Hi neighbours,
I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful fall colours this week! This time of year is always a wonderful reminder that we live in the most scenic ward in the City (but maybe I’m a bit biased). Here’s what I’ve been working on this week.
Council Approves Housing Acceleration Plan
On Wednesday, Council approved the City’s Housing Acceleration Plan, a list of 53 recommendations aimed at speeding up the development of housing units across Ottawa. I was happy to support the plan, with the amendment to reduce Community Benefit Charges, rather than remove them altogether, and am cautiously optimistic that this plan will lead to more housing actually being built, rather than just being greenlit. While most of the recommendations in the plan are meant to encourage building by for-profit developers, I want to make sure that we don’t lose sight of the desperate need for more affordable and deeply affordable units for seniors, students and families. Currently, we are losing 31 affordable units for every 1 that we build, and this needs to change. I welcomed the participation and insights from Ottawa Community Housing for the Housing Acceleration Task Force, and will continue to support the City working closely with OCH and other non-profit housing partners. Non-profit housing partners are critical to getting family-sized housing units built in urban areas. We need to ensure that neighbourhoods within the Greenbelt are able to provide housing for families who want to live in vibrant, connected communities, rather than continuing to expand our urban boundary to build more housing developments in the outer suburbs.
Automated Speed Enforcement Cameras
At Council this week, I was also happy to see the motion brought forward by my colleague Councillor Tierney Advocating for the Retention and Refinement of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) in School Zones. This motion underlines the effectiveness of speed cameras in keeping some of our most vulnerable residents (children) safe, and I will be supporting it when it comes to a vote at our next meeting.
You’re Invited: Bay Ward Fall Open House, October 21 (Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 7:00 pm- 8:30 pm)
My team and are looking forward to seeing you at the Bay Ward Fall Open House later this month! Stop by to meet your neighbours, discuss issues, share ideas and provide feedback. City staff from the Stage 2 team and Planning and Development will be on hand to answer their questions and showcase their work.
Reminder! Budget 2026 with Wards 7,8, and 9 (Wednesday, October 15, 6:30-8:30 pm)
Join senior City staff and Councillors Kavanagh, Johnson and Devine for a virtual presentation and Q&A session on this year’s budget directions and process. The session will take place virtually on Microsoft Teams. Register online.
Please note that my office will be closed on Monday, October 13th for Thanksgiving. You can check the City of Ottawa website for other service changes next week.
Read on for more news and events across Bay Ward!