Walk my Ward is a CTV News series featuring all 24 wards across the city. Every night until the municipal election, CTV News Ottawa at Six will feature one ward and the issues its voters are concerned about. They say you need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to understand what they’re going through. CTV News Ottawa walked through all 24 of Ottawa’s wards to see some of the city’s issues through the people who live here, rather than the voices of politicians. From the growing suburbs of Barrhaven, Riverside South, Kanata, Stittsville and Orléans to the rural roads of Osgoode, Rideau-Jock and West Carleton-March, residents have priorities and issues that shape life across the capital. Some concerns were familiar city-wide: transit, traffic, infrastructure and growth. For some residents, the biggest challenge is a long or unreliable commute. Alexei Angell grew up in Orléans and now lives in Orléans-East Cumberland Ward. He says he has given up on transit. “I used to take transit. One of the reasons why I don’t take more is because my commute would be two hours. Mostly because the bus would be unpredictable. Or the train… I just realized it was just way too long, and it was just waiting for the next train to break down,” he said. But how those issues are experienced can be dramatically different. Glebe resident Cullen McGraill says congestion on Bank Street means he is often left at a standstill. “I love the Glebe, but I also love being able to leave the Glebe and at times that is not the easiest. The (Route) 6 or 7 are kind of the main buses to get in and out of the neighborhood, but they are difficult ones,” he said. “I do find kind of being able to get in and out of the neighborhood can be quite challenging at times, especially the second anything’s happening at Lansdowne.” For others, it’s roads and sidewalks that need attention, construction disrupting daily life or infrastructure struggling to keep pace with new development. One resident in Alta Vista called the sidewalks “unwelcome.” “They’re crumbling and they fix some further down near Smyth Road… We have schools up the way, a library, churches, those are the sidewalks they need to fix. They’re very uneven and unsafe.” Infrastructure and road renewal was also top of mind for many in rural areas like Navan. Berry Johnston says he can “barely stay in the truck” on some roads in his ward. CTV News Ottawa saw communities still grappling with flooding from this summer, especially in Bay Ward and Knoxdale-Merivale. “They haven’t done anything to maintain the infrastructure, the piping underneath the streets and majority of the streets in Crystal Beach, there’s a few that were done, but most of them haven’t been. Somehow, we fell through the cracks, and they just left us there. We’re still in the crack,” said Jen Johnston, who lives in Crystal Beach. Ross Lewis who lives in College Ward adds: “Has the infrastructure been expanded? Not since I’ve been here. So, in our road, those sewers have been there 70 years with nothing to handle the extra waste and whatever that may be flowing from there,” Intensification and housing are a growing concern in residential areas, such as Stittsville. “I’m kind of concerned that the development companies building all these houses aren’t responsible for building sustainable infrastructure, and that is a concern,” said Eva Cox. In Kitchissippi Ward, infill is a hot topic of discussion. Len Tucker wants the city to “put a pause on the blanket zoning in Ottawa. Just like Calgary.” “Follow that example. Why? Because people’s lives are being impacted both on the quality of life and that goes on. Safety issue. How they enjoy their environment, birds, foliage, canopy, which are all important, and pushing the normal family out of the core,” Tucker said. With intensification, comes more vehicles and traffic. In Barrhaven, Rhona Feraco says traffic is only getting worse. “Really with the Amazon over by the Costco… there’s another Amazon apparently coming. It’s just really busy. Like on a Saturday or any day. In fact, the traffic is unbelievable,” Feraco said. There are the issues unique to individual wards, such as supporting growth in the high-tech sector in Kanata or supporting parking around hospitals in Alta Vista. Nearly 80 percent of Ottawa is rural. And residents are focused on preserving rural character, supporting local businesses and maintaining the community spaces that bring neighbours together. “Farming is like any other business… but the rules that are trying to be applied to us are the same as somebody who’s running a business on Bank Street or in the Glebe, and a lot of those just don’t cross, they don’t mesh,” said farmer Shane Mowat.
