Jan - OSCA

THE
OSCAR
The Ottawa South Community Association Review
l
www.BankDentistry.com
613.241.1010
The Community Voice
YEAR 43, No.1
JANUARY 2015
Winter Is Here
and It Is Time
To Get Out and
Enjoy It!
The new Lansdowne Outdoor Rink is open; can the canal be far behind? (More about the rink on page 13, for Winterlude events see pages 6 and 8.)
PHOTO BY ROGER LALONDE
The Hopewell Ave. Public
School ‘Every Leaf Counts’
Yard Campaign needs to raise
$200,000 by March 1, 2015 to get
a better yard for the next school
year. See page 20 and 21 for this
important local story.
Google “Hopewell Yard” or go to
http://bit.ly/hopewellyard
for more information or to
donate.
e
h
T
n
l
i
l
o
a
J
h
e
s
r
i
s
F
e
n
t
r
Fi
e
t
n
Ce
Drop in
for only
$8
FREE CONSULTATION
with one of our personal trainers.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Monthly membership $40
4 Month membership $130
One Year membership $300
*registration
in any OSCA
program entitles you
to a 25% discount at
the Firehall Fitness
Centre.
Mon. January 5, 19:00 - 21:30 Rehearsals start for Ottawa Brahms Choir,
Parlour Room Southminster United
Tues. January 6, 19:00- 20:30 Art show by Brenda Small, Life of Pie
Wed. January 7
Sunnyside Library program registration
Sat. January 24, 19:30
Piano Recital “Bach And His Legacy” with
Charles Richard-Hamelin
Winterlude
Fri. January 30 to
Mon. February 16
Sat. January 31, 8:30 – 15:00
Sat. January 31, 9:00
Sun. February 1, 11:00
Wed. February 4 to Sat.
February 7
Sat. February 14
Polar Hero Ottawa Race. Canal Skateway
Sir John A’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate,
Canal Skateway Fifth Ave.
Cracking-Up the Capital: Guinness World
Record Attempt
Lansdowne Park Snowscapes: Community
Snow Sculpture Contest
OSCA Valentine’s Skate
To add events or see the latest listings, go to the online calendar at www.oldottawasouth.ca
Page 2
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
What the Heck’s Happening at Brewer Pond??
Brewer Pond is being re-linked to the river.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER LAMOUREUX
The Problem with Brewer Pond
Each spring, Brewer Pond is inundated by Rideau floodwaters. As water levels drop, trapped fish die in the
landlocked pond. The bottom of the
pond is 1.5 metres above the Rideau’s bottom, so not much water stays
in the pond. What’s left becomes
almost stagnant. Tests show that the
oxygen level in the pond is so low
that it cannot sustain most aquatic
life, including amphibians, fish and
plants. It’s definitely not a good place
for fish to lay eggs or for minnows
to feed or overwinter. It doesn’t even
support a healthy frog or plant population. Moreover, there’s not much
wetland suitable for fish habitat on
the shores of the lower Rideau.
PHOTO BY TOM ALFÖLDI
By Carol Macleod
Those of you who have been around
a while may remember fondly the
swimming hole on the Rideau at
Brewer Park. It has been closed
for several decades, being slowly
reclaimed by cattails. Over the years,
the Environmental Committee of
Ottawa South (ECOS) rooted out
invasive species and planted native
shrubbery around its shore. It also
developed a signed interpretive trail.
Recently, you may have noticed blue
fencing around the pond as you cycle
south on Bronson past Sunnyside.
What’s going on?
Brewer Pond Restoration: The
Solution
The answer? Create 16,000 square
metres of suitable fish habitat on the
lower Rideau River by reconnecting
the old swimming hole to the river
by a large culvert, and adding brush
and other underwater hiding spots
to make the pond more fish-friendly.
The area around the old change house
will be somewhat altered. Although
there will be a lot of work up-front,
soon only close observers and anglers
will notice! It’s a project that offers
an opportunity to increase riverside
habitat for the 40-odd species of fish
that live in the Rideau system.
How the Project Came About
How did this project, long the
dream of ECOS, come about? Over
more than a decade, several likeminded organizations including
ECOS, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA), the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR), the federal Department of
Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the
city of Ottawa, Muskies Canada, and
more recently, Carleton University,
developed a plan to return the pond
to a natural wetland condition, improve connection to the Rideau River
and enhance sport fishing on this
part of the Rideau. Muskie Canada’s
(www.muskiescanada.ca) interest in
the project flowed from its mandate
to protect muskellunge, an iconic
fighting sport fish indigenous to the
Rideau system. The club conducts
research and manages muskies to
enhance the sport fishery, and carries
out projects designed to raise public
awareness of the muskellunge.
The problem, as always, was
money. How could such a costly
project be funded? The Department
of Fisheries and Oceans requires
developers to compensate when their
developments destroy fish habitat.
The RVCA remembered discussions
about Brewer Pond, and has experience with similar but smaller restoration projects. The Brewer project
is still being refined by consultants
from Minto and Richcraft, with input
from the local community. The estimated budget is $1 million.
What Will the Project Involve?
As the RVCA describes it, the
proposed restoration project is to
reconnect this pond on the north
shore of the Rideau River adjacent
to the Brewer sports field east of the
Dunbar Bridge and create a wetland
embayment (a wetland pocket). So
far, the project involves excavating the pond to create three levels
ranging from a depth of 4.5 meters
to a one-metre shallow shelf. Brush
and logs will be placed in the excavated pond to serve as shelter for fish
and frog eggs and hiding spots for
minnows. Channels will be dug to
allow the Rideau River to flow freely
through the pond.
On shore, some shrubs and trees
are being dug up for replanting; others will be replaced, and more trees
will be added. The top several inches
of soil from the surrounding shoreline will be removed and stored on
Continued on pg. 3
THE OSCAR
l
Page 3
JANUARY 2015
Cont. from pg. 2
site because it is full of seeds
from plants already established there. This soil will be
spread back on the shoreline
when the excavation work
is done. The RVCA sources
fish and plant material locally
where possible. Trees come
from the Ferguson Forest
Centre in Kemptville, which
also sells tree and shrub
seedlings to private landowners (see http://www.seedlingnursery.com/). Finding local
wetland plants is a taller
order. They currently come
from southwestern Ontario
but a major supplier has just
closed.
Benefits
At Brewer, the RVCA believes the benefits of a reconnected pond for the Rideau
watershed to be manifold.
The pond will allow fish
species year-round access
into the pond and out to the
Rideau River, by allowing
water to flow from the river
through the pond and back
to the river. It will raise the
level of oxygen in the water
to a healthy level to alleviate
fish kills believed to be related to lack of oxygen in the
pond in the winter and summer months. The deeper and
shallower water levels in the
pond will create conditions
suitable for more diverse
plant material both below
and above surface. The
restored wetland will provide
good new spawning, nursery,
rearing and food supply habitat for the fish community
of the adjacent reach of the
Rideau River. It will provide
new and enhanced winter and
summer refuge areas for fish.
It should increase biodiversity. Finally, it will improve
water quality the length of
the lower Rideau River as a
result of the wetland enhancement.
The RVCA also hopes the
project will benefit the community. The current uses of
Brewer Park will not change.
Sports teams continue to
use the change house, so it
will stay. ECOS educational
signage will be retained
and signs will be added to
describe the project and its
social and ecological benefits
to the lower Rideau watershed. The project in an inner
city neighbourhood is a pilot
in private/public partnership.
More trees will be planted
around the pond, contributing
to Ottawa’s 20 per cent forest cover target. The Ottawa
South Community Association and ECOS will continue
to use the site for environ-
(above) The culvert which maintains the pathway around the pond has been installed.
(below) Sweeper trees and basking logs have also gone in.
mental events focused on the
restoration activities such as
fish appreciation and biodiversity, and it will provide inner city anglers with exciting
fishing opportunities.
The third local partner is
Carleton University. The
Brewer project simultaneously provides Carleton
students with educational
opportunities, research questions and lessons in working
with community groups. It
has become a field site for
several Carleton programs.
Environmental Science students have analyzed sediment
cores, assessed the vegetation
community, and collected
water quality parameters in
the pre-monitoring phase of
the project to enhance RVCA
data. For over a year, students in the Fish Ecology and
Conservation Physiology Lab
have radio tracked northern
pike and muskellunge in the
river adjacent to the pond,
a tool commonly used to
provide baseline movement
on the spatial and seasonal
ecology fish species. The lab
will continue to track these
species during construction
and for several years there-
after to see how they use
the new habitat. If effective,
the approach used at Brewer
could be adopted elsewhere
for these species. The project
has been advanced as an
example of how to plan and
implement a habitat creation
project. Students are included
in meetings with project
planners. The collaboration
among levels of government,
developers, and environmental and community organizations is considered to be
a pioneer model that may
become the norm for future
habitat restoration projects.
What has been Done?
This fall, fencing was
erected to allow the work to
be done safely and efficiently. Any remaining aquatic
species were removed and
relocated to the Rideau River.
After the pond level was
brought down substantially,
excavations were begun.
The pond was shaped into
the three zones of varying
depths, and structures such as
basking logs, sweeper trees
and inverted stumps placed
in it. The culvert, which
links the pond to the river
and maintains the pathway
PHOTOs BY JENNIFER LAMOUREUX
around the pond, was installed. The site was then
stabilized and the new banks
seeded. The contractor was
hopeful the work would be
all done by Christmas.
The RVCA will evaluate
the project for at least five
years. Each year, the RVCA
will look at how the fish are
using the new habitat. They
will assess the quality of
the vegetation (how well it
is growing), and plants will
be replaced as needed. They
will also check the stability
of the new water levels to see
whether the culverts are silting up and whether there is
silting or settling in the pond
proper. Carleton University
researchers will collect fish
from the pond to examine
their health and will put new
fish into the ponds to see how
they do. We look forward to
watching the implementation
of this unique project on our
doorstep.
Carol Macleod is co-chair of
the Glebe Community Association Environment Committee and an avid enthusiast of
the natural world.
This article was first published in the Glebe Report,
November 2014.
Page 4
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
Sunnyside Ave. Traffic Calming and Green Street Treatments Seek to
Make Roadway Safer and More Attractive for All
Stripped of its street trees and widened considerably in 1971, the design of Sunnyside Avenue encouraged higher speeds and driver behaviour that was
hazardous to pedestrians. PHOTO BY LEO DOYLE.
The street narrowings are intended to reduce speed and to enhance pedestrian comfort and safety. PHOTO BY TOM ALFÖLDI.
September 26, 2005, a pedestrian was run-over on the sidewalk by out of control SUV. The accident rendered the young man a paraplegic. He also suffered
permanent, debilitating damage to his right arm. PHOTO BY LEO DOYLE.
By Leo B. Doyle
hood Plan and the 1996 Ottawa
South Traffic and Parking Study. A
more recent turning point was citizen
concern and reaction to a series of accidents on Sunnyside Avenue involving cars, pedestrians and property.
This includes a very serious accident
nearly 10 years ago that left a young
man with permanent, disabling
injuries to his spinal cord, right arm
and shoulder. This accident occurred
in September 2005, when the man,
a new father who’d only recently
moved into the neighbourhood, was
run over by an out-of-control SUV.
At the time of the accident, the man
was standing on the sidewalk on the
southwest corner of Sunnyside and
Seneca waiting for the No. 7 bus,
when the vehicle jumped the curb,
ran over him and crashed into the
pizza restaurant (current location
of Milano Pizza, then called Fida’s
Pizza).
Two vehicles were involved in
the accident, and the driver of the
vehicle that hit the pedestrian was
issued a ticket under the Provincial
Highway Traffic Act for “following
too closely”. No criminal charges
were laid, but a lawsuit launched by
the accident victim named both of
the vehicle drivers as well as the City
In late November 2014, a construction company hired by the City of
Ottawa began road modification
work to implement traffic calming
and “green street” design features on
Sunnyside Avenue between Bank and
Bronson.
The measures, in part, reverse
bad design changes that were made
in June of 1971, when Sunnyside’s
mature street trees were culled and
the street widened to speed up traffic.
In an October 30, 1975 article in the
Ottawa Citizen, then OSCA Traffic Committee Chair, Fred Blader,
described how the 1971 widening of
Sunnyside and other regional government action had led to traffic problems that were “a disservice to our
community.”
The measures now being implemented on Sunnyside are intended to
improve pedestrian safety. The new
design elements use bulb-outs and
block-by-block alternate parking to
introduce lateral alignment shifts to
vehicular movement that should encourage motorists to reduce speeds.
The new design changes not only
seek to enhance pedestrian safety, but
also to green and beautify the street.
City funding for the project was approved in 2008 and the firm of Morrison Hershfield consulting engineers
was hired to conduct an Old Ottawa
South Area Traffic Management Plan.
A draft Sunnyside Area Traffic Management Plan was developed over the
course of 3 meetings in consultation
with an Old Ottawa South Community Working Group. The plan was presented to the public at Open Houses
held in April 2010, April 2011 and at
a community association meeting on
September 15, 2011.
Following the completion of Area
Traffic Management Plan, a pilot
“green street” treatment was added to
the project to include rain gardens in
boulevard extensions to beautify the
street and better manage storm water
run-off. The “green street” treatment
plan was added to allow the City to
learn more about these measures and
the combined traffic calming and
green street proposals were presented
at two public Open Houses, including
one held on September 25, 2013.
As noted, the Sunnyside traffic
calming design changes respond to
traffic safety concerns that have been
long-standing and subject to multiple
consultations and studies, including
the 1980 Ottawa South Neighbour-
of Ottawa. The lawsuit, which was
settled out of court by all parties in
January 2013, was expected to raise
questions about road design and the
safety of pedestrians on Sunnyside.
These safety concerns had been
raised with City staff on a number of
occasions, including motions adopted
by OSCA in May 2001 and a June
2001 presentation to the City Transportation Committee.
Following the September 26, 2005,
accident, OSCA adopted a motion
calling for city action to improve
safety. On June 7, 2006, City Council’s Transportation Committee
passed a motion to lower the speed
limit on Sunnyside from 50 km to 40
km.
The street design changes being
carried out are expected to impact
driver behaviour by reducing speeds.
However, like any change, they will
entail adjustments for everyone and
the City will monitor the outcome to
assess the full implications, which
will include some reduction in onstreet parking.
Leo Doyle is a past Chair of
OSWatch.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 5
JANUARY 2015
THE
OSCAR
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
www.oldottawasouth.ca/oscar
ISSN: 0715-5476
NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 16
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca
Editor: Brendan McCoy
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca
Layout and Design Editor: Bess Fraser
Copy Editor: Michael Thibault
Distribution Manager: Larry Ostler
larryostler@gmail.com
Business Manager: Susanne Ledbetter
ledbetter@sympatico.ca
Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
The OSCAR is printed by Winchester Print.
613-327-9080
613-730-1058
(not classy ads)
Volunteer Proofreaders: Lida Towstiak, Maura Giuliani,
Mary Low, Scott Valentine, Roger Williams
The OSCAR is a community paper paid for entirely by advertising.
It is published by the Old Ottawa South Community Association
Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and
businesses, and selected locations in Old Ottawa South and the Glebe.
Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of The
OSCAR or OSCA.
Contributions should be in electronic format sent by e-mail to oscar@
oldottawasouth.ca in either plain text or WORD format. All submissions
will be acknowledged by e-mail within 48 hours. The Editor has the
final say about style, format and content. The OSCAR Editorial Policy,
and Guidelines for Submissions, are available on the OSCA Website.
Some articles may be posted on the OSCA Website. The OSCAR is
available online at www.oldottawasouth.ca.
FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES,
call: 613-327-9080 or e-mail: larryostler@gmail.com
The OSCAR thanks the following people who
brought us to your door this month:
ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Kim Barclay, Élie
Cantin Nantel, Wendy Robbins, Jim and Carrol Robb, Becky Sasaki, Kevin
and Stephanie Williams, Christy Griffin.
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), the Gref- Innes family, the Fegan
family, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison, Susanne Ledbetter, Torin
and Konstantine Assal.
ZONE B2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Pat Eakins, Hayley Atkinson, Leslie
Roston, Patrick Hinton, Lydia Oak, Sandra Garland, John Callan, Diana Carr.
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the Williams family, Josh
Rahaman, Jesper Lindeberg, Declan and Darcy McCoy, Bruce Grant, and the
Woroniuk-Ryan family, Bryan and Anneka Dallin O’Grady, David Fisher.
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Charles and Phillip
Kijek, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Christina Bridgeman, Anne Coyle, Melissa
Johnson.
ZONE D1: Mary Hill (Coordinator), Emily Keys, Ekin Kiziltan, Gail
Stewart, Gabe Teramura, Oliver and Claire Waddington, Adam Coplan, the
Sprott family.
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), the Adriaanse family, Gaia
Chernushenko, Jacqueline Littlewood, the Rand family, Aidan and Willem
Ray, the Stewart family, and Mary Hill.
ZONE E1: Brian Tansey (Coordinator), Karen Wolfe and Curt Labond,
Norah Hutchinson, Steve Adamson, the Sanger/O’Neil family, Robert Trotter.
ZONE E2: Mary-Ann and Jim Kent, Glen Elder and Lorraine Stewart, the
Hunter family, the Brodkin-Haas family, Allan Paul, Christina Bradley,
Caroline Calvert, Larry Ostler, Chris Berry and Frida Kolster Berry.
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, the Stern
family, Ellen Bailie, Paloma and Liliana Ruiz, Peter Kemp, Malachi Winter,
the Goutte family (Joshua, Leo and Alina), Walter and Robbie Engert.
ZONE F2: Pierre Guevremont (Coordinator), Paulette Theriault, Ryan
Zurakowski, Judy and Pierre Chamberland, Valerie Dancause, Mary Johnston,
the Walker Family, the Polkinghorne Family.
ZONE G: Larry Ostler (Coordinator), Cindy MacLoghlin, Bernard and
Simon, Luke and Robin Eriksson, Gillian Hurd, Joanne Monaghan.
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.
Bank Street-Ottawa South: Joan-Foster Jones, Tom Lawson, Paula Archer.
Bank Street-Glebe: Larry Ostler.
Other: Maya.
The OSCAR is published eleven times per year. Upcoming deadlines:
January 16 (February issue); February 13 (March issue); March 20
(April issue); April 10 (May issue); May 15 (June issue); June 12
(July/August issue); August 7 (September issue).
To book an OSCAR ad
call Gayle 730-1058
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Centre
260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7
e-mail: osca@oldottawasouth.ca
OSCA on twitter: @oldottsouth
PHONE
613-247-4946
MONDAY TO FRIDAY
6:30 AM TO 9 PM
SATURDAY
8:15 AM TO 5 PM
SUNDAY
9:00 AM TO 5 PM
WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?
Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old Firehall
Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA)
Ottawa Public Library - Sunnyside Branch
Shawn Menard, English Public Board Trustee
(shawn@shawnmenard.ca)
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
David Chernushenko, City Councillor
(david.chernushenko@ottawa.ca)
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
526-9512
233-5430
520-6688
520-6616
520-3660
520-5765
520-4480
580-2487
3-1-1
236-1222
9-1-1
230-6211
738-6400
3-1-1
247-4938
247-4917
WHAT’S INSIDE
OSCA
LETTERS
POLITICAL
FILM
6-7
8
12-14
15
CARLETON SPORTS
LIBRARY
MARKETPLACE
AROUND TOWN
CLASSY ADS
28
9, 32-33
33
34
34
Page 6
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
CHRISTY’S CORNER
Winter and Winterlude with OSCA
By Christy Savage
Winter Program Registration has
been going strong since the beginning of December, but there are still
space in some programs, it’s not too
late to register. Please contact the
front desk for information on what
courses remain, and on new programs being offered. Just call 613247-4946.
Valentine’s
The OSCA Special Events Committee is happy to announce that we
will be holding our very first Valentine’s Skate on February 14th. Come
join us. We’ll have hot chocolate,
free goodies, Valentine’s décor, lights
and music.
Hopewell ‘Every Leaf Counts
Campaign’
As some of you may know,
Hopewell School’s yard is in dire
need of repair. The beautiful trees
were destroyed by the emerald ash
borer and had to be cut down. Additionally, the school was recently
informed that all the structures in
the yard will need to be removed
because they have passed their due
dates. The fundraising committee
called ‘Every Leaf Counts’ have been
working diligently to raise funds for
this necessary project, and the cost is
great, with replacing mature trees and
a new structure.
For more information, please go
to their website. All donations will
receive charitable tax receipts. http://
bit.ly/hopewellyard or facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/hopewellyard
(See also the Hopewell Yard article
on pages 20 and 21)
Winterlude
We have an exciting winter ahead
of us not only with programs but
within our community.
One of Ottawa’s most famous
festivals started in 1979 and will now
have a partner site at Lansdowne.
That’s exciting because it means that
from January 30th to February 16th,
there will be a number of exciting
activities taking place both on the
canal, and just over the bridge at
Lansdowne:
www.polarherorace.com, info@
polarherorace.com
Cracking-Up the Capital: Guinness
World Record Attempt ($)
Sunday, February 1, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(attempt at 11 a.m.)
Help raise funds for mental health
charities and community groups as
Crack-Up teams compete to break the
Guinness World Record for the most
snowmen built in one hour.
www.crackup.ca
Lansdowne Park Snowscapes: Community Snow Sculpture Contest
Wednesday, February 4, to Saturday,
February 7, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Winners will be announced Saturday,
February 7, at 6 p.m.
Lansdowne Park Snowscapes: Winter Design Competition
Designers are challenged to create
innovative and interactive spaces that
inspire the public to embrace winter.
From 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.
Ottawa Farmer’s Winter Market
Sundays, February 1, 8 and 15, from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aberdeen Pavilion.
Join many of the vendors recently
at Brewer, and now back at Lansdowne, for this wonderful Winter
market.
Polar Hero Ottawa ($)
Saturday, January 31, 8:30 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Take part in the biggest winter obstacle race in Canada! Polar Hero is
a 5-kilometre race with more than 25
obstacles. Face this challenge alone
or with a team — either way, you’re
sure to find it a test of your strength,
endurance and resilience. First race:
Elite participants, 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Museum Zone
Saturdays, January 31, February 7
and 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aberdeen
Pavilion
From the time of lumberjacks in
the forests to today’s skaters on the
Canal, winter has always helped
define our city’s character. Come
discover Ottawa’s local museums as
they join together to help explore our
wintry past. In the Ottawa Museum
Zone, you’ll step back in time and
interact with friendly characters
who survived the earliest and coldest winters. You’ll also learn about
winter sports and jobs that kept
people warm. Play dress-up with our
collection of traditional clothing and
capture your memories in our photo
booth. Keep your fingers from freezing by making a traditional toy that
you can take home. Activities and
characters change each weekend.
Cracking-Up the Capital: Festival
Finale ($)
Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. to 10:30
p.m.
Join Mary Walsh for an evening
of hilarity with some of Canada’s
best comedians! The festival finale
features Mike MacDonald, Derek Seguin, Johnny Bagpipes, Dave Hemstad, and more. The Comedy Icon
Award will also be presented to the
cast of “This Hour Has 22 Minutes”
in celebration of 22 years of entertainment. www.crackup.ca
($) indicates there may be a cost to
take part.
Introducing Firehall Boot Camps
Tyler Pearce and Amanda Sterczyk
By Tyler Pearce &
Amanda Sterczyk
Are you having trouble staying
motivated to meet your fitness goals?
Maybe it’s time for you to explore a
boot camp. “Boot Camp” is a broad
PHOTO BY LAURA BROWN
term used to describe group fitness
classes that are designed to promote
fitness goals, camaraderie and team
effort. A boot camp provides social
support when you don’t feel like
exercising. You benefit from the
instructors’ expertise; they can offer
immediate feedback, corrections,
and modifications needed during the
specific exercises. Boot camps are
fun and motivate people to challenge themselves at least three times
a week. There are three new early
morning boot camps being offered at
the Firehall. Grab a friend and sign
up for all three classes.
Monday
Monday morning Tabata with
Tyler is a great way for people to
build lean muscle, increase muscular
endurance, decrease fatty tissue, and
challenge oneself to new levels of
fitness. Tabata training is one form
of high intensity interval training
that builds both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems performing a 20
second work to 10 second rest ratio,
8 times, and will be performed in a
group training format. Tabata training
is named after one of its founder’s,
Dr. Izumi Tabata, along with his team
from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. Dr. Tabata,
along with his team, performed studies on the highest level athletes and
found that 45 minutes of this style
of interval training can improve the
same level of muscular endurance as
traditional cardiovascular training.
Wednesday
Wake up with Essentrics Wednesday mornings with Amanda, and
watch your body change in 30 days.
Continued on pg. 7
THE OSCAR
l
Page 7
JANUARY 2015
OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Happy New Year to All!
By Linda Hancock,
OSCA President
If you have made a resolution to
become healthier and more active in
the New Year, I encourage you to include the Old Firehall in your plans.
Our OSCA Program Committee and
Staff have put together an impressive
range of programs for all to enjoy –
from yoga and Pilates to boot camps
to personal training sessions in our
Ottawa South Firehall Fitness Centre
(FFC). As our Program Guide states,
the FFC is truly “Old Ottawa South’s
Hidden Gem”. New this year, you
can also join your classmates after
class for a coffee and a chat at the
new “Cool Down Coffee Club”.
Based on my background, an active and healthy lifestyle should be a
given. My post-secondary education
was in kinesiology and I spent many
years as a runner, fitness leader and
trainer. However, like many of you,
sometimes a busy life gets in the
way of what is best for us. Realizing
that I needed a little help to get back
to a healthy routine, last summer, I
signed up for some personal training sessions at the FFC. I worked
with one of our wonderful Personal
Trainers, Debbie Michelin, who set
me on the right path. After 5 sessions with Debbie, I felt that I was
getting back on track and was able
to continue working on my own. In
the New Year, I plan to check in with
Debbie on a monthly basis so that my
weight-training program continues to
challenge me as I move forward.
As I do my weight workouts –
usually on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday mornings – I’ve also witnessed our other two Personal Trainers in action. Joanne Hale and Tyler
Pearce, like Debbie, are forces to be
reckoned with. All of these three are
interested and available to help you
achieve your fitness goals. I encourage you to take advantage of their
experience and expertise, whether it
be a one-on-one training session, or
in one of the group programs/courses
that they offer. If you haven’t had an
orientation session to the FFC, please
register for one the next time you
are at the Old Firehall. As you will
see, the FFC has a range of cardio
machines, free weights, exercise balls
and resistance bands – all that you
will need to get into tip-top shape.
As you are planning your active
healthy activities for 2015, you will
want to explore all the options for
your children/grandchildren too.
OSCA has a full line up of programs/
activities for the preschool, child and
youth age groups. If you haven’t already signed your children up, there
may still be availability – please take
a look at the Program Guide which is
available at the Firehall, or at www.
oldottawasouth.ca. As you review the
guide, if you have suggestions for
new programs or activities that you
feel OSCA should offer, please let us
know. We are always looking for new
ideas.
If you are soon to be retired or
already retired and you want to
develop or maintain a healthy lifestyle, please take note of the new
“Vitality 4 Life” program. We have
grouped together some programs and
activities that may be of interest to
this group. Again, any suggestions
for new programs and activities are
most welcome.
I hope that you will agree that
our OSCA Program Committee and
Staff have put together an impressive
offering of programs and activities.
I look forward to seeing many of
you getting healthy and fit at the Old
Firehall this year!
Again, Happy New Year to all.
May 2015 be an amazing year for
you, your families and Old Ottawa
South!
OSCA Needs You!
Call for Volunteers for the New OSCA Finance Committee!
If you have knowledge of finance, or if you have an interest in finance or
business, we want you to join our Finance Committee.
Please contact osca@oldottawasouth.ca.
Continued from pg. 6
Essentrics targets and firms every
muscle in the body, improves posture, helps define the waist, creates
toned, lean and strong arms, slenderizes thighs and quads, creates flat,
defined abs, and lifts the butt. This is
a full-body flexibility technique that
works through the muscle chains.
The goal of an Essentrics workout
is to rebalance the body; that means
maximum flexibility and strength
for all 600+ skeletal muscles. When
all your muscles are flexible and
strong, they can do the job they were
designed to do. Weak and inflexible
muscles cause wear and tear on the
joints, as other muscles have to pick
up the slack. Unbalanced bodies lead
to injuries; Essentrics helps prevent
injuries. The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens have been practicing Essentrics
for the past 3 seasons, and it has
helped them go from a team with one
of the worst injury records, to one of
the best (i.e. fewer injuries!).
Friday
Friday mornings with Tyler is your
chance to experience what an elite
level athlete would put their bodies
through while in off-season to reach
peak levels going into the season.
The number one goal for any athlete’s training regimen is to improve
the body’s ability to activate the correct muscles at the right time, to create and absorb force in a stabilized
position throughout all planes of
motion. This will in turn decrease the
athlete’s likeliness of experiencing an
injury throughout their season. While
utilizing your own body weight,
and other pieces of equipment, you
will improve muscular endurance,
stability, proprioception, muscular
strength, speed, agility, quickness,
and power.
We look forward to seeing you and
your friends soon!
Amanda Sterczyk is a Level 4 Certified Essentrics Instructor who has
been teaching since 2010. She has
experience teaching men, women,
and children of all ages and fitness
levels. Amanda is qualified to teach
Essentrics group classes, personal
training, and private/semi-private
sessions. She also teaches Classroom
Stretch, a modified version of Classical Stretch to schoolchildren from JK
to grade 6 (essentricsottawa.com).
Tyler Pearce is a Certified Personal
Trainer with the Canadian Society
of Exercise Physiology, Performance
Enhancement Specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine,
and a Level 2 Train to Train Certified
Basketball Coach with the National
Coaching Certification Program. Tyler is qualified to work with a variety
of clientele in private, semi-private,
group and team training environments.
Call for Volunteers at Windsor Rink!
We are looking for volunteers to flood the rink throughout the winter.
Please contact administrator@oldottawasouth.ca.
Thanks to OSCAR’s
many volunteer writers
and distributors for
helping get the news
to you!
The OSCAR is a self-supporting newspaper,
paid for entirely by advertising, and reliant on
volunteer contributors and distributors.
Thanks to the Dairy Queen for
contributing to our community through
its support of the many
OSCAR volunteers.
Dairy Queen, 1272 Bank Street
738-7146
Page 8
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The OSCAR welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the community or in response to previous articles. All letters must disclose the name of the writer, as well as their address. Letters
may be edited for length, clarity, and libelous statements. The opinions of the writers are not necessarily those of the newspaper or its editor. Email your letters to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca
Veiled Vandalism
To the Editor,
The massive TD graffiti defacing
Lansdowne’s veil should be removed.
And the city, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) and TD
Bank should admit they were wrong
to have installed it.
At no point were Councillor Chernushenko, the Old Ottawa South and
Ottawa East community associations
or residents asked their opinion of the
design.
Standard city signage policy is
that billboard signs are not allowed
within 500 metres of Queen Elizabeth Driveway yet the billboard-sized
TD sign is just 50 metres from the
Driveway.
City general manager, John Moser,
wrote in a July 14, 2014 memo that
the veil logo “does not overpower the
architectural iconic veil element of
the stadium.” Is he blind?
The Lansdowne signage plan
specifies that illuminated signs within
canal sightlines “will not be visually
intrusive.” Obviously, somebody
failed to take a look at the TD sign.
TD Bank has a record of sponsoring some excellent green initiatives
but this isn’t one of them. Shame. As
for OSEG, please show respect for
a world heritage site and those who
live nearby.
John Dance
Old Ottawa East
--------------------------------------------Lansdowne Park belongs to the
City of Ottawa
To the Editor,
I was very dismayed to read in
November’s issue of OSCAR (page
3) about the TD sign controversy,
and a comment from an Old
Ottawa South resident who thought
Lansdowne Park was owned by the
Ottawa Sports and Entertainment
Group (OSEG). While OSEG is
a partner in the development of
Lansdowne and the manager of Park
programming, they are certainly not
the owner. Luckily, Lansdowne Park
belongs to us, the City of Ottawa.
Nonetheless, this brings up an
interesting point. How many people
know that Lansdowne belongs to us,
and has not been (luckily) sold off?
Will future generations know that
Lansdowne Park is publicly owned?
I assume I will not be around when
the lease is up (in 30 or so years),
but how will the next couple of
generations be aware that it is public
property? I believe that something should
be done to ensure that everybody,
especially future generations, knows
Lansdowne Park belongs to the City
of Ottawa in perpetuity and would
suggest that permanent signage be
placed at some, or all, entrances to
the Park so that it is highly visible to
all those accessing the facilities. If
it is or becomes a contractual issue
between OSEG and/or TD Bank with
respect to signage, surely the signs
could be placed on City property
around the perimeter of the Park.
I also hope that the City fully
intends to take Lansdowne Park back
after the 30 year lease. This is not
an uncommon practice and not only
a perfectly reasonable but rationale
thing to do (as the Federal Government did with L’Esplanade Laurier
not so long ago). After the lease period, the OSEG partners will have not
only been paid back all of their costs,
but will have made significant profits
over 30 years. When the lease is over,
Lansdowne Park could be re-purposed if required, but in any event,
it would generate lots of revenue for
the City itself, rather than for private
developers. Yours truly,
Michel Haddad
Celebrating Sir John A. with Kilts, Bare Knees and Ice
By Don Cummer
A bridge of opportunity
Morning & Lunch Preschool Program
ages 2.5 to 4 years
Afterschool Program
children 4 to 9 years
…children learning through active investigation.
_______________________________________
63 Evelyn Ave.
(off Main St. near Pretoria Bridge)
www.rainbowkidschool.ca
Tel: 613-235-2255
Come January 31st, a littleknown tradition among a small
circle of Old Ottawa South
friends will become a national
event: Sir John A’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
Ever since I moved to the
neighbourhood many years ago,
I’ve celebrated the birthday of
Canada’s first Prime Minister
with a skating party. (Ok, it’s
my birthday too!) Part of the fun
has been to honour Macdonald’s
Scottish heritage (and mine) by
skating on the Rideau Canal in a
kilt.
Somehow, word of this reached
the Scottish Society of Ottawa.
Those are the people who will
be hosting the third annual
Hogmanay celebrations on New
Year’s Eve – this year, at the
Aberdeen Pavilion. These folks
know how to throw a party!
The Scottish Society was looking for a way to commemorate
Macdonald’s bicentennial this
year. Would I be interested in
helping them organize such a kilt
skate on a bigger scale?
And it’s become a much bigger
scale than any of us had ever
imagined! On January 31, 2015,
kilt skates to honour Sir John
A. Macdonald will be held, not
only on the Rideau Canal Skateway, but in Montreal, Winnipeg,
Saskatoon, and Calgary as well.
Other cities have also expressed
an interest.
The news media across Canada
is starting to pay attention, and
we’re getting noticed in Scottish
publications as well. In addition
to the Department of Canadian
Heritage and Winterlude, the
Scottish government is also offering its support.
And it all started here in the
‘hood.
In Ottawa, Sir John A’s Great
Canadian Kilt Skate will be held
in partnership with Winterlude,
and will be a major feature of the
opening weekend of the internationally acclaimed winter carnival.
Participants are invited to join
us at the Fifth Avenue entrance
to the Skateway early Saturday
morning, January 31st. Be sure to
sign the birthday card for Sir John
A., and warm up with some hot
chocolate and birthday cake.
At 9 a.m. Mayor Jim Watson
will officially open the kilt skate
on the ice at Fifth Avenue.
Skaters are welcome to make
their own way at their own pace
between Fifth Avenue and the
NAC Skateway entrance.
Bring your footwear with you,
because you’ll want to swap your
skates for boots at the changing
rooms and join the Scottish entertainment at Confederation Park,
presented in partnership with
Winterlude.
Don’t have a kilt? Wear any
item of tartan. But those who are
mad enough to join me by skating
in their kilts will be given mementos to mark the event.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 9
JANUARY 2015
SUNNYSIDE LIBRARY
Sunnyside Library Provides Shelter for Strollers
The newly constructed outside stroller parking at the Sunnyside Library Branch. The stroller parking area is covered, and has a bar to lock the strollers to.
PHOTO BY TOM ALFÖLDI
Full Service Real Estate
Barry
Humphrey
Sales Representative
OUR OOS
BUSINESS
AND RESOURCES DIRECTORY

is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Find directory at
www.oldottawasouth.ca
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE!
1% 2%
Listing
Selling
Participation is FREE
WE WELCOME YOUR
COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
A voluntary project for the
community, thanks to all who have helped.
Contact > > > Gail Stewart and Isla Jordan
at businesses@oldottawasouth
613.230.8888
613.296.6060 Direct
barryhumphrey@sympatico.ca
www.BarryHumphrey.ca
30 Years Experience
You Find the Buyer — You Keep the Selling 2%
Page 10
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
LOCAL NEWS
New Owner at Lansdowne Animal Hospital
Left Photo: Dr. Bijan Iraei, client and “patient”.
Right Photo: Dr. Bijan Iraei, receptionist and client
PHOTOS BY ASHWIN SHINGADIA
waited over five years for his landed
immigrant’s visa. He had applied in
By Ashwin Shingadia
2000, but the Canadian government
“froze” applications in the wake of
I remember him from the fall of
the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers
2005. Bijan Iraei stood behind the
in New York creating hardship for
counter at the Glebe Smoke Shop,
immigrants from all over the world
smiling, happy to be of assistance.
waiting for visas, but especially those
He had recently
come from Iran 1with
GMSOHouseGROscarNov14.pdf
14-11-04
from1:32
thePMMiddle East. At the time, he
his wife and two daughters having
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
was studying English (ESL). Then
we lost touch.
By chance, in October 2014 I
met him again at Sushi Go on Bank
Street, accompanied by his younger
daughter, Sana, still at school. He
was the owner of the Lansdowne
Animal Hospital (281 Sunnyside)
since September 2013 and Sana
was showing interest and helping
him. His elder daughter, Atena, was
completing a kinesiology program at
Queen’s.
This is Bijan’s story of years of
hardship and like that of many other
immigrants, of determination and
success.
The first five years he described as
a “nightmare” - a new country, new
culture, winter, peer pressure on his
kids. “I started working nightshifts
in different stores owned by Mr. Ali
Karimi on Elgin and downtown, so
I could study English in the afternoon, first at St Patrick’s High School
and then at Algonquin.” His wife,
Maryam, a sociologist, also studied English and attended Herzing
College graduating as a pharmacy
technician. “Mr. Ali was very supportive and allowed me ‘flexibility’
for my studies” he said, “but this was
only the beginning. The following
year I sat for the written part of the
North American Veterinarian License
Exam (NAVLE) which I passed in
2008 on my second try.” However, he
still could not work as a veterinarian
although he had 15 years of veterinary experience in Iran. He took on
volunteer work and shadowed other
veterinarians. “It is very difficult
to find a job without a license” he
said. So, he enrolled in a five-month
course at Guelph – Veterinary Skills
Training and Enhancement Program
(VSTEP). The government defrayed
the high tuition cost but he had to pay
for boarding and lodging. He then
travelled to Las Vegas to sit for the
practical part, Clinical Proficiency
and Excellence exams, eventually
obtaining his CVMA license in 2010.
Finally, he was hired and worked as
veterinarian for three years in Ottawa
before negotiating with Dr Zarkeshwari (Doctor Z), the previous owner
of Lansdowne Animal Hospital,
while obtaining financing from the
Toronto Dominion Bank.
What is Dr Iraei’s vision for
Lansdowne Animal Hospital?
An established business since 1995
“we have very good clients,” he said,
“to keep them happy, we offer quality
service at a reasonable price and I am
updating my hospital as necessary.”
The hospital staff has three veterinarians and a trainee. Besides Dr Iraei
himself, Dr Z, a vet for 30 years, is
still with the hospital as an associate
veterinarian. Dr Tracy Godfrey is the
third vet, while Mr. Fardin Sadedhei
is a vet in training. Other staff members include three veterinary techni-
Continued on pg. 11
THE OSCAR
l
Page 11
JANUARY 2015
LOCAL NEWS
Left to Right: Fardin Sadedhei (Vet in training), Dr. Bijan Iraei and
members of his staff - Emily Kankowki, Meaghan and Emilie Chevlier.
PHOTO BY ASHWIN SHINGADIA
dianeandjen.com
Dr. Bijan Iraei
PHOTO BY ASHWIN SHINGADIA
Continued from pg. 10
cians, two veterinary assistants and a
receptionist.
The hospital has two examination
rooms, plus one for treatment and one
for surgery, another for X-ray, a pharmacy and reception area, as well as an
office. The Lansdowne Animal Hospital’s website was recently upgraded.
It has educational articles on pet care
and blogs on pet diabetes, osteoarthritis, dental diseases and common
medical and nutritional problems in
dogs and cats. The website allows
customers to book an appointment
at the clinic and in exceptional cases
for house calls. It has a Pet Health
Checker by which the owner can find
out the urgency of a pet’s medical
condition and take the right action.
The up-to-date equipment in the
hospital includes digital X-ray, ultra
sound, electrocardiography (ECG),
blood analyzer, and a new dental
machine. Dr Iraie said, “We also offer most of the common elective and
curative soft tissue and orthopedic
surgery as well as dentistry.” To promote dental care for the pets, “Every
February we have special discount for
dentistry and dental care.” He advises
“call us and set a time in advance to
reserve a place as we fill up quickly.”
To sum up, his advice to newcomers to Canada who want to become
veterinarians, “If you are passionate
about your profession, strong enough
to battle with barriers and your family supports you … go ahead, if not,
rethink your decision.”
Hospital hours are: Monday to Friday 7.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays
8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed on Sunday.
The telephone number is 613-7302460.
In winter,
I plot and plan.
In spring,
I move!
HENRY ROLLINS
Whether you’re buying or selling,
plan now. Together we’ll get it done.
Visit us online at
dianeandjen.com
home@dianeandjen.com
#200 –1335 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 8N8
613-725-1171
make your way home
Brokers
Diane Allingham &
Jennifer Stewart
Page 12
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
MP’S REPORT
Let’s Make Childcare Affordable
By Paul Dewar
As the lucky father of two boys, I
know the importance of quality childcare. Yet for the past decade, Conservative and Liberal federal governments have talked about childcare,
and then one after the other they’ve
failed to deliver. Canadian families
know that the best investment we can
make is in a comfortable and safe
childhood for our children. It’s time
for the federal government to get
behind them.
That’s why I am so proud that NDP
Leader Tom Mulcair has proposed
a straightforward and sensible idea:
every Canadian family should have
access to good, affordable childcare.
The plan is simple. The NDP will
invest $1.9 billion per year over the
next four years to create 370,000 new
early childhood education and childcare spaces across the country. We’ll
work with provinces and territories
to make sure that childcare programs
respond to local needs. Parents won’t
pay more than $15, per day, per child.
And we’ll enshrine this program in
law so that parents and guardians can
depend on it being there if and when
they need it.
Under Stephen Harper and the
Conservatives, childcare is far too
expensive. A single infant childcare space in Ontario can cost up to
$2000 per month. That’s more than
four times the cap under the NDP
plan. On average, childcare costs
are nearly one-fifth of the average
family income in Canada. And even
those parents who can afford childcare often struggle to find a space for
their children. In First Nation communities, a shocking 78% of children
aged 0-5 years do not have access
to licensed child care services. According to the OECD, Canada now
ranks dead last among 14 comparable
countries on public investment in
early childhood education as a percentage of GDP.
MPP’S REPORT
Ontario Government Renewing Its
Commitment to Reduce Poverty
By Yasir Naqvi, MPP
In 2008, the Government of Ontario
launched its first Poverty Reduction
Strategy entitled Breaking the Cycle.
By 2011 we had lifted almost 50,000
children out of poverty and kept
many more from falling into it. This
summer, we released Realizing our
Potential, a new five-year strategy
which is based on the belief that we
can break the cycle of poverty in
Ontario.
Our new strategy continues to
focus on reducing child poverty
through initiatives that will give our
kids the best possible start. We are
increasing and enhancing the Ontario Child Benefit to keep pace with
inflation and offering access to early
learning through Full-Day Kindergarten, which is now available to
Yasir Naqvi, MPP
Ottawa Centre
Happy
New
Year!
Community Office
109 Catherine Street, Ottawa ON K2P 0P4
T: 613-722-6414 | F: 613-722-6703
ynaqvi.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org | www.yasirnaqvimpp.ca
facebook.com/yasirnaqvimpp| @yasir_naqvi
every four- and five-year-old across
the province. We are also investing $32 million over the next three
years to expand the Student Nutrition
Program to serve about 56,000 more
school-aged children and youth.
Moreover, investments will also be
made in children’s long-term health
by expanding access to health and
dental programs, such as prescription
drugs and vision care as well as in
earlier identification and treatment of
mental health issues.
Realizing our Potential recognizes
that employment is also critical to
reducing poverty. This is why one of
the central tenets of the new strategy
focuses on helping those who face
challenges in the labour market obtain the skills they need to find work
and provide for themselves and their
families.
Ontario has already raised the
minimum wage to $11 per hour, the
highest in Canada, and has recently
passed legislation indexing it so
that it never falls behind the cost of
living. In addition, our government
304 -1306 rue Wellington St.
613.946.8682
paul.dewar@parl.gc.ca
www.pauldewar.ndp.ca
Canadian families deserve better.
They deserve access to the option of
affordable childcare.
What’s more, affordable childcare makes sense for the Canadian
economy. Work-life conflict experienced by employees with preschool
children costs the Canadian business
community $4 billion per year. A
research survey by TD Bank showed
that every dollar invested in early
childhood education returns between
$1.49 and $2.78 through increased
tax revenues when parents return to
the workplace and decreased social
spending later on – up to 178 percent.
The question is not whether governments can afford early childhood
education and childcare programs –
it’s whether they can afford not to.
Meanwhile, Conservatives offer little and Liberals offer nothing.
Instead of dealing with the real need
for childcare in Canada, the Conservatives are offering to send families
an extra $60 per month – a mere 5%
will boost youth employment by
removing obstacles, enhancing work
experience and promoting entrepreneurship through initiatives such as
the Youth Jobs Strategy and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.
Our government will also sharpen its
focus on people who face barriers to
employment, including persons with
disabilities – who are also people
with tremendous abilities.
Our first strategy changed the conversation about poverty. It taught us
that when people have a place to call
home, they are better able to manage
other challenges in their lives.
This is why our government has
outlined a long-term commitment to
ending homelessness. As a starting
point we are enhancing funding for
our Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative by $42 million, for
a total investment of nearly $294 million per year. This unique program
allows local governments to develop
homelessness programs tailored to
their community’s needs, because a
program that works in Toronto may
of the average cost of childcare for an
infant in Ontario. Stephen Harper’s
plan would also give families a
discount at tax time through deductions and income splitting – but the
savings would mainly benefit the
wealthiest families, not the ones who
need help. And it does nothing to
support the childcare system or create
more funded childcare spaces. The
Liberals, for their part, have no plan
to speak of.
Canadian families deserve access
to high-quality, affordable childcare.
The NDP has a plan to give families
that option.
not work here in Ottawa. We know
that a significant number of homeless
people are struggling with a mental
health issues. That is why we will
be allocating $16 million over three
years to create 1,000 new supportive
housing spaces to help Ontarians living with mental illness.
Reducing poverty and helping
everyone realize their potential is
part of the government’s plan to build
Ontario up by investing in people,
building modern infrastructure and
supporting a dynamic and innovative
business climate. However, reducing poverty requires a collaborative
approach. The solutions do not reside
in one ministry, or one program, or
one level of government. In order to
help all Ontarians realize their full
potential we need to work together as
a community.
To learn more about Ontario’s new
poverty reduction strategy visit my
website www.yasirnaqvimpp.ca or
www.ontario.ca/povertyreduction .
Should you have any questions or
feedback about this initiative, please
do not hesitate to contact me at my
Community Office at ynaqvi.mpp.
co@liberal.ola.org or 613-722-6414.
I look forward to hearing from you.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 13
JANUARY 2015
COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
New Year, New Roles, New Challenges
By David Chernushenko
Entering my second term in office, I
felt it was time to step up in a leadership role, as chair of one of the City
of Ottawa’s standing committees or
boards. With my background, ongoing interests and passion for a healthier society on a healthier planet, it
seemed natural to chair the Environment Committee — and evidently the
mayor and my colleagues agreed.
Known to be “green,” and proudly
so — even if I dropped any political
party affiliation in 2008 — I took
office in 2010 with the desire to demonstrate what I knew to be true: I do
not hold any fixed ideology, I make
decisions based on evidence, and I
have found that the best solutions to
most challenges do not pit what is
ecologically necessary against what
is good for people and good for a
healthy economy. Rather, I believe —
because I have seen it — that the city
of the future is one where renewal
and respect for all people, species
and natural systems gradually supplant their exploitation and degradation.
As chair of the Environment
Committee, I have the opportunity
to put this philosophy into practice.
Can I remake the city, stop global
climate change or get everyone onto
a bicycle? No, and nor should I try.
But I can do more than just provide
competent management of the big
files coming to the committee this
term, including:
• Approval and implementation of a
long-term waste management plan
(better diversion of waste materials
towards their safe and productive
handling and re-use).
• Roll-out of the Ottawa River Action Plan and the Water Environ-
ment Strategy.
• Continued provision of drinking
water that is second to none in
quality and reliability
• Steady movement toward “green
building” — constructing and operating buildings more sustainably
as a city, and making it easier and
more cost-effective for individuals
and developers to do so.
• Protection and management of
Ottawa’s urban forests and street
trees, and replacement of trees
damaged by the Emerald Ash
Borer.
As necessary and challenging as
these files will be, I want to go one
better. As first proposed in my campaign platform, I want to put forward
a big and exciting idea that promises
to involve and benefit everyone:
Uniting Ottawa in pursuit of a 100%
renewable energy economy by 2050.
100% Renewable is a term that
describes a geographical region
producing all of its own energy needs
or, more typically, producing all of
its net energy needs, selling a surplus
of renewable electricity, biomass or
biofuels to offset whatever energy
must be imported.
We have heard a lot in recent years
about the need to reduce energy
consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions, and to develop renewable
sources. We don’t often hear about
the broader benefits this would bring
to Ottawa’s citizens and businesses:
• Economic renewal and employment opportunities in research,
manufacturing, design, installation,
home and institutional building
retrofits, architecture, heating and
cooling engineering, biofuels, rail
and cycling infrastructure construction.
• Resilience to a changing climate
and extreme weather events
through better management of
storm water, urban forests, river
and stream catchment areas and
shorelines.
• Energy supply resilience to cushion against unpredictable energy
prices and supply interruptions,
through significant demand reduction and diversification of supply,
much of it sourced locally.
• Community revival around local projects, including local food
production, removal of unnecessary hard-landscaped spaces, street
calming initiatives and co-operatively owned renewable energy
projects.
• Poverty reduction through decreased lower home energy
demands and greater mobility
choices involving lower fuel costs.
100% Renewable is an extremely
ambitious yet achievable goal. How
do we get there? A comprehensive
strategy would include but not be
limited to:
• Conservation and efficiency: Increases by 50% in all sectors.
• Transportation: Shift modal
preference from primarily private
automobile use to primarily public
transit and active transportation.
• Energy from waste: Maximize the
amount of energy derived from
waste and minimize greenhouse
gas emissions and air, water and
soil pollution.
• Public building renewal: Retrofit
existing City of Ottawa buildings
and apply very high standards to
new ones.
• Private building renewal: Adopt
mandatory energy standards and
labelling for new construction.
Remove obstacles to cutting-edge
energy efficiency and generation in
private construction.
• Renewable energy generation
(solar photovoltaic, solar thermal,
wind, biomass, biogas, microhydro
and more): Remove non-essential
hurdles to citizens and institutions/businesses purchasing their
electricity and fuel from renewable sources, or developing locally
owned projects.
As always, I welcome your input
on these topics.
I continue to serve on the Transportation Committee, where I will help
steer the renewal of Main Street, plan
the renewal of Bronson (Queensway
to Rideau Canal) and implement Ottawa’s pedestrian and cycling plans.
I remain a member of the Board of
Health, also intricately tied to environmental health and to the promotion of Complete Streets where we
move more, socialize more and drive
less. I now also serve on the Finance
and Economic Development Committee.
Working collaboratively with my
colleagues on Council, I hope to
steer Ottawa towards the more active
pursuit of renewal, restoration and
mutual respect.
Councillor David Chernushenko,
613-580-2487, David.Chernushenko@Ottawa.ca, www.capitalward.ca
Skating Court at Lansdowne Park Opens For Its First Season
At a ceremony on Tuesday, December 2, the new Lansdowne Outdoor Rink was officially opened by Mayor Watson and Councillor Chernushenko. Weather
permitting, the rink will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The heated changing facility is open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bring your own skates, there are
no skate rental services.
PHOTO BY ROGER LALONDE
Page 14
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
OCSB TRUSTEE’S REPORT
Putting Students First
By Kathy Ablett, Trustee
Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Season
and are looking forward to all of the
exciting experiences a New Year can
bring! I would like to remind you to
keep in touch with your school for a
calendar of upcoming events.
Best wishes to all Immaculata
students who will soon be writing
exams. Remember to keep a fine balance of rest, healthy eating and exercise which will help as you prepare
for exams. A great way to start off a
healthy, happy New Year!
Did you know?
Every OCSB school from JK to 12
offers French Immersion. For specific
information about learning French at
your neighbourhood school, please
contact the school directly.
Kindergarten registration begins in
January. You must register in person
at the school your child will attend.
Make sure you call the school to
ensure someone will be available to
process your registration and answer
questions you may have.
At the December 2nd inaugural
Board meeting Trustee Elaine McMahon was elected as Chairperson
of the Board and Trustee Betty-Ann
Kealey as Vice-Chairperson for the
coming year. Chairperson McMahon
is new in her role as trustee, but is
well known to the Board as a long-
time teacher. She is the Past President
of Ontario English Catholic Teachers
Association. “I am looking forward
to continuing to work tirelessly for
Catholic education. Why Catholic
schools exist will be self-evident by
our actions,” said Ms. Mahon.
Betty-Ann Kealey brings her long
experience as a trustee, former ViceChair, and Chair of the board to her
role as this year’s Vice-Chairperson.
“I am ready to meet the challenges
ahead and look forward to working
with the new Board of Trustees,” said
Mrs. Kealey.
As we enter into the New Year I
wish to share our Board’s Spiritual
Theme for the school years 20142016, ‘Restore one another in a
spirit of gentleness’. This theme
comes from the book of Galatians
and encourages our community by
reflecting on restoration, forgiveness
and resilience.
I offer my hope for peace and success to each of you in this New Year.
If, at any time, I can be of assistance to you please do not hesitate to
call me at 613-526-9512.
Amnesty International Write for
Rights at Southminster
Some of the many participants at this year’s Amnesty International Write for
Rights event at Southminster United Church, on Sunday, December 7. Writers sent over 200 letters and cards to prisoners of conscience, human rights
defenders, and government offices. The local Bridgehead coffee shop kindly
donated coffee and hot chocolate to keep writers warm and energetic.
PHOTOS BY DAWN SMITH
THE OSCAR
l
Page 15
JANUARY 2015
FILM REVIEW
Wild
By Tony Wohlfarth
The latest film by award-winning
Canadian director, Jean Marc
Vallée, “Wild”, tells the true story
of a woman’s solo trek along the
Pacific Coast Trail from southern
California to Oregon. Veteran actress
Reese Witherspoon plays the role
of Cheryl Strayed, a young woman
who survives the gruelling trek and
her many adventures (with men and
heroin) along the way. The script is
based on Strayed’s own memoir Wild,
published in 2012. The scenery along
the trail is visually stunning, and the
characters she meets along the way
make the live action intriguing and
action-packed. Flashbacks of her past
punctuate the seeming monotony of
the daily walking routine. Anyone
who has experienced a long hike
will easily identify with the pain and
endurance, as Strayed wears out and
replaces her boots along the way.
The story told in “Wild” – of a
woman recovering from a painful
divorce and the loss of her mother
– is emblematic of Witherspoon’s
own career. Witherspoon’s last major
role was in 2005, where she played
June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line”.
Since then, Reese has played several
forgettable roles before her arrest
in 2013 for disorderly conduct. At
age 38, Witherspoon’s career is also
in recovery mode. Reportedly, she
sought out Stayed to perform this
role, and is listed as principal cast
and producer on the film. Strayed’s
mother, Bobbi is played by Laura
Dern.
At age 51, Jean Marc Vallée is
best known for directing the “Dallas
Buyers Club”, which won two
Academy Awards in 2014 for best
actor (Matthew McConaughey)
and supporting actor (Jared Leto).
Witherspoon has been nominated
for a Golden Globe Award for Best
Actress for her performance in
“Wild” and is now the hands-on
favourite to win this years Academy
Award for Best.
“Wild” had its world premiere at
the 2014 Toronto International Film
Festival (TIFF) in September, and is
currently screening at major cinemas
across Canada. The running time is
115 minutes.
Tony Wohlfarth is an Ottawa-based
freelance film writer and critic. He
covered both the 2014 TIFF and the
CFMA’s on behalf of The Oscar.
Ottawa Hosts the 10th Annual CFM Awards
By Tony Wohlfarth
On November 27 – 29, Ottawa played host to the
10th Annual Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Folk musicians from across Canada performed
at various venues before large and appreciative
audiences. The Bronson Centre was the site of
three nights of performances, including the Awards
Ceremony on the 29th. Meanwhile, the Ottawa
Folklore Centre (OFC) came alive with song writing and ukulele workshops featuring Juno Award
winner Shari Ulrich and the ensemble Gathering
Juno Award winner Shari Ulrich
Sparks. Ulrich won the award for Best English
Songwriter of the Year, while Gathering Sparks
was nominated for Best Vocal Group of the Year.
The Awards Ceremony was hosted by the CBC’s
Shelagh Rogers. A highlight of this
year’s gala was a standout performance
by Laura Smith of songs from her CD
“Everything is Moving”.
Ottawa’s own Arthur McGregor, the
owner of the OFC, was a key organizer
for the CFMAs. Arthur is a board member and served in a volunteer capacity
on this year’s organizing committee. The OFC’s
School of Music (located at 1111 Bank Street) is
a vibrant and essential stop for musicians in Old
Ottawa South.
Page 16
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
MUSIC
Master Piano Recital Series Continues With Second Concert
Pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin from Lanaudière, Quebec.
PHOTO BY BY EMILY DING
“Bach And His Legacy”
Music of J. S. Bach,
Brahms & Chopin
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Southminster United
Church
Saturday January 24th
7:30 p.m.
By Roland Graham,
MPRS Artistic Director
After a highly successful seasonopening concert this past November
featuring local Ottawa piano prodigy
Suren Barry, the 2014/15 Master
Piano Recital Series (MPRS) is well
under way. Mr. Barry, who returned
to Ottawa for the concert from Rochester N.Y. where he is studying at the
highly prestigious Eastman School
of Music and Drama, gave a thrilling
performance of works by Beethoven,
Chopin and Ravel. An audience of
around 150 people responded extremely favorably to his beautiful
playing on the fabulous nine-foot
piano that resides in the Sanctuary of
Southminster United Church.
The second concert in the five-part
2014/15 MPRS takes place Satur-
day January 24th at the venerable
old church at Bank Street and the
Rideau Canal. A formidably talented
pianist from Lanaudière, Quebec,
named Charles Richard-Hamelin will
take the stage to present a program
of piano masterpieces that includes
J. S. Bach’s mighty Overture in the
French Manner, BWV 831, Chopin’s magnificent Third Ballade,
Op. 47 and a collection of ravishing
piano pieces – 4 Klavierstücke, Op.
119 – by Johannes Brahms. Entitled
“Bach and his Legacy”, the program
explores the influence of perhaps the
greatest composer of all time - indeed
one of the most brilliant humans in
any discipline - on subsequent generations of composers.
Mr. Richard-Hamelin boasts an
extremely impressive resume. He
has performed as a piano soloist with
internationally respected ensembles
including the Montreal Symphony,
Toronto Symphony and Korean
Symphony Orchestras, I Musici de
Montréal, the Lanaudière Sinfonia
and Orchestra Toronto. Mr. RichardHamelin recently made international
headlines in the classical music community by winning second prize at
the Montreal International Musical
Competition and the third prize and
special award for the best performance of a Beethoven sonata at the
Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea in less than six
months. And he has placed highly
in several other important competitions too, including first prize at the
TSO National Piano Competition and
second prizes in the Stepping Stone
and OSM Standard Life competitions.
In April 2014, he was appointed the
new pianist for the celebrated Trio
Hochelaga, which will soon start its
15th season.
In only its second season, the
MPRS has established itself as an
important community based, local
The Company Your Friends & Family Recommend Stop into our showroom today to see our large selection
of replacement windows and doors for your home. At
Lambden you will find everything from classic wood,
maintenance free aluminum clad to hybrid PVC windows
as well as a wide selection of wood, fiberglass and steel
entry doors. All of which are installed by our expert
installation crews. - Experts in maintaining the look of traditional
homes both inside and out while installing new
windows & doors
-Capable of installing in a specialized manner
without removing or damaging classic interior trim
-Free in-home consultation
-Accredited BBB Member with an A+ rating 22 Pretoria Ave (613) 366-­‐1803 www.lambden.com
classical arts initiative. Featuring
predominantly young artists, its joint
mandate is to bring the best talent
from the national and international
scene to the local Ottawa community
and make classical music affordable and accessible to all. The only
such series of its kind in the city, its
concerts are free for children 12 and
under, practically free for students,
and highly affordable for the general
adult public. Concerts are smoothly
produced and welcome a mixed
demographic into the perfectly suited
acoustic setting of Southminster
United Church. The piano, which
formerly resided at Massey Hall in
Toronto, and is said to have been
played by Rachmaninoff, Horowitz,
Richter and other greats, supports the
series perfectly too. The remaining
four concerts in the 2014/15 season
are listed below, all taking place at
Southminster United Church. Tickets
at $25 for adults and $15 for students
are available at The Ottawa Folklore
Centre, Compact Music in the Glebe,
The Leading Note on Elgin Street,
and the Southminster Church Office.
For more information, please call
(613) 862-2084.
Please join me for Charles RichardHamelin’s wonderful up coming
recital. All indications are that this
young pianist will soon be embarking
on a busy international career, and
together we’ll be able to say that we
heard him before he became a big
name!
Roland Graham is the founder and
producer of the Master Piano Recital
Series, as well as the Director of Music at Southminster United Church.
He is well known in the area for the
extremely popular Doors Open For
Music at Southminster Wednesday
noon hour concert series, currently
under way in its 3rd season.
Upcoming Concerts
“Bach And His Legacy”
Music of J. S. Bach, Brahms &
Chopin
Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
Saturday January 24th 7:30 p.m.
“German Landscapes”
Music by J. S. Bach, Schumann
and Brahms
Jean Saulnier, piano
Sunday March 15th 3:30 p.m.
“Pictures At An Exhibition”
Music by Wagner, Liszt and
Mussorgsky
Sofya Gulyak, piano
Wednesday May 6th 7:30 p.m.
“Mprs Family Concert”
Bach: Concerto in D minor
Orchestre symphonique de l’Isle
(from Montreal)
Cristian Gort, conductor
Roland Graham, piano
Sunday June 7th 3:30 p.m.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 17
JANUARY 2015
SOUTHMINSTER
Seeking Right Relationships
By the Reverend
Dr. Meg Illman-White
There is a mysterious component to
life — something that is beyond us
yet binds us, something that inspires
us to love even when loving is hard
work. Some of us have a name for
this common thread. We may call it
“Universe”, “Mystery”, “Creator”,
Allah, God, Spirit, Love. I grew up
in the 60’s and 70’s. John Lennon
was singing “Imagine”. “Imagine
there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to
do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no
religion too. Imagine all the people,
living life in peace...”
Is religion trouble, blessing or
both? Lennon thought it was trouble,
a barrier. What do you think? That
was a topic of a recent gathering
of people at Southminster as we
continue our “Conversations across
Cultures.” History shows that religion has at its best inspired public
education, health care, and women’s
rights to name a few. But when
religion becomes divisive or makes
exclusive claims it has been used to
justify atrocity and grave injustice.
Our desire at Southminster is to stand
on common ground with diverse
partners.
If you have interest in these conversations and in building grassroots
partnerships with other religions,
then please consider joining some
of the opportunities that will arise
in coming months. When we come
together as people of differing faiths
we can find the ground to create
positive change. I am grateful for the
passion and the hope of the increasing circle of compassionate and
positive Aboriginal and Inuit leaders who believe that the strength of
their voices will help to lead Canada
forward toward protecting Mother
Earth and creating a more sustainable
relationship between industry and the
environment. Southminster United
Church is partnering with other
churches to support opportunities to
join these positive conversations. As
I write, the children of Southminster
are preparing for a Christmas Pageant
based on the Huron Carol. Partnering
with the children will be Elder Willy
Bruce - a member of the Anishinabe
Nation - who will offer teachings on
preparing ourselves, unity and gifting.
With members of the Ottawa
Muslim Association a continuing
conversation is emerging that results
in interesting joint efforts. This year
during exam period Southminster,
the Quakers and the Ottawa Muslim
Association partnered to host a day
at the Carleton University Pause
Table (an offering of free food and
hospitable friends for students who
are writing exams). Pause Table
volunteers provide for up to 1800
students per day. It is always a delight to welcome an increasing circle
of interfaith friends to Southminster.
Each time we do we are strengthened
in our own faith and encouraged by
the practices embraced by other traditions.
On the more personal level of seeking right relationships, Southminster
United Church Spiritual Practices
Group offers community and congregation members a chance to
reflect upon the relationship between
the sacred, the self, and the world
around us. Spiritual Practice Groups
create safe, affirming and encouraging space for people who want to
live spiritually grounded lives. Two
groups will begin in the New Year
extending from January till March,
please drop a line to meg.suc@rogers.com if you are interested in one
of these groups.
• Compassionate Communication
as Spiritual Practice will be
offered at 7pm on the first and
third Tuesday Evening of each
month beginning January 6th and
ending March 17th. Many struggle
to communicate with compassion
in a world of increasing demands,
and when a critical environment
is part of our workplace or
neighbourhood or family reality.
Southminster and the Muslim Association bake for Carleton Students.
Begin a practice that could
transform your relationships. The
group will meet in the church
parlour (up two flights of stairs
from the Galt St. entrance).
Leadership: Linda Burr and Meg
Illman-White.
• Healing Pathway as Spiritual
Practice will be held Friday Afternoons from 1-3pm in the Parlour.
Jan 16, 30, Feb 13, 27 and March
13, 27. We are all on a healing
journey of mind, body, emotions
and spirit. This practice offers a
deep sense of peace, groundedness,
and integration. Leadership: Lynda
Brooks and Meg Illman-White.
A broad and warm welcome is
extended to all who have interest and
a wonderful New Year to all!
Penelope Feather and Rev. Meg Illman-White accept a Community Builder
Award presented to Southminster United Church from Amira Elghawaby on
behalf of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
PHOTO BY ANNE WHITEHURST
Southminster United Church: Reflection of a Recent Member
I’m here to share why I am involved
at Southminster.
I believe everyone has a unique
spiritual path. My spiritual path has
nearly always been within church
walls, first in the United Church and
then in the Anglican Church.
Several years ago my perspective
on faith began to change and I started
looking for a new church community
to belong to. I was looking for a
church that embraced modern life ...
• Where familiar words and rituals
could be reinterpreted ...
• Where challenges and changes
were faced head-on and not
ignored ...
• Where spiritual values supported
life on earth.
And at this point I found
Southminster, originally through the
Website. Something there caught my
attention, something about openness
and sharing and welcome. And
so I came one Sunday and stayed
for the service and I remember
feeling so refreshed. I have sat in a
Southminster pew quite a lot since
then and still I feel refreshed. Part of
this belongs to me, but another part
belongs to you.
At Southminster I experience
church through reflection,
• When I sit in the pale coloured
light that streams in through these
intriguing windows,
• When I hear the emotive sounds of
voices and organ and piano,
• When I listen to old and new
words that speak to life events, and
human thought and feeling, and
current affairs close at hand and
across the world.
At Southminster I experience
church through voiced concern and
action when I learn about Out of
the Cold suppers, the Mission and
Service Fund and other projects, and
attend First Nation events.
At Southminster I experience
church through intellectual
exploration in studies and readings
and by speakers, exploration that
encourages questions rather than
answers, that accepts inclusivity on
many levels and diversity of belief.
To borrow the motto of the
United Church of Christ in the US,
Southminster is a place where “god is
still speaking,”
Paul Mullin
P.S. I have probably attended Southminster on a regular basis for about
2 years. I live in the east end of Ottawa so have about a 25 minute drive
into church (on a good day!). The
Progressive Christianity movement is
a strong influence in my thought and
faith, especially its insistence on
honesty and integrity.
Page 18
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
LOCAL NEWS
500 Eskimo Rolls: What It Takes to Compete In Brazil 2015
Ben Risk competing in C1 at the Canadian Slalom Nationals in August/14.
By Carolyn Pullen
500 is Ben Risk’s estimate of how
many times he has flipped his boat
training to compete for Canada in the
International Canoe Slalom Junior
World Championships in Brazil in
April 2015. That’s a lot of water in
the nose!
Kayak and canoe slalom is hugely
popular in Europe, but it is not well
known outside paddling circles in
Canada. The sport began in 1932 in
Switzerland with inspiration from
ski slalom, where racers go down a
predefined course, passing through
gates. In kayak/canoe slalom, the
snow is replaced with whitewater but
the rest is the same: follow a highlytechnical course down (and across
and sometimes up) a river as fast
and with as few penalties as you can.
If you flip over, you do an Eskimo
roll to get back upright. Whitewater
slalom is challenging, exciting and
graceful, and it takes a lot of practice
to make it look easy.
Why do I keep mentioning kayaks
and canoes? There are two classes in
the sport, similar to flat-water sprint
paddling. If you paddle a kayak, you
sit on the bottom of the boat with
your legs in front of you, and you
use a double-bladed kayak paddle. In
Hopewell students and Cadet-class K1 paddlers Maddie and Olivia Norman
and James Risk, with their coach, Liam Smedley (National Senior Team,
C1), on the podium at Canadian Slalom Nationals. PHOTO BY CAROLYN PULLEN
PHOTO BY CAROLYN PULLEN
competition, the sport is designated
with a “K”. Although it looks almost
the same to the untrained eye, the
other class is “canoe” - designated
with a “C” - where the paddlers kneel
in the very low-profile boat and use a
single-bladed paddle. Slalom kayaks
and canoes measure 3.5 m in length
and weigh a feather-light 8 kg. In either boat, the sport is fast, explosive,
and very tippy!
Canoe/kayak slalom first entered
the Olympic games in Munich in
1972. In fact, OOS resident Dr. Larry
Norman was among Canada’s first
Olympic competitors in the C1 class
at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
Today, it’s one of the biggest spectator sports in the summer Olympics.
There is a world cup race series every
year held all over Europe and the US.
The most recent world championships were held in Maryland, US in
September 2014, the first time on
North American soil in 25 years.
So what about Canadian paddlers?
You’ll be glad to know that, with our
strong paddling heritage in Canada,
we have no shortage of talent right
here. Several of the national team
members hail from Ottawa, and
five (that’s just under half the team)
members of the national Junior
Team (14-18 years old) are from the
Ottawa area, including OOS’s own
Ben Risk, who is the current junior
national C1 champ. Ottawa is an
important epicenter for the sport: the
national team coach - Michal Staniszewski, C2 silver medalist (Poland)
at the Sydney Olympics - is based
here, and we have an excellent training site known as the “Pumphouse”
just a short bike ride from OOS at 1
Fleet Street, near the War Museum.
Because of these training resources,
two nearby universities, and all the
outstanding whitewater in our area,
most of Canada’s top-level paddlers
move to or spend a lot of time in Ottawa to train.
April will be a big month for our
Canadian paddlers. The National
Junior Team will head to Foz do
Iguacu, Brazil for the Junior Worlds.
The site is southwest of Rio and is
the location of a world-class, manmade slalom course. It will be a treat
to paddle there. After training daily
at the Pumphouse from April until
mid-November, snow and dark and
all, and then in the Carleton pool for
the winter, the warm, outdoor course
will feel great.
Like most amateur sport in Canada,
there is little financial support available for our paddlers. The cost of
flying boats to Brazil and being based
there for 20 days is a major challenge for all the athletes. You may
see the “BrazilBound2015” team
(brazilbound2015.com) fundraising online and around town in the
coming weeks. If you do, be sure to
wish them luck, and ask them more
about their sport and how they got
involved.
What you’ll hear is: It’s easy to
give whitewater paddling and slalom
racing a try in Ottawa! Our local
club, the Ottawa River Runners
(wwww.ottawariverrunners.ca) offers
introductory and intermediate-level
summer paddling camps and evening
sessions, and there are pool sessions
throughout the winter for children/
teens who’ve already participated
in a camp. The club also hosts
several races each summer at the
Pumphouse. It is an excellent spectator sport and the Pumphouse site
on NCC land is well-designed for
watching and cheering. For kids like
Ben, attending a first a summer camp
when he was 9 has led to an exceptional experience in sport where he
has developed strength, skill, commitment, and a great community of
friends.
Check out the club, come and try
the sport or watch a race, and remember to cheer for our National Junior
Team in April!
Carolyn Pullen is a long-time resident of OOS and is the proud mom of
Ben and James Risk. She is terrible
at Eskimo rolling
THE OSCAR
l
Page 19
JANUARY 2015
ARTS AND CULTURE
Treats for the Eye and the Taste Buds
By Doug Small
Artist Brenda Small, a long-time
resident of Old Ottawa South, will be
showing new paintings this January
at the neighbourhood’s popular Life
of Pie bakery.
The exhibition “Rocks, Trees and
Waterfalls” will formally open with
a vernissage of a dozen works in
acrylics, some illuminating local
woodland scenes in different seasons
and light; others featuring the varied
colours of waterfalls, mountains and
beaches.
During a trip to the old colonial
city of Granada, Nicaragua, early
last year, Brenda joined a small arts
studio where she tried her hand at
painting with a pallet knife. She was
fascinated with the way the technique
brought rocks and water to life.
“It was a lot of fun to do Nica-
raguan scenes,” she said. “Painting under a lazy fan in a flowered
courtyard with fellow artists sure beat
shovelling snow, despite all the good
exercise shovelling offers.”
Brenda draws inspiration from the
world around her, using colour to express life’s joys, large and small—the
stillness of the landscape, the mysteries of the sky and clouds, flowers
soaking up the sunlight, children
playing at the beach, vendors selling
their wares.
Please join Brenda Small and the
Life of Pie’s Kerry Duffy on Jan. 6
from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at 1095 Bank
St. to sample Kerry’s blues-abating
bakery treats, and preview Brenda’s
warm and restful paintings.
Art show at the Life of Pie,
Jan. 6 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Want a Beach
Body in 2015?
Come Fight
For It!
Total Body Training Program Try it Out!
Improve your precision, power and strength
Trial Class only
$9.95
DOUVRIS.COM 1270 BANK ST. 613.234.5000
Page 20
Now you see them (Spring 2014)
THE OSCAR
Hey my friends, are you listening?
In our yard, trees are missing
But we’re here to say, today is the
day
We can build a Hopewell
wonderland
With those words, sung to the tune
of Winter Wonderland, the Hopewell
Yard Campaign was launched! The
frigid yard-inspired sing-along in December kicked off a short and intensive fundraising effort to bring trees,
life and joy back to the beleaguered
primary play yard at Hopewell Public
School.
Last summer, a dramatic transformation took place. Every single tree
on the primary yard was cut down
due to destruction from the emerald
ash borer. Then the school learned
that all play structures had “expired”
and would be removed within a year
or two. As early as spring 2015,
students at Hopewell from Grade 1
to Grade 3, will be left with a barren
asphalt yard with no shade and no
play equipment.
Very soon, we’ll be wishing
For the play structures, that will be
missing
When they take them away, there’ll
be no place to play
We really need a Hopewell
wonderland
JANUARY 2015
PHOTO BY KATIE BREEN
Now you don’t (Fall 2014)
By Katie Breen and
Caroline Coady
l
PHOTO BY KATIE BREEN
Why the Urgency?
For the past few years, the Hopewell
Yard Committee has been working
on a plan to incrementally improve
the yard as time and funds allowed.
Hopewell Parent Council has been
setting aside money ($28,000 to date)
for this work. However, the sudden
loss of trees and impending loss of
play equipment has forced Hopewell
parents, staff, and concerned community members to now move swiftly to
plan for a massive yard greening and
revitalization.
A special fundraising committee,
made up of Hopewell parents, is
tasked to raise $200,000 by March 1,
2015 to plant new trees and prepare
new play areas for the fall 2015
school term. This deadline is driven
by board tendering guidelines to ensure work can begin in summer 2015.
If we do not meet the March 1 deadline, the project will be delayed until
summer 2016, leaving the children
and community with a bare school
yard for almost 2 years. Future drives
will fund further yard improvements,
but without the urgency we now face.
The Plan
In the playground we can plant
some new trees
They will bring us beauty, shade
and joy
Wouldn’t it be nice for you and me
And for every Hopewell teacher,
girl and boy
The working plan for the yard aims
to not only bring back the former
glory of the leaf canopy, but also
construct new, creative play areas
with natural elements such as boulders, logs, stumps and rock climbers
alongside traditional play structures.
The goal for summer 2015 is to establish a greater number and diversity
of coniferous and deciduous tree
species and areas for active and quiet
play.
This working plan is boardreviewed but not finalized. In the
months to come, the Hopewell Yard
Committee will be seeking input to
finalize the plan from all stakeholders
including children, students, parents,
teachers, neighbours, and businesses.
Once completed, the yard will be left
open to the wider community, providing residents of Old Ottawa South
with a playground as well as a new
leafy green tree canopy and gathering
space for residents of all ages.
How You Can Help the Hopewell
Yard Campaign
We have applied for funds from the
school board, the City and funding
agencies. However these cover only a
fraction of the costs.
Breaking down the numbers, we
need to raise about $250 for every
child now at Hopewell. But almost
every family in our community has
a connection with Hopewell, either
as a past, present, or future student,
neighbour, family member, friend, or
business. If we each give a little, we
will quickly raise what we need.
Every Leaf Counts! When you give
to the Hopewell Yard Campaign, a
paper leaf will be hung in your name
in the Hopewell atrium. As the leaves
fill the atrium, we can envision the
real leaves soon filling our yard.
Make online gifts through bit.ly/
hopewellyard. Cheques require a
minimum $25 donation for a tax
receipt, and can be delivered or
mailed to the school. (Make cheques
payable to: Hopewell Avenue Public
School, attention: “Hopewell Yard
Campaign.”)
Later on, when it’s finished,
Our wallets may look a little
thinnish
But we’ll rejoice at the sight, of our
children’s delight
Playing on their Hopewell
wonderland!
Find out more about the Hopewell
Yard Fundraising Campaign or
spread the word through Facebook
(www.facebook.com/hopewellyard)
and Twitter (twitter.com/hopewellyard). Our greatest needs are financial, but we welcome all offers of
help at HopewellFundraising2015@
gmail.com.
Katie Breen and Caroline Coady are
Hopewell parents who love trees!
THE OSCAR
l
Page 21
JANUARY 2015
•“Broken window syndrome”
- a vacant, neglected yard
invites vandalism, graffiti
and crime that can extend to
surrounding homes and
businesses.
•Tree shade reduces the
‘urban-heat’ island effect,
making the city cooler and
muggy Ottawa summers
more bearable.
•Trees are beautiful, healthy,
educational, and fun! Trees
encourage children (and
the young at heart) to push
physical boundaries, explore,
dream, escape, learn about
nature, and make friends and
lasting memories.
Why Every Leaf
Counts!
•Hopewell School is one of
the last large potential green
spaces in our community. With
infill and urbanization, many
large street trees are disappearing. Smaller landscaping
trees don’t provide the same
benefits as large canopied trees
like maple and oak, which
need room to grow.
•Trees provide documented
benefits to physical and mental
health, and reduce noise and
air pollution.
Hopewell student creating yard-inspired art and the atrium filling with donor
leaves above them.
PHOTO BY DAPHNE DUMBRILL
Hopewell Schoolyard Revitalization - Preliminary Concept Plan - Nov. 2014 (detail)
4
11
8
14
HOPEWELL AVE
4
SUNNYSIDE AVE
16
1
9
1
7
7
10
2
Phase 1
13
3
12
5
6
15
17
SCHOOL
(4 STORIES)
Final Plan (Phases 1, 2 + 3)
Phases 1 +
10
6
http://www.peacefulplaygrounds.com/school-playground-markings/
4
http://www.strathcona.ca/files/images/ph-rpc-broadmoor_playground.jpg
http://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/8
http://russellheron.blogspot.ca/2014/07/fabric-shade-canopy.html
12
http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2008/09/case_western_reserve_universit.html
8
f.d. fountain landscape architecture
2
http://www.habitat-systems.com/gallery/westcot-elementary-2/
10
http://www.noahsplay.com/new-item
HOPEWELL SCHOOLYARD REVITALIZA
Page 22
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
Maggie Cox Is “The Pot Of Gold” On This Journey at Abbotsford
Maggie Cox working on the pottery wheel.
By Julie Ireton
Maggie Cox is always at the wheel,
but she doesn’t go anywhere.
Her wheel spins slabs of clay as
she teaches, creates works of art and
function and instills a love for the art
of pottery.
For more than three decades, Cox
has been teaching pottery at the
Glebe Centre’s Community Programs
at Abbotsford – the seniors centre
across from Lansdowne Park. In the
basement studio there’s a wheel, a
kiln and all the clay the participants
could use to mould, pinch or roll.
“If I didn’t spend so much time
at Abbotsford, I’d have to clean my
house,” laughed Cox.
Originally from California, Cox
and her late husband initially came
to Ottawa for his job at Carleton
University, but she quickly got busy
in the city’s pottery community. Cox
has taught pottery for several continuing education programs in the
Ottawa Carleton Public School Board
and the 74-year-old started teaching
at Abbotsford long before she was a
senior herself.
She says her pottery classes are
more than creating artful or useful
pieces; says pottery is therapeutic
and social.
“It takes you out of yourself for a
bit. You can think about something
other than what you’re doing. It’s a
wonderful activity for people,” said
Cox.
“I teach in a traditional way with
all the building techniques: pinch
pots, slabs, coils.”
The seniors she teaches range in
age between 55 and 90. Some suffer
from the effects of arthritis, cancer,
PHOTO BY PATRICIA GOYECHE
or strokes, but she shows everyone
how to adapt.
One of her students, Lorie Root,
recently nominated Cox for a community award.
“She welcomes new students with
open arms and makes it clear they are
free to explore their creative side,”
said Root.
Cox’s daughter Andrina is also a
potter and fills in as teacher at Abbotsford when her mother goes south
for the winter.
Andrina Cox says she learned from
the best as a young girl.
“My mother’s a great teacher in
that she is very generous in her wisdom and she wants you to discover
the best in yourself,” said Andrina.
“Everyone finds great comfort and
solace in massaging clay into something to hold sustenance to share.”
Maggie Cox teaches at Abbotsford
every Thursday. She said it’s the day
of the week she most looks forward
to. She says making pottery is something she plans to do forever.
“It’s interesting getting old, but
I’m still doing the same thing. I love
teaching pottery and I enjoy the students tremendously.”
Abbotsford is your community support centre for Adults 55+. Abbotsford houses the community programs
of The Glebe Centre Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit, organization
which includes a 254 bed long term
care home. Find out more about their
services by dropping by 950 Bank
Street (the old stone house) Mon- Fri
9-4 pm, telephoning 613-230-5730
or by checking out all of The Glebe
Centre facilities and community programs at www.glebecentre.ca.
A sample of the beautiful artwork created by residents of the Glebe Centre
on display at the art auction and sale. PHOTO BY TRACY CROWDER
The Glebe Centre Celebrates
Biggest Fundraising Events Ever!
By Tracy Crowder
The Abbotsford Bazaar and the
Resident Art Auction were the
places to be on the weekend of
November 29th, with over 1,000
people attending the bazaar at Abbotsford House throughout the day,
and many venturing over to The
Glebe Centre next door to shop for
the perfect painting for their home
or a gift.
It was an incredibly busy day,
and one that resulted in the largest
sales ever! Thanks to the support
of our community, local merchants,
and sponsors the total raised for
both events was over $30,000! The
Abbotsford bazaar proceeds support the Glebe Centre’s community
programs and services offered to
seniors 55+ at Abbotsford House,
and the Resident art auction and
sale proceeds are put back into the
art program to benefit Residents at
the Glebe Centre.
Special thanks to local merchants
who graciously donated items for
the silent auction, Paul Stead and
his team at Scotiabank for volunteering their time, Scotiabank
for supporting the bazaar with a
donation to Abbotsford House,
CAPCORP for being a silver level
sponsor of the events, Climatech
and Emond Harnden for their sponsorship, and especially the huge
team of volunteers that made the
day possible!
Tracy Crowder is the Fund and
Development Officer at The Glebe
Centre Inc.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 23
JANUARY 2015
IN THE GLEBE
Carnival of the Animals and The Red Balloon Come to St. Matthew’s
By Margret Nankivell
On Saturday, January 31, at 7:00
p.m., St. Matthew’s Anglican Church
in the Glebe will present a family musical show featuring Camille
Saint-Saens’s playful Carnival of
the Animals. The one-hour performance will also include a screening
of Oscar-winning short film The Red
Balloon.
St. Matthew’s musical director
Kirkland Adsett will play the music
from Saint-Saens’s beloved work
on the organ and members of the
church’s boys’ and girls’ choirs will
read animal poems related to the
movements in the composition.
The Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy
directed by French filmmaker Albert
Lamorisse (1922-1970). The winner
of the Palme d’Or for short films at
the Cannes Film Festival, the charming film has a musical score and virtually no dialogue. It tells the tale of
a curious attachment of a young boy
in Paris with a spirited and unpredictable balloon. The Red Balloon is the
only short film to have garnered an
Academy Award for Best Writing
(Original Screenplay).
While this concert is especially appropriate for children, everyone will
enjoy the tuneful and lyrical French
music that will accompany the film,
says Mr. Adsett. The girls and boys
of St Matthew’s choirs will sing
music from the film Les Choristes,
a 2004 French drama about boys in
a grim boarding school. French café
Noye’s Fludde at St. Matthews Anglican Church
Att: Boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 12
singers required in the animal chorus of Noye’s Fludde
(Noah’s Flood). Have you ever wanted to be a deer or a
monkey or a giraffe? Here is your opportunity!
St. Matthews Anglican Church (613-234-4024) is presenting
the opera by Benjamin Britten on May 8 and 9, 2015
under the direction of Kirkland Adsett.
Register at www.stmatthewsottawa.ca for auditions on
Saturday, February 7 and to find rehearsal schedules.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
chansons and music made famous by
Edith Piaf will also be played.
Saint-Saens (1835-1921) did not
allow the publication of Carnival
of the Animals during his lifetime
because he felt that it would cloud
his reputation as a serious composer.
However, his will allowed for its
posthumous publication so the 1886
piece was published in 1922 following the composer’s death. Movements include the “Royal March
of the Lion”, “Hens and Roosters”,
“Wild Asses: Swift Animals” and
“The Swan”. Other animals included
in the humourous work are tortoises,
elephants, kangaroos and “Personages with Long Ears”.
“It will be a really fun show and
the kids love the music they are sing-
Location
Sunnyside Wesleyan
Church
58 Grosvenor Avenue
(at Sunnyside)
St Margaret Mary
Catholic Church
7 Fairbairn (corner of
Sunnyside)
Times
Sunday Worship
Services at 9:00
a.m. and 11:00 a.m.,
Children’s program
offered during
worship services.
Mass Sunday at
10:30 a.m. and
Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
Trinity Anglican Church
1230 Bank St (at Cameron Ave)
Holy Eucharist at
8:00 a.m. and 10:00
a.m. with Church
School & Choir
Southminster United
Church
15 Aylmer Avenue
(at Bank & the Canal)
Sunday Worship &
Kids Church at 10:30
a.m.
Carnival and Red Balloon:
Sat. Jan. 31, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. with
no intermission. St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 130 Glebe Ave. near
Bank St. Information: 613-234-4024
or www.stmatthewsottawa.ca. No
tickets will be sold to the event but
donations may be made by freewill
offering.
ESCAPE
Women’s ClassiC Casual Clothing
Inventory Clearance
We’d rather sell it than count it!
703 Bank St. (in the Glebe)
Area Worship Services
ing,” says Adsett.
The presentation will be a fitting
lead-up to St. Matthew’s presentation
of Benjamin Britten’s children’s opera Noyes Fludde (Noah’s Flood) on
May 8 and 9. The church is looking
for children to play the roles of animals for that as well and children can
register for auditions on the church’s
website.
613.567.3989
Page 24
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
SECOND THOUGHTS
Faith, Doubt and Science
By Richard Ostrofsky
fundamental difference of approach
and method that is not so easy to
dismiss, and which raises the quesCheck out the Wikipedia article on
the “relationship between science and tion that I want to discuss. Religion
religion.” The question is: to what ex- ascribes value and validity to faith;
tent can our concern for the validated science, by contrast, valorizes doubt.
What I want to argue here is that both
truths of science live without squabbling beside the mythical beliefs that faith and doubt are commonly misunderstood, and that science – defined
serve as truth for so many people
for our purpose as the systematic purwho need a working worldview and
do not find it in science? Are religion suit of valid and teachable knowledge
and science doomed to mutual hostil- – depends on a judicious mixture of
both.
ity and conflict as Richard Dawkins
The core of science is critical
believes? Are they complementary
as John Polkinhorne believes? Or are thought – a willingness to reject certhey “separate magisteria” as Stephen tainty as such, “to live in permanent
suspicion of one’s own beliefs.” It
Gould argued? And why is there so
was this acceptance and valorization
much contention on the subject?
of doubt over faith, and of personal
The first point is that this question
observation and reason over tradition
must be asked on two very different
and received wisdom, which led to
levels: There may be specific conscience and to modernity itself. As
flicts in the factual claims of a reliFrancis Bacon put it, “If a man will
gion and a scientific discipline. This
begin with certainties, he shall end
was the case, for example, in the notorious Galileo affair, and in the clash in doubts; but if he will be content
to begin with doubts he shall end
(still raging) between evolution and
in certainties.” René Descartes is
divine creation. There is conflict of
neuroscience with metaphysical dual- considered one of the founders of
ism and the concept of a supernatural modern philosophy partly in tribute
to his method of radical doubt: to test
soul. Perhaps the clash of flat asserall beliefs by doubting them, keeping
tions can be reconciled by appeal to
only those that cannot seriously be
concepts of metaphorical vs. literal
doubted. Socrates, by no means the
truth, or to the differing purposes of
first thinker to consider philosophical
these genre or “magisteria.”
November
2014
Ad Proof
questions,
is still revered as the first
At the same time, however, beand
greatest
of philosophers in rectween science and religion there is a
erneSt jOhnSOn
AntiqueS
www.ernestjohnsonantiques.com
613-741-8565
Bought, Sold and Appraised
ognition of his method of discursive
doubting, and his willingness to die
for that method.
Against this belief in systematic
doubt, some very intelligent men
have expressed a contrary faith – in
faith itself as a source of knowledge. Anselm, following Augustine
before him, wrote “Credo ut intelligam” – “I believe in order that I may
understand.” Pascal, an important
scientist and mathematician of the
17th century, and a contemporary
(although he died young), of Newton
and Leibniz is also important as a
proponent of Christian faith. Versions
of fideism (the idea that faith is superior to reason) can also be ascribed
to Kierkegaard, one of the founders
of existentialist philosophy, and to
G.K. Chesterton who wrote some
version of the epigram: “When men
choose not to believe in God, they do
not thereafter believe nothing. They
believe anything.”
Finally, Nietzsche, with his dictum
that “There are no facts, only interpretations,” can be seen as arguing for a sort of negative fideism in
which beliefs cannot be reasoned
about but only adhered to arbitrarily
according to one’s own preference
and self-interest, or else imposed by
acts of power.
My own view is that both faith and
doubt are widely misunderstood, that
they surely clash on occasion, but are
on the whole more complementary
than antagonistic. Cognition depends
on a judicious use of both, roughly
pursuant to the cycle between normal
science and paradigm shift that
Thomas Kuhn identified.
The crucial point is that Anselm
and Nietzsche were saying essentially the same thing, and were
both correct, once due allowance
is made for their irrelevant beliefs
and rhetoric. Anselm was arguing
that his Christian faith enlarged his
understanding. Nietzsche was saying
that “God is dead,” and that all future
understanding would be godless. In
these views they differed, of course,
while the central insight of both
was that all human understanding
depends on a prior choice of paradigm – Thomas Kuhn’s point in a
nutshell. Understanding advances as
thinkers work and solve problems
within a given paradigm. The advance of understanding sometimes
undermines the paradigm previously
used, leading to a period of relative
chaos when paradigms are in dispute.
From this dispute a new consensual
paradigm may emerge, or may not.
If there is a new consensus, it will be
taught in schools as “the truth,” and
people will have to abide by it to get
and keep a job, and avoid suits for
malpractice. If there is no consensus,
the choice of paradigm will remain a
matter of “faith” – of one’s personal,
working commitment.
For any individual – you or me, or
anyone at all – valid understanding
depends on the way that faith and
doubt are used, relative to the questions being addressed. Questions
about the workings of the natural
world and cosmos are best addressed
with the language, methods and current worldview of science – that is
to say, from a scientific paradigm.
Questions about human relationships and the conduct of life are best
addressed with the paradigm and
language of a religion or philosophy – from the cultural and personal
stance of a given individual. This will
be partly a matter of family tradition,
but partly of personal sensibility and
taste. Along these lines, faith and
doubt are seen as complementary
epistemic tools; and we see that
religious and science-minded thinkers can reach a mutual understanding
when they are prepared to be openminded and sensible about other
people’s feelings and needs.
What makes for trouble, however,
is that scientific ideas are not quite
as value-neutral as they claim to be,
while religious and political ideas
are used as flags that people wave to
pledge allegiance and rally around.
They play a role in the formation
of groups, and often a role in the
construction of whole nations and
societies based on more-or-lessshared beliefs and values. This is
unfortunate, but probably inevitable.
To the extent that ideas are used this
way, some conflict must be expected
and the “magisterial” can never be as
separate as one might hope.
Richard Ostrofsky’s Second Thoughts
bookstore was a hub of conversation
and contemplation in Old Ottawa
South for many years. He continues
to contribute to the OSCAR from
afar and would welcome feedback
or conversation about his articles at
reostrofsky@gmail.com. Further essays and ruminations can be found at
www.secthoughts.com.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 25
JANUARY 2015
COMPUTER TRICKS AND TIPS
What the Heck is a Phablet?
By Malcolm and John
Harding, of Compu-Home
Part of the Google definition of
“compromise” is: “the acceptance
of standards that are lower than is
desirable.” There is perhaps no place
where this description is more applicable than in the newest generation
of computing devices that attempt to
combine various features, in order to
be able to serve more than one function.
Recently, combination devices have
taken one of two forms:
The phablet combines the functions
of a smartphone and a tablet. (We
will resist the temptation to describe
this device as an oversized phone or
an undersized tablet.) Actually, there
is considerable overlap in the potential use of phones and tablets and to
combine their functions seems like a
natural strategy. Phablets exist in the
Apple, Android and Windows Operating Systems. People have become
used to using their smartphone for
much more than making and receiving calls – everything from a few
rounds of Solitaire to installing a
Kindle app and reading a book while
they are stuck in a waiting room.
It’s mighty handy, and a big money-saving strategy to be able to sit in
a hotspot and Skype someone around
the world, instead of incurring huge
roaming charges on your cell phone
account. It seems like a logical next
step for users to be wishing that the
display could be a bit bigger.
Conversely, tablet users have often
found themselves wishing that they
could make a quick call, or check
their email or texts in that waiting
room, without having to haul out
their phone. Ergo, most manufacturers have lately been offering choices
of extra-large phones, or extra-small
tablets, in the 125 to 175-mm (5 to
7-inch) range.
The big brother in the family of
combination devices is the hybrid of
tablet and laptop. These devices have
to go farther afield to combine their
functions – their screen swivels, flips,
or detaches from the keyboard, in
order to convert the laptop into a tablet. Hybrids are available in Android
and Windows Operating Systems;
Apple has not entered this fray as
of the time of writing, but is widely
predicted to have a very significant
impact when it does, perhaps as soon
as this spring. Hybrids usually offer
a display in the 250 to 325-mm (10 –
13-inch) diagonal range.
Given our experience with the
vulnerable nature of traditional
laptop hinges, we would be pretty
careful about the hybrid designs that
twist and flip the keyboard to create the tablet function. Add to this
the fact that a permanently attached
keyboard is going to add a noticeable
weight to the unit, at all times. On the
other hand, a detachable keyboard is
always going to be somewhere else
when you need it.
In our opinion, there are a few
most important factors to keep in
mind when you are considering a
phablet or a hybrid: The first is the
Price. Although a phablet, for example, is going to cost somewhat less
than the total cost of a phone plus a
tablet, it is going to be significantly
more expensive than either one of
them individually. The ideal time to
be even remotely considering this
expenditure would be when both of
HEATING, Your rights as a tenant
As we try our best to stay warm this winter season, remember that
as a tenant, you have the right to a working heating system in your
apartment that can maintain a temperature of 20°C throughout your
unit (Property Standards By-Law No. 2013-416, City of Ottawa). If
your unit doesn’t meet this minimum, contact your landlord.
If you need additional help, call 3-1-1.
NEW PATIENTS WELCOME
Dr Pierre Isabelle
DrDr
Mathieu
Sailesh Tremblay
Pershad
GLEBE DENTAL CENTRE
FIFTH AVENUE COURT-EVENING APPOINTMENTS
OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY
For appointments call 613-234-6405
your devices have to be replaced at
the same time. The Operating System
is the second vital consideration. A
Windows hybrid (and no doubt the
Apple version when it arrives) is often capable of using actual programs,
and is therefore more functional than
an Android device that is confined
to Apps, which are typically light
versions of software and lacking in
versatility. You must check this out
carefully, and make sure you are buying exactly what you need.
Most important of all is the question of whether or not you can adapt
to a machine that is a compromise
(see above). Is it too big to fit in your
pocket or purse? Is the display too
big, or too small, to suit your needs?
Is it simply too heavy to be comfortable when you are lounging on the
sofa and trying to read your ebook?
There is absolutely no substitute for
visiting a well-stocked store where
you can hold and manipulate each
model, read the display, try out the
apps and software, and ask lots of
questions.
Our blog has a new address, and
it’s much easier to find! Just go to
compu-home.com/blog for an archive
of our columns (including this one)
and lots more tech-related articles.
There is a space right after each item
for you to make comments and suggestions, and ask questions. You can
even sign up for automatic updates.
We hope you will have a look at
compu-home.com/blog soon or call
us at 613-731-5954 to share your
opinions and suggest subjects for
future columns. Our email address is
info@compu-home.com
OSCA Membership
Old Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA)
membership is available to all residents of Old Ottawa South (OOS).
Membership is also available to OOS business and property owners.
A membership will give you the right to vote
at OSCA’s Annual General Meeting, or to be a
candidate for a position on the OSCA board.
Membership is free!
How to Join
Memberships are created via OSCA’s online registration system. If
you have never used the registration system, you first need to create a “Family Profile”. Once you have a profile:
Log in to your profile.
Click the “Register” icon to access registration. This
will bring up a list of programs available for registration.
Select “OSCA Special Events and Membership”
Page 26
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
BETWEEN THE BRIDGES BABY
Once a Mother, Always a Mother
By Heather Lynch
I know a lot of people who were not
in the least bit saddened at seeing the
close of 2014. It was a really sad year
in a lot of ways. I certainly don’t intend to piggyback on the profoundly
legitimate grief of people who were
more intimately connected than I was
to the women I am about to describe,
but simply hearing of their stories
affected me deeply.
All my life my mother has said she
would trade all other forms of happiness over and above the health and
well-being of her children. I never
really understood what that meant
until I had a child of my own, and
now, well now I really get it. This
isn’t to say I don’t take time out for
myself, that I don’t need evenings
and afternoons alone to indulge my
own hobbies, time with friends, or to
just be away from a tiny person constantly clinging to me. But a choice
between anything I could possibly
want or need for myself, and Logan’s
well-being, isn’t really a choice at all.
And so when I learned in the span of
just a few months that a former colleague, at the age of 38, had passed
away unexpectedly and inexplicably,
leaving behind a five-year old daughter, that another colleague’s dearest
friend lost her life to cancer, leaving
behind two young sons, and when a
family member, at the age of 41, was
once again diagnosed with too many
forms of cancer to list, devastating
her three young children, it made me
realize that while I wish for my own
good health for many selfish reasons,
the primary drive is to be around to
take care of my children.
Everybody tells you, and everybody knows that being a parent
comes with tremendous, lifelong
responsibility. You have to show up.
You can’t take time off. You can’t
check out, run away, take a breather.
Nothing you do is without consequence; nothing you do is just about
you anymore, and won’t be for a
very, very long time (if ever again).
The enormity of this realization has
kept me awake at nights and caused
the occasional panic attack. It can
be difficult to accept that any minute
you take for yourself is one you take
away from your child. It’s even more
difficult to accept that having that
choice to make, is actually a blessing, and one afforded with terrible
inequity, at best.
In the wake of the losses and illness I just noted, I overheard so many
devastated people tearfully exclaim
that they “just couldn’t imagine” how
brutally heart-wrenching it must be
for a young child to lose their mother.
I think what makes such a proposition so terrifying is that we can imagine it. For many nights in the wake of
these losses, I did lay awake at night
imagining it, and vowed to eat more
chia, drink more green tea, run a little
bit longer on the treadmill and to do
more yoga. These thoughts would
invariably cause me to question what
on earth I had ever done to deserve
to be healthy, and present for my
child, when the beautiful, courageous
women who lost their lives, and the
one who might, had this privilege
cruelly ripped away. Of course, the
answer is nothing. Which invariably
means there is nothing I can do (apart
from health and lifestyle management) to protect myself, or my family
from the future. All I can do is focus
on living in the present – by trying
to take each day as it comes, to savor
life’s sweet moments and not indulge
the poorer ones. And maybe, in some
very small way, by recognizing my
current good fortune and focusing on
all that I have, the lives of women, of
mothers, cut short, can be honoured
and recognized.
Launch of New Ottawa Federation of Parents’ Childcare Services (OFPCS)
Mr. Jamie Puddicombe, Ontario Trillium Foundation (far left), The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa-Centre (fourth from left), OFPCS President
Kathy Arsenault (fifth from left), and Counsellor Mathieu Fleury, Ward 12 (far right)
By Justin To
Twenty years ago, parent-centred,
cooperative centres in the Ottawa
region, including Old Ottawa South’s
Capital Day Care, came together to
try and find a way to enhance the
development of our unique model
- non-profit childcare centres that
shared a common philosophy and
deep commitment to providing highquality, parent-involved child care
programs. Parents and teachers coming together to determine how we
operate, what food we provide, what
services we implement.
In 2011 the group began in earnest
to transform and develop a closer,
more sustainable administrative and
governance structure, with the help
of the Ontario Trillium Foundation
and the City of Ottawa. The main
goal of the process was to reposition the member centres to be more
responsive to their communities’
needs while expanding the variety of
programs and range of services.
Finally, after years of hard work,
sweat and volunteer hours the group
grew and, on November 29th, I had
the honour of helping announce the
launch of the new Ottawa Federation of Parents’ Childcare Services
(OFPCS) with the Honourable Yasir
Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa-Centre and
Ward 12 Counsellor Mathieu Fleury.
Delivering 780 licensed childcare
spaces in Ottawa (39 in OOS), the
newly launched OFPCS will create
a new entity, a federation of nonprofit cooperative child care centres
with a new administrative structure
and governance model that has been
designed to better support individual
centres. Administrative efficiencies
and economies of scale have been
built to free up the time of teachers
and administrators, and to expand
new programs, spaces and services.
Through this framework Capital Day
Care will be better able to respond to
the changing early learning and care
service landscape.
I am so proud of the work we have
done – established common, collaborative approaches to health and safety, learning and development, governance, and financial administration
- together with parents and teachers.
Together I believe we have created
something special that will knit the
founding non-profit cooperative centres into a closer, more sustainable
structure that will ultimately provide
more and better care for children and
parents in the Ottawa region. I cannot
say enough good things about all of
the hours our volunteer teachers and
parents have put into the project over
the years.
So our (new) doors are now open!
And I hope many of you will look
into what it is we do. Come check
us out at www.ottawafederation.ca.
Located in central Ottawa, Vanier and
Ottawa South, we encourage you to
visit us and ask us questions. We are
here to serve.
The nine Ottawa-based, non-profit
cooperative child care centres that
form the new OFPCS:
• Capital Day Care, 1230 Bank
Street, 613-733-8208
• Centretown Parents’ Day Care, 94
James St., 613-235-7473 ext 3
• Colonel By Childcare Centre, 1233
Colonel By Drive, 613-520-2715
• Dalhousie Parents’ Day Care, 391
Booth Street, 613-234-2850
• Glebe Parents’ Day Care, 10 Fifth
Ave., 613-233-9268
• South Ottawa Parents’ Day Care,
1620 Bholm Drive, 613-737-6565
• Sunflower Cooperative Day Nursery, 700 Montreal Road, 613-7482268
• Vanier Cooperative Childcare Centre, 260 Levis Ave., 613-744-5563
• Wellington Ward Day Care, 258
Lisgar St., 613– 236-0921
Justin To is the Treasurer of Capital
Daycare and Board Director, Ottawa
Federation of Parent’s Childcare
Services (OFPCS).
THE OSCAR
l
Page 27
JANUARY 2015
SURROUND CIRCLE YOGA
Surrendering to Grace
By Maureen Fallis, Surround
Circle Yoga
When I first began teaching yoga
eight years ago, I spent a ridiculous
amount of time before each class
writing down exactly what I wanted
to present. To the left of each asana
on the list I wrote the approximate
amount of time it would take, and to
the right, I listed technical details I
did not want to forget. Each class had
a theme, often quoted directly from
one of the many books in my well
stocked library. And to top it off, I
developed a variety of nifty musical
playlists to set the appropriate tone
and atmosphere in the studio.
Initially, I thought it was my job to
make every class a new and exciting
experience; however, in an effort to
‘get it right’, I lost all perspective
on what the essential principle of
this ancient tradition was all about.
According to Georg Feuerstein, an
author and researcher who spent his
life promoting literary and comparative research on Yoga, “The great
message of all forms of Yoga is to
find happiness. Happiness is our
essential nature, and our perpetual
quest for happiness is fulfilled only
when we realize who we truly are.
This realization is an awakening
to our Selfhood, which transcends
body-mind, the ego-personality, and
the horizon of the world reflected in
our ordinary experience.”
Creating a structure for my classes
in those early days helped me clarify
my intention. And yet having my
plans locked in place left no room for
spontaneity or play. My worry was
that if I ever forgot my notes or came
to class unprepared, I might come
across as unprofessional or worse
… a fraud. Was this real teaching or
was I simply playing the role of a
teacher? I remember asking my mentor, Vidya Carolyn Dell’uomo, what
it would take to gain the courage
and confidence to teach without my
notes. She told me in a most generous and loving way, “Maureen, being
an authentic teacher means entertaining the difficult questions, not
pretending to know it all, and being
able to hold the space for an ongoing
conversation rather than expecting a
final outcome. The true measure of a
guide lies in the ability to ultimately
support your students by cultivating
seeds so that they become comfortable in listening to their own inner
guide.”
Eventually, I realized that my preplanned agenda was not what the students needed. I surrendered control,
let go of self-judgement, and allowed
myself the freedom to feel my way
through. In giving up the security
of my class plan, I no longer was
limited by its parameters. It felt as
though I’d stepped into the current of
a great river of some kind of divine
wisdom. Words, images and movement began to flow naturally and I
was beginning to uncover the real me
behind the façade.
This brings to mind a poem given
to me by a dear friend. I have learned
to appreciate and recite it as a mantra
whenever self-doubt creeps in.
My Deepest Fear
My deepest fear is not that I am
inadequate.
My deepest fear is that I am powerful
beyond measure.
It is my light, not my darkness that
frightens me most.
I ask myself, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who am I not to be?
I am a child of the Universe.
My playing small does not serve the
world.
There is nothing enlightened about
shrinking so that others won’t feel
insecure around me.
I was born to manifest the glory of
God that is within me.
It’s not just in me; it’s in everyone.
And as I let my own light shine, I
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As I am liberated from my own fear,
my presence automatically liberates
others.
(Marianne Williamson)
What amazes me is how self-worth
is gauged by so many variables.
As Einstein contended, “What can
be measured doesn’t always count,
and what counts cannot always be
measured.” In the practice of Yoga
we are cultivating a relationship with
that which is enduring within us. And
the only way to measure the strength
of this relationship is to ask who it is
we are becoming through our practice. How strong is this relationship
with our unchanging Self? Does it
hold up under pressure, or do we
fall apart the moment our expectations are dashed? To what degree
are we able to live in a way that is
compassionate? How do we gauge
the strengthening of presence and
moving toward greater forgiveness
and kindness?
Many great teachers have pointed
the way, emphasizing that they
(and their teachings), in and of
themselves, are not the answer. For
example, Jesus said, “The Kingdom
of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).
Shri Patanjali addresses a similar
point in The Yoga Sutra: tada drashtuh sva-rupe’vasthanam, or “Then
the seer abides in its essence.” This
important verse clarifies a core
concept of Patanjali’s work. He
begins with tada, meaning “then” or
“when one is in the state of yoga.”
I believe, as he did, when you or I
am in a state of yoga, or wholeness,
we will find ourselves resting in our
own true nature.
Southminster United Church, offers a
wide variety of yoga classes, retreats,
ecstatic dances, and other mindfullyrelated programs with an aim to
provide the space for individuals to
find their own true light.
For details go to www.surroundcircleyoga.com or call 613-327-4627.
Surround Circle Yoga, your neighbourhood yoga studio located at
REPORTERS NEEDED
The OSCAR is seeking volunteer reporters.
This role involves researching and writing stories about
the Old Ottawa South community.
- an interest in local stories and issues
- experience in writing
- ability to meet deadlines
Contact OSCAR Editor, Brendan McCoy,
OSCAR@oldottawasouth.ca
WE’VE
GOT
YOUR
BACK
GLEBE
chiropractic clinic +
massage therapy centre
99 Fifth Ave., Suite 7
Ottawa — Fifth Avenue Court
613.237.9000
glebechiropractic.com
glebemassage.com
(book your next massage online)
Page 28
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
CARLETON SPORTS
The Best in Canada: Carleton and Ottawa Men’s Basketball
By Joe Scanlon
On Saturday, January 10, the top two
men’s university basketball teams will
meet at the University of Ottawa.
The teams of course are Carleton
Ravens – ranked # 1 by Canadian
Interuniversity Sport (CIS) – and the
University of Ottawa Gee Gees –
ranked # 2 by the CIS.
It will be one of two regular season
games between the two teams: the
second will be played at the Canadian
Tire Centre on Friday, February 6th.
Carleton and Ottawa have dominated CIS basketball for almost a year.
The last time Carleton men lost a
regular season game was Friday, November 9, 2012. It was the first game
of the 2013-14 regular season and
Carleton lost 71-67 to Windsor.
The last time Ottawa lost a game
was Friday, January 25 when the Gee
Gees lost 73-72 to Laurentian University in Sudbury.
Since then Carleton has won every
regular and pre-season game against
CIS opposition and five of its six
playoff games. That one loss was to
Ottawa in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) final last March.
Since then Ottawa has won all but
one of its regular season games and
pre-season games against CIS opposi-
tion, and five of its six playoff games.
Its two losses were to Carleton – once
in triple overtime and once in the CIS
championship game last March.
Between them Carleton and Ottawa
have suffered three other losses during
that period. Carleton lost to Indiana,
a division 1 (top level) US men’s
university team, and lost to Syracuse
University in Syracuse. Ottawa lost
to Memphis, another division 1 US
team. But both Carleton and Ottawa
defeated every other top US team
they played at home, a rare feat for a
Canadian team.
This season Ottawa started with
six straight pre-season wins beating Brock, St. FX, McGill, Bishop’s,
Toronto and Concordia – scoring more
than 100 points against Brock, McGill
and Toronto – and followed that by
winning six regular season games –
against fourth-ranked McMaster (10683), Brock, Laurentian, Nipissing, Waterloo, Laurier, third ranked Ryerson
(93-64) and Toronto. The Gee Gees
topped 100 in four of those games and
the closest was an 18-point win over
Laurier, 113-95. During the regular
season, six Gee Gees have averaged in
double figures: Johnny Berhanemeskel
23.3; Caleb Agada 16.7; Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue 12.8; Mike Plunkett 10.8;
Mike L’Africain 10.3; and Vikas Gill
Carleton Varsity Schedule
Date
Game
Sat. January 10
Men’s Basketball
Fri. January 9
Women’s Basketball
Fri. and Sat.
January 16 and 17
Men’s and women’s
Basketball (double headers)
Sat. January 3
Men’s Hockey
Sat. January 17
Men’s Hockey
Sat. January 24
Men’s Hockey
Fri. January 30
Sat. January 10
Fri. January 16
Men’s Hockey
Women’s Hockey
Women’s Hockey
CARLETON CORNER
The ability to bridge First Nations,
Métis and Inuit (FNMI) world views
with non-FNMI world views and
structures is essential for today’s
professionals working in Indigenous
policy and administration contexts.
The Màmìwininìmowin (Algonquin
language) concept of aditawazi nisoditadiwin captures this idea of being
between two worlds with an understanding of both.
Carleton University’s School of
Public Policy and Administration
(SPPA) has developed two innovative and unique graduate programs in
Indigenous Policy and Administration
10.7. Plunkett, Berhanemeskel, Gill,
Agada and L’Africain are all excellent
three-point shooters. The 6’4” Agada
is the team’s top rebounder, averaging
9.3 per game.
Carleton has had an equally impressive season. The Ravens dominated
the pre-season defeating Bishop’s,
Victoria, Alberta, Acadia, Waterloo
and Laval and then – like Ottawa
– have defeated Brock, McMaster,
Nipissing, Laurentian, Laurier, Waterloo, Toronto and Ryerson. Their
closest game was a 17-point win over
McMaster (92-75), their most onesided a 99-36 win against Waterloo
(the most one-sided game in Waterloo
history).
In most games, Dave Smart has
benched his best two players Philip
and Thomas Scrubb (both are on the
Canadian National team) mid-way
through the third quarter, finishing
the game using one starter and four
players off the bench meaning that
10 Ravens are averaging more than
10 minutes per game and that though
Tom Scrubb is averaging 18.7 and Phil
Scrubb 18.2. The only other Raven
in double figures is 6’11” Cameron
Smythe, averaging 11.6. Smart pays
little attention to individual scoring or
other records, focusing on team play
and team defence. (The Ravens appear
to have the best defensive record
in Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) men’s basketball, giving
up less than 55 points per game.)
Although the men’s basketball
team is clearly Carleton’s top CIS
Carleton at Ottawa
team – the male basketball Ravens
Carleton at Ottawa
– have won 10 of the last 12 CIS
titles – there is lots of other action
in January.
Guelph and Lakehead
The women’s basketball team
at Carleton
– tied with Ottawa for first in its
division – plays Ottawa on Friday,
York at Carleton
January 9th, the night before the
(Exhibition game)
men’s game.
The Raven women started off
Laurentian at Carleton
slowly, had a losing pre-season
and were 2-3 after regular season
Nipissing at Carleton
games; but they finished the fall
schedule with three straight wins –
Ryerson at Carleton
over Waterloo, Toronto and top-10
McGill at Carleton
Ryerson and are now rated sixth
Ottawa at Carleton
in Canada under the new ranking
system introduced this season by
Location
(IPA) that reflect the importance of
this concept. They provide students
with the tools, knowledge and capacity to bridge multiple world views
and to enable managers and administrators who work in or with First
Nations, Métis and Inuit governance
and administration to strengthen their
organizations and incorporate community-based Indigenous knowledge.
Starting in summer 2015, students
can complete one of the following two
programs:
• A Concentration in Indigenous
Policy and Administration as part of
the existing Master of Arts in Public
Administration (MAPA)
• A Graduate Diploma in Indigenous
Policy and Administration.
Applications for the Graduate Diploma are being accepted until Jan. 15
and applications for the MA in Public
Administration with IPA Concentration are being accepted until Feb. 1.
These programs will be of interest
to anyone who aspires to be a leader
and innovator in Indigenous Policy
and Administration. Participants will
develop skills in areas such as financial management, community development, organizational design and
leadership.
OUA basketball. (The system rates
teams not just on wins and losses,
but on strength of schedule as well.)
The game between the two teams will
be the first time two former Ravens
– Krista van Slingerland and Jen
Stoqua – will play against their former
team-mates. Both are now starting for
Ottawa. Carleton’s recent success has
been based mainly on the rebounding
of two players – Lindsay Shotbolt and
Lindsey Suprunchuk: Shotbolt this
season has emerged as the second best
defensive rebounder in CIS women’s
basketball. Her ability to grab the ball
after a missed shot means Carleton’s
opponents are getting just one chance
to score on every possession.
Other Sports
The men’s hockey team – now in
second place in the East division of
OUA hockey – will be at home to
Toronto, Nipissing, Laurentian and
Ryerson. The team made its first trip
to the CIS championships last March
and is now rated ninth in Canada
between its division rivals – seventh
ranked McGill and eighth-ranked
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
(UQTR). Just before the Christmas
break, the Ravens defeated UQTR in a
shoot-out but then – less than 24 hours
later – lost to McGill in Montreal.
The women’s hockey team is still
last in the five team Réseau du sport
étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) league,
a league which includes Montreal
and McGill ranked first and second in
Canada, but the team already has one
more win that last season – an opening
win over Ottawa and a surprising win
over Concordia in Montreal. The team
has a new coach and several new players but is still in a rebuilding mode.
The continual struggle for dominance in water polo between Carleton
and Toronto ended with Toronto
defeating Carleton 7-6 in the OUA
championship game. The two teams
have dominated water polo the past
few seasons. Ottawa finished third,
Two Ravens – Dusan Boskovic and
Rodrigo Rojas were named to the
OUA all- star team. The women did
not fare so well.
Carleton University has adopted an
Aboriginal Co-ordinated Strategy that
defines the fundamental values governing our relationships with Aboriginal peoples and communities.
Carleton Corner is written by Carleton University’s Department of
University Communications. As your
community university, Carleton has
many exciting events of interest to
Ottawa South. For more information
about upcoming events, please go to
carleton.ca/events.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 29
JANUARY 2015
DESIGN DILEMMAS
By Vanessa Riddell
We are (finally!) going to buy curtains
for our living room. It’s such a big,
long room, and each end kind of has
its own function right now (diningroom vs. living-room), so we’re wondering ... Should we have the same
curtains on both windows, or can we
get away with two different sets/colours/designs? (I feel like they should
be the same, but my husband wanted
me to ask!) Well, in my professional opinion, yes,
I think they should match! Despite
using both ends of the room for different reasons, you still want to unify
the space, and this will be achieved by
having the same window coverings on
both ends of the space.
But there is more to the story than
that. This can include a couple of different scenarios. Using the same fabric, one option
could have Roman blinds on one
end and the other side curtains.
Particularly if one end had French
doors and the other side had windows.
Alternatively, all the windows in the
space could have matchstick blinds,
wood blinds or shutters and then only
one window with curtains. This might
be a good option if custom drapery is
being ordered.
Custom drapery, on average, comes
out to about $1,200 per window,
including fabric, hardware, and labor.
In this scenario the drapes could be ordered in a 2-step process. Just remember to purchase enough fabric for both
sets of windows in case that fabric is
discontinued by the time you do the
second window.
The only time two different drapery
fabrics could be used is if you have
a large opening from one space to
another but they are clearly different
spaces. With drapery in general, there are
a few things to remember. Make sure
the lining of the drapery is consistent
from the outside of the home when the
curtains are drawn. Off white or white
is usually the best option for liner
fabric. Solid colored drapery is usually the easiest to begin with also. By
mounting hardware as high up on the
wall as possible, one’s eye is brought
upwards, making a space larger and
more dramatic with drapery.
This is all you really need. Of
course printed fabrics are also
beautiful and can completely
transform and elevate a space
but make sure you love the
print!
With solid, consistent, and
possibly professionally installed hardware you could also
install your own off the shelf
curtains from a big box store,
hemmed to just above the floor.
While off the shelf drapery is a
great price, they usually do not
have a liner for consistency and
will get ruined over time by
sunlight. There is an upside to
this though, you may be bored
of the look and want a change
anyway so it won’t matter!
Lots to think about. Hope
this helps.
Send your questions and
photos to info@sachi.ca and
SACHI (Staging & Creative
Home Interiors) will try and
solve your Design Dilemma’s.
PHOTO BY VANESSA RIDDELL
Short-term vs. Long-term Investments: What’s the Difference?
By Bob Jamieson, CFP
At various times, many people may
feel frustrated by the performance of
their investments. For example, they
expect growth, and they don’t get
it — or they think the value of their
investment won’t fluctuate much, but
it does. However, some of this frustration might be alleviated if investors
were more familiar with the nature
of their investment vehicles. Specifically, it’s important to keep in mind
the difference between long-term and
short-term investments.
What defines long-term and shortterm investments? Long-term investments are those vehicles that
you intend to hold for quite a while,
generally several years or more. On
the other hand, you usually hold
short-term investments for only up to
a couple of years.
You can find several key distinctions
between short-term and long-term
vehicles. Here are a few to consider:
They carry different expectations When you purchase an investment
that you intend to keep for many
years, you may be expecting the
investment to increase in value so that
you can eventually sell it for a profit.
In addition, you may be looking for
the investment to provide a reasonable income, in the form of interest
or dividends. When you purchase a
short-term vehicle, you are generally
not expecting much in the way of a return or an increase in value. Typically,
you purchase short-term investments
for the relatively greater degree of
principal protection they are designed
to provide.
They meet different needs at
different times of life You will have different investment
needs at different times of your
life. When you’re young, and just
starting out in your career, you may
require a mix of long and short-term
investments. You might need the
short-term ones to help pay for a
down payment on a home, while the
long-term ones could be used to help
build resources for your retirement.
You can also tolerate more short-term
fluctuations, in return for a larger
long-term return. But later in life,
when you’re either closing in on
retirement, or you’re already retired,
you may still prefer some long-term
investments, but ones which provide a
steady income.
They can satisfy different goals If you purchase investments that
you intend to hold for the long term,
you probably have a long-term goal in
mind — such as building resources to
help pay for a comfortable retirement
or leaving a legacy. On the other hand,
a short-term investment would be
more appropriate if you know that you
will need a certain amount of money
at a certain time — perhaps to purchase a car or to fund a vacation.
They carry different risks All investments carry some type
of risk. One of the biggest risks associated with long-term investments
is volatility, the fluctuations in the
financial markets that can cause investments to lose value. On the other
hand, short-term investment vehicles
may be subject to purchasing power
risk — the risk that your investment’s
return will not keep up with inflation.
As an investor, you’ll probably need
a mix of long-term and short-term
vehicles. By knowing the differences
between these two categories, you
should have a good idea of what to ex-
pect from your investments — and
this knowledge can help you make the
choices that are right for you.
www.edwardjones.com
To Help You Manage
Unexpected Change,
We’ll Consult with
an Expert — YoU.
Changing markets and our changing lifestyles can
send a once-balanced portfolio into disarray. That’s
why it’s so important to take advantage of our
portfolio review at least once every year. Together,
we’ll assess how changes in the markets, your career
and your goals can impact your investment plan, and
we can make adjustments to help keep you on track.
Though we may be knowledgeable on the markets,
no one knows your life better than you.
Call or stop by to schedule your portfolio
review today.
Bob Jamieson, CFP®
Financial Advisor
.
2211 Riverside Drive
Suite 100
Ottawa, ON K1H 7X5
613-526-3030
Member – Canadian
Investor Protection Fund
Page 30
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
TASTY TIDBITS FROM TRILLIUM BAKERY
Wolf as Healer: Miracles in Texas
Wolf in Denali National Park,
By Jocelyn LeRoy
I have a friend who is a wolf whisperer (like a horse whisperer, which
she also is). She’s a remarkable
woman with an unusual calling. She
runs a ranch in Texas, where she has
a licence to repair injured birds of
prey – a rare occupation in Texas.
She once said to me, “In this area
they shoot anything that moves. I get
a lot of casualties dropped off at my
gate.”
People bring birds to her from near
and far. After having wings and other
injured parts restored, they progress
through a series of screened pens,
graduated in size, as they heal. Finally, they reach the largest enclosure
in which they can fly quite far, until
they’re strong enough to be reintroduced into the wild, completely
rehabilitated without the permanent
imprint of humans. My friend also
has rescued dying horses from roadside ditches: these are thoroughbred
racehorses from bankrupt abandoned
farms and ranches. She has nursed
them back to health and re-homed
many of them.
Enter the Wolves
The most fascinating project she
began – flourishing to this day – is
her creation of an environment for
wolves that have been abandoned,
rejected by their pack, raised by
PHOTO BY KEN MILLER
humans, or severely injured. At the
St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary, acres
of enclosed forest now are home to
more than a dozen wolves she has
rescued.
Wolf as Teacher
Some of the wolves have taught her
lessons she never dreamed of learning. Native Americans believe that
the wolf is the pathfinder, the forerunner of new ideas, who returns to
the clan to teach and share medicine.
If you keep company with wolves,
you find an enormous sense of family within the pack balanced by a
strong individualistic urge. These
relationships are mirrored by humans, creating a link between wolves
and people. Having extremely keen
senses, wolves draw upon the power
of the moon to focus energy leading to knowledge and wisdom that
humans can absorb.
Wolf as Healer
This concept is foreign to most of
us until and unless you experience
the powerful gentleness of these
intelligent creatures. It’s becoming
known that wolves have a capacity to give something rare to people
struggling with depression, terminal
illness and trauma. We’ve heard
recently about “trauma dogs” brought
to the scene of an accident or disaster.
These dogs calm and comfort strang-
ers caught in unexpected, severe
situations; they give out an empathetic and reassuring vibe, which has
a remarkable positive effect.
The St. Francis wolves do this, too.
People having experienced this “wolf
therapy” have undergone transformation from extreme anxiety to lasting
tranquility, becoming more connected
to their surroundings.
The sanctuary is never advertised,
nor does it seek monetary donations.
It’s merely a haven for those who
find their way to the healing wolves.
Most of them were raised in captivity
or were dropped off at my friend’s
ranch as abandoned pups, usually
because their mothers had been shot.
Pups not adopted into another pack
do not survive.
Luke
Luke was obtained by a young
man who thought it would be cool to
have a wolf. Unfortunately, this idea
is both common and wrong. Wolves
and wolf-dogs have special needs
that most people cannot provide.
Luke’s owner lacked the large space
that a wolf needs; in fact, Luke spent
his days inside a closet. Eventually Animal Control picked him up
because he had escaped and was
wandering about. They brought him
to St. Francis, and he settled in happily with his new friends in his new
home. He’s been there ever since.
Duchess
She is an Alaskan wolf. She was
purchased as a pet, but, because
wolves are excellent escape artists, her family found it difficult to
contain her safely in her fenced yard.
When on the loose, Duchess would
dine on the neighbourhood chickens.
Her family was warned about her
behaviour and threatened with confiscation and even euthanasia; therefore,
the family brought her to a sanctuary
where she was placed in a pack. This
didn’t work, because Duchess didn’t
know the proper ways to behave
around other wolves. Members of
the pack attacked her, wounding her
severely.
She had to go. And so she arrived
at St. Francis with her opinionated
rebel-self intact. Duchess proved to
be selective in choosing her inner
circle – she showed a special preference for men, and can be said to be
flirting with them. She’s vocal about
her likes and dislikes. Having a superb memory, she always remembers
who has been naughty or nice to her.
She likes talking to humans while
standing on her hind legs.
The Therapy Wolf
Duchess has proved to be a loving,
gentle therapy wolf, highly attuned
to the feelings of her “clients.”
Recently arrived at St. Francis was a
nine-year-old girl, wheelchair-bound,
weak from months of chemotherapy,
terminally ill, whose main wish was
to see a real wolf before she died.
Her parents had read about St.
Francis and, with great trepidation,
decided to bring their daughter to
have her dream come true. My friend
asked the parents whether they would
allow her to take their child inside
Duchess’ enclosure for a few minutes
so she could touch the wolf. They
agreed. They held their breath. Imagine how they felt!
Duchess sat still, her head nestled
in the arms of the sick child. There
they remained, in their own little
universe, the child leaning closer.
The wolf delivered a huge dose of
the best medicine, pure unconditional
love and compassion. Duchess knew
something. And she gave that child a
priceless gift.
It must have been heart-wrenching
for these parents, who, moments ago,
had feared wolves so greatly. Yet they
trusted in my friend’s abilities and
Duchess’ track record as a therapy
wolf, and they began to share their
dying daughter’s joy.
TRILLIUM RECIPE
Yummy Pancakes
Try this wheat-free, gluten-free version of
regular pancakes. You’ll be delighted!
Directions
Sift together in a bowl 250g (about 2 cups) of
these gluten-free flours: quinoa, buckwheat, rice,
pea or bean.
Add tapioca or arrowroot starch, 1 tbsp xanthan
gum, 1 tbsp baking powder, and 1 tbsp cinnamon
(optional)
In another bowl, mix 1 ½ cups of milk (cow,
rice, almond, coconut or soy), 4 beaten eggs. Stir
in 4 tbsp oil.
Combine all ingredients.
Cook on griddle or pan (1 pancake first, then
adjust mixture to desired thickness).
THE OSCAR
l
Page 31
JANUARY 2015
RED APRON COOKS
Happy New Year – And Welcome 2015
By Jennifer Heagle
At this time of year, I like to take a
few hours on a weekend afternoon to
look through the pictures of all the
great meals I have enjoyed during the
previous 12 months. Only hard-core
foodies summarize their year based
on the meals that were enjoyed. If
you want to see pictures, you can
visit our blog at redapron.ca/blog
We were fortunate enough to kick
off 2014 with a trip to San Francisco.
Although there were many highlights, the biggest thrill was dining at
Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley.
It would take a lot of space to talk
about Alice Waters, chef, author,
activist, and the proprietor of Chez
Panisse. She is a pioneer of a culinary philosophy that maintains that
cooking should be based on the finest
and freshest seasonal ingredients that
are produced sustainably and locally.
She has been a great inspiration to
many people. Of the many delicious
plates we enjoyed that night, the duck
soup most embodied her philosophy.
The duck breast was used as the main
course, and the bones were used to
make a beautiful consommé, which
was served with fresh noodles, sugar
snap peas, and fresh herbs - simple,
elegant and delicious.
In July, we visited Rome for a few
days, and participated in a food tour,
which included a few stops inside
the Jewish Ghetto. We tasted many
delicious treats, but the Chocolate
Ricotta Torta purchased from the
RED APRON
RECIPES
Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Batter:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated organic cane sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups organic all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced (we
love honeycrisp)
100+ year-old bakery, that didn’t
even have a sign out front, was by far
the most delicious item we ate during
our stay. This bakery makes about 4
items (2-3 varieties of Torta, Biscotti,
and a fruit cake), all baked in a wood
fired oven. The service is brisk, the
presentation is rustic, and the food is
truly special.
On a quick trip to Hudson, New
York, we visited the Bonfiglio Bakery Café for breakfast and enjoyed
the most delicious Bialy (bagel-like
bun), which was slathered with
cream cheese, a couple slices of
house made gravlax, and a few slivers of red onion. It was heavenly! We
were so inspired by it that we started
making something similar to sell in
our shop on Saturday mornings.
In all of these examples, the
consistent theme was to start with
quality local ingredients, let their
flavours shine through, and keep it
simple. This is the key to creating
truly memorable food.
Now it’s time for some New Year’s
Resolutions. Rather than focusing a
resolution on a new gym membership, diet, or work goal, consider
making resolutions that will enhance
your happiness and inner contentment. Here are a few I will be working on this year:
• Resolve to not dwell on negative
experiences or interactions, but to
focus your mental energy on the
many, many positive people you
encounter every day. Don’t let one
Pour half the batter into a cake pan.
Sprinkle streusel evenly over the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter over
the streusel and spread evenly.
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes,
or until toothpick inserted into the
centre of the cake comes out clean.
Cranberry Apple Oat Crumble
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the Crumble:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup organic all-purpose flour
¾ cup organic oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl, combine all
ingredients except butter. Once combined add melted butter and mix until
the ingredients are moist.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
Streusel Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream
the butter and sugar, add eggs and
mix well. Add sour cream and vanilla, mix to combine. Fold in diced
apples.
In a separate bowl, combine dry
ingredients. Stir this into the creamed
mixture until blended.
CY
CMY
K
Fruit:
1 cup of chopped cranberries, fresh
or frozen
3 cups diced apples
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a mixing bowl, combine the
cranberries, apples, sugar and cinnamon.
Place the fruit mixture in an 8-inch
pie plate or 9x9 cake tin. Top with
Lumberjack Bear! (For CHEO)
PHOTO BY BONNIE FINDLEY OF FINDLEYFOTO.COM
unhappy or miserable person ruin
an otherwise beautiful day.
• Resolve to count your blessings,
all the time, but especially in those
moments when you find yourself
tending toward the negative.
• Resolve to appreciate the amazing,
beautiful, kind, generous and
hilarious people in your life, and to
tell them how much you appreciate
them at every opportunity.
We have posted the details on our
annual Lumberjack Brunch on our
website at redapron.ca. This year, the
the Oat Crumble.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve
GMS MMLP AdR4.pdf
1
14-11-11
with vanilla
ice cream, whipped
cream or just drizzled with cream.
event takes place on Sunday, February 1, 2015 with seatings at 10am,
noon and 2pm. Space is limited so
reserve your spot soon!
There isn’t a ton of local produce
available at this time of year, but it
is still possible to get your hands on
overwintered apples, and frozen local cranberries. Here are a couple of
recipes for Saturday & Sunday morning coffee visits with those whose
company you enjoy.
Happy New Year!
Makes a great breakfast!
11:33 AM
Page 32
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
SUNNYSIDE LIBRARY PROGRAMS
Sunnyside Branch
Ottawa Public Library
1049 Bank Street, Ottawa
613-730-1082,
Adult Services, ext 22
Children’s Services, ext 29
Sunnyside Library Programs
January-February
Children’s Programs
Babytime
For babies and their parents or
caregiver with stories, rhymes, songs
and games. 0-18 months. Drop In.
Tuesdays, 2:15 p.m. (30 min.)
Session 1: January 13 – February 18
Toddlertime
For toddlers and a parent or
caregiver with stories, rhymes, songs
and games. Ages 18-35 months.
Registration is Required; registration
starts January 7, 2015
Choose only one of the two options
below:
Tuesdays, 10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Session 1: January 13 – February 18
OR
Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. (30 min.)
Session 1: January 15 – February 19
Family Storytime (Bilingual)
Stories, rhymes and songs for
preschoolers, toddlers and a parent or
caregiver.
No registration required.
Contes, rimes et chansons pour les
enfants préscolaires, les tout-petits et
un parent ou gardien.
Aucune inscription requise.
Wednesdays 10:15 a.m. / mercredi
10h15 (30 min.)
Session 1: January 14 – February 18 /
14 janvier – 18 février
January 28, February 25
Club de lecture en français pour les
enfants! / French Book Club for
Kids
Do you like reading in French? Join
our new French book club for kids
and a significant adult. Ages 7 – 10.
Registration.
Aimez-vous lire en français? Venir
à notre nouveau club de lecture en
français pour les enfants et une adulte
important. Âgés 7 – 10. Inscription
requise.
Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.):
January 20, February 17
Mardi, 19 h (60 min.): 20 janvier,
17 février
Teen Programs
TAG (Teen Advisory
Group) (Ongoing Event)
Sunnyside Teens--join our new Teen
Advisory Group and have a say
in which programs, activities and
services will be offered to youth and
also help plan and implement them.
Ages 14-18. To join, stop by the
branch.
Look for Teen Programs presented
by Teens: such as Peer Tutoring plus
Drop in Board Game & Card Game
nights. Meet once a month on Fridays
at 4:00 p.m.: January 16, February
13, 27
Exam Cram / Études intensives
Need a spot to cram for exams?
Come to the library and get your
studying done. We provide a quiet
study space in our Meeting Room
(downstairs, past the Children’s
Area), complete with WiFi access.
Study hard and good luck on your
exams!
January 14-29
Children’s Special Programs
Adult Programs
Silly Saturdays at Sunnyside / On
s’amuse les samedis à Sunnyside
Each week there will be board
games, Lego, crafts or another
activity. Ages 6 & up. No registration
required.
Chaque semaine il y aura des jeux de
société, Lego, du bricolage, ou une
autre activité. Âgés de 6 ans et plus.
Aucune inscription requise.
Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.:
January 10 – May 30
Les samedis, 13 h – 16h : Janvier
10 – 30 mai
The Writing Workshop
An opportunity for writers of fiction,
non-fiction, poetry, and experimental
forms to gather. Our emphasis will
be on developing works-in-progress
for publication. The workshop will
provide writers with encouragement
and constructive criticism from their
peers. Author/Facilitator: Michael F.
Stewart: http://michaelfstewart.com
Registration.
Mondays, 6:00 p.m. (120 min.):
January 12, February 9
Children’s Book Clubs
Mother-Daughter Book Club
A place for girls and the special
women in their lives to share books.
Ages 7-12. Registration.
Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.):
January 13, February 10
Guysread
Share the love of books. For boys
and a significant adult. Ages 8-12.
Registration.
Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.):
Ukrainian Conversation
Join our group led by a fluent
Ukrainian speaker. Start off with a
review of the Ukrainian alphabet. All
are welcome. Registration.
Mondays, 7:00 pm (60 min.):
January 19, 26, February 23
Conversations Among Canadians
We will, as usual in this program,
share our experience, knowledge,
reflections and ideas on a wide range
of topics relevant to life in Canada,
past, present and future. Topics
may include the environment, the
economy, science and technology,
social well-being, even new findings
about the human brain. Exploring
our own attitudes, we will be alert
for a growing sense of community
and goodwill among Canadians at
home and with others in the world,
including living in community
with the land. Making an informal
appreciation of the Canadian
situation, we will continue to
challenge our imaginations and find
our voices, hoping to offer helpful
contributions around the celebrations
of the 150th anniversary of
Confederation in 2017. Registration.
Wednesdays, 2:00 - 4:00 pm (120
min.): January 7 – June 24
Science Cafés with Carleton
University
Explore science through Carleton
University’s popular Science Cafés.
Put on by the university’s Faculty of
Science, cafés are held every other
Wednesday during the fall and winter
terms. Each café begins at 6:30 p.m.
with a 20 minute talk by a scientist
followed by a 40 minute open
question and answer period. Come
and join us for a lively discussion
around a scientific issue of the day.
Be prepared to be informed, engaged
and even amused, as Carleton’s
professors share their scientific
discoveries with you. Drop in.
Wednesdays, 6:30 pm (60 min.):
January 14, 28, February 11, 25
FEDtalks (Faculty of Engineering
& Design, Carleton University)
FED Talks is a new speaker series
from Carleton University’s Faculty of
Engineering and Design that engages
the community in discussions of
timely and innovative ideas in
engineering, design and technology.
This series is open to the public and
everyone is encouraged to come out
and learn! Coffee and snacks will be
available. Drop in.
Wednesdays, 6:30 pm (60 min.):
February 4
Knit & Knatter: Learn to Knit
Have you always wanted to learn to
knit or improve your skills? Now is
the time to come to Sunnyside and
bring your knitting needles and yarn
to begin knitting that first scarf for
winter, or share your project if you
are an experienced knitter and enjoy
conversation and a cup of tea!
Drop-in.
Wednesdays, 1:00 pm (60 min.):
January 14, 28, February 11, 25
Conversation en français
Improve your spoken French and
meet new friends in a relaxed setting.
Intermediate level required. Drop in.
Thursdays, 6:30 pm (60 min.):
February 5 – May 28
Adult Special Programs
Improving Health Through
Dynamic Posture
Come and join Dr. Chandan Brar
of the Glebe Chiropractic Clinic,
for interactive classes on improving
your posture naturally. You will
learn how posture is connected to
your digestion, breathing and even a
healthy prolonged life. Registration.
Thursday, February 5, 6:30 pm (60
min.)
Travelogue of Spain—Andalucia,
the Costa del Sol, Madeira and the
Canaary Islands
Take a winter escape to Andalucía
and the Costa del Sol with a cruise
to Madeira and the Canary Islands.
Check out this amazing travel
destination with Alex Bissett – world
traveler.
Thursday, February 12, 7:00 pm
(75 min.)
Strategies to Detoxify Your Body
Learn how to avoid environmental
toxins in your home and work place.
You will learn practical tips on how
to improve your body’s ability to
detoxify using naturopathic medicine
which includes clinical nutrition,
botanical medicine, homeopathic
medicine, traditional Chinese
medicine, acupuncture and lifestyle
changes.
Thursday, February 26, 6:00 pm
(120 min.)
Adult Book Clubs
European Book Club
The European Book Club is a
cooperation of the European Union
National Institutes for Culture
(EUNIC) in Ottawa: the Austrian
Cultural Forum, the Goethe Institute,
the Romanian Cultural Institute, the
Instituto Camoes of Portugal and the
Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
The EBC aims to promote European
authors and their works. A book title
from an EU country is selected for
discussion each month. Registration.
January title (Germany): All Russian
Men Love Birch Trees by Olga
Grjasnowa (Der Russe ist einer, der
Birken liebt) (2012)
February title (Latvia) : Amber Coast
by Ilse Zandstra (2010)—Author will
be present!
Wednesdays, 6:00 pm (120 min.):
January 21, February 18, March 18,
April 15, May 20
Second Friday Adult Book Club
Meet new people and join in
stimulating discussions on selected
titles in a friendly and relaxed
atmosphere every second Friday of
the month. Newcomers are welcome.
Registration.
January title: The Painted Girls by
Cathy Marie Buchanan
February title: Hateship, Friendship,
Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by
Alice Munro
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.): January
9, February 13, March 13, April 10,
May 8, June 12
Conttinued on pg. 33
THE OSCAR
l
Page 33
JANUARY 2015
SUNNYSIDE LIBRARY PROGRAMS Continued from page 32
Mystery Book Club
Do you enjoy reading mysteries?
Share the enjoyment of good
mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere.
Join us for discussion usually
every third Friday of the month.
Registration.
January title: Open and Shut by
David Rosenfelt
February title: Victims by Jonathan
Kellerman
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.): January
23, February 20, March 20, April 17,
May 15, June 19
Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Join in stimulating discussions
on selected titles in a friendly and
relaxed atmosphere on the last Friday
of the month. Registration.
January title: Memory Keeper’s
Daughter by Kim Edwards
February title: The Woodcutter by
Reginald Hill
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.): January
30, February 27, March 27, April 24,
May 29
Non-Fiction Adult Book Club
Join in stimulating discussions on
selected titles of non-fiction in a
friendly and relaxed atmosphere. A
variety of topics will be discussed
depending on the interests of the
group. Bring your suggestions.
Registration.
February title: Into the Abyss: How
A Deadly Plane Crash Changed
the Lives of A Pilot, A Politician, A
Criminal and A Cop by Carol Shaben
Fridays, 2:00 pm (60 min.):
February 6
MARKETPLACE
RELIABLE QUALITY
CARE
Retired RPN
. Relief for Family Caregiver
. Private Duty
. Palliative Care Provider
M.Moynahan
Home: 613-730-4957
ADVERTISE
in the
OSCAR
GIBBON’S PAINTING &
DECORATING
Local House Painter - Bonded
With 20 years experience
Customer satisfaction
contact
GAYLE at
oscarads
@oldottawasouth.ca
ALWAYS GUARANTEED
For a free estimate please
call Rory 322-0109
Ask about my $25 referral rebate
Book now for your painting needs
RCJ-Com-Tec
30 years in Telecom/Datacom
"Computainment"
Need help with?:
> Over the Air HDTV Antenna Installation
> Internet and WiFi Problem Resolution
> Home Theatre Setup & Wiring
Call to discuss your needs today!
RCJ-Com-Tec@Bell.net
Russ Jones
613-299-0009
OSCAR Deliverers Needed:
For west side of Osborne and south side of Cameron between
Marco and Osborne (25 papers).
Please contact the Distribution Manager
Larry Ostler email larryostler@gmail.com or phone 613-327-9080
Page 34
THE OSCAR
CLASSY ADS
CLASSY ADS are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses
or for business activity) and must be submitted by email to oscar@
oldottawasouth.ca by the deadline. Your name and contact information
(phone number or email address) must be included. Only your contact info
will appear unless you specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or
exclude submissions. The OSCAR takes no responsibility for items, services
or accuracy. For business advertising inquiries, call 613-730-1058 or email
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca.
For Rent
For Rent: Costa Rica Cabin.
Monthly Rental in an Isolated
Secure Gated Community. Adults
only. Available for self-catering
to one or two people. Ideally
suited for birders, nature lovers,
artists, writers, photographers or
anyone looking for a peaceful,
safe, tropical and rustic
environment, 225 metres from
the Pacific Ocean. Fully equipped
and furnished modest cabin.
$1,000/mth, plus electricity.
More detailed info available at:
http://tierraazulcabin.wix.com/
tierraazulcabin. Please view video
on website first before contacting
us. Stewart.Sandra44@gmail.com
For Sale
For Sale: Child’s bed frame (L
66” x W 28”, head/foot board H
23”), wooden, in good condition
from non-smoking pet-free home
with custom-made (at New
Morning Futon) cotton mattress
$25; 613-730-4979.
Local Runner Richard Borsos
Records Two Top Ontario Times
<
<
AROUND TOWN
Looking for an ethical investment in
Ottawa? Shares are available in solar
projects on high schools. The Ottawa
Renewable Energy Co-op is offering preference shares at a minimum
of $2,500. Shares are RRSP eligible.
OREC seeks to raise up to $3 million
by February, 28, 2015 for investment
in solar rooftop projects on schools
and barns in Ottawa. Investors will
earn approximately 5% dividends for
20 years as well as a return of capital.
More details are available at http://ottawarenewableenergycoop.com/currentshare-offering/ or call 613-296-8232.
An information session is taking place
at Glebe Community Centre on January 12 from 7-8pm.
Instruments For Africa collects
musical instruments of all kinds,
stands and accessories, sheet music
and instructional material from people
like you. Why not take this opportunity
to spread the joy of music across the
globe? Your old instrument, music
stand, tuner, instruction books, scores
and other musical accessories can be
the gift of a lifetime for so many eager
musicians in Africa. When we donate
your used equipment to schools and
community centres each instrument
is enjoyed by dozens of children and
communities become empowered as
teachers are given the tools they need
to teach. We are pleased to accept
almost any instrument, from flutes,
trumpets and violas to keyboards and
guitars, and everything is cleaned and
serviced prior to shipping.
Donations can be dropped off at the
Ottawa Folklore Centre, 1111 Bank
Street. 613-730-2887 (Please include
your name and contact info with your
donation).
l
JANUARY 2015
current improved status and why planting a monarch garden can help this
species at risk survive and thrive in any
Ottawa garden. 613-230-3276 info@
friendsofthefarm.ca
The Organic Master Gardener
Course is offered in Ottawa for the 1st
time this winter 2015.
Examining the connection between
soil health, plant health, human health
and environmental health, this course
will address sustainable land management practices to maintain plants in the
urban landscape.
The Organic Master Gardener Certificate is designed for urban growers,
community gardeners, landscapers,
municipal parks personnel, environmental advocates, naturalists and
conservationists. Please note, you will
need weekly access to a computer and
the internet for some course materials.
Topics include: botany & adaptations
within ecosystems, soil ecosystem,
soil testing, mulches and compost
teas/brews, garden bed installation,
soil fertility management, water-wise
gardening, pruning, turf, landscape
health, Permaculture design, organic
standards. For more details, check out
the full course syllabus.
Learn to create healthy food and
ornamental gardens without pesticides
and harmful chemicals.
Dates: 3 full weekends - both Saturday and Sunday - Feb. 14-15, March
14-15 and April 11-12, 2015. Time:
10am to 4pm. Location: Hintonburg
Community Centre, 1064 Wellington
West. Register by January 23rd to take
advantage of our early bird discount!
Early bird price is $670+HST /
Regular price is $720 + HST
For more details and to register visit
COG’s website.
The Ottawa Brahms Choir starts rehearsals for the 2015 Spring season on
January 5th, 2015, from 7 – 9:30 p.m.
in the Parlour Room, second floor, at
Southminster United Church, Aylmer/
Bank Street. In 2015 we will prepare
for our 35th Anniversary. For more
Info: www.ottawabrahmschoir.ca; 613749-2391.
Richard Borsos at the end of the Ottawa Marathon.
By Brendan McCoy
Old Ottawa South runner Richard Borsos had a pretty good year.
Of the 352 Ontario men, aged 60 - 69, that ran marathons last year,
his two marathon finishing times (recorded on www.roadracerankings.com) were third and fourth overall! And according to Richard
“The treadmill at the Firehall played a part in it! So thanks, Old
Ottawa South Firehall.”
Monarch Butterfly Gardening
Lecture. January 15, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.,
Bldg 72 Canadian Experimental Farm
Arboretum. FCEF members $12,
non-members $15. Presented by the
Monarch Teacher Network of Canada,
Ottawa Chapter.
Turn your garden into a monarch
butterfly oasis. MTN members will
present everything you need to know
from choosing a garden site and making a plan, to planting suitable nectar
and host plants. They will include
the monarch’s amazing migration to
Mexico, reasons for its recent decline,
Volunteers are needed at The St.
Vincent de Paul Society, for our Store
located at 1273 Wellington Street W.
Anyone interested in sorting donations,
hanging and tagging clothes, pricing,
sales clerk, or just sharing your knowledge of books is invited to lend a hand.
If you are interested in participating
as a volunteer please email volunteerssvp@rogers.com or call 613-7227166 Ext. 15.
Andrew Wright: Art Show “Pretty
Lofty and Heavy All at Once”. January 23 – May 10, Opening: January
22, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at the Ottawa
Art Gallery (OAG). While using current lens-based technologies, as well
as processes derived from historical
photography, Old Ottawa South artist
Andrew Wright’s art practice alludes
to the immeasurable possibilities of the
pictorial language.
THE OSCAR
l
Page 35
JANUARY 2015
LOCAL NEWS
The OSCA Shop Your Local Talent Christmas Craft Show
PHOTOS BY DARCY MIDDAUGH
www.cochranephoto.com
The Annual OSCA Shop Your Local Talent Christmas Craft Show, held on November 23rd, was a resounding success. Detailed information on all the artists
can be found on the OSCA Facebook page www.facebook.com/oldottsouth.
Happy New Year!
All Fall & winter is 50% off.
From Our Table to Yours
Maybe you can start the year
off with a little something for
yourself. Beautiful bargains.
Best wishes for a
wonderful 2015.
From Our Table to Yours
Favourite recipes from members
of the Old Ottawa South community
www.theclothessecret.com
Mon. - Wed.: 10 - 5:30 • Thurs. & Fri.: 10 - 7 • Sat.: 10 - 5 • Sun.: 11 - 5
613-730-9039 1136 Bank Street (1 1/2 blocks south of Sunnyside) Ottawa ON K1S 3X6
SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
OREC members are building
community-owned solar power, profitably.
• Minimum investment $2,500
• Shares are RRSP eligible ($5,000 min.)
Offering will fund 6 solar power
rooftop projects in Ottawa
Share offering ends February 28, 2015
For more information:
www.OttawaRenewableEnergyCoop.ca
(613) 296-8232
From Our Table to Yours is a locally created
cookbook conceived to support The Sunday
Supper Program at St. Margaret Mary Church
and Out of the Cold Saturday Suppers at
Southminster United Church.
This amazing cookbook offers:
•About 300 recipes from Old Ottawa South
residents and restaurants
•Crowd-pleasing recipes from the
church suppers
•Tried-and-true recipes for appetizers,
soups, salads, mains & desserts
Get yours now. $25 each .
All proceeds to support
the supper programs. Get your copy
today at The FIrehall.
oscaprograms@oldottawasouth.ca
613.247.4946
jennifer_knight@rogers.com
Page 36
THE OSCAR
l
JANUARY 2015
REVELSTOKE IS AN
AWARD WINNING COMPANY
FROM
INSPIRATION
TO BREATH
TAKING
RESULTS
REVELSTOKE IS A
TRUSTED NAME TO
BUILD YOUR CUSTOM
HOME OR RENOVATION
BEFORE
WORKING
WITHIN
THE BOX
We are a full-service design-build
company. Our design-build service
integrates concepts into a successful
project by encapsulating all your
building requirements within your
budget!
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE PICTURES!
ALLOW US TO
IMPART OUR EXPERTISE
AND KNOWLEDGE FOR
YOUR PROJECT
209 Pretoria Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1S 1X1
T 613.234.5571
F 613.236.6661
service@revelstokedesignandbuild.com
www.revelstokedesignandbuild.com
Downsizing?
Buy
Vacation
Property!
Family
Fun
Purchase
Condo!
Buy
Investment
Property!
Let our Team help you keep your
2015 New Year’s Resolutions
from floating away!
TRACY ARNETT REALTY LTD., BROKERAGE
159 Gilmour Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 0N8 ~ www.tracyarnett.com ~ 613-233-4488
This is not intended to solicit properties already listed for sale