On January 26, 2016 I sent this note to the office of our City of Ottawa councillor, David Chernushenko:

Our condo is across from the Smyth OC Transpo station. Many pedestrians walk to the station at all hours. There is a sidewalk only on our side of Riverside Drive and many of the pedestrians walk on the street to the station on the other side. This presents a hazard with vehicle traffic, especially at night and in winter when the street is narrowed.

I received this reply:

“This section of Riverside Drive is classified as a Local roadway, and provides direct access to transit, so qualifies for a sidewalk.  A sidewalk is provided, along the east side of the road where the land use destinations and points of origin are situated.  This satisfies the Council approved policy for sidewalks on this type of roadway.  Any opportunity to consider implementing a second sidewalk on the west side would be at the time of future road reconstruction on this segment or redevelopment of the surrounding lands, if any.”

In short, once this road is scheduled for reconstruction another sidewalk will be considered.
The same criteria exists for all existing infrastructure, like in Heron Park for instance.

In case of a clogged drain we recommend using a mechanical snake. Please contact the office to fill out a work order or contact the superintendents via the pager, 613-239-4194.

Grease or cooking oil can plug drains but whatever the cause, we strongly advise against the use of chemical drain uncloggers. Such products harm the environment and many are corrosive, discolouring drain fixtures and porcelain bowls.

Most of our building’s in-wall drains are copper or steel. Chemical drain cleaners dissolve away some of that metal with each use. Over the years repeated applications will weaken pipes and cause leaks. Please do not use such cleaners.

If for some reason a chemical drain unclogger absolutely must be used please purchase one that is labelled “Safe for all pipes: PVC, Plastic, Copper, Old Pipes”. Follow all safety and usage instructions and do not let the product sit in the drain pipes any longer than the manufacturer recommends. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. Keep in mind that even products labelled “as safe for all pipes” do corrode copper and steel pipes and thin the pipe walls with every use.