City Councillor's Report

Woodward/Laperriere Transportation Study Assessment Measures

Several of the Council approved measures, including the improvement of signs throughout the area and the installation of southbound "No Left Turn" signs on Kirkwood Avenue at Raven and Larose Avenues, were scheduled to be implemented in July. An inventory of signs in the area had to be made in order to determine the type and number of signs required.

Removal of the traffic island on Leaside Avenue at Merivale Road, removal of the narrowing and accompanying one-way on Woodward Avenue west of Merivale Road, and replacement with a traffic island, have been scheduled to commence September 9, 1996. The Municipal Act requires that four successive weeks of advertising be done immediately prior to the commencement of work. This is for the purpose of allowing those who are not in agreement with the changes an opportunity to register their concerns. Advertising dates were as follows: Wednesday July 10, 17, 24 and 31, 1996. The deadline for submission of comments to the City Clerk was August 2, 1996.

In the event that we had received no letters of opposition, the implementation of changes could have commenced on August 6, 1996. However, staff did receive a limited number of comments in disagreement with the proposed changes. I have already contacted those who wrote, and intend to meet with them in an effort to resolve their concerns. Work will commence on September 9, regardless.

Adult Video Stores

As promised at the Carlington Community Association Annual General Meeting, I have brought forward a motion directing staff to re-examine the issue of enacting tighter regulations on the location of adult video stores. Staff are preparing a report on the possibility of restricting existing and future stores from locating within 250 meters from residential zones.

This report is scheduled to come back to the Community Services and Operations Committee in the next couple of months. If you are interested in attending the Committee meeting, my office will be able to provide you with more details shortly. Should you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to call me at 244-5365.

Crime Prevention in Carlington

I have received a number of calls regarding community safety recently, and I have therefore decided to hold a meeting in Carlington this fall in order to discuss the issue. I am presently formulating the agenda, with the intention of encouraging a great deal of communication between residents and crime prevention experts, which will allow individuals to relate their specific experiences and receive feedback on them. I hope that those attending will be able to take home some concrete suggestions to implement right away.

The residents of Carlington have been dealing with the effects of crime for many years, from break-ins and car thefts to gang activity and drug dealing. Typically, when crime becomes a problem in our neighbourhoods, we react by calling for increased police presence in the area. Although I do not deny the effectiveness of increased enforcement as a deterrent, I believe that we must be proactive in finding a long term solution. In light of the most recent tragedy involving Keith Addy, I feel that the time has come to mobilize the community and work together in making prevention our goal.

I will announce the date and location of the meeting in the next issue of the Summit, along with the preliminary agenda and list of participants. I feel that it is very important that this meeting be well attended, as the issue is one of great concern to many residents. In addition, I would appreciate your help in getting the word out, and would ask that you mention the meeting when speaking with your friends or neighbours.

Should you wish to discuss this matter further, or if you have any suggestions for the meeting, please give my office a call.

1997 Budget Meetings

Public Hearings for the City of Ottawa's 1997 Budget have been scheduled in order to solicit your input. I invite you to attend one of these sessions, on December 11 or 12, 1996. Both meetings will be held in Council chambers at City Hall, where the Mayor and all of the Councillors will be present to hear you speak. Final budget deliberations are scheduled to be held on December 16, 17 and 18.

Once the budget guidelines have been drafted by our Corporate Finance Branch, I will be visiting community centres in every area of the ward with these documents. I am hoping that residents will have the chance to review the figures and discuss their concerns with me in a one-on-one setting. I will publish the relevant dates and times for the Carlington Area in an upcoming edition of the Summit.