Submitted by Jeff Leiper, Kitchissippi Ward Councillor –
Spring is finally here Kitchissippi, and with it a feeling of renewal! Read on to find out what’s new and exciting for our ward.
The City of Ottawa has begun a multi-year process of developing a new Official Plan, which will create the vision for the future growth of Ottawa and a policy framework to guide the city’s physical development. The first step in this development is public consultations, which are currently underway. You can visit the City of Ottawa website to submit your feedback online before May 31, and get involved with your community association who will be your strongest advocates during this process. You can help shape the future of Ottawa.
As the spring thaw takes hold, By-law wants to make sure residents are aware of the best practices for addressing orphaned and injured wildlife. By-law would like to remind residents that not all small wild animals found alone are orphaned. In the vast majority of cases the mother will return to care for her young. If you find a baby wild mammal alone, please contact the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary at 613-258-9480 before calling by-law at 311. By-law only responds to calls about injured or sick wild animals and orphans. By-law advises against moving the baby animal away from its den or feeding it, and recommends returning babies to their dens even if they’ve already been moved.
In traffic news, the City of Ottawa intends to approve a signalized pedestrian crossover (PXO) at Island Park Drive and Clearview Avenue! I am looking forward to having this safety measure in place to improve connectivity for pedestrians in the ward. For more information on the PXO, you can contact Neeti Paudel at 613-580-2424 ext. 22284.
Also roads-related, I received a response to my inquiry about the delay in street sweeping for many areas of Kitchissippi. You can read the entire response at kitchissippiward.ca, but the two key factors in the delay were the below average temperatures causing water to freeze on contact with the roads and procurement challenges for contracted services. We look forward to more timely operations this spring.
Finally, our Ward Forum will be held on April 15 at 6 p.m. The subject of the forum will be traffic calming and I look forward to seeing lots of residents out to discuss this important topic. Keep your eyes on the newsletter for more details.