KANATA NORTH NEWS Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North WORKSHOP, 2 THE PARKWAY

The workshop on 2 The Parkway was held last Tuesday, Jan 24th. Unfortunately, the copy submitted to the Kanata Kourier-Standard contained an error and indicated that the date would be in February. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion that this has caused. I am in the process of arranging a second workshop for those who were unable to attend or did not know of the error. Please let me know if youd like to attend. The zoning for this property has engendered a great deal of interest, so having a second opportunity to present your vision for this property makes sense. I have not yet been told what planning staff will be recommending or the timeline for the report on this zoning request to go to the Planning Committee. The developer had agreed in December to provide more time for the community to deal with this issue. I want to use that time to give everyone an opportunity to have a say in what theyd like to see on that property. As soon as I have that information, Ill forward it to the community association and include it in the next column. I do not make the Citys recommendation on any zoning issue that is done by professional staff but if a position can be determined by the community from dialogue between me and affected residents, then that position has a strong possibility of being accepted by staff. Ive done this successfully for several other zoning issues. This normally takes a number of meetings and certainly involves ongoing dialogue.

WARD COUNCIL Jan. 30th, 7-9 pm, Program Room, Kanata Seniors Centre, 2500 Campeau
The first Ward Council meeting for 2012 will focus on a number of issues, including zoning amendment requests, bus service, real-time bus information, construction activity, the Kizell wetland, updates on the Kanata North Recreation Complex and the Library addition, winter operations, speeding and traffic concerns, upcoming events and police activities in our area. I will also report on the progress to set a date for a public meeting on the results of the Phase 1 report on drainage in the Kizell/Beaver Pond area. You can bring your questions on any issue in your community as well. Ward Council meetings are open to all members of the community.

JEAN PIGOTT
Ottawa lost a great champion for our city with the passing of Jean Pigott. My family were friends with her parents and as a small child I accompanied them to their home a wonderful place for hide and seek! Jean and her sisters, Grete and Gay, have served Ottawa well over the years. I am privileged to have known them, to learn from them and to enjoy their friendship. Jean was one of the most positive people I have known. Jean always made the person she was talking to feel that they were the most important person in the room. Her glass was always half full and I never knew her to be negative. We will miss her.

HEALTH HUB
Ive attended several meetings with representatives from the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, the Queensway-Carleton Hospital and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) on the need for health services in Kanata. MPP Jack MacLaren also attended one of the meetings. An analysis of what is needed in the short and long term is now underway and I am hopeful that we will be able to complete the first stage of a multi-service health model within a few years.

WINTER DRIVING
With the ice storms we have been having lately, followed by very cold weather, it has been difficult to remove ice from many streets and sidewalks. City staff does an incredible job, in a short period of time, to keep streets and sidewalks open. However, since salt doesnt work well in very cold temperatures, a build up of ice can occur. Please reduce your speed, watch for children walking to school and keep our communities safe.

COMMUNITY REMINDERS
Mon. Jan 30, 7-9 pm, Ward Council, Mlacak Centre TBA, an Information Meeting on Radon Gas - watch my website for details about a meeting on Radon Gas in your home and ways to deal with it. Contact me at 613-580-2474, email Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca, or visit www.mariannewilkinson.com to keep up to date on community matters.