Five things to watch for at city hall in 2021

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  2. Five things to watch for at city hall in 2021

By Joanne Chianello, CBC News Ottawa, January 2, 2020

Across much of the world, governments were preoccupied in 2020 with ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the powers that be at Ottawa City Hall were no exception.

The focus on keeping COVID-19 at bay will continue well into 2021 here in the capital, as elsewhere. But the new year delivers a new arsenal in the fight: vaccines began to trickle into the city in December, with thousands of doses expected to arrive over the first three months of this year.

(...)3. Expanding the city

COVID-19 delayed the urban expansion debate that was supposed to take place in March 2020 but didn't water it down, as 100 delegations presented to city council committees that met over 28 hours.

In the end, council approved adding 1,281 hectares of rural land to the urban area, which would make that property eligible for future suburban development. As many as 23,000 homes could be built there.

(...)5. The future of the Prince of Wales Bridge

(...)Now, however, the city appears on the cusp of converting the rail bridge into a pedestrian and cycling crossing. At its budget approval meeting in December, council set aside $540,000 for design work and an environmental assessment for the pathway, which is actually more than the bridge cost the city.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/5-things-to-watch-city-hall-2021-1.5852122

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Auditor slams City of Ottawa officials over handling of Barrhaven housing development

By Randy Boswell, Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2023

The City of Ottawa’s auditor general has slammed municipal officials for mishandling a major housing development in Barrhaven that involved extensive alterations of the Jock River floodplain to accommodate a sprawling new subdivision with nearly 1,000 new homes.

Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon has released a scathing, 14-page report detailing her team’s investigation into the project after allegations of mismanagement were made through the city’s fraud and waste hotline. The report has been tabled for discussion at the city’s audit committee meeting on Monday.

...The plan involved cutting away more than 100,000 cubic metres of soil along the north shore of the Jock and depositing more than 400,000 cubic metres of soil on adjacent land immediately to the north so houses could be safely built there, beyond any flood risk.

Find the whole article here.

Ottawa city council asks province to reinstate nine-storey building heights on minor corridors

By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 2023

In a head-spinning move that has angered some community groups, Ottawa is asking the province to reverse its decision to override the city’s official plan on building heights.

A motion, approved by council this week in a 19-2 vote, instructs city officials to ask Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to reinstate rules allowing higher buildings heights along minor road corridors. It’s something the city’s planning committee rejected two years ago, when it approved Ottawa’s new official plan.

Pellerin: Speak up for the glorious, badly under-used, Rideau Canal

By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 24, 2023

The City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada are launching a consultation on the Rideau Canal, and they want our opinions.

What they hope we do is complete a survey, attend a virtual meeting, visit a pop-up kiosk at Landsowne Christmas Market on Nov. 25 and send our comments. I’m going to skip right to the last step.

...Around here, we only think of roads for commuting. Everything else — even a lovely gem like the Canal — is for recreational purposes. It’s a failure of imagination that deprives everyone, residents and visitors alike, of truly magnificent public spaces in the nation’s capital.

Find the whole article here.

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