This email is to let you know that the City of Ottawa is undertaking a review of planning policies and zoning for lands near the Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations. You can visit the project website, Ottawa.ca/WestboroDominionStudy for more information including a short Discussion Paper on the main issues we’ll be reviewing.
Please note: this study should not be confused with the the planning study currently underway for the area south of Byron Avenue, as a result of Interim Control By-law 2018-362. For information on that study, please contact Robert Sandercott at robert.sandercott@ottawa.ca.
The Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP) was adopted in 2008 and provides planning guidance to a large area extending from Island Park Drive in the east to the Sir John A. MacDonald parkway in the west. However, in recent years, development pressure on lands close to the new Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit stations has underscored the need for more clarity in that area.
Accordingly, the Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will address in greater detail those lands that are generally:
West of Island Park Drive
North of Byron Avenue
East of Dominion Street, and
South of the Transitway and Lanark Avenue.
The Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will not seek to replace the broader Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP.) Rather, it will review, amend and/or expand the policies of the Richmond Road-Westboro plan only as they relate to the lands described above.
Contact
For more information, provide comments, or sign up for updates on this project, please contact us:
The Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department offers the Planning Primer Program to help residents become more aware of, and more involved in, the land-use planning process. The program is a series of half-day courses. Please see our schedule for other Primer courses.The content of these Primer courses is the same as those offered in previous years.
9 councillors vote against list that’s usually rubber stamped
Joanne Chianello · CBC News ·
For the first time since he was elected in 2010, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson’s personal choices for committee membership have undergone a serious challenge.
Nine councillors voted against the committee nominations Wednesday, throwing a wrench into a process that’s normally rubber-stamped by city council.
Their main concern: representatives of urban wards have been largely shut out of key committees, especially planning and finance.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is the only representative from the city’s core appointed to the planning committee, even though many of the most contentious rezoning files, including infill and highrise developments, take place downtown.
He moved to add Capital Coun. Shawn Menard and River Coun. Riley Brockington to planning, as both councillors had ranked the committee as their No. 1 choice when asked where they wanted to serve.
Watson recommended against the change, however, and the motion failed 9 to 15.
The mayor did support adding Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais to planning — the east-end councillor’s second choice — because Blais had apparently been left off the committee by accident.
Shawn Menard@ShawnMenard1
I voted against and dissented on this Council’s picks for our standing committees, transit commission and FEDCO for one reason: This was not about the City of Ottawa, it was about one man and power.#ottvote#ottnews#ottawa
Some councillors were also upset that the finance and economic development committee, which decides on major budget items and acts like Watson’s cabinet, includes no urban councillors, but all the rural ones. Also, only three of the 12 members of the committee are women, two of whom are new councillors.
Catherine McKenney
✔@cmckenney
I voted against the recommendations for Standing Committees, Transit Commission, & Sub-Committees because it does not represent the diversity & unique needs of the city. It is about power and not real representation. #ottcity
Nine councillors voted against Watson’s report on committee nominations, including:
Secretive process leaves urban councillors on sidelines
Mayor Watson’s picks for committees and chairs excludes downtown
Joanne Chianello · CBC News ·
You might think the nominating committee of Ottawa city council would be responsible for nominating people to various standing committees and boards, and helping to choose the chairs for these important bodies.
That’s what Coun. Theresa Kavanagh thought. But like the new Bay ward councillor, you’d be wrong.
“I found it a little strange … that as a member of the nominating committee that I’m not part of the selection, I’m not part of the decision-making,” Kavanagh said after being presented with a list of Mayor Jim Watson’s choices.
“It’s done in a different room, then it comes here at the very last minute I’m asked to approve something.”
Welcome to Watsonville, Coun. Kavanagh.
Mayor picks the chairs
The process for selecting committee members is straightforward but secretive.
But it’s Mayor Jim Watson who makes the final recommendation on the make-up — and chairs — of the committees and boards.
Before 2010, committee members used to choose their own chair at their first meetings, but Watson changed that when he was elected.
Ostensibly, the current process requires the nominations to be approved by all of council, so councillors who aren’t happy with the mayor’s choices could vote against them.
Amazingly, she will be the first woman ever to hold this role.
The mayor is automatically on the Ottawa Police Services board, but he’s always assigned his seat to another councillor. This term, he’s giving his spot to Deans.
In theory, he could always choose to take that spot back from Deans, with whom he does not always get along.
Another winner? Coun. Tim Tierney.
The Beacon Hill-Cyrville councillor has been re-appointed as chair of the Ottawa Public Library board.
Watson hand-picked Tierney as the “councillor-at-large” member of the finance and economic development committee (FEDCO), a powerful body that deals with the city’s biggest money issues and acts as Watson’s de facto cabinet.
Tierney’s also pegged to be the vice-chair of planning and to be Ottawa’s representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
He is also the same councillor who’s appearing in provincial court later this week to answer to OPP charges of bribery in the most recent municipal election.
Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise, but you might have expected Tierney to have a bit of a lower profile until his legal troubles were resolved.
The mayor has apparently made a different choice.
Watson shuts out urban councillors
If there are losers among Watson’s choices, it’s the urban councillors who represent the five inner-city wards.
Not a single urban councillor is on the 12-member FEDCO — remember, it’s council’s most important committee — but all of the rural councillors are on it somehow.
There are also only three women on it, two of whom are new councillors.
In what way does this fairly represent the city’s vast geography and diverse needs?
No urban councillors are on either the library or police boards. Only a single urban councillor — Somerset ward’s Catherine McKenney — is on the transit commission.
The membership of the planning committee is truly eyebrow-raising.
Watson has tapped Coun. Jan Harder to be the chair for a second term, even though the same developers who come to her committee for rezoning approvals threw a campaign fundraiser for her this fall and every year raise tens of thousands of dollars for Harder’s favourite charity at a golf tournament in Barrhaven.
And while there are massive planning issues in the suburbs, some of the most contentious files — the ones that bring out members of the public — are in the centre of the city.
And yet, Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is the lone urban councillor named to the planning committee.
First-time Capital Coun. Shawn Menard, who made development one of his key election issues, ranked planning committee as his first priority.
He was shut out of the committee.
Yet Coun. Laura Dudas, the new representative for Innes, was named to planning, even though she ranked the committee eighth on her priority list.
What was behind this and many other committee decisions? How did a councillor facing corruption charges get more opportunities than any of the councillors representing the downtown?
Are you concerned about your son or daughter? Need more information? Check out this handy booklet, “Youth Criminal Justice: What Parents Should Know.”
Recognize the warning signs of a youth getting into trouble
Learn how to help
Understand more about the Canadian youth justice system
Find out about resources available to your family
Raising kids is not an easy task, especially when parents are faced with other difficulties such as being new to the country or living in poverty. This booklet, developed by the Local Agencies Serving Immigrants Coalition, provides important information and offers some helpful strategies to combat these issues.
Click here to read the booklet online. To order print booklets, email us at cpo@ottawa.ca. Please specify English or French, number of booklets required, and a mailing address.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this email with a friend or colleague.If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, reply to this communiqué with the word “unsubscribe.”
——————————————————————————————————————–
Nouvelle brochure utile sur la justice pénale pour les adolescents!
Vous êtes inquiet à propos de votre fils ou de votre fille? Vous avez besoin de plus amples renseignements? Consultez la brochure fort pratique intitulée Système de justice pénale pour les adolescents : Ce que les parents devraient savoir.
Reconnaissez les signes indiquant qu’un jeune a des ennuis.
Apprenez comment l’aider.
Comprenez mieux le système canadien de justice pénale pour les adolescents.
Découvrez les ressources à la disposition de votre famille.
Ce n’est pas facile d’élever des enfants, en particulier quand les parents sont aux prises avec d’autres difficultés, par exemple du fait qu’ils sont nouvellement arrivés au pays ou vivent dans la pauvreté. Cette brochure, élaborée par la coalition Local Agencies Serving Immigrants, fournit de l’information importante et propose des stratégies utiles pour régler ces problèmes.
Cliquez ici pour lire la brochure en ligne. Pour commander des brochures papier, envoyez-nous un courriel à pco@ottawa.ca. Veuillez indiquer votre adresse postale et le nombre d’exemplaires demandés et préciser si vous souhaitez recevoir la brochure en français ou en anglais.
Veuillez partager ce courriel avec vos collègues. Si vous ne souhaitez plus recevoir nos courriels, veuillez répondre avec le mot désabonnement.
November 17 or 19, 2018 – offered in English – 8:30 am – 12 pm
November 20, 2018 – offered in French – 9:00 am – 12 pm
Billings Room, second floor, City hall
What is Planning Primer?
The Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department is offering the Planning Primer Program to help residents become more aware of, and more involved in, the land-use planning process.
The program is a series of half-day courses. The series includes two core courses and two elective courses.
The core courses, called Primer I and Primer II, describe the legislative and policy basis under which land-use planning decisions are made, the way policy documents are amended and how to make a development application.
The program aims to:
Build and maintain a strong working relationship and understanding between the City of Ottawa and communities
Provide resources and teach skills to aid residents participating in the land-use planning process
Who is invited to attend?
All members of the public including developers, real estate agents, lawyers, builders and community representatives are invited to attend.
The Planning Act and the Provincial Policy Statement
The Official Plan
The Comprehensive Zoning By-law
Primer II
Topics covered:
Six Most Common Types of Development Applications
The Decision Makers
Pre-consultation and Submission of Applications
Public Notification and Application Review
Issue Resolution and Report Writing
The Urban Design Review Panel
The core courses are led by planning staff. Electronic copies of the course materials (PowerPoint presentations and other course notes) will be available to participants electronically, or in hard copy at the sessions.
Online materials now available for Courses and Electives
While attending the courses in person allows one to benefit from the personal knowledge shared by the presenters and the question and answer periods, these online materials will provide a useful summary for use between courses as well as for those who are unable to attend in person.
Expansion of the online Planning Primer materials is under way.
Please register to receive our e-newsletter notification to receive more information about the courses and upcoming dates.
Planning Primer Calendar
2018
Dates
Times and Location
Primer I
September 22 and 24 (offered in English)
8:30 am – 12 pm
Richmond Room, 2nd Floor
City Hall
Primer II
November 17 and 19 (offered in English)
8:30 am – 12 pm
Billings Boardroom, 2nd Floor
City Hall
Elective
Registration opens two weeks before the course date and is on a first come, first served basis. Pre-registration is not accepted.
Zoning By-laws
The Zoning By-law provides controls for the use and type of development of all land in Ottawa. The Zoning By-law also sets specific requirements for development that must be followed. These include provisions for building heights, the number of parking spaces, and the size of front, side and rear yards.
Council approved the new Comprehensive Zoning By-law, which harmonizes the existing 36 zoning by-laws from the former municipalities into one by-law.
For more information about how zoning and planning work in the City, please see Development Review.
How to find current zoning information
Property zoning information is easily accessed through a simple address search leading you to the appropriate section of the by-law. You may also telephone or visit a Development Information Officer (DIO) in any of the City’s Client Service Centres.
City Hall Client Service Centre – 613-580-2424, ext. 28333
Orléans Client Service Centre – 613-580-2424, ext. 29242
Ben Franklin Place Client Service Centre – 613-580-2424, ext. 41250
Kanata Client Service Centre – 613-580-2424, ext. 33321
Metcalfe (Tuesdays) – 613-580-2424, ext. 20009
Kinburn (Wednesdays) – 613-580-2424, ext. 32226
North Gower (Thursdays) – 613-580-2424, ext. 31303
If you are selling or refinancing a property, you may need a compliance report, which describes the zoning of a property and comments on whether the current use is permitted. It also indicates any outstanding work orders authorized by the Ontario Building Code, and other information on the property.
How to apply for a change in Zoning or Minor Variance
If you want to develop or build on your property in a way that is not permitted in the current zoning, you can apply for a Zoning Amendment or a Minor Variance.
If you think there’s a problem
If you think a property is being used in a way that is not permitted in the Zoning By-law, you may file a complaint by calling 3-1-1. The City does zoning inspections and enforces the By-law when it receives complaints. It also undertakes Business Licence inspections to ensure businesses licensed by the City conform to the Zoning By-law.
The Commemorative Tree Program was established in 1989. The City assists families or groups who wish to have a tree planted in a City park in remembrance or to commemorate a loved one who has passed away.
Process
The family/group chooses a park for the tree. If you do not have a park preference, Forestry Services will assist with the selection of a park.
The coordinator of the program will meet with you at the site to choose the location and the type of tree. The selection is made according to preference, site conditions, and availability.
The cost of a Commemorative Tree is $400 (plus HST) which includes planting of a 50mm caliper tree and watering for a three year period.
The tree will be planted in either the spring or fall.
Plaques
Consult with the Forestry Services if you wish to install a plaque next to the tree.
The preferred type is a 10 cm thick flat black polished granite marker with an etched inscription. The plaque will be installed flush with the ground to reduce vandalism and allow access of maintenance equipment.
Granite plaques may be purchased from a number of monument manufacturers in the Ottawa area. Forestry Services will install the marker at no additional charge.
The City is not responsible for the maintenance or replacement of commemorative plaques.
Should you require additional information or would like to purchase a commemorative tree, please contact:3-1-1 for more information.
Parks and streetscape tree planting
Do you know the perfect spot for a tree?
The City of Ottawa is committed to planting trees for the enhancement of our city parks, facilities, and streets. We are taking a proactive approach to the identification of tree planting opportunities on a citywide basis.
The City of Ottawa’s Forestry Services will work with your community group to determine appropriate locations for trees within your community. Project development will include opportunities for input from the public and other city departments, utility clearance checks, appropriate species selection, and an implementation plan for the planting and maintenance of the trees.
Streetscaping
Whether in the urban core area, along suburban streets, or rural roadsides, Forestry Services will work with your community group to enhance city streetscapes through the planting of new trees. Projects may include restoring urban streetscapes, rehabilitation of traffic islands on cul-de-sacs, tree planter rehabilitation, or tree planting in rural villages.
Parks and Facilities tree planting
Forestry Services will partner with your community group to identify new tree planting opportunities within City of Ottawa parks and at city-owned facilities. Projects may include such initiatives as the placement of trees around play structures or benches, the creation of windbreaks, or the planting of trees for shade.
Should you require more information on how your community group may submit tree planting locations to enhance our city streets, parks and facilities, please contact: 3-1-1.
Trees in Trust
Plant a tree by your home
The City’s Trees in Trust program needs your help to find suitable locations for street trees. Street trees are available by request on a first come, first served basis. If your City-owned street frontage lacks a tree and you have the time and commitment to help care for one, please contact us.
There will be no charge to the homeowner (supply and planting will be provided by the City).
The program applies only to homes with street frontage (the space between your property line and the roadway).
The property owner must pledge to assist with the proper tree care (watering) for the first three years of the tree’s life. Instructions will be provided.
Trees will be a minimum size of 50 mm diameter, or 2 to 3 meters in height.
Limit of one tree per single fronting household or two trees per corner lot.
The proposed location must meet the Trees in Trust program criteria.
Program criteria:
The following criteria will be used to assess potential planting sites:
Is there enough space? (other trees or obstacles must be a minimum of 7m away)
Are there overhead or underground utilities?
Does the soil quality appear to be acceptable for tree growth?
Are there any conflicting uses on the planting site?
Has the request been made by the homeowner? (i.e. the person who pays taxes on the property)
Is there an obvious conflict with traffic safety requirements or City maintenance (i.e. sightlines or snow removal operations)
Requests will be received on an ongoing basis and placed in the next available planting season (spring or fall). Should you require additional information, please contact 3-1-1.
Green Acres – Ottawa’s rural reforestation program
The City of Ottawa’s Green Acres program is looking for empty idle fields to be transformed into thriving green woodlands. The program provides landowners with advice and assistance for setting up a proper planting plan for their property(ies).
Landowners must be rural property owners within City of Ottawa boundaries, have a minimum of 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of suitable land and must agree to cover the subsidized cost of the tree seedlings, site preparation, planting and tending as well as agreeing to reasonably protect the plantation. The program will provide landowners with:
Subsided tree seedlings
Advice and assistance in setting up a proper planting plan
Assistance caring for the trees after they are planted
The funding is provided to a maximum of 50% on a cost shared basis. Applicants must contact the LandOwner Resource Centre to verify that the proposed project is located in the eligible area and meets the funding guidelines.
Applications must be received by the City by June 1. Applications that are approved will be planted or funding awarded for spring season the following year. A minimum of one site visit with a City representative is required as part of the grant review process and must be completed between June 1 and December 1 of the application year.
Tornado related tree replacements
The Schoolyard Tree Planting Grant Program is available to schools for replanting of trees lost in the tornadoes and windstorm. Schools within the activation and expansion areas(link is external) can apply until March 1, 2019 for projects to be completed in fall 2019.
This is the official website of the Westboro Community Association. If you're looking for information about Westboro Village in Ottawa, you've come to the right place.
New! Did you know that the WCA is on Facebook? Follow us there for extra info, local events, and other Westboro-related news.
Recent Comments