Former Cumberland and Orléans city councillor Bob Monette and Navan patriarch Ross Bradley will soon be joining a select group of individuals after being named as part of the Order of Ottawa's Class of 2020.

Prior to amalgamation in 2001, Monette served on Cumberland town council for two consecutive terms from 1985 to 1991. In 1991 he ran for the mayor's job against incumbent Brian Coburn and lost by 3,602 votes.

After staying out of the pubic eye for 14 years, Monette ran in the 2006 by-election to replace former Orléans Ward councillor Herb Kreling who had been appointed Justice of the Peace. He would emerge the winner from an eight-man field and serve for the next 12 years, winning re-election in 2006, 2010 and 2014.

While a member of Ottawa city council, Monette played a key role in saving Lansdowne Park and resurrecting CFL football in the city. He also played a leading role in bringing baseball back to Lynx Stadium. Amoung his many local accomplishments, he was responsible for creating the Orléans Community Garden and the Seniors Park on Centrum Blvd. He helped facilitate the construction of the first hotel in 30 years, the Quality Inn on St. Joseph Blvd. and he championed the effort to clean up grafitti.

But perhaps his most important accomplishment was finding out the source of a massive increase in e-coli in the Ottawa River in 2007 during a tour of the ROPEC water treatment facility a year later. His discovery would result in a $100 million investment by all three levels of government as part of the Ottawa River Action Plan.

Monette retired from politics in 2018 to spend more time with his wife Pat and their grandchildren.

Ross Bradley has been a fixture in the Navan community for all of his adult life. He was a founding member of the Navan Lions Club, a school board trustee and a volunteer member of the Navan Fair Board. He also played a leading role in the construction of the Navan Curling Club and led the fundraising efforts to build a new cenotaph beside the Navan Arena, the Navan Town Clock and extensive repairs to St. Mary's Anglican Church. Bradley's name was added to the Navan Community Builder Wall in 2019 in recognition of his many contributions to the community.

Other members of the Order of Ottawa Class of 2020 include the Reverend Dr. Anthony Bailey;  J.L. Richards & Associates former president and CEO, Dale Craig; public servant and community advocate, Dr. Rouba Fattal; former Ottawa Police Service staff sergeant, Sylvio Gravel; entrepreneur, angel investor and technology start-up mentor, Paul Hindo; Hobin Architecture founding partner Barry Hobin; former CAS executive director, Barbara MacKinnon; philanthropist and community-builder, Fiona McKean; author, architect, graphic designer and historian, David O'Malley; former president and CEO of the Ottawa Humane Society, Bruce Roney; entrepreneur, business leader and computer engineer, Bharat Rudra; Cistel Technology president Vineet Srivastava; and Coconut Lagoon chef Joe Thottungal.

Because of the ongoing pandemic, the Order of Ottawa investiture ceremony will be held some time next year.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)