O•S•C•A•R© Carmen's Veranda Fêtes 3 Years

O•S•C•A•R©

The

The Community Voice of Old Ottawa South

Year 33 , No. 4 APRIL 2007 The Ottawa South Community Association Review

cont’d on Page 9

By Pierre Gratton

In a community that has seen several popular shops close in recent months (e.g. Hortus Urbanus, Casa Luna), it

was uplifting to attend a birthday celebration at one of Old Ottawa South’s newer establishments.

Carmen’s Veranda saluted its customers on February 24th when the bistro celebrated its third anniversary at its Bank Street location. My wife’s and my unplanned night out led us to the one remaining table that evening. Once seated, a complimentary glass of bubbly arrived at our table, as our waiter informed us of the special occasion.

Owners Ken Karook and Carmen Letourneau are no strangers to Ottawa’s restaurant scene. They’ve both worked in many well-known establishments; Carmen was the original chef at Domus when it opened in the market on Dalhousie. But after years of working for others, the Old Ottawa South residents took the plunge and opened their own delightful bistro.

As one enters Carmen’s Veranda, its distinct character is immediately apparent. An Andy Warhol theme permeates the place; signed prints by the legendary pop

artist hang in a few spots, while a large reproduction of his Marilyn Monroe classic looks down upon eating customers. The colourful, 1950s stainless steel diner tables and chairs add a quirky touch, a counterpoint to the fine cuisine on order.

The menu is short and straightforward, written on a blackboard for customer consultation. Every day there’s a choice of three appetizers, followed by five or six main courses. While the selection may appear limited, the choice is varied so that there is always something to cater to every taste and craving: fish, beef, chicken, vegetarian and thin crust pizza.

The wine selection is similarly pleasing. Three reds and three whites and one bubbly are on offer, all for the same reasonable price in the low $30s. Wine quality assured; customers can focus on the grape, not the price. And each week Carmen’s highlights a “Dream Wine”, a higher end but also affordable option that appeals to the wine-tasting crowd.

The birthday evening saw my wife and I both enjoying a Boston and frisée salad with pine nuts, pear and maple vinaigrette. For a main course, she had beef tenderloin stuffed with blue cheese, pear and walnuts,

Savour the FlavourAn Old Ottawa South Gourmet

EventWhen? Saturday, May 26, 2007Who? Thefirst100peopletobuyticketsWhat? Agourmetdinnercateredby4localchefsWhere?At the Firehall Why? ToraisemoneyfortheFirehallRedevelopmentFund

What else do I need to know?We’re still working hard to raise money to redevelop

the Firehall, and we need your support! Buy a ticket or donate an auction item.

This event will feature food created by chefs from Carmen’s Verandah, Passion in the Kitchen, The Red Apron and Domus. There will also be Canadian wines, Ontario beers, a wine-tasting event, an exciting auction and live music.

Tickets are $65 (with a charitable tax receipt for $30), and will be on sale by mid-April at the Firehall. Call 247-4946 for more information. We hope to see you there!

ProvinceGives$200,000toFirehall

Carmen’sVerandaFêtes3Years

ByMikeLascelles

On March 23, 2007, Liberal Cabinet Minister Jim Watson and Ottawa Centre MPP Richard Patton presented

OSCA and the City with a very generous cheque from the Government of Ontario to pay for the detailed design to renovate and expand the Old Firehall. After the formal presentation

and media interviews, both Jim and Richard urged ECOS/OSCA to apply to the provincial Trillium Foundation for funds to help green the Old Firehall. ECOS intends to work with OSCA and the City to prepare a joint Trillium application by the end of May.

(Please go to page 5 for more information on $200,000)

Michel Jenkin, President OSCA, and Liberal Cabinet Minister Jim Watson sit with Firehall staff and children who enjoy photo: M A Thompson

Beanagentforchange–FillouttheOSCARSurvey –page44

Ken Karook and Carmen Ladouceur outside Carmen’s Veranda

Page 2 The OSCAR - OUR 33nd YEAR APRIL 2007

OSCARTheThe OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY

ASSOCIATION REVIEW

CONTRIBUTIONS

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NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, APRIL 20

The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by ad-vertising. It is published for the Ottawa South Community Association Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and businesses and selected locations in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit and include articles submitted for publication.

260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7 www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/oscar

Please Note: The OSCAR Has No Fax The OSCAR PHoNeliNe:730-1045E-mail:[email protected]

Editor: Mary Anne ThompsonDistribution Manager: Craig PicheBusiness Manager: Colleen ThomsonAdvertisingManager:[email protected]

730-1045 730-5838

730-1058(notclassyads)

Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to [email protected] in either plain text or WORD format, or as a printed copy delivered to the Firehall office, 260 Sunnyside Avenue.

FORDISTRIBUTIONINQUIRIES,CALL730-5838ANDLEAVEAMESSAGE

TheOSCARthanksthefollowingpeoplewhobroughtustoyourdoorthismonth:

ZONEA1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames, Kim Barclay, Marvel Sampson, Wendy Robbins, Ron Barton, Jim and Carrol Robb, Kevin and Stephanie Williams. ZONEB1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Andrea and Cedric Innes, the Mont-gomery family, Laurie Morrison, Norma Reveler, Stephanie and Kulani de Larrinaga. ZONEB2: Lorie Magee Mills (Coordinator), Leslie Roster, Hayley Atkin-son, Caroline and Ian Calvert, Sheilagh Stronach, Matthew and Graeme Gaetz, Kathy Krywicki. ZONEC1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the James-Guevremont family, the Williams family, Sylvie Turner, Lynne Myers, Bob Knights, Jeff Pouw, the Franks family. ZONEC2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Arthur Taylor, Charles and Phillip Kijek, Sam & Avery Piche, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Chris-tina Bridgeman. ZONED1: Bert Hopkins (Coordinator), the Crighton family, Emily Keys, the Lascelles family, Gail Stewart, Bert Hopkins, Mary Jane Jones, the Sprott family. ZONED2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), Ian Godfrey, Eric Chernushenko, Aidan and Willem Ray, the Stewart family. ZONEE1: John Calvert & family (Coordinator), Brian Tansey, Doug Stick-ley, Wendy Johnson, Anna Cuylits, David Lum, Mary O’Neill. ZONEE2: Nicola Katz (Coordinator), Frida Kolsster-Berry, Mary-Ann Kent, Glen Elder and Lorraine Stewart, the Rowleys, Dave White, the Hunter family, Brodkin-Haas family, Christina Bradley. ZONEF1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, Janet Jancar, the Stern family, T. Liston, Ellen Bailie, Niki Devito, Dante and Bi-anca Ruiz, Walter and Robbie Engert. ZONEF2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), the Tubman family, Karen Fee, Shaugh-nessy and Kyle Dow, Paulette Theriault, Mark McDonald, Bea Bol, Jill Moine, Paris Dutton. ZONEG: Jim and Angela Graves (Coordinator), Peggy and Brian Kinsley, Shelly Lewis, Peter Murphy, Claire and Brigitt Maultsaid, the McLemaghan Rowat family, Roger Ehrhardt, Norma Grier, the Ostrander-Weitzman family. Echo Drive: Alex Bissel. Bank Street-Ottawa South: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson Bank Street-Glebe: Craig Piche.

FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES

April 20 (May issue), May 18 (June issue), June 15 (July/August is-sue).

tHe old FireHall

ottawa soutH CommuNity CeNtre

HOURS PHONE 247-4946

MONDAY TO THURSDAY 9 AM TO 9 PMFRIDAY 9 AM TO 6 PMSATURDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM*SUNDAY CLOSED

*Open only when programs are operating, please call first.

WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?

Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old FirehallOttawa South Community Association (OSCA)Ottawa Public Library - South BranchRob Campbell - [email protected] Ablett, Catholic Board TrusteeCentretown Community Health Centre

247-4946 247-4872 730-1082 730-8128 526-9512 233-5430

CARLETONUNIVERSITYCUSA (Carleton U Students Association)Graduate Students AssociationCommunity LiaisonMediation CentreAthletics

520-6688 520-6616 520-3660 520-5765 520-4480

CITYHALLClive Doucet, City Councillor ([email protected])Main Number(24 hrs) for all departmentsCommunity Police - non-emergenciesEmergencies onlySerious CrimesOttawa HydroStreetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering)Brewer PoolBrewer Arena

580-2487 3-1-1 236-1222 9-1-1 230-6211 738-64003-1-1247-4938 247-4917

City of Ottawa web site - www.city.ottawa.on.ca

Page 3The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEARAPRIL 2007

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

TheOSCARwelcomeslettersonsubjectsofinteresttothecommunityorinresponsetopreviousarticles.Alllettersmustdisclosethenameofthewriter,aswellastheaddressandphonenumber.Letttersmaybeeditedforlength,clarity,andlibelousstatements.Theopinionsofthewritersarenotnecessarilythoseofthenewspaperoritseditor.Emailyourletterstooscar@oldottawasouth.caorleaveinprintattheFirehall.

TotheeditorofOSCAR,

I would like to draw attention to the difficulty in crossing the stretch of Col By in the region of Leonard and Rosedale. However, I believe I am not the first to express concerns about this!On the canal side is the NCC maintained pathway primarily used by

pedestrians and cyclists. Also in season, the NCC maintains very attractive flower beds. However getting there can often be a challenge for both young and old. Due to the curves at either end of this stretch, neither pedestrian nor driver has much warning of each other. I believe that there is a good argument for a cross-walk in this area, ideally with manually activated signal lights. I hope that OSCA will pursue this issue with the NCC with some priority.

While I have the opportunity, I would like to float an even more radical idea. How about a footbridge over the canal in this vicinity? The canal is fairly narrow at this point with high ground on both sides. There would appear to be several possible locations for a bridge, but I’ll leave that to the imagination of the engineers, just as long as it integrates with the pedestrian/cyclist path system on both sides. I can see a number of advantages for such a bridge. Besides allowing cyclists a safer option to cross the canal than either Bronson or Bank Street, it would also open up the south side of the canal to recreational users. I believe this latter aspect may interest the NCC as most casual visitors usually remain on the Dows Lake/Glebe side of the canal. I would be interested to hear what your readers think of this proposal.

Peter Button

DearEditor

Now that politicians of all stripes are singing the green tune, our task is to make sure that they understand the lyrics.

It needs to be made clear that the growth phase of the human story is drawing to a close, and that, collectively, we are overwhelming the Earth’s ability, both to provide natural resources and to absorb our waste. Continuing efforts to expand the material economy are self-defeating.

Is it proper, now that our biggest problems result from our size, to hold growth as a goal?

Wouldn’t it be better to focus on securing necessities for everyone within the carrying capacity of the Earth?

It is a Question of Direction.We do not have to grow until we drop!The first step toward resolving Climate Change is to question the present

goal. Broad public discussion about goals is essential if we are to meet the challenge of our times.

As a species, the human family has grown up. We have reached a mature size capable of seriously damaging our planet. It is critical that we take responsibility for our strength and set our sights on living well, within planetary limits.

For more detail see “The Challenge and the Goal” at: http://www.SustainWellBeing.net

MikeNickerson

Mike Nickerson is the author of: “Life, Money & Illusion; Living on Earth as if we want to stay” He will be talking at the Ottawa Public Library, 120 Metcalfe St. on April 26, 2007, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

ToOSCAR:

First I must say how much I enjoy the Oscar. All of you who put it together deserve a big THANKS as it’s just a great little read . I wish I knew something so that I could write a little article or some

thing…

FredWoolfrey

As representative of the residents of Old Ottawa South, OSCA provides services that help the community to live a good life in a healthy environment. I applaud OSCA’s desire to involve every

member of the OSCA Firehall Board, and yet I wonder about the wisdom of the proposed Governance Model as presented at the regular monthly meeting of OSCA, March 20. 2007.

It is proposed that the regular Board meetings of the 20 members be reduced to 6 per year, rather than having the regular 10 monthly meetings, presently held every 3rd Tuesday of the month, excluding July and August. It is proposed that an executive committee, made up of 5 members, would meet monthly, and 3 management committees – Finance, Operations, and External - would meet less often and report to the Executive Committee, rather than to the Board at large, even though it is the Board who has the ultimate responsibility for the decisions of OSCA.

I do not question the good intentions of every member of OSCA: my concern is for transparency, accountability and the flow of information to the community. The community must be informed of decisions made by the whole Board and the reasons for those decisions and have the opportunity to have input in a timely way.

Democracy is cumbersome and slow, but important and necessary. I encourage everyone in OOS to become involved, in some form or

other, in your Community Association-- the body that makes decisions that affect your community. After all, it is your community.

MaryAnneThompson

LetterFromtheEditor:ConcernsAboutOSCA Governance Model

ResolvingClimateChangeRequiresaNewGoal

KindWordsFromOSCARReader

CrossingColonelBy

Page 4 The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR APRIL 2007

BriefNotesFromtheFirehall

ByDinosDafniotis

Registration is now underway for all Spring programs and Summer Camps at the

Ottawa South Community Centre. Registration is as easy as going to www.oldottawasouth.ca.

You can also register in person at the Ottawa South Community Centre 260 Sunnyside Ave. regular centre hours. Information is available on the website about all our programs or you can pick up a copy of the brochure at the centre.

As registration picks up for the OSCA T-Ball League and Soccer League we hope parents will consider volunteering to coach a team . The success of the leagues have long depended on parent participation . Please contact Deirdre McQuillan at (613) 247-4872, if you can lend a hand.

Those looking to add some fitness to their schedule will find something of interest in the variety of Health/Fitness and Sports programs we offer. One of the programs we hope you will consider is the Saturday morning Core Yoga class run by Instructor Andrea Robertson. The class was first introduced during the Winter Session and has been a great start to the weekend for a dedicated group of participants. One regular participant who has taken yoga in a variety of community centres and yoga studios praised Andrea and her class as “one of the best yoga classes in Ottawa.”

I would like to thank all the hard

work of Dave Steele, Coach of the Firehall Novice Basketball Team and Bruce Kjarsgaard, Coach of the Firehall Novice Basketball team. They coached the teams in the West End Basketball League, the first year we competed in the league. Paul Armstrong organized our entry in the league and recruited two strong community minded individuals who did a great job. Both teams competed solidly in all games and ending the season by playing above .500 ball. We hope to have teams in the league again next season. Information will be available in our Fall brochure.

Our Preschool camp is in need

of a councillor. Students at least 16 years of age and with experience working/volunteering with 3 – 5 year old children can drop off a resume at the centre to the attention of Program Ccoordinator Re: Preschool Councillor. They must be available for a week of staff training in late June and be able to work Monday to Friday, 30 – 40 hours per week, from July 3 to August 24. Rate of Pay depends on experience. Deadline for Resumes is April 15.

We are also looking for High School students who are at least 14 years of age to volunteer in our summer camps (primarily in our Preschool

camp, though older students will be placed in the Campquest Day Camp). Students should have an interest in working with children and enjoy working in a team setting. A letter of interest (identifying the weeks they are available) should be dropped off at the Firehall. The majority of Firehall staff started as volunteers before being hired. Letters should be submitted by May 1 and addressed to Program Coordinator Re: Summer Volunteers.

Next month we will introduce our Summer Camp staff.

Coach Bruce Kjarsgaard and the Atom OSCA Basketball Team

Coach Dave Steele and the Novice OSCA Basketball Team


OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

ProvinceGives$200,000toFirehallRenovationProject

I am delighted to be able to tell you that the province, through the Ministry of Health Promotion

and its Minister Jim Watson, has donated $200,000 to the City of Ottawa to provide the “soft costs” for renovating the Firehall. The soft costs are those related to carrying out the detailed design and engineering work to allow the renovation and addition to be constructed.

This is a huge vote of confidence by the Province in our development proposal and makes the project a serious contender for City funding in the next budget cycle. We now have over $165,000 in our charitable trust that we have put together through fund raising over the last eight years and OSCA has also committed significant funds in its reserves to provide for equipment and facilities purchases in the existing and renovated Firehall that now amount to over $100,000. Taken together with the Province’s contribution this amounts to close to a half million dollars - a very significant down payment towards the $2.4 million estimated cost of the

renovation. There are few community

projects that the City has funded in the past decade that can claim this level of community and financial commitment. I believe it is now the time to press our case with the City to fund the construction phase of the project. The design that the community has developed supports and captures the major goals we are trying to achieve as a modern and progressive city. It preserves a unique heritage building and puts it to new and improved uses. It will ensure that we have a leading edge green building that will be energy efficient, use sustainable energy resources, create a healthy living environment and reduce its environmental impact on the surrounding area. And the development will be an example of smart growth, making maximum use of scarce urban land, providing a ‘walk to’ facility in the heart of the community next to three transit routes that also leverages the advantages of nearby public facilities - Hopewell School’s gyms and the Sunnyside Public Library.

PossibleNewGovernanceStructureforOSCA

As a community association, OSCA is constantly trying to see how it can be better run and make its volunteers more effective. Currently OSCA consists of a 20 person Board and several working committees dealing with Programs, planning, development and traffic (OSWATCH), finances, environment issues (ECOS), special events, Firehall redevelopment and external relations. The whole Board meets once a month (except in July and August) and its many committees meet many times a year, often monthly.

The idea is to reduce the number of times a year the full Board meets by about a half and to create four overview committees: an executive committee that would meet frequently and deal with budgets, strategic planning etc.; a finance committee to deal with financial management; an operations committee to deal with staffing, program affairs, special events and the like; and an external and community affairs committee to deal with work carried on by

OSWATCH, ECOS, and our dealings with other community associations, the City, Queen’s Park etc. The idea would be to make better use of Board members’ time and also give them a more direct involvement in committee activities. It would probably also require us to change the date of our annual AGM (at which the Board is elected) from November to May so that a new Board could deal with setting the budget for the new financial year (which runs from September to August).

The Board will be discussing this issue over the next couple of months and I will hopefully be able to report back to you on the resulting decisions before the summer. If you have any views on how the Board is governed, please feel free to e-mail me your views at: [email protected]

ProvinceGives$200,000toFirehallRenovationProject

MPP, Ottawa Centre, Richard Patten; Minister of Health Promotion, Jim Watson (former Capital Ward City Councilllor and former Ottawa Mayor); Mi-chael Jenkin, President of Old Ottawa South Community Association; and Clive Doucet, City Councillor, Capital Ward, at the Firehall, March 23, 2007, for the handing over of $200,000.


NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB

ByColinAshford

At this time of the year, as winter slowly draws to a close and gardeners start to think about spring planting, it was

timely that Estelle Laporte of Laporte Garden Centre in Orleans (www.orleansonline.ca/JALaportes) came to talk to members of the Old Ottawa South Garden Club on new perennials and annuals for 2007. A self-taught gardener, Estelle and her husband, Jean, took over the small Orleans nursery twenty-six years ago; it now boasts seventeen green houses and a busy retail store. With the exception of flats of annuals, the Laports grow all their own annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs as Estelle put it “…from the heart…”

To brighten the evening, Estelle brought in specimens of Cleome ‘senorita rosalita’ (spider flower), kangaroo vine, a couple of Oxalis (one in bloom), and an aptly name grass—fibre optic grass (Isolepis scirpus cernua).

Estelle began her presentation with a slide show of colourful perennials including: blue poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia)—difficult to grow from seed but successful from cuttings; Heuchera—great for mass plantings in shady areas especially with Hostas; Hibiscus—be patient, they will not sprout until June; and various varieties of Echinaceas some with double flowers, some with two sets of petals, and all in new vibrant colours. Estelle shared with the gardeners her belief in low-maintenance

annuals such as: Scaevola (naupaka), Sanvitalia (creeping zinnia), and Argyranthemum (dill daisy)—all great for hanging baskets and ground cover; drought-resistant million bells; shade-tolerant Torinea; and bell-like Nieremergia.

For stunning colour during the summer, Estelle recommended: Thunbergia (vine), Osteospermum (african daisy), Antirrhinums (snapdragon), Lobelia, and Euphorbia.

In response to a number of questions regarding mildew on crab-apple trees and black tar on japanese maples, Estelle noted that the wet summer last year was a contributing factor and that treatment with dormant oil spray, close attention to cleanliness, and allowing more air circulation through plants were important precautions. She also noted that the sterilization of gardening tools such as spades and secateurs was becoming more and more important to stop the spread of disease.

Estelle plans to open her garden centre around the middle of April.

The next meeting of the Garden Club will be on Monday 16 April, 2007 at the Old Firehall on Sunnyside at 7.00 p.m., when Master Gardener, Edythe Falconer, will be talking about plant combinations that show up well in soft lighting and can be enjoyed on a summer’s evening. Drop-in membership for the evening is $5 and new members are always welcome.

ByGaryLum

The chatter amongst the dog walkers was one of total disbelief…have you ever experienced a January

like this??? The geese were stunned into believing that they had arrived without ever leaving. Windsor Park had its own flock right up to the 14th of January. I was beginning to believe that we were about to have a green winter right up to this spring.Lo and behold winter did arrive and the minds of many were put to rest. Once the cold set in, it continued unabated until Saturday, March 3!!!! It was the first time in my 16 years that the rinks continued for an entire season uninterrupted by a major thaw. It was an ideal winter for ice making and ice maintenance. We had a winter of below freezing evenings and a minimum amount of snow. Confusing for observers of climate change and global warming???

It was an exceptional ice making season. This year we decided to flood 6 nights of the week. As we are a volunteer organization, it was quite a statement about the people in Old Ottawa South that we missed very few evenings. Our volunteer brigade has individuals that have been doing this work for so many years that we can say that they have

witnessed a generation of users pass through.

We have some 50 residents that chip in during those frigid winter evenings to ensure young toddlers, children, adolescents and adults have a sheet of ice to play out their fantasy games. It is the commitment of all the volunteers that makes our community fortunate to have such a fine outdoor facility.

The community is also blessed to have a community group known as the Boosters. They have been coordinated by Rick Howard to support the ice flooding efforts at Windsor. The Boosters were out three times every week to ensure that we have some of the finest ice in the City of Ottawa.

Rick also coordinates volunteers that supervise the rink from Monday to Friday to provide an after school program for users that are 14 years of age and younger. They have been active for several years and their participation provides Ottawa South with an opportunity to maximize our winter skating and hockey season.

On behalf of the community I would like to thank all the individuals that committed their time and energy to serve our community. Their participation helps make Old Ottawa South an outstanding place to live in.

SpringPlanting

WhoWould’veThunkIt!!!!WindsorParkRinks…

Echinacea purpurea

ByPattiRyan

Mark your calendar now for this not-to-be-missed food extravaganza. We’re still working hard to raise funds to redevelop the Firehall, and this year’s event will be

something really different: a gourmet dinner catered by some of Old Ottawa South’s finest eateries.

Chefs from Carmen’s Verandah, Passion in the Kitchen, and The Red Apron, as well as Old Ottawa South resident John Taylor (of Domus in the Byward Market), will join forces to create a fabulous meal for 100 at the Firehall on Saturday, May 26.

In keeping with the local flavour of this event, we’ll be featuring Canadian wines and Ontario beers. The evening will kick off with an optional wine-tasting. As usual, there will be an auction—we’re hoping to feature some of the most popular services and goods from years past. We’re also working on getting a live jazz band for background music.

Tickets will cost $65 (offered with a charitable tax receipt for $30, as always) and should be on sale by mid-April. There will be just 100 tickets available, so keep an eye out and be among the first to get yours!

If you think you may have a special service, item or work of art to donate to our auction, please call Deirdre at the Firehall (247-4946) to let her know. And if you know someone else who may have a special service, item or work of art to donate, give them a gentle elbow—and Deirdre’s phone number. See you in May!

Savour the Flavour: An OldOttawaSouthGourmetEventOutwiththeLobsters,inwithLocalCuisine…


CITYCOUNCILLOR’SREPORT

DearOSCARreaders,

The Gatineaus

The Himalayas once surrounded Ottawa with white crests bold enough to wrestle with starts and deny all life but theirs.The passage of years have reduced them to nubs, rose coloured, moss covered elders that greet the dawn with a modest hello, we’re still here but changed.

Budget

The 2007 budget bought us time and goodwill around the Council table to start working

towards more sustainable solutions for Ottawa even if in the short run it takes us in the wrong direction.

The outcome of the budget was not great but probably the best we could get under the circumstances. We delivered a near 0% tax increase but mostly in very short term or one time only ways. We didn’t invest in

things that would reduce our long-term costs. In fact, we accelerated Ottawa’s investment in new roads, which will only drive operating costs higher in years to come. 2007 will be a record breaking year as we pave 200 kilometers of new roads, up from our usual 100 km.

The good news is we avoided many nasty cuts like tree planting or daycare and kept the transit fare increase to 2% instead of the 9.5% which were facing. The bad news is that funding for cycling, pedestrians, traffic calming, and renewal of community resources is virtually all gone in 2007.

To sustain 0% or near 0% increases, Ottawa will have to invest in things which will reduce our operating costs. It is no coincidence that environmental and financial sustainability involve the same sorts of solutions. The real challenge will be moving in that direction for the next budget.

LightRail

Light rail is dead. The mayor’s task force will hopefully report back in early summer. Then we will have to restart the process of: securing

resources, public consultation, Environmental Assessments, and building political consensus.

In the absence of a north-south light rail expansion, there will be pressure to try to solve the needs of commuters from the south using more expensive options like bus transitway extensions or arterial road expansions like twinning the Airport Parkway. Not only will these options cost more and pollute more but they won’t move people as reliably.

ReconstructionatBankandRiverside

Bank Street from Billings Bridge and heading south is coming due for major reconstruction. We are in the early design stages and plans are being considered to make changes along Bank to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclist and cars. The section of Bank from Riverside to the transit and railway bridge is a trouble spot.

The most significant changes are the proposals to make the turns in the channels wider to accommodate 18 wheeler truck traffic. We will be challenging those ideas as this project unfolds as we don’t believe that trucks should be using this access which will

greatly compromise the pedestrian crossings. There is lots of space at Data Centre Road that doesn’t have nearly the impact on pedestrian movements as the Riverside intersection does, and we are determined that staff look at that option seriously as an alternative. The good news is that there is lots of time for public input as they will not be working on the final design phase of this leg of the project for two or three years, nor commencing the work for three or four years at the earliest, depending on budget allocations.

If you are interested in the plans please contact my office. We will be keeping a database of interested persons so we can send out for project updates, open house locations and any other relevant news as this moves forward.

CoffeewithClive

In Old Ottawa South, please join me on the second Thursday of the month from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Second Cup, corner of Bank and Sunnyside.

Regards,

CliveDoucet

Budget,LRT,ReconstructionandMore


byLindaBurr

It looks as though some noisy neighbours might be moving in next door. In fact, the American

crow family is pretty hard to miss, what with all the loud cawing and general commotion when they’re around. They are likely setting up household in a nearby tall tree. That’s fine with me: in a few weeks we will hear barely a peep out of them. Once mother crow has her eggs laid, they won’t be wanting to attract any unwelcome visitors. But for now they are declaring that this is their territory, so don’t get any ideas about moving in, if you are from another crow family, that is. No wonder that a person who is bragging or gloating loudly is said to be “crowing”.

In spring, the crows that went south one or two hundred kilometres return to nest, but a few resident crows always remain in the neighbourhood all winter and get a head start on the best nesting spots. Look for small groups of crows in springtime – it is probably an extended family group of male and female with several of their young from previous years. Crows may pair for life, and the young birds do not breed until they are four years old or

more. These “adolescents” stay with the parents and form family groups, with as many as 15 individuals from five different years!

Residents of Old Ottawa South will not fail to notice the large flocks

of crows that gather in the fall and early winter, often in the trees near the Rideau River. This communal roosting behaviour occurs only at that time of year. Crows are very sociable birds, and seem to enjoy these annual gatherings, where they return each evening after spending the day out feeding in the surrounding area. The crows always leave and return to the roost along established flight lines, so you can stand in one place and watch seemingly endless streams of crows going overhead. In fact, they may fly up to 80 kilometres from the roost in one day in search of food. No one knows exactly why crows gather in such large groups, but they may find out about good feeding areas by following the other crows, and the large group provides better protection from predators such as the Great Horned Owl.

How many crows are there? On December 17th, 2006, participants in the annual Christmas Bird Count found a total of 14,640 crows in the Ottawa count area. (That may seem like a lot, but the largest known roosts North America, in Oklahoma and Nebraska, numbered over one million crows!) In contrast, birders in the Toronto Christmas Bird Count found only 72 crows on the same day. The reason for this difference in numbers is most likely West Nile virus. Of all the bird species, the American crow is the most susceptible to this disease, which has killed large numbers of crows in areas in and around Toronto. A close relative of the crow, the Blue Jay, is also easily affected. The good news is that the total population of crows across Canada is still going strong. Well, it is good news if you

are a crow, but many people have negative associations with these birds. They do have a few bad habits (such as raiding your plastic garbage bag), and the large roosts can be a nuisance in urban areas. It is very difficult to frighten crows away from their roosting spots.

Part of the problem is that crows are very intelligent birds, and some experiments have shown they are able to solve simple problems. In one instance, a rook (a close relative of crows) figured out that if it put a plug into the drain hole of its aviary, it could create a pool of water in which to bathe. Crows are known to pick up nuts and fly high up with them, then drop them onto a paved surface, to crack them open. If a car runs over it, all the better! In tests that involve reasoning or learning, crows sometimes perform as well as dogs or monkeys. Crows store extra food, burying it in the ground or hiding it in trees, and are able to remember thousands of hiding spots.

Crows are fascinating, but there is still a lot we don’t know about their complex lives. What I want to know is, why are the lines at the corner of my eyes called “crow’s feet” and not “chicken’s feet” (or some other bird), and why do we say “as the crow flies” when we mean travelling in a straight line? If you can find the answers to these questions, you will indeed have something to crow about.

Linda Burr lives in Old Ottawa South and is a biologist and avid backyard naturalist.

SomethingtoCrowAbout

Common Crow Photo by Peter Robinson


ByGaryDriver

The National Capital Competitive Program (NCCP) PeeWee hockey team recently

captured the championship of the Walter Gretzky tournament in Brantford, Ontario.

The team’s trip to Brantford was a slow and treacherous journey through the worst snow, ice and wind storm of the season in southern Ontario. Everyone arrived safely for the first game against the Oshawa Lady Generals. It took the Caps two periods to shake off their “bus legs” from the long trip, but in the third period Rebecca Watson and Gabriele Dawson managed to find the twine, while Cassie Charette stood tall in goal, and the Caps posted a 2-0 shutout win.

Game two saw the Caps face off against the home town, Brantford

Ice Cats. The Caps jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Addi Halladay and Kourtney Shayanpour, before allowing a single goal, to post their second victory in as many games.

After that second game, the Caps learned that the two local teams in the tournament, Brantford and Stoney Creek, balked on their opening game of the tournament, due to the poor weather conditions. As a result, tournament organizers nullified the Caps opening game victory.

Rather than being 2-0 and having a spot in the final clinched, the Caps entered their final game of the round robin, against the Stoney Creek Sabres, in a must-win situation to guarantee a shot at the gold medals. Despite allowing the first goal of the game to the Sabres and finding themselves behind for the first time in the tournament, the Caps stormed back with goals by Hayley Evershed,

Brianna McGahey and Sam Morell to ride to a 3-2 victory.

The final game was a rematch of the nullified game against Oshawa. Again the Caps shut out the Lady Generals, 2-0, on goals by Morgan Richardson and Brianna McGahey, to complete their perfect 4 wins and no losses weekend and capture the gold medals.

The Caps would like to thank their sponsors for their support, including Dr. Giles Leo, TD Capital Private Equity Investors and Dr. M. Khedmat Gozar.

The NCCP was formed over 20 years ago to achieve the goal of providing girls in the National Capital Region the chance to play at the same high level of competitiveness as girls in other, more populous areas of Southern Ontario. During this time, the NCCP has earned a reputation of developing some of the best players

and contributors to the women’s game of hockey. NCCP players have earned positions on Team Canada, provincial and NWHL teams, and earned scholarships for prep schools, colleges, and universities in Canada and the United States. In Old Ottawa South, the PeeWee Caps are represented by Cassie Charette, Gabriele Dawson and Kathleen Dawson.

The NCCP program of excellence is founded on positive and focused on-ice and off-ice experiences and on play in exhibition games at the appropriate level and in tournament and provincial championship play. The Program continues to offer a unique experience for girls who aspire to excellence in hockey. For more information, visit http://www.nccpwomenshockey.com/.

NCCPPeeWeeGirlsWinTheGretzkyTournament

NCCP PeeWee girls celebrate with their gold medals at the Walter Gretzky tournament. Lying in front: Cassie Charette. Kneeling (left-to-right): Addi Halladay, Myf Thomson, Hannah Driver, Rebecca Watson, Sam Morell, Gina MacDonald and Kourtney Shayanpour. Standing (left-to-right): Brianna McGahey, Rachel Dods, Kathleen Dawson, Gabriele Dawson, Hayley Evershed and Morgan Richardson. Back row (left-to-right): assistant coach Reg Charette, coach Gary Driver, assistant coach Chris Thomson and trainer Virginia MacDonald.

deliciously cooked and delectably presented. A pizza addict, I went for the double-smoked bacon pizza with goat cheese and caramelized onions. When the time for dessert arrived, Ken put the music volume up and walked around hanging a half-dozen T-Shirts with 3’s inked all over them. Names placed in a hat were drawn and satisfied customers laughed as their names were announced and T-Shirts awarded. A little speech and word of thanks from Ken topped off the evening’s celebration.We weren’t done, though, since dessert remained. Again, the choices are rich and

tempting. In our case, we split a molten-chocolate cake, a must for any chocoholic.The quality of Carmen’s cuisine would suggest an adult-oriented affair. But Old Ottawa Southers can dine finely with kids in tow – our 7-year old daughter’s a regular with us. It’s no wonder Ken and Carmen are celebrating – as should the community to have such a tasty venue at our doorsteps.Carmen’s Veranda is open Tuesday to Friday lunch: 2-5, dinner: 5-9 , Saturday and Sunday brunch: 10-2. Closed Sunday night and Monday. Phone: 613-730-9829. Reservations recommended.


Carmen...fromPage1


779BankStreet(613)237-1483

By June Creelman

Many of you enjoyed the Ottawa Farmers Market inaugural season at Lansdowne Park. The market will continue this

summer opening on Sunday, May 6. Forty-eight returning vendors have confirmed. All are from Ottawa or within 100 miles of the city and will sell only what they produce.

The Ottawa Farmers Market is trying to ensure that this second year of a two-year pilot program is a success, so that it can become a more permanent offering. It is looking for people who support the market to join a volunteer support group-the Friends of the Farmers Market.

The idea is to get a volunteer group together to assist the Farmers’ Market with communications, promotions, site set up, administration and advocacy.

This group is still just in its infancy and is looking for people to lead or join an organizing committee, as well as those who might just be willing to lend a hand.

Among the promotional suggestions offered are developing a market logo and slogan, signage and a website, putting articles in community newspapers and featuring that week’s produce on a large sign at the Bank Street entrance. Local restaurants can attest that they use market produce with recipes and window signs: “Food from Š..” with the farm’s name. Community volunteers, possibly local high school students seeking their 40 volunteer hours, can help set up stalls, administer and analyse customer surveys and manage demonstrations with chefs and nutritionists to show people what they can do with that week’s featured produce.

The market also needs administrative help for tasks such as developing a customer-based campaign to keep the market alive, getting Lansdowne as a permanent location, drafting market bylaws and bookkeeping.

If you’re interested in lending a hand, getting involved, or even leading the Friends of the Farmers Market volunteer group, please come to a meeting on Wednesday, April 25th at 7 p.m. at the Glebe Community Centre (175 Third at Lyon). It’s a chance to support local foods and local farmers and ensure that the Ottawa Farmers Market has a successful future.

If you can’t make the meeting, but would like to volunteer, please contact [email protected]

CallingAllFriendsoftheOttawaFarmersMarket


By Joanne Steventon

The Hospice at May Court invites all members of the community to attend its fifth annual Hike

for Hospice. Whether you’ve had direct experience with the Hospice in the past and are looking to reconnect, or you’re just looking to have a good time for a great cause, Hike for Hospice is for you!

This year’s Hike, presented by Tracy Arnett Realty Ltd., consists of a 5 km walk along the Rideau Canal (via Echo Drive), and a picnic with live entertainment on the Hospice’s scenic grounds along the Rideau River. Hikers are encouraged to raise pledges, which will go directly towards the Hospice’s $1 million fundraising goal for 2006/2007. This event raised nearly $55,000 last year.

MorethanjustafundraiserThis is a very special day for

friends and families who would like to celebrate the memory of someone special. Participants can add a name of the person who they are walking in memory of to the memory window at the event and on the event t-shirt.

HikeforHospiceacrossCanadaThe Hospice at May Court is one of

over 80 Hike locations across Canada hosting a Hike for Hospice on this day. Three other Hikes will take place in Ottawa on May 6th raising money for different Hospices.

BuildYourTeamThis year, we would like to invite

groups walking together to form a team. Team members can raise pledges separately, and they will be combined on the day of the event. Prizes will be awarded to the teams that raise the most money, and have the most spirit.

Signupnow!There will be no registration fee

for this year’s Hike. We do ask that participants collect a minimum of $25 in pledges. All Hike participants will receive an event t-shirt and lunch. The registration form and pledge sheet are available at the Hospice, or online at www.hospicemaycourt.com. Why not get a head start on raising pledges? This year’s top individual fundraiser will receive a prize package which includes a $250 gift certificate for the Lord Elgin Hotel!

For more information, call Joanne at (613)260-2906 or visit www.hospicemaycourt.com .

HOSPICE AT MAY COURT

By Margret Brady Nankivell

Mozart’s haunting Requiem will be the centrepiece of St. Matthew’s Anglican

Church’s spring concert on May 5, 2007 at 7:30 pm. Musical director Stephen Candow will be conducting the combined choirs of St. Matthew’s as well as an orchestra of professional musicians. The concert will also feature professional soloists, including soprano Maghan Stewart, alto Christina Stelmacovich, tenor Dillon Parmer and bass Gary Dahl.

Last year, Ms. Stelmacovich won first place for best interpretation in the prestigious 2006 International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. The Toronto-based singer was described as “an elegant and noble singer whose beautiful voice and attention to diction captivated the listener.” Ms. Stelmacovich studied vocal performance under the incomparable Lois Marshall and has performed with renowned conductors such as Elmer Iseler and Sir David Willcocks. This is her second performance at St. Matthew’s, which is known for its musical program and excellent acoustics. Last year she sang in the church’s annual Messiah, as did tenor Dillon Parmer.

The Reqiuem Mass in D minor

was Mozart’s last composition and was featured in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus written by Peter Shaffer. The film shows Mozart composing the work on his deathbed with the help of rival composer Antonio Salieri. How much of the music was composed by Mozart before his death in 1791 and how much by his friend Franz Xaver Süssmayr -- and possibly other composers -- are matters of considerable debate.

The oratorio was commissioned by amateur musician Count Franz von Walsegg, anonymously through intermediaries. The penurious Mozart had received half of the payment in advance so his widow Constanze arranged for its completion by another composer so that she could collect the balance.

The concert will also feature choral works by Fauré, Mendelssohn, Parry and Joubert.

Tickets for the concerts may be purchased at the church office, 217 First Ave., Compact Music & CD Warehouse outlets. Reserved seating tickets $30 sold at church only. Unreserved seating: Adults $20, Seniors & Students $15. A premium of $5 will be charged for tickets purchased at the door, 130 Glebe Ave. To place an ad in the concert program please contact Peggy Nankivell at 613-230-8669.

ComeHikeinTheHospiceatMayCourt’sFifthAnnualHikeforHospice

Mozart’sRequiemSaturdayMay5,2007,7.30pm


February 2007 (Mary Anne Thompson, editor)OSCA President’s Report byMichaelJenkinDevelopment Proposal for a Sunnyside Library and Community Centre

Doug Casey, the head of Charlesfort Developments, briefed the Board at its January meeting on a development project that has potentially big implications for our community. What Charlesfort wants to do is to purchase the Sunnyside Library site from the Ottawa Public Library and build a condominium apartment building on the property.

In return, Charlesfort would propose to build a new library and community centre on the vacant lot at the north-west corner of Bank and Sunnyside. It is proposed that the land for the new building would be obtained on a long term lease from its current owner.

According to Charlesfort’s proposal, funds from the sale of the original library site would cover part of the cost of building the new structure. The building would have two floors, plus a basement, with each floor providing about 12,000 sq.ft. The building would front on both Bank Street and Sunnyside and would have large windows and high ceilings. A partially covered parking facility on Sunnyside would provide space for some 40 cars. It is proposed that the library would be located on the ground floor and the community centre on the second floor with its main entrance on Sunnyside. As we understand the proposed design, the space available for a library branch and certainly a community centre would be larger than the current facilities. Having two new, custom designed community facilities co-located on the same site, and right next to Hopewell Public School, is obviously an attractive idea. There are, however, many aspects of this proposal that are complex and need to be worked out, especially about financing, before the Board is in a

position to take a view about its relative merits. In particular, the views of the OPL and its Board about the merits of proceeding with this project are critical. As a result, the OSCA Board passed a motion at its January meeting to empower its Executive Committee to engage in discussions with the OPL Board to determine their views of, and their interest in, the proposal. Once we have a better view of the OPL’s position and more details on the proposal and its implications, the Board will be looking at how to best engage the community and hear its views on the matter.

June 1996 (Peter Hecht editor)Front page Community Centre Future in QuestionbytheOSCABoardofDirectors

In mid-May [1996], OSCA learned that City of Ottawa staff had put together a plan to merge the Glebe Community Centre and Old Ottawa South Firehall Community Centre into a mega-facility to be built in Brewer Park. Neither community association or Councillor Jim Watson were aware the development of such a proposal.

…“We’ve been talking to the City

about the need for more and better facilities in this community for two years….” Says Greg Wright, President of OSCA.

Page 5 (June 1996)City Councillor’s Column byJimWatsonHelp Save our Community Centre

Following months of working with the community, City staff have come up with the very disappointing recommendation to close both the Glebe Community Centre and the Old Firehall and to build a new community centre at Brewer Park serving both the Glebe and Ottawa South.

I am very upset with this recommendation. I believe we should maintain independent community centres in the Glebe and Ottawa South

as we do now. Our communities need community centres accessible to residents. A community centre located at Brewer Park would simply not meet the needs of either Glebe or Ottawa South residents.

A community centre is more than a building – it is the heart and soul of the community. I have expressed my displeasure with staff for putting forward a proposal that was never even discussed throughout the studies during the past year.

On June 20 at 7 pm in Assembly Hall at Landsdowne Park, we will host a public meeting to let staff know how much we cherish our community centres and to put a stop to this Brewer Park option.

July 1996OSCAPresident’sReportbyGregWright

Thank you to everyone who turned out at the June 20 Public Meeting at Landsdowne Park to “save our community centre.” Rarely does one have the privilege and pleasure of witnessing first-hand such a large, vocal, enthusiastic and committed group -\(between 100 -1200!) rallying for a worthy cause. The meeting was highly successful in sending the right message to City officials. At its conclusion, Commissioner Suzanne McGlashan announced that her department will not recommend to City Council a mega-complex at Brewer Park and the amalgamation of the Glebe and Old Ottawa South community centres there.

CityCouncillor’sColumnCommunity Rallies to Save Our Community Centre by Jim Watson

My sincere thanks to the more than 1,200 people who attended the rally and public meeting June 20 about the future of the Old Firehall and the Glebe Community Centre.

It was encouraging to see so many members of the community sending out a resounding No! to the City Staff proposal to close these two community centres and to build a new

complex at Brewer Park.

October 1997

OSCAPresident’sReportbyGregWrightCommunity Centre Move

A majority seem to favour moving our Community Centre. If the “straw poll” conducted at our September 25 town hall meeting is any indication, Old Ottawa South residents are favourable disposed to moving our Community Centre from the Old Firehall to 214 Hopewell at Brewer Park.

RandomNotesfromtheFirehallbyDinosDafniotis

The question asked of me frequently, lately is “What do you think about the community centre relocating to Brewer Park?” The answer is not an easy one. Moving to 214 Hopewell Ave will provide us with more program space, something which is needed from a recreation point of view. We would be located by the swimming pool, arena, soccer fields and ball diamonds which will allow parents to do one stop shoping for all their recreation needs. Drop off one child for their swimming lesson at the pool while the other takes a dance class next door at the new community centre. In the summer, we could offer a greater range of affordable camps such as soccer, multi-sport, swimming, drama…

On the other hand, moving to Brewer Park would mean a longer walk for children in our After Four program. If bussing couldn’t be arranged from St Margaret Mary’s and Hopewell children could possibly be walking to 214 Hopewell Ave in -15 degree weather. We would still be using Hopewell Public School for our gym programs because there are no plans for a gym in the new location.

As a City of Ottawa employee, I have tried to stay neutral in the “should we move or stay” debate. What I would like to see is more community involvement in this debate.

OldOttawaSouthHistoryfromOSCARPastIssuesFirehallCommunityCentreHistory1996topresent


November 1997OSCAPresident’sReportbyDouglasStickley

The location of our Community Centre is up for discussion again with the City offering us the use of 214 Hopewell Ave as a replacement for the Old Firehall. The move is not being dictated to us but we need to determine very clearly what is best given the wants and needs of community residents. The move committee can’t do this alone and is seeking volunteers to join in discussion so that all aspects of a possible move are carefully scrutinized. If this issue is of concern to you, call Deirdre to get your name on out contact list.

December 1997OSCA President’s Report byDouglasStickley

Two new sub-committees were established this year. The first will work with the Region, Bank Street merchants and residents on the upgrading of Bank Street between the bridges, planned for 1999.

The community Centre Committee, directed by John Graham, will examine the City’s verbal offer to move the Community Centre from the Firehall to the Building immediately south of the of the Brewer Pool (214 Hopewell) using the proceeds from the sale of the Firehall to refurbish the new Centre.

If this offer can be confirmed, we will review it in detail. The group will consult the community on process and issues to develop quotes for, and recommendations to, the OSCA Board who would convey a decision to City staff. This is a major issue requiring careful study.

October 1998OSCAPresident’sReportbyDouglasStickleyCommunity Centre Decision Time

In this OSCAR, there is a four-page section on the Community Centre options. Take the time to understand the issues and attend the Townhall

meeting to discuss the future of our Community Centre. Whatever the decision, it will be one we will live with for some time.

Two Clear OptionsOption #1 – 214 Hopewell

In the judgment of the OSCA sub-committee, the following conditions should be attached to a choice to move the community centre to the 214 Hopewell site:

• the development of a new set of OSCA programs, similar to those outlined in the Firehall Option, with the exception that new venues would not need to be sought.

A fully satisfactory redevelopment plan for the site, one that overcomes many of the layout and other shortcomings of the Firehall (estimated cost is $430,000)

• an attempt by OSCA to gain a commitment from the City to sell the Firehall only to prospective buyers willing to retain the existing Firehalll structure.

• a commitment from the City to include OSCA representatives on a City committee to set the terms of sale for the Firehall and evaluate any bids

Option #2 – The FirehallIn the judgment of the OSCA sub-

committee, the following conditions should be attached to a choice to keep the community centre at the Firehall:

• a commitment in the immediate term to make some cosmetic improvements – this can be largely done by the OSCA Board with the help of other community volunteers.

• the putting into place of a long term re-development plan for the facility – a plan that would need to enter the City’s existing queue for capital projects. A major renovation of the interior including the addition of 2000 sqft in the existing basement appears to be the best option at a cost of $650,000 but other options would be considered as well as including the examination of other potential sites.

• additional programming initiatives, particularly in regards to

pre-school, primary, teens, and seniors (this might entail identifying new program venues in the community); better use of the existing facilities through changes in scheduling; cross promotion and packaging of programs with Brewer Park, Arena and Park; and pressure to ensure continued, if not increased, access to Hopewell School.

December 1998OSCAPresident’sReportbyDouglasStickleyOSCA to Stay at Firehall

In probably the most important and contentious issue OSCA has faced in recent years, the Board of Directors narrowly voted to retain the Firehall as our Community Centre rather than move to the old City of Ottawa training building in Brewer Park.

OSCAtoStayatFirehallbyJohnGraham,OSCAVicePresident

After three and a half hours of passionate but nonetheless courteous debate at its November meeting, the OSCA Board decided to remain at the Firehall on Sunnyside Avenue rather than move to the former City of Ottawa training centre at 214 Hopewell. The vote was 10 for the Firehall and 7 for the 214 Hopewell site, with 2 abstentions.

No Board member found the decision an easy one. The Hopewell site has approximately double the usable space for programming purposes, is close to a number of City recreation facilities and thus offers the potential for expanded or enriched programs for tots, elementary school children (“after four” programs), teens and seniors. Moreover, it would be a more suitable working environment for City and OSCA staff.

Those opting for the Firehall, on the other hand, based their choice, among other things, on saving an important heritage building, on keeping the Community Centre in the heart of the community with easy access for residents living on both sides of Bank Street, on the physical

attractiveness of the building, on its location relative to schools and other community amenities like the library and shops, on the importance of the Firehall for maintaining community support and participation for the non-programming aspects of the OSCA’s mandate and on the emotional attachment that many have for the site.

Many Board members expressed disappointment at the apparent apathy within the community on the future site of the community centre. Only thirty or so residents attended a town hall meeting on November 12 to discuss the two options – this despite community wide advertisement and four page insert in the October edition of the OSCAR. Less than 3% of households bothered to fill out the questionnaire in the insert seeking their opinions on the choice before the Board.

While differing on the relative merits of the two sites, Board members were unanimous that the status quo is not acceptable. Consequently, in the next few months the Board will be developing and executing an action plan based on the following elements:

• Undertaking some cosmetic improvements to the Firehall through cleaning, painting and minor maintainance

• Seeking other venues, such as improved access to Hopewell School, to provide for enriched and expanded programming

• Improving the linkages between the Programming Subcommittee and the Board, and

• Launching a major Board initiative to develop a long-term plan aimed at upgrading the Firehall.

The Board has also written to the City, urging it to lease rather than sell the 214 Hopewell site so as to preserve parkland and keep open future options for community use of the site.

(Compiled by Mary Anne Thompson)

OldOttawaSouthHistoryfromOSCARPastIssues....Continued


GardenGlimpses

ByAilsaFrancis

In late winter, gardeners around the world start receiving catalogues from plant nurseries that are

advertising their latest and greatest additions for the new year. Some of the most atrocious plant breeding is taking place out there with results that are truly frightening – lots of perennials with golden foliage (many look chlorotic to me!), quadruple petals (the worst case of “more is better” syndrome) and the un-ending quest for the blue rose. The problem with many of these new plants (if they’re not just ugly) is that in their rush to the mass marketplace, many have not been adequately tested for things like life-span, disease and pest resistance, hardiness and colour & form reversion.

Your job, as a gardening consumer, is to be cautious of these highly touted newcomers – many come with a hefty price tag and are tragically doomed to die early, rather than later, in your garden. Why? Because many mail-order companies advertise the newest cultivars or hybrids in “limited quantities” (they usually are) and therefore available on a first-come, first-served basis. This often translates into very early ordering and a resulting early delivery date. To us here in Ottawa, this can be

deadly since sometimes we shouldn’t (or can’t) even work the ground until late April. (Many of us who have visited Canada Blooms in Toronto and returned home with little pots of the newest perennials in mid March have found this out already!) A cold-frame is the best answer for early protection of potted perennials but not everyone has this kind of set-up in their garden.

There are many perennials available at good independent nurseries that are not given the respect they deserve. Often not carried by the big-box garden centres, these plants are flying low under the radar – but gardeners in the know rely on them for their great performance year after year in their gardens. Let me share three of them with you now.

First is a plant called the Gas Plant (Dictamnus); not an attractive name I know, but given it because of the volatile oil that is given off by the plant (particularly the seed heads), especially in the evenings. The result is that the foliage and flowers, when brushed, smell intoxicatingly of lemons. I remember sitting on my back porch on a late summer evening a few years ago hearing an unusual popping sound within the garden. Making my way over to where the skirmish seemed to originate, I realized this noise was being made not

by garden fairies playing “paint ball”, but by the seed heads of the gas plant exploding and forcefully ejecting the seeds inside! Besides being very entertaining, this plant is a very strong grower; its’ stems with dark green foliage stand upright to a height of around 36” and dusky purple-veined or white flowers appear mid-summer in vertical clusters. Dictamnus is a long-lived perennial in sun or part-sun; like the peony, it prefers to stay put once planted and rewards the gardener with an attractive, low-maintenance shrubby plant for years and years.

The next “must-have” perennial is called Meadow rue or Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’. I discovered this plant years ago from Suzanne Patry (at Whitehouse Perennials in Almonte) who was really enthusiastic about it. It is one of those ethereal plants that can reach up to about 6 or 7 feet in the sun or partial shade and helped by fertile, moist soil, take up very little visual space. Such a statuesque plant usually needs some supporting but not so for this one: with strong stems and branched foliage that resembles a cross between a Maidenhair fern and a Columbine, this perennial shows off with delicate pinky-purple blooms much like that of Baby’s Breath without the distraction of bamboo or ugly plastic stakes. In my garden this plant does not seem to come back with absolute certainty year after year, but I don’t mind replacing it from time to time in order to enjoy its unique beauty.

The last is a plant that is very easy to grow, colonizes easily (read “colonize”, not “invades”), has attractive & reliable foliage and beautiful blooms in late summer, early fall. How many perennials can you say that about? This one is called Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima‘, known as the Grape-leaf Anemone and hardy to Zone 3 (so quite a bit colder than us here in Ottawa). This perennial can grow to a height of about 2 ½ -3’ while in flower and prefers sunny to partially shaded conditions. It is not fussy about soil, although if it is given optimum conditions (i.e. moist, fertile earth) I’m sure it would be very vigorous (i.e. would travel about at will!). It grows in my garden facing the western sun and I do have to chop it at the edges almost every year to allow its neighbours space to flourish, but I would never be without it because it is so reliable. The flower buds are velvety dark pink, opening to pink with bold, golden centres and fading softly with maturity – indeed the petals drop and form a carpet on the ground much like apple blossoms. If you’re looking for a strong, attractive, self-reliant perennial, this is it.

So with all the new plants on the block, don’t forget about the old guard. There are many perennials that have been available for years that are solid performers and deserve a place in every garden.

Double-DoubleBookLaunchSponsoredbyKaleidoscopeKidsBookandPrime

CrimeBookstore

Saturday, April 14 Fifth Avenue Court, Fifth and Bank 2 to 4 pm

Guest speaker: Gavin Liddy, Superintendent of the Rideau Canal As part of the celebrations of the 175th anniversary of the Rideau Canal, Deadlock Press presents two books of Rideau Fiction:

Locked Up edited by Sue Pike Eighteen of Canada’s best mystery writers present tales of mischief and mischance along the Rideau Canal Waterway. Shillings by Vicki Cameron A Bytown history mystery for middle grade readers. Stampeding horses, a stolen payroll and the Hogs Back Dam is about to burst. Sue Pike, an OOS resident is an award winning author and an editor of The Ladies’ Killing Circle anthologies, Fit to Die, Bone Dance and When Boomers Go Bad.

Vicki Cameron is an Edgar nominee and author of half a dozen children’s novels, including Clue, mysteries and More Clue Mysteries.

TrustedPerennialsForYourGarden


BOOKREVIEW

Reviewbystephena.hainesTheCommunist’sDaughter byDennisBock HarperCollinsPublishers,2006 ISBN:0-00-200528-X

There’s a rising number of novelists using fiction to produce biographies. For

some of these, imaginary children prove a useful ploy through which to depict a life. Peter Carey’s “True History of the Kelly Gang” is an outstanding example: the notorious bushranger writes a long missive to an unseen daughter in the midst of a siege by policemen. Dennis Bock has followed a similar course, with a similar character. Norman Bethune, who resides among the icons of Canadian history, is presented as a man beset on many sides. In this case, it’s the Japanese Imperial Army in China, the Fascisti in Spain and scattered personal opponents -

including his own father. Yet, there was clearly more to Bethune than our history books give us. Dennis Bock uses well-honed prose skills to add a flourish to the standard image. He’s invented a daughter that Bethune has never seen.

The creation of a fictional daughter adds a new dimension to Norman Bethune. While we all know of his humanitarian efforts - he’s the man renowned for inventing the M.A.S.H. unit to rapidly treat the wounded in military engagements - Bethune’s personal life remains vague. In this series of letters to that daughter, Bock demonstrates that Bethune’s caring nature went beyond his clinical abilities. Bock has him reaching out through time and space with endearing comments to the girl, transcending the likelihood that the letters may never reach her. His life in the field is too demanding and the on-going conflicts seem endless.

We don’t learn what prompted his entry into the Spanish Civil War, but once there he remained working until circumstances forced a change. The experience gained there prompted relocating to China where the Japanese invasion is being resisted by Mao’s Communist forces. During his shift of site, he has learned of his daughter, born of his Madrid lover, Kajsa von Rothman. A Swedish anarchist, Kajsa brings light into Bethune’s sombre outlook. Bock’s portrayal of Bethune’s view of her admirably captures a man’s intense sense of real love discovered after a long, sometimes futile quest.

The letters, typed out on an ancient and unreliable typewriter, impart his life in brief, intense sketches. Bock

doesn’t provide a sequential scenario, but follows the kind of jotting a man under extreme pressure might be forced to use. He lets Bethune skip about in time and place. In a less skillful writer, this would be distracting and perhaps difficult to follow. As a series of seven missives, listed as “Envelope One” through “Seven”, each titled in typescript, the only focus is the surgeon’s desire to relate his life to the distant daughter. We learn that his Ontario childhood lacked stability. Bethune’s parents, particularly his father, were evangelicals, leaving Norman facing minimal options. At a young age, however, he learned that the road to Damascus is not a one-way street. Revelation can lead away from divine mysteries and dogmas as readily as attract the unwary to them. For Norman, it was the knowledge that he, and every other human is alone. That isolation can be alleviated only by people who are also aware of that state and take steps to reach out to their fellows. For Bethune, the Communist Party was a means to that fellowship and medicine a practical manifestation of it.

Treating the wounded, particularly in China, dominates much of the text. Not the clinical details, although those are present, but the personalities Bethune can identify and convey them. The Chinese were unused to Westerners, and Bethune’s commanding presence often awed them. In his effort to provide care, he’s faced with shortages, particularly of blood. With much transfusion experience gained in Spain, the doctor’s efforts were baulked by the Chinese fear of taking blood from their bodies. In one instance, needing

a particular type, Bethune resorts to having the donor strapped to a bed while the blood is taken. Bethune’s complex character is revealed in his respect for the donor’s fears, while enraged at the obstinence based on superstition. His rages in China were common, even his assistant Ho being subjected to Bethune’s tantrums.

Has Bock depicted his subject in photographic clarity, or invented a modified Bethune for our interest and enjoyment? Only Bethune himself can answer that. What the author has given us is a plausible person of Bethune’s outlook and experience. There will be those who grouse about this or that invention or missing element. Those are false grievances. In creating the daughter, Bock must modify the man he’s thoroughly researched. Whatever his successes at field medicine or vagaries of temper, Bethune is shown as a real human in his letters to the daughter. The title is purposely misleading as Bethune’s “communism” is much less an element in his life than saving lives or opposing Fascist imperialism. In Spain, it is the Fascisti who rebelled against a legally elected Republican government, and in China it is that nation that has been invaded by Japan, not the other way around. While Bock’s Bethune may do little preaching about those circumstances, he leaves his “daughter” [and the reader] with no doubt of where the faults lie. This is a book portraying a sensitive man, written by someone who understands how to reveal those feelings. [you can reach stephen a. haines at [email protected]]

TheIdyllsofanIcon

Dennis Bock, born in Belleville in 1964, has emerged as one of Canada’s leading writers. After studying English and

Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, he spent a year in Spain. His first work was

a collection of short stories, Olympia, which garnered several Canadian awards - most notably the inaugural Danuta Gleed Award for best first collection of stories by a Canadian author. With a first novel, The Ash Garden, short-listed for the

IMPAC prize, Bock promises to be the figure to watch in the coming years. He resides with his family in Guelph.

APRIL 2007The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEARPage 16

A HARD DAY’S PLAY

ByMaryP.

Playdough is a favourite activity round here. We have a basket filled with playdough toys

- rollers and cookie cutters, plastic knives and garlic presses, straws and safety scissors - and within this sits a plastic container of playdough. We don’t mess with those sissy teeny commercial pots, either. We make our playdough around here, and we make it in respectable quantities. Two cups at a time, generally, often a double batch for more. That’s one substantial lump o’dough.

The recipe I use is taken from the More With Less cookbook put out by the Mennonites Central Committee. I’d give you all the publishing details, but my copy is so old and well-thumbed that its cover and initial pages have been loved right off it. I’m sure you can get your very own copy at the Ten Thousand Villages store on Richmond Road (opposite the new MEC).

Mix together in bowl:2 cups flour2 tablespoons alumHeat to boiling:1 1/2 cups water1/2 cup salt1 tablespoon oil food colouringStir liquids into dry ingredients.

Knead until smooth. (Since it will be HOT, I knead while wearing rubber gloves which I coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil to prevent sticking.) Store in an airtight container.

This stuff keeps for-EVER. Alum is a pickling spice, keeping things dry and preserved. Some people prefer not to use alum, in which case you may substitute cream of tartar, but I find it doesn’t work as well. As long as we remember to keep the lid on when it’s not in use (some people even keep it in the fridge), one batch can last several months.

Unless, of course, someone decides to get even more creative than usual. No mere playdough sausages and pancake sculpting for our mystery tot. Someone wanted dimension, someone wanted texture!

ByLindseyParry

Old Ottawa South resident, Mary Martel, is not exaggerating when she says that music is her life.

The semi-retired elementary school teacher and former Vice-Principal moved to Ottawa in 1972 and joined the Ottawa Choral Society (OCS) in 1973. Thirty-four years later, she is still part of the city’s largest and longest-running choir.

In addition to being a second soprano (the lower range and counter-harmony of the soprano singers), Mary is also “Choir Marshall” of the OCS. Her job: to ensure that 100 singers properly follow her

directions to enter and exit a stage, and to sit and stand when necessary. These are not easy tasks for one person - especially when dealing with multiple rows and having to coordinate entrances and exits on both sides of a stage. Yet despite the challenges, she notes that there are a few perks to the job.

“Besides singing, this is the thing I find the most interesting and enjoyable about being in the choir,” she says. “As Choir Marshall, I have to speak with the conductor to find out anything they want the choir to do, whether it’s standing up or sitting down at a certain point during the concert.” As a result, Mary has had the opportunity to come face-to-face with some of the best conductors in the world including Trevor Pinnock, Franz-Paul Decker and Nicholas McGegan.

As well, Mary has been the OCS Production Manager for the last four years. In this role she rents instruments, coordinates stage lighting for each show, arranges to have enough risers for the choir, and ensures there are dressing rooms available for the soloists, among other “behind the scenes” tasks. Once, she even had to find two large potted palms to use on stage for a production!

Mary is also part of a small ensemble comprised of approximately 24 OCS members. This group literally sings for money: at birthday parties, shopping malls, for weddings and funerals, and even once at a confirmation of a priest. Funds raised from each performance go toward the choir’s operational budget.

On April 21 at St. Joseph’s Church, Mary and the Ottawa Choral Society will present Exuberance: a concert including Carl Orff’s well-known Carmina Burana and Sid Robinovitch’s Canciones por las Americas. The choir will also perform the world premiere of Wife in Winter, written by OCS music director Matthew Larkin, with words by Canadian

poet Jim Lanthier in memory of his wife, Jane. The performance will be conducted by Matthew

Larkin and feature soprano (and University of Ottawa alumnus) Pascale Beaudin, tenor Michiel Schrey, baritone Peter Barrett, and pianists Jean Desmarais and Roland Graham.

“Our April concert is very rhythmic,” says Mary. “All have different rhythms and there is lots of percussion…it’s all very earthy and vibrant.”

Ironically, the very first piece Mary ever performed in concert with the Ottawa Choral Society is also the work that the choir will perform with the National Arts Centre Orchestra on May 31 and June 1. Pinchas Zukerman will conduct the choir and orchestra in a concert featuring Verdi’s Requiem.

Mary says that Old Ottawa South is no stranger to choral music. “I have lots of neighbours who love choral music,” she says. “I often have all of my immediate neighbours in the audience! Choral music audiences are definitely among residents of Old Ottawa South.”

Ticket information for Exuberance and for Verdi’s Requiem is available on the Ottawa Choral Society’s website at www.ottawachoralsociety.com or by calling (613) 725-2560. Visitors can also learn more about hiring the ensemble group for their special event.

The OCS meets Wednesday nights at Blessed Sacrament (in the Glebe) to bring to life the masterpieces of some of the world’s most famous choral composers.

The OCS is also on the lookout for new voices of all ages. The choir offers bursaries for young men who wish to sing tenor or bass. For audition and bursary information, please call 613-725-2560.

Singing:NotJustAbouttheSongs!

Mary Martel


WINDSOR CHRONICLES B– PART 72

DearTera,

The days get longer and the sun warmer. Winter still keeps a few blasts in reserve,

just to remind us to be grateful for the days when the snow melts and new smells rise up from the mud.

A season when the sap runs and the urge to travel rises among many of us. You may have noticed: the telephone poles have been festooned with lost pet announcements. Some have pictures of wayward animals who have wandered off.

Usually cats, you’ll notice. This time of year, the cats are on the prowl.

A family had two pets. The cat said to the Alpha, “Hey, you! Give me all the pet food that is my share,” and the Alpha divided all the food between the cat and the dog. And not that many days later, the cat gathered everything and went on a journey to a distant neighbourhood.

But she squandered all her food

there, and when she had no food left, and there was a severe famine. Not even a mouse to catch.

So the cat went and hired herself to watch the infants in a daycare. The toddlers would pull her tail for their entertainment, and squeeze her tightly. And she would gladly have filled herself with the milk in the baby bottles, but had to make do with the scraps tossed her way.

So she said to herself, “What am I doing here? Back home, the family treats even the dog better than this. I will go home and say to that guy with the can opener, I am no longer worthy to be called your cat. Treat me as a dog.”

So she found her way back to her neighbourhood. But when she was half way down the block, the Alpha saw her coming down the sidewalk, and he ran and scooped her up in his arms and stroked her sides and scratched her ears.

And the cat said, “Alpha, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am not worthy to be called

your pet.”But the Alpha said to the rest of

the family, “Quickly, bring a ball of catnip. Bring her cushion and put it on our own bed beside our pillows. And open a tin of salmon and let us celebrate. For this cat of ours was dead and has come to life; she was lost and has been found.” And they began to celebrate.

Now, the family dog was in the park fetching sticks, and protecting the children from squirrels. When he approached the house, he heard the celebration. And the neighbour’s dog said to him, “The cat has come and your pack has opened a tin of salmon.”

The dog became angry. He did not want to go in. And he said to Alpha, “Look! For so many years I have served this family. I have slept by the door to guard against strangers. I have fetched balls and sticks and brought them back to you. I have sat when you said sit; lain down when you said lie down; hung my head when you called me a bad dog; jumped with joy when

you praised me. “But when this cat returns,

who has taken your generosity for granted, and treated us all with condescension, you open a tin of salmon for her.”

And Alpha said to him, “Dog, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours provided you don’t try to put your paws up on the furniture. But we need to celebrate and rejoice, for this cat of ours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.”

That’s the way of the world. We accept our lot, and we hope that all those families who have posted notices on the telephone poles will be opening their tins of salmon very soon.

Offtoguardthedoor,Zoscha

The Prodigal Cat


April has long been associated with spring, renewal, birth, nature, and Easter. Easter was

originally a pagan festival, celebrated hundreds of years before the birth of Christ to honour the ancient Goddess Eostre – the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.” Buns marked with a cross (Hot Cross Buns) were eaten. It is thought the bun represented the moon and the cross the moon’s quarters.

April 1st is a time for practical jokes! In 1957, in a classic prank, the BBC television program Panorama ran a famous hoax showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. Numbers of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to grow their own spaghetti trees.

In Japan during the month of April, you might participate in a Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees, Japan’s national flower, do not yield fruits like other cherry trees. Cherry blossom viewing has been a Japanese custom since the 7th century. Today, the festival is like a big picnic. People BBQ and buy food from street vendors to eat under the Cherry trees.

This April, the Red Apron is holding a “Call for Recipes.” Do you

have a special recipe passed on to you from someone you love? Is there a dish that revives fond memories of family dinners and special occasions? Have you traveled and brought back memories of a favourite dish? We would love to hear from you.

Between now and April 30th we will collect your recipes and create a week of Red Apron Dinners dedicated to your ideas and suggestions. Participants’ names will be entered into a draw to win one week of Red Apron Dinners for two. Email your recipes to [email protected] before April 30th to qualify for the Draw.

For more information on the Red Apron Dinner Service, visit www.redapron.ca or call us at 613-321-0417.

At some point this month you might be preparing Brunch for friends & family, so we are sharing some recipes that would make a wonderful addition to a Brunch Menu.

Carrot, Ginger & Butternut CreamSoup

Our customers love this soup!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped2 pounds carrots, cut into medium dice 2 tablespoons of diced fresh ginger 1 cup white wine (optional)4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 2 cups whipping cream1 medium Butternut Squash, split in half, seeds removed salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place squash face down on an oiled baking sheet and cook until tender. Allow to cool slightly; peel and chop.2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir in onions until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in carrots; season with salt and cover with broth. Simmer until carrots are tender. Add Butternut and enough liquid (broth or water) to cover all the vegetables.3. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 4. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to soup pot, add cream, and heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Potato & Onion Tarts withSmokedSalmon&SourCream

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for muffin tin Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 6 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 1 small red onion, sliced into six 1/4-inch-thick rounds 4 medium Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, coarsely grated 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup of sour cream or crème fraiche ½ pound of thinly sliced cold smoked salmon (or hot smoked) *

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Generously butter a large (six 1-cup) muffin tin. Sprinkle each cup with salt, pepper, pinch of sugar; drizzle each cup with a touch of vinegar. Put a rosemary sprig in each cup, and cover with an onion round; set aside. 2. Toss potatoes with flour and egg in a medium bowl; season with pepper and salt. Divide among cups; dot each with butter. 3. Bake until potatoes are tender and well browned, about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool 5 minutes. Run a think knife around the edge of each tart, invert & remove. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of smoked salmon.* The Pelican Fishery at 1500 Bank Street makes their own hot and cold smoked salmon on site.

HotCrossBuns

This recipe was taken from a 1956 issue of House & Garden Magazine. If you don’t feel up to baking bread from scratch, the Wild Oat at 817 Bank Street sells Hot Cross Buns every April. The Red Apron will also be taking orders for Hot Cross Buns for April 3rd, 4th and 5th.

1 cup scalded milk 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cake compressed yeast (or 1 package of active dry yeast) 1 egg, well beaten 4 cups sifted flour 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup currants 1 egg 1 tablespoon water Icing

1. Pour the scalded milk over the butter, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add the crumbled yeast (or active dry yeast) and let rest for 5 minutes. 2. Add the egg, flour and cinnamon to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Fold in the currants. You can also add candied orange peel and/or chocolate chips. Let rise in a warm place (80 to 85°F) until double in bulk — about 2 hours. Punch down and shape into large buns and place an inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Slightly flatten each bun and then score into quarters, cutting almost all the way through the dough, so that as each bun rises, it has a well-marked cross on it. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk —1 -2 hours. 3. Brush tops of buns with 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 4. When cold decorate top of each bun with an icing cross. Place 1/2 egg white in a small mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat in as much powdered sugar as the egg white will absorb and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice gradually as the mixture thickens. Alternatively, before cooking you can make a paste for the crosses with plain flour and 2 tbsp cold water. Mix until it is soft enough to pipe through a nozzle. Pipe a cross on each bun. When baked, you can brush the tops of each bun with warmed Corn Syrup for a sweet glaze.

RedApronCooks


byTonyBernard

The confines of Ottawa hosts half a dozen lawn bowling rinks and local bowlers flee the snow covered greens of their home

clubs to hone their skills in southern climes. Some

locate on the gold coast of Australia, however a number of Ottawa natives lawn bowl in Arizona.

Elmer Janzen, Beulah Tulloch-Janzen, Dave Smith, members of the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club, and Sandra and Dave Jefferies all participated in the George Ralston Triples

Tournament, January 26-28, 2007 in Sun City West, Arizona, at the Johnson Lawn Bowling Club. Our bowlers adapted to the very fast greens and enjoyed the experience which will stand them in good stead when the area clubs open in May.

OttawaSouthSnowBirdsBowlinArizona

Page 20 APRIL 2007The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR

By Craig Piche

“Change comes very slowly for human governance. Unfortunately climate change has rewritten both the stakes and the time available to adapt to our changing circumstances. We no longer have centuries. We may not even

have decades. Urban Meltdown is about this fundamental environmental change, the life of one city councilor and how he came to think that knowledge wasn’t the problem, politics was.” – Prologue to Urban Meltdown

Capital Ward councillor Clive Doucet will be expanding on the thesis of his latest publication, Urban Meltdown:

Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual, at his book launch to be held at Southminster United Church on Friday, April 27 at 7:30pm. Southminster’s Mission and Service Fund Committee is hosting the event as part of their goal to encourage discussion and understanding of advocacy and justice work that also includes environmental sustainability issues.

The 240-page book, published in soft cover by New Society Publishers, will be available for sale at the book launch. Urban Meltdown will be available at independent bookstores on April 12 and will be for sale at chain book stores starting May 1. Copies can also be ordered directly from the publishers’ web site (http://www.newsociety.com). The price of the book is $20.95 plus taxes.

A brief synopsis of the book is featured on the publisher’s website and includes the following information:

Urban Meltdown describes how we got here, why we got here, and what can be done about it,

as evidenced by the author’s observations that: • economic growth has no built-in

environmental accountability; • until the political thinking about growth

and the progress model itself is changed, our environmental concerns will never be properly addressed;

• we need a new governance paradigm at all three levels, and

• the cautionary tale of how the 1960s tried to take us down a different route but failed, not for lack of leadership but because the system didn’t permit it.

Mr. Doucet is the author of over a dozen publications including the 1980 best selling memoir, My Grandfather’s Cape Breton. He has also written four books of poetry and several plays. Mr. Doucet first became councilor for Capital Ward in 1997 and has been returned to office in three subsequent municipal elections, most recently this past fall.

Southminster United Church is located at 15 Aylmer Avenue at the corner of Bank Street across from the Sunnyside Library branch. In 2007, Southminster is celebrating its 75th anniversary and events such as the book launch are an integral part of these celebrations and outreach within the neigbourhood and the wider community.

By Craig Piche

Easter Sunday (April 8) will feature a Sunrise Service at Southminster at 8:30 a.m., followed by the annual Easter Sunday breakfast at 9 a.m. The full worship service will commence at

its regular time of 10:30 a.m.

The annual Southminster rummage sale will take place on Saturday, April 21 beginning at 9 a.m. Come browse through the hundreds of nearly new and previously treasured items. Enter the church through the Galt Street doors. Contact Martha at the church office if you have any contributions that can be dropped off, at 613-730-6874.

Urban MeltdownbyCliveDoucet-BookLaunch

“NewsFromthePews”

The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR Page 21APRIL 2007

ByGregRoss

The Ottawa Electric Railway began operating electric streetcars on Ottawa streets in the 1890s and

within a relatively short time had built up a comprehensive system. By 1901 it included the long line out to Britannia operating on its own private right of way west of Holland Ave. The OER had a manufacturing subsidiary across Albert St from its main car barn; the Ottawa Car Co. built streetcars for many street railways and interurbans across Canada. Due to Ottawa’s often heavy snowfalls the OER invented the rotary rattan sweeper to blow snow away. This device was usually attached to a works car. The OER had its own power generating station on Middle Island.

The Hull Electric Co. Operated three streetcar lines in Hull and a long “interurban” line to Aylmer which access Union Station over the CPR track on Interprovincial Bridge. The Hull system was abandoned in 1945.

Although subject to a few minor prunings, most of Ottawa’s streetcar system was intact to the end. George Nelms, the new mayor of Ottawa after several terms of Charlotte Whitton was determined to bring the city up with the times. He had the city purchase a fleet of modern packer garbage trucks, banned hose-drawn delivery wagons and (sadly) decided the streetcars were outmoded. In an August 1958 board of Control meeting, it was decided to bustitute the Bank-St. Patrick car line, followed within weeks a decision to scrap the entire electric system including the Bronson trolleybus route. The Bank car line was gone before Christmas and the last tram ran on the Britannia line 4 May 1959.

General Motors had been aggressively buying up street railways across the United States from the 1920s through to the ‘50s and replacing electric traction with motor buses, knowing the inferior bus service would drive people into their car showrooms. Ottawa had been adding transit service to new post-war suburbs with buses, mostly bought from Canadian Car in Thunder Bay.

Seeing Ottawa as a target for streetcar conversion, GM cut a good deal to supply 107 of the 1940’s style ‘old look’ bus, then in its last year of production.

Transit ridership hit a low point in the early 60’s when for a few years more buses were being retired than acquired. Ridership picked up a bit in the late 60’s but traffic congestion was becoming much more severe. By the turn of the

decade with the environment starting to become a concern and the blossoming of the community activism movement, people began to talk about how to improve public transit. Ken Fogarty ran for mayor an one on a platform of building a subway from Tunneys Pasture to Vanier and once elected the plan was never heard of again.

I was then a student at University of Ottawa and convinced several other students to work on a plan for better bus service. The 1971 proposal included reserved lanes on the Queensway and a transfer terminal near the Nicholas exit. The OTC paid no heed to it so we regrouped and came up with a new plan. This one advocated a 64 mile elevated monorail system to be financed entirely by the federal government and run on a no-fare basis by the NCC. While participating in this pie-in-the-sky exercise, a friend brought over a pile of “Headlights”, a magazine about tramways and LRT. I fell in love with the concept and once the monorail proposal was quickly dismissed , I went to work with new associates on my third transit proposal in five years.

TheHighwayManComesToTown

Not long before working up this new proposal for LRT, the new regional government was getting more serious about some form of rapid transit. The Ontario government was busy trying to invent transit without wheels with its “mag-lev” scheme and building a new agency around this. Meantime the RMOC’s “transportation planning department” (roads department would be more accurate) hired a transportation (roads) engineer John Bonsall to head up the rapid transit planning. Mr. Bonsall was very keen on busways and was a smooth persuasive individual.

Together with Charles Shrubsole and Harold Ade, I spent nine months preparing a detailed report which indicated the advantages of LRT .It suggested a system which would have had a first line running from the Merivale Corridor (land assembled for a hwy 416 corridor just cancelled), a hydro right of way close to Kirkwood, Scott St corridor, Queen St transit mall, Rideau St, McArthur, Ogilvy and south side of Queensway to Orleans.

This plan received positive response from some councillors but the rapid transit study was getting underway. By then I had an organization behind me but my five minutes of fame at each of the public presentations was no match for

all the time and resources Mr. Bonsall had to convince councillors to opt with his supposedly cheaper busway plan. The council was “sold” on a $97 million 3 corridor busway plan in 1979 which by 1985 ended up costing $440 million, a cost escalation of 450 % ! Calagary built a 3-line LRT system of similar kilometrage at the same time for the same price and theirs included LRVs and facilities whereas ours didn’t.

Why did the road engineers like busways so much? A train of three articulated LRVs can carry eight regular bus loads of passengers, or lets say three regular buses and three articulateds. That’s six times as many operators required for a trunk service and six times as many movements to program. With that many more vehicle movements, grade separation is needed for a much lower capacity threshold than for LRT. This means much more engineering work for special structures. The bonus is buses are less appealing and thus attract less ridership than rail transit so there is still more work to be done on building roads.

Transit ridership grew in the 1970s due to expansion of the service area, reorganized routes, some reserved lanes and new express routes. The best was in 1974-5 when the bus fleet grew by 50$%. This was partly due to the preceding measures but mainly due to the Feb. 1974 decision to withdraw free parking for thousands of federal civil servants and the introduction of flextime.

Another tragic outcome of the busway decision was route selection. When selecting corridors, only those capable of accommodating either busways or LRT were considered. Busways require a 50% wider right of way (even more for stations) because buses are not guided by rails. In addition the noise and pollution make them less desireable to have nearby.

In the late 80’s, with bus congestion downtown becoming an issue, then RMOC chair Peter Clark promoted a bus tunnel. This $2 billion megaproject would have done little to improve transit ridership. I organized against it and it died.

TheCityDropsTheBallAgainThrough the 80’s and into the early

‘90’s , together with Charlie Shrubsole and Mark Walton, I was busy publishing Transit News Canada magazine in my spare time. I also attmepted to represent Britannia Ward on city council three times. In each of thse quests I came close but not close enough. After ‘94, my interests went off in other directions and I had no involvement in the struggle to get the O-Train in service or with the recently aborted North-South LRT project.

The North South LRT project had several things right, the choice of electric LRT, surface operation downtown, a “new” corridor in need of better transit, and servicing the embryonic Riverside South community with good quality transit from the beginning. The latter plus was also a minus as too many councillors, not knowing when or how their areas were to get LRT, found there was nothing in it for them for such a costly project.

Critics would argue that it was overextended, over-engineered, too

expensive and that the introduction of LRT into the existing mix of cars and buses on Slater and Albert wouldn’t work. Beyond Riverside South the first point is probably true, even the section beyond Lietrem could have been delayed.. The point about over engineering is debatable and the 50 % cost escalation was partly due to the over-extension and some things being hidden. The actual cost would have been $33 million per km, much lower than other rapid transit projects underway in Canada and lower than the C$41M/km average for 13 LRT projects underway in the USA. It is in the ball-park for Toronto’s proposed seven new LRT lines. Surface operation downtown can work if express buses are replaced by suburban bus services feeding trunk bus and LRT lines.

One lesson to be learned from this debacle is never again to give the whole job to one big consortium under a P-3 arrangement and secretive bidding process.

If I had been on the last and present councils, I would have argued vigorously for some changes but it the end would have voted for the project despite some flaws.. In spite of the head-spinning price tag, the project would have cost the city almost nothing because Bob Chiarelli’s success in getting senior govt. grants and lining up gas tax money as our matching funds. The money and land were assembled and the environmental assessments done. Now the implementation of any LRT line or system is set back by at least two years and the city is at risk of a huge payout for nothing. This horrendous debacle has prodded me out of retirement as a transit activist. I’m back with a vengeance!

LRTNOW-HaveYourSay

While some rail fans can take partial credit for the arrival of the O-Train, the subsequent LRT project was well sanitized from the involvement by transit users / advocates, community people or rail fans. It had no public constituency apart from a few people involved in the environmental assessment. Our new LRT NOW group intends to change that by offering a soon to be created website that will have an interactive “have your say” function that will enable to the public to “vote “ on the various implementation plans and routes for each corridor we have identified or may yet come forth..

LRT NOW asks the Mayor’s Task Force and Ottawa city council to: (a) make electric LRT the mode of choice for the major corridors of our future transit system; (b) get on with developing an implementation plan for such a system and (c) choose an initial project to use the $800 million spending envelope which is still on the table. As completing a comprehensive regional LRT system will require a greater amount of money, LRT NOW supports the establishment of a regular federal funding program for urban transit. Canada is the only OECD country not to have one. A special incentive for electrification would be a useful component as electricity is cleaner energy, makes us less dependant on fossil fuels and electric rail transit is a proven generator of new ridership.

FromStreetcarstoLRT(?)

The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR APRIL 2007Page 22

ByGregRoss

The purpose of this brief is to keep the flame alive for an electric Light Rail Transit

component of our transit system in Ottawa. Those who support this brief are committed to encouraging people to ride transit, help shape a more sane (less auto-dependant) urban development and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the wake of the aborting of the planned North -South LRT corridor project, it is urgent that we get back on track as soon as possible. As this brief is prepared, there is still the $200 million each from Federal and Ontario governments on the table and the matching funds that the City of Ottawa has allocated from “gas tax” money. It is highly imperative that the city does not fritter away this gas tax money on minor busway improvements, OC Transpo operating subsidies and other projects. The money should be banked until the city figures out its transit future which we hope proceeds along the following concept.

TheConceptThe system we plan should feature

electric LRT on three or four extensive corridors linked through the city core by a surface operation on Albert and/or Stater Streets. For this to work, there would have to be significant reductions of bus and automobile traffic on these streets. The express bus system could be largely phased out and replaced by higher frequency feeders and trunk line service. The trunk bus service would be replaced by LRT, corridor by corridor according to an overall plan and sequence that would have broad political and public support.

Over an extended phase-in period buses and LRVs would be sharing portions of transitway with rails imbedded in the pavement. Pittsburgh has several sections of such bi-modal transitway. The cost of converting transitway segments to bimodal operation should be relatively low as they were pre-built to allow for the possible conversion to rail service.

The cost of converting the transitway from Orleans to Kanata is reported to be $1 billion according to the Citizen. A downtown subway tunnel is costed out at a minimum of $500 Million for the saving of a few minutes of travel time at best. Add to the cost of construction, the cost of maintenance and security of downtown subway stations. A downtown tunnel should only be considered after the major corridors are built and only if the surface operation becomes unmanageable.

ATaleofTwoCitiesThe transit vision for the future

mooted here follows closely what Calgary started nearly thirty years ago and continues to build on. They built fairly quickly three LRT corridor lines radiating out a significant distance from a surface transit mall downtown. These have since been extended; more extensions and two new lines are planned.

The Calgary three-line 29 km initial LRT system cost $450 Million in the early 80’s, the same cost at the same time that Ottawa paid for its three-line 31 km busway system. Calgary’s project cost included vehicles and their facilities, Ottawa’s did not. Only about 60% of Ottawa’s was on purpose-built road. Our planners had convinced our politicians that busways would be cheaper.

WhyElectricLRT Electric LRT is the modern

evolution of the tramway. LRT features articulated vehicles , multiple-unit train operation (lower crew costs, fewer movements), various sorts of private rights of way and on-street traffic separation measures, and transit priority-signaling. The latter allows for transit to be given priority over other traffic inexpensively in time rather than expensively in space. LRT is quieter and occupies less lateral space than a busway allowing more choices for line placement. It also requires less grade separation due to fewer vehicle movements. LRT is much cheaper than conventional rapid transit or other high-tech systems

requiring full grade separation. It uses clean non-polluting

electric power which can be derived from a number of sources, including renewable sources as hydro, wind-power and modern waste incineration.

Electric LRT has been the mode of choice for more than twenty cities in North America over the last three decades. Seven other cities with remaining old streetcar lines chose to upgrade them to a modern LRT standard. LRT has also caught on big in England and France where they saw the success of modern LRT systems upgraded from tramways in neighbouring countries. LRT is often chosen because it has a proven track record of generating new transit ridership.

TheDefunctNorth-SouthProject

The good things about the aborted N-S Line were: it was to be electric LRT, serve a significant corridor and operate on the surface downtown. The cost per km was to be lower than any other rapid transit project in Canada at this time. The land and funding were assembled and the environmental assessments had been done.

Its drawbacks were being overextended, over-engineered, an escalated price tag and a secretive P3 type contracting procedure that prevented all but large international consortia from bidding. The location of the maintenance shops was controversial. In spite of these warts, it would have been smarter for council to have proceeded.

The main rational was to serve the new Riverside South community in its early stages of development. The idea was to have a transit line in from the get-go so that people would adopt transit riding habits in an area under-serviced by roads. It would also have drawn development towards the south end thus easing the growth pressure on the far-east and far-west suburbs. This is good planning but bad politics as there were more politicians whose wards would not benefit from the project than those who did.

TheFriendsoftheO-TrainProposal

The “friends” proposal has some good elements: surface eLRT downtown, an upgraded one and half track O-train service to the south end with extensions to Manotick Station and Gatineau. So is the use of O-Trains on existing OCR & VIA track to Kanata North & Barrhaven respectively. The eLRT extension to CHEO/ General Hospital makes sense.

The fatal flaw of this proposal is the removal of all buses downtown and the book-ending of the minimal downtown eLRT shuttle with massive transfer stations. These may prove to be impediments to the logical outward extensions of the eLRT line. Worse still, everyone would be forced to transfer; many of these riders having already made a transfer or two to get there. Express buses would still have a wasteful dead-head run for most of their journey.

This proposal relies too heavily on diesel LRT (O-train) and not enough on eLRT. There are roles for the O-Train equipment but not for use on major urban corridors with well established ridership. This technology is useful for:

(a) as a development tool pump-priming undeveloped corridors; it did so admirably in it current role and it is now time to re-deploy.

(b) for orbital lines on existing track lacking the ridership growth potential to justify eLRT.

(c) for “long-thin” commuter lines to surrounding towns.

Credits:This brief was prepared by Greg Ross with assistance of and/or suggestions from Glenn Clark, Kyle Cooper, Mark Walton, Mike Meikle & Theo Gaeretz.

The website is not yet running, but you can email or phone Greg Ross for more information and to get the full reports with all the maps that have been created.

949-8917 (w) 820-8309 (h) or [email protected]

TopPriorities(within5years)

1.Bayshore Shopping Centre: Complete the gap in the Western Transitway to Bay-shore Shopping Centre and build it to LRT standards.2.Riveside South: Build an electric LRT line from Lebreton Flats to the proposed Bowesville Road LRT maintenance facil-ity via downtown, Hurdman Station, Bill-ings Bridge, Greenboro, and Leitrim.3.Cross-town and Kanata: Using existing OCR track, run diesel or dual mode LRT trains from Greenboro Station to Kanata Business Park and extend the track to March Road and Terry Fox Drive. As an alternative, a Transitway could be built

from Greenboro to Baseline Station.4.Kanata-Scotiabank Place: Extend bus lanes from Eagleson Park and Ride lot to Scotiabank Place and negotiate to use the parking lot as a Park and Ride lot.5.Airport: Build an electric LRT spur just south of Lester Road into the airport pro-viding direct service between the airport and downtown.

SubsequentPriorities(5to20years)

1.Riverside South: Extend LRT through the community as population growth war-rants it.2.Barrhaven: Extend the southwestern

Transitway to Barrhaven Town Centre. Further extend LRT across the Rideau River also to Barrhaven Town Centre. An alternative would extend LRT along the Via Rail corridor to near Confedera-tion Heights along parallel track. This would depend on the feasibility and cost of building parallel track.3.Orleans: Gradually extend LRT from Hurdman Station to Orleans South via Blair Station, Blackburn Hamlet and the Orleans transit corridor. This will be built over a number of years as popula-tion growth warrants it. Also extend the eastern Transitway to Trim Road as bus lanes.4.Ottawa West-Kanata: Gradually extend

LRT west from downtown via the West-ern Transitway, Byron Avenue, Lincoln Fields, Bayshore and finally crossing over the Queensway and following the south side of the Queensway to Scotiabank Place. This would be done in stages with a branch from the cross-town line to Sco-tiabank Place possibly done earlier.5.General Hospital Campus: Build a Transitway from Hurdman Station (using a portion of the southeast Transitway) to the General Hospital Campus. This could later be extended south to Walkley Road using the Alta Vista Parkway corridor.shore Shopping Centre

LRTNOW-TheWayForward(excerptfromproposalpresentedtoCityHall)

SomeofthePrioritiesinPlanDbyGlennClark


ByGlennClark

The purpose of this report is to deliver a rapid transit plan that re-uses existing infrastructure

when possible to keep implementation costs to a minimum and provide a long-term strategy for the City of Ottawa. It takes ideas from the failed North-South LRT project, the Friends of the O-Train plan and from other sources in an attempt to come up with a better overall plan. It attempts to deliver rapid transit using a balance of Transitways, LRT and commuter trains. Because the implementation has several phases, priorities can easily be changed based on population growth patterns across the city. Each proposed route terminates at a logical location for each phase in its construction.

Goals

Use existing infrastructureIn creating this plan, every effort has

been made to incorporate the existing Transitway, rail lines, abandoned rail corridors and right of ways already assembled for future transit projects. As much as possible, new right of ways will not be created in order to keep implementation costs to a minimum. In addition, existing rapid transit lines (Transitway or O-Train) will not be re-built unless this offers opportunities to expand transit service in such a way that will result in increased ridership or will support the city’s policy of intensification.Service Improvements Prioritized1.Kanata2.Orleans3.Riverside South and Findlay Creek4.Barrhaven5.Downtown Bypass6.Airport

General Comments and RecommendationsService FrequencyIn order for rapid transit to truly speed up travel times and facilitate transfer between routes in order to improve the transit network, service must be frequent. On all rapid transit routes, a minimum of 15 minute service frequency is recommended. The exception to this will be commuter services delivered to outlying areas.

EquipmentflexibilityIn selecting equipment for rail based

service, every effort should be made to use equipment that can run throughout as much of the rail network as possible. Most or all trains to be used in urban and suburban situations should be suitable for on street and downtown service. This recognizes that downtown will continue to be the most important transit destination.

TrackGaugeUniform track gauge should be used

to allow trains to be able to be directed throughout the rail network as much as possible.

EquipmentTypesDouble Decker Buses

This kind of bus should be tested further. If all problems can be resolved, they should be considered for service on

the Transitway and on other heavily used bus routes entering downtown. This type of bus may offer the opportunity to move more people through downtown because of its smaller footprint in comparison to articulated buses. Use of double decker buses will also make Ottawa distinctive and will be attractive to tourists. Consideration must be given to handicapped persons to make sure that their needs are still properly served if this type of bus is introduced.

ElectricLRT

This type of train should be used in the main urban area of Ottawa where noise and pollution is a prime consideration.

DualModeLRT

This is a relatively new development in the industry which allows trains to operate on both electrified and non-electrified track. These trains have all the same features as electric LRT including a short turn radius which will permit operation on downtown streets. They can be powered by electricity in urban situations where noise and pollution are a concern but in less critical areas, they can be powered by diesel fuel. The benefits are obvious. Existing freight tracks can be used without electrification and new track in suburban areas does not need to be electrified. Serious consideration should be given to this type of technology in order to save on track electrification costs.

DieselLRT(O-Train)

The O-Train has been in operation for a number of years. Although it has proven successful in Ottawa, there are several limitations. First, the equipment is too large to operate on downtown Ottawa streets and the fumes produced by the diesel engine makes them less than ideal for urban situations. In addition, the turn radius is greater than Electric or Dual Mode LRT making sharp turns more difficult or not possible at all. Electric and Dual Mode LRT can also handle steeper grades than Diesel LRT trains. Since these trains are generally less maneuverable, it is recommended that they be restricted to use on existing rail lines. Ideally, dual mode LRT should be used in its place when possible.

CommuterTrains

These are heavy passenger trains that can only be used on existing rail corridors. The only suitable terminals in Ottawa are the two Via Rail Stations located on Tremblay and Fallowfield Roads. The former would be the best choice for a central terminal with connecting transit service to downtown. Since this type of train is also not designed for frequent service, it will be best used to service more distant suburbs such as Casselman. It is questionable whether the population in outlying communities along existing rail lines is yet sufficient to support commuter rail, even one round trip per day.

TransitwaysAt the present time, the Transitway

is our rapid transit network. For the foreseeable future, it will remain an

important part of the network. Many people have advocated laying track on the Transitway as a lower cost means of delivering LRT to Ottawa. Despite the lower costs, this may not be cost effective because transit users are already very well served by buses on these routes and relatively few new transit riders may be attracted by a simple switchover to LRT. It will be far better to extend LRT into parts of the city not already well served by the Transitway. In some cases, it may be advantageous to use parts of the Transitway for this purpose instead of building entirely new right of ways from downtown, if new right of ways are possible at all. In any event, our Transitways already provide direct rapid transit bus service to downtown from many parts of the city. It is critical that this service be maintained until better rail alternatives are available.

ExistingQueenswayBusLanes

In many cases, the Transitway is simply bus lanes on the Queensway. Although LRT is often suitable for on-street operation and in mixed traffic situations, it will be unsafe to do this on the Queensway. Traffic speed is too high and there is simply too much of a risk of a vehicle veering into the path of a train. In order to convert bus lanes on the Queensway for LRT use, the lanes must be separated from regular traffic by at least concrete barriers. If this interferes with traffic flow at interchanges, then a completely separate right of way will be required.

O-Train

The O-Train has been a tremendous success. This success has been a major factor in creating objections to a possible three year shutdown while the route is upgraded. In order to deal with this issue, it is suggested that the O-Train be retained and that LRT service be redirected using the southeast Transitway to Hurdman Station and then to downtown.

There are intensification projects planned for Carleton University and Walkley Road, which would have taken advantage of the electrification of the O-Train route. If these projects are considered important, then we may still consider electrification of the line without double tracking. This kind of switchover may be achievable over a summer while Carleton University has reduced operations. Although electrification will cost a significant amount of money, there will still be substantial savings from not rebuilding the bridge at Carleton University or doubling the Dow’s Lake tunnel. If single track electrification proceeded, the diesel O-Trains could be redeployed on a cross-town route.

ViaRailUse of Via Rail Track presents

problems. First of all, there are 18 scheduled daily trains running on most of the track of interest. This would present significant LRT scheduling difficulties.

There have been some discussions with Via Rail about the introduction of a commuter service. This will involve scheduling one or two morning and evening trains and running them to and from distant suburbs. Two possible routes are:1. Casselman and beyond to Ottawa Via

Rail Station2. Smiths Falls to Ottawa Via Rail Station via Richmond and Barrhaven

The first has already been studied and is likely the most viable. Such a service could be introduced in cooperation with Via Rail if it believed that there is sufficient ridership. This type of service will likely use heavy commuter cars.

DowntownCongestion

The congestion issue was another significant reason why the north-south LRT project did not receive popular support from the public. The most obvious and expensive solution will involve building a downtown tunnel. At the present time, the city of Ottawa likely cannot afford such an endeavour, however, it should not be ruled out for the future. A second choice was presented by the Friends of the O-Train which proposed to replace almost all downtown buses with electric LRT. Many transit riders object to this approach because most transit riders traveling to or through downtown will have to transfer at congested transfer stations. Furthermore, a large proportion of riders will have to stand on trains entering downtown. The Friends of the O-Train proposal dramatically changes the nature of downtown transit service and the effects on ridership are unpredictable. It is also a significant departure from the rapid transit model used in most other cities including Calgary which has had a great deal of success with its LRT network. Most cities run rapid transit lines from the suburbs directly into downtown.

In order to address congestion, we need to look for a more creative solution. We must make sure that we do not inconvenience transit riders. Changes to downtown service designed to reduce congestion should be introduced gradually and carefully so that we can learn from successes and failures and make changes as we go along.

It is suggested that a hub and spoke model be phased in. As rapid transit service is extended to various parts of the city, suburban express routes may be replaced with more frequent local shuttles. If properly set up, travel times do not have to suffer and by having the transfers take place in the suburbs, it is not necessary to construct large transfer stations near downtown as suggested by the Friends of the O-Train. Careful scheduling of buses or trains from these suburban stations can reduce the overall number of vehicles traveling to downtown and therefore ease congestion. If double decker buses prove feasible, there would be a further opportunity to reduce congestion because of the smaller footprint of those buses.

In developing a revised plan, we need to minimize the negative aspects of the original plan while taking advantage of as many of the positives as still possible. One way of doing this is by re-routing LRT to downtown using the southeast Transitway and via Hurdman Station. This will allow the O-Train to remain intact on its existing routing and the Hurdman connection would be a first step in providing east end service. The route to the south can be phased in as the southern suburbs grow instead of building the whole route at one time.

RapidTransitPlanD(excerptfromproposalpresentedtoCityHall)


OttawaStreetCarsofYesteryear

photos of streetcars from private collection of Greg Ross

TwooftheManyRapidTransitProposals


KenRossinColour

FirehallMarchBreakatFulton’sPancakeHouseandMerBleu

CelebratingStPatrick’sDayattheFirehall

OSCAR apologizes for the poor quality of the photo of Ken Ross in March 07


By:SusanAtkinson

It’s official! All the hard work, the co-ordination and effort were worth it and Hopewell Avenue Public School’s Enrichment committee is now

in the process of evaluating the success of their lunchtime programming. The first 8-week session has just finished to a nod of approval, which in fact is more than a nod, as everyone involved would agree that the enrichment programs were a resounding success. The students loved them, Administration loved them and Parent Council loved them!

The Enrichment Committee, working hand in hand with Hopewell’s Administration, spent the first term of the school year creating programs and coordinating lunchtime availability for instructors and school space. This was no small feat considering the size of the school’s population and its busy, busy schedule. This huge undertaking was completed in time to have the programs up and running by the beginning of January.

Overall, 300 students were able to enjoy such activities as drama, yoga, creative writing, science, drumming, art and poetry. These activities are an amazing opportunity for students to expand their interests beyond the classroom. For some students their experiences were completely new, whereas for others it was a chance for them to pursue a passion within the school environment.

With a new session of the activities starting after the March Break it is expected that even more

Hopewell students will find their lives enriched!In other Hopewell news the Intermediate

students were kept busy for weeks rehearsing what would be their Musical Extravaganza. This year’s annual musical was a production of Annie and it was a show not to be missed. The hours of dedication

from Musical Director and Music Teacher E x t r a o r d i n a i r e , Ms. Woyiwada shone through with personality, pizzazz and colour, making the show fit to rival any Broadway production. Grade 7 student, Ciana was exquisite as the young orphan Annie who is whisked away to live in the home of rich Daddy Warbucks. With 37 principal roles, the show glowed with fabulous performances that were at times funny and at others rather touching. All Intermediate students were involved in one shape or form with the production. Many sang in the chorus while others helped as stagehands behind the scenes. With three amazing performances for students, families and the Hopewell Community, the show did its job, entertaining and winning the hearts of its audience.

Earlier in the month Intermediates had dazzled on a completely different stage. A team of young scientists led by Hopewell

teacher Ms. Walsh competed in the Regional Science and Engineering Olympics. Hopewell had an outstanding day!

The day consisted of six different events, each one involving a science and/or engineering challenge. Twenty-two teams competed in the day’s events and this is how things shook down for Hopewell Avenue. In both the Bionic Arm and Fun Machine events the teams placed 5th. In the Electromagnet event Hopewell was 3rd and in both the Pasta Bridge and Web Page categories the Hopewell Teams walked away with Gold medals. To round out the day there was a scavenger hunt based on science and engineering facts, which once again the “champs” of Hopewell won! When all the points from each event were tabulated Hopewell Avenue finished on top and were awarded the Gold medal award.

Proud science teacher, Ms. Walsh, commented that it was not only an amazing day of results for the Hopewell students but it was also a wonderful learning experience. She said that the Hopewell students enjoyed meeting students from other schools and comparing what they were doing. The Hopewell teams had been chosen based on an in-school competition. Each student had been given a choice of a category and using in-class time and homework assignments they completed their work before showing it in class. Those with top honours in each event went on to represent the school.

It has been a quiet month in competitive sports at Hopewell as the basketball teams practice for upcoming tournaments and games. A lunchtime intramural basketball league organized and run by Hopewell teacher Mr. Cino is being enjoyed by 140 junior students. The games are all friendly, giving students a chance to gain experience in the sport. And while the Junior Grades play, the Intermediates referee.

Hopewell’s character education focus for the month of April is caring. Again this focus is an umbrella for caring about oneself, one’s school, one’s peers and the environment. Staff, parents and students alike have all commented that the new initiatives set forth by the Safe and Caring Schools Committee are making a difference in the School. One of the most noticeable differences is a renewed sense of school pride.

HOPEWELLHAPPENINGS

EnrichingTheLivesoftheChildrenatHopewellAvenuePublicSchool


CORPUS CHRISTI SCHOOL

CorpusChristiStepsintoSpring

byMissyFraser

During this Lenten season, Corpus Christi School embarked on a new initiative

called “Warm Feet Moving Forward”. Students have collected new pairs of socks and filled them with personal care items like shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste. At Easter the filled socks will be delivered to the Shepherds of Good Hope for distribution.

Project organizer, Kim Campbell commented that, “The students have a really positive attitude and are working hard to share their enthusiasm and commitment”. Each school day, grade six students Katherine, Kate, Vanessa and Brianna have created and performed jingles and slogans on the morning announcements to promote school spirit and interest

in the project. Grade five students Stephanie, Alexandra, Luisa and Carina worked together to decorate a special collection box in the lobby of the school.

The Corpus Christi Mardi Gras held on March 7 was a smashing success with record attendance and a whole lot of fun had by all. Attendees munched on pizza and delicious home-baked treats while perusing the auction tables, book sale and Bottle Bingo. The games area was extremely busy with kids lined up to try all of the exciting activities right until the end of the evening. Corpus Christi School thanks all of the community-minded businesses, organizations and individuals who generously donated items, services and tickets to our Silent Auction. And a big warm special thank you also goes out to Mardi Gras organizer

Kathy Mahoney for her energy and enthusiasm in bringing our school community together.

In the Art @ Lunch programme this past month students created beautiful Easter eggs using Ukrainian egg-dying techniques. Over twenty dozen eggs were dyed and only 6 were broken! Next month students will make hand dyed silk scarves for Mother’s Day.

Hip Hop is due to return to Corpus Christi this spring (not long after the Easter Bunny hops through our patch). Students are very excited because - hurray! - Kailena is coming back! Kailena Van Nes, from the Glebe Community Centre will teach groups of students from grades one through six during weekly lunchtime sessions.

The School Grounds

Transformation Committee is excited to report that with the help of consultant Ann Coffey they have put together the first draft of the site plan for coming improvements to the school yard. If you would like to contribute to our fundraising drive or help with installation and landscaping for the project please call the school office and leave a message for the Transformation Committee at 613-232-9743.

To find out about registration for all grades and Corpus Christi School activities please visit: [email protected] or call the office at 613-232-9743.

Corpus Christi students Nathan and Thomas display the beautiful Ukranian-style eggs they made in the Art @ Lunch Programme

OSCARwishes to thank NormaGrier for 20 years of servicedeliverytheOSCAR.That’sover6000newspapersovertheyears....thankssomuch!

OSCARmourns the passing ofRobert “Bob”Knights.Mr.KnightswasaformerpsychologyprofessoratCarletonUniversity, a residentofOld Ottawa South and an OSCAR deliveryperson.Mr.Knightswas72yearsold.


KathyAblett,R.N.Chair of the Board &TrusteeZone9Capital/RiverWardsTelephone:526-9512

Thank you to the Corpus Christi School Community for inviting me to share in your

“Mardi Gras” celebration. As always, the energy and enthusiasm on behalf of the children resulted in a fun filled time for everyone and added to the spring break. Now, back to school – hopefully refreshed and ready to focus on the last semester of this school year.

HereissomerecentBoardnewsthatmightinterestyou.Parents as Partners: Catholic School Parent Association (CSPA)

Joanne MacEwan, Chair of the Catholic School Parent Association introduced members of her volunteer executive to the Board, giving the

trustees an update on their organization. CSPA fosters and supports Catholic education by providing a platform for communications between education decision-makers and Catholic School Councils. Trustees commented on how lucky the Board was to have such a dedicated group of parent volunteers that commit their time and expertise to the Association on behalf of all the students.

CSPA meets monthly, distributing information on a wide range of complex educational issues while assisting parents in becoming active partners in education and effective advocates for their children.

There will be a Director’s Forum: Best Practices for School Councils at Notre Dame HS on April 16th at 6:30 pm. Please ask your school Principal about this event.

School Trip ApprovedThe Board approved travel

for senior students and teachers at Immaculata High School for a trip to London, Paris and Rome from March

15 to March 24, 2008. The trip will provide an

opportunity for French immersion students to gain an appreciation of French culture while in Paris. The students will be at the Vatican in Rome for Easter Sunday worship services.

Ontario Focused InterventionThe Ministry of Education has provided $424,572 to the Board for the Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP). This money will be used to support some of our schools in achieving EQAO targets and further developing professional learning communities. In total, 16 schools are being funded through the OFIP partnership.To ensure success, the Staff Development, Evaluation and Research Department and the Educational Programs Department are leading this interdepartmental initiative bringing in partners from across the Board.

Student Achievement FundingThe Board received $492,547

additional funding from the Ministry of Education to offset costs that the Board had already incurred on targeted student achievement initiatives. The Board approved $270,800 of additional expenditures for: replacement of 200 desktop computers for teachers; assistive technology for special education students; plus additional temporary support for Notre Dame High School, considered a smaller high school.

Partners at the Board Table: Student Trustees

The Board approved two student trustees for the school year August 1,

2007 to July 31, 2008. Beginning in this school year, student trustees will receive an honorarium of $2,500. For our Board, this is an increase of $1,500 per student trustee. Students will now be allowed to attend certain portions of the Board’s in camera sessions; though not attend any items pertaining to personnel issues.

Student trustees bring a high school youth perspective to the Board, attending many meetings while providing an invaluable liaison function with the Joint Student Advisory Council (JSAC).

Second Annual Gala Dinner, Cabaret & Auction

The Catholic Education Foundation of Ottawa-Carleton is hosting its second annual Gala Dinner, Cabaret & Auction on May 10th at the Hellenic Banquet Centre. All proceeds from this event go to CEFOC’s Helping to Alleviate Poverty in our Schools Program. The general public is welcome. Tickets are $50 per person; a table of 8 is $390 and tables of 10 are $480. Please buy early as this was a sell-out event last year. For tickets, inquiries and payment please contact Lise Cupido at (613) 224-4455 ext. 2283 or [email protected]. Tax receipts and seating arrangements will be done at the door. We hope to see you there!

If, at any time, I can be of

assistance to you please do not hesitate to call me at 526-9512.

Sincerely, KathyAblett

“YourTrustee”

OCCSBTRUSTEEREPORT

AreaChurchServiceTimes

SunnysideWesleyanChuch58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside)Sunday Worship Services are at 9 a.m., 11 a.m.Children’s programs are offered dur-ing both services.

Trinity Anglican Church1230 Bank Street (corner of Cam-eron)Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.Church School adn Nursery at 10 a.m.

StMargaretMary’sParish7 FairbairnSunday liturgies: Saturday at 4:30 p,m. Sunday at 10 a.m. Evening Prayer: Tuesday at 7 p.m.

SouthminsterUnitedChurch15 Aylmer Avenue10:30 a.m.: Worship and Sunday School - September through June

“PUTTINGSTUDENTSFIRST”



ByRobCampbell

Spring is sprung and there is a lot of very good energy at OCDSB schools and at Board

HQ. I will focus again however on our dreary Board budget business instead in this column due to its importance and the public interest it seems to elicit.

The Board recently elected to cut about $7m in teacher positions for next year. These are mostly in extra teachers providing schools the flex to run extra programming in areas such as music or art or drama. Intermediate schools may be particularly affected. What this means on the ground will vary importantly with each school and will depend on what it decides to make a priority.

After very extended debate at Board, special education teaching positions (non-gifted) took a relatively light cut but were largely preserved for one more year. Mutchmor’s Primary Assessment Class is being removed. The

total number of PACs goes down resulting in some re-siting of the remaining PACs for equity of geographic access. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing class at Glebe Collegiate will have a part-time itinerant teacher replace a full-time teacher. The school has plans in place to make this work for the students involved.

The recently announced Provincial budget has about $2.6m in new money for capital purposes, which is welcome but which doesn’t help us with our operating deficit. We received the expected money for teacher’s salaries and for implementing the primary class size cap but this was planned in a long time ago and also does not help us with our deficit. As expected, funding for salaries and benefits is going up 3% while these costs go up 4.5%. Our CFO is estimating over all that, with some grant lines being up and others down, that the Provincial funding announced does help our deficit to the tune of about $2m more he can bank than expected. So, having

started with a $28m deficit for next year, cut $7m in teaching staff and been helped out now by $2m, we now apprehend a $19m deficit for next year.

With the revenues now known, Board staff will be coming forward with a full-fledged budget recommendation in about 4 weeks – it takes time to work out the detailed impacts. Also anticipated for receipt at about that time will be the Special Assistance Team’s (SAT) final report on the OCDSB’s budget situation. And so, around the end of April, the last important phase of the budget debate will resume for next year. We will be

considering everything that is not a teacher expense (having already considered those and given collective agreement provisions preventing further cuts there). Up for debate will be school budgets, transport entitlements, non-teaching staff such as educational assistants and much much else. Stay tuned.

If you have any questions or comments, concerns or suggestions, or wish to be added to my newsletter distribution list, then please contact me via 613 730-8128 or [email protected]

ByMeganDoyle

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In order to achieve happiness, it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong, then you are young.” Joseph Hubertus Pilates

It is one of Old Ottawa South’s best kept fitness secrets. It quietly happens during the lunch hour at Makin’ Moves

studio at 1196 Bank Street where a group of people practice Pilates.

What is Pilates? Named after its founder, Joseph Pilates, it is series of controlled movements that involve gentle exercises done on a mat either sitting or lying down. Since the 1920’s when Joseph Pilates brought his unique exercise method from his native country of Germany to New York City it has steadily gained popularity. It first became popular

among the dance community in New York because it allowed dancers to improve their technique or recover from injuries. Since its early years and the death of Joseph Pilates in 1967 at the ripe old age of 87, it has gained a broader popularity. It is no wonder when you discover that the outcome for the person who practices Pilates is a balanced body which is strong and supple, a flat stomach, balanced legs and a strong back.

At Makin’ Moves, which is probably better known for its hip hop, jazz and break dancing classes taught by its owner, Erin Dube, the Pilates classes are taught by Louise Darling. A certified STOTT Pilates instructor, Louise has been teaching Pilates for over 6 years and as a certified teacher with The Royal Academy of Dance she has taught ballet for over 20 years and been the Director of her own school for 15 of those years. Louise provides expert individual attention in a small class setting at the Makin’ Moves studio.

So, if a flat stomach and strong and supple body is what you are striving for why not try Pilates. Call Erin at (613) 614-4590 or visit www.makinmoves.ca for more information about classes, birthday parties and day camps.

OCDSBTRUSTEEREPORT

WantHappinessandaFlatStomach?

SpringisSprung


WESTBORO ACADEMY

ByAnnWinters

Our International Weeks are a much anticipated Westboro Academy tradition. With

Canada’s heritage of multiculturalism, there was a rich expanse of world cultures represented by our students. Different continents and countries were chosen by each grade - Mexico, Australia, South Africa, France, Kenya, Holland, England, South Korea, Cuba and Russia - with a specific focus on politics, social systems, geography and culture. As “ambassadors” for their chosen country, the students

developed presentations that featured its best qualities. Of note was the sophistication of the Grade 7 and 8 students with their PowerPoint and oral presentations. The entire undertaking from JK to the senior grades entailed considerable research, resulting in considerable learning. At the end of week two, the finale was a parade of costumes from our global community and a buffet of international foods sampled by the children, parents and staff.

Westboro,lessemainesinternationalessontunrendez-vousaveclemonde!

Pendant deux semaines, chaque classe, de la maternelle à la 8ième année, se documente sur un pays. Jamais le même d’année en année. De la France à la Russie, en passant par Cuba, l’Afrique

du Sud, le Mexique ou la Corée du Sud. L’histoire, la géographie, la culture et la musique sont au menu de l’apprentissage des élèves de Westboro.

Et lors du dernier vendredi célébrant ces deux semaines, nos globe-trotters en herbe paradent aux mille couleurs des pays étudiés. Le tout se terminant dans une apothéose de saveurs lors d’un buffet international.

AWorldofDifferenceatWestboroAcademy

Westoboro...Cont’donnextpage


parMoniqueSénéchal

Une raison première de l’Amicale est de permettre aux francophones et francophiles

qui le désirent de socialiser en français. De fait, notre rêve commun est de bâtir un sens d’appartenance à une communauté francophone dans nos quartiers. Les comités de l’Amicale organisent parfois des activités sociales ou culturelles, mais notre espoir est que nos membres initient eux aussi des activités selon leurs goûts. Ainsi, il me fait plaisir d’annoncer qu’un petit groupe aimerait bien organiser un pique-nique au parc Windsor le 23 juin 2007 pour célébrer, selon votre disposition, la fin de l’année scolaire

ou le solstice d’été ou la St-Jean. Si cette idée vous plaît, écrivez-nous un mot à [email protected]. Enfin, j’aimerais souligner le travail exceptionnel de deux bénévoles de l’Amicale : Karine Briand a repris avec brio notre chronique et missive mensuelles pendant plusieurs mois tandis que Doreen Drolet assure avec panache qu’une programmation en français existe dans nos centres communautaires. Merci à toutes deux.

Carnetsdel’Amicale- Vous pouvez vous inscrire à la nouvelle session du groupe de jeux pour bambins « Copains - copines ». Ce groupe de jeux se déroule en français tous les jeudis matins au centre communautaire du Vieil Ottawa Sud. Il est encore temps de vous y inscrire avec votre bambin en contactant Dino à : [email protected] « Les petits francos à la biblio » un

rendez-vous francophone pour enfants toujours d’actualité dans la section jeunesse de la bibliothèque Sunnyside les vendredis après-midi entre 16h30 et 17h30. - Campagne d’adhésion. Nous vous rappelons que les adhésions peuvent se faire en tout temps. Le montant de cette adhésion est de 5 dollars par famille ou par personne pour l’année 2007. Notre campagne d’adhésion vise à assurer le financement des diverses activités de l’Amicale comme par exemple, payer l’hébergement du site Internet de l’Amicale. Le formulaire d’adhésion est disponible sur demande à : [email protected] - L’Amicale francophone a participé avec la Ville d’Ottawa à l’élaboration d’un guide francophone des loisirs qui est maintenant disponible à notre centre communautaire. Vous y retrouverez entre autre la programmation de l’Amicale dans nos centres communautaires.

- Vous serez heureux d’apprendre que l’Amicale était présente au premier déjeuner du maire O’Brian qui recevait la communauté francophone, le 21 mars dernier. Doreen Drolet et Guy Giguère nous ont très bien représentés.- Le comité de développement continu sont travail de sensibilisation de services en français auprès des commerçants de nos quartiers. Pour en savoir plus ou vous impliquez, joindre Guy Giguère à notre adresse de courriel.

Mosaïquefrancophone:

- Il existe maintenant un site Internet sur lequel les organismes francophones d’Ottawa peuvent annoncer gratuitement leurs activités. Visitez le www.francoOttawa.info

AMICALEMENTVOTRE

Winners from our Grade 4 to 8 In-house Heritage Fair will present their projects to a set of judges at the Regional Heritage Fair at the War Museum during the first week of April.

Our Grade 7 and 8 students are in the midst of intense training in advance of the Regional Science Fair at Carleton University at the end of March. As part of the preparation, scientists will be visiting Wesboro Academy to quiz the entrants on their projects, making sure they know and understand the technical elements of their work.

Understanding is the key to real learning. So, after attending the NAC’s dress rehearsal for “Othello”, our grade 7 and 8 students will delve into the art of theatre. Their Westboro world will become a stage and they merely players in it as the students write and mount a production of their own play.

Ours is a world of and for people. We would like to extend an invitation to our neighbours in Ottawa South to join us in making a world of difference for Shane, a seven-year-old boy who is battling A.L.L. - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - at CHEO. His ambition is to break the world record for most birthday cards received on his birthday, May 30th. Wesboro Academy students are responding to the goal by creating many, many cards. Please participate by bringing your cards to the school and we will ensure that they, along with the ones our children are drawing will be delivered to Shane. If you are interested in your child becoming part of our Westboro Academy world, please call us at 613-737-9543 or visit us at www.westboroacademy.ca .

ByCharlesBillingtonDirector,CommunityRelationsRideauValleyConservation

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority are very pleased to report a generous donation from

the Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk to help locate and collect seed from healthy Butternut trees in Eastern Ontario! The Butternut Recovery Program is now widening the search for seed trees and especially disease-resistant trees thanks to the additional funding provided by the federal government. We are asking for

help from landowners and interested persons to inform us of locations of healthy Butternut trees. We are interested in urban ‘backyard’ trees as well as woodlot Butternut. Please e-mail, fax, or phone your name, phone number, Butternut location (property owner and civic address if possible) to Rose Fleguel at [email protected] or fax 613-258-6187 or phone 613-258-3678.

Butternut is listed as an endangered tree at both the provincial and federal levels. It is being seriously threatened by a deadly canker disease spreading throughout its entire range in North America. Finding potentially disease resistant trees though not yet proven, is one of the goals of the National

Recovery Strategy for Butternut.In early 2006, the Rideau Valley

Conservation Authority (RVCA) in partnership with the Ferguson Forest Centre started a Regional Butternut Recovery Program funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Tree Canada Foundation and Rockcliffe Park Environment Committee. We try to locate, assess and map as many Butternut trees as possible within the geographic area of Lanark, Leeds & Grenville Counties and east to the Quebec border.

We have 326 seed-producing Butternut in our database, 51 of which appear to be canker-free. More assessment will have to be done to confirm the disease status of these

trees. In spring 2006, 2000 butternut seedlings were planted on 150 sites with the assistance of the Eastern Ontario Stewardship Councils and Conservation Authorities, Wetland Habitat Fund, Crosby Lake Association, the NCC and many private landowners. A lot more collecting and planting of healthy seedlings is planned.

For information on Butternut Canker go to: http://www.fgca.net/conservation/sar/butternut.aspx

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_but/ht_but.htm .

WhereAreTheHealthyButternutTrees?

Westoboro...Cont’dfrompreviouspage

TobookanOSCARadcall Gayle

at 730-1058


ByMaryAnneThompson

How does OSCAR get printed? In the not too distant past, OSCAR was laid out on large

sheets of paper, with articles, ads and photos created on computer, printed and then waxed down. These large sheets would be photographed at the printer’s, one sheet at a time, and then printed. Before computers became available, moveable lead type would be used.

Now, OSCAR is prepared on a iMAC G5, using Adobe software, which includes Photoshop and Illustrator for preparing ads, and InDesign for layout of the newspaper with articles, ads and photos. When finished, OSCAR is saved as a high quality pdf, with CMYK transparency and colour protocol, saved to CD and delivered to Winchesterprint in Winchester, south of Ottawa. OSCAR ranges from 40 to 100 MB, depending on the number of pages – too large to send by email. The Firehall Brochure is less than 10 MB and is sent by FTP

while logged on the Winchesterprint website.

Winchesterprint has been a family business since 1981, when Bud Raistrick bought the printing press from Winchester Press, the local newspaper. Bud began as a paper boy for the Winchester Press and rose to become its operations manager. During that time, Winchester Press was both the newspaper and a printing operation.

When the owners the press retired in 1981, Bud bought the printing part of the business.

The business has grown to a staff of 11 full and part-time employees. Winchesterprint support local businesses and does not buy from companies that have moved their business off-shore. They print small community newspapers, OSCAR and Glebe Report among them, as well as several ethnic newspapers, and much much more. Their main clients range from Ottawa to Cornwall

and Brockville. Winchesterprint produces

magazines, books, pamphlets, posters, telephone books and directories, business cards and stationary. They can print just about anything. One of the magazines that they print is created in Vancouver, sent to Winchesterprint, and there it is printed, labeled and delivered. To make the magazine, after printing it, they use the saddle stitcher, which is a long machine that collates the pages of the magazine, inserts ads or

subscriptions cards as needed and staples the final magazine, not by stapling but by stitching from a large roll of fine metal thread.

When OSCAR on CD gets to Winchester, it is placed into a computer and subjected to ApogeeX, a software, which preflights the layout, allowing colour correction and improving resolution of photos. The newspaper, when created in InDesign is in numerical order, from page one to the end, page 48 for example. For printing, the pages must be set up for large sheets of paper, so that there are 4 newspaper pages per plate. In the example of 48 pages, pages 1, 24, 25 and 48 are on one plate. That is why, when there is colour on four pages,

there is colour only on these pages. The second plate contains pages 2, 23, 26 and 47. Thus, when there are 8 pages in colour these are the other 4 pages in colour.

The newspaper must be prepared in postscript text into one bit TIFF file for the CT server, an ECRM News4, which is the output device. It is this machine that writes the newspaper to thin aluminum plates that have been coated with a thin layer of photopolymer, which permits the transfer of the material to be printed to the plate.

The aluminum sheet is ready for printing when the parts to be printed are remaining while the blank parts of the page are where the aluminum is bare. The basic principle of this method is not new: just the chemistry has changed. The idea is to have a surface to which the ink can adhere and imprint upon paper. The raised portions of photopolymer on the aluminum, which will be the visible parts of what we see in the newspaper, are attracted to ink, while the denuded portions of the aluminum holds water. The ink and water repel each other. There is an aluminum sheet made for

each 4 pages and for each of the colours – cyan, magenta, yellow and “key.” Thus for colour pages 1, 24, 25 and 48, there would be a plate for each of the colours as well as for the print and black parts. The plate of the 4 pages makes 5 passes before being complete.

The printing press is a monster

of a machine that fills the length of a new section of their building. With the additional sections on the top, added onto the original machine, the press is capable of printing a maximum of 48 pages of newspaper. The rolls of paper are loaded in the press and threaded so that a continuous sheet can print the 48 pages and 4300 copies of OSCAR.

The aluminum plates are laid in

HowOSCARGetsPrinted

Bud with 2 sizes of ‘W’ in moveable type

Kreg, Kent and their father, Bud, beside a roll of paper used to print newspapers such as OSCAR


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order in the printing press. If there is colour, it is done first, one colour at a time. Imagine buckets of goopy ink, CYMK, 4 colours to make up the myriad of colours in a colour photo on the front page of OSCAR. C is cyan, M is magenta, Y is yellow, and K is key or black.

The color seen on a computer screen is often different from the color of the same object on a printout since CMYK and RGB have different properties. Computer screens use an RGB color space, which represents colors as additive mixtures of red, green and blue light, whose sum on the screen is white light but is a muddy brown when printed, whereas, CMYK colours are subtractive because cyan, magenta, yellow, and key printed together on white paper result in black. In printed materials, since the RGB combination cannot be directly reproduced, computer-generated images must be converted to the CMYK equivalent in ink colors.

The newsprint paper used to print OSCAR comes in very large rolls, almost a meter wide and over a meter in outer diameter. There is enough paper in one roll to print more than several months’ worth of OSCAR’s.

The paper is made in Quebec and New Brunswick. To make newsprint, wood fibre is ground into a pulp, whereas fine paper is made by chipping wood, which creates longer fibres. Recycled paper most often goes into making newsprint because newsprint buyers do not expect a white and fine paper. High glossy papers are no longer made in Canada, but in China, Italy and France.

Environmentalists are concerned about acid levels of paper, its levels of VOC – volatile organic compounds, and the composition of inks.

At Winchesterprint the inks used are vegetable based. They buy paper that has low acidity but is not acid free. Wood, in its natural form is slightly acidic with 5 to 6 pH. Processing to bleach it, can add more acidity and buffers are often added to reduce the pH. Bleaching with Oxygen can keep down the acidity but is quite costly and not used in making newsprint.

VOCs are organic compounds that can vaporize and enter the atmosphere. Some sources of harmful VOCs include paint thinner, dry cleaning solvents, and loading and offloading of crude oil tankers and petroleum fuels. Methane, emitted by termites, ruminants, such as cows, and cultivation, is a greenhouse gas that

greatly contributes to global warming. But not all VOCs are bad. Trees are an important biological source of VOCs such as isoprene and terpenes. Anyone interested in aromatherapy knows the VOCs of different essential oils have different beneficial properties.

To save trees, there are several other future alternatives. Hemp is a good source of fibre for paper-making, but there are prohibitive regulations about growing that make it an impractical source. Bamboo is another possibility. The best, however, is kenaf, an African grass that can be harvested 3 times a year in southerly climates. Kenaf is grown in

many parts of the world and there are more than 129 names for it around the world.

As the roll of paper is printed, the pages of OSCAR fall in order, they are cut and folded, insertions made, such as the Firehall Brochure, and OSCAR is bundled, ready for delivery to Craig Piche’s house. He is the Distribution Manager, who makes sure that OSCAR is delivered to every home in Old Ottawa South as well as to the businesses along Bank Street, in Old Ottawa South as well as the Glebe.

Kent beside a cannister of black ink

Two views of the printing press with a roll of paper being printed


ByBobJamieson

If things are going well in your life, you probably have many things for which to be thankful. And you are particularly

fortunate if you have elderly parents who are still in good physical and mental condition. While your parents are healthy, you should take the opportunity to discuss matters of significance - such as their financial situation.

There are probably many things you’d rather do than talk about finances with your parents -but it’s a conversation you need to have, because there is a lot that you need to discover. So, find a comfortable time in which to talk to your parents, approach the subject in as unemotional a manner as possible, and try to elicit the following pieces of information:

Location of investments - It isn’t necessarily essential that you know precisely which investments and life insurance policies your parents own. But it is important that you know some things. Do they work with a financial advisor? If so, whom? Are their investments and life insurance policies spread out among a variety of financial institutions? You’ll need to be familiar with these things in case your parents become incapacitated or die unexpectedly. You can avoid “unclaimed” property, including investments, from slipping through the cracks if you are aware of these details.

Insurance Coverage for Health and Medical Needs - Long-term care and health care expenses can be a major concern of the elderly. That’s why you need to know who’s insuring your parents and where your parents keep information related to their insurance policies. You should also have a basic understanding of any health insurance

program they may have through a current or former employer for the payment of doctors’ bills, some prescription drugs and related services. And even so, your parents may need supplemental insurance policies. Of course, the chances are pretty good that your parents already know all these things; nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to make sure they’re well informed and that their health-care bills are under control.

Existence of a Will - If you don’t know if your parents have a Will now is the time to find out. And if they don’t have a Will, urge them to have one prepared. Your parents have worked hard all their lives and they undoubtedly want their assets distributed according to their wishes, and not according to a court’s decree, which is what would happen if they die “intestate” (without a Will). Even if your parents have a simple Will, they may still need to take further action. If you believe they have a sizable estate or want to give significant gifts to charitable groups, encourage them to consult with a financial planner and with a lawyer who specializes in estate planning.

Willingness to create power of attorney - By creating a durable power of attorney, your parents will name someone to make financial and/or health care decisions on their behalf should they become unable to do so. As you might suspect, this is a sensitive topic, so you’ll want to approach it with great care. By bringing up these issues with your parents, you can gain some valuable knowledge of their financial situation today - and a clearer understanding of what you can do to help them in the future.

Bob Jamieson, CFP, Elder Planning Counselor your Edward Jones financial advisor. Member CIPF

byJenniferDavies

If you are considering painting this spring season, why not incorporate some wallpaper into your decorating scheme?According to latest trends, wallpaper is making a

comeback, and why not? It’s a perfect way to spice up a room, bring in added texture and colour, and maybe even an interesting geometric pattern.

Small powder rooms are a perfect place to incorporate wallpaper if you’re a little shy of hanging it in the open, but want to experiment. Or, consider applying it to one wall in the living room behind a piece of furniture or artwork, or as wainscoting in another for a bold, artistic statement. There really is no end to the possibilities if you use your imagination. The ceiling is even an opportunity!

Farrow and Ball manufactures some beautiful papers, in lovely colours and remarkably contemporary designs. As an added bonus, they are made with environmentally-friendly, water-based paints. You can check out the F&B Web site at www.farrow-ball.com for more information or visit Farrow and Ball at 343 Richmond Road here in Ottawa.

Randall’s at 555 Bank Street, in the Glebe, also has a large assortment of wallpaper books arranged by style - whether it be traditional, country, or modern. It’s a terrific place to while away some creative time on a Saturday afternoon.

If you’ve tried wallpaper, and want to take it one step further, you might want to commission an artist to paint a mural for a special room. Or, maybe paper wallpaper isn’t adventurous enough, and fabric wallcovering would make a more intriguing statement.

Whatever your preference, don’t be afraid to experiment. Wallpaper is art, and it can be as bold as you like it, or as discrete as you like it. Just let your imagination go!

Jennifer Davies is owner of “Interiors for Living”, an Ottawa-based interior decorating business. If you have decorating questions, or comments on this article, you can contact her at [email protected] or 613-521-2990.

TalktoElderlyParentsAboutTheir Financial Situation

The“Wow”PowerOfWallpaper


ByPaulDewar

Last summer, Statistics Canada discovered that it miscalculated Canada’s inflation rate between

July 2001 and March 2006. This matters to ordinary seniors because public pensions are “indexed”—benefits increase as the cost of living goes up.

The botched calculation means Canada Pension plan and Old Age Security recipients were underpaid for five years by at least a billion dollars.

The Harper government admits seniors were short-changed by a billion dollars—but won’t take responsibility for correcting this unfairness.

Ordinary seniors needed that money to keep up with rising prices for groceries and other essentials. For anyone relying on CPP or OAS, life literally became less affordable.

After the StatsCan error came to light, pension rates were corrected. But what about benefits unfairly held back between 2001 and 2006?

A mistake took place. Seniors paid the price. Does the Harper government really think it’s enough just to blame the old Liberals for this?

I will continue to work along with my Caucus colleagues to ensure Canada’s seniors get the dignity they deserve—and the pension benefits they’re owed.

AnotherStepinReducingGreenhouseGasEmissions

I am in the process of drafting a Private Members’ Bill that I will introduce into the House of Commons that would phase out the sale and use of incandescent light bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent lights that are more energy-efficient.

Did you know that the incandescent light bulb uses electricity that flows through a filament to create light and that approximately 95 per cent of the energy each standard light bulb uses is wasted. In comparison, fluorescents use only 20 per cent as much electricity to produce the same amount of light.

According to calculations from Australia, where similar legislation is being introduced, lighting, which is mostly from incandescent lamps, represents 12 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from households, about 25 per cent of commercial-sector emissions and another 25 per cent from emissions associated with public and street lighting.

This is a simple measure that will make a huge difference in how we treat our environment and in your electricity bills. I will keep you updated on the Bill as it passes through Parliament and will call on you to help me raise this issue with all other parties in the House of Commons.

ByMalcolmandJohnHardingofCompu-HomeToVista,orNottoVista...WhatAretheQuestions?

The frantic hoopla of January is relaxed a bit now but there may still be readers who are wondering about upgrading to

Microsoft’s long-awaited new Windows Vista operating system. After all, the television advertising campaign was very intense, and it certainly piqued our curiosity about what this snazzy new environment was all about.

Looking back in history at the introduction of previous operating systems, the most unique distinction this time is that there does NOT seem to be a flood of users crabbing bitterly about its foibles and shortcomings. Microsoft certainly appears to have learned its lesson; the introduction of Vista was delayed several times but now that it has finally hit the street, we are not hearing about widespread crashes and security vulnerabilities and complaints of the consumer being the guinea pig, as we invariably did with the earlier generations of Windows.

There are four editions of Vista, in an attempt to address differing needs and interests of potential users. This is also in recognition of the fact that we don’t all have the newest and most powerful machines, and might not be able to run the more demanding versions. In fact, it has been estimated that barely 10% of computers in use today can run Vista at all, given the high levels of RAM, processor and video hardware that even the lowest edition demands. The Microsoft website (below) can take you to detailed pages describing each edition’s features, and the computing power required to run it. Next, you can download a small utility that can analyze and assess which edition (if any) fits within your computer’s capability.

Vista brings more functions into the operating system itself, reducing the need for individual applications to do various chores. For example: Windows Photo Gallery, which is a built-in Vista feature, is capable of importing photos from your digital camera, cataloguing them, performing basic editing chores, and even sending them out to a processor for printing. Under the general heading of “Safety,” a host of integrated features take care of data backups, parental controls, virus and spyware protection

and other security issues, all of which might have required separate (and maybe even conflicting) applications in the past.

This enhanced capability is not without its price. First is the cost of Vista itself, which varies from just over $100.00 to nearly $500.00, depending on which edition you are buying and whether it will be an upgrade or the full version. Next will be the possibility that you may have to improve the level of your computer hardware and software, which might easily mean an extra few hundred dollars or more. Not to be overlooked is the fairly steep learning curve to master all of these wonderful and sophisticated new features; the security is especially challenging, and many users have commented that the Macintosh television commercial poking fun at PC having to “Cancel or allow” every action, are not much of an exaggeration.

Bottom line: Our advice is that it is probably not worth upgrading a computer that is a year old or more. (After all Windows XP is a highly regarded operating system and it will likely continue to be supported by Microsoft and by local technicians for years to come.) On the other hand, if you purchased a computer in the fall of 2006 or later and it came with a Vista upgrade coupon, you would probably be well advised to go ahead. Those who are now in the market for a new machine right now are in the luckiest position of all because there will be at least some saving, since the cost of Vista will be absorbed into the overall purchase price... just make sure that you first go to the Microsoft website and know exactly which edition will suit your needs.

Microsoft Vista Website: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/

products/windowsvista/default.mspxCNET Vista Learning Hub:http://help.cnet.com/Vista_Learning/2001-

13259_39-0.html?tag=nl.e407

Malcolm and John Harding are the owners of Compu-Home, specializing in assisting home and small business computer users.

Visit www.compu-home.com and go to Suggested Websites for links to some of our favourite websites.

Write to [email protected] or phone 613-731-5954 to discuss computer issues, or to suggest subjects for future columns.

Member of Parliament Ottawa Centre

Canada’sSeniorsShort-Changed

ComputerTricksandTips


Anna E. Sundin, Barrister & SolicitorGEnErAl PrActicE includinG:

Family Law, Wills, Real Estate, Incorporations, Litigation and Collaborative Family Law

– A Cooperative and Dignified Approach to Separation and Divorce.–

Guidance, Protectionand Peace of Mind.

Sundin-OSCAR-Ad-2006.indd 1 7/27/06 11:15:35 AM

By Anna Sundin

The purpose of rules of governance is to provide the transparency needed to make

an organization truly accountable to its constituents. The rules can be generated within the organization or mandated by legislation.

Federal, provincial and municipal governments make decisions in their respective houses of parliament or

councils after open and public debate. There are rules about the conduct of the debates, who is entitled to vote and how the votes are conducted that aid transparency. Each respective bureaucracy then carries out the decisions made by the governing bodies.

Corporations are accountable to their owners, the shareholders. The Board of Directors is the corporate decision making body. It instructs

the officers and managers of the corporation to carry out the decisions made by the Board on behalf of the shareholders. Proposals made by the Board are called motions. If they are passed they become resolutions, which are the official decisions of the Board.

The federal and provincial governments have laws that provide minimum standards for rules that corporate Boards of Directors must follow. These are the rules of corporate governance. For example, certain corporate documents are available for review by shareholders, and there are annual general meetings to be held where the shareholders must review and approve financial decisions made by the Board and elect members of the corporate Board of Directors.

Lately, rules of governance have come under scrutiny as several Boards of Directors of large public corporations, including Enron, did not prevent senior levels of management of the corporations from breaking the law in pursuit of corporate profits. Rules of governance have been changed to make members of Boards of Directors more responsible for the actions of the corporations.

Not for profit corporations, including community associations, also have Boards of Directors who are answerable to a constituency.

The members of the Board of Directors of these organizations are usually volunteers who stand for election at an annual general meeting. At Board meetings, the members of the Board makes decisions in the interests of its constituency after debate. The Executive (as in “to execute”) is then mandated to carry out the decisions of the Board to the extent the decisions relate to something within its control, or to make representations and recommendations to other decision making bodies in areas that are outside its control but affect its constituency.

The structure of the board and its decision making power, who can stand for election to the Board, how Board elections are conducted, the availability of public meetings and the kind of information proved and its timing, are all set out in the rules of governance and affect the interaction between the Board and its constituency.

WhatIsGovernanceAndHowDoesItEffectYou?

FoggyDayinOldOttawaSouth

PhotobyTomAlfoldi


Contact: Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P.1276 Wellington Street, Ottawa ON K1Y 3A7

Phone: (613)798-2421 Email: [email protected]

Financial Divorce SpecialistAvoid costly mistakes with professional financial

assistance in the division of assets.

byRickSutherland

In Canada we supplement our four seasons of weather with additional seasons to represent major money and tax saving events. We

have just passed the “RRSP Season.” It’s the time of year when people who want to save a few dollars on their income taxes will sock a few dollars away in an approved Registered Retirement Savings Plan. We have now entered the “Tax Season.” This is the time of year when everyone has to reconcile his or her income and expenses with the federal government.

It’s too late to make tax-planning decisions that will have much of an impact on your 2006 tax return. Other than RRSP contributions, the time to do that was before December 31. You can however, begin making plans that will have an impact on the taxes you pay in 2007 and beyond.

Decisions to place money into a Registered Retirement Savings Plan, RRSP, will reduce your taxable income and possibly result in a tax refund or reduce the amount of tax owing. The RRSP has added benefits of tax deferral and tax sheltered growth. You can defer this income to a later date, possibly to a time when you are earning much less income and realize a huge tax saving. During the period of deferral your investment grows tax free or sheltered. The name of the RRSP game is immediate tax reduction, tax deferral and tax sheltered growth.

Another tax planning strategy is income splitting. This involves decisions that will shift income from a high-income person to a low-income person. Spousal RRSPs have

been the obvious planning opportunity to shift retirement income to a lower income spouse or partner. The federal government announced last fall that pensioners, starting in 2007, could split up to 50% of pension income with their spouse. Due to age restrictions the viability of a spousal RRSP still warrants a close look.

Opening up “in-trust” accounts for minor children could have the effect of shifting income into the hands of your child. Capital gains are taxed in the hands of the child rather than the parent. Watch out though, as dividend and interest income will still be taxed in the hands of the parent.

Plan your retirement income carefully. It may be to your advantage to convert your RRSP into a Registered Retirement Income Fund, RRIF, early. The concept is to reduce the RRIF capital and therefore lower the mandatory RRIF payment in later years. This strategy could be helpful to preserve your ability to receive the Old Age Security benefit without the claw back. The current claw back begins at income levels above $63,511.

Tax planning strategies should not be seasonal but should be considered very carefully throughout the year. Speak to your financial planner to learn more about these and other tax planning strategies.

This is a monthly article on financial planning. Call or write to Rick Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P., of FundEX Investments Inc. with your topics of interest at 798-2421 or E-mail at [email protected].

ByLeslieFulton

Music lovers will get two great artists for the price of one at the last Underground

Sound concert of the season on Wednesday, May 9th.

Juno Award winning singer/songwriter Lynn Miles and country legend Sneezy Waters and his band will take to the stage at the Glebe Community Centre for an evening of stellar music. Both are long-time Glebe residents.

Lynn Miles won a Juno in 2003 for her album Unravel. She is renowned for her plaintive style and

tuneful stories steeped in pop, folk and country. She was acclaimed by Billboard magazine as one of the top 10 performers of 1996, along with Sheryl Crow, Curtis Mayfield and Beck. Her last album, Love Sweet Love, has been praised for its intense introspection, but also for its overall upbeat musical tone. The New York Times commented, “Lynn Miles makes being forlorn sound like a state of grace.”

Sneezy Waters is best known for portraying Hank Williams in the runaway hit Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. The show toured extensively in Canada and the United States from 1977 to 1990. The movie version of the play garnered rave reviews, and was shown on First Choice Superchannel and CTV in Canada, on HBO and Z Channel in the Unites States, as well as on stations in Great Britain and Scandinavia. In 1984, Sneezy won the Best Actor Award in the 3e Festival International du Film Musical in Grenoble, France, and the film was nominated for the best country motion picture at the 19th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Paying respect to a wide range of influences from Woody

Guthrie, Frank Zappa, Philip Glass, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Lennon, Willie P. Bennett, and Ian Tamblyn, Sneezy is treasured for his vast repertoire and sensitive interpretation of a song.

Tickets for the concert are $20 each ($25 at the door) and are available

at Compact Music, the Glebe Community Centre (GCC), and the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a concert start of 7:30. The GCC is located at 175 Third Avenue at Lyon.

The Glebe Community Association (GCA) and the Glebe Business Group host Underground Sound, a series of concerts run by volunteers to raise money to bury the hydro wires when Bank Street undergoes reconstruction. Close to $40,000 has been raised so far, with significant contributions by corporate sponsors ScotiaBank, Loeb Glebe, Capital Home Hardware, Glebe Pharmasave Apothecary, Councillor Clive Doucet, Compact Music and Keller Williams Ottawa Realty. If the City of Ottawa decides not to bury

the lines, the money will be spent on other improvement projects to make Bank Street beautiful.

EverydayTaxSavingStrategies

SneezyWatersandLynnMilesplayUndergroundSound


Two Shine Music Academy bands have been invited to the 35th Annual National Festival MusicFest

Canada, May 15-19, 2007, in Richmond, B.C.. MusicFest is an annual national event bringing together more than 10,000 of Canada’s finest young musicians who perform, attend workshops and clinics. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate and share their musical achievements and creativity. Students gain invaluable educational experiences. Not only do they perform for adjudicators at North America’s largest annual event, they also attend showcase concerts, clinics and workshops. All students have the opportunity to make lifelong connections and participate with Canada’s finest musical talents: educators, performers and composers.

For more details and photos of last years’ highlights go to: www.musicfest.ca Shine participants are hardworking and dedicated to achieving excellence in their performance. Two of their bands, the Friday Night Band and Jazz Focus, have been recognized by adjudicators at regional MusicFest events as achieving Gold Standard. This signifies that the bands have demonstrated excellence in all facets of their performance. With this Gold Standard, the Friday Night Band and Jazz Focus have each received an “Official Invitation to Perform” for the national MusicFest. Students will be applying for scholarships and awards granted through the MusicFest Scholarship Program. Outstanding musical talent in Ottawa’s youth needs continued support, encouragement and recognition. There are three ways you can help support these young musicians:

1. Aeroplan can be transferred to defer air travel costs. Aeroplan donations of 25,000 points or the equivalent of a ‘seat’ is given, a charitable receipt

can be issued for $750.00 (or 2500 points equals $75.00 etc.)

2. RBC Rewards/Avion points are for hotel costs and can be redeemed for gift certificates. 100 RBC rewards $1.00 in CWT Gift Certificates.

** Note: RBC rewards must be redeemed for Carlson Wagonlit Travel Gift Certificates not RBC travel rewards. See online www.rbcrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512

3. A donation / sponsorship of Shine Foundation

the umbrella organization dedicated to the promotion of performance, education and production of music in the National Capital Region.

Either individual or corporate donations would be greatly appreciated and charitable receipts will be issued for the equivalent in CAD.

Contact: Shine Music 613-233-0990 [email protected]

Kelly Craig is the Shine Program Director

ByLindaHancock

If you’re like many Canadians, you’re already investing outside your RSP. This is a wise investment

and tax strategy considering that RSP contribution limits cap the amount you can contribute into an RSP. As a result, your RSP may not be sufficient to supply the total amount of money you need for the retirement lifestyle you want.

A mix of non-registered investments can make up the shortfall—but only when fully integrated with your overall asset allocation and tax management plan. All investment income earned outside a registered plan must be reported annually on your tax return. But you can minimize or defer tax on that income through your choice of non-registered investments. Interest income is taxed at the highest rate. Alternatively, just 50 cents of every dollar of realized net capital gains is taxable and, because capital gains are taxed usually only when you sell your investments, you control when you pay tax on those gains. You can defer capital gains taxes for years by choosing to sell these investments at a time when it’s most advantageous for you (i.e.in a year when you expect your income will be lower than it is today).

As you can see, If you are in a higher tax bracket, Investment income that is taxed as capital gains provides a significant advantage to your returns on an after-tax basis. This is where the benefits of a tax-advantaged fund structure for your non-registered portfolio can provide big rewards. Unlike most common mutual funds, which trigger tax consequences any time you switch from one non-registered fund to another, Investors

Group Corporate Class Inc. TM funds are treated as a single entity for tax purposes. This feature allows you to move assets freely among share classes while deferring capital gains taxes. As a result, you can review the regional and sector weighting of your portfolio without the need to worry about the tax consequences. Over time, it’s this tax deferral feature that allows you to accumulate more wealth than if you had to pay tax on your gains each time you reallocated assets.

Investing within a tax-advantaged structure such as Investors Group Corporate Class Inc.TM makes it easier than ever to access the right tools to help you build your wealth. Investors Group Corporate Class Inc. features over eight premier investment managers and offers you the flexibility to move freely among over 40 classes– the largest industry offering of tax – advantaged funds available. Investors Group Corporate Class Inc. also features two capital yield classes that fully support a truly balanced, and appropriately diversified portfolio. To learn more about how the funds offered by Investors Group Corporate Class Inc.can help you build your wealth in the most tax-efficient manner possible, or to explore other tax efficient investment alternatives, give me a call today.

MinimizeTaxThroughSmartNon-RegisteredChoices

ShineBandsOffto35thAnnualMusicFestCanada


By Mary Belotti

Ottawa has a rare chance to hear the combined talents of two internationally acclaimed musicians in concert together

at Dominion Chalmers United Church on 16th April. They have never met, they are both British and both are masters of their wind instrument: one is a trumpet player, the other an organist.“She has the capacity to draw the sweetest sounds out of the trumpet to soothe even the most savage beast.” (John Wallace, Gramophone Magazine)

This is not the description of a celestial angel, but of a very down-to-earth twenty-seven year old called Alison Balsom, an EMI recording artist, Best Young British Classical Performer at the 2006 Classical Brit Awards and Classic FM Listeners’ Choice Award winner at the prestigious Gramophone Magazine awards, an annual event in the United Kingdom. She was in good company as the year 2006 also saw Canadians Angela Hewitt named as Best Artist and Gerald Finlay, Editor’s Choice for his album ‘Stanford Songs of the Sea’.

Ms Balsom’s inspiration came from her music teacher, Bill Thompson, and the “amazing music department” at her school, Tannery Croft. “Of those of us who started playing there around the age of eight, four of us have become professional musicians: it’s a brilliant example of good teaching when you’re young…” she says. She was a member of the school band and makes sure she gets back to play with them every Christmas.

Her new album ‘Caprice’ – which was named ‘Solo CD of the Year 2006’ by Brass Band World Magazine – includes transcriptions of well-known classics especially written for – and in many cases by – Alison Balsom.

Matthew Larkin, Ms Balsom’s accompanist, has appeared as organ recitalist throughout North

America, the UK and Europe. His discography includes seven recordings in the role of Choral Director and more than twenty as organist and accompanist.

He is well known as a composer of liturgical and vocal music and his many commissions include At Round Earth’s Imagined Corners for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and Arts Festival in Victoria, works for the Tallis Choir of Toronto and the Amadeus Choir of Toronto. A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day, was performed by the Ottawa Choral Society in its 1999-2000 concert series, and when he became Music Director of the OCS in 2005, the choir performed his composition Four Songs of Love to great acclaim. The OCS will be performing his new work at a concert on 21st April at St. Joseph’s Church.

Matthew Larkin’s work at Christ Church Cathedral where he is Organist and Director of Music is much revered. A tireless advocate of the Anglican tradition of male voice choirs, his devotion to the heritage of Anglican Church music is fully manifested every week at the morning and evening services at the Cathedral.

Alison Balsom and Matthew Larkin will be performing an exciting and diverse program of baroque and contemporary works.

For more information, visit www.cathedralarts.com/special events.htm or telephone 613 567 1787.

Tickets are available from:Christ Church Cathedral, Sparks and Bronson,

613 567 1787Dominion Chalmers United Church, 355

Cooper, tel 613 235 5143Compact Music, 190 Bank, tel 613 233 7626

and 785-A Bank, tel 613 233 8922Leading Note, 370 Elgin, tel 613 569 7888Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood

Avenue, 613 742 5030

MatthewLarkinandAlisonBalsomTakeOttawaByStorm

Matthew Larkin of Old Ottawa South photo by Catherine Culley.

Allison Balsom with her trumpet



Rick Sutherland, CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P1276 Wellington StreetOttawa, Ontario K1Y 3A7

Tel [email protected]

Personal Financial PlanningWe will review your current financial position and

recommend a plan that is designed to achieve your goals.

ByMaureenFallis,SurroundCircleYoga

With spring comes a natural anticipation of new growth and revitalization. Finally,

we are able to strip off our heavy winter coats and put on light shirts & shorts. It feels like heaven to have the sun’s warm rays bathe our bodies again. Then one little niggling thought pops up ~ “will my sluggish winter body be ready to hit the running trails, will I have the energy to get out for a speedy ride around on my bike or will I feel supple enough even to bend over to plant the garden?”

Yoga is an ideal elixir for this time of year. Whether you intend to run a 10Km race, cycle in the Gatineau Hills, or be the first to get out on the golf course, yoga can prepare you for your activity of choice.

A strong, stable body that is fluid and flexible creates the foundation for a healthy, injury-free joyful return to spring activities. Consider a lone tree whipping in the gales of a wicked windstorm. A brittle, stiff tree will crack and break off while a fluid flexible tree will bend and lean, ultimately withstanding the fiercest of storms. Yoga postures can increase your flexibility, strengthen your muscles, improve your posture,

and enhance your circulation. Athletic programs from gymnastics to football now incorporate yoga for its systematic approach to stretching muscles, tendons, and joints. Fitness enthusiasts are often pleasantly surprised by how quickly the addition of yoga postures to a workout routine can improve tone and posture. Someone once told me they actually felt taller after practicing yoga!

Try this Reclining Leg-Stretch Pose with a Strap (Supta Padangusthasana) and see for yourself:

♦ Lie down on a carpeted floor. You can place a folded blanket under your head and neck, but this is not mandatory. Align your body so that it is in a straight line. Place your legs together, with your kneecaps facing the ceiling.

♦ Inhale, and with an exhalation, bend your right knee and place a strap (an old tie works well) over the arch of your foot. Hold one end of the strap in each hand. Use the strap to pull your leg toward your face. Keep both knees straight and your left leg on the floor. Roll your left leg inward slightly, so that your inner heel presses against the floor.

♦ When your elbows start to bend, move your grip higher on the strap. Make sure your shoulders remain relaxed. Keep your chin dropped down.

♦ Focus your attention equally on the lifted leg and on the leg on the floor. Press out through the ball of your raised foot and out through the inner heel of the leg on the floor.

♦ When you are comfortable in the pose, with each exhalation, bring the leg a little closer toward

your face. Do not force the leg past the point of a healthy, strong but still pleasant stretch.

♦ After three to five full

breaths, slowly lower your leg to the floor. Once your leg is back down, align your body before practicing Reclining Leg-Stretch Pose on the other side.

♦ Surprise ~ you may very well feel one leg is longer than the other until you stretch out both legs!

Maureen Fallis, Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher, with her associate teacher, Nathalie Cloutier, are excited about bringing yoga to Old Ottawa South. Surround Circle Yoga is located at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue at Bank Street. We are celebrating!

~Surround Circle Yoga invites you to an Open House on Wednesday, April 25th from 4 – 7:00pm~

Drop in and see our beautiful new yoga space and find out more about our spring session of classes. Please seewww.surroundcirleyoga.com or call Maureen Fallis at 613-730-6649 for class schedule and details.

HereComestheSun!

Maureen Fallis, Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher, with her associate teacher, Nathalie Cloutier


ByLisaXing

In a society becoming more and more health-conscious and shifting toward a better quality of

life, Planet Botanix engages customers with a new kind of experience.

Tucked comfortably between an athletic store and a shawarma shop in the Glebe, owner Heather Garrod says the business is blooming.

In 1995, the certified aromatherapist began by selling her own line of homemade natural skin care line, Beebalm and Basil, out of her home in Ottawa. But after a decade, she wanted to bring it into a shop. “I wanted a place so people could come in anytime and also have a place for “do-it-yourselfers,” she

says. By this, she means encouraging shoppers to learn about and make their own natural body care products through workshops offered monthly in the store.

That’s just scratching the surface.Planet Botanix, which turns two

years old soon, is becoming more than a place to buy things—it’s becoming a landmark site for general well-being and all things organic—from makeup to body care products (even bug spray!) to baby and pet care products, to foods and garden solutions. This includes organic toothpaste, deodorant and most interesting—cleaning supplies.

Heather shows the soapnuts—nuts that grow on certain trees in Nepal and India that releases a “sudsy” substance for cleaning when you put them in warm water. “Things like these are good for you and good for the Earth,” she says, referring to giving customers a “wholistic experience.” By this, she means further blurring the lines by incorporating physical health with spiritual health. There is a massage room in the back as well as part of a room dedicated to intuition angel readings. “It’s a great way to get guidance,” says reader Brian Calhoun. “It helps to free up energies and stress and gets people toward where they should be going in life. Everybody has guides—there’s no denomination to it.”

Vivian Dickie is the registered

massage therapist there, offering reflexology expertise and chi nei tsang, an abdominal massage based on ancient Taoist practices.

This concept is drawing crowds to Planet Botanix. “People can come in, buy whatever they need. They can take a workshop about natural things or have a massage,” says Heather. “It’s whatever they seem to need at the time.” The workshops have gotten great response from the community. “People go crazy for it,” she laughs. “It’s fun, and people get to choose their own products (to make.) The session is supposed to be two hours

but they go on for more because they get playing!” Heather currently runs the ones on body care but she hopes to begin others courses soon on intuition and chakras.

With spring inching nearer, she will soon be selling organic seeds and other garden items. She stresses the importance of organic plants, especially if they’re for cooking. “They shouldn’t be contaminated or sprayed with toxins,” she says. “The things we put into our bodies should be as natural as possible.”

But, she doesn’t just go for things we eat. Heather also sells organic herbs and flowers for the garden and come spring, the store will have new garden ideas including growing shrubs, perennials, herbs and sage in place of grass. She also talks about

her own garden—she grows drought-resistant plants, which are great for the environment since they don’t need watering and in the long run, need less maintenance. “The imperfections are part of the perfection,” she says.

Heather is also a big supporter of the local economy and tries to buy all of the products for the store from the area. “I like to support Canadian and fair trade businesses,” she says. She carries makeup from Guelph and soaps from the Ottawa area.

The mother of four says she loves having the store where it is so she can get to know the customers better. “Having grown up in this area, this store has a neighbourhood feel. I know the customers’ names. It’s like friends coming in, and in a mall, you wouldn’t get that as easily.”

Heather has another commitment on top of all this. “I also have a full time job with the government,” she says. “But this is where my heart is.” She explains she balances out the two better and better as more of the routines are established with her store.

She smiles. “Eventually, I would like to be doing this full time.”

Heather Garrod, Rachel Black, and Monika Salva

PlanetBotanix-OrganicProductsandServices


byBarbaraCampbell

As a new member of the Green Party, I am frequently called on to explain why I am embracing

this political party. I see a common thread amongst the six fundamental principals of the Green Party of Canada: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Participatory Democracy, Non-Violence, Sustainability and Respect for Diversity. To me, they share an element of nurturing. It seems to me that saving the planet will require all of the skills and qualities involved in nurturing, whether we apply them to ourselves, our individual relationships, or the organizations and structures that allow us to co-exist.

I think that the fast pace of western lifestyles, the instant gratification of information technologies, and the compartmentalization of so many once integrated ‘nurturing’ elements of our lives (care for the sick, teaching of the young, tending the family vegetable garden, help for the disadvantaged, burial of the dead) has resulted in a real loss of nurturing skill sets. In many ways, I believe a lack of nurturing on various fronts, not just environmental, has led to the current state of the biosphere. But there is no reason they can’t be reclaimed and applied to global benefit! There is someplace in the human psyche an instinct to nurture; we just have to help each other find it.

I don’t see green policy anywhere on the linear, left to right continuum used to describe Liberal or Conservative orientations. To me it is a three dimensional globe, based on the robust science of ecology, acknowledging the contributions of traditional economic studies, where appropriate. In other words, it is on a completely different conceptual plane, and the relative importance of traditional economic theory has been inverted to a more subordinate position.

While I see an emphasis on human nurturing skills as part of the Green Recipe for planetary health, identifying and taking advantage of opportunities related to climate change crises may very well be another. If you are interested in finding out what the Green Party in the Ottawa-Centre Federal Riding is all about, why not attend the Annual General Meeting, scheduled* for 7 pm, Thursday May 31st at the McNabb Community Centre 180 Percy St. The website www,greenparty,ca includes Green policy content and www.ottawagreens.ca will confirm meeting details in the event an election is called and the meeting is postponed.

The City initiated preparation of a new Street Design Policy in April 2006. This policy will focus on setting standards for the design of

special streets within the City.Criteria will be established to determine which

streets warrant special design treatment, such as, burial of hydro and telecommunication cables, decorative paving, street trees, pedestrian streetlights, and benches. It will also determine how and when these improvements will be financed and how they will be maintained. The general intent is to create a higher design standard for certain specific special streets in the city.

You can view this discussion paper on the City Website at the following link.

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/street_design/index_en.shtml

http://www.ottawa.ca/public_consult/street_design/index_fr.shtml

The completion of the Street Design Policy is projected for summer 2007.

For more information on this project and a related one on Right-of-Way Lighting Policy, please contact:

Charles Lanktree, MCIP, RPP, CSLA, OALAUrban DesignerArea Planning and Design DivisionPlanning Transit and the EnvironmentCity of Ottawa 110 Laurier Avenue West, 4th. fl.Ottawa, OntarioTelephone: 613-580-2424 ext. 13859Fax: 613-580-2459E-mail: [email protected]

NurturingthePlanet

OttawaCityStreetDesignPolicy


Page 43APRIL 2007 The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR

AltaVistaBranchLibrary

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY

SunnysideBranchLibrary

AltaVistaBranchOttawaPublicLibrary2516AltaVistaDr.Toregistercall:737-2837x3

AdultPrograms

BookBanterThe Portraitby Iain PearsThursday, April 5, 2 p.m. (1hr.)

The Swallow of Kabulby Yasmina KhadraThursday, May 3, 2 p.m. (1 hr.)

InfusionlittéraireL’alchimistede Paulo CoelhoMardi le 17 avril, 14 h (1 h)

Lignes de faillede Nancy HustonMardi le 15 mai, 14 h (1 h)

TuesdayBookGroupMeets every other week.The Malaise of Modernityby Charles TaylorTuesday, Apr. 3, 17, 7 p.m.

Writers’CircleJoin other writers and learn techniques to improve your writing.Tuesday, Apr. 10, 6:30 p.m.(1.5 hrs.)

CaringforSeniorsThree free workshops for thosewho care for an older adult, led by

professionals.Tuesday, April 10: Understanding the Aging ProcessTuesday, April 24: Strategies for the CaregiverTuesday, May 1: Making the Most of Community Resources1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

WildlifeFestivalIrwin Brodo presents: The Diversity and Importance of Lichens in Canada’s Northern Lands.Thursday, April 12, 6:30 p.m.(1.5 hrs.)

Bird-watchingTakesFlightEve Ticknor from the Ottawa Field- Naturalists’ Club will explain how you can become involved in birding.Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.(1.5 hrs.)

TeenPrograms

TeenBookClubDrop in to share some great readswith other teens. Ages 12-15.Tuesday, Apr. 24, 7 p.m. (1 hr.)

TeenChickLitBookClubIf you love Gossip Girl or other books like it, bring your favourite reads to share with others. Ages 14-18. Monday, April 16, 4:30 p.m. (1 hr.)

PRE-SCHOOL

BabytimeThursdays, April 12-May 24, 10:30 a.m. (30 min.)

ToddlertimeMondays, April 16-May 14, 10:30 a.m. (30 min.)

Storytime(Bilingual) Wednesdays, April 11-May 23, 10:30 a.m. (45 min.)Contes(Bilingue) Les mercredis, 11 avril-23 mai, 10 h 30 (45 min.)

Family StorytimeTuesdays, April 10-May 22, 10:30 a.m. (30 min.)

BOOKCLUBS/CLUBSDELECTURE

Un livre à partagerClub de lecture pour ceux qui aiment lire. Pour les 8 à 12 ans.Lundi 16 avril, 16 h 15 (45 min.)*

TeenChickLitIf you love « Gossip Girl » or other books like it, bring your favourite reads to share with others! Ages 14-18.Monday, April 16, 4:30 p.m. (1 hr.)*

Remarkable Readers Book ClubAn after-school book club for those who love to read. For the more advanced readers.Monday, April 23, 4:15 p.m. (45 min.)*

EagerReadersBookClubAn after-school book club for those who love to read. Beginner to intermediate readers.Tuesday, April 24, 4:15 p.m. (45 min.)*

SPECIALPROGRAM

MusicTogether!You’re invited to sing, dance, chat and move. Join music teacher Liz Benjamin for a fun music program. Ages 0-5.Tuesday, April 3, 10:30 a.m. (45 min.)*

N.B.Programsfollowedbyan*requireregistration./L’inscriptionestrequisepourlesprogrammessuivisd’un*.

Children

BabytimeFor babies and their parent or care-giver with stories, rhymes, songs and games. 0-18 months.Tuesdays, 2:15 p.m. (30 mins) April 10-May 22

ToddlertimeFor toddlers and a parent or care-giver with stories, rhymes, songs and games. Ages 18-35 months.Tuesdays, 10:15 a.m. (30 mins) April 10-May 22 OR Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. (30 mins) April 12-May 24

StorytimeStoriesandrhymesforyoungchil-dren-parentsandcaregiversarewelcometo join. Ages 3-6. Wednes-days, 10:15 a.m. (30 mins) April 11-May 23

MotherDaughterBookGroupA place for girls and the special women in their lives to share excel-lent books. Ages 10-12.Mondays, 7 p.m. April 16, May 28 (1hr)

Teen

girlzoneA monthly lunchtime book chat group for girls in grade 7 and 8 at the Sunnyside Library. Registration. Friday, Apr 20, May 18 and June 15 at 12:05 (45 mins)

Adult

AdultComputerPrograms15 minutes Computer TutorialsHaving problems with the Library Catalogue? Accessing the web? Email issues? Register for your own 15 minutes computer tutorial Mondays between 10 and 11:30 a.m. (April 16-June 18)

BasicInternetSearchTechniquesLearn basic Internet search tech-niques. Participants should have some previous experience in access-ing the Internet. Registration. Limit of 12 participants. Friday, April 13, 10:30 (1.5 Hrs)

AdultPrograms

ThePoetryExperience In celebration of Poetry month come

hear local poets recite at the Sunny-side Library, two different poets each Thursday night. Chris Levenson, local poet and Sunnyside customer, coordinating Poets. Thursdays, Apr. 5, 12, 19 and May 3 at 7 p.m. (1.5h)

What’sGoodAboutAllergies?Understanding Our Body’s Heal-ing Wisdom. Explore the meaning behind our body’s discomforts and symptoms. Homeopathic medicine is a holistic method of tapping into our inner healer. Symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and hives can help us gain insight into our inner na-ture and what it’s in need of. Join us for a free lecture with Julek Meissner, ND. With over 20 years experience in holistic health care, Meissner has a wealth of insight into the fascinat-ing world of natural healing. Visit his website at www.homeopathyrocks.com.Tuesday, April 10, 7pm (1hr)

DancingintheElevatorJoin Barbara Schulman and Donna Lordon, co-authors of Dancing in the Elevator: A Compilation of Anec-dotes about Life with Alzheimer

Disease. Initially inspired by stories recounted by Barbara about her mother, Dancing in the Elevator has been featured in The Ottawa Citi-zen, in Ottawa Fifty- Five Plus, and in several community newspapers, as well as on CFRA. Barbara and Donna will share their experiences in planning and producing the book and read some of the anecdotes. Thurs-day, April 26, 7pm (1hr)

JimRobertson:ExploreWildlifeJoin Jim Robertson as he talks about Iqaluit; Beekeeping; Maple Magic; Florida’s Feathered Friends and more. The last of the 15 sessions of the Explore Wildlife series being offered at different branches of the Ottawa Public Library from April 2 - May 2. Wednesday, May 2, 6:30 p.m. (1.5 hrs)


Iamaresidentof:_____Old Ottawa South_____the Glebe_____another community in Ottawa_____outside Ottawa

ImostoftenreceivemyOSCAR:____at my residence____on-lineOr at one of the following (please check or circle):____the Glebe Community Centre____the Old Firehall____Dairy Queen____Hillary’s Cleaners____Fresh Fruit Co.____Westcoast Video____Loeb in the Glebe____+Pharmaplus (the Apothecary)____Brewer Pool____Brewer Arena____Mayfair Theatre____An area church____Sunnyside Library____Alta Vista Library____An area coffee shop/pub/restaurant _____________________Other _____________________________

IfyouliveinOldOttawaSouth,pleasecheckthemostappropriateresponse:____I always get an OSCAR delivered to my residence (10 times a year)____I almost always receive an OSCAR delivered to my residence____I rarely receive an OSCAR delivered to my residence____I never receive an OSCAR at my residence

The OSCAR is published two weeks after the deadlines posted on the second page and is delivered to the Distribution Manager by mid-afternoon Fridays. Knowing that, please indicate the most accurate statement with regards to home delivery only:____I receive my OSCAR in a very timely manner (by the end of Sunday night)____I receive my OSCAR in a timely manner (by the end of Tuesday night)____My OSCAR arrives later than five days after delivery to the distribution manager____Some months it arrives in a timely manner, and other months it arrives later. ____I’m not sure (or not applicable) Ifrequentlyreadthefollowingregularcolumns(checkallthatapply):____Letters to the Editor____OSCA President’s Report____City Councillor’s Report____Gardening Glimpses____Book Review____Windsor Chronicles____OCDSB Trustee Report____OCSB Trustee Report____School Reports____Financial Planning (Rick Sutherland) (Bob Jamieson)____What’s Happening at the Library____Classy Ads____Around Town____Other____The whole paper, end to end

Knowingthatallthecontributorsarevolunteers,Iwouldstillliketoseearegularfeatureon:____City Hall happenings (outside of the councillor’s report)____Minutes from OSCA meetings____Parliamentary and Legislative happenings (an MP report or otherwise)____Theatre and movie reviews____Crosswords, puzzles and games____A crime/police report on area happenings____A business report (e.g. changes to local businesses; issues facing local businesses etc.)____A gossip/social column____Seniors’ interests____Elementary student page____Environmental issues____Local church matters____Other

IhaveplacedaClassyAdinthepast12months:____yes____no

IhavepurchasedagoodorservicefromaClassyAdinthepast12months: ____yes____no

Iambusinessowner/operatorin:____Old Ottawa South____The Glebe____another community in Ottawa____not applicable

Ifyouareabusinessowner/operatorinOldOttawaSouth,pleasecheckthemostappropriateresponse:____I always get an OSCAR delivered to my place of business (10 /year)____I almost always receive an OSCAR delivered to my place of business____I rarely receive an OSCAR delivered to my place of business____I never receive an OSCAR____I don’t want/need to receive an OSCAR

Iamabusinessowner/operator.Iam:____a regular advertiser in OSCAR____I have advertised in the past and may possibly in the future____I have never advertised but may in the future____I have never advertised and have no intention of doing so

Iamabusinessowner/operatorandwouldliketoreceivemultiplecopiesoftheOSCARformycustomers/employees. (Please provide business name, address, contact information and number of copies required).

______________________________________________________

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Thank you very much for your time in filling out this survey for OSCAR. We appreciate your suport.

OSCARSurveyBe an Agent for Change

PleasefillinthefollowingformanddeliverittotheFirehall,ormailitto260Sunnyside,K1S0R7.

APRIL 2007 The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR Page 45

AroundTownHaveyoubeenwantingtoscrapbookregularly and locally? You’re welcome to join your neighbours twice per month at Trinity Anglican Church. It’s a great time and place to share ideas, inspiration, scrapbooking tools and even a tasty treat (and if you’re new, there’s plenty of experience in the room). The sessions already run on the first and third Sundays of the month in Bender Hall of Trinity Church, 1230 Bank St., from 1 to 5 p.m. The cost is $10 per person for use of the church. You must ring the doorbell to enter through the Bank Street door. Please RSVP to Pauline at 613.733.4281 or [email protected] each time you plan to attend so I can set up a table and chair for you. Hope to see you there!

What’sGoodAboutAllergies?The Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) invites you to explore the meaning behind our body’s discomforts and symptoms on Tuesday, April 10, 7 p.m. Homeopathic medicine is a holistic method of tapping into our inner healer. Symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, and hives can help us gain insight into our inner nature and what it’s in need of. Join us for a free lecture with Julek Meissner, ND. With over 20 years experience in holistic health care, Meissner has a wealth of insight into the fascinating world of natural healing. Visit his website at www.homeopathyrocks.com The Sunnsyide Branch Library is located at 1049 Bank Street.

JourneytotheYukon’sThreeRivers–ACPAWScross-CanadatourOttawa – Thursday, April 12th, 2007, 7:30pm (doors open 7:00pm) Canadian Museum of Nature (240 McLeod St.) Multi-media event featuring unique northern images, art and song Reception and raffle to follow Join CPAWS for a special evening featuring art, northern voices and music in support of conserving the Yukon’s Peel watershed – one of the world’s great wilderness areas. Learn more about what CPAWS is doing to protect the Yukon’s Three Rivers – the Snake, Wind and Bonnet Plume – and what you can do to help. Tickets $15 / $10 for CPAWS members Available at: MEC (366 Richmond Rd) / Canadian Museum of Nature gift boutique For more information visit www.cpaws.org

Stone Soup Puppet ShowAnnouncement - The Ottawa Puppetry Club invites families to our 10th Anniversary presentation of Stone Soup, an original puppetry production based on the European folktale. Mischief, music and colourful puppet characters cook up the perfect recipe for family fun. Performances take place at Orleans Theatre, April 14 at 1:30p.m. and the Glebe Community Centre, April 29 at 1:30p.m. & 3:00p.m. A special fundraiser show at Connaught Public School starts at 7:30p.m on April 27th. Tickets are $7.50 For information call (613) 728-7043. Email: [email protected] Visit: www.magma.ca/~puppet

KidsFunkyCloset2ndsemi-annualChildren’sConsignmentSaleSunday April 15th 2007 10:00am - 3:00pm at The Glebe Community Center. The Ottawa Police will be hosting a Child Finger Print Clinic and Little Rays Reptiles will perform. Donations for The Ottawa Food Bank and Snow Suit Fund will be accepted. Limited spaces will be available for new consignors. Please visit www.mykidsfunkycloset.com for times and details.

Ottawa has a rare chance to hearthe considerable talents of twointernationallyacclaimedmusiciansin recital together: Alison Balsom, British award-winning trumpeter and Matthew Larkin, organist, will be presenting an exciting program of baroque and contemporary compositions at Dominion Chalmers United Church on Monday, 16th April at 8pm.

For further information and tickets, visit www.cathedralarts.com/specialevents.htm. Tickets are also available at Dominion Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper 613 235 5143, Compact Music, 190 Bank 613 233 7626 and 785 Bank 613 233 8922; Leading Note, 370 Elgin 613 569 7888 and Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood 613 742 5030

MintoRunforReach,Sunday,April15 at Ottawa City Hall. Beneficiary is Reach Canada a non-profit 25 year old organization which provides lawyer referral services for people with disabilities and educational programming for people with disabilities, their family members, health/social service providers, law students and other lawyers. www.reach.ca

The Minto Run for Reach has events for all ages and abilities including the Enbridge 5 & 10 runs, TD Canada Trust half-marathon, Tim Hortons 3Km. Family walk & run, Team Challenge, wheelchair & Half-Marathon inline skate. TECH shirts, great food and race kits included.

Register through the Running Room or www.reach.ca/613.236.6636. Contact: reach@ 613.236.6636

HillcrestHighSchoolishostingtheir13thannualCancerDriveon Thursday April 19th, from 5:00 – 9:30pm.Volunteers will be canvassing in the areas of Alta Vista, Canterbury, Riverview Park, Hunt Club Park, Greenboro and Upper Hunt Club. If you are outside these areas or would like to drop off a donation, feel free to do so at Hillcrest High School located at 1900 Dauphin Road between 5:00 and 9:30pm.

An Evening with Camila Reimers The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) presents Chilean-Canadian author Camila Reimers at the Main Library on Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 pm. Reimers will be reading from her book Tres lotos es un mar de fuego. Ms. Reimers was born in Chile and immigrated to Canada in 1980. The author of numerous short stories in

Spanish, Reimers has been published in Mexico, Uruguay and Canada. The evening will be in Spanish and English. Admission is free and the reading will be followed by a question period and live music by Duetto Forte (Monika Salva & Marlene Cruz-Lozano). The Main Library is located at 120 Metcalfe St. For a complete list of Library events visit www.biblioottawalibrary.ca

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 7:30pm,,. Linda Ghan will presenther novel, Sosi, at Mother TongueBooks, 1067 Bank Street. Winnipeg Free Press called Sosi “A remarkable, heartbreaking and beautifully written story about the universal and timeless themes of love, loss, longing and displacement.” The daughter of a Muslim Turk father and an Armenian Christian mother, Sosi is orphaned at the age of seven when her parents are murdered by their own neighbours. The cities of Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Montreal for a fascinating political backdrop for the story of Sosi, who cannot turn her back on her past and who must find her way as a survivor, mother, and wife.

DancingintheElevatorOttawa- The Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) invites you to come join Barbara Schulman and Donna Lordon, co-authors of Dancing in the Elevator: A Compilation of Anecdotes about Life with Alzheimer Disease. Initially inspired by stories recounted by Barbara about her mother, Dancing in the Elevator has been featured in The Ottawa Citizen, in Ottawa Fifty- Five Plus, and in several community newspapers, as well as on CFRA. Barbara and Donna will share their experiences in planning and producing the book and read some of the anecdotes. Thursday, April 26, 7pm (1hr)

Canadian Mothercraft is pleased toannounce a night of comedy fromMark Breslin’s Yuk Yuk’s On Tour performers in support of the Birth and Parent Companion Program! The event will take place Thursday April 26th at Tudor Hall, doors open 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25.00 in advance and $30.00 at the door and are available by phone at 613-728-1839 x500 or at Canadian Mothercraft, call for details. The evening performances will feature Joey Elias, Phil Shuchat and Bill MacIntosh and is bound put a spring into our step … a good laugh for a good cause!

Lady Evelyn School Councilpresents “SWING INTOS P R I N G F U N D R A I S I N GEVENING”. Cocktails, hors deouvres, dancing, silent auction and much more! Everyone over 19 welcome. Saturday, April 28th 7-11pm at Lady Evelyn Alternative School, 63 Evelyn Avenue. Childcare included in price of ticket: $12.00. For more information please email Shahla Khan Salter at [email protected] . RSVP by April 20th if childcare is required.

Comeone,ComeAlltotheAltaVistapublic school annual spring fair, April 28, 2007 10am - 1:30 p.m. Kids

can enjoy plenty of Games with prizes , while parents can browse the white elephant table, the used book sale, plant sale or place a in the silent auction.The Meibion Prysor Choir, a male voice choir from Wales, will be concluding their Canadian tour with a one-night benefit concert in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 1st.2007. The performance will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 470 Roosevelt Avenue, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10, with all proceeds going to assist Highland Park Wesleyan Church in running a sports camp for at-risk youth in Odessa, Ukraine later this summer. For further details and to pre-order your tickets, call Elf at 613-741-9633, or email [email protected]. Details are also available at the choir’s website:www.meibionprysor.org

Start the Canoe Season withKevin Callan The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) presents canoe expert Kevin Callan at the Main Library on Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 pm. Callan will discuss his new book A Paddlers Guide to Quetico and Beyond. Callan is the author of numerous canoeing books, including the bestselling A Paddler’s Guide Series. Admission is free. The Main Library is located at 120 Metcalfe St.

OttawaWelshChoralSocietySpringConcert. Sunday, May 5, 2007, at 3 pm. St Giles Presbyterian Church corner of Bank and First Ave. Welsh music and refreshments. Visit owcs2001.tripod.com or phone 613-521-1504 or email [email protected] for more information.

HintonburgGardenPlantExchange& Sale Saturday May 12th From 10am Until 12am At The Parkdale Park At Parkdale & Wellington(behind the farmers market).

The spring issue of Hospice Newsisnowonline! This spring has been a time of great change at The Hospice at May Court. Check out the spring issue of Hospice News to learn more about who will be replacing our out-going Executive Director Barbara O’Connor, and get to know our new Director of Clinical Programs and Education, Elaine Leipe. The Hospice is also preparing for its fifth annual Hike for Hospice on Sunday May 6th. This event consists of a 5 km walk and a family picnic on the Hospice’s scenic grounds along the Rideau River. There is more information on this fun family event in the newsletter. Registration and pledge forms can be downloaded online at www.hospicemaycourt.com . We hope to see you there! All the best for a pleasant spring from everyone at The Hospice at May Court! You will need Adobe Acrobat to view Hospice News online. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call (613)260-2906 x. 232 to have a copy sent to you by post.

Brio stroller in good condition. Solid metal frame, large tires. An excellent reversible “pram” (baby faces towards you or away). Adjustable footrest, fully reclining, removable cover, collapses for storage or travel. Asking $95. Call 730-7051.-----------------------------------------------Luggage - brand new, red, expandable Samsonite roller suitcase - 25 inches high x 18 inches wide x 10 deep. Price tag still on it - paid $45, asking $35.Call Sandra @ 613-730-1163 after 6 p.m-----------------------------------------------French Canadian pine queen bed, two night tables and wide dresser $1,500 ; brushed brass fireplace insert with glass sliding doors $50. Call Susan at 613-730-7053.-----------------------------------------------Elliptical trainer for sale. Manufactured by Universal Fitness,it exercises upper and lower body and hac heart rate recorder in hand pieces.Asking $85.00. 234-8022

Wagner power painter , Ideal for fences and decks , in “like new’ condition , $200.00 when new $50.00 now call Fred 613 730 3096.-----------------------------------------------Ivory cloth-covered pull-out couch for sale. In good condition except for cat scratches on right side. $50 or best offer.

Wanted Furnished House Rental June, July, August 2007. Old Ottawa South family of four seeking furnished accommodations during renovations to our home. No pets/Non-smokers. Please phone 613-730-4615 if you can assist with any or all.

Nanny to Share Looking for another family to share our excellent nanny. Spring and/or summer only. We live on Holmwood in the Glebe. Part time OK. Please call Leonore at 237-6074.

Old Ottawa South child caregiver has a full time space. We read stories, sing, dance. Go to parks and playgroups. Hot meals. Reerences and receipts. 730-9080.-----------------------------------------------I am a mother seeking a part-time job as a Child Care Giver in child’s home. Beginning July or August 2007. 3 full days a week. Non-smoking family. Have first aid, CPR, resume and references. Available for interview now. Ask for Jane. 613 -737-0771-----------------------------------------------Shared Nanny Looking for 2-5 yr. old children to share experienced, fun-loving nanny with our kids. Care 8am to 5pm in our home. Alta Vista. Laura 613-521-4484.-----------------------------------------------University student studying child and youth care looking for full or part time job for May and June. Great references and qualifications - CPR, First Aid, 3 years as lifeguard. Great with kids of all ages. Will do housework. Please call Alexa at 416-505-0974 or email at alexaironside@gmail.com-----------------------------------------------Looking for an experienced live-out nanny to care for our two children (ages

3 years and 6 months), in our home, five days a week. We live in the Brantwood Park area. Position to start August 2007. Please call Meagan on 613-234-6650.

Qualified teenage girl with babysitting certificate willing to babysit during the summer months. Please contact Abigail at 613-731-8401.-----------------------------------------------Reliable senior high school student experienced in an office environment looking for employment during the summer months. Please contact Constance at 613-731-8401.

SONY Television, 21 inch, with remote. Works excellent for television & cable: external video input is intermittent. Free to a good home (but not to the dump!). Phone 613-730-3537.


CLASSY ADS are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the Old Firehall, 260 Sunnyside, or sent by email [email protected] by the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email address) must be included. Only your contact info will appear unless you specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or exclude submissions. The OSCAR takes no responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058.

CLASSYADS

Child &Housekeeping

For Sale

Wanted

To Give Away

Students’ Work

APRIL 2007 The OSCAR - OUR 33rd YEAR Page 47

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