Infrastructure renewal requires a long-term plan

Sometimes you just have to name the elephant in the room. Our community is facing the real and growing consequences of aging infrastructure.

In recent weeks, we have experienced several watermain breaks across the Ward. These incidents have caused understand-able frustration, from the sudden loss of water service to unexpected road closures and disruptions to daily life.

Although these types of infrastructure failures are not new or unique to our area, their frequency is a clear indication that long-term solutions are urgently needed. Much of our underground infrastructure, including water and sewer lines, is more than 40 years old. That age is beginning to show.

I want you to know that I take these concerns seriously. I have a meeting scheduled with City staff to discuss how these situations are being managed, includ-ing response times, communications with residents, and how we can better prioritize future infrastructure investments.

Temporary repairs may restore service in the short term, but they do not add-ress the larger issue.

At the same time, I continue to advocate for our community to receive the funding it needs to address out-dated infrastructure. These are not headline-making projects, but it is the kind of essential work that keeps a city functioning and safe.

We need infrastructure that meets the needs of today, not just those of decades past. While there is no quick fix, I am committed to keeping this issue a top priority at City Hall.

 

August marks Tree Check Month in the City of Ottawa

There’s something about seeing a new tree planted that just feels right. Maybe it’s the sense of care behind it, or the promise it holds – that years from now, it’ll be taller, stronger, and still standing right where someone thought to place it. Whatever it is, it’s one of those small things that quietly makes a big difference in our neighbourhoods.

This summer, the City’s Forestry Services has been out there doing what they do best – helping the city grow greener, one tree at a time. You might not always notice them. But the impact? It adds up quickly.

Trees don’t just change how a street looks. They change how it feels. A row of young maples can soften a concrete sidewalk. A shaded bench under a mature oak turns into a place for neighbours to stop and chat. A few well-placed trees in front of a school or community centre can make a space feel more inviting and cared for. These aren’t just nice touches – they help create the kind of environment people want to be in.

And right now, it’s Tree Check Month, which is a good excuse to pay a little more attention. You might walk past the same tree every day and never notice how much it’s grown – or how much shade it’s giving. But when you start to look around, you realize how many of these quiet giants are part of the backdrop of our lives.

What I admire most is how much thought goes into it all. Behind every tree the City plants, there’s a plan: for how it’ll grow, how it fits into the space, and how it’ll be taken care of for years to come. That kind of work doesn’t often make headlines, but it matters. A lot.

So if you see a crew planting trees, give them a wave. If you’re out on a walk and pass a tree that makes you pause, even for just a second, maybe that’s the moment to appreciate what it’s adding to your corner of the city.

Here’s to the folks making that happen –and to the trees, for just quietly doing what they do best.

 

A new era dawns in Orléans South with the passage of the new Transportation Master Plan

After years of advocacy, the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) has been approved — and it finally delivers for Orléans South-Navan.

I’ve relentlessly pushed to end the cycle where families move in, schools open, thousands of homes are built — yet our roads and transit stay the same. One way in, one way out. Bottlenecks. Poor connectivity. Unsafe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.

Thanks to your engagement, data-driven backing, and persistent pressure, several long-overdue projects are now prioritized: the widening of Brian Coburn, the realignment of Renaud, the Cumberland transitway, and key arterial upgrades — all built with complete streets principles in mind, meaning drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and transit users are all benefitting.

These upgrades won’t happen overnight but work on the Renaud realignment and Innes Road transit priority measures have already begun. Funding will begin to be assigned to widening sections of Brian Coburn as early as next year. The Cumberland transitway, first proposed in 1995, is now the priority project for federal funding submissions.

I brought forward successful motions that direct the City to review ways to halt approving new development without clear infrastructure in place. Staff will now report back on how major projects can be delivered before new homes are built, and will explore new funding tools to speed up road construction in fast-growing areas like ours.

I’ve also pushed for a regional approach with other levels of government and an accelerated update to the TMP in 2-5 years — including phasing in the urbanization of Tenth Line and Navan Rd sooner.

This didn’t happen overnight. It took deep dives into transportation data, constant meetings and standing firm on the need for change.

But most importantly, it took you. Ward 19 had the highest engagement in every TMP consultation. That mattered.

 

It’s time for the East End to catch up to the rest of the city

The discussion surrounding the City’s draft Transportation Master Plan confirms what many of us in Orléans – East Cumberland have known for years: our corner of the city has been chronically underfunded when it comes to trans-portation infrastructure.

Hwy 174 is already at capacity, and Rockland is on track to grow by strides over the next decade. Innes Road is bursting at the seams, and South Orléans is the fastest-growing neighbourhood in Ottawa. Yet the Brian Coburn extension, rather than offering true relief, is being redirected toward Blair Road and the 174 — right back into the same bottlenecks we’re already struggling with.

We’ve also hit a wall with the NCC, which continues to block access to new connections to the 417 from the south. Even when the province uploads and widens the highway, we’ll still be left with the same pinch point at the Split — and the same mounting traffic.

It’s no wonder my council colleagues, councillors Tierney, Kitts, Dudas and I have been sounding the alarm. The idea of a southern ring road isn’t new — we’ve been talking about it since before amalgamation. What’s new is the urgency and the opportunity.

This isn’t about luxury; it’s about sustainability. Residents deserve the same quality of life and mobility options as other parts of the city. And rural residents deserve relief from heavy truck traffic.

That’s why I’m very pleased to see Ontario’s Minister of Transportation and local MPP George Darouze stepping up and committing to advance a study for a new southern corridor. It’s an important step forward — and a sign that the province recognizes what we’ve been saying all along. They are showing leadership where council failed to support us.

No one can fault East End councillors for trying to offer relief through our motions at committee and council. We’re working within a broken framework — and it’s long past time to fix it. Growth is coming whether we’re ready or not. The question is whether we’ll finally build a network that keeps up.