Hi neighbour,
Hope you had a great week. It was another busy one for me and my team with meetings at City Hall, and across the ward.
Regina Street Alternative School: Now open for 2026-27 kindergarten registrations
Like so many of you, I was thrilled to hear the news that Regina Street Alternative School is now accepting kindergarten registrations for the 2026-27 school year. Two months ago, I wrote an open letter to the Minister of Education (Paul Calandra) and the OCDSB Supervisor (Robert Plamondon) asking them to reverse their initial decision to freeze registrations at this school, as it amounted to a slow-motion closure. I also met with Supervisor Plamondon last week, and shared residents’ concerns, as well as the critical need for a community school like Regina Street, especially considering how the surrounding neighbourhood is going to grow over the next few years with transit-related development. Thank you to all the parents who advocated on behalf of this school. As your City Councillor I made the case that this community school should remain in the area for the families in Britannia and Lincoln Heights for years to come.
City Council: Working with Stage 2 to ensure residents and businesses come first
On Wednesday at City Council, I brought forward a motion, seconded by Mayor Sutcliffe, asking the City to work with KEV to expedite all underground utility work, permanent road work, and any related construction at the intersection of Richmond and Woodroffe, and to allocate all available resources to shorten the duration of the upcoming closure.
I also asked that the City and KEV provide Council with a clear timeline and project plan outlining the final stages of work on the LRT Stage 2 West Extension and the Richmond Road Complete Streets project, including a lookahead at all expected road closures and their anticipated duration. I recognize that a big part of the frustration experience by residents and small business owners is the short notice on this major closure. An update on the progress towards opening the West Extension is available in the Stage 2 section of this newsletter.
This motion passed, and in the coming weeks my office will be working with the Stage 2 team to ensure that this closure, and any upcoming closures are rolled out in a way that considers the needs of residents and businesses. The Stage 2 team will share more news about the LRT West Extension and the Richmond Road Complete Streets Project at the upcoming Bay Ward Spring Open House on Tuesday, March 24th.
Recording Available: Public Information Session on 500 & 508 Edgeworth Ave
Thank you to everyone who attended the virtual public information session for 500 & 508 Edgeworth Ave on Tuesday night. There were some really great questions raised, and a commitment by Fotenn and the developers to continue to work with the community. A recording of the meeting is available for those who weren’t able to attend, and there’s also a short summary on my website.
Reminder: Spring Open House – See what’s happening in Bay Ward!
(March 24, 6 PM, Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 102 Greenview Ave)
Visit our Spring Open House to meet me and my team in person, chat with local organizations and meet City service teams. At 6:30 pm, the Stage 2 LRT team will present its 2026 lookahead and community update, followed by a short Q & A. Come meet your neighbours, discuss issues, and provide feedback to the City! Delicious light refreshments will be available.
Finally, just a heads up that our newsletter will be taking a pause next week (for March Break), and we’ll be back with our next issue on March 27th. As always, if there’s anything you wish to discuss don’t hesitate to reach out to my office (bayward@ottawa.ca).
Read the full newsletter for more news and events in your neighbourhood!
