O•S•C•A•R© - Old Ottawa South

The 

O•S•C•A•R© 

The Community Voice of Old Ottawa South 

Year 38 , No. 7 The Ottawa South Community Association Review 

July 2010 

Hopewell’s One Hundredth Anniversary 

In attendance at Hopewell’s 100th Anniversary assembly: Teacher Elizabeth Bonell, Trustee Rob Campbell, 

Custodian Fed Aitken, MP Jim Watson, MP Paul Dewar, President of School Council Neil Hill, Superintendent 

Walter Piovesan, Head Girl (student council) Naomi Adam-Johnson, Councilor of City of Ottawa Clive 

Doucet, Principal Nicole Turpin, Vice Principal Kim MacDonald and Head boy (student council) Matthew 

Bennett-Hall. Photo by John MacKinnon 

For more information and photos please go to page 8. 

By Brent McLean 

The 17th Ottawa Southminster 

Beavers, Cubs and Scouts 

returned from their annual 

year-end camp on Sunday June 6 th . It 

was a great way to finish a year full 

of camping, badges, space stations, 

bridge building, Klondike Derby 

races, cub cars, drive in movies 

in the church hall, stories, skits, 

more camping, nature hikes, first 

aid training, crafts, helping out at 

Southminster United’s “In from the 

Cold” dinners, more badges, live 

snakes and alligators , oh my! 

Yes, 17th Ottawa Beavers, Cubs 

and Scouts do all those things and 

Councillor Clive Doucet cordially 

invites you to the 

Ribbon Cutting ceremony and 

Opening Reception 

of the newly renovated and 

expanded 

Old Ottawa South Firehall 

Community Centre. 

Tuesday June 29 th , 2010 

Front Grounds of the Firehall 

Community Centre 

260 Sunnyside Avenue 

10:30 a.m. - Ribbon cutting 

ceremony 

11:15 a.m. – Opening Reception 

11:45 a.m. – Short tours of new 

facility 

RSVP sarah.lindsay@ottawa.ca 

17 Th Ottawa Scout Group Wraps Up Another Great Year 

17th Ottawa Cub Pack 

more every year. We’ll be starting 

up again in September, so watch for 

our registration notices. For more 

information contact me at brent. 

mclean@rogers.com

Page 2 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR July 2010 

OSCAR 

The 

The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY 

ASSOCIATION REVIEW 

260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7 

www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/oscar 

Please Note: The OSCAR Has No Fax 

E-mail: oscar@oldottawasouth.ca 

Editor: Mary Anne Thompson 

oscar@oldottawasouth.ca 

Distribution Manager: Larry Ostler 

Business Manager: Susanne Ledbetter 

ledbetter@sympatico.ca 

Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman 

oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca 

OSCAR is printed by Winchester Print 

613-327-9080 

613-730-1058 

(not classy ads) 

NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 6 

The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising. 

It is published for the Ottawa South Community Association 

Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and 

businesses and selected locations in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and 

Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not 

necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit 

and include articles submitted for publication. 

FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES, 

CALL 613-327-9080 

or email: larryostler@gmail.com The OSCAR thanks 

the following people who brought us to your door this 

month: 

ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames 

and Kim Barclay, Wendy Robbins, Jim and Carrol Robb, Terri-Lee Lefebvre, 

Becky Sasaki, Kevin and Stephanie Williams. 

ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Family Gref- Innes, Gabriela 

Gref-Innes and Fiona Fagan, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison, 

Susanne Ledbetter. 

ZONE B2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Pat Eakins, Laine Mow, Hayley 

Atkinson, Leslie Roster, Kathy Krywicki. 

ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the Williams family, Josh 

Rahaman, Lynne Myers, Jeff Pouw, Curt LaBond, Brendan McCoy, the 

Woroniuk-Ryan family. 

ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Owain O’Connor, 

Curt LaBond, Charles and Phillip Kijek, Sam & Avery Piche, Kit Jenkin, 

Michel and Christina Bridgeman. 

ZONE D1: Bert Hopkins (Coordinator), Emily Keys, the Lascelles family, 

Gail Stewart, Gabe Teramura, Oliver Waddington, Sullivan-Greene family, 

the Sprott family. 

ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), The Adriaanse Family, Gaia 

Chernushenko, The Rand family, Aidan and Willem Ray, the Stewart family. 

ZONE E1:Brian Tansey(Coordinator) , Wendy Johnston, the Rae Brown- 

Clarke Family (esp. Katie), Anna Cuylits, Sutherland family (esp. Edwina 

and John), Sanger-O’Neil family. 

ZONE E2: Chris Berry (Coordinator), Mary-Ann Kent, Glen Elder and 

Lorraine Stewart, the Hunter family, Brodkin-Haas family, Allan Paul, 

Christina Bradley, Caroline Calvert, Larry Ostler. 

ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, the 

Stern family, T. Liston, Ellen Bailie, Dante and Bianca Ruiz, Wendy Kemp, 

Kelly Haggart and Taiyan Roberts, Walter and Robbie Engert. 

ZONE F2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), the Tubman family, Paulette Theriault, 

Ryan Zurakowski, Susan McMaster, Paige Raymond, Pierre Guevremont, 

Cheryl Hyslop. 

ZONE G: Bernie Zeisig(Coordinator), Claudia and Estelle Bourlon- 

Albarracin, David Lum, Cindy MacLoghlin, Hannah and Emily Blackwell, 

Katya and Mikka Zeisig. 

Echo Drive: Alex Bissel. 

Bank Street-Ottawa South: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson, Paula Archer. 

Bank Street-Glebe: Larry Ostler. 

Ottawa East: Brian Lowley, Dave White. 

CONTRIBUTIONS 

Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to 

oscar@oldottawasouth.ca in either plain text or WORD format, or as 

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FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES 

Aug 6 (Sept issue). Sept 10 (Oct issue), Oct 15 (Nov issue), Nov 12 (Dec 

issue) 

tHe old FireHall 

ottawa soutH CommuNity CeNtre 

osCa@oldottawasoutH.Ca 

HOURS PHONE 613 247-4946 

MONDAY TO THURSDAY 9 AM TO 9 PM 

FRIDAY 9 AM TO 6 PM 

SATURDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM* 

SUNDAY CLOSED 

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

WHAT’S THAT NUMBER? 

Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old Firehall 

Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA) 

Ottawa Public Library - South Branch 

Rob Campbell - Rob.Campbell@OCDSB.ca 

Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee 

Centretown Community Health Centre 

CARLETON UNIVERSITY 

CUSA (Carleton U Students Association) 

Graduate Students Association 

Community Liaison 

Mediation Centre 

Athletics 

CITY HALL 

Clive Doucet, City Councillor (clive.doucet@city.ottawa.on.ca) 

Main Number(24 hrs) for all departments 

Community Police - non-emergencies 

Emergencies only 

Serious Crimes 

Ottawa Hydro 

Streetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering) 

Brewer Pool 

Brewer Arena 

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

247-4946 

247-4872 

730-1082 

730-8128 

526-9512 

233-5430 

520-6688 

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520-3660 

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247-4938 

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July 2010 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

Send your 

comments to 


or drop them off at the Firehall, 

260 Sunnyside Avenue. 

The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR 

Page 3 

The OSCAR welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the community or in response to previous articles. All letters must disclose the name of the 

writer, as well as the address and phone number. Lettters may be edited for length, clarity, and libelous statements. The opinions of the writers are not 

necessarily those of the newspaper or its editor. Email your letters to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca or leave in print at the Firehall. 

An Open Letter To 

Non-Residents Of The Glebe 

As someone who grew up in the Glebe and whose parents still live 

there, I’d like to make certain that non-residents are aware of the 

impact of their choices to back the redevelopment in its current 

form. As a child of 13 I remember going to city planning meetings to push 

for a basketball court that was eventually built at the Park and has been 

heavily used since. My parents were instrumental in implementing the 

traffic plan for the Glebe area and stopping a plan to expand Lansdowne 

up to Fifth Avenue, two things that contributed heavily to the “character” 

of the area that everyone now enjoys. In short, we’ve been around this 

issue for a lifetime and are invested in its outcome. Every detail of the 

plan is important as it can have a radical impact on the future. 

Speaking of investment, Glebe residents such as my parents pay very 

high property taxes and don’t get much in terms of city-owned recreational 

space in return. Apparently paying $500 a month in property taxes doesn’t 

allow you to take an active interest in the form of development in your 

area, it makes you a whiner. That is just not fair in my opinion. Make 

no mistake about it, your fellow tax-payers in the Glebe are against this 

because they live in the area and being close to the situation they know 

that this development will radically change the neighbourhood they know 

and love, and not for the better. Before being party to that you might 

think for a second about how much you would enjoy being powerless to 

stop a development of this size in your neighbourhood. 

Speaking of powerless, it is difficult to live in such close proximity 

to a corporate theft of such monumental proportions. Before you fully 

back this plan, you might want to think for a second about what you gave 

up to get there. Instead of the public managing public resources it has 

transferred the management to an outside private entity that will derive 

the benefit from management. OSEG is a separate legal entity formed 

for the purpose, which means no liabilities for its shareholders but plenty 

of opportunity for dividends. It has the right to rent-free retail, stadium, 

hotel and office commercial land for 30 years. It has the right to assign all 

these rights to a co-developer / co-tenant. What that means is that it can 

sell its rights to the highest bidder, make money off of the building and 

refurbishment of the stadium, disburse the profits to the shareholders, run 

a money-losing franchise for a couple of years for show and then walk 

away claiming the economics just aren’t there anymore. In short it can 

plunder public resources, all while running rough shod over the concerns 

of the local community and leaving them to deal with the headache 

afterwards. 

I understand that for some of you, the idea of one more shot at an 

Ottawa football franchise is appealing. Maybe some additional retail in 

the downtown core is interesting. And some additional green space you 

can visit now and then is a draw. But before you back this development 

understand the real choice you are making. You are backing the arbitrary 

transfer of city land to private developers selected by non-elected 

officials behind closed doors. You are supporting the trampling of local 

community rights in favor of outside interests, ignoring the taxes paid in 

over generations. You are OK with potentially destroying communities 

that have been built up over time and with great care with rushed through 

plans whose impact will last for generations. Knowing all this, if you still 

back it that is your choice, at least you will have your eyes wide open. 

Greg Marlin 

Centretown Resident 

Congratulations Peter Hecht 

I 

would like to congratulate Mr. Peter Hecht on his excellent article 

titled “ Tsunami of Change “ printed in the last issue of the Oscar. 

His comments are timely and clearly demonstrate the development 

pressures that established neighborhoods like ours are under from insensitive 

developers and “new money “ residents as he so eloquently 

calls them. The City of Ottawa currently has guidelines concerning such 

infills but they are being totally ignored by many new projects . Seeking 

help from the City seems hopeless as a petition of many names (I 

heard it was 420 , My wife and I being two ) and signatures submitted 

to the city opposing the monster double on Brighton had no effect and 

as stated by the next door neighbor “ had as much impact as delivering 

a roll of toilet paper “ . Good news is that one side is not sold , hope the 

developer is choking on the credit line ! As a recent victim ourselves 

of an inordinately tall and large structure adjacent to our property we 

can easily empathize with those similarly affected and we harbor great 

fears about the future of the collective architecture heritage of Old Ottawa 

South . With the shopping mall coming to Landsdowne , sky high 

taxes , inappropriate, disrespectful infills as discussed in Mr Hecht’s 

well written submission and a City Hall that just doesn’t seem to care 

certainly makes me wonder if I’m living in the right place . Thanks 

again to Mr. Hecht . 

Fred Woolfrey 

I may not agree with what you have to say, 

but I will defend to the death, your right to 

say it. ....Voltaire


June/July At The ‘Firehall’ 

Yes Really 

At The New Firehall 

By the time you read this we will be BACK IN THE FIREHALL – 

June 21 is moving day – we will be moving out of Southminster 

United Church that day and moving back into the Firehall……….and 

are we excited!! The only program we will be running that week is After 

Four and the kids will just come to the Firehall on June 21 – we will pick 

kids up from Hopewell, buses etc. So ALL our Summer Camps will take 

place at the Firehall. Bet you can’t wait to see it – neither can we! Kudos to 

the construction team for finishing on time. 

The Official Opening and Ribbon Cutting organized by Councillor 

Clive Doucet is on Tuesday, June 29 – 10:30 am – all welcome. 

I would like to thank everyone at Southminster United Church for being 

so accommodating to us – it was a wonderful temporary home for OSCA. 

AFTER FOUR 2010/11 – is FULL with a number of people on the 

waitlist 

SUMMER CAMP Registration is ongoing – check out our many 

exciting camps for preschoolers, children and youth – register early as a 

couple of camps are already sold out. Don’t forget – we will be our new 

beautiful space at the Firehall. 

INFORMATION and REGISTRATION for all OSCA programs at: 

www.oldottawasouth.ca - just follow the RED registration signs or call us at 

613-247-4946 or drop by the Firehall at 260 Sunnyside Avenue. 

Let’s Get This Party Started! 

By Brenda Lee 

When I first joined the OSCA 

board, I can remember our 

councilor, Clive Doucet, 

telling us all that it would take 10 

years to raise the money to renovate 

our Firehall…turns out that Clive 

was right. (I may have been a bit of 

a Doubting Thomas…..sorry Clive) 

Here we are 10 years later and our 

beloved Firehall has undergone a 

complete overhaul. I can’t wait to see 

it and I am sure I am not alone. 

The move in date has been set as 

June 21 and a small opening ceremony 

with official ribbon cutting will occur 

on June 29 at 10:30 a.m. Then in the 

fall a larger celebration will occur. 

As anyone who has moved knows, 

preparing for a housewarming takes a 

bit of time. Once the boxes have been 

unpacked, the kinks worked out, the 

furniture and art put in place, you look 

around and think…LET’S PARTY!! 

The OSCA Special Events 

Committee has planned not one, but 

TWO celebrations of this very special 

happening in our community. Details 

are still in the works, but for now a 

few can be shared. 

We are planning a Community 

Open House for Sunday, Sept. 26 

from 2-5. There will be games, food 

etc for the whole family and some 

special performances as well. It will 

be a great chance to see the building 

in its prime and to connect with the 

neighbourhood while we celebrate 

this great accomplishment. 

A more adult themed night is also 

being planned for Nov. 6. This will 

feature a night time viewing of the 

Firehall, with a dinner and a dance to 

follow. The building really is amazing 

and a night to kick back with friends, 

have a great meal and dance the night 

away will be a wonderful experience. 

Look for more details in the next 

Oscar….and mark those dates down 

now…you don’t want to miss it!!! 

June 29 

Official opening at 10:30 a.m. 

Sept. 26 

Community Open House 

2p.m.-5 p.m. 

Nov. 6 

Dinner and Dance. 

To volunteer please contact Deirdre 

McQuillan at osca@magma.ca or at 

613 247 4872. 

OSCA Soccer- Fun Filled 

Frantic Footy Fanatics 

Fill Fields 

This year’s OSCA Spring 

Soccer Program continued 

it’s tradition of providing 

fun and some basic soccer skill development 

to more than 160 local 

kids. 

6 weeks of skills, drills, spills, 

and Dilly Bars ended on June 19th. 

Thanks to all the players, parents, 

grandparents, aunts, uncles, 

siblings, friends, mosquitoes, dogs 

(even though they aren’t allowed 

near the main field..ahem!) and 

anyone else who came out to watch 

the fun. 

Special kudos to Chelsea “the 

shack lady”, Adrian “skills coach”, 

and all of the volunteer parent/ 

coaches. We all work together to 

make this program successful. 

Hey! Spread the word- let 

everyone know that this is an awesome 

program. Parents- SIGN UP 

YOUR KIDS ASAP NEXT YEAR. 

We had to turn some kids away-as 

the teams were already full. More 

kids= more teams= more fun. 

Deirdre- thanks for all your 

support and ball-buying. 

Thanks again to Everyone! 

See you next Spring*! 

Kevin Colwell 

Jennifer Small 

*Kevin is moving out of OOS, 

and there is a rumour that Darren 

Richeson is the front runner to take 

over the Tykes/Atoms Cordinator 

job next year. Darren? 

So Long.. 

And Thanks For All The Taxes 

By Kevin Colwell 

Former OOS Resident and occasional OSCA Soccer 

Co-Coordinator 

Fida’s is gone, buildings are being torn down, ugly infills and the 

never-ending Landsdowne redevelopment debate are causing kerfuffles, 

Shopper’s left us with a lovely garbage-filled vacant lot, the 

chip wagon has lost some of it’s magic, there are teen cyclers vs. New 

Zealander incidents on the Bank St. bridge, and the Quickie has run out 

of “Go-Go’s”. 

If all that wasn’t enough- I just received my 2010 property tax bill. 

Geez Louise. 

I think it’s just wonderful that the City continues to dig deeper and 

deeper into my wallet (and my wife’s handbag/purse/whatever that thing 

is) in order to provide us with another year of ever-diminishing city services. 

If you own a home assessed at actual market value (as I do), then 

congratulations, because you are also a member of the “we pay WAY too 

much property tax” club. A $600k home (and this ‘hood is filled with 

them) will generate $7000+ in property tax in 2010. $600/month to live in 

OOS? Wow. You must REALLY like this area to fork out that much dough. 

The sad reality is that high property taxes, along with the impending rise 

in interest rates , will make the cost of living in OOS too high of a price to 

pay for some families. 

Including mine. 

After 4 years of our “let’s live in the city” pilot project, we are packing 

up our scratched IKEA furniture and moving to the country. We started our 

family way back in 1998 in a rural setting, so I guess it’s sort of a homecoming. 

I guess it takes a certain mind set to enjoy the urban experience. Besides 

the $$$ to live in the ‘hood, you have to accept the fact that you are 

sharing your space with a lot of neighbours- and their radios, cats, dogs, 

kids, etc. Although I had my run-ins with some idiotic neighbours- oh, my 

favourite was the student renter “Snoop-Dog” and his 3 a.m. rapping posse 

(my favourite rap started with the shout-out “Snoopy and Woodstock, 

they were gangsta muther-%^&*&$”),- there are some definite bonuses to 

living so close to downtown. Walking to work, walking to the store, etc. 

Everything is so close. I know that there are people who LOVE being right 

in the middle of things. Hooray for you. I understand it. I just don’t want 

it anymore. Actually, I just don’t want to pay for it anymore. 

So....good bye OOS. Good luck with the new Firehall (which was partially 

funded by my silent auction bids at the Taste of Spain event). I hope 

that the new grocery store opens soon, that the burned out building gets 

demolished, that Shopper’s fills the vacant lot, that the Wine Bar is successful, 

etc.

July 2010 

OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT 


Lansdowne, Firehall Open, Partnership Agreement with the City, and Rob Burr 

By Michael Jenkin 

Lansdowne Decision 

As I write this, we are gearing up to make 

presentations to Council on the Lansdowne 

Park issue as Council votes on the project on 

June 28. Little that we have seen from the flurry of 

reports issued in the second week in June on traffic, 

financing or retail impacts reduces our concerns about 

the negative consequences of this development for 

us as a community and for all the City’s residents as 

taxpayers. 

We were disappointed that Carleton University, 

despite our appeals, has decided to allow the City to 

use its lots outside of University teaching hours to 

provide additional overflow parking at the campus for 

events at the site. For larger events this will imply 

shuttle busses running along Sunnyside to Bank to 

access the site – assuming they can move in the traffic 

jams on Sunnyside and Bank generated by the mall 

and major sporting events at Lansdowne. Further, the 

City is determined that residential streets in both the 

Glebe and Old Ottawa South will be used for parking 

given the limited number of spaces on the site. This 

is being proposed despite the fact that the streets 

are already heavily used for residential and retail 

parking. The result will be additional congestion as 

cars mill around residential streets looking for nonexistent 

parking spaces. This is a sad and sorry state 

of affairs and an example once again of how poorly 

the City understands the proper management of major 

developments in dense urban areas such as ours. 

Firehall Open At Last! 

By the time you read this, the Firehall will be in 

the process of re-opening and the Official Opening 

ceremony will be held on June 29. We are moving in 

after June 21 and plan to run the last week of After 

Four programming in the new facility; our summer 

camps will start at the Firehall on June 28. 

I have had a sneak peak at the new facilities and 

I think you will be impressed and pleased with the 

new centre. It is truly unrecognizable from the old 

Firehall and in the best of all possible ways. There 

is a spacious new reception area at the front of the 

building (no more going up the side steps to get in) 

with plenty of room to move around. There is lots of 

light and the new programming rooms are a delight. 

The look is clean, modern and inviting with the use 

of a lot of light coloured wood and warm colours. 

What you don’t see, but which will make the centre 

a better place to be, is all the new energy efficient 

infrastructure and control equipment which brings 

By Leo B. Doyle 

As the June 28 City Council vote 

on the Lansdowne Live project 

approaches, it is disturbing to 

observe the lack of rigor and intellectual 

honesty contained in the many reports 

and briefing material being produced by 

City staff and their army of paid consultants. 

While we expect to get a “sell job” 

from private land developers and their 

enablers in the various consultancies, 

we need and deserve better from the 

technical reports produced under the 

direction of municipal civil servants 

whose job it is to protect the public 

interest. None of the technical reports 

written by “hired guns” provides a thor- 

the centre up to the latest environmental, safety and 

accessibility standards, including a small elevator! 

There will be the inevitable teething problems 

with the new building with workers coming in the 

first few weeks to make adjustments, corrections and 

completing finishing touches and we have a huge job 

to do to fully move in all our equipment, sort out what 

new items we require and generally get organized. 

Also, it will take us a few months to get the measure 

of the building and get a good sense of what works 

best in terms of programming activity and in what 

locations. By the start of the fall programming session 

we should have the place well “shaken down and 

shipshape” for you all. Then will come the exciting 

part of experiencing programs in a new and purpose 

built facility and figuring out what new and different 

things we can do there. 

A big vote of thanks is due to the City staff 

(particularly Cathie and Dinos) and our OSCA staff 

and volunteers (especially Deirdre) for all the hard 

work and extra time they put in to move us from our 

temporary home at Southminister Church back to our 

brand spanking new Firehall. We have a bright future 

ahead of us! 

New Partnership Agreement with the City 

While a whole lot less exciting than moving 

into a new community centre, getting our working 

relationships with the City well defined is an 

important job. At the prodding of the City’s Auditor 

General, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services 

Department of the City is in the process of formalizing 

its relationships with community associations across 

the city. As there is a great variety in the working 

relationships the City has with community associations, 

ranging from situations where the community group 

essentially runs both the community facilities and all 

the programming to situations where the association 

is essentially an advisory group to a City run facility. 

We are somewhere in the middle where we have 

what could be described as a pretty equal partnership 

where the City looks after the building and shares in 

the running of our programmes and we handle the 

planning , financing and administration and share 

programme implementation. At its last meeting the 

Board approved a draft agreement for discussion with 

the City that in essence defines our understanding of 

the current arrangement we have with the City. While 

it does not propose any fundamental changes in our 

partnership, it does attempt to clarify our respective 

responsibilities and define our roles. We will be 

sending a draft of this agreement to the City shortly 

and will likely enter into discussions with them in the 

autumn. 

ough or believable explanation of how 

the stadium and park failed in the first 

place. 

To take an informed decision on the 

future of Lansdowne, we need to understand 

what planning mistakes were 

made in the past and how they contributed 

to turning the Park and neighbourhood 

scaled stadium into a dysfunctional 

facility and lamentable “sea of 

asphalt”. 

Unfortunately, we are getting no 

answers or thoughtful analysis from 

Ottawa’s private media outlets, which 

have been cheerily singing the praises 

of this ill-conceived, un-tendered business 

deal. With no requirement to pay 

rent, the proposal gives a hand picked 

group of developers control of cityowned 

land to run and exploit as they 

please, almost as long as they please. 

Fortunately, to understand why it’s 

a very bad idea to re-develop Landsdowne 

as a large stadium, park and 

entertainment complex you need only 

visit the public library, talk to some 

long-time area residents, and do some 

digging in the Google-indexed daily 

newspapers of old. Unlike the present 

incarnation of the Ottawa Citizen, the 

archived versions are stronger on factual 

reporting than the paper we’re 

now forced to endure. Doing a bit of 

research on Lansdowne’s history and 

evolution will give even the most ardent 

Lansdowne Live supporter cause to rethink 

this project’s merits. Is this really 

good public policy, urban planning or a 

sustainable strategy to give the park and 

professional football and soccer a long- 

Page 5 

Lifetime Volunteer Award – Rob Burr 

It was my pleasure at the June Board meeting to 

present an OSCA Lifetime Volunteer Award to Rob 

Burr. Rob served for many years as our volunteer 

webmaster and shepherded OSCA’s transition to 

the on-line world. Rob represents what is best in 

our community, a dedicated volunteer who quietly 

served his Association with distinction. Rob was a 

thoughtful manager of our on-line presence, always 

alert to new possibilities, patiently managing the 

inevitable problems, complexities and challenges 

that being on-line poses, especially for a voluntary 

community organization such as OSCA. I often 

sought Rob’s advice on issues associated with our 

website which involved not only the technical and 

financial challenges of running the site, but the more 

difficult issues of meeting community expectations 

and diffusing differences of view. Rob’s advice was 

OSCA President Michael Jenkin giving Rob Burr 

Lifetime Volunteer Award 

Photo by M. A. Thompson 

always wise and perceptive and was always given 

with the long term best interests of the community at 

heart. Thank you Rob for a wonderful job well done! 

Summer Holidays 

As is traditional, the Board does not meet during 

July and August, although the Executive Committee 

is available to make decisions if required. We will 

hold our next meeting on Tuesday, September 21 at 

the Firehall. Our next big community event will be 

the Annual OSCA Porch Sale on Saturday, September 

11, rain or shine. More details on the Porch Sale will 

be published in the September OSCAR. Have a happy 

and safe summer everyone! 

Getting it Wrong: Lessons from Lansdowne’s Past 

term lease on life? 

Looking back at the considerations 

that shaped the Lansdowne we know 

today, and the promises that were made 

each time the stadium was expanded, 

we’re in a much better position to understand 

what did and did not work, despite 

the best of intentions. Before we go any 

further and repeat the Lansdowne mistakes 

of the past, perhaps, once again, 

it’s time for Ottawa City Council to hit 

the “re-set” button. 

These are but the opening paragraphs. 

To read the rest of this well-researched 

and important article, please 

go to www.oldottawasouth.ca and follow 

the links.


Which Would You Rather Have at Lansdowne? 

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/lansdowne_partnership/reports_en.html - OSEG stadium and urban mixed-use plan 

Submitted By John Ernest 

Martin, Conservancy 

Coordinator 

So what is a Conservancy? 

A Conservancy is a nonprofit 

charitable organization that will 

manage Lansdowne Park. 

Do you have a mission 

statement? 

Yes, the Conservancy mission 

is to protect, preserve, manage and 

promote every aspect of the Park in 

partnership with the public, and to 

or Lansdowne Park Conservancy 

Lansdowne Park Conservancy - Keeping Lansdowne 100% public, Without a Stadium 

ensure that 100% of the Park remains 

public. 

All of the Park? 

Yes, the City needs a partner. The 

current proposal says cut the park in 

two with private development tied to 

another attempt at a stadium. 

The Conservancy says no to that, 

keep the whole park and keep it all 

public! 

In fact the Conservancy has 

submitted a counter proposal based on 

not rebuilding the stadium, but rather 

taking down the south stands, and 

replacing that space with an additional 

playing field. The north stands and 

arena would receive necessary repairs 

until a more permanent answer can be 

found. 

What about the parking? 

Parking will be limited to around 

1,250 spots, and this is done affordably 

with surface parking around the 

current park boundary. This means the 

freeing up of about half of the park for 

landscaping, including an extra field, a 

natural grass music bowl, the Farmer’s 

market in trees and shade, and plans 

for an outdoor pool. Essentially a big 

canvas of green space and to let the 

peoples imagination take advantage 

of the opportunities that provides. 

What about the buildings? 

Well first off there is no private 

development and all the heritage 

buildings stay put! In addition to 

maintaining 100% of the Park as 

Public, we will be guided by historical 

intent as follows: 

1. Agricultural and 

Horticultural, will include a full 

time home for the Farmer’s Market, 

an invigorated Central Canada 

Cont’d on next page

July 2010 

CITY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT 

Dear Oscar Readers: 

Soul Stones 

The soft earth beneath 

our feet rests on stone 

and will become stone. 

Our bones are mostly air 

and learn to talk for a while 

before returning 

to the mute universe 

which waits for eternity 

before scratching 

a small message 

in the carapace of the cosmos. 

The Old Firehall Ribbon Cutting 

I 

am very happy to announce a ribbon 

cutting on Tuesday July 29 

for the Old Firefall. People are 

invited to the front grounds of the Old 

Firehall on Sunnyside for the ribbon 

cutting at 10:30 a.m. which will be 

followed immediately by an opening 

reception and short tours of the newly 

expanded and renovated Firehall 

Community Centre. 

This Firehall project in many ways 

represents the culmination rebuilding 

the neighbourhood. Bank Street was 

redone a few years ago, we saved the 

Mayfair theatre, the Sunnyside Li- 


The Old Firehall Ribbon Cutting 

brary is being redone and with the 

help of Rotary Club play structures at 

Brewer Park are amongst the best in 

the city. Over these last few years the 

community’s needed infrastructure 

has been renovated and improved at 

much less cost than building it from 

scratch. This renewal is a real tribute 

to the hard work of residents in the 

community. W hile it’s always dangerous 

to mention any names, I think 

it’s important to recognize the hard 

work of OSCA Board who have with 

three fine presidents, Doug Stickley, 

Johns Graham and Mike Jenkin, made 

these accomplishments possible. 

Old Ottawa South shows the way 

to the whole city renewing, recycling 

and improving. This is the model we 

need to reduce our taxes and create a 

more sustainable future. 

Chicago’s Millennium Park 

I spent a weekend in Chicago, in 

part to see their famous Millennium 

Park. This is the site of the old rail 

yards. It is a park site similar to Lansdowne 

Park, about the same size, the 

same distance from city hall and it’s 

adjacent to Lake Michigan. The renovation 

of these old rail yards into a 

park is truly extraordinary. There are 

Lansdowne Park Conservancy... Cont’d from previous page 

Exhibition and continued rural presence with trade 

space and grow areas. 

2. Amateur Sports, will include extra 

playing fields, preservation of Frank Clair 

field, and improvements to the arena. 

3. The Arts, will include festivals and an 

outdoor music amphitheatre and a home for the 

performing and traditional Arts including a space 

for an Art Gallery. 

4. Trade Shows and Public Events, will 

include maintaining sufficient capacity for shows 

and events and eventually adding a level to the Civic 

Centre. 

5. Preservation and Enhancement of the 

grounds by adding more grass, trees and water 

while protecting all heritage buildings (including the 

arena and Frank Clair Field, but not the stadium)*: 

a. The Aberdeen Pavilion 

b. The Coliseum Building 

c. The Horticulture Building 

d. The Civic Centre. 

How do you pay for this? 

The Lansdowne Park Conservancy will use 

the substantial site revenues of just under $5M and 

projects a minimum annual surplus of $800,000.00 

per year under new management. The Conservancy 

seeks no money from the City of Ottawa, will 

present a detailed list of annual improvement 

projects, particularly for green space, using 

existing site revenue surplus and patron support. 

The Conservancy model is a proven successful 

model across North America, with the Central Park 

Conservancy as the most famous example. 

How will the park be managed? 

The Conservancy will manage the Park under 

a Non-Profit Organization and will have a Board 

of Advisers made up of the major public partners, 

gardens with local plantings which 

mimic the prairie as it was when the 

Europeans first arrived. A state of the 

art concert stage permanently set up 

with lighting and sound so that it’s 

outdoors but with all of the production 

values and conveniences of an 

indoor concert hall. So people can 

play on the green field when concerts 

aren’t on. 

There are over 500 free events 

there every year. It accounts for 50 

per cent of Chicago’s tourism and I 

can believe it because there seemed 

to be more people from Toronto than 

there was from Chicago. Hotels have 

popped up around it. We stayed in 

the Fairmont, Millennium Park, but 

the thing that surprised me most of all 

was I expected Millennium Park to be 

more like Lansdowne, an old puddle 

of crumbling asphalt surrounded by 

urban development, but in fact the old 

train yards is abut 28 miles of waterfront 

park. The people of Chicago are 

already endowed with so much city 

centre parkland, yet they chose to expanded 

it with Millennium Park, not 

contract it. 

Here in Ottawa, Lansdowne Park 

is virtually alone. We have already 

alienated almost all the land along the 

banks of the Rideau and Ottawa riv- 

including but not limited to the City of Ottawa, 

community leaders and representatives from 

the arts, sports, trade shows, the Central Canada 

Exhibition, agricultural, rural areas, heritage and 

architecture. 

So how do we help see this happen? 

Write all the councillors, 

Send your support to info@lpc-cpl.ca and 

Check the petition found at www.lpc-cpl.ca 

Let’s do something amazing for our City, 

present, and future! 

Supporting this initiative: 

The Hon. Flora MacDonald, Companion of 

the Order of Canada; The Hon. Ed Broadbent, 

Companion of the Order of Canada; M. Paul Lapointe 

(Ambassador retd) and Mme Iris Lapointe; Dr. Alvin 

Cameron, (grandson of Moses Edey, architect of the 

Aberdeen Pavilion); Rosaleen Dickson, Journalist, 

Editor and Author; Jean-Claude Dubé, Prof. of 

History, Ottawa U.; Robert Nigel Hilton, Adjunct 

Research Prof. Carleton; Mary Gick, Author; David 

Horton, Manotick; Andrew Dickson, MBA, Printer, 

Publisher and Owner of MYFM Radio Stations; 

Hilda van Walraven, Business Systems Analyst, 

local resident; Pietro Camino, Owner Francesco’s 

Coffee Company; Mr. and Mrs. Allen, Chemist, 

Teacher; Dr. Elizabeth Dickson, ret. molecular 

geneticist; Michael Gazier, Senior Director a 

Fortune 500 company & ethics advocate; Doug 

Ward, Vice-President (retired) CBC; John Ernest 

Martin, Conservancy Coordinator. 

A Senior Representative from the Central Park 

Conservancy in New York is available to make a 

short presentation to Council. The purpose of the 

presentation will be to discuss the financial and 

social benefits to cities from nonprofit and charitable 

Conservancy models. 

By John Dance 

Page 7 

ers as well as the Rideau canal. You 

would have thought that Ottawans 

would be much more protective of 

what little public land they have left 

especially a site with such a tremendous 

history as Lansdowne, but no, 

we’re willing to give most of the park 

away to developers for a mall. Yet 

in Chicago where they have so much 

already, they are not prepared to cede 

any public land for private use, not 

even old rail yards. I found this to be 

inspiring as I did their public rail system. 

They have had rail to the city 

airport since 1984! I took it into the 

city along with hundreds of others and 

found it to be quick, convenient and 

comfortably virtuous. 

All the best for a happy and 

relaxing summer, 

Clive 

Clive Doucet 

City of Ottawa 

110 Laurier Avenue West, 

Ottawa, ON, K1P 1J1 

Tel: (613) 580-2487 

Fax: (613) 580-2527 

Clive.Doucet@ottawa.ca 

www.clivedoucet.com 

Park Designs Have Wrong 

Footbridge Location 

It’s great that the proposed designs for the Lansdowne 

urban park are proposing a new canal 

footbridge but there is no sound justification for 

four of the five teams suggesting that a footbridge 

be at Pig Island near Bank Street. This location 

is redundant, excessively wide (thus incurring 

unwarranted expense) and fails to provide a missing 

east-west link between communities and for 

a cross-city cycling and pedestrian route. 

The logical and economical location for 

a new footbridge should be near the midpoint 

in the two kilometer stretch of the canal between 

the Pretoria and Bank Street bridges, i.e., 

near Fifth Avenue on the Glebe side and Clegg 

Street on the Ottawa East / Ottawa South side. 

Urban park proposal “A” suggests this location 

and proposal “C” suggests a footbridge at both 

Fifth/Clegg and Pig Island. 

One other critical issue for the City, the 

NCC and Parks Canada to consider is how the 

proposed footbridges tie into the very important 

canal pathways. A few of the proposals have 

their footbridges soaring above the pathways. 

This just won’t work – cyclists and pedestrians 

need to be able to readily access the new footbridge. 

In fairness to the City, its environmental 

assessment of a second canal footbridge will be 

examining these issues. In the meantime, people 

should not be supporting Pig Island footbridge 

proposals that yield few benefits and cost more 

than is justified.


By Christine Leong, 

Sydney Martin & Sara 

Raahemi 

(Hopewell PS Newspaper 

Club) 

From May 17th to the 21st, 

Hopewell Avenue Public 

School celebrated its muchwaited 

100th anniversary. Our 

centennial celebrations were marked 

by an opening ceremony featuring 

dignitaries and alumni, the primary 

choir under the direction of Mrs. 

Legris and Mrs. Boileau, and the 

unveiling of a carving crafted by 

Fred Aitken, custodian at the school, 

depicting our school in 1910. 

There were many other celebratory 

events to commemorate the occasion 

including a 

Wine and Cheese, the creation 

of a mural entitled “The Faces of 

Hopewell”, school tours, a musical, 

a Sock-Hop, a perennial planting, a 

classroom door contest and a cake 

party. With so much going on, it 

was hard not to get caught up in the 

excitement! 

Attending the Hopewell 


Vice-Principal Kim MacDonald speaking at the assembly Photo by John MacKinnon 

celebrations were various alumni 

and dignitaries. Among them were: 

Principal Nicole Turpin and Viceprincipals 

Kim MacDonald and 

Donna Boyle, Superintendent of 

Instruction Walter Piovesan, trustee 

Rob Campbell, MP Paul Dewar, MPP 

Yasir Naqvi, Councillor of City of 

Ottawa Clive Doucet, Minister of 

Municipal Affairs and Housing Jim 

Watson and President of the Parents 

Council Neil Hill. 

Dignitaries, alumni, visitors, 

parents and staff were all invited to 

attend the elegant and sophisticated 

Wine and Cheese event organized with 

joint effort between Parents Council, 

more then 70 parent volunteers and 

the administration. 

The Wine and Cheese was held 

from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday May 

17th. Archival materials organized 

by teacher Elizabell Bonell were 

on display to reminiscence parts 

of Hopewell’s past. A guest book 

created by teacher Nevine Robertson 

brings together past and present 

memories frozen in time. Through 

all of the excitement, what was most 

memorable of all was the chance to 

meet and interview alumni at the Wine 

and Cheese and during school tours. 

Since we are part of the 

Newspaper Club, we were able to 

attend the “grown up” event and 

rub shoulders with alumni and 

dignitaries. Curious to capture some 

of our alumni’s fondest memories, we 

mingled through lively crowds and 

chatted with Jean Switzer, a student 

here at Hopewell from 1928 to 1935. 

To this day, she remembers vividly 

her favourite teacher, Mrs. Higginson. 

As we pursued our conversation 

with Mrs. Switzer, we learned that 

sewing and cooking classes were part 

of the curriculum at the time! Mrs. 

Switzer still plays bridge with former 

Hopewell alumni. We then stumbled 

upon retired principal Doug Beamon. 

Mr. Beamon was principal here at 

Hopewell from 1979 to 1982 and 

commented on the physical changes of 

Hopewell since he had last been here. 

We were surprised to learn that our 

Atrium was a “boys only” playground 

and that our grassyard was an ice 

rink during the winter season! As we 

continued our interviews, some of the 

fondest memories shared by many 

alumni such as Lilly Maase and Emma 

Goyer-Morley were the annual events 

such as the band trip to Toronto. 

To represent the colorful 

population of Hopewell during the 

2009-2010 school year, our Visual 

Art teacher Mr. Christos Pantieras 

envisioned a jewel of art where each 

student created a representation of 

themselves. The mural is now hung 

permanently in the school’s Atrium 

and has become a visual mosaic of us. 

Under the direction of Allison 

Submit articles 

about interesting 

people you know 

in Old Ottawa South to 


Woyiwada, past teacher and writer 

of the musical One Hundred Years, 

Junior and Intermediate students put 

on a spectacular theatrical display 

on May 19th. This creative singalong 

presented Hopewell through 

the decades, with each class being 

assigned a decade and each decade 

being assigned a particular theme. 

On that evening, two plays were 

performed: one at 6:15pm and the other 

at 8:00pm. For both performances, the 

gymnasium was packed with parents 

and friends. 

On Thursday May 20th, we had 

a school wide Sock Hop day. In the 

40’s, Sock Hop was a dance where 

students danced without shoes so 

they wouldn’t mark the floors but 

nowadays, we just do it for fun! All 

staff and students also dressed up as 

their favorite decade for the dance. 

On Friday May 21st, the winners 

for the Classroom Door contest 

were announced. More then thirty 

homeroom classes participated to 

the contest based on the criteria of 

historical depiction, originality and 

presentation. Winning classes were 

Mme St. Amant’s grade 2 class, 

Mrs. Lapner grade 5/6 class and 

M. Gosselin’s grade 8 class. Each 

homeroom was treated to a pizza 

lunch for their creative and collective 

effort! On this day, we also marked 

off the end of the celebrations with a 

scrumptious cake party in each class. 

Savoring delicious masterpieces of 

pastry provided by class parents, 

while celebrating our school’s past, 

present and future was a great way to 

end the week!

July 2010 

By Carol Loop 

Under the leadership of John 

Loop and the Hopewell 

Grass Yard Committee, 

parents, students and teachers 

responded to the call for volunteers 

to participate in the city’s Cleaning 

the Capital initiative at Hopewell 

Avenue Public School. Saturday, 

May 15 was a perfect day to work 

outside and rejuvenate flower beds, 

clean up the school grounds and 

prepare to receive the school’s 

100th anniversary tree. Long time 

friends Harry Loop and Adam 

Coplan were among twenty hard 

working volunteers. Looking ahead 

to next year when they will spend 

their play time in the grass yard, 

they spent the morning picking up 

debris and making the rounds to 

ensure other volunteers had enough 

water to drink during their chores. 

Students Laura Williams and Hanna 

Stewart led a team of enthusiastic 



Door Contest Challenge 

Cleaning The Capital Initiative At 

Hopewell Avenue Public School 

Student showing off a plant Photo by Celyne Brunet 

workers preparing the site for the 

commemorative tree to be planted 

by the school’s main entrance, using 

new soil and mulch donated by the 

city as part of the cleaning initiative. 

Also part of the crew, Blair Tucker, 

(with no children at Hopewell, 

but a few hours in between swim 

practices) passed up on reading the 

paper while sipping a double double 

to lug wheelbarrows loaded with 

dirt or compost or mulch around the 

yard. 

It was hard to call an end to the 

day as everyone realized how much 

work was needed. While John 

was able to arrange for supplies 

of dirt, compost and mulch, it was 

evident the school board’s budget 

doesn’t allow much for landscaping 

labour. We’ll be organizing a 

few more Saturday mornings as 

volunteers have expressed a desire 

to do more. 

Thank you to all for a job well 

done. 

Page 9 

Stephanie Fuoco, Jennifer St. Amant and Celyne 

Brunet, 3 teachers on the 100th year 

committee challenged all classrooms to 

participate in a door contest. This is perhaps one 

of the biggest hits from all the activities we did 

for the 100 years. Over 30 classroom doors were 

decorated depicting a particular decade. Students 

had to do some research on the decade. The also 

had to manifest great collaborative and creative 

skills. During our special week of celebrations, 

many teachers took their classes around the school 

to look at the doors because they were so impressive. 

It was also extremely welcoming for visitors 

and alumni. There was one winner per division 

and parent council payed a pizza lunch to each 

class that won per division. 

Michel Gosselin, teacher of winning intermediate 

class. Decade depicted 1910 with Titanic and 

opening of the school 

Photo byCelyne Brunet 

Teahcer Nick Roy with Hopewell Band Phoyo by John MacKinnon 

Fred Aitken with his carving Photo by Celyne Brunet


THE BIG PICTURE 

By Michael Dobbin 

Some cinema history was made 

on the streets of the National 

Capital a few weeks ago. Quiet 

Revolution quietly wrapped production 

on the Ottawa filming of Endre 

Hules’ “The Maiden Danced”, starring 

Deborah Unger (Silent Hill, The 

Salton Sea, Crash), Stephen McHattie 

(2112, Watchmen), Gil Bellows (Unthinkable, 

The Shawshank Redemption), 

Endre Hules (Se7en, Apollo 13) 

Mari, Gyula and Steve 

Movie Maiden Voyage 

and Zsolt László (Control, Sunshine). 

Behind the camera was none other 

than Academy Award-winning cinematographer 

Vilmos Zsigmond (The 

Black Dahlia, Close Encounters, Deliverance, 

Deer Hunter). 

Set in 1999, the film, set for 

worldwide release sometime in late 

2011, tells the tale of two brothers, 

both dancers, in post-Communist 

Hungary. One left for Canada, the 

other remained in Hungary. Now, 

two decades later, they reunite in an 

attempt to marshal both their talents 

and their relationship long enough 

to resurrect a world tour of their last 

choreography. 

The Maiden Danced is produced 

by Old Ottawa South resident producer 

Michael A. Dobbin at Quiet Revolution 

Pictures, along with his European 

counterparts at Cinema-Film 

in Hungary and Casablanca Film in 

Slovenia. An international co production, 

the film is actually the first-ever 

Slovenian-Canadian coproduction. 

Production wrapped in Hungary 

at the end of June, with the final choreography 

sequences featuring the 

world renowned Budapest Dance Ensemble. 

Post production is happening 

Maiden Production Team 

in Canada, and except for the 35mm 

prints, it will happen entirely in Ottawa. 

The producers are aiming to deliver 

the film in time for a Hungarian 

festival premiere in January to launch 

its festival tour. 

More feature films, and several 

international co productions are in 

the pipeline. 2010 has so far proven 

a busy year for producer Michael A. 

Dobbin, with the recent successful 

preview screening of David Chernushenko’s 

much anticipated documentary 

Powerful: Energy for Everyone 

which will hit the festival circuit in 

the coming months. 

City of Ottawa’s Pedestrian and 

Transit Advisory Committee 

Votes 

Unanimously Against 

Proceeding with ‘Lansdowne Live’ 

The City of Ottawa’s Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee has unanimously 

voted against proceeding with the Lansdowne Partnership Plan, 

unless a proper solution to the transportation problems can be found. 

Information on the motion can be found attached to this e-mail. 

PTAC’s mandate includes the following: 

Advising City Council on transportation issues as they affect the City of Ottawa 

Official Plan, Secondary Plans, programs, budget, and overall policy development, 

including monitoring the implementation of said plans and evaluating 

their effectiveness. 

The Committee has found that even using the proponent’s very optimistic 

targets of 35-40% modal share, that traffic will still be gridlocked like it has never 

been before in the surrounding area, as a result of the massive development. 

“The recent Transportation study released will show that traffic is already 

operating at full capacity at many intersections during peak periods. The worry is 

that this development will lead to traffic failure, with inadequate solutions focusing 

on shuttle buses and completely shutting down Bank Street. You can’t add 

over 500,000 square feet of retail, housing and office buildings without having 

a severe affect on transportation” –Shawn Menard, Vice-Chair, Pedestrian and 

Transit Advisory Committee, City of Ottawa

July 2010 


Doors Open at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons 

By Kathy Krywicki 

For the first time the College 

participated in the city-wide 

Doors Open Ottawa event 

that showcases built heritage, 

architecture and design across the 

city. In past years, students writing 

exams have overtaken the College 

during the annual event but this year 

the students were redirected to Cité 

Collégiale, allowing visitors from 

the neighbourhood and beyond to 

see inside this Old Ottawa South 

landmark. 

Upon entry to this classically 

inspired building, a mix of old and 

new greets the visitor. An atrium has 

been added to the interior court-yard 

with a staircase up leading up to the 

second floor. The grand stain-glassed 

windows remind us of the original 

By Jean-Claude Dubé 

This year, for the first time, the 

City of Ottawa unlocked the 

doors of the mysterious and 

little-known Horticulture Building 

for the Doors Open celebration. 

Members of Heritage Ottawa 

welcomed visitors to the two heritagedesignated 

buildings at Lansdowne 

Park: the Aberdeen Pavilion and the 

Horticulture Building. 

Built in 1914, the Horticulture 

Building was designed for the display 

and sale of plants, from flowers to 

trees, which could grow in the Ottawa 

region horticultural zone. These 

exhibitions were for the pleasure 

and financial benefit of both rural 

and urban gardeners and farmers. 

The building thus fulfilled its role in 

Lansdowne Park’s mission to assist 

agricultural and livestock practices in 

Eastern Ontario. For 62 years it was 

also the winter home of the Glebe 

Curling Club. 

Designed by Kingston-born 

Francis Sullivan, a champion of 

Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style 

architecture, the building has large 

use of the building as a monastery. 

The College bought the heritagedesignated 

site from the Order of the 

Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood 

in 1991. The former chapel has been 

converted into two rooms, a library 

and a council chamber; the residences 

were reworked into office space. The 

sisters were a contemplative order 

and had little contact with the outside 

world. A grill separated the nuns from 

the general public during mass. A 

CBC video from the 1980s showed 

the sisters welcoming a reporter inside 

the walls of the facility. On camera, 

the nuns giggled and joked amongst 

themselves and spoke English despite 

being a French-speaking order; the 

sisters talked readily with the reporter 

(with special permission to break their 

usual silence for the filming of the 

documentary) to describe their life of 

prayer and devotion. 

The staff on hand from the Royal 

College of Physicians and Surgeons 

explained the role of this national 

professional association in overseeing 

the medical education of specialists 

in Canada. The Royal College sets 

Doors Open at the Horticulture Building 

Horticulture facade Photo by Joan Bard Miller 

over-hanging eaves and extensive 

casement windows (boarded up on the 

ground floor). This style is noted for 

its sharp square angles and symmetry 

of the window locations. 

Sadly, since the maintenance 

and management of the building 

was transferred back to the City of 

Ottawa from the Central Canada 

Exhibition Association, its calling 

has been reduced to one of a dark 

stank warehouse for a nondescript 

collection of flotsam and jetsam 

from the exhibition and numerous 

landscaping vehicles. But the nearly 

century-old building is structurally 

sound and should remain so for many 

more years. 

This provincially designated 

structure has been grossly neglected 

by the City of Ottawa. Old paint is 

peeling off the interior walls as well 

as the painted-over red brick exterior. 

However a visit to the second 

floor, with a reception hall, kitchen, 

bar room, viewing gallery, washrooms 

(complete with skylight), and other 

offices, brings forth its potential as a 

photos by Jean-Claude Dubé 

Page 11 

the standards in postgraduate medical 

education and training through 

national certification examinations. 

The college welcomed 900 guests to 

the Echo Drive location. 

meeting and gathering place. There 

are distinctive wooden banisters, 

hardwood floors and many of the 

original patterned windows that 

brighten up the space with natural 

light. 

The planned commercial and 

residential development of Lansdowne 

Park is threatening the very existence 

of the Horticulture Building. While the 

winning urban park design proposes 

to leave this masterful building in 

place, OSEG wants to move it to 

allow more commercial space. In 

such a displacement, it is very likely 

that only the façade would be kept 

and the main body and interior would 

be rebuilt according to present-day 

building standards. The very essence 

and meaning of a structure inherited 

from a previous generation are thus 

shattered. The Horticulture Building 

deserves a more respectful treatment 

and consideration by the City of 

Ottawa. 

To find out more information and 

to see historical photos of the building, 

check out the online Facebook group 

to Save the Horticulture Building or 

visit the Heritage Ottawa website.


By William Burr 

Meeting three of the brains behind 

the new management at 

the Mayfair, I found them all 

very down to earth. They felt like guys 

who you would find at a bar, enjoying 

their Friday night pint. In fact, I had 

run into Mike Dubué, general man- 

Behind the Curtains at the Mayfair Theater 

ager, at next door Quinn’s a few months 

ago. He had stepped outside the theater 

while a movie was showing. He recognized 

me as a frequent Mayfair moviegoer, 

and we had a good chat. 

I also met Lee Demarbre, programmer, 

and Petr Maur, design and graphics 

manager. 

There’s something about these 

three men, all dressed in black clothes, 

that’s also quintessentially film buff. 

They speak of their theater like it’s a 

baby, and happily describe their efforts 

to play little-known new movies as 

well as old hits like Indiana Jones. In 

fact, the truth is that these are professional 

filmmakers for whom the Mayfair 

is a kind of passionate day job. Lee 

Demarbre directs, Mike Dubué does 

music, and Peter Marr makes the posters. 

The other two Mayfair co-owners 

are Ian Driscoll, who screenwrites, and 

Josh Stafford, who also directs. It was 

through the filmmaking community 

that the five of them met. 

One of their latest releases is called 

Smash Cut. It stars Sasha Grey. When 

I asked Demarbre who that is, his eyes 

twinkled, and he gave me a “get ready 

for this” look. It turns out Ms. Grey is 

the world’s number one adult film star, 

gradually working her way into mainstream 

movies. 

Smash Cut is the story of a man 

who finds that real blood and gore -- 

like, really real, as in real dead human 

flesh -- makes his movies sell better. 

So he goes on a killing rampage. 

Ms. Grey is a do-it-yourself 

type detective who tries to track 

him down. Demarbre’s work is the 

kind that would play at the newly 

inaugurated Saturday Night Sinema 

at the Mayfair, which now occurs 

on the last Saturday of every 

month at midnight. 

At that time, members can 

enjoy a free screening of what Demarbre 

likes to call “the world’s 

most notorious, badass and banned 

films.” Saturday Night Sinema is 

a way to build more of a community 

around the theater, as well as a 

way for Demarbre to have fun with 

a genre he is passionate about. 

Demarbre is a true aficionado 

of the movie theater. He travels 

around North America, visiting 

different theaters to see what he 

likes. He sees movies that catch 

his eye, and sometimes will be one 

of the first or second persons to 

ever play the movie. He also finds 

deals. For example, the movie 

seats in the Mayfair, all recently installed, 

come from another theater 

in Sarasota, Florida that recently 

closed, that Demarbre scoped out 

on eBay. He went down and tested 

them by watching the movie Twilight 

in them. “If I can last through 

Twilight, then I think they’re good 

enough seats.” 

Truly, the new seats are a wonder. 

My father never used to come 

to the Mayfair with my mother, brother 

and I because he found he could not 

bear the old seats. I can assure him that 

this problem is now fixed. 

The three men tell me that in terms 

of future plans, they would like to repaint 

the ceiling, a dark navy blue, with 

stars! They are also looking to acquire 

a liquor license, and to acquire a brand 

spanking new marquee and set of signs, 

to replace the aging signage that exists 

currently. 

Financially, Demarbre tells me that 

the Mayfair enjoyed a very good fall 

winter and spring, but that the summer 

months can be hard. Students leave, 

and Old Ottawa South residents head 

up to their cottages. 

I was also surprised to learn that 

in terms of negotiating with the studios, 

the American big names such 

as Paramount and Warner Bros. are a 

lot easier to deal with than their Canadian 

counterparts, Alliance, Mongrel 

and E1. “I can get the attention of the 

American studios. With the Canadian 

studios, they rank me below the World 

Ex [World Exchange Plaza].” 

I had never known how the Mayfair 

had come to be saved a few years ago. 

I knew that it had almost closed, but I 

didn’t know the specifics. Apparently, 

John Yemen, one of the original partners 

in Demarbre’s and Maur’s group 

(but who has since moved on), had the 

idea of designating the Mayfair as a historical 

landmark. This prevented a hostile 

bid from Shoppers Drug Mart, who 

wanted to tear the place down and open 

one of their signature stores. 

Next month at the Mayfair, among 

the less conventional titles you can 

look forward to are Behind the Burly 

Q, a documentary looking back at the 

golden age of Burlesque, and Flooding 

With Love for the Kid, an unauthorized 

adaptation of First Blood, the original 

novel by David Morrell that introduced 

John Rambo. You’ll also find Copsey, 

described on IMDB.com as the following: 

“Realizing the urban legend 

of their youth has actually come true; 

two filmmakers delve into the mystery 

surrounding five missing children and 

the real-life boogeyman linked to their 

disappearances.” At a glance, it sounds 

vaguely reminiscent of the Saturday 

Night Sinema. 

While I may never make it out to 

the midnight screenings of the “world’s 

most notorious, badass and banned 

films,” I’m glad to find that we have 

such movie-crazy men running our local 

theater.

July 2010 

According to Wikipedia, the 

word Namaste is a greeting 

which can be roughly 

translated as “I bow to you”. 

When the sign went up at the corner 

of Bank and Riverdale announcing 

that a new Indian restaurant called 

“Namaste” was on the way, we were 

filled with anticipation - so much so, 

we visited during its opening week. 

We were immediately put at ease and 

impressed by the friendly, welcoming 

staff and clean, crisp décor. The 

buffet included tasty vegetarian and 

carnivorous dishes, however, was 

somewhat limited. Thus, we decided 

to postpone our June GAGS review 

until we could sample a broader 

selection from their full menu. We 

haven’t tried the buffet again since our 

first visit, but we can only assume that 

it has improved based on the delicious 

take-out we had on our second time 

around. 

The full menu at Namaste is now 

available for eat-in or take out; we 

opted for the latter. Calling in our order 

on a Tuesday evening, we couldn’t 

help but notice the busy “buzz” in 

the background. We took this as a 

good sign and proceeded with a fairly 

extensive order in which we strived 

to sample the full spectrum (taste and 

temp) of their offerings. Although 

our order was about 30 minutes 

later than they had indicated on the 

phone, it was well worth the wait and 

included complimentary papadums, 

rice pudding, and a handful of “After 

Eight” chocolates. 

As we opened the giant box that 

held our meal, we knew we were 

in for a treat; the delicious aromas 

emitting from the containers were 

absolutely mouthwatering! We sorted 

through our selections and prepared 

ourselves to feast… Along with the 

Area Church Service Times 

Sunnyside Wesleyan Chuch 

58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside) 

Sunday Worship Service at 9am 

& 11am 

Children’s program offered during 

both worship services. 

Trinity Anglican Church 

1230 Bank Street (at Cameron 

Avenue) 

Sunday Services 

Summer Sunday service at 9:30 

a.m., All welcome, including 

children 

The Thursday eucharist is suspended 

until the fall. 

St Margaret Mary’s Parish 

7 Fairbairn (corner of Sunnyside) 

Sunday Liturgies 

9:30am and 11:30am 

Christian Meditation 

Mondays at 7:00 pm. 

Evening Prayer: Tuesday at 7 p.m. 

Southminster United Church 

15 Aylmer Avenue (at Bank & the 

Canal) 

Sunday Worship 

10:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. July & 

August) 

Sunday School 

During worship, September - May 


The Grosvenor Avenue Gastronomic Society 

“Life is too short to eat disappointing food.” 

standard sides of basmati rice and 

Naan bread (still warm!) we ordered 

two chicken dishes, a beef, a lamb, and 

two veggies. The Butter Chicken was 

perfectly creamy and tasted just as this 

tried-and-true favourite should. The 

Chicken Bhoona was accompanied by 

tomatoes and onions in a flavourful, 

thick sauce. The Beef Dhansk was 

a curry dish with a real kick of spice 

and a hint of sweetness, with meat 

so tender it practically melted in our 

mouths. The Lamb Vindaloo was 

VERY spicy so if you tend to shy 

away from hot dishes, this curry is 

not for you. That said, it was quite 

good - however we were thankful 

that we hadn’t dared to venture into 

the “Extra Hot Dishes” on the menu. 

For those who like veggie options 

“Namaste” All the way! 

Namaste on Bank at Riverdale Photo by Mary Anne Thompson 

there were plenty to chose from; we 

ordered the Mushroom Bhaji and the 

Aloo Gobi. The mushroom dish was a 

favourite with a rich sauce comprised 

of the chef’s special blended herbs 

and spices. Unfortunately we did 

not get to sample the Aloo Gobi as 

it was forgotten from our order, but 

one could surmise based on the other 

selections, it would have been just as 

tasty. 

All in all, Namaste is an excellent 

addition to OOS and a nice alternative 

to our rich selection of pub fare in the 

neighbourhood. Namaste’s prices 

are very reasonable with appetizers 

ranging from $4 to $7 and main 

courses all around $12-$14. We 

encourage you to try Namaste for 

yourself and are certain that you won’t 

Never inclined to let the grass 

grow under their feet, the Company 

of Fools will elevate their 

production of A Midsummer Night’s 

Dream to new heights this summer with 

the introduction of a travelling stage. 

Award winning set designer, Ivo Valentik 

has created what he describes as 

“multipurpose reusable modular units 

of eco-friendly Canadian sourced birch 

plywood that represent an efficient use 

of resources.” 

That’s set designer fancy talk for 

portable blocks that fit together like Lego. 

Director Al Connors explains that the 

travelling stage will elevate the actors “for 

better sightlines and to be better heard.” 

The change is in response to the popularity 

of the Summer Torchlight series and 

the growing following of the Company. 

be disappointed. 

Page 13 

In the opinion of the GAGS, we hope 

“Namaste is here to stay”! 

Namaste 

1300 Bank St. (At Riverdale) 

613-733-8424 

As always, please feel free to contact 

us at grosvenor.gastronomic@gmail. 

com to pass along your feedback 

on our review, or suggestions for 

restaurants you’d like us to visit. 

We’re looking forward to reporting 

back soon on the not-yet-open 

“Taylors’ Genuine” and Sub-Saharan 

here in OOS! 

Happy Eating, 

The Grosvenor Avenue Gastronomic 

Society. 

Fools Upstaged! (well, sort of . . .) 

“The elevation will allow us to create 

more interesting stage pictures with the 

wide-open green park at our backs as a 

backdrop, creating a more impressive 

outdoor theatre. 

These versatile custom designed 

units will imply the temple 

setting of the play and also convey 

the forests,” Connors explains. 

Over 7000 people enjoyed the Fools’ 

Summer Torchlight production in 

2009. Audiences in 2010 can expect 

more of the Fools’ signature innovative, 

entertaining and accessible brand of 

physical theatre. 

A Company of Fools Summer Torchlight 

Series production of A Midsummer 

Night’s Dream tours area parks July 2nd 

- August 2nd. See www.Fools .ca for locations

Page 14 

By Abraham Plunkett- 

Latimer 

This month’s contribution to 

the Ottawa South History 

Project comes from one of 

our Heritage Survey 2009 summer 

students, Abraham Plunkett-Latimer, 

an M.A. student in the Department 

of History, Carleton University. This 

article will be part of the Heritage 

Survey 2009 report to be presented 

to the Old Ottawa South community 

later this year. 

Property 

Address: 66 Barton Street (Lot 2, 

West Side Barton Avenue) 

Introduction 

The home at 66 Barton Street is 

a large, two-story, brick, cross-gable 

home built in 1897 by Jacob Vincent 

Poaps, an aspiring Ottawa merchant. 

It remained in the Poaps family 

throughout almost the entire twentieth 

century until 1987. 

History 

The home currently located at 66 

Barton Street in Ottawa, Ontario was 

built on lot 2 of an 1895 subdivision 

in Old Ottawa South. The property 

was owned by George and James 

McLean, who lived in Old Ottawa 

South. James reportedly owned a sand 

pit at the corner of Bank and Euclid 

Streets. George, his brother, is referred 

to as a “merchant” in nineteenthcentury 

city directories. In 1895, they 

subdivided their land into 24 lots 

ranging from 6000 to 7000 square 

feet. The subdivision was unusually 

modest in size for Old Ottawa South. 

Nearly the entire area of the modern 

neighbourhood had been subdivided 

in large swaths by major industrialists 


OTTAWA SOUTH HISTORY PROJECT 

Poaps House – 66 Barton Ave 

in 1891. This large scale development 

was, according to Bruce Elliott, based 

on speculation that a streetcar running 

down Bank Street would quickly raise 

property values and help to develop 

economically the then rural area. 

Lot 2 was first bought by Jennet 

(Jennie) Anne Poaps (nee McLean) 

in 1896, the first year the lots became 

available. Jennet Poaps was a younger 

sister of James and George McLean, 

suggesting that the subdivision was 

. 66 Barton Street. Window Detail. Photo by A Plunkett-Latimer, 

66 Barton Street Photo by Jean-Claude Dubé 

largely a family enterprise rather than 

big business. It is likely that a home 

was built at 66 Barton Street as early 

as 1897, as the Ottawa City Directory 

for that year lists the Poaps family as 

living there. Jennet Poaps used the 

property to provide a mortgage to 

Louisa C Biggar for $1500. 

Jennie Poaps’s husband was Jacob 

Vincent Poaps, who originated in 

Onasbruck Township. It is uncertain 

when he moved to Ottawa exactly, 

July 2010 

though as early as 1895 he owned 

a wholesale boot and shoe store on 

Wellington Street along with William 

Lamb and Donald McDonald. By 

1899, Jacob Poaps had formed the JV 

Poaps and Son, which is described as 

a Manufacturers Agents company in 

the 1899 City Directory. 

It appears as though the Poaps’ 

company became quite profitable, as 

in 1915 they were granted a patent to 

incorporate their company. A letter 

from Thomas Mulvey, the Under- 

Secretary of State in 1915 stated that 

JV Poaps and Co. Ltd. would be worth 

$40,000 in capital stock divided into 

400 shares. Despite their seeming 

optimism, however, the company 

went bankrupt in 1921 and was sold 

at a loss to a Detroit company called 

International Feldspar Co. In 1922, 

Jacob Vincent Poaps died, his wife 

Jennet dying shortly afterwards in 

1924. 

After Jacob and Jennet Poaps’s 

deaths 66 Barton was rented for 

several years to a Martin S. Grace, 

yet title remained in the hands of the 

Poaps family. In 1929 John Douglas, 

Jacob and Jennet’s youngest child, 

and his wife Florence moved into the 

home. John Douglas and Florence 

Poaps remained in the home until 

Florence’s death in 1987 after which 

it was sold to Alan Duncan McKinley. 

The city directories do not 

indicate what profession John Poaps 

held. In 1933, however, perhaps as a 

result of the great depression, Poaps 

began to rent out an apartment at 

66 Barton while continuing to live 

there. By 1961 this apartment was 


July 2010 

converted into a “work clothing” shop 

which Poaps ran with a man called 

JB Goodhue. This shop continued 

to run until 1973 after which Poaps 

seemingly retired. 

Architecture 

The home at 55 Barton Avenue 

is situated on a flat moderate sized, 

landscaped, city lot covering 6765 

square feet. It displays several 

important features which pinpoint its 

construction date to the late nineteenth 

century, including the juxtaposition 

of red brick with fish scale shingles, 

multileveled roofs, an irregular floor 

plan, irregular, narrow windows, and 

complex brickwork. At the proper 

right of the home, there is a large 

single story bay window. The current 

building features a large classical 

styled entrance and adjoining room 

constructed in wood, featuring many 

by Kathy Krywicki, Member of 

Ottawa South History Project 

Numerous for-sale signs have sprouted on 

the lawns of Old Ottawa South as summer 

approaches and families are on the move. 

And selling a product demands a good pitch to the 

would-be purchaser, especially in the real estate 

business. 

A hundred years ago, Mr. V.V. Rogers bought 

over 200 acres of land in Ottawa South and divided 

it up into building lots. His enthusiasm to attract 

people to the outskirts of town into the “new” 

neighbourhood of Ottawa South is shown in his ad 

from the Ottawa Citizen May 31, 1910 transcribed 

below: 

The Spell of Ottawa South 

by Gorden Rogers 

(With Lots of Apologies to Robert W. Service) 

I wanted a house, and I sought it. 

I had paid out five thousand for rent. 

I wanted my own, and I got it, 

In the “heart of the city” content. 

I wanted a house, and I bought it. 

Right here in the city, one fall. 

Yet it didn’t spell “home” as I thought it, 

For somehow the house is not all. 

No. There’s the land! And I found it; 

And it goes good as gold to the pan; 

For a house must have land all around it 

If it’s going to be home for a man. 

Yes, I sold my place “right in the city,” 

And I bought in the south-land a lot, 

And the meaning of this little ditty 

Is to put you right next to the spot. 

Don’t wait till you’re “rich”. That is treason 

To all that “home” has ever meant 

In truth, it’s the rankest old reason 

You could offer for still paying rent. 

Buy a lot; build a home in its centre, 

Green lawn girdled, with flowers and trees; 

All your own, where no landlord shall enter, 

And your children may play as they please. 

The summer! You thrive in it never 

Who dwell in “the heart” of the town. 


Poaps House – 66 Barton Ave.... Cont’d from previous page 

windows. This wooden section of 

the home is one and a half stories, 

with Classical portico supported 

by stylized columns. The 1915 Fire 

Insurance Map for the City of Ottawa 

appears to show a veranda adjoining 

the home. By 1948, however, the 

veranda had been glassed in creating 

the wooden section of the home that 

is now present. 

Significance 

The home at 66 Barton Street was 

built at the end of the nineteenth century 

at a time when individuals in Ontario, 

like the United Kingdom and United 

States, were highly status conscious. 

Therefore, it was necessary for an 

individual’s behaviour, clothing, and 

home to reflect his or her particular 

social standing within the community. 

66 Barton’s construction seems to be 

tied strongly to the aspirations of its 

owners. It was built at a particularly 

prosperous time for the Poaps family 

at virtually the same time Jacob 

Poaps started his own business with 

his sons. To a large extent the home 

would have been symbolic of the 

family’s prosperity, and perhaps 

even necessary for them to be taken 

seriously within Ottawa’s business 

community. Therefore, Jacob Poaps 

invested in features which marked the 

home not only as fashionable, but also 

of high quality and cost. It would have 

likely been architect designed, and 

incorporates features that would not 

have been standard, such as complex 

brickwork, irregular windows, and 

fish scale shingles. The character of 

the home would have indicated to 

the community that its inhabitants 

were successful merchants, and this 

outward manifestation of success 

A Century-old Testimonial to Old Ottawa South 

or An Ode to a Neighbourhood 

But here, by the rapid and river, 

We are sun-kissed and wind-kissed and brown. 

For from April to gusty November, 

Through spring-time and summer and fall, 

We are near ones with Nature, remember, 

And health is her gift to us all. 

The winter! There’s nothing to beat it 

For health, if you buffet it back. 

Yet you in your houses o’er-heated 

Hope for health from quinine or a quack. 

While you’re “in” with your colds all a-shiver, 

And plying your plasters and pills, 

We are out on a rink on a river, 

Or tramping in health o’er the hills! 

There’s a land to the south. Have you seen it? 

It’s the finest round here that I know; 

From the Sunnyside houses that screen it 

To the river that ripples below. 

Some say that God smiled when he made it, 

So that is the reason it smiles; 

And those who’ve a stake there would trade it 

For no land around here for miles. 

There’s a land in the south of the city 

That is “country” yet not all that far; 

And the meaning of this little ditty 

Is to get you to hike on a car; 

Take a short cut through pasture and clover, 

And look at this chance to invest 

In the land for a home; think it over; 

And your wisdom won’t question your quest. 

Oh, this “life” in the city’s a thin game, 

Giving little for all that it takes; 

And the cost of it all is a skin game 

For the man that needs all that he makes. 

So before you are “skinned to a finish,” 

And they’ve sold out the gold in your mouth, 

Do as I did, get wise and “diminish” 

Right out Bank Street for Ottawa South. 

I have some of the choicest lots for sale in 

Ottawa South that it is possible to secure and the 

prices are reasonable. Ottawa South property is 

rapidly increasing in value and if you ever intend 

to invest “Do it now”. 

Page 15 

would have been a prerequisite for 

that success to be realized. 

The house also demonstrates a 

strong local presence in the early 

development of Old Ottawa South. 

While much of the neighbourhood was 

developed by wealthy Ottawans who 

did not live in Old Ottawa South, there 

was also a strong desire to develop 

the neighbourhood economically 

by locals living there. This is 

demonstrated not only by George and 

James McLean subdividing their land, 

but also by the fact that several lots 

in the subdivision were developed by 

the McLeans themselves. 

Contact the Ottawa South 

History Project at HistoryProject@ 

OldOttawaSouth.ca or visit us 

online at www.OldOttawaSouth.ca/ 

HistoryProject. 

V.V. Rogers 136 Bank St. Phone 1851 170 

Sparks St. Phone 1800 

The anticipated extension of the streetcar 

railway line into the neighbourhood was fuelling 

interest and Mr. Rogers thought the time was right 

for the lands of Rideauville and Wyoming Park, 

both part of Ottawa South, to become valuable for 

building purposes. He even went as far as to take 

out a full page ad on August 27, 1910 to discourage 

people from investing in other areas such as 

Billings Heights and warned investors not to get 

carried away in a real estate boom. He explained: 

I could, if I wished, place on the market large 

tracts of land and sell it, but I have never wished to 

do so, and have only placed small tracts, as required 

for actual building purposes, as the trustees of the 

“Glebe Property” has wisely done and are doing. 

I have never ceased to advise the public to invest 

their money in Ottawa real estate, but keep your 

money within the limits of the city. 

His competitor however didn’t like the 

insinuations and warned folks to avoid the land 

bordering the Rideau River and to invest in the 

highlands beyond Billings Bridge. From St. 

Germain and Fraas, selling agents for Ridgemont 

lots, an advertisement on October 8, 1910 counsels: 

Invest your money in a bulrush swamp and 

it will produce “bags” of small golden fruit with 

a bitter and acid taste. To compare the low lying 

lands of Ottawa South with the Glebe lots is as 

misleading as the phosphorescent Will-o-the-Wisp 

that hovers over bogs and swamps. 

And then asks rhetorically: 

Where would YOU prefer living? Three or 

four feet BELOW the level of the Rideau River 

and twenty-five feet BELOW the level of Dow’s 

Lake, or would you rather have a house a hundred 

and twenty feet ABOVE the Rideau River. 

So there’s land to the south for the taking; let 

the home-buying season begin! 

For more stories about the history of OOS see 

www.oldottawasouth.ca/HistoryProject.

Page 16 The th OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR 

July 2010 

AFTER THOUGHTS 

from Richard Ostrofsky 

of Second Thoughts Bookstore 

(now closed) 

www.secthoughts.com 

quill@travel-net.com 

This is my 68th summer. I’m 

definitely growing old before 

my very eyes and trying to 

understand what is happening to the 

man I used to be. By an odd coincidence, 

all my friends who were born 

around the same time as me are doing 

much the same. Accordingly, this column 

seems timely, in every sense of 

the word. If memory still serves, one 

of Trevanian’s books (I think it may 

be The Summer of Katya), begins 

with the hero asking himself “that 

most banal of all questions, ‘Where 

did it go?’ followed by “that rather 

less banal question, ‘What was it?’” 

As a suggestion on what to do with 

one’s later years, this may be the best 

I’ve ever seen. I don’t intend to answer 

it here, whether for myself or 

anyone else. Rather, this is a column 

on the problems of adaptation to this 

time of life, and my exploring of its 

uses. 

One of my father’s finest moments 

was his response when some 

patronizing functionary referred to 

him as ‘senior citizen.’ “I’m not a 

senior citizen,” he replied with anger. 

“I’m an old man!” I was still a boy 

when I heard him say that. Today I 

think that in rejecting that obnoxious 

euphemism, he was raging at our society’s 

whole way of thinking about 

aging and death. We hide it away. We 

deny it. We try to look young and feel 

young forever. I don’t feel my father’s 

rage exactly, but I share his point: Not 

By Bertolt Brecht 

Who built the seven gates of Thebes? 

The books are filled with names of kings. 

Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of 

stone? 

And Babylon, so many times destroyed. 

Who built the city up each time? In which of 

Becoming an Elder 

that people are entitled to any special 

respect because of their years, but 

that patronizing the old is stupid and 

self-defeating. The young will be old 

someday, if they have the luck to survive 

youth and middle age. And then 

they will face the issues that my father 

was facing, and that I am feeling 

now: not just their aging bodies, but 

the loss or retirement from life-roles 

(notably, parenting and work) and the 

corresponding loss of status. 

They will need a new identity 

for this time of life, because the selfunderstanding 

of earlier years no 

longer serves. Children grow up and 

have children of their own. You retire 

not just from work, but from your 

place and function in society. Your 

bodily drives and capabilities diminish. 

You see “the eternal footman hold 

your coat and snicker,” as Eliot put 

it. And you feel the fear, at least the 

awareness, of your own mortality. 

I’ll suggest that there are compensations 

in all of this, for persons who 

can let go of their previous lives – 

mourn them briefly perhaps, but then 

turn creatively to their present reality. 

You are an old person now, but also, 

in a real sense, you are a new one. No 

longer in the midst of worldy affairs, 

you have the privileges of an elder, 

contemplating life’s tumult as now, 

fundamentally, the problem of others. 

But you can still comment as you see 

fit. If people pay attention, you have 

a new and useful role to play. If they 

don’t, it is (you can see it as) their 

loss, and you’ve had the fun of selfexpression. 

If it’s true that the prospect of 

death “wonderfully concentrates the 

mind,” then you can enjoy the pleas- 

ures of concentration: writing, painting, 

puttering in your garden, playing 

with your grandchildren – really doing 

whatever turns you on, with fewer 

distractions. And you can learn – at 

last, at last – to take each day as it 

comes. There’s nothing to gain by fear 

or whining. I’ve already had a lucky 

and interesting life. What remains of 

it is still mine to make the most of. I 

have no cause for complaint. 

The basic existential problem 

in this time of life is that you could 

easily live another 20 years or more, 

or die from a fatal heart attack tomorrow. 

You have to be prepared for 

either case, use whatever time and 

energy remain to you, and greet death 

when it comes. 

At first, I resented it when young 

people offered me their seats on the 

bus. Thankfully, I’m still in pretty 

good shape, and still able to stand on 

these aging legs. “What do you take 

me for?” I wanted to say. But I’ve gotten 

over this silliness, and learned to 

appreciate their courtesy. There’s little 

enough decency in the world, and 

we should cherish what there is. Now 

I either accept the seat gratefully, or 

decline with thanks if I feel like standing 

– as I often do because I spend so 

much time sitting – reading, writing, 

surfing the Web whether for knowledge, 

or the remaining other interests 

of a dirty old man. 

For what it’s worth, I’ll repeat a 

conversation I had in a park in Montreal, 

just the other day. My 3-year-old 

grand daughter was with me, playing 

happily by herself, and I was sitting 

on a bench keeping an eye on her. A 

bit later, a really old man, easily in his 

eighties, sat down next to me. He had 

A Worker Reads History 

Lima’s houses, 

That city glittering with gold, lived those who built 

it? 

In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished 

Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome 

Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? 

Over whom 

Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. 

been walking in the park alone – without 

a cane even – and I think he wanted 

some company. “Enjoying your age?” 

he said, seeing a smile on my face as I 

watched the little girl. I shrugged. “It 

has its ups and downs,” I answered. 

“How old are you?” he asked next. 

When I told him, he exclaimed, “Oh, 

you’re still a youngster!” All I could 

say was that he looked pretty spry 

himself. And then we just sat, watching 

the child play and the grass grow. 

I have no idea what he was thinking, 

but my own thought was that I had 

never gotten such a comment before, 

nor felt so much like a codger. 

There is a novel by Robert Graves 

called Seven Days In New Crete, (also 

published as Watch the North Wind 

Rise), about a utopian, matriarchal 

society of the future, dominated by 

its poets. One of its conceits is the 

so-called ‘Nonsense House’ to which 

its citizens retire when they reach a 

crtain age. The point of the place was 

to serve not just as an old folk’s home 

but as a playpen for their eccentricity. 

These ‘seniors’ had earned the privilege 

of doing as they pleased, and 

could now be as silly as they liked, 

because no one paid any attention to 

their games. I can tell a similar story 

about one of my step-grandmothers, 

a woman in her nineties at that time, 

who liked to ‘hisass’ her husband by 

pinching his bum. She played similar 

games with almost everyone she 

liked, including me – at that time, a 

mere boy of 45. Whenever someone 

commented, she would explain solemnly, 

“I’m getting old you know!” 

Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis 

of the legend 

The night the seas rushed in, 

The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves. 

Young Alexander conquered India. 

He alone? 

Caesar beat the Gauls. 

Was there not even a cook in his army? 

Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet 

was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? 

Frederick the Greek triumphed in the Seven Years 

War. 

Who triumphed with him? 

Each page a victory 

At whose expense the victory ball? 

Every ten years a great man, 

Who paid the piper? 

So many particulars. 

So many questions. 

(Public Domain)

July 2010 

Squirrel Talk 

By Michaël Gazier 

Now that we are back in Ottawa and are enjoying 

the summer, we are thinking about Japanese 

gardening skills to enhance our own garden. 

The Japanese appear to be fantastic gardeners, able 

to make a 3x2 meter garden wonderfully delicate and 

complex, or able to create intense high yield gardens 

when more space is available. Oddly, they have fields 

of rice between many buildings or in fields – the odd 

part is that these are usually flooded so they look like 

large flat pools. 

This weekend we planted a delicate red Japanese 

Maple Tree that we intend to keep small by trimming 

it properly. Bonsai maintenance is an interesting and 

fun art but we have not tried it on full sized trees. 

Isn’t it nice to bring back skills or ideas from trips or 

vacations ? It can be a recipe from a relative, a picture 

of a landscape we wish to make a painting of, a new 

technique for mountain biking we learned from a 

friend, or simply the rediscovered skill of spending an 

hour relaxing without music or tv or computer. 

As we were in Japan during the national golden 

week vacation, we enjoyed seeing hundreds of 

families go out for picnics and fun in large parks in 

the middle of Tokyo, enjoying time together under 

the still blooming Sakura (cherry blossom) trees and 

near old heritage structures and zen displays. From 

what we gathered, Dads work very late quite often 

so these family days with the children must have 

been very special days. Thinking about local parks 

and keeping heritage buildings intact, we wonder 

what will become of Landsdowne. Terrible financial 

terms entirely favour developers and allow them to 

build a commercial mall in a public park (do we really 

need more shopping ? what for ?) Heritage is thrown 

overboard along with the gift from our grandparents 

of the public park that is Landsdowne, in exchange 

for inflated developer profit and short term vision. 

The promise of a renewed stadium causes politicians 

and citizens to forget site studies by the city and rules 

and ethics regarding single sourcing, and to ignore the 

transportation nightmare such a plan will bring. The 

City will have made a choice by the time this edition 

is printed and we can only hope common sense will 

have put a halt to such an irresponsible plan, as there 

are no Animé heroes who will solve resulting woes 

here. 

Our memories of lovely Sakura trees in bloom 

To Care For Small Details 

and of our arrival in Tokyo still permeate our minds. 

Tokyo seems to be a collection of villages / areas 

that are all easy to visit and to walk or bike between, 

or to take a metro or train to. We slept in a ryokan 

(inn) in Yanaka (Tokyo area) slightly north of the 

main tourist zones - a pretty area with many lucky 

white cat statues and old narrow streets peppered with 

temples. Ryokan have beds directly on a raised floor, 

as do many temple lodgings. Many hotels (including 

expensive ones) have a common shower area instead 

of in-room bathrooms. Usually men / women are 

separate but not always, with the showers located on 

the walls at half height and around a common large 

tub known as Onsen which ideally are fed with hot 

spring water. From Yanaka, we were able to walk all 

the way to the Emperor’s palace, through university 

grounds, past many temples and magnificent 

gardens. We particularly enjoyed zen moss gardens 

with miniature rolling hills of moss, and were very 

impressed by Shinto gates towering greater than 50 

feet tall ( eg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii ). Be 

Page 17 

forewarned that if you want snacks, you’ll be eating 

japanese red bean patties inside of a rice pouch: we 

certainly learned to enjoy them by the end of the trip 

! You never become thirsty as there is always a drink 

distributor along the way, for hot and cold drinks. 

These drink distributors often talk – the continuous 

talking in Japan is striking as it occurs in the trains, 

public places, and even ATM machines. The speech 

is gentle, and often preceded by a short musical song. 

We enjoyed noticing the various levels of respect that 

are precisely connoted in speech tone and syllable 

length. The respect level was clear to us even though 

we couldn’t understand the words, for example we 

fondly remember a business man on a cell phone who 

drew out his last syllable precisely and cut the end off 

cleanly as if with a Samuraï sword. 

We cannot list each area in Tokyo as each has its 

charms and we have dozens of vivid memories there. 

We will say that seeing the photos in the guides were a 

pale reflection of reality – beautiful photos but lacking 

the dynamic quality of being there, lacking the wind 

singing through a gate designed to do so, the constant 

but gentle noises, the view of a falling Sakura flower, 

the sense of wonder being there, and even the sense 

of being lost for a minute or two. Walking through a 

endless flow of people downtown at rush hour with 

people visible for kilometers was quite the experience, 

often contrasted the next moment when entering a 

temple and enjoying deep peace and the mystery of 

Buddha statues. The number of experiences and areas 

we visited was staggering, each unique and lovely. 

On the last night of our trip and 4,000 photos plus 

100 films later, we had a nostalgic drink at the top of 

a tower in the Ginza area of Tokyo, looking down at 

all the night lights and many shops and restaurants. 

This was a fantastic trip but we were ready to head on 

home after 3 weeks of tireless travel. 

We’ve included two photos, one of a black 

“crow”castle ( the amazing one at Matsumoto ) 

[above] and of a historic recreation horse race event in 

Kyoto [left] which included monks to bless each race 

and the horses and the winners. The horses were wild 

and fast and almost impossible to control! 

As final but separate topic, local budding artists 

looking for a challenge might like to read http://goo.gl/ 

kUDb to get a chance to be known at the Guggenheim. 

Write us at taniamich@gmail.com .

Page 18 

By Eli MacLaren 

Every June, Trinity Anglican 

Church (1230 Bank St.) 

ushers in the summer with 

an outdoor service and picnic. Some 

programming ends for the year, the 8 

and 10 a.m. Sunday Eucharists merge 

into a single service at 9:30 a.m., and 

regulars are known to drift away for 

a time to cottages, campgrounds, 

backyards, and other precincts of the 

season’s pleasure. 

This year’s picnic took place on 

6 June. For only the second time in 

thirteen years, inclement weather 

forced the fun inside. Under a festive 

banner tied between two pillars 

(instead of trees), a short service 

The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR July 2010 

Trinity Anglican Church Picnic 

was held downstairs in Bender Hall, 

followed by the usual, miraculously 

generous pot luck lunch. 

“Oh no!” one well-dressed 

woman was heard to exclaim upon 

entering the building and finding the 

doors to the sanctuary closed. “It’s the 

Church Picnic, and we didn’t bring 

anything!” 

“No matter,” replied her husband, 

doffing his jacket and rolling up his 

sleeves. “They need eaters too, don’t 

they?” 

When all had had their fill of 

lunch—kids (instead of wasps) 

buzzing around the desserts—the 

chairs were cleared away and the real 

program commenced. The first of the 

games was a children’s tug-o’-war, 

made interesting by the slippery floor 

indoors. The one side could make but 

little headway, the other benefiting 

from the help of a rather large child 

in yellow at rope’s end—Mr. Dan 

Beer, father of three. Upon seeing 

this, the other adults embraced their 

inner child too and soon everyone 

was hauling, leaning, and pulling with 

a rhythm that would have impressed 

the voyageurs. Next came potatosack 

races, orange-on-spoon relays, 

three-legged races, and a wicked little 

ice-breaker in which one must hold 

an orange under one’s chin and—no 

hands—pass it to one’s neighbour. 

“Pleased to meet you, Reverend… I 

beg your pardon.” A short ceremony 

in which Church School teachers 

were thanked for their volunteering 

marked an end to the celebration. 

For more information about 

Trinity Anglican Church, please 

feet joining in with the Big Soul Project, 

Charley Gordon, and other performers 

for a rousing finale of “This 

Little Light of Mine”. 

Doug Small, former bureau chief 

for Global Television and a Trinity parishioner, 

acted as Master of Cermonies 

for the concert. At the close of the 

first half of the concert, Doug invited 

the Executive Director of KAIROS, 

Mary Corkery, who was present, to 

speak. As well as expressing her appreciation 

to the audience and performers, 

she shared further details 

about the situation in which KAIROS 

finds itself. 

The audience included the Reverend 

Andrea Thomas and Father John 

DeCoste, two of the three clergy from 

visit our web site at http://www. 

trinityottawa.ca/. 

Kairos Concert.... Cont’d from next page 

the KAIROS churches of Old Ottawa 

South who had jointly signed a letter 

last Ash Wednesday to the federal 

minister responsible, the Honourable 

Beverley ODA, that urged reinstatement 

of KAIROS funding. The third 

clergy, the Reverend Meg Illman- 

White was unable to attend due to a 

United Church obligation. Councillor 

Clive Doucet and Member of Parliament 

Paul Dewar attended the concert. 

During intermission and at a reception 

after the concert, the audience 

had opportunities to learn more about 

KAIROS, while enjoying refreshments 

donated by local merchants. 

The Ottawa Valley Music Festival 

(Photos by M.A. Thompson)

July 2010 

By Robert Taylor 

A 

sell-out audience braved a 

sweltering night to make the 

Concert for KAIROS at Trinity 

Anglican Church on May 28 a resounding 

success. 

This memorable celebration of 

KAIROS, a non-governmental organization 

which has worked for many 

years to promote social justice in Canada 

and around the globe, netted over 

$6,700 that will go directly to the beleaguered 

organization, whose work 

has been placed in serious jeopardy 

by the sudden decision of the federal 

government late last year to cease 

funding. 

The concert was organized by 

Trinity, Saint Margaret Mary Roman 

Catholic Church, and Southminister 

United Church, the three Old Ottawa 

South churches affiliated with KAI- 

ROS. All the performers donated their 

talent. Technical support was donated 

and a number of local merchants contributed 

to the success of the concert 

through their donations and freely 

given services. 

Two excellent, but very different, 

choral groups anchored the concert, 

beginning and end. The Ottawa Val- 

ley Music Festival, a mixed men and 

women’s choir led by Mervin Fick, 

opened the program with a generous 

choral program of uplifting pieces 

that set the standard for the rest of the 

evening. 

The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 19 

The Charley Gordon Group followed, 

offering jazz with a whiff of 

folk, with Charley on flugelhorn and 

trumpet, Ann Downey on bass, Vince 

Halfhide on guitar, and Scott War- 

Matthew Larkin on electronic keyboard accompanying vocalist Laura Hawley 

Kairos Concert A Sell-Out Success 

ren on drums. Both Ann and Vince 

provided vocals. Among the group’s 

pieces were original compositions by 

Charley and Vince. 

The first half of the concert closed 

with well-known organist and choral 

director Matthew Larkin on elec- 

The Charley Gordon Group 

Big Soul Project led by Roxanne Goodman 

tronic keyboard accompanying vocalist 

Laura Hawley, who enchanted the 

audience with a number of standards, 

including the last minute addition of 

Gershwin’s “Summertime” as their 

wry comment upon the temperature in 

the church. 

The entire second half of the concert 

was given over to Big Soul Project, 

a community-based choir led by 

Roxanne Goodman. Close to seventy 

singers and musicians filled Trinity’s 

sanctuary and rocked the church with 

their joyous, upbeat gospel and soul 

music that featured one talented soloist 

after another. At the end of the 

concert, the entire audience was on its 

Cont’d on previous page

Page 20 

By Linda Burr 

Saturday, February 13, 2010, was 

crisp and cold – a perfect day for 

some Winterlude fun. Marilyn 

(not her real name) and her 11-yearold 

daughter decided to go for a skate 

and take in some of the festivities. 

That afternoon, they headed up Bank 

Street toward the canal with skates 

in hand, looking forward to enjoying 

themselves. On the way to their 

destination, though, they had a strange 

encounter. 

As the pair were walking up Bank 

Street toward Southminster United, 

they noticed a woman in front of the 

church. She was standing quite close 

to the sidewalk, and was dressed all 

in black, from head to foot. She was 

wearing a long black wool coat, black 

gloves, and a large hat. The collar of 

her black blouse appeared to be all 

ruffled with fine material, like silk. 

These were no ordinary clothes, and 

Marilyn realized that the woman was 

perfectly dressed in a period costume 

of perhaps circa 1910. As they drew 

closer, Marilyn could see she was a 

young woman, perhaps in her late 20s, 

with dark hair swept up under her large 

hat. 

Marilyn wanted to speak to the 

woman to find out more about the 

marvellous outfit she had on. But 

when she saw the woman’s face, she 

hesitated. Her expression was neither 

friendly nor inviting – in fact, she 

looked quite unapproachable, and 

her eyes were particularly intense. 


Woman in Black: an OOS Mystery 

Instinctively, Marilyn decided not to 

speak to her after all. 

Perhaps the woman was dressed for 

Winterlude, as part of the festivities, 

Marilyn thought. The Bytown Museum 

often has volunteers dressed in period 

costume, who animate the festival sites 

along the canal. Or she could have 

been coming from a funeral, since she 

was in front of the church, although her 

dress was not the kind usually seen at 

funerals today. Was she going to some 

event connected with the Billings 

Estate Museum, not far away? All of 

these scenarios seemed possible, but 

still, something did not seem right. Her 

outfit was just too perfect. 

As they drew close and passed her 

on the sidewalk, they smelled a strong 

and unpleasant odour, like an odour 

of decay, or something very old and 

rotten. How strange! 

Once past the spot where the 

woman was standing, Marilyn glanced 

back. Now the woman was looking 

at her with a strange and serious 

expression. What could it mean? They 

continued down to the canal, and sat 

down to put on their skates. It occurred 

to Marilyn that the woman she had 

seen may have been a spirit, and not a 

real person at all. 

Who was the woman in black? 

When I heard Marilyn’s story, I was 

intrigued and wanted to know more. 

Was she a real person? Or was she a 

spirit from another time? First, I wanted 

to find out if she could have been a real 

person after all. 

To begin, I contacted the Bytown 

Museum. I described the woman’s 

outfit, and where she was seen 

standing. The program director assured 

me that that no one matching that 

description would have been among 

their volunteers out in costume that 

day. Next I checked with Southminster 

United, but they reported no funeral 

was held that day at the church. There 

was a rehearsal for a comic opera at the 

church on February 13, and we were 

able to examine some photos from that 

event; however, no one matched this 

description. Next, I spoke to the folks 

at Billings Estate, who told me they 

did not have anyone out in costume. 

Finally, I contacted Haunted Walks 

of Ottawa, but they also assured me 

it could not have been anyone from 

their group. None of these possibilities 

seemed to lead to a real person who 

would be likely to wear such a costume. 

If the mysterious woman in black 

was a spirit, why did she appear to 

Marilyn in that place and time? What 

event could have brought her there that 

day? Did anyone else notice her? There 

were a lot of people walking up Bank 

Street that afternoon. If she was a real 

person, who was she? 

Perhaps you can help us. Did you 

see the mysterious woman in black? 

Do you have any clue as to who she 

might be, whether among the living 

or otherwise? If you saw her, or have 

an idea of who she was, please send 

an email to the OSCAR at oscar@ 

oldottawasouth.ca and help us solve 

the mystery of the woman in black. 

July 2010 

Secure Your Vehicle 

And Your Valuables! 

On June 13, 2010 the Central 

East District team deployed a 

‘Bait’ bicycle in the By Ward 

Market and Rideau Street area. Within 

seconds, the first arrest was made. 

Over a two hour period, three males 

were arrested and charged with various 

Criminal Code and Controlled 

Drugs and Substances Act offences. 

At no time did the bicycle sit more 

than ten minutes after deployment before 

being stolen. 

Two of the three males arrested 

do not reside in the Market district. 

Just a reminder to anyone leaving 

a parked vehicle or bicycle unattended: 

Please secure your vehicle and do 

not leave valuables in plain view. 

Make the Right Call! 

Call 9-1-1 for life threatening emergencies, 

613-230-6211 for non-life threatening 

emergencies, 

or the Ottawa Police Call Centre at 

613-236-1222, ext. 7300, to make 

non-emergency reports for incidents 

such as theft, property damage, missing 

persons or stolen vehicles. 

OSCAR Needs 

Volunteers 

For Monthly 

Distribution in OOS

July 2010 

Books on Friederike’s bedside table... 

Deloume Road by Matthew Hooton (Canada, BC). 

Alfred A. Knopf Canada 2010. 

This is a rare gem, set on Vancouver Island during the 

first Gulf War, is a beautifully written, gripping novel 

that weaves mystery and sorrow, love and friendship, 

tragedy and renewal into the beauty of a summer 

landscape. (adapted from inside cover) 

Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuko (Philippines-Canada, 

Quebec). Hamish Hamilton 2010. 

From the Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize 

Books on Mary Anne’s bedside floor. 

Morotocycles & Sweetgrass by Drew 

Hayden Taylor (Canada, ON) Alfred A. 

Knopf, 2010. 

“If the great Ojibway trickster 

Nanabush wrote fiction, I imagine he’d 

write just like Drew Hayden Taylor. A 

wisdom exists in these pages that only 

comes from someone who writes from 

his heart.” Joseph Boyden (front cover). 

Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant 

(Canada, Nfld) Vintage Canada, 2009. 

“Come, Thou Tortoise is many things: 

a story about finding belonging, a 

paean to the importance of family, a 

commentary on relationships, and a 

kindhearted critique of modern life.” 

(Quill & Quire.) 

The Necessary Revolution: Working 

Together to Create a Sustainable 

World by Peter Senge, Bryan Smith, 

Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur, and Sara 

Schley (US) Broadway Books, 2010, 

“Brimming with inspiring stories from 

those individuals and organizations 

tackling social and environmental 

problems around the globe. The 


Friederike’s Summer Reading Recommendations 

(2008). “A brilliantly conceived, stylishly executed, 

[this novel] covers a large and tumultuous historical 

period with seemingly effortless skill. It is also 

ceaselessly entertaining, frequently raunchy, and 

effervescent with humour.” (Prize Panel of Judges) 

Chef by Jaspreet Singh (Pakistan-Canada, AB). 

Vintage Canada 2010. 

Finalist of several Canadian and International Awards, 

this novel, mesmeric, mournful and intensely lyrical, 

is a brave and compassionate tale of hope, love and 

memory, set against the devastatingly beautiful, warscarred 

backdrop of occupied Kashmir. (from back 

cover)Canada 

The Knife Sharpener’s Bell by Rhea Tregebov 

(Canada, SK, MB and BC). Coteau Books, 2009 

Annette Gershom and her family try to escape the 

Great Depression in 1930s Winnipeg by returning 

“home” to the Soviet Union. This story if remarkable 

breadth and extraordinary prose is the seldom-told 

tale of those who undertook that odyssey, of loyalty 

and betrayal, heroism and fear. (from back cover) 

Cloud Of Bone by Bernice Morgan (Canada, Nfld). 

Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2007. 

From the best-selling author of Random Passage 

comes this masterful, engrossing story of the last 

surviving Beothuk, a World War II deserter and a 

recently widowed English woman at the end of the 

twentieth century (from: inside book cover) 

Necessary Revolution reveals how 

ordinary people at every level are 

leading this revolution and working 

collaboratively across boundaries to 

explore and implement unprecedented 

solutions for an increasingly 

interdependent world.” (back cover) 

The Value of Nothing: Why 

Everything Costs So Much More 

Than we Think by Raj Patel (UK, US) 

Harper Collins, 2009. 

“With great lucidity and confidence in 

a dazzling array of fields, Patel reveals 

how we inflate the cost of things we 

can (and often should) live without, 

while assigning absolutely no value to 

the resources we all need to survive.” 

(Naomi Klein, back cover). 

The Global Forest by Diana Beresford- 

Kroeger (Canada, ON) Viking, 2010. 

“Drawing on the voice and style of 

the Irish Seanchai, the traditional 

storytellers who drifted through the 

landscape at night visiting farmsteads, 

Beresford-Kroeger has crafted an 

unforgettable and highly original work 

of natural history. Her indisputable 

passion for the subject matter will 

inspire readers to look at trees, and their 

own connections to the natural world, 

with newfound awe.” (front cover). 

The Wayfinders by Wade Davis (US, 

Canada, BC) Anansi Press. 2009 

This was the basis for the 2009 CBC 

Massey Lecture in which Wade Davis 

leads the reader on a thrilling journey 

around the globe to celebrate the wisdom 

of the world’s indigenous cultures. 

Wade Davis’ passion and commitment 

to these cultures infects the reader with 

a humbling desire to know more. 

Giordano Bruno Philosopher/Heretic 

by Ingrid Rowland (Italy) U of Chicago 

Press, 2008. 

This is a thoughtful intellectual 

biography of the enigmatic historical 

Bruno, who Rowland shows to be 

more than a visionary and martyr to 

science. In tracing his wanderings 

through sixteenth century Europe, she 

demonstrates that Bruno is in the same 

league as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, 

Johannes Kepler, Galileo and Leonardo. 

How Markets Fail: The Logic of 

Economic Calamities by John Cassidy 

(UK, US) Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 

2009. 

In How Markets Fail, John Cassidy 

presents a highly readable new 

understanding of the economy, starting 

with a clear understanding of Adam 

Smith who understood the dangers 

of individual behavioural biases and 

kinks—such as overconfidence, envy, 

and myopia, which today has given 

rise to troubling macroeconomic 

phenomena, such as oil price spikes, 

CEO greed cycles, and boom and bust 

waves in housing. Cassidy warns that 

in today’s economic crisis, conforming 

to antiquated orthodoxies is downright 

dangerous. 

Transient Dancing by Gale Zoe 

Garnett (Canada, ON) McArthur & 

Company, 2003. 

With her usual flair and drama, Garnett 

paints a history of the modern American 

civil rights struggle, and the arrival of 

the age of AIDS, Her travels range 

from Washington and Hollywood, to 

Sweden, a Greek island, and finally, 

London. The book is a messy, tender, 

and funny story-telling dance. 

Small Island by Andrea Levy (UK) 

Headline, 2004. 

“Small Island is an astonishing tour de 

force by Andrea Levy. Juggling four 

voices, she illuminates a little known 

aspect of recent British history with wit 

Page 21 

The Thousand Autumns Of Jacob De Zoet by 

David Mitchell (UK). Knopf Canada (Jun 29 2010). 

This new “dazzling good” novel from the award 

winning author, set in Japan, “transports us in the 

year 1799. For one Dutch clerk, Jacob de Zoet, a dark 

adventure of duplicity, love, guilt, faith and murder is 

about to begin - and all the while, unbeknownst to him 

and his feuding compatriots, the axis of global power 

is turning... (from the Introduction) 

Wanting by Richard Flanagan (Australia), Harper 

Collins 2008. 

Linking events in the remote penal colony of Van 

Diemen’s Land in 1844 with the disappearance of Sir 

John Franklin and his ships on an expedition to find 

the fabled North West Passage, the novel transforms 

into a remarkable meditation on the ways in which 

desire - and its denial - shape our lives. (adapted from 

inside book cover) 

Hooked On Canadian Books. The Good, The Better, 

and The Best Canadian Novels since 1984. by T.F. 

Rigelhof (Canada). Comorant Books. 2010 

[This excellent resource book] “is a celebration 

of novels written in English by Canadian writers 

that have made a difference in this reader’s life and 

have the power to do the same for you.” (From the 

Introduction, cited on the inside book cover) 

(Friederike Knabe regularly reviews 

books for OSCAR) 

Mary Anne’s Summer Reading Recommendations 

and wisdom. A compassionate account 

of the problems of post war immigration, 

it cannot fail to have a strong modern 

resonance. (Orange Prize Judge). 

Curiosity by Joan Thomas (Canada, 

MB) McClelland & Stewart, 2010. 

“Curiosity” reveals a beautifully crafted 

evocation of Lyme Regis, Dorset at 

the moment in the early 1800’s when 

fossils made the leap from curiosity 

to scientific laboratory. At the centre 

of the novel is Mary Anning who was 

the first woman fossilist, pre-dating 

Darwin by several decades. Through 

Mary, Joan Thomas develops themes 

that are central to Victorian England: 

the heartbreak and injustice of the 

English class system, the challenge 

of paleontology to nineteenth century 

religious faith, the confining restraints 

of gender and class, and above all, the 

longings of the human heart. 

Reason, Faith, and Revolution: 

Reflections on the God Debate by 

Terry Eagleton (UK) Yale University 

Press, 2009. 

Eagleton is that rarity, a non-ideological 

Marxist with a keen understanding of 

and sympathy for the human condition, 

not to mention an informed as well as 

sharp sense of humor. Serious Christians 

may be his most appreciative readers. 

Eagleton demolishes the ‘superstitious’ 

view of God held by most atheists and 

agnostics and criticizes institutional 

Christianity for a betrayal of a 

revolutionary Christian Gospel. 

Books of Poetry: Airstream Land 

Yacht by Ken Babstock. Bloom by 

Michael Lista. The Irrationalist by 

Suzanne Buffam. Patient Frame by 

Steven Heighton. 

(Mary Anne Thompson is 

the editor of OSCAR)


July 2010 

BOOK REVIEW 

Every Lost Country 

by Steven Heighton 

Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Canada 2010 

ISBN: 978-0-307-39739-3 

Reviewed by: 

Friederike Knabe 

The 2006 Nangpa La shooting 

incident in one of the most 

spectacular mountain regions 

of the world - the High Himalayas 

between Nepal and the Tibetan 

Autonomous Region of China - was 

the impetus for Stephen Heighton’s 

richly imagined multifaceted novel 

about personal dreams and failures, 

courage, endurance and love. Starting 

out from the factual episode in which 

a summit climbing team at the Nepali 

Every Lost Country by Steven Heighton 

border observed and filmed a group of 

Tibetan pilgrims attempting to reach 

the nearest mountain pass into Nepal, 

pursued and shot at by Chinese soldiers, 

the author constructs an actionpacked 

narrative, that is embedded in 

his first-hand knowledge of the region 

and the Tibetan culture, and enriched 

by his philosophical viewpoints. 

Canadian author Steven Heighton, 

known for his much praised earlier 

novel “Afterlands”, is also an 

accomplished poet. His beautifully 

crafted evocative depiction of the 

regions landscapes, with its stark 

changes in climate and vistas during 

day and night time hours, and 

otherworldly sensations experienced 

by high altitude mountaineers, 

provide a strong integrating theme for 

the novel. The narrator, addressing at 

the beginning one of the protagonists, 

a first time climber, tries to find words 

that rise beyond description: “ Air 

this thin turns anyone into a mystic. 

Dulling the mind, it dulls distinctions, 

slurs the border between abstractions 

- right or wrong - or apparent 

opposites - dead or alive, past or 

present [...] this mental twilight is a 

surprise as rewarding as the scenery.” 

Several parallel narrative streams, 

starting out as one, and continuing 

in two and three alternating strands, 

and seen from different protagonists’ 

perspectives, eventually overlap 

and come together again in deeply 

moving ways. The climb of a still 

unconquered Himalayan summit, 

named Kyatruk in the novel, inspires 

and challenges the team and, 

intimately, its leader Wade Lawson. 

He could not have assembled a 

more diverse, complex and strong 

set of individuals for his team, 

By Neil Wilson 

each with distinctive goals for their 

participation. 

The reader is completely 

transposed into the middle of the action. 

An essential participant is Dr. Lewis 

Book, an experienced “humanitarian 

doctor”. With many years living in 

and out of crisis zones, he is totally 

committed to always helping the 

victims in total disregard for his own 

safety. Completely in character, he 

rushes across the border into Tibet to 

assist those wounded by the shooting 

and is caught by the Chinese soldiers 

and marched off together with the 

captured Tibetan pilgrims and Amaris 

McRae, the team’s Chinese-Canadian 

photographer who has filmed the attack. 

Entirely believable and thoughtfully 

presented, the author delves into the 

hard realities of the Tibetan conflict 

between those who strive to maintain 

their traditional life and those who 

see progress in cooperating with the 

Chinese. 

Heighton effectively brings out 

the inner struggles that Lewis and 

Amaris experience when reassessing 

their personal convictions. Lewis, 

especially, is forced by circumstances 

to question his motives as a doctor 

and his moral integrity as a human 

being. Among the Tibetans caught 

up in the dramatic events of arrest, 

incarceration and flight, Buddhist 

nun Choden Lhamu stands out for 

her serene and wise guidance and 

counsel. Yet, even she is challenged 

and shaken in her deeply held beliefs. 

“Air this thin turns anyone into a 

mystic” is taken up later again, only 

to lead into another major theme in 

the novel: “It looks, even now, like 

a sanctuary above all borders and 

distinctions... “ Heighton reinforces 

With the addition of the Ottawa International 

Writers Festival to the cultural mix of our 

community, Ottawa South is now home to 

one of the most exciting literary celebrations anywhere. 

Since April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the 

Mayfair Theatre and Southminster United Church have 

hosted over 50 of the most interesting and accomplished 

writers. And we have our fingers crossed that the Festival 

is here for the long haul. 

Some of the events like the Ayaan Hirsi Ali event 

were sold out and that’s why becoming a Festival Member 

makes sense. As a Member, events are free and 

you guaranteed front row reserved seating. If that’s not 

enough how about 10% off book purchases during all 

Festival and year-round events as well as with purchases 

at Nicholas Hoare Books on Sussex! 

Sign on to make a minimum monthly donation of 

$20 and become a Festival Member. Donations make it 

possible for the Festival to continue it’s free Children’s 

Literacy programs including Step Into Stories and Think 

Ink which supports writers in the schools. These events 

his vision of a space beyond borders; 

it complements his sense of country, 

a place that is not restrictively 

delineated as a geographical place. 

Each protagonist has her or his own 

understanding, from the small or 

fractured family to the vastness of a 

region, from the nostalgia for a past 

love to the urge to care for others in 

crises zones... Lewis, more than the 

others, ponders his need for home, 

torn as he is between his vocation as 

a “crisis doctor” and those he keeps 

leaving behind: “ A family is its own 

small country and culture and he has 

been displaced from his [...] But each 

posting marked him until a part of 

him was indelibly soiled, a ghost that 

leaves bloody shoeprints everywhere 

he goes. Meanwhile his own world 

felt less and less like a refuge: 

an alien culture of complacency, 

ingratitude, the petulant expectation 

of ever-increasing comfort and plenty. 

[...] Now, it’s only here among the 

doctorless that he still feels he matters, 

belongs.” Lewis is further being 

provoked by his troubled daughter 

Sophana, who is accompanying this 

expedition. Her emotional growth 

during this journey’s many ordeals is 

one of the many heartwarming aspects 

of the novel. 

Every Lost Country can be read 

on different levels, each fascinating 

in itself, yet each is enriched by the 

other levels. It is as much a dramatic 

adventure story, and at times a pageturner, 

as it is a deeply reflective and 

lyrical exploration of human nature, 

our drive to reach our goals, whether 

they are fame and fortune, or moral 

integrity, altruism, or serenity and 

love for others. 

Join Ottawa International Writers Festival in its 

OOS Home - The Mayfair Theatre 

Fall Schedule: Oct 21 - 26 

are offered to the School Boards and libraries free of 

charge! Last year alone, 8,528 children enjoyed the inspiration 

of rubbing shoulders with real live writers in 

participating schools throughout the region thanks to 

your generosity. Every $4 donation opens the door of 

opportunity for one more student. 

Over the years the Festival has offered free writing 

workshops at Centre 454 a drop in space for the homeless, 

as well as with Corrections Canada and has subsidized 

tickets for women’s shelters. 

We tried to get a sneak preview of who’s coming to 

the Fall Edition of The Writers Festival, October 21-26, 

but organizers are holding off until the full line-up is announced. 

Between now and then, however, they did let 

it slip that some huge talent will be taking the stage with 

pre-Festival events featuring Jane Urquhart, David Suzuki, 

Margaret Macmillan, Tim Cook, Joseph Boyden 

and John Ralston Saul among others. 

The Festival is always looking for dynamic people 

with a little or a lot of time to give. If you are interested 

in becoming a Volunteer or becoming a Festival Member, 

please email Leslie Wilson (leslie@writersfestival. 

org) or call (613) 562-1243.

The th July 2010 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR 

Page 23 

OSCAR Interview with Steven Heighton about Every Lost Country 

Steven Heighton 

Photo by Mary Huggard 

F. Knabe Interviewed Steven 

Heighton June 2010 

1. Having listened to your reading’s 

introduction to Every Lost Country at 

the Writersfestival in May 2010, I was 

struck by the long gestation period for 

your new novel. Could you summarize 

for the OSCAR readers what made 

you want to write about Tibet and 

what role did the 2006 incident play 

to become the starting point? 

S.H.: Right, I guess a gestation period 

of almost a quarter of a century is 

pretty long for any novel. To boil 

down the process to a paragraph: in 

the fall of 1986, in the course of a 

year-and-a-half-long period of travel 

and work in Asia, I travelled for over 

a month in Tibet, which the occupying 

Chinese authorities had opened to 

foreigners only a year before—and 

which they closed again in 1987, 

in the wake of a Tibetan uprising. 

(Eventually travellers were allowed 

back into Tibet, but never under the 

same conditions of relative freedom.) 

So I’d been very fortunate to get a 

glimpse, through that small window, 

of the old Tibet—a Tibet that in the last 

quarter-century has largely vanished. 

Everything about it impressed me: the 

culture, the landscape, the generous 

and good-humoured character of the 

people. In the years after my time 

there, I kept wanting to write about 

Tibet and the Tibetans, but I could 

never find the right premise. I wrote 

a few passable poems, I abandoned 

several bad short stories. I moved 

on to other things. But in the fall of 

2006—almost twenty years to the day 

after I’d arrived in Tibet—a group 

of unarmed Tibetan refugees, trying 

to flee the occupation and join the 

Dalai Lama in India, were attacked by 

Chinese border guards in the Nangpa 

La, a high pass on the Nepalese 

border. Several were killed and 

many others captured and thrown in 

jail (where a number of them remain 

today, four years later). This atrocity 

was witnessed by a group of western 

mountain climbers who were at a base 

camp on the border, getting ready to 

attempt a high peak near Everest; 

during the attack and in the aftermath, 

the climbers debated whether to get 

involved or to go on with their climb. 

I was outraged by the killings 

and intrigued by the climbers’ moral 

dilemma and debate. I knew I finally 

had my material and would now be 

returning, in an imaginative way, 

to Tibet. So a fictionalized version 

of the Nangpa La incident serves as 

the launching point for Every Lost 

Country. 

2. You are as much a poet as a fiction 

author. Your affinity to poetry shines 

through very strongly in this novel. 

Do you find it easy to mix the two 

genres or can they conflict sometimes 

in your mind when you want to write 

about deeply felt issues? 

SH: Generally I find it easy to keep the 

genres separate. As a writer I’m driven 

by two basic impulses: lyrical and 

narrative. Certain ideas or emotions 

lend themselves to lyrical treatment 

and become poems, while others lend 

themselves to narrative treatment 

and become fiction. I’m not a fan 

of static, studiously beautiful Poet’s 

Novels, so when I write fiction I really 

try to tell a story. At the same time, 

my poet’s brain insists on a certain 

level of exactitude and euphony in the 

prose (or cacophony, if that’s what a 

scene or description calls for)—and at 

times, at key, climactic points in my 

novels, the language does morph into 

poetry. But that can’t be happening 

all the time, not in a book written in 

the realist mode. For one thing, too 

much beauty is kitsch, because life 

just isn’t like that. Realist novels 

have to possess the reek of the real. 

3. Your description of High 

Himalayan summit climbing and 

the “otherworldly sensations” that 

such exposure induces, is evoked at 

an intricate , almost intimate, level. 

How much is your portrayal based 

on your personal experiences in this 

region and have you undertaken a 

similar trek and climb that some of the 

characters attempt? 

SH: I’ve never believed in the “write 

what you know” nonsense that some 

creative writing teachers dish out. It’s 

just as valid to say “write what you 

don’t know and discover it in the 

telling.” The other thing to consider 

is the rich extrapolative capacity 

of the human imagination. I think 

writers should trust their ability to 

take a few small scraps of knowledge 

or experience and work them up into 

a full meal—a banquet—as fiction 

writers and poets have always done. 

In fact, I did go on a few treks in the 

Himalayas in 1986—and two years 

earlier in the Canadian Rockies, I did 

some highly informal and amateur 

rock climbing (if you can call it that). 

I think it was enough that I can now 

extrapolate and imagine what it might 

feel like to climb seriously. 

4. In the discussion at the 

Writersfestival, you used the quote “ 

the opposite of a hero is not a villain 

but a bystander”. Dr. Lewis Book, the 

medical member of the climbing team, 

has to struggle with the concepts of 

“bystander” vs. “participant” and 

the moral dilemma that these pose 

for him in a very personal way. At 

the same time, the novel seems to 

assign even the “bad” guys some 

characteristics that create empathy 

in the reader. Can you elaborate more 

on these concepts? 

SH: The quotation is from psychologist 

Philip Zimbardo. And it’s a dandy. I 

might have used it as an epigraph for 

Every Lost Country if I’d found it 

in time. But let me backtrack for a 

moment: basically I can only embark 

on big projects, like novels, if I feel 

obsessive enough about the story and 

the themes—and my recent obsession 

with ethical intervention and 

Canada’s need for a Good Samaritan 

law (as in France) helped me muster 

the energy and commitment needed to 

finish this book. My character, the 

humanitarian doctor, is unlike me in 

many ways, but he shares my sense 

that you sometimes have to cross 

borders and intervene. Basically he 

can’t face himself as a bystander—so, 

for him, there’s actually no dilemma, 

just unavoidable action. 

As for my sometimes-sympathetic 

treatment of the “bad guys,” I would 

say that a novel written for grownups 

should not contain “bad guys.” With 

a few exceptions, the proper textual 

homes for such beings are fairy 

tales, children’s books, cartoons, 

cowboy films, and the lesser grade 

of Hollywood film. In Every Lost 

Country the Chinese officer, Zhao, 

has participated in evil actions, but he 

himself is not evil, just flawed, weak 

and homesick. I guess I don’t want 

to make it too easy for the reader to 

know who to cheer for—I see that as 

cheating on the author’s part. 

5. Following on from the previous 

question and bringing the concept 

back to literature, you also mentioned 

the concept “activist literature”. 

How would you characterize such 

literature and how does it apply to 

your own work? 

SH: Activist literature? I can’t recall 

ever using the term but if you heard 

me say it, I must have. What I would 

argue about Every Lost Country 

and other books like it—books that 

combine a propulsive narrative with 

political content—is that on one 

level they should do all the things 

that novels have traditionally done 

(entertain, immerse the reader in new 

realities, give insight into character, 

etc. etc.) while also, as a kind of 

collateral benefit, provoking readers 

on a political level. In the case of 

my own novel, if readers get more 

interested in the predicament of the 

Tibetans, I will be very gratified. It’s 

the least I can do to repay the kindness 

of the Tibetan folks I met 24 years 

ago—some of whom helped nurse me 

through a nasty illness in Lhasa. 

6. In many ways Every Lost Country 

can be described as a “thriller” - why 

did you use this fast-moving format 

for a story that touches on many 

philosophical and moral questions 

and, given the environment it is set in, 

would possibly lend itself to a slower 

kind of narrative style? 

SH: I don’t think I’d call this book a 

thriller, any more than I would call 

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a 

thriller—but all the same, it’s a good 

question, and you’re far from the first 

to use the term. Certainly I could 

have paced the book more slowly, like 

my previous novel, Afterlands. But I 

wanted to try something different. I 

want every novel I write to be fresh, 

distinct from the one before, and 

I’d always wanted to write a book 

that readers could read in one day, 

assuming they had the leisure and 

inclination. In the case of Every Lost 

Country, I figured readers who craved 

a gripping story would be able to rip 

through the book in a few sittings, 

while readers more interested in the 

philosophical/moral questions you 

mention might take a little more time, 

then maybe read the book a second 

time, slower (the ultimate compliment 

a reader can pay). I’m lucky to be 

hearing back from a few readers who 

are doing just that. 

To put it another way, I 

wanted to create a sort of engaged 

tension in the reader—a tension 

between reading faster for the story 

and slowing down for the language 

and ideas. 

7. While Tibet is clearly at the centre 

of Every Lost Country, reading the 

novel suggests nevertheless that 

your interpretation of “lost country” 

encompasses much more than a 

country within defined borders. Is that 

a correct interpretation and could you 

share more of your thoughts on this 

question? 

SH: Yes, absolutely. One of the other 

lost countries, of course, is the land 

of solid, secure childhood that Sophie 

Book feels her father has shattered by 

travelling constantly and putting most 

of his energy into helping foreign 

strangers. Which of course is the 

other side of ethical intervention— 

if you’re too high-minded, you can 

neglect those who have a special 

claim to your time and attention. 

8. What impressions, reflections, and 

questions would you hope that the 

reader of this novel will take away 

with him- or herself? 

SH: Well, as I said before, I’d love it 

if readers became more interested in 

the predicament of the Tibetans, and 

more active in their support. On a 

purely literary level, I hope readers 

remember the story and the characters 

and their choices, and carry all those 

with them for a while as they make 

their way on through their lives.

The th Page 24 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR 

July 2010 

BACKYARD NATURALIST 

Can You Spot a Bat? 

by Linda Burr 

One summer day, my daughter and I found a small bat curled up in 

an old willow stump at Windsor Park. We peered in amazement 

at its little furry body, which seemed fragile and mysterious. Bats 

are secretive creatures, and it’s a rare event to see one during the daytime. 

This summer, when you’re out in the neighbourhood at dusk, look around 

and see if you can spot a fluttering bat. 

There are about six species of bats known to occur regularly in the 

Ottawa area. Two species come into more frequent contact with humans 

because they regularly make use of buildings: Big Brown Bats and Little 

Brown Bats. In the spring, these bats leave their winter hibernation sites 

and seek out smaller summer roosts. Attics of houses make ideal nursery 

colonies, where the females give birth to one baby (occasionally twins), 

born between late May and early July. These nursery colonies may be 

used year after year, because the bats like to return to the places they were 

born. 

Many people are afraid of bats, but once you know more about them, 

you’ll see there is nothing to fear. In fact, bats need our good will more 

than ever. If you find a bat flying around inside your home or cottage this 

summer, please don’t kill it. A much easier solution to get rid of the bat 

is to simply open a window, turn on the lights, and let the bat find its way 

out. Contrary to popular belief, bats can see quite well, and they can find 

an opening such as a window fairly easily. 

Cottagers and home-owners may discover bats roosting in their attics, 

and decide to evict them. The best plan, if bats must be evicted, is to wait 

until fall, when the bats depart, and seal up the entrances so they cannot 

get back in. If you do find a bat, don’t try to touch it or pick it up. Bats can 

carry rabies, and although rabies is very rare in bats, it’s better to play it 

safe. 

Bats are an important part of the delicate balance of nature, but 

we don’t always appreciate them or the role they play because of their 

secretive nighttime habits. All the bat species in our region feed on insects 

and consume many flying insects each night. Without predators to eat 

them, these bugs could become a serious problem for us. 

It is feared that many bats died off during the past winter from a 

condition that has bat scientists puzzled. The first case in Ontario of bats 

with “white nose syndrome” was confirmed last March from a hibernation 

cave in the Bancroft-Minden area. The syndrome gets its name from a 

white fungus that grows on the affected bats’ noses and wings during 

hibernation. The condition was first found on bats in New York State in 

2006, and has since spread throughout the northeastern US, and has now 

reached Canada. Its cause is still not known, but it has been responsible 

for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of bats so far in the US. 

If you do catch a glimpse of bats this summer, count yourself lucky – 

because there are probably fewer bats than ever before. 

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

backyard naturalist.


Page 25 

A HARD DAY’S PLAY 

By Mary P. 

Canada Day is coming up shortly! 

We love Events and Celebrations 

at Mary’s house, because 

Events and Celebrations mean 

crafts! And for Canada Day? Well, 

there is the tried and true hand-print 

flag, of course. We do them every 

year. Yes, the same craft, year after 

year. That’s called TRADITION, and 

children love traditions. 

Of course, it’s not like they remember 

a whole entire year ago, is 

it? But still, we’re building tradition. 

The parents enjoy it too, I tell myself, 

because their little one’s hand has 

changed size so enormously they love 

to compare. 

So, hand-print flags, for sure, 

but... this year Mary wants something 

else as well. Something different, 

something original, something notpaint. 

So she peruses the drawers of 

the craft cupboard before her, waiting 

for inspiration. 

And it hits! Yes! Because what 

does everyone* in Ottawa do on Canada 

Day? Ha. 

So here we have the raw materials: 

Tin foil, pipe cleaners, star-shaped 

beads, and pink ribbon. I will cut the 

pipe cleaners in half, and cut the rib- 

bon into, oh, 30- or 45-cm lengths. 

Then we will twist the pipe cleaners 

together in the centre, cut some sparkly 

shapes out of the tin foil… slide on 

some beads … attach the ribbons and 

curl them …twist and curl the pipe 

cleaners a bit … and … 

TA-DAH!!! Imagine a child bouncing 

this around at the end of his/her arm. 

Know what you’re looking at? 

(Besides all the DUST on Mary’s 

desk? Good LORD, who knew 

that was there? Damned flash.) 

Still no idea? Have a peek from a different 

angle: 

…from which angle you now 

also get to see the greasy fingerprints. 

Which are NOT mine. However, I will 

ignore that for now, and you can, too. 

Still no idea? 

Hint: Canada Day, in the evening, 

after dark... 

Yes! 

Fireworks, of course! 

Those are fireworks! Red and 

white Canada Day fireworks, sparkling 

and sproinging right there in your 

hand! 

The kids will LOVE them. And 

if they don’t, I’ll keep theirs, too. Because 

I think these are adorable.


July 2010 

WINDSOR REDUX B PART 13 

July, 2001 

Dear Boomer, 

I’m off tomorrow to summer 

camp. I can tell by the signs. My 

Alpha is packing his suitcase. She 

Who Must Be Obeyed doesn’t dress 

in her business suit and rush off to 

somewhere in the mornings. The Pup 

is very excited about things he sees on 

television and asks how many more 

sleeps until he gets to visit the whales. 

All of them talk about something 

called Niagara Falls. At first, I thought 

Niagara was a dog I had not yet met at 

the park. I thought it very worrying 

that she should be falling so much. (1) 

But now I conclude they are going 

away again. There is a hidden agenda, 

not for a poor dog named Niagara, but 

for me. It will involve driving me out 

to the country to see my old friends 

at the summer camp. How long I’ll 

be there, I can surmise by the number 

of t-shirts that Alpha packs in his 

suitcase. Tonight, it looks like it will 

be at least a week. (2 

I like summer camp. I like the 

companionship of all those other 

At its regular monthly meeting 

on June 14, the Ottawa 

Public Library (OPL) Board 

honoured five individuals who have 

made an outstanding contribution to 

promoting literacy and love of reading 

in Ottawa through their work for 

the Ottawa Public Library. 

Awesome Authors judges Michel 

Lavoie, J.C. Sulzenko, Ian Roy and 

Brenda Chapman were presented 

awards in recognition of outstanding 

volunteer assistance. 

Lori Nash, the past-president of 

the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library 

Association (FOPLA) was honoured 

for her long-time commitment 

to advocacy and support of the Ottawa 

Public Library. 

Awesome Authors Judges: 

The Awesome Authors contest 

has been a cornerstone of children’s 

Summer Camp 

dogs, each of us in our own little den, 

and the dens lined up in rows along 

the corridor. A couple of times a 

day, we’re let out into the sunshine 

to run and play. And with no leashes 

whatsoever. 

The corridors are cool with air 

conditioning, and this might be a 

welcome break from the summer heat. 

Alpha keeps me outdoors during the 

day now. I don’t mind. In fact, if 

one is going to sleep for most of a hot 

afternoon, one might as well do it in 

the little space I’ve dug in the shade 

under the steps to the back porch. In 

the winter, I nap in the little house that 

Alpha places beside the back door. In 

the summer, he puts the house in the 

shade by the back fence. It has a good 

cushion, but for pure comfort and 

coolness, you can’t beat a hole dug 

into the dirt below the stairs. 

The days have been so hot that 

I’ve been content to sit in the shade 

and watch the squirrels scramble 

through the branches of the cherry 

tree. I know it’s hard for any selfrespecting 

dog to admit this, but I have 

no desire to chase them away. Maybe 

in the first cool of the morning, I can 

and teens’ services at the Ottawa Public 

Library since amalgamation. This 

bilingual program promotes the importance 

of writing for young people 

from ages 9 through 17. Each year, 

Awesome Author judges read and 

review hundreds of short stories and 

poems. In the past four years judges 

have evaluated more than 1400 entries. 

In addition, these volunteers have 

taken the time to attend the awards 

ceremony to personally hand out the 

prizes and give young authors a special 

feeling of accomplishment. Judges 

J.C. Sulzenko and Michel Lavoie 

have offered their expertise as authors 

in the publishing of pot pourri, a collection 

of the winning entries from the 

Awesome Authors contest. 

Lori Nash: 

Ms. Nash began her friend- 

summon up the energy to terrorize 

them back beyond the fence, but 

by mid-afternoon, it hardly seems 

worthwhile. And they put on quite a 

show in their efforts to scarf down as 

many cherries as they can. 

The starlings are good 

entertainment too. They inch their 

way on their little bird feet, down the 

thin branches in their efforts to reach 

the ripest cherries. Then as the twigs 

bend under their weight, they lose 

their balance, or start to slide too fast 

as they reach the tips of the branches. 

They flutter themselves aright, 

glancing around in hopes that no one 

saw them looking so ungainly. If they 

catch me laughing at them from the 

porch, they huff out their feathers as if 

to say, “I meant to do that.” 

By the time I return from summer 

camp, the entertainment should get 

even better. Any of the cherries that 

will be left by then will be a little 

fermented. No better way to spend a 

hot afternoon in late summer than to 

watch a Dionysian revel of squirrels 

and starlings. 

You’ll have to keep a watch on all 

of this and report back to me when I 

ship with the Ottawa Public Library 

14 years ago as one of the founding 

members of The Friends of the Cumberland 

Library. When the city of Ottawa 

was amalgamated, Ms. Nash was 

president of The Friends of the Cumberland 

Library, and in 2003, she was 

instrumental in negotiating a merger 

of the three existing friends groups 

(Cumberland, Nepean and Ottawa) to 

form the Friends of the Ottawa Public 

Library Association (FOPLA). 

Ms. Nash was a member of FO- 

PLA’s Board of Directors since 2005, 

becoming Vice-president in June 

return in a week or ten days. I’ll let 

you know how the gang is coming 

along at summer camp. 

See you when I return, 

Zoscha 

(1) Research into advertisements 

broadcast during the summer of 2001 

reveal that the Marineland resort in 

Niagara Falls, Ontario, frequently 

placed ads in the morning children’s 

programming offered by TVO. 

See, “The Persuaders of Kids and 

Dogs,” Maureen McCallem, Ryerson 

Technical Review, Toronto, May 

2007, pp. 31-34. 

(2) This is one of the last 

references in Zoscha’s works of the 

entire pack as it was then configured 

taking a holiday together without 

her. In light of subsequent events 

(see Windsor Chronicles 14), it seems 

that the July, 2001, trip to Niagara 

Falls was the last of its kind, although 

Zoscha continued to enjoy summer 

camp through the years. 

Ottawa Public Library Board Presents Order of Friendship Awards 

J.C. Sulzenko with award 

Photo by Rhéal Doucette, Graphic 

Designer, Ottawa Public Library 

2006. In January 2007, Ms. Nash 

became President of FOPLA, leading 

the group to vigorously pursue 

its three main functions: fundraising 

and advocating for the Ottawa Public 

Library, and promoting literacy 

in Ottawa. Under her leadership FO- 

PLA has become the leading “friends” 

fundraising organization in Canada, 

raising $318,000 in support of OPL in 

2008. 

Ms. Nash has also been an effective 

advocate for the library before 

the Library Board, City Council 

and the provincial and federal governments. 

She planned and executed 

campaigns in 2007 and 2008 to protect 

the Library from branch closures 

and budget cuts. Following her resignation 

as president of FOPLA in June 

2009, Ms. Nash joined the Ottawa 

Public Library Foundation (OPLF) 

and still remains on the FOPLA Board 

of Directors in the ex-officio position 

of past-president. 

Recipients of the Order of Friendship 

richly deserve these individual 

honours for their leadership, dedication 

and unstinting efforts to promote 

literacy and libraries in Ottawa. 

For more information on the 

Friends of the Ottawa Public Library, 

please visit 

http://www.ottawapubliclibraryfriends.ca/index_e.html 

For more information on the Ottawa 

Public Library, please visit 

http://BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/


Page 27 

By Joe Scanlon 

The first time Heather Sherrard 

played soccer she knew so 

little about the game that the 

referee had to explain to her how to 

do a throw-in. 

He told her, “Plant your feet firmly 

on the ground. Put your hands with 

the ball over your head and launch it 

into the field.” 

“He said if he didn’t show us what 

to do the game would never end,” she 

recalls. 

One of her team mates, Judy 

Robertson, explains: “We kept doing 

it wrong and the ref would award the 

ball to the other team. Finally he took 

sympathy on us and showed us how to 

do it properly.” 

It was hardly surprising she and 

her team-mates – most of whom knew 

as little as she did – lost all but two of 

the games they played that first season, 

often by – for soccer – lop-sided 

scores. 

Sherrard who was 50 at the time, 

nevertheless, enjoyed the game and, 

encouraged by the husband of one of 

her team-mates, kept playing as did 

Robertson. Both now play seven-aside 

indoor soccer under the Dome 

at Lansdowne Park in the winter and 

early spring and full 11-a-side soccer 

outdoors all summer. Two seasons 

ago their team ,which is affiliated 

with the Ottawa Internationals Soccer 

Club, went undefeated; they had 

a 55-game unbeaten streak and won 

the league championship two years in 

a row. 

Sherrard and Robertson and many 

of their team-mates started playing 

for the same reason – their daughters 

were playing competitive soccer 

and while they attended their games 

and cheered them on, they knew little 

about what was involved. 

At first they were inept but gradually 

their skills improved and – for 

the first time – they knew enough 

about the game to watch their daughters 

knowledgeably. By then, Sherrard’s 

daughter Amy and Robertson’s 

daughter Carlene had reached university 

and both were good enough to 

play for the Carleton Ravens women’s 

Varsity team. By then as well, both 

Moms were knowledgeable enough 

to appreciate their daughters’ skills. 

Sherrard says she had attended 

probably thousands of games watching 

her daughter play but she never 

really understood the fine points of 

what was happening. 

“I’d be yelling ‘Cross the ball,’ 

without really understanding how difficult 

that was, especially with your 

left foot. I had no idea of the strategy 

involved or why teams used different 

formations at different times.” 

Robertson recalls, “As soon as 

I started I appreciated that the kids 

made it look easy. I appreciated the 

way they could trap the ball and pass 

accurately.” 

When the Ottawa Internationals 

Soccer Club made it known it was 

willing to arrange a soccer program 

“Code Red” Soccer Fever 

for Moms – they called the program 

“So Fit” and it is still going strong – 

she decided she would take part. What 

“So Fit” involved was not games but 

lessons about such things as how to 

dribble and how to pass. Sherrard and 

Robertson and some others decided 

after that summer of instruction that 

they would like to take things a little 

further. They and several others decided 

to form a team. 

The team they both play for is 

called “Code Red,” and it is recognized 

as one of the top Women’s Recreational 

teams in the Ottawa Carleton 

Soccer League. The Internationals 

have since started other Women’s Recreational 

Soccer teams called, ‘Code 

White,” and “Code Black”, following 

the Code Red model. The names were 

Sherrard’s’ idea. She is an executive 

with the Ottawa Heart Institute and 

quite familiar with the various levels 

of hospital emergencies. 

“Code Red” is the code for a fire. 

Sherrard’s interests in soccer did 

not stop there. She has come to understand 

the game well enough to enjoy 

TSN coverage of European football 

and to talk knowledgeably about players 

like David Beckham when he was 

injured in March. “I’ve been lucky,” 

she says. “I’ve never had a serious injury.” 

The nearest she came was when 

she stepped into a gopher hole the first 

year she played. Robertson has also 

escaped injury. 

Robertson, a manager for Bell 

Canada, says they liked the name 

Code Red because when they first 

started playing 45 minute halves there 

were many jokes about the need for 

oxygen and defibrillation and because 

a number of the women on their team 

were, like her, involved in medicine. 

They also joked that the letters also 

stood for “Ridiculous, Elderly and 

Dim-Witted” - the way the players 

felt after their first experience with a 

full length 90-minute game. That first 

season, they recall, their top scorer 

scored most of her goals into their 

own net and not their opponents’ net. 

The driving force behind the Code 

Red team is Lorne Abugov an Ottawa 

South resident and Carleton Journalism 

grad turned communications lawyer 

- and a soccer addict. His wife, 

Lindy – their three children also play 

soccer – was part of the original Code 

Red core group. Lorne is both an enthusiastic 

and supportive coach, and 

he is a great recruiter. When he is out 

walking his dog and meets a neighbour, 

he quickly talks her into playing 

on one of the Rec soccer teams he organizes 

for the Internationals. 

Abugov inspired the players that 

first season with positive reviews even 

of their losses. The code Red team developed 

their own soccer Math which 

allowed them to turn a 7-1 loss into a 

2-0 loss and then explain how a 2-0 

loss was better than any other team 

had done against that opponent. 

Abugov also gave his “ladies” as 

he refers to his players some philosophical 

advice about the strategy of 

soccer: 

“As a basic plan in soccer, a team 

should expand (i.e. spread out) on offence 

and contract (i.e. collapse) on 

defence. In other words, in the other 

team’s zone when we are trying to 

score…remember to hold your positions, 

spread right across the field… 

In our own defensive zone, close to 

our goal, we collapse into the centre…and 

bring all of our players into 

the box if necessary.” 

Lindy like the others had watched 

her children play soccer but had never 

played herself. She is now fiercely 

competitive and lets her husband 

know if she feels she is not getting 

enough playing time. 

Sherrard‘s daughter doesn’t make 

it out to all her mother’s games but 

she does come occasionally. “At first 

she thought it was funny. We could 

barely kick the ball.” 

But when the Sherrard’s took a 

holiday in her home town of Saskatoon, 

she and her mother would kick 

the ball around. “She taught me how 

to kick the ball properly,” says Sherrard. 

She won’t get a chance to see 

Amy play this fall. Her daughter is 

taking international business at Carleton 

and will be spending her next term 

in Madrid. Sherrard plans to take time 

off from soccer to pay her a visit. 

Robertson’s daughter has graduated; 

so she, too, has moved on. 

Sherrard does not describe herself 

as an athlete but she did play volleyball 

and broomball growing up in Sas- 

katchewan but never soccer. “It was 

not a sport that was available for girls 

in Saskatoon at that time.” Robertson 

had the same experience. She did play 

sports in high school but soccer was 

not available. She did however jog 

but finds soccer provides more interest 

than doing solitary running. 

In amateur sport, some teams tend 

to come and go with continual player 

turnover. But the Code Red core 

group that Heather and Judy started 

with has tended to stay together and 

has definitely improved. The team has 

always blended younger players with 

more mature women athletes, and the 

philosophy has worked well for all 

players, as each age group enjoys the 

others company on and off the soccer 

field. They have for example organized 

some pot luck dinners and tied 

the selection of foods to food appropriate 

for countries whose teams are 

playing in the World Cup in South 

Africa. They will all be watching the 

World Cup this month when they are 

not playing themselves and cheering 

on their team. 

Code Red is now a mainstay of 

the Ottawa-Carleton Soccer League, 

which boasts competitive and recreational 

teams from the Ottawa area 

and from nearby communities such 

as Carleton Place, Almonte and Arnprior.

Page 28 


by: Elisa Zucconi 

On Saturday September 11 the 

Rideau River will become more 

than just a beautiful staple of 

the Old Ottawa South community, it will 

act as an important guideline by which 

dedicated Ride the Rideau participants 

will follow for a 100 kilometer journey. 

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation has 

launched the inspirational event Ride the 

Rideau which will commence in Ottawa 

and travel right through Old Ottawa 

South along the river until the final 

destination of Merrickville-Wolford is 

reached. The events main function is 

to not only celebrate groundbreaking 

research being done by The Ottawa 

Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) 

but to raise funds that will further this 

research and help build a brand new 

Centre for Innovative Cancer Research 

which will be located on the third floor 

of the newly expanded Ottawa Hospital 

Cancer Centre. This new centre will 

be at the General Campus which will 

result in one of a kind research being 

conducted merely ten minutes from 

Old Ottawa south itself. The Hospital 

Foundation says the New Centre will 

accelerate research into “biological” 

treatments that harness viruses, cells 

and genes to eradicate cancer using 

new and advanced therapies that do 

not produce the same side effects as 

chemotherapy or radiation. The cancer 

centre being built will promote time 

acceleration meaning the time between 

lab discoveries to patient trials will 

be cut in half, therefore increasing 

your loved one’s chances of becoming 

cancer-free. 

Community members will have the 

chance to gather along the Rideau River 

to cheer on inspiring riders such as Gary 

Stein, 50, who was diagnosed with 

cancer three and a half years ago and 

will be riding in the event on September 

11. The Stein family lives in Old Ottawa 

South close to the river on Fentiman 

avenue, and after moving to Ottawa 

they have never contemplated living 

anywhere else, “we realized we never 

want to leave this neighbourhood. You 

know, whatever city you’re in you find 

a great spot to live, this neighbourhood 

is very friendly, it’s very caring and it 

feels small town-ish in the middle of the 

city. It’s a place where I hope we’ll live 

for a long time.” Gary has been a long 

distance runner for about a decade and 

has participated in seven marathons: 

three in Ottawa, one in Toronto, Quebec 

City, New York City and his most recent 

and proudest race, The Boston Marathon 

in 2005. Although Stein has always 

taken care of his heart through exercise, 

doctors discovered he had a rare form of 

cancer called synovial sarcoma in 2006. 

“The place I had it, in my groin, wasn’t 

a usual place...so it was a rare cancer 

in a rare or unusual place. It was a bit 

puzzling, to me of course, but also to the 

doctors.” 

It’s been over three years since 

Gary underwent surgery and received 

chemotherapy at The Cancer Centre and 

he has been well on his way to never 

looking back. Stein explains, “I don’t 

like to use the term survivor because it 

July 2010 

The Ottawa Hospital’s Ride the Rideau 

Through Old Ottawa South To Raise Funds For Local 

Cancer Research 

doesn’t quite work for me as that kind 

of metaphor, and there’s always a risk 

something could...you know, reoccur, 

but things have been going so well, I 

believe that it’s highly unlikely. Two 

months ago my oncologist finally told 

me ‘I don’t need to see you again for a 

year’ so that is very good news! I was 

ready for that.” When Gary heard of this 

event through the media he immediately 

felt it epitomized the perfect way to give 

back to a local cancer-fighting cause. 

He continues, “it was up my alley for a 

whole bunch of reasons! I thought, this 

sounds like a great way to give back. 

It seems like the hospital is taking the 

first big step in trying to do an event 

that is really doable for most people, I 

don’t think you nee to be a professional 

rider or a really fit person to do it. I 

think you just have to want to do it.” 

Who wouldn’t? Every participant is 

asked to raise $1500 from which every 

penny will go towards The Ottawa 

Hospital Cancer Centre’s innovative 

cancer research. If TOH receives this 

amount from just 100 riders (this is the 

number of riders currently registered) 

it will warrant an impressive $150,000 

of cancer-fighting funds. For dedicated 

and motivated individuals such as Gary, 

the goal of $1500 was not enough. “I 

achieved my original goal of $2000 

within a few days. It’s all because 

of the generosity of my friends and 

family and it wasn’t that difficult. The 

Ottawa Hospital Foundation have a 

great website that you can use to design 

your own webpage...it made it easy 

for people who know me to link what 

I went through to the important goal 

of local cancer research.” Stein has 

now proudly raised over $3,400 and is 

quickly approaching his improved goal 

of $4000, more than double the required 

funds. 

Gary Stein is now technically 

over 3 years in remission, but prefers 

to think of it as cancer-free, and feels 

that everybody deserves to receive the 

care they need as quickly as resources 

allow. “Cancer research might sound 

distant from the individual who needs 

the care but it’s not, I don’t think it is 

at all. The more that rare cases such as 

my own can be researched, it’s going 

to lead relatively quickly to better care 

for people who need it.” The Ottawa 

Hospital Cancer Centre is one of the 

top 5 institutes in Canada and deserves 

support from members of the Ottawa 

Community and is especially personal 

for Old Ottawa South members who 

live so near to the river, the new Cancer 

Centre and neighbours like Gary Stein. 

“Between those two things, wanting 

to give back for the care and support 

I had and still get, and doing it in this 

way, on a bicycle, seemed like the 

perfect combination. It’s a good goal, an 

important goal, and it felt for me like the 

right thing to do.” 

To give back and/or participate in 

this influential event simply visit www. 

ridetherideau.ca and click ‘register’ to 

take part or ‘give’ to sponsor a fellow 

rider and a fantastic cause. To learn 

more about this local cause please visit 

The Ottawa Hospital Campaign at www. 

ohfoundation.ca

July 2010 

By Rob Campbell 

There are all sorts of conferences 

all the time of one sort or 

another that one could go to. 

I’m sure that many readers have had to 

pick and choose wisely as well given 

limited budget and mostly - that most 

precious of commodities - limited time. 

One of the ‘must-attend’ conferences, 

in my view, that comes up once a year 

at a retreat north of Toronto is unusual 

in that it is a joint conference for both 

elected progressive school board 

trustees and municipal councillors. 

They often have a green theme and 

key note speakers have been from ecoleading 

municipalities such as Seattle 

and Germany and there have been 

sessions on greening schools and so 

forth. It is an opportunity for Trustees 

across Ontario to network in part. This 

year there was a panel reporting on 

the fallout from the failed Stockholm 

climate change conference. 

However, this year’s retreat 

had an additional twist to it. For an 

extraordinary fee, one could instead 

attend alternate sessions put on by 

a different organization and extend 

the retreat to a full weekend to take 

Marshall Ganz ‘Camp Obama’ training 

- with Marshall Ganz! 

Now, for anyone wondering, 

Marshall Ganz is a legend in organizing 

circles in the US and internationally. 

He helped organize US agricultural 

workers with Cesar Chavez, went 

on to teach at Harvard, and was the 

strategic brains behind the organizing 

revolution which powered the Obama 

campaign. His Camp Obama training 

weekends were conducted across 

the US in the period leading up to 

the Obama victory using an everexpanding 

train-the-trainer sort of 

house-meetings organizing model 

which was, now famously, 


My Weekend at Camp Obama 

massively successful. 

The magic in it is to go low-tech 

and to create authentic relationships 

with people and not to rely so much 

on top-down mass pamphleting, or 

radio ads, or e-mailing bombardments. 

Instead the focus is on creating a 

network of activists and a network 

of regular people taking leadership 

organizing roles and to create a real 

movement. Obviously relationship 

formation is appealing in a natural 

human way but apparently is also 

provably very effective. 

So, anyway, here I was being 

offered a chance not just to take any 

old Camp Obama weekend, which 

would have been worthwhile in itself, 

but a weekend with Marshall Ganz 

himself! He had decided one time 

only to venture north to Canada for 

this session in part, as he explained 

it, to help give back to Canada. When 

organizing the North America wide 

grape boycott as a young man he was 

tasked to go to the third largest market 

for grapes in N.A., which was Toronto, 

and to organize the boycott by grocers, 

wholesalers and restaurants there. 

Toronto embraced it enthusiastically 

and he cut his own organizing teeth in 

some ways here. 

So, some personal money, another 

two days away from home, but what a 

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I did 

not hesitate to sign up. 

Marshall is a quick, smart, rotund, 

balding, white-haired, mustached and 

chuckling man. He brought a team of 

his students up from Harvard with him 

to help out at the event. There were 

maybe 200 of us existing or would-be 

organizers in attendance, some of us 

elected officials but mostly not, and 

with people from BC to Ottawa. 

The idea in part is to learn by doing, 

to gain confidence 

Sudoku 

Sudoku Solution on page 44 

from doing, to be authentic and to have 

purpose. The science behind it all from 

brain to social research was explained, 

video speeches were analyzed, biblical 

and rabbinical stories shared, but 

mostly the focus was on the Ganzian 

method of learning most truly by doing. 

In a nutshell, the method is to create 

meaningful relationships between 

people and between people and their 

organizing work. Relationships require 

connection and a primary means of 

establishing connection is by means of 

the power of narrative. What? Storytelling?! 

Yup. Initially disbelieving, I 

have to say that I am now something 

of a convert to this method. Other 

hard-boiled sceptics at the table left 

similarly impressed I know. 

The training starts out with 

focusing on how to tell the story of 

your own self and how you came to 

this point and your actual motivations. 

Boiling that down to an ever-shorter 

but compelling and entirely genuine 

personal Story of Self. This is important 

in order to introduce yourself to people 

as something more than a ‘stick figure’ 

of some sort. Then one moves to the 

Story of Us. In listening to others’ 

stories one needs to detect and define 

what is common amongst us all. Right 

now, what unites me and you is an 

interest in community (or you would 

not be reading this). What is it then 

that motivates such different people to 

come together on, say, a weekend or 

to fight for some cause or other back 

in our towns? This story is important 

as it establishes a genuine basis for 

common action and motivation. 

Finally, we worked on creating a Story 

of Now. What is it that is going on now 

that is important to the Story of Us and 

that the Story of Self demonstrates is 

inescapably integral and necessary to 

oneself as well? 

The increasingly refined multi- 

To complete the 

puzzle: 

1. all rows must 

contain digits 1 

to 9 only once 

2. all columns 

must contain the 

digits 1 to 9 only 

once. 

3. each of the 

nine boxes must 

contain the 

digits 1 to 9 only 

once 

Page 29 

part stories get interwoven on the 

final day and build into a simply 

brutally timed short speech. The ‘final 

exam’ on the second day is to actually 

organize something real in a team and 

to immediately, as in *NOW*, from 

the training site, use one’s cell to phone 

home to organize something real for a 

specific date. This breaks down barriers 

to action and is enabling, and a crucial 

part of the training. 

The very structure of Marshall’s 

own training weekend followed his 

method: his own story of self was 

presented at first, then our stories were 

told and common themes emerged and 

then what we needed to do next was 

set out clearly and convincingly (ie. 

organize others), and so forth. What 

seemed natural as a training camp 

was in fact clearly a very skilfully 

and thoughtfully constructed program 

which itself exhibited what it sought to 

instil. 

I don’t think I was exactly 

transformed by the weekend but I 

did come away feeling empowered 

and perhaps more confident. Also, 

somewhat more determined to help 

improve this world of ours and maybe 

to raise my own inner activist bar a 

notch. 

I became determined as a result 

to encourage others in their busy lives 

to think freshly about maybe putting 

themselves into a more socially 

engaged picture than they may have 

been heretofore. A sense of possibility 

and of hope is important but hopefully 

we all already harbour this. We all 

care about our community too, and 

in improving it, and there is no better 

time to get involved in improving it 

really than right now for, as the rabbi 

said, if not now then when? 

Thus endth the lesson. 

To book an 

OSCAR ad 

call Gayle 

730-1058 

oscarads@ 

oldottawasouth.ca


July 2010 

Kathy Ablett, R.N. 

Trustee Zone 9 

Capital/River Wards 

Telephone: 526-9512 

Rest! Relax! Rejuvenate! - 

The 3 R’s for the next few 

months. Hopefully the 

weather will cooperate so there will 

be lots of “fun in the sun”, family time 

and just time for kids to be kids. 

As this school year winds down I’m 

happy to bring you some good news 

items of Board-wide interest. 

Balanced Budget Approved 

The Board approved a balanced 

budget for the 2010 – 2011 school 

year totaling $404.6 million. “This 

budget is focused on student success 

initiatives in all our elementary, 

intermediate and secondary schools. 

It directs an additional $509,000 

towards classroom spending for 2010 

– 2011. “said Chairperson Gordon 

Butler. 

“We are pleased that this balanced 

budget meets all Ministry of Education 

guidelines and requirements.” 

said Director of Education, James 

McCracken. The budget provides 

educational programming for 

approximately 36,900 students. It 

incorporates the following new 

initiatives that directly benefit students 

and further enhance student and staff 

success: 

• 10 additional Special Education 

Teaching Assistants 

• Computer Technician to support 

Assistive Technology Program 

• $165,000 for continuation of 

Kindergarten Tutoring Program at 

OCCSB TRUSTEE REPORT 

“PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST” 

five sites 

• $333,000 for additional Early 

Learning Program resources 

• $21,000 for bus passes for 

English Language Learners Program 

• $16,000 for EQAO short-term 

strategy sessions (release time) 

• $52,000 for teacher release time 

to support high school extracurricular 

activities 

• $36,000 for school improvement 

planning 

• $110,000 for increased Access 

Copyright tariffs 

• The Board also adopted the 

2010-2011 Capital Fund expenditures 

budget in the amount of $20,647.408 

for: 

• Kanata North Catholic 

Elementary School 

• Energy efficiency projects 

• Facilities Renewal Program 

• Good Places to Learn projects 

To view detailed information about 

the Board’s 2010-2011 budget, go to: 

http://www.ottawacatholicschools.ca/ 

media.php?mid=51698 

2010 – 2011 Budget Council Final 

Report 

The Board considered the 2010- 

2011 Budget Council Final Report 

as part of its budget deliberations. 

Budget Council was formed in 

1998 and its membership represents 

parents, staff, students, unions and 

school councils. The main purpose of 

this advisory group is to continue the 

involvement of the community in an 

open and transparent budget process. 

Council makes recommendations on 

program and allocation of resources. 

The Budget Council Report is at: 

http://www.ottawacatholicschools.ca/ 

media.php?mid=51698 

Supporting Student Success 

The Board approved the 

following one-time expenditures to 

be funded from the Board’s current 

Reserve for Working Funds (now 

referred to as “accumulated surplus”) 

of $8.4 million. These supplementary 

projects total $2.5 million – they 

enhance student success, supplement 

the Board’s regular budgetary 

expenditures and include: 

• Four additional dual track 

French immersion sites 

• Staff and start up costs for two 

unfunded Early Learning Program 

sites 

• Wireless access points to convert 

21 elementary schools 

• LCD projectors in 158 

classrooms 

• Additional Smart Boards for 

Children Support Schools 

This modest drawdown on the 

current accumulated surplus still 

leaves a satisfactory level of reserves. 

Classroom Museum Artifacts to Be 

Donated To Canadian Museum of 

Civilization 

The Board approved the donation 

of a large number of important artifacts 

from the Ottawa Catholic School 

Board Classroom Museum to Canada 

and is making final arrangements with 

the Canadian Museum of Civilization 

for attribution and display 

Trustee John Curry, Chair of the 

Historical Committee of the Board, 

and Superintendent Fred Chrystal, 

acknowledged the work of Mae 

Rooney in developing the collection. 

The Museum of Civilization has 

provided the Board with a report that 

acknowledges the financial, social and 

historical value of the contribution by 

the Board to Canada. 

Ottawa Public Health encourages 

residents to protect your 

hearing and enjoy the music 

forever – Prevent noise-induced hearing 

loss Ottawa Public Health (OPH) 

encourages city residents of all ages 

to protect their hearing while attending 

outdoor musical events this 

summer. In co-operation with several 

local festivals and the National Capital 

Commission, OPH is launching a 

new awareness strategy educating the 

public on noise-induced hearing loss 

(NIHL). 

Prolonged and repeated exposure 

to sounds above 75-80 decibels 

(dBA) can damage your ears. Many 

concerts measure sound levels at an 

average of 95 dBA and some even as 

high as 110 dBA. 

Ottawa Public Health encourages 

An exhibition of the artifacts will 

acknowledge that they were a part 

of the Board’s museum. The Board 

will also be able to “borrow” artifacts 

from the Museum of Civilization for 

educational purposes. 

After final arrangements are made 

for the transfer of the collection, a 

celebratory event will take place to 

acknowledge the contribution of the 

Board to Canada. 

For more details on the 

collection, please read Dr. Anthony 

Di Mascio’s report at: http://www. 

ottawacatholicschools.ca/media. 

php?mid=51698 

Corpus Christi and Immaculata 

High School 

Leave taking ceremonies for 

Grade 6 students at Corpus Christi 

school will be held on June 18th 

at Blessed Sacrament Church. 

Graduation exercise for Immaculata 

High School is scheduled for June 24 

at 10 a.m. at the high school. 

Both events make the end of 

and beginning of another chapter 

in your students’ life. May they 

enjoy continued success with the 

knowledge that their hard work and 

Catholic education have played a 

huge part of where they are today. 

To students, staff, parents and 

volunteers, my sincerest best wishes 

for a safe and happy summer and 

thank you to all for your support and 

assistance this past year. 

See you in September 

If, at any time, I can be of 

assistance to you please do not 

hesitate to call me at 526-9512. 

Sincerely, 

Kathy Ablett 

“Your Trustee” 

Protect Your Hearing 

city residents to protect their hearing 

with key messages: 

• Limit the time spent around excessive 

noise 

• Wear properly-fitted hearing 

protection devices such as earplugs 

when exposed to loud noises 

• Sit or stand away from speakers 

at concerts 

• Help ears recover after being 

exposed to loud noise by spending 

time in a quiet place 

• OPH’s noise-awareness strategy 

has the support of several local 

music festivals, including Westfest, 

Bluesfest and Jazzfest. 

“Westfest is about community, 


July 2010 

OCDSB TRUSTEE REPORT 

By Rob Campbell 


Area Accommodation Review Planning Update! 

Hopewell and First Avenue 

public schools have wanted 

an accommodation review 

to take place for some time now. 

This is a far cry from years ago 

when area schools most definitely 

did not want a lot of accommodation 

review attention. These days, an 

accommodation review really is 

needed soon due to population 

pressures at these two schools. This 

is not about school closures as almost 

certainly no local closures would be 

indicated, but rather about rebalancing 

student numbers across area schools 

and ensuring a sustainable mix 

of programs, grade structures and 

catchments. 

The most important pressure has 

been and is being felt at First Avenue 

PS. The school’s Ministry rating is for 

394 students and yet its population 

is up at about 515 now and may 

or may not be slated for continued 

growth from here. If we start to 

examine various scenario options to 

relieve the pressure on First Avenue 

then other area schools most likely 

get necessarily entrained and we’re 

likely into a review of some sort on 

that basis alone. Hopewell, though 

somewhat down in population this 

year, remains well above the 800 

student planning cap we’re supposed 

to be respecting and it remains, on 

its postage stamp property, one of 

the very largest elementary schools 

By Daniella S. 

Being a girl in Scouts doesn’t 

really feel different than 

any other activity in which 

I have participated. At the Scout 

meetings, there are girls and boys 

aged 11 to 14 who share the same 

interests. My final achievement 

after three years as a Scout will be 

earning the Chief Scout Award. 

After my Investiture, the first 

badges that I earned were for 

everyday things that I had done 

at school or at home. These are 

called Challenge badges, which are 

in 7 categories (Athletics, Culture 

& Society, Environment, Home 

& Family, Outdoors, Personal 

Development plus Science & 

Technology) and are focused on your 

own interests. The Individual Sport 

badge and the Team Sport badge 

were accomplished by participating 

in school sports activities. I earned 

my Music badge by being in the 

school choir and the Science badge 

by doing a science project at school. 

The French and Spanish language 

badge were earned for being able to 

in Ottawa. Other area schools may 

have preferred programs or grades or 

catchments they’d like to gain also. To 

date this school year both Hopewell 

and Mutchmor have conducted 

surveys of parent opinion as to what 

programs are important to retain at 

those schools. Glashan is concerned 

to replace its phased out late French 

immersion program with something 

else. Lady Evelyn Alt school might 

like to take a look at piloting alternate 

French immersion. Certainly there are 

lots of options across area schools. 

There is universal consensus 

amongst Board planning staff that 

an area review is needed at some 

point, especially with the eventual 

implementation of all-day early 

learning which will gobble up more 

classroom space. Two years ago staff 

argued that no review was needed 

in the Glebe area as First Avenue 

growth might well not continue. So, 

no review was done last year. 

End of last year it became clear 

that some 11th hour changes were 

needed and a mini-review was done 

which had the effect of moving gifted 

French immersion out of both First 

Avenue and Hopewell as something 

quick and doable. I found it very 

unfortunate that our options were 

constrained by this necessary minireview. 

Then, given the then unknown 

implementation of all-day learning 

intended by the government, and also 

the then unknown result deciding the 

fate of the alternative ed program (it 

Being a Girl in Scouts 

demonstrate my ability to fluently 

speak those languages, yet I learned 

French at school and speak Spanish 

at home. The Pet Care badge was 

earned by having a dog at home and 

knowing how to take care of him. 

After my 8 th Challenge badge, 

the Scout leaders asked me if I was 

interested in trying to earn the Chief 

Scout Award, knowing that it would 

take up to 2 years to achieve it. 

There are 6 requirements to achieve 

the Chief Scout Award: 1) complete 

the Pathfinder Scout requirements, 

2) be qualified in First Aid, 3) earn at 

least one Challenge badge in each of 

the 7 categories, 4) hold the World 

Conservation badge, 5) investigate 

Scouts Canada’s involvement in 

World Scouting, and 6) complete 

a project which demonstrates your 

skills in the Activity badges. 

In order to earn the Pathfinder 

Award, you must have already 

qualified as a Pioneer Scout and 

earned the Voyageur Award, which 

has 4 Activity badges (Citizenship, 

Leadership, Personal Development 

and Outdoor Skills) plus 4 challenge 

badges from at least 2 categories 

has been kept), staff argued again, 

with some real justification, that a full 

area review should be put off some 

more. So, we also had no area review 

planned for this year. 

The staff report recommending 

accommodation reviews to be initiated 

next year came out beginning of the 

month and has been debated amongst 

Zone 9 school councils. Again staff 

argue for not planning for a review to 

start next year. This greatly concerned 

some schools and was met with a 

mixed reaction by others. Staff are 

recommending further delay to vision 

the future through their Schools for the 

Future process (do we want to move 

decisively towards 7-12 schools, dual 

track schools or something else), and 

also because they are busy already in 

areas of the city they perhaps see as 

more acutely in need of reviews right 

now. 

After about two weeks of 

whirlwind consultation locally, the 

genuine consensus decision in the 

local community (endorsed by reps 

from Hopewell, First, Mutchmor, 

Lady E, Glebe Community 

Assoc) was to agree with the staff 

recommendation not to proceed with 

a review to start next year. Instead 

what everyone seems to want to do is 

to discuss locally amongst ourselves 

as to what might work well in this 

area, and to explore the pressures and 

options ourselves ahead of a likely 

review. 

I had been lining up an amendment 

and the Spring/Fall portion of the 

Year-Round Camper Award. The 

Pathfinder Award also has the 

same 4 Activity badges but with 

increased responsibility plus 6 more 

Challenge badges from at least 2 

new categories and the Summer & 

Winter portion of the Year-Round 

Camper Award.. 

The longest component of it was 

the final project, which involved 

the history of the 36 th Ottawa 

Scouts (started in 1936). I visited 

the Scout Museum at the National 

Scout Headquarters and had a tour 

with Mr Griffin. Then we did some 

research at the Archives, as well as 

through the Library and the Internet. 

There were interviews with previous 

Scout Leaders and then compiling 

all of this information, which will 

then be developed into a written 

history. My initial thought was that 

it was going to be hard, but it was 

fairly easy. I had some help from 

the leaders and with determination, 

I was able to finish it. 

to get a review started soon if people 

wanted that (and I was pretty sure I 

had the votes). However, as a result 

of the consensus which was achieved 

on this, obviously I have not moved 

on that and indeed have had now to 

defend the community preference 

against some Trustees still hot to 

move on such a review! At the time of 

writing, Business Services Committee 

has supported my amendment to the 

staff work plan to basically support 

community-initiated dialogue next 

school year around these issues. Quite 

likely, staff themselves will propose 

an area review in June 2011 - to be 

seen. 

It was refreshing to be able 

to gain consensus as to how we 

should proceed and I’m proud of the 

community for being able to achieve 

a consensus on what is a very difficult 

and necessarily passionate matter. 

Some remain disappointed that a 

review will not start next year and 

I understand that but this really is 

the community consensus. I urge all 

interested citizens to engage with the 

Board’s Schools for the Future next 

year and also the local community’s 

dialogue future directions. It will be 

an interesting preparatory year. 

If you have a suggestion or a 

concern, or would like to be added 

to my e-newsletter list, then please 

contact me via rob@ocdsbzone9.ca or 

at 323-7803. Meeting and document 

info available at www.ocdsb.ca 

Protect Your Hearing 

Cont’d from previous page 

and we care about keeping our community 

as healthy as possible. We support Ottawa 

Public Health’s initiative to try and 

raise awareness about the possibility of 

hearing loss or damage caused by excessive 

sound. Let’s all listen to the music 

safely, enjoying our events for years to 

come,” said Elaina Martin, founder and 

producer of Westfest, Westboro Village’s 

Festival of Music, Art and Life. 

People of all ages, including children 

and teenagers, can develop noiseinduced 

hearing loss. According to Statistics 

Canada, more than one million 

adults across the country reported having 

a hearing-related disability, a number 

more than 50% greater than the number 

of people reporting problems with their 

eyesight. The Hearing Foundation of 

Canada reports that noise-induced hearing 

loss is one of the most common types 

of hearing damage. 

Being aware of the risks and taking 

preventative steps is the best way to protect 

you from noise-induced hearing loss. 

For information, visit ottawa.ca/health.

Page 32 

Red Apron Cooks 

Summer has arrived and for 

the next two months we will 

be gathering with friends and 

family for casual outdoor dinners. 

If you have a cottage or enjoy 

entertaining in your backyard, then 

you will likely be planning some 

simple summer meals. Here are some 

tips for having an enjoyable and stress 

free summer full of great meals! 

If visiting friends at a cottage, bring 

something for the BBQ, preferably 

something that is already prepared 

and ready to go on the grill. If 

bringing meat for the BBQ, consider 

marinating ahead of time (oil, 

vinegar, fresh herbs) in a Freezer Bag. 

Freezer bags are easy to pack, easy 

to transport, and spill proof. Your 

steak or chicken will taste better after 

spending a few hours in the marinade. 

The same trick works for vegetables 

like sliced peppers, zucchini, eggplant 

& fennel, or tofu. 

If you are staying for a few days, bring 

something that is easy to re-heat like 

lasagna or a slow cooker stew. Prep 

the ingredients in advance & dump 

them into the slow cooker when you 

arrive. This will make a simple meal, 

paired with a salad and some fresh 

bread, especially on those occasions 

when the weather is not ideal for the 

BBQ. 

Another simple summer entertaining 

idea is to turn your salad into a meal. 

Start with good quality greens but 

add interest by incorporating fresh 

seasonal berries, caramelized apples 

or pears, grilled asparagus, avocado 

or shredded red cabbage. Add some 

protein like grilled shrimp, grilled 

chicken, steak, tuna, salmon, or tofu. 

Add shredded or crumbled cheese, 

and beautiful beans like garbanzo 

beans or black turtle beans. Double 

smoked bacon or smoked fish add both 

protein and intense flavour. Top your 

salad with nuts for added protein and 

crunch. One of our favourite simple 

summer meals is a take on a classic 

Salad Nicoise. We have provided the 

recipe and directions below. 


Deconstructed Salad Nicoise (serves 4) 

Keep entertaining simple by 

assembling a platter including local 

cheeses, cured meats, smoked fish, 

fresh bread and farm stand fruits & 

vegetables. Here are some suggestions 

for putting together a platter. 

At the Red Apron we have small but 

exciting selection of local Quebec 

cheeses. Our newest cheese is called 

Grey Owl. A dark ash rind surrounds 

a creamy white goat milk cheese from 

the Fromagerie Le Detour in Dotre- 

Dam-du-Lac, Quebec. The milk 

used to make Grey Owl comes from 

Saanen, a Swiss brand of goat raised 

about 30 kilometers from the dairy. 

The Chelsea Smokehouse, the Pelican 

Fishery and the Whalesbone produce 

wonderful smoked fish. 

The Piggy Market in Westboro carries 

a selection of beautiful local cheeses, 

and their own smoked and cured 

meats. I have to admit that Dave’s 

smoked beef brisket is one of the 

most wonderful things I have tried 

this year! 

Visit the Ottawa Farmer’s Market on 

Sunday from 8am to 3pm and pick 

up some seasonal fruits & vegetables 

to complete your platter. Serve raw 

vegetables with a yogurt or buttermilk 

dressing. 

Stop by the Red Apron and assemble 

the ingredients for a fantastic dinner. 

This summer we will feature whole 

roasted Organic chickens on Thursday 

through Saturday. These Quebec 

raised, certified Organic Chickens 

come from Thériault Organic Farms 

in Saint-Apollinaire, Quebec. Paired 

with an Organic Barley & Black Bean 

Salad, a loaf of artisanal bread, some 

fresh greens and a fruit pie – and you 

have a complete ‘Picnic-in-a-Bag’. 

We get asked all the time to make 

wine recommendations for our 

meals, and our website now includes 

a specific wine recommendation for 

our Thursday meals. However, the 

following are three wines that you 

might want to have on hand that 

will cover off most of your summer 

sipping needs. 

Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon 

California, United States 

LCBO 55517 

$14.95 

Aromas of blackberry, cassis, and 

warm spices. Also, there is an overall 

oak quality to the wine that adds to 

the earthiness of this Cabernet. Dry 

and medium-bodied, with woody 

flavours and red berries. Pair with 

grilled vegetables, sausages, meats, 

and pizza. 

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 

2009 

Malborough, New Zealand 

LCBO Vintages 35386 

$18.95 

This white wine is fantastic on 

its own, perfect for the deck 

and summer patio parties. Pair 

with grilled chicken, salads, and 

appetizers. Lively and smooth, with 

grassy and fruity aromas. The LCBO 

describes the flavours to include 

gooseberry, passion fruit, nettle, and 

citrus. 

Huff Estates South Bay Vineyards 

Rose 2008 

VQA Prince Edward County, ON 

LCBO Vintages 63982 

$16.95 

This is a vibrant Rose that offers 

notes of pink grapefruit, and tastes of 

strawberries. Makes a nice pre-dinner 

drink or serve with a light lunch or 

brunch. 

The Red Apron will be closed 

on July 1, 2nd and 3rd to celebrate 

Canada Day and there will be no Mid 

Week Dinner service on June 29-30- 

July 1, or on August 3-4-5. Our Retail 

Pantry at 571 Gladstone will keep 

regular hours for the summer and 

you can stop by and pick up fresh and 

frozen dinners, fresh baked summer 

fruit pies, savoury pies, fresh bread, 

cakes, and Pascale’s Ice Cream. 

Have a safe & happy summer! 

July 2010 

Deconstructed Salad 

Nicoise (serves 4) 

4 100 gram portions of Sushi Grade 

Tuna 

400 grams of Asparagus 

10 ml olive oil 

Salt & Pepper to taste 

Coat asparagus and Tuna in olive oil. 

Season with salt & pepper and grill 

on the BBQ. Set aside. 

600 grams of new potatoes, steamed 

or boiled in lightly salted water 

4 free range or organic eggs, hard 

boiled, cooled, peeled & quartered 

3 ripe tomatoes, cored and diced 

Vinaigrette: 

½ cup lemon juice 

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 green onions, minced 

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 

minced 

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, 

minced 

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, 

minced 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

Salt & Freshly ground pepper 

Whisk ingredients together and set 

aside. 

300 grams organic Salad Greens. 

To Serve: 

Toss greens with ½ the vinaigrette 

and present in a salad bowl. On a 

platter arrange remaining ingredients 

and drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish 

with olives and capers. Serve. 

Variations: 

Salmon: replace tuna steaks with 

salmon steaks, and replace asparagus 

with green beans. 

Smoked fish: replace tuna with your 

favourite smoked fish. 

Vegetarian: marinate & grill firm 

tofu, and add other grilled vegetables 

like red peppers, zucchini & 

eggplant. 

OSCAR was 

recently read on 

a beach in Fort 

Lauderdale, Florida. 

Photo by Jennifer 

Jones-Patull

July 2010 

By Anna Sundin 


The 2008 Changes to Ontario’s Property Assessment System 

Under the 2008 changes to the 

Ontario property assessment regime 

the 2008 property assessment 

is used as the basis for calculating 

property taxes for the 2009 through to 

2012 tax years. The 2008 property assessment 

notices set out the assessed 

value for Ontario properties based upon 

a January 1, 2008 market value. The notices 

showed how much the assessment 

had changed since the last re-assessment 

for taxation years 2006 – 2008, 

where the assessment value base date 

was January 1, 2005. 

If the assessment has increased since 

the last re-assessment, that increase is 

being phased in over four (4) years and 

the notices showed the phase in of the 

increase. If a property was classified in 

more than one property class, the phasein 

was shown for each property class. 

By the year 2012, Ontario properties 

will be assessed at the full Current 

Value Assessment. If the assessment 

has decreased since the last reassessment, 

the property owner will receive 

the benefit of the decrease in the assessment 

immediately, without phase-in. 

This four-year assessment cycle 

will be repeated each four years, with 

the market value base year date being 

January 1st of the year prior to the first 

year of the cycle. 

by Rick Sutherland, CLU, 

CFP, FDS, R.F.P 

Have you ever ceased working 

for an employer who had 

a pension plan? You were 

probably given the opportunity to 

transfer your pension money into a 

Locked-In Retirement Account (LIRA). 

This Registered investment account is 

designed to hold the pension money for 

former pension plan members. 

The term locked-in is used to 

describe these plans because the cash 

inside them cannot be accessed before 

your retirement and then normally only 

as an ‘Income Stream’ with restriction 

on the amount that can be withdrawn 

each year. 

There are some exceptions that 

might allow you to access the money 

in your Locked-In Retirement Account 

before retirement. 

You must follow and meet certain 

rules. 

1. You have an illness or physical 

disability that is likely to shorten your 

life expectancy to less than two years, 

2. You are at least 55 years of age 

and the total value of all your Ontario 

locked-in accounts is less than $18,880 

(for 2010), 

3. The amount of money that was 

transferred from your former pension 

plan into your Ontario locked-in 

account exceeded the Income Tax Act 

(Canada) limit, 

4. You are a non-resident of Canada 

and at least 24 months have passed since 

your date of departure from Canada. 

5. Application to the province 

When a property owner appeals the 

assessment, the owner is appealing the 

full Current Value Assessment even if it 

has not yet been fully implemented. If 

an appeal is successful in reducing the 

assessment, adjustments will be made 

to the four-year phase-in. 

As market values have increased 

between 2005 and 2008, one would expect 

property market value assessment 

to have increased. On the assumption 

that realty tax revenue will stay flat in 

any given year, a property owner would 

only see an increase in taxes if the assessment 

increased more than the average 

in that property’s property tax class 

(Residential, Commercial, Industrial 

etc.). 

Beginning in 2009, if a property 

owner wants to challenge a residential 

assessment, the owner must first file a 

Request for Reconsideration with the 

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation 

(“MPAC”) by the deadline 

date of March 31st. 

After MPAC has made its determination 

of the Request, if the owner 

wishes to appeal the assessment, the 

deadline for filing an appeal is 90 days 

after MPAC has mailed its determination. 

More information on the Request 

for Reconsideration and Appeal processes 

can be found on MPAC’s web 

site: www.mpac.ca. 

There is no requirement to first file 

Unlocking a Locked-In Account 

under the Financial Hardship Provision. 

In addition the Government of 

Ontario and the federal government 

have also enacted new rules to allow 

the transfer of up to 50% of Locked-In 

accounts into a RRSP. These provisions 

have strict rules that must be followed. 

You must be 55 years of age or older 

and you must first convert your LIRA 

to a Life Income Fund (LIF). Once the 

LIF has been established you can make 

an application using certain government 

forms to unlock and transfer up to 50% 

of the value of the LIF into your RRSP. 

Any withdrawal or transfer from 

your Ontario locked-in account may 

have tax consequences and may also 

affect your eligibility for certain 

government benefits. Be aware 

that when money is withdrawn or 

transferred from your LIRA to an 

unlocked account, the money may lose 

creditor protection. 

Your accountant, tax preparer or 

financial planner can quickly determine 

your eligibility and assist with the 

procedure and forms to make these 

withdraws or transfer of funds. 

The foregoing is for general 

information purposes and is the 

opinion of the writer. This information 

is not intended to provide personal 

advice including, without limitation, 

investment, financial, legal, accounting 

or tax advice. Please call or write to Rick 

Sutherland CLU, CFP, FDS, R.F.P., to 

discuss your particular circumstances 

or suggest a topic for future articles 

at 613-798-2421 or E-mail rick@ 

invested-interest.ca. Mutual Funds 

provided through FundEX Investments 

Inc. 

a Request for Reconsideration for Commercial, 

Industrial or Multi-Residential 

properties, although an owner may do 

so prior to filing the appeal. The deadline 

for filing an assessment appeal is 

March 31st. 

At a hearing, the burden of proof is 

on MPAC to show that the assessment 

value is correct; however, the owner 

will still be asked to provide evidence as 

to why the assessment is too high. Prior 

to 1998, the test on assessment appeals 

was whether the property was assessed 

equitably with others. Since 1998, the 

test has been whether the property has 

been valued at its ‘current value’ and 

while the Assessment Review Board 

was to have reference to the value of 

comparable properties, equity was not 

the driving consideration and, in most 

cases, was deemed to be secondary to 

value. 

For 2009 and subsequent taxation 

years, equity has been brought back to 

the appeal system. Now, in determining 

the value at which any land shall be assessed, 

the Board must not only determine 

the current value of the land, but 

it must also have reference to the value 

at which similar lands in the vicinity are 

assessed and adjust the assessment of 

the land to make it equitable with that 

of similar lands in the vicinity, provided 

the adjustment is a reduction in the assessment. 

Beginning in 2009, municipalities 

will be given the option to remove business 

properties from the capping/drawback 

provisions once they have reached 

their Current Value Assessment Taxes. 

This option will be applied to all properties 

within the tax class chosen by the 

municipality. 

BET is the education portion of taxes 

that are levied in the commercial, industrial 

and pipeline property tax classes. 

Education taxes typically make up about 

50 per cent of total property taxes levied 

on business properties. When the Province 

first assumed responsibility for setting 

education tax rates in 1998, several 

hundred different BET rates were established 

across the province because they 

were based on existing 1997 education 

tax levels. There was a wide range of 

BET rates, with the highest BET rates 

being four times the provincial average 

BET rate of 1.85. 

The government will cut BET by $540 

million over 7 years, lowering high 

BET rates to a target maximum rate 

of 1.60 per cent. In addition, all new 

construction initiated after March 22, 

2007 (application for the first building 

permit must be received by the 

municipality after March 22, 2007), 

will immediately be subject to the 1.60 

per cent maximum BET rate. Eligible 

property must be in either the Commercial 

or Industrial property tax classes. 

Guidance, Protection 

and Peace of Mind. 

Anna E. Sundin, Barrister & Solicitor 

GEnErAl PrActicE includinG: 

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

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

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

Page 34 


Dorothy Reads 

The Shooting in the Shop by Simon Brett 

A 

treat for Simon Brett Fans, 

the eleventh instalment in his 

Fethering Mysteries series is 

now available at the Ottawa Public 

Library. While the book is set over 

the Christmas holidays, it nonetheless 

makes for great summer reading, as 

do the other books in this cosy mystery 

series. 

In the Shooting in the Shop, Carole 

Seddon and her friend Jude set off 

for a bit of last minute Christmas shopping 

at Gallimaufry, Fethering’s newest 

novely gift shop (of the sort that 

sells diamante costume jewelry, finger 

puppets of famous philosophers, and 

gold plated Belly Button Fluff Extractors). 

A few days later, the shop 

burns down, and a body is found in 

the ashes. The police suspect foul play 

when a bullet is located at the scene 

of the crime. But who would want to 

harm the victim? Polly le Bonnier, a 

young woman from a prominent show 

business family, in a steady relationship 

and with a book contract in the 

works, seems an unlikely candidate 

for a corpse. Carole and Jude are nat- 

By Tayleigh Armstrong 

In a rapidly aging society 

frightened of talking about 

death, Ottawa South resident 

Katherine Arnup says Canadians 

have a lot to learn from palliative care 

volunteers about facing their fear of 

dying. 

“It’s something we don’t 

talk about, which is odd, because 

eventually everyone dies,” says 

Arnup, who is also a professor 

of Canadian Studies at Carleton 

University. “I was guilty of it, too.” 

But that all changed over a 

decade ago when Arnup’s sister Carol 

became terminally ill with cancer. 

“Before that, I’d been like many 

people, afraid of death,” she says. “I 

avoided it at all costs.” 

Unable to avoid the subject any 

longer, Arnup became her sister’s 

primary caregiver over the next six 

months, providing both care and 

companionship. 

And though she says it was very 

difficult, she learned lot from the 

experience. 

“It was hard, but she taught me,” 

urally intrigued and discretely begin 

investigating the leading suspects: 

Polly’s step father, Ricky le Bonnier, 

music producer and notorious womanizer; 

Anna Carter, shop assistant at 

Gallimaufry, Marilyn Monroe look- 

alike and lonely dog walker and Old 

Garge, boathouse squatter and keeper 

of more secrets about the le Bonnier 

family than he’s letting on. 

The series is set in the fictional 

town of Fethering, a self contained 

retirement settlement on England’s 

south coast. Its two protagonists 

and amateur sleuths, Carole Seddon 

and Jude (referred to simply as 

Jude throughout) are perfect foils 

for each other. Carole is in her 50s, 

with short hair and a natural inclination 

to wear sensible shoes. She is 

recently divorced and has retired 

prematurely from a job at the Home 

Office. Rational, prickly and socially 

awkward, she had planned for a quiet 

retirement in Fethering with her Golden 

Retriever, Gulliver. Jude, her next 

door neighbour, is also in her 50s. Her 

hair is long and usually piled loosely 

says Arnup. “She taught me a lot 

about dying.” 

Four years after her sister’s death, 

Arnup enrolled in the volunteer 

training course at the Hospice at May 

Court, a former convalescent hometurned-care 

facility tucked away 

in Old Ottawa South. Established 

in 1987, the Hospice at May Court 

provides family support, day hospice, 

home support and residence programs 

to help the terminally ill and their 

families find peace at the end of their 

lives. More than 500 volunteers are 

involved in everything from assisting 

nurses and helping with meals to 

playing scrabble with patients. 

Arnup recently presented a paper 

on the experiences of palliative 

care volunteers to the International 

Council for Canadian Studies at 

the Congress of the Humanities 

and Social Sciences at Concordia 

University. 

For the paper, she conducted indepth 

interviews with 14 volunteers 

at the Hospice at May Court, focusing 

on their motivation for volunteering 

and the effect it has had on themselves 

and the people around them. 

on her head. She wears layers of flowing 

clothing. She is a natural healer, 

is flamboyant and in touch with her 

spiritual side. Social by nature, she is 

the sort of person people confide in 

easily. Unlikely friends, Carole and 

Jude are thrown together in the first 

of the series, The Body on the Beach. 

They develop a taste for sleuthing and 

can’t help but get involved in solving 

whatever crime pops up in Fethering 

or elsewhere along the South Downs. 

Immensely fun to read, these 

books abound with clues, red herrings 

and flights of deductive reasoning on 

the part of our amateur sleuthing duo. 

While falling into the category of cosy 

mysteries, the series avoids becoming 

treacly – Brett is far too witty and satirical 

a writer to allow for that. He 

comments pointedly yet benignly on 

modern society, deflating pretention, 

probing motives, and exploring hangups 

while at the same time showing a 

great affection for his main characters, 

flawed though they may be. There is 

also more than a hint of self parody 

in his writing (starting with the rather 

“I found that the vast majority of 

them had in fact had somebody close 

to them die in their lives,” she says. 

“For most of them, it had changed 

them.” 

Volunteering provides insight 

into the dying process that open up 

essential conversations about the 

dying process. And though the job is 

not without its difficulties, volunteers 

expressed a newfound level of comfort 

with death and ongoing reminders of 

July 2010 

absurd alliterative titles). It seems that 

Brett is aware of following the formulas 

of the genre, but is having fun with 

them. 

If you are already a fan of this 

series, and are looking for similar 

books to read over the summer, I recommend 

the following authors and 

series: Simon Brett (Charles Paris) , 

(Mrs Pargeter); Susan Wittig Albert 

(China Bayles); M.C. Beaton (Agatha 

Raisin), ( Hamish Macbeth), Rita 

Mae Brown (Mary Minor Harristeen); 

Caroline Graham (Inspector Tom 

Barnaby); Cleo Coyle (Coffeehouse 

Mysteries); Nancy Atherton (Aunt 

Dimity ); Donna Andrews (Meg 

Langslow); Louise Penny (Inspector 

Armand Gamache – set outside Montreal). 

Of course, all are available at the 

Ottawa Public Library! Have a great 

summerJ 

Dorothy Jeffreys, Librarian 

Alta Vista Library 

Ottawa South Resident Aims To Help Canadians Cope With Death 

Katherine Arnup 

what really matters in life. 

Hospice workers not only help 

patients and their families cope 

during difficult times, but also 

provide a service that is becoming 

increasingly important as Canada’s 

aging population begins to create a 

huge need for palliative care services. 

Last year, more than 259, 000 

people died in Canada. Statistics 

Canada predicts that, with the aging 

of the baby boomers, that number 

will reach 330,000 by 2020. 

“That will create a huge demand 

on the healthcare system and on longterm 

care facilities,” says Arnup. And 

while most Canadians say they want 

to die at home, Arnup notes that the 

vast majority still die in hospitals and 

care facilities. 

She says it’s important to talk 

about death so that people can have 

the dying process they want with the 

people they want to be with. 

“We don’t come to terms with it, 

we don’t talk about where we want to 

die, we don’t have enough facilities 

to help people die,” she says. “These 

are things we need to change.” 

Tell OSCAR Readers 

about interesting people, 

your travel 

or your interests. 

Send text and photos to 

oscar@oldottawasouth.ca

July 2010 

M.P.P. OTTAWA CENTRE 

By Yasir Naqvi 

MPP Ottawa Centre 

The Legislative Assembly 

at Queen’s Park has been 

busy these past few months, 

introducing exciting new legislation to 

make Ontario an even better province 

to live, work and raise a family in. 

Escaping Domestic Violence Act 

In May I tabled my third Private 

Member’s Bill, the Escaping Domestic 

Violence Act, 2010, to address a need 

in our community. 

A few months ago, I was 

approached by a constituent – a young 

woman in our community – who 

shared with me her painful story of 

fleeing an abusive relationship. She 

told me about the barriers she faced 

in leaving her dangerous home and 

finding a safe place to start her new 

life. 

Under the Residential Tenancies 

Act, 2006 all tenants must provide no 

less than 60 days notice to a landlord 

to terminate a lease, and if in a fixedterm 

lease, must wait until the final 60 

days of the lease period before being 

allowed to do so. Unless a landlord 

willingly waives the period of notice, 

the victim could be faced with extreme 

financial hardship as they pay out the 

remainder of their lease and incur the 

By Sarah Jane Fraser 

Last month, I went to see the 

Refugee Camp in the Heart 

of the City exhibit put on 

by Doctors Without Borders. My 

daughter and I joined a grade school 

class as they toured the food shack, 

medical tent and lean-to shelters. 

As we were escorted through the 

display, the kids peppered our guide 

with questions, crawled into shelters 

made of cardboard, canvas, sheet 

metal and scrap lumber, and learned 

about malnutrition and water-borne 

diseases. Crowded around the latrine, 

our well-fed toddler heavy in my 

arms, my exercise in emergency 

preparedness was brought to life. 

What if I only had three minutes to 

leave my home? 

If you read last months’ article, 

“Family Planning, Natural Disaster 

Style” you’ll remember that I am on a 

quest to get prepared for disasters. So 

far, I have a Family Emergency Plan, 

two empty backpacks and some basic 

first aid training. What could I throw 

into those bags in three minutes? 

Probably quite a bit if that’s all I had 

to think about. Add crying children, a 

fast-approaching disaster and my own 


Exciting New Legislation for Ontario 

costs of starting a new life in a new 

home. 

That is why I introduced Bill 

53, the Escaping Domestic Violence 

Act, 2010 to amend the Residential 

Tenancies Act, 2006 and allow victims 

of domestic violence a mechanism for 

the early termination of a lease, so 

they can find a safe new place to call 

home. 

Open for Business Act 

As part of Open Ontario, the 

province is taking steps to support 

economic growth and foster simpler, 

better and faster interaction between 

government and business. That is why 

we introduced the Open for Business 

Act to create a more competitive 

business climate, while protecting the 

environment and public interest. 

The Act includes over 100 

proposed amendments to better 

serve businesses. These amendments 

include the establishment of a 

modern, risk-based approach to 

environmental approvals, saving 

businesses as much as 25 per cent 

of their project application costs. We 

are also proposing faster and more 

efficient resolutions of Employment 

Standards claims, and are making 

it easier for professionals, such as 

internationally trained engineers, 

to work in Ontario by removing 

Three Minutes to Escape Disaster 

stress and the backpack would end up 

a grab bag of half-empty cereal boxes, 

open bags of milk and unsharpened 

pencils. 

That’s why this month I am 

putting together a Grab and Go Kit. 

Here’s what I will be putting 

inside my kit and the identical one 

that I make for my partner: 

A copy of my Family Emergency 

Plan 

Small first aid kit and manual 

2 Flashlights and batteries 

AM/FM radio and batteries 

A pair of heavy gloves 

Cash and coins 

4 energy bars 

1 bar of bitter chocolate 

Two peel-open cans of sardines 

(I won’t eat these unless it’s a real 

emergency) 

4 litres of water 

Travel size bottle of painkillers 

3 Space blankets 

1 Whistle 

1 Sharp folding knife 

Three orange garbage bags 

12 hand wipes in a sealable bag 

Copies of my identification 

papers, and the kids’ birth certificates 

25 Matches in metal case 

the citizenship requirements for a 

Professional Engineer Licence 

The proposed changes would 

harmonize Ontario’s business 

practices with other North American 

jurisdictions, and were developed 

in consultation with stakeholders, 

such as businesses, environmental 

and agriculture groups, labour 

organizations, engineers and 

architects. 

Water Opportunities and Water 

Conservation Act 

In May Minister Gerretsen 

introduced the Water Opportunities 

and Water Conservation Act to 

capitalize on the global market for 

clean water technology. 

The proposed Act would make 

Ontario a North American and world 

leader in the growing global field of 

innovative technologies and services 

by creating the Water Technology 

Acceleration Project - a new partnership 

of internationally recognized experts 

in water technology, researchers, and 

innovators to help bring innovative 

water solutions and technology 

developed in Ontario to domestic and 

international markets. This would 

create jobs as part of a growing water 

technology and services industry. 

The Water Opportunities and 

Water Conservation Act would also 

1 Metal cup 

Memory stick or CD of important 

digital files and photos 

A baby sling 

This sounds like a lot, and I am 

conscious that the bag can’t be too 

heavy or it won’t be easy to carry it and 

my 2-year-old, who is approaching 30 

lbs. 

We can also make a pack for my 

son, who is 5. It’s OK for kids to carry 

about 10% of their body weight. In 

his pack, we will put a litre of water, 

2 granola bars, a whistle, a colourful 

bandana, crayons, a note pad, copies 

of his and our identification in a 

sealable plastic bag, and a flashlight. 

These kits won’t keep us going 

for three days, but they will give us 

what we need to keep it together until 

we get to our family meeting place or 

an emergency shelter. 

I am lucky enough to have the 

time and resources to get ready for a 

disaster, unlike so many people in the 

world. The last item on my list is a 

charitable donation for the value of 

our kits, for Doctors Without Borders 

and the Ottawa Food Bank. 

encourage efforts to significantly 

reduce Ontario’s residential water 

use. We can achieve this goal by 

implementing water efficiency 

labelling like the WaterSense program 

in the United States for appliances 

and consumer products. We can also 

implement standardized information 

about water use on water bills so 

that Ontarians better understand 

their consumption patterns. Most 

importantly, this legislation will 

enable the government to demonstrate 

leadership through considering water 

conservation in procurement and 

through conservation planning by all 

public agencies. 

Clean water is vital to our well 

being and we are taking action to 

conserve this valuable resource for 

future generations. We will work with 

our partners, industry, schools and 

entrepreneurs to attract clean water 

jobs, expertise and investment while 

creating a culture of conservation. 

I look forward to hearing your 

feedback on these initiatives. Please 

feel free to contact me anytime at 613- 

722-6414 or ynaqvi.mpp.co@liberal. 

ola.org or stop me when you see me 

in the community. 

Hope to see you soon! 

To book an OSCAR 

ad 

call Gayle 730-1058 

oscarads@ 

oldottawasouth.ca

Page 36 

The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR July 2010 

l’Amicale francophone d’Ottawa - Cercle de Lecture 

Depuis toujours, j’entendais la mer – par Andrée Christensen 

Par Jean-Claude Dubé 

Ce premier roman de la 

poétesse franco ontarienne, 

Andrée Christensen, est le 

carnet biographique d’un archéologue 

danois, Thorvald Sørensen. Écrit d’un 

style lyrique et poétique, l’auteure 

nous présente ainsi un récit doux 

et émouvant où la mort a la place 

d’honneur et où la mer, à la fois 

bienveillante et cruelle, est une toile 

de fond brillante ou sombre et toujours 

omniprésente. 

Avec maintes références à la 

mythologie scandinave, aux sciences 

naturelles, à la thanatologie et 

l’archéologie, le lecteur se fait servir 

un surchoix d’événements insolites 

qui portent à réfléchir sur le mystère 

de la vie et le pourquoi de la mort. 

La vie ne peut pas exister sans la 

mort et la mort est une régénératrice 

de la vie. L’homme, pour survivre, 

doit se nourrir de matières qui étaient 

autrefois vivantes, et son corps servira 

à nourrir d’innombrables espèces 

concevablement à l’infini. 

Sips from the Poetry Café 

By: Susan Atkinson 

In my last month’s musings I was exulted at the 

thought of summer, and all the joys it brings. 

Since then I have done some more musing and 

I’ve been thinking about how before the beginning 

of summer we have the ending of something – that 

being the school year. This ending is special in all 

different ways for all of us. For some it is the ending 

of the grade, for some it’s the ending of their school 

career at a particular school and for others it is the 

ending of their entire school career. I happen to be 

one of those parents who has one of those children 

celebrating the end of an entire school career. I 

apologize to those out there who are reading this 

and are not quite at this stage or who are perhaps 

long past this point but for those who are right in the 

middle, whose child is finishing their high school 

career, I write this for you. 

With roughly two weeks to go I find myself 

Les jumeaux du roman, Thorvald 

et Freya, partagent une vie fœtale 

intime, créative et sensuelle dans le 

ventre de leur mère, Kristine. Celleci 

meurt en couches ainsi que Freya, 

étouffée par le cordon ombilical. 

Thorvald est libéré du cadavre de sa 

mère par une incision césarienne. Ces 

événements intra-utérin perçu par un 

fœtus hantera Thorvald durant sa vie 

entière. En perdant sa sœur jumelle, 

Thorvald perdit aussi une partie de 

soi-même. Sans le savoir, une main 

embryonique de Freya était implantée 

dans sa poitrine. Souvent il entendait 

une voix familière jaillissant de sa 

tête murmurant « Freyr, Freyr, je suis 

Freya, Freya. Tu es moi et je suis toi ». 

Dans ce récit plein de symbolisme 

et d’allusions à un grand nombre 

de mythes populaires scandinaves, 

Thorvald pourrait aussi bien être un 

fantôme. Il raconte mais nous ne le 

voyons pas. Est-il grand, petit, beau, 

difforme? Nous ne le savons pas. Son 

épouse, qu’il nomme Katla mais dont 

il ne connaîtra jamais le vrai nom ni 

son origine, avait le teint foncé et les 

cheveux noirs. Ceci se passe durant 

l’occupation du Danemark par les 

Nazis. Elle se noie avec son enfant. 

Est-ce un suicide? Nous ne le saurons 

jamais car, d’après l’auteure, Andrée 

Christensen, la vie est remplie de 

mystères auxquels il n’y a pas de 

réponses. 

L’histoire se déroule 

principalement sur les plages et les 

paysages brumeux d’une vraie petite 

île danoise dans les mers du Nord. 

Cette île, pays d’origine du père de 

l’auteure, est suspendue dans le temps, 

même de nos jours. Les quelques 

200 habitants, pour la plupart âgés, 

n’ont pas de voitures. On se déplace 

en bicyclette. Il y existe une petite 

industrie d’herbes médicinales, on y 

fait la pêche et le soleil de minuit s’y 

met de la fête pour célébrer le Sankt 

Hans atfen ou la veille de la Saint- 

Jean, célébrée au Danemark depuis le 

temps des Vikings. 

Andrée Christensen, issue de 

la paroisse Saint-Charles à Vanier, 

veut rendre hommage à ses racines 

scandinaves en décrivant son livre 

Endings Bring New Beginnings 

looking back over the years of how my daughter’s 

life has been defined by the seasons of school: the end 

of the year, the beginning of the year, March break, 

Winter break, Summer holidays, and now we’re in 

her final season. With exams and summatives on the 

doorstep and prom and graduation day around the 

corner (remember I wrote this at the beginning of 

June!), as my daughter and I discuss prom dresses, 

hair appointments (and again I apologize as I have 

now narrowed my readership even further!) I can’t 

help thinking that this is one of those “end of one 

time, beginning of another”. 

What better time to reminisce – walk down 

memory lane holding my daughter’s hand as 

we pause at the milestones. From the first day of 

Kindergarten to the first school concert, from the 

first sporting events to the first flying up ceremony 

in Grade 6, from the second graduation ceremony 

in Grade 8 to the first day of high school and now 

to this graduation. I want to pause and think about 

all the first days, the photographs on the front porch 

marking the occasion and the excited chatter on 

returning home to share new discoveries. 

So as much as it is a time to welcome summer 

(and I challenge anyone to open their arms wider 

than I, to do that!) it’s a lovely time to reflect and 

celebrate life’s successes, lessons learned, the 

making of best friends and of course the making 

of arch enemies, mastering a new skill, trying 

something different, discovering who we are and 

what we want. For many of the young adults in our 

community this June will bring endings, which in 

turn will bring new beginnings. 

To the Class of 2010 may all your dreams 

become realities, may all your hopes be actualized 

To book an OSCAR ad 


oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca 

comme étant un « roman tombeau ». 

Ceci est une forme littéraire datant du 

15ième siècle où l’on créait un poème 

ou une pièce musicale pour rendre 

hommage à un auteur ou compositeur 

décédé. Chacune des scènes dans son 

œuvre a été écrite en s’inspirant d’une 

pièce de musique particulière telle que 

« Postcards from the Sky » et « Miroir 

dans un miroir ». En plus, l’auteure a 

créé une série de 27 collages, publiée 

séparément sous le titre de « Regards 

de la main/In the Hand’s Eye » dont 

les collages correspondent chacun 

à un chapitre du livre. Ce « roman 

tombeau » est une oeuvre séduisante 

et voûtante qu’il faut lire, relire et 

relire encore. 

La prochaine rencontre de Cercle 

de lecture de l’Amicale aura lieu 

probablement le 14 septembre sur les 

lieux de la bibliothèque Sunnyside 

fraîchement rénovée. La lecture 

choisie est Rouge Brésil de Jean- 

Christophe Rufin. À confirmer dans 

le prochain numéro du OSCAR et 

aussi sur notre site Toile (Web) www. 

amicaleottawa.com. 

and may you spread your wings and fly to the 

highest treetops where you can look back and say, 

“WE DID IT!” Wishing love and happiness to you 

all, as you begin a new path and find a whole lot 

more ‘firsts”. 

First Day 

(for Hayley, written September 1996) 

You start school today 

and fidget as I fuss 

fixing your hair 

for the umpteenth time, 

flicking toast crumbs 

from your cheek, 

flattening fly-away curls, 

smudging jam 

from the creased corners 

of your smile, 

smoothing stray strands 

into the pony tail 

that swishes down your back. 

Walking up the street 

your fingers wriggle free 

of mine, and you quicken 

your step two strides ahead 

so we no longer walk together. 

As you bounce along 

your curls cartwheel 

from their noose 

racing to catch up 

while you dance 

into the day 

into the world.

July 2010 

117ABBOTSFORD HOUSE 

By: Julie Ireton 

After years of putting up with 

a rattling mini-bus that was 

cold in the winter and hot 

in the summer, the Glebe Centre is 

finally getting new wheels. 

Marjorie, as the old bus is known, 

is being replaced, in part thanks to 

generous donations from members of 

the community. 

The bus is used by the Abbotsford 

Day Away Program, the Abbotsford 

Luncheon Club and for residents of 

The Glebe Centre long term care 

facility from Monday to Friday each 

week. Both those living independently 

in the community and in the long term 

care facility will benefit from this new 

acquisition. 

“We have a number of clients, 

seniors who are virtually shut-ins or 

have limited mobility. The bus gets 

them out so they can socialize. They 

have such a lovely time when they go 

out,” says Jane Stallabrass, program 

co-ordinator of the Abbotsford 

Luncheon Club. 

“We have a couple of clients in 

wheelchairs, so a car… they just can’t 

do.” 

The new bus will be specially 

equipped to transport people with 

wheelchairs and walkers. 

“We’re looking forward to the 

fast attach and lock mechanisms to 

put the wheels of the wheelchairs in 

By Margret Brady 

Nankivell 

St. Matthew’s Treasures Auction 

on Saturday, October 23, noon 

to five p.m., will raise money 

for the Council of the North’s youth 

suicide prevention program as well as 

“greening” the church initiatives. It 

is the third in a series of imaginative 

auctions that have raised more than 

$100,000 for church projects. 

This year’s auction promises 

to be the most exciting one yet. 

Bishops representing Council of the 

North dioceses (there are 11 of them) 

are thrilled that the auction will be 

supporting their program and they 

plan to collect local artwork, such 

as carvings and paintings, for the 

auction. 

Short stays at vacation properties 

in Europe and North America will be 

on offer. For example, auction goers 

will be able to bid for stays at a cottage 

on a tranquil lake in the Gatineau Hills 

or “Le Pins”, a charming house in the 

Dordogne with stunning views. The 

property in France will be available 

during the months of August and 

September 2011. 

Also on offer will be a week 

at “Bishopthorpe”, a registered 


New Wheels at the Glebe Centre 

From left to right are Abbotsford Staff Rhoda Cober, Janice Bridgewater, 

Sandy Taylor, Doritt Crosby and Lynda Snowdon. Photo by Pat Goyeche 

place,” explains Stallabrass. “And the 

air conditioning will be wonderful.” 

Already in May, several trips 

in the old bus had to be cancelled 

because old Marjorie doesn’t have 

air conditioning and it was just too 

stifling inside for the elderly clients. 

A couple days a week, Abbotsford 

Members are picked up at their homes 

and brought to the Luncheon Club. 

They also go on outings to area 

museums, or to Gatineau Park for a 

picnic. 

“I really think it helps people 

historical property in the heart of 

Old Quebec. Built in 1841 as the 

home of the dean of the Anglican 

Cathedral of Quebec, the regencystyle 

house is now the residence of 

the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese 

of Quebec. “Bishopthorpe” is 

situated within the Cathedral Close, 

a five-minute walk from the Chateau 

Frontenac and the Dufferin Terrace, 

surrounded by restaurants, cafes and 

street artists’ displays. The property, 

which will be available during the 

summer of 2011, has four bedrooms 

and generous-sized dining and living 

rooms. 

St. Matthew’s Auction will also 

feature other “consumable” items, 

such as dinners or tea parties, catered 

meals and even wine tastings. 

Past auctions at St. Matthew’s 

Anglican Church, have featured 

excellent art works including Inuit 

limited edition prints and etchings 

by well-known Canadian artists and 

contemporary oils by talented local 

artists as well as superb antiques, 

fine china and silver. Auction goers 

have also had the extraordinary 

opportunity of watching renowned 

Glebe artist Philip Craig painting 

musicians as they play. 

“I have been to cattle auctions, 

stay in their own homes longer. 

Having programs like this, you can’t 

understate their importance,” notes 

Stallabrass. 

Glebe Centre long-term care 

residents also use the bus. 

“There are some residents who 

literally wouldn’t go out of the 

building any other time. They’re not 

well enough to go on Para-Transpo, 

“ says Shelley Kuiack, director of 

Resident Services at the Glebe Centre. 

Kuiack says they quite often take 

residents out to lunch in Manotick 

St. Matthew’s Treasures Auction 

Saturday, October 23, 2010, Noon to Five p.m. 

rural auctions, auctions in other 

countries and each one has its charm,” 

said Anne Gregory after first Treasures 

auction. “But I’ve never been to such a 

varied and entertaining auction as this 

one,” she said. “You can sit and eat 

and drink, listen to beautiful music, 

watch an artist painting or bid on the 

many interesting items on offer,” she 

said. 

The atmosphere in the church 

was relaxed and the volunteers were 

really friendly, she said. “I enjoyed 

it immensely,” she remarked. “I’ve 

never been to such a really nice 

fundraiser and I’m a fundraiser,” she 

said. 

or at Swiss Chalet and the Chinese 

residents enjoy going to dim sum 

regularly. 

“The shopping trips are very 

popular. It gives them a sense of 

normalcy. They’re doing their own 

errands. Those trips are very, very 

well received and they hate to miss 

them,” Kuiack says. 

Every once in a while, some 

residents use the bus to head out to the 

National Arts Centre to take in a play 

or concert. Kuiack notes that getting 

in the bus to see gardens or the tulip 

festival is also a big draw. 

“Just the fresh air is such a treat. 

You can’t underestimate a change 

of scenery. And when we cancel 

something. We hear about it,” she 

laughs. 

The Glebe Centre’s new bus is 

expected to grace the parking lot in 

early July. Then the residents and 

Abbotsford members will bid a fond, 

last farewell to old Marjorie: a bus 

that’s served them well. 

The new bus will be christened 

with a new name shortly after delivery. 

Special thanks to Caroline Iwaski 

and Louise Card for their generous 

donations to make the purchase of 

a new bus and the many smaller 

individual donations that when added 

together make the dream a reality. 

Please contact St. Matthew’s 

parishioner Margret Brady Nankivell 

(613-230-8669 or nankivell@rogers. 

com) if you are considering offering 

vacation properties or event items to 

the auction. For donations of jewelry, 

silver and antiques, please contact 

Jane Oulton (oulton7608@rogers. 

com) or Susan Rayner (m.s.rayner@ 

sympatico.ca) Most donations of 

value are eligible for tax receipts. 

You may also bring donations to St. 

Matthew’s office (613-234-4024) at 

217 First Ave. during office hours 

8:30 am to noon.


COMPUTER TRICKS AND TIPS 

By Malcolm and John 

Harding, of Compu-Home 

As we mentioned in our last 

column, slowdown is the 

most common problem 

we encounter. In that column we 

dealt primarily with software issues. 

This month, we’ll focus mostly 

on hardware. Your computer has 

a set amount of resources that are 

determined when you first buy it. 

There lots of bits and pieces that make 

up the hardware of your computer, but 

there a key few that specifically affect 

its speed. 

The Processor is the main “brain” 

of the computer. It has a set speed that 

is measured in GigaHertz (GHz). The 

number roughly specifies the number 

of calculations it can do per second. 

The higher the number is, the faster 

the computer is. That initial speed 

will not change over time, and it is 

not usually feasible to replace your 

processor with a faster one down the 

road. 

The RAM could be described 

as temporary storage... the shortterm 

memory. Your computer has a 

certain amount of RAM, measured 

in Megabytes or Gigabytes. Every 

time you double-click an icon to start 

a program, that program is loaded 

Carleton University has become 

the first post-secondary 

institution in Canada to 

establish a graduate program in 

political management. The university 

announced the creation of the new 

program in early June. The initiative 

was made possible by a $15-million 

financial commitment – the largest 

in Carleton’s history – from Alberta 

businessman Clayton Riddell. To 

honour Mr. Riddell’s generosity 

and dedication to public policy, the 

program will be named the Clayton H. 

Riddell Graduate Program in Political 

Management. As with all new 

graduate degree programs, its design 

will be appraised for approval by the 

Ontario Council on Graduate Studies. 

It’s expected that students will start to 

be accepted into the new program in 

September 2011. 

Another new initiative on campus in 

Even After Last Month’s Amazing Column 

My Computer is Still Too Slow!! 

into RAM. When you close that 

program and start a new one, the 

new program is loaded into RAM 

and takes the place of the previously 

running program. As we mentioned 

last month it is often possible to add 

more RAM quickly and cheaply, 

and the resulting increase in speed is 

significant. 

The Hard Drive is the storage 

locker on your computer. Hard Drives 

are measured in Gigabytes. The 

number of Gigabytes determines how 

much storage space you have. That 

space is occupied by your Operating 

System, your programs (MS Office, 

Internet Explorer, Skype, etc.) and, 

most importantly, your personal data, 

which usually consists of documents, 

pictures, music, and records. Hard 

Drives can be upgraded or replaced 

if need be, but that will not likely 

affect your speed very much. They 

are generally only replaced due 

to hardware failure or inadequate 

capacity for your personal data. One 

key misconception about hard drives 

is that if you have a lot of data then 

your computer will be slower. This is 

not in fact true anymore. Computers 

used to have very small hard drives 

and were constantly filling up, and 

the only time the hard drive will slow 

down your computer is when it is 

CARLETON CORNER 

June was the official launch of the 

online version of Carleton Now, the 

university’s monthly newspaper. It’s 

the first publication at the university 

to go completely paperless. The move 

marks a new direction for several 

Carleton publications. To view and 

subscribe to Carleton Now, please go 

to: http://carletonnow.carleton.ca. 

There was also some change in 

the Carleton hockey team’s coaching 

staff. The departure of Fred Parker 

initiated a search for his replacement. 

On June 7, Athletics Director Jennifer 

Brenning announced that Ravens 

assistant hockey coach Marty Johnston 

will take over coaching duties. 

Several faculty and students 

received accolades in June, including 

Prof. Linda Duxbury, who received 

the 2010 President’s Award from the 

International Personnel Management 

Association – Canada. This award 

filled very close to its capacity. 

Let’s also look at some speedrelated 

mythology – red herrings and 

the grains of truth behind them: 

Red Herring 1: Having a large 

number of pictures, music, documents, 

icons on the Desktop, etc. will slow 

your computer. As stated above, your 

computer’s speed is not affected by 

stored data until it is very nearly full. 

Grain of Truth: Data saved within 

a program can affect the speed of that 

program... but only that program. A 

prime example of this is your e-mail 

program, such as Outlook Express. 

If you have a lot of messages, 

attachments, folders, calendar items, 

to-do lists, etc. that program can 

be slow to load and sluggish to use, 

because the data is saved right within 

the program, unlike the majority of 

programs, which save files separately. 

Red Herring 2: Paying for high/ 

higher speed internet will make your 

computer faster. We hear many 

clients say that they have changed to a 

faster/more expensive internet service 

but that their computer is no faster. 

Grain of Truth: Faster internet 

service will make web content get to 

your computer faster. The rub there is 

that if your computer itself is slow to 

begin with, then having internet traffic 

flooding in faster will not result in a 

has not been presented since 2006. 

It is IPMA-Canada’s highest award 

and is presented to an individual who 

has made an outstanding contribution 

to the practice of human resources 

management in Canada. 

The university was also proud to 

announce that second-year journalism 

student, Daniel Fish, received the 

2010 Kenneth R. Wilson Award. Fish 

and his co-authors, Annette Bourdeau 

and Jim McElgunn, received a silver 

award in the category of Best How- 

To Article or Series of How-To 

Articles for their article How to be 

a Superpreneur which appeared in 

Profit Magazine. The awards are coproduced 

by the Canadian Business 

Press and Magazines Canada. 

Carleton and the University of 

Ottawa are hosting top university 

students from India who are in Ontario 

from May to July. The group of 47 

better browsing experience. (Internet 

experience is an especially confusing 

subject as related to speed issues, 

because there are so many variables 

interacting – computer, Internet 

connection, and the website itself.) 

Red Herring 3: I’ve got to get rid 

of all of those cookies, because there 

are so many of them that they are 

slowing things down. 

Grain of Truth: Cookies are not 

actually considered by most experts 

to be spyware. They are in a mostly 

benign category and can actually 

make your browsing experience more 

efficient, by remembering your login 

information for sites and getting you 

back to your favourites more quickly. 

While they may compromise your 

privacy in some circumstances, they 

are not actually a slowdown issue. 

Have a great summer. See you in 

the fall. 

Malcolm and John Harding are 

owners of Compu-Home. They assist 

home and business computer users. 

Be sure to visit our new web site 

for an archive of our Tips & Tricks. 

www.compu-home.com 

Write to harding@compu-home. 

com or phone 613-731-5954 to 

discuss computer issues, or to suggest 

future columns. 

students are here to apply their skills 

to complex research projects and 

interact with industry. At Carleton, a 

student from the elite Indian Institutes 

of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur 

is working on a project to better 

understand the energy consumption 

and connectivity of directional 

antennas, which emit a signal in only 

one direction. Only 4,000 out of some 

one million applications to attend the 

IIT schools are accepted annually. 

Carleton Corner is written by 

Carleton University’s Department of 

University Communications. As your 

community university, Carleton hosts 

many exciting events of interest to 

Ottawa South. For more information 

about upcoming events, please go to 

carleton.ca/events.

July 2010 

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA CENTRE 

By Dr. Emily Black 

I 

don’t know about the rest of you 

but golly I’m sore! I think it’s 

the weather, and the fact that it is 

beautiful and sunny, and I have been 

out doing all the physical exercise 

I can all at once… and my body is 

punishing me! To use the Australian 

saying, “My dogs are biting!” 

meaning that my leg muscles are sore. 

This wonderful visual saying makes 

me wonder, do “dogs bite” the legs of 

dogs and cats in the same way? 

The answer is yes! The thing 

that makes us tired after exercise 

is the buildup of a chemical called 

lactic acid. Lactic Acid is made when 

muscles work and run out of their 

direct source of oxygen in the blood. 

When the oxygen runs out they switch 

to a different energy cycle, of which 

lactic acid is the by-product. For 

those of you who can remember back 

to high school biology, it’s the ‘acid’ 

in lactic acid that burns the muscles, 

giving rise to that great call of the 

physically fit: “Feel the burn!!” The 

fitter you are, the more efficient your 

body is at using oxygen in the blood, 

and therefore the less lactic acid you 

make. The same goes for Fluffy and 

Muffy. 

So, what can you do for your pets 

to help ease them into exercise after 

the long cold months of winter? 

The first thing is the warm 

up. Dogs and cats both do a lot of 

stretching naturally. In many ways 

they are far better than we are; the cat 

stretch didn’t get its name for nothing. 

You will notice that when your dog 

gets off the couch after a nice nap 

they slowly pull their back legs off, 

giving their hip flexors a good stretch. 

When cats wake up, they curve their 

back almost in two and go right up 

on their toes to stretch after a good 

nap. Both animals also stretch out 

with their forepaws in front, giving 

their shoulders a nice stretch. This 

position, frequently called the prayer 

position, is also known as a “play 

bow” in dogs, and is an invitation to 

other dogs to run around like maniacs. 

It’s almost impossible to train 

your dog, let alone your cat, to stretch 

adequately before and after exercise. 

So instead we recommend the warmup. 

Before you let your dog go hell 

bent, we recommend a gentle walk; 

this will warm up the muscles as well 

as get the blood pumping and help 

prevent injury. 

Next is the activity. Just as with 

people, jarring activities are often the 

most damaging. The most commonly 

jarring dog sport is stick chasing. 

The reason for this is that the stick is 

thrown and when it lands it doesn’t 

move, so that the pursuant dog takes 

off at full tilt and then comes to a 

grinding halt at the stick. This is very 

hard on the ol’ joints. We recommend 

instead the use of balls or similar 

things that keep rolling, so that the dog 

gradually slows down and does less 

damage to their joints. Swimming 

is also a great activity because the 

water provides buoyancy, which takes 

weight off the joints. It also increases 

muscle and joint work in all aspect of 

the movement because of the extra 

impedance to movement caused by 


Canadian Leadership To Save Lives In The Developing World 

By Paul Dewar 

This month Canada will be 

playing host to meetings of 

G8 and G20 leaders. The summits 

are a great opportunity for the 

world leaders to address major issues 

facing our collective future: climate 

change, global poverty and reform 

of global financing system to prevent 

future recessions. 

Early in 2010, the government 

made a commitment to the world 

that Canada would champion the 

health of mothers of children in the 

developing world. I welcomed the 

overdue initiative. 

Unfortunately, to date, the government 

has not announced a plan 

or any funding to get the job done. 

All we know is a regressive position 

on access to reproductive choices. 

And the government is flat-lining 

our development assistance budget. 

Maternal and child health is a serious 

issue that transcends political pointscoring. 

Each year, upwards of half a 

million women lose their lives during 

pregnancy or childbirth. Nine million 

children die before their fifth birthday. 

The moral imperative to act is 

unquestionable. 

That’s why as my party’s foreign 

affairs critic, I offered our proposals 

for concrete actions on this important 

initiative. 

1. Canada must commit significant 

new funds, separate from 

existing Official Development Assistance 

commitments, to build on successful 

international maternal-child 

health interventions; 

Local Veterinarian - Dr. Emily Black 

Going Through The Motions 

We are calling for NEW funds: 

not reallocated, not re-announced, 

not repackaged – but new funds. According 

to the Partnership on Maternal, 

Newborn and Child Health, the 

global financing gap to save the lives 

of 10 million women and children by 

2015 is $30 billion. 

Experts have estimated Canada’s 

fair share of this global fund would 

be around $1.4 billion over five 

years. The security for the summits is 

costing us a billion dollars. Will we 

see that kind of funding to save the 

lives of women and children? 

2. Canada must ensure a robust 

replenishment of the Global Fund 

to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 

Malaria; 

The Fund is in a replenishment 

period and Canada can take a lead 

the water. It’s great for young and old 

alike, but not so great for cats since 

they usually dislike water. 

Finally, the last step is a postgame 

cool down. After a hard bout 

of exercise, it’s a good idea to allow 

the animal to slowly calm back down. 

The gentle movement of a walk after 

a hard run allows the muscles to 

pump some of that lactic acid away to 

prevent the after burn, and allows the 

heart to slow back down to its normal 

rate. During a night when your pet 

is tired and quiet, it’s a great idea to 

slowly move their joints through their 

full range of motion. You can do this 

for both dogs and cats, by moving 

their legs as if they were riding a bike, 

with both their front and hind legs. 

It’s important not to push beyond 

what is comfortable for your pet, but 

with practice you can gradually help 

those joints move more easily. 

So take this advice and have a 

safe and sound summer! 

in increasing the Fund’s budget and 

maintaining the momentum toward 

the struggle against these diseases. 

and, 

3. Canada should ensure 

support for maternal health in the 

developing world includes a commitment 

to strengthening sexual and 

reproductive health care services. 

Canadians can all be united and 

proud of a comprehensive action plan 

that saves the lives of women and 

children around the world. 

Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament, 

Ottawa Centre 

dewarp@parl.gc.ca 


Tasty Tidbits From Trillium Bakery 

By Jocelyn LeRoy 

I would like to address a growing 

phenomenon among many “20 – 30 

somethings.” It’s the expanding 

culture of instant information – 

texting, blogging, tweeting – and 

skimming the surface of a vast array 

of subjects. 

Also, I would like to respond to the 

young man who blogged about my 

bakery after a small incident that took 

place in less than five minutes in my 

store. He came in, bought a cookie, 

and then asked for bus fare. He threw 

a tantrum because I wouldn’t give it 

to him. I apologized, but I simply did 

not have enough change. 

He went home and wrote about it and 

rated the bakery based on his opinion 

of my not giving him the very last of 

my change for bus fare. 

After reading his negative blog about 

this, I decided to look into who 

reads these blogs, and how they use 

the information. I discovered to my 

alarm that legions of young people 

do most of their shopping, research, 

opinion forming based on advice and 

evaluations given by bloggers on the 

net. They access this information 

through their I-phones and other hightech 

innovations involving gadgets, 

games, apps and anything else new 

and trendy. They are on top of their 

game. This could be good for the 

economy, some would argue. 

But I worry about depth. Our future 

Shopping by I-phone: The Entitled Generation 

parents, teachers, leaders, doctors and 

politicians are, more now than at any 

other time, skimming the surface. 

They rely on anybody-out-there’s 

opinions and private thoughts gone 

public, giving the bloggers a lot of 

power and credibility to inform their 

audience of what’s good and not-sogood, 

what and where they should 

eat, buy and read. Does anyone ever 

wonder if some of the information is 

flawed? 

I was also alarmed to learn by talking 

to the people about whom I am 

writing – friends, family, customers in 

this age bracket – that they don’t dig 

very deep or question the information 

that bloggers are putting “out there.” 

It’s the number ratings that catch their 

attention and upon which they decide 

to “pass or go.” Their actions are 

based on a quick perusal, running the 

risk of relying on a thoughtless word 

rolled off a glib tongue. 

I was surprised when many told me 

they see themselves as the “entitled 

generation” (post university, prechildren, 

couples and singles). 

Everything has come to them easily, 

they say. Finding ways to spend 

their money is a novel and somewhat 

addictive way to create their “good 

life.” They are bright and educated, 

hip, living it up and happy with their 

lifestyle. And refreshingly honest! 

Writers and readers I know tell me 

they get frustrated by book and movie 

reviews given by critics who trash 

books that are of high standards, even 

containing brilliant writing that meets 

most or all criteria of excellence. 

These worthwhile titles often get a 

big 0 in favour of some new, trendy, 

and even poorly written piece of 

literature; this can be another example 

of someone’s private thoughts finding 

their way into the public domain. 

In the case of books, you might 

ask, “Who gave the critics lunch 

or a free book? Who is giving all 

these opinions? Why do we give 

them so much credibility?” We can 

unintentionally fall into the standard 

of a single person. 

I would like to thank the gentleman 

who blogged about “that woman” at 

Trillium Bakery (that would be me) 

who wouldn’t give him bus fare and 

who dropped his rating of my bakery, 

which he admitted initially delighted 

him. He gave me pause to reflect 

and food for thought.. He drew my 

attention to this generation, who form 

their opinions about shopping habits, 

blogging and instant information at 

their fingertips. 

Thanks for the publicity, too. I would 

like to tell him that his snap decision 

doesn’t reflect who we are to people 

looking for number ratings. 

I admit I am curious about people 

putting their private thoughts into the 

public domain through their blogs. 

And I’m curious about why a person 

can suddenly become an expert 

because of a clever turn of phrase or 

a sardonic tone. He or she catches 

people’s attention and suddenly 

become a “critic.” They are raised to a 

level of expertise by their readership. 

The uncharitable view of the 

blogger towards my bakery, and my 

unsuccessful attempts to mollify him, 

caused me to realize that this person 

has no idea whatsoever of the overall 

philosophy of the bakery. This is my 

life, my passion; it’s a little corner of 

love and caring for people’s health. 

This blogger has no knowledge of my 

business and the years of far-reaching 

positive effects our efforts have had 

for so many people. 

Everything that I think is worthy 

and good has been poured into my 

business for 31 years. Activities 

have included contributions to 

charities, neighbourhoods, jobs for 

students, apprenticeships, and help to 

customers in need of money, food and 

companionship. 

A simple decision based on a single 

encounter can wield a lot of power. 

With a rating of less than 9 or 10 

(“I didn’t like the colour of the 

Tell OSCAR Readers 

about your travel 

or your interests. 

Send text and photos to 


walls.” I don’t like cilantro.” I got 

bored on page two.”) reflecting an 

opinion based on a fleeting moment, 

a restaurant, small business or a 

book can be transformed into toast. 

Businesses can be evaluated and 

judged by people’s private musings. 

Your business can be taken into the 

public domain which doesn’t come 

near what it’s really about. 

Bus blogger, I hope you now 

understand more about what my 

business entails, and that running 

a small business requires so many 

layers of obligations. These involve 

service, paying bills, quality control, 

meeting health and city standards, 

building customer loyalty by earning 

their trust, never calling in sick if 

you’re the owner and sometimes 

forgoing a paycheck so staff always 

can get theirs. 

Probably I shouldn’t worry about 

the effect of the use of our mostly 

wonderful technology. When the 

20 – 30 somethings become parents, 

their priorities will change. Their 

kids will develop allergies. Trillium 

Bakery will come to the rescue with 

good old-fashioned, real customer 

service, caring, and foods that took us 

years of trial and error to get where 

we are now. It’s all so you can eat and 

not have to deal with ingredients that 

don’t behave the way you want. 

We will continue our home deliveries 

to severely disabled customers, credit 

to those who forget their wallets, 

listening and empathy to those of you 

with distressing dietary concerns. 

Anyone can blog their way to fame 

or notoriety. That’s pretty cool. But 

think about what a glib comment 

can do. I got burned. The result, 

though, was enlightening, thanks to 

my friends, family and customers 

and bloggers “out there.” It was an 

interesting experience talking with 

you and getting to know you more. 

We need to wake each other up 

sometimes. Thanks for that, too. 

Please remember, tomorrow you may 

be hit with a gluten allergy. Where 

will you turn if you’ve read only that 

glib little rating based on someone’s 

private opinion gone public that was 

based on a personal experience that 

has nothing to do with who we are and 

what we do? How then, with our 31 

-year reputation, can we help you with 

serious dietary challenges? 

P.S. I give the Bus Blogger a “9” for 

telling his story like it is (for him, 

featuring self-absorption and lack of 

reality) and a “3” for credibility.

July 2010 

Big “0” Cake 

0 fat. 0 eggs. 0 sugar. 0 dairy. 0 yeast. 0 

wheat. 0 salt. 0 guilt. 

2 cups fruits of your choice (2 – 4 kinds) 

½ cup pumpkin or purée apricots 

½ cup apple sauce 

1 cup apple juice 

2 cups spelt flour, or barley, or wheat 

1 tbsp. baking powder 

½ tsp. cinnamon 

Splenda, Stevia, or Xylitol to taste if you 

wish. (I don’ use them.) 

-Mix the first four ingredients together. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir gently and let 

sit for awhile. 

TRILLIUM RECIPES 


Spend The Summer Laughing And Learning 

At Billings Estate National Historic Site 

By MJ Deschamps 

Forget about any ‘do not touch 

signs’ or closed off areas at this 

museum! 

This summer, Billings Estate 

National Historic Site has filled their 

schedule with activities and events for 

kids that are sure to make them look 

at museums a little differently. From 

gardening to archaeology to insects 

and more, kids will encounter fun and 

fascination outdoors while learning 

about the community around them. 

Cultivating the Past, an engaging 

outdoor program that runs every 

Friday in July and August (July 2 to 

August 27) kicks off the summer, and 

teaches kids ages 4 and up how to 

plant seeds, manage weeds and grow 

their own fruits and vegetables. 

If you’re interested in digging up 

something different, be sure to check 

out Can You Dig It, where every 

Sunday and Wednesday in July (July 

4 to 28), kids ages 6 and up can search 

for artefacts while learning the basics 

of archaeology. Indiana Jones had to 

get his start somewhere! 

Along with these returning 

favourites is Little Critters, a new 

program geared towards the younger 

siblings of those who may have taken 

part in the museum’s popular ‘Bug 

Hunt’ program in the past. 

Little Critters encourages kids 

ages 3 to 6 to look for bugs hiding in 

the Billings garden or lurking in the 

lawn every Thursday morning in July 

(July 8 to 29). After learning about 

the bugs that they find, participants 

will play games and make some crafts 

to take home with them. 

For older kids, Bug Hunt returns 

every Sunday and Wednesday in 

August (August 1 to 25). During Bug 

Hunt, participants ages 6 years and up 

learn how to identify different insects, 

where to find them and why they are 

important to the world around us. 

“Bug Hunt was always very 

popular, but we learned that much 

younger kids wanted to participate as 

well, so that’s why we developed Little 

Critters,” said Brahm Lewandowski, 

acting Museum Administrator for 

Billings Estate National Historic Site. 

“Bugs are creepy and crawly 

and you see them around every day, 

but you don’t really get to learn a lot 

about them,” said Ashley Moores, 

Education and Interpretation Officer 

for Billings Estate. 

“Both programs allow kids to 

explore the natural history of Billings 

Estate, and it’s a really safe place for 

kids to run around and have fun.” 

If insects are not your interest, 

then how about spending an evening 

under the stars, instead? On July 9 and 

23, Billings Estate will host Concerts 

by Candlelight, where museum 

visitors can stretch out under the 

constellations and listen to the music 

that filled the air when the Billings 

family lived in their stately 1820s 

house. 

Or, join the Ottawa Storytellers 

around the campfire every Friday in 

August (August 6 to 27) to roast some 

marshmallows and hear exciting 

-Sift dry ingredients together. 

-Stir all ingredients together. 

-Dump into greased and floured cake 

pan. 

-Bake at 350ºF for about 40 minutes 

-Test centre with a wooden skewer. It 

should pull out clean. 

This cake gets a “10” from people with 

dietary issues of all kinds. 

You may add whatever you want to the 

mix, e.g., a little sweetener. a little oil of 

your choice for a slightly richer texture. 

It’s surprisingly good with everything 

missing 

But, granted, for those of you looking 

for French bread and death by chocolate, 

this cake may not rate a perfect 10. 

Ottawa tales – some true and some 

tall! Open to all ages. 

Moores encourages parents to 

enrol their kids in these museum 

activities, since they are truly unique, 

fun and educational. 

“It’s completely different to 

have kids’ programming like this 

at a museum, which is traditionally 

viewed as a no-touch zone,” said 

Moores. 

“We really break down the 

walls between learning and fun, and 

introduce them to a side of museums 

that they may not have really seen 

before.” 

Spaces are limited, so make sure 

to call and register ahead of time for 

these wonderful weekly programs! 

Costs for the different programs 

vary. Please visit Ottawa.ca/museums 

or call 613-247-4830 for more 

information about programming and 

to register. Billings Estate National 

Historic Site is located at 2100 Cabot 

St, in Alta Vista. 

http://www.crimepreventionottawa.ca/toolkit 

Crime Prevention Ottawa 

(CPO) is pleased to announce 

the launch of its 

newest community resource, the 

Neighbourhood Toolkit. This comprehensive 

online resource is intended 

to encourage Ottawa residents 

to become more engaged 

in their communities, and to help 

them build safer neighbourhoods. 

The Toolkit encourages Ottawa 

residents to get involved in their 

neighbourhoods. Individuals, community 

associations, Neighbourhood 

Watch volunteers and many 

others will find helpful ideas and 

practical information about building 

safer neighbourhoods from the 

ground up. The Toolkit also contains 

information about specific 

problems and crimes and how to 

get help from municipal and community 

resources in Ottawa. 

CPO developed the Toolkit 

in partnership with the City of 

Ottawa, Ottawa Police Service 

(OPS), City Councillors’ offices, 

community organizations and volunteers. 

OPS Chief Vern White sees the 

Toolkit playing an important role 

in helping the police do their job, 

especially as it relates to the work 

of the Community Police Centres 

who work in partnership with communities. 

“The police alone cannot 

keep communities safe,” says 

Chief White. “We need active, organized 

community partners and 

CPO’s Neighbourhood Toolkit will 

help build this capacity.” 

The Neighbourhood Toolkit 

can be accessed online at: www. 

crimepreventionottawa.ca/toolkit. 

Crime Prevention Ottawa 

(CPO) contributes to crime reduction 

and enhanced community 

safety in Ottawa through collaborative 

evidence-based crime prevention(www.crimepreventionottawa.ca). 



oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca

Page 42 The OSCAR - OUR 37 July 2010 

th YEAR 

By Anna Redman 

Every summer, comedy, action, 

adventure, and romance come 

together in an endless array of 

films fighting to be the top summer 

blockbuster. With million dollar budgets 

our favourite names and faces take 

centre stage once again. Every summer 

we pay our $11 entrance fee and 

purchase our popcorn, soda and candy 

before spending two hours watching 

these so-called blockbusters. Often, you 

leave a movie feeling like you’ve seen it 

all before, but this summer, the feeling 

could be stronger than ever before, 

appearing to be the summer of sequels. 

Iron Man, Sex and the City, Shrek and 

Toy Story are only a few of the movies 

that have a new chapter being released 

this season. It looks like originality is 

a wash, but can the sequels outdo the 

originals? 

It is commonly thought that the 

original is always the best, just as people 

often think the book is better than the 

movie. With the ever-changing new and 

innovative technology that is available 

today a better movie could ultimately be 

made. However, the core of every great 

By Bob Jamieson 

You may never find “perfect” 

conditions in which to invest, 

given the normal ups and 

downs of the financial markets. And yet 

Summer Movie Guide 

movie lies in the story. Fully developed 

and loved characters can still fall flat if a 

storyline fails to give them an adventure 

deemed appropriate by fans. 

In the month of May alone Iron 

Man 2, Sex and the City 2 and Shrek 

Forever After have graced our local 

theatres with their presence. According 

to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) 

Iron Man is on top with a rating of 

7.5/10. Shrek comes in second with a 

6.7/10 and Sex and the City lags behind 

at 3.8/10 (following opening weekend). 

The best return on the original is from 

Iron Man, with only a slight dip in 

quality from the original. They may 

be closest to finding the secret for a 

successful sequel, but still have been 

unable to achieve the full success of the 

original. 

The other two films come 

nowhere close to their initial success. 

The original Shrek film garnered an 

aggregate review of 8, falling to 7.5 for 

the first sequel, 6.1 for the second, and 

looks to have marginally bounced back 

for the final chapter. However, this new 

low score suggests that Shrek fans will 

still be left disappointed. 

Sex and the City is perhaps the 

most disappointing. The show, which 

you can always find opportunities in today’s 

investment climate — no matter 

when “today” is — to help you reach 

your goals for tomorrow. 

To give yourself a chance to find 

good investment opportunities in any 

wrapped in 1998, was ended by choice. 

The four lead actresses wanted to 

finish on a high note and thus closed 

the curtain while they were still ahead. 

Now, twelve years later the show is 

still fondly remembered by its fans, 

though the same cannot be said for the 

films. The initial film, released in 2008 

seemed to have lost the show’s zest and 

was enjoyed largely due to the revival 

of the successful franchise, seeing the 

characters for one more adventure. In 

comparison to the latest Sex and the 

City, the first film was a huge success. 

The newest instalment can only be 

called a flop, relying too heavily on 

the audiences’ undying love for the 

characters, and as a result has very little 

substance. 

Such flops in initially successful 

franchises lead fans to question sequels. 

Despite the reputation associated with 

the franchises, sequels are almost 

always eagerly awaited. Perhaps it 

is this anticipation that makes their 

failure that much more disappointing. 

And yet the summer of sequels has 

only just begun! June will bring Toy 

Story 3 and the next instalment of 

the Twilight Saga. With July comes 

the next Cats and Dogs movie, which 

market environment, you need to look 

beyond short-term price fluctuations. If 

you can develop this type of discipline, 

you can become a better investor. For 

evidence, look at the bull market from 

2002 to 2008. During this time, we had 

13 dips of 5% or more and three “corrections” 

of 10% or more. Yet despite 

these short-term drops, the market, as 

measured by the S&P/TSX Composite 

Index, rose 165%. Of course, as 

you’ve no doubt heard, “past performance 

can’t guarantee future results,” and 

this is true. Nonetheless, stocks historically 

have always trended up, despite 

frequent “bumps in the road.” And you 

can use these “bumps” as opportunities 

to add stocks and stock-based mutual 

funds, when appropriate for your situation. 

Ultimately, of course, it’s impossible 

to predict market fluctuations — 

so it’s best to prepare for them. And you 

can help yourself do just that by taking 

these steps: 

• Own the right mix of investments. 

Some investors think they can avoid the 

uncertainties and volatility of the investment 

world by sticking to vehicles such 

as short-term Guaranteed Investment 

Certificates (GICs). Yet GICs carry their 

own type of risks, such as the risk of not 

providing returns that keep up with inflation. 

If you’re going to achieve your 

goals, you can’t avoid growth-oriented 

investments, such as stocks and stockbased 

mutual funds that carry some 

risk to your principal. But by owning 

an investment mix — including bonds, 

mutual funds, GICs and domestic and 

international stocks — that is suitable 

for your risk tolerance and time horizon, 

and by holding these investments for 

wasn’t even a well-regarded original 

(though quite profitable, unfortunately). 

Finally August brings the second Nanny 

McPhee film. 

The desire to continuously create 

these unnecessary chapters can lie only 

in the foreseeable profit. While each 

of the already released sequels have 

already grossed millions, would a better 

film, with a more thought out plot not 

have made the studios more money? It 

seems that the only logical answer is yes 

suggesting that this potential squashes 

the only excuse for such constant 

inadequacies. 

Everyone loves to see their 

favourite characters reunited for 

another big screen appearance, so 

sequels themselves are not the problem. 

It’s the disjointed, unsubstantial 

plotlines that need to be rectified. The 

original magic needs to be reignited to 

remind fans what initially made them 

love the franchise. Too much reliance 

on the franchise itself extinguishes a 

fan’s undying love and leaves them 

with bittersweet feelings regarding the 

characters they had previously held so 

dear. 

Take Advantage of Today’s Financial Markets to Invest for Tomorrow 

the long term, you can help reduce the 

effects of volatility on your portfolio. 

• Invest regularly. If you want to build 

the financial resources you need for a 

comfortable retirement or other goals, 

you can’t afford to take a “time out” 

from investing — no matter what’s happening 

in the markets. Suppose, for example, 

that you had invested $100,000 

10 years ago in a portfolio composed 

of 35% fixed-income vehicles and 65% 

equities (35% Canadian stocks and 30% 

international). Today, your investment 

would be worth over $145,000, even 

after a decade of low returns. But if you 

had added $1,000 per month to your 

original $100,000, your money would 

have grown to more than $297,000, according 

to calculations based on various 

market indexes. In short, it pays 

to contribute regularly to your Registered 

Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) 

and other investment accounts, even in 

down markets. In fact, during downturns, 

your investment dollars go further 

and purchase more shares, putting 

you in a position for potentially bigger 

gains when the market turns around. 

The financial markets will always 

fluctuate, and their day-to-day movements 

are nearly impossible to predict. 

Yet by looking beyond short-term 

downturns, owning can help avoid 

unpleasant surprises — and possibly 

achieve surprisingly pleasant results. 

To get more information on how to 

position your portfolio please call my 

office at 613-526-3030, or plan to attend 

the upcoming July 15th seminar. 

Bob Jamieson, CFP 

Member Canadian Investor Protection 

Fund 



oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca

July 2010 

By Anant Nagpur 

I 

just returned from Iceland, it was 

a very short trip, Wednesday May 

12/2010 to Sunday May/16/2010 

and what an experience it was and I 

thought I would share my take on Iceland. 

When you mention Iceland, many 

views comes to mind, remoteness, 

very expensive and nothing but snow 

and what not. In reality it is very different. 

Beyond expenses, there is a 

beautiful country, 320,000 Icelanders, 

spectacular scenes and their very own 

language, culture and many more and 

my visit was a few years in the making. 

I always wanted to visit Iceland 

and I became more intrigued when 

I read how geothermal plants keeps 

the country heated and providing hot 

water supply. I often used to discuss 

with my Mother how I wanted to 

visit and she would say: “We will go 

together”. I work at Carleton University 

Library and I had to work on the 

weekends as well. One such weekend, 

I went to buy a bag of chips from a 

vending machine and when I bent 

down to pick my bag of chips, I saw 

something shining on the floor and 

when I picked it up, I was smiling 

as they “one end to the other” and it 

was 10 Iceland Kroner. I phoned my 

Mother and she said: “ It is a sign and 

Iceland is calling” and it told me that 

there got to be some students here at 

Carleton and I met them down the 

years. One was studying Art History 

and another one studying Ph.D. in 

Psychology. That’s where I decided 

I must go one of these days, 6 years 

later I made it. My Mother did not 

make it since she passed away during 

a visit to Bombay in 2008 but she was 

with me in spirits. 

Iceland hardly makes it into the 

news since it is of the opinion that 

nothing significant ever happens 

there. The last big news was when former 

US President Reagan and former 

Secretary-General of the Communist 

party of the Soviet Union Gorabchev 

Downtown Reyjkjavik 

met in Reykjavik in Oct/ 1986 and 

after that the banking failure in late 

2008 that nearly bankrupted the country. 

Now of course the catchy word 

is “Ash Clouds from Iceland” disrupting 

air travel and causing havoc 

all over the world, although that is in 

decline now. 

Otherwise Iceland doesn’t cut the 

newsmedia. 

IcelandAir provides seasonal 

flights to Reykjavik from Toronto/ 

Halifax and from what I know Icelandair 

provides free stop over on the 

way to Europe and many travellers 

take that advantage and once the season 

is over you can go via USA. As 

remote as Iceland sounds, it is only 4 

hours and 15 minutes flight from Toronto 

and even shorter from Halifax. 

Iceland is 4 hours ahead. All international 

flights arrive at Keflavik, 

about an hour drive from Reykjavik 

and when my flight landed, it was 

6.30am local time (Ottawa time was 

2.30am) and after clearing the custom, 

I was ready to head to the capital 

city and begin my exploration of Iceland. 

The hotel I stayed (Hotel Bjork), 

although check-in time always shows 

after 11am or afternoon, they were 

kind enough for an early check in and 

I was in my hotel 9.30am. After quick 

wash and breakfast I left the hotel to 

explore. 

In many ways Reykjavik is similar 

to Halifax where one can explore 

on foot, many attractions are within 

walking distance. No trip to Iceland is 

complete without taking a dip in the 

Blue Lagoon, it is an experience you 

will never forget it even if you want 

to.The water looks like coconut water 

(milky) and throughout the year, the 

temperature is about 36-39C or 100- 

110F. Of course with this volcano 

(Eyjafjallajokull) hard to pronounce, 

tours are offered in the evening. It 

is about 3 hours drive from the city 

and it is best seen when it gets dark 

and our van was parked 4 km from 

the volcano. She was making lot of 

noise thunder-like and every now and 


Vacation in Iceland 

then ash cloud spouted with light lava 

shooting up in the air and there was 

some lightning periodically. It was 

some sight and a forget me not experience. 

That was my first day. The next 

day I decided to explore on foot and I 

visited University of Iceland campus 

and followed from there to downtown 

and saw few Iceland museums and 

some historic places and the harbour. 

From my hotel the place where Reagan-Gorbachev 

met in 1986 was only 

a 10 minutes walk and I was thinking 

wow! this is where it set the stage for 

what followed after the collapse of 

communist party, end of Soviet Union 

and the fall of Berlin wall. Reykjavik 

has many international restaurants and 

I found Indian since I am from Bombay 

(Originally) and I was surprised 

and admiring those who put efforts 

to do business like that even in Iceland. 

My final day (3rd day) I decided 

to go for the Golden Circle tour, it 

takes about 8 hours and you get to see 

the Geysir geothermal area,Gullfoss 

Falls and the Pingvellir considers it 

as “National shrine of all Icelanders” 

and where Iceland’s Albingi parliament, 

one of world’s oldest parliament 

used to meet. That’s where I put 

the 10 Iceland Kroner I found here at 

Carleton in Mother’s name and I was 

very happy to do that and I know she 

would have done that. Few years ago 

again here Carleton a student paid 

library fine with an Italian coin and 

Entrance To Blue Lagoon 

Page 43 

when I realised that, I substituted that 

and put Canadian coin in the till and 

I phoned my Mother and a year later, 

we went to London/Dublin/Rome and 

in Rome my Mother tossed that Italian 

coin in Trevi fountain and the belief 

is that you will make a return trip, 

perhaps I will. 

You see Iceland is not remote and 

far and it is safe to visit depsite the 

volcanic ash. Everybody speaks English, 

language is not even an issue.The 

people I spoke to and they are all of 

the same opinion that the media did 

not do it justice, they never spoke to 

Icelanders and find out about the ash 

cloud, rather they focused only ash 

cloud and travel disruption. It would 

have been nice if they had spoken to 

them and find out more. But media 

does what media does best. I was 

surprised that Iceland Embassy in Ottawa 

did not make any effort to let 

people know and I even called them 

before I left and I was told it is safe to 

go but did not go beyond that. Iceland 

depends a lot on tourism and it would 

have been nice if an effort was made 

to promote it. Anyway that is their 

issue and as far as I am concerned, I 

am very happy I did what I had wanted 

to do and when I left the hotel on May 

16/2010, the hotel staff said: “Have a 

good trip and hope you come back” 

and I hope to visit 2nd time around. 

Iceland, a charming little country.

Page 44 The OSCAR - OUR 37 July 2010 

th YEAR 

Elmvale Acres Branch Library 

Monkey See, Monkey Do (Toddlertime) 

Wednesday, July 7, 14, 21 Aug 4, 11, 

18 

10:15 AM (45 min.) 

Stories, rhymes and songs for babiesand 

their parent 

or caregiver. 18-35 months. 

Once upon a Jungle (Family 

Storytime) 

Monday, Jul. 05, 12, 19, 26 Aug 9, 16 

10:15 AM (45 min.) 

Stories, rhymes and songs for children 

of all ages 

and their parent(s) or caregiver. 

Jungle Jive / jungle Beat (Babytime) 

Move and groove with jungle 

rhythms. 

La Bougeotte au rythme de la jungle. 

0-18 months. 

Tuesday, June 29 – Aug 17 

Le mardi, juin 29 – août 17 

10:15 AM (30 min.) 

TD Summer Reading Club 

Destination Jungle: Opening Ceremony 

/ Destination jungle: Cérémonie 

d’ouverture 

Join us for the TD Summer Reading 

Club 2010 kick-off! 

Joignez-vous à nous pour le lancement 

du club de lecture TD 2010! 

Tuesday, June 29 2:00 p.m. (60 min)/ 

Le mardi, 29 juin à 2h (60 min) 

Ages 4-12 ans 

Jungle Gym / Gymnopédie jungle 

Keep active, keep alert, you need to 

be fit for the jungle! 

En pleine forme pour les aventures 

tropicales! 1-2-3… partez! 

Tuesday, July 6, 2:00 p.m. (45 min) / 

Le mardi juillet, 2 h (45 min) 

Ages 6-10 ans 

Block Party / Ça dé “bloc” 

Building boom: show off your architectural 

creativity with Lego© 

Archiboum! Architectes en herbe, à 

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARIES 

vos Lego© 


Le mardi 13 juillet, 14 h (45 min) 

Ages 6-10 ans 

Parrot at the Library / Des Perroquets 

à la bibliothèque 

Come and pet live parrots and learn 

about their habits from members of 

the Ottawa Parrot Club. 

Venez rencontrer des membres du 

“Ottawa Parrot Club” et leurs incroyables 

perroquets. 

Thursday, July 15, 10:30 a.m. (60 

min) /Le jeudi 15 juillet, 10 h 30 (60 

min) 

Ages 6-9 ans 

Growing Wild / Flore en folie 

Discover the art of collage and other 

crafts with jungle animals. 

Le collage, pas à pas et autres bricos 

avec des animaux de la jungle. 


Le mardi 20 juillet, 14 h (45 min) 

Ages 6-10 ans 

Amazing Race: Destination Jungle / 

Course: destination jungle 

Embark with us on an expedition to 

discover the jungles of the world. 

Let’s see if we can find our way. 

Les jungles du monde nous attendant! 

Allons à leur découverte. 

Thursday, July 22, 2:00 p.m. (45 min) 

/ Le jeudi 22 juillet, 2 h (45 min) 

Ages 6-10 ans 

Concrete Jungle / Jungle urbaine 

From asphalt to brick wall – the urban 

jungle is right outside your door. 

Macadam et mur de brick – la jungle 

urbaine est à votre porte. 

Thursday, July 29, 2:00 p.m. (45 min) 

/ Le jeudi 29 juillet, 2 h (45 min) 

Ages 8-12 

Jungle Beast / Ani-jungle 

The jungle is teeming with exotic 

animals. Find out who’s who in the 

rainforest. 

Cri, mouvement, murmures… l’anijungle 

cache toutes sortes de créa- 

tures. 

Thursday, August 5, 2:00 p.m. (45 

min) / Le Jeudi 5 août, 2 h (45 min) 

Ages 8-12 ans 

Barnyard Jungle 

The Cumberland Village Heritage 

Museum will guide you in using your 

five senses and a little bit of imagination 

to learn about the world of 

animals that would have lived on an 

ancestral farm. 

Tuesday, August 3, 2:00 p.m. (45 min) 

Ages 5-9 ans 

Jungle Survivor 

Food, water, shelter… can you find 

these in the jungle? What will we find 

to help us survive? How do others 

survive there? 

Tuesday, August 10, 2:00 p.m. (45 

min) 

Ages 6-10 ans 

Capoeira 

The Dende Do Recife Canadian 

Capoiera Group show you the basic 

movement of the Afro-Brazilian art 

from that combines element of martial 

art and dance. 

Tuesday, August 17, 2:00 p.m. (45 

min) 

Ages 8-12 ans 

Destination Jungle: Closing Ceremony 

/ Destination Jungle: Cérémonie 

de fermeture 


Club 2010 wrap-up! 

Joignez-vous à nous pour la fermeture 

du club de lecture TD 2010! 

Thursday, August 19, 2:00 p.m. (60 

min) / Le jeudi 19 about, 2 h (60 min) 

Ages 4-12 ans 

Homework Help Available for 

students who need help with their 

English or French. 

Monday June: 7,14,21,28; July: 

12,19,26; August: 9,16,23 

Tuesdays June 1, 8, 15, 22; July 6, 13, 

20 ,27; August 3. 10, 17 

One on one. By appointment :call 

613-668-5594 Loubna Mansouri 

French Conversation Group 


12,19,26; August: 9,16,23 


20 ,27; August 3. 10, 17 

call 613-668-5594 or send email to : 

lmansouri@lassa.ca to book a seat 

Newcomer Information and Services 

Monday 

June: 7,14,21,28; July: 12,19,26; 

August: 9,16 



Everything you want to know about 

the Ontario Driving License 

Monday, July 5th, 2010, 2:00-3:30pm 



Credential Assessment 

Monday, August 9th, 2010, 2:00- 

3:30pm 


lmansouri@lassa.ca to book a seat. 

Prepare for your Citizenship Test 

Monday, June 28th, 2010 



Arabic Conversation Group: 

Family matters in Canada 

Monday, 2:00-3:00pm; June: 7,14,21; 

July:12,19; August: 16,23 



Resume and Cover Letter 

Clinic in French and English 


12,19,26; August: 9,16,23,30 


20 ,27; August 3. 10, 17, 24 

One on one. By appoinmtment : call 

613-668-5594 Loubna Mansouri 

Sudoku Solution 

Sudoku Puzzle is on page 29

July 2010 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 45 

Alta Vista Branch Library 

Alta Vista Library Programs 

2516 Alta Vista Drive 

Register online at: 

www.biblioottawalibrary.ca 

or call 613-737-2837 x28 

Sleuth Hounds 

Share the enjoyment of good 

mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Join us for a discussion! 

Contact the branch for summer dates. 

Poets’ Corner 

Share your love of poetry with others. 

Read your poems and share comments 

and critiques. 

Tuesdays, July 13, August 10 

6:30-8:00 p.m. 

Sauerkraut Made Easy 

Mary Anne Thompson will 

demonstrate how easy it is to turn 

cabbage into sauerkraut, a food rich in 

probiotics and flavour. 

Thursday, Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m. (1.5 hr.) 

Knit 2 Together 

Love to knit? Bring your needles, 

yarn and good cheer. No need for 

expertise, we knit for the pleasure of 

it. 

Saturdays, July 3, Aug. 7, 10:30 a.m. 

Wednesdays, July 14, Aug. 11, 6:30 

p.m. 

English Conversation Group 

Improve your English and meet new 

friends. In partnership with Somali 

Family Services. 

Mondays, 6:00-7:30 p.m. 

Tuesdays, Beginner 1:00-2:00 p.m. 

Intermediate 2:00-3:00 p.m. 

Programs for Newcomers 

The following programs are offered 

in cooperation with Somali Family 

Services. Call 613-797-4263 

to book an appointment. 

How to Prepare for your Canadian 

Citizenship. 

How to Sponsor Your Family to 

Come to Canada. 

English or French Conversation. 

Computer Tutorials 

Gain computer skills and get answers 

to your questions. This one-on-one 

session will help you learn to use 

the internet and send email. 

Contact the library to make an 

appointment. 

Library Online 

Learn to use OPL’s online resources. 

Search for library material using 

BiblioCommons, find newspaper and 

magazine articles in our databases, 

and learn about our online audiobooks 

and e-books. 

Contact the library to make an 

appointment. 

PRE-SCHOOL 

Summer Reading Club Family 

Storytimes drop-in: 

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARIES 

Bodacious Birds 

Colourful, bold and noisy birds live 

way up in the jungle canopy. Let’s fly 

up and take a peek. Family program. 

Monday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. (30 min.) 

Jungle beasts 

The jungle is teeming with exotic 

animals. Find out who’s who in the 

rainforest. Family program. 


Go buggy! 

Thousands of ants, moths, butterflies, 

beetles and all kinds of bugs live 

in the rainforest. Prepare to be 

fascinated by their many colours and 

forms and unusual survival tactics. 

Family program. 


CHILDREN’S SPECIAL 

PROGRAMS / PROGRAMMES 

SPECIAUX POUR ENFANTS 

Destination jungle: Opening 

Ceremony 


Club 2010 kick-off! Family program. 

(Bilingual) Wednesday, July 7, 2 p.m. 

(45 min.)* 

Destination jungle: Cérémonie 

d’ouverture 

Joignez-vous à nous pour le 

lancement du Club de lecture TD 

2010! Programme familial. 

(Bilingue) Le mercredi 7 juillet, 14 h 

(45 min.)* 

Jungle survivor 

Food, water, shelter…can you find 

these in the jungle? What will we find 

to help us survive? How do others 

survive there? Ages 7-11. 

Tuesday, July 13, 10:30 (60 min.)* 

Legend of Marshmallow Island 

Join Mystic Drumz for a world 

safari, musical adventure to find 

Marshmallow Island. Discover 

unique musical instruments from 

around the world along the way. 

Ages 6-12. 

Wednesday, July 14, 2 p.m. (60 min.)* 

Growing wild 

The jungle landscape is lush with a 

grand diversity of plant life. Some of 

these plants may surprise you! 

Ages 6-9. 

Tuesday, July 20, 10:30 a.m. (45 

min.)* 

Monkey see, monkey do 

Everybody loves monkeys and apes. 

The very best monkey might be you! 

Stories, videos and crafts. Ages 3-7. 

(Bilingual) Wednesday, July 21, 2 

p.m. (45 min.)* 

Singeries et coquineries 

Quel est ce petit singe? Mais ma foi, 

c’est toi! Histoires, vidéos et bricolage 

Pour les 3 à 7 ans. 

(Bilingue) Le mercredi 21 juillet, 14 

h. (45 min.)* 

Breakdown in the urban jungle 

The professional B-Boy crew 

BreadCrumbs will teach the basics 

of different styles of breakdance and 

the background on this unique art 

form while showcasing their amazing 

moves. Ages 7-12. 

Wednesday, July 28, 2 p.m. (60 min.)* 

TEEN SPECIAL PROGRAMS 

Alter this! 

Add some style to your look. 

Introduce a graffiti style edge to your 

fashion. Bring a small, washed piece 

of clothing or an accessory. Ages 14- 

18. 

Saturday, July 17, 2 p.m. (2 hrs.)* 

The address of the Alta Vista Library 

is 2516 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa and 

its phone number is 613-737-2837/ 

L’adresse de la bibliothèque Alta 

Vista est 2516, promenade Alta Vista, 

Ottawa et son numéro de téléphone est 

le 613-737-2837. 

PRE-SCHOOL 

Summer Reading Club Family 

Storytime drop-in: 

Leaping lizards and raucous reptiles 

There are lurking, leaping, slithering, 

sliding creatures in every bramble, 

brook and branch of the jungle. We’ll 

hunt around and see what we can 

uncover. Family program. 

Monday, August 9, 10:30 a.m. (30 

min.) 

CHILDREN’S SPECIAL 

PROGRAMS / PROGRAMMES 

SPECIAUX POUR ENFANTS 

Amazing race-Destination jungle 

Embark with us on an expedition to 

discover the jungles of the world. 

Let’s see if we can find our way. 

Ages 9-12. 

Wednesday, August 4, 2 p.m. (60 

min.)* 

R.E.A.D to a dog! 

Reading therapy with canine pals can 

help your child build confidence in 

their reading skills. Dogs are great 

listeners. Call 613-737-2837, x 26 

to reserve your 15 minutes session. 

Family program. 

(Bilingual) Saturdays, August 7, 

August 14 August 21, 12 a.m. (90 

minutes)* 

Lecture à un chien! 

Caressez votre copain à quatre pattes 

dans le sens du poil en lui lisant une 

histoire! Les chiens ont une grande 

capacité d’écoute! La lecture à nos 

amis canins est une thérapie qui aide à 

bâtir la confiance de votre enfant dans 

ses aptitudes de lecture. Appelez le 

613-737-2837, poste 26, pour réserver 

votre session de quinze minutes. 

Programme familial. 

(Bilingue) Les samedis, 7 août, 14 

août, 21 août, 12 h (90 min.)* 

Junge gym 

Keep active, keep alert. You need to 

be fit for the jungle! Ages 6-9. 

Tuesday, August 10, 10:30 a.m. (45 

min.)* 

Once upon a time a jungle. 

Bring your imagination and we 

will read our way into the jungle 

landscape.Stories, videos and facts. 

Ages 4-8. 

(Bilingual) Wednesday, August 11, 

10:30 a.m. (45 min.)* 

Ce jour-là dans la jungle… 

La jungle de page en page. Vive 

l’imagination! Contes, vidéos et faits. 

Pour les 4 à 8 ans. 

(Bilingue) Le mercredi 11 août, 10 h 

30. (45 min.)* 

LED throwies 

Use open source graffiti technology 

to create your own LED throwie pin 

and add light and color to the urban 

jungle. Ages 8-12. 

Wednesday, August 11, 2 p.m. (40 

min.)* 

Destination jungle: Closing 

Ceremony 


Club 2010 wrap-up! Family program. 

(Bilingual) Wednesday, August 18, 2 

p.m. (45 min.)* 

Destination jungle 

Cérémonie de fermeture 

Joignez-vous à nous pour la fermeture 

du Club de lecture estivale TD 2010. 

Programme familial. 

(Bilingue) Le mercredi 18 août, 14 h 

(45 min.) * 

TEEN SPECIAL PROGRAMS 

Gamerz Event 

Just bring your game face! Compete 

against your friends on the X-Box and 

Wii. Ages 13-17. 

Saturday, August 28, 2 p.m. (90 

min.)* 

N.B. Registration for summer 

programs and the TD Summer 

Reading Club starts on June 23rd./ 

L’inscription pour les programmes 

d’été et du Club de lecture estivale 

TD commence le 23 juin./ Programs 

followed by an * require registration. 

/ L’inscription est requise pour les 

programmes suivis d’un *. Children’s 

library cards are required for online 

registration of children’s programs./ 

Les cartes de bibliothèque des enfants 

sont requises pour l’inscription en 

ligne des programmes pour enfants. 

The address of the Alta Vista Library 

is 2516 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa and 

its phone number is 613-737-2837/ 

L’adresse de la bibliothèque Alta 

Vista est 2516, promenade Alta Vista, 

Ottawa et son numéro de téléphone est 

le 613-737-2837.


CLASSY ADS 

CLASSY ADS 

are free for Old Ottawa South residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the Old Firehall, 

260 Sunnyside, or sent by email to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca by the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email address) must be 

included. Only your contact info will appear unless you specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or exclude submissions. The OSCAR takes no 

responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058. 

For Sale 

1) Pair of wheel rims (15” x 6”) $45 

2) Samsung M300 cell phone (camera, 

speakerphone, Bluetooth enabled, 

wireless internet and downloads, with 

two chargers) $50 3) Woman’s Bicycle 

(like new ... barely used) .. $65 

Contact Larry at 613 327 9080 

--------------------------------------------- 

For Sale. Yamaha Maximum 400cc. 

Beginner road bike. Excellent condition. 

$1600.00. 613-266-8979 Rick. 

Accommodation 

Cottage For Rent. 2 bedroom “A” 

frame on a sand bottom spring-fed 

lake. Excellent swimming and fishing. 

Rowboat, canoe, badminton/ 

volleyball, horseback riding and golf 

nearby. Very private, 1 hour away 

from Ottawa nestled in the foothills 

of the Gatineau mountains. $725.00/ 

Around Town 

La Leche League Canada 

has a group in Old Ottawa South 

Are you breast-feeding your baby? 

Are you pregnant and planning to 

breast-feed? 

A La Leche League meeting is 

a relaxed, supportive and non-judgmental 

place where you can: meet 

breast-feeding women, ask specific 

questions about breast-feeding, learn 

more about breast-feeding from accredited 

leaders who have breast-fed 

their own children and who volunteer 

their time, get tips for working 

through best breast-feeding challenges, 

find out more about getting ready 

to breast-feed (if you are pregnant), 

find out more about the benefits of 

breast-feeding for baby and you, borrow 

books about breast-feeding and 

related parenting topics. 

Meetings every second Tuesday 

of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at 

36 Glen Ave. Next meeting July 13. 

The following one will be August 10. 

For more information call 613-238- 

week. 613-266-8979 Rick. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Cabin For Rent Cozy 2 bedroom 

cabin on wooded waterfront lot. 90 

minutes from Ottawa in the town of 

Otter Lake, Quebec. Cedar dock, canoe, 

row boat and 2 kayaks. 10 kms 

of beautiful lake to explore. Available 

Sunday August 31st through Sunday 

August 15th, 2010. $700/week. 

email: tash.khan@yahoo.ca 

--------------------------------------------- 

2 Bdr Apt in Old Ottawa South - 

Renovated large 2 bedroom apartment 

in the upper level of a split level 

house situated on parkland on the Rideau 

River. Close to Ottawa hospitals 

and Carleton U. Bright, large rooms 

with hardwood floors in a well maintained 

home. Master bedroom has 

on-suite bath, walk-in closet. Second 

bedroom has separate full bath. New 

kitchen/dining room opens to living 

room area. Includes: parking, central 

vac, microwave, cable TV, washer & 

dryer, heat & hydro and secure garage 

5919, the local La Leche League 

phone line. 

Painful Bladder Syndrome/ 

Interstitial Cystitis Support Group 

Meeting 

Tuesday, June 22nd at 7:00 pm 

City View United Church, Sunshine 

Room, 6 Epworth Ave, Ottawa 

Visitors are welcome, free parking 

For information please contact 

Inga Legere, 613-839-6188. 

Books for Blooms Book Sale 

The Friends of the Central Experimental 

Farm have thousands of books 

to choose from. Come and stock up 

for you summer reading on, June 26 

& 27 from 9 am to 5 pm, at Building 

72, Arboretum of the Central 

Experimental Farm, east off Prince 

of Wales traffic circle. Free admission 

and parking. For information, 

613-230-3276, info@friendsofthefarm.ca,, 

www.friendsofthefarm.ca. 

The Friends of the Central Ex- 

Why Should Not Old Men Be Mad? 

By William Butler Yeats 

Why should not old men be mad? 

Some have known a likely lad 

That had a sound fly-fisher’s wrist 

Turn to a drunken journalist; 

A girl that knew all Dante once 

Live to bear children to a dunce; 

A Helen of social welfare dream, 

Climb on a wagonette to scream. 

Some think it a matter of course that 

chance 

Should starve good men and bad advance, 

That if their neighbours figured plain, 

As though upon a lighted screen, 

No single story would they find 

Of an unbroken happy mind, 

A finish worthy of the start. 

Young men know nothing of this sort, 

Observant old men know it well; 

And when they know what old books tell 

And that no better can be had, 

Know why an old man should be mad. 

(Public Domain) 

storage. Available August 1. Rent 

$1,400/mo. No smokers please. Contact 

Peter at apartment@peterwells. 

info. More info & pictures at www. 

apartment.peterwells.info 

Child Care 

Experienced, enthusiastic, dedicated. 

I am a Registered Certified ECE with 

a diploma in Autism & Behavioral 

Science, First Aid and CPR. Available 

September 2010 to provide full-time 

care for your children in your family 

home in Old Ottawa South/ Glebe 

area. References available. Jessica 

613-730-5730 

Looking For 

Wanted: Disney Fairies game. For 

ages 5+. “Help Tinker Bell and her 

friends earn their wings”. We are missing 

pieces and want to find some re- 

perimental Farm preserve, protect, 

maintain and enhance the Dominion 

Arboretum, the Ornamental Gardens, 

and other public areas of the Farm, 

in partnership with Agriculture and 

Agri-Food Canada, for the educational 

benefit and enjoyment of the public; 

and promote the Farm’s historical significance 

and heritage values. 

Montreal Botanical Garden 

Bus Tour 

July 6 & 7 visit the Gardens, Insectarium 

and/or Biodome. Stay the 

night at the Delta Hotel, a short walk 

from Old Montreal. In your free time 

visit the shops, galleries or take a leisurely 

walk. On the way home we 

will stop at the Jean Talon Market 

and enjoy supper in the historic “Mon 

Village” farm house near Hudson. 

Package includes transportation, garden 

entrance, accommodation, taxes 

and gratuities. Double occupancy 

$270 single occupancy $360. 613- 

230-3276, info@friendsofthefarm.ca, 

placements. (613) 730-7051. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Wanted: help with digital image 

tweaking. Ottawa South History Project 

needs help to tweak (resize, crop, 

repair) items from its digital image 

collection for publication online and in 

a printed report. About 50 photos and 

maps. Call John 730-9851 or email 

HistoryProject@OldOttawaSouth.ca. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Looking for small business accountant 

- Independent IT consultant requires 

small business accountant for 

basic year-end services and tax planning. 

Please contact 730-9851. 

To Give Away 

Free to a good home: basketball net 

and stand on sand-filled base with 

wheels for rolling it away. No delivery 

available. In good condition. Please 

send an email to fletchj@magma.ca 

www.friendsofthefarm.ca 

Heritage Ottawa Walks: 

Old Ottawa South 

Sunday, October 17, 2:00 pm – 

MEET: Southminster United Church, 

Bank at Alymer 

$10.00 ($5.00 for Heritage Ottawa 

members) 

In 1907, Nepean Township villages 

such as Ottawa South were 

annexed to the City of Ottawa. Improved 

city services soon followed, 

such as a new high-level Bank Street 

Bridge over the canal. It allowed 

the privately-owned Ottawa Electric 

Railway to extend streetcar services, 

stimulating housing and development 

of one of Ottawa’s first streetcar suburbs. 

Guide: Leo Doyle, Development 

and Planning Committee, Old Ottawa 

South 

Information: 613-230-8841 or 

www.heritageotttawa.org 

COTTAGE FOR RENT: Explore New York’s Finger Lakes 

from this charming, private lakeside cottage at the head of 

the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. Decorated with original artwork 

and full of character, it is located on the east side the lake, 

making for spectacular sunsets! The 2 BR cottage is fully 

furnished and sleeps 4 (1 queen bed, 2 twins) with large living 

and dining areas as well as a bathroom with shower, and 

a spacious kitchen. The large screened-in porch is ideal for 

enjoying a lake-view meal or a peaceful afternoon nap. See 

more information and pictures at www.senecaviewcottages. 

com. $1320/week or $200/night with a two-night minimum. 

Call 607-582-6401, or email rosemary.covert@gmail.com.

July 2010 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 47 

Your 

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cell:613-322-0109 

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Eve: 613-623-6441

Page 48 

The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR July 2010

O•S•C•A•R© - Old Ottawa South

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