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May 8, 2014 | 44 pages
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Inside Proposed changes to school bus routes COMMUNITY upsets parents Jennifer McIntosh jennifer.mcintosh@metroland.com
Manotick high school student sets example for others to follow. -Page 3
NEWS
Will a health crisis tarnish your golden years? -Pages 23-24
News - Proposed changes to hazard zones at Manotick and Metcalfe public schools could pose a risk to their children, parents said during a public consultation at St. Mark High School on April 30. The meeting was part of a city-wide initiative by the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority to improve efficiency in student transportation. The changes would take 122 busses off the road and save an estimated $3.3 million. In some cases those efficiencies could come from changing school start and end times to align them and allow buses to do double and triple runs. In other areas, it will mean eliminating hazard zones or changing walking rules, meaning children who would have been bussed under the old policy would start walking to school in September 2015. OSTA has been hosting a number of consultations across the city and is collecting surveys from affected
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families to determine if their plan will work. “Feedback is very important,� said Vicky Kyriaco, general manager for OSTA. “At the end of the day if we can’t make a change we won’t make a change.� But unlike bell time changes, there’s little wiggle room on changes to hazard zones, as the proposals are based on scientific data the authority had compiled. “You would have to have something really significant on a route that’s not apparent on a map,� Kyriaco said. OSTA was looking to merge the hazard zone criteria, because the two school boards had different policies. Manotick Main and Bridge Street were removed because they were low volume – but one father said that was short sighted due to the Minto Mahogany development currently underway. “We are going to have 1,000 new homes in the area, surely that will change traffic flows,� he said. Kyriaco said OSTA couldn’t look at “perceived traffic.� “We need actual numbers,� she said. “Right now all we can do is work with the traffic numbers we have and it doesn’t achieve the minimum threshold.� Sara Hildebrand said there’s no sidewalk on the southern part of Long Island Road and she worries about ditches and ravines if her kids were to walk to school from her house. She also said she’s worried about visibility and the road narrowing during the winter months. See School Buses page 2
JESSICA CUNHA/METROLAND
Girls just wanna have fun Laurie McArthur of Kanata and Kelly Keenan of North Gower get decked out in sparkly tiaras for the Carp Fair’s annual Ladies Night. The Denim and Diamonds event expected around 800 women for the April 25 event, where a portion of proceeds were donated to the Eastern Ontario Make A Wish Foundation.
Residents oppose cell tower Jennifer McIntosh jennifer.mcintosh@metroland.com
News - Stephanie St. John is worried about her children’s health if a proposed cell tower is built at 1071 Dozois Rd. Telus has proposed a 35metre tower for the site that would improve service for customers in Manotick and the surrounding area. The communications giant hosted an open house showcasing the location and
the proposed structure at the Greely Community Centre on April 30. A letter was sent out to the neighbouring homes on April 11, advising them of the proposal. “The closest existing structure is 3.1 kilometres away from the proposed tower location. Telus’ closest site is located 3.6 kilometres away,� it reads. “The location of these two sites does not meet the coverage objective.�
The antenna would be a 35-metre monopole with a 13-square-metre equipment shelter. St. John, who has a twoyear-old and a five-year-old at Manotick Montessori School, came to the open house, armed with information from a University of Trent professor, Dr. Magda Havas, an activist who opposes the installation of cell towers and WiFi networks. See TOWER page 2
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