KEY ISSUES
DISCUSSED AT 8 SEP 97 MEETING

ATTENDEES

• Fred McLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Vice-President, Treasurer
• Peter Vasdi, Memberships
• Bill Royds, Director
• Art Miskew, Director
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Director
• Anne Brandel, Director
• Warren Munroe, Director
• Wendy Stewart, RMOC councillor
• Karin Howard, City Ward 0T8 councillor
• Rob Staples, representing new neighborhoods west of Riverside Dr.
• Peter Foulger, Hunt Club Corridor Protection Association
• Shelley Parlow, Hunt Club Corridor Protection Association
• Rob McCulloch, Ottawa Cycling Group
• Jan Duncan, The News

KEY ISSUES

The following summarizes the issues discussed at the 8 Sep 97 meeting of the Hunt Club Community Organization (HCCO) at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre (HCRCC).

1. Regional Councillor, Wendy Stewart, submitted a report on the following:
   • Truck route on Walkley Road. Region is investigating removing Walkley Rd. from the Regional truck network; however, any decision will not take place before a thorough study has been made of the entire regional trunk network. This study should begin early in 1998. In early Sep, Council will vote whether to raise fines for heavy truck use of non-truck roads from $80 to $150.
   • Police Services Board agreed to review their false alarm registration policy, after receiving public feedback during a meeting in July. Police will continue to respond to all calls regardless until an amended policy has been approved. The registration fee could become a one-time, rather than a yearly, cost. Indicate to Wendy's office if you wish to be notified when the amended policy goes out for public consultation. Yearly cost of policing false alarms is $2.3-2.5M.
   • Data collected by the Region show that the new speed limits along Hunt Club Road have not changed traffic speeds significantly, but has increased the driver compliance rate, meaning the drivers need to worry less about whether they exceed the speed limit.
   • On 31 Aug, fall service for OC Transpo goes into effect on most bus routes. No changes are planned for Hunt Club residents. Regional Transit Advisory Committee has appointed 2 reps from River Ward to advice the Region re public concerns. Wendy plans to bring these reps to a future HCCO meeting.
   • New reponsibilities at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). At the annual conference in Aug, Wendy was elected as VP of AMO and to chair the Environmental Committee. She also continues to participate in the Transition Team to advise the Province on responsibilities the Province is downloading to municipalities starting 1 Jan 98. One concern is funding for social housing and Bill 136. Another concern highlights the differences between how the Province and the municipalities track their dollars; the different accounting practices result in confusion and apparent contradictions in their financial reports to the public. Region wants to ensure a seamless (without impact on public) transition of services and a protection of property tax levels into the future.
   • Speeding on Riverside Dr. (see below).
   • Delay in the construction of the Airport Parkway ramps (see below).

   Call Wendy's office at 560-1223 for more information.

2. City Ward 0T8 Councillor, Karin Howard, reported on the following:
   • City held the decision on the construction of 2-storey addition to an existing building at 280 Hunt Club Rd. until 8 Sep in order to obtain community feedback. HCCO approved the decision to allow construction.
   • Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre (HCRCC) expansion. City, in coordination with Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan effort, has completed an existing conditions review of the HCRCC. Review will be presented to the Plan Public Advisory Council (PAC) at their next meeting on 24 Sep 97. Final recommendations scheduled for Spring 98.
   • Mooney's Bay Ward has a local 13-member council. The successful implementation of this council depends on the principles it adopts and the way in which it presents its role to the public, the City, the Region, and the Province. The council requires public support and majority approval from all 3 government levels before it can be implemented. If it fails to be implemented, the Province will step in.
   • Hospital closures. Karin wants to maintain basic services until future time when these hospitals will be needed again.
   • Women firefighters. The process for hiring firefighters seems to be flawed in favor of hiring men over women, and will need to be looked at and changed.
   • Impact on City finances due to Provincial government cutbacks indicate a $250 shortfall per household per year for education.

   For city-related issues, call Karin's office at 244-5365 (fax 244-5373, Freenet address "bg059@freenet.carleton.ca".

3. Fighting the effects of cars speeding on Riverside Dr.:
   • Meeting was held in August with reps from community to review ways of changing the speed zoning on Riverside Dr. just north of Hunt Club Road to 70-80 kph to enable region to reduce the speed limit around Mooney's Bay to 60 kph.
   • The increase in speed will make the limit correspond to the speed cars actually drive with along that stretch, and therefore will not contribute to raising the noise level due to traffic.
   • Region is continuing to investigate ways to minimize noise in the vicinity of Hackett Pond.
   • Region plans to implement the changed speed zoning once timing and other details are confirmed.

   For more information, contact Wendy Stewart at 560-1223.

4. Airport Parkway ramps:
   • Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Environmental Assessment Branch has directed the RMOC to complete the Schedule B screening process by filing the project information for public review for 30 days before beginning work on the project. This delays the beginning of work by at least 30 days.
   • The Glebe Report local newspaper, 12 Sep issue, printed articles commenting on this process. The articles, supplemented by letters from residents, indicate an increasing awareness that the ramps are but one component of a two-component concern: the twinning of the Airport parkway being the other component.
   • The City Centre Coalition is holding a public meeting on the ramp component 8pm Thu 25 Sep at the Glebe Community Centre.

   For more information, call Wendy Stewart at 560-1223 .

5. Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan update:
   • Bob Spicer, Senior Planner for City Planning Branch, has become the new City representative and chair of the PAC.
   • Next PAC meeting scheduled for 7:30pm Wed 24 Sep at the HCRCC.
   • Existing Conditions Report, summarizing the public input resulting from the open house on 28 May at the Holy Family Public School, is now available for review and will be discussed that the next PAC meeting on 24 Sep.

   For more information, contact Bob Spicer at 244-5300-1-3858.

6. Hunt Club Corridor Protection Association (HCCPA):
   • Peter Foulger and Shelley Parlow introduced the organization, which has appr. 72 members, with 263 names signed in support, and its objectives.
   • The HCCPA is to meet at 7:30pm on Tue 9 Sep at the HCRCC.
   • The best time to lobby for the protection of the southern corridor is prior to elections, which are to be held in Nov 97. The City will be voting on their Z2020 zoning bylaw after the elections. Z2020 as it is proposed will continue to maintain the current zoning (only the code representations will change) for the southern corridor. Current zoning divides the corridor horizontally into a light industrial zone in the north and a public use zone in the south.
   • The difference from previous zoning, however, is that all parties have agreed to protect McCarthy Woods.
   • Value of southern corridor from McCarthy Woods to Riverside Dr. is estimated at about $7.5M. This is the amount of money the federal Treasury Board might get if the NCC sold the land to developers.
   • Question was raised that, should the NCC decide to sell, would it not be required by law to offer the land to the original owners first, because this land was originally expropriated by the NCC.
   • Local residents in the area west of McCarthy Rd. find the HCRCC and associated open areas too far to access conveniently and require a park/open space closer to home.
   • Some question about boundaries of the corridor lands: when will the City survey the area; does the NCC have surveys and, if so, why does the City need to wait for a survey to take place? City said it was waiting for the Natural and Open Spaces Study (NOSS) to complete its task before purchasing ESAs; however the southern corridor is not identified as an ESA.
   • If McCarthy Woods is isolated from flow of animals and vegetation, it will die and we could lose it as a viable environmental area.
   • Can't freeze development without freezing population; therefore, some compromise will have to be made: better planning to preserve existing natural assets and redevelop "brown" spaces in the already urbanized lands.
   • NCC wants to preserve natural strip along northern boundary of corridor (under hydro wires and by CNN railway tracks), rather than southern boundary beside Hunt Club residents.

   Call Peter Foulger at 736-0762 (fax 736-7052) for more information.

7. Hunt Club Community web site:
   • Members were shown a new community-oriented website, on a notebook computer.
   • HCCO moved and voted to support the establishment of a community website by donating $100 to Carleton Freenet.

   Call Peter Vasdi at 737-6000 (fax 737-5868) for more information.

8. Regional police propose to support a community justice system to enable members of the community deal with offenders:
   • Would allow offenders who live in the area and commit crimes in the area to serve minor sentences in the area doing community-related work. This could help reintegrate such offenders into the society they know. Offenders must agree to serve in this manner and would be judged by an inner circle of trained community members.
   • Some 4 members of our community have volunteers; the program needs about 2 more.
   • Orientation meeting will be held for people interested in establishing this service, at 7pm Wed 17 Sep at South-East Ottawa Centre, 1743 St. Laurent Blvd, Suite 225.

   Call Anne Brandel at 523-7888, fax 521-9991 (at HCRCC) for more information.

9. Building more bicycle pathways in area
   • Current cycling plan is 3 years old and due for an update.
   • Ottawa Cycling Group needs community feedback on where such paths should go and in what form.
   • West side of McCarthy Rd. by HCRCC was pointed out as a potential cycle route; however, cars park there now. HCCO moved and voted to support a bicycle pathway there, separated from regular traffic by lines painted on the road. City could put up signs first, then paint the road.
   • One member recommended that 12% of the City transportation budget go to supporting bicycles because 12% of residents use bicycles.
   • The City received 200 signatures through the Girl Guides supporting the construction of a sidewalk along the west side of McCarthy Rd.

   Call Rob McCulloch at 230-4204, ext. 26, fax 230-5210, (or Alan Asselstine) for more information.

10. Other issues:
    • Moved and voted to organize an all-candidates meeting, together with Riverside Park. Alan Asselstine volunteered to coordinate the effort.
    • Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the HCCO to be scheduled.
11. Next HCCO meeting to be held Mon 6 Oct 97 at 7:30 p.m. at the HCRCC at the corner of Paul Anka and McCarthy. Anyone is welcome.

    Call Fred McLennan at 521-0682 for more information.

12. To submit any comments via computer (to Bill Royds):
    • Freenet address dz104@freenet.carleton.ca. Web address is www.ncf.carleton.ca/hunt-club
13. To access information on the HCCO via computer:
    • Sign onto Freenet; respond to prompt by "Go HCCO".

DISTRIBUTION

Bill Royds, Fred McLennan, Alan Asselstine, Art Miskew, Wendy Stewart, Karin Howard, Ken Moodie, Lois Tuffin, Sue Taylor, Michael Nihmey, Michael Cleary, Donna Allen, Anne Brandel, Nancy Seaby, Sandra Gorman, Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Peter Brimacombe, Warren Munroe, Robert Staples, Shelley Parlow, Peter Foulger, Rob McCulloch

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