Ottawa’s rural residents have a rare opportunity to express their views on city services and policies. (And there is a question on wind turbines, too!)
March 25, 2024
In advance of the 2024 Rural Summit, the City of Ottawa is offering a survey on issues and policies of interest to rural residents.
The City explains:
“In 2005, the City of Ottawa hosted a Rural Summit to address the results of the City’s Citizen Satisfaction Survey. This summit helped advance several successful initiatives in rural Ottawa. In 2008, another Rural Summit occurred, and this resulted in improved opportunities for rural residents. A Rural Summit has not occurred in over a decade due to the pandemic, a municipal election, and other priority projects. Recently, a new Official Plan was adopted, a Zoning By-law is being prepared, and the Rural Economic Strategy is being updated. In addition, the newly adopted City Strategic Plan supports stimulating growth in economic districts. These plans and regulations clearly impact rural Ottawa, and therefore it is an opportune time to consult with rural residents.
“At the City Council Meeting on December 14, 2022, Councillor Kelly brought forward a motion regarding the City of Ottawa hosting a Rural Summit. This motion noted that staff should be working to host the summit during the current term of council.
“The objective of Rural Summit 2024 is to recommend improvements to the provision of the City of Ottawa services to residents and communities of rural Ottawa.”
The survey is a mix of questions, and statements with which you can agree or disagree.
Of interest to many will be this statement:
Rural areas should be the primary location for wind turbines, waste management, solar farms and battery storage.
You are asked to agree or disagree on a scale of 1 to 5.
More to come
The City seems to be encouraging “engagement” before the Rural Summit—this is a good opportunity to express views as rural residents. More from the City:
“Your participation is crucial as it will help shape the content and focus of ward-specific workshops scheduled for this spring. These workshops will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussions on local issues and brainstorming solutions.
“The outcomes of these workshops will be integral in shaping the agenda for the Rural Summit 2024, slated for November. Your input will directly contribute to the development of strategies aimed at enhancing the well-being and prosperity of our rural communities.
“Your opinion matters, and we value your insights. Please take a few moments to complete the survey using the link provided below:
https://engage.ottawa.ca/embeds/projects/37643/survey-tools/45541
“In addition to the survey, Rural Workshops will take place in each of the rural wards in the hopes of to gain as much feedback as possible. These workshops will be in-person, are open to all residents of the respective ward, and we encourage all to attend.”
Please take this survey as soon as you can: our city needs to know rural residents are informed, and have opinions that matter.
Ottawa Wind Concerns
ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com