RIDEAU VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY (RVCA) BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

This term I will be sitting on the Board of Directors for Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA). Osgoode Ward resident Jamie Crawford sits by my side this term, being a member on the board as well. At the Board of Directors meeting, RVCA staff gave us an overview of their Annual Report, their flood warning communication program, and more. I will be promoting resources from RVCA in the near future! See their website at https://www.rvca.ca/.

FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (FEDCO)

At FEDCO this week, we received an update on the Confederation Line; everything is moving forward smoothly. We also received the City of Ottawa 2019 Municipal Accessibility Plan (COMAP) Update Report; Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department 2019 Work Plan; and Lansdowne Partnership Plan Annual Report.

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Transportation Committee this week approved a streamlined study process to speed up implementation of traffic calming plans and improve safety for all road users. The Committee also approved design guidelines to ensure traffic calming measures are applied consistently to retrofits of existing streets.

The meeting also touched on winter maintenance, which was a major item of concern to committee members, especially with this year’s brutal winter. We directed staff to review the City’s winter maintenance quality standards, with a fulsome report coming back to Transportation Committee in 2021. To address winter maintenance in the meantime, we also directed staff to internally review the City’s winter operations before next winter season to identify short term improvements that can be made. I mentioned to staff that their review should consider how it deploys equipment when one area of Ottawa gets more precipitation than other areas, as this has been a recurring issue in recent years.

AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (ARAC)

Highlights from this week’s ARAC meeting was a presentation about the rural economic development strategy and action plan, as part of a staff report on the Planning department’s 2019 Work Plan. There are many important policy reviews taking place over the course of the year. The Committee also approved terms of settlement on Official Plan Amendment 150 that clears up concerns of three separate appellants; these changes make minor revisions to some mapping.