Councillor's Report to HCCO 2 March 2009

River Ward City Councillor Maria McRae's Report to Hunt Club Community Organization 2 March 2009

Road Resurfacing and Preservation Projects

City staff recently released a list identifying road projects planned for 2009. Planned resurfacing and preservation projects that will affect residents of Hunt Club include Uplands Drive from Hunt Club Road to south of Breadner Boulevard and Hunt Club Road from Prince of Wales Drive to Paul Anka Drive. I will provide a schedule of when this work is to be completed when more information becomes available.

Transit Resumption Ahead of Schedule

OC Transpo staff announced there will be service on all transit routes during peak periods starting Monday, March 16, 2009 - three weeks ahead of schedule. Leading up to March 16, 2009 there will be a gradual reintroduction of additional rash hour service, with six more routes being added February 25, 2009, two more on March 2, 2009, and more expected the following week. Routes 38, 60, 76, 121, 125 and 131 will start operating during rash hour on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, while Express routes 33 and 35 will start Monday, March 2, 2009. These increases are being reinstated two weeks earlier than planned.

Starting Monday, March 16, 2009, although all routes will be running, some will have fewer trips than normally scheduled during peak periods since bus availability will still be at 90 per cent. By running some trips on all the routes, all communities will have service back in place and customers will have more transit choices. Throughout March 2009 and April 2009, additional rush hour trips will be added to routes as more buses become available.

Customers should check online regularly at www.octranspo.com for updated trip times. As well, customers are reminded that during March Break, March 16 to 20, school routes will not operate. This does not affect service to post-secondary institutions.

Fare Reductions

Normal fares resumed on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Customers will notice that new, larger, bright pink bus tickets are in circulation, but the price is unchanged at $ 1 each. December pass holders can use their passes to get a 60% discount on their March pass. For details about the new bus schedules, contact OC Transpo at 613-741-4390 or visit www.octranspo.com.

Closure of Block Parent Program in Ottawa

Following the closure of the Block Parent Program in the city of Ottawa last fall, the Ottawa Police Service is still looking for Block Parent window signs to be returned. In support of Ontario Block Parent's efforts to retrieve the red and white window signs, the police service has extended the sign return deadline to March 31, 2009. Ottawa Police would also like to remind residents, particularly parents, schools and groups that work with children that the Block Parent Program no longer exists in the city of Ottawa. Further information is available at www.ottawapolice.ca.

Block Parent Window Sign Recall: Block Parent window signs should be returned to the nearest police station by the end of March in one of the following ways:

In Person: A full listing of police stations is available on line at www.ottawapolice.caor in the Red Pages in the front of your Bell phone book.
By Mail: Signs may also be returned by mail to: Ottawa Police Service, ATTN: Community Development, P.O. Box 9634, Station T, Ottawa, ON K1G 6H5.
Pick-up: If a sign cannot be returned in person or by mail, residents can contact the Community Development Section by phone to arrange for pick up by calling 613-236-1222, ext. 6417.

The Ottawa Police Service is committed to community-police partnerships, which are key in developing and maintaining programs such as the Block Parent Program. Unfortunately, since 2001, local support and leadership initiatives for the program declined. While the program has been on hold, the Ottawa Police Service invested significant time and resources to work in partnership with the few remaining Ottawa Block Parent representatives to renew the program. Attempts to renew the community driven program have been unsuccessful, as community interest has dwindled significantly over the years.

On October 2, 2008, the Ontario Block Parent Program sent a letter to all registered Block Parent volunteers in Ottawa indicating that the program was closed. The Ottawa Chapter of Block Parent has provided more than twenty years of community service in Ottawa. Volunteers who kept the program viable during that time should be commended for their important work and years of dedication.

Improved Ottawa Option

City Council approved the new Ottawa Option policy that allows businesses to approach the City with unsolicited proposals. This policy will make it easier for businesses to bring cost-saving and innovative proposals forward. The revised policy implements the following improvements to the existing policy:

Unsolicited proposals must result in an improved outcome or reduced cost for the City, or build on and add benefit to an existing undertaking
Clear definition of roles, responsibilities and decision points is required when considering the unsolicited proposal
Unsolicited proposal dealing with a current or planned procurement process, will not qualify as an Ottawa Option proposal, but can be leveraged by the City outside of the Ottawa Option policy
Final procurement phase will use the "best and final offer" process
Council approval of the application of the policy is required for all instances where the value is estimated to exceed $500,000

For the complete report, please visit www.ottawa.ca.

Revised Official Plan

City staff have tabled revisions to the 2003 Official Plan and are now seeking input on the proposed changes. Also tabled were the draft revisions to the Infrastructure Master Plan. The Official Plan provides a vision of how and where the city should grow through to 2031. The Official Plan review began in October 2007, involving extensive consultation with community groups, government agencies, business and other stakeholder groups

The Official Plan amendment recommends many changes, the most important of which fall into four areas - expansion of the urban boundary, introducing new policies to ensure that intensification is compatible with the surrounding community, implementation of the rural settlement strategy and protection of wetlands. The biggest change proposed by the draft amendment is the provision of an intensification target that must be met before City Council considers future urban expansions. Density targets for priority locations, particularly the central area and rapid transit stations, are also included.

Two open houses were held to present the proposed changes to residents: On Thursday, February 19, 2009 regarding Rural Policies and on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 regarding Urban Policies.

The Planning and Environment Committee meeting on Tuesday March 31, 2009 will be the official public meeting where all interested parties have the opportunity to make presentations in respect to the proposed changes. I will provide updates on the Official Plan as it is presented to Council. Further information is available on the City's website at www.ottawa.ca/beyondottawa2020.

Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel Open House

I would like to hear from you on the groundbreaking downtown transit tunnel project that will shape the city for generations to come. In July 2008, the City of Ottawa initiated planning and functional design for a downtown transit tunnel as a key part of the expansion and improvement of its new Rapid Transit Network. Identifying a transit solution from the core out, with the downtown tunnel as a key feature, will ease the congestion in Ottawa and offer riders faster, more reliable transit service throughout the city-Residents were invited to the study's first open house on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at City Hall. Material presented at the open house included:

Identified alignments of the above and below ground routes
The location, design and spacing of stations
How the tunnel study project links into other rapid transit expansion projects
The expansion of the study's scope to include a westward extension from Bayview to Tunney's Pasture and an eastward extension from the train station to Blair

If you have any questions or comments with respect to the transit tunnel, please feel free to contact me at 613-580-2486 or at Maria.McRae@ottawa.ca.

Integrated Road Safety Program

January Results: Last month, the City of Ottawa's Integrated Road Safety Program (IRSP), through its Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), laid 384 charges for following too close and failing to stop for stop signs. Specifically, 90 tickets were issued for tailgating and the stop sign safety initiative resulted in the laying of 294 charges. March Initiative: This month, the City's Integrated Road Safety Program (IRSP) will focus on drivers that run red lights and tailgate.

In 2007, 916 collisions were reported on Ottawa roads due to drivers failing to stop at red lights; resulting in two deaths and 416 injuries - 14 of them life-threatening. Following too close is also a serious issue on Ottawa roads. In 2007, tailgating caused 4,716 rear-end collisions - the most frequent type of collision in Ottawa accounting for one-third of the city's total collisions. These collisions resulted in four deaths and 1,470 injuries - 17 of them life-threatening.

Volunteers needed at Outdoor Rinks

The City is seeking volunteers to help provide access and upkeep of they city's outdoor rinks. Community involvement helps ensure that Ottawa's outdoor rinks are available free of cost to everyone from toddlers to seniors in neighbourhoods across the city. Ways to get involved:

Assist with the maintenance of the ice surfaces
Volunteer a few hours a week to supervise the rinks and field house
Help to run weekly children's programs
Help organize a winter carnival at your rink

Please approach the rink operator of your neighbourhood rink, or contact the Seasonal Recreation Office at 613-580-2424, ext. 37017, or seasonalrecreation@ottawa.ca for more information.