Glebe Report March 2023

Lansdowne Park 2.0

Mayor Sutcliffe and new council facing hard decisions

By Carolyn Mackenzie

Meaningful consultations are needed to get citizen and taxpayer input into this massive development. Just eight years after the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park was completed, the city is being asked to renegotiate the deal struck with OSEG and to spend another $332 million of taxpayer dollars. OSEG claims that it is not in its financial interest to continue to operate under the 2012 agreement – it wants a new deal.

But is the proposed deal in the public interest?

Lansdowne 2.0 would be one of the largest projects considered in this council’s term, second only to investments in LRT. The city would spend roughly $150 million on a new arena/performance venue, removing existing green space from the urban park roughly the size of a football field. Once the new arena is built, most of the remaining budget would be spent tearing down the north side stands, as well as the Civic Centre arena and surrounding retail space where we invested tens of millions of dollars just a few years ago.

Then comes the rebuilding of the north side stands. The concept includes building additional retail and adding three very tall towers nearest the Aberdeen Pavilion and overlooking the football field, along with some improvements to the urban park. When imagining the towers (46, 40 and 34 storeys high respectively), think of the 46-storey tower recently built at the end of Dow’s Lake.

OSEG claims that this could be a real opportunity to reset and put

Lansdowne Park on the solid footing it deserves, in order to serve the greater Ottawa community.

But do we have a clear enough understanding of Lansdowne’s track record to date – what has been working and what has not, both financially and in terms of benefits to the public/taxpayers? Is the proposal for Lansdowne 2.0 transparent and clear so that residents can provide informed feedback? Do the cost estimates still hold, when construction inflation is estimated at 6 per cent this year, or will this cost taxpayers more than the initial $332 million estimate? Do Mayor Sutcliffe and council have all the facts to make an informed decision on this huge project? The city now says that it was obvious when the decision to move forward with Lansdowne 10 years ago was taken that the north side stands and Civic Centre

The LRT inquiry has taught us what happens when items are rushed through council with selective sharing of information, lack of community scrutiny and insufficient accountability.

would need to be replaced quickly. But if city councillors were clearly apprised of that then, would they really have approved the significant investments made to upgrade facilities so close to the end of their useful life? Did they have all the facts?

There is also a wider landscape to be considered. Has enough consideration been given to how Lansdowne 2.0 fits into the larger picture, given the NCC’s proposed LeBreton Flats development? Has enough consideration been

Index Mark Your Calendars

given to the impact of this project on the city’s large investment in the LRT?

(Hint: Lansdowne is not on the LRT line).

Community associations in the Glebe, Old Ottawa South and Ottawa East, as well as the Federation of Citizens Associations, Synapcity and Parkways for People think the answer to these questions right now is “no.” In February, they wrote to Mayor Sutcliffe and council, united in seeking the mayor’s assurance that the city recommit to extensive and meaningful public consultations before any further decisions on this project take place. The letter laid out the specifics of key elements regarding informed and meaningful consultation, in line with the mayor’s

commitment to greater transparency and to restoring public trust in decision-making (go to www.glebeca.ca to read the letter).

Lansdowne Park belongs to all of us. It has to be emphasized: this is a huge project that will commit significant taxpayer dollars. The LRT inquiry has taught us what happens when items are rushed through council with selective sharing of information, lack of community scrutiny and insufficient accountability. By embracing meaningful community consultation, this council can learn from the past and create a great future for Lansdowne Park that serves us all.

Carolyn Mackenzie is chair of the Glebe Community Association Planning Committee.

Why doesn’t the proposal show the full height of the proposed buildings? Or tell us that the three towers need to be 46, 40 and 34 storeys for the financing strategy to work? ILLUSTRATION: OSEG LANSDOWNE 2.0 PROPOSAL TO CITY COUNCIL

Meaningful consultations on the future of Lansdowne Park

Concerned community organizations wrote to the mayor on February 19, 2023 about the future of Lansdowne Park and the urgent need for community engagement. The letter lays out what they consider to be key elements of meaningful consultation and it is signed by representatives of the Glebe Community Association, the Old Ottawa East Community Association, the Old Ottawa South Community Association, the Federation of Citizens’ Associations, Parkways for People and Synapcity.

“Community representatives stand firm in the belief that no further decisions on Lansdowne Park should be taken before there has been meaningful consultation with the Ottawa community,” the letter says. “Lansdowne revitalization will be one of the largest projects in this term of Council and involve significant additional borrowing during a time when the City is under financial strain. Transparency and a process that builds public trust in decision-making is essential.

“Meaningful consultation involves engaging the community at the earliest stage possible, including prior to the release of an initial proposal. Meaningful engagement takes place when the proposal can be modified and when it is cost effective to do so. It requires clarity regarding what is fixed, and what is up for debate. The process should allow for residents to have an informed discussion of ideas given how important Lansdowne Park is to Ottawa.

“Based on best practices, meaningful consultations should include (but not be limited to) these key elements (see box).”

Meaningful Lansdowne consultation should look like this

Process

· A clear timeline of all decisions and specific consultations leading to those decisions is published in advance of the process starting.

· Consultations take place with Indigenous communities.

· Consultation materials are made available at least seven days in advance of meetings

· The comment period following the circulation of documents should be at least 21 days and a minimum of 14 days following presentation by staff at a public Open House (or equivalent).

· City staff are available at all consultations to provide information only.

· During online discussions, community members are able to “cross-talk” – i.e., to see who is in attendance, to read the chat comments of others and to ask questions and offer comments themselves rather than have remarks filtered through a moderator.

· Financial data is provided in spreadsheet format, allowing community members and stakeholders to undertake their own financial due diligence.

· A staff report following consultation that takes into consideration all feedback received (verbal, emails, letters, webforms, etc.) provides a clear explanation of how public input influenced the final outcomes of the decision-making process and an explanation for comments not incorporated.

Information-sharing and communications

· A clear description, including a map, is provided of all significant current and proposed roles and responsibilities, as well as ownership stakes, of partners (including the city) in Lansdowne.

· Design concepts are provided as 3D models, not simply architectural drawings, and they must clearly indicate the scale and dimensions of proposed elements to support informed feedback.

· A commitment is provided that the names of companies bidding on the residential units is publicly disclosed and an outline of what steps the City will take to ensure that the construction companies owned by OSEG members are not the only companies to own and build the proposed units.

Financial information

· Financial data since 2014 is made available, including City investment levels in the full Lansdowne site and in the partnership and financial performance compared to baseline projections.

· Audited financial statements of the Lansdowne partnership four sub-components (retail, stadium, Redblacks, Ottawa 67s) are shared.

· The City staff report of the OSEG proposal is updated in light of new financial data, such as expected sources of funds, current interest rate expectations, construction inflation and expected ownership structure of the proposed apartment buildings.

· Assumptions of the financial model are explained, such as projected rental rates including those proposed as affordable and the justification that 90 per cent of property tax revenue would not be needed to fund services provided to residents.

· The Lansdowne 2.0 proposal risk matrix and variability analysis is provided, including the yearby-year spreadsheet analysis showing discounted cash flows.

New plan for Bronson and Carling high rise

By Sue Stefko

In the fall of 2021, the Katasa Groupe and Fotenn Planning + Design unveiled plans to develop 774 Bronson at the corner of Bronson, Carling and Cambridge Street South. The intent was to develop a 26-storey, 328-unit building with 174 parking spots. It was to be one huge building, over an acre in size, in an area which spanned three existing lots.

The community response was strong and swift, with concerns raised about the height (the existing three lots were zoned for between 6 and 12 storeys) and density, insufficient setbacks and step backs (the building would tower over nearby residences) and minimal green space. After receiving copious amounts of community feedback and working extensively with the Dow’s Lake Residents’ Association (DLRA), the development team returned with a revised site plan earlier this year.

While the plan still means increased density on the site, there have been several improvements. The main tower, at the corner of Bronson and Carling, has been reduced from 26 to 22 storeys and has been pushed south so it does not tower over the corner. There are now two buildings instead of a single monolithic one, providing more open space on the site. Setbacks have been increased along Bronson, enabling wider sidewalks and larger trees to be planted, and along Cambridge, giving more breathing room to single-family homes on that street. The retaining wall along Cambridge has been removed, making the

ground floor at grade level, allowing for more greenspace and a less imposing façade. Increased setbacks and a smaller vehicular service ramp at Cambridge will also permit more landscaping than previously envisaged.

Overall, the number of units has been reduced by 50 to 278 total, and parking spaces have been cut by 41 to 133, with parking on two underground levels. There is now also some commercial or retail space on the ground floor at Carling and Bronson, in addition to the small café previously planned.

The general intent of the building remains. The first nine floors of the Bronson-facing building (Phase 1) will still be student accommodations. There will be 71 student units – the majority range from two- to four-bedroom, with a handful of five-bedroom units. Several student amenities are planned for the ground floor, including a gym and yoga area, movie room, games room, kitchen, lounge and study rooms.

The other two buildings will be used as standard residential rentals. Floors 10 to 22 of Phase 1 will contain 78 one-bedroom units and 39 two-bedrooms. The Phase 2 building facing Cambridge will be nine storeys, stepping down to four approaching Cambridge. It will contain 90 units – 66 one-bedrooms, 21 two-bedrooms and three studios.

It’s indisputable that the developer made some important concessions, which are welcomed, after input from the community. However, room for improvement remains – 22 storeys

All Spring

Spring fashions are here. So many beautiful new items to browse through. Drop in for a breath of fresh air.

is still tall, and the tower will overshadow many other residential buildings as well as the Glebe Collegiate Institute sports field. The density of the building will increase traffic in the already congested Carling and Bronson area, particularly as transit in the area leaves much to be desired. The building will do little to accommodate families and there is room for much more commercial enterprise on the ground floor. Additionally, the DLRA wants all vehicular ingress and egress to be via Bronson to avoid traffic spilling over to Cambridge and other residential streets. To date, egress remains on Cambridge.

The current plan follows a long list of previous proposals for the site. In 2012,

Montreal developer Samcon proposed two condominium buildings on two of the lots – one 12 storeys and the other six. Textbook suites in 2015 planned to build a student residence ranging from four to 12 storeys, with a mix of bachelors and one- to three-bedroom units.

A year later, Jaber proposed executive apartments at 770 Bronson, initially requesting 15 storeys but reducing it to six after receiving opposition. After so many false starts, for better or worse, this time the developers seem committed to bringing their plans to fruition.

Sue Stefko is president of the Glebe Annex Community Association and a regular contributor to the Glebe Report.

Architect’s renderings of the plan for buildings at the corner of Bronson, Carling and Cambridge Street South.

Images of the Glebe

Business Buzz

The St. Rita Restaurant now open at 753 Bank Street, former home of Anthony’s Pizza.

“Intimate Victorian-themed restaurant in Ottawa’s Glebe with a focus on wood-fired pizza and Mediterranean influenced cuisine.” 613-230-4326

Industria Pizzeria + Bar at 225 Marché Way in Lansdowne is now closed.

Lion’s Gate Underwriting Agency opened offices upstairs at 825 Exhibition Way, Suite 209 in Lansdowne. Lions Gate Underwriting is a division of BMS Group Ltd., a Canadian-owned insurance brokerage. www.lionsgateuw.com

Winter fun goes back a long way in the Glebe

Skating on the Canal – requiem for a cold world

For the first time in 52 years, the Rideau Canal will not open for skating this year. We’ve been expecting it for some time, as we watched the temperature rise and the snow melt as quickly as it came. The NCC was of course relentlessly optimistic, not admitting to even the possibility that it may not happen this year – but we all knew in our sad hearts that it was a lost cause.

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge, and fully register, how much skating on the Canal has meant to us. During the pandemic, it was almost the only thing we could do – it was outdoors, healthy

exercise, not crowded with germy people, free of charge, available any time night or day, could be done alone or with friends, and for us, only a short walk away. What more could we ask? And in pre-pandemic times, skating on the Canal was not just a boon to Glebe residents, it was also a gift to Carleton and uOttawa students (especially international students new to skating), people from all over the city, businesses like BeaverTails and skate rentals. The whole of Ottawa benefitted economically from its enormous drawing power for winter tourism.

Because it’s been part of our lives all these years, anyone younger than 52 has never known a world without it. Many of us have long-held memories –skating as a child with mom and dad; as teenagers, challenging each other to skate the full length of the Canal; skating parties on Dow’s Lake; frozen toes and fingers; backpacks stashed in the snowbank by the stairs or boots tied together and slung over the shoulder. What’s that phrase? You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

—Liz McKeen

50th Anniversary Party

www.glebereport.ca

Established in 1973, the Glebe Report, published by the Glebe Report Association is a monthly not-forprofit community newspaper with a circulation of 7,500 copies. It is delivered free to Glebe homes and businesses. Advertising from merchants in the Glebe and elsewhere pays all its costs, and the paper receives no government grants or direct subsidies. The Glebe Report, made available at select locations such as the Glebe Community Centre and the Old Ottawa South Community Centre and Brewer Pool, is printed by Winchester Print.

EDITOR............................ Liz McKeen editor@glebereport.ca

COPY EDITOR.................... Roger Smith

LAYOUT DESIGNER............. Jock Smith layout@glebereport.ca

GRAPEVINE EDITOR............ Micheline Boyle grapevine@glebereport.ca

WEB EDITOR..................... website@glebereport.ca

SOCIAL MEDIA................... Sophie Shields

ADVERTISING MANAGER...... Judy Field advertising@glebereport.ca

613-858-4804

BUSINESS MANAGER........... Debbie Pengelly accounting@glebereport.ca

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER.....

COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTORS Hilda van Walraven circulation@glebereport.ca

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PROOFREADERS................ Martha Bowers, Jennifer D'Costa, Jeanette Rive

AREA CAPTAINS................. Martha Bowers, Bob Brocklebank, Judy Field, Jono Hamer-Wilson, Deb Hogan, Elena Kastritsa, Brenda Perras, Della Wilkinson

SAVE THE DATE

“Milly” on the south side of Second Avenue looking northeast across the Public School Gardens to Glebe Collegiate, ca 1929.

SOURCE: GLEBE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Contributors this month

Iva Apostolova

Lucy Bottomley

James Caswell

Eric Chernoff

Terry Chilibeck

Clive Doucet

Barb Coyle

Dudleigh Coyle

Colette Downie

Leslie Firth

Cheryl Gain

Caitlin Giffin

Pat Goyeche

Joel Harden

Jennifer Humphries

Bob Irvine

CONTACT US

175 Third Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2K2 613-236-4955

TFI@glebereport

SUBMIT ARTICLES editor@glebereport.ca.

OUR DEADLINES

For Glebe Report advertising deadlines and rates, call the advertising manager. Advertising rates are for electronic material supplied in pdf format with fonts embedded in the file.

Views expressed in the articles and letters submitted to the Glebe Report are those of our contributors. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Articles selected for publication will be published in both a printed version and an online version on the Glebe Report’s website: www. glebereport.ca. Please note: Except for July, the paper is published monthly. An electronic version of the print publication is subsequently uploaded online with text, photos, drawings and advertisements as a PDF to www.glebereport. ca. Selected articles will be highlighted on the website.

The Glebe Report acknowledges that its offices and the Glebe neighbourhood it serves are on the unceded lands and territories of the Anishinaabe people, comprised of the Ojibwe, Chippewa, Odawa, Potawatomi, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Nipissing and Mississauga First Nations.

Nili Kaplan-Myrth

Monique Lafrenière

Margaret Lavictoire

Julie LeBlanc

Sarah Lebouthillier

Shirley Lee

Angus Luff

Janice Manshee

Barbara McIsaac

Carolyn Mackenzie

Jasmine McKnight

Shawn Menard

Anant Nagpur

Yasir Naqvi

Michael Kofi Ngongi

Tim O’Connor

Nancy Riggs

Jeanette Rive

Sarah Routliffe

Anna Rumin

Cathy Simons

Matt Smith

Sue Stefko

Yvonne Thijsen

Chloe Wade

Della Wilkinson

Cecile Wilson

David Wilson

Murray Wilson

Roger Wright

Zeus

The Rideau Canal will never open for skating this year.

PHOTO: CHERYL GAIN

Full disclosure needed on new hospital risks

Dear Editor, Glebe Report

I support a new hospital, but not without full disclosure of the risks and impacts that could harm the city.

Upon reviewing city documents and videos of the meetings since 2018 for the new hospital, I discovered a lack of disclosure by the applicant.

There is no documentation or information on the planned heliport on the top of the building. This will have a profound impact on local migratory birds (protected), residents and patients both in, and getting to, the hospital. At the City Council meeting of October 1, 2021, the presentation by the applicant (available online) made not one mention of the addition of a new active heliport facility. As a helicopter pilot, I know this is adding industrial activity to the highest residential density part of the city and a wildlife /migratory bird urban park.

Planned tanker trucks with diesel fuel will be supplying large diesel generators that will run most of the time, despite the environmental cost, air quality problems and the city’s own policy of retiring fossil fuels. The diesel tanker deliveries will be transiting the heritage/wildlife designated section of Prince of Wales Drive.

As well, radioactive materials and waste will be moved through the same sensitive area and is not discussed in any documents presented to decision makers.

There is no local First Nations consultation mentioned.

The city and public were not given the necessary information in meetings on the subject to make informed decisions. It is required by policy that full disclosure occur, yet it is easily interpreted that we are being deceived. This will affect us all.

Let’s demand full disclosure from the mayor, the NCC, the provincial government and the hospital, including reasons for the choice of location. They are a democratic necessity.

T. Chilibeck

Glebe Report seeks volunteer Website Manager

To mark our 50th anniversary, Glebe Report is launching a fresh new website. The only piece missing is someone to manage it. Someone with a solid understanding of content management, security and firewalls, with a proven ability to create, update and maintain website content.

If you have relevant training and experience, we want to talk to you ASAP. This volunteer and part-time position will appeal to community-oriented people, preferably those who live in the Glebe. If you like working in a team-oriented, not-for-profit setting, please contact us right away at chair@glebereport.ca to have a chat and to get a copy of the core responsibilities for this position.

Glebe Report publishes 10-11 issues annually. Our team includes a volunteer board of directors and a volunteer production team. Production team members receive honoraria.

Down memory lane with the Glebe Report

Dear Editor, Glebe Report

Re: “Salute to those who bring you the Glebe Report,” January/February 2023

I really enjoy reading the Glebe Report You guys do such a beautiful job. I live in Tokyo with my wife and two kids but try not to miss an issue! I grew up in the Glebe before moving to Toronto for university and then work. We moved to Tokyo in 2008.

Your article from this month, “Salute to those who bring you the Glebe Report” was fantastic. It also reminded me of my dear dad who delivered the Glebe Report – for what seemed like forever. George was a long-time resident of the Glebe before moving to the St. Patrick’s Home on Riverside a few years ago. He is now in his mid-eighties.

How long he delivered, I am not sure, but I am sure it could be measured in many decades. I just read your article on the origins of the Glebe Report – George was a close friend of both Penny and Clyde Sanger, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved from the beginning of the paper – but I am not completely sure.

Of course, my dad had me help him on his route too – and I can still remember delivering in the middle of winter down windy Bronson Avenue. I am not sure how we survived that cold.

Here is a recent photo of my dad. I also include a photo of my wife Toshimi, our son Noah, daughter Sena, and me at New Year’s here in Tokyo.

Roger Wright

Glebe Report seeks Area Captain

Want to help distribute the Glebe Report each month? If you have a car and 1.5 hours a month to spare, then your help would be most appreciated! Please send an email to circulation@glebereport.ca for more information.

Yes, parking on Bronson Avenue

Dear Editor, Glebe Report

Did you know that parking is allowed on Bronson Avenue south of the Queensway? Do you wonder why the city installs “No parking for special events” signs on Bronson?

Not many people are aware that parking on Bronson south of the Queensway and the canal has been permitted for many years. The parking is in off-peak hours and on weekends, except where prohibited or during special events (like the Great Glebe Garage Sale).

Several years ago, during an earlier design exercise, some quick and easy things to help with traffic calming were discussed with the city, and some were implemented. One was the reinstatement of parking on Bronson south of the Queensway to the canal. It was pointed out to the city that the business district north of the Queensway on Bronson had evening, overnight and weekend parking, but south of the Queensway where there are more residential buildings, there was no such parking. Skipping the details, parking was reinstated, signs were installed, and parking zones were marked clearly.

When the parking zones were clearly lined in paint, people did park on Bronson when and where permitted, and there was a decrease in speeding. After some roadwork and repaving, the city has not repainted the parking zone lines, despite many requests. The lack of painted lines has made it difficult to see the parking zones, but parking is indeed permitted – one just has to see the signs.

Cathy Simons

Glebe Report’s new website

In the year in which we turn 50, the Glebe Report is launching a fresh new website. The revamped website is lively and up-to-date and works better with cell phones and tablets, but still has the full, searchable Glebe Report archive of past issues starting in 1973. Check it out at glebereport.ca.

Our Volunteer Carriers

Jide Afolabi, Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Ella Åsell, Aubry family, Miko Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Beckman family, Joanne Benoit, Inez Berg, Naéma and Raphaëlle Bergevin Hemsing, Carolyn Best, Carrie Bolton, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Adélaïde and Éléonore Bridgett, Bob Brocklebank, Ben Campbell-Rosser, Nico Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Ava & Olivia Carpenter, Ryan & Charlotte Cartwright, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sarah Chown, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Janis Ellis-Claypool, Avery & Darcy Cole, Jenny Cooper, June Creelman, Marni Crossley, Olivia Dance, Mark Dance, Dawson family, Richard DesRochers, Davies Family, Nathan and Roslyn Demarsh, Marilyn Deschamps, Diekmeyer-Bastianon family, Dingle family, Delia Elkin, Nicholas, Reuben, Dave & Sandra Elgersma, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, Maria Fobes, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Madeleine Gomery, Joyce Goodhand, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Ginny Grimshaw, Marjolein Groenevelt, Henry Hanson, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jeevan & Amara Isfeld, Jungclaus Family, Janna Justa, Elena Kastritsa, Kasper Raji Kermany, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Mel LeBlanc, Jamie, Alexander & Louisa Lem, Brams and Jane Leswick, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Patrick Collins Mayer, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Cameron Mitchell, Julie Monaghan, Thomas Morris, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Maddy North, Diane Munier, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, Matteo and Adriano Padoin-Castillo, Brenda Perras, Brenda Quinlan, Annabel and Joseph Quon, Beatrice Raffoul, Bruce Rayfuse, Kate Reekie, Thomas Reevely, Mary & Steve Reid, Jacqueline Reilly-King, Anna Roper, Sabine Rudin-Brown, Casimir & Tristan Seywerd, Short family, Cathy Simons, Abigail Steen, Stephenson family, Tara Swords, Ruth Swyers, Saul Taler, John & Maggie Thomson, Tom Trottier, Trudeau family, Will, Georgie & Blaire Turner, Zosia Vanderveen, Veevers family, Nick Walker, Erica Waugh, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Ella & Ethan Wood, Martin Zak.

WELCOME TO:

Nico Arabackyj

Selena Beattie

Nathan and Roslyn Demarsh

Joyce Goodhand

Elena Kastritsa

THANKS AND FAREWELL:

Peter Hook & Family

Murray and Christie Wong

Elena Kastritsa has joined the Glebe Report team as a delivery area captain.

Elena, a software engineer, and her family have been residents of the Glebe for the past 12 years. She has three kids. Elena volunteers with Meridian Theaters at Centrepointe, Ottawa Little Theatre and Orpheus Musical Theatre. She says that she is “happy to volunteer for our lovely neighbourhood, too. The Glebe Report should be a monthly reading treat for every resident.”

CONTACT: circulation@glebereport.ca

Letter writer Roger Wright, wife Toshima, son Noah and daughter Sena

George Wright, father of the writer, delivered the Glebe Report for decades.

Welcome, new Glebe Report area captain Elena Kastritsa

The Glebe Report is brought to each household in the Glebe, including the Glebe Annex and Dow’s Lake, by a neighbourhood army of some 75 or 80 volunteer carriers of all ages and situations. They slog through the snow, slide the ice, resist the rain, suffer the sun, weather the wind, all to bring you your monthly fix of neighbourly news. Next time you meet a Glebe Report carrier delivering your paper, feel free to salute them! Here’s a peek at some of them.

★ Carrier Inez Berg

★ Carriers Will, Georgie & Blaire Turner

★ Carriers Nico & Ali Velez Gorman

★ Carrier Barb Greenwood

★ Carrier Beverlee McIntosh

★ Carrier Carrie Bolton

★ Carrier Joanne Benoit

★ Carrier Juliet Becklumb

★ Carrier June Creelman

★ Carrier Bruce Rayfuse

★ Carrier Nico Cauchi

★ Carrier Miko

★ Carrier Vezina family dog Marley

★ Carrier Ruth Swyers

★ Carrier Kate Reekie

★ Carriers Pat Marshall & Germain Vezina

★ Carriers Xavier & Heath Nuss

★ Carriers Annabel & Joseph Quon

★ Carrier Karen Mount

★ Carrier Vivian Moulds

★ Carrier Kasper Raji Kermany

★ Carriers Brian Davies & Lynn

★ Carriers James & Oliver Frank

★ Carriers John & Helen Marsland

★ Carriers Jeffrey, Tillie & Abby Chiu-Panczyk

★ Carrier Olivia Dance

★ Carrier Aubry Family & Cat

★ Carrier Abigail Steen

★ Carrier Ben Campbell-Rosser

★ Carrier Jennie Aliman

★ Carrier Cathy Simons

★ Carrier Zosia Vanderveen

★ Carrier Tom Trottier

★ Carrier Thomas Reevely

★ Carrier Marni Crossley

★ Carriers Vanessa Lyon & family

PHOTO: CHERYL GAIN

PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN

John Crump President Glebe Community Association

T @glebeca E gca@glebeca.ca www.glebeca.ca

Colette Downie, a vice-president of the Glebe Community Association, is stepping in this month for John Crump who is travelling.

Wanted: Meaningful Community Consultations on Lansdowne 2.0

Last June, Ottawa City Council voted to approve in principle a plan for the redevelopment of Lansdowne (known as Lansdowne 2.0) and directed City staff to conduct public consultations and seek public input. While we have heard nothing from staff about their plans for these consultations, we have heard they want Council to approve the proposals to move forward with Lansdowne 2.0. this spring or summer. Given the size and potential costs to Ottawa taxpayers, it is critical that the opportunities for Ottawans to weigh in are robust and credible – we should have a good understanding of what is proposed, what it will cost, how our taxes will support it and how it fits in the bigger picture. The GCA has worked with a group of community organizations to call for a meaningful consultation process. For more detail on our concerns about Lansdowne 2.0 and our views on the elements of a meaningful consultation, see the article by Carolyn Mackenzie on the front page of this issue.

Brown’s Inlet

Over the years, the GCA’s Parks Committee has heard concerns from Glebe residents about the health of Brown’s Inlet Park. Given the importance of this well-used and well-loved park, the GCA recently passed a motion requesting that City experts assess and provide data on the long-term health and usability of the park.

Heritage Implications of the “More Homes Built Faster Act”

While provincial housing legislation, known as the “More Homes Built Faster Act,” made headlines over the ways it was encouraging new home builds, it also makes changes to the Ontario Heritage Act that could lead to the removal of neighbourhood properties on municipal heritage registers and make the addition of new ones even more difficult.

As a result, we will be working closely with other neighbourhood heritage

committees, City heritage staff and Heritage Ottawa to accelerate feasible individual and Heritage Conservation District designations and feasible new listings on the Heritage Register. Due to this large volume of work, we have decided to delay the return of our Heritage Plaque Event (held during the Great Glebe Garage Sale) until next year. Instead, we will hold our popular workshop “Researching the History of Your Home,” including visits to City of Ottawa Archives, the Main Library and possibly the Land Registry Office.

If you are passionate about preserving the heritage character of our neighbourhood, the Heritage Committee always welcomes new members.

Queensway Sound Barriers

The section of the Queensway that passes through some of the densest residential areas in downtown Ottawa is also one of the few sections of the Queensway without continuous sound barriers. High noise levels have a negative impact on quality of life, and recent research shows a correlation between noise pollution and negative mental health impacts. The GCA regularly receives complaints about Queensway noise from residents – some can’t keep their windows or patio doors open in summer because of the noise levels. Other complaints note the impact on students at Glashan Public School, adjacent to the highway.

Over the years, the GCA has been assured by the province that noise barriers would be added when construction took place on this section of the Queensway. Now that the Midtown Queensway bridge replacement project is underway, encompassing the entire highway through central Ottawa, the GCA is asking the province to install continuous noise barriers from Booth Street to the Rideau Canal before the project is completed. We are also requesting a formal noise study along the entire corridor that would include comprehensive community consultations.

John Crump

President Glebe Community Association N 613-580-2487

Shawn Menard Councillor, Capital Ward

E capitalward@ottawa.ca T @capitalward

E shawn.menard@ottawa.ca www.shawnmenard.ca

A better city budget

By the time you’re reading this, the 2023 city budget will have been approved, but at the time of writing, we’re still working hard to make improvements. One of our biggest goals is to increase the capital budget for affordable housing. Last term, $15 million was added annually to the budget but four years later, the yearly budget amount remains stuck at $15 million. When you factor in inflation, that means the city is cutting its contribution to affordable housing each year, even though the city has declared a housing and homelessness emergency.

Hopefully by the time this article goes to print, we’ll have seen an increase in that budget item. I know there are many other councillors who agree that the amount needs to go up. Budgets are about priorities, and our spending relative to other items tells us a lot. The draft budget earmarks $40 million for a new police station in

social investment suggests that building more non-market housing will have a greater positive impact on overall crime levels.

We are also working to see modest quality of life improvements for relatively low cost, with outdoor-pool-hour extensions, bathroom availability and park investments.

During budget directions, I was concerned about the across-the-board, 2.5-per-cent tax increase. With inflation well above 6 per cent in recent months and with revenue shortfalls expected from recent legislation imposed by the province, a 2.5-per-cent increase across the board, without enough flexibility to see differential rates for certain envelopes within that global percentage, is a barrier to reallocating funds away from wasteful spending to where they are disproportionately needed.

We were, however, able to find unanimous support for a motion at City Hall to ensure that, moving forward, budget directions will consider targeted budget increases instead of the acrossthe-board approach this year.

Glebe budget

The city will begin full reconstruction of roads and sewers on Clarey, Regent, Morris, Thornton, Monk and Melgund. Planning will begin soon, with work to be finished in 2026. Work will also begin on reconstruction of Woodlawn, Wilton Lane, Wilton Crescent and Oakland, with completion set for 2025. Reconstruction projects will also take place on Pretoria and Glebe Avenue between Bank and O’Connor in the next couple of years.

There is funding for renewal work on the Glebe Avenue bicycling lanes (from Bronson to Percy), the O’Connor bicycling lanes (from Glebe to Pretoria) and the Percy cycle track underneath the Queensway.

There is also $280,000 to replace cooling equipment at the Glebe Community Centre, $6 million for work on Aberdeen Pavilion and Aberdeen Square, money to improve signage at Brown’s Inlet, investments in amenity space for the development at 275 Carling Avenue and funding to replace the roof at the Sunnyside library.

Finally, the budget includes funding for a transportation feasibility study along Bank Street, including the development of a pilot to improve safety conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and drivers.

It is also worth noting a recent and positive step toward address

for developers as well as for the CIP program (infamous for the tax break for a Porsche dealership on Montreal Road). This issue has been a point of agreement and collaboration between Mayor Sutcliffe and me, and I’m hopeful this pipeline of tens of millions can be re-allocated to important priorities, like affordable housing, park improvements and infrastructure backlogs.

New speed cameras in Capital Ward

Traffic speed and street safety is a constant concern in the ward, especially around schools and parks. The city has announced a list of new, automated, speed cameras that will be rolled out, and two are slated for Capital Ward.

First, a new speed camera on First Avenue between Chrysler and Percy right next to Glebe Collegiate Institute will be piloted. This problem spot has been flagged both by the community association and by residents of First Avenue.

Second, we’ll see a camera on Bronson near Sunnyside. Bronson has been a concern because of two nearby parks (Brewer Park and Eugene Forsey Park) and students crossing for Carleton University. Slowing traffic on Bronson will be a significant safety improvement for the ward.

Thanks for reading this and please

Working with winter, thinking about spring

By Pat Goyeche Snow and Snow Moles

It has been such a snowy winter to date, with accumulations in January alone surpassing most of our expectations! There are many benefits in all the snow, such as brightening the landscape, softening city noises, snowshoeing and skiing. But it can be a hazard as well.

With the snow comes slippery, unplowed sidewalks and dangerous conditions for walking. That is where the “Snow Moles,” led by The Council on Aging, come in, auditing the pathways and pointing out the problems.

Councillor Shawn Menard joined a group of intrepid senior auditors this year to see for himself the barriers that many seniors face in their daily activities. Unplowed crosswalks, bus stops with mounds of snow between the sidewalk and the door of the bus and slippery pathways make for dangerous conditions for everyone, but they can be insurmountable for seniors.

Thank you to the Snow Moles for dropping by Abbotsford for a warm drink and good cheer on their quest to audit conditions in early February. Your work will help ensure the City of Ottawa is aware of the dangers and does something to improve areas known to pose particular barriers to seniors.

Retirement

The executive director of the Glebe Centre, Lawrence Grant, retired in late January after 15 years of service. The Glebe Centre long-term care home held a party to celebrate his accomplishments and wish him well.

The search is now on for a new executive director who will continue to oversee both the long-term care home at the Glebe Centre and the community programs and services provided through Abbotsford Seniors Centre. Susan Zorz, director of operations for the Glebe

Centre, will serve as acting director in the interim.

Spring programming through Abbotsford

Spring weather brings new programing at Abbotsford Seniors Centre. As the snow slowly melts and we eagerly await crocuses and snowdrops, it is time to renew plans to join in the varied activities offered through Abbotsford.

The spring guide will be in circulation by mid-March. Make sure you check out all that is on offer by looking at the website glebecentre.ca under Abbotsford Programs & Services and Current Guide.

The spring Learn & Explore Speaker’s Series will have a special three-part series on seniors housing in late May in conjunction with volunteers with the SWOOS (Seniors Watch Old Ottawa South) Housing Project Team, who are interested in sharing models of hous ing for seniors, home adaptations with an eye to aging in place and exploring the Abbeyfield model of housing. Other topics, dates and speakers will be avail able in the spring guide, which can be accessed online or picked up in person at Abbotsford later this month. Every one is encouraged to attend lectures (which will be held in person and on Zoom simultaneously). Registration for either format is essential.

Abbotsford is your seniors active living centre for adults 55+. It houses the community programs of The Glebe Centre Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit, organization which includes a 254-bed, long-term care home. Find out more about our services by telephoning 613-230-5730 during regular business hours or by checking out all of The Glebe Centre facilities and community programs on our website www.glebec entre.ca.

Pat Goyeche is coordinator of community programs at Abbotsford.

Shawn Menard and the Snow Moles drop in at Abbotsford. PHOTO: SHIRLEY LEE

Vintage Glebe

Glebe winters in the 1930s and 40s

Aisling Boomgaardt and Bram Boomgaardt

Telephone: 613-746-2367

Email: GreentreeCo@sympatico.ca

www.GreentreeOttawaRentals.ca

Clarey Avenue, looking east, ca 1933

Alecia Lapp, Alida Lapp and Marion Roach, Montebello, 1940s? Alecia Lapp was “mistress of the public-school garden project.”

Sidewalk horse-drawn snowplow, Second Avenue, looking east, just east of 375 Second Avenue, 1942? The public-school garden is on the left.

SOURCE: GLEBE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, COURTESY OF IAN MCKERCHER

Word from the Board

By Jennifer Humphries

In this 50th year of the Glebe Report, it is my pleasure to introduce this occasional column.

The volunteer Board of Directors of the Glebe Report Association (GRA) –the non-profit association that publishes the Glebe Report – has decided to step out of the shadows.

As board members, we’ve traditionally been quite invisible. That’s because we work behind the scenes. We aren’t the editor and we aren’t the production team, whose names appear on our masthead each issue and whom we value hugely. We are the advisers, the guiders of policy and, when it comes to finances and resources, we are decision-makers too.

But we work hand in hand with the team members who provide a diversity of expertise. For our website redesign, unveiled with this issue, board and team members collaborated to shape a user-friendly, attractive online venue that we hope captures the varied interests of our community.

We are also working together to deepen our commitment to diversity and inclusion, considering new approaches and outreach to fully reflect the people and spirit of our community.

Board members’ primary focus is our audience – our numerous readers in print and online, as well as our volunteers and businesses. A special shoutout to volunteers: over our 50 years, it’s safe to say that no less than a thousand Glebe residents have contributed or are

contributing in an array of roles. And a shout-out to the terrific businesses that unwaveringly support us, despite challenges of all kinds including a pandemic.

People join the board because they want to get to know the neighbourhood better and to help this central community news medium to excel. We come from a range of professions.

Our discussions are sometimes “just business,” but they are often dynamic too. We learn from one another and the community. And we are inspired to make sure that the Glebe Report continues to be an essential part of life in the Glebe over the coming years.

Volunteer with us, with whatever time you can spare. We know our community members are busy people. But we promise you that your contributions will be appreciated, and you will know that you are enabling a great community enterprise to live on.

We are looking for new board members to join in 2023. If you are interested in joining the board, please email us at chair@glebereport.ca

And consider joining the GRA. It’s easy to do. Email chair@glebereport. ca, we can register you, and you will receive an invitation to our Annual General Meeting in May. In fact, anyone can attend the AGM – all are welcome. Look for an announcement in print and online in April.

Jennifer Humphries is co-chair of the Glebe Report Association Board of Directors.

Holy Week

Sarah Routliffe GNAG Executive Director

GNAG makes it fun!

By Sarah Routliffe

I know I’m not alone when I say that this winter feels like it’s been a long one. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of a fresh snowfall or a glistening walk through a chilly forest. However, it can often be an isolating season for many

people. During my first winter with GNAG, I’ve noticed a wonderful thing – the spirit of our community really does make the dark months so much better and maybe even a bit warmer. The longer I am in this role, the more I appreciate that the Glebe feels like a small village in the city, with a strong

sense of support and community.

When we had our first meeting with the Glebe BIA for our joint Skating Party on February 11, I joked that we should get back to basics and throw a classic winter party that felt like we were in a small-town Hallmark movie. From the mulled wine to the disco lights and the many prizes from local businesses, it felt like we did just that!

So many of you showed up to this event and celebrated the rink being back at Mutchmor school since its opening on Saturday, January 14!

We want to thank Patrick Burke and the team at the Glebe BIA for helping to put on such a great free event for the community.

A heartfelt thank you to the full-time team at GNAG and all the volunteers who made this event possible. A special shout out to Paul O’Donnell who promised to be our hype guy during the event, and he did just that, making this party so much fun for everyone who attended.

As we start to reach the end of the rink season, we want to thank all the contributors this year. After several years of hiatus and equipment put in storage, we had more costs than in the past, so every penny counted. We needed to fix our snowblower, maintenance costs increased (i.e., pod rental costs) and staffing costs were higher. A big thank you goes out to the donors – Glebe Community Association, Glebe BIA, Councillor Shawn Menard – and to our very own Peter Wightman for all his time, energy and dedication to the rink.

GNAG Community Theatre proudly presents the

Wizard of Oz

Follow the yellow brick road in this delightful stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale, part of our ongoing theatre education program, featuring the iconic musical score from the MGM film. When Dorothy is carried to The Land of Oz by a tornado, all she wants is to find her way home. A Tinman, a Scarecrow and a Cowardly Lion join her to fight off Witches and to confront the

Ruler of Oz. Munchkins and Flowers enliven the journey on the yellow brick road. Eleanor Crowder directs the staging. Lauren Saindon directs the music. Along with them, their incredible production team and the talented community players, we present a show which will make more than your voice soar. We guarantee a heart-warming and memorable experience as we recreate this beloved tale at the Glebe Community Centre from April 18 to 23. Are you an Oz fan? Because you could even see the show twice with a different cast. Please note the L or R Cast when purchasing your tickets!

Tickets available online. We hope to see you there.

Showtimes:

April 18 at 7 p.m. (Preview)

April 19–23 at 7 p.m.

April 22 at 2 p.m.

More details at gnag.ca.

Spring registration

Spring registration is happening on two separate evenings this year. Adult program registration opened on March 7, and children’s program registration will be March 28 at 7 p.m.

We have some classic programming coming back for the first time since the pandemic, including the return of the Youth Dance in June!

New adult programs will include a floral arranging class for Mother’s Day and a wedding bouquet class to kick off the summer season. Come in and take home a new skill and a gorgeous arrangement! Our new instructor, Francine Lavack, can teach her classes in both French and English.

GNAG Arts

We want to bring back GNAG Arts, the amazing exhibit where emerging artists of all ages get the opportunity to hang their art in our facility. The local artists get to sell their pieces and receive 100 per cent of the proceeds. Stay tuned for more details on this community builder event.

Chloe Park, BIA Programming Events and Partnership Coordinator, and Sarah Routliffe, Executive Director of GNAG, with Big Joe at the Mutchmor Rink Skating Party February 11

Paul O'Donnell and Big Joe

Rink Party on Glendale

By Dudleigh Coyle

Watching the thermometer is routine work for all who manage the Glebe Memorial Park rink on Glendale. This year, because of an unusually mild February, we had to reschedule the annual rink party a couple of times. With great delight and surprise, we welcomed Saturday, February 11 when all the stars finally lined up. More than 200 people came out to enjoy the sunny afternoon, and most were on skates. There were tube steaks (hot dogs), drinks (warm and cold), cookies, treats and, best of all, good ice. There was no skating on the Rideau Canal, but there was at Glendale. Special thanks to Randy Freda who scraped and flooded from midnight until 4 a.m. to make sure the rink was ready.

Eric Chernoff, Jennifer Shaw and their three boys organized the event, and the 2023 Glebe Memorial Rink hoodie seemed to be everywhere. Thanks also to local businesses for their support: Starbucks in the Glebe and Bridgehead at 282 Elgin.

Glebe Memorial has been around for a long time, and volunteers have been its mainstay for well over 40 years. At this years’ party, it was nice to see the old and the new out celebrating together. Glebe Memorial elder Rudy Koop – ex-flooder, ex-hockey player, ex-treasurer and current volunteer –has been active for over 35 years. He savoured a tube steak and reminisced about rink parties past. Murray Wilson, a regular for years at the volunteers’ Sunday morning game, recounted his

earliest times at the rink when he was in grade school (see box).

Glebe Memorial has been part of the community pretty much forever. I took over as Chief Rink Rat in 1986 and have enjoyed every minute of my volunteer years. The rink is supported now by 26 volunteers and seven teenage student supervisors. I reckon that during the last 40-odd years, there have been more than 90 parent volunteers (shovelling, flooding and supervising) and more than 110 students with the best winter job ever – getting paid to supervise and play endless hours of shinny. At Glebe Memorial, the key rule is everyone is welcome, everybody plays.

I can’t say enough good things about Ottawa’s Outdoor Rink Program. Hundreds of volunteers city-wide devote their time to maintaining and supervising more than. 240 rinks. Thank you: you make us all proud!

Dudleigh Coyle, the Chief Rink Rat at Glebe Memorial, won an Ontario volunteer award last year, partly for his efforts looking after the rink since 1986.

Murray Wilson’s earliest memories of Glebe Memorial

When I was a kid, I lived at 35 Glendale. Every day during the Outdoor Rink (ODR) season, someone tied my skates at home, and I walked up the street (no skate guards) to the rink. The shack hasn’t changed very much since the early ’50s, except for the odd coat of paint. In those days, there was a city employee there all the time. He was a little rough around the edges, but he taught us young hockey players a few things about life. He would arrive mid-afternoon during the week, get the two coal-fired stoves going so that it would be warm (the stoves would be red hot) for skaters by the time school was out do any shovelling that was necessary. The hockey rink had low boards (about two feet high) and it ran east-west parallel to Chamberlain. There was a small skating area where the rink is now. There were many hockey games going on all at the same time, with the big guys playing the full length of the rink and the smaller kids playing across the rink. It made for lots of collisions.

The ODR season started before Christmas and wrapped up at the end of February. We always vowed to continue the rink after the shack was closed, but I think

it snowed two feet starting at midnight every February 28 so that was the end of the season. Then the ball hockey season started. When the snow was gone, we would go back to the park to play baseball. One spring, the poles for the rink lights hadn’t been removed before opening day, so someone went home to get an axe and we chopped down the pole that was in the way. If you played short stop or left field, you had to watch out for the short stump. Great memories!

Years later, my children were playing soccer at the Mutchmor field and as the start of the season approached, we noticed that the poles for the rink lights had not been removed. So, I phoned the city and spoke to the director of Rink Pole Removal. She told me that the poles would be removed in about two weeks. I explained that the soccer season was starting before then, but she was unmoved. I then told her how the boys at Glendale field had dealt with a similar situation about 30 years earlier. There was silence at the other end of the line, then she said “Oh, I don’t think you should do that.” The poles were gone two days later.

Avery and Bram Berman lace up. CREDIT: ERIC CHERNOFF

From left, Jennifer Shaw, Rudy Koop, Dudleigh Coyle CREDIT: BARB COYLE

Sunshine, great ice, happy skaters! CREDIT: BARB COYLE

Introducing the new Poetry Quarter curator

The Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter has a new curator!

Deborah-Anne Tunney is an Ottawa poet, novelist and short-story writer whose writing has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Her novel, Winter Willow, was published in 2019. Her book of linked short stories, The View from the Lane, published in 2014, reflects the people and relationships of a neighbourhood in Ottawa. And her first collection of poetry, A Different Wolf, was published in 2020 and won the 2021 Archibald Lampman award, presented by the literary magazine Arc for the year’s best work of poetry by a writer living in the National Capital Region.

Tunney’s role as curator of the Glebe Report’s Poetry

The Kitty Convict takes the chaise lounge one eye on the starlings one eye on me

he is on parole, & possibly he knows it confining his infractions to the in/ voluntary sort –upchucked regurgitated kibble furballs & those purring curving claws that  yelp into thighs...

neither technically violates the terms of his release...

nor does the rebel fur that rides the sunbeams like teenaged skateboards & rolls along floorboards like tumbleweeds in a bad western nonplussed, he stretches out one paw blinks

begins a morning nap

he’s on drugs, of course but no classic calming pheromones bring him back from the brink when workers heave the rusty water tank up the basement stairs hours later, dragging cobwebs & the exoskeleton of sow beetles he emerges into the slanting sun with slitty eyes & a flick of his tail on high alert now his parole officers patrol the area sniffing the hardwood like hounds checking for violations in all the usual porcelain places clear this time...

Nadine Dawson

Greeting Gentle

Looking out the window, A dog sees rain.

The notes, all the same, are coming down.

The top of the house feels like danger. A clap and a bright light, violent, outside.

He shivers, nervous.

Then the light in the room comes on. “Oh puppy, what’s wrong?” She is there, an affection of hands.

Ruby Rae Urlocker

Oh sister! Oh brother!

Quarter will be to set themes and select submitted poems for publication. The Glebe Report is happy to welcome her to this important role.

“Greetings to Glebe Report readers, and especially to Poetry Quarter readers and poets. I am very excited to be the new editor of the Poetry Quarter and only hope I can fulfil the requirements with the same competence and grace as my predecessor, JC Sulzenko. As a lover of poetry and a poet myself, I am anxious to read your poems and look forward to being part of the Glebe Report poetry community.”

Poets of the Glebe, start your engines! Get your pens ready for our next Poetry Quarter in June.

Poetry and pets

Song for Zeus

—for Alana

Wherever he is, let him be, in what nether world it may seem-a farther place only.

Those knowing eyes, looking at me, his face and manner too, my tabby Zeus he will always be.

Inside, in his home, then outside looking out long on Somerset Street, passersby knowing him.

His vulnerability, yes, sometimes purring, living his own life I didn’t know much about.

Remembering him only, a lifetime, far away-memory, or consciousness, his soul, you see.

Spirit locked in, with mine, nothing less, now gone-Zeusie he will always be, a blessing I know.

Cyril Dabydeen (Ottawa Poet Laureate Emeritus)

I’ve Got Her Trained by Mimi, as overheard by Ruth Latta

It’s taken me six months, but finally I’ve got her trained to do as I desire. The household functions for what’s best for me, providing all the things that I require.

I tolerate it when she holds me close and rocks me like a child in her embrace. She’s prompt at serving meals, so I suppose I’ll fight the urge to writhe and scratch her face.

We have some little battles of the will. She holds me on her lap and trims my claws. I scratch the sofa yet she loves me still. I’ve come to like her too? Why? Just because. But even so, as long as I am able, I plan to jump up on the kitchen table.

Ruth Latta

Siblings are often our closest confidants; their significance cannot be overstated. Throughout our childhood, they are there – usually in the same house – to instruct or be guided, to comfort and annoy. The honesty and vitality of our relationship with our sisters or brothers are unparalleled. Write a poem about your experience as a sibling, the closeness you have shared or perhaps lack of closeness you experienced. If you are an only child, write a poem about how that feels as you navigate a world where most people have siblings.

Golden Jack

The most beautiful thing I ever saw had a wet nose, gold fur and four paws, and a smile that would stretch from ear to ear, oh how I wish he was still here.

He crawled into my heart and fluffed his bed, he never listened to anything I said; he was playful and curious and funny and sweet, and loved to curl up for a rest at my feet.

He would follow me from room to room, ask for a cookie at seven hours past noon; he would help in the yard when I gardened in spring, he would eat dirt and snow and most anything.

He loved to run and chase the ball, but returning it was not his game at all. He loved to steal a winter glove, but what he stole most was all my love.

He loved people so much it was like he would burst, he had to be the one to kiss them first; and no hugs could happen in this house without him, he would sneak in between and find his way in.

He wagged his tail until the very last day, with heart breaking I had to send him away; and I would give anything to have him back, my sweetest, most beautiful, golden Jack.

Louise Chivers

Morgan

I didn’t want to let her go, I wanted to keep her on her shelf where she’d give her attention to the trees or on the swath of sunlight across a sheet, her black fur drawing heat to her, or where anywhere anywhere if she heard Glenn Gould she would stop and listen. The days leading to her leaving she paid attention to her loves. The trees, the sun, she gathered her toys around her. On one of these times she turned her gaze to me. The wings she would have made, I cannot even imagine, if her ears were any indication of what she had to work with, to join the angels she watched. She almost caught one once when it landed on the balcony. Was I wrong to want to keep her here. The wings, three years later I make, so far from perfect, and lay, with tears, on her shelf. In the morning they may be gone.

As usual, poems should be:

· Original and unpublished in any medium (no poems submitted elsewhere, please)

· No more than 30 lines each

· On any aspect of the theme within the bounds of public discourse

· Submitted on or before May 23, 2023

Poets in the National Capital Region of all ages welcome (schoolage poets, please indicate your grade and school). Please send your entries (up to five poems that meet the criteria) to editor@ glebereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you are in school.

Deadline: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Michelle Desbarats

The Glebe Report would like to thank the first Poetry Quarter curator, JC Sulzenko, who initiated the idea of the Poetry Quarter and carried it out with skill and enthusiasm for six years.

Deborah-Anne Tunney is the new curator of the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter. PHOTO: ANDRÉ SAVARY

La Casita Nica a hidden treasure

By Margaret Lavictoire

Strolling down Bank Street, I saw a hand-lettered sign for empanadas, pupusas, chili con carne and ox tail soup. Curious, I walked into Chingadero Mexican Market to find out more.

I received a warm welcome from Luvy Gonzalez, whose love of good food led her to open La Casita Nica. A software architect by profession, Gonzalez and her mother bring generational skills in preparing authentic, fresh and afford able Latin American dishes. Their wares are now available at 740 Bank inside the Chingadero's.

The takeout menu includes nacata male, a signature dish from her home country of Nicaragua – corn meal and rice topped with meat and vegetables, steamed in a banana leaf. Other quick and tasty meals include empanadas, pupusas, tamales and enchiladas. Stews, chilis and soups round out the delicious offerings. Vegetar ian options are available.

Gonzalez, her husband Justin Cooney and daughter Isabella live in the Glebe. Said Gonza lez, “We are excited to serve the Glebe and all who find us. Thumbs up for good food!”

She is also quick to thank Emilio Escobedo, owner of Chingadero Mexican Market, Margarita Restaurant and Mona’s Taqueria for his support of this new business.

The menu changes daily. See LaCa sitaNica.com for menu items or con tact Gonzalez at 613-617-8253 or admin@lacasitanica.com to see what

Donna Edwards House Portraits

613 233 4775

www.donnaedwards houseportraits.com

Facebook:

Donna Edwards Art

has been made fresh each day. Gonzalez also offers custom cooking if you have a recipe you would like her to prepare for you.

La Casita Nica is open daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 740 Bank Street inside Chingadero Mexican Market.

Margaret Lavictoire is a Glebe resident and appreciator of good food.

Luvy Gonzalez of La Casita Nica offers authentic Latin American takeout dishes from her corner of Chingadero Mexican Market at 740 Bank. PHOTOS: MARGARET LAVICTOIRE

To everything there is a season

By Cecile Wilson

Seasonal rhythms

The rhythm of the seasons provides us with a guideline for shaping our yearly activities. We predict what the weather will be like based on past experience and plan our activities around those predictions.

Whether you bemoan the winter cold and snow and long to escape to warmer climes location or hope impatiently for an early opening of skiing and the Rideau Canal skateway, you have an idea of what to expect from winter. When those expectations do not materialize, you begin to wonder what is going on.

Canada’s banks continue to fund fossil fuel projects that threaten numerous local economic activities, such as skating on the Rideau Canal, by disrupting the stability of our climate.

This winter, the variation from normal (if there is such a thing anymore) has been quite noticeable. Although it is the second half of February as I write this, it might as well be mid-March. The temperature rose to a record high of 8.9°C, some maple syrup producers were caught unprepared by the early warm spell and for the first time since Winterlude began, the Canal failed to open for skating during the festival.

Ottawa has always experienced variations in winter temperatures. Even so, this winter has had some noticeable abnormalities. The record high set on February 15 substantially surpassed the previous record set in 1954 by 2.2°C. That usually warm temperature was preceded only 11 days earlier by a record low temperature of -32.2°C. Taken together, these two records illustrate one of the hallmarks of climate change: extreme variability.

The economic impact of climate change

Winterlude was created in 1979 to showcase “Canada’s unique northern culture and climate.” The highlight of the festival is the opportunity to skate on the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the longest natural skateways in the world.

Approximately 600,000 people

attend Winterlude annually. With the Canal closed, skaters turned to much smaller, artificial ice surfaces instead.

The opportunity to skate on the Canal distinguishes Winterlude from other winter festivals and makes it unique. What is the likelihood that people will return to Winterlude if the main attraction is unreliable?

A graph on the National Capital Commission website charts the length of season openings for the skateway since its opening in 1971. It illustrates a discouraging but not unexpected trend.

The average skating season lasts 50 days, but the frequency of shorter skating seasons has increased. If the Canal fails to open this year, however, it will be a first: a far cry from the longest skating season of 95 days set back when the skateway first opened.

Not only does temperature variability wreak havoc with our recreational plans, it affects the economy as well. Many businesses who cater to the skating public are feeling the hit to their income. Skate rentals, skate sharpeners

and food and drink vendors have seen their sales drop noticeably. This brings me to another season.

Annual General Meeting (AGM) season

Early April is the traditional AGM season for Canada’s banks. What is the connection between banks, AGMs and skating on the Rideau Canal? Let’s look at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), for example.

RBC ranks first in Canada and number five in the world for financing fossil fuel projects. At last year’s AGM, Investors for Paris Compliance filed a proposal that would have prevented RBC from classifying the financing of fossil fuel projects, as well as projects that faced significant Indigenous opposition, as “sustainable financing.”

RBC advised its shareholders to reject the proposal, and they did.

This was despite warnings from the International Energy Agency (IEA) as far back as May 2021 that funding any new oil, gas or coal projects

was incompatible with remaining at or below 1.5°C of average warming. Furthermore, the IEA advocated reductions in the emissions of current fossil fuel projects and called for increased spending on renewable energy.

Yet, Canada’s banks continue to fund fossil fuel projects that threaten numerous local economic activities, such as skating on the Rideau Canal, by disrupting the stability of our climate. They also fund projects that disrupt traditional ways of living on the land for many Indigenous people, even on unceded territory.

If you are a customer of any of Canada’s big banks, the spring AGM season provides an opportunity for you to let your bank know what you think about transitioning off fossil fuels and increasing funding for clean, renewable energy.

Cecile Wilson is a Glebe resident who likes winter and will be paying attention to RBC’s AGM in Saskatoon on April 5 this year.

The Rideau Canal, one of the longest natural skateways in the world, did not open for skating this year for the first time in its history, wreaking havoc with local businesses. PHOTO: DAVID WILSON

Gnocchi done right – easy peasy

By Tim O’Connor

Gnocchi, for me, has long been a favourite and a frustration.

I dream of those little clouds of potato dough, ideally with a bit of Italian sausage, arugula, butternut squash, a buttery sauce or garlic sauce, or even a bolognese.

What’s frustrating is that every gnocchi I’ve bought in a store has been hard, not pillowy, and while a hard pillow can work, hard gnocchi keeps me up at night. As for cookbooks, the ratios have been off in every gnocchi recipe I’ve tried, and the mixed ingredients never stay together.

I made a lot of regrettable gnocchi as I developed my own recipe, but in the end it’s easy if your ratios are spot on. You boil potatoes until soft, then add flour, egg, salt and maybe nutmeg and white pepper. Then cook the gnocchi in boiling water until they float, or be like California chef Jonathan Waxman and sear them in a pan and then add stock until cooked.

Two essential tips: Always cook gnocchi frozen, and don’t alter the recipe. I’ve reduced and doubled this recipe with limited success. This recipe will make more than one meal, so you’ll have gnocchi in your freezer to enjoy whenever.

Tim O’Connor grew up in the Glebe and is head chef at Flora Hall Brewing.

Gnocchi done right

• Boil 750 grams of unpeeled potato, about three whole big spuds, in salted water until soft but not mushy. Drain, peel and mash immediately until lumps are gone. Using a potato ricer is ideal.

• To the warm potatoes (they’ll get too starchy if mixed cold) add 400 grams of flour, mix. Don’t overwork the dough. I use my hands because that’s the type of guy I am, but a wooden spoon will do.

• Add a pinch of salt, maybe a pinch each of white pepper and nutmeg.

• Whisk two eggs, add to dough and stir until combined. Do not get distracted or take a break to phone your grandma – mix in those eggs immediately.

• The dough should feel tacky but not stick to your hands, and it should be a little wet, so dust your surface with flour or semolina. Cut dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a cylinder, about the diameter of a dime, dusting them with flour as needed to keep from sticking, and cut to your desired size, two or three or four centimetres. If you want big suckers, make them bigger; if you want small guys, make them smaller.

• Put cut gnocchi on a pan so they’re not touching and put in freezer until the exteriors are frozen, then put them in a plastic bag or container and freeze thoroughly.

• Cook from frozen in salted, boiling water, or use the Waxman method – sear the gnocchi in a pan

Tim O’Connor says a potato ricer is ideal for getting a smooth mash when making perfect gnocchi.

PHOTO: COURTESY FLORA HALL BREWING

Great Bowls of Fire 2023 Have a

By Nancy Riggs

The Ottawa Guild of Potters (OGP) is thrilled to once again be hosting Great Bowls of Fire, its popular event raising much-needed funds to support the Ottawa Food Bank. Patrons can look forward to selecting a beautiful handcrafted pottery bowl, then choosing their favourite soup and breads from some of Ottawa’s best restaurants and bakeries for a delicious take home meal.

After positive response to last year’s change in format, Great Bowls of Fire 2023 is once again a take-home event. We’re encouraging patrons to host “Great Bowls of Fire Soup Parties” across the city.

The idea is simple:

• Get your tickets

• Get your friends

• Get a hand-crafted pottery bowl

• Get some delicious soup and bread

• Get home and have a party

What a fun and delicious way to support the Ottawa Food Bank!

Guild potters have been hard at work, crafting bowls for Great Bowls of Fire. Sixteen featured potters each donate 25 bowls for patrons to choose from, with other potters broadening the selection with their own donations of beautifully hand-crafted bowls.

This year, 10 of the best restaurants in the city and three popular bakeries

will provide soup and bread ready for guests to take home to enjoy with their friends and family. This year’s partnering restaurants and bakeries include Absinthe, Black Walnut Bakery, Clocktower Brew Pub, Coconut Lagoon, Les Fougères, Life of Pie, Thyme and Again, Trillium Bakery and Union Street Kitchen Café.

Many of our potters, restaurants and bakeries participate year after year in Great Bowls of Fire. And familiar faces from the community return every year to support the Ottawa Food Bank. The Ottawa Guild of Potters has held this fun event for 18 years at the Glebe Community Centre, raising well over $150,000.

Now more than ever, people in our community are depending on the food bank for help, and the OGP is looking forward to another successful fundraiser this year. So, gather your friends and family and plan your Great Bowls of Fire Soup Party!

Great Bowls of Fire

Saturday, March 25, 5 p.m. Glebe Community Centre, 175 Third Ave Ottawa Tickets $50 each, available now on eventbrite.ca

Nancy Riggs is a potter and communications co-chair for the Ottawa Guild of Potters.

This year’s Great Bowls of Fire “Soup Party” fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank takes place March 25 at the Glebe Community Centre. PHOTO: NANCY RIGGS

Here is a list of some titles read and discussed recently in various local book clubs:

TITLE (for adults)

What Your Neighbours are Reading March Break fun at Sunnyside Library

AUTHOR

BOOK CLUB

The Maid Nita Prose 15 Book Club

Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl 35 Book Club

Murdered Midas Charlotte Gray Abbotsford Book Club

Five Little Indians Michelle Good Broadway Book Club

The Sleeping Porter Suzette Mayr Can’ Litterers (Any title by) Carl Hiaasen Seriously No-Name Book Club

The Telling of Lies Timothy Findley Helen’s Book Club

The Promise Damon Galgut The Book Club

Sparks Like Stars Nadia Hashimi Topless Book Club

Family Matters Rohinton Mistry Sunnyside Adult Book Club

The Shell Game Sara Paretsky Sunnyside Second Friday Book Club

The Pull of the Stars Emma Donoghue

If your book club would like to share its reading list, please email it to Micheline Boyle at grapevine@glebereport.ca

By Caitlin Giffin

At the Sunnyside Library Children’s Department, we are eagerly awaiting one of our favourite times of the year: March Break! In addition to our regular weekday programming, we will be offering special activities for kids and families from March 13 to 18. Even if you can’t make it to a program, the library is a wonderful place to keep warm, meet neighbours and friends and get cozy with a good book. We hope you can stop by and have some fun with us!

Storytime with Author Kalli Dakos: Fun with Children’s Poetry

Tuesday, March 14 at 10:15 a.m.

We are so excited to be hosting local author Kalli Dakos for a morning of rhyme and rhythm. Dakos is a former teacher who writes poems about school-aged kids and their lives. We have several of her titles in our collection, including my personal favourites, Recess in the Dark and Our Farm in the City. Published in 2019, Recess in the Dark is a poetry collection that reflects Dakos’ time as an educator in Inuvik, N.W.T. Lively and accessible poems about the northern lights, arctic animals and playing in 24-hour darkness are paired with Erin Mercer’s lovely illustrations. Asides sprinkled throughout the book provide facts and context, giving young readers a glimpse into life for children in another part of the country.

In her collection Our Farm in the City, Dakos captures the Experimental Farm, a favourite spot of Ottawa families. Told through the eyes of a little girl whose mother takes her on frequent outings to the farm, it is a charming romp throughout the seasons at this beloved site.

Storytime with Kalli Dakos is suitable for children aged 4+. Spaces are limited so we recommend registering online at biblioottawalibrary.ca.

Break-in STEM Adventure!

Wednesday, March 15 at 3:00 p.m.

We will be hosting our very first Escape Room! Escape Rooms are a great opportunity to test problem-solving abilities and build teamwork skills. Do you think you have what it takes to crack the codes and break into the box before time runs out? Come to the library and find out. This program is for kids aged 7-12, and registration is strongly encouraged.

Time Travel Survival/ Survis a ton voyage dans le temps

Thursday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m.

Have you ever wondered if you could survive life in the past without the comforts of the 21st century? Well now you can test your wits and survival skills. You will be pulled through a portal to another time and place. Will you be hunting woolly mammoth, evading Roman soldiers or enduring life aboard a pirate ship? Only one way to find out. This is a bilingual program for kids aged 7-12, and registration is required.

In addition to our March Break programming, our regular weekly drop-in programs will continue.

Family Storytime – Drop in and sing songs, read stories and play games with us! Ages 0-6 with a caregiver. Monday and Wednesday at 10:15 am.

Maker Monday – At 4 p.m., we bring out our maker cart full of craft supplies so you can cut, fold, draw and create.

Babytime – Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. for babies 0-18 months.

Lego Block Party – Make use of our awesome Lego collection on Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Use your creativity to build something magnificent. Wishing everyone a safe and funfilled March Break. We hope to see you soon.

Caitlin Giffin works at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. She enjoys singing her heart out and reading books full of adventure and magic.

Plenty of intrigue in the Glebe

When Last Seen

by Brenda Chapman

Review by Barbara McIsaac

When Last Seen is the second in Ottawa author Brenda Chapman’s Hunter and Tate mystery series. The series features Ella Tate, a true crime podcaster and freelance crime journalist for the Ottawa Capital newspaper who lives at a fictional address on Percy Street in the Glebe. Her unofficial partner in detection is Liam Hunter, a detective with the Ottawa Police. Ottawa and the Glebe are the scenes of the dastardly events around which the books evolve.

Chapman is well known among aficionados of crime series for her Stonechild and Rouleau books, featuring locales in Kingston and Ottawa. I was a huge fan of this series and sad to see it end. Both Stonechild and Rouleau were compelling characters, and the plots were interesting, labyrinth and realistic. Therefore, I was quite excited when the first book in this new series, Blind Date, was published. Unfortunately, I was also disappointed. The character of Tate was not nearly as compelling as that of Stonechild, and the plotting in this first effort seemed to me to be more plodding and contrived than in the previous series. In fact, Tate was a bit too much of an emotional mess for my taste, and her personal issues detracted from the overall plot.

I am very happy to report that When Last Seen is miles better than Blind Date, with compelling characters, an interesting plot and a conclusion that

one does not see coming. The book opens with every parent’s worst nightmare, the disappearance of a young child. And it keeps the reader guessing about what happened. Drowning? Abduction? No obvious answers and no obvious suspects. But there are lots of red herrings and rabbit holes to keep everyone from Ella to the police to the reader on their toes. Add to this tragedy a dysfunctional family full of people who can’t quite bring themselves to tell the truth (even if they don’t really have anything to hide and the truth would help), some shady underworld characters and a squad of police detectives caught up in their own personal and office issues, and there is plenty of intrigue to keep everyone on their toes.

As a bonus, for those familiar with Ottawa, and particularly the Glebe, it is fun to read a book where people are going for coffee on Elgin Street, buying ice-cream on Bank Street, strolling through the market and zipping on and off the Queensway as they go about their business. In fact, I found myself paying particular attention to the venues. Did she get them right? Is the geography accurate? I am pleased to report that it is, unlike in Blind Date where I thought that I detected a couple of geographical anomalies.

I found the character of Ella Tate to be more sympathetic and more realistic than I did in the first book. She still takes silly chances when going her own way to solve the mystery, but I think that must be a necessary literary failing of all good crime fiction heroes or heroines. If they did not get themselves

into a pickle, the plot would suffer and the tension would be missing. The author has also done a great job with the friendship between Tate and Detective Hunter, and the tension between his job as the official investigator and her role as the nosey reporter. They are frequently faced with the decision of whether they can share information without compromising themselves in their roles as detective and reporter. This is another dimension to the book which fans will look forward to seeing developed in future books. Will their relationship turn into more than

just that of friends and sometime colleagues? Trouble is also afoot in the ranks of the police. What will become of the jealousies and intrigue taking place there? At the end, another relationship between Tate and her childhood friend Finn takes an interesting turn. Again, something that will no doubt be addressed in the next book. Enough to keep fans ready and waiting for the next installment.

Barbara McIsaac has been a fan of Brenda Chapman’s writing for years and has read all her previous books.

Women Talking

(US, 2022)

Directed by Sarah Polley

Review by Iva Apostolova

This movie’s country of origin is listed as the U.S., allowing it to enter this year’s OSCAR race in two categories (it is nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay), but I consider it a Canadian production. It is directed and co-written by the Canadian artistic treasure Sarah Polley, and it has a sizeable Canadian cast. The movie is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by the Canadian writer Miriam Toews, who also co-wrote the script. (Fun fact: Toews is from Manitoba, the daughter of Mennonite parents). Women Talking is the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. Albeit not competing in the cinematography category, I feel it would’ve had a decent chance there, too. Although the movie is an excellent depiction of what it takes for a group of people to reach a united decision (as a matter of fact, I have already added it to my Ethics curriculum), it is not one of those stuffy, over-intellectualized pieces that barely pass for a motion picture. On the contrary, it is cinematographically breathtaking: almost monochrome (shot in very dark green and gray tones); the close-ups of the faces of the girls and women, young and old, without makeup, are so hauntingly beautiful that I found myself simply transfixed. Nothing in Women Talking is gratuitous – each word, each facial expression is carefully measured. But in contrast to the stark austerity of the human portraits in Pasolini’s The Gospel According to Matthew, here with each frame the viewer is bathed in the warmth and liveliness of the onscreen characters.

Polley has somehow managed to make the story both universal/symbolic and unique to the North American cultural and historical landscape. An unspecified modern-day religious colony, whose main trait is pacifism, has come to a fork in the road. The women, who are prevented from receiving even basic

education, have suffered a series of sexual assaults by the men of the colony and now must decide what to do. The choices are stay-and-forgive (in other words, do nothing), stay-and-fight or leave. The vote is a tie between stay-and-fight and leave. And so, three generations of women from the oldest families, portrayed by the Americans Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey and Rooney Mara, the English Claire Foy, the Irish Jessie Buckley and the Canadian Sheila McCarthy, gather in the hayloft, where most of the movie takes place, to make the final decision. The only man whose face is discernible and whose words are heard is August, played by the English phenomenon Ben Whishaw. The rest of the men of the colony, on account of their crimes, are left faceless and voiceless.

What follows is an exquisite demonstration of

critical thinking and dialectics (the process of dialoguing for the purpose of reaching a decision). It reminded me of the black-and-white staple Twelve Angry Men (for those unfamiliar with the 1957 classic, starring Henry Fonda, the whole movie unfolds behind the closed doors of a court room in which a jury in a murder trial has to reach a verdict).

With plenty of flashbacks and cinematic interludes, the viewer is treated to a rare sight: women, seemingly casually chatting (and sometimes singing) end up articulating, without pomp or finger-wagging, poignant truths about love, sex, marriage, gender roles, forgiveness and freedom. Marxist, existentialist, classical feminist (à la Simone de Beauvoir), and theological ideas are spelled out with such clarity and compassion by seemingly illiterate women that I secretly felt like August, the minute taker, who humbly but hungrily records every word, every pause in the conversation. The women’s hurt and rage is palpable in each recantation of the brutal attacks. And yet, despite the personal clashes, more often than not a result of the sustained physical and emotional wounds, the women manage to stay the course. Because despite everything, what brings them together is the fact that they are the ones whose bodies and souls bear the marks of giving and sustaining life.

In one of the final scenes, Jessie Buckley’s character Mariche concludes that the goal was never to avenge oneself or to submit to coerced forgiveness but instead to always seek freedom to make choices for oneself as well as for one’s children, to be able to think without duress and to love peacefully. In the end, the women reach a difficult decision, a decision that both withstands the test of logic dictated by the intellect and, at the same time, is at ease with one’s core beliefs residing in the heart.

Running time: 1h 44m

Rating: 14 A

In theatres everywhere

Iva Apostolova is a professor of philosophy at Dominican University College and a film aficionado.

After Hours

(US, 1985)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Review by Angus Luff

After Hours is a 1985 comedy thriller written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film follows a mundane word processor, Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne), as he goes out for a late-night date with Mary (Rosanna Arquette), whom he met that day. However, the date doesn’t go as planned; he gets creeped out and tries to go back to his apartment but fails. A downward spiral of dark paths, colourful characters, unfortunate occurrences and an angry mob waylay Paul as he attempts to get home.

Scorsese, known for creating brilliantly gritty and violent New York-themed films, challenges and dismantles that genre in this darkly hilarious spin on New York nightlife. It plays like a mixture of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy – it has the same texture of dark New York streets as Taxi and the same sense of uncomfortable humour as King. Yet it plays around with those ideologies to create its own genre; the stressful, messed up, late night, 1980s New York farce. If you love films that delve into utter madness and confusion, that march along without any time to stop, this is the film for you. Although I would have to put a content warning on this film, as there’s at least a few moments of unexpected, uncomfortable and shocking subject matter, as a result of its sense of humour.

Even though this film contains some haunting, stressful and creepy material, After Hours is first and foremost a comedy – its humour is what makes the film so original. Dunne’s performance is subtly hilarious. He never outright plays it as a jerk, a loser, a wimp or a nice guy, he sort of melds all those elements into one character.

Scorsese and Minion set up this character so you relate to and root for him in the opening but find yourself getting enjoyment at his expense as the film goes along. Each facet of his personality gets challenged and whittled away one by one, until he’s left with who he truly is: a nobody. The dark humour of seeing this normal, everyday schmuck get what’s coming to him feels so good in a sea of movies where overly bad people get punished. The fact that so much bad happens to this mostly inno cent man and the people around him is where much of the dark, sardonic humour comes from. Also, the way the film portrays the nightlife of New York City feels so rich and impactful, with the score from Howard Shore adding to the atmosphere of this stressful nightmare.

There’s something about films like After Hours that gets me excited. I think more films should take chances, get unpredictable and weirder, because not knowing where a film is going to go next is such an exciting and new adventure the way Scorsese does it. There’s plenty to praise the guy for, but I think more people should recognize his ability to shake you up and throw you out of your comfort zone. When this film ends, you’ve been through so many detours and forks in the road with Paul that you feel just as jaded and tired as he is. It’s such a well-crafted, insane adventure of a film that you can’t help but immediately tell every one you know to go see it.

Running time: 97 minutes

Available to stream on Crave (Starz), Hoopla and Hollywood Suite on Demand

Available to rent/buy on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon, YouTube and more

Angus Luff is a student at Glebe Collegiate. He grew up in the Glebe and is obsessed with movies.

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And it all started in the Glebe … Dawn McArthur’s solo art show

By Della Wilkinson

A pioneering artist and teacher who got her start in the Glebe before spending years in Toronto is coming home again and being rewarded with a solo art show.

Many Glebe families may remember Dawn McArthur for her dedicated volunteerism and the art education program that she started at First Avenue Public School in the late 1990s. In 2003, McArthur received a Community Award from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board for inspiring students to express themselves through art and to learn about the lives of artists. Students’ art from every grade was displayed at a school-wide vernissage with a silent auction that raised funds for a different charity chosen each year by the students. As noted in a 2003 article in the Glebe Report, “Her project notes have provided a road map for more recent arts volunteers at the school.”

When McArthur moved to Toronto, she was missed by students and staff at both First Avenue Public School and Good Morning Preschool, where she worked as part of the creative team. However, her dedication and inspiration helped the arts programs in the Glebe continue to flourish. Now, after many years of teaching art in Toronto and founding her own private arts school, McArthur has returned to Ottawa.

After decades of guiding children

into the world of Van Gogh, Norval Morrisseau and others, McArthur was inspired to develop her own art practice. Born out of exploring art with children and sharing in their joyful optimism, McArthur’s acrylic paintings bring the magic of the Canadian wilderness to life, mixing Realism, Post-impressionism, Woodland Art and a touch of the surreal. Colour, line and pattern evoke joy, and McArthur’s humour is often shared through subject matter and composition. Her paintings capture the Quebec hills and their wild inhabitants.

McArthur has been selected by jury for a solo exhibit at La Fab Sur Mill gallery in Chelsea. Her exhibit, “Joy in the Wilderness,” runs from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, April 16 at the La Fab sur Mill art gallery at 8 Ch Mill, Chelsea, Quebec. The exhibit is open Fridays to Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

Celebrate McArthur’s art by attending the Vernissage/Opening on Saturday, March 11!

Other special dates within the exhibit:

Saturday, March 25:

“Meet the Artist in Action”

Saturday, April 8:

“Happy Birthday, Dawn!

Celebrate with the Artist”

Della Wilkinson is a friend of Dawn McArthur and volunteered to teach Dawn’s art program to her sons’ Grade 1 classes at First Avenue. Della is also a lover and buyer of Dawn’s artwork.

Art Lending of Ottawa: Art for everyone

one-day shows at the R.A. Centre on a Saturday in March, June, September and December. Each of our 35 artists has gone through the jurying process to be accepted into Art Lending and can bring up to five pieces to each show. You will find a wide range of style, subject matter and media on display at each Art Lending show – truly something for everyone.

Here are just two of the artists whose works will be on display at our March show:

by Leslie Firth

What is Art Lending of Ottawa? What sets it apart from a commercial art gallery?

Art Lending is a non-profit cooperative whose sole purpose is to connect local artists with the community of art lovers in Ottawa. We want to see our art on your walls! The unique aspect of Art Lending is right there in its name. Unlike in most galleries where purchase is the only option, our art can not only be bought, it can also be rented for a fraction of the cost of purchasing. If you fall in love with the piece and can’t part with it after the

three-month rental period, you can re-rent again and again. If you decide to buy after renting, every dollar you’ve paid to rent will be applied to the purchase price. One customer at a recent show had just moved into his first home and wanted to replace his old posters with original art. Given the cost of a new house, the more affordable option of art rental was the perfect solution for him. Another customer, one of our regulars, has an “art lending wall” in her house and likes to try out new art there frequently.

Another difference between Art Lending and an art gallery – we do not have a permanent space. We hold four

Christiane Kingsley is a resident of Riverview Park and has been an artist member of Art Lending for over five years. She is an award-winning painter in watercolour, acrylic, oil and mixed media. One of her watercolour series is of stone carvings, particularly carved heads over archways in Venice and on the Gothic façade of the Canadian Parliament. She loves to paint leaves with light or water shining through, and a lot of her work includes the shimmer of gold leaf or pewter.  She is well known for her Arctic and African series in pewter.  Her most recent focus is large oil paintings of flowers. Kingsley is an explorer at heart and loves to try new surfaces, new styles and techniques.  From Renaissance-inspired art to modern abstracts and mixed media, Kingsley’s artwork embraces it all.

Shelly Amor is one of a group of 13 artists new to Art Lending this year. Born and raised in Ottawa, she has had many creative careers that have influenced her art: landscape architect, high school art teacher and wearable design artist. This artistic journey has led her to her present career as a full-time artist. Amor describes her

style as fauvist, depicting the world in vivid bright colours. “My acrylic paintings depict various locations I have visited in the last few years, as seen through my kaleidoscope eyes,” she says. “My bright palette reflects the joy of the day and my leanings as a fauvist artist. These jeweled colours raised my spirits these past two years, and I hope they raise the spirits of those who view my work.”

Kingsley, Amor and all of the Art Lending of Ottawa artists look forward to seeing you at our show on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the R.A. Centre at 2451 Riverside Drive. Admission and parking is free. Submit your name at the door for a chance to win a door prize.

If you can’t make it to the March show, mark your calendar for our next one on June 24. Find out more at artlendingofottawa.ca, Facebook: /artlending613 and Instagram: /artlending613.

Dawn McArthur at work in her home studio, taught art in Glebe schools for many years. She has a solo exhibition of her own art, “Joy in the Wilderness,” from March 10 to April 16 at La Fab sur Mill Art Gallery in Chelsea, Quebec.

PHOTO: DELLA WILKINSON

Leslie Firth is an artist member and board member of Art Lending of Ottawa.

“Golden Hour in Tuscany,” acrylic painting by Shelly Amor

“Drinking Sunshine,” oil painting by Christiane Kingsley

Music @ Glebe-St. James

By James Caswell

Rideau Chorale reignites a friendship

By Janice Manchee

Two great friends. Both artists, musicians. They’d probably be tickled to learn their music would be performed together more than 200 years in the future.

Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reportedly connected as friends despite many differences.

Haydn’s family was musical, but untrained. At six, his talent led to him being apprenticed to obtain musical training. By eight, he was recruited to work as a chorister in Vienna. He never lived with his parents again, and his employers believe hunger made him more likely to impress. He did learn a few instruments but received no training in composition or musical theory. These he picked up on his own.

His increasing inability to sing the treble part led to his firing when he was 17 and a patchwork of employment followed. But within a few years, he began earning a name as a composer and by 25 had his first-time employment as music director for an aristocrat.

Mozart was born not long after Haydn took on these duties. His father was a composer and teacher, who was surprised to find his five-year old son composing small pieces on his own initiative. By six, Mozart was travelling and performing as a child prodigy. During this time, Mozart wrote his first symphony.

At 17, at this father’s urging, Mozart accepted employment with Colloredo, the ruler of Salzburg. The next eight years were difficult as his employer paid little and repeatedly prevented Mozart from performing in venues that could lead to other opportunities. Mozart finally persuaded his patron to let him quit, but he was dismissed with

a literal “kick in the arse” delivered by Colloredo’s steward. Mozart promptly moved to Vienna.

And here the two friends met and quickly bonded. They played together in concerts, and Haydn joined Mozart’s Masonic Lodge. They were vocal about their respect for one another. Mozart penned the series of works called the Haydn Quartets. Haydn told Mozart’s father “your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.”

There was one other thing the two had in common – each married the sister of the woman they truly loved. Neither marriage went well.

Haydn moved to London in 1790. The two friends had a sad parting, with Mozart reportedly saying, “We are probably saying our last farewells in this life.” Haydn had no idea it would be his young friend who died the next year.

Rideau Chorale is pleased to bring them back together, if only musically, for the performance of Haydn’s Mass No. 9 in C Major (Mass in the Time of War) and Mozart’s Mass in F Major Kevin Reeves is the guest music director for this concert. The choir will be joined by Matthew Larkin on organ as well as soloists Elizabeth Brown, Danielle Vaillancourt, Adam Sperry and Phillip Holmes.

The concert takes place Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Southminster Church in Old Ottawa South. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.ca.

Janice Manchee sings tenor with Rideau Chorale. Information about Rideau Chorale and its virtual and upcoming performances can be found at rideauchorale.com.

The Music @ Glebe-St. James program is such an exciting place to be! Our choir is growing: we now have 27 members on the roll, and that number includes several new young faces. We have a wonderful balance among the sections, but we’re still in need of altos. Our weekly rehearsals and services have allowed for lots of musical growth for all singers, with a focus on vocal production and ensemble singing.

Most important is the progress we made because of COVID restrictions. While we were unable to rehearse or worship in person, we turned to Zoom rehearsals and virtual music leadership. The most amazing outcome of this was a forced awareness and accountability of each singer and their understanding of their own vocal sound.

While it’s true that most folks were surprised and a bit dismayed at the sound of their own voice (some even questioned why they were allowed to sing in the choir!), the result was a greatly improved vocal energy that we continue to carry with us.

In addition to more singers and an improved commitment to sound, we have continued to explore a variety of styles of music, building to larger-scale works. This includes the past offering of an Advent Cantata in December and an upcoming presentation of the serene and tranquil Requiem by Gabriel Fauré.

For those who may not be aware, the music program at Glebe-St. James also welcomed a new Phoenix digital organ, installed in March last year. With four manuals and 82 stops, the new organ is extremely versatile. There are many possibilities in the sound palette, and the instrument suits every possible style and era of organ music. We are incredibly thankful to all those who supported the fundraising campaign and brought the project to fruition.

In addition to providing musical leadership within the church, the music program at Glebe-St. James aims to provide artistic opportunities in the community. As we’ve moved into

a post-COVID time, we have had a very successful inaugural organ recital, featuring Matthew Larkin, as well as a very successful Sing-Along Sound of Music (the first of two screenings) at the Mayfair Theatre! We look forward to offering a variety of opportunities to engage members of the community.

Our upcoming events include Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem on Good Friday, April 7 at 10:30 a.m. and music for choir, brass and organ on Easter Sunday, April 9 at 10:30 a.m. And don’t miss our second screening of Sing-Along Sound of Music at the Mayfair Theatre on April 22 at 1 p.m. Stay tuned for news of more upcoming events.

For answers to questions about the music program at GSJ or for enquiries about joining us, please contact me at music.gsj@gmail.com.

James Caswell is Minister of Music at Glebe-St. James United Church.

Crystal Maitland takes a selfie with Glebe-St. James carollers on the new First Avenue ramp. PHOTO: CRYSTAL MAITLAND

RECORD / REALTORS ® Rob Marland | Jane Forsyth | Myha Ewart | Karen Gibson | Haidyn Picco

birds of the glebe

The Evening Grosbeak

By Jeanette Rive

I think most would agree that it’s been a strange and unpredictable winter. Some feeders have been very busy, others less so. Most days, my feeder is rather quiet. But one morning when the weather was milder, I had 10 different species at my feeder, a joy to observe. Anecdotally, birding enthusiasts have reported a wider variety of birds overwintering here, including several rarely seen species, such as three additional species of woodpeckers: the Blackbacked, the American three-toed and the Red-headed. The waterways have remained more open than usual, and a wider variety of ducks have either stayed here or chosen to overwinter here from elsewhere. In contrast, there have been fewer sightings of some species such as Bohemian waxwings, one of our most beautiful birds.

Bird behaviour is another indication of our changing climate. In the past, migration patterns were more or less predictable. However, over the last decade or more, dwindling food supplies in some areas and the warmer

climate creeping north have resulted in changes in the ranges of where birds migrate to or where they choose to overwinter. Birders are seeing overwintering by species that years ago would not have been present in our gardens or our landscape.

Some birds don’t have a predictable migratory pattern, such as the Evening Grosbeak. They don’t migrate to the same location every year but go where food is abundant, so their range over North America is very broad. This autumn and winter, there has been an irruption of Evening Grosbeaks, part of the finch family, arriving from the coniferous forests of the north. Flocks have been seen in different areas of town, including Dow’s Lake and the Arboretum. Perhaps some have visited your feeders. They love sunflower seeds – a

finch has been counted eating 96 seeds in one minute! You might notice that to eat a sunflower seed, it first rolls it over end to end in its bill until the seed lies along the sharp edge of the bill, which then closes and shears the dry husk lengthwise until the inedible husk spills out and the seed is eaten.

Their winter diet consists of seeds; in summer, they primarily eat insects, including the spruce budworm which is a forest pest. Because the Evening Grosbeak is so adept at finding small caterpillars, they often provide the first sign of a forest infestation.

In the finch family, the Evening Grosbeak joins the Purple and House finches, red in colour and both found here, and is related to Redpolls, Crossbills and Pine Siskins. About the size of a robin, the Evening Grosbeak is

considerably larger than the American goldfinch. Its distinguishing feature is its large bill which can crush seeds which other birds are unable to. The male is distinctly yellow and black, while the female is more subtly marked with grey plumage and a duller yellow. They were originally a western North American bird, but from the 1800s they gradually moved east as more seed-bearing trees, such as ornamental box elders, were planted. The Evening Grosbeak was first spotted in the Toronto area in the 1850s. The French name is “le gros-bec errant,” the wandering grosbeak. The English name was given in an erroneous belief that it only emerged to sing at sunset!

It is a songbird without a distinguishing song. They are noisy birds, vocalising with piercing calls and burry chirp notes, but they don’t sing to attract a mate. They are monogamous and breed in the northern coniferous forests, building their nest high up along a horizontal branch of a spruce or a deciduous tree. It’s a loosely constructed nest, lined with grass and moss. The female lays three to four greenish eggs and incubates them for two weeks. Chicks fledge two weeks later though they will be fed by the parents for a short while after. Evening Grosbeaks can have more than one brood a year.

Enjoy these beautiful birds. By midMarch, the northwards migrating season will be starting, prompted by longer days and warmer sun. Birds will be tired after their long journeys and will be looking for sustenance. Do keep your feeders full.

Jeanette Rive is a Glebe bird enthusiast and Glebe Report proofreader.

The Evening Grosbeak, one of the finch family, loves sunflower seeds, and in summer, the spruce budworm. PHOTO: JEANETTE RIVE

Sezlik, Dominique Laframboise, Sara Adam Sales Reps. & Trystan Andrews, Broker

What amalgamation did

A former city councillor reflects

By Clive Doucet (Excerpt

When two-tier local government was blended into one across Ontario, the greatest strength of local government, local participatory democracy, was squashed. Under the Ontario Planning Act, people who live closest to city planning, housing, park projects, etc., are supposed to carry the most weight at City Hall, not those furthest away, which makes sense because it is the residents close by who will benefit the most or suffer the most from these developments. After amalgamation, the local voice would not just be reduced, it would disappear. People living beyond the Greenbelt, an hour’s drive from Lansdowne Park, east, south and west would decide that a mall was an appropriate use of the city’s oldest, most important park because in the new, amalgamated city, the local reps at City Hall would become stick figures with a voice but no authority.

I’d love to say I had all this figured out at the time, but I didn’t. Nonetheless, I did understand at a most profound level that the fight to save Lansdowne Park was a fight to save the city’s soul. If developer interests could privatize this historic city landmark, then they could do anything. Nothing would be sacred in the suburbs or the city centre. Happily, I was not alone. The community put up a terrific fight. Led by June Creelman, the community took the city all the way to the appellate court in Toronto. They protested, sang songs, marched on city hall, donated money, hired lawyers. They gave it everything they had.

But we had no chance, for the Lansdowne story was intertwined with this larger story of killing the political voice of the old communities across Ontario. On January 1, 2001, every single municipality in the old County of Carleton was blended into one. The new City of Ottawa would now be bigger than many countries, have a larger budget than several provinces, and it would force together

communities that had nothing in common except the profits and problems of sprawl. It would take a couple of years to accomplish the amalgamation but by my second term, I was now part of a single-tier, one-stop, political shopping centre. The old city was gone. Nothing in the province’s inquiry into the mismanagement of the city’s LRT system has surprised me. The back-door decision making, the hiding of information, the manipulation of the facts – we saw exactly the same behaviour during the struggle to save Lansdowne. I remember the Ottawa Sun ran a picture of the people’s plan for Lansdowne. Readers loved it, but it was described as the developer’s plan, not the people’s. Misrepresentation had become as common as grass, but this time I felt obliged to bring a motion to council to stop the proponents from running misleading pictures of their plans. Nothing changed. As with the LRT, Council was treated without the slightest respect. Council was a problem to be overcome, not a participant in city decision-making.

Amalgamation made all this possible. Democracy depends on community, and amalgamation disconnected Ottawa communities geographically and politically from the people they elected. Initially, I had supported the amalgamation. Why not have one police force, one fire service, one set of parks and so on? Why have the duplication? It was time to move on. The old city was too small.

The new amalgamated cities of Ontario would be based on freeways, malls and multi-story downtown condos. The old cities would become servants of this new urban vision of the future, which is called Texas High Hat. A Texas High Hat city from above or the side looks like a sombrero with a narrow but tall city centre spike surrounded by a vast brim of low-rise development. In a frenzy of city-centre development, Ottawa would rip apart its old neighbourhoods and re-seed them with high rises while the size of the brim would explode.

The speed of the change has been amazing. It has all been done in the name of densification, which is supposed to be good for the environment. I don’t believe it is. I believe images

The new City of Ottawa would now be bigger than many countries, have a larger budget than several provinces, and it would force together communities that had nothing in common except the profits and problems of sprawl.

of busy, friendly, denser streets, often with streetcars running on them and little cafés beside them, have been used to justify ignoring community wishes and turning streets into parking lots with toaster-like boxes.

Over-development now sits like a canker on the old city, reducing the city’s quality of life and exploding under development in the brim. Sprawl is now at levels never anticipated by anyone. Ground water pollution is dealt with by just extending city pipes. The village of Russell is now “on city water.” Densification, like the promise of football at Lansdowne, has been used by politicians and developers as a sound bite to make greater profits possible, not to serve the needs of communities or the environment.

During my tenure as a city councillor, I did not allow a single new building to be constructed that contravened the city’s zoning for height or density. My approach was simplistic. If the zoning law called for four or six storeys on a busy street, it should be four or six, not 10 or 20, 40 or 50. I was happy to help a developer achieve this and did, but

his plans had to conform to the city’s zoning. Either the law was the law, or it wasn’t. Turned out, it wasn’t. During the Watsonic years (Jim Watson was mayor from 1997 to 2000 and 2010 to 2022), city zoning has had about as much meaning as fish wrap. Even winning at the province’s appeal board doesn’t mean anything.

Diane McIntyre’s cottage-house on a narrow triangle of land next to Central Park was torn down for a massive, lot-line-to-lot-line building that looks like a toaster with windows. Side lot, back lot and front lot trees have come down everywhere to make way for these “infill” toaster buildings and condo high rises. Diane moved out of the community. The matriarchs were shunted aside.

Clive Doucet served as Capital Ward’s City Councillor from 1997 to 2010. He ran for mayor twice, in 2010 and 2018. His last book is Grandfather’s House, Returning to Cape Breton The Watsonic Years is a political memoir being published in instalments on Unpublished Media.

from the author’s The Watsonics. For the full text, go to Unpublished.ca. For an excerpt on Lansdowne Park's “Cattle Caste,” see the Glebe Report, January/February 2023.)

The “people’s plan” for Lansdowne, labelled in the Ottawa Sun as the developer’s plan PHOTO: COURTESY OF CLIVE DOUCET

A Life in books

By Monique Lafrenière

They twirl around in their poodle skirts, sporting bobby socks and saddle shoes, learning to rock ’n’ roll to the sounds of “Jailhouse Rock” or to slow dance to the Platters’ “Only You.” They flitter from house to house, these preteens, checking out friends’ new clothes and shades of lipstick. They giggle, gossip and moan about their teachers. Their slim bodies will fill out in a couple of years, ready for the world of grown-ups.

But not I. I am not allowed to have friends and to meet girls outside of school, nor dance, nor listen to popular music. Rock ’n’ roll is an aberration, says my father, Elvis’s gyrating hips an affront to decency and the Catholic church. My life is confined within the walls of school, church and home. A small life in a small village.

And so, I read books.

I have long exhausted the school library: La Comtesse de Ségur and French translations of Haggard, Dickens and Scott have been read and reread. Young adult writers from past centuries have revealed all their secrets. Soeur Jacques, my French teacher, takes pity on me and shares treasures from the nuns’ library: Hugo, Balzac, Verne, Lamartine. My mind soars with each discovery, the words absorbed like rays of sunshine, my imagination transported to other times, other places, loathe to return to the present. Books save me.

They go out on Saturday nights, wreathed in Lily of the Valley perfume, necking in dads’ borrowed cars, sometimes going all the way, with

consequences a few months down the road.

But not I. I know nothing of sex, a taboo subject in my home. A first inkling comes from reading the biographies of the mistresses of King Louis XIV. The good king had an aversion to water and only bathed three times in his long life, if one is to believe the gossip. He was brushed with alcohol and drowned in perfume instead, his passions inflamed by the bodily smells of his unwashed lovers. It will be a little while yet until the hard facts about the birds and the bees supplement my juvenile erotic imagination.

And so, I read books.

They become salesgirls, waitresses and farmer’s wives, and they will live and die in the village where they were born, their world getting narrower with each passing year.

But not I. Freedom has come. I live in the big city. I create a life of beauty and excitement: studies, a husband, work, friends, parties and travel. I grab every brass ring that comes my way. My youth has left me with an unquenchable thirst for life, and I intend to empty the cup to the last drop.

And so, I read . . . fewer books.

I teach myself to read and speak English. I spend many a happy hour in the den, ensconced in the sofa, a pile of books next to me, a dictionary at the ready to look up unknown words. I repeat sentences out loud, the better to attune my ears to their sounds. My world broadens with new genres, cultures and voices, admiring the worlds apart of John Steinbeck and Somerset Maugham.

And so, I read books . . . in English.

Letting go

By Anna Rumin

“I’m stuffing a mink teddy bear with my dog’s ashes. My cats are in pots on the mantle – they’re with me all the time.” I expressed my condolences, she snapped her gum, thanked me, said she was waiting for a puppy, and continued to knit while we waited for the yoga studio to open.

Instead of concentrating on breathing, I thought about my own darling Rubli who arrived in our family when we needed her most. It never mattered how long any of us were gone she would greet us as though she hadn’t seen us in a year – her tail wagging, her nose thrust between our knees, groaning, and eventually flopping onto her back demanding a tummy rub. She was under the table

at every meal, cleaned the roasting pan and carving board every Sunday, and attended every party leaving her black fur on guests. She accompanied us on most holidays and after being pecked at by the pet-bird of one dog-sitter we only ever left her with people we knew. She panted in thunder, howled at lightning and when it was hot, she’d crawl far under the cottage and refuse to come out. Her recall was mostly good, she never ate garbage, and once had a fight with a groundhog that was teasing her; the groundhog won. In the mornings at the lake she’d sit up on the double Adirondack chair and have coffee with me. While she didn’t wear an apron and cook, the children knew she was watching them and demanded their attention which especially in her later

Graduate school beckons. So much to learn, a whole new jargon about leadership and organizational change. I need words to explain the concepts and support reflection that will lead to change. I build a reference library and polish my business writing; the new words saturate the nooks and crannies of my brain.

And so, I read lots and lots of books.

Work is over and done with. A door closes, leaving room for new ones to open. I dabble in creative writing. No more dry, professional reports. I write what I want – stories, poems, fiction, memoirs. I learn a new craft and populate my library shelves with all kinds of books on writing.

And so, I write books.

The time has come when the adventures of the past outweigh those of the future. I downsize my home library, happy to get rid of the workbooks, a bit sad to abandon others. I save the books on death and dying; they may come in handy at some point. But what to do with all the unread books? The public library is my Mecca these days. I cram my remaining brain cells with as many books as I can before my vision clouds over into eternity.

And so, I read books.

Monique Lafrenière is an emerging writer who has published several memoir pieces and short stories. Her first book is a food memoir/recipe book entitled: Fruitcake, Anyone? Memories, Musings and Recipes from a Food Lover, 2020. She is currently at work on a novel.

years they gave freely.

Right from the start I began brushing her and leaving the clumps of fur in the bushes, trees and plants around our home hoping the birds would collect it and use it in their nests. Sometimes I’d open the window and just let the fur go watching it travel on gentle airwaves. At our cottage I left handfuls around the hydrangea, hosta and lilac hoping to scare away the deer, but I can only imagine them sniffing her fur and knowing she would probably have only stared them down, too comfortable in the sun to get up and do anything. The first time we travelled without her, we found her fur in our towels and bathing suits and t-shirts; we grew used to finding stray white hairs in say a sandwich or stew; we went through five vacuum cleaners in thirteen years.

I’m not sure when the tumours started growing but the vet checkups changed and the cantaloup-sized bulge on her belly was being monitored. We had decided that surgery and cancer medication were out of the question past 10 years old and that we would nurse her the way she had nursed us. Two vets diagnosed her with dementia and while we giggled, it wasn’t funny. We put carpets down all over the first floor so that she could stand up, when she fell down the basement stairs we closed them off, and we stopped counting the times she threw up her food. Brushing her was no longer an option so her fur grew, became matted, and only occasionally would she let me cut out the matts and push them into the soil around the bushes. She couldn’t crawl up on the Adirondack chair anymore

although she did stare out at the lake.

A few weeks after her 13th birthday Rubli disappeared as a storm was approaching. For the better part of four hours my husband, our neighbours and I searched the forest floor and lakeshore looking under every fallen tree, behind every rock under every cottage without any luck. My greatest fear was that a tree had fallen on her. Then, a neighbour far up the road came through the forest with Rubli trailing behind him, ecstatic to find us. A week later the skies turned steel grey, Rubli began howling, snapped at my husband when he tried to leash her, and reappeared again three hours later. It was my decision that Rubli had given us a sign; that the jellied tumours, the legs that did their best to support her but too often gave out, that the vomit and howling and panting hadn’t been enough. I made the call.

Her last morning, I clipped the dangling fur from her ears and put it in an envelope as did my husband. We didn’t spread her ashes or keep them in a pot. I began gardening and found some fur – had it been from this year? It didn’t matter; our darling old girl was everywhere and had been filling nests and trees and the skies with her fur from the very first day she came home. Sometimes I look at pretty pots I’ve collected and wondered if I made a mistake but know she had taught us to let her go.

Anna Rumin designs and teaches memoir-based writing courses.

(Editor’s note: See this month’s Poetry Quarter for poems inspired by pets.)

Joel Harden MPP Ottawa Centre N 613.722.6414

E JHarden-CO@ndp.on.ca T @joelharden www.joelharden.ca

Violence against women is an epidemic that requires government action

I’m proud to serve Ottawa Centre, but I wasn’t raised here.

I spent my youth in Vankleek Hill. I worked on family farms, played outside constantly and benefitted from fresh air and hard work. It shaped who I am today.

Growing up rural made me appreciate last June’s Renfrew County Coroner’s Inquest report. Before this inquest, I was less aware of challenges facing women at risk of violence, notably, but not exclusively, in rural settings. The inquest made 86 recommendations to address the rise of intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender-based violence (GBV) in Ontario.

The first recommendation was to declare IPV as an epidemic in Ontario. Why?

Because every six days, a woman dies at the hands of a partner, family member or someone else they know. Research suggests the isolation and mental health crisis brought on by COVID-19 has made this worse.

The catalyst for the inquest was the murder of three women — Carol Cullerton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam — by a man known to them and known by justice officials to be highly dangerous. Our system failed these women.

But since the inquest, we have failed others. Sommer Boudreau and Lisa Sharpe, two other women from

Renfrew Country, died at the hands of men they knew. Anne-Marie and Jasmine Ready from Ottawa were killed in July 2022 by a neighbour who had recently been charged with harassment and assault.

Advocates against IPV and GBV insist that Ontario should react to the inquest with urgency. Unfortunately, that has not happened. The province released a 55-page response, with limited commitments to action.

Advocates had hoped Ontario would follow the lead of Lanark County which declared IPV an epidemic on December 17, 2023. As it did so, it was noted that 52 women lost their lives in acts of femicide in Ontario over the past 52 weeks.

“We have to see it, name it, change it,” said Peter McLaren, the warden for Lanark County. “This is the naming part, that’s the easy part. The hard part is changing it.”

There are several Ottawa-based organizations which help women leave abusive homes. They all operate on minimal budgets while serving women with significant needs. Recommendation number five of the inquest requires Ontario to adopt an implementation plan to address IPV and GBV. We need this now.

I’ve been to many vigils about IPV and GBV and heard thoughts and prayers from local officials. I’ve met family members who have lost loved ones. Each one of them tells me that thoughts and prayers are not enough.

Given all this, and the recent marking of International Women’s Day on March 8, now would be a fitting time for politicians of all stripes to coalesce around a serious plan to support women at risk of violence and to reach those liable to commit acts of violence.

The 2022 Renfrew County Inquest is a call to action. Let’s embrace it.

My very best, Joel

Naqvi MP Ottawa Centre

Our community deserves quality health care

As Ottawa Centre residents, we are so fortunate to have a dynamic selection of winter activities in our neighbourhoods and across the city! Whether it’s a ski on the Kichi Sibi trail, skating at a local rink or a visit to Winterlude attractions, I encourage you and your family to get out and get active. Personally, I love to run – in rain, snow and shine, this is how I get active and keep my physical and mental health in check. Be sure to visit the Ottawa Tourism website https://bit.ly/4135aPJ for more ideas on how you can enjoy this winter season outdoors in our community.

Health care investments

Recently, the government of Canada announced major investments to strengthen Canada’s health care system. The federal government will fund provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over 10 years, including $42.2 billion in new funding. Included in this funding is an immediate $2 billion to address immediate pressures on the health care system, particularly pediatric hospitals, emergency rooms and long wait times for surgeries. Also $1.7 billion will go towards raises for personal support workers, and $2 billion over 10 years is earmarked to address the unique challenges Indigenous peoples face when it comes to fair and equitable access to quality and culturally safe health care services. Overall, this investment means a new focus on primary care and mental health in our government’s work to improve the health care system for all Canadians.

Celebrating the work of the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre

On March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day and recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This month, I would like to highlight the incredible work carried out by the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre and the University of Ottawa Health Institute. I was thrilled to announce a federal investment of just over

$568,000 to the Heart Institute which they matched, allocating over a million dollars to the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre to create a cardiovascular prevention and care network. This care network will further prevent, screen and treat cardiovascular disease in women. I commend the incredible work of Dr. Thais Coutinho and Dr. Kerri Mullen for spearheading this effort to bridge the gap in adequate care for women’s heart health. Visit my website at YasirNaqviMP.ca to learn more.

Affordable and social housing in Ottawa

Housing is a continuous topic of discussion and a priority for me as your MP. Last year, we announced that the Rapid Housing Initiative would launch a third round. This includes a project stream of $1 billion that allows for provinces, municipalities, Indigenous governing bodies and not-for-profit housing agencies to apply directly for federal funding to create more social and affordable housing for vulnerable residents in our community. This application window will be open until March 15. Additionally, Ottawa will be receiving an investment of $18.5 million as part of the Major Cities Stream to create 48 new units across our city. The previous rounds funded units built through Ottawa Community Housing, Shepherds of Good Hope and John Howard Society, among others. To end chronic homelessness, we need sustained, consistent funding. We are doing just that through the Rapid Housing Initiative –helping Canadians access safe, affordable, housing that meets their needs, while also creating jobs for the local economy in Ottawa.

As your federal representative, I am pleased to share these accomplishments with you, and I thank you for adding your voices to these discussions as it is your advocacy that has led to better outcomes in our community. My team and I are here to help and work together on advancing Ottawa Centre priorities.

From left, Dr. Kerri Mullen, Executive Director, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre; MP Yasir Naqvi; Dr. Thais Coutinho, Chair, Women’s Heart Health Centre; Nadia Lappa, Division Head, Prevention and Wellness

PHOTO: COURTESY UOTTAWA HEART INSTITUTE

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth

OCDSB Trustee, Zone 9

Ottawa Carleton District School Board Zone 9

Trustee update

Before sharing an update on Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) business, I acknowledge that I am working and living on unceded Algonquin territory of the Anishinabe Nation.

As a neighbour, parent and family physician, my heart goes out to the family and friends of Max James, the Grade 11 student at Glebe Collegiate who died this semester. There are no words to convey how devastating that loss is. The community mourns his death.

If adolescents or young adults you know are struggling, please reach out. Youth Services Bureau Ottawa has a 24/7 crisis line and offers drop-in counselling: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775. Kidsgrief.ca is a website that provides resources for parents to speak to their children about death. Many of you do not have a family physician or funds for private counselling; publicly funded mental health services for children and youth are available, through self-referral, at 1call1click.ca

My work as a new trustee at the OCDSB began last November. The first two months were taken up with orientation sessions on our roles and responsibilities as trustees, the Education Act, overviews of educational programs and finances.

Couch potato cat

By Anant Nagpur

I am a couch potato cat, and that’s my name as well, Couch Potato. Anything wrong with that? I didn’t think so.

Well, I’ll get on with my story. Yes, I don’t like working and you know why? I’ll tell you why. I am a thinker, and thinkers do not like to work. I think a whole lot, and where else can I think but sitting on top of the couch. And the world looks better from there.

The family I belong to is sometimes a bit odd. They talk to me all the time, telling me stories, never allowing me to tell my side of the story. What’s with that? Boy, talk about cuddling, they waste my time when I am busy thinking – they disturb my thoughts and I have to start all over again. I tell them my story in my own way, and I tell them to carry on their own business, but do they listen to me? Absolutely not. It bothers me, but nonetheless I love them unconditionally and they do feed me very well.

You are wondering why I am a couch potato? They spoil me – and I’m OK with that. One summer a squirrel snuck inside the house, and I was asked to chase him – me chase! No way. I do not, I repeat, do not chase anybody, and that is my motto.

Being a couch potato defeats the purpose of chasing. I just walk my own way, and once in a while I may run, and I do jump sometimes, but that’s about it. No

chase. When I am tired, I go upstairs to sit and take a nap and that little girl, she is so sweet, she pets me and sings songs for me. I wish I could sing for her, but all I could do is meow, I am not trained as a singer, just a meower. Though I am good at it.

When the family goes to work and school, they are nice enough to leave the basement door slightly open and all the bedroom doors open, and I feel like I own the place. I run from room to room and run around the basement. Just when they are about to come home, I go back and sit on top of the couch and pretend to sleep.

One by one, they start rubbing my ears, my neck, my tummy and tail –not that I mind. Sometimes they pick me up, but I tell them, please put me down. Sometimes I wonder – if I were a human being and they were a cat, what I would do? But I do love them, and I thank them for giving me a home and all that love, good food, toys and the lap-of-luxury swinging chair. And for letting me be a couch potato cat and do my thinking. By the way their names are Jen, Josh, Noah and Grace, and I am glad to be part of their family. That’s my story and I hope you like it.

Sincerely, Couch Potato

Anant Nagpur is an Old Ottawa South resident who loves to share his experiences with readers.

As your trustee, I got right down to work on the issues that I promised to address. Here is a highlight of issues to date, and a preview of what is on the horizon.

At an emergency meeting of the board in November, I moved to temporarily reinstate masks in our classrooms to ensure the health and safety of students and staff, in response to the triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and RSV. Unfortunately, in the weeks prior to the meeting, organized antimask and anti-vaccine protesters targeted our board, bombarding us with emails espousing disinformation about the efficacy of masks. As you may be aware, the OCDSB boardroom filled with disruptive protesters on the day of our meeting. The vote on our mask motion resulted in a tie and therefore did not pass. That process was followed by harassment, death threats and anti-Semitic hate. The death threats have targeted me as a physician and as a trustee, daily, since November.

The Ottawa Police hate crimes unit is involved.

Anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry and misogyny are sadly on the rise across Canada and around the world. OCDSB schools have seen a sharp increase in anti-Semitism in the last few years. Students have reported horrific incidents, most recently at Sir Robert Borden

High School where two students were charged with acts of hate. Our existing staff and resources to support Jewish students and staff were deemed to be inadequate. Fast forward to January 17: I moved for the OCDSB to hire a Jewish Equity Coach. More than 1,000 Jewish community members, representatives of Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders from across the political spectrum came together to consider the motion. After thoughtful discussion, the OCDSB expressed unanimous support.

Each year, the OCDSB has an opportunity to submit questions to OPSBA (Ontario Public School Boards’ Association) and some are then forwarded to the Ministry of Education. I asked OCDSB to ask the following question, on behalf of the families and educators: What is going to be done to address the issue of insufficient funds and resources for students with disabilities, neurodiversity and other special education needs? With inadequate funding for educational assistants (EAs) and other supports, students with disabilities are struggling and, in some cases, excluded from learning. That is an equity issue. Also, for students in classrooms with executive dysregulation, there is also a safety issue; an increasing number of students and staff are learning/working in environments in which physical violence is a daily occurrence. Unfortunately, the minister of education only accepted a few questions in advance of the annual symposium, and he did not respond to the question I posed. As I sit on the OCDSB Special Education Advisory Committee as well as the Advisory Committee on Equity, I will continue to raise these issues.

The OCDSB is revising its field trip policy to align it with the work that is being done on equity, emphasizing the importance of removing financial barriers to student participation in field trip activities. This review will come back to the board for further discussion in March.

The OCDSB is also currently engaging in community consultations to prepare its strategic plan for 2023-2027. You are invited to participate in the strategic planning process, to give your input on what matters most to support student learning and well-being.

The OCDSB website at OCDSB.ca has information on how to join individual or small group conversations and provide feedback.

I welcome families to reach out if you have questions or concerns that require my attention or support.

Take care,

Nili Kaplan-Myrth

Couch Potato

PHOTO: ANANT NAGPUR

By Michael Kofi Ngongi

A few weeks ago, a colleague circulated an email sharing the first edition of a new report. The report was compelling. It contained an array of facts and figures related to my unit’s work that were not only interesting but useful as well. However, as the sender mentioned it was a biweekly report, I was left with a doubt: would the report be produced twice a week or every other week?

That brings us to today’s topic: homographs. Homographs are words with identical spelling but with different meanings. Biweekly is an example; bimonthly is another. English has a multitude of such words; they pop up everywhere and one can only wonder why. For example, crane is either a long-legged bird or a machine used for moving heavy objects. Bat is either a small flying mammal or a piece of sporting equipment. Pen is a doozy; it’s a writing instrument, an enclosure for animals and can even take the form of a female swan. Take your pick.

Of course, context helps us decode any homographs we encounter in a piece of writing. We can infer from the words

tear/tear

that precede and follow the word palm whether we’re talking about the body part or a tree. Nevertheless, it does beg the question: how did we come to have such words? Clarity being such a fundamental part of good writing (and communication in general), you would think all words would have evolved with different spellings to avoid any potential confusion and misunderstanding. But alas… Anyway, getting back to that biweekly report, when the second edition failed to materialize a few days later, I put on my deerstalker (think Sherlock Holmes!) and deduced this was a case of the “every other week” kind of biweekly.

Michael Kofi Ngongi is a new Canadian originally from Cameroon. He has experience in international development and is a freelance writer.

That’s not what I meant! Glebe wins special award

The Glebe according to Zeus

A GUINEA PIG’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE GLEBE

Business group bestows honour

A national association has singled out the Glebe for top honours – members of the Car Repair Alliance of Canada (CRAC) chose the Glebe as this year’s recipient of its coveted Golden Muffler award. The prize, based on votes by car repair specialists from across the country, honours the town, village or city neighbourhood that most contributed to the financial success of Canada’s car repair business in the past year.

The award is the brainchild of three brothers – Boyd, Floyd and Lloyd Krankcase, owners of Wrecks ’R Us Repair Shop in Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia.

Every December the brothers – nicknamed Oily, Greasy and Gassy – carefully tally votes cast by CRAC members across Canada. This year’s race was tight, but in the end the Glebe beat out Wreckhouse, Newfoundland and Aklavik, Northwest Territories for the top spot. The Krankcase brothers recently visited the Glebe to prepare for handoff of the Golden Muffler in a special ceremony coming up soon. They kindly agreed to sit down for an interview with the Glebe Report

GR: Welcome to the Glebe. How did we earn this honour?

Oily: We did a tour around the neighbourhood yesterday. We now understand why the guys and gals in the car repair business here describe the Glebe as “the gift that keeps on giving.”

GR: How so?

Mystery Hintonburg airship: Spy or party blimp?!?

The Glebe is abuzz with hypotheses concerning the recent report aired on Guinea Pig Global (GPG) News, which showed footage of a large guinea pig blimp hovering over the Glebe. “I recall it vividly,” offered Penny Pincher, a hardworking hamster and eyewitness to the event. “I’d just come from my weekly meeting at the Rodent Bank of Canada (RBC) on First Avenue. Interest rates on my variable Tiny Fridge Savings Account (TFSA) had gone down, putting in jeopardy my planned purchase for the hot summer weather!! Anyway, when I exited, I saw a large white object . . . floating. Like a cloud. I could see passengers on board, like a cruise ship, but in the air. I heard music – I’m pretty sure they were dancing.”

GPG News, however, claimed that according to the Costly Secret Imagination Service (CSIS), the blimp was “an alleged spy balloon from Hintonburg.”

By Saturday morning, the word “alleged” had been dropped.

Many rodents are questioning GPG’s reporting, claiming it to be nonsensical. “GPG seems to be making unsubstantiated claims,” stated Ah-mange, a red squirrel bookshop owner and the alleged mastermind behind the infamous 2006 pigi-leaks. “I mean, what would they be spying on using the balloon? Rooftop parties?”

We may never know whether the balloon was for spying or pleasure, but scientists have rushed to study the balloon fuel. “We have been analyzing the fuel droppings, and it appears to be fueled by assorted vegetables,” stated David Jacuzzi excitedly. “If this is indeed true, they are light years ahead of any green fuel sources known in the Glebe! I can only hope that Hintonburg will share its research with us!”

To report balloon sightings, call GPG’s 1-800-SPY-TIPS line.

Greasy: Let’s get down to brass tacks or, as we say in our business, brass ball bearings. We learned that every spring the City of Ottawa installs traffic-calming flex-sticks around the Glebe. The sticks can put more twists and turns in Glebe streets than a backroad in Cape Breton. And that in turn triggers problems with rack-and-pinion steering systems that our folks fix up.

Gassy: We saw lots of speed bumps. Anybody going more than 10 klicks an hour over them a few times will be coming to our people for a BJRJ. Sorry. That’s a ball joint replacement job.

Oily: And holy doodle, boy, do you folks have some whopper potholes! After the rain from the day before, the water in them looks deeper than the Bay of Fundy at high tide. And their edges look higher than Hopewell Rocks. That would give the guys and gals here plenty of front-end wheel alignment work.

Gassy: Yeah. And we can’t get over how your city plows leave a big hump of snow and ice at the end of everyone’s driveway. You’d need a pickaxe to take it out. Anyway, those humps give our folks lots of broken tail pipes and bent wheel rims to fix.

Greasy: And the humps might even rip out the undercarriage of a car!

GR: Well, you three have really helped us understand why the Glebe deserves this honour. Thank you so much.

Oily: The Glebe is a pretty neighbourhood full of great people. If folks just keep their eye on the road, make sure their tires are properly inflated and think about what we’ve said, they’ll do just fine!

On Saturday, April 1 between 10 a.m. and noon, the Golden Muffler will be on display at the offices of the Glebe Report for those who have not yet realized that this is Bob's latest April Fool’s spoof. Bob reports it may be the last of his many years of spoofs. He invites others in the Glebe so inclined to take up the challenge.

The City of Ottawa readies traffic-calming flex-sticks for installation across the Glebe. PHOTO: BOB IRVINE

Glebe Parents’ Day Care welcomes executive director

By Chloe Wade

Having completed a thorough and thoughtful search, the Glebe Parents’ Day Care (GPDC) board of directors is thrilled to welcome Lee Stanistreet as the inaugural Executive Director of the GPDC. She is a veteran leader with 20 years’ experience in early childhood education, and she demonstrates a commitment to the community values that drive the GPDC staff and families.

The Glebe Parents’ Day Care originated in the early 70s, a result of the need for quality non-profit childcare in our neighbourhood. The GPDC’s mission and vision have always prioritized the community operating a cooperative model in which parents and staff function together to maintain an inclusive, caring and nurturing environment for children.

Over the years, the center expanded its programs to meet community needs and now offers a full range of childcare options for infant to school-age children. GPDC has seen substantial growth with a custom-built childcare center opened on Fifth Avenue alongside programs run out of First Avenue, Mutchmor and Hopewell schools. GPDC also runs a comprehensive Parents’ Home Child Care program across the city.

Now serving hundreds of families,

the board identified an opportunity to recruit an executive director to establish and communicate longterm strategic plans, optimize organizational efficiency and achieve continued fiscal sustainability. The selection committee, composed of three parent board members, had to find the right leader to support the organization’s recovery from these very challenging COVID years and ensure its continued success alongside new provincial systems in the early childhood education sector.

Said Stanistreet, “It is with great enthusiasm that I start this role. I look forward to working with the staff, parents and the community.

As GPDC continues to be an integral part of the Glebe, I am excited to see what else we can offer the community.”

We are confident that under Lee Stanistreet’s leadership, the organization’s success and impact in achieving its mission and vision will continue to flourish. We’d like to thank all members of the GPDC staff and families who contributed their time and for their dedication to this process. Please join the GPDC board of directors in offering a warm welcome to Lee!

Chloe Wade is a member of the board of directors of the Glebe Parents’ Day Care.

Lee Stanistreet is the inaugural executive director of the Glebe Parents’ Day Care.

Literacy and numeracy at Glebe Cooperative Nursery School

“What time is it Mr./Mrs. Wolf?”

Children have started to work on seriation and patterning. Activities have included putting items in order from smallest to largest, making patterns with blocks and using rhythm sticks to follow a sequence. Patterning helps children to build important foundations for numeracy skills development and reasoning. Parents can help children find examples of patterns in everyday life with events, numbers, images, shapes, colours, songs and music.

Here are a few books recommended by GCNS teachers to help young children learn about patterns: Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia

Grossman

Max Found Two Sticks by

Brian Pinkney

Close, Closer, Closest by Shelly Rotner

Nature’s Paintbrush: The Patterns and Colors Around You by Susan Stockdale

Glebe Cooperative Nursery School is a non-profit licensed childcare centre offering both a Toddler Program (ages 1.5-2.5 years) and a Preschool Program (2.5-4.5 years). GCNS accepts new registrations throughout the school year. Visit glebepreschool.com/ for more information.

Julie LeBlanc is responsible for communications for the Glebe Cooperative Nursery School.

By Julie LeBlanc

Literacy and numeracy learning

starts at a very early age. At Glebe Cooperative Nursery School, the teachers are continuously encouraging and fostering the children’s development of language and math skills. Their aim is to bring literacy and numeracy learning into the children’s play every day at school.

Toddlers started the year singing a “hello song” in the morning to help them become familiar with the names of other children in the class and to help self-identify with their own name. Name cards have since been added to help the children understand the concept of seeing their name in print, and letters have been introduced this past month.

Preschoolers have become very interested in letters and the alphabet. They are exploring puzzles, spelling out their names, recognizing letters, practising letter sounds, giving examples of words that begin with a particular letter and occasionally beginning to spell out words.

The teachers have set up a letter and writing table to get children started on their pre-writing skills. Activities have included making letters with

their bodies, drawing letters in trays of salt, hiding letters to find, tracing letters with tracing paper, using beads to follow the shape of a drawn letter and drawing on white boards.

The children have been making wonderful connections with language and letters. In keeping with GCNS’s philosophy of following the children’s lead and supporting their learning, teachers have added more language-focused activities into the classroom in different learning areas – that’s been met with great enthusiasm by the children. Numeracy is a big part of learning at Glebe Cooperative Nursery School. Children start their school day outside on the playground where they will often be guided to count things around them – how many dogs walk by, how many school buses are parked across the street, how many of their classmates are present. Once settled in the classroom, counting songs are always fun, and children can use their fingers to follow along with songs like “Ten in a Bed” or “Five Little Monkeys”. The children have also been enjoying a variety of cooperative games, which teaches them turn-taking, sequencing, counting and numbers. Some of these have included “ Duck, Duck, Goose ” and

Glebe Cooperative Nursery School is focusing on teaching literacy and numeracy in creative ways.

PHOTO: JULIE LEBLANC

Glebe Montessori School students started the winter term with dance workshops that included dances from genres including Broadway, street dance and hip hop. These dance workshops keep them moving!

PHOTO: YVONNE THIJSEN

Mutchmor Book Sale is back!

Save the date April 27–30

By Sarah LeBouthillier

COVID-19 cancelled the Mutchmor Book Sale in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but it is back this year, and it’s celebrating a huge milestone – 40 years!

My elementary school in Ottawa had a book sale every year. Our class took book collection seriously. We would made giant book-collection tracking posters, knock on neighbours’ doors, try to convince our parents to donate books that they surely didn’t need any more and call extended family to get donations. The competition was fierce for the grand prize – a pizza lunch for the whole class and the right to be the first class to shop the books and games on sale day. Nothing made me feel like a grown-up quite like shopping for books, picking out exactly what I wanted to read and paying with my own allowance money.

Imagine my excitement when we moved to the Glebe in 2018 with two young kids and learned that Mutchmor had an annual book sale! In 2019, we went over on opening night, leaving with arms full of books to add to our family library. My daughter loved picking out board books for her brother, and we found picture books, both classics like Curious George and Robert Munsch

stories as well as newer releases. I found a Miriam Toews book that I had been wanting to read and went back the next day, kid free, to browse aisle after aisle of cookbooks and travel guides.

This year’s massive Mutchmor Book Sale – I’m talking 20,000 books – is the Mutchmor School Council’s biggest fundraiser of the year and it takes a huge amount of community effort to make a success. Proceeds from the sale go to supporting local schools in need and local charities as well as to purchasing classroom and library supplies, sports equipment, cultural presentations and other school needs. The focus of this year’s fundraising is on the replacement of the play structure in the junior yard. The book sale is also a great opportunity to build school and community spirit, see your neighbours after a long winter and chat with parents you cross paths with at drop off and pick up. Partnerships with local community partners also allow unsold books to get a new life somewhere else after the sale has ended.

The steering committee has been hard at work behind the scenes, dusting off the website and Facebook page and working with the parent council and school to get everything rolling. The heavy lifting (literally!) starts in April during the collection weeks. From April 11 to 14, collection will

happen from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. at the Fifth Avenue entrance to Mutchmor. From April 17 to 21, you can come by from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. or from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Books will be sorted, priced and shelved by volunteers to be ready for the sale from April 27 to 30.

April is just around the corner so visit www.mutchmorbooksale.com for more information. We can’t wait to see you at Mutchmor to celebrate 40 years of the book sale.

Sarah LeBouthillier has been living in the Glebe since 2018 with her husband and three kids. Currently, two attend Mutchmor and one is a future Mutchmor student.

THE NEXT LEVEL OF MEMORY CARE

In response to the success and growing demand for our renowned Memory Care program, Amica The Glebe is opening a second Memory Care floor. Now we’re even better equipped to look after all of your evolving care needs. Visit us and experience the exceptional senior lifestyle, premium amenities, and expanded, personalized care you can only find at Amica The Glebe.

The massive Mutchmor Book Sale is back this year, April 27–30 at Mutchmor Public School. Come and celebrate the sale’s 40th year!

Local Service in Ottawa since 1988 with Quality Flags, Banners, and Flagpoles.

Glebe graduates create Carleton Floorball Club

By Jasmine McKnight

Last fall, Carleton University welcomed a new club to campus: the Carleton Floorball Club.

Spearheaded by Glebe residents and Carleton students Patrick McNeill-McKinnell and Johnny Khare, the club has found a home at Carleton University's Norm Fenn Gymnasium for weekly sessions.

Especially popular with the hockey crowd, floorball is rapidly growing in the Glebe, the rest of Ottawa and across the country due to its easy-to-pick-up, fast-paced nature and welcoming community. Played on a court with a ball and sticks, floorball resembles ball hockey, but differing rules make it a smoother, safer game without limiting the intensity.

“Floorball is a fun, fast-paced sport that incorporates many similar elements to hockey,” explained McNeill-McKinnell, a third-year criminology student. “It has a growing community full of wonderful people. It’s a very fun sport that also helps improve certain skills for hockey players and is overall a great source of physical activity.”

A mix of high-level, experienced and fresh new players attend the Carleton Floorball Club’s sessions, allowing the perfect environment to learn the game, hone skills and get to know others. Sticks are provided for those who don’t have equipment or are trying floorball for the first time. All equipment has been loaned free of charge by the Ottawa Blizzard Floorball Club.

Both McNeill-McKinnell and Khare graduated from Glebe Collegiate before moving on to Carleton, but each had his own path to playing floorball.

“I was about 12 years old when I first started playing floorball with the Ottawa Blizzard. I was introduced to the sport through a friend I played hockey with on the Ottawa Sting and have never looked back since,” McNeill-McKinnell said.

Khare, a third-year commerce student majoring in finance, started playing in 2018. He is involved in various other sports, including teaching tennis and, like McNeill-McKinnell, he heard about floorball through friends.

McNeill-McKinnell and Khare credit Matt Smith, the president of Floorball Canada and a Carleton University alumnus, for suggesting the creation of a floorball club at Carleton.

“[Smith] saw potential in starting a club and recruiting new players from the school and opening more eyes to floorball,” Khare said.

“I only learned about floorball post-graduation,” said Smith. “As I became more and more involved in the sport, I realized how much this community could have helped me while I was in school. As someone who never lived in residence, I didn’t meet many students outside of my classes. So, the floorball club Patrick and Johnny started could have a deeper effect than they even know.

“I give a huge amount of credit to these two for getting it started and now leading the way. It almost makes me want to go back to school.”

Not only does the club help spread and grow the sport of floorball in the Carleton and Ottawa community, but after two years of online classes, the club is a great way to meet new people, form connections and get active.

In terms of creating the club, it was not entirely smooth sailing.

“We definitely hit some road bumps along the way, particularly in the administrative and recruiting aspects,” said McNeill-McKinnell. “Fortunately, thanks to the Carleton community and a few helpful individuals like CUSA’s (Carleton University Students’ Association) Hannah Whale, we were able to get the club up and running.”

Carleton is not the only university where floorball is being played. The University of Waterloo and Acadia Universary have notable floorball clubs. Students at the University of Ottawa are also working towards getting a club started on campus.

The Carleton Floorball Club now runs weekly on either Tuesday or Friday in the Norm Fenn Gymnasium. The exact dates can be found on the cufloorballclub Instagram page. The sessions are led by McNeill-McKinnell and Khare, who are eager to welcome new players to the club.

For those interested in getting involved, reach out by email at cufloorball@gmail.com or pop by the Norm Fenn Gymnasium and check it out. Just bring your running shoes and your water bottle.

Jasmine McKnight is a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa, editor-inchief of the Fulcrum and proud Ottawa resident.

From left, Patrick MacNeill-McKinnell and Johnny Khare participate in the CUSA Club Fair at Carleton University (September 2022) to launch their debut floorball club. PHOTO: MATT SMITH

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTRE (950 Bank St.) Patrons are encouraged to LOITER WITH US! Coffee and tea, muffins and granola bars are available for purchase in the dining room courtesy of your Member Council. Let’s get together, LIVE.

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTRE (950 Bank St.) continues to look for books, flea market items and your treasures to sell in-house. And to sell in Dorothy’s Boutique, gently used women’s clothing, hats, purses, shoes and bags. Accepted at Abbotsford House Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.–4 p.m., your donations will be supporting the Centre’s Programming and Services.

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTRE (950 Bank St.) LEARN & EXPLORE SPEAKER’S SERIES, Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. The lectures are free, but you must register in advance for a seat or zoom link. MAR. 22: Caroline M. Inman, executive director of Solva Senior Living Consultants, will be presenting: Retirement Living vs Long-term Care: Similarities, Differences and What Do I Need to Know? Caroline has vast knowledge to share on this topic. This will be held LIVE & ZOOM simultaneously. Tea, coffee and treats, courtesy of the Abbotsford Members Council, will be available for purchase in the dining room. Registrations: Online: myactivecenter.com/ with your Key-tag, By phone: 613-230-5730, In-Person (Mon.–Fri., 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) at Abbotsford Reception.

ATLANTIC VOICES LOOKING BACK 20 YEARS

Join us Apr. 30 at 3 p.m. at Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St. Tickets $25 in advance/$30 at the door available at Eventbrite (tickets.atlanticvoices.ca), through choristers and via tickets@ atlanticvoices.ca. Children 12 and under free. Visit www.atlanticvoices.ca for parking and other information.

CALLING GLEBE ARTISTS! THE GLEBE ART IN OUR GARDENS AND STUDIO TOUR 2023 will be held on July 8 and 9. We are accepting applications from local artists who live, work or have studios in the Glebe and we are looking for a variety of high-quality, original artwork from painters, potters, sculptors, photographers. We also have a few spots available for guest artists who may exhibit their work in the garden of a Glebe resident. The deadline for submissions is April 30. For information and an application form please contact glebearttour@hotmail.ca or visit our website for images of past tours glebearttour.ca

FRIENDS OF THE FARM 2023 VOLUNTEER

RECRUITMENT Sat., Apr. 1, drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., behind Building 72 in the Arboretum at the Central Experimental Farm, east of the Prince of Wales roundabout. If you’re thinking of becoming a volunteer, this is your chance to find out everything you want to know about this wonderful experience! What better way to enjoy nature, fresh air and exercise and to contribute to the beauty of the Farm than to join one of the Friends’ gardening team. For more information on garden team duties, days and times, call 613-230-3276, email volunteer@ friendsofthefarms.ca or go to friendsofthefarm. ca/volunteer

FRIENDS OF THE FARM PLANT SALE Sun., May 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. rain or shine, parking lot beside K.W. Neatby Bldg. at 960 Carling & Maple Dr. (look for the signs). Everything you need for your garden at our popular annual plant sale, with many of the region’s top specialty growers and nursery vendors assembled in one location! Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton will be on hand with free advice on all your gardening questions. Our popular plant sale plant check service is under the canopy, so you can keep your hands free while shopping. Our volunteers will help carry your treasures to your vehicle. Refreshment tables provide a nourishing break while you shop. Peruse our selection of new and used gardening books for sale. Admission is free for the public, with donations to FCEF gratefully accepted.INFO: call 613-230-3276 or e-mail info@friendsofthefarm.ca

The INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF OTTAWA (IFFO) brings an eclectic mix of shorts and features from around the globe to Canada’s capital. Held annually in March by the Canadian Film Institute, IFFO is hosted at the Ottawa Art Gallery, the ByTowne Cinema and other venues

WHERE TO FIND THE Glebe Report

In addition to free home delivery and at newspaper boxes on Bank Street, you can find copies of the Glebe Report at:

Abbas Grocery

Black Squirrel

Bloomfield Flowers

Capital Home Hardware

Chickpeas

Clocktower Pub

Douvris Martial Arts

Ernesto’s Barber Shop

Escape Clothing

Feleena’s Mexican Café

Fourth Avenue Wine Bar

Glebe Apothecary

Glebe Central Pub

Glebe Meat Market

Glebe Physiotherapy

Glebe Tailoring

Goldart Jewellery Studio

Happy Goat Coffee

Hillary's Cleaners

Hogan’s Food Store

Ichiban Bakery

Irene’s Pub

Isabella Pizza

Kettleman’s

Kunstadt Sports

Lansdowne Dental

Last Train to Delhi

LCBO Lansdowne

Little Victories Coffee

Loblaws

all within the Ottawa downtown core. In addition to its screenings, the festival offers professional development programming tailored to Ottawa’s growing film production industry. IFFO 2023 runs from March 8 to March 19. Further information about the festival is available on the IFFO website at www.iffo.ca

MASTER GARDENER LECTURES OF OTTAWA

CARLETON AND FRIENDS OF THE FARM Tues., April 4, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Getting Started, Taking Stock. Homeowners need to consider numerous details before embarking on a garden renovation. Master Gardener Rebecca Last will discuss the key questions and the three pillars of garden design. She will also talk about “getting grounded,” assessing your space, determining what stays and what goes, sketching it out, scoping the work and DIY versus hiring professionals, then she will conclude with some brief notes on budgeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. A link will be emailed to all registered participants by 12:30 p.m. the day of the lecture. Please note that all lectures will be recorded for future viewing by those who are registered. Registration for this event ends on Apr. 4 at noon. For more information, please go to: friendsofthefarm.ca/event/2023-mg-lecture-getting-started-taking-stock

OLD OTTAWA SOUTH (OOS) GARDEN CLUB

MEETING Old Ottawa South Community Centre (The Firehall), 260 Sunnyside Ave., Tues., March 14, 7 p.m.: Urban Organic Food Gardening. Smaller outdoor spaces such as rooftops, balconies, patios and decks can be adapted to organic-food gardening producing a variety of edibles such as vegetables, herbs, flowers, and berries. Rob Danforth, an expert urban organic-food grower and popular Just Food Ottawa instructor, will share his knowledge of what to grow, where to grow it and how to protect it. – Tues., April 11, 7 p.m.: Planting for Success We have one chance to get our plants off to a good start, so planting them properly is very important. Master Gardener Mary Ann Van

Berlo will discuss changed recommendations for the planting of trees, shrubs and perennials, including root washing and root pruning and why soil amendment is no longer recommended. To register call the Firehall at 613-247-4946. Membership: $25 per year; $40 for a family; drop-in fee $7 per meeting.

PROBUS Ottawa is welcoming new members from the Glebe and environs. Join your fellow retirees, near retirees and want-to-be retirees for interesting speakers and discussions, not to mention relaxed socializing. See our website: www.probusoav.ca for more detailed information about the club and its activities as well as contact points, membership information, and meeting location. We will be meeting on Wed., March 22 for a presentation about Doctors Without Borders.

AVAILABLE

HOUSESITTING! Are you leaving town for an extended period of time to vacation or going down south or to the cottage and need a HOUSESITTER to water plants, pick up mail and maintain the home, garden, shovel snow, etc.?

I am a young lady who studies theology/bible at home with several years of recent HOUSESITTING experience in the GLEBE & Prince of Wales on the Rideau. I have excellent references from many family homes in the Glebe I have cared for over the last five years. I also enjoy taking care of animals, especially puppies!! Please contact Sarah ( mayyouhope@gmail.com ) 613-682-0602.

PUPPYSITTING! Do you need someone to stay overnight with your little or big fur babe? I have four years of puppy sitting experience during absences to the cottage and vacation for months at a time. I study theology/bible full time at home. I am available to care for your much-loved babe 24/7. I have excellent references from several families in the GLEBE & Prince of Wales on the Rideau. Please contact Sarah ( mayyouhope@ gmail.com ) 613-682-0602.

Marble Slab Creamery

Mayfair Theatre

McKeen Metro Glebe

Nicastro

Octopus Books

Olga’s

RBC/Royal Bank

Studio Sixty Six

Subway

Sunset Grill

The Flag Shop Ottawa

The Ten Spot

TD Bank Lansdowne

TD Bank Pretoria

The Works

Von’s Bistro

Whole Health Pharmacy

Wild Oat

7-Eleven

To advertise on glebereport.ca and in the Glebe Report

Email: advertising@glebereport.ca

Skating on the Lansdowne rink, one of the city-run public amenities

PHOTO: LUCY BOTTOMLEY

RUSSELL ADAMS PLUMBER

613-978-5682

HOME RENOS AND REPAIR - interior/exterior painting;all types of flooring; drywall repair and installation;plumbing repairs and much more.

Please call Jamie Nininger @ 613-852-8511.

COMPUTER HELP IN YOUR HOME

WE COME TO YOU TO fIx COMPUTER PRObLEMs.

Compu-Home is a highly regarded family business located right near you. Service is honest, reliable, affordable and prompt.

Kitchen

Accessories

T op 5 Reasons to S hop at J. D. Adam

1. We have the best selection of kitchenware, gadgets, linens and flower pots.

2. We are well stocked with beautiful new merchandise for spring, there’s so much to see!

3. We have great gift ideas and hard-to-find items.

4. We have friendly knowledgeable staff to help you find exactly what you need.

5. We our customers!

~ Celebrating 34 years in the Glebe ~ Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @jdadamkitchen 795 Bank

St. 613 235-8714 jdadam.ca

613-731-5954

613-731-5954

HOW CaN WE HELP YOU?

• Computer slowdowns

• Problems with Internet connections

• Spam, spyware and security programs

• Setting up and maintaining home and office networks

• Printer problems

• Helping plan, purchase and use new computer equipment

• Transferring and backing up data

• Using new digital cameras

• Coaching

info@compu-home.com

Malcolm and John Harding

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