El-Chantiry: Ward 5 bi-weekly news, Oct. 5
The Councillor's Column
COVID-19 – LATEST NEWS
SPECIAL STATEMENT FROM DR. VERA ETCHES
September 29, 2021 – The latest COVID-19 monitoring indicators tell us that Ottawa is holding steady when it comes to people testing positive for COVID. The local estimate of the reproduction number is just below one per cent positivity in the community sits at 2.3 per cent and hospitalizations are relatively stable.
In-person learning has been underway for more than a month in Ottawa. More school-aged children are attending school in person, and more are testing positive than last year, likely reflecting higher rates in the community.
The number of outbreaks has not kept pace with the higher number of children testing positive, suggesting transmission in schools is being limited with measures in place.
We are monitoring trends and sources of exposure to consider if additional measures are needed.
What concerns me most is the percentage of children who test positive who have been in school while symptomatic and the high number of high-risk contacts within schools and across social networks.
Read the full special statement here.
LATEST NEWS AND DATA FROM OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH
Do-it-yourself COVID-19 test kits are now available to test children two months of age and older
Proof of vaccination is now required in Ontario for select non-essential settings:
Read the frequently asked questions
Learn how to obtain a copy of your ‘vaccine receipt’
Mandatory vaccines for all long-term care home staff are the latest tool to protect against outbreaks
Information for parents of children who have been exposed to COVID-19 in school or child-care settings
Public Health orders and instructions
Current status of COVID-19 in Ottawa
WARD NEWS
Do you have an Ash tree on your property that is infected with the Emerald Ash Borer? Through a partnership with the City of Ottawa, South Nation Conservation (SNC) is administering a fourth year of the program to assist landowners within the City of Ottawa who are affected by the Emerald Ash Borer on private property. Cost-share funding will support the removal of infected Ash tree(s) and the replacement with native tree(s).
Visit the SNC website for more information on eligibility and how to apply.
A MESSAGE FROM THE ARNPRIOR REGIONAL HEALTH FOUNDATION
The Arnprior Regional Health Foundation has reached the 100% milestone for the ‘Come Home to Great Care’ Campaign to redevelop the Grove Nursing Home and add an additional 36 beds for seniors in the community. They want to say THANK YOU!
HAVE YOUR SAY: BUDGET 2022
It’s that time of year again – it’s time for Ward 5 residents, business owners and stakeholders to discuss the City of Ottawa’s annual budget. Your feedback helps inform the City’s budget priorities and contributes to decisions about investments in services that you want and need. I will be holding my Ward 5 2022 Budget Virtual Public Consultation on Thursday, October 28, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. This is a virtual meeting with the option to phone in. Please connect with my office as noted in the flyer below to register for the meeting. If you cannot attend my 2022 Budget Virtual Public Consultation, please feel free to contact me directly at eli.el-chantiry@ottawa.ca or by calling 613-580-2475. Have your say #Ward5Ott!
OTHER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: BUDGET 2022
It’s your city and your budget, so we want to hear from you!
Ways to share your feedback:
- Submit a question through Engage Ottawa
- Fill out the budget survey through Engage Ottawa
- Submit your ideas to your Ward Councillor (call or send me an email)
- Follow and communicate via Facebook and Twitter @ottawacity, using the hashtag #OttBudget
Opportunities for participation in our budget process:
The draft budget presentation and web cast is set for Wednesday, November 3, 2021. If you are interested in the budget of a specific City service, the City Services chart will show you where to look. Draft budget books are published on Ottawa.ca.
Each standing committee or board will review the budget of specific service areas that reports to them. These meeting dates are published on Ottawa.ca. At the meetings, there is an opportunity for community delegations to register and make a brief presentation to the Standing Committee.
On Wednesday, December 8, 2021 Council will approve the 2022 budget.
CITY NEWS
ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: NEW OFFICIAL PLAN
The City of Ottawa’s Official Plan provides a vision for the future growth of the city and a policy framework to guide the city’s physical development. In 2019, the City of Ottawa began a multi-year process to develop a New Official Plan. Residents can now find a full version of the revised draft New Official Plan on the New Official Plan website. City Planners have continued to review and consider all comments received and the revised plan showcases many of the changes made.
The revised draft New Official Plan will be presented to a joint meeting of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and Planning Committee on October 14 at 10:00 am.
Members of the public are invited to participate and make verbal or written submissions for the Committees’ consideration. To participate electronically in the Committee meeting, contact:
Marc Desjardins Coordinator, Standing Committee
E-mail: Marc.Desjardins@ottawa.ca
Tel: 613-580-2424 ext. 28821
If you have additional comments or questions you are always welcome to email newop@ottawa.ca.
UPDATE: PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES MASTER PLAN
Ottawa is one step closer to establishing an overall plan for parks and recreation facilities across the city. At a joint meeting, the City’s Planning Committee and Community and Protective Services Committee approved the final draft of the first combined Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan.
The plan recommends what parklands and recreation facilities the City will need to deliver through 2031 to serve Ottawa residents. The plan is based on the current inventory, projected population growth and input gathered from residents and other stakeholders.
Under the approved plan, the City would aim to maintain enough parkland citywide to ensure two hectares per 1,000 residents. For recreation facilities, the plan sets per capita targets for 23 different types of facilities, some of which would need to increase from current levels, including gymnasiums, ball diamonds and outdoor courts for basketball, tennis and pickleball.
The plan outlines strategies to achieve proposed targets, including acquiring new parkland and expanding the use of existing parks and facilities. The City would create a policy to prioritize parkland acquisition through the development process. It would also develop a strategy to acquire parkland by purchasing real estate where there is opportunity to enlarge existing parks or to create new ones in locations where there is the greatest need. Funding could be achieved through development charges, cash-in-lieu of parkland fees, tax support and third-party sources, such as partnerships or infrastructure grants.
The Committees’ recommendation will rise to Council on Wednesday, October 13. The final Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan will be a supporting document of the City’s New Official Plan, which will be brought forward for Council approval on Wednesday, October 27.
WILDLIFE SPEAKER SERIES: ‘WILD, WILD WASTE!
The City will be hosting an online Wildlife Speaker Series event on the evening of Wednesday October 20, 2021, which I think will be of interest to Ward 5 residents.
In honour of Waste Reduction Week, the Wildlife Speaker Series is talking trash! Garbage, compost and recycling are a common cause of conflict with wildlife, and a serious environmental issue. Food waste and packaging attract unwanted attention from all kinds of wildlife, including yellow jackets, gulls, raccoons (“trash pandas”) and even black bears. The event will feature City staff experts on wildlife and waste management.
Event details and more information here: Wildlife speaker series | City of Ottawa
CITY COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE
This upcoming week is a busy one for committee meetings.
Tuesday, October 5 at 12 pm: Finance and Economic Development Committee
Wednesday, October 6 at 9:30 am: Transportation Committee
Thursday, October 7 at 10:00 am: Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee (Chair)
- To view the agenda in advance of the meeting, please click here.
- To watch the meeting live, please click here.
- For a full list of committee meetings happening October 4 – 8, click here.
THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
The City of Ottawa would like to remind residents of the following schedule changes on Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 11.
Client Service Centres
The City’s 3-1-1 Contact Centre will be open for urgent matters only. Please visit ottawa.ca/311 for more information.
The Client Services Centres at Ottawa City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 580 Terry Fox Drive and 255 Centrum Boulevard and the City’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Drive will be closed.
Green bin, recycling and garbage collection
There will be no curbside collection of green bins, recycling or garbage on Thanksgiving Day. Collection scheduled for Monday, October 11 will be collected on Tuesday, October 12. Collection will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week.
Garbage at multi-residential properties will be collected on the regularly scheduled day. Multi-residential recycling, green bin and bulky-item collection will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week.
The Trail Waste Facility will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 9am to 5pm.
ONTARIO AGRICULTURE WEEK
As Chair of the City of Ottawa Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, I am proud to share that October 4 – 10 is Ontario Agriculture Week. Agriculture week 2021 kicked off on Monday and will run through the weekend – just in time for Thanksgiving.
I can’t think of a better time to celebrate the farmers of Ontario – and of Ottawa in particular. Ottawa’s agricultural resources are critical to food security across the region. If you’ve ever driven across it east to west, you’ll know our city is massive. But when you realize 80 per cent of that geography is rural area, it’s easy to see the impact that size has on our local food supply. A lot of people don’t know this, but Ottawa is the largest rural community in Canada. It’s one of Ottawa’s most distinct features and makes us unique among other major Canadian cities. It also makes our rural area critically important to the city’s economic well-being. Rural Ottawa has more than 2,000 businesses – and while they’re obviously not all agricultural, a huge proportion of them are. Beyond that, another large number of those businesses rely on those agricultural uses. People outside Ottawa have the impression our economy is dominated by government – or by high tech industries. But the fact is – by its size alone – the agriculture sector is a massive driver of our city’s economy. The rural economy contributes more than $1 billion to Ottawa’s gross domestic product – and a big portion of that is generated by agricultural activity. Clearly agriculture is pivotal to Ottawa’s overall economic prosperity, growth and diversity.
I hope you take some time to reflect on the important role that farmers play in all our lives. If you’re enjoying a meal with loved ones this weekend, I also hope you find a way to represent a local farmer on your Thanksgiving table. Nothing tastes better than locally grown products and nothing is as critical to our health and well-being as the healthy food they provide.
