Weekly newsletter: December 2, 2025

Welcome to December!

It was great to have seen so many residents and their families on Sunday at the Minto Recreation Complex for the Barrhaven family skate day. I enjoyed my role as the pasta distributor in chief that evening, even though the pastries were more popular. Thank you to the organisers and volunteers for their time and effort putting the event together!

Yesterday, I bought a Christmas vest. It has the usual ugly Christmas designs on it, but it has bells attached to it. I’m not sure if I should love or fear my new vest. Photos to come in the coming weeks…

Transition to provincial recycling programme

New details now available. Please save the graphic above for reference.

Effective January 1, 2026, the City of Ottawa will no longer be responsible for blue and black box collection, as we (along with all municipalities in Ontario) shift to the new provincial recycling programme mandated by the Government of Ontario.

Circular Materials is the organisation that will administer the programme on the province’s behalf. Miller Waste will be their contractor in Ottawa.

Garbage, green bin, and yard waste collection will continue to be a City responsibility. The City will also continue to manage its regular household hazardous waste depots.

Residents will notice more trucks operating on waste collection day as a result of the newly separated operation, as City trucks currently hold both recycling and garbage or green bin (separate compartments, of course).

Collection dates are expected to remain the same in the period immediately after the new recycling programme takes effect, but there is no guarantee it will not change in the future, as the local collection area includes Ottawa, Lanark, and Prescott-Russell counties.

City staff will coordinate with Circular Materials to avoid situations where there are multiple collection dates per week, meaning changes are possible in the future. Any changes will be communicated in as timely a manner as possible across multiple platforms, including my newsletter and social media.

With that uncertainty, the City will not be producing paper collection calendars for 2026 except by request, favouring a digital collection calendar that can quickly reflect and communicate any changes in a way paper calendars cannot.

Additionally, the City will no longer manage recycling-related inquiries after the new programme takes effect (calls to 3-1-1 will be redirected).

After January 1, 2026, bin requests, missed collections, and questions about accepted materials should be directed to Miller Waste, the local contractor for Circular Materials, at Area2@MillerWaste.ca or 1-888-852-2374.

Concerns and other recycling-related questions can be directed to Circular Materials at CustomerService@CircularMaterials.ca or 1-877-667-2626.

More information, including items accepted in blue and black boxes after January 1, 2026, is available at CircularMaterials.ca↗.

Chocolate and dogs

Delicious for humans, dangerous for dogs. Information courtesy of Vet on Wheels Ottawa.

The Christmas chocolate season is winding up (already in full swing for some)! With that comes an important reminder for all pet owners: chocolate is dangerous for dogs.

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which dogs cannot metabolise. Even small amounts can make them sick.

Toxicity depends on the type of chocolate and the dog↗. Generally, the effects are greater with darker chocolates and/or smaller dogs, but even a 50-pound dog needs only an ounce of baking chocolate or nine ounces of milk chocolate to show toxicity. White chocolate is usually not toxic, but still unhealthy for dogs.

For many dogs, the most common signs of chocolate poisoning are vomiting, diarrhoea, increased thirst, panting, restlessness, excessive urination, and racing heart rate. In severe cases, signs include muscle tremors, seizures, and heart failure.

Clinical signs depend on the amount and type of chocolate ingested and can take hours to develop and last for days, as the long half life of theobromine means it stays in the bloodstream for a long time.

If your dog eats chocolate, call your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-855-764-7661 immediately.

If caught early, your veterinarian may induce vomiting and provide activated charcoal to prevent theobromine absorption into the body, along with IV fluids to help flush out the theobromine. Medication may be required in some cases.

While chocolate comas for humans are metaphorical, they can be very real and deadly for dogs. You can ensure their safety by keeping holiday treats out of reach… no matter how much they beg.

Fun fact, my childhood dog was named Chocolate!

Bite-sized updates

Sorted alphabetically!

• Beatrice/Queensbury bus shelter – Per OC Transpo staff, a new bus shelter was supposed to be installed a week after the new concrete pad cured. The concrete pad was poured three weeks ago, and the shelter has yet to be installed. I have requested an update from OC Transpo, which I will share once available.

• Clearbrook/Bissett-Highpointe – Construction to improve the safety and accessibility at the school crossing continues. The turning radius of the curbs will be tightened to slow down turning vehicles and narrow the width of the crossing across Clearbrook. Expected completion is mid-December.

• Deerfox-Fieldcrest pathway – New lighting for the pathway↗ connecting Deerfox and Fieldcrest west of Woodroffe has been installed and is now operational. Thank you to residents in the area for the requests over the last few years.

• Grovehurst Drive – In response to feedback from residents, a new winter parking restriction has been implemented on the south side of Grovehurst from Crestway to Oldfield, effective each year from December 1 to March 31.

• Low water conditions – The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has downgraded their low water advisory. Households on well water are asked to continue to reduce their water usage.

• Pedestrian crossover construction – Two new pedestrian crossovers at Paul Métivier/Beatrice and at Stoneway/Forest Gate east are nearing completion, awaiting a Hydro Ottawa connection. The crossover on Paul Métivier will be raised to double as a slight speed hump. Expected completion is next week.

• Winter parking restrictions – Winter parking restrictions are now in effect, as indicated by signage on streets across the ward and City. Vehicles parked illegally may be reported by calling 3-1-1 or submitting a webform↗.

• Woodroffe/Deerfox-Stoneway – The construction contractor has provided a new completion timeline of December 12, including proper remediation of the road cuts on Stoneway, Deerfox, and across Woodroffe. The remaining works will mostly take place on Deerfox.

Enjoy the week ahead!
-Wilson