Ottawa Rural Summit 2024
Councillor Kelly's Statement and
Full Review of Saturday's Successful Rural Summit 2024
See full OnLine article HERE.
I was sworn in as your Councillor on November 15th, 2022, and my first motion was passed on December 7th, 2022, directing City staff to undertake the effort necessary to bring back the Rural Summit.
The Rural Summit was meant to be a key ingredient to a successful amalgamation. It was supposed to happen in each term of Council to assist with rural communities’ integration into the City of Ottawa. However, this initiative was abandoned after two summits in 2005 and 2008.
I am not sure what lead to the demise of the Rural Summit efforts, but with rural residents being consistently less satisfied with City services than urban and suburban residents, I thought it was time to bring the Summit back and have a real conversation about how we can better serve rural residents. This is something I am very proud of and something I promised during the 2022 election campaign.
This past Saturday, it was amazing to see the culmination of months and months of effort. This included five rural summit workshops attended by over 500 people, and a survey filled out by more than a thousand rural residents. This work informed the conversation we had at the Summit itself and was instrumental in guiding the creation of ten very promising announcements for rural Ottawa made by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the Rural Summit.
For too long, our city has taken a single approach to policy development and implementation. That may work in cities like Toronto, Edmonton, and Montreal, but it doesn’t work in a city that spans almost 3,000 square kilometers with a landmass that is 80% rural. What works in the Glebe, Downtown, or Barrhaven won’t necessarily work in West Carleton-March or anywhere else in rural Ottawa. That is why the theme of the 2024 Rural Summit is Rural Solutions for Rural People.
This is not about getting things at the expense of any other part of the city or receiving more than other areas. We have already seen that some are looking to turn this into a rural vs. urban discussion. It is not. It’s simply about the recognition that the issues we face in rural Ottawa often require different solutions or a different approach than issues in urban or suburban Ottawa.
While I was the one who moved the motion to bring back the Rural Summit, this would not have happened without my rural colleagues who, along with their teams, have worked hard together to make this event a success. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has been supportive of this process since the day my motion passed at Council and has been working hard with rural Councillors and Senior Leadership at the City to ensure this process yields tangible results for rural residents.
At the Summit, he outlined ten new commitments for rural residents based on feedback we have heard so far. Our issues will not be solved at one summit, or even in one term of council, but these ten announcements are a very exciting step in the right direction. They include:
• An enhanced rural office with additional staffing
• A designated rural expert for each department to help rural residents and Councillors navigate the bureaucracy and ensure a rural perspective is applied during decision-making
• An expanded role for the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to have more input on all decisions that would impact rural communities
• Commitment to establish a clear plan for rural ditching and a proposal, supported by the Mayor, to double the rural ditching in our upcoming budget for 2025
• Improving Rural Paramedic Response: Hiring 23 new paramedics in 2025 and 2026, improving response times through a new dispatch system, and addressing offload delays with provincial partners
See the article below to read more about the ten new initiatives announced by Mayor Sutcliffe for rural Ottawa.
I would like to reiterate that this is not the end, but rather the beginning of the conversation on how to better serve rural communities. I would invite you to reach out to me if you want to provide further feedback on how the City can do that.
We will now begin the process of writing the report, complete with recommendations and budget requests for the 2025 Budget and beyond. We will then begin working with our urban/suburban colleagues and City staff on implementing rural solutions for rural residents.
Thank you so much to the many dedicated residents of Ward 5 who took the time to provide feedback and ideas as part of the 2024 Rural Summit process. I would also like to thank the Ward 5 Resident Working Group Members, Shirley Dolan and Ken Holmes for their extremely hard work in helping to make this a success. They worked tirelessly for months to consult with residents, businesses, stakeholders as well as City staff to help design and fine tune the process.
We are one big step closer to a new day for rural Ottawa.
Best regards,
Clarke Kelly
Councillior | City of Ottawa
West Carleton-March
Clarke.Kelly@Ottawa.ca
To see photos and video from Rural Summit 2024, along with an interview on 580 CFRA, visit our website.
Rural Summit 2024: A Step Forward for Ottawa’s Rural Communities -
Engage-Ottawa Report:
Considerable background material is available BELOW at "PRESENTATIONS FROM THE RURAL SUMMIT."
On November 2, over 250 residents gathered for Ottawa’s Rural Summit 2024 at Sir Robert Borden High School. The event provided a platform for rural voices to engage directly with City leaders on the most pressing issues affecting rural areas. The summit featured opening remarks from the mayor, who presented his "10 Commitments to Rural Ottawa," which outlined his plan and dedication to improving rural services and representation.
Mayor’s 10 Commitments to Ottawa’s Rural Community
- During his presentation, the mayor announced a series of commitments focused on enhancing rural life:
- Conduct a water rate review and improve rural ditches
- Strengthen the mandate of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
- Ensure a dedicated rural lead in every City department
- Enhance rural paramedic response times
- Develop a rural-focused list for prioritizing intersection signals
- Incorporate rural feedback into road renewal projects
- Streamline planning processes for rural applicants
- Create a balanced rural growth strategy
- Seek provincial recognition of Ottawa as a “rural city,”
- Commit to another Rural Summit within the next four years
Breakout Sessions: Key Topics and Resident Engagement
Following the mayor’s address, attendees participated in breakout sessions on five key themes. Each session was led by one of Ottawa’s five rural councillors. These sessions allowed residents to discuss further and ask questions about the five themes, share their perspectives, and discuss actionable solutions. The five themes were:
- Transportation, Transit and Infrastructure
- Environment and Agriculture
- Community and Social Services
- Planning and Economic Development
- Governance
These discussions helped deepen the understanding of residents’ needs and identified potential solutions to address these key areas, laying the groundwork for more effective policies and programs.
The summit was an overall success, fostering collaboration between residents, city officials, and stakeholders to build a stronger, more inclusive rural community. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to these essential discussions—your voices are helping shape Ottawa's rural future!
This is a reminder that we want to hear your thoughts on how we can improve the public engagement experience for you! For those who did not have the chance to complete our survey at the Summit, it will be available online until Tuesday, November 12. We look forward to hearing your feedback and appreciate your participation in the Rural Summit 2024’s engagement activities. See: https://engage.ottawa.ca/rural-summit-2024
PRESENTATIONS FROM THE RURAL SUMMIT
Mayor Sutcliffe's PowerPoint presentation "Rural Solutions for Rural People " can be downloaded HERE .
The PowerPoint presentations from the 2 November break-our sessions can be downloaded here:
Agriculture and Environment
Governance, Engagement and Communications
Planning and Economic Development
Community, Recreational and Social Services
Transportation, Transit, and Infrastructure
Engage.Ottawa Announcement: Ottawa Rural Summit 2024 - 19 Sep 2024:
We are excited to announce that the Ottawa Rural Summit 2024 will be held on Saturday, November 2nd, at Sir Robert Borden High School (131 Greenbank Rd, Nepean). This year’s event builds upon the feedback we received from rural residents through our engagement activities, including ward workshops and the rural survey. We have heard your concerns, and now is your chance to collaborate with us on potential solutions, action items, and next steps that will improve the quality of life for rural communities across Ottawa.
Why You Should Attend
This is your opportunity to move from discussion to action. The summit is designed to provide a platform for residents to work directly with Councillors and the Mayor to develop innovative ideas to address key issues affecting rural life. Whether you attended a workshop, completed the survey, or are joining the conversation for the first time, this summit will focus on transforming your input into tangible solutions.
Event Highlights
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Location: Sir Robert Borden High School, Ottawa
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Agenda:
The Rural Summit is a unique opportunity to learn more from and engage directly with city leadership. Your ideas will influence decisions that shape rural governance, services, and infrastructure to better serve rural areas. Your voice matters, and together we can create positive change.
Register now for this amazing event here(External link) and secure your spot at the Ottawa Rural Summit 2024, and to ensure you are included in the catered lunch count.
We are excited to announce that the Ottawa Rural Summit 2024 will be held on Saturday, November 2nd, at Sir Robert Borden High School (131 Greenbank Rd, Nepean). This year’s event builds upon the feedback we received from rural residents through our engagement activities, including ward workshops and the rural survey. We have heard your concerns, and now is your chance to collaborate with us on potential solutions, action items, and next steps that will improve the quality of life for rural communities across Ottawa.
Why You Should Attend
This is your opportunity to move from discussion to action. The summit is designed to provide a platform for residents to work directly with Councillors and the Mayor to develop innovative ideas to address key issues affecting rural life. Whether you attended a workshop, completed the survey, or are joining the conversation for the first time, this summit will focus on transforming your input into tangible solutions.
Event Highlights
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Location: Sir Robert Borden High School, Ottawa
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Agenda:
- 9:00 AM: Doors open for mingling and refreshments
- 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM: Introduction remarks, including presentations from the Mayor and Councillors on feedback they've received so far regarding various city services such as governance, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, and community services.
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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Breakout sessions:
- Transportation, Transit, and Infrastructure. Potential Topics: Road maintenance and upgrades, winter road maintenance, traffic issues, pedestrian infrastructure, truck traffic, traffic control devices, public transit, ditches, culverts, drainage, stormwater, other capital investments and assets.
- Environment and Agriculture. Potential Topics: Watercourses and conservation authorities, solid waste (garbage), farming and agriculture, renewable energy, climate change, natural heritage (wetlands, forests), noxious weeds.
- Community and Social Services. Potential Topics: Parks and recreation facilities, emergency services (police, paramedics, fire), road safety, seniors issues, youth issues, vulnerable communities, affordable housing, health, mental health, community centres and programming, social services.
- Planning and Economic Development. Potential Topics: Official Plan, Secondary plans, zoning, village growth, BIAs, local commercial activity, preserving rural culture.
- Governance, Engagement and Communication. Potential Topics: Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee mandate, budget processes, rural affairs office, consultation, engagement and communications, accountability, red tape / efficiency, 3-1-1 services, client services,
The subjects likely to be addressed in the breakout sessions is available HERE.
- 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: Catered lunch and further engagement with Councillors. It is important to register to ensure we have the right amount of food available for everyone.
- 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM: Closing remarks outlining next steps and timelines for final reports, followed by a celebration of rural communities with light entertainment.
The Rural Summit is a unique opportunity to learn more from and engage directly with city leadership. Your ideas will influence decisions that shape rural governance, services, and infrastructure to better serve rural areas. Your voice matters, and together we can create positive change.
Register now for this amazing event here(External link) and secure your spot at the Ottawa Rural Summit 2024, and to ensure you are included in the catered lunch count.
Several reports on the Rural Workshops are Linked below.
The Engage.Ottawa "As We Heard It" Report for Ward 5 is located HERE.
A PDF compilation of all five ward reports is found HERE.
A PDF Report in English to consider the discussions during the Ward Workshops is found HERE.
A PDF Report in French to consider the discussions during the Ward Workshops is found HERE .
An English version of this information in FlipBook format is located HERE.
A French version of this information in FlipBook format is located HERE.