OTTAWA CITY COUNCIL
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
10:00 AM
Andrew Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue W.
MINUTES 26
The Council of
the City of Ottawa met at Andrew S. Haydon Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West,
Ottawa, on Wednesday, 29 January 2020 beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The Mayor, Jim
Watson, presided and invited Algonquin Elder Claudette
Commanda of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation to deliver an opening blessing
for the first City Council meeting of 2020.
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The national anthem was performed by students
from Ecole Notre Place.
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Mayor Watson and Councillor Egli presented the Mayor’s City Builder
Award to Susan Ingram, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa
at the start of the City Council meeting today, in recognition of the
organization’s commitment to making our city a better place through
volunteerism and exemplary action.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa is celebrating their 50th
anniversary in 2020 and the organization has had a positive impact on the lives
of many Ottawa children and their big brothers and sisters. Annually, more than
1,000 big brothers and big sisters help 1,100 children who need a special friend.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa offers safe, quality programs
that help children realize their potential, gain confidence and become future
leaders. The organization brings people together through strong one-on-one
relationships and uses mentoring to enrich the lives of everyone involved.
All Members were present
at the meeting, except Councillor D. Deans (See Motion
No. 20/1 of September 25, 2019), and Councillor R. Chiarelli.
MOTION NO 26/1
Moved
by Councillor G. Darouze
Seconded by Councillor M. Luloff
BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor’s
remarks given at the City Council meeting on January 29, 2020 be appended to
the Minutes of today’s Council meeting.
CARRIED
Council
received a verbal update from Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health,
provided an update on the current situation with respect to Novel Coronavirus
and Ottawa Public Health’s ongoing response. Anthony DiMonte, General Manager of
Emergency and Protective Services provided an update on activities of the
Office of Emergency Management and Ottawa Paramedic Services in relation to
this virus.
CONFIRMED
No declarations
of interest were filed.
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Petitions:
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Petition received containing the signatures of 882 individuals
calling on Ottawa City Council to adopt Councillor McKenney’s Housing Emergency
Motion.
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MOTION NO 26/2
Moved
by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor M. Luloff
That Built Heritage Sub-Committee Reports 9 and 10; Standing
Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management Report 8;
Planning Committee Reports 18 and 19; and the reports from the City Clerk
entitled “Status Update – Council Inquiries and Motions for the Period Ending
November January 24, 2020” and “Summary of Oral and Written Public Submissions
for Items Subject to the Planning Act ‘Explanation Requirements’ at the
City Council Meeting of December 11, 2019”; be received and considered; and
That the Petition with respect to Councillor McKenney’s Housing
Emergency Motion, listed on the Agenda, be received.
CARRIED
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REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That Council receive this report for information.
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RECEIVED
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SUB-COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council issue a Notice of Intention to Designate the property
located at 1824 Farwel Street as a property of cultural heritage value and
interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act according to the
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value attached as Document 4.
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CARRIED
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SUB-COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
That Council:
1. Receive the Phase II Clemow
Estate Heritage Study, attached as Document 3 for information;
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2. Approve the designation of
the Clemow-Monkland Driveway and Linden Terrace Heritage Conservation
District as identified in Document 1 by by law under Section 41 of the Ontario
Heritage Act;
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3. Adopt the proposed Clemow-Monkland
Driveway and Linden Terrace Heritage Conservation District Plan by by-law as
shown in Document 2 (see amended Document 2 distributed with this Report,
as amended by Motion No. BHSC 10/1);
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4. Direct Heritage staff to
include a preliminary heritage conservation district study of Bank Street
between the Queensway and the Bank Street Bridge, with its prioritization to
be identified in the 2020 Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department
workplan for the remainder of the Term of Council.
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CARRIED
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:
That Council:
1. Receive the 2017 and 2018
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories attached as Document 3 and as outlined in
this report;
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2. Approve:
a. New 2025, 2030 and 2040
corporate targets to reduce GHG emissions 100% by 2040 below 2012 levels;
b. New 2025, 2030, 2040 and 2050
community targets to reduce GHG emissions 100% by 2050 below 2012 levels;
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3. Approve the Climate Change
Master Plan attached as Document 4 and as outlined in this report;
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4. Receive a project status
update on Energy Evolution including the draft energy and emissions model and
a draft list of proposed projects to be more fully developed as part of the
Energy Evolution Final Report attached, as Documents 5, 6 and 7 and as
outlined in this report;
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5. Direct staff to bring
forward the final report for Energy Evolution: Ottawa’s Community Energy
Transition Strategy in Q2 2020 that includes:
a. Finalized energy and
emissions model;
b. A financial and affordability
analysis of the model to identify the investment required, the net present value,
the return on investment, marginal abatement costs, and employment impacts;
c. Detailed descriptions of the
proposed Energy Evolution projects listed in this report including roles and
responsibilities, timelines, municipal authorities and barriers to implementation,
equity and inclusion considerations, and resourcing needs;
d. A proposed spending plan for
the 2019 Hydro Ottawa Dividend Surplus once the value of the dividend surplus
is known;
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6. Delegate authority to the
Council Sponsors Group on Climate Change to provide the Mayor with a list of
priority areas and activities, which are consistent with the Council-approved
Climate Change Master Plan, to allow the Mayor to advocate with the
provincial and federal governments on program funding, co-delivery opportunities
and related policy and regulatory supports necessary to implement the Climate
Change Master Plan priority projects, as appropriate; and
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7. Approve the spending plan in
Document 13 and summarized in this report for $210,000 of unspent 2017 and 2018
Hydro Ottawa Dividend Surplus funds.
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CARRIED
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
That Council:
1. Approve the proposed Tree
Protection By-law, in the form attached as Documents 1 and 2, and as
described in this report;
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2. Approve the proposed Application
Fees, attached in Document 2 as Schedule “D” of the proposed Tree Protection
By-law, and summarized in Document 5 – Fee Schedule;
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3. Approve the phased approach
to the implementation of the Tree By-law Review, as described in this report;
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4. Direct staff to report back
with Phase 2 amendments to the Tree Protection By-law, as described in this
report in Q3 2020;
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5. Approve the establishment of
two new permanent full-time Forestry Inspector positions in Public Works and Environmental
Services in 2020 for the implementation of Phase 1 of the Tree Protection
By-law, the cost of which will be offset by increased revenues from the new
fees for a net zero impact on the 2020 budget; and
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6. Delegate the authority to
the General Manager, Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development and the
City Solicitor to finalize and make any necessary adjustments to the proposed
Tree Protection By-law to give effect to the intent of Council.
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MOTION NO 26/3
Moved
by Councillor S. Moffatt
Seconded by Councillor J. Cloutier
WHEREAS report ACS2019-PIE-EDP-0052 proposes a new Tree Protection
By-law to support the protection and enhancement of the City’s urban tree
canopy; and
WHEREAS the proposed By-law includes permit fees (on a per tree basis)
for the removal of distinctive trees; and
WHEREAS the permit fee for removing a tree that is not associated
with infill development is $150 per tree, up to a maximum of $750 (or five
trees); and
WHEREAS the permit fee for removing a tree that is associated with
infill development is $500 per tree, with no maximum limit set; and
WHEREAS after discussing with stakeholders and for consistency
reasons, staff now recommend implementing a maximum permit fee for infill development
to avoid overcharging applicants for the cost of processing a permit; and
WHEREAS application fees for permits under the Municipal Act
are to be established with the goal of cost recovery (not for profit); and
WHEREAS there is no maximum limit on the tree compensation requirements;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the By-law be amended to set the maximum
permit fee for infill development at $2500 (or five trees), to correspond with
the limit set for non-infill tree removals.
CARRIED
on a division of 15 YEAS and 7 NAYS, as follows:
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YEAS (15):
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Councillors S. Moffatt, M. Luloff, A. Hubley, G. Darouze, J. Sudds,
G. Gower, L. Dudas, T. Tierney, J. Cloutier, J. Harder, K. Egli,
S. Blais, E. El-Chantiry, M. Fleury, Mayor J. Watson
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NAYS (7):
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Councillors R. King, C. A. Meehan, J. Leiper, T. Kavanagh,
R. Brockington, S. Menard, C. McKenney,
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The
item, as amended by Motion 26/3 was put to Council and CARRIED.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT 18
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS
AMENDED
That Council:
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1. approve an amendment to Zoning
By-law 2008-250 for 1375 Clyde Avenue to permit a self-storage building and
restaurant, as detailed in Document 2;
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2. add the completion of an
urban design analysis of the Merivale Triangle to the Planning,
Infrastructure and Economic Development Department’s multi-year workplan, and
direct staff to undertake this analysis as soon as feasible;
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3. approve that there be no
further notice pursuant to Subsection 34 (17) of the Planning Act.
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Recommendation
1 LOST on a division of 5 YEAS and 17 NAYS, as follows:
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YEAS (5):
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Councillors S. Moffatt, G. Darouze, T. Tierney, J. Harder,
E. El-Chantiry
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NAYS (17):
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Councillors M. Luloff, A. Hubley, J, Sudds, G. Gower, L. Dudas, R.
King, C. A. Meehan, J. Leiper, T. Kavanagh, R. Brockington,
J. Cloutier, S. Menard, C. McKenney, K. Egli, S. Blais, M. Fleury, Mayor J.
Watson
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The
following motion was then put to Council:
MOTION NO 26/4
Moved
by Councillor K. Egli
Seconded by Councillor G. Gower
Whereas 1375 Clyde Avenue is located on the last large developable
parcel within the Fisher Heights Community; and
Whereas it is important that the development on this site takes
place in conformity with the Merivale Road Secondary Plan; and
Whereas a warehouse limited to self-storage does not conform to nor
implement the vision of the Merivale Road Secondary Plan; and
Whereas a restaurant is already a permitted use in the AM10 subzone
and thus will continue to be permitted if the requested rezoning for 1375 Clyde
Avenue is refused;
Therefore Be It Resolved that Recommendations 2 and 3 be renumbered
as 3 and 4 respectively
Be It Further Resolved that Recommendation 1 be deleted and replaced
with the following:
“1. Approve that the requested amendment to
Zoning By-law 2008-250 for 1375 Clyde Avenue to permit a self-storage building
and restaurant be refused;
2. Approve that the reasons for refusal are
the following:
a. The
site is a gateway to the Fisher Heights community and the proposed self-storage
use is not consistent with this site’s role as a gateway.
b. The
majority of the site is subject to the Merivale Road Secondary Plan and the proposed
self-storage use is not in conformity with this Secondary Plan in that:
i. The rezoning
does not promote a stronger movement to a mixed use that includes a residential
use;
ii. The
rezoning does not encourage the provision of additional housing opportunities;
iii. The
rezoning for a warehouse limited to a self-storage use does not promote a use
that is pedestrian oriented and fosters community and human interaction and is
therefore contrary to the vision of the Merivale Secondary Official Plan.”
CARRIED
on a division of 14 YEAS and 8 NAYS, as follows:
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YEAS (14):
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Councillors G. Gower, L. Dudas, R. King, C. A. Meehan,
J. Leiper, T. Kavanagh, R. Brockington, J. Cloutier, S. Menard,
C. McKenney, K. Egli, S. Blais, M. Fleury, Mayor J. Watson
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NAYS (8):
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Councillors S. Moffatt, M. Luloff, A. Hubley, G. Darouze, J. Sudds,
T. Tierney, J. Harder, E. El-Chantiry,
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The item, as amended by Motion 26/4, was
put to Council and CARRIED with Councillor J. Harder dissenting.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve an amendment to Zoning By-law 2008-250 for
966, 968 and 974 Fisher Avenue to rezone the properties from the R2F zone to
an R4N zone with exceptions and an associated schedule (R4N [XXXX] SXXX) to
permit two, three-storey low-rise apartment buildings, as detailed in Document
2.
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MOTION NO 26/5
Moved
by Councillor R. Brockington
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS Report ACS2019-PIE-PS-0128 recommends approval and adoption
of Zoning By-law Amendment – 966, 968 and 974 Fisher Avenue; and
WHEREAS staff has identified a minor change to the proposed Zoning
By-law Schedule;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council approve that the Zoning By-law
Schedule (Document 3) be amended by removing the reference to elevation above
sea level.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT pursuant to the Planning Act,
subsection 34(17) no further notice be given.
CARRIED
The item, as amended by Motion 26/5, was
put to Council and CARRIED.
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COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED
That Council:
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1. approve an amendment to Zoning
By-law 2008-250 for 2175 Carling Avenue to permit a 22-storey and a four-storey
mixed-use building, as detailed in Document 2;
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2. approve that the Zoning By-law
Schedule be amended, as detailed in attachment 1 of motion No PLC 2019-18/3
and as follows:
a. remove reference to elevation above sea,
which was erroneously used; and
b. change a rounding error modifying the
minimum setback between Area C to Carling Avenue from 4.8m to 4.7m;
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3. approve that pursuant to
the Planning Act, subsection 34(17), no further notice be given.
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CARRIED
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED
That Council:
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- approve the filing of the Class Environmental Assessment for
the Feedmill Creek Stream Rehabilitation Measures, listed as Document 1,
for the 30-day public review period in accordance with the Ontario
Environmental Assessment Act;
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2. approve the City of Ottawa
Area-specific Development Charge Background Study for Feedmill Creek In-stream
Measures, listed as Document 2, and authorize the enactment of the implementing
Feedmill Creek In-stream Measures Development Charges By-law, 2020, as
amended by the following:
a. that the following amendments be made to subsection
8(4) of the draft By-law:
• in clause 8(4), add the words ‘plus applicable
H.S.T’, such that the revised clause reads “(4) An amount of $566,000.00,
plus applicable H.S.T,, shall be due from the Kanata West Owners Group Inc.
in accordance with the following:”
• in clause 8(4), subsection (b), add the words
‘plus applicable H.S.T’, such that the revised subsection reads “8(4)(b) The
agreement shall provide for two payments, one for $200,000.00, plus
applicable H.S.T, and one for $356,000.00, plus applicable H.S.T.”
• in clause 8(4), subsection (c), add the words ‘subsection
(2) and’, such that the revised subsection reads “8(4)(c) The amounts set in
subsection (2) and clause (b) may be adjusted upon certification by the
Treasurer and the General Manager, Planning, Infrastructure and Economic
Development Department that such is appropriate based upon the principles in
the background study.”
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3. approve that no further
notice be given, pursuant to the Development Charges Act, subsection 12(3).
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MOTION NO 26/6
Moved
by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS the amount due for the development charges from Kanata West for
the Feedmill Creek In-Stream Measures is to be paid in two lump sums; and
WHEREAS these amounts ($200,000 and $356,000, each plus applicable
H.S.T.) have been finalized and agreed to; and
WHEREAS it is therefore appropriate to modify the development charges
by-law to delete the reference to these amounts being subject to adjustment and
to reference the lands in Kanata West in the text of the by-law and Schedule
“A” as to not being subject to any charges under the by-law other than the two
lump sums referenced above;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Feedmill Creek In-Stream Measures
Development Charges by-law, 2000 be modified:
(a) in
clause 8(4)(c) to delete the provision related to Kanata West;
(b) in
subsection 8(3) and Schedule “A”, to reference the lands within Kanata West;
and
(c) to
clarify that two payments of $200,000 and $356,000, each plus applicable
H.S.T., are to be made
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That, pursuant to the Development Charges
Act, Subsection 12(3), no further notice be given.
CARRIED
The
item, as amended by Motion 26/6, was put to Council and CARRIED.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
No Committee recommendation
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MOTION NO 26/7
Moved by Councillor J. Leiper
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS the recommendation to approve the extension of the temporary
zoning for a parking lot was lost at the Planning Committee meeting of January
23, 2020; and
WHEREAS the Planning Act process provides for the formal
refusal of a item together with the reasons for refusal;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council approve that:
1.
The application for an amendment to Zoning
By-law 2008-250 for 1426 Scott Street to permit the continuance of a
non-conforming parking lot for the period of two years be refused.
2.
The reasons for the refusal of the zoning
amendment are:
a.
The site is in proximity to the LRT line and
therefore a transit supportive use rather than a surface parking lot is
appropriate for this location;
b.
The Scott Street Secondary Plan encourages
the redevelopment of parking lots; and
c.
While a short-term presence of a surface
parking lot was acceptable in the past as a mediated solution, this continuing
presence of a non-conforming surface parking lot is not consistent with the vision
for the community.
CARRIED
The
item, as amended by Motion 26/7, was put to Council and CARRIED.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council refuse an amendment to Zoning By-law 2008-250 for 116
York Street to permit a 17-storey hotel, as detailed in Document 2.
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CARRIED
with Councillors R. Brockington and M. Luloff dissenting.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED
That Council approve:
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a. an amendment to the Zoning By-law
2008-250 for 17, 19 and 23 Robinson Avenue to permit the development of a
mid-rise apartment building, as detailed in Document 2;
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b. an amendment to the Zoning
By-law 2008-250 for 27, 29 and 31 Robinson Avenue to permit the development
of a mid-rise apartment building, as detailed in Document 4;
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c. an amendment to the Zoning
By-law 2008-250 for 130, 134 and 138 Robinson Avenue to permit the
development of a mid-rise apartment building, as detailed in Document 6;
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d. Site Plan Control
application D07-12-18-0174, concerning 17, 19 and 23 Robinson Avenue, for the
construction of a new six-storey building containing 46 units, as provided in
Documents 7 and 8;
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e. Site Plan Control application
D07-12-18-0164, concerning 27, 29 and 31 Robinson Avenue, for the
construction of a new six-storey building containing 46 units, as provided in
Documents 9 and 10;
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f. Site Plan Control
application D07-12-18-0172, concerning 130, 134 and 138 Robinson Avenue, for
the construction of a new six-storey building containing 46 units, as provided
in Documents 11 and 12;
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g. the Site Plan approvals of
recommendations 3(a), (b) and (c) to only come into effect when the zoning, Recommendations
1 (a), (b) and (c), comes into full force and effect.
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MOTION NO 26/8
Moved
by Councillor M. Fleury
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS Report ACS2020-PIE-PS-0001, Zoning By-law Amendment and Site
Plan Control recommends approval for zoning by-law amendments and site plan control
for three separate six-storey apartment buildings at each of the following municipal
addresses:
a) 17, 19 and 23 Robinson,
b) 27, 29 and 31 Robinson, and
c) 130, 134 and 138 Robinson;
WHEREAS the plans recommended for approval include a rooftop amenity
area on each building; and
WHEREAS Sandy Hill has experienced negative impacts with rooftop amenity
areas associated with noise complaints and privacy concerns and it is desirable
to prohibit this use in the circumstances;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that a zoning provision be added to the Details
of Recommended Zoning in Documents 2, 4 and 6 similar in effect to the following:
“Outdoor rooftop amenity areas are prohibited”
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that pursuant to the Planning Act,
Subsection 34(17) no further notice be given.
CARRIED
MOTION NO 26/9
Moved
by Councillor M. Fleury
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS Report ACS2020-PIE-PS-0001, Zoning By-law Amendment and Site
Plan Control, recommends site plan approval for three proposed six-storey buildings
at each of the following municipal addresses:
d)
17, 19 and 23 Robinson,
e)
27, 29 and 31 Robinson, and
f)
130, 134 and 138 Robinson;
WHEREAS delegated authority for staff to grant site plan approval
for the said applications has not been removed by the Ward Councillor at this
time;
WHEREAS the plans recommended for approval include an outdoor rooftop
amenity area on each building;
WHEREAS Sandy Hill has experienced negative impacts with outdoor
rooftop amenity areas associated with noise complaints and privacy concerns;
WHEREAS Council has now approved amended zoning provisions which require
the developer to remove the outdoor rooftop amenity areas;
AND WHEREAS as of Tuesday January 28, 2020 the developer had proposed
a revision to the plans and reports to remove the outdoor rooftop amenity areas
and to make adjustments to engineering plans, site lighting, fencing, and indoor
amenity areas, which require further review by Staff;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the site plan applications for
a)
17, 19 and 23 Robinson,
b)
27, 29 and 31 Robinson, and
c)
130, 134 and 138 Robinson;
be referred back to staff for approval in accordance with the recitals
of this motion.
CARRIED
The
Item, as amended by Motions 26/8 and 26/9, was put to Council and CARRIED, with
Councillors M. Fleury and R. Brockington dissenting.
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve or an amendment to Zoning By-law 2008-250 for
36 Robinson Avenue to permit a nine-storey apartment building, as detailed in
Document 2.
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MOTION NO 26/10
Moved
by Councillor M. Fleury
Seconded by Councillor J. Harder
WHEREAS Report ACS2020-PIE-PS-0002, Zoning By-law Amendment and Site
Plan Control – 36 Robinson Avenue recommends approval for Zoning By-law Amendments
and Site Plan Control to permit a nine-storey apartment building; and
WHEREAS the Ward Councillor raised concerns about the building and
site design as it relates to resident safety; and
WHEREAS the Site Plan and Landscape Plan have been revised to show
side yard gates and exterior lighting to ensure the safety and security of building
residents;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Document 4, the list of approved plans
and studies for the Site Plan Control application be amended to add updated plans and studies as follows:
1.
Site Plan, drawing no. SP-1, prepared by
Hobin Architecture, dated January 10, 2019, project no. 1834, Revision 15,
dated 20/01/28.
2.
Tree Conservation Report and Landscape Plan,
project no. 19MIS1936, dated March 2019, prepared by James B. Lennox and
Associates Inc., Revision 5, dated 01/28/2020.
CARRIED
The
item, as amended by Motion 26/10, was put to Council and CARRIED, with Councillor
M. Fleury dissenting.
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REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve the Summaries of Oral and Written Public Submissions
for items considered at the City Council Meeting of December 11, 2019 that
are subject to the ‘Explanation Requirements’ being the Planning Act,
subsections 17(23.1), 22(6.7), 34(10.10) and 34(18.1), as applicable, as described
in this report and attached as Documents 1 to 8.
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MOTION NO 26/11
Moved
by Councillor E. El-Chantiry
Seconded by Councillor S. Moffatt
WHEREAS, in accordance with the process approved by Council as part
of the 2014-2018 Mid-term Governance Review, the Clerk’s Office prepared a
report summarizing the Oral and Written public submissions received with
respect to Planning Applications considered at the City Council meeting of
December 11, 2019 that were subject to the relevant Planning Act provisions;
and
WHEREAS Document 1 of the report includes the oral and written
submissions were heard and received by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
(ARAC) on 5 December 2019 regarding Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments
– 1966 Roger Stevens Drive (Report ACS2019-PIE-PS-0132); and
WHEREAS additional written comments were received by the City
Clerk’s office following the ARAC meeting and circulated to Council in advance
of the before Council of 11 December; and
WHEREAS the latter submissions were omitted from noted on the
Summary of Oral and Written Submissions report in error;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council replace Document 1 with the
attached Revised Document 1 - Summary of Oral and Written Submissions for 1966
Roger Stevens Drive (Revised Document 1 on file with the City Clerk).
CARRIED
The item, as amended by Motion 26/11, was put
to Council and CARRIED.
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SUB-COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve the request to extend the heritage permit,
issued to Robertson Martin Architects and dated June 27, 2018, to January 29,
2022.
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CARRIED
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PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT 18
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve an amendment to Zoning By-law 2008-250 for
2190 Halifax Drive to permit a 56.5-metre-high (17 storey) apartment building,
as detailed in Document 2.
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CARRIED
PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT 19
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council issue a Notice of Intention to Designate the Standard
Bread Company Bakery, 951 Gladstone Avenue under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage
Act.
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CARRIED
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve an amendment to Zoning By-law 2008-250 for
4836 Bank Street to rezone the site from Rural Commercial, Subzone 4 (RC4) and
General Mixed-Use (GM) to General Mixed-Use with an exception (GM[XXXX]) to
permit a hotel and other commercial uses with exceptions; and to rezone a portion
from Rural Commercial (RC) to Residential, Third Density, Subzone Z (R3Z);
and to rezone a small portion of 4800 Bank Street from Residential, Third Density,
Subzone Z (R3Z) to General Mixed-Use with an exception (GM[XXXX]), to permit
a hotel and other commercial uses as detailed in Document 2.
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CARRIED
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council resolve as follows:
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1. for any development charges
which became or become payable on or after January 1, 2020, and for which the
applicant elects to defer payment in accordance with s. 26.1 of the Development
Charges Act, 1997 (as amended), an annual interest rate equal to the greater
of (a) the Infrastructure Construction Price Index plus 0.5%, OR (b) the
average annual rate at which the City issues debentures to fund development
charge projects plus 0.5%, shall apply to the principal amount of the said
charge outstanding; and,
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2. for any development charges
which, pursuant to s. 26.2 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 are
calculated as of the date on which either a site plan approval application is
deemed complete or a zoning by-law amendment application in respect of the
development is deemed complete, an annual interest rate equal to the greater
of (a) the Infrastructure Construction Price Index plus 0.5%, OR (b) the average
annual rate at which the City issues debentures to fund development charge
projects plus 0.5%, shall apply to the amount of the development charge from the
date of the said complete application to the date the development charge is
payable, as permitted by subsection 26.2 (3) of the said Act.
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CARRIED
RECEIVED
MOTION NO 26/12
Moved
by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor M. Luloff
That Built Heritage Sub-Committee Reports 9 and 10; Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste
Management Report 8; Planning Committee Reports 18 and 19; and the reports from the City Clerk entitled “Status Update – Council Inquiries and Motions for the Period Ending November
January 24, 2020” and “Summary of Oral and
Written Public Submissions for Items Subject to the Planning Act ‘Explanation
Requirements’ at the City Council Meeting of December 11, 2019”;
be received and adopted as amended.
CARRIED
MOTION NO 26/13
Moved by Councillor M. Fleury
Seconded by Councillor S. Blais
WHEREAS Ottawa’s Francophone community is deeply concerned with the
fate of the daily newspaper Le Droit; and
WHEREAS Le Droit is Ontario’s only French-language daily newspaper;
and
WHEREAS, since it was founded in 1913, Le Droit has
defended the rights of Franco-Ontarians and provided our community with
valuable media coverage; and
WHEREAS the media presence and media coverage of Francophone Ontario
form a pillar of support for democracy in our city and our community; and
WHEREAS the newsroom and head office of Le Droit have been located
in Ottawa for the past 106 years; and
WHEREAS we consider it essential that a newsroom remain in the National
Capital and that the successful proposal protect the jobs of journalists
assigned to covering the city of Ottawa and the province of Ontario, as well as
those of correspondents based in Eastern Ontario;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Ottawa City Council acknowledge the importance
of the daily newspaper Le Droit for Ottawa;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Ottawa City Council encourages the daily
Le Droit to collaborate with the community and the business community to
find strategies and solutions so that Le Droit maintains its presence in
Ottawa and its coverage of the Francophone community in Ontario.
CARRIED
Pursuant to Subsection 59(5) of the Procedure By-law, the following
revised Motion was substituted by the mover and seconder for the original one
contained in the Notice of Motion:
MOTION NO 26/14
Moved
by Councillor C. McKenney
Seconded by Councillor R. King
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa prides
itself as being a caring and compassionate city and continually strives to be a
place where people want to live, work and play; and
WHEREAS providing access to safe, adequate, and affordable housing
for everyone is fundamental to achieving that goal; and
WHEREAS in 1976 Canada signed onto the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which included labour, health care, and education
rights, as well as rights to an adequate standard of living; and
WHEREAS on June 21, 2019, the Federal government enshrined housing
as a right as part of the National Housing Strategy; and
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has made investments in an effort to
reduce chronic homelessness and increase the affordable housing supply; and
WHEREAS in 2019, these investments included $15 million in capital
funding for new affordable housing and $111 million for operating and repair
funding for community housing, housing subsidies, support services, and various
housing and homelessness initiatives; and
WHEREAS despite these investments:
·
42% of renters spend more than 30% or more of
their pre-tax income to pay the median rent for local housing that is adequate,
affordable and suitable
·
at an average of $1,281 for all bedroom
apartment types (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental Market reports,
2018), Ottawa has the third highest rents for a major urban centre in Ontario
·
the number of households on the Centralized
Waiting list for affordable housing has increased by a staggering 14.8% from
2017 and is now over 12,000 households
·
the overall rate of emergency shelter use has
increased by 6.5% from 2017 to 2018 to a total of 7,937 individuals accessing
emergency shelters in the city with the increase driven by a significant rise
in the numbers of women (5.5%) and families (10.6%) using shelters
·
in terms of chronic and episodic
homelessness, significant increases were recorded amongst single men (10.8% and
5.6%), and amongst families (13.7% for chronic homelessness)
WHEREAS according to census data Indigenous people account for 2.5%
of Ottawa’s population yet 25% of people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa
identified as indigenous; and
WHEREAS people living in shelters are part of the crisis and not the
solution; and
WHEREAS it is estimated that approximately 92 people are sleeping outside
in Ottawa; and
WHEREAS since April 1, 2019, 698 women and their children who fled
domestic violence were turned away from VAW shelters with few options for safe
shelter often returning to unsafe circumstances; and
WHEREAS these statistics clearly indicate that our current plan and
Federal and Provincial funding levels are not sufficient to provide adequate housing
for all or to eliminate chronic homelessness in our city; and
WHEREAS the Province through the Housing Services Act requires the
City to submit an updated 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan by January 31,
2020 that reflects the needs and priorities of the community; and
WHEREAS the success of the Plan is dependent on a commitment of
sustained and increased funding from all levels of government to address the issues
of housing insecurity and homelessness in Ottawa; and
WHEREAS the needs of the community far outweigh the City’s available
resources and funding required to effectively address this issue and
desperately needs the support of both the Provincial and Federal governments; and
WHEREAS the federal government mandates that the City of Ottawa collect
information on homeless veterans on our point in time survey and, at last
count, 65 homeless veterans were counted in the City of Ottawa;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Ottawa officially declare
an Affordable Housing and Homelessness Emergency, acknowledging that the City of
Ottawa does not possess the resources to manage this crisis alone and that
Council must call on the Provincial and Federal governments to assist us by
providing the City with an immediate increase in emergency funding for housing,
housing supports, and housing allowances, as well as a long-term financial plan
to meet the needs of the community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT through the update to our 10 Year
Housing and Homelessness Plan, staff provide City Council with what it will
take to implement more aggressive targets and a framework for action, in order
to:
·
Preserve and increase the affordable housing
supply
·
Increase access to housing affordability
·
Prevent the occurrence of homelessness and
eliminate by 100% chronic homelessness by 2024 with a special emphasis on
Indigenous homelessness
·
Ensure people are supported to achieve
housing stability and long-term housing retention; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff be directed to develop a long
range financial plan to meet the targets as set out in the 10 Year Housing and
Homelessness Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff be directed to consider the feasibility
of the conversion of buildings left unused and vacant to mixed income housing
and/or supportive housing as part of the Empty Building Bylaw Review; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff review and report back to the
appropriate Standing Committee and Council on the feasibility of establishing a
formal structure or mechanism i.e. Land Trust to protect publicly-owned lands,
including those identified by staff as appropriate for the development of
affordable housing near rapid transit.
The
following amending motion was introduced:
MOTION NO 26/15
Moved by Councillor
J. Harder
Seconded by Mayor J Watson
BE
IT RESOLVED THAT the first resolution of the McKenney/ King Motion be amended
to read as follows:
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Ottawa officially recognize that Affordable
Housing and Homelessness is an ongoing critical and urgent crisis that requires
all levels of governments to commit, on an expedited basis, to adequate and
permanent funding to implement initiatives outlined in the 10 Year Housing and
Homelessness Plan.
Amending motion 26/15
was subsequently WITHDRAWN following debate, and the Mover and Seconder of
Motion 26/14, with the will of Council, agreed to a revise the first resolution
of their Motion to read as follows:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Ottawa declare an Affordable
Housing and Homelessness Crisis and Emergency, acknowledging that the City
of Ottawa does not possess the resources to manage this crisis alone and that
Council must call on the Provincial and Federal governments to assist us by
providing the City with an immediate increase in emergency funding for housing,
housing supports, and housing allowances, as well as a long-term financial plan
to meet the needs of the community; and
The revised Motion 26/14, as set out in
full below, was then put to Council:
MOTION NO 26/14
Moved
by Councillor C. McKenney
Seconded by Councillor R. King
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa prides itself as being a caring and compassionate
city and continually strives to be a place where people want to live, work and
play; and
WHEREAS providing access to safe, adequate, and affordable housing
for everyone is fundamental to achieving that goal; and
WHEREAS in 1976 Canada signed onto the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which included labour, health care, and
education rights, as well as rights to an adequate standard of living; and
WHEREAS on June 21, 2019, the Federal government enshrined housing
as a right as part of the National Housing Strategy; and
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa has made investments in an effort to
reduce chronic homelessness and increase the affordable housing supply; and
WHEREAS in 2019, these investments included $15 million in capital
funding for new affordable housing and $111 million for operating and repair
funding for community housing, housing subsidies, support services, and various
housing and homelessness initiatives; and
WHEREAS despite these investments:
·
42% of renters spend more than 30% or more of
their pre-tax income to pay the median rent for local housing that is adequate,
affordable and suitable
·
at an average of $1,281 for all bedroom
apartment types (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental Market reports,
2018), Ottawa has the third highest rents for a major urban centre in Ontario
·
the number of households on the Centralized
Waiting list for affordable housing has increased by a staggering 14.8% from
2017 and is now over 12,000 households
·
the overall rate of emergency shelter use has
increased by 6.5% from 2017 to 2018 to a total of 7,937 individuals accessing
emergency shelters in the city with the increase driven by a significant rise
in the numbers of women (5.5%) and families (10.6%) using shelters
·
in terms of chronic and episodic
homelessness, significant increases were recorded amongst single men (10.8% and
5.6%), and amongst families (13.7% for chronic homelessness)
WHEREAS according to census data Indigenous people account for 2.5%
of Ottawa’s population yet 25% of people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa
identified as indigenous; and
WHEREAS people living in shelters are part of the crisis and not the
solution; and
WHEREAS it is estimated that approximately 92 people are sleeping outside
in Ottawa; and
WHEREAS since April 1, 2019, 698 women and their children who fled
domestic violence were turned away from VAW shelters with few options for safe
shelter often returning to unsafe circumstances; and
WHEREAS these statistics clearly indicate that our current plan and
Federal and Provincial funding levels are not sufficient to provide adequate housing
for all or to eliminate chronic homelessness in our city; and
WHEREAS the Province through the Housing Services Act requires the
City to submit an updated 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan by January 31,
2020 that reflects the needs and priorities of the community; and
WHEREAS the success of the Plan is dependent on a commitment of
sustained and increased funding from all levels of government to address the issues
of housing insecurity and homelessness in Ottawa; and
WHEREAS the needs of the community far outweigh the City’s available
resources and funding required to effectively address this issue and
desperately needs the support of both the Provincial and Federal governments; and
WHEREAS the federal government mandates that the City of Ottawa collect
information on homeless veterans on our point in time survey and, at last
count, 65 homeless veterans were counted in the City of Ottawa;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Ottawa declare an Affordable
Housing and Homelessness Crisis and Emergency, acknowledging that the City of Ottawa
does not possess the resources to manage this crisis alone and that Council
must call on the Provincial and Federal governments to assist us by providing
the City with an immediate increase in emergency funding for housing, housing
supports, and housing allowances, as well as a long-term financial plan to meet
the needs of the community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT through the update to our 10 Year
Housing and Homelessness Plan, staff provide City Council with what it will
take to implement more aggressive targets and a framework for action, in order to:
·
Preserve and increase the affordable housing
supply
·
Increase access to housing affordability
·
Prevent the occurrence of homelessness and
eliminate by 100% chronic homelessness by 2024 with a special emphasis on
Indigenous homelessness
·
Ensure people are supported to achieve
housing stability and long-term housing retention; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff be directed to develop a long
range financial plan to meet the targets as set out in the 10 Year Housing and
Homelessness Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff be directed to consider the feasibility
of the conversion of buildings left unused and vacant to mixed income housing
and/or supportive housing as part of the Empty Building Bylaw Review; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT staff review and report back to the
appropriate Standing Committee and Council on the feasibility of establishing a
formal structure or mechanism i.e. Land Trust to protect publicly-owned lands,
including those identified by staff as appropriate for the development of affordable
housing near rapid transit.
CARRIED
on a division of 20 YEAS and 0 NAYS, as follows:
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YEAS (20):
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Councillors S. Moffatt, M. Luloff, J. Sudds, G. Gower, L. Dudas,
R. King, C. A. Meehan, J. Leiper, T. Kavanagh, T. Tierney,
R. Brockington, J. Cloutier, S. Menard, C. McKenney, J. Harder, K. Egli, S.
Blais, E. El-Chantiry, M. Fleury, Mayor J. Watson
|
|
NAYS (0):
|
|
MOTION NO 26/16
Moved by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor J. Sudds
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Rules of Procedure be suspended to consider
this time-sensitive matter pertaining to the provincial by-elections in Ottawa-Vanier
and Orléans.
Whereas two by-laws govern election signs, being By-law 2003-520, as
amended (“Signs on City Roads”) and By-law No. 2004-239, as amended (“Temporary
Signs on Private Property”); and
WHEREAS under By-law 2003-520 (“Signs on City Roads”) signs on public
properties are only permitted 30 days before Voting Day; and
WHEREAS under By-law No. 2004-239 (“Temporary Signs on Private
Property”) signs on private properties are only permitted 60 days before Voting
Day; and
WHEREAS under section 57 of the Canada Elections Act the
federal election period must last between a minimum of 36 days and a maximum of
50 days (i.e. “Writs of election”) and this period does not align with the
30-day period set out in By-law 2003-520; and
WHEREAS section 9.1 of the Elections Act requires that the
writ for a provincial election be dated on a Wednesday and Polling Day must occur
on the fifth Thursday after the date of the writ and this period may not always
align with the 30-day period set out in By-law 2003-520; and
WHEREAS enforcement of signs by-laws during an election period
requires significant municipal resources;
WHEREAS Motion No. 16/15 further directed staff to review the by-laws
governing election signs to consider potential amendments to the by-laws governing
election signs and that staff be directed to report back to Council as part of
the Mid-Term Governance Review or at the earliest policy review opportunity;
and
WHEREAS staff have not yet had an opportunity to conduct this review
on by-laws governing election signs; and
WHEREAS on June 26, 2019, Council approved Motion No. 16/15, which
among other things, directed staff to amend By-law 2003-520 for the purposes of
the 2019 general federal election such that signs be permitted on public properties
once the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada issued the Writs; and
WHEREAS on August 2, 2019, the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario received
a Notice of Vacancy in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the provincial electoral
district of Ottawa-Vanier; and
WHEREAS on September 24, 2019, the Chief Electoral Officer of
Ontario received a Notice of Vacancy in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for
the provincial electoral district of Orléans; and
Under the Legislative Assembly Act, a by-election must be called
within six months of the Chief Electoral Officer’s receipt of the Speaker’s
Warrant informing him of a vacancy; and
WHEREAS the Ottawa-Vanier provincial by-election must be called by
February 2, 2020 and the Orléans provincial by-election must be called by March
23, 2020, with the date(s) of the by-elections to be determined by the Premier;
and
WHEREAS January 29, 2020 is the last Wednesday in which a Writ can
be issued before the above-noted February 2020 deadline;
Therefore
be it resolved staff be directed to amend
By-law 2003-520 for the purposes of the 2020 provincial by-elections in
Ottawa-Vanier and Orléans such that signs be permitted on public properties once
the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario issues the relevant Writ; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this amendment to By-law 2003-520 respecting
election signage on public property upon issuance of the relevant Writ remain
in effect for any future provincial or federal by-elections or until such time
that Council has an opportunity to receive and consider staff’s forthcoming
review the by-laws governing election signs as part of the Mid-Term Governance
Review or at the earliest policy review opportunity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff from the Office of the City Clerk
be directed to include the relevant By-law title in the procedural Motion to
Adopt By-laws.
CARRIED
DIRECTION TO STAFF:
That the City Clerk be directed to review the Motion approved by
Council and make any amendments required to align with the writs issued on January
29, 2020 for the Ottawa-Vanier and Orléans provincial by-elections. (Motion
26/16 above reflects these amendments)
MOTION NO 26/17
Moved
by Councillor J. Leiper
Seconded by Councillor R. Brockington
That the Rules of Procedure be suspended to consider the following
Motion, in order that the property owner may address these issues as soon as
possible,
WHEREAS the building at 89 Richmond Road is considered to be unsafe
and uninhabitable following a fire in 2017; and
WHEREAS there are neighbourhood concerns related to the state of the
property; and
WHEREAS given the dilapidated condition of the building and the
community’s concerns, it would be in the public interest to demolish the building;
and
WHEREAS there is currently no building permit application for a
replacement building;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council approve demolition control for
the existing building on the property upon application of the owner subject to
the following conditions;
1. That should the registered
Owner fail to execute a Site Plan Control Agreement for 89 Richmond Road as
part of application D07-12-19-0067 by May 31, 2020, the registered Owner shall
landscape the property to the satisfaction of the General Manager, Planning,
Infrastructure and Economic Development Department. The registered Owner shall
prohibit the use of the property for other interim uses and maintain the
property in accordance with the Property Standards Control By-law;
2. The landscaping of the
property shall be finalized in accordance with conditions established by the
General Manager of Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development;
3. The registered Owner agrees
that, to the discretion of the General Manager, Planning, Infrastructure and
Economic Development Department, a replacement building must be substantially completed
within five years from the date of this approval and in default thereof, the
City Clerk shall enter on the collector’s roll the sum of $5,000 for the
residential dwelling to be demolished;
4. The registered Owner shall enter
into an Agreement with the City of Ottawa to include the foregoing conditions
and pay all costs associated with the registration of said Agreement. At such
time as a building permit is issued to redevelop the site and the replacement
building is in place, the Agreement will become null and void and will be
released upon request of the Owner. The Owner shall pay all costs
associated with the release of the Agreement;
5. The registered Owner agrees
that a demolition permit will not be issued and the building cannot be demolished
until such time that the Agreement referenced herein has been executed and
registered on title;
6. This approval is considered
null and void if the Agreement is not executed within one month of Council’s approval
or if the building is not demolished prior to March 31, 2020.
MOTION NO 26/18
Moved
by Councillor Egli
Seconded by Councillor Menard
That the Rules of Procedure be suspended to consider the following
Motion:
WHEREAS Medhurst Park was hit by a tornado on September
21st, 2018; and
WHEREAS approximately 45 trees were lost in Medhurst
Park; and
WHEREAS Forestry Services has begun replanting
trees in Medhurst Park to replace those lost from the tornado; and
WHEREAS Tanglewood Hillsdale Community
Association created and paid for a plaque in memory of the trees lost in
Medhurst Park; and
WHEREAS the plaque reads “In memory of our many
trees lost in the tornado on Sept. 21, 2018”; and
WHEREAS Arbour Day is on April 24, 2020;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that City Council
approve the installation of the plaque at 72 Medhurst Drive in Medhurst Park in
memory of the trees lost due to the 2018 tornado by April 24 2020.
CARRIED
MOTION
Moved by Councillor R. Brockington
Seconded by Councillor S. Blais
WHEREAS the City is undertaking a water, sewer and road renewal
project on Claymor Avenue, Senio Avenue, and Falaise Road in Ward 16; and
WHEREAS as part of the design process for these streets, staff has
reviewed the driveways within the project limits and found some driveway widths
are not in full conformance with the City’s front yard parking restrictions and
Private Approach By-law;
WHEREAS for existing properties, the front yard parking
restrictions and Private Approach By-law are normally enforced only on a complaint-driven
basis; and
WHEREAS there have been no complaints with respect to
non-compliant driveways (private approaches) or front-yard parking in this
area; and
WHEREAS the area residents support providing relief for residents
with existing driveways (private approaches) while acknowledging that any
future driveways (private approaches) and front-yard parking must be in
accordance with City by-laws.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that in respect of the renewal of Claymor
Avenue, Senio Avenue, and Falaise Road, that private approaches be reinstated
as they were immediately prior to the reconstruction of these streets.
MOTION
Moved by Councillor S. Menard
Seconded by Councillor C. Meehan
WHEREAS On March 6th, 2019, City Council approved, on the basis
of available information provided by senior staff and external legal counsel,
the staff-recommended Stage 2 LRT proponent, TNEXT, to construct and maintain
the north-south Trillium line; and
WHEREAS members of the public, transit users, media and Councillors have raised concerns
with the integrity of the procurement and decision-making process that resulted
in the staff recommendation to Council;
WHEREAS; staff have since confirmed
that the bid put forward by TNEXT did not meet the 70% minimum technical requirement
as set out in the RFP process; and
WHEREAS; On January
23rd, 2020 staff released the Technical Evaluation Committee’s Consensus
presentation for the Trillium Line Extension which revealed significant
technical deficiencies in the bid put forward by the preferred proponent TNEXT;
and
WHEREAS; the release of this
information has further eroded the public’s confidence in the procurement and
decision-making process as well as in TNEXT’s ability to successfully deliver the
Trillium Extension; and
WHEREAS; Council has engaged
the city’s Auditor General who conducted an audit of specific elements of the
Stage 2 Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project and provided Council with a list of
recommendations to improve the process for future P3 projects which included enhancing
public transparency; and
WHEREAS; the Auditor’s
recommendations only address a portion of the public’s concerns and despite the
audit there is still significant pressure from the public to continue the
investigation into the Stage 2 LRT Trillium Line Extension procurement and
decision-making processes; and
WHEREAS; Council is
accountable to the public and therefore should explore all options to restore
public trust;
THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that, at its
meeting of March 25, 2020, City Council select and approve the recruitment and
engagement of an independent third party to review and report back to Council
by September of 2020 on the City’s Purchasing By-law, being By-law No. 2017-362
as amended and the Delegation of Authority By-law, being By-law No. 2018-397 as
amended, as it pertains to Public-Private Partnership (P3) Projects, as well as
projects of significant public interest, in order to improve Council’s ability
to exercise leadership and oversight as mandated by Subsection 224(d) and (d.1)
of the Municipal Act, 2001 and to ensure that procurement best practices
are incorporated so that the process is more transparent to the public; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff provide a transparent evaluation
criterion and the relative performance of a minimum of three recommended
parties for the review of the procurement bylaws and delegation of authority
bylaw for Council’s consideration and approval; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff provide
Council with a report by March 2020 containing the solutions proposed by
TransitNext in order to comply with the mandatory technical requirements
outlined in the Stage 2 LRT Trillium Line extension RFP. The report should indicate
how TNext responded to all of the deficiencies identified in their bid by the
Technical Evaluation Committee and presented in the Trillium Line Extension
Technical Evaluation Consensus Presentation on Oct 3 and Oct 23, 2018. The
report should also include all of the deficiencies we have witnessed with the
roll out of Stage 1 and the necessary adjustments to Stage 2 as a result.
MOTION NO 26/19
Moved
by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor M. Luloff
That the by-laws
listed on the Agenda under Motion to Introduce By-laws, Three Readings, be read
and passed; and
That the
by-law entitled “A by-law of the City
of Ottawa to amend By-law No. 2003-520 respecting signs”,
approved by Motion at today’s meeting, be read and passed.
CARRIED
Note: As a
result of Motion 26/4 above, the By-law previously listed as By-law “o” on the
Agenda (A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law No. 2008-250 to change
the zoning of the lands known municipally as 1375 Clyde Avenue) was not
adopted, as the associated Zoning By-law Amendment was refused by Council
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By-Laws
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THREE READINGS
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2020-4.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to establish
certain lands as common and public highway and assume them for public use (rue
Rallidale Street, promenade Kelly Farm Drive, promenade Esban Drive, voie Ginebik Way, avenue Paakanaak
Avenue).
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2020-5.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa for the imposition
of development charges for Feedmill Creek In-Stream Measures.
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2020-6.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2008-250 to remove the holding symbol from the lands known as the east
side of Chaudière Island and Albert Island.
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2020-7.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to establish fees and charges in the Building Code Services
Branch for agency letters and to repeal By-law 2019-75.
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2020-8.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law No. 2019-76 to address fees relating to the prohibition,
inspection and remediation of buildings used for marijuana grow operations.
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2020-9.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law No. 2019-77 respecting the naming of private roads
and highways and the numbering of buildings and lots.
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2020-10.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2014-220 respecting the fees for building applications and permits, and
to repeal By-law No. 2019-78.
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2020-11.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law 2003-69, respecting fees for compliance reports in
the Building Code Services Branch, and to repeal By-law 2019-79
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2020-12.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law 2016-326 respecting fees for permanent signs on
private property and to repeal By-law 2019-80.
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2020-13.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law No. 2015-85 respecting fees for enclosures for
privately-owned outdoor pools.
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2020-14.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2015-96 respecting fees for planning applications.
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2020-15.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to establish
certain lands as common and public highway and assume them for public use
(Hartsmere Drive).
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2020-16.
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2001-17 to appoint certain Inspectors, Property Standards Officers and
Municipal Law Enforcement Officers in the Building Code Services Branch of
the Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department.
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2020-17.
A By-law of the City of Ottawa to establish
fees and charges for services, activities and information provided by Revenue
Services of the Finance Services Department
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2020-19
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to establish
stormwater service fees
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2020-20
A by-law of the City of Ottawa respecting fees
and charges for solid waste services
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2020-21
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2003-445 with respect to road cut fees
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2020-22
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2003-446 respecting fees for encroachments
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2020-23
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2003-447 respecting fees for private approaches.
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|
2020-24
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2003-497 respecting permit fees for over-dimensional vehicles.
|
|
2020-25
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2003-520 respecting the fees for certain signs and advertising devices on
City roads.
|
|
2020-26
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2017-92 respecting fees for ROW patios on City highways
|
|
2020-27
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2017-92 respecting the regulation of Right of Way patios on City highways.
|
|
2020-28
To amend By-law No. 2003-499 respecting fire
routes
|
|
2020-29
To amend By-law No. 2017-180 respecting the
appointment of Municipal Law Enforcement Officers in accordance with private
property parking enforcement
|
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2020-30
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to designate
certain lands at voie Gartersnake Way, chemin Miikana Road, voie Omagaki Way
and croissant Wabikon Crescent on Plan 4M-1618, as being exempt from Part Lot
Control.
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|
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2020-31
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to designate
certain lands at rue Jardiniere Street, promenade Edenwylde Drive, voie
Maygrass Way and rue Kayenta Street on Plan 4M-1647, as being exempt from
Part Lot Control.
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|
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2020-32
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to designate certain
lands at cercle de l’Argonaut Circle, cours Crevier Walk and rang de Loury
Row on Plan 4M-1648, as being exempt from Part Lot Control.
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|
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2020-33
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to designate certain
lands at Kingston Avenue on Registered Plan 294, as being exempt from Part
Lot Control.
|
|
|
2020-34
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend
By-law No. 2008-250 to change the zoning of the lands known municipally as
36, 38, 40, 44 and 46 Robinson Avenue
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|
|
2020-35
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2008-250 to change part of the zoning of the lands known municipally as
4800 and 4836 Bank Street.
|
|
|
2020-36
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend
By-law No. 2008-250 to change the zoning of the lands known municipally as
2175 Carling Avenue.
|
|
|
|
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2020-37
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend
By-law No. 2008-250 to change the zoning of the lands known municipally as
966, 968 and 974 Fisher Avenue.
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|
2020-38
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend By-law
No. 2008-250 to change the zoning of the lands known municipally as 17, 19, 23,
27, 29, 31, 130, 134 and 138 Robinson Avenue.
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|
2020-39
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend
By-law No. 2008-250 to change the zoning of part of the lands known
municipally as 2190 Halifax Drive
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|
2020-40
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to designate
the all lands within the geographic boundary of the City of Ottawa as the
Heritage Community Improvement Plan Area
|
|
2020-41
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to adopt the
Heritage Community Improvement Plan
|
|
2020-42
A by-law of the City of Ottawa to amend
By-law No. 2003-520 respecting signs
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NOTICE OF INTENT
Mayor
Watson advised Council of the following Notices of Intent from the Integrity
Commissioner and Light Rail
Regulatory Monitor and Compliance Officer:
·
Notice of Intent from the Integrity Commissioner
to Submit an Interim Report to Council pursuant to Section 9(3) of the
Complaint Protocol respecting an ongoing investigation for consideration at the
12 February 2020 Council Meeting.
·
Notice of Intent from Light
Rail Regulatory Monitor and Compliance Officer to submit the Annual
Compliance Report to the February 19, 2020 meeting of the Transit
Commission, rising to the City Council meeting of February 26, 2020.
MOTION NO 26/20
Moved
by Councillor G. Gower
Seconded by Councillor M. Luloff
That the
following by-law be read and passed:
To confirm the proceedings of the Council meeting of January 29,
2020.
CARRIED
|
Councillor
S. Menard (Inquiry OCC 20-1)
|
|
I am requesting that staff provide a detailed breakdown of the
costs, both upfront and ongoing, of the new security measures recently
introduced at the entrance of Council Chambers. Further, I am requesting that
staff provide evidence of the need for heightened security, as well as evidence
that these new security measures are an effective and measured response to a
demonstrable need. Finally, I am requesting that staff provide substantive
evidence regarding the effect security measures may have on public participation
through peer reviewed papers and journals published about the subject.
|
|
Councillor S. Menard (Inquiry OCC 20-2)
I am requesting that staff provide a detailed breakdown of the
estimated cost to the City should we terminate the contract with RTG/RTM due
to the negligence of the proponent, through convenience, or for any other
avenue of termination that is currently available to the City through the
Project Agreement.
Further, I am requesting that staff report back on the feasibility,
and estimated cost, of a negotiated purchase of the controlling interest in
RTG/RTM through purchase of equity.
Finally, I am requesting information regarding the process to terminate
the contract and to bring these services in house.
|
|
Councillor S. Menard (Inquiry OCC 20-3)
That by the end of February 2020, city staff provide Council with
a list of preferred mechanisms to look at the possibility of establishing an
independent, external review of the Stage 2 Trillium Line decision-making and
procurement process for Council’s consideration, such that the independent review
report would, at a minimum, identify and critically review the Stage 2 LRT
procurement and decision making process as follows:
i. the
use of delegated authority by City staff and the foundation used to exercise
that authority;
ii. the
decision-making process of the Technical Evaluation Committee and the
Executive Steering Committee in selecting the preferred proponent for Council
recommendation;
iii. the
process and decision-making at the Council meeting that resulted in the
Preferred Proponent being selected;
iv. offer
any options or best practices for similar infrastructure projects in the
future.
|
|
Councillor
M. Fleury (Inquiry OCC 20-4)
In
reference to the January 23rd, 2020 Memo “O-Train Light Rail
Transit Stage 2 Technical Evaluations” can City Staff advise how the following
RFP technical requirements were resolved in the Final awarded contract for
Stage 2 LRT?
·
Bidder’s failure to include signaling and
train control system;
·
Bidder’s lack of plan for snow removal
operations;
·
Bidder’s failing score for systems
integration management plan;
·
Bidder’s
lack of plan for future use of the Trillium Line's existing fleet of Alstom LINT
diesel trains;
·
Bidder’s
lack of description on how the Maintenance and Rehabilitation services will
be executed in a timely, diligent, safe and professional manner.
In
addition, can staff explain why a 70 percent score was initially determined
as the threshold required for technical evaluations?
|
|
Councillor M. Fleury (Inquiry OCC 20-5)
In December 2019, the City of Ottawa’s Corporate Security
implemented new security measures at the entrance of Council Chambers. These
measures included new screening procedures for the public attending Council
and Committee meetings in this room. At the first two meetings in January
2020 in which these new security measures were employed, public complaints
arose with respect to issues of accessibility and privacy. Therefore, can staff
please advise Council:
1. Under
what specific delegated authority, either in the Delegation of Authority
By-Law or elsewhere, did staff develop and then implement these new security
measures?
2. When
and through what mechanism did City Council authorize staff to implement these
new security procedures?
3. What
public consultation or public meeting was undertaken prior to implementing
these new security procedures and was the City’s Accessibility Advisory
Committee or its Accessibility Office formally engaged?
|
|
Councillor
R. Brockington (Inquiry OCC 2020-6)
|
|
The Municipal Act, 2001, specifically sets out
the following statutory duties for all councils in Ontario [emphasis added]:
S. 224 It is the role of council,
(d) to ensure that administrative policies,
practices and procedures and controllership policies, practices and
procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;
(d.1) to ensure the accountability and
transparency of the operations of the municipality, including the activities
of the senior management of the municipality.
In fulfillment of these mandatory
responsibilities, Council considered and amended an original proposal for the
Mayor to be given the delegated authority to “conduct performance reviews” for
the City Manager and the Auditor General on December 3rd, 2014.
Being the only two positions that report directly to it and that
Council hires, provides goals and objectives for, performance appraises and, ultimately
dismisses, Council unanimously “carried” the following two significant components
to Recommendation 4, Part V of the “2014-2018 Governance Review Report”:
“that the Mayor be given delegated authority
to conduct performance review meetings for the City Manager and the Auditor
General based on written weighted evaluation forms filled out by each Member
of Council and report the results of the meetings to Council in the manner
deemed most appropriate by the Mayor”; and
“that the Mayor and the Deputy Mayors be given
delegated authority to conduct performance reviews for the City Manager [and]
that the Mayor and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Audit Committee be given
the delegated authority to conduct performance reviews for the Auditor
General”.
With the unanimous hiring by Council of Steve
Kanellakos at its Special Meeting on February 8th, 2016, the above-noted
provisions were inserted into the City Manager’s employment contract with the
additional proviso that his “performance shall be reviewed and assessed
annually”. In a similar manner, the Auditor General has a matching provision
requiring an “annual review of [his] performance as Auditor General”.
In light of this factual background, can the
City Clerk consult with the Mayor and advise Council as follows:
1.
Were these performance
reviews for both the City Manager and the Auditor General carried out in the
manner established by Council for the years 2016 to 2019 for Steve Kanellakos
and for the years 2015 to 2019 for Ken Hughes?;
2.
If so, were the results
for these performance reviews disclosed accordingly to Council?; and
3.
If not, why were these performance
reviews not undertaken in the manner and timelines as directed by Council?
|
Council adjourned
the meeting at 2:23 pm.
_______________________________
_______________________________
CITY CLERK
MAYOR
MAYOR’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
State of the City Address
Mayor Jim Watson
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
I
want to start by thanking Elder Claudette Commanda – the youngest elder I’ve
ever met – for being here today to offer that wonderful Algonquin prayer and
blessing.
We
must always be mindful and recognize that we are on the sacred land of Claudette’s
people – the Algonquin Anishnabeg Nation – who have been the stewards of this
region for over 6,000 years.
I
hope that her words – inspired by traditions and teachings passed down for
millennia – will help guide Council’s deliberations and inspire us to make
decisions that will benefit our communities for centuries to come.
Thank
you, Claudette.
Inviting
our Indigenous friends and partners to share their culture and language with us
at these important events is vital to the reconciliation efforts that our city
and our entire country have committed to bring justice and equality to this
relationship.
I very
much value our relationship with our surrounding Algonquin communities –
Pikwakanagan and Kitigan Zibi – as well as with all First Nation, Métis and
Inuit residents of Ottawa.
Last
year, we announced with Pikwakanagan and Ottawa Tourism that our region would have
the honour of hosting the 2021 Ontario Indigenous Summer Games, as well as the
2021 and 2023 Masters Indigenous Games.
Registration
for the 2021 Masters Indigenous Games will open next week – and we’re very
excited to welcome thousands of participants who will join us in Ottawa to
celebrate their wonderful culture through sport.
We know that these major events are a great boost to Ottawa’s
economy and help sustain good jobs in the tourism sector.
That’s
why we are hard at work with Michael Crockatt and his team at Ottawa Tourism to
strengthen this industry and the approximately 40,000 jobs it supports in our
hotels, restaurants and small businesses across the city.
And we are keeping the momentum with many great sporting events
coming to our city this year and next:
·
the 2020 Men’s and Women’s U-Sports
Basketball Championships at TD Place in March
·
the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifying
Wrestling Tournament at the Shaw Centre in March – where Stittsville’s own Olympic
Gold medalist Erica Wiebe will be competing for her place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics;
and
·
the 2021 Canada Soccer Under-15 National Championships
in March of next year.
And since we delivered Ottawa 2017 with our tourism partners, the industry
has continued to grow – seeing once again a solid increase of 4.3% in hotel
room nights last year, with visitors coming to Ottawa from 179 countries.
Confidence
in our tourism industry continues to grow, with $25-million in improvements
taking shape at the Ottawa International Airport – in addition to a new ALT
Hotel and an LRT station that will both have direct access to the terminal.
Over
the last two years, we’ve also seen more than 1,300 hotel rooms added across
the city, in order to meet this growing demand from visitors from around the
world.
This
enthusiasm is being fueled by players in our tourism community, which are
constantly innovating to ensure Ottawa remains an appealing destination for
visitors.
In
December, we learned that our region was going to be home to the first
interprovincial zipline in the world.
Interzip
Rogers at Zibi is a great addition to our region’s tourism offering.
This
zipline will soar 120 feet above the Ottawa River and offer incredible views of
the region – including the Parliament Buildings, the Supreme Court, the Chaudière
Falls and the Museum of History.
This
photo of former London Mayor Boris Johnson shows why I will nominate Gatineau
Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin to test the system first.
And
I see this project as a thriving symbol of the special connection that exists
between our two cities.
For the first time ever, Ottawa will host the culminating event of a
great nationwide tradition, the Canadian Culinary Championships – which will
take place at the Shaw Centre this weekend.
And I know a lot of participants are looking forward to an
incredible feast.
In a few months, we’ll also have a brand-new sports franchise to
cheer on in the nation’s capital when the Ottawa Blackjacks make their debut in
the Canadian Elite Basketball League at the Arena at TD Place.
But we also have a number of recurring events that are commemorating
anniversaries – and we should be enthusiastically celebrating their success.
The Rideau Canal Skateway – the longest skating rink in the world –
is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Now as all you know, I can’t really skate – but I can certainly
appreciate what this long-standing tradition means for our community and for
tourism in Ottawa.
The Jazz Festival will celebrate its 40th edition – and I
look forward to joining the crowds, who will once again return to Confederation
Park for the occasion.
And last but not least, our beloved Canadian Tulip Festival will
help us mark a special anniversary this year, as we celebrate 75 years of
friendship between Canada and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
And I’m pleased that Chargé d’Affaires Frederieke Quispel and Taylor
Heaven are here from the Dutch Embassy today on behalf of Ambassador Henk van
der Zwan.
As many of you know, this friendship dates back to the Second World
War – when Canadian soldiers led the forces that liberated the Netherlands in
1945.
And I’m proud that my father fought in those battles during the
Second World War, as a member of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of
Canada.
He fought alongside the brave young men who played a pivotal role in
North Western Europe.
The Royal Regiment is credited with liberating the city of Assen on April
13, 1945 – before participating in the clearing of Groningen until April 15 –
some 20 days before the Netherlands was liberated from German occupation.
For his efforts, my father – Bev Watson – was awarded the France and
Germany Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, and the 1939 to
1945 War Medal.
I’m very proud of my father’s service to our nation – and it was a
special honour for me to visit the Netherlands last fall in the country where
he served Canada and defended our freedom during the War.
During our time there, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Her
Royal Highness Princess Margriet – who was born at the Ottawa Civic Hospital
while the Dutch Royal Family were living here in exile.
I took that opportunity to invite her to visit Ottawa to renew the
special relationship between our two countries and attend a naming ceremony at
the new Princess Margriet Park near the Civic Hospital.
And it’s my pleasure to announce today that Princess Margriet is indeed
planning on joining us in Ottawa in May to mark this momentous occasion.
But before we fast forward to 2020, let’s take this
opportunity to look back on the challenging and eventful year that was 2019 – during
which we approved two budgets, launched the Confederation Line, moved ahead
with Stage 2 of LRT – and once again overcame many challenges as a community.
It
was certainly a productive year at City Hall – and our committees worked to
deliver many ambitious initiatives with a great deal of success.
Following
the historic back-to-back flooding that hit our region in 2017 and again last
year, the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee updated the flood plain
mapping for the region, which will provide more certainty to residents and developers
looking for guidance on where to build new homes in our rural areas.
The flooding once again lasted for many weeks – but this time,
our City had to declare a state of emergency to bring in some much-needed
reinforcement from the Canadian Armed Forces.
As a
result, approximately 600 women and men in uniform joined 15,000 residents who
volunteered in this effort to fill and deploy 1.5 million sandbags to protect
homes as well as critical infrastructure, like the Britannia Water Treatment
Plant.
This
emergency response – which was superbly coordinated and executed by our City
staff and first responders – significantly limited the damage caused by these
floods, when compared to the 2017 events.
And
although more than 150 families had to evacuate their homes, our community came
together once again to support our fellow residents in need.
However,
it takes years for these affected neighbourhoods to recover from such devastating
weather events.
Many
residents of West Carleton – who were the victims of the devastating tornadoes in
2018 – will only be returning home in the coming months.
Encouraging
signs of progress can we observed in this community, with the new Dunrobin Plaza
taking shape once again – this time with a stronger roof.
And
many are hoping that the Dunrobin Meat and Grocery – a family business owned by
sisters Cindy and Julie Delahunt – will once again find a home there, as a
welcome sign that things are getting back to normal.
Unfortunately,
these natural disasters seem to be getting all too common – and their effects
are being felt right around the world.
In
the face of this, our Environment Committee has been working to tackle a worldwide
climate challenge, adopting an important Climate Change Master Plan at its last
meeting of 2019 – a plan that will be up for debate later today and that I hope
you will all support.
This
roadmap for a more sustainable community contains ambitious targets that will
hopefully see our City eliminate its corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 2040
– and for our community to do the same by 2050.
Working
with our partners, the Plan will deliver numerous concrete actions to achieve
these targets – including many energy efficiency projects as part of Energy
Evolution, the development of a climate resiliency plan, and applying a climate
lens to the new Official Plan.
Despite
these environmental challenges, I want to acknowledge the progress we have made
over the last few years in reducing GHGs.
According
to the latest greenhouse gas inventory, our community’s emissions decreased by
14 percent between 2012 and 2018.
The
City’s corporate emissions – which account for about five percent of Ottawa’s
total emissions – were reduced by an impressive 36 percent over that same
period.
And
later this year, OC Transpo will begin piloting electric buses as part of its
operations – and I’m hopeful that this will put us on a path to greening our
entire fleet, especially as battery technology improves in the coming years.
I
want to thank Minister Catherine McKenna for her support of this initiative.
Although
we still have much work to do to achieve our long-term targets, there are
promising signs that our investments in new technologies and energy efficiency
projects are paying off.
The
Environment Committee also strengthened the Tree Protection Bylaw, which will
put in place greater safeguards – like compensation for removals – and higher
fines to help protect Ottawa’s precious tree canopy.
I encourage
all colleagues to support these strengthened tree protection measures when they
come to a vote today.
One
of the City’s most important environmental initiatives will be completed later
this year when we start operating the Combined Sewage Storage Tunnel.
This
key project of the Ottawa River Action Plan will help us reduce by approximately
80% the discharge of waste water into the Ottawa River – thereby increasing our
residents’ enjoyment and improving the water quality for our wildlife of this great
waterway.
These
are all important initiatives that will help improve our residents’ quality of
life for generations to come – and the City is delivering on many others that
will have a similar lasting impact.
Think
of the new Ottawa Central Library and Library and Archives Canada joint
facility, which has tremendous potential to become a people place like no other
– both for residents and visitors.
After
some of the most enthusiastic community consultations in recent history, the
OPL team and the architects at Diamond Schmitt and KWC Architects unveiled the
preliminary design last week to much acclaim.
I
certainly look forward to us breaking ground on this amazing city-building
project and witnessing its grand opening in 2024.
This
facility will without a doubt become a stunning architectural addition to
Ottawa’s downtown – and one that will kickstart the revitalization and encourage
the type of development we want to see take place at LeBreton Flats and around
Pimisi Station.
To
help steer our city’s development, the Planning Committee and ARAC are in the
midst of developing a new Official Plan, which will guide the growth of Ottawa over
the next decades.
With
its 5 Big Moves, the new OP will identify long-term trends, challenges and
opportunities facing Ottawa – and it will ensure that our city remains on track
to be the most liveable mid-sized city in North America.
The
new Official Plan will prioritize the climate change lens across the board, but
it will also facilitate economic activity thanks to special economic zone
designations for Kanata North – where businesses are bursting at the seams – and
the Ottawa International Airport, which is surrounded by underutilized properties.
As
our high-tech community in Kanata continues to grow at an impressive rate – now
is the time to introduce flexible policies that will foster the development of
much-needed office space and attract the attention of investors worldwide.
There
is no better time to conduct this important Official Plan review – because as
you know, our city reached an important milestone last year when it surpassed
the one million population mark.
By
crossing that threshold, Ottawa now finds itself in a new league when competing
with cities around the globe – and we have to live up to the expectations of a
world-class G7 capital city.
For
its part, the Transportation Committee has been tasked with finding mobility
solutions to handle this growth – and this process is now underway following
the launch of the Transportation Master Plan refresh in December.
It’s
important for us to work with all our mobility partners across the region – as
tens of thousands of residents cross the Ottawa River every morning and
afternoon to get to and from work.
And I
am proud of the good relationship that Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin and I have
developed in recent years.
This
relationship benefits several projects on both sides of the river, and it has
led to increased collaboration between our transportation teams, as well as
between OC Transpo and the STO.
We are
both opposed to the construction of a sixth bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau,
because we want the federal government to prioritize funding for light rail
projects that will have positive effects on the quality of life of our
residents and on the environment for decades to come.
We
are working closely with each other to ensure that the Board of Directors of
the NCC understands our position.
Our
teams are also working on plans to connect Gatineau’s future light rail network
from western Gatineau with Ottawa, in order to maximize the benefits of this
system for users on both sides of the river.
I look
forward to seeing the results of their study sometime in the next few months,
when they make a presentation to the Transportation Committee.
The
largest transportation projects have the potential to change not only how we
get around – but also how we develop our city.
And
the launch of the Confederation Line in September was certainly a defining
moment in our city’s history – since this critical investment in public transit
will help us manage our population’s growth for decades to come.
And
although LRT has faced a number of significant challenges since its launch four
months ago, I’m confident that we will find permanent solutions to these issues.
Yesterday
afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit the Belfast Yard MSF with the Chair
and Vice-Chair of our Transit Commission to meet with the team at JBA, who
arrived from Britain a few days ago.
It
was helpful to get an understanding of their focus over the coming days and weeks,
as they assist RTM to increase the number of available trains, as well as help
find permanent solutions to improve the reliability of LRT and the experience
of our customers.
I
wish to thank our transit users for their patience as we work through this.
You
rightfully expect and deserve a higher level of service from our transit
network.
I’m
confident that we will start finding solutions to these issues in the coming
weeks.
But
LRT remains the right long-term investment for our city.
In a
recent Globe & Mail article entitled ‘’Ottawa is poised to grow and meet
new work force demand,’’ Adam Stanley highlights the enthusiasm that LRT has
created given its long-term economic potential.
While
describing it as the most impactful piece of transportation infrastructure
since the construction of the Rideau Canal nearly 200 years ago, he goes on to
say that: ‘’as a result of recent investments in LRT, and other new
infrastructure, Ottawa seems poised at last to step out of the long shadows
cast by Toronto and Montreal.’’
These
are encouraging words for our city – and I’m proud that we are continuing the
progress.
As
you have all seen, our crews have been hard at work on the construction of our Stage
2 extensions to bring light-rail farther east, west and south.
The
construction of Stage 2 LRT will add 44 kilometres of new rail and 24 new
stations to our city’s O-Train network.
And
we won’t stop there, having already laid the groundwork to keep extending the
system to Kanata-Stittsville and Barrhaven as part of Stage 3.
LRT
is also inspiring confidence amongst investors and creating economic
opportunities right across the city.
Our
local economy is firing on all cylinders, posting significant job gains in 2019,
as the unemployment rate hovered between 4.2 and 4.4 percent for most of the
year.
I’m
proud as Mayor of the city to say that 50,000 new jobs were created in Ottawa in
2019 – spread across all sectors from construction to media & culture, and
healthcare to high-tech.
This
represented an annual job increase of 8.5 percent, ranking second amongst
Canada’s 33 largest cities.
There
is obviously a lot of confidence from employers and investors in the strength
of our economy.
And
these numbers also demonstrate the impact of many economic development projects
taking shape in many areas across the city.
Next
week, ARAC will be considering Hard Rock’s $320-million expansion plans for the
Rideau Carleton Raceway in the south end.
If
approved, this would lead to the construction of a new eight-story hotel with
178 rooms, a 1,600-seat theatre, and space for a number of restaurants and
shops, in Osgoode Ward.
In
Nepean, we have a number of exciting projects taking shape at the NCC Research
Farm.
In
May, working with Invest Ottawa, we launched the Ottawa L5 Testing Facility –
which is helping our local partners grow and lead worldwide in the ever-growing
Autonomous Vehicle industry.
This
site is now the first and largest AV testing facility of its kind in North
America – serving as a test track, research facility and data centre where we
can test a number of new products and technologies.
We
now have many partners that are benefitting from this initiative – including
Smartcone, BlackBerry QNX, Autonomous Stuff, Aurrigo and Carleton University –
who are actively testing and conducting leading-edge research at this facility.
This
complements our AV test track in Kanata North, which has for a few years enabled
the testing of vehicles that communicate in real time with live City infrastructure.
And
as a result of L5, INDRO Robotics, Autonomous Stuff and Aurrigo – Britain’s
leading AV company – are all opening offices in Ottawa, which speaks to the
economic benefits of this strategic investment.
In a
recent article defining what should be our business community’s long-term
aspirations, journalist and entrepreneur Mark Sutcliffe described our
driverless test track as a shining example of what defines our city as a place
of innovation.
We
have also been working with the Ottawa Film Office and TriBro Studios on a film
studio project for this site, one that would create approximately 500 new jobs
during construction – and hundreds of other full-time jobs in film, TV and
animation.
Just
a few days ago, we had a production using the Rink of Dreams and Confederation
Park to film a winter scene – and we can all be sure that Ottawa will once again
be showcased on the Lifetime Channel next December.
Following
a thorough review of the business case for this project, staff will be bringing
forward to FEDCO in March a proposal for the loan financing of this facility –
one that will benefit taxpayers and the Film Office while growing this
important cultural sector and creating good jobs in our city.
And
another opportunity is percolating on the site, with the possible creation of a
world-class Smart Farm.
This
facility – located a stone’s throw away from the farming industry regulators –
would bring together academic and private sector partners to advance precision
agriculture and tackle the food insecurity challenges faced by our planet.
This
precision agriculture innovation will eventually benefit the 1,045 farms that
make up our rural areas and fuel our agricultural economy.
To
support even more job creation in our rural villages, staff have been hard at
work consulting with residents and businesses to develop a Rural Economic
Development Strategy, which ARAC will be approving in the next few months.
In
the east end, the arrival last year of the Amazon fulfillment centre in
Carlsbad Springs certainly delivered opportunities in this rural village – with
the facility now providing employment to over 600 residents.
But
we need to do more to stimulate economic growth in Orléans – and I’m pleased
that we are working on a roadmap to do this.
Thanks
to our Orléans-Highway 174 Economic Corridor Study, we will identify available
lands primed for development and target business opportunities to create jobs
in the east end.
And
although the new Civic Campus project is only in its infancy, we are working
closely with the team at The Ottawa Hospital and the Province to ensure that
the planning continues to progress on this important healthcare facility for
our region.
All
these projects are helping us diversify our local economy while creating
businesses and jobs in all parts of the city.
To
give a leg up to our local innovators and entrepreneurs, we opened the
Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards in 2017 – where Michael Tremblay and the
team at Invest Ottawa are delivering the tools and coaching that will ensure our
local start-ups continue to grow.
They
have so far accelerated and grown more than 200 small local companies – and the
centre is bursting at the seams.
In
November, Council approved a two-storey addition to Bayview Yards in order to
meet the growing demand.
And
with the demand for office, commercial and industrial space continuing to rise –
vacancy rates reached new lows in 2019.
According
to Avison Young – one of Canada’s largest commercial real estate firms – the
Ottawa market shows no signs of slowing down in 2020.
And as
we know, there’s a similar reality in the rental housing market right across
the city: as the vacancy rates drop, prices increase.
I
know that access to and affordability of housing has been top of mind for City
Council and for thousands of residents who are struggling to find a suitable place
to live.
But I’m
proud that for two years in a row now, this Council has invested $15 million
per year to build new affordable housing units for our residents in need.
This
two-year $30-million-dollar investment in housing infrastructure is the single
largest in the City of Ottawa’s history.
Working
with our community partners and other levels of government, we leveraged this
funding last year and launched many projects across the city – representing a
total of 519 affordable housing units that are currently in the works.
·
140
units for seniors and families in Centretown with OCH;
·
40
supportive housing units in the Glebe Annex with the John Howard Society;
·
40
units dedicated to homeless veterans at Veteran’s House – named in honour of
former Air Force pilot Andy Carswell – delivered with Multifaith Housing;
·
42
supportive housing units with the Shepherds of Good Hope near Montfort Hospital;
and
·
35
Units of affordable and supportive housing in Bell’s Corners with the Anglican
Diocese of Ottawa.
This
is in addition to many projects that were completed and opened last year – including
58 units for seniors on Cambridge Street South, and a project with the Youth
Services Bureau that delivered 39 supportive housing units for youth in
Riverside Park.
Just
last fall, Council approved a joint initiative with Ottawa Community Housing
that will produce another 271 affordable housing units in Rideau-Rockcliffe.
We
are currently working with our not-for-profit partners to ensure that the sites
they have identified for affordable housing projects are shovel ready this year
and next.
Last
year, Council also approved the refinancing of many OCH mortgages, which will
generate as much as $35 million to reinvest in critical repairs to our existing
social housing stock.
I’m
also committed to continuing our work with our federal and provincial partners
to ensure that they take on an increased role and invest their fair share to
help us tackle this housing crisis, which is being felt right across the
country.
I
recently spoke to the provincial Minister of Finance and the Housing Minister,
in advance of the provincial budget, to stress the urgent need for new funding
to support and build more affordable housing.
And
I will be meeting with federal Minister Ahmed Hussen later this week to ask the
federal government to move forward with historic investments on affordable
housing in the upcoming federal budget – in order to reduce the 56% funding
share currently being absorbed by municipalities.
The
City is also planning for longer-term opportunities to locate affordable
housing near transit stations – because affordable transit is also essential to
many residents who cannot afford to own a car to get around the city.
And
that’s why this past year, FEDCO approved a plan from the Interdepartmental
Task Force on Housing to target 18 prime pieces of land that will become transit-oriented
neighbourhoods.
These
publicly-owned properties along Bus Rapid Transit and the Trillium and
Confederation Lines will be developed over the next 20 years and transformed
into communities with a strong mix of affordable housing units.
The
first of these affordable housing projects will be located beside our new
Central Library Project and will help us kickstart the revitalization of
LeBreton Flats.
And
in response to record-low vacancy rates and market demand, private sector
developers have launched a wave of apartment and multi-residential projects.
Earlier
this month, we learned of the Bayshore Centre’s plans for two towers on its
property – a project with 500 rental units for residents who want convenient access
to the future Bayshore Station of Stage 2 LRT.
And
similar projects are planned for the Trillium Line, with Arnon announcing its
plans for six buildings containing 295 rental units within a few hundred metres
of the Carling LRT Station.
These
are only two examples of many projects providing additional rental housing
units while encouraging greater density along our light-rail transit projects –
and it is clearly good news in our city’s efforts to tackle urban sprawl.
In
addition to these new developments, I’m encouraged that old and decrepit office
buildings are being transformed into apartment rental buildings.
The
nearby redevelopment of 170 Metcalfe at the corner of Nepean went online last
summer with 64 rental units – which are almost all spoken for.
The
old Government of Canada building at the corner of King Edward and Rideau is in
the midst of a similar transformation and has been taking in uOttawa students
since last fall.
Along
the same line, we learned a few weeks ago that the office building at 473
Albert Street had been purchased by a real estate investment trust for the same
purpose – and it will undergo a complete renewal this year that will add 153
units to the rental stock.
What’s
encouraging is that the private sector is finding greater value in offering
decent and affordable rental units rather than lower grade office space.
And
although I’m hopeful this increase in the rental stock will provide some relief
to apartment seekers, we know the City has an important role to play to ensure
that housing remains accessible for our most vulnerable residents.
I
very much look forward to the important review of both the 10-Year Housing and
Homelessness Plan, as well as the emergency shelter standards – a review that our
Community and Protective Services Committee will undertake in the coming
months.
And
there is more that can be done at the municipal level to address these issues
of affordability and accessibility to housing.
That
is why last year, CPSC considered a major report to regulate the business of
short-term rentals and limit their presence to primary residences – which could
bring back as many as 1,200 units into the long-term ownership or rental
market.
When
this framework is implemented later this year, it will ensure that condos and
apartment units cannot be purchased and used for the sole purpose of acting as
illegal hotels.
We
know that over the last few years, this practice has negatively affected our
community by reducing the housing stock, changing the fabric of our neighbourhoods
– and in certain instances, has led to criminal activity in residential neighbourhoods.
These
are social issues that all large cities are faced with – but we must do
everything we can to continue to address some of their root causes.
That’s
why I’m proud of the work that City Council has done in recent years to bolster
the inclusion of underrepresented and vulnerable communities.
·
Our
ongoing efforts on Indigenous Reconciliation;
·
Affordable
transit services for all residents by freezing the EquiPass and EquiFare;
·
The
Transit Commission’s ongoing work to decrease waiting times for Para Transpo
customers by introducing online booking;
·
The
appointment of our City’s first Women and Gender Equity Liaison and the creation
of a Women and Gender Equity Strategy.
These
are all concrete actions that this Council has endorsed to make our city more
inclusive and more liveable for all.
The
development of our Women and Gender Equity Strategy engaged over 400 residents
last year and recently led to productive consultations with members of our 2SLGBTQ+
community.
The
team is also in the process of establishing its Working Group – and they have engaged
with 22 different community partners and allies that will help us envision and
deliver on the strategy.
In the
last budget, we also set aside the funding required to create an Anti-Racism
Secretariat, which will complement our work on Women and Gender Equity and help
us fight back against racism in our community.
Although
our community is a welcoming and accepting one – as I learned firsthand when I
came out last summer – there is always work left to do on this front,
particularly at a time when populism and intolerance are on the rise around the
world.
Interestingly,
a program delivered by Economic Development is also helping us become a more
supportive and inclusive community.
One
of the initiatives currently being piloted under the Innovation Pilot Program –
in partnership with Ottawa Public Health – is a mobile app called Timsle, which
is revolutionizing the way we manage mental health.
Created
here in Ottawa by Quayce Thomas – who’s in the audience today – Timsle creates
a social accountability network that can help improve users’ mental health by
leveraging the support of family and friends.
Users
of the app are asked to establish goals – like exercising, taking medication or
having healthy and regular meals – and then identify the friends or family
members that will keep them on track along the way.
Users
will then check-in every day as they accomplish these tasks – but if they fail
to do so, Timsle will notify members of their network so they can reach out to
see if everything is okay and offer their support.
OPH
has recognized its value in supporting positive mental health through strong
routines and healthy living – and I’m pleased that Timsle is being added to our
community’s wellness toolbox.
I
also want to take this opportunity to thank the team at Ottawa Public Health
for their efforts to tackle the vaping epidemic which has invaded our schoolyards.
We
must do much more to combat teenagers’ access to these deceptive and dangerous vaping
products.
I
want to thank Premier Ford, who acted quickly – only a few days after I called
him on the topic – to announce a ban on the promotion of these products in
convenience stores and gas stations.
Unfortunately,
companies are using appealing flavours and marketing to win over these customers
– and the federal government must also act quickly on this front nationwide in
order to protect our teenagers from these hazardous side effects.
As an
inclusive city, it is also our responsibility to provide a safe environment for
our marginalized or vulnerable residents – and the City does that on a few
fronts.
With
the Coronavirus having now made its way to 16 countries, Dr. Etches and her
team at OPH are keeping a close eye on the matter and working with their
healthcare partners to make sure that Ottawa is prepared to deal with any local
cases.
I
look forward to Dr. Etches’ update on this following my remarks.
I was
encouraged when Chief Sloly announced a few weeks ago the creation of three new
Neighbourhood Resource Teams, which are a pillar of the OPS Community Policing
Strategy.
This
announcement follows the successful deployment of three teams in Vanier/Overbrook,
Heron Gate/South Ottawa and Carlington/Caldwell in 2019.
These
three new teams will be deployed in the ByWard Market/Lowertown in May,
followed by Centretown and Bayshore in the fall.
The
OPS officers that form these teams will be dedicated exclusively to their
assigned neighbourhoods, where they will spend a minimum of two years working
with residents and community agencies to tackle crime and its underlying
socioeconomic factors.
I
also welcome the decision of the Ottawa Police Services Board to support Chief
Sloly’s plan to hire 100 officers this year – fast tracking the hiring of officers
slated for between now and 2023.
This move will see 100 road-ready officers be fully deployed and improving
public safety in our community by next year – and supporting initiatives like neighbourhood
policing, reducing gun and gang violence, and violence against women.
We also
need to ensure that our neighbourhood streets remain safe for children and
families to enjoy.
And
that’s why in 2019, the Transportation Committee made permanent the successful
Pedestrian Crossover Program, which had led to a reduction in collisions where
these had been installed.
The
Committee also enacted a series of road safety measures to protect vulnerable users,
starting with the creation of eight new Community Safety Zones meant to protect
children walking to nearby schools and community parks.
With
the recent approval from the Province, Transportation staff will start
deploying automated speed enforcement measures in the coming months, with the
goal of eliminating speeding and dangerous driving around children in those
safety zones.
A
few months ago, the Transportation Committee also adopted its third Strategic
Road Safety Action Plan – a comprehensive roadmap to reduce by 20% the rate of
fatal and major injury collisions over the next five years.
In
2020, this plan will lead to investments of 31.5 million dollars in road safety
measures and initiatives – up from $25 million in 2019 – which will help make
our streets safer for all road users, including downtown, in the suburbs and on
our rural roads.
Over the next few years, this Plan will deliver traffic calming
measures in school zones, improvements to warranted pedestrian signals and
infrastructure changes that will make our streets safer.
To help us deliver these initiatives, the revenue generated by all
new red-light cameras installed beyond 2020 will be directed to funding this
Strategic Road Safety Action Plan.
And
we’re seeing great results from some of the measures that Safer Roads Ottawa
has piloted and deployed in recent years.
I’m
happy to report that in the seven months following the launch of the school bus
stop-arm camera project last May, the Ottawa Police have laid a total of 110 charges
– of $490 each – to drivers who had dangerously failed to stop
for a school bus.
To
put this in perspective, OPS officers had issued on average 35 fines per year
in the two years leading up to the launch of the project.
Since
it was first introduced in 2016, OPS has leveraged its now five Automated
License Plate Recognition units to apprehend close to 800 suspended drivers
still roaming freely on our roads.
It
has also generated close to $2.7 million in fine revenue for the City.
In
2020, the Transportation Committee will consider safety countermeasures for 34
high-volume intersections with heavy traffic and cycling interactions – and our
cycling community will also benefit from the adoption and implementation of the
City’s Bike Parking Strategy.
And
we are constantly providing our residents with more options to get around our
city without using a car.
This
past year, I was excited to open the beautiful new Flora Footbridge – and it’s
a highlight of my year at City Hall.
This
popular bridge over the Rideau Canal now connects the residents of Old Ottawa
East to Lansdowne and the Glebe – and it greatly enhances our pedestrian and
cycling networks.
And
between its opening day and January 22nd, it had been used by
pedestrians and cyclists close to 450,000 times.
I
hope the excitement will be as great when we reopen the Harmer Avenue
pedestrian and cycling bridge this fall, which will finally reconnect the Civic
Hospital and Wellington West communities.
And
in honour of a true community builder, I will bring forward a proposal to name
the bridge after former Mayor Jackie Holzman, who now lives in Kitchissippi.
As a
passionate advocate for the disabled and the first Jewish woman to become mayor
of Ottawa, Jackie worked tirelessly during her time at City Hall to bridge
differences between communities and to unite residents around important issues.
I
hope City Council and residents will join me in supporting this naming proposal
and the well-deserved acknowledgment of Jackie Holzman’s contributions to our
community.
Please
join me in welcoming Jackie Holzman today.
This
coming spring, we will also begin a number of major renewal projects that will greatly
revitalize certain neighbourhoods.
Vanier
will benefit from the revitalization of Montreal Road, which will take place over
the next two years, in conjunction with the deployment of the Montreal Road
Community Improvement Plan.
Jointly,
these two initiatives will help us inject vitality and attract investments and
urban renewal to Vanier.
Following
the opening of LRT, the redevelopment of Mackenzie Avenue and Rideau Street –
from Sussex to Dalhousie – will start this spring to rejuvenate this arts,
culture and fashion district connecting the ByWard Market to the new Ottawa Art
Gallery and Arts Court.
With
the addition of bike lanes and some greenery, Rideau Street will become more
liveable and inviting – especially for shoppers and commuters using the Rideau
Station of LRT.
This
year, we will also complete the revitalization of Elgin Street, which will
feature much wider sidewalks, benches and trees.
I
know this great street will regain its glory and soon become a pedestrian
destination.
We
are seeing that renewal projects like Main Street, Queen Street, Montreal Road
and Elgin Street are all revitalizing neighbourhoods and creating business and job
opportunities for the future – and that’s why we are also planning for the
revitalization of Sparks Street and the ByWard Market.
These
are only a few of the investments we are making to maintain our extensive road
network in good condition for all road users.
This
year, the City will invest $51 million in road resurfacing projects across the
city – up from the yearly average of $35.5 million over the last Term of
Council.
We
are also investing $66.2 million for growth projects that will benefit
commuters in rapidly expanding neighbourhoods, who use roads like Strandherd
Drive, Campeau Drive and the Kanata South Link.
And
because residents across the city have to benefit from these improvements, we are
making critical investments of $44.5 million in our rural
infrastructure – up from the four-year average of $39.7 million.
This
will deliver a number of important culvert projects and will improve the
conditions of many rural roads and bridges – like Spruce Ridge
Road in West-Carleton, Ashton Station Road in Rideau-Goulburn and River Road in
Osgoode.
And
we are also making significant investments to support the development of our
Francophone community, which is now established in every corner of the city.
I
look forward to officially opening the Maison de la Francophonie tomorrow
evening – this multi-service hub is set to become an important meeting place
for the growing Francophone community in Ottawa’s west end.
And
I am proud of the City’s role in giving this project a home, by donating the
former Grant School on Richmond Road to the CMFO.
Following
several years of community efforts, I want to thank all the volunteers who
contributed hundreds of hours to achieving this project, as well as the Conseil
des écoles publiques, which ensured that the centre was completed.
I am
certain that tomorrow’s event will be a memorable opportunity to celebrate the
opening of this important facility and to recognize the contributions of
volunteers and the community.
So
many individuals in the community and here at the City are behind the success
of these countless initiatives that strengthen our community.
I
want to take this opportunity to thank our City Manager Steve Kanellakos, his
Senior Leadership Team, and all our dedicated City staff.
They
work day in and day out to make Ottawa such a wonderful place to live.
I
know 2019 was a tough and demanding year for many teams at the City – and I
thank all of you who sacrificed family time and personal commitments to ensure you
were serving our residents and our community in times of need.
Finally,
I’m pleased to announce that this year, I will be recognizing the work of distinguished
individuals as well as an organization who have made our city proud by
presenting the Key to the City to:
·
Accomplished
golfer and three-time Canadian Press female athlete of the year: Brooke
Henderson;
·
Former
Governor General, accomplished journalist and worldwide ambassador of La
Francophonie: Michaëlle Jean;
·
TSN
sportscaster and proud Carleton University journalism graduate: James Duthie;
·
and
last but not least, the Ottawa Citizen, an organization that has been providing
news coverage in the nation’s capital for 175 years – the longest continuing
local business in Ottawa today.
There
is a lot to celebrate in Ottawa – and we are sometimes too modest when boasting
about our city.
But
when speaking recently about Ottawa’s employment growth, Shawn Hamilton, who’s
Senior Vice-President at CBRE in Ottawa, recently acknowledged that ‘’a confluence
of well-timed events – a thriving tech scene, multiple postsecondary
institutions, easy access to green space, and new infrastructure such as a new
library and a new hospital coming down the pipe – have contributed to an upward
spiral for the city, and I’m hard-pressed to find a strike against us for
growth.’’
And
similar aspirations were echoed in Harley Finkelstein and Lindsay Taub’s ‘’Love
Letter to Ottawa,’’ published in the Citizen at the end of December, in which
they state that ‘’in the next decade, we can transform this city by saying yes
more often.’’
I
love their enthusiasm and passion for this great city we all call home.
And
I believe they come at it with the right attitude, recognizing that ‘’there’s a
lot of work to be done – but there is also so much opportunity ahead.’’
I
very much share their point of view that there is a lot we can do to brighten the
future of our city.
We need
to invest in our infrastructure if we want our local economy to continue to prosper,
sustaining good paying jobs in communities across the city.
But
we must also ensure that this rising tide of prosperity lifts all boats and
helps us support residents from all walks of life, including those who are most
vulnerable.
I
believe City Council can deliver on all these goals if we continue to take the
right approach.
There’s
an ancient African proverb that says: ‘’If you want to go fast, go alone; if
you want to go far, go together.’’
I
invite us all to continue this important work together, to the benefit of our
community.
Thank
you.