WHAT’S INSIDE:
Tenant Volunteers Firefighter Jeff Line Ladouceur & Page 7 Tracy Pike Page 2
Ottawa Community Housing Corporation THE Quarterly OCH Tenant Newsletter Increasing Energy Efficiency ISSUE 8.1 Through Retrofits WINTER 2017 congratulated both organizations for their efforts in providing energy efficient retrofits, including new energy efficient lighting and new heating equipment, for hundreds of individual and family social housing homes.
In total, OCH has reduced annual electricity use by 6,073,696 kWh. This reduction is equivalent to removing 750 homes from the electrical grid. OCH and Hydro Ottawa were also commended by Minister Thibeault for earning $396,910 in incentives for social housing retrofits through Ontario’s saveONenergy program.
OCH Secures an Additional $8.7 Million for Capital Repairs Left to Right, Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH; Councillor Mark Taylor; Glenn Thibeault, Minister OCH was recently awarded $8.7 million from the of Energy; Bryce Conrad, President and CEO, 2016 Social Housing Improvement (SHIP) Program Hydro Ottawa and Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Chair, OCH Board of Directors. administered by the City of Ottawa. The program provides federal, provincial and municipal funds for Minister of Energy, Glenn Thibeault, visited social housing capital repairs. Regina Towers on October 13 to highlight the successful partnership between Ottawa The majority of the projects that have been Community Housing and Hydro Ottawa to approved for repairs are increase energy efficiency in OCH homes. fire and life safety system-related (fire alarm Joined by Hydro Ottawa President and CEO systems and emergency generators), Bryce Conrad and OCH CEO Stéphane Giguère and OCH Board of Directors Chair, Councillor structural restorations, Mathieu Fleury, Minister Thibeault window and door replacements. Tenant Volunteers Coming Up Line Ladouceur and Tracy Pike All tenants are invited to attend Carson’s Road Tenant Association OCH Board Meetings Please Note the New Time Thursday, January 19, 2017 4:30 p.m. Champlain Room, City Hall 110 Laurier Avenue West
Thursday, March 23, 2017 4:30 p.m. Boardroom 39 Auriga Drive District Based Committee (DBC) Meetings East DBC Meeting Line and Tracy have a passion for their community, with a Tuesday, March 14, 2017 combined time of more than 15 years as Carson’s Road 5:00 p.m. volunteers; they have devoted many hours and their talents to Richelieu Vanier Community Centre 300 Des Pères-Blancs Avenue foster a strong community spirit.
Central DBC Meeting They regularly consult with the community to determine what is Thursday, March 16, 2017 needed. They have brought many activities and initiatives to their 5:00 p.m. community: yoga lessons, a new garbage and recycling system, Strathcona Heights Community speed bumps and parking passes, the Good Food Market, the Room MarketMobile, a collective kitchen, picnic tables with canopies, 721 Chapel Crescent fruit trees, a volleyball net, a children’s playground sponsored by South DBC Meeting the Greco Foundation, a ladies coffee hour and a Tenant Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Association logo contest, etc.. They work closely and successfully 5:30 p.m. with partners such as the Carson’s Community House and South East Ottawa CHC Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre. 7th floor, 1355 Bank Street They organize many events and engage organizations to help West DBC Meeting bring resources to their community. For example, their back to Thursday, March 30, 2017 6:00 p.m. school BBQ in 2015 was broadcast live by New Hot 89.9 and Lepage Manor Community Room featured a bike repair station, a face painting/henna tattoo 1400 Lepage Avenue station, inflatable structures, a visit from Ottawa Fire Services and a Story Time from the Ottawa Public Library. OCH Office Hours Line and Tracy were successful applicants for the 2016 OCH Monday to Friday Community Capital Fund program. They were also awarded the OCH Offices 2015 OCH Volunteer Recognition Award. They are continually 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closed from noon – 1:00 p.m. seeking to add services and amenities to their community. In addition, they regularly organise BBQ’s, spring clean-ups, holiday Head Office – 39 Auriga Drive celebrations and garage sales. 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. They are planning to transition from a formal Tenant Association Holiday Hours to a more informal Tenant Circle in the hopes of increasing community participation at the leadership level. They have many OCH Offices will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2017 for plans and ideas for the future, a future that looks very bright for Family Day. Carson’s Road residents!
2 Tenant Gathering at Wabano Center a Big Success
On Saturday, October 1, over 120 OCH tenant volunteers attended the 2016 OCH Tenant Appreciation event at the spectacular Wabano Centre. Highlights included dinner, a performance by Branch Out Theatre actors, guided tours that gave a brief history of Canada’s aboriginal green corner people and their culture, guest speakers Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Chair of the OCH Board of Directors and Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH, and a Volunteer Recognition Ceremony. Heating Season Greetings! Six OCH tenants were recognized as outstanding OCH volunteers. Congratulations to Iman Al-Khatib, Virtue Beurling, Susan and The cold is upon us. For our Christopher Ings, Charlotte Morin and Sylvie Roussell. The 2016 heating systems to operate as Tenant Advisory Group Award was presented to Community efficiently as possible without Development Manager Francine Vachon, for the support and affecting your comfort, please contributions she has made to tenant involvement in healthy make sure to remove all air communities. conditioning units from windows and to keep doors Watch for details about the 2017 Tenant Forum in upcoming and windows properly newsletters. closed. It’s easy to keep the heat from leaking out Iman Al-Khatib, recipient of the 2016 OCH Tenant unnecessarily. Volunteer Recognition Award with Councillor Mathieu Did You Know? Fleury, Chair of the OCH Board of Directors and Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH has a Heating OCH. Management System installed in several electrically heated buildings to help reduce wasted Virtue Beurling and Charlotte Morin, recipients of the 2016 energy without affecting your OCH Tenant Volunteer comfort. With less than one Recognition Award with Councillor Mathieu Fleury, year of operation, it has already Chair of the OCH Board of reduced the heating Directors, Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH, and Brian consumption by over 650,000 Gilligan, Vice-President of kWh; that’s about $100,000 in Community Development. utility costs. We thank you for Sylvie Roussel recipient of the supporting the initiative and 2016 OCH Tenant Volunteer look forward to reinvesting the Recognition Award with Councillor Mathieu Fleury, savings into our buildings. Chair of the OCH Board of Directors; Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH, and Brian Gilligan, Vice-President of Community Development. 3 Community Noticeboard
Deputy Chief Sean Tracey, Ottawa Fire Services; Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Chair of the OCH Board of Directors; Councillor Mark Taylor; Stéphane Giguère, CEO of OCH; Hani Dakwar, Firefighter, Ottawa Fire Services and Foster Farm residents at the OCH Fire Prevention Launch event held on September 26 at 1065 Ramsey Crescent.
OCH tenant A group of University of painting a new Ottawa students baked mural at the Albion- and decorated 510 Heatherington cupcakes which were Community Centre. distributed to the The mural will Community Houses for represent the circle their Halloween of life and feature celebrations. artwork from local youth. It is slated to be completed in late December.
News From Ottawa Public Health
Resources to Help Prevent Falls in Older Adults
The “You CAN Prevent Falls!” fact sheet can help older adults stay independent and safe. It includes information about how to identify hazards around the home, how to reduce personal risk, and has an action plan to make changes. The “Staying Independent Checklist” is a self-screening tool for older adults to find out if they are at risk for falling. Older adults are encouraged to complete the checklist and to follow-up with their healthcare provider as needed.
DID YOU KNOW?
In Ottawa, falls are the leading cause of injury related emergency room visits and hospitalization. Every year, approximately one fifth of adults 65 years or older who live in private homes fall, contributing over 8,000 visits to emergency departments, 2000 hospitalizations and 90 deaths.
To get copies of the fact sheet and checklist:
Call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656) or visit www.ottawa.ca/seniors
4 4 Making Your Internet Access More Affordable
OCH has been discussing with various internet providers to make your access to the internet more affordable. We are very pleased to announce that two companies will provide internet services at a discounted rate to OCH tenants. These companies are Rogers and National Capital Freenet (NCF).
How do you sign up? OCH cannot sign you up. To sign up for low-cost Internet you must contact the Internet Providers directly. They have different criteria and offer different options.
To qualify for Rogers, you must: To qualify for NCF you must: receive a housing subsidy mention that you are an OCH tenant sign a required privacy release form to confirm the confirm your address subsidy (a simple yes or no identification) Rogers Connected for Success: National Capital Freenet:
1-866-689-0758 between 9am-6pm, Monday to 613 -721-1773 ext.0 Friday www.ncf.ca [email protected]
If you are interested all you need to do is to contact them.
INTERNET OPTIONS FOR OCH TENANTS
Internet Cost per Monthly Download Upload Additional More Details Provider Month Usage Speed Speed Charges
Rogers Free installation Connected for $9.99 30 GBs 10mbps 1mbps None No cancellation fee Success Modem rental included No credit check National Capital $25.00, if unlimited 6mbps .08mbps Modem Free installation, if you Freenet (NCF) you have a purchase have a telephone land line landline (options and price to be If no land line, you will pay discussed a one time $19.99 dry line If not, $5.00 installation fee + extra a with Freenet) $5.00 extra a month for dry month dry -line fee line fee No cancellation fee
DSL modem not included ($ vary on the modem)
No credit check Note: HST applies to monthly costs and installation fees
Please Remember
You play a vital part in keeping OCH communities safe! Please report any safety concerns to OCH at 731-1182.
5 Manager’s Corner Fire Safety Notice By Richard Villeneuve Property Manager, Ramsey Office Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) and OCH work together to make our communities a safer place to live for all tenants.
The Ontario Fire Code requires OCH and you, the tenants, to keep hallways and stairwells clear of all items that could catch fire Green Living Tips (flammable) or block fire escape routes. OFS Unplug household items not in use and reduce has raised concerns about OCH hallways and energy waste and your electricity bill. stairwells not meeting the Ontario Fire Code.
Unplug items like TVs, DVD players, computers, Leaving any items on doors, in hallways and game consoles, cell phone chargers and lights stairwells is against the Ontario Fire Code. when you are finished using them. Also, items like shopping carts, bicycles,
Surge protector or Power bar scooters, wheel chairs, strollers and even door mats left in hallways, block fire escape routes You can also use a surge and may impact on your safety or the safety of protector and simply flip the switch to the off position. Surge emergency responders (Fire, Police and protectors will also protect your Ambulance) in case of an emergency. electronics from power surges. Since some power surges are due to lightning, the damage done may OFS requires that all items, including flammable not be covered by your renter's insurance. Most items, on doors, stairwells and hallways be electronic equipment is designed to consume energy removed immediately. Please remove your even when it is turned off. items. If items are not removed, OCH will bring
Did you know? the items left on your door inside your home and will discard all other items. Phantom power (turned off but not unplugged) can account for up to 20% of an average household's annual electricity use. Unplug unused electronics and If you need help moving items, or if you have save money. any questions, please call us at 613-731-1182. Want more tips to save on electricity bills? Visit https://hydroottawa.com/save-energy/ residential/tips-tools
Do You Need Help with Your Electricity Bill?
The Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) will apply a monthly credit directly to your electricity bill if you are a low-income household, a customer of an electricity utility, and you are eligible for this program. All you need to do is apply and submit the required information. Applications take about 6-8 weeks to process. Once approved, the credits will take effect for about two years before you have to re-apply.
If your home is electrically heated, or you require an approved medical device that uses a lot of electricity, OESP offers a higher level of assistance.
You can apply online at www.OntarioElectricitySupport.ca or call 1-855-831-8151, or 1-800-855-1155 (TTY to TTY).
6 Firefighter Jeff By Jeff Herlihey , Fire Prevention Officer Ottawa Fire Services
Fire in an Apartment Building You may be a resident or a visitor of an apartment building when a fire occurs, either way you must know what do in case of a fire.
If there is a fire in the apartment you are in, you must Tell everyone to leave Close the apartment door behind you. This will contain the fire and smoke damages to your home. Yell “fire” and pull the fire alarm on your floor. When you are safe, call the fire department at 911.
When you hear the fire alarm Leave the building immediately. Do not use the elevator. An elevator shaft may become a chimney for smoke and fire and will typically go out of service when the fire alarm sounds. When you leave, check every door before opening it. If the door is hot or heavy smoke is entering around the door, do not open it. if the nearest exit is obstructed by smoke, use another exit. if a stairway contains smoke, leave the stairway and go to another stairway.
If you have to remain in your apartment If you can’t use any stairway, return to your apartment. Never go to the roof. Smoke rises to the top of the stairway and door openings to the roof will be locked. Keep smoke from entering your apartment by using wet towels at the bottom of the door and tape to seal cracks. Remember your apartment door has a minimum 30 minute fire rating (if it has not been modified). If smoke enters your apartment, call 911, move to a balcony if you have one, or to the room that has the least smoke and a window where you can get fresh air and signal for help.
Remember Most of the time the best thing to do in case of a fire is leave the building as soon as possible. No matter what the situation, you must protect yourself from the smoke. Calling 911 doesn’t activate the fire alarm system. If there is a fire, pull the fire alarm. People die from the smoke not the fire. Close every door behind you. Remember wherever you are, if there is smoke, get low and go under the smoke. Call the fire department only when you have safely exited the building.
7 Integrated Pest Management Team
On March 21, 2016, OCH initiated a new in-house approach to dealing with cockroaches and bedbugs in OCH properties. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Team is made up of a manager, 2 administrator support staff and 12 OCH employees who are all certified pest management professionals.
The team is responsible for responding to bed bug and cockroach infestation calls. Their services include; Tenant communication and education. Assessment of homes reporting bed bug and cockroach infestations to give support and help make sure the home is ready for treatment. Removal of insects by vacuuming and steaming. Initial treatments. Supplying and installing bed bug coverings for mattresses, box springs and sofa beds. Providing transparent plastic bags for laundering and drying and, in some cases, heat treating laundry in dryers that have been specifically purchased for use by the IPM team. Providing monitoring devices to detect bedbug and cockroach activity. Maintaining proper records of treatment activities and home inspections.
The IPM team works in partnership with tenants. When a tenant reports bedbug or cockroach activity in their home, a member of the IPM team is sent to follow up and determine what type of treatment is needed. Once a treatment has been done, the tenant is engaged and provided information on how to prevent any further pest issues. The IPM team follows up by answering any questions or concerns and by checking the home to determine if the treatment was successful. Call us at 613-731-1182 at the first signs of any pest problems. Improving our Customer Service: Reaching OCH with 1 Phone Number Only WHAT? Beginning in March 2017, you will be able to reach any OCH staff, services or any OCH office by dialing this one phone number: 613-731-1182.
WHY THIS CHANGE? We want to: make it easier for you to reach us connect you with the person who can answer your question(s) faster give you the option to speak directly to staff (“live voice”) without needing to leave a message In the 2015 Tenant Survey, you asked us to improve phone contact with OCH staff. A group was put in place to evaluate our current phone service. They have made recommendations that will improve our commitment to the goal of “Delivering quality services to every tenant and every home”. During business hours: you will be asked to identify what service you wish to be connected with. The services will include maintenance, safety, tenancy matters, tenant neighbour relations, and a staff directory. A team of OCH employees who have knowledge and expertise in the service category you have selected will be exclusively dedicated to answering your call. There is no change to the after hour service. Maintenance and safety services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by dialing 613-731-1182. 8 2016-2017 Snow Clearing Reminders
Walkways in apartment buildings/stacked townhouses/ accessible (handicapped) homes Snow clearing begins after 3 cm of snow has fallen, continuing after every further 5 cm of snowfall until the end of the snowfall. Row house walkways Snow clearing starts when 5 cm of snow has fallen, continuing after every further 5 cm of snowfall until the end of the snowfall. Parking lots Snow clearing starts when 5 cm of snow has fallen, continuing after every further 10 cm of snowfall until the end of the snowfall. Individual parking spots will be cleared but only when there are two open spots in a row. If you see the snow contractor on your site, please move your car from your parking spot. Most parking lots have snow and ice buildup in-between the cars. The contractor is not responsible for putting salt or grit in this area. Tenants are advised to use the salt/grit available to keep these areas safe. Within 8 hours of the end of the snowfall, a final snow clearing pass will be made. In the case of parking lots, this final pass will be completed during normal working hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Additional Reminders Grit and salt products are placed in boxes outside buildings and parking lots. Please use as needed. Do not push or shovel snow into the centre aisle of parking lots or onto city walkways or roadways. You are responsible for clearing your own front and rear walkways up to the main walkway if you live in a row house. There are designated areas on many OCH sites where piling of snow is permitted. Please do not let children play near or on these snow piles. Heavy equipment is used to clear these areas by the contractor.
If you have a question about snow clearing services in your community, contact OCH at 613-731-1182. 9 letters to the editor
Letters to the Editor can be emailed, Gail Henri faxed or mailed and must include the 39 Auriga Drive writer’s contact information. Ottawa ,ON K2E 7Y8 Regrettably, not all letters will be (Fax) 613-731-4463 published and letters may be edited to (Email) [email protected] accommodate space. Send to:
Thanks to all the OCH tenants who responded to our word search contest in the Fall 2016 newsletter. Congratulations to Tom F. from the Bank Office. He is the winner of a $25 Loblaws gift certificate.
Try to solve the word search game below. Bring your answer to your nearest OCH office or email it to [email protected] Deadline for submissions is February 17, 2017.
RETROFITS
IMPROVEMENT
MINISTER
FAMILYDAY
MARKET
LEADERSHIP
REINVESTING
INTERNET
ELECTRONICS
FIREALARM
MONITORING
SNOWCLEARING
Name: Address: Telephone:
______
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