Jack Hanna
The city is seeking volunteers to sit on more than a dozen committees and boards.
Some of these committees have heavy-duty powers, such as the Ottawa Board of Health (public health programs, services, and measures), the Ottawa Police Services Board (overseeing the police service), or the Committee of Adjustment (deciding requested exemptions to zoning bylaws and severing properties).
The Ottawa Public Library Board, which oversees library operations and new buildings, actually has more citizen trustees than councillors – and as a trustee you might even get your name on a plaque in the new central library if it opens before your term is up.
One committee which hugely influences development in Centretown, the Built Heritage Committee, also has positions open.
For those affected by disabilities, the Para Transpo eligibility appeals panel and the Accessibility Advisory Committee might be of interest.
You can also apply to consider appeals of property standards orders and city license suspensions; serve on the board of directors of the Shaw Centre or the boards of several conservation authorities; and more.
Most positions are volunteer, with expenses paid; the police board, the board of health, the committee of adjustment, the property standards committee, and some conservation authorities pay an honorarium.
There is a Zoom information session on Monday, December 19 at 6 p.m. and an in-person session December 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive.
The library board and conservation authority application deadlines are January 3; for all other entities, it’s January 23. City Council is expected to approve most appointments between February and March 2023.
To find out more, search for “Join a committee or board” on ottawa.ca.
Note: Ottawa City Council officially renamed the Built Heritage Sub-Committee to the Built Heritage Committee this month. The print edition of The BUZZ had the former name. The city is also planning to form a Transit Advisory Committee, and possibly other advisory committees, but has not yet requested applications for these committees.