Checking on your neighbours
With many people in our community still being impacted by Saturday’s storm, it is incredibly important that we remember to check in on our neighbours, friends, and family. I was out in the community yesterday, and will be out again today to visit residents impacted by this event. I spoke with many residents yesterday, and I hear your concerns regarding the power outages and damage from trees, powerlines and brush. My team and I are working with the city and Hydro Ottawa to ensure that all incidents are reported.
If you know someone who is in need of assistance, please reach out to my office and we would be happy to support in whatever way we can. We are optimistic that Hydro will be restored soon; Hydro Ottawa CEO has indicated that they expect the full system across the city to be up and running by Friday. I hear your frustrations, and I appreciate your patience. I also want to thank those within the community that have went above and beyond to help those around them. Remember, important city resources such as 2-1-1 offers assistance in getting set up with emergency food services. If you are in need of emergency assistance related to loss of food, you can apply by calling 3-1-1, select 1 for English or 2 for French, and 4 for social services.
The damage our community has suffered is beyond belief. This will take our city many weeks to fully recover. I will continue to communicate updates through my Newsletter, website, and social media channels. Please share this email with your neighbours. Residents can also email my office and Diane.deans@ottawa.ca to be added to my mailing list.
-Diane
Update from Hydro Ottawa CEO
Last night, our office was provided with the following update from Hydro Ottawa CEO –
“108,000 customers restored as Hydro Ottawa crews make progress
I am pleased to inform you that as of 7:00 p.m. tonight, power has been restored to 108,000 customers across the full breadth of our service territory. Crews continue to work non-stop across the city making areas safe and restoring as many customers as possible in the first of many ‘big’ construction days. Our efforts are being supported by contractors and utility partners from as far away as the Greater Toronto Area, Kingston and New Brunswick. Additional crews are expected to arrive tomorrow morning. In many cases, the restoration efforts will be lengthy as crews find additional damage, deal with downed trees, 200+ damaged hydro poles and other obstacles on a house-by-house basis across the city.
There are approximately 72,000 customers that remain without power this evening, and our hope is that we will be able to restore power to another 7,000-8,000 customers over the course of this evening and through the night. I have been very cautious about making any public statements with respect to restoration, other than to say that we expect the full system to be up and running within the next three days (by Friday of this week). To be clear, as I spoke to a number of you today, and over the last few days, even when the system is up and running, there will be a significant number of homes that will still not be connected and will require additional support (largely because of damage to their properties or obstacles in and around their houses). We are prepared for that and will have crews ready to support in those instances.”
Damaged trees and brush
Property owners do not need a permit to remove dead or hazardous trees on their private property where the tree is an immediate threat to public health and safety or will not survive the damage sustained. Photos should be taken before removal to provide evidence of the condition of the tree should there by future inquiries.
City crews are working to remove tree branches and yard waste, but it will take several weeks before the cleanup is finished. If possible, residents should bring tree-cuttings, branches and brush to the curb for collection, ensuring it does not impede the roadway or pedestrian access. Please separate brush like tree cuttings or branches from non-organic storm-related waste like damaged lawn furniture or broken fencing.
City establishes additional supports for organic waste disposal
Anticipating increased need for disposing spoiled food, the City has set up several sites where residents will have ongoing access to organics-only waste dumpsters. Several new sites have been established and more are being added.
Bins are in place and ready for use at the following locations:
- Navan Memorial Centre at 1295 Colonial Road
- CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn at 1500 Shea Road
- Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre at 3320 Paul Anka Drive
- Howard Darwin Centennial Arena at 1765 Merivale Road
- NEW: Walter Baker Sports Centre at 100 Malvern Drive
- NEW: Minto Recreation Complex at 3500 Cambrian Road
- NEW: Osgoode Community Centre at 5662 Osgoode Main Street
- NEW: Orléans Library at 1705 Orléans Boulevard
- NEW: Lincoln Fields at 2525 Carling Avenue