Image description – Councillor Stéphanie Plante proudly holds her swearing in certificate while standing and smiling at the Inaugural Ceremony for the City of Ottawa Council 2022 – 2026.
Photograph courtesy of the City of Ottawa 

 

Thank you, Rideau-Vanier! 

I am so humbled and grateful to be elected your councillor, here in Rideau-Vanier. Thank you so much for putting your trust in me!

 Picture description – Councillor Stéphanie Plante smiles with her eyes as she leaves her signature during the Inaugural Ceremony for the Council 2022 – 2026.
Photograph courtesy of the City of Ottawa

 Picture description Councillor Plante in a profile position, attending COP 15 and wearing a ”Canada” tshirt. Photography courtesy of Councillor Carr

And as there is nothing bigger than doing our part to save the planet, I was pleased that Councillor Carr and I were fortunate enough to be chosen by Council to be their delegates at the recent 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (COP-15) in Montreal. At COP-15 it was cities that came out of the gate to declare their role in protecting greenspaces and wetlands to stop biodiversity loss. Midway through COP-15, Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante announced the Montreal Pledge to which 47 major cities have now signed on, including Vancouver, Toronto, Windsor, Longueil and Gatineau. The eventual ‘30-by-30’ deal reached on the last day of the conference had delegates including Canada committing to protect 30% of land, coastal and marine areas by 2030. While this may seem easy given Canada’s size and uninhabited areas, the Montreal Pledge will be more difficult for cities like Ottawa that have competing challenges (intensification, inflation, transit, snow removal, water purification, housing, parks and recreation) and fewer financial envelopes to meet them (e.g. Bill 23). One thing that should compel our nation’s capital to act on biodiversity is the reality that protecting nature is financially rewarding in the long-term and contributes to our quality of life.

Top Image, on the left – Stéphanie and Saslove’s Meat Market’s Owner Jon Diener, pictured in front of the iconic butcher shop.
Top Image, on the right – Stéphanie and Inuit artist Aliqa Ilauq pictured during International Inuit Day celebrated at the Annie Pootoogook Park located in the heart of Sandy Hill.
Bottom image, in the centre – (from left to right) Laine Johnson, College Ward Councillor, Jessica Bradley, Gloucester-Southgate Ward Councillor, Stéphanie Plante, your Councillor, Marty Carr, Alta Vista Ward Councillor and Ariel Troster, Somerset Ward Councillor.

It’s been an eventful 40 days since I took on the responsibilities that the people of Rideau – Vanier entrusted to me as your representative on City Council.

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a larger difference. 
I campaigned on several themes, including enhancing la francophonie in Ottawa.  So, it was fitting that my first motion [No. 2022 – 03/19] at Council, was to ensure that Francophone is considered as a distinct attribute in the city’s selection process for appointing people to its many boards. If you are interested in serving on any of these boards, self-nominations are now open.

A big thing that many residents of Vanier worked for and want to see is a revitalized Montreal Road, so I was shocked to see a motion 15.7  being put forward at the first full city Council meeting to suspend the Community Improvement Plan on Montreal Road, which with its inclusion of housing provisions is unique, and the city’s brownfield reclamation program. I, along with some of my council colleagues, and the city’s BIAs were able to convince the mover and seconder of the motion – the Mayor – to change the motion to drop the reference to the Community Investment Program but not brownfields.  Fortunately, I convinced a majority of Council to support my motion to exclude Montreal Road from the measure, as there are number of projects that are already in process.

I did support the Mayor’s motion to direct staff to prepare a budget with a 2.5 % increase as it was consistent with what I campaigned on, but I am not prepared to vote for a budget with draconian cuts to programs that assist our most vulnerable neighbours, and as a member of the Community Services Committee, I will have an opportunity to help craft that part of the budget. And you can assist me in that, by participating in the budget consultations I will be hosting early in the new year. 

I will also be serving on the Emergency Preparedness Committee and have already been meeting the senior city officials to be sure there are adequate plans in place to prevent the chaos of another occupation of the city by Truckers2.0 or any other groups.

As Vice Chair of the Build Heritage Committee I am looking forward to working with Councillor Rawlson King, at committee and in the community, on the many joint city projects that impact both our wards.

 Lastly, sometimes the biggest differences in our lives are made the smallest kindness.   So, during this holiday season – and throughout 2023 – lets be kind – to ourselves and to each other.

Picture Description Councillor Stéphanie Plante along with many important memebers of our community celebrating the holidays at the Vanier Hub from left to right, Lucille Collard, our provincial member of Parliament, Rawlson King, councillor for Rideua-Vanier and Mathieu Fleury, previous councillor for Rideau-Vanier. 

Holiday season schedule change

Client Service Centres
  • The City’s 3-1-1 Contact Centre will be open for urgent matters only. Please visit ottawa.ca/311 for more information.
  • The Client Services Centres at Ottawa City Hall, Ben Franklin Place, 580 Terry Fox Drive, 255 Centrum Boulevard and the City’s Provincial Offences Court at 100 Constellation Drive will be closed on Monday, January 2.
  • The Business Licensing Centre at 735 Industrial Avenue will be closed.
Green bin, recycling and garbage collection
  • Curbside and multi-residential green bin, recycling, garbage and bulky item collection will take place as per the regular schedule. Collection will not be delayed due to New Year’s Day.
  • The Trail Waste Facility will be closed on Sunday, January 1.
  • Christmas trees will be picked up on your regular collection day. Please remove all decorations. Christmas trees in plastic bags or frozen into a snowbank will not be collected. You are welcome to bring it to Canal Rideau to grace the trails.
Parking
  • Free parking will be available at City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, from Saturday, December 31 at 4 pm until Monday, January 2 at 7 am.
  • The ByWard Market Garage at 70 Clarence Street and the Dalhousie Garage at 141 Clarence Street will offer free parking from Saturday, December 31 at 4 pm until Monday, January 2 at 7 am.
  • At these facilities, exit gates will be placed in the ‘up’ position during these time periods to allow for free exits. All other City parking regulations and restrictions apply.
Transit Services
  • OC Transpo holiday service will run from Sunday, December 25 to Friday, January 6. Shopper routes will operate on a normal schedule throughout the holiday period. Visit octranspo.com for information on hours of operation, frequency adjustments and schedules for bus routes and O-Train Line 1 during the holidays.
  • From Saturday, December 24 until Friday, January 6, the whole family can ride all day on a Family DayPass for only $11.25. A family can be made up of as many as six people, with a maximum of two aged 13 and older.
  • Customers can get real-time schedule information, 24 hours a day, by calling 613-560-1000 or texting 560560 plus their four-digit bus stop number or first three letters of the station name.
  • OC Transpo Customer Service (613-560-5000) will be open throughout the holidays to help customers with schedules and trip planning, including:
    • Saturday, December 31 from 8 am to 9 pm
    • Sunday, January 1 from 9 am to 5 pm
  • The Rideau Centre OC Transpo Customer Service Centre will be closed on Sunday, December 25 and Sunday, January 1. It will be open:
    • Saturday, December 31 from 10 am to 5 pm
    • All other OC Transpo Customer Service Centres currently remain closed.
  • Para Transpo operations:
    • Para Transpo will operate during regular hours throughout the holidays.
    • Regular scheduled trips are automatically cancelled, but customers may book trips for these days by calling 613-560-5000, or by using My Para Transpo, up to seven days prior to the holiday.
    • Customers are reminded to suspend their regular booking if they will be on vacation during the holiday season.
    • Para Transpo phone reservation and information / cancellation lines will be available over the holidays during regular hours.
    • Para Transpo customers can also text 57272 to live text with Customer Service Representatives from 6 am to 12:30 am.
  • The taxi coupon line will be closed Sunday, January 1.
  • To contact Para Transpo regarding holiday scheduling, visit octranspo.com or call 613-560-5000.
  • In partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Ottawa and the City’s Safer Roads Ottawa Program, OC Transpo is offering no-charge service on buses, the O-Train and Para Transpo on Saturday, December 31 from 6 pm to 4 am. Use the Travel Planner to plan your New Year’s Eve trip.
  • OC Transpo will operate a Saturday schedule on Saturday, December 31, with additional service on busy routes. O-Train Line 1 will run until 2 am, after which Night bus service will run through downtown. Line 2 buses will run until 1 am. Fare gates will be open, and OC Transpo will have staff at some stations to help customers.
  • Para Transpo will run until 3 am, with last trips booked at 2:30 am for urban trips or 2 am for rural trips.
  • OC Transpo Lost and Found will be closed all day on Monday, January 2.
  • For more information on holiday service, visit octranspo.com or call 613-560-5000. You can also connect with OC Transpo through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Recreation and cultural services
  • Pools, arenas and fitness centres will operate on modified schedules during the holiday season, including public swimming, fitness and public skating facilities. Please check ottawa.ca for schedules.
  • Some holiday-themed registered programs will be offered at community centres and arenas. Browse register.ottawa.ca or check with your facility to register.
  • Holiday schedules for refrigerated outdoor rinks, including the Rink of Dreams, Lansdowne Park skating court, Ben Franklin Place skating rink and Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink can be found at ottawa.ca/skating. Check the alert status on the homepage of ottawa.ca to confirm that the rink is open.
  • Community outdoor rinks will open by Thursday, December 29, weather permitting.
  • Shenkman Arts Centre will be closed Sunday, January 1 to Tuesday, January 3.
  • The Box Office at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe will be closed until Monday, January 9.
  • Archives Branch (James Bartleman Centre and the Rideau Archives) will be closed until Monday, January 2.
Ottawa Public Health
  • Visit the COVID-19 Testing page for testing centre and care clinic hours and availability.
  • The Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Line will be closed Monday, January 2.
  • The Sexual Health Clinic and satellite clinics will be closed Monday, January 2.
  • The Site program office and supervised consumption services at 179 Clarence Street will be closed Monday, January 2. The Site mobile van will operate as usual from 5 to 11:30 pm.
  • The Ottawa Public Health Information Centre will be closed Monday, January 2.
  • Dental clinics will be closed Monday, January 2. Parenting-In-Ottawa drop-ins will be closed on Sunday, January 1 and Monday, January 2. Check the Parenting-in-Ottawa drop-ins calendar for clinic hours and availability.
Municipal child-care services
  • All Municipal child-care centres will be closed on Monday, January 2.
  • Parents are advised to check their child care centre operating hours during the holiday season.
Library services
For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through FacebookTwitter and Instagram