Two-thirds Disapprove of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien

Ottawa City council itself took a beating in the survey, which ran from May 2 to May 30, after garnering at 80.7 disapproval rating. Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien generating a 68.7 per cent disapproval rating after nearly 2 years in office.

Though most councilors polled at under 50 % individually, there were some bright spots. Osgoode Councilor Doug Thompson ranked the highest, with an overall approval rating of 71.4%. Gloucester-Southgate Councilor Diane Deans, meanwhile, finished with the highest disapproval rating of 75%.

Though experts have often disputed the accuracy and reliability of online polling, their popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. Over 700 individuals rated city council in their survey, which asked respondents to answer 47 questions on councilors' performance.

Ottawa Transit Cuts Proposal

The City of Ottawa has ordered firefighters to stop using fire trucks to go grocery shopping. The order is part of a proposal to reduce the amount of fuel used by city vehicles.

Firefighters will now have to buy groceries on their own time before their shift or arrange for delivery if they want to prepare meals at the fire station.

The order is included in an "eco-driving" policy presented to council Wednesday by Coun. Marianne Wilkinson. It will be modified and returned to councillors in the fall.

Considering that it has not yet been passed, the directive is premature, said Peter Kennedy, the president of the Ottawa Professional Firefights Association.

"It's had a real negative impact on the morale of the members and I think what we would have preferred is a consultation process," he said Wednesday.

Ottawa Fire Services has said it receives many calls from the public questioning why firefighters drive to grocery stores in fire trucks.

Kennedy said the practice is part of long tradition that arose because crews have to stay together at all times, in case they're called to an emergency. He added that firefighters are redistributed to stations across the city throughout the day, which means it's hard to predict how much food they will need to prepare meals for all the firefighters at a given station during a 10-hour day, a 14-hour night or a 24-hour shift.

Now, he said, it's unclear what vehicle firefighters will use to go grocery shopping and who will pay for the expense.
Transit cuts, telecommuting proposed

According to Wilkinson's motion, the city must spend an extra $400,000 a year on its vehicles for each one-cent increase in the price of a litre of diesel fuel.

By improving fuel efficiency, she said, the city can reduce costs without reducing services.

"I think that there's a lot of things we can do and some people are loath to even ask or even talk about them," she added.

Her proposal was modified Wednesday to allow for consultation. Fuel-saving suggestions from departments and managers themselves will be brought before council this fall.

Wilkinson's original proposal included a number of other ideas such as:

* Cancelling or changing transit routes with low ridership.
* Speeding up analysis of potential rail links outlined by the Mayor's Task Force on Transportation a year ago.
* Developing a protocol to allow employees to work from home part of the time.
* Revising police patrol routes to reduce fuel usage.
* Review the use of snow removal vehicles and other city vehicles to reduce fuel consumption.
* Ban city vehicles, including emergency vehicles, from idling even when it is very hot. The city bylaw that bans idling for more than three minutes applies only when temperatures are between 4 C and 27 C.

Ottawa Balcony Case Shows Need for Proactive Inspection of Rental Properties

While it is encouraging to see the City of Ottawa is following through on balcony complaints, tenants will continue to live in unsafe housing conditions.

The collapsed balcony on Beausoleil Dr was reported to be covered with a material which led to the wood rotting underneath, therefore, by all outward appearances, the balcony appeared safe, otherwise six people would not have ventured out onto it at the time it collapsed.

What is flawed in a complaint-driven system is that there are often cases such as this one where the tenant may not even be aware that a complaint should or needs to be made.

Although Susan Jones, the director of bylaw services, indicated she had never seen a balcony collapse in many years, I do recall the brick façade of a rental building on Metcalfe Street came crumbling down onto the sidewalk below just last fall. No injuries occurred thankfully, but the bricks did fall on a sidewalk.

As the rental stock gets older in the central core, I believe these rare occurrences may become less and less rare if not balconies, then other major deficiencies such as a roof collapsing or health threatening issues such as mold.

The Somerset Ward was plagued with residential fires several years ago, yet it wasn't until a family of five lost their lives in a tragic fire due to a lack of smoke detectors that the city became more proactive in doing frequent ongoing inspections to ensure smoke detectors are working in rental units.

We are now repeating history with serious maintenance deficiencies, leading to serious injury or death.

The other problem with the complaint-driven system is that tenants often fear reprisal from their landlords after a complaint is made. For example, it is not uncommon for tenants to receive an eviction notice shortly after a complaint has been made to the city.

Now is the time to reflect on ways to ensure that every tenant has a safe home and address ways to implement more proactive measures to inspect these buildings and prevent further tragedies from occurring. A good place to start is to bring in more stringent regulations of maintenance and inspections of rental properties.

Minto EcoHome Opens in Ottawa Celebrating the greenest in home building

The Minto Group opened a new attraction for those interested in Green Building. More like an educational exhibition than a show home, it is one of the greenest houses ever built in Canada. The home, situated in the South Ottawa community of Manotick, demonstrates the future of home building and will help motivate and educate consumers toward greener home choices. The project goal is to not only influence home building in Ottawa, but all across the country.

The Minto Ecohome, it brings together a vision of net-zero energy design with healthy living features that can be afforded by any home buyer. Net-zero means that at the end of the year the home will have produced as much energy as it consumes. The initiative is part of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) EQuilibrium Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative. Minto was the only Ontario production builder selected to push the limits of green home building. Twelve projects in all were asked to be part of the program nationwide.

We wanted to give something back to the community by having this home uniquely showcase sustainable building, in a way that inspires consumers to become part of the solution," said Robert Greenberg, Executive Vice President of the Minto Group's home building division.

With an open and informative style, Inspiration has interactive displays and signage to explain the features and benefits of green building. Starting in June 2008, the home will be on display to the public to experience for at least a year. For those who cannot visit the home in person, Minto has set up www.minto.com/ecohome as an interactive green experience.

Global warming and climate change have been strong influences on the green building community. Inspiration strives to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It is designed to generate enough green power on its roof to completely offset the small amount of gas and electricity still used by the home. Thanks to the Ontario Power Authority's Standard Offer Program, Inspiration's homeowners could actually receive payments from their local electricity supplier for the electricity generated by their home.

"We started this project to see what was possible, so we gathered all the experts to build a demonstration home. In the end, we were so inspired by the results that we decided to offer versions of Inspiration in our communities, starting later this year," added Greenberg.

Inspiration is designed to reduce the cost of home ownership, conserve natural resources, improve the indoor air quality for better occupant health, and was constructed mostly with recycled and renewable materials. "In every practical way, we designed this home with conservation, health, and consumer empowerment in mind," explains Andrew Pride, Vice President of Minto's dedicated Green division. "Inspiration has a significantly lower environmental footprint. It uses rain water to flush toilets and water the lawn. It is designed with plenty of windows for natural ventilation to eliminate air conditioning. And, it is architecturally optimized to enjoy the benefit of the sun's heat and light."

The house was developed using an integrated design process and a design charrette - where the key members of the building team start from a blank page to discuss how to practically build a home with minimal impact on the environment.

Minto chose the future community of Mahogany in Manotick as the site for Inspiration. While still in the planning stages, Mahogany will be one of the largest energy efficient communities in Canada, blending the latest in environmentally responsible building technology with the character of the Village of Manotick. Minto has become a leader in LEED(R) - Canada certified green living options with other successful developments, and the company is committed to producing new communities that promote health, material conservation, energy efficiency, and a high quality of life.

"This initiative with CMHC has inspired us to believe that we can slow, and one day even reverse, the effects of global climate change by challenging each of us to do more and to continually strive for better solutions," Pride said.

Inspiration's Green Features:

• Rainwater harvesting for irrigation and toilets
• Low flow faucets and fixtures
• Dual flush water saving toilets
• Solar thermal air collectors
• Solar hot water collectors
• Photovoltaic solar electricity panels
• Extended roof-line to block heat from the summer sun
• Natural ventilation design to eliminate the need for air conditioning
• Passive solar design with slate floors to retain solar heat
• Double insulated walls for added warmth, quiet, draft proofing, anddurability
• Triple pane windows
• Flexible open design to adapt easily to life's changes
• Rapidly renewing bamboo flooring and stairs
• Built-in recycling centre
• Low VOC paints and finishes
• Compact fluorescent lights throughout
• A convenient All-Off switch connected to green plugs to make conserving energy easy

More Pink Slips at Ottawa City Hall

Ottawa city committee has green-lighted Mayor Larry O'Brien's motion to have city managers work on a plan to slash 500 full-time municipal jobs and cap staff count.

The corporate and economic services committee yesterday voted 10-1 in favor of the motion, which the mayor put forward as a way to look at cutting costs in the face of another property tax increase in the 2009 budget and an economic slowdown.

The city is looking to save about $100 million over three years, or $19 million to $57 million for the upcoming year, in order to keep the promised 4.9-per-cent tax hike target. City manager Kent Kirkpatrick is already planning to hand out 450 to 600 pink slips and cut programs as part of the cost-cutting measures, according to media reports.

However, the mayor's motion includes a plan to cap full-time equivalent staff at the current level of 13,590, with the 500 cuts to 13,090 to occur by the end of 2009.

The motion goes before full council next week, and if approved, city staff will work on a plan that will be included in the 2009 budget deliberations later this year.


PS:
Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien gestures as he leaves the Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Ottawa January 7, 2008. O'Brien was booked, photographed and fingerprinted on charges of trying to bribe an opponent to drop out of the 2006 mayoral race and of pretending to have influence with a minister in Canada's Conservative government.

Hands OFF Ottawa Greenbelt

Environment Minister John Baird warned yesterday that the federal government has no interest in developing the Greenbelt, dismissing suggestions that its development would enhance environmental sustainability.

His warning, a day after a City of Ottawa white paper laid out three development options for more than 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt, casts serious doubts on any future plans to develop the city landmark.

The Greenbelt was first conceived by William Lyon Mackenzie King and finished by John Diefenbaker ... and I just don't think that from the position of elected representatives -- Liberal, Conservative, NDP -- there is any appetite to develop this treasure.

People should know that there is no appetite from the government for this type of idea.

The Citizen reported yesterday that the city has identified about a quarter of the Greenbelt, worth about $1.6 billion, that could be developed without damaging its integrity.

While the city's white paper is only laying out proposals for a discussion on the future of the belt, it said the land could provide more than 20 years of urban land for housing and employment and help stop, or at least slow down, urban sprawl.

Greenbelt land could be used for showpiece sustainable development that would set out a new vision for the city.

Ottawa residents have to ask themselves whether it makes sense to pave vital farmland on the fringes of the city, while protecting agricultural land inside the Greenbelt.

His report echoes the opinions of several environmental groups and experts, who have said that the Greenbelt has failed as an urban containment belt for which it was created. Some say it has actually fuelled sprawl.

It certainly hasn't had much impact at all in terms of density of suburban development. It did cause leapfrogging and more commuting.

Mr. Baird said the failure of the Greenbelt as an urban containment belt is no longer the issue. He said the belt is now as much a part of the city's history and heritage as the Rideau Canal, and every effort should be made to protect it.

"If we wanted to limit development inside the Greenbelt, we are 30 to 40 years too late," he said.

"There is no doubt that intensification would have environmental benefits, but paving the Greenbelt would be a huge negative. It is good to intensify, but the Greenbelt is a great natural resource and it should be off-limits."

Mr. Baird said the problem is that once development starts, there would be no end to it. He said people may argue that only small portions would be developed, but soon, 13,000 acres would turn into 50,000 acres and before anyone realizes, not much would be left.

If we just start to slice and dice it, next thing you know its integrity has been compromised.

The minister said the National Capital Commission and the city are within their rights to conduct their reviews, but that is no license for development. He said what's often forgotten is that the Greenbelt was expropriated from people who didn't want to sell, and the justification for forcibly removing them from their land was that it was all for the public good. It is now a public trust, and selling it off to the highest bidder would be a betrayal.

He worries that once a decision is made to siphon off parts for development, the original owners could come back and demand the return of their property.

Ottawa Greenbelt Development Under Review

For the first time, the City of Ottawa has identified more than 13,700 acres of the Greenbelt, worth about $1.6 billion, that could be developed without damaging the integrity of the capital's most treasured natural landmark.

The land, about a quarter of the 49,400-acre (20,800-hectare) belt, is enough to provide more than 20 years of urban land for housing and employment if the National Capital Commission decides to open it up for development.

It is the first time since the Greenbelt was created in the 1950s that a government body has put out a serious proposal on developing property that has been kept immune to development. It is also the first time that anyone has put a figure on its value. Assembled for $40 million (in 1966 dollars), about 85% of the belt, made of up of farms, woodland, wetland, trails and scrubland, is undeveloped. Today, shorn of the environmentally sensitive lands that are virtually untouchable, the Greenbelt has about 21,500 acres (8,746 hectares) of theoretically developable land.

Those 21,500 acres are worth $2.5 billion, a city estimate based on the going market price of $120,000 an acre for urban land. The city believes that, realistically, only 13,700 acres (5,560 hectares) can be developed without doing lethal harm to the Greenbelt as a whole.

Ian Cross, author of the white paper and the city's manager of research and forecasting, says in the end, the fate of the Greenbelt will be decided by the NCC, which owns and manages the land. However, it is useful for the coming debate on the future of the city's most prized natural asset to ask whether the Greenbelt envisaged by French planner Jacques Gréber almost 50 years ago is still relevant.

Right now we are building on farmland outside the urban area and the question is, does it make sense to protect agricultural land in the Greenbelt when we continue to build farther out? "The primary purpose of the Greenbelt was to contain urban development, but that is gone. It didn't work. Building sustainable communities in the Greenbelt may be the appropriate evolutionary development.

In its white paper, the city laid out three development options for discussion as the federal government considers the future of the once sacrosanct belt.

The options are:

- Corridor development along major roads in the Greenbelt such as Highway 417 in the west, Highway 416 to Barrhaven and Highway 174 to Orléans.

- High-density mixed-use development along existing or planned rapid-transit lines such as the east and west sides of the Woodroffe transitway, south of Hunt Club Road, to encourage high transit use.

- Extension of urban land into the Greenbelt in existing neighbourhoods in areas such as north and south of Hunt Club west and the west side of Orléans along Innes Road.

The Greenbelt has long been treated with such reverence that it was considered taboo to contemplate any development on it beyond the public institutions such as the Ottawa Airport and research centers that call it home. A series of experts' reports, including one recently from the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, have all said the Greenbelt has fuelled sprawl, instead of containing it. Last year, NCC chairman Russell Mills became the most influential voice in the city to advocate some strip development along the Greenbelt to reduce urban sprawl. And when she announced the NCC's review this spring, chief executive Marie Lemay said "everything is on the table. You've got to ask the basic question: Is the use we have now what we want for the next 10 to 15 years or are there parts where we want something different?"

But others, prominent among them Larry Beasley, a noted urban planner and former chief planner of Vancouver, and Environment Minister John Baird, oppose development in what they consider an important part of the city's heritage. Mr. Baird vowed to fight any such move.

The white paper notes that with 141 kilometres of city roads, 43 kilometres of water pipes and 39 kilometres of sewer pipes running through the Greenbelt, the cost to the city and to commuters of continued expansion beyond the belt is running high. The extra travel through the Greenbelt during the peak period costs drivers $60 million annually. It also costs the city an extra $10 million a year to run buses through the Greenbelt to outlying areas. The cost of vehicle emissions is incalculable, Mr. Cross says. For all those reasons and more, he says, it makes sense to put the Greenbelt into the equation so that whatever the final decision is, all the issues will have been thrashed out.

By the Numbers:

49,400 - Total number of acres in the Greenbelt.

21,500 - Number of acres of theoretically developable land in the Greenbelt.

13,700 - Number of acres that could be developed without affecting the integrity of the natural landmark.

Layoffs at Dell in Ottawa

Dell has laid off an undisclosed number of sales staff from their Ottawa office this week, adding to the nearly 1,100 pink slips originally announced by the U.S.-based computer giant in late April.

A few sales staff members were laid off this week, but could not provide exact numbers. But he said that number is in addition to 20 to 30 call center employees also to be laid off this week as per Dell's original announcement nearly two months ago, in which more than one thousand jobs were to be cut in two separate rounds of layoffs.

While the bulk of the second round will occur the week of June 27, some jobs would stay in Ottawa until August or even early September. And that's because of the business unit that they're in, and how they're being integrated into our world network.

Although the bulk of the people are slated to go at the end of June, there will be some people leaving at the end of this week.

There are some units that are going to go a little earlier, and some that are going to go a little later than we expected.

Building fees are too low

Ottawa taxpayers are subsidizing developers by more than $4 million a year because the city charges less for development fees than other Ontario municipalities.

The Ottawa city to take immediate steps to raise the fees and recover the full costs, but Ottawa levies some of the highest fees in the country and any attempt to increase them will lead to higher home prices.

The Ottawa city has about 25 different fees on everything from zoning and engineering to conservation and committee of adjustment procedures. By the time it is all tallied up, a residential subdivision could cost between $35,000 and $40,000 just to get started, while a plan for a condominium often starts at about $12,000.

Ottawa has one of the highest fees in the country and the last thing they need to do is increase them. If they increase fees, buiders are increasing new housing costs. If people think the city is going to hurt builders by increasing fees, they are wrong. It is going to hurt homebuyers.

The city reviews more than 800 development applications a year, and about 1,700 development agreements require monitoring and enforcement that involves several agencies and departments. The auditor general says despite the enormous work and cost involved, little effort is made to recoup the full cost from developers. The planning department has been recovering less than two-thirds of the cost compared with 85% to 100 % in other Ontario cities, and the shortfall costs taxpayers at least $4.3 million a year.

It is a conservative estimate and it could be more in a fee increase.

The Ottawa city doesn't charge the full cost of fees for development projects because the tradition inherited by the new city was to bill developers for 60% of the costs.

Ottawa city staff are "consistently slow" in processing development applications, describing their performance as sub-optimal.

A high Ottawa city official has finally acknowledged a problem that builders have been complaining about for years, and that he is proposing solutions. However, the auditor general is failing to see: the cost-recovery problem is not due to low fees collected by the city, but instead is caused by the much higher staff costs arising out of a bloated bureaucracy.

The fact that they are taking two or three times longer than normal to approve development applications is the reason their costs are high. They don't need more money. We think the auditor general got it right when he said development approvals take much longer, but he has failed to recognize that it is their costs that are too high.

The 2007 audit also confirmed criticism that the city's earlier growth projections were inflated, noting that new figures released last year were more realistic.

It also found that 13% of new building permits issued by the city did not conform to the provincial building code, and while this raises concerns about safety, city staff say the problem, which has to do with the practice of issuing conditional building permits for projects that have not yet been fully vetted, has nothing to do with public safety. Often a builder would be allowed to go ahead with a project even though all the requirements have not yet been met, but city ensures that all conditions are met before the building gets final clearance.

The issue with the building code is about process.

Waste-to-energy Plant will Help Solve Ottawa’s Garbage Problem

A city committee added its support today to a project it hopes will help solve Ottawa’s garbage problem and provide electricity for local homes and businesses.

Ottawa's planning and economic development committee is recommending to council it give the green light for a full-scale waste-to-energy facility.

Concerns expressed by some councilors about what will happen if the plant, operated by businessman Rod Bryden’s company Plasco Energy Group, fails to meet environmental and financial standards. Southgate-Gloucester Coun. Steve Desroches, noted that a small facility built to test the process which vaporizes garbage and uses the heat to produce electricity for the local power grid, is still being tested at the Trail Road landfill site.

City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick said there is “zero financial risk” to the city and if Plasco doesn’t meet provincial ministry of the environment criteria the project won’t move ahead. He also said the city is continuing to explore alternative waste disposal technologies.


Kanata South Coun. Peggy Feltmate said although the city is currently reviewing its Integrated Waste Management Plan, she doesn’t feel it’s working fast enough to come up with solutions.

“I’m very concerned we have a bunch of balls in the air and don’t have a plan,” she said.

Bryden said because the plant is the first of its kind to be built in the world, it iss still working out a few bugs. But, he said it should meet all MoE guidelines by the time it expects to be in full-scale, $125-million-a-year operation in two years.

Kirkpatrick said he expects the city to fork over about $8 million a year to the company, but the cost will be offset by royalties and the revenue Plasco is expected to return to the city.

Ottawa's Housing Sector to Tighten in 2009

Construction activity in Ottawa is expected to rise this year, but slower-than-expected economic growth will cause housing starts to drop in 2009.

Total housing starts are expected to increase by 6.1% in 2008 to 6,900 units, with particularly strong activity in the condominium apartment sector, which will reach 1,700 units by the end of 2008. The gain will mitigate the expected drop in the construction of the more costly single-detached units, which are anticipated to drop to 2,750 units from 2,973 a year earlier.

However, sales of existing housing in Ottawa are expected to decline year-over-year by 8.4% to 13,500 units, while the average price growth of a resale home will outpace inflation, rising by more than four per cent to reach $285,000.

The already tight rental vacancy rate is expected to continue its downward trend this year, narrowing further to 2% from 2.3%, fuelling an increase in average rent to $980 from $960.

While the pattern for the rental market is anticipated to extend into 2009, local construction activity is expected to be hit by a province-wide slowdown in housing demand.

A rise in mortgage carrying costs and slower economic conditions will dampen housing demand, particularly among first-time buyers.

However, demand for modestly priced housing will hold up better as declining employment opportunities in higher-paying employment sectors encourage demand for both apartment ownership and rental accommodation.

As a result, housing starts are expected to drop 7.2% to 6,400 units next year, with single-detached housing bearing the brunt of the loss, plunging 9.1% to 2,500 units. Housing sales will drop by roughly 1.9% to an estimated 13,250 units.

Meanwhile, the average price tag for an Ottawa resale home is expected to rise 3.5 % to $295,000, and the rental vacancy rate is forecast to drop to 1.7%, with average rent rising to $1,000.

Ottawa Drops to #19 on City Ranking

Ottawa has slipped from 18th to 19th place in a survey of the best places to live in the world, but those who administer the survey say the change is hardly worth mentioning.

The capital was one of five Canadian cities ranked by Mercer, a company that does the survey to help governments and corporations decide where to send employees on international assignments. It released results for 215 of the 350 cities it surveys. Cities are given a point-scoring index, with New York City offering a base number of 100.

Zurich was ranked as the best city in which to live, with a score of 108, while Ottawa was at 104.7, down from last year's score of 104.8.

It's a minor change. This is not meaningful in any way. There's nothing noticeably different in the quality of life for people living in Ottawa. Ottawa still ranks higher than 90% of the 215 cities sampled.

Vancouver was the most desirable Canadian city in which to live, placing 4th in the world, while Toronto remained in the same position as last year -- at 15th -- and Montreal remained in the 22nd spot. Calgary took 25th place, down from 24th last year. Cities are ranked according to their political stability, economic and socio-cultural environment, health and sanitation, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreation, consumer goods, housing and natural environment.

Mercer also conducts a personal safety survey and all five Canadian cities tied for 22nd place. Luxembourg was deemed the safest city in which to live, while Baghdad ranked 215th.

European cities dominated the upper echelons of the quality-of-life survey, with Zurich coming 1st, followed by Vienna and Geneva. Besides Vancouver, other cities in the top 10 included Auckland, Dusseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt, Bern and Sydney. That means Switzerland and Germany each had three cities in the Top 10.

The Top 3 U.S. cities were Honolulu, in 28th spot, San Francisco in 29th place, and Boston in 37th.

Construction Investment Up

The total value of residential construction investment reached $19.8 billion in the first quarter of 2008, 7.5 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2007. Most provinces registered increases and all three components of residential construction (new housing construction, renovations and acquisition costs) were up, as well.

Ottawa Building Permits Rise

Contractors took out $6.4 billion worth of permits in April, up 14.5% from March. The value of residential building permits increased 13.4% to $4 billion, the highest in six months. The value of non-residential permits advanced 16.5% to $2.4 billion.

Ottawa to Give $$$ to Social Housing & Rural Roads

Ottawa city council committee is recommending that $17.1 million in provincial funding be allocated towards improving social housing and rural roads, instead of putting the money in the bank, in response to pressure by advocates.

The city's economic affairs committee committed $7.1 million towards improving the stock of low-cost housing in Ottawa, and $10 million towards improving rural roads.

The funds are part of a one-time $59-million transfer payment from the Ontario government, which city bureaucrats had recommended be put into the municipality's bank account in order to stabilize property tax rates.

Social housing advocates had objected to the initial recommendation to put the money in the bank, saying that thousands of people are on the waiting list for low-cost housing space and the available stock is in poor condition.

Meanwhile, West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry introduced a motion that $10 million of the $59 million be earmarked for rural roads, saying that the city needs to spend about $85 million on road repair, maintenance and new construction.

Mondrian Condominiums in Ottawa Downtown almost Sold Out!

Ottawa’s skyline is about to change – updated beautifully with the addition of the soaring Mondrian at one of the best locations in the city: the corner of Laurier Avenue and Bank Street. This is a 24-storey glass building of residential condominiums with lovely street-level amenities and public parking on levels two to five.

This is a big project – about two to three times the size of any other condominium project in the city. The Mondrian is also one of the most successful condo projects in the city right now. In just under one year, over 120 (over 50 per cent) of the residences are already sold. The sales pace is very fast... and no wonder!

The architecture and building features are outstanding. The homage to Piet Mondrian is everywhere – from the high-art contemporary architecture of the building to the sleek designer styling in every suite. A stunning boutique hotel-inspired lobby with executive concierge service will be at the Laurier Street entrance. A large rooftop terrace has a resort-style atmosphere. It includes generous lounging areas and a refreshing outdoor pool with cabanas encircling it. For extra entertainment space, residents can enjoy a beautifully appointed party room.

The prime location and edgy, evolutionary concept of this new high-rise inject Ottawa with a notably fresh cosmopolitan flavour – just what the new-home market wants. Fueling the excitement further, the builder recently introduced a very successful program called the “fully loaded loft.” This promotion has taken off like a rocket and will last for the rest of the summer!

The Mondrian offers residents everything they could possibly want in each “fully loaded loft,” including designer kitchens and bathrooms. Open-concept spaces flow beautifully throughout each suite. Nine-ft. high concrete ceilings and huge floor-to-ceiling windows add drama with breathtaking vistas. Almost every unit has a spacious “see-through” glassed balcony.

Designer touches and finishes are everywhere. Hardwood floors are featured throughout. Kitchens are high-end gourmet delights that reflect the most contemporary high-style designs with top-of-the-line cabinetry, designer hardware, sinks and faucets.

Every element is as designer oriented and contemporary as possible, with clean lines and sleek profiles. Granite counters and stainless steel appliances are included. Bathrooms feature a very chic, upgraded combo of sink-faucet-vanity-mirror.

For the utmost convenience, every residence also comes with its own washer and dryer. There’s ample parking and storage lockers available for residents, as well as visitor parking.

Loft-style living at the Mondrian offers fantastic downtown living.

You’ll be close to everything in the heart of the city. Step outside your front door and in every direction you can enjoy unlimited shopping. Head south and you’ll find every type of retail business and service along Bank Street. You can even take a comfortable walk to the boutiques and bistros of The Glebe. Everything is right at hand.

Go north and within minutes, you can stroll along Sparks Street, through the lush lawns of the Parliamentary Precinct, or along the banks of the Ottawa River. To the east, the Rideau Centre shopping mall has hundreds of stores. The ByWard Market is a great haunt for fresh produce, flowers and trendy boutiques. Elgin Street has non-stop entertainment, coffee houses and fine restaurants. You can mix-and-match your pleasure with great theatre at the NAC, numerous museums and galleries, or simply watching the boats go by on the Rideau Canal.

For those wonderful relaxing times at home or on the rooftop terrace, residents of Mondrian will enjoy fantastic views of Ottawa’s downtown, the Parliament Buildings, the Gatineau Hills and the Ottawa River.

Choose from a one-bedroom model, one-bedroom plus den, two-bedroom model and penthouses. Suites at the Mondrian range from about 550 to just under 1,600 sq. ft. The incredible design approach creates a very elegant, connoisseur feel of refinement for every suite, regardless of size. At Mondrian, a very stylish upscale 550-sq.-ft. condo has a signature status and is perfect for a single person or young couple.

Cost is not a barrier at this time. Prices start at only $153,900 for a one-bedroom residence to as much as $532,900 for the largest penthouse. If you hurry, there is a lot of choice in models and price points right now.