The Glebe Report October 2022 Issue

John Leaning, 1926–2022.

John

tribute to a great architect and planner

By Randal Marlin

Comparatively few people living in the Glebe today are aware of the enormous impact on their commun ity made by John Leaning, architect and city planner, who died September 22, following a long illness.

When I arrived in the area in 1966, the Glebe was seemingly in irreversible decline.

Plans were to extend four-lane Carling Avenue

through what is now Glebe Avenue to Ottawa East with a new full traffic bridge over the Canal. Hous ing expropriation also threatened homes north of Lansdowne Park to Fifth Avenue. Commuter traffic on O’Connor Street to Fifth Avenue connecting with Bank Street hindered pedestrian traffic across that street. Homeowners saw no future in restoring their homes and many moved to places like Alta Vista. The Glebe was not the connected community it is today.

What’s Inside

Indeed, a politician who favoured Lansdowne expansion remarked that expropriation would become cheaper as houses became more run down. As an example, a real estate agent advised a purchaser around 1969 that the asking price of $20,000 was too high for 1 Regent Street.

Into that situation came John Leaning, inspired by Jane Jacobs, to show what needed to be done if Ottawa was not to become like so many American cities.

His first study, “The Revitalization of Older Residen tial Districts,” in 1968-69, supported by CMHC, was more visionary than what has been accomplished so far in the Glebe, but many ideas have still been implemented. He remarked that the area had “poten tial charm and great convenience.”

His idea was essentially to “deal with the environ ment as we presently find it, accentuate the best, elim inate the worst, and build the new to fit the old.” The prime cause of deterioration, he wrote, was lack of a comprehensive plan for land use, traffic and urban renewal in areas such as the Glebe, legally binding on both the public and on private bodies. Among the things he considered worth preserving were the Aber deen Pavilion and First Avenue School.

Leaning’s second major contribution to the develop ment of the Glebe we know and value today was “A Proposal for Roadway Environment in an Existing Community,” in 1969 for the National Capital Com mission (NCC), where he was chief architect for a time. His idea was to slow down traffic in the residen tial areas, while designing arterial roads to accom modate more traffic safely with uninterrupted flow. He recommended the introduction of traffic impedi ments to protect residential areas. He noted that resi dential streets had the same width as arterial routes. He thought that road closures could free up some of the excess residential road space for recreational purposes.

With the cooperation of earlier city councils, an active Glebe Community Association and community bonding through the Glebe Report, many, though not all, of Leaning’s ideas have been successfully imple mented. One of the biggest successes was the redirect ing of traffic headed downtown through the Glebe via O’Connor and Fifth Avenue, by means of the forced diversion at Isabella towards the Driveway.

Not so successful was the total road closures of the avenues north of Fifth, preventing access on those avenues to Bronson in the west and the Driveway in the east. Traffic was supposed to be directed to col lector streets, notably Fifth and Carling (the old name

John Leaning Continued from page 1

for Glebe Avenue), but people on those streets tended to vote against the proposal, seeing increased traffic on their streets with no direct benefit to themselves. Rumble strips, also known as road bumps, were not acceptable to many residents at the beginning, though the idea has been implemented in many parts of the city now.

The NCC under Doug Fullerton helped ensure that the Lansdowne expansion did not happen. Roderick Clack of the NCC came up with a compromise regarding streets connecting with the Driveway. Instead of closing them to traffic, he pro posed having one-way exits. The NCC did not like the way traffic would be slowed by cars turning into the avenues from the Driveway.

The list of improvements that can be traced to Leaning’s prin ciples and to his enthusiastic communicating of these ideas to Glebe residents is very long. The implementation required pol itical and technocratic cooperation, along with a greater aware ness among residents. City staff became helpful in planning for the Glebe, but the recent experience with Lansdowne shows the need for greater vigilance, especially with the enlarged city Council and the addition of areas that don’t always share the interests of core area residents of the City.

Despite all the improvements traceable to Leaning, we see out-of-character infill homes replacing older in-character homes and taking away some of the charm of the latter. He also believed in preserving the mixed character of the com munity. Success in making the Glebe a thoroughly desirable place has upped property values, to the point where econom ically strapped people, especially the young, cannot afford to live here. I believe he would call that bad planning.

In any case, John and his much-loved wife, Blenda, have left, among their four children Anthony, Kristina, Jonathan and Séan – two of them architects who live in Ottawa, three if you count Kristina Leaning’s husband – and they can be expected to carry on his deep concern for livable, vibrant and attractive communities.

Randal Marlin was GCA president in 1972 and subsequently Traffic Committee chair.

John Leaning, architect, urban planner and visionary, played a major role in shaping the future of the Glebe at critical moments in its development. He is the author of, among many other titles, The Story of the Glebe: from 1800 to 2000.

John Leaning, 1926-2022

By Anthony Leaning and Kristina Leaning

John Leaning, our father, is probably best known in Ottawa for his role in developing the Centretown Plan, a community-planning exercise that was ahead of its time for inclusion of residents in the planning process and for protecting the best of a downtown neighbourhood that might otherwise been degraded by traffic planning and high-rise redevelopment.

As the author of the Glebe Neighbour -hood Study, he similarly helped in the preservation of a vibrant community from the extension of Carling Avenue as a multi-lane road through the heart of the Glebe to the Rideau Canal and across it by bridge.

These two well-known contribu tions to Ottawa are among a number of achievements that were influenced by a rich life experience that exposed him to diverse influences and helped form his character as an architect, commun ity activist, citizen and individual.

John came to Canada to escape the social and career limitations of an upbringing in Sidcup, a working-class London suburb, in war-time England. Dreaming of becoming an architect but unable to afford university, he studied drafting at night school. He got a job in a London firm of architects, followed by a remarkable opportunity during the Second World War as a draftsman in MI6 as part of the team develop ing the early “Colossus” computer by Alan Turing, which broke the German

R E A L E S T A T E M A R K E T I N G A N D S E R V I C E S

Focused

Condos Family Homes Townhomes Estates & Downsizing

Enigma cipher code. After the war, he was entitled as an ex-service man to a grant to go to Architecture School.

After the war, he travelled on foot and by hitchhiking through England and Europe. His exposure to a rich Euro pean history of buildings eventually led him to his later work as a heritage architect and his books about the archi tectural heritage of Ottawa.

While hitchhiking through France, he caught a ride with a French architect, who, in exchange for help fixing a flat tire, arranged for a paying job with Le Corbusier’s drafting studio. Like most young architects of that time, John was originally enamoured of Le Corbusier’s vision for a new architecture. How ever, after meeting his future Swedish wife Blenda as a volunteer at a postwar reconstruction camp in Germany and moving to Sweden, he embraced the Scandinavian sensibility of a more romantic and humane approach to architecture. This was best expressed later in two distinctive architectural designs of his: the worship space for the Toronto Quakers that combines a striking modernist interior with a view through a full-height window to a treed courtyard; and the outdoor Astrolabe Theatre constructed for the 1967 Cen tennial son-et-lumière on Nepean Point where the seating gently stepped up to follow the natural contours of the hillside.

After several years in Sweden, John and his young family moved to Canada, which offered more opportunity than class-ridden England or post-war Europe. A grant to study urban plan ning at McGill University led him to another career direction that strongly influenced his future work. The family

settled in the Glebe in the late 1950s when many neighbourhood residents were moving to the suburbs. They lived first in the highly ornamented Victor ian townhouse at the corner of Queen Elizabeth Driveway and First Avenue, then moved to Third Avenue where they lived for 50 years.

During this time, he developed a series of proposals for protecting the Glebe’s architectural and neighbourhood character that included traffic calm ing, preserving residential housing and walkable communities. While unpalat able to city planners at the time, these have been embraced now in the “15minute neighbourhood” that is being widely adopted in city planning. He joined the fight against the extension of Carling Avenue through the community from Bronson Avenue to a bridge across the Rideau Canal. John developed a friendship with Jane Jacobs, first when she was in New York fighting to save Greenwich Village from highways and redevelopment, then later after she moved her family to Toronto to escape the draft. They shared many ideas.

In addition to many articles on com munity design, he also wrote: The Revitalization of Older Residential Dis tricts (1970), using the Glebe as a model for his theories on ethical and peoplefriendly planning; The Story of the Glebe (1999); and A Narrative History of Hintonburg-Mechanicsville (2002).

From 1958 to1968, he was the first chief architect for the NCC, guiding the preservation of Sussex Drive, the Mack enzie King Estate and other historic properties, as well as establishing the Greenbelt and the Sparks Street pedes trian mall, one of the first of its kind in North America. This experience led to

John’s later work as a heritage architect, one of the highlights being the restor ation of the East Block of Parliament in 1979-80. His extensive knowledge of Ottawa’s buildings led him to co-write Our Architectural Ancestry (1983), which traced the city’s architectural styles from the end of the 18th century to the 1920s.

In 1970-72, he worked in Tanzania, developing a housing strategy and urban design policies for the new gov ernment. He later helped with plan ning for a university in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

John was invited to lead a multi-disci plinary team in the development of the

Centretown Plan in 1972-73, a remark able early example of citizen-led plan ning that saved much of downtown from degradation by roads and highrise redevelopment. Through shear strength of citizen participation (never before achieved in Ottawa), good local leadership and the force of good ideas, the plan passed and helped create the city we now know, with healthy, inclu sive, walkable downtown communities.

John drew prodigiously. His draw ings ranged from sketches of historic villages and monuments to fantas tic imaginary scenes. In the late 1970s, he joined a couple of Arctic research expeditions as the official artist and produced careful, visually engaging renderings of the landscape of Elles mere Island.

A life-long pacifist, John was an active member of the Society of Friends (Quakers). John and Blenda’s house was a warm and welcoming place where there was always another place at the table and lively conversation to be had. They were well known for their lively parties, including their annual Christmas Eve Swedish smorgasbord.

Throughout his career and into his later life, John was often consulted and never hesitated to give his opinion on matters of urban design and com munity well being. His work spanned a long period where architects and plan ners moved from a focus on processes and systems towards a people-centred vision. His views have moved from the periphery to the middle.

Anthony Leaning is an architect and son of John Leaning. Kristina Leaning is a conservation architect and John Leaning’s daughter.

Some of John Leanings sketches done in the Glebe.

Case in point – the Mutchmor rink

The big news on the skating front is the Mutchmor rink – it’s back! At least for this winter. Who knows what it’s even tual fate will be.

There was a rink on the Mutchmor field from 1932 to 2012 (80 years!), until work began in 2013 on the addition to Mutchmor Public School, and the space for the rink was taken up by con struction needs. After much advocacy, even activism, on the part of the com munity in discussions with the school, the school board and the city, the rink was returned, but in a smaller form, in 2019. To quote Richard Webb writ ing in the December 2020 Glebe Report, “During that time, the school and the school board had to be dragged kicking

and screaming to the point where they reluctantly agreed to its return.” Then in 2020, COVID happened and the rink was gone again.

The reason I mention the Mutchmor rink (other than that its return is an important piece of news on its own merit) is that it points to a truism that bears repeating: the actions and inactions of local officialdom – the city, the local ward councillor, the school boards – have an immediate and some times intense effect on our day-to-day lives and those of our children.

The decisions of these bodies come right up to us, nose to nose, and some times smack us in the face. They affect what we see when we walk down our

street; where our children play; how safe we are walking, biking, driving, playing; whether our children can take a bus to school or not; whether there’s transit to get to work; whether the snow is cleared on our street; whether a highrise will appear beside our house to block our sun. Many facets of our lives are touched by the actions of local decision-makers.

It’s the same old story – we need to take ourselves off to the voting booth and make solid, sensible choices on who will make these life-altering deci sions on our behalf. Come October 24, this is our task.

Good luck to us all!

—Liz McKeen

TFI

Glebe Comings & Goings �

The Bunker at 601 Bank St, Suite 150, “a 4500-square-foot urban golf bar and watering hole [with] 7 custom and pri vate oversized golf simulation bays” (golfbunker.ca).

Kintsugi Laundry Therapy open ing soon at 779 Bank Street, formerly Hillary’s Dry Cleaner and Laundro mat Laundry Life. “A new laundromat business opening this October. Offer ing pickup & delivery wash & fold and more” (Facebook)

Le Poké Station is opening soon at 151B Second Avenue, former home of Second Avenue Sweets.

Fire & Flower Cannabis is opening soon at Unit 103, 225 Marché Way in Lansdowne. (fireandflower.com).

Heads Up Barber Shop is now open at 837 Bank Street.

Contributors this month

Susan Atkinson

Amanda Black

Sylvie Chartrand

June Coxon

John Crump Angela Davis

Nadine Dawson

Annie Doane

Bertrand Doucet

Jaason Geerts

Pat Goyeche

Barb Grisdale

Joel Harden

Eric Harrison

Bruce Hill

Terry Hunsley

Nour Kadri

Karen Junke

Anthony Leaning

Kristina Leaning

Lorrie Loewen

Mike Mankowski

Randal Marlin

Catherine McKenney

Chris McNaught

Yasir Naqvi

Tim O’Connor

Selena Phillips-Boyle

Kate Roberts

Greg Rogers

Marisa Romano

Sarah Routliffe

Sophie Shields

Marion Silver

Peter Simpson

Roger Smith

Sue Stefko

Janet Stevens

Cynthia Sugars

Mark Sutcliffe

Jim Watson

Ron Weiss

William Wilson

Zeus

The Glebe Report strives to be inclusive and to represent the full diversity of the community we serve.

the Ojibwe, Chippewa, Odawa, Potawatomi, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Nipissing

Sunrise on Holmwood Avenue near Lansdowne.

PHOTO: CATHY LEWIS

damaging Editor, Glebe Report

Writing to let you know of an incident that occurred midday Sunday, Septem ber 25. At 12:09 p.m., a man unknown to me came up my front walk and smashed two (heavy) concrete planters that we have had since 1997. He kicked them hard down some steps. Then he simply walked away.

I wanted to alert other residents to look out for this senseless and damag ing behaviour.

Dr. Ronald S. Weiss

Accident waiting to happen?

Editor, Glebe Report

Letter to Shawn Menard, Councillor

Today, Sunday, October 2, some young male fed up with sitting in the lineup on the Driveway for whatever event is on at Lansdowne, careened off at some 60 km/h onto Third Avenue. The car came within inches of hitting my dog as I was crossing Third with her.

The previous response from your office was that it was an NCC concern. I can’t accept that. Currently, the City has posted one-way signs at the corner of the Driveway and each of the avenues. These city signs are being ignored.

The problem is at its worst on days like today and yesterday (Panda Game at Lansdowne). People get fed up in line and peel off. The trouble is they aren’t looking when they turn in, they turn in quickly and pedestrians aren’t expecting traffic off the Driveway.

The problem occurs to a lesser extent on non-event days, but is still ongoing, as people take a shortcut. Deliv ery persons – not the major compan ies, the small operators – save time by cutting in.

I contend that it is just a matter of time before someone – adult, child, pet – gets hit, injured or worse.

Is it not possible to get city traffic management to alter the signs, restrict traffic in some way, especially for Lansdowne events, install cameras to photograph licence plates and levy a significant fine?

I add that few seem to notice that the speed limit on the Driveway is no longer 60.

I hope you will find a way to take some preventive measures to avoid disaster.

Barb Grisdale

Third Avenue

Leadership for a Liveable City

Mayoral Debate October 17

Still deciding who deserves your vote for Mayor? On Monday, October 17 at 7 p.m., hear the leading con tenders debate the issues in-person at the Horticulture Building. A strong turnout is expected, and capacity is limited to 500, so please RSVP in advance. If you prefer to watch from home, the debate will be live-streamed and recorded. All the details are available on the Glebe Community Association’s website: glebeca.ca

With the event taking place so close to election day, the organizers have decided to focus on the candidates who have rated at least five per cent in independent research polls. At the time of writing, Bob Chiarelli, Nour Kadri, Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe are the confirmed participants. The theme is Leader ship for a Liveable City, and topics will include plan ning and development, transportation, social issues and the future of Lansdowne.

This event is being organized by the Glebe Commun ity Association in partnership with over a dozen com munity groups from the central core.

Raccoons speak out on safety

Editor, Glebe Report

Your Worship Mayor Watson and City Councillors

We are a raccoon family living between O’Connor Street and Queen Elizabeth Driveway. We have long been con cerned about a garage on the north side of Third Avenue. As long as it was merely tilted, we had no problem with our habitat, even though several human neighbours have complained to the City, with no results.

But now things have reached such a tumbledown state that even we fear for our lives. At any moment the unstable pile of wood and tar could cause death or serious injury to our family members.

We ask that the City enforce safety regulations to prevent this happening.

Yours truly, Bear, Bushy, Foxy, Cooper, Digger, Buster and Boo North of Third Avenue

BY MAXIM KULIKOV FROM THE NOUN

Our Volunteer Carriers

VOTE! Get out and

Jide Afolabi, Jennie Aliman, Tyler, Luke & Claire Allan, Lawrence Ambler, Ella Åsell, Aubry family, Miko Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Adrian Becklumb, Beckman family, Joanne Benoit, Inez Berg, Naéma and Raphaëlle Bergevin Hemsing, Carolyn Best, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Adélaïde and Éléonore Bridgett, Bob Brocklebank, Ben CampbellRosser, Stella Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Tony Carricato, Ava & Olivia Carpenter, Ryan & Charlotte Cartwright, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sarah Chown, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Avery & Darcy Cole, Jenny Cooper, June Creelman, Marni Crossley, Dawson family, Richard DesRochers, Davies Family, Marilyn Deschamps, Diekmeyer-Bastianon family, Dingle family, Delia Elkin, Nicholas, Reuben, Dave & Sandra Elgersma, Thomas and William Fairhead, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, Maria Fobes, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Madeleine Gomery, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Ginny Grimshaw, Henry Hanson, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Hook family, Cheryle Hothersall, Jeevan & Amara Isfeld, Jungclaus Family, Janna Justa, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Jamie, Alexander & Louisa Lem, Brams and Jane Leswick, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Alicia McCarthy & family, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Julie Monaghan, Thomas Morris, Vivian, Elliot & Kate Moulds, Karen Mount, Maddy North, Diane Munier, Mary Nicoll, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, Matteo and Adriano Padoin-Castillo, Brenda Perras, Brenda Quinlan, Annabel and Joseph Quon, Beatrice Raffoul, Bruce Rayfuse, Kate Reekie, Thomas Reevely, Mary & Steve Reid, Jacqueline Reilly-King, Anna Roper, Sabine Rudin-Brown, Casimir & Tristan Seywerd, Jugal James Shah, Short family, Kathy Simons, Abigail Steen, Stephenson family, Tara Swords, Ruth Swyers, Saul Taler, Christine Thiesen, John & Maggie Thomson, Tom Trottier, Trudeau family, Zosia Vanderveen, Veevers family, Nick Walker, Erica Waugh, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Ella & Ethan Wood, Fil Young/Harriet Smith, Murray and Christie Wong, Martin Zak.

WELCOME TO: Beverlee McIntosh

THANKS AND FAREWELL: Lene Rudin-Brown

The Gift

A gift is a thing given freely – a present. Or it can be an act of generosity itself, the gesture of giving. That giving can be tangible or it can be in the form of love or attention or care. And, yet again, a gift might be a talent or natural ability.

Poets, please send us your poems on a gift you gave or received that meant the most. Or the gift or gifts you bring to the world.

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 November 21, 2022.

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@ gle bereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you are in school.

AVAILABLE DELIVERY ROUTES

Bronson: Carling to Fifth Avenue

Queen Elizabeth Drive: Greek Embassy to Bronson

First Avenue: Lyon to Percy

Mayoral Candidates

Fourteen candidates are vying for the office of mayor of Ottawa in the October 24 municipal election The incumbent, Jim Watson, is not running The 14 candidates for mayor, in alphabetical order, are:

Brandon Bay mayor@brandonbay ca

Zed Chebib ziad fami unif@gmail com

Bob Chiarelli info@bobchiarelli ca

Bernard Couchman bjc@bernardcouchman ca

Celine Debassige celinedebassige@yahoo ca

Gregory Jreg Guevara jreg4mayor@gmail com

Nour Kadri kadri4mayor@kadri ca

Graham MacDonald contact@macdonald4mayor com

Mike Maguire info@mikeforottawa ca

Catherine McKenney catherine@mckenney2022 ca

Ade Olumide endottawaelectiongambling@ outlook com

Param Singh voteparam@gmail com

Jacob Solomon jacobsolomonmayor@gmail com

Mark Sutcliffe mark@marksutcliffe ca

The Glebe Report invited the four top-polling candidates (Bob Chiarelli, Nour Kadri, Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe) to submit a short statement of their campaign promises and priorities Statements were received from Nour Kadri, Cather ine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe and appear here At time of publication, no statement has been received from Bob Chiarelli

VOTE! Get out and

Ottawa’s municipal election is October 24.

What am I voting for?

In this election, you are voting for mayor, ward council lor and the school trustee for the school board you pay taxes for In the Glebe, you can vote for mayor, council lor of Capital Ward 17 and school trustee for Zone 9

Who is running?

Mayor: 14 candidates (see above for list)

Ward 17 Capital Ward Councillor: (alphabetically) Rebecca Bronwich, Shawn Menard (incumbent) and Daniel Rogers

Ottawa Carleton District School Board Zone 9 Trustee: Nili Kaplan-Myrth, Josh Rachlis, Jessie-Lee Wallace

Ottawa Catholic School Board Zone 9 Trustee: Guill ermo Fernandez, Shelley Lawrence (incumbent), Jenny Rivera

Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, secteur 9, conseiller scolaire: Mahdi Djama Aouled, Joel Beddows, Marielle Godbout

Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, secteur 9, conseiller scolaire: Johanne Lacombe (élue par acclamation)

Catherine McKenney

I love this city. That’s why I’m running for Mayor. I’m excited about Ottawa’s potential. When I’m knock ing on doors, residents are telling me that they are excited too.

Ottawa needs transportation that you can rely on, whether you take transit, bike, walk, roll and/ or drive. Our city has so much potential – but it fails us every time transit makes you late to work or to pick up your kids. The people of Ottawa deserve more than cancelled bus trips and cuts to our public services.

My plan for reliable and affordable transit includes freezing transit fares and free transit for youth ages 17 and under.

Changing how Ottawa gets around is also reflected in my cycling plan which will create a world-class city for cycling by building 25 years of cycling infra structure in one term of council.

In light of the changes spurred on by the pandemic, we need to focus not just on commuters but also on communities. Thousands of Ottawans are now work ing from home either full or part-time. We need to build 15-minute communities everywhere so that everyone feels at home in their neighbourhood. The pandemic has changed how we think about commut ing to work, and the city must change along with it.

Ottawa is in a housing and homelessness crisis. Everywhere you turn, people we know and love are getting priced out of our communities. My afford able housing plan ensures we will have housing that meets everyone’s needs and end chronic and family homelessness in four years. To accomplish this, we will build 1,000 new moderately and deeply afford able units per year, prevent individuals and families from falling into homelessness in the first place and retain Ottawa’s existing affordable housing.

It is also critical that we begin to transition to a green future. Our city urgently needs bold climate action, but we have been missing the political will to prioritize it. I have a plan that will improve the qual ity of life and bring our city to net-zero emissions by 2050. I will help build an Ottawa with green, afford able buildings, safe walkable neighbourhoods and a tree canopy that helps cool our homes.

For residents of the Glebe, you can expect that I will continue to advocate to ensure that the next iteration of Lansdowne is a place for everyone that is representative of our city, not just luxury condo owners. I advocated for more affordable hous ing at Lansdowne, and I will continue to do so as your mayor.

I will also ensure that the community is an active and valued participant in the planning process for their community. The New Official Plan and the Bank Street in the Glebe Secondary Plan support intensi fication of our established urban neighbourhoods, and so do I. Ottawa is facing a housing crisis, and it must be solved through smart, community-appro priate development that respects the heritage of our neighbourhoods and preserves as much green space as possible.

I will do all this without using the province’s new strong mayor powers. Strong mayor powers would take decision-making away from residents and their council representatives. We need to empower people, not centralize power to the head of Council.

Mark Sutcliffe

Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with many residents of the Glebe. I’ve listened carefully to your hopes and your concerns about the future.

I’ve heard many comments about issues includ ing traffic, crime, homelessness, climate change and affordability. I share those priorities. I lived in the Glebe and owned a retail store here for several years, at the corner of Bank and Glebe. Now I’m running for mayor because I want to bring everyone together to solve our challenges.

Ottawa is my hometown. I’ve lived here my entire life, and it’s where my wife Ginny and I have been raising our three children. Several years ago, I pre sented a TEDx talk in which I talked about the extra ordinary role of luck in my life. That’s why I have always worked hard to help the less fortunate and make our city better for everyone.

I’ve been a tireless volunteer and activist on issues including mental illness and substance use disor der, housing and homelessness, children at risk and more. I’ve volunteered for organizations including the Royal Ottawa Hospital, OrKidstra, the Great Can adian Theatre Company, United Way, the Ottawa Food Bank and more.

Running for mayor was not an easy decision. Pol itics has become polarizing and even toxic. But Ginny and I decided we had to step forward and do our best to change that. In all the leadership roles I’ve held throughout my life, I’ve always been a col laborator and a consensus builder.

This election will bring change to city hall. The important question is what kind of change do we want?

Most people in the Glebe have told me that they want change that is balanced and puts people first. My plan is ambitious, but it’s detailed and achievable.

Here is what I will do for you and your family:

• Cut recreation fees for families by 10 per cent.

• Plant one million trees over four years to expand the urban canopy.

• Install 200 new electric vehicle charging sta tions (we currently have fewer than 30).

• Optimize OC Transpo bus routes so that they work for the post-pandemic reality of commut ing and address traffic congestion, including in the Glebe.

• Make investments in social and emergency ser vices to ensure every community is safe.

• Ensure that any changes to Lansdowne enhance the quality of life for residents.

• Build 10,000 new affordable homes over the next ten years.

• Respect community design plans with smart intensification downtown and near transit ways and transit stations.

• Invest $100M over four years to improve the four-season safety of roads, cycling lanes, multi-use pathways and sidewalks.

• Fix LRT by implementing the key recommen dations from the judicial inquiry on Phase 1 and delivering Phase 2.

Those are just some elements of my platform to make our city work better for everyone. If you’d like to read more about me or my commitments, please visit www.marksutcliffe.ca.

Change is coming to City Hall. Make sure it is the change you want. Make it change that works for everyone, change that puts people first.

Nour Kadri

Over the past two years, I have been deeply inspired by the resiliency and strength of my fellow Ottawans in the face of an unprecedented pandemic. I have been moved by the strength of Ottawans and the outpouring of civic pride and engagement during times of crisis including the floods from the Ottawa River, the convoy protest and the horrific tornado this past spring.

Central to my vision for Ottawa as an inclusive and liveable city are universal access to affordable hous ing, quality health and human services, effective policing, ecological responsibility and innovation, meeting the needs of diverse communities and an unflinching commitment to equity, anti-racism and Indigenous reconciliation. I strongly believe in an open, citizen-centred approach to good governance – efficient service delivery, accessibility and equity for under-served communities.

An innovative Ottawa will leverage the robust engineering, science and governmental commun ities to deliver high-tech jobs, sustainable infra structure and service delivery. We can build on existing strengths, supporting existing businesses and attracting new ventures that work with govern ment and community partners to create a diverse, sustainable economy. Ottawa’s economic growth relies on businesses in the community and the cre ation of new sectors, where leaders can create a competitive advantage through environmental and social responsibility.

As far as housing and homelessness in Ottawa are concerned, the problem is two-dimensional, span ning availability and affordability. The city has the responsibility to help augment and leverage the federal and provincial plans. Our plan includes changing density in targeted areas; refining the consultation process so that it’s open, efficient and responsive; building and/or guaranteeing 160,000 housing units over the next decade (with 25 per cent being affordable housing); and converting and retro fitting some of the empty government buildings in downtown to become affordable housing units.

Our Ottawa Green climate plan prioritizes a sus tainable food and agriculture system that minimizes greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring commun ity food security, integrated smart energy networks that reduces our overall energy intensity, land-use patterns focusing on the human scale and minimiz ing the use of fossil fuels, supporting our diverse businesses and institutions that embrace innovation and sustainable practices, climate-resilient water resources and a more efficient transportation net work that reduces the use of single occupancy vehi cles and balances the needs of all users for walking, cycling, transit, carpooling and movement of goods.

On the cultural side, we recognize, celebrate and will build on all that Ottawa offers – artistic com munities and events, entertainment and tourism –to make this city a truly world-class capital.

These are just some of the ways we envision an inclusive, dynamic, and ecologically sustainable Ottawa. We hope you will join us. For more please visit www.kadri.ca/vision_ottawa/

Yours in community, Nour Kadri

Buy Nothing: The Play!

By Cynthia Sugars

It is already becoming hard to recall the early days of COVID, back when we all crossed the street to avoid neighbours and kept up with the daily news reports of rising counts in Canada and abroad. But for a lot of us, the isolation of the lockdown was balanced by a paradoxical sense of community that was as heartfelt as it was tenuous, banging pots and pans to celebrate the heroic efforts of front-line workers, finding ways to help others on the block, and even learning to use Zoom. Being neighbourly was still possible, it just took some imagination!

And now, there is the play! A lighthearted comedy about how the local “Buy Nothing” group fostered just this sense of com munity at a time when we needed it most. Written and directed by Cynthia Sugars, Buy Nothing: The Play! offers a comic look at the antics and foibles of local “buy nothingers,” doing secret drop-offs by night, posting photos of bananas, providing mutual donations of flour when supplies were in demand. Buy Nothing: The Play! follows the comic adventures of Tracy and Jim, their two daughters, and several of their neighbours as Tracy’s interest in the local Buy Nothing group launches her family on a journey of discovery and belonging that is about far more than the stuff being swapped. Tracy is invigorated by it all: “I have found my people!” But her husband Jim is less sure, as he is dragged along on Tracy’s do-good missions. Filled with laughs, music and allround good humour, this play will warm your heart, as we watch our characters become part of something bigger than they could have imagined.

Cynthia Sugars is one of the people behind The Company of Adventurers in Old Ottawa South.

Shows are at the Ottawa Tennis & Lawn Bowling Club (176 Cameron Avenue) in Old Ottawa South One weekend only! Don’t miss it!

Friday, October 21st – 7 p m

Saturday, October 22nd – 2 and 7 p m Sunday, October 23rd – 2 p m

Tickets: $20 regular, $10 seniors, $5 students, on Eventbrite (google “Eventbrite buy nothing play”): www eventbrite ca/e/429251481737

Contact Cynthia at csugars@uottawa ca for more info!

It’s local, it’s funny, it’s about us!

John Howard Society opening soon at 289 Carling

neighbourhood.

The rooms will be fully furnished (including window coverings to ensure a cohesive look) and equipped with kitchens. Smoking will be allowed inside the units, but not in the public portions of the building. The residences will be on floors four to six of the tower. There will be office space and educa tion/training facilities on the second and third floors, with parking in the basement and on the main floor. The top of the podium will include two ter races – one for residents overlooking Bell Street South and one for staff facing the Lakelander condominium.

workers, complemented during the day and parts of the evening by the case-management team.

By Sue Stefko

The six-storey, 40-unit John Howard Society (JHS) supportive-housing com plex will soon welcome its first staff, residents and visitors. It has been a long road.

A supportive-housing residence was proposed for the then parking lot in 2016. The JHS was selected in early 2019; construction began in early December 2020 and was initially expected to be completed by the end of 2021. As with many other building projects, sup ply-chain issues, construction worker shortages and other challenges befell this project, causing a delay of nearly a year.

However, the exterior is now nearly complete, and work continues on the

interior. As construction moves into its final phases, the focus is on finalizing staffing and programming. The build ing will house people who are “chronic ally homeless” and require support but also have a level of stability that allows them to live in their own self-contained apartments. Support can include medi cation management, periodic medical care and case-management services such as addictions management and employment support. Given the rela tive stability of the tenants, there will not be a full-time health partner onsite. Instead, Joshua Bridges, the residen tial coordinator for the site, envisa ges three case managers for the 40 residents with a nurse practitioner visiting once or twice a week. The building will be staffed 24/7 by support

Tenants will be drawn from a cen tralized priority list, with many coming from temporary accommodations such as shelters. Tenants must be over 18. Thirty per cent of the units are reserved for individuals who have identified as Indigenous. Before leases are signed, the JHS will speak with case workers and prospective tenants to see if this location is a good fit for them. Tenants are shown available rooms and can decide which they prefer. They will pay rent with support from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Pro gram or with employment income.

Some have asked if residents’ offsite activities will be controlled or mon itored. The answer is no – they will have the same rights and privileges as other community members. How ever, if anyone witnesses problematic behaviour, they are urged to let Bridges know – he is committed to working with the community to ensure success ful integration of this facility into the

Education and training services will include a variety of programming such as literacy support, employ ment, training and counselling, art therapy, as well as a full school/edu cational program. These are day pro grams, with approximately 60 to 90 people coming to the building each day, usually between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. While some current residents have expressed concern about day guests loitering, all programs are scheduled and are not done on a drop-in basis, so JHS staff expect that people will come for a specific service and leave when it’s done, as is the case at their current location.

Staff will move in first, as this build ing will become the main administra tive office for the JHS in Ottawa. JHS staff are currently in the Byward Market and are expected to move in mid to late October if all goes well. Residents and education/training clients will follow in November, marking the start of a new chapter in the story of 289 Carling.

Sue Stefko is president of the Glebe Annex Community Association.

A training room overlooking Carling Avenue. PHOTOS: JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY

The six-storey John Howard Society supportive housing complex and administrative office will open soon at 289 Carling Avenue.

Sarah

GNAG salutes traditions old and new

Halloween

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house with a parent whose favourite holiday was Halloween, and that has been passed down to me. To have a dad who was always willing to dress up, take my sister and I trick or treating and let us stay out as long as we wanted made it one of the best days of the year. I love a good costume, a haunted house, a scary movie and that late-night binge on mini chocolate bars. In my opinion, traditions are key for children, and it allows them to have memories that last a lifetime. This year, bring your family to the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG) Haunted House on Octo ber 30, and start a new tradition with us. Book a walk-through time in our Fun or Haunted House, depending on age and how much you want to be scared. Fun House 2:30–4:30 p.m., 3–7 years (must be accompanied by an adult) Haunted House 6– 8 p.m., 8+ years (really scary)

$15 a person

AGM

We had our Annual General Meeting on September 21, and the overall strat egy for the next year will be to rebuild the organization and introduce more programming and events back into the community. New traditions were also a theme at our AGM, as we focused on what initiatives and programs started during the pandemic will be con tinued to add to the success of GNAG. What did the organization learn from the pandemic that can help us moving forward?

• Closures and restrictions chal lenged the staff on resiliency and how to create a flexible operat

offered in person and online, but the team was also able to pivot operations quickly, and that will continue.

• Event formats were changed, and the team had to come up with creative ways to offer events and follow restrictions. Some of these changes made events more successful and will remain; for example, the Craft Fair will again be held over two weekends this year. Please join us November 19 and 20 and November 26 and 27 and start your holiday shop ping early!

• Fewer clients in the building and attending programming in person made it tricky for word-of-mouth marketing, which is usually help ful in community recreation. We had to rely more on social media and online marketing promo tion, a practice we will build on in the next year. Please follow us on Facebook @GNAGottawa, Instagram @gnagottawa and Twitter @GNAG_Ottawa.

Sweater weather

Stay cozy when the days get chilly. Warm knits, buttery soft leather and great boots.

• Finally, we are always stronger together, and the community, including businesses and other organizations in the Glebe, can continue to build on relationships that were strengthened during the pandemic. I tend to pop into businesses and try to meet all the community stakeholders I can, so if we haven’t met yet, I’d love to meet you.

Thank you to everyone who sup ported GNAG in 2021-22! If you have any traditions or programs you would like to see in your community, please feel free to reach out to us at info@gnag.ca or 613-233-8713.

Board of Directors

Thank you to the outgoing 2021-22 board of directors of GNAG. I want to send a heartfelt thank you to Heather Moncur, Dominique Milne, John Rich ardson and Kate McCartney on behalf of myself, the staff, the board and the community. The years of volunteer work that they have put into this com munity is a testament to the current

strength of GNAG and its future. Gold jackets were given to Kate and John at Mary Tsai’s retirement party for serv ing the board for more than 10 years –another GNAG tradition – and in Mary’s words, “for their solid gold work!”

With the exit of such valued volun teers, we were thrilled and lucky to have such a stellar new group join our board. We would like to formally wel come Rebecca McKeen, Christopher Griffin, Deborah Sarmento and Julie Lafrance. We can’t wait to start work ing with all of you.

To wrap up this article, I wanted to let the community know of one new tradition started at GNAG. In obser vation of National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we decided to cancel any non-essential programming on September 30 and run only childcare programs. In addition, we donated rev enues from those cancelled programs to two important reconciliation char ities – this year, we donated a total of $800 to the Gord Downie & Charlie Wenjack Fund and to the Indian Resi dential School Survivors Society.

The GNAG “Gold Jacket Club” of long-time GNAG board members, from left: Geoff Kellow, Clare Pearson, Mary Tsai, Brad Sigouin, Kate McCartney and John Richardson, at Mary Tsai’s retirement party on September 8.

Cochrane

John Crump

President, Glebe Community Association T @glebeca E gca@glebeca.ca www.glebeca.ca

Candidates’ debate, and news on the Mutchmor rink!

As the leaves change colour and winter looms, there’s a lot going on at the Glebe Community Associ ation (GCA) as we work to support a liveable, sustainable, diverse urban neighbourhood. Here are some high lights from our September 27 meeting.

Capital Ward Councillor and Ottawa Mayoral Debates

A mayoral candidates’ debate moderated by Joanne Chianello, an award-winning journalist and CBC Ottawa’s city affairs analyst, is coming up on Monday, October 17 at 7 p.m. at the Horticulture Building, Lansdowne Park. Organized by the GCA and over a dozen community organizations in the central core, we are expecting an engaging, in-depth debate. We will post a recording online in case you can’t make it in person.

We hosted a debate for Capital Ward City Councillor candidates on September 22, moderated by David Reeveley, correspondent for The Logic and former Ottawa bureau chief for The Canadian Press. You can find a recording here: https://youtu.be/ kgA50dJoJS8.

One of the key issues that affects our ward is the proposed Lansdowne 2.0. There are a wide range of issues involved, including use of taxpay ers’ dollars, lack of a transportation plan, loss of parkland, privatiza tion of public land, high-rise towers and affordable housing. We encour age you to seek candidates’ views on the questions raised by the proposal. More information can be found at glebeca.ca.

Thank you to our excellent moder ators and to June Creelman and Bob Brocklebank and our community part ners for organizing the debates. And a friendly reminder to vote to choose who represents you in the munici pal election on October 24 – it’s an important one for our city and our neighbourhood.

Mutchmor Rink

We have been actively working to see the Mutchmor skating rink re-es tablished this winter in the Glebe. The historic outdoor rink has been a favourite in the neighbourhood for generations. While there are final details to discuss, we are pleased there is a tentative agreement between the Mutchmor principal, the Parent-Teacher Council and the Play ground Committee about the return of the rink this winter. Beyond this season, the longer-term feasibility of the rink remains in question.

Transportation

The GCA Transportation Committee has received funding approval in prin ciple for an active transport study in the Glebe and Central Ottawa. Results of the study, which we plan to con duct in early 2023, will be used to

consider measures to improve com munity safety related to the interplay of pedestrian, bicycle, vehicle and public transportation.

Ottawa Police Community Liaison

In response to concerns about reports of crime in parts of the Glebe, we invited the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) neighbourhood liaison to our September 27 meeting. While our OPS contact was not available, we will continue to engage with her on these issues.

In the meantime, calling the OPS or filing a report online, no matter how big or small the incident, helps OPS identify increases in particular types of crimes and to address it more effect ively. To “Make the Right Call” here is the information shared by the OPS:

• Crime in Progress/Life Threaten ing Emergencies – 9-1-1

• Non-emergency but requires patrol – 613-236-1222 ext. 7502

• Non-emergency information taken over the phone – 613-2361222 ext. 7300

• Online reporting –ottawapolice.ca

Membership Drive

The GCA relies on volunteers and the sale of memberships to sup port our work promoting the inter ests of our community. Our Spring membership drive saw an increase in memberships back up to pre-pan demic numbers; we currently count approximately 1,300 members, about 33 per cent of Glebe households. The membership drive highlighted the importance of in-person canvassing to understanding concerns in our community. If you have not yet pur chased a GCA membership, its not too late to do so on-line at glebeca.ca/ membership/.

Environment

The Environment Committee is working with Carleton University students through the Foundations in Community Engagement course. The goal is to encourage people to talk about how to climate proof their houses and neighbourhoods and better inform the city’s zoning discussions.

Twenty-three new trees will be planted in the next few weeks at Glebe Collegiate Institute. This project, supported by a City of Ottawa grant, was a collaboration between the GCA, the Glebe Collegiate Institute parent council and TWIGS club.

More details about our work can be found at glebeca.ca. We are cur rently surveying GCA Board members to decide whether we will be moving back to in-person meetings or con tinuing to meet virtually. To find out the best way to join us at our October 25 meeting, please email secretary@ glebeca.ca for details.

Vintage Glebe Stockcar racing at Lansdowne

Stockcar

1956?

race pile-up.

photo

1957 or later, as the track is paved and there are guardrails. The photo shows the east end of the oval track, with the south bleachers in the background. Car #82 was driven by Gary Seabrook for Seabrook Garage. Car #55 was Roy Routliffe for Minute Car Wash. Car #54 was Stu Trudel for Canadian Tire. Car #22 was driven by Doug Lebreton for Manotick Motors. (Information not confirmed but to the best of our knowledge)

The Queen and I, and the Royal guffaw

By Roger Smith

During the poignant farewells to Queen Elizabeth, Royal watchers noted that she was known for her wicked wit and sense of humor, even though it wasn’t always obvious in public. It certainly came as a sur prise to me the one time I met her.

It was October of 1986. As the CTV correspondent in Beijing, I was assigned to cover the first-ever Royal tour of China. It was on that same tour that Prince Philip made an embarrassing mess by warning some expatriate British students not to stay in China too long because they might develop “slitty eyes.” But that’s another story.

Over six days, the Queen feasted at state dinners, met paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, toured the For bidden City in Beijing, climbed the Great Wall, vis ited the terracotta soldiers in Xian. At her final stop in Kunming in southwestern China, reporters were invited to a wrap-up reception. As we awaited the Queen, a Buckingham Palace aide asked if I would like to meet her. Yes, of course, I’d be honoured. In 1959, my father, then editor of our hometown paper, The St. Catharines Standard, met her aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia when she came to Canada to officially open the St. Lawrence Seaway, and I was thrilled to become the second in the family to have the pleasure.

The media was organized into groups of three for the Queen to move among. I was matched with two British heavyweights – Sue Lawley, the anchor of the BBC’s Six O’Clock News, and John Gittings, a China specialist with the Guardian. Against that star power, I thought, there won’t be much Royal attention paid to a colonial. Wrong. When the Queen approached and I was introduced as Canadian, her face lit up. She talked about her trips to Canada and how much she loved the country, but she also aired her pet peeve

– our many time zones and the jet lag they caused when she toured. How do you do it? she asked, Philip and I never know what time it is!

My good fortune that I had my own time-zone story to tell her. Though China is almost as broad as Canada, the entire country officially operates on Beijing time. In the far West, almost as distant from Beijing as Van couver is from Ottawa, the time is the same as in the

capital, and the sun doesn’t rise until late morning.

I had just recently experienced this oddity. The Karakorum Highway, the highest international paved road in the world, connects Pakistan with western China. Completed in 1979, it had just been opened to the public, so my cameraman and I decided to drive it and file a story on the engineering miracle that had been dubbed the Ninth Wonder of the World. It was a gruelling 1,300-km trip from Abbottabad in Pakistan, winding high into the western Himalayas and down through the desert to Kashgar in China. The border was marked by a small post in the 4,693-metre-high Khunjerab Pass. After we crossed, we had to turn our watches ahead three hours – a bright late afternoon suddenly became eight o’clock at night!

I recounted that story to the Queen and concluded with the punchline: “Your Majesty, it’s the only place in the world where you can get jet lag without leav ing the ground.” The Queen burst into laughter, rather louder than I might have expected. Not only that, she called over Prince Philip from a nearby group and insisted that I repeat my story for him. She laughed the second time too, then thanked me and moved on. The BBC anchor and the Guardian columnist must have been irked they barely got a word in.

I was relieved I hadn’t embarrassed myself by saying “eh” or violating any Royal protocols, but the Queen’s guffaws did not go unnoticed. When the reception ended, the British media, mostly Royal beat reporters from the infamous tabloids, surrounded me, and I found myself on the wrong side of a scrum: “What did you say to make her laugh so hard?” When I explained, they seemed a bit perplexed that a story about time zones could so tickle the Royal funny bone.

Roger Smith is a retired journalist and copy editor of the Glebe Report.

A Sailor in the rain-pool sea

For long ago, the truth to say He has grown up and gone away And it is but a child of air That lingers in the garden there

—Robert Louis Stevenson

By Chris McNaught

Having finally admitted I’ve been dragged up and over that same garden’s wall, I find myself reflecting on John Steinbeck and his late-in-life, metaphorical Odys sey through America, his native land, his “garden.” In Travels With Charley, at the physical and literary wheel of a truck he named Rocinante, Steinbeck toured America and tilted with increasing dismay at racist and political schism, the trashing of the environment and, even in 1960, a people driven by fear, sapped of their fabled spirit of adventure. By the time he returned to New York, soon to die, he felt lost, lamenting the cull of gentler, brighter, national dreams. His Huck Finn raft, as he saw it, had pretty well gone round the bend. But then, are we not “such stuff as dreams are made on” (Prospero/Shakespeare) and even so, “a dreamer lives forever, and a toiler dies in a day” (John O’Reilly), which prompts my sanguine plaint: must we blithely “go gently into that dark night “ (Dylan Thomas) and fade as that phantom wraith, left alone beside his swing, bled of wonderment and aspiration, the nur turing alcove permanently walled off? All in thrall of “maturity” and the mere passage of years?

Call me naive for still heeding the whims and

yearning of my original soul, but it’s not dementia or coy romanticism which my dear spouse apprehends when she catches me staring down the St. Lawrence in the morning; not Stevenson’s “another child, far, far away,” but an incorrigible acolyte of promise, a con stant mariner visualizing voyages yet to make. As his tory was once real life, so dreams and adolescent verve feed present reality.

Every once in a while, in the evening, I play Jimmy Hendrix’ ethereal, neck-tingling version of “All Along the Watchtower,” and in a brief mystical burst, throb with the anticipation of the “two riders…approach ing, and the wind began to howl;” a torch glows on my parapet, flickering with dramatic, as yet undefined, purpose and then …and then I whisk out to the garden and “up in the air I go flying again.”

Some carp that Steinbeck was tilting at windmills, but better that than wind turbines! It’s your choice: stay on board Masefield’s grim ghost ship, that “dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smokestack,” or take brave heart and fresh winds on a “stately Spanish galleon.”

Chris McNaught is a writer and former criminal lawyer who lives in the Glebe.

One Plant cannabis comes to the Glebe

By Annie Doane

Walking down the streets of the Glebe, one of the newest storefronts you will see is the One Plant cannabis dispens ary located in the new Amica build ing on Bank Street. Opened on May 13, the dispensary sells legal marijuana for recreational purposes and features flower, pre-rolls, edibles and concen trates among other products.

After being under construction for quite some time, the finished product is a minimalist, modern interior that provides a fresh, relaxing and straight forward shopping experience.

If you are in hurry or just don’t like shopping in stores, you can also order through the easy-to-navigate One Plant website and pick up your order at their location.

This dispensary opened after sev eral others in the area, such as Plateau, High Ties, the Good and Superette, the boom undoubtedly due to the grow ing popularity and de-stigmatization of cannabis.

Since the legalization of rec reational marijuana in 2018, the number of dispensaries in the city has grown exponentially in almost every neighbourhood. Emalee Smith, the store manager of One Plant Glebe, believes that it is beneficial to get cannabis from experts at these dispensaries.

“I feel that we can help end the stigma and actually give the proper advice to people,” she says. “Having a place where someone can go and ask ques tions and just learn about the industry face to face rather than just read online

can go a long way. We all love selling cannabis, educating people, and all of us here are very passionate about the plant. One Love, One Plant.”

Smith explains that the reaction from guests coming into the store has been mostly positive, and the only critical comments have come from those who do not approve of cannabis use. She also says and that their location under the Amica building plays a role in their clientele.

“I feel it has influenced our clientele a little bit. We see people who have just turned 19 and excited to make their first legal purchase . . . and we also see the cannabis OGs (originals) who will share all their experiences and things they’ve learned from the past 50-plus years. We also now have a wonderful retirement community who are either just trying it for the first time or would like to come downstairs and have a chat.”

Cannabis consumers in the Glebe are also welcoming to the new storefront.

University student Olivia Little, a One Plant customer, thinks it is great that cannabis use is less of a scandal.

“There is a lot of value in normaliz ing recreational marijuana use. We have LCBOs in almost every commun ity, why should marijuana be any dif ferent?” she says. “People are going to smoke/consume weed no matter what, so dispensaries are so important because they ensure that the product you are getting is safe.”

Little also said that she always has a good experience when she visits One Plant, and it reminds her of her favour ite dispensary in her hometown.

One Plant cannabis dispensary opened in May in the Amica building on Bank Street, the sixth cannabis store in the Glebe.The dispensary sells flower, prerolls, edibles and concentrates, among other products.

“The lovely people working in there are always helpful and friendly, even to complete beginners who may feel like they are asking silly questions.”

The budtenders working at One Plant and other dispensaries in Ontario must complete CanSell courses to work in the industry. This is to ensure that cannabis sales are handled in a safe and responsible manner and adhere to provincial and federal guidelines. So, when you ask for help, you can breathe easy knowing that you are getting knowledgeable and experi enced advice.

The One Plant staff, especially Smith, are excited to join the Glebe commun ity. She explains that they are always open to new opportunities.

“Personally, my goal is to be more involved with the Glebe community. Right now, I am looking for events or

businesses that we might be able to partner with and hopefully get each other’s names out there!”

So if you happen to pass by the store while out and about, come in and say hello! As long as you are over 19 of course.

One Plant Glebe is located at 900 Bank Street, Unit 150 and is open Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m to 8 p.m. You can find them online at oneplant.ca/ location/ottawa-glebe.

Annie Doane is a journalism student at Carleton University.

Frances-Anne Johnston Franz Johnston Franklin Arbuckle

Capital Village party

By Jaason Geerts

On September 10, many of the denizens of Craig, Ella and Newton streets got together for a fabulous street party in Capital Park.

Even before my wife Ariane and I first moved to Craig Street a year ago, we had inklings about the character of our new neighbourhood. It began when the previous homeowners, Noëlle Harris and Sean Cahill, turned down higher offers for their house in favour of a sincere couple with a baby. That hospitality has continued since.

Our initiation into the community included housewarming gifts from neighbours, homemade cookies from the Carleton students next door and the extraordinary generosity of Hester Whatman and the Buy Nothing Facebook group. There were also invitations to face off on the Capital Park rink, which is run reluctantly by Dr. Lucas Badenduck and his grumpy assistant Dr. Wouter Bleeker, and to play footie matches arranged by John Sekerka and dominated by the Sider-Echenberg family.

In early spring, soon after our daughter Éloïse Noëlle was born, she gave us the idea of hosting a park party so she could meet more of our laudable neighbours. Thanks to Machi Marinou-Bleeker, Sachiko Okuda and others, a fabulous group came together to plan the party, and the baby had the time of her life. As soon as she was satisfied that the guests were revelling in each other’s company, following first-rate host decorum, she fell asleep. Upping the ante would require replacing the

Spotify “Meet the Locals 2022” playlist with live music, but as newbies keen to avoid disappoint ment as a first impression, we knew it had to be top class. But Ed Sheeran was too slow for the vibe we wanted, The Weekend lost his voice and Drake had COVID. Then a far superior option pre sented itself.

Having heard mythic tales of the annual Ella Street Party, featuring the musical talents of local celebrity D’Arcy McGuire and friends, we arranged an introduction and prepared a pitch to persuade yet distract from our non-existent budget. D’Arcy and his wife, Marge McIsaac, who organize the Ella Street Party, generously suggested combin ing our events and setting up in Capital Park. And so, joined by a team of collaborators, prepara tions began.

Fortunately, when 2 o’clock rolled around on September 10, it was a sunny, clear day without a hint of rain. The scene was set with tents for the stage and for food and beverage stations, an array of picnic tables and lawn chairs for fans of great music, valet parking and much more.

Kids were greeted with freezies (popular), bear claws (popular), popcorn (popular), fresh fruit (neglected) and a Disney-scale bouncy castle donated by Dominique Milnes and Lyne Burton from Engel and Völkers (popular).

Adults could indulge in Little Victories coffee, (a mystery concoction brewed by Julio, who claims to be the longest reigning nearby resident), and whatever a free hand allowed them to carry.

Roast-beast-calibre edibles were also in abun dance, as countless neighbours brought food to share, including Rhonda John and her famous

meatballs (I had seven) and Mickyung Joo, whose Korean grilled beef earned Michelin Star status. We are grateful to Rebecca McKeen and McKeen Metro, wh0 generously donated an arsenal of delicious hot dogs, condiments and supplies.

More than 100 people attended as generations united. There were babies as young as eight days old (though the award for the youngest goes to Logan Fice, who was coyly holding out three days after his due date, but dropped by with his parents, Kevin and Katie, nonetheless), children big and small, students, parents, grandparents and even great grandparents. The award for the oldest? Well, one partygoer revealed that he’s looking forward to his 100th birthday in not so many years.

The event was a chance after years of pandemic to reconnect with old friends, to meet new neighbours and to cele brate the community spirit of inclu sion and generosity that attracted us to this area in the first place and keeps so many people here for the long haul.

It was also a chance to hear four hours of fabulous music. Musical guests included Ellagance, JB and the Saturday Nights, Molly McGuire, The Dirty Sheep, Parker Estabrooks, along with local artist Jaya Krishnan on drums while he waited for his grand daughter to be born.

Marge ran the party, D’Arcy ran the music, master chef Marc Rossove ran the grill, and Ariane and I ran back to the party, after darting home to put the baby down, just in time to hear a stellar rendition of “Lost Together.”

We enjoyed the time together and are very grateful to all those who contrib uted to its success. Special thanks to our sponsors, Rebecca McKeen, Domi nique Milnes and Lyne Burton, Eric the tire guy, Ben Sherman for the tents, the young adults who helped supervise the bouncy castle, those who brought food, all the musicians, Marge and D’Arcy and of course all those who joined us.

Once the tents were down and the equipment safely stowed, D’Arcy said,

“We should do this again . . . but not until next year”.

Jaason Geerts is a newcomer to Craig Street and one of the instigators of the Craig, Ella and Newton Street party held in Capital Park.

29 STRATHCONA AVE

THE GLEBE

Located half a block from the canal and benefitting from the walkability of the Glebe, you will want to leave the car in ‘park’! This updated home features four bedrooms, one and a half baths and a main floor extension.

Active lifestyle location in Overbrook situated near the Ottawa Sports Club, Rideau River, and parkland. This enclave of funky row units illuminated by natural light in all seasons features a west-facing roof-top garden escape and endless possibilities!

Photos: Lorrie Loewen

47 C ONTARIO ST

SANDY HILL

BROKER OF RECORD / REALTORS ® Rob Marland | Jane Forsyth | Myha Ewart |

Karen Gibson | Haidyn Picco

Going all out at Abbotsford this fall!

By Pat Goyeche

What a busy place Abbotsford at the Glebe Centre is this fall. Classes are in full swing in person and online, our Speakers Series is underway, and the house is buzzing with members and volunteers.

We are also gearing up for some major fundraising with the help of local businesses and individuals who are sponsoring our upcoming gala on Wednesday, October 19. We feel very fortunate that so many local busi nesses and community members are keen to support our efforts to remain relevant and thriving in the face of challenging funding cuts.

A Night to Remember Fundraising Gala

Join with friends and neighbours on Wednesday, October 19 at the Horticul tural Building to celebrate Abbotsford House’s community impact and 150 years since the construction of our home.

This event will have a live 16-piece orchestra featuring dance music from the 50s, 60s and 70s, dinner and a silent auction, all for the price of $125 per ticket. Come with a friend or solo as we have tables of eight for you to join.

COVID protocols will be in place for this event. Net proceeds will help offset 2023 City of Ottawa funding cuts.

Tickets are still available, so do not miss out. Call Bruce Hill, our director of Charitable Giving, at 613-238-2727 (ext. 316) for tickets.

FINE FINDS Fundraiser

This grand affair will be open to the public and held on the ground floor of Abbotsford House on Saturday, Nov ember 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. We will be featuring art, jewellery and elegant one-of-a-kind treasures that are “new” to Abbotsford. Every item is individ ually priced and can be purchased by a ticket holder on a first come, first serve basis.

Enjoy a relaxing afternoon with a limited number of other attendees over a glass of wine and canapés. Your $20 ticket can be purchased by calling Abbotsford Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 613-230-5730.

The items on offer have never been displayed at any of our previous sales; they are unique and “new to you:”

• Home made crafts, ornaments, baby clothes, knit wear and other clever and creative 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.

Our volunteers have been work ing hard to create brand new beauti ful items for you and your family. Find your FINE FINDS and support your local seniors centre. You won’t want to miss this day!

Abbotsford Holiday Craft Fair

It will be held this year on Satur day, November 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

at Abbotsford House. More details to come.

Help with Snow

It’s that time of year again when we have to start thinking about the white stuff falling from the sky and accumu lating on our driveways and sidewalks!

The City of Ottawa, in conjunction with the community support agencies, can help you to find the help you need.

Snow Go: Screened snow contract ors who are insured and have under gone a police reference check.

Snow Go Assist: People with low-in comes, as defined by the City of Ottawa ($31,500 gross income for an individual or $39,200 gross income for a house hold) are able to apply for a rebate of up to 50 per cent of the cost of snow removal, up to a maximum of $250.

Applications can be obtained from Abbotsford Community Support Servi ces. Proof of income as well as a signed contract from a snow contractor must be provided. Telephone 613-230-5730 or contact Kirsten at kobrien@glebec entre.ca.

Tablet Project

Abbotsford House is pleased to offer our Tablets Lending Project to seniors so that they can stay better connected with family, friends and community programs. Along with the loan of the tablets, we offer training on how to send emails, browse the Internet, join a Zoom meeting, make video calls or whatever else you wish to learn.

This project is made possible by a

grant from the Ontario Trillium Foun dation. For more information about the Abbotsford Tablet Lending Project, please contact Shirley Lee at slee@ glebecentre.ca or 613-230-5730.

Abbotsford is your community sup port centre for adults 55+. We are the community programs of The Glebe Centre Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit, organization that includes a 254-bed long-term care home.

Find out more about our services by dropping by 950 Bank Street (the old stone house) Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., telephoning 613-2305730 or by checking out all The Glebe Centre facilities and community pro grams on our website www.glebec entre.ca.

Pat Goyeche is coordinator of community programs at Abbotsford.

5 REASONS FAMILIES CHOOSE MEMORY CARE AT AMICA

With the health and safety of residents as a top priority, Amica is a trusted leader in providing exceptional care. This is especially important for people living with Alzheimer’s. Changes in abilities and behaviour mean safety becomes an even greater concern. Knowing you or your loved one will be cared for by professionals certified in dementia and behaviour support is key.

CARE THAT IS PERSONALIZED

At Amica The Glebe, care is personalized –according to each resident’s unique needs. Memory Care residents get enhanced care in dedicated Memory Care suites including support with bathing, dressing, medication management and more.

CARE THAT IS PROFESSIONAL

Each professionally trained staff member is highly qualified to ensure each Memory Care resident gets care that is knowledgeable, respectful and compassionate.

CARE THAT IS ALL-ENCOMPASSING

Not only is there a nurse and specialized support team on site 24/7 – our Memory Care residents may also receive care with scheduled appointments from a visiting physician, massage therapist and physiotherapist, with access to foot care, a walker clinic and a hearing clinic.

CARE THAT COMFORTS

We use individualized support tools such as My Life Story Book and My Life Story Box as well as music therapy to help engage and comfort residents.

CARE THAT EVOLVES

At Amica The Glebe, care is provided at every stage of life. If you’re interested in learning if Memory Care is right for you or your loved one, book a private tour today

Amica The Glebe is now open. Availability is limited. To learn more or to book a private tour, please call Sarah or LA at 613-233-6363.

By Greg Roger

So Yasir Naqvi, our MP for Ottawa Centre, lauds the introduction of Bill C23, an act designed to protect the Experimental Farm from any further development. Here’s the story behind the story.

In mid-2016, the Liberal government asked the National Capital Commission (NCC) to conduct a review of potential federal lands for possible gifting to the planned redevelopment of the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). The NCC conducted an extensive review, interviewed 7,700 individuals, met with a number of community groups, evaluated about a dozen federally owned sites against 21 objective cri teria. On November 24, 2016, the NCC recommended the selection of Tunney’s Pasture.

Just four days later, on November 28, the TOH board announced its rejection of that recommendation.

On December 2, Mayor Jim Watson convened a meet ing of 17 elected area MPPs and MPs. Yasir Naqvi was a member of that group, as MPP at that time for Ottawa Centre. Bob Chiarelli was in the group too, as MPP for Ottawa West. That group flipped the NCC’s rec ommendation to the northeast corner of the Experi mental Farm, then a designated National Historic Site. The then Minister of Heritage, Melanie Joly, removed the designation from a 42-acre portion of the Farm.

Subsequently, Public Works executed a 99-year lease of the taxpayer’s property to TOH for the sum of $1 per annum.

To this date, almost six years later, neither any of the politicians involved nor TOH nor the City has provided a credible explanation for the switch. The matter con tinues to be a contentious municipal election issue because Naqvi’s constituents in Ottawa Centre and the citizens of Ottawa have paid and will pay in perpe tuity an enormous price for the reversal of the NCC recommendation.

Environmental Costs

In a time of climate crisis, the TOH development will

entail the removal of over 700 mature trees and the paving of 52 acres of green space (one of the last sig nificant green spaces remaining in the Ottawa Centre riding).

The residents of Ottawa will lose forever the 10-acre Queen Juliana Park that will become the site of a 2,500-vehicle parking garage situated opposite Dow’s Lake and below the Farm escarpment where the hos pital will be located. This massive development above Queen Juliana Park will result in a huge downward flow of storm water into the O-Train tunnel and Dow’s Lake, polluting the lake, the Rideau Canal and river and imperilling aquatic and other wildlife.

Quality of Life

The development will result in an additional 3,000

vehicles, seven days a week, on Prince of Wales Drive and the adjoining Preston and Carling avenues. It will significantly compromise the public’s access to and enjoyment of Commissioner’s Park and Dow’s Lake.

Additional Costs

The hospital has already asked for a municipal con tribution of $150 million (no details or justification provided). Mass-transit access to the hospital will be constrained. The nearest O-Train stop will be on the north side of Carling Avenue, 450 metres (the length of four football fields) from the hospital entrance.

This would necessitate the building of an all-sea son bridge between the O-train station, the top of the parking garage and entrance to the hospital. The Flora Bridge at Fifth Avenue was completed several years ago at a cost of $43 million. The similar-length bridge over Carling Avenue will cost taxpayers mul tiples of the sum.

The only public response I have heard from Naqvi about these and many other criticisms of the switch of the NCC’s sensible recommendation for the TOH site is that “nothing is perfect.”

We taxpayers do not expect perfection of those we elect to represent our collective interests, but we do expect rational, evidence-based transparency and responsible conduct.

The Tunney’s Pasture site offered easy, direct access from the east-west LRT, thus reducing the demands of greatly increased automotive traffic. It entails none of the alarming environmental effects and eliminates the additional cost effects of the Farm and Park sites.

The rejection of the recommended Tunney’s Pas ture site, in spite of all of the evidence in its favour, was a colossal blunder that will result in a huge cost to the public and a black mark on the records of those that facilitated it.

Greg Roger has lived in the Glebe and Centretown and takes an active interest in Ottawa civic matters.

Panda Game animates Lansdowne

The 53rd annual Panda football game between long-time rivals the Carleton Ravens and the uOttawa GeeGees was played October 1 at Lansdowne, with fireworks, cheerleaders and boisterous crowds. Bank Street was jammed with buses, and security and police were much in evidence.

For the fourth consecutive time, the GeeGees won, this time 37-7. Crowds were mostly enthusiastic but well behaved in the Glebe, but large and rowdy evening celebrations in Sandy Hill resulted in arrests. Future Panda games may be in doubt due to unruly crowd behaviour.

panda game

Paul’s clam chowder

By Marisa Romano

Since October is Seafood Month in Canada, it seems a fit ting time to recall the culinary surprise of my summer trip to Prince Edward Island – a memorable clam chowder prepared on the seashore at the end of an afternoon of clam digging, where diners had to work for their supper, literally.

The adventure began at an unassuming south-shore cabin in the picturesque seaport village of Victoria-by-the-Sea, where the yellow kayaks were ready and waiting. Paul Sheri dan, owner-operator of By-The-Sea-Kayaking and our guide for the day, handed out life jackets, water bottles and energy bars. Paddles in hand and clamming rakes strapped against the yellow vessels, we pushed the kayaks into the receding tidal water and started the 30-minute paddle to Tryon Shoal.

At that time of day, the sand bar was covered by only a palm of water. The smooth, fine, clean sand under our feet would have been almost two meters under the surface hours earlier. Here is where bar clams hide, their whereabouts betrayed only by a small circular indent in the sand. We just had to dig there to catch them.

Large (at least 4 inches at harvest), with a thick off-white shell covered by a dark layer, bar clams are particularly plen tiful in the Northumberland Strait. Sweeter in taste and a little tougher than other clams, they are steamed or shucked and used fresh, frozen or canned in chowders and stews.

By the time we left the shoal, the tide had reached its lowest and the early flood current speeded up our return to the beach. Back on shore, Sheridan showed us how to steam, clean and chop the clams and make the chowder. The flavour ful gluten- and dairy-free recipe that he created surprised and satisfied all of us.

Sheridan, originally from Kemptville, fell for PEI when he vacationed there as a teenager. When he made it his perma nent home, like many “come-from-aways,” he had to “do what he had to do” to make a living. He found opportunities in the food industry where he quickly discovered a knack

Paul’s bar-clam chowder

2-3 tbsp cooking oil 1 onion, chopped 3 sweet peppers (yellow, orange, red), chopped 2 large cans diced tomatoes 2 cans coconut milk

2 to 3 cups bar-clam meat, steamed cleaned and chopped 2 tsp cayenne powder or to taste 1/4-1/3 cup coconut Thai seasoning 1/4 cup veggie soup mix

Sauté onion and peppers in cooking oil; add tomatoes, coconut milk and the spices Bring to boil and let cook until a little reduced, add the chopped clams (OR use frozen or preserved clam meat) and let cook 10 more minutes Serve hot with a slice of your favourite bread Good with your choice of other seafood as well

for cooking. He eventually opened his own restaurant, offering dishes with creative combinations like his special lobster mango wraps, quirky back then. At the same time, he started the kay ak-rental business. When all that proved to be too much to handle, he gave up the restaurant, combined his rental business with his talent as a cook and started offering the clamming experience, an ancient island tradition.

That was 15 years ago. Today, with a five-star rating on Trip Advisor, people come to him from all over. He brings them to Tryon Shoal whenever the sea allows, from late spring to early fall. After each outing, you can see him chuckle as he hands out seconds of his special clam chowder to happy patrons.

Seafood Month is a celebration of delicious seafood dishes, like Sheridan’s chowder, and a time to appreciate fishermen and a Canadian industry recognised by the Marine Stewardship Council for its leadership in sustainability and environmental protection. This sector makes a significant contribution to the Canadian economy. Seafood is one of Canada’s major exports – lobster from Atlantic Canada, followed by crab and salmon are the leading products. With this in mind, lobster was on my to-do list in PEI, though I passed on the classic lobster dinner and opted for lobster rolls instead. A successful contest launched by Lobster PEI in 2020 – the Lobster Roll Call – inspired Island chefs to craft exclusive twists to the classic recipe. Diners can embrace the fun and vote for their favourite PEI Lobster Roll. Besides deciding the annual favourite, the event yields a list of restaurants offering lip-smack ing lobster rolls. Many of them tasty enough to rival Paul Sheri dan’s clam chowder!

Marisa Romano is a scientist and long-time foodie with an unlimited curiosity about food and the people who cook it.

Bar clams PHOTOS: JIM LOUTER

Clam chowder simmering on the camp stove

Cancun taco

By Tim O’Connor

I never tire of exploring the cuisines from around the world that can be found in Ottawa and sometimes found in our own kitchen.

Recently I was planning a special menu for Flora Fest 5, our annual anniversary party at Flora Hall Brewing. I asked our staff to suggest ideas for food that fits having beer in hand and a celebration, a good late-night street food. Manny, who was born in Mexico City and spent many years in Cancun, said: “I have a neat one, one that nobody has talked about here.”

That’s when I met the delicious simplicity of a Cancun taco. It’s made of pulled pork (cochinita pibil) slowly cooked in bitter orange sauce. You can get this bitter orange sauce in bottles, so we’ll do a small plug here as I love to send custom ers to small local businesses. La Chingadera Mexican Market recently opened in the Glebe, next to Home Hardware. The owner has bottles of this orange sauce on her shelf, plus the other key ingredients you need for this pork, including dried chilis, tortillas and a banana leaf to wrap around the pork while cooking.

The pork is marinated in garlic, bitter orange, lime and grapefruit, and the sweetness of the pork with the bitter blast of citrus is a great combination. If you like, you can add a bit of salsa verde or sour cream, and a little cilantro goes a long way with this. You don’t have to load it up on toppings, and it’s fantastic with none.

Cook the pork in the banana leaf on the grill or in the oven, though the grill creates an appealing bit of crispy exterior. When we made it, Manny grabbed pork to put in a tortilla as fast as we could pull it. He couldn’t resist, because this is so good, screw serving it for dinner, just have your kids stand around you and eat it. It feels so authentic.

This is great dish for late-night celebrations and also for watching football or soccer. Put it in the oven at the start of one game and at the end of the next game it’s ready to come out, and you look like a master of the kitchen. Invite people over and let them praise you, as you smile. You look like a world-class chef, but you did almost nothing.

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

deliciously simple

Cancun Taco

Manny’s marinade

8 garlic cloves

1 cup Goya (bitter orange)

2 limes, juiced

1/3 cup Annatto paste

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili flakes

Purée Season pork with salt, then rub in marinade, keeping the shoulder whole Rest for 8 hours in fridge

Wrap in banana leaves with shiny side out, then wrap in foil Cook in oven at 375° or grill at 325° for 4 hours

Tortilla

3 1/2 cups of Maseca instant corn flour

4 cups hot water

1 tsp salt

Mix until dough is formed, and portion into sizes a little smaller than a golf ball Place a ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with tortilla press, or between 2 plates Cook on a just-warm, cast-iron pan, and flip once until both sides have a slight colour Place in an open plastic bag until ready to eat

Jean-Louis and George embody a generosity that enriches their lives, supports their loved ones, and will give a helping hand to youth at CHEO

The author with the orange sauce that is the secret ingredient for tacos made the Cancun way.

PETER SIMPSON

The Refugee an engaging sequel

Review by June Coxon

Back in 2018, Clyde Sanger wrote a book review about a novel called My Love Story in Broken English, written by local author Ainalem Tebeje. He called her book a “gem of a novel.”

This year, Tebeje published a sequel to that book – it is called The Refugee and is as equally engaging as her first book. The Refugee follows the losses and triumphs of the protagonist in the first novel, Almaz Tefera, a child bride from Siqualla, Ethiopia. Now a refugee in Canada, Almaz tells her own story as well as the stories of other refugees she meets on her journey trying to adapt alone in a strange country. She hears their often tragic, sad experiences as do readers of this novel.

The Refugee By Ainalem Tebeje Baico Publishing Inc, 2022

What Your Neighbours are Reading

TITLE (for adults)

AUTHOR BOOK CLUB

The Refugee is a work of fiction and is not the story of the author’s life, although she is from Ethiopia and was a refugee. As the back cover says, the stories are inspired “by the collective story of refugee women and their journey of loss and triumph, grief and joy.” Tebeje’s descrip tive writing brings them to life for us.

A refugee’s life is not an easy one. Although the archaic culture they have escaped from may have been difficult for some readers to imagine, they face other struggles after arriving in Canada. Refugees not only have to adapt to a new country and different ways of doing things and possibly learn a new language, they may also experience racism and discrimination. In spite of these very serious issues, Tebeje’s book also contains lighter moments as well as heartfelt prologues.

A book launch for The Refugee, hosted by Octopus Books, was held in June at the Glebe Community Centre, attracting a large crowd. If you want to read Clyde Sanger’s review of Tebeje’s first book, it appeared in the Glebe Report in the May 2018 issue.

June Coxon is a writer who has worked in government and the media.

Sunnyside Branch has more hours

Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library has increased its opening hours It is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a m to 8 p m (rather than the previous 1

to 6

), allowing more time for morning

like Babytime and Storytime

Micheline Boyle at grapevine@glebereport.ca

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

Oh William! Elizabeth Strout The 15 Book Club

Gravel Heart Abdulrazak Gurnah The 35 Book Club

The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson Abbotsford Book Club

What Strange Paradise Omar El Akkad

The Rose Code Kate Quinn Broadway Book Club

Akin Emma Donoghue

Sylvie’s thriller & mystery review

By Sylvie Chartrand

Here is a summary of some of the books I have read so far this year, in the order in which I read them, not by favourites. I mostly like mystery novels; hopefully you can find something that appeals to you.

Her One Mistake, by Heidi Perks

Heidi Perks was born and raised in the seaside town of Bournemouth on the south coast of England where she lives with her husband and two children.

In Her One Mistake, Charlotte takes Harriet’s daughter, Alice, to the school fair with her own brood of three. She takes her eyes off the children for an instant and realizes that Alice is missing. She panics and searches the grounds for her but knows she will have to tell her friend Harriet that her only child is gone. Harriet won’t talk to Charlotte, and Charlotte is shunned by other parents and feels heartbroken. Harriet is struggling to keep her mar riage afloat and as police investigates, she worries they might uncover some secrets. Harriet realizes that Charlotte may be the only one to help her reunite with Alice.

The Silent Wife, by Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter is one of the most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Her books have been published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe. Slaugh ter is the founder of Save the Libraries, a non-profit organization established to support libraries and library pro gramming. A native of Georgia, Slaugh ter lives in Atlanta. Her standalone novel Pieces of Her is in development for Netflix,and her Grant County and Will Trent novels are in development for television.

In The Silent Wife, Will Trent is inves tigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside the prison. Another inmate, Daryl Nesbitt, tells Will he wants to

make a deal. He will tell them who killed Vasquez if they help him prove that he is innocent of murder. He says he has information about the abduc tions and murders of young college women that are still happening even though he is behind bars. When a young woman turns up dead in a state park in northern Georgia, Will can’t help but wonder if there is still a serial killer on the loose. He must involve his girlfriend, Sara Linton, who is a med ical examiner and was married to Jef frey Tolliver, the man who put Daryl Nesbitt in prison.

Hid From Our Eyes, by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Julia Spencer-Fleming is the New York Times bestselling author of One Was a Soldier and is also an Agatha, Anthony, Dilys, Barry, Macavity and Gumshoe Award winner. She studied acting and history at Ithaca College and received a law degree at the University of Maine School of Law. She lives in a 190-yearold farmhouse in southern Maine.

Hid From Our Eyes is the ninth and latest book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. You may want to start at the beginning with In the Bleak Midwinter (2002).

In Hid From Our Eyes, Russ Van Alstyne is now the chief of police in Millers Kill. Years ago when he came back from serving in the war, he was a person of interest in the murder of a young woman who was found wearing a party dress with no apparent cause of death, similar to another death 20 years before. When a third woman turns up dead, Russ needs to find the connection between the three killings to find the killer. He also has to deal with his department being put on the chopping block, so much is riding on solving these murders.

These books and so many more are available at the Ottawa Public Library!

Sylvie Chartrand is a public service assistant at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. She is an avid mystery reader.

Downsizing with benefi ts

Maybe you’re looking to downsize, but would like the comfort of knowing help is available if you need it. At Villagia in The Glebe, our independent suites have full kitchens with access to our amenities and services as you need. Just steps away from the Rideau Canal, we’re located near the downtown core and many of the city’s best restaurants and shops in an unbeatable location.

The Little Witches are back in the neighbourhood

By Susan J. Atkinson

The Little Witches from Little Witch Press are going to be popping up here, there and everywhere in both the Glebe and Old Ottawa South throughout the month of October.

Little Witch Press, Old Ottawa South’s very own, small, independent book publisher, has a lot to cele brate this year. After a two-year hiatus from public appearances and a missed opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their fourth book, Witches Don’t Do Winter, the Little Witches are back to have some good old-fashioned fun! Well, good old-fash ioned fun mixed with some new-fashioned fun would be more accurate as the press relaunches its Instagram account and plans some daily posts and fun-filled activities leading up to Hallowe’en.

To begin the fun, Little Witch Press has unoffi cially paired itself with the Little Libraries (the small wooden houses appearing on front lawns in the Glebe and Old Ottawa South).

The Little Witches can’t help but support and endorse the notion of take-a-book, leave-a-book, share-a-book. They certainly agree this popular way of embracing reading is pretty magical. More and more these little libraries are catering to children, and what could be better for a young child than to experi ence the joy and mystery of reading by checking out these small boxes?

For this reason, Little Witch Press is donating 20 copies of their first book Where Do Witches Go? and is scattering them in Little Libraries throughout the community for a whole new crop of young readers to discover and enjoy. Go on a scavenger hunt and see if you can find a copy!

The hope for this fun initiative is that once a child

finds a book in one of the libraries, they take the copy, enjoy the story and then pop it back into either the same or a different library for others to enjoy. The Little Witches hope that before the book is returned, the reader will snap a quick picture of themselves with the book and then post it on the Little Witch Press Instagram account. That way the Little Witches will know where the witches went!

Of course, if anyone would like their own copy of Where Do Witches Go? or any of the other Little Witch titles, they can purchase the books from any of Ottawa’s independent bookstores or by dir ectly messaging Little Witch Press or by going to

littlewitchpress.com.

Don’t forget to follow Little Witch Press on Instagram to find out what fun and crazy things the Little Witches will be doing throughout October. Psst – expect some pop-up readings, surprise merchandise and great book giveaways.

In other words, expect the unexpected and “Happy Haunting!” from everyone at Little Witch Press!

Susan J. Atkinson (susanjatkinson.com.) is a poet living in Old Ottawa South. Her debut collection of poems, The Marta Poems, was published in 2020. She is also part of the Little Witch Press trio.

If you find a copy of Where Do Witches Go? in a Little Library, read it and pop it back into a Little Library for someone else to enjoy.

PHOTO: SUSAN ATKINSON

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The Ottawa Bach Choir presents its 21st season of glorious choral music, with concerts planned for November, March and May.

The Ottawa Bach Choir presents glorious choral music

By Bertrand Doucet

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) is thrilled to wel come you to its 21st season of glorious choral music. The professional ensemble has travelled the world, received national and international acclaim and also won a 2020 JUNO award for Best Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets!

Fresh from its return from Bachfest Leipzig 2022 in June– the choir’s second trip to the pres tigious festival and fifth time performing in the Thomaskirche where Bach worked for 27 years–the choir is delighted to offer an entire season of choral music, with in-person performances as well as select virtual concerts through our Digital Concert Hall.

The season opens with Baroque Christmas on Saturday, November 26 at Carleton Domin ion-Chalmers Centre, featuring Heinrich Schütz’ Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi, SWV

435, in commemoration of the 350th anniver sary of his death. It will also present festive can tatas by Bach and Buxtehude. The concert will be performed with the Theatre of Early Music baroque orchestra, countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Charles Daniels and more. You won’t want to miss this thrilling performance to usher in the Christmas season.

OBC then presents Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem on Saturday, March 11 at St. Matthew’s Church in the Glebe, featuring the chamber version for piano four-hands, arranged by the composer himself, along with works by Tele mann and Bach. Pianists Matthew Larkin and Frédéric Lacroix will join the choir for this moving performance.

The final concert of the season, Spring Ser enade, on Saturday, May 6 at Knox Presbyter ian Church, features gorgeous music for spring, including Haydn’s exquisite Mehrstimmige Gesänge (13 Partsongs) as well as chansons and partsongs by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel,

Clara Schumann and Ottawa native Nicholas Piper. Canadian pianist extraordinaire Elaine Keillor joins the choir for this magnificent con cert. The choir also releases its eighth album of Bach’s Six Motets in 2023 on the ATMA Clas sique label.

Regular-season subscription tickets (at a 10-per-cent discount) are on sale, and tickets for individual live and select digital concerts are also available. The cost of regular-season sub scriptions for in-person concerts are: Reserved $135.00, Adults $108.00, Seniors (65+) $94.50, Students and Youth $54.00. For more informa tion, visit our website at www.ottawabachchoir. ca, or email us at info@ottawabachchoir.ca.

The Ottawa Bach Choir is overjoyed to share our passion for choral music with all patrons. Come discover the best that choral music has to offer.

Bertrand Doucet is the interim chair of the Ottawa Bach Choir board of directors.

Seventeen Voyces returns with silent film Peter Pan

By Karen Junke

Seventeen Voyces, Ottawa’s premier chamber choir, is marking its 25th season this year under the direction of found ing director Kevin Reeves with the 1924 silent-film classic Peter Pan. The film will be projected on a large screen and accom panied by live choral music plus organ virtuoso Matthew Larkin and “faerie harpist” Lucile Hildesheim. The program will take place at 7:30 p.m. on October 21 and 22 at Southminster United Church. These promise to be terrific evenings.

Seventeen Voyces has presented silent film screenings for many years, includ ing The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera – these imagina tive presentations attract large crowds of silent-film buffs and music lovers.

The film Peter Pan is based on Scottish novelist J.M. Barrie’s ever-popular chil dren’s story about a mischievous boy who spends his eternal childhood on an island called Neverland. The film stars a whimsical Betty Bronson – chosen by the author himself. The film is beautifully produced and full of memorable charac ters such as Wendy Darling, Tinkerbell and of course the villain Captain Hook. It is marvelous entertainment for the family and a terrific lead-up to Hallowe’en.

The program features musical excerpts from Felix Mendelssohn’s Midsum mer Night’s Dream and Hear My Prayer There are also excerpts from Henry Pur cell’s Indian Queen, Ralph Vaughan Wil liamʼs Three Shakespeare Songs and Ward the Pirate as well as works by Frederick Delius and John Rutter.

Matthew Larkin will be no stranger to those who have attended previous Seven teen Voyces concerts. He is well known in

Ottawa, having forged a successful career in various musical forums, including as a choral and orchestral conductor and edu cator, a composer and arranger, accom panist and recording artist.

Originally from Oxford, UK, Larkin’s early musical training was in Kingston at St. George’s Cathedral, then as a student of organ at the University of Toronto and at the Royal College of Music in London. His appointments in Toronto, Ottawa and Victoria included seven years with St. Matthew Anglican Church here in the Glebe and 15 years at Christ Church Cath edral as director of music before launch ing the Caelis Academy Ensemble.

Larkin is a Fellow of the Royal Can adian College of Organists and has served as a member of its examinations committee. He currently serves as Cus todian for Music at St. Andrew’s Church in Ottawa, dividing his time between Ottawa and Toronto while attending to choral, conducting, recital, recording and live-streaming projects worldwide.

Lucile Hildesheim is a musician with a high technical command of her instru ment and brings a distinctive touch to the music she performs. Hildesheim is a graduate of McGill University (perform ance). She has performed across Canada and the United States. She is based in Ottawa as a performer, teacher and exam iner for the Royal Conservatory. Recently, she has been exploring Celtic music and performing as part of a harp-flute duo with flautist Sheila White.

Join us for a magical evening and a wonderful launch to Seventeen Voyces’ 25th season.

Karen Junke is a member of the board of Seventeen Voyces.

Seventeen Voyces chamber choir presents the 1924 silent film classic Peter Pan on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Southminster United Church, 16 Aylmer Avenue at Bank Street Tickets are $30 (students $20), available at www seven teenvoyces ca and at the door

Lucile Hildesheim, harpist

PHOTO: SELENA PHILLIPS-BOYLE

Betty Bronson as Peter Pan trying to hold his shadow in the silent film Peter Pan

Mark your calendars! Tuesday, December 6, Seventeen Voyces will be guests of Thirteen Strings at its Christ mas concert at Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre (355 Cooper Street) The repertoire will include two Bach cantatas and Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Matthew Larkin, well known organ virtuoso, will accompany the film.

PHOTO: ERIC HARRISON

Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) presents free 45-minute con certs on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. at Southminster United Church located at 15 Aylmer Avenue. Concerts are both live and live-streamed, mean ing you can attend the concert in the traditional way or watch them livestreamed on YouTube.

The DOMS series is sustained by free will offerings from patrons. Concert attendees and viewers can make a cash donation at the door ($20 is suggested) or online via Canadahelps.org (dona tions made online are automatically receipted for charitable tax purposes).

Although it may feel like it more each day, the pandemic is not entirely behind us. Given ongoing public-health con cerns, concert attendees are strongly encouraged to wear masks, have up-todate COVID 19 vaccinations and boost ers and physically distance from others while in the building. We ask you to stay home if you are sick.

Follow DOMS online on the seriesʼ new website: www.DOMS613.com. The artistic director of Doors Open for Music at Southminster is Roland Graham.

October 19 – Ed Lister Sextet

Hard-swingin’ feel-good music: six of the city’s finest come together to perform original music and creative re-interpretations from the ‘Hard Bop’ and ‘Jazz Soul’ eras.

Ed Lister, trumpet/leader Mark Ferguson, trombone Mike Tremblay, tenor saxophone Boshko Maric, drums Deniz Lim Serzan, piano JP Lapensee, bass

October 26 – Clair De Lune

Local pianist Nicholas Deek plays keyboard works from the baroque, classical and romantic eras charac terized by beautiful singing melodies and deep inner contrasts.

November 2 – Werther of the World Brahms’ magnificent and tragic Piano Quartet in C Minor, also known as the “Werther Quartet,” paired with Elgar’s Salut d’Amour.

Sonya Sweeney, piano Adam Nelson, violin Olivier Philippe Auguste, viola Gabriela Ruiz, cello

November 9 – The Blind and The Beautiful

Maple Blues award laureates, guitarist Lucas Haneman and vocalist Megan Laurence, return to DOMS with an unplugged presentation of blues classics and originals.

November 16 – Harlequinade!

Music composed for the Commedia del’Arte: 250 years of dramatic music for comic theatre performed by The Harmonious Pigs (woodwind) Trio. Shauna Barker, clarinet Susan Butler, oboe Benjamin Glossop, bassoon

November 23 – The Guitarist-Composer

A celebration of composer-interpret ers: poetic works written idiosyncrat ically for their instrument by Bellinati, Diego Pujol, Morel, Ellias, and Mertz. Andrew Mah, guitar

November 30 – As the Seasons Turn

Piano music exploring darkness and shadows: Haydn’s stormy Sonata in C (Hob. XVI:48) Ravel’s Ghoul ish Gaspard de la nuit and Chopin’s ‘Funeral March’ Sonata No. 2, Op. 35.

Kevin Chen, piano

December 7 – Exquisite Elgar

A showcase of music by England’s most prominent romantic: Edward Elgar’s ‘Sea Pictures’ song-cycle for mezzo and Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85.

Joan Harrison, cello

Frédéric Lacroix, piano Pauline van der Roest, mezzo-soprano

December 14 – Jazz for the Holidays

A celebration of music for the season, featuring jazz trio versions of Christmas carols, popular favourites and selections from Charlie Brown’s Christmas album.

Mark Ferguson, piano & trombone

Scott Latham, vibraphone & percussion

John Geggie, double bass

Chartwell

Chartwell

The Show must go on!

By Nadine Dawson

On a warm September evening, The Company of Adventurers returned to Old Ottawa South, per forming Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to jubi lant cries of Bravo! Bravo!

To pass through the curtained passageways alongside the home of Cynthia Sugars and Paul Keen is to step into a world of storytelling magic. Beneath trees and grapevines and the twinkling of lights, young actors step upon the stage and begin to spin the familiar tale of velvet love and sword-fighting revenge, of laughter and loss and redemption.

Seated snugly and amiably together, the audi ence is soon drawn into the yearning and rivalry of long-ago Verona – in this version, the English Montagues and the French Capulets. The actors belie their age, slipping easily from language to language, poetry to song, from delight to despair, as they explore the play’s nuances. There is an energy to the performance, a visual richness to the costumes and a visceral experience in the outdoor setting that quickens the senses.

Love is born anew this evening when Romeo meets Juliet. Theirs is a time out of time that shim mers with joy. Affection spills out of the Nurse and playfulness tipples the atmosphere, but the light-hearted comedy cannot hold. Innocence is forever lost when Romeo slays Tybalt to avenge his friend – and the very air sizzles with their hotblooded action. Grief tumbles out of the young lovers, now torn apart, rippling through the night. When Capulet commands his daughter to marry the insipid Paris, rage ricochets off the stars.

And so we sit, rapt, by turns in laughter and joy, disbelief and longing, and throughout, hopelessly in love with a Universe that has conspired to set us down here, now, amid these fine, fine storytellers.

Nothing can mar this moment – not the resi dent cat who strides amid the spectators, feath ered prize in its mouth, and certainly not the

neighbour whose music bounds over the fence in an ironic echo of the play’s feuding theme. Who would sabotage the cultural offering of children? When people are turned away at the door because the house is sold out, when pedestrians can be overheard discussing Balthasar on the streets of Old Ottawa South of a Sunday afternoon, when neighbours rally to the defence of backyard the atre because the City of Ottawa has laid bylaw charges, then this much is sure: The Company of Adventurers is a beloved part of the community and we are rendered all the richer by its presence amongst us.

And so, we, the people, thank you, The Com pany of Adventurers, for bringing Shakespeare to our streets. Thank you Cynthia and Paul for your resilience, your generosity of spirit, and your creative vision that connects us all more closely. Thank you to the young people who devoted their time and talents to this stunning production of Romeo and Juliet that we might be entertained once again in style. Thank you to those people in the many supporting roles and especially to The Gladstone Theatre for their generous donation of space, all of which assured the show must go on!

Of course, live theatre draws its life-sustaining energy from us, the audience. Many local charities over the years have benefitted from the pass-thehat donations at the end of the shows. Moreover, by slipping beneath the curtained archway and suspending our disbelief, we not only support the dreams of young actors but also encourage the proliferation of the arts with its unique capacity to deepen our understanding of human nature and its many foibles, and show us visions of our best selves. We need this reminder that life is sweet, not despite its complexities, but rather because of them.

Nadine Dawson is an artist and former teacher who lives in Old Ottawa South. She is the author of Lavender, Longing, Love; A Choose-Your-OwnAdventure Memoir.

The famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet

Young actors in The Company of Adventurers carouse at the Capulet’s ball in an energetic production of Romeo and Juliet.

Reflections about life on social assistance

Where do you steal your toilet paper?

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about an appeal to double social assistance rates. The appeal came from five MPPs (myself included) who pledged to live on a $47 weekly food budget for two weeks. Why?

We need a basic income that treats people with respect and doesn’t waste money on legislated poverty for 900,000 folks on Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Sup port Program (ODSP). Doubling social assistance in Ontario would cost about $8 billion, but the societal costs of poverty are at least triple that amount.

While living on my $47-a-week food budget, I visited the Parkdale Food Centre’s “Coffee and Conversa tion” breakfast that runs on Wednes days from 9–10 a.m. at 30 Rosemount Avenue. This program is a lifeline for folks on social assistance who seek a decent meal and companionship.

While talking to neighbours at the breakfast, I met Pat, who had heard about our appeal to double social assistance rates. So I asked Pat how he survives on such a limited food budget. As he formulated a response, a man down the table shouted this: “$47 a week, eh? Where do you steal your toilet paper?” He got the table’s attention.

The point was effectively made. Some have questioned if a $47 weekly food budget reflects the experience and cost of legislated poverty. So I lis tened further to understand.

That’s when Chantal, an OW recipi ent, added this: “The only way to sur vive is to know where to find free food. I look at Loblaws for food they give away. I come here. You make the rounds.”

Natalie, an ODSP recipient, said she came to the Parkdale Food Centre

from Lowertown, a significant com mute. “But it’s worth it,” she said, “and not only for the food. I started coming here six months ago. And when I don’t come, someone calls to see how I’m doing.”

As we discussed the value of com panionship, we also talked about screen time for kids and diminish ing eyesight with age (I’ve just started with reading glasses). It didn’t feel like a soup kitchen, it felt like being at a breakfast table with friends.

“And that’s the point”, said Simon, Parkdale’s Community Kitchen man ager. “Everyone deserves good food. This is a space that treats everyone like neighbours and always with respect.”

Parkdale also has shopping for free produce and opportunities to learn culinary skills. They aren’t keen about the charity approach used for folks living in poverty.

“Joel”, Simon said, “think of what we could do across the city. Many city buildings have industrial grade kitch ens that are empty most of the time. What if we found public money to staff these kitchens, train volunteers and produce delicious food?”

That sounds like a project worth embracing: a community kitchen movement to ensure everyone gets a tasty meal.

If you have a moment, write me a note at joel@joelharden.ca, and let me know what you think.

Yasir Naqvi

A Month of reflection

As a community and as a nation, we are mourning the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a con stant presence through most of Can ada’s history. We reflect on the legacy she has left behind and the many lives she has touched. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered for a lifetime of public service, which she led with grace and dignity. I wish to express my deepest condolences to the entire Royal Family. May she rest in peace.

Canadians are invited to visit the Government of Canada’s Commem orative website and sign the online book of condolences, as well as learn more about the Transition of the Crown and what it means for Canadians at www.canada.ca/en/ canadian-heritage/commemora tion-her-majesty-the-queen.html

We also reflect on our country’s his tory and relationship with Indigen ous Peoples as September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Recently, I was honoured to announce on behalf of the Govern ment of Canada investments total ling more than $4 million to support 278 community projects all across the country and two major national pro jects – a national commemorative gathering on September 30 in Ottawa and an educational program week for students. This funding was awarded to support commemoration activ ities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The selected

projects will help raise awareness of the history and impact of residen tial schools and promote healing and reconciliation.

I often speak with my children about the honour we have to live on the unceded and unsurrendered ter ritory of the Algonquin people. It is our collective responsibility to work closely with Indigenous peoples to learn the truth about coloniza tion. Whether your family came to this country generations ago or you are a recent immigrant, this is every one’s responsibility as a citizen. I rec ognize my duty every day to seek out the truth, and as a settler, learn from elders and work with Indigen ous leaders and communities towards reconciliation.

Former residential school stu dents can call 1-866-925-4419 for emotional crisis referral services and information on other health sup ports from the government of Canada. Indigenous peoples across Canada can also go to The Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for counselling and crisis inter vention at 1-855-242-3310

Commemorating the tragic history and impact of residential schools is essential to the healing and reconcili ation process. Canada is committed to continuing its efforts to pursue truth and reconciliation, to right historical wrongs and to support communities in their efforts to foster healing for the survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.

Why the 2022 municipal election matters

You may hear your family members, friends or colleagues say: “Another election? Why should I care?”

By Jim Watson

Over the last 12 years, our nation’s capital has grown to be a vibrant and diverse city of a million people with so much to boast about.

From the launch of Stage 1 LRT to our record investments in affordable housing.

From the Ottawa 2017 celebrations to a flourishing arts and culinary scene.

Or the opening of countless com munity centres and a thriving tech sector for local start-ups and business giants alike.

Since 2010, we’ve also expanded our cycling network by 58 per cent.

The list goes on and on.

This fall, Ottawa residents will head back to the ballot box.

For starters, we rely on the munici pal government much more on a dayto-day basis than we think. Whether you’re turning on the lights in your home, filling up a glass of water from the tap, walking on a cleared sidewalk, hopping on a bus to get to a commun ity centre, or calling 9-1-1 – those are all city services and we all expect these basic services to be delivered to us every single day.

Secondly, those elected this fall will ultimately oversee a number of trans formative projects that will have an impact on the development of our city for years to come. We need to ensure that those we elect will work to build on the momentum of the last few terms: Stage 2 and 3 LRT; revitalizing LeBreton Flats; opening Ādisōke, the new netzero central library; building the new Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital, and so much more.

Last but not least: we can’t give up on democracy. In June’s provincial elec tion, we saw the lowest voter turnout in Ontario’s history. Nearly three years

of living through a pandemic, paired with an increase in vitriol on social media, has resulted in a lack of interest on the part of voters and an apprehen sion on the part of potential candidates to register.

While we’re all tired, we can’t let fatigue and hatred overshadow the fact that this election will have major impacts on our city’s future.

So do your research, ask the tough questions, and vote for people who will continue to work for a better Ottawa.

Vote like the future of our city depends on it – because it does.

Vote like our democracy is at stake –because it is.

We’re far from perfect, but we should be proud of the progress we have made as a city and as a community.

I love this city, and I know you do too.

Voting Day is Monday, Octo ber 24. To find your assigned voting location or for more information about the 2022 municipal election, please visit: ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/ elections/2022-municipal-elections.

Jim Watson is the outgoing mayor of Ottawa.

VOTE! Get out and

Jewish children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia were sent to the UK between 1938 and 1940 under the Kindertransport effort to save them from death by the Nazis. Many never saw their parents again.

The Kindertransport: saving Jewish children from certain death

By Marion Silver

Imagine that you are the child bravely saying, “Goodbye, Mommy. Good bye, Daddy,” not knowing when you would see them again. Imagine that you are the parent saying goodbye to the child, not knowing if you would see them again. That was the plight of more than 10,000 Jewish parents who entrusted their children into the hands of Sir Nicholas Winton and other rescu ers and their teams.

This operation, which came to be known as the Kindertransport, began in December 1938, nine months before the outbreak of World War II, and ended in May 1940. Sanctioned by the British government, the Kindertrans port saved Jewish children living in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia and offered them refuge in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, this rescue operation could not be extended to the parents, many of whom would perish in the Holocaust.

This relatively brief moment in time will be commemorated in Ottawa when For the Child/Für das Kind opens at City Hall on October 17 and runs until the end of the month.

Timely and relevant, the exhibit pro vides a powerful connection to today’s reality by exploring what it means to be a refugee, an experience shared by many newcomers to Ottawa. It pro vides powerful connections to ongoing issues which people today, especially students, will undoubtedly recognize,

including the lived experience and impact of being a refugee and the damning consequences of antisemit ism and discrimination.

The exhibit, organized by the Vienna Memorial Museum, is presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Aus tria and the British High Commis sion, with the assistance of Mayor Jim Watson. Included are 30 photographs of objects the children took with them on their journey omore than 80 years ago. Each shows an original suitcase containing objects carried by a child as they travelled into an unknown future. In many instances, the objects repre sent the last physical contact a child had with their parents.

The title in German, Für das Kind, is taken directly from objects contained in the suitcase belonging to Pauline Worner (nee Makowski). Imprinted on three coat hangers are the words, Für Liebe Kind, Dem Braven Kind, Für das Kind – for dear child, the good child, for the child

While public awareness of the Kindertransport has grown, especially as the courageous efforts of people like Sir Nicholas Winton have come to light, the impact on the children themselves has only recently been explored.

Shelli Kimmel’s mother, Annemarie, who lived in Vienna, was fortunate to have been saved through the Kinder transport. An Ottawa resident, Kimmel recounts what her grandmother, Elsa, who was later murdered by the Nazis, wrote in a final letter to her daughter:

Visit the upcoming exhibit at Ottawa City Hall

“You were the best child and you have done for me all you could do. In the year 1939, only a few days prevented me from being with you.” It is heart breaking to think how close Elsa came to escaping. Kimmel poignantly describes how as she was growing up, Annemarie never spoke of her depar ture from Vienna, what it meant to her, or how she felt about it. Kimmel has always wondered whether her mother did not want to burden her children with her past, or was she desperately trying to forget it?

Phil Emberley is the son of Kinder transport survivor Dieter Werner Eger, who was born in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. Phil says: “I would strongly encourage you to explore this exhibit. The story is both uplifting and heart breaking, as many of these children would never be reunited with their

parents; at the same time, many went on to lead extraordinary lives. There are many parallels to current events, wherein innocent children have been displaced due to war.”

The Ottawa-based Centre for Holo caust Education and Scholarship develops educational programs that promote knowledge and understand ing of the history and legacy of the Holocaust. The Centre recently pre pared a free lesson plan for Ottawa educators that links students learning about the Holocaust and anti-racist education to the exhibit. Educators are encouraged to bring their students to the exhibit. Admission is free during normal operating hours at City Hall.

Marion Silver is a member of the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship

Seeking board members for innovative seniors housing

By Angela Davis and Terrance Hunsley

Senior Watch of Old Ottawa South (SWOOS) has formed a Housing Pro ject Team to explore unique, innova tive options for living in our community and needs community-minded people with various skills for its board of dir ectors. SWOOS is collaborating with Abbeyfield Canada (abbeyfield.ca) to capitalize on their experience in devel oping small non-profit, communal sen iors housing.

In the Abbeyfield model, residents live independently in a studio or bach elor while sharing common living, dining and recreational space. Meals are prepared for residents by a paid housekeeper/chef. An Abbeyfield home already exists in Ottawa on Parkdale Avenue and offers accommo dation for ten independent seniors.

The model is flexible enough to be adapted to the neighbourhood’s hous ing needs. One opportunity we are exploring is for a floor or more of the tower being planned for the west side of Bank Street at Riverside Drive to be cus tomized to house an Abbeyfield-style residence. We are also exploring other options.

The Housing Project Team is in the pro cess of incorporation with Abbeyfield Canada and needs future-thinking, community-minded people with vari ous skill sets as directors. This is an excellent opportunity for those inter ested in volunteering in the community to acquire experience on a not-for-profit board. We are particularly interested in hearing from those with bookkeeping and secretarial skills.

While SWOOS looks at our commun ity through the eyes of seniors, we believe that an age-friendly community requires the participation of all ages for the development of optimal amenities and for intergenerational social health. If you are interested, please contact us at SWOOSadmin@oldottawasouth.ca.

Angela Davis and Terrance Hunsley are co-chairs of the SWOOS Housing Project Team.

JAMES McCULLOCH

LAWYER IN THE GLEBE wishes to announce that he has relocated his Glebe office.

Mr. McCulloch will be remaining in the Glebe, and will continue to offer legal services to Glebe residents. He will continue to offer in-home visits. He offers new clients a free initial consultation.

Mr. McCulloch can be reached by phone at 613 565-5297 or email: mccullochlawyer@rogers.com

SWOOS is exploring the Abbeyfield model for seniors’ living, similar to one on Parkdale Avenue in Ottawa.

Three candidates debated the issues of Capital Ward on September 22; from left, Rebecca Bromwich, Dan Rogers and Shawn Menard. PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

(New Zealand, 2016) Directed by Taika Waititi

Review by Kate Roberts

We all need to run from the law some times, but it’s a lot easier when the law isn’t already chasing us. Do me a favour: don’t pack up for a camping trip after a warrant has been made for your arrest. It gets very confusing, very fast, for a lot of people. Lots of mixed signals. Instead, clear things up with the authorities first, give your itin erary to a loved one or trusted neigh bour, and then dive into the bush. Of course, if what you’re hunting is an exciting story to tell around the camp fire, then ignore everything that I just said and channel Taika Waititi’s ver sion of common sense.

It’s not easy being an orphaned, disagreeable, overweight, miniature menace to society. Fed up, Child Pro tective Services hands nearly-13-yearold Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) off to Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hec (Sam Neill) on their farm in the middle of nowhere New Zealand. Bella pounces on Ricky with uncomfortable affection while Hec keeps a disagreeable kind of distance. Far removed from city life, this outback existence turns out to be exactly what Ricky needs – until things change. The fragile family suffers a sudden shock and Hec, unable to pro cess it, runs for the bush. Ricky follows his lead and gets lost in minutes. The troubled, city-raised boy that no one ever believed in and the grumpy, old recluse who never believed in anything find themselves on the camping exped ition of a lifetime. They’re determined to stay out there until nature washes away their sorrows – or until Child Pro tective Services catches up.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an adven ture-comedy, based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump, with an unlikely duo battling their dif ferences to survive in the wild. Child Protective Services agent Paula (Rachel

House) is dead set on dragging Ricky back to a more conventional lifestyle, while Ricky clings to his newfound love of fresh air and Hec couldn’t care less what happens to either of them. Or anyone at all. Here we are again with another old-man-teams-up-with-mis guided-youth story and once again I’m a total sucker for it. Ricky is a little marshmallow breakdancing next to a campfire while Hec looks on like an old,

uninterested housecat, mildly curi ous about how this chaos concludes. Obviously they end up caring for each other, but both characters take so long to admit it that the story goes on feeling like two socially inexperienced stran gers wandering in the same direction.

For months. It’s so charming.

Ricky, it turns out, is a comedic genius. This friendless, idiotic child does what he wants and says how he

feels with absolutely no thought. Hil ariously, most of the consequences fall on Hec, who spends his time drag ging Ricky around like a toe fungus. Of all the characters, I bonded the most with poor old Hec. Here’s a 60-some thing man whose only talent is living off the grid, now saddled with a smartmouthed kid in white trainers who’s resigned himself to the gangster life. Hec tries to make the most of a diffi cult situation by doing what he loves, and if a sad little kid wants to tag along then fine, we’ll call it camping with no set agenda. So now imagine walk ing into the first building he’s seen in weeks and finding a wanted poster for their arrest, claiming that Hec has kid napped a helpless orphan, is running from the authorities and is most likely a pervert. Well. If that’s what people think, then Hec is done with people and the wilderness can swallow him whole. Yes, of all the characters in this story, Hec is undoubtedly my bro.

I was looking for something light and sweet, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople delivered. It seemed like a safe bet with that New Zealand dry humour and with Taika Waititi behind the camera and script. At its heart, Hunt for the Wilder people is a bonding adventure between two uncoordinated people trying to navigate the damp, dense brush. The police hunt feels completely ridicu lous, given how Ricky and Hec volun tarily wandered into the wilderness in the first place, but it’s the prefect fuel to keep this film rolling.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a happy helping of nonsense and it’s so very cute. I lightly chuckled through the whole thing. For a happy, adorable, wholesome evening, Hunt for the Wil derpeople is the perfect catch at 8/10.

Running time: 101 minutes Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime.

Kate Roberts grew up in the Glebe and is a movie addict who has been writing reviews since 2013. Her reviews can be found at plentyofpopcorn.wordpress. com.

The author and her car, now mud-free thanks to two kind strangers and a towrope.

By Janet Stevens

I drove Barbara to the Ottawa General Hospital for her physio appointment, dropping her off at the patient door, promising to return in one hour. I then drove to Lynda Lane, joining the 50 or so cars illegally parked at the side of the road. I got out my book, but the sun was pleasantly warm so I inclined the seat, closed my eyes and dozed.

After about an hour, I woke up, adjusted the seat and moved out from my spot. Rather than doing a U turn, I drove into the parking lot between the road and the playing fields, ready to turn back onto Lynda Lane and so to the hospital. The parking lot isn’t paved and there were large stretches of muddy water.

I thought I could just about get through on the right-hand side of the biggest puddle, but I knew my sturdy Honda Fit could get through any thing so I kept straight on through the water. About halfway through, the car slowed. I pushed down on the accelerator, but nothing happened except that the car came to a stop.

“Shit, oh shit!” I was stuck – in a muddy puddle. I tried all the gears and was still stuck. I remem bered that my cell phone was sitting on the kitchen table several miles away.

With great caution, I opened the door and gazed at the mud surrounding me. I wasn’t going to get out of this without getting very dirty. Easing my legs to the ground, I stood up. My feet sank down about an inch. Above the hum of the traffic, some body was calling, “Do you need help?” I waved and held my hand to the side of my face, simulating a telephone, then set off towards a latter-day Sam aritan. Struggling through the mud brought flash backs of a scary movie that I saw when I was about seven. It ended with the villain (James Mason) staggering through a small forest rife with quick sand, his voice fading away until there was only a deathly silence. That movie haunted me for years.

I explained my situation to the Samaritan, then staggered back to the car and fumbled through a set of manuals to find a phone number for tow trucks. On the return trip, the heavy mud on my feet unbalanced me, and twice I fell. This reminded me of a class I had tken several years before. We

were instructed to tie weights around our ankles –the idea was to get used to being old, although at that time I wasn’t even seventy. On this day, I didn’t need weights on my ankles to remind me just how old I was.

My Samaritan finally contacted a towing busi ness. He passed the phone to me, and I entered into a one-sided conversation with an employee who poured sympathy down the line: “You poor woman, what a terrible thing to happen. Where did you say you were located? This must be awful for you. I’m so sorry.” I wondered how I could contact Barbara, waiting impatiently for me to pick her up outside the hospital. It also occurred to me that it was years since I had seen a tow truck. Did they still exist? I pondered these things as the mud hardened on my feet, legs and hands. The understanding tow-truck employee broke into my reflections to say that a truck would arrive in under an hour. An hour! From what far-flung abode cometh it?

How do you thank someone who has rescued you from a hopeless situation? I was close to tears triggered by my own helplessness and my Samar itan’s kindness and generosity. Forgetting COVID, I stepped forward and hugged him. (I should men tion that I am not a hugging person. Keeping dis tance has never been a problem for me.)

But the story is not over. A voice from behind me was calling. I turned and encountered Sam aritan #2 who was shouting, “Do you want a tow? It’s really easy.” I looked to Samaritan #1 who shrugged, and then we both answered, “We’ve got a tow truck coming.” “I’ll cancel it,” said Samar itan #1, reaching for his cell. Meanwhile a strap was connected to a hook on the car and then onto the truck. A device tightened the strap. Samar itan #2 leaped into the truck, hit the gas and pulled me and my car smoothly backwards and out of the mud.

Both Samaritans assured me that this was their good deed for the day and that they enjoyed being able to help those who needed help – even those as hopeless and ineffectual as me.

Janet Stevens has lived in the Glebe for 10 years. She volunteers and takes classes at Abbotsford.

that works for the Glebe.

of Ottawa.

I will make life more affordable for you and your neighbours by cutting recreation fees for kids, keeping taxes and spending low, and making sure affordability is at the heart of everything city council does.

will improve transportation in the Glebe by investing $100M in road repairs for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and by increasing

calming measures on our streets.

will ensure a cleaner, greener city by taking practical action on

change, including planting over a million trees and installing

electric vehicle charging stations in our city.

deliver on affordable housing by building 100,000 homes in

affordable homes, without a blanket

focused

The Glebe according to Zeus

Ottawa’s multilingualism – the 2021 census

By Sophie Shields

Walking through the Glebe, you hear many different languages, from French to Mandarin to Korean. But this begs the question, how multilin gual is Ottawa really?

With the recent release of the 2021 census, we can finally take a peek at the linguistic happenings in our back yard – the Ottawa-Gatineau Census Municipality Subdivision. Let’s start

per cent speak three!

If this census tells us anything, it’s that we can probably learn another language just by knocking on our neighbours’ doors. So, with a bit of effort and a love for language learn ing and, who knows, maybe by the next census, we can reach 20% of ‘three-language’ speakers. Glebe-wide challenge anyone?

Sophie Shields is a Carleton student

Employers experiment with guinea pigs to address shortages

With baby boomers retiring in record numbers, Canada reported just under one million job vacancies two months in a row. This is exacerbated by returning students leaving jobs as school resumes. “The only way to fill the labour shortages is by look ing at the untapped pool of available workers who historically have faced barriers to employment,” explained David Rodentberg, the Glebe’s fore most economist, who added that most rodents are not welcomed in the workplace despite their talents and potential.

“Inclusivity in the workplace is a big issue,” explained Matthew Rippey oung, renowned rodentologist and inclusivity expert. “I work with sev eral large companies and we really focus on tackling bias and preconcep tions. Guinea pigs are often thought to be lazy, for example, because they nap regularly and often. But stud ies show that napping heightens per formance, meaning that guinea pigs are more efficient for at least 5 to 10 minutes after a nap.”

Guinea pigs also have their own complaints. “I’m sick and tired of getting called ‘cute,’ and everyone wanting to stroke my fur. I mean, I like a chin rub, but I want to be rec ognized for my talents,” explained Petey, who just started a delivery job with Amazon.

Cultural differences also remain and need to be taken into consider ation, explained Rippeyoung. “It’s true there have been some miscom munications. Recently several portly guinea pigs mistook an ad for fitness instructor as fatness instructor. Of course, that’s totally understandable in light of their culture that abhors thinness and reveres corpulence.”

Still others remain skeptical. “I’ll just tell you from my experience. The last time I hired a guinea pig at the restaurant, he ate all the lettuce, pars ley and carrot – and then called in ‘tired’ and skipped his shifts!” said Liam from Erling’s Variety on Strath cona, who added that squirrels are much harder workers but tend to have a temper.

Halloween witch by Lucy Bottomley

head

Watching kids thrive at Good Morning Creative Arts & Preschool

By Amanda Black and William Wilson

It seems like every September ends in the blink of an eye. Our “babies” entered Grade 2 and the last year of preschool, respectively. As the adults bid tearful goodbyes during the first drop-offs, both kiddos ran excitedly to join their friends and teachers. The pure joy and happiness to learn new skills emanating from their little bodies made all the cynical adults’ hearts warm with hope and faith about the next generation.

Our youngest was born just before the pandemic began. As such, he spent most of his first years as Mommy’s shadow and buddy. We were very wor ried that he would have issues transi tioning to the routines and schedules at preschool and later at school. This was proven wrong on his first day at Good Morning Creative Arts & Pre school. We were greeted by his teach ers, and he immediately accepted their hand and turned to walk into the class. We actually had to remind him to give hugs before he left!

Since that day, he wakes up with excitement on school mornings, gets dressed and talks about “going to see his friends and Ms. Lauren or Ms. Karen.” He runs to the door and hurries his sister if he believes she is taking too long and might make him late for school.

Our oldest started the after-school art program this fall. She has always been an independent, creative spirit but she loves showing us all the activities and art items she creates each week. Her favourite part of the program is that her teachers pick her up from school and walk her to Good Morning. It’s not far but she adores “exploring” the city without her parents.

From a parent’s perspective, we have watched our babies grow leaps and bounds with the help of Good Morning. Our youngest has learned to dress him self, go on the “big boy” potty, sit at the table and eat his meals, spell and rec ognize his name and proudly tell and show us what creations he worked on at school. In contrast, our eldest has honed her patience, developed

confidence in her abilities and explored her skills of independence.

Being a parent is a heart-breaking affair because when it’s done “right,” you teach your children to need you less and less. Since our son started at Good Morning, we haven’t secondguessed our registration. We are con stantly reminded of how important socialization has been for our little guy’s development.

The pandemic has increased many worries and anxieties, especially regarding the effects on our children.

Having seen the growth and success of our son at preschool, we no longer worry about his move to kindergarten next year and his future in general.

There is still room in all Good Mor ning programs. Please contact our educators for more information at 613276-7974 or goodmorningpreschool@ gmail.com.

Amanda Black and William Wilson are the proud parents of two children at Good Morning Creative Arts & Preschool.

Kids in the preschool and after-school program at Good Morning Creative Arts & Preschool, growing by leaps and bounds

AMANDA BLACK

Just

the

By Mike Mankowski

was driving east along the Queen Elizabeth Driveway. On the radio, Ed Sheeran was singing “The Joker and the Queen.”

I

On the bike path, a jogger looked at me over her left shoulder as we both approached the Bank Street bridge. I slowed the car and stopped in front of the crosswalk.

It’s my view that the driver and the person entering a crosswalk each share some respons ibility for making the system work. It is not all on the driver. Most walkers, joggers and cyclists accept their responsibility and signal one way or another that they are going to enter a cross walk. They push the button or wave or extend their arm. But some don’t give any signal at all, so the onus is completely on the driver to figure out what they are going to do. If I calcu late incorrectly, it will be my fault if someone gets hurt.

The driver behind me in a muscular, black pick-up truck was not happy. He gave me the stink-eye and honked to let me know we both could have made it through the crosswalk before the jogger arrived.

The jogger was at the crosswalk running in place, glancing at her watch, checking her phone, shaking her arms and bobbing her head.

Her matching cap, tank top, shorts, socks and shoes screamed “Running Room Sale,” and her headset, wrist monitor and phone let the world know she was plugged in.

“Are you going or not?” I wondered. “Make up your mind. Just push the button. You can’t miss it, it’s next to you on the post.”

After more shakes and bobs, the runner finally began jogging across the road.

Then a cyclist arrived at the crosswalk. I waited for him to make his move. He had all the latest high-end biking gear plus an ice-blue outfit that someone must have spray painted on him. He was on his way to Le Tour de France or Le Mans.

He tried to push the button while seated on his

bike, but he was too far away, so he turned his front wheel back and forth several times, trying to keep his balance and get closer to the post.

“Brilliant,” I thought. “This guy should be in the circus.”

Back and forth, still reaching for the button.

“How hard can it be?” I asked. “Get off the bike and push the big fat button!”

He almost lost his balance, gave up and pedaled across the road. As he went by, he waved.

More engine revving from the pick-up truck behind me.

A young couple pushing a stroller walked up to the crosswalk. I looked to see what they were up to. The guy pointed at me, then started across the road. I waved to encourage him to keep moving. But the child tossed something on the road. A toy? A bagel? A ripe diaper? The woman walked over to pick it up.

I stared at the couple. “Please,” I whimpered. “Please push the button.”

An older couple, hand in hand, approached the crosswalk. They noticed the stroller and walked straight past the post to introduce themselves to Mom and Dad and Sweet Baby Snookums.

“Is this some kind of joke?” I shouted through the windshield.

“Would someone, anyone, please push the flip pin’ button!”

The driver behind me had had enough. He got out of his truck and walked toward me. I expected the worst, but he walked past my car to the post, flexed and pushed the button. As he walked past my car, he tapped on my window.

“You’re welcome, moron!”

“You crushed that button!” I hollered. “I love ya, man!” Tears ran down my cheeks.

Ed Sheeran was singing “The road that was broken brought us together.”

Mike Mankowski is a Glebe resident, a grandfather and a careful driver.

PHOTO: MIKE MANKOWSKI

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTRE

(950 Bank) is once again looking for books, flea market items and your treasures to sell in house. Accepted at Abbotsford House on Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Your donations will be supporting the Centre’s Programming and Services.

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR COMMUNITY CENTRE

EVENTS: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER FUNDRAIS

ING GALA Join friends and neighbours on Wed., Oct. 19 at the Horticultural Bldg. to celebrate Abbotsford House’s community impact and 150 years since the construction of our home. This event will have a live, 16-piece orchestra featuring dance music from the 50s, 60s and 70s, dinner and a silent auction, all for the price of $125 per ticket. Come with a friend or solo as we have tables of eight for you to join. Covid protocols will be in place for this event. Net proceeds will help offset 2023 City of Ottawa funding cuts. Tickets are still available so do not miss out. Call Bruce Hill, our director of charit able giving, at 613-238-2727 (316). FINE FINDS FUND RAISER. This grand affair will be held on the ground floor of Abbotsford House (950 Bank St.) on Sat, Nov. 12 from 2–5 p.m. and will feature art, jewelry and elegant one-ofa-kind treasures that are ‘new’ to Abbotsford. Every individually priced item will be available for purchase by ticket holders on a first come, first serve basis. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon with a limited number of other attendees over a glass of wine and canapés. $20 ticket can be purchased by calling Abbotsford Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at 613-230-5730. HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR. The fair will be open to the public on the ground floor of Abbotsford House (950 Bank St.) on Sat., Nov. 26 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. It will offer handmade Teddy Bears & other delightful comfort creatures; homemade crafts, ornaments, baby clothes, knit wear and other creative gift ideas; and home baked goodies including frozen apple pies to go. The Tea Room will also be open to restore, chat and enjoy the comfort of food and friends!

ABBOTSFORD LEARN & EXPLORE SPEAKER’S

SERIES: Oct. 26, 1–2:30 p.m.: Ian McKercher, local author, historian and former teacher, is back with Death by Misadventure, the latest in a series of novels that follow the life and times of Frances McFadden, a young and empowered Bank of Canada employee. Ian will share how one novel became three and read some excerpts to keep us intrigued. Nov. 9, 1–2:30 p.m.: Laura Brandon is a freelance writer, curator and lecturer specializing in international and Canadian war art. From 1992 to 2015, she was the Historian, Art & War at the Canadian War Museum. Laura will be presenting her most recent book War Art in Canada, a Critical History. These live and Zoom lectures are free, but one must register in advance for a seat or Zoom link. Tea/coffee and treats available for purchase in the dining room courtesy of the Abbotsford Members Council.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE OTTAWA CONCERTS:

Thurs., Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.: The Élysée Quartet at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 125 Mackay St. The unique aspect of the Elysée Quartet lies in the confrontation and assimilation of two different schools: the French school and the Russian school. These two schools enrich each other and allow a fusion of different ideas, the develop ment of new dimensions in the interpretation of music and a power of expression of great originality. Masks are mandatory. Buy/book your tickets/RSVP online (www. eventbrite.ca/e/the-elysee-quartet-quatuor-elyseetickets-411238293807) No box office on-site. Doors open at 7 p.m. Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 3, 7 p.m.: Trio Lorenzo Naccarato at the Club SAW, 67 Nicho

las St. The trio presents a cinematic music inspired from the impressionist and minimalist repertoire (Ravel, Debussy, Satie) from current jazz (Glasper, Scott) and from repetitive music ((Glass, Reich). Buy/Book your tickets/RSVP online (www.eventbrite.ca/e/nova-ruptaby-lorenzo-naccarato-trio-tickets-411427208857) No box office on-site! Doors open at 7 p.m. Concert at 7:30 p.m.

ATLANTIC VOICES Choir is back with our first public performance since early 2020! Join us Oct. 30, 3 p.m. at Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St. as we launch our exciting 20th anniversary season. The program features moving selections by East Coast composers and arrangers, with a special emphasis on our Scottish heritage. The Fumblin Fingers band (www.fumblin fingers.ca) will start the show at 2:15 p.m. Tickets $25 in advance/$30 at the door available at Eventbrite (tickets. atlanticvoices.ca), through choristers and via tickets@ atlanticvoices.ca. Children 12 and under free. Visit www. atlanticvoices.ca for parking and other information.

FRIENDS OF THE FARM ANNUAL NON-DIN

NER IS BACK FOR 2022: Participate from the comfort of your home. A picnic? Barbecue dinner? Garden party? Gala evening? Supper for two? It’s up to you! That’s our annual non-dinner fundraising event, and it’s back and happening until December 31. Not a single person will show up, and we will be delighted! You can help the Friends of the Farm just by staying in the comfort of your home. By purchasing tickets to this fundraising event that will never take place, you will help the Friends sponsor numerous activities in support of the Ornamental Gardens and Dominion Arboretum on the Central Experimental Farm. Individual seats $25, couples $50, family $100, table of Six $250, commun ity $500. Your support is greatly appreciated and your generous donation is tax deductible. You can contribute by using our online fillable form for cheques or by using PayPal at Annual Non-dinner

FRIENDS OF THE FARM USED BOOK SALE POSTPONED: Due to some unexpected issues in our building, we have had to postpone our Used Book Sale which was to take place on Sept. 24–25. We hope to reschedule it for later this fall. When we have a new date, we will share it in our monthly newsletter, Farm Notes, and on social media. Please note that we cannot accept any book donations at this time. For any questions, you can reach us at info@friendsofthefarm.ca

GLEBE ST. JAMES UNITED CHURCH BAZAAR: Nov 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Come join us at 650 Lyon St. South. Collectables, children’s table, craft tables, Christ mas decorations, odds and sods, baking, silent auction and a lunch cafe. Goodness prevails.

HERITAGE OTTAWA WALKING TOUR: Sun., Oct. 23, 2–3:30 p.m. Around the World in Sandy Hill. With guide Hilary Duff, walk Sandy Hill’s shaded streets, and you are likely to notice flagpoles punctuating the canopy. The downtown neighbourhood is home to no fewer than 20 embassies, high commissions and ambassadorial residences – many located in Heritage Conservation Districts. This tour will introduce several of them and share stories from the past and present to transport you around the world. No plane ticket required! Heritage Ottawa Members: $10 /Non-Members: $25. To register or for more information, go to heritageottawa.org/events/ around-world-sandy-hill

OLD OTTAWA SOUTH (OOS) GARDEN CLUB MEETINGS (Old Ottawa South Community Centre

[The Firehall], 260 Sunnyside Ave.) Tues., Nov. 8, 7 p.m. Culinary and other Delights with Herbs and Edible Flowers. Herbs are great starter plants for food gardeners, and some of the edible flowers Master Gardener Nancy McDonald will present may already be in your garden. Join Nancy to learn what she grows and ways she uses both herbs and edible flowers. Membership: $25 per year, $40 for a family; drop-in fee $7 per meeting. Info: 613-247-4946.

PROBUS Ottawa is welcoming new members from the Glebe and environs. Join your fellow retirees, near retirees and want-to-be retirees for interesting speakers and discussions, not to mention relaxed socializing. See our website: www.probusoav.ca for more detailed information about the club and its activities as well as contact points, membership information, and meeting location. We will be meeting on Wed., 26 Oct. with a talk by LCol (Ret’d) Shelagh Stevens on the “Role of Women in Peacekeeping”.

AVAILABLE

HOUSESITTING! Are you leaving town for an extended period of time to the cottage, vacation abroad or down south for the winter and need a HOUSE SITTER to water plants, pick up mail and maintain the home/garden/cut grass etc? I am a young lady who studies Theology/Bible at home with several years of recent housesitting experi ence in the Glebe. I have excellent references from many homes in the Glebe that I have lived in and cared for over the years. I enjoy taking care of animals, especially puppies!!! Sarah 613-263-0590.

PUPPYSITTING! Do you need someone to stay over night with your little/ big babe?? I am available for over night puppy sitting 24/7 as I study the bible from home full time. I have excellent references. Sarah 613-2630590.

WANTED

TO RENT A LONG-TERM PARKING SPACE.

Location required: Between: Third Ave. to Queensway, Bank St. to Ralph St. or Bank St. at Lansdowne to Third Ave. – Time required: noon to 10 p.m. / Tuesday to Saturday. – Please contact: Dorothy Archer at 613-8647546 or at dorothyarcher123@gmail.com.

FOR SALE

AUTOHARP, Oscar Schmidt 21-chord, gently used. Comes with case, tuning wrench, clip on tuner and auto harp music books. $375. Call (613) 230-5552. The following items, which were listed in the September issue, are relisted here with a corrected phone number.

GLASS CURIO CABINET, hand-crafted in walnut, beautiful curved glass on front and sides, 47” high x 27” wide x 13” deep. Perfect entrance piece. $395. Call 613-261-4504.

INFLATABLE STANDUP PADDLE BOARD, great invention, 10 ½ ft., capacity 250 lbs, includes backpack, pump, ankle leash. Used only once. $220. Call 613-2614504.

PAIR OF ANTIQUE ENGLISH PARLOUR CHAIRS, walnut / rosewood with inlay, new upholstery. Must be seen to be appreciated. $675. Call 613-261-4504.

MAKEUP / VANITY / SMALL DESK TABLE, 1970, white. $125. Call 613-261-4504.

WHERE TO FIND THE Glebe Report

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

Bloomfield Flowers

Café Morala

Capital Home Hardware Chickpeas

Clocktower Pub

Ernesto’s Barber Shop

Escape Clothing

Feleena’s Mexican Café

Fourth Avenue Wine Bar Glebe Apothecary

Glebe Central Pub

Glebe Meat Market

Goldart Jewellery Studio Hogan’s Food Store

Ichiban

Irene’s Pub

Isabella Pizza

Kettleman’s Kunstadt Sports Lansdowne Dental

Last Train to Delhi LCBO Lansdowne

Loblaws

Marble Slab Creamery McKeen Metro Glebe Nicastro Octopus Books

Olga’s RBC/Royal Bank Studio Sixty Six Subway Sunset Grill

The Ten Spot

TD Bank Lansdowne

TD Pretoria

The Works Von’s Bistro

Whole Health Pharmacy Wild Oat

WIGGLE