Hi neighbour,
I hope you all had a great week, despite the return of glacial January temperatures. With very cold temperatures forecast for the weekend, I wanted to share some information on cold weather assistance for our community’s most vulnerable, from Ottawa Public Health’s Cold Weather website:
Who to call for help and information
- Call 2-1-1 for information about drop in centres, community and health resource centres, food banks and community food programs, winter clothing, financial assistance with utilities and a list of Out of the Cold locations with free meals, snacks and drop-ins.
- Call 3-1-1 to get referred to the best available shelter, or to get assistance for someone who needs transportation to get out of the cold. The City’s 3-1-1 Line is available to respond to calls 24 hours a day.
- Call 8-1-1 Health Connect Ontario for non-emergency medical advice.
- Call 9-1-1 for medical emergency assistance such as hypothermia.
Here’s a look at some other happenings around Bay Ward and at City Hall this week:
Update on Transit Reliability
Thank you to everyone who continues to reach out to my office to share your concerns regarding unreliable transit service. I share your frustration and worry about the impact this level of service has on people’s confidence in public transit in our city. OC Transpo has publicly acknowledged that the current service levels are not meeting expectations. As outlined in their most recent Bus Service Delivery Action Plan update, the system continues to face challenges due to limited fleet availability, aging buses requiring increased maintenance, an overall lack of drivers, and the time needed to train mechanics on new Zero Emission Buses.
To address these issues in the short term, OC Transpo has made the difficult decision to temporarily reduce the number of daily buses required for service, resulting in a decrease of 255 weekday trips. This measure was taken to avoid overpromising routes that the fleet cannot reliably support at this moment, and to ensure bus schedules more accurately reflect what the current fleet can deliver. It is important to note that this reduction is temporary, and the removed trips will be restored once fleet availability improves.
These changes to the bus service, coupled with the recent announcement that the number of trains available for service on O-Train Line 1 will be reduced due to necessary maintenance for safety reasons, means that transit users will continue to face disruptions. This has real impacts on riders across the city, including here in Bay Ward.
I’ve requested a review of how these temporary reductions affect local bus routes to ensure that delivery standards are maintained and that Bay Ward residents are not disproportionately affected. I will also continue to advocate for long-term improvements, including restored reliability, more consistent GPS information, and a transit system that residents can depend on year-round. I’ll continue to share updates through the newsletter, and if you have any questions or feedback, please continue to reach out to my office at bayward@ottawa.ca.
Launch of Older Adult Roundtable
On Wednesday, I was happy to attend the launch of the Older Adult Plan Roundtable with Mayor Sutcliffe, and my fellow Council Liaison for Older Adults, Councillor Hubley. It’s projected that by 2031, seniors (65 years and above) will account for over 20 per cent of Ottawa’s population. Roundtables like these help us turn strategy into action- making sure the goals of the City’s Older Adult Plan (2025-30) are reflected in the daily experiences of people in Ottawa. I was heartened by the discussions and ideas shared at this first roundtable and am confident that together we can ensure that older adults in Ottawa can live with dignity, stay connected, and feel valued in every part of the city.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who came out to our informal coffee chat this past Tuesday! I always love hearing directly from residents, and meeting people from across Bay Ward. Stay tuned for details for our next coffee chat, coming up in February.
Read the full newsletter for news and events across Bay Ward!
