COUNCIL DEFERS DECISION on Ottawa River Egress Access Road

Copyright © 2021 Ottawa River Access Project All rights reserved. COUNCIL DEFERS DECISION Like many of you, we anticipated that Council would be voting on our proposal for a legacy of free, public access on the Ottawa River on July 7th. However, Council has made the decision to defer voting on our proposal at this time.  We would like to sincerely thank Council for taking the time to speak with us and for their review of our proposal. We acknowledge that this is a complicated matter, and understand their decision to take time to thoroughly consider this issue before voting on this issue.  Whitewater Ontario is committed to partnering with the Township for the long term to provide the best outcomes and protection for residents, paddlers and adjacent stakeholders. We encourage the Township to continue their work on collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure this project can move forward.  We will continue to provide updates here and through our social media accounts over the coming weeks and months, so please stay tuned and engaged as we await the next vote - we will need to carry this momentum forward and will need your ongoing support.  HOW YOU CAN HELP If you haven’t done so already, please fill out the survey on our website and let us know how you can help. The cost of building the road could come down substantially if people volunteer/donate their time to this project. Here are the big ticket items that would help us bring our costs down with the help of volunteering: Rock/tree stump removal Tree cutting Gravel and Heavy Equipment Use Please indicate on the survey how you are able to help, or reach out to us directly by emailing info@ottawariveracces.ca.    Fill Out the Survey JOIN WHITEWATER ONTARIO Whitewater Ontario is a volunteer-driven organization uniting, supporting, and sustaining the inclusive development of the whitewater paddling community and resources. If you haven't already, please consider joining Whitewater Ontario, the backer of this project, where you and family can join a club, support the whitewater community in multiple ways AND a portion of your membership goes directly to river advocacy projects like this one.  Join WO SHARE YOUR STORY #MyOttawaRiverStory We’ve been collecting your stories about why public access to the Ottawa River is important to you and we’re proud to continue sharing these stories on our Facebook and Instagram feeds. Tag us (@ottawariveraccess) in your posts on Instagram about what free, public access on the Ottawa River means to you and use #MyOttawaRiverStory to be featured! If you have already submitted your story via our website, please feel free to follow up by email and let us know you're happy to have your story shared publicly. Please remember to include at least 1 photo to accompany your story! FOLLOW US REACH OUT If you are a local landowner/taxpayer in Whitewater Region, please be sure to reach out to your local councillors and let them know why free, public access is important to you. A full list of Council members is below: Mayor Michael Moore mayormoore@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: (H) 613-582-7348 (C) 613-585-1609 Reeve Cathy Regier Email: cregier@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: (C) 613-585-3705 (H) 613-582-3873 Councillor Charlene Jackson Email: cjackson@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: 613-401-5481 Councillor Dave Mackay Email: dmackay@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: 613-281-7570 Councillor Darryl McLaughlin Email: dmclaughlin@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: 613-646-7570 Councillor Neil Nicholson Email: nnicholson@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: 613-401-0097 Councillor Chris Olmstead Email: colmstead@whitewaterregion.ca Phone: 613-312-7565 We continue to be blown away by the support everyone has shown us throughout this process.  The emails, messages and phone calls have been overwhelming, and we will continue to advocate for a legacy of free, public access on the Ottawa River.  With gratitude,  Ottawa River Access Committee – Dan Kirvan Dave Gillespie Shawna Babcock Graham Kent Chris Goodall John Mason Sierra Stinson The Rocher Fendu section of the Ottawa River has been paddled since time immemorial. These waters run through the unceded homelands and unsurrendered traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg and Algonquin Nations. We recognize the Algonquin people as the customary keepers of the Ottawa River watershed and its tributaries. Today, many of us have the privilege to paddle the river's waters and walk the land that surrounds it. We are grateful for the opportunities to learn and connect to the land that this river provides us.* Follow Us @OttawaRiverAccess Facebook Instagram Website #OttawaRiverAccess #MyOttawaRiverStory *This acknowledgement is an important Indigenous protocol. Respect the water and please take the time to honour the river and land where we paddle. It gives us rich experiences and access to beautiful natural spaces. Our commitment is to gain a deeper understanding about the history of this land, the original inhabitants, be responsible users of the river, and show respect. Copyright © 2021 Ottawa River Access Project All rights reserved. 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