Kitchissippi Times November 2024

KITCHISSIPPI TIMES

New businesses and the Kitchissippi ice cream craze

BY SIMON HOPKINS

Ice cream is a hot commodity in Westboro and Wellington West with many new creameries setting up shop.

Moo Shu, the popular Bank Street ice cream spot, is set to move to Stella Luna’s former storefront in Hintonburg later this year. Owner Liz Mok said that leaving Centretown was essential to the business's future.

“It was never our intention to leave. Staying in Centretown was a hardline for a long time,” Mok wrote on social media. ”But as the search went on for years without success, we realized we needed to hone in our priorities and broaden our search.“

Born as a Lansdowne Farmers Market stand in 2015, Moo Shu Ice Cream & Kitchen has flourished to become a permanent downtown Bank Street fixture known for its inventive flavours, such as its popular Hong Kong Milk Tea or its local strawberry ice cream.

Mok began the business at only 24 and has ensured giving back to the community is at the forefront of what she does. More than 3800 scoops of ice cream and bubble waffles have been given to neighbours in need through its suspended scoop program.

The new space will open before the end of year and will include indoor seating, something the current Centretown location does not have. That led to a dramatic dip in revenue during winter months when people are less likely to stop in for a cold treat.

“We have plans to add coffee and light fare if you're not in the mood for ice cream on a chilly day,” said Mok.

A new Tim Hortons is also slated to open next door. Nearby, Love and Electric and Happy Rolls ice cream shops both opened along Wellington St W.

But it seems the ice cream craze is reaching Westboro, too. A Baskin Robbins has opened at 395 Richmond Rd and Dairy Queen — which temporarily closed in its former digs — “is looking for another space in the neighbourhood that suits them better,” said Westboro BIA director Judy Lincoln.

MORE THAN JUST ICE CREAM

It’s been a changing year for storefronts in Westboro and Wellington West as new merchants breathe fresh life into the area.

While many personal care businesses like spas and fitness facilities are opening in Westboro, its neighbours to the east are seeing more of a mix.

“While there are many forces working against small businesses, most of our shops continue to keep their doors open and make our neighbourhood incredibly vibrant and unique,” said Aron Slipacoff, executive director of the Wellington West BIA.

John’s Family Diner, a fixture in the community for five decades, put its storefront on the market with leasing available immediately. The Hatoum family told the Ottawa Business Journal the family “is looking at different options” to stay in operation, and didn’t rule out staying where they are.

Peter Hatoum said there were a

number of reasons for putting the building up for lease, but didn’t elaborate. He said business was fine and is planning on continuing the legacy started by his father in 1974.

Across the street two blocks away, brunch spot Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner recently moved into the former Won Ton House Chinese restaurant.

In Westboro, Lincoln said she’s excited to see a new French bistro called Elise serve diners on the ground floor of PostHouse, a new building near the intersection of Richmond and Winona.

Nearby in the City Centre complex, Raised by Wolves, a contemporary menswear brand founded in 2008 and rooted in graphic design, will open its first physical location at 145 Spruce St. on Nov. 1.

“We’ve done pop-ups in the past, going all the way back to 2009 in Toronto. We’ve done events like launch parties for sneaker releases, we’ve partnered with stores. But we’ve never had a permanent space,” owner, founder and creative director Calum Green told the Ottawa Business Journal. The store itself will not be the traditional window-fronted shop that lines main streets and shopping malls. Green said it will be mostly unmarked and

customers will have to climb a set of stairs to find it.

Maker House could see some changes this year after they won $100,000 in a giveaway. Owner Gareth Davies told KT their store won a draw done by delivery service Trexity. The first $10,000 will go directly to Maker House’s charitable campaigns.

“Our craft change program has been going since we started nine years ago and we give two per cent of overall sales to different community organizations like Parkdale Food Centre,” said Davies. “Or we might do something fun with other small businesses to keep the business boost theme going with that $10,000; we're probably going to do that on our 10th anniversary next year.”

Davies also said they want to push Maker House to “the next level.” The store will continue its seasonal pop-up shops around Ottawa and is going to explore the option of opening a second location.

With files by David Sali and Mia Jensen

Love and Electric Microcreamery has opened on Wellington St. W.

Right: Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner has moved to the former Won Ton House. PHOTOS BY SIMON HOPKINS.

Remembering the fallen

BY CHARLIE SENACK

It’s been over a century since 61,000 Canadians were killed in World War l and about 80 years since another 45,000 lost their lives in World War ll.

As time has passed, the importance of November 11 has been lost on many Canadians. But in reality it’s just as significant — if not more so today.

We must remember our past so history never repeats itself. We must also continue to acknowledge the hundreds of thousands who have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield through various conflicts —

including the Boer war, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.

Each man and woman who signs up to serve their country does so as a selfless act. But it’s not just them we must thank. It’s also their families who lived in fear everyday as the unknown weighed over their heads. Sons and daughters who celebrate birthdays, Christmas, and other occasions without their mommy or daddy by their side.

will line up at the Westboro cenotaph and in the Carlingwood Shopping Centre to lay wreaths and pause for a moment of silence on Remembrance Day.

I want to take a quick moment to recognize Claudine Wilson, a Westboro Legion volunteer, who passed away on Aug. 4, 2024, at the age of 76. Claudine was always a champion of the Kitchissippi Times and a leader in the community who raised over $150,000 for local causes during her impactful life. In a future issue of the paper, we will have a story on Claudine’s legacy in the neighbourhood.

KITCHISSIPPI

TIMES

Great River Media Inc PO Box 91585

Ottawa ON K1W 1K0

The Kitchissippi Times is an award-winning newspaper that has serviced Westboro, Wellington West, and surrounding communities for the last 20 years. The word Kitchissippi, meaning “great river” in Algonquin, is the former Indigenous name for the Ottawa River.

STORY IDEA? editor@kitchissippi.com twitter.com/kitchissippi

EDITOR

Charlie Senack charlie@kitchissippi.com twitter.com/charlie_senack

CONTRIBUTORS

Simon Hopkins, Emma Cummings, Dave Allston, Aaron Reid, Ellen Bond, Christopher Smith, Bradley Turcotte, Dave O’Malley and Jamie McLennan.

Kitchissippi is very lucky to be served by the Westboro Legion which honors the ultimate sacrifice everyday. Ottawa residents

I also realized that this month marks two years since I took over as editor of KT. Not a day goes by that I don't feel great pleasure for having the privilege to tell your stories. As always, if you have any content ideas, drop me an email at editor@kitchissippi.com.

PROOFREADERS

Susan Rothery

ADVERTISING SALES

Eric Dupuis 613-696-9485 eric@kitchissippi.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tanya Connolly-Holmes creative@greatriver.ca

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Celine Paquette celine@greatriver.ca

Deborah Ekuma deborah@obj.ca

FINANCE

Cheryl Schunk, 613-696-9490 cheryl@greatriver.ca

All other enquiries 613-696-9494 info@kitchissippi.com

DISTRIBUTION

A minimum of 16,000 copies are distributed from the Ottawa River to Carling Avenue between the Britannia and Preston Street communities. Most residents in this area will receive the Kitchissippi Times directly to their door. If you would like to become a distribution point, please contact us. Copies are available at Dovercourt Recreation Centre, Hintonburg Community Centre, and dozens of other pickup locations in the area.

DISTRIBUTOR Comet 2000

info@kitchissippi.com

The Kitchissippi Times is published by FOUNDER

Mark Sutcliffe Michael Curran

COMMUNITY BULLETIN

KT’s newsletter keeps readers up-to-date and informed SIGN UP TODAY

CIVIC HOSPITAL NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION NEWS: Consider joining the CHNA if you live east of Island Park, west of the O-Train, south of the 417, and north of Carling. We’re a volunteer, nonprofit community group representing and giving voice to the households adjacent to the Ottawa Hospital Civic campus.

Our mission is to be an effective community advocate on issues of general concern and in support of the well-being of residents. Come and meet our committed group of community volunteers at our November AGM! Find more information at www.chnaottawa.ca

Members and non-members are welcome to attend the CHNA Annual General Meeting on November 26 (7:00 P.M. start) at the Hintonburg Community Centre.

STUDENTS HELP WESTBORO’S

POLLINATORS: In September, Carleton University students met with the Westboro Community Association’s Jean McKibbon in Clare Gardens Park to learn about the challenges of living in Westboro, one of the most rapidly intensifying neighbourhoods in Ottawa.

With less greenspace, our community’s ecosystem needs more wildflowers in gardens to feed pollinators. Working with the WCA, and with the support of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden and CAFES, the students have developed a multi-tiered plan to raise awareness about the how-tos of pollinator gardening in Westboro. There’s mounting evidence proving that more ecologically diversified neighbourhoods are good for pollinators and for our mental health.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING HAPPENING IN MECHANICSVILLE:

The Mechanicsville Community Association is partnering with others to offer fun

programming at the Keith Brown Community Building this fall. Here’s what’s happening: Free drop-in Seniors Art Program on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m, until Nov. 27. Contact Simone with Luma Blue Glass 613698-3440. Caribbean Dance Class for ages 4–13 on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. until Dec. 4. Subsidized spots available. Contact Suzanne at culturalartsstudio@gmail.com

EVENTS

MECHANICSVILLE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION AGM - NOV. 14: MCA’s Annual General Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Keith Brown Community Building. Everyone is welcome!

HINTONBURG ARTISAN CRAFT

FAIR - NOV. 30: The Hintonburg Community Association is looking forward to hosting its annual craft fair at the Hintonburg Community Centre from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition to 50+ local crafters, there will be a bake sale, hot chili lunch, silent auction and raffle prizes, plus lots of familiar faces and good cheer.

FREE

SENIORS CHAIR YOGA ON MONDAYS: Classes start at 10:00 a.m. Contact Camille at www.breathewithcamille. com.

Wind Down with Meditation Yoga on Tuesdays: Classes start at 6:30 p.m. and Yin with Meditation Yoga starts at 7:30 p.m. Drop in fee or purchase for the eight-week session. Subsidized spots available. Contact Camille at www.breathewithcamille.com.

FREE

SOCCER FOR KIDS ON

THURSDAY: Following a successful run this summer at Laroche Park, this free dropin soccer program for kids has moved to the Devonshire School gym starting at 6:00 p.m. Register for updates here: https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/436882

NOVEMBER UPDATES

REC SWIMS

Our pool is a great place to be when the weather gets cold. Book your space online ahead of time up to 7 days in advance at www.dovercourt.org.

FALL 2 SWIM LESSONS

Register now for group, small group, and private lessons. The session runs Nov. 4 – Dec. 22.

FIT PASS

Enjoy exclusive access to 40+ weekly group fit, spin and aquafit classes, the Fitness Centre, pickleball and access to drop-in swims with your monthly Fit Pass. Starting at $46/month.

PD DAYS & DATE NIGHTS

PD day programs offer a full day of activities with caring, energetic leaders. Book now for Nov. 8, Nov. 25, Nov. 29 and Dec. 2.

And leave the kids with us for date nights: Fri. Nov. 15, 6-9pm (#23902).

NOVEMBER WORKSHOPS

Check out this month’s menu of single-session workshops including Macrame, Rock Climbing, Dodgeball, Basics of Knitting, Science fun, Nail, Hair & Makeup, Tap Dance and Dovercourt Quidditch!

REGISTRATIONS

• Register now for Winter Holiday Camps

• week 1: single days Dec. 23-27;

• week 2: mini camps Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 2-3.

• Winter program registration begins Tue. Dec. 3

Anthony Bailey leaves the Parkdale pulpit for the final time

BY CHARLIE SENACK

After serving the congregation at Parkdale United Church for the last 25 years, Rev. Anthony Bailey has put on his robe for the final time.

During his two and a half decades at the pulpit, Bailey was a trailblazer in Kitchissippi and beyond. He raised money for charity, denounced racism, and wasn’t afraid to take on causes close to his heart. But being a community man meant time away from family, and the reverend said it felt like time to move on.

“I’ve thought about this moment for some time and I can’t decide how exactly it will go. It has been a profound privilege to offer ministry in this congregation [and] to experience the excellence, joy and the welcome of the people of Parkdale and this community,” Bailey said at his final mass on Sept. 29.

“It is difficult to encapsulate what this life of ministry has been. I want to particularly single out my family because they are the ones who not only supported me but have to deal with a lot of my absences, being called out in the middle of the night to the hospital, being away,” Bailey added. ”I remember when our children were young, [my wife] Wendy would have to care for them by herself at times.”

Before serving at the Hintonburg ministry, Bailey was in Jamaica for six years with the United Church of Canada’s Division of World Outreach. Before that, he held a brief stint in Kenya, East Africa.

His presence at Parkdale will be felt for years to come. He launched a yearly service in honour of Martin Luther King Jr., helped

Ottawa Police with their anti-racism training, gave talks in schools, and always knew what to say when there were struggles in the world.

Shortly into his tenure at the church, Bailey canvassed the community to see what further support was needed and started the In From the Cold program, which hands out over 150 four-course meals to people in need once a week during the winter.

“One of the things we wanted to do from the very beginning is acknowledge the dignity of those who would be coming, those who are experiencing poverty and so forth, with quality food,” Bailey told KT in 2022.

In July 2016, Bailey was part of the healing circle supporting the family of Abdirahman Abdi. The 37-year-old was killed outside of his Hilda Street apartment during a confrontation with Ottawa Police. That same year, the Parkdale congregation was one of many in the city to be targeted by a hateful spree of spray paint attacks. A 17-year-old — who admitted in court he did it in the name of white supremacy — was arrested and charged.

At the time, Bailey was also open about his own radicalized profiling.

“I’m followed in stores when I’m looking for something, I have been racially profiled by police, and I’ve experienced all kinds of things that have demonstrated to me that racism is still alive and well,” he told KT in 2022, adding that white privilege is

something many take for granted, hiding us from many realities.

Gospel singers led Bailey’s final two hourlong mass and an audio recording played from when he began his time at the church. The sermon’s focus that day: how to live out one’s faith.

In a final act of thanks, the congregation designated Bailey as Minister Emeritus at the church.

“Throughout your years of service, you have helped all of us. You have supported us. You have laughed with us. You have cried with us. You have sung with us,” congregation

member Eleanor Creasey told Bailey during his final sermon. “You have encouraged us to think beyond ourselves [and] about the possibilities that we can live in this world by following the example you choose.”

An emotional Bailey’s final message was short and sweet, trying to steer the attention away from himself.

“I have no words. I thank each and everyone one of you for your support and for your prayers, for your wisdom, for your challenges, and for your disagreeing,” he said. “All of that is significant if you are going to be faithful as a community.”

Parkdale United Church Rev. Anthony Bailey said it was time to start his next chapter. PROVIDED PHOTOS.

Ottawa Community Housing breaks ground in first stage of Gladstone Village

BY CHARLIE SENACK

The sound and sights of construction machinery will finally start to be noticed on Somerset near Preston as hundreds of new affordable housing units are built.

On Sept. 24, Ottawa Community Housing officially broke ground on Gladstone Village, which will see 336 new affordable homes constructed under Phase 1. They will range from studio apartments to four bedroom suites, a rarity that is needed in the core as intensification grows.

“In the past, Ottawa Community Housing has built up to five and six bedroom apartments. When we look at

supply, it’s very important that we catch up to how we were building in the 1970s,” said OCH CEO Stéphane Giguère in an interview with KT. “About eight years ago, we adopted a strategy that enabled us to work on the supply side and preserve the assets that we have, which are more than 16,000 homes. But it’s also important that we build.”

The two residential towers will include a 19-storey residence to the north and a nine-storey residence to the south, both terraced along the eastern face of the site. One-fifth of the units are designed to be barrier-free visitable, with considerations for growing families and aging-in-place kept in mind.

In 2017, the three-hectare parcel of

each other and share the same bicycle racks where they talk about their hobbies, kids and families,” said Giguère.

Over the next five or so years, around 1,100 affordable housing units will be built at Gladstone Village. The site will also house a new elementary French school and expansion of the nearby Plant Recreation Centre.

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said the goal of the project is to ensure people can’t tell the difference between who is living in affordable housing and who lives in more expensive housing. She added seven to 10 thousand new residents are expected to call Centretown home over the next decade because of developments like this one.

“I was here in nine minutes by bike. That shows what an amazing location this is and how lucky these new residents are going to be. LRT here, right across the middle of Little Italy. Right beside the Plant community centre,” Troster said at the announcement.

Ottawa is in the middle of an affordable housing emergency. In 2017, the waitlist for rent-geared-to-income housing sat at over 10,500. A study produced in 2023 found that for every unit of affordable housing built, 31 are being lost due to rising rents, demolition or renovation. During the 2024 budget process, city council approved a $30 million one-time funding deal for more affordable housing.

land was purchased by OCH from the federal government for $7 million. Once fully built, the site will be part of history as the first mixed-income community in Ottawa.

The building will host 2,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and will include many features, including fitness and bike rooms, indoor and outdoor lounges, event spaces, and a high efficiency heating and cooling system. OCH said it will be a model for green living. Each resident will only pay about $15 in hydro per year.

“What we realized is community building. Places where you can create positive collaboration between residents — a place where they can get to know

According to data from this August, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Ottawa climbed above $2,000 compared to $2,577 a month for a two bedroom. That was a 3.3 per cent increase compared to the year before.

“People across the city and indeed the country are feeling the effects of the housing crisis right now. Here in Ottawa there are many new arrivals who come here for our quality of life. They come here because we have a caring city, there are opportunities here, it’s a safe city,” said Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. “People come here to work and raise a family. They come with energy. But there are extraordinary pressures on the housing market right now.”

Giguère said a gradual move in of residents will begin sometime in 2026.

Above: Dignitaries turned the soil for Gladstone Village during a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 24. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK. Insert: Drawings showing what the building will look like.

West Wellington’s Giant Tiger owner retires after three decades

I tried to give back in every opportunity that I could. — JOHN FERGUSON

BY SIMON HOPKINS

Described as a pillar of Hintonburg, Giant Tiger’s long-time manager retired this fall after decades in the community.

John Ferguson owned and managed the Giant Tiger in Hintonburg for over 30 years. Friends, family and community members gathered for a farewell party on Sept. 29 at the Carleton Tavern to celebrate the longtime owner and his partner, Pat Henderson.

Former colleagues stood at the front and told stories of Ferguson’s generosity over the years, like giving hundreds of hot dogs a year to community organizations for fundraising barbecues, according to Hintonburg Community Association member Cheryl Parrott. He also contributed to the longtime Christmas Day at the Carleton Tavern, which the Parkdale United Church also supported. The Christmas Day event provided food and gifts for those with nowhere to go over the holidays until its cancellation after COVID.

Parrott said Ferguson donated warm clothing to give to those who needed it.

“Thank you, John and Pat, for your love for this community,” said Parrott.

“I considered myself fortunate to be in a position to help,” responded Ferguson.

The Giant Tiger was impacted twice by fire over Ferguson’s term as manager. According to Parrott, after the first fire, he reached out to the community association for help moving food that could spoil in the freezers. The following day, dozens of vans came to the store to collect the perishable food and take it to food banks and shelters across the city instead of a dumpster.

Ferguson said he helped his employees find other employment while the store was closed for repairs.

“The first fire, we were closed for five months – we had 22 staff at the time,” he told KT. “Every single staff member came back and was reemployed five months after because I made sure they were looked after.”

The West Wellington champion also

helped set up donations for the community association's fire fund, which was created to support businesses impacted by a fire. According to Parrott, the jar at Giant Tiger pulled in a couple of thousand dollars in change.

The speeches from community members were followed by certificate presentations by both Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper and MP Yasir Naqvi, congratulating John and Pat on their retirement. John was inducted into the Order of Ottawa in 2023.

“Our businesses are supporting our residents, and our residents are supporting our businesses. It’s this big virtuous circle,” Leiper said in his speech. “I don’t think there’s anybody in Hintonburg who better demonstrates that connection than yourself, John.”

Ferguson echoed something he said the founder of Giant Tiger had once told him, many years ago.

“When your customers are your neighbours, you want to do things right,” he said. “I tried to give back in every opportunity that I could.”

In turn, the community gave to Ferguson and helped him when he needed it. Following a bad storm, Giant Tiger had been left for days with no power.

He hired a refrigerator truck to park next to the store to prevent food from spoiling. Ferguson and his employees carried boxes of food from the store's grocery section down a flight of stairs and across the length of the store to the truck. He said people saw what was happening and offered to help, pitching in.

They were able to save everything. “We didn’t lose a single egg,” the outgoing owner said.

In their retirement, Ferguson and Henderson are enjoying exploring Ottawa. For years they would drive by various attractions in Ottawa and say to themselves, “We ought to go there someday.” Now, they finally are.

Top: From left to right: John Ferguson and Pat Henderson with Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper. PHOTO BY SIMON HOPKINS.

Above: Ferguson owned and operated Wellington West’s Giant Tiger for over 30 years. PHOTO BY THE WELLINGTON WEST BIA.

Riversong concert to raise awareness and funds for First Nations advocacy

BY EVA SCHACHERL

In 2018, over a hundred residents gathered on Westboro Beach for Riversong – a celebration of the lifeblood of our region that is the Kichi Sibi, Ottawa River.

Six years later, it’s time for Riversong 2, a concert to bring together many allies and support the First Nations who are challenging the decision to dispose of a million tonnes of radioactive waste less than a kilometre from the Ottawa River.

The gathering will take place on Nov. 22 at First United Church at 347 Richmond Rd. The performers include Ian Tamblyn, Ottawa singer-songwriter Pat Mayberry, and the lead singer and songwriter of Juno Award-winning Kobo Town, Drew Gonsalves. The Celtic group Dolas and Just Voices Choir will also join. The evening will include a silent auction.

Opening the event with welcoming and water songs will be singers and drummers from Kebaowek First Nation. Kebaowek

Is one of 10 Algonquin First Nations that oppose the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River, and it has launched a case in Federal Court.

Together with Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Kebaowek published an extensive report last year on how a large area of Algonquin traditional territory was ‘nuclearized’ over the past 80 years and how the disposal project will affect many species, including the bears that are a ‘powerful spirit’ in Algonquin culture. They found three bear dens in the area where clearcutting will take place to build the dump.

“We have lived with and traveled the watershed since time immemorial,” the report read. “We understand that our life and sustenance draw from Aki (earth) and

Sibi (the river). . . we remain opposed to the local and permanent impacts of nuclear waste disposal and storage on our sacred Aki Sibi.”

The fundraiser grew out of conversations among citizens who showed up at rallies organized by Kebaowek earlier this year

— meeting up in the cold and snow in February as well as the pouring rain in July when the court case was heard in the Supreme Court building.

Co-organizer Cheryl Gorman said she is inspired by the beautiful artwork of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg artist, Destiny Cote, which shows the bears, fish, mussels and other creatures of the Kichi Sibi.

“‘Water Is Life’ sums up how essential this element is,” said Gorman. “I’m amazed that the nuclear waste issue hasn’t received more attention. Imagine if we heard today that access to the Ottawa River was closed for the foreseeable future, or that our drinking water was affected. There would be an uproar.”

The group has a goal of raising $10,000 to support their legal costs. Tickets to Riversong 2 are available on Eventbrite, and organizers encourage buying your tickets early, since seating is limited.

NEW BRAND IN STORE UBR OUTERWEAR - NORWAY

Artwork by Destiny Cote of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg.

Highjinx: A social enterprise born out of frustration and anger

BY EMMA CUMMINGS

You may have stumbled into a busy storefront at 290 Kent Street and been intrigued by the various knick-knacks, housewares, furniture, and oddities for sale.

Perhaps you even marvelled at the stuffed bear in the stairwell or the many chairs hanging from the ceiling. What you may not have realized is that these are all donated items, with proceeds from sales going directly into helping the community.

Thirteen and a half years ago, over a glass of wine, Karen Nielsen and Leigh Reid decided that they wanted to help Ottawa’s unhoused and at-risk community in any way they could. In Reid’s words: “People weren't really getting the help they needed. It was more organizations telling people how they had to be helped. Instead, it really should be the person telling us how they need to be helped.”

The next day, a storefront nearby came up for lease and they jumped on it. After renting a U-Haul and descending upon their friends’ and families’ homes, they loaded up the truck with whatever items they could scrounge, and, nearly overnight, established what would become Highjinx.

Rather than taking any government funding, Nielsen and Reid carved their own way.

“We just do it through neighbours helping neighbours,” said Reid. “That way, no one can cancel our funding. We will have continuation of services as long as we're able to do it, and we don't have to say what the funders want to hear to get the money.”

“We will keep going as long as there's a need for us to do this,” added Nielsen. “And, unfortunately, I think that need will outlive us.”

FAILURE IN TREATMENT

Highjinx was born out of frustration with the failure of existing institutions and the misconceptions surrounding the at-risk

community in the city.

“I'm tired of hearing ‘they're not my neighbors.’ They are your neighbors,” said Nielsen. “We're all in this together. If we had services, housing, treatment, and mental health care, it wouldn't be on the street in your face. They have nowhere else to go.”

“They're human beings just like all of

Highjinx is all about neighbours helping neighbours. ALL PHOTOS BY EMMA CUMMINGS.

us,” Reid chimed in. “Everyone has a story, everyone has a history. Until we walk a mile in their shoes, we just don’t know.”

Highjinx sustains itself through donations of furniture, housewares, novelties, and, perhaps most importantly, fresh food like fruit — which can be expensive to purchase when living on the streets.

As compared with other food banks in the city, Highjinx differentiates itself by being able to provide food daily, not just weekly or monthly.

“We'll never let anybody go hungry. We can guarantee a meal every day for everyone,” said Nielsen.

Beyond fresh food, the most in-demand items are blankets, sleeping bags, backpacks and tents. Highjinx doesn’t accept clothing donations, except for emergency items, but they’re happy to direct people to other services in the city that do.

DIGNITY AND RESPECT

The care and respect for every person who walks through Highjinx’s doors is clear. There’s no distinction between client and customer; everyone is treated with dignity.

Even if someone’s behavior is erratic, Nielsen and Reid emphasize not taking it personally.

“Isolating people never helps,” said Nielsen. “So we bring them more into the fold. It means we need to keep a closer eye on them, give them more of a relationship to show them they’re worth it.”

Patrick McGrath, a long-time neighbour and volunteer at Highjinx, says that enterprise helped him get sober and saved his life over his nine years there. He described the business as “unconventional” and “non-traditional.”

Unlike other social services, Nielsen, Reid, and their long-standing team of volunteers offer a constant source of compassion. This continuity sets them apart.

“Clients have built relationships with us over time,” said Nielsen. “That’s something other organizations need to understand — trust takes a long time to build.”

Despite their significant impact, Nielsen and Reid remain humble about their role. Instead, they highlight the community's contribution. “I'm proud of the community, what this has morphed into on its own, and the neighbors and the community members alongside,” said Reid. “People are willing to help if they know how to.”

Local theater productions offer performances for all ages

BY BRADLEY TURCOTTE

Summer might be over, but that doesn’t mean the fun is over.

Theater companies throughout Ottawa are preparing for a new season of local entertainment which promises to engage.

Toto Too’s production of The SpongeBob Musical at The Gladstone, and The

Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Flop: An Improvised Musical Fiasco, guarantee there’s fun to be had indoors this fall, with both presentations offering audiences immersive experiences.

A jukebox musical featuring popular songs set against the backdrop of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob director Lisa Dunn says audiences are in for “a lot of colour.”

With ballads by John Legend, gospel, hip hop, and Bowie 80s pop, the music “doesn’t fit together,” Dunn said, “which makes it even more crazy. It has been fun

to tailor this together.”

Growing up in the 2000s, actor Alex Davidson watched the classic and ongoing Nickelodeon animated series, and says there is an “attachment” to playing the title character.

“I have always pictured him as a 35-year-old man trapped in a kid’s mindset,” Davidson said of SpongeBob, adding his performance is not an impression.

"I want to embody that idea in my portrayal of the character. He is so

Ottawa theater productions this November

Disney’s The Lion King, until Nov. 10: Giraffes strut. Birds swoop. Gazelles leap. The entire Serengeti comes to life as never before. And as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly emerges from the mist. At National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St. Tickets begin at $155.55.

Guilty Conscience, until Nov. 16: A brilliant, ruthless criminal attorney is now planning his own defense –if only he can find an ideal way to murder his wife. While attempting to come up with the perfect alibi, he is shocked to discover that someone is simultaneously plotting to kill him! At the Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave. Tickets range from $14 to $30.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Nov. 6-9: Follow Alice as she falls through a rabbit

hole into Wonderland, a fantasy world where she makes friends with different creatures as she tries to find her way home. Adapted by Tim Kelly from the alltime favorite novel. Tickets range from $15 to $75.

Beowulf in Afghanistan, Nov. 12-24: A Canadian soldier harnesses the medieval AngloSaxon text of Beowulf as a life raft through the clash of conflict, and after. A world premiere, supported by GCTC’s Tributary Project. At the Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St. W. Tickets range from $41 to $57.

The Lion in the Winter, Nov. 15-23: It's Christmas in 1183. The Plantagenets are gathering for a family Christmas and Henry II has a succession plan. But with

a family that includes Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard Lion Heart and Philip King of France, it’s by no means a slam dunk. The Lion in Winter is a comedy at the intersection of history and storytelling. At the Gladstone Theatre, 910 Gladstone Ave. Tickets range from $24 to $75.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nov. 15-24: Based on the famous novel by Roald Dahl. When young Charlie wins a golden ticket to the mysterious Wonka Chocolate Factory, it's the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets and chocolates that have always been right under his nose but unaffordable for the Bucket family. Could it also be his family’s route out of poverty? At Meridian Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Dr. Tickets range from $37 to $59.

unaware of the overall themes of the show to the point where he is almost ignorant to them. He wants the positivity to stay alive in Bikini Bottom,” he said.

The plot of the show, which originally debuted in 2016, explores discrimination and acceptance. A Toto Too board member, Dunn says the theme of the musical reflects the theatre company’s motto.

“All are welcome,” said Dunn. “We want audiences to tap into the messaging that differences exist. We are all people, we are all equals."

Although the collective has produced avant garde material, the musical is a “family show,” Dunn says, adding that whether you are a fan of the music or have nostalgia for the series, “There is something for everybody.”

The SpongeBob Musical runs from Nov 28 to Dec 7.

Over at GCTC, everybody is encouraged to contribute to the plot of Flop! An Improvised Musical Fiasco

Written by Ron Pederson and Alan Kliffer of Second City, the project is born from a previous improvised musical staged in Toronto, which netted a Dora audience award and a best actor nomination for Pederson.

Former incarnations of Flop! featured up to five actors. This production stars Pederson alongside Jan Caruana and Rob Baker. Pederson described his co-stars as “the funniest people” he knows.

“We think three might be the magic number,” stated Pederson. “It is a lot of responsibility for the improviser. You have to be able to sing, rhyme, and create narrative scenes. It is a tricky combination to get right.”

With audience participation key to

the musical, Flop! ensures a truly original theatre-going experience. Cast members will engage with the audience, seeking suggestions ranging from locations to the emotional motivation of the characters. Actors also break the fourth wall to converse with attendees.

“We can’t do it without them,” said Pederson, a Mad TV alumni. “There is lots of play with the audience. We play with each other, and we play together. That accentuates the aliveness of the event of theatre.”

Despite saying this production — which is part of GCTC’s 50th season — will not be a debacle, Pederson recalled one role where “it was a bit of a horror show.”

While playing the Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland on a thrust stage, a stage with many corners, the director instructed the actor to exit backwards.

“I fell off the stage,” Pederson recalled. “It was a student matinee and I went ass over tea kettle. There is nothing like hearing 800 students laughing at you and pointing. I had tea cups and they all went flying. It was a disaster.”

Flop! An Improvised Musical Fiasco crashes the stage Dec 10 to Dec 22.

Above: The cast of Gladstone’s SpongeBob Musical rehearsing for their upcoming performance. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LISA DUNN.

Left page: From left to right: Ron Pederson, Rob Baker, and Jan Caruana are starring in Flop: An Improvised Musical Fiasco. PROVIDED PHOTO.

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Even before light rail Byron Linear Park had a locomotive past EARLY

BY DAVE ALLSTON

Byron Linear Park is a green space gem in Kitchissippi, a narrow stretch of urban parkland that runs through the heart of several neighbourhoods. But in the early days, the Ottawa Electric Railway used this property.

From 1899 to 1959, it was home to a scenic streetcar ride to Britannia Park that not only provided access to a fun concert, dancing and swimming venue, but also helped open up the west end to Ottawa. Farmers in 1899 were happy to provide the land for next to nothing, as their property values increased exponentially with the arrival of public transportation.

In the 1950s, the City began to plan the phase-out of the expensive streetcar system, moving to buses only. After the streetcars made their final run in May 1959, the City wasted little time pulling up the tracks, but had no concrete plan for what to do with the 33 acres of minimum the 66 foot-wide right-of-way. For the next 20-plus years, the highly-political debate would rage.

As early as mid-1958, Alderman Frank Boyce announced the first plan for the land, proposing that a “wide multi-lane highway to serve the West End” be constructed. “A beautiful thruway could be built all the way from Holland Avenue to Britannia”, he stated, and eventually would link up with the Deschenes Bridge over the Ottawa River at Britannia, which was widely believed to be built one day soon.

A BLINDSIDED DECISION

The most earth-shattering proposal came in June of 1961 when Mayor Charlotte Whitton blindsided council and announced that the City would sell a vast majority of the land, particularly in the area between Churchill and Holland, to private interests.

Whitton proposed to widen Byron Ave, eliminate the dead ends of side streets in Wellington Village by extending the mall

to Byron, and sell the land alongside as individual building lots. Whitton saw the land sale as an opportunity to help reduce the Ottawa Transportation Commission debt.

“The plan is premature,” said Alderman Howard Henry. “We are not yet in a position to know what we should do with that right-ofway. But we are not going to sell it off to some private builders and then find out we should

1. A street car passing the intersection of Byron and Harmer. PHOTO FROM THE BOOK "OTTAWA'S STREETCARS" BY BILL MCKEOWN.

2. The dog sled derby on the Byron Park near Warren Avenue in 1973. PHOTO BY THE OTTAWA JOURNAL/CA-26035.

3. Streetcars one block west of the Holland junction in May 1951. PHOTO FROM THE BOOK "OTTAWA'S STREETCARS" BY BILL MCKEOWN.

4. An Ottawa Citizen clipping from April 16, 1959, showcasing different ideas for the Byron Park site

have kept it, as we did with the McKellar Golf Course.”

Soon, the NCC jumped in and stated they too would object to the sale to private interests.

Meanwhile, the space was left to decay. As early as the fall of 1960, it was being called a “hazard and an eyesore” and a “disgrace for the entrance to the capital city.” The

line was overgrown, weed-covered, and still filled with old railway ties, bolts, stone and other garbage. The streets where the streetcar tracks had once traversed were left in disrepair.

The ideas for the right-of-way ranged from the tongue-in-cheek like “the longest and narrowest football field in the world” to “a watered and frozen longest curling rink

in the world.” There were more reasonable ideas like a bicycles-only pathway, market gardens, parking for Richmond Road stores and businesses, or even a new location for the Parkdale Market after the opening of the Queensway saw a massive influx of traffic on Parkdale.

EARLY PLANS FOR A SUBWAY SYSTEM

In 1967 the City considered constructing a rapid transit system on the same spot they had pulled up the tracks. Following Toronto’s lead, city staff hoped that Ottawa could build a similar, part-underground, part-open system. Mayor Don Reid and city staff visited Montreal during Expo 67 to view the Expo Minirail system, in consideration of buying it and installing it along the full route of the former streetcar line. However, that idea was a no-go. The cars were too small and were open — not suitable for Ottawa weather. By the late 1970s, Ottawa was closing in on a new transit plan that considered subways and light rail, but eventually settled on a network of dedicated bus routes. The main question was where could these routes run? This ideally-sized strip of land was seen as a perfect Transitway route.

The City and the NCC perennially battled on the subject of buses on the Kitchi Zibi Mikan. Though the NCC had allowed OC buses on the Parkway, it had always been intended to be a short-term measure. Both sides agreed that running the new Transitway down the former streetcar line was the best solution, and in early 1980, it was proposed that the Transitway would run overtop the former streetcar line, to be accessed from Rochester Field, Churchill Avenue, or even as far west as Holland.

The file ended up at the Ontario Municipal Board in April of 1980, where six community associations and many individual residents spoke out against the proposal. Eventually, the different levels of government agreed to keep buses on the Parkway and off the old streetcar line.

A NEW VISION

The City was now free to plan a vehiclefree future for the former right-of-way. In September 1980, the Ottawa planning board announced approval for a $700,000 linear park from Holland to Britannia Park. The initial plans were spectacular. The park was to include paved paths for pedestrians, cyclists and joggers, fitness stations, landscaping to screen homes from traffic noise, benches and seating near bus stops, pathways

connecting to the NCC’s pedestrian and bike path system, and even municipal non-profit housing.

The plan was approved by Council on Oct. 1, 1980, narrowly passed by a vote of 9-7. The Park was divided into three sections, with each to be developed according to the needs of the local neighbourhoods.

The first work order approved was in February 1982, when city staff greenlit $34,418 for an asphalt path from Holland to Churchill, which would eventually be extended to Britannia Park. But the city retracted its commitments significantly. The $700,000 committed in 1980 which increased by $100,000 a year later was almost completely cut.

If the community could raise funds, the city would match whatever was raised up to $5,000. Wellington Village residents spent the summer of 1982 canvassing, and running barbeques and garage sales, accumulating $3,000. Work crews were able to install three park benches and planted 42 maple, ash and evergreen trees between Holland and Island Park Drive in October 1982.

An even larger plan came about in 1985, when local residents began to push for a new playground, particularly where preschoolaged children could play. Low on the priority list, residents were told it could be expedited if they contributed money or labour. The Recreation Department agreed to design and pay half the costs of a playground featuring a play locomotive climber, which was completed two years later.

Patti Brown Broker

Susan Chell Broker

Sarah Toll Broker

Each show begins at 8:00 p.m. and ends by 11:00 p.m. to accommodate the routines of a working-class city.

Not a far drive away, Live on Elgin opened in 2015 after surveying the local community to ask what Ottawa needed more of.

Co-owner Jon Evenchick, who started the business venture with his dad Lawrence, said the initial idea came from his final school project while attending Algonquin College’s entrepreneurship program.

Ottawa music venues look to make the city less boring

BY CHARLIE SENACK

For decades Ottawa has been painted as a boring government town, a place where bureaucrats create useless bylaws and don’t leave their homes after dark. But thriving new music venues are trying to change that narrative.

At Red Bird Live, a music venue which opened on Bank Street in 2022, owner Geoff Cass said he wanted to create a space that would fill a void for performers in Ottawa.

“It’s not a bar with a stage in the corner. This is very much a music venue that happens to have a bar and a cafe,” he said. “We do a combination of bigger name

touring items, lesser known touring items that need a place to perform, and lots of local performance opportunities.“

Cass first entered the music scene as a music program director at Dovercourt in Westboro. On his first day on the job, the Red Bird creator said he was tasked with leading the new Bluesfest School of Music and Art which “went on hiatus” during the pandemic.

When that position ended after a decade, Cass decided to make his own adventure. In addition to being a music venue, Red Bird is also a “recreational” music school.

“For some, they come to get better at an instrument, work on their voice or

song writing skills. We don't have a proper curriculum [that] we ask any student or teacher to follow,” said Cass. “Maybe you're coming to learn your favourite Taylor Swift song or playing for friends and family at Christmas. Our students grow up next to and sometimes on the stage, which I think will really help Ottawa with the next generation of performers.”

The music venue, school and cafe was built by a team of 89 community volunteers who had a passion for entertainment. It’s situated in the Old Ottawa South neighbourhood, which is also home to the Mayfair Theatre, House of Targ, and Vertigo Records.

“I wanted to open a mid-size venue — something around 1,000 to 1,500 capacity — standing room with a bar at the back and a smaller room for smaller shows. Finding a space that would fit that was proving to be very difficult. The infrastructure just wasn’t there. We also looked at the number of shows being presented and if we could rent the room enough nights of the year for it to be profitable,” he said. “It didn’t make sense at the time.”

While a larger venue didn’t make economic sense, their current venue in the downtown core seemed like a perfect fit when the former tenant defaulted on its lease. Live on Elgin hosts five shows a week that range from teenage artists performing their first show to bands on tour.

Evenchick said they treat everyone fairly regardless of their experience or the amount of tickets sold.

“Even if there are only 10 people in the audience, it’s a step in their career they need to take. For musicians we don't charge rent for the room — we just say provide a door person and pay a very reasonable fee for the sound tech and all the rest is yours,” said Evenchick.

Above: Kathleen Edwards performing at Redbird Live. PHOTO BY LAURA COLLINS.

Insert: Jon Evenchick is the co-owner of Live on Elgin. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Right: Geoff Cass opened Red Bird Live on Bank St. after working at Dovercourt for 10 years. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Things to do this November

Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, Nov. 7-9: Recognizing, promoting and celebrating the art of cinema by showcasing Canadian films and filmmakers. At ByTowne Cinema, 325 Rideau St. Tickets are $25 or $12.50 for students.

Help Santa Toy Parade, Nov. 16: Come see Santa Claus and friends at this popular parade! If you can, bring a gift or donation for the Salvation Army's Toy Mountain to help those in need. Taking place throughout Downtown Ottawa.

Crave Food and Wine Festival, Nov. 16: With an epicurean festival that truly fosters the long-term engagement between the Ottawa consumer and the hospitality industry, you will have the best time with food in one hand and a glass of wine in the other! At Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. Tickets are $45.31 all in.

Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland, Nov. 18: Step into a world of enchantment this holiday

OTTAWA: A CITY THAT LACKS EXPERIMENTATION

The city’s music Industry is growing by the day. At a recent Folk Music Ontario event, Cass said he saw about 20 artists participating from the Nation’s Capital.

The Ottawa Music Coalition has also been looking for new ways to support artists, and for the first time ever, recently held a vendors meeting with the new Nightlife Commissioner — also known as the Night Mayor — Mathieu Grondin.

So if the demand is there, why is it so hard for artists to catch their start? Both Cass and Evenchick agree that Ottawa residents lack experimentation.

“One of the problems with downtown is people aren’t super stoked to try new things. But if you do go out and try, it’s guaranteed you will see someone you like because there is no shortage of good talent in Ottawa,” said Evenchick. “We will bring in a band from the States who are absolutely phenomenal and we will have

season with the all-new Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland, the perfect fusion of circus artistry and beloved holiday melodies. At Algonquin Commons Theatre, 1385 Woodroffe Ave. Tickets range from $44.50 to $74.50.

Holiday Market at the Parkdale Public Market, Nov. 23: Find the perfect gift among 30+ vendors, from bakers to crafters. Bring home the joy with Canadiangrown trees and hand-made decor. Toast to good cheer with a warm glass of mulled wine or cider.

The Cooper Brothers 50th Anniversary, Nov. 27: Any country fan would have heard of this band!

Canada’s premiere country/ southern rock band from the ‘70s through the mid ‘80s, the Cooper Brothers were founded right here in Ottawa by brothers Brian and Dick Cooper and their long-time friend, Terry “T.K.” King 50 years ago. At Meridian Theatre, 101 Centerpointe Dr. Tickets are $50.

10 people here. People aren’t willing to spend $20 for someone they haven’t heard of. They don't realize how badly that band needs those funds.”

But there is some promise that the culture is getting better. Bands are crosspromoting, groups like Ottawa Tourism are trying new ways to promote grassroots initiatives, and networking events have been on the upswing since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cass said demand for his shows has been so high, he’s selling out his 80-seat venue. Looking ahead to the future, the concert promoter said he’s looking to hold concerts at various outside venues.

“There is more opportunity. There are not a lot of venues in Ottawa but there are lots of spaces where music can happen,” he said. “Different locations can suit different genres of music perhaps. We need to work on building up the culture in Ottawa so people come to the shows regardless of who is playing.”

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Local Jewish community marks Oct. 7 anniversary with private service

BY CHARLIE SENACK

There were tears, moments of sadness, and hopes for peace on Oct. 7, 2024, as more than 1,500 Jews gathered in privacy at the Infinity Convention Centre for a service to remember the lives lost in Israel one year ago.

Because of security threats, the event hosted by the Soloway Jewish Centre was by invitation only, with many special dignitaries including politicians and military personnel taking part. Among the bigger names in attendance were both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who in a rare sense of unity, spoke about the need to combat antisemitism in a divided world.

“What makes this barbaric attack that much more agonizing is the fact that you’re reliving this nightmare every single day. You relive it when cowards shoot and smash the windows of your schools and synagogues in the middle of the night,” Trudeau said to the crowd. “You relive it when antisemites wave the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah on the streets of our cities.”

Oct. 7, 2023 started off as a normal day. David Sachs, president and CEO of

at a service

victims

Infinity Convention Centre. Inserts from top to bottom: David Sachs, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Iddo Moed, Israeli Ambassador to Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. ALL PHOTOS BY CHARLIE SENACK.

the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, said he remembers going to bed the night before, aware of rockets being fired south of Israel. That didn’t seem out of the ordinary for the Middle East.

Islamophobia, and homophobia have been on the rise. Ottawa Police have reported a 19 per cent spike in the city.

He woke up the next day to news that 1,200 people were killed by the terrorist regime Hamas. Among the dead was 33-year-old Adi Vital-Kaploun, an Israeli-Canadian with ties to Ottawa. She was massacred in her home.

The barbaric murders of Jews were broadcasted live on social media by terrorists who had satanic glee in their voices. Houses in kibbutzes were torched. It was the largest number of Jewish people killed in a day since the Holocaust. Another 240 were taken hostage underground — about 100 who remain in captivity today. Their photos were plastered onto light standards across Kitchissippi in the months that followed.

“Synagogues have been defaced and places have been desecrated with hateful symbols. Jewish students in Ottawa university campuses and at high schools feel increasingly vulnerable as pro-Hamas and Hezbollah demonstrations have become a distressing part of their daily lives,” an emotional Sachs told the crowd.

“Recently we saw more than 300 protesters descend on our Jewish campus where they chanted that Jews should go back to Europe and even worse things in Arabic.”

A year later, fear, anger, frustration, and devastation have escalated for Jewish people, said Sachs, who said the acts of the attacks are still felt today — including here in the Capital. Rates of antisemitism,

The event Sachs referenced occurred outside Hillel Lodge on Sept. 26. The long-term care facility located across from the Jewish Centre houses vulnerable seniors who were encouraged by police not to leave due to threats for their safety. Many have dementia. Some are Holocaust survivors.

Parents from the nearby Jewish school also came and picked up their children early because of the unease. A chant heard in Arabic was translated to “We want bullets and missiles” and “Go back to Europe.”

To deal with the soaring hate crimes, City Council is considering new “bubble zones” which would prohibit demonstrations near places like schools, religious settings, hospitals, and care homes. It’s a move the Jewish Centre welcomes.

Above: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe speak

honouring the

of the Oct. 7 attacks held at the

MCKELLAR PARK/ WESTBORO

Meet Hintonburg food and travel writer Jordan Pizzuti

BY EMMA CUMMINGS

Hintonburg resident Jordan Pizzuti is a seasoned food and travel writer who has a passion for how food and drink influence culture.

With experience as a restaurant critic, private chef, bartender, and writer/host of a food television show, Pizzuti’s deeprooted passion for the Capital’s food culture is unmistakable. He believes Ottawa is Canada’s hidden culinary gem and is eager to spotlight the city’s top dining destinations, challenging the long-standing narrative surrounding our nation’s capital.

Pizzuti described Ottawa’s food culture as "under the radar" and “a place in need of someone to shout about it from the rooftops.”

Realizing he could be that person, he began sharing his love for Ottawa’s food and beverage scene on social media (@pizzuti22).

Originally from London, Ontario, Pizzuti moved to Ottawa in 2014 to attend Carleton University, where he quickly fell in love with the city’s food scene. He feels the tired stereotype of Ottawa being boring and the city that fun forgot is not only outdated but flat-out wrong.

“Ottawa has everything — just on a smaller scale, and maybe less wellknown. You can find world-class food here that rivals any big city; it’s just a matter of actively seeking it out,” he said.

Inspired by cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto, he launched the ‘Best-Of Ottawa’ series on Instagram and TikTok, where he features culinary giants discussing their favorite local spots — from pizza and sushi to hidden gems and latenight bites. The series took off, and Pizzuti recalls the moment: “It felt like overnight, people knew me as the ‘BestOf’ guy. That was a huge turning point for me.”

As his following grew, so did his sense of responsibility. He took it upon himself to promote hospitality events, highlight talented chefs and bartenders, and shine a spotlight on underrated dining spots around Ottawa.

Pizzuti realized that his influence

could make a real difference in the community. He says, “A huge moment for me was when I started having restaurants reach out to help with charitable events or fundraisers because that made me feel like I was making an impact, to the point where they thought I could make a difference on their behalf.”

Pizzuti’s commitment to the community became clear through his support for the Parkdale Food Centre. Driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to good food, he hosted

his first pop-up dinner in partnership with Ward14, donating all of the proceeds to the Centre. The event was aptly named Are We Having Fun Yet? Building on that success, he teamed up with Union 613 for I Think We’re Having Fun Now Volume 1, featuring sous chefs from across the city, with 51% of proceeds again going to the Parkdale Food Centre.

In addition to this, he will soon be releasing a merch line in collaboration with local artist and hospitality professional Tom Epps, with a portion of proceeds going to a different local charity every month, starting, once again, with the Parkdale Food Centre.

When asked what advice he would give to the newly appointed Nightlife Commissioner, Mathieu Grondin, Pizzuti suggests connecting with people within Ottawa’s hospitality industry as much as possible.

“They already have the answers. You don’t need to figure it out alone — they know what’s happening in the city and what needs to change,” he said.

As for Ottawa’s future, Pizzuti insists, “We need to invest more time, funds, and resources into promoting our hospitality scene. I think the city has done a poor job of supporting it compared to other cities. And before we can shift Canada’s view of Ottawa, we need to shift Ottawa’s view of itself.”

NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GHOSTS

Mapping the Losses of Kitchissippi Families in the 20th Century Wars

By Dave O’Malley with Jamie McLennan

Young men and women who are killed on active service are said to have paid the “supreme sacrifice.” There’s not much more that you can give than your life, but we posit that the greatest sacrifice of all is borne by the families of those killed in the line of duty. Airmen, soldiers and sailors who die in battle are lionized, and rightly so, but it’s their mothers, fathers, wives and families who are conscripted to carry the burden of that sacrifice to the end of their days. This project is dedicated to those families of Hintonburg, Westboro, Mechanicsville and other neighbourhoods of Kitchissippi Ward that lost a loved one in the great wars of the 20th Century.

The neighbourhoods of Kitchissippi are truly perfect places to start a career, raise a family, build a business and live out a life, but once it must have felt like the saddest place on Earth. Its avenues ran with apprehension and despair, its busy serenity masked the constant high-frequency vibration of anxiety and the low pounding of sorrow. Behind every drawn curtain hid anxious families, broken parents, heartbroken wives, memories of summers past and lost, the promises of futures destroyed and children who would never know their fathers. These were the years of the world wars.

There was nothing particularly special about the these neighbourhoods that brought this plague of anguish, nothing that it deserved, nothing that warranted a special attention from death. Indeed, the neighbourhoods of Kitchissippi were not singled out at all, though it may have felt like it was to its citizens. Every community in Canada took the same punishment, felt the endless blows to its heart, felt its life blood seeping away. Parents stood by while their sons and daughters left home, the routines that gave comfort, the futures that beckoned, and began arduous journeys that would lead most to war and great risk of death.

Some would die in training, others in transit. Some of disease and even murder. Some in accidents close to home, others would fall from the sky deep in enemy lands. Some by “friendly” fire, others by great malice. Many would simply disappear with no known grave, lost to the sea, a cloud covered mountain, a blinding flash, a trackless jungle. Some would die in an instant, others with prolonged fear and

pain. An extraordinarily high number would not come home in one piece.

Though it was not alone in its sorrow, Hintonburg was the first community in Canada and indeed in all Allied countries to feel a blow in the Second World War. The parents of the very first Allied service person to die in that war lived on Spadina Avenue. Pilot Officer Ellard Cummings was killed just a few hours after war was declared on September 3, 1939, when the Westland Wallace aircraft he was piloting crashed into a mountain in Scotland in heavy fog.

We began to wonder how many other stories there were in these streets and avenues. How many more had been lost? How many families were affected? What we found out left us speechless. In the age of the “infographic,” we set out to demonstrate visually what that number of fallen meant to each community in Ottawa by mapping death’s footprints. And so began a quest to find and map the homes of the loved ones of the fallen soldiers, airmen and sailors of Kitchissippi — Hintonburg, Ottawa West, Westboro, Mechanicsville, Laurentian View and others — the once young neighbourhoods of a growing city.

In Hintonburg and Westboro, as in most urban neighbourhoods at the time, the Grim Reaper took the form of the telegram boy who had the duty to deliver both good and bad news. Mothers, looking out from their front porches, fathers from their parlours, wives from their washing, must have cringed to see the young man from the Canadian National Telegram and Cable Company pedal or drive down their street, and willed them to move on.

Each pin on the map represents the home of the fallen’s next-of-kin. For the most part, this meant the parental home, the marital home or residence where a wife was living with her parents. In some cases a sibling, grandparent or even a friend was all the soldier could muster as nextof-kin. We used only addresses that were mentioned in casualty lists, service files or as reported in the daily broadsheet newspapers and cross-checked these sources for accuracy.

The 269 men we were able to pin to the map represent only a tiny fraction of the Canadians who died in First and Second

World Wars. But among them, we found the complete picture of these wars as it affected this country.

Among the dead of the “Great War” we found men who died on Ypres, Passchendaele, the Somme, the Battles of Hill 70, Amiens, Cambrai, Courcelette and Vimy Ridge. There were men who died in the opening months of the war and men who died in the closing days. Many of the major battles that Canadians were involved in during the Second World War are represented by someone in this group — the Battle of the Atlantic, North African Campaign, Defence of Hong Kong, Dieppe Raid, Battle of Ortona, D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, Battle of the Scheldt Estuary, the never-ending campaigns of Bomber Command, Fighter Command, Coastal Command, Transport Command, and the dangerous activities of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

More than 50 of these men simply vanished — vapourized by artillery or their own bomb loads, buried in the mud, lost on some nameless jungle track. Others disappeared into the English Channel, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Irish Sea, or the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Their mothers and fathers would have no answers, no headstone, no closure as we call it today. Simply a name on a wall in place they will never visit, a picture of a boy in a uniform on the mantle and memories to haunt them until their dying days.

If this map included a pin for every family in Kitchissippi that had a son or daughter at risk during these wars, the underlying streets would not be visible. As it is, it reveals an astonishing toll paid by these families. Families just like yours and ours.

When the Second World War started, many Kitchissippi families were still recovering from “the war to end all wars” — parents still shattered by the loss of their children, veterans coping with the effects of amputations, gas poisoning or “shell shock” — or as we now call it, PTSD. The marks of that trauma were everywhere in Kitchissippi neighbourhoods in 1939 when the worry and pain of a new paroxysm of violence shook it once again.

This map is not about the dead per se. It is a map of the addresses of the nextof-kin of those who died. It is a map of

sorrow, a geographic depiction of the carnage on the home front and a way to change the abstraction of remembrance into a visceral understanding of the emotional damage done in Kitchissippi over that 30-year period.

We have made no judgment on the manner of death. If they were on a casualty list or in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, they were included. The vast majority died in action or on military service.

In the last two years of the First World War, we discovered more deaths from disease — influenza and pneumonia were sweeping the trenches and accomplishing what artillery and mustard gas had not yet done. In the Second World War, there were fewer deaths by disease, but far more deaths caused by aerial combat.

It puts things into perspective when we reflect on the challenges we face today — homelessness, employment, healthcare, child care or work-life balance. Our stresses are real, but we don’t live in fear that our sons and daughters will be killed in a war. We live in a self-centric and entitled world, and it’s important to know that other families have survived far worse pressures and tragedies; that others postponed their happiness or even forfeited it for a collective cause. In the First World War it was for “King and Empire” (as misguided as that was) and in the Second it was to fight absolute tyranny, cruelty and oppression. Time, as it always does, heals all, or perhaps obscures all. It has put temporal distance between these events and our own lives. New families have replaced these families in Kitchissippi’s houses, and in turn they have been replaced. Though these men are now long dead, Kitchissippi’s neighbourhoods are still home to their ghosts and we should acknowledge their presence, should remember them in the name of their families.

This project began as a result of curiosity and then became an homage to the parents, brothers, sisters, wives and grandparents, some of whom carried the terrible weight of sacrifice well into the 21st Century. An homage to the Silver Star Mothers, the broken fathers, the shattered families and the solitary wives. God bless them.

FIRST WORLD WAR

1: Pte. Edward W. Archer, 1153 Wellington St. W (P)

2: Pte. Louis J. Aubin, 1123 Wellington St. W (F)

3: Pte. Harry Baird, Westboro General PO (F)

4: Cpl. Charles Ball, Gould St. (F)

5: Pte Albert Boisvert, 113 Spadina Ave. (F)

6: Pte. Arthur A. Boucher, Atlantis Ave. (M)

7: Sgt. Edward Bourgard, 64 Armstrong St. (M)

8: Gnr. Samuel Bradley, 29 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

9: Capt. Alexander Campbell, 190 Bayswater Ave. (M)

10: Pte. Leo P. Charbonneau, 31 O’Meara St. (F)

11: Pte. Charles E. Beard, 95 Hamilton Ave. (F)

12: Pte. Harry Choquette, 20 Armstrong St. (F)

13: Pte. Edward Booth Clark, 113 Melrose Ave. (F)

14: Pte. William C. Clemo, 250 Parkdale Ave. (M)

15: Pte. Patrick J. Cronin, 124 Forward Ave. (PF)

16: Pte. Harry W. Davis, Prospect Ave.1 (M)

17: Pte. Lorne Dewart, 39 Spadina Ave. (F)

18: Pte Wilfred Dodd, Westboro General PO

19: Sgt. Wilfred L. Doyle, 60 Loretta Ave. (S)

20: Pte. James Edge, Clifton Rd. (F)

21: Pte. Alfred Evans, 12 Devonshire Pl. (M)

22: Pte. William R. Ferrin, Westboro General PO (M)

23: Spr. John L. Foley, 61 Rosemount Ave. (F)

24: Lt. Raymond G. Foley, 61 Rosemount Ave. (F)

25: Pte. Oliver Forrester, 339 Parkdale Ave. (M)

26: Pte. Frederick Shaw, 60 Stirling Ave. (F)

27: Pte. Charles H. Gibson, Main St.2 (F)

28: Pte. Elmer J. Goulet, 16 O’Meara St. (M

29: L/Cpl. Samuel T. Greenway, 207 Holland Ave. (F)

30: Pte. Robert L. Hamilton, Westboro General PO (F)

31: Lt. John B. L. Heney, Westboro General PO (F)

32: Pte. George L. Holmden, 41 Fairmont Ave. (F)

33: Lt. Edward W. F. Hopgood, Strathcona Ave.3 (F)

34: Pte. Henry King, 41 Champagne Ave. (S)

35: Pte. Nelson Labrecque, 91 Armstrong St. (M)

36: Pte. Joseph Ladouceur, ? Hillson Ave. PO (F)

37: Pte. Archibald Lapensee, 83 Holland Ave. (F)

38: Pte. Robert Marshall, 120 Hamilton Ave. (M)

39: Sgt. Charles Henry McAuley, 17 Rosemount Ave. (F)

40: Bdr. Fred R. L. McAuley, 47 Rosemount Ave. (XF)

41: Pte. William McLarnon, 315 Parkdale Ave. (G)

42: Pte. Daniel McLaughlin, 184 Armstrong St. (S)

43: Spr. James McNulty, 1153 Wellington St. (S)

44: Pte. Napol1 eon Michaud, 60 Stirling Ave. (F)

45: Pte: David Millar, 36 Huron St. (F)

46: Pte. Lorenzo Monette, 166 Carruthers St. (F)

47: Spr. Kerby M. Mooney, 8 Ladouceur St. (F)

48: Pte. Alfred Morin, ? Carruthers Ave. (F)

49: L/Cpl. Louis W. Morris, Hintonburg, unknown (F)

50: Gnr Martin Murphy, ? Victoria Ave.4 (S)

51: Pte. Lester C. Neuman, 39 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

52: Pte: Leo Herbert Neuman, 39 Sherbrooke St. (F)

53: Pte. Arthur Joseph Newman, ? Holland Ave. (M)

54: Pte. William Oakley, 168 Bayswater Ave. (F)

55: Pte. Henry Pharand, 42 Champagne Ave. (F)

56: Pte. Alexander Potvin, 68 Armstrong St. (F)

57: Pte. Wilfrid Proulx, 114 Irving Ave. (M)

58: Pte. Peter Fraser Roy, 94 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

59: Pte. John Smith Shaw, 110 Stirling Ave. (S)

60: Pte. Frederick Smith, 42 Armstrong St. (F)

61: Gnr. Alexander Stewart, 53 Spadina (XF)

62: Bdr. Albert Summers, 16 Gwynne Ave. (M)

63: L/Cpl Walter Wendland, 2 Richmond Rd. (M)

64: Pte. Adolphis Tapp, 48 Spadina Ave. (F)

65: Pte. Walter James Taylor, 44 Grant St. (M)

66: Dvr. George Thompson, Westboro General PO (F)

67: L/Sgt. Arthur E. Tierney, 66 Stonehurst Ave. (M)

68: Pte. Oscar Antoine Venasse, 23 Melrose Ave. (F)

69: Pte. George Williams, 476 Holland Ave. (F)

70: Pte. William J. Wright, Riverside Park5 (M)

71: Pte. Ernest Wellwood Foster, 80 Spadina Ave. (F)

72: Pte. Clifford Pack, Westboro General PO (F)

73: Pte. Richard D. Thompson, Westboro General PO (F)

74: Pte. James Tipson Greenway, 207 Holland Ave. (F)

75: Pte. Thomas Wesley Rawlings, 12 Oxford St. (F)

76: Pte. Dalton Richardson, 147 Bethany Rd.6 (F)

77: LCpl. J. Tourangeau, 76 Forest Ave. (Now Hinchey) (M)

78: Pte. William Trappitt, ? Hilson Ave. (M)

79: Pte. James Collins, 1153 Wellington St.

80: Pte. Rodolphe Allard, 42 Pinhey St. (F)

81: Pte. Ernest A. Bonner, 149 Holland Ave. (F)

82: Pte. George Braden, 284 Carruthers St. (M)

83: Pte. Wilfred James Smith, Box 16, Ottawa West (F)

84: Spr. James Alfred Branch, 24 Hilda St. (F)

85: Pte. Thomas A. Cornforth, 243 Carruthers Ave. (M)

86: Dvr. Walter Cox, 1153 Wellington St. (P)

87: Dvr. Roy A. Marion, 127 Spadina Ave. (F)

88: Gnr. Thomas H. Moore, 5 Richmond Rd. (F)

89: Lt. Goldwin O. Kemp, Westboro General PO (F)

90: Cpl. Frederick Gorman Hicks, ? Clarendon Ave. (M)

91: Pte. John Standing, 64 St. Francis St. (F)

SECOND WORLD WAR

1: Pte Norman George Angel, 417 Athlone Ave. (S)

2: F/O Joseph Ash, 1339 Wellington St. W (F)

3: Pte. Donald Edward Badour, 82 Hinchey Ave. (F)

4: Pte. Joseph A. O. Beauchamp, 126 Strling Ave. (F)

5: Pte. Orphila Beauchamp, 7 Merton Ave. (F)

6: F/O Robert Lowell Benson, 467 Athlone Ave. (F)

7: Cpl. Harold R. Blais, ? Loretta/356 Richmond (M)

8: F/O Lester Ferguson Blakeney, 20 Spadina Ave. (F)

9: WO1 Eric D. R. Botten, 287 Bayswater Ave. (F)

10: Pte. Ernest J. E. Bourgon, 227 Carruthers Ave. (F)

11: P/O Leonard Douglas Bowden, 69 Ruskin Ave. (S)

12: F/Sgt. Albert Thomas Bradly, 437 Island Park Dr. (F)

13: Pte. Israel Arthur Banville, 84 Armstrong St. (M)

14: F/Sgt. James Herbert Brown, 119 Wesley Ave. (F)

15: Cpl. Robert Earl Burns, 558 Tweedsmuir Ave. (F)

16: WO2 Lloyd W. Burnside, 1009 Wellington St. W (F)

17: P/O Dr. Donald Cameron, 45 Golden Ave.7 (M)

18: WO2 Duncan Archibald Campbell, 23 Edgar St. (M)

19: F/L Charles Tom Cantrill, 75 Ross Ave. (F)

20: WO1 Billie Carmichael, 126 Hamilton Ave. (F)

21: F/Sgt. Carl S. Carruthers, 278 Sherwood Dr. (F)

22: F/Sgt. Ford R. Carruthers, 278 Sherwood Dr. (F)

23: WO2 Raymond Francis Casey, 43 Granville Ave. (F)

24: F/O John Joseph Casey, 43 Granville Ave. (F)

25: F/Sgt. Walter O. Chambers, 82 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

26: Spr. Stanley John Cheney, 33 Richmond Rd. (F)

27: P/O Joseph F. C O. Cloutier, 32 Sherbrooke St. (F)

28: F/L Saxon M. Cole, 203 Hinton/408 Edgewood (F/M)

29: F/O Joseph V. Collingwood, 454 Parkdale Ave. (F)

30: Pte. John C. Conroy, 1182 Wellington St. (M)

31: P/O Ellard A. Cummings, 46 Spadina Ave. (F)

32: P/O Kenneth G. Cummings, 46 Spadina Ave. (F)

33: RSM Andrew Burns Currie, 82 Prospect Ave.1 (M)

34: P/O Gerald R. D’Amour, 949 Wellington St. W. (F)

35: Sgt. William L. Dalglish, 106 Hamilton Ave. (F)

36: Tpr. Martin Joseph Davis, ? Western Ave. (F)

37: Sgt. Keith Burns Donaldson, Laurnetianview (M)

38: Lt. Thomas Kelly Dorrance, 389 Mayfair Ave. (F)

39: Pte. James Elms Driskell, 673 Cole Ave. (M)

40: Gnr. Joseph Gordon Dunn, 56 Breezehill Ave. (F)

41: F/O John James Earls, 111 Bayswater Ave. (F)

42: Cadet Dudley Ivan Eddy, 12 Hampton Ave. (F)

43: Sgt. Kenneth Albert Farmer, 290 Carleton Ave. (F)

44: L/Cpl. Gerald H. Flynn, 1095 Wellington St. W. (F)

45: Pte. Albert Edmond Foley, 315 Hinchey Ave. (M)

46: L/Bdr Lucien Joseph Fournier, 60 Lyndale Ave. (F)

47: Lt Redmond Sarsfield Gallivan, 37 Irving Ave. (F)

48: F/L Stewart Foster Garland, 420 Parkdale Ave. (F)

49: S/L Eric Thomas Garrett, 365 Huron Ave. (F)

50: Capt. Percy R. Gilman, 470 Brierwood Ave. (F)

51: AS Leslie M. Goreham, 552 Churchill Ave. (M)

52: Sgt. John Redvers Gorman, 45 Sims Ave. (M)

53: Pte. David Brian Hacking, 451 Roosevelt Ave. (F)

54: Cpl. Walter Hagar, 364 Churchill Ave. (M)

55: F/L James A. F. Halcro, 49 Gwynne Ave. (F)

56: F/O Alfred A. Hall, 420 Hinton/474 Highland (F/M)

57: WO2 Clement William Hall, 420 Hinton Ave. (F)

58: Cpl. George Arthur Harper, 150 Carleton Ave. (S)

59: Cpl. William Leslie Hemming, ? Beatrice St.8 (M)

60: WO2 Gordon Henderson, 106 Kenora Ave. (S)

61: Sgt. Harry Lyle Hicks, 534 Cole Ave. (S)

62: F/L John Weldon Hobbs, 376 Winona Ave. (F)

63: LAC Lorne Meredith Howe, 90 Gilchrist Ave. (M/F)

64: WO1 Joseph J. P. G. Huard, 10 Lowrey St. (F)

65: Sgt. Harold W. Irvine, 90 Gilchrist Ave. (M)

66: F/O Aubrey F. Izzard, 960 Gladstone Ave. (M)

67: F/L Leonard F. Jarvis, 999 Carling Ave. (M)

68: F/Sgt. Donald W. Johnson 368 Tweedsmiur Ave. (F)

69: Pte. Frank Johnson, 36 Champagne Ave. (M)

70: Spr. Lloyd A. Johnston, 129 Spadina Ave. (F)

71: Pte. Robert Kane, 30 Armstrong St. (F)

72: WO1 John Lomer Kelly, 128 Breezehill Ave. (F)

73: LAC Richard Martin Kelly, 128 Breezehill Ave. (F)

74: Lt. Clifford William Kerr, 116 Smirle Ave. (F)

75: CERA2 Robert Kershaw, 55 Huron Ave. (M)

76: Cpl. Leslie John Kight, 615 Kirkwood Ave. (M)

77: L/Sgt. Thomas Kilmartin, 188 Carruthers Ave. (M)

78: OS Henry Charles La Breche, 8 Geoffrey St. (F)

79: Pte. Rene Joseph Lacasse, 71 Lyndale Ave. (F)

80: P/O Richard A. Laing, 1071 Gladstone Ave. (F)

81: Pte. Clement J. Laliberte, 355 Whitby Ave. (F)

82: P/O Joseph M. G. Lalonde, 114 Fairmont Ave. (F)

83: Pte. Alfred Latreille, 96 Hinchey St. (F)

84: WO1 Edmond J. V. Levesque, 71 Melrose Ave. (F)

85: Pte. Jerome Gerard Levesque, 98 Hinchey St. (F)

86: LS Donald M. MacDonald, 535 Hilson Ave. (F)

87: WO1 Allan MacLeod, 114 Carleton/9 Irving (M/F)

88: Sgt Vernon D. B. Martin, ? Hillcrest Ave. (F)

89: Pte. Joseph L. A. Massey, 9 Stirling Ave. (M)

90: Sgt. Elwood Wallace McFall, 463 Parkdale Ave. (M)

91: WO2 Lawrence Henry Moher, 20 Kenora Ave. (F)

92: Civ. Robert S. Montgomery, 124 Clarendon Ave. (F)

93: F/Sgt. Donald Malcolm Moodie, 89 Smirle Ave. (F)

NEXT OF KIN (NOK)

F: Familial Home (Parents)

M: Matrimonial Home (Wife, Children)

F/M: Both Wife and Parents Indicated

S: Sibling Named as NOK

XF: Extended Family (Grandparent, etc.)

L: Lover, Fiancée, Girlfriend

G Guardian Named NOK

PF Personal Friend Named NOK

P Only Personal Address Given

CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

*Some of the fallen noted both matrimonial and familial homes.

94: L/Cpl. Edward Moore, 72 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

95: F/Sgt. Gordon Charles Mould, 27 Hutchison Ave. (F)

96: F/Sgt. Wallace A. R. Moule, 453 Athlone Ave. (F)

97: Sgt. John Mulligan, 48 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

98: Sgt. Arthur Leopold Mulvey, 95 Ross Ave. (M)

99: F/Sgt. Gerald A. Neville, 172 Bayswater Ave. (F)

100: F/Sgt. Zina Manford Niblock, 105 Faraday St. (F)

101: Sgt. Gerald Clelland Nichol, 259 Breezehill Ave. (F)

102: LAC Harry W. H. Parslow, 21 Madison Ave. (F)

103: Sgt/ Sydney Partridge, 1095 Wellington St. W. (M)

104: Tpr. L. Pelletier, 166 Hinchey St. (F)

105: F/Sgt. Arthur H. Pepper, 12 Pacific St.9 (F)

106: F/Sgt. Wesley A. Pickering, 104 Kenora Ave. (F)

107: F/O Williard Irving Post, 35 Irving Ave. (F)

108: Maj. Hilton D. Proctor, 317 Tweedsmuir Ave. (M)

109: P/O Frank Prosperine, 98 Bayswater Ave. (F)

110: WO1 George Reed, 1369 Wellington St. W. (M)

111: F/L Wallace Richards, 1176 Gladstone Ave. (L)

112: Pte. Harold Sanford Angel, 417 Athlone Ave. (S)

113: P/O Eric Thomas Rivers, ? Princeton Ave. (F)

114: F/Sgt/ David Eric Roberts, 45 Fuller St. (F)

115: Sgt. George Robinson, 127 Mulvihill Ave. (F)

116: F/O Louis E. E. Robinson, 133 Hinton Ave. (F)

117: Pte. Greg Rodgers, 12 Westmount/72 Merton (F/M)

118: P/O Officer John Thomas Rose, 5 Huron Ave. (F)

Where They Now Lie

Note: 25 from the First World War on this map have no known grave. They were simply vapourized by artillery and mortar fire or

in the mud of the Western Front. Their names are inscribed on larger group memorials created to honour those whose bodies were never found — such as the Vimy Memorial or the Ypres Memorial (the Menin Gate).

119: Pte. Roger Roy, 150 Hinchey Ave. (F)

120: Sgt. Sheldon Scrivens, 1047 Somerset St. W. (F)

121: P/O Albert Cecil Scruton, 82 Spadina Ave. (F)

122: Cpl. Frederick R. Shepherd, 86 Carleton Ave. (F)

123: LAC Joseph E. S. Sigouin, 328 Carleton Ave. (M)

124: Sgt. Patrick Ernest Sloan, 43 Kinnear St. (S)

125: Pte. Douglas Henry Smith, 55 Huron Ave. (F)

126: Sgt. Donald Murray Smith, 481 Cole Ave. (F)

127: F/O Leonard Ian Smith, 481 Cole Ave. (F)

128: Sgt. George B. D. Smith, 57 Hampton Ave. (F)

129: Capt. Albert N. Smith, 561 Brierwood Ave. (M)

130: LAC Norman K. Standing, 205 Armstrong St. (F)

131: Lt. Charles L. Stevenson, 470 Highland Ave. (M)

132: Capt. Cecil Storr, 458 Roosevelt/558 Melbourne (F/M)

133: P/O Clifford Roy Sullivan, 558 Helen St.10 (F)

134: F/O John F. E. Tabor, 44 Westmount Ave. (F)

135: Sgt. James Harold Taggart, 43 Huron Ave. (M)

136: CPO: Anthony A. Tapp, 967 Wellington St. W. (M)

137: Tpr. Richard V. Taylor, 38 Duchess Ave.7 (F)

138: LAC William Mossop Taylor, 76 Clarendon Ave. (F)

139: Capt. Edward Louis Terry, 47 Geneva St. (M)

140: F/O Donald G. Tinkess, 624 Brierwood Ave. (F)

141: Pte. Ernest Albert Toombs, 151 Clarendon Ave. (F)

142: Cpl. Romeo Paul Tremblay, 67 Caroline Ave. (F)

143: Sig. Joseph Leger Trottier, 104 Carruthers Ave. (F)

144: Cpl. Joseph K. Trudeau, 1019 Gladstone Ave. (F)

145: Rfn. Wilfred Celestine True, 218 Devonshire Pl. (F)

146: Sgt. John Allan Ryerson Turner, 30 Cole Ave.7 (F)

Note: 27 men from the Second World War on this map have no known grave. They were mostly lost at sea on air or naval operations. Their names are inscribed on larger group memorials created to honour those whose bodies were never found — such as The Runnymede Memorial, Halifax Memorial, Ottawa Memorial or Malta Memorial

147: Sgt. Ralph Gilmore Wardlaw, ? Carling Ave. (F)

148: F/Sgt. Harry Arthur Wilkins, 376 Huron Ave. (F)

149: F/O Donald Arthur Willett, 66 Spadina Ave. (F)

150: L/Cpl. John G. C. Wilson, 145 Faraday St. (M)

151: Pte. William Wissel, 18 Patricia St.11 ( (M)

152: Sgt. James F. Wolff, 470 Broadview Ave. (M)

153: Pte. Francis Wright, 295 Sherwood Dr. (F)

154: WO2 Michael C. Cameron, 13 Champagne Ave. (F)

155: F/L Louis E. Murphy, DFC, 1069 Gladstone Ave. (M)

156: F/L Maurice C. Cuthbert, 1069 Gladstone Ave. (M)

157: F/L Joseph A. C. Bouchard, 408 Hinton Ave. (F)

158: S/L John Osmond Gilbert Cann, 44 Julian Ave. (M)

159: LAC Ambrose S. Fahey, 30 Sherbrooke Ave. (F)

160: RSM Henri La Branche, 1182 Wellington St. W. (F)

161: F/S William Francis Morin, 141 Hamilton Ave. (F)

162: Patrolman Merrill D. Walker, 124 Forward Ave. (M)

163: Cpl. Basil Donald Anderson, 539 Denbury Ave. (F)

164: F/Sgt. Ronald C. Brooks, 683 Melbourne Ave. (F)

165: Pte. Richard John Vahey, 2 Imperial Ave.12 (M)

166: Cook Edwin G. Whittemore, 318 Athlone Ave. (F)

167: S/Sgt. John N. Cherry, 354 Roosevelt Ave. (M)

168: Cpl. Joseph Wilfrid Gervais, 44 Ladcouceur St. (F)

169: Maj. Charles Edward Slack, 215 Holland Ave. (M)

170: Cpl: Benedict M. Fagan, 131 Parkdale Ave. (M)

171: Gnr. Harley John Shouldice, 93 Spadina Ave. (F)

172: L/Sgt. Frederick S. Coleman, 19 Hampton Ave. (M)

173: Pte. Michael J. V. McMahon, 2 Richmond Rd. (S)

174: Pte. Aldege Joseph Clouthier, 6 Armstrong St. (F)

175: F/O Benjamin Thomas Cook, 5 Huron Ave. (M)

176: S/L William Absalom Garland, 420 Parkdale (F)

KOREAN WAR

1: Gnr Urbain Joseph Levesque, 131 Parkdale Ave. (F)

2: Sgt. Stuart F. Cowan, 134 Spadina Ave. 1952 (F)

Air Force Ranks

LAC Leading Aircraftman

Cpl. Corporal

Sgt. Sergeant

F/Sgt. Flight Sergeant

WO1 Warrant Officer 1st Class

WO2 Warrant Officer 2nd Class

P/O Pilot Officer

F/O Flying Officer

F/L Flight Lieutenant

S/L Squadron Leader

Navy Ranks

SA Supply Assistant

OS Ordinary Seaman

AS Able Seaman

LS Leading Seaman

CERA2 Chief Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class

S/Lt. Sub-lieutenant

Army Ranks

Pte. Private (Infantry)

Dvr. Driver (Artillery Teamster Private)

Gnr. Gunner (Artillery Private)

Rfn. Rifleman (Rifles Private)

Spr. Sapper (Engineers Private)

Sig. Signalman (Signals Private)

Tpr. Trooper (Cavalry Private)

L/Bdr. Lance Bombardier (Artillery Private)

Bdr. Bombardier (Artillery Corporal)

L/Cpl. Lance Corporal

Cpl. Corporal

L/Sgt. Lance Sergeant

Sgt. Sergeant

RSM Regimental Sergeant Major

Cadet Officer Cadet

Lt. Lieutenant

Capt. Captain

Maj. Major

Civ. A Civilian lost to sinking or bombing

It’s personal.

Jamie McLennan

My Kitchissippi is a broad and diverse community, a collective of beautiful, sometimes stately, sometimes funky, always unique neighbourhoods — a social amalgam of hipsters, artists, civil servants, gourmands, small business entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals and window shoppers. It has been a pleasure to call it home for both my family and my business over the past ten years. Though we moved out of the ward a couple of years ago, I still operate Character Creative Services, my graphic design studio, from offices on Wellington, Hintonburg’s busy high street.

At the start of the 20th Century, this neighbourhood was a much different place. For starters, it was not called Kitchissippi nor was it part of Ottawa then. but rather a chain of still growing and largely blue collar communities strung out along the old Richmond Road south of the log-choked Ottawa River— Mechanicsville, Hintonburg, Ottawa West, Laurentianview, Westboro, Woodroffe and McKellar. So far out of town were these communities in 1914 at the start of the First World War that most had no street numbers and mail was received “care-of” the local post office. While it certainly was not the culturally rich, socially diverse, mixed-use Kitchissippi we know today, a hundred years ago its citizens were not much different than us.

Though we live in a time of accelerating technological change unimaginable in 1914 and 1939 when the world wars were touched off, families were much the same. Parents hoped to find good

work, a steady paycheque, a stable household and to offer their children a love-filled life with the opportunity to better themselves. Like me, some ran small businesses while others found steady work in the foundries, sawmills, breweries, rail yards and lumber yards to the east in LeBreton Flats or in the government offices of downtown Ottawa. It’s hard to believe that over 260 sets of Kitchissippi parents, no different than my wife Kim and me, lost sons in the wars of the 20th Century. Eight unlucky families lost two sons. Those numbers seem shockingly high to me even by today’s Kitchissippi population numbers, but back in the years of the First and Second World Wars, the populations of these west-of-Ottawa neighbourhoods were far smaller. The social destruction would have been unthinkable.

Despite the time that has passed (more than a hundred years in the case of the First World War), I can see visual threads of those years everywhere here in Kitchissippi. My business occupies the floor above Morris Home Hardware, an iconic Hintonburg business that has been in continuous operation on Wellington Street since before the Korean War. Many of their early customers were returning Second World War veterans who were looking to build a new life and home here in the same neighbourhood where they grew up.

For years we lived at 127 Hinton Avenue, just around the corner from my office — a working class street in the Second World War and now a leafy, fashionable

neighbourhood. During the war, just three doors down at 133, lived James and Marie Robinson and their three daughters. Their youngest son, Louis, was a gifted navigator serving with 404 Squadron in Scotland. His brother Earl was also overseas. Louis was killed when the aircraft he was in collided with another in 1944.

Now and then I will meet my hockey buddies for a beer at the Carleton Tavern, our favourite place to rehash the game. In fact, the tavern sponsored our championship team, the Carleton Tavern Wings, back in 2017. Long ago in this same beloved tap room where we laugh and shout and razz each other, proud soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Second World War, home on embarkation leave, shared a cold beer or two with their old school chums before heading off to war or, perhaps, they sat at these tables upon returning from the war to blur their memories along with others who had seen what they had seen. I love this place more knowing it has that history.

My daughters attend Ottawa’s storied Nepean High School. It was built between the two world wars to serve the growing communities to the west of Ottawa. I know that building and the youthful exuberance that fills it intimately. It is a very fine place for my daughters to learn, grow and graduate as young women. It’s a hopeful place.

In all, 642 former Nepean students served in the Second World War with 46 of them making the ultimate sacrifice. Four of the five sons of widow Amy Smith of Cole Avenue — Lennie, Donnie, Dave and Allan — were graduates of Nepean and served overseas in the Second World War; three in the Royal Canadian Air Force and one in the Royal Canadian Engineers. Her husband, J. Grove Smith, the former and first Dominion Fire Commissioner, had died in 1939. Three years later, Lennie Smith was killed on bombing operations in 1942 and Donnie, the oldest brother, would die in 1944 in the crash of his bomber while training in England.

The distraught parents of these 46 young sons of Kitchissippi would never see their sons again — even worse, they would never have the chance to visit their graves or the memorials where they are commemorated. Many knew nothing of the manner of their deaths. Closure was not an option. There was no spectacle of grief. No counsellors to

rush in. No disorder to diagnose in the aftermath. Because of this, people today make the sad and somewhat arrogant assumption that folks in those days didn’t love their children as deeply as modern parents do now. Those people are dead wrong.

During these wars, the death of a son in training, transit or combat would surely have broken the hearts of the mothers and the hopes of the fathers and left its ghastly mark long after the war. As the father of two daughters, I wouldn’t have had to worry about them going off to fight in the wars of the last century, but that didn’t mean those women weren’t at risk. Many parents, especially during the Second World War, had daughters who wanted to contribute to the war effort in a meaningful way and that meant working in war industries or wearing the uniform of one of the all-female services like the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (WACS), the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRENS) and the Women’s Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Others did the important and often dangerous work of ambulance drivers and Nursing Sisters in battlefield dressing stations, war zone hospitals and veterans’ hospitals.

Many of these young women spent their service life far from home in Canada or even overseas. They were at the same great risk crossing the U-boat infested waters of the North Atlantic as were the men. While their rates of death were significantly lower, (there were none in Kitchissippi), this did nothing to assuage the worry of parents waiting at home.

Kim and I are blessed with the decades of peace and relative prosperity that these men and women had won for us. Soon we will watch as our girls start out on their own life journeys — safe, hopeful and excited for their futures.

The sacrifice and life of pain carried by these 260 families so long ago is no longer an abstraction, but one I feel personally. It reminds me just how lucky I am.

Jamie McLennan (Character Creative) and Dave O’Malley (Aerographics) are both graphic designers in Ottawa. Each has built a business and raised a family in their respective communities and works to build stronger and more vibrant neighbourhoods through design, place branding, sponsorship, volunteerism and community involvement.

Brothers in arms

Many Kitchissippi families paid a terrible price in wartime. Some paid it twice.

BY DAVE O’MALLEY

Over 260 families in Kitchissippi lost sons in wars of the 20th Century. During these wars, the death of a child was a heavy and lacerating blow to every family, but back then it was often drawn out for many months, revisited again and again as each layer of hope was stripped away after the first missing-onoperations telegram. Many would never know the manner of their deaths. Closure was not an option. There was no spectacle of grief. No counsellors to rush in. No disorder to diagnose in the aftermath. Because of all this, people today make the sad and somewhat arrogant assumption that folks in the last century didn’t love their children as deeply as modern parents do now. Those people are dead wrong.

Imagine taking your teenaged son or daughter to the train station tomorrow and knowing that when that train pulls out there is a very good chance you will never see them again and that they might die in a terrifying and violent manner. This was the unavoidable gamble for Kitchissippi parents in those wars. Most would see their sons and daughters return, often psychologically damaged, but many would not. Some suffered this horror twice.

Eight Kitchissippi families had their lives shattered by the death of a son, and then months later had a second son taken from them. It’s hard for us in our soft 21st Century lives to imagine the heightened terror after the first and the crushing weight of that second blow.

THE MCAULEY BOYS

Many families in Westboro and Hintonburg in the First World War were immigrants or first generation from Great Britain. When war was declared on August 4th, 1914, their sons felt an immediate patriotic call to arms for the old principles of King and Country. The McAuleys of Rosemount Avenue had two sons

of military age and it was not long before they took the tram to the nearest recruiting office where business was brisk. Fred McAuley, the younger of the two and a salesclerk, enlisted within days and found himself in training at Valcartier, Quebec just two weeks later. He was posted to the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in France. His older brother Henry, a milkman with Ottawa Dairy, followed a couple of months later, joining the 4th Battalion of the Canadian Mounted Rifles. Both were in France by mid-1915.

Their widowed mother Clara got worrisome telegrams as the war progressed. In June 16, Henry suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head, hip and back and was recovering in hospital in Boulogne. A year later, Fred was shot in the chest on the frontline and was in hospital in Amiens. Henry was married in England on leave in 1917 and his bride Jean

travelled to Canada to take up residence on Rosemount and await her husband’s return. During their service, both men suffered other diseases brought on by the stresses of trench warfare, with Henry contracting severe appendicitis in September of 1918.

With newspaper rumours of an imminent armistice circulating for months, Clara must have had high hopes in October of 1918, that after four years away at war, she would see her boys again soon. That dream was not to be realized. Fred was killed in action on the Western Front on October 10, just four weeks before peace was declared.

Henry, who had never really recovered from his appendicitis, continued to decline, developing pleurisy and a massive pelvic abscess. On January 13, 1919, while most Canadian boys were boarding troop ships for home, Sergeant Charles Henry McAuley died alone in Bassingstoke Hospital, Hampshire. Two months later, crushed and broken by the deaths of her two sons, Clara died in her Rosemount home at the age of just 47.

The Second World War was but 225 minutes old when Ellard, the son of James and Edith Cummings of 46 Spadina Avenue became just the second Allied serviceman to die in the war and the first Canadian. The first died a couple of hours before when he lost control of his aircraft near London.

Flying a lumbering Westland Wallace biplane, a target-towing aircraft, Cummings was proceeding north from Aberdeen, Scotland to a gunnery school near Inverness when he entered heavy cloud obscuring the tops of the Bennachie Hills, a low massif that rose from the rolling farmland of Aberdeenshire. The Wallace crashed into the craggy and fescue-covered slopes and both Cummings and his drogue winch operator were killed instantly.

James and Edith were just coming to grips with the possibility that Ellard might be in danger in the months ahead, when there was a knock at their door. The telegram they opened had to be an utter shock to them. Of the nearly 45,000 Canadian families that lost a son or daughter in the war, the Cummings family had the tragic honour of being the first. But that was not the totality of their sacrifice.

Ellard’s younger brother Ken (he had four brothers and one sister), inspired by his brother’s early departure from the war, joined the RCAF as soon as he turned 18 in November 1941. Like his lost brother, he trained as a pilot, and the age of just 20, he found himself the captain of a Handley Page Halifax bomber with 102 Squadron of the RAF. The weather over Europe was abysmal in late ‘43 and early 1944. Despite being with the squadron for five months, he had only taken his crew on six “ops” over enemy territory.

On the night of February 19-20, Cummings took off with his crew, bound for a raid on Bremen. A few hours later, nearing the target, his Halifax was hit by a night fighter or perhaps flak and he lost control. As the aircraft spiralled down, he ordered

Charles (left) and Fred Mcauley

Ellard (left) and Ken Cummings

the crew to abandon the bomber. Only two men managed to get out of the aircraft in the chaotic descent. Ken Cummings, as aircraft captain, would have waited until all others in the front of the aircraft had left before bailing out. He never made it.

THE CASEY BROTHERS

After two weeks of embarkation leave in May, 1941, Sergeant pilot Raymond Casey of 43 Granville Avenue said goodbye to his mother Mary and stepped up into the car of the Ocean Limited in the dark train shed of Ottawa’s Union Station, bound for Halifax and was gone forever.

He wrote to her often throughout the next year as he trained on ever-heavier aircraft and then joined 35 Squadron of Bomber Command as the captain of a 4-engine Halifax bomber crew — an extraordinary responsibility for a 20-yearold. In July of 1942, he piloted his Halifax on a night raid to Duisberg, Germany. Over the city he was hit by flak and the port outer engine was damaged. Unable to feather the engine (stop the propeller from windmilling), the bomber was difficult to control, yet he managed to get it back over England where he ordered everyone to bail out. Along with the flight engineer, he tried to bring the aircraft down safely but finally lost control and the Halifax dove vertically into the ground killing them both instantly. Mary received her telegram two days later. His younger brother John, a farm labourer at the Central Experimental Farm, inspired by his brother, enlisted when he turned 18 the following year. He was thought to be very young but suitable officer material. Upon his graduation from Bombing and Gunnery School he was made a Pilot Officer. In April, 1944, he traveled home for two weeks of embarkation leave and, on April 21, left from the very same train platform as his brother did. His mother’s trepidation as he pulled out from the station was now very much justified. John completed his gunnery training in

Great Britain and joined the crew of a 431 Squadron (now the Snowbirds) Lancaster. Nearly a year would go by with cheerful letters from John. The war was clearly winding down with the Allies pushing into Germany from the west and east. Mary’s hopes were for his safe return were growing, but German flak was as devasting as ever and on the night of March 31, five weeks short of VE day, John’s Lancaster was blown out of the night sky south of Hamburg, Germany. His remains were recovered from the wreckage by German authorities, buried locally and eventually removed to the large Reichswald Forest War Cemetery near the Dutch border.

One can only imagine what memories came alive in her heart when, eight years later, she walked alone in front of thousands at the National War Memorial up the stairs to place a wreath as the nation’s Silver Cross Mother, representing all mothers who sacrificed their sons and daughters in war.

THE SMITHS

Like many the mothers of the men who volunteered for service in the two world wars, Amy (Wright) Smith of Westboro was already a widow and raising her family on her own — four daughters and five sons. Her husband John, an Oxford trained engineer was the former Dominion Fire Commissioner. They lived at 68 Helena Street at the time. At least two of her sons Donald (Donnie) and Leonard (Lennie) enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at the outset of the war. It’s possible other children enlisted, but those records are not readily available to the author.

Lennie, the younger of the two, trained as a pilot in Canada, went overseas and soon found himself as the captain of a Vickers Wellington bomber crew with 115 Squadron of the RAF. Shortly after joining the squadron on the night of October 6, 1942, his Wellington was hit by flak detonating his bomb load in flight over the town of Uelsen Bentheim, Germany. The

entire crew died instantly. Only fragments of the crew were recovered, and Lennie was identified only by his identity disc. Amy received the first of her two “regret to Inform you” telegrams at her new residence at 480 Cole Avenue.

Older brother Donnie, a file clerk in the Department of Finance, had joined the air force six months before Lennie was killed and was well on his way to be trained as a navigator, one of the most difficult jobs among bomber air crew. He embarked a troopship for England on August 25, 1943, for further training on the Wellington bomber at No. 26 Operational Training Unit.

On the night of March 23, Lennie and his crew were almost finished a lengthy nighttime cross country training flight, when inexplicably, the pilots lost control and the aircraft dived into the ground “from a considerable height.” The station commander wrote to Amy, assuring her that he and his crewmates were killed instantly and did not suffer, leaving her however to imagine the abject terror her beautiful boy endured as they fell from altitude. As was common practice in those days, he enclosed photographs of the funeral service and burial four days later. Parents often appreciated these mementos as they were likely never to visit the graves of their sons.

THE CARRUTHERS BROTHERS

In mid-February of 1942, the two Carruthers brothers of 278 Sherwood Drive spent a shared leave together in England. Carl, the older of the two, was a Flight Sergeant air gunner with 15 Squadron based out of RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire and flying in the enormous Short Stirling heavy bomber. He had been with the unit for almost a year. His younger brother Ford, also an air gunner, had arrived in England at the end of 1941 and was then with No. 25 Operational Training Unit at RAF Finningly. Carl and Ford, sons of Orrin and Beulah (Ford) Carruthers, likely spent it in London, enjoying the sights

and the nightclubs. They were a contrast in personalities. Carl was assessed in training as “Abrupt almost to the point of rudeness… excellent in character and habits… needs grooming and discipline” while the younger Ford was considered “well disciplined, smart in appearance, pleasing in manners”.

Following their leave, Ford took the train back to Yorkshire to continue training and Carl went back to the war. Not much later, on the night of March 9, on his second bombing operation since returning, Carl’s Stirling was hit by flak over Holland and the entire crew killed. By September of that year, Ford was on a crew with 12 Squadron, a Vickers Wellington medium bomber unit based at RAF Binbrook. Returning from a night operation to Duisberg, Germany on the night of the 6th, his Wellington was shot down over the North Sea, likely from flak along the coast of Holland. In less than six months, Beula and Orrin had lost two of their three sons.

THE ANGELS OF D-DAY

Harold (left) and Norman Angel

Norman Angel, aged 36 and his brother Harold, who everyone called “Buster”, aged 30 were ancient by the standards of soldiers of the Second World War. Despite their age they were just private soldiers in the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. They were two of four brothers who had joined the army. Two others had returned to Ottawa, both suffering from prolonged illnesses. One of them, Charles, was a veteran of more than three years fighting in the First World War as well. Their mother was deceased in 1936 but their father Thomas, a First World War veteran and locomotive engineer was still alive. Despite this, in their Second World War service records both had listed their sister at 417 Athlone Avenue as their next of kin, though Norman was married to Mary Montpetit and they had three children in Iroquois, Ontario.

Continues on page 30

Raymond (left) and John Casey

Lennie (left) and Donnie Smith

Carl (left) and Ford Carruthers

The two waded ashore with the Camerons on D-Day along with 14,000 other Canadians. Three days later, Harold went missing. For days, Norman searched the front where the Camerons were operating, but his brother was eventually confirmed killed on the June 9. Four weeks later, Norman himself was killed in action in Normandy. They came ashore together on D-Day, and now they lay buried in the same war cemetery in Calvados, France.

THE HALLS OF HINTON AVE.

boarding that he married a woman named Mildred McPhee, who did not disclose her marriage to his family or her employer for fear of losing her job. Unknown to Effie, who was the beneficiary of her son’s war gratuity cheque after his death, Mildred came out of the woodwork, laid claim and was granted the money, which Effie was forced to return, despite the fact that Clement had named her as beneficiary.

Tubby, one of Ottawa’s best known college athletes, was the captain of a Wellington bomber still on a training course at No. 12 Operational Training Unit at RAF Chipping Warden. A part of the course, he was required to join in actual operations over enemy-held territory. On the night of September 6, 1942, and with little combat experience, he was pilot in command of a Wellington bomber on an operation to Duisberg. His aircraft failed to return. He is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery

they were hit by flak or a night fighter and went down in the English Channel. The entire crew was lost, but Hall’s body washed up six days later on the shore of the Somme River-Abbeville Canal estuary close to the village Le Hourdel, France. When he was buried in a local war cemetery his wife would have had the right to decide on the epitaph on his headstone which reads “Now flying with a better squadron in a better world”

THE KELLY BROTHERS

John earned his pilot brevet on single engine aircraft and following embarkation leave with his family, he sailed by troopship from Halifax to Bournemouth, England. After a refresher flying course, he was posted to No. 8 Operational Training Squadron, where he would undergo training on the Supermarine Spitfire in the photoreconnaissance role — a dream posting for a young pilot. No. 8 was located on the northeast coast of Scotland at RAF Fraserburgh.

During one of his training sorties on November 19, 1944, he lost control of his Spitfire and crashed into the North Sea east of Aberdeenshire. His body was never recovered, and his only memorial is his name carved in the granite panels of the Runnymede Memorial along with the names of more than 20,000 Commonwealth airmen lost on operations in Europe with no known

Conductor: Kevin Reeves

Soprano: Kathleen Radke

Tenor: Adam Sperry

Bass: Phillip Holmes with

J.S. Bach: Cantatas 122 & 140

Kevin Reeves: Gloucestershire Wassail Andrew Ager: Christmas Medley

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Magic, musician, mathematician: Chairman George is more than just a superstar in China

BY CHARLIE SENACK

There is a crisp fall breeze in the air as George Sapounidis sits down on a bench at Britannia Beach. He pulls out his guitar and hooks it up to a speaker. The leaves are starting to turn a bright orange and the water of the Ottawa River is deep blue and calm. It’s Thanksgiving Monday and families are out for a postturkey evening stroll.

Then suddenly, a couple walks by. “Where are you from?” Sapounidis, 67, asks. They reply from Ukraine. “I can sing for you in your native language,” he says.

The peculiar performer is not shy with his words.

Sapounidis — better known by his stage name Chairman George — is a

The interest came after hearing the Beatles play. It was the 1960s and they were all the rage.

Sapounidis couldn’t put the guitar strings down.

“A year later, we all moved to Greece and my mother found me a wonderful classical guitar teacher in Athens. I got into classical guitar, which is the ballet of playing guitar. It's very technical,” he said.

“In 1974-75 I followed my sister and mother to a Greek island where we made friends with some wonderful artist expats — several of whom were musicians. One of them, Alex McAdam, was both a painter and a troubadour guitar player from Scotland.

He became like a mentor to me about how to perform for people,” Sapounidis added. “It was eye opening and wonderful. That

the 1990s after having a lady friend from Beijing.

Her persuasion led Sapounidis to learn how to play a song from Northwest China. On New Year's Eve in 2000, he was performing at the National Library of Canada when the troubadour caught the eye of the Chinese embassy which was present among the 400 people in attendance.

at the games. He was also able to run with the torch in Montreal and participated in the Athens closing ceremony as a volunteer.

The Olympics came calling again In 2008 when Beijing asked the ‘Chairman’ to be a torch bearer for a second time in China. Sapounidis also had an opportunity to perform at the Olympic Village for athletes.

They liked his style and a month later called up the former Statistics Canada employee and asked him to perform at two major international Chinese music festivals. By October. Sapounidis was on a plane for the almost 11,000 kilometre

He made an impression. Sapounidis realized it too and decided to aim big. He wanted to perform at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as the torch was given to the next host city, Beijing, organizer of the 2008

”That was my dream. I began contacting the ministries of culture in Athens and Beijing. I began phoning all these embassies in Ottawa, trying to persuade them to help me contact the Olympic Organizing Committee, but no real answer came,” said Sapounidis. “I tried so hard. I’m the only Greek in the world who is Canadian and can perform

While his Olympic dreams were dashed, a documentary film which premiered on CTV’s W5 showcased the Ottawa guitarist's quest for glory

“You shoot for the stars and a ton of other things happen,” he said.

Sapounidis is fluent in Chinese. He’s recorded over six albums and has collected two nominations for Best World Music from the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

GETTING DISCOVERED AT HOME

It was a beautiful summer's day in June 2021 when Sapounidis decided to drive up to Britannia Beach with his guitar to catch some rays and perform for others. It was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and people were flocking outdoors for any sense of normalcy.

Sapounidis didn’t feel out of place away from international eyes; in fact, he felt right at home. In the late 80s, he busked in the Greece Islands, and was a performer at a Greek Restaurant on Bank Street in the 90s.

“Right away on the beach, I met these people strolling from all over the world and I began to sing in their language. In 2022 when the war in Ukraine started, I began meeting people from there. I sang in Russian but didn’t know Ukrainian so I went online and learned,” said Sapounidis. “Then gentlemen in turbans were walking by and I could sing in Hindi but they said how about Punjabi? So I learned a couple of songs.”

Britannia became his new world stage. His roster of languages kept growing. It’s almost doubled since he started. In addition to helping others cope, it’s also been a lifeline for Sapounidis.

“I’m single and I have no family. When I come back home, I’m completely alone. It’s part of my life. I regret having never married or having a family. Being with different people for three hours is a proxy family,” Chairman George said with tears in his eyes. “I have performed all over China and I’ve met so many different people and I’ve had romantic relationships, but I could never commit.”

When asked why, he replied, ”I’m not sure. I’m just compelled by physical attraction I guess. If I had a relationship with somebody in Ottawa, I was always about to travel to China. I was being compelled by other women I’d met on the road.”

But Sapounidis is looking to put that part of his lifestyle behind. Today he’s learning comedy, doing magic, and teaching mathematics for Nipissing University through Algonquin College. He still has hopes of meeting a woman who he could stay committed to. Sapounidis is currently talking to a woman in China named Sue.

They met over WhatsApp and talk regularly, but they’ve never met.

“I’m not sure what could or couldn’t develop. We’ve had some long audio conversations. But we’ve never had a video phone call where we are actually seeing each other. I don't want to impose,” said Sapounidis.

Below: ‘Chairman’ George Sapounidis has been performing at Britannia Beach since June 2021.

Insert: Sapounidis with his Olympic torch from the 2008 summer games in Beijing.

Above: A group of onlookers stop at Britannia Beach to watch Sapounidis play on Oct. 14, 2024. ALL PHOTOS BY AARON REID.

HELLO WESTBORO

Ottawa Seniors Pride Network creates safe space for shared lived experiences

BY CHARLIE SENACK

It’s a Saturday afternoon and a group of older adults are gathering at the Good Companions Seniors Centre. On the agenda for the day is a coffee catchup, crafts with sass, group meditation, and pickleball. Each attendee has one thing in common: they are all part of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

The Ottawa Seniors Pride Network was founded 17 years ago to provide a sense of connection to gay, lesbian and trans seniors who were feeling a sense of loneliness after being on the frontlines of LGBTQ2S+ advocacy.

“Originally, we were pretty small, and then we had a conference where we had about 70 people come out. A lot of people said they were interested in end of life care, social stuff like dances, and out of that formed these committees,” said founding

member George Hartsgrove. ”Now we have a health and long-term care committee and an interim board because we’ve decided to incorporate after receiving a grant which is looking at governance and strategic planning for moving forward.”

The social calendar has no shortage of activities. Older & Bolder is a monthly drop-in discussion group for age 50+ Queer women. Then there is the widely popular five-pin bowling at the West Park Lanes in Wellington West where Hartsgrove says the seniors slay. Dances are also held at the Good Companions which easily attracts 150 people each time. There are movie nights too and soirées for holidays.

BONDING OVER SHARED TRAUMA

One could say it’s time these seniors get to enjoy living after a life of fear, stigma and shame. Each member grew up in a time when it wasn’t widely accepted to be gay.

People lived in the closet for fear of disapproval or punishment. An estimated 9,000 Canadians working for the civil service or RCMP were fired because of their sexual preferences between the 1950s and 1990s. Then there was gay bashing. Those who didn’t take part were suspected of being homosexual. Police took part in the violence too.

One Seniors Pride Network member knows this all too well. Today Hugh Nelson is out and proud. He’s loud, vibrant, and playful. But it wasn’t always that way. Nelson brought a photo of his teenage self to our interview. It was taken in an era where he was almost killed because of his attraction to other men.

“They were driving me out of town to kill me. We escaped from the car, we ran down Laurier Avenue in Hull, and we ran into the manager's office of the La Terrace bar. People chased us all the way

there,” recounted Nelson.

It was the year 1971 or 1972 and the flamboyant Nelson was left beaten and bruised. The scars were evident, but one of the aspects that shocked him the most was the police response — or lack thereof.

”The bouncer took us by the collar and walked us out. There was a policeman, a taxi and the car we escaped from. There were three people sitting on the porch who beat us up. I told the policeman it was them, and he said ‘get in the taxi and go back to where you belong.’ That was the fear and distrust in things we grew up with,” said Nelson.

The wounds still run deep today but Nelson said he feels no shame.

“I had wonderful experiences. I had a wonderful work life. I had a very supportive partner of 45 years. But there was always this fear in the back of your mind combined with shame. People had

Above: Members or the Ottawa Seniors Pride Network took part in the annual Dragon Boat Festival held at Mooney’s Bay Beach. PROVIDED PHOTO. Right: From left to right: Hugh Nelson, George Hartsgrove, and Eva Rosenberg. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

to be strong in order to appear anywhere,” he said.

Eva Rosenberg joined the board after moving to the National Capital Region in 2018 from the United States. She grew up in an area where LGBTQ2S+ rights — especially for transgender individuals — are at risk.

Constantly being in an unsupportive environment meant emotions had to be deeply repressed.

“I’m a lesbian. I had experienced a whole bunch of things, like gay guys would make passes and I always wondered why. All sorts of women thought I was gay,” said Rosenberg. “At my 25th high school reunion I was slammed with a homophobic comment. I was married with two kids – the whole bit – yet still received it. I cross-dressed and hid from the age of five. I hid from everyone because it would have meant commitment, psychological torture for the most part, and if it came out, my life would have been ruined.”

The marriage soon fell apart and Rosenberg moved to Ottawa where she discovered Gender Quest at Kind Space, an organization based downtown which houses drop-ins, hosts events, and offers

resources for the LGBTQ2S+ community. Through a support group and therapy, Rosenberg quickly realized she was trans and began the journey to live as her authentic self.

“I had this feeling of calm, that everything in the world was right,” said Rosenberg. ”I came out to my kids a year after living here. They said ‘let your flag fly,’ this is Canada. But it took me a couple of years. In the fall of 2019 I started medical intervention.”

Rosenberg said the entirety of her Jewish Orthodox family was accepting. In fact, one of her kids also came out as nonbinary.

It’s stories like this that explain why the Ottawa Seniors Pride Network exists today. Together, they break down the shame and fear their upbringings caused. It’s also a way for members to reconnect with one another after meeting in secret all those years ago.

“We didn’t have [gay dating app] Grindr back then, but we did have a heck of a lot of clubs. We had Club Mustache and we ended up with 500 members in the region. We ran jamborees and dances in the clubs,” said Nelson.

EXCELLENCE. INNOVATION. DIVERSITY

An amazing lineup of music at First Unitarian Congregatioin this fall & winter.

Visit our website for tickets www.harmonyconcerts.ca

Wellington West Retirement enriches life through activity and connection

The Wellington West Retirement Community, fresh off a luau-themed celebration of its third anniversary, is gearing up for a hectic holiday season jam-packed with a lively lineup of fun activities. Led by Lifestyle Manager Katie Wallace, it promises to be vibrant, fun, and engaging for family and residents alike.

“Leading the Lifestyles Department at Wellington West means creating a vibrant community where every event sparks joy and connection. I hope to enrich our residents’ lives by fostering meaningful experiences that bring us together,” said Wallace. “Looking ahead, I envision a future where our community continues to thrive, filled with laughter, growth, and lasting friendships.”

Winter is the busiest time for Wellington Retirement residents. The community is already full to bursting with activities, and the winter season adds even more to the calendar. Once the decorations go up, residents can help

decorate the 15-foot Christmas tree in the lobby, and there will be several smaller trees around the building as well. The winter months will feature a variety of holiday events. Residents can display miniatures and crafts they’ve made at the Hobby Showcase in the Kitchissippi Bistro, and the more musically inclined residents can join in for caroling around the community. The choir is already practicing for its annual Christmas concert, and the community will close out the year with festive Christmas and New Year’s parties. These are just some examples of the vibrant community events that Wallace has come up with for the residents of Wellington West. The building focuses on delivering exceptional amenities and events all year-round. Residents stay active with karaoke pub nights, exercise workouts, and weekly live music, and they’re encouraged to speak up and share their stories at the resident biography nights. For residents that love to learn, guest lecturers come in to speak about a variety of

topics like The History of Rock and Roll, Current Events, Fall Prevention, Astronomy, Estate Planning, and Economics. Wellington West offers a vibrant, active lifestyle and tons of amenities, including gourmet dining, 24-hour nursing care and in-house physician, a town car with personal driver, a heated saltwater pool, a fitness center and spa, a theater, in-suite laundry, and of course, a full calendar of activities.

Lullaby Mosaic Oct 5

JOYRIDE Sept 20

Grouyan Gombo Oct 6 Kelli Trottier Oct 26

Eastern Ontario’s Premiere Boutique Concert Series

AERIALISTS Oct 27 Payadora Tango Nov 22

Christmas with Dawn Tyler Watson Dec 20

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Dec 21

Stay active & connected

Dovercourt Recreation Centre, located in Highland Park/ Westboro, has been a community hub since the 1980s, with its indoor pool, tennis courts, wading pool, swim lessons, fitness programs, afterschool programs, day camps and an adjacent field and park.

At Dovercourt, there is an emphasis on community. The centre is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive home away from home for many. This spirit is palpable after morning fitness classes, when people gather in the upstairs lobby for a coffee or lunch at the Café, sharing stories and laughter. Bring a book, borrow one from the library nook, or enjoy free public wifi on your tablet or laptop.

With monthly and ongoing options, the Fit Pass allows the ultimate flexibility: book ahead and enjoy over 40 weekly classes. It includes group fitness, yoga, aquafitness, spinning, strength, use of the Fitness Centre, the indoor pool (with hot tub and sauna),

pickleball and more. Late-morning “Seniors on the Go” classes, introduced last fall, have become very popular. Clients can pause the Fit Pass for absences like vacations and winters away.

Registered fitness classes range from dynamic to rehab-oriented and are offered weekly each session. Join kindred spirits in Older Adult Yoga, Tai Chi, and Age Strong (Small Group Personal Training). Aqua Arthritis, FM and Healthy Back address specific conditions and promote strength and mobility. A Mind & Body Connection class for those with Parkinson’s, MS or Post Stroke is offered in the pool as well as a land-based version.

Social activities include the Euchre Club, pole-walking classes and pickleball (included with the Fit Pass or a drop-in fee). Enjoy free monthly Wellness Education sessions, with informative talks by local wellness experts. In addition, there are adult recreation

www.dovercourt.org

programs every session, including pottery, virtual watercolour classes and Climate Fresk workshops.

Staying active and connected is critical to physical and mental health. The National Council on Aging says that “regular activity…can help give us more energy and greater self-confidence, enabling us to embrace our later years with gusto.” Organized fitness and social activities enable older adults to retain those vital connections.

Fall classes are underway, but there is still time to join. Please register on our website or call 613-798-8950.

OUTSMA R T WINTER WITH US

The cold will soon be setting in, and so will everything that comes along with it—slippery sidewal ks, chilling winds and snowy driveways. Now is the perfect time to learn about the popular Wint er Stay program at Amica Westboro Park, to give you peace of mind for the upcoming season.

Duri ng your sta y, you can embrace warmth and comfort as you enjoy a premium suite, hot chef-prepared meals, engaging activities, well-appointed ameniti es, personalized care, scheduled transportation and more.

We could tell you what makes Amica different from other seniors living residences. But we’d rather show you. Book a private tour and learn more about our Winter Stay Program at 613 - 728 - 9274 .

We Will Remember Them

Remembrance Day Services at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 480

The Remembrance Day parade will begin at 1:30PM starting at the Westboro Legion and proceed along Richmond Road to the Westboro Cenotaph. Wreath laying will follow, starting at 2PM.

Services will include the Legion Colour Party, Band, Wreath laying and memorial service, and participation from local air, army, and navy cadets.

Parking will be removed along the following segments on Monday, November 11 from 11AM-3PM:

Madison Ave, between Winston Ave and Churchill Ave N

Churchill Ave N, between Madison Ave and Richmond Rd

Richmond Rd, between Churchill Ave and Broadview St

The Westboro Village BIA, and the business community, is proud to be a partner of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 480 and to continue to support the Legion’s Veteran Memorial Banner program and recognize those who served.

Each year, the Legion produces banners with veterans and their service records, and partners with the BIA to install them along Richmond Road for the month of November.

“We are so proud to be able to honour the Veteran’s who served our community and country. We are also very excited to be able to expand this project from the five Veterans featured last year, to 21 this year.”

Sue Cooper, Volunteer

For more information about the banners, visit westborovillage com/veterans-memorial-banners/

For information on how to honour a veteran, reach out to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 480.

2024 Featured Veterans

Staff Sgt Sheldon Scrivens

Lorne Vincent Ryan

Stan Scott

Joseph Andrew Peter Baker

John Duncan Cardiff

I W Buck

Archibald Wellington Cardiff

Frank Henry Carron

Bob Cook

The featured veterans range from being born in 1893 to 1941, with the majority of having served in an army corps, or similar. However, a few were in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and a couple were in the Navy. SAVE

Joseph Alphonse Bertrand Cyr

Martin Joseph Doherty

Walter Egan

Willem (Fred) Eijgenstein

Alexander Hollis

Harold Morrow

William Eugene Murphy

Alfred Hart Scrivens

George Warne

Richard Welsh

John Simpson

Cyril Thomas Welsh

Join us, as we ignite the lights and spread joy and hope with our community partners on Saturday, November 23.

Sue Cooper, holding a photo of her father, featured veteran Joseph Andrew Peter Baker.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 480, before the upstairs addition in 1978.