City budget and Bank Street transportation – have your say

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Shawn Menard
Councillor, Capital Ward

613-580-2487 | Twitter | Ward Email | My Email | Website

 

 

We’ve got some important issues coming up for the ward and the city, and our office would love to hear from you. Please consider this a personal invitation to participate in upcoming surveys and consultations.

Lansdowne 2.0
As of writing this, the joint Finance and Planning Committee has yet to meet (but will have met by the time this article is out). We are busy preparing motions to try to improve the inadequate plan in front of us, while also highlighting the significant risks to the city and its residents should this proceed.

City Budget Survey and Consultation
Back in September, I mentioned that the city is heading into budget season. Last month, we held a great budget consultation with councillors Leiper and Troster. It was a chance to hear from residents and I thank everyone who was able to attend.
If you missed that, there are other ways to make your voice heard.
First, we’ve launched a budget survey to help us better understand the needs of residents across the city and help inform our work around Budget 2024 and ongoing budget priorities. This survey is open to residents in the Glebe and across Ottawa and can be filled out on our website at www.shawnmenard.ca/budget2024.

We’ll also have another budget consultation this month on Tuesday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. The consultation is being held in conjunction with councillors Brockington, Bradley and Carr. The consultation will be held at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre at 1265 Walkley Road. You can learn more at our website, www.shawnmenard.ca/2024budgetconsultsouth.

You can also attend committee meetings where the budget will be discussed, and you can give written or oral presentations. Each committee will have a meeting for its own section of the budget. Meeting dates and more information about the budget process can be found online at ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/budget-finance-and-corporate-planning/budget-2024-information.

Transportation Survey on Bank Street (Glebe and Old Ottawa South)
We are conducting a survey of constituents and patrons of Bank Street in the Glebe and Old Ottawa South, and I hope you’ll take the time to fill it out. Your input will allow any future conversations surrounding Bank Street to be community-informed, right from the start. Please take three minutes to complete the survey and feel free to share it with anyone you know who visits, shops or otherwise uses Bank Street in the Glebe or Old Ottawa South.
The survey can be completed on our website, shawnmenard.ca/howyouroll.
Your input and responses on these two surveys are greatly appreciated!

Queen Elizabeth and Colonel By Lighting
For the past number of years, many lights have been out along both Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Colonel By Drive. This has been a frustrating and very concerning situation for residents. The lack of proper lighting is a safety issue for drivers and for people using the multi-use path.

In recent years, we’ve had a number of discussions with both NCC representatives and with city staff, trying to get a solution and seeking some temporary lights in the interim.

The main problem with the malfunctioning lights is an antiquated underground electrical system that prevents simple bulb replacements for these lights. Further, the design of the globes allows for water leakage, shorting out the system.

In the spring, the National Capital Commission announced a plan to replace the lighting along both driveways. Work is expected to begin this fall, with completion in 2025. This will include lights along the roadway as well as along the pathways. Suitable replacements will be used to ensure the lights align with the heritage standards along the roads.

While we’re glad to see a resolution to this problem on the horizon, we’re still concerned about having extremely dark roads and paths being used by residents, and we are asking the NCC to put up more temporary lighting to make these routes safer.

Reviewing the provincial expansion of the urban boundary
Last month, I led a group of 11 councillors calling on the Ontario Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner to review the province’s expensive decision to expand Ottawa’s urban boundary. I also put forward a motion at Council that was passed unanimously on the issue.
Last month, word came from the provincial government, which is under RCMP investigation, that it listened to us and everyone else who demanded these decisions be rescinded. It has decided to remove lands and the changes made unilaterally to Ottawa’s Official Plan without consultation.

Shawn Menard is City Councillor for Capital Ward. He can be reached at CapitalWard@ottawa.ca.

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