Minutes of Meeting 4 April 2005

Attendees:

Motion: To widen the Terms of Reference of the Environmental Assessment to include a broader range of options including an east-west route through downtown. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Shelley Parlow. Carried.

Fred McLennan: The City will give us a tree to plant to help celebrate its 150th anniversary. We have the choice of maple or oak and we need to choose a place to plant it.

Two places were discussed: one on the grounds of the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre beside the baseball field next to McCarthy Woods and the other in Cahill Park near Twyford. The consensus was that the first location was the best and the tree should be a maple.

Pat Murphy (representing Maria McRae):

Fred McLennan presented a letter from one of the property owners on Hunt Club Place and a map of the land parcels with an aerial photograph as a backdrop. The property owners were identified and the presence of a stream was noted. Consensus was to take no position at this time subject to the review by Bylaw Enforcement.

Alan Asselstine reported on the East West Public Corridor LRT Project: http://ottawa.ca/public_consult/lrt/ew/index_en.shtml
The proposed route goes along the CNR railway on the north edge of the Southern Corridor. The Recommended Rapid Transit Network is a de-facto decision for railways and existing railway lines. It suggests stations in the middle of the Southern Corridor. It will use existing bridges but it will compete with existing freight trains. The real problem with public transit is the congestion of buses through the downtown area.

Shelley Parlow: She went to visit David McGuinty (M.P.) and a representative from Dalton McGuinty's (Premier of Ontario) office. She presented the proposed Poets' Pathway which would consist of 30 kilometres of walking trails. It is designed to preserve the Southern Corridor in its natural state. The meeting lasted three hours and was very friendly. David McGuinty said that he was glad to know of the concerns of the residents of Hunt Club.

Peter Brimacombe: Development of the Southern Corridor is one piece of the infrastructure that we need to survive peak oil. There is a growing body of opinion that warns of the danger:

The danger is such that McCarthy Woods is likely to be cut down for firewood!

Maria McRae. On the Tuesday after our meeting Alan received a letter from Maria saying that the 2005 City budget contains $9M for Phase II of the Sawmill Creek constructed wetlands. Construction is expected to start this fall. This is taking place thanks to Maria's hard work and Wendy's before that.

Next meeting: Mon 2 May 2005 at 7:30pm