VCA develops 20 priorities that should be included in the 2019-2022 City of Ottawa Term of Council. We believe Ottawa should become a smart world-class green capital city, resilient in the face of climate change, and a leader in the transition to a low carbon economy. Whereas 100+ cities have already developed climate adaptation and/or mitigation plans, Ottawa does not any. Yet, U.S researchers are warning us that we have a 10 year window to reverse the current C02 trend. So far, Vancouver and Halifax have declared Climate Emergency, more Canadian cities are to follow. What about Ottawa ?

Thank you Chair, my name is Chris Greenshields, I am speaking on behalf of the Vanier Community Association, the VCA.  I am a board member and Chair of the VCA’s Sustainable Development and Transportation Committee.

First, I wish to commend City staff for their report and recommendations.  The report is comprehensive and we support the recommendations, while recognizing the limitations placed on the role of municipalities by the Ontario Cannabis Licence Act.  We support the recommendation to opt in recognizing the benefits of a legal regime for the sale of cannabis in Ottawa.  The VCA has submitted a report as further background as City Council considers  the issues related to the development and implementation of a Cannabis regime.  This report and our recommendations, in addition to City staff recommendations, reflect our particular concerns about the proliferation of cannabis retail stores, the importance of separation distances between stores and to avoid concentration, or clustering of stores, in sensitive and vulnerable communities like Vanier.   We also favour provision for public consultations.

Our community has already spoken up about pay-day loans and the City’s need to avoid clustering of such businesses in vulnerable communities.  We were encouraged by the Province’s enabling legislation in this regard; we are waiting for City action on it, but we welcome that in the City staff’s cannabis report, separation is increasingly being recognized in planning decisions.  We hope that finally, recognition is consistently being given by the City to the harm of the concentration of single-type businesses in a vulnerable community in respect of its social and economic development, its public health and safety.   We see a parallel between the concentration of pay-day loan establishments and cannabis retail stores.

We also welcome the provision in the recommended principles to provide for separation distances from specific sites, in addition to the legislated separation distance from schools. The Staff report recommendation that AGCO consider any additional local issues not captured by other principles is particularly relevant for Vanier.  While the City failed to take into account in its planning process community concerns about the impact of a proposed mega-shelter on existing social services in the immediate neighbourhood, the VCA welcomes the recommended principle that “AGCO take into consideration location concerns that may be expressed through comments made by health and/or treatment providers including operators of shelters, group homes, addiction, counselling or other independently managed health services.”   We welcome the principle requiring a separation distance to “any identified publicly-owned and/or operated community facility analogous to a school, such as recreational facilities, community centres, libraries and public parks.”  There is also the question of day-care facilities.

The absence of public consultation in the Staff report is a concern.  We recognize the short time line given for review and comments on applications to open cannabis retail stores.  The Cannabis Licence Act provides for consultations with residents, and we want the City’s expertise and responsibility for community health and safety to be brought to bear in this process.   We also recommend that the City

consider approval of decisions to recognize the role of community associations, social agencies and other community groups, to engage such groups as part of the City’s cannabis regime and to facilitate the role of such groups, as needed, also to represent residents directly as outlined in the Cannabis Licence Act, drawing on the principles outlined in the Staff report.  We also welcome the provision for ward Councillors to veto City comments with respect to their wards, a responsibility for which, they also need support from City staff to engage their residents, again, especially given the short lead times for review and comments on applications for cannabis retail stores.

As the Staff report states, Staff believe that that the regulatory regime regarding legal recreational cannabis is simply the first step, and that it is highly probable that regulations will shift over time to respond to any unintended consequences of each regime.   Staff suggests that the City process proposed will add to the City’s data about the impact of legalization and the siting of retail stores over time and provide opportunities for evidence-based requests for additional regulatory changes or more regulatory authority.

We think that community groups should be part of this exercise and be able to contribute to the process.  This is consistent with the City’s intention to create “a response matrix for the City response agencies for service calls and requests for information, recognizing each agency’s area of particular responsibility”.   In terms of a review of the cannabis regime, periodic consultations with such groups, such as the Federation of Civic Associations (FCA) would seem appropriate.

In summary, our recommendations, additional to the Staff’s report, are outlined in the VCA report and cover the following:

• Language in a City Council decision recognizing the role of community groups in the City’s cannabis regime confirming the City’s readiness to work with FCA, community associations and other community groups such as community services centres on a city-wide basis in this regard.
• An electronic notification system to alert community associations and identification of a contact point would be an important step to increase transparency in a timely manner.
• A periodic consultative process with community associations and other groups as implementation proceeds and lessons are drawn.

Merci. Thank you.

L’Association communautaire de Vanier, une communauté francophone en Ontario, regrette les récentes annonces du Gouvernement de l’Ontario, le jeudi 15 novembre, qui visent à abolir le Commissariat aux services en français de l’Ontario et à annuler le projet de bâtir une université de langue française.

Les francophones sont des membres importants de Vanier, d’Ottawa et de la province, et un des peuples fondateurs du Canada, de l’Ontario et de Vanier. Par conséquent, l’Association communautaire de Vanier est solidaire des francophones à Vanier, à travers la province pour préserver l’accès aux services en français.

L’Association continue de collaborer avec les associations communautaires à Ottawa, les organisations francophones telles que l’Association canadienne française de l’Ontario et l’Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario et notre membre des parlements provincial et fédéral pour s’assurer que les droits en français sont préservés dans la Province de l’Ontario et dans la communauté francophone. Nous continuerons de travailler avec nos élus à cet égard.

Si vous souhaitez vous impliquer avec le comité de la francophonie de l’ACV et/ou l’Association communautaire de Vanier, veuillez nous contacter par courriel : vca.acv@gmail.com

The Vanier Community Association, a francophone community in Ontario, deplores the recent announcements from the Government of Ontario, on Thursday, November 15^th, 2019 to abolish the Ontario’s Office of the French Language Services Commissioner and cancel the project to build a French-language University.

Francophones are an integral part of the Vanier, Ottawa and provincial community, and one of the founding people of Canada, Ontario and Vanier. Therefore, the Vanier Community Association stands in solidarity with francophones in Vanier, and across the province in upholding access to French Language services.

The VCA continues to collaborate with community associations in Ottawa, francophone organizations such as l’Association Canadienne Française de l’Ontario et l’Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario, and our members of the Provincial and Federal Parliaments to work to ensure the protection of French language rights in the Province of Ontario and the francophone community. We also continue to work with all elected officials in this regard.

If you would like to get involved with the VCA Francophonie Committee and/or the Vanier Community Association, please contact us by email: vca.acv@gmail.com

Join us on Sunday, Nov. 11th to remember soldiers who fell 100 years ago.
1:30 p.m Parade gathers at the Legion, 294 Cyr Ave.
1:45 p.m – 1:50 p.m Parade leaves the Legion and marches to Cenotaph along Hannah.
2:00 p.m. Parade arrives at Cenotaph for memorial service.

If you have not bought your ticket to Flocons de Neige, it is not too late. Your donation will support our local Food Bank. You can buy your ticket online: https://app193.digibotservices.ca/dbo/event.php?org=9333&event=34194626&source=catalog or in person at 290 Dupuis or via the VCA: vca.acv@gmail.com

Si vous n’avez pas encore acheter votre billet pour le petit-déjeûner Flocons de Neige, il n’est pas trop tard pour le faire. Votre don soutiendra la banque alimentaire de Vanier. Vous pouvez acheter votre billet en ligne https://app193.digibotservices.ca/dbo/event.php?org=9333&event=34194626&source=catalog ou en personne au CSCV, 290 rue Dupuis ou via l’ACV: vca.acv@gmail.com

Emond Neighbourhood Watch received on Monday, November 4th, the Crime Prevention Ottawa Volunteer Program Award. Congratulations to NW members for their dedication to their area,

La surveillance de quartier d’Emond a reçu le lundi 4 novembre, la récompense bénévole de Prévention du Crime Ottawa. Nous félicitons les membres de la SQ pour leur engagement envers leur coin de quartier.

Le 25 décembre, l’ACV et son comité de la francophonie a levé le drapeau franco-ontarien sur la place Dupuis. Nous remercions

• Regional pour avoir mis à notre disposition le mât sur leur terrain;
• Michel Gervais du Centre de services communautaires de Vanier pour avoir financé la réparation du mât ;
• Le Centre Pauline Charron pour la salle et la nourriture; et
• L’ACFO pour avoir commandité la nourriture.

Plus de 60 francophones et francophiles se sont réunis Place Dupuis pour observer la montée du drapeau Franco-Ontarien à proximité du Chemin Montréal. Tous ont chanté “Notre place” et “Mon beau drapeau” avant de se diriger au Centre Pauline Charron pour poursuivre la célébration au sec.