01 Dec River Ward E-Newsletter, December 1, 2025 | Bulletin électronique du Quartier Rivière, 1 décembre 2025
Dear Friends and Neighbours!
Wishing you an absolutely fantastic month of December.
You are invited to the River Ward Community Christmas Dinner on Thursday December 18 at the Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre (two seatings: 5pm and 6:15pm). Please RSVP with my office to secure your seats. This is a major event, serving approximately 450 people and you are most welcome to attend, there is no cost. If you live in Carlington, my office provides transportation to attend the 5pm seating. Please mention this when you contact my office.
There are a number of special events related to the holiday season this month: Mayor Sutcliffe’s City Hall Christmas Family Party (December 6, 3-6pm), Brookfield HS Christmas Concert (December 7, 3pm, admission fee), Caldwell Christmas Dinner (December 7, 4:30pm, Carlington Recreation Centre), Hanukkah (December 14-22), Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26), Kwanzaa (December 26 – January 1) and New Year’s Eve (December 31).
City Council will debate and ultimately pass the 2026 City Budget on December 10. Following the draft release on November 12, members of Council have been attending standing committee meetings to debate the various portions of the budget. On November 25, I co-hosted a public budget session that welcomed 48 people. Public feedback was appreciated and focused on affordability, housing and public transit.
Before we take a short break over the holiday season, Councillors will meet in Committee on December 17 and likely December 18 to debate and vote on the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review. This is a critical new bylaw that will have widespread ramifications on zoning, density, greenspace provision and the removal of parking minimum requirements for residential developments. I have been working closely with various community associations and residents on both the Official Plan and now Zoning Review. One matter of concern is the National Capital Commission’s request to have their lands in the southern corridor, from the Rideau River to Airport Parkway, in and around the McCarthy Woods, rezoned to ‘development reserve’. Although the McCarthy Woods are not slated for any development, lands abutting the woods are slated for rezoning. I am opposed to this, have been working with the two local community associations and have recently sat down with MP McGuinty’s staff to seek the MP’s support on this matter. The NCC has not shared their vision, engaged in any discussion or consultation or been transparent during this process.
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