This week, Councilor Gower thanks the people of Stittsville for the donations made to the Ukrainian effort and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. He also shares a note Reverend Doug Kendall shared with him. Stittsville’s friendliness stands out again.

The counselor shares information on their Volunteer Connect list; the establishment of a diversity committee for Stittsville; COVID updates; coyotes in our community; news about upcoming developments and constructions; tree removal at Westwind Public School; and an art exhibit at the Stittsville Library.

Donations for Ukraine
Last week, the Reverend Doug Kendall of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Stittsville’s Main Street contacted me to share that the church was establishing a drop off location for Stittsville residents to leave donations for the efforts relief in Ukraine. After a very busy day on Saturday, Doug sent me this follow-up note:

“There has been a wonderful and overwhelming response to the relief appeal for Ukraine. I have stayed in touch with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and they say they are overwhelmed with donations for Ukraine right now as well. They stop receiving physical donations until Wednesday to catch up. We will be suspending new donations until we know more about what they specifically need. We will be sorting our donations to the church and getting medical and shelter related donations to them as soon as possible for shipping on Monday.

Thank you to the residents of Stittsville for their support of these collection efforts, and thank you to everyone at St. Andrew’s who helped organize this collection. For more information on how you can help and donations required, please visit https://standrews-stittsville.ca/.

Stittsville Volunteer Connect
We want to make it even easier for volunteers to connect with other residents and organizations in need. We have created a new email notification list for volunteer opportunities in our community. Please click here to register. We will send occasional alerts when there is a need for volunteer help. Students and adults are welcome to register. We won’t share your email address or phone number without your permission, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Diversity Committee
We are putting together a committee of community members who represent the diversity of Stittsville. The goal is to have an ongoing discussion of community concerns and to improve services and support. On March 21, we are organizing a first Zoom meeting for the group on the theme: “Supporting newcomers to our community”. If you would like to participate and share your opinions, please email me at [email protected].

A few notes from Dr. Vera Etches
After two years of living with COVID-19, many of us have various losses to mourn – the loss of loved ones, of jobs, of social celebrations of milestones, of academic achievements. The losses are unique and some have been hit harder than others. Recognizing this grief, I call on Ottawa residents to show compassion and kindness to one another as we transition to changing public health measures and look to restoring our well- to be.

Some of us may need additional support at this time, including those affected by the war in Ukraine and other conflicts and people recovering from traumatic experiences with illegal protests and trucks in their neighborhoods. Ottawa Public Health will continue to work with the community and with partners to address concerns raised by those most affected, while sharing information and resources on how to deal with damage caused by crises and emergencies that affect residents across the city.

Update on the local COVID-19 situation
COVID-19 measures monitored by Ottawa Public Health have been steadily declining since early January; however, we see this decline beginning to level off. As we navigate changes to provincial guidelines, it is essential to move on to individual risk assessment and mitigation. This means – particularly if you or someone you live with is at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 if infected – you can still reduce your risk of infection by getting vaccinated with a dose of reminder, wearing a mask in indoor spaces, practicing physical distancing, and pay attention to your number of close contacts and time spent in crowds and enclosed spaces. Please visit the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard for more information on vaccinations in Ottawa.

Lifting of provincial measures, proof of vaccination
Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is no longer required for all settings, although businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination.

Getting a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine provides the best protection against hospitalization and death. At this point in the pandemic, two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine do not provide sufficient protection and we strongly recommend booster doses for all eligible individuals.

Ottawa Public Health will continue to closely monitor key indicators, such as how our hospitals are managing severe COVID-19 illness and new variants, and we will continue to work with community partners to support those at higher risk. severe illness from COVID-19.

Coyotes in our community
Coyotes become more visible in late winter and early spring due to the lack of ground cover and because their mating season peaks at this time of year. The Stittsville area, and in particular the Poole Creek corridor, provides very good coyote habitat. Coyotes are always among us and will almost always seek to avoid human contact. Watch this video and tips on coyotes in our community…

Shea Village Development Application Heads to Planning Committee
The City of Ottawa’s Planning Committee will consider a zoning by-law amendment at addresses 5957 and 5969 Fernbank Road at its meeting on Thursday, March 10. The amendment would allow development of the Shea Village subdivision between CARDELREC and Fernbank. More information…

Beechfern/Poole Creek Pedestrian Bridge Replacement – ​​Tree Removal Notice
The City will remove 24 trees in the forest between Holy Spirit Elementary School and Beechfern Drive starting this month. The cut comes ahead of the Beechfern/Poole Creek pedestrian bridge replacement project scheduled for this summer. The replacement of the bridge over Poole Creek and the planting of new trees and shrubs will take place from July to August 2022. More information…

UPDATE: 360 Bobolink Ridge Development Proposal
Last fall, the City received a site plan control application from Broadstreet Properties for the construction of four six-story apartment buildings and a two-story commercial building at 360 Bobolink Ridge as part of of a project called “Blackstone Village”. In February, City staff completed their initial review of the proposal and the public comments received to date. Read more…

620 Bobolink: Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Analysis
In 2021, we hosted an information meeting to discuss Richcraft’s development proposal for 620 Bobolink Ridge. Richcraft requested the construction of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) of seven stacked four-story townhouses with 12 units each (84 new homes in total). One of the issues raised at the public information meeting was traffic and pedestrian safety. Richcraft has now provided a more detailed traffic analysis at my request. Read more…

Commission approves Vacant Housing Tax
Last week, the city’s finance and economic development committee approved a residential vacant unit tax to be charged on non-primary residences left vacant for more than 184 days a year. The tax is intended to encourage them to occupy, sell or rent their properties to help increase the supply of housing in Ottawa. The tax would be added to the final property tax bill each year, and the revenue net of the tax would fund affordable housing. It is expected to generate around $6.6 million per year. Read more…

Tree felling at Westwind Public School
I am disappointed to learn that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will be removing some of the trees from the back of Westwind Public School. I know their intention is to create more open play spaces for students, but it is extremely unfortunate that trees are lost. I have asked the school board to identify other areas on Westwind School property where new trees can be planted to compensate for the loss of tree cover. Read more…

Stittsville Library Art Exhibit
Explore the collection of 11 watercolor sketches, haiku, photos and coloring pages on display at the Ottawa Public Library on Stittsville Main from March 1-31, 2022. The exhibit will feature Homesteads, History, Haiku by Perpetuates Quigley. Motivated by an appreciation of historic landmarks and properties in Stittsville and Kanata, her goal is to use watercolor sketches to share their stories. The work was originally published on StittsvilleCentral.ca last year.

Get in touch!
My team and I work every day to answer your questions and connect residents to the resources they need. If we can help you in any way, please email me at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 613-580-2476. You can also send us a message on WhatsApp at 613-277-0193 – Councilor Glen Gower.