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PIERRE
POILIEVRE
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
TOTAL EMC DISTRIBUTION 474,000
Manotick
MP for Nepean-Carleton
Betty Hillier
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Sales Representative
For information on the Strandherd-Armstrong bridge, please visit www.PierreMP.ca/bridge
613.825.4078
www.bettyhillier.com
www.YourOttawaRegion.com
THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012
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Inside NEWS
The Osgoode Youth Association will collect shoes this April for the Million Shoe Mission in Ottawa. The plan is to collect one million shoes over 10 years. – Page 3
COMMUNITY CITY HALL
Photo by Emma Jackson
Stock market action was never this much fun
Public to give feedback on Manotick boat launch Emma Jackson
emma.jackson@metroland.com
HEALTH COMMUNITY
Young but determined cancer fighters help kick off Daffodil Month, the annual Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser. – Page 16
EMC news - Rideau-Goulbourn Coun. Scott Moffatt will hold public consultations this spring to discuss the future of the Manotick boat launch. He said he wants to meet by the end of April, but could have to wait until May, depending on schedules and marketing capabilities. In the fall of 2011, the City of Ottawa purchased from Parks Canada the small piece of land beside Bridge Street, just east of South River Drive. The city had been in talks with the federal department since 2004 to take over the boat launch, because Parks Canada no longer wanted the launch and the city didn’t own the foot of its own bridge. According to Moffatt, Parks Canada had originally indi-
cated that if the city bought and closed the launch, Parks Canada would operate a different launch further north at the Long Island locks. However, before the sale was finalized in 2011, Parks Canada said it would not operate a replacement launch. Parks Canada external relations manager Pam Buell said in an email that there was never an agreement to move the launch to Nicholls Island, and that Parks Canada is not planning to create a new boat launch in Manotick. “There are ample commercial and private boat launches in this stretch of the waterway. Parks Canada does not want to compete with private marinas for boat launching. A boat launch in this location is not a resource priority for Parks Canada,” she wrote.
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Moffatt said Parks Canada’s stance has complicated the issue as the city tries to decide what to do with the land. “If you close it you upset people, but there are (also) people who don’t want the boat launch. So you leave it open and you upset people,” he said. The city’s original plan was to close the launch and create a small park, which would tie in with the city’s other holdings nearby such as the library and the aquatic club. Moffatt said the land can’t accommodate both a launch and a park, because there just isn’t room. “I’ve been trying to look around and see other options. There’s a whole slew of things around it and it’s been hard to nail down exactly what we should do,” he said.
The public consultations should help, although Moffatt said he has not received the level of feedback he expected. He said he approached residents and user groups, telling them directly that the city wants to close it and asking them what they want. “I got a few emails but nothing groundbreaking. Nothing that made me say, ‘I have to keep this open,’” he said. Manotick resident and boater Janice Domaratzki said the boating community just wants an accessible boat launch in the village, regardless of the location. However, she said there’s an opportunity to revamp the current site, especially once the city moves the north end of South River Drive to connect with Long Island Road across Bridge Street. This could po-
tentially leave more room for green space and parking. “Perhaps there is an opportunity to reconfigure that corner into a parkette with seating and a more organized parking area. “That would allow people to boat and then go for a walk into the village for a bite to eat, shopping, or a visit to the new farmer’s market,” she said in an email. “What we would hope is that, with safe parking, people could take their boats out of the water, and then head into the village.” She recognized the challenge of having cars parked for hours while they visit the village, which would limit the number of people who can park at the launch. Moffatt said he will “hash out a plan” for public consultations as soon as possible.
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Al Corace liked to give back to the Ottawa Heart Institute and his community whenever he could. The Manotick Fun Run continues his efforts. – Page 7
Frenchie Investments brokers Samantha Lipton, left, Jessica Buffonie, middle, and Jillian Auger, right, promised “we make ze baguettes, you get ze dough” during the Stock Market Challenge at Rideau Valley Middle School on April 4. The school’s four Grade 8 classes came together for three days to compete in a mock stock exchange, where teams dressed up in creative costumes to buy and sell their stocks based on newspaper updates, demand and price. For the full story see page 10.
Sharon Carey, Agent 5564 Main Street Manotick, ON K4M 1A9 Bus: 613-692-2511 www.sharoncarey.ca State Farm Investor Services (Canada) Co., Aurora, Ontario
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