Barrhaven Independent January 6, 2023

January – Donnelly found fit to stand trial for death of his mother

Connor Donnelly has been found fit to stand trial after being accused of killing his mother at a Barrhaven home in November, 2021.

The 37-year-old was charged following the Nov. 14 incident with one count of Second Degree Murder and another count of Attempted Murder.

Donnelly is accused of stabbing his mother 64-year-old Linda Frederick, and stepfather Michel Sabourin, 67. Fredrick died on the scene at her Sherway Drive home and Sabourin battled life threatening issues in hospital but survived.

Donnelly has been found fit to stand trial for both charges.

It was during the first snowfall of the winter when dozens of police

vehicles lined the normally quiet suburban street. Some neighbours were forced to evacuate their homes as Donnelly allegedly barricaded himself in the bathroom, according to police. Tactical officers and swat teams closed off the area as negotiations inside the home perused. It all came to an end at around 2:00 am when Donnelly surrendered and was arrested.

Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly called the scene “a house of horrors” and said that officers were left traumatized by the scene they witnessed.

Splatters of blood could be seen on the front step and door of the home where the Barrhaven couple lived for decades. It was a similar gruesome scene outside the next

door neighbours’ house where Sabourin allegedly ran for help.

At Christmas 2021, a makeshift memorial was set up outside the home. According to neighbours, Fredrick had a love for the holidays.

An early report by CBC Ottawa stated that Donnelly had a history of mental health struggles and dealt with schizophrenia, which his parents tried to help get under control.

Conor Donnelly is accused of stabbing his mother 64-year-old Linda Frederick, and stepfather Michel Sabourin, 67. Fredrick died on the scene at her Sherway Drive home and Sabourin battled life threatening issues in hospital but survived.

February – Harder calls on police to ‘end chaos’ of convoy

They came in transport trucks and on horseback.

For weeks, hundreds — sometimes thousands — of demonstrators have marched on Parliament Hill, demanding an end to all COVID-19 mandates.

Barrhaven city councillors Jan Harder and Carol Anne Meehan say they have received various forms of communication from people on both sides of the debate, and feel it’s time for Ottawa Police to step up and bring in more enforcement.

The demonstrations, which many now call a siege, started on Jan. 28 when truckers from all across Canada brought their convoys to the capital. The big rods and other transport trucks called for an end to federal mandates, which require all truckers crossing the Canada/US border to be fully vaccinated, or face a two week quarantine. The demonstrators are now calling for all COVID-19 mandates to be lifted, including mandatory masks in indoor settings and vaccine passports. About 90 per cent of Canadian truckers are fully vaccinated.

But what was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned rowdy on many occasions. Some truckers harassed workers at the Shepherds of Good Hope until they handed over free food. The National War Monument was urinated on, and the Terry Fox Statue was plastered with anti mandate signage.

For weeks, horns blared into all hours of the night keeping downtown residents awake, and only came to an end after a 21-year-old brought forward an injunction to stop the noise. Fireworks were lit throughout the night, bonfires were lit on city streets, bouncy castles, games and saunas were brought in for enjoyment, and a makeshift camp with a wooden structure was built in Confederation Park. It has since been

taken down.

On Feb. 10 about 30 vehicles paraded around the Ottawa airport in a circle, causing delays on the roadways. The same day Ottawa Police reported people were attempting to flood the 911 reporting line, which they said “endangers life” and is “completely unacceptable.”

In some cases, the demonstrators used children to create barricades, and Ottawa Police says roughly 25 per cent of the trucks occupying the site currently have children living in them. The police are working with the Children’s Aid Society to ensure they are safe.

Barrhaven city councillor Jan Harder said “it’s about time” Ottawa Police stepped up to bring an end to the chaotic scene downtown, which impacted thousands of residents.

“It’s pretty easy in Ottawa to control at various entries a large number of these large vehicles,” Harder said in her weekly video message. “Let’s face it folks, they stopped you who own cottages in Quebec from crossing the bridges to get to your own cottages because of COVID and rules going on in Quebec. You can tell I’m angry and I know many of you are.”

The Barrhaven councillor also said she’s received various calls and emails from local residents asking her to support the convoy, saying they are “a peaceful group.”

Harder said she won’t do such a thing.

“To the people who have told me ‘I’ve been downtown twice; I’ve gone downtown and talked to some of those people and they are very nice and well meaning’, stop being a part of the problem,” Harder urged. “Stop going downtown.”

Gloucester-South Nepean councillor Carol Anne Meehan, who sits on the Police Services Board, has called on the force to start

making arrests and bring a plan forward to bring an end to the demonstrations.

Meehan questioned why Toronto was able to bring an end to their demonstrations within hours, a similar situation playing out in Quebec City as well.

Meehan said her frustration is in line with many Ottawa residents. The Gloucester-South Nepean councillor said results have not been seen, and finds it “baffling” that a police force needs legal advice to clamp down on rule breakers.

“We are giving the signal to all these people who are coming into town that it is a free for all. They can take tires off trucks, they can put up buildings, they can bring in fuel, they can take over our stadium,” she said. “We have given the signal that it’s ‘come and party in our town.’ I’m expressing frustration not just as a board member and a councillor, but as a resident of this city to see our colleagues and our fellow residents downtown being so hard put upon.”

Barrhaven’s two councillors want more action from police to bring an end to the downtown protests that have disrupted the lives of many people throughout the city.

Face B o ok photo

March – St. Joseph grad directs video for Disney High School Musical star

A longtime Barrhaven resident is now making it big in Hollywood.

Elle Mills, who launched her successful YouTube career in the neighbourhood, has recently directed the “Doppelgänger” music video for Disney star Joshua Bassett, best known for his role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Mills, 23, now calls California home and is settling into her new lifestyle. Earlier this year, she wrote and produced a short film called Reply, which is expected to make the film festival rounds this summer. It premiered during a private screening in Los Angeles a few weeks ago.

Mills met Bassett, 21, through a mutual friend who starred in the former Barrhaven resident’s short film. She said they met for coffee a few weeks ago and two days later got a message asking her to come on board with the project.

“He just texted me ‘hey, would you be down?’” Mills recounted on a recent Twitch stream days after the premiere. “We did get coffee two days before that and we were just talking about what we want to do in the future of our careers, and we talked about how much one day we’d love to work together.”

Mills said Bassett was a fan of her YouTube videos and that paths easily connect in Hollywood. He also watched her recent short film and appreciated how it was filmed.

The music video, released on Feb. 25, has now garnered over 1.8 million views.

“Doppelgänger” is Bassett’s first new track of 2022 and offers raw emotions over moving on after a breakup. It’s based on real-life accounts from the singer’s love life.

“The song poured out of me immediately after seeing someone who I thought was my ex at a coffee shop,” Bassett said in a statement. “Sucker punched in the heart, I realized I’m not quite as over them as I thought, and that no one, not even a lookalike, could ever take their place.”

The song, with its corresponding music video, paints a picture of the different stages of emotions Bassett felt in the moment. It starts with the singer walking into a coffee shop and cuts to better moments from the past, before it’s downfall.

Mills said the music video took two days to film and was amazed watching Bassett and the other actors immediately go from one emotion to another on set.

“My favourite part of this whole music video, because I think in my heart I’m just such a fan of actors and I want to be a writer/director, I want to make films, so getting to work on a film that was very narrative based, watching them act was such a pleasure,” she said.

School graduate started making YouTube videos in 2012, and by 2017 had 15,000 subscribers.

Later that year, Mills released a coming out video which now has over 5.6 million views. Mills wrapped her family’s Half Moon Bay home in colourful decorations and individually called each of her friends and family over to have them draw her ideal partner. When most drew pictures of a male, Mills pulled out a picture of what her real ideal crush looks like.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m a little scared,” Mills recounted in a video three days before coming out as bi-sexual. “Growing up, there has always been a negative undertone about the LGBTQ+ community. I’m scared that the relationships with the people in my life right now are going to be different, that people are going to look at me differently. Certain family and friends won’t be friends with me like they used to be.

“I have this heavy weight on my chest; it’s something that’s been an elephant in the room in my life for a long time, I’ve been feeling really depressed because of it,” Mills continued. “I just want to be able to like someone and tell my mom or my friends.”

she attended.

On multiple occasions Mills filmed videos with her former high school teachers.

nered close to 900,000 views.

Mills’ Connection to Barrhaven

Mills, 23, was born in the Philippines, but was raised in Ottawa for a larger portion of her upbringing.

The St. Joseph High

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Many of Mills’ early videos were filmed in the Barrhaven community of Half Moon Bay, where Mills lived alongside her brother Jay, 21, and mother Janet.

Barrhaven was the YouTube star’s playground, and also filmed frequently in the Marketplace Mall and at St. Joseph High School where

In one video, she brought former St. Joe’s teacher Ms. Lee to a party, which included strippers. In another video, Mills attempted to camp out in the St. Joe’s parking lot.

By October 2017, Mills reached 500,000 subscribers, and celebrated by throwing herself a parade for a video. A float drove past the Barrhaven HomeSense, Costco and Wendy’s, one of Mills’ favourite hangouts. It gar-

In May 2018, Mills took a break from YouTube after the stress of the job became too much. In a video posted online she said it was difficult to take care of her emotional well-being, and needed a break to find happiness.

Known for her red converse shoes and coke shirts, Mills posted her last YouTube video eight months ago. Her main channel now has 1.78 million subscribers and a total of over 157 million views.

The Barrhaven teen turned Hollywood star is now dip-

ping her toes in new and bigger projects. In a recent Twitch stream, she hinted another music video was in the works.

Mills’ dream is to write a feature film, a project she has recently started writing.

In 2021, she voiced the character of Hanna in The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which is now nominated for an Oscar in the best feature film category.

‘I get emotional thinking it’s only the beginning (of my career),” said Mills. “I’ve only done two (major) things.

Barrhaven’s Elle Mills, left, recently directed the “Doppelgänger” music video for Disney star Joshua Bassett, right.

Twi T TE r phoTo/Ell E Mills

April – Ukrainian family settles in Barrhaven after fleeing terror

It was early in the morning on February 24 when Tatiana Maslova woke up to the sound of missiles outside the window of her Odessa home. The Ukraine native first thought it was the sound of fireworks, but terror quickly kicked in. She hid under the covers of her bed worried about a war that was just beginning. Tatiana’s husband, Andrey Maslov, was away on business as a marine captain for the Arab Emirates. Time apart was normal for the family of four, but this time it was different. It may have also played a factor in their safety.

Tatiana, Andrey, and their two children, Alex, 20, and Igor, 14, now call Barrhaven home. They came here to seek refuge from a country in the midst of terror.

Desperate to reunite with his family after over a month away, Andrey finally

met them in Moldova a few weeks later.

Tatiana and their youngest son Igor fled to Moldova as soon as they heard the missiles flying overhead. Their old life with all their belongings now sit untouched in Ukraine.

With only five suitcases in hand, Andrey arrived in Ottawa first to find accommodation for his family. The city already has a struggling rental market, made worse by a lack of time and not having all the required legal documents.

Andrey reached out to Zolo Reality, which has a large database of local rental listings. He was assigned realtor Jacquie Weldon, who immediately hit the ground running trying to find a place for them to rent.

Weldon found a Landlord who was accommodating and rented Andrey and his family a home in the Stonebridge neighborhood

of Barrhaven.

For Andrey and his family, the support was incredible. Not only did they find refuge, but a sense of community and new lifelong friends.

“I just opened my garage door and people brought some furniture, some food, everything. It was just unbelievable,” he said. “I didn’t need to buy anything. There are so many Ukrainians who are looking for this support but for me it was more than enough. It’s really amazing. I will never forget this kind of attitude.”

Unlike many other families fleeing Ukraine, Andrey has a job which will help his family get by, and allowing them to rent a place of their own.

“Russians took away a piece from my country,” said Andrey. “It’s just unbelievable. It’s just unacceptable in the 21st century.”

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Andrey Maslov and Tetiana Maslova fled Ukraine in February. They and their two children have settled in Barrhaven.

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EDITorIal

Federal Government tone deaf to issues facing farmers

The federal government recently announced that tariff revenues received from Canadian farmers who bought Russian/Belarusian fertilizers this year are being sent to Ukraine to rebuild infrastructure.

Canada was the only G7 country to put tariffs on Russian and/or Belarusian fertilizer after Russia invaded Ukraine back in March. Of the $115 million sent to Ukraine, $34 million were collected from our own farmers who had bought Russian fertilizer, according to Statistics Canada.

In haste, Ottawa just announced on the weekend it would compensate farmers, but nothing is official yet.

Tariffs were applied on fertilizers associated with the Russian regime as part of a series of retaliatory sanctions against the Putin government. We should all be pleased that Ukraine will receive this sum from Ottawa. But the news that $34 million of that money came from our farmers was well received in the farming community.

Back in March, sanctions came so quickly that farmers couldn’t pivot and buy fertilizers from another source. They were essentially forced to pay tariffs. It’s important to note that nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the “Big 3” primary nutrients in commercial fertilizers, and farmers will often source all three differently.

Most of the nitrogen fertilizer in Canada is imported, and Russia has historically been the cheapest supplier for our farmers. Phosphate usually comes from the United States or Morocco. Potassium, derived from potash, comes from Western Canada. Given the tariffs, nitrogen will likely be purchased from other sources next year.

Some groups, like the Ontario Grain Farmers, are now asking Ottawa to remove tariffs on fertilizer imports. That may not be advisable since many farmers have already started to plan and work around tariffs and avoid Russia altogether.

Russia is economically stable, whether we want to believe this or not. Russia’s food inflation rate reached 20 per cent in April of this year, but since then, the inflation and food inflation rates have come down dramatically (to 11.1 per cent in November) to almost match those of the United States (at 10.6 per cent). France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany all had higher food inflation rates. All these countries implemented sanctions against Russia. How ironic.

Ottawa did the right thing in implementing sanctions against Russia, but some measures were either half-measures or incredibly short-sighted and did little damage to Russia.

Sanctions are powerful messages but forcing farmers to pay more for inputs will not only jeopardize the financial viability of smaller farms in Canada but could also compromise our own food security.

This is what happens when a federal government is driven by urban politics and is tone-deaf to the issues affecting agriculture. Despite its obsession to make Canadians feel good about themselves, Ottawa should never do this on the backs of our own farmers.

Gaslighting is becoming part of our lexicon

One of the things we like to do when we put together our Year in Review issue every year is to take a look at the new words that have seeped into our lexicon.

Every year, new words are introduced and they become a mainstream part of our language. Think back a couple of decades. Do you remember the first time someone typed LOL to you and you had to find out what that meant? You couldn’t ask, because you didn’t want to seem that far behind. I looked it up on Yahoo, because there was no such thing as Google yet.

And you probably heard or saw LOL for the first time in a chat room, or on an instant message. Those are phrases that were also brand new at that time.

Our language today is filled with words and expressions that did not exist a generation ago.

This year’s Merriam-Webster Word of the Year is a word that has been around for as long time. However, just this year did the word become used widely and catch on through usages in the news media and on social media.

Gaslighting.

The word originated from a play in the 1940s. Gaslighting is described as behaviour that is mind-manipulating, grossly misleading, and downright deceitful.

Compared to the year before, gaslighting look ups on merriam-webster.com rose 1,740 per cent in 2022.

“It’s a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s unveiling of Gaslighting as the word of the year. “It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” he said.

“Cancel culture” was in the top 10, though how many of us would like to see cancel culture cancelled altogether?

Another one in the top 10 was “LGBTQIA”, which seems to evolve every month. LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual, aromantic or agender.

For those of you that play Wordle, there is a word you may know that made the list. “Loamy” was a word that went mainstream in August because many Wordle players used it. The right word that day was “clown.”

The original gaslighting term comes from “Gas Light”, a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton. There two film adaptations in the 1940s. George Cukor’s “Gaslight” in 1944, starred Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist and Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton. The two marry after a whirlwind romance and Gregory turns out to be a manipulative gaslighter. He insists her complaints over the constant dimming of their London townhouse’s gaslights is a figment of her troubled mind, even though it wasn’t.

“There is this implication of an intentional deception,” Sokolowski said in his AP interview. “And once one is aware of that deception, it’s not just a straightforward lie, as in, you know, I didn’t eat the cookies in the cookie jar. It’s something that has a little bit more devious quality to it. It has possibly an idea of strategy or a long-term plan.”

Maybe no particular event happened to spark look-ups, but if you like to grind programs and mini-series on Netflix, what we are watching is full of gaslighting.

On Netflix, think of two of the most popular series over the last year, “Inventing Anna” and “Imposters.” Both have plots built around characters who are master gaslighters and leave a path of emotional destruction behind them.

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According to AP, Merriam-Webster’s top definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, that “causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”

What is interesting about the word is that there was no single event that spiked look ups. Many of the words that were in the top 10 were driven by events.

Oligarchy, for example, was driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Omicron, the third place word, was the predominant COVID-19 variant and is also the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Some of the other words in contention were “Queen consort,” which is what Camilla, the wife of King Charles, will be known as.

While the look ups of gaslighting came from all over the world, it is interesting to put a local spin on things.

How can we apply gaslighting locally?

How about the light rail system. If there was ever a political example of gaslighting, I think every one of us who have been hopeful that some day we will have a functioning light rail system in the city have been successfully gaslit.

And once the new arena is built near LeBreton Flats, light rail will get everyone in and out of there in a breeze.

Right.

Ever tried to drive to Bluesfest?

As for local sports fans, remember when we were told how good the Redblacks were going to be? Remember when we were all convinced the Senators were a lock for the playoffs?

Yes, we were victims of gaslighting.

And we could go to the stadium or arena and drown our sorrows, one $13 beer at a time.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. © Troy Media

the other side

May – Rare Derecho brought one of the worst storms in Barrhaven history

Barrhaven was busy cleaning up for months after a storm ripped through the community over the May long weekend, causing severe damages.

It was around 3:20 p.m. on May 21 when a severe thunderstorm warning was issued to people’s phones. It was the first time a warning of its kind has been issued by Environment Canada. Last June, new rules were applied that only allowed the alerts to be issued when winds reach 130 km/h, or if a storm includes hail measuring more than seven centimetres.

While the alert was meant for people to prepare, many people ignored it, thinking it would be a typical storm. It was not.

Wind gusts of up to 190 kilometres were reported, causing a path of destruction through parts of Nepean and the South part of Ottawa.

Environment Canada has confirmed the storms were not caused by tornadoes but instead downbursts, also known as a Derecho, a fast-moving and long-lived thunderstorm that causes widespread wind damage.

The storm travelled from Toronto to Ottawa in about three hours. A Derecho hasn’t been reported in Canada since 1999, but could become more common due to cli-

mate change.

In Barrhaven, hundreds of trees and down along with thousands of shingles off the roofs of homes.

Barrhaven Crossing received damage to its roof and signs were ripped out of the ground at Longfields Plaza and at a strip mall on Fallowfield Road.

On various roads including Fable, Sandringham, Sandhead, and Kennvale, 40-50 year old trees were completely uprooted from the ground, leaving a gaping hole behind. Luckily most trees fell onto the road away from homes, but some did receive damage to their windows, siding, and eavestroughs.

A number of local Barrhaven community groups rallied together to help those who were struggling.

Islamic Relief Canada sponsored a barbecue meal for those without power at the Haven affordable housing complex off Longfields, and local council candidate Jay Chadha served a few hundred meals to the community.

“We received a few requests from Barrhaven residents for some assistance with food,” he said.

“We quickly got a group together and were able to cook meals for 250 people at the local Sikh temple. Meals were delivered to Stonebridge area homes and at the Larkin House community centre.”

The South Nepean

Mosque on Woodroffe Drive also opened up their facilities after power came back on. They hosted barbecues, gave people access to power to charge devices, and access to air conditioning on hot days.

The Walter Baker Centre was open for anyone needing a hot shower or to get access to the internet. They also had large garbage bins available to dis-

pose of rotting food.

In the first few days of the storm, long lines ups were reported at many gas stations across Barrhaven with drivers looking to fuel up. Many were closed because they didn’t have power, others ran out of fuel.

At Marketplace, people waited in line for over an hour at various eateries including Wendy’s and Tim

Hortons, as people looked to grab a hot meal. At least one Starbucks in Barrhaven ran out of coffee and a nearby Subway ran out of bread.

Some Barrhaven schools were forced to stay closed for a few days because of having no power, but even after they reopened, many school bus routes were cancelled because of the traffic disrup-

tions. The City of Ottawa urged residents to stay off the roads to give crews space to repair damage and cleanup the mess left behind.

Even though power has returned to all of Barrhaven, the city says the cleanup will take weeks, many months. The province has committed to picking up the tab for any storm-related costs.

The clean-up from the Storm of ’22 is expected to be ongoing for months as downed trees and hydro lines caused extensive damage in Barrhaven. Charlie SenaC k phoTo S

June – MacLeod holds on to win sixth term as local MPP

Progressive Conservative incumbent Lisa MacLeod has never been a woman of few words, especially after an election victory. But after winning the Nepean riding once again on June 2, she summed it up on social media with four words spread out over two tweets.

“Six-peat:, and “Thank you Nepean.” earned her sixth election win to be the local MPP, but this win may have been more difficult than any of her previous five.

MacLeod fought through negativity and attack campaigning against her during the campaign to defeat Liberal candidate Tyler Watt in a race that was much closer than anticipated. MacLeod had 17,108 votes, which was 2,006 votes ahead of Watt.

It was by far the tightest margin of victory for MacLeod in her decade-and-ahalf as an MPP.

MacLeod was a target for those who opposed her during the campaign. Signs criticizing her for using $44,000 in riding association funds for a housing allowance popped up all over Nepean in the days leading up to the election. While MacLeod did nothing illegal, her opponents questioned the ethics of her acceptance of the money. She was also targeted by parents of autistic children. During the campaign, MacLeod did not take part in any all-candidates meetings. On election night, the media was locked out of her postelection party.

There was a low voter turnout in Nepean in the provincial election, and a historic low for the province of Ontario. Fewer than 50 per cent of eligible Ottawa voters cast ballots in the city’s eight ridings, with only 40.4 per cent casting ballots in Nepean. That’s compared to 58.72 per cent in 2018.

It was the first pandemic provincial election and seen as a non-competing race, most likely contributing hindered by the May long-week-

end storm.

While the Liberals failed to pick up increased support around the province, their numbers climbed in Nepean with Liberal candidate Tyler Watt coming in second place with around 33 per cent of the vote, or 15,012 ballots cast in his name. And despite starting his campaign late, Nepean NDP candidate Brian Double came in third place with 20 per cent of the vote, totalling 8,427 ballots cast in his name.

Many of the results from polling stations were very close. Excluding seniors homes and three apartment buildings, MacLeod won 26 of the 31 polls, with Watt winning the other five. Watt’s victories came at Half Moon Bay Public School, St. Mother Teresa High School, Longfields-Davidson heights Secondary School, the Ottawa Torah Centre, and Knoxdale Public School. MacLeod won three of the advance poll locations, with Watt winning two. While MacLeod won an easy majority of polls, many were very close. She beat Watt by two votes at Michaelle Jean Elementary School and St. Luke Elementary School. She won by nine votes at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; 11 votes at St. Andrew Elementary School, and 14 votes at St. Emily Catholic School.

While Watt pushed MacLeod in Barrhaven, his results were not there in Bells Corners, where NDP candidate Brian Double was second to MacLeod.

Since winning a sixth term as Nepean’s representative at Queen’s Park on June 2, Lisa MacLeod has been silent, not posting anything on her public social media pages or doing media interviews.

Media was barred entry from her campaign party on election night, and was not able to listen to MacLeod’s speech given to a small crowd behind locked doors. She snuck in through a back door, stayed for only a short time, and then left before the

night was even over.

A now viral video of MacLeod’s campaign locking reporters out has been viewed on Twitter more than 167,000 times. The Nepean MPP also gave no interviews during the election cycle, and hasn’t made herself available since either.

It was however a historic night for the Progressive Conservatives who won a record-breaking 83 seats. A new cabinet is expected to be unveiled possibly as soon as later this month, with many new faces to choose from. After the election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford cautioned his caucus not to lobby him for a cabinet position. He said his team will sit down and do an evaluation.

Over the last four years MacLeod served as the minister in charge of community and social services for the first year of Ford’s reign, but then switched to the tourism, culture and sport portfolio after facing much backlash

Lisa MacLeod’s campaign team was hard at work during the campaign.

Twi T T e r phoTo/@LisaMacLeod

Canada Day made a big comeback in Barrhaven after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual event, which finally got to celebrate its 40th anniversary, began with its midway at Clarke Fields on June 30 and ran until July 3. The bulk of the events took place on July 1, with a full day of activities.

“Canada Day this year was probably the best one we have ever had,” said organizer Darrell Bartraw. “Finally the weather cooperated with us and we had beautiful weather the whole weekend. Our guests had a great time, everything went according to plan, there were no issues. It was just perfect and I’m glad we got to have Canada Day again because we have missed it for so many years.”

The day began with a family and seniors breakfast. Acts began on the multicultural stage late that morning,

and many youth enjoyed activities in the free kids zone.

New this year, Canada Day activities in Barrhaven included a strong Indigenous component.

“Our ceremony this year featured an elder who did a land acknowledgment and a blessing,” said Bartraw. “We had our national anthem sung in three different languages: English, French, and Anishinaabemowin. We also had a wonderful 45-minute show of some Indigenous people doing traditional dances, throat singers which was really outstanding, and they ended with doing a circle dance in the crowd which hundreds of people took part in this year.”

That afternoon following the parade of flags, Bartraw was recognized in a big way by Mayor Jim Watson and Barrhaven councillor Jan Harder. He received a plaque stating July 1, 2022 to be known as Darrell Bar-

traw Day in Barrhaven. The plaque said Bartraw was commemorated “in recognition of the one person who embodies civic pride, philanthropy, and charity without ever seeking recognition.” He’s served the community in various volunteer capacities for over three decades.

In the evening, musical performances began with “Monkey Rock Music”, an interactive group which got the youth up and dancing. They were followed by “The Rockphiles” from Barrhaven, and ended with Montreal-based “Alter Ego.”

“Alter Ego goes all across North America and they do an amazing show,” said Bartraw. “We are already planning to bring one of their sister shows to Barrhaven for Canada Day next year. We have also booked ‘Monkey Rock Music’ for next year as well.”

The evening ended with

a firework display which was lit over the new Strandherd Bridge. The show lasted about 12 minutes and featured a couple thousand dollars worth of additional fireworks, supplied by the company to commemorate Canada Day in Barrhaven’s 40th anniversary.

Because of the new bridge, Bartraw said some of the lower fireworks were hard to see. They are looking to make modifications for next year.

“We are looking at after the construction is done, adjusting the display a little bit for next year so people can see the lower fireworks in addition to the higher fireworks,” he said.

Bartraw says plans for next year’s Canada Day celebrations are already underway.

Councillor Jan Harder and Mayor Jim Watson declared July 1, 2022 as Darrel Bartraw Day in Barrhaven.

A healthy crowd turned out to watch the Canada Day ceremonies followed by entertainment on the stage.

Ch A r lie Sen AC k photo S

August – Man dies from injuries after fall at Trail Road landfill site

A person has died after from injuries suffered during a fall at the Trail Road Landfill on Saturday, Aug. 20.

“The Public Works Department sends its condolences to family, friends, and loved ones of the customer fatally injured in the incident. The Department has also provided supports to landfill staff onsite at the time,” said city employee Quentin Levesque in a memo to council.

He added: “As the mat-

ter is currently under investigation with the Ministry of Labour, the Public Works Department cannot provide further comment at this time.”

CBC reported that the man who died was an employee of NATTIQ, Inc., a small office relocation and consulting company.

NATTIQ’s executive vicepresident Robert Stanton sent a statement to CBC saying, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this time of

grief.”

Stanton told CBC that two employees were making a drop-off at the dump when one of the men fell. Paramedics responded to the call, and the man was rushed to hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. NATTIQ offered support and grief counselling to its approximately 20 employees.

The Trail Road Landfill facility is located southeast of Barrhaven.

NATTIQ, who according to CTV News is an Indigenous-owned company, has offered support and grief counselling to its staff.

August – Pelletier nets winner as Knights win Canadian championship

The Nepean Knights are the Junior B lacrosse champions of Canada.

The local team headed to Brampton last week after winning the Ontario championship to play in the Founder’s Cup tournament. With the score tied 6-6 in the third period, Nick Pelletier netted the winning goal with 5:46 remaining to play, and the Knights shut the door on the Coquitlam offence for a 7-6 win.

Pelletier was named the tournament MVP, while Thomas Kiazyk was named the tournament’s top goalie.

The Knights opened the tournament with a convincing 17-5 win over the Onondaga Red

Hawks. Pelletier and Cameron York both had three goals and four assists for the Knights, while Nick Bafia had three goals and two assists. Nolan Downey, Sam Parent and James Donnelly each scored twice. Liam Aston ahd a goal and five assists, while Brodie O’Connell had a goal and an assist.

Jared Downey had two assists with one each going to Kiazyk, Isaac Wills and Nathan Woods.

In their second game, the Knights beat the hometown Brampton team 12-7.

Sam Parent had eight points with three goals and five assists, while Pelletier had four goals

and three assists and Liam Aston had a goal and six assists. Cameron York had two goals and an assist, with Tristan Nicholson and Nolan Downey each chipping in with a goal and an assist. James Donnelly had two assists, with Nick Bafia, Owen Tasse and Isaac Wills each adding one.

The win put the Knights in the final against the Coquitlam Adanacs.

After Coquitlam scored an early goal, the Knights got on the board with two quick goals, as Aston scored from Jared Downey and York, and then 21 seconds later. Markus Afonso scored for Coquitlam, but Jared

Downey scored from Aston and York to restore the two-goal lead. Max Velthuijzen scored late in the first for Coquitlam to make the score 3-3.

In the second period, James Donnelly scored from Aston and Wills, and Nathan Woods scored with 1:35 left in the period to put the Knights ahead 5-4.

The Adanacs got goals from Parker Kennedy and Aidan Lalonde in the third period to go ahead 6-5. Donnelly tied the game with 7:28 as he scored from Pelletier and Jared Downey. Pelletier netted the winner with 5:42 left from Parent and Wills to clinch the gold medal.

The Nepean Knights won the Founder’s Cup Canadian Jr. B lacrosse championships.

NATTIC.C A phoTo

Sam pelletier was the Founder’s Cup Tournament MVp.

Sports – OSU U14 girls beat Brampton to win Ontario championship

Ottawa South United’s U14 girls are the Ontario soccer champions.

The team travelled to the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughn in October and came home with the 2022 Gary Miller Charity Shield after outscoring Brampton 4-3 in an exciting, highscoring final.

It didn’t take long for OSU to get on the scoreboard. Brampton committed a turnover in the second minute and a long, looping shot from Mya Angus was mishandled by the Brampton keeper and found its way into the back of the net to give OSU a 1-0 lead.

The lead would not last long, as seven minutes, Brampton’s Niyah NoelGordon intercepted a pass in the OSU six yard box and scored to tie the game at 1-1.

Brampton took a 2-1 lead in the 17th minute, capitalizing on an OSU mistake. Brampton crossed the ball on a free kick but the attempt to clear the ball failed. Gabriel Istocki was there for Brampton to put home the loose ball.

OSU tied the score at 2-2 before halftime as midfielder Cindy Yang fired a beautiful shot from 20 yards out with the equalizer.

The action and goals would continue in the second half.

OSU took the lead in the 58th minute as Naomi Lofthouse put home a free kick to put OSU up 3-2.

Brampton had a chance to tie the score in the 53rd minute as a corner kick bounced into the box to Noel-Gordon, whose chance for the equalizer was stopped by a sliding

tackle by defender Danielle Chukwu.

Moments later, OSU scored their fourth goal and went ahead by two as Angus struck a free kick near the corner flag and it looped into the net, beating the Brampton keeper from an extremely difficult angle.

The game was seemingly over with a score of 4-2 heading into extra time, but Brampton turned on the offense and went on the attack. One minute into extra time, Brampton scored what appeared to be their third goal, but were called for offside. Six minutes into extra time, Brampton did get their third goal to bring them within one. They continued to push for the tying goal, but they ran out of time and OSU claimed a 4-3 victory.

SHOP LOCAL

OSU won the U14 Ontario championship by beating Brampton 4-3.

September – Improvements for Jockvale Road rail crossing proposed

A public meeting was held to discuss improvements for the Jockvale Road crossing amid rising safety concerns.

The meeting was attended by over 50 nearby residents and municipal candidates who have long expressed concerns for pedestrians and cyclists who use the Barrhaven United Church side of Jockvale.

While a pathway runs along the other side between Weybridge and Tartan, only a stretch of dirt lines the other side.

Over the years various ideas have been brought forward, and in 2019, plans for a $6 million pedestrian underpass were unveiled during a public meeting at the Walter Baker Centre. It was labelled as the safest

and most cost efficient option.

Out of the 88 people living in the affordable housing complex, roughly 40 per cent struggle with health challenges and 20 of the residents use wheelchairs or mobility devices.

A number of those residents were at the public meeting held at Barrhaven United Church on Sept. 21 to share their concerns.

‘They shared some of their stories about the dangers of crossing the road. The speed of the vehicles and the fact they have to make it across the road all in one shot is a concern for them,” said Darrell Bartraw, president of the Barrhaven West Community Association, who also sits on the working group.

“Some of the residents said they just don’t go out because they are too concerned about crossing the road.”

Over the years, various incidents have taken place on the Barrhaven train tracks. In the summer of 1992, a young boy, only aged seven, died after being struck by a train on Dolan Avenue. At the time, the coroner said safety improvements were needed.

In September 2013, six people died just a few kilometers away when a VIA train struck a doubledecker OC Transpo bus. The tragedy sparked calls for action.

And in February of this year, a Steepleview Crossing resident in a wheelchair

died after being hit by an oncoming VIA Rail train. The Transit Safety Board

has completed their investigation and said no further safety improvements

were needed. Details of the man’s death were never publicly released.

October - Wilson Lo takes newly created East Barrhaven seat

Wilson Lo is making history in multiple ways after winning Barrhaven East ward with 37 per cent of the vote.

Lo is the first Asian-Canadian to sit on Ottawa city council, and the first councillor for the newly created ward.

“I am exhausted but I am really happy and grateful for the support I got from the community and the trust they put in me,” he said after

his historic win.

“I know that visibility and representation matters, but my parents raised me to be Canadian,” Lo added. “I campaigned as a neighbor, a resident of Barrhaven, and a former employee of OC Transpo, so that we can make our community even better.”

Lo is one of seven candidates who ran in Barrhaven East (Ward 24). He won all but two poles and received

4,403 votes cast under his name. Richard Garick came in second place with around 25 per cent of the vote and Patrick Brennan came in third with 18 per cent. Kathleen Caught, Atiq Qureshi, Dominik Janelle, and Guy Boone, each took less than 10 per cent.

Lo wants to see better routes in place to take commuters from the heart of Barrhaven to employment districts in Hunt Club,

Colonade, and other underserved areas. He’d also like to see easier options for students going to Carleton University.

Lo also wants to fix the condition of roads in Barrhaven East and ensure there is a greater police presence in the community.

October - David Hill wins race to replace Ward 3 Councillor Jan Harder

For the first time since amalgamation, Barrhaven West (Ward 3) will have a new representative at city hall.

David Hill won the ward with 44 per cent of the vote, receiving 6,230 ballots cast under his name.

“I’m really excited about moving onto a platform that I think really resonated with people and has a lot of great potential for the future of Barrhaven,” Hill said after his election win.

“I’m excited to work with my colleagues locally like Wilson Lo and Steve Desroches, but also with those across the city.”

With four candidates in

the race to replace outgoing councillor Jan Harder, Taayo Simmonds came in second place with a little over 33 per cent of the vote; Jay Chadha came in third place with over 15 per cent of the vote; and Sadaf Ebrahim came in fourth with about seven per cent.

The new Barrhaven West councillor takes over for Jan Harder, who announced in 2018 she would not seek re-election after two and a half decades in council chambers. She served as a Nepean city councillor for one term before amalgamation, and six terms as an Ottawa city councillor.

“Councillor Harder is

an institution of Barrhaven. She’s worked tirelessly to grow this community,” said Hill. “I have the greatest respect for the work she’s done here in the community and I look forward to reaching out to her from time to time. She’s passionate about this community and it means a lot to her.”

Hill plans to advocate for a better transit system in Barrhaven, a file he admits will be a “long term issue.”

On roads and infrastructure, Hill said he wants to look at traffic patterns and has a list of about half a dozen or so intersections where concerns have been raised.

A memorial was set up early this year after a Steepleview Housing resident in a wheelchair was hit by a train and killed in February, 2022.

Wilson Lo celebrates his election night victory with his wife Amelia.

C H A r L i e Sen AC k p H oto

David Hill celebrated with his family at his election victory party at Barrhaven Boston pizza.

November – Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade makes return after hiatus

Hundreds lined Strandherd Drive for the annual Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade which was back after a pandemic-induced hiatus.

With wind chills making it feel below -16 on Nov. 20, a smaller than usual crowd

came out to watch. About 30 floats and vehicles made up the parade route, which lasted about 20 minutes.

It was the first time in two years a Santa Claus Parade was held in Barrhaven. While organizers hoped to

organize a drive by event last year, high insurance costs prevented that from happening. But with no COVID-19 restrictions in place, the long-standing community tradition was able to return.

“We were so excited to bring the parade back this year. It has always been a huge family event,” said Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade co-chair Dawn Lilly. “It was a year in the making for us. We took a lot of what we were planning for last year and brought it forward for this year.”

Lilly said many Barrhaven residents kick start their Christmas season by attending the parade. This year donations were collected for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard.

“It’s the start of the giving season,” she said. “The parade fostered the feeling of community for a lot of people and it brought people

together again. It was nice for people to see their neighbors again.”

This year the parade relied on donations from the community to cover the costs.

While it went off without a hitch, Lilly said their GoFundMe page raised only about $1,100 of their $18,000 goal.

The annual Christmas event is often sponsored by businesses in the community, but organizers decided to explore a different route this year because of rising costs and inflation.

“The last few years have been hard on them. Even coming out of COVID, it’s still not easy with rising costs and labor shortages,” said Lilly.

“I believe there’s a lot of misconception about how events like this are put together and funded. People think corporate sponsors should fund this, but it’s not that

easy,” she added. “We have asked (places like) Costco, Canadian Tire, and Loblaws. It goes up to the head office and it goes nowhere. They have places they donate to and a local parade is not one of them.”

The $18,000 budget for the parade is to cover insurance, fencing, and security, all services which cannot be donated. This year’s parade was funded by local

businesses who stepped in to help after the Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade put out a call for help on social media.”

The night capped off with Santa Claus giving a wave to onlookers from his newlybuilt sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer.

Plans are already in the works for next year’s parade, which Lilly hopes will be bigger and better than ever.

Santa Claus made his arrival in Barrhaven for the first time in three years as the Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade returned.

The Nepean BMX Association was among the many local organizations in the 2022 Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade.

December – Demand for Barrhaven Food Cupboard up 45% over last year

The Barrhaven Food Cupboard expected to hand out over 500 Christmas hampers this holiday season after rising costs force more people to look for help.

The local food proving agency, which moved into its current headquarters in the Walter Baker Centre, first saw a rise in calls for service after the COVID-19 pandemic left many people jobless.

While the height of the pandemic is behind us, they are now being faced with an affordability crisis driven by the high costs of food and living.

“Over the last eight months or so, we have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for food from clients that exist and new clients that come to us,” said Barrhaven Food Cupboard

president George MacDonald. “From this point last year to this point this year, it’s increased by 45 per cent.”

That demand has meant the food cupboard is purchasing more food than ever before and is relying on a bigger team of volunteers to feed families. The facilities hours have also needed to be extended.

“It’s almost totally a result of the inflation we have seen over the last year,” said MacDonald. “The people that we serve are often those who are living on the edge financially. With an increase in food costs of over 11 per cent, it’s made many people reach the point where they need to come to us.”

Food costs in Canada are rising at the highest

rate seen in 41 years, and it showing no signs of slowing down. Fresh fruit has gone up 11.9 per cent; fresh vegetables have gone up 11.8 per cent; baked goods have gone up 14.8 per cent; the cost of meat has risen 7.6 per cent.

Every year the Barrhaven Food Cupboard creates Christmas hampers to give to families needing support during the holiday season. Over the past two years, gift cards were distributed in their place because of the pandemic.

Physical hampers will be distributed again this year, with families also receiving a gift card. In total, each hamper will be worth around $125.

“It’s an opportunity for any family — regardless of whether it’s Christmas

for them or not — to enjoy a little bit extra during the holiday season,” said MacDonald.

“A couple of years ago we had 200 hampers, two years ago we had 300 hampers, and last year we had 340 hampers,” he added. “This year we are predicting as many as perhaps 500 hampers.”

The Barrhaven Food Cupboard is asking for community support to get them through the bush holiday season. MacDonald is urging people to drop off food in their bins located inside many of the community’s grocery stores. He also said money donations can be done through their website: Barrhavenfoodcupboard.ca.

MacDonald is also urging anyone who needs help to contact them.

“We are pretty well known, but it’s always important to reinforce to the public that we exist,” he

said. ‘We are here for a reason, and that’s to help those in the community that need food assistance.”

George MacDonald said the Barrhaven Food Cupboard was expecting to distribute 500 Christmas hampers this year.

Charlie SenaC k photo