Submitted by Jeff Leiper, Kitchissippi ward councillor
Summer has settled in to Kitchissippi, and with it comes many fun events across the ward!
Summer activities
The Hintonburg 5k and 1k race is back on July 14! This fun and family-friendly race is perfect for seasoned athletes and new runners alike. Join your neighbours on a run through Hintonburg and enjoy some post-race refreshments at Parkdale Park. Registration closes on July 10, so check out the registration site to get signed up and view the interactive course map.
Every Sunday all summer long, join the Wellington West BIA for their Social Sundays event. This event series seeks to bring the community together and highlight amazing local businesses in different areas of the Wellington Village and Hintonburg through live music and activities for all ages. Social Sundays happen rain or shine from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Sunday until Sept. 15. Check out the Wellington West BIA website for more details.
The Bagel Shop is bringing back their Musicfest for another year! Every Wednesday and Sunday until Aug. 11, head to The Bagel Shop for live musical performances from local artists at 2:30 p.m. Head to The Bagel Shop website to see the full lineup and plan your visit.
Finally, if you’re looking to get fit and give back this summer, Wellness in Westboro has you covered. Every Saturday morning until Aug. 31, various fitness professionals from Westboro Village are offering low-cost outdoor fitness classes for all-levels in Lions Park. Classes cost a minimum of $10 and all proceeds go to the Churchill Alternative School playground renewal and outdoor equipment program. Check out the full schedule of classes and register in advance.
Implementation of paid parking
I’m writing part of this after having participated in the Kitchissippi parking strategy debate at the Transportation Committee. It will not come as a surprise that the committee recommended approval of the strategy that would see the implementation of paid parking on the main commercial stretch of our ward. I re-iterated my support for paid parking at the meeting, and I continue to believe it is the best way to relieve parking pressure across the ward and ensure that spots are available for customers to our shops and restaurants.
I was disappointed, however, that the committee did not support my motion to delay implementation of paid parking until after the western extension of Stage 2 LRT is in service. The staff recommendation in favour of paid parking recognized the challenge that removing the street parking used by employees would pose for the people who work in our shops and restaurants who come in from across the city. A key mitigation, they have asserted, will be improving transit – particularly LRT. I wholeheartedly agree. But the reality ahead of LRT service is that our route changes will actually diminish bus service in the ward in the interim. Delaying the implementation of paid parking would have matched our words to our actions.
Traffic impacts on Scott Street
As part of the Scott Street project it looks likely that they’ll have to make that artery one-way eastbound between Parkdale and Bayview Station Road starting in mid-July through the end of August. During that time, westbound buses and private vehicles will be detoured onto Bayview Station, Burnside and Parkdale to return to Scott. Ben in my office and I are asking the City to press for speed enforcement during those weeks to mitigate what we think will be some heavier, faster traffic – particularly off-peak. At the same time the LRT Confederation Line will be shut down between Tunney’s and Rideau from July 15-28. The train will operate from Blair to UOttawa, and replacement bus service will run from Tunney’s to Hurdman. As a consequence of the Scott shutdown, those westbound R1s will have to use the same detour. Again, we’ll be pressing OC to do speed enforcement of its operators at various times. It’s going to be busier and noisier as a result – but I’m excited by how Scott Street is shaping up, and a little short-term disruption is worth it. Better now in the dead of summer than later in the year.
