WE CAN ALL HELP PROTECT CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY

Last November a car went off the road and ended up close to the fence of the play area of the Bridlewood Childhood Learning Centre at the southeast corner of Stonehaven and Eagleson. No children were in play area at the time the car went off the road and the car was still outside the fence when it stopped, but the incident is a reminder of how easily a tragedy could have occurred.

The ultimate nightmare for any driver is hitting and injuring or killing someone. All of us try to do what we can to make sure that does not happen, but in a rush people can be tempted to skip basic safety measures like slowing down when taking corners. If we are concerned about the safety of children in our community we cannot afford to do that.

Meeting with people from the Bridlewood Child Learning Centre and the Church of the Nazarene, another safety issue related to people turning from Eagleson onto Stonehaven was raised. If people turning from Eagleson onto Stonehaven are going fast, they may not have time to avoid a car that is waiting to turn left from Stonehaven into the Church and the Child Learning Centre. For the large number of us who use the intersection of Eagleson and Stonehaven on a regular basis, it is a reminder not to speed through it.

DATES FOR 2008 GIVEAWAY WEEKENDS SET

Last year the City of Ottawa held its first “Giveaway Day.” On these days people can put unwanted household goods at the curb for other City residents to pick up for free.

To avoid confusion around rain days, this year there will be Giveaway Weekends lasting for two days. The dates for the Giveaway Weekends are June 7th and 8th and October 25th and 26th.

COYOTES IN THE GREENBELT

It did not receive a lot of attention, but buried in media reports on coyote issues near Greely was a comment by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources official about how coyotes had been living in the Greenbelt for some time without difficulty. As I was reminded last week, this likely means there are coyotes near Kanata.

The fact that coyotes have been living in the Greenbelt for many years without many of us being aware of it is a reminder of the pluses as well as the minuses. While coyotes avoid humans, there is a need to keep an eye out for pets and make sure garbage is properly stored. However, coyotes play a role in keeping other animal species that could cause problems if their numbers grow too rapidly under control.

HELPING LOCAL CHARITIES ON VALENTINES DAY

Every year the Capital City Chorus offers singing valentines. Half the funds from the singing valentines are donated to local charities. If you are interested you can get more information by going to www.capitalcitychorus.org or by calling 613-723-SING.

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