Nov - OSCA

The
O•S•C•A•R
©
The Community Voice of Old Ottawa South
Year 32 , No. 9
Ottawa Farmers Market:
A Season of Success
By Sarah Trant
I
NOVEMBER 2006
The Ottawa South Community Association Review
t seems like only yesterday that the Ottawa
Farmers’ Market opened in Lansdowne Park. In
fact it was Sunday, July 2nd when, for the first
time, a determined core of some twenty vendors set
up their booths for business to find, almost before the
8.00 a.m. official opening time, eager shoppers were
already lining up.
And there was a lot to line up for. Vegetables and
fruits fresh from the field, all sorts of meats from beef
to bison and all points in between, hamburgers to
sausages and beyond; small-batch created preserves,
award-winning honey, hand crafted truffles and
cheeses, breads, pies, squares and cakes, plants and
flowers, herbs and designer salad greens.
Since then the numbers of shoppers has increased
steadily, “rain or shine”. Ottawa clearly loves this
market and, if the results of the survey which has been
measuring the public’s response is anything to go by,
99.9 % of all those surveyed emphasised that not only
did they love the opportunity to “buy fresh and buy
local”, but that they wanted it to stay. Not just stay,
but stay in its present location – Lansdowne Park.
Ottawa Farmers’ Market is unique in that it is a
producer-based entity. Once Ottawa was home to
other similar markets but the City’s decision back
in the ‘70’s, which allowed vendors to buy product
for re-sale, heralded the beginning of the decline of
local producer presence. With the sanctioning of reselling, Ottawa’s market equation changed. Vendors
were free to buy produce from the Toronto/Montreal
fruit, vegetable and plant brokers for a song – and
price it accordingly.
That decision rang the death-knell for many local
farmers who were in no position to compete. The
hundreds of local producers who used to supply those
markets dwindled to a handful. Only the strongest
could survive, fifteen of which form the backbone
of today’s Ottawa Farmers’ Market– part of a group
which has grown from the twenty of July to the 57
producers who have product for sale today.
Andy Terauds, President of the Ottawa Farmers’
Market Association and owner/operator of Acorn
Creek Garden Farm, emphasises that “although it’s
good to see how the vendor numbers have grown, we
need a lot more to ensure the viability of the enterprise
as well as offer our public a greater diversity of
product. Our first year has succeeded beyond our
wildest dreams. We know now, for sure that the
potential for growth is out there.
“Our success story has sent out a strong signal
to the area’s agricultural community. Positive sales
figures should tweak the interest of other farmers,
who are having difficulties, who now might put in
a crop earmarked for the market. I think that this
enterprise could be seen as a catalyst for change and
revitalization in Ottawa’s agricultural sector.”
With today’s growing emphasis on “buying fresh,
buying local”; and the evidence that foods from
mega-food producers can carry their own mega health
problems, as well as the hard evidence of the steady
growth in the market’s shopping public, you might
think that nothing could stop a happy ending to what
has been a great beginning.
As the season draws to a close and the vendors
prepare to pack up their vehicles for the close of the
2006 season at the end of October, it would be good
to know that the opportunity to buy quality product,
locally grown and harvested often on the day of sale,
will remain a fact of life in Ottawa.
Sadly this is not a story that guarantees a “and
they all lived happily ever after”.
The facts are that the Ottawa Farmers’ Market
was started, with the support of the City, as a twoyear pilot project. Its future – including its location
– is far from carved in stone. This can only happen if
its public becomes engaged. With the active support
of the community, at the political level, the nation’s
capital can have a permanent farmers’ market that
well could grow to rival those of other cities.
It was the City of Ottawa that provided the twoyear window of opportunity for this venture. It is
only the City of Ottawa that can ensure its future in
Lansdowne.
Help Santa
Toy Parade
Nov 18 - 11 am
By James Hunter
T
he ‘Help Santa Toy Parade’ is celebrating
its 37th anniversary. Every year, the
Fire Fighters’ Association has been
organizing the event and collecting toys along
the parade route for distribution to the less
fortunate children in Ottawa-Carleton.
The parade has evolved into a significant
event drawing tens-of-thousands of people who
line the Parade route and share their generosity.
Participants are entertained to the sights and
sounds of floats, bands and clowns produced
locally and from around the Province.
Fire fighters will collect new toys and cash
donations along the route. The parade will start
at 11 a.m. at Elgin and Laurier, City Hall, head
West on Laurier Street, turn South on Bank
Street, and finish at Landsdowne Park.
For more information: www.toyparade.org
Municipal Election 2006 Candidate Update
OSCA meets three mayoral candidates.. p. 6
Candidates for Mayor …. pp. 26 – 28
Candidates for Councillor … pp. 28 – 31
Candidates School Board Trustee pp. 32 - 34
Page The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
The
OSCAR
The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY
ASSOCIATION REVIEW
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/oscar
Please Note: The OSCAR Has No Fax
The OSCAR PhoneLine: 730-1045
E-mail: [email protected]
Editor: Mary Anne Thompson
Distribution Manager: Craig Piche
Business Manager: Colleen Thomson
Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman
[email protected]
730-1045
730-5838
730-1058
(not classy ads)
NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17
The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising. It is published for the Ottawa South Community Association
Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and
businesses and selected locations in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and
Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit
and include articles submitted for publication.
FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES, CALL 730-5838 AND
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The OSCAR thanks the following people who brought us
to your door this month:
ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames,
Kim Barclay, Marvel Sampson, Wendy Robbins, Ron Barton, Jim and Carrol
Robb, Kevin and Stephanie Williams.
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Andrea and Cedric Innes, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison, Norma Reveler, Stephanie and Kulani de
Larrinaga.
ZONE B2: Lorie Magee Mills (Coordinator), Leslie Roster, Hayley Atkinson, Karen Landheer, Caroline and Ian Calvert, Sheilagh Stronach, Matthew
and Graeme Gaetz, Kathy Krywicki.
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the James-Guevremont family, the
Williams family, Sylvie Turner, Lynne Myers, Bob Knights, Jeff Pouw, the
Franks family.
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Arthur Taylor,
Charles and Phillip Kijek, the Brown family, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Christina Bridgeman.
ZONE D1: Bert Hopkins (Coordinator), the Crighton family, Emily Keys,
the Lascelles family, Gail Stewart, Bert Hopkins, Mary Jane Jones, the Sprott
family.
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), Ian Godfrey, Eric Chernushenko,
Aidan and Willem Ray, the Stewart family.
ZONE E1: Mark Fryars (Coordinator), Brian Tansey, Doug Stickley, Wendy
Johnson, Anna Cuylits, Ryan Lum, Mary O’Neill.
ZONE E2: Nicola Katz (Coordinator), Frida Kolsster-Berry, Mary-Ann
Kent, Glen Elder and Lorraine Stewart, the Rowleys, Dave White, the Hunter
family, Brodkin-Haas family, Christina Bradley.
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, Janet
Jancar, the Stern family, T. Liston, Ellen Bailie, Niki Devito, Dante and Bianca Ruiz, Walter and Robbie Engert.
ZONE F2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), the Tubman family, Karen Fee, Shaughnessy and Kyle Dow, Paulette Theriault, Mark McDonald, Bea Bol, Jill
Moine, Paris Dutton.
ZONE G: Jim and Angela Graves (Coordinator), Peggy and Brian Kinsley,
Shelly Lewis, Melissa and Timo Cheah, Claire and Brigitt Maultsaid, Jane
Kurys, Roger Ehrhardt, Norma Grier, the Ostrander-Weitzman family.
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.
Bank Street-Ottawa South: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson
Bank Street-Glebe: Craig Piche.
NOVEMBER 2006
CONTRIBUTIONS
Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to
[email protected] in either plain text or WORD format, or as a
printed copy delivered to the Firehall office, 260 Sunnyside Avenue.
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FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES
November 17 (December issue), December 22 (January issue), January 19 (February issue), February 16 (March issue), March 20 (April
issue), April 20 (May issue), May 18 (June issue), June 15 (July/August
issue).
The Old Firehall
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HOURS
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WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?
Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA)
Ottawa Public Library - South Branch
Lynn Graham, Public School Trustee - [email protected]
Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee
Centretown Community Health Centre
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
CUSA (Carleton U Students Association)
Graduate Students Association
Community Liaison
Mediation Centre
Athletics
CITY HALL
Bob Chiarelli, Mayor of Ottawa ([email protected])
Clive Doucet, City Councillor ([email protected])
Main Number(24 hrs) for all departments
Community Police - non-emergencies
Emergencies only
Serious Crimes
Ottawa Hydro
Streetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering)
Brewer Pool
Brewer Arena
City of Ottawa web site - www.city.ottawa.on.ca
247-4946
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NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The OSCAR welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the community or in response to previous articles. All letters must disclose the name of the
writer, as well as the address and phone number. Lettters may be edited for length, clarity, and libelous statements. The opinions of the writers are not
necessarily those of the newspaper or its editor. Email your letters to [email protected] or leave in print at the Firehall.
We Need Your Help To Deliver Lightbulbs
Dear Editor
H
ello, Would you and your
family be able to do something
to help the environment?
Project Porchlight is delivering
200,000 free Compact Flourescent
light bulbs to homes in Ottawa. These
bulbs use significantly less electricity
than conventional bulbs. These are
the compact fluorescent bulbs that
use considerably less electricity than
regular bulbs. The 13 watt bulb is
equivalent to a 60W regular bulb in the
amount of light produced. As well, the
bulbs last longer than incandescents:
five to ten years.For more information,
please see their website: http://www.
onechange.org. If every household in
Canada replaced just one regular light
bulb with a compact fluorescent, the
reduction in pollution would be the
equivalent of taking 66,000 cars off
the road.
We need your help to deliver in
Old Ottawa South! Would you be able
to volunteer to deliver bulbs on your
block (or all of) of your street?
It’s just a matter of going door-todoor and dropping a bulb or coupon
for a free bulb in the next few weeks.
They do require that a record is kept
of all deliveries.
Please email back to me with
your name, address, phone number,
and what blocks you could do; so that
I can organize this.
Also, I would appreciate it if you
have friends and neighbours in Old
Ottawa South who you think might
Will We See Equal
Time For...?
Dear Editor,
I
read with interest the lengthy article
in which Chris Bradshaw appeals to
“older greens” to join the Green Party. I hope we will see equal time in coming
issues for other partisan interests. Will we see an article inviting red
Tories to come back to the Conservative
tent? Waffle veterans to reactivate
the NDP? Trotskyites to rescue the
Communist Party? Maybe even the
Martin and Chrétien camps to get behind
a new leader?
Just asking.
Don Cummer
Send your
comments to
[email protected] or drop
them off at the
Firehall,
260
Sunnyside
Avenue.
Why Don’t We Have Truck Side Guards?
Dear Editor
A
nother person has died under
the rear wheels of a big
turning truck, this time at the
corner of King Edward and Rideau
streets in Ottawa. In the spring in
Toronto, two cyclists died similarly.
These deaths are needless.
If our federal and provincial
governments
required
truck
side guards, this would prevent
pedestrians and cyclists from being
dragged under - instead they would
be pushed away.
Truck side guards are the standard
in Europe. They save lives. They
streamline the truck and save gas.
It’s time for Ontario and all of North
America to wake up and start saving
lives.
tOM Trottier
help out, if you could
email this to them.
Many hands make
the job light! This is
a great opportunity
for kids to make a
difference too!
For
people
interested
in
delivering
free
light bulbs in OOS,
please
contact:
James
Hunter [email protected]. We mostly
need East of Bank Street
Thanks!
James Hunter
The conservation program will
generate $10 million in electricity
savings for Ottawa residents.
How many light bulbs does it take
to change Ottawa? 200,000.
An ambitious energy conservation
campaign was launched today in
Ottawa. Project Porchlight is a notfor-profit conservation group, based
in Ottawa South. With the generous
support of Hydro Ottawa, Porchlight
teams and volunteers from across
Ottawa will deliver 200,000 compact
fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs door-to-
door to households in Ottawa over the
next two months. Project Porchlight
is looking for 300 volunteers to help
light up streets in communities across
Ottawa. Porchlight
volunteer
teams
are now out delivering bulbs in
Ottawa neighbourhoods, marking
the beginning of a 10-week delivery
program. Residents who do not receive
a bulb will get a coupon redeemable
at Giant Tiger stores.
Project
Porchlight
seeks
volunteers to help deliver bulbs to
every street in the Capital. Volunteers
who want to join the Porchlight team
and deliver bulbs on their own street,
in their building, or through their
community group should contact
Porchlight’s volunteer coordinator at
[email protected].
Project Porchlight is made
possible by Hydro Ottawa and is
sponsored in part by The City of
Ottawa, Giant Tiger, TD Financial
Group, Rogers TV, Globe Electric,
The Ottawa Citizen, and 106.9 The
BEAR.
Remember our children are back at school.
Please drive carefully!
f
Page The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY
Sunnyside Branch Library
Fall Programs
Children Storytimes/Contes
Babytime (Newborn-18 months) /
Bébés à la biblio (De la naissance
à 18 mois)
Tuesdays, Ocr. 31-Dec 17, 2:15
p.m. (30 min.)
Toddlertime (Ages 18-35 months)
/ Tout petits à la biblio (Pour les
18-35 mois)
Tuesdays, Oct. 31-Dec. 17, 10:15
a.m. (30 min.)
Or
Thursdays, Nov. 2-Dec. 19, 10:15
a.m. (30 min.)
Storytime (Ages 3-6) / Contes
(Pour les 3-6 ans)
Wednesdays, Nov. 1-Dec. 18,
10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Special Children’s
Programs
Books! Books! Books!
Stories and a craft for 5-8 year
olds
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2:00 p.m. (45
min.) Registration required
Winter Wonderland
Stories and a craft for 5-8 year
olds
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m. (45
min.) Registration required
Adult Computer
Courses
Basic Internet Search
Techniques Discover basic Internet search
techniques. Participants should
have some previous experience in
accessing the Internet.
Friday, Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m. (1.5
hrs.) Registration required.
What do I read next?
Have you finished off all your
favorite author’s books? Looking
for some direction to find a
new reading love? Then come
to the library to learn about the
electronic tools we have to solve
your problem.
Friday, Dec. 1, 10:30 a.m. (1 hr.)
Registration required.
Sunnyside Book
Clubs
Mother Daughter Book Club
A place for girls and the special
women in their lives to share
excellent books.
Ages 10 to 12. (1 hr.)
Mondays,Nov. 20, Dec. 18, 7:00
p.m. (1 hr.) Registration Required
You and me reading group for
8-9 year olds
For boys and girls ages 8-9
and their caregiver to have fun
together through their love of
Alta Vista Branch Library
Alta Vista Branch
2516 Alta Vista Dr.
Register: 613-737-2837 x3
Adult Programs
Adult Book Chats
The Tiger Claw
by Shauna Singh Baldwin
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2 p.m.(1 hr.)
The Good Husband
by Gail Godwin
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)
Causerie Littéraire
Défenses légitimes de Doric Germain
Mardi, le 21 nov., 14 h
Le vieux qui lisait des romans
d’amour de Luis Sepulveda
mardi, le 19 déc., 14 h
Tuesday Book Group
Meets every two weeks to
discuss non-fiction books.
The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur
Nov. 7, 21, Dec. 5, 19, 7 p.m.
ABCs of Fraud
Learn how to become a tough
target for fraud and scams and
avoid becoming a victim of
identity theft. Free admission.
Thursday, Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m.(1.5 hrs.)
English Conversation Group
Practise your English
Every Monday
Nov. 6 to Dec. 11
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Knitters helping Knitters
Join this group that meets
monthly to share ideas and offer
assistance to other knitters.
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m(1.5 hrs)
Teen Programs
Teen Book Club
Drop in and share some great reads
with other teens.
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. (1 hr.)
Fantastic Fiction Teen Book Club
Drop in to discuss science-fiction
and fantasy books with other teens.
Bring ideas for some great reads!
For more information please call:
613-737-2837 x3
Teen Chick Lit Book Club
If you love “Gossip Girl” or
enjoy reading anything between
teen and adult books bring
your ideas for favourite reads!
For information please call:
613-737-2837 x3
reading.
Tuesdays, Nov 21, Dec. 19, 7:00
p.m. (1 hr.) Registration Required
guyzone
A monthly lunch hour book
adventure for guys in grade 7 and
8 at the Sunnyside Library.
Fridays, Nov. 3, Dec.1, 12:05 p.m.
(45 mins.) Registration required.
girlzone
A monthly lunchtime book chat
group for girls in grade 7 and 8 at
the Sunnyside Library.
Fridays, Nov. 10, Dec. 15, 12:05
p.m. (45 mins.) Registration
required.
Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Drop by, meet new people and
join in stimulating discussions on
selected titles in a friendly and
relaxed atmosphere. Usually last
Friday of every month at 2 p.m.
Ottawa Library is
a Good Place
A good library is a place, a palace where the lofty
spirits of all nations and generations meet.” Samuel
Niger (1883-1956)
he Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines
aware as: “Conscious; not ignorant; having
knowledge”. The Ottawa Public Library
(OPL) proclaimed October as Library Awareness
Month, in concert with Canadian Library Month and
Ontario Public Library Week (Oct. 16-22).
The OPL is like an open book - a place that the
people of this city can become aware of the changing
trends and times around the world and around the
city. The Library provides a place where people of
all cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles can find what they
need to enrich their lives is the very underpinning
of one of the OPL’s goals – building a literate and
learning society.
It is in the spirit of openness that the OPL is
inviting people to become aware of the wealth of
knowledge before them. For 100 years the Ottawa
Public Library has provided an open book for the
people of Ottawa, so become aware of the OPL,
come turn our pages - learn of where we have been
and help direct where we are going. For a complete listing of OPL programs and
campaigns visit us at: www.BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca
or pick up a copy of Preview, our quarterly magazine,
available at all branches and the bookmobile.
T
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT
General Meeting, Traffic, Pedestrian Safety,
and Farmer’s Market
By Michael Jenkin
OSCA’s Annual General
Meeting
O
SCA will be holding its
annual
general
meeting
on Tuesday, November 7
at 7:30 pm at the Firehall. This is
our annual accountability session
to you our members. In addition to
hearing reports on how we did this
past year from our committee chairs
and executive members, we will also
be holding elections for the 2006-07
OSCA Board.
This is a great opportunity for you
to hear what has been accomplished
over the past year, to ask questions and
express your views on what you think
we should be doing and where you
think we should be going in the future.
All those fully paid up members of the
Association attending are also entitled
to elect the new Board. Once our
business is transacted we will host our
traditional wine and cheese reception
for members in order to allow you to
meet the newly elected Board members
and your neighbours. So please do turn
up to the meeting, its your chance
to check out what your community
association is doing, and to make your
views known.
Glebe Traffic Plan
Just as OSCAR went to press last
month City Council again reconsidered
the
proposed
temporary
turn
prohibitions for traffic turning onto
the Queen Elizabeth Driveway going
westbound during the morning rush
hour. You will recall Council turned
this down at its August meeting. The
reconsideration and approval will make
a considerable contribution to reducing
cut through traffic in the Glebe from
Bronson Avenue while not causing any
serious side effects for us.
Part of this initiative includes an
impact study of a morning rush hour turn
prohibition for northbound Bronson
traffic turning onto Sunnyside Avenue.
As you know Sunnyside is already
heavily travelled in the morning. The
results of that study will be used to
assess the impact of the final element
of the Glebe Traffic Plan that has yet
to be implemented, namely preventing
morning rush hour traffic from turning
into the Glebe from Bronson. This
proposal will be considered by Council
in about two years time. We will keep
you posted on developments.
Pedestrian Safety on Colonel By
Driveway
OSWATCH has been concerned
for some time about the increasingly
unsafe situation facing pedestrians
wanting to cross Colonel By Driveway
in our neighbourhood. From the Echo
Drive steps to the Bronson Bridge, the
Driveway must be crossed by anyone
who wants to use the Canal pathways
to run, walk, ride their bikes or just
enjoy the flowers. And of course in the
wintertime this part of the Driveway
is our main access point to get to the
canal for skating.
Over the past decade traffic
volumes on the Driveway have been
growing, especially during the rush
hour as it is being used increasingly as
a commuter route and with the NCC
heavily promoting Winterlude, it is
now very busy on winter weekends.
And it is not just volumes and speed
that are the problem. The section of
the Driveway that crosses Old Ottawa
South twists and turns and while this
can be attractive it means that sight
lines are short so that both pedestrians
and cars often only see each other at
the last minute. Despite this fact there
are no designated pedestrian crossings,
no crossing lights along the Driveway
and no warning signs or reduced speed
limits. At outgoing OSWATCH chair
Leo Doyle’s urging, the Board agreed
to approach the NCC to request the
start of a dialogue with them on how
to improve pedestrian safety on the
Driveway and facilitate public access
to the canal.
Lansdowne Farmers’ Market
As many of you may know a new
farmers’ market has been operating
at Lansdowne Park on Sundays since
the beginning of the summer. It is
scheduled to wind up on the last
Sunday in October. This is part of a
two year trial arrangement with the
City to see if such a market would be
viable. It is an interesting experiment
as this is a genuine local market in that
the produce that is on sale comes from
local farms and market gardens and
the intent is to help revitalize the local
horticultural industry. Unfortunately,
the Parkdale and By Ward markets
are dominated now largely by vendors
who buy in produce from southern
Ontario and increasingly from the U.S.
and overseas producers, largely to keep
prices low and ensure the supply of
products for sale outside of their local
growing seasons.
I was invited to attend a meeting in
mid-October with the representatives
of the Market and the Glebe
Community Association to discuss
the Market’s future. The major issue
facing the Market is convincing the
City that it merits a permanent place at
Lansdowne Park and that in the coming
year that it has a continuing access to
the site. This is a particular problem
as with Lansdowne hosting a massive
international soccer tournament in
July, and of course the Ex in August,
means that the farmers’ Market is
potentially going to loose a number of
operating dates right at the time when
local produce is reaching its peak
production. The Board has agreed to
write the Mayor and City Council now
and in the spring expressing its support
for the Market’s access to the site and
urging the City to find it a permanent
site at Lansdowne.
You can do your part too by
patronizing the Market when it starts
up again next spring. You can get great
tasting local produce and help farmers
in the NCR to continue to grow produce
here.
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
Page NOVEMBER 2006
Osca Meets With Mayoral Candidates
On Firehall Redevelopment
By Lisa Drouillard
O
ver
the
past
month,
OSCA Board and Firehall
Redevelopment Committee
members met with Mayor Bob
Chiarelli and candidates Alex Munter
and Larry O’Brien. What began as
a long-awaited working session with
the Mayor to secure commitments for
investment in planning and design
costs for the Firehall ultimately
became a more productive census of
the views and platforms of Ottawa’s
mayoral candidates. Each meeting
provided a window on the priorities
and city vision of each of the
candidates. They also gave us a sense
of Ottawa South’s chances for seeing a
commitment out of City Hall to invest
in the Firehall, and the possible terms
of that commitment.
The meeting with Mayor Bob
Chiarelli on September 28 confirmed
our hopes and expectations that the
Mayor, if re-elected would support the
community’s efforts to move forward
on the Firehall Redevelopment if reelected. At last spring’s Lobster Supper
and at other junctures, Mayor Chiarelli
had indicated that he supported the
project. At this stage, that support
comes in the form of an agreement to
work towards ensuring that the design
and planning costs for the Firehall
Redevelopment will be included in
next year’s draft budget. The Mayor
was responsive to the presentation by
board members and to the view that
our project represented a fair and
responsible investment in a facility
would be green in both its design
and interface with the community,
and would support the City’s Smart
Growth agenda. Mr.Chiarelli and his
staff discussed possible options for
securing the construction financing
for the renovation further down the
road, such as exploring the option
of a community levy (an approach
employed successfully by the
Canterbury Recreation Complex).
Consideration of these approaches
lay much further out on the horizon,
however. OSCA Board members left
the meeting with the Mayor pleased
with the commitment by the mayor to
see $250,000 allocated in the draft city
budget for next year for “soft costs”
for the design of the Firehall, should
the Mr. Chiarelli remain in office for
another term.
Our meeting with Alex Munter
on October 12 was no less
encouraging. A strong supporter
of urban redevelopment, green city
infrastructure, and family-centred
community facilities, Mr. Munter
was unequivocal in his support for an
investment in a revitalized Firehall.
Mr. Munter was attentive to our views
on the need for pedestrian-friendly and
smaller-scaled community facilities
like ours. “You really don’t need to
convince me” he responded, following
the Committee’s presentation. Wasting
no time discussing the obvious reasons
why we should move forward with
project, Mr. Munter’s focus was on
exploring different models of funding
and administration that might move
the redevelopment project forward.
The funding model employed by
the Dovercourt Recreation Centre
was viewed very favourably by this
mayoral hopeful. It was suggested
that by following the Dovercourt
model, the job of securing the budget
and support of city staff might be
more straightforward while keeping
the administration of the community
centre responsive the needs of the
neighbourhood. As this model would
have major implications for the way
the community centre and the OSCA
board operate, such an approach
would require careful consideration
and consultation with the Board,
staff, users and residents of OOS.
Nonetheless, Mr. Munter’s response
to the project was focused squarely
on the how, when, and what impact
various approaches to success might
have on the Firehall’s future.
Having some sense of candidate
Larry O’Brien’s electoral platform,
which is focused squarely on lowering
taxes and reducing crime, it was
anticipated that we might need to
make a good case to see a commitment
of support for the Firehall. It was
interesting to learn that Mr. O’Brien
grew up on Grove Avenue, and has
a good sense of what a great place
OOS is for families. However, Mr.
O’Brien was firm in his position that
he would not make easy campaign
promises to support any new
spending initiatives, but supported the
community’s efforts and our vision
for a vibrant community centre in our
neighbourhood. His visit with our
Board members was brief in light of a
busy campaign schedule, but his team
sat with us longer to discuss Larry’s
background and vision for the city.
The discussion was very candid and
frank about Mr. O’Brien’s newness
to city politics or city administration,
and the about the tight focus of his
campaign platform -- crime and
taxes. OSCA members present raised
concerns about how the tax cut agenda
might favour newer communities that
could rely on development fees for
investment in infrastructure, where
established neighbourhoods like
OOS could not. As the October 2327 is Tax Week for the O’Brien team,
we noted our hope that the possible
differential impact of blunt measures
to cut municipal taxes on investments
in established neighbourhoods versus
new developments would be discussed
further. Mr. O’Brien and his team did
seem to have their ears open to our
arguments as to why infrastructure
investments are both efficient and fair,
but it seemed quite clear that many
such arguments would need to be
made in order to see commitments for
support from O’Brien as Mayor. Mr.
O’Brien and his team noted that the
city’s figure of $250,000 for a detailed
design proposal for the Firehall might
be inflated by city staff, and that the
work could possibly be done for less.
Some kind of positive response
was expected of all of the candidates
in light of the strengths of the project
and the search for community support
during election time.
But these
meetings certainly gave OSCA board
members a good idea of who would
be willing to act on this initiative once
elected, and whether or how they
might want to go about making the
renovation a reality in the near term.
OSCA Update
OSCA AGM - Tuesday, November 7,
2006 - 7:30 pm at the Firehall. Meet
the members of the 2006/07 OSCA
board, find out what the board and
committees do in your community
and stay for WIne and Cheese everyone welcome.
Volunteers for Windsor Rink. Thanks to the 2 people who called
to help, we will be calling you........
BUT how are we going to run the
rink if we don’t have volunteers to do
various jobs, which includes a large
roster of people, each doing one
evening this winter to flood the ice. We need many more people. Registration for OSCA Winter
Programs begins Sunday, December
10. Watch for our brochure in
December OSCAR. December Sleigh Ride - volunteers
needed to help out on the night
(TBA) - to do a craft, do the hot
chocolate and cider, organize singing
on the sleigh and generally make sure
everyone has fun.
February Winter Carnival - a few
volunteers needed to sit on organizing
committee and many volunteers for the
day - a Sunday in February (TBA).
So........if you would like to volunteer
for any of the above or other events
in OOS, please email OSCA@
oldottawasouth.ca or call Deirdre 613247-4872.
Donating to OSCA’s charitable
fund - you can get a tax receipt when
you donate to OSCA’s charitable fund
which will be used to expand/renovate
the Firehall.
The name of the fund is “Old
Ottawa South Firehall Renovation
Fund” and the charitable number is: 896669520RR0001. You can ask that
your money be designated to this fund
through the United Way campaign. NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page Green Projects in Old Ottawa South
By Mike Lascelles,
ECOS Co-chair
T
he four green projects underway
in Old Ottawa South are: the
Linda Thom Park gateway
project; tree planting and maintenance
work at Windsor Park and beyond;
restoring Brewer Pond; and greening
the renovated Firehall. There are
two other minor green projects at
Brewer Park and on the western half
of Sunnyside that will begin in 2007
if the Environment Committee of
Ottawa South (ECOS) can line up
some volunteer help.
Linda Thom Park
On October 18, 2006, Linda
Thom, Ailsa Francis, Jean Kitchen,
Pierre Paradis, Gary Lum, and I met
with two planners - Kevin Harper and
Don Loucks of the IBI Group – to
identify what features to include in a
concept plan for the first phase of the
Linda Thom Park gateway project in
2007. Linda and the others agreed
that the concept plan could involve
using hardy and sustainable landscape
material and salt-tolerant plants in the
two park areas next to Bank Street,
replacing some invasive Manitoba
maple on the eastern side near the hydro
station, planting a few evergreens to
succeed the dying trees on the west
side of the park, improving park
lighting for safety, and sprucing up
the riparian zone – particularly on the
west side of Bank Street. Don Loucks
hopes to develop the concept plan that
can be shared with the community
at the OSCA AGM on November 7,
2006. After that, we intend to apply
for funds under the City of Ottawa’s
Green Partnership program. For more
information about this partnership
program, go online to http://ottawa.
ca/city_services/environment/city/
programs/green/index_en.html .
Windsor Park
On October 14, 2006, Gary Lum,
Linda Thom, and Peter Wells led a
group of more than 30 Old Ottawa
South Parks Renewal Committee
(OOSPRC) volunteers who helped
the City of Ottawa’s Doug Flowers
trim trees at Linda Thom and Windsor
Parks and further east to Main Street.
The group also planted a small number
of trees donated by Mr. Albert Dugal.
For more information on this group’s
fine work and future plans, please see
Gary Lum’s report in this issue of
OSCAR.
Restoring Brewer Pond
In early October 2006, Hedrik
Wachelka of Muskies Canada, Scott
Smithers of the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources, Heather Hamilton
of the Canadian Biodiversity Institute,
and I met with Carleton University’s
Drs. Fred Michel (hydrogeologist
and
Director,
Environmental
Science Institute) and Steven Cooke
(fish ecologist and conservation
physiologist, Assistant Professor,
Department of Biology) to identify the
next steps in restoring Brewer Pond.
Heather Hamilton also led a group
discussion on the possibility of a
biodiversity centre and environmental
programs for children at Brewer Park
in a few years’ time. It was agreed that
Heather’s biodiversity centre was very
promising in the medium term. It was
decided that the immediate next step
would be for Dr. Cooke to take stock
of what kind and quantity of fish are in
the pond. After that, Hedrik, Steven,
and Scott will develop a detailed plan
to restore Brewer Pond in the next
few years. If things go as intended,
residents of Old Ottawa South will
have an opportunity to comment on
the plan in early 2007.
Firehall Renovation
Over the past few months, OSCA’s
Firehall Renovation Committee, led
by Michael Jenkin, David Law, Lisa
Drouillard, and Ken Slemko – with
help from Councillor Doucet, has
secured the support of City politicians
and senior staff to try to fund the
development of detailed plans in 2007
for the renovated Firehall. ECOS
hopes that the detailed plans will
confirm that the City is truly dedicated
to making the renovated Firehall
a LEEDS-certified green building
that reflects our community’s strong
environmental values, offers major
energy cost savings, and provides an
environmentally healthy community
centre.
ECOS Needs You
ECOS needs some extra help in
2007 to undertake two minor projects:
repair the Scout footbridge at Brewer
Park and develop a plan to green
Sunnyside Avenue west of Bank
Street. OSCA (ECOS) has already
allocated the money required to do
this work; what is lacking are a few
community activists to make these
two projects happen. If you think you
can spare the time to pitch in, please
contact ECOS c/o the Firehall.
Page The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Green Priorities for a New Council
By Patrick Quealey
No eye could be too sound
To observe a world so vast,
No patience too profound
To sort what’s here amass’d;
How man may here best live no care
too great to explore.
-- Matthew Arnold
W
e are now deep into the 2006
Ottawa municipal election
campaign. In order to work most
effectively with the new Council that
will be elected on November 13th,
the City of Ottawa’s Environmental
Advisory Committee (EAC) has
developed a set of environmental
priorities we believe will help Ottawa
move most effectively towards
sustainability.
The EAC believes that the City
of Ottawa has a key responsibility
to develop and implement policies,
and programs that address pressing
environmental issues. The municipal
level of governments is the most
accountable, and best positioned, to
work directly with its residents and
businesses to address environmental
concerns. The best example of this is
that Ottawa has made a commitment to
protect and enhance the environment,
using sustainable development through
its 20/20 vision and accompanying
Environmental Strategy.
Under the new Council that
will be elected on November 13th,
Ottawa must continue to “lead by
example”. The EAC believes that the
priorities laid out below will provide
guidance to that new Council in how
to effectively address environmental
issues and ultimately make Ottawa
vastly more sustainable City. The EAC
believes Ottawa can become a true
leader, both nationally and globally,
on environmental issues, and over
the long term, become Canada’s most
sustainable City. This will ensure our
City’s economic prosperity as well as
the integrity of our quality of life.
The EAC’s believes the following
priorities provide the necessary
guidance to effectively address the
environmental issues facing our
community.
• Climate Change – The new
Council should fulfill and fully
implement the City’s Air Quality and
Climate Change Management Plan.
The Plan mandates the reduction of
greenhouse gases by 20% by 2007 for
City emissions, and 2012 for overall
community emissions. Further the
city must continue to address climate
change over the longer term as a
municipality of a country that ratified
both the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and
its Kyoto Protocol.
• Air Quality/Health –The new
Council should establish air quality
monitoring stations across the city
to measure the level of air pollution.
Further the City should set local
targets of reducing air pollution to
levels that meet and exceed national
and provincial standards.
• Energy – The new Council
should develop a municipal energy
and electricity consumption plan
that focuses on energy conservation,
clean energy alternatives and energy
efficiency. In so doing the City
should continue to Partner with its
Envirocentre.
• Waste Reduction – The new
Council should fully implement
the rethink garbage program and
implement “user-friendly” recycling
and composting programs. This should
be reflected in an updated Integrated
Waste Management Plan.
• Urban Design – The new
Council should fulfill the mandate
of the City’s green buildings policy
to ensure that all City buildings
constructed or leased offer improved
environmental health and energy
performance over the status quo.
Further, that the approval of
development applications and uses
of land for public transportation, both
in the rural and urban areas, must
ensure the protection of green spaces,
wetlands and other vulnerable lands.
• Water – The new Council
should maintain and enhance City
policies and programs that ensure the
quality and quantity of drinkable water
within rural and urban areas. The City
should also take steps to improve the
quality of recreational water. Such
initiatives need to take a watershed
approach to land development.
• Wetlands – The new
Council should implement a citywide program to identify, protect
and enhance all existing wetlands. A
wetland monitoring system should be
implemented with an annual report to
Council.
The City should sign the UNEP
Urban Environment Accords. Signing
theAccords will indicate a commitment
to address the environmental priorities
listed above and allow Ottawa to
join other signatory cities in a global
community of committed Cities.
The Accords are non-binding but
provide guidance on how to address
environmental issues at the municipal
level from a global perspective.
These priorities aim to reinforce
the City’s existing plans and
programmes while providing a
clear vision for the future. We are
looking for strong leadership and
an unequivocal commitment by the
new Council to address these issues.
As the Municipal election looms, the
EAC looks forward to working with
the new Council to deliver on these
priorities.
Map of New Turn
Restrictions in the Glebe
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page A Puff of Air Saves You Money
by stephen a. haines
O
ld Ottawa South is typified
by classical homes built
many years ago. People
move here for many reasons, but the
avoidance of suburban “ticky-tacky”
homes is one of them. The price paid
for our attractive residences is the
older standard of energy efficiency.
Simply put, our homes “leak” heat.
There are several reasons to
upgrade the energy efficiency of your
home or business. Saving on-going
operating expence is one, resale
value another. The environmental
reason might also rate high on your
priority list. Whatever prompts you,
once you’ve made the decision, the
first step is learning what must be
done to improve energy use. That’s
where the EnviroCentre steps in to
help.
Founded in 1998 as a non-profit
organisation, EnviroCentre provides
efficiency assessment services to
indicate where work is needed.
Air movement, both entering and
exiting your house or condiminium,
can be determined using a “blower
door” testing method. For those
in apartments, incoming smoke
or cooking odours can be tracked
and dealt with. With three levels
of testing procedure, including
“walk-through” assessments and
even “computer modelling” of your
residence , the information gleaned
can achieve a high level of detail.
Recommendations are provided in
a report advising steps to be taken
to improve both efficiency and air
quality. The Hopkins family on
Aylmer Avenue tried EnviroCentre’s
programme four years ago, and have
enjoyed substantial savings since the
renovations were completed. “We
went from an efficiency level of the
low 30s on their scale to the mid-60s
when the assessor came by after the
changes”, they say.
Dana Silk, founder of the
service, brings three decades of
experience to the job. He reminds
us that assessment goes beyond
simple questions of heat loss
or odour transfer. “People are
generally unaware of the flow
of air through a house. As well
as heat leaking out, air coming
in brings various contaminants.
These are often particles which are
deposited on furniture, walls and,
most importantly, in the lungs of
the occupants. They’re not easily
detected and sometimes have
cumulative impact.” With the heavy
New Turn Restrictions in
the Glebe
By James Hunter
O
ld Ottawa South residents
need to re-plan their routes
and be on the watch for
new turn restriction signs.
City Council’s meeting on
September 27th voted on and passed
Recommendation 2 of Item 3,
Transportation Committee Report
38 relating to turns in the Glebe
onto Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
The recommendation is as follows:
• Allow right turns from
northbound Bronson Avenue on all
Glebe streets (status quo) but during
the morning peak rush hour (7 a.m.
to 9 a.m., Monday to Friday) only,
implement the following restrictions
(Note that bicycles and emergency
vehicles will be exempted from turn
prohibitions.):
• Prohibit right-hand turns
from Torrington Place onto Queen
Elizabeth Driveway during the
morning peak
• Prohibit right-hand turns
from Broadway Avenue onto Queen
Elizabeth Driveway during the
morning peak.
• Prohibit left-hand turns
on the accessway on the Queen
Elizabeth Driveway half way
between Torrington and Broadway
to prevent U-turns during the
morning peak.
• Prohibit left turns from
Northbound Bronson Avenue
onto Madawaska Drive during the
morning peak (as approved in the
original Glebe Traffic Plan.)
• Revise the signage at the
Bronson Avenue / Findlay Avenue
intersection to indicate the times
that turns are restricted.
The
above
would
be
implemented as soon as possible
after Council approval. The turn
restrictions are illustrated on
Exhibit 1.
Further
information
can
be found at the City of Ottawa
Website.
traffic levels we endure on OOS
streets, this is likely a greater hidden
hazard today than it was only a few
years ago.
EnviroCentre’s non-profit status
enhances its credibility with clients.
In addition to a range of energy and
airflow assessment services, there
are products to select from, as well.
The organisation hosts an “Energy
Boutique” with such energy-saving
devices as hot-water heater blankets,
“Ultra-quiet” bathroom fans and light
bulbs. “Helpful Hint” brochures
such as “Ready for a PowerPlay”
provide common sense reminders
about how to save electrical energy
in your home. At today’s rates, every
step you take will put pennies in your
pocket. For those dedicated to health
issues beyond air quality, there are
pedometres to calculate your daily
walking distance. Try one when
you’re tripping up to the Sunnyside
Library to return or pick up books
- or try out the KillAWatt energy
use monitor. Dog walkers will find
these devices encouraging on those
daily trips along the Canal or Rideau
River. You may be clocking up the
ten thousand steps recommended by
the Canadian Diabetes Association!
Area businesses also can benefit
from EnviroCentre’s programmes.
Descriptions of HydroOttawa’s
“Smart Business Ottawa”
programmes for energy savings are
available at EnviroCentre’s City Hall
facility.
Homeowners in OOS have
already discovered the EnviroCentre,
and many more should find the
service useful. Earlier this year, Nick
Previsich of Willard Avenue called
on the agency to assess a house built
in 1931. Already contemplating
a “serious basement renovation”,
Nick asked EnviroCentre to suggest
energy efficiency steps to incorporate
in the upgrade. He found the
service excellent and is looking
forward to the savings the changes
should provide in the future. Your
household would likely benefit as
well. Drop in at the EnviroCentre at
their City Hall location, or check out
the website: http://www.envirocentre.
ca. The phone number is 613 580
2582 or FAX 613 580 2494.
Page 10
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Glebe Luncheon Club Provides Wheels to Meals
By Julie Ireton
T
he luncheon club at Abbotsford
House is looking for new
recruits
and
92-year-old
Roberta Brown says she’s not opposed
to a few men joining up.
“It’s gotten smaller over the years,
so we’re looking for new members,”
says Brown.
Right now, the club is mainly
made up of women, most of them
widows. The ages range from 93
to 73-years-old. The club provides
an outing for Ottawa seniors twice
a week. It’s especially beneficial to
those who don’t have many family
members around.
Roberta Brown says she’s been
lunching with the ladies for about 14
Staff and Volunteers from Abbotsford House and the Ladies from the May Court Club
years. She notes she’s met some good
friends along the way. “You get out
to see a lot of friends. It’s nice to get
out of the house. I really enjoy the
company.”
Every Tuesday and Friday, the
Glebe Centre van picks up each
luncheon club member and heads to
the grocery store, bingo hall, shopping
mall, casino or movie theatre. And of
course, the trip also includes a meal
out.
There’s room for about 14 people
in the bus. Most days there are between
six and a dozen members taking part.
Elizabeth Parcher is with
Abbotsford house. She says helping
these women get out of the house
and socialize as a group really lifts
their spirits, especially in the winter
months when they just don’t get out
very often.
“For some people, it’s difficult
to get to Abbotsford, this club
keeps members connected to the
community”, says Parcher. “Some
find apartment living surprisingly
isolated. This helps them associate
with people they wouldn’t normally
associate with.”
And Roberta Brown says she
appreciates the attention from the
volunteers who help out club members
on the outings. “I’m visually impaired,
so when we go shopping, someone
stays with me to help out while I find
the things I really need.”
About three volunteers accompany
the members on each trip. Some of the
women are a bit frail, but none have
any cognitive disabilities. “The club
adds quality of life for a small number
of people. It makes a difference in
people’s lives,” notes Parcher.
This past spring, the May Court
Club gave Abbottsford a $14,000
grant to support the Luncheon
Club. The May Court is a women’s
philanthropic organization in Old
Ottawa South. It fundraises to assist a
variety of programs. The grant money
goes towards the cost of the program,
as well as maintenance and gas for
the van. There’s also a fee of $7 per
member for each outing.
For more information, or to join
the club, get in touch with Elizabeth
Parcher at Abbotsford House at 613230-5730.
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB
Awards for the Front-Yard Garden Contest and Creating a Winter Garden
By Colin Ashford
T
he members of the Old
Ottawa South Garden Club
enjoyed a double bill at their
October meeting: the presentation
of the awards for the front-yard
garden contest and a talk, illustrated
with slides, by Janice Ife on winter
gardens.
This is the second year that
the Garden Club has mounted its
front-yard garden contest: friends
and neighbours nominate local
gardens and, over the summer, a
distinguished panel of judges awards
three gardens the title of “Garden of
Distinction”. This year the gardens
belonging to Lyn Brodsky, Susan
Phelan, and Fred Woolfrey were
awarded the title; the awards were
made by Michael Jenkins, President
of the OSCA. Michael noted, as a
confirmed brown thumb, that he was
in awe of gardeners who turned the
impossible into the sublime and that
the number and quality of the gardens
in our neighbourhood reflected the
level of engagement and caring in the
community.
Award-winning garden-design
consultant and lecturer at Algonquin
College, Janice Ife, offered her
audience hope as the dreariness of
November approaches. She noted
the challenges of the Ottawa climate
to gardeners: the two weeks of
spring and a riot of flowering; the
heat and drought of the summer; a
small respite in September; and then
into the grey of November before
the winter snows. Remarking how
much better native plants (and there
are around 2600 in Ontario) survive
our climate, she went on to identify
a number of plant elements that
add interest to the garden in winter.
Evergreens are an obvious choice
(not forgetting that evergreens can
come in blues and yellows) and
so are ornamental grasses; vines
and trees without their leaves can
provide interesting shapes in winter
especially where they accentuate
light and shade; herbs often last late
into the fall providing both colour
and shape. She also recommended
non-plant choices: attractive pots,
weathered lawn furniture, ornaments,
brightly-painted structures, and, of
course, wild birds all add interest to
the winter garden.
Janice distributed a number of
useful handouts on landscaping,
choice of plants, and native
perennials; she also distributed
a copy of her periodic email on
contemporary garden tips. (Readers
are invited to subscribe to Janice’s
email tips by sending her an email at
[email protected])
The next meeting of the
Garden Club will be on Monday
20 November 2006 at the Old
Firehall on Sunnyside at 7.00 p.m.
when David Chernushenko, a local
“green” resident, will give a talk
entitled “So Many Ways to Green
Your Garden”. David will talk
about the many ways to cultivate a
“green” garden: xeriscaping, rooftop
gardens, eliminating heat islands,
rainbarrels, composting, and cutting
chemical inputs of all sorts. Drop-in
membership for the evening is $5 and
new members are always welcome.
From left to right: Susan Phelan, Fred Woolfrey, and Lyn Brodsky were
awarded “Gardens of Distinction” from OSCA President, ichael Jenkins”
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 11
Tennis for United Way
By John Callan
A
group of 14 real estate Sales Representatives at Coldwell
Banker Rhodes & Company organized a fundraiser for this
year’s United Way campaign at the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn
Bowling Club on Oct. 2nd, 2006. After a rainy weekend, the sun came out that Monday afternoon
as we all anxiously waited for the call from Camille Lewis, the
General Manager to give us the OK--the courts had dried off! We
played a round robin for 3 hours and were able to raise, through
sponsorships, over $4,000 for the United Way. As usual, the offer of a donated prize brought out the competitive
edge and participants vied for the honour of the highest number of
sponsorships - as well as for the prize for the winning players. What
a terrific venue for a fundraiser as this venerable club, with its
excellent facilities, has just celebrated a rich history of 125 years in
this community. It was also fitting for our office to be in Old Ottawa
South for a fundraiser as we have, for the last 2 years, been a proud
supporter and a friend of The Hospice at May Court .
Coldwell Banker Rhodes has a past of charitable giving by
creating events that are innovative and fun for the participants. This
event would not have been possible without the help of Camille and
the Tennis Club, who were most gracious in allowing us the use of
their courts and food/ beverage facilities. We gratefully acknowledge
their generosity as well as that of the prize donors, Elaine Beaudry,
Gary Greenwood and Papagus Greek Taverna.
Front row: “Junior tennis hopefuls”-Angela and Harry Jay.
Left to right: Margaret Carver, Ian Brown, Kay Leslie-Carlo, Chris Rhodes, Sharon Lalonde,
John Callan, Annalee Jay, Chad Clost, Elaine Beaudry, Janet Dodds, David MacDonald and
Gary Greenwood.
Missing: Patrick O’Keefe, Lincoln Jay, Bob Daley and Robert Pugh.
The Ottawa Folklore Centre Proudly Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary
With a Potluck Dinner
T
he Ottawa Folklore Centre
Proudly Celebrates Its 30th
Anniversary With A Potluck
Dinner / Concert Featuring Sneezy
Waters, Zeke Mazurek, Vince
Halfhide, Ken Kanwisher, Corky
Kealey and Ted Gerow To Appear
At The “Long Lost French Café”
(the former Bayou) at 1071 Bank on
Saturday November 4th 2006
The Ottawa Folklore Centre
is delighted to celebrate its 30th
anniversary with a potluck dinner
and concert led by Sneezy Waters
and his excellent band including
Zeke Mazurek, Vince Halfhide, Ken
Kanwisher, Corky Kealey, Ted Gerow
and other guests. The event will be
held on Saturday November 4th 2006
at “The Long Lost French Café” (the
former Bayou) at 1071 Bank St (Bank
at Sunnyside) in celebration of the
OFC’s 30th anniversary. Admission
is 10$ in advance. Bring a salad,
carbohydrate or dessert to the show
and admission is FREE. Tickets
are essential and are available at the
Ottawa Folklore Centre. Doors and
Dinner are at 6:00 PM. The Ottawa Folklore Centre is
celebrating 30 years of community
and integration into the fabric of the
Ottawa Folk Community. Some
know it only as a retail store - the
main floor presents quality folk
instruments, CD’s hand chosen by
the illustrious Chopper McKinnon,
strings, reeds, chanters, etc. but most
know it as a part of the community. Community has always been a major
part of the OFC experience and over
the years the heart of the Centre
has been exposed in a long line of
workshops, fundraisers, concerts,
open stages and major projects such
as the Canadian Folk Walk of Fame.
On a three block stretch of Bank Street
in Ottawa, bronze maple leafs are
set into the sidewalk and display the
names of legendary folk music heroes
Stan Rogers, Helen Creighton, Joni
Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, Gordon
Lightfoot and Jean Carignan. Soon,
new colourful kiosks and wall murals
will enliven the area between the canal
and the river. Already a decadent
mural at the corner of Sunnyside
& Bank Streets shows images of
Cockburn, Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell
and Sylvia Tyson.
Sneezy Waters will be leading
the house band and there will be
opportunity for special guests to
grace the stage. Sneezy began his
professional career in the 1960’s, and
since that time he’s toured extensively
in Canada (including several Arctic
communities) Japan, Hong Kong,
Laos, Thailand, India, Denmark,
Germany, Holland, and the United
States. From 1977 to 1990, he starred
as Hank Williams in the runaway
hit “Hank Williams: The Show He
Never Gave”. He has since released
two albums, (You’ve Got) Sawdust
on the Floor of Your Heart and
Sneezy Waters Sings Hank Williams. Sneezy boasts a vast repertoire and an
unerring ability to interpret a song.
The remarkable backing band features
Zeke Mazurek, Vince Halfhide, Ken
Kanwisher, Corky Kealey and Ted
Gerow. These songwriters, musicians
and lyricists will lavish listeners with
a wealth of musical styles, concise
and deceptively understated lyrical
insight, devastating wit and worldclass instrumental prowess.
As the OFC continues to grow
and expand into its 31st year, (we are
now expanding OFC Publishing and
offer customers access to our digital
in-house demo recording studio) we
hope to celebrate the little store begun
so long ago by Arthur McGregor and
Terry Penner. Support the Ottawa
Folklore Centre, Sneezy and the
gang as we continue to beat the tribal
drum that makes Ottawa a proud Folk
Town.
Page 12
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Southminster Happenings
By Craig Piche
S
outhminster United Church
will be hosting its annual
Christmas Bazaar on Saturday,
November 25 from 9:30am to
1:30pm. The church, located at the
corner of Bank Street and Aylmer
Avenue across from the Sunnyside
library branch, will also be offering
a coffee and team room beginning at
11:30am. The bazaar features many
tables designed to please the palette
including homemade baking, jams,
jellies and preserves. There will also
be Christmas decorations, a knitting
and sewing table, crafts and plants.
Bargain hunters will also be drawn
to the silent auction items, used and
antique books and the jewelry and
collectibles table. For the kids, there
is a section just for them plus the
always-popular Cake Walk. Bazaar
convener Marsha Lett says “there
will be something for everyone. It’s a
tradition at Southminster and a perfect
start to the Christmas season.”
Jazz in Sacred Spaces:
Concert and CD release
event
Residents of Old Ottawa South can
judge the classic jazz of Peter Woods
and Brian Browne as they perform
at Southminster United Church at
the CD release of their new disc
“Testimony”. The intimate evening
of music takes place November 18th
beginning at 7:30pm.
various musical groups throughout the
region, frequently as part of jazz duos
in restaurant and club settings. His
recordings “Sanctuary” and “Coming
Home” have been well-received
Brian Browne and Peter Woods
Peter Woods (saxophone) is a
Smiths Falls-based musician and
member of the Brockville Musicians
Association. He appears regularly in
on CBC Radio 2 and are available
across Canada. Mr. Woods is also
a minister in the United Church of
Canada, working in the Smiths Falls
community. He has performed before
at Southminster along side Peter
Dent.
Brian Browne has a reputation as
one of the true Canadian jazz legends.
His latest disc, “Blue Browne”, has
been called one of the best piano jazz
releases of the last five years. He has
seven previously released recordings.
Originally from Montreal, Mr. Browne
moved as a teenager to Ottawa, where
his musical career soon began. He
studied at the Berklee School of Music
and later won a scholarship to study
with Oscar Peterson in Toronto. Mr.
Browne has performed for decades as
one of the pre-eminent voices in jazz
piano, working with all the luminaries
of the Canadian scene over the past
30 years.
The musicians promise an evening
dedicated to the classic melodies of
jazz with their own interpretations of
tunes from George Gershwin, Cole
Porter and many more. From Duke
Ellington’s “Satin Doll” to Hoagy
Carmichael’s “Georgia” it will be
an evening of swinging sounds and
bluesy choruses.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10
for students and can be bought at the
church office (613.730.6874) or at the
door. Southminster is located at 15
Aylmer Avenue at Bank Street across
from the Sunnyside library.
Southminster Lecture Series Concludes
By Frances Chambers
S
outhminster’s lecture series on
“Challenges of Ministry in our
Time” concludes on Sunday,
November 5th, with the Rev. Andrew
Johnston, minister of St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church in Ottawa,
speaking on the topic Back to the
Beginning: The Congregation as a
Sabbath Community.
He will focus on the Sabbath
as an invitation of scripture and as
a witness of generations past with
certain contemporary reflections. He
will show that the Sabbath is both
personal and corporate, and a matter
of the spirit that can shape society.
“Sabbath is where renewal awaits our
congregations for Christian ministry
today.”
Rev. Johnston is well known for
his pursuit of ecumenical initiatives
both locally, such as Daybreak
housing and the Christian Council of
the Capital Area, as well as nationally
where he is active in the Presbyterian
World Service and Development. He
has a keen interest in the connections
between contemporary culture and
the Christian faith and has served
on Ecumenical Juries at the film
festivals of Berlin, Cannes, Locarno
and Montreal.
Raised in Ottawa, Lagos and
Hamilton, Rev. Johnston studied
at the Universities of Toronto,
Edinburgh and McGill as well as
the Presbyterian College Montreal.
He is the thirteenth minister of St.
Andrew’s Church, Ottawa, as it
celebrates 178 years of Christian
witness at the corner of Wellington
and Kent Streets.
The lecture series is part of a
number of activities leading up to
Southminster’s 75th anniversary
celebrations that take place next
year.
The lecture will take place at 7:30
pm in the Parlour at Southminster,
corner of Bank and Aylmer Avenue
by way of the Galt Street entrance.
All are welcome. There will be a free
will offering. For further information
call Southminster’s office at 613730-6874.
Blue Box History
T
he “Blue Box” program
originated in Kitchener,
Ontario in 1981.
The first multi-material recycling
program, Project One Recycling, was
organized at the grassroots level by
Jack McGinnis, who single handedly
picked up glass, cans and newspapers
at 80,000 households weekly in
Toronto’s east end. After speaking about his
company’s efforts in recycling at
Garbage Fest ’77, Nyle Ludolph from
Laidlaw Waste Systems (then called
Superior Sanitation) demonstrated
his personal waste diversion habits
by putting out on the curb a total of
only six garbage bags over the span
of an entire year.
The first “Blue Boxes” were
corrugated plastic sheets, handfolded and stenciled with the words
“WE RECYCLE.”
The dark blue colour was chosen
because it could stand up against
ultraviolet light, which could break
down the plastic over time.
Mississauga, Ontario was the
second city to initiate a curbside
“Blue Box” program.
By 1999, 94 per cent of
households in the province had
access to recycling services.
The
innovative
recycling
program has since become an
international phenomenon, adopted
by cities around the world.
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 13
Saint Margaret Mary’s Bazaar Raise Funds for “Out of the Cold”
By Louise Rickenbacker
F
or the past eight years, volunteers
from Saint Margaret Mary’s,
at Sunnyside and Fairbairn in
Old Ottawa South, have worked with
volunteers from other local parishes
to bring people from our community
“out of the cold”. On the surface this
means serving guests three-course meals
every Sunday evening in the warmth
of a church hall, October to April. For
some of the guests, this may be the one
hot meal of their week and meets their
primary need. For others, the meal means
an opportunity to socialize and enjoy
some companionship.
The purpose of “Out of the Cold”
is to give people an opportunity to
enjoy a warm meal in the company of
friends. And that’s what has happened.
After operating the dinners for several
years, some of the volunteers and guests
have gotten to know each other and
enjoy sharing the events of the week.
Some guests are good pianists. For
these individuals, access to a piano is a
marvelous outlet and for everyone else,
an enriched atmosphere they rarely have
the chance to enjoy.
At Saint Margaret Mary’s about 60
volunteers are divided into four teams,
each team taking responsibility for one
Sunday a month. This involves buying,
preparing and serving the meal, and
socializing with the guests.
When Saint Margaret Mary’s started
offering the “Out of the Cold” suppers
eight years ago, about 20 to 30 guests
arrived each Sunday. Now each week the
Volunteers from St. Margaret Mary’s “Out of the Cold” suppers serve up to
100 guests each Sunday from mid-October to mid-April. Team 4 volunteers are
Margot Laliberté, Louise Rickenbacker, Brian Tansey, Anne Bachinski, Randy
Thurm, Kelly Beaton and Peter de Gosztonyi
church welcomes between 80 and 100
guests!
The “Out of the Cold” suppers are
a community effort. Dinner guests thank
the parishes and volunteers from not
only Saint Margaret Mary’s, but also
Southminister United, St. Matthews
Anglican, Trinity Anglican, Sunnyside
Wesleyan and Wesley United churches.
Recognition and thanks also go to the
many local businesses who donate gifts
and other forms of support.
Bazaar proceeds support “Out
of the Cold” Suppers
The annual Christmas Bazaar held
at Saint Margaret Mary’s – this year on
Sunday, December 3 from 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. - helps support this project. All
proceeds go to the “Out of the Cold”
suppers.
As we did last year, the Bazaar
has been expanded to include the Old
Firehall, immediately across the road
from the Church.
Using talents honed through hosting
the suppers, parishioners and supporters
from the community prepare frozen
dinners and frozen apple pies to sell
at the bazaar. Prepared in advance are
Chicken Cacciatore, Pork Schnitzel and
Organic Vegetarian Chili, as well as
frozen, uncooked apple pies ready to pop
in the oven during the busy days before
Christmas.
The Bazaar also features baked
goods and preserves, unique hostess
gifts and stocking stuffers, raffles – for
a 25-pound Turkey compliments of the
Glebe Meat Market – as well as other
prizes. A balloon purchased at the Bazaar
when burst will win a prize from a local
Bank Street Merchant of equal or greater
value.
Children – and pets – are not
forgotten. The children will be welcomed
to supervised craft activities while their
parents shop, and pets can be pampered
with special treats for sale at the Bazaar.
A Gold, Silver and Collectibles table
will feature an array of lovely objects.
If you have an item you would like to
donate, drop by the Church on Saturday,
December 2 between 1 and 4 p.m. or call
us and we would be delighted to accept
your contribution to the Sunday Supper
program.
Community merchants strong
supporters
Local merchants have been generous
in their support of the Bazaar. Businesses
up and down Bank Street South as well
as into the Glebe and Alta Vista have
supported the project with donations of
gift certificates and prizes. A complete
list of the donors will be published in
next month’s paper.
Join us at the Bazaar on Sunday,
December 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy
lunch at “Marcel’s Café” – home-made
minestrone soup, Hungarian goulash and
pizza. Best of all, warm your heart by
getting a head start on the holiday season
and by knowing you’ve lived the spirit
of Christmas by helping to support the
“Out of the Cold” Sunday Suppers.
Page 14
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Garden Glimpses
Be Kind to Your Tender Tropicals – It’s Called
Benign Neglect!
By Ailsa Francis
Hortus Urbanus
J
ust about now gardeners like us
start hyperventilating. Summer
may actually be over. Leaves
are rapidly dropping from the trees,
there is a morning chill in the air
and pretty soon the grass will start
crunching underfoot. Of course, winter is just around
the corner and if you haven’t brought
your tender houseplants in for
the season by now, you may have
lost them! The coldest overnight
temperatures have already hovered
around the freezing point (as I
write this in late October) and most
tropical plants cannot withstand these
conditions. By all means, if they’re
still alive, bring them indoors to a
cool, bright place, water them (this
will help them thaw if need be) and
wait. When faced with such an extreme
change in conditions (lower light
levels, warmer temperatures, still
air and decreased humidity), plants
almost invariably react by dropping
leaves, flowers, buds and losing their
healthy colour. I will guarantee
you that your bougainvillea will
do all of the above. But don’t
panic. Increased watering, heavy
fertilizing, re-potting and steppedup tender loving care are all the
worst things you can do right now. Does this surprise you? Classic
mistakes like these are so common. Your tropical plants are entering
into what is called their “dormant
period.” This does not mean that
all their above-ground growth dies
off, only to re-sprout in the spring
like your hardy perennials. But
their growth rate does slow down
considerably, flowering usually stops
and as a result, their care must also
change. When asked how often to water
an indoor plant (once a week? every
10 days?) I always answer that you
must feel the soil. Poke your finger
down to at least the first knuckle and
if it feels dry, then it is time to water. And water thoroughly. The best way
to make sure that you are doing this
is by watering from below – when
you have watered sufficiently, the
surface of the soil will be moist. Place your pot into the sink or a tub
with lukewarm water and let it drink
for as long as this takes. You’ll find
that your plants drink less water in
the winter months than during the
heat of the summer, and certainly less
water when the winter sun refuses to
shine. More plants are killed during
the winter by over-watering than
under.
The only fertilizer you should be
giving your plants during the winter
is one very low in nutrients, like a
fish emulsion, manure tea, or my
favourite, a concentrate made from
seaweed (i.e. Mr Kelpman). I do like
to use this at half its recommended
rate during the winter months just
to help plants stay strong and keep
their healthy colour. Using a product
like 20-20-20, Miracle Gro or those
terrible green fertilizer spikes (all
comparable to steroids) is something
I discourage for houseplants during
all seasons. Organic (with their
resulting low nutrient ratio) really is
a more natural and appropriate feed.
Since your plants are slowing
down for the winter, re-potting at this
stage is not recommended. That is,
unless your plant is 6 feet tall and
in a pot that measures 8” across. This is a horticultural tragedy. You
should be ashamed of yourself! Repot it quickly or else it may fall over
and injure small animals or heirloom
china. If this is you, get some good
quality potting soil for tropical
plants, a pot that measures no more
than about 2” more in diameter (with
a drainage hole) and tease the roots
before planting to stimulate them. Water before you transplant and
afterwards as well. And firm the soil
down well around the perimeter of
the pot so that it doesn’t absorb all
the moisture at the expense of the
root ball. In future, re-pot in the
early spring!
Lastly, don’t fuss over your plants
by moving them here and there, or
treat them like figurines or decorative
objects that would really look best
at the top of a bookcase, in a dark
stairwell or next to the fireplace. Find
out where that particular plant will
grow best and place it there. Rotate
it so that all sides get equal amounts
of light and under no circumstances
place it near a hot air source. This
always spells d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r. And
spidermites. Good luck and happy indoor
gardening!
Forty Foot Puddle
No More
Forty Foot Puddle No More: Crews were out on Belmont Avenue on October 5
adding a new sewer intake to relieve water pooling problems that arose after a
new water main was installed on the street last year. Photo by Missy Fraser
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 15
BOOK REVIEW
Muddying the Stream of Time
By stephen a. haines
Time Meddlers
by Deborah Jackson
LBF Books, 2006
ISBN 09773082-8-6
I
t’s a snowy day in Ottawa’s
eastern suburbs. Having once
again clashed with her father
over leaving Toronto for “the
wilderness” of the national capital,
Sarah Sachs in no mood for snow.
She’s is in no mood for foolish
surprises, either.
Swirling flakes fail to hide the
shock of her life - an SUV passes
through a boy walking across the
street toward her. This bizarre
incident is but the beginning of a
sequence of unexpected events. The
boy, who proves rude and distant,
is Sarah’s neighbour and classmate.
As “loners”, they almost inevitably
form a loose alliance. That
connection will lead to an amazing
adventure.
Deborah Jackson’s last book,
“The Ice Tomb” [reviewed in
the September, 2004 OSCAR],
combined history, science and
some well-drawn characters in a
captivating story. Those characters,
however, were all adults. Here, she
follows a similar strategy, but for a
younger audience. Sarah and Matt
Barnes might be your youngster’s
classmates. Jackson captures their
feelings about school, parents
and the world around them with
skilled perception. Sarah’s folks
have divorced, jolting the twelveyear-old’s comfortable life. Matt’s
lost both of his, his father in an
inexplicable way. He’s disappeared
in time.
In pursuit of his father, Matt must
deal with his cousin Nadine, who’s
running the house, the experiment
Dr Barnes designed, and Matt’s life.
Fiercely protective of Dr Barnes’
work, she proves the obstacle Matt
and Sarah must dodge in their quest.
In their efforts, the two children
override caution, with unpredictable
results. Nathan Barnes, an eminent
physicist, had developed a machine
to cross time and space. Jackson
here adapts current thinking among
physicists that there are multiple
universes, possibly accessed by
tapping something called “quantum
foam”. Within this foam space and
time are indeterminate. You can
go anywhere or anywhen. Thrust
into the foam, Matt and Sarah are
transported elsewhen. As city
children, they must learn to cope
with an entirely novel environment
- and its inhabitants. How they
survive and what results from their
transportation makes gripping
reading. They must prove flexible
and innovative. Matt’s relation to
his father is the pivot point for the
story’s development, which Jackson
handles with consummate skill.
Science fiction has long held a
fascination for young, inquisitive
minds. What are the alternative
possibilities to everyday life? Is the
course of history locked in some
pattern or can individuals truly have
an impact on how events transpire?
Jackson poses these questions
admirably, showing how the young
can act on their own initiative and
Area Church Service Times
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church St. Margaret Mary’s Parish
58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside)
Sunday Worship Services are at 9
a.m., 11 a.m.
Children’s programs are offered during both services.
Trinity Anglican Church
1230 Bank Street (corner of Cameron)
Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Church School and Nursery at 10 a.m.
7 Fairbairn
Sunday liturgies: Saturday at 4:30
p.m.; Sunday at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Evening Prayer: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Southminster United
Church
15 Aylmer Avenue
10:30 a.m.: Worship and Sunday
School - September through June
Deborah Jackson
maintain a set of effective values.
These two clash with adults, with
each other and with their peers. But
they also learn reconciliation and
cooperation between themselves
and a larger community. They
understand how today’s actions lead
to tomorrow’s results, and selfish
behaviour can be carried only so
far. This book is valuable for many
reasons and an excellent “stocking
stuffer” for any young person.
Adults should find it of more than
passing interest.
stephen a. haines may be reached
at [email protected]
Page 16
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Clearing the Fog of War:
Great Reads at Sunnyside
Library
A HARD DAY’S PLAY
Elmo and Spiders
By Chris Simmons, Librarian
By Mary P.
W
M
alli lies on the living room floor,
wailing.
“Mine! Mine! My Elmo!”
“Elmo’s in the garbage, honey.”
“My Elmo! Malli take Elmo home!”
“Oh, lovie. Elmo’s all dirty now. You
don’t want to take that yukky thing home,
do you?”
Stupid question.
“Elmo! Malli take Elmo hoooome!”
I guess I’d been a little hasty when I
threw the thing out. I suppose there’s no
harm in it. I fish it out, dust it off, put it in a
plastic grocery bag.
“Here, Malli. You want to take Elmo
home, you can take Elmo home.”
A few moments later, Malli’s mother
peers in the bag at the sodden package
enclosed there, clicks her tongue and sighs.
“It’s Elmo, isn’t it?”
“Yep. She insisted.”
“She’s been fixated for a couple of
weeks. I’ll sure be glad when we’re through
this package.”
Malli’s mummy and I would like to
thank the very clever people at Pampers who
came up with the idea of putting Elmo on the
buttside of their diapers. It’s certainly made
our lives much more colourful, challenging,
interesting, odiferous, and loud.
And here’s our nod to the festivities
waiting in the wings:
NOVEMBER 2006
We have a few Hallowe’en decorations
up so far, and more are planned.
George finds one of these little babies
on the dining room table. (They’re about 3
cm tall.)
He picks it up, he rolls it gingerly this
way and that, he eyes it long and carefully.
“Mary, is this a spider?” He holds it
above his head, peers up at its belly from
beneath.
“Yes, it is.”
“Is it a toy, or is it dead?”
779 Bank Street (613) 237-1483
hile American foreign policy politics since WWII
has been a tangled mess of intrigue and strategizing,
a strong tradition of investigative reporting has
developed to untangle the US attempts to influence affairs
abroad. Creative journalism has always been a hallmark of
American letters and while the explosion of books tracking the
War on Terror includes more than few that are more righteously
polemical than insightful, a number of great works of non-fiction
have come from writers at media outlets like the Washington
Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker and Slate to name
a few.
Many readers are familiar with authors such as Robert Fisk,
the Independent journalist and author of The Conquest of the
Middle East, or Bob Woodward, the Washington Post editor
who broke the Watergate scandal and authored Plan of Attack
and State of Denial, but there are other great books that mix
brilliant research with a gripping narrative. One of the best is
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and
Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001,
the 2005 Pulitzer winner by Steve Coll. Coll, also a Washington
Post writer, draws on an astonishing wealth of sources from
the American, Saudi and Pakistani secret services to trace
the shifting lines of alliance in Afghanistan through the cold
war to 9/11. The book ends with September 10th, 2001 and
the inevitablity of 9/11 looms everpresent like the black hole
formed as the towers fell. He also includes a lengthy analysis
of the tensions within Islam that gave birth to the extremism of
Wahabbism.
A particularly interesting book for Canadians to read in light
of our present engagement and the naming of some Afghans
as allies and others as terrorists by the Canadian government.
To find out who these figures are and how they fit into the
power dynamics of Afghan society one can turn to Coll’s
meticulously researched book. Blood Money: Wasted Billions,
Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq by Los Angeles Times
writer T. Christian Miller examines the reconstruction of Iraq
by the Coalition Provisional Authority. In writing a new Iraqi
constitution , the CPA issued its now infamous Order #39 that
privatized state industries, allowed for 100% foreign ownership
and granted immunity to private security contractors. As Miller
writes, this resulted 98% of contracts going to well connected
US companies, gross financial mismanagement by Americans
and Iraqis alike, and bands of mercenaries operating with
impunity throughout Iraq.
The Assassin’s Gate: America in Iraq brings an interesting
perspective as its author George Packer, a staff writer at The
New Yorker, initially supported the war under the noble
auspices of removing a dictator from power. Packer gives an
insightful historical analysis of how America’s reconstruction
policies could fall from the successes of the Marshall plan to
the chaos and war profiteering of Iraq. An excellent mix of
policy analysis as well as the harrowing experience of being in
Baghdad alongside American troops.
Fiasco: the military adventure in Iraq by Thomas Ricks
traces the overwhelming difficulty that an occupying army
faces when it fights a war against a local insurgency. Ricks, the
Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Post and the author
of the acclaimed account of Marine Corps boot camp, Making
the Corps, draws on his extensive network of military contacts
to explain the quagmire the US military has fallen into in facing
an ever-proliferating insurgency.
A book as complex and nuanced as the situation it describes,
The Looming Tower brings a perspective often lacking: the
Islamic perspective. In writing against the all too common
demonization of Islam as the barbarians at the gate, Wright shows
how mainstream Islam has itself struggled against extremists
spawned by the post World War II writings of militant Islam
jihadist founder Sayyid Qutb.
To pick up these great books and more, stop by Sunnyside
Library!
The OSCAR
NOVEMBER 2006
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 17
WINDSOR CHRONICLES B– PART 67
The Mud Baths
Dear Tera,
I
t’s been a wet autumn. The leaves
don’t fall, so much as get bullied
from the trees by the driving rain.
On the ground the dead leaves don’t
crackle and crunch under foot. They
squish – a sodden carpet.
The tree fireworks haven’t been
that brilliant this season either. No
incandescent reds or neo-neon
yellows. All the leaves have taken on
a muddy hue, which means it’s easier
for squirrels to hide.
But there are advantages to this
kind of weather. In their constant
search for ways to fulfill our lives, the
humanoids have removed the gravel
patch at the west end of the park and
replaced it with … mud!
Mud! Mud! Glorious mud!
There’s nothing quite like it for
cooling the blood.
Don’t get me wrong. I had
nothing against that big patch of very
fine gravel. You could get pretty good
traction on it when chasing a ball,
even if it was a bit rougher on the paw
pads. The balls bounced well.
And occasionally the humanoids
would gather there to hit balls with
sticks, and run around in a square
pattern, stomping on bags as they
went.
It looked like a good game,
although they didn’t let us chase the
balls. Or fetch those big club-like
sticks, for that matter.
And I sort of liked that big high
fence at one end of the gravel.
Alpha used to throw a tennis ball
high over the top, and my challenge
was to learn to run around the fence
to retrieve it. The removal of this
big fence may be an impediment to
the education of our younger dogs.
Somehow they must learn that the
shortest way to retrieve a ball is not
always a straight line.
But the gravelly patch was not
very hospitable to animal life. The
squirrels rarely ventured there on
their journeys from the parking lot
to the river. Once a year, in the late
spring, old gramma snapping turtle
would haul herself up the river bank
to deposit her eggs along the area the
humanoids call the third baseline. But
that was about the extent of the gravel
patch as a natural habitat.
But mud! Mud! This truly is
glorious! How considerate!
First the trucks came in to deposit
big heaps of topsoil. Then dozers
came to scrape away the gravel.
Somewhere around that time, the
fences were removed. Then other
vehicles spread the topsoil so that it
was ready to receive the autumn rains
and turn into our mud baths.
I’m not sure that the humanoids
are smart enough to leave a good thing
alone, though. I hear Alpha tell the
Pup that eventually they will put grass
there. Something about turning a
baseball diamond into a soccer pitch.
I can only hope he’s making this
up. Surely they can all see what a
perfect addition the mud baths are to
our community.
But just in case he’s right, let’s
take advantage of the luxuries while
we can.
The Contest
Many of Zoscha’s readers have
observed that she often sprinkles her
prose with various quotes, parodies
and allusions.
If you can identify a reference,
send your contest entry to oscar@
oldottawasouth.ca, using “Zoscha’s
contest” in your title line. Or drop a
note off at the Firehall.
For last month’s column, the
virtual pat on the head and doggie
biscuit goes to Bill Grant of Windsor
Avenue who correctly identified
William Butler Yeats as the inspiration
for Zoscha’s reference to “things fell
apart, the centre could not hold, mere
anarchy was loosed upon the world.”
He assures us, however, that the best
still have their conviction.
So bark with me bark,
Down at the park,
Where we will all lark
In the wonderful mud!
Heading home as happy as
a pig in mud,
Zoscha
Rare.
Contemporary.
Illuminating.
19 Condo Apartments in The Glebe.
Few new buildings are built from the ground up
in The Glebe. Fewer still arrive with such
panache. “g” will combine utility with delight in
an extraordinary display of modern architecture.
Will you be one of the lucky few to live there?
We’re launching soon, so call 613-562-4663 today
to receive an invitation to our exclusive launch
event. It will put you at the head of the line.
613-562-4663
domicile.ca
Page 18
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 19
Cat Rescue Network
Light Up Your World
Poupon and her kittens
By Jennifer Davies
A
young female short haired tabby, who
the rescuer named Poupon, is presently
being kept on a bed of straw in a garage.
She was found starving in a ditch (not a very
experienced mother) and trying to feed 6 day
old kittens. Cat Rescue Network had no foster
homes available, and the person who found the
cat got the same response from every rescue.
She agreed to feed and shelter the cat and kittens
in her garage, and give them a bed of straw.
Poupon was very thin we worried that she
would be unable to feed all of her kittens, so
the rescuer fed the mother good quality kitten
food and cats milk. The kittens are now 6
weeks old, robust and playful, and the mother
has been vaccinated and spayed. Poupon is a
young, timid cat who will hide when someone
initially enters her space. She was too naive
about protecting herself to be feral; but her fear
and starvation indicates that she had been on
her on for some time. The fact that she had her
babies in an open ditch tells us that she had most
likely never had kittens before and that she did
not know she was in labor until the kittens were
born.
When the rescuer carried her kittens to the
garage, Poupon followed at a distance. Instead
of trying to take the kittens away, she jumped
into the box and began to nurse them.
Poupon is very affectionate with the lady
who gave her the bed and food; and she slowly
forms attachments to other people who visit in
her garage. Her kittens are now in foster care
and Poupon is still in the garage. She likes her
accommodations but deserves a forever home.
Clover
Clover was one of four siblings found
sealed in box and left on the doorstep of a local
business. The kittens were about 7 weeks old,
were cold, hungry and sick. Clover was cared
for in a foster home, and eventually adopted
with one of her siblings. She was not a robust
kitten and was eventually diagnosed with food
allergies. The situation in the adoptive home
had also changed. The family now had a house,
a new baby and a dog to look after. The sickly
kitten could not be given the individual care and
attention she initially needed. She would eat the
dog’s food, or any other food around the house,
and her allergies would flare up.
Clover was returned to the Cat Rescue
Network and placed on an elimination diet.
She has not had a recurrence of the allergy, has a
good appetite, and can eat an assortment of foods
purchased from pet stores or veterinarians.
She is a healthy, friendly and affectionate
cat of about 2 years old. All she needs now is
a permanent home with a limited number of
animals; or another cat with food allergies; so
that the type of food she eats can be controlled.
To enquire about adopting email flora_
[email protected] or phone 613-820-7088.
The Cat Rescue Network charges an adoption
fee to offset veterinary costs.
H
ave you ever redecorated a room --- beautiful
furnishings, vibrant wall colours, perfect window
treatments --- only to find the room feels fabulous
during the day, but at night, feels a bit drab and empty,
maybe even a bit grey? Chances are, your lighting is not
quite right, and it is disturbing the overall effect of the
room.
Here, then, are a few tips for successful lighting.
First off, light needs to be layered to work properly.
Remember, the eye needs to see not just one glaring source
of light, but different types of light, working together to
create a seamless whole. That being said, every room
needs three different types of lighting: ambient, task, and
accent.
Ambient light is the general light you need to see by,
or to function, when you enter a room. Oftentimes, this
is the overhead light or recessed lighting that is turned on
when we enter a room.
Task lighting allows us to perform a specific task in a
room. Reading lamps are a good example, as are recessed
pot lights, illuminating a favourite painting or piece of
sculpture at night.
Accent lighting is the sparkle in a room. For example,
the candle on the mantelpiece; the decorative wall sconce
that gives off very little light, but is a beautiful piece of
art in itself; or, the tiny recessed light in a cabinet that
causes the wood to glow. Accent light often introduces
an element of surprise, or a touch of light to a room. It
doesn’t provide much illumination, but it definitely makes
the room more interesting.
If any of your rooms feel a little drab or dark at night,
check to see if they contain these three types of lighting.
You’ll be amazed at how seemingly small lighting changes
can make such a huge difference!
Jennifer Davies is owner of “Interiors for Living”, an
Ottawa-based interior decorating company. If you have
any decorating questions, or comments on this article, she
can be reached at [email protected] or 613521-2990.
Ask the designer- Brenna Dallaway
Creating A Welcoming Holiday Brunch.
By Brenna Dallaway
I
’d like to try something different
for entertaining this year. The
holidays are so hectic- after
planning and preparing dinner parties
I’m so exhausted that I end up not
enjoying myself! Do you have any
alternate ideas to help me plan a easy
special meal for my close friends and
family?”
Whether you’re dashing through
the snow or skating on the canal with all the winter activities in our
midst why not start the day off with a
charming holiday brunch?
Have fun creating a festive decor
of understated elegance for you and
your guests. No need to forego the
formality of an evening event, aim for
the atmosphere of a refined afternoon
tea for your brunch.
Here are some tips to create a
beautiful brunch:
Get out your sparkling stemware!
White wine glasses are an
appropriate choice for a holiday
brunch; they’re thinner than red wine
glasses yet larger than a champagne
flute.
Polish your silver flatware, tea set
and an urn for flowers.
Any grocer carries a polishing
kit but you could do it yourself with
baking soda and hot water at home.
Winter roses, classically beautiful,
are a charming alternative floral
arrangement for the holidays. Choose
from the lighter creams to the deeper
reds.
Combine all of this with an elegant
linen taupe table runner and napkins.
And for a bit of holiday charm add
ornaments in lively colours either
spilling over in bowls or on plates as
place cards.
A buffet means less work so you
can start decorating your dining room
in advance if needed.
Meals such as eggs Benedict,
smoked salmon and delicious biscuits,
can be placed in warming chafing
dishes on a buffet or side table.
Chafing dishes can be rented or
visit our local antique shoppes.
Be sure to place a linen tablecloth
on your buffet!
Guests can help themselves to the
prepared meal leaving you more time
to enjoy.
The holidays are mean to be
holidays after all - encourage your
guest to help themselves to many
helpings!
What a wonderful warm time of
year to spend with our loved ones.
Eat Drink and be Merry!
Brenna Dallaway is the owner and
head designer of philosophy interiors,
interior design studio based in the
Ottawa South area.
For any questions on interior
design that you would like addressed
in the Oscar
Please
email
info@
philosophyinteriors.ca or oscar@
oldottawasouth.ca.
www.philosophyinteiors.ca.
Page 20
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Moving and Grooving at Corpus Christi School
By Missy Fraser
S
day of physical activity. Students are also timing
and recording their other physical activity each day.
The combined grand total of minutes for the school
will be entered in a contest with Wonder Fresh for
school prizes.
The Cross Country Team competed in a citywide
meet at the Terry Fox Sports Facility on October 4,
2006. Congratulations to all of the team for their
dedication and hard work. Way to go!
Corpus Christi is pleased to announce the
election of the 2006-07 School Council. This
year’s co-chairs are Susan Murray and Jane
Spiteri. In addition to support for school-wide
arts programming, literacy activities, and social
justice initiatives, this year’s Council is focusing
on the greening and re-equipping of the schoolyard.
To find out more about this initiative and other
exciting Corpus Christi School activities please
visit: [email protected] or call the office at
613-232-9743.
tudents and staff at Corpus Christi are moving
and grooving this fall in a series of new
activities designed to increase physical fitness
and encourage fun and playfulness at school.
On November 9th Corpus Christi School will
hold its first ever “Dance-a thon”. Students will
visit the gym for one-hour blocks to share their
moves and have some fun. The School Council has
organized the event to raise funds for the Corpus
arts programme and to purchase books and sports
equipment. “Presswood Dance-a-thons”, a company
new to Ottawa, is providing the equipment, sponsor
forms and a DJ.
Staff and parents are eagerly anticipating
upcoming visits from Dr. Terry Orlick and John
Coleman later this fall. Dr. Orlick is the founder
of the “Zone of Excellence” and a world renowned
leader in high level performance psychology and
personal excellence. He has worked extensively
with children and teenagers to help them increase
self-confidence and experience more harmony
and joy in their lives. Terry and John will share
their expertise in cooperative games and relaxation
strategies with students and teachers.
Each school day from October 16 to December
3, students will be dancing to fine disco tunes
while participating in the “Wonder Fresh Fitness
Challenge”. Students are participating in this daily
exercise programme to meet the new provincial Corpus Christi students take to the hill at Mooney’s Bay after the OCCS Board Cross Country Meet on
requirement for a minimum of twenty minutes a October 4.
Lady Evelyn Fall Fair
By Brian Donahue
O
n Saturday, September 30
Lady Evelyn Alternative
School held a Fall Fair in
support of fundraising for the school
computer lab.
With the beautiful fall weather,
many games were held in the school
yard. There was also a student talent
show in the gymnasium, organized
by teachers Jen Dawson and Donna
Bondy.
One of the most popular activities
was the “Cake Walk” game set up
in the school lobby area. Cakes and
desserts were donated by parents and
staff (an impressive selection of treats
Many students enjoyed the water games !
it was !). A musical chairs style game
decided which lucky participant got
to choose each cake treat. Specially
placed floor circles concealed a
number. Participants could purchase
a circle for a loonie and move about
the floor pattern as the music played.
When the music stopped each
participant checked their hidden circle
number against the winning number
drawn each time. Lots of fun !
Principal Lori Lovett says it was
one of the best organized and attended
fundraising events in recent memory.
“There was such a great spirit of
cooperation among the students, staff,
and parents which made the day such
a great success”. Many friends of the
school and neighbourhood residents
also took advantage of the event to
come by and check out the school,
have a coffee or attend the talent
show.
In total, approximately $1700 was
raised from the fair towards the cost of
the school computer lab. Many thanks
go out to the lead parent volunteer
Heather Muir and all the staff, students,
parents and friends who attended and
participated in making the Fall Fair
such a huge success !
The OSCAR
NOVEMBER 2006
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 21
AMICALEMENT VOTRE
L’Amicale francophone fait sa rentrée !
Karine Briand, pour
l’Amicale Francophone
N
otre assemblée générale s’est
tenue lundi 16 octobre 2006
et nous a permis de procéder
à l’élection d’un nouveau conseil
d’administration composé de :
Monique Sénéchal: présidente,
Doreen Drolet: vice-présidente et
programmation, Anne Donnadieu:
trésorière, Isabel Cyr: secrétaire et site
web, Jean Maurice Djossou social et
culturel, Guy Giguère: développement,
Karine Briand : communications ;
Johanne Bérubé (Heron Park), Gilles
Hébert (Ottawa Est), Catherine Paris
(Glebe) et Hans Ruprecht (Ottawa
Sud) comme représentants de quartier ;
Margaux Béland, Nabila Kaci et
Alexandre Matte comme membres
associés.
Ce
nouveau
conseil
d’administration s’est donné pour
mission d’optimiser le site web
de l’Amicale et de poursuivre le
développement de la programmation
francophone en partenariat avec nos
institutions communautaires.
Il souhaite par ailleurs poursuivre
son implication dans deux projets très
prometteurs pour lesquels l’Amicale
a été retenue comme partenaire par la
ville d’Ottawa. Le premier, auquel
participent également le MIFO,
le centre Franc-Ouest et le Patro
d’Ottawa, vise à l’élaboration pour
2007, d’un guide spécifique de toutes
les activités récréatives offertes en
français à Ottawa.
Le second est quant à lui un projet
pilote d’aide aux entreprises développé
en partenariat avec le Regroupement
des gens d’affaires (RGA) pour offrir
aux gens d’affaires de la région des
outils de mise en valeur du service à la
clientèle en français et en anglais.
Nous remercions tous les
participants à cette assemblée et
souhaitons la bienvenue aux nouveaux
membres ! Un grand merci également
aux directions des écoles FrancoJeunesse et Lamoureux pour leur appui
dans la diffusion de nos messages…
sans oublier nos nombreux colleurs
d’affiches !
Les réunions du CA (19h30) et du
comité social (19h00) ont lieu le premier
lundi du mois au centre communautaire
du Glebe. Elles sont ouvertes à tous.
Pour tous ceux d’entre vous qui n’ont
pas pu participer à l’assemblée générale
ou qui découvrez l’Amicale par le biais
de cette chronique, sachez qu’il est
possible d’adhérer à notre association
en tout temps.
Nos membres prennent l’initiative !
En selle pour une année de l’Amicale
sous le signe de l’expansion!
L’Amicale a entamé cette saison
automnale avec toute une série de
nouveaux rendez-vous qui viennent
s’ajouter à la palette de nos activités
déjà bien rodées. Les partenariats
développés par l’Amicale avec les
associations communautaires de nos
quartiers au cours de l’année 2006
ont en effet débouchés sur la création
de nouvelles activités récréatives en
français.
Les centres communautaires du
Glebe et d’Ottawa Est proposent déjà
depuis septembre un ensemble de
programmes en français pour enfants
et adultes: cours de chant, formation
en garde d’enfants, services d’aide aux
devoirs pour les élèves de la première
à la sixième année - dans le Glebe;
activités sportives pour les 4/8 ans et
séances de ballon panier pour adultes
en équipe mixte - dans Ottawa Est.
L’Amicale poursuit par ailleurs
sa collaboration avec les centres
communautaires d’Ottawa Sud et de
Heron Park en vue d’offrir sous peu
des groupes de jeux et un atelier d’art
dramatique pour enfants en français.
Surveillez les dates d’inscriptions
dans la programmation de vos centres
communautaires pour la prochaine
session d’hiver.
Le cercle de lecture a repris ses
séances et vous invite à partager
votre passion pour les livres dans une
atmosphère conviviale. Les rencontres
ont lieu le premier mercredi du mois,
à 19h00 au centre communautaire du
Glebe.
Le cinéma francophone est
également à l’affiche de cette rentrée.
Le film « Les Choristes » de Christophe
Stop Climate Chaos
Stop Climate Chaos
Global Day of Action
November 4, 2006
1:00 p.m.
Parliament Hill
R
Barratier, avec Gérard Jugnot sera
projeté le vendredi 1er décembre à
19h00, au centre communautaire du
Glebe. Ce film a reçu la classification
« visa général »… une belle sortie
familiale en perspective ! Durée du
film 1h35. Entrée libre pour tous.
http://www.avoir-alire.com/article.
php3?id_article=4430
ising CO2 levels from burning coal, oil and natural gas s fueling a
climate crisis that already kills 150,000 people globally each year.
Alternative energy solutions exist, but public investment is needed
to accelerate their development; instead, Canada subsidizes environmental
catastrophes like Alberta’s tar sands and fights wars to control and continue
to exploit global oil reserves
On Nov 4, people in Canada and at least 47 other countries around
the world, will take to the streets, in what is planned to be the largest
international day of action yet to stop climate chaos.
www.ACTfortheEarth.org/climatechaos
www.climateactionnetwork.ca
www.ourclimate.ca
Deux de nos membres vous
proposent de faire de l’exercice en
plein air dans le secteur Vieil Ottawa
Sud. Joignez-vous à eux par temps
clément, pour un parcours de marche à
bon pas d’environ une heure. Rendezvous le vendredi matin à 7h00 devant
la bibliothèque Sunnyside, à partir du
6 octobre.
« Les petits francos à la biblio »
est un rendez-vous qui vous est proposé
par Justine (7 ans), Jaxon (5 ans) et
leur maman, dans la section enfants
de la bibliothèque Sunnyside. Venez
les rejoindre tous les vendredis aprèsmidis entre 16h30 et 17h30 pour y lire
des livres et des bandes-dessinées,
colorier et faire un brin de jasette en
français.
Un groupe de bridge est en
préparation…une affaire à suivre
pour les amateurs de cartes ! Si
vous êtes intéressés, n’hésitez-pas
à communiquer vos coordonnées à
Colette via notre adresse : amicale05@
sympatico.ca
À l’occasion du centenaire de la
naissance de Samuel Beckett, Doreen
vous propose une sortie de groupe pour
voir la pièce de théâtre « En attendant
Godot », le 12 décembre 2006 au CNA.
Contactez l’Amicale.
L’Amicale vous encourage à initier
de tels groupes d’activités sportives,
récréatives ou culturelles dont elle se
fera le relais auprès des autres membres
de votre communauté.
Nous vous rappelons que l’Amicale
francophone est ouverte à tous les
francophiles et francophones désireux
de socialiser en français.
Merci d’adresser vos demandes
d’informations ou d’inscriptions à notre
liste de distribution électronique ainsi
que vos commentaires à : amicale05@
sympatico.ca
The OSCAR
Page 22
Glebe Cooperative Nursery
School Serves Families
Throughout Ottawa
Karri Munn-Venn
T
hat’s Evan’s letter, Mummy!”, Gabriel exclaims as he
spies a capital E on the side of the cereal box. Gabriel is
three years old and is in his second year of preschool at
the Glebe Cooperative Nursery School (GCNS). Evan is his best
buddy. E is the “letter of the week”. Gabriel is obviously proud
to have learned a new letter and I am thrilled to see the positive
impact of the GCNS program.
The GCNS has been serving Ottawa families for over 25
years. While most of the nursery school children live in the Glebe,
others come from Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Riverview Park
and Hintonburg. This wonderful little school offers a supportive
and stimulating program for 51 children aged 18 months to 5
years. Engaging weekly themes – such as “the harvest”, “wild
animals”, and “Canada” – and special dress-up days provide the
backdrop for creative activities that inspire, entertain, and educate
the school’s young students. Housed in the Glebe Community
Centre, the GCNS also offers a vibrant new classroom, outdoor
playground, and a weekly music program.
A few spots are still open in the senior preschool afternoon
program, Mondays to Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:30. Children
must be 2½ to 4½ years of age. Come and join this fantastic cooperative and give your child a wonderful preschool experience.
Registration kits are available at the school or online at www.
theglebeonline.ca (under “schools”). For more information, call
our Registrar, Tracy at 230-6578.
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Expedition Canada Tour
By James Hunter
E
xperience the adventure of
tackling a hurricane in a
rowboat, cycling across vast
continents and trekking through the
world?s coldest inhabited place in the
first human powered circumnavigation
of the earth.Colin Angus and Julie
Wafaei take you on their 43,000 km
journey by rowboat, bicycle, foot and
ski, completing what Outside Magazine
and many others have called ?one of
the last great expeditions?. The goal
of their expedition and this tour is to
show just how far you can take nonmotorized transportation and to promote
no or low emission transportation to
combat climate change. The Show
The Expedition Canada Tour is a
speaking tour that will also premiere the
documentary “Beyond the Horizon”.
The two hour show includes a
speaking presention by Colin and Julie,
followed by a viewing of the 55 minute
documentary. Colin’s two previous
films have already won 8 awards,
including the Best Adventure Film at
the Telluride Mountain Film Festival.
You will also have the opportunity to
win some great prizes, including: Grand
Prizes: 1 Norco Performance VFR 4
Bike (value $650.00)1 Helly Hansen
“Vinter” Jacket (value $450.00)(draw at
the end of the tour) Door Prize:1 Helly
Hansen Lifa Long Sleeved Crew (value
$45.00)(draw every show)
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
7:00 - 9:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)
Nepean High School Auditorium, 574
Broadview Ave., Ottawa
Presented by Nakkertok Crosscountry Ski Club
For information contact: Sinjin.
email: [email protected] @
magma.ca
Tickets:
Mountain Equipment Co-op, 366
Richmond Road, 613-729-2700
Trailhead, 1960 Scott St., 613-7224229
Tickets will also be sold to general
public for $15 through certain local
retailers, including Trailhead and
MEC (commencing on October 15th).
Remaining unsold tickets will be $20 at
the door.
More information: http://www.magma.
ca/~sdixonwa/ExpeditionCanadaTour.
html
Autumn At Westboro Academy
By Ann Winters
S
eptember and October activities
at Westboro Academy have
run the gamut from elections,
community involvement and space to
pumpkins and Halloween activities.
The student council election was
a good learning experience on
ownership and responsibility. With
the new council firmly in place, you
can feel the students’ pride in their
school.
There are many ways to teaching
and “by example” is a good one.
What better way to instill the values
of dedication and giving than to
participate in the Terry Fox Walk. On
September 29, our students from Grades
1 to 8 walked for an hour in Brewer
Park to raise funds for the Terry Fox
Foundation. And involvement wasn’t
limited to students. Parents, teachers
and staff also donned comfortable
shoes and collected pledges. Thanks
to everyone’s contributions, a grand
total of $3,042.00 was donated to
Terry’s cause.
For Grade 6 and 7 students, a
three-day trip to the Cosmodome
opened a whole new universe. As
part of Westboro’s science program,
our students learned about survival in
space, weightlessness, propulsion and
space simulations. They became part
of a space shuttle crew that, through
teamwork, had to invent and build a
variety of scientific experiments.
In marked contrast, our Grade
2 and 3 students took a leap back
in time. As part of their social
studies, they experienced life from
two centuries ago with a visit to a
pioneer homestead. No modern-day
technology there. Just horses, wagons
and simple but effective farm tools.
Sometimes you have to look back to
appreciate today.
Our JKs to Grade Ones, during a
field trip to Saunders Farm, learned the
secrets of the Pumpkin Patch and the
roles of bees in plant growth. Topped
off with wagon rides and hay jumps, it
was a perfect day in the country.
Pumpkins took a different
meaning at the Pumpkin Run event on
Monday, October 16. Organized by the
Ottawa Independent Schools’ Athletic
Association, the Pumpkin Run offers
a series of races for different age
groups: 1.5 km for the younger ones
(eight-year-olds) to 3 km for the 13years olds. Our students in Grades, 3,
4, 5 and 8 posted excellent results and
had a great time.
As we look ahead to the next two
months, there are some notable events
on our calendar. November 15th and
16th are our Open House dates. We
look forward to meeting and greeting
you.
Our ad in the OSCAR provides
more
details.
The
Westboro
Academy junior and senior choirs
are in fine voice and the Grade 6
band members are getting their
notes in order for Santa’s breakfast.
If you are interested in discovering
the Westboro difference for your child,
call us at 613-737-9543 or visit us at
www.westboroacademy.ca
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 23
Books, Books, Books For Kids
By Kim Ferguson
A
t Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books
we’re already getting many
requests for recommendations
on good gift books for birthdays,
baby showers, and the upcoming gift
giving holidays. Here are some of our
favourites:
For the board book set, you
really can’t go wrong with Sandra
Boynton; she has cute but simple
animal illustrations, catchy rhymes
and stories that parents don’t mind
reading 400 times (“The cow says
moo, the sheep says baa, three
singing pigs say la la la…” is burned
indelibly in my brain).Wait, you say,
we have all of those already. Did
you know that a new Boynton book
has just been released? Called Your
Personal Penguin, it even has a link to
download it in vocal format sung by
none other than everyone’s favourite
Monkee, Davy Jones. Some other
very popular board/activity books at
the store are My Grandma’s Purse
and My Grandpa’s Briefcase, filled
with things to play with including
funny glasses and Grandpa’s handy
whoopee cushion!
Ahh … the picture books. There
are so many beautiful ones that it’s
hard to recommend just a few. A recent
release called I Will Hold You Till
You Sleep by Linda Zuckerman and
illustrated by Jon J. Muth (Zen Shorts,
Stone Soup, The Three Questions) is
rivaling Robert Munsch’s Love You
Forever for lovely baby gift book
status and making people cry in the
store when they read it (including us,
especially Kelly). Wallace Edwards,
who hails from the Kingston area, has
just come out with a great book with
his usual fantastic illustrations. The
Extinct Files is about a boy doing a
dinosaur project for school that proves
that they have not died out after all.
Other great gift titles include Kelly’s
favourite, the Toot and Puddle books
by Hollie Hobbie about two cute pigs
and their adventures, Once I Ate a Pie
dog poems by Patricia Maclachlan
and Owen and Mzee, a true story by
Isabella Hafkoff, about a baby hippo
swept away by the tsunami, taken to a
game reserve and adopted by a cranky
old turtle. You also can’t miss with
some old favourites like Where the
Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
or Karin’s recent story time favourite
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner.
Who wouldn’t enjoy clapping along
and speaking in a fine Spanish
accent?
In kids fiction, there are a lot
of great picks including the latest
in a number of popular series such
as Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer,
A Series of Unfortunate Events by
Lemony Snicket [“The End” which is
actually the end of the series…)] and
the Adventures of Captain Underpants
(Let’s Potty!). For the fairy fans in
the crowd, there is quite a selection of
the Daisy Meadows’ Rainbow Fairies,
Weather Fairies, Jewel Fairies, Pet
Fairies, Party Fairies and recently
released Days of the Week Fairies.
We get most of these from England by
popular demand, as only the Rainbow
and Weather Fairies are available here
in Canada. For fantasy lovers, some
The Water Cycle
By Charles Billington
reasons: gardening, watering livestock,
fishing on the lake and tourism. But the
hat is the connection between biggest and most important use is as a
your kitchen faucet, winter source of drinking water for towns and
snow and clouds in the sky? villages in the Mississippi and Rideau
To water specialists, they would say that valleys.
In our area, we normally get about
all of those things are part of the water
850
mm of rain and snow each year. cycle. To regular people, it is not that
Generally
speaking, about 200 mm
obvious. of
that
falls
as snow. Historically, the
The water cycle is a fancy way of
describing the constant movement of rains have been fairly predictable and
water in the environment. For example, regularly distributed across all months. rain falls onto the ground. But it doesn’t But things are changing. Droughts,
stay there. The rain does one of many severe rainstorms, floods and irregular
things when it touches down. It can run rainfall are becoming more common.
Through the Source Water
off the surface into a body of water like a
Protection
program, we are now mapping
lake, river or stream. It could filter into
the soil and join the “ground water”. the quantity, quality and movement
It could evaporate directly back into of water through the two watersheds. the air. It might be taken up by some It is critical for us to know that the
maple roots and travel through the tree municipal drinking water supplies will
for eventual return to the air. Or, if it’s be secure even in the face of changing
cold enough, it could freeze and lie for climatic conditions. Understanding the
months as snow or ice waiting to flow water cycle in our valleys is the first
step towards safe, clean and abundant
again in the spring.
Let’s say the rain runs into a stream drinking water for everyone.
Charles Billington is Director,
which flows into your lake. During the
Community
Relations Rideau Valley
warm summer months, huge amounts
Conservation
Authority
of water evaporate from the lake and
become clouds again. When they’re
(613) 692-3571 ext 1116
thick enough, new water droplets (rain)
1-800-267-3504 ext 1116
fall again somewhere else and the water
[email protected]
cycle starts all over again.
People use the water cycle for many W
series we really like are the Charlie
Bone books by Jenny Nimmo and
Magyk and Flyte by Angie Sage.
I highly recommend anything by
Tamora Pierce or Kenneth Oppel .
For young collectors, it can be
very exciting to receive a book signed
by the author. To feed this need, we
will soon be hosting three local author
events where signed copies and
opportunities to chat with bonafide
writers will abound:
Saturday, November 18th from 1-3
pm Tom Henighen will be launching his
new book Viking Terror. Adventure,
magic and Viking mythology - who
could ask for more?
Friday , November 24th from 7pm
at the Arrow and the Loon, Brian
Doyle, author of over a dozen books
and winner of several national and
international awards, will join us to
talk about writing and read from one
of his books.
Saturday December 2nd from 1-3
pm we will celebrate Sharon Abron
Drache’s book, The Lubavitchers
Are Coming to Second Avenue. It’s
a magical and mystical Hannukah and
Christmas story set in the Glebe.
For the non-fiction fan of history,
Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories are
a lot of fun (history with the nasty
bits left in). Great reference books
abound, from the always interesting
and sometimes gross Guiness Book
of World Records, to DK’s Zoom,
(all you ever wanted to know about
vehicles), and The Dangerous Book
for Boys (the title says it all).
The “Ology” books are on many
people’s gift registries this year
including Wizardology, Dragonology,
Fairyopolis, and the newest additions,
“Piratology” and “A Princess Primer.
Full of flaps to lift and treasures to
discover these fascinating books keep
kids reading and exploring for hours.
Pop-up books have become
amazing feats of engineering and
cover classic stories such as Alice in
Wonderland and The Jungle Book and
non-fiction subjects such as dinosaurs,
knights and castles, mummies and
even Alfred Hitchcock Movies. A
new version of Robert Sabuda’s “The
Twelve Days of Christmas” has a
tree with working lights pop up at the
end.
Speaking of Christmas books,
there are many great ones including
classics such as The Night Before
Christmas and a recent twist on that
tale, A Creature Was Stirring by Carter
Goodrich, about a boy worried because
he can’t get to sleep on Christmas Eve.
There are many Hannukah titles and a
few Kwanzaa tales too.
Feel free to come on in and let
us know if you’re searching for
something for your mystery fan, cat
lover or hockey aficionado. We love
helping people find just the right book
for the special people in their lives.
Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books is
located upstairs in the Fifth Avenue
Court at Bank and Fifth in the Glebe.
The OSCAR
Page 24
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Volunteers Take On The Elements
And Have A Successful Day Along The Rideau
phase.
The work of all three crews
is enabling the healthy growth of
over 125 trees which were planted
last spring by many of the same
volunteers. In addition to helping
the newly planted trees flourish the
existing trees are also benefiting from
having the additional space and light
to grow.
The pruning and removal of
the suckers is also creating a safer
environment for our community. It
was not long ago that a walk along
the park pathways did not provide the
stroller with a glimpse of the Rideau
River. The overgrowth of invasive
Manitoba Maple trees created an
unsafe environment. Today you can
Gary Lum Enjoying the Outdoors
By Gary Lum
W
hen daylight broke through
the rain and clouds, it
looked like it was going to
be a very gloomy day to take on the
work in our parks. Saturday, October
14 looked like it was measuring up
to be a frigid and very wet morning.
Despite all the ominous signs of really
bad weather, residents of Old Ottawa
South showed up in sufficient numbers
to make a huge dent in maintaining the
urban forest that runs along the banks
of the Rideau River.
Peter Wells organized volunteers
to work from Brighton Park, eastward
towards the Main Street Bridge. Peter
and his volunteers concentrated on
removing the Manitoba suckers which
have appeared since we cleaned the
area last fall. The banks of the Rideau
are showing well after their efforts.
On the west side of the parks,
from the Pump House to the Bank
Street Bridge, Linda Thom mustered
up a small army of workers that did
a clean sweep of the area. Many of
the Manitoba Maple suckers that are
invading the area were removed. A
major pruning initiative also happened
which has transformed the area in a
very positive fashion.
Working from Windsor Park up to
the Pump House was another brigade
supporting Doug Flowers, our Tree
Inspector from the City of Ottawa.
That crew was able to remove many
suckers and initiate a major pruning
stroll from the Bank Street Bridge to
the Main Street Bridge and view the
Rideau River most of the way. Your
sense of safety is heightened by the
fact that there are only a few spots
where you cannot see the river.
We are planning to have outings
every spring and fall to meet the
objectives of the Vegetation and
Management Plan (visit OSCA’s
website for viewing). I shall be
notifying the community of our next
initiative which will take place during
the spring of 2007.
On behalf of the community I
wish to thank the many volunteers,
the City of Ottawa and ECOS for all
their support.
Blair Dowden and Peter Wells thinning out the vegetation
Rick Eves, October Artist at Starbucks
By Mary Anne Thompson
T
he wall behind the cream and sugar
at Starbucks on Bank Street at
Hopewell has been graced for the
month of October by nine art pieces by
artist, Rick Eves, of Old Ottawa South. The
pieces at Starbucks represent a small group
of recent original paintings, which Rick
has made of Old Ottawa South during the
last few months.
Rick uses primarily acrylics, but he does
also work in pen and ink, and mixed media.
His visual artistry encompasses painting,
drawing, spiritual pieces, portraits, art
greeting cards and other creative projects.
Rick has been painting for 25 years
and his paintings and commission portraits
appear in private and corporate collections
in Canada, the U.S., England, Scotland,
Europe, South America, and Africa.
In the early 1980’s Rick left the OPP
to become one of the first graduates of the
three-year professional artist, Intensive
Studies Program at the Ottawa School of
Art. In his last year of this program, he was
a street artist in the Byward Market for the
NCC.
Rick has also taken courses at Ottawa
U and Algonquin College, and he has as
well immersed himself for several years in
comprehensive private studies of art.
Rick is a people person, and he enjoys
painting people engaging in the activities
they love, in the geographical location and
ambience of their choice. He does a great
many local city scenes and urban locations
in other countries. He also does landscapes,
commissioned portraits, and blank Art
Greeting Cards. Rick is also a published
author of some essays and poetry, and
this has led to an occasional production of
Spiritual Inspiration pieces, which combine
his art and writing.
To keep in touch with people, Rick
works part-time with the Glebe OutReach program that provides seniors in
the neighbourhood with the services of a
handi-man for odd jobs.
Rick hopes that you have enjoyed his
paintings at Starbucks. If you want more
information about his art, or if you wish to
purchase one of his paintings, contact Rick
at 613-521-6069.
The OSCAR
NOVEMBER 2006
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 25
Marim Moreland, OOS Glassmaker
Marim surrounded by some of her work
By Lisa Xing
F
ramed by her cat and two dogs
that are barking and running
around the chair and table legs,
Marim Moreland sits at the dining
room table with a mug of coffee in
a polka dotted mug. She’s wearing
a blue pearlescent necklace with a
seashell imprint and is surrounded
by boxes and boxes full of these
creations, large and small. She takes
a sip from the mug and recounts the
rekindling of her childhood love, and
becoming a full-time artist.
Originally from Montreal, Marim
was an accountant for community
groups in Ottawa until five years ago
when she got cancer. After recovering,
she decided to leave her old job
behind. “I was good at accounting, but
I just couldn’t go back,” she says. “I
needed a change.”
She says it was a trying time for
her, but ultimately, it led her back to
her childhood passion. With support
from friends and her four children,
Marim embarked on a project where
she made more than 20 glass angels
for the closest people who helped her
through. “I realized after doing this
that I really enjoyed glass. And then, I
had the chance to get back into it.”
With 30 years of doing stained
glass under her belt and a little
experience from a few university
art and sculpture classes at McGill,
Marim decided to immerse herself in
fused glassmaking.
She travelled in Canada and the
States and took classes with world
renowned glass artists like Rudi
Gritsch and sink-making with Bert
Weiss. From that point on, glassmaking
became her new permanent job.
For her projects, she draws mainly
from nature. “I love the abstract parts
of it,” she says. “I love the geometric
forms of water, leaves and especially
spaces between the leaves.”
Marim has a deep fascination
with glass. “It feels good to touch,
and instantly warms up to your body
temperatures,” she says. “And, when
you think (about the fact) that it came
from the ocean and sand, it’s just….”
She smiles.
But Marim’s passion is more
specific than that. “I really like bowls
and sink-making,” she says, with that
same smile. “A round shape is more
appealing to me than any other. I like
the fact that they’re meant to hold
something.”
She also loves glass for its
versatility. “I learned to mix colours
and layer glass. The techniques are
almost like what you’d do with paint,
really. You can dilute it, use mediums
like metal with it, or you can even
brush it on like a painting with ground
glass.”
The very basic concept of fused
glass is cutting glass and putting it
into a pattern, she says. Afterwards,
it’s put into a kiln to heat, then taken
out to manipulate. “There are so many
variations to it,” she says. “You can
add metals to it, cut it or sandblast it.”
Marim has three kilns in her basement
that are all difference sizes for her
wide range of projects.
Growing up, Marim’s household
was crazy, she says. “My mother was
a widow and there were quite a few
kids, but it was a blast.”
It was also during this time that
her love of art was nourished since
her mother was also an artist. This,
Marim says, affected the way she saw
things from an early age. “She made
sure we’d always have art materials to
work with and she gave me her good
eye for balance.”
This can be seen in her view on
art today: “I feel art is an important
part of anyone’s life, even if it’s just a
favourite colour.”
Even as a child, she enjoyed glass
more than any other medium. “I loved
the way light goes through it.”
Marim’s work is mainly sold and
displayed in galleries. The National
gallery in Ottawa sells her jewellery,
but the majority of her larger pieces
are wholesaled in the United States
and in a Montreal gallery.
She laughs when she says she has
fun creating jewellery to match her
glass plates. Not only that, she has no
trouble coming up with unique ideas
either. “I can sit there and do 20 to 60
pieces (of jewellery) with a palette of
four colours, and they’ll all come out
differently.”
Marim slides her fingers across
her signature glass sink design she
made with her own secret method
– a colourful pattern of striped glass
sandblasted into a large clear piece and
gazes around to the pieces displayed
on her table. “In a way, it was always
my intention to do this; I knew I’d
always come back to it.”
OOS Singer Takes the Stage at the NAC!
Geri Childs and Evelyn Voigt
By Edan Naumetz
A
friendly and familiar face
in Old Ottawa South is a
featured performer at a special
celebration of winter this month at the
National Arts Centre.
Geri Childs is a former longtime
resident of Windsor Avenue and Glen
Avenue and will be familiar to patrons
of Wag – she works there! She’s also
an established member of the Ottawa
music community and a talented jazz
singer.
On November 17, those talents
will be on display when she appears
with poet-performer Evelyn Voigt at
the National Arts Centre’s 4th Stage in
‘Winter Songs & Stories.”
The evening will be a mixture
of songs sung by Geri and stories
told by Evelyn. A trio of musicians
will accompany them. Rene Gely,
the musical arranger, will play guitar
and piano. Martin Newman will play
bass and Robert Graves will be the
percussionist.
Geri is excited about the chance to
appear at the NAC and says the event
marks an opportunity to reconnect
with Ottawa audiences. She recently
returned to Ottawa from seven years
abroad. While in New York City and
in Trinidad, her experiences ranged
from performing with a steel-pan
orchestra to being a featured vocalist
in a 20-voice professional jazz chorus.
Her return has made her think about
what winter means.
“Winter is a time to be
introspective,” says Geri. “It may be a
cliché to say winter defines Canadians.
But I think it’s true to most that winter
is a time of contemplation. It helps us
test our resilience.”
Her partner in the November
17 performance is friend Evelyn
Voigt, who was born of German
parents in a prisoner-of-war camp
in Zimbabwe. She was raised on
a farm in Tanzania and, although
she has done a lot of travelling, she
has made Ottawa her home.. Her
performances, at Rasputin’s earlier
this year, for example, draw on this
rich background. Her combination of
storytelling and poetry reading takes
place with musical accompaniment
and is unforgettable.
Having grown up in Africa,
Evelyn has developed a unique
respect for the Canadian winter and
finds the “warmth of winter” to be
especially beautiful. “Winter is a
time to look inside ourselves… a
time of year we do not compete with
nature. It provides an opportunity to
be left to look inside ourselves,” says
Evelyn, who also has an Old Ottawa
South connection - she was a featured
reader in the Athena Reading Series at
Mother Tongue Books.
If you’re interested in going to see
“Winter Songs & Stories,’ tickets are
$20 and they’re available at two wellknown OOS locations: Mother Tongue
Books, 1067 Bank St., Ottawa, 613730-2346, and at the Ottawa Folklore
Centre, 1111 Bank St., Ottawa, 613730-2887. You can also get tickets at
the NAC box office.
Page 26
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Candidate For Mayor: Bob Chiarelli
I
believe that people want a
balanced, centralist approach.
A city hall with business-like
management – including more
public-private partnerships, less red
tape and a responsible, affordable and
believable tax plan.
They want a city rich in arts
and culture, a city that grows and
develops its talent.
Whether you just got here from
a far off land – as my family did a
generation ago – or whether you have
been here for generations.
We all want a city where no child
goes hungry, or is without adequate
housing. I want to make sure that
every child in our community is given
the full opportunity to achieve their
potential.
I have led innovative change.
I have united rather than divided.
I have been able to bring right and
left to common ground.
I have brought diverse cultures
and faiths together to share a city of
the future.
I have brought urban and rural
together with one agenda for the
future.
I have the best tax record in
Ontario, while hiring significantly
more police, firefighters, paramedics
and transit operators.
I’ve cut into the infrastructure gap
and recognize that even more needs to
be done.
You know my style and my
values -- As a lawyer, businessman,
provincial legislator and a family man
having parented 6 children in this
community.
My record is clear – innovative
partnerships recognizing and tapping
into community leadership – and
working hard with every element of
our great city – to help shape our city
of the future.
I led a city in which 94% of its
residents believe we enjoy the best
quality of life in Canada.
I believe Ottawa is a community
of communities. Old Ottawa South
is as diverse as the residents who
live, work and play in this vibrant
community. I strongly believe that
the key to Ottawa’s success is to
keep its many unique and vibrant
communities thriving and to tailor
initiatives, programs and services to
meet these unique needs.
I will cap annual tax increases
at 1.8% -- just below the rate of
inflation.
I will charge ahead with light
rail.
I want to move from landfills to
green power.
I want a future of light rail instead
of a north-south expressway down
Bronson or the AltaVista corridor.
I remain committed to a balanced
mix between financial stability and
providing the services that people
want and deserve in their communities.
As a City, we must manage growth
while reinvesting in our established
neighbourhoods and community
infrastructure.
I have managed our change well
in bringing this new city together.
As we move through the transition
from being a big little city to being
a little big city I have the energy, the
experience and the agenda to manage
our change.
Candidate For Mayor: Jane Scharf
T
he city is not a business it is a
community. A well organized
community is diligent, creative
and responsible when it come to
finances but they do not leave any
members out.
My priorities are:
• Cleaning up the public
consultation process primarily with
an end to government funded lobby
groups for big business and staff
interference with presentations by
the public accountability with the
introduction of an appeal process
for staff and council decisions which
are unreasonable, unfair or unlawful.
And I would introduce a motion for
a local ombudsman. The duties of
the ombudsman’s office would be to
investigate complaints of wrongdoing
by city staff, council, Ottawa Police
Services, the local children’s aid
society and school boards. Currently
the provincial ombudsman does
not have jurisdiction to handle such
investigations.
• Strengthening
the
local
economy. This will be accomplished
by giving better priority to the
interests of local small and medium
businesses.
• Establishing
humane
methods of dealing with the poor
and homeless. Currently the city
uses criminalization to deal with
homelessness illegally prosecuting
destitute persons for begging, sleeping
outside or congregating with others in
public space. This method of policing
poverty is expensive, ineffective and
inhumane. Fixing the inequities in
our market is the primary solution but
comprehensive individual responses
for those currently in great need is
required if we want results.
• Tax reform. I want to initiate
a lawsuit in the public interest
against the Federal and Provincial
government regarding the loss of
transfer payments. For a number
of years, without an adjustment in
our federal and provincial tax rates,
funding to the city for programs and
services have been arbitrarily cut. This
withdrawal of funding for equalizing
regions and individuals is a violation
of section 36 of the Constitution and
it is contrary to common law, which
requires the government to clearly
advise the public and get public
consent before withdrawing a social
benefit. Currently city hall tells us
that if we want to maintain current
levels of programs and services we
must increase our local property taxes
to foot the bill for the short fall after
losing the funding. No we do not have
to accept this atrocity without a fight.
I want to serve as an advocate
for the citizens of Ottawa with the
provincial and federal government
on all matters that effect the public
interest.
I have a degree in Social
Science and training in Economic
Development. As well, I worked
as an advocate with administrative
tribunals for over 20 years. From
1990-2002 I developed and operated
2 small rural businesses one of
which is still operating and I have for
several decades been a social activist
primarily dealing with issues of equity
and diversity.
I know how to stand my ground
when it comes to fighting bureaucracy
because I am an effective political
strategist and I am not easily
intimidated or manipulated.
Please feel free to contact me with
any questions or concerns or visit my
website for more information.
Emaill: [email protected]
Website: www.takebackcityhall.info
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 27
Candidate For Mayor: Alex Munter
T
he future of Ottawa depends
on having strong, and vibrant
neighbourhoods in our urban
core – in communities like Old Ottawa
South, and the Glebe.
The number one threat to
communities in our urban core is
costly, unsustainable urban sprawl.
Paving over the Leitrim Wetland,
ramps on the Airport Parkway, the
Alta Vista Expressway, cuts to public
transit, and clear-cutting of trees and
greenspace – these are all things that I
have worked my entire political career
to oppose.
No city can be its best if the
people who live and work there feel
that their municipal government isn’t
listening. I believe leadership starts
with listening. It’s - working with
people to achieve our common goals.
That’s how I worked as the Councillor
for Kanata and that’s the kind of City
government I will run.
This is a crucial election, because
it is an election about the future. Our
city is at a pivotal point in its history.
Ottawa has a bright future ahead, but
only if we make the right choices
today about the kind of city we want
for tomorrow.
We can’t ignore the enormous
environmental, social and economic
challenges that face our city. We can’t
afford the status quo until 2011. We
need change now.
One of those changes is on
light rail, which is vital to Ottawa’s
economic and environmental health.
I’m a long-time booster of public
transit, and voted for the light rail
project on council in 2003: A route that
took it to the airport and just beyond,
with east-west service by 2009.
We should fix, not nix, the current
plan so it better meets all of Ottawa’s
transit needs, and so it gets people
out of their cars in a meaningful
way. The expensive extension into
Barrhaven, for example, will actually
make commute times longer – and by
the city’s own numbers, get only 160
people out of their cars.
It’s a decision too important
to Ottawa to be hatched in secrecy
and then after years of delay, rushed
through in the middle of an election to
choose a new mayor.
As a businessperson I learned of
the city
we want.
the change
we need.
Alex Munter for Mayor
energyideasexperience
mayor | w w w. a l e x m u n t e r. c a | 613 2 4 1 - 2 4 8 9
the importance of setting goals. Here
are my five goals for the future of our
city:
A city where neighbourhoods
matter more - because right now too
many communities are being left out
or left behind.
Most efficient city government
in Canada - with no tax increases
over the rate of inflation, and with a
City Hall that gives communities a
real say over the local transportation,
recreation and planning issues that
affect them.
A family-friendly city - a safe
and affordable place to raise kids, and
build a home.
The greenest city in Canada because right now we are headed in
the opposite direction.
A city that supports jobs and
creates economic opportunity because we need a dynamic, thriving
economy in order to succeed.
We can reach these goals, but only
with a change of leadership.
As mayor, I’ll bring the energy to
lead, ideas that make sense, and the
right experience to make it happen.
For more info, visit:
www.alexmunter.ca
Page 28
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Candidate For Mayor: Barkley Pollock
M
y name is Barkley Pollock
and I am running for mayor.
You may not have heard of
me, but I have been participating in
debates and contributing my ideas.
I work at the 507 Centre as a cook
part-time that serves meals to the less
fortunate and provides other services.
I have volunteered for the last two
Federal Liberal campaigns. I’m 27 and
have one year of University business
training. I decided to present my two
main priorities to your community. If
you want to read my other ideas or
want more biographical information
then I suggest you visit www.myspace.
com/barkleypollockformayor.
My first priority is to improve
the city’s record on poverty and
homelessness. Now that affordable
housing is a municipal responsibility
we can’t simply blame other levels
of government We must do more and
at least reach the target of 500 units
of affordable housing each year.
Unfortunately that’s approximately the
number that has been built in the last
four years. We need a “housing first”
strategy that is more than just words.
There are many successful programs
that exist in other cities that can be
implemented here. I participated in the
“Solving Homelessness Debate” and
you can read my answers on my site.
In short I’ve suggested improvements
to the housing registry in the form of
a needs based points system rather
than “first come first serve basis”,
a plan to facilitate the building of
rooming houses, a program that exists
in Vancouver that puts the homeless
in housing and gets them on social
assistance all on the same day and
incentives for the building of low cost
integrated housing. Did you know
that over 1000 children stayed in the
city’s shelters in 2005? . I would
encourage people to consider the
needs of the less fortunate in the city
when they vote.
I have also suggested a plan to
pay for my proposed increase in
social spending. Property taxes are
spiraling out of control. People on
fixed incomes are being forced from
their homes, mainly seniors and this
will only get worse. That is why I am
proposing a “municipal income tax.”
No such tax exists in Canada and
would require the legislative authority
of the Provincial government.
Municipal income tax exists in many
countries including Japan, all off the
Scandinavian countries and even in the
United States (Ohio). I am proposing a
progressive tax on wealthy Ottawans
rather than a regressive flat tax like in
Ohio. My tax proposal will allow us to
meet the responsibilities downloaded
by the province and end property tax
increases and I would hope reduce
property taxes in the future.
If you want to donate to my
campaign then write a cheque to
the Ottawa Foodbank. Every dollar
donated generates five dollars in
the community and the food bank
supports many agencies like the dropin-centre where I work.
Candidate for Councillor: Ian Boyd
City Staff are often seen as working
at cross purposes rather than as an
effective, efficient partnership.
Responsiveness to constituents:
There has been a lack of understanding,
communication and responsiveness
from the Council office with respect
to Ward issues. This has been
deteriorating over a number of years to
the point where it has become difficult
to achieve Ward goals and objectives.
F
rom
conversations
with
constituents over the past few
years, I believe the primary
concerns of Ward 17 voters are:
Property Taxes: Residential
property taxes have been increasing at
rates which residents deem excessive.
Residents are concerned that the
existing tax system is inequitable and
that current increases risk making
home ownership unaffordable over
the long term.
Fiscal Responsibility: Residents of
Ward 17 want accountability at City
Hall and they feel that Council should
put more emphasis on employing
accepted business principles and
practices in the conduct of city
business. The need for transference
of funds from higher levels of
Government to ease the burden of
operating costs is part and parcel of
this problem.
City Council - City Staff
Partnership: As evidenced during the
O – Train debate, City Council and
The policies and solutions that
I propose to address these concerns
are:
Property Taxes: Property taxes
and the corresponding rate of growth
need to be indexed to an appropriate
economic indicator, such as the
Consumer Price Index (CPI). At
the same time, Ottawa and other
municipalities need to convince
the province to replace the existing
property tax system with a formula
which is more equitable for existing
homeowners.
Fiscal Responsibility: City Council
needs to adhere to the principle of a
balanced budget. As difficult, complex
and unpopular (with voters) as this
concept might be, Council financial
activities need to be undertaken with
the same degree of business acumen
and fiscal responsibility as successful
business owners apply in running their
own businesses.
City Council - City Staff
Partnership: If elected to Council,
I will lead by example and strive to
demonstrate the mutual benefits which
can be derived from working together
in a respectful, trusting, positive
manner.
Responsiveness to Constituents:
A cornerstone of my candidacy is my
commitment to provide a quick and
effective response to concerns raised
by Ward constituents. I firmly believe
that open communication, including an
ongoing dialogue between Councilors
and constituents, is a prerequisite for
effective representation at city hall.
The expertise and experience I
will bring to the job if elected are as
follows:
A well functioning, effective city
Council depends upon the ability of
Ward Councilors to work together, as a
progressive, constructive, disciplined
team. Decision making needs to be
based upon sound economic principles
and business practices, and be driven
by constituent priorities. I believe that
I have the interpersonal and business
skills, and financial experience, to
represent Ward 17 constituents in this
manner and to champion your taxrelated issues.
I have the experience, energy and
commitment to represent the collective
needs of Ward 17 constituents, and
believe that I can make a significant
contribution as your Councilor.
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
Page 29
- OUR 31st YEAR
Candidate for Councillor: Jay Nordenstrom
L
iving downtown, we are all
neighbours. We choose to
live in older homes, with
more character than closet space.
We choose parks over huge lawns,
walking over driving and proximity
over privacy.
Our children play
together, go to school together
and take lessons together at the
community centre. We see each
other on the bus going to work, and
at the grocery store on the way home
and at the park after dinner. This is
not just a neighbourhood – it is a way
of life.
But it is a way of life under
threat: citizens have to fight to keep
the Sunnyside Library open, to clean
up the parks, to keep a pool open,
to plant trees at Windsor Park, to
get a pothole fixed. Neighbours
have to organize event after event
to raise funds to rebuild the Firehall,
while the City offers nothing but
vague election year promises. New
housing goes up, but not one nickel
of development fees comes back
to the neighbourhood. The cost of
homes and taxes has climbed to the
point where younger families are
finding it hard to get in, and older
people are finding it hard to stay. We
pour millions of tax dollars out into
the suburbs, and they pour thousands
of cars back at us.
Where is Councillor Doucet
during all this?
Fighting for a
billion dollar glorified streetcar to
the suburbs that will only perpetuate
the development model that plagues
us. Building a 5 million dollar bridge
across the Canal – in another Ward
– while people have to risk their lives
to cross Bronson. The incumbent
holds “summits” while residents have
to post their own “go slow” signs
to calm traffic on our streets. He is
thinking globally but failing locally.
Old Ottawa South is a treasure
and it’s time City Hall understood
that. It’s time that your generous
contributions to the City be returned
in kind – with real sidewalks instead
of “temporary” asphalt ones, parks
that get mowed, streetlights that
get fixed, pools that get filled and
a library with enough staff to stay
open when we need it. It’s time that
a beat cop returned to a green Bank
Street. And it’s way past time that the
Firehall be renovated so that families
go there because they want to, not
because they have to.
It’s time for a new City
Councillor. When I worked for Mayor
Jim Watson, I saw what effective,
energetic governance could do to
improve life in our neighbourhoods.
It’s time for that kind of governance
again. It’s time for a constructive
approach that achieves real results
for your neighbourhood and the
whole Ward.
I will make you one promise:
to tirelessly promote and protect
the way of life that you and I have
chosen by living in Capital Ward. To
do it, I will need your consideration
and your vote. I ask for both.
Page 30
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 31
Candidate for Councillor: Clive Doucet
C
apital Ward is at the heart
of the city, thus the new
growth and densification
strategies of the city have immediate
impacts for us. It’s essential to make
sure these policies are people and
neighbourhood friendly, not excuses
for ugly, spot development and
excessive traffic.
Capital Ward hosts most of the
cities major festivals and special
events, from Winterlude to the
Francophone Games. It has two
universities and a 32,000-seat
stadium, smack in the middle of it. The
Councillor must ensure these many
city wide events don’t negatively
impact the ordinary, daily quality of
life and at the same time pay attention
to Little League, Community Centres
and all the local events that give life
zest. The other great challenge for the
Ward is the Queensway and the city’s
major north-south traffic arteries that
cut through the Ward.
So the chief concerns of
Capital Ward residents are a) they
want zoning, planning, park and
community investment that preserves
and enhances the best of what we
already have; b) they don’t want the
Queensway or north-south roads
expanded; c) they want the provincial
assessment property tax system
reformed because under the present
system our taxes increase without
improved services.
Policies and proposals don’t mean
much without talented, hardworking
people to make sure they happen.
My office has always been staffed by
Capital Ward community veterans:
Donna Silver, past president of Heron
Park; Pierre Johnson, past president
of Old Ottawa East; Tara Pearman,
community worker, Old Ottawa South
and myself a veteran of the ‘Stop the
Bronson Expressway’ wars.
My
policies
are
divided
between the details of improving
neighbourhood quality of life:
renovating our community centres,
more trees, more greenspace, wider
sidewalks,
safer
intersections,
stopping backyard development - this
attention to neighbourhood detail must
continue; but the big picture must also
work for us, not against. This means
Community Design Plans for Bank
and Main to ensure intensification
means mid-rise, not high rise - that’s 4
to 6 story, not 10 to 20. It also means
city wide light rail, not widening the
Queensway, not twinning the airport
parkway, not building the Alta Vista
Expressway.
I’ve lived in Capital Ward all of
my adult life and delivered on my
previous campaign commitments
– to bring in north-south electric light
rail, stop the Bronson and Alta Vista
expressway expansions, to re-invest
in the Glebe Community Centre, the
Old Firehall and create a Community
Centre in Heron Park. It’s been an
honour to be your representative and
I humbly ask for your support on
November 13.
Candidate for Councillor: Sean Curran
I
am a proud resident of the
Capital/Glebe Ward 17. I am
fluently bilingual and a recent
graduate of Carleton University. I
have traveled extensively in Europe,
Africa and Central America. In
Africa and Central America,
I participated in community
development projects which helped
shape my outlook.
In Ghana and Honduras I saw
people do twice as much with
half as many resources. This is
why I know City Hall can do so
much better. This is also why my
campaign signs are made out of
recycled cardboard boxes. And yes,
I am making a point. I also don’t
have the money that some of my
opponents might have. So I make do
with what I have. But, I have more.
We have ideas. And those ideas
are what I think our City Council
needs to listen to in order that they
start thinking ‘Outside The Box’,
because that well wrapped box that
we have seen over the last three
years is getting smaller and smaller,
but more and more expensive. I am
sure that is not what we want, or
what we can afford.
The current proposal for the
LRT is a billion dollar boondoggle
which will cost tax payers for years
to come. It’s a north south solution
to an east west traffic problem.
Politics at it’s best. Had city hall
been listening to us in the first
place they would know that what
we have been asking for is more
buses, more frequent service and
more routes. This combined with a
switch from petrol to renewable biodiesel or ethanol is the responsible
plan or action in regards to the
environment.
I would support the formation
of a special task force composed
of police, mental health workers
and social workers to help deal
with issues facing the homeless
and marginalized people of our
community and city. This new task
force would be able to deal with
all the issues involved with these
people, many of whom suffer from
mental illness and addiction. I am
disgusted with the attitude many on
city council have shown towards
the most vulnerable of our society.
They are easy targets for politicians.
I believe that the people of Ottawa
have always been generous and
good people and will not let anyone
be pushed aside. After all, we are
only as strong as our weakest link.
I believe in using the resources
we have in our city in a much
more frugal and efficient way.
Volunteering in Africa and Central
America has taught the value of a
dollar. In Africa I witnessed people,
just like you and me, accomplish
twice as much with half as many
resources as we have in Ottawa.
My campaign signs are hand made
from recycled material. I use a free
hotmail account for my e-mail and
I have a home office. All of these
innovations have enabled me to run
for city hall on a shoe string budget.
If elected, I would oppose any raise
in councilors’ salaries, any raise
in taxes and scrutinize any new
spending to ensure it is absolutely
necessary. The “same old same
old” culture of entitlement at city
hall cannot be allowed to continue.
Page 32
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board Candidate:
Kathy Ablett
initiative aimed to expand early
learning and care opportunities for
children 0-6 years
Student Achievement Centres at
each high school
Student Success Teams in each
high school
Multi-year Capital Plan ($50
million)
Good Places to Learn ($20
million allocated for refurbishing
older facilities)
Focus Programs – meeting
successfully the needs of students
within our schools who need a more
hands-on approach to learning
Future Challenges
“Putting Students First”
T
hank you for the privilege
of serving as your Catholic
School Trustee. Your support
and confidence over the past 15 years
have been truly appreciated. Together
we have faced challenges and shared
some successes. I look forward to
continuing this trend with your VOTE
on November 13th.
As your Trustee I am committed
to the Promotion and Preservation of:
Quality Catholic Education in our
schools
Continued Balanced Budgets –
(student focussed)
Success
for
all
students
(providing additional resources where
necessary)
System-wide
planning
and
decisions
Increased parent involvement
(Parent Councils, home, school,
church, Catholic School Parent
Association)
Communicating with our school
neighbours to let them know what
good things are happening because of
and with our students.
Safe Schools and Safe Communities.
New Initiatives
Best Start Programs – Provincial
Balanced Budget
Adequate Funding of Teacher
Salaries
Maintaining and increasing pupil
enrolment both at elementary and
secondary levels
Transportation Consortium – savings
based on ?????
Reduction in Primary Grade Class
Size
Capital Planning – building schools
where needed – removal of portables
Provincial Government Directives
– unknown as to ‘timing and
expectations of’ - huge impact on
school boards
My Bio
I am a:
ØMother of three children (all
graduates of our system).
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board Candidate:
The Challenges Facing Our School
Board in the Next Few Years
Budget
In the near future, our school
boards will have to deal with budget
constraints. Expertise in finance will
be essential. I can contribute toward
an efficient and effective resource
allocation by establishing a way of
allocating budget in an efficient and
better way, while at the same time
leading the way in a quest for worldclass education. .
M
Housing Authority as an Accounting
and Allocations Manager and retired
in early 2003.
I have a 27-year old son and am
married to Whitney Broussard, a
retired mathematician who taught at
the University of Ottawa and Carleton
University.
My volunteer work includes the
Presidency of the Korean Association
ØRegistered Nurse graduate of St.
Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing
ØVice-Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton
Catholic School Board (serving a
second term) and first elected Trustee
in1988.
ØDirector of Catholic Education
Foundation (Alleviation of Poverty in
our Schools)
ØPast Chair of the Federation of
Catholic Parent Teacher’s Association
of Ontario.
My Pledge
I became a Trustee to be one of the
decision makers on educational issues
that impacted on my children. That
focus has expanded to the 40,000
plus students of the Ottawa-Carleton
Catholic School Board today. I am
proud to say that I am a recent recipient
of The Success by Six Making A
Difference Award in recognition of
the impact I have had on the lives of
your children and grandchildren in
the City of Ottawa.
“Kathy truly does make a
difference!”
- Jim Shea, Superintendent of
Education (Retired) upon attending
her award presentation.
Leadership that works for your
children, for you and for all members
of our Catholic community is my
pledge in serving as your Catholic
School Trustee.
Together we will make a difference!
Su Choi Broussard
of Ottawa, the vice-Presidency of the
Federation of Korean Associations in
Canada. I am the vice-president of
the Korean Woman’s International
Network. I have served as the Chair
of the Parish Pastoral Council of the
Holy Korean Martyrs of Ottawa and
since 2001 I have been the Chair of
the Parish Finance Council.
y name is Su Choi Broussard.
I am a candidate for OttawaCarleton Catholic School
Trustee, Zone 9 (River & Capital
Wards – 16 & 17). I studied Political
Science at Dalhousie University in
Halifax and received a master’s
degree. I received a Certified General
Accountant of Ontario designation.
I have worked at the Ottawa
NOVEMBER 2006
Integration of Immigrant Children
There is an influx
of new
immigrants with young children.
To help those children in English
is our immediate task. We should
have concrete programs to integrate
these children to our culture/customs,
sports and social activities. We need
educational programs for them to
become active Canadians.
My Proposed Policies to Meet These
Challenges
To have an efficient budget
process establishing our priorities - to
increase our resources and to decrease
our expenditures on matters of low
priorities;
To study computer hardware
inventory and update the same;
To have a periodic close monitoring
of the influx of new immigrants and
appropriate educational programs for
their children; and
To establish operational goals of
educational standards.
My Background
I am a professional accountant
and I have an extensive working
experience in the financial field . I have
a very keen interest in education and
am a firm believer in high standards
of education. I have several years
of teaching experience and I was the
chair of the Ottawa Korean Language
School for over 5 years. I was the vicepresident of the Heritage Language
School Association of Ottawa. I
believe in being an instrument of
God’s work!
I count on your vote to elect me as
your Catholic School trustee for Zone
9.
Thank you.
The OSCAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board:
T
here are challenges but also
opportunities awaiting the
OCDSB this next term. We
have a strong public school system in
spite of funding shocks recently dealt
out and we can build on this. This will
be an important four years in many
ways, with the present one perhaps of
extraordinary importance. The previous Board embarked
on an array of program and service
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 33
Rob Campbell
delivery reviews: Special Education,
French Immersion, Secondary Schools
and five-year Capital Planning, and
others. These reviews will end, or
be importantly advanced, this school
year. They may all require multi-year
implementation. These reviews are opportunities
to further improve the Board’s high
quality programs and services.
They may require creative thinking
and community engagement. The
reviews also present challenges:
ensuring we secure and synthesize
available research and best practices
information, ensuring lack of
Provincial funding doesn’t define
pedagogy, ensuring the community
is fully engaged, that every precious
dollar go further and finding the time
in which to do all this properly. Now, when my hat went into the
ring a few months ago I looked forward
to discussing these reviews along
with other ideas for improvement (set
out on the campaign web site). And
I still do. However there is no use in
trying to ignore the important funding
threat once again facing public
education after some years of at least
relative absence. This past summer the Province
unexpectedly pushed significant real
dollar per student core budget funding
cuts onto Boards, instead of rescuing
Boards from the past three years of
steady decline in such budgets. All
recent Provincial spin aside, the facts
don’t lie. All large urban Boards
are struggling. This year’s 200607 OCDSB balanced budget was
approved in August only by making
millions in cuts, by using all available
Board reserves and by directing
unusual and indefinite spending
discipline for this school year. Unless the government relents,
the 2007-08 budget will require even
larger cuts and now with no reserves.
Budget formation has already started.
Everything will be on the table: school facilities, transport, teachers,
special education, immigrant services
and ESL, school budgets, relying on
more fund-raising and charity, etc.
Community consultation and serious
communication with the Province
clearly will have to be priorities this
year. Your involvement could be
important. I bring experience, ability and
care to the role of Trustee. I’ve been
on Glebe Collegiate’s School Council,
chaired Hopewell’s, chaired the
Glebe Parents’ Daycare, been Zone 9
rep to the umbrella Ottawa-Carleton
Assembly of School Councils, chaired
that Assembly and been a community
rep on several OCDSB committees. I
understand at least the broad needs and
aspirations of students and families in
Zone 9.
I want to ensure that good
practical and strategic decisions
get made. I will vigorously defend
the quality of public education and
I’m hope to be able to join with the
community in doing so. I am eager
to discuss the issues with you, to
listen to your priorities and to ensure
our students continue to receive an
excellent quality of education.
Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue françaiese du Centre-Est:
Madeleine Chevalier
U
n des piliers du Conseil
scolaire, Mme Madeleine
C h e v a l i e r c o m p l è t e s o n
troisième mandat consécutif comme
conseillère scolaire au sein du Conseil
des écoles catholiques de langue
française du Centre Est (CELFCE)
où elle exerce un leadership depuis
1989. Elle a commencé à s’intéresser
au dossier de l’éducation alors que
ses trois enfants fréquentaient l’école
élémentaire. Elle a travaillé à la
mise sur pied des premiers Conseils
d’école en province et fut présidente
du Conseil d’école de sa communauté.
Son travail à ce chapitre lui a valu la
distinction de bénévole de l’année en
1987.
Dans son rôle de conseillère
scolaire, Mme Chevalier a piloté
plusieurs dossiers au cours des années
et elle a occupé, à tour de rôle, les postes
de vice-présidente et de présidente
du Conseil scolaire. Elle se dit fière
des accomplissements du CECLFCE
durant ces années et du rendement
scolaire des élèves. Selon l’Office de
la qualité et de la responsabilité en
éducation (OQRE), le CECLFCE se
classe parmi les six conseils scolaires
les plus performants en Ontario et le
premier parmi les conseils scolaires
de langue française. Ce classement
est basé sur les résultats obtenus par
les élèves sur les tests provinciaux en
lecture, écriture et en mathématiques.
En plus de son dévouement pour
le conseil scolaire, Mme Chevalier a
siégé à plusieurs regroupements de
conseillères et conseillers scolaires
dont l’Association franco ontarienne
des conseils scolaires catholiques et la
Fédération nationale des conseillères
et conseillers scolaires. En 2002, elle a
été élue à la présidence de la Fédération
nationale des conseils scolaires
(FNCSF) et réélue à ce poste pendant
trois années consécutives. C’est sous
son leadership et sa présidence que le
réseau national des conseils scolaires
de langue française en milieu
minoritaire et le Regroupement des
directions générales en éducation ont
été formés et consolidés.
Élue par acclamation pour
un
quatrième
mandat,
Mme
Chevalier s’engage à nouveau et avec
conviction à la mise en oeuvre des
priorités du CECLFCE et à la réussite
des élèves, selon une vision fondée
sur le Profil de sortie de l’élève et
ses cinq cheminements: scolaire,
personnel, professionnel, catholique
et francophone. Elle prône une vision
soutenue à long terme, axée sur la
réussite scolaire et sur les besoins des
élèves tout en répondant aux attentes
des parents et de la communauté en
matière d’éducation catholique dans
les écoles de langue française.
Page 34
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Conseils des écoles publiques de L’Est de l’Ontario:
Dorcase Saintil, une femme
d’action
Reconnue pour son implication
communautaire auprès de la
communauté
franco-haïtienne
d’Ottawa, Madame Saintil croit
dans un leadership participatif qui
permet à tous les membres de la
NOVEMBER 2006
Dorcase Saintil
communauté de contribuer. C’est
d’ailleurs cette vision qui lui permet
d’occuper avec succès depuis sept
ans le poste de directrice générale
de la Coopérative pour le bien-être
des aînés francophones de l’est de
l’Ontario (CAFEO).
que la Coalition pour prévenir
l’itinérance chez les francophones
d’Ottawa (CPIFO), la Coalition
ethnoculturelle
francophone
d’Ottawa., et le conseil de
l’association libérale fédérale
d’Ottawa-Vanier.
Dorcase Saintil, une femme de
communauté
Pendant des années, Madame
Saintil a travaillé avec des gens
de toutes les cultures. Elle a
une profonde conviction quant
à la richesse que peut amener la
diversité. Madame Saintil est très
sensible aux différentes barrières
culturelles et sociales qui peuvent
limiter le succès.
Dorcase Saintil, une femme
dévouée
Elle se présente parce qu’elle
croit que l’éducation est essentielle
pour assurer l’avenir de nos enfants
et de notre communauté. En tant
que mère, elle sait à quel point il
est important de s’impliquer dans
la vie scolaire de nos enfants si l’on
veut qu’ils et qu’elles réussissent.
Dorcase Saintil, une femme
engagée
Madame Saintil est membre de
plusieurs conseils d’administration
de
différents
organismes
communautaires de la région
de la Capitale Nationale, telle
En tant que canadienne née
à l’extérieur du pays, elle est
persuadée de la valeur ajoutée que
les immigrants peuvent apporter au
Canada et au CEPEO. Pour toutes
ces raisons, elle veut s’impliquer et
apporter sa contribution.
Thank you Candidates
OSCAR would like to thank all the candidates who sent an article and photo. The candidates for Mayor who did not respond: Piotr Anweiler, Robert Larter,
and Larry O’Brien. Candidates for the various School Boards who did not respond: Patrucja Anweiler – Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Boad; and Marielle
Godbout – Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario.
Report Card Of City Council’s
Environmental Record Published
By Sierra Club Canada Ottawa
T
he environmental voting record of
Ottawa’s incumbent Mayor and
City Councillors has been tracked
and assessed by a coalition of three wellestablished groups.
The report card lists the votes of the
Mayor and all Councillors. The report
card was produced by members of the
Sierra Club of Canada-Ottawa Group, the
Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital,
and the Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa-groups that include PhDs in Economics
and Biochemistry, land planners, policy
analysts and a range of other scientists
and professionals.
The groups selected 19 votes over
the past three years that cover a range of
environmental issues, including rezoning
for development of some of the city’s
most unique natural sites, funding of
tree planting and other forestry needs,
cosmetic use of pesticides, and public
transit-related decisions. Over half the
votes selected were from one of the three
Budgets voted on by this Council.
The results show a dismal record
over the past three years, with only five
Councillors getting an “A” or a “B.” Ten
Councillors failed, even after applying
a grading curve that gave an “F” only
if the grade was below 30%. With this
generous pass mark, the Mayor barely
scraped through with a poor “D.”
The worst voting records are those of
Jan Harder, Gord Hunter, Shawn Little,
Doug Thompson, Rick Chiarelli, Glenn
Brooks, Rob Jellett and Eli El-Chantiry,
all of them showing an “F-”, the lowest
possible score. They are barely beaten by
Peter Hume and Maria McRae (both with
an “F”), with Rainer Bloess, Diane Deans
and Mayor Bob Chiarelli only slightly
ahead of them with a “D”.
The most favourable records are
those of Councillors Diane Holmes, Clive
Doucet and Alex Cullen, followed closely
by Jacques Legendre and Janet Stavinga,
and slightly further by Georges Bédard,
Peggy Feltmate and Michel Bellemare.
The report card, including details
on the specific votes and the rating
criteria, can be found at http://www.
ottawaenvironmentalvotes.org
The Sierra Club of CanadaOttawa Group is an organization made
up of volunteers who are involved
in environmental campaigns and
conservation projects of interest in the
Ottawa region. The Greenspace Alliance
of Canada’s Capital is a coalition of
groups and individuals dedicated to the
protection of greenspace that is deemed
significant by a community. The Coalition
for a Healthy Ottawa is a coalition of
individuals, health care professionals,
scientists, and health and environmental
organisations working to ban the cosmetic
use of pesticides in Ottawa.
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 35
Elizabeth Gault, Messiah Soloist
S
oprano Elizabeth Gault is
thrilled to be returning to
St. Matthew’s Church in
the Glebe as a soloist in this year’s
production of Handel’s Messiah.
The concert will be performed
on Sunday, November 26 and
Monday, November 27 at 7.30
pm. Ms. Gault started singing
in the church’s women and girls
choir when it was formed in 1990.
The 24-year old artist is the first
professional female singer to
graduate from the church’s choral
program.
“Oratorio was my main interest
at the beginning,” she says. “When
St. Matthew’s started putting
on productions of the Messiah,
I thought it was incredible for
anyone to sing all those solos.”
St. Matthew’s has been a very
important learning environment
for her, she says. “All my major
music moments happened there.”
She recalls her stage fright
when she sang her first solo in
church. But that is long past. She
Elizabeth Gault
Photo by Draven Darkke, Darkke Studios
was also a soloist in the Messiah
directed by the late Christopher
Argent at St. Matthew’s in 2003.
By Margret Brady Nankivell
Born in Durham, England, Ms. Gault recently
graduated from the University of Ottawa’s music
program where she sang in her first opera. Her role
as Adele in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus was pivotal
for her. Adele’s gregarious character was different
from her own personality, she recalls. “I was shy and
nervous and Adele was outgoing,” she says. “But I
warmed up to the role and never looked back.”
In December, Ms. Gault will also appear as the
lead in Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood with the
Opera Lyra Ottawa’s Young Artists at the National
Arts Centre’s 4 Stage theatre. She is studying in
Toronto with Monica Whicher, a soprano who has
sung with major Canadian opera companies and
orchestras and performed in many international
chamber festivals.
Ms. Gault began singing in choirs when she was
six and was influenced by her older brother, who
was a treble soloist at St Matthew’s, as well as by
her mother Helen, who still sings in the choir. Her
role models are the versatile British oratorio and
cantata soloist Emma Kirkby and Ottawa soprano
Shannon Mercer who recently appeared in the
Canadian Opera Company’s production of Mozart’s
Cosi fan tutte.
This year’s Messiah, with full orchestra, will
be directed by St.Matthew’s music director Stephen
Candow. It will also feature Christine Stelmacovich
as alto, Dillon Parmer as tenor and Lyndon Slewidge
as bass.
Tickets ($15 - $30) are available at the church
office at 217 First Ave., as well as at Compact
Music’s two Bank St. stores and at CD Warehouse
stores in the city.
Just Voices Sing for Justice
By Bridget Grounds
O
ttawa South residents who
enjoy singing in the shower,
or anywhere else for that
matter, might be interested to know
that there is a choir based in central
Ottawa that is open to all singers.
“Just Voices” is a group of people
who sing together about issues that
matter to them - peace, social justice
and the environment - issues that all
come down to Justice, in the broadest
sense.
Ottawa South resident Rodney
Norman says he enjoys singing and
was interested in learning to sing
harmony, while singing fun songs - so
he joined Just Voices. “I was looking
to join a choir, but didn’t want to get
in to anything like oratorios. It’s good
to sing with others and hear how your
voice can become part of something
much richer”.
Director of Just Voices, Greg
Furlong joined together with some
like minded friends to start the choir
in 2003. “Although we’re a choir,
we’re not preachy, and we’re not a
performing museum. We see the perfect
performance as one where everyone,
audience included, is energised and
inspired.” And Just Voices have had
plenty of opportunities to perform,
as they make themselves available
to sing for relevant causes. This has
taken them to all sorts of venues, from
street rallies to supporting fundraising
events, even to a gig at The Black
Singing in front of City Hall for Car Free Day and Choir Director Greg Furlong wearing his bike helmet
Sheep Inn.
“A lot of what we’re about is
getting out there and supporting the
causes we believe in”, says Greg.
“We’re not aiming to be the best choir
in Ottawa but together we can make
some fine music and contribute to
raising awareness of Justice issues.
We’re always open to invitations to
sing in support of relevant issues”.
So, if you’re interested in adding
your singing voice to this group, or
would like more information contact
Greg Furlong at 613-237-3281
or check out their website www.
justvoices.ca
Page 36
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Handel and his Messiah – The Myths and the Truths
By Mary Belotti
With photos by Catherine
Culley
I
n Handel’s own lifetime he
passed from being an individual
to an institution. Much myth was
generated by the over-enthusiasm
of nineteenth century Handelians,
overshadowing attempts at more
studied biography,which may have
led us closer to understanding him.
Impressions of the man, his speech,
anecdotes and fictions proliferated
and became absorbed into the Myth
of Handel. His generosity in life is
reflected authentically in his annual
concerts for the Foundling Hospital.
Between the Man and the Myth there
was a growing rift. One of the basic
misconceptions stems from Handel’s
own apparent unconsciousness of
public feeling.
Domineering, tactless, this
burly stranger from Saxony simply
erupted into English society, hugely
successful with his Italian operas and
Young Handel sneaking to the attic to play music
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making a considerable amount of
money as well as a few enemies. For
a man so much in the public eye as
composer, impresario and a colourful
figure in a colourful period, Handel
went out of his way to keep his public
life divorced from his private life.
The first biography of a musician
was written about Handel after
his death by the Reverend John
Mainwaring, who had never actually
met him. But, Sir John Hawkins, a
British writer on music who knew
Handel says that “his general look
was somewhat heavy and sour;
but when he did smile, it was his
sire the sun bursting out of a black
cloud…He was impetuous, rough
and peremptory in his manners and
conversation, but totally devoid of
ill-nature or malevolence.” Johann
Mattheson, a composer who had been
close to Handel in Hamburg, attests
to Handel’s wry sense of humour.
Handel “behaved as if he could not
count to five…He had a dry way
of making the most serious people
laugh, without laughing himself.”
During the blindness of his latter
years, his surgeon, Samuel Sharp
suggested that John Stanley, a famous
blind organist participate in one of
the Handel concerts. Supposedly
roaring with laughter, Handel said,
“Mr Sharp, have you never read the
Scriptures? Do you remember - if
the blind lead the blind, they both fall
into the ditch?”
Georg Frideric Handel was born
in Halle on February 23rd, 1685 and
as a child was forbidden to ‘meddle’
with any instrument as his father felt
this would distract him from the path
he had planned for him, to study civil
law.
Young Handel, however, found
the means to get a small clavichord
installed in a room at the top of the
house, to where he would steal while
the family was asleep and in this
rather unusual way, managed to make
considerable progress in his study of
music.
In spite of his father’s continued
attempts to put an end to his son’s
interest in music, some of Mr Handel’s
friends and associates said that from
all accounts “nothing but cutting off
his fingers could prevent his playing”.
When at the court of the Duke of
Saxe-Weisenfels visiting his brother
who worked as a valet, the Duke
heard him playing the organ after
the service and was so very moved
that he told his physician it would be
considered a “sort of crime against the
public and posterity to rob the world
of such rising Genius”.
Could it be partly thanks to this
little-known Duke that we are now
able to glory in Handel’s work?
Because the Duke took it upon
himself to persuade Handel’s father
to allow him to pursue this course in
life and Handel was duly sent to study
with Friedrich Zachow, organist at the
Lutheran church in Halle.
After a sojourn in Italy, ‘Il
Sassone’ went to Hanover in 1710
as court musician to the Elector of
Hanover who eventually succeeded
Queen Anne as monarch of England.
Handel thereupon established himself
in England and began a long series
of operas. Opera-going in Handel’s
day was not the sedate experience it
is today. People went to be seen and
at performances would play cards,
chat, move around, eat, spit, hiss and
yowl at a singer they did not like. The
singers themselves would go out of
character, talking to one another when
they were not singing and greeting
friends in the boxes.
By the late 1720s, the craze in
Italian opera began to wear off and
this, together with the crippling costs
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
for the libretto and cleverly displays
the divine scheme – a coherent
progress from Prophecy, through
Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection
and Ascension to the promise
of Redemption.
The work thus
encompasses all the major festivals
of the Christian Year. Handel himself
Georg Frideric Handel
of putting on elaborate performances
forced Handel to turn to something else
- the oratorio - which he developed to
its greatest height. The oratorio finds
its origins in the cantata; both use words
and music to tell a story, usually from
the Old and New Testaments. Whilst
the cantata was generally a piece
for solo voice and accompaniment
– either keyboard, strings or small
orchestra depending upon the budget,
the oratorio developed using full choir
and orchestra with soloists.
Of all the oratorios, Messiah is,
of course, by far the most popular.
Handel wrote it in 1741 and stories
about its composition are part of the
mythology: how he locked himself into
his London apartment and composed
the work in twenty-four days; how he
was guided by the hand of the Lord;
how the manuscript, written in a fury
of inspiration, is bedewed with tears;
how Handel ignored food, sleep in
order to get his music on paper for the
Dublin performance. The authenticity
of all this is, however, doubtful as
Messiah did not receive its world
premiere until April of the following
year.
Messiah is the only truly ‘sacred’
oratorio he ever wrote and the only
one performed in his lifetime in
a consecrated building.
Charles
Jennens, a wealthy patron of the
arts and poet, adapted the Bible text
associated performances with Easter,
but modern usage often prefers
Christmas.
The first performance of Messiah
took place in Dublin on April 13th,
1742. En route through England,
he passed through Chester where he
was held up for a few days because
of the unfavourable weather for the
crossing. Wishing to continue his
work on Messiah, he asked a Mr
Baker, the local organist to find him a
‘choirman’ who could sing at sight. A
printer by the name of Janson who had
a good ‘base’ voice and one of the best
musicians in the choir duly turned up
for the rehearsal at the Grand Falcon
where Handel was staying. After
repeated failed attempts to read ‘And
with his stripes we are healed’, Handel
‘let loose his great bear upon him and
after swearing in four languages, cried
in broken English: “You shcauntrel!
Tit you not dell me dat you could sing
at soite?” to which the printer replied,
“Yes, sir, and so I can; but not at first
sight.”
At this time Dublin was in its
‘golden age’, the second city of the
British Isles and a centre of the arts
and Handel was greatly welcomed.
Messiah was a resounding hit from
its first performance and the audience
numbered 700 in a hall planned for
600.
One of the tenacious myths
in music is that there exists for all
Page 37
important works an authentic version,
usually in the form of an original
manuscript or a rewritten score
reflecting the composer’s final thoughts
on the subject. Handel certainly did
not do this, and a no more confusing
example of the amorphous nature of
a masterpiece can be found than his
Messiah. Handel rarely performed
Messiah in the same way twice, adding
or dropping numbers, recomposing
arias and choruses, changing tempos
and keys to accommodate different
soloists. In the original versions,
however, all the choral parts were sung
by male singers, with boy choristers
singing the soprano parts and male
altos or counter-tenors singing the
alto parts. So it could be argued that
whilst there is not, and can never be,
an ‘authentic’ Messiah, the use of allmale voice choir may be as close as
we can get to the performances the
public of the time were to hear.
After a performance of Messiah
for a Commemoration of Handel
in Westminster Abbey in 1784, the
following was recorded in Miss Mary
Hamilton’s diary: ‘I was so delighted
that I thought myself in the heavenly
regions. 513 Performers, the Harmony
so unbroken that it was like the fall of
Waters from one source, imperceptibly
blended. The Spectacle too was
sublime, So universal a silence, So
great a number of People.
Bibliography:
‘Handel’ by Christopher Hogwood
‘The Lives of the Great Composers’
by Harold C. Schonberg
Traditional Messiah November 26
Personal Financial Planning
We will review your current financial position and
recommend a plan that is designed to achieve your goals.
Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P
1276 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 3A7
T
rue to the tradition of the all-male voice version of this oratorio,
the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys is to perform
Messiah under the direction of Organist and Director of Music,
Matthew Larkinwith full orchestra at the Cathedral on 26 November at 3pm.
Tickets may be obtained from the Cathedral Arts Box Office in the Lower Lobby
area of Christ Church Cathedral; 420 Sparks Street. Tel 613 567 1787. For more
details: www.ottawa.anglican.ca/cathedral
Tel 613.798.2421
[email protected]
www.invested-interest.ca
Page 38
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
November Recipes from the Red Apron
W
ith winter looming we
are all in the mood for
rich, hearty soups and
stews. There is nothing like a bowl
of steaming goodness, and some fresh
bread to get us ready to face the next
six months of cold weather.
When we made this mushroom
salad at the Red Apron, we used fresh
Oyster Mushrooms sourced from
Champignon Le Coprin based in
Farrellton, Québec. Christophe offers
a variety of mushrooms grown and
picked locally in the Boreal Forest
of Northern Québec. His cultivated
mushrooms are certified organic and
can often be purchased at Byward
Fruit and Vegetables. Mushrooms
are quite nutritious - in addition to
providing good quantities of minerals
and vitamins, they help regulate
blood cholesterol, boost the immune
system and have cancer fighting
properties. They are also a good
source of protein - 15 - 30% of their
dry mass. Visit www.lecoprin.ca for
more information.
The three recipes we have chosen
for November will go nicely together
as a meal, however when Jo-Ann and
I came up with the Ratatouille Strudel
dish at the Red Apron, and served it to
our families we were overwhelmed by
the response. All of our kids thought
this was the best thing they “had ever
eaten” and it was so full of wonderful
fall vegetables that we were happy to
have them eat a second piece. It makes
a great vegetarian entrée or an after
school snack. We were so pleased
with the versatility of this dish that we
decided to make it available as our first
“Frozen Red Apron Family Dinner”.
Our Frozen Family Meals Selection is
listed in our E-Mail Newsletter, which
also includes our Weekly Dinner Club
menu. Email us at redapron@rogers.
com and we will add you to our email
list!
Remember that as Christmas
approaches, the Red Apron Dinners
can be ordered for dinner parties of
up to 40 people. If you are planning
your Christmas Event, give us a call
(613-321-0417) or visit our website
at www.redapron.ca. We will also
be introducing a couple of Christmas
“Specials”, but more about that in
December….
Get back to the table!
Wine Braised Lamb
We cook Lamb about once a month
at the Red Apron, and usually use the
shank because we like to cook meet on
the bone – it makes for better flavour
and a much better sauce. However,
you can also use cubed Lamb Shoulder
for this recipe.
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
2 cups of full bodied red wine
2-3 sprigs each of Rosemary and
Thyme – rough chopped
4 Lamb Shanks (or 2-3 pounds of
cubed Lamb Shoulder)
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Mix the first 6 ingredients in large
bowl. Place the lamb in a deep
covered dish and pour marinade over
the lamb. Let sit for at least 2 hours,
or overnight in the fridge.
When you are ready to start cooking,
remove the lamb from the marinade
(reserve marinade), and heat 2
tablespoons of oil in heavy large
skillet over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, add lamb to
skillet and cook until browned on all
sides, turning occasionally and adding
2 more tablespoons oil to skillet
between batches. Return the lamb and
reserved marinade to the covered dish
and place in a 300 degree pre-heated
oven. Cook covered for 3-4 hours
(stirring every hour) until very tender.
If using shanks, the meat should easily
fall pull away from the bones.
Remove cooked lamb from sauce and
strain the sauce through a fine sieve
into a small saucepan. Let the sauce
sit for a few minutes and scoop off
the excess oil. Boil the sauce until
reduced by at least half and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Return
lamb meat to the sauce, and re-warm
to serve. The Lamb can be served
immediately or re-heated at a later
time as it always tastes better the next
day!
Serves 4
cont’d on page 39
Domestic Contracts ( A.K.A. Pre-Nuptial
Agreements)
By Anna Sundin
O
nce married, spouses residing in Ontario
are entitled by law to share the property
accumulated during the relationship.
This is the case whether the relationship ends
by separation, divorce or the death of one of the
spouses. The Ontario Family Law Act provides
a scheme for sharing this accumulated property
between spouses once the relationship ends.
The Ontario Family Law Act also allows
those who are married or those who want to get
married to opt out of the legislated scheme for the
sharing of property. In order to do so, the spouses
must have a written agreement, called a domestic
contract.
A domestic contract can also address other
issues of importance to the couple such as the
sharing of household
expenses and spousal
support. Some couples
have even contracted with
each other about who is
responsible for which
household tasks, although
this kind of contract is
Anna E. Sundin, Barrister & Solicitor
difficult to enforce.
GEnErAl PrActicE includinG:
Family Law, Wills, Real Estate, Incorporations, Litigation and Collaborative Family Law
As a domestic contract
– A Cooperative and Dignified Approach to Separation and Divorce.–
is legally binding on the
parties who sign it, it
will be upheld by a court
of law. Therefore, when
negotiating the terms of
a domestic contract it is
critical to consider the
circumstances and views
of the couple, as a domestic
contract is not “one size
fits all”.
Guidance, Protection
and
Peace of Mind.
Some of the important questions to ask are:
Should the division of property be the same
upon separation as upon the death of one of the
spouses? Does the arrival of children change
how the spouses view their contribution to the
relationship? Have either of them been married
before? Does one or both parties have obligations
to dependent children? If one party is substantially
wealthier or has greater income and can make a
greater financial contribution to the property
accumulated during the relationship, should this
affect the property division after the relationship
ends? What happens if one of the spouses is sick
or disabled or becomes sick or disabled during the
marriage? Has one spouse received an inheritance
or a substantial gift? Is either spouse involved in a
family business ? Is either spouse self-employed?
It might be surprising to realize that a
domestic contract can have an effect on property
division after the death of one of the spouses.
Therefore, if after signing a domestic contract
the spouses change their minds on how they want
to divide their property it becomes urgent to put
this changed intention in writing. Otherwise, if
one of the spouses dies before this is done, the
survivor might have to live by the terms of the
old agreement instead of the new one the spouses
wanted to make.
Even when spouses are making wills it is
important to consider the effect of the Family Law
Act. Even if the spouses are in agreement that they
should each get less than they are entitled to under
the legislation after the death of the other spouse,
this can only be legally binding on the survivor if
the spouses have negotiated and signed a domestic
contract specifically opting out of the legislation
that governs the division of property between
spouses when the relationship ends.
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 31st YEAR
Page 39
Red Apron from page 38
Ratatouille Strudel
2 medium tomatoes diced
2 large garlic cloves, diced
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes
1 large onion medium diced
1 bell peppers (green, red, or
yellow), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini quartered
lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4inch-thick pieces
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 or 2 puff pastry sheets thawed
(depending on size – ours are 10x15)
1 egg (for egg wash)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cook onions in 1 tablespoon oil in a
12-inch heavy skillet over moderate
heat, stirring occasionally, until
softened. Transfer onions to a large
colander which is placed over a large
bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet
and cook bell peppers until softened.
Transfer the peppers to the colander
with the onions. Continue this process
with the eggplant and the zucchini.
Finish with the tomatoes and transfer
to the colander. Let the vegetables
drain while they cool.
When the vegetables are cool, transfer
to a large bowl and add salt and pepper
to taste, and mix in the mozzarella.
Lay out your puff pastry sheet on
a sheet of parchment directly on a
baking sheet with the long side facing
you. Mound the ratatouille mixture
down the middle of the sheet from
one end to the other, leaving enough
room for the puff pastry to close with
a 1 inch overlap. Fold one edge of the
puff pastry up and over the mound,
and egg wash the other edge. Roll
the strudel over so that the puff pastry
seam is on the bottom and the edges
overlap one inch. If you have enough
filling, make a second strudel.
Brush the top of the strudel with the
remaining egg wash. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25-35
minutes, until the puff pastry is golden
brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes
before cutting and serve immediately
Serves 4-6 people
W
ith X Box, I Pod and all the
other high tech gadgets that
our children want, parents
often find it hard to say no. These toys
are expensive, and if your child is not
old enough to be earning money, then
it’s mom and dad who pay the bill.
Yes, parents have a responsibility
to provide the necessities and a few
luxuries of life. The luxuries must be
within the family budget and carefully
given to the child who lives up to
the family rules and expectations.
By establishing a reward system for
good behaviour, quality grades at
school and chores around the house,
parents and children will have a better
understanding of when requests for
the “extras” can be justified.
Children may come to expect that
all they need to do is ask, and mom
and dad will hand over the cash. The
problem with this scenario is that
parents could be setting themselves up
for a very long period of dependency.
As children move into adulthood the
toys don’t get cheaper. You will then
be looking at cars, or possibly a down
payment on a house. Unless you learn
to say no, you could be jeopardizing
your own financial future.
There is nothing wrong with
giving money to your children as long
as it is within your financial means.
Parents typically expect to coast
into their retirement years without
Winter Mushrooms from Le
Coprin
well for this recipe but you can also
use oyster mushrooms or winter
mushrooms from Le Coprin.
Sauté onion and garlic in butter and 1
tbs of olive oil until onions are clear.
Add mushrooms and sauté until the
mushrooms are golden brown (add
more oil if necessary). Season with
Salt and Pepper.
In a medium sized bowl whisk
balsamic, a pinch of salt, freshly
ground pepper and remaining olive
oil. Add to mushroom mixture in pan
and heat through until the vinaigrette
is warm.
Toss warm Balsamic & Mushroom
mixture gently with Organic Greens
and serve immediately.
Serves 4
*White Button Mushrooms will work
Sautéed Mushrooms in
warm Balsamic on Organic
Greens
1 pound of Mushrooms diced *
1 small onion diced
1 clove of garlic diced
½ cup of good quality olive oil
1 tbs of butter
¼ cup of good quality balsamic
Learning to Say “No”
by Rick Sutherland
vinegar
1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary and
thyme
4 handfuls of mixed organic greens
Salt and Pepper to taste
financial worries, but this may not be
the case if their children are constantly
at the door asking for money. Parents
who cannot say no may have to remortgage their house or take out loans
to help their children.
Learning how and when to say
“no” to your children can be one of
the most difficult challenges a parent
can face. But unless you develop the
discipline early you may be in for a
long period of financial support. And
this endless generosity may spill
over to other family members and
charitable organizations. Definitely
offer financial support to those who
need it, but do not let it jeopardize
your own financial plans.
So, how can parents prevent
this financial dependency? Start by
encouraging your children to create a
savings strategy to meet their wants.
Help them set their own financial
goals and show them how these goals
can be achieved. Once children learn
that they can buy anything they want
as long as it is within their financial
budget they will have developed an
essential skill that will help them
toward financial independence.
This is a monthly article on financial
planning. Call or write to Rick
Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P.,
of FundEX Investments Inc. with your
topics of interest at 798-2421 or Email at [email protected].
Financial Divorce Specialist
Avoid costly mistakes with professional financial
assistance in the division of assets.
Contact: Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P.
1276 Wellington Street, Ottawa ON K1Y 3A7
Phone: (613)798-2421 Email: [email protected]
Page 40
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Ten Things Drivers Can Do About
Our Dependency On Oil
The best thing you as an individual can
do to break America’s oil addiction is to
dramatically cut back on your driving.
Can you walk to the store instead of
drive? How about riding your bike?
Instead of driving to the office, how about
taking mass transit? Unfortunately, in
many parts of America such solutions
are not feasible. So for those of you who
absolutely MUST drive, here are some
easy ways to do your part to cut down
on your oil use.
by Deanna Sclar
I
f we cut fuel consumption by only
10 percent, we each can save an
average of 77 gallons a year! With
gasoline selling at unprecedented
highs in the midst of a war that seems
intimately related to petroleum, many
Americans feel angry and helpless
about how the diminishing supply of
petroleum has affected our policy in
the Middle East, our environment,
and our pocketbooks. It’s time to stop
complaining and take action! Each
of us must take responsibility for the
burgeoning consumption that is costing
lives, ruining our economy, damaging
the environment and fomenting
international
condemnation
of
Americans as the most wasteful people
on Earth. Every one of us has the ability
to save gallons of fuel by changing our
driving habits and maintaining our
vehicles properly. Here are ten ways to
personally make an impact on the fuel
crisis, global warming, the economy
and the world.
1. Don’t warm-up your car in the
morning You’re using fuel to go
nowhere. Most owners manuals caution
you not to indulge in lengthy warmups. They waste fuel, pollute the air,
and increase wear on your vehicle.
2. Change the way you drive View
your driving techniques in terms of fuel
consumption.
• Don’t speed. Before hitting the
accelerator, be sure that you won’t waste
that effort by having to slow to the pace
of the car ahead of you, or for a blinker,
crossroad, or curve ahead. Remember,
every time you step on the brake pedal
you cancel the speed you used fuel to
achieve! Driving at 50 mph instead of
70 mph can cut fuel consumption by 20
percent!
• Start up and accelerate smoothly. A
fast getaway may cost you 8 miles per
gallon for the first 4 miles. A slow start
can carry you 50 percent further on the
same amount of fuel.
• Don’t try to race the lights. Traffic
lights are set for the local speed limit.
If you keep to the posted speed limits,
the lights will magically turn green as
you approach them and you’ll use 15
percent less fuel.
• Don’t keep changing lanes. Each time
you have to accelerate to pass and then
have to step on the brake when you
get back into lane, you waste up to 30
percent more fuel.
• Decelerate instead of braking.
Anticipate slowdowns and halts in
traffic so you don’t have to stop short. If
you’re not speeding, you may be able to
just ease up on the accelerator. Not only
will you extend the life of your brakes,
you’ll also save fuel.
• Slowly accelerate before you get to
a hill. The extra momentum will carry
you at least part of the way up.
• Coast down hills, when traffic will
permit. Instead of the gas pedal, use the
car’s weight and momentum to get to
the bottom. But don’t turn your engine
off, you need to keep that oil and water
pumping to keep heat and friction from
damaging it!
• Choose higher gears. If you have
a manual transmission, shift up at
the lowest speed that won’t cause
laboring or lugging. With automatic
transmissions, use Overdrive whenever
conditions permit and save another 10
percent in fuel.
• Make right turns rather than left turns
or U-turns. You’ll save fuel by going
around the block instead of idling at 0
miles per gallon until traffic clears and
then having to overcome inertia to get
moving again, or making a U-turn that
involves a lot of stopping and starting.
3. Keep Cool, but not Too Cool If it’s
not too hot, use the interior vents, sun
roof, or vent windows instead of the
air conditioner, which can consume an
extra 2 .5 miles per gallon. Keep side
windows closed. They increase wind
resistance and fuel consumption.
4. Fill ‘Er Up Properly Don’t “top it
off.” If you park in the sun or drive
uphill with an overfilled tank, the fuel
you paid for will end up on the ground,
where it can dissolve the asphalt, cause
a fire and increase air pollution. On
hot days, fill up in the early morning
or evening, when the air is cooler.
An increase of only 30 degrees F. can
cause 10 gallons of gas to expand by as
much as 4/5ths of a quart (or a bottle of
whiskey!)
5. Check Your Tires Underinflated tires
wear out faster and cost you about 1 mile
per gallon. Air costs nothing, so be sure
that your tires have all they need. Tires
heat up as you drive and the air inside
expands, so to get an accurate reading,
always check air in the morning before
you drive the car, and head slowly to
the air pump if you need more.
6. Change your shopping habits
Traveling a mile on a cold engine can
increase fuel consumption by as much
as 70 percent. Try to combine several
short trips into one longer one. Shop
locally. Is it really a bargain to buy at
a distant superstore when you’ll save
time, effort and fuel by sticking closer
to home? When possible, use the phone
or e-mail to do your business, or ride
your bike or the bus. Carpools are not
only great fuel-savers, they qualify you
to use freeway Diamond lanes and they
often result in new friendships as well.
7. Clean Out the Trunk Compartment
cont’d on page 41
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Page 41
Neighbours Remembered
Establishment of the Jeff Hume Memorial Fund
By Doug Stickley
Old Firehall Redevelopment Fund
will remember Jeff as the volunteer
bar manager, one of the friendly
people tending bar at the auctions and
lobster dinner parties. Jeff was a true
gentleman and will be sorely missed.
O
ld Ottawa South lost a true
and valued friend this past
August 13th when Jeffery
Randolph Hume passed away at home
after a battle with cancer at the age of
55. Jeff was a wonderful person who
brought joy and a smile to everyone
just by his presence. He was a guy
who always went out of his way to
help out whenever he could.
A long-time employee of Canada
Post, Jeff was one of the mainstays
of this community, a volunteer
extraordinaire. Over the years, he
Co-Chaired the Hopewell School
Council, was the Treasurer for OSCA,
coached Minor Hockey at Brewer
Arena and was both the Co-ordinator
and a Coach for the Glebe Little
League Girls Softball. As well, he
acted as the Statistician for the former
Ottawa South Fun Run and came out
Jeff Hume
in the dead of winter on many nights
to flood the Windsor Park Ice Rinks.
In recognition of his volunteerism,
he was honoured as a City of Ottawa
Whitton Award recipient in the
category of Sports and Recreation.
Many people who attended the
fundraising socials on behalf of the
The Jeff Hume Memorial Fund has
been established within the auspices of
the Community Foundation of Ottawa
(CFO), a registered charity for Income
Tax purposes. The interest on monies
raised will be used in perpetuity to
assist the types of charities that Jeff
himself supported in the areas of
Education, Sports, Volunteerism,
Food Banks and Youth Activities. All
the money will stay here in Ottawa.
Persons wishing to donate to the
memorial fund by credit card can do
so at the CFO website at http://www.
cfo-fco.ca/ , clicking on “Donate
Now through CanadaHelps.org” and
selecting the Jeff Hume Memorial
Fund under the Fund/Designation
menu. Tax receipts will be provided
by email. Alternately, you can mail a
contribution to:
The Jeff Hume Memorial Fund
C/O The Community Foundation
of Ottawa
75 Albert St, Suite 301
Ottawa, ON. K1P 5E7
As well, contributions can be
made through the United Way. Details
are provided on the CFO website by
clicking on “Become a Donor” and
then following the directions in the
section entitled “Donate to an existing
Fund through the United Way”.
Anyone
wanting
additional
information on the fund can contact
the Fund Advisor, Doug Stickley,
at 613-730-0424 or via email at
[email protected].
Tragic Loss for OOS and Georgetown
By Julian Hall
M
ichael George, owner of the
Georgetown Sports Pub on
Bank Street, died in a tragic
car accident early Sunday, October 15,
2006. Mike lived life to the full in his
26 years. He spent his childhood partly
in Australia, and worked in film, art
and hospitality in Ottawa, Toronto and
Vancouver. He really began living his
dream 2 years ago while creating what
became the Georgetown.
Michael George
Ten Things ... from page 40
Every 500 pounds you haul around costs you from 2 to 5 miles per
gallon. That’s a lot to pay for “extra storage.”
8. Check Under the Hood
• A dirty air filter can cost a mile per gallon at 50 mph.
• If your PCV valve is not functioning properly, you’re running
your engine less efficiently, and you may be burning and polluting
your oil, too.
• If your spark plugs are misfiring, it can cost you up to 25 percent
in gas mileage.
• If your ignition system is overdue for a tune-up, do it now! A
tune-up can reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon exhaust
emissions by 30 to 50 percent. It will also save you fuel and
improve your vehicle’s performance.
• If the accessory belts that connect your fan, water pump, alternator,
and a variety of other devices are too loose or too tight, a serious
loss of efficiency can be the result. A belt should have about half an
inch of “give” and should not be frayed or badly worn.
• If a brake is poorly adjusted, it may “drag” while the vehicle is in
motion. Moving the wheel against the dragging brake takes more
power, and the result is that your brake linings — and the gas in
your tank — won’t last as long. To check for dragging brakes, jack
up each wheel and spin it. If a brake shoe or brake pad is dragging,
you can feel it as you try to turn the wheel on the hub. If you hear a
rumbling sound, your wheel bearings may be worn and may need
to be replaced.
9. Keep Your Car Waxed A highly waxed car not only preserves
the paint job, it cuts wind resistance dramatically.
10. Buy A Hybrid Instead of pouring money—and fuel—into your
old clonker, buy yourself a hybrid vehicle that can get close to
60 mpg. By cutting fuel consumption by 30% or more, you’ll be
making a real impact on the environment, the economy and the
world situation!
Deanna Sclar is the author of Auto Repair for Dummies.
In his short time in Old Ottawa
South Mike established an awesome pub
and sports bar. He made many friends
and touched many lives. He knew his
customers by name and always made a
point of chatting to them and making
them feel welcome. His customers
will truly miss him. Our prayers and
thoughts are with the George family
at this time. Mike’s dream of owning a
first class sports bar will be continued
by his sister Damera. We wish her all
the very best.
OSCAR is honoured to publish remembrances of
friends and neighbours of Old Ottawa South. Send
photos and text to [email protected]
DENYS
BUILDS
DESIGNS
T
PAUL DENYS
Renovator
54 MASON TERRACE
OTTAWA, ON K1S 0K9
613 � 236 � 6516
DENYS.CA
Page 42
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Pulente’s Cafè & Delli - Authentic Italian With a Smile
panini sandwiches. Pasta dinners
featuring Spaghetti, Penni, Gnocchi or
their trademark Lasagna are available
for enjoying in, or take out. Pulente’s
uses only fresh, top quality deli meats,
cheeses, and toppings for their deli
sandwiches, which are made fresh to
order and can be customized to your
liking. They also prepare a number of
Vegetarian meals.
For years family and friends
have encouraged the cousins to
open a restaurant so that others can
enjoy the same delicious meals that
were prepared for them. Stop in to
Pulente’s Café & Deli and try the
best that authentic Italian has to offer.
The prices are more than reasonable
and Jimmy offers great service with a
smile. Just ask to try a meatball and
we’re sure you’ll be back!
Pulente is open Monday to
Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and
Sundays 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. and you
can them at 613-321-2868.
Editor’s Note: I also enjoyed the
photos and other memorabilia.
Johnny Pulente ready to serve you
F
or years, cousins John and Jimmy
Pulente have been surrounded
with family traditions and only
the best of authentic Italian cooking.
Meals and recipes that originated from
Naples Italy and passed through the
generations, have now been brought
to Ottawa. These classic Italian meals,
made to order from scratch, can be
enjoyed at Pulente’s Café & Deli on
the corner of Sunnyside and Seneca.
Cousins John and Jimmy, who spent
many years working at restaurants and
cooking in family kitchens, believe
that reasonable prices and authentic
home-made recipes are what bring
family and friends together.
Pulente’s tomato sauce and
meatballs are made daily using only
the finest of ingredients and Nonna
Vecchia’s recipes. Their meatball
sandwich is fast becoming the talk
of Ottawa, and is second to none.
Pulente’s specialties such as veal,
chicken, and eggplant parmesan can
be enjoyed as entrees or as classic
Rowland Leather Expanding In The National Capital Region
Shannon Dorion, manager of Rowland Leather – familiar face from
Barley Mow
W
ith 32 years in the fine
quality leather goods
business, Rowland Leather
is opening a third retail store in the
National Capital Region at 1095
Bank Street, Ottawa.
Designer
and president, Michael Rowland,
is proudly swimming against the
outsourcing tide. He has expanded
his successful line of high-end leather
purses, backpacks and briefcases,
which he designs and manufactures in
his Kemptville, Ontario studio, with a
staff of six craftspeople. “It’s not easy,
but we’ve got a niche” says Rowland.
“Our leather bags stand well among
the world’s finest and our clients value
our designs and “Made in Canada”
philosophy” he added. Many of his
designs have been compared to big
labels on style and quality.
Rowland began the business in
the 1970s, retailing his goods at craft
shows. As a founding member of
the Merrickville Artists’ Guild,
Rowland opened a retail outlet in
Merrickville, Ontario in 1989 and
helped turn the town’s fortunes
around. Today, Merrickville is one
of Eastern Ontario’s most popular
centers for artisans and a successful
tourist destination. In 2002, Rowland
expanded in Kemptville, renovating
a large 1847 heritage building to
increase his manufacturing capability
and offer his clients a second retail
outlet. His work and contribution led
to a heritage award.
With the addition of the Bank Street
store, Rowland Leather’ workforce
has increased to 14 employees.
“We’ve built a solid base of customers
because we’ve got a quality product
that’s different from anything else
in the market. Customers in Ottawa
can now enjoy our variety of leather
goods, from classic lines to the more
innovative design.”
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
Page 43
Margaret’s Table - Easy Cooking & Inspiring Entertaining
F
ollowing the success of her
first,
international
award
winning cookbook,”From the
Ambassador’s Table - Blueprints
for Creative Entertaining”, and her
TV series, “Margaret’s Sense of
Occasion”, many have asked Margaret
Dickenson to produce a second book.
Working with her husband, Larry
Dickenson, she has just released
“Margaret’s Table - Easy Cooking
& Inspiring Entertaining”(ISBN: 0-
9739874-0-5).
This cookbook reveals Margaret’s
“real” secrets, accumulated over
years abroad and at home, of how to
mesmerize family and guests even
when time and/or talent in the kitchen
is limited – but, aspirations for success
are high! Of course, Margaret has a
strategy! – Innovative, unique, tasty
recipes, interesting presentations,
a touch of pizzazz and dozens of
tricks to make the process doable and
enjoyable.
Beautifully
photographed,
Margaret’s Table presents 180 of
her personally created recipes with
clear step-by-step instructions. There
are 25 practical and creative menus
which draw entirely upon recipes in
the book. In addition, Margaret offers
hundreds of invaluable tips (e.g., make
ahead, storage, presentation, serving,
alternative ingredients, alternative
cooking instructions, accompaniments
for main course, etc.) A mischevious
“rabbit” icon is repeated throughout
the book, stopping under the titles
of about 60 % of the recipes to
conveniently designate them as
“No Time/No Talent”. Similarly,
a barbecue/grill icon marks those
recipes which could be barbecued/
grilled. Five (5) recipes are recognized
as having won international culinary
awards during the last 12 months.
Hidden in the pages of this book, is
how Margaret and her husband, Larry,
a former Canadian Ambassador, have
“swapped” roles. Margaret for years,
like many a foreign service spouse,
traveled the world with Larry, hosting
thousands of guests in their homes in
8 different countries. She developed
a strong international reputation
for her personally created recipes,
mesmerizing presentations and warm
hospitality. Now, Larry, retired, is
returning the favour to help in her
career. He calls it “delayed reciprocity
– I work like mad and don’t get paid”!
As Margaret’s “Production Assistant”,
he imputed into the computer every
word in this new book and took 57 of
the 58 photos which grace its pages.
For more information, contact:
Margaret’s Sense of Occasion, 2
Seneca Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1S
4W5 or [email protected] .
The book’s “launch” a few weeks
ago, was a great success.. About 170
attended; among them were many
friends, chefs (including the Executive
Chef of the Parliamentary Restaurant),
Ambassadors and their spouses, print,
radio and TV press. The store was
thrilled to have sold 116 books in the
two hour period. The line ups were
long to get the books autographed and
dedicated.
Margaret’s food, all based upon
recipes in the book, was a big hit. Marg
is frenetically busy. For example, on
a Friday, she was at Le Cordon Bleu
cooking school judging students’
achievements. Sat, she had two book
signings. She is getting fabulous
press and more has been requested
without prompting (e.g., a spot on
CBC’s popular national prime-time
radio show “Sounds Like Canada” with Shelagh Rogers which reaches
millions).
Is Your financial Plan Ready for 2007?
By Bob Jamieson
G
et a head start on your 2007
financial plan. Instead of
waiting for the New Year,
put your finances and investments in
order today. This way you’ll be well
positioned to take advantage of what
the coming year has to offer.
The best way to prepare for 2007
is to conduct a thorough review of
your financial life now. Unless you
know where you are today, you won’t
be able to map out a strategy for
tomorrow.
Make sure that your goals and
objectives remain viable and realistic,
that your spending, savings and
borrowing are under control, that
investments are performing according
to your needs and expectations,
and that you have a well diversified
portfolio suitable for the current
investment climate.
Your goals are important. They
should be well-defined and in line
with your current situation. It’s
especially important to revisit your
financial objectives if you’ve recently
experienced major developments in
your life, such as marriage or divorce,
the birth of a child, or retirement.
Investment performance is also
critical. If your investment returns
aren’t meeting your goals, it may
be the time to make changes in your
portfolio. If your portfolio isn’t
diversified, with all major asset
classes represented, this can call for
adjustments.
When examining your asset
allocation, consider its impact on
your after-tax returns. You may be
able to reduce taxes by carefully
allocating investments inside and
outside registered plans such as
your Registered Retirement Savings
Plan (RRSP). For example, interestgenerating investments are excellent
for an RRSP, where interest that would
otherwise be fully taxable can be taxdeferred. Although they can play an
important role in your registered plan,
equity investments are generally better
suited for non-registered investments
because they’re already eligible for
capital gains and dividend tax breaks.
Of course, you need to invest
every year to keep your portfolio
growing. Examine your income and
spending to see how you can divert
more to investments in 2007. Use a
household budget to identify expenses
that can be cut.
Reducing debt is another great
way to funnel more into savings and
investments. Plan now to pay down
or eliminate debt in 2007-consider
increasing mortgage payments or
paying off consumer loans or credit
card debt.
There are some financial moves
you can make today, instead of
waiting until the New Year. One of
the most important is an early RRSP
contribution. Although you have until
March 1, 2007, to make your 2006
contribution, the sooner you get your
money into the plan the longer it has
to grow. Plus, you’ll avoid lineups
and last-minute decision-making in
the RRSP rush.
Once this year’s contribution
is out of the way, work on a plan to
get your full 2007 contribution into
your RRSP as early in the New Year
as possible. If you can’t make a large
lump sum contribution early in the
year, set up a periodic plan that allows
you to contribute monthly. If you have
unused contribution room from the
past, formulate a plan to make up for
those missed contributions in 2007.
You’ll boost retirement savings and
reduce next year’s tax bill.
There may be more you can do
today to get ready for 2007. It’s a good
idea to meet with your investment
representative. With professional
help, you’ll ensure your finances and
investments are on track.
Bob Jamieson, CFP, your Edward
Jones investment representative.
Member CIPF
Page 44
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Danny Michel to Rock
November’s Underground
Sound
By Leslie Fulton
D
Danny Michel
ubbed a cross between Tom Waits
and Cheap Trick, Ottawa Bluesfest
favourite Danny Michel will perform at
Underground Sound on Wednesday, November
29th at the Glebe Community Centre.
Michel’s songs run from sweet pop with an
edge to darker tales, covering a wide variety of
emotions and influences. A charmer on stage,
he is fearless and full of surprises. You never
know what you’ll get when you attend one of
his concerts – he has been known to play a
chime solo on a cell phone. Everything and
anything is up for grabs, and Michel’s quick
wit and imagination keeps music lovers on
their toes. “I don’t want to be confined to one
style anymore. I want to fly by the seat of my
pants,” he said. “I want to put on a show!”
Nominated for a Juno Award for Best New
Artist in 2005, Michel has six albums under his
belt and has worked with countless Canadian
and international artists. He has played guitar
for a wide variety of groups – from electronicapop band Dragonette to Canadian folkie Sarah
Harmer. David Bowie has given his Rock
God nod of approval to Michel – his guitarist
Earl Slick has asked him to work on songs
that feature guest vocals by Bowie himself
and Robert Smith of the Cure, after hearing
his 2004 Bowie homage “Loving the Alien”.
Bowie’s influential website promoted Michel’s
2006 tour in the United Kingdom.
Tickets for the concert are $20 each ($25
at the door) and are available at Compact
Music, the Glebe Community Centre (GCC),
the Ottawa Folklore Centre and at www.
theglebeonline.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.
with a concert start of 7:30.
The Glebe Community Association
(GCA) and the Glebe Business Group host
Underground Sound, a series of concerts
run by volunteers to raise money to bury the
hydro wires when Bank Street undergoes
reconstruction. More than $30,000 has been
raised so far, with significant contributions by
corporate sponsors ScotiaBank, Loeb Glebe,
Capital Home Hardware, Glebe Pharmasave
Apothecary, Compact Music and Keller
Williams Ottawa Realty. If the City of Ottawa
decides not to bury the lines, the money will be
spent on other improvement projects to make
Bank Street beautiful.
Christmas Hamper
Help Needed!
By Leslie Fulton
D
uring the holidays, our thoughts often turn
to those less fortunate than ourselves. For
more than 30 years, the Christmas Hamper
Project has supplied thousands of Ottawa families
and individuals with boxes of food, toiletries and
small gifts to help make their Christmas season a
little brighter.
Sponsored by the McLeod-Stewarton United
Church, Southminster and Glebe-St. James,
hampers are delivered to 160 needy families and
individuals that have been referred by Centre 507,
the Emergency Food Centre, The Well, Salus and
The Laundry Co-op.
This worthy project relies on the generosity
and the goodwill of the community. How can you
help? There are many ways:
Adopt a hamper: Email Christine Hywarren at
[email protected] by November
30th, or, if you don’t have access to email, call Ann
Hyland at 234-6084.
Pack hampers: Contact Ann Hyland at 2346084 if you can help wrap gifts and pack the
hampers between December 13th and the 20th.
Deliver hampers: Call Susan Ballantyne at
567-2978 if you can drive or deliver hampers on
December 21st.
Donate: Have a crazy schedule? We accept
donations. Please send a cheque made out to the
“Christmas Hamper Project” and mail it to the
McLeod-Stewarton United Church, 507 Bank
Street, K2P 1Z5. Every little bit helps!
NOVEMBER 2006
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
Page 45
Buy Tickets Early for Come Sing
Messiah! December 1
By Alison Lawson
A
void disappointment and buy your tickets early for CAMMAC’s
(Canadian Amateur Musicians’) COME SING MESSIAH! which will
take place on Friday, December 1st at Dominion Chalmers United
Church, O’Connor at Cooper. Join the 1000 singers and listeners who attend
Ottawa’s favourite participatory version of Handel’s Messiah. Doors open at
5:30 p.m. with the rehearsal at 6 p.m. and performance at 8 p.m., under the baton
of Louis Lavigueur. Singers should bring their own music.
Tickets are available starting November 11th at these four locations: Book Bazaar,
417 Bank at Frank; Granata Music, 1558 Merivale Road near Meadowlands;
The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street near Gladstone; and Collected Works,
1242 Wellington near Holland. Prices are $8 for singers and $13 for audience
members.
Optional choral rehearsals will be held Nov. 11, 18 and 25 at Parkdale United
Church, 429 Parkdale at Gladstone, 10-12.15, with Alan Thomas: CAMMAC
members $5 each or $10 for all three, non-members $10 each or $20 for all three.
Tickets will be on sale at these rehearsals.
Information: www.cammac.ca or phone 613-237-3154
Computer Tricks and Tips:
Buying Digital Cameras
By Malcolm and John
Harding, of Compu-Home
S
ales of digital cameras outpaced
their film camera cousins for
the first time in 2005, but sales
have flattened off in recent months,
resulting in some bargain prices.
Here are some considerations if you
are thinking about a digital camera
– perhaps as a Christmas or January
Sale purchase.
• The resolution
(fine detail
capability) of digital cameras is
measured in megapixels. Manufacturers
trumpet the newest, largest megapixel
capacity as something you absolutely
must have, but the fact is that for most
purposes a lower resolution is quite
adequate. For example: computer
monitors are not capable of displaying
more than a fairly coarse resolution
and so if you are simply going to be
viewing your photos on your computer,
most of the capability of your highresolution camera is wasted. For most
general-purpose photography a 3.0
– 5.0 megapixel camera, at well under
$500.00 will do the job. If yours is
one of the higher-end cameras you can
safely set it to a lower resolution and
you usually won’t see the difference.
This will also mean that each photo
is a smaller file, and that will make it
easier to email to a friend, or save on
your hard disk.
An exception to this occurs when
you know in advance that you are
going to want to print this batch of
photos, on a high quality printer. This
is a time when higher resolution will
result in a superior print.
• Optical zoom vs. digital zoom
is another area where you can easily
be misled. Optical zoom is the actual
moving of the lens to bring the subject
closer. Digital zoom is a far less effective
process, in which the camera attempts
to magnify the subject electronically,
often with a hopeless loss of clarity.
Digital cameras offer both types of
zoom, but the optical zoom capability
is much more important of the two.
• Batteries are an important
consideration in a digital camera. Most
cameras can use their own rechargeable
battery, but some also accept offthe-shelf AAs or AAAs. This can be
expensive because digital cameras are
huge battery hogs but it can save the
day if your battery dies in the middle
of the wedding. A spare rechargeable
battery for your camera is usually in
the $30.00 - $50.00 range, and is well
worth the investment. Some camera
models feature an external battery
recharger, which allows you to recharge
one battery while using another.
• A digital camera is one of the few
devices for which we at Compu-Home
recommend an extended warranty,
from the store or the manufacturer.
Repairs are hideously expensive, and
it is not uncommon to have to throw
away a relatively new machine,
because repairs would cost more than
the original purchase price.
• In the end, the most important
peripheral device for your digital
camera is its instruction manual.
Most cameras have so many features
and settings that you cannot possibly
remember everything from one photo
session to the next. Read and re-read
it, underline the important points, and
keep it in your camera bag … your
digital photos will clearly display the
difference.
Malcolm and John Harding are the
owners of Compu-Home, specializing
in assisting home and small business
computer users.
Visit www.compu-home.com and
go to Suggested Websites for more
information related to this article.
Write to harding@compu-home.
com or phone 731-5954 to discuss
computer issues, or to suggest subjects
to be addressed in future columns.
COMING IN NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 7
Break-up Artist
Cars
Little Man
Shadowboxer
Tales of the Rat Fink
NOVEMBER 14
Accepted
Ant Bully
Rom
Fami
Com
Actio
Doc
Com
Fami
NOVEMBER 21
A Family Secret
Dram
Inconvenient Truth
Doc
Another Gay Movie
Com
Blood Stains
Thril
Boston Legal
TV se
Dark Harvest 3 Scarecrow
Hor
Ice Age: Meltdown
Fam
Last Trapper
Doc
Little Athens
Thril
Scoop
Dram
Shinobi
Act
NOVEMBER 14
Davinci Code
John Tucker Must Die
Leonard Cohen: I’m Your M
Merry Christmas
Sophie Scholl
Strangers With Candy
Who Killed the Electric Car
Wordplay
Act
Com
Doc
Dra
Dra
Com
Doc
Doc
NOVEMBER 28
Chasing Christmas
Clerks II
See No Evil
Superman Returns
Warriors of Terra
Com
Com
Hor
Act
Hor
NOVEMBER 21
You, Me & Dupree
Com
1123 Bank Street -- (613) 730-1256
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
Page 46
NOVEMBER 2006
Around Town
Ferme Aux Pleines Saveurs organic
market that could be found each
Thursday afternoon between 4 and 6
pm in the parking lot of Sunnyside and
Bank ended at Hallowe’en.
Exhibition and sale. Ottawa Valley
Weaver’s and Spinners Guild.
Purchase elegant and wearable jackets,
ponchos, and scarves, charming
decorator baskets, tapestry art, silk
display, demonstrations of weaving
and spinning. Glebe Community
Centre, 175 Third Ave, Ottawa. Friday
Nov. 3 4-8 pm., Saturday and Sunday,
Nov. 4-5, 10 am-4 pm. Admission free.
www.ovwsg.com.
Parkdale United Church, corner of
Parkdale and Gladstone, will be hosting
its traditional Christmas Bazaar the
first Saturday in November. There
will be several silent auction items,
crafts, baked goods and gently used
items for sale, plus a special children’s
section where only the young and the
“young at heart” can buy presents.
Also included are jewellry tables, linen
tables, knitting and fine porcelin and
crystal tables. For more information,
contact Parkdale United Church at 613
728-8656.
Concerts the Maple Leaf Brass Band
will be performing at are: Nov 09th at
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, ON
Concert start at 7:00PM Nov 11th at
St. Barnabas Church - Kent and James
Streets, Ottawa, ON concert starts at
8:00PM Nov 26th at Manotick United
Church, Manotick, On concert start
at 3:00PM Please watch our website
http://www.mapleleafbrassband.org/
concerts.htm for more concert details
260 Fingers Pottery Show. 26 Potters
at the Glebe Community Centre, Nov
10 – 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Nov. 11 &
12 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. For more
info call 613-256-6522.
Abbotsford Annual Bazaar - For
some of the best deals in town be
sure to visit the Abbotsford Annual
Bazaar on Saturday, November 25th
from 10:30 am – 2:30 pm. We are
azaarjust what you’re looking for
with our vast selection of gift ideas
including handcrafts, home baking,
jewelry, children’s toys, flea market,
ornaments, and books. Don’t forget
our very popular Silent Auction where
your bid could entitle you to a fabulous
gift such as hand-made quilts, valuable
antiques or collector’s items. So mark
your calendars now – you won’t want
to miss it! For information, call 613230-5730.
Messiah - Ottawa has a rare chance to
experience Messiah as Handel himself
often chose to present it – with boy
choristers singing the soprano parts.
Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men
and Boys are to perform this great
oratorio under the direction of Organist
and Director of Music, Matthew
Larkin on 26 November at 3pm at the
Cathedral. Tickets from Cathedral Arts
Box Office, 420 Sparks Street, tel. 613
567 1787. For more details: www.
ottawa.anglican.ca/cathedral
The Good Companions Christmas
Bazaar - Get your Christmas
shopping done! Handmade items
for the whole family; Home baking;
“White Elephant” room; and a “Silent
Auction”. Join us on S a t u r d a y ,
December 2, 2006, From 9:30 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. At The Good Companions
- Seniors Centre 670 Albert
Street (at Empress). Our tea room will
be open from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
For additional information, please call
Heidi Mersich at 613-236-0428,
extension 270. The Good Companions
is a non-profit registered charitable
organization.
December 3 St. Margaret Mary’s
Christmas Bazaar, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Noon Christmas Carols Sing, lunch,
healthy frozen dinners, unique hostess
gifts and crafts, baked goods, delicious
preserves, children’s corner, turkey
raffle, collectibles table. Sunnyside
and Fairbairn.
The Christmas concert of the Ottawa
Welsh Choral Society is Sunday,
December 10, at 3:00 pm and takes
place at St. Giles Presbyterian Church,
Bank St. at First Ave. The choir will
be singing Christmas music in English
and Welsh.
Bytown
Voices
Christmas
Concert, featuring Daniel Pinkham’s
‘Christmas Cantata’ with brass
accompaniment, Christmas carols for 2
choirs- guest choir St. Luke’s Anglican
Church choir- and other seasonal
music, on Sunday Dec. 10th, 3.00 p.m.
at St. Basil’s Church, on the east side
of Maitland Ave. immediately north of
Queensway, Free parking, Wheelchair
accessible, Tickets $10.00 adult, $5.00
students, information 613-563-7044
Musical Volunteers needed to
entertain residents at The Glebe
Centre Inc. Specifically during
the Happy Hour Program which
runs Monday thru Saturday 3-4pm.
Volunteers are asked to make a
commitment to one shift per week. We
are also seeking musical or talented
volunteers to entertain throughout the
facility for other scheduled programs.
We are also recruiting a male Men’s
Club leader to stimulate male
discussion and explore various projects
for a men’s group. Times and schedule
would be determined by volunteer and
staff supervisor. If you are interested
in these or would like to learn more
please contact 238-2727 ext 353 or
[email protected]
Annual Card Campaign funds
Community Mental Health programs.
Causeway Foundation has launched its
sixth annual Holiday Card Campaign
with two eight-card packages available
at local stores for $10 per pack. This
year’s theme is ‘Ottawa in Winter’ and
the four original designs feature two
striking photographs of Parliament
Editor’s Thanks
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the content of this newspaper. You are the eyes and
ears of this community newspaper. The OSCAR is an important way for us to communicate with
each other. Through our community newspaper we are better able to have a sense of identity that
helps to make us feel proud of the neighbourhood in which we live.
Colin Ashford
Mary Belotti
Charles Billington
Margret Brady Nankivell
Karine Briand
John Callan
Frances Chambers
Catherine Culley
Don Cummer
Brenna Dallaway
Jennifer Davies
Brian Donahue
Lisa Drouillard
Kim Ferguson
Ailsa Francis
Missy Fraser
Leslie Fulton
stephen a. haines
Julian Hall
James Hunter
Julie Ireton
Bob Jamieson
Michael Jenkin
Mike Lascelles
Alison Lawson
Gary Lum
Deirdre McQuillan
Karri Munn-Venn
Edan Naumetz
Mary P.
Craig Piche
Patrick Quealey
Red Apron
Louise Rickenbacker
Peter Robinson
Deanna Sclar
Chris Simmons
Doug Stickley
Anna Sundin
Rick Sutherland
Sarah Trant
tOM Trottier
Ann Winters
Lisa Xing
Zoscha
A special thanks to Peter E. Robinson for the time and effort he has taken to proof read the text as it
arrives and after it has been placed in the layout, and for the cartoon on page 48
Hill and two paintings - skaters on
the Rideau Canal; and the Tin House
Courtyard in the ByWard Market. All
four images are donated works by local
artists. Causeway is a community
mental health agency, and this year,
100% of funds raised will go to their
Wellness Program offering exercise
and nutrition aid to individuals
suffering from a mental illness or other
disability. Since initiated in 2001, the
Card Campaign has raised more than
$30,000 in support of Causeway’s
employment, education and wellness
programs. You can make this year’s
Campaign a success by purchasing
cards by telephoning 613-725-3494 ext.
28 or visit www.causewayfoundation.
org to view the cards and the retail
locations nearest you.
Christ Church Cathedral Boys’
Choir is always open to new members,
age 7-13. Any boy is welcome,
regardless of previous musical
experience or religious affiliation.
This is an opportunity to learn a great
deal about music in a safe and caring
environment, make new friends, travel
with the choir; in short this is an activity
that can open a whole new window in
a boys’ life. For more information,
please contact Matthew Larkin on
613 236 9149 Ext.12 or by email at
[email protected].
Visit the Cathedral website at www.
ottawa.anglican.ca/cathedral
---------------------------------------------I am a new inhabitant of Old Ottawa
South who is concerned about
environmental and geopolitical
issues as they affect our daily life. I
am inviting like-minded concerned
citizens to discuss similar concerns
on November 11 and 12 at 3:00 p.m.
with the possibility of viewing the
award winning documentary The End
of Suburbia. Call 613-730-6559.
Lynn Graham Tribute
Planned for January
C
ircle January 2007 on your calendars as a reminder of an
upcoming evening -- date and venue to be confirmed -- to
honour Lynn Graham for her dedication to public education
here in Ottawa over the past 12 years.
First elected in 1994 as a trustee with the former Ottawa Board
of Education, Lynn has represented public school electors in Capital
and Rideau-Vanier wards under the amalgamated Ottawa-Carleton
District School Board since 1998. She did double duty during the
past three years when she also served as Board Chair.
During this time, Lynn has worked tirelessly on behalf of her
electors as well as students right across the city. She leaves with a
record that reflects her commitment to the public school system.
Now it’s time for Lynn’s community – parents, colleagues
and friends -- to say thank you. A mid-January event is being
planned for the public to say good bye and wish her well in her new
endeavours.
Stay tuned for more details in the next OSCAR. In the meantime,
if you want to get involved or can’t wait for more information, call
Christine Wilson at 613-235-3079 or e-mail her at wilsonchristine@
rogers.com
The OSCAR - OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Your
A
Rent
Page 47
Marketplace
Wife Household Organizers
“Every working woman needs a wife!”
Regular & Occasional cleaning
Pre & Post move cleaning and packing
Pre & Post renovation cleaning
Blitz & Spring cleaning
Organizing cupboards, basements...
Perhaps a waitress ???
Laurel 749-2249
rent-a-wife-ottawa.com
RELIABLE, QUALITY CARE
RPN (38 years experience)
Relief for Family Caregiver
Private Duty
Palliative Care Provided
By Michael Moynahan
730-4957
Cell: 240-9394
45 Ossington Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3B5
613-730-0746
Fax: 613-730-4222
Email: [email protected]
Carsharing for Ottawa
www.gordonstokoearchitect.com
The only good car is a shared car
24/7 access to small Toyotas for trips as short as 1/2-hr.
Reserve by web/phone. Gas & collision insurance included.
www.vrtucar.com
ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY CLEANING
One-time, weekly,
bi-monthly or monthly.
Six years experience.
Insured and Bonded
613-798-1900
Glebe Craft &Artisan Fair
Glebe Communtity Centre
175 Third Avenue
Nov 17 - 6 to 9 pm
Nov 18 - 10 am to 5 pm
Nov 19 10 am to 4 pm
Free Admission
For info - 613-233-8713 or
564-1058
[email protected]
CALL 729-2751
Bilingual Supervisors
Astolot Educational
Centre
Tutoring
Grades 1 to 12
English / French
After School Club
260-5996
Housecleaning Service
Excellent Cleaning
Reliable
Thorough
Efficient
613-565-8248
for A4 program needed
Immediately
Academie Westboro
Academy
Across from
Carleton U
Please call: Y. Munter at
737-9543
EXTRA MILE
RENOVATIONS
Need a deck, porch or fence built
this summer?
Does your kitchen, bathroom
or basement need updating or
finishing?
Local renovator experienced with
old houses.
Creative and reasonably priced.
297-8079
The OSCAR
Page 48
- OUR 31st YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
CLASSY ADS
CLASSY ADS
are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the Old Firehall,
260 Sunnyside, or sent by email to [email protected] by the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email address) must be
included. Only your contact info will appear unless you specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or exclude submissions. The OSCAR takes no
responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058.
For Sale
Cell phone, excellent condition.
Samsung e316 with full colour display
and digital camera. Comes with a
new (never used) SIM card, leather
phone case, charger, ear bud headset
and car charger. Gently used. $150 for
everything. 613-730-4450.
----------------------------------------------For Sale 4 Motormaster “Nordic
Icetrac” tires (P185/65R15) on rims
(6J x 15 x 43). Tires used two winters,
approximately 20km. Original 1994
rims. $400 with Volvo winter hub caps
included. Craig 613.730.5838
----------------------------------------------Apartment size piano for sale. A Lesage
piano in a deep and beautifully finished
moghany wood - comes with bench
designed to compliment piano. A great
choice for a piano student. Asking
$1,200 or best offer.
----------------------------------------------Heavy duty Panasonic upright vacuum
cleaner with all attachments. Cost $329.
Asking $60. Excellent condition. 613730-4450.
----------------------------------------------Electric Keyboard (Yamaha PSR - 292)
with stand. Purchased in 2004 at a cost
of $400. In excellent condition. Selling
for $250 or best offer. Contact Julie at #
(613) 260-2221.
----------------------------------------------- Winter Snow Tire Package (Mercedes,
Bmw....) 4 Michelin Pilot Alpin Tires mounted on - 4 Alloy Rims Size 225/45
R17 Excellent Condition-$1200 Call
613 730 4448 email lizart1@rogers.
com
----------------------------------------------Gorgeous antique off-white ball in claw
foot wing chair - a bargain @ $150.00
2 Black 3-panel folding screens - $35 pair
Black iron firewood holder $15. Antique
set of fireplace tools $35 613-730-3385
Brio roller $95. We love it, but our child
has outgrown it. Sturdy metal frame,
fully reclining, forward or backward
facing, basket underneath, large tires,
good for winter, canal, etc. (613) 7307051.
----------------------------------------------For Sale - Many Various Items Kid
items: Ikea Castle tent, collapsable in a
bag (3’L x 3’W x 4’H) ($5) Patio items:
Dark blue plastic patio lounge chair
and cushion, never used ($10), Set of
6 matching dark blue patio chairs ($6)
Furniture: Painted dark green wood
coffee table and ottoman (set $5). Large
futon, mahogany finish with 2 covers
($60) Downhill skis: Elan R5C MBX
racing skis - Marker MRR bindings,
excellent condition, length: 205cm
($30); Elan intermediate/Advanced
skis, Salomon bindings used 4 times
Length: 160 ($30) Artificial Christmas
tree: In box, 7 feet tall Majestic Fir
($20) Dog crate: travel crate, plastic
casing/metal front grill, for medium/
large size dog ($15) Motor bike helmet:
Bieffe, black, full face, small, size 56
($15) Call 730-1207 in evenings or
weekends
----------------------------------------------For Sale - Teak Finish wall unit, 70” x
46” x 15” (H x W x D), $40. Please call
613-730-2440.
To Give Away
Benchpress with weights.Free! 613 730
3007
Wanted
50’s and 60’s Jazz LPs Are they sitting
in your basement gathering dust, but
you just don’t know what to do with
them? I’m a guy in the neighbourhood
who just re-set-up a turntable and is
discovering this wonderful era of music.
Perhaps you could face letting your old
jazz LP’s go, if you knew they were
going to a good home. Let’s talk; I am
not a record dealer.
613-730-5143
For Rent
For Rent: Charming, renovated 3bedroom semi-detached house in Old
Ottawa South, 1/2 block to Rideau River
park and 4 blocks to canal. Fenced
yard, parking. Close to buses, schools
and shopping. $1500 + heat + hydro. 613-730-0739.
----------------------------------------------House
To
Rent
/
Furnished
Large, comfortable home on Glen Ave. Fully furnished and equipped. Three
bedrms, two bthrms, den w/fp, gardens,
decks and pkg for two cars. Available
Nov. 1st - May 1st (some flexibility)
613-730-7921
Child &Housekeeping
Babysitter Wanted....we are recent
arrivals in OOS and are looking for an
occasional babysitter for our two boys
- ages 6 and 8. We need a responsible,
non smoking sitter who is available 1
evening a week and who has excellent
references. Call Kevin or Paula evenings
at 613-730-8017.
Qualified elementary school teacher has
space in OOS/Glebe area home daycare.
Home has fully equipped playroom and
fenced yard. Close to parks. Bilingual,
CPR and First Aid certified. Good rates.
Call 239-1607.
Looking For
Looking for a handy person to do some
small jobs e.g. putting up drapery rods,
hanging towel bars, shutting off water
etc. Please call Kathryn at 730-2901 for
more details and $ per hour.