Newsletter June 17, 2025

COUNCILLOR’S MESSAGE 

Safety in Craig Henry 

I wanted to provide some updates to the recent incidents that have taken place in the Craig Henry neighborhood over the past few months, including a shooting on June 1st, as well as the fatal shooting on April 6th, numerous reports of drug trade, stunt driving, youth mischief, and more. For good reason, residents in Craig Henry and surrounding areas have been concerned.  

I have been working closely with Ottawa Police Services (OPS), city staff, area residents, and other stakeholders on a number of initiatives, including some planned public meetings. Here are a couple of updates:  

• OPS briefed me last week about arrests made in connection to the June 1st shooting on Ashwick Court. Specifically, two men were arrested and charged with multiple offenses. Based on the extensive conversation I had with a resident of Ashwick Court, which was consistent with what I learned from OPS, there is no connection between the June 1st shooting and other incidents affecting the neighborhood.  

• Several of the concerning incidents affecting Craig Henry involve local youth, and in particular local youth from new Canadian families. When multiple residents suggested that many of these youth “simply need activities and things to do”, I took it upon myself to try to make something happen. I quickly made a connection with Active Newcomer Youth Ottawa (ANYO), a local organization “dedicated to supporting newcomers and immigrant children and youth as they become proud Canadians. [They] use sports and social interactions as powerful tools to break down barriers, foster inclusion, and help youth and families thrive.” After meeting with ANYO on May 23rd (photo below), they agreed to create a new program focused on at-risk youth in Craig Henry. ANYO quickly put together a proposal to start this Summer and Fall. From there, I enlisted support from city staff and Minto, for an exciting pilot project that will commence this July.  

• I’m still working with OPS, the OCDSB and city staff to increase patrols in the area, as well as to put in place physical barriers to prevent cars from accessing certain parking lots where dangerous activity is happening.  

My concerns with the Transportation Master Plan 

As Council prepares to debate and approve the Transportation Master Plan later this month, I’m reminded of a component of our Official Plan, which lays down the city’s vision and goals for supporting growth to 2046. 

“By 2046, the majority of trips in the city will be made by sustainable transportation.”  

When the Public Works & Infrastructure Committee meets on June 26th to debate the Transportation Master Plan, we’ll be assessing the list of prioritized transportation projects meant to sustain Ottawa’s growth to 2046.  

Our city develops multiple “master plans”, which are meant to lay out a strategy for achieving the goals of the Official Plan. What’s frustrating is when these “master plans” don’t adhere to the Official Plan. 

One measure that is counted in the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is something that’s called “mode share”, which is the percentage of trips based on different modes of transportation. We calculate the percentage of trips for each mode, e.g. trips by car drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, etc.  

For 2022, city staff calculated that automobile drivers represented 56.6% of all daily trips in the City of Ottawa. But for 2046, the Transportation Master Plan projects that the percentage of daily trips by car drivers decreases insignificantly to 54.7%.  

All this planning and investment will result in only a 2% change. This unambitious vision does not come close to achieving the goals set out in the Official Plan.  

Similarly, the city’s projections for increased transit ridership don’t inspire. Where the 2022 mode share for transit was 8.9%, the projected transit ridership mode share for 2046 is only 11.4%. The City of Ottawa can achieve its Official Plan goals, but not this way.  

Don’t get me wrong. There are several projects laid out in the TMP that I am very enthusiastic about. The Baseline BRT will have a transformative positive impact on the city. But even in the city’s current plan for Baseline BRT, in addition to creating new dedicated transit lanes, the city plans to widen Baseline Road to maintain the current number of car lanes. This does little to disincentivize car use and could even have a detrimental impact on growing transit ridership. There was an article in last week’s Globe & Mail by internationally recognized transit expert Jarrett Walker about transit priority bus lanes. I urge anyone interested in this topic to read it to get a sense of the value in transit priority transportation planning, as well as the ongoing debates over this issue.  

Last week I had a lengthy meeting with the city’s transportation planners to discuss my concerns with the TMP. From that conversation, here are just a few of the items in the TMP that I will be addressing on June 26th.  

• Airport Parkway Widening: More than almost any other project in the TMP, this expensive road widening project not only goes against several key policies in the TMP, but it’s just one example of projects that are meant to relieve rush hour congestion for suburban commuters while ignoring the impacts on sending thousands more vehicles into the core without plans to accommodate them.  

• Merivale Road Continuous Bus Lane: The population density that will result from the recently launched Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan reinforces the importance of the proposed continuous bus lanes on Merivale Road, including making the right decision what kind of corridor should Merivale Road be. Should it be a corridor for mobility (i.e. a road) or a corridor for activity (i.e. a street). What I don’t want it to end up becoming is just a wider version of the “stroad” that it currently is.  

• Beachburg Rail Corridor: Over the last several months I have been stressing the importance of the Beachburg Rail Corridor, which is an existing rail corridor that CN Rail has listed for sale. As you’ll see in the image below, this corridor runs all the way from Kanata / South March in the west, to the Ottawa Train Station in the east. While the city has considered the value of this rail line before, they haven’t taken a serious look at it since the addition of numerous parcels of federal land dedicated for housing, including massive development opportunities like Confederation Heights and the Southern Corridor. When you consider that the Beachburg line also intersects with or runs through Woodroffe (future connection to LRT Stage 3), the Merivale Road Continuous Bus Lanes, and the Colonnade Industrial Park, this could be a major east-west mass transit corridor that would bypass the 417 Queensway and connect with multiple existing transit assets. Through our repeated advocacy of this issue, we’ve been able to persuade staff to reconsider the feasibility of this asset, and we’ll aim to formalize that on June 26th.  

Policing the act of protest 

The act of protest has come under a lot of scrutiny in the City of Ottawa over the last several weeks. First, there was the highly controversial debate over the Bubble By-Law, which many experts fear will limit freedom of expression. And last month, we heard a report on Corporate Security Incidents, which provided details and trends on all security incidents at City of Ottawa buildings. In that report, I noted that protests were counted as “security incidents”, along with acts of vandalism, assaults, and illegal trespassing, even though the vast majority of protests at City Hall are peaceful actions. (NOTE: Following my meeting with the Director of Public Safety Services, they agreed to revisit their policy of counting all protests as “security incidents”) 

Most recently, we saw the installation of “enhanced security measures” at City Hall, which now requires visitors to City Hall to pass through metal detectors to access this public building. While these measures have been welcomed by many, the concern for safety of city workers and elected officials must always be balanced against the barriers it creates for the public.  

This concern was reinforced by comments made by my predecessor Keith Egli about the new measures at City Hall:

“This makes me sad. There was a time not that long ago when City Hall was truly a people place. Lots of activities and events for all. I remember during my time there was a tourist remarking how open the building was unlike the city they lived in.”

And last week, in another bizarre example of how these security measures are having an impact on the way that the public interacting with “the people’s house”, I saw a wedding party enter City Hall in a manner that the bride and groom has likely not expected.

FEATURE: NEW WAYS TO BUS 

Like a lot of people who operate food banks, Salim Jam finds himself busier and busier these days. As the manager of Sadaqa Food Bank, Salim has seen an increased need from the customers who come to his food bank on Colonnade Road, most of whom are recent immigrants to Canada. Sadaqa Food Bank is open from 9:30am – 12:30pm daily, even on weekends, to provide access to families already struggling to get to work or to get their kids to school.  

But to get to the food bank on Saturday or Sunday, Salim’s customers have one more barrier to face. Route 189, which is the only bus route which passes close to Sadaqa Food Bank, only operates Monday to Friday.  

Many families that use Sadaqa Food Bank don’t have a car. And so, they can choose to go to the food bank on a weekday, which involves 8 minutes of walking to and from the nearest bus stop on Colonnade, or 36 minutes of walking on a Saturday or Sunday. Imagine doing that while carrying several boxes of emergency food, and perhaps while having your kids with you.  

This is just another disturbing example of the consequences of New Ways to Bus, which, as I’ve said before, is nothing but service cuts disguised as improvements in efficiency. And yet, at last week’s Transit Committee meeting, outgoing OC Transpo GM Renee Amilcar described New Ways to Bus as a success, stating that the loudest voices are always the ones who complain.  

As many of my colleagues have rightly said, Renee Amilcar inherited a massive problem not of her making when she took over leadership of OC Transpo. And yes, she did get several accomplishments and improvements across the finish line. However, I am looking forward to seeing new leadership at OC Transpo that brings a level of honesty and candor that we have not seen for many years here in Ottawa. We need a General Manager at OC Transpo who has the courage and conviction to face the City Manager and Council, and to speak truth to power, especially when the truth reveals a reality that most of us would rather pretend does not exist.  

CITY WORKS 

Let’s Bike comes to Ward 9 

On Friday June 27th join Councillor Devine and your fellow Ward 9 cyclists on a guided cycling tour through Knoxdale-Merivale, hosted by Let’s Bike Ottawa and the Envirocentre.  

This in-person workshop will take a small group of residents on a guided bike ride around Knoxdale-Merivale. Along the way we’ll stop at different pieces of cycling infrastructure, points of interest, and learn all the skills to start planning your own route. This ride will cover approximately 5.5km at a slow pace and will make use of a combination of separated cycling infrastructure, on-road cycling infrastructure, and residential streets. 

Participants will need to bring their own bikes and helmets and will be asked to sign a waiver prior to participation.  This guided bike tour series is made possible in conjunction with Councillor Devine, and with sponsorship support of the Dream Community Foundation and Zibi. 

The ride will begin at 10:00am at General Burns Park (107 Chesterton) and will return to the same location at approximately 11:30am. Space for this activity is extremely limited, and registration is required to participate. Register now to get your spot! 

Road Safety Action Plan 

This month we are focusing on high-risk driving behaviours — specifically distracted and aggressive driving — which continue to be leading causes of serious collisions on our roads. 

From 2019 to 2023, 61% of fatal and major injury collisions in Ottawa involved high-risk driver behaviour. These behaviours are not only illegal and inexcusable — they can cost you your life or the lives of others. 

We all play a role in making our roads safer. 
Here’s how you can help: 

• Stay distraction-free:
  • Drive safer this summer by reducing speed, watching for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, and maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles — all of which are more difficult when distracted. 
    
  • Visit the City’s website for tips on avoiding common distractions. 
    
  • Learn more at the Ottawa Police Service’s Leave the Phone Alone webpage and encourage drivers to Take the Pledge. 

• Avoid aggressive driving and speeding: 
  
  • Speeding is one of the most common — and dangerous — forms of aggressive driving. 
    
  • Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras are making a difference. At pilot sites, compliance with posted speed limits increased from 16% to 81% over three years. 
    
  • Fines collected through ASE are reinvested into engineering improvements, education programs, and enforcement efforts as part of the City’s Road Safety Action Plan. 
    
  • Visit the Ontario government’s website to learn about the consequences of speeding and aggressive driving — and how to stay alert and patient behind the wheel. 

Penalties are serious: 

• For distracted driving: 
  
  • First conviction (A–G license): Up to $1,000 fine, 3 demerit points, 3-day license suspension 
    
  • Novice drivers (G1, G2, M1, M2): 30-day license suspension 

So please: stay focused, slow down, and share the road. Road safety starts with you. 

Redpine Park pathway 

It took a while, but our office was to see that the work to restore the damaged pathway at Redpine Park was finally completed in early June. We’re grateful to the residents who alerted us to this damage, and hope that the neighbourhood is back to enjoying their safe passage through this lovely greenspace.  

Road work on Grant Carman Drive and Merivale Road 

There are some important road works happening in Ward 9 this summer, including major work being done on Merivale Road (between Viewmount Drive and Meadowlands Drive) and the entire length of Grant Carman Road, which had been one of the absolute worst roads in the entire ward. Councillor Devine went out to the work site on Grant Carman Drive earlier this month to bring coffee and donuts to the crew, as well as to check in on how things were going on this project that will see a newly paved road, new sidewalks, as well as a re-paved pedestrian lane. We’ll also be checking in later this month to make sure that the lane markings are properly painted this time! Click here to watch a video of Councillor Devine visiting the job site.  

LRT Maintenance & service adjustments 

Maintenance work on O-Train Line 1 and integration activities for the Stage 2 East Extension began on June 6 and will continue on select days through June 29. 

On scheduled maintenance days, after 9:00 pm: 

• Line 1 service will operate between uOttawa and Blair stations only. 
• R1 replacement bus service will run between Tunney’s Pasture and Hurdman stations. 

OC Transpo staff will continue to be available at key stations to support customers and help with trip planning. 

Customers are encouraged to use the OC Transpo Travel Planner or Transit app to check for real-time updates and plan ahead.  

Night Ambassadors are coming to ByWard Market 

The ByWard Market District Authority is launching a Night Ambassadors pilot program to improve community safety and visitor outreach during the evening and early morning hours in the ByWard Market.   

Starting June 27 until early November, the Night Ambassadors will be in the Market on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30pm to 4:00am. Providing additional eyes on the street, the Night Ambassadors will enhance community safety and wellbeing by:   

• Practicing bystander intervention and de-escalation  
• Helping patrons and employees find a safe ride home  
• Connecting people with emergency and social services  
• Supporting patrons to charge phones and access essentials such as first aid and water    

The ByWard Market Night Ambassadors pilot program was inspired by successful night ambassador programs in other Canadian cities like Vancouver and Montreal. It is just one of the steps the City is taking to ensure the ByWard District is a safe, welcoming space for everyone.   

Rat season is upon us 

Seeing the word “rats” in the subject line of an email ranks among the worst emails our office received. But as the weather warms, rat sightings increase.  It just so happens that there’s been a lot of news coming from City of Ottawa on rats lately, particularly from the Rat Mitigation Working Group (RMWG). Here’s a brief update: 

• Across all data points, the City saw a decrease in the number of rat related calls in 2024 compared to 2023. In 2024, call volume to 3-1-1 related to rats was down 40% compared to 2023. In 2024, 512 service requests related to rats were received compared to 845 in 2023. 
• Reported rat sightings in Ward 9 for 2024 (22 sightings) were close to average compared to other wards, but a lot less than some of the worse-off wards. The table below shows the worst 5 wards when it comes to rat sightings.  
• Every household in an affected area should follow the guidelines and practical tips provided by Ottawa Public Health on their How to Inspect, Prevent and Respond to Rats page.   
• The RMWG has developed an online Rat Sightings Reporting Tool that allows residents to report rat sightings. The tool enhances reporting by allowing users to include photos and specific location information anywhere in the City, helping to identify hot spots and respond more effectively. Requests submitted through the form will be actioned by the appropriate team. This is a major step toward tracking and reducing the rat population. 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT  

Mayor Sutcliffe in Trend Arlington 

In addition to being the councillor for Ward 9, as well as a busy chauffeur to his four kids, Councillor Devine has also been the long-time league organizer and one of the coaches for the Trend Arlington Community Association’s T-Ball & Softball League. Last week, Councillor Devine hosted a League Picnic & BBQ and was joined by Ottawa’s Mayor. A big thank you to Mayor Sutcliffe for joining the Councillor and over 150 players and neighbours for a great event. It was an exciting night for Trend-Arlington, and the kids were thrilled to have Mayor Sutcliffe put on a jersey as an honorable member of the league before joining them out on the diamond. And of course, the best part was when Mayor Sutcliffe joined Councillor Devine, and everyone for a rousing rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”!  

Public Consultation: Climate Ready Ottawa 

The City of Ottawa is launching the next round of public engagement on Climate Ready Ottawa – our city’s draft climate resiliency strategy – and they want to hear from you! 

Addressing climate change requires collective action. Climate Ready Ottawa is a long-term strategy designed to guide action and investment that will help our city become more resilient to climate change. Developing a climate resiliency strategy is a key project of the Climate Change Master Plan and Council’s Strategic Plan.  

Visit Engage Ottawa to learn more about how climate change could affect you, your family or business, and steps you can take to be prepared. 

Here’s how you can get involved and stay informed: 

• Register here to attend the virtual public open house on Thursday, June 19 @ 6:30 PM  

• Visit Engage Ottawa to read the background information and provide feedback (deadline is June 30th, 2025) 

PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY  

Respiratory Disease Update 

Summer arrives later this week! And with it, lots of fresh air and sunshine. That’s good news for levels of respiratory disease in the community. Thankfully, the levels of flu and COVID are both low in Ottawa at the moment. But both are still around. So, if you intend to share indoor air with a lot of people, it’s never a bad idea to take some basic precautions: open some windows, filter the air, and wear a good mask to help reduce the risk. 

Electric bike safety tips 

Last month we heard from a condominium president inquiring about safety measures for residents who store their electric bikes in their units, out of fear of fires from lithium-ion batteries. Our office was aware that the City of Toronto has programs and restrictions in place to address this growing concern. Councillor Devine reached out to Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) to inquire about any similar programs or safety measures in our city. OFS is familiar with Toronto’s program and is tracking lithium-ion fires within Ottawa. While we are experiencing some fires, it’s not to the same degree as Toronto City and although we are experiencing some, certainly not to the degree as Toronto. Ottawa Fire Services provided us with resources for Electric Bike Safety Tips and also for Lithium-Ion Battery Safety. 

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 

Public Meeting: Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan 

The City of Ottawa has begun development of a Baseline-Merivale Secondary Plan to guide future development and public infrastructure investments. The area is expected to experience significant growth. This plan aims to accommodate intensification while advancing the city's objectives in housing, mobility, health, climate, and economic development. 

The first virtual public information session will be held next Wednesday, June 25th, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. You can sign up for the session and learn more about the project on Engage Ottawa. 

The study area includes lands around the intersections of Baseline Road and Clyde Road, extending east and west along Baseline Road and south along Merivale Road to the Beachburg rail corridor. The plan will review and potentially amend existing policies to better fit the local context, proposing changes to building heights, land uses, and urban design criteria, and identifying new connections for pedestrians and cyclists. 

The secondary plan is a collaborative effort involving multiple city departments, public agencies, elected officials, community groups, residents, landowners, developers, and industry consultants. It will be implemented over approximately 25 years through private development and city projects, subject to funding availability. The plan's objectives include creating a diverse mix of land uses, supporting transit-oriented development, improving connectivity, and ensuring adequate infrastructure to support future growth. Public engagement is a key component, with virtual information sessions and open houses planned to gather feedback and refine the plan. 

Construction at 780 Baseline to begin soon 

Residents in the Fisher Heights neighbourhood will soon see work commencing on Phase 1 at 780 Baseline (The Lonestar Plaza). Our office has remained in contact with the developer and with city planners, following the pre-construction meeting we held with the local community a few months ago. Here are some of the issues we’ve been addressing:  

• Ensuring that construction crew parking has minimal impact on local residents 
• Maintaining pedestrian and cyclist access from Sunnycrest to the strip mall 
• Pursuing a temporary traffic signal light at Fisher and Malibu Terrace 
• Protecting access to the sidewalk and bike lanes on the west side of Fisher throughout construction 
• Sound and dust mitigation 

COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS 

NROCRC Summer Camp 

Afterschool program at the Superdome 

Canada Day in Manordale 

Canada Day in Trend Arlington 

The Trend Arlington Community Association’s annual Canada Day celebration is back, and local area residents are invited to join TACA for an evening of community fun, live entertainment, and fireworks. And TACA is eager to show off their brand-new outdoor pavilion! The event will take place at 50 Bellman Drive, starting at 5:00pm. Expect a family-friendly event with music, games, food, and a few surprises — capped off by a fireworks display (weather permitting). There’ll even be a performance by Councillor Devine’s cover band The Suburban Legends.  

Here are two ways that you can help make the event a success:  

• Sign up to volunteer because many hands make light work! 
• Make a donation to help TACA cover their costs 

ACORN Healthy Homes Meeting

Manordale Adult Baseball