Councillor to host Annual Spring Egg-stravaganza

With April now here, it is time for my favourite community event – my 4th Annual Spring Egg-Stravaganza Easter Egg Hunt on April 12 at 10 a.m. at the Orléans Fruit Farm, 1399 St. Joseph Boulevard.

This celebration is a wonderful opportunity to
get outside, enjoy some spring fun, egg-cellent activities and refresh-ments. I am sure that this year will be the biggest and best yet! I encourage everyone to come early, as the event kicks off at 10 a.m., with the egg hunt happening shortly after and once the hunt starts the kids are quick to scoop up the eggs..

This is a completely FREE event, and while it is appreciated that families RSVP me at Laura.Dudas@Ottawa.ca, you are also welcome to just show up. Remember to bring your Easter basket so that kids have a place to carry their eggs. However, I will have a limited supply of bags, just in case.

I could not organize such an incredible event without the support of the community, and particularly the Orléans Fruit Farm for hosting, the Kiwanis Club of Orléans for help with food, and Myers Orléans for their generous support.

There will be special prizes for whoever finds one of the golden eggs, and I have been told a special guest will also be hopping, I mean stopping, by the farm.

In other exciting spring-related news, we are also approaching tree planting season. As many are aware, after the 2022 derecho damaged so many trees in our community, I brought forward a motion at Council for staff to develop new programs to support tree planting and to help residents with tree planting on private property.

In response, the City’s new Plant Your Place! program went live on March 31. This program, in partnership with EnviroCentre, will offer 1,250 free trees for residents to plant on their property. Check out envirocentre.ca to learn more and find out how you can get your free tree.

 

Potholes, pythons and promising spring days ahead

As Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, I wanted to take a moment to connect with all of you and provide some updates as we move from winter into spring. This time of year is always busy, with the combination of freeze-thaw cycles, snow, and rain, but we’re working hard to keep things running smoothly for everyone.

First and foremost, I know that potholes are always a concern when temperatures fluctuate. So far this year, over 33,000 potholes have been repaired across the city, and our Roads and Parking Services team has been working tirelessly to address these issues. This spring, we’ve introduced a new tool – the Python pothole patcher. This machine can fill a pothole in under two minutes, making the process much quicker and more efficient. While these repairs are temporary, once the warmer weather settles in, we’ll be able to make more permanent fixes.

If you see a pothole in your neighbourhood, please don’t hesitate to report it—your feedback helps us address these issues swiftly.

As the snow melts, it’s also important to be mindful of potential flooding in certain areas. The city has been pro-active in clearing catch basins and ditches to ensure proper water flow and prevent any issues with localized flooding. Thank you to everyone who’s helped out by clearing catch basins in their area – this small act goes a long way in supporting our efforts.

With spring officially upon us, there’s a real sense of excitement as the city comes to life again. The longer days, warmer weather, and blossoming flowers are something we can all look forward to. As we make the transition to this beautiful season, let’s stay safe, stay active and take advantage of all that spring has to offer.

I appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to keep Ottawa running smoothly. Here’s to an exciting and vibrant spring ahead!

 

There’s a lot to look forward to with the arrival of spring

As winter melts away and spring begins to blossom, our community is gearing up for months filled with local outdoor events, celebrations, and oppor-tunities to come together. From sports and farmers markets to community clean-ups and BBQs, there’s something for everyone!

First up, The Bradley Cup Charity Hockey Tournament returns to the Navan Arena this weekend, March 21-22. Teams from Navan, Cumberland, Vars, Sarsfield, Orléans, and Hammond will battle it out for the coveted title. There will be live entertainment, great food and high-energy competition. In my opinion, it’s a must-attend event – all in support of the Navan Pavilion Project.

Spring is also the perfect time to give back! Register for the Spring Cleaning the Capital campaign by May 2 and help tidy up our parks, greenspaces and roads.

As well, spring means the end of outdoor rink and trail season, so a big shoutout is in store for all the dedicated volunteers who maintained them all winter – I’ll be hosting my annual pizza party soon to celebrate your efforts, so stay tuned!

Mark your calendars and shop local! The Original Navan Market has announced its 2025 dates, offering farm-fresh produce, handmade goods, and delicious eats in the heart of Navan. Not far away, the Cumberland Farmers’ Market kicks off June 7 at the Cumberland Arena running Saturdays until mid-October. And the Orleans Farmers’ Market will be back in May! Let’s support our incredible local vendors.

Looking ahead to summer, I’m excited to bring back my annual community BBQ in July. I’ll be releasing details shortly.

And of course, summer wouldn’t be complete without the Navan Fair. Running from Aug. 7-10, this year’s theme is “Muddy Boots and Country Roots.” It’s my favourite summer tradition, and I can’t wait to see you all there!

Our community is vibrant and full of exciting events. I look forward to seeing you out and about as we welcome the warmer months together!

 

Public invited to provide input on new Transportation Master Plan

It's been heartening over the last few weeks to see Premiers, the Prime Minister, lWhile the City of Ottawa is consulting on many things this year, it is perhaps the Transportation Master Plan that will have the largest effect on our community.

This document will guide how we build our transportation infrastructure for the next two decades. From new bus rapid transit corridors in South Orléans, to active transportation and congestion relief, we need to ensure this document provides the right direction to address our needs into the future.

Our team in the east has worked hard to raise the pressures that we feel the most.

Later this month, a draft document will be released to the public. It will be very important for community associations and neighbours to go through it and to submit comments. We need to ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear. Given that we are one of the fastest growing communities in the city, we need to be present and advocating for our needs.

For years, we have been raising the fact that we truly do have one, maybe two, routes in and out of our community. This is led to congestion and frustration, as well as precious time spent away from our families.

And we have been advocating to other levels of government and our own city staff for the projects that will lead to a better quality of life, better corridors to hospital and healthcare, and the transportation options we need to support the continued growth of our neighbourhoods.

So please, no matter where you live in Orléans, submit your comments online, attend a consultation, or better yet, come and delegate at transportation committee when the item is on the agenda.

When it comes to big items like this, having the community behind us makes such a difference. It shows staff and our colleagues how much this matters to us. It adds weight to our arguments.

Let’s stand together and ensure we are continuing to build the transportation network our community deserves.