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Compiled by the Ward 3 Team from various sources
(Image from Global News)
Update - June 2nd
We have now entered the ninth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 ice storm event. While our forestry crews continue working on storm-related service requests, this will be the final week of curbside debris removal. We expect to complete our single pass in the coming days. As you will see below, we have added more wards to the complete list this week, and none are below 90% completion.
On-street chipping and debris collection    
   
As of this morning, our crews have cleared 12,840 lane km of debris across the city, or 98% of our roads.
   
Here are our current completion numbers by ward:  
Orléans South-Navan – 99% complete
Orléans East-Cumberland – 99% complete
West Carleton-March – 98% complete
Barrhaven East – 98% complete
Rideau-Jock – 98% complete
Orléans West-Innes -- 97% complete
Barrhaven West – 97% complete
Gloucester-Southgate – 96% complete
River – 92% complete
   
Complete   
   
Alta Vista   
Kitchissippi  
Bay  
Rideau-Vanier  
Somerset  
Riverside South-Findlay Creek  
Capital  
Osgoode
Stittsville
Kanata South
Rideau-Rockcliffe
Kanata North
Beacon Hill-Cyrville
Knoxdale-Merivale
College
   
After the single pass is complete, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to ensure that any new tree debris is packaged in accordance with the Leaf and Yard Waste Program (small bundles no greater than 4 feet in length), otherwise large tree debris will need to be managed by residents as was the practice prior to the April 5th storm.   
At this stage, the majority of our cleanup operations will consist of visiting spots we may have missed the first time around. I must be clear this is not an opportunity to put out fresh non-storm-related debris. Rather, it’s our effort to make sure our single pass is as complete as possible before we end our operations. We also have some piles of storm debris on busier roads. Removal will require traffic control. That is scheduled for today.
   
Free Woodchips (One site only)
    
We are also nearing the end of our free woodchip initiative. Our one remaining location, at the Navan Memorial Centre, will remain open to the public until the end of next week or while quantities last.
Forestry calls
As I mentioned above, the end of our curbside cleanup operations does not mean the end of our overall work. Forestry continues to address service requests related to the storm.
We are aware that 105 stumps have been identified as requiring removal from the April storm, and that number will rise as our crews address the remaining service requests. As we are still focused on stumps from last year’s derecho (490 remain), stumps from April will be scheduled for the second round of stumping later this year. Subject to availability of resources, that work could extend into 2024. We have two contracted crews working on stumps right now. One is dealing with uprooted stumps, the other with street-side stumps. We have a stumping crew in both of our yards that will soon join in on this work.
   
Things to Note    
    
I have been writing weekly about our chipping operations and now you can get up close and personal with a bucket truck with a chipper at the Public Works Big Wheels Expo. It will be among the Public Works trucks on display this Sunday from 11 to 4 at the Ottawa Stadium on Coventry Road. Vehicles from all our service areas will be on display and our partners at Infrastructure and Water Services Department will also be participating. The first 100 visitors will be offered free tickets to Sunday’s Ottawa Titans baseball game at 1pm.
You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program. Branches are to be tied in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Dedicated leaf and yard waste collection began on May 15.
    
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Please note that we have now reached the capacity of Trees in Trust requests for fall of 2023. Requests received after June 5 will be processed for the Spring 2024 planting season. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
    
Look Ahead     
    
I thank you, one final time, for your support through what has been an extensive operation for our staff. It is greatly appreciated.
Update - May 26th
We have now entered the eighth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 ice storm event. We are making progress but that progress is slower in the hardest-hit areas. As you will see below, we have been able to add another ward to the complete list this week, and many more are getting closer. We know there are areas we have yet to visit that have minimal damage and that we can clear those quickly when we get there. We are still a few weeks away from completing a single pass across the City and are targeting mid-June for completion. Public Works continues to operate under an emergency structure.
   
On-street chipping and debris collection   
  
As of this morning, our crews have cleared 10,914 lane km of debris across the city, or 84% of our roads.
  
Here are our current completion numbers by ward: 
  
Kanata North –99% complete  
Rideau-Rockcliffe – 99% complete
Stittsville – 98% complete  
Kanata South – 98% complete  
Orléans South-Navan – 97% complete
College – 86% complete
Gloucester-Southgate – 86% complete
Knoxdale-Merivale - 81% complete
Beacon Hill-Cyrville – 80% complete
Rideau-Jock – 79% complete
West Carleton-March – 77% complete
River – 74% complete
Orléans East-Cumberland – 72% complete
Barrhaven East – 51% complete
Barrhaven West – 47% complete
Orléans West-Innes -- 44% complete
  
Complete  
  
Alta Vista  
Kitchissippi 
Bay 
Rideau-Vanier 
Somerset 
Riverside South-Findlay Creek 
Capital 
Osgoode
  
It is important to remember that all crews will do a single pass to collect storm-related debris. Should some smaller debris be left behind, we encourage and thank residents for collecting it and leaving it on the curb for regular leaf and yard waste removal. After the single pass is complete, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to remove debris that is too large for the Leaf and Yard Waste Program, as was the practice prior to the April 5th storm.
 
Today, we have four chipping crews in Knoxdale-Merivale: two in the Fisher and Baseline area, one on Meadowlands and one in the McClennan Road area. We expect to have this ward finished today. We also expect to have Orléans South-Navan finished today.
Over the weekend, shovel truck crews will continue their work in West Carleton-March and Stittsville.
We expect to finish College in the coming week and work is continuing in both Barrhaven wards and in Rideau-Jock.
Providing precise timelines and locations is challenging given that our crews do not always know the complexity of the cleanup at certain sites until they arrive.  We ask you to encourage residents to get all their storm-related debris to the curb. 
  
We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. As we progress through the cleanup, there will be scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here.
  
Free Woodchips (One site only)
We are nearing the end of our free woodchip initiative. This week all sites were closed except for the one at the Navan Memorial Centre. Many locations need their space back for summer programming and with hotter temperatures on the way, the woodchip piles become a fire hazard if they are not turned over by staff.
 
   
Things to Note   
   
You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program.   Branches are to be tied in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Dedicated leaf and yard waste collection began on May 15.
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.    
   
Look Ahead    
   
We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to do a single pass in every neighbourhood within the city.
Unless conditions and/or our operations change considerably, please expect our next update to follow on June 2.    
   
We appreciate the continued support as we progress through the cleanup.   
Update - May 19th
We have now entered the seventh week of recovery efforts following the April 5 ice storm event. On Tuesday, roughly 130 Parks Maintenance staff and contractors were mobilized to remove debris, and we can now report progress in every ward of the City. Debris that was too large to be collected during this single pass was catalogued and we will return later with the appropriate equipment to remove or chip that debris. We do still have several weeks of work to go in some of the hardest hit areas and that work is ongoing. Public Works continues to operate under an emergency structure.
On Monday, we also began collecting leaf and yard waste separately from green bin collection which is helping clean up smaller debris piles throughout the city.   
  
On-street chipping and debris collection  
 
As of this morning, our crews have cleared 8,755 lane km of debris across the city, or 67% of our roads. We expect the percentages to rise more quickly once we are through the hardest-hit areas and once we complete some beats where we only have a small number of piles to collect with heavier equipment.
 
Here are our current completion numbers by ward:
 
Kanata North –99% complete
Stittsville – 98% complete
Kanata South – 98% complete
Orléans South-Navan – 85% complete
Rideau-Rockcliffe – 82% complete
Gloucester-Southgate – 80% complete
Beacon Hill-Cyrville – 77% complete
Osgoode – 76%  complete
College – 67% complete
River – 60% complete  
Rideau-Jock – 54% complete
Knoxdale-Merivale - 53% complete
Orléans East-Cumberland – 43% complete
Barrhaven West – 39% complete 
Orléans West-Innes -- 38% complete
West Carleton-March – 35% complete
Barrhaven East – 23% complete 
 
Complete:
 
Alta Vista 
Kitchissippi
Bay
Rideau-Vanier
Somerset
Riverside South-Findlay Creek
Capital
 
It is important to remember that all crews will do a single pass to collect storm-related debris. As noted earlier, should some smaller debris be left behind, we encourage and thank residents for collecting it and leaving it on the curb for regular leaf and yard waste removal. After the single pass is complete, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to remove debris that is too large for the Leaf and Yard Waste Program, as was the practice prior to the April 5th storm.
We expect to add Osgoode, Orléans South-Navan and Orléans East-Cumberland to the completed ward list by early next week.
Chipping crews continue their work in Beacon Hill-Cyrville.
Heavy equipment crews will continue working in West Carleton, Stittsville and Rideau-Jock, Kanata North and Kanata South this week collecting the piles of large debris.
On Tuesday, four chipping crews will be coming in to College and Knoxdale-Merivale and we expect to be able to complete those wards in two or three days.
Crews will continue removing debris in Barrhaven East and Barrhaven West this week as well.
Providing precise timelines and locations is challenging given that our crews do not always know the complexity of the cleanup at certain sites until they arrive. We ask you to encourage residents to get all their storm-related debris to the curb.
 
We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. As we progress through the cleanup, there may be some scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here. 
 
Free Woodchips Available  
  
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and is available to residents – free of charge. We are currently reviewing our woodchip locations, some may be shut down due to lack of demand. Others in unsupervised areas are falling victim to unauthorized dumping. A location at the Kanata Recreation Complex may be moved elsewhere to a location that has more supervision. A current list of woodchip locations can be found here.
Things to Note  
  
You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program. Branches are to be tied in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Dedicated leaf and yard waste collection began on May 15.
  
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
  
Look Ahead   
  
We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to do a single pass in every neighbourhood within the city.
Unless conditions and/or our operations change considerably, please expect our next update to follow on May 26.   
  
We appreciate the continued support as we progress through the cleanup.  
Update - May 12th
We have now entered the sixth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 ice storm event. We are beginning to see good progress, but that progress is slow in some of the heaviest hit areas and there is still much to do. Public Works continues to operate under an emergency structure.
We recognize that it is taking time to get through the cleanup and many residents are wondering when the debris will be collected. The level of effort is significant given the volume of debris that residents have brought to the curb all across the city. There are still several weeks of cleanup ahead of us, but we are making every effort to get through it as quickly as we can. On Tuesday, we will mobilize the entire Parks team to do a City-wide, one-day blitz of ALL locations that have yet to receive a single pass. On Monday, we will also begin collecting leaf and yard waste separately from green bin collection which will help to clean up smaller debris piles throughout the city.
 
On-street chipping and debris collection 
As of this morning, our crews have cleared 5,067 lane km of debris across the city, or 39% of our roads. We expect the percentages to rise more quickly once we are through the hardest-hit areas.
We currently have crews in the following wards:
Kanata North –99% complete
Stittsville – 98% complete
Kanata South – 84% complete
Rideau-Rockcliffe – 82% complete
College – 65% complete
River – 40% complete
Osgoode – 39%
West Carleton-March – 19% complete
Orléans South-Navan – 17% complete
Knoxdale-Merivale - 11% complete
Beacon Hill-Cyrville – 11% complete
Rideau Jock – 10%
Barrhaven West – 5% complete
Gloucester-Southgate – 5% complete
Still to come:
Orléans West-Innes
Orléans East-Cumberland
Barrhaven East
Complete:
Alta Vista
Kitchissippi
Bay
Rideau-Vanier
Somerset
Riverside South-Findlay Creek
Capital
It is important to remember that all crews will do a single pass to collect storm-related debris. As noted earlier, should some smaller debris be left behind, we encourage and thank residents for collecting it and leaving it on the curb for regular leaf and yard waste removal which begins May 15. After the single pass is complete, it will be the homeowner’s responsibility to remove debris that is too large for the Leaf and Yard Waste Program.
In Beacon Hill-Cyrville ward, contracted chipping crews began in Beacon Hill North and South and Rothwell Heights on May 10 and will continue their work there in the days to come before heading to Cumberland.
This week we mobilized a Parks team consisting of five crews. They are taking over the curbside operations in our rural wards, allowing Forestry to concentrate on the remaining storm-related service requests. They expect to spend all day tomorrow along Century Road in Rideau-Jock Ward where there was extensive damage. These crews will continue working in that area in the coming week.
A clam truck and eight collection trucks will spend the weekend in West Carleton picking up debris that was too big for the crews that went through in the past week.
Now that areas north of Baseline Road are complete, we will start to deploy crews from Baseline south in the coming days.
Providing precise timelines is challenging given that our crews do not always know the complexity of the cleanup at certain sites until they arrive. We ask you to encourage residents to get all their storm-related debris to the curb.
We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. As we progress through the cleanup, there may be some scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here.
Free Woodchips Available 
 
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and is available to residents – free of charge. All woodchip locations can be found here.
Forestry calls 
 
Our Forestry crews continue to make excellent progress responding to storm-related service requests. You’ll see the number of total calls is the same as last week as any calls since then have not been storm-related.
 
Here are the latest numbers: 
 
5,278 total calls 
3,387 completed Notifications
1,060 Notifications assigned to crews and that have been triaged by Inspection Staff (Most of these have been attended to by crews but have follow up action i.e. brush, wood pick up, stump grinding.)
161 Notifications outstanding (awaiting assessment)
670 Notifications in progress by Inspection staff
 
Things to Note 
 
You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program. Branches are to be tied in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter. Dedicated leaf and yard waste collection begins on May 15..
   
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.  
 
Update - May 5th
We have now entered the fifth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 significant weather event. As I mentioned last week Public Works is still operating under an emergency structure and for many services within our department, this is not business as usual. We recognize there have been some service delays and continue to make every effort to minimize the impacts of those delays.
On-street chipping and debris collection
As of this morning, our combined Solid Waste, Forestry, Roads and contracted crews have cleared 2,604 lane km of debris across the city, or 20% of our roads. As you’ll see below, not all our data has been collected so this number will rise once we have those updates and as work progresses remaining additional wards will be added. We also expect the percentages to rise more quickly once we are through the hardest-hit areas.
We currently have crews in the following wards
Bay – 95% complete
Stittsville – 91% complete
Rideau-Vanier – 60% complete
College – 60% complete
Rideau-Rockcliffe – 47% complete
Capital – 35% complete
River – 32% complete
Kanata South – 25% complete
Riverside South-Findlay Creek – 24%
Kitchissippi – 16% complete
West Carleton-March – 18% complete
Kanata North – 13% complete
Osgoode – 8%
Rideau Jock – 7%
Barrhaven West – 5% complete
Somerset – no data yet
Beacon Hill-Cyrville – no data yet
Still to come
Orléans West-Innes
Knoxdale-Merivale
Orléans East-Cumberland
Gloucester-Southgate
Orléans South-Navan
Barrhaven East
Complete
Alta Vista
We will continue our cleanup operations in these harder-hit wards before expanding into wards not yet on the list. Providing precise timelines is challenging given that our crews do not always know the complexity of the cleanup at certain sites until they arrive.
Our Roads crews continue working in the urban core and expect to have everything cleared from Moodie to Churchill and from Baseline to Carling by the end of today. Once that is complete, their focus shifts to streets east of Churchill and north of Carling. They also expect to have all streets east of the Rideau Canal into Old Ottawa South cleared by the end of the weekend and will move west of the canal by early next week.
Yesterday, our Forestry crews completed North Gower and are almost finished Kars. They will then move into the Manotick area. Osgoode and Metcalfe are also complete and crews moved into Greely yesterday. Rockcliffe is about 75% complete with crews set to head into Beacon Hill after that.
Solid Waste crews made great progress last week and will continue where they left off covering Kanata, West Carleton and the small amount remaining in Stittsville. These crews are collecting as much brush as they can. They will leave larger logs behind and provide addresses for other crews to address.
It is important to remember that all crews will do a single pass. Should some smaller debris be left behind, we encourage and thank residents for collecting it and leaving it on the curb for regular leaf and yard waste removal.
We recognize that there is a lot of work that remains and many neighbourhoods to address once we complete the ones listed above. We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. As we progress through the cleanup, there may be some scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here. We will also be notifying all affected Councillors before we enter their wards so they can use their various social media platforms to remind residents to have their debris ready for removal.
Free Woodchips Available
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and is available to residents – free of charge – at the following locations:
· Recreation facilities
o Navan Memorial Centre, 1295 Colonial Road
o Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue (Minto sports field parking lot, between Minto field and Hamilton baseball diamond)
o Sandy Hill Arena, 60 Mann Avenue (southwest corner, on the fenced-in side of the property)
o Kanata Recreation Complex, 100 Charlie Rogers Place
o Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Road
o Stuart Holmes Arena, 5660 Osgoode Main Street
o Larry Robinson Arena, 2785 8th Line Road, Metcalfe
· Yards
o 2145 Roger Stevens Drive
o 4244 Rideau Valley Drive
Please note these woodchips will be available while quantities last. We are asking anyone coming by to please bring your own shovel, gloves, and container for easy transport and to abide by the safety instructions posted at each site.
The forecast is calling for great gardening conditions this weekend, so we encourage residents to take full advantage of the woodchips. Should we determine a site is not seeing enough traffic, the woodchips could be moved to another location.
While we will try to replenish some sites as required, it is our goal to set up new locations where crews are chipping to make our operations as efficient as possible. These locations will be posted here.
Safety is always our priority. In addition to wearing gloves, choose appropriate footwear and be aware of other individuals and vehicles at the yards or facilities.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue working on restoring areas that have been impacted by the storm. 
Forestry calls
While our Forestry crews have joined the on-street chipping operations, they are still responding to storm-related service requests. This week, we began to see calls transition away from storm-related requests to regular maintenance calls.
Here are the latest numbers:
· 5278 total calls
· 2988 completed Notifications
· 1302 Notifications assigned to crews and that have been triaged by Inspection Staff (Most of these have been attended to by crews but have follow up action i.e. brush, wood pick up, stump grinding.)
· 171 Notifications outstanding (awaiting assessment)
· 817 Notifications in progress by Inspection staff
Things to Note
· You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program.
· The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
Look Ahead
We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to get into a neighbourhood near you.
The encouragement you have shown Public Works since the start of this event has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your unwavering support as we continue responding to yet another weather event.
In turn, I am committed to continuing to provide you with weekly updates on the status of our operations. Unless conditions and/or our operations change considerably, please expect our next update to follow on May 12.
Update - April 28th
We have now entered the fourth week of recovery efforts following the April 5 significant weather event. Public Works remains in activated operations and work continues across the City. For many services within Public Works, this is not business as usual. While we are trying to stay on top of our regular services in addition to the cleanup efforts, it is recognized that some services may see some delays. We are making every effort to minimize the impacts of those delays.
On-street chipping and debris collection
Work will continue over the weekend in Osgoode and Metcalfe where Forestry will be bringing some larger trucks to move large debris. It will go to a temporary storage site at our Barnsdale composting location to await chipping.
Solid Waste is contributing 14 trucks in two crews that will start work tomorrow. One crew will start collecting debris in West Carleton before heading south to Stittsville. A second crew will start in Bells Corners and move through Kanata before meeting the first crew in Stittsville. They will then head south to Richmond and Manotick.
As we start to progress through the cleanup, there may be some scheduling updates midweek. You will always be able to find the most up to date schedule here.
As of yesterday, our Roads crews have cleared 423 lane kilometres of debris. This number will rise once our Forestry crews’ data becomes available next week.
Free Woodchips Available
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and is available to residents – free of charge – at the following locations:
Recreation facilities
Navan Memorial Centre, 1295 Colonial Road
Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue (Minto sports field parking lot, between Minto field and Hamilton baseball diamond)
Sandy Hill Arena, 60 Mann Avenue (southwest corner, on the fenced-in side of the property)
Kanata Recreation Complex, 100 Charlie Rogers Place
Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Road
Stuart Holmes Arena, 5660 Osgoode Main Street
Larry Robinson Arena, 2785 8th Line Road, Metcalfe
Yards
2145 Roger Stevens Drive
4244 Rideau Valley Drive
Please note these woodchips will be available while quantities last. We are asking anyone coming by to please bring your own shovel, gloves, and container for easy transport and to abide by the safety instructions posted at each site.
While we will try to replenish some sites as required, it is our goal to set up new locations where crews are chipping to make our operations as efficient as possible. These locations will be posted here.
Safety is always our priority. In addition to wearing gloves, choose appropriate footwear and be aware of other individuals and vehicles at the yards or facilities.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue working on restoring areas that have been impacted by the storm.
Forestry calls
While our Forestry crews have joined the on-street chipping operations, they are still responding to storm-related service requests.
Here are the latest numbers:
5089 total calls
2467 completed Notifications
1462 Notifications assigned to crews and that have been triaged by Inspection Staff (Most of these have been attended to by crews but have follow up action i.e. brush, wood pick up, stump grinding.)
304 Notifications outstanding (awaiting assessment)
856 Notifications in progress by Inspection staff
Things to Note
You can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program.
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
It has been a challenging month for our Parks Maintenance staff. In addition to cleaning up after the ice storm, many crews were also deployed as part of the City’s enhanced emergency operations in response to spring flooding in Cumberland and Constance Bay. Our resources have been stretched but we continue to work on minimizing any delays to our regular services.
Look Ahead
We recognize that there is a lot of work that remains and many neighbourhoods to address once we complete the ones listed above. We will continue to spread our resources across the city until the work is complete. Teams will complete a single pass to collect the debris. Residents are encouraged to check the City website for when their neighborhoods will be targeted. We will also be notifying all affected councillors before we enter their wards so they can use their various social media platforms to remind residents to have their debris ready for removal.
We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to get into a neighbourhood near you.
The encouragement you have shown Public Works since the start of this event has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your unwavering support as we continue responding to yet another weather event.
Update - April 14th
Things to Note
We are actively working on restoring properties across the City, work that will take weeks to complete. Until then, you can support our efforts by making use of the City’s Leaf and Yard Waste Program. Here’s how you can help:
Tie branches with twine and into bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width. Bundles or containers should weigh no more than 15 kg (33 lb.) and individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter.
If you have a fire hydrant on your property, please ensure to keep a 1.5 metres perimeter around the hydrant to maintain access for Ottawa Fire Services in the event of an emergency.
Until end of day Friday, April 21, larger tree cuttings, branches and brush may be brought to the City’s Trail Waste Facility free of charge. Standard rates will apply starting Saturday, April 22.
Otherwise, these may wait, curbside, for chipping or collection by specialized City and contracted crews. There is no need to call 3-1-1 at this time.
Those in urgent need to dispose of food waste have until end of day Saturday, April 15 to use the large bin located at the Trail Waste Facility available at no extra charge. Otherwise, residents can remove all packaging from food waste and leverage the weekly curbside green bin collection.
The City is continuing its commitment to re-establishing the lost tree canopy by re-planting lost City trees. Residents who would like a tree replacement on the City’s right of way are encouraged to request it through the Trees in Trust program. Staff will continue to assess the loss of trees in City-owned parks before planning for their replacement.
In just nine short days, 69% of the 3,447 service requests that were received by Forestry Services have been addressed. To help put things into perspective:
368 service requests were submitted over the same period last year,
2,387 service requests received during the entire 2021/2022 winter season, and
3,755 service requests were sent over the nine days that followed the derecho in May 2022.
Nonetheless, incredible strides have been made and efforts will continue well into the weeks ahead. This week teams have begun wood chipping operations while the focus remains with ensuring that our pathways, curbsides, and parks are made safe and free from hazards.
Free Woodchips Available Starting Tuesday, April 18
Some of the debris that’s been collected as part of recent recovery efforts has been turned into woodchips and will become available to residents – free of charge – starting Tuesday, April 18. While quantities last, woodchips will be available 24/7 at the following locations:
Recreation facilities
Navan Memorial Centre, 1295 Colonial Road
Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Avenue (Minto sports field parking lot, between Minto field and Hamilton baseball diamond)
Sandy Hill Arena, 60 Mann Avenue (southwest corner, on the fenced-in side of the property)
Yards
2145 Roger Stevens Drive
4244 Rideau Valley Drive
1655 Maple Grove Road
Availability will be on a first come first serve basis. We are asking anyone coming by to please bring your own shovel, gloves, and container for easy transport and to abide by the safety instructions posted at each site.
Woodchips are produced as tree debris is picked up and so locations that run out may take some time before they can be replenished. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue working on restoring areas that have been impacted by the storm.
Safety is always our priority. When collecting your woodchips please be sure to wear gloves, appropriate footwear and to be aware of other individuals and vehicles at the yards or facilities.
Look Ahead
Public Works will continue to patrol the City to scale the damage and impacts from last week’s event. As of today, Rockcliffe, Osgoode, Metcalfe, Alta Vista and the Urban Core were deemed to have been impacted the most and have since been prioritized. These are older neighbourhoods and with that comes many mature trees, and their cleanup will take time.
As damage continues to be assessed across the City, estimates in terms of how long it will take before we are able to get to specific neighbourhoods is difficult to predict. We will continue working safely and as efficiently as operationally possible to get into a neighbourhood near you.
We recognize that there is a lot of work that remains, and the encouragement you have shown Public Works since the start of this event has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your unwavering support as we continue responding to yet another weather event.
Update - April 8th
I'm sure a lot of you did not intend to spend your long weekend cleaning up after a storm. Like you, our Public Works team and their invaluable partners have been working hard – many without a break and in challenging conditions – to support our residents.
Thankfully, positive progress is taking place city-wide. As of this morning:
· our Forestry team has addressed more than half of the 2250+ calls for service received since Wednesday’s weather event;
· our Traffic team has brought nearly 150 traffic signals back online and have emergency generators at all intersections that remain without power;
· our curbside waste collection resumed today, allowing many residents with spoiled food to benefit from green bin pick-up; and
· our Roads and Parks teams continue to address fallen trees and debris that affect our parks and transportation network, followed-up by concentrated street sweeping.
Of course, trees, limbs and brush remain a priority. As identified hazards, streets and pathways are cleared, staff and contractors will turn their attention to broken limbs, non-hazardous removals, re-inspections, pruning and brush/wood cleanup.
I cannot emphasize enough: Collecting and/or chipping all this debris will be a multi-week effort – but residents can help:
· Tree cuttings, branches and brush may be placed at the curb for chipping or collection, separate from non-organic waste.
o To allow collection, we encourage branches to be tied with twine in bundles of less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length and 60 cm (2 ft.) in width, and that bundles or containers weigh no more than 15 kg (33 lb.). Individual branches should be less than 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter.
o Larger tree cuttings, branches and brush may be brought to the City’s Trail Waste Facility at no charge until further notice. Otherwise, these may wait, curbside, for chipping or collection by specialized City and contracted crews. There is no need to call 3-1-1 at this time.
Our utility partners’ quick restoration work combined with our regular waste collection schedule has mitigated widespread food spoilage, and I’m also thankful that residents have been mindful of using public health guidance on food safety.
· Residents continue to be encouraged to remove all packaging and leverage the weekly curbside green bin collection for food waste. For those with more urgent need to dispose of food waste, a large bin will be available at the Trail Waste Facility at no charge from Monday (April 10) to Saturday (April 15).
Update - April 7th (PM)
The number of customers without power continues to decline significantly, which is great news. We are aware of some pockets of the city, however, that will remain without power overnight and into tomorrow. That includes about 9,000 Hydro One customers in the south-end and about 2,000 to 3,000 customers in the west-end. There is also a pocket of Hydro Ottawa customers in the City View/Meadowlands area that will remain without power until Saturday evening.
Given that tomorrow is not a statutory holiday, the City will have 32 facilities available for residents to access, during operating hours, should they need any on-going assistance. The full list of facilities has been updated on the City’s storm website: Storm cleanup - April 2023 | City of Ottawa.
In addition, we are keeping open the following four locations, primarily to service the Hydro One customers who remain without power:
Facility
Hours
Services
Manotick Arena
8:00am - 4:00pm
Bottled water, showers, washrooms, charging
Greely Community Centre
8:00am - 4:00pm
Bottled water, showers, washrooms, charging
Carp (W. Erskine Johnson Arena)
8:00am - 4:00pm
Bottled water, showers, washrooms, charging
Dunrobin
8:00am - 4:00pm
Bottled water, showers, washrooms, charging
Community Supports
The City continued to support residents without power today in a variety of ways, including:
Water distribution services, which were so popular in Greely that the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) had to re-stock the water supply today.
Battery pack distribution with Hydro Ottawa, to customers requiring them in order to continuously run medical devices.
Wellness visits by both the Ottawa Fire Services and the Ottawa Police Service, to support vulnerable residents in areas without power.
Food Security-related requests for service, including the delivery of hot meals to two seniors’ residences.
In addition:
3-1-1 was able to clear their backlog of calls late Thursday evening. While they continued to receive storm-related calls today, call volumes have returned to normal.
The Public Information and Media Relations (PIMR) team continued to keep the City’s storm website up-to-date. They also issued posts on social media on topics such as: how to stay warm during a power outage; storing spoiled food in the freezer until weekly curbside green bin pick-up; and, the safe use of generators.
Cleanup - April 6th
Storm cleanup - April 2023 | City of Ottawa
Debris
Trees, limbs and brush Staff are triaging calls and prioritizing work to address downed trees and broken or hanging limbs that are blocking streets or that may otherwise pose a hazard to residents or property. Staff are also out checking parks and play structures for trees that may pose a risk. Once hazards and streets are cleared, staff and contractors will address broken limbs, non-hazardous removals, re-inspections, pruning and brush/wood cleanup. By now, we know that this cleanup will be a multi-week effort requiring plenty of resources. We thank residents for their patience, and for staying safely away from precarious limbs and trees. A reminder: Property owners do not need a permit to remove dead or hazardous trees on their private property where the tree is an immediate threat to public health and safety. Photos should be taken prior to removal of dead or hazardous trees in such cases to provide evidence of the condition of the tree and the reason for exemption. Waste and tree debris collection/disposal Tree cuttings, branches and brush may be placed at the curb for chipping or collection, separate from non-organic waste and tied with twine in bundles, if possible. Residents are reminded to not stack or lean branches, limbs or brush on trees, utility poles or other structures, and to keep curbside waste materials at least 1.5 metres away from fire hydrants to ensure access for our firefighters. Again, residents are asked to be patient, as this chipping and/or collection by City crews and contracted services will take some time. Starting tomorrow (Friday, April 7), tipping fees at the City’s landfill site at the Trail Waste Facility are being temporarily waived for residents with tree-cuttings, brush and branches due to the storm. The Trail Waste Facility is open Monday to Friday from 7 am to 6 pm. On Good Friday (Friday, April 7) and Easter Monday (Monday, April 10), it is open from 9 am to 5 pm, and it is also open on Saturday, April 15 from 8 am to 4 pm. Due to the holiday, curbside waste collection continues today and Saturday. For those few streets where downed trees or wires prevent our safe passage, we ask that residents keep their garbage, recycling and green bins at the curb for pick up tomorrow. We’re monitoring the risks of food spoilage due to prolonged power outages, and will advise of targeted collection if necessary. For now, residents are encouraged to use their green bin, and to consider public health guidance on food safety during an outage.
Power Outages - April 6th
If you don’t see your outage on Hydro Ottawa's map, or are having difficulty reporting an outage online, please call their 24/7 outage line at 613-738-0188. I will provide as many updates as possible through my Twitter and Facebook. You can also check out Hydro Ottawa's Outage Centre for the latest. Facilities With Power Almost City facilities are accessible to the public to charge their devices and access washrooms. Ward 3 facilities include:
Walter Baker Sports Centre
Minto Recreation Complex
Full list
(Please note that not all facilities have showers or public wifi)
Detailed List
Safety - April 6th
Watch for debris, falling ice, and electrical equipment.
Stay out of forested areas due to risk of falling debris.
Treat intersections with no power as all-way stops.
Check that the battery backup in your smoke alarm is working.
Contacts
Downed tree --> call 3-1-1
Downed power line --> call Hydro Ottawa at 613 738-6400. If it poses an immediate danger, call 9-1-1 first. Do NOT approach downed powerlines.
Do not hesitate to reach out to the Ward 3 office (david.hill@ottawa.ca)
Food Safety
An article from Ottawa Public Health.
Generator Safety
Note: The noise by-law is waived for residents without power so generators can run at all times until their power is restored.
Road Closures - April 6th
Please be advised that all road closures associated with the severe weather event have reopened. This incident is cleared.
City Action - April 6th
The list of activities accomplished by City Services and partners since yesterday is long. We are providing some examples from a Human Needs/Community Support perspective to give you a sense of what has been accomplished (as of April 6):
Emergency services responded to an increase in calls for service related to the storm. Many were for public safety issues resulting from downed trees/limbs and power lines.
Paramedic Service also supported some residents who were without power and in need of oxygen support.
Ottawa Fire Services has conducted some targeted wellness visits. All Fire Stations also did patrols in their areas to ensure that residents were not stuck in homes, and assisted with debris removal.
There were 57 City facilities open today for residents to access to charge phones and use showers/washrooms.
3-1-1 continued to respond to a significantly high volume of calls. Most were forestry-related.
The City distributed water to some rural areas that continue to be without power and are on well/septic (and therefore, without water).