Latest news with #ArielTroster
CBC
4 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Hope for Somerset House renewed as 'major construction' finally underway
Social Sharing Construction is underway to renew the derelict Somerset House, a historic building in Centretown that's sat empty for almost two decades, according to the local councillor. This 129-year-old heritage building at the corner of Bank Street and Somerset Street W. partially collapsed in 2007. The eastern half was demolished and the western half boarded up, remaining empty and largely untouched ever since. In an interview with CBC on Sunday, Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said she was "really excited" to see significant development work on Somerset House begin. "There was a large concrete pour that happened on Friday ... and that was the first piece of major construction on this building for 17 years," Troster said. "Frankly [it's] been a much derided eyesore in the centre of town." 3 different redevelopments approved For Troster and others, the work is a relief — but also a symptom of the city's inability to act on a major "blight" affecting downtown Ottawa. When Jack Hanna, chair of the heritage working group for the Centretown Community Association, heard about the renewed construction efforts, his excitement came with an asterisk. "We have our fingers crossed that this time work proceeds through to completion," he said. That cautious attitude has been years in the making. Redevelopment plans put forward by the owner, TK Holdings, had been approved by the heritage committee three times: in 2013, in 2017 and again in 2023. A sign boasting the 2017 redevelopment plan is still on display on the Bank Street side of the building. In the meantime, the city has allowed an unstable wall to come down, ordered repairs and declined the developer's plan for a different project until Somerset House was fixed. "People look at it and they see what it was and what it could be again and it just irritates them," said Hanna. "It sits there year after year and nothing happens and it gets worse." 'Demolition by neglect' Hanna and Troster both described the building as an example of "demolition by neglect" — a building that's allowed to become rundown because it's too expensive to repair. The city should have more tools to compel owners to act before properties reach this state, Troster argued. "[Demolition by neglect] leads to urban blight and ... a downturn in the urban core," she said, adding that it's "very hard to compel [owners] to take action." Many landlords are letting properties sit empty or unrepaired until interest rates drop, Troster said. A vacant commercial property tax, she suggested, could encourage them to not leave properties empty. Hanna agreed, noting the city currently "can only do so much." "It needs more tools," he said. "It needs a tax to encourage developers to get on with building what they proposed to build." It's an issue Troster said she'd investigate if she won a second term after the 2026 election, as her focus now is on a renovictions bylaw. City staff worked hard to ensure construction began on Somerset House, Troster added, noting there was "a lot of hand-holding, a lot of faith" to re-establish a relationship with the owner. She didn't have a specific construction timeline but said she hoped things would "move considerably over the summer."
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Major construction begins on historic Somerset House in Ottawa
Construction crews working at Somerset House in Ottawa's Centretown neighbourhood on Friday. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa) Major construction is set to begin Friday at Somerset House, the historic building in the heart of Ottawa's Centretown neighbourhood. The 129-year-old building at the corner of Somerset Street West and Bank Street has remained vacant since a partial collapse during renovations in 2007. The building, first erected in 1896, was a department store for the Crosby, Carruthers Company. In 2023, council approved a plan to restore and stabilize the building and construct a three-store addition to the back. The plan is to build a mixed-use building with two commercial units at the ground and basement levels and 14 residential units. In a post on Bluesky, Somerset coun. Ariel Troster said, 'Major construction finally begins this week' at Somerset House. 'This marks a significant turning point for the heritage property, which lay dormant for 17 years after a structural collapse,' Troster said. 'The Somerset House project supports downtown revitalization, new rental housing, and the preservation of heritage properties—key Council objectives. The renewed Somerset House will preserve its historic façade, add 14 rental units, include ground-floor retail, and contribute to local parkland.' Somerset House The owner of Somerset House has submitted an application to restore and stabilize the building on Somerset Street. (City of Ottawa documents) Troster said with final approvals nearly complete for the project, cement pouring for the rear addition will begin on Friday. 'This project complements broader city investments in Bank Street's public realm and community safety, rolling out this summer,' Troster said. The councillor says council's decision to provide development charge credits for designated heritage properties helped staff lead a 'coordinated effort to rebuild trust with the property owner to find a path forward.' Somerset House is owned by TKS Holdings. Nineteen orders have been issued under the Building Code Act for the property since 2007, and there were been 31 requests for service about the property since 2012, according to a city report in 2023.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Safer supply clinic set to close in Ottawa's Chinatown neighbourhood
An Ottawa councillor says the closure of a controversial safer supply clinic in Chinatown will 'be a relief' to residents in the neighbourhood. Northwood Recovery billed itself as a safer supply site that provides legal drugs, like methadone, to help with addiction. The Northwood Recovery clinic initially opened in Hintonburg, before moving to its location on Somerset Street West in March. In her weekly newsletter to constituents, Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said Northwood Recovery has indicated the clinic plans to close on June 9. 'The management of the clinic confirmed this with my office in writing. I know this will be a relief to many of you who live in Chinatown and West Centretown,' Troster wrote. 'This comes after tremendous community advocacy, from both residents and experts in the sector.' Troster says her office will continue to advocate for sustainable solutions to the overdose crisis, including harm reduction, treatment and supportive housing. 'The forced closure of the supervised consumption site at Somerset West Community Health Centre and the opening of the Northwood Clinic created a perfect storm, resulting in a significant and alarming uptick in public drug use and dealing,' Troster said. 'While I am deeply supportive of harm reduction services, it quickly became clear that the Northwood Clinic was not operating in a way that was accountable to the community or service users.' Northwood Recovery's website says the clinic offers a methadone program for people struggling with addition to opioids. 'It's an effective and legal substitute for heroin or other narcotics,' Northwood Recovery says. 'Methadone has been used in treatment programs since the 1960s. It helps to stabilize the lives of people who are dependent on opiates and reduce the harm related to drug use.' According to the website, there are Northwood Recovery and Recovery North locations in Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton, North York, Little Current, and Haileybury.
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Controversial safer supply clinic closing its doors next week
A divisive Ottawa safer supply clinic that prescribed opioids to fentanyl users but drew criticism while operating in two locations in less than a year will close its doors next week. Northwood Recovery prescribed Dilaudid and other medication to people struggling with drug addiction. It opened first in Hintonburg last September before moving to a new location in Chinatown in March. While patients who spoke to CBC generally supported the clinic, the company was criticized by others for its reliance on virtual care, for not offering a supervised injection site or wraparound services such as supportive housing, and for what neighbours said was an upsurge in open drug use. On May 30, Dr. Suman Koka, the doctor running Northwood Recovery and a network of sister clinics across Ontario, emailed Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster to confirm Northwood is closing its clinical practice in Ottawa on June 9. Troster shared the email with CBC. "We have informed the pharmacies," Koka wrote in the email. "We are taking direction from the patients as to which physician they wish their care to be transferred." Koka did not respond by deadline to a request for comment. Troster told CBC that while she supports harm reduction and more resources are definitely needed, she had concerns about how Northwood Recovery was operating out of its clinic on Somerset Street W., including its lack of supportive housing. The concern with Northwood Recovery was that people were getting prescriptions for Dilaudid when they were addicted to fentanyl because that's the strongest drug that doctors can prescribe according to the formulary in Ontario, Troster said. "Because it takes six or eight doses a day in order to stave off addiction to fentanyl, it means it was inevitable that people had to carry large quantities of drugs with them, which led to diversion or people reselling the drugs and a lot of the chaos that goes along with that," Troster continued. "People were being robbed of their drugs and it was a really unsustainable solution." Northwood Recovery's departure will likely bring relief to the community, "but it's definitely not a solution," Troster added.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Alcoholic beverages will be allowed in select Ottawa parks this summer
Alcohol could be allowed in some Ottawa parks this summer Parkgoers could be able to enjoy a cold alcoholic beverage in Ottawa's parks this summer, with councillors and residents choosing the parks where beer, wine and coolers can be enjoyed. Councillors on the community services committee approved a pilot project to allow alcohol consumption in designated areas of parks selected by councillors. An amendment, presented by Coun. Ariel Troster Tuesday morning, said the councillor in each ward will work 'in consultation with the (Public Works) general manager and their communities to identify eligible parks and decide on designating them, or not, to permit personal consumption of alcohol.' The current bylaw prohibits alcoholic beverages in a park, except at events with a park rental permit and a special occasion permit. If approved by council, alcoholic beverages will be allowed in select parks between July 1 and Oct. 31. Under the plan, alcohol will not be allowed to be consumed at beaches, sports fields and around playground equipment. The rules for alcohol in parks include: No alcohol consumption before 11 a.m. and after 9 p.m. or hours designated by the general manager. No person shall possess or consume alcohol within a five-metre radius of a playground or playground equipment, wading pools or splash pads or outdoor pools, beaches, parking lots, natural or artificial ice ranks, and at sports fields, sports courts and ball diamonds. Bylaw Services director Roger Chapman says a 'robust' summer student program will have 20 student bylaw officers assigned to parks for proactive enforcement. 'The proactive enforcement in the parks is really driven by complaints,' Chapman told the committee. 'We keep a list of parks where we're getting significant complaints for and that's where we really focus our enforcement.' Chapman says Bylaw Services is not anticipating an increase in complaints about alcohol in parks. The city received 42 calls for open alcohol and drinking in parks in 2024, with 10 tickets issued under the Parks and Facilities Bylaw. Troster says she wants the city to make sure other park users can access the park. 'As long as people properly dispose of their cans and are not acting in a way that is harmful to others, I really don't care what they're consuming,' Troster said. 'I'm happy to see this to come forward as a pilot. I want to ensure my residents I'm not going to choose Dundonald Park as a site for this pilot, although people are, absolutely, consuming alcohol there and I think we should be clear about the fact that this is bylaw that is largely not being enforced unless there are other factors involved.' Both the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and Ottawa Public Health have raised health, safety and security concerns about allowing alcohol consumption in parks.
