Kelly: Preparing for the weather

We had quite the downpour of ice this week and I sincerely hope everyone is managing to stay safe in a time of year when volatile weather can wreak havoc on the lives of people in rural areas.

This recent ice storm and the effect it has had on our electricity grid is another reminder that we must strengthen our infrastructure and plan to have resources in place quicker during an emergency. I look forward to discussing this with the local utility providers and finding a way to enhance the effectiveness and speed of communications when people are in need. 

Flood Preparedness Meeting

In an effort to help our residents prepare themselves and their communities for weather and flooding emergencies, I met with the team who runs the Spring Freshet program for the city and spoke about flood preparations the City is ready to undertake. We are also offering a flood preparedness meeting at the Municipal Offices at 5670 Carp Road on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. We will have information available about the city’s response to flooding to help our residents and a video of the meeting will be available on our YouTube channel.

City Recreation Registration

Despite what the weather says outside, spring and summer are on the way and registration for City summer camps opened on April 4, while registration for aquatic programs opened on April 3. Registration is available online at register.ottawa.ca. There are great programs offered and I would encourage residents to try and sign up to explore something new or celebrate your hobbies.

City Councillor Rural Farm Tour

This past week, I was part of a rural farm tour with several of my Council colleagues. I’d like to thank Councillor George Darouze for organizing the event to help emphasize the importance of the farmers in the rural areas of our city. We saw the several types of farming and were able to meet the hard-working people who keep them running. I enjoy the opportunity to visit places in the city I don’t often get to, and I hope that fellow Councillors, who do not spend much time in rural areas, enjoyed their opportunity.

Committee Meetings This Week

This week, Planning and Housing and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees met to discuss regulations for outdoor patios. The reasons for these regulations are mostly to maintain the safety of pedestrians in city right-of-ways, while trying to encourage establishments to have the option to offer their diners an outdoor space to enjoy. The Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee also met, and we received the city’s report on the May 2022 derecho storm and this, along with recommendations from the Auditor General’s reports on the city’s response to the pandemic and the convoy protest, will guide how the city moves forward with responding to these sorts of unforeseen circumstances.

Huntley Hollow Development

I have wanted to speak on the upcoming Huntley Hollow development at 147 Langstaff Drive. As a lifelong member of the West Carleton-March community and as someone who has spent considerable time in the village of Carp growing up, I share the concerns of the people of the village that the proposed project at 147 Langstaff will hurt the character and charm of this unique and historically significant place in Ward 5.

I will acknowledge that the land is privately held, and that the developer has met the requirements under the City’s Official Plan as well as the Secondary Plan for the Village of Carp and has satisfied the statutory requirements under the Planning Act. Having recently been door to door in the Village of Carp and across West Carleton-March I can confidently say that people of rural villages and communities are looking for more than what is required by legislation. Our communities want more say in how new neighborhoods are designed and built to ensure they are in keeping with, and respectful of, the community and the families that have called them home for many years.

I do not believe this sort of meaningful discussion occurred in this case. In fact, the area of the development dedicated to park land was reduced since a public meeting was held, something I have attempted to address with the applicant. I will continue to pursue ways to increase green space at this proposed development.

The conversation around this particular property goes back many years and I am extremely disappointed that the community and the City of Ottawa did not find a solution to protect the final piece of green space in the village. That green space will now be gone forever. While my desire was to attempt to block this development in the hopes that the land could be used in a different manner or the plan changed significantly, it is supported by planning staff and there was simply no planning rationale for me to do so and City staff have exercised their delegated authority to approve this project. I explored and considered all options available to me in an attempt to change the outcome of this process. I am, however, a new Councillor who is trying to influence an application process that was already several years in the making. My options were extremely limited and would not have yielded positive results given the provincial legislation that governs the planning process.

In the future, I look forward to being more involved in the planning and application process from the beginning to strengthen the community’s voice in this process to see their desired changes and alterations reflected in the plan. With this development I look forward to collaborating with the applicant moving forward to increase greenspace and protect the existing trees at the edge of the property to maintain the tree canopy and provide a buffer between this development and the village landmarks.

As always, it is a pleasure and an honour to serve the people of West Carleton-March and I wish everyone a happy, safe, and enjoyable Easter long weekend.

To read all Coun. Clarke Kelly’s columns, click here.

The preceding column was written by City of Ottawa Ward 5 Coun. Clarke Kelly, part of the councillor’s ongoing, bi-weekly column for West Carleton Online, made available to the entire community through an agreement with the publisher.