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Rideau-Rockcliffe is part of central Ottawa, and, like the central areas of most large cities, it shelters a great variety of neighbourhoods and lifestyles. I respect and like the diverse nature of this ward and have tried to serve the needs of each community as well as the good of the ward and the municipality as a whole.
In the course of an active decade in municipal politics, I have worked with many community groups. Some are dedicated to a specific neighbourhood, others to a specific municipal issue. Across the whole ward, I have developed the greatest respect for the willingness of residents to serve in a volunteer capacity for the good of their fellow citizens.
The following list provides an indication of the variety of projects where I have worked with residents to improve the quality of municipal life.
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Hochelaga: Improving police presence in the area to combat a rash of house break-ins.
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Carson Road: Creating Rockcliffe Mews Community Park, to include a soccer field, basketball facility and play structures.
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Carson Road: Consulting with the planners of La Cité collégiale to ensure that landscaping of the facility would enhance the neighbourhood. Achievements included tree-planting, berms and a reduction in exterior noise generating activities.
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Manor Park: Arguing the case against the Kettle Island Bridge at a 1999 Ontario Municipal Board hearing and participating in a Ring Road Support Group to lobby for a new interprovincial bridge near Orleans.
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Manor Park East: Facilitating the preservation of the Fairview Day Care.
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Overbrook-Forbes: Developing the concept and negotiating the funding to build the St. Laurent Recreation Complex on Côté Street, with a swimming pool, indoor rink, exercise centre, gymnasium, dance studio, meeting rooms, rehersal hall, branch library and a full activities program.
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New Edinburgh-Lindenlea: Negotiating the purchase of Crichton School to create a shared facility for the Crichton Community Cultural Centre and the Ottawa School of Dance and obtaining a $250,000 grant from the Region to support the adaptive re-use of the facility.
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New Edinburgh: Winning support in 1997 to have the extension of the Vanier Parkway through New Edinburgh Park deleted from the RMOC Official Plan.
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Rockcliffe Park: Obtaining a firm commitment from the Police Services Board and police staff to keep the Community Police Office beside Rockcliffe Park School open. The office also serves Manor Park, Lindenlea and New Edinburgh.
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New Edinburgh: Opposing a proposal by the NCC to reroute the #3 bus along Charles Street and lobbying the Transition Board to preserve historic street names.
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New Edinburgh-Lindenlea: Obtaining traffic light adjustments along Beechwood to make the crossings at Springfield and MacKay safer for seniors.
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Rockcliffe Park: Arranging in 1995 and 2001 for Rockcliffe's leaves to be vacuumed, not bagged, on environmental grounds, and for the Rockcliffe community to manage the process.
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Rockcliffe Park: Applying to the Ontario Government for Heritage Conservation District status, obtained in 1998.
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