Nov - OSCA

THE
OSCAR
The Ottawa South Community Association Review
l
The Community Voice
YEAR 41, No.10
NOVEMBER 2013
Cardboard Challenge a Runaway Success
By Rebekka Roy
Last Saturday, my family and I arrived at the Firehall Community
Centre with two cereal boxes. We left
with a couple of beautifully-decorated tote bags and – more impressive,
but arguably less practical – one giant
silver robot costume. It was magic.
This all happened at the second
annual OSCA Cardboard Challenge.
Like so many creative things, this
initiative started when someone was
bored – in this case, Caine Monroy, a
9 year old kid from East Los Angeles.
Faced with a summer hanging around
his father’s auto shop, Caine turned
a pile of cardboard boxes into an
arcade, featuring classic games like
whack-a-mole and basketball. The
price was right – 500 plays for two
bucks – but nobody showed up, until
one day a local film-maker, Nirvan
Mullick, stumbled upon it. He was
so impressed with Caine’s creativity
that he organized a flash mob to show
up and play at the arcade, filmed it
all, and posted the movie online.
Check out the film at cainesarcade.
Continued on pg 22
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
shop your local talent
Christmas Craft Show
Sat. Nov. 2, 9:30 - 14:00
Sat. Nov. 2, 9:00 - 12:00
Frosty’s Fair, Trinity Anglican
Rummage Sale, Southminster
Fri. Nov. 8, 17:30 - 19:30
Ski & Skate Sale - Drop Off, Hopewell PS
Sat. Nov. 9, 9:30 - 11:30
Sun. Nov. 10, at 10:30
Nov. 15 to Nov. 17
Ski & Skate Sale Hopewell PS
Remembrance Ceremony, Brantwood
Gates, Main Street
Homes for the Holidays Hospice fundraiser
Sat. Nov. 16, 10:00 to 14:00
Christmas Bazaar, Southminster
Sat. Nov. 16 starts at 20:00
OSCA 007 Spy Party
Sun. Nov. 24, 10:00 - 15:00
Sat. Nov. 30, 10:00 - 14:30
Shop Your Local Talent Christmas Craft
Fair, Firehall
Riverdale Traffic Study Open House #2,
Hopewell PS
Glebe Centre’s Bazaar, Abbotsford
Sun Dec. 8, 13:00 - 15:30
Write for Right, Southminster
Wed. Nov. 27, 18:00-20:00
sunday
To add events or see the latest listings, go to the online calendar at www.oldottawasouth.ca
november 24
10-3pm
the firehall
“Shaken, not stirred”
(260 Sunnyside Ave)
For more information
call 613.247.4946 or visit
www.oldottawasouth.ca
Complete list of vendors available
after November 1st.
artwork by Christopher Heilmann
OSCA
007 SPY PARTY
Sat. Nov. 16 8:00PM
at the Firehall
Page 2
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
Mayor Jim Watson
Progress Report to Taxpayers
Community Building
Budget: Keeping rates below 2.5%
New affordable housing units on Carson’s Road
ü New rec complexes: Orleans (open);
Barrhaven & Kanata (under construction)
ü Sensplex East: Opens Sept. 2014
ü Revitalizing Lansdowne Park in time for
2014 football and soccer seasons
ü $14M annual housing and homelessness
program
ü Lowest tax rates in 6 years
ü Recreation fees frozen for 3 straight years
ü Lowest debt per capita of any major
Canadian city
ü Triple-A credit rating secured
Ethics and Accountability
Transportation
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü $2.1B Light Rail Transit project underway
ü $340M for road, sidewalk, sewer and
watermain infrastructure
ü Finally fixing the split at Highway 147/417
ü Record investments in cycling
ü Reduced bus fares for seniors
ü New O-Trains and improved service
#1 in Canada
Sustainable Cities Scorecard (2013)
Appointed Integrity Commissioner
Council expenses now posted online
Set up lobbyist and gift registries
Implemented a Council Code of Conduct
Reduced travel and hospitality costs
Froze Mayor’s salary and reduced office
budget by 10%
#1 in North America
World Economic Development Scorecard (2013)
How can I help?
( 613-580-2496
* [email protected]
: jimwatsonottawa.ca
@jimwatsonottawa
THE OSCAR
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Page 3
NOVEMBER 2013
THE
OSCAR
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/oscar
CONTRIBUTIONS
[email protected]
Editor: Brendan McCoy
[email protected]
Layout and Design Editor: Bess Fraser
Copy Editor: Michael Thibault
Distribution Manager: Larry Ostler
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Business Manager: Susanne Ledbetter
[email protected]
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OSCAR is printed by Winchester Print
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(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
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The OSCAR thanks the following people who brought us
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ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Kim Barclay, Élie
Cantin Nantel, Wendy Robbins, Jim and Carrol Robb, Becky Sasaki, Kevin
and Stephanie Williams, Christy Griffin.
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), the Gref- Innes family, the Fegan
family, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison, Susanne Ledbetter, Torin
and Konstantine Assal.
ZONE B2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Pat Eakins, Hayley Atkinson, Leslie
Roston, Patrick Hinton, Lydia Oak, Sandra Garland, John Callan, Diana Carr.
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the Williams family, Josh
Rahaman, Jesper Lindeberg, the Dallin-O’Grady family, Declan and Darcy
McCoy, Bruce Grant, and the Woroniuk-Ryan family.
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Charles and Phillip
Kijek, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Christina Bridgeman, Anne Coyle, Melissa
Johnson.
ZONE D1: Mary Hill (Coordinator), Emily Keys, Ekin Kiziltan, Gail
Stewart, Gabe Teramura, Oliver and Claire Waddington, the Franklin-Flack
family, the Sprott family.
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), the Adriaanse family, Gaia
Chernushenko, Jacqueline Littlewood, the Rand family, Aidan and Willem
Ray, the Stewart family, and Mary Hill.
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Hunter family, the Brodkin-Haas family, Allan Paul, Christina Bradley,
Caroline Calvert, Larry Ostler, Chris Berry and Frida Kolster Berry.
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, the Stern
family, Ellen Bailie, Paloma and Liliana Ruiz, Peter Kemp, Kelly Haggart
and Taiyan Roberts, the Goutte family (Joshua, Leo and Alina), Walter and
Robbie Engert.
ZONE F2: Pierre Guevremont (Coordinator), Paulette Theriault,
Ryan Zurakowski, Susan McMaster, Paige Raymond, Judy and Pierre
Chamberland, Valerie Dancause, Mary Johnston.
ZONE G: Bernie Zeisig(Coordinator), Claudia and Estelle BourlonAlbarracin, David Lum, Cindy MacLoghlin, Hannah and Emily Blackwell,
Robin and Luke Eriksson.
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.
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Bank Street-Glebe: Larry Ostler.
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The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Centre
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
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PHONE
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
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6:30 AM TO 9 PM
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WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?
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Ottawa Public Library - Sunnyside Branch
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Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee
Centretown Community Health Centre
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
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Graduate Students Association
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Mediation Centre
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CITY HALL
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([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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Page 4
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
CHRISTY’S CORNER
More Winter Special Events and Activities at the Firehall
By Christy Savage
OSCA held its second annual International Cardboarding Challenge
www.imagination.is on October 5th,
and it was a resounding success.
Over 75 people came to the Firehall
to participate. In honour of Caine’s
arcade, the children made signs
directing people into the Firehall for
‘OSCA’s Arcade’ and video of Cain’s
arcade played throughout the event.
Adults and children, young and old,
made a variety of innovative and
creative projects. Thanks to Rebekka
Roy for the bringing this wonderful event to OSCA and allowing us
to host it each year. Thanks also to
Rebekka, Maggie Fawcett, Daphne
Dumbrille and Jen Geduld for organizing the event, buying and organizing food, crafts and items to make
the cardboard colourful and fun. And
thanks ladies for ensuring everything
ran smoothly.
Don’t forget that we have a number
of exciting events lined up for the
community. Feel free to periodically
check our website oldottawasouth.
ca for updates. The following is the
latest confirmation of events:
Saturday November 16th is the
date for 007 A Spy Party. This an-
nual November event, organized by
the ladies who brought us ‘The Night
Circus’ last year, as well as ‘Mad
Men’ and ‘The 21 Club’ is sure to be
an exciting evening. Thank you to
Kendall McQueen, Kate Charland,
Rosalind Bialowas , Vanessa Riddell, Bess Fraser and Cynthia Grant
for putting on such amazing events
for the community. And, while it has
been a personal project of mine to
get the beautiful posters created for
each of these events displayed at the
Firehall, I am happy to say that Bess
Fraser’s posters are now proudly
displayed in the Lounge. Please feel
free to have a look.
Sunday November 24th is the
annual Shop Your Local Talent
Christmas Craft Fair. Last year was
my first experience at this event and
I was impressed by the variety and
quality of items that vendors were
offering. This year promises to please
those of you looking for anything
from one of a kind bags, aprons and
pillows from birdyandbug.com; beautiful pottery from the Firehall’s own
potters such as Jocelyn Jenkins and
Ada Brzeski; original and print work
from artist Christopher Heilmann;
to food, including gluten free baked
goods; and so much more.
Thanks to OSCAR’s
many volunteer writers
and distributors for
helping get the news
to you!
The OSCAR is a self-supporting newspaper,
paid for entirely by advertising, and reliant on
volunteer contributors and distributors.
Thanks to the Dairy Queen for
contributing to our community through
its support of the many
OSCAR volunteers.
Dairy Queen, 1272 Bank Street
738-7146
We, ‘The Special Events Committee’, are hard at work planning not
only the upcoming Breakfast with
Santa on Sunday December 15th
and the Winter Carnival on Sunday
February 9th (more to come on that
soon) but we’re secretly planning
a myriad of other exciting events
in the spring. We are in the midst
of planning a Volunteer Recognition Banquet and our (now annual)
spring party (last year it was ‘back to
the 80’s this upcoming year will be
a surprise). We are even toying with
holding an Old Ottawa South Music
festival.
Feel free to contact me (osca@
oldottawasouth.ca) if you want to
join this amazing and fun committee
and put your mark on events in Old
Ottawa South. All ideas and creative
abilities are welcome and appreciated!
Changes at the Firehall
As you may know, we have been
adjusting to the transfer of Dinos
Dafniotis, who has been the full time
Program Coordinator here at the
Firehall for the past almost 20 years.
While Dinos is a City employee, and
OSCA runs all programs, we have
traditionally done so in full partnership with the City. For many years,
and with a lot of help and guidance
from Dinos, the program choices,
schedules, guide and registration,
have run smoothly.
We are happy to welcome someone who has worked at the Firehall
in the past, Regis Alcorn. Regis has
been assigned by the City to replace Dinos, as a half time program
coordinator. She will be splitting her
time between us, and Old Ottawa
East. We welcome the opportunity to
work with Regis, however the reality
of a half time coordinator to manage
all programming, means that we at
OSCA have necessarily had to take
full responsibility for creating and
managing all aspects of the program
line up and guide. We are working
diligently, and for many long hours,
to ensure programming is not interrupted. Thanks go out to Darcy Middaugh, Baalqis Hassan, Alex Tallim
and Kyle Wastle for working with
me and OSCA to create the winter
program line up and guide.
We are working to ensure OSCA
continues to offer a high calibre and
wide variety of programs, while paying attention to the needs of the community and expanding the variety of
courses and choices for you. Thank
you for your patience and understanding while we go through this
time of transition. OSCA Board Meetings
Please note the dates of upcoming Board meetings, if you wish to
attend, or have an information item
to add to the agenda, please feel free
to contact me at OSCA@ oldottawasouth.ca.
Board meetings are held the third
Tuesday of each month a t 7:30pm at
the Firehall (260 Sunnyside avenue).
Upcoming meetings will be held
on: November 19th, December 17th,
2013; January 21st, February 18th,
March 18th, April 15th, May 20th
and June 17th, 2014.
OSCA Shop Your Local Talent
Christmas Sale November 24th
By Brenda Lee
I once found Christmas shopping
thrilling and looked forward to it every year. My first job at 17 found me
excitedly planning how to spend my
money on those I loved, and planning
months in advance for the perfect gift
for everyone.
I haven’t seen 17 for a while now
and as the years have passed I still
have the passion for finding that
perfect gift, but my seemingly endless
lists of ideas have definitely declined.
I find it daunting now and overwhelming at times to peruse so many
catalogues and stores and just see the
same things over and over again.
This is why I love our OSCA Shop
Your Local Talent Christmas Sale. I
am guaranteed to find unique gifts that
are also the perfect gift, and I can find
it all in one spot. No more catalogues,
online sites and packed malls for me!
I also support our local artists and
that is never a bad thing, the gift that
keeps on giving as they say.
This year, on Sunday, November
24th, from 10-3, the Firehall will be
bustling with holiday shoppers browsing the stalls of 40 artists and artisans.
There will be many wonderful, original pieces to choose from for others,
as well as yourself. It is a great chance
to visit with neighbours and friends,
meet your local artists and get some
shopping done without ever entering
a mall!
A complete list of vendors will be
available after November 1st at www.
oldottawasouth.ca.
There are a few tables left in the
smaller rooms for any interested vendors, check out the program guide on
the website for more information or
call 613-247-4946.
THE OSCAR
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Page 5
NOVEMBER 2013
OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT
City Changing Terms of Partnership with OSCA
By Linda Hancock, OSCA
President
In my last column, I indicated that
OSCA, and all that we do, is facing an uncertain future. This issue
remains the OSCA Board’s most immediate and greatest concern. We are
exploring our options, along with different business models, to ensure that
the residents of OOS are not adversely affected by recent decisions made
by the City of Ottawa (the City).
“After 35 years in
partnership, the City
is phasing out support
towards the programs
that are so successfully
run out of the Old Firehall.”
After 35 years in partnership, the
City is phasing out support towards
the programs that are so successfully
run out of the Old Firehall. Since the
2010 renovation of our facility, the
programs and, thus, program revenues, at our community centre have
increased tremendously – and, with
that, comes a corresponding need
for the staff and resources required
to run these programs. We at OSCA
have done our part – in 2012 when
the City cut back the Centre Coordinator position by 50% and some of
the CSR (front desk staff) hours, we
hired a fulltime Executive Director
and this year we have hired a fulltime
Executive Assistant simply to address the gap that the City has left. A
month or so ago, we were hit with yet
another unilateral decision. The City
informed us that they were reducing
their Program Coordinator position
by 50%. Those of you who know
Dinos Dafiniotis will know that this
is a huge loss for the Old Firehall. We
are closely monitoring all that we do
in the absence of Dinos’ leadership
and guidance – something we have
relied on for over 20 years. Given
our significant growth since 2010, we
are certain that we need at least a full
time Program Coordinator. We cannot maintain the programs that we do
with a part time person.
We have reviewed our financial
situation in light of this latest decision by the City. Although OSCA has
a surplus fund that we are willing
to use in a thoughtful and diligent
manner, the City is leaving us, and
our community, in a very vulnerable
position. A quick calculation sug-
Riverdale Avenue Area
Traffic Management Study
(Bank Street to Echo Drive)
Open House #2
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
6 to 8 p.m.
Hopewell Avenue Public School Library, 3rd Floor
17 Hopewell Avenue
The City of Ottawa is conducting a study to examine traffic concerns in
the neighbourhood of Rideau Gardens. The study includes the Riverdale
Avenue corridor between Bank Street and Echo Drive including several
adjacent side streets.
Since the first Open House, city staff has assessed various traffic calming
improvements for potential implementation within the study area based
upon existing conditions, comments received from the public and
consultation with internal stakeholders.
The purpose of this second Open House is to present draft alternative
plans for the study area to neighbourhood residents as well as
all interested parties. Public input will be used to define the final
recommended area traffic management plan. Please join City staff and
Councillor David Chernushenko to provide your input and learn more.
For more information, please contact:
Kyle Carson
Co-ordinator, Area Traffic Management
Planning and Growth Management
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 16874
Fax: 613-580-2578
E-mail: [email protected]
2013-03-7021-19090
gests that they have reduced their
support to programs run out of the
Old Firehall by about $100,000 over
a very short period of time. This
reduction could not have come at a
worse time – as our programs have
grown significantly. As program
“If we spend what is
needed to fill this gap,
that fairly healthy surplus will most certainly
be a deficit in future
years and we will use up
our reserve fund within
3 to 5 years.”
revenues have increased, so too have
our costs. OSCA will have to spend
the equivalent (and likely more – still
to be determined) just to maintain the
status quo. All things being equal, we
are headed for a surplus of $40,000
this year. If we spend what is needed
to fill this gap, that fairly healthy surplus will most certainly be a deficit in
future years and we will use up our
reserve fund within 3 to 5 years. We
will have no choice but to look to our
programs - to significantly increase
in terms of costs and/or to cancel
those programs that do not provide a
healthy surplus.
Given this significant challenge, I
put out a request for assistance in the
last OSCAR. We had 4 Board positions to fill, and gaps in some of our
committees. I am extremely pleased
to say that, as I write this column, we
have added three community members to our Board. A special welcome
goes to Winnie Pietrykowski, Tim
Leah and Dana Levac.
•
Winnie is already known to
OSCA as she has been leading
the OOS Traffic Survey, and is
now working hard on an action
plan re: the resulting recommendations. With Winnie on the
Board, we will be taking an im-
portant next step in dealing with
one of the key issues identified
in our Vision Survey – traffic &
safety in OOS.
•
Tim Leah has lived in OOS since
1980 and is committed to the
conservation and enhancement of
community green space. Tim is
a recently retired manager from
Environment Canada and we are
very pleased that he has agreed to
spend some of his time working
with OSCA. Tim’s vast experience in environmental management will be extremely valuable
as we contemplate how we will
best protect our community for
future generations.
•
Dana Levac is a Chartered
Accountant and works in the
Management Consulting practice
at KPMG. Dana moved to OOS
about three years ago and has
a keen interest in getting more
involved in our community. Dana
has experience and skills that are
very applicable to the goals and
objectives of OSCA, and we look
forward to her involvement.
We are thrilled that all three have
come forward to join our Board at
this critical time. At the same time, I
would like to thank Katie Black who
has resigned from our Board since
my last column. Katie’s been a long
time resident of OOS and likely will
be for many more years. We will look
forward to Katie’s involvement in the
future when her time permits.
As we work through this very difficult transition period, I will keep
you informed via this Column. Have
a safe and happy November!
“I take ridiculous pleasure
in what I eat and drink.” From
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming.
“Most women want to be with him and
most men want to be him”. Here is your
chance to show off your inner spy or villain
at the OSCA Spy Party. Epicuria will
be providing GoldFinger Foods.
Martinis will be shaken, Ashton
will brew, Reverb Syndicate
See you at
will entertain. Q and
the OSCA SPY
Moneypenny will be
PARTY!
there...Will you?!
Nov 16, 8:00PM
at the Firehall
Page 6
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
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. Letters 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 oscar@
oldottawasouth.ca
A (sad) Tale of Two National
Museums
Dear Editor,
This winter I actually got organized
and bought caregiver memberships
for four museums in Ottawa, happily anticipating summer days spent
with the children out and about and
exploring our Capital.
The Museum of Nature we frequented often, but unfortunately the
other pass that included the Museum
of Science and Technology, the Aviation Museum and the Museum of
Agriculture was not used.
We never got to Science and Tech
for our own reasons so I can’t really
complain about that.
However I have complained, and
will continue to, about the other two
museums. I have been to both of
these museums in the past and find
no fault with them, they are wonderful places and we really looked forward to spending some time in them.
Unfortunately OC Transpo has
made this virtually impossible. The
Museum of Agriculture once had a
bus that went right to the parking lot
of the museum. This is no longer the
case, there are busses, but the closest stop still has one walking for 15
minutes along Prince of Wales Drive.
Obviously not the safest place for a
woman, a stroller and five children.
This is still technically something
that could be done though, if I felt
braver.
The Museum of Aviation suffers
a much greater loss due to the OC
Transpo schedule. During weekday
hours there is one bus that runs to
the museum at 9:15 in the morning
(again doable) until one considers
the only returning bus will be at 5:30
p.m.
So the kids and I didn’t get to these
two museums this year, and really
one might argue they go with their
parents anyway and there were still
lots of great adventures to be had in
Ottawa (all true).
There are others in our city who
rely on OC Transpo solely to get
Echo Drive Memory Bench
By George Chouchani
Mr. Edouard Chouchani and Mrs.
Euterpe-Marie Chouchani were residents of Mt. Pleasant Ave. between
the 1980s-90s. They enjoyed going
for walks along Echo Drive between
Clegg Ave. and Bank Street at the
Sunnyside Library, and this was also
their shopping route to and from
Bank St. During their walks or shopping
trips, they often expressed a wish for
a bench at the corner of Echo and
Riverdale where they could rest with
shopping bags, or sit and admire the
panoramic view of the Canal and
Lansdowne Park. Mr. & Mrs. Chouchani passed
away in the 1990s. In their memory,
their daughter and her spouse - Mrs.
Madeleine and Mr. Gordon Smith also residents of the neigbourhood,
took the initiative to apply for the
Madeleine Smith, Gordon Smith, Roberta
Chouchani and George Chouchani sit at the
memory bench on Echo Drive overlooking
the Rideau Canal dedicated to Madeleine and
George’s parents.
PHOTO BY PAIGE RAYMOND KOVACH
55+ Meeting Postponed
Indefinitely
The 55+ public meeting scheduled for
November 14 has been postponed indefinitely. The Ad Hoc
55+ group needs new members
to continue it’s work. If anyone
is interested in pursuing this idea,
contact the Program Committee of
OSCA through the OSCA Executive
Director Christy Savage at the the
Firehall.
Patty Deline
around the city and there are also
the many tourists who visit our city
yearly. This is our Nation’s Capital,
this is where we want tourists to
spend their money, to feel welcome,
to enjoy all that this city has to offer. Two NATIONAL Museums are
basically inaccessible to them if they
don’t have a car!
We talk a lot about parking lots
taking over the city, about how public transit should work and yet our
transit system it set up in such a way
that we who live in Ottawa, and those
who visit it, cannot easily get to our
main attractions.
I have complained to OC Transpo
(and received no response) but I urge
others to do the same. I am sending
this article to our Mayor and to our
Councillor as well and I also urge
others to send their complaints as
well. Many voices can make a difference.
Perhaps next year the kids and I,
the tourists, in fact all of us, can actually access the museums via public
transit. The museums and transit that
our tax dollars pay for!
installation of a memorial park bench
at Echo Drive/Riverdale at their cost.
They contacted the People Services
Department (Innovation, Development and Partnerships) at the City of
Ottawa in 2002 who were courteous
and helpful in assessing the feasibility, inspecting the site, determining the costs for the installation of
the concrete base, the bench and
the plaque and finally installing the
bench in September 2003.
The City of Ottawa subsequently
embellished the corner with concrete
resurfacing and a wastebasket.
The bench has since proven to
be a very popular spot for passersby: caregivers meeting early in the
morning before work, cyclists or
joggers taking a break, senior couples
or young lovers admiring the sunset view, and lately, residents following the progress of construction on
Lansdowne Park across the Canal.
Yours truly,
Brenda Lee
Thanks Patty
Dear Editor,
As Patty Deline prepares to leave
Old Ottawa South, we would like
to commend her for her sustained
efforts over recent months to launch
an initiative for older adults in the
community. She has already, through
a project she called 55+, had an
influence on programs at the Firehall
and it seems there is more to come.
Thanks, Patty, for your vision and
persistence in this, and much else
you’ve done for the community.
Gail Stewart and Tracy Morey
THE OSCAR
l
Page 7
NOVEMBER 2013
LOCAL NEWS
New View From Lansdowne
Old Ottawa South as seen from the new Lansdowne South Side Stands.
PHOTO BY TOM ALFÖLDI
Hopewell Students Run
for Cancer Research
Hopewell Students from grades one to eight participated in the school Terry Fox Run on October 15. By Kate Jaimet
It’s a good thing Hopewell Principal
Lynn Watson has a sweet tooth.
Because at a school assembly this
month (October), she promised to
retrieve a gummy bear from
a plate of whipped cream
with her bare teeth, if
Hopewell students
raised more than
$1000 for the
Terry Fox Foundation.
Reached on
October 15,
the day of
the school’s
Terry Fox Run,
Watson said
that while donations had not yet
been tallied, she
was confident that
Hopewell would
meet and exceed its
goal.
“The thousand dollars
was never really in doubt,”
she said.
During the month of October, each
student was asked to bring in a $2 donation -- dubbed a “toonie for Terry”
-- to benefit cancer research. To rally
the kids around the cause, the school
held an assembly where a video was
shown describing Terry Fox’s historic
143-day, 5,373-kilometer Marathon
of Hope. Teacher Marion Shynal told
the students about her chance encounter with Terry Fox on the north
shore of Lake Superior on August 28,
1980 --
Grade One student Sydney Grenier
two days before his cancer forced
him to stop running.
“It’s stunning scenery there: Lake
Superior, the trees, the pink rock of
the Canadian Shield. All of a sudden, we see Terry coming toward us.
He’s all alone. And he’s running in
that way he had -- a kind of step and
a hop. We pulled over. Truckers in
their big rigs pulled over. We clapped
as he went by. Huge lumps in our
throats.”
“I talked to the students about his
generous spirit,” she added. “He
wasn’t like a millionaire hockey
star. He was raising money
for cancer research. Not for
himself.”
On October 15, most
Hopewell students
from grades one to
eight spent 42 minutes
running or walking
around Brewer Park,
to symbolize the 42
kilometers Terry Fox
ran every day. Kindergarten students ran
around the school’s
grass yard.
Thousands of similar
runs are held every fall at
schools across the country and
around the world, said grade six
teacher Jim Borrens, who organized
the Hopewell event along with grade
1-2 teacher Lesley Kathnelson.
“It’s a great community schoolspirit builder and it’s raising money
for a really good cause,” he said.
Seeing the principal’s face covered
in whipped cream: one thousand dollars.
Finding a cure for cancer: priceless.
PHOTOS BY KATE JAIMET
Page 8
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
TRAFFIC SURVEY
The Old Ottawa South Traffic Survey: Where to from here?
By Winnie Pietrykowski
The Old Ottawa South Traffic Survey
was initiated in response to traffic management issues raised at the
Lansdowne Transportation Advisory Committee (LTAC), chaired by
Councillor David Chernushenko. The
Survey acts as a bridge between two
official city studies, one completed in
2012 West of Bank Street, the other
initiated in May 2013 East of Bank
encompassing Riverdale Avenue and
Area, including Sunnyside Avenue
East of Bank (results expected late
2013 or early 2014).
Recommendations from the OOS
Traffic Survey were endorsed by
OSCA September 17th and circulated to LTAC on September 26th.
On October 1st a representative from
OSCA met with City traffic specialists to begin more detailed talks. Not
all the recommendations are within
the mandate of the City, some fall
under the province’s Highway Traffic
Act, and others must meet existing
standards or warrants (official justification determined by volume and/or
location for example).
What the results from the Traffic
Survey allow OSCA to do is to speak
to the issues raised by individuals
who live and work in OOS. Over 626
people responded to the Survey, and
another 283 took the time to provide written comments. As a result
the recommendations are broad and
cover a variety of aspects of traffic in
our neighbourhood. Priorities must
be developed and in the case of the
Lansdowne Transportation Advisory
Committee, Survey results will contribute to the Committee’s recommendations as well as the Lansdowne
Transportation Monitoring Plan (currently in draft form).
For a full view of the Survey
results please go to www.oldottawasouth.ca
Please note that Question #12 was
disqualified.
Recommendation #1
Address Safety, Traffic Flow and
Calming Measures at all key intersections along Bank: Aylmer, Sunnyside,
Belmont, Cameron and Riverdale.
These include:
• Ensure crossing signal and pedestrian countdown are automatically activated when light turns
green and not dependent on push
button
• Accelerate pedestrian push button response time at Aylmer and
Belmont
• Allow for longer walk signal at
Cameron
• Provide ladder crosswalks at
•
Aylmer and Riverdale
Review existing “School Zone”
and “Playground Ahead” signage
at entrances to OOS expanding
their use and placement, emphasizing the high population of
children in the neighbourhood
• Install additional signage/warning before Bank Street Bridge for
South bound traffic to indicate
crosswalks ahead (Aylmer crosswalk is blind to South bound
traffic)
• Employ crossing guards at Belmont for school children morning
and afternoon
The following suggestion needs
further exploration:
• All intersections in OOS should
be 4- or 3-way stops. This
simple, repetitive measure might
improve driver behavioural patterns.
Recommendation #2
Particular attention needs to be
paid to Bank and Sunnyside. It
continues to be one of the most dangerous and congested intersections
in OOS. Comments to the Survey
suggest that this intersection requires
immediate attention and that some of
the proposals included in the Survey
required expansion. Proposals below
include suggestions from the Survey
and those made in the comments
section:
• Install a camera to identify red
light offenders
• Increase policing/enforcement (in
particular, police bike patrols)
• Extend working hours of crossing guards by 15-30 minutes
• Green left- and right-turn arrow signals need to be utilized
to regulate flow of traffic in
all directions, i.e. activate an
automatic vehicle right/left turn
signal after automatic pedestrian
crossing signal for N, S, E, and
W traffic (push buttons do not
appear to be very effective at the
Sunnyside and Bank intersection;
bulb-out causes traffic congestion
and invites risky driver behaviour, advanced turning signal
South bound is not enough)
• Adapt this same system of leftand right-turn arrow signals
(after pedestrian crossing signal)
to Aylmer and Bank intersection
to reduce negative impact of bypassing via Aylmer
Recommendation #3
Sunnyside Avenue (East of Bank)
has many challenges for pedestrians
and cyclists. Some of the measures
needed to improve safety and security are inexpensive and can easily be
integrated into ongoing traffic management programs. Others require
further deliberation. We recommend
that the following be addressed in
2013 – 2014:
Proposals include suggestions for
improving pedestrian safety at Riverdale and Sunnyside since both are
main collector routes to Bank. They
are as follows:
• Allow for a safe drop-off and
pick-up zone along Willard at
peak periods for program activities at Firehall and proposed
daycare facility, thereby discouraging “standing” on Sunnyside
(to date only one designated
5-minute parking space exists in
front of the Firehall for this type
of parking)
• Improve visibility at Willard,
Fairbairn and Bellwood by better
enforcement of existing bylaw
that prohibits parking within 9m
from corners at Sunnyside
• Improve visibility at Sunnyside
and Bellwood for North bound
traffic by increasing 9 m parking
prohibition to 18 m at SW corner
• Provide ladder crosswalks at
Sunnyside and Cameron on
Riverdale Avenue
• Install and increase “School
Zone” and “Playground Ahead”
signage the length of Riverdale
in both directions emphasizing
the high population of children in
the neighbourhood (see Recommendation #1)
• Green left- and right-turn arrow
signals (after pedestrian walk
signals) need to be utilized at
Riverdale and Sunnyside to better regulate flow of traffic West
and East bound
• Employ crossing guards at Sunnyside and Riverdale during the
school year in the morning and
afternoon
• Improve visibility of Stop signs
at Cameron on Riverdale; this
much-used intersection is dangerous (e.g., larger Stop signs,
flashing red lights)
The following are three suggestions that need more exploration:
• Add a ladder crosswalk with signage closer to the OOS Firehall
to reduce the volume of pedestrians crossing at Sunnyside and
Bank
• Residents living on Sunnyside
need more crossing options; it is
counter-intuitive to walk to Bank
or Riverdale to cross at the lights;
further exploration necessary
Continued on page 9
THE OSCAR
•
l
Page 9
NOVEMBER 2013
TRAFFIC SURVEY continued from pg 8
Explore options to improve
pedestrian safety on sloping sidewalk on the N side of Sunnyside;
this sidewalk is too narrow, too
close to vehicle traffic and in bad
weather, dangerous to use
Recommendation # 4
Initiate an OOS Traffic-Flow Study
to better understand the flow of traffic
at peak periods entering and exiting
OOS.
A recurring theme that surfaced at
the two public meetings prior to the
release of the Survey and comments
to Question 26 of the Survey itself
is that “traffic flow” is spilling into
neighbourhood residential streets
from arterial and collector routes,
and that some collector routes are
experiencing increased traffic because
the arterial routes are not functioning
as designated. A traffic-flow study
would help residents understand how
traffic is moving in and out of OOS
and what measures might be available
to control its impact on the community as a whole.
For example, a significant number
of respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with the limited number
of options for Aylmer and Bank,
the closest intersection in OOS to
Lansdowne. Aylmer is currently
experiencing an increased amount of
through-traffic to Bronson and calming measures are needed before Lansdowne opens. The Aylmer intersection at Bank also experiences heavy
pedestrian traffic by school children
and residents of all ages. It is situated
in front of the South Branch Public
Library and Southminster Church
out of which several community and
school programs operate.
Recommendation #5 –Safe Cycling
in OOS
Many of the written comments
spoke to the safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists at the Bank Street
Bridge and Billings Bridge. Over
80% of respondents want to pursue
further options to make Billings
Bridge more cyclist friendly, despite
numerous earlier studies. Over 85%
of OOS residents support improved
cycling signage and painted cycling
lanes and over 66% are willing to
give up some parking to ensure better
connectivity of designated cyclist
routes. With this kind of community
response, the following recommendations suggest immediate action:
• Initiate a planning process to
identify safe cycling routes in
OOS
•
•
•
•
Emphasize connections to Colonel By and Queen Elizabeth Way,
Riverside Pkwy and Main Street
Install larger “share the road”
signage at both bridges into OOS
Clearly identify with painted
cycle lanes the anticipated
traffic flow of cyclists to and
from bridges (as well as on the
bridges) since both are key entry
points into OOS, providing adequate advance warning (at least
one block both ways)
Extend the painted “sharrow”
(markings which indicates that
a bicyclist may use the full lane)
cycle lanes south from Billings
Bridge along Bank Street for one
block, emphasizing this signage
with brightly coloured boxes
Recommendation #6 – Parking
Over 87% of respondents anticipate
parking problems once Lansdowne is
completed.
Over 77% support creating an online application process for guest and
resident on-street parking.
• Invest in measures to minimize
parking issues, i.e. free or low-fee
transit to Lansdowne, build the 5th
Avenue-Clegg Street pedestrian/
cyclist bridge over the Canal,
•
provide shuttle service for main
events, improve bus service, etc.
Create an online application
process for guest and on-street
parking
Recommendation #7 -- Education,
Engineering and Enforcement
The City of Ottawa is committed
(in order of priority) to making walking, cycling, transit use and automobile travel safer and more secure
through education, engineering and
enforcement.
• Design and develop landscaped
entry points and decorative
planting initiatives that visually
indicate to drivers they are now
entering and passing through a
neighbourhood
• Initiate volunteer fundraising
among local businesses and residents for “greening” initiatives
• Celebrate more events that
promote pedestrian and cyclist
priorities
• Partner with the City, develop
strong relationships with local
police force and policing centres,
and create community-based educational programs in OOS that
promote pedestrian and cyclist
safety
Writeathon for Human Rights on Sunday, December 8
By Lori Pope
Last December, about forty people
in Old Ottawa South joined many
thousands of other letter writers in 80
countries in the biggest human rights
event in the world, Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights”. This
event is held on and around Human
Rights Day (December 10) every
year. In 2012 a total of nearly 2 million letters and messages in support
of those whose human rights have
been violated were sent, some to the
governments that have persecuted
or failed to protect their citizens and
others to the targets of persecution, to
express solidarity and support.
Again this year, Southminster
United Church will host a writeathon
event open to the public. It will take
place on Sunday, December 8, from
1:00 to 3:30 pm.
Last year’s writeathon invited
people to write on behalf of individual human rights defenders, Indigenous peoples at risk, communities
threatened with displacement, and
people sentenced to prison and, in
some cases, the death penalty after
unfair trials. Although it is too early
to know the specific cases we will be
writing about this year, there is sadly
no lack of people experiencing these
same kinds of human rights abuses.
This is not to say that the letters do
not have an impact. Amnesty International continues to follow the cases
featured in last year’s writeathon
and has reported on a number of the
cases, including that of Gao Zhisheng, one of China’s most respected
human rights lawyers, who has been
subjected to enforced disappearance, torture, illegal house arrest and
detention since 2006 as a result of
his human rights activities. Approximately a month after Human Right
Day, 2012, Gao Zhisheng’s brother
and father-in-law were able to visit
him in prison. This was the first visit
he had been allowed in nine months.
Gao Zhisheng’s wife, Geng He,
passed on the following message to
Amnesty:
“Following a Letter Writing Marathon organized by Amnesty International at the end of last year and
actions from the international community, the family of the Gao Zhisheng was granted a second prison visit
on 12 January of this year. It is a
small improvement, but it could not
be achieved without the international
community’s concerns and the effort
and support from the membership
of Amnesty International, for which
my family and I feel most grateful. I
hope Amnesty International will continue to promote this activity, allowing more people to come to know my
husband’s situation, until he gains his
freedom.”
At Southminster’s event this year
we will again provide case descriptions, writing materials, and refreshments to keep writers’ strength up.
We will also have a children’s corner
with writing materials and art materials so they can send pictures and
letters to support prisoners and others
at risk. Messages from recipients of
these messages show how heartened
they are by the contact from these
young writeathon participants.
Join us at Southminster United
Church on Sunday, December 8,
from 1:00 to 3:30 pm, to Write for
Rights.
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Page 10
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
A Fond Farewell to a Perfect Neighbour
Gwen Gall
By Stacie Bergwerff, Mats
and Jesper Lindeberg, and
Charlie
Just over a month ago, Old Ottawa
South lost a passionate advocate and
a tireless volunteer who deeply loved
our neighbourhood and strived to
keep making it better. Gwendolyn
Gall was known by many for her
contributions as an OSCA board
member, and as the web editor for
oldottawasouth.ca. In her final days,
she was proud to receive an OSCA
lifetime achievement award for her
work and dedication to our community.
Gwen deserves every accolade
for the countless hours she put into
neighbourhood projects, but I wanted
to recognize “Glendy” — as she was
known to my family — for her quiet
generosity as much as for her civic
engagement.
It has been more than 8 years since
PHOTO BY GREG REILLY
we first met Glendy and her partner
Greg Reilly. We had just purchased
our first house, one half of an old
brick semi-detached on Sunnyside,
and were eager to meet the people
who would be separated from us by
just a shared wall. Glendy and Greg
were immediately warm and welcoming, and remarkably un-phased
by the realization that the peace and
quiet of their home would soon be
regularly interrupted by the energy of
our two-year-old son Jesper and his
enthusiasm for ceaselessly stomping
up and down the stairs.
My husband Mats and I realized
early on that we had lucked out in
having people next door that were
easy to share space with, but we had
no idea they would show us the real
meaning of being a good neighbour
- the kind that people assume no
longer exists in our often isolating
modern world.
At first, we came to know Glendy
primarily as a trove of information
about our new community, filling
us in on the parks and the Firehall
and various shops and activities for
young children. As time passed, we
settled into an easy rhythm as neighbours. It was understood that if we
needed a sprig of basil or a cup of
flour or an egg, Glendy— as an accomplished cook — would be sure
to have one to lend. With her background as a library technician, and a
keen appreciation for literature and
travel, she was always happy to share
books on diverse subjects from her
home collection.
Glendy was the kind of neighbour
who got excited about the budding of
the shared tulips in the little patch of
green in front of the house; who offered to come and sit downstairs with
an ear for our sleeping child above so
we could sneak out for a bit of spontaneous adult time; and who reacted
with delight (instead of horror) at the
sight of a big delivery truck pulling
up out front with an old piano we had
an unexpected opportunity to secure
for a song.
As the years went on, we realized
Glendy had given us many annual rituals to look forward to. Each
Hallowe’en, she made a point of getting our son an extra-special piece of
loot, and he kicks off each October’s
trick-or-treat session with an excited
visit next door. In December, Glendy
would drop off something wrapped
to put under our tree for Christmas
morning. The gift always reflected
her commitment to local producers
— maple syrup from a nearby sugar
bush, for example, or an assortment of goodies from Red Apron.
But July was the month everyone in
our household most looked forward
to. That’s when Glendy would turn
seasonal strawberries into a batch
of home-made ice-cream. This past
summer, with her energy flagging,
she still made a point of gathering the
ingredients and hand-delivering the
delicious “Canada Day” treat.
More than holidays, it was the dayto-day banter across our front porches that solidified our connection. It
was during these chats that Glendy
would often persuade us to turn our
interest in the neighbourhood’s issues
into concrete action. With her husky
laugh and keen articulation of
the problems, she was impossible to resist. Her enthusiasm
was contagious. Over the years
we attended traffic meetings,
filled out online surveys, got
engaged in the infill debate
and took many photos for the
website that she helmed with
impressive diligence and expertise.
Glendy was opinionated and
engaged, but she was also tender and an animal-lover of the
first order. When we moved in,
we quickly noted the devotion
she and Greg had to Sally, their loyal
old black Lab. Jesper was so excited
to have a dog next door, and they
encouraged his curiosity and visits to
see Sally. Years after Sally died, we
became first-time dog-owners ourselves when we adopted a one-yearold Golden Retriever. It is no exaggeration to say that our neighbours
patiently, and without judgment,
taught us how to care for Charlie
and grew to love him as much as we
do. He has a second home next door
and has spent countless comfortable
hours in Glendy’s company, lolling
around on Sally’s old dog bed and
getting thoroughly spoiled. We joke
that we share custody of Charlie with
our neighbours, but there is more
than a grain of truth in it.
In the past year, the bond between
our families grew even stronger
because of something none of us
would have freely chosen. We knew
that Glendy had been diagnosed
with breast cancer just after her 42nd
birthday, many years before we met.
She was treated successfully, but the
cancer returned in her bones and liver
more than a decade later. I was diagnosed with breast cancer last February, just after my own 42nd birthday,
and Glendy was a comforting presence during a very frightening time.
She offered resources I might find
useful, but never pushed, and was
so convincing in her belief that I
will beat this disease with the strides
that have been made in research and
treatment since she was my age. We
compared notes on chemo and doctors sometimes — and a dark sense
of humour about many of cancer’s indignities — but it was just one topic
among many. Glendy showed me,
with her example, how it is possible
to live “with” cancer and remain
yourself to the core, never giving it
the power to crush your zest for the
interesting and pleasurable things the
world has to offer. She felt grateful
to spend her final days at the beautiful May Court hospice, just down
the street from our home, welcoming many visitors to see here there,
including our dog Charlie.
I miss my neighbour and our
frequent chats across the porches. I
have a recurring image of Glendy in
my minds-eye, purposefully striding down Sunnyside in her broadbrimmed hat, off to treat herself to a
cupcake from Life of Pie or visit the
library. Before she set off, she would
never fail to ask: “Can I drop off any
books for you? Or pick up something
for Jesper?” The neighbourhood is
less vibrant without the spark and humour that Glendy brought to everything she cared about. She taught us
the value of using your voice to make
things better, for the wider community and for those close by. She was
a huge character, and an exceptional
neighbour, and we will never forget
her.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 11
NOVEMBER 2013
MAIN STREET
Changing the Transportation Culture and Building Communities
PHOTO BY JOHN DANCE
By John Dance
City Council’s strong endorsement of
a “complete street” design for Main
Street should result in Old Ottawa
East’s core being safer, quieter, less
vibrating and actually pleasant to be
near, attributes that have been sought
for decades.
The complete street design will
provide wider sidewalks and cycling
lanes and will include other features
such as rebuilt Brantwood Gates, all
of which will transform the community. With the reconstruction of Main
Street, the intensification approved
within the community design plan
will be fostered.
In October’s OSCAR Centretown
resident Bill Dare raised the issue
of “considering the interdependence
of other communities as we plan to
change a transportation culture and
improve communities and neighborhood life,” as he questioned the
ease of emergency vehicles using
the “new” Main Street. Good points,
but leaving Main Street as it is sure
won’t contribute to changing the
city’s transportation culture or to
improving the Old Ottawa East community and its neighbourhoods.
As for Mr. Dare’s concern about
the passage of emergency vehicles
on the rebuilt Main Street, city staff
are comfortable with the changes.
When an ambulance must go by
drivers will pull into the new bike
lanes and the ambulance will be able
to get through. As I’m sure Mr. Dare
knows, there are many busy Ottawa
streets (like Bank Street north of
Gladstone) that have just two lanes
and emergency vehicles readily make
their necessary passage.
For decades, Old Ottawa East residents have coped with Main Street’s
sub-standard sidewalks, excessive
traffic exceeding the speed limit and
annoying – or worse – vibrations.
In the winter, helpless and hapless
pedestrians battled along sidewalks
about half the width of those on Bank
Street in Old Ottawa South, fighting through sheets of slush splashed
up by the four lanes of traffic and
trying not to slip into the rushing
traffic where the icy sidewalk sloped
precariously to the curb. Indeed, in
all seasons, Main Street has been a
barrier during rush hour, bridged by
relatively few crosswalks over its
two-kilometre length. As for cycling
on today’s Main Street, few try to do
so during rush hour and often cyclists
dangerously use the sidewalks, making pedestrians’ life that much worse.
During city council’s debate on
the proposed complete street design,
councillors were told that rebuilding Main Street was required so
that the deteriorated century-old
watermains could be replaced and
underground electrical service could
be installed for the new LRT system.
Consequently, the improvements for
pedestrians and cyclists will not incur
incremental costs for taxpayers.
The development and approval
of the new design is a result of the
efforts of many people, foremost
amongst them Old Ottawa East
residents, most of whom have long
loathed the current design and usage
of Main Street. Two open houses on
the options for renewal were held in
June. The open house at Saint Paul
University had about 200 attendees
and the open house at the Greenboro
community centre had about a tenth
as many and of these about half were
from Old Ottawa East. The “complete street” option was strongly
supported by Old Ottawa
East residents who attended although the few
suburban attendees were
generally opposed.
The contentious part
of the new design is the
lane reduction for the
800 metre portion south
of Immaculata High
School. As a result of the
lane reduction, during
both the morning and
afternoon rush hours
vehicles will be slowed
down and those not
wanting to spend three
to five minutes more on
their Main Street trip
will need to find alternative routes, ride share,
drive at a non-peak time,
take transit or move to
active transportation. As
for the other 20 hours of
working days and during
weekends, the reduction
of lanes will not adversely traffic flows aside
from sometimes slowing
them down.
The effect of the
limited lane reductions is
to lower capacity by an
estimated 300 vehicles
per hour but according to city staff,
this only has an impact at rush hour
because the rest of the time two lanes
with turning lanes readily accommodates traffic volumes. Interestingly,
the new $2.1 billion light rail transit
system will have a capacity of 48,000
people per hour and this huge capacity should help some of the relatively
few individuals who will be adversely affected by the redesigned Main
Street.
Capital Ward Councillor David
Chernushenko took a very active
role in promoting the complete street
option, convincing a large majority
of his colleagues that the option was
best for our community and the city
at large. Also, city staff were remarkably thorough in their development
and analysis of options. Mayor Jim
Watson and Transportation Committee Chair Keith Egli spoke forcefully
for the desirability of a complete
street on Main. The Old Ottawa
South and Glebe community associations expressed their support, as did a
variety of other organizations including Ecology Ottawa, Walk Ottawa
and Citizens for Safe Cycling.
Over an eight-month period about a
dozen community members, including several from Old Ottawa South,
participated in many meetings of the
city’s working group for Main Street
renewal. In addition, local businesses and others such as community
churches and Saint Paul University
participated.
Detailed design work is now underway with community input to refine
the designs, to ensure pedestrian and
cyclist safety, and to resolve sitespecific concerns that were identified
during the planning process to-date.
Residents with specific questions
should contact Josée Valée, the city’s
senior engineer for the project, at
[email protected].
Reconstruction of Main Street will
begin in 2015, a year later than previously proposed, and will continue
into 2016. Rehabilitation of the
McIlraith Bridge will be conducted
simultaneously. For more information please contact info@ottawaeast.
ca.
Page 12
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
MP’S REPORT
Evidence Contradicts Conservative Myths
By Paul Dewar
It’s time for the Conservative
government to put evidence
before partisan rhetoric and
stop blaming public servants
for its own mismanagement
and spending decisions. And
it’s time for Ottawa’s Conservative MPs stand up for their
constituents, and our local
economy, and call on Clement to end the boom-bust
cycle of hiring and firing in
Canada’s public service.
The rhetoric comes in the
form of Treasury Board Secretary Tony Clement’s false
claims that individual public
sector wages and benefits are
to blame for a rise in government costs. Mr. Clement
used false claims to demonize public servants in the
media, using the worst kind
of partisan rhetoric to justify
massive cuts to front-line
workers who are providing
valuable services to Canadians.
The lack of solid facts is
why I asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer to conduct
an independent review of
public service spending over
the past decade, most of
which was under the Conservative government.
According to the PBO’s
review, wages and benefits
have nothing to do with the
increase in public sector
spending, despite Mr. Clement’s claims. Instead, almost
all the increases are due to
two factors: increases to
wages that match inflation
and an increase in the total
number of public servants
over the past decade, almost
all of them made under the
Conservative government
that now turns around and
blames civil servants for their
own human resources decisions.
This isn’t about runaway
salaries. This is wedge
politics at its worst: a deeply
hypocritical whiplash management style, where they
initiate massive hiring,
and then later demonize
those same people in the
eyes of the public for their
own decisions. Then, they
push a political agenda,
cutting wages and benefits,
initiating massive layoffs
and limiting access to the
programs Canadians rely on.
This is a boom-bust cycle
of hiring and layoffs that is
entirely politically driven and
disrupts all sectors of Ottawa’s economy.
While the Conservatives
promised it wouldn’t be so
bad this time, the numbers
show a different story. John
Baird, the Minister responsible for the National Capital
Region, claimed the NCR
would lose only around
7,700 jobs from the Conservative cuts. Statistics Canada
has reported that the NCR
has lost a shocking 17,000
jobs so far.
Despite the promises that
only “back room” jobs would
be cut, layoffs to front line
staff are a reality and are
making services less accessible. Just try calling the
CRA for information on your
taxes, or Service Canada
about your pension.
We need respect for public
servants, their families and
our city. Let’s see all of Ottawa’s MPs, including the
Conservatives, stand up for
their constituents and call on
Tony Clement to apologize
for his undeserved attacks.
Let’s build the best, most
effective public service
providing evidence-based
and sustainable services to
Canadians.
MPP’S REPORT
The Government of Ontario Releases New Cycling Strategy
By Yasir Naqvi, MPP
Bicycles are an integral part of
Ontario’s sustainable transportation
system, and offer a great alternative
to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Every day, more people are embracing
greener choices by walking or taking
a bike to work or school. Recent
statistics estimates that 630,000
Ontarians ride their bicycle on a daily
basis and roughly 48 per cent of our
population rides their bike at least
once a week. An increased dependency on these methods can support
our transportation needs today, and
protect our environment for generations to come.
Yasir Naqvi, MPP
Ottawa Centre
Here to help you!
Community Office
109 Catherine Street
Ottawa ON K2P 0P4
T: 613-722-6414 | F: 613-722-6703
[email protected]
www.yasirnaqvimpp.ca
fb facebook.com/yasirnaqvimpp
tw @yasir_naqvi
It is for these reasons that I am
very excited that the Government of
Ontario has recently released a new
cycling strategy, #CycleON. This is
our 20-year vision to make cycling a
respected and valued mode of transportation across Ontario, and will
ensure that our province’s roads are
the safest in North America.
Among its key goals, #CycleON
supports cycling in Ontario by encouraging and promoting:
•
•
•
•
•
Healthy, active and prosperous
communities;
Improvements to cycling infrastructure;
Safer highways and streets;
Improved cycling awareness;
and Tourism opportunities.
The Ministry of Transportation
(MTO) is in the process of updating
its bikeways planning and design
guidelines. The goal is to maintain,
update and expand infrastructure for
cyclists across the province. They
will also add new information and illustrations on bike lanes, road markings and right-of-way in future copies
of the drivers handbooks.
In addition, MTO is leading a comprehensive review of existing and
planned cycling touring routes in the
province, and has consulted with key
cycling and tourism stakeholders on
the elements of a potential provincewide cycle touring network.
Another important component of
#CycleON includes a focus on longterm planning. Led by the Ontario
Traffic Council, MTO will continue
working in partnership with municipalities, engineering and planning
consultants, and tourism organizations to update Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18: Bicycle Facilities. This
document will serve as a primary
reference tool for engineers, planners
and designers throughout Ontario.
A draft of the cycling strategy was
posted online for public feedback
from November 30, 2012, until January 29, 2013. The final strategy contains input from the public and expert
advice from cycling stakeholders
such as Share the Road Cycling
Coalition, the Canadian Automobile
Association and the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario. It also
reflects the input and experience of
our cycling community in Ottawa
Centre. In particular, I want to thank
Councillor David Chernushenko,
Zlatko Krstulich of the City of Ottawa, and Hans Moor of Citizens
for Safe Cycling for their participation in the consultation process, as it
was integral to the development of
#CycleON.
We are lucky to live in a city that
benefits from an extensive network
of cycling routes. Thanks to the hard
work of local cycling advocates, Ottawa recently received recognition
as a top bicycle friendly community! It is our government’s goal to
build active, livable communities in
which our goods, services and jobs
are available within an easy bike
ride from home. #CycleON will add
significantly to those choices and I
look forward to continuing our work
together.
Our government knows the importance of supporting safe cycling and
encouraging sustainable transit as
part of our plan to reduce congestion and strengthen our community.
We are confident that the #CycleON
will do just that. At its core, this
strategy is both a bold vision with
ambitious goals and a path forward
to guide the development of policies, programs and legislation over
the next 20 years. We will continue
to move forward with this plan, and
will release our next steps to implement the strategy in Spring 2014. For
more information, please visit www.
ontario.ca/transportation.
Please do not hesitate to contact me
at my Community Office at ynaqvi.
[email protected] or 613-7226414 if you have any questions about
this initiative. I look forward to hearing from you.
THE OSCAR
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Page 13
NOVEMBER 2013
COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
Transportation Master Plan Moves in the Right Direction
By David Chernushenko,
City Councillor
On October 10, the City of Ottawa
publicly released its Transportation
Master Plan (TMP), Cycling Plan
and Pedestrian Plan. Like many
people, I hoped these documents —
and the mayor’s speech that opened
the day — would signal an important
change in strategic direction and
spending priorities. I was looking for
a substantial shift in favour of public
transit, walking and cycling, and a
significant move away from car-centric planning and spending.
To some degree, that’s what we
got, although the shift is subtle. Yes,
the City has made a major commitment to expanding the light rail
system faster and further, and cycling
and walking have been granted greater prominence. But actual spending
on traditional road projects will not
be significantly downgraded.
Still, I shouldn’t be overly critical,
as tempting as that is when I think of
how many roads are to be built and/
or expanded under the TMP.
The City now has a more ambitious
goal to increase non-car commuting
to 55% of trips in the morning peak,
instead of 50%. Not earth shattering,
but it’s a move in the right direction
— by which I mean less congestion,
pollution and noise, more people
choosing active transportation and,
with additional Complete Streets,
more vibrant and people-friendly
roads across the city.
Here’s an overview of other benefits for the city as a whole and for
Old Ottawa South.
The boldest element of the TMP is
its commitment to expanding Ottawa’s light rail network much earlier
than anticipated, and in three directions at once. As soon as trains are
rolling on the first phase of the Confederation Line in 2018, construction
would begin on Phase Two. By 2023,
Old Ottawa South residents should
be able to travel by rail as far east as
Place d’Orleans and as far west as
Bayshore, where a new grade separated bus transitway will take them
onward to March Road and Carling.
Heading south? You’ll be able
to ride a train more frequently and
further, with stops at Confederation,
Walkley, South Keys, Leitrim and
Bowesville.
“With better integration of walking and
cycling routes to many
train and bus stops,
it will be easier to get
there and easier to
park your bike...”
With better integration of walking
and cycling routes to many train and
bus stops, it will be easier to get there
and easier to park your bike or even
bring it with you. Want to visit Little
Italy or Chinatown? Ride to the train
at Carleton’s Campus station, bring
your bike on board, and roll off at the
new Gladstone station.
For residents of an inner neighbourhood like ours, the benefit of a
better citywide transit system is not
so much the access to trains as the
reduction (or lack of increase) in
through traffic, thanks to better transit options for residents south of here.
The controversial Alta Vista
Transportation Corridor (AVTC) is
no longer listed for new construction
activity between now and 2031. Although the corridor must be reserved
for future needs, there would be no
new “parkway” built here within the
timelines of this TMP. You might say
the AVTC has been “demoted”, while
rail to the south has been promoted,
which makes eminent fiscal, social
and environmental sense.
Then there’s the proposal to twin
parts of the Airport Parkway, ostensibly to improve airport access on
a frequently clogged road. I’ll be
Although it’s not slated for construcwatching this closely, as I oppose
tion until Phase Two (2020–2025),
any widening that will attract new
I will look for ways to advance the
car commuters to Bronson Avenue,
project by getting the detailed design
and onward down Sunnyside. It’s
completed as soon as possible. This
critical that any such twinning be for
would make it eligible for any special
the purpose of creating a dedicated
infrastructure funding that becomes
bus lane — possibly also for high
available, or make it possible to swap
occupancy vehicles. To simply add
for other projects that are delayed or
another conventional car lane would
promptly undo any modal shift gains unwanted elsewhere.
There’s a lot to absorb in all these
that all the money spent on trains,
plans, with various ways to access
buses, bikes and sidewalks was
the information and provide commeant to encourage.
ments. You can start with ottawa.ca/
In recognition of the deteriorating
liveableottawa. I also welcome your
state of sidewalks and the growing
direct feedback.
need for a higher standard of pedesCouncillor David Chernushenko,
trian connections, the TMP includes
613-580-2487,
David.Chernushensignificant investment in sidewalks
[email protected], www.capitalward.ca
and multi-use pathways. What’s
more, walking and cycling infrastructure are slated to become
separate categories with equal stature to other modes for planning
and budgeting purposes.
There are more and better
cycling routes planned for Old
Ottawa South and the Glebe, and
the Rideau River Western Pathway
Brokerage
is slated for completion in Phase
New Listing: Centretown Single
One of the plans (2014–2019).
3 Bed 1.5 Bath Open Concept
This continuous multi-use path on
“our” side of the river, from BillGlebe Comm / Res Property
ings Bridge all the way to the Lees
Traditional Main Street Zoning
LRT station, means great connec3 Story + Basement ~8000 sq-ft
tions to the university, Sandy Hill,
Dan Moloughney, B.Eng.
Vanier and beyond, and anywhere
Broker of Record
the train-bus network goes.
613.233.2323
www.
The much-discussed pedestrian/
cycling bridge over the Rideau
OttawaUrbanRealty
Canal between Fifth and Clegg
.com
is now firmly anchored in the
TMP for the first time.
Sunnyside Avenue Traffic Calming and
Green Street Treatments
In 2012, the City along with residents in Old
Ottawa South completed a traffic calming
plan that included a series of intersection and
midblock narrowings, signage, pavement
marking and on-street parking adjustments along
Sunnyside Avenue from Bronson to Bank St.
See the OSCA web page at
www.oldottawasouth.ca for a link to the
City’s Open House boards.
The second open house will be in
December.
Funding has been approved for this project and
the City intends to implement these measures
in 2014. In addition, the City will pilot a
Green Street concept by installing bioretention
measures within some of the traffic narrowings
instead of hard surface treatments. As these
measures will slightly modify the original plan
from 2012, the City will be seeking input from
the local community.
For more information, please contact:
Kyle Carson, Coordinator
Planning and Infrastructure Portfolio
City of Ottawa
613-580-2424, ext. 16874
E-mail: [email protected]
D
L
SO
Page 14
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
MUSIC
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Performance of Handel’s Messiah
By Kathy Dobbin
On Friday and Saturday, November
22 and 23, St. Matthew’s Anglican
Church in the Glebe, will present
Handel’s Messiah, commemorating
the twentieth anniversary of its first
performance.
Arguably the world’s most performed oratorio, St. Matthew’s
production of Handel’s Messiah was
first performed at St. Matthew’s on
Sunday, November 21, 1993, by the
Choir of Men and Boys and the Choir
of Women and Girls under the direction of then Choir Master Andrew
Teague. Those same choirs, under
the direction of Kirkland Adsett, St.
Matthew’s current Director of Music,
will be joined by guest soloists and
a professional orchestra to celebrate
the coming of the Advent Season and
which kicks off the Christmas season
for many members of its audience.
The Messiah was composed in
1741 by George Frederic Handel
and first performed in Dublin on 13
April 1742. It is in an intimate church
setting and by candlelight that St.
Matthew’s Choir presents its annual
production. This performance varies
somewhat from Handel’s original,
however, as children form a large
part of the St. Matthew’s Combined
Choir. Given the complexity of the
If Music be the Food of Love...
By Hanns F. Skoutajan
“And he plays the piano good,
like a real piano player should:
Horowitz, hear, hear!”
(Allan Sherman)
It wasn’t Vladimir Horowitz, who
“tickled the ivories” at Southminster United Church on Wednesday
September 25th, but Mauro Bartoli,
a young Italian born pianist. He
played on the beautiful Heintzman
9-foot concert grand, built in 1904,
which for many years was the stage
grand at the venerable Massey Hall
in downtown Toronto. Indeed, years
ago Horowitz himself had played this
very instrument.
Roland Graham, organist and
choirmaster of Southminster United
Church in Old Ottawa South, and if I
dare say, “impresario,” has initiated
and directed Doors Open for Music
at Southminster, a Wednesday noonhour series begun earlier this year.
This fall it will comprise 11 concerts
that are affordable to all; concerts are
free, though a freewill offering at the
door is always appreciated.
music to be learned, it is a challenge
well met by such young and talented
choristers.
“I am grateful for the commitment and dedication of the almost 75
members of our Choirs in presenting
such a high-calibre performance,”
said St. Matthew’s Music Director,
Kirkland Adsett. “Given the amount
of music that must be prepared every
week for the full schedule of services
at St. Matthew’s, and this added to
the repertoire, the choristers are to be
commended for all their conscientious work. Along with the professional orchestra, it is a joy to conduct
this wonderful work with such fine
musicians.”
The soloists for the performance
are: Jennifer Taverner – soprano,
Andrew Robar – counter tenor, JeanPhilippe Fortier Lazure – tenor, Gary
Dahl – bass. Tickets are available for purchase
online at http://stmatthewsottawa.ca/,
at the church office at 417 First Avenue, as well as from Compac Music
in the Glebe, The Leading Note on
Elgin St. and CD Warehouse. Ticket
prices range from $15 for Students to
reserved seating at $40, For full information on pricing and to purchase
tickets, visit St. Matthew’s website at
www.stmatthewsottawa.ca
Bartoli, who has a long list of accomplishments, is presently Artistin-Residence at Carleton University.
He, at an early age, has acquired an
international reputation that spans his
homeland, Latin America, the United
States and Canada.
His presentation on Wednesday
in my estimation rivals any piano
concert that I have attended. It was a
wide-ranging repertoire from Johannes Brahms, the Intermezzo from
Op. 118, concluding with George
Gershwin’s inimitable Rhapsody in
Blue. Schumann and Liszt were also
part of his outstanding performance.
But what brought me to my feet
with loud “WOWS” and “BRAVOS”
was his rendition of the Allegro da
Concerto by Enrique Granados. I
hurried to acquire his disc containing
that performance after the show.
Speaking to Graham after the concert, which by the way brought 150
people to Southminster’s hard pews,
I marveled at the rich resources of
musical talent that is found in Ottawa
and indeed all over Canada. We are
so much more than “hewers of wood
and haulers of water”, or the modern
equivalent thereof. Roland’s concerts
showcase much talent, giving young
artists an opportunity to be genuinely
supported and appreciated.
Granted, these are short concerts,
more than hors d’oeuvres, but a little
less filling than a main course, but
enough to introduce you to performers and music, some familiar and
others a pleasant and surprising introduction of “something entirely new.”
If Mauro Bartoli’s concert presages
what is to come then my outburst
of “WOWS” at last week’s concert
should be prolonged throughout the
season. All of this proves that Ottawa
isn’t an entirely boring government
town, but indeed is rich in culture.
Across the country and abroad as
well, churches have taken on the role
of concert hall. There is nothing new
in that. Even in the Middle Ages,
cathedrals hosted musical events granted most of them of a “sacred”
nature - but then that‘s what most
music was about. What better place
for that Food of Love than a house of
worship. Rejoice in this rich heritage!
Enjoy and support it!
Harvest Bounty at Southside
By Paige Raymond Kovach
Autumn harvest is in full swing at
Southside and the children are cooking.
The Nursery School children
donned their baking hats recently
to bake yummy apple crunch with
Sharon. Krystal and Cindy›s Nursery
School class made cinnamon tortillas with a delicious pumpkin dip.
The School Age Recreation Program children have put their dehydrator to good use, making dried apples
that “taste just like apple pie!”
The Junior Kinders made Spooky
Skeleton cookies for Halloween.
The Senior Kinders group started
their year in the sandbox making
cakes and ice cream, which inspired
them to come inside and make their
own raspberry sorbet.
All the teachers agree that cooking
encourages the value of cooperation
and collaborative creation, refines
small motor skills, and encourages
thinking about nutrition and our environment.
If you are looking for after school
care for your grade 1 to 3 child,
please contact the Southside Office.
There are still spaces available in the
School Age Recreation Program for
this school year, www.southsidepreschool.ca or 613-730-5819.
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
Page 15
MUSIC
The Master Piano Recital Series 2013/14
By Roland Graham,
Artistic Director
perform a selection of virtuoso works
by 19th-century romantic composers, including Chopin’s Second
Sonata, and Polonaise-Fantasy, one
The Ottawa music scene is about to
of Liszt’s Transcendental Études, and
see an exciting new addition. In early
Balakirev’s astoundingly virtuosic
November, a young and relatively
Islamey-Oriental Fantasy. Steven reunknown virtuoso from Montreal
cently won the Piano Category at the
named Steven Massicotte will kick
Concours Prix d’Europe, as well as
off a new five-part series of piano
took Third Prize at the International
recitals being offered this year at
Chopin Competition in Mariánské
Southminster United Church. The obLázně, Czech Republic, so this recital
jectives of the series are to introduce
promised to be a strong opener for
outstanding talent to the Ottawa pubthe new series.
lic, showcase the vast riches of the
The second performer is known to
piano repertory, and provide greater
many in Ottawa, having lived here
access to fine art in our community.
for six years upon her arrival in CanWhile Ottawa is already home to
ada in 1998. On Saturday December
an exceptional array of world-class
14th, pianist Maria Sourjko will
professional and community-based
play a Christmas-inspired program,
performers and ensembles, all of
including a magnificent solo piano
which make vital contributions to
version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker
the cultural fabric of our community,
Suite, along with works by J. S. Bach
the Master Piano Recital Series aims
and Sergei Rachmaninov, including
to fill a noticeable void. Outside the
the famous Vocalise. Families with
National Arts Centre, and excluding
Pianist Steve Massicotte.
children and anyone learning the
piano concertos programmed by the
piano will find the magical textures
able and accessible to all. With ticket
city’s orchestras, there aren’t many
of Tchaikovsky’s ballet music imme- prices well under $30 (half that for
opportunities to hear touring pianists,
students, and free for concert going
performing top shelf
aged children) the typical barriers to
piano repertoire, in
Concerts will be held on Saturday nights at
classical music do not apply. Audia format which is
7:30pm, on November 2nd, December 14th, Febences will fine each performer charboth affordable and
ruary 15th, April 5th, and May 24th. Tickets are
ismatic and engaging, their programs
accessible.
$25 for each concert ($10 for students), $60 for
well presented and richly satisfying,
Starting with the
any three concerts ($20 for students), or $100 for
debut concert on
all five concerts ($40 for students). Tickets are on
Saturday November
sale at the Ottawa Folklore Centre and the South2nd at 7:30pm, the
minster Church office. Email MasterPianoRecitalMaster Piano Recital
[email protected] for detailed information.
Series will present five outstanding young concert
diately appealing.
pianists at roughly six-week intervals
The third, fourth and final perover the course of the following
formers are respectively, Serhiy
seven months. The performers come
Salov (winner of the 2004 Montreal
from across Canada and beyond; all
International Piano Competition),
are highly accomplished performers,
Elizabeth Schumann (a formidably
with competitions, awards, artistic
talented young performer from Bosgrants, recordings, and other profeston, USA), and Samuel Deason (who
sional distinctions to their credit.
studies and teaches under Menahem
Each will perform a personally
Pressler at Indiana). More informaselected program for their Ottawa
tion about their profiles and programs
concert, highlighting different aspects
is available in our series brochure,
of the piano tradition. Audiences will
which can be found at retail outlets
experience a diverse array of comaround Old Ottawa South, and by
posers and styles, including many
writing to email address provided
famous and well-known works, along
below.
with seldom played and contempoConcerts in the Master Piano Rerary fare.
cital Series are designed to be affordSteven, the first performer, will
PHOTO BY BARTEK WYROBEK
and the lush sonority of Southminster’s historic 9’ Heintzman a genuine
pleasure to experience. Mark these
dates in your calendar, and prepare
yourself to be transported.
Page 16
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
FAITH COMMUNITY
Advent Happenings at Southminster United Church
By Roland Graham,
Director of Music,
Southminster United Church
As we approach the end of one
liturgical year and the beginning of
another, Southminster United Church
puts a mind to what has gone before and what is yet to come. Both
jubilant and sorrowful, the past is
filled with things that shape who
and what we are as a community, a
church, and individuals in the 21st
century. Mindful of our traditions and
histories, personal and communal,
we look for ways to take meaningful
steps forward toward an ever happier,
freer, and more balanced world.
Throughout the month of November, as part of a Stewardship Campaign, Southminster will reflect on
who we are as a congregation, where
we have come from, and what we can
offer as a community toward building
a happy tomorrow. While the campaign does have a financial target, it
is mostly an opportunity to look at
the act of giving in a general way.
As part of this campaign, we will be
pleased to host The Reverend Jan
Craig as our guest preacher on Sunday, November 17. Jan was a part of
Southminster’s ministerial team from
1986 to 1994 and is fondly remembered by our community. To con-
clude the campaign, on November 24
we will share a potluck meal as part
of Celebration Sunday. Members of
the community are warmly encouraged to join us for this meal.
One very poignant example of
the need to look back as we move
forward is found in Remembrance
Day, which this year will be honoured at Southminster on November
10. Remembering the soldiers who
made the ultimate sacrifice in the
Great Wars - as representative of the
loss and sadness that armed conflict
always brings - and thinking of the
men and women who work in peacekeeping today, we will grapple with
the question of what we can do to
bring to reality the peaceful and free
world for which they gave their lives.
An opportunity for remembrance
of another kind will be found in
World Aids Day, which this year
falls on December 1 and invites us
to reflect on the global pandemic of
AIDS. Southminster will mark the
date by hosting an interfaith community service themed Shalom,
meaning wholeness, health, peace
and justice, in support of the Stephen
Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers
to Grandmothers campaign. Guest
speaker Marjorie Kort will talk about
how AIDS ravaged the African continent in the 80s and 90s causing the
virtual loss of an entire generation,
and about the grandparents who now
raise their grandchildren in their own
children’s absence. Music will be
offered at the service by the Ottawa
Gay Men’s Chorus, Tone Cluster, and
Southminster’s own church choir.
World Aids Day happens to coincide this year with the first Sunday of
Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year. Advent is a time of looking
back and ahead: back to creation and
the theological conundrum of having been cast out of paradise, to the
prophecy-laden Hebrew texts which
hint at the Christian story to come,
and back to the ancient symbols and
rituals which traditionally accompany
our journey as Christians through
Advent; ahead to the arrival of the
Messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy,
and the restoration of humankind to
grace as part of the ongoing Christian
journey and struggle. Southminster’s
theme for Advent this year, Binding
up the Broken Hearted, will frame
age-old questions and themes in
the context of today’s diverse and
modern world. What can the ancient
stories teach us now, as we struggle
to find our way into the proverbial
Promised Land?
The Advent season will be marked
by many noteworthy events at Southminster including music, concerts,
An Invitation to Participate in Building a Kinder World
Rev. Meg Illman-White,
Minister, Southminster
United Church
Southminster United Church at Bank
St. and Aylmer Avenue in Old Ottawa South is hosting two upcoming
events that focus on bringing people
of various faiths together to keep
making a difference. Come and be a
part of the change!
World AIDS Day Service – Sunday, December 1, 3:00 – 4:00 pm at
Southminster United Church in the
sanctuary.
Many Canadians still grieve the
extreme loss of life, particularly of
gay men, in the 1980’s and 90‘s.
Their passion for change has made a
huge difference but HIV/AIDS still
affects vulnerable groups in Canada
and continues to plague other parts
of the world. The guest speaker at
this service will be Marjorie Kort,
regional liaison for Ottawa/Gatineau Grandmothers to Grandmothers
(please see following paragraph).
Music will be provided by Southminster United Church Choir, Tone
Cluster: quite a queer choir, and The
Ottawa Gay Men’s Chorus. All funds
raised will be donated to the Stephen
Lewis Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign. Please come out, enjoy
three great choirs, and donate to be a
part of the wave of real change.
On March 26, 2006 Temple Israel
and Southminster partnered to bring
Stephen Lewis to Southminster
NEW PATIENTS WELCOME
Dr Pierre Isabelle
Dr Mathieu Tremblay
GLEBE DENTAL CENTRE
FIFTH AVENUE COURT-EVENING APPOINTMENTS
OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY
For appointments call 613-234-6405
United to speak about the AIDS crisis
in Africa. Over $28,000 was raised
for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Much has happened to address the
spread of the disease since then but
the devastating effects of a lost generation of parents and workers have
left a number of countries without
a primary work force and without
parents for their children. Africa’s
grandmothers have stepped in to care
for their grandchildren (40-60% of
orphans live in grandmother-headed
households). After burying their own
adult children they take on the responsibility of caring for their grieving grandchildren, sometimes 10-15
to a home and often with little to no
support. In 2006 the Stephen Lewis
activities for children, preaching,
and communal celebration. The last
of Southminster’s fall noon-hour
concerts, Doors Open for Music at
Southminster, will be on Wednesday,
December 4 featuring the Southminster Church Choir in a presentation
of seasonal music and readings for
Advent. The choir will offer music
at services throughout the month of
December culminating in the Christmas Eve late service on December
24. More information can be found
online. Interested choral singers are
encouraged to contact the music
director through the church office.
Musically inclined children, all
kids ages 5 – 12 are warmly invited
to join the Southminster Children’s
Choir, under the direction of Mrs.
Merri Legris. Work on Christmas
music will begin on Sunday, November 3 in preparation for the choir’s
participation in the pageant service
on Sunday, December 15. Practices
will be at 12:00 noon on Sundays.
Please contact Becky Sasaki ([email protected]) if you are interested.
Southminster’s doors are always
open, and all are encouraged to join
us as we celebrate our past, present
and future, in the Old Ottawa South
community.
Foundation was able to connect
some of these courageous women
with Canadian grandmothers and the
Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign was started. They collaborate
with grassroots groups who support
grandmothers’ immediate needs
such as nutritious food, health care,
transportation, home visits, adequate
housing and bedding, school fees,
uniforms and supplies for orphans
– and longer-term needs such as
parenting and business skills, microcredit grants, bereavement counseling, HIV awareness training, counseling and testing and grandmother
Continued on page 17
THE OSCAR
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Page 17
NOVEMBER 2013
FAITH COMMUNITY
Notes from Trinity
By Sue Cherry
Frosty’s Fair at Trinity Kicks off
the Christmas Season in OOS
Mark Saturday, November 2nd,
on your calendar, and be sure to join
us at Frosty’s Fair, Trinity’s annual
Christmas Bazaar, 1230 Bank Street
at Cameron Avenue, between 9.30
and 2 p.m.
Meet your neighbours, do some
Christmas shopping, then relax and
enjoy a coffee/tea and muffin in the
Foyer ̶ or stay for lunch at Frosty’s
Café. While you’re shopping, the
kids can have fun colouring and
making a gingerbread house or other
crafts. This year, the Fish Pond returns for the small fry.
Buy that unique gift for someone at
the Knitting and Crafts Table; check
out the Attic Treasures and Jewellery Boutique for that special item;
choose what you would like at the
Great Gifts Table, and take part in the
excitement of bidding on something
in the extensive Silent Auction. Many
of the items have been generously
donated by local businesses.
Remember to pick up some delicious baking and jams at the Bake
Table; stock up on winter reading
at the Book Nook, or buy special
Christmas cards and tags.
A new feature this year will be
the Sewing Table, with bargains on
dressmaking, quilting and décor fab-
Continued from pg 16
support groups. Grandmothers to
Grandmothers have since raised over
$16.5 million to help assist African
grandmothers in the fight for life for
their grandchildren. Together with
the Stephen Lewis Foundation over
700 projects are creating support and
hope in 300 communities in the 15
African countries most seriously affected by HIV/AIDS.
Conversations Across Cultures –
Wednesday November 20, 7:00 pm
The Big Soul Project concert.
rics, plus patterns and notions.
At Frosty’s Café, enjoy one of the
tasty “Combos” for lunch – tickets
are $10.00 for adults & $5.00 for
children 4-12 yrs.
Concert Raises Funds for Out of
the Cold Suppers
They were dancing in the aisles at
Trinity Church when the Big Soul
at Southminster United Church in the
parlour
The future of this world depends
on people of all cultural perspectives
coming together to share and learn
from one another and to develop
lasting friendships and respect
that build bridges instead of
walls. This means seeing people
instead of stereotypes, and it
means working together for a
saner, kinder city where diversity is embraced. Friendships like
these are growing at Southminster United Church in partnership with the Ottawa Muslim
Association. The conversation
Area Worship Services
C
M
Y
Sunnyside Wesleyan
Church
58 Grosvenor Avenue
(at Sunnyside)
Sunday Worship Services at 10am
Children’s program
offered during worship
services.
Trinity Anglican
Church
1230 Bank St (at Cameron Ave)
Sundays: Holy Eucharist
at 8:00 and 10:00am
with Church School &
Choir.
St Margaret Mary’s Parish
7 Fairbairn (corner of Sunnyside)
Tuesday Evening at 7pm
Friday Daytime at 9:00am
Sunday Mornings at 9:30am
and 11:30am
Southminster United Church
15 Aylmer Avenue (at Bank &
the Canal)
Sunday Worship & Kids’
Church: 10:30 am
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
PHOTO BY BRENDA SMALL
Project Community Choir came to
sing. The concert on September 28th
raised more than $2,200 (so far),
most of which will go to support the
Out of the Cold Suppers held during
the winter months at Southminster
United Church.
The 100-plus member choir was
lead by director Roxanne Goodman,
and enthusiastically performed music
with roots in R&B, gospel, rock and
Motown. The audience was actively
encouraged to join in the singing,
clapping and dancing. A wonderful
evening!
Some monies will also be channeled into Trinity’s music program,
run by Director of Music, Victoria
Scott.
is open and all cultural groups are
warmly invited.
Street, across from the Sunnyside
Library. For more information please
phone 613-730-6874 or email suc@
rogers.com.
Southminster United Church is
GMSOHouseGROscarNov13.pdf
1
6/2/13
located at 15 Aylmer Ave at Bank
9:37 PM
Page 18
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
TRAVEL
France, Roundabouts and Remembrance
By Joe Scanlon
In August, my partner and I spent a
little more than a week in France. We
didn’t visit Paris or other well-known
cities like Lyon but spent most of our
time in a small holiday property near
Bordeaux and the rest of it driving
first (after crossing the channel from
England) from Dieppe along the
coast to Honfleur then south to the
Bordeaux area then across the south
of France to Lyon and then north to
Mons Belgium and finally back to
Calais for the ferry to England.
Because we started and finished in
London we had a car with right hand
drive – which to say the least makes
a huge difference.
For one thing it means the driver
is close to the shoulder and can’t
see ahead when he thinks he would
like to pass. For another it means the
passenger not the driver has to pay
the tolls – and there are lots of tolls to
pay in France.
When a lot of money was involved
there was usually an attendant who
would take paper money but some of
tolls were for smaller amounts and
my partner – the slots were on her
side – had to lean out of the window
trying to figure out where to put in
the coins.
It would be easier of course with
left hand drive as we have in Canada.
But that’s only part of the story for
driving in France.
French law now requires all motorists to carry a triangle – which can be
set up to show you are in distress –
reflective vests – which must be worn
when you break down – a first aid kit
and a fire extinguisher.
The law also seems to say that
you need a portable breathalyser for
everyone in the car. That it seems is
still a matter for debate. We consulted
some long-haul truck drivers and
they told us not to bother. But we did
buy a kit, which included the triangle,
reflective vests, first aid kit and fire
extinguisher.
French law also states that cars
with right hand drive must have
something pasted to their headlights
so when the lights are on they won’t
shine in the face of oncoming drivers. We chose not to drive at night to
avoid the problem.
We did however see lots of roundabouts. (At least that’s what the British call them. The French call them
détourné. When I was growing up
there was one by Pretoria Bridge and
we called it a “traffic circle.”)
They can be very useful. For one
thing if you take the wrong road you
can usually recover at the next détourné. For another if you aren’t sure
which exit to take you can simply
keep going around in circles while
you decide. We did that more than
once.
Back to the toll roads
When driving in France you have
what amounts to three options.
You can drive on narrow rural
roads, which take you from village to
village.
You can drive on major non-toll
roads, which still take you into many
communities. The speed limit goes
up and down between 30 and 110
kilometres per hour.
Or you can drive on the toll roads
which are excellent four lane highways usually well sign-posted and
easy to drive on (the speed limit
varies but it is often 130) – providing you can afford the tolls. On just
one stretch of road we paid 22 Euros,
which is more than $30 Canadian.
In a day we easily ran up as 50 to 60
Euros, roughly $75 to $80. That of
course was in addition to what we
paid for gas. It made for an expensive
day.
By the way there are lots of speed
signs and it appears speed limits are
enforced partly with speed cameras partly, with police checkpoints.
Although we covered a large part of
France in our travels we saw very,
very few speeders.
Since August is holiday time in
France, finding a hotel was not
always easy. In the bigger cities and
tourist locations – like Honfleur –
there were hotel chains like Ibis and
Mercury, clean, reasonably priced
and with a good selection at breakfast.
However it was hard to find a
decent looking inn along the smaller
highways and – as far as we could
tell – there were no signs indicating a
hotel was available.
In many European countries, it’s
assumed that breakfast comes with
the room. It may be only a continental breakfast – ham, cheese, tea, coffee, bread, juice – but it is clean and
plentiful. Not so in France. Breakfast
was available but you had to pay for
it.
Because we stayed in a place with
kitchen facilities, we didn’t eat out
that often and when we did we were
disappointed. I have travelled to
France often and I expect meals to
be excellent but expensive. We found
the food less than satisfactory though
the prices were reasonable.
I will confess that despite my reasonable French one evening I blew it.
I love snails (escargot) and was curious to see how they would be served
in the Champagne district. I was
tired and for some reason thought
grenouille were snails. It was the
second time I have eaten frogs’ legs.
They taste all right but they look like
broken golf tees.
The road signs were generally quite
good. They usually show one major
city and the distances to communities
closer by and – unlike England –
everything is in kilometres. But in the
cities – where there can be five, six
or more lanes of traffic – it was often
hard to keep track of all the signs. We
got turned around in Rheims – we
thought we were all right – and had
to get off at a junction and return on
the opposite side.
In Mons, Belgium, where my son
now lives, we ran into two new problems. The central square was closed
to traffic and there are many, many
one-way streets. However the police
– we stopped a police car to ask for
directions – were very friendly and
Hotel de Ville (town hall) had lots of
maps.
What really strikes you driving
in France however is the continual
sense of history – especially military
history.
Remembrance
I had been to Vimy Ridge on a
previous trip and we did not stop at
any WW1 military cemeteries but
when we passed Falaise I remembered Bert Godin from Renfrew who
was with the Canadian Armoured
Corps in WW2, and won the Croix
de Guerre during the battle to seal the
Falaise Gap. And of course when our
ferry docked at Dieppe I remembered
Marcel Lambert who was captured in
the 1942 Dieppe raid.
Strangely, driving through French
villages I was reminded of Nova
Scotia, not for the scenery but for
the war memorials with long lists
of names of the dead even in tiny
settlements. I recalled seeing similar long lists of names in towns like
Springhill and Chester. I remembered
standing in the cold in Springhill on
Remembrance Day and hearing the
long list of those who gave their lives
in war after war including Korea and
Afghanistan.
In town after town I recalled my
father, because my father and my
Uncle Joe (after whom I am named)
were with the Canadian Corps from
1914 to 1918. I thought of both of
them (both survived) when we passed
towns like Armentieres as I had often
heard my father sing the song about
“Mademoiselle from Armentieres”.
There was one plaque however that
caught our attention. It’s on the wall
of City Hall in Mons and it reads
(I am going from memory) “The
Canadian Corps liberated Mons on
November 11, 1918, after 50 months
of German occupation.”
I know my father was in London
the day the war ended, but I wondered if my Uncle had been in Mons
that day, and whether he was part of
the unit ordered to assault the City,
just before the eleven o’clock Armistice. That assault, and liberation, led
to the final Canadian deaths in WW1.
Annual Remembrance Ceremony on Main Street
The Royal Canadian Legion
Strathcona Branch 595 and
the residents of Old Ottawa
East welcome all Ottawans
to join MP Paul Dewar,
MPP Yasir Naqvi, Councillor David Chernushenko,
Councillor Maria McRae and
other dignitaries, as well as
representatives from Ottawa’s
first-responders to our Annual
Remembrance Ceremony at
Brantwood Gates on Sunday
November 10, at 10:30am.
There will be an Honour
Guard Parade down Main
Street and laying of wreaths at
Brantwood Gates (Main Street
at Beckwith/Bower). Everyone is welcome.
Show your support for our
local veterans and our community. (The Street will be
pedestrianized and blocked
to vehicular traffic for the
duration. Park on side streets
please. Or better yet, walk,
bicycle or take Ottawa Transit
Bus #5.)
THE OSCAR
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Page 19
NOVEMBER 2013
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Page 20
THE OSCAR
The Company
of Adventurers
Raises $1500 for the
Ottawa Mission
By Paul Keen and Cynthia
Sugars
“Let me speak to the yet unknowing world how these things came
about,” declares Horatio, one of the
few survivors at the end of Shakespear’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
“So shall you hear of carnal, bloody,
and unnatural acts, of accidental
judgements, casual slaughters, of
deaths put on by cunning, and, in this
upshot, purposes mistook. All this
I can truly deliver.” In five evening
and afternoon performances this
September, the Company of Adventurers – a theatrical group composed
of girls between the ages 8 and 13
-- delivered all of this and more. An
Old Ottawa South backyard became
the site of Elsinore Castle, an outdoor
theatre complete with fog-shrouded
castle ramparts, a trap door opened
by grave diggers, a secret passageway, a hidden candle-lit boudoir,
haunting 16th-century music (played
on recorder and violin by three cast
members), and an elaborate stage
set designed to conjure up the grand
but treacherous world of Elsinore.
The Company of Adventuers has
produced one Shakespeare play each
year for the last two summers – Macbeth in 2011, followed by The Tempest in 2012. This year Hamlet was
on the menu – Shakespeare’s longest
and perhaps most complex play.
The time may well be out of joint,
as Hamlet himself says of his situation, but the real tragedy of the play
is that everyone’s efforts to put it
right backfire in disastrous ways.
From the opening scenes in which
the king’s ghost appears on the ramparts demanding that his son avenge
his “most foul, strange, and unnatural” murder, to the final moments
when Laertes’s plan to revenge the
death of his own father goes equally
awry, it is a play whose momentum is
defined by “purposes mistook.” Hamlet’s curse is that he has been asked
to put things right in a world that is
drenched in fraud, in which words
themselves become a kind of poison,
and in which virtually everyone is
acting. More than anything, Hamlet
is a play about the horror of being
placed in an impossible moral position. Hamlet’s dead father demands
that Hamlet revenge his murder,
placing his melancholic son in an
untenable position. Already upset by
his mother’s “o’erhasty marriage” to
his father’s brother, Hamlet (played
by Charlotte Maclean) is shaken by
the news that his uncle (now his father) is also his father’s murderer.
He promises the ghost that he will
“sweep to my revenge,” before famously finding one reason after another to delay. His dithering is cast
in stark relief by the fiery determination of Laertes (powerfully played by
Abbey Sugars-Keen), who is determined to avenge the murder of his
own father, Polonius, but Laertes’s
unswerving focus is equally unproductive; his anger is easily manipulated by the cunning king, Claudius
(played by Neve Sugars-Keen), but
in the end their plot backfires fatally
on both of them.
Performance highlights this year
are Charlotte MacLean who played
Hamlet’s melancholic and “antic
disposition” with brooding perfection. Hamlet is lured by the ghost
of his murdered father towards his
own disintegration. Neve SugarsKeen’s eerie performance as both
l
NOVEMBER 2013
PHOTOS BY GABRIEL LOWENBERG
the ghost and Claudius highlighted
the brotherly likeness between the
two men. Neve is deliciously wicked
as the “vile king” Claudius, while
Maija Merriam offers a heartbreaking
performance as Ophelia, the young
woman driven to madness by the
poison that has infected the kingdom.
“And will he not come
again. . . . No, no,
he is dead,”
she sings
mournfully after hearing that her father has been precipitately murdered
by Hamlet. As Ophelia inconsolably
hands sprigs of flowers to members
of the audience, she brings home the
truth of her line: “We know what we
are, but know not who we may be.”
Hamlet’s foil is Laertes, a man of
action, who has an
impulsiveness
that the
more
The ghost of Hamlet’s father on the ramparts
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THE OSCAR
l
Page 21
NOVEMBER 2013
meditative Hamlet lacks. On stage,
the two made a memorable and powerful pair, grappling inside the grave
of Ophelia and battling to the death
in the final duel. “My six-year-old
was weeping!” one member of the
audience told us after the show!
Not that the entire play is as dark
as all of this might suggest, however.
The murders, madness, and plotting
a cat emerging from the open grave
which startled Lizzie Thiele (who
played one of the grave diggers) into
momentary silence. During the dress
rehearsal, Gertrude’s cape, worn by
Margot Peluso-Pope, became entangled with the ivy on one of the
turrets, resulting in a hefty tussle. On
another occasion, the fearsome ghost
tripped over the dead Polonius’s foot!
Coalition, in 2012 for the Humane
Society, and this year for the Ottawa
Mission. We are proud to say that this
year we raised over $1500 for the Ottawa Mission! Thanks so much to our
generous audiences!
Best of all, many audience members brought their own children, who
sat mesmerized throughout the performance. They loved the story and
of psychological complexity, humour,
and melodrama, remain as powerful
today in a backyard in Ottawa as they
were in London four centuries ago.
This year’s cast included: Charlotte Maclean as Hamlet; Lucy Boyd
as Horatio; Neve Sugars-Keen as
Claudius and the Ghost; Margot
Peluso-Pope as Gertrude; Amanda
Schrader as Polonius; Abbey Sugars-
that dominate the world of Elsinore
were wonderfully off-set by the
gloriously self-important posturing
of Polonius (played to full dramatic
effect by Amanda Schrader), and by
the fumbling efforts of Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern (played by Rachel
Lowenberg and Geneviève Packer)
to keep one step ahead of Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
in matching school uniforms and
badminton rackets, were hilarious as
Hamlet’s so-called friends who have
been hired by the king to spy on him.
Their mischievous antics got lots
of laughs, as did Schrader’s stellar
performance as the conceited and
verbose Polonius. All three played
their roles with a rich sense of irony
that perfectly captured the comic
possibilities of their characters. And
Polonius’s death scene – with his feet
sticking out from under the “arras” –
was a moment not to be missed.
The successful performance was
months in the making. The cast practised twice a week all summer, from
June to September. Each rehearsal
began with an oath sworn upon the
skull of Yorick, incorporating the
password of the week (a line from the
play). There were several humourous moments along the way, such as
What began as a labour of love,
and as something of an experiment,
has become an ongoing summer
highlight. The Company of Adventurers has matured into a seasoned
troupe of actors completely at home
doing nearly full-length productions of Shakespearean drama. When
we first launched the Company of
Adventurers with a production of
Macbeth in the summer of 2011,
it was partly because we believed
that children were capable of being
inspired by both the dramatic nature
of the stories themselves and by the
power of Shakespeare’s language.
And we were right: the actors, then
aged 6-11, loved it. When we staged
The Tempest the following summer, the cast was a year older, the
set more elaborate, the production
more theatrically ambitious, and the
audiences even larger than the year
before. Audiences over the past three
years have been very responsive.
This year, friends, neighbours, family members, and people who had
heard of it by word of mouth filled
the 52-seat theatre each night. Each
year the girls have passed a hat after
performances for a charity chosen
by the cast members. The first year
we raised funds for the Humanitarian
the language, and more than anything
else, they recognized what people
have known for centuries: the power
of theatre. Having made the front
page of the Ottawa Citizen this year,
our crowds were larger than ever. For
the first time, all available standing
room filled up so completely that
people had to be turned away. Just as
importantly, we were proven right all
over again: the magic of theatre, and
of Shakespeare’s extraordinary mix
Keen as Laertes; Maija Merriam
as Ophelia; Rachel Lowenberg as
Rosencrantz; Geneviève Packer as
Guildenstern; Lizzie Thiele as Marcellus and Fortinbras; and Morgan
Sugars-Keen as the messenger and
Player Queen.
For more information about The
Company of Adventurers, contact
[email protected] or paul_keen@
carleton.ca.
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THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
Cardboard Challenge continued from pg 1
Participants and their masterpieces at the Cardboard Challenge.
but also, for the second year running,
right here in Old Ottawa South.
Last year, Maggie Fawcett and I
organized the first OOS Cardboard
Challenge, and it was a huge success. Forty-six people attended, and
produced, among many incredible
cardboard creations: a rocket-ship
costume, a giant play-house, whacka-mole, foosball, an oven (of my
family’s proud contributions), and a
fire-truck (to put out the cardboard
oven?). This year, OSCA again
generously provided the space and
snacks, and with the help of donations from community members, we
had supplies, glue guns, scissors,
• RELIGIOUSBUTFEARCHANGE?
•NOTRELIGIOUS,BUTSPIRITUAL?
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HOWCANONEBEAPERSONOFFAITH
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➤ PERSPECTIVES
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➤ MODERATED
DISCUSSIONS
CARLETONUNIVERSITY,KAILASHMITALTHEATRE
NOVEMBER10,20132:30—8PM
RefReshments, light suppeR (incl. kosheR/halal)
markers, tape, more delicious snacks,
and, of course, reams and reams of
cardboard. Starbucks provided coffee.
Once again, this year’s Cardboard
Challenge was a smash. People came
– 75 of them. Cardboard was hauled
onto the floor to be cut, shaped,
taped, painted. Designs were created,
debated, discarded, perfected. Faces,
big and small, scrunched in concentration over projects. Recycling bins
were raided for more cardboard.
The air hummed with creativity, and
smelled of hummus, coffee, and hot
glue. Hours flowed by, unnoticed.
The result? Another inert pile of
cardboard miraculously transformed.
A propeller jet-pack. A race track for
hot-wheels, complete with broccoli
trees. A biplane. A puppet theatre
with puppets made from popsicle
sticks and pipe-cleaners. On the more
practical end of things, a balloonpopping machine. Plus, tote bags!
And so much more.
Afterwards, as I walked home
May not be exactly as shown. New fashions arrive weekly. www.cochranephoto.com
com, but be warned: this is ridiculously heart-warming stuff, so even
the most stoic among us will need to
keep hankies handy.
To the surprise of precisely nobody
who’s watched it, the movie went
viral. It also inspired the creation of
the Global Cardboard Challenge, an
annual event where kids (and, judging by the OSCA event, parents!) are
challenged to create and build whatever their imaginations can come up
with out of humble cardboard. Amazingly, this year over 77,000 people
(!) took part in Cardboard Challenge
events in 43 countries (!!) – places
as exotic as Rwanda and Sri Lanka,
PHOTOS BY DAPHNE DUMBRILLE
slowly – slowly because my 4 year
old daughter Maeve insisted on
wearing her cardboard robot costume
all the way home, which featured
odd-sized cardboard-box robot shoes
that caused her to walk at an even
more leisurely pace than usual – I
reflected on what makes this event
such a runaway success, not only
here, but globally. I think the answer
is simple. We are people, and people
make things: pyramids, art, music,
really good sandwiches. That’s what
we were born to do, all of us, and really, it’s what we do best. But in this
world, where most of us have other
people build our buildings, play our
music, and make our sandwiches,
we lose sight of that sometimes. The
Cardboard Challenge is a chance
for kids and parents to get in touch
with that side of themselves: to get in
there with tools, hands, and brains,
and feel the magic of buildings something concrete out of nothing. See
you next year!
Get cozy...
For every winter coat
and jacket purchased in
November, we will donate
$5.00 to help support the
“Out-of-the-Cold” hot
suppers sponsored by our
neighbourhood churches.
You will feel warm all over.
program, entry, registration & contact information: www.osts50.org
SPONSORED BY THE OTTAWA SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY & SPIRITUALITY
Connecting People on the Path of Faith and Learning
Cozy: starting at $40. This Canada Goose is $400.
www.theclothessecret.com
Mon. - Wed.: 10 - 5:30 • Thurs. & Fri.: 10 - 7 • Sat.: 10 - 5 • Sun.: 12 - 4
613-730-9039 1136 Bank Street (1 1/2 blocks south of Sunnyside) Ottawa ON K1S 3X6
THE OSCAR
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Page 23
NOVEMBER 2013
SECOND THOUGHTS
Footprints of the Ox
By Richard Ostrofsky
Zen is “a special teaching beyond
language,” aimed at “seeing into the
nature of things” at an immediate
visceral level. Its stages are described
in a famous sequence of verses and
drawings, called Ten Steps in the
Taming of a Bull, aka The Ox Herding Pictures, readily available on the
Web in several versions. The Bull
is a universal symbol for the primal
energy that drives each one of us, and
its relation to our conscious, civilized selves has long been seen as a
problem. Should it be allowed to run
wild? In English we have an expression about “a bull in a china shop.”
Should it be dominated, repressed
and finally killed by the superior
intelligence and self-discipline of the
man? For a long time, the Western
world believed so, and the Spanish
bullfight makes a ritual display of
that slaughter. Should it be teased,
provoked and played with as the
ancient Cretan bull-leapers seem to
have done?
In Zen teachings, the desired
outcome is a taming and re-integration of that inner ‘bull,’ and the Ox
Herding Pictures show ten steps
through which this is accomplished.
In the first drawing, called “The
Search for the Bull,” a man feels that
something is missing in his life. He
wanders through the world, looking
for something, he knows not what.
But it is the second drawing called
“Discovering the Footprints,” that
grabs my attention. It just shows a
man carrying a sack and a whip and
following some tracks; and its verse
goes like this:
“Along the riverbank under the
trees, I discover footprints! Even
under the fragrant grass I see his
prints.
Deep in remote mountains they are
found.
These traces no more can be hidden
than one’s nose, looking heavenward.”
The man finds traces of what is
missing, but has not yet seen his Bull.
He does not yet know what he is
searching for; but at last he has a trail
to follow, and his quest has a focus
at this point. The remaining eight
pictures and drawings are beyond my
purpose here. It’s just those tracks
that interest me here. They make a
great metaphor for the ‘Unknown
Known’ – for the unruly, poorly
understood forces beneath the surface
of things, factors that we know are
there, but cannot bring together and
deal with.
The traces of this ‘Ox’ are everywhere, and they cannot be hidden. If
we overlook them, it is because we
have been trained from childhood to
ignore them, obey the will of others,
and go about prescribed routines. We
overlook them too because we cannot say clearly what they are traces
of. Even the Zen masters could only
point at them, but we today can be
somewhat more articulate. Taking the
Ox as a symbol of the unconscious,
we know at least what we are looking
for.
His ‘tracks’ are everywhere that
human institutions and conscious,
instrumental reason are not. We
can recognize them as irruptions of
what psychoanalysts called primary
process: reachings-out of the subconscious mind to get what it wants.
And therein lies the fundamental
human dilemma that Freud described
in Civilization and its Discontents:
Much of what the subconscious
wants is incompatible with orderly
social life. Through Zen or Psychoanalysis, or by whatever means, the
Ox needs to be tamed somehow –
hopefully, tamed without being killed
or crushed. The problem, then, is to
discover the Ox and then domesticate
him somehow: get to a point where
one can use his strength – ride the
beast, so to speak – without him running wild. The remaining drawings
show the steps in doing so. We need
to follow those tracks until we can
see the Ox, catch him, and begin to
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work with him.
To say again: His footprints are everywhere, in the meadow and on the
mountain. We can see them wherever
there is love or genuine desire or passion of any kind. We can see them in
sport and in the play of children. We
see them in crafts and art and music.
We see them in politics and war. We
see them in sex. Some people even
find them in commerce and money.
In general, we see “the footprints
of the Ox” in the state of ‘flow’ that
Csíkszentmihályi described – the
state of absorption in some optimally
challenging activity performed for
its own sake. “Repression is not the
way to virtue,” he once said. “When
people restrain themselves out of
fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen
discipline can life be enjoyed and still
kept within the bounds of reason.”
That is Zen in a nutshell.
In their attempts to tame the Bull,
human cultures channel subconscious
desire and will into numerous institutions, binding him with customs and
regulations to render him predictable,
and as safe as possible. This strategy
works up to a point. If you want sex,
there is the institution of marriage.
If you like to fight, you can enlist in
the military or take up a martial art.
We have wild music and dance. We
have law courts and arts and sports.
Almost any passion you can think
of has been channelled somehow
into recognized outlets – harnessed,
if posssible, to a socially useful
purpose. This is as it should be, and
human cultures have been wonderfully inventive of such channels. Yet
there are always feelings that have
not been contained – that leak from
the established channels that run wild
outside the fences and boundaries.
The pressures build up until a tipping point is reached. Then someone
takes a gun and starts killing people
until he himself is killed by the police. Or civilization breaks down in
some other way.
Small-scale and private outbreaks
of this kind seem to be increasingly
common today, perhaps because the
mass outbreaks of the last century are
just too dangerous and lethal now.
We can’t afford really big wars any
more, so we fight innumerable small
ones. Is that what is happening?
Following current events around
the world – in Syria, and in the Congress of the United States, as I am
writing this – I have the impression
of a global society that has become
ungovernable: alienated from itself,
gridlocked, devoting all its energies to repression, just to keep itself
lurching along. Yet the footprints of
another beast too huge and powerful
to pen are visible everywhere. If the
existing institutions cannot tame and
ride him, can’t come to terms with
him somehow, our world will be torn
apart.
Richard Ostrofsky’s Second Thoughts
bookstore was a hub of conversation
and contemplation in Old Ottawa
South for many years. He continues
to contribute to the OSCAR from
afar and would welcome feedback
or conversation about his articles
at [email protected]. Further
essays and ruminations can be
found at www.secthoughts.com.
Page 24
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Author Kevin Morris: The OSCAR Interview
novel swings back and forth between
Mexico, Ottawa, and the Gatineau,
these locations each have a story, as
you suggest. Both Berrin and Eileen
are never close enough to those they
love, such is our world it seems. Each
arrive at a “vision”, a good a name
as any, and their stories hang on their
visions. But can stories ever catch
the essence of a vision? You could
say that’s what “In Times Wanting” is
getting at.
By Phil Caron
An Interview by Phil Caron with
writer Kevin Morris on his novel In
Times Wanting. Phil is an artist and
federal public servant. Kevin draws
his inspiration from his international
development experiences, his work in
youth across Canada, and his roots in
the Gatineau.
Phil Caron (P.C.): There are many
different “stories” in your novel and
you use them in different ways – for
building personal identity, connecting
with the past etc. Can you elaborate
on this?
Kevin Morris (K.M.): My novel
opens with Berrin facing execution
in Mexico. He survived, but back
home he’s in a spin. He’s trying to
win Eileen back after their close
relationship in the ranchos. So, the
P.C. A recent book, The Idealist:
Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End
Poverty, tells how international development projects never really help
in the long run. I liked how CIASP
(the Conference on Interamerican
Student Projects) in your novel could
be both constructive and destructive
to the communities in Mexico that
Berrin and Eileen were trying to help.
How have your personal experiences
informed this?
K.M. I do draw on my time as a
university student and my CIASP
experience. I once was introducing
a CIDA officer to a project site near
Guadalajara. As we crossed a bridge
we saw one of our volunteers lying
on the bridge rail looking up at the
sky, or sleeping, I don’t remember. I
was worried the officer wouldn’t be
impressed. But he turned to me and
said, “At least you guys are at ground
level seeing what’s going on.” I don’t
know how you can still replace the
direct contact. What Eileen and Berrin discover is the closeness, to the
Nahua people, to each other, and to
themselves. But their reactions differ
greatly.
P.C. Yes, you hint at Berrin’s Post
Traumatic Syndrome, that it can
almost be applied to our world generally.
K.M. A comparable activity these
days to our community development
work would be “youth engagement.”
My novel is slightly pre-facebook,
but the virtual TV world already
trumped our physical world. I recall
returning to Ottawa after the first
summer in Mexico, I got the nickname, “Hands”. I had actually got
into the habit of touching a person I
was talking with. In my experience
with youth across Canada, sometimes
you see youth not able even to pick
up the phone to talk with you. PTS,
or Culture shock at another level.
P.C. Your descriptions are unusually vivid and filled with wonder and
affection. Some popular writers, like
Elmore Leonard, have rules against
using great detail for describing places and things. Why did you choose to
write this way?
K.M. I had no choice. Leonard’s
rules never entered my mind. But
descriptions are short, you need to
get their perceptions and reactions to
the world.
P.C. Then there’s the other rule, that
you never write dreams into a novel,
it kills the story.
Ottawa South Author Launches Winning Chapbook
By Ronnie R. Brown
pieces that combine the best elements
winner of the 2012 TREE Reading
of narrative and lyric poetry. Bragg’s
Series poetry chapbook competivoice is that of a mature writer:
tion,
launched
her
prize-winning
“You can only go back where.
collection, Winter Music, as part of
You can’t go back when.”
TREE’s bi-monthly program.
Established in 2011, this competifrom Winter Music by Mary Lee
tion invites writers from the Ottawa
Bragg (TREE Press, 2013)
area who attend the TREE reading
series to submit poetry manuscripts,
On October 22, long-time Old Ottawhich are then blind judged by a
wa South resident, Mary Lee Bragg,
prominent writer. TREE,
Ottawa’s longest running
SUE RAVEN
reading series, established in
PHYS IOTH ERAPY CLINIC
the spring of 1980, is held at
OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY
8 pm on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of each month at Club
Continuing to help you recover from
Saw on 67 Nicholas (admission
Pain, Weakness, Reduced Mobility
is free but a hat is passed).
Balance and Vestibular problems
No novice to writing, Bragg
Sports and Work Injuries
is
the author of the novel
Motor Vehicle Injuries
Shooting Angels (2004) and the
Full Physiotherapy Services with
poetry chapbook How Women
5 Physiotherapists
Work (2010) as well as having
- Massage Therapy (RMT)
had work published in liter- Acupuncture
ary magazines and antholo- Ergonomics
gies. OSCAR readers may also
- Home Visits
remember Bragg for her series of
Author Mary Lee Bragg.
profiles.
205-194 Main St., Ottawa K1S 1C2
Phone: 613-567-4808 Fax: 613-567-5261
Bragg’s literary expertise bePHOTO BY COLIN MORTON
www.sueravenphysio.com
comes immediately clear. Winter Music offers tight, polished
K.M. Dreams carry the story at the
mythical level. There’s a saying, Sufi
I think, “The world is a dream and all
who dwell in it are dreamers.” But
that doesn’t mean everything is an
illusion. We continue to freeze frame
myths into religions, then they freeze
up, then they freeze our spirit in turn.
Dreams are a useful tool to catch the
deeper currents of our lives - but I’ve
kept them at a minimum, they help to
show how Berrin is trying to ride his
imagination as best he can.
P.C. I was excited to recognize real
physical locations in Ottawa, like the
Byward Market – described sometimes with documentary-like veracity. That almost never happens when
I read Can Lit. I think you’ve done a
good thing here.
K.M. Yes, the national institutions
always get the spotlight. For me, having been a potter and working in the
Byward Market, it rates. An ArtistRun-Centre also makes an appearance, where the turmoil of imagination is at its finest. It was definitely
fun going there in the novel. On the
other hand, writing about how farms
are dying in the Gatineau was more
trying.
Kevin Morris will be reading from
his new novel In Times Wanting
on Nov. 9, 2:00-3:30 p.m. at the
Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa
Public Library.
someone who knows what she’s talking about and can offer a reader both
wisdom and wit.
It is said that good things come in
small packages and this is certainly
the case with Winter Music’s thirtysix pages. From the sombre poem
“The Chair,” which opens with the
lines: “A scar puckers like a navel/
on the boy’s arm./ Inside it,/ the
bullet that killed his mother,/ where
he clung to her neck” to the tonguein-cheek fun of “It’s Your Funeral,”
which relates the tale of “Jannie
and her brothers and sisters/” who
“Packed their father’s ashes in shotgun shells/ and fired them into the
wilderness/ west of Rocky Mountain
House” this book offers a reader the
real poetic deal.
It is no surprise that this collection was chosen as the competition
winner, since every poem, unfailingly, hits the bulls eye. You may not
be able to go back “when” (or even
“where”) but Bragg’s poetry can and
does.
Winter Music is available for $5.00
from [email protected]
THE OSCAR
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Page 25
NOVEMBER 2013
SIPS FROM THE POETRY CAFÉ
By Susan Atkinson
When I was in the middle of my
49th year (I would have been 48 at
the time – a very dear friend will correct me if I got that wrong!) I started
thinking about the big 5 - 0. Unlike
others who may shy away from the
somewhat daunting number, I was
already making lofty goals for how
I would celebrate. I was excited and
ready to embrace this milestone. I
knew I would want to bring on the
fanfare, the fuss and the muss, the
‘it’s all about me’ and, ‘look at me:
I’m half a century!’ I knew I’d want
to shout from the roof tops, “Happy
Birthday to me, I’m 50!” My ‘big’
goal was to run the Greek Marathon,
and in my usual overachieving way,
I wanted it to be the 10th marathon I
would run.
Strangely, as much as I looked
forward to completing this goal, and
planning a big “me” celebration, I
was feeling somewhat dissatisfied,
somewhat discontent. I found these
feelings strange because what I had
planned was a big goal with big
hoopla, and usually celebrations like
this are right up my alley and this one
would be no exception. Let’s just say
I had already planned my celebration with family and friends – dinner
at a Greek restaurant, saganaki and
ouzo. A big send off for my husband
and I, as we would be preparing to
leave for Athens. Thinking about
it now perhaps I’d even make little
model Parthenon from femo clay as
table centrepieces! It was a plan, a
big plan, a plan all planned out, but I
still wasn’t feeling what I had hoped
I would.
For awhile I couldn’t figure out
why this was not enough. Why didn’t
this seemingly over-reaching- loftyplan satisfy my soul – after all when I
told others my plan they would ‘gasp
in awe’. Wasn’t this what it was all
about? Look at me, look at what I’m
doing? And then it hit me. I woke up
one morning with the ah-ha moment
(this is what it’s all about) burning
in my brain, in my heart. I realized
why my goal wasn’t soul-reaching;
because while I was worrying, training, planning and trying to make it all
about that one particular event, that
one moment, I was missing out on
a whole bunch of living. Now don’t
get me wrong, I’m a very happy
person and the choices I’ve made
are certainly ones I have wanted, but
switching my thinking to embrace
the little things was liberating.
And this is where it all changed.
What if I stopped fixating on the
‘big goal’ and started thinking about
simply living each week of my 50th
year by doing the things I love. This
new thought brought about a very
subtle shift in the way I was seeing the world around me. The idea
took root and I began to buzz at the
thought that it would be fun to have
a little treat to look forward to at the
end of each week. The kind of treats I
was thinking about were simple pleasures, the kind that really resonated
with who I truly am, the soul-feeding
activities finding the child within, the
‘wouldn’t it be fun’ and ‘tingle with
delight at the thought of pleasures’.
I wasn’t just thinking about going
to the theatre or fine restaurants or
going away to a country inn, I was
also thinking about the soul-touching
pleasures that money can’t buy. The
first step was to make a list.
After I had finished writing my
original list, which I wrote in one
breath, in one sitting, and had prefaced ‘in no particular order’, I immediately thought of the “Cash For
Life” lottery, which gives the winner
X amount of dollars each week for
the rest of their life. It made me smile
thinking of how my husband always
says, “give me cash for life any day,
I don’t need to win the big one!” and
when I’d finished my list, I thought,
if I can live like this – if I can do this
– it would make my life richer and
certainly more rewarding than any
lottery.
As I perused my list of soul-full
things to do, I realized I’d included
little things I really enjoy that I just
don’t do anymore. There were activities that I had always wanted to try
and hadn’t. There were things on the
list that were straightforward simple
pleasures that I had perhaps done
before but not for awhile. There were
also crazy things that are just fun to
do.
The best way to picture what
I’m suggesting is to think of things
in your own life that perhaps you
haven’t done since you were a child.
Maybe it’s something you haven’t
done, and have always wanted to, or
perhaps it’s even something you had
no idea you even wanted to do. Guaranteed, as soon as you start thinking
about this and even talking about it,
you’ll stumble on ideas you never
knew you had!
Start with the simplest thought.
Ask yourself “what did I love to do
when I was 10?” Was it painting,
singing, dancing? Whatever it was,
whatever made your heart sing, pick
that to be your activity for week #1.
Now if you recall, I had come up
with this idea when I was 48, 48 ½ to
be exact (do you remember being a
kid and being so proud as the months
accumulated after your year and
you’d show off and say, “I’m not 8,
I’m 8 1/2 or 8 1/4 or 8 and ¾” - I’m
pretty sure we don’t do this at 48 but
I think I’m going to start to!) So here
I was. I had my list almost a year
before I needed it and just looking
what was in store for me made me
truly happy, warm and fuzzy and
light inside, and with these feelings
came my second ah-ha moment. Why
was I waiting until the following year
to live like this? Was I crazy? Here I
was doing what I was trying to avoid
all along. What I really needed to do
was live this way NOW! What I was
telling myself was every week should
include a little pleasure, something
out of the ordinary to look forward
to.
I do want to point out that I haven’t
thrown my ‘big goal’ out of the window. I’m still going to run the Greek
marathon, and it will be my 10th. I’ll
still have my Greek restaurant party
(I love Greek food!) but while I work
towards these moments I’m going
to be living more and more mindfully every week and every day. I’m
not going to be fixated about getting
enough sleep, eating the right food,
watching what I do – I’ll be doing
this naturally because I won’t be
obsessing and completely absorbed
in one moment. Instead of putting
all my energy and thoughts into one
event, one day I’ll be doing a little
something every week for my soul.
I’ll be looking forward to my “what
am I doing this week treat?”
My original list will be my “Soul
for Life” in my 50th year. I’ll have to
rejig some of the weeks to coincide
with weather and specific fixed dates.
After all, I don’t want to be skinny
dipping in January or salsa dancing
on my front lawn in November. I’ll
have to plan the workshops I want
to do based on dates that they are
offered, and likewise, any kind of
concert, festival and fair will be date
dependent.
Thinking about these treats to look
forward to at the end of the week has
brightened how I see my life. It truly
has become about the ‘little things’
especially as I’ve started seeing this
list as a kind of cash for life for the
soul with benefits that are absolutely
priceless!
Follow my blog, skinnydippingat50.wordpress.com to see how my
year pans out! And best wishes finding what makes it onto your list!
in autumn sun, scarlet-red leaves
turn themselves inside out shivering
as a new year breaks
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at
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50 Weeks for 50 Years
Page 26
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
TUNDRA REVIEW
Three Series and Three Movies
By Chris Whitehead
The sheer volume of watching I’ve
managed to plow through this past
month is absurd – the constant
stream of TV series that gets released
throughout September and October is
annoyingly ridiculous (not to mention obscenely expensive). I watched
a total of twelve complete series in
the last month as well as just over a
dozen films – hundreds of hours of
my life wasted and unrecoverable unless people rent those movies and TV
shows from Tundra (located at 435
Sunnyside Ave.). Get your popular
culture fix locally, not from those evil
inhuman corporate giants who have
wooed so many of you away. So, out
of the dozens of shows we acquired,
and the mere dozen I’ve managed
to watch so far, which are the most
interesting and worth watching, well,
read on.
Hannibal, season 1 – This is an
incredibly gripping, dark drama that
explores the relationship between the
iconic Hannibal Lector (introduced
to the world by Anthony Hopkins
in “Silence of the Lambs”) and FBI
agent Jack Crawford long before
anyone was aware of Lector’s cannibalistic tendencies. This is a brilliant
show. Intelligent, beautifully crafted
and shot, darkly atmospheric, and
with some absolutely first-rate acting
(Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is
perfect as Hannibal) and great script
writing, this is easily and by far my
favourite new show of the year. I
actually watched it through twice,
picking up on things the second time
through that I’d missed the first time.
Now, to be completely fair, this is
also a very disturbing show (both
thematically and visually): those of
you who disdain the grotesque and
the uncanny will more than likely
find this show unsettling. For anyone
who enjoys intelligent drama (albeit
with some over-the-top moments –
we are talking about an American
television series about serial killers
after all), this is a must see.
Bates Motel, season 1 – Another
prequel style series, this one explores the dysfunctional relationship between Norma and Norman
Bates – the characters at the heart
of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Set
in contemporary times, and following the mother and son as they settle
into a new town and try to make
a go of running a motel, the show
moves slowly but also builds steadily
upon itself. As we learn more about
each characters individual failings
and their interactive dysfunctions,
and more about the dark underbelly
of the town they’ve chosen as their
new home is revealed, pieces of a
complex multi-layered puzzle start
to present themselves. This is a show
that is occasionally uncomfortable
to watch (the mother-son relationship borders on incestuous), but the
acting is great, the story is carefully
constructed and always interesting,
and the bleak, washed out feel of the
filming creates a fascinating atmosphere and backdrop. This is another
one of those shows I plowed straight
through, got to the end in less than a
day, and immediately wanted more.
New Girl, season 2 – A sitcom. Yes,
I’m recommending a comedy series.
I know, it seems crazy; after all I’ve
stated again and again that I don’t
really like comedies. That remains
true, but just because I don’t really
like movies that are comedic doesn’t
mean I don’t like comedic TV series
(the light and fun Republic of Doyle
and Psych are two of my favourite
off-beat shows). My comedic tastes
skew more towards TV series with
their faster pacing and inherent, often
off-the-wall, zaniness. New Girl is
as oddly zany as any sitcom and
that’s part of what appeals to me – I
like the unexpected mixed with the
familiar (unlike in films, where I find
all the humour very predictable).
What makes the show worth watching: likeable characters, fast-paced
humour, outrageous situations and
an intelligence that is often lacking
in sitcoms (Big Bang Theory being
another exception, but most sitcoms
are, well, kind of stupid). Most
importantly, however,
this is just a fun show
to watch, so if you
haven’t tried it yet I
suggest you do, soon.
After Earth – Last
month I reviewed
the absolutely awful
Hammer of the Gods
and warned any and
all to stay away from
it. I am amazed to
say that After Earth
is actually worse. The
first 10 minutes are
unutterably painful to watch – the
dialogue is so stilted and awkward it
feels like it was written by a dimwitted teenager, the special effects
are awful (and the set design, while
artistic, makes no sense at all), and
they broadcast how idiotic the rest
of the movie is going to be to such a
degree I almost turned the film off.
I should have. I actually said, out
loud, while watching the film alone,
“Wow, this is awful” at least a dozen
times over the course of the film.
Careers should be ended because I
was subjected to such drivel. I have
a huge tolerance for mediocre sci-fi
simply because they don’t make a lot
of it – unlike tedious dramas and silly
comedies of which there seems to be
an endless stream. This film outran
that tolerance so quickly I actually
wanted to send the film back to my
distributor with a note saying, “we
try not to carry crappy movies at my
store” (I said TRY, I don’t always
succeed). Avoid this travesty of a film
and you’ll be better off.
The East – A quiet, contemplative
dramatic-thriller, The East borders on
being an art house film, but is actually an interesting movie (whereas
most art-house films are self-indulgent and pretentious and therefore
tedious as far as I’m concerned). Following a private security operative
that infiltrates a group of radicals, the
film explores the process by which
her preconceptions are challenged
and she comes to balance two competing sets of beliefs, both of which
have both good and bad aspects.
While not the subtlest of films, the
script does walk an interesting line
between condemning and supporting the actions of its anti-corporate
protagonists (I actually agreed with
their logic at points, even though
their life-style seemed annoyingly
sanctimonious). Although this is a
film with a message, the writer and
director are careful not to hammer
that message too heavily and seem
more interested in sparking thought
than indoctrinating watchers (itself a
radical belief in this age of internetinspired idiocy). What I liked most,
perhaps, is that the movie is very
aware of the absurdity and arrogance
of both the corporate and the radical
positions.
Frozen Ground – I know that I,
like so many others, have in the past
taken aim at the low-hanging fruit
that is Nicolas Cage’s acting. Here,
however, is a film, where both Cage
and co-star John Cusack manage to
turn in excellent performances and
are given a surprisingly interesting
script to work with. Generally basedon-actual-event crime films are, well,
somewhat sordid affairs. Frozen
Ground is an exception: it follows
an investigation in Alaska that tracks
a serial killer whose activities come
to light when one of his intended
victims manages to escape. This is
a cat-and-mouse style film that is
engrossing and generally well-made.
If you enjoy good crime-thrillers, and
just want to be kept entertained for an
evening, this film is worth the time it
takes to watch.
As always, these films and television series are all available for rent
at Tundra (located at 435 Sunnyside
Ave, and open from 2pm to 11pm
daily) as either single-item rentals, or
part of our unlimited movie-watching
memberships, so rent local and support small business.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 27
NOVEMBER 2013
ABBOTSFORD AT THE GLEBE CENTRE
Getting Ready for the Abbotsford Bazaar
By Julie Ireton
Some of the donations coming in
to Abbotsford House for its famous
annual fundraiser put the bizarre in
Bazaar.
“We come across some really
funny stuff sometimes. For instance,
one of the volunteers found a set of
false teeth in a suitcase,” said Pam
Mackenzie, Abbotsford member and
bazaar volunteer.
Mackenzie and eight other women
have been coming together every
Wednesday to organize a big flea
market inside Abbotsford’s 38th Annual Bazaar on Saturday November
30th. But take note: there will be no
false teeth for sale!
In fact, Mackenzie is in charge of
the table of what she calls, “upscale
fleas”. This niche has been so successful, that Mackenzie commandeered a couple of shelves near the
Abbotsford’s entrance and she now
sells some of the upscale finds all
year long.
“We have all kinds of stuff on the
shelves: candle stick holders, different china, crystal vases. We get
different, unique things: small Inuit
carvings, picture frames, blown glass
birds, a piggy bank came in the other
day,” said Mackenzie.
She says as people in the community downsize, the Bazaar and the
upscale flea shelf benefit from the
boxes that arrive at Abbotsford at The
Glebe Centre.
All these treasures are sold for “no
more than 10 to 15 dollars,” said
Mackenzie. And she notes the money
all goes back to the seniors’ centre.
“Last year, between the fabric sale
and upscale flea shelves we added
$1,500 to sales.”
Fabric is an item that’s often donated to Abbotsford. In fact, there is
often more wool, knitting and sewing
needles, patterns and material than
can be sold at the annual Bazaar. So
a group of women from Abbotsford
set up a table at the Original Fabric
Flea Market on October 19th at the
Glebe Community Centre. This was
a fundraising project for Cambridge
Public School. Also at this year’s Bazaar, there
will be a new feature room.
Elegant Treasures will fill the
house’s dining room.
“We have quite a large selection
of items,” said Dorritt Crosby, Abbotsford Bazaar volunteer. “There’s
a ‘what-not’ shelf, there are always
good dishes, curio things, collectables, and whimsical things.”
And this year Abbotsford received
a very special donation. The family
of Grace Foley donated her handmade teddy bear collection. Grace
was an Abbotsford volunteer/instructor who passed away. She was a well-
A vase by local artist Clark Guettel
known, well-loved member who was
an award winning teddy bear maker.
The hand-crafted teddies in Grace’s
own collection will be on sale in the
Elegant Treasures room.
“There’s a smaller silent auction
room for things donated by the merchants. We get some amazing donations from merchants in the Glebe
PHOTO BY GEOFFREY RIDER
and Old Ottawa South. They are so
generous and unflinchingly give us
beautiful items,” said Crosby.
Abbotsford at the Glebe Centre’s
38th Annual Bazaar is open between
10 am and 2:30 pm on Saturday November 30th.
The Go-To Places for Landscape Design Inspiration
By Jay Ladell
When it comes to choosing landscape
design, knowing what you want and
putting that into words are two different things. Some of my clients can
visualize what they want but struggle
to express it and that is where photos
come in for inspiration.
The best place for design inspiration are photos. Discover what makes
you stop and stare.
Find landscapes surrounding photos of homes that are architecturally
similar to yours so it will give you
an idea of how that landscape will
look on your property. Photos give
you a feel of what you like and when
you put enough pictures together you
have a good idea of your preferences.
Now you have something to share
with family members and it will
springboard discussion.
The web instantly gives you images of inspirational landscapes. The
social network, Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) is a pinboard-style photosharing web site where you can
make image collections of landscape
designs. Houzz (www.houzz.com/
NeuroGym®
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• Stroke
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• Multiple Sclerosis
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www.neurogym.com
photos/landscape) is another social
web site with online scrapbook capabilities.
Go to www.HGTV.ca for helpful
articles and inspirational photos. Or
you check out their online TV shows
with jaw dropping transformations.
To help you refine your ideas and
prioritize, check out these web sites:
Better Homes and Gardens (www.
http://www.bhg.com/gardening) and
Canadian Gardening: (www.canadiangardening.com/how-to/gardeningresources)
Be sure to look at the annual landscape award winners on Landscape
Ontario’s web site: (www.landscapeontario.com)
Once you find a landscape you like,
you can start to identify your preferences. Do you prefer a traditional or
naturalistic garden? For shapes, is it
rectangles, circles or polygons that
make you feel good?
Whether you are looking for an
entertainment center, a private refuge
or adding curb appeal, check my
Ladell Landscape & Gardens web
site: (www.landscapeottawa.com)
which provides visuals of plant selection, building elements and ornamental features that are used to enhance
residential homes.
I also enjoy being unplugged and
physically holding magazines and
garden books. Here is a list of some
of my recommendations:
The Garden Source: Inspirational Design Ideas for Gardens and
Landscapes by Andrea Jones and
James van Sweden, 2012.
The Garden Book, published by
Phaidon is an illustrated A-Z guide to
500 garden designers.
The Essential Garden Book by
Terence Conran
Home Outside: Creating the
Landscape You Love by Julie Moir
Messervy
1,000 Designs for the Garden
and Where to Find Them by Ian and
Geraldine Rudge (available in paperback)
The publisher, Taunton, produces
a series of books about home ideas
such as: Stonescaping, Frontyard,
Backyard, Curb Appeal and Outdoor
Living.
Taunton also publishes a spring
edition magazine as does Better
Homes & Gardens. The spring editions are distributed to bookstores
and home and garden stores in late
winter and early spring.
Jay Ladell is an award-winning
landscape designer, industry certified-installer, member of Landscape
Ontario and owner of Ladell Landscaping & Gardens. Send your topic
ideas to oscar@landscapeottawa.
com or visit: www.landscapeottaw.
com
Page 28
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Movember for Men’s Health and Prostate Cancer
By Graham Beaton BHSc,
ND, Doctor of Naturopathic
Medicine
During the month of November, Canadians are likely to see the sprouting
of facial hair (both good and bad)
on the faces of many Canadian men.
This initiative, called Movember, is
undertaken to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s
mental health initiatives.
Prostate cancer is the second most
frequently diagnosed form of cancer
in Canadian men, accounting for
approximately a quarter of all cancer
diagnoses (an estimated 25,500 men
were diagnosed in 2011).
Prostate Gland and Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a walnut sized
muscular gland in the male reproductive system. It is located between the
bladder and the rectum and surrounds
a portion of the urethra, the tube that
carries urine from the bladder out of
the body. The function of the prostate
is to produce semen, the milky fluid
that transports sperm, and using its
muscular elements, to contract and
push semen and sperm through the
urethra and out of the body.
Prostate cancer is the abnormal and
uncontrolled growth of prostate gland
cells. This abnormal growth can be
slow in some men, while in others
it can be more aggressive. Known
risk factors for the development of
prostate cancer include age (e.g., risk
increases after the age of 50, with
most prostate cancer diagnosed in
men over the age of 65), family history, and race (e.g., those of African
and Caribbean descent are at highest
risk).
Prevention of Prostate Cancer
Due to the high prevalence of
prostate cancer, there has been a
great deal of research looking to
determine preventative measures that
may decrease one’s risk of developing prostate cancer. For example,
researchers have studied the link
between prostate cancer and obesity,
dietary intake of fat and meat, and
cooking practices.
Obesity has been postulated to be
a risk factor for prostate cancer. Specifically, obesity is associated with
an increased risk of developing more
aggressive forms of prostate cancer
and with poorer outcomes following
treatment(1, 2), as obesity is thought
to cause several alterations in gene
expression and hormone production,
which are believed to facilitate the
initiation, growth and progression of
cancer cells of the prostate.
Specific types of dietary meat are
another factor that has been extensively studied to determine their
influence on prostate cancer. While
there have been a number of studies
showing that the high consumption
of red meat increases a man’s risk
of prostate cancer(3), not all studies
have shown this association(4). Conflicting results have also been found
with fish consumption(5, 6), which
was previously postulated to reduce
risk of prostate cancer.
Most recently, the effect of different cooking practices of different
types of meat on developing prostate
cancer has been studied(7). These
studies have shown that men who
eat a lot of meat that is cooked at
high temperatures, and/or cooked
for a longer time are at an increased
risk for developing prostate cancer.
For instance, high consumption of
hamburger meat cooked at high temperatures and well done red meat are
associated with prostate cancer, while
pan fried poultry consumption is
marginally associated with increased
risk of prostate cancer.
The increased risk of prostate
cancer related to the amount, type of
meat consumed and cooking practices is likely related to several compounds found in meats that are converted into carcinogens when meat is
cooked at high temperatures for long
periods of time. These compounds
form on the surface of smoked or
grilled meat due to the decomposition
of fat and the formation of heterocy-
clic amines, from the interaction of
proteins and sugars in meat cooked at
high temperatures.
If you are a man over the age of 50,
or if you are at high risk of developing prostate cancer, talk to a health
professional about being tested for
prostate cancer. As a naturopathic
doctor, I work with patients to help
reduce their risk for the development
or recurrence of prostate cancer by
using up to date research to identify
and address diet and lifestyle factors
that influence cancer risk.
Graham Beaton is a Doctor of
Naturopathic Medicine in practice at
Ottawa Collaborative Care Centres
– 102 Lewis Street in Ottawa. If you
have questions about prostate health,
prostate cancer, men’s health or how
Naturopathic Medicine can help you,
please call 613-290-6115.
1. Ma et al., Lancet Oncol 2008;9:1039–
47.
2. Lughezzani, BMC Med. 2012;
25;10(1):109.
3. Michaud et al., Cancer Causes Control. 2001;12(6):557-67.
4. Alexander et al. Nutr J. 2010; 2;9:50.
5. Ma et al., J Hum Nutr Diet. 2009;
22(3):187-99
6. Szymanski et al., Am J Clin Nutr.
2010; 92(5):1223-33.
7. Joshi et al., Carcinogenesis. 2012
Nov;33(11):2108-18.
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Bhat Boy is an instructor at the Old
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and local resident. No longer satisfied with painting Nuns and Mounties, the unsung heroes of Canada,
Bhat Boy has moved on to historical
figures. There are more than 40 new
paintings featuring figures from
British and Canadian History.
November 15-30 at the Orange
Art Gallery 223 Armstrong Ave at
the Parkdale Market. Come meet
the artist at the Vernissage Friday
November 15 6-10pm.
For more information about Bhat
Boy go to www.bhatboy.com
Atwood vs Harper by Bhat Boy
THE OSCAR
l
Page 29
NOVEMBER 2013
COMPUTER TRICKS AND TIPS
What Are the Scammers Up To These Days?
By Malcolm and John
Harding, of Compu-Home
It’s a sad fact that how to protect
ourselves from bad stuff and bad
guys related to computer and Internet use, is the single most common
request and need of all of our column
subjects.
The “Microsoft” or “Windows”
telephone calls to inform you that
there are terrible problems with your
computer are still going strong. We
aren’t getting quite as many reports
as we did six months ago, but maybe
that means that people are getting
wise to these crooks, and are just
hanging up on them immediately, as
per our longstanding advice. Remember: Microsoft, Hewlett Packard,
Adobe and all of the rest of the big
tech names will NEVER call you
out of the blue, or send you an email
pertaining to your password, and
will NEVER ask you just to click
on a link in a message to correct a
problem. Hang up when they call, or
delete their emails immediately.
If you do happen to be fooled by
these guys you are in good company
because there are estimates that this
is a multi-million dollar business. If
you have gone ahead and given them
your credit card number you should
call the credit card company and see
if you can have the charge reversed.
Just as important is to scan your
computer carefully with at least two
anti-virus utilities, to ensure that they
haven’t deposited a piece of malware
on your computer that will continuously re-infect it.
We’re not exactly sure if this next
subject belongs in the category of
scam, but some of the free anti-virus
utility publishers are becoming more
and more assertive and sneaky about
suckering you into a free trial of their
paid version, instead of just staying
with the permanently-free one. AVG
is still our favourite free anti-virus,
but it is becoming a serious offender
in dragging you inadvertently into a
free trial that will eventually ask you
for a credit card charge, to become
permanent. It’s a real shame that an
otherwise reputable company, that
offers a superior product, is making
us start to question their ethics. The
trick here is always to be very careful
that you click in the boxes signifying
that you want to stick with the free
version, and un-check the boxes that
offer any sort of enhancement.
A strategy that is much more
clearly over the line into “scam”
is when the bad guys set up bogus
websites offering phone numbers
that appear to be the help desk of
legitimate businesses. We have
had people tell us they thought
they were calling, Hewlett Packard, Symantec, McAfee, AVG or,
of course Microsoft, and it turned
out that in fact they had called a
number on a fake website cleverly
disguised as the real thing. After a
few minutes of supposed sympathy
the worm turns and - you guessed it
- they need your credit card number
to set up a support plan that will
“only” cost several hundred dollars.
Whenever you intend to call a help
desk, we suggest that you try to find
the number in the documentation
that came with your product originally or, if that’s not possible, to go
to more than one website for that
company and look for consistencies,
including the same number listed
in various places, to make sure that
you’ve got the real thing.
We have discussed Remote Assistance in the past, but it bears
repeating. If someone on the phone
asks you to type commands on your
computer that will allow them to take
control from their end, you must be
VERY wary. Remote Assistance is
sometimes a very quick and efficient
way for a legitimate service person
to correct a problem without having
to visit your premises, but it also the
favourite tool to enable the scammers
to deposit malware onto your computer that will fulfil their threat that
your computer has problems. You
should only proceed with a Remote
Assistance session when the techni-
cian is someone you are absolutely
sure you can trust.
Unfortunately, we’re guessing that
this will not be the last time we have
to re-visit this topic.
Have a look at our blog, at www.
compuhomeottawa.wordpress.com
for an archive of our columns and
other tech-related articles. There is a
space right after each item for you to
make comments and suggestions, and
ask questions. You can even sign up
for automatic updates. We hope you
will have a look at our blog soon or
call us at 613-731-5954 to share your
opinions and suggest subjects for
future columns.
FILM REVIEW
Ottawa Hosts Animated Films from Around the World
By Tony Wohlfarth
Ottawa International Animation
Festival
On September 18-22, Ottawa
played host to filmmakers from
around the world for the 2013 edition
of the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Film goers were treated to a special
preview screening of “Cloudy with a
Chance of Meatballs 2”, the sequel to
the very successful film from 2009.
A total of 98 short films along with
nine feature-length films from 76
countries were entered in competition
at this year’s festival. The festival
also featured a number of workshops
and talks with filmmakers at Arts
Court and in other venues around the
By-Ward Market.
The five-day festival featured
competitions for best feature-length
and best short films, and an international jury awarding prizes in each
category. The award ceremony at St.
Brigid’s Church coincided with Nuit
Blanche activities in the capital. A list
of all the award winners can be found
at www.canadiananimationresources.
ca
Jerusalem
The City of Jerusalem is the sacred
birthplace for three of the world’s
great religions, and the setting for a
new film (directed by Daniel Ferguson), which had its Canadian premiere at the Canadian Museum of
Civilization in Gatineau on September 23.
Jerusalem is filmed in stunning
3-D Imax, making extensive use
of low-level aerial photography to
capture the vibrancy of life in Jerusalem. Narrated by acclaimed British
actor Benedict Cumberbatch, the film
takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes
tour of one of the world’s most iconic
cities. Three young girls (aged 15-18)
– all non-professionals – guide us to
the most sacred places of worship
for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
The filmmakers had unparalleled access to the Al Aqsa Mosque (during
Ramadan), the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre (at Easter) and The Wailing Wall (for a Bar Mitzvah celebration).
The theme of the 45-minute IMAX
production is one of tolerance and
mutual respect. The underlying message is one of hope and tolerance,
and as such Jerusalem is appropriate
for younger audiences.
Produced by National Geographic,
Jerusalem is currently screening at
the IMAX Theatre in Gatineau. The
running time is 45 minutes. A trailer
of the film and plans for its distribution can be seen at jerusalemthemovie.com
Tony Wohlfarth is an Ottawa-based
freelance film writer and critic. He
attended the OIAF and covered the
Canadian premiere of “Jerusalem”
on behalf of The OSCAR. He can be
reached at tonywohlfarth@gmail.
com
See The OSCAR online at www.oldottawasouth.ca
Page 30
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
TASTY TIDBITS FROM TRILLIUM BAKERY
My Parents’ Advice: The Pragmatic and the Screwball
By Jocelyn Leroy
Father was dynamic, explosive, at times brilliant. He
made us laugh and cry.
Mother was serene, tolerant, courageous and musical.
People said they were opposites. Their advice to me
and my brother was often
completely at odds. But, in
our innocence, both parents
were always right; both had
the courage of their convictions. Their advice – mostly
pragmatic – became a collection of metaphors for a
better life, better than the
one I’d presumably stumble
through without these pearls
of wisdom.
Let’s begin with father’s
“most important things to
never forget”:
• Keep your shoes polished
and your feet dry.
• Walk softly in the forest.
• Learn to read the sky, the
wind and a compass.
• Learn what you can survive on – the herbs and
mushrooms of the woodlands.
• Wring out the sphagnum
moss for pure water.
• If lost without a compass,
stay still and get your bearings. Blow your whistle.
• Never lose your whistle.
• Know how to start a fire.
• Know how to put out a fire.
• Never borrow nor lend
money. Instead, give your
time and share your knowl-
edge. And lend a hand.
“Give them a job. Show
them how to fish.” (My father went to great lengths to
help people: he was the main
force in saving a large farm
and four workhorses from
collapse. Being very good
with money, dad helped his
friend to recover. He found
the farmer’s wife an excellent
job. Ultimately, the couple
were able to keep their farm
and get schooling for their
severely disabled daughter.
“Your father gave me my
first job,” recalled a guest at
dad’s funeral. “I was 16 and
my sweetheart was pregnant
and still in high school. We
got married, and still are.
Your dad taught me everything I know.” My father had
an instinct for self-sufficiency and individual enterprise;
he appreciated those qualities
in others.)
• Grow a garden and learn
the plants’ Latin names.
Read, write, learn Latin.
He chose a school for me
that taught Latin.
• Always clean up your own
mess.
• If you don’t like something, speak up.
Now here’s some of his
screwball advice:
• Snakes are your friends. (I
grew up liking reptiles and
had no fear of snakes until
I moved to the U.S. desert
southwest. There I learned
a healthy respect for rat-
tlers.)
• Porridge can patch a crack
in your ceiling.
• If you throw your socks up
high enough and they stick
to the ceiling, they need a
wash. (This was an exception to his saying, “What
goes up, comes down.”)
• The only thing wrong with
the world is the people in
it.
In contrast to my father’s
assertions, my mother’s
reflected her reserved nature
and inclination to use few
words. Yet my brother and I
listened, even though her top
10 were not on my father’s
radar:
• Women must be resourceful.
• Common sense will get
you out of many a pickle.
• Necessity is the mother of
invention (mother was an
expert at this one).
• Eating chocolate creates
happiness.
• It’s better to have loved
and lost than to have never
loved at all.
• If you can’t say something
nice, don’t say anything.
(“Only its mother could
love it,” she’d proclaim
softly when encountering
outlandishly dressed or
behaved people.)
• Butter makes everything
you cook better.
• Be prepared. (In her pioneer days, mom became
good at this, helping my
TRILLIUM RECIPES
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This month, watch for our in-store
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Berry Compôte
A Warm-up Treat on a Cold
Day
Ingredients
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup maple syrup
Directions
1. Heat gently in a small pot for 3
minutes
2. Pour over French toast,
waffles, crêpes or warmed-up
left-over muffins
Also excellent over hot oatmeal.
father build a beautiful log
cabin in the woods. She
prepared for drought, rain,
mice, cold, fire, bears and
isolation – even for an axe
through her foot in the
wilderness.)
• Always remember who you
are. (At first, I thought this
was “screwball” advice.
It took me years to figure
out what she meant – and
50 years to lose my nickname. I came to know that
my mother never offered
anything “screwball.”)
• Always be open-minded;
you can’t judge a book by
its cover.
Another sharp contrast between mom and dad was the
desire to write. My mother
hated to write – letters in
particular, even though,
when necessary, she could
write beautifully. My father,
however, was an excellent
writer and enjoyed writing
frequently.
My mother went along
with my father’s choice
of school for me (with its
Latin), although she was
skeptical about how well it
would serve her daydreaming daughter in the long run.
She sent me to ballet, which
I loved. Dad sent me into the
woods, which I loved more,
and still do.
I smile as I recall their
advice and realize that
sometimes I repeat their very
words to myself and to my
grandchildren – they especially like the observation
about the socks. When asked
Big Questions, I move quickly from the political to the
pragmatic and personal, from
the vague to a crystal-clear
example, to save my grandchildren all the years I spent
figuring out what my parents’
advice meant to me. Now, I
find myself wondering how
my grandchildren will regard
my pearls of wisdom after I
am gone. Maybe they’ll think
I was beyond groovy and
completely around the bend.
Mother and Father had
their own ideas of what
is a Beautiful Thing. Dad
envisioned a peanut-butterand-blue-cheese sandwich,
a mouse-proof house and
the newly invented compost
toilets. Mom loathed the
toilet Dad installed, calling it
an indoor outhouse. Her one
comment: “Ugh.”
Mother’s Beautiful Things
included a Chopin prelude
(she played the piano naturally and sensitively), a flower
garden, trilliums in the wild,
fine artwork, and teaching
me to bake real bread.
My Beautiful Things are
a sapphire-blue Canadian
lake, my canoe gliding over
the waves, the call of a loon,
and – of course – that perfect
loaf of bread. Both mom
and dad taught me canoeing.
They put me to the test of
battling wind on high waves
alone before I could earn the
coveted stripe on my paddle;
my father carefully painted
that stripe right in the centre,
measured to perfection. Successfully dumping my canoe
and then emptying it and
climbing back in (in deep
water) earned me a lovely
pale blue chevron next to the
stripe.
I’ve survived all the canoe
challenges without scars, and
canoeing remains one of my
favourite pastimes. Although
I still am afraid of lightning,
especially when I’m way out
on the water. Canoeing gives
me pause to reflect on my
parents’ lives, their pioneer
days, their advice, and their
legacy.
I can hear my mother’s
voice in the soft breeze
through the pines and my
father’s voice in the crashing
waves.
“Join OSCA”
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THE OSCAR
l
Page 31
NOVEMBER 2013
Visit
GoRavens.ca
or call
613.691.0482
for tickets!
CARLETON RAVENS
WHERE CHAMPIONS PLAY
RAVENS BASKETBALL HOME OPENER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
6pm & 8pm (W,M), The Ravens Nest #again4ten
OTHER UPCOMING RAVENS
BASKETBALL & HOCKEY GAMES:
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Basketball vs. Western,
6pm & 8pm (W,M)
W Hockey vs. McGill, 2pm
M Hockey vs. Nipissing, 7pm
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Basketball vs. Wilfrid Laurier,
6pm & 8pm (W, M)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
M Hockey vs. York, 7pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Basketball vs. Waterloo
6pm & 8pm (W, M)
M Hockey vs. Western 3pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
M Hockey vs. Brock, 3pm
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24
W Hockey vs. Concordia 2pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
W Hockey vs. Montreal, 2pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Basketball vs. uOttawa
6pm & 8pm (W, M)
THE RAVENS ARE NOW HOSTING BIRTHDAY PARTIES!
Whether the kids fancy taking a plunge in the CU Pool, burning up the
court or field in a game of basketball, ball hockey, soccer or learning
some sweet dance moves or even cheering on the Varsity Ravens at a
game, we’ve got something for everyone.
Only $199 for up to 12 kids!*
Contact [email protected] for
more information. Athletics.carleton.ca
* Each additional child is $12, private pool parties are $269.
Page 32
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
CARLETON SPORTS
By Joe Scanlon
For men’s and women’s university
soccer, November marks the end of
the season.
For men’s and women’s basketball,
November marks the start of a season
that runs to mid-March.
For men’s and women’s hockeyhowever-the season starts in October
and also runs to March.
It’s still early but both soccer teams
should make the playoffs.
The men’s basketball team seems
destined to again become national
champs.
The women’s basketball team –
thanks to a complete overhaul – is
still an unknown quantity.
The men’s hockey team appears
stronger than last season – and could
make it to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships.
The women’s hockey team has
started well but it is unlikely to finish
near the top of a division that includes a perennial power like McGill.
As for football – after appearing to
be improving game by game, Carleton appears certain of finishing last
in its first season, unlikely to win any
games.
Soccer
It seems likely that both Carleton’s
soccer teams will make the Ontario
University Athletics (OUA) playoffs
but it’s far from clear whether either
team will make it to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships – for the men at the University
of New Brunswick, November 8-910 and for the women at the University of Toronto the same weekend.
Carleton women are facing their
perennial problem – they play in
the OUA East – and the OUA East
includes two of the best teams in
Canada – the University of Ottawa
-- ranked first –and Queen’s – ranked
seventh – and Toronto – unranked.
The women have played some
excellent soccer but they lost 1-0 to
Queen’s in Kingston though they
tied Ottawa1-1 at Ottawa, and tied
Queen’s 2-2 at Carleton. They have
also rolled up one-sided scores
against weaker teams such as Trent
and Nipissing.
Then – on Saturday, October 12 –
the women – for the first time ever
– defeated top-ranked Ottawa 4-1, a
win that left them in a three-way fight
for second place in the OUA East.
The win virtually guarantees that
the women, like the men, should
make it to the playoffs and – at the
least -- host a first-round game, but
if they win in the first round they
will run into Ottawa or Queen’s or
fifth-ranked McMaster. It’s possible
now the women, like the men, will
get a first round bye and have a good
chance to move on to the OUA finals.
They are playing well enough to
make it to the CIS championships,
which would be a women’s soccer
first.
Carleton men’s soccer team got off
to a roaring start with a win over Toronto, and a tie with Ryerson – good
enough to get them ranked first in
Canada – but they have been slipping
ever since.
After tying Nipissing and losing to Laurentian during a swing
across Northern Ontario, the men
lost at home to Laurentian and were
dropped from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) top 10.
With the regular season largely
over, the men were still second in
the OUA East – behind fifth-ranked
Ryerson and ahead of Laurentian.
Since the teams that finish as high
as fourth are guaranteed a home
playoff, the male soccer Ravens
should have no problem in hosting a
first-round playoff game. But in the
playoffs after that, they may run into
first-ranked York, third-ranked Ryerson, fifth-ranked Guelph or eighthranked McMaster. Last fall, they
startled first-ranked York and made it
to the Nationals. The men have made
it to the CIS championship game
twice but lost both times.
Women’s Basketball
Because of a major turnover – there
are only four players back from last
season -- the women Ravens basketball team did not play any games
until September and then they opened
against an annual opponent – Montmorency – and against a Quebec
team, McGill.
Against the Les Nomades du Collège Montmorency a Quebec CEGEP
(Collège d’enseignement général et
professionnel), the rough equivalent
of an Ontario community college, the
women Ravens took an early 10-1,
fell behind after a 26-10 second quarter – the Nomades scored half their
52 points in that quarter – took the
lead briefly but slipped behind again.
They lost 52-50.
Against McGill – a team packed
with returning players – Carleton
pulled off a solid win. They fell
behind 15-8 in the opening quarter
but dominated McGill 27-11 in the
second quarter to take a 35-26 half
time lead. The teams stayed even
– 10 each – in the third quarter and
McGill closed the gap to five points
with a 15-10 final quarter but could
not catch up.
Carleton was up by 10, 46-36 then
12 -- 48-36 -- when Tamara Tenn
scored for Carleton with 8:24 left.
McGill then scored seven straight
points to cut the lead to five, 48-43
with just more than five minutes left.
With just 1:23 left, McGill cut the
lead to two, 51-49. Roach made two
foul shots then Hélène Bibeau scored
for McGill – 53-51 with 17 seconds
left. McGill was forced to foul and
Sigurdson made two foul shots and
Tenn added the final point on another
foul shot as time ran out.
Although the team consists mainly
of rookies, it appears to be playing
well and some stars are emerging.
Natasha Plaskacz who red-shirted
(practiced with the team but did
not play) last season made five
three-point shots in a game against
St. Lawrence college and Heather
Lindsay, a 6’3” rookie, is already an
excellent rebounder. She and Lindsay
Shotbolt, a rookie all-star last season,
are pulling out an outstanding 20+
rebounds a game between them.
Men’s Basketball
It’s still more than two months
before the regular season but it’s
already clear who will be getting
playing time on Carleton men’s team
– the defending Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men’s basketball
champions.
Judging from the four games
against US university competition,
Coach Dave Smart will give the most
playing time to Philip Scrubb and
Tyson Hinz, Scrubb now in his fourth
season, Hinz in his fifth and final
season.
That won’t surprise anyone: Hinz
has been selected as the outstanding
athlete in CIS and Scrubb the outstanding player in CIS basketball and
Scrubb was good enough to make it
to Team Canada’s senior men’s training camp, the only current CIS player
to do so.
Next in the pecking order is
Thomas Scrubb. Although he redshirted his first season and got only
token minutes his second, Scrubb has
emerged as the team’s top defensive
player and rebounder and – like his
brother – has proved good enough to
play internationally. He will start and
get a consistent 30 minutes per game.
Victor Raso, the former McMaster
all-star, would seem to be next in
line. Raso transferred to Carleton
after sitting out a year. He played
32 minutes against Syracuse but
– strangely – just six against Wisconsin; but he seems assured of
regular playing time. But after the
four NCAA games, he seems to be
about even with Connor Wood – who
showed flashes of brilliance during
his rookie year – and got more playing time than Raso during the games
against the four National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) teams.
That appears to be the top five in
terms of playing time; but two other
players will get substantial playing
time. They are Kevin Churchill and
Clinton Springer-Williams.
Churchill is back for his fifth and
final season and can count on fifteen
to 20 minutes a game and, presumably, he will find it easier to play
inside than against dominant NCAA
players like 6’10” Kareem Christmas of Syracuse who got 11 blocks
against Carleton. Clinton SpringerWilliams started last season – after
transferring to Carleton and spending a year as a red shirt may start
again but – based on what happened
last season and the four NCAA
games – will get less playing time
then the Scrubb brothers, Hinz, Raso
and Wood but about the same as
Churchill.
As in the past, the fact someone
starts for Carleton does not mean
he will get more playing time than
someone who does not start. Dave
Smart sometimes starts players
because of their seniority or loyalty
and sometimes does not start players
because they seem more comfortable
coming off the bench. Last season for
example he consistently started Kyle
Smendziuk but rarely left him on for
more than a few minutes. The season
before, he gave extended playing
time to Willy Manigat but never
started him.
That accounts for seven players.
Since many of Carleton’s CIS opponents will be less powerful than
Wisconsin or Syracuse, Coach Smart
can be expected to give regular playing time to several other players.
Next in line – based on the NCAA
games – will be Jean Emmanuel
Pierre-Charles. He played more than
21 minutes against both Towson
and Texas Christian and 16 against
Syracuse and had reduced playing
time against Texas Christian only
because he got into foul trouble. With
both Hinz and Churchill in their fifth
and final seasons, Pierre-Charles is
being groomed to take over inside
next season. Likely to join him inside
next season is rookie Brody Maracle
who got on for all four NCAA games
though he had just cameo appearances against Wisconsin and Syracuse. Maracle will get every chance
to develop this season.
Two other players may get playing
time but their status is less clear.
One is Gavin Resch, who got 20
minutes against Towson when Phil
Scrubb was away with Team Canada
but a combined four minutes in
the other three games. The other is
Guillaume Boucard who, despite his
athleticism, has had trouble fitting
into Carleton’s system. He did not
play against Towson, got only three
minutes against Syracuse, but got 10
and 12 minutes against Texas Christian and Wisconsin. He tends not to
take unwarranted shots and is a very
good foul shooter, both qualities
which may get him playing time this
season.
Women’s Hockey
Carleton women’s hockey team has
struggled season after season partly
because they are in the same league
as one of Canada’s outstanding university teams, McGill.
However, they opened their preseason with three consecutive wins
defeating Laurentian 3-0, York 3-1
and finally an Alberta community
college, Grant McEwan, 6-0. But as
the OSCAR goes to press, there are
seven players out with concussion.
The women will need substantial
improvement if they are to be competitive.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 33
NOVEMBER 2013
CARLETON SPORTS
Men’s Hockey
Last season the men’s hockey team
finished one overtime goal away
from winning their league. This
season, they opened with a 3-2 loss
to the reigning CIS champions, University of New Brunswick, and a 3-0
shutout of St. Thomas. In that game,
they fired 44 shots on St. Thomas
goalkeeper Jon Groenheyde scoring
two of their goals on power players. Carleton goalkeeper, François
Dupuis, earned the shutout.
Then they put on a superb display
against Dalhousie, scoring in the
opening minute and pouring in goal
after goal after that. Coach Marty
Johnson had to replace seven play-
ers, and he had done so with a string
of recruits from Junior A hockey
and from US university teams. If
anything, the team appears stronger
than last season. Carleton could well
contend for a slot at the CIS championships.
University hockey players are on
average two to three years older than
players on Junior A teams like the
Ottawa 67’s. While they don’t have
on their roster future superstars like
Bobby Orr or Jason Spezza, they play
a much superior brand of hockey
than Junior A.
Carleton Home Game Schedule For November
Women’s and Men’s Basketball
Friday, November 1 – Windsor at Carleton (double header)
Saturday, November 2 – Western at Carleton (double header)
Friday, November 22 – Laurier at Carleton (double header)
Saturday, November 23—Waterloo at Carleton (double header)
Women’s Hockey
Sunday, November 3 – Concordia at Carleton
Saturday, November 16 – Montreal at Carleton
Sunday, November 24 – Concordia at Carleton
Saturday, November 30 – Ottawa at Carleton
Men’s Hockey
Friday, November 2 – Nipissing at Carleton
Friday, November 8 – York at Carleton
Saturday, November 9 – Brock at Carleton
Friday, November 22 – Guelph at Carleton
Saturday, November 23 – Western at Carleton
OUR OOS
BUSINESS
AND RESOURCES DIRECTORY

is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
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www.oldottawasouth.ca
Participation is FREE
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
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Page 34
THE OSCAR
l
NOVEMBER 2013
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Death and Taxes
By Rick Sutherland, CLU,
CFP, FDS, R.F.P
You’ve heard it before. There are
only two certainties in life: death and
taxes. Both are unavoidable. But did
you know that the biggest tax bill you
may ever have to pay is actually on
your tax return filed after you die?
Upon death, you are deemed to
have sold all capital property immediately before death. This deemed
disposition rule could cost you tens,
maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. Common types of capital property include cottages, stocks,
mutual funds, rental properties and
business interests, to name a few.
It is up to your executor to file your
final tax return after your death. This
person must calculate all gains and
losses on the property that is deemed
sold and then pay the taxes on behalf
of the deceased estate.
Let’s assume the deceased person
owned a cottage that was purchased
many years ago for $5,000. On the
date of death, the fair market value
of the cottage was deemed to be
$255,000. The executor is responsible to report the $250,000 capital
gain, 50% of which is taxable, on the
final return of the deceased. The tax
is owing even though the wishes of
the deceased were to pass on the family cottage to the children.
Registered investments including
RRSPs and Registered Retirement Income Funds will be included, dollar
for dollar, in the deceased income on
the final tax return. It is not uncommon to see registered accounts worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Just imagine the tax bill if a $500,000
RRSP was added to your income tax
return all at once. The only exception
is that registered investments can be
transferred tax free to a surviving
spouse or common-law partner, or a
dependent child or grandchild. If no
exception exists, then every dollar is
included in income on the deceased
Work to Become a Better Investor
By Bob Jamieson
People, like yourself, work
hard for their money. However, to make progress toward
your long-term financial
goals, you need to do more
than just earn money — you
have to invest it wisely. And
that takes work, too.
Fortunately, there’s no real
mystery to the types of
labour in which you’ll need
to engage to become a good
www.edwardjones.com
Retirement:
Live it on your terms.
The idea of retirement is not the same for everyone.
Maybe you plan to start a second career or work
part time. Or maybe you look forward to volunteering or enjoying your favourite hobbies. But whatever your idea of retirement is, do it on your terms.
To help you do this, let’s sit down and talk. This will
help us better understand what you want to do in
retirement and develop the right retirement plan to
help you get there.
Don’t wait. Call me today to get started
on your retirement.
Bob Jamieson, CFP®
Financial Advisor
.
2211 Riverside Drive
Suite 100
Ottawa, ON K1H 7X5
613-526-3030
final tax return.
You do have some options to mitigate the taxes your estate will pay
upon your death. You can transfer
some of your property into joint
names with your children. This is
called “Joint With Rights of Survivorship.” There are many caveats to
consider. For example, the property
may become subject to the claims of
creditors of the child. The transfer
could trigger a deemed disposition
and taxes would become payable.
The transfer could disinherit other
beneficiaries. Consult with your legal
and accounting professional before
implementing a strategy of joint
ownership.
Another option to ease the tax
burden at death is through donations
to your favourite charity. The limit on
donations in the year of death and the
year immediately preceding death is
100% of net income. Donations can
significantly reduce the taxes owing
in the year of death.
investor. Here are a
few suggestions:
Work at making
investing a priority.
Many people delay
investing until they
“have a better handle”
on their finances. But
these good intentions
frequently go unfulfilled because there
will always be something else on which to
spend one’s money.
To work toward your
important goals, such
as a comfortable
retirement or a child’s
education, you need
to put away some
money regularly. If
you’re just starting
out in your career,
you might not be able
to afford much, but
even a small amount
can help. And when
your salary increases,
so can your investment contributions.
To make it easier on
yourself, consider
arranging to automatically move money
each month from your
bank account into an
investment account.
Work to understand what’s in your
portfolio. Some investors aren’t certain
The foregoing is for general information purposes and is the opinion
of the writer. This information is not
intended to provide personal advice
including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting
or tax advice. Please call or write
to Rick Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS,
R.F.P., to discuss your particular
circumstances or suggest a topic
for future articles at 613-798-2421
or E-mail rick@invested-interest.
ca. Mutual Funds provided through
FundEX Investments Inc.
about what investments they
own — and this uncertainty
can lead to poor decisionmaking if it becomes necessary to make changes. So
make sure you know what’s
in your portfolio — and why.
Work to keep your
portfolio current with your
goals. Even if you know
why you initially purchased
certain investments and how
they fit into your portfolio, you can’t put things on
“autopilot.” Over time, your
goals may evolve, which
means you’ll need to be
vigilant in working with your
advisor to adjust your portfolio accordingly.
Work to diversify your
holdings. No matter where
you are in your life, you
should still diversify your
portfolio by owning a variety
of investments — stocks,
bonds, government securities and other vehicles.
Consequently, you’ll need to
review your portfolio regularly to ensure that it stays
properly diversified. Diversification is a strategy designed
to help reduce the effects of
volatility on your holdings,
but keep in mind that even
a diversified portfolio can’t
guarantee profits or protect
against loss in all situations. Work to maintain a
long-term perspective. No
REPORTERS NEEDED
Member – Canadian
Investor Protection Fund
We can’t stop death. Eventually, it
will happen to all of us. With proper
advanced planning, you can reduce
the tax bill, and enhance the value
of your estate and the amount you
bequeath to your loved ones and
favourite charities. Speak to your
trusted advisor to learn more about
the different strategies available to
reduce or eliminate your tax bill at
death.
matter what you might hear
from anyone else, there’s
no “shortcut” to investment
success. Many people hope
they will “hit” on that one
investment that will make
them rich quickly — but
that’s pretty much a fantasy.
To help achieve your goals,
you will need to invest for
many years, through good
markets and bad. And during
those inevitable downturns,
you’ll need to focus on your
long-term objectives and follow a consistent investment
strategy, making only those
adjustments that make sense
for your situation.
As you can see, you’ll need
to work on many aspects of
investing to stay on the road
toward success. But you
don’t have to work alone:
Investing can be complex,
so you may want to get help
from a financial professional
— someone who knows the
investment world, and who
can get to know your individual needs, goals and risk
tolerance.
I would be glad to discuss
assisting you in this endeavour. Please give me a call at
613-526-3030.
Edward Jones: Member - Canadian Investor Protection
Fund
Join the OSCAR as reporter.
contact the OSCAR Editor, Brendan McCoy, [email protected]
THE OSCAR
l
Page 35
NOVEMBER 2013
KALEIDOSCOPE KIDS’ BOOKS
Staying Inside: Books to Keep Kids Busy
By Karen Fuller
Let’s face it: November is cold and
dark, without the charm of December with its holiday lights and early
dustings of snow. It’s the perfect
time to fix some warm drinks, get
the fireplace going, and break out the
activity books. Doodle books are fun,
and give kids the opportunity to be
creative with the instructions. A new
one here at the KKB is Don’t Eat this
Book by (insert your name here) with
help from David Sinden and Nikalas
Catlow. I think my favourite page
is the one where you are instructed
to remove the page bit by bit, using
only a hole punch, and then you need
to decorate the front cover with the
confetti bits. You get the picture –
good for a laugh, and lets kids feel
like they’re being a bit naughty at the
same time. Even the legal disclaimer
at the beginning made me chuckle:
“…so don’t break a leg being
silly with it then go crying to your
Mom…”.
Anyone out there who has a kid
who loves to do crafts entirely out of
tape? That was certainly my daughter
for a good number of years. Seen that
fancy duct tape at Michael’s? Those
patterned and coloured rolls are
exactly the kind of nifty craft supply
you’ll need for Tape it & Make it:
101 Duct Tape Activities by Richela
Fabian Morgan. This book teaches
you how to make things like wallets
Music is a Foundation for Happiness
By Pamela Holm
Confidence and self-esteem are crucial to your child’s ability to succeed
and be happy in life. Music lessons
help your child grow and develop a
healthy sense of self. Music is well
known to be a powerful avenue
through which a child’s intellect,
emotions, creativity, physical ability, social skills and communication
skills can develop.
Learning new skills, your child
develops self-confidence. Being supported, respected and valued, your
child learns self-esteem. Learning
through creative engagement, your
child learns flexibility, self-awareness, imagination and creative thinking. Cognitive science has shown us
that in the process of learning music,
the whole brain – more than just left
or right brain –the whole brain and
body are called on in an integrated
way, validating music as an outstanding activity.
Music skills allow participation in
healthy social activities, like singing in choirs or musicals, playing in
bands and ensembles, or jamming
with friends for relaxation. At seasonal or cultural events, even at baseball games, being able to sing in tune
is helpful for group acceptance and
supporting healthy cultural expression. In my music therapy training,
one of my practica was with juvenile
offenders where I led a blues band.
The guy who had good guitar skills
had respect!
But when someone has not learned
the basics, they may experience rejection. How many people were told
at some time, perhaps in elementary
school, to “just mouth the words?”
and were stopped in their tracks from
ever studying music, even if they had
been enjoying it? The truth is, almost
anyone can learn to sing. Unless
there is a brain mis-wiring, it is possible for anyone to learn. I have seen
someone go from singing almost in a
monotone, to being able to sing tunefully and enjoying it. He had studied
his mother’s choice of an instrument
as a teenager, and hated it.
So what interferes with healthy
self-esteem or confidence? Some
children have been lucky enough
to have preschool music programs
or musical parents. Others may not
have a good grasp of the foundational
music skills needed to fit in. A good
school music program may help
to equalize the students. However,
cutbacks in music programs mean
sometimes teachers with little-to-no
musical training are asked to include
music in their classes. One youth
choral conductor remarked that there
are fewer youth with the level of skill
that was more common just a few
years ago. He saw this as the effect of
the reduction of music in the schools.
At the same time, medical schools
like Dalhousie University, recognize
the value of musical education to the
point of recommending it for their
students for its many benefits, from
stress reduction to bringing in fun to
lives with much serious business.
Some children are very shy or
introverted and not given to involvement with large group activities.
For them, music lessons and smaller
ensembles can support a sense of
belonging and self-expression. Often
there are talents hidden inside.
and purses, artificial flowers, accessories, aprons, superhero capes and
more. Fun, fancy, and functional!
Instead of having an “art attack” (a
sometimes daily announcement at my
house a few years back now), kids
this fall can make crafty surprises to
hide in plain sight with the help of
Sneaky Art by Marthe Jocelyn. The
projects in this book can be made
from things easily found at home –
the trick is in where the art is placed
upon completion. This art is meant
to be displayed in a public place, in
a made-you-look-twice spirit of fun.
According to the author, “Sneaky art
IS: funny, clever, thoughtful, temporary, subversive, playful and surprising!” Are you intrigued?
McSweeney’s has come out with a
new format for our mutual enjoyment
– The Goods has games, comics,
puzzles and other diversions for big
kids, little kids, and medium-sized
kids cooked up by some of the best
brains in kids’ books. This book is
design-rich, with pages by Jon Klassen, Mo Willems, Jon Scieszka, to
name a few. I have a house of teenag-
ers, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to
have to buy this book for them (okay
and maybe me) to enjoy, if that’s any
endorsement for you…
November is a perfect time for
kids to start making gifts to give their
family and friends for the holidays.
DK has published another lovely
instructional book with this in mind.
Make Your Own Gifts edited by Margaret Parrish has crafty projects that
can be presents for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Hanukah and
even for those ‘just because’ times
when you want to give a gift. Divided
into media sections, kids can choose
from paper craft projects, stitched
and beaded goodies, molded and
sculpted treasures, baked treats and
make their own wrapping paper as
well. This book is the whole package!
As the temperature starts to drop,
and the sun sets sooner, the idea of
some family activities in the cosy
house is compelling. How about
starting a Friday family activity night
for your brood?
There are other learning challenges. People with dyslexia can be very
interested in the arts, but stumble
over learning the symbols. While
teaching in an independent school
and working with small groups or
individually, I had one grade four
student who, because of his dyslexia,
found rhythm difficult. Working with
care at his speed, he made progress
and better understood his problem.
He reported to his father that for the
first time he was enjoying his music
class.
Sometimes emotional struggles in
the family, such as when parents are
experiencing relationship difficulties,
or there has been a death of a loved
one, the emotional load interferes
with learning. We learn best when relaxed and open. As a music therapist,
I teach how to use music as a way of
self-expression, to access and allow
release otherwise unheard feelings
and concerns.
So there is no question of the
value of music learning in a child’s
life. Finding the right teacher for
your child takes learning styles and
personalities of the child and teacher
into consideration. If the relationship is working well and your child
is thriving, well done. If the child is
struggling, there may be a reason to
look to another teacher, to maintain
the child’s interest in what can be a
healthy, lifelong interest and even
passion!
Pamela Holm is an accredited
music therapist and music teacher
serving Old Ottawa South from
Southminster United Church. For
more information, her website is
www.DeepSoulSinging.com. She
may be reached at Pamela_holm@
yahoo.com.
PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Are you uncertain about achieving your financial goals?
Call today for your free, confidential, second opinion.
RICK SUTHERLAND, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P.
1276 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1Y 3A7
613-798-2421
email: [email protected]
web: www.invested-interest.ca
Mutual funds provided through FundEX Investments Inc.
Page 36
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
SUNNYSIDE LIBRARY PROGRAMS
Sunnyside Branch
Ottawa Public Library
1049 Bank Street, Ottawa
613-730-1082,
Adult Services,
extension 22
Children’s Services,
extension 29
Children’s Programs
Babytime
For babies and their parents
or caregiver with stories,
rhymes, songs and games.
0-18 months. Drop In.
Tuesdays, 2:15 p.m. (30
min.)
Session 2: November 5 to
December 10
Toddlertime
For toddlers and a parent
or caregiver with stories,
rhymes, songs and games.
Ages 18-35 months.
Registration is required.
Choose only one of the two
options below:
Tuesdays, 10:15 am (30
min.)
Session 2: November 5 to
December 10
OR
Thursdays, 10:15 am (30
min.)
Session 2: November 7 to
December 12
Storytime
Stories, rhymes and songs for
preschoolers and a parent or
caregiver. Ages 3-6. Drop In.
Mondays, 2:15 a.m. (30
min.)
Session 2: November 4 to
December 11
Storytime (bi-lingual)
Stories, rhymes and songs for
preschoolers and a parent or
caregiver. Ages 3-6. Drop In.
Contes, rimes et chansons
pour les enfants préscolaires
et un parent ou gardien. 3-6
ans.
Wednesdays 10:15 am (30
min.)
Session 2: November 6 to
December 11
Children’s Book Clubs
Mother-Daughter Book Club
Ages 7-9
A place for girls and the
special women in their lives
to share books. Registration.
Mondays, 7:00 p.m. (60
min.): November 4
Mother-Daughter Book Club
Ages 10-12
A place for girls and the
special women in their lives
to share books. Registration.
Mondays, 7:00 pm (60 min.):
November 18
Guysread
Share the love of books. For
boys and a significant adult.
Ages 8-12. Registration.
The book for October 30 is
The Hobbit.
Wednesdays, 7:00 pm
(60 min.): November 27,
December 18
Children’s Special
Programs
Family Storytime - Celebrate
the Holidays
Listen to stories for all kinds
of holiday celebrations,
such Kwanzaa, Christmas,
Hanukkah and more plus
make your own Hug card to
take home! Drop In.
Saturday, December 14,
10:15 (45 mins)
Game on!
Roll the dice, pick a suit or
grab a nunchuk! Come play
cards, board games or Wii
with us! Ages 6-12. Drop in
anytime Friday afternoon to
play.
Friday, December 27, 1 pm-6
pm
Teen Programs
TAG Peer Tutoring
TAG invites students from
grade 8 & 9 to attend their
peer tutoring/homework
club, every Thursday.
TAG members will be on
hand to assist students with
their grade 8 or 9 school
work. Students learn more
and demonstrate mastery
when they are able to
comprehensively teach a
subject. Vice versa, when a
student is struggling, having
someone who is on the same
age level as them helps to
create bridges in the learning
gaps.
Thursdays, 4:00 p.m. (60
mins.), September 26 to Dec
19
TAG (Teen Advisory
Group) (Ongoing Event)
Sunnyside Teens--join our
new Teen Advisory Group
and have a say in which
programs, activities and
services will be offered to
youth and also help plan and
implement them. Ages 14-18.
To join, stop by the branch.
Look for Teen Programs
presented by Teens: such as
Peer Tutoring plus Drop in
Board Game & Card Game
nights. Meet once a month
on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m.:
November 16, December 14
Mother-Daughter Book Club
A place for girls and the
special women in their lives
to share books. Ages 13-15.
Registration.
Mondays, 7:00 pm (60 min.):
November 25
Adult Programs
The Writing Workshop
An opportunity for writers of
fiction, non-fiction, poetry,
and experimental forms to
gather. Our emphasis will
be on developing worksin-progress for publication.
The workshop will provide
writers with encouragement
and constructive criticism
from their peers. Author/
Facilitator: Michael F.
Stewart: michaelfstewart.
com Registration.
Mondays, 6:00 p.m. (120
min.): November 18,
December 16
Ukrainian Conversation
Join our group led by a
fluent Ukrainian speaker.
Start off with a review of the
Ukrainian alphabet. All are
welcome. Registration.
Mondays, 7:00 pm (60 min.):
November 4 & 25, December
2&9
Canadians in Conversation
We will, as usual in this
series, share our experience,
knowledge, reflections
and ideas on a wide range
of topics relevant to life
in Canada, past, present
and future. Topics may
include the environment,
the economy, science and
technology, social wellbeing, even the new findings
about the human brain.
Registration.
Wednesdays, 2:00 pm (120
min.): September 11 to
November 27
Science Café with Carleton
University
Explore science through
Carleton University’s popular
Science Cafés. Put on by
the university’s Faculty of
Science, cafés are held every
other Wednesday during the
fall and winter terms. Each
café begins at 6:30 p.m.
with a 20 minute talk by a
scientist followed by a 40
minute open question and
answer period. Drop in.
Wednesdays, 6:30 pm (60
min.): November 13 & 27,
December 11
Conversation en français
Improve your spoken French
and meet new friends in a
relaxed setting. Intermediate
level required. Registration.
Thursdays, 6:00 pm (60
min.): September 12 to
December 12, 2013
OR Thursdays, 7:15 pm
(60 min.): September 12 to
December 12, 2013
Backstories Film Club
Join our club if you enjoy
watching films and want
to meet other enthusiasts
for discussion. Please
note that films will not be
screened during the program.
Registration.
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.):
November 1, December 6
Adult Special Programs
Local Author Visit - Dorothy
Speak
Dorothy Speak will be
reading from her latest
collection of short stories
titled Reconciliation.
In this eagerly awaited third
collection, Dorothy Speak
brings her familiar wit,
compassion and irony to bear
on stories about the fragility
and elusiveness of love.
Saturday, November 2, 2:00
pm (60 min.)
Keeping a Diary
Do you keep a diary? Have
you ever wanted to? This
interactive talk, offered by
retired English teacher and
compulsive diarist, Peter
Scotchmer, will examine
why diaries continue to be
popular in an electronic age,
what they record, what we
can learn from them, and
what to pass on to posterity
ourselves. Registration.
Wednesday, November 6,
1:00 pm (120 min.)
Cash Flow
Aimed at both new and
existing business owners, this
presentation will show you
how to forecast and manage
your cash flow needs.
Registration begins October
7.
Thursday, November 7, 6:30
pm (90 min.)
Book Launch: In Times
Wanting, a novel by Kevin
Morris
After surviving near
execution and emotional
breakdown in Mexico,
Berrin and Eileen meet up in
Ottawa after a decade long
separation, both in search of
a new beginning.
Saturday, November 9, 2:00
pm (90 min.)
Tanzanian Safari
Have you ever wondered
about doing a safari? Join
us as Carole Gobeil shares
highlights of her expedition
through the Serengeti.
Registration.
Tuesday, November 12, 6:30
pm (120 min.)
Prostate Health
Prostate cancer is the second
most frequently diagnosed
form of cancer in Canadian
men, accounting for
approximately a quarter of
all cancer diagnoses. Please
join Graham Beaton, Doctor
of Naturopathic Medicine,
to learn more about prostate
health, including prostate
cancer and benign prostatic
hypertrophy. Registration.
Wednesday, November 13,
1:00 pm (60 min.)
10 Strategies to Pay Less Tax
at Retirement
Learn how to use taxsmart strategies to reduce
taxes and enjoy more of
your own money during
retirement. Presented by
Wade Brown, M.A., MBA,
Investment Advisor and
Associate Portfolio Manager,
RBC Dominion Securities.
Registration begins October
14.
Thursday, November 14,
6:30 pm (60 min.)
Imitation - Writing Workshop
with Brian Doyle (MASC)
Brian Doyle, author of
numerous children’s books,
offers a writing workshop
focusing on diverse style
tricks that make writing
more versatile. Offered in
partnership with MASC.
Adults 50+. Registration.
Wednesday, November 20,
1:00 pm (60 min.)
Eating to Lose Weight
What are we eating,
drinking or doing to cause
our bodies to hold on to
extra fat? We have more
information available on
how to lose weight and how
to be healthy, and yet as a
population we are getting
bigger and unhealthier. Dr.
Chandan Brar of the Glebe
Chiropractic Clinic will
focus on making sense of
what works and what doesn’t
when it comes to losing those
extra pounds. Registration.
Thursday, November 21,
6:30 pm (60 min.)
Tamara Levine: But Hope
is Longer: Navigating the
Country of Breast Cancer
Tamara Levine will read
from her book But Hope
is Longer: Navigating the
Country of Breast Cancer,
and discuss her experiences
with both mainstream and
complementary cancer
treatment, as well as with
integrative care. Registration.
THE OSCAR
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Page 37
NOVEMBER 2013
SUNNYSIDE LIBRARY continued from pg. 36
Saturday, November 23, 2:00
pm (60 min.)
Boosting Your Immune
System Naturally in Time for
Winter
Join Dr. Ellen Simone,
Naturopathic Doctor for this
information session on how
to boost your immune system
using naturopathic medicine.
Registration.
Thursday, November 28,
6:30 pm (120 min.)
Buying a Digital Camera
When buying a digital
camera, you are faced with a
bewildering array of choices.
Chris Taylor, Ottawa PC
Users’ Group President, will
help “focus” your search
for the ideal digital camera.
Registration.
Thursday, December 5, 6:15
pm (120 min.)
Lift Light, Shovel Right
Come join this discussion
about the proper techniques
to shovel this season to
avoid injury. Bring your
questions and learn how
to remain injury-free this
season. Presented by
Dr. Chandan Brar of the
Glebe Chiropractic Clinic.
Registration.
Thursday, December 12, 6:30
pm (60 min.)
NFB Film Club – Buying Sex
Buying Sex, a timely and
wise documentary about the
state of prostitution laws
in Canada, is a revelation.
Those laws, forged in the
19th century, are now
being challenged by both
pro-prostitution and antiprostitution forces, with no
evident consensus about
which way forward is either
best or likely. Offered in
partnership with National
Film Board. Registration.
Thursday, December 19, 6:30
pm (90 min.)
NFB Film Club – The
Shortest Day
Celebrate the shortest day of
the year, December 21, with
an amazing program of films
for adults and the whole
family. Enjoy an array of
international prize-winning
shorts, presented by Telefilm
Canada, SODEC and the
NFB. Registration.
Saturday, December 21, 2:00
pm (90 min.)
Adult Book Clubs
Cercle de lecture
Partagez avec nous le plaisir
des livres dans une ambiance
détendue.
novembre titre: Un petit
roman incertain par Gilles
Lacombe
Les mardis, 18h30 (90 min.):
26 novembre, 10 décembre
European Book Club
The European Book Club is a
cooperation of the European
Union National Institutes for
Culture (EUNIC) in Ottawa:
the Austrian Cultural Forum,
the Goethe Institute, the
Romanian Cultural Institute,
the Instituto Camoes of
Portugal and the Embassy
of the Republic of Poland.
The EBC aims to promote
European authors and their
works. A book title from
an EU country is selected
for discussion each month.
Registration.
November title: The
100-Year-Old Man who
Climbed out the Window
and Disappeared by Jonas
Jonasson (Sweden)
Wednesdays, 6:00 pm
(120 min.): November 20,
December 18
Second Friday Adult Book
Club
Meet new people and join in
stimulating discussions on
selected titles in a friendly
and relaxed atmosphere
every second Friday of the
month. Newcomers are
welcome. Registration.
November title: The Space
Between Us by Thrity
Umrigar
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.):
November 8, December 13
Mystery Book Club
Do you enjoy reading
mysteries? Share the
enjoyment of good mysteries
in a relaxed atmosphere.
Join us for discussion every
third Friday of the month.
Registration.
November title: A Cold
Day for Murder by Dana
Stabenow
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.):
November 15, December 13
Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Join in stimulating
discussions on selected titles
in a friendly and relaxed
atmosphere on the last Friday
of the month. Registration.
November title: Never Let
Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.):
November 29
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
Reviewed by
Hélène Merritt
Sophie Kinsella’s Wedding
Night is the latest in this
author’s lighthearted romp
through romance.
In this story, main
character Lottie buys an
engagement ring for her
boyfriend Richard when
she is convinced he is going to propose. They go
out for a special dinner,
and Richard does indeed
have a big question but it
is about going on a trip,
not about getting married.
Confused and furious,
Lottie walks out on him
and calls her sister Fliss
in whom she confides.
Fliss panics because Lottie
always has hare-brained
plans after her break-ups.
This time, when old
flame Ben calls, Lottie
jumps into a relationship
with him on the rebound
and leaves for a honeymoon on Ikonos where
they first travelled years
ago.
AROUND TOWN
Southminster United Church
Rummage Sale. 15 Aylmer Ave
(enter by the Galt St. door). Saturday
Nov. 2 from 9:00 to 12:00.
Abbotsford @ The Glebe Centre
38th Annual Bazaar. Saturday,
November 30th from 10:00 am –
2:30 pm, 950 Bank St.
Trying to avoid a disastrous end to what she feels
sure will be an unhappy
marriage for her sister,
Fliss interferes big time
and manages to keep Lottie
and Ben from consummating their union. While
doing this, Fliss meets
Lorcan who runs Ben’s
company for him, and they
get involved.
How does all this end?
Happily. With love, laughter and good feelings all
round.
Frosty’s Fair: Sat., Nov. 2, 9:30 a.m.
- 2:00 p.m. Do some early Christmas
shopping at Trinity’s Christmas
Bazaar: Sewing, Knitting, Preserves,
Home Baking, Books, Attic
Treasures. Activities for children. Bid
at the Silent Auction. Stay for lunch.
Trinity Church, 1230 Bank St. 613733-7536, www.trinityottawa.ca
Southminster United Church
Community Christmas Bazaar.
15 Aylmer Ave (enter by the Galt
St. door). Saturday Nov. 16 from
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will
be jewelry, collectibles, baking, jams
and jellies, gift baskets, handcrafts,
Christmas decorations, purses, books,
a Kids Only gift area, a cake walk
OSCAR DELIVERERS NEEDED
1) The block including the south side of Hopewell, west side of Grosvenor, north side of
Glen, east side of Leonard (48 papers).
2) The block including the north side of Chesley, west side of Harvard, south side of Raleigh and east sides of Wendover and Warrington, and the triangle including the north side
of Raleigh, west side of Harvard and the east side of Warrington (a total of 26 papers).
and a silent auction table. Café Noel
will be open early for muffins and
coffee and luncheon will be served
from 11:30 until 1:30 pm. Come
celebrate Southminster’s Community
Christmas spirit and find some
unique gifts for family and friends.
All are welcome.
Please contact
Distribution Manager
Larry Ostler
[email protected]
613-327-9080
Page 38
THE OSCAR
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NOVEMBER 2013
CLASSY ADS
CLASSY ADS are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted 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 accuracy. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058 or email
[email protected].
Child Care
In home day care provider
(B.A. in Child Development,
E.C.E., 21 years experience)
has 1 full-time space
available starting in January.
Activities include,
playgroups, library outings,
parks, crafts, baking,
gardening, circle time and
much more. I provide a
loving and nurturing home
environment where children
experience both intellectual
and emotional growth
and find self-fulfillment
in a small group setting.
Nutritious snacks and
lunches provided. References
and Receipts available.
Contact Brenda Lee at leeb@
magma.ca
--------------------------------------
Babysitter/Tutor. Mature 8th
grade french-speaking student, offering services:
• Bring your kids home
from Firehall and
• Get them started on
homework
• Walk/feed your dog at
4:30 while you’re still at
work
• Can look after your kids
while you’re on a spontaneous date
• Can tutor french, math,
science to ages 5-10
• Call Gabrielle at: 613730-8169
For Sale
4 Summer tires with rims. Tires
are not in the best condition but
the rims are perfect for a second
set... winter perhaps. From a
Jeep Cherokee... P235/75R15
$125.00 set plus 2 bonus tires.
Phone 613-730-0206
House Sitters
Looking for a house sit or
rental: Retired, professional
couple from Nova Scotia
are looking for a house sit
(we will pay the utilities)
for 7 - 10 days over the
Christmas/New Year’s break.
We will exercise and care for
your pets. Our children and
their families live in your
neighbourhood. References
available.
Email: [email protected] or
phone: 902-634-3794
Parking Wanted
Looking for parking close to
Sunnyside Avenue and Bank
Street; Monday to Friday
from approximately 8 am
until 4:30 pm. Please contact
Mary at mary.durning@
gmail.com or 613-298-8115
Pet Sitter
Pet sitter available over the
Christmas holidays. Local,
experienced and reliable.
Call Declan at 613-730-4979
Found
Found: Complete set of keys
for 2 cars, house, others,
plus security coder, usb stick
and Bridgehead card. Found
near Bond’s Decor, Bank and
Chesley St. area. Please call
Klara at 613-730-1983 to
recover.
--------------------------------------
Found: Pair of black
eyeglasses on Wendover
Avenue on October 15. Call
613-731-3231.
--------------------------------------
Found: Mountain bike - Call
613-730-4383.
MARKETPLACE
GIBBON’S PAINTING & DECORATING
Local House Painter - Bonded
With 20 years experience
Customer satisfaction
ALWAYS GUARANTEED
For a free estimate please
call Rory 322-0109
Ask about my $25 referral rebate
Book now for your painting needs
Music
Therapy
Pamela Holm
Music Therapist
Accredited
RELIABLE QUALITY CARE
 Music Lessons
 Flute, Guitar, Uke,
Voice, Recorder
 Music Foundation
Skills
www.DeepSoulSinging.com
Telephone: 613-829-1556
Retired RPN
. Relief for Family Caregiver
. Private Duty
. Palliative Care Provider
M.Moynahan
Home: 613-730-4957
Writing
Workshop/
Seminar For
Adults
Experienced teacher with four books
and many articles published.
Small classes of 5 to 6, for 2.5 days
in October and November.
Price: $125.00
email at [email protected]
ADVERTISE
in the
OSCAR
contact GAYLE at
oscarads
@oldottawasouth.
ca
THE OSCAR
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Page 39
NOVEMBER 2013
GARDEN CLUB
Soil Management and Composting
By Colin Ashford
One of the Old Ottawa South Garden
Club’s favourite presenters, Mary
Reid, spoke to the October meeting
of the club on the important topic of
the soil in our gardens. Mary is on
her third career—that of horticulture
as a Master Gardener and as proprietor of Green Thumb Garden Centre
(www.greenthumbgarden.ca); previously, she was a teacher and banker,
respectively.
Mary started her presentation by
noting the three crucial functions of
soil in the garden: to anchor plants;
to enable plants to absorb water and
nutrients; and to reduce soil erosion.
Soil structure typically varies from
place to place but normally consists
of inorganic material (sand, silt, and
clay) and organic material (humus);
the combination is called loam and
should ideally be friable (crumbly—
like cake mixture). Humus is essentially dead and decaying organic
material and is rich in nutrients and
helps with moisture retention. Humus
can be “made” from well-rotted
manure (at least two years old),
fallen leaves (chop them up with
a lawn mower to accelerate their
breakdown), grass clippings, sawdust
(again at least two years old); and
kitchen scraps. Mary noted that it is
important to maintain the correct balance between the carbonaceous materials (called brown because they are
dry) and the nitrogen-rich materials
(called green because they are more
fresh and moist). A ratio of two parts
green to one part brown is normally
recommended for composting.
Mary continued her talk by
discussing the composition of
soil, namely: solid material (rock,
mineral particles, and humus); gases
(including oxygen); water; and lots
of living creatures including insects,
fungi, bacteria and, importantly,
earthworms. Earthworms are the
unsung heroes of soil management:
amazingly, they turn over the top six
inches of soil in under two decades;
aerate the soil; pull leaves into their
burrows for winter; and produce
their weight in nutrient-rich casting
every day. The water in soil helps
transport nutrients from the soil to
the upper parts of the plant and, as
water is continually being lost due to
transpiration, good watering practices
are essential. Mary recommended
watering deeply (an inch of water a
week) to not only encourage plants to
become sturdy and resilient, but also
to encourage plants to find naturallyoccurring sources of water.
Adding soil is a viable way of
improving garden productivity and
Mary noted some of the choices
available: top soil has little nutritional value whereas black earth and
garden soil are good choices for allround use in the garden; potting soil
and container soil also have little nutrient value but are light and designed
to retain moisture. Productivity can
Fruits of good soil Management.
PHOTO BY STEVE REID
also be improved by amending the
existing soil with well-rotted manure,
compost, mushroom compost, or any
form of organic material. Soil can be
amended in the spring by working the
amendments into the top six inches
of soil, or in the fall by applying on
top of the soil and letting nature work
it in.
Mary noted that for general gardening, the soil pH should be around 7
(neutral) however, if a soil test indicates that the pH needs to be altered,
adding dolomitic lime will make the
soil more alkaline and elemental sulphur will make it more acidic. Mary
remarked that as plants are continually removing nutrients from the soil,
the soil must be regularly fertilized
with either organic fertilizers such as
blood meal, bone meal, or compost
or synthetic fertilizers such as those
with high last numbers (potassium)
for flowers or high first numbers
(nitrogen) for needle and leaf growth.
Mary also mentioned corn gluten
fertilizer (good for preventing seed
germination) and Myke, a proprietary
fungus that forms a symbiotic association with the roots of plants and
encourages root growth.
Mary wrapped up her talk with a
couple of recommendations: leaving
annuals in the ground over the winter
to help stop soil erosion, desiccation,
and damage from heavy rain; and
mulching to reduce weeding, help retain moisture, and keep the soil cool.
The next meeting of the Old Ottawa South Garden Club will be on
Tuesday November 12 at 7.00 pm at
the Old Ottawa South Community
Centre (The Firehall), 260 Sunnyside Avenue, when Master Gardener
Edythe Falconer will talk about small
roses and some of the new cultivars
that are coming onto the market.
Page 40
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