I have received many questions from residents who are confused about the new measures imposed to control COVID-19 in our communities. I will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday, January 20, on COVID-19. I invited Brent Moloughney, the Deputy Medical Officer of Health from Ottawa Public Health. He will be available to answer your questions…
Come outside! There has been a lot of discouraging news with the latest pandemic lock-down here in Ottawa and it is not easy to swallow after many of us have done our part for many months being COVID-Wise. Vaccines are getting done but we still need to be careful until everyone is inoculated. The good…
For this holiday season and the coming year, we wish you health and happiness, moments of peace amid the difficulties, and connections with family and friends, even if they can’t be in person. I also want to thank my team for their dedication and hard work for the residents of Bay Ward throughout this challenging…
Hindsight 2020 If I was to describe 2020 it would be the year that we would most like to forget but should not. I don’t believe any of us will forget the work of Ottawa Public Health in this precarious situation under the leadership of Dr. Vera Etches. We were all in uncharted territory as we learned what we could and could not…
2021 City Budget Vote After many months of meetings with community groups and individual taxpayers, City Council met on Wednesday, December 9th, to approve the 2021 budget. As expected, the pandemic added more challenge to the already hard choices that come with budget deliberations every year. City council passed a budget of $3.94 billion and…
This past week City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee voted to accept a consultant-recommended ward boundary change and voted against a motion that I put forward along with my colleague Councillor Jeff Leiper to keep McKellar Park in Kitchissippi ward starting with the 2022 election. The committee’s vote was unanimous, and it’s clear that…
Beginning November 25th , the City of Ottawa’s Heritage Building will be illuminated in orange until Dec. 10 to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Help bring awareness and encourage people to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. I would like to share with you a…
Public transit is essential in Ottawa and it needs permanent federal funding Published in the Ottawa Citizen on November 17th, 2020 If we have learned anything as a city during this pandemic, we now understand that running a transit system is an absolute necessity, even when it hurts our budget. Transit must be there for…
Decision on 100 Bayshore From time to time a development application comes to City Council that meets City planning policies but provokes community opposition, placing the City Councillor in an awkward position. The development proposal for 100 Bayshore is one of these. On Tuesday November 10, Ottawa Planning staff recommended to the City Planning committee…
Remembrance Day is a solemn occasion when we give thanks and remember those who served their country. My own father served in the Irish Army and my mother worked on an assembly line that built Lancaster Bombers. They never wanted to discuss those difficult times of air raids and bomb shelters. Remember that peace is…