El-Chantiry: Ward 5 weekly news, May 18

COVID-19 – LATEST NEWS

All adults 18 and older can book vaccine appointments starting May 18: Beginning today, Tuesday, May 18, all Ottawa residents age 18 and older (born in or before 2003) can book appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at community clinics. Visit Ontario.ca/bookvaccine to access the provincial booking system or call the provincial vaccine booking line at 1-833-943-3900 between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week. Only book or call if you are eligible. If appointments fill up quickly Tuesday morning, more appointments will become available shortly. You can also ask your local pharmacy about their vaccine availability. Everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one soon. Youth between 12 and 17 years of age will be eligible to book a vaccine during the week of May 31.

Stay-at-home order extended: On May 13, the provincial government announced the declaration of emergency and province-wide stay-at-home order is extended until June 2, 2021. This requires everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes.

What can I do during the stay-at-home order? Ottawa Public Health have answers to many of your questions relating to this latest stay-at-home order. CLICK HERE for further information.

Outdoor recreation at City parks during stay-at-home order: If you are heading outside to enjoy the weather at a City of Ottawa park, please remember that some recreation amenities are impacted by the current stay-at-home order. Plan your visit accordingly and follow the below rules and regulations. 

SURVEY – PLAYGROUND RENEWAL AT GREEN BRIAR PARK

The City of Ottawa is looking for resident feedback regarding renewing the playground at Green Briar Park located at 1720 Dunrobin Rd. Please go to Engage Ottawa to review the proposed designs along with images and then take the survey to share your thoughts.

SURVEY – KINBURN COMMUNITY CENTRE PICNIC SHELTER

The City of Ottawa is considering the addition of a 30′ x 50′ picnic shelter at the Kinburn Community Centre which is located at 3045 Kinburn Side Road. The potential project is contingent on financial and schedule constraints as well as community feedback. Please respond to the short survey on Engage Ottawa by providing comment on the proposed concept design as well as the colour selection for the shelter and site furniture. The concept plan and images are in the document library on the right. If you wish to provide comments please send them no later than May 28, 2021 to the Park Planner at renee.proteau@ottawa.ca or 613-580-2424 ext 26967.

ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT – FARM DIVERSIFIED USES

The City of Ottawa is proposing by-law amendments to allow farmers to diversity their businesses by permitting a range of small-scale commercial and industrial activities to establish on agricultural lots such as retail shop, bakery, winery or machine repair business. For proposal details, please visit ottawa.ca/farmdiversified. These policies are informed by a guide document (Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas) produced by the Province in 2016. The zoning by-law amendment report is anticipated to go to the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee on June 28, 2021.

Please comment directly to the File Lead or through the “Send Feedback” link of DevApps. The deadline date for comments is June 12, 2021. The File Lead is Marika Atfield, Planner II, Planning, Infrastructure & Economic Development Dept., City of Ottawa, 110 Laurier Avenue West, 4th Floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1, 613-580-2424 ext. 41488, marika.atfield@ottawa.ca.

ST. GABRIEL’S BOTTLE DRIVE – CANCELLED

St. Gabriel’s bottle drive fundraiser for May 15 and June 19 has been cancelled due to the current provincial stay-at-home order. Organizers are asking residents to keep their empties as they are planning to have a summer bottle drive and will gladly take your empty bottles then!  

2020 PIPE REPAIR PROJECT

The City of Ottawa is undertaking the design work for localized sewer spot repairs to address structural deficiencies in the existing sewer infrastructure. The work is being conducted to replace/renew deficient sections in the existing sewer infrastructure. There are sixteen project sites city-wide, with one in Ward 5 at Ridgeview Drive from Juanita Avenue. Area residents will receive notice of the work. Currently, the project construction is scheduled to commence in the summer of 2021. The actual start date will be confirmed in the near future. The project website is now live and can be found here. This webpage will be kept current with important information as the project moves forward.

WALKING & CYCLING ETIQUETTE

It seems more people are enjoying the outdoors this summer by cycling and walking. I’ve received some calls from residents regarding the proper etiquette we all need to follow on our roads, sidewalks and paths. Here are some tips to consider so everyone can enjoy the outdoors: 

• Bicycles are vehicles so remember to walk your bike on sidewalks and share the road with other users
• Don’t block pathways. Whether you’re riding a bike or walking, remember to keep right, pass left and move completely off the pathway when stopping. Make sure that there’s room for others to pass
• When walking your dog, please keep your pet on a leash and under your control at all times
• Make sure to follow physical distancing protocols on paths
• If you are walking or biking at night, use lights and reflectors when visibility is poor. This allows other road, sidewalk and pathway users to see where you are
• If you want to pass someone, please sound your bell or call out when passing. Clearly and politely communicate your plans to other users so they have time to react
• If you are in a vehicle – please slow down! When passing pedestrians and cyclists, go slow and give them plenty of room when safe to do so
• Cyclists should ride on the right side of the road going with the flow traffic. Pedestrians on roads with no sidewalks should walk on the left side of the road/shoulder going against traffic.

HOVERBOARDS ON PUBLIC ROADS

My office has received some inquiries relating to legality of using hoverboards on City roads. I would like to let residents know that the Ottawa Police Service confirmed that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has declared that self-balancing boards, such as hoverboards, do not meet the required safety standards to be used on the road and it is illegal to ride a hoverboard on a public road.

RURAL TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS – SURVEY

Rural Transportations Solutions for Ottawa has recently launched their survey of rural Ottawa residents. This survey of rural residents aims to help develop a better understanding of these transportation needs. Rural Transportations Solutions for Ottawa is a community-based team that aims to propose realistic, affordable and sustainable transportation options to help solve rural Ottawa’s transportation issues. Visit their website at https://rural-transportation-solutions-for-ottawa.info/. They can be contacted at RTS4Ottawa@gmail.com.

This group is inviting rural residents to complete a survey in order to help them understand the gap in transportation in Ottawa’s rural communities for youth, adults and seniors. This will help them propose some solutions based on the feedback received. Conducting such a survey under COVID-19 restrictions has its challenges but they are engaging the rural Councillors, rural village community associations, Royal Canadian Legions, faith groups, and other groups with an interest in this area. They are looking for residents aged 13+ to complete the survey. The survey link for the English version is tinyurl.com/SurveyRTSand the French version is tinyurl.com/RTSSondage.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING MARRIAGE LICENCES

The City of Ottawa processes marriage licences on behalf of the Province of Ontario through our ServiceOttawa Counter Services. The regulations in place for the issuance of licences require an in-person component. Due to the current COVID-19 provincial stay-at-home order, the City of Ottawa temporarily suspended in-person counter services on April 3, 2021. Since we are now entering peak season for marriage licences, ServiceOttawa commenced the online receipt of applications for marriage licences as of Wednesday May 12, 2021. This is the first step in the process and ServiceOttawa staff are available to support residents to ensure that their application is complete. ServiceOttawa will offer a curbside pick-up service to enable residents to continue to access this important service commencing on May 25, 2021, on a first come first served basis. Appointments will become available shortly. For more information, call 3-1-1 and select option 6 to speak with a City of Ottawa agent. More details are available here: Getting a Marriage Licence. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING – MAY 12

City Council met on Wednesday, May 12 and the following agenda items were addresses:

• Four new audits are slated to begin this year as outlined in an interim workplan that City Council received today from Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon. The plan includes audits of the competitive procurement process, grants and contributions, and prevention of workplace violence and harassment. The fourth, a pandemic response audit, will start only after the pandemic is in a controlled state. Council also received reports on follow-ups to eight audits. Click here to learn more.
• Council approved modifications to improve the popular Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program, which provides cost-share grants of up to $15,000 per project to farmers and rural landowners to protect surface and groundwater quality. Council renewed the program for another five years and added wetland habitat restoration as an eligible project type. The changes that Council approved will help prioritize specific erosion control projects. The grant structure for tile drain control projects will also change to increase cost sharing, and grant amounts for chemical or fuel storage projects, nutrient management planning and precision farming projects, and work on septic system repair or replacement will increase. Learn more about eligible projects and how to apply at ottawa.ca/cleanwater.

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is on Wednesday, May 26. The agenda will posted on ottawa.ca in the near future.