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By Sheryl Bennett-Wilson<br />
When Dr. Nasrin Saba went<br />
looking for a location for<br />
her own dental practice,<br />
she did a lot of research. She wanted<br />
a neighbourhood she could serve and a<br />
location with good street visibility. Dr.<br />
Saba was already familiar with the <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> neighbourhood as her<br />
oldest daughter had attended Hopewell.<br />
She realized that the area was in need<br />
of a dental office so she decided to<br />
set up her practice somewhere on this<br />
part of Bank Street. She looked at<br />
the neighbourhood’s habits and was<br />
impressed with the fact that residents<br />
like to walk to neighbourhood<br />
businesses and best of all, that <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> residents are very loyal<br />
and supportive of local businesses. Dr.<br />
Saba decided that she really wanted<br />
to be part of the neighbourhood. So<br />
when the opportunity arose for the<br />
location vacated by Serious Cheese,<br />
she grabbed it.<br />
Dr. Saba and her family arrived in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> in 2006. They had been living in<br />
Toronto since 2000 while both she and<br />
her husband were at school. Dr. Saba<br />
and her husband, Dr. Hamid Dabir are<br />
both graduates of university in Iran.<br />
They both trained in Canada with Dr.<br />
Saba graduating from the University<br />
of Toronto in 2006. Her husband, Dr.<br />
Dabir is a radiologist and is training<br />
The<br />
O•S•C•A•R©<br />
The Community Voice of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Year 40, No. 5 The <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association Review<br />
MAY 2012<br />
By Michael Jenkin<br />
As many of you know, the OSCA Board<br />
has been involved in an intensive search<br />
for a new Executive Director to manage<br />
its operations and programming. The search is<br />
now over and the Board has chosen as the winning<br />
candidate Ms. Christy Savage. Christy will start<br />
working with Deirdre McQuillan, our current<br />
Executive Director on June 5th. Deirdre will be<br />
retiring from her position at the end of June after<br />
some 20 years of service with OSCA.<br />
Christy Savage has worked in the field of<br />
recreation and children’s programs, both in<br />
Canada and Europe, for over 25 years. She has<br />
built an extensive experience base in recreation<br />
and enrichment; community outreach; and special<br />
events and fundraising.<br />
Having grown up in Europe and Canada,<br />
Christy spent her high school years in <strong>Ottawa</strong>,<br />
attending St Pius X high school, before going to<br />
Montreal for university. After graduating from<br />
Concordia University with a BA in Anthropology,<br />
Christy came back to <strong>Ottawa</strong> to pursue graduate<br />
studies in Cultural Anthropology and Mediation<br />
at Carleton University.<br />
Upon her return to Montreal, Christy quickly<br />
got involved with community programs and<br />
OSCA Names New Executive Director<br />
began working as a coordinator for the Westmount<br />
YMCA. Soon after she was approached by a local<br />
parent’s group to plan and launch a recreational/<br />
enrichment program for elementary school<br />
aged children. For the past 15 years Christy has<br />
remained in Notre Dame de Grace (NDG) as the<br />
Executive Director of the Willingdon Extended<br />
Day Program, while continuing her community<br />
involvement by volunteering on local boards.<br />
During that time she also graduated with a BA<br />
specialization in Psychology, and is currently<br />
completing a certificate in Non Profit Management<br />
at Mount Royal University.<br />
As a former Carleton student Christy<br />
is familiar with <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> and the<br />
community. Christy noted “I was particularly<br />
attracted to <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> because of the<br />
many similarities between it and the community<br />
of Notre Dame de Grace where I have lived<br />
and worked for the last 25 years.” Somewhat<br />
wistfully, she observed that “ leaving NDG is<br />
going to be difficult for me, but I am very much<br />
looking forward to the opportunity to get to know<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> better, get actively involved,<br />
and help the people who live here build the kind<br />
of community they want and deserve.”<br />
Welcoming Smiles to the Neighbourhood!<br />
to become a neuroradiologist at the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Hospital. Although they still<br />
have relatives in Toronto, the family<br />
loves <strong>Ottawa</strong>. Eldest daughter Anita is<br />
graduating soon and Armita is in grade<br />
three. Dr. Saba worked in Orleans<br />
when she arrived, but always knew<br />
she wanted to set up her own practice<br />
– and now she has, as a neighbourhood<br />
dentist!<br />
You’ll be impressed with Bank<br />
Street Dentistry and Dr. Saba’s offices.<br />
The tranquil, organic-feeling green<br />
wall in the waiting area is amazingly<br />
soothing. Jennie, the receptionist<br />
makes you feel welcome with a<br />
cheery smile and behind the scene is<br />
Marie, Dr. Saba’s warm and friendly<br />
Dental Assistant. Dr. Saba has gone<br />
to great lengths to make sure her office<br />
is environmentally friendly. In the<br />
decorating, she made sure only waterbased<br />
paints were used and the floor is<br />
beautiful natural porcelain. No charts<br />
or paper here! All records are stored<br />
digitally on the computer systems. To<br />
reduce radiation exposure for patients<br />
and produce better images, the office<br />
uses digital radiography that also<br />
eliminates the use of chemicals. The<br />
dry vacuum system saves thousands<br />
of gallons of water each year and<br />
a Mercury Waste Water Separator<br />
has been installed at the end of the<br />
suction lines – that means the majority<br />
of mercury from the dental office is<br />
NOT dumped into the sewer. And<br />
you’ll be notified about an up-coming<br />
appointment by email – much more<br />
convenient and saves paper. Dr. Saba’s<br />
office is definitely being kind to the<br />
environment!<br />
If your child or children are ready<br />
for their first dental appointment, Dr.<br />
Saba enjoys dealing with kids. She<br />
says it’s really important to get them<br />
started going to the dentist at an early<br />
age, so they feel comfortable with it.<br />
It’s also a great way to get them into<br />
the habit of brushing often! Whether<br />
you’re looking for a family dentist,<br />
or even some cosmetic ‘smile’<br />
enhancement, Dr. Saba just might be<br />
Winning candidate Ms. Christy Savage<br />
OSCA Annual General<br />
Meeting<br />
Tuesday, May 1<br />
Main Hall of the Firehall,<br />
7:00 p.m<br />
Dr. Nasrin Saba, with one of her daughters and her staff<br />
the neighbourhood dentist you’ve<br />
been looking for! And as much as<br />
dentistry has progressed in the last few<br />
years, Dr. Saba says the old standards<br />
still apply – brush after meals, floss<br />
and see your dentist regularly. You<br />
can find Bank Street Dentistry at 1189<br />
Bank Street, right across from Patty’s<br />
Pub. Call 613-241-1010 or email<br />
info@bankdentistry.com to make an<br />
appointment. Drop in and say hello –<br />
Dr. Saba, Jennie and Marie are ready<br />
with welcoming smiles!<br />
Welcome to the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Neighbourhood Dr. Saba!
Page 2 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012
MAY 2012<br />
OSCAR<br />
The<br />
The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY<br />
ASSOCIATION REVIEW<br />
260 Sunnyside Ave, <strong>Ottawa</strong> Ontario, K1S 0R7<br />
www.<strong>Old</strong><strong>Ottawa</strong><strong>South</strong>.ca/oscar<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Editor: Mary Anne Thompson<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Distribution Manager: Larry Ostler<br />
Business Manager: Susanne Ledbetter<br />
ledbetter@sympatico.ca<br />
Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
OSCAR is printed by Winchester Print<br />
NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 11<br />
The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising.<br />
It is published for the <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association<br />
Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> homes and<br />
businesses and selected locations in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, the Glebe and<br />
Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not<br />
necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit<br />
and include articles submitted for publication.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
613-327-9080<br />
613-730-1058<br />
(not classy ads)<br />
FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES,<br />
CALL 613-327-9080<br />
or email: larryostler@gmail.com The OSCAR thanks<br />
the following people who brought us to your door this<br />
month:<br />
ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames<br />
and Kim Barclay, Wendy Robbins, Jim and Carrol Robb, Terri-Lee Lefebvre,<br />
Becky Sasaki, Kevin and Stephanie Williams.<br />
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Family Gref- Innes, Gabriela<br />
Gref-Innes and Fiona Fagan, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison,<br />
Susanne Ledbetter, Torin & Konstantine Assal.<br />
ZONE B2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Pat Eakins, Hayley Atkinson, Leslie<br />
Roston, Melissa Johnson, Lydia Oak, Sandra Garland and John Callan &<br />
Diana Carr<br />
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the Williams family, Josh<br />
Rahaman, Jesper Lindeberg, Jeff Pouw, Brendan McCoy, Bruce Grant, and<br />
the Woroniuk-Ryan family.<br />
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Charles and Phillip<br />
Kijek, Kit Jenkin, Michel and Christina Bridgeman, Anne Coyle, Patrick<br />
Hinton.<br />
ZONE D1: Mary Hill (Coordinator), Emily Keys, the Lascelles family, Gail<br />
Stewart, Gabe Teramura, Oliver Waddington, Franklin-Flack family, the<br />
Sprott family.<br />
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), The Adriaanse Family, Gaia<br />
Chernushenko, Jacqueline Littlewood, The Rand family, Aidan and Willem<br />
Ray, the Stewart family, and Mary Hill.<br />
ZONE E1:Brian Tansey(Coordinator), Karen Wolfe/ Curt Labond, Norah<br />
Hutchinson, Steve Adamson, the Sanger/O’Neil family, John Sutherland<br />
ZONE E2: Chris Berry (Coordinator), Mary-Ann Kent, Glen Elder and<br />
Lorraine Stewart, the Hunter family, Brodkin-Haas family, Allan Paul,<br />
Christina Bradley, Caroline Calvert, Larry Ostler.<br />
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, the Stern<br />
family, Ellen Bailie, Dante and Bianca Ruiz, Peter Kemp, Kelly Haggart and<br />
Taiyan Roberts, Goutte family (Joshua, Leo and Alina), Walter and Robbie<br />
Engert.<br />
ZONE F2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), Paulette Theriault, Ryan Zurakowski,<br />
Susan McMaster, Paige Raymond, Pierre Guevremont, Judy and Pierre<br />
Chamberland, Valerie Dancause.<br />
ZONE G: Bernie Zeisig(Coordinator), Claudia and Estelle Bourlon-<br />
Albarracin, David Lum, Cindy MacLoghlin, Hannah and Emily Blackwell,<br />
Katya and Mikka Zeisig.<br />
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.<br />
Bank Street-<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson, Paula Archer.<br />
Bank Street-Glebe: Larry Ostler.<br />
Alta Vista Branch Library: Larry Ostler<br />
CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS<br />
Page 3<br />
Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca in either plain text or WORD format, or as<br />
a printed copy delivered to the Firehall office, 260 Sunnyside Avenue.<br />
Moving away from <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>? Know someone who would like<br />
to receive The OSCAR? We will send The OSCAR for one year for just<br />
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of Canada. Drop us a letter with your name, address, postal code and<br />
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SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS<br />
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tell them about The OSCAR. Our rates are reasonable.<br />
FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES<br />
May 11 (June issue); June 8 (July/August issue); August 10 (September<br />
issue).<br />
The <strong>Old</strong> Firehall<br />
OTTawa SOuTh COmmuniTy CenTre<br />
OSCa@<strong>Old</strong>OTTawaSOuTh.Ca<br />
HOURS PHONE 613 247-4946<br />
MONDAY TO THURSDAY 9 AM TO 9 PM<br />
FRIDAY 9 AM TO 6 PM<br />
SATURDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM*<br />
SUNDAY CLOSED<br />
*Open only when programs are operating, please call first.<br />
WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Centre - The <strong>Old</strong> Firehall<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association (OSCA)<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Public Library - Sunnyside Branch<br />
Rob Campbell - Rob.Campbell@OCDSB.ca<br />
Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee<br />
Centretown Community Health Centre<br />
CARLETON UNIVERSITY<br />
CUSA (Carleton U Students Association)<br />
Graduate Students Association<br />
Community Liaison<br />
Mediation Centre<br />
Athletics<br />
CITY HALL<br />
David Chernushenko, City Councillor<br />
(david.chernushenko@ottawa.ca)<br />
Main Number(24 hrs) for all departments<br />
Community Police - non-emergencies<br />
Emergencies only<br />
Serious Crimes<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Hydro<br />
Streetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering)<br />
Brewer Pool<br />
Brewer Arena<br />
City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> web site - www.city.ottawa.on.ca<br />
247-4946<br />
247-4872<br />
730-1082<br />
730-8128<br />
526-9512<br />
233-5430<br />
520-6688<br />
520-6616<br />
520-3660<br />
520-5765<br />
520-4480<br />
580-2487<br />
3-1-1<br />
236-1222<br />
9-1-1<br />
230-6211<br />
738-6400<br />
3-1-1<br />
247-4938<br />
247-4917
Page 4 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
1st Annual Spring Windsor Park<br />
Art Show<br />
The <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community<br />
Associations 1st Annual Spring<br />
Windsor Park Art Show will take<br />
place on Sunday, June 17 at Windsor<br />
Park.<br />
A wide variety of artisans will<br />
have their creations on display as<br />
well as local Foodies selling their<br />
delectable snacks. A BBQ will also<br />
be set for lunch.<br />
Music will be a big part of the<br />
event with performance by Spencer<br />
Scharf, Darcy Middaugh and Friends,<br />
Charles DeLint & MaryAnn Harris<br />
and Social Butterfly.<br />
Windsor Park is located just<br />
south of Riverdale Ave. in between<br />
Windsor Ave and Belmont Ave. If<br />
you are an artist please call for space<br />
availability 613-247-4946.<br />
OSCA Spring Soccer<br />
Our recreation spring league<br />
is dependent on community parent<br />
By Lisa Drouillard<br />
There has hardly been a moment to report back<br />
on each of the concerts in OSCA’s Sirens of<br />
the Firehall concert series, until the last of<br />
these events was wrapped up. The three concerts in<br />
the series included baroque ensemble Aradia, Renee<br />
Yoxon’s jazz trio, and the Sarah Burnell celtic Band.<br />
This eclectic line-up attracted a range of audiences<br />
and each concert had its own unique vibe. What<br />
was encouraging to me, however, was the feedback<br />
from a few guests who had made a point of coming<br />
out to all of the concerts in the series. These music<br />
lovers clearly wanted to show that there is an appetite<br />
for quality live music in the relaxed community<br />
environment we can offer at the Firehall.<br />
Aradia’s Cappricio Stravagante concert took<br />
place on February 25, warming up a chilly Winter’s<br />
evening with their engaging approach to Baroque<br />
music. The venue was perfect for chamber music<br />
and allowed the artists and director Kevin Mallon to<br />
talk with the audience about the works, their unique<br />
period instruments and their histories. Former OSCA<br />
Board member Pierre Gratton gave an entertaining<br />
reading of the poem by John Donne, which was<br />
set to music in Aradia’s newly commissioned work<br />
by Canadian composer Chris Meyer. Overall, the<br />
concert presentation set the record straight on a few<br />
notions about taking part in a baroque music concert:<br />
that works hundreds of years old can be weird<br />
and innovative as well as beautiful; that a baroque<br />
program can include brand new works; and, that<br />
poetry and history can be woven into the mix to very<br />
entertaining effect!<br />
Renee Yoxon’s jazz ensemble helped us<br />
welcome Spring to the Firehall at the end of March<br />
with lyric beauty and inspired playing. Renee has<br />
really shifted her singing career into high gear such<br />
Brief Notes<br />
From the Firehall<br />
MAY 2012 at the Firehall<br />
volunteers for its success. If your<br />
child is registered in the program and<br />
you can help as a coach, assistant<br />
coach or convener please register<br />
on-line at www.oldottawasouth.ca or<br />
contact Deirdre McQuillan at 613-<br />
247-4872 or osca@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Job Opportunity<br />
We are also looking for a<br />
Shack Manager for the league. The<br />
position pays $400 per season and<br />
requires being on site during league<br />
scheduled game days on Tuesday and<br />
Thursdays from 6:15pm – 8:15pm as<br />
well as Saturdays 9:30am – 11:30am.<br />
For details please contact Deirdre<br />
McQuillan at osca@oldottawasouth.<br />
ca or 613-247-4872.<br />
Summer Camps<br />
We have been overwhelmed by<br />
the response to our summer camps<br />
with many full or near full. Please<br />
call for space availability 613-247-<br />
4946.<br />
Our camps are anchored by a<br />
strong group of recreation leaders<br />
including Darcy Middaugh, Dave Ho,<br />
Steve Winsor and Aletha Phillips.<br />
We will be adding new camps to the<br />
Summer 2012 roster in our Summer<br />
Brochure which will be included in<br />
the June issue of OSCAR so stay<br />
tuned.<br />
After Four 2012-2013<br />
Registration for 80 available<br />
spaces starts Wednesday, June<br />
6, 2012, 8:00 pm, online www.<br />
oldottawasouth.ca and in-person at<br />
the Firehall. The program is designed<br />
for children entering Sr. Kindergarten<br />
up to 12 years of age. Registration<br />
is on a first come, first served basis.<br />
We encourage you to register as early<br />
as possible to avoid disappointment.<br />
The cost of the program is $160.00<br />
per month. This covers the cost<br />
of supervision and activities each<br />
day. The program runs Monday to<br />
Friday, 3:30pm - 6:00pm (except<br />
for holidays) for the duration of the<br />
school year. We require an immediate<br />
payment of $160 on June 6, 2012 and<br />
a deferred payment of $160 payable<br />
on September 4, 2012. This will<br />
cover the first and last month of the<br />
program. For more information call<br />
(613) 247-4946<br />
Cardio Fitness Room<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>’s best kept<br />
secret and a great place to work out<br />
with treadmills elliptical trainer’s<br />
cardio bikes and free weights. We<br />
have everything you need to keep fit.<br />
Drop in for a tour and membership<br />
details.<br />
Summer Program Brochure<br />
Other than our summer camps we<br />
will be offering fitness, yoga, pilates,<br />
pottery classes before summer,<br />
Babysitting Certification course and<br />
a few other surprises. Check the June<br />
issue of OSCAR for our Summer<br />
Program Brochure for all the details.<br />
Fantastic Audience Response to Sirens of the Firehall Concert Series<br />
that it was hard to pin her down for a chat for our<br />
OSCAR piece given her performing schedule! Her<br />
stage presence and the ease with which the ensemble<br />
covered a wide repertoire of jazz standards, swing<br />
tunes and melancholy ballads were evidence of the<br />
chops that come with gigging every week. That<br />
jazz guitarist Rob Martin and bassist Marc Fraser<br />
play together a lot was also made very clear by their<br />
intuitive communication on stage and inspired solos.<br />
Renee and these musicians have a very good time<br />
when performing and we were all very glad to be<br />
guests at that party.<br />
We are just arranging the last details of our last<br />
concert in the series – The Sarah Burnell Celtic band<br />
– but interest in this last performance has been high<br />
from the start. Perhaps our years of Lobster Suppers,<br />
our Folk Walk of Fame, or Sarah’s roots in <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
as a Canterbury fiddle star have all helped generate a<br />
great buzz. No matter the reasons for the interest, it is<br />
clear that Sarah won’t end this series with a whimper.<br />
Many participants in these concerts have asked<br />
about the chances of making such a series a routine<br />
occurrence at the Firehall. It’s a question that<br />
requires a group response. Audience feedback has<br />
been very encouraging and all of the musicians were<br />
really pleased with the turnout and reception at these<br />
events. There is also no shortage of OOS connections<br />
to musical ensembles who can bring high quality<br />
performances to the Firehall. To make this work<br />
over the long term would definitely require the help<br />
of an engaged committee of volunteers interested in<br />
planning, promoting and staging these events. If this<br />
sounds like fun to you, or at least worth the price of<br />
admission to concerts in your community, do send<br />
notice of your interest to me at leucodendron@gmail.<br />
com, or reach members of the OSCA board through<br />
the oldottawasouth.ca website. The Sirens Series<br />
was an excellent start to new cultural programming<br />
at the Firehall, but we need YOU if there is to be a<br />
Season Two!
MAY 2012<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT<br />
New OSCA Executive Director, AGM, Year in Review<br />
By Michael Jenkin<br />
New OSCA Executive Director<br />
Appointed<br />
I<br />
am pleased to be able to announce<br />
that your Board search committee<br />
has chosen a successful candidate<br />
from the competition we held earlier<br />
this year to select a new Executive<br />
Director for OSCA. Ms. Christy<br />
Savage, the current Executive<br />
Director of the Willingdon Extended<br />
Day Program in central Montreal,<br />
will be starting with us on June 5 and<br />
working with Deirdre McQuillan, our<br />
retiring Executive Director, during<br />
June to understand all our activities<br />
and procedures. Deirdre will be<br />
retiring from her position at the end of<br />
June when Christy will take over from<br />
her. There is an article in this issue of<br />
the OSCAR (see page 1) about Christy<br />
where you can read more details<br />
about her experience and background.<br />
Please join me in welcoming Christy<br />
to OSCA and the Community Centre.<br />
I would also like to take this<br />
opportunity to thank the Board<br />
members who participated on the<br />
search committee: Anna Sundin, Steve<br />
Mennill, David Law and Michaela<br />
Tokarski, for all their many hours<br />
of hard work sorting through the 98<br />
applications we received, selecting a<br />
short list of 15 for telephone interviews<br />
and interviewing the four finalists and<br />
their references. It was a lot of work,<br />
but in the end we managed to get an<br />
excellent candidate from a very strong<br />
field on finalists.<br />
Search for a New OSCAR Editor<br />
We are also in the process of<br />
choosing a new editor for OSCAR<br />
given Mary Anne Thompson’s<br />
planned move from <strong>Ottawa</strong> this<br />
summer. Applications closed the<br />
middle of April and the selection<br />
By Danielle Kuczer<br />
The Steering Committee for<br />
the formation of the proposed<br />
Business Improvement Area<br />
in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> has been hard at<br />
work to make it a reality.<br />
I have been advising businesses<br />
and entrepreneurs in various capacities<br />
for the last 15 years, and it is a passion<br />
of mine to help them achieve success<br />
with their business. As a resident of<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, I have noticed the<br />
gradual decline of the retail landscape<br />
in our community and a trend toward<br />
a high rate of turnover of stores in the<br />
last few years. This has become a<br />
concern not only to me but for many<br />
others in the community at large.<br />
committee, headed by Michaela<br />
Tokarski, has been hard at work<br />
doing a preliminary assessment of<br />
the 30 or so applications we received<br />
and has already chosen a short list of<br />
people to interview by telephone. A<br />
smaller group of candidates will be<br />
subsequently interviewed in-person.<br />
So far we are on track to announce a<br />
new editor by early June, if not sooner.<br />
OSCA Annual General Meeting –<br />
Tuesday, May 1<br />
Once again I would like to remind<br />
you to come out to our AGM on<br />
Tuesday May 1. The meeting starts<br />
at 7:30 p.m. and lasts until about 9:00<br />
p.m. and will take place at the Firehall<br />
in the main Community Hall. The<br />
Nominating Committee under Mike<br />
Lascelles has been hard at work and<br />
has come up with a strong list of new<br />
candidates to serve on the Board.<br />
This will be an exceptional year for<br />
renewal of the Board because of the<br />
16 members who served this year six<br />
are retiring, so hopefully we will have<br />
many new and eager faces to help<br />
with our work in the coming year.<br />
As is our custom, after the<br />
reports by our committee chairs and<br />
executive officers and the election of<br />
the new Board, we will be holding a<br />
wine and cheese to welcome the new<br />
Board members and provide you with<br />
an opportunity to meet the Board and<br />
socialize with neighbours.<br />
The Year in Review and a Look<br />
Ahead<br />
It is customary for the President<br />
in the final column of their term<br />
to provide a short overview of the<br />
significant issues the Board has dealt<br />
with over the last year and what it<br />
portends for the future.<br />
As has been the case over the<br />
past several years the Board has<br />
been coping with two very different<br />
The retail landscape between the<br />
Rideau Canal and the Rideau River<br />
is currently not achieving its full<br />
potential as a thriving and dynamic<br />
commercial area.<br />
I’ve long hoped a BIA would<br />
be formed between the bridges, and<br />
finally found myself with the time<br />
to do the research and to see if there<br />
were like-minded people on board.<br />
As it turned out the timing was<br />
perfect, I talked to business owners<br />
and discovered many have wanted<br />
to see a BIA formed in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> but didn’t have the time to<br />
do it themselves. As the volunteer<br />
Project Manager for the formation of<br />
the proposed Sunnyside Village <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> BIA, I am excited to let<br />
you know that we are getting closer to<br />
sets of issues: how to respond to the<br />
increasing pressures on the physical<br />
development of the community<br />
and how to effectively manage the<br />
services we provide to the residents of<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>.<br />
On the former front we have<br />
had a number of successes. After<br />
many years of lobbying by OSCA<br />
and OSWATCH and after a very<br />
significant effort of community<br />
consultation, the Sunnyside traffic<br />
management plan has been approved.<br />
It will, when implemented, make a<br />
significant contribution to improving<br />
the safety of this critical connector<br />
road in our community, linking as it<br />
does the increasingly congested northsouth<br />
arterials of Bronson, Bank,<br />
and via Riverdale, Main Street. The<br />
additional good news on this front<br />
is that according to our Councillor’s<br />
office is that over the next couple of<br />
years funding will likely be available<br />
to implement the construction of the<br />
physical elements of the plan.<br />
Second, the recently developed<br />
infill guidelines that we, again, lobbied<br />
hard for, are going forward to Council<br />
shortly for approval. While not all<br />
we would have wanted, and while the<br />
development industry is obviously<br />
not entirely supportive of them, the<br />
guidelines will make a significant<br />
contribution to a major problem we<br />
are facing which is poorly designed<br />
infill housing that intrudes on the<br />
privacy and amenity of neighbours,<br />
and ruins our streetscapes.<br />
Of course many challenges<br />
remain. The pace and force of property<br />
development and traffic growth will<br />
continue and we have areas in our<br />
community where these pressures will<br />
be acutely felt. They include: infill<br />
housing developments all through<br />
the community, new commercial<br />
development on Bank Street, and<br />
conflicts among drivers, pedestrians<br />
and cyclists in sensitive areas such as<br />
the Bank and Sunnyside intersection –<br />
making it happen!<br />
Business Improvement Areas<br />
are an important component of<br />
any effort to enhance and maintain<br />
the vibrancy of a main street and<br />
community. A BIA would provide<br />
an organized and focused approach<br />
to revitalize and maintain <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> as a dynamic and<br />
thriving neighbourhood, and to<br />
promote the area as a business<br />
and shopping destination. If you<br />
would like to learn more about<br />
what a Business Improvement<br />
Area would do for the community,<br />
property owners and business<br />
owners are invited to learn about<br />
the proposed formation of the<br />
Page 5<br />
one of the busiest pedestrian crossings<br />
outside the city centre.<br />
On our service and community<br />
support role, we are doing very well;<br />
we sponsored a record number of<br />
special events this past year from<br />
our traditional events in City parks<br />
such as the winter carnival and fall<br />
fest, to dances and music concerts.<br />
Our programming activities are<br />
growing by leaps and bounds and<br />
our new fitness room is a welcome<br />
addition to the community’s fitness<br />
infrastructure. Over the last year and<br />
a half that we have been back in the<br />
renovated Firehall we have run very<br />
healthy surpluses on our programming<br />
activities and significantly increased<br />
enrolments in them. As a consequence<br />
the Board, at its regular April meeting,<br />
approved a policy to devote a<br />
significant share of our programming<br />
surpluses to a capital reserve to invest<br />
in new equipment and facilities at the<br />
Firehall. With the addition of a new<br />
full time executive director we will<br />
have more capacity to professionally<br />
manage our program operations and<br />
build a pool of volunteers to help us<br />
with a diverse range of programming<br />
and community events.<br />
But challenges remain. As we<br />
expand our programming activities, the<br />
level of due diligence and supervision<br />
needs to increase and the partnership<br />
agreement that City wants to sign with<br />
us will place additional pressures on<br />
us in terms of administrative costs<br />
and potentially the need for additional<br />
staff resources. None the less the<br />
evidence is clear that residents in this<br />
community value and appreciate our<br />
programming and we will endeavour<br />
to meet those expectations as fully as<br />
we can.<br />
This has been a year of significant<br />
achievements and I think with careful<br />
management and dedicated work<br />
on the part of Board and committee<br />
members we can look forward to<br />
many more in the years ahead.<br />
Sunnyside Village <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Business Improvement Area in the Works!<br />
Sunnyside Village <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> BIA at a meeting which will<br />
be held on:<br />
Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30-<br />
9:00pm<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community<br />
Centre, The <strong>Old</strong> Firehall<br />
260 Sunnyside Ave.<br />
Refreshments and cookies will<br />
be provided.<br />
For further information please<br />
contact:<br />
Danielle Kuczer<br />
SunnysideVillageOOSBIA@<br />
bell.net
Page 6 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
By Jim Watson,<br />
Mayor of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
In October 2011, I held a Seniors<br />
Summit to discuss the issues facing<br />
our City’s seniors. During the<br />
election campaign, I had promised to<br />
hold a Seniors Summit during my first<br />
year in office and I kept that promise<br />
with an event that was both educational<br />
and informative for those who attended.<br />
Now in year two of my mandate, I<br />
am hosting a day-long Youth Summit<br />
By Lisa Drouillard<br />
A<br />
new and innovative opera<br />
company will launch its first<br />
season at the Mayfair Theatre<br />
May 29 and 30. I met up with the Capitol<br />
City Opera’s (CCO) founder to ask him<br />
about his motivations and hopes for this<br />
bold new initiative. Rory McGlynn is<br />
a singer himself with a background in<br />
musical theatre. After singing opera<br />
professionally in Toronto for a few<br />
years, he found a lot of roadblocks for<br />
young singers looking for opportunities<br />
to develop their repertoire in lead<br />
roles. “I wanted to create a company<br />
that supported young artists and those<br />
that couldn’t break into the union for<br />
whatever reasons” says McGlynn,<br />
“these singers love the art form so much<br />
MAYOR’S MONTHLY COLUMN<br />
on October 12, 2012 at City Hall along<br />
with the honorary chair of the event,<br />
Councillor Mathieu Fleury.<br />
The Youth Summit aims to provide<br />
a forum for youth (ages 16-25) to speak<br />
freely about issues they are concerned<br />
about and encourage information<br />
sharing among all participants. There<br />
will be guest speakers and information<br />
sessions for those in attendance but<br />
a special focus will be placed on<br />
hearing from our youth to learn what is<br />
important to them.<br />
Our City boasts three universities,<br />
Youth Summit<br />
two colleges, and many high schools.<br />
From these groups and others I want<br />
to draw a diverse group to the Youth<br />
Summit so that they can tell us about<br />
the challenges they face, learn about<br />
how the City can help, and help us go<br />
forward with a better understanding of<br />
how we at City Hall can improve our<br />
services for <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s youth.<br />
The planning of this summit is<br />
already underway with a steering<br />
committee meeting regularly.<br />
Registration will open up later this<br />
summer and I expect that spots will go<br />
Capital City Opera Comes to the Mayfair!<br />
they pay to be in operas to help smaller<br />
opera companies stay afloat.”<br />
The CCOs approach to casting<br />
and publicizing its first season made<br />
the most new media. Whereas opera<br />
has a reputation of being an archaic art<br />
form, its appeal to younger audiences is<br />
apparent in the increasing numbers of<br />
opera program applicants and increased<br />
festival participation. The CCO has also<br />
capitalized on the interest in auditions<br />
as entertainment, with the popularity<br />
of shows like Idol, America’s got<br />
Talent and Bathroom Divas. They used<br />
online auditions and voting through<br />
social media to cast young artists.<br />
In this process, CapitalCityOpera.<br />
ca got 39,500 page views in 7 days<br />
from the voting period of March 10<br />
to 17 - engaging both newcomers and<br />
established figures in the opera world,<br />
such as Gil Wechsler from the Met.<br />
The casting process also gave a big<br />
kickstart to the promotions for the new<br />
opera company, by capturing the energy<br />
and networks of the singers to boost the<br />
profile of the company and its inaugural<br />
season.<br />
With a range of different venues<br />
in <strong>Ottawa</strong> for an opera, the CCO chose<br />
our Mayfair Theatre. I asked Rory why.<br />
“Lee Demarbre is a great guy and was<br />
very accommodating and excited to hear<br />
that opera was a possibility in his theatre<br />
… I wanted more comfortable seating<br />
than church pews for people watching<br />
our shows and I also wanted a laid back<br />
atmosphere for the opera newbie. We<br />
are “Jeans Allowed Opera”.<br />
The CCO’s first production will be<br />
La Boheme. The work was chosen as<br />
a work that could connect with a broad<br />
audience. “The libretto consists of<br />
themes like love, jealousy, camaraderie,<br />
betrayal, loyalty and ultimately loss set<br />
with a group of four friends and two<br />
couples that are artists and idealists in<br />
19 century Paris.”<br />
The young opera company has<br />
been strongly supported by the help of<br />
Join us for our spring fundraiser,<br />
Hike for Hospice on May 6, 2012,<br />
in support of The Hospice at May<br />
Court. Hike along the streets of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> in an effort to raise funds and<br />
awareness for The Hospice at May<br />
Court.<br />
The Tracy Arnett Realty Hike<br />
for Hospice is The Hospice’s second<br />
largest annual fundraiser, and this year<br />
marks the tenth anniversary of the hike.<br />
People are asked to gather pledges and<br />
then hike to raise awareness for hospice<br />
palliative care.<br />
“Hospice palliative care is currently<br />
under funded and under recognized,”<br />
says Dave Hogberg, Executive Director<br />
for The Hospice at May Court, “Our<br />
fundraising goal for this hike is to bring<br />
in $120,000 for The Hospice.”<br />
fast so keep an eye on www.ottawa.<br />
ca for news on the event or follow the<br />
City on Twitter at @ottawacity (@<br />
ottawaville en français).<br />
Just as we want to interact with<br />
youth on the day of the summit, so too<br />
do we want to hear from you in the leadup<br />
to the summit. If you have any ideas<br />
for potential guest speakers, topics for<br />
discussion, or just something you think<br />
would work well as part of the summit,<br />
please email youth@ottawa.ca or<br />
jeunesse@ottawa.ca.<br />
local businessman Bart Tecter, who has<br />
supported the venture financially and<br />
organizationally. As you can imagine,<br />
the company will be looking for more<br />
help from interested volunteers to<br />
contribute to the promotions, event<br />
coordination and administration, the<br />
things all arts companies need.<br />
New arts initiatives take an<br />
enormous amount of energy to get<br />
started, but McGlynn seems buoyed<br />
by the prospect of changing the arts<br />
landscape in <strong>Ottawa</strong>: “I now get to put<br />
on operas that I love and hire singers<br />
that are passionate and eager … I hope<br />
the public sees this company and its<br />
chosen venue as an alternative to the<br />
video broadcasts and more expensive<br />
opera companies. “<br />
The Mayfair Theatre will host<br />
Capital City Opera’s production of<br />
Puccini’s La Boheme at 7pm May 29<br />
and 30 Tickets are available at the<br />
Leading Note on Elgin, or you can have<br />
them delivered to you by calling 613-<br />
421-1325. For more information go to<br />
CapitolCityOpera.ca<br />
Come out to<br />
The Tracy Arnett Realty Hike for<br />
Hospice on May 6 and support<br />
The Hospice at May Court<br />
Registration for the Hike is $25 –<br />
this covers a shirt, coffee and snacks,<br />
lunch, entertainment, and a day with<br />
friends and family supporting a<br />
noteworthy cause. The expected turn<br />
out is about 400 hikers, with 100 per<br />
cent of the proceeds raised by hikers<br />
going towards funding The Hospice’s<br />
four major programs: Home Support,<br />
Day Hospice, Residential Care, and<br />
Family Support.<br />
“The hike really is a great<br />
opportunity to raise funds for our<br />
programs here at The Hospice, while<br />
bringing the community together for a<br />
great morning,” says Dave Hogberg,<br />
“we’re looking forward to seeing<br />
everyone, and are so grateful for our<br />
committed supporters.”
MAY 2012<br />
Litter bugs me!<br />
CITY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
Litter bugs, Safer Bridges Update, BIA For <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>,<br />
Lansdowne Transportation Advisory Committee, & CPR scam<br />
Every spring, litter shows its<br />
ugly face in our parks, streets<br />
and even our front yards.<br />
Maintenance crews, along with caring<br />
residents and business owners, will<br />
clean up much of it. But a lot of litter<br />
still goes untouched, and it’s a yearround<br />
problem. Accumulated litter<br />
hurts property values, civic pride and<br />
tourism.<br />
I will keep participating in spring<br />
clean-ups and encourage everyone to do<br />
the same. But I’m going a step further:<br />
Instead of muttering to myself about<br />
the litter, I’ll personally make sure my<br />
block stays clean year-round. I’ll pick<br />
up whatever lands in front of my house,<br />
I’ll take occasional “litter walks” with<br />
a bag and some gloves, and I’ll make<br />
a point of keeping the contents of my<br />
blue and black boxes from blowing<br />
away (the biggest source of accidental<br />
litter) by putting the heaviest items on<br />
top. Care to join me?<br />
Safer Bridges update<br />
In late March, many residents<br />
participated in my Safer Bridges for<br />
All public meeting to discuss ways to<br />
address the dangers of biking on the<br />
Bank Street Bridge (over the Rideau<br />
Canal) and Billings Bridge (over the<br />
Rideau River). The meeting confirmed<br />
my belief that the bridges are major<br />
obstacles to less-confident cyclists, and<br />
that way too many cyclists ride on the<br />
sidewalk because they feel unsafe on<br />
the road.<br />
My conclusion is that predictability<br />
is the major issue. Pedestrians know<br />
the sidewalk is the right place to be,<br />
but neither cyclists nor motorists are<br />
entirely sure where bikes should be,<br />
or who has the right of way. Existing<br />
“Share the Road” signs do little to help.<br />
Since segregated lanes are not<br />
possible on the heritage Bank Street<br />
Bridge and still some years away on<br />
the Billings Bridge, we need to start by<br />
improving clarity and predictability:<br />
• It is always illegal to ride a<br />
bicycle on the sidewalk. If you are not<br />
comfortable on the road, you should<br />
dismount and walk.<br />
• Cyclists always have the right to<br />
ride on the road.<br />
• Both cyclists and motorists must<br />
follow the rules of the road, a.k.a. the<br />
Highway Traffic Act. By law, you must<br />
remain behind a slower vehicle until it<br />
is safe to pass, and must then do so by<br />
completely changing lanes until you are<br />
far enough ahead.<br />
When every driver and cyclist is<br />
aware of these rules, we’ll have clarity.<br />
When everyone obeys them, we’ll have<br />
predictability.<br />
For its part, the City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
will soon introduce clearer signage<br />
and road markings to deter motorists<br />
from dangerously straddling lanes<br />
or squeezing past cyclists within the<br />
same lane. The “Share the Road” signs<br />
will be replaced with new signs that<br />
indicate single-file driving/riding and<br />
have a brief message along the lines of<br />
“Change lanes to pass”. New “sharrow”<br />
lane markers will indicate where cyclists<br />
should be. We’re also launching a public<br />
awareness and media campaign.<br />
It’s important to note that these<br />
changes won’t take away motorists’<br />
rights; they simply reaffirm existing<br />
rules. Nor should they delay drivers. In<br />
light traffic, it’s easy to change lanes to<br />
pass without slowing down. In heavy<br />
traffic, a vehicle may have to stay<br />
behind a cyclist for part or all of the<br />
bridge crossing, but that’s unlikely to<br />
Theatre Pipe Organs<br />
For Sale Or Donation<br />
1. Wurlitzer, 2 manual 9 ranks,<br />
French style console. Originally<br />
installed in 1933 in the Regent theatre,<br />
Bournemouth, England. Opened by<br />
Reginald Foort, it was the first TPO to<br />
be broadcast by the BBC. Complete,<br />
26 pipes need repairs. Percussions and<br />
toys. Can supply details of ranks. Needs<br />
a control system. 220 volts single phase<br />
blower, 3 HP. Suitable for a theatre or<br />
church of 1000 seats.<br />
2. Robert Morton, 2 manual,<br />
6 ranks. White painted console.<br />
Came from a theatre in Bellingham,<br />
Washington State. Originally 5 ranks,<br />
I added a clarinet. Pipework complete.<br />
Extra regulator and tremulant available<br />
for the clarinet. Some percussions and<br />
toys. Control system in console. Can<br />
supply details of ranks. 220 volt single<br />
phase blower, 3 HP. Would make a good<br />
home installation.<br />
3. Robert-Morton, 3 manual<br />
8 ranks. Walnut finished mahogany<br />
console. Originally from a theatre in<br />
Glendale, California. Has a Peterson<br />
control system. Some percussions and<br />
toys. Suitable for a small theatre of 400<br />
seats, or a home installation. 220 volt 3<br />
phase blower, 7.5 HP. Currently installed<br />
in the O’Brien theatre in Renfrew.<br />
4. American Photoplayer Model 39<br />
pit organ, consists of two cabinets with 3<br />
ranks of pipes,percussions and toys, and<br />
a central console with 2 manuals and<br />
two roll players in a spool box. Blower<br />
supplies vacuum and pressure, no motor,<br />
recommend 3 to 5 HP. Control system<br />
is in the console. Belongs in a musical<br />
instrument museum.<br />
The pipework for these organs is<br />
currently erected on the chests, in dry<br />
storage. Console are in dry storage.<br />
Recipients will be responsible for<br />
removing the organs, crating, etc.<br />
Contact Ross C Robinson at 613-<br />
731-0815, or <br />
affect the total length of the trip.<br />
BIA for <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
I’m pleased to lend support to a<br />
growing group of business owners who<br />
are passionate about improving the<br />
fortunes of all the shops, restaurants and<br />
service providers in our community.<br />
They’ve already taken many of the<br />
required steps towards creating the<br />
Sunnyside Village <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Business Improvement Area.<br />
And just in time, in my view.<br />
Our merchants are already competing<br />
with attractive districts like the Glebe,<br />
Westboro and Preston Street; soon<br />
they’ll be up against a redeveloped<br />
Lansdowne Park.<br />
There will be an important public<br />
meeting on Wednesday, May 9, 7:30<br />
p.m. at the <strong>Old</strong> Firehall. Business and<br />
property owners within the proposed<br />
BIA can learn more about the process,<br />
the benefits and the costs of forming a<br />
BIA.<br />
Lansdowne Transportation Advisory<br />
Committee<br />
Council-approved plans for<br />
redeveloping Lansdowne Park are going<br />
to bring significant traffic and parking<br />
Page 7<br />
challenges to <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> and<br />
other neighbourhoods nearby. There<br />
are many issues still to be resolved, and<br />
community concern is high.<br />
To work through these challenges<br />
as possible, and to come up with an<br />
effective monitoring program and<br />
a set of practical responses, I have<br />
created the Lansdowne Transportation<br />
Advisory Committee (LTAC). OSCA<br />
will be represented, along with other<br />
local community associations and<br />
groups whose voices need to be heard. I<br />
expect the LTAC to meet regularly over<br />
the next two to three years to advise<br />
the City on how best to anticipate and<br />
respond to transportation challenges.<br />
CPR scam<br />
Beware of phone and doorstep<br />
appeals to sign up for first aid and CPR<br />
courses. Before paying for any course,<br />
ask for the full name and contact<br />
information of the organization, then<br />
verify that these are legitimate. Don’t<br />
pay for a course that will never happen!<br />
Councillor David Chernushenko<br />
613-580-2487 | David.<br />
Chernushenko@<strong>Ottawa</strong>.ca<br />
www.capitalward.ca
Page 8 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
2011’2012 OSCA Novice Basketball Season<br />
The OSCA Novice Basketball<br />
team, aka the « Mighty<br />
Midgets», had a fun filled<br />
season of games, practices,<br />
scrimmages, tournaments, and pizza.<br />
Some players came to the team with<br />
little basketball experience but quickly<br />
ramped skill development. Some of<br />
the highlights of the year included<br />
playing an intra-squad game during<br />
the half time at a Carleton Raven›s<br />
Men›s basketball game. The Ravens<br />
Nest was abuzz with live play by play<br />
commentary and cheering fans and<br />
the Mighty Midgets were all smiles.<br />
One of our practices was enriched<br />
by the presence of Paul Armstrong,<br />
Technical Director of the Shooting<br />
Stars, who provided the players and<br />
coaches with excellent guidance. The<br />
Mighty Midgets hosted a tournament<br />
(Top) WEBL year-end<br />
tournament -Coaches (Left<br />
from right) : Chris Spiteri,<br />
Matthew MacDonald, and<br />
Hugh Cheetman<br />
Players (Left to<br />
Right):Max, Pat, Isabel,<br />
Nick, Malachi, Nicholas,<br />
Aidan, Malcolm, Liam<br />
(Kneeling), Jesper (Horizontal),<br />
Angus (missing)<br />
(Left) At Hopewell PS<br />
(Right) At Carleton’s<br />
Raven’s Men’ basketball<br />
game<br />
in early 2012 that was attended by<br />
several WEBL (West End Basketball<br />
League) teams and the Shooting<br />
Stars. The tournament offered our<br />
players the opportunity to sharpen<br />
their basketball skills in a friendly and<br />
competitive environment. As part<br />
of the WEBL, the Mighty Midgets<br />
travelled to Stittsville to play against<br />
teams from Almonte, Goulbourn,<br />
Kanata, and the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Philippine<br />
Basketball Association . We finished<br />
the regular season respectably, with<br />
3 wins and 2 losses. The Mighty<br />
Midgets saved their best performance<br />
for last as we went undefeated (3-0)<br />
at the Year End WEBL Tournament.<br />
It was remarkable journey witnessing<br />
the players progress and develop a<br />
love for the game of basketball.
MAY 2012<br />
By Don Cummer<br />
It’s that time of year again --<br />
when the natives of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> don their colourful ethnic<br />
costumes and gather at Windsor Park<br />
for the annual cleanup known as the<br />
“pick-a-poo harvest.” From Riverdale<br />
to the river bank and from Brighton<br />
Beach to Linda Thom park, you can<br />
hear them sing their folkloric songs,<br />
passed down from generation to<br />
generation:<br />
“Jump down, turn around<br />
Pick a bale of dog poop.<br />
Jump down, turn around<br />
Pick a bale a day.”<br />
The origins of the festival are<br />
lost in time, but legend has it that<br />
dog-owners first assembled in the<br />
Spring to make sure that any doggie<br />
deposits left unnoticed in the dark<br />
winter months were cleaned up after<br />
the snow melted.<br />
By Mike Lascelles and<br />
Gwen Gall<br />
The <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community<br />
Association, OSCA,<br />
Board has achieved laudable<br />
results in the past few years including<br />
its crowning achievement: the renovation<br />
and expansion of the Firehall.<br />
The Board is about to undergo a sea<br />
change as many long-serving members,<br />
including much of the Executive,<br />
will step down either this May or<br />
next year.<br />
Also, OSCA is about to lose its<br />
stellar Executive Director – Deirdre<br />
McQuillan – as well as its incomparable<br />
OSCAR Editor – Mary Anne<br />
Thompson. Of course, we are currently<br />
recruiting people to replace Deirdre<br />
and Mary Anne; however, things are<br />
going to be different and much savvy<br />
will be lost. Did we mention that the<br />
2012-13 OSCA Board must negotiate<br />
a new and quite different agreement<br />
with the City spelling out how we<br />
will operate in the years ahead? Also,<br />
we’ll likely experience a spike in proposed<br />
developments that will challenge<br />
us to be creative, flexible, yet<br />
vigilant to preserve the best features,<br />
and appropriate scale, in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>. And, we need to get serious<br />
The annual pick-a-poo harvest<br />
has no set date, but is called at the<br />
discretion of the organizing committee<br />
from the Windsor Pups dogwalking<br />
group. This year, a spate of<br />
unseasonably warm weather tempted<br />
the organizers to make the call before<br />
the hockey boards were even down.<br />
Mother Nature has a way of laughing<br />
at the foibles of humans and, on the<br />
day of the event, had returned the<br />
temperatures to late-March chills.<br />
“This is the first year that we<br />
harvested with the hockey boards up,”<br />
Brian Tansey observed. “It’s also the<br />
first year we’ve had to work around<br />
remaining patches of snow.”<br />
Meanwhile, in another part of the<br />
forest, other residents of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> used the annual spring cleanup<br />
to do battle with the Manitoba maples<br />
which, if left unchecked, would<br />
choke off other plant life along the<br />
riverbank. “We’ve been trying to cut<br />
them back for years,” says Gary Lum,<br />
“but they’re as resilient as the forever-<br />
about greening the community. What<br />
all this means is that the times they are<br />
a changing big time and so the new<br />
OSCA Board has to get crackin’ to get<br />
the community leadership job done.<br />
So starting this May, we must replenish<br />
and rejuvenate the Board to<br />
empower a new generation of dynamic<br />
community leaders to create and<br />
implement their vision of our community<br />
in the years ahead. That’s the<br />
poetry of it; the prose is that we need<br />
a few good women and men to step<br />
forward to serve on the OSCA 2012-<br />
13 Board and help lead us into a new<br />
era of effective OSCA community<br />
service. It will not be a cake walk and<br />
it’s possible that the timid might be<br />
scared off. We would quickly add, dig<br />
deep and tap into your inner strength.<br />
And, if you are still hesitant, don’t be<br />
shy: we’ll help you.<br />
Here’s what the OSCA Board<br />
nominating committee (Gwen Gall,<br />
Valerie McIntosh, Lisa Drouillard,<br />
and Mike Lascelles) has done so far.<br />
We’ve identified 6 or 7 people to fill<br />
that many vacancies on our 16+ person<br />
Board. If it’s business as usual,<br />
our work is done. But we’ve got miles<br />
to go before we sleep because we’re<br />
still lacking one or two key people<br />
who will help lead key committees<br />
such as Special Events or pitch in on<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
detested rat.”<br />
Gary gave special commendation<br />
to Brian Burton for risking life and<br />
limb, attached to a rope on the slopes<br />
of the Pump House site. “Linda Thom<br />
and her band of hardy neighbours did<br />
an outstanding job of cleaning up the<br />
garbage between the Pump House and<br />
the Bank Street Bridge. That’s where<br />
you see a lot of garbage dropped<br />
carelessly by passers-by.”<br />
After two hours of work, the<br />
volunteers had assembled about 165<br />
BEUs of raked leaves, yard waste and<br />
trimmed branches at various stations<br />
along the pathways. (The BEU is a<br />
“bag equivalent unit” – a measurement<br />
we have invented to keep track of how<br />
much has been cleaned up. One full<br />
paper garden-waste bag counts as<br />
a BEU. So does a stack of pruned<br />
branches that would otherwise fill a<br />
bag.)Between 40 and 50 dog owners<br />
turned out again this year for the<br />
cleanup. “The weather was chillier<br />
that usual, with rain threatening at<br />
Finance issues. Oh, and if you’re a<br />
born leader who can guide OSCA in<br />
the years ahead, do we have room for<br />
you!<br />
We hope you have the right stuff<br />
and are itching to make <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> even better by serving, and<br />
ideally leading, OSCA. If you are,<br />
Page 9<br />
any moment,” said Peter Wells, “but<br />
the Windsor Pups are a hearty lot.<br />
They’re not going to let inclement<br />
weather hold them back, any more<br />
than they’re going to balk at cleaning<br />
up after their dogs. All in all,” he said,<br />
“it was yet another exceptional crappy<br />
event…”<br />
For many years, Zoscha the<br />
Wonder Dog chronicled the annual<br />
harvest in her OSCAR column, and<br />
served as the Alan Lomax of the<br />
folk songs of the harvesters. Among<br />
them was the ballad of the legendary<br />
poop-picker, John Henry, and his<br />
race against the steam-driven pooppicking<br />
machine.<br />
“When John Henry was a little boy<br />
The first words his lips did tell,<br />
Was, ‘I’m gonna be a poop-pickin’<br />
man,<br />
‘Cause I got no sense of smell,<br />
Lord, Lord,<br />
I got no sense of smell.’”<br />
Help shape <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>: Join the 2012-13 OSCA Board<br />
Guide Dogs<br />
Need Your Used Stamps<br />
Saving stamps from old stamped<br />
envelopes for Canadian Guide Dogs<br />
for the Blind is one way to help them<br />
“stamp” their way to a profitable<br />
future.<br />
• Cut or tear the stamps from the<br />
envelope (but not too close)<br />
• Either drop them off at the<br />
training Centre in Manotick, or put<br />
them in an envelope and mail to:<br />
Fifteenth Annual Harvest<br />
Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind<br />
4120 Rideau Valley Drive North<br />
P.O. Box 280<br />
Manotick, Ontario<br />
K4M 1A3<br />
(613) 692-7777<br />
CGDB collects all types of<br />
used stamps, special issues, regular<br />
stamps, Canadian and foreign stamps.<br />
please contact us by Monday April 16,<br />
2012. Just email us at nomination@<br />
oldottawasouth.ca, or, if you prefer to<br />
discuss things beforehand, call Mike<br />
Lascelles at (613) 737-6480.<br />
See you all at the OSCA AGM on<br />
May 1, 2012 at the Firehall.
Page 10 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />
The OSCAR welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the community or in response to previous articles. All letters must disclose the name of the<br />
writer, as well as the address and phone number. Lettters may be edited for length, clarity, and libelous statements. The opinions of the writers are not<br />
necessarily those of the newspaper or its editor. Email your letters to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca or leave in print at the Firehall.<br />
A<br />
few months ago I was<br />
contacted a couple of times<br />
by somebody, who I don’t<br />
remember introducing herself<br />
by name, who mentioned that<br />
people in our neighbourhood were<br />
interested in having a CPR/First<br />
Aid course in our neighbourhood.<br />
Because I’ve done courses like<br />
that in the past, I’m interested in<br />
refreshing my skills and said that I<br />
would like to take such a course. I<br />
was told I would be contacted.<br />
Two weeks ago, Saturday,<br />
March 31, a man who calls himself<br />
Dave, came to my house as I was<br />
leaving. He mentioned my name<br />
and wanted to explain the CPR<br />
course to me, but needed more<br />
time than I had, he said. Because<br />
he was a volunteer for a non-profit<br />
organisation, he could come back<br />
and so he did on Tuesday, April 3.<br />
In the meantime I had heard<br />
that this might be a typical CPR<br />
scam, and that the police was<br />
investigating such scams, so when<br />
he came back, I tried to keep him at<br />
the door while a friend phoned the<br />
police. “Volunteer Dave” became<br />
suddenly very rushed and before I<br />
could ask for his ID he rushed off in<br />
a car. I passed the license plate on<br />
CPR Scam Kudos For OSCAR & “Between the Bridges”<br />
to the police, who told me that they<br />
could not do anything, because it is<br />
not illegal to solicit at the door.<br />
This Dave gave me a little<br />
square piece of paper with the name<br />
of this “non-profit organisation” ,<br />
communitycpr.net.<br />
On the site are links, e.g. with<br />
the Heart and Stroke Foundation.<br />
Because four friends in our<br />
neighbourhood had CPR solicitors,<br />
who said they were calling on<br />
behalf of the Heart & Stroke<br />
Foundation, I checked with the<br />
Heart & Stroke community rep<br />
who denied any such connection<br />
and who was well aware of these<br />
type of scams in the past. Potential<br />
participants pay up front and when<br />
they arrive at the place where the<br />
course is given, nobody is there,<br />
or a multiple day course is not<br />
completed.<br />
I also checked with the Red<br />
Cross and they deny any connection<br />
or knowledge of communitycpr.net<br />
The name might change, but as<br />
usual: buyer beware!<br />
Last year Westborough was<br />
“hit”, CTV did a feature on that, and<br />
now it’s our neighbourhoods’ turn.<br />
Anneke R.<br />
I may not agree with what you have to say, but I<br />
will defend to the death, your right to say it. ....<br />
Voltaire<br />
Sunnyside Wesleyan Church<br />
58 Grosvenor Avenue<br />
(at Sunnyside)<br />
Sunday Worship Services at<br />
9am & 11am (one service at<br />
10am May 22 - Sept 4)<br />
Children’s program offered<br />
during worship services.<br />
Trinity Anglican Church<br />
1230 Bank St<br />
(at Cameron Ave)<br />
Sundays: Holy Eucharist at 8<br />
and 10am<br />
with Church School and Choir<br />
(9:30 in July and August)<br />
I<br />
am writing to express (belatedly)<br />
my appreciation to those who are<br />
responsible for the publication<br />
of both the OSCAR newspaper, and<br />
the on-line publication “Between the<br />
Bridges”.<br />
These first-class publications allow<br />
us residents of OOS to be fully informed,<br />
in a timely manner, on the important<br />
issues affecting our neighbourhood.<br />
This is essential if we are to remain a<br />
vibrant neighbourhood, and ensures<br />
that we can be collectively involved in<br />
the determining the future and character<br />
I<br />
have found the regular updates<br />
and explanations about the<br />
planning situation for the future of<br />
Lansdowne Park to be most excellent<br />
and comprehensive and have followed<br />
the events with dismay. The OSCAR<br />
seems to be the only source for more<br />
detailed information about the plans<br />
for Lansdowne. It seems that the major<br />
newspapers only focus on the stadium<br />
plans, not the whole design or the<br />
financial arrangements. When reading<br />
the articles, I often wonder if having<br />
them only in the OSCAR is a little<br />
like preaching to the choir. It seems to<br />
me that these excellent articles should<br />
appear in other <strong>Ottawa</strong> papers and be<br />
read by a broader range of city denizens.<br />
If it is not possible to get articles into<br />
the major papers, what about the EMC<br />
Send your comments to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
or drop them off at<br />
the Firehall<br />
260 Sunnyside Ave<br />
Area Worship Services<br />
St Margaret Mary’s Parish<br />
7 Fairbairn<br />
(corner of Sunnyside)<br />
Tuesday Evening at 7PM<br />
Friday Daytime at 12:15PM<br />
Saturday Evening at 5PM<br />
Sunday Mornings at 9:30AM<br />
and 11:30PM<br />
<strong>South</strong>minster United Church<br />
15 Aylmer Avenue<br />
(at Bank & the Canal)<br />
Sunday Worship<br />
10:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. July &<br />
August)<br />
Sunday School<br />
During worship, September -<br />
May<br />
of our neighbourhood.<br />
As well, these publications also<br />
provide us with engaging human interest<br />
stories, informative articles, and opinion<br />
pieces, so that after reading we are left<br />
with a pretty complete and invaluable<br />
perspective on our community.<br />
We are genuinely fortunate to have<br />
neighbours, many of whom volunteer<br />
their time, who are willing to put<br />
such effort and care into making these<br />
publications available to us.<br />
John Ambridge<br />
OSCAR Sole Source for Lansdowne Plans?<br />
News, Vistas, and other regional papers?<br />
I see three areas that have not been well<br />
covered in the media that may be of<br />
great interest to city taxpayers, as listed<br />
below in possibly increasing order of<br />
interest/ impact:<br />
1. The total scope of the design<br />
2. The lack of a competitive process<br />
3. The private condos/ hotel on what was<br />
public property and their heights versus<br />
the general area and zoning regulations<br />
4. The financial implications on the<br />
city taxpayers for future years’ budgets<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Irene Shumada<br />
Glebe Minyan<br />
Jewish Renewal Community<br />
612 Bank Street at Strathcona,<br />
613.867.5505<br />
Spiritual Leader:<br />
Anna Maranta,<br />
glebeminyan@gmail.com<br />
Shabbat: Fridays May 11, 25<br />
and June 8<br />
Glebe Shul<br />
Orthodox Jewish Community<br />
302 Fifth Avenue,<br />
www.glebeshul.com<br />
Rabbi Michael Goldstein,<br />
glebeshul@gmail.com
MAY 2012<br />
Hommage à mon amie<br />
Joan Molnar<br />
Throughout the ages, poets have praised the value of<br />
friendship as one of the most precious experiences in<br />
a lifetime. Friendship has been compared to nature’s<br />
unique richness: colours of the rainbow, beauty of the flower,<br />
morning mist, a gentle breeze. Friendship resembles life<br />
itself, simple, yet so profound and mysterious… I met my<br />
friend Joan by chance, nearly 28 years ago right in front of<br />
my house, on Cameron Avenue. It all started with a new mom<br />
and a soon-to-be mom connecting over the excitement and<br />
the challenges of motherhood. What followed was a beautiful<br />
friendship that blossomed despite different life paths, busy<br />
family lives and crazy schedules. Years went by quickly for<br />
two busy moms trying to juggle life’s tasks, yet trying to stay<br />
in touch whenever possible. How precious were these too<br />
brief moments of sharing hopes and concerns over a cup of<br />
tea! All that mattered then was taking the time to listen, to<br />
understand, to laugh, to make the best out of every situation.<br />
Time seemed to stop for a little while, rainy days were full<br />
of sunshine, problems got smaller, the future looked brighter<br />
and life was a great adventure despite its fragility… Sadly,<br />
I lost my sweet friend last February, on Valentine’s Day at<br />
the May Court, on the same street I met her, back in 1984…<br />
Joan was an inspiring, caring, generous and sensitive<br />
person, a flower of tenderness. In the last couple of years, she<br />
showed an admirable and immense courage facing illness<br />
with great serenity, never stopping to care for people around<br />
her. How sad it is to lose such a true gem, yet how privileged<br />
I was to have her as a friend, a marvellous friend.<br />
As was beautifully expressed by the poet Kahlil Gibran<br />
in The Prophet:<br />
“And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter,<br />
and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the<br />
heart finds its morning and is refreshed.ˮ<br />
Adieu belle amie.<br />
Linda Déziel-Blais<br />
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />
Many in <strong>Ottawa</strong> are aware that<br />
a well known and historic<br />
public commons known<br />
as Lansdowne Park has been in need<br />
of rejuvenation for some time.<br />
There is also great awareness of<br />
the public conflict on how the City has<br />
planned to award the entire contract to<br />
land developers on a sole source basis.<br />
Rather than being celebrated, the<br />
talk of rejuvenation of the park has<br />
been mired in over four years of delay<br />
and legal challenges.<br />
What would have prevented all of<br />
this?<br />
A simple 90 day<br />
competitive procurement process.<br />
This would have prevented<br />
litigation, assured best value for the<br />
citizen taxpayer, legitimized any<br />
winner, accelerated development and<br />
united our city.<br />
Fortunately this option is still<br />
available.<br />
Sole Source not available:<br />
confirmed by the court.<br />
It is important to understand that<br />
collectively we have arrived at this<br />
point in time over a mistaken belief<br />
by the City that only the developer<br />
group can deliver the service of the<br />
CFL franchise and that there was no<br />
alternative.<br />
While clearly there is no dispute<br />
about the tentative CFL franchise<br />
ownership, the service of the team<br />
can be delivered by any proposal that<br />
offers a City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> stadium.<br />
This was supported at a recent<br />
court hearing in Toronto where the<br />
court did not dispute that the service of<br />
CFL can be delivered by any proposal<br />
that brings with it a City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
stadium on agreeable terms.<br />
Just as importantly the court<br />
confirmed that there was an alternative.<br />
The Alternative<br />
The alternative that many in<br />
our nation’s capital do not know is<br />
that there is a second proposal for<br />
Lansdowne Park and it has been<br />
available for almost two years.<br />
It is called the Lansdowne Park<br />
Conservancy, a non-profit proposal<br />
that respects and surpasses all<br />
policy direction for the park, including<br />
a world class stadium.<br />
How it is different from a private<br />
developer proposal is that under the<br />
Conservancy proposal the park is<br />
kept 100% public, promoting local<br />
small business - not chains, promoting<br />
local farmers - not imported produce,<br />
promoting arts and culture and of<br />
course sports and recreation and all<br />
the while keeping our heritage and the<br />
traditions of the site.<br />
The court and the City also<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
Remembering Friends and Loved Ones<br />
Gen Eva “Gee Gee” ROBINSON<br />
(nee Frederick) – Passed away at the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> General Hospital on March 28,<br />
2012 at the age of 77. She was born on August<br />
21, 1934 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and raised in<br />
Tipton, Iowa. Gen Eva is the loving daughter<br />
of the late Bert and Helen Frederick. She will<br />
be deeply missed by her adoring husband Ross.<br />
Gee Gee began her study of dance at a very<br />
young age with The Rae Studio in Davenport,<br />
Iowa, beginning with Ballet and including<br />
Hawiian & Spanish, tap, acrobatics, and baton<br />
twirling. Voice lessons were also included to<br />
round out her theatrical background. (Louraina<br />
Burch Singers).<br />
At thirteen she began teaching dance in<br />
her own Studio, and became a member of the<br />
National Association of Dance and Affiliated<br />
Artists, (NADAA), where she learned more<br />
ethnic dance.<br />
Upon completing high school she joined<br />
professional dance groups: The Tanzarettes in<br />
Chicago, then The Helen Parker Dancers, The<br />
Winged Victory Chorus, The International<br />
Lucky Girls, where she was choreographer,<br />
the Gene Autry Road Show, and The Vocal<br />
Lovelies, doing musicals. After this in 1958 she<br />
moved to Canada to set up her own performing<br />
group & Gee Gee’s Studio of <strong>Ottawa</strong>. Time was<br />
spent teaching The Rough Rider Majorettes,<br />
becoming a workshop instructor, a contest<br />
director, and registered judge with NBTA,<br />
USTA, ISMA, & TU; working in both the US<br />
and Canada kept her on the move.<br />
In 1970 Gee Gee became a devotee of<br />
A Gift To Our Nation’s Capital<br />
Gi Gi Amine (The Trusted One)<br />
accepted as fact and did not dispute<br />
that the sole source proposal will be<br />
over $300M in taxpayer loss and that<br />
the Lansdowne Park Conservancy will<br />
yield the city an over $200M surplus.<br />
Moving Forward<br />
So how do we end this<br />
divisiveness and create unity?<br />
No one is denying our elected<br />
city officials the right to make policy<br />
decisions.<br />
The policy for the park is clear and<br />
straightforward with<br />
1. A stadium<br />
2. A green space<br />
3. A retail model<br />
4. A management model.<br />
It is time to bring unity to our<br />
city with the one thing that has been<br />
missing all along:<br />
A fair, open and competitive<br />
procurement process at Lansdowne<br />
Park.<br />
Let this be the gift to our Nation›s<br />
Capital.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
John Ernest Martin<br />
Coordinator, Coordonnateur<br />
Lansdowne Park Conservancy<br />
Conservation du parc Lansdowne<br />
613.898.1284<br />
Page 11<br />
Middle Eastern dance. Associated with Dr. Paul<br />
Monty of N.Y. International Dance Seminars,<br />
Inc., Studied with Serena, Morroco, Dalena,<br />
Dalia, Ozeal, Ibrahem Farar and many other<br />
famous instructors both at their studios and<br />
workshops. She also toured Morroco, Greece,<br />
Crete, Portugal, Spain, Egypt, and Turkey to<br />
study and dance.<br />
Gee Gee has been teaching for the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Carleton Board of Education since 1975.<br />
She was also president of OMEDA, director,<br />
choreographer and costumer for Shen Dance<br />
plus performing professionally, and teaching<br />
workshops in US and Canada.<br />
With over 7 decades of dancing, it wasn’t<br />
until just recently that she retired in 2004. She<br />
will be sadly missed by her family and friends.
Page 12 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
BACKYARD NATURALIST<br />
By Linda Burr<br />
When it comes to finding<br />
choice real estate in <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, the best<br />
locations are in high demand. This<br />
seems to hold true for birds as well as<br />
people. Our front porch was the scene<br />
of something resembling high-stakes<br />
“bidding”, and the winners this year<br />
came as a surprise.<br />
Last May, we were delighted that<br />
a pair of robins built a lovely nest on<br />
a ledge under the eaves of our front<br />
porch. In a matter of days, the robins’<br />
nest was completed, the eggs were<br />
laid and mother robin was sitting on<br />
them day and night.<br />
It was a choice location, all right.<br />
Protected from the rain and hot sun by<br />
the porch roof, the nest sat on a ledge<br />
just wide enough to accommodate its<br />
tidy proportions. It also provided us a<br />
front-row view from the living room<br />
window of all their nesting activities.<br />
We were thrilled to be playing host<br />
to this pair of robins, and we tracked<br />
their progress daily. Every night<br />
before I went to bed, I checked to see<br />
if mother robin was still there (she<br />
always was).<br />
To avoid startling the robins, we<br />
decided to keep our front window<br />
curtains drawn almost shut for the<br />
duration of the nesting. This had the<br />
effect of casting our living room into<br />
a state of perpetual gloom, as only a<br />
narrow gap of light entered between<br />
the curtains. But it seemed worth the<br />
temporary inconvenience because we<br />
were able to keep tabs on the robins<br />
through the gap, yet move around in<br />
the living room without worrying that<br />
we were disturbing them. We also<br />
avoided using half the porch where<br />
the robins were nesting.<br />
In the opposite corner of the<br />
porch is another ledge which is rather<br />
narrower, making potential nestbuilding<br />
a little trickier. This less<br />
desirable but still attractive location<br />
drew the attention of a pair of house<br />
finches – sparrow-sized birds that are<br />
A Case of Nest Envy?<br />
common in the neighbourhood. The<br />
male appears pink as though dipped in<br />
cherry juice and he has a cheery song.<br />
This pair of house finches must<br />
have decided that the robins’ situation<br />
looked pretty sweet. We had never<br />
had any birds nest under our porch<br />
before, let alone two different pairs!<br />
I can only imagine that the finches<br />
were a pair of copycats with serious<br />
nest envy. Until then, I always thought<br />
that birds instinctively “knew” how to<br />
build a nest. But this pair must have<br />
missed out on Nest-Building 101.<br />
They brought all kinds of grasses<br />
and other suitable materials to the<br />
ledge, and then tried for several<br />
frenzied minutes to arrange them<br />
in a somewhat nest-like manner. (If<br />
you’ve ever tried to make a nest, you<br />
can sympathize with their difficulty.)<br />
After a few minutes, the whole heap of<br />
tangled mess would fall off the ledge<br />
onto the porch below. Undaunted by<br />
these failures, they went and collected<br />
more nest material, but it always<br />
ended with the same result.<br />
At first I found it comical to<br />
watch these two inept birds as they<br />
persisted in trying to discover the art<br />
of getting a bunch of grass to stick<br />
together. Every few days I swept a big<br />
pile of all the fallen bits off the porch.<br />
Try as they might, they just couldn’t<br />
figure out how to get that nest to hang<br />
Robin Nest 2011<br />
together. I thought surely they would<br />
give up. But no, this clueless couple<br />
continued in this manner for several<br />
weeks. It was becoming agonizing to<br />
watch and starting to stress me out.<br />
Meanwhile, the robins’ brood had<br />
hatched and the parents were busily<br />
feeding four hungry baby robins.<br />
At about this same time, the finches<br />
finally gave up. I can only imagine<br />
how discouraging it must have been<br />
for them to see the super –successful<br />
robins and their nice nest producing<br />
all those healthy youngsters. I was<br />
relieved the finches had stopped, and<br />
all my attention was now on those<br />
baby robins.<br />
We watched as they quickly<br />
grew and grew until it seemed there<br />
wasn’t room for all of them in the nest<br />
anymore. Finally one night in early<br />
June, the mother robin didn’t return<br />
to the nest, although she was nearby.<br />
That must have been the signal, for the<br />
next day, the baby robins left the nest<br />
one by one and flew up into the tree on<br />
our front lawn. The mother and father<br />
robin were there to coax them along.<br />
That was the last we ever saw of them.<br />
With a sense of relief I opened the<br />
curtains to let in the light. We occupied<br />
the porch fully then, putting out the<br />
planters of flowers and arranging the<br />
outdoor furniture for the rest of the<br />
summer.<br />
Fast forward to April 2012.<br />
The sturdy robins’ nest survived the<br />
winter, still anchored in place on its<br />
ledge under the porch. And once again<br />
it’s occupied, but this time not by<br />
robins. There’s a much smaller bird’s<br />
head peeking over the rim of the<br />
nest. A female house finch is sitting<br />
in it now, keeping warm five lovely<br />
light blue eggs. And the male house<br />
finch can be heard singing loudly and<br />
cheerfully from the tree in the front<br />
garden. Could it be the same pair? I’d<br />
like to think it is.<br />
So it would seem that if you can’t<br />
get the real estate you want the first<br />
time around, just wait a year and see<br />
whether the occupants move out. At<br />
any rate, we are once again enjoying<br />
the show, although the curtains in the<br />
living room are drawn nearly shut<br />
once again and half the porch is offlimits.<br />
Linda Burr lives in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> and is a biologist and avid<br />
backyard naturalist.<br />
House finch nest 2012 with eggs.<br />
Photo by Jophn Calvert<br />
OSCAR Needs<br />
Volunteers<br />
For Monthly<br />
Distribution in<br />
OOS
MAY 2012<br />
BOOK REVIEW<br />
Publisher: Anchor Canada (July<br />
26 2011) 352 pp<br />
ISBN: 978-0385663236<br />
Reviewed by:<br />
Friederike Knabe<br />
<strong>Old</strong> Man Hung makes the best<br />
pho in the city and done so for<br />
decades...” The city is Hanoi<br />
and “pho” the national Vietnamese<br />
dish. It is a flavourful broth poured<br />
over a mix of herbs, vegetables,<br />
vermicelli and meat (if there is any).<br />
In this novel, pho plays an essential<br />
role: the soup comes close to being a<br />
companion character, echoing the ups<br />
and down of its cook’s circumstances.<br />
The story of the pho-making<br />
cook/seller and his popular soup are<br />
By Vanessa Burguete<br />
Didn’t get the chance to<br />
tour the awe-inspiring<br />
architecture of Embassy<br />
of Algeria or the Royal College of<br />
Physicians and Surgeons during<br />
last year’s Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
event? Well don’t fret; these sites<br />
and over 100 more are waiting for<br />
visitors of all ages to come by again<br />
this year for a sneak-peek of what’s<br />
inside.<br />
For those who aren’t familiar<br />
with Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong>, it’s<br />
a free unique annual event that<br />
provides access to the city’s most<br />
architecturally, historically, and<br />
functionally interesting buildings,<br />
many of which are not normally<br />
open to the public.<br />
In 2002 Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
was born and since then, it has<br />
attracted over 60,000 attendees<br />
each year.<br />
“I read an article in the Toronto<br />
Star twelve years ago about their<br />
not only at the centre of events, they<br />
are also insightful illustrations of<br />
life in North Vietnam as it changed<br />
over time, from external occupations<br />
and inner societal upheavals, to the<br />
first cautious touches of freedoms.<br />
Award winning Canadian author,<br />
Camilla Gibb, highly praised for her<br />
novel, “Sweetness in the Belly”, set<br />
primarily in Ethiopia, excels here<br />
with a heart-warming account that<br />
brings us close to a cross-section<br />
of Vietnamese people and the city<br />
of Hanoi. Beautifully crafted, the<br />
author paints a colourful canvass that<br />
depicts Hung’s life, complemented in<br />
broad strokes by portraits of people<br />
he cares or cared about. The human<br />
interest story is interwoven with<br />
and set against the political changes<br />
that North Vietnamese people lived<br />
through over much of the last century.<br />
Nonetheless, the novel is “between<br />
bitter and sweet”, just like Hung’s<br />
pho...<br />
I was immediately taken by<br />
Gibb’s portrayal of the city’s<br />
atmosphere that is as vivid as her<br />
depictions of the individual characters<br />
that make up <strong>Old</strong> Man Hung’s inner<br />
circle: his disappeared friend, the<br />
poet and political activist Dao, his<br />
adopted family of Binh and his son<br />
Tu. Convincingly the author also<br />
describes life for people at society’s<br />
margins: slum dwellers, who are<br />
surviving like Hung at the edge of a<br />
dirty pond. Among them is young Lan,<br />
who lives with her grandmother in<br />
the neighbouring shack and to whom<br />
Hung passes on all what he himself<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb<br />
Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong> 2012<br />
Gives Locals The Key To Their City<br />
first Doors Open event and decided<br />
we should try that here in <strong>Ottawa</strong>,”<br />
says Linda Russell, Volunteer Co-<br />
Chair of the Doors Open Advisory<br />
Council. “The mayor agreed and<br />
we’ve had Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong> ever<br />
since.” “We were so excited on that<br />
first day eleven years ago, I raced<br />
from building to building to make<br />
sure everything was working well,”<br />
says Russell.<br />
Her excitement is re-ignited<br />
every year on the first weekend in<br />
June when urban and rural spaces<br />
from Carp to Cumberland and<br />
everywhere in between open their<br />
doors for this event. Embassies,<br />
places of worship, museums,<br />
architectural firms, green buildings,<br />
artist’s studios, and science labs are<br />
open for discovery!<br />
There are several new<br />
buildings that will be participating<br />
in this year’s event including the<br />
new and energy efficient <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Humane Society, the Official<br />
Residence of the <strong>South</strong> African<br />
has learned in his younger years from<br />
Dao and his friends... Hung had not<br />
always been reduced to selling his<br />
pho at street corners from a rickety<br />
old cart... he trained with his uncle<br />
and later took over his pho place.<br />
The shop became as much a favourite<br />
hang-out for the loyal early breakfast<br />
crowd as for a group of writers,<br />
artists and intellectuals, who debated<br />
the ins and outs of the country’s<br />
future after it had freed itself from<br />
French occupation. They formed the<br />
“Beauty of Humanity Movement”, an<br />
imagined group, inspired by reality.<br />
The freedoms were short-lived,<br />
however, and the Movement was<br />
scattered, some disappeared, others<br />
were deported… Hung became the<br />
living memory of the movement.<br />
The rich scents that rise from<br />
<strong>Old</strong> Man Hung’s pot of pho during<br />
its hours of preparation and later, as<br />
he sets up his temporary stall under a<br />
bridge or along a busy road, attract a<br />
long line of dedicated followers every<br />
early morning. The evocation of the<br />
smells is so vivid that as a reader you<br />
can easily imagine getting a whiff<br />
of them while turning the page. The<br />
pho’s ingredients and flavours change,<br />
sometimes they are poorer, sometimes<br />
richer, depending on the raw materials<br />
available to Hung. It is one effective<br />
way for Gibb to convey the economic<br />
woes that people like Hung had to<br />
endure. At the same time, Gibb<br />
brings us insights into the human<br />
capacity for love and friendship,<br />
endurance and hope, set against a<br />
faintly touched upon backdrop of<br />
High Commission, and the Official<br />
Residence of the Ambassador of<br />
Sweden.<br />
“It’s the simplicity of the event<br />
that’s part of its appeal – buildings<br />
from across the city open their<br />
doors, show off their stuff for<br />
one weekend every year, and it’s<br />
free. Simple, but powerful,” says<br />
Russell. While Russell was visiting<br />
the Supreme Court last year, one<br />
visitor commented: “it’s like my<br />
textbooks are coming alive.”<br />
Don’t miss out on your chance<br />
to discover your local heritage,<br />
architecture, and design on<br />
Saturday June 2 and Sunday June<br />
3 during the 11th edition of Doors<br />
Open <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
For more information about<br />
Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong> contact the<br />
event manager at: 613-580-9674.<br />
New building announcements<br />
will be made on Twitter @<br />
doorsopenottawa and Facebook,<br />
or visit the website in early May<br />
www.ottawa.ca/doorsopen.<br />
Page 13<br />
Vietnam’s difficult recent history.<br />
We are taken back and forth as<br />
<strong>Old</strong> Man Hung reveals his past to<br />
us, his poor peasant childhood, his<br />
friends, lost to the Party’s crude and<br />
cruel policies. Much is written with<br />
hindsight so that today’s Vietnam,<br />
where life has changed much for the<br />
better, is giving hope to Hung and his<br />
friends so that the beauty of humanity<br />
movements can re-appear and maybe<br />
even thrive.<br />
Memories and dreams are<br />
triggered for Hung by the appearance<br />
of Maggie, a young Vietnamese<br />
woman raised in the United States,<br />
who has come back to Hanoi to<br />
trace her father’s whereabouts and<br />
is searching for answers as to what<br />
might have happened to him. Hung is<br />
well-known in Hanoi and it does not<br />
take long before Maggie tracks him<br />
down, but will his memory be sharp<br />
enough to help her? Gibb develops<br />
this narrative thread very subtly and<br />
in small doses, giving the reader time<br />
to take in the various other aspects of<br />
this heartwarming novel. A book to<br />
read slowly, and as some friends told<br />
me, more than once, to pick up more<br />
beauty and subtleties in the story.
Page 14<br />
Squirrel Talk<br />
Par Tania & Michaël<br />
Depuis toujours l’arbre fascine<br />
et ce, qu’il soit feuillu : le<br />
bouleau, le chêne, le frêne ou<br />
l’érable, ou bien conifère : le sapin,<br />
le pin ou l’épicéa. L’être humain a<br />
développé, au fil des siècles, une<br />
relation bien particulière avec ce<br />
végétal. Sous toutes sortes de mythes,<br />
de vocables. Qui a eu la chance de se<br />
retrouver au pied d’un arbre millénaire<br />
comprend toute l’admiration et le<br />
respect que l’on peut ressentir face<br />
à celui-ci. Il a traversé tellement<br />
d’époques, de guerres peut-être et<br />
croisé une centaine de générations<br />
d’êtres humains. Fascinant! Pas besoin<br />
d’aller très loin pour trouver ces êtres à<br />
part, on trouve des cèdres anciens âgés<br />
de plus de 1 500 ans dans l’escarpement<br />
du Niagara dans le Parc national<br />
de Péninsule-Bruce et, bien sûr, en<br />
Colombie Britannique, on retrouve la<br />
forêt ancienne de Prince George avec<br />
ces cèdres géants millénaires.<br />
De tous les thèmes symboliques,<br />
l’arbre est l’un dès plus riche, dès plus<br />
ancien et dès plus utilisé. L’histoire la<br />
plus connue est certes celle de l’Éden.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
Il était une fois un arbre...<br />
La Genèse 2 :4 mentionne que : Dieu<br />
place dans le jardin d’Éden l’arbre de<br />
la Connaissance du Bien et du mal et<br />
l’arbre de la vie au milieu. En chine,<br />
l’Arbre Kien Mou se dresse au centre du<br />
monde. À son pied, il n’y a ni ombre ni<br />
écho. Il a neuf branches et neuf racines,<br />
par lesquelles il touche aux neuf cieux<br />
et aux neuf sources, séjour des morts.<br />
L’arbre Hom, en Iran, est à la fois arbre<br />
et source. Ses pieds s’enfoncent au<br />
sein de la terre, sa cime est baignée de<br />
vapeurs d’eau qui retombent en rosée<br />
dans la vallée. L’arbre de la Boddhi à<br />
pour racine Brahma, (le créateur de<br />
tout ce qui existe) pour tronc Shiva, (la<br />
destruction et la méditation) et pour<br />
branches Vishnou (l’organisateur du<br />
monde). C’est sous son ombre qu’eut<br />
lieu l’illumination du Bouddha. Sans<br />
compter notre préféré, le chêne de<br />
Merlin. Ce fameux chêne qui aurait<br />
poussé au coin des rues Oak Lane et<br />
Priory Street à Carmarthen à <strong>South</strong><br />
Whales, lieu supposé de la naissance<br />
de Merlin.<br />
Les arbres ont donc toujours été<br />
entourés d’une auréole de respect, d’une<br />
valeur symbolique de puissance, de<br />
protection. Qu’est devenu aujourd’hui<br />
This tree and house in Po Lin Monastery help to support each other.<br />
Photo by Lara Thompson<br />
ce symbole? Au son des scies que<br />
l’on entend désormais partout dans<br />
cette ville et dans la banlieue, je dirais<br />
qu’il a disparu. Disparu des intérêts et<br />
priorités publiques au profit, peut-être,<br />
des entrepreneurs (contractors). Par<br />
contre, pour les gens en général, les<br />
citoyens, beaucoup tiennent encore à<br />
leurs arbres.<br />
Nous sommes parfois prêt à<br />
prendre les grands moyens pour sauver<br />
un arbre ou pour tenter de le sauver.<br />
De fiers protecteurs s’y attachent afin<br />
d’en éviter la coupe, d’autres tentent<br />
de faire changer les lois et règlements,<br />
d’autres, les regardent et les admirent,<br />
tout simplement. Nous nous rappelons<br />
de l’histoire du chêne de Brighton<br />
Beach à OOS. Le OSCAR de<br />
septembre 2011 mentionnait d’ailleurs<br />
: “On the evening of Tuesday, August<br />
16, well over a hundred people came<br />
out to Brighton Beach to say goodbye<br />
to the oak tree, which has watched over<br />
the neighbourhood for more than two<br />
hundred years. Over the course of the<br />
next day, dozens of people came by to<br />
watch as city forestry staff cut down<br />
the tree.”<br />
En marchant le long du canal où<br />
dans les rues de OOS ou n’importe<br />
quel quartier de la ville, les souches,<br />
dépassant du sol, sont choses<br />
communes, les odeurs de bois coupé<br />
ne sont que trop fréquentes. Tous ces<br />
bouts de troncs coupés ? Trop vieux?<br />
Dangereux ? Cache-t-il la vue ... sur<br />
le voisin ou du lac? Empêche-t-il de<br />
construire le condo de luxe sur un bout<br />
de terre qui vaut une fortune surtout<br />
après avoir été vendu par certains<br />
agents immobiliers? L’émondeur doitil<br />
justifier son contrat ? Avez-vous vu<br />
aussi toutes ces magnifiques coupes en<br />
V faites à nos arbres afin de permettre<br />
aux fils électriques de ne pas être<br />
encombrés ? On s’étonne de voir des<br />
branches tomber au premier vent suite<br />
à cette fragilisation du végétal. Qu’estce<br />
qu’on fait à <strong>Ottawa</strong>? On coupe, on<br />
cherche chaque bout de terre propre à<br />
y construire des condos de luxe. On<br />
détruit l’immortel bien encré dans sa<br />
terre pour construire l’éphémère, le<br />
cheap à gros dollars qui au moindre<br />
changement de saison, fendillera dans<br />
tous ces recoins et qui ne durera certes<br />
pas 100 ans.<br />
Chaque ville qui se respecte a son<br />
règlement municipal sur la protection<br />
des arbres urbains ou plutôt sur les<br />
règlements entourant leur abattage.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> possède ses règlements:<br />
Règlement N° 2006-279 sur la<br />
protection et l’entretien des arbres et<br />
des espaces naturels dans les biensfonds<br />
municipaux et le Règlement<br />
Nº 2009 200 sur la protection des<br />
arbres situés sur des propriétés<br />
privées dans la zone urbaine, précise<br />
que « Les personnes qui possèdent<br />
une propriété urbaine de plus d’un<br />
hectare sont tenues de produire un<br />
rapport sur la conservation des arbres<br />
approuvé par la Ville pour pouvoir<br />
abattre un arbre dont le tronc mesure<br />
MAY 2012<br />
10 centimètres de diamètre ou plus.<br />
Quant aux personnes qui possèdent<br />
une propriété urbaine d’un hectare<br />
ou moins seront tenues d’obtenir un<br />
permis afin d’abattre un arbre distinctif<br />
dont le tronc mesure plus de 50<br />
centimètres de diamètre. La demande<br />
de permis devra s’accompagner du<br />
rapport d’un arboriculteur expliquant<br />
pourquoi l’arbre doit être abattu »<br />
etc... etc... Selon ce que l’on sait, la<br />
ville attribue assez facilement aux<br />
développeurs ces permis d’abattage.<br />
À <strong>Ottawa</strong>, nous sommes encore bien<br />
loin d’une Charte de l’arbre urbain tel<br />
que celui de la ville de la biodiversité<br />
par excellence, Montpellier, en France.<br />
Afin de préserver la richesse et la<br />
diversité de son patrimoine arboré,<br />
la Ville de Montpellier s’est doté<br />
en 1996 d’une charte destiné aux<br />
entrepreneurs, aux preneurs de décision<br />
de la ville et au public en général,<br />
définissant les protections légales, des<br />
recommandations sur les pratiques<br />
d’entretien des arbres, les protections<br />
physiques à mettre en place lors de<br />
travaux à proximité et la politique<br />
d’accroissement et de diversification<br />
du patrimoine arboré.<br />
Au delà de leur utilité symbolique<br />
ou sociale, qu’ils soient situés en ville<br />
ou à la campagne, les arbres ont leur<br />
utilité pratique. En milieu urbain, les<br />
avantages des arbres sont multiples.<br />
Ils permettent à la fois un équilibre<br />
hydrologique, de diminuer les gaz<br />
à effet de serre en plus de favoriser<br />
une qualité de vie. Un site intéressant<br />
soulève tous les avantages des arbres<br />
en ville: http://arboquebec.com/<br />
importance. Ils permettent de “lutter<br />
contre l’érosion des sols, très fréquentes<br />
en milieu urbain due notamment<br />
aux travaux de construction et au<br />
piétinement”. Ils agissent aussi comme<br />
modérateur de chaleur en réduisant<br />
les besoins en climatisation dans une<br />
mesure pouvant aller jusqu’à 30 pour<br />
cent et ce, en donnant de l’ombre<br />
aux résidences et aux entreprises. Ils<br />
consomment du dioxyde de carbone<br />
et rejettent de l’oxygène dans l’air.<br />
Ce qui permet d’améliorer la qualité<br />
et de l’air. Voir aussi le site Internet<br />
suivant sur les avantages des forêts<br />
urbaines: http://www.treecanada.ca/<br />
publications/trivia_f.htm .<br />
Finalement, qu’il soit mon chêne<br />
de Merlin ou mon arbre d’Éden,<br />
“l’arbre en milieu urbain est une source<br />
de bien-être physique et de santé<br />
mentale des citadins, en contribuant<br />
par sa présence à l’amélioration de la<br />
qualité de vie. Les arbres et arbustes<br />
donnent une dimension humaine à la<br />
ville et au paysage urbain.” (www.<br />
arboquebec.com) S’asseoir en dessous<br />
pour rêver, s’y balancer pour s’amuser,<br />
le photographier pour se rappeler...<br />
Connaissez-vous un arbre à<br />
sauver? Écrivez-nous à : taniamich@<br />
gmail.com
MAY 2012<br />
A HARD DAY’S PLAY<br />
By Mary P.<br />
I have<br />
Well, That’s Refreshing!<br />
a New Baby, just started a month ago. New Baby is a delight. She<br />
has been cheerful pretty much from the get-go. No clingy-ness, very few<br />
howls of outrage or misery at drop-off, and those that do occur are easily<br />
soothed. Her default seems to be “curious and interested”. What’s not to<br />
love??<br />
Today, though, New Baby looks a little out of sorts when she arrives in<br />
mummy’s arms. Both their normally cheerful faces are out of kilter. Baby<br />
looks solemn-bordering-on-grumpy, and mother has tension lines around<br />
blue-shadowed eyes. Not a good morning, I’m guessing.<br />
“Not a good morning,” Mum informs me.<br />
She thrusts baby at me. This is not standard. Usually mum holds baby for<br />
a minute or two while we chat, and hands baby over only as she is leaving.<br />
(This as per my instructions. Far less misery all round that way.) I’m thinking<br />
mum has reached her tipping point, poor thing.<br />
New Baby, beginning from a baseline of grumpy, and now startled to be<br />
in my arms so abruptly, bursts into howls of outrage.<br />
“She’s had a rough, rough morning,” Mummy informs me over the<br />
ruckus. “I’ve never seen her so bad, ever! She woke up at five, and it’s been<br />
cling, cling, cling ever since. She wouldn’t let us put her down for a second.”<br />
We ascertain there’s no apparent health issue. No fever, no snottiness,<br />
bowels normal, no rashes.<br />
It’s probably teeth, mum suggests, and I agree.<br />
In truth, I don’t have any strong feeling re: the teething. But at this age?<br />
It’s always “probably teeth”. If you can’t figure out what the heck else to<br />
blame it on, teeth are a pretty fair bet, since they spend much of the first two<br />
and a half years of their lives teething.<br />
So if mum needs a reason, we can blame it on teeth. Why not? Could<br />
very well be. (Or not.)<br />
Mum leans in to her red-faced daughter. “Have a good day, hon,” and<br />
plants a kiss on the sweaty head. She looks up at me. “To tell the truth, I’m<br />
kind of happy to be leaving her right now.” Her glance falls to her stillroaring<br />
daughter. She kisses the now-snotty nose. “Cheer up today, missie, or<br />
I might just not come back!”<br />
I burst out laughing. “Nothing like a mother’s unconditional love!”<br />
Mum laughs with me, and the lines of tension around her eyes ease. She<br />
heads off to her nice, quiet office. I’m pretty sure I detect a visible bounce in<br />
her step.<br />
I like the frank parents. Parents who can admit when their child is being a<br />
pill, parents who can admit when they’ve had about enough of it, parents who<br />
can admit that they don’t always enjoy this whole parenting gig, even when<br />
the child’s not being objectionable.<br />
Parents who don’t expect perfection of themselves don’t expect perfection<br />
of me. Parents like that can laugh at the child’s foibles, don’t get tied up in<br />
knots if another child hits a milestone first, or if their child goes home with a<br />
bump, a bruise, or (heaven forbid, but it does happen) a bite. They don’t get<br />
all angsty or competitive. Parents like that are just… easier.<br />
I like New Baby’s mummy!<br />
Sudoku<br />
Sudoku Solution on page 16<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
To complete<br />
the puzzle:<br />
1. all rows<br />
must contain<br />
digits 1 to 9<br />
only once<br />
2. all columns<br />
must contain<br />
the digits 1 to 9<br />
only once.<br />
3. each of the<br />
nine boxes<br />
must contain<br />
the digits 1 to 9<br />
only once<br />
Page 15
Page 16 The th OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
MAY 2012<br />
Cercle de lecture L’Amicale<br />
Par Jean-Claude Dubé<br />
Les Éditions du Vermillon, 305, St.<br />
Patrick, <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
ISBN 978-1-897058-57-2<br />
Le 11 avril, 2012, le Cercle<br />
de lecture l’Amicale a eu le<br />
grand plaisir d’accueillir une<br />
poète ottavienne de renom : Andrée<br />
Lacelle. En plus de nous entretenir<br />
sur son recueil de poésie tant de<br />
vie s’égare, prix Trillium 1995, les<br />
membres de Cercle de lecture furent<br />
comblés d’entendre les sages propos<br />
de l’auteure sur la poésie, sur sa vie et<br />
sur l’art d’écrire. Andrée Lacelle est<br />
une femme érudite d’une très grande<br />
sensibilité avec beaucoup d’expertise<br />
dans la vaste gamme des émotions de<br />
l’âme humaine.<br />
François Paré, poète émérite,<br />
professeur titulaire et directeur du<br />
département des études françaises à<br />
l’Université de Waterloo (Ontario)<br />
déclare que « la poésie est le cœur<br />
tant de vie s’égare par Andrée Lacelle<br />
de la littérature franco-ontarienne<br />
contemporaine ». Andrée Lacelle<br />
est complètement d’accord avec lui.<br />
Selon elle, la poésie est un chant qui<br />
vient de l’âme. C’est le genre des<br />
origines, celui qui précède les autres<br />
genres littéraires<br />
Dès son enfance, l’être humain sait<br />
s’exprimer vocalement avec cadence.<br />
Que se soient des énoncés d’amour,<br />
de joie, de crainte, de guerre ou de<br />
prière, l’humain donne une tonalité<br />
et un rythme dans ses échanges<br />
verbaux avec ses semblables. Avant<br />
qu’il ne sache lire et écrire, l’être<br />
humain civilisé était poète. Homère,<br />
de la Grèce antique, racontait des<br />
évènements historiques accompagné<br />
d’une lyre : la naissance de la poésie<br />
lyrique. Il en était ainsi avec les<br />
troubadours du Moyen-Âge aussi<br />
bien qu’avec les narrateurs anciens de<br />
l’Asie, de l’Afrique et de l’Amérique.<br />
L’humain est naturellement poète.<br />
D’après Andrée Lacelle, la poésie<br />
est le début de la parole. C’est un mode<br />
d’expression qui s’ouvre sur tout, sur<br />
la conscience totale et qui permet de<br />
dire des choses qu’on ne peut dire<br />
autrement. C’est aussi une façon de<br />
court-circuiter les paroles ordinaires<br />
car souvent nous ne savons pas dire ce<br />
que nous ressentons. La poésie permet<br />
aussi de se déplacer entre le rêve et<br />
le réel, chacun selon sa mesure. Il ne<br />
faut pas marginaliser la poésie car, en<br />
fait, la réalité est remplie de rêves qui<br />
se sont concrétisés.<br />
Comme toutes les œuvres<br />
littéraires du genre, le recueil tant<br />
de vie s’égare d’Andrée Lacelle<br />
doit être lu en plusieurs séances. Au<br />
début et pendant plusieurs jours, il<br />
est mieux de l’ouvrir au hasard et<br />
d’y lire quelques vers à haute voix.<br />
Plus tard, on entreprend une lecture<br />
ordonnée et parlée pour y entendre<br />
et capter les subtilités des mots, des<br />
espaces et du rythme. C’est ainsi que<br />
nous pouvons entrer dans l’intimité de<br />
l’auteure, dans son voyage intérieur<br />
pour s’instruire sur ses sentiments<br />
envers elle-même et envers ceux avec<br />
lesquels elle s’associe.<br />
Il faut bien comprendre que ce<br />
recueil d’Andrée Lacelle est une<br />
œuvre d’amour. En entrant dans son<br />
intimité, nous découvrons un profond<br />
sentiment de tendresse, d’affection<br />
et d’attachement que l’auteure porte<br />
envers une ou plusieurs personnes. Ses<br />
mots sont sobres, limpides, presque<br />
pudiques mais nous y trouvons cet état<br />
d’âme manifestant plus qu’un simple<br />
sentiment amical ou romantique. Il<br />
nous semble entendre le soupir d’une<br />
passion étouffée par les murs de la<br />
vie.<br />
Les deux éléments essentiels<br />
à la poésie sont donc présents : une<br />
auteure qui croit ce qu’elle dit et nous,<br />
lecteurs, qui croyons ce qu’elle dit.<br />
tant de vie s’égare d’ Andrée<br />
Lacelle est composé d’une cinquante<br />
de poèmes répartis en quatre groupes<br />
de pensées connexes. Le premier<br />
« L’humeur du monde » nous prépare<br />
à l’état d’âme de l’auteure. Il y a un<br />
passé plein de richesses et un désir de<br />
se relancer:<br />
« faut-il en arriver là<br />
où l’ancre s’amarre sans rien<br />
annoncer<br />
à l’insu du temps<br />
et le temps n’a rien à cacher »<br />
Dans le deuxième groupe de<br />
poèmes « Les choses claires », nous<br />
trouvons un désir de faire table rase et<br />
de recommencer à neuf :<br />
« assis à la table des songes clairs<br />
l’enfant voyage<br />
la tête hors-les-murs<br />
et le cœur sous les comble s»<br />
ainsi que :<br />
« les toits de la ville méditent le<br />
clair de lune »<br />
Le troisième groupe porte le nom<br />
du titre du recueil : « Tant de vie<br />
s’égare ». Nous y décelons une âme<br />
meurtrie:<br />
« tout près de minuit<br />
de moins en moins proche de moi<br />
plus réglée que la vie<br />
je me dissipe charnelle<br />
tout près de minuit »<br />
ainsi que :<br />
« …et l’adorable doux et bon plus<br />
jamais ne revient »<br />
Le dernier groupe de poèmes<br />
« Entre peur et mémoire» est teinté<br />
d’un certain fatalisme et d’une finalité<br />
sans regrets :<br />
« à travers la vie et le rêve de la<br />
vie…<br />
… il y a la promesse du ferment<br />
extrême »<br />
ainsi que :<br />
« le cœur sculpteur martèle des<br />
ébauches d’anges »<br />
Comme un enfant qui rêve<br />
beaucoup et qui croit énormément,<br />
Andrée Lacelle n’a jamais cessé de<br />
rêver et de croire. Née à Hawkesbury<br />
en Ontario, Andrée était la plus jeune<br />
de cinq enfants. Très jeune, elle<br />
écrivait au son et à douze ans, elle a<br />
commencé à garder un carnet de bord<br />
qui lui permit de toujours rester en<br />
contact avec ses émotions. Tour à tour<br />
enseignante et traductrice à <strong>Ottawa</strong>,<br />
Andrée Lacelle publia son premier<br />
recueil de poésie en 1979.<br />
Tant de vie s’égare mérita le Prix<br />
Trillium de l’Ontario ainsi que le prix<br />
de poésie de l’Alliance française en<br />
1995. Ce recueil fut aussi finaliste<br />
pour le Prix du Gouverneur général<br />
du Canada et le prix du Livre de la<br />
Ville d’<strong>Ottawa</strong> en plus de mériter<br />
le Premier prix de poésie de la<br />
société Radio-Canada. En plus des<br />
six recueils de poésie à son nom,<br />
Andrée Lacelle a écrit un recueil de<br />
poèmes comptines « Bobikoki »,<br />
fut critique littéraire à TFO, devint<br />
auteure d’un dialogue radio-théàtre à<br />
Radio Canada, fut nommée écrivaine<br />
en résidence au département des<br />
Lettres françaises de l’Université<br />
d’<strong>Ottawa</strong>. Avec trois collègues, elle<br />
prépare présentement une anthologie<br />
mondiale de la poésie féminine<br />
francophone contemporaine : pas<br />
d’ici, pas d’ailleurs. Cette anthologie<br />
paraîtra bientôt en France, publiée par<br />
la maison Voix d’encre.<br />
Andrée Lacelle nous a confié<br />
maints secrets sur sa vie, son art<br />
et la poésie, surtout dans le milieu<br />
franco-ontarien. Cette rencontre<br />
de L’Amicale a été ravissante et<br />
enrichissante, à la fois.<br />
La prochaine et dernière rencontre<br />
du Cercle de lecture L’Amicale pour<br />
l’an 2011-2012 aura lieu le mardi 8<br />
mai prochain. Nous porterons notre<br />
attention sur le récit autobiographique<br />
«Nomade « de la plume de Mila<br />
Younes, ottavienne d’origine<br />
algérienne. Ce livre, finaliste du Prix<br />
du livre de la Ville d’<strong>Ottawa</strong> en 2008<br />
est la suite de Ma mère, ma fille, ma<br />
sœur qui a reçu le Prix du livre de la<br />
Ville d’<strong>Ottawa</strong> en 2004. Mila Younes<br />
sera avec nous et elle participera à<br />
la discussion. La rencontre aura lieu<br />
à 19h au sous-sol de la bibliothèque<br />
Sunnyside d’<strong>Ottawa</strong>, rue Bank. Venez<br />
nombreux, il n’y a aucun frais.<br />
Sudoku Solution<br />
Sudoku Puzzle is on page 15
MAY 2012<br />
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB<br />
By Colin Ashford<br />
and Kristin Kendall<br />
For the final meeting of the<br />
season, the members of the <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Garden Cub were<br />
treated to a fascinating presentation<br />
by Mary Reid, owner of the Green<br />
Thumb Garden Centre (www.<br />
greenthumbgarden.ca). Mary, a selfconfessed<br />
reformed banker, started<br />
her business in 1996 and uses both her<br />
gardening and business skills at Green<br />
Thumb.<br />
The theme of Mary’s presentation<br />
was saving time for the busy gardener<br />
and she pointed out that the techniques<br />
she would be describing may not<br />
necessarily be the classic ones—but,<br />
she assured the meeting, they would<br />
work. First, starting in the spring, she<br />
recommended some varieties of spring<br />
bulbs (Dwarf daffodils, Wild tulips,<br />
Snowdrops, and Crocus) that need<br />
no deadheading nor look unsightly<br />
as they die down. She also passed<br />
on a tip to help deter squirrels from<br />
nipping the tips of tulips: put a saucer<br />
of water for the squirrels to drink<br />
because it is the moisture in the tulip<br />
stalks that the squirrels are after. (She<br />
also recommended chicken manure<br />
and bloodmeal as other deterrents).<br />
Another time saver is to plant fall<br />
crocus—they bloom both in the fall<br />
and the spring. They can either be<br />
planted in the garden in the spring or<br />
fall, or planted in pots in the fall for<br />
subsequent planting out in the spring.<br />
As with other bulbs, any foliage<br />
must be left to die off naturally. By<br />
judiciously selecting plants (Crocus,<br />
Daffodils, Tulips, Peonies, Day lilies,<br />
Black-eyed Susan, Sedum, and lastly,<br />
hardy Chrysanthemums or Asters)<br />
Mary explained one could have ninety<br />
days of blooms in the garden.<br />
For transplanting or planting<br />
new plants from the nursery, Mary<br />
recommended that plants be well<br />
watered-in: watered every day for<br />
two weeks and thereafter once a week<br />
for the season. Mary recommended<br />
organic fertilizers although their<br />
content (indicated by the three<br />
numbers specifying the proportions of<br />
Club Gardening for the Busy Gardener<br />
Fall Crocus<br />
Dwarf Daffodils<br />
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium)<br />
is generally lower that that of synthetic<br />
fertilizers.<br />
Mary offered a number of<br />
strategies for controlling weeds.<br />
Firstly, corn gluten is good for<br />
controlling weeds like crabgrass that<br />
propagate by seed, whereas annuals<br />
like Lambsquarters can be decapitated<br />
with a Dutch hoe; but perennials<br />
like Dandelions have to be pulled<br />
up. Traditional lawns of Kentucky<br />
bluegrass can be very demanding on<br />
time (and water); Mary recommended<br />
Eco-Lawn (www.theecolawn.com)<br />
a drought-tolerant, low maintenance<br />
mixture of seven Fescues that will<br />
do well in most light conditions.<br />
Overseeding a lawn with Dutch<br />
white clover is another eco-friendly<br />
approach to lawns although Mary<br />
warned that it can be difficult to get<br />
the clover established. For both lawns<br />
and gardens, Mary recommended top<br />
dressing with a quarter inch of soil.<br />
Surprisingly, buying less than three<br />
cubic yards of soil is cheaper by the<br />
bag than by the truckload. She also<br />
noted the availability of freeze-dried<br />
top dressing that is a real time-saver.<br />
Traditional compost can also be used<br />
as top dressing.<br />
After the break, Mary turned her<br />
attention to containers, recommending<br />
the use of potting soil mixed with<br />
fertilizer in containers rather than<br />
regular soil. She explained that it<br />
is not necessary to replace soil in<br />
containers every year, but rather to<br />
top-up containers as required and add<br />
fertilizer at the same time. Using the<br />
mixture of soil and fertilizer means<br />
that, during that growing season,<br />
no further feeding of the plants is<br />
required. She suggested the use of a<br />
pop bottle with holes in the neck or<br />
ceramic “plant nannies” for automatic<br />
watering of plants in containers.<br />
Perennial plants in containers larger<br />
that three feet cubed can be successful<br />
over wintered outside whereas plants<br />
in smaller containers should be<br />
brought inside for the winter.<br />
The use of soaker hoses, timers,<br />
and rain barrels is a great time saver<br />
as are mulches; mulches not only<br />
conserve moisture (and thus reduce<br />
the need for watering) but also<br />
control weeds. Mary pointed out that<br />
gardens need to be weeded before<br />
mulching, and that there has to be<br />
enough moisture present in the soil for<br />
mulching to be effective.<br />
Mary contended that putting the<br />
garden to bed for the winter need not<br />
be onerous: cut back most herbaceous<br />
perennials to about 2 inches above the<br />
ground when you (or they) are ready;<br />
leave evergreen perennials such as<br />
Candy tuft and Japanese spurge alone;<br />
or even leave perennials such as Globe<br />
thistle and Maiden hair grass to feed<br />
the birds or for winter interest in the<br />
garden. Young trees can be protected<br />
during the winter from attack by<br />
rabbits by using plastic tree wrap or<br />
rodent repellent. Woody perennials<br />
should be watered once a week until<br />
the ground freezes and then wrapped<br />
in an open-topped wrapping to avoid<br />
desiccation during the winter.<br />
Pruning of dead, diseased, or<br />
dangerous shrub branches (and<br />
suckers) can be done at any time, but<br />
pruning most woody perennials such<br />
Weigela<br />
Maiden Hair Grass<br />
Page 17<br />
as Lilac and Weigela should be done<br />
just after the plants have flowered.<br />
In summary, Mary noted that<br />
gardening need not be onerous or timeconsuming<br />
and, indeed, gardeners<br />
should take the time to enjoy their<br />
gardens<br />
This was the last meeting of the<br />
Garden Club for the 2011—2012<br />
season. However, we will be having our<br />
annual Spring Perennial Exchange—<br />
Good Plants, Good Deals on May 12.<br />
Bring potted and labelled perennial<br />
plants to exchange. Set up starts at<br />
9:30 a.m., exchange starts at 10 a.m.,<br />
sale of remaining plants follows. At<br />
Brewer Park near the shelter at the<br />
children’s playground.<br />
We are planning an exciting<br />
program for 2012—2013; it will be<br />
advertised later in the year in OSCAR.
Page 18<br />
Left to right Mike Hooper, Alice<br />
Arnason, Del Smith (Head guard)<br />
By Paige Raymond Kovach<br />
Lorna Stoddart taught many<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> youngsters<br />
to swim at Brighton Beach.<br />
Starting at 13 and throughout her<br />
teen years, she was one of the team<br />
of lifeguards that ensured safety and<br />
fun at the popular summer spot.<br />
The beach was a busy place in<br />
the 50s and 60s. There are no traces<br />
now of the cinderblock building that<br />
doubled as the ticket office, change<br />
room and bathroom. Back then there<br />
were bike racks, and the whole beach<br />
area was enclosed by a fence.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
Brighton Beach Memories<br />
Lorna taught swimming lessons<br />
every morning to local children. The<br />
guards had the children lie back on<br />
the grassy lawn to teach them their<br />
frog kicks, perfect arm motions,<br />
and talk about safety. She had taken<br />
swimming lessons at Brighton Beach<br />
herself and had attained her bronze<br />
and silver levels there.<br />
“It is very different guarding in a<br />
place where you can’t see the bottom.<br />
I was told watch heads, when one goes<br />
down, make sure the same one comes<br />
up. There was never an incident, no<br />
drowning, when I was there,” said<br />
Lorna.<br />
The guard chair was set in the<br />
middle of the beach, about three or<br />
four feet up, like a big table with a<br />
chair in the middle. There was smaller<br />
one lower down. And a long dock that<br />
stuck out into the river. There were<br />
booms to keep the children corralled<br />
in a specific area under the watchful<br />
eyes of the lifeguards. There were also<br />
three rafts, one to the left, one to the<br />
right, and one in the middle, as well<br />
as a diving platform. Intermediate<br />
swimmers could swim out to the rafts.<br />
“The first few summers I got<br />
badly burned, we didn’t know<br />
anything about the dangers of the sun<br />
then, we put baby oil on ourselves,”<br />
said Lorna.<br />
The lifeguards got to know each<br />
other very well and became good<br />
friends. They each went to separate<br />
high schools so Brighton Beach was<br />
their connection to each other every<br />
summer.<br />
She was encouraged to work<br />
as a lifeguard by Lillian Kitteridge,<br />
Clean up day left to right..Dave robertson, Del Smith and Bob Butterworth<br />
another <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> resident,<br />
who organized the swimming at<br />
Brighton Beach. Lillian had attained<br />
the level of a gold medallion, one of<br />
the few in Canada, which meant she<br />
had saved a life.<br />
But summers at Brighton Beach<br />
weren’t all lessons and perfecting<br />
strokes: in the afternoon the beach<br />
was open to play.<br />
Mike Hoper and Dave Robertson in front of the main guard stand
MAY 2012<br />
Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books<br />
Spring is here with its profusion<br />
of flowers and sunshine, and<br />
those of us with cute wellies<br />
enjoy those inevitable rainy days<br />
too. Just the right time of year to let<br />
your animals out of the house to start<br />
digging up the grass and eating your<br />
tulips (is that only my house?). After<br />
the mud tracks of April, May is a<br />
welcome respite for pet owners. Let’s<br />
celebrate with some books about cats<br />
and dogs!<br />
Dogs<br />
Dogs by Emily Gravett showcases<br />
dogs of all sorts in her award-winning<br />
illustrative style and comes in board<br />
book or paperback. The book details<br />
all the types of dogs that the narrator<br />
loves – big and small, stroppy and<br />
soppy, good and bad dogs. What type<br />
of dog is best loved? As we learn<br />
unexpectedly at the end of the book,<br />
it’s any dog that won’t chase the cat<br />
who has been telling this tale to us.<br />
For an upscale story about a suitwearing<br />
dog who can drive, read, ski<br />
and play chess, check out Douglas<br />
by G.N. Hargreaves. With all of the<br />
many things Douglas can do, it’s hard<br />
to believe that he’s unable to wag<br />
his tail! Apparently, to be able to<br />
wag, you need to know how to have<br />
fun – luckily, a little bird arrives on<br />
the scene to help Douglas figure this<br />
out. Cartoony illustrations and over<br />
20 stickers in the back of the book –<br />
a great read for kids who think they<br />
know what dogs like to do…<br />
New on the shelves is what we<br />
are sure will become a classic – Silly<br />
Doggy by Adam Stower tells the<br />
story of Lily, who has always wanted<br />
a dog and one day looks out into her<br />
yard and finds that one has magically<br />
appeared. Her silly doggy is big,<br />
brown and hairy, with four legs, a tail<br />
and a big, wet nose. Lily, of course,<br />
wants to keep the dog, but her mother<br />
suggests this might be someone’s pet<br />
and she should make a “Found” sign<br />
in case. In addition to a drawing of<br />
the dog, Lily also describes some<br />
key attributes: this dog is no good<br />
at tricks, terrible at playing fetch,<br />
never does what you tell him and his<br />
favourite thing is belly scratches. Lily<br />
hopes no one will see her sign, but<br />
the very next day, someone from the<br />
local zoo drops by – to pick up their<br />
missing bear…<br />
As a cycle of life book, Dog<br />
Breath by Carolyn Beck, illustrated<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 19<br />
It’s raining Cats and Dogs – Books!<br />
by Brooke Kerrigan, is a loving<br />
tribute to a child’s memorable<br />
mischievous pet. A comfy dog bed,<br />
a red rubber ball, a favourite bone: a<br />
collection of images left behind stirs<br />
up fond memories, both poignant and<br />
humourous, of a child’s best friend.<br />
This is a lovely family resource to<br />
help kids talk about loss.<br />
Beginning readers are likely<br />
familiar with Biscuit by Alyssa Satin<br />
Capucilli. With simple sentences<br />
and word repeats to help readers<br />
learn common terms, these tales of a<br />
rambunctious puppy and his family<br />
will have kids and parents smiling<br />
together.<br />
Cats<br />
Lynley Dodd writes about both<br />
dogs (Hairy Maclary is a naughty<br />
dog) and cats (Slinky Malinki is a<br />
badly behaving cat). Slinky Malinki<br />
steals things from clothes pegs to<br />
slipper, from a sausage string to a<br />
clock… Told in rhyme, each book<br />
of Slinki Malinki’s adventures has<br />
young readers wondering what that<br />
cat will do next!<br />
For beginning readers, Splat the<br />
Cat books by Rob Scotton help kids<br />
learn to read while enjoying some of<br />
Splat’s zany adventures. From baking<br />
a cake to singing at the Parent’s night<br />
at his school, Splat keeps readers<br />
entertained while learning sound<br />
families for the words they’re reading.<br />
Splat has unruly black hair and googly<br />
eyes; the art in the books helps kids<br />
understand and enjoy the stories.<br />
A classic book with the<br />
quintessential tricky cat, Dr. Suess’<br />
Cat in the Hat has been enjoyed by<br />
generations of readers. This oversized<br />
cat in his oversized hat arrive on a<br />
cold rainy day and turn the afternoon<br />
into a madcap adventure that nearly<br />
wrecks the house in the process …<br />
A great spontaneous escapade with<br />
the text we love and the trademark<br />
Seussian illustrations that have been<br />
enjoyed since its publication in 1957!<br />
In the early chapter world, nothing<br />
beats Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel for<br />
hysterical pictures and witty, tongue-<br />
in-cheek explanations of cat behaviour.<br />
Whether it’s an instructional guide on<br />
how to give Kitty a bath (a several<br />
step process, according to Uncle<br />
Murray), a birthday party with feline<br />
guests, or a baby being brought home<br />
by Kitty’s owners, kids and adults<br />
will be laughing out loud by the end<br />
of each of these chapter books.<br />
Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett<br />
is not technically a book about cats,<br />
but it’s one of my favourites, so I’ve<br />
included it here too. Sunny, who lives<br />
in the Kalahari Desert, decides that<br />
it’s too crowded and too hot, and he<br />
sets off to find the “perfect” place to<br />
live. On his travels around the world,<br />
visiting distant cousin mongeese,<br />
Sunny sends his family a series of<br />
post cards that detail his adventures.<br />
Great illustrations and a sneaky jackal<br />
in the background too!<br />
This is just a small collection of the<br />
menagerie of animal stories waiting to<br />
be adopted here at Kaleidoscope. And<br />
no poop to scoop….
Page 20<br />
Whose brilliant [I use<br />
that word such that it is<br />
dripping with as much<br />
sarcasm and disdain as I can muster...<br />
which is a lot] idea is it to spend<br />
the two months after the Academy<br />
Awards releasing nothing but dramas<br />
[often tediously heartfelt] and light<br />
comedies [crammed so full of<br />
poignancy and “meaning” it makes<br />
me ill to even think about]. I can<br />
only watch so much drivel before I<br />
need to watch something sheerly fun<br />
and entertaining...I like a balance:<br />
intelligent and insightful [not that<br />
Hollywood manages that very often]<br />
followed by brutal revenge driven<br />
violence [woohoo!]. Alas, it is not<br />
to be, but despite my general disgust<br />
for the releasing schedule at this<br />
time of year I still managed to find<br />
some films that are worth the time<br />
they take to watch. So below are<br />
a few of the titles that captured my<br />
interest [and yes, I’m aware of the<br />
irony of my selections...three dramas<br />
and a comedy...sigh...but they’re<br />
all exceptions to my general rule of<br />
“comedies and dramas suck”]. These<br />
titles, and thousands upon thousands<br />
more, are available for rent at your<br />
local DVD/BLU-RAY store Tundra<br />
Moving Pictures, 435 Sunnyside @<br />
Seneca.<br />
“Afghan Luke” -<br />
I really wanted this to be “Fear<br />
and Loathing in Afghanistan” and<br />
I’ll admit that I was disappointed<br />
that it never lived up to this hope<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
TheTundra Review<br />
[near constant disappointment is<br />
my lot in life when it comes to<br />
the current “age” of cinema], but<br />
despite that “Afghan Luke” remained<br />
an entertaining, fascinating, and<br />
absurd road trip through the bizzaro<br />
world that is Afghanistan [which<br />
is a beautiful country in a postapocalyptic<br />
wasteland sort of way].<br />
Following a disillusioned and cynical<br />
journalist as he wanders through an<br />
incredibly SNAFU/FUBAR world,<br />
the viewer is treated to moments of<br />
dark comedy, social commentary,<br />
and a general sense of the absurdity<br />
of the world [and I love absurdity,<br />
and irony, and cynicism, and dark<br />
comedy...etc]. This should have been<br />
a better film [as with so many films,<br />
sigh], but despite its flaws [it never<br />
quite gets its tone and atmosphere<br />
right, and, in all fairness, I wanted<br />
more dark comedy than existential<br />
drama], the movie was good [read:<br />
worth my time to watch...which is a<br />
step above most films, which aren’t<br />
worth my time to watch...] - it has<br />
some brilliant moments and hilarious<br />
dialogue, and keeps pushing its roadtrip<br />
story forward through strange<br />
encounters with odd-ball characters<br />
and surreal situations.<br />
“Atlas Shrugged, part One” -<br />
I’ve never read the book, and my<br />
knowledge of Rand is all secondtier<br />
and derived as much from<br />
Bioshock [brilliant critique of the<br />
inevitable consequences of Rand’s<br />
philosophy - in the form of a video<br />
game...that I’ve played through at<br />
least 3 times...100% completion I<br />
might add...as if that means anything<br />
to any of you...sigh] as from early<br />
philosophy courses I sat through in<br />
university a long, long time ago. The<br />
timeliness of this film is unsettling<br />
to say the least, and at its core is<br />
a critique of modern society that<br />
is disturbingly accurate [though<br />
completely one-sided] and a mix<br />
of anti-political / anti-bureaucratic<br />
rhetoric that can border on stifling<br />
[very heavy-handed and cynical...<br />
almost more cynical than my own<br />
perspective on things, which made<br />
me feel like I wasn’t living up to my<br />
full cynical potential]. Yet, at the<br />
heart of the story is a very human<br />
problem - that of creation, social<br />
interaction, greed...and parasitism.<br />
The film has some short-comings [it’s<br />
an independent production funded<br />
by a wealthy financier - talk about<br />
self-serving propaganda], but it’s a<br />
fascinating story, and I’m certainly<br />
looking forward to watching the<br />
second-half when it gets released<br />
[and I plan to read the book by then...<br />
hopefully, after Catch-22, which<br />
I’ve been told will suit my sense of<br />
humour].<br />
“J. Edgar” -<br />
I’m not really a fan of biopics [they<br />
tend to be about people I could<br />
really care less about, and they’re<br />
generally tedious and extremely bias<br />
about their subject] but I’m always<br />
willing to give Clint Eastwood the<br />
benefit of the doubt [he’s a fantastic<br />
director - except for “Flags of Our<br />
Fathers,” which was atrociously<br />
boring and very badly acted]. I’m<br />
also willing to watch most DiCaprio<br />
films [despite the fact he seems like<br />
a slimy untrustworthy douchbag...<br />
yeah, personal bias, I know, other<br />
people think he’s “dreamy”, but<br />
they’re wrong] because he seems<br />
to have a damn good agent who<br />
consistently picks roles that DiCaprio<br />
suits. “J. Edgar” is no exception<br />
for either of them: it’s an intelligent<br />
multi-layered look at a complex<br />
character whom [grammar brain-fart,<br />
I couldn’t decide between “who”<br />
and “whom”] both director and actor<br />
portray carefully so as to examine<br />
MAY 2012<br />
the individual without passing<br />
judgement, a task which they leave to<br />
the viewer. It’s impossible to speak to<br />
the factual veracity of the film [and<br />
only an idiot denies that Hollywood<br />
like to flaunt its dramatic license],<br />
but as a character study it’s probably<br />
one of the most interesting films I’ve<br />
ever seen.<br />
“Johnny English Reborn”<br />
is, well, hilarious [although, since I<br />
generally dislike comedies - they’re<br />
predictable and often have crappy<br />
endings with tedious “moral”<br />
messages worked in with as much<br />
grace as a duck stuffed into a turkey<br />
- I’m not sure how much weight<br />
should be given to my opinion].<br />
Rowan Atkinson recreates a character<br />
that was fun the first time around, but<br />
ages him appropriately and redefines<br />
him as a rare mix of competence,<br />
intelligence, bad luck and...well...<br />
bumblingness. An endearing<br />
character [he’s just so likable] put<br />
into an absurd situation is the basis<br />
of a surprising large number of<br />
comedies, but it doesn’t alway work.<br />
Thankfully, in this case, it works<br />
perfectly, and we’re treated to a fun<br />
and funny film with entertaining<br />
action sequences and an amusingly<br />
dastardly villain [always a necessity -<br />
good villains are becoming harder to<br />
find sadly, probably thanks to all the<br />
silly villains in comic book movies].<br />
From the pre-order lists, the<br />
upcoming month should satisfy<br />
some of my cravings for action and<br />
violence, along with some more<br />
interesting smaller titles, if for no<br />
other reason than I’m running out of<br />
teen melodrama TV series to watch<br />
[just finished “Vampire Diaries”<br />
and “The OC” - both thoroughly<br />
entertaining...sadly]. If you’re<br />
looking for a list of our weekly new<br />
releases or trailers of new films<br />
we really like please check out our<br />
Facebook page, just google:<br />
“facebook tundra moving pictures”<br />
Reviews courtesy of Chris<br />
Whitehead.
MAY 2012<br />
AFTER THOUGHTS<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
The World System as an Ecology of Suggestions<br />
from Richard Ostrofsky<br />
of Second Thoughts Bookstore<br />
(now closed)<br />
www.secthoughts.com<br />
quill@travel-net.com<br />
My column this month will<br />
be fairly academic but not<br />
unbearably so, I hope. The<br />
concepts at point seem to me of general<br />
interest, and worth some effort by the<br />
lay public to understand. Briefly, I want<br />
to link Immanuel Wallerstein’s ‘worldsystems<br />
analysis’ to Gregory Bateson’s<br />
concept of an ‘ecology of mind,’ and<br />
suggest how the resulting paradigm<br />
offers a new approach both to political<br />
economy and to ethnography – the<br />
detailed description and explanation<br />
of lifestyles in a given community of<br />
interest. Entries for all these terms are<br />
available on Wikipedia, for example,<br />
but I will try to make this piece about<br />
them clear and self-contained from this<br />
point on. The key idea is that human<br />
groups and their lifestyles should not<br />
be studied in isolation from one another<br />
(nor from the anthropologists who study<br />
them) as static structures, but as interrelated<br />
systems evolving in relationship<br />
to one another, and to an ecological<br />
context that includes them all.<br />
Anthropology has been in a pickle<br />
for some years now because the pristine<br />
‘cultures’ that it traditionally worked<br />
with – e.g. in Samoa, New Guinea or the<br />
jungles of <strong>South</strong> America – no longer<br />
exist, if indeed they ever did. Every one<br />
of the communities thought to live by<br />
such a culture had a history of contacts<br />
with other peoples and ways of life.<br />
All have had, and still have, significant<br />
contact with the modern world, if only<br />
with the explorers who found them,<br />
and with the anthropologists who<br />
studied them. Most have been subject<br />
to missionaries, traders and colonial<br />
adminis-trators as well. Thus, none of<br />
them is truly ‘pristine,’ or structurally<br />
self-contained. All are much more like<br />
the urban ghetto (or wealthy, gated<br />
community) of interest to sociologists<br />
than like the primitive tribes studied by<br />
Margaret Mead.<br />
Responding to this situation,<br />
Immanuel Wallerstein and others<br />
have developed the concept of a<br />
‘world-system,’ with any number of<br />
sub-systems of varying collective<br />
mentalities or ‘mindsets,’ at varying<br />
levels of wealth, autonomy, political<br />
Spring Melodies<br />
power, technological sophistication,<br />
and so forth. There is only one such<br />
system today – the global one – and<br />
many scholars and ordinary people<br />
would like to understand it, as honestly<br />
as possible. Herewith some of the<br />
conclusions that have been reached,<br />
following this world-system approach.<br />
The first point is that supposedly<br />
‘free’ market transactions are (at best)<br />
an ideal special case, and (at worst)<br />
a matter of self-serving ideology. In<br />
fact, all transactions (economic and<br />
otherwise) occur within relationships<br />
of relative power, even when the<br />
parties are legally equal. All such<br />
transactions are negotiated, tacitly or<br />
explicitly, between parties in differing<br />
circumstances, with different levels<br />
of need to come to an agreement. The<br />
employer and the worker, vendor and<br />
customer, husband and wife, parent<br />
and child are just examples of such<br />
asymmetrical relationships between<br />
parties with differing needs, desires and<br />
‘mindsets,’ and with differing options if<br />
no agreement is reached.<br />
This last point is the most<br />
important. In any such negotiation<br />
and in the relationship (if any) that<br />
follows, power is held by the party<br />
that cares least whether they can reach<br />
agreement or not. In a ‘buyer’s market’<br />
the customer knows that he can always<br />
find other vendors to sell him what<br />
he wants. He walks away if the price<br />
does not come down. In a seller’s<br />
market, the vendor knows that he can<br />
find other customers and raises his<br />
price accordingly. A similar “law of<br />
supply and demand” holds when the<br />
transaction is not strictly economic,<br />
and when the price is not just a matter<br />
of dollars and cents. The negotiation<br />
and the contract (if any) that follows is<br />
always conditioned by the party who<br />
needs agreement least.<br />
For this reason (if nothing else),<br />
power has tended to flow toward centers<br />
of technological and organizational<br />
sophistication which could find their<br />
raw materials, their workers and<br />
their customers wherever. The world<br />
system as a whole has tended to selforganize<br />
around a core where such<br />
power is concentrated, dominating<br />
a much poorer, weaker periphery<br />
which supplies (relatively cheap)<br />
raw materials, and has to purchase<br />
(relatively expensive) finished goods.<br />
Of course, the terms of trade between<br />
performed by the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Regional Youth Choir<br />
under the direction of Kevin Reeves, with guests,<br />
the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Children’s Choir,<br />
on Saturday, May 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m.<br />
at the Canadian Martyrs Church,<br />
100 Main Street.<br />
Admission at the door: Adults: $20; Students: $10;<br />
Children under 12: Free<br />
core and periphery are influenced also<br />
by non-economic factors, notably<br />
military power, ideological rhetoric,<br />
advertising and so forth. In any specific<br />
negotiation, factors like these must<br />
help to shape the outcome – as will the<br />
‘mindset’ of the parties concerned.<br />
And here the notion of a suggestion<br />
ecology will enter. By definition,<br />
mindset is the cognitive repertoire of<br />
concepts, beliefs, desires, and whatever,<br />
that people bring to the situtions they<br />
encounter. People are influenced and<br />
cued in various ways by the suggestions<br />
put to them – by significant others<br />
or by advertising commercials, for<br />
example. They weigh and decide<br />
amongst the competing suggestions of<br />
their present situation in light of their<br />
respective mindsets – their repertoires<br />
of suggestions received and accepted<br />
in the past. Each such repertoire is<br />
actually a dynamic system, analogous<br />
to the ecologies of nature in some ways:<br />
the whole repertoire must be consistent<br />
with itself, and may be invaded by new<br />
and powerful suggestions at any time.<br />
Wallerstein’s ‘world system’ is<br />
comprised of numerous sub-systems<br />
and ultimately of individuals, each<br />
with mindset of its own. The economic<br />
relationships and power relationships<br />
amongst such entities can be conceived<br />
and analyzed according to the ‘terms<br />
of trade’ between them. A fine-grained<br />
analysis of these relationships and<br />
terms will abstract from the goods<br />
exchanged and the specific transactions<br />
negotated between them, and will seek<br />
Page 21<br />
to describe and account for the over-all<br />
quality of their relationship and for the<br />
‘balance of power’ amongst its parties.<br />
To do this it will describe and analyze<br />
their negotiations as an exchange<br />
and weighing of suggestions to one<br />
another, seeing the outcome as a kind<br />
of ecological balance – self-consistent<br />
and fairly stable in the ideal case, but<br />
more-or-less volatile in detail. In such<br />
negotiations, the suggestions in play are<br />
of many kinds: offers to trade, threats,<br />
seductions and self-justifying rhetoric<br />
are probably the most important.<br />
This paradigm of ‘suggestion<br />
ecology’ has interesting implications not<br />
just for the social sciences, but for sane<br />
political activists and for the ordinary,<br />
concerned citizen. It leads us to think<br />
and write about a world of embedded,<br />
mutually interacting communities,<br />
each with its mindset, its suggestion<br />
ecology. In this way, anthropological<br />
structuralism is retooled into a kind of<br />
cognitive systems analysis: the concept<br />
of ‘mindset’ becomes mutable and<br />
dynamic while remaining something<br />
that communities and whole societies<br />
can share. We see that a group’s common<br />
‘mindset’ can be coherent, adaptive and<br />
fairly stable, but also deeply incoherent,<br />
conflicted and maladaptive. Both<br />
ethnography and political economy<br />
adapt accord-ingly. We find ourselves<br />
talking about something larger than<br />
the global economy: the coherence,<br />
competence and sanity of the global<br />
mind.
Page 22 The th OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
MAY 2012<br />
By Marilyn Brown<br />
(Dancey)<br />
My daughter, a family friend<br />
and myself planned a trip<br />
to Paris for September of<br />
2009. When the time finally came, we<br />
were all very excited and headed out<br />
for our overnight flight to Frankfurt,<br />
Germany and then on to De Gaul<br />
Airport in Paris. We took a taxi to<br />
our hotel, the Pullman Tour Eiffel,<br />
18 Rue Sufferen. We were a little too<br />
early to get into our rooms, so decided<br />
to sit and wait in the Lounge. All of a<br />
sudden, I looked out the window and<br />
discovered we were only a block and<br />
a half away from the Eiffel Tower.<br />
What a bonus, and a great landmark<br />
on any of our trips, we always knew<br />
where we were once we spotted it.<br />
We finally got into our rooms and<br />
freshened up, changed and headed out<br />
for our pre-booked O Chateau Wine<br />
Tasting, across from the Louvre. It had<br />
been Madame de Pompadour’s 17th<br />
Century Wine Cellar and was attached<br />
through a tunnel to the Louvre. We<br />
tasted some great French Wines, met<br />
other tourists from Canada, the States<br />
and other places. Had a ‘fun’ time,<br />
and of course bought some wines to<br />
bring home.<br />
After that, we ambled along and<br />
found a great Café/Wine Bar which<br />
had been a 1940’s Smoking Lounge<br />
close to the Louvre in the Palais Royal<br />
neighbourhood. Of course now,<br />
smoking is banned. It is said to have<br />
been frequented by Hemmingway and<br />
the likes.<br />
Back to our hotel and ate at a<br />
fantastic little café across the street<br />
called Chez Ribe. It was a pleasant<br />
surprise to find the food was great, as<br />
opposed to some of the tales we had<br />
heard before leaving home. Off to<br />
bed for an early start next morning.<br />
On Day 2, we had the Buffet<br />
Breakfast in the hotel and hailed<br />
a taxi to take us to Pere Lachaise<br />
A Wonderful 8-Days in Paris<br />
Cemetery. It is the largest cemetery<br />
in Paris. The land had belonged to<br />
Pere de la Chaise, Confessor to King<br />
Louis the XIV. Such celebrities as<br />
Jim Morrison, Oscar Wild, Edith Piaf,<br />
Chopin, Moliere, Proust, and Maria<br />
Callas, to name a few are buried there.<br />
Some of the family Crypts, which<br />
were in all sizes, had beautiful stained<br />
glass, alters, kneeling benches and<br />
candle holders. Oscar Wild’s huge<br />
gravestone was covered with lipstick<br />
kisses from his female admirers. Jim<br />
Morrison’s grave was very plain and<br />
had been fenced off, with beautiful<br />
fresh flowers arranged, and thrown on<br />
it. There had been a bust of him that<br />
had been stolen, and that is why it is<br />
now fenced, and has a security guard<br />
posted. We spent half the day at the<br />
Cemetery and then walked about<br />
a block to A La Renaissance Café,<br />
located at 41 rue du Repose. Once<br />
again, a good meal, good service in<br />
very pleasant surroundings which had<br />
many artefacts from days gone by.<br />
After our lunch, we taxied back to the<br />
Eiffel Tower. Anne and Karren got a<br />
lot of fantastic pictures from different<br />
angles, and underneath the tower as<br />
well as Statues, the Seine, and an old<br />
fashioned Carrousel.<br />
We walked back to our favourite<br />
little Chez Ribe Restaurant/Bar where<br />
it was great to relax, people watch,<br />
feed the pigeons and pass the time until<br />
supper. We heard a lot of cheering,<br />
horns honking, etc., and a large group<br />
of men and women on bicycles passed<br />
by. Karren took pictures, and we<br />
finally saw a sign that said ‘London<br />
to Paris Cycle Race’. Amazing! Also<br />
watched a lot of tourists going by<br />
in Horse Drawn Carriages. We had<br />
supper, and once it turned dark, the<br />
Eiffel Tower is lit up beautifully, but<br />
every hour on the hour, they put it on<br />
‘Sparkle’ for 5 minutes. Beautiful<br />
in the day, amazing at night, but on<br />
sparkle, it’s ‘spectacular’.<br />
On our third day, we had our City<br />
Tour. First stop was Notre Dame<br />
- the beautiful Gothic Church with<br />
amazing carvings and statues, and<br />
world renowned for its Gargoyles and<br />
Flying Buttresses. We arrived at 10<br />
a.m., and it was Sunday, while Mass<br />
was taking place. We were surprised<br />
that there were so few people in<br />
attendance. We couldn’t use our<br />
flash, and had to be very quiet. The<br />
Relics of the Passion of Christ had<br />
been kept in Sainte Chapelle. These<br />
included the fragment of the Holy<br />
Cross and the Crown of Thorns, but<br />
they had been melted down during the<br />
Revolution and the remaining ones are<br />
now kept in the treasury of the Notre<br />
Dame Cathedral. We continued on<br />
our bus tour and drove by many of the<br />
main sites of Paris such as the Gare<br />
du Nord, the entrance to the Jardin<br />
Luxembourg, the Sorbonne, etc., that<br />
we would visit further during our<br />
stay. We ended at the Eiffel Tower<br />
and proceeded to the 2nd floor where<br />
we lined up to buy our tickets to take<br />
the elevator to the top. We spent<br />
quite a bit of time there, the view<br />
was fantastic from all the angles, but<br />
I didn’t like the feeling of the tower<br />
‘swaying’.<br />
After a bit of shopping in the<br />
Tower Souvenir Shop, we flagged a<br />
taxi and returned to Isle du Cite for<br />
lunch at Le Soleil D’Or before going<br />
to Sainte Chapelle. It is a gem of high<br />
Gothic architecture. It had been the<br />
seat of Royal Power from the 10th to<br />
the 14th Century. The stained glass<br />
has no words wonderful enough to<br />
describe it. Ste. Chapelle is now used<br />
for concerts and of course, tours. At<br />
the end of our tour, we bought our 2<br />
day Paris Pass (Museums). Tomorrow<br />
we are off to the Louvre.<br />
As mentioned, our 4th day’s first<br />
stop is the Louvre. It had started out<br />
as a 12th Century fortress. Once<br />
inside, we saw the Venus de Milo, the<br />
Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory (190<br />
BC). Beautiful ceilings, you didn’t<br />
know whether to look at the Art pieces<br />
or the ceilings. It would take a solid<br />
two months to see everything. We did<br />
see the Trojan Horse, and pieces in the<br />
Etruscan Gallery, as well as King Tut<br />
and many other Egyptian pieces, such<br />
as the Louvre dungeons, etc. The<br />
glass Pyramid that has been added<br />
more recently and can be viewed<br />
from the outside and the inside, is<br />
actually very beautiful. We bought<br />
a lot of Souvenirs at the Louvre shop<br />
including the whole set of CDs of<br />
Edith Piaff. Then, into Le Carousel<br />
du Louvre for lunch - best fast food<br />
service and menus I have ever seen.<br />
We settled for a Quiche. After lunch,<br />
into one of the most organized, clean,<br />
scented washrooms I have ever seen<br />
in all my travels. Now, back onto the<br />
Hop On/Hop Off Bus.<br />
We caught the bus right at the<br />
Louvre, and our first stop that we got<br />
off was on the Champs Elysees. We<br />
couldn’t resist the Monoprix, which<br />
is considered the Dollar Store of<br />
Paris. Did a lot of window shopping,<br />
browsed the Café’s and chose one for<br />
a cold drink. Back on to the Hop On/<br />
Hop Off to our hotel area for supper<br />
that night at another outdoor café, Le<br />
Beaujolais. It is so nice to be able to<br />
eat a meal, or stop for a drink at these<br />
outdoor café’s and not be bothered by<br />
any insects. We could even leave our<br />
windows open all night and not worry<br />
about moths, etc. Creepy crawlers<br />
are not on my likeable list at home or<br />
while travelling.<br />
On our 5th day, we had breakfast<br />
in the outdoor garden of our hotel.<br />
We enjoyed our leisurely walk<br />
through the pretty park with a small<br />
pond beside the Eiffel Tower. We fed<br />
the birds and the ducks, and visited<br />
with many little dogs that were out<br />
for their morning walks. We got to<br />
the main road and boarded the Hop<br />
on/Hop off for the second day, which<br />
was headed to the Opera Garnier.<br />
This Paris Opera had been the setting<br />
for the famous novel of the Phantom<br />
of the Opera. We toured it from top<br />
to bottom and it was marvellous -<br />
marble staircases with brass railings,<br />
beautiful chandeliers, carved wooden<br />
panelling, etc. It was built in 1875.<br />
Afterwards we went for a snack and<br />
refreshments at the famous ‘Café de<br />
la Paix’ nearby. Our next stop on the<br />
bus was Place de la Concorde. This is<br />
where the Guillotine was set up in days<br />
past. It now has an Egyptian Obelisk<br />
and beautiful fountains, which was<br />
more to my liking. You can gaze<br />
down the Champs Elysee and see the<br />
Arc de Triomphe at the far end. Back<br />
on the bus and our next stop was right<br />
at the Arc. It had been commissioned<br />
in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon. After<br />
viewing the Grave of the Unknown<br />
Soldier, and other touristy attractions<br />
in that area, we stopped for lunch on<br />
Avenue Victor Hugo. The Hop on/<br />
Hop off was finished so we took a<br />
cab to the Montmartre area. We did<br />
a lot of shopping as the souvenir<br />
shops were one after another in this<br />
famous section of Paris which had<br />
been frequented by artists, including<br />
Toulouse Lautrec. We had supper at<br />
the Café Montmartre and then headed<br />
on another block or so to Sacre Coeur<br />
Basilica, but it had just closed for the<br />
night. It’s a beautiful Byzantine style<br />
church set up high on a hill, accessible<br />
by stairs or a funicular/elevator. We<br />
passed by Moulin Rouge on our way<br />
home, and I had bought a lovely ink<br />
sketch of it.<br />
After breakfast on our 6th day, we<br />
had to meet our tour bus at the Statue<br />
of Joan of Arc at Place des Pyramid to<br />
head out to Giverny to visit Monet’s<br />
house and gardens. The gardens were<br />
beautiful and while he lived, he and<br />
his children maintained all of them by<br />
themselves. We saw the little Japanese<br />
bridge over the Water Lily’s from one<br />
of his famous paintings. His house<br />
was tiny, especially for the amount<br />
of people that lived in it, but well<br />
looked after as a museum, with all<br />
Cont’d on next page
The th<br />
MAY 2012 OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
Page 23<br />
Wonderful 8-Days .... Cont’d from previous page<br />
Le Moulin de Fourges - beautiful little restaurant in French countryside<br />
his furnishings just the way they had<br />
been. Then a tour of the little village<br />
of Giverny, where we wondered if<br />
the bus was going to make it through<br />
some of the narrow little streets. You<br />
could physically reach out and touch<br />
the walls of houses, etc., from either<br />
side of the bus if the windows were<br />
open. The little Church was beautiful.<br />
We were heading now to Moulin des<br />
Fourges, which had been converted to<br />
a restaurant. Beautiful setting, lovely<br />
meal, great travel companions and<br />
to make everything even better, the<br />
wine flowed like water. This was all<br />
included in the Tour, which was paid<br />
for by my daughter as a Christmas<br />
present for the preceding year.<br />
Lunch over, we were back on<br />
the bus headed to the Palace of<br />
Versailles. It had been the Royal<br />
Chateau of Louis the XIV, from the<br />
1600’s. Once again, the gardens<br />
here were beautifully laid out,,with<br />
paths taking you to the vast areas of<br />
sculptured evergreens, flowers, etc.<br />
Then, we were taken inside the Royal<br />
Apartments where we saw the Hall of<br />
Mirrors, the Queen’s Bed Chamber,<br />
the Royal Art collection. To feast our<br />
eyes on such luxury! Back on the<br />
bus for our return to Paris for supper<br />
and bed.<br />
On our 7th day we headed out to<br />
the Rodin Museum after breakfast.<br />
It had been Rodin’s mansion and<br />
gardens. We saw ‘The Thinker’, in<br />
the garden, the ‘Gates of Hell’, ‘The<br />
Kiss’ and many other of his famous<br />
pieces. It was really nice, not rushed<br />
or crowded so we could wind down<br />
and do it at our own speed - which<br />
was beginning to slow down a bit.<br />
We travelled back to Notre<br />
Dame, where they have the<br />
Archeological Crypts in front. It<br />
has the ruins of the Roman town<br />
Lutece - the Roman settlement before<br />
Paris. A lot of old Roman ruins down<br />
there. Then we crossed one of the<br />
little bridges and found Shakespeare<br />
& Company Book Store. They have<br />
books from all ages, all topics,<br />
but are mainly famous because of<br />
authors like Ernest Hemmingway<br />
and other famous writers that used<br />
to congregate there. In fact, I<br />
noticed that the owner, who had a<br />
little apartment upstairs, and was<br />
quite old, just died last summer. He<br />
hired students from the University<br />
to classify the books, and they<br />
would spend all nights, reading and<br />
classifying them. He was supposed<br />
to have had a dog, and there was<br />
one outside the day we went with<br />
his food and water dishes, and he<br />
greeted every one that came near. I<br />
don’t know if he was the one and<br />
the same. Then we wandered along<br />
Oscar Wilde’s gravestone in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, PAris<br />
the skinny little side streets, window<br />
shopping and browsing. There were<br />
other book sellers, souvenir hawkers,<br />
and many oil and water colour<br />
paintings for sale along our route.<br />
We then boarded out Boat Cruise on<br />
the Bateaux Mouches for our cruise<br />
down the River Seine under the many<br />
beautiful bridges with their Golden<br />
statues. Back to our Chez Ribe for<br />
supper, and to start packing up for<br />
our early rising tomorrow.<br />
Our 8th day, and we had to<br />
be up and out for 4 a.m., for the<br />
Chateau Wine Tasting in PAris<br />
long trek home. It was a welcome<br />
holiday. Unknown to Karren and I,<br />
Anne had picked up two of the Water<br />
Colours, one of the Eiffel Tower and<br />
one of Notre Dame, and had them<br />
framed as gifts for us at Christmas.<br />
A wonderful trip, and although we<br />
covered a lot - we barely scratched<br />
the surface.<br />
Marilyn Brown (nee Dancey) grew up<br />
in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> and is now back<br />
in the <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
neighbourhood
The th Page 24 OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
MAY 2012<br />
By Richard Weintrager<br />
5 Tips For Capturing The Perfect Flower Photograph<br />
There is no better place to be in the<br />
spring than in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>.<br />
To be in this community is truly<br />
sublime; to be here as a photographer<br />
can be divine.<br />
Having grown up in the city I<br />
am more than familiar with its secret<br />
passageways, the freedoms and hidden<br />
gems found at the ground at my own<br />
feet. After seasons of strolling the<br />
streets of OOS, two years ago I made<br />
the choice to move here permanently<br />
with my family. Naturally, I brought<br />
my camera.<br />
There are a lot of flower photos<br />
out there – a lot. Here are five<br />
essential tips for moving your<br />
flower photograph from ordinary to<br />
extraordinary.<br />
LIGHT – Natural light illuminating<br />
a flower can make all the difference<br />
between a photograph that is simple<br />
to one that is something simply<br />
exceptional. On a typical sunny day,<br />
midday can be the toughest time to<br />
capture a photo. The sun can make<br />
everything appear harsh even with the<br />
use of filters. I find that the evening<br />
or morning, when sun is at a greater<br />
angle and the shadows are longer, is<br />
the best light. Additionally, you can<br />
get great photos on an overcast day<br />
when the light is more diffuse and<br />
dynamic. And if you’re going to the<br />
Tulip Festival, you may even avoid<br />
some of the crowds!<br />
TIP: One of my favourite times to<br />
take photos is after a storm. The light<br />
tends to be incomparable, and water<br />
on flower petals does amazing things<br />
in a photograph.<br />
BACKGROUND – We’ve all done it,<br />
set up the most amazing photograph<br />
and then taken it; but when we’re back<br />
home or in the studio reviewing the<br />
image we see a person in the edge of<br />
the frame scratching at their bum. We<br />
were so focused on our subject that<br />
we forgot to look at what is in the rest<br />
of the viewfinder! Fortunately, with<br />
Photoshop and other editing programs<br />
we can delete these “fails”. However,<br />
Wildflower Datura at Tundra Video<br />
Cameron Succlent<br />
it’s always best to take a moment and<br />
look beyond the subject and at the full<br />
composition.<br />
TIP: Bring something with you<br />
such as a beautiful piece of fabric to<br />
alter or contain the background.<br />
TIME: All perennials, especially<br />
tulips, are fleeting. It seems that<br />
one day they are budding and then<br />
suddenly the petals are on the ground<br />
and the season is over.<br />
As a flower grows and blooms it<br />
goes through many remarkable stages.<br />
The bud of a tulip can be as sensual<br />
as the full petals. Explore it all. One<br />
of my favourite photographs is one I<br />
took long after natural decay had set<br />
in.<br />
Harvard Railroad Vine<br />
Activity: Take a picture of a<br />
flower in your garden or on the street<br />
every day for a week. Observe the<br />
changes. Celebrate each difference.<br />
FEARLESSNESS: The photographs<br />
I’m most attracted to are the ones<br />
with compositions I might never have<br />
thought about. Experiment with your<br />
depth of focus and change your angle<br />
– stand close, stand far away, shoot<br />
up, shoot down, shoot sideways. With<br />
digital cameras it’s so easy to delete<br />
the photos you don’t like.<br />
Activity: Take 25 different photos<br />
of the same flower. This will open up<br />
your mind and your eyes to looking<br />
beyond the flower.<br />
LOOK: Flowers have marvelous<br />
balance and often surprising<br />
symmetry. When I find balance in a<br />
photograph of a flower I’ve explored,<br />
I realize right there I am getting closer<br />
to the thing itself. Take time with<br />
your subject. Move around the flower,<br />
observe a single flower from different<br />
angles and see how it’s balanced.<br />
Think botany, if you wish. Think<br />
engineering. Look how it physically<br />
is where it is.<br />
Activity: Take time to observe<br />
your flower subject through your own<br />
eyes and not just the viewfinder. Take<br />
a series of close-up photos of each part<br />
of the flower – the petals, the leaves,<br />
the pistils and the stamens. See what<br />
you discover.<br />
As a professional photographer I<br />
can help you immortalize your garden.<br />
Contact me about my personal garden<br />
photography packages, or view<br />
my portfolio on my newest blog<br />
http://welustdesign.blogspot.ca/, on<br />
facebook (Welust Design), or contact<br />
me directly at welustdesign@hotmail.<br />
com or 613-842-7922.<br />
TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH<br />
COME EARLY TO THE GREAT<br />
TRINITY BOOK SALE, Saturday, May 5<br />
Book lovers have had to really rub elbows at past book sales at Trinity<br />
Church in the confined space of the Chapel – but on Saturday, May 5th,<br />
books will be spread all over Bender Hall. At Frosty’s Fair last November,<br />
there just wasn’t room for all the books collected to be put out in the Chapel.<br />
All these, plus the many more collected since, can be perused in comfort -<br />
novels, mysteries(lots of mysteries!), classics, romances, ‘book club books’,<br />
cookbooks, gardening and craft books, books for children, CDs, etc. The<br />
sale starts at 9.30 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. Trinity Church is at 1230 Bank<br />
Street, at Cameron Avenue. Come early for the best choice!<br />
OLD FASHIONED CHURCH<br />
RUMMAGE SALE on Saturday, June 2.<br />
Doing your spring cleaning? Bring any jewellery, household items in<br />
good condition, and clean, gently used clothing, linens and toys, to Trinity<br />
Church for the <strong>Old</strong> Fashioned Rummage sale the first weekend in June. Call<br />
the Church Office at 613-733-7536 for best drop off times.<br />
Submitted by Sue Cherry<br />
Windsor Orchid
The th<br />
MAY 2012 OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
Page 25<br />
Hello Brewer<br />
By Tara Simpson<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market, Events Coordinator<br />
The <strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market Season Opens on May 6 at Brewer Park.<br />
On April 15, the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market said goodbye to the original<br />
Cattle Castle by hosting an early spring market at Lansdowne Park.<br />
While Lansdowne Park is under construction, the market will be held at Brewer<br />
Park in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>.<br />
“Our April 15 market marked a turning point in the history of both the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Farmers Market and the community, said Robin Turner, President of the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Farmers’ Market Association. We opened our very first farmers’ market here at<br />
Lansdowne Park in 2006 with 19 vendors. With the support of the community,<br />
we’ve now grown to three locations across the city and over 100 vendors.”<br />
With farmers, and vendors of locally-grown and locally-made food coming<br />
from within 100 kilometres of <strong>Ottawa</strong>, the markets promote healthy eating and<br />
the local farmers who feed us. The markets also support the local economy –<br />
farmers, chefs, crafts people and entertainers – while providing the public an<br />
opportunity to get outside, learn about local food and culture, and to buy the<br />
freshest, local products the season has to offer directly from the people who<br />
produce it.<br />
Many of <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s favourite local artisans got their start at the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Farmers’ Markets. Suzie-Q Donuts just opened their first location in Hintonburg<br />
this year to rave reviews after selling their plum cardamom donuts, among<br />
others, at the market. Pascales All Natural Ice Cream is sold in …..<br />
On Sunday, May 6th the season opens at the market’s new location at Brewer<br />
Park across from Carleton University on Sloan Avenue. As a haven for families,<br />
pet owners and athletes with lots of green space, waterfront, biking paths, sport<br />
fields, baseball diamonds, a splash pad and multiple play structures, Brewer<br />
Park offers an exciting market location just 2 kilometres from Lansdowne. Just<br />
a few weeks later, the market at Bayshore opens on May 16; and the Orleans<br />
Market at Centrum Plaza opens May 18.<br />
This year, the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market has also hired new staff to assist with<br />
the growing markets and to offer culinary events to showcase the season’s freshest<br />
ingredients. The market will be hosting local chefs, artisans and organizations<br />
influencing the local food movement, and well, dancing on our tastebuds. Local<br />
chefs will provide recipes, cooking demonstrations and samples at the market<br />
while local artisans will show visitors the tips and tricks of the trade.<br />
While many are sad to see the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market leave Lansdowne<br />
Park, with the new location, favourite vendors and a few new ones, and a host<br />
of new and engaging events, the market will be a highlight of the summer. See<br />
you at the market.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmers’ Market at Brewer Park<br />
Sundays, from May 6, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM<br />
The Market at Bayshore Shopping Centre<br />
Wednesdays, from May 16, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM<br />
Orleans Market at Centrum Plaza<br />
Fridays, from May 18, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM<br />
For more details, including What’s in Season and our vendor<br />
profiles, visit the market online at www.ottawafarmersmarket.<br />
ca and follow on Twitter @<strong>Ottawa</strong>FarmMkt.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle<br />
730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
Page 26 The th OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
MAY 2012<br />
By Brenda Lee<br />
OSCA Windsor Park Art Show<br />
Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 17<br />
for the first annual OSCA Windsor Park<br />
Art Show! Our first ever, this event<br />
will be held at Windsor Park, from 10 - 4 and will<br />
feature a community BBQ, live music and over 30<br />
artists and their original creations.<br />
We have our musical line up confirmed and it is an<br />
exciting and eclectic group.<br />
From 11- 12 Spencer Scharf will be playing --<br />
some of you may remember Spencer from the last<br />
Fall Fest. He is a young man with an amazing voice<br />
and stage presence that is definitely at the beginning<br />
of a promising musical career.<br />
Next, from 12-1 we have Social Butterfly,<br />
an acoustic duet from <strong>Ottawa</strong>. Get a preview<br />
of their sound at http://www.reverbnation.com/<br />
socialbutterfly. A very Joni Mitchell, meet<br />
Fleetwood Mac kind of sound.<br />
From 1-2 we have the Firehall’s own Darcy<br />
Middaugh and Friends. Darcy is well known for the<br />
programs he runs at the Firehall, but he has another<br />
side. His music is always a hit with young and old<br />
alike and we are thrilled that he has agreed to join<br />
us.<br />
From 2-3 we have Charles de Lint and<br />
MaryAnn Harris. Charles and MaryAnn lived<br />
in OOS for years and some of you know Charles<br />
from his fantasy novels, many of which were set in<br />
OOS. MaryAnn is a musician on her own, and has<br />
recently collaborated with Charles on the CD, <strong>Old</strong><br />
Blue Truck. It has a folk /rockabilly sound that will<br />
have the crowds on their feet! Check it out at www.<br />
charlesdelint.com.<br />
The BBQ will be held from 11-2, and will<br />
feature hot dogs, sausages, and drinks for sale.<br />
There will also be vendors at the site selling their<br />
food options.<br />
Registration for artists begins on April 20<br />
and a complete list of vendors will be up on the<br />
website (www.oldottawasouth.ca) as of May 15.<br />
We are looking forward to being able to provide<br />
an opportunity for the many amazing artists in our<br />
area to showcase their work and also to give the<br />
community a chance to see what a large variety of<br />
art is available and to be able to see it all in one big<br />
area. I love big art sales for just this reason, it gives<br />
me a chance to really know what is out there and to<br />
buy some things I would never have seen otherwise.<br />
So come on out, enjoy some time with your<br />
friends and neighbours, celebrate Father’s Day,<br />
dance, eat, shop and make merry! Summer will<br />
almost be upon us and what a great way to bring<br />
it in! Family, friends, community….all the good<br />
things that OOS has to offer!<br />
See you there!<br />
For more information<br />
or to volunteer<br />
please call 613 2474946<br />
or check out the website at<br />
www.oldottawasouth.ca<br />
By Michaela Tokarski<br />
Creekside<br />
Communications<br />
Every generation’s parents<br />
try to instil “street smarts”<br />
in their children. Today’s<br />
parents are the first to need to extend<br />
those “street” smarts to cyberspace.<br />
Are you ready?<br />
You don’t have to be a<br />
cybernaut to keep up with the pace<br />
of technological change, not to<br />
mention all the things that can go<br />
sideways online. The best thing<br />
for parents to do is to take a deep<br />
breath, keep their heads and tap into<br />
the following safety tips – and their<br />
own common sense.<br />
Besides sore backs from<br />
slouching and bugged-out eyes<br />
from too much screen time, the risk<br />
to families’ safety and health from<br />
Internet-use fall under two main<br />
categories: technological risks and<br />
behavioural risks.<br />
Technological risks result from<br />
vulnerabilities in your computer’s<br />
programs and hardware from<br />
external threats like viruses and<br />
getting hacked.<br />
Behavioural risks result from<br />
the decisions that we make when<br />
we’re online, whether we’re 7, 47<br />
or 77 years old. Ultimately, it’s up<br />
to parents to protect households<br />
from both kinds of threats – the<br />
good news is this can be done fairly<br />
easily.<br />
Tech threats – Three tips to<br />
stay safe<br />
The starting place for adults<br />
wanting to keep their kids safe<br />
online is by protecting the<br />
technology itself. Here are 3<br />
essential ways to do that:<br />
• Fight viruses! Keep your<br />
virus protection and antimalware<br />
software up-to-date.<br />
• Stay current! Update your Internet<br />
browsing software to help avoid<br />
known security threats. Software<br />
Shop Your Local<br />
On Saturday , April 14th the Firehall was filled<br />
with area artists displaying their unique creations.<br />
Many took advantage of the opportunity to do some<br />
early Mother’s Day /Spring shopping.<br />
Look for the next batch of artists and their<br />
work at our OSCA Windsor Park Art Show on June<br />
17th at Windsor Park.<br />
Keeping our Kids Safe Online<br />
makers often provide updates to<br />
address and repair known problems<br />
that could compromise your<br />
software.<br />
• Halt! Who goes there! What’s the<br />
password? Make sure your wireless<br />
router and wireless network are<br />
secured with passwords using<br />
protocols like WEP, WPA or WPA-<br />
2. If you’re really concerned about<br />
others accessing the Internet over<br />
your wireless network, you can<br />
add an additional layer of security<br />
on many routers that requires you<br />
to personally approve a device<br />
before it can access the Internet<br />
through that network. Looking to<br />
go even further? You can set the<br />
router to hide the network’s SSID<br />
so that when people are looking for<br />
networks in your area, they can’t<br />
see yours (though there are ways<br />
around this).<br />
Peace, Googling, and Good<br />
Conduct – Teaching Smart Online<br />
Skills to Young Kids<br />
We have to think of online<br />
space as fundamentally social<br />
space. And just like we teach our<br />
children to behave in certain ways<br />
when they’re in face-to-face social<br />
settings, we now need to adapt those<br />
teachings when they are online.<br />
Clearly, these teachings will<br />
vary based on age, but here are some<br />
good habits for parents and young<br />
children to cultivate together:<br />
Keep it out in the open. It might<br />
seem obvious, but set up a computer<br />
station in a common area like the<br />
kitchen, family room or living room.<br />
Explore side by side. Stay with<br />
them when they’re surfing the web.<br />
Keep an eye on what they’re doing!<br />
It’s easy for children to click links<br />
that can quickly take them places<br />
they don’t want to go.<br />
Set phasers to “fun”! Turn<br />
parental controls on in your Internet<br />
Browser (Internet Explorer, Safari,<br />
Cont’d on next page
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
MAY 2012 Page 27<br />
CARLETON CORNER<br />
Carleton was pleased to have His<br />
Excellency the Right Honourable<br />
David Johnston, Governor<br />
General of Canada, host the inaugural<br />
Governor General’s Roundtable on<br />
Volunteerism and Philanthropy at the<br />
university on Monday, April 16. The<br />
event was held by Carleton’s School<br />
of Public Policy and Administration in<br />
collaboration with Volunteer Canada.<br />
The roundtable examined the impact<br />
of professional practices in volunteer<br />
engagement. Following the Governor<br />
General’s address, Volunteer Canada<br />
will introduce the 2012 edition of<br />
their Canadian Code for Volunteer<br />
Involvement.<br />
Mechanical and aerospace<br />
engineering students at Carleton have<br />
built a hybrid race car that will perform<br />
against international universities in<br />
a competition in the United States<br />
this spring. The Formula Hybrid<br />
International Competition will take<br />
place at the New Hampshire Motor<br />
By Katimavik volunteers<br />
at the Sunnyside house in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
The reality of the Katimavik<br />
experience, meaning “meeting<br />
place” in Inuktitut, begins on<br />
day one. Our Katimavik group consists<br />
of eleven volunteers and one project<br />
leader. All of us come from a different<br />
place in Canada, from Sorrento, BC,<br />
across to Cap Pele, New Brunswick.<br />
We have Anglophone, Francophone and<br />
Acadian roots. It is certainly a unique<br />
experience that we believe could be<br />
Google Chrome, Firefox etc.) to help<br />
screen against inappropriate content.<br />
If you’re not sure how to set these up,<br />
you can search in Google for “parental<br />
controls” and your Internet Browser’s<br />
name for instructions.<br />
Listen to them, and stay connected,<br />
no matter their age. Children often want<br />
to share stories of the games they’re<br />
playing – and who they’re playing<br />
them with. This is a good thing, so pay<br />
attention. Soon enough, your child may<br />
stop sharing their online lives with you<br />
so freely – so work at staying close and<br />
connected as they navigate this brave<br />
new world of kid-oriented “multiplayer”<br />
games and social space. Listen<br />
for any signs of bullying or coercive<br />
conduct. And of course, listen for any<br />
plans to “meet” in real life!<br />
Beware “in app” purchases. Be<br />
sure to click the setting so children<br />
can’t purchase games online without<br />
re-entering the password, on tablets<br />
especially. It’s not uncommon for<br />
children to rack up hundreds of dollars<br />
in real charges, thinking they are<br />
playing with game money. This of<br />
course can be reversed and resolved by<br />
online retailers, but save yourself the<br />
headache!<br />
The teenage years: When things<br />
really get “social”<br />
Here’s where it can get hairy for<br />
parents, and where youth can really put<br />
the “social” in social media. Access to<br />
Speedway from April 30 to May 3,<br />
2012. This is the first year that Carleton<br />
will take part in the competition. The<br />
car was built from the ground up by a<br />
group of 21 students working under the<br />
guidance of Carleton faculty members.<br />
The Formula Hybrid project is one of<br />
several fourth-year engineering projects<br />
available to mechanical and aerospace<br />
engineering students as a mandatory<br />
full-year course. Each student is<br />
assigned a specific component or<br />
system while working in collaboration<br />
with other team members.<br />
Carleton University Ravens men’s<br />
basketball head coach Dave Smart<br />
has been appointed to coach Britain’s<br />
men’s under-20 team in June and July<br />
to prepare it for the European men’s<br />
junior B championship in Bulgaria.<br />
He is replacing Tim Lewis, who has<br />
coached the team from 2006-2011,<br />
but has moved onto the senior men’s<br />
team to prepare for the 2012 Summer<br />
Olympic Games in London. Smart has<br />
online devices of all kinds increases<br />
exponentially as children grow into<br />
their teenage years, and the simple truth<br />
is you can’t always be there to protect<br />
them.<br />
Having said that, parents weren’t<br />
born yesterday either, so muster your<br />
best interpersonal skills and try out<br />
some of the following:<br />
• Tread lightly. Staying “close<br />
and connected” can be challenging<br />
sometimes, so often a gentle approach<br />
is best. If you want to broach the subject<br />
of young people getting into trouble<br />
online, try being inquisitive before<br />
being judgemental. You’ll get further<br />
asking open-ended questions than<br />
issuing warnings and condemnations.<br />
• Think security. Teach your teen<br />
about creating strong, secure passwords.<br />
Did you know that a password such<br />
as “Janelovestoswim42timesaday!”<br />
is much harder to crack than<br />
“J1zqw%d#”? It’s also much easier for<br />
you to remember!<br />
• Diversify your security portfolio.<br />
Teach your teen about using different<br />
passwords for different things.<br />
Changing up your passwords makes it<br />
harder for a potential hacker or thief to<br />
break into everything all at once.<br />
• No phishing! Talk to your teen<br />
about phishing scams. Phishing is a<br />
technique used by scammers to try to<br />
get you to send personal or financial<br />
data. Teach them to watch for the<br />
coached the Ravens to eight Canadian<br />
Interuniversity Sport titles in the past 10<br />
years and has won four coach-of-theyear<br />
awards. He is expected to stay on<br />
as coach of the Ravens for the 2012-‘13<br />
season.<br />
The Royal Canadian Geographical<br />
Society has honoured Carleton’s<br />
Christopher Burn for his contribution<br />
as vice-president of the society.<br />
He was presented with the Queen<br />
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal,<br />
given to outstanding Canadians who<br />
have contributed to Canada through<br />
their service and achievements. Burn<br />
was closely affiliated with the society<br />
for 10 years and served as its vicepresident<br />
for five. He has been a part<br />
of Carleton’s Department of Geography<br />
and Environmental Studies since 1992.<br />
His research centres on the impact of<br />
climate change on permafrost terrain.<br />
He has been studying frozen ground<br />
for nearly 30 years and has an immense<br />
amount of experience conducting<br />
Katimavik is Creating Well-Rounded Canadians<br />
considered a Canadian rite of passage.<br />
Meeting people of all backgrounds<br />
from the same country gives first-hand<br />
perspective of how vast and diverse this<br />
country is – even the food we prepare<br />
is quite different! However, we all have<br />
one common ground: a drive to make a<br />
difference.<br />
A large aspect of Katimavik is<br />
volunteering. Program volunteers are<br />
challenged individually to be in new<br />
situations and to be around new people<br />
daily while providing a service to the<br />
community. The theme for our program<br />
is “Eco-citizenship and Active Living”<br />
meaning that all of our work placements<br />
Keeping Our Kids Safe ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
have related values and initiatives. Our<br />
volunteer work placements range from<br />
the YMCA to <strong>Ottawa</strong> Riverkeeper to<br />
Otesha. We were shocked and proud to<br />
hear that during the first three months<br />
of our program, 33 volunteers in this<br />
region (including Katimavik volunteers<br />
in Vanier and Gatineau) had already<br />
volunteered over 15,000 hours – and we<br />
still have 3 months to go!<br />
Other than our regular daily<br />
volunteering, we also give back to<br />
the community at public events. This<br />
month, half a dozen of us (while the<br />
other half worked on other initiatives)<br />
spent some time in the kitchen for one<br />
hooks, so they don’t fall for the bait.<br />
• Stop, watch and listen! Remind<br />
your teen that they can stop and think<br />
before they perform an action online<br />
that may be potentially harmful. If they<br />
aren’t sure, they should ask someone. If<br />
you’d like to be the one they ask, then<br />
see what you can do to be available and<br />
approachable. Again, staying close and<br />
connected is the best bet here.<br />
• Be a scambuster. Show your teen<br />
how to check if something is a scam.<br />
There are websites out there that can<br />
help such as: fraud.org or scambusters.<br />
org.<br />
• One last thing, for all of us. Don’t<br />
click “remember this password” if<br />
research in Canada’s north. For the past<br />
three decades, Burn has been dividing<br />
his time between central Yukon and the<br />
western Arctic. He holds an NSERC<br />
Northern Research Chair. He is the editor<br />
of a new book, entitled Herschel Island<br />
Qikiqtaryuk: A Natural and Cultural<br />
History of Yukon’s Arctic Island, which<br />
features a substantial representation<br />
of authors with Northern origins. It<br />
was released at the International Polar<br />
Year Conference in Montreal on April<br />
23, 2012.<br />
Carleton Corner is written by<br />
Carleton University’s Department of<br />
University Communications. As your<br />
community university, Carleton hosts<br />
many exciting events of interest to<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. For more information<br />
about upcoming events, please go to<br />
carleton.ca/events.<br />
of the last Out of the Cold Dinners at a<br />
nearby church. The ovens were heated<br />
and veggies battered! It was very<br />
rewarding to see how much great food<br />
we had made and distributed by the<br />
evening. We also like to mingle with<br />
the community during family events,<br />
such as ones at the sugar shack. At these<br />
events we greeted parents and their<br />
children; facilitated arts and crafts, built<br />
snow forts and lent a hand serving the<br />
traditional syrup pancakes. We have<br />
also participated in selling the famous<br />
50\50 raffle tickets during Senators’<br />
Cont’d on page 29<br />
you’re browsing the web on someone<br />
else’s computer. This gives them your<br />
password! Log out when you’re finished<br />
using someone else’s computer.<br />
Cultivate mindfulness – online<br />
and off<br />
Your children’s best tool to stay<br />
safe online is their brain! It’s important<br />
to help them learn to think critically,<br />
exercise common sense, and learn about<br />
tools and techniques that they can use<br />
to make surfing the web safer, whatever<br />
the device.<br />
And parents’ best tool is staying<br />
close and connected – even in (cyber)<br />
space!
Page 28<br />
Red Apron Cooks<br />
May is always a busy time at<br />
the Red Apron, but this year<br />
will be especially busy. We<br />
kick off the month with Bon Appétit<br />
on May 1 at the Capital Exhibition<br />
Centre. This brand new, state-of-the-art<br />
conference centre promises attendees<br />
shorter lines, more seating, and more<br />
parking. For the last 16 years, this<br />
event has been benefiting organizations<br />
like the Boys & Girls Club, Meals on<br />
Wheels, Operation Come Home, and<br />
many, many more. It’s always a fun<br />
night and we hope to see you there.<br />
On the 3rd of May we are<br />
celebrating our first year in our new<br />
location. We have been polling our<br />
customers to find out what their all-time<br />
favourite Red Apron meal is and on the<br />
3rd of May we will be serving that meal<br />
up for those customers signed up for the<br />
Fresh Meal Service. We promise it will<br />
be very special.<br />
On Sunday May 6th we continue<br />
our Gold Level Sponsorship of the<br />
10th annual Hike for Hospice. From<br />
9:00 am to noon, Hikers follow a 5 km<br />
hike through the streets of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>, starting and ending on the<br />
grounds of The Hospice at May Court.<br />
The Red Apron will be supplying lunch<br />
to all Hikers featuring items from our<br />
new ‘Lunch Service’. There will be<br />
music, reptiles, face painting, and<br />
belly dancers. To get involved, visit<br />
hospicemaycourt.com.<br />
In case that’s not enough, Sunday<br />
May 13 is Mother’s Day. As mothers<br />
ourselves, we feel that this is a<br />
particularly important day of the year -<br />
an opportunity to ‘thank Mom’ for all<br />
she does. We have stocked our shelves<br />
with lovely treats and treasures that will<br />
make it easy for you to let Mom know<br />
how much you appreciate all she does.<br />
We have even baked a special cake!<br />
Rich in history and steeped in tradition, the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club is the<br />
oldest tennis club in <strong>Ottawa</strong>. Established in<br />
1881, the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Lawn Tennis Club was originally<br />
situated on Elgin Street between Lisgar and Cooper<br />
(where Knox Presbyterian now stands). It remained at<br />
that location until 1887 and then moved no less than<br />
four times before landing at 176 Cameron where it has<br />
remained since 1923. Nestled between Brewer Park,<br />
the Rideau River and the quiet residential street of<br />
Cameron Ave – the club is almost hidden and many<br />
people are unaware of its presence.<br />
With the early history and traditions of lawn<br />
tennis – known as a past time for the rich or socially<br />
Drop in and visit our store. We would<br />
be happy to help you assemble a gift<br />
box.<br />
The really exciting news this May<br />
is that the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Farmer’s Market<br />
is moving to our community! On<br />
Sunday May 6, and every Sunday until<br />
November 18, from 8am to 3pm, you<br />
can stock up on local produce, baked<br />
goods, and much more. The market<br />
will be located on Sloan Ave. just south<br />
of Sunnyside & Bronson, parallel to<br />
Bronson right across from Carleton<br />
University. The Glebe’s loss will be our<br />
gain so get out and show your support!<br />
Local asparagus will be some<br />
of the earliest produce we see at the<br />
market, along with rhubarb, followed<br />
by strawberries. Our recipes this month<br />
will focus on these early crops.<br />
For more information on the Red<br />
Apron Dinner Service or Gourmet Food<br />
Shoppe, visit www.redapron.ca or call<br />
us at 613-695-0417.<br />
Pasta with Peas, Asparagus and<br />
Double Smoked Bacon<br />
8 oz dry pasta See Note 1<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock<br />
1 cup whipping cream<br />
1 bunch asparagus<br />
1 cup shelled green peas (may<br />
substitute frozen, thawed)<br />
1 lemon, zested and juiced<br />
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or tarragon<br />
leaves<br />
1/2 cup grated Parmesan<br />
¼ pound Double Smoked Bacon –<br />
cubed (Piggy Market’s is the best!)<br />
salt and fresh ground black pepper to<br />
taste<br />
Preparation:<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
Bring a pot of salted water to a<br />
boil and cook the pasta according to<br />
directions. While the pasta is cooking<br />
prepare the sauce as follows. I<br />
In a large saucepan cook the bacon<br />
on medium heat until golden. Remove<br />
bacon and set aside. Add the garlic<br />
and Asparagus. Cook for 1-2 minute.<br />
Remove Asparagus and set aside. Add<br />
the stock, cream, lemon zest and turn<br />
heat up to high. When it begins to boil,<br />
add the peas and continue cooking<br />
for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.<br />
Drain the pasta (do not rinse), and add<br />
back to the pot. Pour in the sauce and<br />
mix to coat the pasta. Add the lemon<br />
juice, basil, Parmesan, asparagus,<br />
salt and pepper. Toss again and serve<br />
immediately – garnish with double<br />
smoked bacon. If your grill is on,<br />
consider grilling the asparagus lightly<br />
tossed in oil first. The flavour is<br />
delicious!<br />
Variations: You can top this lovely<br />
pasta with grilled chicken or fish, or<br />
serve it beside a grilled steak.<br />
Note 1: We recently<br />
introduced Morelli Organic Pastas from<br />
Italy. We have four varieties in our retail<br />
store: Whole Wheat Ricciolina, Tacconi<br />
Pasta with Wheat Germ, 100% Spelt<br />
Tagliatelle and 100% corn Linguine.<br />
We have tested this pasta a couple<br />
of different ways and have found the<br />
flavour and texture to be outstanding.<br />
It is nice to find a good quality organic<br />
pasta made with healthy ingredients<br />
that cooks up to a tender and flavourful<br />
al-dente!<br />
Maple Lemon Lavender Scones<br />
For this recipe we are using organic<br />
Red Fife flour, which was locally grown<br />
and milled by CIPM. This flour was<br />
connected – you would be forgiven for thinking of<br />
OTLBC as a stodgy old exclusive club. But that could<br />
not be further from the truth.<br />
The Club has grown from its original 35 members<br />
to nearly 700 members, forgone the white only<br />
tennis attire and made a concerted effort to welcome<br />
families. Over the years the Club has transformed into<br />
a vibrant and welcoming summer “cottage in the city”<br />
for hundreds of families from <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, the<br />
Glebe and surrounding neighborhoods.<br />
Members are able to participate in the numerous<br />
social round robins offered daily or challenge their<br />
tennis skills with more competitive ladder matches<br />
and tournaments. Juniors get introduced to tennis<br />
MAY 2012<br />
featured recently in an <strong>Ottawa</strong> Citizen<br />
article where we provided a recipe. If<br />
you can’t get Red Fife, then substitute<br />
with all-purpose whole-wheat flour.<br />
I think that this scone would be<br />
lovely served with fresh strawberries, or<br />
rhubarb compote (or both), and a dollop<br />
of whipped cream. Make a batch for<br />
your mother this Mother’s Day!<br />
4 cups Red Fife Flour<br />
1.5 teaspoons baking powder<br />
2 teaspoons salt<br />
¾ pounds butter, chilled & cubed<br />
4 eggs<br />
¾ cups cream (35%)<br />
½ cups maple syrup<br />
juice from 1 lemon<br />
zest from 1 lemon<br />
2 teaspoons of organic lavender buds.<br />
Whisk together all of the dry<br />
ingredients until combined. Cut the<br />
butter into small pieces and work into<br />
the flour by hand until the mixture<br />
resembles small peas. Tip: we often<br />
do this step in a food processor on the<br />
pulse setting but be careful not to over<br />
mix.<br />
Whisk the eggs with the cream and<br />
maple syrup & lemon juice. Make a<br />
well in the flour mixture and pour in the<br />
liquid. Add the zest & lavender. Fold<br />
gently until combined. Do no over-mix.<br />
Scoop out the dough onto a baking<br />
sheet lined with parchment paper using<br />
a ½ cup scoop.<br />
Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40<br />
minutes or until golden brown. Test<br />
centre for doneness using a toothpick.<br />
All ovens cook differently so baking<br />
time can vary significantly.<br />
While scones are still warm, you<br />
can drizzle with a little bit of maple<br />
syrup or sprinkle with maple sugar.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club - A hidden jewel in the heart of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
with “right sized equipment, soft slow-bounce balls<br />
and modified court and nets so they learn to enjoy the<br />
game quickly.<br />
But it is not all about tennis – though the 18 clay<br />
tennis courts dominate the site. There is a lovely pool<br />
surrounded by grassed enclosure perfect for relaxing<br />
with a book or a refreshing swim. On hot summer<br />
days and evenings, the pool is alive with frolicking<br />
children and families looking to cool off.<br />
More recently the club added four beach volleyball<br />
courts on one of the old lawn bowling greens, which<br />
had not been in use for several years following a<br />
steady decline in lawn bowling membership. The<br />
benefit of this partnership is that most evenings the<br />
volleyball courts are available to the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Sports and Social Club for their summer<br />
volleyball leagues. This means that <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
residents from across the city get to sample<br />
the club’s wonderful atmosphere and OTLBC<br />
members can enjoy beach volleyball when not<br />
in use by OSSC .<br />
Social life at the club has always been<br />
a major feature and benefit of membership.<br />
And why not, there is nothing better than<br />
sharing a beverage or snack with friends after<br />
a match. The Club’s café and bar – known<br />
as the Cameron Avenue Café – is situated<br />
on the upper deck of the historic clubhouse<br />
overlooking the courts and it has become<br />
Cont’d on page 33
MAY 2012<br />
By Margaret Macpherson<br />
Saturday March 3 was the occasion<br />
or yet another fabulous concert at<br />
<strong>South</strong>minster. This lovely venue was<br />
the perfect setting for an evening dedicated<br />
to Baroque music, specifically to the works<br />
of J. S. Bach. The two soloists were Roland<br />
Graham, piano, and Octavie Dostaler-<br />
Lalonde, cello.<br />
First, Roland Graham played the lovely<br />
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat minor, with its<br />
hauntingly slow and beautiful prelude. This<br />
work, familiar to lovers of the 48 prelude and<br />
fugues of Bach, was immediately appreciated<br />
by the substantial audience present for the<br />
concert. The prelude has that universal<br />
appeal, its minor key and slow beautiful<br />
theme evoking perhaps loneliness, grandeur<br />
and resignation all in the same breath. Roland<br />
followed with the English suite no. 5 for<br />
keyboard solo, which shows a variety of<br />
virtuosic and lyrical Baroque dances. His<br />
fellow young artist for the evening, Octavie<br />
Dostaler- Lalonde then presented the suite for<br />
solo cello no. 2 in D minor, a work similar<br />
to the keyboard suite, having the same dance<br />
movements, but for the string instrument.<br />
Her playing mesmerized the audience with<br />
its combination of her artistry and the beauty<br />
of the solo instrument, the cello, with its dark<br />
tenor range and singing voice. The program<br />
concluded with the two artists playing the<br />
games. The organizations and charities that<br />
facilitate the raffle always need some more<br />
enthusiastic people to sell tickets and cheer on<br />
the home team, which we did as a whole team:<br />
GO SEN’S GO!<br />
In addition to the volunteering opportunities<br />
we do, we make sure a portion of our time is also<br />
used to discover cultural venues like museums,<br />
sustainability-related workshops or neat social<br />
justice talks. Finally, we push to make room in<br />
our busy schedules for working out, whether<br />
it is at the YMCA, or just replacing regular<br />
transportation by running or biking. The change<br />
it brings to our lives is exciting, and each day<br />
has its share of surprises!<br />
Another aspect of Katimavik we especially<br />
enjoy is billeting. It is a 10 day experience,<br />
where we live one-on-one with a family in the<br />
community.<br />
“My billeting experience was awesome,”<br />
says Celine, a volunteer from Cap Pele, New<br />
Brunswick, “I lived on McLeod Street with<br />
a family of 4. I had the opportunity to share<br />
daily activities with a big-city-family. My billet<br />
family was really involved with the YMCA, so<br />
not only was I there during the day for work but<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
More Music at <strong>South</strong>minster United Church<br />
sonata for cello and piano No. 1 in G major.<br />
This work was originally for two flutes, viola<br />
da gamba and harpsichord continuo, and its<br />
presentation by the two young players formed<br />
a fitting conclusion to the evening of music<br />
by the great master, Bach.<br />
The concert was well attended by 150<br />
people. Proceeds were contributed to<br />
<strong>South</strong>minster’s outreach programs which<br />
include 4 AA groups, a mood disorders and<br />
parents’ lifeline support groups, as well as<br />
our well known Saturday Out-of-the-Cold<br />
Suppers, offered in collaboration with other<br />
area churches.<br />
Our neighbourhood in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
is very fortunate to have these opportunities<br />
to hear live music, especially by such<br />
wonderful young Canadian players. Both<br />
award winning musicians have trained in the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>/Montreal region, and are contributing<br />
actively to the Canadian music scene, Octavie<br />
as a performer, and Roland as a performer<br />
and composer, in multiple genres, classical,<br />
choral music and jazz. Thousands of hours<br />
of dedicated work go into these performances<br />
which keep the traditions of live music,<br />
real music for real audiences, alive. Our<br />
community should be grateful and we should<br />
also support the upcoming concerts – such<br />
as the Chopin Piano Concertos event June 2.<br />
Margaret Macpherson is a musician & piano<br />
teacher, resident of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> and<br />
member of <strong>South</strong>minster United Church.<br />
Roland Graham<br />
Roland Graham came to <strong>South</strong>minster as<br />
music director in late 2009 from Montreal where he<br />
continues as artistic director of the Verdun Music<br />
Society (VCMS). He is a skilled organist, pianist,<br />
composer, teacher and choir director with a Masters<br />
in Music from the Université de Montreal and an<br />
undergraduate degree in music from the University of<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>. His connections in the music worlds of both<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> and Montreal have inspired the collaboration<br />
for the concerts in March.<br />
J.S. Bach performed by Roland Graham &<br />
Octavie Dostaler- Lalonde at <strong>South</strong>minster<br />
United Church. Photo by David Wong<br />
Katimavik .... Cont’d from page 27<br />
also during the evenings with my billet family.<br />
Through this experience, I had an insight on<br />
how it would be if I had two kids of my own.<br />
During my billeting period I would put the kids<br />
to bed, play sports and even bake cookies with<br />
them! It was a very refreshing time.”<br />
We have one more billeting period left in<br />
our program. In May we will each be placed<br />
at an environmentally friendly organic plant or<br />
produce farm in the region. During this time,<br />
we will not be attending our regular work<br />
placements, as we will be fully immersed in<br />
learning about sustainable food production.<br />
Katimavik is an incredible opportunity for<br />
youth to get work experience, life experience,<br />
build their résumés and gain insight into what<br />
fields they are interested in. It is a good way to<br />
discover Canada and build lasting relationships.<br />
Volunteers come away with work and life skills<br />
that they can use for the rest of their lives.<br />
If you know someone between the ages of<br />
17 and 21, whether they are interested in taking<br />
a gap year or in need of a structured adventure,<br />
tell them to visit www.katimavik.org and GET<br />
A LIFE!<br />
Chopin Piano Concertos June 2 2012<br />
7:30pm <strong>South</strong>minster United Church<br />
Page 29<br />
Attend the two piano concertos by Frédéric<br />
Chopin peformed by Mikolaj Warszynski & Zuzana<br />
Simurdova from Montreal with String Quartet. This<br />
concert will feature a Weber grand piano, fabricated<br />
in 1875, courtesy of Alan Whatmough from Pianocraft.<br />
For more information contact 613-730-6874.
Page 30 The th OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
MAY 2012<br />
M.P.P. OTTAWA CENTRE<br />
For nearly eight years, from<br />
February 2000 to August 2008, OSCAR<br />
carried a monthly column, The Windsor<br />
Chronicles, written by Zoscha the<br />
Wonder Dog. Zoscha became something<br />
of a celebrity in our neighbourhood, and<br />
her observations on the passing scene,<br />
from a canine perspective, attracted her<br />
share of loyal readers as well as critics.<br />
OSCAR is reprinting some of<br />
Zoscha’s musings from eight years ago.<br />
The editors have annotated where we<br />
feel that today’s readers may need to<br />
be informed of references that may no<br />
longer be remembered by readers today,<br />
or where recent scholarship has shed<br />
further light on the world described in<br />
the Windsor Chronicles..<br />
April 2003<br />
Dear Boomer,<br />
2012 Ontario Budget: Strong Action for Ontario<br />
By Yasir Naqvi,<br />
MPP <strong>Ottawa</strong> Centre<br />
Building a stronger Ontario<br />
requires strong action and the<br />
right choices.<br />
The 2012 Ontario Budget lays out<br />
the government’s five-year plan to keep<br />
Ontario on track to balance the budget<br />
by 2017-18, while protecting education<br />
and health care in <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
The single most important step<br />
we can take to grow our economy is to<br />
balance the budget. A balanced budget<br />
will make the economy stronger and<br />
better able to create jobs, while keeping<br />
education and health care strong.<br />
We will keep full day kindergarten<br />
for our early learners and protect small<br />
class sizes. By making these choices,<br />
we will protect 20,000 education jobs.<br />
We remain committed to the 30% Off<br />
Ontario Tuition grant for eligible fulltime<br />
undergraduate university and<br />
college students, and we will continue<br />
to move forward with building new<br />
libraries at Carleton University and<br />
the University of <strong>Ottawa</strong>. A strong<br />
education system will keep Ontario<br />
competitive in a demanding global<br />
economy.<br />
We will keep wait times short for<br />
key surgeries and reform our health<br />
care system to provide the right care,<br />
at the right time and in the right place.<br />
The government remains committed to<br />
health care in <strong>Ottawa</strong> and will move<br />
forward with the planned redevelopment<br />
of the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Heart Institute, expanding<br />
Queensway Carleton Hospital and the<br />
Hawksbury Hospital and building the<br />
Orleans Health Hub. A strong health<br />
care system will ensure our workforce<br />
in Ontario is healthy and productive.<br />
To help create jobs and spur<br />
economic growth in <strong>Ottawa</strong>, the<br />
government is moving forward with<br />
planned infrastructure projects including<br />
fixing “the Split” on the Queensway and<br />
completing the Hunt Club interchange.<br />
THE WINDSOR CHRONICLE PART 33<br />
Construction<br />
The weather gets warmer. The Pup<br />
has his bicycle out -- still with<br />
the training wheels on. Maybe<br />
this summer your pup will get a bicycle<br />
as well, so you’ll learn there are certain<br />
advantages, and one disadvantage.<br />
One advantage is that we spend<br />
more time in Windsor Park. The<br />
Pup wants to practice riding his bike<br />
several times a day. This means taking<br />
a few runs along the pathways before<br />
gravitating toward the swings and the<br />
play structures. Taken all together, it<br />
adds up to more quantity of Windsor<br />
Park moments.<br />
And it improves the quality of<br />
Windsor Park moments as well. When<br />
the Pup’s cycling around the river path,<br />
Alpha leaves me to sniff around at my<br />
leisure. When we get to the swings,<br />
there’s lots of opportunities for ball<br />
tossing -- and lots of other humanoids<br />
who, I know, want nothing more than to<br />
throw a ball for an eager doggie.<br />
So lots of advantages. But the<br />
disadvantage is a certain shortness of<br />
temper in Alpha when he tries to herd<br />
the Pup, his bicycle, and me across<br />
Riverdale Avenue to get to the park.<br />
It’s bad enough most years. This<br />
year, Alpha is testier than usual – and<br />
the traffic is enough to give even a<br />
dog of fortitude and ambition pause to<br />
reconsider whether it’s worth trying to<br />
cross Riverdale Avenue.<br />
What’s gotten into this crazy world?<br />
The stream of traffic is unrelenting. The<br />
humanoids seem very grumpy indeed.<br />
The only things that cheers them up is<br />
to see one of those cars with the flashing<br />
lights chase another car down the street.<br />
(1)<br />
Our friend Jacob the German<br />
Shepherd tells me that he and his Fem-<br />
Alpha were almost hit the other day<br />
while they crossed the street. It didn’t<br />
Our $600 million commitment to <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
light rail transit is firm. Additionally, the<br />
Eastern Ontario Development Fund will<br />
continue to provide essential support to<br />
entrepreneurs in our region, spurring<br />
economic development.<br />
The status quo is not an option.<br />
We all have a role to play to meet our<br />
goals. Our government is making the<br />
right choices that speak to the needs of<br />
all Ontario families. These choices will<br />
achieve the highest value for their hardearned<br />
tax dollars.<br />
To meet the goal of a balanced<br />
budget, our plan includes maintaining<br />
a low rate of growth in spending.<br />
The government will achieve this by<br />
transforming the way it delivers the<br />
vital public services that Ontarians<br />
have come to rely on by making<br />
service delivery more efficient and cost<br />
effective.<br />
The plan includes $17.7 billion in<br />
savings and actions to contain costs over<br />
three years while increasing revenues<br />
seem to matter that they were at the<br />
cross walk and there was a stop sign.<br />
A car ploughed through nonetheless,<br />
passing the car that had stopped for<br />
the pedestrians, and nearly clipped the<br />
pedestrians as it rushed by. I’m hearing<br />
more of these stories in the afternoon<br />
romps in the Park.<br />
Bank Street has become<br />
transformed in recent weeks as well.<br />
Lots of new smells. Lots of big holes<br />
where the humanoids try to bury these<br />
huge blue bones. You gotta hand it to<br />
humanoids: when they decide to bury a<br />
bone, they don’t go for half measures.<br />
(2)<br />
I’m able to keep a close eye on the<br />
developments on Bank Street because<br />
Alpha brings me along when he meets<br />
with the neighbours to complain about<br />
what is happening on Riverdale. These<br />
meetings take place nearly every day,<br />
which is a good thing for a dog who<br />
wants to go out into the world and be<br />
seen.<br />
Alpha and the neighbours meet at<br />
different coffee shops. I’m becoming<br />
quite a connoisseur of which ones I like<br />
best. Some let you sit and wait at the<br />
front door. Others don’t. Some give<br />
you overhead protection against April<br />
showers; at others, you sit and look<br />
miserable as your fur grows more wet.<br />
At some, you end up tied to trees and<br />
can sniff the tidings of doggies who<br />
have been there before you; at others,<br />
you’re tied to a parking meter with no<br />
scent but the dust of street construction.<br />
(3)<br />
So when I hear Alpha talking<br />
with the neighbours about how they<br />
want these streets to look when the<br />
construction is all finished, I’m all for it.<br />
I think we should submit our wish list<br />
as well. A fire hydrant on every corner.<br />
More trees so that the concrete will be<br />
by $4.4 billion without raising taxes.<br />
That means the accumulated deficit will<br />
be $22.1 billion lower in 2014-15 than<br />
if no action were taken.<br />
Our government’s five-year<br />
plan will keep Ontario on track. The<br />
McGuinty government has beaten its<br />
deficit forecasts for a third year in a row<br />
and will continue its strong record of<br />
beating fiscal targets.<br />
The choices we are making are the<br />
right choices for today’s challenges.<br />
They are fair, balanced and reasonable.<br />
Success will take time and an<br />
unwavering commitment – but we will<br />
get there, together.<br />
For more information about<br />
the 2012 Ontario Budget, please<br />
visit www.ontario.ca/budget or<br />
www.yasirnaqvimpp.ca, or call my<br />
Community Office at 613-722-6414.<br />
Yasir Naqvi, MPP<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Centre<br />
cooler in the summer, and there’ll be<br />
enough squirrels to keep us entertained.<br />
Grassy strips between the sidewalks<br />
and the curbs, so that when we piddle,<br />
it soaks into the earth and doesn’t run<br />
across the sidewalk. And how about<br />
doggie-treat dispensers at every crosswalk?(4)<br />
“Take back control of our<br />
neighbourhood streets,” I keep hearing<br />
Alpha say. I couldn’t agree more. Let<br />
the motto be: “This neighbourhood is<br />
going to the dogs!”<br />
Watching the cars and the world<br />
go by,<br />
Zoscha<br />
(1) Calista McCaffrey, “A Dog’s<br />
Eye View; Zoscha and the world of <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>,” Carleton University<br />
Review, Summer, 2009, notes that<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> traffic police sometimes wait at<br />
the corner of Riverdale and Cameron to<br />
catch motorists who run the stop signs.<br />
(2) In her unpublished Master’s<br />
thesis, A Dog’s Eye View, Zoscha and<br />
Windsor, (Carleton University, 2010),<br />
Monica Tardif reveals that Bank Street<br />
was under construction during spring<br />
and summer of 2003. She concludes<br />
that the “huge blue bones” were, in fact,<br />
water mains.<br />
(3) Tardif, op. cit., lists the possible<br />
Bank Street coffee shops referred<br />
to at that time as the Second Cup at<br />
Sunnyside, Starbucks at Hopewell,<br />
and Tim Horton’s near Riverdale. At<br />
the time of her thesis she observed that<br />
dogs continued to wait patiently outside<br />
Starbucks.<br />
(4) Zoscha wrote this article before<br />
doggie boutique stores such as “Wag”<br />
and “Global Pet Foods” opened on<br />
Bank Street. No doubt she would have<br />
approved.
MAY 2012<br />
Local Veterinarian - Dr. Emily Black<br />
Some of the best conversations<br />
I have on a daily basis are with<br />
animals, my own and those of<br />
others. Now these aren’t simply me<br />
talking to the animals, these are fullfledged<br />
conversations where I provide<br />
both sides of the dialogue. I’ve done<br />
this for as long as I can remember.<br />
Sometimes, at work, when I’m<br />
conducting an exam, I choose to keep<br />
the conversation exclusively in my<br />
head as I feel the owner (never the pet<br />
of course) will be unreceptive. More<br />
times than not however, the entire<br />
dialogue comes right on out. It’s good<br />
for a laugh and generally pets are quite<br />
funny even if they do use a lot of cuss<br />
words!<br />
My favourite talking to pets story<br />
revolves around two important ladies<br />
in my life; my old dog Boo and my<br />
best friend (also a vet) Liz. One day,<br />
Liz came over to run errands and she<br />
walked into the front door. As usual<br />
Boo came to meet her and she said “Hi<br />
Boo, How are you today” Boo didn’t<br />
answer. Liz was visibly shocked!<br />
Normally, I provide a running dialogue<br />
of response, translating obviously the<br />
subconscious messages from the dog! I<br />
hadn’t and both parties were obviously<br />
affected.<br />
Before you all ask, all the animals<br />
have different voices. Bulldogs (I grew<br />
up with those) have their own voice,<br />
Boo had hers (she was exceptionally<br />
clever but had the mouth of a sailor)<br />
and our new dog Sid, a beautiful Red<br />
Heeler, has a totally different voice (all<br />
I’m going to say is it’s a good thing he’s<br />
pretty!). Two of my cats have their own<br />
voices, the third is so chatty she doesn’t<br />
need me to speak for her.<br />
So, for this month’s article I decided<br />
to do a little perusal of the scientific<br />
research, stuff they didn’t teach us in<br />
vet school.<br />
Apparently when we talk to animals<br />
we talk very similarly to the way we<br />
talk to babies. The psychological<br />
explanation being for both we choose<br />
the best modality for talking to” limited<br />
and inattentive addressees”. This hardly<br />
seems fair to the pets! We use a high<br />
pitched voice, repetitive grammatically<br />
acceptable words and present-tense<br />
verbs. When talking to animals, our<br />
sentences tend to be shorter, with more<br />
orders but less questions.<br />
I must admit bears very little<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 31<br />
“Jimmy’s Down The Well?” And Other Famous Conversations With Pets<br />
By Susan B.<br />
Last summer, two <strong>Ottawa</strong>-area teenagers<br />
volunteered to lead the Curvy Girls Scoliosis<br />
Support Group of <strong>Ottawa</strong>, a new chapter of<br />
Curvy Girls, an organisation founded in the United<br />
States in 2006. Curvy Girls Scoliosis Support Group<br />
of <strong>Ottawa</strong> has been working to promote awareness<br />
of scoliosis in <strong>Ottawa</strong> as well as to provide a forum<br />
for those affected by this spinal condition. Group<br />
members participated in an information night at<br />
CHEO this past February, and they are currently<br />
planning a Scoliosis Awareness Walk for June 2<br />
(see links below). Given that many parents are<br />
not familiar with scoliosis, much less aware of its<br />
potential severity, there is certainly a need for such<br />
public education.<br />
When my daughter was diagnosed with<br />
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis three years ago, I<br />
knew something about the condition; however, I<br />
knew very little about treatment options. I soon came<br />
to realise how fortunate we were to have a family<br />
doctor who checks for scoliosis during his younger<br />
patients’ routine annual physical examinations—not<br />
all doctors do. The early diagnosis meant that we<br />
could pursue a conservative management plan of<br />
bracing and scoliosis-specific physiotherapy.<br />
Scoliosis is generally defined as a lateral<br />
curvature or deviation of the spine that measures more<br />
than 10 degrees. When moderate or severe, scoliosis<br />
may be associated with chronic back pain, reduced<br />
lung capacity, compromised internal-organ function,<br />
and significant physical deformity. Its most common<br />
form is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), the<br />
term “idiopathic” indicating that the etiology (its<br />
cause / origin) is unknown. While this condition—<br />
which is found in 2-4% of the population—affects<br />
both girls and boys, severe cases of progressive<br />
scoliosis are seen much more often in girls. AIS can<br />
develop quickly at the onset of puberty, so regular<br />
monitoring is necessary to track the changes in the<br />
affected spine. Typically, if the curve progresses<br />
similarity to the way I talk to pets !<br />
Interestingly a study out of Hungary<br />
found that owners felt their dogs obeyed<br />
them and therefore demonstrated<br />
understanding under all circumstances<br />
31% of the time. This number leaps to<br />
an astonishing 53% when the context is<br />
right. My pretty dog knows something<br />
is happening, he’s ready! He just doesn’t<br />
know what it is!<br />
As for cats, the famous saying still<br />
holds – a dog will come when called, a<br />
cat will take a message and get back to<br />
you!<br />
Now here is an interesting<br />
offshoot to the conversation with pets’<br />
understanding of language. Dog owners<br />
report higher satisfaction with their<br />
emotional, social and physical states,<br />
while cats have been proven to alleviate<br />
negative moods but are unlikely to<br />
promote positive moods. I’d say this<br />
is pretty good. I think it’s because you<br />
can talk it out with them, and they listen<br />
really well and always have really sage<br />
things to contribute to the conversation!<br />
It’s like having your very own therapist,<br />
right there sitting on your chest!<br />
Recent studies reported in the<br />
journal Science revolve around a<br />
Scoliosis Awareness<br />
beyond 25 degrees, bracing is recommended until<br />
the individual reaches skeletal maturity. (Patients<br />
are encouraged to remain physically active, but they<br />
may be expected to wear the brace for 16-20 hours<br />
per day.) Surgery becomes the main treatment option<br />
when curves exceed 50 degrees.<br />
Early diagnosis, then, is crucial to treatments<br />
designed to slow or stop the progression of the curve.<br />
In my daughter’s case, a brace was prescribed when<br />
her curve progressed from 21 degrees to 36 degrees<br />
behaviour common in three year old<br />
children termed “Fast-mapping” which<br />
allows a child to form quick and rough<br />
hypotheses about the meaning of a new<br />
word the first time they hear or see<br />
it. This article showed that a border<br />
collie named Rico was able to perform<br />
above the level of a three year old in<br />
similar tasks having not only mastered<br />
understanding of 200 distinct words but<br />
also being able to embrace concepts such<br />
as “When I’m asked to get something<br />
I’ve never heard of, it must be the thing<br />
I’ve never seen” reliably 70% of the<br />
time. A statistic many spouses would<br />
be jealous of! As for cat’s we are still<br />
waiting for a reply.<br />
So here’s the thing, if you enjoy<br />
talking to your pet, do it, it’s good<br />
for you and I can guarantee your pets<br />
enjoy it, but do them a favor, try longer<br />
sentences with less orders! They are<br />
capable of so much more than we give<br />
them credit for!<br />
Dr. Emily Black owns Centretown<br />
Veterinary Hospital and is herself<br />
owned by three cats and a dog.<br />
in a six-month period. (We followed the protocol<br />
of a hospital visit every six months; had we known<br />
how aggressive the curve would be, we could have<br />
started bracing earlier.) Because there is no required<br />
screening in schools or doctors’ offices, many<br />
curves go undetected until they are greater than 40<br />
degrees—and therefore approaching the threshold<br />
for spinal-fusion surgery. Parents and guardians can<br />
check for signs of scoliosis themselves using the<br />
Adam’s Forward Bend Test. In this test, the examiner<br />
stands behind the child and looks for asymmetries<br />
in the back when the child bends forward. One<br />
common sign is the presence of a “rib hump” (how<br />
my daughter despises that term!) Such a test is not a<br />
substitute for a medical examination, of course, but<br />
it can signal the need for a professional assessment.<br />
Deciding on a treatment plan can be a difficult<br />
and sometimes confusing process for patients and<br />
their parents or guardians. Several types of braces<br />
have been developed for the treatment of scoliosis.<br />
A simple online search will find references to the<br />
Boston, Charleston, Spine-Cor, and Rigo-System-<br />
Chêneau braces—to name just four. The existence<br />
of these different designs does not mean, however,<br />
that all options are available at any one health-care<br />
facility. Scoliosis-specific physiotherapy (e.g. the<br />
Schroth Method) is not available in all communities.<br />
Moreover, the challenges are not limited to the<br />
physical treatment: think of the adolescent girl who<br />
is told that she has to wear a brace 16-20 hours per<br />
day.<br />
One of the goals of The Curvy Girls Scoliosis<br />
Support Group of <strong>Ottawa</strong> is to provide individuals<br />
and families the opportunity to share information and<br />
to address the myriad issues associated with scoliosis,<br />
whether physical, emotional, or just practical—<br />
clothing, for instance, becomes a major concern for<br />
brace-wearers already concerned with body image.<br />
For more information on the group and the upcoming<br />
Scoliosis Awareness Walk, go to the website , the Facebook page,<br />
or e-mail curvygirlsottawa@gmail.com.
Page 32<br />
By Tammy Giuliani<br />
Owner of Stella Luna Gelato Café<br />
1103 Bank Street<br />
slgelato.com<br />
I’ve been struggling for weeks,<br />
trying to come up with a unique<br />
idea for an article for this edition of<br />
the OSCAR. I kept waiting for that one<br />
exceptional experience that would ignite<br />
the fire within and inspire me. What I<br />
discovered instead was the extraordinary<br />
in a thousand ordinary moments.<br />
Over the past few months, we’ve<br />
had the exceptional good fortune to be<br />
the object of some favourable media<br />
reviews - Regional Contact, CTV Live at<br />
Noon with Leanne Cusack, and <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Magazine to name a few. <strong>Ottawa</strong>ns have<br />
welcomed Stella Luna into their busy<br />
lives. In the April edition of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Magazine, Shawna Wagman referred to<br />
places such as ours as the “third space”<br />
– a term coined by American sociologist,<br />
Ray <strong>Old</strong>enburg. The “third space” refers<br />
to an informal gathering space that<br />
anchors community life and is separate<br />
from the two usual social environments<br />
– work and home. Before reading<br />
Wagman’s article, I had never heard the<br />
term. We unknowingly had created the<br />
popular “third space” by just relying<br />
on some good old- fashioned common<br />
sense.<br />
In an era of big box stores and frenetic<br />
lifestyles, it’s no surprise that people<br />
crave a space in which to slow down and<br />
bask in the warmth of human interaction.<br />
That’s exactly what Alessandro and I<br />
were looking for pre-Stella Luna. We<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
A Thousand Ordinary Moments<br />
followed a recipe that is more about<br />
common sense than it is about a trendy<br />
catch phrase - people want a place where<br />
they can briefly slip away from reality.<br />
It shouldn’t be too far or too expensive;<br />
you should be able to get a treat and feel<br />
like you’ve gotten good value for your<br />
money; you should feel as comfortable<br />
with your kids as you are without them;<br />
and you should always be welcomed by<br />
a warm smile from happy people who<br />
are genuinely glad to see you.<br />
After all is said and done, the<br />
ordinary moments in our day are the<br />
most extraordinary. There is no “aahaa”<br />
moment … simply an abundance of small<br />
and gratifying experiences. Standing<br />
beside a raging torrent of water as it<br />
cascades down a mountainside might<br />
take your breath away. Yet, lying beside<br />
a meandering creek, listening to water<br />
trickle over rocks weathered by time, is<br />
just as marvelous, if not better.<br />
Our extraordinary moments come<br />
from patrons telling us that visiting Stella<br />
Luna is like a stroll down memory lane,<br />
reminding them of a recent trip to Italy.<br />
Or from the two-year-old who trailed<br />
behind the staff last week, following<br />
them into the kitchen, stopping to marvel<br />
over fresh, brightly coloured lemons<br />
and oranges, her grin illuminating the<br />
shop and mesmerizing the staff. On<br />
another occasion, our Barista Vanessa<br />
paused to strike up a conversation with<br />
a woman who’d stopped for a bite to<br />
eat. Before the women left, she took<br />
Vanessa aside to explain what a difficult<br />
day she’d had, and how that brief time<br />
she’d spent chatting had made her feel<br />
so much better. There’s the “Gelato<br />
Virgins”… and the thrill of watching<br />
their expressions when they take their<br />
first lick of a decadent, creamy chocolate<br />
or a nutty, sensuous pistachio! There are<br />
moments when parents bring little ones<br />
in for their very first ice-cream (ahem …<br />
they mean gelato, but I’ll let it slip!) …<br />
cameras aimed to capture the impact of<br />
that first taste … chocolate moustaches<br />
and ear-to-ear grins now frozen in time.<br />
One of my favourite stories comes<br />
from my daughter’s vocal coach who<br />
recounted how a friend of hers had met<br />
up with someone on an online dating<br />
site. Before making plans, they did some<br />
leg work and looked up Urban Spoon’s<br />
“Most Romantic Restaurants”. She was<br />
excited to report that they’d chosen a<br />
quaint space called Stella Luna for their<br />
very first rendezvous.<br />
In February, we had a serendipitous<br />
moment. Leanne Cusack, who was soon<br />
to host a live broadcast from Stella<br />
Luna, called to announce that she’d just<br />
been to a dinner party with an adorable<br />
couple who’d been married for more<br />
than 60 years. She was so inspired that<br />
she invited them to appear alongside us<br />
on the Valentine’s Day Special … gelato,<br />
passion, romance … it was going to be<br />
decadent! Valentine’s Day rolled around<br />
and in strolled the long-enamoured<br />
couple – who I instantly recognized as<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Henrick from Chelsea. The<br />
Henricks have a beautiful farm in <strong>Old</strong><br />
Chelsea - rolling hills and a centuryold<br />
stone farmhouse – the kind of space<br />
you dream about when you contemplate<br />
running away from the city. The Henricks<br />
were no strangers to our family, as we<br />
had spent almost a decade raising our<br />
children in Chelsea. Our kids had grown<br />
up running through their back fields and<br />
climbing on their hay bales. We’d “trick<br />
or treated” at their home at Halloween<br />
and were always invited into the kitchen<br />
where a stash of candied treasure lay on<br />
their big, wooden table. Years later, time<br />
found us sitting around a different table<br />
– this time at Stella Luna sharing a tea<br />
and talking about love, friendship, and<br />
the secret to a successful marriage.<br />
Since opening Stella Luna almost<br />
nine months ago we’ve experienced,<br />
time and time over, links to our past.<br />
Like the day last summer when I found<br />
myself staring across the gelato display<br />
into the familiar eyes of Mr. Art Brimley<br />
– who outfitted me in my very first pair<br />
of shoes circa 1967 – they were fiery red<br />
patent Mary Jane’s. Mr. Brimley owned<br />
Sagar’s Shoe Store (now Starbucks).<br />
Who would have thought that, more than<br />
45 years later, I’d be setting up shop<br />
across the street!<br />
Last month an old friend strolled in<br />
out of the blue. She and I had worked<br />
together briefly back in 1985, before I<br />
had moved to Italy. At the time, she was<br />
a starving university student and I had<br />
just returned from my first trip to Italy,<br />
head over heels in love. The only thing<br />
standing between me and the love of my<br />
life was a $3,000 bank loan! My heart<br />
was exploding with the passion of one<br />
newly in love and I was desperate to find<br />
a way to pay off that loan and get back<br />
on a plane! So I boldly marched into the<br />
busiest and most popular restaurant of its<br />
time in the Byward Market and “fibbed”<br />
my way into a waitressing job. Cheryl<br />
was assigned to train me but, before<br />
starting my first shift, I pulled her aside<br />
and confessed that I had never lifted a<br />
tray in my life. I told her that I was madly<br />
MAY 2012<br />
in love with an Italian guy I had just met<br />
mere weeks ago and absolutely HAD to<br />
get back to Italy as quickly as possible.<br />
Cheryl did a good job and, three months<br />
later, I was on a plane destined for Rome.<br />
Before she walked into Stella Luna last<br />
month, I hadn’t seen her since my last<br />
shift back in 1985.<br />
In early February, we had the<br />
pleasure of hosting a book-signing event<br />
with Luca Spaghetti – who some of us<br />
know from Liz Gilbert’s international<br />
best seller Eat, Pray, Love. That<br />
evening, we discovered that Luca grew<br />
up about 3 kilometres from Alessandro’s<br />
childhood home and that Luca’s uncle<br />
owns a restaurant not far from where the<br />
Giuliani pub was located. In fact, when<br />
in Rome for our wedding, my family had<br />
dinner at Luca’s uncle’s restaurant! And,<br />
as if that wasn’t coincidence enough,<br />
Jim Sherman (owner of Perfect Books<br />
on Elgin Street) who was on hand for<br />
the book-signing event, took one look at<br />
Alessandro and realized that they knew<br />
each other from way back when we first<br />
returned to <strong>Ottawa</strong> from Rome. My<br />
brother-in-law had invited Alessandro<br />
to join the Jovial Fishing Club where<br />
Jim had been a member for years. He<br />
remembered meeting Alessandro, green<br />
and fresh off the plane, way up in the<br />
back country, as they hauled lumber<br />
across the lake to rebuild a centuryold<br />
cabin. Alessandro had been asked<br />
to manoeuver a wheelbarrow filled<br />
with heavy, wet sand down the dock ...<br />
he made it about 3 feet, when he lost<br />
control, sending the load tumbling into<br />
the lake. To the jeers and teasing of the<br />
men around, Alessandro calmly replied<br />
in his thick-as-molasses Italian accent,<br />
“In Italy I am used to working with my<br />
brain, not with my hands”.<br />
Back on a cold January morning,<br />
the phone rang at the shop. On the other<br />
end of the receiver I heard “it’s TSN’s<br />
Off the Record calling from Toronto …<br />
do you do grilled cheese?” Not sure what<br />
Off the Record was, but intrigued, I told<br />
them I could do anything their hearts<br />
desired. So TSN sent a guy in a taxi,<br />
racing down the canal from the Chateau<br />
Laurier all the way to Stella Luna’s<br />
to pick up five custom-made, grilled<br />
cheese sandwiches. Without a florescent<br />
orange, processed cheese slice in sight,<br />
we designed a gourmet panini worthy of<br />
the NHL – Provolone, Friulano, thinly<br />
sliced Parmigiano, with a dab of grated<br />
Pecorino Romano, grilled to perfection.<br />
Later that day, an email arrived with a<br />
link to Michael Landsberg’s Off the<br />
Record on TSN, featuring an interview<br />
with the Philadelphia Flyers’ Claude<br />
Giroux. Towards the end of the interview,<br />
Landsberg whipped out a silver-covered<br />
platter and presented Giroux with a gift<br />
… our custom-designed Stella Luna<br />
grilled cheese! The interview wrapped<br />
up with Giroux chowing down on our<br />
panini, mumbling through a mouthful of<br />
food “mmmm, it’s pretty good”. Stella<br />
Luna shoots … and scores with this one!<br />
Stella Luna has become for us<br />
a place to forge new friendships and<br />
reconnect with old acquaintances. Every<br />
day, we are presented with opportunities<br />
that allow us to make a difference in the<br />
lives of others. While I was waiting for<br />
the “aahaa moment” for this article, I<br />
realized instead that it is the thousand<br />
ordinary moments that make life<br />
extraordinary.
MAY 2012<br />
OCDSB TRUSTEE REPORT<br />
By Rob Campbell<br />
My columns are not exactly<br />
cotton-ball sales pieces<br />
as my readers will know.<br />
I mean to set out as best I can in this<br />
small space some of the more important<br />
issues for your knowledge and possible<br />
engagement. However it is important,<br />
occasionally, to provide some balance<br />
and to report on some of the truly big<br />
successes we are having as well. This<br />
column then is unabashedly about a<br />
variety of District good news stories.<br />
More classically ‘interesting’ items<br />
we continue to struggle with will be<br />
reported on in subsequent columns.<br />
First, we are now, likely will be for<br />
some time, and have now been for about<br />
two years, a slow ‘growth’ District in<br />
Ontario. Board watchers will recall some<br />
tumultuous years of student population<br />
contraction which put extra pressure<br />
on budgets and raised questions about<br />
school accommodations. We have not<br />
moved to close any downtown schools<br />
now for some years. Our over all<br />
funding slowly goes up with our slowly<br />
increasing student numbers. Right now<br />
indeed, we are only one of six school<br />
boards in Ontario, out of 72, which are<br />
growing. While we continue to have<br />
By Paige Raymond Kovach<br />
Ever wondered what happened to the<br />
stuff in the Canal that shouldn’t be<br />
there? OSCAR asked the folks at Parks<br />
Canada.<br />
What interesting things does your staff<br />
find in the canal to get it ready for navigation?<br />
Bikes? Shopping carts? Bottles? Garbage?<br />
Every year we find much the same type<br />
of rubbish in the Rideau Canal: Beer bottles,<br />
bikes, shopping carts, garbage and garbage<br />
bags full of garbage, television sets, lazy boy<br />
recliners, couches, engine blocks, Christmas<br />
trees, brooms, shovels, old tires, batteries, road<br />
construction signs, old clothing, etc.<br />
What is the strangest thing you ever found?<br />
Staff once found a fishing boat sunk at<br />
the bottom of Manotick Dam. So far this year<br />
an 18 foot camping trailer has been the most<br />
unique item found in the canal and it will be<br />
challenging to remove.<br />
What do you do with the stuff you find?<br />
When are you planning to do the clean-up<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 33<br />
Some Good News Stories<br />
very real budget challenges, we have<br />
also consciously taken greater control<br />
of our budgets, and have balanced the<br />
budget the last couple of years with a<br />
small surplus.<br />
Though I really do resist the EQAO<br />
score ranking madness as artificial and<br />
partial - it really is not whole child<br />
thinking, many do look to them as a<br />
guide in terms of how school districts<br />
are doing. Our board, the last three<br />
years, has been amongst the fastest<br />
improving boards anywhere in Ontario,<br />
if not the fastest improving. We are<br />
now consistently above provincial<br />
averages in most dimensions and<br />
continuing to improve. A lot of<br />
this can be credited to a continued<br />
focus on professional development<br />
opportunities, our continued funding<br />
of a large team of instructional coaches<br />
to support teachers and principals, a<br />
focus on sustained supports to teachers<br />
and students in other ways in spite of<br />
budget pressures, and an invitation to<br />
and willingness of all of our school<br />
staff to develop as creative and collegial<br />
learning communities.<br />
When it comes to EQAO equity<br />
gaps, re gender, immigrant language<br />
barriers, special education students, we<br />
certainly have a ways to go: we have<br />
become provincial leaders in these<br />
areas as well, with some of the smallest<br />
equity gaps anywhere in Ontario and it<br />
remains a focus as part of the Board’s<br />
shiny new multi-year strategic plan it<br />
recently committed to.<br />
It is very hard for a large ship<br />
(about 70K students) to rise above a<br />
provincial average or to see significant<br />
sustained improvements. All of these<br />
continued various EQAO successes<br />
have been noticed and Board staff<br />
have played host to visiting European<br />
educators and been asked to present<br />
at Ministry-organized conferences in<br />
Ontario and also in Europe. We have<br />
been attracting a lot of interest this way<br />
and are becoming known as a leading<br />
edge Board in Ontario others want<br />
increasingly to come work for as well.<br />
Our students have been shortchanged<br />
for years as well when it comes<br />
to student transportation provision. The<br />
Board has recently charted a reliable<br />
path forward which should lead us<br />
to sustained funding increases in this<br />
area and hopefully allow us, perhaps<br />
as soon as two years from now, to start<br />
to offer transportation to high school<br />
students far from their schools inside<br />
the Greenbelt as well, which we simply<br />
have not been able to afford for many<br />
years. This is very exciting.<br />
At a governance level, the Board has<br />
also been investing a lot in facilitators<br />
and in many many discussions around<br />
improved decision-making flows and<br />
Board culture. We have a new Director<br />
of Education we have a lot of faith in<br />
also. An ad hoc Trustee-led Committee<br />
recently reported (see last column)<br />
on further improvements which<br />
might be made to special education<br />
provision. We have new focuses on<br />
English language learners, the arts, and<br />
aboriginal supports. And, with the fruits<br />
of a (controversial) student census, and<br />
now staff census, starting to roll in the<br />
next couple of years, we will be in an<br />
even better position to target needs and<br />
opportunities.<br />
In short, around the Board table,<br />
though very real and very serious<br />
challenges remain and will continue<br />
to pop up, and sometimes passionate<br />
debate will continue to occur around<br />
the issues, it really does seem to me that<br />
a general sense has developed that we<br />
really are for now a Board on the move.<br />
If you have a suggestion or a<br />
concern, or would like to be added to<br />
my e-newsletter list, then please contact<br />
me via rob@ocdsbzone9.ca or at 323-<br />
7803. Meeting and document info<br />
available at www.ocdsb.ca<br />
Found in Canal OTLBC ... cont’d from page 28<br />
work?<br />
Clean up has already begun. In <strong>Ottawa</strong>,<br />
as part of Parks Canada’s agreement with the<br />
NCC over use of the canal for the Skateway,<br />
the NCC is responsible for the clean up of the<br />
canal between <strong>Ottawa</strong> and Hartwell Locks,<br />
but Parks Canada retains responsibility for<br />
clean-up of the lock stations in this area. As<br />
you can imagine the debris removed from the<br />
canal is not in a usable state and Parks Canada<br />
will recycle and dispose of hazardous items<br />
following proper waste handling and disposal<br />
procedures.<br />
When do you add water and when does the<br />
canal open for navigation?<br />
Parks Canada will begin to slowly raise<br />
water levels on the Rideau Canal about the third<br />
week of April, and navigation depths should<br />
be achieved along the full 202km length of<br />
the canal in early May. The Rideau Canal will<br />
open for navigation Friday May 18th. (Victoria<br />
Day weekend). Seasonal lockage and mooring<br />
permits can now be purchased online and are<br />
available at www.parkscanada.ca/ekiosk.<br />
aimportant fixture in the community. Always open to the public<br />
– many families regularly pay a visit for the popular Friday<br />
barbeques and weekend breakfasts and others come for the<br />
weekly Wednesday pub night where the atmosphere is always<br />
lively and energetic. Many of our tennis and volleyball players<br />
replenish their fluids with a pint or enjoy a healthy pub fare while<br />
enjoying the cool summer breezes.<br />
The OTLBC also offers summer camps that provide a great<br />
mix of tennis, other outdoor sports and lots of fun for children<br />
ages 6-13. Over the course of the eight weeks of summer over<br />
300 children enjoy the enriched, safe and playful environment<br />
while making lasting friendships with fellow campers and staff.<br />
Members of the OTLBC coined the phrase “our cottage in<br />
the city” because the comfortable and easy camaraderie that<br />
develops between members is a bond that grows with each year<br />
and can last a lifetime. When you add it all up – OTLBC retains<br />
the charm of an old fashioned country club setting with the rich<br />
friendships and welcoming atmosphere of your neighborhood<br />
park. It doesn’t get much better than that.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
Page 34 MAY 2012<br />
Kathy Ablett, R.N.<br />
Trustee Zone 9<br />
Capital/River Wards<br />
Telephone: 526-9512<br />
Catholic Education Foundation<br />
EduGala<br />
Come join us for the seventh<br />
annual CEFO benefit dinner, auction<br />
& cabaret May 3rd, 2012. Remember<br />
this unique event sold out last year<br />
and there was a waiting list, so book<br />
early!!!!<br />
If you have questions regarding<br />
ticket orders, please contact CEFO<br />
Board Member Karen Delaney<br />
at 613-831-4567, or by e-mail at<br />
karenldelaney@hotmail.com.<br />
All proceeds from this and all<br />
previous highly successful Galas have<br />
and will continue to go to CEFO’s<br />
“Helping to Alleviate Poverty in Our<br />
Schools” program.<br />
Hope to see you there!!!<br />
Catholic Education Week<br />
Catholic Education Week is an<br />
OCCSB TRUSTEE REPORT<br />
“PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST”<br />
opportunity to celebrate our schools’<br />
excellence, faith and community.<br />
This is the time to highlight all the<br />
wonderful educational experiences<br />
and activities that our schools are<br />
already doing! Catholic Education<br />
Week begins on Sunday, May 7 and<br />
ends on Friday, May 11, 2012. The<br />
theme for Education week this year<br />
is Catholic Education: ‘Walking in<br />
the Light of Christ’. Please check<br />
with your school for a list of activities<br />
planned for this special week.<br />
Immaculata High School<br />
Immaculata High School Principal<br />
Danielle Novak will receive the<br />
Director of Education Commendation<br />
Award at the Education Week Mass at<br />
Notre Dame Basilica on Tuesday, May<br />
8 at 7 pm. Congratulations Danielle!<br />
Also during Education Week<br />
Immaculata with celebrate with an<br />
Arts Night (May 9) and a spaghetti<br />
supper followed by a Silent Auction.<br />
Please contact Immaculata for dates<br />
and times.<br />
Corpus Christi<br />
At Corpus Christi School, spring<br />
also means lots of great music. In<br />
April, the school hosted TJ Wheeler,<br />
an internationally known musician as<br />
part of the Council-sponsored ‘Music<br />
to My Ears’ program. TJ provided<br />
music workshops and programming<br />
to all the students in the school and<br />
performed a concert for students<br />
and parents as part of his ‘week in<br />
residence’ at Corpus.<br />
Nurses Corner: May is Physical<br />
Activity Month. Help Kids Get<br />
Active! Celebrate physical activity<br />
month by getting kids moving every<br />
day in May! Kids need to do physical<br />
activities that make them sweat and<br />
breathe hard, like bike riding and ice<br />
skating, every day. Kids also need to<br />
do activities that help build muscles<br />
and bones, like playing on monkey<br />
bars and skipping.<br />
Physical activity can help kids:<br />
• Improve their health<br />
• Do better in school<br />
• Improve their mood<br />
• Learn new skills.<br />
Did you know families can<br />
By Kimberly Connolly<br />
borrow pedometers from <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Public Libraries? To find out<br />
more information about borrowing<br />
pedometers as a way to stay active, go<br />
to ottawalibrary.ca<br />
For more information about<br />
physical activity call <strong>Ottawa</strong> Public<br />
Health at 613 580-6744 or go to www.<br />
ottawa.ca/health<br />
Board Spiritual Theme 2012 – 2013<br />
The Board’s new spiritual theme<br />
is “By our works, we show our faith.”<br />
This new theme calls us to live our<br />
faith fully and to recognize that all we<br />
do is born out of our life as children<br />
of God and is based on James 2: 16-<br />
18. This theme will provide a sound<br />
basis for actions, service and prayer<br />
at schools. The past two years the<br />
Board’s theme has been ‘Though<br />
Many We Are One Body in Christ.”<br />
If, at any time, I can be of<br />
assistance to you please do not hesitate<br />
to call me at 526-9512.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Kathy Ablett<br />
“Your Trustee”<br />
Learning About<br />
How <strong>Ottawa</strong> Kids Think<br />
Are you fascinated by how much children change from the time<br />
they’re three-years-old to the time they’re six? You’re not alone!<br />
The members of the Children’s Representational Development<br />
Lab (CRDL) at Carleton University are too. They are a group of<br />
enthusiastic researchers who are interested in learning more about how<br />
children’s thinking changes throughout the preschool and childhood<br />
years.<br />
“We are called the Children’s Representational Development Lab<br />
because we study how young children understand different kinds of<br />
representations. We’re interested in what children know about symbolic<br />
representations like words, numbers, and pictures and how they can stand<br />
for ideas and concepts, or for actual objects in the world - the way the<br />
pictures on a map stand for the location of buildings and streets. We’re<br />
also interested in what children know about other people’s knowledge<br />
and intentions, which are considered mental representations.” says Dr.<br />
Deepthi Kamawar, head of the Children’s Representational Development<br />
Lab (CRDL) at Carleton University. “The researchers in my group,<br />
undergraduate and graduate students, use stories and games like those<br />
many kids are familiar with – such as Memory and Simon Says – to<br />
help them figure out more about how kids learn to use different symbols<br />
and representational systems. Representational understanding can be<br />
anything from using symbols on a map to find stickers hidden in a room,<br />
to keeping track of what different story characters know or do not know<br />
about story events.” said the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Professor.<br />
For instance, Andrea Astle, a PhD student in Kamawar’s lab, is<br />
looking into how children design and produce symbols and legends to<br />
help them find items in a memory game. She has children create a legend<br />
with crayons to keep track of where different toys belong, and then later<br />
has them use their legends to put the toys away. “The different symbol<br />
elements they use in their legends, like the colours and shapes of the toys,<br />
tells us a lot about how children’s symbolic understanding develops”<br />
says Andrea, “We are really interested in the kinds of things that kids<br />
think are important to include in their legends, and the kinds of things<br />
that they may leave out!”<br />
To look at kids’ ability to consider more than one property of an object,<br />
Gal Podjarny (another PhD student in the lab) is using picture cards.<br />
Cont’d on page 37
MAY 2012<br />
<strong>South</strong>side<br />
By Paige Raymond Kovach<br />
<strong>South</strong>side Board Member<br />
<strong>South</strong>side Preschool currently offers programming<br />
for children aged two to nine and serves about<br />
100 <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> families. It has been<br />
a part of our community for over 30 years. The<br />
current provincial government plans to make full-day<br />
kindergarten available for all schools and at Hopewell<br />
Avenue Public School full-day kindergarten will begin<br />
in September 2014.<br />
This political reality required that the <strong>South</strong>side<br />
Preschool Board review its current programs, its<br />
business model, and plan for the future without its<br />
Kinders programs. This was obviously a serious<br />
challenge to the organization, and the goal was to keep<br />
<strong>South</strong>side in existence and vibrant for <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
families.<br />
In other communities, such as Barrhaven, where<br />
full-day kindergarten already exists, all programming<br />
for children aged four and five has been drastically<br />
reduced or has simply ceased.<br />
In February, the <strong>South</strong>side Board unanimously<br />
adopted a three-year plan to help ease the transition<br />
for <strong>South</strong>side into this new educational and economic<br />
reality. The focus of <strong>South</strong>side’s programming will<br />
shift towards revitalizing and developing the nursery<br />
school, focusing on curriculum development for the<br />
community’s youngest children, as well as continuing to<br />
offer an engaging and improved After School Program<br />
for Hopewell students.<br />
Starting this past fall, <strong>South</strong>side educators began the<br />
process of implementing a new curriculum that is childcentred<br />
and interest-driven. It builds on the relationship<br />
that already exists with the Early Childhood Educator<br />
and the children, and moves away from a focus on toys,<br />
equipment and pre-planned or repetitive structures and<br />
activities. Early Childhood Educators are interactive<br />
with children during ‘play’ in order to develop activities<br />
that increase skills geared to the interests of the child.<br />
The child is at the centre of learning. Programming<br />
is more spontaneous, far less linear, and focuses on<br />
implementing a particular interest through a range<br />
of pedagogical activities geared to different learning<br />
objectives.<br />
“For example, the educator would notice children<br />
asking a lot of questions about the changes in the<br />
weather, so she would lead activities about spring,” said<br />
Joanne Iob, <strong>South</strong>side Director.<br />
“As she talks about spring, she realizes everyone is<br />
fascinated by bees. So she would take this interest and<br />
focus on it using the different areas of skill development.<br />
The first activity may be building a beehive with the big<br />
blocks. They would talk about building the beehive, and<br />
it would be used as a tool for expressive and receptive<br />
language development, and the children would develop<br />
their large muscle group and co-operative play in the<br />
building process. The children may need to use their<br />
problem solving skills with the large group social<br />
interaction surrounding the building.”<br />
“The class may decide to include preparing a<br />
special snack with honey to enhance further language<br />
skills while utilizing their sense of taste, sight, touch.”<br />
“The children decide that they need bees to live in<br />
the beehive so they would proceed to the free art shelf<br />
to make bees (depending on the skill level, the educator<br />
may have tracers for the children and an example of a<br />
bee), this process would enhance the fine motor skills by<br />
using the pincer grasp to hold a pencil, using the scissors<br />
and gluing the pieces together. The activity would<br />
also increase the children’s expressive imaginative<br />
development.”<br />
“Moving to the book area the educator would read<br />
a book about bees sparking more language development<br />
and pre-reading skills in distinguishing the letter that<br />
bee begins with. This may open a dialogue about other<br />
things that begin with ‘B’ or the letter that begins their<br />
name. Counting the bees (pre-math) and making a chart<br />
on what the children know about bees would lead to<br />
songs and perhaps ending our time with the children<br />
using their imagination by pretending to be bees, “ said<br />
Joanne.<br />
“Our now 6-year-old son Finley has been at<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 35<br />
<strong>South</strong>side Preschool Plans for its Future<br />
<strong>South</strong>side for two years, beginning with his junior<br />
kindergarten year at Hopewell,” said Julie Greene,<br />
mother of two.<br />
“Since he spends the majority of his day at <strong>South</strong>side,<br />
most of the news we get about his days springs from his<br />
activities at <strong>South</strong>side. Like many children of this age,<br />
our son does not provide us with a fulsome report on<br />
his days, so I have to reply on snippets of conversation<br />
to understand what he is focused on at “school” (which<br />
includes <strong>South</strong>side).”<br />
“Over the last two years I have definitely noted new<br />
topics areas entering Fin’s conversation – he tells us<br />
little facts about the weather, the planets or insects, as<br />
what he has learned gets applied to our home, something<br />
we see in the car, or on our neighborhood walks,” said<br />
Julie. “I distinctly recall the time he dropped the word<br />
‘chrysalis’ into our conversation, and that’s when I<br />
knew that they were studying the lifecycle of a butterfly<br />
at school – although Fin certainly didn’t describe is that<br />
way!”<br />
“Lately I have ascertained that they are focused on<br />
hockey at <strong>South</strong>side right now – a topic of great interest<br />
to all the kids there, relevant given the 67s and Sens playoff<br />
runs and almost certainly organically derived from<br />
the children’s own interest in the sport and its heroes.<br />
I understand from Fin that they have experienced and<br />
learned about hockey both through stories, magazines<br />
and discussions – as well as trying out their<br />
skills in a paper-based/sock-feet game, as well<br />
as learning to set up a hockey rink and follow the<br />
rules of the game. Their discussions also covered<br />
violence in hockey and I got to probe around how<br />
Fin feels about seeing fighting in this game.”<br />
“I will say that while we don’t get a daily<br />
report on what Fin has learned in school that<br />
day, I have learned to listen between the lines of<br />
conversational snippets that are sometimes -- but<br />
not always – connected to our current context or<br />
conversation so that we can understand what he<br />
is working on, how we can enhance learning at<br />
home or apply what he has learned to our context.<br />
For this is truly how learning happens!”<br />
“Fin is always thrilled to run into <strong>South</strong>side<br />
each morning, no doubt in large part due to the<br />
caring and committed staff there, who understand<br />
that every child gets excited about different<br />
things and learn in different ways. I never feel<br />
that Fin is missing out on learning opportunities<br />
that full-day kindergarten can provide, as I know<br />
<strong>South</strong>side is very focused on learning through<br />
play – a nice transition between pre-school and<br />
Grade 1.”<br />
<strong>South</strong>side’s Early Childhood Educators will<br />
also note a child’s attainment of a milestone on<br />
the Tree of Success. It is a visual tool for the<br />
children, educators and parents to monitor the<br />
skills achieved by each child throughout the<br />
school year.<br />
“The markers on our tree are Social,<br />
Self-Help, Manners, Problem Solving, Task<br />
Completion, Pre-Reading, Pre-Math, Language,<br />
Fine and Gross Motor and Respect. When the<br />
child masters a skill, his or her name is added<br />
onto the branch of the tree,”<br />
said Joanne.<br />
“We also inform parents<br />
of our daily interactions with<br />
their children using picture<br />
boards, newsletters (updated<br />
on our web site www.<br />
southsidepreschool.ca), our<br />
programming chart, Tree<br />
of Success, and educators’<br />
conversations directly with<br />
parents and caregivers at<br />
drop-off or pick-up.”<br />
Staff are currently<br />
being trained in the new<br />
curriculum and it is being<br />
implemented in stages over<br />
the next two years.<br />
In addition, there are<br />
also plans to explore and<br />
develop further nursery school age programming<br />
options involving expanded age groups and/or hours<br />
of care, workshops and speakers for parents and<br />
caregivers, and adding the Family Zone, a drop-in for<br />
parents and their children once a week with an Early<br />
Childhood Educator on-site to facilitate learning and<br />
answer any questions that the parent may want to ask.<br />
For the After School Program, in addition to adapting<br />
the new curriculum for the older age group, a variety of<br />
“rejuvenation” strategies are being explored including<br />
homework supervision, community involvement, longer<br />
term projects, and specialty days centred on science,<br />
weather or math.<br />
All of these adaptations (and more) are being<br />
tested and refined during the next two years to enable<br />
the renewed and improved programs to “hit the ground<br />
running” in fall 2014. It will be a busy two years of<br />
development and exploration, but one that the teachers<br />
and board are excited about.<br />
<strong>South</strong>side families save the date<br />
The famous end-of-year barbecue at Brewer Park<br />
will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.<br />
Families are encouraged to bring their own drinks.<br />
Please look for sign-up sheets for pot-luck foods on the<br />
notice boards outside the classrooms soon. As always,<br />
Joanne assures that the weather will be fabulous! See<br />
you there!
Page 36<br />
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA CENTRE<br />
By Paul Dewar<br />
Canadians should be concerned<br />
about the recent Conservative<br />
budget. It was supposed to<br />
create jobs and invest in economic<br />
growth. Instead, it cuts over $5 billion<br />
in funding to public services and<br />
programs, lacks any job creation plan<br />
and fails to take action in areas that<br />
are critical to achieving prosperity<br />
for all Canadians, such as working to<br />
eliminate poverty and creating more<br />
affordable housing options.<br />
For seniors, changes in <strong>Old</strong> Age<br />
Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed<br />
Income Supplement (GIS) means<br />
they must work two extra years<br />
before claiming their pension. The<br />
government has argued that the current<br />
OAS system is unsustainable. This is<br />
not the case. Both the Parliamentary<br />
Budget Officer and the government’s<br />
own Actuarial Reports have confirmed<br />
that despite the increase in the number<br />
of baby boomers retiring, the program<br />
is sustainable. New Democrats have<br />
consistently argued against regressive<br />
changes to OAS-GIS like those in the<br />
budget, as they will hurt the poorest<br />
seniors. Instead, we want retirement<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
2012 Budget Fails to Address the Needs of Canadians<br />
income security strengthened through<br />
initiatives like expansion of CPP.<br />
The government’s decision to<br />
change the health transfer funding<br />
formula will cost Ontario $24 billion in<br />
health care funding creating longer wait<br />
times and fewer doctors and nurses.<br />
It will also open the door to greater<br />
privatization of our health care system.<br />
Cuts to CBC/Radio-Canada,<br />
Environment Canada, Natural<br />
Resources, immigration settlement,<br />
health care transfers, Aboriginal Affairs<br />
and Northern Development and more<br />
will have serious implications for<br />
the environment, culture, education,<br />
poverty reduction and health care.<br />
New Democrats and Canadians<br />
have already voiced their opposition to<br />
the elimination of Katimavik and the<br />
Community Access Program (CAP).<br />
Katimavik was a youth exchange and<br />
volunteer experience program created<br />
in 1977 by the federal government to<br />
equip youth with new skills, knowledge<br />
and experience through placements in<br />
communities across Canada. When the<br />
youth unemployment rate in Canada<br />
continues to remain in the double digits,<br />
it’s short sighted of the government to<br />
cut programs that help youth increase<br />
Tasty Tidbits from Trillium Bakery<br />
Gratitude<br />
By Jocelyn LeRoy<br />
Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths we<br />
take but by the moments that take our breath<br />
away”<br />
While napping on the comfortable leather couch<br />
back at the Smyth Road Weight-loss Spa (as lastmonth’s<br />
OSCAR David calls the hospital), my eye<br />
catches some small lettering high on the wall over a<br />
life-like painting of iris. I look around this “family<br />
room” and discover on another wall, cut-out silver<br />
letters that say “Love,” “Family,” “Dream.”<br />
Behind a flourishing green plant draping over a<br />
tall cabinet, a Tuscan-looking picture of sunlit fruit<br />
and vegetable stands flanked by a row of mossy trees<br />
shines forth, giving a vibrant cheerfulness to the room.<br />
The fourth wall has a framed Monet print of gardens<br />
bordering flagstone paths meandering toward a forest<br />
of pale Spring green trees.<br />
Oh, and there’s a small framed print of three<br />
children with wobbly ankles on ice, clutching hockey<br />
sticks. Their skates are laced only half-way up.<br />
Any of these wall adornments, if coming to life,<br />
would take your breath away. They beckon your<br />
imagination to melt into their moment in time. Which<br />
their transferable skills.<br />
The CAP provided computers and<br />
internet access at community sites<br />
across Canada. These sites helped to<br />
bridge the digital divide, especially<br />
by increasing accessibility for those<br />
who are unable to afford a computer or<br />
the internet. The decision to eliminate<br />
CAP will negatively impact the most<br />
vulnerable communities who rely on<br />
these sites for job searches, information<br />
sharing and educational opportunities.<br />
I am also concerned about what did<br />
not appear in the budget. Most notable<br />
is the lack of a job creation plan. In<br />
fact, budget cuts could result in a loss<br />
of 50,000 jobs in the public and private<br />
sectors combined. Cuts to the public<br />
sector will have a great effect on local<br />
economies as public sector workers<br />
support private sector businesses and<br />
economic growth through their own<br />
spending.<br />
It’s evident that the impact of this<br />
budget will be felt both in rural and urban<br />
areas. Cities are effectively ignored<br />
with no money allocated for transit and<br />
affordable housing. Adequate funding<br />
in these areas helps ensure our cities are<br />
vibrant, liveable places for everyone<br />
yet under the Conservative plan they<br />
is also eternal – it’s a sort of Zen experience.<br />
I am always inspired by those who can imagine<br />
golden moments among even the most terrible lifechanging<br />
events.<br />
My eyes fall upon a small typed paragraph titled<br />
“Alan’s Dream,” describing a deceased leukemia<br />
patient’s creation of this refuge from the sterile and<br />
sometimes intimidating hospital atmosphere. I’ll bet<br />
there was a golden moment for Alan and his family,<br />
friends and hospital staff at the finish line of “Alan’s<br />
Run,” witnessed by those who cared so much for Alan<br />
and his dream. The moment of absorbing this legacy<br />
he left is now part of my ever-expanding reservoir of<br />
moments that take my breath away.<br />
Back in the bakery, where lately I haven’t<br />
been as often as usual, the customers love to let<br />
me know “you’re never there,” as if, as they say in<br />
Newfoundland, “I looked in the bakery and there she<br />
was – gone!”<br />
Oh well, kudos go to our staff, all of whom have<br />
stepped up to the plate during the last few weeks and<br />
months. They deserve bunches of flowers, bowls of<br />
chocolate and a million or so dollars for their caring<br />
and care-taking of Trillium.<br />
The plates are filled with hot cross buns. We<br />
share delightful moments of eye-rolling, lipsmacking<br />
pleasure, watching customers of<br />
all ages biting into our yummy Easter treats.<br />
Hilarious moments show up, too. There<br />
are two adorable three-year-old twins who<br />
regularly shop at Trillium. Tiny they are,<br />
but they come barreling in chattering a mile<br />
a minute, discussing with each other what<br />
they want. They both look me in the eye<br />
(way up!) and articulately describe the<br />
cookies they have chosen. They’re too<br />
short to see the cookies on the shelf, but<br />
they know what they’re after. Everyone in<br />
the room takes a pause of delight as these<br />
are neglected leaving Canadians to live<br />
with the consequences.<br />
There is an alternative to the<br />
federal government’s fiscal approach.<br />
My colleagues and I have been calling<br />
for the Conservatives to increase<br />
targeted incentives to create good jobs,<br />
protect retirement security and provide<br />
the stable funding necessary to allow<br />
provinces to hire more doctors and<br />
nurses. New Democrats would like to<br />
see a commitment from the government<br />
to reduce the small business tax rate<br />
from 11% to 9%, which will help boost<br />
local economies. We would also like<br />
to see the government bring back the<br />
popular ecoEnergy retrofit program to<br />
help Canadians make their homes more<br />
energy efficient, which reduces heating<br />
and electricity costs and our overall<br />
environmental foot print.<br />
New Democrats will not support this<br />
budget unless significant amendments<br />
are made as it fails to build a secure,<br />
prosperous future for all Canadians. We<br />
will oppose regressive cutbacks while<br />
working to ensure the priorities of job<br />
creation, retirement income security,<br />
and adequate funding for health care<br />
are addressed.<br />
tiny tykes negotiate the big step, precious purchase<br />
in hand. They chatter excitedly about what they love<br />
about their cookies.<br />
If we don’t stop and enjoy the moment regularly,<br />
smell the roses or the bread or the cookies, what do<br />
we have instead? A grind…ennui…flatness, or, even<br />
worse, a downward spiral into the memories of our<br />
negative experiences.<br />
It’s easy to live moment by moment in our bakery<br />
because it’s a cauldron of activity. Surprises come<br />
out of the ovens. (A new twist of flavour and texture<br />
absolutely requires a bit of savouring.) Even when<br />
a customer recounts an intense experience, these<br />
moments remain with us. And when customers tell us<br />
how much they appreciate what we do, we remember.<br />
When I drop something on the floor – molasses is<br />
lovely! – or my sifter filled with icing sugar explodes<br />
and flies everywhere, white powdery sweetness covers<br />
the whole counter and my shoes. These are moments<br />
that mark a career. There’s the moment when Gail<br />
shouts “Wait!” as I’m going out the door; she picks<br />
the icing off my collar or cheek. “Now you can go,”<br />
she says.<br />
Ten years ago at Easter I said goodbye to my<br />
mother forever. Six months later I felt her with me<br />
on a gusty, sunny canoe trip in Algonquin Park, in the<br />
windswept pines, on the sparkling water, and in the<br />
bow of my canoe. “Of course it should be green,”<br />
says mom. Now, any green canoe moment reminds<br />
me of this.<br />
And here’s another: the moment my six-year-old<br />
adopted daughter touched my knee and whispered,<br />
“bonsoir, mama.” And her sister lifted her shirt to<br />
proudly show me her bandage covering a horrific<br />
wound, received in a land far away and besieged by<br />
drought. It was our first meeting, first greeting.<br />
I still feel “wow” when I let these moments in and<br />
have them stay awhile.
MAY 2012 The th OSCAR - OUR 40 YEAR<br />
Page 37<br />
COMPUTER TRICKS AND TIPS<br />
By Malcolm and John Harding, of<br />
Compu-Home<br />
For the better part of a decade<br />
now we have been hearing<br />
about Web 2.0 usually with the<br />
blithe assumption that we know what<br />
it means. To us, Web 2.0 is simply<br />
a reference to the fact that that the<br />
Internet is evolving from a medium of<br />
broadcasting, to one of participation.<br />
Instead of passively reading or viewing<br />
web pages, and learning from the<br />
content or just enjoying it, we now have<br />
the opportunity to interact with the web<br />
environment. We can react online, or<br />
create and post our own content much<br />
more easily than we could in the past.<br />
It has been observed that Web 2.0<br />
is not an entirely new concept, but just<br />
a part of the evolution of the web. After<br />
all, you are “participating” in a website<br />
when you type a search term into<br />
Google, or log into your email website<br />
and read and reply to a message.<br />
Anyone who reads newspapers online<br />
is familiar with the ubiquitous boxes<br />
“I have never tasted any better sugar<br />
than what has been made from the maple,<br />
when it has been properly refined. It<br />
has a peculiarly rich, salubrious and<br />
pleasant taste.”<br />
Samuel Williams, A natural and Civil<br />
History of Vermont, 1794<br />
Maple Pecan<br />
Cornbread Stuffing<br />
1 loaf Trillium corn rice flax bread<br />
¼ cup maple syrup<br />
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans<br />
1 tbsp. unsalted butter<br />
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion<br />
1 stalk celery<br />
1 tsp. minced garlic<br />
1 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley<br />
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock<br />
below the articles and columns, inviting<br />
readers to weigh in on the subject, and<br />
perhaps this is not the place to comment<br />
on the crude and drooling nature of<br />
some of the contributions in online<br />
publications where the “contributions”<br />
are not moderated. Fortunately, this<br />
sort of thing is in the minority.<br />
Let’s consider the example of the<br />
online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which<br />
is an entirely collaborative effort. It is<br />
not difficult to register as a contributor<br />
to Wikipedia and that allows one to post<br />
new articles, or even to edit or modify<br />
existing ones under some circumstances.<br />
This loose arrangement might make it<br />
natural for us to be suspicious about the<br />
accuracy of the resource, (and lots of<br />
us lamented the passing of the printed<br />
Encyclopedia Britannica last week)<br />
but the fact is that repeated tests have<br />
proved a very competitive level of<br />
accuracy in Wikipedia when compared<br />
with traditional printed versions. Let’s<br />
not forget as well, that a printed work<br />
might easily be months or years old<br />
TRILLIUM RECIPES<br />
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease an<br />
What the Heck is Web 2.0?<br />
Public Meeting May 6<br />
To Reveal Likely Traffic & Parking ‘Numbers’<br />
For Lansdowne Partnership Plan<br />
There will be a public meeting on<br />
Sunday afternoon May 6 from<br />
4 to 5:30, at St Margaret Mary<br />
Parish Hall ( @ 5 Fairbairn, just below<br />
Sunnyside) to explain the real numbers and<br />
impacts on <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, The Glebe<br />
and <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> East, of the Lansdowne<br />
Partnership Plan. Three inner - city, citizenexperts<br />
and analysts, have done a lot of<br />
homework over a three month period, to<br />
determine just what the traffic and parking<br />
impacts are likely to be in our section of<br />
the inner city. Their calculations have been<br />
based on the City’s own numbers. After<br />
several failed attempts to meet with City<br />
staff and their transportation consultants to<br />
verify the numbers, they finally did meet<br />
them recently. Our citizen expert numbers<br />
were not challenged by City Staff but the<br />
Consultants were not willing or able to<br />
provide the model they would / should? )<br />
have used to arrive at their numbers.<br />
In all events, the only way in which the<br />
City has been proposing to deal with the<br />
inevitable traffic and parking situation, for<br />
day to day traffic was to tell us all that they<br />
would be ‘ monitoring ‘ the impacts when<br />
they occur. A lot of use that is, once the<br />
mall and condos and overall project have<br />
already been built. On the other hand our<br />
Ward Councillor is in the process of seting<br />
up a<br />
So come and hear and provide your<br />
input to the real numbers on Sunday May<br />
6 at 4 pm. Our Ward Councillor will be an<br />
active participant in this meeting.<br />
8” square baking dish. In a small bowl<br />
combine syrup and pecans, and mix well.<br />
In a large skillet melt the butter over<br />
medium heat. Add the onion, celery and<br />
garlic. Stir for 5 minutes or until the onion<br />
is golden. Add the parsley and sauté for<br />
1 minute. Add the syrup mixture and corn<br />
bread and blend well. Add the stock and<br />
cook, stirring, until heated through.<br />
Transfer the stuffing to an ovenproof<br />
serving dish and bake covered at 350º for<br />
15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.<br />
Makes approximately 6½ cups.<br />
This is a gluten-free recipe. You can<br />
substitute regular cornbread if you wish.<br />
The gluten-free cornbread’s stronger<br />
flavour, however, goes beautifully with<br />
maple syrup. I pour a little more syrup<br />
over the finished product.<br />
The stuffing can be used as a side dish,<br />
main dish for lunch with salad, or a bed<br />
under roast chicken. It’s also an excellent<br />
stuffing for Cornish hens. And, last but not<br />
least, it is great with beans!<br />
before it arrives in your home, while the<br />
online version might have been updated<br />
a few minutes ago.<br />
Blogs (web logs) are another<br />
example of the increasingly interactive<br />
nature of the web. Anyone with<br />
a personal, political, religious or<br />
business-related reason to post a<br />
public journal can easily sign up for<br />
the web space to do just that – no<br />
html or gobbledygook programming<br />
experience required. Commercial blog<br />
sites, such as Blogger from Google,<br />
share the main characteristics of most<br />
of the rest of the Web 2.0 services, in<br />
that they are (1) free and (2) very easy<br />
to set up and use, with typing being the<br />
only skill required. Some people are<br />
one-time bloggers, recording a vacation<br />
trip or special experience to share, while<br />
others have been faithfully maintaining<br />
their blogs with daily entries for many<br />
years. Some open up their blogs to<br />
contributions from readers, while others<br />
choose not to go there. Do you suppose<br />
Samuel Pepys would have chosen to<br />
She is interested in how young<br />
children sort things into groups.<br />
“Looking at something in more<br />
than one way is very important to<br />
things like creativity and empathy.<br />
So far, research has shown that kids<br />
cannot simultaneously consider<br />
more than one property of an object<br />
until they are about 7-years-old”<br />
says Podjarny, “but we found that<br />
if we use simple instructions and<br />
coloured pictures of everyday items,<br />
4-year-olds have a lot more success<br />
with this task. We are looking into<br />
why, so that we can suggest ideas to<br />
teachers and parents that might help<br />
young children with this skill.”<br />
Other research, by PhD student<br />
Corrie Vendetti, looks into young<br />
children’s understanding of the<br />
difference between truths and lies,<br />
and the different kinds of lies that<br />
people tell. She tells children short<br />
stories about child characters that<br />
either tell the truth or tell a lie about<br />
a story event, and she asks children<br />
questions about what the characters<br />
said, what they felt, and whether<br />
or not they should get in trouble<br />
for what they’ve done. Corrie is<br />
investigating what factors children<br />
consider when determining<br />
whether a statement is a lie or the<br />
truth, and whether children think<br />
those statements are good or bad,<br />
depending on the story context.<br />
The lab is also currently<br />
investigating children’s<br />
understanding of the difference<br />
between actions done “on purpose”<br />
and “by accident” and children’s<br />
strategies for saving resources for<br />
future use. They are excited by this<br />
work and can’t wait to learn more<br />
about it.<br />
allow comments from his readers if<br />
Blogger had existed 350 years ago?<br />
Social media sites, like Facebook,<br />
Twitter and Linkedin are the most<br />
prominent and obvious examples of<br />
Web 2.0 just now, and in our next<br />
column we’ll explore their recent<br />
explosion in popularity as well as some<br />
of their dangers.<br />
We always enjoy hearing from<br />
readers and we learn lots from you<br />
when you get in touch. Write or give us<br />
a call any time.<br />
Malcolm, Frances and John<br />
Harding are the owners of Compu-<br />
Home, assisting home and business<br />
computer users.<br />
Be sure to visit our web site for an<br />
archive of our columns. www.compuhome.com<br />
Write to info@compu-home.com<br />
or phone 613-731-5954 to discuss<br />
computer issues, or to suggest future<br />
columns.<br />
Learning How <strong>Ottawa</strong> Kids Think...<br />
Cont’d from page 34<br />
Members of CRDL have been<br />
busy presenting their work at<br />
conferences in <strong>Ottawa</strong>, Montreal,<br />
Denver, San Antonio, Philadelphia,<br />
and Oxford. You may recognize<br />
the CRDL from research they have<br />
been conducting in daycares and<br />
preschools in <strong>Ottawa</strong> over the last<br />
ten years, or from their posters<br />
and advertisements at the Public<br />
Library, in centers and kids’ stores<br />
throughout the community, or from<br />
their booth at the Capital Parent and<br />
Kids Show.<br />
The CRDL also has research<br />
space at Carleton University where<br />
they invite parents and children to<br />
participate in their studies. If you<br />
or someone you know has a child<br />
between 3- and 6-years-old, we<br />
encourage you to contact the CRDL<br />
to find out about participating in<br />
one of their great projects at crdl@<br />
carleton.ca or by visiting www.<br />
carleton.ca/crdl
Page 38 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
by Rick Sutherland, CLU,<br />
CFP, FDS, R.F.P<br />
This question was submitted by<br />
one of our <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
residents. We always appreciate<br />
your comments, questions and article<br />
requests. If it is within our field of<br />
expertise we will do our best to give<br />
you our honest answers and opinions.<br />
The normal age to start drawing Canada<br />
Pension Plan, CPP, is age 65. You can<br />
begin drawing as early as age 60. But<br />
there is a penalty for taking CPP early.<br />
So this is an important question that<br />
should be carefully considered.<br />
In order to answer this question<br />
there is another question that needs to<br />
be answered first. “Do you need the<br />
income in order to live?” If yes, then<br />
taking CPP early is a must and should<br />
be started as early as possible.<br />
If you do not necessarily need<br />
the income for day-to-day living then<br />
there may be other reasons one would<br />
want to start CPP early. It becomes a<br />
supplement to current income from<br />
employment, pension, RRIF, savings<br />
etc. It allows more money to do things<br />
By Anna Sundin<br />
When you own and run your<br />
own business, you’re<br />
responsible for all aspects<br />
of the business. What would happen if<br />
When Should One Start Collecting CPP<br />
while at a younger age. Some examples<br />
may be for travel, hobbies, assistance<br />
to children, etc. If not needed then the<br />
extra money could be invested and<br />
saved to build a larger estate or used for<br />
other purposes later in life.<br />
Recent changes to CPP have<br />
increased the penalty reduction for<br />
those who take CPP early prior to age<br />
65. Under the old rules, if one started<br />
CPP early at age 60 it took until age<br />
76 to accumulate the same amount of<br />
payments as if you had deferred until<br />
age 65. When the new rules have been<br />
completely phased in, by 2016, the<br />
breakeven point reduces to age 74 for<br />
those who take CPP early at age 60.<br />
Let’s put some numbers to these<br />
ages. The maximum CPP benefit<br />
payable to a person age 65 in 2012 is<br />
$986 per month. A person starting CPP<br />
at age 60 in 2012 would see a penalty<br />
reduction. Under the old rules the<br />
maximum reduction penalty was 30%<br />
or 0.5% per month for each month<br />
that a person starts CPP prior to age<br />
65. Beginning in 2012 the reduction<br />
penalty will be increased by 0.02% per<br />
month and increasing by 0.02% each<br />
year until 2016. By 2016 the maximum<br />
reduction penalty will be 36% for a<br />
person starting CPP at age 60. So if a<br />
person is eligible for the maximum CPP<br />
benefit and ignoring any increases due<br />
to inflation, by 2016 the monthly benefit<br />
from CPP for a person age 60 will be<br />
reduced to $631.<br />
Oh, and by the way, you can defer<br />
taking CPP until age 70. This will have<br />
the opposite effect and increase your<br />
CPP benefit. By 2013 the gross-up rate<br />
will increase to 0.7% per month. Using<br />
the same maximum benefit figure above<br />
and ignoring inflation increases the<br />
monthly benefit for a person who begins<br />
drawing CPP age 70 will increase by<br />
42% to $1,400 per month.<br />
As you can see there is a lot of math<br />
involved. Many people agonize, stress<br />
and worry about their decision to take<br />
CPP early or not. My view has always<br />
been that money in the hand today is<br />
always better than money in the hand in<br />
the future regardless of the breakeven<br />
point.<br />
I guess the absolute and correct<br />
answer to this question can be found in<br />
your longevity. How long will you live?<br />
If you plan to live past age 76 under the<br />
old rules or age 74 under the new rules<br />
As A Sole Proprietor, You Are Indispensable<br />
you became seriously ill or died?<br />
Your business would lose its key<br />
person and your income source may<br />
disappear. There may not be enough<br />
income to manage all the business<br />
liabilities if you died. Creditors could<br />
press for immediate payment, and<br />
accounts receivable might become<br />
uncollectable.<br />
If you die or become ill, your family<br />
would face three alternatives:<br />
1. They could continue the<br />
business, requiring family members<br />
to have: the ability and experience to<br />
run your business; sufficient cash after<br />
debts are paid; and, the ability to retain<br />
your customers.<br />
2. They could liquidate the business.<br />
A forced sale attracts bargain-hunters<br />
and with “goodwill” gone, the value of<br />
the business may be drastically reduced<br />
- by as much as 40 to 90 per cent.<br />
3. They could sell as a going<br />
concern. However, finding a qualified<br />
buyer may be difficult; the cash for<br />
purchase may not be readily available<br />
and the agreement on a fair price may<br />
be difficult to reach.<br />
Alternatively, you could protect<br />
By: Julie Ireton<br />
Last year 92-year-old Dorothea<br />
Torunski dressed up like a hippy<br />
to rock it out.<br />
This year, she’s not giving away<br />
what her costume will be.<br />
“I’m not a spring chicken, but I can<br />
still rock,” she said.<br />
Torunski looks forward to the<br />
Glebe Centre’s annual Rock-a-thon<br />
every spring. For several years this<br />
resident of the long-term care centre<br />
has joined volunteers and staff to rock<br />
the day away – in a rocking chair -- to<br />
raise money for the organization and its<br />
programs.<br />
The 2012 Rock-a-thon and block<br />
party is set to take over Monk Street<br />
(directly behind the Glebe Centre) on<br />
Saturday June 2 between 11 am and 3<br />
pm. Organizers bring out the rocking<br />
then you will receive more money by<br />
deferring the date that you start CPP.<br />
But how can you ever know how long<br />
you will live?<br />
As with many personal financial<br />
planning issues the only answer is “it<br />
depends.” Only you can determine your<br />
personal goals. If you will have enough<br />
income from other sources to provide<br />
your desired retirement lifestyle beyond<br />
your mortality, then CPP becomes a<br />
bonus. Only then can you answer the<br />
question of whether or not to begin CPP<br />
benefits early.<br />
The foregoing is for general<br />
information purposes and is the<br />
opinion of the writer. This information<br />
is not intended to provide personal<br />
advice including, without limitation,<br />
investment, financial, legal, accounting<br />
or tax advice. Please call or write to Rick<br />
Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P., to<br />
discuss your particular circumstances<br />
or suggest a topic for future articles<br />
at 613-798-2421 or E-mail rick@<br />
invested-interest.ca. Mutual Funds<br />
provided through FundEX Investments<br />
Inc.<br />
your business and family if you chose<br />
business life, disability and critical<br />
illness insurance. These products could<br />
help you and your family carry out your<br />
plans for the business if you were to<br />
become critically ill or die - for example,<br />
life insurance can provide funds to<br />
buy the business under a purchase<br />
agreement, and disability insurance<br />
can provide income if you become<br />
disabled. Critical illness insurance can<br />
help you pay off debts, stabilize your<br />
credit position, offer cash values or loan<br />
options or establish a fund for personal<br />
income at retirement, independent of<br />
the business.<br />
Your advisor can offer you an array<br />
of life, disability and critical illness<br />
insurance products to suit your needs.<br />
Your advisor can help you develop a<br />
solution that best fits your family and<br />
business needs.<br />
Abbotsford @ The Glebe Centre<br />
Good ‘til the Last Rock<br />
chairs, volunteers raise pledges and<br />
members of the community and local<br />
businesses come out to rock and donate<br />
money. But this year will be bitter sweet.<br />
The rocking chairs are coming out to the<br />
street for the last time.<br />
“This is like the series finale,”<br />
explained Karen Joynt the Glebe<br />
Centre’s Manager of Development.<br />
Joynt says the Glebe Centre will look<br />
to other kinds of events to raise money<br />
going forward.<br />
The Rock-a-thon has often had a<br />
theme and this year the theme will be<br />
TV series finales. She expects teams to<br />
dress up as characters of well-known<br />
and loved TV programs that had big<br />
wrap-ups such as M.A.S.H. or the<br />
Golden Girls.<br />
Fifteen years ago the Glebe Centre<br />
Cont’d on next page
MAY 2012<br />
By Joe Scanlon<br />
It’s now considered normal for<br />
Carleton’s men’s basketball team to<br />
go to the Canadian Interuniversity<br />
Sport (CIS) championships and most of<br />
the time when they do so, they win. The<br />
male Ravens have won eight of the past<br />
10 championship tournaments – winning<br />
seven times in Halifax and once when<br />
the tournament was held at Scotiabank<br />
Place.<br />
It’s largely forgotten now but almost<br />
50 years ago -- from 1964-65 to 1968-69<br />
– the Ravens were also regular attendees<br />
at the Nationals. They didn’t win – many<br />
of the teams they played were stocked<br />
with American imports -- but in Ernie<br />
Zoppa’s four years as coach they made<br />
it to the championship tournament three<br />
times.<br />
Their performance attracted so<br />
much attention that twice <strong>Ottawa</strong> radio<br />
station CFRA sent sports broadcaster<br />
Ernie Calcutt to broadcast the games.<br />
Paddy Stewart was captain on two of<br />
those three teams and he has memories<br />
of those trips – first to Halifax, then to<br />
Calgary and then – after missing a year<br />
– his favourite memory – the trip to the<br />
Nationals at Antigonish. However his<br />
best game was not that year but two<br />
seasons earlier.<br />
In 1964-65, the Ravens went direct<br />
to the Nationals as champions of what<br />
was then the <strong>Ottawa</strong>-St. Lawrence<br />
Conference. In 1965-66, however, the<br />
Ravens were forced to play Waterloo<br />
Lutheran (now Wilfrid Laurier) to<br />
decide which team – Carleton or<br />
Waterloo – would go to Calgary. The<br />
organizers were so certain the winner<br />
would be Waterloo they even announced<br />
the tournament schedule, a schedule that<br />
made no mention of Carleton.<br />
In the first half of that game,<br />
Carleton couldn’t stop Lutheran’s star,<br />
Pete Misikowetz – he had 18 points<br />
well before half time – so Coach Zoppa<br />
turned to 5’8” Stewart and told him to<br />
cover Misikowetz. Stewart played the<br />
game of his career. Misikowetz scored<br />
only four more points and Stewart – not<br />
noted for his scoring ability – scored 19<br />
– the most he ever scored.<br />
The following season, after<br />
Carleton’s first two trips to the<br />
Nationals, there was almost a complete<br />
turnover in the team with Stewart one of<br />
two still around. That season he recalls<br />
as “brutal” – teams Carleton had once<br />
defeated easily were beating the Ravens.<br />
The next season Carleton found himself<br />
without a gym – a new floor was being<br />
installed and the firm doing it was hit<br />
by a strike. The team never got to play<br />
on its own floor until the conference<br />
championship when it defeated Loyola<br />
by a single point.<br />
That team included Don Cline who<br />
went on to become one of Canada’s<br />
most respected basketball referees. It<br />
also included Dennis Bibby (who was at<br />
the time in training to become an Oblate<br />
priest) who had joined the team when<br />
St. Patrick’s College became part of<br />
Carleton. It melded so well former team<br />
members still get together – as they did<br />
this past winter when Cline died.<br />
That season was Stewart’s final<br />
season with the Ravens. Graduating<br />
that spring with a degree in Sociology,<br />
he moved back to Edmonton – where<br />
he had grown up – and did a Bachelor<br />
of Education degree. He then returned<br />
to Ontario first to Renfrew (the area<br />
where his wife, Linda, grew up) then<br />
to <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s Gloucester High School.<br />
(His former coach, Ernie Zoppa left<br />
Gloucester the year he arrived; however,<br />
Zoppa was principal at Hillcrest when<br />
Paddy’s son Andy went to school there<br />
and Paddy coached Andy’s junior and<br />
senior basketball teams with Peter<br />
Scobie at Hillcrest.)<br />
From Gloucester however Stewart<br />
moved on to what is known as an<br />
Alternative Program where he dealt<br />
with young people who were having<br />
all kinds of difficulties. While there he<br />
(learned about group facilitation and<br />
co-operative games. (He had already<br />
become an entertainer.) He wanted to be<br />
and was someone who can get people to<br />
relax even laugh at their own problems.<br />
Bit by bit he began to use those skills<br />
to entertain persons of all types – from<br />
challenged children to seniors with<br />
dementia.<br />
Part of his work involves team<br />
building. To do that, he uses cooperative<br />
games and music and laughter and<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 39<br />
Carleton Sports<br />
Down Memory Lane: Carleton’s First Sojourn as a Basketball Powerhouse<br />
Abbotsford @ The Glebe Centre .. cont’d from previous page<br />
held it’s first ever Rock-a-thon.<br />
It was a novel fundraising event<br />
for the long-term care facility and<br />
senior’s centre. The annual event has<br />
raised thousands of dollars over the past<br />
decade and a half. Joynt says the centre<br />
is hoping to raise $20,000 this spring.<br />
One of the people who has raised<br />
thousands of dollars on her own over<br />
the years is Beba Poole, a nurse at the<br />
Glebe Centre.<br />
“I usually raise close to two<br />
thousand dollars,” said Poole. She<br />
always gathers together a team and<br />
always wins the prize for the most<br />
money raised by a member of the staff.<br />
“I really care about the people here<br />
and the centre,” said Poole.<br />
At this year’s Rock-a-thon block<br />
party, Sneezy Waters will provide the<br />
musical entertainment. There will be<br />
a barbeque, and bouncy castles for<br />
the kids. Neighbours, local business<br />
people, Abbotsford members and Glebe<br />
Centre staff, residents and their families<br />
are all expected to attend.<br />
Organizers are currently looking<br />
for more volunteers and donations from<br />
the community.<br />
Dorothea Torunski says she doesn’t<br />
like asking for money, but she says<br />
it’s a good cause so many friends and<br />
family like to contribute to programs<br />
for seniors. Torunski says she likes her<br />
home at the Glebe Centre.<br />
“I’m very pleased with everything.<br />
I don’t have anything to complain<br />
about. Everyone is very nice to me.<br />
But they’re good to everyone. I know<br />
I can’t go back to my old life. I’m very<br />
fortunate here,” she said.<br />
Come out and join Torunski and<br />
movement. He also has a collection<br />
of funny hats, anything to get people<br />
relaxed. “Hats are just hilarious,” he<br />
says. “It almost becomes a party when<br />
someone puts on a goofy hat. I’ll call<br />
them up from the audience and have<br />
them sing songs like, “My Bonnie lies<br />
over the ocean,” or, “She’ll be coming<br />
around the mountain when she comes.”<br />
Stewart will try anything that works<br />
– everything from the funny hats to<br />
weird musical instruments. He plays the<br />
penny whistle, guitar and the ukulele. He<br />
can teach people to make music with a<br />
comb and wax paper and recently he has<br />
decided to incorporate playing spoons<br />
with the entire audience. One instrument<br />
he uses is the “boom whacker”. It is a<br />
plastic tube which comes in different<br />
lengths and striking it produces a note.<br />
Hit several different ones at the same<br />
time and you have a chord.<br />
He has also been experimenting<br />
with bodhrán an Irish frame drum.<br />
Another one of his fortes is the<br />
hambone or Juba dance which involves<br />
stomping as well as slapping and patting<br />
the arms, legs and cheeks. Once people<br />
get the hang of it he makes them go<br />
faster and faster. Different parts of the<br />
body produce different sounds. It’s easy<br />
to do slowly but speed things up and<br />
everyone makes mistakes. “Nobody<br />
can get it right,” he says. Stewart makes<br />
them stand up and pump their fist when<br />
they make an error. That helps people<br />
get over the fear of making mistakes.<br />
When he deals with teen-agers –<br />
one of his regular stints is at an <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
high school – he knows they can be an<br />
inhibited or aloof audience. “I do all<br />
sorts of things to lighten them up and<br />
loosen them up.” With a group of 20<br />
or 30 for example he will have them do<br />
some stretches or the Wave.<br />
A lot of his work is done with people<br />
in health care facilities. For example, he<br />
performs regularly at a shelter for people<br />
who come to <strong>Ottawa</strong> for cancer treatment<br />
and live too far away to commute. His<br />
goal is not to perform but to get people<br />
involved. “I try to make things as much<br />
as I can participatory. I don’t sing for<br />
people. I have people sing with me.”<br />
Stewart now does more than 100<br />
engagements a year – about a quarter of<br />
others at the Rock-a-thon Block Party<br />
on Saturday June 2 between 11 am and<br />
which he does as a volunteer.<br />
Although he usually performs on<br />
his own, his wife Linda – who can play<br />
the piano by ear – does come along on<br />
one regular engagement and she (he<br />
helps out) runs a program for graduating<br />
High school students with learning<br />
difficulties both at Algonquin and at the<br />
Paul Mention Centre at Carleton. The<br />
program is designed to make young<br />
people heading to college or university<br />
aware of what support systems are in<br />
place and to make them aware that<br />
they have to reach out if they want<br />
that support. Such students are quite<br />
naturally nervous about starting postsecondary<br />
education. Linda Stewart’s<br />
goal is to help them feel more confident.<br />
He is involved in another initiative<br />
with Bruce Marshall, the senior<br />
physiotherapist with Carleton’s athletics<br />
department. Reaching out to Carleton<br />
staff and faculty, Marshall helped<br />
developed a program which encourages<br />
university personnel to work at all<br />
aspects of physical fitness –everything<br />
from nutrition to weight training.<br />
Although it’s nearly half a century<br />
since Paddy Stewart played basketball<br />
for Carleton he has never lost his interest<br />
in the sport. He has stopped playing in<br />
annual alumni games but he had his<br />
wife, Linda, not only have season tickets<br />
for Carleton basketball, they show up<br />
in their front row seats at almost every<br />
game.<br />
Paddy’s interest and ability in<br />
basketball was passed on to his son<br />
Andy who, like his father, not only<br />
played for the Ravens but like his father<br />
was team captain for three of his five<br />
years with the team. Andy was in his<br />
third year with the Ravens when Dave<br />
Smart became an assistant coach but<br />
he finished his eligibility before Smart<br />
took over as head coach and the Ravens<br />
headed back to the Nationals. However,<br />
Andy has remained an important part of<br />
the team: he is responsible for seeing<br />
that team members are physically fit<br />
and supervises their strength and weight<br />
training. He does weight and general<br />
fitness training with the team helping<br />
acquire the physical fitness they need to<br />
play a demanding sport.<br />
3 pm. Everyone is welcome.
Page 40 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
Sips from the Poetry Café<br />
My Mom Knows Things!<br />
By: Susan Atkinson<br />
As May approaches there’s lots to<br />
celebrate and lots to be grateful<br />
for. The tulips are popping up, spring<br />
My Mom Knows<br />
Things!<br />
My mom knows when I wear<br />
Socks three days in a row.<br />
And she knows when I play<br />
Without gloves in the snow.<br />
She knows in the morning<br />
When I’m in a rush<br />
I don’t put toothpaste<br />
On my brush.<br />
She knows when I don’t<br />
Wash my face at night.<br />
And she knows when I<br />
Read using only a flashlight.<br />
She knows when my coat<br />
Isn’t done up right<br />
And my laces are knotted<br />
Instead of tied tight.<br />
You may, on occasion,<br />
ask yourself why you<br />
are investing. Why go<br />
is in full swing and Mother’s Day is<br />
just around the corner. For most of<br />
us it really is a time to thank all the<br />
mothers in our lives and to perhaps<br />
remember those who are no longer with<br />
She knows when I’m supposed<br />
To be cleaning my room<br />
I push everything under<br />
The bed with a broom.<br />
She knows when I have<br />
My feet on the couch,<br />
Or my elbows on the table<br />
When I slouch.<br />
She knows when I don’t<br />
Finish my drink<br />
It ends up poured<br />
Down the kitchen sink.<br />
She knows when I don’t<br />
Eat the greens on my plate,<br />
And She knows if I dawdle<br />
We’re bound to be late.<br />
She knows when I haven’t<br />
Combed my hair<br />
Or have done my homework<br />
Without extra care.<br />
She knows when I feed<br />
The dog left over food<br />
And she knows when I’m<br />
mean,<br />
Unkind or rude.<br />
She knows without looking<br />
If I stick out my tongue<br />
Or pull a face<br />
Or do something wrong.<br />
But best of all<br />
My mom always knows<br />
how to help with<br />
my highs and lows.<br />
She knows when to cheer<br />
If I’ve done well<br />
And when to listen<br />
If there’s stuff to tell.<br />
through the fluctuations of the financial<br />
markets, the worry over interest<br />
rate movements, the fears of today<br />
us. I think when we do stop and ponder<br />
the wonderful women in our lives we<br />
marvel at the gift of knowledge they<br />
possess. To me it always seemed that<br />
my mom knew everything and I mean<br />
She knows when I’ve had<br />
A really bad day,<br />
She knows what to do<br />
And just what to say.<br />
She knows if I’m nervous<br />
About something at school.<br />
She knows what’s hip,<br />
What’s in, what’s cool!<br />
She knows what it takes<br />
To make me smile<br />
And she knows I have<br />
My very own style.<br />
She knows how to soothe<br />
And take tears away.<br />
She knows how to teach<br />
And how to play.<br />
She knows the words<br />
To my favourite song.<br />
For Whom Are You Investing?<br />
and the uncertainties of tomorrow?<br />
To answer this question, you may<br />
need to ask yourself one more: For<br />
whom am I investing?<br />
Consider the following:<br />
• You’re investing for yourself. It<br />
sounds selfish, but it’s not. You may<br />
be investing in your Registered<br />
Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and<br />
other investment accounts so you<br />
can enjoy a comfortable retirement<br />
lifestyle after working your entire<br />
adult life. But you’re also investing<br />
so you can become financially<br />
independent — free of worries that<br />
you’ll become a burden to your grown<br />
children or other family members. And<br />
given the real possibility of spending<br />
two, or even three decades in an<br />
active retirement, it’s imperative that<br />
you put as much as you can possibly<br />
afford into investment vehicles that<br />
can help you pursue your financial<br />
independence.<br />
• You’re investing for your family. If<br />
you have children or grandchildren,<br />
you may well want to help them pay<br />
for college or university. And, as you<br />
know, post-secondary education has<br />
gotten much more expensive in recent<br />
years, so you’ll need to save and<br />
invest from the time your children are<br />
very young, and you’ll need to choose<br />
the right investment accounts. But<br />
you’ll also need to think about other<br />
family members, too. Have you built<br />
up enough in your retirement accounts<br />
so that the money would be sufficient<br />
to support your surviving spouse<br />
should anything happen to you? Will<br />
you have enough financial resources<br />
to help support your elderly parents<br />
everything – like she really did have<br />
those ‘proverbial’ eyes in the back of<br />
the head! This month I thought it would<br />
be fun to honour that gift with a piece<br />
written from a child’s perspective.<br />
She knows how to help<br />
When things seem wrong.<br />
She knows how to cuddle<br />
If I wake at night,<br />
She knows how to put<br />
A bad dream right.<br />
My mom even knows<br />
my favorite food,<br />
my favourite colour<br />
and my favourite mood.<br />
My mom she knows<br />
Everything you know:<br />
She knows how to support<br />
And give love just so.<br />
To all the moms in the world –<br />
and you know who you are! –<br />
Happy, happy Mother’s Day.<br />
should they require assistance? And<br />
will you be able to leave the type of<br />
legacy you desire? As you can see,<br />
when you’re investing for your family,<br />
you’ve got a lot to consider<br />
.<br />
• You’re investing for your beliefs.<br />
Throughout your working years, you<br />
may try to give as much money as<br />
you can to charitable organizations<br />
whose work you support. Yet you<br />
may wish you could do even more.<br />
And eventually, you may be able to<br />
do more. For example, if you sell an<br />
asset that has appreciated in value,<br />
there will be tax implications. But if<br />
you were to give securities that have<br />
appreciated in value to a charitable<br />
organization, you could avoid taxes<br />
on the appreciated amount, and you<br />
may even get a current income tax<br />
break for your contribution. You<br />
might also want to include charitable<br />
organizations in your estate plans,<br />
after consulting with your attorney or<br />
other estate tax advisor.<br />
As you can see, you’ve got some<br />
“key constituencies” counting on<br />
you. By keeping them in mind, you<br />
should have the motivation you need<br />
to overlook the day-to-day ups and<br />
downs of investing — while you<br />
keep your focus on your important<br />
long-term goals. If you would like<br />
assistance in formulating how to<br />
achieve these goals, please give me a<br />
call at 613-526-3030.<br />
Bob Jamieson, CFP<br />
Edward Jones, Member Canadian<br />
Investor Protection Fund.
MAY 2012<br />
Sale of Yoga Mat Bags Supports<br />
Early Child Care in Rural Nepal<br />
by Tineke and Michael<br />
Casey<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
We started our travels to<br />
Nepal about 15 years<br />
ago, first like everyday<br />
tourists interested in trekking off<br />
into the hinterlands and then later,<br />
after becoming more integrated into<br />
a Nepali family, to see the country<br />
with different eyes.<br />
Oh Nepal is still achingly<br />
beautiful but now we see with clearer<br />
eyes what could be. What we once<br />
judged as cute or quaint we now see<br />
as barriers to progress.<br />
The clearest example of this is<br />
the way that young children, say 5<br />
or 6 years old, become the caregiver<br />
to their younger siblings. Seeing a<br />
young girl carry her little brother on<br />
her back might make you smile the<br />
way you would if you saw the same<br />
thing here in <strong>Ottawa</strong>. After a while<br />
though, you see it is not a game; it’s<br />
what she does.<br />
If you find affordable child<br />
care difficult to find here in <strong>Ottawa</strong>,<br />
imagine it in rural Nepal. The<br />
situation is the same – both parents<br />
are working – who will care for the<br />
children? So it often falls to the oldest<br />
child, or the oldest girl to take this on.<br />
That means no school for her until<br />
the youngest reaches school age. By<br />
then the elder sister is 11 or 12 and<br />
must attend Grade 1. It’s no wonder<br />
they drop out in such huge numbers.<br />
For girls in rural Nepal getting past<br />
Grade 2 is better than average.<br />
The Nepalese know this is an<br />
issue and, as best they can, they are<br />
helping villages establish child care<br />
centres but progress is slow as the<br />
government has so many competing<br />
Flexibility often gets over looked<br />
when we talk about fitness and<br />
overall wellness. With current<br />
lifestyles forcing us to sit too often for<br />
too long and our stress levels being<br />
high, we often carry a lot of muscular<br />
tension. Daily stretching will help to<br />
ensure your muscles and joints stay<br />
limber and will help to make you feel<br />
better! Some of the health benefits of<br />
stretching include:<br />
• Increase circulation: A common<br />
contributing factor to poor circulation<br />
is lack of body movement. With our<br />
current lifestyle of sitting all day at<br />
work, and then sitting to get to and from<br />
work in our cars, we often neglect our<br />
bodies’ need for exercise. So, whenever<br />
you notice you have been sitting for a<br />
interests. The Government of Nepal<br />
is supportive of organizations that<br />
like to help a village establish a<br />
centre. So together with the Canada<br />
Foundation For Nepal (CFFN.ca) we<br />
have done that in one village and are<br />
well on our way to repeating that in<br />
another.<br />
Helping a village create a child<br />
care centre is one thing but making<br />
it sustainable is something else.<br />
The Madhi Centre has two floors,<br />
the second for use as a community<br />
meeting place, a location for a clinic<br />
or, in time, a place where tourists<br />
can stay. We are also working with<br />
the village to capture a market in a<br />
nearby city for high value crops in<br />
the dry season, grown in their own<br />
bamboo and plastic greenhouses and<br />
using micro irrigation technology.<br />
Our projects are small and very<br />
focused and so can be done on a<br />
modest budget. With a small amount<br />
of fundraising we can do quite a lot.<br />
The sale of our yoga mat bags goes<br />
directly to this effort.<br />
There are two actions we are<br />
supporting with the yoga mat bags.<br />
The first is that the bags are made by<br />
a women’s co-op (Nepalese Women<br />
Skills Development Project) which<br />
helps rescue Nepali women who<br />
have no income. This co-op teaches<br />
them a skill and then gives them a<br />
job. We have the bags custom made<br />
at this facility in Pokhara, Nepal.<br />
The profit from the sale of the<br />
bags goes to supporting the creation<br />
of more rural village child care<br />
centres.<br />
You can learn more about the<br />
project at cffn.ca and clicking on the<br />
4C link. You can also reach Tineke or<br />
Michael at (613) 730-4963 or through<br />
yoga instructor Andrea Robertson.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 41<br />
while, make sure to get up and move<br />
around!<br />
• Preventing injury: Stretching<br />
can help improve flexibility.<br />
When flexibility is improved, your<br />
performance with physical activities<br />
may also be improved and your risk of<br />
injury reduced. For example, if your<br />
Achilles tendon is tight and you do a<br />
lot of hill walking, your foot will be<br />
unable to go through the entire range of<br />
motion. This will increase your chance<br />
of developing tendonitis over time.<br />
By stretching your calf muscles and<br />
Achilles tendon, you will improve the<br />
ankles range of motion and decrease the<br />
risk of microtraumas overtime.<br />
• Managing stress: Stretching can<br />
help to elevate mental and physical<br />
By Don Cummer<br />
Blue Ridge Mountains<br />
Shenandoah River<br />
In 1862, Stonewall Jackson posted his<br />
scouts on the summit of a mountain<br />
ridge running down the centre of the<br />
Shenandoah Valley. From high above the<br />
town of Harrisonburg, Virginia, they had a<br />
clear view of the movements of the Union<br />
armies for miles up and down the valley.<br />
Today, most people ascend<br />
Massanutten Mountain by chairlift. From<br />
the top, they can schuss a 350 meter<br />
vertical to the ski lodge. Then they can<br />
continue by car to the foot of the mountain<br />
for a tee-off time on one of the resort’s two<br />
18-hole golf courses, or to an indoor water<br />
park that draws visitors from hundreds of<br />
miles around.<br />
Ontario’s March Break corresponds<br />
with the shoulder season at Massanutten<br />
Resort http://www.massresort.com. The<br />
daffodils are in bloom, but the snow is still<br />
packed on the ski runs.<br />
Some of the resort’s summer facilities,<br />
including the outdoor swimming pool and<br />
canoe trips down the Shenandoah River,<br />
have yet to open. But the zip lines and<br />
trail rides, go kart tracks and tennis courts<br />
are all waiting for the <strong>Ottawa</strong> travelers<br />
fleeing the last vestiges of our winter.<br />
Massanutten Resort also offers bus<br />
tours to nearby vineyards and historic<br />
sites associated with former Presidents<br />
of the United States, including Thomas<br />
Jefferson’s remarkable mansion,<br />
Monticello. Many Ontarians, however,<br />
Massanutten zipline<br />
How Can Stretching Improve Your Health?<br />
stress and tension. Taking the time to<br />
unwind with 20 minutes of stretching<br />
can help promote sleep and slow your<br />
heart rate.<br />
Stretching Tips:<br />
• Warm up first: move around,<br />
go for a short walk or march in place<br />
while swinging your arms to warm up<br />
your muscles. Muscles, tendons, and<br />
ligaments are more flexible and stretch<br />
more easily when warm. Stretching<br />
cold muscles can cause injury.<br />
• Hold each stretch for 10 to<br />
20 seconds, allowing the muscle to<br />
lengthen slowly.<br />
• Do not bounce! Quick movements<br />
can cause muscle fibers to shorten, not<br />
lengthen. Bouncing will not give you<br />
an effective stretch.<br />
don’t miss the opportunity to take a daylong<br />
bus trip to Washington, D.C. – a twohour<br />
drive to the north and east.<br />
This year, we were lucky enough to<br />
hit Washington during a heat wave that<br />
had lured the city’s cherry trees into bloom<br />
weeks before the famous cherry blossom<br />
festival. The air was rich with the scent<br />
of magnolia.<br />
The 14-hour drive down Interstate<br />
81 to the heartland of Virginia can be<br />
easily divided into two parts. If a family,<br />
taking advantage of the March Break,<br />
leaves shortly after school is let out for<br />
the day on Friday, it’s possible to reach<br />
southern Pennsylvania in time to find<br />
accommodation for the night.<br />
The next morning, rather than<br />
pushing on to the Shenandoah Valley<br />
right away, we usually poke around the<br />
Amish communities west of Philadelphia,<br />
or explore the battlefields of the Civil War.<br />
This year marks the 150th anniversary of<br />
many of the most notable engagements,<br />
including Antietam – a short detour in the<br />
Maryland leg of the trip – and Stonewall<br />
Jackson’s Valley Campaign, which<br />
continues to be studied in the military<br />
academies.<br />
Or maybe you’d prefer just to drive<br />
along the Blue Ridge Mountains or along<br />
those byways John Denver used to sing<br />
of:<br />
West Virginia, mountain mama,<br />
Take me home, country roads.<br />
• Do not overstretch. Do not stretch<br />
to the point of pain. If the stretch hurts,<br />
you’re pushing too hard.<br />
• Do not rush! Give yourself<br />
adequate time to stretch after a work<br />
out or at the end of your work day.<br />
Stretching through out the day will help<br />
keep you limber and reduce soreness<br />
and stiffness at the end of your work<br />
day!<br />
Following these tips will help keep<br />
your muscles and joints healthy.<br />
Dr. Melissa Baird is a Chiropractor<br />
with Glebe Chiropractic Clinic. She<br />
can be contacted at 613 237 9000. You<br />
can also follow Glebe Chiropractic on<br />
Twitter @GlebeChiro or on Facebook at<br />
Glebe Chiropractic / Massage Therapy.
Page 42 The OSCAR - OUR 40 MAY 2012<br />
th YEAR<br />
Tax Planning For Post Retirement Life<br />
Provided by Linda M. Hancock, BSc.,<br />
CFP, Senior Financial Consultant,<br />
Investors Group Financial Services Inc.<br />
To save the most during your working years,<br />
to build the largest possible retirement<br />
nest egg, tax planning is an absolute<br />
necessity. And it becomes even more important<br />
after you retire when you’ll need to maximize<br />
your (perhaps) limited income so you can live<br />
your dreams for all your retirement years. Here<br />
are some essential strategies for making that<br />
happen.<br />
Income split Aim at reducing your family’s total<br />
tax liability by allocating up to 50 per cent of<br />
your eligible pension income (monthly pension<br />
payments and, when you reach age 65, RRIF<br />
income) to the lower income spouse/partner for<br />
tax purposes.<br />
Share benefits Sharing CPP/QPP benefits with<br />
your spouse/partner can save significantly on<br />
taxes.<br />
Plan withdrawals RRIF withdrawals are<br />
fully taxable; manage your taxable income by<br />
withdrawing as little as possible.<br />
Take full credit Reduce the amount of tax you<br />
pay by taking advantage of all the federal tax<br />
credits (some with equivalent provincial credits)<br />
that apply to you including the Pension Income<br />
Credit, Age Credit, Medical Expense Credit, and<br />
Charitable Donations Credit, among others.<br />
Allocate assets efficiently Reduce taxes by<br />
holding fully-taxable, interest-generating<br />
investments inside a tax-sheltered RRSP, RRIF<br />
or TFSA and keeping eligible investment assets<br />
that generate capital gains or Canadian dividends<br />
and are taxed less outside your registered plans.<br />
71 – before and after Be sure to take full<br />
advantage of the tax-sheltering benefits of your<br />
RRSP by making your maximum contribution<br />
up to the end of the year you turn 71. At that<br />
age, the government requires that you wrap up<br />
your RRSP(s) and convert the proceeds, usually<br />
to a RRIF. After you reach 71, consider putting<br />
any extra money into investments held within a<br />
TFSA where the funds can continue to grow taxfree<br />
and/or contributing to spousal RRSP eligible<br />
investments until your spouse/partner turns 71.<br />
Consider a guaranteed investment fund This<br />
is a segregated fund that contains a guaranteed<br />
minimum withdrawal benefit so you can enjoy<br />
the potential investment growth of a mutual fund<br />
along with a guaranteed regular income which<br />
will not decrease.<br />
Consider a Monthly Income Portfolio This<br />
mutual fund option is more flexible and taxadvantaged<br />
than other non-registered options<br />
like a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC)<br />
which locks in your money while locking it out<br />
of potentially higher returns and creating an<br />
immediate tax bill on redemption. A monthly<br />
income portfolio is designed to provide maximum<br />
investment returns along with a monthly income,<br />
a part of which is treated as return on capital – a<br />
tax-deferral strategy that can increase your aftertax<br />
monthly income.<br />
Save on taxes now and after you retire by using<br />
all the tax-reduction strategies you can. Your<br />
professional advisor can show you how.<br />
This column, written and published by<br />
Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in<br />
Québec – a Financial Services Firm), and<br />
Investors Group Securities Inc. (in Québec, a<br />
firm in Financial Planning) presents general<br />
information only and is not a solicitation to buy<br />
or sell any investments. Contact your own advisor<br />
for specific advice about your circumstances. For<br />
more information on this topic please contact<br />
your Investors Group Consultant.<br />
Nessie<br />
the Loch Ness Monster<br />
By Anna Redman<br />
Her name is Nessie. She is the star of many a folk<br />
tale, urban legend and film. It is rumoured that she<br />
swims in the depths of Loch Ness and hides among<br />
the suspected underwater caves. Nessie, the Loch Ness<br />
Monster, is believed to resemble a dinosaur, but has only<br />
been captured in grainy, indistinct photographs. While many<br />
have tried, no one has managed to gather indisputable proof<br />
of Nessie’s existence.<br />
It has been suggested that the myth of the Loch Ness<br />
monster emerged in 565 AD, with sightings being reported<br />
ever since. However, such sightings increased after the turn<br />
of the 20 century when a new road was built along the edge<br />
of the Loch. Former inn owners, the Mackays, reported a<br />
sighting on April 14, 1933, shortly after the road was built.<br />
They informed the man in charge of regulating salmon fishing<br />
in Loch Ness, Alex Campbel. The regulator responded to<br />
their report by announcing several of his own sightings<br />
shortly afterwards.<br />
A year later, in 1934, Arthur Grant reported seeing the<br />
monster crossing the road. The description Grant provided of<br />
Nessie suggested she was a plesiosaurus, an aquatic member<br />
of the dinosaur family, believed to have been extinct for more<br />
than 65 million years.<br />
Almost 30 years on, in 1960, the first video footage of<br />
Nessie was captured by Tim Dinsdale. Sceptics argue that<br />
what was captured was actually a motorboat, but Dinsdale<br />
disagreed. So intrigued was he by his alleged sighting that<br />
he quit his job as an aeronautical engineer and spent twenty<br />
years attempting to locate Nessie. He reported two more<br />
sightings of the creature, but was never able to gather more<br />
concrete evidence to prove her existence.<br />
The American Academy of Applied Science decided<br />
to devote a study to Nessie during the 70s. They captured<br />
evidence with sonar searches and underwater cameras, but<br />
once again, sceptics dismissed such notions, explaining<br />
everything away.<br />
But as it turns out, Nessie doesn’t need proper evidence<br />
to garner fame. A recent report released by the Metro<br />
newspaper suggests that the monster is the most famous Scot.<br />
Beating out competition like tennis-player Andy Murray and<br />
actor Sean Connery, Nessie earned 29% of the votes. Results<br />
were based on responses from more than 2,000 adults across<br />
Britain.<br />
In 2011 Nessie graced movie screens across the globe in<br />
her very own short film, proceeding Disney’s latest instalment<br />
in the Winnie the Pooh series. The short, titled ‘The Ballad of<br />
Nessie,’ was narrated by comedian Billy Connolly and tells<br />
the story of how Nessie came to find her home in Loch Ness.<br />
Other notable film and television moments include<br />
the 1996 film Loch Ness, staring Ted Danson, and a guest<br />
appearance in a 2004 episode of Scooby-Doo.<br />
An exhibition has been opened in tribute to Nessie at the<br />
Drumnadrochit hotel in Inverness-shire. Visitors to the area<br />
can also sign up for guided tours that include a visit to Loch<br />
Ness.<br />
Nessie stars in a myth that has survived for thousands of<br />
years, suggesting that she too, has done the same. If seeing<br />
is believing, then few would be willing to pass on such tales,<br />
but perhaps, in Nessie’s case, the desire to see is enough, and<br />
as a result, she will live on forever.<br />
Library is More Than Books<br />
Along with books, dvds and cds, it is possible to borrow<br />
magazines from the Library.<br />
The magazines can be borrowed for a one week period with<br />
one renewal possible.<br />
In the children’s department the titles vary as widely as<br />
Amercan Girl to Sports Illustrated for Kids.<br />
We have Ladybug ChickadeeOwl, Ranger Rick Wild, Big<br />
Backyard and Nintendo Power which is never on the shelf.<br />
We also have a Spanish language magazine called Iguana.<br />
In June, we select magazine titles for the coming year.<br />
If you have any suggestions, let us know; we might be able to<br />
add to or change our selection.
MAY 2012<br />
Sunnyside Branch Library<br />
Sunnyside Branch Library<br />
1049 Bank Street, <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
613-730-1082,<br />
Adult Services,<br />
extension 22<br />
Children’s Services,<br />
extension 29<br />
Children’s Programs<br />
Babytime<br />
For babies and their parents or<br />
caregiver with stories, rhymes, songs<br />
and games. 0-18 months.<br />
Tuesdays, 2:15 p.m. May 8-May 29<br />
Storytime<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for<br />
preschoolers and a parent or<br />
caregiver. Ages 3-6.<br />
Mondays, 2:15 a.m. May 7-May 28<br />
Storytime (bi-lingual)<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for<br />
preschoolers and a parent or<br />
caregiver. Ages 3-6.<br />
Contes, rimes et chansons pour les<br />
enfants préscolaires et un parent ou<br />
gardien. 3-6 ans.<br />
Wednesdays 10:15 a.m. May 9-May<br />
30<br />
Toddlertime<br />
For toddlers and a parent or caregiver<br />
with stories, rhymes, songs and<br />
games. Ages 18-35 months.<br />
Tuesdays, 10:15 a.m. May 8-May 29<br />
OR<br />
Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. May 10-May<br />
31<br />
Children’s Book Clubs<br />
Mother-Daughter Book Club Ages<br />
7-9<br />
A place for girls and the special<br />
women in their lives to share books.<br />
Registration.<br />
Mondays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.) May<br />
7<br />
WHAT is the TD Summer Reading<br />
Club?<br />
It’s a free program just for kids,<br />
that runs at libraries across<br />
Canada every year. Kids who<br />
register will receive a free poster and<br />
activity book, and a sticker with a<br />
secret code for every book they read<br />
during the summer. There are nine<br />
stickers to collect, and the secret<br />
codes will unlock reading rewards on<br />
this website. See if you can collect<br />
them all!<br />
WHO can join the club?<br />
Any kid in Canada can join the<br />
club, and it’s free!<br />
WHERE can I join the club?<br />
Check to see if the club is running<br />
at your local library, then drop in to<br />
get your poster and activity book.<br />
WHEN can I join?<br />
Mother-Daughter Book Club Ages<br />
10-12<br />
A place for girls and the special<br />
women in their lives to share books.<br />
Registration.<br />
Mondays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.) May<br />
14<br />
guysread<br />
Share the love of books. For boys<br />
and a significant adult. Ages 8-12.<br />
Registration.<br />
Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. (60 min.)<br />
May 16<br />
Teen Programs<br />
TAG Teen Advisory<br />
Group (Ongoing Event)<br />
Sunnyside Teens--join our new<br />
Teen Advisory Group and have a<br />
say in which programs, activities<br />
and services will be offered to<br />
youth and also help plan and<br />
implement them. Ages 14-18. To<br />
join, stop by the branch.<br />
Mother-Daughter Book Club<br />
A place for girls and the special<br />
women in their lives to share<br />
books. Ages 13-15. Registration.<br />
Mondays, May 28, 7:00 pm (60<br />
min.)<br />
Adult Programs<br />
Conversation en français<br />
Improve your spoken French and<br />
meet new friends in a relaxed<br />
setting.<br />
Thursdays, January 12 – May<br />
31, 7:00 pm (60 min.)<br />
The Writing Workshop<br />
An opportunity for writers of<br />
fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and<br />
experimental forms to gather to<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR<br />
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY<br />
As soon as school finishes in<br />
June!<br />
WHY should I join the club?<br />
Because it’s going to be SO<br />
MUCH FUN! There will be cool<br />
programs, games and activities, and<br />
lots of other neat things to see, read<br />
and do. This website is also going<br />
to be full of lots of amazing stuff,<br />
including secret content, just for club<br />
members.<br />
The fun starts in June. See you then!<br />
TD Summer Reading Club -<br />
Imagine<br />
We want your students to come<br />
and participate in this year’s TD<br />
Summer Reading Club as the TD<br />
Summer Reading Club will enchant<br />
our youth in 2012!<br />
This year, the focus will be on<br />
fantasy literature, which will be sure<br />
to amaze young readers. With the<br />
help develop works-in-progress<br />
for publication. The workshop<br />
will provide writers with<br />
encouragement and constructive<br />
criticism from their peers.<br />
Registration.<br />
Mondays, 6:00 pm (120 min.)<br />
May 28<br />
Adult Special Programs<br />
Improving Health Through<br />
Dynamic Posture<br />
Come and join Dr. Chandan<br />
Brar of the Glebe Chiropractic<br />
Clinic, for interactive classes on<br />
improving your posture naturally.<br />
You will learn how posture is<br />
connected to your digestion,<br />
breathing and even a healthy<br />
prolonged life. Topics to be<br />
covered will include posture and<br />
the workplace, effective strategies<br />
for stress management, and<br />
nutrition. Registration.<br />
Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm (60<br />
min.)<br />
Clicking, Flicking and Tweeting:<br />
Social Networking Controversy<br />
The explosion of social<br />
networking websites such as<br />
Flickr, Facebook, blogging sites<br />
and Twitter has raised more<br />
than privacy concerns. Join the<br />
discussion with Chris Taylor and<br />
Andrea Wells from the <strong>Ottawa</strong> PC<br />
Users’ Group. Andrea describes<br />
the value of social media and<br />
Chris cautions about using<br />
these tools so that you don’t<br />
compromise your computer,<br />
your job, your identity, or worse.<br />
Registration.<br />
theme Imagine, they will have their<br />
heads in the clouds reading tales and<br />
novels set in fantasy worlds where<br />
strange, magical creatures mix with<br />
robots and other fantastical machines.<br />
The whimsical illustrations of Dušan<br />
Petričić make these imaginary<br />
worlds even more exciting. - features<br />
civilisations from the past.<br />
Come to the Sunnyside branch to<br />
join and receive a Club poster, nine<br />
stickers and an activity booklet full of<br />
fun ideas.<br />
This program offers families fun,<br />
free activities to encourage children<br />
to read and continue developing their<br />
literacy skills throughout the summer.<br />
Research has shown that the<br />
playful approach of these clubs is<br />
extremely effective in getting more<br />
children to increase their reading<br />
skills. For years, studies have shown<br />
that school-age children lose many of<br />
their reading skills over the summer<br />
Thursday, May 3, 6:30 pm (120<br />
min.)<br />
Job Hunting and Career<br />
Education<br />
Are you looking for a job or<br />
trying to decide on a career?<br />
Come and find out how the library<br />
can help you with your search.<br />
Registration.<br />
Thursday, May 10, 7:00 pm (60<br />
min.)<br />
Wiebo’s War - NFB Film<br />
Documentary<br />
Soon after natural gas wells were<br />
drilled near the Alberta home of<br />
Reverend Wiebo Ludwig and his<br />
clan, the Christian community started<br />
experiencing health problems. After<br />
five years of being ignored by the oil<br />
and gas industry, Ludwig decided to<br />
fight. The story of a man’s relentless<br />
struggle against powerful industry<br />
interests. Registration.<br />
Thursday, May 24, 6:30 pm (90<br />
min.)<br />
Adult Book Clubs<br />
Cercle de lecture<br />
Page 43<br />
Partagez avec nous le plaisir des<br />
livres dans une ambiance détendue.<br />
Les mardis, 8 mai, 19 h (60 min.)<br />
Sunnyside Adult Book Club<br />
Meet new people and join in<br />
stimulating discussions on selected<br />
titles in a friendly and relaxed<br />
atmosphere. Registration.<br />
Fridays, May 25, 2:00 pm (60 min.)<br />
Coming soon...Imagine yourself in the club this summer!<br />
months if they do not continue to read<br />
while they are out of school. Summer<br />
reading clubs first started when library<br />
staff realized that they could make<br />
a difference. When further studies<br />
demonstrated that children who do<br />
not learn to read fluently in fourth<br />
grade will likely never feel totally<br />
comfortable with the printed word,<br />
our job was clear. Keep those children<br />
reading and make sure they have fun<br />
doing so!<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Public Library is<br />
joining libraries from across Canada<br />
in this joint initiative between TD<br />
Bank Financial Group, Library and<br />
Archives Canada and the Toronto<br />
Public Library.<br />
Working together to support<br />
literacy for all our children.
Page 44 The OSCAR - OUR 40 MAY 2012<br />
th YEAR<br />
Alta Vista Branch Library<br />
Programs Offered At The Alta<br />
Vista Library<br />
Programmes Offerts A La<br />
Bibliotheque Alta Vista<br />
Alta Vista Branch<br />
2516 Alta Vista Drive<br />
Register: www.<br />
biblioottawalibrary.ca<br />
Or call 613-737-2837 x28<br />
Children/Enfants<br />
Storytime / Contes<br />
Stories, rhymes, and songs for preschoolers<br />
and a parent or caregiver.<br />
Ages 3-6. / Contes, rimes et chansons<br />
pour les enfants préscolaires et un<br />
parent ou gardien. Pour les 3-6 ans.<br />
(10:30 am)/ (10 h 30) (30 min.)<br />
(Bilingual) Monday May 07, - May<br />
28 - Session 3 / (Bilingue) Les lundis 7<br />
mai-28 mai – Session 3<br />
Family Storytime<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for children<br />
of all ages and a parent or caregiver.<br />
All ages. (2 p.m.) (30 min.)<br />
Monday May 07 - May 28 - Session 3<br />
Toddlertime / Tout-petits à la biblio<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for babies<br />
and a parent or caregiver. 18-36<br />
months. / Contes, rimes et chansons<br />
pour les tout-petits et un parent ou gardien.<br />
Pour les 18-36 mois. (10:30 am)/<br />
(10 h 30) (30 min.)<br />
(Bilingual) Tuesdays, May 08 - May<br />
29 – Session 3 / (Bilingue) Les mardis<br />
8 mai-29 mai- Session 3<br />
Babytime / Bébés à la biblio<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for babies<br />
and a parent or caregiver. 0-18 months.<br />
/ Contes, rimes et chansons pour les<br />
bébés et un parent ou gardien. Pour les<br />
0-18 mois. (10:30 am )/ (10 h 30) (30<br />
min.)<br />
(Bilingual) Wednesday May 09, - May<br />
30, - Session 3 /(Bilingue) Les mercredis<br />
9 mai-30 mai –Session 3<br />
Homework Club / Club de devoirs<br />
Get tutoring and help with homework<br />
after school. Help is available in math,<br />
reading and science, in French and/<br />
or English. Ages 7-18 Registration.<br />
Offered in partnership with E.A.G.L.E.<br />
Center/ Reçoit du tutorat et de l’aide<br />
avec les travaux scolaires. De l’aide<br />
By Chandan Brar, B.A, DC<br />
One concept that many of us in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> are very familiar with<br />
is that of giving back, but<br />
what does that mean? It is probably<br />
more important to ask yourself the<br />
question ‘why’ one should consider it.<br />
Several years ago, I had the privilege of<br />
starting my chiropractic practice in the<br />
city ranked as “the best place to live in<br />
Canada” by MoneySense; that city is<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>! I quickly learned how much<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>ns love to support their local<br />
communities by volunteering. I also<br />
realized that many regular volunteers<br />
I met were very busy people but they<br />
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARY<br />
disponible avec les mathématiques, la<br />
lecture et les sciences, en français et/<br />
ou anglais. Pour les 7 à 18 ans. Inscription.<br />
Offert en partenariat avec<br />
E.A.G.L.E. Centre. (5 p.m.)/ (17 h) (90<br />
min.)<br />
(Bilingual) Wednesdays, Jan 18 - May<br />
30 / (Bilingue) Les mercredis 18 janvier-30<br />
mai<br />
Special Storytime<br />
Family Story & Theatre Time<br />
Families share stories, are introduced<br />
to the theatre, make basic prop crafts<br />
and participate in role-playing scenes<br />
from a favorite children’s book. Ages<br />
4+.<br />
Saturday May 12 (2 p.m. (75 min.)<br />
Teens/Adolescents<br />
Teen Book Swap<br />
Expand your reading repertoire and<br />
share your favourites. Choose a book<br />
related to the theme; read, share then<br />
swap suggestions with other members.<br />
Title suggestions available at the<br />
branch. Ages 13-17. (7 pm ) (60 min.)<br />
Tuesday , May 22 - Crime’s the Thing<br />
Slam Poetry Night<br />
Head to Alta Vista for an unforgetable<br />
high-energy poetry slam. There will<br />
be two rounds of competition, perfomances<br />
will be limited to 3 minutes<br />
and each poem must be the original<br />
work of the competitor. Call 613-737-<br />
2837 x29 for more information and to<br />
register for the competition. First and<br />
second prizes.<br />
Friday May 04, (6:30 pm ) (2 h)<br />
Homework Club / Club de devoirs<br />
Get tutoring and help with homework<br />
after school. Help is available in math,<br />
reading and science, in French and/<br />
or English. Ages 7-18 Registration.<br />
Offered in partnership with E.A.G.L.E.<br />
Center/ Reçoit du tutorat et de l’aide<br />
avec les travaux scolaires. De l’aide<br />
disponible avec les mathématiques, la<br />
lecture et les sciences, en français et/<br />
ou anglais. Pour les 7 à 18 ans. Inscription.<br />
Offert en partenariat avec<br />
E.A.G.L.E. Centre. (5 p.m.) (90 min.)<br />
(Bilingual) Wednesdays, Jan 18 - May<br />
30 / (Bilingue) Les mercredis 18 janvier-30<br />
mail<br />
N.B. Registration for programs<br />
starts on April 25./ L’inscription des<br />
programmes commence le 25 avril. /<br />
Registration for all programs requires<br />
a valid OPL library card for each<br />
registrant./Toutes les personnes qui<br />
souhaitent s’inscrire à des programmes<br />
doivent être titulaires d’une carte<br />
valide de la BPO.<br />
The Alta Vista Library is located<br />
at 2516 Alta Vista Dr. For more<br />
information, please call 613-737-2837,<br />
ext. 26 / La bibliothèque Alta Vista est<br />
située au 2516, promenade Alta Vista.<br />
Pour de plus amples renseignements,<br />
veuillez composer le 613-737-2837,<br />
poste 26.<br />
Alta Vista Library Adult Programs<br />
2516 Alta Vista Drive<br />
Register online at:<br />
www.biblioottawalibrary.ca<br />
or call 613-737-2837 x28<br />
Book Banter<br />
Drop in to share the enjoyment of<br />
good books in a relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. (1 hr.)<br />
May 3: Essex County by Jeff Lemire.<br />
Tuesday Book Group<br />
Share the enjoyment of good books in<br />
a relaxed atmosphere. Join us for a<br />
discussion of The Great Books<br />
(First Series, Part 2)<br />
May 8, 7:00 p.m. (1.5 hrs.)<br />
NEW! Nonfiction Book Club<br />
Thursdays, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.<br />
May 10: Theme: Water<br />
Read any book about the subject<br />
and join the discussion.<br />
Alta Vista Sleuth Hounds<br />
Share the enjoyment of good<br />
mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. (1.5 hrs.)<br />
May 17: Read any Louis Kinkade title<br />
by P.J. Parrish.<br />
Infusions littéraires<br />
Partager une tasse de thé ou de<br />
tisane en discutant de livres.<br />
Les mardis, 14 h (1 hr.)<br />
15 mai : La tulipe noir de Alexandre<br />
Dumas.<br />
Volunteer & Make the #1 City Even Better<br />
always seemed to find space in their<br />
lives to donate time or resources to<br />
worthy causes. Perhaps this is one of the<br />
factors that has contributed to <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
being the #1 ranked best city to live in<br />
the third year in a row. Seeing others<br />
inspired me to make a commitment to<br />
do the same.<br />
Perhaps you give money on a<br />
regular basis to charities or donate<br />
perishables to the food bank when you<br />
can---you may be wondering how else<br />
you can give back to you community.<br />
Remember, that as valuable as your<br />
hard earned dollars are---in our fast<br />
paced go-go culture something even<br />
more valuable is your time. We are<br />
all busy and pressed for time and that<br />
is precisely what makes this the most<br />
cherished commodity to give away. So,<br />
find a community event to help out in,<br />
get involved with a local church group,<br />
volunteer to teach English to newcomers<br />
or do talks in your community on<br />
topics that you have a specialized<br />
interest in. For example, being a health<br />
professional, I wanted to share ideas<br />
on health and wellness and therefore<br />
started giving public presentations on<br />
various topics like posture and nutrition.<br />
This lead me to get involved with our<br />
local arthritis society and with the AIDS<br />
Rencontre littéraire<br />
Auteur francophone de la région,<br />
Michèle Vinet, présente son nouveau<br />
roman « Jeudi novembre ».<br />
mercredi, 2 mai, 19 h – 20 h<br />
Introduction to Korean Yoga for<br />
Good Health and Well-Being<br />
Learn about the 5 steps to wellness,<br />
as well as simple, easy and effective<br />
exercises (sitting or standing) to<br />
relieve stress and improve well-being.<br />
Adults 55+.<br />
Friday, May 18, 2:00-4:00 p.m.<br />
Knit 2 Together<br />
Love to knit? Bring your needles,<br />
yarn and good cheer. No need for<br />
expertise, we knit for the pleasure of it.<br />
Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. (1.5 hr.)<br />
May 5, June 2<br />
French Conversation Group<br />
Improve your spoken French in a<br />
relaxed setting. For those with an<br />
intermediate level of French.<br />
Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. (1.5 hrs.)<br />
April 3 – May 29<br />
English Conversation Group<br />
Improve your English and meet new<br />
friends. In partnership with<br />
Somali Family Services.<br />
Mondays, 6:00-7:30 p.m.<br />
Tuesdays, 12:00-1:45 p.m.<br />
Café Alta Vista for Adults 55+<br />
Drop in for coffee and conversation<br />
with others in the community.<br />
Last Thursday of the month.<br />
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.<br />
May 31<br />
Used Book Sale<br />
Pick up great books at great prices!<br />
Check out the Friends of the OPL<br />
bookstore half-price book sale.<br />
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.<br />
May 12<br />
Celebrating Cultures in Our<br />
Community<br />
Celebrate the children of the world!<br />
Join us for stories, songs and dance.<br />
Refreshments will be served.<br />
Saturday, May 5, 2:00-4:00 p.m.<br />
Committee of <strong>Ottawa</strong>. It’s indeed been<br />
an exciting journey and has only just<br />
begun. Imagine how much better we<br />
could make our communities if all we<br />
did was to dedicate an hour a week to<br />
volunteering. This can be a fun and<br />
fulfilling way to give a part of yourself<br />
to improve your community, but in the<br />
process develop your character even<br />
further.<br />
So remind yourself frequently<br />
that you live in a great city and start<br />
this week by finding opportunities<br />
to volunteer and give out the most<br />
priceless gift you can give to make our<br />
communities better--your time.
MAY 2012 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 45<br />
CLASSY ADS<br />
CLASSY ADS<br />
are free for <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the <strong>Old</strong> Firehall,<br />
260 Sunnyside, or sent by email to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca by the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email address) must be<br />
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<br />
responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058.<br />
For Sale<br />
Large number of Kodak carousel slide<br />
holding trays (140 each), in excellent<br />
condition $10.00 o.b.o. 733.6315<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
Solid Wood Bedroom Set, Light Stain:<br />
A) Queen-size Bed B) Dresser - 65”<br />
wide and 32” tall with Mirror- 52”<br />
wide and 39” tall C) 2 night tables -<br />
each 22” wide and 24” tall $850<br />
Can e-mail pictures. Call 613-730-<br />
2411<br />
Accommodation<br />
For sale. 178 acres land surrounding<br />
pristine, stream-fed lake suitable<br />
for single estate cottage or dividing.<br />
Hydro to lakefront, meadows, mature<br />
forest, amenities nearby, paved road<br />
to 1 km of gated access. 120km<br />
from <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, west along<br />
Highway 148. For photos, details,<br />
price see http://lake-estate.net76.net<br />
by Mike Buckthought<br />
May is “Bike to Work<br />
Month” in <strong>Ottawa</strong>, and<br />
EnviroCentre is collaborating<br />
with workplaces across the region to<br />
encourage people to cycle to work.<br />
Last year, 861 people pledged to<br />
bike to work, covering a total distance<br />
of 759,040 km. Participants reduced<br />
greenhouse gas emissions by an<br />
estimated 191 tonnes by biking instead<br />
of using motorized modes of transport.<br />
The 2012 edition of “Bike to<br />
Work Month” promises to encourage<br />
even more people to cycle to work.<br />
EnviroCentre is offering an updated<br />
information kit, workshops, cycling<br />
safety information, multimedia tools,<br />
and an online pledge system.<br />
This year, EnviroCentre and the<br />
City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> will be introducing the<br />
BikeMobile, an interactive display<br />
booth on wheels, greeting employees<br />
with prize give-aways outside eight<br />
workplaces.<br />
or call 613-730-6575.<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
<strong>Old</strong> Home located in beautiful<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> for rent mid-June<br />
(time frame flexible) Rent 1950.00<br />
+ utilities - great for young families/<br />
professisonals - Call Cara at 613-249-<br />
9453<br />
Child Care<br />
Home Away From Home Daycare.<br />
OOS/Glebe. Loving and committed<br />
caregiver with 20+years childcare<br />
experience. French, English, Spanish<br />
spoken. Excellent nutrition – organic,<br />
homemade food. Playgroups, library,<br />
parks, museums, music. Full-time.<br />
Certified in infant CPR and first aid.<br />
Please call Rocio @ 613-730-0729<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
Mature and responsible university<br />
student available to babysit children<br />
of all ages in the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Area! Extensive experience in child<br />
Around Town<br />
Great Trinity Book Sale -<br />
Saturday, May 5. 9:30 a.m. to 3<br />
p.m. at Trinity Anglican Church,<br />
1230 Bank Street. Novels, mysteries,<br />
classics, romances, “book club books”,<br />
cookbooks, books for children, and<br />
much more. Don’t miss this great<br />
opportunity to stock up for all your<br />
summer reading.<br />
Come back to campus and<br />
celebrate at the sixth annual<br />
Carleton University Alumni Week,<br />
May 8-12, 2012. Join old friends,<br />
former classmates, fellow alumni and<br />
the <strong>Ottawa</strong> community for a week of<br />
nostalgia, networking, and fond CU<br />
memories. More than 20 events taking<br />
place for you to choose from including<br />
lectures, workshops, tours, milestone<br />
anniversary celebrations, and reunion<br />
festivities. We are also pleased to<br />
showcase a number of dynamic guest<br />
speakers including André Picard, public<br />
health reporter at The Globe and Mail<br />
and Nejolla Korris, an expert in the field<br />
of linguistic lie detection.<br />
For more information and to<br />
register, please visit: cualumni.carleton.<br />
ca/get-involved/alumni-week.<br />
care, fun loving attitude and CPR/<br />
First Aid trained. Rates are flexible and<br />
I have great availability as well as do<br />
not mind working on weekends! Also<br />
open to after-school walks and or help<br />
with homework! Please contact me<br />
(Holly) by email at holly-mohr@live.<br />
com or by telephone: (613) 795-4758<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
HOME CARE IN OLD OTTAWA<br />
SOUTH - In September, due to<br />
the result of a move, I shall have 3<br />
openings for full time day care. If you<br />
are looking for care for your little one<br />
please contact Natalie - nhcare98@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
Bev’s in-home Daycare. Riverdale<br />
Rd. I have 2 full-time openings in<br />
my fun-loving and very busy daycare<br />
for September. ECE, over 34 years<br />
experience, CPR/First-Aid trained,<br />
non-smoker. References. Receipt<br />
given at end of year. phone: 613-594-<br />
5986 cell: 613-983-5986<br />
Join “Bike to Work Month”<br />
“The idea is to bring a simplified<br />
version of the celebration stations we’ve<br />
done in the past, right to your door.<br />
We’ll let the public know where we’re<br />
going to be each week on Twitter and<br />
through our online events calendar,”<br />
says Jessica Wells, EnviroCentre’s<br />
Programs Coordinator for Sustainable<br />
Transportation.<br />
EnviroCentre is also encouraging<br />
people to develop their cycling skills.<br />
The organization has teamed up with<br />
City Wide Sports to offer cycling Lunch<br />
and Learns and on-bike workshops at<br />
workplaces.<br />
“Based on surveys and feedback<br />
we’ve received, there is a clear demand<br />
for practical, hands-on bike safety<br />
training. Cyclists will learn essential<br />
safety habits like shoulder checking,<br />
using hand signals, and choosing to take<br />
the lane,” says Wells.<br />
The cycling safety workshops will<br />
teach introductory and intermediate<br />
skills, with practice sessions in parking<br />
lots and on city roads. The training will<br />
enhance the confidence of commuters,<br />
helping people ride safely in traffic.<br />
Cycling to work provides many<br />
health and environmental benefits. It<br />
increases the productivity of employees,<br />
and reduces rates of sickness-related<br />
absences. It is also a key way to<br />
reduce our community’s emissions of<br />
greenhouse gases.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>’s motor vehicles produce<br />
1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse<br />
gases a year. Emissions from the city’s<br />
transportation sector have increased,<br />
thanks to the presence of large numbers<br />
of SUVs. Exposure to traffic-related air<br />
pollution increases rates of asthma and<br />
other respiratory diseases.<br />
“Cycling is a convenient, fun,<br />
healthy, and cost-effective way to<br />
travel. In <strong>Ottawa</strong>, the average commute<br />
is 7.8 km and one-third of us travel<br />
less than 5 km to work,” says Wells.<br />
“There is therefore a huge amount<br />
of potential to reduce transportationrelated<br />
greenhouse gas emissions, road<br />
congestion, and noise and air pollution.<br />
Small steps can have a significant<br />
impact.”<br />
20/20 Vision Conference,<br />
Empowering Women - The Centre<br />
for Research and Education on<br />
Women and Work is hosting a half day<br />
conference and dinner in celebration<br />
of the 20th anniversary of the<br />
Management Development Program<br />
for Women. The event takes place<br />
Friday, May 11, 2012, at Carleton<br />
University. For more details please<br />
visit: www.sprott.carleton.ca/mdpw/<br />
Visit the Gardens in Quebec - July<br />
15 to 18 - This four-day bus tour features<br />
a visit to Grand-Metis (Reford Gardens)<br />
Child care available! I am a 4th<br />
year University student looking for<br />
part time child care work for the<br />
beginning of the summer (May-June).<br />
Growing up in <strong>Ottawa</strong>, I am familiar<br />
with the area, parks, museums, bike<br />
paths, bus routes, etc. I previously<br />
taught swimming at Brewer Pool, and<br />
would be more than happy to provide<br />
swimming lessons! Love kids! Please<br />
feel free to contact me anytime<br />
at jmfryars@live.ca - references<br />
available»<br />
---------------------------------------------<br />
Babysitting: Babysitter available for<br />
children ages 3+. I have completed<br />
the babysitting course at the Firehall.<br />
Please call Matthew 613 730-1441.<br />
Found<br />
Found: Gift certificate for Taylor›s<br />
Genuine. If you think it might be<br />
yours, please call Carolyn at 613 730<br />
0051.<br />
To participate in “Bike to Work<br />
Month”, visit www.biketoworkottawa.<br />
com. When you pledge to bike to work,<br />
you’ll be eligible to win some great<br />
prizes. Prizes will be awarded at the<br />
Bruce Timmermans Cycling Awards on<br />
June 2.<br />
The online pledge system has<br />
been expanded to track statistics such<br />
as distance travelled, reductions in<br />
emissions, calories burned, and dollars<br />
saved. Workplaces can combine their<br />
pledge totals to compete against other<br />
organizations to see which group has<br />
the largest number of green commuters.<br />
EnviroCentre is a non-profit<br />
organization that works to reduce<br />
greenhouse gas emissions in <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
and Eastern Ontario by delivering<br />
energy-efficiency programs and<br />
services. EnviroCentre has coordinated<br />
Bike to Work since 2010. To download<br />
an information kit or pledge to join<br />
“Bike to Work Month”, visit www.<br />
biketoworkottawa.com.<br />
which will be celebrating 50 years. The<br />
bus stops in Rimouski, Rivière du Loup,<br />
St. Siméon, La Malbaie, Baie St. Paul,<br />
St. Anne de Beaupré and Hudson - all<br />
on the itinerary.<br />
Cost: Members $499, others $525.<br />
Single supplement add $205. Package<br />
includes bus & ferry transportation,<br />
hotels, entrance fees, tips, and some<br />
meals.<br />
For more info: 613-230-3276,<br />
info@friendsofthefarm.ca, www.<br />
friendsofthefarm.ca
Page 46 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012<br />
Your<br />
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A<br />
Rent Wife Household Organizers<br />
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Quality bathrooms, kitchens,<br />
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Retired RPN<br />
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home:613-730-4957<br />
cell: 613-240-9394
MAY 2012 The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR Page 47
Page 48<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 40 th YEAR MAY 2012