Weekly newsletter: September 9, 2025
Hi everyone!
I had a great time at the Barrhaven Harvest Fest market on Sunday. Thanks to the many residents who stopped by to say hi and chat…you kept me busy the entire four hours, even when it rained!
OC Transpo data
Collected service data is only as good as how it’s presented.
Data, KPIs (key performance indicators), and metrics are vital tools for transparency and to guide decisions, but the effectiveness of the data is limited by its presentation and interpretation.
OC Transpo staff regularly present performance metrics at Transit Committee meetings, including ridership, trip delivery, punctuality/regularity, safety, and call centre wait times, among others.
Though I believe the data staff share is generally accurate, I have repeatedly questioned the way it’s presented, as I believe it is an inaccurate representation of the average transit experience.
For example, OC Transpo staff routinely boast percentages of trip delivery (trips not cancelled) in the high 90s. While that percentage may be accurate, combining the wildly varying statistics of weekday peak, weekday off-peak, overnight, and weekends into a single data point hides and invalidates the poor experiences of weekday peak passengers.
Over the last few years, I have repeatedly asked for further breakdowns in the data presented at Transit Committee to help paint a more accurate picture. Alas, transit staff finally shared granular data for afternoon peak trips from Tunney’s Pasture to Barrhaven for May and June.
The table below shows the route, scheduled time, the percentage of time that trip was cancelled in May and June, percentage of time that trip departed within five minutes of its schedule in May and June, and the average delay at departure.
As the table above indicates, routes 74, 275, 277, and 279 have had no cancelled trips in May and June. On the surface, that would indicate excellent service, but the percentage of trips departing within five minutes of its schedule in the next column paints a more dismal (but realistic) picture.
For example, the 3:24 pm 74 Limebank departed Tunney’s Pasture within five minutes of its schedule only 19 per cent of the time in May and June, even though there were no cancellations.
An example showing the inverse, the 5:56 pm 75 Barrhaven Centre, was cancelled 26 per cent of the time in May and June, but was usually departed within five minutes of its schedule when the trip did run.
The point of this exercise (other than validation) is to show that even true and accurate data does not tell the full story. It would be quite insulting as a passenger whose trip is cancelled and/or delayed regularly to learn OC Transpo has been publishing data that’s not representative of their experience.
Even then, this exercise also shows one dataset is insufficient. As shown in the two examples above, a trip could never be cancelled but always late or cancelled often but run on time when it’s not cancelled.
Based on resident feedback, afternoon service from Tunney’s Pasture continues to be frustrating and stressful. In the morning, the 7:26 am 277 Tunney’s Pasture seems to be the worst trip this schedule cycle (so far) for various reasons.
Igor Gouzenko
The Cold War started in Ottawa a few days ago, 80 years ago.
At the unassuming apartment building at 511 Somerset Street West the night of September 6, 1945, Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa who defected the day before, hid in a neighbour’s apartment with his wife and baby.
Shortly before midnight, four men broke into Gouzenko’s apartment to search for him and his documents. The Ottawa Police, RCMP, and officials from the Canadian Department of External Affairs quickly arrived.
The four men worked for the Soviet Embassy, and the documents they were searching for contained explosive information on the USSR’s espionage activities in the West, including Canada. Though the Gouzenko Affair was a triggering event of the Cold War, it’s usually noted as the start of the Cold War in public opinion.
Though the authorities expressed interest in Gouzenko, Prime Minister Mackenzie King was initially wary of upsetting the Soviet Union, as they were an important ally during the Second World War.
By the winter of 1945-1946, news spread that a network of Canadian spies under Soviet control were passing classified information to the USSR. Within that context, what was particularly concerning was Canada’s early research role in the Manhattan Project (what would create the first nuclear bomb).
Gouzenko’s documents, testimony, and evidence would eventually lead to arrests in Canada and other Western nations, and usher in the modern era of Canadian security intelligence.
YouTube channel Canadiana has an excellent video about the Gouzenko Affair↗ (and several others about Canadian history in general).
Bite-sized updates
Sorted alphabetically!
Air traffic – The Ottawa International Airport will be closing Runway 14/32 (north-south runway) September 9 to 12 and 15 to 19 from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm each day for pavement rehabilitation and signage works. During the closures, all commercial flights will be using Runway 07/25 (east-west runway), resulting in an increase in air traffic over Barrhaven.
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.
Barrhaven East Town Hall – I’m trying something new! It’ll be an opportunity for Barrhaven East residents to gather with City staff and me to talk about our community and City in an open session format. The in-person↗ town hall is on Tuesday September 23, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at St. Mother Teresa High School, while a virtual version↗ will be the week after on Thursday October 2, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Cleaning the Capital – Registration for the Cleaning the Capital autumn 2025 campaign closes September 30. Join the 18 cleanup projects already registered so far in Barrhaven East to help keep our parks and public spaces clean and looking good and earn some volunteer hours! Participants are provided with clean-up kits with garbage bags and gloves. Learn more or register at Ottawa.ca/clean↗.
Foot Guards Park barbecue – Join the Governor General’s Foot Guards and me at Foot Guards Park on Saturday September 27 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Equipment will be on display, a band will be playing, and face off in a tug-of-war, all alongside a free barbecue!
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.
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).
O-Train Line 1 – Rail service will be suspended and replaced with R1 buses on the entire Line 1 all day Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14 to performance test the whole line with the Orléans extension. Customers will see trains on the line that day, but they will not be in passenger service.
Pop-up office hours – I’m regularly at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market (Barrhaven)↗ for pop-up office hours! I’ll be there next on Sunday, September 14, 10 am to 2 pm.
Strandherd/Deerfox-Stoneway – Lane closures and shifts may be required to accommodate the ongoing private infrastructure connection project. Expected completion is September 25.
Vacant unit tax – The deadline to submit an appeal for a vacant unit tax charge on this year’s tax bill is September 15. Late appeals will be accepted after the deadline, but with a $500 administrative fee.
Walter Baker Sports Centre – The foundation under the steam room has been repaired. All amenities at the facility are now operational.
That’s all for this week! Enjoy the week ahead.
I have a deck to continue demolishing.
-Wilson