Weekly newsletter: October 1, 2025
Hi everyone. It’s October!
We’ve dispatched the newsletter on Wednesday instead of Tuesday again. It’s not the new normal, though. My staff, who assemble the newsletter, were off yesterday.
Recap of last week
This was originally meant as filler material, as the newsletter started out a bit thin. I ended up having more than enough but already wrote out this section.
Last week was extra busy! Monday to Thursday was a stretch of four consecutive 16-hour days (not something I recommend), while Friday and Saturday were shorter. Among the meetings, emails, and phone calls were a few cool and interesting calendar items.
Monday was all meetings and emails, while I was downtown Tuesday morning for a short Community Services Committee meeting.
Tuesday evening, I held the first-ever Barrhaven East town hall. I wanted to try something new, and though only a small group attended, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and found it to be a valuable and insightful evening. More on that later.
I was downtown on Wednesday, where my day began with leading a part of a tour of City Hall for a group of exchange students from Germany. That morning, I learned the German word for Mayor is Bürgermeister (which would look great on an apron), while German for City Hall is Rathaus.
At the Council meeting later that morning, we ratified new collective bargaining agreements with the City’s lifeguards and transit employees and voted on an item involving the working arrangement for the City’s office employees.
That evening, I attended a panel about public safety, bail reform, and vehicle thefts, hosted by MPP George Darouze in Manotick. Also in attendance were staff from the Ottawa Police Service and Zee Hamid, an Associate Solicitor General for Ontario. The discussion was good insight into bigger picture stuff, including behind-the-scenes work to improve our criminal justice system, the foundation upon which law enforcement is built.
I was downtown again Thursday morning, where we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Franco-Ontarian flag before the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting. On the agenda were new winter parking restrictions for Grovehurst Drive and an all-way stop for Bren-Maur/Eisenhower-Kelowna, both of which were approved and will go to Council on October 8 for ratification.
Later that day, I joined staff, residents, and families at Carleton Lodge to celebrate its 65th anniversary. The municipal long-term care home was the first to be opened by Carleton County in 1960. So much love and care from staff, family, and volunteers has gone into the facility to make it a home for its residents.
Friday morning started with a discussion at City Hall with a Master of Journalism class from Carleton University (fun fact, I graduated from Carleton with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2013). Councillors King and Kitts, who also graduated from Carleton’s journalism programme, joined me for a lovely chat with the group, discussing politics, its intersection with journalism, and some general questions about recent events.
My week ended on Saturday with our third annual barbecue at Foot Guards Park with the Governor General’s Foot Guards. Thank you to the residents and families who came to the event, it was great to see you all!
Sunday, I slept in until 2:00 pm.
Thankfully, this week is a bit lighter, so I have more time to dedicate to emails.
Barrhaven East town hall
Virtual town hall tomorrow, Thursday October 2 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
As mentioned earlier, I hosted the first-ever Barrhaven East town hall last Tuesday at St. Mother Teresa High School. It was something different I wanted to try to increase the ways I engage with residents.
Though a small group of about 18 attended, we had a quality conversation, and the questions and feedback shared were valuable and insightful. Also in attendance were the Ottawa Police Service’s district inspector, a community police officer, and by-law’s parking enforcement supervisor.
The evening began with a presentation summarising what I’m working on and the most common feedback I’ve been receiving from residents over the last few years, broken down into five sections—development, parks and recreation, policing, traffic, and transit. I also touched briefly on some citywide topics not specific to the ward, like Lansdowne and the provincial recycling programme (mentioned in last week’s newsletter).
The presentation was followed by an open question-and-answer session.
Questions ranged from specific requests like completing the sidewalk on the west side of Longfields between Via Verona and Via Chianti and dog-related signage to general inquiries about traffic safety and waste collection in parks.
I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, so thank you again to the residents who attended and participated.
If you missed the in-person town hall and would like to attend tomorrow evening’s virtual session, you will find a Microsoft Teams meeting link at Ward24.ca. The link will not become active until 15 minutes before the meeting begins.
My notes will be summarised and combined after tomorrow evening’s session, then shared in the next two or three weeks via newsletter.
Automated speed enforcement
Provincial government to introduce legislation, likely later this month.
Last Thursday, the provincial government announced it will introduce legislation to end the use of automated speed enforcement (ASE) in Ontario.
Municipalities with existing ASE cameras in school zones will also be required to install new signage with flashing lights to warn motorists they are approaching a camera.
The province plans to concurrently establish a new fund to help municipalities install other traffic calming measures like speed humps, raised crosswalks, curb bulb-outs, and roundabouts.
No further details were available, including timelines, the source of the traffic calming funds, and each city’s allocation of said fund.
Currently, the City’s ASE programme funds other traffic calming measures, such as those mentioned by the Premier, except roundabouts. For example, I have been using my ward allocation for speed humps and speed cushions.
The speed cushions for Deerfox (between Beatrice and Woodroffe) and for Springbeauty (between Beatrice and Longfields) are funded, approved, and awaiting construction, but planned future projects on Cresthaven, Grovehurst, and Leikin may be delayed or cancelled depending on details released by the province.
News sources say the legislation will be introduced shortly after the provincial legislature resumes later this month. How quickly or slowly the bill gets through readings and towards Royal Assent may be unpredictable. My best guess is three to six months from when the legislature resumes on October 20.
As I’ve shared in the past, my general belief is while ASE cameras do influence vehicular speeds, they are not the most effective traffic calming tool available due to their small area of influence, the ability to “pay to speed,” and the odd location of some cameras (the last point is mostly relevant to the City’s earlier cameras, such as the one near Sir Robert Borden High School).
Supporting data for the argument in favour of ASE cameras include a measured reduction in vehicular rates of speed and a reduction in tickets issued over time. Both are true, but like any data, it’s the details that can tell or hide the story.
Notably, the rate of speed is measured in the camera’s area of influence while the reduction in tickets means people are aware of the camera’s location and/or paying attention to warning signage. There’s general awareness of motorists slowing down for the cameras only. While a vehicle slowing down anyhow is a good thing, the data does not account for motorist behaviour before and after approaching the camera.
Additionally, as tickets are issued to the plate owner rather than the motorist, the accountability is not the same. No demerit points are added to a driver’s licence.
An interesting observation as motorists slow for the camera is some attention gets diverted from the road to their speedometers. Hard data is shaky for this point, since my sample size is small, but it’s an interesting observation.
Unlike ASE cameras, speed humps and speed cushions physically slow down most vehicles across a stretch of street. It’s certainly been my focus over the last few years, with projects ready for construction and others soon entering the planning stage (though there are now some unknowns on the latter with the provincial announcement).
The disadvantage is they are expensive and slower to be deployed, given they are spread out across a stretch of street compared to each camera’s single location. Within each ward’s traffic calming budgets (funded by ASE revenue), we’re limited to eight to 10 speed humps/cushions per year.
I don’t dispute the need for traffic calming, nor do I think ASE cameras are evil. They are useful, but they are not the most effective tool available. Slowing vehicles down, especially in school zones or near vulnerable populations is good anyhow, but if we’re throwing money after good, we ought to invest in the most effective solutions available.
Lastly, as the Ottawa Police Service continues to stabilise their staffing and expand their recently reinstated traffic enforcement unit, we should begin to see some more proactive work in the worst areas (partly based on police observations and reports submitted by the public↗).
As more details about the provincial legislation and the future traffic calming funding become available, I will share them with you!
Working arrangements for City office staff
New policy for the City’s office employees sets five-day in-office baseline, but retains most COVID-era hybrid working arrangements. I still owe some Reddit some replies.
Last Wednesday, City Council discussed and voted on an update to worksite arrangements for municipal office employees.
The City Manager’s initial communication regarding the policy change in late-August was poor in both its deployment and messaging. I, and many others, first learned about it on Reddit and it was written like a directive for all the City’s office employees to return to the office five days a week.
As background, 85 per cent of the City’s workforce reports on site due to the nature of their work. This includes bus operators, public works crews, front counter staff, and wastewater technicians, among others, all of whom have had no changes in worksite arrangements, even during the pandemic. The policy applies to the remaining 15 per cent.
Councillor Leiper tabled a motion a week or so after the City Manager’s memo to reverse it. I voiced public support for the motion as I am supportive of hybrid working arrangements and the information available at the time suggested it was a binary vote between hybrid and five days at the office.
A few days before last week’s Council meeting, then extensively at Council, the City Manager clarified the intent of the policy. I still had some doubts given the shakiness of her first few responses, but I certainly understood it was no longer a binary vote between hybrid and five days at the office.
Most importantly, both Councillor Leiper’s motion and the City Manager’s policy focused on preserving the flexibility City office employees I’ve spoken to wanted.
The difference was the approach. The City Manager’s policy set a new five-day in-office baseline, which can be opted out of down to two days (the current minimum), while Councillor Leiper’s motion starts at the current two-day minimum with additional in-office days opted into.
Decisions on actual in-office days would be made at the supervisor/team lead level, rather than by middle and upper management, with further reasonable accommodations available.
During the discussion, Councillor Bradley introduced an amendment to add prescriptive language strengthening keeping hybrid arrangements as much as possible. The amendment was accepted and integrated into the policy wording.
Both the clarification and the amendment were enough for me to comfortably support and ultimately vote in favour of the City Manager’s policy as well as Leiper’s motion.
Had no clarification been given or if it remained a binary decision between hybrid and five days, I would have supported Councillor Leiper’s motion only.
The new policy takes effect January 1, 2026, and applies to City employees only.
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically!
Amazon public information night – An in-person public information session is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday October 29, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Amazon, City staff, and I will be there to share information about the project and listen to feedback for future consideration before and after the facility is operational. Location and other details will be available in the coming weeks.
Autumn tree planting – Now until mid-November, 69 trees will be planted across Barrhaven East as part of the City’s regular autumn planting. Of those, 22 trees will be planted in City parks like Baroness, Furness, Oldfield, and Watershield, while the remaining 47 trees will be planted in the right-of-way across the community.
Barrhaven East Town Hall –Thank you to the residents who came out to last week’s in-person town hall. It wasn’t a big group, but it was a great discussion! The virtual town hall↗ will be held this week on Thursday October 2, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Beatrice/Queensbury bus shelter – Following its untimely demise back in December, then a delay in May, the bus shelter at Beatrice/Queensbury (stop 3345) will soon be reinstalled. Utility locates were recently completed. Concrete pouring will soon begin, followed by shelter installation by Thanksgiving.
Catch basin repair and rebuild – Select catch basins↗ in the Knollsbrook and Longfields communities will be repaired or rebuilt over the next few weeks. Each location will require digging one to two metres deep and take three or so hours, but traffic impacts are expected to be minimal, as they are all on residential streets. A crew will also attend a manhole cover on eastbound Strandherd east of Beatrice, which may require an off-peak lane closure of the left lane.
Deerfox-Fieldcrest pathway – New lighting for the pathway↗ connecting Deerfox and Fieldcrest west of Woodroffe has been approved and funded. The ambitious installation timeline is November, while a more realistic timeline will likely be next spring. Thank you to residents in the area for the requests over the last few years.
Greenbank Park – The slide at Greenbank Park is out of service due to a crack at the bottom. The manufacturer will be replacing it under warranty. Expected timeline for replacement is early/mid-October.
Limebank Station pick-up/drop-off – Limebank Station pick-up/drop-off – The pick-up/drop-off location has been moved to a temporary location↗ until November due to construction. From Earl Armstrong, turn right on Limebank, then LEFT at the signals, proceed to the end of the roadway to make a u-turn (yes, really) back to the pick-up/drop-off location. Signage is in place for guidance.
Low water conditions – The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s major low-water advisory↗ continues across the entire Rideau River watershed. Households on well water are strongly encouraged to suspend non-essential uses.
Shower facilities and water filling stations are available at the Minto Recreation Complex↗ and Walter Baker Sports Centre↗ for residents in Hearts Desire and Rideau Glen. Please call ahead to confirm availability (contact and hours of operation in the links).
New pedestrian crossovers – Two new pedestrian crossovers will be installed in the ward at Paul Métivier/Beatrice and at Stoneway/Forest Gate east. The crossover on Paul Métivier will be raised to double as a speed hump. Construction is expected to happen late-September into October.
O-Train Line 1 – Rail service will be suspended and replaced with R1 buses on the entire Line 1 all day on Saturday October 4 and Sunday October 5 for ongoing integration works for the Orléans extension and maintenance.
Speed cushions/humps – Speed cushions will be installed on Deerfox between Beatrice and Woodroffe, while speed humps will be installed on Springbeauty between Beatrice and Longfields. Construction is expected to happen in October.
Strandherd/Deerfox-Stoneway – Lane closures and shifts may be required to accommodate the ongoing private infrastructure connection project. The expected completion was September 25, so I will ask for an update.
Via Chianti and Via Modugno – With the completion of nearby development, the two streets will receive their final layer of asphalt starting next week until mid-October. On Via Modugno, the roadway will be raised so the curb is at a normal height, while the manhole covers on both streets will become level with the roadway. On-street parking may become unavailable periodically during the paving. The City will assume control of the two streets upon completion.
Woodroffe/Queensbury-Rideaucrest – Hydro Ottawa are on site until October 17 to relocate their post at Woodroffe/Queensbury (northwest corner) and install a new post at Woodroffe/Rideaucrest (northeast corner) to improve spacing between posts to strengthen the overhead wire network. At no time will access be lost to Queensbury, Rideaucrest, the commercial driveways, or bus stops, though off-peak lane reductions are possible.
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Lastly, I’d like to extend my well wishes to residents celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival next Monday! I hope you get to spend some time with family and loved ones and have a healthy amount of moon cake.
中秋節快樂! 祝大家團團圓圓, 家人身體健康!
Have a great week ahead.
-Wilson