Proudly Serving All Residents of River Ward Dear Neighbours and Residents, Employment Centres
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CITY COUNCILLOR / CONSEILLER MUNICIPAL RILEY BROCKINGTON River Ward Ward / Quartier/ Quartier Rivière Rivière 613--580580-2486-2486 ● [email protected]● [email protected] @RiverWardRiley April 2020 Proudly serving all residents of River Ward Dear Neighbours and Residents, employment centres. All this is so we do The COVID-19 pandemic is our part to “flatten the curve.” Drastic unprecedented in recent memory. Its measures were required as our health impact on human-life in countries like care professionals in our hospitals do not China, Italy and Iran has been have the capacity to treat large volumes devastating. Canada has not been of people at once and secondly because spared. Ottawa Public Health is leading the mortality rate of those infected in the response in Ottawa, with great care other countries is very high for older and support from the Ottawa Hospital adults and/or those with compromised and CHEO as well. immune systems. An assessment centre opened on March Understandably, these are stressful 13 at the Brewer Arena. At the time this times. The Ottawa Distress Centre is bulletin went to print, it was receiving open and available for people who need hundreds of patients a day, and to talk. Their number is 613-238-3311. conducting 350 nasal swabs. Whether My website (RileyBrockington.ca) and you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 the Ottawa Public Health website or not, if you have any symptoms (fever, (OttawaPublicHealth.ca) contain cough or new/worsening cough), you updated information on the COVID-19 must self-isolate. That is, stay home. emergency. My office staff and I remain accessible and continue to reply to email On Thursday, March 5, 2020, I hosted the fourth annual River Ward Women’s Day The State of Emergency was called by Speaker Series at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre. My panel included the Province to rapidly reduce the and receive your calls. My team is here to assist you, now and always. (from left) Krista Kealey, Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs at the amount of people who would normally Ottawa International Airport Authority; Councillor Catherine McKenney (Special Co- be socially interacting with one another If you need anything in particular, please Host), Council Liaison for Housing and Homelessness; Camille Williams-Taylor, and increasing the likelihood of do not hesitate to contact me. Director of Education at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board; and Kerry-Leigh transmission. These are trying times, Sincerely, Burchill, Director General at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum. with schools closed along with most Riley Open Letter from Shelley VanBuskirk, Director of Housing Services working groups tackle various parts of Ottawa residents who rely on us for a the housing system. safe place to live, with the supports they We have had success over the first six need to participate in the rich economic, years of the plan creating over 1,793 social, cultural and recreational life of new affordable housing options, the city. supporting 20,000 social housing units It goes beyond a call for funding and through operating funding, housing resources. It speaks to what subsidies and funding for repairs, organizations and individuals can do to housing 1,167 single people and over help people in need. If you are a landlord 3,300 families exiting the shelter system, consider participating in the City’s Rent in addition to supporting over 45,000 Supplement or Housing First program households with direct services and and offer an affordable unit to someone funding to find and keep housing. exiting homelessness or who needs help The updated Plan was to go to the City’s with affordability. If you are a developer, Community and Protective Services consider offering some units in your new Committee on March 27th and City building that are affordable to people Council on April 8th, 2020 but is delayed living on social assistance. due to the Covid-19 Emergency. The We need to show compassion and Plan lays out a strategic framework that understanding to those in our Councillor Riley Brockington and Shelley VanBuskirk, Director of Housing, Community will guide the City’s work around community who need our help, reducing and Social Services for the City of Ottawa. improving access to affordable housing, stigma and increasing our understanding increasing affordability for residents, and of those living with mental health Dear River Ward Residents: organizations for 10 shelter and reducing homelessness from 2020 to illnesses or addictions. No one choses a Having a safe and affordable home is transitional housing facilities, in addition 2030. life of poverty. Volunteer or contribute to coordinating responses to Rooming foundational to people’s health and The updated Plan has ambitious targets to organizations that work with people House issues. The Homelessness wellbeing. Ottawa is a prosperous City to create between 5,700 to 8,500 new in need. We need affordable and Programs and Residential Services Homes that has a high median income and low affordable housing options over the next supportive housing in every ward across branch allocates funding to not-for profit unemployment. Many of us enjoy a good 10 years and to eliminate unsheltered this City and for people to welcome organizations that offer services such as standard of living however many of our homelessness, chronic and veteran’s these new neighbours into communities. street outreach, supportive housing, neighbours, family or friends may live in homelessness and reduce overall Many small actions can create big housing loss prevention and Housing insecure housing, struggling to pay the homelessness. change. rent and bills. First. The Plan recognizes that we need Thank you, Housing Services has been busy updating Housing Services is comprised of four different solutions for different Shelley VanBuskirk the City’s 10-Year Housing and different branches. The Social Housing population groups and that we need to Director, Housing Services Homelessness Plan over 2019. branch is responsible for the listen and get feedback on addressing Municipalities in Ontario are required by administration of 52 social housing the unique needs of the Indigenous Communications en français the Province to have a 10-Year Housing providers, the City’s rent supplement community, women, youth, newcomers, and Homelessness Plan and our current J’estime important de fournir des program and oversees the contract with people living with disabilities and the Plan started in 2014. We must review and services en français aux résidents du the Social Housing Registry, who LGBTQQ2S community. quartier Rivière, et toutes les maintains the wait list for people who update the Plan every five years to I have been asked about what the City’s communications qui émanent de moi need subsidized housing. ensure that it remains relevant and et de mon bureau sont offertes dans responsive to the changing housing needs recent Declaration of an Affordable The Affordable Housing branch works cette langue. Afin d’économiser et in the city. Over the last year we have Housing and Homelessness Emergency d’ajouter du contenu à ce bulletin, with the not-for profit and private sectors had 60 different in-person sessions with and Crisis means to me. It means that j’imprime les numéros séparément, to build new affordable housing and community partners, advocacy groups, the City cannot solve this problem alone. dans leurs versions française et deliver the Ontario Renovates Program, the public and people with lived Housing insecurity and homelessness is a anglaise. J’ai dressé la liste des which offers grants and forgivable loans experience of homelessness or housing complex social program that requires personnes qui souhaitent recevoir la to seniors and people living with a insecurity to find out what’s working in coordinated efforts, collaboration, correspondance en français. disability for minor home repairs and the housing system and what needs to innovation, and continually improving Pour vous faire inscrire sur cette liste, accessibility modifications. The City owns change. We also gathered feedback programs and services. It’s about il vous suffit d’appeler mon bureau ou and operates one family shelter and through written submissions, social creating a sense of urgency and calling de lui envoyer un courriel, après quoi through the Community and Family media polls and had seven different on all levels of government for the vous recevrez tous les bulletins dans la Shelters branch contracts with 8 resources needed to improve the lives of langue officielle de votre choix. Development and Infrastructure Updates 3071 Riverside Drive - Canoe Bay the new Riverside Park Nursery School west side of Fisher Avenue north of Claymor Avenue. In Summer 2021, work Development daycare facility. The parcel of land is Shillington Avenue. 38 total units and will begin on the renewal project on Construction is expected to begin this located about 100 metres north of the ground floor parking are proposed in the Senio Avenue. The City of Ottawa is Spring. In the weeks leading up to Springland Drive and Walkley Road plan. The height of the building is investing approximately $8 million for construction, site fencing and intersection. The site is bound by Holy 9.37m. The next step in the this infrastructure renewal project. construction mobilization will be taking Cross Elementary School to the north, development process will be a Site Plan Larkin Street, Lepage Avenue and place. Holy Cross Church to the south, the application, which has yet to be filed Larose Avenue Water and Sewer future Canoe Bay park to the west, and with the City. As you may recall, the approved zoning Infrastructure Project low-rise residential homes on the 655-755 Anand Private Development and site plan consists of one and two opposite side of Springland Drive.