30 Glebe Report December 10, 2021
GLEBE
Thirty Years Ago in the Glebe Report This retrospective is filed bi-monthly by Ian McKercher of the Glebe Historical Society. The society welcomes the donation or loan (for copying) of any item documenting Glebe history (photographs, maps, surveys, news articles, posters, programs, memorabilia, etc.). Contact Ian at 613-235-4863 or ian.s.mckercher@gmail.com. Note: All back issues of the Glebe Report to June 1973 can be viewed on the Glebe Report website at www.glebereport.ca under the PAST ISSUES menu.
Trees of the Glebe The first meeting of Trees of the Glebe and Dow’s Lake was held November 19, 1991. Several environmental topics were discussed, including a community tree planting in the fall. Damp-resistant willows and silver maples needed to be planted in Central Park to sop up the swamp that appeared every spring. Any building site plan submitted to the City should include adding trees. More trees were necessary along the Queensway to reduce noise and visual pollution. Plans for a park on the southeast corner of Bank and Holmwood had been drawn up by landscape architect Dieter Gruenwoldt and approved by City Council in 1975. Why had so little of this park ever been completed?
Volume 20, Number 11, December 13, 1991 (36 pages)
Cash-in-lieu supported In a letter, Frank de Jong disagreed with the Glebe Community Association’s objection to the application for cash-in-lieu of parking by Irene’s Pub. (The pub wanted to expand.) He wrote, “In a decade or so I suspect we will begin to drastically reduce our dependence on the
by Ian McKercher
automobile and opt rather for walking, bicycling and cleanfuel mass transit. I foresee cars banned from Bank Street through the Glebe, replaced with a walking mall. Bank Street should intensify the size and number of its businesses, making it more attractive for people to spend time and money in our community. We should encourage cashin-lieu payments and use the money for bicycle lanes and bicycle parking facilities. The GCA and the City should plan now for the inevitable post-petroleum era that is peoplefriendly, not car-friendly.” Classy curtain call Defeated Capital Ward Councillor Lynn Smyth thanked the community for “the challenging and rewarding opportunity to serve from 1988 to 1991.” She acknowledged “the dedication and commitment to service shown by City and Regional Staff.” She offered a special thanks to office assistants Michele Proulx, Mary Kovacs and Sharlene Hertz “for their special attention to ward needs and their good humour under constant daily pressures.”
Amnesty International ‘Write for Rights’ at Southminster By Paul Mullin Amnesty International advertises its annual Write for Rights campaign as “the world’s biggest human rights event, where millions of people around the world come together to protect the rights of others.” On Sunday, December 12, Southminster United Church at 15 Aylmer Avenue will once again host an in-person Write for Rights event where members of the public are welcome to drop in to write one or more letters of support for the 10 cases featured in 2021. One of these cases involves a 16-year-old boy called Mikita in Belarus. In August 2020, Mikita went to a central square in the city of Homel to meet a friend but was swept up in crowds leaving a peaceful protest against presidential elections. The next day, police accused him of throwing a Molotov cocktail towards officers and arrested him. Mikita was taken into custody, beaten, interrogated without representation present and jailed for six months before going to trial. He was subsequently convicted of mass disorder and using illegal explosives and was sentenced to five years in a child educational prison colony. To this day, Mikita is in prison where he endures solitary confinement and reported torture, as well as
being deprived of medical treatment for his epilepsy. In this case, writers request that Belarus release Mikita and give him a fair trial. If you are interested in participating in this local Write for Rights event, you are welcome to drop in at Southminster United Church, on the canal at Bank and Aylmer, anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 12. Documentation on the 10 cases and instructions will be available, as well as writing materials. Please note that COVID-19 screening protocols are in place and include providing proof of double vaccination, wearing a mask and recording contact information. Amnesty International also invites you to participate online where you can use Twitter, send emails and sign online petitions. Please see the Amnesty website for more information: amnesty.org/en/ get-involved/write-for-rights/.
December
12
Paul Mullin is a member of the Outreach Committee at Southminster United Church.
Doors Open for Music at Southminster After 12 years serving as the Southminster United Church’s music director, Roland Graham will step down from his post at the end of January. For the time being he will continue to run the Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) noonhour series, which he has run in parallel with his role in the church since launching the series in 2013. “As with so many programs in so many institutions recently,” said Graham, “DOMS struggled to survive the pandemic and now needs some development and support to have a solid future in the post-pandemic era. I plan to see the series through until the end of the season at least, to
weather some of these challenges, and possibly beyond. Suffice it to say, the future of DOMS is as important to me as anything else in my musical and professional life.” One of the biggest pandemic challenges has been financial. Costs of presenting live-stream concerts have risen and revenue has gone down due to smaller audiences. The current financial model will be difficult to sustain over the long-term. Additional sources of income are needed to survive in a post-COVID world, and work on this is being done. Dontions can be made through Canadahelps.org or directly to the church. In view of his retirement from leading
Upcoming Concerts
Roland Graham
Southminster’s liturgical music program, which involved directing the church’s choir and playing music for Sunday services, Graham will lead the final DOMS concert for the year on December 22, featuring an expanded Southminster choir joined by a baroque orchestra and soloists.
December 15 Shakespeare’s Viola A pairing or poetry and music: works by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Ichmouratov arranged for viola, interspersed with excerpts from Shakespeare, Walter and Misbakhova. Elvira Misbakhova, viola Irina Krasnyanskaya, piano Alina Ichmouratov, narrator December 22 Sleepers Wake! Southminster’s expanded church choir, baroque orchestra and soloists, directed by Roland Graham, presents Bach’s Advent Cantata, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140.
