Dec - OSCA

The
O•S•C•A•R
©
Year 32 , No. 10
The Community Voice of Old Ottawa South
The Ottawa South Community Association Review
DECEMBER 2006
Old Ottawa South
Where Wishes Do Come True
Sidewalk Update - Before and After
By Brendan McCoy
I
n the October issue of this paper I asked why infill development was
being done without sidewalks. Three examples were provided where infill
developments were without the provision of sidewalks. One project is
completed, on Grove west of Seneca, one is just starting on a short section of
Woodbine, between Grosvenor and Barton, and one is being finished, on Scotia
Place.
On Scotia Place the row of new town homes sit on the former site of St.
Margaret Mary Elementary School. Unfortunately the sidewalk ended at the
corner of the block, forcing pedestrians into the road, or across the street. This
was despite the fact that a sidewalk appeared in the site plan approved by the
City. OSWatch, and the OSCA Board, insisted that the sidewalk should be built,
and Councillor Doucet told both city staff and the developer that he expected
the planned sidewalk to be provided.
At the end of October the developer had the sidewalk installed; it is an
attractive and useful addition to the streetscape. Walk over and have a look.
OSCA New Board Members 2006-2007
Mike Lascelles, Hans Ruprecht (ex-officio, L’Amicale), Jim Steel, Steve Mennill, Jason Parry, Kevin Harper, Deirdre McQuillan (OSCA Executive
Director), Brendan McCoy, Michael Jenkin, Greg Strahl, Gayatri Jayaraman, Stephen Haines, Val MacIntosh, Patti Ryan, Ed Keyes
Missing: Lisa Drouillard, Pierre Gratton, David Law, Michael Loewen, Doug Mouser, Paul Paquet, Ken Slemko
Page The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
NOVEMBER 2006
Shop Locally
• Shopping locally contributes to the convenience and
comfort of village life on Old Ottawa South
• Shopping locally provides personal service: the owner is
in the store
• Shopping locally supports local owners who contribute
their time and energy to Old Ottawa South
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
The
OSCAR
The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY
ASSOCIATION REVIEW
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/oscar
Please Note: The OSCAR Has No Fax
The OSCAR PhoneLine: 730-1045
E-mail: [email protected]
Editor: Mary Anne Thompson
Distribution Manager: Craig Piche
Business Manager: Colleen Thomson
Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman
[email protected]
730-1045
730-5838
730-1058
(not classy ads)
NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising. It is published for the Ottawa South Community Association
Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and
businesses and selected locations in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and
Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit
and include articles submitted for publication.
FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES, CALL 730-5838 AND
LEAVE A MESSAGE
The OSCAR thanks the following people who brought us
to your door this month:
ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames,
Kim Barclay, Marvel Sampson, Wendy Robbins, Ron Barton, Jim and Carrol
Robb, Kevin and Stephanie Williams.
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Andrea and Cedric Innes, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison, Norma Reveler, Stephanie and Kulani de
Larrinaga.
ZONE B2: Lorie Magee Mills (Coordinator), Leslie Roster, Hayley Atkinson, Caroline and Ian Calvert, Sheilagh Stronach, Matthew and Graeme
Gaetz, Kathy Krywicki.
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the James-Guevremont family, the
Williams family, Sylvie Turner, Lynne Myers, Bob Knights, Jeff Pouw, the
Franks family.
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Arthur Taylor,
Charles and Phillip Kijek, Sam & Avery Piche, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Christina Bridgeman.
ZONE D1: Bert Hopkins (Coordinator), the Crighton family, Emily Keys,
the Lascelles family, Gail Stewart, Bert Hopkins, Mary Jane Jones, the Sprott
family.
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), Ian Godfrey, Eric Chernushenko,
Aidan and Willem Ray, the Stewart family.
ZONE E1: Mark Fryars (Coordinator), Brian Tansey, Doug Stickley, Wendy
Johnson, Anna Cuylits, David Lum, Mary O’Neill.
ZONE E2: Nicola Katz (Coordinator), Frida Kolsster-Berry, Mary-Ann
Kent, Glen Elder and Lorraine Stewart, the Rowleys, Dave White, the Hunter
family, Brodkin-Haas family, Christina Bradley.
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, Janet
Jancar, the Stern family, T. Liston, Ellen Bailie, Niki Devito, Dante and Bianca Ruiz, Walter and Robbie Engert.
ZONE F2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), the Tubman family, Karen Fee, Shaughnessy and Kyle Dow, Paulette Theriault, Mark McDonald, Bea Bol, Jill
Moine, Paris Dutton.
ZONE G: Jim and Angela Graves (Coordinator), Peggy and Brian Kinsley,
Shelly Lewis, Peter Murphy, Claire and Brigitt Maultsaid, Jane Kurys, Roger
Ehrhardt, Norma Grier, the Ostrander-Weitzman family.
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.
Bank Street-Ottawa South: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson
Bank Street-Glebe: Craig Piche.
Page CONTRIBUTIONS
Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to
[email protected] in either plain text or WORD format, or as a
printed copy delivered to the Firehall office, 260 Sunnyside Avenue.
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FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES
December 15 (January issue), January 19 (February issue), February
16 (March issue), March 20 (April issue), April 20 (May issue), May 18
(June issue), June 15 (July/August issue).
The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Centre
HOURS
PHONE 247-4946
MONDAY TO THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
9 AM TO 9 PM
9 AM TO 6 PM
9 AM TO 1 PM*
CLOSED
*Open only when programs are operating, please call first.
WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?
Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA)
Ottawa Public Library - South Branch
Lynn Graham, Public School Trustee - [email protected]
Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee
Centretown Community Health Centre
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
CUSA (Carleton U Students Association)
Graduate Students Association
Community Liaison
Mediation Centre
Athletics
CITY HALL
Bob Chiarelli, Mayor of Ottawa ([email protected])
Clive Doucet, City Councillor ([email protected])
Main Number(24 hrs) for all departments
Community Police - non-emergencies
Emergencies only
Serious Crimes
Ottawa Hydro
Streetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering)
Brewer Pool
Brewer Arena
City of Ottawa web site - www.city.ottawa.on.ca
247-4946
247-4872
730-1082
730-3366
526-9512
233-5430
520-6688
520-6616
520-3660
520-5765
520-4480
580-2496
580-2487
3-1-1
236-1222
9-1-1
230-6211
738-6400
3-1-1
247-4938
247-4917
Page The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
Old Ottawa South Needs
Volunteers
From the Firehall
By Dinos Dafniotis
Seasonal greetings to the residents of Old Ottawa South from
the Ottawa South Community Centre. Within the pages of this
OSCAR you will find the Centre’s Winter Recreation brochure.
We hope there is something offered that will appeal to you
and your family. Registration is a breeze by heading to www.
oldottawasouth.ca starting on Sunday, December 10, 9:00pm. emember that children don’t return to school from the
Christmas Break until January 8th. Why not sign up
then up in our Christmas Break Camp which runs from
Tuesday January 2 to Friday, January 5. We have a ski / tubing
trip planned as well as many other favourites. Please call us for
further details.
We are pleased to offer a cooperative French playgroup, les
copins et copines de jeux, on Thursday mornings at the Firehall.
Please check the brochure for details.
The Firehall has two teams registered in the West End
Basketball League for the 2006-2007 season. Our co-ed ATOMS
team coached by Larry Savage started the season with a nail
biting victory against the Goulbourn Raptors at Jack Donohue
School on Saturday November 18 by a score of 20 - 18. The coed Novice team starts their games in the new year. I will keep
you informed of our basketball fortunes as the season progresses.
Local resident Paul Armstrong along with Larry have done a
great job putting together a group of adult volunteers to coach
our two teams.
We still have a couple of spots on our Atom Team as I write
this. If your son or daughter (born 1995/96)is available for
Thursday evening practices and Saturday games please call the
Firehall to register. We have 4 openings on our roster.
If you have any questions about our programs you can reach
us at (613)247-4946 or email me at [email protected].
Until next month Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Merry
Kwanzaa and have a Happy New Year.
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Community Spirit Depends On You!
W
e need to pay more attention to volunteer recruitment and engagement.
Over the last year, on more than one occasion, we have had to cancel a
community event, or come close to doing that. Many of our committees
and Board events are dependent for their success on the same handful of dedicated
volunteers coming out and getting the job done.
For example, our volunteers that put on our annual auction and lobster supper that
raised significant funds for the Firehall redevelopment and the dedicated volunteers
who operated the Windsor Park open air rink, have retired and unless we get new
people committed to helping out these important community services they will not
see the light of day this coming year. We need to get more volunteers into OSCA and
provide the organization and leadership to help them take on the many jobs we need
to get done.
Volunteers have fun organizing events.
Call Deirdre at 613-247-4946 for details of the many projects that could use your
help.
R
Walking Club
What’s
Happening at the
Library is
on page 43
Many thanks to Karen Landheer
for 22 years of delivering the OSCAR!
Over 6000 papers delivered!
An inspiration to all of us.
SONGS,
CIDER and
SLEIGH RIDES at the
FIREHALL
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
6:30 pm to 8:30
260 Sunnyside Avenue
SLEIGH RIDES: 6:30, 6:50, 7:10, 7:30, 7:50
Hot Chocolate, Cookies, Cider……
Crafts………and
A Visit with SANTA
Tickets available at the Firehall beginning Monday, Dec. 11 at 9:00am
NEW, NEW – MUGS FOR SALE –
made in the Firehall Pottery Studio –
$10 each Fundraiser for OSCA
To Donate Cookies call 613-247-4946
Wednesday Walkers - Join these ladies for a walk.
Do you like walking but need the incentive to go out? Put on your walking shoes and join us for a neighbourhood tour. Great way to meet your
neighbours. Starting point is the Firehall.
Wednesday, 9:30 am - 10:30 am, Year round and FREE
Write for Rights!
O
n Sunday, December 10, celebrate Human Rights Day by writing letters
as part of Amnesty International’s annual write-a-thon. Come out to
Southminster United Church from 2:00 to 4:00 that afternoon where
you can write to and on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Writing materials and
stamps will be available as well as sample letters and refreshments.
(Donations to defray the cost of stamps will be welcomed.) We will also have
a special children’s corner for them to participate by sending greeting cards to
prisoners of conscience and drawing pictures to be included with the cards.
Southminster United Church is at the corner of Bank and Aylmer, opposite the
Sunnyside Library. The write-a-thon will be held upstairs in the Ladies’ Parlour.
Please use the back entrance, off Galt Street.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT
New OSCA Board, Thanks, and Report to AGM
By Michael Jenkin
New OSCA Board Elected
A
t
November’s
Annual
General Meeting OSCA
members elected a new Board
consisting of the following members:
Lisa Drouillard
Pierre Gratton
Stephen Haines
Kevin Harper, OSWATCH chair
Gayatri Jayaraman
Michael Jenkin, President
Ed Keyes, Program Committee
co-chair
Mike Lascelles, VP Internal
David Law, VP External
Michael Loewen, Chair Ecos
Brendan McCoy, Secretary
Val
MacIntosh,
Business
Community Representative
Steve Mennill, Treasurer
Doug Mouser, Chair, Special
Events
Jason Parry
Paul Paquet
Patti Ryan
Ken Slemko
Jim Steel
Greg Strahl
The new Board’s term runs from
November of this year to October of
2007. [See Page 1]
I would also like to thank the
following Board members who
are retiring for all their hard work
this year: Margaux Béland, Dianne
Caldbick, Carolyn Pullen, Jenny
Haysom, our Program Committee
Chair Gauri Sreenivasen, and long
time Board member and OSWATCH
Chair Leo Doyle. Volunteers such as
these deserve all our thanks for with
out the hard work and dedication they
bringto OSCA, we simply could not
deliver the services you benefit from
and which make Old Ottawa South
such a great place to live. I would also
like to thank the Firehall City staff
Dinos Dafniotis and Cathie Buchanan
for their help and cooperation, and
lastly, but by no mean least, Dierdre
McQuillan, our Executive Director
for guiding us through the inevitable
hurdles of getting things done and for
her dedication and good humour.
A Challenging Year – Report to the
2006 OSCA AGM
On November 7 I delivered the
annual President’s report on OSCA’s
activities to the 2006 Annual General
Meeting. I thought it would be a good
idea to share that report in OSCAR
with the broader community.
Since coming into office in
November 2005, your Board has been
very active on a number of fronts.
Let me just provide a brief summary
here:
•
we finalized the design
proposal for the Firehall expansion
and renovation and completed public
consultations on it;
hours;
*
OSCAR, under the leadership
of our new editor, Mary Anne
Thompson, has expanded its content
and number of pages and is in great
financial shape;
......our biggest challenge will be to bring a funding
commitment from the City to re-develop and expand
the community centre. I think we are well positioned
to get a favourable outcome, but it will require
determination and lots of hard work in lobbying
politicians and officials over the next year and in
putting together a convincing business case that will
demonstrate how, with a growing community, we not
only need, but can sustain, such a development;
*
we held a press conference to
launch the new design in April 2006
which attracted major coverage in the
Citizen, the Sun, CJOH-TV, A Channel
and Rogers Community Channel;
*
we got a commitment from
Mayor Chiarelli at our Lobster Supper
in May to seek budgetary support for
the “soft costs” for the renovation the detailed design and specification
work needed to obtain bids;
*
our Firehall fund raising
committee held yet another very
successful Lobster Supper raising
almost $30,000 for the renovation.
So far the committee has raised over
$150,000 towards the renovation
which is now held in a charitable
trust;
*
in combination with a Board
decision earlier this year to commit
$90,000 of reserves to capital and
equipment improvements to the
Firehall means that we have the
ability now as an organization to
commit about a quarter of a million
dollars towards the improvement of
our community centre;
*
we had successful and well
attended community events such as
the Christmas sleigh ride, June BBQ
and the Porch sale;
*
we have invested in new
program equipment and renovated the
kitchen in the Firehall;
*
our program committee has
run a successful year of programming
with good results, especially for
children’s programming and this
autumn successfully implemented
a new on-line registration system so
that our members no longer have to
line up to take advantage of OSCA
programs; and
*
finally, our finances are secure.
In September we closed our financial
year with an operating surplus of just
over $20,000.
We are also fortunate to live in a
community whose prospects seem to
be rising. Our population is projected
to grow by some 20% over the next
decade or so and the community is
attracting more new families as its
proximity to the city centre and the
wide range of services and facilities
I would also like to thank the following Board members
who are retiring for all their hard work this year: Margaux
Béland, Dianne Caldbick, Carolyn Pullen, Jenny Haysom, our
Program Committee Chair Gauri Sreenivasen, and long time
Board member and OSWATCH Chair Leo Doyle.
*
we have had major successes
with traffic issues including the City’s
agreement to do a safety study of
Sunnyside and the implementation
of a 40 km/h limit on Sunnyside and
Riverdale. The City has also agreed
to study right hand turn prohibitions
northbound from Bronson onto
Sunnyside during morning rush
available such as recreational
services, a library and a renovated and
expanded public school, make it high
on people’s list of a good place to live.
Even Bank Street is experiencing a bit
of a renaissance with the new zoning
and street redesign attracting new
businesses and new development.
Despite this, the next year will
be a challenging one both for the
community and for OSCA.
In
effect, I see three challenges we as a
community association will face in
the coming year:
*
first, our biggest challenge
will be to bring a funding commitment
from the City to re-develop and
expand the community centre. I
think we are well positioned to get a
favourable outcome, but it will require
determination and lots of hard work in
lobbying politicians and officials over
the next year and in putting together
a convincing business case that will
demonstrate how, with a growing
community, we not only need, but can
sustain, such a development;
*
second, we need to pay more
attention to our programming base.
Our community has been changing
over the last few years and so have the
kinds of recreational service providers
in the public and private sector that
members of our community have
access to. We need to plan for the long
term and determine where we want
to invest in new programming and
where we want to reduce our presence
so we can ensure we are meeting the
community’s needs and are responding
to a changing environment. This will
be particularly important if we want
to be able to demonstrate how we can
make the best use of a renovated and
expanded community centre;
*
finally, we need to pay more
attention to volunteer recruitment
and engagement. Over the last year,
on more than one occasion, we have
had to cancel a community event, or
come close to doing that. Many of
our committees and Board events are
dependent for their success on the
same handful of dedicated volunteers
coming out and getting the job
done. For example, our volunteers
that put on our annual auction and
lobster supper that raised significant
funds for the Firehall redevelopment
and the dedicated volunteers who
operated the Windsor Park open air
rink, have retired and unless we get
new people committed to helping out
these important community services
they will not see the light of day this
coming year. We need to get more
volunteers into OSCA and provide the
organization and leadership to help
them take on the many jobs we need
to get done.
Despite these challenges I
am confident that the energy and
imagination of the people who live in
this community are more than up to
the task - we have a proud track record
of accomplishment and commitment
that makes me optimistic about the
future.
Page The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
What Is Global Warming?
A Brief Overview:
(From the Inconvenient Truth –
Climatecrisis.net)
C
arbon dioxide and other gases
warm the surface of the planet
naturally by trapping heat from
the sun in the atmosphere. This is a
good thing because it keeps our planet
livable.
However, by burning fossil fuels
such as coal, gas and oil and clearing
forests we have dramatically increased
the amount of carbon dioxide in the
Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures
begin to rise.
The vast majority of scientists agree
that global warming is real, it’s already
happening and that it is the result of our
activities and not a natural occurrence.
The evidence is overwhelming and
undeniable.
We’re already seeing changes.
Glaciers are melting, plants and animals
are being forced from their habitat,
and the number of severe storms and
droughts is increasing.
• The number of Category 4 and 5
hurricanes has almost doubled in the
last 30 years
• Malaria has spread to higher
altitudes in places like the Colombian
Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.
• The flow of ice from glaciers in
Greenland has more than doubled over
the past decade.
• At least 279 species of plants
and animals are already responding to
global warming, moving closer to the
poles.
• The 10 hottest years ever
recorded, have all occurred within the
last 14 years. 2005 was the hottest.
• The Arctic is melting so fast it may
now be past the point of no return. If
the warming continues, we can expect
catastrophic consequences.
• Deaths from global warming will
double in just 25 years -- to 300,000
people a year.
• Global sea levels could rise by
more than 20 feet with the loss of
shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica,
devastating coastal areas worldwide.
• Heat waves will be more frequent
and more intense.
• Droughts and wildfires will occur
more often.
• The Arctic Ocean could be ice
free in summer by 2050
• More than a million species
worldwide could be driven to extinction
by 2050.
There is no doubt we can solve
this problem. In fact, we have a moral
obligation to do so.
The time to come together to solve
this problem is now – Take Action
DECEMBER 2006
What Will Happen To The North
America Way Of Life When The
World’s Oil Is Depleted?
By Anna Sundin
I
n North American Society we
take the continuing availability of
cheap oil and other carbon based
fuels for granted. Our communities
are planned assuming oil will
continue to be cheaply and easily
available. Oil is used for building
roads, transporting goods to and
people from the suburbs, producing
food and consumer goods and then
transporting them worldwide.
In North America, it is agribusiness that is the largest single
consumer of oil. Oil is used to make
fertilizers and pesticides and is also
needed to operate farm machinery.
This may be difficult to believe as
most communities no longer produce
sufficient food locally to feed its
population. We have chosen to
abdicate this responsibility in favour
of far-flung corporate agricultural
giants because we prefer to keep
the price we pay at the supermarket
artificially low. In the process we have
sacrificed variety, taste, nutrition,
health and the environment.
Unfortunately, oil is a finite
resource. In the 1970s oil production
in North America peaked and started
to decline. Experts in the oil industry
believe that the world’s oil reserves
are currently peaking and that we will
start to feel the effects of the decline
of oil in our life time. Meanwhile
demand for the oil life style continues
to grow worldwide.
Like many others, I was blithely
unaware that we are presently on the
brink of the decline of the world’s oil
reserves. This will have an impact on
all aspects of our lifestyle. At first we
will notice this by increases in the
cost of electricity, heating oil, natural
gas, food, consumer goods, gasoline,
and transportation as the cheap and
easily accessible oil becomes scarce
before all oil eventually disappears
altogether.
The impact on the North
American life style as oil disappears
is explored in the documentary
“The End of Suburbia” produced by
Greg Greene and Barry Silverthorn.
The documentary “The Power of
Community” explores how Cuban
society adjusted to a sudden and
permanent loss of oil imports in the
early 1990s.
After
watching
these
documentaries it became clear to me
how precarious our social fabric is.
I began to ask myself, if we don’t
plan for the inevitable disappearance
of oil, how might individuals and
neighbourhoods react to the scarcity
of a resource we all now take for
granted? Is it possible to lessen the
shock by working together?
With the support of ECOS, the
environmental committee of OSCA I
am inviting interested individuals to
watch these documentaries and start
a discussion group.
The screenings are on Sunday
December 10th or Saturday December
16th at my house. Call 613-730-6559
to reserve your seat.
Ontario Vaults From Worst To
First In Windpower In Canada
Over Three Years
O
ntario is now Canada’s leading windpower generator thanks in part
to the opening today of the Prince wind farm on the shores of Lake
Superior, northwest of Sault Ste. Marie.
The 189-megawatt two-phase $400 million Prince wind farm project
is the fourth new wind farm to open in Ontario in the last nine months.
The project’s 126 turbines will generate enough electricity to power over
40,000 homes. Ontario now has 413 megawatts of wind power generation,
compared with 384 megawatts in Alberta.
Brookfield Powers’ Prince wind farm is the fourth new wind project to
open in Ontario. In April the 99-megawatt Erie Shores wind project near
Port Burwell and the 40-megawatt Kingsbridge I wind project near Goderich
began commercial operations. The 67-megawatt Melancthon wind project
near Shelburne began operating in March.
To date the province has supported 18 new, renewable energy contracts.
Combined, these projects will help Ontario reach its goal of generating five
per cent of its electricity capacity through renewable generation by 2007,
and ten per cent by 2010.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page CITY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
Thank You For Your Support
Tipped
The lake hovers at the edge
of the great freeze.
Trees and needs stripped on the
shore.
The water naked of disguise,
a puddle waiting to crystallise.
Yet the birds still gather to paddle
about,
innocuous, busy
terns, ducks, loons,
incongruous all.
Feathers puffed against the cold.
Has no-one told them?
The earth has tipped, the sun angled
away,
The guard of winter come.
God love us,
because ducks don’t.
(from Canal Seasons)
Dear OSCAR readers,
F
irst and foremost, thank you
all for such strong support in
the election. Canvassing in
municipal election begins to turn into
one long night – but your welcome
as I stood on the porch made each
night easier. Thank you. A solid
mandate helps me to represent you
and advance the issues important to
the neighbourhood.
The challenges of the new council
will be immediate. By the time you
read this, not only will the fate of
light rail be decided but the 2007 City
Budget will be front and centre. The
changes at City Hall mean we cannot
take for granted previous commitments
for the Old Firehall renovation but the
Firehall will remain a top priority for
me.
The great challenge the new Mayor
will face is to bring two different parts
of the city together. The outgoing
Mayor although unable to convince
the electorate did a good job building
political consensus around issues that
often split not so much on political
lines but geographic ones - those
councillors inside the greenbelt and
house outside.
Those outside often opposed any
expenditures within the greenbelt
– the light rail, the pedestrian bridge
across the canal, funding for renewed
community centres, the GCTC and
Elgin Street Theatre and so on. Those
within the greenbelt often opposed
more money for new roads, pipes,
bridges, rural summit, etc. Mayor
Chiarelli was able to hammer out
a majority vote around most of
those issues to keep the city moving
forward.
Will Mayor O’Brien be able to
have the same or better success at
building political consensus around
key issues? Only time will tell.
I am entering the new term of
Council optimistic that the light rail
project so important to starting to
build a greener city will go forward.
I believe when Mayor O’ Brien
reviews the contract with senior staff
he will be impressed by it. Siemens
was most anxious to give Ottawa the
best price and project design possible
as they had been frozen out of both
Toronto and Montreal by sole sourcing
to Bombardier, and I believe their
desire to be the winning proponent
in Ottawa is reflected in both their
price and the quality of their proposal.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much more
as the competitive process requires
the details remain confidential until
the contract is not just signed, but
sealed and delivered by all parties
– which remains to be done because
of Mr. Baird’s intervention.
I remain utterly convinced that
while not perfect, the North-South
proposal is the best deal for Ottawa.
In our ward, at Carleton, it will see the
construction of a $50 million station
that will be weather proof – built
by Carleton U., a pedestrian bridge
across the Rideau River, as well as
a new train bridge, and widening the
present tunnel under Dow’s Lake to
two tracks.
Most importantly, the south to
downtown service will bring Bronson
Av e n u e
Students Sue University For Not
Providing Adequate Resources
F
or the first time in Canadian academic
history, students are suing their
university for not providing the
promised high level of pedagogical service.
The precedent setting case could give students
a direct say in resource allocations for quality
teaching at Canadian universities.
A group of students at the University
of Ottawa are suing the publicly funded
corporation through Small Claims Court for
breach of contract in not providing teaching
assistants (TAs) to lead the workgroups
in SCI 1101 (Science in Society, fall 2006
term), in this class of over 100.
While it is the accepted norm to
allocate TAs for workgroups in any class
that predominantly uses a workgroupbased method, the administration ruled to
allocate only the minimum number of TAs
corresponding to marking needs in a lecturetype class, thereby significantly decreasing
the value of the course. The students are
seeking 2/3 reimbursement of the tuition
fees for the course and legal expenses.
“The university Mission Statement states
that ‘[it] places its students at the core of its
educational mission‘ and that ‘[it promises]
a high-quality learning environment’,
said student Edwidge Valery, “well, OK,
let’s have it”. “We are tired of vacuous
policy statements and an unresponsive
administration” added student Nick Loeb.
“We have made significant efforts to improve
conditions yet they treat us like a knitting
club” concluded student Alex Vyse.
“It was clear in the design of this course,
all through the 11-month and 16-committee
approval process, that the pedagogical
method was based on workgroups and
required TAs” stated student Tammy Kovich
who is one of the two TAs for the course and
one of the many students who fought to have
this course approved, the first of its kind in
the Faculty of Science.
“It was a shame to see the administration
and the President and VP-Academic
themselves block and deflect our requests,
intended only to provide what was
expected” said student spokesperson Valérie
Duchesneau.
The claim was deposited with the Small
Claims Court, Superior Court of Justice,
Ottawa, and served to the university on
November 23, 2006. A court date is expected
within months.
substantial traffic
relief and it offers the city quick
and easy expansion to the airport, to
Gatineau across the Prince of Wales
bridge and to Hurdman. The last two
expansions should allow us to take
all of the STO and OC buses out of
downtown.
So – my great hope is that by the
time you read this, Mayor O’Brien
will have signed off on the NorthSouth electric line and we will be
moving forward to tackle the new
term with the old council’s major
accomplishment finally firmly in a go
forward mode.
With very best wishes to you for the
Christmas and holiday times.
Clive
Page The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
2006 Municipal Election Results:
Suburbs and Rural Ottawa make O’Brien Mayor; Old Ottawa South,
the Glebe, and Old Ottawa East rally to re-elect Councillor Doucet
By Mike Lascelles
T
he results of the 2006 municipal
election are old news by now,
but read on to learn how Capital
Ward and Old Ottawa South voted for
Mayor and Councillor respectively.
Larry O’Brien Elected
Mayor
Mayor-elect
Larry
O’Brien
comes across as an affable, decisive
businessman who doesn’t need a
hearing aid. He really did listen to
what many citizens said they wanted
and didn’t want. So, it’s no surprise
that on November 13, 2006 municipal
voters elected him the Mayor of
Ottawa because they believe he will
deliver on his promises to freeze
municipal taxes, fix or nix Light Rail,
make City Hall work better, improve
public safety, and force Ottawa to get
smart on waste management.
(See Chart A)
Chart A shows how residents in
different wards voted for mayoral
candidates O’Brien and Munter.
These data appear to support six
observations:
It was an O’Brien vs. Munter
race since, except in a single ward
(Gloucester – South Nepean), Bob
Chiarelli ran well behind in third place.
Some commentators claim that exMayor Chiarelli’s performance proves
that the voters wanted wholesale
change at City Hall. It’s hard to agree
with this when you realize that all
nineteen incumbent councillors on
the ballot were re-elected. What
seems more likely is that Munter and
O’Brien constructed their platforms to
respond to the major issues troubling
voters.
The dominant election issue
likely was widespread and intense
public anger about high property
taxes. It seems that O’Brien won big
- particularly in rural and suburban
areas - because he promised to freeze
property taxes for four years. The
fact that most voters in Barrhaven
supported him, even though that ward
stood to gain significantly if the Light
Rail project proceeded, supports the
conclusion that many voters are fed
up with recent property tax increases.
Many citizens of Ottawa voted
for O’Brien or Munter because they
do not support the Light Rail project.
Voters sent a clear message – fix or nix
the light rail project. In retrospect, this
opposition seems predictable given
the city-wide concern about property
taxes and the mass of disgruntled
commuters in the east and west end
who would not benefit directly from
this transit project.
The election results don’t appear
to support the “Tale of Two Cities”
stereotype of Ottawa harbouring
two solitudes segregated by the
Greenbelt and incompatible values.
So, although Larry O’Brien outdrew
Alex Munter by a wide margin outside
the Greenbelt, they had quite similar
levels of overall support inside the
Greenbelt. But, Munter’s platform had
extra appeal in central Ottawa where
large numbers of residents voted for
his promise to limit tax increases
while promoting safer, greener and
fairer communities and keeping the
growing waves of speeding commuter
traffic at bay.
Both O’Brien and Munter had
green planks in their platforms.
While virtually everyone is aware
of
Munter’s
pro-environment
policies, fewer people know about
O’Brien’s promises to fight pollution.
Specifically, if Mayor O’Brien and
the new Council can come up with
a more efficient and affordable light
rail system, then commuters and
the environment will be better off.
Similarly, Larry O’Brien promised to
take action to reduce the garbage going
to the Carp and Navan Roads landfills,
support the incineration option, and to
close both dumps within a decade.
Over-taxed, under-supported
communities such as Old Ottawa
South, that are not getting a fair
deal from City Hall, will have to
work extra hard to persuade the
new Mayor and Council that they
deserve priority treatment. For
instance, it seems that the election
results have not made it any easier for
our community to persuade City staff
and Council to fund and fast-track the
renovation and expansion of the Old
Firehall community centre.
See next Page ......
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
Clive Doucet Wins Despite Ian Boyd’s Challenge and
Jay Nordenstrom’s Surging Campaign
In 2003, when Clive Doucet captured 80% of the votes to be reelected Capital Ward Councillor, he must have realized that elections
don’t get much easier. So, it was hardly surprising that in 2006 two
strong competitors – Jay Nordenstrom and Ian Boyd – tried to defeat
Clive. Leading up to election day, the sprouting lawn signs pointed to a
tight race for Councillor. And it was close. At first, as the results from
Carleton University and the southern part of Capital Ward flowed in, it
looked as if Jay would dethrone Clive. But overall, Doucet garnered 48%
of the votes compared to 34% for Nordenstrom and 15% for Boyd. Chart
B indicates how each of the three leading candidates fared in Old Ottawa
South and the other sectors of Capital Ward.
(See Chart B)
Clive Doucet won the majority of votes in the Glebe/Dow’s Lake,
Old Ottawa South, and Old Ottawa East and these strong results were
sufficient for him to win re-election. Ian Boyd enjoyed good support in
the Glebe and south of the Rideau and attracted fair backing elsewhere.
Jay Nordenstrom produced the most exciting election night results.
Starting strongly in the Glebe, where he edged Glebite Boyd for second
place, Jay gained momentum in Old Ottawa South – particularly east
of Bank Street, picked up a bit more support in Old Ottawa East, and
then surged into first place south of the Rideau. The results at Carleton
University are straightforward – Jay won easily. As a former student
activist and politician at Carleton, it was expected that Nordenstrom
would do well. Jay did remarkably well – he gained 89% of the votes
– leaving his three opponents to fight for the few votes left.
It’s a very tall order to defeat an incumbent Councillor. Indeed, not
one of them lost in 2006. But, Nordenstrom made Doucet work hard
to regain his Council seat for four more years. Clive and his team
responded to the challenge and prevailed. Now Councillor Doucet faces
the task of promoting our inter-city interests on the new Council that
appears pre-occupied with keeping costs down rather than investing in
our communities.
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page Page 10
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Seniors and Transportation in Ottawa
by stephen a. haines
(Photos depicting alternate forms of
transportation curtesy of Al Loney’s
presentation)
A
forum on transportation
issues was held at The
Council on Aging of Ottawa
at its Kilborn Avenue facility.
Seniors from a wide variety of
venues, plus helpers, counsellors
and others attended, with over 100
participants. The purpose of the
Forum was to identify issues of
concern to seniors on “getting about”
in our city. These ranged over a
spectrum of topics from various
means of private transportation to
OC Transpo’s awareness of senior’s
concerns. Once identified by the
attendees, the Forum went on to
discuss possible solutions and who
might be best placed to implement
them.
The opening session was hosted
by facilitator Johanne Levesque.
She introduced Al Loney, who gave
a presentation on “Current Services
and Successful Canadian Models”.
The presentation discussed Ottawa’s
history of transportation and how it
has accommodated seniors. It was
a jolt to be reminded that seniors’
earliest mode of transport here was
the horse and buggy. That image,
however, reminded his audience that
accessibility has remained a primary
concern for seniors’ transport. Buses,
he reminded us, were not provided
until the 1920s. Under the wide
variety of environments experienced
in Ottawa, mobility is a challenge,
often a serious one. This means
that seniors must become aware
of the variety of options available,
including car-pooling and taxis.
Expense is a related concern, one not
always seniors are able to meet.
Mr. Loney went on to describe
examples in other Canadian cities
and Provinces of how transportation
flexibility has been enhanced and
improved to deal with senior users’
needs. In Manitoba, a Seniors’
Transportation Working Group, not
yet a decade old, works to provide
multiple solutions for helping
seniors to reach appointments
and for less formal transportation
issues. Calgary has a Transportation
Planning Committee which promotes
city agency and seniors interaction
forums to identify and resolve issues.
In our own Province, TorontoRIDE
is an arrangement of non-profit
organisations to share resources in
providing transport. The Peel-Halton
region has a variety of programmes
to aid in conveying senior users.
The focus then shifted to Ottawa
and our own OC Transpo service.
Dr Helen Gault gave a presentation
on OC Transpo’s Future for Ottawa
Seniors. ParaTranspo, which has
been a significant help in seniors’
conveying, is confronted with a large
user community. ParaTranspo makes
over 690,000 trips per year, a serious
challenge to the system’s capacity.
It is Canada’s third largest user base
in large or moderately-sized cities.
Because that need cannot always be
met, Dr Gault noted that the standard
buses are hoping to attract more
drivers to deal with appointments
and calendar events. “Our needs
are individually tailored to residents
where possible”, Executive Directory
Sarah Hibberd told me. Not all
facilities can match that level. At the
Forum, issues of overworked drivers
and limited facilities have made even
regularly scheduled trips sometimes
problematic. My own Discussion
Group settled on bus safety as a
significant problem. For seniors,
bus movement while departing from
or arriving at a stop often presents
difficulties. Abrupt movement may
cause seniors to be jolted against
other passengers, fixtures or to fall
headlong. For Old Ottawa South
seniors, our own Route 7 is a good
case in point. It must make three
sharp turns in crossing our area in a
downtown trip. Both seniors and the
number of Carleton students bearing
book bags are often compelled to
senior customers and the disabled.
The “sinking” bus and dedicated
spaces for seniors are one step in
encouraging that shift. Dr Gault
noted that these “special” buses
are increasing in number in the OC
Transpo fleet.
The attendees divided into a
number of discussion groups, each
defining an issue they deemed
paramount. One group dealt with the
issues of people in retirement homes.
OOS seniors’ facility Colonel By
Retirement Residence is able to
cope with a pair of vehicles and
cope with sudden unexpected bus
movement.
Although the Forum wasn’t in a
position to address solutions directly,
the organisers will be conveying
the results of the discussions to the
appropriate agencies and operators in
the city. It’s to be hoped results will
be visible shortly.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 11
ABBOTSFORD HOUSE
Day Of Caring At Abbotsford House
By Julie Ireton
A
group of Nortel workers
recently traded in their
computers and spread sheets
for paint smocks and brushes to help
the folks at Abbotsford House.
“What a great day. Our Multipurpose room was painted and a few
extra things too. The place is all a
buzz,” said Patricia Goyeche programs
facilitator at Abbotsford House, part
of the Glebe Centre.
Thursday October 5th was the
annual “Day of Caring” in Ottawa.
The event pairs more than 1,200
volunteers from both the private
and public sector with community
organizations. Employees get the day
off work to help out on the volunteer
project.
It was the 7th year for the event,
which is run by the United Way,
Volunteer Ottawa, the City of Ottawa
and the Ottawa Community Housing
Corporation.
Organizers at Nortel had a long
list of tasks that needed to be done
throughout the community. Some
workers painted benches, others made
sandwiches at the Boys and Girls
club.
Six research and development
staff from Nortel decided to help out
Abbotsford House. Richard Krol is
a Nortel team leader. He says most
of the volunteers didn’t even know
Abbotsford existed, even though
they’ve probably driven by the old
stone house many times on the way to
games or events at Lansdowne Park.
“I wouldn’t have guessed they
were so active there,” said Krol.
“There were lots of people around.
We put a crimp in the bridge game
that day, and the next day they were
holding a dance class.”
Krol says the Day of Caring event
is a great excuse to get out of the
office. He says the Nortel campus at
Carling Ave. and Moodie Dr. can be
very isolated at times.
“There’s nothing to do there but
work. This created an opportunity
for folks who get too caught up in
the day to day business at Nortel
to get involved in the community,”
Richard Krol, Renee Kerr, Karl Coffin, Rejean Tremblay, Robert Lowe and Robert Grondin. They work for Nortel
and volunteered at Abbotsford house on the annual “Day of Caring.”
explained Krol.
Krol added that the jobs his team
works on at Nortel often have very
long term goals; targets of six to seven
months down the road. He says it was
very satisfying to see the guys come
together and get a job done in one
day.
Now, the multi-purpose room at
Abbotsford House has a nice, new
mint-green sheen. The Abbotsford
folks were obviously happy with the
final-product, Krol says they asked
them to come back to do a few more
handy-man tasks on the weekend.
Krol says he and the others will
volunteer again next year. Their
assignment could be anywhere in
the city. He says he looks forward
to meeting another group in his
community that he otherwise
wouldn’t.
Area Church Service Times
Sunnyside Wesleyan Chuch
St Margaret Mary’s Parish
Trinity Anglican Church
Southminster United
Church
58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside)
Sunday Worship Services are at 9
a.m., 11 a.m.
Children’s programs are offered during both services.
1230 Bank Street (corner of Cameron)
Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Church School adn Nursery at 10
a.m.
7 Fairbairn
Sunday liturgies: Saturday at 4:30
p,m. Sunday at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Evening Prayer: Tuesday at 7 p.m.
15 Aylmer Avenue
10:30 a.m.: Worship and Sunday
School - September through June
Page 12
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB
Greening Your Garden, Your Home
And Your Community
by Lis Smidt
I
n November the Garden Club
welcomed local resident, author,
speaker and president of Green
and Gold Inc. David Chernushenko,
to be our speaker. David is also a high
profile candidate for the Green Party.
In his business, Chernishenko is
among the pioneers using sustainable
development principles to make
organizations more effective and
profitable. The aim with this talk to
the garden club was to help us situate
ourselves in “the big picture” and
answer the question: is there anything
we can do as gardeners?
What we are up against as
gardeners, and as local citizens of
the 21st century, is the global climate
change, of which we see evidence
in the extreme and unusual weather
all over the world. We are already
experiencing results such as excessive
rainfall, persistent droughts and more
frequent, severe storms. The seasons
are changing, becoming unpredictable
and different from what we are
used to and, in some places, leading
to infestations of pests that were
previously not able to survive our
climate. This change in our climate
zones is obviously very serious, not
only for gardeners, but for our various
crop industries. What we grow in
our gardens in the future may have to
change in order to adapt to the climate
change. The big challenge is of course
whether we, and the whole ecosystem,
will be able to adapt fast enough. A
major contributor to climate change
is our vast energy consumption and
any way to cut down on the need for
energy is important. In Canada we
have to heat our houses, but we now
use even more energy to cool them!
Our cities are “heat-islands” because
of the many heat-absorbing surfaces
that retains the heat from the sun
(roads, houses, roofs, driveways etc.).
The darker the surface, the more heat
retention. Keeping this in mind, we
can make choices as gardeners and
homeowners to grow trees and vines
that shade our houses and cut down
on the need for air-conditioning. We
can choose light, rather than dark
materials, for roofs and driveways.
We can also try to eliminate the need
for watering with water that has cost
energy by going through the water
treatment system. You want the
rainwater penetrating into the ground
in your garden, not rushing into
the storm sewer from the driveway
and other hard surfaces. Consider
changing your asphalt and concrete
in favour of materials that will let
the rain be absorbed into the ground.
Also get a water barrel to collect and
store rainwater for later use. Other
speakers to our Garden Club have
dealt with the subject of xeri-scaping
and how to choose plants that will
survive without watering once they
are established.
David admitted to having switched
strategy from trying to prevent global
warming, to now trying to adapt to it as
a given. Rather than feeling defeated,
however, he claimed to be excited by
the challenge. David’s advice: Do
something that you know you can do.
Once you have done one thing, you
will be ready for another – and so on.
Gardeners may be concerned not only
with creating pretty gardens at any
cost, but may take up the challenge to
become more sustainable. The point
is to see the adaptation to climate
change and the need to counteract it, as
a positive challenge. Take small steps
where you can, and feel good about it.
Make it fun, and it will be rewarding.
You can start at the individual level.
Maybe the community can be next.
Next meeting will be in the Old
Firehall, January 15th from 7-9 pm.
A long-time member of the Garden
Club will present a slide show of
Gardens in India from a recent trip.
You can still join the Garden Club
for $12, or pay the $5 drop-in fee.
Everybody is welcome.
St Margaret Mary’s
Christmas Bazaar
Sunday, December 3, 2006
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
This year at the Church and
the Old Firehall – Corner of
Sunnyside and Fairbairn
Healthy Frozen Foods – Simplify
your holiday season by stocking up
on delicious frozen apple pies and
nutritious frozen dinners made with
care by our parishioners. Choice of
Chicken Cacciatore, Pork Schnitzel,
or Vegetarian Chili.
Unique Hostess Gifts and
Stocking Stuffers – Select from
beautiful hand-made Christmas gifts,
crackers and decorations, chocolatecovered spoons, elegant gift bags,
and special treats for your dog, cat or
wintering birds.
Baked Goods and Preserves
– Check out our delicious pies,
scrumptious cookies – shortbread to
gingerbread – and seasonal cakes.
Take home a jar of marmalade, jam or
chutney.
Raffles and Balloon Bursts – win
your Christmas turkey or other prizes.
Purchase a balloon for a prize from a
local merchant.
Fun for the entire Family – Join
us for lunch featuring homemade
minestrone soup, Hungarian goulash
or pizza. Relax while your children
involve themselves in supervised craft
activities. Join the Caroling at Noon.
Live the Spirit of Christmas
– Support bringing people from the
community “Out of the Col” to enjoy a
Sunday supper at the Church, October
to April.
Pie Makers Extraordinaire -- Niki, Ann, Norma, Catherine, and Muriel -for the Christmas Bazaar. More than 100 pies were made!
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 13
Counting Birds at Christmas
by Linda Burr
F
or most people, birds at
Christmastime can mean only
one thing: turkey! Preferably
stuffed, trussed and well basted,
served with cranberries and gravy.
A great holiday tradition, and one
that I wouldn’t want to miss out on,
especially if someone else is cooking.
I consider myself fortunate to count
one of these birds at holiday time,
but if you’re really lucky (or unlucky
depending on your point of view) you
may count two or more by the time
2007 comes around.
Well, there’s the partridge in the pear
tree, I suppose, not to forget the turtledoves, calling birds and French hens
(how many was that again?). But
these are not the birds I’m talking
about here. The one event of the
holiday season that birders (short for
birdwatchers) look forward to with as
much anticipation as a 4-year-old on
Santa’s knee is the annual Christmas
Bird Count.
Let me explain. Early on a chilly,
dark morning close to December 25th,
eager birders across North America
will spring from their snug, warm beds,
don their warmest woollies and sally
forth armed only with binoculars and
a thermos of their favourite beverage.
Then, while others are enjoying lastminute Christmas shopping, gift
wrapping or fireside eggnog sipping,
these intrepid birders will be combing
the city and countryside, though the
frost is cruel, counting every bird that
they find en route. Heedless of wind
and weather! Doesn’t that sound like
fun?
The original Christmas Bird Count
Linda Burr on a bridge in Mer Bleu
took place in December 1900, when
an American, Frank M. Chapman,
decided it was time for a change. You
see, up until then, the tradition was
that sportsmen would meet up on
Christmas Day, choose “sides” , and
then proceed to shoot as many birds
as possible. The winner was the team
that bagged the most birds. Chapman
suggested that birdwatchers might
wish to undertake a “side hunt” of a
different nature: counting birds instead
of shooting them. E. Fannie Jones of
Toronto was one of two Canadians
among the 27 people who answered
Chapman’s call that year, doing one
of 25 counts across the continent.
Now in its 107th year, there are
Swedish Gingerbread Cookies
These come highly recommended by M. Gosselin’s grade 8-2 class at
Hopewell Public School. These are an annual favourite of Anna Sundin and
her Swedish family.
200 g granulated sugar
200 g brown sugar
300 ml corn syrup
300 ml whipping cream
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
10 crushed cardamon seeds or 1 ½ powdered cardamon
1 tbsp baking soda
1.5 kg or 1500g flour
Makes 200 – 400 cookies
Mix sugar, brown sugar, syrup, butter and spices. Whip cream and add
to sugar-butter mixture.
Retain some flour for rolling out the dough. Mix baking soda into
remainder flour and add in stages to wet mixture.
Knead dough until smooth.
Let rest at least 24 hours, keeping it well-covered.
Roll out dough thinly. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
Bake 6 to 10 minutes on greased cookie sheets or on parchment paper
in 200 C oven.
over 1800 counts across Canada, the
U.S. and Latin America, involving
over 50,000 participants. Each count
takes place within a designated circle
24 km in diameter (in Ottawa it is
centred on the Parliament Buildings),
so that results can be compared year to
year. And sometimes the competition
can be fierce, as teams and cities vie
for the most species. Feeder watchers
can stay in the comfort of their homes
and count the number and species
of birds that appear at their feeders.
This is all done according to a strict
protocol, of course, so that team
territories do not overlap and birds are
not counted twice.
The count data is submitted to
a central location to be compiled
and analyzed. This data is extremely
valuable, but the real reason birders
come back year after year is the
camaraderie, the challenge, and
(believe it) the fun. Novices often
accompany more experienced birders
to learn the ropes. If you want to join
in, the local count is organized by the
Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club. Now,
where was I... swans a-swimming,
geese a-laying... I’ve lost count!
Linda Burr is an Old Ottawa South
birder and confesses to have done
many Christmas Bird Counts.
Page 14
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Garden Glimpses
The Poinsettia: Facts & Fallacies
By Ailsa Francis
Hortus Urbanus
D
id you know that the Poinsettia
is a member of the Euphorbia
family, which means that it is
related to Donkey Tail spurge and the
plant called “Snow on the Mountain”?
If you have ever planted the former in
your perennial garden because you
were enthralled by its glaucous foliage
and pendulous form, and subsequently
tore it out because it decided to come
up everywhere, then you know that
its sap is extremely caustic and can
cause severe dermatitis resulting in
skin blisters! Just ask me…anyway,
I digress.
Contrary to popular belief and
likely due to the fact that the poinsettia
(like most species of Euphorbia) has
a milky sap, these Christmas plants
are not poisonous. According to
POISINDEX (the information service
most referenced by poison control
centres), if you weighed 50 lbs. and ate
500-600 leaves, the most discomfort
you would experience is occasional
vomiting. Even then, just one leaf
tastes so bitter that consuming it alone
would be a most unpleasant feat. In
regards to pets, eating poinsettia
leaves or stems may make your dog
or cat ill and result in mild mouth
sores or gastrointestinal problems
(vomiting, diarrhea) or in nothing at
all. But it certainly won’t make them
drop dead.
Now that we’ve got the nasty bit
out of the way, how about a bit of
poinsettia history?
Euphorbia pulcherrima, known to
us as the Poinsettia, originates from
a small area of Mexico (inland from
Ixtapa) but thrives throughout that
country on hillsides and in fields and
ditches, often to a height of 10 feet. It
was grown and prized by the Aztecs,
who used its bracts to make dye and
its sap to make medicine. It was
essentially “discovered” by Europeans
around 1825 (Joel Roberts Poinsett,
U.S. ambassador to Mexico, sent some
plants home to South Carolina – hence
its common name) and small-scale
poinsettia production began about
one hundred years later in the United
States. The 1950s & 1960s saw the
beginning of the poinsettia juggernaut,
with breeding taking place in the U.S.
and Europe, so that the modern plant
– with sturdy, branched stems, better
foliage retention, larger and more
colourful bracts – was now available
to the consumer. Today, and largely
due to monumental holiday sales, the
poinsettia is the number one selling
potted plant in North America.
I can’t tell you the number of
times that I’ve seen people marching
out of large grocery stores with a
poinsettia in their cart in the middle of
December with no protection around
the plant. Many people don’t want to
be encumbered by paper sleeves and
plastic wrappings and will tell the
salesperson “don’t bother wrapping
it.” This is a shame since the
minimum temperature the poinsettia
can withstand is around 59 degrees
Fahrenheit (15 celsius). That being
said, don’t buy a poinsettia on a very
cold day if you’re not on your way
directly home. And don’t buy one if
your house is very draughty. In this
case, choose cold-tolerant plants like
cyclamen, azaleas, ivies or forced
spring bulbs.
The
poinsettias
colourful
“flowers” are not actually flowers
at all – these imposters are the leafy
bracts that surround the flowers which,
in turn, appear as clusters of light
green or creamy coloured nodules
at the tip of each stem. A tip when
you are purchasing a plant is to look
at these nodules carefully: if they are
closed and tight, then the flower is
still immature and the plant has lots of
colourful time left. If the flower has
started to open and is showing pollen
then the plant is older and its colour
will begin to fade sooner.
For a gift that is so popular at
holiday time, you would think that
the poinsettia is a foolproof plant. On
the contrary, as you probably already
know, many things can go wrong
with your poinsettia. Leaf drop:
forgetting to water, hot and dry air or
excessively cold temperatures will all
cause this. Wilting: usually caused
by root rot, which is brought on by
cooler, wet conditions, or simply
because the soil has been left too dry.
Scorched leaves: the culprit is usually
underwatering, cold temperatures or
sun damage. Poinsettias generally
are happiest when the temperature is
between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit
with at least six hours a day of indirect
sunlight or bright light. Moist air is
also appreciated so if you’re inclined,
you can mist your plant while it is
blooming. Fertilizing is not necessary
until after blooming is over – this will
keep the plant strong and the foliage
healthy. Never allow your poinsettia
(or any plant, for that matter) to sit in
a pool of water – this will certainly
kill it.
By the way, don’t bother trying
to get your poinsettia to bloom again
for you next Christmas unless you’re
a real plant freak or a masochist. It
involves pruning, almost religious
light and temperature controls and
careful fertilizing. If any of the
required steps are fouled up, the reflowering process can be delayed
or even aborted. Leave it to the
professionals to grow them every year
for you in their highly specialized
greenhouses.
So, enjoy your “Jingle Bells”,
“Plum Pudding” or “Winter Rose” on
your coffee table for the festive season
and dream of its ancestor towering
over you in the wilds of Mexico.
Dennis Gruending Invites You
to Book Signing of Paperback
Release of Great Canadian
Speeches
D
ennis Gruending and Ted Britton invite you to a book signing
for the recently released paperback edition of Dennis’s book
Great Canadian Speeches.
Saturday, December 2 from 10 a.m. until 12 Noon at Brittons
magazine and newspaper centre, Bank Street and Fifth Avenue in the
Glebe.
Great Canadian Speeches was a best seller in hardcover and the
Ottawa Citizen called it a history of Canada as seen from the podium. It has been very popular with people who enjoy Canadian history and
good speeches, and would make a fine Christmas gift.
We hope to see you on Saturday, December 2nd.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 15
BOOK REVIEW
One Long Appeal
by stephen a. haines
The Creation, by Edward O.
Wilson W.W. Norton, 2006
ISBN 0-393-06217-1
W
hen
Charles
Darwin
published The Origin of
Species he declared the
book to be “one long argument”.
Today, less than 150 years later,
Edward O. Wilson explains that the
one species omitted in the narrative
- except for one sentence - from the
“argument” is devastating the rest of
life on our planet. In one long appeal
to a fictional Baptist pastor, Wilson
describes what is clear to all but a few
dedicated die-hards - life on this planet
is in deep trouble. The die-hards
are firmly identified in the opening
passages; Christians who regard
themselves as “biblical literalists”.
Such folk expect the Apocalypse soon
and saving the environment is of little
concern. Whatever its origins, “The
Creation” is under serious threat.
Wilson identifies his potential
audience and addresses it directly
but gracefully. After all, his own
Alabama Baptist boyhood provides
adequate foundation for his approach.
He understands the views his readers
hold and addresses these in familiar
language. His style is clear and
undemanding, but the points he
addresses may be at odds with their
views. Wilson knows such people
consider themselves “apart” or at least
separate from the rest of Nature. This
view, the author knows, is fallacious,
even dangerous when carelessly
applied to issues of the environment.
Life is all-encompassing and, no
matter how much power we are
capable of wielding, we must consider
that whole. We are an integral part of
Nature and we must treat it with the
respect we deem necessary in dealing
with each other.
“Biology” he contends, “now
leads in reconstructing the human
self-image”. That means that biology
can explain what is happening to the
life around us and how we are dealing
with it. He carefully allows the
potential for a deity to have a role, but
it isn’t one that is directing the current
situation. Because it is humanity
stripping the rainforests, causing the
oceans to warm and destroying life in
them, or filling the atmosphere with
chemicals it cannot absorb, it is up
to people to take the steps necessary
to halt these degradations. Clearly,
we are generating the impact on our
biosphere. We hold the solution to the
problems in our hands and cannot rely
on a divinity to act on our behalf, or
that of other species. To act otherwise
is to shrug off our responsibility as
part of the network of life on Earth.
Whether one believes a god plays
a role in this network is immaterial.
People and their actions are unweaving
that network. Species extinction is
forever, and whatever biology can
explain, it hasn’t had the time or
opportunity to assess the impact of
what is occurring. The job, he says, is
clearly too vast, and the relationships
E. O. Wilson Biography
B
orn in 1929 to a Baptist family
in Alabama, Edward Osborne
Wilson developed an interest
in natural history at an early age.
Although nearly blinded in one eye
while fishing, he continued his interests
in animals. Swiching from flies to ants,
because they were easier to store, he
built a career on those insects we spend
many dollars trying to exterminate.
Studying at the University of Alabama,
he later obtained his doctorate from
Harvard. Not a white-coated laboratory
worker, Wilson is a dedicated field
biologist who’s studied on nearly every
continent.
A count of his awards and honours
is difficult as he’s still receiving them.
The same holds with any bibliography
of his books and articles. Among the
noteworthy are two Pulitzer Prizes, one
for his book The Ants. Another book,
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,
founded an entirely new field of
research, one which some have claimed
finally brings Charles Darwin’s idea of
natural selection directly into the human
realm. That Edward O. Wilson is still
working and writing is testimony to his
energy and his dedication to science.
Ed Wilson is an emeritus Professor and
Curator of Entomology at the Museum
of Comparative Zoology at Harvard
University.
Please go to page 43 for Stephen
Haines’ Interview with E. O. Wilson
are too intricate. That, however,
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Nor
does it mean that lack of knowledge
renders the problem something we
can dismiss. We ignore the result of
our actions at our peril. The danger is
real and it is immediate.
The “appeal” is more than a
purely philosophical treatise. Wilson
provides a host of graphic examples
of how humans degrade their own
nest. An expert on the diversity of life
[he published a book of that title], he
explains how diversity is both strong
and fragile. Devising a mnemonic
acronym, “HIPPO” he explains
that “Habitat loss”, introduction
of “Invasive species”, “Pollution”,
“Population growth” of humanity
and “Overharvesting” summarise
the issues needing to be addressed.
Species extinction results from one or
more of these factors in combination.
He calls man-driven extinctions the
“pauperisation” of the Earth by a
single species.
Going a step further in his
analysis, Wilson notes the planet’s
rash of environmental “hotspots” that
need immediate solutions addressed
to them. He’s even able to put a
price on healing the afflicted areas.
He proposes forms of “protective
umbrellas” that can be applied to areas
like the Amazon and Congolian basins
and others. These saving mechanisms
would require “one payment of
about US$30 billion”. That’s about
15 weeks of current expenditure on
Iraq’s occupation at the latest rates.
He further shows how the subsidies
given the fishing industry in the US
alone, if redirected to a programme
of oceanic reserves, would allow
fish stocks to recover. To ensure
the survival of countless threatened
species, it’s a minimal expence. If
humans can set themselves up as gods
in destroying the environment, they
can act creatively to preserve it.
Wilson’s “letter” may seem a
bit lengthy at 170 pages, but as “one
long appeal” to his readers, it’s not
overmuch to take up. Take it up and
read it. Then have your children read
it - they are the ones confronting the
future Wilson describes. Then offer it
to the pastor nearest you. Religious
leaders have whole flocks who should
hear what Wilson has to say.
stephen a. haines may be reached at
[email protected]
Page 16
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Spice Tea
A HARD DAY’S PLAY
Wash My Hands. Moisturize. Repeat.
By Mary P.
H
ere we go, little boy, one
more mouthful.
Timmy, who had till this
moment been greeting each spoonful
with impatience and glee, suddenly
makes a little “gu-huck” noise in his
throat. I know what this means, I do,
but there’s no time to react. Just one
little “gu-huck”, and then his high
chair tray is suddenly filled with his
lunch, a glistening and blurred recap
of the food he’d so cheerfully ingested
only moments before. My hand,
hovering close to his dimpled chin,
is similarly bedecked. Glistening
strands, decorative in shades of
green and tan, are suspended betwixt
hand and tray. Clean the boy, clean
the tray.
Wash my hands. Moisturize.
Step in a mystery puddle. Wipe
it up with a paper towel.
Wash my hands, because you
just never know. Moisturize.
Emily is crying. She has a
bloody nose. Bloody noses happen,
we know the drill: Firm pressure
on the bridge of the nose for five
minutes. The bridge of the red-and-
DECEMBER 2006
yellow speckled, blood-and-mucous
bedecked nose. The bridge in the
middle of her snot-covered, tearstreaked face. For five minutes I sit
with her, finger and thumb clamped
firmly onto the bump that is the source
and centre of a swirl of bodily fluids.
Assure us both that the dripping has
stopped. Clean her up.
Wash my hands. Moisturize.
Lift Lily from the cot after her
nap and discover the source of the
puddle. The girl is soaked from the
navel down. Peel off her clothes,
strip the sheet off the cot, throw it all
in the washer downstairs. Disinfect
the cot.
Wash my hands. Moisturize.
Nigel comes to me, holds out
two blocks, one in each hand. “Dese
blocks wet!” We put them in the
sink, rinse them off. I don’t make the
connection.
Wash my hands, wash Nigel’s
hands. Moisturize. (Nigel, too. He
likes it.)
Decide to tidy the rest of the
kitchen floor. Lift Lily’s cot. Discover
a couple more “wet” blocks under
there. Disinfect the blocks.
Wash my hands. Moisturize.
Baby Anna is in her highchair,
fretful. “What’s up, little girl?” Gah! What’s up is baby Anna. She’s
been sitting in something that’s been
rotting for weeks. That has to be it.
Couldn’t be a mere diaper producing
that eye-watering stench, could it?
Oooh, my yes. Brownish green
goo runs from sweet little cheeks to
mid-thigh, and reaches as high as a
darling little bellybutton. Forty-seven
baby wipes and a change of clothing
later, she’s back to her sweet self.
Wash my hands. Moisturize.
Repeat.
Is there any bodily fluid I haven’t
encountered this noisome day? -Don’t answer that! -- But if anyone
is thinking of Christmas gifts, the
economy-size jug of a lightly scented,
heavy duty moisturizer would be
much appreciated. Either that or
shares in Proctor and Gamble.
To 2 quarts of boiling water, add:
10 whole cloves
5 slices of fresh ginger
10 whole allspice
10 while green cardamon pods,
cracked open
10 whole black peppercorns
4 sticks cinnamon
Simmer 15 – 20 minutes, add ¼ tsp
black tea
Leave this on the stove warming all
day, adding water as needed.
To serve, pour ¼ cup milk – can be
almond or cashew as well as dairy
– into a cup, add the tea.
Thanks, and Merry Christmas!!
Rare.
Contemporary.
Illuminating.
19 Condo Apartments in The Glebe.
Few new buildings are built from the ground up
in The Glebe. Fewer still arrive with such
panache. “g” will combine utility with delight in
an extraordinary display of modern architecture.
Will you be one of the lucky few to live there?
We’re launching soon, so call 613-562-4663 today
to receive an invitation to our exclusive launch
event. It will put you at the head of the line.
613-562-4663
domicile.ca
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 17
WINDSOR CHRONICLES B– PART 68
Two Branches Reach Out and Touch Each Other
Dear Tera,
L
ily caught her first squirrel the
other day. Just a young squirrel
– barely more than a baby,
really. I think Lily was as surprised as
the squirrel, but not nearly as terrified.
The squirrel lay on its back with its
legs pawing at the air, squealing in
freight.
Unfortunately, Alpha was close
at hand. He barked the “Off!” order.
Lily obeyed. I can remember a time,
not so long ago, when she was an
overly exuberant pup with absolutely
no discipline, and she would have
ignored the order. Whether she would
have known what to do with the
squirrel is another matter.
I myself can well remember the
first time I ever caught a squirrel. I
felt its fur on my tongue and gums for
one brief shining moment. I was so
astonished that I opened my mouth
and the prey scampered away. I’ve
since improved my technique, but I’m
afraid my days of catching squirrels at
a sprint across the big open field are
behind me.
But what I lack in speed, I like
to think I make up in acuity. When
Zoscha’s young squirrel finally
recovered its senses enough to flip
over onto its paws and scramble up the
tree, Alpha and I watched its progress.
Lily, of course, was gallavanting off to
new adventures, but we watched this
squirrel.
And it occurs to my why I like
this time of year so much – why these
bleak, windy days seem so interesting.
It’s all about being able to see the
underlying structure of things.
The winds have whipped away the
last leaf that still clung to the branches.
The snows have not yet arrived. And
so it is possible to see that vast and
complex circulatory system of the
canopy of our urban forest.
This is the squirrels’ realm. This
is why they chatter at us with such
insouciance, earth bound creatures that
we are. Compared to our world, theirs
is wonderfully three-dimensional.
And this is the time of year we can
really appreciate the subtle details of
the geography above our heads.
And so for the last few days
when Alpha and I go to the park, I’ve
been looking up. I’ve been trying to
understand the system of boughs and
branches the way that a squirrel would
understand, and it seems to me there is
a big distinction among different kinds
of trees. But the biggest distinction
would not be between this species of
tree and another. For a squirrel, the
biggest distinction is whether a tree is
solitary, or it grows close enough to
another so that two solitudes protect
and border and greet each other.
A tree on its own, in the middle
of a field is a fine and beautiful
thing. Look at how perfectly it forms
year by year. Nothing to shade its
development. No race to the sun to
alter its shape. From a squirrel’s
perspective, it provides many different
routes and possibilities.
But a tree growing close enough to
another tree, so that the branches reach
out and touch each other… well, this
creates a whole new dynamic. And
when enough trees grow close enough
together that they extend a canopy, the
possibilities multiply exponentially.
And it occurs to me that something
similar is taking place in our expanded
pack. With the Mom, Sporty and
Sunshine and Lily joining Alpha, the
Pup and myself, the place is much
more crowded that before. It’s often
more difficult to get away with a nap
on the sofa. But there are also more
people to accidentally drop food at the
dinner table. There’s more options
for walks – each member of the pack
seems to have a different favourite
route. There’s a lot more rolling and
playing on the floor once you hit a
critical population mass.
I’m getting more accustomed to
having to share things with Lily. I
still think she forgets her place all too
often. But you know, I’m beginning
to like this. It’s like a forest canopy
that offers many highways, many
directions, and many dimensions.
Head in the trees,
Zoscha
The Contest
Many of Zoscha’s readers have
observed that she often sprinkles her
prose with various quotes, parodies
and allusions. If you can identify a
reference, send your contest entry
to [email protected], using
“Zoscha’s contest” in your title line.
Or drop a note off at the Firehall.
It seems that our neighbourhood
is much better at identifying the
classical canon than British musical
hall ditties. Last month, Zoscha
quoted from Flanders and Swann’s
“The Hippopotamus song, “Mud!
Mud! Glorious mud!” No one got the
correct answer. Zoscha attributes this
to the fact that humanoids have short
attention spans. Just as she feared,
they have covered the field with turf,
and already we have forgotten that it
served very well as a mud bath.
Page 18
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
CORPUS CHRISTI SCHOOL
Corpus Christi Students Celebrate Advent Season
By Missy Fraser
C
hristmas is coming and
Corpus Christi students are
busy working on ways to
help neighbours near and far. For
the second year, students will be
collecting, rolling and counting
pennies and loose change in a Coin
Drive in support of Help Lesotho, an
Ottawa-based organization that helps
children and families in AIDS ravaged
Lesotho.
Last year students collected
$4,700. in coins. These funds
provided for a much-needed new
roof on Mahlekefane School. This
year’s goal is to raise sufficient funds
to help Bokoro Primary School with
infrastructure repairs including a new
roof, bookshelves, writing boards,
benches, and basic school supplies.
Bokoro Primary School is similar
in size to Corpus Christi with 313
students. At least 96 of these students
are orphans. Class sizes at Bokoro
School range from 40 to as many as
70 students.
The Coin Drive begins on
November 27th. To donate or for
more information about this initiative
and Help Lesotho, please email
[email protected] , or call
the school office (232-9743 ) with
a message for Cindy May or Claire
Kendall.
Grade Six students have initiated
their own activities to help out during
the Advent season. In support of Help
Lesotho a grade six team of students
is organizing a wreath-making
workshop. Fees for the workshop will
be donated to the Coin Drive. Many
thanks to leader Nellie and her team
including Nicholas, Gina, Katie,
Graeme, Alicia, Briana, Catherine,
Stuart, Danielle, Ginar, Samantha,
Vanessa, Brianna, Rebekka, Siena,
Sarah, Kate, Tess and Ruth.
Students Kate, Sarah and Rebekka
are running a Warm Winter Clothing
Drive throughout December. Items
collected will go to the Shepherds of
Good Hope in Lowertown and the St.
Vincent de Paul Store. When asked
how they got their idea for a drive
Maddy, from senior kindergarten, boogies at the Corpus Christi
Dance-a-thon on November 9
Rebekka said, “Ottawa is a very cold
City and people need warm clothing
to survive – when I see other people
happy, I am happy too”. Please
bring any donations of warm winter
clothing to the school office.
Planning for School Grounds
Transformation at Corpus Christi is
moving ahead. Students, staff and
parents have been surveyed for their
ideas and skills. In coming winter
months parents and staff will come
up with a yard design incorporating
the great ideas put forward by Corpus
Christi students. The Dance-a-thon
held on November 9 raised over
$5,000. for improvements to the yard.
Way to boogie CC kids!
To find out more about our Advent
initiatives and other great Corpus
Christi School activities please visit:
[email protected] or call the
office at 613-232-9743.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 19
HOPEWELL HAPPENINGS
Hopewell Avenue Public School’s
Remembrance Day Commemorations
Something to be proud of!
By Susan Atkinson
T
hroughout early November
Hopewell Avenue teachers,
Marion Shynal and Anna Krieg,
headed a committee to orchestrate
a morning of commemoration, of
which the School and Community
is proud. On Friday November
10th, it was with grace and serenity
that Hopewell School observed
this year’s Remembrance Day.
Hosted in both English and French, by
Grade 8 emcees Asha, Alex, Paris and
Millene, the morning was a solemn
balance between the traditional and
the modern. The school hosted
two services, one for the Primary
Division and the other for the Junior/
Intermediates. Family and community members
were welcomed at both and were
treated to a fine display of the students’
work. The walls of the gymnasium
were decorated with poems, stories
and artwork all produced by students
during the week leading up to the
commemoration. Each piece reflected
the respect and hope that has been
passed down to this younger generation.
The Primary Division service opened
with a superimposition of Flanders
Fields over heart-rending images
from the Wars. The images were beautifully
paced by the warm notes from Ms.
Woyiwada’s, Honour Band, who played
magnificently through-out the morning. Following O Canada and an opening
address from the Principal, Mrs.
Johnston-Iafelice, the Guest Speaker,
Mr. Harry Challis spoke briefly about
his service as a tail gunner during
World War 11. However, in true spirit
and style he diverted the attention from
himself to two of his fellow comrades,
also at the service. Together,
the three veterans helped proud
students lay poppy wreathes which
had been specially made for the
occasion. Several classes performed
songs, poems and recited works, all of
United Way Walk-A-Thon
which added solemnity to the service.
Hopewell staff and students would like
to thank members of the Community
for all their hard work and support in
helping to put this day together. Special
thanks go out to Marcia McAlpine
and Michelle Sprott, whose generous
time and dedication were not only
apparent on the day but were evident
through the displays adorning the
Atrium. These displays showcased
war memorabilia, giving students
a sample of what life had been like.
Hopewell School has been hopping
throughout the month of November. In
other news…
On October 31st
students in Grades 4 to 8
walked to Pretoria Bridge.
Thanks to all the parents,
grandparents and friends
who offered their support
and volunteered their
time to make the United
Way Walkathon such an
enormous success. The
School has raised over
$6000 to date.
Huge congratulations
to the Junior Girls’ soccer
Dec 14 - Hopewell Concert
December In Our Town
H
opewell School looks forward to a busy and fruitful
December as the students’ prepare for their annual
musical concert, this year called December in Our
Town, which will be held on Thursday December 14th at
7:00pm. The story tells of several young people who are
visiting many homes in their town to collect food for the local
food drive. Come one, come all! The annual book fair will
take place the same evening from 6:00 - 8:15 in the Atrium.
team who earned the gold medal in
this year’s regional tournament. The
girls worked very hard scoring a total
of 13 goals while allowing only 1
against in their tiring 5 game effort to
win the championships.
In other sports news, the Grade
6 girls and the Grade 6 boys crosscountry running teams both came first
in the regional meets. This qualified
each of these teams to go on to the
board finals. This was held at Walter
Baker Park in Kanata on October 19th,
2006. This is a very fast race with the
top runners from all over the city and
both teams did extremely well on a
muddy, slippery course. The Grade
6 girls’ team came in second and the
boys’ team came in around 6th. It was
a great afternoon and the Hopewell
students showed great team spirit and
determination. Congratulations to all
the cross-country runners on their
excellent performance. Thank you to
Ms. Elton and her team of coaches,
both teachers and parent volunteers,
who made this possible.
Our Grade 7 & 8 cross-country
runners worked hard to give it their all
and came away with happy faces from
the Southeast Regional Cross-Country
Meet on Friday, October 13th at Minto
Field. Overall, Hopewell came in 1st
overall in the Bantam Girls category
and finished in 2nd for the three
other races. This achievement gave
Hopewell the honour of receiving the
Grand Aggregate title for the South
East Regional Meet this year.
Hopewell School looks forward
to a busy and fruitful December as
the students’ prepare for their annual
musical concert, which will be held on
Thursday December 14th at 7:00pm.
Come one, come all!
Page 20
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
OCDSB TRUSTEE REPORT
First Of What I Hope Will Be A Regular Column
By Rob Campbell
T
his is the first of what I hope
will be a regular column in the
OSCAR on Ottawa-Carleton
District School Board (OCDSB)
public education successes and issues.
It’s my intent to let you know about
all of the great things going on at your
Zone 9 schools and also to highlight
some important policy issues which
might be expected to impact on Zone
9 and, given this forum, in particular
on Old Ottawa South.
At the time of writing there a
couple of weeks to go until the new
Trustees take up their responsibilities.
These Trustee-elect days are busy
with Board and Ministry training,
with trying to figure out which of our
colleagues we wish to see in Board
and Committee Chair positions, with
office organization and new sorts of
liaison. The new Board, and indeed all
of the new Trustees, really bar none,
are already highly experienced in
Board affairs and will hit the ground
running. I think that we are actually
quite lucky to find ourselves with such
a very capable and dedicated Board
this term.
It would be a challenge however
for anyone to adequately fill Lynn
Graham’s shoes as she has been such
a dedicated Trustee for the Zone, for
the Board and for public education for
so very long. I urge you to consider
coming out to show your appreciation
at public tribute in her honour which
will take place in Scotton Hall at the
Glebe Community Centre on January
11th between 8:00 and 10:00 PM
(speeches at 9:00 PM). Please contact
Christine Wilson at 235-3079 or via
[email protected]
for
details or to help.
This year will be very important
for English public education in
Ottawa. Our previous Board set the
stage for us to take some important
leaps forward with more flexible high
school programming options, recent
investments in new schools and
maintenance, exciting new ‘balanced
reading’ initiatives, a joint transport
consortium with our Catholic Board
counterparts and in other ways. They
also created frameworks for several
important reviews unrolling this
year and next. The principle ones are
on French Immersion, long-range
accommodation planning, changes to
the way in which we deliver special
education.. These will be heady and
exciting times. In addition there will
be important debates surrounding our
recently worsened Provincial core
services funding problem, how we
should deal with this situation and
how to best allocate such resources as
we do have.
It is our budget situation and the
proposed special education changes
which carry the potential for the
most noticeable changes in education
delivery at our Zone 9 schools, and
for your Board as a whole. The
staff’s proposed high-level budget
framework is to be presented in
mid-December and is currently
slated to be approved in principle
by the new Board December
21rst. Special education delivery
model changes are under review,
and are also proceeding as this is
being written. I urge you to stay
abreast of events and to consider
getting involved with your
School Council, in one of your
Board’s consultation processes,
and of course via communication
to me and to your Provincial
government as they case may be.
Public education is amongst our
most important achievements as a
society, one of our most cherished
common enterprises, welcoming,
respecting, supporting and challenging
all comers without exception. It’s
filled with committed educators
and involved community members
together securing our common
economic future and, perhaps more
importantly, together helping to
ensure that we build creative and
involved citizens respectful of others.
This great common purpose requires
and deserves our serious support and
involvement in order to allow it to
thrive.
I mean to be accessible to the
community. I want to make sure that
you feel that your views and ideas are
welcomed at your Board. If you have
any thoughts on public education in our
schools, or at your Board, then I want
to hear from you. I’d like in particular
to get your views at this time on how
you think I should make sure that I
best consult with the public school
supporters and others in the Zone this
year. I’m keen to engage in the work
of improving public education in
Ottawa further and I hope that you are
also, or can be persuaded to be.
I can be reached at my home
office via 613 730-8128 and rob@
rob-campbell.ca. The campaign web
site is slowly being transformed into
a permanent resource and is at www.
rob-campbell.ca. Board info can be
had via www.ocdsb.ca. I’m also going
to try to keep up the publication of a
roughly monthly newsletter on Zone
and Board education issues and news.
It should allow for more substantial
education policy and political news
for those interested. If you’d like to be
added to the newsletter list, or indeed
removed from it, then it’s as simple as
sending me an e-mail.
Christmas GOOSE - Christmas Concert
Saturday, December 16, 2006
NAC Fourth Stage (53 Elgin St.)
8:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:30 p.m.)
Like trimming the tree and wrapping
gifts, Christmas GOOSE has
become a favourite holiday tradition.
Now in its fourth year, Christmas
GOOSE features Ottawa songwriters
performing original music for
the festive season. The concert is
organized by GOOSE, a co-operative
that supports local songwriters, and a
portion of the concert proceeds will be
donated to the Ottawa Food Bank.
This year’s line-up includes:
• Lynne Hanson
• Maria Hawkins
• Anne Hurley
• Pat Moore
• David Keeble
• Tom Lips
• Nubia
• Charlie Sohmer
• Tony Turner
Additional accompaniment will be
provided by some of Ottawa’s top
musicians. As well, in keeping with
a tradition that has developed at this
event over the years, there will be
many opportunities for the audience
to sing along.
A CD of 12 original songs entitled
Christmas Goose will be available
for purchase at the concert and at
retail ticket outlets. The songs cover a
variety of styles, including jazz, funk,
folk and traditional. Every CD sold
will generate $5 for the Ottawa Food
Bank.
Tickets are available in person at the
NAC box office, the Ottawa Folklore
Centre, and Retrotown Music.
outlets.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 21
Lynn Graham Tribute Planned for January 11
January 11 to pay tribute to her
for providing Ottawa with 12
years of outstanding leadership in
education. Admission will be free
and everyone is welcome to drop
by the Glebe Community Centre,
175 Third Avenue at Lyon from 810 p.m.
A trustee for Capital Ward
since 1994 and Rideau-Vanier
Ward since 1997, Lynn served first
with the former Ottawa Board of
Education and subsequently with
the amalgamated Ottawa-Carleton
Lynn Graham
District School Board (OCDSB).
By Lynda Rivington
For the last three years, she was
arents, educators, colleagues also Board Chair. Now it’s time
and friends of Lynn Graham for the community to say thank
are invited to a party on you.
P
Musica Viva Singers
December 4 Concert
C
elebrating its 10th anniversary this season, Musica Viva Singers
under James Caulkin will present “On the 10th Year of Christmas” on
Monday December 4, 2006 at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00) at Christ
Church Cathedral, 420 Sparks Street (near Bronson Avenue). The repertoire is
a selection from all their performances, and will feature Vivaldi’s Gloria with
orchestral accompaniment and soloists Nadia Petrella and Whitney O’Hearn.
In addition they will sing Wendell Whalum’s arrangement of the Nigerian
carol Betelehemu, Samuel Barber’s setting of James Agee’s Sure on This
Shining Night, Randall Thompson’s Choose Something Like a Star (based
on a Robert Frost poem), a traditional Taita (Kenya) melody Natufurahi Siku
Ya Leo (Let us rejoice this day!) arranged by Boniface Mganga, and three
hilarious Christmas carols by P.D.Q. Bach.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, and are available in advance
from Christ Church Cathedral Box Office, Compact Music (785 Bank Street
in the Glebe and downtown at 190 Bank Street), Leading Note Music (370
Elgin Street). Includes a post-concert reception. Come help us celebrate the
joy of choral singing!
Donations collected at the
door will go toward the costs
for the evening and the OCDSB
Foundation in Lynn’s honour.
Guests will be entertained by
ensembles from Hopewell Public
School and Lisgar Collegiate.
Refreshments will include a cash
bar and there will be parking
available at Mutchmor and local
schools.
CBC Radio’s Rob Clipperton
will be the evening’s MC and
remarks from dignitaries like
Ontario Health Promotion Minister
Jim Watson and former trustee
and Board Chair Jim Libbey are
scheduled for 9 p.m. Email tributes
to be put into a book for Lynn can
be sent beforehand to Tribute@
alliumconsulting.com. As well,
a guest book will be available for
signing that evening.
For further information, call
Christine Wilson at 613-235-3079,
email her at wilsonchristine@
rogers.com, or just pop by to
publicly thank Lynn for her
remarkable contribution to public
education and for her ongoing work
in the community through Christie
Lake Kids and other initiatives.
Best wishes to you
and Your Family
Page 22
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
MamaSan and Padmay Need Homes
MamaSan
people who will appreciate and
nurture her. She would enjoy being
with other cats.
To inquire about adopting
MamaSan contact flora_louise@
yahoo.ca. Other CRN cats can be seen
at www.catrescuenetwork.petfinder.
org
N
obody knows why MamaSan
ended up spending two
years of her life outdoors.
The beautiful tortie, with distinctive
markings suddenly appeared under
the porch of a house in rural Quebec
where a kind, elderly lady fed a colony
of stray and feral cats. MamaSan
gave birth to many litters under that
porch. Most were killed by people
who did not like the cats around their
homes.
Then, one day the elderly
lady became ill and moved away.
Suddenly, the entire colony was
forced to forage to survive. Most of
the cats were friendly, having grown
accustomed to the lady, and were not
afraid of people.
However not all people were
as kind as the elderly lady and, so
the story goes, most of the colony
members were trapped in a box and
gassed using car fumes.
This method of dying is horrific
because the cats do not die of carbon
monoxide poisoning. They suffocate
slowly as nose, throat and lungs are
burned by the searing heat.
Mamasan escaped with her kittens
to a shed. However, one day while
she was out hunting, someone shut
the shed door. When it was opened
five days, in response to MamaSan’s
frantic meows, all of the kittens were
dead.
MamaSan disappeared for several
days but was finally trapped and given
to a Cat Rescue Network volunteer.
She did very well indoors, and her
foster family believes she was once
someone’s pet. As soon as anyone
approaches her she begins to so purr
loudly It can be heard throughout the
room. She is a very gentle, quiet
cat who grooms and nurtures the
frightened and sick kittens taken in by
the foster family.
She is polydactile with 7 toes on
each front foot and six on the back
feet. Her big feet makes this striking
little cat even more distinctive. She
has now been vaccinated and spayed
and is thriving in the foster home.
In fact, she is thriving too much and
is now a bit on the portly side. This
frequently happens with cats who
have known starvation.
This affectionate cat is now
looking for a permanent home with
Padmay
Padmay was less than a year
old when she was found huddled
behind a dumpster downtown in
February. She was cold, frightened,
dirty, very thin and in the last stages
of pregnancy. When approached she
was too exhausted to even try to run
away. She
just huddled in a ball, eyes
closed.
Once warm and fed she began to
purr, placed her paw on the rescuers
hand and fell asleep. She slept and
ate for several days; only leaving her
warm box to greet the rescuer when
she entered the room.
Padmay was taken to a Cat
Rescue Network foster home where
she was given antibiotics for an upper
respiratory infection, treated for
parasites and fed good food. At first
the food made her sick because she
was not used to good quality food. She
delivered four kittens about two weeks
later and was an excellent nurturing
mother, and a very affectionate pet.
Her months on the street had taken
its toll on her frail body and one day
the foster mother found her lying on
the floor, weak and semi conscious;
her kittens squealing with hunger in
the box.
She was taken to a vet who said
that her blood calcium levels were
dangerously low, because her kittens
were taking more nutrition from her
than she could provide.
Padmay was given fluids to
replentish her while the foster family
then took on the role of wet-nurses.
They fed the kittens special formula
every few hours while Padmay sat
beside them. They then handed the
kittens to Padmay who would clean
them, ensure that they went to the
bathroom then curl around them to
keep them warm. Padmay survived
and so did every one of her kittens.
The kittens were quickly adopted but
nobody was prepared to offer
Padmay a home.
She is a beautiful cat with medium
length grey tabby hair with gleaming
white markings. She would make a
wonderful pet for any household.
To inquire about adopting through
us contact [email protected].
Other CRN cats can be seen at www.
catrescuenetwork.petfinder.org
Margaret Dickenson Wins 5
International Culinary Arts
Awards
C
elebrating
their
21st
anniversary, Cordon d’Or has
announced its Cordon d’Or
- Gold Ribbon International Annual
Cookbooks & Culinary Arts 2006
Awards. Margaret Dickenson has
captured five awards. They will be
presented on January 11, 2007 in St.
Petersburg, Florida.
In the COOKBOOK categories,
Margaret’s first cookbook, the
international award winning “From the
Ambassador’s Table - Blueprints for
Creative Entertaining”, was selected
by a team of judges for the Best ‘20th
Century Cookbook’ Award from
amongst those published between
1900 and 1999. It also won the Best
‘Cookbook Cover & Title’ Award for
cookbooks published between 1985
and 2006. Judges described From the
Ambassador’s Table as “magnificent,
with a wide choice of interesting
recipes, excellent photography and
with an outstanding cover and title”.
This book when first published, was
recognized as the best cookbook
in the world on entertaining at the
World Cookbook Fair/Gourmand
World Cookbook Awards (Périgueux,
France) and short listed as one of five
best hard cover recipe books in the
world at Jacobs Creek World Food
Media Awards (Adelaide, Australia).
In the CULINARY ARTS’
categories, as a team, Margaret and
her husband, Larry Dickenson who
did all the photography, received a
further three awards: (1) “Culinary
Masterpiece - a Three Course Dinner
Menu” (“Happy 40th Birthday”)
with entries judged on the menu,
recipes and photographs combined,
(2)”Plan a Menu” (“Au Revoir
to Dear Friends”) with applicants
demonstrating a flair for planning
and presentation of menus as an art in
itself and (3) Best ‘Published Recipe’
Award (with photograph) was “Heart
of PalmProsciutto Wraps” (which
appeared in Diplomat & International
Canada). Judges commented that
Margaret and Larry’s three entries
“were outstanding in quality,
presentation and professionalism”
adding that “when it comes to
entertaining menu presentations,
there is no one else who can do it as
well as you”.
All recipes, with associated
photos, for the culinary arts’ awards
appear in Margaret and Larry’s just
released
cookbook
“Margaret’s
Table – Easy Cooking & Inspiring
Entertaining”. To access the menus
and the published recipe go to the
AWARDS tab of Margaret’s website
www.margaretssenseofoccasion.com
. For details on other award winners
go to www.cordondorcuisine.com .
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 23
The OSCAR
Page 24
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Folka Voca Launches Debut CD at Dec 16 Concert
By Lee Hayes
I
f you are in the neighborhood on
Dec.16th, FolkaVoca is holding a
‘not-really-a-Christmas-concert’
concert. Folka Voca sings in 3-7-part
harmony, performing great Canadian
contemporary classics by favorites
such as Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan,
Leonard Cohen, and more, plus a
couple of non-traditional ‘seasonal’
songs.
At the concert, Folka Voca will
release its debut CD, aptly called
“Circus Of Friends.” This year, profits
from the CD and concert go to the
Ottawa Humane Society.
This 2-year-old community, A
Capella choir is under the auspices of
the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Dynamo
diva Lee Hayes (composer, arranger
and member of the renowned group
Malaika) directs the group. Opening
for Folka Voca is the Redemption
Choir X-Treme.
The concert takes place on
Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at
7:30 p.m. at the
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church, 58
Grosvenor (on Sunnyside between
Bank and Bronson).
Tickets at $12 are available from
the Ottawa Folklore Centre (1111
Bank St.
613-730-2887) or at the door.
Local
members
include:
Elizabeth Tromp, Martin McCurdy,
Don Westwood, Randall and
Catherine McLenaghan Rowat, David
Chernushenko, Marie-Odile Junker,
Frances Kilbertus, Abe Rosenfeld,
Kate Keating, Johanne Lalonde,
Suzanne Nussey
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#ARLETON5NIVERSITY2ECREATION#ENTRE
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The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
- OUR 32nd YEAR
The White Box
By Lisa Xing
he idea of a “white box” is
abstract. It can hold anything
from birthday cakes to
wedding gifts or everyday gifts.
Furniture comes in them, too.
The embodiment of this idea is
found on Bank Street where Steve
and Bonnie Canesso set up shop just
a few months ago in September.
“The idea of our store came from
two different things,” says Bonnie.
“A room that’s not decorated is like
a white box. And, we wanted to gift
wrap the gifts in a white box. When
managers here,” says Steve.
The last manager she trained got
pregnant and Steve’s company asked
Bonnie to come up and take over for
a bit.
“For some reason, she agreed to
come in the middle of winter,” he
laughs.
While Bonnie was in Ottawa, the
two began dating and within a short
time got married in Atlanta. It will be
two years for the couple this coming
March.
“We wanted to do something by
ourselves and on a smaller scale,”
says Bonnie. So, they began looking
people are shopping for their home or
that special gift, we want them to think
inside the box, The White Box.”
The White Box, both a décor and
gift boutique, was created after the
couple decided to leave their work in
the bridal industry (also very fitting
to the name.) Steve was working in
bridal manufacturing in Ottawa while
Bonnie ran a 25,000 square foot bridal
store in the United States.
“(Bonnie) came up to Canada
because she was our favourite
manager so we had her train our
for a place to start their own shop.
After possibilities of several
locations fell through in the city, and
feeling discouraged, they found the
space on Bank Street for lease. In July
of this year, the couple decided to take
it, and the White Box had a home.
Walking in through the doors of
the shop, the soft scents of pineapple
ginger, hyacinth, lemongrass and
more waft through. These are part of
a wide array of scented soy candles
and bath products the store carries..
All the items the shop carries
T
Cont’d on page 33
Page 25
Page 26
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Hansen Stoneworks
time. “There aren’t many businesses
where you can work with your family,
so this has been a great experience.”
When he began looking for a retail
outlet in his native Ottawa, a friend
mentioned the empty spot on Bank at
Sunnyside. It turned out to be exactly
what he was looking for, and the store
opened in mid-October. “I like this
area and I like what’s happening with
Bank Street.”
While October is not normally a
big month for retail, Hansen is looking
forward to the Christmas rush, and he
does a healthy business in wedding
and housewarming gifts. Particularly
By Paul Paquet
O
n its way through Old Ottawa
South, Bank Street has long
been a mecca for people
looking for beautiful additions to
their homes and gardens. A new
store at 1099 Bank, called Hansen
Stoneworks, is already fitting right
in, while offering something a bit
different.
The store specializes in stone-cast
pieces for the home and (especially)
the garden. Store owner Allan Hansen
purchases the moulds, either after
visits abroad or through a web-based
partner. The difficult part, however, is
pouring the concrete into the mould.
“There is a lot of hand manipulation
popular items have included Buddha
statues and Japanese-style lanterns,
although garden-sized pagodas and
benches also sell well. while he
didn’t intend to specialize in Asian
and Pacific motifs, customers have
responded well to them and he intends
to restock.
The store opens at 11 am every
day except Sunday, when it opens
at noon. It closes at 5 pm every day
except Friday, when it closes at 7 pm.
As a partner in Cornerstone Word
Company, Paul Paquet is a writer and
editor in Old Ottawa South.
involved,” he says. “Otherwise, the
mixture stays wet. And wet is not
good.”
After acid-wash staining and
finishing the end products look
more like granite than like concrete,
although Hansen says some people
prefer the weathered look. “We have
pieces that have been outside for
quite some time and look quite gnarly
That’s what some people want.”
The actual moulding takes place
at a family operation in Kemptville.
Allan Hansen inherited the business
from his father, who died in the 1990s,
and today his operation continues the
family business. He works with his
mother and his three sons, aged 9 to
25. His sister also fills in from time to
Hansen’s Garden Ornaments
T
wo decades ago, Danish stone
worker, William Hansen,
began making cast stone
ornaments as a retirement hobby. As
public interest in gardening grew,
so did his business. His original
focus on the more whimsical garden
ornaments evolved over time into
a broad appreciation of what the
classics have to offer – hundreds of
years of history and style.
Planters:
Use a planter soil or make your own.
At the first sign of frost, completely
empty your planters of all solid
and plant debris. Soil in containers
should be replaced yearly to ensure
that plants thrive. If possible, turn
planter on its side, upside down, or
cover with burlap or canvas. You
may safely store your planters in a
covered are such as a garage.
Care of:
Your ornament will give you a lifetime
of pleasure if certain precautions are
taken in its care and treatment. Here
are some simple guidelines:
Birdbaths:
Keep water level high and clean.
Clean your birdbath when the sign
of debris is visible. Use clean water
and a scrub brush. If you must use a
cleansing agent, try baking soda or a
biodegradable detergent. At the first
sign of frost, drain all water from
bowls. If possible, dismantle the
birdbath and place bowls vertically
on their sides. If you cannot dismantle
the birdbath then cover with canvas
or burlap and wrap to ensure that it
stays in place. Do not use plastic!
Fountains:
Clean debris out of the fountain
regularly to prevent blockage of
water flow and possibly causing the
pump to break down. Be sure not to
let the water run dry or freeze while
the pump is in the fountain. At the
first sign of frost, drain all water
from bowls and remove pump. If
possible dismantle the fountain and
place bowls vertically on their side.
If you cannot dismantle the fountain
then cover with canvas or burlap and
wrap to ensure that it stays in place.
Using plastic is not recommended as
plastic can hold in moisture that will
freeze and thaw causing stress on the
cast stone.
Painted products will keep a better
appearance if stored in a garage or
covered with burlap or canvas.
Finishes:
A wash created with buttermilk can
be ‘painted’ on your ornament to
encourage the growth of moss.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 27
The Christmas Spirit Comes to Southminster
By Frances Chambers
T
he Christmas spirit is arriving
at Southminster. It starts with
the spirit of giving on White
Gift Sunday on December 3rd. Young
and old will lay under the Christmas
trees their gifts of warm clothing,
toiletries and/or cash donations for the
Christmas hampers that are assembled
by three churches in the area – Glebe
St. James, McLeod Stewarton and
Southminster.
The spirit of music combines
with the spirit of worship to feature
in the Advent/Christmas season.
On December 17th there will be a
special Advent Lessons and Carol
Service called Seeking the Reason
for the Season led by Southminster’s
Transition Minister Rev. Donald
Wachenschwanz with music provided
by Southminster’s Senior Choir under
the direction of organist and choir
director, Calvin Church. The focus will
be on Hebrew Scriptures and Advent
Carols with a time for reflection as we
anticipate the Birth of Christ. Take a
break from the seasonal rush and join
in this period of reflection.
The celebrations of music and
worship reach a peak the day before
Christmas. At the daytime service,
Advent 4, the sermon Blessed
Places, Blessed Persons will lead
us to ponder the questions Where
do we find “Bethlehem”? and
Volunteers busy preparing for “Out of the Cold” supper
Where do we find the Holy One?
Again the choir and organist will lead
in Christmas music.
As is customary on Christmas
Eve there will be two evening services
with the early one focusing on families
with young children. Called Stories
and Carols for Family and Friends
this year, it will take place at 7 pm
and will feature a Christmas pageant
directed by Margaret Friesen Stowe.
Carols and Communion at 10:30 pm
will bring the celebrations to a climax
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church
58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside)
Advent Worship Services:
Sundays at 9:00 am & 11:00 am (Dec 3rd-24th)
Christmas Potluck: Sunday, December 10th at 5:00 pm
Sunday School Concert: Sunday, December 10th at 6:00 pm
Christmas Concert: Sunday, December 17th at 6:30 pm
Christmas Eve Service: Sunday, December 24th at 6:30 pm
For more information,
contact us at 613-730-9411
or [email protected]
St. Margaret Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
7 Fairbairn Street at Sunnyside
613-730-5265
Christmas Liturgies
Sunday, December 24
6:00 p.m. Family Mass
9:30 p.m. Christmas Carols
10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass
Monday, December 25
10:00 a.m. Christmas Morning Mass
Sunday, December 31
7:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve Mass
(Feast of Mary, Mother of God)
Monday, January 1
10:00 a.m. New Year’s Morning Mass
in a service of worship, music and
Communion..
In between all these celebrations
many hands will be helping to spread
the spirit of Christmas to others.
Throughout Advent the Minister
will preach special Advent sermons
and each Sunday children will light
an Advent candle. Human Rights
Day will be observed on December
10th. Southminster’s bakers will be
preparing muffins, cookies and other
snacks for the Pause Table at Carleton
University for students writing
exams. Others will be helping to pack
Christmas Hampers. Still others, such
as those attending the Social Club’s
Christmas Dinner, will be raising
funds for both the Christmas Hampers
and for Centre 7’s Out-of-the-Cold
suppers.
The spirit of Christmas is here.
Come help Southminster to celebrate
it and share in the story.
Page 28
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Ghosts of Design Past Reinvent Themselves For 2007!
By Brenna Dallaway
I’m updating my house in the New
Year, what are the new trends for
2007? And will they look good in my
older home? J. Stein.
W
hat was old is new again
for 2007. Some of the top
trends that would work
beautifully in the older homes of
Ottawa South are:
Wallpaper –
Go Bold! Stronger vivid patterns
evocative of historical William Morris
patterns are becoming increasingly
popular. These patterns have evolved
from an “aged” perspective to a
contemporary sophisticated look and
work well in dining rooms, powder
rooms or entry halls.
If you prefer a monochromatic
style take a look at Farrow and Ball’s
hand blocked strie pattern for added
texture. The texture warms up a
monochromatic interior and can easily
be used in any room in the house.
FurnishingsIt’s a toss up! Furniture trends are
more eclectic than ever.
Modernism, Louis XV and Art
deco styles are very popular this year.
Modernism- The movement
is away from the Eames chair and
Parsons table to wishbone chairs and
beautiful smoke glass and chrome
tables. The less “popular” and more
interesting the better!
Louis
XVThe
Rococo
period is king –lots of ornate and
Louis XV Chairs and Serpentine Mantel.
delicately carved furnishings with
Bank St Ottawa south has lovely
curvaceous arms and legs. The Bergere antique shops where you can find
chair was very popular for this period. some wonderful pieces from modern
A large gilded mirror offers a great to French finds.
way to implement this style.
Remember that trends come and
Art deco- the pinnacle of
modernism. We are seeing this style
used quite a bit for 2007. Last year’s
bar charts are still in fashion and
feature large circular sides. The silver
used frequently in Art Deco shows
up especially in great carpeting; go
for carpeting with sheen. Furniture
frames in exotic woods such as
macassar ebony and rosewood add
instantaneous glamour to any room.
From dining tables, and bar carts to
living room chairs, Art Deco brings a
black tie feel to any space.
Glamour and a sense of history
are stronger than ever for 2007. With
the wonderful historical homes in
Ottawa South the evolution of design
Art Deco detailing
will blend perfectly!
go so try to find current pieces that
you love so you’ll never tire of your
home’s esthetics.
Next month - how to plan your
spring /summer - yes it’s time renovation. How to find a qualified
contractor that can do the job on time
and on budget.
Happy Chanukah!
Merry
Christmas!
And Happy Holidays to everyone
in Ottawa South!
If you have any questions on
your home project please email to:
[email protected] or info@
philosophyinteriors.ca.
Brenna Dallaway is owner of
philosophy interiors, design studio.
Please note that for the month
of January a percentage of all
consultations will be donated to aid in
the crisis in Darfur region.
Linda Thom Featured in New
Canadian Book
L
inda Thom, a real estate
agent with Royal LePage
Performance Realty in Ottawa.
is featured in a new book written
by Randy Ray of Ottawa and Mark
Kearney of London, Ont. Thom, a gold
medal winner in sport pistol shooting
at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games
in Los Angeles, is among a handful of
sports personalities tracked down by
the authors in Whatever Happened
To…? Catching Up With Canadian
Icons, published in October by The
Dundurn Group. The book includes a
photo of Thom and her medal.
Ever wonder what became of
Marilyn Bell, the first Canadian woman
to swim across Lake Ontario? And
where is Roger Woodward, the boy
who survived the treacherous beauty
of Niagara Falls? And what about Lea
Parrell, the famous aby-face of Heinz,
who was signed on before she was
even born? Where is Canada’s first
automobile and whatever happened
to the two Canadians that invented
Trivial Pursuit?
Whatever
Happened
To…?
Catching Up With Canadian Icons is
an entertaining where-are-they-now
look at the fate of some 100 celebrities,
newsmakers, and significant artifacts
of our nation’s past that have left a
mark on Canadian history. Long after
making headlines or burrowing their
way into our collective consciousness,
these icons have traveled different
roads—or in some cases kept more
quietly to the path that gained them
attention in the first place.
Kearney and Ray spice up their
stories with dozens of fascinating
facts.
With website links to further
information, this book is a great
resource for anyone who wants to
learn more about Canada’s heritage.
Or have a little fun! The book’s first
print run is 3,000 copies. Whatever
Happened To...? is the authors’ eighth
book.
Ray is a freelance writer, author,
and publicist. He worked for the
London Free Press for 13 years,
including three years as a Parliament
Hill Correspondent. He lives in
Ottawa. Kearney is an award-winning
journalist who has worked as a
reporter, public relations specialist,
and freelance writer. He has taught
writing at the University of Western
Ontario for the past 16 years and lives
in London.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
Page 29
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Seventeen Voyces Release Double-disc CD
O
ttawa’s popular chamber
choir, Seventeen Voyces, has
just released a double-disc CD
set of live recordings from its first ten
years. Fans of choral music will not
want to miss this exciting collection of
sacred and secular music spanning the
Renaissance to the present. It features
composers such as Bach, Brahms,
Monteverdi, Debussy, Tavener and
Willan. Special guest artists include
Matthew Larkin, piano and organ;
Andrew Ager, piano; Kevin James,
viola, and Lucile Hildesheim, Celtic
harp.
In addition to presenting a regular
subscription series of concerts every
year, Seventeen Voyces has teamed
up with the Cantata Singers, the
National Arts Centre Orchestra and
conductor Trevor Pinnock; sung on
Parliament Hill for Christmas; been
recorded for local and national CBC
radio and television programs. The
choir has also sung for the British
High Commission; the European
Union; Winterlude; Cathedral Arts;
the Sacred Music Festival; the RCCO;
and the Ottawa Chamber Music
Festival. Seventeen Voyces regularly
performs with Thirteen Strings at their
Christmas and Easter concerts.
The ensemble’s Artistic Director,
Kevin Reeves, resides in Old Ottawa
South. Kevin is not only director of
the choir, he is one of Ottawa’s best
voice teachers, as well as published
caricaturist (with two books) and a
filmmaker of note. His most recent
documentary,
Gord
Atkinson’s
Showbill, premiered on Bravo in
November.
Some of Seventeen
Voyces’ shows have combined
Kevin’s love of film with choral music,
such as the innovative multi-media
production, Berlioz; and the choir’s
sold-out October show, in which the
choir provided a live choral score to
the silent movie, Hunchback of Notre
Dame, accompanied by Matthew
Larkin’s brilliant organ playing.
Matthew is also an Old Ottawa South
resident and is the organist and director
of the Men and Boy’s Choir of Christ
Church Cathedral and conductor of
the Ottawa Choral Society.
CD’s are available at Leading
Note, 370 Elgin Street; Compact
Music, 785 Bank Street; and Herb and
Spice, 1310 Wellington Street.
Computer Tricks and Tips
By Malcolm and John
Harding, of Compu-Home
Q:
Why does it seem that my
computer is operating much more
slowly than it did when it was new?
T
his is the most common problem
bringing Compu-Home to the
homes and offices of computer
owners nowadays. The “bad news”
is that there are actually four possible
sources of the problem; the “good
news” is that all of these issues can
be addressed with inexpensive or
free solutions, usually by the owners
themselves, and without having to call
in a professional.
SPAM is defined as unsolicited
mass email. At its worst, it can carry
viruses and spyware (see below).
SPAM confuses and clogs up your
mailbox, even if it is otherwise
harmless.
Most Internet Service
Providers (ISP) have filters to identify
and divert the most obvious SPAM and
you can contribute to the process by
reporting the messages that are missed
by your ISP. You should familiarize
yourself with the system that your ISP
is using. In addition, you can use your
email client (Outlook, Messenger,
Thunderbird, etc.) to set up incoming
mail rules that will help to keep SPAM
out of your Inbox. NEVER open a
message, or especially an attachment,
from a sender you don’t recognize.
SPYWARE. Some websites send
innocuous “cookies” to your computer
to make your next visit to that website
more efficient. At the other end
of the spectrum, there is spyware
that acts like viruses, and can cause
considerable harm to your computer.
Whatever the level of threat, spyware
does slow down your computer! Ad
Aware and Spybot are two free and
very effective utilities that you can
install and run to clean spyware from
your hard disk.
Viruses are the subject of much
panic in the computer world, and are
actually less threat to the home user
than most people believe. On the
other hand, on that rare occasion when
you really are stricken with a virus the
result can be disastrous, from the loss
of your data up to a complete crash!
Commercial virus protection software
is available, usually at a cost of $50
- $100 per year, but there are free
alternatives such as AVG or avast!
which we have found to be equally
effective. It is vital that
you update your virus
protection regularly and
understand its settings, so
that you can be confident
it is constantly protecting
you!
Your
Changing
Expectations can result
in dissatisfaction with
your computer. Perhaps
you use a newer, faster
machine (maybe on a
network) at the office.
Most of us are doing
more on the Internet
than we dreamed would
be possible a few years
ago, and some sites
and software are more
demanding
of
our
computers’
resources
than the older versions
were.
Malcolm and John Harding are the
owners of Compu-Home, specializing
in assisting home and small business
computer users.
Visit www.compu-home.com and
go to Suggested Websites for links to
the utilities described in this article.
Write to harding@compu-home.
com or phone 731-5954 to discuss
computer issues.
Page 30
The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
- OUR 32nd YEAR
AMICALEMENT VOTRE
Fête de Noël de l’Amicale
de tombola viendra conclure nos
activités. Cet événement est ouvert à
toute la communauté et l’entrée y est
libre. Réservez donc cette date dans
vos calendriers…on vous attend pour
faire la fête !
par Karine Briand
L
es fêtes de fin d’année
approchent à grand pas et
l’Amicale
vous
propose
d’entamer les festivités avec son
traditionnel « Brunch de Noël ».
Serez-vous des nôtres le dimanche
10 décembre de 11 h à 14 h au centre
communautaire du Glebe pour ce
rendez-vous annuel de l’Amicale ?
Le principe est simple…venez
avec votre bonne humeur et un plat
de votre choix et prennez part à un
très chaleureux repas-partage (servi
de12h à13h) : une occasion idéale de
socialiser en français et de faire de
nouvelles rencontres ! Les plus jeunes
pourront laisser libre cours à leur
créativité en participant aux ateliers
de bricolages de Noël (11h -12h) et se
préparer à la visite du père Noël ! Vous
y découvrirez l’auteure-compositriceinterprète Josette Noreau qui nous fait
le plaisir d’agrémenter cette fête d’un
récital de chansons (12h45 -13h15),
et comme chaque année, un tirage
7ème ART
L’Amicale vous invite à la
projection du film « Les Choristes » :
le vendredi 1er décembre à 19h00
au centre communautaire du Glebe.
Ce film de Christophe Barratier,
avec Gérard Jugnot et Jean-Baptiste
Maunier, relate l’histoire d’un jeune
professeur dont la détermination
à organiser une chorale dans un
établissement scolaire sinistre des
années 50 va littéralement transformer
la vie de certains de ses élèves. Ce film
a reçu la classification « visa général »
et se prête tout à fait à une soirée
cinéma en famille, dont l’entrée est
gratuite pour tous. Nous en profitons
pour rappeler aux cinéphiles de tous
poils, que l’Alliance française vous
propose « Universciné » un nouveau
rendez-vous cinéma ayant lieu le
premier jeudi de chaque mois à 18h00
au 352 MacLaren. L’entrée est libre
et les films sont présentés avec soustitrage en anglais.
Progammes francophones
Grâce aux efforts de l’Amicale
toute
une
série
programmes
francophones vous sont offerts
en partenariat
avec les centres
communautaires
d’Ottawa-Est,
du Vieil Ottawa-Sud et du Glebe.
Nous vous suggérons d’en prendre
connaissance dans les programmes
d’hiver des différents centres
communautaires et de vous y inscrire
dès le mois de décembre.
Nous vous signalons d’ailleurs la
création de « Copains & Copines »,
un tout nouveau groupe de jeux
francophone qui sera proposé dès
janvier par OSCA, l’association
communautaire du Vieil OttawaSud. Une merveilleuse occasion de
faire la connaissance d’autres parents
ou gardiennes francophones ou
francophiles, tandis que vos enfants
socialisent et jouent en français. Toutes
les activités y seront planifiées d’une
manière coopérative par les parents
et les gardiennes. Ces rencontres
se dérouleront tous les jeudis matin
de 9h30 à 11h30 dans les locaux du
centre communautaire du quartier
Vieil Ottawa-Sud (ancienne caserne
des pompiers) situé sur Sunnyside.
Les inscriptions pour la saison d’hiver
(11janvier - 5 avril ) débuteront en
ligne e 11 décembre et en personne à
partir du 12 décembre (9h00-21h00
&18h00 le vendredi). Coût 37.00$
pour 12 semaines. Informations :
[email protected]
Rappel aux Ados!!! L’Amicale
et le centre communautaire du Glebe
proposent aux jeunes de 12 à 17 ans
une formation de garde d’enfants,
conçue par le Conseil canadien de la
sécurité en français. Ces cours auront
lieu tous les lundis de 18h00 à 19h30
du 8 janvier au 5 mars.Notez que les
inscriptions pour cette session d’hiver
se feront à partir du 14 décembre.
Infos
à :www.gnag.ca/registration/
index.htm#inperson
Mise à jour des activités de
l’Amicale
Pour tous ceux d’entre vous qui
souhaiteraient se joindre au cercle
de lecture, dont les participants se
retrouvent le 1er mercredi mois à 19h00
au centre communautaire du Glebe,
veuillez noter que c’est le roman
« Biographie de la faim », d’Amélie
Nothomb qui a été retenu pour la
rencontre de décembre. En raison de la
période des fêtes, la session de janvier
est quant à elle exceptionnellement
reportée au 10 janvier et portera sur
le livre « Suite française » d’Irène
Némirovsky. L’Amicale souhaite par
ailleurs lancer une série de rencontres
de « mise en lecture » de pièces de
théâtre préalablement choisies. Si cette
initiative vous inspire, manifestez
votre intérêt en communiquant
vos coordonnées à :amicale05@
sympatico.ca.
Le comité de développement de
l’Amicale à entrepris des démarches
auprès de différentes associations de
gens d’affaires du secteur Capitale
pour proposer la mise en place d’un
projet pilote développé en partenariat
avec la ville d’Ottawa et le RGA
(Regroupement des gens d’affaires),
qui vise à offrir à nos commerçants
des outils leur permettant de faciliter
un service à la clientèle dans les deux
langues. Ce projet propose en effet
du matériel promotionnel aidant à la
signalisation du personnel ayant la
possibilité de servir la clientèle en
anglais et en français, de l’aide en
matière de formation du personnel
pour ceux qui le souhaitent ainsi que
des services de traduction à coûts
réduits.
Cette chronique étant la dernière
de l’année, nous vous souhaitons à tous
et à toutes une merveilleuse saison des
fêtes et tous nos vœux de bonheur, de
santé de prospérité et d’harmonie tant
dans vos vies personnelles que dans
votre communauté.
Incendies de résidence
E
nviron 85% des décès reliés
aux incendies se produisent à la
maison. À chaque année, près de
300 individus meurent et plus de 2000
sont blesses dans des feux de résidence à
travers le Canada.
Il est possible de prévenir les décès
et blessures associés aux incendies de
résidence.
Vous pouvez aider à sauver les vies
de vos proches et protéger votre demeure
en employant des précautions pour faire
de votre maison un endroit sûr.
Qui est le plus à risque lors d’un
incendie?
• Tout le monde est à risque. Une
personne sur quatre sera confrontée
à un incendie sévère qui causera des
dommages matériels majeurs, des
blessures ou même la mort durant sa vie.
• Les personnes du troisième âge
ainsi que les enfants âgés de moins de
cinq ans courent le plus de risque quant
aux décès reliés à un incendie.
• Le risque de décès chez les
personnes du troisième âge représente
plus que le double de la moyenne de la
population.
• Les animaux domestiques sont très
vulnérables aux incendies. La fumée
peut, en quelques minutes, endommager
les poumons d’un chien ou d’un chat.
Les étincelles peuvent causer des
brûlures douloureuses que l’on ne voit
pas nécessairement sous leurs poils.
The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
La phytothérapie à votre
service
par Claire Dubois
S
ans doute, vous serez d’accord
avec moi que de nos jours
tout le monde est concerné
lorsqu’il est question de santé. Qui
ne souffre pas de petits malaises
allant de problèmes anodins à des
problèmes moins anodins ou encore
pire de problèmes chroniques tels
que : difficulté digestive, maux de
tête, grippe, constipation, fatigue
chronique, bronchites, douleurs
musculaires, bursites, acné, eczéma,
insomnie, cancer et la liste continue,
continue… Tous ces problèmes de
santé sont des symptômes qui ont
pour but de nous avertir qu’il y a
un désordre et qu’il faut y remédier
avant qu’il ne devienne plus grand,
très inconvénient ou irréversible.
La phytothérapie est là à votre
service pour remédier aux désordres
lorsque votre corps vous lance
des signaux d’alarme. En effet, la
phytothérapie est l’art de soigner
avec les plantes et de donner des
conseils sur l’hygiène de vie tel
que
l’alimentation,
l’exercice
physique, les suppléments, etc.
La phytothérapie est utile autant
à titre de prévention qu’à titre de
problèmes de santé chronique.
À titre de prévention pour les
gens qui n’ont pas de problèmes
de santé grave, en phytothérapie,
il est recommandé de faire une
cure de désintoxication deux fois
par année. Après une évaluation
de l’état de santé d’une personne,
le phytothérapeute suggère des
herbages appropriés en fonction
des besoins des personnes où des
symptômes tel que maux de tête
occasionnels, fatigue, constipation,
irritabilité, lourdeur, difficulté
digestive. La conjugaison de cures
de désintoxication à partir d’herbage
deux fois par année et une bonne
hygiène de vie, vous vous assurerez
de mettez toutes les chances de votre
côté afin d’éloigner les problèmes
de santé.
En ce qui concerne les
problèmes de santé déjà établi
chez une personne, il faut dans
un premier temps rétablir le bon
fonctionnement de l’organisme.
Dans ce cas, le traitement peut
varié selon la gravité de la maladie.
De plus, dans ces cas, à partir de
l’évaluation de l’état de santé de
la personne, il sera très important
d’identifier comment une personne
en est arrivée à cet état de santé et
y remédier avec une hygiène de vie
plus équilibrée.
Un autre point important à
mentionner est l’importance d’un
bon fonctionnement de l’organisme
afin que celui-ci soit en mesure
de bien assimiler vitamines,
minéraux
et
suppléments.
Lorsqu’un organisme est intoxiqué
sa capacité d’assimilation est très
réduite et dans certain cas nulle.
En phytothérapie, les herbes sont
très utiles puisqu’elle permettent
au corps de bien se désintoxique
et lorsque tous les organes du
corps tels que foie, cœur, estomac,
poumon et reins fonctionnent bien
alors votre corps est en mesure de
bien assimiler les vitamines, les
minéraux et les suppléments. Il faut
aussi souligner que c’est la même
chose avec l’assimilation de la
nourriture. Même si vous mangez
les meilleurs aliments au monde, si
votre corps est fortement intoxiqué,
vous ne bénéficierez pas pleinement
des bienfaits de ces aliments.
Un autre avantage d’être
conseillé par un phytothérapeute
concernant les suppléments est
que vous êtes assuré de prendre
les suppléments dont vous avez
réellement besoin. Très souvent,
je rencontre des gens qui prennent
beaucoup de supplément et de
produits de toutes sortes qui ne
répondent pas à leurs besoins
spécifiques. C’est pourquoi, avant
de suggérer quoi que ce soit, le
phytothérapeute fait le dossier
complet de la personne et ensuite
il suggère les vitamines, minéraux
et suppléments répondant aux
besoins.
L’un des grands avantages de
choisir d’être traiter avec les plantes,
est que les traitements à partir
des plantes n’occasionnent aucun
effet secondaire contrairement
aux médicaments traditionnels qui
engendrent dans la majeure partie
des cas d’autres problèmes de
santé.
Pour terminer cet article, je
peux vous confirmer que si les gens
prenaient le temps de consulter un
phytothérapeute et faisait deux cures
de désintoxication personnalisées
par année ainsi, il y aurait beaucoup
moins de problèmes de santé tel que
cancer de toutes sortes, rhumatisme
et arthrite, dépression, migraine,
eczéma, opération d’ovaire chez
les jeunes femmes, menstruation
difficile et abondante, cholestérol,
haute pression, difficulté respiratoire,
insomnie, fatigue chronique, etc.
Parce que toutes ces maladies qui
causent des inconforts restreignant
allant jusqu’à la mort prématurée
n’arrivent pas sans avertissement.
Un phytothérapeute est en mesure
de prévenir ces problèmes de santé.
Par exemple, le cancer ou une
maladie grave prend des années à
s’installer.
Si cette article vous a touché et
que vous êtes intéressés à prendre
en main votre santé qui est votre
bien le plus précieux, je vous
invite à communiquer avec moi par
téléphone ou par courriel : 613-2489229 ou claire.dubois@sympatico.
ca . Ma carte d’affaire est dans la
section Market Place de ce journal.
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 31
Page 32
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Mental Health Inquisitive Minds & Innovation
Queen’s Park Report
By Richard Patten, MPP
Ottawa Centre
M
ental illness used to be
a shameful thing. The
sickness, which strikes
randomly across all sectors, was
exacerbated by social stigma. Mental
institutions, asylums, were oft times
built in remote locals or, like the ROH,
converted from their original purpose
and were not always appropriate.
Mental illness was medicine’s poor
and often country cousin.
So it was especially exhilarating
for me last month to speak at the
opening of the bright, spacious and
imaginative new Royal Ottawa Mental
Health Building on Carling Avenue
along with Premier McGuinty. The
facility is designed to aid patients,
accommodate their families and bring
mental health out into the light of
day. The new facility is not only state
of the art but also supports worldclass research into mood disorders,
substance abuse and other specialities.
I was honoured to be able to play
a role on the leadership team that
brought this vision to reality. (It was
especially significant for me having
devoted my Private Member’s Bill to
amending the Mental Health Act that
the previous government introduced
as “Brian’s Law”.)
Bright young minds are a joy to
engage. My wife, Penny, discovered
that years ago as an early childhood
educator. I was happy to bring
the Premier to Penny’s
Junior
Kindergarten class at 1st Avenue
Public School recently as part of a
school visit. We were on our way to an
inquisitive grade six class to talk about
science, technology and innovation,
another subject
that
I
care
passionately
about.
The
class had just
returned from a
trip to Sudbury’s
Science North
and was excited
about the impact
innovation can
make on the
future.
The
Richard Patten has a light moment with Penny and the Premier.
Premier brought along his favourite
Elton John vinyl LP and compared it
to an ipod. I asked the kids how one
would have explained my Blackberry
to people 100 years ago. The boys and
girls all had great ideas of their own on
the future of science and technology.
Finally, you may have heard that I
have new duties at Queen’s Park as
Parliamentary Assistant to Premier
McGuinty. As well as his Premier’s
duties Dalton is Ontario’s Minister
of Innovation. I look forward to
focusing on some of the issues faced
by this Ministry and its programs to
support new, small businesses with
emerging technology and help them
grow and prosper in our province.
Ontario, and especially Ottawa, is
ideally positioned to become an
innovation point of inspiration. If you
have any questions about Innovation
or any Ontario government program
please do not hesitate to call Daniel
Stringer in my constituency office at
613 722-6414.
Passport Requirement
Starting January 8th
C
anada’s airports are advising U.S.-bound travellers that a new passport
requirement for U.S. travel by air will come into effect this January.
Starting this January 8th, all passengers to the U.S. will require a
valid passport or a NEXUS Air card.
More than 20 million enplaned/deplaned air passengers travelled
between Canada and the U.S. in 2005 - the biggest bilateral air market in the
world. January is the beginning of a very busy post-holiday sun travel season
in Canada. In addition to U.S.-destined travellers, the new requirement also
will affect travellers transiting the U.S. This may impact some vacationers
who may not even realize they will be travelling through the U.S. Canada’s
airports urge travellers with plans to go south this winter, to check their
itineraries for possible U.S. connections and ensure the new U.S. passport
requirement doesn’t ruin their vacation plans.
The only acceptable alternative to a passport for entry to the U.S. after
Jan. 8 is the NEXUS Air card - an electronic card program that allows prescreened travellers to use an electronic kiosk instead of passing through
immigration and customs officer lines after paying a one-time fee and
undergoing a background check. It is currently only available for air travel
into the U.S. through Vancouver International Airport.
The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 33
Boost Your Education Savings
By James Jamieson
T
he costs of sending a child
to university or college are
increasing every year. So it’s
important to save as much as you can
for your children’s education.
One excellent source of education
savings is the new Universal Child
Care Benefit (UCCB), paid to
Canadian parents on behalf of children
under the age of six. The UCCB,
which came into effect in July 2006,
provides a monthly cheque of $100
for every eligible child.
Parents who are already enrolled
in the Canada Child Tax Benefit
program automatically receive UCCB
payments. If you’re not registered,
complete the Canada Revenue
Agency’s child tax benefit application
form. This can be obtained at CRA
offices or online at www.cra-arc.
gc.ca/benefits/uccb/faq-e.html. You’ll
also find full details of the UCCB at
this internet site.
To make the most of the UCCB as
an education savings tool, contribute
the money to a Registered Education
Savings Plan (RESP) in the name
of your child or children. The funds
will grow tax-deferred until used to
finance a child’s education. Plus, the
money you contribute can generate
additional funds through the Canada
Education Savings Grant (CESG),
a program that adds governmentsponsored contributions to the money
you put into an RESP.
A $100 monthly contribution
would generate $20 in CESG fundswhich essentially means you’ll
receive $120 each month from the
government to help fund a child’s
education.
Of course, an RESP gives you the
potential to accumulate far more in
education savings than the amounts
the UCCB benefit provides.
You can contribute $4,000
annually per child to an RESP, to a
lifetime maximum of $42,000 for each
child. When you make the maximum
yearly contribution, the plan will
receive $400 to $500 a year in CESG
funds, depending on the level of
family income and the child’s age.
Tax-deferral of investments
inside an RESP means they have the
potential to grow far more quickly
than outside an RESP. As long as the
money remains in the plan, no income
taxes apply to investment income.
When the funds are used to finance a
child’s education, the profits are taxed
in the beneficiary’s hands. However,
generally little or no income tax is
payable because of the child’s low
income. Many types of RESPs are
3nd Annual Christmas in the Glebe Artisan
Show and Sale
December 9 and 10
219 Glebe Avenue 10-4 p.m.
Glebe and Old Ottawa South Artists
Multi Media, Kiln formed Glass, Pottery, Painting, Vintage Shop and Gift
Baskets
Drop by for cider and goodies!
For more information contact [email protected]
White Box cont’d from page 25
reflect her taste. “There’s nothing in here that I wouldn’t love receiving
as a gift,” she says.
She says her experience in the fashion industry and passion for
decorating is why buying for the store is so easy. “It gave me an eye
for putting things together.”
Bonnie says she loves all the monogrammed items and talks about
the different areas of the store—everything from a baby section that
is set up like a nursery with a round crib in the center, to the spa area
that sells everything from bath and spa products to the many home
décor items and unique gifts.
There are martini and wine glasses decorated with patterns and
blurbs for different occasions and personalities, each with a different
cocktail recipe on the bottom. The White Box carries jewellery from
Loranne Kettlewall, a Canadian artist. They even have a mini photo
gallery on the wall behind the cash counter from photographer and
Ottawa native, Lee Buchanan.
The White box carries an extensive selection of items to decorate
the home and give it your own signature. Luxurious silk drapes
that hang from a wall—great for houses with higher ceilings, says
Bonnie.
Perhaps one of the most innovative appeals to the store is a stateof-the-art massage chair that can adjust to the height of the person.
It also comes with a jade heating wand. There’s also a place to play
MP3s so that is massage to the beat of the music.
“We got it mainly for husbands who come in with their wives,”
laughs Bonnie. “Instead of being bored they can relax on the chair
while their wives shop.”
All of these items, displayed on coffee tables, dining room tables
and Roman column-inspired shelving, are all for sale, including the
chair. “Everything in the store is for sale and it’s a nicer way to display
products,” says Steve.
Bonnie and Steve say they’re very happy with the location and
love the neighbourhood.
“We wanted to create a warm, homey feeling so customers would
feel welcome in our store, as if we had invited them into our home;
this is our second home, actually.”
The couple stays true to that fact—they have Mia, half poodle
and half Chihuahua, running around the shop.
available, including plans in the name
of just one child, or family plans with
multiple beneficiaries.
The best way to determine how
much you need to save and invest
inside an RESP is to get a handle on
the costs you’re likely to face when
it’s time for your child or children to
attend a post-secondary institution.
An Edward Jones Representative can
provide an education review to help
determine the level of savings that will
be required to meet future education
needs. Your investment representative
can also explain education funding
options and help develop a strategy to
ensure you meet your savings goals.
Bob Jamieson, CFP, your Edward
Jones investment representative.
Member CIPF
Page 34
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Tasty Traditional Chrsitmas Treats
Glögg - Hot Spiced Punch
Kutia
This is a traditional Swedish holiday drink, to be drunk
throughout the Christmas season when friends gather for
cookies and snacks. But other nationalities enjoy it as well,
using their own native spices and flavourings.
This is the traditional Ukrainian dish that is eaten first at the Christmas Eve
dinner when the family gathers together after the first star is sighted.
6 servings
4 c. apple cider
2 c. grape juice or dry red wine
2 tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger
8 whole cloves
6 strips (3 x 1/2” each) orange peel
13 cinnamon sticks, divided
2/3 c. raisins
2/3 c. slivered almonds
2 c Wheat 3 qt Water 1 c Poppy seeds 2/3 c Sugar 1/3 c Honey (dissolved in 3/4 cup-hot water) 1/2 c Chopped walnuts 1 Apple cut into 1/4 inch -squares In large saucepan, combine cider, juice or wine, ginger,
cloves, orange peel and 1 cinnamon stick. Let stand at room
temperature for 4 hours. Place saucepan over medium heat;
heat mixture to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 15
minutes.
Strain and discard spice mixture. Return glogg to
saucepan. Add raisins and almonds. Continue cooking over
low heat about 10 minutes, or until raisins are tender. Serve
hot, garnished with remaining cinnamon sticks.
Instructions This is the ritual first dish of the 12 course Christmas Eve Supper. The
wheat represents the staff of life, the honey represents the Spirit of Christ.
Dry wheat in 250 degree oven for one hour, stir occasionaly. Wash, soak in
cold water overnight. Next morning, bring wheat to boiling point, simmer for 3
- 4 hours, until kernels burst open.
Scald poppy seed, simmer for 3 - 5 minutes. Drain, grind twice using the
finest blade of food chopper. Set aside. Combine honey and sugar in hot water.
Set aside. After all ingredients have cooled, combine in one bowl and add the
chopped apples (if desired). This dish is to be served cold and will not keep well
at room temperature. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
Enforcement of Child and
Spousal Support Payments
By Anna Sundin
W
hen there is an agreement or a court
order for payment of child or spousal
support, the Ontario government
can collect the monies owed. In the case of a
court order, it is automatic. In the case of an
agreement, the person who is owed the support
has to register the agreement with the court
before the support can be collected. The agency
that collects support payments in Ontario is the
Family Responsibility office.
The FRO will contact the support payor’s
employer who then has to deduct the support
payments from the payor’s pay cheque and
forward this amount to the FRO who then
forwards it to the recipient.
The FRO can also
take any of the following
enforcement
actions
against those parents who
do not meet their support
responsibilities and are not
Anna E. Sundin, Barrister & Solicitor
paying the support they are
GEnErAl PrActicE includinG:
supposed to pay: collecting
Family Law, Wills, Real Estate, Incorporations, Litigation and Collaborative Family Law
funds from federal sources
– A Cooperative and Dignified Approach to Separation and Divorce.–
(such as income tax refunds
and employment insurance
benefits); reporting the payor
to the credit bureau; seizing
the payor’s bank account
or assets; seizing lottery
winnings; suspending the
payor’s passport and other
federal licences; suspending
the payor’s driver’s licence
Guidance, Protection
and
Peace of Mind.
or other provincial licences like hunting and
fishing licences; and taking the payor to court
on a default hearing.
The FRO can proceed to court on a default
hearing without the agreement of the recipient.
In order to terminate a default hearing the
recipient either has to agree to withdraw from
collection by the FRO or obtain an order there
are no arrears owing.
Even if there is no default hearing in
progress, if the Payor and recipient are in
agreement, they may opt out of the Family
Responsibility Office collection proceedings in
writing.
Many other provinces also have support
collection agencies so if the payor lives outside
Ontario the FRO may be able to send the case to
the support enforcement agency in the payor’s
jurisdiction.
Once the FRO has started to collect support
payments, the payor must make all support
payments through the FRO to keep FRO’s
records accurate.
Once a court has made an order for support
or payment of arrears, the Family Responsibility
Office cannot change the terms of the court
order and the parties have to return to court to
obtain a new order if there are changes to be
made to the child support, including terminating
child support once a child is no longer eligible
for support.
For more information you can visit the FRO
website at www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 35
Loss of Federal Government Support for Homeless,
and for Individuals and Families at Risk of
Homelessness, in Ottawa
By Paul Dewar
W
ith the approach of colder weather,
most of us are lucky enough to afford
to put a roof over our heads and to
buy warm clothing to wear. Many of us don’t
send our children to school hungry, as the cost
of shelter makes paying the bills and buying
groceries difficult, and even impossible. Often
those who must rely on community programs
use those supports to get back on stable ground,
but not everyone is as lucky. Some in our
community, through misfortune or illness, or
in need of escape from a dangerous or abusive
situation, are forced to rely on social services for
supports. There are currently successful projects
funded under the federal program through the
National Homelessness Initiative – Supporting
Community Partnership Initiatives (SCPI) – that
provide critical assistance to homeless persons,
individuals and families at risk of homelessness.
These current projects are necessary at
the most basic level, so homeless persons and
individuals and families at risk of homelessness
can leave the streets, shelters, and stabilize their
housing situations.
SCPI funding for current projects will be run
out on December 31, 2006 and current projects will
be forced to close down, as the federal government
has refused to commit to ongoing support, in spite
of the successes of these initiatives.
In Ottawa, that means following programs
are at risk:
Aboriginal Youth Home and Wabano
Outreach
Bruce House
Centre 507
Catholic Immigration Centre
Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa
Branch
Elizabeth Fry
Harmony House
The Housing Loss Prevention Network,
including
South East Ottawa Community Health
Centre
Nepean Rideau Osgoode Community
Resource Centre
Carlington Community and Health Services
Action-Logement
Why We Need Food Banks
By Mary Anne Thompson
T
he first food bank in Canada opened
in 1981 in Edmonton as a stopgap
measure to assist poor individuals
and families on an emergency basis. During
the 1980’s, the number of food banks
continued to grow across Canada, so that by
the end of 1989 there were almost 160 food
banks in the ten provinces.
In the next two years, the number of
food banks doubled and they continued
to expand throughout the 1990’s. By
2001 there were more than 2000 agencies
dispensing groceries as well as serving
meals in every province and territory in
Canada. It would seem that food banks
have become an integral part of Canadian
life as an increasingly common response to
hunger.
The people who access food banks
have on average, household incomes that
are far below established poverty lines.
Their housing costs generally consume the
majority of their available monthly income.
The depth of their need is now formally
measured by comparing their disposable
income to meet all other housing needs such
as food, clothing, transportation, dental or
special health needs after shelter costs have
been paid.
In 1990, in Ontario, food bank users
reported having about $440 per month to
cover all other family expenditures after
paying for their housing costs. This figure
peaked in 1995 at about $483 per month and
then declined significantly in the aftermath
of Ontario government’s social assistance
rate reductions. Subtract from this, the rising
cost of shelter and housing. The second half
of the 1990’s saw a steady decline in family
incomes, such that their post-shelter in 2000
averaged $298 per family.
Food banks and emergency food
programs are part of a larger bundle of
coping methods that many low-income
individuals and families utilize to survive.
The coping strategies for low-income
households include a vast array of budgeting
and coping strategies, including walking or
using public transit, relying on charities, bulk
shopping when they can, selling personal
possessions, doing without telephone,
foregoing recreation and entertainment,
consuming less food or doing without
altogether. The majority of food bank users
indicated being hungry at least once each
month, and nearly half reported that their
children were hungry at least that often as
well.
Food bank users today have, on average,
less than #150 per person after paying for
housing to spend on non-housing costs.
Poverty cannot be reduced through
increasing general economic prosperity and
general income growth. This growth does
not change the relative income position
of the poor, who will stay at their relative
low point of the income ladder. The only
way that poverty can be eliminated is with
income redistribution., either through direct
income transfers or reasonable jobs. There
is a social role for government.
Pinecrest-Queensway Health and Community
Services
Housing Help
Minwaashin Lodge
The Mission
Odawa Aboriginal Drop-in
Options Bytown
Rideau Street Youth Enterprises
Tungasuvvingat Inuit
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
Youth Services Bureau
As winter approaches, we must do all we can
to support the most vulnerable in our society, not
throw them out on the streets.
If you feel these programs are important,
please let me know. I will ensure the message
gets through.
I wish you all health, happiness, and good fortune
in the year to come.
Best wishes to you
and Your Family
Financial Divorce Specialist
Avoid costly mistakes with professional financial
assistance in the division of assets.
Contact: Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P.
1276 Wellington Street, Ottawa ON K1Y 3A7
Phone: (613)798-2421 Email: [email protected]
Page 36
The OSCAR
DECEMBER 2006
- OUR 32nd YEAR
My Mother’s Ukrainian Christmas
By Mary Anne Thompson
C
hristmas was first celebrated
in 200 AD on various dates
throughout the year; the date
was set as December 25 by Bishop
Liberus of Rome in 354 AD. This
date coincides with the winter solstice
as well as a Roman pagan festival of
sun-god worship.
Although Ukraine, also known
as Kievan Rus, accepted Christianity
under King Volodymyr (St Vladimir)
in 988AD, Ukrainians retained many
pagan traditions established by an
agrarian society that had been in
existence for thousands of years. The
early Church tolerated and accepted
as part of the Christmas holidays
the ancient pagan Feasts of Winter
Solstice, and Feasts of Fertility.
Ukrainians celebrate Christmas
on January 7 because of the traditional
Julian calendar that had been
established in 46 BC by Julius Caesar.
Pope Gregory XIII restored the spring
equinox to March 21 by eliminating
March 11 to 21 in 1582. Thus, in
Roman Catholic countries March 12
to 20 never existed in 1582. NonCatholic countries such as England
and Sweden adopted the new calendar
in 1752, by which time there were 11
days difference between the Julian
and the Gregorian calendars.
Orthodox and Eastern rite
churches such as the Ukrainian, Greek,
Syrian, Bulgarian, and Byelorussian
follow the Julian calendar, with a
13-day lag. Many Ukrainian families
continue to observe the old traditional
date of January for Christmas despite
the pressures to change. The later date
appeals to many people because the
commercialism of December 25 is
past and it is possible to enjoy a more
meaningful celebration.
For Ukrainians, winter celebrations
start on December 6/19 (Gregorian/
Julian) with St Nicholas’ Day. This is
Traditional embroidery with beaded vest and the braided circle Kolach sweet bread
a time of great fun. This is the holiday
for children when they receive gifts
from St Nicholas. Christmas is not
the usual gift-giving day for much of
Europe including Ukraine, although
formerly it was customary for each
member of the family to receive a new
article of clothing for Christmas.
St Nicholas is a real person, a
bishop who lived in the 4th century
in Myra, Asia Minor, now known as
Demre, in Turkey. He is associated
with gift-giving and his purses of gold
became known as the three golden
balls symbol of pawnbrokers. Dutch
settlers brought St Nicholas to New
York, and he was transformed into
Santa Claus in the United States and
Canada and re-crossed the ocean to
England.
Christmas celebrations begin on
Dec 24/Jan 6, Christmas Eve, and
end Jan 6/Jan 19, the Feast of the
Epiphany.
The Christmas Eve Supper or
Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) brings
the family together to share special
foods and partake in customs and
traditions that reach far back into
antiquity. The Christmas evening meal
begins when the children see the first
star in the sky. The table is set with
two table cloths, one for ancestors of
the family, and the second for living
members. In pagan times, ancestors
were considered to be benevolent
spirits, who, when properly respected,
brought good fortune to the living
family members. Under the table and
under the tablecloths some hay is
spread to remember that Christ was
born in a manger. The table always
has one extra place-setting at the table
for the deceased family members,
whose souls come on Christmas Eve
and partake of the food. A kolach
(Christmas braided bread) is placed
in the centre of the table. A didukh
(meaning grandfather), a sheaf of
wheat stalks or mixed grain stalks, is
placed under the icons in the house.
This is a very important Ukrainian
tradition because the stalks of grain
symbolize all the ancestors of the
family, whose spirits reside in the
stalks during the holidays.
After the didukh is positioned
in the place of honour at the table,
the head of the household places a
bowl of kutia (boiled wheat mixed
with poppy seeds and honey - see p.
34) next to it. A jug of uzvar (twelve
different stewed fruits), called God’s
Drink, is also served. The head of
the household offers each person at
the table some bread dipped in honey.
And then the family sits down to a
twelve-course, meatless Christmas
Eve supper.
According to Christian tradition
there are twelve courses in the Supper
to represent the twelve Apostles.
According to ancient pagan belief,
each course stood for each full
moon in the year. The courses are
meatless because there is a period
of fasting required by the Church
until Christmas Day. For the pagans,
the meatless dishes were a form of
bloodless sacrifice to the gods.
The first course is always kutia.
Then comes borshch (traditionally
- beet soup) with vushka (boiled
dumplings filled with chopped
mushrooms and onions). This is
followed by a variety of fish – baked,
boiled, fried, cold in aspic, fish balls,
marinated herring and more. Then
come varenyky aka perogies (boiled
dumplings filled with cabbage,
potatoes, buckwheat grains, or prunes.
There are also holubtsi (cabbage rolls),
and the supper ends with uzvar—the
twelve stewed fruit drink.
On Christmas Eve it is believed
that farm animals are able to converse
with one another and the animals are
offered some of the special foods
prepared for the Christmas Eve Feast.
Caroling is a very important part
of Christmas celebrations.
There are three forms of carols:
Koljadka – religions carols sung on
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and a
few of the days that follow; Malanka
cycle of mummers’ songs sung on
New Year’s Eve; and Scedrivka
from scedyi, meaning bountiful and
generous, sung on January 19, the
Feast of the Epiphany.
The Koljadka has Greek and
Roman sources. Carols emerged
as part of primitive winter solstice
celebrations in which the sun and
other heavenly bodies, such as the
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 37
My Mother’s Ukrainian Christmas cont’d
moon and the stars, and the elements
of nature, the rain and the wind, were
deified, implored, and placated. There
is a practical agrarian aspect of the
winter ritual folksongs because their
chief function was to prevail upon
various natural forces and supernatural
entities to assure a bountiful harvest
in the coming year.
The carols are also part of an
ancestor cult: carols were originally
ritualized incantatory songs used by the
living to summon their dead ancestors.
The dead were not considered to be
forever lost to the living but remained
an integral part of the community.
Just as the living have responsibilities
so too do the dead; the dead have
responsibilities to the living. The
ancestors come as carolers to visit with
the living. Ancestors were thought to
have witnessed and participated in the
creation of the world; however, their
powers were not limited to past events
but extended into the future as well. In
the midst of winter they came to cheer
the living descendants and to alleviate
their fears and anxieties through their
ability to guarantee the return of
spring and, along with it, productivity,
happiness, and good fortune.
In the 17th century the Church
circulated approved religious carols,
usually modeled after Polish Latin
carols as an antidote for seemingly
irreligious popular folk creations. The
formality and sophistications of the
church carol lacked the immediacy
of the folk carol and its foreignness
paved the way for the creation of
a cycle of jocular folk parodies on
church carols. These parodies would
be performed on New Year’s Eve and
the Epiphany.
House-to-house caroling served
as a culturally approved setting
for courting. For most of the year
the Ukrainian peasant community
was occupied with strictly agrarian
pursuits, and little time could be
spared for ceremonial courting and
community-wide weddings.
Thus the winter season became the
time for courting and weddings. The
repertoire of carolers and mummers
always included items with suitable
courting and erotic motifs, which
could be directed at an unmarried
maiden or an eligible young man.
The essence of the traditional
Ukrainian folk carol is its emphasis
on the here and now. It seeks neither
to narrate a story or to describe a
situation. Barriers, such as time,
are ignored: next year’s prosperity
and bountiful harvest are not
merely desired, they are instantly
accomplished and perfected through
the delivery of the carol. Carols often
contain depictions of plowing, sowing
and harvesting in the midst of winter,
and there are references to festive
breads made from next year’s wheat.
The use of dialogue adds to sense of
immediacy and reality.
The Malanka cycle of mummer’s
sung, performed on New Year’s Eve,
was performed by the young men and
visits were made mostly to households
where there was an unmarried young
maiden. An example of one of the
songs:
God eternal was thrashing peas –
Some for grits, some for groats –
I sure love your young daughter
I think I’ll marry her.
The Scedrivka songs are sung on
January 19, the Feast of the Epiphany,
on which the Ukrainians celebrate
the Jordan baptism of Christ. It is
believed that the Jordan, and all rivers
and streams turn momentarily to wine
at precisely midnight on Jordan Eve,
January 18. The very popular “Carol
of the Bells,” in its original form is
a Scedrivka that tells of a swallow
(herald of Spring) that has come to
the landowner’s house in January, and
asks him to come out and see how rich
he is, how many calves he has, and so
on.
During the Christmas season,
Ukrainians enjoyed performances of
Vertep, a Christmas Puppet Theatre
that had its beginnings in the XVII
century and was performed by
wandering mistrals, teachers, deacons,
and traveling theatre groups. The
puppet theatre consisted of a miniature
two storied structure, which served as
two stages for the wooden puppets.
One act of the play took place on the
upper floor of the theatre, and had
religious themes. The second act took
place on the lower floor of the theatre
and it consisted of short, humorous
scenes, designed to amuse. Central to
the lower stage was the hero Kozak
Zaporozhets, Ukrainian warrior and
defender of freedom and honour. Both
acts of the play were accompanied
by music performed by
a choir, duets, solos, and
instrumental ensembles
made up of violins,
cymbals, flutes and drums.
The Kozak played the
bandura and sang old epic
songs. He and the other
characters would also
dance.
In some villages, a
few people would dress
up as monsters with furs
and horns and run through
the village trying to scare
people. After frightening
the villagers, the monsters
would run to a meeting
place on the outskirts of
the village and there the
villagers and monsters do
battle. When the monsters
are defeated, scarecrows
are burned in a huge fire
and everyone dances
around the fire. Good
has defeated Evil for the
upcoming year.
I am writing about
my mother’s Ukrainian
Christmas because she
became an ancestor this
year and I will have a
special place for her at my table.
The native Ukrainian language is
also an ancestor, for the Ukrainian
of my mother is no longer spoken in
Ukraine.
My mother was born in eastern
Europe, and when she was 16, in
1939, she was among many young
people to be taken to Germany as
labourers. The trauma of the war years
in Germany, living through the horror
of a country torn by war, and not
knowing anything about her family,
left my mother deeply affected.
A few years ago I would have
told you that my mother’s maiden
name was Tymoszenko and that she
was Ukrainian. This was the name on
her identity papers I have recently
discovered, however, that her parents’
names were Gourgun and Schraag. To
survive she used identity papers not
her own. Whether she needed these
false papers because she was Jewish
or a Gypsy, or simply Ukrainain, I will
never know. After coming to Canada,
she never talked about her past. I grew
up with no Ukrainian grandmother,
grandfather, aunt, uncle, not even a
distant Ukrainian cousin. All of my
mother’s family had been killed either
by the Nazis or by Stalinist purges.
In 1933, the Soviets, under
Stalin, artificially created a famine
that killed an estimated 10 to 11
million Ukrainians. In the 1930’s
the linguicide against the Ukrainian
language saw Ukrainian writers,
philologist, historians, educators and
philosophers diminished by 80%,
either executed outright, or sent to
Siberia. Some Ukrainian writers call
this genocide. Add to these dead, the
seven to eight million Ukrainians who
died in the war against Germany.
This Christmas I wish that all
people could learn to understand that
we are all hurt by war, not just those
who are hit by bullets and bombs,
because all of us, even here in Canada,
are affected by direct and residual
hatred and fear that strips us of our
humanity.
If we scratch the history of almost
any country, we will find horrors such
as those visited on the Ukrainians, if
not in the last century, then in the not
too much further past. There is no
value in harbouring hatred and anger
about these past deeds. We are all
capable of such horrible actions in the
name of religion, politics, economic
wealth, or market economy. The truly
difficult task is to find forgiveness for
the past and renewed commitment for
compassion for all.
DENYS
BUILDS
DESIGNS
T
PAUL DENYS
Renovator
54 MASON TERRACE
OTTAWA, ON K1S 0K9
613 � 236 � 6516
DENYS.CA
Page 38
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Seasons Greetings!
Discard the thyme springs and lemon
slices. Reserve the liquid and let sit
until the fat rises to the top (at least
½ hour or overnight). Skim off the
fat and reduce remaining liquid until
you have less than 1 cup – just enough
to spoon over the duck legs before
serving.
This recipe can be made the day
ahead and then re-heated to serve.
Serves 4.
Garlic Mashed
Parsnip
Potato
&
4 – 6 Medium to Large Yukon Gold
Potatoes – peeled & cut into large
cubes
1 Small bag of Parsnips - peeled and
cubed
3 Cloves of Garlic – peeled &
chopped
1/2 c Whole Cream
4 tbs Butter
Mariposa Farm Owner With Geese
By Red Apron
D
uring November, we added
two
exceptional
local
businesses to our supplier
base. The Pelican Fishery & Grill
started as a small fish store in the
west end in 1978 and moved through
several locations before finally making
1500 Bank St. their home – just on the
fringe of our community. The Grill
has been cooking for 10 years and
their Chef Jose Barbosa was recently
nominated for an Epicurean award.
Co-owner Jim Foster is the Food
host of Ottawa Living on Rogers
Television, Jim gets to visit many
great restaurants in the Region – and
has even featured the Red Apron on
his show. The Pelican prepares their
own Hot and Cold Smoked Salmon
on site – they are currently smoking
over 300 lbs of each a week!
Here is a quick and easy
entertaining idea for the Holiday
Season – take 8 ounces of cream
cheese, 3-5 ounces of sliced cold
smoked salmon or crumbled hot
smoked salmon, 2 chopped green
onions, and a squeeze of lemon juice
– throw it all into a food processor and
pulse until incorporated (or you can
mix it by hand). This makes a great
spread for crackers or bread.
Speaking of bread, we were very
excited this month to add the “Artis-In” Bakery to our list of favourite
suppliers. Kevin & Stephanie recently
opened up a commercial space on
Wellington Street where they make
the most amazing bread we have ever
tasted. Their (relatively new) business
supplies some of the Best Restaurants
in Ottawa. It took us a while to track
them down, but they will now be
one of our regular suppliers at the
Red Apron. In fact, we have started
offering a weekly pairing of “Local
Cheese & Art-is-In Bread”, delivered
with our Thursday meals. To be
added to our weekly email list, visit
our website at www.redapron.ca. Our
weekly email provides details on our
current menu, our “Frozen Entrées”,
weekly Fresh Pies and Cheese &
Bread pairings.
This month’s menu would make
a great meal for the Holiday Season,
and a nice alternative to Turkey and
Tourtiere. If you’ve never tried duck,
don’t be intimidated. We think you
might be surprised at how juicy and
tender it will be. We have converted a
number of our customers who weren’t
big fans, and now they ask us when
we will be doing duck again!
We wish you and your family a
Safe, Happy and Healthful Holiday
Season – Eat Well!
Duck Leg Braised with Fig &
Lemon
(Lac Brome or Muscovy)
4 Fresh Duck Legs *
150 g Dried Figs – chopped
2 Fresh Lemons – sliced
1 Medium Onion – chopped
1 c Dry white wine
Fresh Thyme – 1-2 sprigs
Salt/Pepper to taste
We source our ducks from
Mariposa Farms.
Since 1980,
MARIPOSA farm has been producing
and marketing Ducks, Geese and
other poultry. The farm is located in
Plantagenet, Ontario about 45 minutes
East of Ottawa. They offer country
style fare for Sunday Lunch – worth
a visit. www.mariposa-duck.on.ca.
You can buy duck legs at the Glebe
Meat Market.
Season the duck legs on both
sides with salt and pepper. Sear the
duck legs skin side down on medium
high heat in a frying pan until the
skin turns dark brown and some of
the fat has melted away. Transfer to
a casserole dish and add remaining
ingredients. Cover and cook in a 300
degree pre-heated oven for 2 hours.
Remove from oven, ladle sauce and
juice over duck legs and check for
doneness. The meat should easily
pull away from the bone – almost fall
off. If they are not quite ready, cover
and return to the oven for another ½
to 1 hour.
Remove duck legs from liquid.
Bring potatoes to boil in a large
pot of salted water. Reduce to simmer
and cook until tender when pierced
with a fork. In a separate pot, bring
parsnips to boil in a medium pot of
salted water and reduce to simmer,
cook until tender. Drain thoroughly.
In a small saucepan, melt butter
& cream, and add chopped garlic.
Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes to
infuse the cream with garlic.
Pass potatoes & Parsnips through
a ricer or beat with electric beaters
until smooth. Slowly add garlic
cream & butter mixture and mix until
incorporated. Transfer to a covered
casserole dish and re-heated in 400
degree pre-heated oven when you are
ready to serve.
Serves 4.
Orange Cumin Carrots &
Green Beans
3 Large Carrots – peeled and medium
diced
1 Handfuls of Green Beans, tipped
and cut in half
Juice of two Orange
1 tbs Butter
Cumin, Salt & Pepper to Taste
Place carrots in a medium pot of
salted water and bring to boil. Reduce
to simmer and cook until “al dente”.
Remove from heat and strain in
colander. Bring Medium pot of salted
water to a boil and add green beans.
Cook at a rolling boil until done
(some people like them still crispy,
while others prefer them cooked until
tender). Remove from heat, strain,
and immerse in a bowl of cold water
to stop the cooking process.
Reduce orange juice in small
saucepan to ¼ of its original volume.
Add butter, cumin and salt/pepper to
taste.
When ready to serve – re-warm
carrots and Green Beans in a sauté
pan, with orange-cumin sauce until
heated through. Serve immediately.
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
Global Warming
Threatens Santa Claus
Few are talking about, but
the truth is out there. Santa
Claus is in deep do do.
A
s global warming melts his
Arctic homes, Rudolph and
his brother and sister reindeer
are under threat, along with - polar
bears, ice-dwelling seals and several
forms of Arctic vegetation - not to
mention the many indigenous human
inhabitants of the area.
“We are already seeing signs of
significant change in the Arctic with
mountain glaciers retreating, snow
cover disappearing, the Greenland ice
sheet thinning and Arctic sea ice cover
declining,” said World Wildlife Fund
climate campaigner Andrew Lee.
“All these changes tell us there
is no time to lose - we need to take
drastic action now to combat climate
change.”
Potential changes to Santa’s
operations:
• Loss of Santa’s Reindeer. Higher
temperatures will prohibit the use of
cold-loving
reindeer to pull Santa’s sleigh and
threaten this cold-adapted species with
extinction.
• Christmas Carols Crossover. I’m
Dreaming of a Light Christmas, Let it
Flow, Let it
Flow, Let it Flow, and Walking in
a Summer Sunnyland are just a few
titles hoping to
adapt.
• Decreasing Use of Stockings.
Due to increasing temperatures, fewer
people will have
large, heavy stockings and
fireplaces. The Report predicts that
children will substitute
baseball caps and sandals and will
hang the receptacle of their choice
over air
conditioning ducts and room air
conditioners and from ceiling fans.
• Move to Virtual Christmas Trees.
Higher temperatures are predicted to
decrease
Christmas Tree habitat and
increase the number of tree fires, both
indoors and out. An
immediate solution may come in
the form of virtual trees.
• Relocation of Santa’s Workshops.
Santa is going to have to move as the
North Pole
has already seen periods of
complete melt as things continue to
heat up the problem will
only get worse.
Page 39
Page 40
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Is Your Digestion Working?
By Vanessa Riddell
I
t’s not something that comes up
in normal conversation, it’s the
sort of thing most of us keep to
ourselves. But did you know that
looking at your digestion is the most
obvious way to see how healthy you
are?
Digestion is the process whereby
ingested food is broken down in the
mouth, stomach, duodenum and ileum
by a whole range of enzymes as well
as hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
This process breaks down the food we
eat; proteins, fats, and carbohydrates
into sources of amino acids, essential
fatty acids and energy. It also makes
available to us vitamins, minerals and
phytochemicals that are essential to
good health. Without any of these
nutrients nothing in our bodies would
be able to function. And too much of
one nutrient and not enough of another
can throw us off balance.
As you can well imagine the
quality of our digestion is then also
very important, because without
proper digestion we’re not getting all
the nutrients we need out of our foods.
For example, too little hydrochloric
acid in the stomach lessens our
ability to digest protein. This makes
it harder for further digestion of
protein, especially for the pancreas
and the liver, which then become
overworked. This in turn can cause
further difficulties with other systems
as the sub optimal functioning of the
liver affects every other process it is
involved in. Not to mention the fact
that there is now too little protein for
the repairing of tissue.
Our digestion is a finely balanced
mechanism and needs to be treated
with care.
Suffering from bloating, gas,
nausea,
abdominal
discomfort,
diarrhea, constipation, heartburn,
belching and cramps are all signs that
digestion is not working properly.
Poor digestion can further affect
our health causing problems such as
allergies, skin problems, and over
toxicity in the body. As we head into
the holiday season, with parties and
too much food, it would be wise to
remember to be good to our digestion
and listen to our bodies!
Here are some tips for maintaining
and creating healthy digestion.
1. Eat a well balanced diet
consisting of a mixture of complex
carbohydrates, plant and lean animal
protein, essential fatty acids, some raw
foods, and plenty of water between
meals.
2. Eat meals in a calm and relaxing
atmosphere where digestion can work
at optimum levels. Forget eating on
the run and really chew your food.
3. Try to limit or omit refined
foods and carbohydrates, sugar, salt,
stimulants and alcohol, these all
impair digestion.
Furthermore, think about the
benefits of detoxification. What goes
in must come out and that is never
as apparent as in the case of “junk
foods”. These and the toxins in our
environment clog up our systems.
They hamper proper digestion
processes as well as many other
processes of the body. Cleansing is
an ancient form of riding our bodies
of toxins, Lent is a prime example.
Cleansing can be accomplished on a
daily basis as a 12 hour fast between
dinner and breakfast, or as a longer
fast, from 1 to up to 5 days. It can
also include eating only certain foods
for weeks at a time, as in Lent. Any
way you choose to do it can mean a
much needed break for your digestive
processes, and something your body
will thank you for by feeling great in
return!
Vanessa Riddell RNCP is a practicing
nutrition consultant in the Old Ottawa
South area
First and Second World Wars
Web Sites by Library and
Archives Canada
O
n Wednesday, November 22, Library and Archives Canada highlighted
two important web sites as part of its Kaleidoscope series - the virtual
exhibition Faces of War about Second World War photographers and
Oral Histories of the First World War.
Faces of War contains a selection of photographs, taken by photographers
from the Department of National Defense during the Second World War,
depicting daily life in the military during that period. The site has a gallery of
photographs for each of the branches - Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as
database of approximately 2,500 photographs that visitors can search. There
is also a feature essay and gallery on the DND photographers who took the
pictures in the collection. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/faces-of-war/
index-e.html.
Oral Histories of the First World War features a sampling of radio
recordings of one-on-one interviews with veterans from the Canadian
Expeditionary Force. Digitized for this website, these recordings were taken
from the CBC radio broadcast In Flanders Fields which aired in 1965. http://
www.collectionscanada.ca/first-world-war/interviews/index-e.html.
Kaleidoscope is a new series of monthly talks given by Library and
Archives Canada specialists spotlighting LAC’s collections. The talks are
open to the public and are held at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Admission
is free.
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
I
International
Volunteer Day
nternational Volunteer Day takes
place on December 5th each
year and is officially recognized
by the United Nations as a day on
which volunteers around the world
are recognized and celebrated for
their contributions and dedication.
Volunteer Canada’s International
Volunteer Day campaign 2006
is designed to raise awareness of
the vital role that volunteers play
in helping to achieve the United
Nations Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), both in Canada and
overseas. The eight Millennium
Development Goals range from
cutting extreme poverty in half
to providing universal primary
education. They form a blueprint for
action agreed to by all the world’s
countries and leading development
institutions.
The United Nations
The United Nations was
established in 1945 by 51 countries
committed to preserving peace
through international cooperation
and collective security. Today,
nearly every nation in the world
belongs to the UN: membership
totals 191 countries.
The United Nations is not
a world government and it does
not make laws. It does, however,
provide the means to help resolve
international conflicts and formulate
policies on matters affecting all
of us. At the UN, all the Member
States — large and small, rich and
poor, with differing political views
and social systems — have a voice
and a vote in this process.
Through UN efforts in
international law, governments
have concluded many multilateral
agreements that have as their
intention to make the world a
safer, healthier place with greater
opportunity and justice for all of us.
For more information, please visit
http://www.un.org
Page 41
Tritium in Tap Water
Sierra Club of Canada
T
ap water in Ottawa
is
contaminated
with
radioactive waste in the form
of tritium from SRB Technologies
in Pembroke, Ontario.
SRB
is a tritium light manufacturer
licensed by the Canadian Nuclear
Safety Commission. SRB has
already severely contaminated the
environment and groundwater in
the City of Pembroke with tritium,
and is now proposing to “clean up”
by dumping its contaminated stack
drippings and groundwater into the
Pembroke sewer system and thence
into the Ottawa River.
This would greatly add to
tritium already dumped by SRB
into the Ottawa River, a source
of drinking water for millions of
Canadians in Quebec and Ontario.
The river flows by the Houses of
Parliament on its way to join the
St. Lawrence at Montreal. But the
Pembroke-to-Ottawa leg is just
a small part of the tritium trail
that includes Ontario’s nuclear
power plants, nuclear weapons
manufacturers, users of tritium
lights, leaking landfills worldwide,
and countries such as Iran, China,
and Singapore.
The Canadian Coalition for
Nuclear Responsibility, Concerned
Citizens of Renfrew County, and
the Ottawa Riverkeeper have been
presenting evidence that SRB
should be shut down.
Personal Financial Planning
We will review your current financial position and
recommend a plan that is designed to achieve your goals.
Year End Tax Tips
by Rick Sutherland
T
he year 2006 is rapidly
drawing to a close. Our
thoughts are turning toward
the festive season, family and
celebration.
The year-end also brings another
deadline well worth considering.
With the exception of RRSP
contributions and a few other tax
strategies, you have until December
31 to take any final action related to
your tax reduction plans for 2006.
Here are a few ideas and
suggestions that you may wish to
look at before the end of 2006.
Alternatively you may wish to
implement these ideas to reduce
your income tax bill in future years.
Inevitably, as an investor you
will have some investments that
increased in value and others that
declined in value. You may want to
sell your losers and apply the loss
against your gains. Typically these
transactions must be made before
Friday December 22 in order for the
trade to settle and be eligible for use
in 2006. Capital losses can be used in
the current year or back three years
or carried forward indefinitely.
If you are going to buy an
interest-bearing investment with a
maturity of one year or more, and
it is held outside your RRSP, wait
until after December 31, 2006.
By waiting until January 2007 the
first anniversary for interest earned
will be January 2008. The interest
income will be reported in the spring
of 2009 on your 2008 tax return.
Make your charitable donations
before the end of the year. You may
want to consider donating publicly
traded securities. Any resulting
capital gains on donated securities
after May 1, 2006 are not subject
to tax and you receive a donation
receipt for the full market value
of the donated investment. It may
make more sense, from a tax point
of view, to donate securities rather
than cash.
There are a multitude of ideas
and strategies one can use to reduce
taxes. Whether you’re considering
tax shelters or charity donations
you should speak to your financial
planner to go over your ideas and
discuss any last minute tax strategies
that can be completed before the
year closes.
So while you are mulling over the
decision whether to go with turkey
or ham for your holiday feasting,
you may want to devote a little time
toward tax planning. These and
many other tax reduction strategies
should be practiced year round, not
just at year-end. Happy holidays and
best wishes for a prosperous 2007.
This is a monthly article on
financial planning. Call or write to
Rick Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS,
R.F.P., of FundEX Investments Inc.
with your topics of interest at 7982421 or E-mail at [email protected].
Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P
1276 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 3A7
Tel 613.798.2421
[email protected]
www.invested-interest.ca
Page 42
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Ottawa’s Newest Independent Bookstore Open for Business
by Anne Louise Mahoney
O
ld Ottawa South residents driving along
Main Street past Saint Paul University
will notice a new sign on the link
between the two main buildings: LIBRAIRIE •
BOOKSTORE. Luckily, this is not just another
university bookstore: it is open to the public, it is
bilingual, and it has something for everyone.
As well as an extensive selection of books
on religion and spirituality, visitors will find a
range of popular subjects, including self-help,
psychology, ethics, gender studies, ecology,
philosophy and conflict studies – in English
and in French. The bookstore also features (in
both languages) bestsellers at 30% off, greeting
cards, calendars, journals, dictionaries and other
reference books, as well as school supplies,
giftware, and music CDs. A Client Card allows
frequent buyers to earn free books, and special
orders are welcome.
The Librairie Saint-Paul & Canterbury House
Bookstore is a unique commercial enterprise that
blends the 51-year tradition of service of the
former Canterbury House store with the depth
and breadth of the national and international
selection of the former Saint Paul Bookstore. The
store, which is owned and operated by Saint Paul
University, is located at 233 Main Street. Parking
is available.
Manager Anitta Aaltonen explains, “In
opening the doors of the new Librairie Saint-Paul
& Canterbury House Bookstore, we have only
just begun the work of launching a whole new
type of independent bookstore in this city, one
that is committed to providing quality service and
exceptional choice for our customers.”
“As Ottawa’s newest independent bookstore,
we are determined to create a name for ourselves
and a loyal client base for all of our programs and
services aimed at our new and returning customers,”
adds assistant manager Dan McCormick. “At a
time when independent bookstores across the
country are reacting to the fierce competition of
the big chain stores, we are confident that we have
a future because we offer the choice and expertise
that are simply not available elsewhere. Drop by
and see for yourself!”
The store is a welcoming space complete with
comfy armchairs, background music and a relaxed
ambience. It is open Monday to Friday from 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and
Thursdays), and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. For more information, call 613-751-4014 or
send an e-mail to [email protected].
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY
Sunnyside Branch Library
Fall
Programs
Children Storytimes/Contes
Babytime (Newborn-18
months) / Bébés à la biblio (De
la naissance à 18 mois)
Tuesdays, Ocr. 31-Dec 17,
2:15 p.m. (30 min.)
Toddlertime (Ages 18-35
months) / Tout petits à la biblio
(Pour les 18-35 mois)
Tuesdays, Oct. 31-Dec. 17,
10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Or
Thursdays, Nov. 2-Dec. 19,
10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Storytime (Ages 3-6) / Contes
(Pour les 3-6 ans)
Wednesdays, Nov. 1-Dec. 18,
10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Special Children’s Programs
Books! Books! Books!
Stories and a craft for 5-8 year
olds
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2:00 p.m.
(45 min.) Registration required
Winter Wonderland
Stories and a craft for 5-8 year
olds
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m.
(45 min.) Registration required
for 8-9 year olds
For boys and girls ages 8-9
and their caregiver to have fun
together through their love of
reading.
Tuesdays, Nov 21, Dec. 19,
7:00 p.m. (1 hr.) Registration
Required
Adult Computer Courses
What do I read next?
Have you finished off all
your favorite author’s books?
Looking for some direction to
find a new reading love? Then
come to the library to learn
about the electronic tools we
have to solve your problem.
Friday, Dec. 1, 10:30 a.m. (1
hr.) Registration required.
Sunnyside Book Clubs
Mother Daughter Book Club
A place for girls and the
special women in their lives to
share excellent books.
Ages 10 to 12. (1 hr.)
Mondays,Nov. 20, Dec. 18,
7:00 p.m. (1 hr.) Registration
Required
guyzone
A monthly lunch hour book
adventure for guys in grade 7
and 8 at the Sunnyside Library.
Fridays, Nov. 3, Dec.1, 12:05
p.m. (45 mins.) Registration
required.
girlzone
A monthly lunchtime book
chat group for girls in grade 7
and 8 at the Sunnyside Library.
Fridays, Nov. 10, Dec.
15, 12:05 p.m. (45 mins.)
Registration required.
Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Drop by, meet new people and
join in stimulating discussions
on selected titles in a friendly
and relaxed atmosphere.
Usually last Friday of every
month at 2 p.m.
You and me reading group
Alta Vista Branch Library
Alta Vista Branch
2516 Alta Vista Dr.
Register: 613-7372837 x3
Adult Programs
Book Banter
The Good Husband
by Gail Godwin
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2 p.m. (1hr.)
Music of a Life
by Andrei Makine
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2 p.m. (1hr.)
Infusion littéraire
Le vieux qui lisait des romans
d’amour
de Luis Sepulveda
Mardi le 19 déc. 14 h (1 h)
L’histoire de Pi
de Yann Martel
Mardi le 16 jan. 14 h (1 h)
Tuesday Book Group
Meets every two weeks to
discuss non-fiction books.
Saturday, Jan. 13, 1 p.m. (2
hrs.)
English Conversation Group
Practise your English
Every Monday until Dec. 11
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Knitters helping Knitters
Join this group that meets
monthly to share ideas and
offer
assistance to other knitters.
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 6:30
p.m(1.5 hrs)
Meet the Authors
Welcome to the world local
author E. P. Baird has created
for Ottawa Homicide Detectives
Theo and Sylvia in her new
book
Uncommon Scents.
Thursday, Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m.
(1 hr.)
Meet Terry West, former
teacher
in Ottawa, who has written
Run of the Town, a book of
stories about
growing up in Hearst, Ontario.
Thursday, Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m. (1
hr.)
Travel Escapes
Escape the winter and visit
warm
climates through creative
multimedia presentations by RA
Photo
Club members.
Following the Tuscan Light
Friday, Feb. 2, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)
Arizona, Utah, Colorado
Friday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)
Greek and Turkish Delights
Friday, Feb. 16, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)
Southern Africa
Friday, Feb. 23, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)
Teen Programs
Teen Book Club
Teen Book Club
Drop in to share some great
reads
with other teens. Ages 12-15.
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. (1
hr.)
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. (1 hr.)
Fantastic Fiction Teen Book
Club
Drop in to discuss sciencefiction
and fantasy books with other
teens.
Bring ideas for some great
reads!
For more information please
call:
613-737-2837 x3
Teen Chick Lit Book Club
If you love “Gossip Girl” or
enjoy reading anything
between
teen and adult books bring
your ideas for favourite reads!
For information please call:
613-737-2837 x3
Page 43
OSCAR caught Prof. Edward O. Wilson
between field trips and writing a new book to
take time to talk to us on The Creation. Feature
writer stephen a. haines, breathless at the pace,
managed to keep up.
OSCAR: You’ve spent much time in the field in your
studies. Are you doing any field work now?
E. O. Wilson: I am. I make trips to the West Indies to add
data to my ongoing studies of ants of that region, and for the
sheer pleasure of visiting the remaining wild places there.
O: Have you switched from studying social insects to
studying human society?
E.O.W.: Neither will escape my attention for long. At the
moment I’m focused on finishing/ The Superorganism,
with Bert Hölldobler, a comprehensive view of the subject
as seen in the social insects. People next.
O: What prompted you to produce this book?
E.O.W.: The Creation is a primer on modern biology and
the state of global biodiversity written for the largest possible
audience. It is framed as an apostrophic letter to a Christian
minister to suggest to the vast audience of religious faithful
their own practical and spiritual stake in the issue.
O: You have been writing on biodiversity and threats to
the biosphere for many years. This book seems to impart
a sense of desperation. Is that what you’re feeling at this
point?
E.O.W.: Yes, exactly. That is why I say to the religious
faithful, “We need your help. It’s your planet too.”
O: There’s an increasing sense of urgency about coping
with climate change. What do you expect your readers to
do in dealing with that urgency?
E.O.W.: Climate change, now well defined, has emerged as
a key agent in the ongoing destruction of ecosystems and
species. The best estimate is that if left unabated, and other
conservation efforts are not made to offset it, we could lose
as many as one-fourth of the species of plants and animals
on Earth in the next 50 years.
O: The Christians you’re writing to have expressed doubts
about biodiversity - if “The Creation” you’re addressing is
divinely fixed, how can we either destroy or save it?
E.O.W.: I share with most Christian thinkers, including
evangelicals, with whom I’ve talked, the thought that we
shouldn’t argue right now where it came from; it’s here and
it’s disappearing. And to save it is a human decision, clearly
expressed as such in the Old Testament.
O: Some of my readers may feel that the religious
obstructionist resistance to coming grips with climate
change may not be numerous enough to be worth a book.
How do you respond to that?
E.O.W.: The religious are now coming on board, again
including evangelicals. I’m not worried about any future
resistance to this part of science, which is very solidly
grounded and not inimical to Scripture.
O: You’ve been giving presentations on the book to church
groups. How have the audiences reacted?
E.O.W.: Warmly, very warmly, so far.
O: Have any of your talks on The Creation brought you
to Canada?
E.O.W.: Not yet.
O: The CBC recently aired a news programme on the
“EnviroSceptics”. Have you debated any of these figures;
Pat Michaels, Fred Singer, Tim Ball and others - mostly
American?
E.O.W.: Most scientists agree that they represent a very
small and shrinking margin of expert opinion. I wish they
were right, but the evidence is decisively the other way.
O: Some argue that even your suggestions about coping
with climate will be too costly to our lifestyle. How do you
respond to that?
E.O.W.: Biologists and economists alike agree that it
will improve our lifestyle, in stimulating technological
revolution, shift to sustainable energy, more careful use
of natural resources, and, not least, a healthful and more
pleasant environment.
O: Who else on the environmental crisis and climate
change would you suggest my readers consult for further
information?
E.O.W.: The scientific literature and expositions in popular
media are now so flourishing as to make little sense to single
out individual sources.
O: Thank you very much for giving us some of your
valuable time.
E.O.W.: It was my pleasure.
Page 44
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Around Town
OIW Book Fair - Admission is free
and table rental is welcome!
The 4th Annual Ottawa Independent
Writers Christmas Book Fair
WHERE: The Assembly Hall,
Lansdowne Park (east end of the
football stadium)
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday,
December 2 and 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
both days
INFO: 613-731-3873; or rocket@
intranet.ca
December 3 St. Margaret Mary’s
Christmas Bazaar, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Noon Christmas
Carols Sing, lunch, healthy frozen
dinners, unique hostess gifts and
crafts, baked goods, delicious
preserves, children’s corner, turkey
raffle, collectibles table. Sunnyside
and Fairbairn.
The Christmas concert of the
Ottawa Welsh Choral Society is
Sunday, December 10, at 3:00 pm and
takes place at St. Giles Presbyterian
Church, Bank St. at First Ave. The
choir will be singing Christmas music
in English and Welsh.
Bytown
Voices
Christmas
Concert, featuring Daniel Pinkham’s
‘Christmas Cantata’ with brass
accompaniment, Christmas carols
for 2 choirs- guest choir St. Luke’s
Anglican Church choir- and other
seasonal music, on Sunday Dec.
10th, 3.00 p.m. at St. Basil’s Church,
on the east side of Maitland Ave.
immediately north of Queensway,
Free parking, Wheelchair accessible,
Tickets $10.00 adult, $5.00 students,
information 613-563-7044
One of a kind Handmade African
Inspired Arts and Craft Show.
Beadwork, baskets, cards, and prints,
clothing, fashion and home accessories,
framed art and mirrors, wall hangings
and more. Drop by to browse and
meet the artisans. Saturday, December
9, 10:00am to 4:00pm, Crichton
Community Centre, 200 Crichton. Off
Beechwood. Entrance to 2nd floor from
Avon Lane. Contact info: AfricArt –
613-769-8736; Chidima Dezigns 613730-8647; Rwandese Senior Social
Group 613-729-6543
3nd Annual Christmas in the Glebe
Artisan Show and Sale December 9
and 10, 219 Glebe Avenue 10-4 p.m.
Glebe and Old Ottawa South Artists
Multi Media, Kiln formed Glass,
Pottery, Painting, Vintage Shop and
Gift Baskets
Drop by for cider and goodies! For
more information contact ahinther@
hotmail.com
Hopewell School looks forward to
a busy and fruitful December as the
students’ prepare for their annual
musical concert, this year called
December in Our Town, which will
be held on Thursday December 14th
at 7:00pm. The story tells of several
young people who are visiting many
homes in their town to collect food for
the local food drive. Come one, come
all! The annual book fair will take
place the same evening from 6:00 8:15 in the Atrium.
The Ottawa Folk Festival and
GOOSE
present
Christmas
GOOSE. Saturday, December 16,
2006 NAC Fourth Stage (53 Elgin
St.) 8:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:30
p.m.) Like trimming the tree and
wrapping gifts, Christmas GOOSE
has become a favourite holiday
tradition. Now in its fourth year,
Christmas GOOSE features Ottawa
songwriters performing original music
for the festive season. The concert is
organized by GOOSE, a co-operative
that supports local songwriters, and a
portion of the concert proceeds will
be donated to the Ottawa Food Bank.
Tickets: $18
Musical Volunteers needed to
entertain residents at The Glebe Centre
Inc. Specifically during the Happy
Hour Program which runs Monday
thru Saturday 3-4pm. Volunteers are
asked to make a commitment to one
shift per week. We are also seeking
musical or talented volunteers to
entertain throughout the facility for
other scheduled programs. We are
also recruiting a male Men’s Club
leader to stimulate male discussion
and explore various projects for a
men’s group. Times and schedule
would be determined by volunteer and
staff supervisor. If you are interested
in these or would like to learn more
please contact 238-2727 ext 353 or
[email protected]
Winter issue of The Hospice News
now online!
<http://hospicemaycourt.com/pdf/
winter2006.pdf>
Before the inevitable hustle and
bustle of December sets in, take a few
minutes to check out the latest issue of
The Hospice at May Court’s
newsletter, Hospice News <http://
hospicemaycourt.com/pdf/
winter2006.pdf> .
You’ll find details on the latest Hospice
events, including the wildly successful
Homes for the Holidays 2006. We
would also like to encourage atients
and families to take a look at Family
Support Coordinator Anne Bailliu’s
feature, “Coping with the Holiday
Season.”
The Hospice at May Court would
like to wish everyone in its Circle of
Caring the very best for the Holiday
Season!
Christ Church Cathedral Boys’
Choir is always open to new members,
age 7-13. Any boy is welcome,
regardless of previous musical
experience or religious affiliation.
This is an opportunity to learn a great
deal about music in a safe and caring
environment, make new friends,
travel with the choir; in short this is
an activity that can open a whole new
A Great Christmas Gift Idea!
Friends of the Central Experimental
Farm invite you on an escorted, all
inclusive road trip to Canada Blooms
Show, Toronto, March 8 & 9, 2007.
Price per FCEF member (double
occupancy) $225, non member $265.
This includes all costs, except lunch
at show. A charitable receipt will be
issued for a portion of cost. To register
or for information call
613-230-3276.
----------------------------------------Experienced Moroccan traveller
is recruiting 10 people to form
customized group tour of
Southern Morocco for the first
two weeks of April 2007.
For more info, please call Nancy
at (613) 233-7676.
---------------------------------------------
Classy Ads Continued from page 45
consider more hours if individual is
also a good cook (!) and could attend
twice weekly. Rate to be discussed.
Please call Anna at 238-2167(o)
during day or 730-2034 (h) in evening
to discuss or email to
[email protected]
-------------------------------------------Experience,
qualified
and
reliable student willing to provide
excellent care of your child(ren)
in the evenings, weekends, or
holidays. Please
contact Genny at
613-731-8401.
-------------------------------------------Qualified elementary school teacher
has space available for children age
3 and over in OOS/Glebe area home
daycare. Home has fully equipped
playroom and fenced yard. Close to
parks. Bilingual, CPR and First Aid
certified. Good rates. Call 239-1607.
Need Extra Cash??? Looking For
Assistance required to shovel
walkway for the winter season on
Sunnyside Avenue (near Bank St). Will pay cash. 613-730-3385
-------------------------------------------Indoor or Outdoor Painting, Scraping,
Plastering, Sanding. My name is Rob
Edwards. I am a university student
taking a year off and I am available
for residential painting – inside or
out. I am neat and precise. No job too
small. I’m available to complete that
painting you have meant to get around
to but just don’t seem to have the time.
References available. 613-233-4775
-------------------------------------------The South-East Ottawa Centre
Clothing Bank is looking for donations
of new or gently used toys, baby, child
& adult clothing. Please help families
in need this holiday season and in the
coming new year. Donations may be
delivered to the 6th Floor Front Desk at
1355 Bank Street (at Riverside) Attn:
Shirley. Thank you. Your generosity
is greatly appreciated.
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006
Page 45
CLASSY ADS
CLASSY ADS
are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the Old
Firehall, 260 Sunnyside, or sent by email to [email protected] by
the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email
address) must be included. Only your contact info will appear unless you
specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or exclude submissions.
The OSCAR takes no responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058.
COMING IN DECEMBER
For Sale
Creative Memories Memory Cart on
wheels. This is a must have for any
scrapbooker to store and organize
supplies. The cart’s dimensions are
20”x15”x18.5” and weighs 14 lbs.
It has 3 outside pockets, adjustable
divider inside, removable inside
liner, and inside zipper pocket on top.
Good condition. Retailed for $212,
asking $95. Phone 613.733.4281.
-------------------------------------------Moving boxes for sale $1 / each.
613- 321-6137
-------------------------------------------Taupe/beige sofa and chair set. 6
years old, good condition. $100.
Maytag heavy duty extra large
washer and dryer, couple years old,
good condition. $500. Contact 7306046.
-------------------------------------------Double Chariot Chauffeur CTS
stroller for sale. Show your kids the
world and stay fit doing it! Great for
running, biking, canal skating, roller
blading. Rebec & Kroes staff said:
“It’s in really good shape!” Includes
large front wheel, biking attachment,
rain screen, bug screen, safety flag,
and manual. Photos available - http://
www.flickr.com/photos/acodring/
tags/chariot/ $400 or best offer. Call
Andrew or Shari at 613-730-1998.
-------------------------------------------For Sale: Four used Bridgestone
Blizzak WS-50 205/65R15 snow
tires (two tires on rims). $100. 613730-3206.
-------------------------------------------White fridge and stove, in almost
perfect condition, for sale, cheap.
400$ for the pair call 613-730-6604
-------------------------------------------Kustom Profile-1 PA system. 2 heavy
duty speakers and 100-watt, 5channel powered mixer with EQ and
multi-effects. All cords included. Powerful and lightweight--ideal
for solo musicians or bands. Great
sound. Brand new -- never been
used! $650. Call Greg. 730-8064.
-------------------------------------------Exquisite Persian Meshed Carpet 11’
x 16’, deep blue with all-over multicoloured flower and vine design, terra
cotta border, appraised at $12,000,
sell for $2,800. 613 730-5609
-------------------------------------------Simmons
Beautyrest
Queen
Boxspring - almost new (still in
plastic) - in perfect condition - moved
& just won’t fit upstairs! $125 (paid
$450 )
-------------------------------------------Electric Scooter From Handi House.
New Condition. $2000.00 613 729
4817
-------------------------------------------For Sale - two pairs of children’s
Sorel winter boots, sizes 5 and 6,
never used, $30 each pair; two bed
frames, single, white, metal tubular,
$40. Please call 730-7195.
-------------------------------------------Old comic books in good condition. Avengers (original series) # 2, 5, 22,
45. Journey Into Mystery (Original
series) Annual #1. Tales to Astonish
(original) #56. And others! Call
Greg. 730-8064. -------------------------------------------Lovely Home for Sale, Glebe/Dow’s
Lake. Immaculate home in rarely
available, prized location just 5
houses from the Lake, NCC parkland,
tulip festival, and Arboretum. 3
bed/2 bath, family room, attached
garage, fireplace, hardwood floors
throughout, updated kitchen & bath.
Large (50’x100’), south facing lot,
private cedar hedged perennial
gardens. $549K wwww.Grapevine.
on.ca, ID#12059, tel: 613-565-5676
DECEMBER 5
Beerfest
How to eat Fried worms
Idlewild
Miami Vice
Oh in Ohio
Pirates of the Carribean
Promise
Pulse
DECEMBER 19
A Scanner Darkly
Bon Cop, Bad Cop
Conv With Other Women
Fearless
Invincible
Lady in the Water
Little Miss Sunshine
My Super ex-girlfriend
Step Up
Wicker Man
DECEMBER 12
Com
Fami
Musi
Actio
Com
Adv
Adv
Hor
Barnyard
Devil Wears Prada
Find Me Guilty
Material Girls
Talladega Nights
World Trade Centre
Fam
Com
Com
Com
Com
Act
DECEMBER 26
Act
Act
Rom
Act
Dram
Dram
Dram
Com
Dram
Hor
Descent
Haven
House of 9
Land of the Blind
Mi Amigo
Searching for Bobby O
Horror
Drama
Horror
Thriller
Western
Comedy
1123 Bank Street -- (613) 730-1256
For Rent
Available
February
2007
- comfortable home in safe
neighbourhood
-3-bedroom-2full
bathrooms - hardwood floors -large
finished basement - furnished house.
No pets/Non smokers. Close to Park
and all conveniences - schools churches - shops and Billings Bridge
on Riverdale/Belmont Streets. Rent
is $1600.00 plus utilities. Please call
613-249-9453
-------------------------------------------For Rent in Old Ottawa South: two
bedroom apartment in residential
neighbourhood. New construction,
heated floors, sunny windows, deck.
Private entrance. Heat and hydro
incl. 5 min. to Carleton University,
Hopewell School, Bank street
shopping, Brewer Park and Canal.
$1100 or $900 single occupancy.
613-730-2770.
House/Child Care
Wanted housekeeper\cleaning lady
who would come to our home on
Grove Ave once weekly to clean for
approximately 5 hours. Willing to
Cont’d on page 44
Need Renovations?
Custom Designed Additions and
Major Renovations that respect the
Craftsmanship and Architectural
style of your older home.
594-8888
www.gordonmcgovern.com
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 46
Your
A
Rent
Marketplace
Wife Household Organizers
“Every working woman needs a wife!”
Regular & Occasional cleaning
Pre & Post move cleaning and packing
Pre & Post renovation cleaning
Blitz & Spring cleaning
Organizing cupboards, basements...
Perhaps a waitress ???
rent-a-wife-ottawa.com
DECEMBER 2006
Laurel 749-2249
RELIABLE, QUALITY CARE
RPN (38 years experience)
Relief for Family Caregiver
Private Duty
Palliative Care Provided
By Michael Moynahan
730-4957
Cell: 240-9394
Carsharing for Ottawa
The only good car is a shared car
24/7 access to small Toyotas for trips as short as 1/2-hr.
Reserve by web/phone. Gas & collision insurance included.
45 Ossington Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3B5
613-730-0746
www.vrtucar.com
613-798-1900
Fax: 613-730-4222
Email: [email protected]
www.gordonstokoearchitect.com
ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY CLEANING
One-time, weekly,
bi-monthly or monthly.
Six years experience.
Insured and Bonded
CALL 729-2751
Writing Workshop
Gibbon’s Painting and Decorating
Local House Painter
With 17 years experience
• interior/exterior painting
• wood and wallpaper stripping
• refinishing if hardwood floors
• stucco stipple ceilings
• drywall
Discussion on the craft of
writing fiction. Feedback,
encouragement, new ideas.
Led by Mary Borsky, author
of three books of fiction and
experienced writing teacher.
8 consecutive Tuesday evenings
7 – 9 pm January 9 to February
27. $180 Call 613-730-7005
Astolot Educational
Centre
EXTRA MILE
RENOVATIONS
Tutoring
Grades 1 to 12
English / French
Does your kitchen, bathroom
or basement need updating or
finishing?
Local renovator experienced with
old houses.
Creative and reasonably priced.
297-8079
After School Club
260-5996
www.freecycle.org
Changing the world
free & open to all
24 hours a day,
365 days a year
Residential Painting
Complete that painting
you’ve meant to get around
to but just don’t seem to
have the time for
Rob’s Painting
613 233 4775
No job too small
References available
Customer satisfaction
ALWAYS GUARANTEED
For a free estimate please call Rory 731-8079
Mature Finishing
Carpenter
Available for small but
challenging projects. 613601-8063
All trades covered
Excellent References
Housecleaning Service
Excellent Cleaning
Reliable
Thorough
Efficient
613-565-8248
BALANCING NUTRITION
Vanessa Riddell BA RNCP
Holistic nutritional assessments
with on-going support.
Supplements, bodywork and
personalized diets unique to the
individual.
203 Catherine St. Suite 40
613-866-6604
DECEMBER 2006
The OSCAR - OUR 32nd YEAR
Page 47
Page 48
The OSCAR
- OUR 32nd YEAR
DECEMBER 2006