ANSWERS NEEDED ON OCTOBER 4TH POWER OUTAGE

While Hydro Ottawa have spent a large portion of their capital budget in Kanata, the power outage October 4 raises questions about whether more work is needed. For many residents power was out for several hours. Some businesses still did not have power back on the next morning.

I have made sure that the President of Hydro Ottawa, the Chief Operating Officer and the three councillors who sit on the board of Hydro Ottawa get a clear picture of how Kanata residents feel. At the Annual General Meeting of Hydro Ottawa, which is scheduled for October 24, I will be raising questions about what additional work is planned.

When power went off in Kanata on the evening of October 4, residents had trouble getting information about the outage. Many people have told me they were unable to get through to Ottawa Hydro. There was no information on the radio and people trying to get information through their Blackberries found nothing.

I have been told by Hydro Ottawa that they did a phone around to the media. That suggests that additional measures are needed to get word out, particularly when an outage looks like it will last for several hours. In an age of text messaging and Blackberries, people should be able to get updates when there is a serious outage.

FLU SHOT CLINICS

Every year the City of Ottawa holds flu shot clinics around the City to make it as easy as possible to get a flu vaccine. People can just show up and get the shot.

Clinics in Kanata or nearby are:

Saturday, October 27
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Holy Trinity High School
180 Katimavik Road

Wednesday, November 14
3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
All Saints High School
5115 Kanata Avenue

Tuesday, November 27
3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart High School
5870 Abbott Road, Stittsville

Monday, December 3
3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Bayshore Public School
145 Woodridge Crescent

Tuesday, December 11
3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Holy Trinity High School
180 Katimavik Road

Tuesday, January 15
3:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
All Saints High School
5115 Kanata Avenue

KANATA SCHOOLS DO THEIR PART IN GREENING THE CITY

The goal of the City of Ottawa’s TREE program is to increase the number of trees in urban and rural areas. In addition to enhancing the appearance of the community, we see a number of environmental benefits.

Earlier this month, I had the chance to deliver grants from the City to St. Anne’s Catholic School Council and Roch Carriere Public School Council to help with their effects to plant trees. Under the TREE program, the City provides funds for the trees, provided community groups take responsibility for maintenance. The efforts of the St. Anne’s and Roch Carriere school communities help improve tree cover in our community in a cost effective manner.

CONGRATULATIONS TO A.Y. JACKSON STUDENTS AND STAFF ON PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL CONNECTION SUMMIT

As a result of being designated a Global Learning Centre by the International School Connection (ISC), a delegation of students and staff from A. Y. Jackson Secondary School is attending the Annual Global Summit in Beijing this month. The designation as a Global Learning Centre and the participation in the summit reflect a lot of hard work and congratulations are due to everyone involved.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA SOUTH

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2752 (office), 580-2762 (fax), www.feltmateforkanata.com or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca