Hi neighbour,
It was another busy week in Bay Ward! Let’s get right to it.
Ottawa Race Weekend: 100 Year-Old Roy Allen
The weekend of May 23-24 is race weekend here in Ottawa. I’ll be participating in the half-marathon on Sunday, but I’m really looking forward to being an honorary coach for a very special participant in the 5K race on Saturday, May 23. Roy Allen, an Ottawa resident, is 100 years old, and on May 23, he’s going to do something no Canadian his age has ever done: walk 5K in an official race. Roy will be raising money for community organizations that support seniors in Ottawa. You can learn more about his race, and donate to these worthy causes by visiting the Team 100 website. We’re all rooting for you Roy!
Meeting with neighbours in Bay Ward
This week, I was happy to attend the Woodpark Community Association AGM on Tuesday night, the Belltown Neighbours AGM on Wednesday night, and a workshop for community associations on Emergency Preparedness on Thursday night. One of my favourite parts of the job is getting to meet directly with people who are actively working to improve their neighbourhood, not just for personal benefit, but for their neighbours too. It was an energizing week getting to chat with so many people committed to improving their community! If you’d like to learn more about how you can get involved in your community, check out the list of community associations in Bay Ward on my website.
Accora Village Redevelopment Plans: Protecting Tenants’ Rights
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been receiving questions from concerned residents regarding Ferguslea’s plans to redevelop Accora Village. It’s important to note that the City hasn’t yet received the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) application, so we’re still waiting on details. I stopped into the ACORN meeting with Accora village residents last Saturday, and am committed to ensuring that housing remains affordable, and tenant’s rights are protected. For a bit of background, Ferguslea are preparing an OPA application to update the Area Specific Plan (ASP) for Accora Village. The City will be reviewing the development application when it is submitted. To get feedback from residents, the City’s planning team has set up a bilingual Engage Ottawa webpage and email (accoravillageaccora@ottawa.ca). Ferguslea also held an open house back in February, and the slides from that open house are available on the City’s website. Given the number of questions my office has been receiving, I’ve asked Ferguslea to hold more information sessions with tenants.
I will be following the process for the development of this master plan closely, and will ensure the entire process is transparent, and takes into account the views of current residents, as well as people in neighbouring communities. New housing needs to be sustainable, and remain at the same level of affordability for tenants, many who have been there for decades. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office (bayward@ottawa.ca).
Stage 2 Construction Update: Lane Closures on Highway 417
Like many of you, I got stuck in the bottleneck of traffic on the Hwy 417 westbound between Woodroffe and Pinecrest this week. Thanks to everyone who has reached out to my office with questions about the construction, and to share your frustration with the lack of public information about the lane closures. For a bit of background, last week we received notice of a long-term ramp closure of the Pinecrest on-ramp to the Hwy 417 East. What wasn’t included in the public notice was the work that necessitated this ramp closure (installation of overhead signage on the highway) also included long term lane reductions on the 417 between Woodroffe and Pinecrest. I have shared my frustration with the Stage 2 team and the General Manager of OC Transpo about the lack of information, and have requested that the City work with KEV to put measures in place to mitigate the impact of this work on residents in the west end. I will share updates on this issue in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please continue to send your concerns to stage2@ottawa.ca, and be sure to keep my office in the loop (bayward@ottawa.ca).
Read the full newsletter for more news and events across Bay Ward!
PS: Go Charge Go!
