Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North Ward Council The first meeting of the Kanata North Ward Council

will be held on Monday, January 22nd at the Mlacak Centre, 2500 Campeau Dr, starting at 7:00 p.m. I am pleased with the number of people who have agreed to serve on the Council. All meetings are open to anyone interested in attending. Various issues will be discussed at each meeting and you are free to comment on any that interest you. At the beginning of the meeting will be a time when anyone can raise any issue or raise a question. There will not be time to debate them at the meeting but either a specific or general response will be made as soon as possible and in some cases the item may be on the agenda of a later meeting. Each meeting will include a report from the police on what is going on in the community; a report from myself on what is happening at City Hall; presentation and discussion on any planning item in the ward; and specific items. At the first meeting the planning items include the site plan for a Play it Again Sports Building at 490 Terry Fox drive and two further freestanding buildings in the Centrum. There will also be a presentation on a staff recommendation to increase the speed limit on Knudson Drive to 50 kph; and discussion on the city budget guidelines that will be debated on the 11th and 12th of January. Anyone wishing to get an agenda in advance of the meeting should send me their email address (or street address if you don't have email) and a copy will be sent to you. I would like to thank those who have agreed to be a regular member of the Ward Council. The format and content will be adapted over time from feedback I receive. I appreciate your suggestions. Voluntary Organizations Council members are frequently asked to support local charitable work and to take part in fundraisers. I'll make you aware of some through this column as space permits. Put on your agenda the annual Champagne on Ice for the Kanata Community Resource Centre on February 16th at Scotiabank Place; the Alzheimer Society Manulife Walk for Memories on January 28th at Carlingwood Shopping Centre and the Mystery Night dinner at St. John's Church in Briarbrook on February 9th. You can contact my office for more details on any of these events and to ask for your event to be included in a future column. The work of voluntary organizations and individual volunteers is crucial to creating a strong and dynamic community. These include youth and adult sports activities, cultural activities, helping to maintain roads and parks; service clubs and community organizations, groups providing assistance to those in need and many more. I salute their work and encourage everyone to get involved. You can reach me at city hall by email at Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca. or calling 613580-2474. I thank those who have sent me their comments and suggestions and welcome more.