THANK YOU TO THE MANY KANATA RESIDENTS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The biggest perk city councillors get is who we are able to meet while doing our jobs.

There are the students in the business class at A. Y. Jackson Secondary School who sold tickets to an Ottawa 67s game to help the family of Julianne Courneya meet the costs of the medical treatment she is receiving. At the Kanata Food Cupboard, people are working to ensure no one in our community will go hungry. People wrapping gifts at the Hazeldean Mall before Christmas were raising money to support the work of the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre and the Kanata Seniors Centre. People collecting beer bottles on Eagleson Road to fund the support provided by the Christmas Exchange for families in need.

These are just a few of the people I met over the last month who volunteer their time to make our community a better place. As we start a new year, it is worth reflecting on what volunteers give to our community.

If you volunteer your time, you can take pride in the contribution you are making. If you are thinking of volunteering, there are plenty of organizations waiting to hear from you.

CITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE REMINDER

The deadline for applying to be on one of the city’s advisory committees is Thursday, January 17, 2008.

To get more information or to apply, you can contact:
Stephanie Brown
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Phone: 613-580-2424, ext. 16760
Fax: 613-580-9609
E-mail: committees@ottawa.ca

COST OF END OF YEAR SNOW STORMS RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW CITY SHOULD DEAL WITH BUDGET SURPLUSES

In the past, when the City of Ottawa has had a surplus at the end of the year, it has been put into the reserves. The amount spent on snow ploughing as a result of the snowstorms at the end of 2007 is a reminder of why we do this. Just as the lack of snow at the end of 2006 added to the surplus, the higher than average snowfall at the end of 2007 pushed the city further into a deficit.

Because costs like snow ploughing can vary so much, what is budgeted will be what we can expect to spend in an average year. For that to be sustainable, surpluses from years when costs are lower than expected have to go into the city reserves to offset deficits from years when bad weather or other factors push up costs. 

As part of the 2007 budget, the $23 million surplus from the 2006 financial year was used as one time funding to allow Mayor Larry O’Brien the time he wanted to look for ways to reduce costs without affecting services. It was important to give the Mayor that chance, however, the end of year costs we faced in 2007 show why that practice is not financially sustainable.

FORESTS AND GREENSPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OFFERS CHANCE TO FIND OUT ABOUT NATURAL AREAS IN THE CITY

In addition to providing input for council, the city’s Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee has been organizing a “Walks in the Woods” series to give people a chance to learn more about natural areas in our city. Details can be found on the Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee website at http://www.ottawaforests.ca/events_e.htm. All events are free.

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