Productive discussions lead to progress for east end residents

I spent a few hours two weeks ago with almost one hundred members of our Cumberland Village community discussing issues of road safety in the area. I brought with me a panel of experts, staff and first responders to hear directly from residents about the issues we are facing on Hwy. 174, Old Montréal Road and the surrounding area.

The conversation was respectful and productive, and we are already seeing quick action stemming from the meeting, including changes to speed limits on Old Montreal Road to better reflect volumes, residences and transitions as well as road conditions.

The announcement that the provincial government is going to begin the process to takeover responsibility for the 174 was a welcome one. The additional funding they will be providing throughout the transition will free up city money to make the improvements we need to address pedestrian and road safety throughout the corridor.

During a recent council discussion on the landmark agreement, I was assured that the province is 100 per cent committed to this process, that funds can be used to improve our infrastructure with a view to improving road safety, and that we can and will continue to action the suggestions made at our town hall. This is an example of what can be accomplished when we work together. It takes patience, a willingness to listen, and a clear focus to achieve results.

I want to thank everyone who came out to discuss concerns for both the clarity of expression on the issues we are trying to tackle, and the work done to propose solutions to these issues.

This is how we need to approach almost everything moving forward. Productive conversations start with a genuine willingness to listen and a commitment to set
aside anything that will not help a discussion move in a positive direction. This collaborative attitude is what is making progress easier in the east end – and it is the approach I have taken since 2018. Let’s see more of it..

 

Environmental initiatives blossom in Orléans South-Navan

Our surroundings have changed immensely over the last two decades. I speak often about how when I was in high school, the lands south of Innes were green fields, agricultural or forested. But, as our community continues to grow, significant tree planting and reforestation projects are flourishing across the ward, thanks to the dedicated efforts of community members, local schools, and conservation groups..

A notable initiative is the Ottawa Rotary Club Youth Forest at the McWilliams Farm in Navan. Last year, Rotarians collaborated with local high schools to plant 1,000 trees, with more planting planned for this year.

The Greater Avalon Community Asso-ciation (GACA) is also flexing its green thumb. I look forward to joining them each year at their annual tree-planting event to grow the Nantes Woods. You may recall that we were able to negotiate a land swap in 2022 to protect the forest when a significant portion was slated for development.

It’s also thanks to GACA that I directed City staff to conduct a comprehensive review of community gardens aimed at streamlining the processes to reduce barriers for residents and community groups inter-ested in green initiatives.

The commitment to Mother Nature extends to Gisèle-Lalonde, where my office helped the school adopt the urban green space at Millenium Park. Student-led efforts are now underway to expand the forested area.

I’m also proud to sit on the board of the South Nation Conservation Authority, who recently purchased a portion of land east of the village of Navan to protect the treed area in perpetuity.

There are so many incredible people making a difference in Orléans South-Navan, and as our community continues to develop, so too should our environmental initiatives and stewardship of the land. Happy Earth Day!

 

Egg-stravanganza event a wonderful warmup for Easter

This past weekend, I hosted my 3rd Annual Egg-stravaganza at the Orléans Fruit Farm. It was an incredibly fun time, thank you to everyone who was able to come out!

There is nothing like seeing the joy on children’s faces as they run out into the orchard, baskets in hand, in a hunt to find as many eggs as they can, not to mention when the Easter Bunny hops over for a special visit!

The Orléans Fruit Farm is one of my favourite locations in Orléans. Not only is it a gorgeous space, but it is also full of rich culture and history, and a place where many of us have made memories with our families over the years. I am pleased that the Egg-stravaganza event can become another one of those memories for the many families that have made my egg hunt part of their annual traditions.

One of my favourite aspects of being your city councillor is getting to spend time at events that bring residents and families together to celebrate what makes our com-munity the incredible place we all love.

I want to give a special thank you to Rendez-vous des aînés francophones d’Ottawa, Kiwanis Eastern Ottawa, Myers Automotive, Ottawa Fire Services and the Orléans Fruit Farm for supporting this exciting annual event, as well as all those who came out again this year to make more special memories together.

On another note, as we wrap up Mois de la Francophonie, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge a recent major accomplishment of the infamous Orléans dynamic duo, Louis and Nicole Patry who were recently awarded le Prix Champlain Fondateur de la Francophonie 2024 for their significant contributions to promoting the visibility of the Francophone community.

Active for more than 40 years, they have been fundamental in creating the French-speaking community newspaper L’Orléanais, as well as their contributions in publishing the recent “L’histoire derrière la toponymie française d’Orléans”. Bra-vo!

 

Spring has sprung and so has the effort to Clean the Capital

Spring has sprung and spring cleaning has begun! It’s that time of year when many of us deep clean and declutter our homes, and it’s that time of year the City gets a spring cleaning as well.

The Roads and Parking Services team have start-ed cleaning our trans-portation network. The crews have begun street sweeping arterial roads, sidewalks, bus stops and medians throughout the city using sidewalk sweepers, leaf blowers, flusher trucks and hand brooms. Crews continue their work on temporary pothole repairs.

Since January over 700 crews have filled over 46,900 potholes! This is an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year when 35,983 potholes were filled. For residents wishing to report a pothole, a service request can be created online at https://ottawa.ca/en/3-1-1/report-or-request/ road-and-sidewalk-maintenance/report-pothole-road.

Registration is now open for “Cleaning the Capital”. Join thousands of residents in helping keep our community spaces clean and green.

A big thank you to all our neighbours who volunteer their time to keep our communities clean each year during this City campaign. It is estimated that over one million kilograms of waste has been removed by more than 1.4 million volunteers since the campaign began in 1994. Cleanup kits are available upon request at select municipal facilities across the city. To learn more about the campaign or to register your project, visit ottawa.ca/clean.

Have any gently-used household items you want to part with? The Helping With Furniture (HWF) provides furniture and household goods, refurbished bicycles and laptops to people in need in Ottawa.

For over 15 years HWF has helped refu-gees, recent immigrants, and people relocat-ing from shelters, leaving abusive situations, struggling with mental illness or at risk of homelessness. To learn more, visit https://www.hwfottawa.org/.