Hi neighbour,
Hope you all had a great week and are taking some time to cheer on our Olympic athletes! There’s a lot on the go here in Bay Ward, so let’s get right to it.
Upcoming Info Sessions: Development in Bay Ward
There are a couple of upcoming community info sessions/open houses related to developments in Bay Ward that I want to make sure residents are aware of:
- Accora Village 2050 Open House: Thursday, February 19, 6 pm – 8 pm
(Party Room, 98 Woodridge Crescent)
Drop by this in-person open house to learn more about the future of Accora Village, and share your input to create a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive community. Members of the design team, including Ferguslea representatives, will be on site to answer questions, and share plans. For more information, please visit the project website: https://accoravillage.com/accora-2050/.
- Virtual Community Information Session- 500 & 508 Edgeworth Ave: Tuesday, March 10, 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Join me for a virtual community information session on a proposed development at 500 & 508 Edgeworth Ave in Bay Ward. The developers will present their plans, followed by a moderated Q & A with community members. Please visit the event site for more details and to register.
Updates from City Hall: All eyes on Transit
Our office continues to hear from residents frustrated with unreliable public transit in our city. I share these frustrations and was happy to see two motions to ensure better accountability and compensation mechanisms for transit users pass unanimously at Council on Wednesday . Yesterday at Transit Committee, OC Transpo leadership shared updates on actions they’re taking to improve service reliability, both in the short and long term. You can view more details on the City website, but here’s a short overview of what stood out for me.
The current factors impacting bus service delivery include:
- Aging buses, resulting in more complex and lengthier maintenance work
- Ongoing challenges to recruit licensed mechanics
- Delay in delivery of electric buses
On average, winter service requires 520 buses, and currently, there are only 494 buses available. OC Transpo has initiated some short-term solutions including:
- Prioritizing critical maintenance work
- Temporarily adjusting schedules to align with reality
- Bus location strategy to minimize cancellations
Staff also shared that the increase in e-buses to the fleet over the next few months should improve bus availability and cut down on the number of aging buses requiring service. While roughly 48 Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) buses are currently in service, that number is expected to rise to 89 by the end of March, and 237 by the end of 2026.
While these steps are promising, we also learned that the LRT East extension will not be opening in Q1 of this year, as had been expected. Staff are now anticipating that trial running for the east extension could start in Q2 (as late as June 2026). Like all residents, I am eagerly awaiting the opening of the east extension, as it’s anticipated it could free up more buses to serve routes across the city, including Bay Ward. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: better, more accessible and more affordable public transit benefits all road users. These past few years have been a very challenging time for transit users in our city, and I will continue to advocate for their needs, and to encourage my council colleagues to do the same.
Reminder: Upcoming Coffee Chat: Thursday, February 19th at Britannia Coffee House (273 Britannia Rd)
Don’t forget to join my upcoming informal coffee chat on Thursday, February 19th at Britannia Coffee House (273 Britannia Road). Pop by anytime between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm to ask questions, share your views, and meet some of your neighbours! An employee from Heritage Planning will also be joining to answer any questions about planning and heritage designations. All are welcome!
There are a lot of meaningful events coming up next week. Please see below for updates on City of Ottawa schedule changes for Family Day (February 16th). I’d like to wish everyone celebrating Lunar New Year on February 17th a joyous day with loved ones. Finally, with Ramadan starting at sundown on February 17, and Lent beginning on February 18, I hope everyone observing has a peaceful, reflective start to these weeks of gratitude and sacrifice.
Read on the full newsletter for more news and events across Bay Ward.
