Weekly newsletter: May 30, 2023
Good morning!
Over the next few weeks, residents will receive a letter jointly from the City of Ottawa and Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC).
SLWC is an independent company endorsed by the City to provide homeowners with optional and voluntary protection plans to cover repair costs associated with the homeowner portion of water, sewer/septic, and stormwater service lines (connecting the mains with homes).
Depending on the nature of work required if the service line becomes damaged, repairs may cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Although the City is responsible for a portion of the service line, homeowners are responsible for the lines between the shut-off valve to the property line.
Interested residents should contact their home insurance provider first before registering with SLWC, as some home insurance plans already provide this type of coverage.
The partnership was first introduced in 2021 with letters that caused some confusion and controversy, as there was no public information about it before letters were received by homeowners. It also left out important information like the optional/voluntary nature of the plans and the possibility existing home insurance may cover it.
Staff acknowledged that shortcoming in a technical briefing earlier this year and have addressed the negative feedback that resulted in the initial launch.
I returned from Toronto late yesterday, where I attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) 2023 conference.
The FCM is an advocacy group representing over 2,000 municipalities across Canada, from metropolises with a million people to small towns with fewer than 500. Though it has no formal power, it is the main lobbying group of municipalities and often navigates and negotiates with federal departments on their behalf.
It was an incredibly rewarding four days of workshops, seminars, and study tours around Toronto to discuss evolving issues cities are facing, including infrastructure, housing, and climate resiliency.
Experts provided insight on issues like transit in rural and remote communities, building great public spaces and facilities, future-proofing agriculture and food production, and attracting and retaining municipal talent.
The study tours were easily my favourite part of the conference. We received guided tours of several areas of Toronto, like unique communities, transit projects, and municipal facilities. I was most impressed at their waterfront revitalisation works at the mouth of the Don River.
Political keynote speakers included Prime Minister Trudeau, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Melissa Lantsman, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
Through networking and reconnecting with Councillors from across the country, I learned something interesting—the issues are the same for every city, though at different orders of magnitude.
Most fun for me was meeting Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham, my hometown, who probably spurred my interest in municipal politics after he visited my high school when I was in Grade 10 in 2007… shortly after he was first elected Mayor.
Anyway, this should be a busy week; there are a few heavy meetings, including getting a better picture of resource requirements that have come out of the province’s legislative changes.
If you’re looking for something to do on Saturday, come out and meet some community organisations and enjoy a free barbecue at Foot Guards Park!
Enjoy your week!
-Wilson