BANAR, February 2010

By Rainer Bloess

As we shuffle through our annual January deepfreeze, a brief glance back over the past twelve months brings to mind several significant local developments which I believe will ultimately improve the quality of life of all of our residents.

Perhaps the highlight for me personally was the opening of the new Shenkman Arts Centre, a first-class cultural facility long sought after and greatly appreciated by our dedicated local arts community. With our local commercial and residential sectors blossoming in recent years, this fabulous center brings a much-needed cultural heart to our flourishing east end.

The approval, at last, of a plan of action for Lansdowne Park is yet another welcome recreational development for Ottawa residents. With the City unable to finance any significant redevelopment project on its own, a local group of successful, proven entrepreneurs with a solid record of community involvement has committed to investing hundreds of millions of dollars to make this site, which has languished far too long underused and unappreciated, a thriving, energized municipal hub.

As our city expands we have no option but to improve our public transit system to cope with this growth. After years of evaluation and debate, we are poised at last to take action to revitalize and modernize our transit system. Our long-range plan calls for a downtown tunnel to relieve our overburdened downtown streets plus light rail transit between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Road to complement our existing Bus Rapid Transit system. This plan has been endorsed by an international panel of transit experts as the best and most cost-effective choice for our city. At the same time, Phase 1 of the much anticipated Hunt Club Road extension and link to the 417 is also shovel ready. This first phase of this project will involve construction of a new four-lane road between Hawthorne Road and Russell Road which should help to ease traffic congestion in the City’s east end. Ottawa is “on the move” and clearly outgrowing its identity as a medium-sized city.

The year-end saw, as well, the much-heralded launch of Ottawa’s Green Bin program, an effort designed to drastically reduce the volume of waste products previously being trucked to our already overstressed landfill. The Green Bin program is already well-established in many Ontario municipalities where its use has become second-nature to their residents. I urge all of you to make the effort to go green this new year.

Finally, kudos to the entire public health staff and all of those who helped to squelch a potentially dangerous fall flu season by taking part in the H1N1 vaccination program. After an initial crush and period of adjustment, the program, by all accounts, proceeded quickly and smoothly.  If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, check out the City’s website for ongoing opportunities, (ottawa.ca).

It is my pleasure to wish you all a very Happy New Year, good health and prosperity in 2010. Please remember that I always welcome your comments, negative or positive, and your questions regarding any municipal issue of importance to you. Please visit my website at www.rainerbloess.com or phone 613-580-2472.