KANATA NORTH NEWS Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North

Matt Muirhead
Last week Matt called me to let me know that he was withdrawing as a candidate for the Kanata North Council seat. He shared with me that he was concerned about the time the campaign took away from his young family. I respect his decision to withdraw at this time. Matt has contributed a great deal to our community as President of the Briarbrook/Morgans Grant Community Association and as a tireless graffiti remover. He has asked me to ensure that the issues that concerned him be discussed during the campaign and I am happy to do so and will discuss them with him to ensure complete coverage. I have deep respect for his integrity, his attitude and his caring for the people in our communities. Ive worked well with Matt during the past few years and value his ideas, knowledge and advice. Matt is a community leader who will help guide our community forward and I look forward to continue working with him and the community.

Cancer Survivors Golf Tournament

The Golf4Survivors fundraising tournament is taking place very soon, on Monday August 9 at the Canadian Golf & Country Club. I was pleased to be asked to be Honorary Chair along with Max Keeping. The organizers want to make a difference. What is planned is A DAY OF FUN to raise funds for research and for the programs that exist to support those in our community who are dealing with cancer. As adults we can reflect back on how we dealt with these difficult and challenging life events. It is devastating when faced with the reality of biopsies, MRIs, CAT scans, chemotherapy or radiation for the first, second or third time. This is why the team pulled together and chose to dedicate proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. You can register to play by going to:http://www.canadiangolfclub.com/members/events.aro?promoCode=golf4 or by contacting the Canadian Golf & Country Club Pro shop at 613-253-3290-ext 228.

2010 Kanata North Picnic

The rain held off, so more than 2,000 residents flocked to the picnic on a beautiful day, enjoyed hotdogs and hamburgers (we ran out), cotton candy and snowcones (thank you to Theresa and Shad Qadri), a variety of entertainment including Chris Pilsworths magic show, Kanata Orchestras quartet, Kiwanis Idol singers, Pro-Style Martial Arts, Driven Dancers and Chinese Seniors Social Group music and dance. The children loved the bouncy carousel and the petting zoo. Both adults and children clamoured over the equipment on display, visited displays from many groups and made this the greenest picnic yet. A special treat was the nature treasure hunt. Many thanks to the volunteers who helped out, to my staff who did an awesome job of organizing the event, and to the sponsors who made this event possible. I look forward to another great picnic in 2011.

Road Closure
The City has approved the closure of Kanata Avenue between Richardson Side Road and Strikine Drive from Wed. 4 August 2010 to Friday, 19 Nov. 2010. This closure is required for the reconstruction of that part of Kanata Ave. to an urban standard with storm sewers, sidewalks, lighting and a roundabout. There is a great deal of rock to be removed, which requires crews to use the width of the road for safety, sewer installation and road reconstruction. During this time all traffic will be routed along Kanata Ave to Campeau Dr. OC Transpo will re-route the 68 Express bus to bypass the closure.

Multicultural Grants Available

Inter-Action, Canadas new Multiculturalism Grants and Contributions Program announced on June 27 that it is now accepting applications for funding. Funding is provided for either Projects or Events, each of which has updated objectives, funding guidelines and processes. There are many new Canadians in Kanata North who could use funding from the Events Stream to host community activities. For information visit the website at www.cic.gc.ca/multi or call 1-888-776-8454. It would be great to have more multicultural events in Kanata to celebrate living and working together.

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.