Weekly newsletter: December 23, 2025
Hi, everyone!
It’s officially winter, even though the weather since Remembrance Day would make it seem like it’s been winter for a while already.
This is the last regular newsletter of the year. We will take two weeks off from publishing, followed by the first newsletter of 2026 on Tuesday, January 13.
Woodroffe/Deerfox-Stoneway
Will be requesting improvements to the road cut repair.
Construction at Woodroffe/Deerfox-Stoneway is finally complete.
As background, the project was a municipal water and sewer connection initiated by the private property owners on the west side of Woodroffe/Deerfox. Any future development approvals on those lots were conditional on that connection, along with decommissioning the well and septic on site.
New water and sewer pipes were meant to connect the properties with City mains under Woodroffe Avenue. The sewer pipe had to be dug particularly deep as it had to cross under the watermain.
The watermain under Woodroffe Avenue (which turns east under Stoneway) is considered a critical supply line, as it’s the main supply for Barrhaven coming directly from the water pumps on the Ottawa River.
After sorting through administrative and planning issues for most of 2023 and half of 2024, construction was scheduled to proceed last summer and autumn. The commence work order was issued late-August 2024 with an anticipated October 2024 completion date.
Shortly after the project began, the crew found a pipe’s location did not match the drawing. Underground pipes do shift with soil movement, ground moisture changes, and freeze-thaw, but the work had to be paused regardless. The issue was corrected after a quick investigation and work restarted in October 2024.
The main delay to the project came mid-November 2024, when a construction crew working by the Queensway near Bayswater damaged the critical supply line there. As a precaution City staff implemented a no-dig order along all critical supply lines, including the pipe under Woodroffe.
The critical watermain break in Calgary that disrupted their drinking water supply for months earlier in the year was a factor in the decision, even though we have two pumping stations and redundancies to the critical lines (not a criticism, just a note).
The no-dig order remained in place until April 2025, after repairs and investigations were completed by the City and the Ministry of Transportation.
Unfortunately by that time, the original contractor hired by the private property owners ceased to exist (I believe it was bankruptcy), so a new contractor had to be found and hired. That came with a few administrative issues, but it was resolved by July 2025, with a new commence work order issued in August 2025.
Exemptions to restrictions typical to construction projects on arterial roadways, such as permitting daytime off-peak work and overnight work were provided to try to help them complete the works.
The project still proved to be challenging, as the original completion timeline of late-September was pushed multiple times, finally landing on last week.
Though the contractor noted the road cut repairs were final, as hot mix asphalt was used rather than cold patch, residents noted there was still quite a dip in the roadway, particularly southbound. I confirmed this by taking a drive through the area.
I will monitor the location and respond to resident feedback to request spot repairs as needed over the winter, but I will ask staff to exercise the two-year warranty tied to these projects to request a proper repair in the spring.
City services over the holidays
Reduced or modified service hours for Christmas and New Year’s weeks.
Municipal services will operate on reduced and modified holiday season schedules over the next two weeks.
Waste collection in Barrhaven East will remain unchanged on Tuesday, December 23 (garbage, blue, green) and Tuesday, December 30 (black, green). Readers from outside the ward should check the collection calendar for information local to them.
OC Transpo will operate its Sunday schedule on Christmas and New Year’s days, Saturday schedule on Boxing Day, and weekday schedule on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve. On New Year’s Eve, transit service is free↗ from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am, while Para Transpo’s last pickups will be at 2:00 am.
The Walter Baker Sports Centre↗ will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, while the Minto Recreation Complex↗ and Nepean Sportsplex↗ will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Please see the hyperlinked pages for more details.
Ottawa Public Library branches will be closed on Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. The Ruth E. Dickinson branch↗ at Walter Baker will be open 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve.
Lastly, the 3-1-1 call centre will be open for urgent matters on Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, while service requests can continue to be submitted online↗. The client service centres (eg. Ben Franklin Place, City Hall) will be closed on Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.
Information about other City or City-administered services is available at Ottawa.ca↗.
My office staff and I are also spending time with family and friends over the holidays. We’re not shutting down and the inbox and voicemail will continue to be monitored, but we will be responding to emails and phone calls on a priority basis, resuming full operations on Monday, January 5, 2026.
2025, a brief retrospective
A few words and thoughts, with your indulgence.
I have two main feelings as 2025 comes to an end.
It’s hard to believe we’re already here, but it’s also hard to believe we’re finally here. The past year was quick and slow, short and long, with some things from a few weeks ago feeling like it happened months ago and some things from a few months ago feeling like last week.
For better and for worse, what a year it’s been!
The launch of the Trillium Line, a 75-centimetre snowfall, the cancellation of the sprung structure shelter programme, and bus service cuts (the impacts of which continue) barely scrape the surface of the first four months.
Several major files made their way through City Hall this year, including the Transportation Master Plan, Lansdowne 2.0, the Zoning By-law update, a new parks waste collection strategy, and the water rate structure review.
In our community, we welcomed several new businesses, including those in the new development by Longfields Station, but we also had to say goodbye to a few community favourites.
I had the continued privilege of connecting with you through the newsletter, emails, over the phone, through social media, at your doors, at various community events, and even once as I was in line boarding a flight home from Vancouver! I also trialled a farmers market booth and an open town hall, both of which were successful and enjoyable.
My greatest joy this year was more personal, as my wife and I welcomed our son on Thanksgiving Sunday in October. Parenthood, including learning how to better balance work and life, continues to be a rewarding journey.
Our son sleeping six-to-seven-hour stretches overnight is what we’re savouring most for now. In fact, the photo above is from our weekend stay at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital, where I worked on some emails and a newsletter while my wife and newborn slept.
There may be less next year, but it won’t be boring (no new babies, though).
With the eastern LRT extension to Orléans expected to open in early 2026, I have been working with OC Transpo staff to eventually reallocate some buses to run a peak-period non-stop shuttle to/from Tunney’s Pasture Station with stops at Marketplace, Strandherd, Longfields, and Fallowfield.
In the spring, the first two parks in Barrhaven East (Cresthaven and Stonecrest) will receive three-stream bins, with more to follow each year until 2029.
City staff are also expected to introduce a new consistent speed limit setting policy, while the final vote on the Zoning By-law update will happen late-January.
The western LRT extension to Baseline Station and the new police station at Prince of Wales/Strandherd will both approach the completion phases of construction, with both expected to be operational in 2027.
Lastly, a few thank-yous.
Thank you for your continued newsletter readership and engagement. I write the top half of every newsletter myself, and I’m grateful to know that it’s appreciated and helpful.
Thank you to residents who take the time to reach out, from simple hellos and social media comments to longer emails and conversations over coffee. I truly admire the care you routinely demonstrate for our community; It’s what I enjoy most about the job!
Thank you also to residents who may have waited a long time for email responses or call backs on occasion. There were blocks of time during the year where I was much slower at responding than I’d have liked to be.
And, finally, thank you to my staff for putting up with me; it’s not an easy job.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, and a safe, happy, healthy holiday season and 2026!
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically!
Beatrice/Queensbury bus shelter – Delayed to next year. See update and explanation from two weeks ago.
Development application – The City has received a rezoning and site plan application↗ for 320 Bren-Maur Road West (near Longfields/Jockvale) to construct a three-storey apartment building with 35 units and underground parking. The lot is currently zoned “development reserve” and the applicant is seeking rezoning to residential.
Greenbank Road streetlighting – City crews have completed repairs to 15 streetlights along Greenbank Road through the Greenbelt (mostly closer to West Hunt Club, but a few closer to Fallowfield). Thank you to the residents who wrote to me about them.
Holiday transit service – OC Transpo will operate Sunday schedules on Christmas and New Year’s days, Saturday schedule on Boxing Day, and weekday schedules on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve. Transit service is free↗ New Year’s Eve from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am.
Holiday waste collection – Waste collection in Barrhaven East will remain unchanged on Tuesday, December 23 (garbage, blue, green) and Tuesday, December 30 (black, green). Readers from outside the ward should check the collection calendar for information local to them.
New pedestrian crossovers – Construction and activation are complete at the new pedestrian crossovers at Paul Métivier/Beatrice and Stoneway/Forest Gate east. Both crossovers are operational. Please touch buttons to activate the strobes.
New Year’s Eve family event – Join Councillor Hill and me at the Walter Baker Sports Centre on December 31, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm for a family-friendly event with skating, swimming, music, food, wagon rides, and some magical visitors… all free! Special thanks to the West Barrhaven Community Association for hosting the event. Donations for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard are appreciated.
Vacant unit tax – The 2026 vacant unit tax declaration portal is now available. Homeowners may complete their declaration through their ServiceOttawa account↗, at Ottawa.ca/VUT↗, by calling 613-580-2444, or in person at Ben Franklin Place or City Hall. Letters with access codes will be distributed in the coming weeks.
Winding Way closure – A small section of Winding Way will be closed January 2 to 6, 2026, for a private sewer connection at 67 Winding Way. No driveway access will be lost, but motor vehicle traffic will not be able to pass through for the duration of the closure.
Woodroffe/Deerfox-Stoneway – See update above.
The next newsletter will be published on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Merry Christmas, happy New Year!
-Wilson
