Newsletter Date Councillor’s Newsletter February 10, 2017 KEEPING YOU INFORMED Councillor’s View INSIDE THIS ISSUE Commemorative Naming Proposals Dear Residents, Sanctuary City Census Data This week at City Council, Council members approved 5731 Hazeldean Tree Removal in principal a new central library joint facility with …and more! Library and Archives Canada. What this means is that the location of the library will now be at 557 Wellington. In addition, a representative from Library and Archives Canada attended the Council meeting to share their concurrence with the joint interaction, and programming for the arts and culture. In project. addition, the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) has been adapting programming to accommodate the more Next steps will include approving the design of the modern needs of residents and new Canadians who facility as well as the funds which should be coming require things such as internet access to keep up in the back to Council at some point in June once funding growing competitive online job market. partners are identified and informed. Libraries may no longer be the places of indulgence they I was among the 21 councillors along with the Mayor in once were but they are a place for life-learning and support of this motion. growth. This new location will not just be a destination but a recognizable and talked about landmark for anyone I do believe that the new Ottawa Central Library will be who uses or visits it. an excellent fit at 557 Wellington near the upcoming Lebreton Flats development – truly reflecting the Similar to the renovations at Lansdowne Park, this issue “central” aspect of its name being in close proximity to has discussed for many years by our community and Light Rail Transit, the public at large, and the millions surrounding neighbourhoods. It is time to move forward of tourists that come to Ottawa each year. The location with this significant city-building project. was selected following an extensive process of project study, analysis and public consultation, and expert I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mayor evaluation of 12 possible sites. Watson, the Chair of the Ottawa Public Library Board - Councillor Tim Tierney, and the Library Board for all of With the arrival of the internet and ebooks, public their hard work on this item. libraries have been criticized as out-dated luxuries we can no longer afford or that books are becoming a What are your thoughts on the new central library? I thing of the past. However, I firmly believe that they are would love to hear some of your ideas for programming necessary conglomerates of information that we, as a to ensure that this new facility truly brings Ottawa’s society, cannot afford to do without. informational facilities into the twenty-first century. Email me at [email protected]. The new library looks to the future and is to be -Shad designed as a hub for meetings, social gatherings and Page 2 Keeping You Informed Commemorative Naming Proposals for Stittsville – Comments Requested This week, the Commemorative Naming Committee (CNC) met and discussed 5 commemorative naming proposals for Stittsville. I am happy to announce that the 60 day comment period has ended and the renaming of Bell Memorial Park to the W.J. Bell Rotary Peace Park will now be presented to the City’s Community and Protective Services Committee (CPSC) for approval. After which time, it will be submitted to City Council for final approval. The CNC also approved consideration for the commemorative naming applications: Mary Durling Park (formerly Cypress Gardens Park) located at 33 Elm (Brae) Crescent, Lee Boltwood Park and Susanna Kemp Park to be located at future parks in the Abbottsville Development, and the Grace Thompson Meeting Room at the Stittsville Library. Each application will be undergoing a 30 day consultation period and pending committee approval, will then be presented to the CPSC and City Council for final approval with the exception of the Grace Thompson Meeting Room which will be presented to the Ottawa Public Library Board meeting for final approval following consultation period. I am particularly thrilled about this set of commemorative naming proposals as many of them were submitted by residents of the Stittsville community during submission process of the Stittsville Street Renaming Project. As such, I encourage all residents to share their thoughts. Comments will be accepted online and must be received no later than March 8th, 2017. To submit your comments and to review biographies of the individuals being commemorated, please visit the City of Ottawa website here. Sanctuary City This past week, I have heard from many residents expressing opinions regarding a potential motion to classify the City of Ottawa as a “Sanctuary City”. Keeping You Informed Page 3 Presently, the Canadian municipalities of Toronto and Hamilton and, most recently, London have adopted the status to indicate protection of those who posses undocumented immigrant status within them. This motion did not make it to council but it was a large talking point within the community so I wanted to take the opportunity to present to you my point of view. There are a number of reasons I did not plan on supporting such a motion. I do believe that items regarding immigration should be left for the federal government to handle and that such a decision was outside the municipal government’s realm of jurisdiction. Additionally, one of the major concerns by the residents to my office, which I share, is that such a decision would deter from those who decide to immigrate to our great nation lawfully. Canada currently has one of the best immigration processes available and Ottawa is already well known as a welcoming city. That is why we see so many new faces each year coming to us from other countries. Beyond that, I do believe that our current system of City services is designed to benefit those who contribute to them, thereby ensuring these services remain sustainable for all residents. I will agree with the sincerity that the gesture of putting forward a motion would present for promoting Ottawa and ultimately, Canada, as an accepting place; however, that said, ultimately, I do not feel it is the municipal government’s role to make decisions of this nature. Census Data In 2016, a census was distributed to all Canadian households to gather information about our communities. This week, some of that information came to light and statistics Canada will continue to release the 2016 Census data in phases as follows: February 8, 2017 - Population and dwelling counts May 3, 2017 - Age and sex, Type of dwelling May 10, 2017 - Census of Agriculture August 2, 2017 - Families, households and marital status, Language September 13, 2017 - Income October 25, 2017 - Immigration and ethnocultural diversity, Housing, Aboriginal peoples November 29, 2017 – Education, Labour, Journey to work, Language of work, Mobility and migration Although ward by ward data is not yet available, I have also been provided with estimates for Stittsville’s population by City staff this week which is as follows: Page 4 Keeping You Informed Mid-Year 2016* Year End 2016 Ward Name Population Households Population Households 6 Stittsville 32,494 11,195 32,829 11,333 This is exciting news for the ever-growing population of Stittsville and I look forward to sharing the official Census data upon release for your comparison. Tree Removal on 5731 Hazeldean I have received notification that Nautical Lands has been granted a tree permit allowing them to remove trees on the site of 5731 Hazeldean. This is in preparation for the construction of a seniors residence and extended care facility. Work is anticipated to begin on Monday, February 13th. The included diagram shows the impacted area and it also shows the area that will be improved through selective cutting of poor trees, protection and improvement of Butternut habitat, and tree planting. The developer has contracted with a professional forester to develop a prescription for the site. This prescription will be reviewed and approved by the Planning Forester. Tree cutting within this improvement area will not take place at this time. Butternut trees are growing on site but a permit for their removal has been obtained from OMNRF. Hydro Closure Stittsville Main St I would like to pass along some information my office received from Hydro Ottawa this week. Hydro Ottawa will be closing down the east lane of Stittsville Main Street, between Wintergreen & Keeping You Informed Page 5 Wildpine, between the hours of 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM on Sunday February 12th. Traffic will be managed on site as an overhead hydro plant is removed. For concerns, please contact Tim Vallee with Hydro Ottawa at 613-738-5499 x 7518. Please Email Concerns to My Office I would like to take a moment to remind residents that in order to best serve you, the primary way is, and always will be, by sending me an email at [email protected]. Social media is a wonderful tool. It’s great to see communities of Stittsville communicating on Facebook or Twitter and I enjoy having it as another resource to investigate what is happening in our community. Unfortunately, I do not have the capacity to rely on these pages as a resource for addressing constituent concerns. As some groups have become very popular, sometimes I may miss City questions that are raised. Additionally, if an item requires immediate action, it is best to report it directly to me and the City. I encourage everyone to please email me at [email protected] with any comments, questions or concerns that you have and encourage others in the community to do the same so I can keep track of inquiries and also provide responses from appropriate City staff as efficiently as possible.