By Liz Bernstein
Dear Neighbours,
Numerous members of the LCA have been very active over the summer. While I toured the national parks from Ottawa to the West Coast, those who stayed behind managed to conduct another successful AGM, organized a major event to celebrate the heritage designation of Macdonald Gardens Park and make plans to resurrect The Lowertown Echo.
With the help from three students hired through the Canada Summer Jobs program, members of the Heritage Committee worked all summer preparing to stage a major event marking the designation of the park. Councillor Fleury attended, as did several hundred others. There was cake for all. More of what happened can be found in the report from the Heritage Committee.
I arrived back in Ottawa just in time to see the opioid crisis in Ottawa finally reach the boiling point. Many people including, Mayor Watson, expected the LCA to take some action on the pop-up site in Brunet Park. However, in the view of the Board, the primary role of the LCA was to provide a forum for residents to express their concerns on all sides of this complex and difficult issue. Our September meeting was probably one of the most heated meetings in my time as your president.
Our view was that all levels of government have failed to respond to a growing national and local crisis in a timely manner. There is an urgent need for services, yet all levels of government seem to be dragging their feet in providing the necessary funding and approvals to set up safe-injection sites for the benefit of both drug users and residents. In response to a letter from Mayor Watson, the Board expressed its dismay at the lack of resolve by the City of Ottawa to tackle this problem.
In line with the sentiments expressed by residents following a presentation by Wendy Muckle, Executive Director of Inner City Health, at the monthly meeting in January as well as the views expressed in the recent survey conducted by the LCA, the Board has agreed to write a letter of support for groups seeking permission and funding to establish safe-injection sites.
Due to a mix-up in room scheduling, the October meeting had to be held in the gymnasium of the Routhier Centre. As is often the case, every item on the agenda took longer than planned, but overall the results provided another good example of why these monthly meetings are useful. A presentation on the Good Food Box and MarketMobile programs, a report on the most recent crime statistics and the councillor’s remarks prompted many questions from residents. I hope everyone left feeling it was a couple of hours well spent.
Looking ahead to our meeting on November 13, once again we will be making a call for volunteers to help with the work of the LCA, with the highest priority going to maintaining the ice rink in Bingham Park. Meetings are held from 7 to 9 pm at the Routhier Community Centre, 172 Guigues Avenue. I hope to see you there.