By New SmartCentres Construction
Construction recently began on a new, 4-story, 100,000 square foot, mixed-use office and retail tower at the SmartCentre development on Clyde Avenue north of Baseline Road. The Laurentian Place tower will contain 85,000 square feet of office space designed to Silver LEED standard and approximately 13,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Stantec Engineering Consulting will be the primary tenant of the building. Parking will be provided by a one-level underground parking garage and surface parking.
The grand opening of the building will take place in the spring of 2013.
Emerald Ash Borer Information Sessions
Do you want to learn more about how you can help slow the spread of emerald ash borer, an invasive species that is killing Ottawa’s ash trees?
Please join me and City staff at an information session to learn more about what the City is doing to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer and how you can help mitigate the impact of this insect on our ash trees. The presence of emerald ash borer poses a serious threat to 25 percent of the City’s forest cover located on both public and private properties.
The information session is scheduled for:
Date: April 23, 2012
Time: 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1264 Walkley Road, Ellwood Hall
Weekly Green Bin Collection
Green bins and leaf and yard waste are now being collected every week, year-round, permanently. Food scraps, soiled paper products and other allowable waste from your home can be placed at the curb for weekly collection.
The move to weekly green bin collection is in keeping with City Council’s decision to find long- term solutions to our waste and will go a long way in extending the life of the City’s landfills. Diverting residential organic waste away from landfill saves the City millions of dollars and reduces the need for additional landfill sites.
For more information on using your green bin, please visit ottawa.ca/greenbin.
Spring Street and Sidewalk Sweeping
The City of Ottawa has started is annual spring clean up, which includes sweeping streets and sidewalks to remove debris and materials that have accumulated throughout the winter. This annual effort started March 19, and crews are working around the clock to sweep over 6,500 kilometres of roadway and over 2,000 kilometres of sidewalks to get the job done as quickly as possible and reduce the impact to residents and businesses.
Sweeping operations include daytime and nighttime work and will cause some noise and dust. The operation might be repeated several times on a street to ensure a clean surface. If vehicles are parked on the street, the un-swept area is noted and crews must then return to sweep that portion. Your patience during this process is appreciated.
Winter Operations Lawn Damage
Every spring as the snow recedes, it becomes apparent that some lawns were inadvertently damaged by the City’s winter operations equipment. If you would like your lawn to be examined and repaired with soil and grass seed, please make a quick call to 3-1-1 and City staff will place your home in the queue.
City of Ottawa Planning Summit
The City of Ottawa is hosting a Planning Summit on April 26, 2012 at the new CE Centre. The morning will feature keynote speaker Pamela Blais, an award-winning author who will speak on suburban development. Jeffrey Tumlin will provide the afternoon address, with ideas on how growth could take place around our future Light Rail Transit stations.
Summit participants will take part in round-table discussions on issues such as suburban development, growth in rural areas and community design plans. For more information or to register for the Summit, visit ottawa.ca/planningsummit, e-mail planningsummit@ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1. Registration for the event is limited.
Soles4Souls Shoe Drive
Soles4Souls Canada launched their Ottawa shoe drive on April 2, 2012 with an aim to collect 200,000 shoes throughout the campaign. During the month of April, you can donate gently-used shoes at participating sponsor locations across the city. The following drop-off location is closest to Central Park residents:
- 27 Auriga Drive (Dymon Storage – Prince of Wales Drive at Hunt Club Road)
Donated shoes will be distributed to local social agencies that help some of the city’s most vulnerable adults and children. Any remaining shoes will be shipped by Soles4Souls to needy locations around the world.
PayByPhone Parking Now Available
The City of Ottawa’s PayByPhone parking system was launched on April 5, 2012, allowing residents and visitors to initiate and extend their parking time using a mobile application, the Internet or by calling the PayByPhone number. The system also features an optional text message reminder to notify customers when their time is about to expire. The new technology can be used for the City’s on-street parking spaces and non-gated off-street public parking lots.
You can sign up for the system via phone at 613-691-1700, or by visiting paybyphone.com and entering your mobile phone number, credit card number and license plate number of your vehicle(s). Accounts are activated immediately. For more information, please
visit ottawa.ca/paybyphone.
New ServiceOttawa Capabilities
New online capabilities on the ServiceOttawa gateway have been launched to coincide with new City programs and services. You can now complete these actions at serviceottawa.ca:
- Register for Cleaning the Capital
- Report a smoking violation as part of the City’s new Smoke-Free Regulations
- Register for the City of Ottawa’s Planning Summit
- Register for PayByPhone
Applications for Camp FFIT Now Available
Ottawa Fire Services invite young women between the ages of 15 and 19 to apply for a position in Camp FFIT (Female Firefighters in Training), an annual camp designed to educate young women about the career of fire fighting. The camp will be held at 898 Industrial Avenue during the week of August 13 to 17, 2012.
Participants will experiences such tasks as search and rescue, aerial ladder climb, auto extrication, forcible entry, high-rise operations, as well as wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and fighting simulated fires.
Applications are available at ottawa.ca and must be returned to Ottawa Fire Services Training Centre at 898 Industrial Avenue no later than May 15, 2012. For more information, please e- mail campffit@ottawa.ca or call 613-580-2424 extension 29032.
Shared Vision – City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Airport
On March 28, 2012, City Council approved a shared vision with the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority to collaborate and foster economic growth. As part of Ottawa’s investment in economic development, the City has committed to leveraging Ottawa’s strengths as a competitive global hub and promoting Ottawa worldwide as a top destination in which to live, work, study and play.
The shared vision recognizes the critical role of our world-class, award-winning airport as a catalyst for economic growth. The shared vision statement is:
“To optimize economic performance and growth within Ottawa through the establishment of a multi-modal transportation centre on airport lands, that together with improved access and designated employment lands, enhances and promotes Ottawa’s profile and ability to be a competitive global hub for innovative and knowledge-based talent, businesses and organizations.”
Safer Roads Ottawa Program
April InitiativesDuring the month of April, the Safer Roads Ottawa Program will focus on unsafe lane changes and improper use of reserved lanes.
March Results
In March, the Safer Roads Ottawa Program targeted distracted drivers and motorists failing to use their seat belts. Enforcement of seat-belt use resulted in 353 charges being laid, while 314 motorists were fined for distracted driving.