HELLO OTTAWA

• Ken Warren in the Ottawa Citizen has a welcome comparison between the Toronto Greenbelt, which Premier Doug Ford seems eager to develop, and Ottawa’s greenbelt.
• Some of Warren’s points:
• 🌳 Toronto’s greenbelt is owned by the Province, Ottawa’s is owned by the National Capital Commission. While the Province has recently removed the ban on developing the greenbelt in Toronto, as Federal land, it does not apply to Ottawa.
• 🌳 However, the National Capital Commission can do whatever it wants with Ottawa’s greenbelt – nothing in the law prevents it from selling or developing it. In 2008, then mayor Larry O’Brien wanted one quarter of the greenbelt developed, an idea the Commission seriously considered. 
• 🌳 The Ottawa greenbelt was established in the 1950s to limit urban sprawl. Poor City management allowed the sprawl to merely leap the greenbelt, with over one third of the City’s population now living on the other side. (That’s 103,000 in Barrhaven, 137,000 in Kanata, and 139,000 in Orléans.)
• 🌳 The local chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says the Ottawa greenbelt should be declared as a national urban park by Parks Canada, protecting it from short term thinking.
  
  Moroccan Earthquake
  
  The Canadian Red Cross has launched an appeal to help those affected by the earthquake in Morocco. You can make a donation here. Over 5,000 people of Moroccan descent live in Ottawa and Gatineau.
• – Martha and Darren

TODAY’S LINE UP

•  Ottawa Stats
•  City Hall Agenda
•  What Ottawa is Talking About
•  Events
•  Deals of the Day

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Built Heritage Committee
Tuesday, September 12 at 9:30 am

• Application for demolition and new construction at 230-232 Lisgar Street, a property designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act
• Application to Alter Somerset House, 352 Somerset Street West, a property designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act and located in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District
• Designation of Highland Park Lawn Bowling Club at 439 Golden Avenue under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
• Status Update – Built Heritage Committee inquiries and motions for the period ending August 25, 2023

📋 Agenda
 

Ottawa Public Library Board
Tuesday, September 12 at 50 pm

• Board governance evaluation report and action plan
• Facilities framework gap analysis and prioritization criteria
• 2022 financial statements
• Second quarter 2023 financial status report
• 2023 American Library Association (ALA) annual conference and exhibition – Trustees Rawlson King and Adam Smith reports
• In camera items:
• Personal matters about an identifiable individual, to consider the Chief Librarian/Chief Executive Officer mid-year review

📋 Agenda

🚊 OC Transpo

•  The O-Train has some extra roominess beginning today. The service will start running 17 carriages at a time, up from 14  – and some of them will even be two-car trains. At the same time, OC Transpo is ending the bus shuttles between Tunney’s Pasture and downtown during the two rush hours. The shuttle will still run between Blair Station and downtown. (CBC)

🚌 School Buses

•  A nine year-old girl was let off at the wrong stop, not knowing her way home. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says that is a problem of the bus company contracted to drop off the student. The girl eventually did find her way home safely. (Dave Charbonneau at CTV)

🏘️ Safe as Houses

•  Here are nine homes in nine neighbourhoods that are available for no more than Ottawa’s average selling price of $709,739. Pictures! (Josh Pringle at CTV)
  
  ➕ Related The annual CHEO Dreamhome Lottery has opened. This year it’s a $3.2 million residence in Manotick. (Virtual tour)
  
  ➕ Related The University of Ottawa has been paying between $9,000 and $43,000 each month to maintain its mold infested – and unoccupied  – Brooks Residence. The residence once housed 700 students. (CBC)

🎾 US Open

•  Tennis phenom Gabriela Dabrowski won the Grand Slam title in women’s doubles yesterday with partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand. The duo beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund and Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in a best-of-three game 7-6 and 6-3. Dabrowski grew up in Gloucester. (The Canadian Press)

⚡ Hydro Ottawa 

•  After a two week pause in negotiations, Hydro Ottawa is back to binding negotiation with its striking employees. The strike has been on for 11 weeks against the City-owned utility. (Josh Pringle at CTV)

🛻 Convoy on Trial

Convoy co-organizers Chris Barber and Tamara Lich are currently on trial for their parts in the Convoy siege. We’ll mention when something interesting happens.

•  Justice Heather Perkins-McVey is annoyed with the Crown for delivering new evidence mid-trial, potentially lengthening the process. In this case, it’s way more text messages than anticipated. (Laura Osman in the Canadian Press)

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The Carp Fair is running a name-a-Clydesdale foal contest. The prize? You get to meet the foal in person. Nominations are being collected on the Facebook page, and fairgoers will vote on the winning name during the Fair Sept 21 to 24. (Facebook) (Carp Fair)

the ottawan is written and edited every work day by Martha and Darren.

Is there something that Ottawa should know about? Email to us at hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment. 

We’ll see you tomorrow.

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