KANATA NORTH NEWS Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North WINTERLUDE IS HERE

One of the advantages of living in Ottawa is having distinct seasons, including winter, and access to a wide variety of outdoor activities in all seasons. This weekend is the start of Winterlude, which runs for the next three weekends. There are loads of activities at several locations, details of which can be found at winterlude.gc.ca. Ill be at the kick-off breakfast at City Hall on Saturday and hope to take in some of the other activities and get out on the canal, which is now open for skating. To get from one site to another I recommend that you take the Sno-Bus. The Sno-bus is free for children 11 and under and $2.50 for an all day pass (cash only) for others. Bus passes and tickets cannot be used on the Sno-Bus. For details and a route map go to octranspo.com You can also enjoy outside activities in Kanata. On Saturday February 16 and 23 from 1-3 pm you can put on your snowshoes (a limited number of snowshoes are available) and tour the Pinheys Point Historic Site and learn about the fascinating history of Horaceville. The tour will be followed by a hot snack. Registration is required at 613-247-4830. The cost is $5, $7/couple or $10/family.

NEW CROSSING GUARDS

Starting in September there will be crossing guards to assist children going to and from school in Morgans Grant. One will be on Halton at Brady and the other at Halton and Goward by Jack Donohue School. These crossing guards are two at 15 new locations funded through the 2008 budget.

BUS SERVICE
One of the areas that generate the most inquiries and complaints to my office are about the bus service. This winter has been particularly difficult for maintaining schedules due to both the weather and bus availability. I am continually in contact with OC Transpo to improve the situation. You can help me by reporting any missing buses or major delays to ocserve@octranspo.com. There will be some changes to provide service to new parts of our community starting in September. Ill be holding a consultation on bus service in the spring to provide the views of the community to OC Transpo.

Minor changes can be made at any time, such as adding temporary stops to reduce walking distances in the cold weather. Contact me with your suggestions.

FAMILY DAY
Family Day is a new public holiday that will be held on the third Monday of February each year. Since this is a provincial holiday those working in federally regulated businesses and federal employees will not have the day off. This will result in problems for some families since schools will be closed. On February 18 all municipal offices, public libraries, municipal child care facilities and the Provincial Offences Court will be closed. There will be no curbside garbage or recycling pickup and your normal garbage day will be one day later during that week. OC Transpo will have a revised weekday schedule so check the schedule for your bus. Recreation facilities will be open on their regular schedule and additional swimming and skating sessions will be offered where feasible. Should an urgent matter develop which requires immediate attention from the City you can call 311. Check the City website at Ottawa.ca for more details.

SENIORS HERES A CHANCE TO SHOWCASE YOUR WRITING

The City is holding its annual 55+ Short Story Contest and invites submissions of original, unpublished short stories or memoirs, 2000 words or less, by Ottawa residents 55 years or older. Eight finalists will be named to the 2008 Winners Circle, sharing recognition and prize money of $400. Contest winners will be recognized at An Afternoon of Reading on April 23 and one story will be published in Forever Young. The entry fee is $5 and the deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008.

Coming Events
Feb 6 7:30 pm KBCA (Beaverbrook) meeting, Calian Mall Feb 18 Family Day Feb 25 Ward Council March 7 deadline for Young at Art Submissions

Serving the residents and businesses in Kanata North

To receive the Kanata North Newsletter, to deal with a concern or make a suggestion contact me at 613-580-2474, email Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca or through www.mariannewilkinson.com.