Consultation will occur in four rounds in Phase 2B following the Study Design framework.  The initial round is scheduled to occur from May 2011 to September 2011. In this first round, community input will be received on values and mitigation or avoidance measures in the three respective corridors.

Round 1 Consultation – Priorities and Values

Round 1 Consultation is being planned to reach out to citizens within the Region, and specifically within the communities that are impacted most (both directly and indirectly) by a future decision on a crossing. As such, consultation activities are being structured to invite input from three perspectives:

1. The Regional Perspective
2. The ‘Affected Community’ Perspective
3. The ‘Corridor Community’ Perspective

Various methods will be used to solicit this input.  The Round 1 Public Consultation Report is available on the Resources page.

Regional
The Regional Perspective consultation stream will allow for a discussion on broad topics related to the selection of a future crossing, and how a future interprovincial bridge will affect the National Capital Region. Events planned include street surveys (June) and World Café workshops (June 11 and 18, 2011).

The World Café will engage participants using an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, or community. As a process, the World Café methodology can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of common aims. The Cafés involve small group discussions and do not include presentations.

Ottawa (June 18) or Gatineau (June 11) World Café -  9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Affected Communities
‘Affected Communities’ are those that are not located in immediate proximity to a corridor, but that stand to be affected by a future crossing due to issues such as reduced truck traffic in their neighbourhoods or potential disruptions in their commuting time. These communities include, for example, Ottawa-Lowertown and east-end communities and Gatineau’s eastern communities. Events planned include a Public Consultation Group meeting and a Community Value Planning Workshop (June 2011).

Corridor Communities
‘Corridor Communities’ are those that are located within or adjacent to one of the three candidate corridors.  These communities could be directly impacted by issues such as community disruption due to the project, implications resulting from traffic, and the potential loss of green space or other local community features. Consultation activities will allow for discussion around corridor-specific issues and the appropriateness and effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures. Events planned include Community Value Planning Workshops (June 14-16, 2011). Pre-registration will be required and will be organized by Study Corridor (Corridor 5, 6 or 7).

Ontario Value Planning Workshops

Corridor 5 - Tuesday June 14, 2011 - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Corridor 6 - Wednesday June 15, 2011 - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Corridor 7 - Thursday June 16, 2011 - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Do It Yourself Kit: Comments will be received from the public and stakeholders throughout Phase 2B.  Round 1 will focus on listening to community concerns and establishing values before considering mitigation or functional designs.

Round 2 will focus on presenting mitigation measures and functional designs that can respect the community values defined in Round 1.  This round will include receiving input on the importance of the evaluation criteria.  In Round 3 input will be received on the ranking of the alternative corridors and the evaluation.  Round 4 will focus on receiving input on the selected corridor and remaining residual effects.

*****************************************************

Previous Consultation (Phases 1 and 2A)

Phase 1 of the Study assessed and confirmed the need and justification for future crossing(s) of the Ottawa River between the City of Ottawa and the City of Gatineau. The Study developed, evaluated and ranked alternative options. This has led to a short list of recommended locations and alignments for the Study of future interprovincial crossings and associated roadway connections.

The primary focus of Phase 2A was to consult with communities, stakeholders and members of the public to obtain their input into the development of the Study Design, a document that outlines the methodology that will be used at Phase 2B to select a future bridge location. No decision on a new bridge location was taken at Phase 2A.

Opportunities to provide comments have included:

Phase 1:

Phase 2A:

In an additional effort to be proactive and innovative, the Consultant Team also held the following meetings with leaders and residents of communities that stand to be directly or indirectly impacted by a future crossing:

Final documentation for Phase 1 and Phase 2A can be accessed here.