Good morning everyone. Bonjour à tous.
We are going to have an update this morning from our City Manager, Steve Kanellakos, and Anthony Di Monte, General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services, on the 2019 flood response.
Before I turn it over to the City Manager, I would like to say a few words.
As you know, our city remains actively engaged in the response to the flooding event, which has affected many residents in our community – especially those in West Carleton, Britannia, and Cumberland.
A tremendous effort has been made to protect property and support the well-being of these residents. City staff, including our first responders, NGOs, other levels of Government, including the Canadian Armed Forces and over 15,000 volunteers have already answered the call to help those in need.
We will learn more about these efforts in this morning’s presentation, but I know I speak for many in Ottawa when I say: thank you. Thank you for your time, your determination and your dedication to helping so many of our friends and neighbours around the city. Je vous remercie tous de votre travail et de votre engagement envers nos communautés.
I would also like to commend the actions of my Council colleagues: especially Councillors El-Chantiry, Kavanagh and Blais who from the very start of this response, have provided leadership and have given their all-in support of their communities. Indeed, many more councillors have also stepped up to volunteer, fill sand bags, raise awareness, and provide support.
This incident demonstrates what can be achieved when we work together for the benefit of all of Ottawa and her residents, irrespective of ward boundaries.
We know, however, there is still much to do. As we prepare to transition to recovery operations in the coming days, the continued collaboration of council, city staff and our external partners will be essential.
For more information, I will now ask our City Manager, Steve Kanellakos, to provide an update.
