"Residents need to understand that if you do see wildlife and you want that interaction to be successful, you need to do what you can to leave it alone. Sometimes we get caught up in getting a photo or, telling our neighbors and sometimes the best thing to do is to leave it alone so that it can return to the forest," said Johnson."
By Emma Weller, CBC
April 1, 2024
Dan Brunton was shocked when he came face-to-face with a bear at his home a few years ago near Mud Lake.
He was curious when he heard rustling in his garbage can, presuming it was a raccoon. As he walked up to scare it away, the head of a roughly 90-kilogram black bear popped out of his garbage.
"We get young bears coming into the city fairly regularly, but this adult was a real surprise," said Brunton, a retired ecological consultant.
These kinds of encounters may be more common this year.
Earlier this month, the province issued a warning that bears might be coming out of hibernation early this spring due to warmer temperatures.
And with a lack of natural food sources available this time of the year, they'll be on the hunt for other meals.
"The problem there is that if [an animal] doesn't go away and there's some interaction with people, which is almost always the people's fault … the animal dies," Brunton said.
"That's the most common outcome of these things."
In his scenario, authorities safely got the bear back into its habitat, Brunton said — but that's not always the case.
Weaved throughout Ottawa's neighbourhoods, the Greenbelt and the Ottawa River have created homes for urban wildlife, right next to some people's backyards.
While residents reap the benefits of the city's green space and ecosystems, they also at times struggle to coexist with that wildlife.
Given Ottawa's amount of greenspace, the city has a greater responsibility when it comes to managing the city's relationship with urban wildlife, said College ward Coun. Laine Johnson.
Last year, a bear wandered into the Bridlewood neighbourhood looking for food after coming out of its hibernation and was killed by Ottawa police.
"We were all deeply disappointed," Johnson said. "If we had been able to respond in a different way, I think we could have saved that bear. And unfortunately, that was not the case."
Bears and other animals often saunter into nearby neighbourhoods in search of food, with garbage, bird feeders and vegetable gardens all serving as tempting options.
People who live around areas where urban wildlife thrive need to be educated on how to respond appropriately when animals roam onto their streets, Johnson said.
Johnson said her office will be releasing a wildlife strategy plan in September. She's also urged the City of Ottawa to invest more money to help harmonize the relationship between humans and wildlife.
Another issue that contributes to wildlife around Mud Lake and other densely populated parts of the city is that people tend to feed them, said Chris Myles, a conservation officer with the National Capital Commission.
In his experience, Myles said, when there are conflicts between humans and wild animals, that's almost always what they're about.
"They come to look at us as food sources. So rather than scuttle off, when they see somebody coming up the trail, they may start to associate you with food."
Thank you to those of you that found the time to provide feedback on the proposed permanent traffic calming plans for Moodie Drive. 167 respondents completed the online survey, which was posted online in late 2023. Residents were advised about the survey through Councillor Johnson’s email newsletter, social media platforms, and flyers which were delivered to nearby homes.
The proposed plan includes the installation of 4 speed humps on Moodie Drive between the school site and Anwatin Street. Additional measures between the school and West Hunt Club Road include the relocation of the speed display board (further south toward West Hunt Club) and dashed pavement markings which are intended to provide a visual cue for drivers to decelerate prior to entering the 40km/h zone and approaching the first speed hump when travelling northbound.
Overall, 63% of residents responded that they were very comfortable or somewhat comfortable with the plan as proposed. There was strong support from residents living on Moodie Drive, with 72% indicating that they are very comfortable with the proposed plan. Staff have compiled the survey findings into an ‘As We Heard It’ Report (link below).
I’m pleased to announce that the permanent traffic calming project on Moodie Drive will proceed, with construction taking place as early as summer 2024. We will continue to share updates about the construction timeline as they become available.
On February 28, 2024, over 100 Centrepointe-area residents took part in an online meeting about the upcoming Centrepointe Traffic Calming plan.
There were many questions and issues raised during the meeting. City engineers have written answers to your questions. You will find the full Q and A below.
Please remember that the City of Ottawa is hosting an online consultation for the Centrepointe Drive Area Traffic Management study via a survey, available until Saturday, March 23, 2024:
Centrepointe Drive Traffic Calming Survey
If you have any further questions or comments, please email Project Manager Wook Kang at [email protected].
August 10, 2023 produced an average of 60 mm of rain throughout the city over a period of 5 hours, with a peak recorded volume of 107 mm. At peak, 190mm/hour was falling. Due to the nature of the storm (high peak intensity and high volume), sanitary sewers, storm sewers and overland drainage systems were all affected.
In College Ward, several homes were flooded. This report looks at the reasons why and how flooding can be prevented in future.
Staff say that they are currently initiating a drainage study in the City View/Crestview area to control flow into the storm sewer system thereby minimizing the risk of sewer surcharge. This study should be completed by early summer. They are also undertaking computer simulations of the of the August 10th, 2023 event in the Meadowlands Area using sewer hydraulic models to determine if additional tweaks to the infrastructure can be done to further reduce the risk of flooding.
"I thought it was fairly inappropriate for city staff to have had two years of deliberations, ostensibly with community groups, and to come back with a report this past winter that says we're going to kill the program," said College ward Coun. Laine Johnson.
Full story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/community-association-insurance-cost-ottawa-change-plan-1.7105303
Dear Neighbours,
When I was campaigning to be your City Councillor for College Ward, I said I’d address the issues that you said were important to you. Here’s a list of those promises and an update on what we have accomplished so far.
I believe in accountability and transparency. I hope this Progress Report lets you know what we’ve done, what’s underway, and what we still need to tackle.
Warm regards,
Laine
College ward Coun. Laine Johnson said police have to do more to build bridges with communities that are worried about gun violence but don't trust police.
"These racialized communities want to help," she said. "But they don't feel that they have the protection when they call a hotline. They don't feel they have the follow-through.... They don't feel safe."
Budget 2024 investments in College Ward infrastructure
We need your input!
Proposed Permanent Traffic Calming Measures on Moodie Drive between Old Richmond Road and West Hunt Club Road
The City has put together a proposed design which includes four speedhumps to address speeding concerns raised by residents on this section of Moodie Drive. To proceed, we would like to ensure that the project is supported by the majority of neighbouring residents. Please take a moment to complete the online survey prior to December 15th, don’t delay!
Background
Since 2019, Moodie Drive between Old Richmond Road and West Hunt Club Road has been on the City’s Neighbourhood Traffic Calming (NTC) list. This program addresses requests for permanent, engineered, traffic calming on local and collector streets. Under this program, permanent traffic calming measures on Moodie Drive are unlikely to be implemented for several years due to the council approved prioritization/process.
We understand that waiting years for a permanent traffic calming is not an acceptable solution for most residents. We deserve action. This is why I’ve been working collaboratively with staff across City departments to develop an accelerated traffic calming plan which could possibly be implemented as early as fall 2024.
Current situation
Currently, Moodie Drive has a posted speed limit of 70km/h in the southern section, decreasing to 40km/h approaching D.A. Moodie Intermediate School located near Songbird Private. Other features of the street include the Jami Omar Mosque and residential properties (single family homes and a small condo development) that are located between Songbird Private and Old Richmond Road
Data collected by city staff shows that there is a speeding concern on this section of Moodie Drive. In fact, the operating speed (speed at which 85% of drivers are travelling at or below) on Moodie Drive between Arnold Drive and Songbird Private, is nearly 20km/h over the posted speed limit! These speeds are dangerous as there are no sidewalks or pedestrian crossings, and the school site continues to be used as needed by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.
Proposed Plan
Staff have advised that the posted speed limit on Moodie Drive, near West Hunt Club Road will be lowered from 70km/h to 60km/h. This change will be made regardless of resident support for the following traffic calming plan; this work is scheduled to be completed prior to the end of November.
Staff are seeking input on the installation of 4 speed humps on Moodie Drive between the school site and Anwatin Street. Additional measures between the school and West Hunt Club Road would include the relocation of a speed display board (further south towards West Hunt Club) and dashed pavement markings which are intended to provide a visual queue for drivers to decelerate prior to entering the 40km/h zone and approaching the first speed hump when travelling northbound.
Data collected by City staff shows that speed humps lower the typical operating speed by 10km/h.
Visit https://s-ca.chkmkt.com/?e=362411&d=l&h=F14604ABEFDCF5D to see the proposed plan and complete the online survey.
Next Steps
Your feedback is important to us. An online survey is available for residents who live near the proposed study area and will be open for residents to complete until December 15, 2023. The survey results will help project stakeholders determine the level of interest within the community for the proposed plan.
We are seeking your feedback on the proposed plan. If there is not enough community support for this project, this street will remain on the Neighbourhood Traffic Calming program prioritization list awaiting a detailed study of alternatives (it may take several years for this project to be prioritized against other locations).
Visit: https://s-ca.chkmkt.com/?e=362411&d=l&h=F14604ABEFDCF5D to complete the survey today. You can also call my office to share your feedback directly at 613-580-2478.
I look forward to working together with you and your neighbours on this project.
Best,
Laine
OC Transpo has completed its most recent Bus Route Review and their recommendations were approved at this week’s Transit Commission. OC Transpo completes a bus service review every few years to update the transit plan. Given the fluctuations in ridership and the significant changes to work patterns, it’s important to reinvest transit’s limited funds to routes that will serve current travel patterns. The largest change overall was the elimination of most of the 200 series, which was a specific series to support commuters to downtown. I think this is a necessary decision, given the pressures facing OC Transpo. But what we will see closer to home is some adjustments to the distance people are expected to walk. People may be walking a little further to access a more frequent route. We are also seeing a continuance of routes converging on the OTrain line, and as Line 2 comes on in 2024, we will see further adjustments so that bus routes lead to both trains. The train spines ask people to make more transfers for what is supposed to be a quicker trip, but we know in practice this doesn’t always come to pass.
The ceremony saw the attendance of numerous guests, including the president of the 593 Royal Canadian Legion branch, Shawn Taillon, and College ward city councillor Laine Johnson.
Johnson placed a wreath at the base of the cenotaph.
“I think it means something a little closer to home this year because my 96-year-old grandfather is in the hospital right now in Weyland, Ont.,” said Johnson. “So I’m thinking a lot about him and the lifetime he’s seen and just thinking about what he’s witnessed growing up, raising a family and the wars he’s seen.”
