Submitted by Jeff Leiper, Kitchissippi Ward Councillor
Happy June, Kitchissippi! As the weather gets warmer and sunnier, I’m sure we can all feel our moods lifting, and I hope you’re taking advantage of all the amazing outdoor spaces our beautiful city has to offer.
As I write this, we have received the news that over 50 per cent of Ottawa residents who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have gotten one dose, and vaccine appointments have just opened to all residents over the age of 18. This news brings relief, and renewed hope that things will be getting back to normal soon. I know how eager everyone is to see loved ones and engage in all the activities we miss, but I would continue to urge you to be cautious this summer. For the latest information about vaccine distribution and COVID-19 safety protocols, visit the Ottawa Public Health website. We’re almost there.
I’m going to be honest and say that the past few months have seen our office getting more correspondence than I’ve ever seen before in my time as councillor. I know that my staff are working as hard as they can to keep up with the volume of emails and calls, and I would ask that you be patient with us. My staff are working at home, and some of them are supporting children and other family members while trying to stay on top of everything happening in the ward; we’re working hard to stay on top of the correspondence, but it’s a challenge. We aren’t able to track casework that comes to us through social media, so if you have a question for us, please send it to jeff.leiper@ottawa.ca or call 613-580-2485 so Team Kitchissippi can get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding as we navigate this challenging time.
As many of you may already know, in late May I worked with the City and the Westboro Farmers’ Market to create more pedestrian space on Byron Avenue. This reconfiguration sees Byron become a one-way street eastbound between Redwood and Golden, with parking being removed to create more space for people and mitigating measures at Golden and Fraser to discourage cut-through traffic. My office will be monitoring this configuration closely so we can make any changes needed as we see how things flow. In further traffic news, I was thrilled to learn that through the federal government’s COVID-19 Resilience stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, we are able to fund the long-requested crosswalk at Wavell and Richmond! Keep an eye on my newsletter for construction details, which I’ll share as soon as they become available.
Stay cool, Kitchissippi!