Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Christine Johnson
• Issie Berish
• Sylva Baroody
• Fred McLennan
• Isabel Tang
• Neva Everett
• Christine Tausig Ford
• John Reid
• Anoushae Eirabie
• Kimberley Araniyasundaran
• Rebekah Dalm
• Maria McCrae, Councillor
• Moe Elmi, Ottawa Police

John Sankey: He presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Minutes
Motion: To approve the June minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Sylva Baroody, carried.
John Sankey: Construction on the pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway is proceeding slowly. We have distributed the September issue of Hunt Club Our Community. Does the City charge for the commercial shopping carts that it collects?
Maria McCrae: She will check on the shopping carts. There is a by-law.

Councillor’s Report
Maria McCrae: She welcomed everyone and presented the Councillor’s Report.
Issie Berish: He loves the traffic calming measures on Springland. Maria McCrae: Thank you. There are three criteria for traffic calming for a street: it is near a school, near a seniors residence or beside a big park.
Issie Berish: The Ottawa Public Library has eliminated its limit of 2 DVD’s per customer. He is curious as to its reasoning. On Maria’s website, there should be links to all the community associations.
Maria McCrae: The links would have to treat them all the same even though they’re not.
John Reid: Maria’s table in the Community Centre obscures the Library Kiosk.
Maria McRae: Staff put the table where they did and she thinks it doesn’t interfere with people’s use of the Kiosk.
Christine Johnson: There are a lot of vacant retail stores in Metro Plaza. Does the community have any input into the kind of stores moving in?
John Sankey: Riocan owns the plaza. Its headquarters are in Toronto. Peter Foulger: Is yard waste included in the recycling numbers? What about Plasco as a long term solution to waste?
Maria McCrae: Plasco needs to address problems in its operation but she very much hopes that it is successful. It’s hard to get permission from the province for regular incinerators. She believes in the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Retail packaging is often excessive. Over packaging is contrary to our efforts to reduce waste.
John Sankey: His first R is Refuse. That is he refuses to accept excess packaging or junk such as flyers.

Newsletter
Christine Johnson: We distributed the September issue of our newsletter Hunt Club Our Community. We did get more volunteers to distribute the newsletter. It is generating a lot of positive comments. There is an article in the September issue: What do you like most about living in Hunt Club? She read a few other suggestions for survey questions for future issues and circulated the sheet for members to add on their own suggestions and/or tick off their favourite question(s).
Issie Berish: We now have more people to distribute than we have newsletters so we should print more – say from 3000 to 4000. How can we get more income to pay for the extra copies? There are different lists of volunteers, there isn’t a good master list. We want to get the newsletters to the volunteers as quickly as possible. Next issue is December.
Christine Tausig Ford: You should print more than you need because incremental costs are small on a big order. You could look at a digital edition which could generate on-line advertising.

Community Police
Constable Elmi: He is the new community police officer. If anyone has any issues he can call him at 613 236-1222 or send him an e-mail. He started working on patrol and working with the schools.

Financial Report
Peter Foulger: He passed out the year-end Treasurer’s Report and the September Report. Last year, there was a $155 decrease in Members’ Surplus but there still is around $9000 in the bank.
John Sankey: Thank you for your work. Because of your efforts the accounting is in better shape than it’s ever been.

Hunt Club Creek
John Sankey: He would like to adopt the Hunt Club Creek. Students working for Christine Johnson had prepared a map of the community and on it was Hunt Club Creek. The map was on display at the meeting. Hunt Club Creek flows north from the DND property across Hunt Club Road, through the Golf Course. It then flows westwards into the Rideau River. Hackett Pond is a part of it. Motion: That the HCCO adopt the Hunt Club Creek under the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority stream adoption program. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Christine Johnson.
Christine Tausig Ford: Thinks it is a great idea.
Maria McCrae: She sent the service manager to clean up debris near Hackett Pond. Anything she can do to help, she’ll do.
John Reid: We should have a statement of objectives.
Vote on motion: carried

Miscellanea
John Sankey: The HCCO will again take part in Cleaning the Capital. There are four areas and everyone is invited to help.

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Community Associations has an update on its activities.

John Reid: The Ottawa Public Library did a consultation on possible initiatives: make more convenient allow people to return books at community centres present services at community centres The Library service needs to improve. Between 2011 and 2012, circulation for the Ottawa Public Library as a whole dropped 11%. Kiosk technology is improving and we would like to have an upgraded Kiosk.
John Sankey: Back in the day, he took his four kids to the Library. They were limited to eight books per family and this limitation was the source of much discussion. Today you can browse on-line, you can request the books and pick them up at the Kiosk, at a bookmobile or at any branch. The Library has improved unbelievably.
Maria McCrae: Ottawa is the only major city in Canada with kiosks. They have increased circulation. She was a strong advocate for the Kiosk at the Community Centre. The Centre was rebuilt specifically for the Kiosk and it would be difficult to change.

Next meeting: Monday October 7 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Christine Johnson
• Marilyn Koch
• Issie Berish
• Sylva Baroody
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Steve Long
• Isabel Tang
• Marcus Cole

John Sankey: He presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Motion: To approve the May minutes as amended. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Marilyn Koch, carried.

John Sankey: Noted that the question on traffic counts at the intersections of Hunt Club and Riverside and Hunt Club and Prince of Wales is still outstanding.
Steve Long: What is the problem? This is public information. Why isn’t it publicly available?

Christine Johnson: Her group cleaned up the Hydro right-of-way behind Erin Crescent between Hunt Club and Lillico.
Marilyn Koch: She and seven other ladies cleaned up along McCarthy, Uplands, Paul Anka, the back of the Metro plaza and parts of Twyford. She noted that there is lots of garbage along Uplands Drive south of Hunt Club.
John Sankey: Liz Russell cleaned up Plante Drive and parts of McCarthy.
Peter Foulger: Cleaned up Paul Landry Park. City vehicles dumped something in the Park and left big gouges in the grass. There is still graffiti but the fence has been repaired.
Sylva Baroody: She and her children and eight other scout members cleaned up around Holy Family School and Owl Park.

Comments on the Councillor’s Report
John Sankey: Construction on the pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway is proceeding slowly. The City and Bray Construction are ‘papering the file’ anticipating legal procedures.
Christine Johnson: The lack of progress is frustrating.
John Sankey: There have been no design changes. Once the concrete of the deck is poured it must cure for 30 days.

Christine Johnson: She encouraged the Board to do the survey on the Library:

Steve Long: He commented on 700 Hunt Club Road. He wondered how nearby residents would be affected.
Christine Johnson: Sound barriers and the placement of the Seniors Residence should provide protection.
Issie Berish: There are not going to be enough parking places.
John Sankey: Drive-through food businesses on Hunt Club do an astounding business.

Issie Berish: I have a Presto Card and it works! He used it to pay for himself and his daughter.

Christine Johnson: Hunt Club Our Community: Here are articles she is preparing for the September Issue: solar electrical panels and thermal heating, an article on community policing, Linda Dubois re the open house on Shearwater Court, communty gardens, What do you like about our community? The idea is to elicit responses rather than do a survey. Responses can be dropped off at the Community Festival September 7 or sent via e-mail to the editor.

Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer’s Report.

Gisèle Loiselle: The City is spending $50,000 a year to pick up shopping carts. The stores own the carts and they should pay to pick them up.
Issie Berish: On May 16, City Council directed staff to draft a bylaw dealing with shopping carts.

Motion: That the City fine or charge the stores for each shopping cart that it picks up. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Christine Johnson, carried.

Peter Foulger: Beside Hunt Club Creek between Uplands and Gillespie there are a lot of fallen trees. The City needs to send a crew to haul them away. A neighbour reported that the path along the Creek is being used for drug dealing.

Christine Johnson: Reported on FCA activities. The FCA encourages participation in the City’s on-line survey on bicycle and pedestrian paths. The last possible date to treat ash trees against the emerald ash borer is the end of June. Hintonburg has started a development watch on its website. June 2nd to the 9th is Good Neighbour’s Week.
John Sankey: There are at least 180,000 ash trees on City property.
Gisèle Loiselle: The City will saw a few ash trees into boards which will be used to decorate the new LRT stations.

Christine Johnson: The sign on Erin Crescent should be changed from Adopt a Park to Adopt a Road.

Isabel Tang: She has made an HCCO page on Facebook.

Next meeting: September 9 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Christine Johnson
• Marilyn Koch
• Issie Berish
• Fred McLennan
• Jeannine Simonsen
• Isabel Tang

John Sankey: Introduced two new visitors: Jeannine Simonsen and Isabel Tang. He presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Motion: To approve the April minutes. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.

John Sankey: Reported on the construction of the pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway. Pouring of the tower was delayed by other factors not by the weather. The cap is expected to be completed by the end of May. Hopefully the entire project should be complete by the end of summer. Self consolidating concrete has vastly different properties than ordinary concrete.
The proposal before Transportation Committee concerning Bronson Avenue is going ahead with no changes to the original plan.
The question on traffic counts at the intersections of Hunt Club and Riverside and Hunt Club and Prince of Wales is still outstanding.

Christine Johnson: Reported on the newsletter Hunt Club Our Community. All copies of the April issue have been delivered. She is looking for a volunteer for Uplands between Chatsworth and Country Club.
Jeannine Simonsen said that she could do it.
Christine Johnson: She needs another volunteer to deliver Killdeer Bay and Yorkberry Gate. Here are some ideas for the September issue:

• cleanups
• the Hunt Club Community Survey
• FCA
• old orchards along Riverside
• Michael Sankey, a guitar maker in our community
• the Greenbelt Master Plan Review which includes a proposal to widen Hunt Club Road
• John Sankey has another historical article
• Marilyn Koch has an article on Paul Landry

Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer’s Report. The HCCO has an account at the TD Canada Trust in the T&T Plaza. In addition there is a fixed term investment of $8,615.00 at the Alterna Bank.

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Citizens Associations is sponsoring an Emerald Ash Borer Information Forum on May 13. 50% of the trees around Sawmill Creek are ash. The FCA is promoting a website.
John Sankey: The City should replace the ash trees with a variety of species not just a single species.

Fred McLennan: Joanne Chianello writes regularly in the Ottawa Citizen. In her recent article Who Speaks for You? she makes the point that some community associations are not elected and may not represent the views of the residents.

John Sankey: On Saturday April 27, 8 volunteers showed up to help him clean up Uplands Park: Sarah McCormack, Jeff, Carter and Giffin Brown, John’s son Michael and grandchildren Lola, Margo and Anaïs.
On Saturday May 4, Peter Foulger led a clean up of Paul Landry Park. Helpers were Christine Johnson, John Sankey, Shirani Wijesekera, Marilyn Koch, Heather Parker.
Marilyn Koch: She intends to lead a cleanup of other areas and will report back. This year the City did a great job of street sweeping.
Christine Johnson: As she does her cleanup she keeps a separate bag for trash from McDonalds. There should be a way to encourage the company to look after its trash better.

Isabel Tang: She lives on Pigeon Terrace and goes to Carleton U. She would like to start a Facebook Page or a Twitter Account to promote the HCCO. Everybody welcomed her ideas and encouraged her.

Next meeting: Monday June 3, 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Christine Johnson
• Marilyn Koch
• Sylva Baroody
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Steve Long
• Almeera Ismail, Assistant to the Councillor

John Sankey: Presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Motion: To approve the March minutes. Moved by Peter Foulger, seconded by Christine Johnson, carried.

John Sankey: The question on traffic counts at the intersections of Hunt Club and Riverside and Hunt Club and Prince of Wales is still outstanding. Is there an update?
Almeera Ismail: The Councillor’s Report has summary figures but she will get the detailed figures. She then presented the Councillor’s Report.

John Sankey: Bray Construction is building the pedestrian bridge over the Airport Parkway. It is waiting for warmer weather to pour the upper portion.

Christine Johnson: Reported on the newsletter Hunt Club: Our Community. She is looking for a sponsorship co-ordinator. The next issue will be in September. Issie Berish has been very busy but the April issue should be delivered soon.

Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer’s Report. The expense of printing and distributing the April issue was $608. The income received from sponsorships was $600. This difference is well within expectations.

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Citizens Associations made a presentation to the City’s Official Plan Review. Here is a quote:

While the City has committed to a number of Community Design Plans like the proposed Centretown CDP being discussed today many residents feel there should be a principled statement on community character built into the Official Plan for every community in the City.  People want the City to recognize their communities for their distinctive values and needs

Old Ottawa South did a survey – should we do a survey? Here are some ideas:

• what is great about Hunt Club
• what are three key trends that you see
• what would make Hunt Club better
• what resources do we have
• what are the barriers

John Sankey: 20 years ago there was a Neighbourhood Study. The proposed development of the Southern Corridor aroused fierce emotions. The issue remains potentially explosive.
Christine Johnson: Given that it is a generation later from the last survey, it would be appropriate to conduct another one. Our community is evolving both demographically and descriptively (new businesses, airport expansion, foot bridge over the parkway, Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland project, new Wisteria community, etc.); these changes are impacting perceptions, perspectives and visions for our community. It would be timely to hear again from community members.

John Sankey: Sent out an email to the directors advising that the Transportation Committee was considering further restrictions on traffic on Bronson Avenue. Nine directors approved the idea that we were against further restrictions. Peter Brimacombe then presented before the Committee.
Peter Brimacombe: Read his presentation:

The HCCO opposes further restrictions on Bronson Avenue.  Bronson Avenue provides our community with access to downtown and to Gatineau.  For the City as a whole it is a crucial north-south arterial route for buses, trucks and cars.  It is vital to the economy of the City as a whole. There simply is no alternative to Bronson Avenue.  30 years ago I lived in Ottawa East off Main Street.  Even then, all the north – south routes through the downtown area were at capacity but there was the realization that these routes were vital to our economy.  Bronson Avenue is an established route, whatever restrictions you put on Bronson Avenue will negatively impact the City as a whole.  There is no way around it.

The LRT tunnel is important to Hunt Club because it allows east-west movement of trains without taking away from north-south capacity.

John Sankey: Presentations at city public meetings can be very intimidating. Last year he was at a city consultation meeting called by a councillor that was so stridently one-sided he felt he would be subject to uncontrolled verbal abuse if he made a presentation on behalf of the HCCO. The clearly organized group opposed measures to improve through traffic on Bronson Avenue north of the Queensway. On the issue before the Committee last week, here are the next steps:

• staff will make changes by delegated authority in the Carleton University area to further separate cycle and vehicle traffic,
• the committee will consider further changes, including at least one additional traffic signal on Bronson, at a later date,
• changes north of the Queensway will be done this year as local residents wish, contrary to what was considered by staff (and the HCCO) to be in the best interests of the city,
• we must expect the pattern in 3. to apply to 2014 work between the Queensway and Carling, and to 2015 work between Carling and Queen Elizabeth Drive.

John Sankey: Passed around maps that he had put on the website and asked for comments: Comments were favourable.
Fred McLennan: The Glebe fought tooth and nail to prevent off ramps from the Airport Parkway onto Hunt Club and Walkley.
Peter Foulger: A pedestrian bridge at Brewer over Bronson Avenue would be the best solution.

Next meeting: Monday May 6 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Christine Johnson
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Marilyn Koch
• Keith Hendricks
• Theresa Hendricks
• Steve Long
• Almeera Ismail, Assistant to the Councillor

John Sankey: Presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Motion: To approve the February minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Steve Long, carried.

Almeera Ismail: Presented the Councillor’s Report.

Christine Johnson: Presented an update on the newsletter Hunt Club Our Community. A draft of the April edition is ready. She asked for volunteers to distribute the newsletter in Wisteria. There are 164 households and the newsletter is sent out four times a year. Steve Long said he would help.

Motion: To approve an approximate cost of $630 to print the newsletter. $600 to be offset by sponsorships. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Marilyn Koch, carried.

Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer’s Report. The expense of printing the quarterly newsletter is roughly $630 of which $600 is matched by income from sponsorships.

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Citizens Associations has put forward four points on the Official Plan:

• better transparency and accountability in the planning process
• affordable, sustainable development in a healthy, natural environment
• early community engagement in the planning process as an equal stakeholder
• ensuring future development of an area is in the best interest of the community as a whole

Spot rezoning remains a big problem. Most communities do not have a neighbourhood plan.
Old Ottawa South is doing a survey on what is the consensual vision for the community.

John Sankey: There are three shifts in population that affect development in Ottawa: shift to single parent families; shift to urban areas from rural; and shift in immigration to Muslim and Asian instead of European, John Ibbitson has chronicled this change.
Peter Brimacombe: The Southern Corridor is the largest vacant section of land in Ottawa apart from the Central Experimental Farm. Talk of higher densities and better energy efficiency has to include the Southern Corridor. It has to be and will be developed.
Christine Johnson: Ottawa is a hodge podge. There is no consensual vision.
John Sankey: Ottawa is a collection of different cities that have grown into each other. The OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) favours developers. It is killing us.

John Sankey: Including Wisteria, there are eight parks in our boundaries. Three have been adopted: the HCCO has adopted Paul Landry Park; John Sankey has adopted Uplands Park; and Liz Russell has adopted Owl Park.
The minimum requirement to adopt a park is to do a clean-up in the spring and the fall. Riverwood Park in Quintera and Wisteria Park could be adopted by one person. Three parks, McCarthy, Cahill and Riverside-Uplands, would be too big a project for one person.
There are two separate programs to protect the rivers and streams in the City. Stream Watch is a City program which uses City resources to clean up and protect the streams. The Constructed Wetlands just to the east of the Airport Parkway is an example of a City program. The other program is Adopt a Stream which is run by the Rideau Valley Conservation Program. Christine Johnson wants to take care of Sawmill Creek between Dazé and Hunt Club but her project is not part of either program.
Theresa Hendricks: How are skating rinks in the parks organized?
John Sankey: There are two ways: the City pays part-time help to prepare and maintain the ice. The skating and hockey rinks at Owl and McCarthy Park are maintained in this way; unpaid volunteers prepare and maintain the ice. The skating rink at Uplands Park is maintained in this way. A City 1-1/2 inch water pipe is used at Owl and McCarthy, a neighbour’s 1/2 inch outdoor tap is used at Uplands. Household hoses are inadequate for any but the smallest puddle rink.

Next meeting: Monday April 8 at 19:00

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Peter Foulger, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Gisèle Loiselle
• Christine Johnson
• Sylva Baroody
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
• Lesley LeMarquand
• Marc Rivard
• Aija Auzina
• Steve Long
• Abbas Mokabbery
• Keith Hendricks
• Theresa Hendricks
• Andrea Fowler
• Crystal Karam
• Bob Andrews

John Sankey: Presented the agenda and asked for approval.

Christine Johnson: Introduced people from Wisteria. Wisteria is south of Hunt Club and is not part of River Ward.

Motion: Given that the neighbourhood known as Wisteria Community bounded by Hunt Club Rd to the north, Uplands to the east, the airbase to the south and the DND woods to the west, shares the same roadways, traffic concerns, community centre, shopping facilities, service providers, schools and green spaces as the rest of our Hunt Club Community and Given that a representative number of residents from Wisteria Community have indicated interest in joining our HCCO and Given that the Wisteria neighbourhood is the most recently built housing development off of Hunt Club and adjacent to Paul Anka Drive that the HCCO officially welcomes the Wisteria Community into its organization and adjusts its boundaries accordingly to reflect this extension of our Hunt Club Community. Moved by Christine Johnson, Andrea Fowler, carried.
John Sankey: Welcomed the people from Wisteria and described the role of the Hunt Club Community Organization. It is concerned about issues that impact our area, its goal is to make this a better place to live.

Motion: To appoint Steve Long and Keith Hendricks as directors to the Hunt Club Community Organization. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.

Nichole Hoover: She has a response to the question: what options do we have to restrict left-hand turns from the T & T parking lot onto Hunt Club Road. Response:
Available traffic counts for the intersections of Hunt Club Road at 225 m east of Riverside Drive (T & T access). These counts indicate that the left turning volumes during peak period from the T&T site are very minor and contribute minimally, if at all, to any traffic flow issues in the corridor. The east-west traffic and other turning volumes at the Riverside Drive and Prince of Wales Drive intersections are such that significant delays are experienced, resulting in significant queues throughout the area.
In conversation with staff at Signals it was indicated that the queues currently experienced along Hunt Club Road through the T&T access would occur even if the access did not exist. As a result of the signal timing plans put into place through this corridor no direct impacts resulting from the T&T access have been identified.
In consideration of the above, especially that impacts relating to left turns from the site onto Hunt Club Road  are minimal at this time the Department is not in a position to recommend removal of the left turns during peak periods.

John Sankey: In the new Traffic Plan three arterial roads have been downgraded. As well as maintaining their role as arterial roads they now have equal priority to providing access to adjoining properties. Walkley Road is one of the arterial roads. In addition, the new Traffic Plan promotes access to pedestrians and cyclists on all arterial roads. This runs counter to our recommendations. The role of arterials such as Bronson Avenue should be to move through traffic, where traffic is understood to be cars and trucks. It is impossible to provide efficient access to traffic while at the same time making cycling pleasant and safe. In the case of Bronson Avenue, there are two low volume streets that run parallel to it – Percy and Lyon. They should be the cycling routes.

Aija Auzina: She is interested in reducing greenhouse gases and global warming. Something should be done at the municipal level.
John Sankey: The average temperature in Ottawa has risen but 60% of the increase is due to the heat created by activities in the City itself. Heating and cooling buildings give off heat. Driving vehicles gives off heat. Improving the insulation in buildings and improving the efficiency of appliances such as refrigerators can reduce the heat given off.

Gisèle Loiselle: Many drivers fail to make proper turns. They don’t keep to their lanes and they don’t signal.

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

John Sankey: At the last meeting we discussed our membership fees. Issie Berish surveyed other community associations in Ottawa and the average is $10.
Gisèle Loiselle: Leave it at $3.
Christine Johnson: $10 is not a lot to ask. If someone cannot afford it then they contribute in some other way.
Peter Brimacombe: In the late 1970’s, Ottawa East was under tremendous pressure from plans to expand the road network. As a group we met three or four nights a week. We organized presentations at City Hall and prepared briefs to the Ontario Municipal Board. Donations of $20 were common. They helped to pay for signs, typing and courier services. $10 is a minimum.
Aija Auzina: $3 is not a serious commitment.
Lesley LeMarquand: $10 is not a big commitment.

Motion: To raise the membership fee to $10.00 effective August 1, 2013. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle.
There was a general discussion on the motion.
Vote on motion: carried.

Christine Johnson: Presented an update on the newsletter Hunt Club My Community. Articles are ready for the April edition which should be ready March 25. There are spots in the newsletter for six sponsors, four have already signed up for the April edition: T&T, Shawarma Planet, Tire Changers and Royal LePage.

Peter Foulger: Presented the Treasurer’s Report. Alan Asselstine the former Treasurer has forwarded an electronic summary of previous transactions for the period 2005 to the present. He will turn over the paper copies for the period 1990 to 2005. TD Canada Trust at the T&T plaza holds our account. It charges a fee of $1.95 a month. In addition the Alterna Bank holds a term account of $8,615.00.

Christine Johnson: The Federation of Citizens Association met on 10 January 2013. People at the meeting are committed and engaged. The number one issue is to update the zoning bylaw so that there is not a constant stream of zoning amendments.
Peter Foulger: The Zoning Committee is really the Re-zoning Committee.
Christine Johnson: We are the heart of the City. We are centrally located north of the new sub-divisions in River Road south and south of the older developed areas.
Peter Brimacombe: The Southern Corridor runs across our territory, it follows the railway line. Apart from the Central Experimental Farm, it is the largest undeveloped parcel of land in the City. That it be developed is natural and inevitable.
John Sankey: The western half of the Southern Corridor holds no special value in terms of bio-diversity.

Christine Johnson: There is a proposal to build four commercial buildings at 700 Hunt Club. She would like to ask four questions: there is currently a sign advertising that 28 new townhouses will be built on the site, is this still the case? one of the commercial buildings will be a fast food outlet. Which one? all the affected homeowners were not notified. Why not? the site plan calls for Hunt Club Rd to be widened. Where would it be widened?

Motion: To delegate Christine Johnson to forward questions regarding the site plan proposed for 700 Hunt Club Road to the City on behalf of the HCCO. Moved by Peter Foulger, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Next meeting: Monday March 4, 2013 at 19:00

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