Maria is looking for a win-win solution. She presented her report.

John Sankey: Parked cars on Uplands at Royalton are interfering with snow removal.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: is outraged that Rogers Cable showed “Jackass the Movie” on channel 15. The movie is morally depraved and disgusting.

Maria McRea: Communication over the cable networks is a federal issue. Gisèle should write to Rogers and the CRTC. Another option would be to bring the issue up at an all-candidates meeting.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: Handicapped people on Twyford need better snow removal and maybe a traffic sign would spur the snow removal crew to consider them. There was an accident on Twyford because the car was going too fast.

Alan Asselstine: The pedestrian walkway between Hunt Club and Patermeade should be plowed better. The Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association (HCRRA) is sponsoring an all-candidates meeting Jan 17 at 19:00 and wants the HCCO to help. The East-West Rail Line will put further pressure to develop the Southern Corridor.

Peter Brimacombe: Peak Oil threatens our way of life. We need to develop the Southern Corridor in order to survive Peak Oil! He will attend the Ottawa Peak Oil Forum on Saturday January 28 at City Hall from 8:30 to 16:00 and prepare a report for the next meeting. (http://www.crudeawakening.net/)

Next meeting: Mon 6 Feb 2006 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• Manuel Costa
• Gordon Graham
• Paul Desormeaux
• Barbara Leimsner
• Brian McDougall
• Paul McRae
• Ken Kealey
• Hidge Murdock
• Ivan Desaulniers
• Colin McSweeney
• Linda Poulsen
• Robert Poulsen
• Flo Ladds
• Bob Richer
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office
• Bonnie Conlon, City councillor’s office
• Tom Collins, The News

Motion: To renew our membership to the Greenspace Alliance ($10). The Greenspace Alliance seeks to preserve significant greenspaces in the City. Moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch. Carried 3 to 1.

Maria McRae thanked the Hunt Club Community Organization for its work, welcomed the people at the meeting and presented a report.

A motion to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides has been presented to Council. There are legal problems with this by-law because the City cannot legally prohibit pesticides in the City but exclude golf courses and rural areas. Councillor Alex Cullen has worked hard on his proposal to reduce the use of pesticides. She is in favour of his proposal. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is an agency of the Federal Government. Other Canadian cities such as Toronto, London, Montreal and Vancouver have passed by-laws against pesticides.

Gordon Graham took issue with the right of the Hunt Club Community Organization to pass a motion against pesticides because it does not represent the majority.

Brian McDougall: The Hunt Club Community Organization can take whatever position it chooses. There has not been a formal poll on this issue and the Organization does not have to follow the politicians. Other cities have adopted similar by-laws against pesticides.

Manuel Costa: Pesticides are a health issue. It is hard to prove the link between pesticides and health – dandelions are not worth the risk!

Barbara Leismsner: We need to trust the scientists, the health of our community is at state! The Family Physicians of Ontario have said “there is enough concern” they support a ban. Dr. Robert Walker of CHEO supports a ban. She has leukemia because of exposure to DDT!

Colin McSweeney is associated with the lawn-care industry. He wants to reduce the use of pesticides. The lawn-care companies asked the City for guidelines as to acceptable rates of application for specific chemicals but the City could not provide them. City staff were zealots!

Fred McLennan polled the meeting: “how many people are in favour of a ban on pesticides and how many are opposed”? 7 in favour, 11 opposed

Maria McRae: On Wednesday November 9, the City budget will be released: She is working with a citizens group cBAT who work to add value to the City of Ottawa budget: Maria is committed to eliminating waste in City spending.

Autumn Tea for Seniors was a great success! 130 people attended on October 28 at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre.

There is a threat of a strike at OC Transpo. Maria does not want to see a strike and is against a lock-out.

Shelley Parlow: There will be an entertaining program of music and poetry to raise funds for the Poet’s Path at the Beechwood Cemetary on Nov 17 from 19:00 to 22:00.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: There should be a sign on Twyford Street near the path to the A & P Plaza. The sign would warn motorists that seniors and handicapped people are crossing the Street. Pat Murphy will follow up on Gisèle’s suggestion.

Alan Asselstine: On November 17, at the Jim Durrell Centre, there will be an open house to explain the East-West Corridor Light Rail Transit Project. The proposed east-west corridor effectively goes through the southern corridor, the proposed route will force riders from the east and west to go to South Keys but their destination is downtown.

Manuel Costa: the City needs the Light Rail Transit Project!

Next meeting: Mon 5 Dec 2005 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Shelley Parlow, Director
• Frank Horger
• Barbara Horger
• Manuel Costa
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office

Motion: That the Hunt Club Community Organization support a City wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides. Moved by Shelley Parlow. Carried.

The proposed Agenda was approved with one addition proposed by M. Costa: the coming pesticide discussion at City Hall.

The Minutes of the Sep.12, 2005 meeting were approved as written.

Pat Murphy, representing Councilor Maria McRae distributed a monthly report. It was read and discussed.

Shelley Parlow commented on the permanent graffiti on an utility box near Uplands Park and asked if it could be “adopted”.

A discussion was held regarding the future Light Rail corridors, North-South and East-West. Issues such as station location, benefits, land development, rolling equipment, vehicle features, rights of way, routing, etc were addressed.

Manuel Costa briefly described the City’s pesticide education campaign and its results; the City’s report is expected soon and will be discussed by Council at the end of the month.

Next meeting: Mon 7 Nov 2005 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Art Miskew, Vice-President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Fred Winters, Director
• Maria McRae, City councillor
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office
• Erin Kelly, The News
• Ivy-Lea Lunau, David McGuinty’s Office

Motion: To oppose new restrictions on turns on or off Bronson Avenue. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Fred Winters. carried.

Maria McRae reported on the following:

• On Monday September 19, she is hosting a Family Fun Day for residents of River Ward. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided by Outback Steakhouse. Donations will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. Members of the Ottawa Renegades Football Club will be there: Kerry Joseph, Yo Murphy, Ibrahim Kahn and Johnny Scott.
• Integrated Road Safety Initiative is a program to reduce traffic fatalities or serious injuries. In July, the Police targeted sidewalk cycling and improper lane changing (by cars). In September the Police will target failing to stop for school buses and running red lights.
• Garbage Collection You can now recycle plastic tubs and lids (they have to be clean)
• Starting in January small business can buy garbage bags which the City will pick up on the regular collection days
• North-South Light Rail Project The City is doing an Environmental Assessment of the North-South Light Rail Project. This is an important part of the transportation infrastructure of the City. There will be a sod-turning event next year.

Art Miskew: The bottleneck in bus traffic are the bridges over the Ottawa River.

Maria McRae: Light Rail should cross the Ottawa River but the Province of Quebec resists it. By the way, thanks to Alan Asselstine for his work on Light Rail.

Alan Asselstine: The big problem is Albert and Slater Streets. They are jammed right now with buses, there is no room for buses and trains!

Art Miskew: You can have buses or trains but not both.

Maria McRae: This winter roads and sidewalks to be better maintained. The City expects there will be more freezing rain.

Alan Asselstine: Some older neighbourhoods have sidewalks on both sides of the road but don’t need them. It would be easier and cheaper to clear only one side and push the snow onto the other.

Maria McRae: I will send this suggestion to Transportation for comment.

Free parking for Veterans: 2005 is the Year of the Veteran. City will allow vehicles bearing a veterans license plate, issued by the Ministry of Transportation , to park for free at parking meters and in most City parking lots for the remainder of 2005.

The City has again received an AAA credit rating from Moody’s Investor Services. The City issues bonds to finance some of the capital projects it undertakes each year. The annual amount of debt issued by the City varies from year to year in a range of $50 to $100 million per year. The high credit ratings reduce the costs of the bonds.

2006 Budget: City Council directed staff to budget within the cost of living (2.4%) tax increase. The budget is severely pressured by

• high inflation on key materials, electricity , fuel and parts
• increase to purchased services as companies pass on their increased costs
• increased compensation to City’s unionized workforce

There will be a $60 – $70 million gap between revenue and expenditures this year!

Peter Brimacombe: There was a budget shortfall last year too. The budget shortfalls point to the need to be more efficient. To be more efficient, there has to be more density. The Southern Corridor is prime land for development, it can use existing road, water, sewer and hydro lines. It is located along the proposed east-west light rail line close to the north-south line.

Fred McLennan: There is a move on City Council to prohibit turns off Bronson Avenue onto Findlay Avenue. Residents of Hunt Club need this route to get onto the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. We need to revisit Albion Road closing.

Maria McRae: Uplands and Arnott Parks were refurbished this summer. Drugs and undesirables were reduced in Cahill Park by the use of motion detectors: After 23:00 people entering the park trigger an alarm, security staff can watch them and tell them to get out of the park. Motion detectors and cameras were donated by corporate sponsors.

Ivy-Lea Lunau: works for David McGuinty the Member of Parliament for the riding. David would like to help communities connect with federally-funded programs that meet their needs. Project Porchlight encourages homeowners to change their incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs to save energy.

Next meeting: Mon 3 Oct 2005 at 7:30pm

Attendees:

• Fred MacLennan, President
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Alan Asselstine, Director
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• James Freeman
• Edith Freeman
• Maria McRae, City councillor
• Pat Murphy, City councillor’s office
• Tom Collins, The News

Motion: Whereas the HCCO wants to maximize the greenspace in the Southern Corridor and avoid costly litigation at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), be it resolved that the HCCO encourages the City and the NCC to continue to work together to find a viable solution. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch. Carried.

Motion: To change the HCCO bank account from the Bank of Nova Scotia to the Alterna Bank (formerly CS CO-OP). Signatures on banking transactions will be Alan Asselstine, Treasurer and Fred McLennan President. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch. Carried.

Maria McRae presented her report.

Peter Brimacombe: We have to have an efficient infrastructure to blunt the disastrous effects of peak oil. Once we reach peak oil there will be huge price increases in energy especially gasoline and diesel fuel and there will be shortages and electrical black-outs. Development in the Southern Corridor is an important part of an efficient infrastructure.

Alan Asselstine:

• taxpayers are paying more for public transit while riders are paying less!
• priorities for Urban Natural Areas are
  1. land along the Rideau River
  2. the headwaters of Sawmill Creek which extends out to Leitrim
  3. the Southern Corridor
• Regarding the Southern Corridor, the community has always accepted infill as legitimate because it makes the best use of existing infrastructure.

Maria McRae: needs direction from the Hunt Club Community Organization because talks with the NCC raise the expectation that some kind of deal can be worked out this summer.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: a new medical centre on Broadview in Toronto is attractive and practical, the City of Ottawa should consider this as an example of efficient infrastructure.

Alan Asselstine: The HCCO recommends that the City study a 3 way stop at the south-end of Plante and McCarthy. What is being done?
Maria McRae: Traffic counts will be done.

Next meeting: Mon 12 Sep 2005 at 7:30pm