Attendees:
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