John Stoddart – the Glebe Annex’s own ‘running man’
By Sue Stefko
To say John Stoddart is “into running” is somewhat of an understatement. Stoddart, 84, is one of only two people to have completed every single Ottawa marathon since the event started in 1975. So far – and he is quick to point out that he’s not done yet! Stoddart has run in 50 Ottawa marathons.
While he was always into sports, biking and playing football, baseball, hockey and more, Stoddart didn’t take up running until he was 30. Always having a competitive streak, he read Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s book called Aerobics, which devised a points system for keeping track of health. Not being one to back down from a challenge, even one he imposed on himself, he started running, racking up the cardiovascular points and never looking back. He wasn’t always into distance running – he started with relatively short distances and used to train by running as fast as he could each training run. In fact, he remembers one of his first
training runs ever – he ran from Plymouth Street to Hogsback and back, in dress shoes, perhaps for the extra challenge! Over time, his training techniques have become more sophisticated, alternating between long, slow distance runs to increase his endurance and interval runs to improve his speed. He credits his training method for helping him to remain remarkably injury free over his long running career, even though he eschewed common training practices such as incorporating rest days. He in fact went through a period when he ran every single day for five years.
His commitment helped him achieve some fantastic times – he ran a personal best in 1981 of 2:44.36, which averages to an incredible 3:55 minutes per kilometre. However, it’s not just about personal bests for Stoddart, it’s the overall experience. This year’s marathon was one of his most memorable. Suffering from sciatic and hamstring issues, Stoddart was unable to do much training, logging only a few runs in the months
prior to race day. Determined not to give up his streak, he walked most of the marathon. He took so much time that the water stations had shut down, and he had run out of water when he came upon a police officer he had met earlier in the race. The officer biked alongside him for the rest of the course, ensuring he received water, blocking off intersections and even arranging an eight-motorcycle police escort to take him through to the finish line nearly eight and a half hours after he started. It was certainly a race to remember.
This is so obvious it may not need stating, but Stoddart really isn’t into giving up, although he prefers the word “determined” to “stubborn.” Going into his second-ever marathon, Stoddart was suffering from a strained Achilles tendon. To help reduce the strain on his body, his father drove him to the start line. But Stoddart never considered not doing the race. Similarly in 2007, in significant pain due to sciatica, he ran the marathon with the aid of crutches.
The other person who shares the record for doing every Ottawa marathon is Howard Cohen. He is 10 years younger than Stoddart and was Stoddart’s physician for nearly 50 years. He’s talked to Stoddart about possibly switching to the half marathon, given their respective ages, but Stoddart is having none of it.
Running is such an important part of his life that it’s helped determine where Stoddart lives. He grew up in the Glebe Annex but moved away when he was 16. No matter where he lived, however, continuing to live near the canal, his favourite training ground, was a significant consideration. When a condominium unit came up at the Lakelander 13 years ago, Stoddart walked in and immediately felt at home. Not only did he love the layout, but the building is about 500 metres from the canal. He was sold. In the winter, given inconsistent canal maintenance, Stoddart often pivots to running the length of nearby Clemow Avenue in the Glebe. The wide sidewalks and beautiful homes make for a pleasant backdrop, and he knows every distance along the way, going back and forth to get in his 42 kilometres.
These days, Stoddart continues to suffer from sciatic pain and has had to tone down his training. He does walking interval training and still cycles. But not surprisingly, he has every intention of running the full marathon again in 2025.
Sue Stefko is vice president of the Glebe Annex Community Association and a regular Glebe Report contributor.
Friday, December 13, 2024
DEADLINE: Monday, November 25, 2024
ARTWORK DEADLINE*: Wednesday, November 27, 2024
John Stoddart with his medal recognizing 50 years of completing the Ottawa Marathon.
PHOTO: GABRIELLE DALLAPORTA
Trick or treat for everyone
By Shauna Pollock
It’s such a simple idea – creating an inclusive Halloween celebration for those who might miss out on traditional trick-or-treating due to accessibility challenges. This thought, raised by the national organization Treat Accessibly and shared by Eliot Newton in a neighbourhood Facebook group, resonated deeply within the community, highlighting a need many had overlooked.
I eagerly connected with Eliot, who shared my passion for Halloween (it’s truly the most magical time of the year!) We began a head-spinning journey of putting on an event that could bring joy to families who often felt excluded from the festivities – the Glebe Halloween Village, an accessible, daytime, trickor-treating event that brought together more than 700 guests and 100 Glebe neighbours on a beautiful fall day.
Watching my four-year old son Marty perform a “site survey” of our block with Christina Anderson in her wheelchair, as they discussed the various hazards that leaves, gravel and a lack of curb cuts could cause for those with mobility issues and mobility aids, is a memory I won’t soon forget.
The first Glebe Halloween Village came to life on Saturday, October 26, thanks to the 18 households on Glebe Avenue who hosted trick-or-treat stations at the ends of their driveways, while five other households loaned their driveways for special activities.
Zoom Photobooths provided a free photo booth. Child in Mind Psychological Services hosted a make-andtake craft station. Flow Recreation Therapy helped participants regulate themselves through sensory activities and innovative materials. Kai’s Sensory Kreations invited guests to explore sensory bins. And local Fire Station 12 added magic to the day, surprising everyone by bringing two fire engines with lights flashing.
Themed characters added more joy. Jenny Mehan organized the Capital City Garrison to send friendly stormtroopers, and even R2-D2 made a surprise appearance. The League of Superheroes delighted guests with appearances from Miles Morales, Ghost Spider, Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Many neighbours added to the “streetmosphere” with costumes and treats.
Families expressed gratitude for the event’s accessibility and thoughtful planning. “This event provided a safe, accessible environment for my toddler to enjoy Halloween! Her disability makes it hard for her to climb stairs and navigate in the dark,” shared one parent. Another remarked, “My sensitive kid was in heaven – he zipped from table to table at lightning speed, and he was obsessed with R2-D2.”
The inclusive atmosphere resonated deeply with many. Parents noted how special it was for their children to feel included in a community event without the usual Halloween pressures.
An event like this wouldn’t be possible without the generosity and support of local businesses and community members. Nick of Time Realty and Magnolia Construction stepped in as “Ghoulish Gold” sponsors while Shoppers Drug Mart provided accessibility ramps along the sidewalk and hosted a treat station and first-aid
post. Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Cedars Grocery, Pizza Pizza, Artery Coffee and local neighbours generously donated refreshments to keep over 100 volunteers fueled for three hours.
The event grew so much that more support had to be called in – St. Matthew’s Church and GNAG each lent 11 tables, allowing neighbours, a dozen
The first annual Glebe Halloween Village, providing accessible Halloween trick-or-treating for kids with accessibility challenges, took place October 26 on Glebe Avenue.
PHOTOS: SHAUNA POLLOCK, AND NAOKO AND MARIKA KORS
Donna Edwards
House Portraits
613 233 4775
www.donnaedwards houseportraits.com
Facebook: Donna Edwards Art
Glebe Collegiate students and businesses to set up additional treat stations. With accessible toilets and street barriers from Purple Potties, support from Happy Goat (the first business donor) and contributions from Pika Layers, Capital Home Hardware, Knifewear, Songui Fitness, McKeen Metro, Unifor 567 and countless neighbours, Glebe Halloween Village truly became a community-wide effort.
“Seeing people who don’t normally get to enjoy events due to lack of accessibility having essentially the time of their lives was absolutely magical,” said one volunteer.
In response to the parent who asked, “Please, please do this again next year!” our answer is a resounding yes!
The Glebe Halloween Village’s success shows that an accessible event can be both joyful and memorable. The event fostered an inclusive spirit,
leaving a lasting impact on everyone who attended. The enthusiasm and commitment displayed this year laid the foundation, ensuring that the Glebe Halloween Village will remain a cherished tradition for years to come. If you want to get involved, feel free
lage@gmail.com
the Glebe.
Hillary’s and Monson Deluxe Cleaners are now offering 10% OFF CLEANING for all Winter Coats and Ski Wear for the month of November 2024. It’s time to drop off all your Winter coats to get ready for the SNOW!!
See us at 1194 Bank Street at Ossington. Call us at 613-733-3074 or visit hillarys.ca for more information.
Shauna Pollock is a Glebe resident who took a lead in organizing the first accessible trick-or-treating event in
Business Buzz
Pi Za, the Middle Eastern and Lebanese food takeout restaurant at 684 Bronson Avenue that opened only recently, has now closed.
Hokum gift shop opening in November at 809 Bank Street, formerly The Good Cannabis Company and Mrs. Tiggy Winkles. “Unique gifts, vintage décor.” hokum.ca, @hokum_ottawa
Margarita Mexican restaurant at 895 Bank Street, corner of Bank and Clarey, has closed.
The Dosa Spot opened November 10 at 895 Bank Street at Clarey, former location of Margarita restaurant. (613) 265-2681. Indian cuisine.
Mutchmor Rink will go ahead this winter. An operator has come forward, and the boards are up.
Contributors this month
Iva Apostolova
Jodi Ashton
Emma Bider
Candice Blackwood
Alanna Brown
Chris Conty
Alexander Crosier
John Crump
Gabrielle Dallaporta
J.J. DeWan
Pam Fitch
Mary Forster
Jiire Fowler
Pat Goyeche
Joel Harden
Jennifer Humphries
Afaf K. Janjua
Nili Kaplan-Myrth
James Kennedy
Christina Keys
Janice Manchee
Randal Marlin
Ian McKercher
Pat McLaughlin
Shawn Menard
Dana Mitchell
Margret Nankivell
Yasir Naqvi
Mikayla Odut
Shauna Pollock
Josh Rachlis
Louise Rachlis
Leonardo Russell Palmerin
Kevan Pipe
Paige Raymond
Sue Reive
Valérie Robichaud
D. Rockburn
Sarah Routliffe
Peter Simpson
Katherine Slack
Jamie Smith
Sue Stefko
Margaret Terrett
Betty Warrington-Kearsley
Della Wilkinson
Cecile Wilson
Matthew Wilson
Zeus
A Glimpse of the Glebe �
Editorial
Do you want the good news or the bad?
It’s safe to say that the news today, in almost all spheres, is bad. Chaos on the political front, with government hanging by a thread here in Canada and a rampaging rogue elephant to the south. The party in power at Queen’s Park is itching for an election, with election treats to hand out. Climate news is catastrophic, and the impacts of climate change – devastating floods, storms, fires, tornadoes – are stark. Starvation remains unchecked in many parts of the world. War is taking a horrendous toll on the lives of many in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Sudan.
Now for the good news – and there is some, at least locally! As you will read elsewhere in this issue, the Glebe Halloween Village offered accessible trick-or-treating for kids with mobility or other challenges. It was a resounding success and will likely be the first of many. So many volunteers, businesses, organizations, students and neighbours came together for common cause, and with such
willingness, even exuberance, to make it a memorable occasion for the kids.
And again this year, Glebe Collegiate students created Walking Them Home, a project to remember a number of Glebe Collegiate students who lost their lives in the Second World War. For each war casualty, they created a website giving details of their life, and (with permission) posted a sign with their photo at the house where they had lived. For example, signs on Percy Street highlight the lives of Douglas Arneil, born in April 1924 and died at the age of 19 in 1943, and Lionel Palmer next door, who died at the age of 22 in 1944. This project is a haunting reminder of the tender age of many who died in the war and brings the reality of it close to home with an emotional punch.
We may not be able to control the winds, the seas, the sun, the powerful people in the world, but close to home we can still create good news.
—Liz McKeen
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 is made available at select locations such as the Glebe Community Centre, the Old Ottawa South Community Centre and Brewer Pool, and is printed by Winchester Print www.glebereport.ca
PROOFREADERS................ Martha Bowers, Jennifer D'Costa, Jeanette Rive
AREA CAPTAINS................. Martha Bowers, Bob Brocklebank, Judy Field, Deb Hogan & Dave Yurach, Lynn & Dave Johnston, Elena Kastritsa, Brenda Perras, Julie Stephens, Della Wilkinson
Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Aubry family, Gaja Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Joanne Benoit, Carolyn Best, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Adélaïde and Éléonore Bridgett, Bob Brocklebank, Naomi and Audrey Cabassu, Ben Campbell-Rosser, Nico Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Ava & Olivia Carpenter, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Claypool Family, JJ Comptois, 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, The Foo Family, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Marjolein Groenevelt, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jennifer Humphries, Sandiso Johnston, Tani Jones, Jungclaus Family, Elena Kastritsa, Kasper Raji Kermany, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Fenton & Cora Hui Litster, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Kathleen Larocque, Catherine Lawr, Jamie, Alexander & Louisa Lem, Brams and Jane Leswick, Alison Lobsinger, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Andy Lunney, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Patrick Collins Mayer, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Josephine & Elise Meloche, Julie Monaghan, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Diane Munier, Rafi Naqvi, Maddy North, 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, Frank Schreiner, Short family, Deka Simon, Cathy Simons, Andrew Soares, Stephenson family, Elsie Sutherland, Cameron & Quinn Swords, Ruth Swyers, Tomlin Boys, John & Maggie Thomson, Tom Trottier, Trudeau family, Will, Georgie & Blaire Turner, Zosia Vanderveen, Veevers family, Nick Walker, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Hope, Jax and Ash Wilson, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Berkan Yazici, Martin Zak.
WELCOME TO: Tani Jones
THANKS AND FAREWELL: Thomas Morris Saul Taler
Glebe
The Glebe Annex Community Association held its Halloween in the Park celebration again this year. Haunting it up were, from left, Zoe Snyder, Alessandra Andrews, Maeve Kelly and Amina Yussuf. PHOTO: GABRIELLE DALLAPORTA
A Pleasure to be back
Editor, Glebe Report
Re: “Return of beloved Glebe retailer The Papery,” Glebe Report, October 2024.
I was eager to see how Emily Vaz’s article about the reopening of The Papery would turn out. I was not at all expecting the article to be on the front page. I am extremely touched by the headline. Thank you so much for this. Emily has done a lovely job with the story, and she was very easy to speak with during her interview. And I love the photos you chose. And adding our logo is another much appreciated touch.
The essence of the store comes through very well. And it really is a pleasure to be back home!
I would also like to commend you on the entire issue. It is full and varied and enlightening and entertaining. Congratulations!
Katherine Slack Proprietor, The Papery
LOL
Editor, Glebe Report
Re: Cartoon by Josh Rachlis, Glebe Report, October 2024
I loved the cover of this month’s Glebe Report. In fact, I laughed out loud.
Good on you for publishing it!
Randal Marlin
Tracking recycling opportunities
Editor, Glebe Report
Re: “Got metal?” Glebe Report, October 2024.
The article “Got Metal?” by Chris Joslin in your October issue about his monthly collection of metal for recycling galvanized us to collect many unloved items and participate in the metal drop-off. Before writing the article, Chris had already had three recycling collections, with low participation rates. I similarly deposit milk bags into a bin at the Glebe Community Centre; these are used to weave mats and this effort was mentioned in an article some time ago.
Perhaps a small section of each Glebe Report, similar to the Mark Your Calendars listing, could list both ongoing and intermittent recycling opportunities that are happening at our community centre and elsewhere in our community to boost participation rates.
Thank you to Chris for this great initiative, and to the Glebe Report for informing us about recycling opportunities.
Mindy Goldman
Bank Street incident
Editor, Glebe Report
Last weekend, my sister and brother-in-law came to Ottawa from southern Ontario to care for a relative who was rushed to hospital. During the visit, my brother-in-law had a disturbing experience on Bank Street in the Glebe.
He had purchased a sandwich and was walking back to our home, when two men driving a Mercedes Benz yelled at him, “How can you eat a sandwich when people are starving in Gaza.” The men were acting aggressively, and he feared for his safety.
I have lived in Ottawa for over 20 years, and the only other times I have ever felt unsafe on the streets was during the Trucker Convoy. Occasionally, situations involving intoxicated university students and encounters in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street can be uncomfortable, but these instances are not politically motivated.
My question is why can’t we be more compassionate and understanding to one another on the streets of Ottawa? As Rodney King said, “Can we all get along?”
J. Smith
reminder
still G✅t metal?
Our next and last scrap metal collection of the year is Saturday, November 23, 8–10 a.m. at the Glebe Community Centre
✅ SCRAP METALS WE TAKE
Most metals: iron, steel, copper, aluminum, brass, bronze, zinc, lead
Kitchen: oven, sinks, taps, mini fridges, cutlery, pots/pans, baking trays, microwaves Garden/garage: tools, bikes, car parts, rakes/shovels, car batteries
If your Glebe baby was born in 2024, email to editor@glebereport.ca
• a high resolution digital colour photo, suitable for print
• your baby’s name and date of birth
• both parents’ names
• address and contact info (email or phone), which will not be published
Deadline to submit is January 20, 2025.
The issue will come out Feb. 7, 2025.
Glebe Report seeks volunteer business writer
Are you a Glebe resident interested in business? Enjoy talking to people? Able to meet a monthly deadline?
The Glebe Report is seeking a volunteer to write a monthly column about the business scene in the Glebe, noting the comings and goings of businesses on Bank Street and elsewhere in the Glebe.
If interested, please contact the editor at editor@glebereport.ca
Is your older home’s landscape ready to face extreme weather events? What can you do yourself, and when is professional advice needed to understand and prepare your property?
This workshop will focus on how weather impacts the outside of your home. Topics will include good practices for the design and management of rainwater flow (safely redirecting or capturing it for use) and the prudent care and maintenance of trees and shrubs.
Thursday November 28 7 to 9 p.m. via ZOOM
Special colour feature in the Glebe Report’s January/February edition
Davidson’s Jewellers celebrates 85 years in the Glebe
By Dana Mitchell
When Eastman Davidson opened Davidson’s Glebe Jewellers in 1939, his peers were baffled by the decision to settle in a new suburb outside of Ottawa’s downtown core. Despite the initial doubt, Davidson’s quickly grew into a flourishing business that has been a pillar of the Glebe community for eighty-five years.
Eastman Davidson was born in Ottawa in 1912. While attending high school in Detroit, where his family moved during the Depression, Davidson started his education in jewellery design and worked security for a jewellery store. After moving back to Ottawa in 1932, Davidson took up watchmaking and eventually opened a repair shop in his living room on Gladstone Avenue. It wasn’t long before he decided to open his own store, with $200 and the support of Bulova Watch Company and William Rogers Silver Co. One year later, he married Margaret Flack, who helped run the business until they retired in 1982.
Davidson’s daughter, Judy Richards, decided to join the family business in 1972 and make it her full-time career. Richards began working at Davidson’s Jewellers when she was 10 years old, folding boxes for two cents apiece, money which she would promptly spend on treats from the corner store. She recalls how a few years later, while waiting for her mother to finish work, she was instructed to help a customer and was swiftly pushed to the front of the store.
“That was my introduction to retail,” she jokes. “I was thrown right in.”
After the official purchase of Davidson’s Jewellers from her parents in
1982, Richards built upon their legacy for 30 years, providing a welcoming shopping experience, quality products, and expert service. Throughout her career, Richards received many awards and served on the boards of business and community organizations, including the Glebe BIA. For the former owner, the Glebe community is integral to the business’s history and its continued success.
“The Glebe has always been our community,” says Richards. “I was born and raised in the Glebe, or just on the fringes, and went to all the schools here. Since coming into the business, I’ve known three generations of customers – my dad’s original clients, their children, who became my clients, and the third generation of those families who continue to support Davidson’s Jewellers.”
In 2010, John Anderson became the president of Davidson’s Jewellers as Richards started a five-year transition period into retirement. Trained in gemology and jewellery appraisal, Anderson joined the team in 2007 on what he thought would be a short-term basis, but a well-timed conversation with Richards in 2008 convinced him to
stay and take over the company. Both Anderson and Richards consider this a serendipitous encounter – Anderson wanted to open his own store and Richards admired his principles and strong work ethic, traits that reminded her of her father.
On November 27, Davidson’s Jewellers celebrates its 85th anniversary. Now the oldest jewellery store in the city, the business still honours its rich history while remaining a cutting-edge, highly accredited establishment. When asked about the secret to their longevity, Anderson says it’s the ability to adapt to changing needs that has made all the difference.
years, but what we’re doing isn’t old school,” says the current owner. “We’re still at the forefront of the jewellery industry, whether it’s with the product, our services or the technology we use.”
These advances would not be possible without the skilled staff. Enrico Crivellari, the current general manager, joined the team in 2013. With more than 30 years of experience, he helped launch the company’s next chapter. Other team members offer a wide array of expertise, including appraisals, goldsmithing, custom design and insurance replacement.
“We’ve got the best team here that we’ve ever had,” says Anderson. “It’s fantastic when you come into a place where everybody is on the same page and is happy with their work. It’s very rewarding.”
Whether it’s friendly staff, trendy products or reliable services, there’s plenty of reasons why customers keep coming back to Davidson’s Jewellers. Over the years, this loyalty has enabled the business to invest in its own operations and the prosperity of the larger Glebe community.
As Crivellari puts it: “The foundation was already there. All that we’ve done is take it and build it up to a different level.”
For more information on Davidson’s Jewellers, visit their website at davidsonsjewellers.com or drop by the store on the corner of Bank Street and Third Avenue.
Dana Mitchell worked with the Glebe BIA as their communications and outreach intern. She is a Glebe resident who is currently completing her PhD in English at Carleton University.
From left, goldsmiths Yonghun Kwon and Nicole Singer along with general manager, Enrico Crivellari. Pictured in Davidson’s onsite workshop.
Margaret and Eastman Davidson. 1970s. COURTESY OF DAVIDSON’S JEWELLERS.
Current owner of Davidson’s Jewellers, John Anderson (left), and former owner Judy Richards. PHOTOS: DANA MITCHELL
ELEVATING THE DENTAL EXPERIENCE
By Afaf K. Janjua
Imagine a dental office that you actually look forward to visiting. Is it the dentist’s special charm, or the clinic’s elegant ambiance that draws you in?
Walking along Bank Street, just past Fifth Avenue, you’ll find exactly that –a welcoming new clinic that’s catching the eye of the neighbourhood, especially those with an appreciation for modern design. It is the vision come to life of Dr. Dora Pavasovic, founder of Smile Society Dentistry.
“In designing the clinic, my goal was to create a space where patients felt welcome and comfortable, and where staff were motivated to do their best work,” she said. With a clear idea to transform the perception of traditional dental care, Pavasovic has crafted a unique blend of exclusive experience and chic office vibe.
Growing up in Ottawa, Pavasovic always felt drawn to dentistry, inspired by a genuine desire to make a difference in people’s lives. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa, she took her
ambitions across the Atlantic to study dentistry at University College Cork in Ireland and graduated in 2017 with multiple awards.
Pavasovic then relocated to Toronto to be with her now-husband. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sol Weiss, she polished her skills in creating smile makeovers at The Art of Dentistry, one of the leading cosmetic dental clinics in Toronto. Now, at Smile Society Dentistry, Pavasovic values preserving natural teeth; she believes in enhancing smiles, not replacing them. Her conservative approach creates results that are both beautiful and authentic.
“Seeing the before and after changes in my patients’ smiles is what motivates
me,” she explains.
After creating success stories in Toronto, Pavasovic knew it was time to return to Ottawa with her husband and two daughters. The Glebe felt like the perfect place to continue her holistic and personalized approach to dental care.
Smile Society Dentistry is designed to make people feel at ease. Understanding the anxiety that often accompanies dental visits, Pavasovic was careful to craft an environment that promotes calmness and relaxation. The clinic features warm colours and a spa-like ambiance, ensuring patient comfort from the moment they arrive. Another unique element of the clinic is its comfort menu – a thoughtful selection of options like hydrating eye masks, calming music and even aromatherapy, all aimed at making each visit a soothing experience. Paired with the latest dental technologies, including 3D scanning and cutting-edge oral health and gum therapy techniques, Smile Society allows patients to enjoy optimal care without the discomfort of traditional procedures.
“We were made to feel so comfortable from the moment we stepped into this beautiful spa-like dental office,” said Penny, one of Smile Society’s patients.
Pavasovic understands the importance of community and meaningful relationships, which is why she takes pride in Smile Society being a familyowned practice. By maintaining her independence from corporate ownership, she can prioritize patient care
without the pressures that often come with it. “The Glebe is such a tightly knit community, with people collaborating and welcoming each other with open hearts. That’s the kind of relationship I want to build with my patients,” she said.
Outside of work, you’ll often find her exploring local shops or enjoying the parks with her family. She’s not just a dentist; she’s also an active member of the community, eager to connect with her neighbours.
“Dr. Dora and her team are precise, personal, and prioritize their patients’ needs. I highly recommend her if you’re looking to elevate your dental experience,” said Marina, a local patient.
Smile Society Dentistry offers comprehensive services for patients of all ages, from routine checkups to advanced cosmetic treatments like Invisalign, a popular clear aligner technology. Whether you’re seeking a quick consultation or a complete smile transformation, Pavasovic and her team are committed to providing top-tier care in a warm, welcoming setting.
Why not see for yourself? Follow Smile Society on Instagram @smilesociety.ca for updates on their upcoming grand opening and book your new patient experience now!
Afaf K. Janjua, a dental professional with a background in computer science, literature and education, is the executive dental administrator at Smile Society Dentistry.
Smile Society offers a dental experience that promots calmness and relaxation.
Dr. Dora Pavasovic, founder of a new Bank Street dentistry practice, Smile Society Dentistry
SCARF & JEWELLERY SALE
at St� Matthew’s Anglican Church
By Margaret Terrett
On Sunday, December 1, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church will present its annual Scarf and Jewellery Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be held downstairs in the church hall, which is accessed by the First Avenue entrance, just west of Bank Street. Twenty-five percent of the sales will go to the Ottawa Food Bank which especially needs funds at this time of the year.
Find fantastic Christmas gifts at non-inflationary prices. There will be a fine selection of accessories for both women and men including scarves, ties, hats, gloves, mitts, belts, purses and wonderful costume and silver jewellery. Special seasonal items will also be on sale. The highlight this year is a large collection by the acclaimed New York jewellery designer, Kenneth Jay Lane. The premium table will offer name brands such as Birks, Liberty, Coach, Michael Kors and Joan Rivers.
One of the many pieces of jewellery on offer on December 1
PHOTO: MARGRET BRADY NANKIVELL
Fundraising is critical for all church communities as they strive to supplement their incomes for special projects. What started out solely as fundraising at St. Matthew’s now includes a focus on the environment. People are provided with year-round opportunities to reuse items that have been donated by others. Reducing the number of new items purchased helps shoppers meet the Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose goals before opting for the expensive Recycle option.
The Great Glebe Garage Sale is the first major event each year. Parishioners and friends are encouraged to keep things out of the landfill sites by passing them along to the church. The parish joins with the Glebe community by selling donations and making a contribution to the Ottawa Food Bank. In the autumn, there is an impressive online auction which is being held this year from November 7 to November 17. Throughout the year, there is an online boutique which again encourages people to find new homes for their treasures. It’s all about Reducing and Reusing!
vide you with high quality goods at affordable prices while at the same time helping people in the community.
Margaret Terrett is a parishioner at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church and co-convenor of the Scarf and Jewellery sale.
St� Matthew’s
Online Treasures Auction
November 7 to 17
By Margret Nankivell
St Matthew’s Anglican Church’s November auction features an extraordinary and eclectic selection of items yet again. The auction site opened for bidding on Thursday, November 7, and it closes at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 17.
The catalogue includes works by artists Gordon Appelbe Smith, Bruno Bobak, Ed Bartram, Liliane Clément, Martha Rakine, Clemence Wescoupe and Ottawa photographer Jennifer Dickson. International art offerings include a fine piece by English watercolourist Reuben Wards-Binks and an intriguing carved wood painting by Emmanuel Emvic, an important Nigerian artist.
Auction posters feature a delightful painting donated by Ottawa artist Donna Lynd.
The auction includes unusual items such as a vintage Power Wheels Barbie Corvette for very young drivers, a SkyWatcher Newtonian 8” telescope and a steel Zeppelin Pull Toy 1930, modelled after the Graf Zeppelin.
Look for unusual books, fine China, jewellery, Persian rugs, antique silver and travel certificates. Each year, St. Matthew’s bakers and cooks serve up an array of Christmas baked goods and meals that are always are hotticket items.
St. Matthew’s is grateful for the
support provided by Amica The Glebe, Beckwith Galleries, Capital Home Hardware in the Glebe, Davidson’s Jewellers and Heffel.
The outreach component of this year’s auction targets food insecurity, and beneficiaries include the Ottawa Food Bank and the Centretown Community Food Centre. St. Matthew’s other fundraising initiatives – its online boutique, the December scarf and jewellery sale as well as the church’s participation in the Great Glebe Garage Sale – also raise money for the Ottawa Food Bank.
“On behalf of the Ottawa Food Bank, our agencies and neighbours who turn to food programs for support during trying times, thank you for St. Matt’s help and generosity,” wrote Tricia Johnson, OFB’s director of communications and development. “Your work and caring are deeply appreciated and needed more than ever before.”
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church held its first major auction in October 2005 when a relatively minor repair uncovered the urgent need for major work on the church’s exterior. The auctions held since have directed 15 to 50 per cent of net profits to outreach partners.
Check out the calendar and register to bid at www.stmatthewsottawa. ca. Hurry, the auction closes on November 17!
Margret Brady Nankivell is a parishioner at St. Matthew’s and convener of the auction.
Fun times at GNAG!
This time of year is packed with celebrations and events, and I love the “ber” months of fall! As Halloween approached, I found myself watching an ‘80s movie at home, reminiscing about the simplicity of that era. While so much has evolved for the better, at GNAG we’ve been embracing the idea of getting back to basics. Over the summer, this became our staff motto –reconnect with the kids through classic games, create screen-free activities, and bring out the true spirit of summer.
Our recent Halloween celebration carried this spirit forward – it was a throwback to GNAG’s traditional Halloween events with each room packed with fun for all ages. Kids enjoyed bouncy castles and carnival games, a lively Funhouse for the littles and a thrilling Stranger-Things-themed Haunted House.
This year’s Halloween event was one of our biggest yet! With around 460 tickets sold for kids and free admission for parents and guardians, we welcomed an estimated 900 people into the celebration for a night filled with fun, laughter and Halloween magic!
To give the community a sense of the dedication behind this event, each member of our full-time team put in an extra 12 to 25 hours over the weekend! A huge thank you goes out to Paul O’Donnell, Jason Irvine, Tanis Hodder, Erica Nowlan and Clare Davidson Rogers for their incredible commitment and hard work. A heartfelt thanks to all the staff, volunteers and Glebe Leadership kids who spent their weekend helping make this night unforgettable!
And a big thank you to our generous community supporters: Il Negozio
Sarah Routliffe GNAG Executive Director
N 613-233-8713
E info@gnag.ca gnag.ca
Nicastro for the donated pumpkins, First Quality Sounds for the fantastic lighting and the Dominique and Lynn Team at Engel & Völkers for the straw bales and corn stalks. Your contributions brought this event to life!
Glebe Craft and Artisan Fair
Discover an array of handcrafted treasures at the GNAG’s Craft & Artisan Fair! With over 50 local vendors showcasing their unique handmade goods, you’ll find the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday list.
Not only is this event a shopper’s paradise, but it’s also one of our most important fundraisers, and it supports local artisans. All proceeds benefit the GNAG Community Development Fund (CDF) in support of crucial community programs, including subsidies, integration support and community projects. As a thank you for your support, every guest receives a free ticket to our fantastic raffle, featuring prizes from our talented participants.
Saturday, November 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, November 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Trivia Night in the Glebe November 29
Recruit your smartest friends and family members to help you win at trivia! Tables go on sale November 4, and here’s what’s in store: challenging and hilarious questions, fun socializing with friends and community members, wine by the bottle, beer
IN THE HEART OF THE glEbE
Richard Merrill Haney, Ph.D. (Counselling & Mediation)
“You are your dreams...limited only by your fears.”
• Individual, Couple and Family Counselling
• Comprehensive Family Mediation (with or without lawyers) • Hypnotherapy • Life Coaching
Bank St. at the canal email: richard@ottawacounselling.com 234-5678 (by appointment) www.ottawacounselling.com
and non-alcoholic beverages, and a charcuterie board option for purchase. Join us for the chance to win prizes, including two tickets to Taste in the Glebe as a door prize, a costume prize for best team theme (good luck beating my family) and an award for the trivia champs.
Wondering what the categories will be or who’ll lead you to victory? That part, I can’t reveal, but I’ll be rooting for the GNAG staff team, “The Jeaniuses!” You’ll spot us in full Canadian tuxedo attire, probably not winning, but bringing the fun and stimulating some brain cells!
For more details and to reserve a team, visit www.gnag.ca. Be there or be square!
Taste in the Glebe Tickets on sale November 21 at 7 p.m.
We get it. Tickets are tough to snag, the pressure is on, because Taste in the Glebe, to take place January 29, is the
most anticipated wine and food show in the community!
As GNAG’s popularity grows and the community demographics shift, more people are eager to attend than ever before. To streamline the process, you can make an account on 3common (our ticket site) and on the night, keep refreshing your browser. Sometimes, even when it appears sold out, tickets that are stuck in online shopping carts are released after a few minutes. Last year, tickets appeared at 7:13 pm when several people gave up their tickets mid-shop. Personally, as a millennial, I tackle important tasks on a computer rather than a phone but go with whatever works best for you. May the odds be ever in your favour!
Winter Programming Registration Registration opens on Tuesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. More information in the Winter Program Guide on www.gnag.ca.
Second Avenue, Suite 2
613-233-7771 Ottawa, ON K1S 2H4 Fax: 613-233-3442 Email: tedlupinski@rogers.com
From left, Jason Irvine, Skelly Clarkston (GNAG skeleton), Sarah Routliffe, volunteer SD Neve and Erica Nowlan.
GCA active on Bronson safety, zoning and the Mutchmor rink
Some good news on Bronson
For years, the GCA and other nearby community associations have raised concerns about traffic and safety issues on Bronson Avenue. At its October meeting, the board heard a report on progress made by the “Bronson Team” consisting of representatives of the Dow’s Lake Residents Association, the Glebe Annex Community Association and the GCA. The good news is that the city has begun preparatory work for the redevelopment of the road between the Queensway and the Canal. The team is working closely with the city and has seen a number of its potential solutions to the safety problems on Bronson considered for the project.
These include mandatory safety audits of all intersections to identify conflicts between motorized vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Ideas provided also include the need for wider sidewalks and speed and red-light cameras at a couple of locations.
The Bronson Team has shared its report, Bronson Avenue – Solutions for a Safe and Healthy Street, with the city. Once there is a proposed redesign for the street, the city will hold public consultations.
Zoomed in on zoning
The City of Ottawa has tabled a first
John Crump President, Glebe Community Association www.glebeca.ca
draft of its Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw, and at its October online meeting, the Glebe Community Association passed a motion outlining a number of questions on this complex topic.
The GCA motion reiterated “general support for growth through intensification rather than expansion of the city’s urban boundary as a more fiscally responsible and climate-friendly strategy for addressing growth.” As the City’s Official Plan states, intensification is about ensuring that “neighbourhood parks, recreational facilities, public spaces, infrastructure and other elements of a complete neighbourhood are keeping up with the increases in population.”
With this in mind, the GCA has submitted questions to the City to clarify key parts of the draft bylaw. These include questions about how neighbourhood densities are calculated, and how intensification will be managed while ensuring Ottawa remains a liveable city. Other questions include:
• What analysis has been done at the neighbourhood level?
• What is the current residential density in this neighbourhood?
• How did the City arrive at the maximum allowable density caps in the draft bylaw?
• How will the City invest in neighbourhood parks and other facilities to keep up with population increases?
The full motion can be seen on the GCA website at www.glebeca.ca. A second draft of the bylaw is expected next March.
Mutchmor rink on thin ice?
In mid-October, the City put out a call for volunteers and an operator to run the rink in the Mutchmor schoolyard. The Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group, which has coordinated its operation in the past, has said it does not have the capacity to do it this year – GNAG is moving its ice-related programs to the rink in Memorial Park at Glendale Avenue. Without an operator and community volunteers confirmed by the end of October, the City said, the Mutchmor boarded rink will not open.
Mutchmor School has also been reassessing whether the rink is the best use of its yard; with high enrollment, outdoor space during recess can be at a premium. Nevertheless, the school agreed to have the rink in place one last time this year, but only if there is a lead organizer and volunteers to run it. In future years, City staff will look at other locations in the Glebe for a boarded outdoor rink.
Besides the uncertainty of where the rink might end up next year, the vagaries of Ottawa’s changing climate lead to questions about how much longer we can count on outdoor ice in the winter.
The City had asked if the GCA could operate the rink and coordinate
volunteers, but running recreational programs is outside our mandate and we don’t have the capacity to take it on. In the end, an email alert was sent to our network looking for a lead organizer and additional volunteers to complement the half-dozen people who had indicated interest. By the time you read this, the fate of Mutchmor rink will be known. Given the community’s support for the rink, a neighbourhood fixture for over half a century, we hope a solution will have been found. [Update: A volunteer operator has been found, and the rink will open this year.]
The next GCA board meeting will take place in the Glebe Community Centre on Tuesday, November 26 at 7 p.m.
JAMES McCULLOCH LAWYER IN THE GLEBE
James provides legal services to Glebe residents, offers home visits and welcomes new clients.
613 565-5297 mccullochlawyer@rogers.com
Shawn Menard Councillor, Capital Ward
Community wellbeing support is more important than ever
Community safety and well-being is a rising priority in Ottawa. Homelessness, food insecurity, increasing housing costs and safety are always top of mind, but in the past few years, those concerns have become more acute and more visible.
City officials and police monitor reports of thefts, break-ins and other concerning activity. Although Ottawa is an incredibly safe city compared to others, it doesn’t make these incidents any less troubling.
If you do experience a break-in or are a victim of theft, it is essential that you report it to the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), both so they can respond and so that they can maintain accurate data on these incidents in our community. This data can then be viewed on their Community Safety Data Portal at data.ottawapolice.ca. The OPS also has helpful tips on safeguarding your home, which you can find on their website www.ottawapolice.ca.
At the same time, there are members of our community who are deeply impacted by poverty, unaffordable
housing, mental-health issues and substance-use disorder. We see people sleeping rough on our streets who cannot access necessary social supports, health services or housing. Sometimes, these people may be in distress, and I know how difficult it is to see somebody suffering and be frustrated over not knowing how you can help, if you can help at all.
Many of these issues stem from increased substance use. The toxic drug crisis has continued to worsen since the COVID-19 pandemic began. While this was not the starting point, it exacerbated the problem, with the number of overdoses tripling in recent years.
Housing, income and food-insecurity issues have also grown significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. There are now more people in need of services, and those services were already at capacity prior to the pandemic. People are struggling to find affordable homes, and emergency shelters are over capacity.
Many people sleeping rough are living with active addictions and, aside from the four supervised consumption sites, there is little in the way of safe harm reduction. What is unmistakable is that people need somewhere to go. We need to provide people with appropriate homes for their needs and their means. We need affordable and supportive housing. We have been working on this at City Hall since coming into office. Last year, we doubled the city’s affordable-housing capital budget to $30 million. I also passed two motions at city council calling for the creation of a new mental-health outreach team which launched this
Garden Sorceress
Protector of Petals
There are now more people in need of services, and those services were already at capacity prior to the pandemic
year as a pilot project in Centretown. The affordable-housing funding and new mental-health team were a great boost, but more is still needed. The pilot project needs to be expanded to more communities in the city. As we enter deliberations for the 2025 budget, I will be pushing for more support for affordable and supportive housing. We need the city to build and fund not-for-profit housing to target the root cause of many of the issues. We can’t simply rely on incentivizing market housing supply to provide affordable housing or social supports. We are currently working on a potential expansion of the needle-hunting team run by Ottawa Public Health (OPH) to help in the collection of discarded drug paraphernalia. With a larger team, they can cover more ground faster. To access this team, you can call 3-1-1 or email needlehunters@ottawa.ca if you come across any abandoned drug paraphernalia on public property. Please note that the needle-hunter team is unable to collect items from private property. If you do notice any discarded drug gear on private property, and you are comfortable doing so, you can pick up a Sharps Collection Kit from participating locations and safely collect it yourself. We are also working on expanding the Sharps Kit pilot program so people can pick one up in their neighbourhood. You can find out about the pilot program at
stopoverdoseottawa.ca
We are working to expand the city’s outreach programs, especially after the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education (DOPE) team lost their Health Canada funding earlier this year and subsequently shut down. The loss of the DOPE street outreach team is already being felt across many city neighbourhoods. At present, you can call 3-1-1 between 11 a.m. and 3 a.m. for the Salvation Army Street Outreach team to attend. There is also the Street Team OutReachMobile (STORM) team that is available to assist Indigenous women who are street involved or at-risk of becoming homeless. This team runs out of Minwaashin Lodge – you can find their hours of service at minlodge. com/storm.
The city and all orders of government must take action and increase commitment to affordable non-market and supportive housing, restore and expand our health outreach programs, and approach these issues with support for neighbours who are struggling.
Shawn Menard is City Councillor for Capital Ward. He can be reached at CapitalWard@ottawa.ca.
CRAFT FAIR
What do you say? Readers respond.
By Josh Rachlis |
In last month’s Glebe Report, in light of both anecdotal and statistical evidence of increasing crime in the neighbourhood, we asked you what your perception and experience of crime has been. Sixty-seven readers responded. While this is certainly not intended as a statistically valid survey, it can provide a general sense of perceptions in the community – a snapshot of our feelings.
In answer to the question “Do you feel that petty crime is increasing in the Glebe?” 45 respondents (67 per cent) said yes, and 22 respondents (33 per cent) said no.
But in response to the question “Have you been a victim of crime in the last few months?” only 23 (34 per cent) said yes, and 44 (66 per cent) said no.
Of the 23 respondents who said that they had been a victim of
crime in the last few months, nine cited bike theft, seven said petty theft, and one said car theft. In addition, one respondent was moved to add in an email, “I don’t think you asked the right or enough questions…No, I do not feel safe anymore.”
It seems many of us believe crime is increasing in the Glebe, although most of us have not been victims of crime ourselves. Nevertheless, “perception is reality.” What we believe about the level of crime in the neighbourhood will influence our actions in small and large ways – from locking doors, bikes and strollers to how we teach our children how to react to a stranger’s request for help. This quick-and-dirty survey is intended to reflect back to us how we’re feeling on a given issue –a quick glance in the mirror to ground our thinking.
New idling bylaw
By Jennifer Humphries
On October 2, City Council voted to amend Ottawa’s Idling Control Bylaw. While it’s not all that we advocated for, the new bylaw is a significant improvement over the old one.
The original 2007 bylaw put no limits on how long a driver could idle their vehicle when the temperature was below 5 degrees Centigrade or above 27. That meant there were at least 245 days a year when idling was just fine.
Now there is a limit – 10 minutes in a 60-minute period. In addition, the lower temperature threshold has been changed from 5 degrees to 0.
When the temperature is between 0 and 27, the limit remains at three minutes in a 60-minute period. We had urged one minute, and the staff report recommended it. Unfortunately, there was a risk that the new bylaw might fail to pass without some watering down, so retention of the three-minute maximum was a compromise. That’s disappointing. But on the whole, the new bylaw is a success for our environment and our health.
Why is it important to minimize motor vehicle idling?
Here’s a little-known fact: 15,000 Canadians die each year from air pollution, according to Health Canada. That’s similar to the number who died from COVID in 2020 (14,642).
Ottawa’s air quality may be better than that in some cities, but measurements at schools during drop-off and pick-up time are extremely high. Toxic fumes produced by idling cars, trucks
and buses – that’s what kids are breathing in every school day.
Ottawa has many idling hot spots. One of the worst is King Edward Avenue, but every neighbourhood has one or more. Citizen scientists collect data at 18 sites across the city (www. iqair.com/ca/canada/ontario/ottawa). For Glebe data, go to the Real Time Pollution Map. Note that the moderate reading is not good – check the fine print on the site.
Ottawa aspires to be a truly livable city. Clean air is an essential element of such a city.
Awareness and education are key
The debate at City Hall raised awareness among councillors and the mayor, providing supporters with strong reasons to support a more effective bylaw and sensitizing opponents to the justified concerns of citizens. The mayor voted in favour and spoke supportively in media interviews following the decision. “The signal that we’ve sent is that we don’t want people to idle their cars,” he said. “Even on cold and hot days there’s a limit to what they should be doing.”
The Environment Committee of the Glebe Community Association (GCA) worked on this issue with several partner associations. We also engaged with our umbrella group, Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES), and Ecology Ottawa. And we had the strong support of Councillor Shawn Menard. While the GCA team began working to reduce idling back in 2019, the massive air pollution impacts of the February 2022 convoy galvanized more communities to action.
Healthy school zones
What’s critical now is to push for education and signage. The GCA and our partners will speak with bylaw staff about the communications plan. Shawn Menard has already secured the agreement of the city’s public works department and funds for signs in 16 high-traffic corridors. But none has been allocated yet for school-zone funding. We want to see permanent signs in school zones as well as signs that residents can order for their front lawns, similar to the Slow Down for Us signs.
Because they are small, children
are particularly vulnerable to health impacts of vehicle emissions. Those with asthma are especially at risk.
The staff report cited input from Ottawa school board administrators who said school buses need to idle to “stay on schedule.” Most school buses run on diesel, and diesel exhaust includes arsenic, formaldehyde, benzene and other toxins which have been shown to cause cancer and affect the cardiorespiratory system.
It’s reported that school boards want to facilitate “kiss and ride” programs. Is idling really a necessary part of this? Couldn’t drivers dress for the weather and turn the car off?
Enforcement too
While education is more important than enforcement, it’s still important that egregious offenders face consequences. The motion at City Council directed staff to focus on zones such as schools, construction sites and other locations identified by staff and councillors where excessive idling is a known issue.
Benedykt Syposz’s letter in the October Glebe Report, “Idle excuses,” identifies one group that certainly should respect the bylaw – the City vehicles that are often seen idling. We plan to approach fleet managers to reinforce the need to educate and monitor the behaviour of the city’s own drivers. As the new bylaw indicates, the convenience of the driver is not a valid reason to idle.
Jennifer Humphries encourages every driver of a gas or diesel vehicle to turn off their engine whenever possible, especially in school zones.
Krakowsky
From words to deeds
By Cecile Wilson
[Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa, Hawaii on 31st October 2024: 423.70]
The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) on climate change is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22. Some are calling it the “finance COP” because one goal is to secure sufficient, mandatory and enforceable financing for a loss-anddamage fund. Underlying this goal are global issues of human rights, equity and corporate and governmental responsibility.
Loss and damage
The purpose of the loss-and-damage fund is to help developing countries deal with extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires and with the long-term consequences of climate destabilization such as drought, desertification and rising sea levels. If we stay on our current trajectory, we are headed for a “catastrophic” rise in temperature of 3.1°C and ever more costly outcomes.
The United Nations Emissions Gap Report stated that the G20 countries (minus the African Union) were responsible for 77 per cent of global emissions in 2023. Although Canada’s total emissions are much less than those of economic powerhouses like the U.S. and China, we rank among the top 12 nations for per-capita emissions. By contrast, the least developed countries
only contributed three per cent of emissions, and the 55 countries of the African Union contributed five per cent. Yet between 1970 and 2021, Africans suffered 35 per cent of weather and climate-related fatalities.
To make matters worse, nations most at risk of climate catastrophe often have the least capacity to pay for the impacts. Between one and four trillion U.S. dollars are needed annually to deal with climate disaster outcomes. That figure does not include the cost of implementing renewable-energy generation and transitioning away from fossil fuels. If there is no provision to support these countries in rebuilding housing, agriculture, transportation and other infrastructure, people will need to move to other locales or face life-threatening situations. Such situations have widespread implications for global security and unrest, as well as causing more human misery.
Although a loss-and-damage fund was instituted in 2022 at COP27, and some developed countries pledged money for the fund in 2023 at COP28, the amount allocated has been woefully inadequate. What is needed is a mechanism that will make contributions to the fund transparent and automatic instead of voluntary.
Polluter pay
It is well-established that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate destabilization. Nevertheless, several fossil-fuel companies have recently walked back their emissions-reduction targets at the same time as they are making huge profits. Canada’s biggest oil and gas companies, for example, had profits totalling $38 billion in 2022. It is only fair that
some of the profits are contributed to the loss-and-damage fund.
One payment option could be to require the fossil-fuel industry to pay levies. This type of industry-pay mechanism already exists in maritime shipping to pay for cleaning up oil spills. Another source of revenue could come from fossil-fuel subsidies. In 2022, they totalled seven trillion dollars U.S. globally; Canada paid out more than $20 billion Canadian. Shifting a trillion U.S. dollars globally from fossil-fuel subsidies to the loss-and-damage fund would go a long way towards reducing the human misery brought on by climate change.
We are at climate and social tipping points
Last year’s COP was the first to specifically state the need to “transition” away from fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable energy economy. We have a choice. We can continue on our current trajectory and blow past a 1.5°C increase in temperature, ensuring that climate disasters and their human and economic costs worsen steadily, or we
can cut our global emissions by 42 per cent of 2019 levels by 2030.
What happens this month in COP29 will set the stage for new national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) due in February next year. Can Azerbaijan, a petrostate – facing accusations of human rights violations and corruption as it plans to expand its fossil fuel production – facilitate movement towards transparent and effective climate action? One thing is sure: All attending nations need to accept their own responsibility for protecting people and the planet.
What you can do
Email or call MP Yasir Naqvi and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and tell them you want polluters to pay for the damage they cause.
Cecile Wilson has lived in the Glebe for more than two decades and has a background in geography and Critical Discourse Analysis.
• RANDALL’S KNOWLEDGEABLE SPECIALISTS can guide you on style, fabric and colour. Plus Randall’s takes care of measuring, installation and guarantees the t. Easy peasy!
• FLEXIBLE VIEWS, open from either the top or bottom.
• CUSTOM LIGHT CONTROL AND PRIVACY has never been easier; control exactly how much light enters the room without sacri cing privacy.
• MAXIMIZE ENERGY EFFICIENCY by keeping the upper half closed in the summer to keep your room cool, and open in the winter to allow the sun to help warm up your space.
Azerbaijan’s economy is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. As the host of COP29, will it shift towards renewable energy and improve its human rights reputation?
OTTAWA ANTIQUE MARKET,
DOES A HOME ENERGY RETROFIT DELIVER RESULTS? PART 1
By Matthew Wilson
In August of 2023, we moved into our new home on Glebe Avenue. Like many Glebe homes, our house is old (built in 1906), large (2,300 square feet
above ground) and in particular need of updating. From the finishings to the heating system, it was clear that we bought the proverbial fixer upper. But it was also an opportunity to make the house fit for the future, lighter on the
wallet and better for the environment. This is my first of two reports on our journey.
We prioritized the building envelope and energy efficiency. Lowering the GHG emissions produced by a family of four living in Ottawa, one of the world’s coldest capitals, was a priority. We were motivated further by the availability of the federal government’s incentives for home energy efficiency. The chance to participate in a hybrid-heating trial offered by Enbridge Gas was also an exciting proposal.
In Canada, we use a lot of energy per person – more than in the United States, about the same as in Norway or Kuwait. Each Canadian uses the energy equivalent of about 20 barrels of oil a year. In China, it’s about three to four barrels. The energy we consume in the home is a big part of that.
Energy audit
Our journey with this Grand Dame of a house started with an energy audit. It showed that the house, at the time of purchase was consuming 264 gigajoules of energy per year. For comparison, one gigajoule is the equivalent of 39 litres of propane or two BBQ propane tanks. It also equals 277 kilowatts of electricity – it takes one kilowatt of electricity to power one 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours.
After our energy improvements, our closing audit indicated that we had reduced annual energy use from 264 gigajoules to 142. This was the equivalent of saving 244 BBQ tanks of energy per year. Rated “energy intensity” of
the house dropped from .94 gigajoule per square meter per year to .50. We had cut estimated energy consumption almost in half.
Heating and cooling
In any household, about two-thirds of the energy consumed is the result of space heating, so that is where we focused our efforts. Our priority was to insulate. We removed the existing attic insulation and replaced it with sprayfoam in the original third floor and attic. There had been no insulation in the knee walls of the third floor. Pre-insulation, summer on the third floor was miserably hot.
We then blew cellulose insulation into the existing exterior walls of the first and second floor. Cellulose insulation is the equivalent of finely chopped newspaper, and over 80 bales of the product were used in our walls. Only one room had been insulated in the house originally.
In the basement, we again used spray foam for the rim joist (where the wood frame meets the foundation). Some existing insulation had to be removed due to its poor condition. We received contradictory advice about the merits of applying spray foam to the stone foundation, so we haven’t. We may revisit this decision in the future. Instead, we completed repairs to the stonework. We replaced two windows and one exterior door with new high-efficiency models. More windows will need to be replaced in the future but after further air sealing improvements, we set our eyes on the mechanical systems.
Previously, natural gas powered the furnace and hot water. There was no central air conditioning but a few window-box units. The Energy Factor of the existing power-vented, natural gas, hot water tank was .57, standard but far from the most efficient. The rented tank was 12 years old and was quickly approaching its 15-year life expectancy. The natural gas furnace, near end of life, was 92-per-cent efficient and had a huge output (136,500 BTUs) sized to keep an un-insulated home warm.
It was replaced with a hybrid heating system, including an air-source heat pump which provides heating down to -5°C in winter and air conditioning in summer.
When below -5°C, the other part of the heating system is a natural gas, on-demand, hot water heater which serves two purposes – it provides domestic hot water and hot water for the forced air furnace (a hydronic furnace). It is 98 per cent efficient and is expected to operate at a 30 per cent savings.
In the event of a power outage, the system will not operate. Just like a typical furnace in most homes, it needs both electricity and natural gas to operate. So, as backup, we also installed a natural gas fireplace, with no electricity needed.
Excluding the impact of insulating, the hybrid heating system (with smart controls) is estimated to reduce our home’s GHG emissions by 30 per cent. It was eligible for a $6,500 rebate from Natural Resources Canada (check what is available now because programs have changed).
The all-electric alternative would have been a cold-climate heat pump which can operate down to -30°C. A cold-climate heat pump might make a great deal of sense for many others.
Fingers are crossed for winter but since installation this spring, it has been operating perfectly. The house is more consistently heated and cooled and much more comfortable from top to bottom. On the outside, the unit is quiet compared to most air
conditioners. I find the system control/ thermostat to be very easy to use.
Local Service in Ottawa since 1988 with Quality Flags, Banners, and Flagpoles.
•
In next month’s issue, I’ll let you know what we did to reduce electricity use, present our savings thus far and offer a list of dos and don’ts for your home-efficiency journey.
Matthew Wilson is a Glebe resident who took on the challenge of improving the energy efficiency of a classic fixerupper home.
RIDEAU CHORALE PRESENTS
FANTASIA
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7TH, 7:30PM on Christmas Carols | Ralph Vaughan Williams Southminster United Church 15 Aylmer Ave, Ottawa ON
J.S. Bach: Cantatas 122 & 140 Kevin Reeves: Gloucestershire Wassail Andrew Ager: Christmas Medley
Conductor: Kevin Reeves , Soprano: Kathleen Radke, Tenor: Adam Sperry, Bass: Phillip Holmes with strings, oboes, and continuo
rideauchorale.com/fantasia
Thank you to the Glebe community for your support over 35 great years!
The on-demand hot water heater is the size of a large backpack and heats the house too.
Condensing heat pump dryers are new to North America.
Winter sowing: growing native plants from seed for free
By Christina Keys
After moving into my new home in the spring of 2021, I set about identifying the plants in my garden. The last to identify was the most spectacular pink New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), which bloomed from August to early November. I knew I would expand the garden space, so I wanted to learn how to grow more of these beautiful plants from the fluffy seed heads that formed. I soon discovered the world of winter sowing, a local community passionate about growing native plants from seed, and the enormous ecological benefits to planting native species.
That fall, I picked up a dozen free seed packets at the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library seed-giveaway events.
This “library” allows you to take seeds or seedlings for free with the hope that you will donate back seeds from the mature plant in future years. It is a grassroots non-profit organization run by volunteers across the region. It promotes gardening with native plants to provide habitat for bees, butterflies, birds and more. Following their instructions, I have grown hundreds, maybe thousands, of native perennials and grasses in a few dozen containers on my deck over winter.
The steps to growing plants from seed over winter are surprisingly simple and easy. Most native seeds need the cold of winter and the moisture of snow to germinate, a process known as cold stratification. This process breaks the seed dormancy, and the seeds will sprout when temperatures warm up in spring.
This fall, seeds for native perennials, grasses, sedges shrubs and trees will be available for free at events across the city including in Centretown and Hintonburg. Volunteers will be on site to provide advice on choosing suitable seeds for your garden conditions. If you have garden space to fill or want to remove some lawn to have more flowers, here are the simple steps to follow:
• Check your site conditions to choose your plants. Shade, part sun or full sun? Moist, average or dry soil?
• Get some pots and potting mix. Each pot will need drainage. Use plant pots or drill holes in plastic
fruit, salad or yogurt containers. Fill with moistened potting soil.
• Sprinkle seeds on soil. Gently push so each seed makes contact with soil. Add a little more soil on top if the packet instructions advise it.
• Label each pot with a garden marker (e.g., Staedtler).
• Place outdoors. Cover with row covers or old screens to protect from squirrels.
• Once the snow melts, keep the containers watered. Watch for tiny seedlings to emerge.
• Thin seedlings so that each has enough space to grow. Alternatively, separate each out into small pots.
• Once three to four inches high, plant in your garden.
This method has excellent germination rates, helps to prevent seeds from washing away or being eaten by wildlife and allows gardeners to place plants according to their garden design.
With winter sowing, I’ve converted my whole property into a colourful, wildlife-friendly haven on a tiny budget. Some flowered in their first year, including spotted bee balm, blue vervain and little bluestem grass. Others needed another year or two to establish roots before flowering.
A special thing about New England asters I’ve learned from growing them from seed is that they have a natural variation in flower colour from deep purple to hot pink to white. I now have a few dozen new aster plants around my property, each a unique colour, and as they bloom, they are providing nectar and pollen for native bees prior to hibernation and for migrating butterflies like the endangered monarch.
It’s hard to decide what has brought me more joy – seeing the first green sprouts emerge from the pots in the spring or watching my eight-yearold marvel at my garden’s busy bees, wasps, butterflies and birds.
Pick up your own seeds from the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library at events across the city this fall. See wildflowerseedlibrary.ca/events
Christina Keys is a wildlife gardener with Garden ReLeaf, a Glebebased ecological garden restoration and design company led by Tara Beauchamp.
Native seeds need the cold of winter and the moisture of snow to germinate, a process known as cold stratification. This process breaks the seed dormancy, and the seeds will sprout when temperatures warm up in spring. PHOTO: CHRISTINA KEYS
Carleton students and community unite to champion pollinator gardens
By Jiire Fowler and Alexander Crosier
A group of Carleton University students is working with community representatives to enhance the effectiveness of pollinator gardens in the Glebe.
In the last several years, there has been an alarming decline in pollinator populations in Canada. Key pollinator species such as wild bees are declining by over 30 per cent in some regions, largely due to habitat loss. Those declines impact the health of ecosystems and also threaten food security. Pollinators are essential to Canadian agriculture, responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat.
Pollinator gardens have been a crucial element in conservation efforts for decades, aimed at restoring habitats and promoting biodiversity in response to the alarming loss of pollinators. They are specially designed green spaces for native plants that provide food, shelter and breeding grounds for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds and other insects. By creating safe habitats for essential pollinating species, these gardens play a significant role in supporting biodiversity and enhancing local ecosystems.
There are pollinator gardens throughout the Glebe. Notable locations include Mutchmor and First Avenue public schools. We also have indigenous gardens at Lansdowne Park and in front of Glebe St-James United Church. As well, there are the lively gardens maintained by the Garden Angels, including their most recent addition at the intersection of Imperial and Renfrew avenues.
These gardens thrive due to the support of the Glebe Community Association (GCA) and passionate volunteers led by the Garden Angels. The GCA, the Garden Angels and the Community Association for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) spearhead initiatives aimed at increasing the visibility of these gardens and amplifying their impact in the community. The Fletcher Wildlife Garden is also part of the collaboration (ofnc.ca/programs/ fletcher-wildlife-garden/make-yourown-wildlife-garden) and provided helpful information on how to create pollinator gardens.
These gardens flourish thanks to the unwavering dedication of their volunteers, who invest countless hours of hard work in their upkeep. However, their efforts often go unrecognized and underappreciated.
We are writing on behalf of a group
of our peers at Carleton University. As a component of the Foundations in Community Engagement course, we have partnered with representatives from these community groups in the Glebe. Through this partnership, we learned of the importance of pollinator gardens and the need to support their sustainability. Our project goal is to support the ongoing efforts of these community representatives in advancing pollinator gardens in the Glebe to help sustain the bird, bee and butterfly populations. We aim to develop projects that raise awareness about local pollinator gardens, emphasize the importance of education about sustaining pollination and promote collective responsibility through continuous community engagement. Our group features students from diverse fields of study. Team members are Alexander Crosier, Seamus Miller, Jiire Fowler, Jack Conlin, Drew Escano, Koshi Diddi, Fotini Kola, Grace Taylor, Sahare Ebrahimi-Sirizi and GeHui Li. The representatives from these Glebe community associations working directly with us are Linda Bruce, Jim Louter and Della Wilkinson.
“Team Glebe” is dedicated to planning a variety of initiatives to meet our goals. Most recently, Grace Taylor
completed a children’s map highlighting the pollinator gardens in the Glebe. This map is accessible for young children and offers them an opportunity to engage in this project. Taylor is willing to share her worksheet with teachers in local schools.
We’ve also advocated for pollinator gardens at the Lansdowne farmers’ market. Our team is also working on creating signage within the pollinator gardens to recognize hard work that people put in to make them thrive. These signs will include QR codes linking to resources that promote ongoing education about pollinator gardens. Our project is just beginning to take off, and we are eager to see how it unfolds. Engaging the Glebe community is essential, as the success of pollinator gardens relies on collective support. We encourage you to follow the GCA’s Environment Committee at @gcaenviro175 and think about planting pollinator plants in your garden next spring. Your involvement is crucial.
Jiire Fowler is a second-year Bachelor of Arts Honours Law student at Carleton University. Alexander Crosier is a second-year Carleton Bachelor of Sociology student and a campus
radio volunteer. Both are students in the Foundations of Community Engagement course in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, working with the Community Association for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES), the Glebe Community Association and the Garden Angels to promote pollinator gardens in the Glebe.
Group member Jack Collins at Lansdowne advocating for pollinator gardens PHOTOS: DELLA WILKINSON
The new Glebe Garden Angel pollinator garden at Imperial and Renfrew avenues
POETRY QUARTER
Food, glorious food!
Food is a fundamental of survival. And yet it has become so much more – a celebration, an acknowledgment, a catalyst, a tool, a symbol. We asked you to put your feelings about food into words, whether light-hearted or profound, sensuous or austere. Here are your poems on food.
The Oldest Dessert in the World! by
Betty Warrington-Kearsley
On the under-counter shelf at the Wild Oat, Four lidded bowls I had not seen before Drew me closer to the glass to ask What they were, and what was in them.
“Ashure” I am told, pronounced “Ashureh.” She lifts one out, raises its lid; I peer within; A pudding adorned with crushed pistachios, Sesame, chopped apricot, fig, raisins, scattered Pomegranate arils, in a blend of barley, rice, Cannellini beans, chickpeas, nuts, and seeds, Sweet rosewater infused with oils of orange peel, To be enjoyed by all, warmed or chilled. Thrilled And fascinated by their mystique, I buy all four. The first spoonful sparks my interior alight. Slowly savoured, the grains, nuts, and fruit Effuse their own flavours one into the other And merged in a matrix of orange and rosewater Fill each sense with medleys of delight, and, With each mouthful, new essences of insight.
“I’ve heard it called Noah’s Precious Pudding,” The server said, “Celebrating Noah’s landfall: After his dove homed in with an olive branch; After he sighted distant Mt. Ararat drawing near; After the last 40 days afloat, the flood abated; After he safely set his animals free, and After he drained dregs of dried fruit, grain, and beans, Noah created with these leftovers, his Ashure.”
Spaghetti by Pat
McLaughlin
The tantalizing fragrance of tomatoey spaghetti sauce moves me to the heart of the house. the sound of bubbling noodles raises my already sky-high expectations the fresh buttery, garlic bread layered with melted cheese feels like the answer to an unspoken prayer My tastebuds respond with delight as I consider the magic of spaghetti the magic of kitchens the magic of gathering The magic comes together as an offering of love a feeling of belonging a full stomach
Sophisticated Palate by Louise Rachlis
I enjoy gobbling candy corn Like Buddy the Elf, also hospital food, Camp mess hall food and Hawkins Cheezies off the shelf.
Any dish’s top notch, you see, If I don’t have to make it myself.
Pierogies
By Pat McLaughlin
Pierogies are the answer to any question that’s being asked
Pierogies are half-moon pockets of mashed potato cheese and delight
They offer solid comfort soft and soothing making all things seem possible and probable
Pierogies have many friends in the kitchen sour cream and onions bacon and mushrooms hot sauce and sausages peppers and salsa sauerkraut and more cheese
So don’t be an old fogie enjoy a pierogi Or ten
We show our love with food in my family by Paige Raymond
From the cheese scones baked by my grandfather at 4 a.m.
To the breakfast Pflammen kuchen Oma made for my brother and me.
To the gingery Yum Cha Mom learned to make from her manager at the Bay. I carry on the tradition for my three-baking apple pie with a huge heart carved into the pastry.
By J.J. DeWan
She sung. Not without an audible quaver of impatience, as she reached across in front of me for a can of the cheaper store brand. I guess she was not impressed by my pocket magnifier perusal of the ingredients of the variously priced offerings on the shelves. She was my age give or take. Four fifths of a century. Tall. Like me. Skinny – probably as boney inside her coat as I in my own. She walked away having saved two dimes. I checked out her calves as she went – solely for easy-to-read wellness signs. She was wearing – as I was – compression stockings. Hers a tan colour. Mine – like most of my duds these days – black. I picked up, as she did, a can of the store brand and units of other cheaper brands for some taste experiments.
I rerun, sometimes, my synapse-encrypted clip of you, kindred spirit of the grocery aisles, and hope you are still up and about. I’m not entirely certain of the current accuracy of the clip, but my sub-corneal cataracts are on the alert to look out for you. If they ever manage to spot you again through the fog of my forgetfulness, the price of the provisions would be on me. There’s a can opener in my backpack and a microwave, as you may know, in the store’s generous seating area. Maybe, for just a little while, we could rattle together the meagre bones of bargain gastronomy for oldsters. You could show me what you do with your own tomato paste, and I could show you what I do with mine.
Hungry for rhyme by D. Rockburn
I’m hungry for words most of the time, I like eating full meals of words that rhyme. I sip red or white it depends on the lines that fill my head when I’m ready to dine.
Man cannot live on bread alone, and words are like marrow hidden in the bone. I smash those bones open and words fall out and I eat so often I fear of the gout, but some days I suffer without words to dine, is there any other food that could taste so fine.
I’m as hungry as hell I hope you can tell and I search everywhere for even a smell, throw me a crumb and a story I will tell. I hunger for words and I can’t find the spot, I shop around, and around and find Cafe Roget’s may be my lot. Once again at the table I eat and I eat, sometimes gaging on words or not missing a beat, and trying not to fill up is a tedious feat for when I’m hungry you can’t get me out of my seat.
Whether meat from a creature or fields full of wheat I’m always searching for something to eat.
Lord I’m starving.
Forbidden Fruit by Louise Rachlis
When I ran my first marathon I worried that end of run Moving at my tortoise pace the post-race food would be gone.
And so just before the finish line, A friend behind the barrier handed me a banana like a baton Making me much merrier.
My finish line photo with a banana Immortalizes that running drama. It shows me trotting at a prance
Like Josephine Baker Doing her banana dance.
On a winter Florida visit We biked the Pinellas Trail And salivated to see
An orange tree, Ashamedly, I tell you now that tale:
Usually law abiding, Yet no time wasted, We climbed a fence And stole two oranges, The best we ever tasted.
“Tomato paste is tomato paste”
The Onion and the air fryer – a match made in heaven
by Peter Simpson
My favourite time at the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market is in the fall, with a slight chill in the air and seasonal vegetables that seem especially rugged and hearty, the last of the year’s gifts from the land.
Which brings me to locally grown sweet onions, be they white or red (which look purple to me, but don’t get me started). I’m lately obsessed with them, and now that they’re in season in Ontario, I want to share the simplest thing I do with them, a thing too simple to be called a recipe. You only need onions and an air fryer.
We were skeptical about adding an air fryer to Appliance Row, largely because “we never cook fried food at home.” Yet we bought one after I did an absurd amount of research more appropriate to buying a new furnace or replacing a roof. I’m not sure if you can buy an air fryer in the Glebe, but you can at Chef’s Paradise by Doyon Després in Old Ottawa South.
We soon discovered an air fryer’s versatility. It’s excellent for quickly cooking a salmon filet with crispy skin, for example, and it’s my first choice for
leftovers. A slice of pizza reheated in the air fryer is better than most pizzas straight from the pizzeria; it’s crispier, and making things crispier is an air fryer superpower.
It’s also ideal for roasting mixed vegetables, which led to my current obsession. I’ve probably eaten more onions in the past six months than I have in any full year of my life.
Here’s all I do. Cut the ends off a big red or white onion. Peel and cut into quarters (or sixes if it’s a freakishly giant onion) and drop into the basket of the air fryer. Do not separate the layers of onion, you want those chunks. Splash a few drops of olive oil (optional) and a touch of salt, slide the basket into the machine, and set it to 375°F for 30 minutes.
When done, the onions should look black around the edges and outside, yet they’ll be juicy and sweet on the inside. It’s all a delicious contrast of textures and flavours.
I do this as part of a quick lunch at home, as it makes a quick and excellent side dish. One night at our cottage this summer, I cooked for 10 people, and while some of the meal was comparatively complicated
– a boneless leg of Australian lamb marinated overnight, cooked in a sous vide all day, flash-grilled on the BBQ and served with a dark, herbaceous sauce – the onions were simple. I added a couple of sweet yellow and orange peppers, chopped into broad slices. (Given the larger than usual amount in the basket I tossed it all about at the halfway point, which I usually don’t bother to do.) I served the cottage dinner family style, and the first of five bowls/platters to be emptied had held the no-fuss onions and peppers. My guests hoovered up the easiest-to-make dish on the table.
Now, summer over and back in Ottawa, I’m going to air fry an onion for lunch. The missus brought home three perfect Ontario-grown onions from the farmers’ market, two red and one large, curiously shallot-shaped white one. Which will I cook for lunch? More importantly, can I eat two?
Peter Simpson is part of the team at Flora Hall Brewing that writes this monthly column on local food and drink, and he is probably shopping or socializing in the Glebe right now.
For the love of Fantas-tea!
By Candice Blackwood
The following titles, a mix of middle-grade, teen, and adult selections, prove that tea and fantasy make the perfect pairing. So, place your holds, steep your favourite blend, and get ready to be charmed.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Welcome to Spindrift, tearoom by day and vampire haunt by night. In the run-down capital city of White Roaring, Arthie protects Spindrift by collecting secrets with the legendary pistol Calibore. When her tearoom is threatened, Arthie must put together a team to infiltrate vampire society and return a stolen ledger – it’s a high-stakes job that could bring down the city’s guard and maybe even its royal family. A Tempest of Tea is a heist tale of revenge with themes of found family, the immigrant experience and of course the experience of a well-steeped tea. Readers who enjoyed Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo also enjoyed A Tempest of Tea
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
A cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance at its heart. It was inspired by
the author’s own enjoyment of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. Reyna is one of the queen’s personal guards –a vicious ruler who would never allow Reyna to have a personal life, let alone fall in love. Despite that, she’s been secretly dating the land’s most powerful mage, Kianthe. Lucky for us, Reyna finally reaches her tipping point and runs away with her girlfriend. In a small town, they open a teashop – here they’ll face dragons, political tensions and the threat of the queen finding them while also exploring their relationship. Thorne successfully creates a town and cast of secondary characters that make this cozy read far from boring.
There are rules in the hidden desert City of Qalia but none as important as never sharing the secret of their magic with the outsiders living outside its borders beyond the Forbidden Wastes. When the people of Qalia drink misra tea, a drink laden with secret spices, their magical abilities are awakened. When Imani drinks misra tea, her affinity for iron is awakened, making her deadly with a blade. She works for the city’s guard and might just be the city’s next Shield – a person who will battle djinns, ghouls and monsters. The only thing holding her back is her late brother’s reputation as a traitor. But when rumours spread that her brother might
Here is a list of some titles read and discussed recently in various local book clubs: TITLE AUTHOR BOOK CLUB
The Chancellor Kati Marton 15 Book Club
On the Ravine Vincent Lam Abbotsford Book Club
Foster Claire Keegan Broadway Book Club
The Scottish Banker of Surabaya Ian Hamilton Carleton English Grads Book Club
Vers d’autres rives Dany Laferrière Club de lecture des francophones d’origine ou d’adoption du Glebe/ OOE/OOS
Playing With Fire Peter Robinson Helen’s Book Club
The Salt Path Raynor Winn The Book Club
Girl, Forgotten Karin Slaughter Topless Book Club
Lessons in Chemistry Bonnie Garmus Sunnyside Adult Book Club
The Maid Nita Prose Sunnyside Mystery Book Club
American Dirt Janine Cummins Sunnyside Second Friday Adult Book Club
If your book club would like to share its reading list, please email it to Micheline Boyle at grapevine@glebereport.ca
be alive and sharing secrets of the misra tea, Imani partners up with her rival and a dangerous djinn to journey across the Forbidden Wastes and bring him home. With plot twists and an enemies-to-lovers romance, Spice Road is perfect read on a cool night with a cup of tea. Readers of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir also enjoyed Spice Road.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Along with being a fantasy with tea at its heart, and written by a Canadian author, it boasts one of my favourite tropes in a teen book, a magic competition! Ning inadvertently poisoned her sister with a cup of tea. Wracked with guilt and determined to save her, she enters a competition in the capital to become the kingdom’s next master of tea-brewing. Along with the position of master tea-brewer, the winner receives a royal favour which Ning means to use to find the cure for poison that is killing her sister and has already claimed many other lives. But Ning will need more than just her knowledge and skills as she quickly learns that not all the competitors are being treated equally – she is being sabotaged. The high stakes and world building will keep readers engaged. Lin excels at describing the ingredients that are used in the different teas throughout Ning’s journey. Readers who enjoyed Spin the Dawn will enjoy being immersed in this world.
After you’ve drained your cup and finished your book, there’s more tea to look forward to! These are two forthcoming tea-filled fantasy titles that I’m looking forward to reading.
The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
Three sisters own a tearoom in this debut novel and make their living by tea reading, using the dregs in the bottoms of their client’s cups to read their
fortunes. But after an encounter with the Council of Witches, their lives start being pulled in different directions, threatening to fulfill a curse intended to separate them from each other forever. Reviews promise a cozy fantasy with themes of sisterhood, love and hope.
Chai Jinxed by Emi Pinto
Chai Jinxed is a middle-grade novel that is set at Margaret’s Academy of Tea Brewing. Misha’s parents are owners of a teashop, but when a new tea shop opens across the street, circumstances will lead Misha to Margaret’s Academy of Tea Brewing, where she’ll come face to face with the rival tea shop’s daughter. But things are far worse than rival tea shops – something is not right at the academy, and Misha will have to save the day by perfecting the recipe for the perfect enchanted cup of chai. Chai Jinxed is a story filled with lessons of self-love, friendship and family.
Candice Blackwood is the coordinator at the Sunnyside Branch and lives by the C.S. Lewis quote: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
Ottawa — Vancouver — Montréal
A Love letter to the trees of the Farm
Review by Emma Bider
Pathways to the Trees at the Central Experimental Farm is part of an explosion of interest in urban forests and the individual trees within them. I can’t help but feel that the impetus for this book has something to do with the slow yet persistent encroachment on the Experimental Farm, from the controversial Civic Hospital expansion to a series of proposed high-rises that threaten to shade its fields.
The book is written by Eric Jones, Richard Hinchcliff and Roman Popadiouk and published by Friends of the Central Experimental Farm. It is divided into eight walks, along which the reader can journey through the history of the Experimental Farm from its establishment in 1889 to present day.
For those of us who enjoy walking through the Experimental Farm’s arboretum in all seasons, it can often feel like a stable, unchanging oasis in the rapidly changing downtown Ottawa. The authors insist that the Farm remains a dynamic place for research and experimentation. At its inception, trees were planted with the goal of identifying hardy fruit trees for Canada’s northern climate and suitable trees for farm shelterbelts. Today, the arboretum has transitioned into a place to test the suitability of trees in Ottawa’s increasingly warm, wet and unstable weather patterns. Of course, until the world stops emitting fossil fuels into the atmosphere and warming our climate, the effort to identify trees that can survive our changing climate will remain cutting edge.
The authors do not shy away from addressing climate change in their descriptions of the trees featured on the eight walks. Indeed, because so many trees in Ottawa’s urban forest are not “native” to the area, it is valuable to learn both where some trees came from and what led to their survival in Ottawa.
Take the Sweetgum tree, which you can see on the Lookout Walk. The Sweetgum grows in warmer climes in Central America and Mexico but also in Ottawa, due to impressive persistence beginning in 1893. For almost a century, each time the tree was planted in the arboretum, it was killed by our famously frigid winters. Then the two planted in 1993 survived and have just marked their 30th birthdays!
I also appreciate how the authors
consider the relationship among each tree, the urban environment and human impacts more broadly. The euonymus species (North Path Walk), for example, are “adaptable to city environments,” whereas the Greek Fir (Conifer Walk) does not handle urban pollutants well and is becoming rare in naturalized forests. According to the authors, “it was severely impacted by the extreme wildfires in Greece in 2007.”
Each tree is also given a paragraph or two on its uses by humans, which led to some enjoyable discoveries. I learned that the Korean Pine (Conifer Walk) produces the pine nuts used for cook ing in North America and that Bass wood bark (Lookout Walk) is “ideal for duck decoys.”
Though the authors often men tion the ways Indigenous peoples use various tree species, these comments seem quite generalized and are always written in the past tense. They use Indigenous, First Nations and “native” interchangeably, which an editor might have corrected. This is a shame, as a bit more research would have led to some valuable specificity. The Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Cultural Centre worked with the NCC on Remarkable Trees of Canada’s Capital in 2020, and I am sure they would have been happy to provide valuable context and tree names for this project.
Overall, Pathways to the Trees is an enjoyable love letter to the trees of the Experimental Farm at a time when they are increasingly at risk from urban stressors like road salt, air pollution and development. The authors demonstrate how much humans have relied (and continue to rely) on trees for sustenance, medicine and materials. The descriptions of efforts to hybridize and cultivate different species at the Farm illustrate the relationships that trees have with soil, geology and climate and also their unending adaptability. I ended my literary tour of the book’s eight walks with renewed appreciation for the Farm’s collection of urban trees and the Friends of the Farm’s efforts to keep them in our hearts and minds as they and our city continue to grow and change.
Emma Bider’s PhD thesis explores the relationship between humans and trees. She is active in defence of trees and writes often on climate change and the environment.
Pathways to the Trees at the Central Experimental Farm, by Eric Jones, Richard Hinchcliff and Roman Popadiouk. Ottawa, Friends of the Experimental Farm, 2024.
HINCHCLIFF
JONES
Assorted varieties Cheddar with Porcini, Cheddar Rubbed with Earl Grey & Smoked Cheddar with Apples & Walnut
Poet JC Sulzenko returns to Ottawa on Wednesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. to launch her third poetry collection, Life, after life—from epitaph to epilogue, at Perfect Books, 245A Elgin Street.
Writing under her pen name A. Garnett Weiss, she turns words and phrases found in obituaries into over 60 five-line poems about life. “This is a collection to read and savour, and then reread again for its concision, its tender apprehension of the lives examined, and for the sheer brilliance of its language.” (Deborah-Anne Tunney)
JC Sulzenko was the founder of the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter, serving as its curator for six years.
Copies of the book, published by Aeolus House, will be available at Perfect Books and at Octopus Books. For info and orders email info@ aeolushouse.com. Cost $20.00.
The evening will also feature Toronto poet Allan Briesmaster, reading from his 2024 collection, Later Findings “Briesmaster shows us the life-welllived gifts of self-examination and retrospection which are the hallmarks of his exquisite vision.” (Bruce Meyer)
a variety of activities, delicious meals, and companionship under our roof, why drive through snow when you can walk down the hall?
And if you need unexpected help, our residents take comfort knowing we’re available around the clock to offer assistance when it’s needed.
JC Sulzenko will read from her new poetry collection, Life, after life, on November 27 at Perfect Books.
Christmas just for the beauty of it
By Mikayla Odut and Janice Manchee
Who knew an agnostic would pen a beautiful and haunting choral work about Christmas? Rideau Chorale did, and they’re going to sing it.
“Ralph Vaughan Williams has been described as ‘an extremely English product’,” says Rideau Chorale music director Kevin Reeves. “That is, he’s a nonconformist, but he respects England’s best traditions.”
Vaughan Williams was born in 1872 into a family with strong roots in progressive and liberal thinking, including beliefs in abolition and strengthening the separation of church and state. Williams himself was an atheist for a time, but this later eased into a “cheerful agnosticism.”
The depth of Williams’ musical talent was not immediately apparent. He studied at the Royal College of Music both before and after he earned a doctorate in music at Cambridge. He also studied with Maurice Ravel and became a close confidant of Gustav Holst. But wider recognition eluded him.
It wasn’t until 1910 that he gained recognition with his piece “Fantasia on a Theme” by Thomas Tallis.
“Vaughan Williams believed music should speak to, and be available to, everyone,” says Reeves. “He collected folk songs passed through oral tradition and used them in many of his compositions, preserving them.”
Vaughan Williams volunteered for service in the First World War at the age of 42. He served as a stretcher-bearer in France and Greece. In 1917, he was commissioned and saw action in France.
His wartime experience devastated him, and he stopped writing music for a period on his return. Like many others, he suffered hearing loss, which led to deafness in his later years. His experience in war led to his stirring anti-war choral cantata “Dona Nobis Pacem” in 1936.
While not a fan of Brahms and Wagner, Williams’ love of J.S. Bach was evident in his long-time membership in London’s
Bach Choir, where he later became the music director.
“He tried out new compositions with the Bach Choir,” says Reeves, “and over a hundred years, later Rideau Chorale will once again pair these two composers at our upcoming concert.”
The concert is Saturday, December 7. Rideau Chorale will perform “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” by Vaughan William. Written for baritone, chorus and orchestra, it includes traditional English folk carols.
This will be paired this with Bach’s cantatas “The Newborn Infant Child” (122) and the famous and beloved “Sleepers Awake “(140).
Local composer Andrew Ager has also updated his “Carol Medley” for this concert, and the choir will perform Reeves’ “Gloucester Wassail.”
“We’re also hoping our audience will raise their voices and join us in a couple of traditional carols to round out the concert,” says Reeves.
So, all that’s missing is you! Put Saturday, December 7, 7:30 p.m., Southminster Church at 15 Aylmer, in your calendar, and get the holiday season off to a beautiful start!
Information about Rideau Chorale and its virtual and upcoming performances can be found at rideauchorale.com. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.ca.
Mikayla Odut is Rideau Chorale’s choir coordinator and Janice Manchee sings tenor.
NOVEMBER CONCERTS
Free concerts at 12 p m on Wednesdays at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue Freewill Offering, Live-streamed on YouTube
November 20 — At the Opera! Karim Nasr (18th c clarinet), Sallynee Amawat (18th c violin), and Francis Palma-Pelletier (18th c violone) play baroque-style trio arrangements of Mozart opera arias and excerpts
November 27 — The Colin Perry Quintet Colin Perry (vocals and guitar), Peter Mika (piano), Sage Reynolds (upright bass), Mark Wheaton (drums) and Michael Johancsik (reeds) – from Montreal – explore jazz music of the 1920s, 30s and 40s
Rideau Chorale will sing Vaughan Williams, J.S. Bach and others at its Christmas concert December 7 at Southminster Church.
Shop the Glebe for your chance to win one or more prizes including four Grand Prize $2,500 Glebe Shopping Sprees. Enter by December 8 for a chance to win 1 of 2 $1,000 Early Bird Prizes!
PICK UP YOUR GLEBE SPREE PASSPORT!
Available at participating Glebe merchants, or download a ballot at glebespree.ca.
SHOP THE GLEBE!
Collect a sticker for every $15 purchase.
When you reach $150, enter your ballot for your chance to win.
DOUBLE UP!
Every Tuesday each $15 purchase gets you TWO stickers!
SHOP OFTEN!
You never know when you can win an instant Any Day prize just for shopping at your favourite Glebe merchant! (Nov. 15-Dec. 15, 2024) 1 2 3 4
Bytown Voices in concert December 8
By Mary Forster
Bytown Voices Choir invites you to attend their annual December concert entitled Shadows and Light. Please join us at 3 pm on Sunday, December 8 at Knox Presbyterian Church where we will sing songs of the mysterious and angelic. Conducted by Joan Fearnley, the choir is accompanied by pianist Carla Klassen.
Among the featured songs are the classic “O Magnum Mysterium” and the lovely “La Nuit” by Jean-Phillipe Rameau from the popular movie Les Choristes . A suite of songs by Kevin Siegfried, “Angel of Light,” takes its inspiration from Shaker texts and tunes. Many of these texts were visionary in nature, based on trance encounters with angelic beings offering guidance and encouragement to the faithful, some given in enigmatic, otherworldly languages. Similarly, “Lunar Lullaby” by Jacob Narverud reminds us that in dreams we rediscover our link to the celestial.
Two pieces inspired by the Romantic poet William Blake embody our contrasting themes of shadow and light in “Tyger” and “The Lamb.” Mystery and nightmare are both found in Gabriel Fauré’s “Les Djinns” and “A Dance of Ghosts, A Midnight Revel” by Hector Berlioz.
More seasonal fare is offered in “Iesous ahatonnia’” (Jesus is Born), a new arrangement of the “Huron Carol” by Sarah Quartel with texts by Wendat poet Andrée Levesque Sioui. This timely version celebrates the valued example of those who have gone before to teach us the way to live in a circle of inclusion and friendship. Both the
Basque carol “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came” and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” continue our Christmas theme.
Joan Fearnley has directed Bytown Voices for more than eight years. Her leadership experience includes years conducting both the women’s and children’s choirs at Notre Dame Basilica on Sussex Drive. She is a noted soprano soloist whose years of vocal training contribute to her teaching skills.
Knox Presbyterian Church is located at 120 Lisgar Street, corner of Lisgar and Elgin. Children 12 and under are free to attend the concert, adults are $20. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bytownvoices.com as of November 1 and at the door on concert day. Parking is available at the nearby City Hall lot (entrance on Laurier Avenue) and for free on the street.
Bytown Voices is a “no audition necessary” choir of mixed voices, soprano, alto, bass and tenor. No previous choir experience is necessary. Children aged nine and up are eligible for membership too, making the Bytown a true community choir. We encourage parents to join with their children and are especially interested in recruiting more tenor and bass voices. We need you! Members benefit from many online learning supports offered in a nurturing environment. For more information on registering for our January term, go to our website, www.bytownvoices.com.
Mary Forster has sung with Bytown Voices for more than four years. She strongly encourages anyone who loves to sing to try out Bytown Voices. It’s a fine choir with a supportive ethic.
Songs of mystery and the angelic are featured in the Bytown Voices concert. ART: STOCKCAKE
Gender dynamics on slow simmer
Daddio (USA, 2023)
Director: Christy Hall
Review by Iva Apostolova
Daddio is written and directed by Christy Hall whose credits include the recent mildly controversial It Ends with Us (2024). What really caught my attention with Daddio, though, was not the star power but rather the mis-en-scène. It’s not that the star power is lacking. Quite the contrary, both Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn have proven themselves as actors who can carry entire movies on their shoulders. And although the trailer made me believe that this was thriller of sorts, à la Robert De Niro’s 1976 Taxi Driver, the fact that the entire movie takes place in a car (a New York yellow cab, to be precise) was enough of a hook for me to press “play.”
I have always had a soft spot for stripped-down-tothe-bare-essentials plays and movies: To me, nothing shows skill more than having to perform in a minimalist setting. One of my favourite movies of all times is Locke, a 2013 drama starring Tom Hardy. It’s an hour and 25 minutes of Tom Hardy talking on the phone while driving, and although Inception was the one that put him on the map, his talent has never shone brighter than in Locke!
Even though Daddio does have a somber, glancesin-rear-view-mirror feel to it, it is most certainly not a thriller. When a young woman (Dakota Johnson) gets in the yellow cab at JFK, the cabbie (Sean Penn), though appraising her with the eyes of an old geezer, at first keeps the interactions to the bare minimum of small talk. But as the journey continues, they strike up a conversation with such depth and intimacy that it proves, by the end of it, both cathartic and transformative for the protagonists. Johnson’s character, whose name we never learn, is a young, 20s- or 30s-something woman of conventional beauty. As we learn
from the frequent buzzes and pings on her phone, she is in a relationship with a much older, married man. Clark, the cabbie, on the other hand, has the skills of a good psychologist, even if not the credentials of one – he manages to guess Johnson’s character’s woes and preoccupations by reading the situation and her body language accurately.
In a way, both Johnson’s and Penn’s characters are archetypal. The woman is young, desirable and embodies the modern feminist values of independence, sexual liberation and enviable openness to the world. The cabbie is an old geezer whose views, as the young woman exclaims, embody “everything that is wrong with our society” – he is quick to objectify beauty, crude in his understanding of gender dynamics, and he is ultimately a representative of the heteronormative, patriarchal order. And yet not only do they end up, as if by pure accident and surprise to
both, sharing their most intimate desires and deeply entrenched fears, but they also find the golden mean – what the great French feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir prescribes as the necessary “inter-gender camaraderie,” the baseline for any healthy gender power dynamics. Daddio will delight the viewer with its low-key, slow-simmer story development, which gives a surprisingly fulfilling resolution, without sloganeering or politically motivated plot twists and turns.
Iva Apostolova is associate professor and vice-rector, research and academic, at Saint Paul University and a regular Glebe Report contributor on films and TV.
Running time: 1h 40m
Rated R Streaming on Prime Video
Community policing and the Glebe
By James Kennedy
The Glebe has long been regarded as one of the city’s most vibrant and desirable communities, blending historic charm with modern conveniences. Maintaining its safety, sense of community and overall quality of life has been a priority for residents and local authorities alike. Everyone wants to feel safe in their community, and the Ottawa Police Services (OPS) community policing strategy continues to evolve to meet the unique challenges faced by the Glebe and surrounding neighborhoods.
I would like to first give an overview of where we are in the world of policing, as well as some of the current approaches to address the changing landscape. Secondly, I will discuss some of the crime trends we are seeing in the city and compare those trends with what we’re seeing in the Glebe. Finally, I will touch on what you can do as residents and business owners to help mitigate some of those trends by discussing a few Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
Ottawa, like many cities across Canada, is grappling with a toxic drug supply and a housing crisis. Overdose prevention services and harm-reduction programs, such as supervised consumption sites and safe-supply programs are in place, but they struggle to meet the growing demand.
This crisis is closely linked to homelessness, which has surged across North America due to substance abuse and to a lack of affordable housing and mental-health supports. Shelter and support services are overwhelmed, leaving many without stable housing unable to access to the help they need.
Efforts to address the crisis in this city include the increased investment in affordable and supportive housing, the further implementation of Housing First initiatives, the expansion of
crime across Ottawa, including in the Glebe. Property crimes include things such as thefts of motor vehicles, thefts of bicycles, shoplifting and mischief to property. While crimes against the person and other miscellaneous crimes have remained stable over the last six years, crimes against property have not.
If you would like further insight into the types of crimes and trends we are seeing in your neighbourhood, you can check out our Community Safety Data Portal at data.ottawapolice. ca. Our data analytics team has put together open datasets for the public to explore at their convenience. You can see our Crime Map and our Analytics
dashboards that chart crimes like car thefts, bike thefts or overdose calls from 2018 to 2023.
To counteract the trends we are seeing, I think it’s important to discuss CPTED principles. CPTED focuses on the management of the built and natural environments. The idea is that if we can properly design and use the built environment, we can reduce the incident of crime altogether.
I will focus on a few core principles: natural surveillance, natural control access and a few second-generation CPTED principles – social cohesion and connectivity.
Natural surveillance is the concept of
providing clear sightlines and visibility to decrease the ability for criminals to commit crimes. This includes trimming trees and hedges as well as lighting pathways or installing motion-activated lights around your property. This can be further enhanced with mechanical surveillance, which is installing smart-home cameras or doorbells on your property.
Natural control access decreases crime opportunity by creating clearly defined boundaries and restricting movement for unwanted visitors. This includes the installation of fences, low walls or hedges along with locks and alarms.
Finally, there are the concepts of social cohesion and connectivity. Social cohesion refers to the connectedness of residents. When there is more social cohesion, residents participate in community life as well as provide environments for neighbours to build relationships. Connectivity is the idea that communities should provide the opportunity to create partnerships with external support networks. Those networks could be like the ones you may already have with your city councillor, the Glebe BIA or your community officer.
I believe social cohesion and connectivity are the key principles that have led this neighbourhood to be such a desirable and active community. As engaged residents, please continue to report any incidents online via our online reporting website at ottawapolice.ca/onlinereporting or through our police reporting unit at (613) 236-1222 ext 7300. These reports are pivotal to the continued collection and tracking of data at OPS as well as to the effective allocation of our resources.
If you are a resident or small business owner, you can request a free CPTED audit at CPTED@ottawapolice.ca.
If you would like to discuss any of this information further or have any other concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kennedyj@ottawapolice.ca.
Constable James Kennedy is an Ottawa community police officer.
Yasir Naqvi
MP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-946-8682
E yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca
Good news on Ottawa’s housing front
Two years of hard work, creative vision and collaboration are bearing fruit!
When I called together a dynamic group of community leaders composed of members from the private sector, industry associations and civil society to form the Downtown Revitalization Task Force, we acknowledged the urgency of the task ahead of us in addressing the challenges facing our city.
When the Task Force released its strategy this past spring, we intentionally referred to it as a road map. We were embarking on an exciting journey for the city of Ottawa, one that would take us beyond traditional urban development strategies to become truly creative in addressing the multiple challenges facing our city today.
As a first step, we had to break down the silos that too often cripple our ability to effectively implement lasting solutions. We fostered a culture of consultation, collaboration, ambition and saying “yes” through our work together and, I, for my part, am determined to bring the federal government to the table as one of those purposeful and dynamic partners.
I’m proud to represent a community that believes in “yes in my backyard” and am thrilled to share great news with you on the housing front. Constituents have prioritized the importance of developing a range of housing options, including affordable housing for low-income residents, social housing for vulnerable populations and market-rate housing for middle-income residents.
When I pass by an empty lot in Ottawa Centre, I immediately think that here is a place where homes can be built. The transformation of just such a valuable parcel of land is being realized with Phase One of the Gladstone Village Project. It was wonderful to join in the groundbreaking ceremony, knowing this land was made available in 2017 to Ottawa Community Housing by the federal government below market value. By the end of 2026, residents will be welcomed into 336 affordable homes located close to
public transit and city amenities. Once this eight-acre parcel, situated west of the downtown core, north of Gladstone Avenue and Highway 417, is fully developed, 1,100 new homes will have been constructed!
In addition to new construction on available land, the conversion of existing office buildings into vibrant residential hubs holds enormous potential. The creation of the Canada Public Land Bank this past August, the first step under the new Public Lands for Homes Plan, saw 90 properties placed in the Bank with 31 of those properties located right here in Ottawa.
Five properties located at Tunney’s Pasture are included in the Bank, which is great news as this will serve to expedite their development. I am confident that builders will express interest sooner in developing these properties in line with the Tunney’s Pasture Master Plan and community consultation. Phase One development is envisioned to begin within two years and upon completion will see a minimum of 20 per cent of the units dedicated to affordable housing with some of those units being deeply affordable.
The Dream LeBreton project, which is now in full swing, looks to welcome its first occupants in early 2026. This first major post-pandemic, high-rise building in the city will see 41 per cent or 241 of its residential units being deemed affordable or below market rents. In addition to the significant offering of affordable units, the entire project will allow residents to live affordably with a focus on sustainabil ity, inclusivity and accessibility.
Bike lanes save lives
Lately, Queen’s Park has felt like the Twilight Zone.
That reference may be lost on some readers, so I’ll explain further.
The Twilight Zone was a sci-fi television show created by Rod Serling, and the original series ran from 1959 to 1964. Episodes typically used themes of absurdism, surrealism, suspense or horror, often as forms of insightful social commentary.
The debate lately at Queen’s Park has been a mix of all these themes.
The tone has been set by Premier Doug Ford, who announced an interest to “study the feasibility” of a tunnel under Highway 401 to address traffic gridlock. Experts said the cost of such a project could amount to $55 billion or more, and that it would take
Joel Harden
MPP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-722-6414
E JHarden-CO@ndp.on.ca
is true. He has yet to produce any evidence supporting these plans, because evidence doesn’t matter in the premier’s Twilight Zone. His ideas are absurd, and that was the point.
The premier’s goal is to provoke others, sow division and fill the media with debate on his terms. This is the Donald Trump strategy that has been used to great effect in the United States.
But there is a cost to the premier’s careless regard for road safety. He ignores horrifying and preventable tragedies in our streets caused by impaired, distracted and reckless drivers.
Younger generations are also looking for a path to affordable ownership. New mortgage rules came into effect on August 1 to help them and other first-time home buyers, including 30-year amortization periods for first-time buyers and buyers of new builds as well as the ability to switch lenders on mortgage renewal without having to requalify. The creation of the tax-free First Home Savings Account, allowing for a maximum lifetime contribution of $40,000, can be combined with the Home Buyers Plan, which increased the maximum amount that can be withdrawn from an RRSP to $60,000 to go toward the down payment for acquiring or building a qualifying home.
I set a goal of seeing 1,400 new affordable housing units constructed during my mandate, and we are well on the way to achieving and exceeding that commitment. I look forward to championing the shared vision of our Redevelopment Strategy in the years ahead.
And would this tunnel reduce traffic? No.
In a context where public transit is less desirable (because it is underfunded), more highways create induced demand, i.e., more cars, and more traffic.
The “401 tunnel” was the follow-up to declaring war on bike lanes. Legislation was tabled when the Legislature returned requiring municipalities to seek provincial approval for bike lanes that replace vehicular lanes. All to reduce traffic congestion in our streets.
But that won’t happen, and the premier’s advisors likely know this
Even worse, the premier has threatened to rip up existing bike lanes in Toronto that he deems to be impediments. He has even offered to compensate municipalities (with public funds) for bike-lane removal. How generous of him.
Some will insist my reasoning here is flawed. What empathy do I have for car drivers struck in traffic, they might ask, who languish beside bike lanes that sit empty? Does that really make any sense?
I have great empathy for drivers stuck in traffic. I’ve been that driver many times when I’ve taken a car from Ottawa to Queen’s Park.
And there are traffic solutions.
Like funding public transit, allowing trucks on Highway 407 and building bike lanes so people move efficiently in our communities. But that won’t happen by peddling in disinformation.
The Toronto bike lanes infuriating Ford are well used, and that usage is growing. The same is true for Ottawa’s bike lanes. Here in the real world, people want safe places to walk and roll.
And guess what? In November 2017, after the premier had a bike ride with then MPP Jagmeet Singh, he agreed.
“You’re nervous when there’s no bike lanes,” he told a TVO camera crew. “At least I was. We have to do everything we can to make sure there’s never a death in the city. One death is too many when it comes to bicycle riders.”
What explains the premier’s change of heart? Crass politics. And that’s why we must organize now for safe streets. Because bike lanes save lives.
The following is part of a continuing series of profiles of servicemen from the Glebe and St. Matthew’s Anglican Church who gave their lives to Canada and the pursuit of peace in the Second World War. We commemorate and remember their passing 80 years ago.
GORDON DRUMMOND SIM
By Kevan Pipe
Gordon Sim was born in Kitchener on August 10, 1914, son of David and Cora Sim, one of eight children. A scholar at local schools, he emerged as president of the Student Council. He then went on to and graduated from Waterloo College in 1937, then got his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Ontario. He continued his studies at University of Toronto in 1937-38, doing post-graduate work in English literature.
On March 26, 1937, he married Mildred Roedding, and they moved to Ottawa in the summer of 1938. Gordon attended Teachers College at the Ottawa Normal School, which now functions as part of Ottawa City Hall on Elgin Street.
At that time, he joined St. Matthew’s Church. Years before, he was a chorister and Sunday School teacher at Kitchener’s St. John’s Anglican Church. He began teaching in Ottawa public schools in 1938 while living in the Glebe at 921 Bronson Ave, opposite Old Sunset Blvd.
Just 10 months after the outbreak of the Second World War, on July 12, 1940, he enlisted in the Highland Light Infantry and was assigned to the Canadian Officers Training Corps at University of Ottawa. After a year there, Captain Sim emerged as a proud member of the Highlanders of the Canadian Third Division, with his unit shipped to England that same month to begin training in Scotland.
For three years, the Highlanders trained intensively and formed part of Canada’s troop commitment in what has become one of the most famous battles in history. In final preparation for Operation Overlord, D-Day, the Highlanders were inspected by none other than King George V on June 4, 1944, prior to boarding their transport ship later that same day. The Highlanders stormed Juno Beach at 11 a.m. on June 6 as part of the first wave of 15,000 Canadian troops who went in that day. Sim survived the beach assault and immediately moved into the town of Berniers-Sur-Mer.
In the weeks following, the Highlanders were an important part of the Canadian assault on the city of Caen in July as well as in the Battle of
In from the Cold...
For every winter coat purchased in November, we donate $5.00 to support the “Out-of-the-Cold” hot suppers at Southminster United Church. Feel warm all over.
the Falaise Gap in August, all part of the Battle of Normandy and the liberation of France from more than four years of Nazi occupation.
In what has to be one of the most amazing stories involving Canadian soldiers in the Second World War, the Highlanders were about to attack German forces holed up in the village of Tournai-sur-dive on August 21. Promoted now to Major, Sim was approached at the eleventh hour by the village priest, Father Launay, and a German 7th Army Officer, as the Canadians made final preparations for an assault on the village and its occupiers. With the village priest brokering a deal, the German forces signalled they were prepared to negotiate a surrender to protect the lives of the 500 remaining villagers.
In a story which was finally revealed and told to all Canadians in 1961, a reporter documented what happened in Canada’s now defunct Weekend Magazine. Sim, by himself and armed only with his Tommy gun, entered the village to finalize the deal. Following final negotiations with German officers, Sim marched all 2,000 German troops out of the village where they surrendered to the Highlanders.
A little more than two weeks later, on September 6, while out on patrol with his men to check on German troop action, Sim was killed when his jeep ran over a buried landmine near the city of Rouen. Deeply affected by the loss of their popular leader (and unit accordion player), the soldiers of the Highland Light Infantry gave the 30-year-old major a full military funeral the next day in a local church cemetery.
Major Sim is remembered at Waterloo College and Seminary, University of Western Ontario as well as at St. Matthew’s Church in the Glebe. He will always be remembered by the villagers of Tournai-sur-dive, thanks to the village priest, Father Launay, who made Sim’s heroics public. He is buried at the Calais Canadian War Cemetery in Leubringhen, alongside 703 other Canadian and Commonwealth soldiers.
Kevan Pipe is a Glebe resident and member of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.
Members of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada of the 9th Infantry BDE of the 3rd Canadian Division at Normandy take a break around accordion player Captain Gordon Sim.
Captain Gordon Sim, a Glebe resident, was killed in action in September 1944 in France.
30 Years Ago in the Glebe Report
by Ian McKercher
Volume 22, Number 10, November 4, 1994 (44 pages)
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
The November 4, 1994, edition of the Glebe Report was dominated by articles and advertising for the upcoming (November 14) Ottawa election. There were 38 write-ups for candidates. Glebe residents would be voting for regional chair, a regional councillor, a mayor, a citycouncillor and school board trustees. Several candidates’ meetings were planned.
There were only two candidates in Ward 9 (current Capital Ward 17), Jim Carson and Jim Watson. Carson threw his hat into the ring when he learned that Watson, seeking his second term on council, was going to be acclaimed. (Jim Watson went on to win 89 per cent of the vote).
GCC RENNOVATION
The Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group hosted the second in a series of public meetings on the renovation of the community centre on October 24. A wide cross-section of ages and interest groups were represented at the meeting. Comments from participants indicated that the community valued the unique site of the centre and the ambience it provided. The “dome” was recognized as distinctive and had a special place in the neighbourhood.
It was felt that the current programming aptly reflected the needs of the community and that non-structured activities, support groups, self-help classes and cultural events were as important as the structured recreational and day-care services.
CENTRAL PARK REPLANTING
On Saturday October 15, 35 volunteers turned out to help with Phase 3 of the Central Park replanting project. The work was funded by the Environmental Foundation of Canada Trust. Over 250 tulip bulbs were planted, along with hollyhocks and lupins. Weeding was done and the the walkways were edged. The City of Ottawa would plant two lilac trees and two white spruce later.
Refreshments were provided by McKeen’s Loeb Glebe, Lightning Bakery, Croissant Express, Glebe Meat Market, Loblaws and Morala.
This retrospective is filed bi-monthly by Ian McKercher of the Glebe Historical Society. The society welcomes the donation or loan (for copying) of any item documenting Glebe history (photographs, maps, surveys, news articles, posters, programs, memorabilia, etc.). Contact Ian at 613-235-4863 or ian.s.mckercher@gmail.com. Note: All back issues of the Glebe Report to June 1973 can be viewed on the Glebe Report website at www.glebereport.ca under the PAST ISSUES menu.
Ottawa to Caen Letters from Arthur Campbell Wilkinson
Edited by Alta Wilkinson
Private Arthur Campbell Wilkinson of 43 Strathcona Avenue was one of 48 servicemen from St. Matthew’s Anglican Church who were killed in action in either the First or Second World Wars.
Arthur Wilkinson was born in April 1920. He attended Glebe Collegiate where he was a basketball star (1934-38) but left school six credits short of junior matriculation. He left Ottawa by train in December 1939 to go to war.
During his four-and-a-half-year journey through the war until his death in July 1944 in the Battle of Verrieres Ridge, he wrote 109 letters, mostly to his mother Alta Wilkinson, some to his father Curtis and younger brothers David and Richard. He refers to his family members as Mother and the 4 Ds – Dad, David, sister Dottie (Dorothy) and Dick (Richard). In one letter in 1940, he tells his mom how enjoyable it was listening to Foster Hewitt's radio broadcast of game six of the Stanley Cup finals between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs, with the Rangers capturing the cup. It made him homesick, knowing that his parents
were likely listening to the same broadcast 3,000 miles away.
After his death, his mother Alta Wilkinson compiled the letters along with some cherished photos, two documents from King George V and the devastating telegram announcing her son’s death into a book, which was published in Ottawa by Tower Books in February 1947. The book, titled Ottawa to Caen; Letters from Arthur Campbell Wilkinson, was reviewed by the Ottawa Journal on Valentine’s Day that year. A copy of the book is held at St Mathew’s Anglican Church where it can be consulted.
Alta Wilkinson was selected as Canada’s National Silver Cross Mother in 1975 and represented all mothers who lost a son or daughter in war service to Canada. She later wrote a book on the National Silver Cross Mothers Association (Remembrance Association, Silver Cross Women of Canada) and became its president. She attended almost every ceremony at the Cenotaph until her passing at age 92 in 1990.
Kevan Pipe is a Glebe resident and member of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.
From the files of Kevan Pipe
How to prevent injuries throughout seasonal changes
By Valérie Robichaud
As fall settles in and cooler weather takes over, many people experience aches, pains and increased stiffness in their joints. These seasonal changes impact comfort and mobility for people of all ages. The good news is it doesn’t have to slow you down. There are helpful strategies and preemptive measures to help prevent seasonal stiffness and aches. Collaborative health care targeting the musculoskeletal (MSK) system can help manage these issues. Here are three tips to help prevent injuries and keep you active this season.
1. The Importance of Daily Movement
As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, it’s important to stay active and move your body in some capacity every day. Daily movement keeps your joints functioning well and muscles flexible. Incorporating a warm-up routine before activities can help prevent injury and improve mobility. We recommend active or dynamic stretching daily. Active stretching is a simple way to stretch while activating the muscles. For example, active shoulder stretching can be a gentle shoulder roll. Active stretching puts your focus on the muscle warm-up and less on the stretch. These will leave you feeling warmed up and ready to tackle the cooler weather. Active stretching also has long-term mobility benefits. Don’t let the cooler weather be an excuse to stop moving this season – simple actions like walking your dog, light
cycling or indoor exercises can make a big difference. Consult a chiropractor or physiotherapist for more information on the right exercises for your activity level and specific health goals.
2. Stay Safe in Slippery Conditions
One of the biggest hazards during the fall and winter is slipping on black ice. Preventing falls is key for this time of year. We recommend checking your outdoor sneakers and boots for wear and tear. Check the sole to make sure the treads are not worn down and ensure your outerwear is watertight. Shoes with proper treads and support make a big difference in your stability on slippery steps and walkways. Watertight boots will prevent additional weight from water in the shoe material, leaving you lighter on your feet. Custom foot orthotics are now made of lightweight and durable materials that can help with conditions that require additional support.
Additionally, we recommend wearing crampons or grips on your outdoor shoes when heading out during slippery conditions such as black ice, slush or snow. These add extra traction to your every step and are especially useful for walking on sidewalks, driveways and trails. Before stepping out, always check your front steps and walkways for slippery patches. Clearing snow regularly will avoid the buildup of slush and ice. Sanding, salting and a rubber doormat are trusty measures not to forget this season to help prevent slips and falls.
3. Balance and Vision
Equally important is your balance. Balance is a major player in keeping you safe in slippery conditions. Many of us wear prescription glasses to help us see the world and the steps in front of us. Having your vision checked and your eyewear prescription updated can help prevent tripping. Cleaning your glasses at home using a small drop of mild dish soap and warm water will keep your eyewear and obstacles clear. Take your time and be mindful of glasses fogging up when going in and out of the cold. As we age, we often see a slow decrease in balance. We can help with exercise programs targeting stability and core-strengthening exercises to improve your balance. By checking your footwear and eyewear before heading out and targeting your
balance through exercises, you will be on the right path to prevent falls when things go “slideways” this season.
Collaborative Care for the Whole Family
Chiropractic care, physiotherapy and massage therapy are powerful in supporting you and your family’s MSK health. Manual therapies help improve joint mobility, ease muscle tension and speed recovery from injuries.
Dr. Valérie Robichaud is a chiropractor at CURAVITA Health Group, located at 108 A Third Avenue. To learn more about how you can support your spine, muscles and joints, no matter the weather, go to www.curavita.com or 613-237-9000.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
By Sue Reive
Many older people notice stiffness in their joints first thing in the morning. It usually subsides in about 20 minutes once you get up and get moving. This is typical of osteoarthritis. If you notice the pain and joint stiffness increases and lasts two to three hours after rising, you may have an inflammatory disorder. One such condition is Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR).
PMR is an inflammatory condition that typically occurs with sudden onset as pain and marked stiffness in the neck and shoulders. People come in with very little neck movement and often cannot lift their arms above shoulder height. The pain can interfere with sleep and make the activities of daily life very difficult.
Most often it affects the neck and shoulders, but it can also affect the hips and knees. Other symptoms include fatigue and just not feeling well. There may be a low-grade fever. PMR is often associated with temporal arteritis inflammation, which is due to giant cell arteritis. People with temporal arteritis will have inflammation of the temporal artery in the head and will complain of headaches, jaw pain
and visual problems. It is important to diagnose this condition as it can cause a stroke or blindness if not treated. The cause of PMR is not known. There could be a genetic predisposition, or it could be caused by a virus. It is most often seen in people between 70 and 80 years of age and in women more than men. To confirm a diagnosis of PMR, a blood test will often reveal an increase in inflammatory markers. Treatment requires specific medication, usually prednisone to relieve the symptoms. Patients will feel a dramatic improvement in 48 hours on the medication. Gradually, the doctor will try to reduce the dosage of prednisone without allowing the PMR symptoms to flare up. Patients may need to be on prednisone for a year.
Physical therapy is also helpful to help maintain range of motion of the joints. Once the pain and stiffness have subsided, conditioning exercises can begin. It is also important to have a healthy diet, exercise and get plenty of rest to allow healing.
Sue Reive is a physiotherapist at Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics Glebe on Third Avenue.
Glebe-St. James – this is my church!
By Pam Fitch
Glebe-St. James recently welcomed the Right Reverend Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, moderator of the United Church, who reminded us that in Indigenous teachings, the world is a place of abundance. She invited us to remain grounded in the awesome nature of God’s created order and to stay hopeful, even when everything coming at us makes no sense. These words have reminded me that staying hopeful and remaining focused on our purpose are some of the biggest lessons I have learned from my time at Glebe-St. James. Hopeful, joyful, focused: this is my church.
This church plays an important role in the Glebe, in the LGBT2S+ community and for anyone wanting to commit to social justice and inclusion. A longtime community hub and an affirming ministry, Glebe-St. James welcomes people from all walks of life, gender identity, culture and generation. This is radical hospitality at its best and contrasts markedly with the fearful political realities of these days. We try to make sure that each new person is warmly greeted and invited to join in whatever activities are happening.
Like many churches at this time of year, we try to draw the community into our hall by hosting a bazaar. Glebe-St. James’ bazaar is a muchloved fundraiser for the church and features treasures, kids’ toys, puzzles, quilting, handcrafts and baking. So much baking! The bazaar happens this year on Saturday, Nov. 23. Doors open at 10 a.m.
Many participate in Glebe-St. James because they want to give back to their community and help those in need. Glebe-St. James led the community in establishing Ottawa Public Foods (OPF), a community fridge in Centretown. OPF sustained a fire in May, but its volunteers continued to host pop-up food events through the summer until OPF recently reopened, thanks to incredible efforts by volunteers. Glebe-St. James also partners with Centre 507 and the Centretown Community Food Centre, as well as participating in a collective of 22 other churches in the Centretown Churches Social Action Committee to help in social projects and housing initiatives. The church creates opportunities for engagement. The women’s intergenerational group (WIG) has adopted “One Plane Away,” a Nunavut organization that helps to bring baby clothes and supplies to young mothers in the North. Glebe Montessori School also calls Glebe-St. James home, and more than 100 children attend its K-6 elementary school and nursery program. Committed to righting relations
with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, Glebe-St. James provides learning opportunities and direct funding for local Indigenous organizations. As part of its community outreach on Orange Shirt Day, September 30, the Christian Development team engaged children from Glebe Montessori School to cut out and hang orange t-shirts on the large medicine wheel sculpture on Lyon St. The tiny orange shirts represent the thousands of children harmed by residential schools.
Many individuals tell us that they come to Sunday services at Glebe-St. James for the peace and quiet of the sanctuary, to reflect and to sing together. Someone told me she “came for the music but stayed for the people.” Many have mentioned that they love the dramatic arches in the sanctuary that create such beautiful acoustics for musical events. Some people attend the knitting group or play chess as a way to reconnect socially. Others join the choir, joyfully singing anthems and hymns together. Since the pandemic, the number of people singing in the choir has doubled, and we fre quently discover new faces in the con gregation who are seeking a church community. In addition, the Glebe-St. James YouTube channel, website and Facebook page provide connection and services for our online community who may live far away or cannot attend in person.
Social scientists tell us that churches and community engagement provide important, maybe even essential ways to strengthen our societies. Being a part of a church like Glebe-St. James teaches everyone about volunteering, partici pation in inspiring projects, giving, receiving, compassion and joy. Sing ing together, sharing concerns, lis tening to thoughtful messages and problem-solving strengthen our church and our community. This is my church. Come join us! You’d be welcome.
Pam Fitch sings in the choir and is a long-time member of the Glebe-St. James congregation.
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
November 21, 2024, at 6 PM
VISIT LYCÉE CLAUDEL
November 25, 2024, at 9:15 AM
FROM PRE-K TO GRADE 12 OPEN HOUSE
The Glebe-St. James choir warms up.
Ottawa Public Foods Community Fridge, a Glebe-St. James community support project
Please support our advertisers!
To advertise on glebereport.ca and in the Glebe Report email advertising@glebereport.ca
Faruque Sarkar, a member of Abbotsford House, lives in the Glebe. Abbotsford held a poetry writing session in May, which got Faruque’s artistic juices flowing. Here is the poem, about Abbotsford itself, that resulted.
ABBOTSFORD in the GLEBE
By Faruque Sarkar
I came back.
Many years have I trodden. the dusty planet Perhaps millions of steps over the hills and plains in many countries.
From Angor Wat and Taj Mahal To Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls Across the plains of Bengal and the seas of Alaska and beyond.
No wonder my knees are wobbly and my legs are tired, my head is hanging low. I remembered the city I love in the country I love, where I walked to the café to be with friends and chat or perhaps watch a few hockey games. Go for a leisurely walk and watch the sunset on Dows Lake. I yearned to come back home.
So, I packed my bag and said my goodbyes. And off I went to my home.
But something is not the same. As I looked and searched and wondered Am I in the city I love, in the country I love? Where are my friends?
Where are the friendly faces? In the cafes, in the stores, in the streets, who greeted me – hi Buddy? how are you?
I was away too many years and People have moved on with their lives. Familiar stores and cafes are closed.
I was sad and desolate and walked. Aimlessly, on the road, the parks, the center town There was Bank Street, my old haunt. The memories flooded my mind.
As I walked along the long road Suddenly, I saw it, a not so old beautiful building Dwarfed by tall ones all around. I have seen it before but have not noticed.
As I looked closely a face appeared
A friendly smiling face, and said Hi!! Do you want to come in? I looked around, but no one else the face was talking to me.
So, I strode in
A whole room full of happy smiling faces looked at me in a very friendly way.
There was Pat and Patty
Bill and Ray and Carol and Judy Susan, Alexandra, and Elleni Kirsten and Joan and Gina and Bruce And so many more
Hello, Hello, Hello
Do you want to join us?
Have a tea or coffee, perhaps a muffin?
Do you do pottery and painting or perhaps you play bridge and write poetry.
How about Tai Chi or table tennis
Or would you rather prefer yoga. Have lunch with us and come to the speakers’ forum? They looked at me with inviting eyes I knew I was here, my city has found me a home.
I have found friends
Thay have changed names and faces but they are here, with their bubbly spirit and love to accept me amongst them as a friend
I am home at last in the city I love, in the country that I love Abbotsford, I am here.
Faruque Sarkar, author of the poem “Abbotsford in the Glebe” PHOTO: PAT GOYECHE
Fall pigenomic update: gold bullion up, everything else down!
Many economists are now turning to pigenomics, looking for long-term financial solutions and economic stability. For those in the know, pigenomics has long been dismissed as a serious economic theory given it has but a single tenet: “Gold is great!” Believed to have been birthed by the Greek philosopher Swineocrates in the fifth century, the tenet has been followed for centuries by guinea pigs worldwide. The little pigs collect, store and trade in gold bullion, and gold bullion alone.
And now in these uncertain times – and with the price today of gold at over $2,700 per troy ounce, up an astounding $300 since April – the guinea pigs look like prescient geniuses. “Some may remember that in 2016, the biped Central Bank of Canada sold off all but 77 ounces of its gold reserves. Pigonomists criticized this move deeply, but also smartly advised pigizens to buy up the gold, which they happily did,” chuckled Roam Vronsky, a local political pundit pigeon.
But other economists are not so pro-pigonomist, claiming the so-called theory is baseless, and gold-bullion hoarding is just a cultural practice that happened to get lucky. “Look, Swineocrates didn’t even write his theory down. The statement ascribed to him is just a line in a Playdough play! Guinea pigs just like gold because they can bite on it!” sputtered an angry Ima Kanga, head of Squirrel Bank.
Others allege this is just squirrel sour grapes. Indeed, the Squirrel Bank is currently being sued for “misplacing” a significant portion of its investments. “They buried it, but they don’t remember where!” said Squigalus, one of the plaintiffs in the classaction suit.
Meanwhile, Glebe guinea pigs have taken to selling their extra gold bullion, hoping to make massive profits. “Well, we’ll see how it works out,” offered Roam Vronsky. “They only trade in gold bullion . . . and they’re charging two gold bullions per bullion.”
By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius.com
Corpus Christi students show their giving spirit!
By Jodi Ashton
The students and families of Corpus Christi Catholic School have once again demonstrated incredible generosity! We recently wrapped up two important fundraising initiatives, and the results were truly inspiring.
First, a huge thank you to everyone in our community who contributed to our food drive in support of the Centretown Community Food Centre. The donations totaled an amazing 447 non-perishable food items! These much-needed items will help to provide nutritious meals for individuals and families in our community who are struggling with food insecurity.
We also want to express our sincere gratitude for the incredible support we received for our Terry Fox Run/Walk/Roll. We surpassed our $1,000 goal and raised $1,085 for the Terry Fox Foundation! The students showed their pride by running for someone they loved who has been impacted by cancer. This money will go towards vital cancer research, bringing us closer to finding a cure for this disease.
The success of these initiatives is a testament to the kindness and compassion of our Corpus Christi and Glebe community. We are so proud of our staff, students and families for their willingness to give back and make a difference in the lives of others. They truly embody our Ottawa Catholic School Board's spiritual theme, “We are called to open doors, build bridges and nourish new beginnings.”
Nili Kaplan-Myrth OCDSB Trustee, Zone 9
Change is needed
It is a difficult time to sit down to write an update as an Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustee. There is a lot going on within the school district, within the community and around the world.
Many of you are no doubt wondering about our Elementary Program Review (EPR). I would love to tell you more, but that is not possible because no decisions have been made. However, I can tell you that I have considered the data gathered by OCDSB from extensive community consultations. I have read the literature review that was presented to us, listened to experts in inclusive education and bilingual/ multilingual program delivery models, and attended the Special Education Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Equity to hear additional community feedback on the EPR.
The bottom line is that we have identified significant disparities in educational experiences and outcomes that, as your trustee, I am prepared to address. If you have not already read the Consultation Report from September 10 and the Contextual Report on October 8, I encourage you to do so –they can be found at https://engage. ocdsb.ca/elementary-program-review. The next step is for the senior staff at OCDSB to present trustees with specific recommendations.
No doubt many families in our neighbourhood are wary of change. The Glebe boasts two fabulous public elementary schools: First Avenue Public School and Mutchmor Public School, with Early French Immersion at Mutchmor and Middle French Immersion and English (with Core French) at First Avenue. Old Ottawa East boasts the alternative school, Lady Evelyn, which also draws students from the Glebe.
Despite all that is so amazing –thanks to dedicated educators, staff, engaged parent councils, and enthusiastic community – there are students
in our neighbourhood who have been inappropriately streamed out of French immersion or who have been adversely affected in other ways by the current program model. In Glebe elementary schools, we have repeatedly identified significant gender biases (high attrition rate for boys out of French immersion) as well as socioeconomic disparities (which students are in which programs) and a pattern of moving students with learning disabilities and behavioural issues out of French immersion and into English or alternative programs.
While it may be politically unpopular or ruffles the feathers of those who are thriving with the status quo, in my opinion the onus is on the OCDSB to address disparities. All students should have access to bilingual education, and all students must have the support they need to thrive in school.
On a related note, I also want to draw your attention to the results of the Valuing Voices Student Survey. Details of the School Climate Results are expected soon, but for now you can read the infographic. Of the 44,553 students and parents/caregivers who responded to the survey (a response rate of 57 per cent), I find it alarming that only 78 per cent report feeling “safe” in OCDSB schools. We should all be concerned that 31 per cent of students report that they experience bullying, 8 per cent report sexual harassment and 17 per cent report discrimination. Older students and students from underserved communities (students who identify as transgender, non-binary and/or gender diverse; students who are racialized and/or from a community or group that has historically been minoritized, such as Black, Jewish or Indigenous; and students with a disability) tended to report less favourable experiences, including more frequent bullying and discrimination.
The school climate reflects what is going on in our communities, including in the Glebe. Bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination are learned behaviours. Suffice to say, we should be raising our children to take care of each other, to stand up to bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. All students should feel safe in school. Let’s do better as a society.
Poetry in response to art in any form
Call for submissions
To them, we’re a support system, a studio, a playground, a blank canvas. Here, they can explore beyond the curriculum, developing passions and skills that help them achieve whatever they can imagine. We’re all in,
so she can stand out.
Elmwood is more than just a school, because she’s more than just a student.
Extensive co-curricular + sports program
International Baccalaureate World School, Pre-K to Grade 12
Robust financial aid program
Healthy meals prepared onsite
Transportation and before + after care available
Have you ever been so affected by a work of art that you were compelled to write a poem about it? It could have been a movie that touched you, music or dance that enthralled with its rhythm, or art that inspired you. Your poem may illuminate the art itself or the artist who created it. The poem stands alongside the art that inspired it and deepens its meaning.
Here at the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter, we want to read your poem created in response to another piece of art.
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; and
• Submitted on or before Monday, January 20, 2025.
Poets in the National Capital Region of all ages welcome (school-age poets, please indicate your grade and school). Please send your entries (up to 5 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: Monday, January 20, 2025
Dr.
Jodi Ashton is the principal at Corpus Christi Catholic School.
Corpus Christi students collected 447 food items for the Centretown Community Food Centre.
POETRY QUARTER
Glebe Coop Nursery School lets children discover fall and Halloween
By Alanna Brown
As the leaves turn from vibrant green to shades of amber, crimson and gold, the world outside the preschool windows transforms. For our toddlers and preschoolers, this seasonal shift is more than just a change in weather; it’s a delightful journey filled with exploration and learning. As winter approaches, preschoolers are not only anticipating the chilly days ahead but are also reflecting on their recent experiences, particularly the joy of dressing up for Halloween.
In the classroom, the transition from fall to winter is marked by visible changes in the environment. The once warm and sunny days grow shorter and cooler, prompting a discussion among teachers and children about the weather. The frosty air invites curiosity; little ones can often be seen gazing out the window, watching as their breath becomes visible in the morning chill. Teachers take this opportunity to engage the children in simple science lessons, explaining how temperatures drop and the importance of dressing appropriately for the weather.
As part of their preparations, the preschool organizes activities that help children understand winter weather. Crafts like snowflakes made from paper and cotton balls have become a common sight in the classroom. Learning about the four seasons becomes an interactive experience, with stories, songs and art that reflect the beauty of winter. Before diving into the depths of winter, the preschool community celebrated Halloween with great enthusiasm. This festive occasion serves as an excellent opportunity for children to explore their imaginations through costumes.
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the classroom is filled with laughter and creativity. Children express their ideas about costumes, discussing everything from superheroes to princesses and spooky creatures. Teachers encourage them to share their thoughts, promoting language development and social skills. The children also had lots of fun exploring spooky sensory bowls and making their own trick-or-treating Halloween bags.
As the Halloween festivities conclude, the conversation shifts back to the upcoming winter season. The preschool team emphasizes the importance of preparing for colder weather. Children learn about winter clothing – hats, mittens, scarves and boots. They engage in role-playing scenarios where they practise dressing up in their winter gear, enhancing their fine motor skills while having fun.
The teachers also incorporate sensory activities related to winter. They bring in cotton balls and shredded white paper to simulate snow, allowing children to explore textures and engage their senses. The classroom becomes a winter wonderland where children can play and learn about the season’s characteristics.
We are also very excited to host our first Glebe Co-op Nursery School family brunch this month, where children and their families are invited into the classroom for a weekend potluck. They will have the opportunity to play with their new friends outside of the school week, while showing their parents all around the classroom that displays their beautiful artwork. Here at GCNS, we not only foster childhood friendships but also encourage parents and caregivers to enjoy meeting each other, be it at drop-off and pickups, fundraisers, holiday parties or special events.
The transition from fall to winter is a rich and engaging experience for the toddlers and preschoolers. Through activities centred around Halloween and the anticipation of winter, children learn about the changing seasons while developing important social, emotional and cognitive skills. The joy of dressing up for Halloween provides a memorable highlight, sparking creativity and camaraderie among peers. As they prepare for winter, the children embrace the beauty of each season, cultivating a sense of wonder and excitement that will accompany them throughout their early learning journey. The classroom becomes a canvas for exploration, ensuring that every child feels connected to the world around them, no matter the season.
Alanna Brown is responsible for communications at the Glebe Coop Nursery School.
Ella uses her fine motor skills to balance the animals on the wooden tree.
Fulton (left) and Diego enjoying the sandbox PHOTOS: TEACHER HELEN
This space is a free community bulletin board for Glebe residents Send your GRAPEVINE message and your name, email address, street address and phone number
Messages without complete information will not be accepted. FOR SALE items must be less than $1,000.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St ) BOOK SALE, ongoing till Dec 20, Mon –Fri , 8:30 a m to 4:30 p m Pocket Book: $1, paperback: $2, hard cover: $3 or fill a $10 bag (available at Reception) with as many books as it will hold
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St , Tel : 613-230-5730) LEARN & EXPLORE SPEAKER’S SERIES, Wednesdays, 10 a m –2:30 p m , Nov. 20: Mike Martin is an award-winning author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series, set in beautiful Grand Bank Martin was born in St John’s NL , and he is a long-time freelance writer here in Ottawa He will share his writing journey His latest Sgt. Windflower mysteries are: Better Safe Than Sorry and Too Close for Comfort It will be held LIVE and on ZOOM simultaneously N B : The lectures are free, but one must register in advance for a seat or zoom link Tea/coffee and treats available for purchase in dining room courtesy of your Members Council and Amica the Glebe
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St , Tel : 613-230-5730) HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR , Sat , Nov 30, 10 a m –2 p m Homemade Crafts, Ornaments, Baby Clothes, Knit Wear, Pottery and clever gift ideas Handmade Teddy Bears and other delightful comfort creatures Home baked goodies including frozen apple pies to go Tea Room to restore, chat and enjoy the comfort of food and friends all to support Abbotsford Seniors Centre
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (the old stone house at 950 Bank St , Tel : 613-230-5730) MINI-CRAFT SALE, Dec 2–12, near Reception, 9 a m to 4 p m
ANNUAL SCARF AND JEWELLERY SALE, St Matthew’s Anglican Church, 217 First Ave , Sun , Dec 1, 9 a m to 1 p m This much anticipated event features a wide variety of costume and sterling silver jewellery along with beautiful scarves and a large selection of other accessories including hats, gloves and purses Brand names highlighted include Birks, Liberty, Coach and Michael Kors This year’s sale will also present a special collection by the renowned New York jewellery designer, Kenneth Jay Lane This is a wonderful opportunity to find that perfect Christmas gift! Twenty-five percent of sales will be donated to the Ottawa Food Bank, which is especially in need of support at this time of year
BAKE SALE & PUBLIC COFFEE HOUSE, Sat , Nov 16, 2–6 p m , Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall (lower level), 194 Fourth Ave Cash payment only Delicious baking and treats We hope to see you there
CHURCH BAZAAR: Nov 23, Glebe-St James, 650 Lyon St S – 10 a m to 2 p m Come to our annual fall bazaar: Collectables, Tea Room, Baking, Jewelry, Crafts, Odds and Sods, Silent Auction, Kids Table, Frozen food, Fish Pond and once again a Wool room Bring a friend and join us for lunch 650 Lyon Street – the new Red Door
FROSTY’S CHRISTMAS FAIR is coming to town Do some Christmas shopping, stock up your larder and get your Christmas cards Look in Frosty’s giant freezer where you can get delicious frozen meals and soups Visit the Bakery Shop to pick up some of the best treats in town Pick out gifts for your special people Why not treat yourself too There are tables of knitting, sewing and handmade gifts Get beautifully made tree decorations Select favourite items from the new-to-you jewellery shop Get a good book to read and a jigsaw puzzle to work on Finally, pick up next-to-new decorations to get ready for the season, all for a bargain Sat , Nov 23, 10 a m –2 p m , Trinity Anglican Church, 56 Cameron Ave www trinityottawa ca (613-733-7536)
MAC FAIR is a huge juried craft fair featuring local artisans showcasing their handmade work This
yearly event is a fundraising endeavor to support extra-curricular and social justice initiatives including our Christmas Hampers for hungry families Our students are proud to be actively involved in making this event a success All of the information is available on our website: www MACFAIRCrafts ca or you can follow us on our Facebook Page, Instagram
Your $3 admission earns you a ticket to our raffle with dozens of quality handmade prizes Earlybirds: there will also be prizes for the first 20 adults through the doors at 10 a m ! Sat , Dec 7, 10 a m –3 p m , Immaculata High School, 140 Main St , plenty of free parking Support Students Support Local Support Handmade
This December, MUSICA VIVA SINGERS have created a holiday feast for the ears entitled Cakes and Ale We’re offering up a five-course holiday concert On the menu are seasonal selections featuring festive food and drink – wassail and wine; chestnuts and cherries; bannock bread, boar’s head, tourtières, soal cakes and more The music is mostly from the English, Scottish, Irish and French-Canadian folksong traditions, along with a few contemporary choral works, and ranges from rollicking to sublime The concert will be held on Mon , Dec 9, 7:30 p m at Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St (accessible via ramp) Tickets: $25 General Admission, $15 Low-Income, $70 Family Pass (up to 2 adults and 4 kids) All 3 ticket types will be available either from choir members or through the MVS website at www musica-viva ca, starting about a month before the concert And, as a special treat, Musica Viva Singers, Atlantic Voices, and the Cumberland Community Singers will be joining forces on Tues , Dec 10, 7 30 p m at Orleans United Church for a special fundraiser concert in support of local foodbanks
PROBUS Ottawa is welcoming new members from the Glebe and environs Join your fellow retirees, near retirees and want-to-be retirees for interesting speak-
ers 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 and membership information We will be meeting on Wed , Nov 27,10 a m at Gloucester Presbyterian Church, 91 Pike St for a presentation about the Geological History of the Ottawa Valley
FOR SALE
ANTIQUE SET OF 3 VICTORIAN CHAIRS, beautiful, handcrafted in walnut and gold-coloured fabric, must be seen $750 Call 613-261-4504
ANTIQUE BRASS BED, frame size 84” x 54 ” Bed rails have been extended to fit a queen-size mattress $350 Call 613-261-4504
OAK WHISKY BARREL PLANTERS, authentic secured steel rings Also perfect for winter decorations $65 each Can be delivered in the Glebe area Call 613-261-4504
WANTED
TREASURER NEEDED The Friends of the Central Experimental Farm is seeking a volunteer for the role of Treasurer The Treasurer is a member of the Executive Committee and is responsible for and advises the Board on financial and budget matters This position is supported by a volunteer bookkeeper and requires experience/knowledge in managing the financial affairs of a business or of another not-forprofit charitable organization, as well as accounting experience using QuickBooks Professional designation is desired Ideal for recent retiree/semi-retired professional! If you are interested, please send your résumé and contact details to: volunteerdirector@ friendsofthefarm ca
Aberdeen Pavilion and tree PHOTO: LUCY BOTTOMLEY
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.
RUSSELL ADAMS PLUMBER
613-978-5682
SINGULAR EVENING OF POETRY
Wednesday, November 27 at 7:00 pm Perfect Books, 258A Elgin St Featuring
Allan Briesmaster, Author of Later Findings
“Briesmaster shows us the life-well-lived gifts of self-examination and retrospection which are the hallmarks of his exquisite vision.” Bruce Meyer, author of One Sweet Moment And JC Sulzenko (writing as A. Garnett Weiss) launching Life, after life—from epitaph to epilogue
“This is a collection to read and savour, and then reread again for its concision, its tender apprehension of the lives examined, and for the sheer brilliance of its language.”
Deborah-Anne Tunney, author of A Different Wolf
Available from Octopus Books, Perfect Books, and www.jcsulzenko.com
November 15, 2024
Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group
Glebe Community Centre
175 Third Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 2K2 613-233-8713 info@gnag.ca
Ottawa.ca
Nov 29 at 7:00 pm
Details and +ckets at GNAG.ca
Team up with your friends and enjoy an evening of hilarity and friendly compe88on. Charcuterie boards, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages on offer.
