Nominations for the Orléans West-Inness Ward Gems Awards are now open

As your voice at City Hall, I am always focused on how we can better support our local economy. With ongoing trade tensions and new U.S. tariffs impacting businesses across Ottawa, it is more important than ever to keep our support close to home. That’s why I am proud to back the City’s new “Shop Local. Buy Canadian.” campaign.

This initiative encourages all of us to choose Canadian-made products and services and to support our community’s small businesses. From local cafés and retailers, to homegrown service providers, every dollar spent locally helps protect jobs and strengthen Ottawa’s economy.

To further support this project, Mayor Sutcliffe convened a task force of economic partners to share strategies, develop tools, and promote local-first thinking. City coun-cil also passed a motion ensuring that any municipal contract under $125,000 must include at least one bid from a local supplier – a meaningful step in prioritizing Ottawa businesses first.

You can find resources like the Shop Ottawa Directory, the Savour Ottawa Food Guide, and a new Tariff Toolkit at ottawa.ca/economic-support. Local Business Improvement Areas, such as our own Heart of Orléans BIA, are also stepping up, helping spread the word through events and signage.

In that same spirit of community recognition, I am thrilled to announce the return of my Annual Gems Awards. The awards began as a way to honour those who stepped up during the pandemic and have grown into a celebration of the everyday organizations and businesses that help Orléans shine.

Nominations for the Gems Awards open on May 1. Be sure to visit lauradudas.ca to nominate your favourites as soon as the site goes live!
Let’s continue supporting one another, and celebrating what makes Orléans so special.

 

Turning Boulevards Into Gardens: A Greener Future

I’m excited to share some fantastic news with you! Ottawa has officially approved a change that will allow residents to grow food on the boulevards – the strips of land between the sidewalk and the road. This is a huge win for those of us who are passionate about gardening, sustainability, and food security. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to grow their own food in a space they might not have thought of before.

Boulevards aren’t just empty patches of grass; they play an important role in our city. They house trees, utility boxes, mailboxes, and even snow storage in the winter. While they’re essential for keeping the city running smoothly, we’ve also realized that these spaces have the potential to benefit the community in new ways. After hearing feedback from residents like you, the City has now approved growing food on boulevards – something that wasn’t allowed previously.

For many people, especially those living in apartments or homes without a lot of yard space, this is an exciting opportunity.

Growing your own food can be incredibly rewarding, whether it’s the joy of harvesting fresh vegetables or the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food comes from. Of course, we still need to ensure that these gardens don’t interfere with the other important functions boulevards serve. That’s why the City is introducing guidelines to help maintain safety, accessibility, and address concerns like soil quality and pest control.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this change brings our neighbourhoods closer together and helps us become more self-sufficient and sustainable. It’s a small change with the potential for a big impact, and I can’t wait to see more people growing fresh produce right outside their homes.

Let’s embrace this opportunity to make Ottawa a greener, healthier, and more con-nected city!

 

The time is now for Orléans South in the Transportation Master Plan

The City has released Part 2 of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update – and this is it: our final chance to influence the infrastructure priorities that will guide investments over the next 10 to 20 years.

I have worked tirelessly to make the case for Orléans South, which continues to experience explosive growth. I’m proud to share that our advocacy has helped elevate the Cumberland Bus Rapid Transitway to second in priority among all citywide transit projects (on the books since the 90s). But when it comes to road infrastructure, we still have work to do.

The Brian Coburn Blvd. widening between Mer Bleue and Tenth Line ranks 5th in the City’s list of road projects for the next 10 years – a big step forward. However, the portion between Navan and Mer Bleue has been pushed to the second phase – meaning it won’t be addressed for at least another decade. Meanwhile, 15,000 new units are projected to come online in the same time frame, followed by two separate expansion land areas.

Given we haven’t seen the same amount of investment as the west and the south in the last decade, it’s our time.

The widening of Brian Coburn from two lanes to four would also allow the roadway to become a complete street. Currently inaccessible bus stops would be available to residents along with segregated walking and cycling infrastructure. This is our last opportunity to demand that Orléans South cannot wait another 10 years for transportation options.

I’m encouraging all to participate in the final round of public consultations online at engage.ottawa.ca with two surveys, including an in-person session at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tuesday, April 29 and a virtual session on Monday, May 5. Surveys remain open until May 12.

We’ve already proven that our voices matter. Ward 19 had the highest participation rate citywide in the last phase of TMP engagement. Let’s keep that momentum going.

I will keep fighting for what Orléans South deserves – but to get results, I need your voice, too.

 

Improvements finally being made to roads in Orléans East-Cumberland

We’re starting to see the first signs of spring, but the savvy among us know that there really only are two seasons in Ottawa – winter and construction.

And while construction can be very frustrating and disruptive, it means we are getting the infrastructure investments here in Orléans that we have been asking for.

The last few summers have been difficult, there’s no other polite way to put it. (I’m sure the Orléans Star would edit out the choice words I’d use in private). While we will still be seeing some of the Stage 2 Greatest Hits this summer, we’ve been told they will be less impactful.

We are making more headway on the list of residential streets I have been advocating for over the last six years.

- Mathieu Way in Fallingbrook is finally being repaved.

- Cambrian Heights resurfacing in Cumberland Village is starting with Moffat and will continue over the next few years.

- The southern portion of Cameron will be resurfaced with the remainder coming after some geotechnical work. The hill on Canaan Road wasn’t forgotten last year – it’ll be finished this year.

- And Taylor Creek, Vimont and Eric Czapnik will be resurfaced this summer as well.

Development on St. Joseph will certainly cause some ions as utilities are moved and sites are serviced for density.

We know we need more units on our main street and near the LRT, but preparing for our future will cause short term inconvenience and frustration. It will pass.
We are growing up as a community, and we should expect growing pains. My team and I will do our best to make sure none of it comes as a surprise as we always do, so make sure you to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook. We’ve always have your back!

Until next month, I hope you and your family enjoy a warm start to spring.