Welcome to 2021 Kitchissippi! I’m excited about all the new opportunities and surprises that this year has to offer. The wheels keep turning at City Hall, so read on to find out what’s happening in your community.
At the Dec. 9 city council meeting council voted to adjust our ward boundaries, resulting in McKellar Park being removed from Kitchissippi Ward and shifted to Bay Ward, effective 2022. This change is part of a broader reevaluation of Ottawa’s ward boundaries, an exercise that is undertaken roughly every three or four terms of council to ensure that the city’s population is as evenly distributed as possible. While I challenged consultants to keep Kitchissippi whole, I accept that Kitchissippi continues to grow very quickly. Even now, it is becoming difficult to devote the necessary attention to every issue that arises in the ward – there simply aren’t enough hours in the week. You can read my full statement about this change at kitchissippiward.ca, but for now I’ll simply say that I look forward to continuing to serve Kitchissippi as it stands today with the same vigour and thoughtfulness I always have until the end of this term.
The City is undertaking an integrated infrastructure replacement on Byron, Athlone, and Highcroft Avenues which also involves a road rebuild. I’m very excited about this project, and was happy to have the opportunity to hold a virtual open house about the project on Dec. 14. I urge all residents to review the plan on ottawa.ca and submit their feedback to my office as well as to the project manager Kevin Gibbs (kevin.gibbs@ottawa.ca) by 11:00 PM on January 8.
The most important document in the city, the new Draft Official Plan, is finally available for public review and comment! The team behind the development of the plan has put together a series of one-pagers on key topics that they heard in their engagement to date. You can visit the project website at engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan to review the one-pagers and provide your feedback on the issues that matter most to you. Engagement closes on Feb. 17, so make sure you don’t miss out on this final opportunity to shape the future of Ottawa.
Finally, I’ll remind you to please keep an eye on the newsletter and our ward social media channels for upcoming virtual pop-ups and open houses. I look forward to holding these in person again soon! Stay cozy, Kitchissippi.