Hi neighbour,
Hope you all had a wonderful Victoria Day weekend and have been enjoying the warm spring temperatures this week! Thanks to everyone who came out to the Virtual Info Session on the New Zoning By-law last night. In case you missed it, the recording is available on my Youtube channel.
Reminder: Registrations for the Bay Ward Spring Tea
My team and I are looking forward to seeing many of you at the annual Bay Ward Spring Tea on Monday, May 25th! My team and I are looking forward to seeing many of you at the annual Bay Ward Spring Tea on Monday, May 25th! A reminder that there is a wait list for this event, so if you are registered but are unable to attend, please let our office know so we can offer the ticket to someone else (bayward@ottawa.ca).
Carlingwood Parking Garage Demolition
My office has been receiving questions from residents regarding the demolition of the 2-storey parking garage at Carlingwood Shopping Centre. We received notice of the demolition permit last month, and shared it with the relevant community association, but we’ve also had questions from other Bay Ward residents on what is happening, so I’m happy to share the information we have with the broader community. The owners of the property have submitted a Site Plan Application to replace the parking garage with a surface parking lot (394 parking spaces total). More information, including how to share your feedback on the proposal, is available on the City’s devapps tool.
Updating the City’s Tree Dedication Program
At this week’s Environment and Climate Change Committee, I introduced a motion to bring back personalized Tree Dedications in City parks. For a bit of background, when the City’s Tree Dedication Program was updated in June 2024, the option to include a person’s name at the physical location of the tree was removed. I want to thank every resident who reached out to my office with concerns about this change. Thanks to your advocacy, and the willingness of the City’s Forestry team to re-evaluate this decision, we were able to reverse this change. I’m happy to say that larger tree tags will be available starting in July 2026, for trees scheduled to be planted in 2027, and the in ground plaque option will be reinstated for in early 2027. You can read more about this program in the staff report available online.
Traffic Issues in Bay Ward
This week, I’ve been working with my colleague Councillor Johnson (College Ward), the Stage 2 Team, the Mayor’s office, and the Ottawa Police to find solutions to the traffic problems in Bay Ward neighbourhoods as a result of the increased congestion on Highway 417 between Woodroffe and Pinecrest. I share residents’ frustration, and am hopeful the City, Stage 2, and MTO can find a path forward to mitigate the domino effect that these lane closures have had on west end neighbourhoods, and commuters across Ottawa.
Read the full newsletter for more news and events across Bay Ward!
