Category: Housing and Homelessness
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Back to the table on Build Canada Homes
Last December, the Prime Minister announced that Ottawa would be the first city to receive federal help through the new Build Canada Homes initiative. Late Thursday night ahead of the long weekend, we learned the details of the proposed deal that Mayor Sutcliffe has struck with the feds. There is less than a week before…
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250 Lanark shelter
Good morning, Kitchissippi. As residents know from my newsletter, the former CBC building at 250 Lanark – the Graham Spry building – is currently being used as temporary overnight shelter. That use began in January 2024, and permission for its use has been extended several times by the federal government. In the last few weeks,…
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Matthew Perry House announces Royal campus location; open house March 20
This morning, I was very pleased that the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada announced its intention to build a Matthew Perry House supportive housing development on the campus of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre at 1145 Carling Avenue. I encourage everyone to read the press release with more details here. The project is a…
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Candidate survey responses
On January 29, I sent a survey of Kitchissippi-related provincial election questions to each of Simon Beckett (Green), Scott Healey (PC Party of Ontario), Catherine McKenney (New Democratic), and Thomas Simpson (Liberal) with a deadline of February 14. By February 15, only Catherine McKenney and Thomas Simpson had responded. Following are Simpson and McKenney’s answers….
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2026 Ontario election candidates survey
Dear Simon Beckett (Green), Scott Healey (Conservative), Catherine McKenney (New Democratic), and Thomas Simpson (Liberal) Thanks to each of you as candidates. I and the residents of Kitchissippi are grateful for your unique and important service. Below, I’ve posed a number of questions to which Kitchissippi residents would be grateful to have your answers. There…
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Opening our neighbourhoods to shelters
Today at our Planning and Housing Committee meeting, I gave notice that I’ll be asking Council to fast-forward the proposal to remove any zoning barrier to building shelters[1] more widely across Ottawa’s urban area as the Official Plan directs us to do. I want to let residents know why. Zoning rules give Council the ability…
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Potential warming centre at Kitchissippi United
Multiple parents and community members have been writing to me about the potential use by the City to operate an overnight warming shelter at Kitchissippi United. I worked yesterday afternoon and last night to get up to speed. Parents at the Ottawa Children’s Montessori school (a tenant at Kitchissippi United) and some community members have…