An “unprecedented” level of public engagement with the City of Ottawa’s new official plan will result in a second draft plan to be released this summer. City planners will also put together an interim report to review the public comments received from the original draft, to be released sometime this spring. ...

(Following is an open letter signed by 16 city councillors and sent to Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday. Under the current stay at home order, all sports fields, courts and other outdoor amenities are closed, excepting children’s play structures. For more info on COVID-related rules, see ottawa. ...

Photo: One of OC Transpo’s new operator barriers. Via Allan Hubley on Twitter. OC Transpo has made the move to permanently install protective barriers for drivers across its entire bus fleet. The barriers have been installed on 12 buses since 2019 as part of a test. ...

With sights set on better days ahead, the City’s Summer eGuides are now online. Offered in English and French, peruse our COVID-modified summer camps, outdoor activities and virtual offerings. Registration takes place online starting Wednesday, May 5 at 9 pm. ...

A COVID-19 vaccine. Photo via Spencer Davis/Unsplash. As the phase two vaccine rollout continues in our city, Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, is looking ahead to the next steps. “By the end of April … we’ll have protected most people over 60,” Etches said on Wednesday. ...

(Via School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa) SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production Diploma students have worked tirelessly over this last challenging year in order to create innovative installations and portfolios that showcase their individual photographic practices. This diverse group of emerging talent is pushing the boundaries of the photographic medium, working with new technologies, alternative processes, ceramics, and digital pigment prints. ...

An OC Transpo bus downtown. (Photo via Shankar S. Used under a Creative Commons license.) (Via OC Transpo) Spring changes to OC Transpo service begin on Sunday, April 18. OC Transpo will roll into the season with the expansion of Rack & Roll to its entire bus network, further adjustments will be introduced due to the ongoing pandemic, and new detours will accommodate construction projects. ...

The city won’t pursue a uniform 8 p.m. closing time for its parks, but “certain problematic parks” could be closed by 9 p.m. or earlier if the local councillor approves. The idea of an early closing time came from Mayor Jim Watson, in response to recent problems at parks such as large gatherings, public drinking, and littering. ...

Photo: Residents enjoy cycling in May, 2020. Photo by Farah Kahn/OttawaStart.com. In addition to the existing weekends-only closure of the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, the National Capital Commission will now close the Sir John A. MacDonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkways to cars this weekend to enable active use. ...

The City of Ottawa would like to remind residents of the following schedule changes for the Easter holiday, from Friday, April 2 to Monday, April 5. Client services Client service centres, including the Government Service Centre at 110 Laurier Avenue West and the service centre at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, will be closed. ...