Report to River Ward Community Associations
May 2001
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In late April, Council approved the 2001 Operating Budget
for the new City. A $30 million surplus
from the 2000 RMOC budget (reduction in the social service caseload) and
considerable savings from expenditures estimated by the Transition Board
allowed increased support for grants to social service agencies, libraries and
arts for the coming year.
OC
Transpo fares will be increased in July to assist in improving and increasing
transit service (the impact on ridership is negligible – after the last
increase in ’99, ridership continued to grow beyond projections). The cost of providing transit service has
risen at a rate considerably in excess of inflation in the last 18 months –
totaling more than $6.4 million. For
example, fuel prices have increased by 16% since January 2000, adding $3.6
million to transit operations.
Pending Capital Budget consideration in mid-May,
residents should be able to expect a tax freeze this year.
The current provincial property tax assessment system,
based on current market values (1999), is generating significant property tax
increases for over 18% of homeowners in the city despite no increase in the
city’s mill rate. Next year, when the
provincial assessment system goes to an annual basis, taxes will likely rise
again because housing prices went up over 16% in 2000. A task force has been established to examine
property assessment and tax issues.
Further, Council has asked the provincial government to review the
appropriate role of property taxes in funding local services and
provincially-mandated social services, such as welfare, social housing and
child care.
As a result of the current problems in North Battleford,
Saskatchewan, the public is concerned about this microscopic parasite that can
be found in water. When ingested, it
germinates, reproduces and causes illness – even death in immunocompromised
people.
Residents can be assured that the City (formerly the
Region) has taken the initiative to routinely test both the source of our
drinking water – the Ottawa River – and the treated water for Cryptosporidium
(even though monitoring is not required under current regulations). Levels of Cryptosporidium in the river are
consistently low and the organism has NEVER been detected in the treated
water. The city operates a “multiple
barrier” treatment process that is very effective in removing Cryptosporidium
parasites, eliminating 99.9999 percent of the Cryptosporidium cysts entering
the plant. This level of performance is
one of the highest in North America.
100%
Smoke Free By-law Approved Unanimously
All 22 members of Council voted in favour of 100%
smoke-free by-laws for public places and workplaces with no allowances for
designated smoking rooms. This includes
establishments such as restaurants, bars, pubs, bingo halls, bowling alleys,
billiard halls as well as taxis and limousines. An amendment was also approved
to direct staff to monitor and report on the concerns of charitable and
non-profit organizations.
City staff is now preparing an extensive public awareness
and business information campaign and are committed to working with the
business community to ensure a smooth transition.
1. In March 2001,
ridership continued its long and steady climb with a year-over-year increase of
7.7% for the month.
2. This is the 3rd
year for the “Rack and Roll” service, where 200 buses (designated for routes 2,
95 and 97) have had bike racks installed on the front to offer customers the
environmentally friendly travel option of combining cycling with a bus
ride. Hundreds of popular cycling
destinations are now available to cyclists in the east, west and south of the
city that might normally have been out of range. More information on the Rack and Roll program is available by
calling 741-4390, or by visiting www.octranspo.com.
Widening
Riverside Drive (South of Hunt Club Road)
In June 2000 the City of Ottawa initiated a study to
determine the future roadway needs in Gloucester South – and an Open House was
held to present the study area features, existing conditions and need for
additional transportation infrastructure.
Since then, staff has developed different alternatives and determined
their effects on the social, natural, land use and transportation environments
– arriving at a technically preferred solution.
A
public meeting has been scheduled for May 31st at the Rideauview
Community Centre in Riverside South ,4310 Shoreline Drive, from 4:00 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.) to comment on the preferred design solution,
review the process, and understand the effects of the preferred solution and
proposed mitigation measures.
EcoGrow Compost is produced from Ottawa’s leaf and yard
waste collection program, and is an excellent natural conditioner that will
enhance the quality of soil.
You can load up on compost any day of the week at the
landfill site for just $5 per car load, or $15 per pickup truck or
trailer. Anyone wanting to purchase
large quantities can make arrangements with a private hauler for the pickup and
delivery of compost at $10 per tonne plus delivery charges. For more information call 580-2400 or visit www.city.ottawa.on.ca.
Deer
Warning on Local Highways
Motorists in the Ottawa area are advised to be extra cautious, especially at dawn and dusk this spring and early summer, to avoid accidents involving white-tailed deer. A 2000 study concluded that deer populations in this region are rising because of mild winters, a decline in hunting and natural predators, and improved habitat. Development pressures have resulted in more infrastructure and people occupying deer habitat, so it’s no wonder that more conflict with deer is occurring. Statistics indicate that the number of deer injured or killed by vehicles in the Ottawa area is doubling every four years.
The Ottawa Carleton Wildlife Centre reports that the number of orphaned and injured animals at their complex was 20% higher than in 1999 – many displaced by new development. Ottawa had the biggest increase in housing construction starts of any major city in the country last year with the building of almost six thousand new homes.
Water System Rehabilitation on
Melfa/Minaki/POW
Construction to replace existing substandard watermains and services within the road right-of-way is scheduled to begin on May 7, 2001. This project was deferred last fall due to time constraints. The areas affected are Prince of Wales from Normandy Crescent to Nesbitt, Melfa Circle, Melfa Crescent from the northern to southern intersection with POW and Minaki Avenue. Completion date is August 24th.
Due to the protracted nature of the Para Transpo Strike, our policy has been adjusted in order to assist eligible clients with transportation costs related to non-essential activities, such as participation in Day Programs, recreational or social programs, which had been part of their routines, prior to the strike. Expenses related to these activities will be reimbursed to cover the actual cost of one round trip per week.
This expanded eligibility criteria is not meant in any way to influence the legitimate labour relations processes that are currently underway between the Amalgamated Transit Union and its service provider, Laidlaw.
During the wet summer of 2000, the water quality at
Mooney’s Bay Beach exceeded the provincial standard of 100 E. coli/100 ml of
water on 12 separate occasions, compared to once in 1999. The beach was posted with warnings for a
total of 3 days.
This summer, Mooney’s Bay water will continue to be
monitored, 5 days a week, with five different samples taken daily. The posting of a notice advising against
swimming is considered when the daily geometric mean of the 5 samples exceeds
the provincial standard.
While a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management Policy
for the city is being developed by staff, the policy of the former Regional
government is being adopted to regulate the use of pesticides and other
chemicals on city-owned property.
This means that the city will discontinue the use of
herbicides on outdoor property it owns or rents except for noxious weeds (i.e.
poison ivy) which cannot reasonably be destroyed by non-chemical means. Use of chemical pesticides will be limited
to cases where there is a serious health risk to humans and animals or in cases
where the survival of trees or shrubs is threatened. Appropriate steps, including public notification, will be taken
to ensure that exposure will be minimized.
In no case will aesthetic considerations be deemed sufficient to warrant
the use of chemical pesticides.
It is imperative that proper cultural methods, such as
composting, aerification, over-seeding, irrigation and proper mowing heights to
suppress week growth and maintain healthy turf grass be increased, particularly
on sports fields.
A full public consultation is planned for the development
of the permanent policy recommendations, which will include consideration of
the costs and benefits of pesticide use and their impact on city operations.
The resurfacing program prioritizes roadways that need
repaving on an annual basis to ensure that these works are undertaken before
damage is done to the sub-structure of the roadway. Scheduled for the 2001 season are: Bellevue, from Laperriere to
dead end; Derby, from Shillington to Emperor; Dover, from Merivale to the
cul-de-sac; Fisher, from Baseline to Carling; Lampman, from Maryland to dead
end; Laperriere, from Kirkwood to Clyde; Maryland, from Prince of Wales to dead
end; Morisset, from Caldwell- 160m East; Prince of Wales Drive, 100 m south of
Normandy Cr. South to 100 m north of Melfa Cr. North.
I am pleased to report that several former Regional
programs have been picked up by the new city of Ottawa under the Forest Renewal
Program. A city-wide street tree
planting program will expand the scope of existing tree programs in the former
municipalities. Staff will plant 50 mm
(2”) street trees (on city property) in partnership with residents whose
properties meet the criteria to establish and sustain a healthy tree, and who
agree to care for it for a period of 2 years. Eight
hundred trees will be offered soon on a first-come, first-served basis –
through a promotion campaign distributed through local newspapers (planting
fall of 2001).
The city has also established programs with schools and
community associations to implement small self-directed tree planting projects,
with funding assistance available up to $2000.
“Green Acres” is a subsidy program targeted at reforesting the rural
areas of the City under a cost-sharing agreement. The “Ice Storm Assistance Program” is another program, initiated
by the province, that provides up to 75% of the funding towards remnant ice
storm cleanup and replacement tree planting until 2003.
One of the first on-line services provided by the new
city is the ability to renew dog licenses online through the web portal at www.city.ottawa.on.ca. This is part of an overall strategy to
provide residents with access to city services 7 days a week, 24 hours a
day. Citizens are taking advantage of
the easier, convenient method – in the first few weeks of service, hundreds of
licenses were renewed online.
Other on-line e-government programs include: paying
parking tickets, booking ice time at arenas, registering for sports programs
and buying maps and other merchandise from the city’s on-line store. Can a ‘virtual councillor’ be next!?
The city is working with the Rideau Valley Conservation
Authority and other partners on a plan to create new fish habitat in the urban
Rideau River. Much natural habitat has
been lost over the years as residents cleaned up, filled in, and straightened
out their shorelines. A fish embayment
project is in the works for the Brewer Park area of Ottawa South. A new shallow pond connected to the river
will provide new spawning, feeding and rearing habitat for fish – particularly
yellow perch which is a major food source for other species.
Hats off to the RVCA – which is celebrating its 35th
Anniversary this spring – for its part in another worthwhile project.
1. Moffatt Farm: Prince of Wales at Falaise; DCR Phoenix has
submitted Official Plan (OP), Zoning Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision
applications to the City. A formal circulation and consultation process is now
underway, and a public information meeting has been set for June 20th at 8 p.m. at the Carleton Heights Community
Centre on Apeldoorn. Decision not
expected until September.
2. McCarthy/Cahill
West Development – The Official Plan and Zoning Amendment proposals are scheduled to go
to planning committee May 24. Changes to the proposal include wider lots
opposite existing homes on McCarthy Road, a wider road width on the interior of
the development, and side yards totalling 1.8 metres. (2.4 m required.) The public is welcome to make presentations
at Committee.
3. Bank Street Home Depot: NCC and Hydro corridor land west of Bank Street near
the Ledbury turn-off; Home Depot has
submitted applications to the City that are being reviewed by staff, before
being circulated for public comment.
4. 1919 VancouverAve. (corner of Bank St.): An application has been submitted for a new and used
car dealership with the main entrance from Vancouver Ave. A one-storey building
is proposed on-site, and zoning is in place for the proposed use. Comments can
be addressed to planner Denis Charron by May 28.
5.
Medical
Centre/Hyperbaric Chamber: Bank and
Vancouver: current status - A site plan to move the tank in order to meet
zoning and Fire Code requirements is under review, and a decision on the
relocation of the tank will be made shortly.
6.
2930 Albion Rd. Located between Kitchener and Walkley: current
status - Claridge Homes submitted subdivision plans for a portion of the former
Heron-Walkley corridor after signing a conditional purchase agreement with the
NCC. The proposal includes a mix of single bungalows and townhouses. Staff is
awaiting further studies before deciding whether or not to approve the
application. A land berm and sound attenuation fence have been added to the
proposal south of Kitchener Avenue to mitigate noise from the CN rail yard.
7.
1241 Clyde Ave. (former DOC lands east of Clyde and Maitland): current
status – Ashcroft/Clyde Avenue Holdings has submitted a site plan to the City
proposing 112 street townhouses, 42 townhouses on a private street and six
semi-detached units. Comments can be
submitted to planner Patrick Legault by May 28.
8.
300 Central Park Dr. (fronting Merivale Road) Ashcroft-Clyde Avenue
Holdings has submitted a Zoning Amendment Application and Site Plan Control
Proposal to the City for this site, which fronts Merivale Road. The proposal is
to rezone two high density residential zones and a leisure linkage zone that
surround an existing employment centre zone, to a single new employment centre
zoning. The site plan proposal would encompass all of the new employment centre
zone and would allow the construction of a high-rise apartment tower, an office
building and three freestanding retail/restaurant uses. A three-storey parking
structure would link the apartment building and office building. The rezoning
proposal will likely go to planning committee in June.
9.
1280 Merivale Rd. (Central Park near Caldwell): A Site Plan Control
Proposal has been submitted to the City suggesting 113 townhomes with private
roads for this 1.8-hectare site. Staff is not prepared to support the plan as
it has been proposed, and the developer has not yet submitted revisions.
10. 110 Central Park Dr. (next to park) Ashcroft/Clyde Avenue Holdings
has submitted a site plan proposing two 10-storey apartment towers and one
four-storey retirement building for this site. Combined, there would be a total
of 224 units, with a 144-space underground parking garage and 102 above-ground
parking spaces. The site is presently zoned for medium and high density
residential uses.
11. 1172 Walkley Road: CP rail land south of
Walkley, west of Bank Street: current status - Council upheld a Planning and
Development Committee decision in March to allow the rezoning for a high-rise
residential or office development on this site.
12. 1057 Merivale Road (south of
Shillington) – The applicant is proposing to demolish a repair garage
and convenience store and replace the structures with a four-storey, 36-unit
rooming house. The proposal includes 26 parking spaces. Staff has a few
outstanding concerns that the applicant must resolve before the proposal is
either approved or denied.
13. 1132 Merivale Road: (vacant lot at
the corner of Merivale and Mayview Avenue;) current status - Centretown
Citizens Ottawa Corporation has applied to build 13 two, three and four-bedroom
townhouses and stacked townhouse rental units. No re-zoning is required. This
project will receive funding from the Homelessness Initiatives Fund.
Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have questions, or comments, or would like more information on these, or any other items before City Council.