Process begins for new ward boundaries
By Rideau Goulbourn Councillor Scott Moffatt
At the outset of this term of Council, we approved a ward boundary review to be undertaken and have new boundaries in place prior to the 2022 municipal election. The last review was conducted prior to the 2006 election that created the current Rideau-Goulbourn ward and added two new wards: Gloucester-South Nepean and Kanata. It was also then that Stittsville became its own ward with the rest of Goulbourn joining Rideau.
In June 2019, City Council directed staff to retain an independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive review and establish the city’s ward boundaries that could be used in at least the 2022, 2026 and 2030 municipal elections. Beate Bowron Etcetera Inc., in association with The Davidson Group and Hemson Consulting Ltd., will lead the review and ensure an objective and impartial process. At the same time, Council did provide a direction that the end result should produce the same number of wards. I voted against that direction because I felt the review process should be completely unencumbered by political influence or suggestion.
Wards are supposed to balance by population. At the moment, due to significant growth over the last 15 years, there are now significant population imbalances between wards that could affect fair and equal representation for residents. That’s why it is important to get involved and have your say.
In the coming weeks, you have the opportunity to participate in the Ward Boundary Review 2020, either through the online public engagement survey at ottawa.ca/wardboundary or through any of the nine public consultations taking place between Tuesday, March 10th and Wednesday, April 1st.
There will be two rounds of public consultation. Round one is underway, collecting your input on existing ward boundaries. Once the first phase is finished, the consultant team will prepare an information report that will set out options for revised ward boundaries, to be considered this spring by the Finance and Economic Development Committee and City Council. Round two will be later this year and will seek opinions and feedback on those ward boundary options.
Getting involved is easy and convenient. You can provide your input as part of round one either from the comfort of your own home by completing a survey or submitting comments at ottawa.ca/wardboundary, or by attending one of the consultation sessions. The closest sessions to our area are:
- Wednesday, March 25
Minto Recreation Complex – 7:30 to 9:30 pm
- Saturday, March 28
Manotick Community Centre – 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
- Wednesday, April 1
CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn – 7:30 to 9:30 pm
You can get more ward boundary review information at ottawa.ca/wardboundary or by calling 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). Inquiries and comments can also be sent to wardboundary@ottawa.ca.
Solid Waste Master Plan
As announced this time last year, the City is developing a new Solid Waste Master Plan that will guide how we manage waste in Ottawa over the next 30 years. Residents will have numerous opportunities over the next 18 months to shape and influence the plan.
You can join the conversation and learn more about waste issues at ottawa.ca/wasteplan. You will also have the opportunity to participate in public consultations starting in April and keep an eye out for an online survey which will be available to the public in the coming weeks. We will be sure to share that.
Our focus for this review is broad and will include the following:
- The current state of waste management in Ottawa
- The life cycle of the Trail Waste Facility landfill
- The future of recycling programs in Ottawa
- Changing regulations at all levels of government
- How industry trends will affect how the City manages its future waste
- How emerging and proven technologies will impact waste management at all levels
A report will be presented to the City’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management on March 31st outlining the current state of waste management in Ottawa, which sets the baseline for the plan’s development. City Council will consider the final plan in Fall 2021.
For reference, the City manages collection, transportation, processing and disposal of blue and black bin recyclables, green bin organics, leaf and yard waste, garbage and bulky items from approximately 291,000 single-family homes and 1,700 multi-residential properties.
