Kitchissippi Times October 2022

Jeff

Dan STRINGER

Ottawa Life Magazine named him The Kitchissippi Kid in 2003, including him in Ottawa’s Top 50 People, because of how he committed himself to the community: Founded, McKellar Heights C.A. & Island Park Towers Tenant’s Assoc., Friends of the Ottawa Riverbank GreenUP @ Westboro Beach, Gifts of the Magi Christmas charity in Hintonburg, Good Samaritan Interfaith Food Drive, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Ottawa, DreamKEEPERS -Celebrating MLK Day at City Hall. Kiwanis President of Westboro Club that donated the land for Dovercourt Rec. Centre & SAGE Club that donated substantially to it’s play structure. Co-Chair, Communities Before cars, Treasurer, Carlington Community Health & Fed. of O-C Tenants Assoc.

www.teamstringer.ca

This is what I mean by experience.

I’ve known Dan Stringer for over 30 years. He worked hard for my husband, Richard Patten, Liberal MPP for Ottawa Centre. Dan can be counted on to listen, to search for solutions, to represent you at City Hall.”

Penny Patten

No other candidate would say what budget increase is their upper limit. Mine is 2%. One candidate said in the Rogers Debate she would decide when she gets there. I have already been there. For a decade I worked for our City Councillor and MPP. I saw the politicians once send city staff back to reduce their ‘bare-bones’ budget. Staff complied without a blink. When I asked, I was told they found a slush fund, and they could, because they created it in the first place.

I favour: * Increased Police support for mental health situations & better screening against White supremist attitudes;

*Ottawa Housing separating the mentally ill from seniors housing because the mix is volatile. *Indigenous reconciliation by respecting the traditional Wampum Belts as part of our history and treaty obligations

*Infrastructure Renewal

I oppose: ‘Densification’ as a flawed policy

“What Really Happened With the LRT & Truckers Occupation – Mayoral Ambitions Happened. Media reports gave Diane Deans sole credit on Council for calling out the LTR as a miserable failure. Why did our Councillor not support Deans? Because to do so would undermine his best friend’s Mayoral campaign. Catherine McKenney & Diane Deans were known to be vying to be the Left’s Mayoral candidate against Watson. Mr. Leiper chose McKenney over Deans and so supported the majority on the LRT, ignoring Deans’ sounding the alarm. When Deans proved to be right and the LRT coalition crumbled, Leiper and his bestie had a problem. Deans was shining! Enter the Trucker Occupation. The occupation was basically a police problem and Diane Deans was Chair of Police Services. Her two Mayoral rivals and their teams chose to sit on their hands and do very little as the bad sore of the Occupation festered and got worse. Pressure grew on Deans. She make a misstep in secretly hiring a new police chief and Council gleefully lopped off her head and solved the issue quickly” That is what my insiders told me. DRS

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

OTTAWA ELECTION:

Kitchissippi’s candidates for city councillor

BY CHARLIE SENACK

Kitchissippi residents are just weeks away from voting in the upcoming municipal election.

With at least 10 new councillors and a new mayor coming to the council table, the Oct. 24 election will be one to watch.

In Kitchissippi, also known as Ward 15, there are three names on the ballot for councillor: Oonagh Fitzgerald, Jeff Leiper and Dan Stringer.

During the last city election in 2018, Leiper and Stringer were the candidates on the ballot. Leiper won Kitchissippi by a little over 85 per cent, with 12,068 votes cast under his name, according to the City of Ottawa. Daniel Stringer, who is running again in this election, received 2,083 votes, totalling almost 15 per cent.

Kitchissippi Times caught up with the three candidates running in the upcoming municipal election to learn more about their city and ward-specific issues.

Oonagh Fitzgerald

Oonagh Fitzgerald, a Kitchissippi-ward resident for the last 30 years, said she is running for city council in Ward 15 to implement sustainable development and climate action at the local level.

“Kitchissippi residents want the City to take climate action and strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather events, and are dismayed that City planning and development projects often seem to undermine climate goals,” she said. “Residents favour denser, inclusive, and affordable neighbourhoods with more tree shade, green space and better local amenities for the growing population.”

Fitzgerald said it’s a human right to have a healthy and clean environment that is protected, and believes the City needs to take better control of its development to tackle both the housing affordability crisis and the climate emergency.

The LRT inquiry showed a dysfunctional city council behind the scenes, said Fitzgerald, who is eagerly awaiting the commission's final report.

“It appears that the [City] made some critical missteps in designing the procurement, (such as an) insufficient focus on experience making light rail trains that would run reliably in Ottawa weather conditions,” Fitzgerald said. “It appears that the City was also inexperienced in designing and managing such a huge public-private partnership and should have sought more guidance and support from the province.”

Fitzgerald is a lawyer with a master of business administration. She worked for many years in the federal public service, and has served on various non-profit boards in a volunteer position.

Jeff Leiper

First elected in 2014, incumbent Jeff Leiper said the issues Kitchissippi residents care about are shifting.

“The key issue in Kitchissippi is almost always development,” he said. “In 2014, a lot of residents were seeking ways to radically rein in the amount of development we are seeing in the ward. Over the last eight years, the focus has been a little bit less on trying to preserve the status quo, and there has been a little more acceptance that intensification is critical to being environmentally and economically sustainable.”

One of the main differences in this election, Leiper said, is people are no

longer trying to stop development. Instead, they want to ensure any large projects are well thought out and take into consideration the community’s needs. He gave protecting trees as an example.

After much council turmoil this term, Leiper considered whether or not to seek a third term. But with such a big shakeup happening this fall, he thought it was important to have an experienced voice around the council table.

“It was a difficult choice to decide to run again,” he said. “I think every single councillor was exhausted by the end of the last term. The LRT turmoil, the pandemic, of course [were] challenging, and the convoy was extremely tense.”

The next council will debate the Comprehensive Zoning By-law Review and the Transportation Master Plan, two key issues for Leiper.

“In the last term of council, we redid some of the zoning for Westboro, Hintonburg, and Mechanicsville, that describes what growth is going to look like when we have a new Official Plan,” said Leiper. “City council is doubling down on intensification, and I think it’s important that we do it in a way that is thought out and equitable across the city.”

Oonagh Fitzgerald at a Kitchissippi candidate meet and greet event Sept. 23. PHOTO BY ELLEN BOND.

Jeff Leiper at the Ward 15 candidate event in Westboro. PHOTO BY ELLEN BOND.

Dan Stringer

Dan Stringer is no stranger to local politics, running for the job of Kitchissippi councillor in four municipal elections. He’s thrown his name into the hat for a fifth time, hoping to bring a fresh perspective to the table.

“The last four years have been excruciating, to watch this [council] mess up in such huge proportions,” he said. “The outgoing [council] is historic. Never in our history has Ottawa [city council] been investigated by the Province, [nor] by the Federal Government, but this [council] has earned the distinction of being investigated, simultaneously, by both.”

For Kitchissippi-specific priorities, Stringer says he wants to make the community green, safe and welcoming for all, with art, public sculptures and a protected river.

He aims to keep tax budget increases at

two per cent or less, wants to make electric vehicles a priority, and is concerned about over-densification causing soaring house prices.

Stringer has concerns over how light rail transit (LRT) was managed in the city and said a new council of fresh faces is the only hope of restoring the system.

“Kitchissippi’s interests will only be taken seriously by council if presented by a new councillor; one who is not seen as causing the LRT problem in the first place,” said Stringer. “The new councillor for ‘The Kit’ must have a deep understanding of Ottawa and devotion to the community if the LRT is going to be effective and useful for the entire city where we live, work and play.”

Stringer, a political scientist who was a former aide to Liberal MPP Richard Patten, received a doctorate from the Faculty of Law at the University of Paris.

Elections

Elections Ottawa

For school board trustees, here’s the list of candidates across the four Kitchissippi (Ward 15) zones:

In the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board - Zone 4 (Wards 07, 15) race, the candidates are Rasha Alnaqeeb, Suzanne Nash and Kevin Wright.

In the Ottawa Catholic School Board - Zone 7 (Wards 07, 15) race, the candidates are Danny Arrais and Jeremy Wittet

In the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est - Zone 6 (Wards 12, 14, 15, 17) race, the candidates are Denis Forget and Franklin Epape

And in the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario - Zone 9 (Wards 14, 15, 17, 18) race, the candidates are Joël Beddows, Mahdi Djama Aouled and Marielle Godbout

For Advance Vote Days and Voting Day, you can cast your ballot at your designated voting place. Use the “Where do I vote?” tool on ottawa.ca/vote to learn where and when you can vote. All voting places are fully accessible.

If you can’t make it to a voting place, you can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.

Ottawa has new ward boundaries for the 2022 Municipal Elections and 2022-2026 Term of Council. Use the “Who is running in my ward?” tool on ottawa.ca/vote to verify your ward name and number, and to view the list of candidates running in your ward.

For more information about the 2022 Municipal Elections, visit ottawa.ca/vote or contact the City of Ottawa’s Elections Of ce by phone at 613-580-2660 or by email at elections@ottawa.ca.

Dan Stringer speaking with voters at the Westboro event. PHOTO BY ELLEN BOND.

HUMANS OF KITCHISSIPPI

Humans of Kitchissippi is a special street photography project designed to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work and play in Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK contains three elements: a photo, a name and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. Go to kitchissippi.com to view our ongoing collection of humans.

KITCHISSIPPI TIMES

Great River Media Inc PO Box 91585

Ottawa ON K1W 1K0

Kitchissippi, meaning “the Grand River,” is the former Algonquin name for the Ottawa River. The name now identifies the urban community to the west of downtown Ottawa.

EDITOR Maureen McEwan editor@kitchissippi.com twitter.com/kitchissippi

CONTRIBUTORS

Charlie Senack, Dave Allston, Ellen Bond and Alvin Tsang.

“My family is from Vietnam. They came over as boat people refugees. They had my brother there, and then my sister and I were born here in Canada. My upbringing was very different because as a refugee, you’re starting from nothing. We were living in poverty and it changes you: money, thinking, perspective; you value the little stuff so much more.

When I was 15, I had a clump of veins that were not supposed to be there—a malformation. They found out about it because I had a seizure. I had four or more operations to, essentially, go in and glue the part of the vein that wasn’t supposed to be there.

During the second operation, I was in the ICU for 10 hours and it was abnormal because that was really long. During my first operation, I was awake in two hours. The doctors eventually knew something was very wrong and they had to operate again. During that [time], I suffered a stroke.

It took away speech, reading, writing; I have semiparalysis and semi-paresis, which means it’s still working but abnormally. My brain has contractions and doesn’t really know how to relax. I can’t use my arm at all and I have drop foot with my leg. I don’t have a lot of ability with my feet, so I have a brace that I wear so I don’t trip when I’m walking.

Before my stroke, I wasn’t an active person at all. After my stroke, I wanted the ability to exercise: when you don’t have it you miss it. I [had] depression, which is very common with any brain injuries, and the only thing that really worked was biking or any form of exercise. It was a flood of good hormones so I wanted to push it.

I called the Canadian Cycling Association and

everything grew from there. I did national competitions and I was in Canada’s national team for the world cup. My coach says I’m progressing really rapidly even though I’m behind in the competitions. I competed this spring in Edmonton and it was amazing. I thought everyone would be in a super-competitive headspace, but everyone was really nice. I got third place and that’s why I went to the national team after.

Cycling has become my addiction—it’s like a runner's high. My goal one day is to maybe make the Paralympics. I’m now back in school doing alternative learning styles and I like the atmosphere; it’s one-on-one with the teacher. My speech is getting better because I feel more comfortable and I am slowly getting my credits.

I live in Hintonburg and I love the location because it’s close to downtown and [has] so many bike paths. I like to go biking in Hull a lot, and we are close to the Island Park Bridge. The community has so much character with older houses. It’s not super modern and I like that. I feel grateful to live here.”

Story and photo collected by Charlie Senack

PROOFREADER Alicia Lim

ADVERTISING SALES

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

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanya Connolly-Holmes creative@greatriver.ca

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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 15,000 copies are distributed from the Ottawa River to Carling Avenue between the O-Train tracks and Sherbourne Road. Most residents in this area will receive the Kitchissippi Times directly to their door. If you did not receive your copy, or would like additional copies, please contact us. Bulk copies are delivered to multi-unit dwellings and retail locations. Copies are available at Dovercourt Recreation Centre and Hintonburg Community Centre.

info@kitchissippi.com

The Kitchissippi Times is published by

LETTER

Winds of change

BY MAUREEN MCEWAN

Dear readers,

We’re heading back to the polls this month! Our October edition begins with Kitchissippi-ward candidate profiles: Oonagh Fitzgerald, Jeff Leiper and Dan Stringer shared more about why they are running and city- and ward-specific issues ahead of the Oct. 24 municipal election.

In other community news, the Chabad Jewish Centre says it's ready to make history as the organization prepares to host its first holiday services in Kitchissippi.

Rabbi Moshe Caytak spoke with us about his family’s decision to move to the community to run the centre.

Albert Dumont, Ottawa’s poet laureate, has pledged to walk on Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway every Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, until the roadway’s name is changed. We heard from Dumont, volunteer Pamela Naymark and the National Capital Commission on this story.

Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden lived on a “social assistance diet,” with a weekly grocery bill of $47.60, for two weeks earlier this fall. We caught up with Harden to learn more about the experience and what he learned.

For 21 years, the Young String Performers’ Foundation has been supporting young musicians across the National Capital Region. Joan Milkson, founder of the local charitable organization, shared more about YSPF’s history and its upcoming concert series.

Maker House Co. has closed the woodshop branch of its business. The company has been making custom-cut furniture for years but decided to stop taking orders Sept. 30 due to rising costs.

Owner Gareth Davies spoke with us about the decision.

Over the last months, Westboro has seen several new businesses move in. The owners of Copper Valley Gifts, Presotea and COBS Bread shared how the first months in the neighbourhood have been for their companies.

In Humans of Kitchissippi, we connected with Thuy Do, who shared more about her family’s experience as Vietnamese refugees to Canada, her medical journey and her path as a cyclist with the Canadian Cycling Association. One day, the local athlete hopes to compete at the Paralympics!

150 years ago, the neighbourhood of Mechanicsville was created. Early Days explores the story of Mechanicsville: how it came about, the Bytown entrepreneurial industrialists behind its development and the meaning behind the name.

HOMES is back with stories on the Reno Tour 2022, radon testing and an OREB update.

And, finally, in Kitchissippi Times news: Recently, I made the tough decision to leave my editorial post.

I started as editor at the beginning of March 2020, when I assumed it would be business as usual at the paper. We’ve all got a version of that story, so I won’t bore you; suffice it to say my first weeks on the job were interesting!

I am grateful for all the experiences, lessons and, especially, the stories we’ve heard and shared from this mighty Ottawa community. It was an honour to be a part of this newsroom and neighbourhood.

As I write this last Editor’s Note, it is Sept. 28, World News Day. Thank you for your continued support of Kitchissippi Times and local journalism—it truly matters.

All the very best to incoming editor Charlie Senack and take care, Kitchissippi. And that’s all the news that’s fit to print!

OCTOBER UPDATES

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ART CLASSES

Landscape painting (online) and Watercolour (in-person) with Beverley; Drawing & Watercolour (online) with Maya

A TASTE OF COOL AFTER SCHOOL

Check out our pre-dinner kids’ classes at 4:30 & 5:30 including rock climbing, aerial yoga, cake decorating, basketball, pottery and more.

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‘Embracing peace is something everyone could apply’: Chabad Jewish Centre opens

BY CHARLIE SENACK

TheChabad Jewish Centre says they are ready to make history in Wellington West as they get set to host their first ever Jewish Holiday Services in the community.

Located in a historic home at 166 Huron Ave. N., the new Jewish centre aims to be a community hub for everyone. They first started hosting events this summer, and are now getting ready to ramp up activities.

With the Jewish High Holidays now in full swing, the Chabad Jewish Centre hosted their first High Holiday service for Rosh Hashanah at the Great Canadian Theatre Company at 1233 Wellington St. W., on Sept. 27. That will be followed by Yom Kippur services in early October.

Rabbi Moshe Caytak and his wife Sheina moved to the community with their newborn son this summer to run the Jewish centre.

“Those are the holiest days on the Jewish calendar,” Rabbi Caytak told Kitchissippi Times. “Rosh Hashanah is the head of the year, which means the blessings for the entire year are given on that day. The good resolutions that we take upon ourselves leading up to those days [affect] us in a positive way leading through the year.”

On Oct. 6, the eve of Yom Kippur, the Chabad Jewish Centre will host an evening service at their new location, beginning at 6:20 p.m.

That will be followed by a day of Yom Kippur activities held at the Great Canadian Theatre Company on Oct. 7. The day will begin at 10:30 a.m. with morning services, followed by a Yizkor Memorial Service held just after noon. At 5:15 p.m. there will be a Mincha/Neila closing, with the festivities ending at 7:19 p.m.

“There has been a tremendous response because there is such a need, especially in these times when there is so much happening in the world,” said Caytak. “It’s a great time to increase acts of goodness, kindness, prayer and a connection to God.”

– Rabbi Moshe Caytak

Yom Kippur occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. For the community, it’s a day full of prayer, fasting and repentance.

While there are many synagogues across Ottawa which plan activities to mark these important days in Judaism, Caytak noted having services

Top Rabbi Moshe Caytak and his wife Sheina moved to the community with their son Mendel this summer to run the Jewish centre. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Above: The Chabad Jewish Centre on Huron Avenue. PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

”This is the first Jewish Centre in Wellington West”

in Wellington West allows local Jewish people to be part of a community.

“It makes it very accessible for people to come,” he said. “This is the first Jewish Centre in Wellington West and we are reaching out (differently) by making ourselves accessible to every single person regardless of background. That makes us unique.”

Last December, before the centre was even up and running, the Chabad Jewish Centre hosted a grand menorah lighting for Hanukkah in the Osgoode Properties Parking Lot in Kitchissippi. Hundreds of people came out and it was a great success, said Caytak.

This year, a similar event will take place again, but will grow in size with one-onone teaching sessions and Chabad dinners.

The centre will also soon be home to the Jewish Youth Library of Ottawa, a long-

running organization that was founded in a local basement in the 1980s. It ran out of the Chaya Mushka Building, located at 192 Switzer Ave., until it ran out of space. With a collection of over 20,000 books, Caytak said it will be a huge resource for Jewish people in the community.

For 8 years I have been a thoughtful, vocal champion at City Hall and I want to continue to represent you as your City Councillor.

Pendant huit ans, j’ai été un champion réfléchi et écouté à l’Hôtel de ville et je veux continuer à vous représenter en tant que conseiller municipal.

Better. Together. ︱ Mieux. Ensemble.

* “We have seen, in the media every day, wars going on and terrible things happening,” said Caytak. “Embracing peace is something everyone could apply and take it to heart while really making a difference in both our personal lives and throughout the community. The way to combat darkness is through light.”

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kitchissippi.com @Kitchissippi kitchissippitimes KitchissippiTimes 9 • October 2022 Caytak hopes the Wellington West community will become more interested in the Jewish culture, and will get involved with the facility’s activities. Their goal is to spread some kindness and love at a time of turmoil for many.

Indigenous leader organizes march, efforts to rename parkway

BY MAUREEN MCEWAN

renamed to Kichi Sibi Winter Trail through a consultation of community partners such as the winter trail’s groomer team and Dovercourt Recreation, the city, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and Indigenous community leaders, including Dumont.

Ottawa’s

poet laureate has made a pledge: Albert Dumont will walk on the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway every Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, until the roadway’s name is changed.

“It’s about getting John A. Macdonald’s name off the parkway. He’s guilty of genocide,” said Dumont.

Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, is widely considered one of the primary architects of the residential school system. The first residential schools opened in the 1830s, with the last one closing in the mid-1990s, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR).

“For a period of more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend schools which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned,” the NCTR website states.

In 2021, the Government of Canada designated Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour “the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.”

Kitchissippi Times spoke with Dumont in the days leading up to the Sept. 30 walk.

“There’s going to be lots of people involved. I’m really, really thrilled at the amount of people that are saying they are going to walk with us,” he said. “We’re calling the walk, ‘Acknowledging the Truth Walk,’ and on September 30th, we’re going to call the parkway ‘Every Child Matters Parkway.’”

The Friday morning walk was set to depart around 8:30 a.m. from the Canadian War Museum, with participants walking along the parkway to Parkdale Avenue and back to the museum. Dumont expected a few hundred participants, including residential school survivors, locals, politicians and faith leaders, among others.

Born in traditional Algonquin Territory (Kitigan Zibi), Dumont is a spiritual advisor, human rights activist and Ottawa’s poet laureate. He is also a

co-author on the “Rename the Parkway” petition that has garnered thousands of signatures over the last few years.

“Macdonald’s name is everywhere else,” Dumont said. “I mean, it’s on bridges, it’s on schools, it’s at airports. Does it have to be on that parkway? It’s everywhere else. All I’m asking is that they get it off the parkway.”

“It should be called the ‘Kichi Zibi Parkway’ because the parkway runs parallel to the Kichi Zibi.”

Last October, the Sir John A. Macdonald (SJAM) Winter Trail was

“Wherever the Ottawa River watershed is, that was our territory— undisputed territory—everybody acknowledged that in the past,” Dumont told Kitchissippi Times in an October 2021 interview. “And so, it is an appropriate name for sure. It’s a good name to call that trail the Kichi Sibi Trail because it runs along the Kichi Sibi, the Great River of the Algonquin People.”

Earlier that year, the former Prince of Wales Bridge in Kitchissippi was also renamed. In July 2021, Ottawa city council voted in support of renaming the interprovincial crossing to Chief William Commanda Bridge, after the former Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation chief and Algonquin elder.

Dumont said that he may organize more walks along the parkway, even several a year, depending on how the situation develops with the NCC and the renaming.

Kitchissippi Times requested a comment from the NCC on the renaming of the parkway -- whether a renaming is being considered and, if so, what the status was currently.

“Following the 1st National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Fall 2021, the NCC committed to modernize its Toponymy Policy. The new toponymy policy was presented to the Board of Directors in April 2022. At the time, the NCC confirmed that the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway name would be the first asset considered under the new policy,” the NCC wrote in a statement to Kitchissippi Times Sept. 27.

“In August 2022, a new Advisory Committee on Toponymy (ACT) membership was finalized, and their first meeting was held on September 13, 2022,” the statement continued. “The Advisory committee recommended that the NCC further develop its

Dumont said he will walk on the parkway every Sept. 30 until the name is changed.

PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

analysis, alongside engagement with the Algonquin Nation and other stakeholders. This will contribute to a better understanding of the local history and topography, as well as the cultural significance of the location to the Algonquin people.”

The NCC confirmed that its public engagement strategy will be “further refined” and shared with the committee for input over the next weeks. The organization’s engagement activities will “seek to inform and engage the public and NCC stakeholders of the NCC’s review of the parkway name.”

The NCC expects to provide its recommendations to the board of directors in January 2023.

Dumont is encouraging the public to get involved with the process and engage with the NCC on the matter.

“I’d like for people to write to the NCC and tell them they object to Macdonald’s name being [there],” he said.

And Dumont has a team working with him on his reconciliation efforts locally.

Kitchissippi resident Pamela Naymark and a group of five or six volunteers help further those efforts through Orange Shirt Day t-shirt sales and by organizing local events, like the Sept. 30 walk, hoping to advance community change.

“It’s a small team of volunteers that are supporting all these grassroots, community-based reconciliation activities to advance Indigenous reconciliation,” Naymark said.

“Our whole message is positive; it’s a positive way to move forward, honouring both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, recognizing we’re both here, nobody should be blamed or shamed for the horrors of the residential schools and the story of Canada,” Naymark added. “But what we can do is make a better Canada,” she added.

Naymark said their volunteer team encourages Ottawa residents to get involved however they can.

“We want people to think about locally what they can do, and that hopefully is the big takeaway. You’re not powerless, you have different ways you can contribute,” she said.

For more information, visit healingbeginsnow.ca

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Albert Dumont is a spiritual advisor, human rights activist and Ottawa’s poet laureate. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERT DUMONT.

MPP goes on ‘social assistance diet’ for two weeks

BY CHARLIE SENACK

Ottawa

Centre MPP Joel Harden says he knows what it feels like to be hungry after participating in a “social assistance diet” for two weeks.

Harden was among five NDP provincial representatives who lived on a grocery bill of $47.60 for 14 days.

“I’m someone from privilege. Our goal was not to highlight our hardship, but to highlight the hardship of people who are living on social assistance,” Harden told Kitchissippi Times. “We wanted to make a case to the government of Ontario that it’s a much better policy to help people have liveable incomes because poverty is an incredibly expensive thing for Canada.”

For two weeks, Harden lived on cheap bread and peanut butter for breakfast, followed by dried lentils and chickpeas garnished with spices for lunch. He admits after the first week was over, the unhealthy diet became more difficult.

While people on government support often rely on food banks and kitchens for a hearty meal, Harden said he didn’t want to waste those resources for his experiment.

“I walked up and down my street and told neighbours if they do a Hello Fresh or Good Food box and have any spices left, to please give me them,” he said. “My sister has a really good garden in the community and she passed me over some vegetables. I have a neighbour who had an apple tree and gave me some apples.”

The five NDP MPPs who participated were Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain), Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean), Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay—Superior North), Jessica Bell

(University—Rosedale) and Harden (Ottawa Centre), according to the Ontario NDP’s website.

The grocery bill limit the MPPs set for themselves is roughly what people on ODSP or Ontario Works have to live on for food every week. Harden said it was also based on what the former premier Mike Harris’ government thought was adequate for those with a low income to spend monthly. It also took into account rising costs due to inflation.

When Harden was young, his mother was on welfare after her first marriage fell apart. But according to the Ottawa Centre MPP, that was a different era when government supports made it possible to pay the bills.

“It was certainly not a splendid existence and money was tight, but you could make ends meet,” said Harden. “Poverty is absolutely crushing for a person, and I have some memory of that as a kid. I remember the mental exhaustion and having tense arguments with family when really I was just hungry.”

ODSP recipients receive $1,200 a month, whereas people on Ontario Works receive $733 a month.

Recently, the Doug Ford-led Progressive Conservative government increased ODSP by five per cent, meaning recipients receive an additional $58 every month.

"We increased the ODSP rate to a historic five per cent and aligned it with inflation, because we know that high inflationary times are troublesome and make it that (much) more difficult for people," said Kanata-Carleton MPP Merrilee

Fullerton, who is also the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, at the provincial legislature.

But opposition MPPs say that is not nearly enough. Food prices were up 9.7 per cent this July, noted Harden, and housing costs were up 7.4 per cent.

Harden believes raising the social assistance amount will end up saving taxpayer dollars in the long run.

“It’s an ethical choice, but it’s also a smart economic choice,” he said. “If we were to double what we currently spend on ODSP and Ontario Works, it would be an $8 billion expense for the provincial government. But look at what the cost of poverty is in terms of health care, police spending, incarceration and jail, among so many other things.”

According to a report in 2019, Feed Ontario estimated that the cost of poverty in Ontario was “conservatively estimated” to be between $27.1-$33 billion per year.

Harden is urging Ottawa’s next mayor to support the community kitchen

movement if the provincial government isn’t willing to provide social assistance recipients with adequate funding.

“I would like Ottawa to be one of the community kitchen capitals of the world,” said Harden. “A place where we can share the meal together, and where it’s not just the rich feeding the poor. Let’s treat everyone as neighbours.”

Harden ended his two-week social assistance diet with a trip to Bread and Sons on Bank Street, where he spent $10.50 for a sandwich and $2.50 on a cookie. He noted the cost of his one lunch was roughly 25 per cent of his weekly budget when taking part in the experiment.

Top: Kitchissippi Times file photo of Joel Harden during his first MPP campaign. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK. Right: Five NDP MPPs lived on a grocery bill of $47.60 for two weeks this fall.

PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

As we head towards the end of my term as Mayor, I wanted to thank you, the residents of Ottawa, for the kindness you have shown me over the years. It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve the nation’s capital for almost fifteen years.

With gratitude,

Jim Watson

Mayor

Good vibrations: YSPF helps young musicians in National Capital Region

BY CHARLIE SENACK

The Young String Performers’ Foundation (YSPF) are gearing up for what they hope will be a successful season bringing music to live audiences once again.

The organization, which is in their 21st year, saw a return to in-person concerts this past March. In the spring, when COVID-19 restrictions were gradually loosening, many concert goers were still uncomfortable being in big crowds. But with life now returning to normal, the foundation's president said they are hoping for a lot of support from the community.

“We exist because we want to give talented kids venues to perform,” said Joan Milkson, who also founded the Young String Performers’ Foundation.

“Performance is the most important part of our mandate,” she added. “We sometimes arrange master classes [and] we provide a small bursary which at the moment has suffered quite a bit because during the pandemic [we] could not have live concerts.”

The charitable organization’s goal is to “create, provide, promote and subsidize opportunities that will develop the abilities of promising young string performers of

the National Capital Region up to the age of 18," according to its website.

The foundation is always looking for ways to support young musicians, and has

a string “Instrument Bank” where youth from low-income families can borrow professional-quality instruments like violins, violas, cellos, and basses.

They also seek out additional activities to help string performers with their skill development. In 2015, Milkson took 13 of her students to Vienna, Austria for an exchange with another music program. She said opportunities like that can unlock a world of possibilities for young musicians.

“The one thing about music is it is a small circle of people, and when you are bringing up students, it is also important to supply them with the possibilities of collegiality amongst other young people,” she said. “They don't get to see each other except two, three times a year. It builds up confidence, and it’s not competitive.”

Every year, music teachers from across Ottawa choose their most talented, upand-coming students to perform string instruments at the foundation's concerts. They are typically held four times a year at The First Unitarian Congregation Church, located at 30 Cleary Ave.

The YSPF has been running for over 20 years in the National Capital Region. PHOTO COURTESY OF YSPF.

Milkson estimated that roughly 90 per cent of their students take music performance seriously and continue to pursue post-secondary education for their craft. The organization’s founder said many well-known names have gone through their program.

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., with the first one of the year being held at the church on Oct. 29. Concerts will also be held on Jan. 28, and March 25, with their final fundraiser event of the season on June 10.

“The highlight of this is that the level of performance is always not just very good but exceptionally good,” said Milkson.

One of the YSPF’s central funding sources is its annual concert series.

“Today, in this immediate postpandemic period, donations are

appreciated more than ever. One of our major sources of funding is the entrance fee for live concerts. Unfortunately, the pandemic eliminated this source of revenue for nearly two years,” the YSPF website states. “Under these circumstances, your support is appreciated more than ever.”

This season, concert ticket prices are $15 for adults, $5 for students, and free for anyone under 10 years of age. Tickets can be bought at the door or on the Young String Performers’ Eventbrite page.

The YSPF also accepts community support through in-kind donations and donations of instruments. The Instrument Bank is accepting donations of high-quality violins, violas, cellos and double basses.

To learn more, visit yspf.ca

The First Unitarian Congregation Church, located at 30 Cleary Ave., where the YSPF usually holds its annual concert series. PHOTOS BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

Maker House to stop selling custom-cut furniture, closes woodshop branch

BY ALVIN TSANG

The

woodshop branch of Maker House Co. is closing this fall.

Store owner Gareth Davies has been making custom-cut furniture for seven years. Customers who wanted any specific size, colour or style of any table, bench, bookcase or whatever other furniture were able to have their specifications met at Maker House.

“In terms of the furniture that we’ve created, there’s a legacy that will live on in a lot of people’s homes,” Davies said. “We’ve received an outpour of

support from people in the community, so it’s bittersweet. The people who have commissioned us over the years say it’s very sad news. They say they’ll appreciate their custom furniture pieces all the more now that it can’t happen anymore.”

The final day for quote requests from customers was Sept. 30.

With this year’s rise in cost of materials, Maker House hasn’t been able to keep up with the cost of operating. The number of requests and projects hasn’t been the same, and it’s come to a point where Maker House is losing too much money.

“The economy is shifting so fast right now that, as soon as you adapt to the latest change, it’s too late,” Davies said. “The next change is already happening.”

What Maker House needed were sales, projects and revenue to keep the woodshop going, but all of it dropped and business became unsustainable.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. We approached the point where it was going to impact our ability to operate the store to its full potential, so that’s why we have to close the woodshop,” he said.

In 2021, Maker House expanded its budget and team in an effort to grow the

woodshop branch. Davies hired two new full-time staff, a woodworker and a sales lead, but unfortunately the response hasn’t been as strong in 2022.

“I would have loved for this to work. The dream was to go into a custom furniture business that could last for decades.

People can tell their kids, ‘we bought our furniture there, you should buy it there too.’ We wanted to be that well-known local spot that different generations would remember and know about,” Davies said.

In a regular business year, Maker House would complete over 100 custom furniture requests.

Clockwise from far left: Store Owner Gareth Davies. A closer look inside the woodshop branch. The storefront on 987 Wellington St. W. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAKER HOUSE CO.

The economy is shifting so fast right now that, as soon as you adapt to the latest change, it’s too late”

“We’re thankful for all our customers over the years for keeping our store going,” Davies said. “I think one of the reasons people support Maker House, and like buying from us, is that we give back to the community.”

Since 2015, Maker House has raised over $150,000 for various charities and organisations like the Parkdale Food Centre. This fall, Maker House will partner with the food centre once more, and two per cent of all earnings from woodcraft projects will be donated.

– Gareth Davies

Although the closing date for custom furniture requests has passed, Maker House will continue to have handmade furniture available for sale at the store and on its website this fall.

“We’re about to have some really good deals to clear out some of our stock from this summer season,” Davies said. “People can find really good prices on some unique local pieces.”

For more information, visit Maker House at makerhouse.com

Experts in their craft: Wellington Butchery offers quality, personal touch

When you go shopping for dinner ingredients, you want the best value for your money. We all know that food prices are rising, which is why the quality of your ingredients is so important, and that’s why Wellington Butchery prides itself on offering quality meats at every price point.

“Life’s too short to eat disappointing food,” says owner Joel Orlik. “You have to consider your whole experience from store to plate. Knowledgeable staff can steer you in the right direction, and fresh, welltrimmed quality cuts avoid shrinkage during cooking. You might pay a little bit more, but you’ll be happier with the result.”

Wellington Butchery stands in the neighbourhood’s food corner alongside Parma Ravioli, Herb & Spice, and the Ottawa Bagel Shop—businesses that strive to offer high quality products. Each of Wellington Butchery’s experienced butchers specializes in different cuts of meat from around the world, so no matter where you come from, you’re getting a little taste of home. Carlos specializes in South American cuts,

Joo Yong (Ryan) knows Asian cuts, and Anthony is experienced with French cuts, like the wagyu creton he prepares. Everyone at the Butchery is an expert in their craft, able to handle all sorts of cuts that might have many different names.

“There’s one where you cut the short ribs across the bone, and it has four different names,” Orlik said. “Depending on the community you are from, it can be called ‘Flanken’, ‘Korean ribs,’‘L.A. ribs,’ or ‘Miami ribs.’”

They offer a large variety of cuts that can be hard to find - such as Flat Iron, Skirt Steak and Denver steaks—and if something’s not in the display case, they can prepare it for you in short order. They also sell garnishes, marinades, sauces, and anything else you might need to spice up your meal. It’s not just beef that they specialize in either.

“We have chicken that is competitively priced. Often less expensive products like chicken legs have the back attached,” Orlik said. “We remove the back, which means, you pay a comparable price with us, but you get 30% less bone in your chicken.”

No matter what you’re looking for, Wellington Butchery will have the perfect ingredient for every meal. Whether an anniversary dinner for that special someone, or a quick weeknight meal, their personal touch and locally sourced ingredients offer both value and convenience.

“We try to source locally first, and if it’s not local then it’s Canadian,” said Orlik. “The only thing we import is the wagyu beef from Japan and Australia and we have a Canadian option that we added recently in this category.”

To learn more, visit wellingtonbutchery.com today!

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”

BIZ ROUNDUP

Welcome back to the Biz Roundup!

As always, we’ve caught up with our local BIAs to learn the latest business news. Here are some of the local headlines:

Coming soon

Bluboho is making its way to Westboro! The jewelry store is looking to open in October, according to its website, at its future location at 371 Richmond Rd. “bluboho is a fine jewelry company that carries ethically sourced, raw and refined jewelry pieces,” the company’s website states. Visit bluboho.com to learn more!

Love antiques? There might be a local source soon! Curated Antique Gallery and Boutique announced on Instagram Sept. 13 that it is looking to open officially in early October. The business is set to open at 111 Richmond Rd.—visit instagram.com/galleryelder for the latest updates!

TASTE fundraising continues

The TASTE of Wellington West 2022 Campaign for Parkdale Food Centre is still ongoing. The Wellington West BIA held its TASTE event Sept. 24, but the merchants of Hintonburg and Wellington Village are still working to raise $10,000 for the Parkdale Food Centre by the end of October. To learn more, visit wellingtonwest.ca/tastecampaign2022

Happy haunting in Westboro

westborovillage.com/ww/ to learn more about this year’s event!

New neighbourhood murals

MS-AD-KT-HPH-C-967x5-2022-09-22-EN3.pdf 1 2022-09-23 1:04 PM

Wickedly Westboro is back! The “spooky, safe and fun” event on Richmond Road has been running for over a decade. Celebrate the Halloween season from Oct. 14-31 with the Wickedly Westboro scavenger hunt. And on Oct. 29, there’s lots of “spooktacular” fun to be had: stop by the trick-or-treating stations in the neighbourhood; check out the local businesses’ pumpkin carving skills; and visit the Mystic Market, a “magical market for Witches, Mystics & folks.” Visit

Earlier this fall, Westboro brought a bit more art to the neighbourhood: two new murals have been painted on Bell Boxes at the corner of Richmond and Clifton Roads. “On September 17th the Westboro community and neighbors on Clifton Road came together to watch local [artist] Trp613 bring to life two Bell outdoor service boxes on Richmond Road and Clifton Road. Trp613 is a street artist in the Ottawa area, who works in a number of mediums including spray paint, stencils and stickers. He is inspired by pop culture with a 90’s influence, creating art with the goal of making the world a little less grey,” the Westboro Village BIA website states. “The two new murals have a strong nature focus, with hints of musical inspiration, as music has been a key community builder for the neighbours on Clifton Road."

A Mayor From Kitchissippi

Like you, I live in Kitchissippi.

I grew up here. My family is here. I run, stroll, shop and eat here, and our children go to school and play right here in Kitchissippi.

When I founded the Kitchissippi Times in 2003, I wanted to better understand and share the issues facing our community.

Today I’m running for mayor of Ottawa, and my deep connection with Kitchissippi has never been stronger. As mayor, I would continue to serve the residents of Kitchissippi and fight for the issues that matter most to you like safety, affordability, and a better quality of life.

On October 24th vote for me, Mark Sutcliffe. For Kitchissippi, and for all of Ottawa.

One of the boxes recently painted by artist Trp613 in Westboro.

PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

PHOTOS BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Westboro’s Richmond Road booming with new businesses

BY CHARLIE SENACK

After a tough few years with the COVID-19 pandemic, Westboro Village is bouncing back with new businesses looking to make their mark on the neighbourhood.

The Westboro Business Improvement Area (BIA) says vacant storefronts on Richmond Road’s main strip are quickly filling up with new tenants who are eager to enrich the flavour of the community.

“We have been watching with excitement as more leased signs have appeared on windows. Businesses have begun the process of fitting up their new spaces,” said Westboro BIA Executive Director Judy Lincoln. “Seeing so many new businesses open in Westboro Village since the spring has been

wonderful. Each new business brings something unique to the street and the community. We hope everyone enjoys getting out to explore and find a new favourite."

Over the spring and summer, a number of new businesses opened. One of Westboro’s newest tenants is COBS Bread, which opened its third franchise location in Ottawa at 414 Richmond Rd. The space was leased back in the fall of 2019, but because of pandemic delays, it

only opened in May of this year.

“I came to Canada as an immigrant in 2014 and I went to Westboro. I was immediately in love with the area,” said Westboro COBS franchise owner Ayman Elkerdany. “One of my childhood dreams was opening a bakery, so I went to the franchise and picked this location.”

That dream now a reality, Elkerdany says business has been steady with Kitchissippi residents coming in to taste a variety of baked goods.

“Step inside and you will have an open mouth and a falling jaw,” he said. “We start baking from scratch every day. Our most famous product is our sourdough products. We have great scones as well. Any products we don’t sell we donate to charity.”

Down the street at 117 Richmond Rd., a new gift shop has opened, stocked with locally and Canadian-made products.

Copper Alley Gifts owner Lefa Nowerman says they chose Westboro because of its charm and character.

“I managed a store that was kind of similar to this in Canmore, Alberta about 10 years ago. It’s always been a dream of mine to kind of do something similar,” she said. “We moved to Ottawa about eight years ago, and Westboro has always been a neighbourhood that I loved.”

First opening at the beginning of July, Copper Alley Gifts is stocked with natural body-care products, home decor items, hats, glassware, jewelry, novelty items and more.

“I think we are a little unique. We try to carry a little bit of everything,” said Nowerman.

On Aug. 5, Presotea opened at 352 Richmond Rd. The bubble tea franchise says Westboro has a unique demographic which could benefit from their presence in the community.

“Bubble tea has been around for a long time. I remember going for it after high school or even university. But I think it is now becoming well-known in the general population,” said co-owner Kelly Choi. “Based on our research, there are no bubble tea shops in this area, and we thought this would be a great place for high school students and kids who don’t drink a lot of coffee.”

The new local bubble tea shop also offers fruit slushies and has a number of drink toppings, including pearls (made out of tapioca) and jelly bobas.

With life getting back to normal, Lincoln suspects more businesses will continue to move into Westboro.

Presotea and COBS Bread opened franchise locations in Westboro recently.

YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR OCTOBER EVENTS

Amica Westboro Park, a senior lifestyles residence, invites you to join us at two exciting events:

OKTOBERFEST

Thursday, October 6 | 2:00 to 3:00 pm

Celebrate the festival with cold beer, soft pretzels, and musical entertainment by The International Set. RSVP by October 3.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

Monday, October 31 | 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Trick or treat? We choose treats! Join us in costume, sip a spooky cocktail, and enjoy live entertainment by the Starry Nights. RSVP by October 27.

We look forward to seeing you!

AT 613-728-9274

COMMUNITY PHOTOS

Fall is in the air

1

2

1. Stained glass and a station pass.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

2. It’s pumpkin season at Parkdale Market!

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

3. Melissa, an Aerial Antics performer, high in the air during a sunny morning at TASTE of Wellington West.

PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

4. Regina, with Aerial Antics, in flight at TASTE of Wellington West Sept. 24. PHOTO BY MAUREEN MCEWAN.

5. Taking time to stretch at TASTE of Wellington West.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

6. The wreath for Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony at the Westboro Legion Sept. 19. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

EARLY DAYS

150 years of Mechanicsville: The neighbourhood forged through hard work

BY DAVE ALLSTON

This year marks an incredible milestone in the history of Mechanicsville: 150 years! Yes, it was in 1872 that two Bytown entrepreneurial industrialists laid out a subdivision on the outskirts of town, though Mechanicsville was actually secondary to their main plans for the property.

Just a tiny neighbourhood four streets wide and three blocks deep, Mechanicsville packs an incredible amount of history into every square inch. The village built up quickly, and for most of its 150 years remained the same: a veritable time capsule of a 19th century working-class neighbourhood. However, in recent years, the character of Mechanicsville has changed rapidly. Original houses are counting fewer and fewer, and the neighbourhood’s colourful history is disappearing bit by bit.

To tell the full story of the neighbourhood could not possibly be done in one column (I am working on a longoverdue book!). So for this article, I thought it would be interesting to tell of the birth of Mechanicsville: how it came about, who was behind it and the meaning behind the name.

The story of Mechanicsville begins in 1870, when Alanson Hovey Baldwin and Thomas McDonough Blasdell acquired all of the land north of Scott Street—from about the middle of Tunney’s Pasture, east to the middle of Laroche Park. These were Nepean Township lots 35 and 36 in concession A, and were part of a large estate of land owned by the heirs of Nicholas Sparks, who had operated a mill at the river’s edge (at about where Hinchey would hit the water if it continued in a straight line).

Baldwin had come to Bytown and opened a saw mill at the Chaudiere in 1852, one of the “American Invaders” to the area

in the 1850s. By 1870, he was running two mills, a blacksmith shop and a shipyard for building barges on Victoria Island, employing 400 men.

Blasdell meanwhile had come to Bytown as a teen in the 1820s. His family operated a foundry and ironworks at the Chaudiere, and, eventually, Blasdell operated his own, known as the “City Foundry and Machine Shop,” and was well-known for his axes. By 1870, he was out of the foundry business, working as an independent engineer and machinist.

Having worked their entire careers around the Chaudiere, it was the potential of the Ottawa River upstream that interested them greatly. Known as the “Little Chaudiere,” by acquiring the future Mechanicsville land, it also gave them what they wanted most: the water rights to the adjoining river.

The area where Sparks’ mill had existed in the 1850s and 1860s was known as “Bulkhead Point,” and by 1870 was a series of ruins and old decaying buildings, one or two of the old millworker houses still habitable. This location would later be known as “The Beaver” (at the point) and “High Rock” (along the shore a little south) by locals.

At the time, Mechanicsville was just wild, overgrown cedar brush and swamp land, which was known as good hunting grounds for partridge. Years earlier, the original Richmond Road passed through the property, which likely had its beginnings as an Indigenous path.

Setting the stage for the new subdivision was the arrival of the Canada Central Railway in 1870, which ran trains along what is now the Transitway/LRT line, from LeBreton Flats to Carleton Place and beyond. Rail operations were booming at LeBreton Flats, and there were plans to soon see expanded railyards and more

mill operations to the west, in the Bayview vicinity.

Baldwin and Blasdell, however, were focused on the water rights. They wanted to harness the water power upstream from the industry at the Chaudiere, and had plans for what were known as the Little Chaudiere Falls and Rapids, as well as the land alongside.

By 1872, the pair’s plans had been

slowed by court battles over the recent damming of the Ottawa River at the Chaudiere by mill-owners, the City, and the Canada Central Railway. Baldwin and Blasdell argued that the huge dams, piers and booms installed in the river were causing water to back up significantly, causing flooding of their land, but, more importantly, diminishing the water power at the Little Chaudiere.

The original Mechanicsville subdivision plan. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLETON COUNTY LAND REGISTRY OFFICE.

The legal battles continued into 1873 and meanwhile, the pair decided, perhaps for financial reasons, to create a new neighbourhood on their idle land.

Mechanicsville was laid out on July 27, 1872, and the initial plan included just the area south of Burnside Avenue. The streets had numbered names (Stonehurst Avenue was “First Street”), and the 168 lots were laid out with roughly equal dimensions of about 50 by 98 feet. Behind each block was a 20’ lane. Mechanicsville would be expanded by an additional 44 lots just a few months later in November 1872, with a plan that laid out the section north of Burnside.

The name “Mechanicsville” was selected by Baldwin and Blasdell. In 2022, this conjures up images of a car repairman, but in the 19th century, a “mechanic” was simply a manual labourer. Baldwin and Blasdell envisioned the community as a home for working-class folk, who would be

working locally in the prospering industry. They likely saw it as a community for the workers at their planned mill operations nearby.

One notable part of their plan was that streets were laid out just 40’ wide (including sidewalks). This created the narrow roadways that we still have today. No one would have

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anticipated the logistics of automobiles and parking, which was more than 30 years away.

The earliest lot buyers were largely mill and rail labourers, who had little or no savings. In many cases they were sold their lots, and even the materials to build their houses, on credit from Baldwin and Blasdell. As such, many earlier buyers could only afford to purchase a half-lot, and build on just 25’ of land (hence why many Mechanicsville lots today are so narrow).

As there were no building restrictions or setback requirements in 1872, to maximize their limited space, early homebuilders didn’t worry about front lawns, or front verandas, and simply built their homes at the very front of the property line. 150 years later, Mechanicsville’s narrow streets and front doors opening onto the sidewalk are character features that set it apart from almost all other neighbourhoods in Ottawa.

Continues on page 28

Anatomy Physiotherapy practice opens Westboro branch

Anatomy Physiotherapy has opened a new branch in the Westboro area, the fourth location to open since 2019. They offer various services such as physical therapy, exercise therapy, TMJ (jaw) therapy, vestibular therapy, pelvic floor therapy and dry needling among others. But beyond that, their focus is connecting with the community and personalizing their treatment of each patient.

“We’re trying to take a different approach to physiotherapy whereby it’s a bit more personalized, more catered, and it’s very much based on the community feedback, patient feedback and staff feedback,” co-owner and physiotherapist Kamil Dlugosz said.

Andrew Dings opened the first Anatomy Physiotherapy location just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Kamil joined when Andrew was looking for someone to partner with in the new Westboro location. Andrew works at all four locations and specializes in running-related sports injuries, while Kamil works at the Westboro location and specializes in exercise therapy for a wide variety of recreational and competitive athletes. On a more personal side Andrew is an avid volleyball player and curler while Kamil is involved in the local martial arts, skiing, and cycling scenes. He has a six-year-old

son who loves sports as much as he does.

The Westboro location will have several outreach initiatives, such as a community board and an area for local artists to display their work. Kamil said they don’t want to just be another business on the strip: they want to connect with the community and offer a familiar, welcoming service, especially for people who maybe aren’t as comfortable speaking English or French.

“My family came here from Poland as refugees in 1990, and I can offer services in English, French and Polish. I would love to connect more with the Polish community,” Kamil said.

He knows from his own family’s experience as newcomers that navigating health services in your second language can be difficult and stressful.

“Some people may not feel comfortable always speaking in English or French in a health care setting, and I don’t know of many physiotherapy providers offering services in other languages.

There’s a growing need for multilingual services in health care, particularly considering the growing Ukrainian community in Ottawa as well.”

Anatomy Physiotherapy has locations in Orleans, St. Laurent, Stittsville, and now Westboro (205 Richmond Rd., Unit 109). Kamil has high hopes that the compassionate, specialized care they offer to people from diverse backgrounds will resonate with all members of the community.

“We’re here to support our patients’ health and their quality of life,” said Kamil. “There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone overcome an injury, for example, and [seeing] them get back to the activities that bring joy and meaning to their lives, whether it’s playing competitive sports or just carrying their kids or grandkids on their shoulders or [running] around with them in the park.”

Visit anatomyphysioclinic.com to learn more!

The Mechanicsville logo used by Alanson Hovey Baldwin and Thomas McDonough Blasdell in their 1872 expansion plan. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLETON COUNTY LAND REGISTRY OFFICE.

EARLY

150 years of Mechanicsville

Continues from page 27

Many of Mechanicsville’s first houses were basically wood-frame boxes, with a single room downstairs that was a combined kitchen, living room and bedroom, with one room upstairs that acted as a bedroom for most of the family (whose average numbers typically ranged from five to 10 or more in a house). The houses were not built to hold warmth. A stove heated the home in the winter, and renovations were required when electricity, water and sewage finally did arrive. For all of these reasons, Mechanicsville had the city’s highest infant mortality rates for many years.

The construction of houses was often gradual, progressing paycheque by

paycheque. A second floor was added as it could be afforded. Additions off the back, or a summer kitchen, came later. The few houses that did have brick added did so many years after construction.

Records indicate that within the first nine months of Mechanicsville’s existence, 102 lots had been sold, and the first 12 houses were built. Of those 12 houses, only two remain standing: 76 Stonehurst, built by 28-year-old labourer James Cook; and 85 Carruthers, built by 30-year-old stonemason F.X. Sauve (my great-great-great grandfather).

The first shop in Mechanicsville was a small grocery store to serve the growing neighbourhood, operated out of the home of William Gilbault at 28 Burnside

(demolished in the 1990s). Gilbault was a horse teamster, and it is likely the shopkeeping duties fell to his wife.

Baldwin and Blasdell never achieved their planned water and mill operations. Canada suffered through a long and unrelenting economic depression that began in 1873, and, after borrowing $7,000 against the land in 1874, the pair began selling shares in their property to various lumber merchants. But by 1880, all the surrounding land and unsold Mechanicsville lots were surrendered to the mortgage holder.

Meanwhile, despite the depression, Mechanicsville would continue to grow steadily. The neighbourhood became predominantly francophone, with more than 80 per cent of residents in the late 1800s and early 1900s being French. Mechanicsville Separate School was built

at 159 Forward in 1886 to accommodate the growing number of children. However, until the first St. Francois D’Assise Church was built on Wellington in 1890, Catholics had to walk to a small chapel in LeBreton Flats for services.

Annexation to Ottawa was seriously discussed as early as the mid-1880s, but it would not be until 1911 that Mechanicsville joined Ottawa, largely out of need for fire and sewer services that Nepean Township could not provide.

It would be quite an experience to jump in a time machine and visit Mechanicsville of the 19th century.

Thankfully, we still have some traces of its early days, but they are sadly dwindling.

The memories and stories will live on, through the proud and loyal residents and descendants of Ottawa’s most character (and history)-filled neighbourhood!

by

RENO TOUR

Drama, sophistication and a cozy moodiness are infused in this Amsted project. Page 30.

PHOTO BY GORDON KING PHOTOGRAPHY.

Take the virtual, eighth annual Reno Tour

By Anita Murray, All Things Home

Like a house tour (or builder model home) but focusing on renovations, the tour, which is presented by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, is a great place to start your reno research. It features remodelling and addition projects by three of Ottawa’s most respected renovation companies — Amsted DesignBuild, Lagois Design-Build-Renovate and RND Construction.

And you don’t even have to leave home to take the tour.

The eighth annual tour is a virtual one this year, as it has been since the pandemic forced a pivot from in-person visits to see

the projects. But you can still walk through the homes, thanks to the immersive 3D imaging work of Point3D Commercial Imaging. And you can virtually walk through each of these renovations at your own pace, direction, convenience and as often as you wish, discovering extras such as before photos and multimedia tags with more information as you go. Plus, you can also reach out directly to the renovator of each project.

“It’s a chance for people to peek into basically what’s a home magazine,” says Amsted’s Stephanie Fahey. “I think people just have a genuine curiosity about what

other people are doing in their homes. But it also gives them a chance to see a renovator’s work more up close and personal.”

Amsted Design-Build

Amsted’s project is a dramatic renovation and addition to a century home that completely reimagines the main floor and adds some serious wow factor.

Combining unexpected design choices, customization to meet the family’s changing needs and a flair for the dramatic creates a sophisticated, intimate and highly functional remodel. Highlights include two islands, barnboard beams, beautiful layers of lighting and an intriguing use of colour.

“It’s a beautiful project. It’s honestly one of my favourites,” says Fahey. “There’s something so sophisticated but cosy and intimate.” The project is also a finalist in the upcoming Ottawa Housing Design Awards, which will be announced Oct. 15.

Lagois Design-Build-Renovate

This project shows the dramatic transformation of a home for a couple who loves to entertain but had a closed-off kitchen. A large addition was added to the back, the kitchen and dining room were merged, and the stairs were relocated to increase functionality.

Expansive windows let in nature and light and allow the homeowners to enjoy their mature gardens, the new layout encourages family gathering, and the new heart of the home is a joy to be in.

“Accommodating large family gatherings with a space to connect was important to our clients,” says Lagois president Jacob Kirst. “The solution was to create an addition with expansive windows overlooking the rear yard, while taking advantage of the natural light to flood into

the existing home, creating an energizing environment to relax, entertain and live.”

RND Construction

In a prime example of the value of Reno Tour, a past visitor went on to become a client for RND. The project is a kitchen renovation and addition that showcases a strong indoor-outdoor connection and includes an oversized peninsula with an eat-in bar and lots of food prep areas and storage.

Adding a personal touch are the milled planks from a beloved black walnut tree lost in the 2019 tornado, which were incorporated into the kitchen’s open shelves and decorative band on the range hood.

“We usually encourage our homeowners to incorporate some feature that is unique to their needs or experiences,” notes RND owner Roy Nandram, who points visitors to both the quality of the finishes and the home’s energy-efficient features — a hallmark of RND projects.

The kitchen is a finalist in the Housing Design Awards.

Taking the tour

The tour will be live at renotour.ca as of Oct. 1 and will remain active over the next year. You can also see previous Reno Tour projects at gohba.ca under the RenoMark tab. (All participating companies are RenoMark members, which means they must meet and adhere to strict eligibility requirements to better protect the homeowner.)

AnitaMurrayistheco-founderofAll ThingsHomeInc.andownerofThreeC Communications.Theveteranjournalisthas coveredtheOttawahousingindustrysince2011.

Kelly Ebbs & Kerry Millican REALTOR®S

If there’s a renovation in your future, if you love the inspiration of before and afters or if you simply enjoy exploring well-designed and constructed spaces, Reno Tour 2022 is for you.

Connecting inside and out, particularly to the gardens, was key in this Lagois project. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAGOIS.

JUST SOLD

FOR SALE

JUST

REAL ESTATE

Ottawa home sales see 27 per cent decrease in August: OREB

By Maureen McEwan

JUST LISTED

JUST LISTED

As the summer drew to a close, the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) reported that home sales were down in August.

In a statement Sept. 6, OREB members reported that they sold 1,137 residential properties through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system this August, compared to 1,565 sold in August 2021—a 27 per cent decrease.

The sales included 850 residential properties, down 27 per cent compared to 2021, and 287 condominium properties, a decrease of 28 per cent from a year ago. The five-year average for August total sales is 1,603.

to standard financing and inspection conditions and fewer multiple offer scenarios,” Torontow added.

Condominiums saw an average sale price of $421,966 this August, a 4 per cent increase from last year. For residential properties, the average sale price in August was $707,712, a 5 per cent increase from August 2021.

Year-to-date average sale prices were $795,978 for residential properties and $457,771 for condominiums—as reported by the OREB Sept. 6—marking a 10 per cent and 9 per cent increase, respectively, over the 2021 averages.

Torontow suggested that the Ottawa real-estate market is moving towards a “balanced” state.

Taking care of business

By Dean Caillier, Sales Representative with Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central, Brokerage

If you’re a dog owner, you know your fourlegged friend doesn’t distinguish between good and bad weather when deciding to whether or not go outside for a walk; they just want to go out, do their business and have a little exercise, regardless of the weather.

On one particularly rainy day while walking our dog, I saw a person painting the front porch of a home. I thought “there is a keener” who, despite the weather, was out there brushing and rolling away. I also thought it was a bit odd to see the exterior of a house being painted in the rain.

A few days later, that same house had a storage container on the driveway, and on garbage day, a spring-cleaning pile placed at the curb. These were the telltale signs of a property being prepared for sale. Sure enough, a week later, the for sale sign was placed on the front lawn.

As a Realtor, I see this scenario often: Homeowners racing against the clock to have their home ready for market. The grocery list of items needing to be repaired in the home, likely for years, now rushing to be completed in a matter of weeks. Whether it’s painting, having the roof replaced or placing unwanted furniture to the curb, it can be quite a bit of stress and expense for the homeowner.

Life can be complicated, particularly these past few years, so staying on top of one’s home maintenance and purging of contents may take a back seat to other more pressing matters. With that in mind, take those free moments to do a bit of purging as well as staying on top of both minor and major repairs. When it comes time to sell, it will be less stress and less expense knowing your home is ready for market.

“August is a traditionally slower month in Ottawa’s resale market ebb and flow cycle due to summer vacations. Compounding the slowdown in market activity, [buyers] are uncertain about their purchasing power given impending additional interest rate hikes,” OREB President Penny Torontow stated Sept. 6.

“The lightning speed at which homes were selling at the start of 2022 is a thing of the past, evidenced by Days on Market (DOMs) inching closer to that 30-day mark. We have also observed a return

“Prices are still rising slightly in some areas, albeit lower single-digit percentage increases, bringing back the moderate price-growth stability that is characteristic of the Ottawa resale market. What happened to prices in 2020 and 2021 was unusual. We are moving towards a balanced market state, where [buyers] have choices and [sellers] need to ensure they are pricing their properties accurately,” Torontow stated.

Visit oreb.ca to learn more.

Find that good to be home feeling.

Renovations + Additions | Custom Homes | Home Care

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SOLD

Know your Ottawa real estate history

If you have been keeping track of the news, you have probably noticed a slight trend in how the real estate market is getting reported. Things sound scary: rising interest rates, talk of a “housing crisis,” and the dreaded recession talk —it’s enough to make anyone log off.

However, looking at the history of Ottawa real estate, the Chell Team thinks the outlook is quite a bit more positive.

Here’s why:

We’re still following the four phases of real estate

The real estate market typically follows four phases, repeating itself roughly every 20 years. Looking back at historic trends, we can pinpoint these phases.

Recovery

The first phase (or the last) is recovery. This is when the public feels a bit down about the economic outlook. It usually occurs right after a recession and can be hard to define. New constructions are stagnant, and vacancy rates are low, but there is a glimmer of hope.

Expansion

Many experts say this is when the economy feels “normal.” Construction is booming, and unemployment is going down. Expansion can be seen in the middle of a strong seller’s market in most cases: the housing supply and housing demand are rising.

Hyper supply

Housing supply has begun to exceed demand, creating higher vacancy rates, and home prices decline. This is when the market begins to contract: unemployment rises as fewer construction jobs are needed due to an overabundance of supply.

Recession

A strong buyer’s market where housing supply heavily outweighs demand, but a recession is not necessarily a bad thing! Dropping prices could present a fantastic opportunity for buyers to make strategic real estate decisions.

Interest rates are still historically low

The Bank of Canada slashed the Policy

Rate to 0.25% at the start of the pandemic to protect the economy. It was a temporary change that was always scheduled to increase.

As the economy recovers, the low interest rates have driven inflation up to record levels, which signaled that the time was right for interest rate increases.

Canada’s mortgage industry is one of the most regulated

The steps to getting a mortgage in Canada are some of the strictest in the world, and that’s a good thing! A highly-regulated mortgage industry protects homebuyers from borrowing more than they can afford and can safeguard them against unexpected issues, such as rising interest rates.

Ottawa’s economy is historically stable  Ottawa is often sheltered from significant economic swings because our housing market and employment sector are heavily padded by the government. Reports from The City of Ottawa show that the city’s unemployment has been lower than average since the turn of the century.

Is it possible to time the Ottawa market?

While we can look at the four phases of real estate and economic factors in our city, no one knows exactly what’s coming and when. “Timing the market” is a myth.

The real estate market is similar to the stock market: from an investment perspective, there is always a bit of risk involved. However, for those buying a family home they plan to live in and raise a family, there’s no time like the present to take the leap.

To read the full article, visit chellteam.com/blog

Contact Susan, Patti or Sarah at 613- 829-7484 for your free home evaluation or buyer consultation.

Patti Brown Broker Susan Chell Broker Sarah Toll Broker

Radon gas: What you need to know

By Patrick Langston, All Things Home

Fall means an invigorating change of seasons, but, for some families, it can also bring heightened exposure to potentially dangerous radon gas.

Invisible, odourless and tasteless, the radioactive gas occurs naturally when uranium breaks down in soil or rocks. It can enter a home through cracks in the foundation, sump pumps, basement drains and even well water.

Almost one in 10 Canadian homes have radon levels above the recommended limit, according to Health Canada.

High levels of radon — which vary widely depending on where you live, and build up especially in the colder months

when our homes are shut up tight — can be treacherous.

How treacherous? Radon exposure is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, according to Health Canada. Smokers who are exposed to radon have an even higher risk of lung cancer. In fact, the department estimates radon exposure is responsible for more than 3,000 lung cancer deaths in Canada each year.

Health risk from radon is long-term rather than immediate, so risk increases with the length of time someone is exposed to the gas. And that means homeowners with a radon problem can take action now to reduce long-term risk.

Detection starts with testing

“There is certainly radon in Ottawa — there are some hot spots in Kanata and

on the Quebec side as well,” says Derek Stashick of Buller Crichton Environmental, whose services include radon testing.

Radon levels can vary even on the same street, he adds. “Radon seeks the path of least resistance, so it could miss your neighbour’s house but hit yours. If the ground under your house has shifted

a bit over time and created hairline cracks in the foundation, that’s all it needs to get in.”

A radon test is the only way to determine if your home is in the dangerous zone of 200 Becquerels/m3 or more.

Continues on p.36

Radon levels can vary even on the same street. It might miss your neighbour’s home but hit yours. The only way to know for sure is to test for it.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLTHINGSHOME.CA.

HOME SAFETY

Radon gas

Continues from p.35

DIY detectors starting at under $40 are available at hardware stores, home improvement centres and online. They’re simple to use: just follow the instructions, ship it off to a designated lab when you’re done and you’ll get the results within a week or two.

Make sure you get a long-term Alpha Track detector approved by the Canadian - National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP). Long-term detectors need to be left in place for three to six months — preferably during the winter when radon levels can build up — but are more accurate than cheaper, short-term detectors that sample the air for just a few days.

For homeowners wanting to get a professional involved, Buller Crichton charges $200. That includes the

device, placement guidance, shipping to a lab, and a formal report and recommendations. If Buller Crichton does the placement, the charge is about $375.

If you’re considering a professional assessment, hire a C-NRPP-certified expert. You’ll find a list of local certified testers at c-nrpp.ca.

Should you test a newly built or renovated home?

The National Building Code requires new homes to include certain radon prevention measures, including sealed sump pumps and a roughed-in or passive pipe to allow gases to escape.

However, unless your home has a built-in mitigation system, it should be tested for radon during the first heating season.

If radon remediation is required, the Tarion new-home warranty should cover the cost on purchase agreements signed after February 2021. The coverage

lasts for up to seven years. For more information, visit tarion.com.

Had a major renovation of your home? New windows and doors, better insulation and other upgrades can trap more radon gas inside your home, so it’s a good idea to test for radon levels.

Radon remediation

If your home’s radon level is 200-600 Becquerels/m3, you should remediate the situation within two years, according to Health Canada. If it’s above 600 Becquerels/m3, get it fixed within a year.

Remediation can mean simply sealing basement cracks or putting a proper cover on your sump pump. In other cases, it involves installing a mitigation system,

typically what’s known as an Active Soil Depressurization (ASD) system. It has a pipe with a fan that draws radon-laden gas from underneath the home and expels it outdoors.

“It usually takes us six to eight hours to do the job,” says Mark Simon of Simon Air Quality. His company both tests for and mitigates radon gas. “The cost really varies, depending on the home. It typically costs somewhere between $2,400 and $5,200 for a certified system.”

As with testing, when hiring a mitigation service check the C-NRPP site for certified experts. The site also provides questions to ask prospective mitigation services.

PatrickLangstonistheco-founderofAllThings HomeInc.andaveteranjournalist.Hehaswritten widelyabouttheOttawahousingindustrysince2008.

Korey Kealey Broker

Liam Kealey Broker Brendan Kealey Broker

A month of reflection

SUBMITTED BY YASIR NAQVI, MP FOR OTTAWA CENTRE

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

Canadians are invited to visit the Government of Canada's commemorative website and sign the online book of condolences, as well as learn more about the transition of the Crown and what it

means for Canadians at canada.ca

We also reflect on our country’s history and relationship with Indigenous Peoples as Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Recently, I was honoured to announce, on behalf of the Government of Canada, investments totalling more than $4 million to support 278 community projects all across the country and two major national projects: a national commemorative gathering on Sept. 30 in Ottawa, and an educational program week for students. This funding was awarded to support commemoration activities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The selected projects will help raise awareness of the history and impact of residential schools and promote healing and reconciliation.

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

Recognizing the tragic history and impact of residential schools is essential

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

Former residential school students can call 1-866-925-4419 for emotional crisis referral services and information on other health supports from the Government of Canada. Indigenous peoples across Canada can also go to the Hope for Wellness Help Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week for counselling and crisis intervention at 1-855-242-3310.

PROVINCIAL UPDATE

SUBMITTED BY JOEL HARDEN, MPP FOR OTTAWA CENTRE

Lately,

I’ve been talking a lot about an appeal to double social assistance rates.

The appeal came from five MPPs (myself included) who pledged to live on a $47 food budget for two weeks. Why?

We need a basic income that treats people with respect, and doesn’t waste money on legislated poverty for 900,000 folks on Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

(To recap: doubling social assistance in Ontario would cost about $8 billion, but the societal costs of poverty are at least triple that amount).

Not long ago, I visited the Parkdale Food Centre’s “Coffee and Conversation”

breakfast that runs on Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. at 30 Rosemount Ave. This program is a lifeline for folks on social assistance seeking a decent meal and companionship.

While talking to the neighbours attending the breakfast, I met Pat, who knew about our appeal to double social assistance rates.

So I asked Pat how he survives on such a limited food budget. As he formulated a response, a man down the table shouted this:

“$47 a week eh? Where do you steal your toilet paper?” He got the table’s attention.

The point was effectively made. Some have questioned if a $47 weekly food budget reflects the experience and cost of legislated

poverty. So I listened further to understand.

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

Natalie, an ODSP recipient, said she came to the Parkdale Food Centre from Lowertown, a significant commute. “But it’s worth it,” she said. “And not only for the food. I started coming here six months ago. And when I don’t come, someone calls to see how I’m doing.”

It didn’t feel like a soup kitchen, it felt like being at a breakfast table with friends.

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

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

“Joel,” Simon said. “Think of what we could do across the city.”

Our office is here for you with:

“Many city buildings have industrialgrade kitchens that are empty most of the time. What if we found public money to staff these kitchens, train volunteers, and produce delicious food?”

Monthly Town Halls Canvasses Community Organizing Help Accessing Government Services

As we discussed the value of companionship, we also talked about screen time for kids, and diminishing eyesight with age (I’ve just started with reading glasses).

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

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

Frances-Anne Johnston

Franz Johnston

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL CORNER

ND, the place to be in 2023

BY RAWAN ELAGAMI AND ALLIE GOODYEAR

9-12 interested in participating.

The COVID-19 pandemic limited the kinds of events that our student council could plan, so we are excited to bring back the experiences that our students have been missing.

The

leaves are changing and there's a chill in the air: it’s fall and the start of a new and exciting school year! The students at Notre Dame High School (ND) are settling in and the corridors are filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for what’s to come.

By means of introduction, our names are Rawan Elagami and Allie Goodyear, and we are the co-presidents of the ND Student Council for the 2022-2023 school year.

As co-presidents, it is our job to plan the events and activities that make high school memorable. As Grade 11 students ourselves, we understand that this school year is a very important year for our peers—it is the first “normal” school year in three years.

ND students want to make this year the best one yet and are keen to get involved. We have seen tremendous numbers of students getting involved in our student council, Black Students Association, arts programming, sports teams, leadership programs, and other clubs that our school has to offer. In September, we had our first student council meeting, and were astounded to see over 70 students in Grades

We kicked off the school year with a spirit week at the end of September, and had so much support from students and teachers. We are planning on reviving our traditional teacher vs. student sport competitions— these events were always popular in the past and are a great way for students to build school spirit and become involved in our community. Later on in the year, we are hoping to have a school dance and our own ND Oscars. In the meantime, our next big project is setting up and running a haunted house for Halloween here at the school.

Our school prides itself on its diverse student population from different cultural backgrounds and traditions. During the month of February, we are planning all sorts of learning activities and cultural events for Black History Month. ND’s very own Black Students Association is meeting weekly with its members where we, along with other schools within the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), are getting ready to attend the annual OCSB Black Student Forum. It will be the launchpad for many great ideas on ways to celebrate Black History Month. ND’s Student Council and Black Students Association are working together to plan a really amazing cultural event.

We are looking forward to making memories and putting our plans into action. This year is going to be full of joy and excitement for Notre Dame students. If you would like to follow along, feel free to follow our student council Instagram page, @ notredameeagles

Breathtaking flowers, plants and striking contemporary decor.

Council Co-presidents Allie Goodyear and Rawan Elagami.

PHOTO BY ALLIE GOODYEAR.

NEPEAN HIGH SCHOOL CORNER

Is it time to bring back Grade 13?

BY GEORGIA JONES

During the Ontario provincial election in May, the Liberals proposed in their Ontario Liberal Plan for Education the idea of reinstating an optional Grade 13 as a way for students to further enrich their learning before graduation.

After consistently experiencing interrupted learning throughout the pandemic, some students have been opting to complete a "victory lap"—voluntarily staying in high school beyond the typical four years. Victory laps are often used to boost grades, complete missing prerequisites and fulfill scholarship requirements. However, as of 2013, a 34-credit threshold was introduced by the Liberal party limiting funding for most students who exceeded 34 credits,

according to a 2016 Scarborough Mirror article by Tara Hatherly.

A Grade 12 student at Nepean High School (NHS), Yana Golic, added her thoughts on the situation.

“A Grade 13 would be helpful, but only if schools are willing to help students with real-life skills,” she said. “I think that’s a major problem with high schools now: that students are graduating with no idea how to cope with real-life problems.”

Golic is not alone in expressing these concerns: other students added that they feel unprepared to deal with life after secondary school. Charlotte Dobson, another NHS student, says that she hopes a Grade 13 would provide learning more geared towards necessary life skills, such as budgeting and finances.

Steven Del Duca, the former Liberal party

leader, said the optional Grade 13 would solve these issues by providing a structured alternative to the victory lap, and allowing students access to courses such as civics, personal finances and mental health and well-being. The goal of the reintroduction would be to help students catch up on educational opportunities they missed due to the pandemic, and introduce them to new skills. But altering an entire school system is a large decision, so the drawbacks must also be considered.

Grade 13 was phased out of Ontario secondary schools in 2003, a removal that led to the introduction of applied vs. academic streams of study. Recently, the phasing out of this system of streaming has also begun in Ontario schools, after drawing criticism that it results in decreased opportunities for students. Removing this

new system could signal a return to old methods, perhaps making this the perfect time to reintroduce the concept of Grade 13.

From quadmester systems, to cohorts and remote learning, high school education in Ontario has been in constant flux since schools first closed in spring 2020. Students across all grades have been struggling to maintain some of the skills needed in order to succeed in secondary school, such as group work, labs and in-person exams.

For many Grade 12 students at NHS, this will be their first year in a traditional high school setting before graduation, and many feel ill-equipped to deal with this sudden transition. However, the addition of Grade 13 would offer students the time and opportunity to further hone their skills and explore additional courses, making it a viable solution.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

COVID-19 note: This page has been updated to reflect the developments in Ottawa during the pandemic.

Stay safe and healthy, Kitchissippi!

SEPT. 28 - OCT. 16: ORANGE ART GALLERY EXHIBITION - DENISE LANDRIAULT - BETWEEN HERE AND THERE

“Orange Art Gallery is pleased to host artist Denise Landriault to her solo show ‘Between Here and There’ in Ottawa, Canada. With a keen eye for beauty and an incredible imagination, this new collection of works illustrate whimsical stories from the artist's life,” the Orange Art Gallery website states. The exhibition runs from Sept. 28-Oct. 16 at the gallery—290 City Centre Ave. Visit orangeartgallery.ca to learn more!

OCT. 8-27: WALL SPACE GALLERY - DAUMACREATURES OF HABIT

“Wall Space Gallery is proud to host Dauma in her debut co-solo exhibition. Through darkly comedic human figures and otherworldly porcelain creatures, Dauma explores nature as a metaphor for the human condition and the ways in which human and nature are interconnected,” the Wall Space Gallery website states. The exhibition runs Oct. 8-27 at the gallery—358 Richmond Rd. To learn more, visit wallspacegallery.ca

OCT. 8-27: WALL SPACE GALLERY - DREW MOSLEY - DEIMATIC BEHAVIOUR

“Wall Space Gallery is proud to present the latest co-solo exhibition by Ottawa-based artist Drew Mosley. Drew Mosley forms fantastical narratives inspired by the study of natural history, mycology, ancient civilizations and social evolution. His works

tie together contemporary concerns of collapsing ecosystems, hyper-consumerism, and capitalism,” the Wall Space Gallery website states. The exhibition runs Oct. 8-27 at the gallery—358 Richmond Rd. To learn more, visit wallspacegallery.ca

OCT. 8: WESTBORO LEGION’S OKTOBERFEST

The Downstairs Hall and bar, 385 Richmond Rd., opens at 5:30 p.m. and dinner, including schnitzel and traditional salads, is served at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment provided by the Edelweiss Duo until midnight. Tickets ($35) are available at the branch’s upstairs bar, 391 Richmond Rd. More info: 613-725-2778.

OCT. 14: TRIVIA CHALLENGE FOR CHARITY

Registered teams compete for branch donations ($500, $300 and $200) to their chosen non-profit groups in the Westboro Legion’s Downstairs Hall, 385 Richmond Rd. Door and bar open at 6 p.m. and play begins at 7:30 p.m. Door prizes and silent auction. The cost: $15 per player (maximum six per team). To register: rcl480.com

OCT. 22 – WOODROFFE UNITED CHURCH - FALL BAZAAR

Woodroffe United Church is hosting a fall Bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The church is located at 207 Woodroffe Ave. N. Items available include books and puzzles, baking and preserves, jewellery, Christmas decorations, gift baskets, china and kitchenware, linens, knitting, tools, electronics and much more! There will also be a silent auction. For more information, please contact the church office at 613-7229250. Masking is encouraged. See you there!

OCT. 24: OTTAWA ELECTION - VOTING DAY

Voting Day for the 2022 Ottawa municipal election is on Oct. 24.

To learn more about how, when and where to vote, the candidates and general election information, visit ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/ elections

HELP RAISE

OCT. 28: WESTBORO LEGION HALLOWEEN DANCE

Pam and Doug Champagne entertain from 7-11 p.m. in the upstairs lounge, 391 Richmond Rd. Legion and Ladies Auxiliary members $2. Public admission $5.

OCT. 29: YOUNG STRING PERFORMERS' FOUNDATION CONCERT

The Young String Performers' Foundation (YSPF) presents a classical concert by very talented children and youth under the age of 18. Our goal is to create, provide, promote and subsidize opportunities that will develop the abilities of promising young string players. This concert is sure to take your breath away! Date: Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Location: The First Unitarian Church, 30 Cleary Ave. For more info including ticket prices, please visit yspf.ca

MONDAYS – ABOVE AND BEYOND TOASTMASTERS

Every Monday at 6:45 p.m. (except holidays). Have the jitters each time you need to present a speech? Visit us online. Learn how to communicate better in a relaxed atmosphere and hone your leadership skills. Impromptu speaking is one of our highlights. It’s fun, fun, fun! We would love to have you join us on Mondays. Contact our club at aandbtoastmasters@ gmail.com to receive the link.

TUESDAYS – BYTOWN VOICES COMMUNITY CHOIR

Although the choir is not able to prepare for public performances, we will be meeting online each Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.

We will be learning some new music and maintaining our vocal cords in a relaxed environment, with plenty of musical and technological help. We will all be experiencing this new way of meeting and singing together and are happy to welcome new members, men and women, to join us. For more information, see our website at bytownvoices.com

WEDNESDAYS – WEEKLY BINGO

Westboro Legion Downstairs Hall, 385 Richmond Rd. Door opens at 4 p.m., kitchen at 5 p.m. and games begin at 6:30 p.m. Cash prizes. Net proceeds to local nonprofit organizations.

THURSDAYS – WEEKLY DARTS

Regulars and new players are invited to join the Westboro Legion’s Dart League. The Downstairs Hall door and bar open at 6:30 p.m. and play begins at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $6.

Got a Kitchissippi area virtual or COVID-19-safe event to share?

We’d love to hear about it. Send your info to editor@kitchissippi.com

For the full list of events please go to kitchissippi.com.