O•S•C•A•R© Fida's Pizza Changes Hands - Old Ottawa South
O•S•C•A•R© Fida's Pizza Changes Hands - Old Ottawa South
O•S•C•A•R© Fida's Pizza Changes Hands - Old Ottawa South
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The<br />
<strong>O•S•C•A•R©</strong><br />
The Community Voice of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Year 38 , No. 5 The <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association Review<br />
MAY 2010<br />
By William Burr<br />
When Tony Maalouli arrived<br />
in <strong>Ottawa</strong> in 1971 at the<br />
age of 17, he had never<br />
tasted pizza in his life. He was staying<br />
with a friend who introduced him to<br />
the food. Upon seeing the slices in<br />
the box, he took three and piled them<br />
one on top of the other before sinking<br />
his teeth in. His friend exclaimed that<br />
that’s not how you do it. “But I was<br />
By Susan Dunton<br />
Presentation by the OSCA Program<br />
Committee to the OSCA Board April<br />
20, 2010<br />
The program Committee of<br />
OSCA presented a proposal<br />
for consideration to outfit an<br />
exciting new Cardio Fitness/Weight<br />
Room to be operational in January<br />
2011.<br />
The proposed CARDIO FITNESS/<br />
WEIGHT ROOM would include new<br />
high-end exercise machines, including<br />
Treadmills, Elliptical, Exercise bikes,<br />
Free Weights etc., a comfortable<br />
environment for women, men,<br />
seniors and youth with affordable<br />
memberships. In the current design a<br />
1250 square foot room on the lower<br />
level has already been developed<br />
with the necessary ventilation and<br />
electrical service.<br />
Providing opportunities for<br />
members of the community to be<br />
Fida’s <strong>Pizza</strong> <strong>Changes</strong> <strong>Hands</strong><br />
Fida’s Pizaa at the corner of Seneca and Sunnyside Photo by William Burr<br />
hungry,” says Tony.<br />
He adored the pizza. “What’s<br />
in it?” He asked his friend.<br />
“Mushrooms,” she answered.<br />
Tony came to <strong>Ottawa</strong> from<br />
Lebanon on a tourist visa. He describes<br />
his home country as troubled by war<br />
and says that it was difficult to make<br />
a living there.<br />
Two days after his arrival, he<br />
found a job as a dishwasher at the<br />
Grenada Steakhouse on Elgin Street.<br />
physically active is an important part<br />
of OSCA’s mandate. <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> Demographics suggest that<br />
approximately 60% of the population<br />
is aged 30-65 which is a healthy<br />
market segment to target. A very<br />
large proportion has a post secondary<br />
education suggesting they value a<br />
healthy lifestyle. Our population<br />
is aging and we recognize that<br />
there is a very possible epidemic<br />
of heart disease around the corner.<br />
The Canadian and Fitness Lifestyle<br />
Research Institutes Reports that 52 %<br />
of Canadians are still inactive.48% are<br />
moderately active. Offering additional<br />
fitness opportunities in the heart of<br />
the community make for a healthier<br />
community. Even in slower economic<br />
times, people need to feel good.<br />
Adult Fitness is the fastest growing<br />
segment of OSCA programming. In<br />
Winter 2010 alone there were 262<br />
adults registered in fitness classes. A<br />
Cardio/Fitness Room would enhance<br />
already existing programs. The main<br />
goals are to:<br />
Six months into his stay in Canada,<br />
immigration authorities caught up<br />
with him. The RCMP brought him to<br />
the airport -- “in handcuffs!” brags<br />
Tony -- and put him on a plane back<br />
to Lebanon. Luckily, Tony’s boss at<br />
the Grenada Steakhouse, Lee Scaff,<br />
also of Lebanese origin, sponsored<br />
him to come back for permanent work<br />
in Canada. And so six months later,<br />
after working up enough money to<br />
buy another plane ticket, he was back<br />
in Canada for good.<br />
Though Lee Scaff has since died,<br />
Tony goes to put flowers on his grave<br />
once a year. “Otherwise, I would not<br />
be in Canada!” he says.<br />
Shortly after Tony’s return,<br />
Lee Scaff transferred him to Lee’s<br />
brother Rabiah’s restaurant: Robbie’s<br />
Spaghetti House on Walkley<br />
Road. Tony continued to work as a<br />
dishwasher at Robbie’s, but at the<br />
same time he was studying the cooks<br />
as they made the pizza. He says that<br />
is where he really learned how to do<br />
it.<br />
In July 1976, he and his friend<br />
Fida, who came from the same small<br />
town in Lebanon, Mashkara, rented<br />
out the property at the south east<br />
corner of the intersection of Seneca<br />
and Sunnyside and opened a pizza<br />
place.<br />
Proposed Firehall Cardio Fitness/ Weight Room<br />
Your Opinion Counts!<br />
• Provide a new service to<br />
residents of OOS close to home and<br />
within walking distance;<br />
• Supplement the active lifestyle<br />
of many OOS residents;<br />
• Allow for specialized<br />
programming including seniors’<br />
fitness and strength training as a<br />
preventative measure for osteoporosis;<br />
• Facilitate unique training for<br />
Youth;<br />
• Offer a community focused<br />
cardio fitness/weight program;<br />
• Provide opportunities for<br />
cross programming – i.e., provide<br />
babysitting/kids programs while<br />
parents exercise;<br />
• Attract new clients to the<br />
community centre. These people<br />
would likely enroll in other programs<br />
at the centre; and<br />
• Offer affordable fees in your<br />
neighbourhood with opportunities<br />
that are substantially cheaper than the<br />
alternative choices currently offered.<br />
Along with specific times<br />
available to members, many programs<br />
One year into the life of the new<br />
business, things weren’t going well<br />
between Tony and Fida. “If you have<br />
a good friend,” says Tony, “never<br />
become business partners with him.”<br />
In 1977, Tony bought out Fida’s share<br />
in the business and continued alone.<br />
He’s been doing that now for 33 years.<br />
He never changed the name, though<br />
the business moved across the street<br />
to its present location in 1986.<br />
Now, he is ready for a change.<br />
Tony has sold his business to Milano’s<br />
<strong>Pizza</strong>. On May 27th, Fida’s will<br />
close, and shortly thereafter, Milano’s<br />
will open.<br />
Tony has worked hard at his<br />
business over the years. He says he<br />
has a hard time delegating, and likes<br />
to do things himself. Right up to<br />
the end, he has always continued to<br />
make the dough and the sauce and to<br />
assemble and cook the pizza himself.<br />
After over 30 years in the kitchen,<br />
Tony jokingly describes it as feeling<br />
“like you’ve been in Alcatraz.”<br />
“Now, I am eligible for parole.”<br />
He can “smell the holiday.” His first<br />
step will be to go back to Mashkara<br />
with his son, Christopher. It will<br />
be his first time back to Lebanon in<br />
almost 40 years. He’s brought all of<br />
Cont’d on page 7<br />
would be offered, such as Personal<br />
Training, Partner Personal Training,<br />
Fitness program with childcare,<br />
Strength Training, Working out with<br />
Arthritis, Fat Burning Zone vs..<br />
Cardio Training Zone, Specialized<br />
programs for men, women, teens and<br />
seniors<br />
A substantial capital investment<br />
is required for launching this room<br />
including approximately $100,000<br />
for machines and $25,000 for rubber<br />
flooring, and mirrors. Special Air<br />
circulation equipment and in-floor<br />
electrical outlets for some machines<br />
are already in place.<br />
A qualified coordinator/supervisor<br />
would be present at peak times during<br />
the day and evening. The coordinator<br />
would also be responsible for the<br />
operation of the Cardio Fitness/<br />
Weight Room ensuring it is organized,<br />
clean and overseeing the safety and<br />
maintenance of the equipment.<br />
Cont’d on page 9
Page 2 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010
MAY 2010<br />
OSCAR<br />
The<br />
The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY<br />
ASSOCIATION REVIEW<br />
260 Sunnyside Ave, <strong>Ottawa</strong> Ontario, K1S 0R7<br />
www.<strong>Old</strong><strong>Ottawa</strong><strong>South</strong>.ca/oscar<br />
Please Note: The OSCAR Has No Fax<br />
E-mail: oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Editor: Mary Anne Thompson<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Distribution Manager: Larry Ostler<br />
Business Manager: Susanne Ledbetter<br />
ledbetter@sympatico.ca<br />
Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
OSCAR is printed by Winchester Print<br />
NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 14<br />
The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising.<br />
It is published for the <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association<br />
Inc. (OSCA). Distribution is free to all <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> homes and<br />
businesses and selected locations in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, the Glebe and<br />
Billings Bridge. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not<br />
necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. The editor retains the right to edit<br />
and include articles submitted for publication.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
613-327-9080<br />
613-730-1058<br />
(not classy ads)<br />
FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES,<br />
CALL 613-327-9080<br />
or email: larryostler@gmail.com The OSCAR thanks<br />
the following people who brought us to your door this<br />
month:<br />
ZONE A1: Kathy Krywicki (Coordinator), Mary Jo Lynch, Brian Eames<br />
and Kim Barclay, Wendy Robbins, Jim and Carrol Robb, Terri-Lee Lefebvre,<br />
Becky Sasaki, Kevin and Stephanie Williams.<br />
ZONE B1: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Family Gref- Innes, Gabriela<br />
Gref-Innes and Fiona Fagan, the Montgomery family, Laurie Morrison,<br />
Susanne Ledbetter.<br />
ZONE B2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Pat Eakins, Laine Mow, Hayley<br />
Atkinson, Leslie Roster, Kathy Krywicki.<br />
ZONE C1: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the Williams family, Josh<br />
Rahaman, Lynne Myers, Jeff Pouw, Curt LaBond, Brendan McCoy, the<br />
Woroniuk-Ryan family.<br />
ZONE C2: Craig Piche (Coordinator), Alan McCullough, Arthur Taylor,<br />
Curt LaBond, Charles and Phillip Kijek, Sam & Avery Piche, Kit Jenkin,<br />
Michel and Christina Bridgeman.<br />
ZONE D1: Bert Hopkins (Coordinator), Emily Keys, the Lascelles family,<br />
Gail Stewart, Mary Jane Jones, Oliver Waddington, Sullivan-Greene family,<br />
the Sprott family.<br />
ZONE D2: Janet Drysdale (Coordinator), The Adriaanse Family, Gaia<br />
Chernushenko, The Rand family, Aidan and Willem Ray, the Stewart family.<br />
ZONE E1:Brian Tansey(Coordinator) , Wendy Johnston, the Rae Brown-<br />
Clarke Family (esp. Katie), Anna Cuylits, Sutherland family (esp. Edwina<br />
and John), Sanger-O’Neil family.<br />
ZONE E2: Chris Berry (Coordinator), Mary-Ann Kent, Glen Elder and<br />
Lorraine Stewart, the Hunter family, Brodkin-Haas family, Allan Paul,<br />
Christina Bradley, Caroline Calvert, Larry Ostler.<br />
ZONE F1: Carol and Ferg O’Connor (Coordinator), Jenny O’Brien, the<br />
Stern family, T. Liston, Ellen Bailie, Dante and Bianca Ruiz, Wendy Kemp,<br />
Kelly Haggart and Taiyan Roberts, Walter and Robbie Engert.<br />
ZONE F2: Bea Bol (Coordinator), the Tubman family, Paulette Theriault,<br />
Ryan Zurakowski, Susan McMaster, Paige Raymond, Pierre Guevremont,<br />
Cheryl Hyslop.<br />
ZONE G: Bernie Zeisig(Coordinator), Claudia and Estelle Bourlon-<br />
Albarracin, David Lum, Cindy MacLoghlin, Hannah and Emily Blackwell,<br />
the al-Asad family, Katya and Mikka Zeisig.<br />
Echo Drive: Alex Bissel.<br />
Bank Street-<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>: Rob Cook, Tom Lawson, Paula Archer.<br />
Bank Street-Glebe: Larry Ostler.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> East: Brian Lowley, Dave White.<br />
CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS<br />
Page 3<br />
Contributions should be in electronic format sent either by e-mail to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca in either plain text or WORD format, or as<br />
a printed copy delivered to the Firehall office, 260 Sunnyside Avenue.<br />
Moving away from <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>? Know someone who would like<br />
to receive The OSCAR? We will send The OSCAR for one year for just<br />
$40 to Canadian addresses (including foreign service) and $80 outside<br />
of Canada. Drop us a letter with your name, address, postal code and<br />
country. Please include a check made out to The OSCAR.<br />
SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS<br />
The OSCAR is sponsored entirely from advertising. Our advertisers are<br />
often not aware that you are from <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> when you patronize<br />
them. Make the effort to let them know that you saw their ad in The<br />
OSCAR. They will be glad to know and The OSCAR will benefit from<br />
their support. If you know of someone providing a service in the community,<br />
tell them about The OSCAR. Our rates are reasonable.<br />
FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES<br />
May 14 (June issue), June 12 (July/Aug issue), Aug 7 (Sept issue).<br />
tHe old FireHall<br />
ottawa soutH CommuNity CeNtre<br />
osCa@oldottawasoutH.Ca<br />
HOURS PHONE 613 247-4946<br />
MONDAY TO THURSDAY 9 AM TO 9 PM<br />
FRIDAY 9 AM TO 6 PM<br />
SATURDAY 9 AM TO 1 PM*<br />
SUNDAY CLOSED<br />
*Open only when programs are operating, please call first.<br />
WHAT’S THAT NUMBER?<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Centre - The <strong>Old</strong> Firehall<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Community Association (OSCA)<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Public Library - <strong>South</strong> Branch<br />
Rob Campbell - Rob.Campbell@OCDSB.ca<br />
Kathy Ablett, Catholic Board Trustee<br />
Centretown Community Health Centre<br />
CARLETON UNIVERSITY<br />
CUSA (Carleton U Students Association)<br />
Graduate Students Association<br />
Community Liaison<br />
Mediation Centre<br />
Athletics<br />
CITY HALL<br />
Clive Doucet, City Councillor (clive.doucet@city.ottawa.on.ca)<br />
Main Number(24 hrs) for all departments<br />
Community Police - non-emergencies<br />
Emergencies only<br />
Serious Crimes<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Hydro<br />
Streetlight Problems (burned out, always on, flickering)<br />
Brewer Pool<br />
Brewer Arena<br />
City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> web site - www.city.ottawa.on.ca<br />
247-4946<br />
247-4872<br />
730-1082<br />
730-8128<br />
526-9512<br />
233-5430<br />
520-6688<br />
520-6616<br />
520-3660<br />
520-5765<br />
520-4480<br />
580-2487<br />
3-1-1<br />
236-1222<br />
9-1-1<br />
230-6211<br />
738-6400<br />
3-1-1<br />
247-4938<br />
247-4917
Page 4 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />
The OSCAR welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the community or in response to previous articles. All letters must disclose the name of the<br />
writer, as well as the address and phone number. Lettters may be edited for length, clarity, and libelous statements. The opinions of the writers are not<br />
necessarily those of the newspaper or its editor. Email your letters to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca or leave in print at the Firehall.<br />
Paul Dewar’s Rants! Re: Yasir Naqui, “Helping Ontario Families” January<br />
OSCAR 2010, p.35<br />
We wonder why Paul Dewar uses the column<br />
given him by the OSCAR as a monthly rant<br />
against the government. Surely, the idea behind<br />
this opportunity was for Paul to tell his constituents what<br />
his party stands for and what he has been doing for his<br />
constituents, rather than attacking another party.<br />
I strongly suggest that Paul think about this and,<br />
should he not be willing to change his tactics, that the<br />
OSCAR editor either cancel his column or run opinions by<br />
representatives of the other parties in an effort to provide a<br />
balanced opinion.<br />
Mr. Nacqui, who also is given a column, naturally puts<br />
his own governing party’s actions in their best possible<br />
light, but refrains from openly politicizing his free space<br />
by partisan attacks.<br />
Bill Grant and Jinny Slyfield<br />
Bravo Au Cinéma Mayfair!<br />
Bravo à l’équipe du cinéma Mayfair pour la projection du<br />
film La Donation réalisé par le cinéaste Bernard Émond. Ce<br />
magnifique film, présenté avec sous-titres anglais, nous a<br />
amenés à réfléchir sur le don et la compassion à travers la vie d’une<br />
urgentologue de Montréal qui vient remplacer un médecin d’un petit<br />
village éloigné.<br />
Quelle chance d’avoir pu discuter avec le cinéaste qui est venu<br />
rencontrer le public après la projection du film pour répondre à nos<br />
questions, et ce, en français et en anglais.<br />
Une soirée inoubliable avec un cinéaste exceptionnel! Merci<br />
beaucoup à l’équipe du Mayfair! À la prochaine!<br />
Well Done Mayfair Theatre!<br />
It was a fabulous evening, with the presentation of Bernard<br />
Émond’s film La Donation (The Legacy) with English subtitles.<br />
A beautiful film on compassion and giving about a Montreal ER<br />
doctor who takes over a colleague’s small-town practice.<br />
Thanks for having given us a unique opportunity to hear director<br />
Émond on his film and ask him questions, which he kindly answered<br />
and translated in English. A great director who has interesting<br />
views on what cinema is about.<br />
Thanks again for this special evening and à la prochaine!<br />
Linda Déziel, OOS resident<br />
Dear Editor:<br />
Yasir Naqui announced that his<br />
government has reduced income<br />
taxes and introduced a new Ontario<br />
Sales Tax Credit as of January 1, along with<br />
transitional payments to “support the shift”<br />
to the Harmonized Sales Tax system. He<br />
asserts that “they provide a significant savings<br />
for most Ontarians” stating that a senior living<br />
on $20,000 pension will save $170, a single<br />
parent earning $35,000 would save $275, and a<br />
OSCAR Mea Culpa<br />
John McNeish was the author of the<br />
April 2010 OSCAR Abbotsford article<br />
and not Pat Goyeche. Apologies to John<br />
McNeish.<br />
two income family with two children will save<br />
$605. He claims that “these are real savings<br />
that you can use to buy a house, save for the<br />
future or invest in an education.”<br />
Could someone please tell me where I can<br />
buy a home for between $170 and $605 a year?<br />
I would like to sign up for two.<br />
M. Lindsay Lambert<br />
Editor’s Note: For further discussion of Mr<br />
Lambert’s views of the HST please go to page 18.<br />
I may not agree with what you<br />
have to say, but I will defend to<br />
the death, your right to say it.<br />
....Voltaire<br />
Send your<br />
comments to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
or drop them off at the Firehall,<br />
260 Sunnyside Avenue.
MAY 2010<br />
OSCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
OSCA Annual General Meeting -- May 4, 7 pm in the<br />
Ladies Parlour at <strong>South</strong>minster United Church<br />
By Michael Jenkin<br />
As the OSCA Annual General<br />
Meeting is coming up at<br />
about the time you read<br />
this column, I thought it would<br />
be a good opportunity to reflect<br />
on what we have achieved over<br />
the last year as a community and<br />
on the challenges that lie ahead.<br />
Many good things happened in our<br />
neighbourhood this past year. Perhaps<br />
the most noticeable is the significant<br />
level of public investment in our<br />
community services that is taking<br />
place.<br />
With both the community<br />
centre and our public library branch<br />
undergoing extensive renovations,<br />
representing in total about $5 million<br />
Brief Notes<br />
From the Firehall<br />
MAY at the ‘Firehall’<br />
By Deirdre McQuillan<br />
Watch out for OSCA’s NEW LOGO – a<br />
new logo has been developed and will<br />
be part of our new look in our NEW<br />
FIREHALL Community Centre.<br />
SPRING PROGRAMS are up and running –<br />
although many programs are sold out some are still<br />
available.<br />
SPRING SOCCER in Brewer Park for 4 different<br />
age groups will start in May - here’s hoping for a<br />
warm sunny season.<br />
OSCA AGM – Tuesday, May 4 at 7:00 PM in the<br />
Ladies Parlour at <strong>South</strong>minster United Church–<br />
annual reports from OSCA committees, followed by<br />
Wine & Cheese – all are welcome.<br />
AFTER FOUR 2010/11 - Online<br />
REGISTRATION will begin on Tuesday, June 1<br />
at 8:00 PM. Two payments of $155 are required at<br />
registration – the first will pay for September 2010,<br />
the second pays for June, 2011 and can be made<br />
as a deferred payment – payable for September 1,<br />
2010.<br />
…..and NEW! NEW! NEW!–SUNNYSIDE UP<br />
BREAKFAST CLUB at the NEW FIREHALL<br />
- 7:30 am to 9:00 am including breakfast and<br />
walkover to Hopewell School or placement on a<br />
school bus – registration date is the same as After<br />
Four. Cost: $145 a month.<br />
in investment, we are seeing an<br />
unprecedented improvement in our<br />
community institutions. In addition,<br />
the City has launched the Sunnyside<br />
traffic study to look at ways to improve<br />
safety on one of the main connector<br />
streets in the community.<br />
All of these developments are<br />
welcome and will make a significant<br />
contribution to improving the quality<br />
of life in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. And<br />
I think it is safe to say that none of<br />
these things would have happened<br />
if it were not for the level of<br />
community activism we have shown<br />
in demanding improvements to our<br />
community infrastructure and actively<br />
fund raising towards that goal.<br />
We have also managed as a community<br />
association to maintain a fairly high<br />
level of community programming<br />
and community events even though<br />
we have been operating in temporary<br />
facilities while our community centre<br />
is being renovated.<br />
Indeed, we have managed to<br />
keep our operating costs sufficiently<br />
under control so that, despite a<br />
more expensive operating structure<br />
necessitated by renting facilities,<br />
we have not suffered any of the<br />
financial losses that had been forecast.<br />
So we are starting off a new year in good<br />
financial shape and with major new<br />
facilities in the community opening<br />
up. The challenge we will face will<br />
be to capitalize on these opportunities<br />
to deliver more and better community<br />
programming for our residents.<br />
But there are clouds on the horizon.<br />
SUMMER CAMP Registration is ongoing – check<br />
out our many exciting camps for preschoolers,<br />
children and youth – register early as a couple of<br />
camps are already sold out.<br />
MOVING BACK TO THE FIREHALL - the City<br />
is still telling us we will be in for summer – stay<br />
tuned!!<br />
INFORMATION and REGISTRATION for all<br />
OSCA programs at: www.oldottawasouth.ca - just<br />
follow the RED registration signs or call us at 613-<br />
247-4946 or drop by <strong>South</strong>minster Church at 15<br />
Aylmer Avenue.<br />
Page 5<br />
As I have outlined many times<br />
since last summer in this column,<br />
the impacts on this community<br />
of the potential redevelopment of<br />
Lansdowne Park are likely to be<br />
very negative. The potential for<br />
consistent traffic congestion and the<br />
impact on our local merchants are<br />
major concerns. Council will review<br />
the project in June when critical<br />
studies on traffic and retail impacts<br />
will need to be carefully assessed.<br />
The irony we face is that the very<br />
substantial progress we have made<br />
over the past few years in improving<br />
our community could be negated by<br />
an ill considered and inappropriate<br />
commercial development on one of<br />
the City’s largest public spaces.<br />
OSWATCH<br />
By Brendan McCoy, OSWATCH<br />
Co-Chair<br />
At its April 20 meeting the OSCA Board<br />
reiterated the community’s interest<br />
in doing a Community Design Plan<br />
(CDP) and again asked the City to fund this<br />
study, as the Board did two years ago. There<br />
was also discussion of other measures which<br />
could be pursued in the interim to ensure infill<br />
development is reflective and considerate of the<br />
existing neighbourhood context. OSWATCH<br />
will be speaking to City staff and looking into<br />
these interim measures while planning for an<br />
eventual CDP.<br />
The OSCA President will be writing to each<br />
of the 5 short listed Lansdowne design teams,<br />
and Mr. George Dark and his design panel. They<br />
will all be offered a tour of the neighbourhood<br />
by me, OSWATCH Co-Chair Brendan McCoy<br />
based on my Janes’ Walk tour. All will be<br />
invited to the OSCA AGM on May 4 to meet<br />
our membership. Finally, the 5 design teams<br />
will be invited to a dedicated public meeting to<br />
meet the community and learn more about us<br />
and our ideas for a sustainable, affordable and<br />
flexible public space at Lansdowne.<br />
In March OSCA passed a motion indicating<br />
that it believed that more civic representation<br />
was needed on the Lansdowne Urban Park<br />
Jury, and questioned whether two federal<br />
representatives are required when one (the<br />
NCC) has a mandate to represent all land-use<br />
decisions affecting federal interests. OSCA’s<br />
Vice President brought this resolution to the<br />
Federation of Community Associations and<br />
they supported this resolution with one of<br />
their own to press the City to increase civic<br />
representation on the Lansdowne Jury.<br />
Councillor Doucet held a meeting for<br />
neighbours on a proposed development at 71<br />
Hopewell which OSWATCH had commented<br />
on. An alternative to the original garage fronted<br />
design design was shown. Most neighbours<br />
were not happy with either design, but many<br />
thought the second design, based on a carriage<br />
way with rear parking and suggested by City<br />
staff, was an improvement.
Page 6 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
By John Dance<br />
The City’s Transportation Committee<br />
unanimously approved the initiation of an<br />
environmental assessment study for the<br />
proposed midtown footbridge at its April meeting.<br />
The approval allows City staff to request bids. Once<br />
a contractor is selected, the study is expected to be<br />
completed in approximately 18 months.<br />
The study’s scope includes satisfying<br />
environmental assessment requirements,<br />
recommending a preferred location, preparing<br />
functional design drawings of the preferred crossing,<br />
creating a project implementation/staging plan,<br />
estimating project capital and maintenance costs,<br />
and securing approvals in principle as required by<br />
regulatory agencies.<br />
Capital Ward Councillor Clive Doucet, who<br />
has been a long-time advocate of a new “green”<br />
link across the canal in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue<br />
and Clegg Street, called the approval a major step<br />
forward to building a sustainable and safe pedestrian<br />
and cycling infrastructure that will benefit not<br />
just those in the Glebe, <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> East, and <strong>Old</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> but also many other <strong>Ottawa</strong>ns who<br />
live beyond the “three sisters” and seek a safer and<br />
more convenient midtown crossing of the canal.<br />
As noted in the approved statement of work,<br />
the origins of a Rideau Canal crossing near Clegg<br />
Street and Fifth Avenue date back to the Holt Plan<br />
(1915); the Greber Plan (1950); and National<br />
Capital Commission plans (1968). A ferry operated<br />
for several decades in this vicinity until circa 1950.<br />
Through the 1950s and 1960s, the National Capital<br />
Commission (NCC) annually constructed a wooden<br />
footbridge in the winter months between Herridge<br />
Street and Second Avenue. With the loss of these<br />
seasonal crossings, pedestrians and cyclists have<br />
had to detour to either the Pretoria Bridge (850<br />
metres north) or the Bank Street Bridge (1.25<br />
kilometres south).<br />
Extensive Consultation<br />
The study will involve stakeholders, including<br />
local community/interest groups, property owners,<br />
businesses, area schools and approval agencies.<br />
Early in the study process, community stakeholders<br />
will be identified through liaison with Councillor<br />
Doucet.<br />
A public consultation group and an “agency”<br />
consultation group will be formed to enable<br />
meaningful consultation with stakeholders at key<br />
stages in the study. A minimum of three public<br />
meetings/open houses with the general public<br />
will augment the consultation group meetings.<br />
Presentations to the NCC’s Advisory Committee on<br />
Planning, Design, and Realty will also be required.<br />
Footbridge Study Approved<br />
Councilor Clive Doucet and Transportation Committee Chair Maria McRae worked jointly to<br />
achieve unanimous committee support for proceeding with the environmental assessment study of<br />
the proposed midtown footbridge.<br />
The public consultation committee is expected to<br />
include representatives from the three neighbouring<br />
community associations (OECA, GCA and OSCA)<br />
and the Midtown Footbridge Group has also<br />
requested to be a part of the committee. One other<br />
opportunity for public input will be to comment on<br />
the specific Environmental Study Report, which<br />
will address the provisions of relevant provincial<br />
and federal environmental legislation.<br />
Lansdowne Relationship<br />
According to the statement of work, the<br />
contractor will develop alternative designs for the<br />
preferred crossing locations options and will develop<br />
criteria for assessing these designs. In this context,<br />
the contractor will assess any pedestrian bridge<br />
crossing proposals/designs that may be submitted<br />
by the winning design team for the Lansdowne<br />
urban park design competition to determine how<br />
the proposal could respond to the requirements<br />
determined through the environmental assessment.<br />
The Midtown Footbridge Group, which has<br />
been researching the proposition for several<br />
years, recently wrote to Kent Kirkpatrick, City<br />
Manager and the Chair of Lansdowne Park Steering<br />
Committee, to stress that the location and design of<br />
the footbridge should be decided in a process that,<br />
while taking into consideration the Lansdowne<br />
Design Competition, is independent from the<br />
By Scott Proudfoot<br />
Bowing to popular demand,<br />
organisers of the annual<br />
Rideau River Clean-up will<br />
hold this year’s event the day before<br />
Mothers’ Day, so as not to interfere<br />
with mums sleeping in, being fêted<br />
and brunched. Under the auspices of<br />
the Urban Rideau Conservationists,<br />
simultaneous community clean-ups<br />
will take place along the Rideau River<br />
banks in New Edinburgh, Overbrook,<br />
Vanier, Sandy Hill, <strong>Ottawa</strong> East and<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. The <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
section will target the banks of the<br />
competition.<br />
The letter to Mr. Kirkpatrick notes: “The<br />
determination of the footbridge’s location should<br />
involve careful assessment against key criteria and<br />
full public consultation. Although the footbridge<br />
will provide a critical access to Lansdowne Park<br />
from the east, there are many other factors that must<br />
also be considered in determining the footbridge’s<br />
best location. These factors include the relative<br />
proximity to the Bank and Pretoria bridges; linkage<br />
to existing cycling and walking routes; contribution<br />
to an east-west cycling/pedestrian corridor; and<br />
safety concerns such as crossing the parkways and<br />
ensuring children can better get to schools on the<br />
opposite side of the canal from which they live.”<br />
At the same time as the midtown footbridge<br />
study was approved, the Transportation Committee<br />
also gave its blessing of a comparable study for a<br />
pedestrian crossing of the Rideau River, linking<br />
Somerset East with Donald Street (near the tennis<br />
club). The environmental assessment required for<br />
the river footbridge is expected to take 12 months.<br />
The midtown footbridge study will take six months<br />
more because of greater complexity and the need<br />
for additional approvals. For instance, in the case<br />
of the proposed river footbridge, the City owns the<br />
property at both ends of the bridge while for the<br />
canal footbridge none of the land is owned by the<br />
City.<br />
Join This Year’s Rideau River Clean-Up<br />
Saturday 8 May!<br />
Rideau River in Brewer Park from<br />
10:00 till 13:00 on Saturday, 8 May,<br />
rain or shine. Cleaners-up should<br />
gather at the corner of Seneca and<br />
Cameron, where the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Tennis<br />
& Lawn-bowling Club is providing<br />
space. The City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> is providing<br />
bags and clean-up equipment, while<br />
Bridgehead and the Monterrey Inn<br />
are offering coffee and sandwiches to<br />
hungry volunteers. This is a chance<br />
to contribute to a cleaner and better<br />
riverbank for all to enjoy, and a more<br />
sustainable ecosystem. See you there!
MAY 2010<br />
CITY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT<br />
Dear Oscar Readers:<br />
We are born old and young<br />
at the same time.<br />
We are born with great loves<br />
and great pains<br />
that we grow into like an acorn<br />
grows into an oak tree;<br />
like God grows into the universe.<br />
On April 14 th I advanced three<br />
motions at <strong>Ottawa</strong> City<br />
Council. The response speaks<br />
volumes about the challenges we face<br />
in the political arena in trying to make<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> a better, more sustainable<br />
place.<br />
The objective of the first motion<br />
was to reduce municipal tax increases.<br />
The motion stated that the Long<br />
Range Financial Plan Working Group<br />
“ review ways that the 2011 budget<br />
development process be adjusted to<br />
give priority to all Transportation<br />
and Transit projects and services that<br />
will in the short, medium, and long<br />
term reduce the overall operating<br />
costs required by the City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
to deliver these services”. In other<br />
words, give priority to Transit and<br />
Transportation projects that reduce<br />
By Brendan McCoy,<br />
OSWATCH Co-Chair<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
A Tale Of Three Motions<br />
costs to the city as it grows.<br />
In the discussion leading up to the<br />
vote on this motion, a few councillors<br />
spoke in support of the idea but most<br />
of my colleagues decided this was too<br />
dangerous to the status quo to actually<br />
vote for it. The status quo for <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
in transportation has been to add 150<br />
to 200 kilometres of new roads each<br />
year and more express buses to name<br />
some projects and services where<br />
costs are rising much faster than<br />
revenues.<br />
The second motion was that the<br />
following question be placed on the<br />
Municipal Ballot during the 2010<br />
election: “Should the City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
have a competitive process for the<br />
disposition of Lansdowne Park? ”<br />
Both sides on the Lansdowne debate<br />
have claimed a silent majority on<br />
their side. Why not give everybody a<br />
chance to state how they want business<br />
conducted with their tax dollars? This<br />
motion was not carried forward as a<br />
majority of my colleagues felt that<br />
only they should decide whether<br />
a competitive process was used at<br />
Lansdowne, not the public.<br />
The third motion asked for<br />
another question to be put on the ballot<br />
College of Physicians and Surgeons<br />
Considers <strong>Changes</strong><br />
The College of Physician<br />
and Surgeons is the owner<br />
and resident of the former<br />
Precious Blood Convent on Echo<br />
Drive off Bank Street. The beautiful,<br />
former Convent, along with its front<br />
and back lawns, is a designated<br />
heritage property, and has been<br />
carefully renovated into an office<br />
building and headquarters by the<br />
College. The College has wanted<br />
more space for some time but has<br />
not succeeded in securing any Bank<br />
Street properties for its expansion.<br />
The College had approached several<br />
private land owners, and also tried to<br />
make a deal with the Library; these<br />
approaches all failed.<br />
Now, with the Medical Council<br />
of Canada as partners, they are<br />
instead exploring the idea of<br />
building on their existing site, on<br />
one or both sides of the current<br />
College of Physicians and Surgeons former Precious Blood Convent<br />
on Echo Drive off Bank Street Photo by Brendan McCoy<br />
box in the 2010 election: “Should<br />
the City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> commission a<br />
study including details as to how deamalgamation<br />
could be effected, to be<br />
reviewed by City Council by January<br />
25, 2011? ” This question could have<br />
been used as a means of starting a<br />
discussion on how the shortcomings<br />
of amalgamation could be addressed.<br />
For instance, many local areas in<br />
the city feel decisions are forced on<br />
them by other parts of the city. This<br />
is a common complaint in urban, in<br />
rural, and in suburban areas, which<br />
were all more autonomous before<br />
amalgamation. Giving people more<br />
local control should be an appealing<br />
thing for many people and if it isn’t<br />
at least we would have a definitive<br />
answer to those who complain about<br />
the new larger city.<br />
I was surprised that many of my<br />
colleagues failed to see the wisdom<br />
of supporting these motions, because<br />
if we are ever to control our taxes,<br />
we have to reduce our per capita<br />
costs as the city grows – not increase<br />
them. If <strong>Ottawa</strong> city services have<br />
diseconomies of scale - you’ve got<br />
to ask why we amalgamated in the<br />
first place? Figuring out what those<br />
main building. The front and rear<br />
views of their building have heritage<br />
protection and are not to be changed.<br />
To develop ideas, they have engaged<br />
Barry Padolsky, an architect with<br />
strong heritage credentials, whose<br />
firm has worked on the Bank St.<br />
Bridge rebuild and the ongoing<br />
renovation of the Museum of Naturethe<br />
Victoria Memorial Building.<br />
At a recent meeting with myself<br />
and another OSCA Board member,<br />
issues of heritage, zoning, building<br />
size (75,000 sq ft +), parking and<br />
traffic were discussed. The College<br />
mentioned the possibility of<br />
changing the entrance and exit for the<br />
site by moving the existing bollards<br />
on Echo Drive slightly further east,<br />
thereby allowing College employees<br />
access to their site from Bank Street.<br />
The College is aware of the need to<br />
engage with the local community<br />
on all issues. OSCA was promised<br />
further information and OSWATCH<br />
and OSCA will continue to follow<br />
developments closely.<br />
On a side-note, the College<br />
informed us that it will be<br />
participating in Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
this year; if you would like a peek<br />
inside this beautiful heritage<br />
building, I recommend trying to visit<br />
during Doors Open <strong>Ottawa</strong> on June<br />
5 and 6, 2010.<br />
Page 7<br />
low cost services are, is the first step<br />
to having a cost effective budget, just<br />
as the first step to changing our city’s<br />
governance is commissioning a study<br />
to figure out how some form of decentralization<br />
could be affected.<br />
These motions weren’t that<br />
radical: let’s weigh things that reduce<br />
long term expenses ahead of those<br />
that don’t, let’s confirm whether a<br />
majority are comfortable with noncompetitive<br />
big projects, and lastly<br />
lets just study what’s working or not<br />
with amalgamation.<br />
Coffee with Clive<br />
Please note that May will be the<br />
last month for Coffee with Clive and<br />
so Thursday May 13 th will be the last<br />
Coffee with Clive in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
at Bridgehead, 1176 Bank Street from<br />
9:00 to 10:00 a.m..<br />
All the best,<br />
Clive Doucet<br />
City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
110 Laurier Avenue West,<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>, ON, K1P 1J1<br />
Tel: (613) 580-2487<br />
Fax: (613) 580-2527<br />
Clive.Doucet@ottawa.ca<br />
www.clivedoucet.com<br />
Fida’s <strong>Pizza</strong>...<br />
Cont’d from page 1<br />
his family over to Canada.<br />
Tony is tall and thin, and he looks<br />
you directly in the eye when he speaks to<br />
you. While we speak, he rushes around<br />
the kitchen, spreading dough into pans,<br />
assembling toppings, and putting pizzas<br />
into and taking them out of the oven.<br />
Growing up, I always loved the<br />
nights when my parents ordered Fida’s<br />
pizza instead of cooking. One of my<br />
favorite parts of the doughy, rich-tasting<br />
pizza we enjoyed was the lump of dough<br />
in the middle of the pizza. We called<br />
that the bun. I asked Tony why put<br />
a bun in the middle of his pizzas. He<br />
answered that he noticed that other pizza<br />
places put a removable piece of plastic<br />
in the middle of the pizza to prevent the<br />
box from caving in and sticking to the<br />
toppings. He thought he’d simply try<br />
something different and use a lump of<br />
dough to hold up the box. He’s stopped<br />
doing that today because the price of<br />
flour has gone up, making such liberal<br />
use of dough no longer economical.<br />
To his customers, Tony says, “I’m<br />
going to miss you all. I hope we meet<br />
again.” For their continuous support, he<br />
thanks his wife of 33 years, Pauline, and<br />
his son Christopher.<br />
After his trip to Lebanon, Tony isn’t<br />
sure what he’ll do next. He’ll take things<br />
as they come as he adopts to the fact that<br />
for the first time in 34 years, he will no<br />
longer be making pizza.
Page 8 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
by Joanne Proulx<br />
It was a glorious sunny day in early<br />
July, 2008 when my friend Marcia,<br />
lounging on the deck chair beside<br />
mine, reached out a hand and placed<br />
it gently on my arm. “I have some<br />
bad news,” she said. I’d been at our<br />
family cottage near Peterborough for<br />
a few weeks and had thus slipped<br />
from the OOS news loop and I must<br />
have looked alarmed because Marcia<br />
quickly reassured me, “No one died or<br />
anything. But Fresh Fruit is closing.”<br />
So, yeah, no one was dying. Still, as<br />
a ‘heavy user’ of our local grocery, I<br />
could have cried.<br />
Flash forward to today. Now<br />
throw your hands in the air, your<br />
head back and shout out a long, loud<br />
Hallelujah (or whatever your favourite<br />
expression of celebration and thanks<br />
may be). Because the rumours are<br />
true. Cedars and Company Food<br />
Market will open its doors May, 2010,<br />
the same doors Fresh Fruit closed<br />
over eighteen months ago leaving<br />
the residents of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
nutritionally wanting. Forcing us to<br />
drive - or for those with panniers and<br />
a bit of spunk, cycle - across one of<br />
the bridges that bookend our little<br />
urban island, in pursuit of a fresh<br />
tomato. Or a clove of garlic. Or a<br />
roast chicken. Or a yam.<br />
Great News for <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
New Home of Cedars -- Coming soon! Photo by M A Thompson<br />
Why Fresh Fruit closed up shop<br />
is still the subject of speculation. A<br />
landlord/tenant dispute? A loss of<br />
business to the then newly-established<br />
Farm Boy? The difficulty of<br />
competing in a market dominated by<br />
big-box food stores? No one is sure.<br />
What is certain is that the building<br />
at 1255 Bank Street, which had been<br />
home to Fresh Fruit for more than<br />
twenty years, needed major work.<br />
During the past several months,<br />
Cedars and Company’s owner Brian<br />
Mahmoud, who also owns O’Brien’s<br />
Eatery and Pub in <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, has<br />
done that work. Brian has literally<br />
gutted the interior of the building.<br />
Gone are the water stained ceiling<br />
and the grimy floors. Gone is the<br />
‘less-than-fresh’ smell. Walls have<br />
been knocked down to expand the<br />
retail space, custom-made cabinetry<br />
has been installed, new fridges and<br />
freezers are on their way.<br />
When asked about his plans for<br />
the new operation, Brian said that<br />
the theme at Cedars will be ‘fresh’.<br />
Bins will be stocked with organic<br />
and regular produce. There will be<br />
a dairy, a butcher, a deli, and a fish<br />
counter. Fresh whole grain breads<br />
will be delivered daily, and the store<br />
will offer a large variety of cheeses,<br />
nuts and olives. As well there will<br />
be a pastry shop with European<br />
and Middle Eastern delicacies with<br />
some Canadian flare and an in-house<br />
Shawarma restaurant where you can<br />
dine-in or take home a ready-made<br />
meal. Other prepared foods, including<br />
a large selection of salads and dips,<br />
will be available, which Brian hopes<br />
will make preparing healthy dinners a<br />
little easier.<br />
Although Mr. Mahmoud has<br />
plenty of experience in the restaurant<br />
business, this is his first foray into<br />
the grocery industry. His is no small<br />
undertaking. Running a fresh produce<br />
store is huge, hard work. And in<br />
the age of big retailers with mighty<br />
purchasing power, a local grocery<br />
store is no sure thing. I, for one, want<br />
to heartily thank Mr. Mahmoud for<br />
investing in our neighbourhood. As<br />
the last eighteen months have shown,<br />
without a local grocery store, ours is a<br />
lesser community.<br />
I hope to see you all at Cedars,<br />
sneakers on and shopping bags in<br />
hand, on opening day. And every day<br />
thereafter, around 5:30, when I realize<br />
I’m missing the last ten or fifteen<br />
ingredients I need to make a decent<br />
meal.
MAY 2010<br />
By William Burr<br />
The restaurant Domus in the<br />
Byward market is an upscale<br />
affair. On its menu, you can<br />
find such fare as Cast Iron Seared Wild<br />
BC Pacific Halibut ($33). <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Magazine named it the best place to<br />
eat in the city. So it was all the more<br />
surprising to find John Taylor, Domus<br />
owner and head chef, in paint-stained<br />
work clothes amidst torn up floors,<br />
half-painted walls, and sawdust.<br />
The restauranteur is overseeing the<br />
transformation of the old Second Cup<br />
location at Bank and Sunnyside into<br />
Taylor’s Food and Wine Bar. “I’ve<br />
always said, If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be<br />
a carpenter,” he says.<br />
Taylor is tall and speaks directly<br />
and matter-of-factly, but with a desire<br />
to promote his brain-child.<br />
The opening of the wine bar marks<br />
the rising affluence of old <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>. Over the past decades, house<br />
prices have doubled, and the shops<br />
lining the street have become more<br />
posh. The service station at Bank<br />
and Sunnyside and NAPA Auto Parts<br />
at Glen have closed, while specialty<br />
boutiques like Grace in the Kitchen<br />
and Serious Cheese have opened their<br />
doors.<br />
Now, we’ll have a wine bar. But<br />
what’s a wine bar?<br />
“It’s not a bar,” Taylor says.<br />
Except that it is, kind of. It’s a bar<br />
where you don’t go to drink, strictly.<br />
You go to savour a good glass of wine<br />
with tasty food platters. Meanwhile,<br />
you can watch people going by on<br />
Bank Street. “One of life’s great<br />
curiosities is people watching,” he<br />
says.<br />
There will be meat and cheese<br />
plates, featuring cheeses from Ontario<br />
and Québec. There will also be<br />
charcuterie, smoked fish, and salads,<br />
with an emphasis on local products,<br />
like at Domus. Taylor expects that he<br />
will be able to do a lot of his shopping<br />
at the Farmer’s market at Lansdowne<br />
Park. As an example of what you<br />
might catch on the menu, there could<br />
be a salad made of heirloom tomatoes,<br />
cucumbers, black olives, feta cheese,<br />
pickled red onion, and homemade<br />
lamb pancetta.<br />
Because the kitchen is so small,<br />
dishes will have to be designed around<br />
volume over fanciness. Prices will be<br />
lower than they are at Domus. The<br />
wines will be from Niagara, Prince<br />
Edward County, and BC, as well as<br />
from around the world. Taylor’s wife<br />
Sylvia, a sommelier, will be in charge<br />
of the wines, as she is at Domus. Beers<br />
will feature local microbreweries such<br />
as Beau’s.<br />
But the place will close around<br />
midnight. Don’t expect droves of<br />
rambunctious students or TV sets in<br />
the corners.<br />
Taylor got into the food business<br />
at a young age. He participated in a<br />
Canadian government job creation<br />
program when he was just out of high<br />
school. He had the choice of training<br />
to be a window-fitter, a glazer, a<br />
framer, or a cook. His first choice<br />
was framer, since he had already done<br />
some framing work. When he got<br />
deeper into the application process,<br />
however, he realized that he wanted<br />
to try cooking. He’d always enjoyed<br />
Proposed Cardio ... Cont’d from page 1<br />
Memberships would be<br />
available with drop-in opportunities.<br />
Fees would range from $37 a month<br />
to $172 for six months (about 38<br />
chai lattes).<br />
Although the room could be used<br />
as a space for a Yoga/Pilates Studio,<br />
or spinning Classes (requiring<br />
special equipment required) or as<br />
a Multi Use Space, the challenge<br />
remains to thoroughly understand<br />
if there is a need and want for a<br />
community cardio fitness room from<br />
the OOS residents.<br />
The program committee feels<br />
we have the money in reserves, the<br />
community deserves this kind of<br />
special programming and that there<br />
is a very strong case for this kind<br />
of cardio/fitness community based<br />
program opportunity.<br />
In support of better<br />
understanding the market segment,<br />
the OSCA board made a decision to<br />
expand the program committee with<br />
a few more board members for this<br />
study and to survey the community.<br />
We will be coming to the streets<br />
looking for your feedback as to<br />
whether you would support and/or<br />
participate in this initiative in the<br />
coming weeks.<br />
You deserve to be heard! Please<br />
go to www.oldottawasouth.ca for<br />
the link to complete a three question<br />
survey.<br />
May 12 at midnight is the<br />
deadline for doing the survey.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Our New Wine Bar<br />
John Taylor Photo by W. Burr<br />
it growing up, making things from<br />
carrot cake to Caesar salad. All it took<br />
was a few moments in the kitchen<br />
at the Lord Beaverbrook Hotel in<br />
Fredericton, and he immediately knew<br />
it was what he wanted to do for the<br />
rest of his life. The hustle and bustle<br />
of the kitchen, the entire atmosphere<br />
of it all charmed him.<br />
He stayed in Fredericton for three<br />
years. Then a friend brought him to<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> to work for the new Novotel<br />
Hotel. In <strong>Ottawa</strong>, he met his mentor,<br />
Jean-Pierre Challet, a Frenchman<br />
from Lyon. Following him up to the<br />
Relais and Chateaux Inn at Manitou<br />
north of Parry Sound, Challet was one<br />
of the first to introduce him to using<br />
local produce. Taylor asserts that if<br />
you don’t start out with good products<br />
then you can’t turn them into anything.<br />
Challet also taught him what Taylor<br />
calls “quality versus attitude or ego.”<br />
Eventually he returned to <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
Taylor’s inspiration is his<br />
grandmother. He spent a lot of time<br />
with her as a child, and remembers<br />
the smell of her freshly baked bread<br />
and her routine trips to local markets<br />
and farms to get fresh produce. “It<br />
was home-cooked, good food from<br />
farms.”<br />
Taylor’s favourite places to dine<br />
out in <strong>Ottawa</strong> are in Chinatown: Chez<br />
Nam on Booth Street, and Koriana on<br />
Somerset. Koriana makes a pork and<br />
kimchi stirfry with tofu - “It’s really<br />
Page 9<br />
spicy and porky and then you’ve got<br />
this really creamy tofu inside and the<br />
texture is just amazing.”<br />
Taylor purchased Domus in 1995,<br />
but it was already an established<br />
restaurant. He’s always wanted to<br />
do something “from the ground up,”<br />
something entirely his own. Notice<br />
the name of the new place: “Taylor’s<br />
Food and Wine Bar.”<br />
When the Second Cup location<br />
became vacant, it was almost an<br />
obvious choice. Taylor has lived<br />
in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> for years, on<br />
Belmont Avenue.<br />
Besides taking care of the wine,<br />
Taylor’s wife Sylvia has done the<br />
interior design for the wine bar.<br />
Taylor explained that it was absolutely<br />
essential to get rid of the old Second<br />
Cup colours. Sylvia has chosen a<br />
beautiful burgundy colour for the<br />
walls of the bar. It’s called nazahari;<br />
you might call it “wine.”<br />
As for the bar itself, the tables,<br />
the chairs, and even the floor – they<br />
are all still in progress. John Taylor<br />
works in this construction zone every<br />
day, helping to lay the floors, install<br />
the tables, and paint the walls.<br />
Come early May, Taylor’s Food<br />
and Wine Bar will be open, all going<br />
well. Taylor will dust sawdust off his<br />
clothes and step into the kitchen.
Page 10 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
THE BIG PICTURE<br />
By Michael A. Dobbin and<br />
David Chernushenko<br />
“We have the power to lead abundant,<br />
fulfilling lives powered by renewable<br />
energy – and reinvigorate democracy<br />
in the process”.<br />
A<br />
new feature length<br />
documentary by <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> filmmaker David<br />
Chernushenko is in the works. Coproduced<br />
with local producer Michael<br />
A. Dobbin of Quiet Revolution<br />
Pictures, Powerful showcases the<br />
remarkable achievements and inspiring<br />
examples of people and communities<br />
pursuing a path of conservation and<br />
renewable energy.<br />
The film explores the obstacles<br />
they encounter and introduces power<br />
players with an interest in maintaining<br />
the status quo. The feature length film<br />
is about reclaiming, or discovering<br />
for the first time, the power to do<br />
more and be more and to work within<br />
a community to accomplish more<br />
together.<br />
Headed for the Marché du Film at<br />
the Cannes International Film Festival<br />
in May, the producers have high hopes<br />
that the film will find audiences around<br />
the world. Exploring a universal<br />
theme, the subject matter is universal<br />
in asking: Who controls our energy<br />
supply and who has the power to<br />
decide which energy path to pursue?<br />
How will the quest for greater energy<br />
autonomy contribute to an important<br />
power shift that ultimately helps build<br />
a more just, equitable and healthy<br />
society and democracy?<br />
David Chernushenko, who<br />
describes himself as a Green Economy<br />
Educator and Entrepreneur, began<br />
his journey with his own electricity<br />
bill where an ongoing “nuclear<br />
debt retirement charge” appears<br />
every month. He journeys to the<br />
other side of the Atlantic to visit<br />
pioneering communities in Germany<br />
and Denmark who benefit from a<br />
100% renewable energy supply. Out<br />
in California and back in Ontario, he<br />
leads an examination of the North<br />
America’s flirtations with renewables.<br />
Putting it all in context, he takes the<br />
audience back to his own house here in<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, and personal quest<br />
to be a part of a clean energy future and<br />
an empowered community. Leading by<br />
example, the viewer will discover with<br />
David the power to make a difference<br />
in their own life.<br />
More than anything, Powerful is<br />
about passionate people, alone and<br />
in communities, who work towards<br />
solutions, rather than get bogged down<br />
in the problems.<br />
People like Josef Pesch of Freiamt,<br />
Germany. Once an anti-nuclear<br />
activist, Josef now partners with small<br />
communities to develop renewable<br />
energy projects. Freiamt is a rural town<br />
that is 140% powered by renewable<br />
energy. They sell their surplus energy<br />
to the German grid and pump the profits<br />
back into their town’s coffers and the<br />
locally-owned energy cooperatives.<br />
While North American<br />
governments are mostly making<br />
excuses for not tackling climate change<br />
and dealing with major transportation<br />
and waste management challenges,<br />
the town of Linkoping, Sweden is<br />
charting a course that makes it not only<br />
a great place to live, but a showcase<br />
of smart city planning and economic<br />
development for the 21 st century.<br />
From the deputy mayor, to the cycling<br />
coordinator and the citizen-owned<br />
“waste-to-energy” plant, David meets<br />
people who are showing Canadian and<br />
American cities what the future could<br />
look like.<br />
Samsø, Denmark is a renewable<br />
energy island that has received a lot of<br />
international press for its pioneering<br />
project to be entirely powered by<br />
renewable energy. While such a<br />
dramatic change in practices could<br />
easily have generated a backlash,<br />
the citizens of Samsø appear fully<br />
supportive of this direction. Some,<br />
like farmer Andersen, want to go<br />
even further. He’s running his car and<br />
tractor on canola oil, heats with solar<br />
and biomass, has photovoltaic panels<br />
for electricity, and owns shares in the<br />
community wind turbines.<br />
Meanwhile, in contrast to Samsø,<br />
Wolfe Island, Ontario is a community<br />
divided. The massive 86-turbine wind<br />
energy project has the support of<br />
the majority, but a vocal minority is<br />
disturbed by the lack of community<br />
involvement, the disruption caused by<br />
construction, and the threats to bird<br />
sanctuaries and migration corridors.<br />
What happened on Wolfe Island to<br />
cause such deep divisions, and are<br />
there lessons about how not to develop<br />
wind energy in North America?<br />
Canadian Olympian Adam Kreek<br />
is a giant of a man (and gold medal<br />
Olympic rower) with a sense of<br />
humour and a biodiesel car. He joins<br />
David for a fast-paced and upbeat<br />
tour of California renewable energy<br />
projects. Audiences will join the guys<br />
for visits to all-woman-owned Biofuel<br />
Oasis co-op in Berkeley; the Solar<br />
Richmond project that trains visible<br />
minority men and women in rooftop<br />
solar installation – winning an award<br />
for crime reduction from the FBI in<br />
the process; and a pilgrimage to the<br />
“mecca” of renewable energy: the Real<br />
Goods/Solar Living Institute in Ukiah.<br />
Call it a gimmick, call it education,<br />
call it a revolution, but when fans at the<br />
concerts of Mr Something Something<br />
of Toronto, Ontario want more volume,<br />
they’ll need to take turns pedaling the<br />
“sound cycle” which powers the sound<br />
system. Lead singer Johan Hultqvist<br />
calls himself a “dance floor activist”,<br />
mixing in social commentary with<br />
afro-beat music made for dancing.<br />
Powerful asks fundamental and<br />
sometimes uncomfortable questions<br />
about energy and power. But unlike<br />
the vast majority of environmental<br />
documentaries, the journey for the<br />
viewer will be at times amusing,<br />
enlightening, frustrating and intriguing.<br />
Ultimately, the film provides a unique<br />
and uplifting insight into how the pursuit<br />
of a future anchored by conservation<br />
and powered by renewable energy can<br />
empower and energize those who take<br />
on such a quest.<br />
Look for David Chernushenko’s<br />
Powerful: Energy for Everyone,<br />
coming soon!
MAY 2010<br />
17th <strong>Ottawa</strong> (<strong>South</strong>minster)<br />
Heritage Area, Voyageur Region<br />
Dear Neighbour,<br />
Think Spring! The 17th <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
(<strong>South</strong>minster) Scout Group’s 15th Annual<br />
Natural Garden Supply Sale is now on.<br />
Ninety young people, both girls and boys, from<br />
the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> community participate in<br />
Scouting, supported by 20 adult volunteers. By<br />
ordering from us you make it possible for local<br />
youth to have supplies and camping equipment,<br />
and to go on adventures!<br />
Our product selection includes grass seed,<br />
black earth, manure, decorative bark and many<br />
other garden inputs, all natural products supplied<br />
by Ritchie’s Seeds. We provide competitive prices,<br />
known products and free delivery. Please support<br />
Scouting in the community.<br />
Order forms can be returned to a member of<br />
the 17th <strong>South</strong>minster Scout Group or dropped off<br />
at:<br />
<strong>South</strong>minster Scout Garden Supply<br />
Coordinator - Jamie Bell, 118 Grove Ave, (tel:<br />
613.730.5077; e-mail jamieteribell@sympatico.<br />
ca) or<br />
Pilar Bryson, 115 Ossington Avenue (tel:<br />
613.730.2231; e-mail pbryson@rogers.com)<br />
If you have any questions please contact Jamie<br />
Bell.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
By Georgina Hunter<br />
Delivery of farm-fresh local,<br />
organic produce will soon<br />
resume again in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>.<br />
Outaouais farmers, Chantale<br />
Vaillancourt and Martin Turcot,<br />
deliver their crops from their familyoperated<br />
certified-organic Ferme aux<br />
Pleines Saveurs to the OOS drop-off<br />
site at 94 Hopewell Avenue.<br />
Basket deliveries run for 25<br />
weeks beginning in late June to early<br />
December. Summer (17 weeks) and<br />
fall (8 weeks) baskets come in two<br />
sizes brimming full of 40 varieties of<br />
fruits and vegetables.<br />
Contents coincide with harvest<br />
times and over the course of the<br />
season include strawberries, herbs,<br />
lettuce, broccoli and squashes.<br />
Customers can even exchange up to<br />
three items on-site.<br />
“I like to nourish people with<br />
what we eat ourselves. This fits into<br />
our personal values of caring for the<br />
environment and human health,” says<br />
Chantale.<br />
Imagine the taste of sweet carrots,<br />
the sound of peas snapping and the<br />
crunch of crisp lettuce. Chantal<br />
provides information and recipes to<br />
make cooking easy with ingredients<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
15th Annual Scouts Natural Garden Supplies Sale<br />
Farm Fresh Organic Produce<br />
Straight to OOS Plates!<br />
such as herbs, leeks, and kohlrabi.<br />
Check out their web site for more<br />
details: www.legumesbiologiques.<br />
com<br />
Buying locally produced organic<br />
produce is healthy for both the planet<br />
and humans. The planet benefits as<br />
less greenhouse gases are emitted<br />
during transportation. Supermarket<br />
organic produce use more greenhouse<br />
gases as their produce may be flown<br />
or trucked in from far away to<br />
distribution centres then finally to the<br />
store.<br />
Now is the time to register<br />
for the baskets. Payment is simple<br />
with two post-dated cheques. For<br />
more information, contact Chantal<br />
and Martin via email: info@<br />
legumesbiologiques.com; telephone:<br />
(819) 983-4858<br />
Page 11
Page 12 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
OTTAWA SOUTH HISTORY PROJECT<br />
A Brief History of Hopewell Avenue Public School<br />
This month’s contribution to the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> History Project comes<br />
from guest columnists Mohammad Al-<br />
Assad and Kathy Krywicki.<br />
This year is the official 100 th<br />
anniversary of Hopewell<br />
Avenue Public School and<br />
many special events are planned in<br />
May to mark this significant occasion.<br />
What follows is a brief history of<br />
the school and its namesake, Charles<br />
Hopewell.<br />
Hopewell Avenue Pubic School<br />
The first school on the present<br />
Hopewell Avenue Public School site<br />
dates back to the 1830s or 1840s. It<br />
was a one-room log building with<br />
a few windows, a small door, and<br />
a wood stove. By the end of the<br />
1870s, this was replaced by a brick<br />
building with semi-circular arched<br />
windows and doors, as well as buffcolored<br />
brick at the corners to give<br />
the impression of rusticated stone.<br />
This newer building had two small<br />
classrooms and was heated by stoves<br />
connected by long pipes that ended at<br />
the building’s chimney.<br />
A new wing was added to the<br />
building in 1901. This contained two<br />
large, well-lit classrooms, a hot air<br />
furnace, and electric lights. By the<br />
time <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> was annexed to<br />
the City of <strong>Ottawa</strong> in 1907, the school<br />
had about 175 students. It had been<br />
known under various names including<br />
Nepean Secondary School No. 1,<br />
Rideauville School, Bank Street<br />
School, and <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Public<br />
School.<br />
a009189 Hopewell Public School <strong>South</strong> facade of old building facing<br />
Hopewell Avenue, circa 1911 (William James Topley / Library and<br />
Archives Canada / PA-009189)<br />
In 1909, the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Board of<br />
Education announced its intention<br />
to construct a new school building<br />
as the existing one was considered<br />
“unsatisfactory and unsanitary.”<br />
Plans consequently were prepared<br />
by William B. Garvock, an architect<br />
and Superintendent of Buildings for<br />
the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Board of Education, who<br />
designed a number of the city’s earlytwentieth-century<br />
school buildings<br />
according to new principles of school<br />
building design that had become<br />
increasingly common during the earlytwentieth<br />
century. The new eightroom<br />
brick school building, which<br />
was constructed during the following<br />
year, cost the then considerable<br />
sum of $55,000 and consisted of a<br />
basement level and two storeys. It had<br />
standard sized classrooms intended<br />
to accommodate a maximum of forty<br />
students (although the rooms usually<br />
ended up accommodating more than<br />
that). In contrast to previous practices,<br />
emphasis was placed on dividing<br />
students into successive grades while<br />
the division of classes according to<br />
gender was no longer given priority.<br />
Classes were arranged so that natural<br />
light would come from the left side<br />
of the room, and specific window<br />
to floor area ratios were applied<br />
to admit adequate quantities<br />
of light. The classrooms<br />
incorporated mechanical heating<br />
and ventilation systems, and<br />
fireplaces functioned as an air<br />
exhaust system to remove foul<br />
air. The school also included a<br />
nurse room and an auditorium.<br />
The exterior design also<br />
expressed these new school<br />
design trends. It was intended to<br />
give a professional and businesslike<br />
image, and therefore<br />
followed a rather regular, simple<br />
arrangement incorporating a<br />
repetitive use of openings. Stone<br />
was used for the base of the<br />
building, and façade decoration<br />
was limited to patterned<br />
brickwork. The simple Beaux<br />
Arts inspired design contrasts<br />
with the more extensively<br />
decorated late-Victorian school<br />
buildings that had been common<br />
only a few years earlier. The<br />
Crichton Street Public School<br />
(1906, with an addition in 1919),<br />
also designed by Garvock, is<br />
another school building in <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
that expresses these new trends in<br />
school building design.<br />
By 1911, 360 students were<br />
attending the school, which<br />
included classes ranging from<br />
the kindergarten to secondary<br />
school levels. The old school building<br />
was maintained to accommodate<br />
the rising number of students that<br />
resulted from the growth of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>. This growth was connected to<br />
the construction of the high-capacity<br />
reinforced-concrete Bank Street<br />
Bridge, which connected <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> with the rest of the city to the<br />
north.<br />
An expansion of this new school<br />
soon followed. Properties located<br />
between Hopewell and Glenn avenues<br />
were purchased to accommodate<br />
playground areas. Other properties<br />
located along Sunnyside Avenue<br />
also were purchased. The houses<br />
situated on the purchased properties<br />
along Sunnyside were torn down to<br />
make way for the new expansion.<br />
The expansion, which extended the<br />
existing building to the north, was<br />
carried out in 1915. It included 12<br />
rooms in addition to manual training<br />
and domestic sciences rooms in<br />
the basement. The Carnegie Public<br />
Library was granted use of one of<br />
the classrooms to establish one of<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>’s first branch libraries. The<br />
Boys Scouts of <strong>Ottawa</strong> also were<br />
granted use of the basement, and the<br />
Girl Guides were granted such use<br />
later on. The old school building was<br />
demolished by the time the newly<br />
expanded building was in use.<br />
In 1931, a gymnasium / assembly<br />
hall as well as a manual training<br />
room were added to the building.<br />
The addition was located along<br />
the northern part of the building<br />
and extended it along the east, thus<br />
creating an L-shaped composition.<br />
A third storey extension containing<br />
an additional eleven classrooms was<br />
also constructed. Following these<br />
expansions, the school contained 29<br />
classrooms accommodating 1289<br />
students.<br />
In 1944, the <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
Community Association initiated a<br />
community center at the school that<br />
carried out programs serving hundreds<br />
of children, youth, and adults. In 1950,<br />
a celebration was carried out marking<br />
the 40th birthday of the school.<br />
The school underwent difficult<br />
times during the 1970s, and<br />
enrollment during the 1979 – 1980<br />
school year dropped to 399 students,<br />
which was not much more than the<br />
number of students the school had<br />
accommodated when it opened in<br />
1911. The community, however,<br />
rallied and initiated changes that<br />
resulted in a turnabout.<br />
The school underwent a major<br />
expansion and refurbishment in 1996<br />
– 1997. As a result of the expansion,<br />
the pre-existing extension with a<br />
gymnasium / assembly hall was torn<br />
down and replaced by a new extension<br />
that includes two gymnasia, one of<br />
which also incorporates a stage, and a<br />
music room. The extension occupies a<br />
Cont’d on next page
MAY 2010<br />
mass that approximates the preexisting<br />
school building in size, and fills up<br />
the area bound by the old school from<br />
the west, Sunnyside Avenue from the<br />
north, Hopewell Avenue from the<br />
<strong>South</strong>, and Bank Street from the East.<br />
In terms of architectural character,<br />
it projects a modernist image and<br />
is intended to contrast with the<br />
older building. It is sheathed with a<br />
relatively light-colored brick as well<br />
as aluminum building panels, and<br />
also incorporates projecting curved<br />
surfaces. The spaces where the old<br />
building and the new extension meet<br />
feature circulation areas that are open<br />
along three levels and are generously<br />
lit through skylights.<br />
Charles Hopewell<br />
Charles Hopewell, born in 1861<br />
and died in 1931, was a well-respected<br />
and prominent citizen in <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
He served as <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s mayor<br />
from 1909-1912, a period of<br />
remarkable activity and growth<br />
for the city in part attributed to the<br />
annexation of the outlying suburbs of<br />
Hintonburg, <strong>Ottawa</strong> East and <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> in 1907. In recognition of his<br />
civic accomplishments, Park Avenue<br />
in <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> was renamed in his<br />
honour.<br />
As mayor, Charles Hopewell<br />
championed the efforts to expand<br />
transportation into <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. The<br />
construction of the new Bank Street<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
History of Hopewell Avenue Public School ....Cont’d from previous page<br />
Charles Hopewell (City of <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Archives)<br />
Bridge in 1910 and the expansion of<br />
the streetcar line help fuel population<br />
expansion of the neighbourhood.<br />
As a young man, Hopewell<br />
left his March Township Carleton<br />
County farm family home and went to<br />
Western Canada on the first CPR train<br />
to cross the continent. He lived many<br />
years out west working in the lumber<br />
industry. He moved to <strong>Ottawa</strong> in the<br />
1890s and operated a contracting<br />
business before entering civic<br />
politics. He was elected alderman for<br />
Wellington Ward in 1900, 1901, 1903<br />
& 1906 and subsequently was elected<br />
as a controller, a city-wide position,<br />
then as mayor.<br />
During his tenure as mayor,<br />
health issues figured prominently in<br />
civic debates. The 1911-1912 typhoid<br />
epidemic sparked calls for cleaner<br />
drinking water. Hopewell favoured<br />
a scheme to pipe fresh water to the<br />
city from McGregor Lake in Quebec<br />
but the Lemieux Island intake of<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> River water was eventually<br />
established. Contagious diseases<br />
concerned the citizens of the capital<br />
and many smallpox and diphtheria<br />
sufferers were sent to an isolation unit<br />
built in 1912 on Porter Island called<br />
the Hopewell Hospital.<br />
As the civil service grew,<br />
Hopewell negotiated grants from the<br />
federal government establishing the<br />
pay-in-lieu of yearly taxes principle.<br />
Hopewell was active in the<br />
temperance movement, a supporter<br />
of the Union Mission and a devoted<br />
member of Chalmers United Church.<br />
He was appointed police magistrate<br />
after his term in politics and was<br />
seen by his critics as often too lenient<br />
while recognized by his supporters<br />
as dispensing justice tempered with<br />
mercy.<br />
In 1931 he took his own life<br />
by drowning in the <strong>Ottawa</strong> River<br />
at Rockcliffe after a long period of<br />
ill-health, overwork and financial<br />
troubles. He had carried out his<br />
intentions as expressed in a letter<br />
to Mr. Hal Burns, one of the city’s<br />
prominent lawyers and legal advisor<br />
to Mr. Hopewell.<br />
Page 13<br />
The Evening Citizen of May<br />
31, 1931 reported that on receiving<br />
the news of magistrate Hopewell’s<br />
untimely death, the Allied Trade and<br />
Labour Association of <strong>Ottawa</strong> passed<br />
a resolution citing “We may all agree,<br />
as many delegates had personal<br />
friendship, that what he lacked in<br />
knowledge of the law was made up<br />
by his common sense application of<br />
same. Any errors he committed were<br />
of the head and not the heart”.<br />
Anniversaries Past and Present<br />
In 1985, as part of the 75th<br />
anniversary activities, a committee of<br />
volunteers researched and documented<br />
the school’s rich history. Glen Avenue<br />
resident David Bouse played a key role<br />
in finding and compiling stories into a<br />
commemorative souvenir publication.<br />
His historical research about the<br />
school and the neighbourhood has<br />
served as a touchstone for the current<br />
day <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> History Project.<br />
To kick-off the 100th anniversary<br />
celebration, alumni, parents, staff and<br />
invited guests will enjoy a special<br />
commemorative opening ceremony at<br />
the school on May 17, 2010.<br />
Contact the <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
History Project at HistoryProject@<br />
<strong>Old</strong><strong>Ottawa</strong><strong>South</strong>.ca or visit us<br />
online at www.<strong>Old</strong><strong>Ottawa</strong><strong>South</strong>.ca/<br />
HistoryProject).
Page 14<br />
The only thing better than the<br />
made-in-house delicious<br />
middle-eastern food served up<br />
at Jericho’s in the Glebe is the story<br />
of this little restaurant’s owner Raouf<br />
Omar. Mr. Omar is a very talented<br />
artist who immigrated to Canada quite<br />
some time ago from Palestine and has<br />
been running Jericho for more than 25<br />
years.<br />
Working primarily with painted<br />
glass to produce colourful pictures<br />
and unique ornamental doors, Mr.<br />
Omar has decorated Jericho from top<br />
to bottom with his work – including<br />
the ceiling which features a beautiful<br />
mural complete with palm trees and<br />
camels. All of the creations are for<br />
sale – at least the mobile ones, anyway<br />
- and he advertises a book he co-wrote<br />
with his best friend (who happens to<br />
be Israeli). Mr. Omar and Claude<br />
Weil’s book includes a collection of<br />
stories with an underlying theme of<br />
friendship and tolerance.<br />
There was so much to absorb<br />
with our eyes that our stomachs were<br />
momentarily forgotten. Although<br />
we were delayed in making our<br />
menu selections, at no point in the<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
The Grosvenor Avenue Gastronomic Society<br />
“Life is too short to eat disappointing food.”<br />
Fantastic Falafels at Fifth Jericho<br />
evening did we feel rushed owing<br />
to the exceptionally relaxed feel of<br />
this establishment and Mr. Omar’s<br />
friendly demeanour. We felt as though<br />
we were having dinner at a long-time<br />
friend’s from the moment we walked<br />
in the door. There is a wide range of<br />
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages<br />
available, but we selected the house<br />
red wine (2008 Beaujolais, Georges<br />
Duboeuf) that was quite reasonably<br />
priced at $26.<br />
Jericho offers a suite of appetizers<br />
($4-$10), along with standard middleeastern<br />
dishes and house specials ($7-<br />
$16). We opted to skip the appetizers<br />
on the recommendation of Mr. Omar<br />
who was certain that the portions of<br />
the main courses would be enough;<br />
he was right. We ordered the Chicken<br />
on Hummus platter, the Mishwee<br />
Meshakal special, the Falafel<br />
Combination plate, and the Chicken<br />
Kebab Combination plate. The<br />
chicken on hummus was a smaller<br />
portion than the others but was still<br />
satisfying, especially for our notso-hungry<br />
taster. The combination<br />
plates were delicious with the<br />
falafels being the absolutely perfect<br />
(slightly crunchy outside and tender,<br />
spicy goodness on the inside). Both<br />
combination plates included hummus<br />
and baba ganouj, but the falafel plate<br />
also included tabouleh. The chicken<br />
kebab was removed from the skewer<br />
and was tossed with potatoes and<br />
onions in a very flavourful dusting<br />
of curry and other spices. While<br />
the Mishwee Meshakal special was<br />
essentially the same as the chicken<br />
kebab combo plate, it also included<br />
beef as well as kafta on the side. A<br />
large serving of pita bread was<br />
brought to the table at the beginning<br />
of our meal and it may well have<br />
been the best pita any of us has ever<br />
tasted. It was impossibly thin and<br />
unbelievably fresh – an excellent<br />
accompaniment to our dishes.<br />
Even though we were all quite<br />
full, we couldn’t resist trying the<br />
MAY 2010<br />
Area Church Service Times<br />
Sunnyside Wesleyan Chuch<br />
58 Grosvenor Avenue (at Sunnyside)<br />
Sunday Worship Service at 9am &<br />
11am<br />
Children’s program offered during<br />
both worship services.<br />
Trinity Anglican Church<br />
1230 Bank Street (at Cameron<br />
Avenue)<br />
Sunday Services<br />
Regular 8.30 eucharist , and 10 am<br />
sung eucharist with church school<br />
and nursery, resume Sundays, starting<br />
September 6)<br />
Thursdays<br />
10 am – Eucharist or Morning Prayer<br />
house-made desserts and selected the<br />
baklava, two orders of clafoutier (one<br />
with apples, one with peaches and<br />
raspberries), and an alcazar (a heavy,<br />
fruity, marvelous torte). All were<br />
very good and the apple clafoutier<br />
was heavenly with its shortbread-like<br />
base and layers of thin, dried apples.<br />
Although Arabic coffee was offered<br />
on the menu, we declined and had a<br />
couple of really good lattes instead.<br />
The eclectic and cheerful<br />
atmosphere woven around the<br />
artwork at Jericho provides ample<br />
visual interest and adds to what is<br />
sure to be a fun night out. If every<br />
GAGS review had to feature at<br />
least one complaint, it would be<br />
this: the restaurant’s Mediterranean<br />
atmosphere manifested itself in<br />
temperatures and humidity that were<br />
tough to handle in our <strong>Ottawa</strong> winter<br />
duds! Jericho’s bright colours are<br />
sure to be a hit with the kids, and<br />
you’ll be all smiles owing to the<br />
tasty, reasonably priced meal you just<br />
scored.<br />
Jericho<br />
840 Bank Street in the Glebe<br />
613-235-1289<br />
www.ramors.net<br />
We’d be happy to receive<br />
comments or suggestions on the next<br />
restaurant to visit, so drop us a line at<br />
grosvenor.gastronomic@gmail.com<br />
Happy Eating!<br />
The Grosvenor Avenue<br />
Gastronomic Society (aka GAGS)<br />
in Chapel<br />
St Margaret Mary’s Parish<br />
7 Fairbairn (corner of Sunnyside)<br />
Sunday Liturgies<br />
9:30am and 11:30am<br />
Christian Meditation<br />
Mondays at 7:00 pm.<br />
Evening Prayer: Tuesday at 7 p.m.<br />
<strong>South</strong>minster United Church<br />
15 Aylmer Avenue (at Bank & the<br />
Canal)<br />
Sunday Worship<br />
10:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. July & August)<br />
Sunday School<br />
During worship, September - May
MAY 2010<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH<br />
Garage-Sale Heaven<br />
CARLETON CORNER<br />
Annual Garage Sale at Trinity Anglican Church Saturday 1<br />
May (9 am – 1 pm)<br />
You are strolling along on a beautiful May day. How<br />
odd—a cardboard box on the sidewalk! As you<br />
approach, you can’t help but notice that it is full of<br />
things: men’s button-downs, classic children’s books, a pair<br />
of brass candlesticks, a fishing rod, a beige computer monitor,<br />
some LPs (“The Berlin Philharmonic Plays Haydn,” “Derek and<br />
the Dominos,” “Ozzy Osbourne Live at the Tate”). You steel<br />
yourself: I do not need these things, I do not need... But already<br />
your pace is slowing. Your eyes are darting over the objects, you<br />
are taking quick, shallow breaths. And then you see the note:<br />
“$1.00 or best offer.” The inner struggle is violent but brief, and<br />
a few minutes later you are walking along again—box in tow.<br />
If this description matches you, then you are in for a treat: the<br />
attics and basements of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> have been ransacked<br />
and their treasures laid bare for all. Trinity Anglican Church<br />
(1230 Bank St.) will be holding its annual Spring Garage Sale on<br />
Saturday 1 May from 9 am to 1 pm. Books, clothes, CDs, DVDs,<br />
jewelry, crafts, household items, toys, sports equipment, garden<br />
tools, Sens regalia: you will find all the usual garage-sale objects<br />
there in heavenly abundance, miraculously preserved against<br />
the ravages of time. If garage-sale hawks know anything, it’s<br />
that the early bird gets the worm, so aim to be on the early side,<br />
especially if you’re angling for that serendipitous discovery of<br />
a neglected collector’s item. Anyone wishing to donate items to<br />
the sale may drop them off at the church the week before.<br />
If this description matches your spouse or significant<br />
other but NOT you, you are advised to keep him/her locked up<br />
and blindfolded that day; otherwise, you are sure to find your<br />
inventory of personal property increased and the uncluttered<br />
living space in your domicile decreased proportionally.<br />
For more information please contact the church at mail@<br />
trinityottawa.ca or 613-733-7536.<br />
By Robert Taylor<br />
An exciting Concert For Kairos takes<br />
place at Trinity Anglican Church,<br />
1230 Bank Street, on the evening of<br />
Friday, May 28 at 8 pm. The concert is another<br />
significant demonstration of commitment to<br />
Kairos as Trinity continues to work together<br />
with <strong>South</strong>minster United Church and St.<br />
Margaret Mary Roman Catholic Church to<br />
urge reinstatement of the $7.1 million that<br />
the federal government has cut from CIDA’s<br />
support of Kairos over the next four years.<br />
As reported in the March issue of OSCAR,<br />
Kairos is a non-governmental organization<br />
with which a number of national churches<br />
– including the Anglican, Roman Catholic,<br />
and United – are affiliated. Kairos’ vital<br />
work in promoting grass-roots partnership<br />
development in various parts of the world<br />
has been seriously placed in jeopardy by<br />
this sudden and unexplained government<br />
decision not to continue its funding.<br />
The concert for Kairos on May 28 will<br />
be a memorable evening of great music and<br />
performances. The evening will include a<br />
reception and provide information materials<br />
about Kairos. Its intention is to raise funds<br />
for Kairos as well as awareness of the crucial<br />
work that Kairos does. Although the concert<br />
takes place at Trinity, all three <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> churches with a Kairos affiliation –<br />
Trinity, <strong>South</strong>minster, and St. Margaret Mary<br />
- are involved in its organization.<br />
Well-known organist Matthew Larkin<br />
Concert For Kairos<br />
At Trinity Anglican Church<br />
For 33 days, Carleton University<br />
hosted its first celebrational Research<br />
Days to highlight outstanding and<br />
world-changing work from the university’s<br />
innovative researchers. Public lectures,<br />
conferences, films and project demonstrations<br />
were held from March 18 to April 19. The wrapup<br />
event featured the Hon. Michael Kirby,<br />
who delivered a speech on the importance of<br />
mental health services. Research Days gave<br />
the public an opportunity to experience the<br />
breadth and depth of research activities at the<br />
university. Carleton researchers are making<br />
their mark on the global scene in key areas<br />
such as digital media, the environment and<br />
sustainability, health and globalization.<br />
Another highlight in the month - the<br />
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the<br />
Faculty of Science partnered with the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Writers’ Festival to host an extraordinary<br />
evening April 12 with world-renowned<br />
primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE,<br />
founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN<br />
Messenger of Peace on April 12. During the<br />
sold out event, Dr. Goodall reflected on the<br />
incredible insights her research has offered<br />
into our closest animal relatives and the<br />
extraordinary changes, since 1960, for people,<br />
animals and the environment.<br />
Meanwhile, Carleton President<br />
Roseann O’Reilly Runte continued her<br />
community outreach during a special event<br />
held on Parliament Hill on April 21 when<br />
she addressed the Canadian Institute of<br />
Intercultural Dialogue at its fifth annual<br />
Dialogue and Friendship dinner. The<br />
organization is committed to the principles of<br />
discussion, the productive exchange of ideas<br />
promises to reveal a jazzy side to his<br />
musical accomplishments at the concert.<br />
Also performing jazz is the popular Charley<br />
Gordon Group, a quartet that consists of<br />
Charley Gordon on trumpet and flugelhorn,<br />
Vince Halfhive on guitar and vocals, Ann<br />
Downey on bass and vocals, and Scott<br />
Warren on drums. As well, so far, the concert<br />
program includes the Big Soul Project, a choir<br />
and band of over 50 members, noted for its<br />
fresh and upbeat interpretations of traditional<br />
gospel music. <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>’s own Doug<br />
Small will be Master of Ceremonies for the<br />
evening.<br />
Mary Corkery, Executive Director of<br />
Kairos Canada, has indicated that she will be<br />
present at the concert.<br />
Tickets for the Concert For Kairos are $20,<br />
or $15 for students. Trinity, <strong>South</strong>minister,<br />
and St. Margaret Mary churches have<br />
tickets for sale. Advance tickets are also<br />
available, for cash purchase only, at the St.<br />
Paul University Bookstore, Main Street, and<br />
Compact Music, 785 ½ Bank Street. Posters<br />
will indicate other ticket locations.<br />
For further information about the<br />
Concert For Kairos, please contact<br />
L.A. (Leslie Anne) Palamar, palamar@<br />
BuildingTourismExcellence.com, 613 266-<br />
2831, or Robert Taylor, r_taylor@rogers.<br />
com, 613 230-3903.<br />
Page 15<br />
and the celebration of the richness of the<br />
cultures, ethnicities, religions and races that<br />
are present in our community.<br />
The university was also proud to<br />
announce that two Carleton journalism<br />
students, Chantaie Allick and Margaret<br />
Cappa, will soon be winging their way to<br />
Norway as part of a new scholarship funded<br />
by Her Excellency Else Berit Eikeland,<br />
the ambassador of Norway to Canada. The<br />
Carleton Norway Journalism Travel Award<br />
offers two young aspiring journalists an<br />
opportunity to travel, work and conduct<br />
research in a field of particular interest to them<br />
and relevant to both Norway and Canada. The<br />
candidates will spend a month in Norway this<br />
spring, conducting research and interviews<br />
and spending some time in a newsroom. Upon<br />
their return, the students will either publish<br />
a story or broadcast a report that examines<br />
how one or both countries are dealing with a<br />
policy issue that affects Canada and Norway<br />
as northern countries.<br />
In May, Carleton is hosting the Green<br />
Building <strong>Ottawa</strong> Conference called Retrofit.<br />
The conference, the first of its kind in<br />
eastern Ontario, takes place from May 12<br />
to 14. More details can be found at: www.<br />
greenbuildingottawa.ca<br />
Carleton Corner is written by Carleton<br />
University’s Department of University<br />
Communications. As your community<br />
university, Carleton hosts many exciting<br />
events of interest to <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. For more<br />
information about upcoming events, please<br />
go to carleton.ca/events.<br />
Mary Anne Thompson reading OSCAR in St Louis,<br />
Missouri. Behind her are the Gateway Arch and the<br />
Historic <strong>Old</strong> Courthouse, which was completed in 1862.<br />
One Of Very Few Public Clocks In OOS<br />
Thank you Hillary’s Cleaners for keeping it running.<br />
Photo by M A Thompson
Page 16 The th OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
MAY 2010<br />
AFTER THOUGHTS<br />
from Richard Ostrofsky<br />
of Second Thoughts<br />
Bookstore (now closed)<br />
www.secthoughts.com<br />
quill@travel-net.com<br />
The title of this column, taken<br />
from a much longer piece I’m<br />
writing, is not as contradictory<br />
as it sounds. It’s premise is simple:<br />
Though the Geriatric Superman on<br />
the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling is as dead<br />
intellectually as Nietzsche pointed<br />
out, the key issues of theology (the<br />
questions that any bright four-yearold<br />
begins to ask) are still very much<br />
alive, and must be expected to remain<br />
so. In adult, god-neutral language,<br />
they might be framed in terms like<br />
these:<br />
What is the cosmic context of<br />
our human lives, and how can I (and<br />
should I) understand and relate to that<br />
context? At the end of the day, what<br />
am I?<br />
How does the social world of<br />
human relationships really work, and<br />
where do I fit into it?<br />
Within those givens, which I<br />
cannot change very much, for what<br />
goals and values should I live?<br />
These three, I take it, are the central<br />
questions that religious thinkers down<br />
the ages have grappled with – and<br />
that people, religious or not, are still<br />
grappling with. The first is the sort of<br />
question you might ask, waking up in<br />
VRTUCAR, <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s own car<br />
sharing organization, is marking its<br />
10 th anniversary this spring. Started in<br />
the year 2000, with four friends and<br />
one car, VRTUCAR now serves over<br />
1,400 <strong>Ottawa</strong> residents with 70 fuelefficient<br />
cars.<br />
“<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> residents have<br />
been enthusiastic supporters of car<br />
sharing from the beginning,” says<br />
VRTUCAR President and ‘Chief<br />
Theology For Atheists<br />
a strange house, in a strange bed after<br />
a hard night’s drinking: Where am<br />
I? What is this place? How did I get<br />
here? The second is the question you<br />
would ask on discovering that there<br />
were a lot of other people in the house,<br />
some even in that same bed: Who are<br />
all these people? How do I relate to,<br />
and deal with them? The third is the<br />
question you would ask after a further<br />
recognition that this place was to be<br />
home from now on: Either how do I<br />
get out, or how do I make a life here?<br />
Even when we reject all claims<br />
that definitive answers to these<br />
questions were once revealed, and<br />
when we discard all notions of a<br />
God or gods to do the revealing, the<br />
questions themselves remain as valid<br />
and urgent as ever. If anything, they<br />
become much more urgent, given<br />
the technological powers now at our<br />
disposal, and the political choices<br />
these entail.<br />
My purpose in the piece I’m<br />
writing is to review these central<br />
issues of traditional theology from an<br />
ecoDarwinian perspective that takes<br />
self-organization and emergence and<br />
(correspondingly) “the death of God”<br />
as its starting point – not to offer<br />
definitive answers to them, but to<br />
consider where they stand. The project<br />
is timely, but it should be the leaders<br />
of the major world religions, not just<br />
amateurs like me, who undertake<br />
it – because the mental health of the<br />
Sharing Officer’, Wilson Wood.<br />
“<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> is extremely<br />
challenged when it comes to parking,<br />
especially as new development often<br />
adds to the neighbourhood’s parking<br />
woes,” Wilson notes. “Each shared car<br />
removes 8 to 10 private cars from our<br />
streets – reducing traffic congestion<br />
and air pollution – helping to make<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> a more pedestrianfriendly<br />
neighbourhood. Studies have<br />
millions who rely upon and trust<br />
them depends upon their doing so.<br />
Unfortunately, they show few signs<br />
of being ready or willing to undertake<br />
the hard thinking and doctrinal<br />
revision that such an effort entails.<br />
With a few honorable exceptions,<br />
most religious leaders seem to be<br />
digging their heels even further into<br />
their dogmas which have decreasing<br />
relevance and decreasing credibility<br />
for modern people in today’s world.<br />
Their institutional interests may<br />
depend on their doing so, for there<br />
have always been more people who<br />
prefer to cling to ready-made answers<br />
rather than think seriously about<br />
difficult questions. Still, this is not a<br />
healthy state of affairs. As Emerson<br />
put it 150 years ago, “The religion that<br />
is afraid of science dishonors God and<br />
commits suicide.”<br />
As knowledge advances, the<br />
religious emotions – notably awe and<br />
alienation – live on. There is every<br />
reason why they should continue<br />
to do so. Yet traditional religious<br />
answers and practices no longer<br />
deserve to have the last word. They<br />
are suggestions from the past –<br />
worth consideration, but in need of<br />
questioning in the the light of existing<br />
knowledge and one’s honest sense<br />
of reality. Seen this way, one finds<br />
that many of the old traditions need<br />
serious revision or editing to remain<br />
playable – like an old theatre piece<br />
also shown that people who car share,<br />
reduce their transportation carbon<br />
footprint by up to fifty percent. They<br />
support public transit more, and tend<br />
to be healthier because they walk<br />
and cycle more. A great example is<br />
VRTUCAR member and long-time<br />
OOS resident David Chernuschenko,<br />
creator of the “Living Lightly<br />
Project,” he adds.<br />
Car sharing would seem to make<br />
sense economically, as well as<br />
environmentally. “Car sharing<br />
can save you thousands of dollars<br />
each year, over owning a car,”<br />
Wilson points out. Based on 2007<br />
Canadian Automobile Association<br />
figures (latest available), the cost of<br />
owning and operating an economysize<br />
car, including gas, financing,<br />
license, insurance, repairs,<br />
maintenance and depreciation<br />
is $8,588 per year, or $715 per<br />
month. The average VRTUCAR<br />
driver, according to Wood, spends<br />
about $1,140 per year, or only $95<br />
per month, saving over $7,000 per<br />
year.<br />
VRTUCAR members have 24hour<br />
access to a fleet of clean, fuelefficient<br />
cars stationed throughout<br />
that needs help from a skilled director<br />
if it’s to go on stage. Some remain<br />
wholly relevant and serviceable after<br />
such treatment. Others are interesting<br />
as historical specimens, but no longer<br />
as anything else.<br />
A religion is a world view that<br />
you can hope to live by, die by, and<br />
perhaps share with friends along the<br />
way. It is nothing more than that, and<br />
nothing less. One crucial intellectual<br />
task today is to save religion from<br />
itself: from its institutions and<br />
their interests, from its entrenched<br />
authorities, and from its own worst<br />
impulses.<br />
This OSCAR column is mostly<br />
excerpted from the beginning and end<br />
of the essay I’m writing – the first<br />
draft of which is nearing completion.<br />
It will run to about 90 pages when it’s<br />
finished – much too long to publish<br />
here, even in serial form. I want to<br />
invite comment on its thesis from my<br />
friends and neighbors, some of which<br />
I may use (with your permission of<br />
course) in the final version. Also, I<br />
will promise to send the finished piece<br />
by e-mail to anyone who requests. To<br />
facilitate handling, please put that title<br />
“Theology for Atheists” as the subject<br />
when you write for a copy. I will<br />
respond to comments as best I can,<br />
and will be thankful for your interest.<br />
VRTUCAR - Ten Years of Green Driving in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>. VRTUCAR pays for the gas,<br />
insurance, maintenance and repair of<br />
cars, while members pay only for the<br />
hours and the kilometers they use,<br />
plus a modest monthly membership<br />
fee. Cars can be booked online up<br />
to 30 days in advance. Full details<br />
are available on VRTUCAR’s newly<br />
renovated website – www.vrtucar.<br />
com.<br />
In <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>, VRTUCAR<br />
has three stations located at Bank<br />
& Sunnyside, Bond’s Décor and<br />
Carleton University. VRTUCARs<br />
are also located at Billings Bridge,<br />
Britannia Village, Byward Market,<br />
Carlingwood, Centretown, Glebe,<br />
Hintonburg, New Edinburgh,<br />
Sandy Hill, Vanier, Westboro, West<br />
Wellington, Woodroffe and Baseline,<br />
as well as several locations in<br />
Gatineau, through a partnership with<br />
Quebec car share Communauto.<br />
“We are looking forward to<br />
our next decade of providing a<br />
sustainable, affordable, alternative to<br />
owning a private car,” says Wilson.<br />
“Support from an environmentallyaware<br />
community like <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> has helped make VRTUCAR<br />
the success it is today.”
MAY 2010<br />
Primary Paleontologists Can Find Fossils Here In <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
By Paige Raymond Kovach<br />
If your kids are like mine, they<br />
are fans of ancient herbivores<br />
and carnivores. Yet even though<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> wasn’t home to Brachiosaurus<br />
or Tyrannosaurus Rex, we have fossils<br />
right here for your favourite primary<br />
paleontologist to discover.<br />
The shales and limestones<br />
(sedimentary rocks) in and around<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> contain thousands of fossils.<br />
These fossils represent the life forms<br />
that once lived in the ancient seas that<br />
covered this region.<br />
We took the kids for a quick walk to<br />
Brown’s Inlet recently and they found<br />
some shale. Splitting the rock revealed<br />
a pattern. Was it a fossil? We had to find<br />
out what it was.<br />
Technically speaking these public<br />
lands are owned by the National<br />
Capital Commission so you must have<br />
permission before taking rocks or<br />
breaking them. Better to take photos<br />
of any fossils you find, and leave only<br />
footprints.<br />
“All the dingy, gray rocks you see in<br />
this area are from the Orvidician period<br />
and are over 440 million years old,”<br />
said Jean Dougherty, paleontologist at<br />
National Resources Canada.<br />
“The fossil you have in your picture<br />
has trackways or burrows made by a<br />
mud-dwelling creature. These creatures<br />
made a genetically set pattern in the<br />
mud we believe they used as a way of<br />
communicating to each other.”<br />
“The fossil you found was twice<br />
as old as the oldest dinosaur that ever<br />
lived.’ Said Ms. Dougherty, manager<br />
of the Earth Materials Collections of<br />
National Resources Canada.<br />
Or perhaps your kids have climbed<br />
and sat on fossils they weren’t aware of<br />
it.<br />
An <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> mom introduced<br />
Squirrel Talk<br />
The weather keeps wavering as if on a ship at sea,<br />
making us reflect upon peoples’ impact on our<br />
world. This month’s soliloquy is from someone<br />
you might know, so we’ll leave you the pleasure of<br />
recognizing it. Read it in your mind or aloud, with the<br />
special verbal emphasis usually associated with this<br />
writer. Softly, it carries our spirits forward and gives<br />
our mind food for reflection.<br />
[…]<br />
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer<br />
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,<br />
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,<br />
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;<br />
No more; and by a sleep to say we end<br />
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks<br />
That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation<br />
Devoutly to be wish’d.<br />
[…]<br />
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn<br />
No traveller returns, puzzles the will<br />
And makes us rather bear those ills we have<br />
Than fly to others that we know not of?<br />
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;<br />
me to the fossils in some of the<br />
rectangular boulders in Brewer Park<br />
recently. “You can see some stacked<br />
columns of crinoids in some, some<br />
brachiopods, and corals if you look<br />
closely,” she said.<br />
According to Geoscape, the<br />
geology website of Natural Resources<br />
Canada, crinoids are a group of marine<br />
organisms that include starfish and sea<br />
urchins. Most forms consist of stalks<br />
with a series of stacked columns, a<br />
head-like structure and feathered arms.<br />
The most common fossil will be a<br />
single crinoid, or a few scales clumped<br />
together. Finding a whole crinoid is<br />
much more rare.<br />
If you and your kids still have the<br />
dinosaur bug, take your bikes, the bus<br />
or your car to visit Logan Hall. The free<br />
display of fossils, rocks, minerals and<br />
meteorites may just make your primary<br />
paleontologists into budding geologists<br />
too. My kids loved the meteorite found<br />
by a boy in St. Robert, Quebec. Logan<br />
Hall is located at 601 Booth Street,<br />
in the Geological Survey of Canada<br />
Building and is open Monday to Friday,<br />
8 a.m. until 4 p.m.<br />
The Canadian Museum of Nature<br />
is another great place to visit with your<br />
primary paleontologist. The second<br />
floor is devoted to dinosaurs. The<br />
museum is free on Saturday mornings<br />
from 9 a.m. until noon. Please note that<br />
the museum will be temporarily closed<br />
from April 26 until May 21, 2010 to<br />
prepare for its grand reopening.<br />
Resources<br />
Natural Resources Canada has a<br />
great website called Geoscape. In the<br />
lesson plans for the <strong>Ottawa</strong>-Carleton<br />
area there are great facts on our local<br />
fossils. http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/<br />
ottawa/index_e.php<br />
Professor JA Davidson from<br />
Carleton used to give fossil fieldtrips as<br />
More Than Words!<br />
And thus the native hue of resolution<br />
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,<br />
And enterprises of great pith and moment<br />
With this regard their currents turn awry,<br />
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!<br />
part of a continuing education course.<br />
His itinerary is available on-line at<br />
http://http-server.carleton.ca/~jadonald/<br />
fieldtrips.html.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> fossil index from Geoscape<br />
Crinoids are a group of marine<br />
organisms that include starfish and<br />
sea urchins. Most forms consist of<br />
stalks composed of a series of stacked<br />
columns of with a head-like structure<br />
and feathered arms. The most common<br />
fossil will be a single, or a few scales<br />
clumped together. A whole Crinoid is<br />
much rarer.<br />
Trilobites were marine creatures<br />
that moved just above the sea floor.<br />
Trilobite means three lobes, and if the<br />
creature were to be divided lengthwise<br />
it would have a centre lobe and two<br />
side lobes. Trilobites were hard-shelled<br />
creatures, and they had to shed their<br />
hard shell in order to grow. The shell<br />
is usually what fossil hunters find.<br />
More than words, reading this author (and many<br />
others) is an experience that changes each time we read<br />
the text, as our personal interpretation is influenced<br />
by our current and past experiences. This time we<br />
are reminded of recent Buddhist teachings we took:<br />
take no less yet no more than our place. A statement<br />
of simple appearance yet of hidden depth. Clearly a<br />
soliloquy such as above can lead us into a myriad of<br />
directions, and we choose to interpret it as a positive<br />
message.<br />
The comment this time relates to noise, and<br />
refers to the article in last month’s OSCAR on Patty’s<br />
Pub. We like having a pub nearby, but we find that<br />
it creates unacceptable noise at night. Perhaps if the<br />
owners helped respect the neighbourhood’s residential<br />
character then the situation referred to in last month’s<br />
OSCAR would not happen: “The only issue the pub<br />
has had at its present location has been a struggle […<br />
Page 17<br />
Three fossil hunting friends Oliver Waddington, Josh Rahaman, and George<br />
Kovach find some brachiopods in the shale boulders at Brewer Park.<br />
Photo by Paige Raymond Kovach<br />
Trilobites only lived in the Paleozoic<br />
era and are now extinct. If you find<br />
these types of fossils, you know how<br />
old the rock is -- between 545 and 250<br />
million years old.<br />
Cephalopods are ancient mollusks<br />
that were dominant large predators in the<br />
tropical seas that existed in the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
area. There are two main groups of<br />
fossil cephalopods, but only nautiloids<br />
are found locally and most have straight<br />
shells (orthocone). They lived in the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> area from the Cambrian to the<br />
Ordovician era.<br />
Corals are irregular colonial masses<br />
that contain radically symmetrical, cupshaped<br />
living platforms that are larger<br />
than 1 mm in diameter. Many coral<br />
fossils are found in the <strong>Ottawa</strong> area,<br />
which suggests the climate was very<br />
different compared with today<br />
when] neighbours objected [when Patty’s Pub wished<br />
to open an outdoor patio].” When pub patrons leave<br />
at closing time in the middle of the night and are<br />
loud and noisy as they often are, then the pub itself<br />
becomes unwelcome. Another unfortunate recent<br />
example is that the pub forced the city to repair water<br />
valves during the night instead of letting the city do it<br />
in the morning as planned. This repair was so noisy<br />
that the sound reached through the whole house and<br />
lasted till early morning, so we couldn’t sleep for most<br />
of the night. Such actions from the pub plainly show<br />
they do not care about the neighbourhood. We ask<br />
the pub to act responsibly and thoughtfully towards<br />
the neighbourhood, and to ensure its patrons are<br />
respectful of the neighbourhood. Then the pub will<br />
be a very welcome neighbour. Would the pub actively<br />
commit to this ?<br />
We are the sum of all our actions and the sum<br />
of all our actions is the footprint we create. We can<br />
choose to better the world and our community by<br />
positive individual actions.<br />
Zen squirrels check us from the fence, sitting like<br />
little buddhas.<br />
Write us at taniamich@gmail.com.
Page 18<br />
By M. Lindsay Lambert<br />
I<br />
am very angry at Dalton McGuinty’s<br />
Liberal Party’s decision to merge<br />
the Ontario Provinical Sales<br />
Tax with the GST. I had been quite<br />
proud to be in a Province, which had<br />
maintained a stand against the Federal<br />
Government’s tax system on behalf of<br />
its constituents.<br />
The reason given for the HST is<br />
that it will allow industry to become<br />
more competitive through the removal<br />
of the 8% PST that they now pay on<br />
their inputs. Consumers will be taxed<br />
more to make up the shortfall.<br />
I operate a small business, and<br />
don’t have a problem with paying some<br />
Provincial Sales Tax. Like every other<br />
commercial concern, I am currently<br />
exempt from the PST on materials<br />
and goods that I buy for resale, as my<br />
customers ultimately pay the 8% levy.<br />
I am only responsible for covering it<br />
on other expenses.<br />
I have been collecting Retail Sales<br />
Tax for almost 28 years, doing my<br />
part in supporting the system. The<br />
remittance forms always include the<br />
standard threat of penalties for late<br />
filing or non-compliance. I find it very<br />
curious that your government now<br />
doesn’t care if I collect any RST at my<br />
income level, unless I am charging the<br />
Federal Government’s tax as well.<br />
I want Ontario to retain our<br />
current Retail Sales Tax System. It<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
is our Provincial tax, and it is under<br />
our control. It works in a more<br />
balanced and human way than the<br />
GST model: Since the RST was<br />
introduced, it has gradually evolved in<br />
response to economic change and new<br />
requirements. The rate has increased<br />
over the year, and it was extended<br />
to most services in 1982. Certain<br />
principles have been maintained<br />
throughout, particularly the exemption<br />
of essential goods and services. (It was<br />
conceived as a tax on discretionary<br />
purchases only.) There is a good<br />
balance in the application of the tax<br />
between businesses and consumers:<br />
The former are exempt from the levy<br />
on goods or materials that they buy for<br />
resale, as their customers ultimately pay<br />
it, but cover it on other costs. Everyone<br />
benefits form Provincial Government<br />
services, and we are all responsible for<br />
maintaining them. The legislation also<br />
recognizes that businesses are doing a<br />
job in collecting and administering the<br />
tax on behalf of the Province, and are<br />
entitled to compensation.<br />
The RST is a flexible tax. If your<br />
government wishes to help businesses<br />
during hard times, you could permit<br />
them to claim back all their input taxes<br />
until prosperity returns. You could also<br />
encourage exports by providing rebates<br />
directly related to the percentage of<br />
goods sent out of the province.<br />
Under the Harmonized Sales Tax,<br />
Ontario will be abrogating its authority<br />
HST Opposition<br />
over the sales tax in favour of the<br />
Federal Government’s rules. The HST,<br />
based on the GST, is a very rigid tax<br />
formula: It will permanently transfer<br />
business’ share of the Provincial RST<br />
to consumers, irrespective of whether<br />
the economy is prospering or in<br />
recession. The long-standing principle<br />
of exemption necessities will be<br />
discarded. Rebates to people with low<br />
income and tax cuts elsewhere have<br />
been promised, but I don’t believe<br />
that they will be equal to the new tax<br />
burden on the general public. The<br />
provincial Liberal government’s claim<br />
that the Province will actually be losing<br />
revenue under the HST is nonsense.<br />
Businesses will no longer be<br />
compensated for collecting sales tax.<br />
This is wrong: People can’t be pressganged<br />
into working for free in this<br />
day and age.<br />
The McGuinty Liberals and<br />
boosters of he Harmonized Sales Tax<br />
have been asserting that businesses<br />
will be lowering prices for consumers<br />
with the removal of provincial sales<br />
tax from their inputs under the new<br />
system. Commerce doesn’t work this<br />
way: businesses are the business to<br />
make a profit, and tend to charge what<br />
the market will bear.<br />
The Mulroney Conservatives<br />
made the same claim for the Goods and<br />
Services Tax, regarding the removal of<br />
the old federal Manufacturers’ Sales<br />
Tax that was supposedly embedded in<br />
prices.<br />
When I registered to collect Retail<br />
Sales Tax, I signed up my business.<br />
My Vendor Permit is made out to<br />
“M. Lindsay Lambert Restoration” as<br />
were my RST Returns. The Goods and<br />
Services Tax requires the registration<br />
of one’s person, unless the business<br />
is incorporated. The Federal tax also<br />
defines private sales of used goods as<br />
Non-Taxable Supply, and I assume that<br />
both provisions will be extended to the<br />
HST> This creates a legal inequality:<br />
if you are registered as an individual,<br />
everything that you do comes under<br />
the rules of taxation. You cannot make<br />
a private sale. Your employee can sell<br />
his or her old chesterfield tax-free, but<br />
you will automatically be a tax criminal<br />
if you do the same. I expect to register<br />
a business for sales tax purposes, but<br />
no government has jurisdiction over<br />
everything that I do in my life. I am<br />
not government property, and will<br />
never register for the HST under this<br />
condition.<br />
In October of last year, the<br />
Ministry of Revenue assigned me a<br />
new business number in place of my<br />
original one, and the tax return slips<br />
are now imprinted “M. Lambert.”<br />
I telephoned to question this, and<br />
was informed that the change was to<br />
bring the RST in line with the GST.<br />
Cont’d on next page
MAY 2010<br />
WINDSOR REDUX B PART 12<br />
For nearly eight years, from<br />
February 2000 to August 2008,<br />
OSCAR carried a monthly column.<br />
The Windsor Chronicles, written by<br />
Zoscha the Wonder Dog. Zoscha<br />
became something of a celebrity<br />
in our neighbourhood, and her<br />
observations on the passing scene,<br />
from a canine perspective, attracted<br />
her share of loyal readers as well as<br />
critics.<br />
OSCAR is reprinting some of<br />
Zoscha’s musings from eight years<br />
ago. The editors have annotated<br />
where we feel that today’s readers<br />
may need to be informed of<br />
references that may no longer be<br />
remembered by readers today, or<br />
where recent scholarship has shed<br />
further light on the world described<br />
in the Windsor Chronicles..<br />
May, 2001<br />
Dear Boomer,<br />
The squirrels are out, the kids<br />
are back in the playground,<br />
and even the humanoids eat<br />
outdoors.<br />
Over the past winter, my<br />
humanoids kept me outside. They<br />
provided a little house on the deck<br />
beside the back door. In recent<br />
The government was apparently<br />
organizing for the HST well before the<br />
budget vote last March.<br />
There are some sound reasons for<br />
retaining our present provincial retail<br />
sales tax rather than joining with the<br />
Federal GST system.<br />
Medical services are currently<br />
GST-exempt, and will not be subject<br />
to the HST. Being exempt, they<br />
cannot claim their input taxes back<br />
like regular businesses. As of July 1,<br />
2010, doctors, therapists, diagnostic<br />
clinics and hospitals will be required<br />
to 8% more in new Provincial taxes on<br />
their commercial rents, heating, and<br />
electrical bills. (Hospitals will receive<br />
the municipality’s rebate on HST, as<br />
they do on the GST, so they won’t<br />
be hurting as much.) These are not<br />
taxable under the present PST. This is<br />
a substantial cost, and they will have<br />
to absorb it unless OHIP coverage is<br />
increased to compensate.<br />
This makes no sense. Our medical<br />
system is paid for through our taxes<br />
and all revenue should be used for<br />
health purposes. It shouldn’t be<br />
clawed back with a major hidden tax.<br />
Our food supply is more than taxexempt;<br />
it is Zero-rated. Groceries are<br />
not taxed, but everyone from farmers<br />
up through the distribution chain get to<br />
claim the input taxes on their expenses<br />
back as well. It should be the same for<br />
our health services.<br />
Mr Naqui states that his<br />
government has cut personal income<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 19<br />
Eating Outdoors<br />
weeks, they’ve moved this little<br />
house into the shade under the trees<br />
by the garden. I’m not so sure I prefer<br />
it there. Perhaps when the summer<br />
weather gets really hot, I’ll see the<br />
benefits, but right now, it just keeps<br />
me too far away from the rest of the<br />
pack.<br />
That is, of course, except for<br />
those lovely evenings when the pack<br />
assembles on the deck, and my Alpha<br />
fires up the charring machine. Then<br />
the delectable smells of dinner waft<br />
across the lawn. On the soft evenings,<br />
you can lift your sniffer in the air,<br />
and tell what all the neighbours are<br />
barbecuing. At times like this, I’m<br />
sorry that the humanoids have fenced<br />
the perimeter of my territory. How<br />
wonderful if I could trot along the<br />
property lines, following the smells<br />
along the great buffet of backyard<br />
barbecues.<br />
One of my favourite things about<br />
this season: we resort to the more<br />
relaxed rules of outdoor eating. Inside<br />
the house, I’m often required to wait<br />
my turn in the spot below the kitchen<br />
counter, while the rest of the pack<br />
eats in the dining room. Only when<br />
the rest of the pack has finished am<br />
I allowed to go and glean whatever I<br />
can find.<br />
From my spot in the kitchen, I<br />
HST Opposition ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
taxes for 93% of Ontarians, “putting<br />
more money into the hands of families<br />
for them to decide how to spend it.” He<br />
doesn’t remind us that the PST will be<br />
extended to such essentials as heating<br />
fuel, electricity and gasoline. We have<br />
no choice on purchasing these, and I<br />
doubt if the reduced income taxes will<br />
compensate. Our current Provincial<br />
Sales Tax exempts necessities. This<br />
long-standing principle has been<br />
thrown out the window with the HST.<br />
Mr Naqui asserts that this is a<br />
“balanced tax package for families<br />
and businesses.” Under the present<br />
PST rules, businesses are exempt<br />
form paying the tax on goods and<br />
materials that they buy for resale, as<br />
their customers pay the 8% levy. They<br />
are only required to cover it on other<br />
expenses. I operate a small business,<br />
and regard this as a reasonable<br />
balance. We all rely on the same<br />
government services, and we are all<br />
jointly responsible for keeping them<br />
up.<br />
Under the HST, businesses will get to<br />
claim all their Provincial Input taxes<br />
back, and consumers will be taxed<br />
more to make up the shortfall. This<br />
is not equitable. As an individual, I<br />
regard businesses as neighbours. It’s<br />
not fair that the McGuinty Liberals<br />
should exempt my neighbours from<br />
a tax, and then expect me to pay it in<br />
Cont’d on next page<br />
have a good vantage point to watch the<br />
Pup, studying every morsel of meat<br />
and pasta that he inadvertently drops<br />
on the floor. As the Pup gets older,<br />
there’s a diminishing rate of return,<br />
but the quality of food improves. I<br />
would not want to go back to the days<br />
of pablum and mash, even though<br />
there was always ample spillings to<br />
go around.<br />
But in the summer, when we<br />
gather on the deck, there are different<br />
rules of proximity. I’m allowed on<br />
the deck as well and, if I don’t call too<br />
much attention to myself, they even<br />
let me haunch right down beside the<br />
Pup himself. This means being able<br />
to pick off any droppings right away,<br />
of course. And it also means that I<br />
can practice my skills at hypnotism –<br />
animal magnetism, as the humanoids<br />
used to call it.<br />
If I can position myself below<br />
the table from Alpha’s sightline, and<br />
with the back of my head toward<br />
She Who Must Be Obeyed, I have an<br />
unobstructed view of the Pup’s eyes.<br />
I can try various expressions on him:<br />
lonely, hungry, fun-filled, best-friend,<br />
partners in crime. And over the course<br />
of a meal I often go through variations<br />
of all these and more.<br />
By the end of the meal when the<br />
ice cream comes out, I resort to all-<br />
out hypnotism. I<br />
telepathize my<br />
message: “Drop the cone! Drop the<br />
cone!”<br />
So far, I have yet to score the big<br />
one. But on the hottest evenings, I am<br />
rewarded with frequent drippings of<br />
ice cream when the Pup is too busy<br />
paying attention to me to keep pace<br />
with the rivulets of melting ice cream.<br />
I consider all of this to be good<br />
training for those afternoons when we<br />
all go down to the Dairy Queen. (1)<br />
They leave me outside while they buy<br />
the ice cream, which leaves me time<br />
to ingratiate myself to anyone else<br />
who passes by. When they come out<br />
again, cones in hand, I have enough<br />
new friends to try my hypnosis on<br />
anyone sitting at the outside tables.<br />
I have faith that, some day – maybe<br />
very soon in this wonderfully hot<br />
weather – I will be rewarded for this<br />
hard work and diligence.<br />
Bone appetit,<br />
Zoscha<br />
(1) The Dairy Queen on Bank<br />
Street near Riverdale continues to<br />
be a favourite gathering place for<br />
both canines and humans on summer<br />
evenings.
Page 20<br />
By Anna Redman<br />
A<br />
Greek Goddess, a determined<br />
American, church services and<br />
the Mother of Pharaohs are<br />
only some of the major components<br />
that came together to create the globally<br />
celebrated holiday of Mother’s Day.<br />
The vast commercialization which<br />
is associated with the modern day<br />
version of this holiday leads people<br />
to believe that it is nothing more<br />
than a Hallmark creation. In actual<br />
fact, countries worldwide celebrated<br />
the mothers among them long before<br />
Hallmark even existed.<br />
Egypt was one of the first<br />
countries to celebrate Mother’s Day.<br />
The Egyptians held an annual festival<br />
in honour of Isis, the Mother of<br />
Pharaohs. Legend has it that Isis gave<br />
birth to Horus, son of her dead brother.<br />
Her brother was killed at the hands of<br />
their envious brother Seth, who Horus<br />
would grow up to defeat. This defeat<br />
allowed him to reunite Egypt and<br />
become the first Pharaoh, thus making<br />
Isis the Mother of Pharaohs.<br />
Both Greece and Rome also<br />
celebrated mothers in early society.<br />
Their focus was on the major mother<br />
deity. In Greece she was referred to as<br />
Rhea, while in Rome she was known<br />
as Cybele. Both countries celebrated<br />
with games, crafts, flowers and honey<br />
cakes during the later portion of the<br />
month of March.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
History of Mother’s Day<br />
March is also the month of<br />
celebration in Britain. The initial<br />
celebration was actually in honour<br />
of the “Mother Church” and fell on<br />
the fourth Sunday of Lent. However,<br />
the celebration changed in the 1600s<br />
to include actual mothers. This<br />
celebration still took place during Lent<br />
and became a one day vacation from<br />
fasting and penance. Presently, this<br />
holiday is known as Mother’s Day, but<br />
following the change in the 1600s it<br />
came to be known as Mothering Day.<br />
Unlike the European celebrations,<br />
which were always about celebrating,<br />
Mother’s Day in America was<br />
prompted by grief. Julie Ward Howe<br />
was the instigator, and her motivation<br />
came from the Civil War. Howe<br />
was so distraught by the deaths this<br />
war has caused that she called on<br />
mothers to come forward and protest<br />
the pointlessness of their son’s death.<br />
Howe wished to designate a day for<br />
celebrating peace and motherhood,<br />
suggesting that the fourth of July<br />
could be converted. This suggestion<br />
was ignored with June 2 eventually<br />
being deemed Mother’s Day. Howe<br />
funded the majority of Mother’s Day<br />
celebrations and when her funding<br />
ceased so did Mother’s Day.<br />
However, Howe’s efforts were not<br />
in vain as Anna Jarvis of West Virginia<br />
continued the Mother’s Day mission.<br />
She began by petitioning her church to<br />
start a Mother’s Day in honour of her<br />
own mother, who had taught Sunday<br />
school there. When her application<br />
was approved May 10, 1908 became<br />
the first official Mother’s Day of the<br />
church. The white carnation was the<br />
favourite flower of Anna’s mother.<br />
This prompted its use in the first<br />
official Mother’s Day and its continued<br />
association with the holiday.<br />
Jarvis quit her job and took the<br />
Mother’s Day project on full time. In<br />
1912 West Virginia celebrated the first<br />
state wide Mother’s Day with all of<br />
America celebrating in 1914. It was<br />
in 1914 that President Wilson signed<br />
a bill the deemed Mother’s Day a<br />
national holiday. While initially this<br />
bill signing appeared to be a success<br />
for Jarvis it later turned out to be quite<br />
the opposite. As a national holiday<br />
Mother’s Day came to be acquainted<br />
with the commercialization that<br />
holidays such as Christmas and Easter<br />
also know well. Jarvis felt that such<br />
commercialization defeated the point<br />
and spirit of Mother’s Day and is said<br />
to have regretted starting the tradition<br />
before her death in 1948.<br />
Regardless of Jarvis’ feelings on the<br />
holiday it is still celebrated today both<br />
in America and many other countries.<br />
Each country has its own time of year<br />
and festivities devoted to the holiday.<br />
America celebrates on the second<br />
Sunday in May with dinning out being<br />
one of the more popular traditions.<br />
Many other countries have adopted the<br />
American tradition such as Australia,<br />
Canada, and China. Pakistan and Saudi<br />
addition to my own.<br />
The HST system is designed to<br />
make industry more competitive in<br />
the export market by reducing their<br />
expenses. This was the Mulroney<br />
Conservatives’ rationale in replacing<br />
the old manufacturers’ Federal Sales<br />
Tax with the GST. The idea is that<br />
more export will bring wealth in to<br />
the province, to the benefit of all of us.<br />
Providing a tax incentive is perhaps<br />
fair. However, I would prefer a system<br />
where businesses are given tax breaks<br />
in direct relation to their exports. For<br />
trade within Ontario, they should pay<br />
some taxes along with everyone else.<br />
I spoke with David Salter, who<br />
works for my MPP, Yasir Naqui.He<br />
explained that the HST legislation<br />
is needed to keep businesses going<br />
during the current recession. I’m<br />
in favour of helping people out in<br />
difficult times, but recessions come<br />
and go. Prosperity will return but the<br />
transfer of taxes from businesses to<br />
consumers will be permanent.<br />
The state of the economy is being<br />
used an excuse. This has been done<br />
before: The Provincial Sales Tax<br />
originally applied only to sales of<br />
goods. When recession and recordhigh<br />
interest rates were causing the<br />
collapse of the housing market in<br />
1982, the Province decided to create<br />
a special fund to give qualifying<br />
new home buyers interest-free loans.<br />
In order to raise the revenue, they<br />
extended the PST to most services.<br />
MAY 2010<br />
Arabia also follow a similar tradition<br />
but celebrate annually on May 10th.<br />
European countries tend to celebrate in<br />
March near the Easter period, but still<br />
celebrate in an American manner.<br />
Other countries are more original.<br />
Thailand celebrates on August 12 to<br />
coincide with the birthday of their<br />
beloved queen, Sirikit Kitayakara.<br />
Ethiopia celebrates with a 3 day<br />
celebration following the end of<br />
the rainy season in mid-autumn.<br />
Yugoslavia and Serbia have a<br />
particularly creative celebration<br />
around Christmas. Their celebration<br />
occurs over three weeks and begins on<br />
the Sunday prior to Mother’s Day. The<br />
parents tie up their children until they<br />
promise to be good. The following<br />
week the children tie up their mother<br />
until she offers them various treats.<br />
On the final week the father is tied up<br />
until he promises expensive presents,<br />
normally their Christmas gifts.<br />
Mother’s Day is celebrated all over<br />
the world. People from various cultures,<br />
countries and customs dedicate an<br />
annual holiday to the celebration of<br />
mothers. Each year children and their<br />
families come together to shower their<br />
mother with love, affection and gifts.<br />
It may not have been the tradition that<br />
Anna Jarvis had in mind, but Mother’s<br />
Day has come to be a day enjoyed and<br />
celebrated by people everywhere.<br />
HST Opposition ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
When interest dropped and the und<br />
was cancelled, the new taxes didn’t<br />
go away. At least they exempted some<br />
essential services, which the present<br />
government now intends to tax.<br />
Advocates of the HST are<br />
predicting that we will enjoy lower<br />
prices when businesses no longer have<br />
to account for the PST on their inputs.<br />
I don’t believe this: Companies need to<br />
make a [profit, and tend to charge what<br />
the market will bear. The Mulroney<br />
Conservatives made the same claim<br />
for the GST, that all prices would<br />
come down with the removal of the<br />
old Federal Sales Tax from production<br />
costs.<br />
The McGuinty Liberals are<br />
pretending to honour the principle of<br />
not taxing necessities by exempting<br />
children’s clothing, car seats, feminine<br />
hygiene products and books. Yet, they<br />
will be adding provincial tax to such<br />
essentials as heating oil, gasoline,<br />
and electricity. Fuel is absolutely<br />
crucial in our winters: A person will<br />
die a lot quicker without heat than in<br />
the absence of food and water. When<br />
I asked Mr Salter of Yasir Naqui’s<br />
office, if he would agree with me that<br />
heating fuel is necessary, he replied he<br />
couldn’t say. I find this frightening.<br />
The $1000 ‘transition benefit’<br />
for families with an income less than<br />
$160,000 is simple bribery. It’s a drop<br />
in the bucket compared with what<br />
people will be paying in new taxes<br />
over the long term.
MAY 2010<br />
By Michael Preuss<br />
In the April edition of OSCAR, we<br />
could take a closer look at the OOS<br />
Neighbourhood Profile. It tells us<br />
nothing about crime rates. What if I<br />
tell you that one of our neighbours<br />
killed a Scottish general? He stabbed<br />
him, together with 7 other criminals.<br />
Infamous, bloody deed! If that ever<br />
happens again, the neighbourhood<br />
health outcome will drop drastically,<br />
respectively Canadian-Scottish<br />
relations. Doesn’t that sound like an<br />
Italian Opera – and in fact, the Italian<br />
composer Giuseppe Verdi made one<br />
out of that story. He did so long ago,<br />
in the mid 19 th century. What a genius!<br />
How could he know about OOS crime<br />
rates?<br />
OK, the story is a little bit<br />
different: Verdi got it’s libretto for<br />
his opera MACBETH from two<br />
librettists, Piave and Maffei, in the<br />
1840s. MACBETH was first staged<br />
in 1847 in Venice. As we all know,<br />
the plot of that opera is arranged<br />
around a cruel couple. OPERA LYRA<br />
OTTAWA staged MACBETH four<br />
times in late March and early April<br />
2010, and I had a ticket for the March<br />
31 performance.<br />
I like modern opera productions,<br />
intelligently enriched with videos<br />
and stuff like that (e.g. like Bill<br />
Viola’s Tristan did), but I don’t like<br />
modern productions which give<br />
you every second the sense that the<br />
whole production team brutally tries<br />
to convince you that an opera bears<br />
some meaning for us now (like Wotan<br />
with briefcase, Nabucco with military<br />
tanks, and stuff like that).<br />
The OLO MACBETH followed<br />
neither approach. The bad news for<br />
some opera friends (not for me, as I will<br />
explain later) – it was conventionally<br />
staged. I heard someone saying that<br />
night “utterly conventionally” (the<br />
stage design was rented from New<br />
Orleans Opera Association). The good<br />
news – the whole team was really<br />
blessed with theatrical aptitude, that<br />
means with a good sense for dramatic<br />
timing and an impressive presence<br />
of the whole cast on stage. Also the<br />
OOS resident, Rick Chataway, did<br />
a great job in stabbing Banquo with<br />
highly theatrical gestures in half-light<br />
scenery (he also acted in three other<br />
little roles).<br />
I know only a very few<br />
conventionally staged productions<br />
which do not degenerate to stiff trash.<br />
The OLO MACBETH did not at all.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Every moment was full of theatrical<br />
drama and passion. Coherent changes<br />
of scenes made the plot of the<br />
Shakespearean drama shine through.<br />
Together with the wonderfully<br />
played and sung music, that made the<br />
ingredient for simply a great Verdi<br />
night. Greer Grimsley as Macbeth<br />
and Brenda Harris as Lady Macbeth<br />
gave stirring performances, both with<br />
significant vocal stamina. But for me<br />
the most convincing scene was the<br />
beginning of Act IV “Patria oppressa”.<br />
Scottish fugitives (i.e. the OLO<br />
Chorus) mourn their lost homeland. A<br />
feeling modern migrants all too often<br />
share with Verdi’s lameting score of<br />
that key scene.<br />
Shortly after that outburst of<br />
compassion in the pit, a future<br />
tenor star was born, as Luc Robert<br />
performed a stunning rendition<br />
of Macduff’s aria “Ah, la paterna<br />
mano”. And a few musical moments<br />
before Macbeth dies on stage, Harris<br />
was best at being Lady Macbeth<br />
the somnambulist, and Grimsley<br />
at Macbeth’s aria “Pietà, rispetto,<br />
amore” (here Verdi foreshadowes a<br />
similar scene of isolated Philip II. in<br />
Don Carlo).<br />
The bonus star for this very solid<br />
production goes to both stage director<br />
Joseph Bascetta (together with lighting<br />
designer Harry Frehner), and skliful<br />
chef d’orchestre Tyrone Paterson,<br />
who created dark and tragic sounds<br />
with his band. True Verdian Italianità,<br />
as heard in OLO’s MACBETH, is<br />
really rare these times. Even stellar<br />
conductor Leonard Slatkin had to<br />
pull back from La Traviata at the<br />
MET (see New York Times coverage<br />
Page 21<br />
Breaking News:<br />
Neighbourhood Thriller – Scottish General Killed by OOS Resident<br />
Tell OSCAR Readers<br />
about your travel<br />
or your interests.<br />
Send text and photos to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
OOS resident, Rick Chataway stabbing Banquo. Photo courtesy of Opera Lyra <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
of that story). But guess what, you<br />
can find true Verdian Italianità here in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>! I must be on to every dodge if<br />
I would not go to one of the next OLO<br />
productions. You becha!
Page 22 The th OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
MAY 2010<br />
BOOK REVIEW<br />
Harvill Secker (Sep 14 2009), 272<br />
pp.<br />
ISBN-13: 978-1846553189<br />
Reviewed by: Friederike Knabe<br />
SUMMERTIME is the muchanticipated<br />
continuation to<br />
the author’s fictionalized<br />
autobiographies, or “autofiction”,<br />
BOYHOOD and YOUTH. While the<br />
earlier books follow a more traditional<br />
memoir format, this third volume takes<br />
a very different, innovative approach<br />
to the genre. Exploring the essential<br />
question - what can/should anyone<br />
know about any other person, whether<br />
public figure or private individual? -<br />
the author introduces a biographer who<br />
researches the life of John Coetzee.<br />
SUMMERTIME, however, may not<br />
even be a biography at all. Vincent, the<br />
Summertime by J.M. Coetzee<br />
young academic, researching the life of<br />
a John Coetzee, now deceased, having<br />
studied John’s diaries and notebooks,<br />
travels the world to fill in some gaps and<br />
hopefully, discover new facets of the<br />
man’s inner emotional being, especially<br />
during that decisive time in his subject’s<br />
life, the mid nineteen seventies. He<br />
interviews five individuals - lovers, real<br />
or unreciprocated, a close relative and<br />
colleagues - some thirty years after the<br />
period of interest to him.<br />
“What I am telling you may not<br />
be true to the letter, but it is true to the<br />
spirit.” Julia, one of the interviewees,<br />
admits to Vincent. “The story you<br />
wanted to hear and the story you are<br />
getting will be nothing more than a<br />
matter of perspective ...” While John<br />
was for Julia just an episode in her life,<br />
for Vincent, she continues, “ by dint of<br />
a quick flip... followed by some clever<br />
editing, you can transform it into a story<br />
about John and one of the women who<br />
passed through his life.” Her assessment<br />
of the biographer’s approach to his<br />
subject can be applied just as easily to<br />
J.M. Coetzee himself. He creates five<br />
scenarios, each engaging in its own way,<br />
in which John is supposedly the centre<br />
of the story. The author even teases<br />
the reader with numerous biographical<br />
facts of the real J.M. Coetzee, but is,<br />
what we are presented with, anything<br />
close to a biography? Adriana, another<br />
interviewee, is a Brazilian dance<br />
teacher and presents probably the most<br />
challenging and fascinating insights<br />
into the character and some of the<br />
<strong>South</strong> African social issues of the day.<br />
She asks: “What is this?... What kind of<br />
a biography are you writing?” We are<br />
A HARD DAY’S PLAY<br />
By Mary P.<br />
Zach. He trundles through his<br />
days with a grin, mostly, a<br />
stable, amiable, reasonably<br />
easy-going little guy.<br />
Except when his mother’s about.<br />
Then he’s temperamental, whiny, and<br />
prone to tears. Before you all start<br />
nodding your heads sagely and trotting<br />
out that old chestnut “Isn’t that always<br />
the way? They behave better for<br />
everyone else than for parents!” let me<br />
tell you a story.<br />
Yesterday morning, on our way<br />
to the coffee shop, Zach stumbled and<br />
fell. This is hardly unusual. Zach can<br />
trip over dust motes. An unexpected<br />
draft topples him. The rush of neurons<br />
caused by a sudden thought zipping<br />
from one side of his brain to the other<br />
overbalances him. In short, he is not the<br />
most coordinated of tots.<br />
I give him a kiss and set him on his<br />
feet. I notice that he has grazed one knee<br />
slightly, but since he doesn’t appear to<br />
have noticed, I’m not so foolish as to<br />
point it out to him. There’s no grit in it,<br />
it’s not even so deep as to bleed. Meh.<br />
We’ll wash it when we get home.<br />
Which we do. Zach is mildly<br />
constantly encouraged to ask the same<br />
question.<br />
It is easy to conclude that the<br />
interviewees’ memories are less than<br />
precise after all that time and that each<br />
encounter with a ‘witness’ will shed only<br />
some diffuse light on the person under<br />
discussion and more on the interviewee.<br />
John Coetzee’s own words are added as<br />
the opening and the concluding section.<br />
While interesting in a broader sense,<br />
will they shed more light on the person?<br />
It is up to the reader to decide.<br />
With the five interviews that<br />
characterize the structure of his<br />
“memoir” J.M. Coetzee plays with<br />
more than our curiosity to compare<br />
John and J.M’s personalities and life<br />
experiences. Structurally, he varies<br />
between an interview setting where<br />
the interviewee takes factual liberties<br />
when creatively telling the story of her<br />
time in the vicinity of John (Julia), or<br />
one where the fictional interviewer,<br />
retells a creatively rewritten interview<br />
with John’s cousin Margot, or a more<br />
confrontational setting that Vincent<br />
encounters with Adriana. Each of the<br />
first three, and to a lesser degree the<br />
last two interviews, shed some light<br />
on John’s intimate life at the time, yet,<br />
they are as or even more engaging for<br />
what they say about the social, political<br />
and personal environment of the person<br />
interviewed. The depiction of John is<br />
not very flattering. For example, Julia<br />
thought that “... his mental capacities,<br />
and specifically his ideational faculties,<br />
were overdeveloped, at the cost of his<br />
animal self. “ His cousin Margot,<br />
on the other hand, felt that John was<br />
always struggling against the Coetzee<br />
Cause and Effect<br />
distressed when he sees the scrape.<br />
In less than a minute, though, I’ve<br />
convinced him that getting a band-aid<br />
is FUN. It’s not so hard to do. When<br />
you are two years old and you get to<br />
decide whether to decorate your body<br />
with Elmo, Harry Potter or butterflies,<br />
band-aids ARE fun.<br />
Thereafter, he forgets all about<br />
the wound. The band-aid gets lots of<br />
attention. The other children clamor for<br />
one, but Zach sets them straight.<br />
“You don’t get a bannaid unless<br />
you get a bo-bo. Only I get a bannaid!”<br />
Mummy arrives at the end of the<br />
day, greets him with her usual affection.<br />
Zachary shares with her the highlight<br />
of his day, his voice ripe with pride.<br />
“Look, mama! I gots Elmo on my<br />
knee!”<br />
“Oh, no!” Mama’s voice drips<br />
pathos and concern. “Did you get a bobo?”<br />
Her face is awash with empathetic<br />
distress. Except... empathy? Zach<br />
wasn’t distressed -- well, not until<br />
mummy pushed him there.<br />
The pride of accomplishment<br />
vanishes from his face, instantly<br />
replaced by misery. “Yeeeeeah! I gots<br />
a bo-bo! I falled dow-ow-ow-owowwwwn!”<br />
inheritance: he was not a “slapgat” a<br />
person lacking backbone, choosing the<br />
easiest path through life. Adriana, who<br />
had reasons for her hostility towards<br />
John summed him up: “He was not<br />
a man of substance. Maybe he could<br />
write well, maybe had a certain talent<br />
for words, I don’t know... to my mind<br />
a talent for words is not enough if you<br />
want to be a great writer. And he was<br />
not a great man. He was a little man,<br />
an unimportant little man.” Finally,<br />
Vincent, while addressing Sophie, the<br />
last of the interviewees, expresses a<br />
warning to any gullible reader: “What<br />
Coetzee writes there cannot be trusted,<br />
not as a factual record - not because he<br />
was a liar but because he was a fictioneer.<br />
In his letters he is making up a fiction of<br />
himself for his correspondents; in his<br />
diaries he is doing much the same for<br />
his own eyes, or perhaps for posterity...”<br />
This is exactly what J.M. Coetzee<br />
does - creating a “fictioneer’s” account<br />
of somebody who may have traits of<br />
himself, or, very likely, not so many -<br />
and having great fun with entertaining<br />
the reader with the stories. His intimate<br />
knowledge of the social and political<br />
conditions in <strong>South</strong> Africa, life in Cape<br />
Town as well as the remote region of<br />
the Karoo shine through and gives<br />
the novel an added depth and a reality<br />
check. The interviews are exquisitely<br />
crafted and complement the multifaceted<br />
portrait of a fictioneer written<br />
by an even greater fictioneer.<br />
J.M. Coetzee, award winning <strong>South</strong><br />
African author, now living in Australia,<br />
is the Literature Nobel laureate of 2003.<br />
I have tried to explain to this<br />
mother the strategy of responding to a<br />
bo-bo as if it’s an adventure. I’ve tried<br />
to explain the idea of leading the way<br />
emotionally by your reaction. Mother<br />
can’t bring herself to do this: she sees<br />
it as emotional manipulation.<br />
I see it as teaching/modelling<br />
resilience. However, even if I were to<br />
accept this idea of manipulation ... if<br />
my response has him happy and proud,<br />
and hers has him in tears – are we not<br />
both ‘manipulating’? Are tears the<br />
only ‘genuine’ response? And which<br />
‘manipulation’ has the most positive<br />
result? What is inarguable is that<br />
Zach is responding to the unspoken<br />
expectations of his mother’s responses.<br />
She expects him to be distressed, he<br />
is distressed. Parents have far more<br />
influence over their tot’s emotional<br />
responses to things than they often<br />
realize.<br />
And Zach? The boy who’d been<br />
full of pride and satisfaction five<br />
minutes before? The tears and wailing<br />
echoed down the street even after they’d<br />
vanished from sight. His mother’s soft<br />
coos of reassurance faded sooner.<br />
Sigh.
The th MAY 2010 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
Page 23<br />
BACKYARD NATURALIST<br />
by Linda Burr<br />
One spring, when I was a<br />
young girl, my father decided<br />
to build a bird house. When<br />
it was ready, he fastened it to the top<br />
of the clothesline pole, high above the<br />
ground, at the back of our yard. I don’t<br />
suppose we had any real expectations.<br />
We just waited to see what would<br />
happen. But sometimes the most<br />
amazing things can happen when you<br />
least expect it, as this story will show.<br />
It was late May, and most birds<br />
had already started their nests. We<br />
knew that sometimes it takes a whole<br />
year or more for a box to be accepted<br />
by birds for nesting. But the birdhouse<br />
was clearly visible from the back<br />
bedroom windows of our house, and<br />
we kept a close watch on it.<br />
Within a day or two, a pair of tree<br />
swallows came to investigate the box.<br />
They flew around it, and went in to<br />
inspect the interior. It must have been<br />
to their liking, because right there and<br />
then, the swallows decided it was good<br />
enough for them, and they wasted no<br />
time in getting busy making their nest.<br />
We were amazed and delighted<br />
that father’s nest box had been so<br />
quickly and eagerly accepted. Over<br />
the following weeks, we watched<br />
the activities of the swallows closely.<br />
When my sister and I returned home<br />
from school, my mother would tell us<br />
what she had seen the swallows doing<br />
during the day.<br />
For me, the budding young<br />
naturalist, it provided a wonderful<br />
opportunity to observe and learn about<br />
the behaviours of these lovely birds.<br />
I loved the iridescent blue colour<br />
on their backs, and their pure white<br />
bellies. They were truly beautiful<br />
creatures, with their delicate pointed<br />
wings and strong graceful flight. I<br />
came to recognize their bubbly song<br />
as they sat perched in nearby trees<br />
or on the overhead wires around the<br />
house.<br />
Summer of the Tree Swallows<br />
Tree Swallow Photo by Ken Thomas<br />
The birdhouse was up on top of<br />
the clothesline pole at the back of<br />
our yard. One end of the clothesline<br />
was attached to the house on a kind<br />
of pulley, which allowed mother to<br />
raise and lower it. In those days, she<br />
always hung the wet washing out<br />
on the line to dry. But whenever she<br />
moved the clothesline, the pole with<br />
the birdhouse would jiggle a bit.<br />
Mother was anxious about hanging<br />
out the wet clothes on washing day,<br />
and didn’t want to disturb the birds.<br />
She tried to move the clothesline as<br />
gently as possible. But every time, one<br />
of the swallows would poke its head<br />
out of the box and chatter at her, as<br />
if to scold her. In spite of these mild<br />
disturbances, the swallows stayed on.<br />
After a couple of weeks had gone<br />
by, we discovered that the eggs had<br />
hatched. The swallows could now<br />
be seen feeding their young, as they<br />
returned to the birdhouse with food in<br />
their beaks. Then it wasn’t long before<br />
the chicks were large enough to poke<br />
their heads out of the hole, begging<br />
for food. By early July, the chicks<br />
were nearly ready to fledge.<br />
We didn’t witness the moment<br />
when the young swallows took their<br />
first flight away from the nest. It just<br />
seemed that suddenly there was no<br />
activity around the birdhouse – it<br />
seemed empty. Where had they gone?<br />
Were they all right? After watching<br />
those swallows and their tireless<br />
efforts for so many weeks, we were<br />
desperate to know the outcome.<br />
Finally, we spotted the family perched<br />
all in a row on a wire near the house.<br />
The parents seemed to be proudly<br />
showing us their brood. All too soon<br />
they were gone.<br />
In all the years that followed,<br />
no swallows ever returned to that<br />
birdhouse. I think it was quickly<br />
taken over by house sparrows. Much<br />
later, I realized what a rare privilege<br />
it had been for our family to share<br />
this experience together. At such a<br />
late date in May, those swallows must<br />
have been desperate to find a suitable<br />
nesting site. Also, tree swallows<br />
normally prefer to nest in an open<br />
field, and near open water. In Toronto,<br />
our suburban backyard must have<br />
seemed a less than ideal nesting spot.<br />
It was a small miracle that our family<br />
still talks about today.<br />
Tree swallows are cavitynesters,<br />
meaning that in nature, they<br />
nest in hollow trees or snags. In the<br />
city, the cavity-nesters, such as tree<br />
swallows, chickadees, nuthatches,<br />
and woodpeckers, can have difficulty<br />
finding suitable nesting spots. This<br />
is partly because there aren’t too<br />
many hollow or dead trees around.<br />
Another more important reason is that<br />
starlings and house sparrows are very<br />
aggressive and tend to take over all the<br />
good spots. Fortunately, tree swallows<br />
readily take to birdhouses.<br />
Last year, my father built me a<br />
birdhouse – this time for my own<br />
backyard here in <strong>Ottawa</strong>. I’d better get<br />
it up soon – there might be a desperate<br />
pair of birds out there house-hunting<br />
right now!<br />
Linda Burr lives in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> and is a biologist and avid<br />
backyard naturalist.
The th Page 24 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
MAY 2010<br />
Hopewell Avenue Public School<br />
100th Anniversary Celebrations<br />
Alumni and members of the community are invited to join Hopewell<br />
staff, students, and their families during the week of May 17 to<br />
celebrate Hopewell’s 100th anniversary. Everyone is welcome at the<br />
following activities, which will take place at the school:<br />
Monday May 17<br />
2:30 – 3:30 Opening Assembly, guest speakers<br />
4:00 – 6:00 Wine & Cheese Reception<br />
Please RSVP by May 14 to parentspeak@gmail.com or, if you don’t have<br />
access to e-mail, to the school office at 613-239-2348.<br />
Tuesday May 18<br />
9:30 - 3:00 School Tours for Alumni<br />
Visitors are asked to sign in at the school office. Student Council members<br />
will provide tours of the school, including all of the changes, the artifacts on<br />
display, and a few typical classrooms.<br />
Wednesday May 19<br />
6:15 – 7:30 Musical - One Hundred Years<br />
8:00 – 9:15 Musical - One Hundred Years<br />
Admission: $3.00 per person<br />
Thursday May 20<br />
9:30 - 3:00 School Tours for Alumni (See description above.)
The th MAY 2010 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
Page 25<br />
Helping girls in Lesotho one pearl at a time<br />
By Sara Dubé, Hopewell Avenue<br />
Public School<br />
Can helping young girls in Lesotho develop<br />
their potential really start with a bracelet?<br />
Mary Murphy, founder of Pearls for Girls,<br />
has proven that it can.<br />
In 2006, after hearing about Help Lesotho (www.<br />
helplesotho.ca), an organization aiming to end<br />
extreme poverty in Lesotho, a tiny country<br />
landlocked by <strong>South</strong> Africa, Mary decided to help<br />
reach that goal by starting a leadership education<br />
program for young girls. Mary knew a woman who<br />
had recently started a business that involved pearls<br />
and this sparked an idea that with the help of friends<br />
became Pearls for Girls.<br />
Over the past three years, Mary has been<br />
providing freshwater pearls to groups of teenage<br />
girls and sometimes boys too, through schools in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> and other cities across Canada who learn<br />
about leadership, collaboration and contribution<br />
through bracelet making sessions called “pearl<br />
bees”. All profits from the sale of the bracelets go<br />
towards Help Lesotho’s education and leadership<br />
development programs for girls in Lesotho, all who<br />
have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.<br />
I am in grade seven at Hopewell Avenue<br />
Public School and have been assigned a project<br />
that involves helping the world in some way, and<br />
documenting the experience. At a celebration of<br />
Help Lesotho’s fifth anniversary in December, I<br />
became interested in Help Lesotho and Pearls for<br />
Girls, so when I heard of the assignment I thought<br />
that this was the perfect opportunity to host my own<br />
“pearl bee”.<br />
I contacted Mary to order pearls and supplies.<br />
A Bracelet That Makes A Difference<br />
She kindly spoke to two students from Nepean High<br />
School who have often volunteered to lead pearl<br />
bees and asked them if they were available to come<br />
to mine. They agreed. Then I asked some friends if<br />
they were interested in helping me make bracelets<br />
for Help Lesotho. When everyone arrived on the<br />
day of the ‘bee’, we sat around the dining room<br />
table and chatted while making bracelets that will<br />
soon make a difference to the lives of girls our age.<br />
I enjoyed “pearling” with my friends and<br />
knowing that our bracelets would help other girls.<br />
It is something you can do with your friends while<br />
expressing your creativity and feeling proud that<br />
your creations will help make someone’s life better.<br />
If you would like to provide your support, you<br />
can visit www.pearls4girls.org to learn more about<br />
the initiative and to order a bracelet. Think about<br />
purchasing one for Mother’s Day, teacher gifts,<br />
birthdays, bridesmaids’ gifts. If you have a shop in<br />
the neighbourhood, and would like to support Pearls<br />
for Girls by displaying and selling the bracelets,<br />
please contact Mary Murphy at pearl@pearls4girls.<br />
org. For just $27.00 you could give the gift of a<br />
bracelet that will help girls become young leaders<br />
in Lesotho.
Page 26 The th OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
MAY 2010<br />
NOTES FROM THE GARDEN CLUB<br />
By Colin Ashford<br />
The April meeting of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Garden<br />
Club had its largest attendance this season. The<br />
attraction: Suzanne Patry of Whitehouse Perennials<br />
giving an entertaining talk on shade gardening. Not<br />
only did Suzanne arrive with a colourful PowerPoint<br />
presentation, she also brought along two- or threedozen<br />
shade plants—many already in bloom.<br />
Suzanne claims that Whitehouse Perennials is “…a<br />
Sanguinarea canadensis multiplex<br />
Photo by Suzanne Patry<br />
Made in the Shade—Life Beyond Hostas<br />
hobby that got a little out of hand…”. The nursery<br />
now boasts 1000 varieties of lilies and 400 varieties<br />
of hostas. Whitehouse Perennials is located just<br />
outside of Almonte; directions can be found on the<br />
nursery’s web site: www.whitehouserperennials.<br />
Hellebores—the Stars of the Spring Garden<br />
Photo by Suzanne Patry<br />
com<br />
Shade in gardens is an issue of particular<br />
interest to the gardeners of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> due<br />
to the large number of mature trees in the area.<br />
Some gardeners see shade in the garden somewhat<br />
negatively, but Suzanne reminded them of the<br />
aphorism, “Don’t moan over what you can’t grow,<br />
learn to rejoice over what you can grow”. Defining<br />
shade as “muted light”, Suzanne went on to list the<br />
advantages of shade gardens: cooler to work in; they<br />
require less watering and weeding; are less prone to<br />
An Intriguing Collection of Heucheras<br />
Photo by Suzanne Patry<br />
disease and insect problems; and, best of all, shade<br />
gardens look good for the whole of the season.<br />
Trees not only cause shade in gardens (although<br />
the effect can be mitigated by removing the lower<br />
limbs of the trees), but also compete for moisture<br />
and nutrients in the soil. Suzanne cautioned against<br />
trying to build up a plant bed around a mature tree<br />
(and especially including a retaining wall), because<br />
the build-up of soil can suffocate the tree roots.<br />
Rather she recommended planting large plants in<br />
holes lined with layers of newspaper or in nursery<br />
containers between the roots of the tree and watering<br />
them in heavily until they are established.<br />
Starting a bed in a shady garden requires<br />
removing the current ground cover either by digging<br />
it out and optionally lining the hole with heavy<br />
plastic or by suffocating the weeds with a thick<br />
Cont’d on next page
The th MAY 2010 OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
Page 27<br />
By Arthur McGregor<br />
I<br />
write this from Fredericton, New<br />
Brunswick on the last week of a<br />
wonderful Celtic Rathskallion’s<br />
tour of the Maritimes. We started<br />
in Cape Breton and have played<br />
Dartmouth, Halifax, Lower Sackville,<br />
Kentville, and Middleton in Nova<br />
Scotia and five shows in the Saint<br />
John/ Fredericton area. The weather<br />
has been wonderful, the schools have<br />
been welcoming, my tour buddy is<br />
perfect and the traveling has been<br />
excellent. Four more shows and we’re<br />
on our way home. We had to leave<br />
Elvis, the poodle, with friends so<br />
we’ll be happy to see each other soon.<br />
Playing music for kids is a real joy<br />
for me. We play to primary grades<br />
(kindergarten to grade 6) and it never<br />
ceases to amaze me how well our<br />
show is received. We play songs from<br />
the east coast tradition, Mary Mac,<br />
Lukey’s Boat and others and, though<br />
these are truly old chestnuts, I feel<br />
honoured to introduce these songs to<br />
kids who don’t know them.<br />
Which brings me to my theme<br />
for the month: A Good Song! There’s<br />
nothing like a song that speaks to you.<br />
I have a treasury of songs in my life<br />
that have all touched me at particular<br />
times. The Folklore Centre’s first<br />
songbook, Coast to Coast Fever, was<br />
my first attempt to put some of my<br />
favourite Canadian songs in a book<br />
and, thirty years later, every song in<br />
the book still resonates with me.<br />
Songs are often like smells; they<br />
bring back memories of situations,<br />
emotions, experiences and locations.<br />
Some songwriters, like Ian Tamblyn<br />
and Chris MacLean, have written<br />
songs that have helped me through<br />
good and bad times. They’ve been<br />
part of the soundtrack of my life.<br />
A good song lives forever. Even if<br />
it’s not sung or heard often, it has a life<br />
of it’s own that remains suspended in<br />
time until someone sings it. When you<br />
listen to an ‘oldies’ radio station, you<br />
realize how powerful a good song can<br />
be. The Beatles, John Fogarty, Carol<br />
King and hundreds of others have<br />
created such a body of work that you<br />
can listen 24/7 to only the old stuff,<br />
though not all of it is ‘good’!<br />
With the realization that hundreds<br />
of new songs are written every day in<br />
every country of the world, in every<br />
Garden Club ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
covering of newspaper or leaves. A<br />
liner will not only keep tree roots<br />
out, but will also keep moisture in;<br />
depending on the level of moisture<br />
retention, this approach can form the<br />
basis of a bog garden. In either case,<br />
top-dressing a shade bed is required<br />
every three years or so.<br />
One of most challenging of<br />
shade gardens is a dry one. Suzanne<br />
recommended being realistic on what<br />
could be achieved in a dry, shady<br />
garden and offered the following<br />
advice: choose groundcover that<br />
will look attractive all season; use<br />
small planting holes; water regularly<br />
during a dry spell, and replenish the<br />
organic material every year. Another<br />
interesting approach is to grow shade<br />
plants in containers either plunged<br />
into the ground or sitting on the<br />
surface of the ground.<br />
In terms of selecting material<br />
to plant in a shade garden, hostas<br />
immediately come to mind (and<br />
there is a seeming infinite number<br />
of varieties described on www.<br />
hostalibrary.org), but there are many<br />
other plant varieties that thrive in<br />
the shade. Our native plant, Actea<br />
rubra has a lovely red flower and will<br />
survive a good deal of shade; other<br />
native plants include Sanguinarea<br />
canadensis multiplex (with its<br />
beautiful white double-flower),<br />
Trilliums, and Hepaticas. Tiarellas,<br />
Songs Are Meant To Be Sung!<br />
with their long-blooming fragrant<br />
flowers add variety and colour to a<br />
shade garden, and Pulmonarias have<br />
attractive foliage and flowers and do<br />
well in dry shade. However the stars<br />
of the shady garden in springtime<br />
are the Hellebores. Heucheras boast<br />
a variety of leaf shapes, colours,<br />
and sizes and some have wonderful<br />
flowers; they also work well in<br />
containers. Arisaemas have one<br />
of the most bizarre flowers in the<br />
plant kingdom, but are great fun to<br />
grow. Other plants recommended by<br />
Suzanne included ferns, Astrantia,<br />
Ligularias, and grasses such as<br />
Hakonechlaoa macra.<br />
Maintenance of a shade garden is<br />
fairly straightforward and includes:<br />
cleaning up all debris in the spring;<br />
applying fresh mulch annually;<br />
trimming damaged leaves and spent<br />
flowers; and controlling slugs.<br />
This was the final meeting of the<br />
Garden Club for the 2009/10 season,<br />
but we will be rounding out the season<br />
with our annual spring perennial<br />
exchange entitled “Good Plants,<br />
Good Deals”. The plant exchange<br />
starts at 10.00 am on Saturday 8th<br />
May, 2010 in Brewer Park near the<br />
shelter at the children’s playground.<br />
Bring potted and labelled perennial<br />
plants to exchange at 9.30 am.<br />
Tell OSCAR Readers<br />
about your travel<br />
or your interests.<br />
Send text and photos to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
language, using scales that visit every<br />
note in human experience, you can’t<br />
help but feel humbled at the power of<br />
a song.<br />
Once a month, the Folklore Centre<br />
hosts Writer’s Bloc, an afternoon of<br />
local songwriters sharing, trading,<br />
helping each other create. Recently,<br />
the Spirit of Rasputin’s Song-along,<br />
run by members of Writer’s Bloc,<br />
presented over 40 songwriters at the<br />
Elmdale, a record number.<br />
What constitutes a great song?<br />
Well, a catchy melody certainly<br />
grabs the attention but lots of catchy<br />
melodies are flying around. Pop<br />
music, that is music that’s designed to<br />
be popular and then disappear, often<br />
has melodies that stick in your mind<br />
but they are quickly replaced by a new<br />
tune on the block.<br />
A great set of lyrics often<br />
completes the requirements for a<br />
great song, but, unless brilliant lyrics<br />
are coupled with a good tune, it’s just<br />
a good piece of poetry and, with the<br />
popularity of poetry (that word ‘pop’<br />
is the common denominator), many<br />
folks won’t spend the time on the<br />
lyrics. But a great melody and very<br />
smart lyrics are essential in the ‘great<br />
song’. James Gordon wrote a great line<br />
that has stayed with me for years: It’s<br />
a deep dark continent between what I<br />
said and what I meant, it’s as big as an<br />
elephant, that space between us when<br />
I try to talk to you’. (I hope that the<br />
words are mostly correct. Check out<br />
James’ music at jamesgordon.ca).<br />
So, what’s the key behind a great<br />
song? I think it’s context; where<br />
you heard it, what state you were in<br />
(emotionally, not geographically),<br />
how you heard it. I remember exactly<br />
where I was when I heard ‘Ruby<br />
Tuesday’ for the first time: in a car<br />
with my parents on the way to Italy in<br />
the 60’s. I remember hearing Sneezy<br />
Waters sing “A good love, is like a<br />
good song, it grows on you till it’s so<br />
strong, it’ll never leave you”: it was<br />
Roosters Coffee House at Carleton<br />
University in 1972.<br />
There’s a truckload of them for<br />
me. They rattle around in my mind<br />
like bumper cars at the Carp Fair.<br />
Every now and again, one jumps up<br />
and catches me. And, every now and<br />
again, I hear a new one. That’s really<br />
the beauty of the song; they never stop<br />
coming.<br />
Sing one.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
Page 28<br />
Local Singers Present Mozart’s<br />
The Marriage Of Figaro<br />
On May 22, 2010 (7:30 pm) and<br />
May 24, 2010 (2 pm) a talented<br />
group of <strong>Ottawa</strong> singers under<br />
the musical direction of renowned<br />
pianist Jean Desmarais will present<br />
a semi-staged concert version of<br />
Mozart’s famous opera “The Marriage<br />
of Figaro”. The performances will<br />
take place at Glebe-St. James United<br />
Church, 650 Lyon Street at the corner of<br />
First Avenue in the Glebe. The opera<br />
will be presented with the support of<br />
the Austrian Embassy.<br />
International performing artist and<br />
pedagogue, pianist Jean Desmarais<br />
earned his Masters degree and Premier<br />
Prix in Piano and Chamber Music<br />
at the Conservatoire in Montreal<br />
and continued his studies in Paris,<br />
Berlin and in the USA. He studied<br />
with Monique Collet-Samyn, Anisia<br />
Campos, Monique Deschaussées<br />
(Paris), Johanna Stieler (Berlin) and<br />
Dalton Baldwin (USA).<br />
Mr. Desmarais has collaborated<br />
with artists such as Kiri Te Kanawa,<br />
Ben Heppner, Pinchas Zukerman,<br />
Julie Nesrallah, Robert Cram, Amanda<br />
Forsyth, Tracy Dahl, Kevin McMillan,<br />
Monica Whicher, Steven Dann, Bob<br />
Becker, Alain Trudel, Rivka Golani,<br />
Shauna Rolston, Denis Lawlor, Donna<br />
Brown, Joel Quarrington and many<br />
others. Recently he was hired as a coach<br />
for the Canadian Opera Company for<br />
its productions of Don Carlos, Pelléas<br />
et Mélisande, War and Peace, Rusalka<br />
and Carmen.<br />
The cast features some well-known<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> singers including: Figaro - Denis<br />
Lawlor; Susanna - Marya Woyiwada;<br />
Count - Gary Dahl; Countess - Meghan<br />
McPhee; Cherubino - Liliana Piazza;<br />
Marcellina - Allison Woyiwada;<br />
Bartolo - Norman E. Brown; Basilio/<br />
Curzio - Michael Carty;<br />
Antonio - Philippe Sabourin; and<br />
Barbarina - Carli diSano.<br />
The action of “The Marriage of<br />
Figaro” is a continuation of the plot of<br />
“The Barber of Seville” several years<br />
later, and recounts a single “day of<br />
madness” in the palace of the Count<br />
Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is<br />
now the Countess; Dr. Bartolo is seeking<br />
revenge against Figaro for thwarting<br />
his plans to marry Rosina himself; and<br />
Count Almaviva has degenerated from<br />
the romantic youth he was in “Barber”<br />
into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing<br />
aristocrat. Having gratefully given<br />
Figaro a job as head of his servantstaff,<br />
he is now persistently trying to<br />
obtain the favors of Figaro’s bride-tobe,<br />
Susanna. He keeps finding excuses<br />
to delay the civil part of the wedding<br />
of his two servants, which is arranged<br />
for this very day. Figaro, Susanna, and<br />
the Countess conspire to embarrass the<br />
Count and expose his scheming. He<br />
responds by trying to legally compel<br />
Figaro to marry a woman old enough<br />
to be his mother, but it turns out at the<br />
last minute that she really is his mother.<br />
Through Figaro’s and Susanna’s<br />
clever manipulations, the Count’s love<br />
for his Countess is finally restored.<br />
Interwoven throughout the opera is the<br />
mock preparation of Cherubino to go<br />
to war, as well as subtle and perhaps<br />
not so subtle references to the impact<br />
of the revolution, the division between<br />
aristocracy and the lower classes and<br />
the need for “liberation”.<br />
General admission tickets for the<br />
opera are $25 and are available at the<br />
door at the time of performance, or<br />
from Leading Note or Compact Music.<br />
The opera will be sung in the original<br />
Italian, with recitatives sung in English.<br />
All profits from the performances will<br />
go to benefit L’Arche <strong>Ottawa</strong> (Jean<br />
Vanier). L’Arche is a place of belonging<br />
for people living with a disability and<br />
those who share life with them. Since<br />
1964, men and women of good will,<br />
with and without intellectual disability,<br />
are commiting to each other in L’Arche<br />
to break down the barriers of fears that<br />
separate us and to create new places of<br />
belonging where everyone is important<br />
and can contribute. More information<br />
about l’Arche may be found at: http://<br />
www.larche.ca<br />
For more information please<br />
contact: Jean Desmarais at (613) 608-<br />
279<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Mother’s Day Festivities<br />
Bloom At Billings Estate<br />
By Emma Jackson<br />
By Joe Scanlon<br />
MAY 2010<br />
Birds, buds and blossoms have returned to Billings Estate National Historic<br />
Site, just in time to celebrate Mother’s Day.<br />
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday May 9, visitors can help Billings Estate<br />
open its summer season while they treat their moms to a traditional Victorian tea<br />
service in the estate’s spring gardens. Throughout the day, visitors can also enjoy<br />
a Victorian fashion show on the lawn, live music, crafts and tours of the stately<br />
1820s house, which is now the oldest wood-framed house left in <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
Billings Estate, located at 2100 Cabot St near Riverside and Pleasant Park,<br />
was originally settled by Braddish and Lamira Billings, who built the first Billings<br />
Bridge across the Rideau River and were integral in the creation of the Alta Vista<br />
community.<br />
The family once owned almost 1,000 acres of farm land in the area. Today,<br />
8 acres of lush green lawns, colourful gardens and a peaceful, shady cemetery<br />
surround the main house.<br />
Mothers will receive royal treatment on Mother’s Day, where they can enjoy<br />
their tea with fresh scones, sandwiches and desserts baked on site especially for<br />
the occasion.<br />
Admission to the site is $6 per adult, $5 per senior and $15 for a family. A<br />
three-tier tea service costs $23.95 and serves two adults.<br />
Visitors can come back on weekend afternoons in May for a friendly debate<br />
and some scandalous stories with the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Storytellers, to mark the opening<br />
of the museum’s new temporary exhibit, Battle of the Ballot: the Civic Election<br />
Story. Dates and times will be announced in May, but visitors can check out the<br />
new exhibit anytime during museum hours beginning May 9. Admission to the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Storytellers debates will include entrance to the museum.<br />
For more information about these programs and more, visit <strong>Ottawa</strong>.ca/<br />
museums or call 613-247-4830.<br />
Travis Scott Has OOS Roots<br />
His grandfather owned the barber shop on Seneca just off Sunnyside.<br />
His mother grew up on Sunnyside: Her parents were Fred and Pat<br />
Hughes.<br />
His father grew up on Pansy. His parents were Gwen and Len Scott.<br />
His mother works in the athletics department at Carleton University. His<br />
father also works at Carleton in the Physical Plant.<br />
Despite those <strong>Ottawa</strong> connections, Travis Scott is a well-travelled worldclass<br />
hockey goaltender with three championship rings to prove it.<br />
But though he started his minor hockey in Kanata and played for teams<br />
such as the Oshawa Generals and the Windsor Spitfires, he wasn’t playing for<br />
Canada the first time his team won an international competition.<br />
Instead he was in goals for Russia in the Spengler Cup - a European<br />
tournament for club teams played every year in Davos, Switzerland between<br />
Christmas and New Year’s Eve.<br />
Canada has won the Spengler Cup seven times since 1995 but in 2005 it<br />
was won by Metallurg Magnitogorsk with Scott in goals. Team Canada finished<br />
second. Both teams had finished with 3-1 records in the round-robin; but the<br />
Russians defeated Team, Canada 8-3 in the final. Evgeni Malkin now with<br />
Pittsburgh was on that team and one of the current team members is Sergei<br />
Federov who defected from the Soviet Union and starred with the Detroit Red<br />
Wings.<br />
Scott offered to make up for beating his own country a couple of years later<br />
when he agreed to play with a team in Austria only on condition he could play<br />
in the Spengler Cup this time for Canada. That year Canada won a silver medal:<br />
Scott was on the team but was the back-up goaltender.<br />
The Spengler Cup ring was not his only one. He also won playing in<br />
Mississippi and for his team in Austria. But, although Scott has played hockey<br />
everywhere from San Antonio to Russia he played only once and only part of a<br />
game in the NHL, for the L. A. Kings.<br />
His problem? Apparently coaches were put off by his unorthodox<br />
style. One of his coaches, Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals said,<br />
“Unfortunately, no ever gave give a chance. The kid has nerves of steel. All he<br />
does is stop the puck.”<br />
This year Scott is playing for the Hannover Scorpions in Germany and has<br />
re-signed there for next season. In the off-season he and his wife Lisa = and<br />
their two children, Jayden 13 and Owen 11, live in Windsor.<br />
However Scott does often visits his parents in <strong>Ottawa</strong> and when the NHL<br />
playoffs are on - the European leagues finish earlier - he can be found in front of<br />
a TV giving a running commentary on the play - and not just the goal tending.
MAY 2010<br />
By Georgina Hunter<br />
A<br />
chance encounter with a newly arrived family<br />
from Equador on a warm, sunny Sunday last<br />
March led OOS families to help them settle.<br />
While I basked in the warm sun, the family shivered<br />
in the cold. A look at their worried faces inspired me<br />
to help.<br />
First, my husband, James and I, along with a<br />
Spanish-speaking friend, greeted them in their empty<br />
apartment with donations, dinner, and a welcome to<br />
Canada cake.<br />
Next, more donations arrived from OOS families<br />
who responded to the April OSCAR ad and helped to<br />
fill their almost empty apartment. The Silva family<br />
thanks community members for their generosity.<br />
After becoming bilingual, the father Fabricio,<br />
a mechanical engineer, intends to seek work in his<br />
profession. His wife, Cati, their three sons, Kevin,<br />
Marcelo, and Daniel, ages 19, 13, and six, will study<br />
in French at local Gatineau schools.<br />
The family is already quickly picking up French,<br />
and with our family’s encouragement, will also learn<br />
English. They look forward to getting to know our<br />
beautiful region on the NCC bike paths. They hope<br />
to purchase bicycles at the Hopewell PS bicycle sale.<br />
Trading in a life in a hot <strong>South</strong> American country<br />
for one in the National Capital region means accepting<br />
sleet, snow, and ice for up to six months a year. Hearty<br />
Canadians know that means embracing winter by<br />
going outside to skate and ski.<br />
To that end, the Silva family would be grateful<br />
for donations of winter items so they can try skating<br />
on the canal or perhaps cross-country skiing in<br />
By Lin Moody<br />
You were an eyewitness to a<br />
crime. Carleton Professor<br />
Joanna Pozzulo is researching<br />
whether you would recall the faces of<br />
strangers differently than a child in this<br />
kind of circumstance.<br />
Pozzulo, who lives in <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong>, is one of 10 recipients of this<br />
year’s Carleton Research Achievement<br />
Awards. The recipients were honoured<br />
recently as part of Carleton’s Research<br />
Days celebration.<br />
Pozzulo says her investigation<br />
will advance the understanding of how<br />
verbal and visual memory are related<br />
and how they develop. “This is critical,”<br />
she says, “when one considers that<br />
police and other crime specialists rely<br />
on verbal descriptions to find suspects,<br />
person identifications are used in the<br />
prosecution of crimes and mistaken<br />
identity is the leading cause of wrongful<br />
conviction.”<br />
Pozzulo has researched other<br />
related questions such as whether<br />
eyewitness testimony is valid if culprits<br />
change their appearance. Her study<br />
showed that even small changes in<br />
hairstyle, such as growing longer hair,<br />
considerably reduce the ability of adult<br />
and child eyewitnesses to identify a<br />
criminal.<br />
Pozzulo is an associate professor<br />
in the Department of Psychology and<br />
director of the Institute of Criminology<br />
and Criminal Justice at Carleton. She<br />
has co-authored two textbooks in<br />
forensic psychology. She is also a child<br />
clinical psychologist registered with the<br />
Ontario College of Psychologists.<br />
She has received a number of<br />
awards for her teaching and research,<br />
including the Significant Contribution<br />
Award from the Criminal Justice<br />
Section of the Canadian Psychological<br />
Association, a Carleton University<br />
Teaching Achievement Award, a Capital<br />
Educator’s Award from the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Centre for Research and Innovation and<br />
the President’s New Researcher Award<br />
from the Canadian Psychological<br />
Association.<br />
Pozzulo’s research is funded by<br />
the Social Sciences and Humanities<br />
Research Council (SSHRC) and<br />
Carleton University. Her research<br />
laboratory (the Laboratory for Child<br />
Forensic Psychology) was made<br />
possible by funding from the Canada<br />
Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the<br />
Ontario Research Fund and Carleton<br />
University.<br />
Research Days at Carleton is<br />
a month-long celebration of the<br />
outstanding and world-changing work<br />
by our innovative researchers that ends<br />
April 19th. Carleton is staging public<br />
lectures, conferences, films and project<br />
demonstrations to give the public an<br />
opportunity to experience the breadth<br />
and depth of our research. Discoveries<br />
at Carleton are making a significant<br />
contribution to our country and the<br />
world. With more than 850 research<br />
projects underway, $84 million in<br />
research funding, 24 Canada research<br />
chairs and myriad public- and privatesector<br />
partnerships, Carleton is making<br />
its mark in fields as diverse as digital<br />
media, health, the environment and<br />
sustainability, and globalization.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Donations of Winter Clothing Needed<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Resident and<br />
Carleton University Researcher<br />
Investigates Eyewitness Accounts<br />
Gatineau Park. Winter boots, skates, ski jackets, and<br />
accessories would be appreciated. Please contact me<br />
about sizes if you have any gently used items that<br />
you no longer need. Also, French and English books<br />
would be welcomed.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Page 29<br />
Cati, Fabricio, Kevin, Marcelo, Daniel Silva, Henri Belanger, and James Hunter<br />
Photo by Georgina Hunter<br />
georginahunter@rogers.com; 613 730-0033.
Page 30 The th OSCAR - OUR 37 YEAR<br />
MAY 2010<br />
Kathy Ablett, R.N.<br />
Trustee Zone 9<br />
Capital/River Wards<br />
Telephone: 526-9512<br />
Corpus Christi<br />
Thank you to students and staff<br />
at Corpus Christi school for their<br />
invitation to celebrate “Green Day”.<br />
Truly, you all have the spirit and your<br />
song ‘Lead the Way to Change the<br />
World’ says it all. Hold on for the<br />
official recording – release date to be<br />
announced!<br />
Immaculata High School<br />
Immaculata students and staff<br />
have been very busy and I was happy<br />
to participate in two of their recent<br />
activities. The Honourable Sheila<br />
Copps, former Federal Minister,<br />
spoke to a group of senior students<br />
about being involved in decision<br />
making and pursuing their goals. In<br />
reflecting on the Persons Case and<br />
the Famous Five, many stories were<br />
exchanged and the differences that<br />
still occur with regards to women<br />
were revealed.<br />
The debate about women’s<br />
hockey remaining as an Olympic<br />
event was most interesting.<br />
The very next week I was back<br />
at Immaculata to hear Lt. Colonel<br />
Scott Clancy speak to Grade 11 & 12<br />
students in a law history class. Lt.<br />
Col. Clancy was the Canadian Forces<br />
operation person in charge in Haiti<br />
following the recent earthquake.<br />
The students had just completed<br />
fundraising efforts on behalf of Haiti<br />
and were very keen to hear first-hand<br />
what was happening. Thank you to all<br />
OCCSB TRUSTEE REPORT<br />
“PUTTING STUDENTS FIRST”<br />
involved in making this happen.<br />
Just a few days later I learned that<br />
a graduate of Immaculata had been<br />
on the same tour in Haiti under Lt.<br />
Colonel Clancy’s command. Truly a<br />
small world!!<br />
Board Chooses New Director of<br />
Education<br />
The Board of Trustees for the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Catholic School Board has<br />
selected Julian Hanlon as the new<br />
Director of Education. Mr. Hanlon<br />
is currently Deputy Director of<br />
Education and will assume his new<br />
role on September 1, 2010. He<br />
succeeds retiring director James<br />
McCracken.<br />
“Julian Hanlon is well known<br />
for his devotion to our mission of a<br />
superior, faith-filled education for<br />
every child,” said Gordon Butler,<br />
Chairperson of the Board. “He<br />
is respected by educators, staff<br />
associations, parents and community<br />
partners for his collaborative and<br />
inclusive management style and his<br />
unwavering focus on student success.<br />
The Board of Trustees is confident<br />
that Julian’s proven leadership skills<br />
and experience will allow the Board<br />
to build on our achievements and<br />
continue to evolve to meet the needs<br />
of each and every child.”<br />
Mr. Hanlon began his career in<br />
education with the former Carleton<br />
Roman Catholic School Board as<br />
a teacher in 1979. After becoming<br />
a department head and a viceprincipal,<br />
he was principal of Notre<br />
Dame High School and St. Mark<br />
High School, as well as a system<br />
principal in Staff Development. Later,<br />
as Superintendent of Schools, he<br />
brought leadership skills and insight<br />
to his portfolio in Human Resources.<br />
Mr. Hanlon has been Deputy Director<br />
of Education since 2003.<br />
“It is both an honour and a<br />
pleasure to be selected to lead the<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Catholic School Board.” said<br />
Mr. Hanlon.<br />
“This is my 31st year with the<br />
Board and I am deeply committed to<br />
continuing the tradition of excellent<br />
Catholic education that has made this<br />
Board one of the top school boards in<br />
Ontario.”<br />
Mr. Hanlon holds a Masters of<br />
Education degree from the University<br />
of <strong>Ottawa</strong>. A proud father and<br />
grandfather, Julian and his wife,<br />
Claire, are lifelong residents of<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
“Going Green” is an ongoing<br />
commitment<br />
The Board’s Environmental<br />
Action Committee continued to<br />
provide leadership and support to<br />
the system in the past year. The<br />
committee works with schools and<br />
students to put the Board theme “We<br />
Care for God’s Creation” into action.<br />
While green initiatives in schools<br />
improve “ecological literacy” and<br />
help the environment, they also have<br />
a positive impact on those living in<br />
poverty.<br />
Superintendent of Student<br />
Success, Intermediate/Secondary,<br />
Denise Andre; Principal of Holy Spirit<br />
School and Committee Co-Chair,<br />
Marg Skinner; and Environmental<br />
Education Leader, Christine Adam-<br />
Carr, presented the newest initiatives<br />
in the schools to the Board.<br />
Twenty schools are working<br />
towards EcoSchools certification in<br />
this school year. Last year, seven of<br />
the Board’s schools were certified<br />
EcoSchools: one Gold, six Silver<br />
– schools where students, staff and<br />
parents get involved, and leadership<br />
roles for environmental activities are<br />
taken by students.<br />
Many students become<br />
environmental representatives in<br />
their schools. Grades 4-9 participate<br />
in outdoor environmental education,<br />
activities focus on habitats<br />
and communities, biodiversity,<br />
interactions in the environment and<br />
sustainable systems. These half-day<br />
camps are held in cooperation with<br />
the Baxter Conservation Area, the<br />
MacSkimming Outdoor Education<br />
centre, and YMCA Camp. A further<br />
focus is on experiential learning and<br />
field trips to a waste management<br />
facility, local watercourses and<br />
organic food producers.<br />
Notre Dame, Sacred Heart and<br />
St. Mark High Schools offer “The<br />
Environment” Specialist High Skills<br />
Major course with career-focused<br />
learning. All Board green initiatives<br />
count on community connections and<br />
co-op placements for students.<br />
The Board continues to be a<br />
provincial leader in energy efficiencies<br />
with solar hot water at Kanata North<br />
Catholic Elementary School (opening<br />
September 2010), efficient motors<br />
(energy capture) at Sacred Heart High<br />
School, and solar electric power at St.<br />
Pius X High School.<br />
Students continue to be the<br />
cornerstone of school-based<br />
environmental action committees.<br />
For more information go to:<br />
ottawacatholicschools.ca/content.<br />
php?doc=5411<br />
Early Learning Program (ELP)<br />
– Update<br />
In September 2010, the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Catholic School Board will begin<br />
phasing in full-day learning for<br />
four- and five-year old kindergarten<br />
students. The Board received an<br />
update on phase-two schools, for the<br />
2011-2012 school year.<br />
Phase-one ELP schools in<br />
September 2010 are:<br />
• Bayshore Catholic<br />
• Brother Andre<br />
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel<br />
• Our Lady of Wisdom<br />
• St. Bernard<br />
• St. Brigid<br />
• St. Daniel<br />
• St. Catherine<br />
• St. Elizabeth<br />
• St. Martin de Porres<br />
• St. Patrick<br />
• St. Michael (Corkery) – Board<br />
funded.<br />
Phase-two ELP schools in<br />
September 2011 are:<br />
• Prince of Peace<br />
• Our Lady of Peace<br />
• Blessed Kateri Takekwitha<br />
• St. Michael (Corkery) – Ministry<br />
funded.<br />
For more information about<br />
full-day kindergarten, go to:<br />
ottawacatholicschools.ca/content.<br />
php?doc=6418<br />
If, at any time, I can be of<br />
assistance to you please do not<br />
hesitate to call me at 526-9512.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Kathy Ablett<br />
“Your Trustee”<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca
MAY 2010<br />
OCDSB TRUSTEE REPORT<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 31<br />
Unexpected Concerns About Secondary School Gifted Sites<br />
By Rob Campbell<br />
Last column, amongst other<br />
key news, I briefly noted that<br />
a report on the location of<br />
congregated secondary gifted centres<br />
was coming forward. Its general<br />
argument is that there are too many<br />
English and French immersion gifted<br />
sites at secondary schools and that<br />
these should be consolidated into<br />
fewer stronger program locations.<br />
The advantages to this are greater<br />
gifted course selections at each site<br />
and also a stronger per cohort while<br />
preserving some equity of access, all<br />
of which surely should be supported<br />
in concept.<br />
The report recommends reducing<br />
to three centres: Lisgar, Bell and<br />
Merivale. Lisgar would have<br />
Eextended French Gifted and English<br />
Gifted while the other two would have<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Regional Youth Choir<br />
Saturday, May 8th - The <strong>Ottawa</strong> Regional Youth Choir,<br />
directed by Kevin Reeves will perform at 7:30 p.m. with<br />
Kingston ’s Cantabile Youth Choir directed by Dr. Mark<br />
Sirett at Knox Presbyterian Church, Elgin Street and Laurier<br />
Avenue<br />
Tickets: Adults-$20; Seniors-$15 Students-$10<br />
French Immersion options in addition<br />
to English. The report recommends<br />
redirecting students from Glebe<br />
Collegiate Institute’s gifted French<br />
immersion program. The numbers at<br />
Glebe had been weak (this year 60<br />
students across four grades). On the<br />
basis of these numbers I had been<br />
reluctantly willing to go along with<br />
the basic recommendation.<br />
Since then, the question has<br />
become more complicated. One, we<br />
now also know that Glebe registration<br />
numbers for next year’s Grade 9<br />
gifted have shot up to 26 students.<br />
Given low attrition grade-to-grade for<br />
Glebe gifted, as this might be a result<br />
of a structural shift towards Glebe<br />
registrations given recent transfer<br />
policy changes, as the staff suggest<br />
that 70 students is minimum school<br />
program threshold, then whether the<br />
Glebe phase out of gifted French<br />
still makes sense now is in question.<br />
<strong>Changes</strong> to the transfer policy means<br />
that we may be making decisions to<br />
secondary gifted education looking in<br />
the rearview mirror, and we need to<br />
get this right.<br />
Also, an oil has been poured on the<br />
fire. It started with a very unfortunate<br />
side-bar in the report suggesting staff<br />
want to phase out the entire gifted<br />
secondary program in the OCDSB in<br />
time. This, along with questions about<br />
the specific school recommendations,<br />
has understandably raised concern<br />
as to a link between the two. Then a<br />
Trustee proposed that the Gifted be<br />
moved from Lisgar out to Gloucester!<br />
As a result, larger concerns going<br />
well beyond the limited scope of the<br />
formal recommendations in the report<br />
has been sparked.<br />
Gifted students are recognized<br />
as having certain special education<br />
Sunday, May 2 2010 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm<br />
Location: <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> Neighbourhood<br />
The 8th Annual Hike for Hospice in support<br />
of The Hospice at May Court at 114<br />
Cameron Avenue. A national fundraising and<br />
awareness event for palliative care; event in-<br />
Hike for Hospice<br />
needs by the Ministry and the OCDSB<br />
and have a right to have those needs<br />
addressed.<br />
We’ll see if satisfactory answers<br />
are forthcoming as to whether the<br />
named schools really are the best ones<br />
to host a reduced number of stronger<br />
gifted sites. Also, we may need to<br />
debate what minimum numbers at<br />
each should be. Down the road, there<br />
may be a District-wide review of<br />
all secondary school programming.<br />
Choices made today about gifted<br />
program sites may impact on the<br />
circumstances and options we discuss<br />
in a larger review in the years to come.<br />
If you have a suggestion or a<br />
concern then please contact me via<br />
rob@ocdsbzone9.ca or at 323-7803.<br />
Meeting and document info available<br />
at www.ocdsb.ca<br />
cludes a 5km wallk, picnic, Little Ray’s Reptiles,<br />
entertainment, prizes and more. Say<br />
hello to the walkers and they wind their way<br />
through the streets of <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>. To<br />
walk in memory or in honour of someone<br />
special contact www.hikeforhospice.com.
Page 32<br />
Red Apron Cooks<br />
The month of May is always a<br />
very busy month at the Red<br />
Apron. We kick off the month<br />
with the Hike for Hospice at May Court<br />
on Sunday May 2 nd . Registration is<br />
at 9am and the Hike start time is at<br />
10am. This is a wonderful event that<br />
we have participated in for a number<br />
of years. As a sponsor of this event<br />
the Red Apron will be providing a<br />
picnic lunch to all hikers. We hope to<br />
see you there! For more information<br />
go to ww.hospicemaycourt.com.<br />
On Tuesday May 4 th , the Red<br />
Apron will be taking part in Bon<br />
Appetit, <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s premiere gourmet<br />
event at the Aberdeen Pavilion at<br />
Landsdowne Park. This annual<br />
cocktail party features over 90<br />
local food businesses and dozens of<br />
wineries & breweries. Over 2000<br />
people turn out to sample food, and<br />
raise money for a number of local<br />
charities.<br />
Over the last few years Bon<br />
Appetit has been going green, with<br />
biodegradable plates, reusable wine<br />
glasses, and multi purpose waste<br />
containers allowing for composting<br />
and recycling. For tickets visit the<br />
website at www.bonappetitottawa.ca.<br />
Spring has come early this year<br />
and if you have plans to grow some<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
of your own food this year, you may<br />
want to visit the Canadian Organic<br />
Growers website. Along with tools,<br />
tips and publications, they also<br />
provide support to the new and the<br />
experienced gardener through a series<br />
of organic gardening workshops.<br />
Visit www.cog.ca/ottawa<br />
If growing your own vegetables is<br />
not your thing, now is also the time<br />
of year to consider establishing a CSA<br />
relationship with a local organic farm.<br />
For more information on how to find<br />
a farmer, visit the Just Food website at<br />
www.justfood.ca.<br />
Remember that the <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Farmer’s Market at Lansdowne Park<br />
opens on Sunday May 9 th – Mother’s<br />
Day - and will be open each Sunday<br />
from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Starting<br />
June 17 th , the market will also be open<br />
Thursday’s from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.<br />
Local asparagus will be one of the<br />
first vegetables we see at the market.<br />
Asparagus grows well in many<br />
places around the world including<br />
North America, England, and is<br />
even depicted in ancient Egyptian<br />
writings. Asparagus has also been<br />
grown in Syria and Spain since<br />
ancient times. As a member of the<br />
Lily family, asparagus spears grow<br />
from a crown that is planted about a<br />
foot deep in sandy soils. Under<br />
ideal conditions, an asparagus<br />
spear can grow 10” in a 24-hour<br />
period. Asparagus is a nutritionally<br />
well-balanced vegetable, and is<br />
an excellent source of vitamin<br />
K, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin<br />
Sponsored by the Table<br />
Vegetarian Restaurant<br />
On June 19, 2010 <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s<br />
Natasha Kyssa and Mark<br />
Faul will be hosting the<br />
“4th SimplyRaw Healthy Lifestyles<br />
Festival and Raw Vegan Pie Contest”<br />
in Central Park, 19 Clemow Ave on<br />
B1, B2, B3 and B6 as well as dietary<br />
fiber, manganese, copper, phosphorus,<br />
potassium and protein.<br />
Asparagus is a very versatile<br />
vegetable that can be enjoyed a<br />
number of simple ways:<br />
• Sautéed and chopped, asparagus<br />
is excellent in a quiche, frittata or<br />
omelet.<br />
• Steamed or sautéed, tossed in<br />
a light lemon vinaigrette and topped<br />
with chopped hard boiled eggs &<br />
bacon bits<br />
• Tossed in olive oil and balsamic,<br />
and grilled on the BBQ, makes an<br />
excellent side dish for steak or chicken<br />
• Stir fried with shitake<br />
mushrooms and strips of breast of<br />
chicken or beef with a dash of tamari<br />
or teriyaki sauce and served with rice<br />
• Grilled and tossed with pasta,<br />
peas & bacon<br />
….the possibilities are endless.<br />
However, one of my favourite ways<br />
to enjoy asparagus is in a cream of<br />
asparagus soup.<br />
For more information on the Red<br />
Apron Dinner Service, visit www.<br />
redapron.ca or call us at 613-321-<br />
0417.<br />
Cream Of Asparagus Soup<br />
Ingredients<br />
1-1/2 lb (680 g) asparagus<br />
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, olive oil or<br />
both<br />
1 chopped leek, (white & pale green<br />
parts)<br />
June 19, 2010 from 10am to 9pm.<br />
This is Canada’s premier and only<br />
raw food festival. It is a free, family<br />
and community oriented event<br />
featuring many local businesses.<br />
As in past years, there will be food<br />
demonstrations, sprouting and<br />
rebounding workshops, exhibits<br />
and lectures by knowledgeable<br />
authorities in healthy lifestyles<br />
and the field of raw food, plus the<br />
sampling of their wares. This year,<br />
special emphasis is being placed on<br />
sports and community involvement,<br />
with lots of activities for the whole<br />
family to enjoy together.<br />
Additionally, several raffles will<br />
be held throughout the day as well<br />
as yoga and other fun activities for<br />
the whole family to enjoy together.<br />
The inspiring Bhakti Connection<br />
will be performing their alluring<br />
changes and arrangements towards<br />
dusk.<br />
A highlight of the Festival is<br />
the Raw Vegan Pie contest and the<br />
after-contest sampling. After the<br />
judging by local community leaders<br />
and celebrities (Jim Watson, Paul<br />
MAY 2010<br />
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley<br />
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon rind<br />
2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice<br />
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper<br />
4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth or<br />
chicken broth<br />
1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream<br />
Snap off woody ends of<br />
asparagus; cut stalks into 1-1/2-inch<br />
(4 cm) lengths. Set aside.<br />
In large heavy saucepan, melt<br />
butter and olive oil on medium heat;<br />
cook leek, stirring occasionally, until<br />
very soft. Add parsley, lemon rind,<br />
lemon juice and pepper. Pour in broth<br />
and bring to boil; add asparagus reduce<br />
heat and simmer until asparagus is<br />
tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from<br />
heat and add whipping cream.<br />
In batches in blender or food<br />
processor, puree soup. If you are<br />
looking to achieve a super smooth<br />
consistency you can press through a<br />
sieve over saucepan to remove any<br />
fibre. However, we tend not to do<br />
this as the fiber can add nice texture<br />
and young asparagus shouldn’t be<br />
too stringy. At this point you can set<br />
aside the soup to re-heat at a later<br />
time, and store in your fridge for 2-3<br />
days. When ready to serve, heat until<br />
steaming. Serve immediately. If you<br />
leave the soup to heat for too long the<br />
colour will change and you will lose<br />
that beautiful spring green.<br />
You can garnish this soup with<br />
chopped chives, egg, bacon, parsley,<br />
or tarragon.<br />
The SimplyRaw Healthy<br />
Lifestyle Festival and Pie Contest!<br />
Dewar, Ron Eade, Robert Fife, Tony<br />
Greco, TL Radar, Derick Fage, etc),<br />
you will have the chance to sample<br />
the raw pie entries. The Raw Vegan<br />
Pie contest is open to anyone and<br />
the prizes are substantial and much<br />
sought-after - including a Vitamix<br />
Blender! Registration is limited, so<br />
if you are interested in participating,<br />
submit your entry now!<br />
To enter the Raw Vegan<br />
Pie Contest, please visit: http://<br />
www.simplyraw.ca/community/<br />
f e s t i v a l - 2 0 1 0 / p i e - c o n t e s t -<br />
registration/<br />
More information on the June<br />
19, 2010, 4th Healthy Lifestyles<br />
Festival and Raw Vegan Pie Contest,<br />
visit Simply Raw’s website: http://<br />
www.simplyraw.ca/community/<br />
festival-2010/. You can also access<br />
information on Facebook at: http://<br />
tinyurl.com/ygfqooh<br />
Mark your calendar and don’t<br />
miss this delicious event!<br />
For more information contact<br />
SimplyRaw at: (613) 234-0806 or<br />
festival@simplyraw.ca
MAY 2010<br />
by Rick Sutherland, CLU,<br />
CFP, FDS, R.F.P<br />
I<br />
know you’ve heard it all before.<br />
Although the internet can be a<br />
wonderful source of information<br />
and education is has also become<br />
a haven for the more unscrupulous<br />
aspect of society. There are reports<br />
after reports of how someone or<br />
another was duped or taken advantage<br />
of by these unsavoury characters.<br />
But this discussion is not about porn,<br />
scams or dishonesty. Today we talk<br />
about how the ethical element of<br />
society is now using the internet to<br />
find things out about you and then<br />
use this information, possibly to your<br />
detriment.<br />
Do you have a Facebook profile?<br />
Did you ever use MySpace? Do you<br />
Twitter? Are you on Classmates.<br />
com? Do you have a Blog? Are you<br />
LinkedIn? These modern inventions<br />
of the internet have become popular<br />
forms of sharing information about<br />
our lives. They are the new form of<br />
social networking. <strong>Old</strong> high school<br />
friends can reunite using these<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 33<br />
services. Businesses have a ready<br />
network of referrals. You can plan<br />
your next party. You can tell your<br />
story to the world, including pictures.<br />
Isn’t the internet a fantastic sharing<br />
tool?<br />
But you must be aware that there<br />
may be others checking you out: your<br />
banker for instance. These socially<br />
accepted services designed for sharing<br />
information have potential to become<br />
serious tools for lenders to decide on<br />
whether or not they will grant you<br />
a loan. One lender in California has<br />
admitted to using the information on<br />
social networks and matching that<br />
information with credit applications.<br />
Any discrepancy will be reviewed<br />
and the information gathered is used<br />
to determine the creditworthiness of a<br />
client.<br />
The insurance industry has been<br />
using the internet with success for<br />
some time now. It may seem crazy<br />
but there are people who are on a<br />
disability claim, collecting benefits<br />
and were supposed to be unable to<br />
work or perform any form of physical<br />
activity. Then they posted pictures of<br />
themselves on their social network<br />
Are You Liable If Your Guests<br />
Injure Others While Inebriated?<br />
By Anna Sundin<br />
As a general rule, a social host does not owe a duty of care to a person<br />
injured by a guest who has consumed alcohol, the Supreme Court of<br />
Canada held in the 2006 decision Childs v. Desormeaux.<br />
Zoë Childs was grievously injured when the car in which she was a<br />
passenger was struck by a car driven by a drunk driver, Desmond Desormeaux.<br />
Her spine was severed, and she is now a paraplegic. Desormeaux, who was<br />
driving an uninsured vehicle, had a blood-alcohol concentration at the time<br />
of the accident of about 225 mg per 100 ml -- well over the legal limit for<br />
driving of 80 mg per 100 ml. He pleaded guilty to criminal charges arising<br />
from the accident and received a 10-year sentence.<br />
Before the collision, Desormeaux had attended a bring-your-own-bottle<br />
(BYOB) party at the home of social hosts Julie Zimmerman and Dwight<br />
Courrier. Childs sued Zimmerman and Courrier, as well as Desormeaux,<br />
alleging that their negligence had contributed to her injuries.<br />
The supreme court held that a social host at a party where alcohol is<br />
served is not under a duty of care to members of the public who may be<br />
injured by a guest’s actions, unless the host’s conduct implicates him or her<br />
in the creation or exacerbation of the risk.<br />
Although Chief Justice McLachlin said that “holding a private party<br />
at which alcohol is served -- the bare facts of this case -- is insufficient to<br />
implicate the host in the creation of a risk sufficient to give rise to a duty of<br />
care to third parties who may be subsequently injured by the conduct of a<br />
guest,” she did appear to leave open the possibility of liability being imposed<br />
in some circumstances.<br />
It might be argued that a host who continues to serve alcohol to a visibly<br />
inebriated person knowing that he or she will be driving home may be<br />
implicated in the creation or enhancement of a risk sufficient to give rise to a<br />
duty of care to third parties.<br />
The trial judge had found that although the social hosts owed a duty of<br />
care in this case, this was negated by policy considerations involving the<br />
social and legal consequences of imposing a duty of care on social hosts to<br />
third parties injured by their guests, government regulation of alcohol sale<br />
and use, and the desirability of a legislative rather than judicial solution.<br />
If the social hosts had been found liable, the trial judge would have<br />
apportioned liability 85 per cent to Desormeaux and 15 per cent to Courrier<br />
and Zimmerman. All parties agreed that as Desormeaux appeared to have no<br />
assets and was not insured, the rules of joint and several liability would have<br />
made the social hosts effectively assume the full burden of a damage award if<br />
the Supreme Court had found a liability against the hosts of the party.<br />
Beware of the Internet<br />
site showing themselves taking<br />
part in extreme sports or physical<br />
activity like waterskiing. Insurers are<br />
searching social networks for those on<br />
claim and if discovered, benefits are<br />
cut, as they should be. Claims are also<br />
being denied for burglary when the<br />
homeowner is found to have posted<br />
that they will be away on vacation<br />
during certain dates. This just invites<br />
thieves to come over and take your<br />
stuff.<br />
And what about that job interview?<br />
Employers are making a point of<br />
checking social networks to see the<br />
character of the applicant. If there is<br />
a toss up between two candidates and<br />
one has a Facebook profile describing<br />
multiple parties and compromising<br />
photos it will probably be the other<br />
candidate who gets the job.<br />
We know that there are those<br />
who say, “No way, I don’t believe<br />
it.” “They wouldn’t do that.” “It’s<br />
too costly for the companies to look<br />
at me. They’d be wasting their time.”<br />
And you’re right. The message here is<br />
not to become paranoid about using<br />
the internet. We are simply suggesting<br />
discretion. We should not become<br />
complacent.<br />
Whether you are applying a<br />
loan or an insurance policy you may<br />
have a disclosure form to sign. Many<br />
companies are now inserting the clause<br />
“I consent to you reviewing social<br />
networks” or other similar words. So<br />
once you’ve signed the application<br />
anything in the internet is fair game<br />
for review. And if you didn’t get that<br />
dream job that you were absolutely<br />
suited for you may want to have a<br />
look at your Facebook profile. Keep<br />
your comments and photos private, or<br />
better yet, keep them off line.<br />
The foregoing is for general<br />
information purposes and is the<br />
opinion of the writer. This information<br />
is not intended to provide personal<br />
advice including, without limitation,<br />
investment, financial, legal,<br />
accounting or tax advice. Please call<br />
or write to Rick Sutherland CLU,<br />
CFP, FDS, R.F.P., to discuss your<br />
particular circumstances or suggest<br />
a topic for future articles at 613-<br />
798-2421 or E-mail rick@investedinterest.ca.<br />
Mutual Funds provided<br />
through FundEX Investments Inc.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Guidance, Protection<br />
and Peace of Mind.<br />
Anna E. Sundin, Barrister & Solicitor<br />
GEnErAl PrActicE includinG:<br />
Family Law, Wills, Real Estate, Incorporations, Litigation and Collaborative Family Law<br />
– A Cooperative and Dignified Approach to Separation and Divorce.–<br />
Sundin-OSCAR-Ad-2006.indd 1 7/27/06 11:15:35 AM
Page 34<br />
Local Veterinarian - Dr. Miriam Boileau<br />
Written by Dr. Miriam<br />
Boileau<br />
Dr. Miriam Boileau is an associate<br />
veterinarian at Centretown<br />
Veterinary Hospital. She is standing<br />
in for Dr. Emily Black who is off<br />
in Hawaii getting married... and<br />
stalking Magnum P.I. Miriam has<br />
two cats Bonnie and Lilli and lives in<br />
<strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong>!<br />
The warm weather is here!<br />
We’re all very excited that the<br />
snow is gone and we can go<br />
outdoors more often and spend more<br />
time in the dog park without freezing.<br />
The cats that go outdoors are going<br />
to start roaming around again also.<br />
Living in an area where winter occurs<br />
can be sometimes tedious but it does<br />
help us keep our pets healthy. This is<br />
because having a time of year where<br />
the ground freezes decreases the risk<br />
of certain contagious viruses and<br />
parasites being transmitted to our<br />
pets. Once the ground thaws however,<br />
watch out – they’re coming back in<br />
full force!<br />
One of the most common<br />
parasites we see in dogs and outdoor<br />
cats of all ages is roundworms.<br />
These are long white “spaghetti-like”<br />
worms that many of us have seen, at<br />
some point, in our pet’s stool. The<br />
adult worms live in the pet’s small<br />
intestine. The main route of infection<br />
of this worm is through ingestion of<br />
microscopic worm eggs or larva from<br />
the environment, and we all know that<br />
given<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Parasites and Springtime<br />
half a chance, dogs will eat any old<br />
thing they may find on their daily<br />
stroll; the smellier, the better. The<br />
surprising thing about these worms<br />
is that we don’t usually see any sign<br />
of disease! They have evolved to be<br />
so good at their survival that they<br />
essentially go under the radar, and<br />
hide from the pet’s immune system.<br />
In the meantime, however, we can get<br />
low grade inflammation building up in<br />
the intestines which will cause health<br />
problems over time. Furthermore,<br />
our pet is now shedding the worm<br />
eggs in the general environment and<br />
our backyards. This means other<br />
pets and even people can become<br />
infected. Yuck! Now, these worms<br />
are not able to live in our intestines<br />
but they are able to migrate through<br />
our bodies. In some rare instances<br />
they can cause damage to the eyes or<br />
the brain. Another type of gut worm,<br />
the hookworm, can cause similar<br />
problems in humans. These can be<br />
more dangerous to our pets because<br />
they suck blood from the intestinal<br />
lining. In large infestations, they can<br />
cause anemia, especially in young<br />
animals.<br />
Tapeworms are another fun<br />
parasite of the gut. Many people have<br />
seen this one as well. You may see a flat<br />
white segment about one centimeter<br />
long, either crawling around the pet’s<br />
bum or having a similar appearance to<br />
a piece of white rice once it has dried<br />
up. Although these are extremely<br />
gross, they generally do not cause<br />
our pets many health problems. They<br />
are acquired by both dogs and cats,<br />
mainly through hunting or by being<br />
bitten by a flea.<br />
All of these intestinal parasites<br />
can be easily detected with a simple<br />
test done on a poop sample from your<br />
pet at your veterinarian’s office; hence<br />
the request to provide us with the ever<br />
popular stool sample, which explains<br />
your vet’s obsession with poop!<br />
Should your pet’s stool be positive for<br />
any of these parasites, they are easily<br />
treatable with oral medication from<br />
your vet.<br />
The next two parasites we’ll<br />
discuss are definitely heavy hitters.<br />
The first can cause slowly progressing<br />
heart failure, and the second can<br />
quickly become an owner’s worst<br />
nightmare. We’re talking about<br />
heartworm and fleas. The good<br />
news is that many products now<br />
exist to treat both problems at once!<br />
Heartworms are parasites which can<br />
end up living in or around a pet’s<br />
heart. This disease is contracted<br />
when a pet is bitten by a mosquito<br />
that is infected with heartworm larva<br />
(or baby heartworm). These are<br />
obviously extremely small in stature,<br />
and they travel from mosquito to pet<br />
while the mosquito is attached to the<br />
pet to suck blood. Unless the heart<br />
disease is very advanced and severe,<br />
which occurs only after years of the<br />
pet having heartworm and is at that<br />
point permanent, the only way we<br />
can diagnose this condition is through<br />
a blood test. Only a few drops of<br />
blood are needed to conduct this test.<br />
If we are able to catch a heartworm<br />
positive pet early in the progression<br />
Fletcher Wildlife Garden<br />
Annual Plant Sale<br />
Saturday, 5 June, 9:30 am -<br />
12:30 pm<br />
(East side of Prince of Wales<br />
Drive, just south of the<br />
Arboretum)<br />
Hundreds of beautiful<br />
wildflowers are native to<br />
the <strong>Ottawa</strong> region. We<br />
can tell you which ones suit your<br />
backyard. Plant a wide variety of<br />
native plants to grow a garden that<br />
changes from month to month and<br />
MAY 2010<br />
of the disease, the treatment may<br />
have minimal to no side effects. As<br />
the worms increase in number and the<br />
heart disease advances, the treatment<br />
may be life threatening.<br />
Our final fun parasite to discuss<br />
is the lovely flea. Most pet owners<br />
have encountered this problem at<br />
some point in their lives. Fleas hang<br />
out in the environment waiting for<br />
an unsuspecting pet to come by and<br />
once they jump on, they hang on for<br />
dear life. The flea takes a blood meal,<br />
ie: sucks blood, when it’s hungry<br />
and it is this flea bite that makes the<br />
pet itchy. Some owners are even<br />
allergic to fleas and get red itchy dots<br />
around their ankles when their pet<br />
picks up fleas. Thankfully, gone are<br />
the days when we had to fumigate or<br />
spray our houses, exposing both pets<br />
and people to potentially dangerous<br />
products in a poor attempt to get rid<br />
of a flea infestation. These days,<br />
we have wonderful products that we<br />
can apply to the pets themselves to<br />
rid ourselves, and out surroundings,<br />
of this annoying problem and we no<br />
longer have to introduce chemicals to<br />
the environment at all.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Say Good-Bye To<br />
Lawn Grubs, Fertilizers,<br />
Sprinklers, Pesticides<br />
that creates an ecological balance<br />
making herbicides, pesticides, and<br />
chemical fertilizers unnecessary.<br />
Most of our plants attract<br />
butterflies and birds that bring<br />
your garden to life.<br />
See our demonstration<br />
backyard garden, and pick up free<br />
plant lists and “how-to” info on<br />
gardening for butterflies, attracting<br />
birds, building a backyard pond,<br />
and more!<br />
Information :<br />
www.ofnc.ca/fletcher
MAY 2010<br />
M.P.P. OTTAWA CENTRE<br />
By Yasir Naqvi, MPP<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> Centre<br />
With the 2010 Ontario<br />
Budget, our government is<br />
moving forward to address<br />
our fiscal challenges in a responsible<br />
way that protects the social services<br />
we have all worked so hard for.<br />
The Budget includes measures<br />
to manage expenditures, including<br />
compensation restraint and making<br />
government programs more efficient.<br />
It lays out a realistic and responsible<br />
plan to cut the deficit in half in five<br />
years, and eliminate it in eight years.<br />
Most importantly, the Budget builds on<br />
the progress we have made to ensure<br />
that Ontarians have the opportunities<br />
to succeed, and the social services to<br />
protect their families.<br />
Postsecondary Education and<br />
Skills Training<br />
Ontario’s colleges and universities<br />
play a critical role in equipping people<br />
for success and preparing them to<br />
generate the ideas, products and jobs<br />
that will ensure future prosperity and<br />
economic growth.<br />
Though Ontario has one of<br />
the highest rates of postsecondary<br />
education attainment in the world at<br />
62 per cent as the economy changes,<br />
70 per cent of all new jobs will require<br />
postsecondary education or training –<br />
and that is our government’s goal for<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 35<br />
Ontario.<br />
That is why we are adding 20,000<br />
new student spaces to colleges and<br />
universities this September, through<br />
an investment of $310 million<br />
annually. This is great news for<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong>’s colleges and universities<br />
who will now have the funding to<br />
attract more students.<br />
More students means more<br />
people will have the tools and skills<br />
they need to succeed. In addition,<br />
to supporting our post-secondary<br />
institutions, we have also pledged to<br />
boost Employment Ontario spending<br />
to $1.6 billion in each 2009-2010 and<br />
2010-2011 to help retrain an additional<br />
30,000 unemployed workers through<br />
the Second Career Strategy.<br />
Child Care Investments and Full-<br />
Day Learning<br />
Children are our most precious<br />
resource and one of our most important<br />
investments. We cannot afford to let<br />
our kids suffer, and that is why we are<br />
pledging to make up for the federal<br />
funding that is ending this year by<br />
investing an additional $63.5 million<br />
a year. As a result of this commitment,<br />
an estimated 302 child care spaces in<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> will be preserved.<br />
We are also moving forward with<br />
full-day learning. This fall, 39 <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
schools will be offering full-day<br />
programs for four- and five-year-olds.<br />
By 2015, full day learning will be<br />
available to every four- and five-yearold<br />
across the province.<br />
Moving to full-day learning is<br />
a big step. We are working with our<br />
education and child care partners to<br />
take a measured approach, and are<br />
taking five years to transition to the<br />
new model so we can make sure we<br />
get it right. To help facilitate this<br />
transition, we are investing $245<br />
million over the next two years in<br />
capital grant and subsides to help<br />
some child care centres convert<br />
existing space to serve other age<br />
cohorts. We will also review the Day<br />
Nurseries Act to support child care<br />
centre viability.<br />
Supporting Families and Reducing<br />
Poverty<br />
We have made a permanent<br />
commitment to break the cycle of<br />
poverty. In 2008, we announced a<br />
long-term poverty reduction plan that<br />
will give people the tools they need<br />
to succeed. The Open Ontario plan<br />
will help Ontario reach its full potent<br />
while supporting the vulnerable and<br />
helping everyone succeed.<br />
We are moving forward with<br />
our Poverty Reduction plan with the<br />
increase of the minimum wage to<br />
$10.25 an hour on March 31. This<br />
is the seventh consecutive year that<br />
the minimum wage has increased,<br />
following a nine-year freeze at $6.85.<br />
To help low-income Ontarians,<br />
Dorothy Reads<br />
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson<br />
I<br />
am eagerly awaiting the release<br />
of Per Petterson’s latest book I<br />
Curse the River Time which will be<br />
released in English during the summer<br />
of 2010. Petterson is one of Norway’s<br />
finest writers – his book Out Stealing<br />
Horses won the 2007 International<br />
IMPAC, the Independent Foreign<br />
Fiction Prize as well as the Norwegian<br />
Critics Prize for Literature and the<br />
Booksellers’ Best Book of the Year<br />
Award. It is one of the best books I have<br />
read recently.<br />
Out Stealing Horses is set in 2<br />
time periods: the fall of 1999 and the<br />
summer of 1948. Trond Sandor, a<br />
widower in his late sixties, has retired<br />
from professional life in Oslo to a<br />
A Balanced Plan<br />
ramshackle house in the woods of<br />
eastern Norway. He has pined to live<br />
in this setting for years: “All my life I<br />
have longed to be in a place like this.<br />
Even when everything was going well,<br />
as it often did.” Trond, it appears, was<br />
hoping to while away his twilight years<br />
in solitude with his dog Lyra, a radio<br />
and a collection of Dickens novels. One<br />
night, his solitary existence is disrupted<br />
by a chance encounter with a childhood<br />
acquaintance. This meeting sets off a<br />
stream of reminiscences through which<br />
we learn that Trond had lived in a very<br />
similar setting years before.<br />
As a 15 year old in the summer<br />
of 1948, Trond and his father spent<br />
several months together in a cabin near<br />
the Swedish border working the land<br />
and felling timber. Whilst there, Trond<br />
befriended a local boy, Jon, with whom<br />
he shared a slate of boyish adventures.<br />
One morning, while playing a cowboy<br />
inspired game of ‘stealing horses’<br />
Trond is thrown from the horse he is<br />
riding and experiences what is later<br />
described as a turning point in his life:<br />
“I remember I opened my eyes as if to<br />
a new beginning; nothing I saw was<br />
familiar to me, my head was empty, no<br />
thoughts, everything quite clean and the<br />
sky transparently blue and I didn’t know<br />
what I was called or even recognize my<br />
own body”. Unbeknownst to Trond<br />
at the time, everything would indeed<br />
change that day. An unimaginable<br />
tragedy at Jon’s house forces him to<br />
leave home and sets in motion a chain<br />
of events with lasting consequences for<br />
both families.<br />
Out Stealing Horses is chiefly<br />
about a nascent relationship between a<br />
father and son which began to develop<br />
during a summer spent together. With<br />
his friend Jon away, Trond is left to<br />
work the land with his physically fit<br />
father, and seeks to gain his approbation<br />
by demonstrating a capacity to pull<br />
his own weight. He endures gruelling<br />
days of physical labour by taking to<br />
heart his father’s advice “you decide<br />
yourself when it will hurt”- advice<br />
that will resound for him in the years<br />
to come. The book is also about loss<br />
and betrayal, and Trond’s inability to<br />
cope with either of these. We sense that<br />
following the events of 1948, he has<br />
lived a life of deadened consciousness<br />
and been incapable of forging functional<br />
relationships. The end, however, offers<br />
glimmers of hope. Perhaps through<br />
revisiting his past, a rapprochement<br />
with his estranged daughter is possible.<br />
Trond may yet come to be, like the hero<br />
of his Dickens’ novel, hero of his own<br />
life.<br />
a new, permanent refundable sales<br />
tax credit of up to $260 per person<br />
is available in 2010. We have also<br />
enhanced the property tax relief,<br />
providing more support particularly<br />
for seniors. To ensure that vulnerable<br />
Ontarians are protected, we<br />
have increased adult basic-needs<br />
allowances and maximum shelter<br />
allowances by one per cent for people<br />
on the Ontario Disability Support<br />
Program and Ontario Works.<br />
In addition, we are protecting<br />
our core public services by with<br />
an increase of 1.5 per cent in base<br />
hospital funding, and 3.6 per cent in<br />
school board funding.<br />
The Road Forward<br />
The 2010 Ontario Budget reflects<br />
the values of Ontarians. We are<br />
prudent and responsible, and believe<br />
in the return to balanced budgets.<br />
However, we also believe in the core<br />
public services like health care and<br />
education that make Ontario the best<br />
place to live, work and raise a family<br />
in. With this plan, we will move back<br />
to balanced budgets, create jobs and<br />
return to prosperity.<br />
For more information on the<br />
2010 Budget, please do not hesitate<br />
to contact my community office at<br />
613-722-6414 or visit my website at<br />
yasirnaqvimpp.ca.<br />
This is a beautifully written book:<br />
the writing is simple, well paced and<br />
understated. What remains unsaid is<br />
often as important as what is said. I<br />
recommend it particularly to fans of<br />
Hemingway.<br />
Dorothy Jeffreys, Librarian, Alta<br />
Vista Library
Page 36<br />
Par Jean-Claude Dubé<br />
La Montagne Secrète est un<br />
œuvre semi autobiographique<br />
qui révèle la profondeur de<br />
l’âme du son auteure Gabrielle Roy.<br />
Cet œuvre est un de ces rares livres<br />
qui commande une deuxième lecture<br />
pour être apprécié à sa juste valeur.<br />
Gabrielle Roy s’inspire de la vie<br />
du peintre René Richard, son ami et<br />
voisin de Charlevoix. Né en Suisse,<br />
René Richard devient trappeur et<br />
coureur des bois dans le nord de<br />
l’Alberta à l’âge de 18 ans. Peintre<br />
autodidacte, il crée des centaines<br />
de dessins. En voyage en Europe, il<br />
rencontre le grand peintre Clarence<br />
Gagnon qui le convint de s’installer<br />
au Québec pour se consacrer à son<br />
art. René Richard s’installe à Baie St.<br />
Paul d’où il partira maintes fois pour<br />
des randonnées lointaines dans le<br />
grand Nord canadien.<br />
Pierre Cadorai, créature de<br />
Gabrielle Roy et l’avatar de René<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
l’Amicale francophone d’<strong>Ottawa</strong> - Cercle de Lecture<br />
Richard, parcoure les rivières et<br />
les lacs du haut et bas Mackenzie,<br />
dans les Territoires du Nord-ouest<br />
du Canada. Il rencontre Gédéon,<br />
vieux prospecteur se servant toujours<br />
d’une passoire, et, plus tard, Nina,<br />
fille de Gédéon qui s’était évadé de<br />
la solitude du milieu de son père et<br />
travaillant comme serveuse de taverne<br />
timide dans un monde d’homme de la<br />
brousse.<br />
Plus tard, Pierre Cadorai s’associe<br />
avec un ami, Steve Sigurdsen, et ils<br />
passent les hivers sans soleil à la<br />
trappe et la chasse. Les étés, ils sont<br />
pêcheurs dans des lacs et rivières à<br />
peine dégelés. Tout se passe dans la<br />
solitude des bois et de la toundra où<br />
seul le loup est maître.<br />
Plusieurs années plus tard,<br />
Pierre est en Ungava et c’est là qu’il<br />
découvre, par hasard, une montagne<br />
solitaire qui l’épate car il la voit dans<br />
toute sa splendeur d’une fin de journée<br />
d’automne comme il n’y en a qu’au<br />
nord du Canada. Cette montagne est<br />
une muse et une maîtresse. Pierre la<br />
peint, maintes et maintes fois, dans<br />
tous ses éléments, en mangeant peu et<br />
sans se soucier de faire des provisions.<br />
L’hiver arrive, la montagne disparaît<br />
sous la neige et la brume et Pierre est<br />
affamé. Il doit abattre un vieil orignal<br />
à coup de hachette en le pourchassant<br />
une nuit entière sur la toundra. Est ça<br />
continue…<br />
Ce livre révèle la maîtrise de la<br />
prose que possède Gabrielle Roy avec<br />
une écriture douce et fine et à la fois<br />
poétique. La ponctuation est parfaite.<br />
Le style est exceptionnel: il est doux<br />
et puissant. Un exemple: « Dix fois<br />
au moins en une heure, Pierre allait<br />
à la porte, l’ouvrait, s’efforçait,<br />
à travers les bondissements de la<br />
tempête revenue, de saisir au loin un<br />
bruit d’attelage, ou quelque forme<br />
approchante ».<br />
Gabrielle Roy révèle son âme dans<br />
cette Montagne secrète et, telle qu’une<br />
montagne qui se métamorphose avec<br />
les saisons, les intempéries et les<br />
heures du jour, l’âme de Gabrielle<br />
Roy est inscrutable. La montagne est<br />
Sips from the Poetry Café<br />
That’s What Mothers Are For<br />
by: Susan Atkinson<br />
I’ve been thinking a lot about<br />
mothers of late (my mother,<br />
other mothers, being a mother). I<br />
suppose it’s mostly because Mother’s<br />
Day is on its way and I knew I wanted<br />
to write something as tribute, not just<br />
to my mum but all the other women<br />
out there who fulfill a nurturing role in<br />
someone’s life. Anyway I had known<br />
I had wanted to write this piece and<br />
had been percolating ideas like mad<br />
but hadn’t landed on anything until<br />
last night when one of my daughters<br />
literally opened the floodgates.<br />
So this is what happened – actually<br />
let me back up and set the stage – it’s<br />
mid-week and I’m tired and as so often<br />
happens while putting my youngest to<br />
bed we’ll read, cuddle and I’ll find my<br />
eyes drooping slightly until an hour<br />
or two has passed and I realize I had<br />
better get up and finish all the things<br />
I’d left unfinished. Well last night I<br />
didn’t come to my realization on my<br />
own because my next daughter up (we<br />
affectionately call her “Number 3”)<br />
snapped me out of contentment with<br />
urgent pleas of help.<br />
She had (although she argued<br />
it wasn’t her fault!) overflowed the<br />
upstairs toilet. Now when I say<br />
overflowed I don’t mean a trickle, I<br />
mean a FLOOD. As I arrived on the<br />
scene, water was flowing everywhere<br />
and bobbing along in it were several<br />
of my ‘best towels’ (I suppose I should<br />
have been grateful at her attempt to<br />
clean up!!). Well by the time it was<br />
all put right by, yes you guessed it…<br />
by me – I had one very soggy hallway<br />
mat, a number of soaking towels and<br />
a rather melodic drip from the ceiling<br />
into the kitchen. Now I agree that<br />
by now I was probably neither very<br />
pleasant nor very patient but I think<br />
under the circumstances I held up<br />
pretty well! I may have been a little<br />
terse with my goodnight and not as<br />
loving as usual but by morning I was a<br />
little more like my ‘motherly- angelicmother-Theresa-self’<br />
and uttered a<br />
condensed apology just in case I had<br />
seemed MAD. As you can imagine<br />
(oh I forgot to mention #3 is 14!) my<br />
daughter did linger on the fact that she<br />
felt I’d been mean and that she was<br />
perhaps a little hard done by.<br />
I have to admit that the inspiration<br />
for my article did not end there.<br />
Coincidentally we happen to be<br />
hosting her best friend for the week<br />
and while the two girls were busily<br />
getting ready for school, breakfasts,<br />
lunches, this and that, I tried to explain<br />
that sometimes I’m tired and need<br />
a little help (put your hand up if a.<br />
you’ve ever given this speech, b. If<br />
you’ve ever received it or c. BOTH!)<br />
une quête de l’absolu, de l’idéal, d’un<br />
exploit qui est toujours insaisissable.<br />
La montagne est à la fois une amie<br />
qui console et une rivale qui menace<br />
et tourmente. En lisant la Montagne<br />
secrète de Gabrielle Roy, on ne doit<br />
pas y voir simplement qu’un roman<br />
mais aussi une vision de soi-même:<br />
car il y a probablement une montagne<br />
secrète en nous tous.<br />
La prochaine rencontre du Cercle<br />
de lecture de l’Amicale qui aura lieu<br />
le 11 mai ne discutera pas de Rouge<br />
Brésil tel qu’annoncé le mois dernier.<br />
La lecture choisie pour le mois de<br />
mai est L’élégance de l’hérisson<br />
de Muriel Barbery. Le livre Rouge<br />
Brésil de Jean-Christophe Rufin sera<br />
la lecture de l’été pour la rencontre du<br />
mois de septembre.<br />
Pendant la période de rénovations<br />
à la bibliothèque Sunnyside, le Cercle<br />
se réunit en l’église <strong>South</strong>minster au<br />
coin des rues Bank et Aylmer. L’entrée<br />
est sur la rue Galt et la rencontre dans<br />
une petite salle au premier plancher.<br />
I used the freshly-created “mess” to<br />
prove my point and #3 smiled sweetly,<br />
kissed me on the cheek, breezed out<br />
of the room to go to school while at<br />
the same time genuinely believing her<br />
words “but mummy, that’s what mums<br />
are for”. And now here I am, finally<br />
ready to explain why I started writing<br />
this piece in the first place…<br />
I had no argument for my daughter<br />
as she did indeed have a strong<br />
point. Mums are for so many things,<br />
for example: cleaning, picking up,<br />
fetching and carrying, chauffeuring,<br />
counseling, coordinating, social<br />
conveying, nursing, and anything else<br />
that ends in an –ing that involves doing<br />
for others! I suppose if my daughter<br />
hadn’t rushed out to catch up with her<br />
busy life then I may have pointed out<br />
that mums have other jobs that are<br />
way, way more important but in the<br />
end I realized it wasn’t my daughter I<br />
needed to tell this to but rather I needed<br />
to tell my mother that “I got it!” I<br />
needed to let her know that now as a<br />
grown up with children of my own I<br />
had experienced the epiphany of what<br />
mothers are really for. They are there<br />
for the way, way more important things<br />
like comforting, cuddling, loving,<br />
supporting, being there to pick up the<br />
pieces, to say the right things, to give<br />
advice and to give encouragement.<br />
Making their children feel like nothing<br />
else matters and that they are number<br />
one is what mums are not only for but<br />
what they do every single minute of<br />
every single day. I hope everyone out<br />
there who plays this role in someone’s<br />
life has a really lovely Mother’s Day. I<br />
know that on May 9 th I’m going to be<br />
giving a certain someone a really big<br />
hug!<br />
Cont’d on next page
MAY 2010<br />
Demystifying Home Technology<br />
By: Russell King, CCPD<br />
Sovereign Designs Inc.<br />
With Earth Day 2010 just<br />
behind us, I thought it<br />
a good time to do our<br />
part by talking about home energy<br />
management. Most all of us are<br />
concerned to some degree about<br />
saving on our energy bills and in<br />
doing so reduce our eco footprint on<br />
our small part of the planet. This is<br />
the 1st part in a small series which<br />
will cover energy management in the<br />
home.<br />
So for this, the 1st part of our<br />
series, let’s talk lighting. Did you<br />
know that lighting accounts for about<br />
20% of an average home’s energy bill.<br />
Pull out your latest energy bill subtract<br />
20%; now wouldn’t you like to spend<br />
that elsewhere? Sure you would,<br />
who wouldn’t? Take the most basic<br />
example: a single light in your home.<br />
We’ve all been told that we should<br />
replace our standard (incandescent)<br />
light bulbs with the more energy<br />
efficient CFL (compact fluorescent)<br />
There were over 4,000 charges<br />
in <strong>Ottawa</strong> in March for unsafe<br />
and heavy/commercial vehicle<br />
infractions and speeding.<br />
The Selective Traffic Enforcement<br />
Program (STEP) focus on unsafe<br />
and heavy/commercial vehicles and<br />
speeding resulted in 4,358 charges<br />
being laid in March, according to<br />
the City’s Integrated Road Safety<br />
Program (IRSP).<br />
Specifically, 1,063 tickets<br />
Mothers ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
Tradition<br />
(For my mother, Margaret)<br />
I vowed I’d never do it,<br />
you know, spit on an old<br />
piece of discarded tissue<br />
and wipe your face.<br />
Not the way<br />
my mother used to.<br />
The big cotton handkerchief<br />
she kept stuffed<br />
in the bowels of her handbag,<br />
encrusted with expelled<br />
jewels of waste that clung<br />
to old, dry tobacco flakes.<br />
Her spit, yellow-stained<br />
from coffee and<br />
non-filtered cigarettes<br />
bathed our chubby little faces<br />
removing sweet stains<br />
with one foul swipe.<br />
And now, I do as she did<br />
and you, as I,<br />
hold your breath<br />
and puff your cheeks<br />
like a cartoon goldfish.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 37<br />
Energy Management - Part 1<br />
bulbs. While this does reduce the<br />
energy consumption used, they are<br />
generally environmentally unfriendly<br />
due to the chemicals used in the bulbs<br />
when improperly disposed of. There<br />
are also practical issues with CFL<br />
bulbs: you can’t dim them, and until<br />
recently there has been no choice in<br />
the colour of the light they give. The<br />
CFL bulb doesn’t sound so appealing.<br />
So what to do?<br />
Lets first look at changing the<br />
switch controlling the bulb, instead<br />
of the bulb itself. By replacing a<br />
standard switch with a dimmer you<br />
now have control as to how much<br />
energy is going to the bulb, not just<br />
off 0% or on 100%. Also you’ve<br />
gained an excellent way to create<br />
different moods within your space.<br />
By dimming a single light or a group<br />
of lights to create a lighting scene<br />
you can easily add drama to a space.<br />
Think of the last time you went to the<br />
theatre, the curtains opened, the lights<br />
dimmed and the show started. All of<br />
that is in place to set a mood and to<br />
create drama. Replacing a standard<br />
were issued to drivers for unsafe<br />
and heavy/commercial vehicle<br />
infractions and the speeding initiative<br />
resulted in 3,295 charges being laid.<br />
Examples of unsafe vehicle charges<br />
include: improper tires, obstructed<br />
windshield, no clear view to side or<br />
rear windows, and defective brakes<br />
and steering.<br />
Examples of heavy truck and<br />
commercial vehicle-related charges<br />
include: insecure load, load not<br />
Police Report<br />
switch with a Lutron dimmer can save<br />
you up to $30/year (1).<br />
So what about dimmers? Well,<br />
a typical dimmer (2) will save you<br />
energy -- an eco-dim dimmer (3) -<br />
guarantees at least 15% energy savings<br />
and 3X bulb life extension when you<br />
replace your standard switch. These<br />
dimmers, manufactured by Lutronm<br />
the company that invented the solid<br />
state dimmer, are the latest in the<br />
green movement.<br />
In addition to dimmers,<br />
occupancy/vacancy sensors can be<br />
installed so you never have to worry<br />
about the light that you think you left<br />
on. An occupancy sensor is just that, it<br />
senses when someone is in a room and<br />
turns on the light or lights associated<br />
with it and when no one is in the room<br />
turns off the lights. A vacancy sensor<br />
will turn off the lights when you have<br />
left the room, which means you’ll still<br />
need to turn them on when you enter<br />
the room.<br />
Wireless Occupancy Sensor<br />
My suggestion then when it<br />
properly covered, improper use of<br />
the designated Truck Route Network,<br />
failure to surrender Commercial<br />
Vehicle Operator’s Registration<br />
(CVOR) Certificate and operating<br />
commercial vehicle without valid<br />
CVOR Certificate.<br />
Each month since 2004, STEP<br />
has been profiling and enforcing two<br />
initiatives that target specific traffic<br />
safety priorities. These initiatives<br />
support larger IRSP public awareness<br />
comes to bulbs: leave what you have<br />
and add dimming solutions or take the<br />
leap with LED (light emitting diode).<br />
Although LED bulbs are fairly new<br />
to market and therefore a bit costly,<br />
huge strides have been made in the<br />
field of LED technology. You can get<br />
replacement bulbs from most lighting<br />
resellers in the city. Be careful when<br />
purchasing, as many bulbs currently<br />
on the shelf are non-dimming so if<br />
your intended application requires a<br />
dimming styled bulb ask for one.<br />
Next Time: Home Automation<br />
‘With home automation systems<br />
starting in the hundreds of dollars it<br />
has now become affordable for most<br />
everyone to have the benefits of<br />
automating in at least a part of their<br />
home.<br />
---------------------------<br />
(1) based on 2009 US energy<br />
prices.<br />
(2) Dimming your lights just 25%<br />
saves 20% in energy<br />
(3) eco-dim dimmers are a<br />
trademark of Lutron Corporation<br />
and enforcement campaigns.<br />
In 2003, two City departments - Public<br />
Works and <strong>Ottawa</strong> Public Health - and<br />
the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Police Service developed<br />
the IRSP to provide a comprehensive<br />
approach in promoting road safety.<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> residents have identified<br />
traffic safety as a top priority.<br />
The IRSP is committed to using<br />
available resources to make <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
roads safer for residents.
Page 38 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
COMPUTER TRICKS AND TIPS<br />
Viruses Are Popping Up All Over<br />
By Malcolm and John Harding, of<br />
Compu-Home<br />
There is a new malware kid on the block, and<br />
we at Compu-Home have been spending an<br />
increasing number of our appointments in the<br />
past few months helping people who have become<br />
mired in this vandalism. The new breed of malware<br />
has some things about it that are innovative and<br />
stubborn, and it takes a combination of old standby<br />
strategies and a couple of new tricks to defeat it.<br />
Notice that I went straight to “defeat” and didn’t<br />
mention “avoid.” That’s because we have found<br />
that there is really no advice that will guarantee that<br />
you won’t be stricken. There is no anti-virus utility<br />
(free or expensive) that is guaranteed to protect you<br />
and there is no nice and neat category of websites<br />
or practices to steer clear of. In the old days, people<br />
who didn’t go to porn, gambling or illegal file<br />
sharing sites were fairly safe from viruses. Add<br />
a strict rule of not opening unexpected email and<br />
never downloading suspect attachments, and you<br />
might have stayed virus-free forever. Nowadays,<br />
alas, the old safeguards don’t apply and people are<br />
being hit after browsing where it was reasonably<br />
assumed to be quite safe.<br />
All the same, it is well worth your while to<br />
continue to follow the traditional safe surfing rules<br />
and to avoid high-risk Internet activities. Recently<br />
we have added a caution about downloading<br />
“viewers” for all of those cute little video clips that<br />
your friends love to send you; if they won’t run with<br />
Flash, Windows Media Player, Quicktime or Real<br />
Player, you might be better off skipping them.<br />
Another noteworthy factor about this new<br />
threat is that when you are attacked, the files that<br />
are installed on your computer often do not have<br />
the characteristics of a traditional “virus” and so<br />
they fool or foil your virus protection utility, even<br />
though you have it set up correctly, and it is recently<br />
updated. As mentioned above, it doesn’t matter<br />
how much or how little you have paid because none<br />
of the utilities has a perfect record of protection -<br />
yet. We’ll let you know if one emerges as the best<br />
choice.<br />
There is a wide range of possible consequences<br />
to falling victim to this kind of malware. At the<br />
so-called lucky end, you will be able to clear your<br />
hard disk of the infected files quite easily, perhaps<br />
by following the instructions below, and there will<br />
be no residual damage to your operating system.<br />
At the other end of the spectrum, in the worst-case<br />
scenario, your Windows may already have been<br />
damaged and will have to be re-installed, but only<br />
after your data has been rescued so that it can be<br />
restored after the re-install.<br />
A typical scenario: Suddenly a big box pops up<br />
on your monitor, telling you that several viruses have<br />
been found on your computer. A list of familiarseeming<br />
virus jargon appears – “trojan,” “worm,”<br />
“infected,” etc. Well-known names are displayed<br />
– Microsoft, Norton, AVG, Symantec and so on,<br />
and the boxes might look vaguely like the familiar<br />
logos and appearance of one of these companies.<br />
There will be very assertive instructions to click<br />
on a link to download a utility that will clean your<br />
computer of these problems, or you will face dire<br />
consequences.<br />
1. NEVER follow that suggested link; it will<br />
simply take you to a site that will eventually want a<br />
credit card number, leading to a huge escalation of<br />
the problem.<br />
By: Karen Joynt<br />
Director of Development at<br />
The Glebe Centre<br />
From all of us at The Glebe<br />
Centre, we wish to extend our<br />
warmest thanks to everyone<br />
involved in making our 2010<br />
Rockathon an amazing success!<br />
From the generosity of our sponsors<br />
to the spirited rocking chair teams<br />
more than $20,000 was raised - once<br />
again we have been overwhelmed<br />
by the support shown by so many of<br />
you.<br />
The impact of this event has made<br />
it possible for our existing activities<br />
and programs to continue and in<br />
2. Attempt to launch your own virus protection<br />
utility. The icon for your utility should be in the<br />
Systray (the tiny area in the bottom-right of your<br />
display, where the clock is located). If the utility<br />
will launch, follow the instructions for how to scan<br />
your hard disk(s) manually and get rid of any bad<br />
stuff it finds.<br />
3. The attack may have disabled your antivirus<br />
utility, and it might not launch. At this point,<br />
many people call for a technician. If you want to<br />
fight on by yourself, your next step is to shut down<br />
your computer forcibly, by pressing and holding<br />
your power button for about ten seconds. After the<br />
computer has been off for about 30 seconds, press<br />
the power button again.<br />
4. As your computer re-boots, tap repeatedly<br />
the F8 key. From the list that appears, choose “Safe<br />
Mode with Networking.”<br />
5. When you see your Safe Mode Desktop,<br />
launch your browser and go to www.malwarebytes.<br />
org and download the free version. Follow the<br />
instructions to install it, update it, and run a manual<br />
scan of your computer. A second, independent<br />
utility like Malwarebytes often acts as the B-team,<br />
and finds the offending malware. You may have to<br />
run it more than once, and this might take as long<br />
as several hours.<br />
The only place to take comfort in this miserable<br />
situation is in the knowledge that all of the Internet<br />
and software giants are, in this particular case at<br />
least, on our side. We are confident that it won’t be<br />
all that long before reliable protection is available<br />
against this threat. Of course that probably just<br />
means that we’ll have to turn our attention to the<br />
next one. . .<br />
Malcolm and John Harding are owners<br />
of Compu-Home. They assist home and small<br />
business computer users.<br />
Write to harding@compu-home.com or<br />
phone 613-731-5954 to discuss computer issues,<br />
or to suggest future columns.<br />
To book an OSCAR ad<br />
call Gayle 730-1058<br />
oscarads@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
Thank You!<br />
From The Glebe Centre<br />
doing so offers so many people the<br />
chance to have a full and active life.<br />
A huge thank you to our Chair,<br />
Kevin Nelson from Majic100 and to<br />
our sponsors:<br />
Scotiabank - Glebe Centre<br />
Medico-Dental Pharmacy<br />
CapCorp Financial<br />
Family Physiotherapy Centre<br />
TD Waterhouse<br />
Abbotsford Members Council<br />
Sodexho<br />
Taggart Construction<br />
Nutrilawn<br />
Medigas<br />
Dalex Canada<br />
And a reminder to pledge a<br />
rocking chair team next year!
MAY 2010<br />
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA CENTRE<br />
Affordable housing has long<br />
been a major issue in <strong>Ottawa</strong>.<br />
The report by the Alliance<br />
to End Homelessness offers a sobering<br />
picture of the housing crisis that exists<br />
in <strong>Ottawa</strong>. Last year 7 445 individuals<br />
stayed in an emergency shelter and<br />
more than 1300 of them were children<br />
under the age of 16. The average<br />
length of stay in <strong>Ottawa</strong> shelters has<br />
risen to 57 days, with families staying<br />
an average of 67 days.<br />
The report also highlights the<br />
shortage of affordable housing (only<br />
88 new affordable units were built last<br />
year, yet the housing waiting list has<br />
increased to more than 10 000) and<br />
those apartments that are available for<br />
rent in <strong>Ottawa</strong> have seen their average<br />
costs increase.<br />
But the crisis in housing is more<br />
By Frances Berkman<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 39<br />
Housing Crisis Continues in <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
than just people needing emergency<br />
shelter. Across the country Canadians<br />
are having a harder time affording<br />
their homes. A recent Conference<br />
Board of Canada report revealed that<br />
20 percent of Canadians are struggling<br />
to keep up with the costs of owning a<br />
home.<br />
As a result “about one-fifth of<br />
Canadian households do not have the<br />
resources to afford both good-quality<br />
homes and other health-enhancing<br />
expenditures, such as nutritious food<br />
or access to recreational activities”.<br />
A key social determinant of<br />
health, affordable housing can have<br />
an impact and benefits beyond the<br />
wellbeing of the individual person.<br />
People who have access to affordable<br />
housing, especially seniors and those<br />
on a fixed income, won’t need to<br />
www.freecycle.org<br />
Changing the world free & open to all<br />
24 hours a day, 365 days a year<br />
Spring Concert at St. Matthew’s<br />
On Saturday, May 15th, at 7:30 pm the<br />
combined choirs of St. Matthew’s<br />
Anglican Church in the Glebe,<br />
under the direction of Stephen Candow, will<br />
present their spring concert of music by J.S.<br />
Bach and G. F. Handel. Featured soloists<br />
will be sopranos Martha Coulthart and Clare<br />
Jackson, countertenor Kevin Hassell, tenor<br />
Michael Ruddy and bass Philip Holmes and<br />
the choir will be accompanied by a string<br />
orchestra, continuo and oboes.<br />
The concert will open with Bach’s<br />
Cantata No. 179, Siehe zu, Das Deine<br />
Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei, followed by<br />
Bach’s Missa Brevis in G major. The second<br />
half of the concert will feature Handel’s<br />
Chandos anthem No. 9, O Praise the Lord<br />
with One Consent.<br />
Cantata 179 was originally written for<br />
the 11th Sunday after Trinity in 1723, shortly<br />
after Bach moved to Leipzig to assume the<br />
post of Director of Choir and Music. That<br />
year, along with his duties of teaching and<br />
organizing and rehearsing the music for<br />
services at the four main churches of Leipzig,<br />
Bach undertook the task of composing a new<br />
Cantata for every Sunday and Feast day of<br />
the year. The cantata would be an integral<br />
part of the church service with the text based<br />
on the set readings for the day.<br />
For Bach or other Lutheran composers<br />
of his time, a Missa Brevis or Short Mass<br />
consisted of the Kyrie and Gloria. Bach<br />
wrote 4 Missae Breves, all of which are<br />
known as parody works, that is works based<br />
on pre-existing music. While it was not<br />
uncommon to compose music based on wellknown<br />
folk or popular songs, Bach used<br />
music from his own earlier works for each<br />
of his Short Masses. In his Missa Brevis in<br />
G major, composed in 1735, Bach reworked<br />
some of the musical themes from Cantata<br />
no. 179 into the mass setting. In this concert,<br />
the earlier work and the “Parody Mass” have<br />
been paired---see if you can recognize the<br />
“recycled” materials!<br />
The final piece, Handel’s “O Praise the<br />
Lord with One Consent” is based on texts<br />
from Psalms 135, 117 and 148. This is one<br />
of 12 anthems composed from 1717-1718<br />
for the Duke of Chandos while Handel was<br />
composer-in-residence at his estate outside<br />
of London. These anthems, which combine<br />
choral and solo movements, were quite<br />
distinct from earlier English church music<br />
and in fact are similar in style to Bach’s<br />
church cantatas.<br />
St. Matthew’s, the Anglican Church in<br />
the Glebe, has two active choirs which take<br />
part in sung services. The Men and Boys’<br />
Choir, founded in 1956, practices twice a<br />
week and sings 3-6 services a month. The<br />
Women and Girls’ Choir, founded in 1990,<br />
practices once a week and sings 1-2 services/<br />
month. The choirs will combine forces for<br />
major feast services and for our two annual<br />
concerts. The choirs provide an opportunity<br />
for children from the Glebe, <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> and beyond to receive musical training<br />
and to learn and sing a wide variety of<br />
liturgical music throughout the year, as well<br />
as the chance to sing with a full voice choir<br />
and orchestra in concert. For a number of<br />
choir members, singing with St. Matthew’s<br />
is a family affair, with children singing<br />
together with their siblings, parents and even<br />
grandparents.<br />
Tickets to the concert are $20 for general<br />
admission, $15 for students and are available<br />
at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church office (217<br />
First Avenue, 613-234-4024), CD Warehouse<br />
and Compact Music. The Men, Women, Boys<br />
and Girls of the choirs hope you will join<br />
us May 15th for an evening of beautiful and<br />
uplifting Baroque music.<br />
decide between paying rent and paying<br />
their bills or purchasing medicines.<br />
Families will be able to ensure that<br />
their children have nutritious food<br />
and a safe environment to live. And<br />
national productivity increases when<br />
people are able to meet their basic<br />
needs (shelter, clean water, food, etc).<br />
Furthermore, research shows<br />
that neighbourhoods that are home<br />
to supportive housing, such as<br />
Cornerstone or the Sheppard’s of<br />
Good Hope, often see an increase<br />
in property value and a decrease in<br />
criminal activity.<br />
Canada is the only major<br />
industrialized country that does not<br />
have national housing but we are<br />
hoping to change that. My NDP<br />
colleague Libby Davis has introduced<br />
a bill that will ensure secure,<br />
adequate, accessible and affordable<br />
housing for all Canadians. Libby<br />
has my full support, and the support<br />
of all New Democrats and we call<br />
on the Harper government to throw<br />
their support behind a plan that will<br />
benefit Canadians from coast to coast<br />
to coast.<br />
Ending homelessness will<br />
take the combined efforts of<br />
federal, provincial, and municipal<br />
governments. I challenge all elected<br />
officials to make affordable housing a<br />
priority in <strong>Ottawa</strong> and across Canada.<br />
Paul Dewar, MP<br />
613 946-8682<br />
www.pauldewar.ca<br />
Tell OSCAR Readers<br />
about your travel<br />
or your interests.<br />
Send text and photos to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca
Page 40 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
Tasty Tidbits From Trillium Bakery<br />
Pearls of the Antilles Part 3<br />
By Jocelyn LeRoy<br />
Cont’d from April OSCAR....<br />
Doctors diagnosed a host of ills and<br />
“conditions.” Dentists proclaimed<br />
there would be no teeth because of the<br />
malnutrition.<br />
They grew beautiful teeth.<br />
Most of their health concerns<br />
righted themselves after a year<br />
or two of good medical care, nutritious<br />
food and lots of love. That being said,<br />
the road ahead was not always smooth.<br />
A deep trauma from early childhood and<br />
serious deprivation leaves scars beneath<br />
the surface. These scars require years<br />
of patient love and the hard work of<br />
overcoming.<br />
There is no map for this journey.<br />
As they gained strength physically,<br />
the long walk to school became<br />
something the younger sisters wanted<br />
more than anything else. Finally, I let<br />
them walk with their brother and sister.<br />
I rode circles on my bicycle. far behind.<br />
What I saw became a daily routine,<br />
requiring double the time of a leisurely<br />
walk to school.<br />
After a few blocks they would<br />
stop to play. Then they’d take off their<br />
thin jackets, hang them on shrubs on<br />
someone’s front lawn, and sit down<br />
for a little rest. Sometimes they had a<br />
nice nap on the soft green grass. Their<br />
brother tried hard to bestir them, pulling<br />
at them, “Hurry up. The bell’s going to<br />
ring.”<br />
Neighbours called me saying “Your<br />
daughters are asleep on my lawn” or<br />
“Your daughters left their hats and<br />
Little Sister with her husband, adopted daughter (l), and<br />
two daughters.<br />
sweaters on my forsythia bush.”<br />
They were not strong enough for<br />
a full day at school, but were strong<br />
enough to nearly bring the house down<br />
with their protests at being left behind<br />
(staying home one or two days for rest<br />
and treatment).<br />
Then came a solution that was just<br />
perfect.<br />
The kindergarten teacher, who to<br />
this day I credit for probably the most<br />
valuable school year of their lives, said,<br />
“Just let them come into my class.”<br />
She taught most of the year with<br />
one or both on her lap. She let them<br />
sleep when they needed to. She put<br />
them in the “dolly corner” every day for<br />
some “free play.” They always lined up<br />
the dolls, and any other children who<br />
ventured into the pretend kitchen, and<br />
pretend fed them.<br />
Always feeding them, wrapping<br />
them up in blankets. Other children<br />
Big Sister with her son<br />
acted out some of their home dramas<br />
(spanking dolls and yelling at them,<br />
rocking them, throwing them around),<br />
but our Haitian girls seriously made<br />
sure all got enough to eat. They brought<br />
plastic plates with orange blocks on<br />
them (mango, sweet potato), batons<br />
(sugar cane) and imaginary cups of<br />
coffee. They were well acquainted with<br />
brown drinks (rum, coffee, polluted<br />
water.)<br />
At home our whole family had quite<br />
unconsciously developed a hybrid kind<br />
of language. There were stares in the<br />
grocery store while we were shopping,<br />
with four loquacious children helping<br />
to fill the shopping cart. First try was<br />
always Creole. When at a loss for the<br />
right word, a French word worked fine.<br />
If no one could find the correct French<br />
or Creole word, English did the trick.<br />
We all understood each other perfectly.<br />
No one else did.<br />
We tried to hang on to the Haitian<br />
songs and language by inviting all our<br />
Haitian acquaintances to our home to<br />
speak Creole. The girls’ interest in that<br />
waned, as all the fun in the street and<br />
schoolyard called to them. Car trips<br />
became a good excuse for us all to sing,<br />
including the songs we brought from<br />
Haiti. Eventually, they too fell by the<br />
wayside.<br />
But not everything did. Aha!<br />
The rice and beans, “malangues and<br />
chadek,” remained favourite foods<br />
for years. Our girls were never picky<br />
eaters, except for an extreme aversion<br />
to oatmeal – we never found out the<br />
reason.<br />
For a long time, whenever I opened<br />
a desk drawer, or fluffed up the sofa<br />
cushions after they’d been jumped on, I<br />
would find pieces of bread, a carrot and<br />
slices of apple, hidden in the drawer or<br />
behind the cushions. Food, just in case.<br />
School was a challenge after<br />
that first excellent year. The tests<br />
that determined which “stream” was<br />
suited for my girls were so culturally<br />
biased it was impossible to gain a true<br />
Cont’d on next page
MAY 2010<br />
By Mary Anne Thompson<br />
The wider world has discovered<br />
what a gem <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong><br />
possesses as The Mayfair<br />
Theatre hosted most of the 2010 Spring<br />
Edition of the <strong>Ottawa</strong> International<br />
Writers Festival.<br />
The opening day, Earth Day, began<br />
with a discussion of the movement<br />
toward local food with Sarah Elton,<br />
author of Locavore: How Canadians<br />
are Changing the Way We Eat. She<br />
discussed the need to understand the<br />
true cost of the industrial food system<br />
we have been supporting for more<br />
than 50 years. She also highlighted<br />
the difference between organic and<br />
sustainable farm practices. To counter<br />
the critics who say that local food is an<br />
elitist movement for the wealthy, Sarah<br />
spoke of the many local initiatives<br />
across Canada working to provide local<br />
food at low costs, with some programs<br />
for Food Banks. She underlined the<br />
need for the creation of infrastructures<br />
to link growers and consumers.<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 41<br />
The Mayfair Theatre Hosts <strong>Ottawa</strong> International Writers’ Festival<br />
Jeff Rubin, former Chief<br />
Economist and Chief Strategist at CIBC<br />
World Markets and author of Oil and<br />
the End of Globalization, spoke with<br />
some urgency about the soon to come<br />
high oil prices. He pointed out that our<br />
life style of cheap goods is maintained<br />
by cheap labour costs in China and<br />
other countries and this is propped by<br />
cheap transportation, aka oil, costs. A<br />
staggering 90% of all oil sold is used in<br />
transportation -- plane, ship, truck, and<br />
cars. Even while the sale and use of<br />
cars is falling in North America, sales<br />
are rising rapidly in China and India.<br />
As the world is running out of cheap<br />
oil the appetite for it is rising.<br />
Rubin argued that as the price of<br />
oil rises we will have to change and that<br />
might not be such a bad thing. As an<br />
example, we now ship raw materials,<br />
like iron ore from Brazil, to China,<br />
where cheap labour makes steel, which<br />
is then shipped back across the world<br />
to North American markets. Rising<br />
oil costs from expensive methods of<br />
extraction like the tar sands and ocean<br />
Pearls of the Antilles ... Cont’d from previous page<br />
reading on their capabilities. Year after<br />
year, I struggled to get the “experts”<br />
to envision my daughters’ brains as<br />
a place filled with lightbulbs, not yet<br />
turned on. I explained that it was all our<br />
responsibility to inspire, to find all the<br />
ways and means to turn on the lights,<br />
not to label or to limit them. It was so<br />
frustrating.<br />
The “authorities” tried hard to<br />
pigeonhole the older of the two sisters,<br />
No learning disability could be found.<br />
Six years of starvation doesn’t go<br />
unnoticed. I wanted to scream, “Don’t<br />
use that fact to limit her potential, the<br />
potential that we do not know.”<br />
The lightbulbs eventually turned<br />
on. And lit up the immediate world<br />
around them, in so many ways I cannot<br />
count the colours.<br />
They not only survived. They<br />
flourished.<br />
A year or so after our family<br />
doubled, we all went to a Haitian art<br />
exhibit at Les Beaux Arts in Montreal.<br />
I was not prepared for the drama that<br />
occurred when my Haitian daughters<br />
saw the paintings. The subject was<br />
voodoo.<br />
Both girls became so excited,<br />
pointing at the “houngan,” shrieking<br />
and giggling nervously. They looked<br />
frightened. Then they danced around<br />
each other just like the people in the<br />
picture were dancing in circles. And<br />
they sang in Creole.<br />
On a couple of occasions when<br />
I had to deny the youngest sister an<br />
unreasonable request, she rolled her<br />
eyes back, stared hard at me, pointing<br />
two fingers in a V straight at me. Hex!<br />
Voodoo clearly was part of their<br />
life.<br />
As time passed, the older sister<br />
gradually let go of her feeling of<br />
responsibility for looking after her small<br />
sister, who had been in her exclusive<br />
care for two years. First, she alerted<br />
me, and waited to see if I would take<br />
care of the requests, all the little needs,<br />
untied shoelaces, unbuttoned sweaters,<br />
wet beds, hunger, tiredness, tears and<br />
“hexs.”<br />
One day, near the end of the first<br />
year in Canada, all the girls were playing<br />
together and having a little tussle. Baby<br />
sister had snatched the tea party away<br />
from the others. “I hate you!” said the<br />
older sister. I could hardly believe my<br />
ears. Most mothers would be horrified<br />
to hear these words. But I sent up<br />
a “Hallelujah” in thanks for such a<br />
normal sentiment coming from a sixand-a-half<br />
year old “little mother”<br />
who had finally become able to just<br />
be a child, playing, getting angry and<br />
not concerned for every moment-tomoment<br />
need of her sister.<br />
It’s amazing how much the human<br />
body can endure. It’s amazing how<br />
well it can heal. Wounded hearts and<br />
spirits, not always as straightforward<br />
or complete.<br />
Today, I see that my children have<br />
created fulfilling lives. Not always<br />
easy. But rich. They have big hearts<br />
and are very much alive.<br />
floors will return manufacturing to<br />
North America. This will change our<br />
travel habits, the distances we drive,<br />
and where we live and the way we<br />
organize our homes. Rising oil prices<br />
will also impact the food we eat:<br />
buying local will not only be healthier<br />
but cheaper than imported food.<br />
To make the future playing field<br />
fair, Rubin insists that China must have<br />
the same carbon penalties that western<br />
producers might face, otherwise China<br />
would be able to greatly increase its<br />
dependence on dirty coal and keep their<br />
costs relatively low, thus competing<br />
unfairly with a carbon taxed west.<br />
Joe Laur, the last speaker of the<br />
first day and one of the authors of<br />
The Necessary Revolution, repeated<br />
once again that the status quo was<br />
unsustainable. In order to change he<br />
said that we need to change the way<br />
we think. Right now, we have a worldview,<br />
or paradigm, where the economy<br />
encompasses everything else, including<br />
society and the environment. In order to<br />
usher in change, we need to have a more<br />
rational view where the environment<br />
encompasses the economy and society.<br />
Without the environment there is<br />
no society and no economy. Laur<br />
is involved in programs to usher in<br />
infrastructures in the US that would<br />
see the reuse of everything that is<br />
produced. As Laur asked, when we<br />
throw something away – where is<br />
‘away’?<br />
Saturday’s event included Harvey<br />
Cashore with his book, The Truth<br />
Shows Up, a presentation of his fifteen<br />
year voyage investigating the links<br />
between Brian Mulroney, Airbus and<br />
Karlheinz Schreiber and the media’s<br />
complicity in keeping it secret.<br />
On Saturday afternoon, The<br />
Mayfair Theatre was completely full<br />
of people listening to Andrew Potter,<br />
author of The Rebel Sell, who presented<br />
his views on authenticity from his new<br />
book The Authenticity Hoax: How We<br />
Get Lost Finding Ourselves.<br />
There are more events scheduled<br />
at The Mayfair Theatre as part of the<br />
Post Festival Special Events. Go to<br />
writersfestival.org for complete details.<br />
OSCAR invites readers who<br />
attended any part of the Writers’ Festival<br />
to submit to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca<br />
your discussion, reviews or comments<br />
on any of the speakers, their topics or<br />
their publications. The deadline for the<br />
June issue of OSCAR is May 14.<br />
Tell OSCAR Readers<br />
about your travel<br />
or your interests.<br />
Send text and photos to<br />
oscar@oldottawasouth.ca
Page 42 The OSCAR - OUR 37 MAY 2010<br />
th YEAR<br />
By Karen Kelly<br />
There are memories from<br />
childhood that we all cherish.<br />
Perhaps we remember a<br />
favorite toy, a special corner of a<br />
classroom, or a game played outside.<br />
For 15-year-old Lauren Kniewasser,<br />
many of those memories were from<br />
the Rainbow Kidschool, a preschool<br />
and after-school program located at<br />
Lady Evelyn Alternative School.<br />
She spent five years there, so<br />
when she began to think about<br />
completing her community volunteer<br />
hours required for graduation, she<br />
knew immediately where she wanted<br />
Rainbow Kidschool Where I Met Friends for Life<br />
to go.<br />
“I’d been wanting to come back<br />
to Rainbow since the day I left, they<br />
were like my second family,” recalls<br />
Kniewasser, who’s now a student<br />
at Canterbury High School. “As a<br />
volunteer, I was excited to have a<br />
reason to visit.”<br />
When Kniewasser returned, she<br />
says she was immediately transported<br />
back to her preschool days. “It looked<br />
almost exactly the same – familiar<br />
toys, the same songs.... The first thing<br />
I did was start playing with the toys<br />
again,” she says with a laugh.<br />
She had lots of company, of<br />
course. The school’s preschool group<br />
was excited to have a “big kid” there<br />
to join in their playtime, and the afterschool<br />
students, aged 5-10, tapped into<br />
her artistic and creative knowledge to<br />
pursue art and sewing projects.<br />
Kniewasser says the structure and<br />
consistency of the Rainbow program<br />
was important for her when she was<br />
growing up, and she sees it helping<br />
the children who are there today, as<br />
well.<br />
“There are some kids who barely<br />
talk at first,” says Kniewasser. “But<br />
as they get to know the routine, they<br />
really become comfortable and open<br />
up.”<br />
And there may be benefits down<br />
the road, too. Kniewasser pulls out an<br />
old yearbook and points to three close<br />
By Bob Jamieson<br />
friends she met at Rainbow a decade<br />
ago.<br />
“This is where I met friends for<br />
life.”<br />
Rainbow Kidschool offers a<br />
morning preschool program for<br />
children 2½ - 4 years of age, as well<br />
as an afternoon program for 4 & 5<br />
year old kindergarten-age children.<br />
At the end of the school day, schoolage<br />
children, 6 – 9 years of age, join<br />
the kindergarten-age group for the<br />
afterschool program. Please call<br />
Nancy, the Director, at 613-235-2255<br />
for information.<br />
When Can You Retire?<br />
You may greatly enjoy your career and be in no hurry to retire. Or you<br />
may be looking forward to retirement so that you can pursue your<br />
hobbies, travel or even open your own business. But whatever your<br />
plans may be, you’ll need to ask yourself this: “When can I retire?”<br />
To answer this question, you’ll need to take three steps. First, you’ll have<br />
to identify your potential sources of retirement income. Second, you must<br />
determine if a gap exists between the financial resources you can expect and<br />
the amount you’ll need to retire comfortably. And third, you’ll have to decide<br />
how to fill that gap.<br />
Let’s look at these three steps in a bit more detail:<br />
Identify your potential sources of retirement income. Your retirement<br />
income is likely to come from three main sources: the government, your<br />
workplace and your personal savings. From the government, you might be<br />
entitled to assistance in the form of <strong>Old</strong> Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed<br />
Income Supplement (GIS) and the Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension<br />
Plan (CPP/QPP). Depending on your employer, you may receive workplace<br />
pension coverage or participate in a company retirement plan. As for personal<br />
savings, you’ve got your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), Tax-<br />
Free Savings Account (TFSA) and other savings and investment accounts.<br />
Typically, government and workplace programs provide about 25% to 40% of<br />
retirement income, so you can see how important it is to build your personal<br />
savings.<br />
Determine if a “retirement gap” exists. You may have heard you’ll need<br />
between 70% and 90% of your pre-retirement income to live comfortably in<br />
retirement. While this figure may be generally accurate, it doesn’t take into<br />
account different retirement lifestyles. In other words, how you choose to<br />
live in retirement will determine how much money you’ll need. If you can<br />
develop a good estimate of your retirement income needs and then compare<br />
this figure to your estimated retirement income from all sources, you should<br />
be able to determine your retirement gap. Of course, these calculations<br />
can be challenging, so you may want to work with a professional financial<br />
advisor who has the tools and expertise to help you identify any gaps.<br />
Decide how to fill the gap. If you have indeed identified a retirement gap, you<br />
can attempt to bridge it in a few ways. You could, for example, decide to scale<br />
down your lifestyle in retirement so that you’ll need less income. Or you could<br />
work more years than you had originally intended. But if you want to stick<br />
with your initial plan in terms of your desired retirement lifestyle and preferred<br />
age at retirement, you may need to invest more to your retirement and other<br />
investment accounts. But just boosting your contributions isn’t enough — you<br />
also need to own an appropriate mix of investments to help your money grow<br />
over time. Your financial advisor can help you choose the investment mix<br />
that’s appropriate for your risk tolerance and time horizon.<br />
But in any case, don’t wait too long before you tackle the “When can I<br />
retire?” question — because the sooner you start working on it, the better the<br />
answer you’ll get.<br />
To get more information, or to attend the upcoming May 19th seminar on<br />
Planning for Retirement, please call my office at 613-526-3030.<br />
Bob Jamieson, CFP<br />
Member – Canadian Investor Protection Fund
MAY 2010<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR<br />
Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books<br />
All Hail the Queen!<br />
Well, it’s May – that special month where<br />
we spend a solemn few moments<br />
contemplating the glorious reign of<br />
Queen Victoria while camping, watching fireworks,<br />
or just generally enjoying a sunny long weekend.<br />
What better season to celebrate the commonwealth<br />
than by spending time immersed in some of the<br />
great books by British authors?<br />
In the picture book world, it’s difficult to select<br />
just a few Brits, but I’ll do my best:<br />
Jez Alborough writes about a specific duck<br />
you may know – he’s called “Duck”? His popular<br />
titles include Fix it Duck, Super Duck, Duck<br />
in the Truck, and Ssssh! Duck Don’t Wake the<br />
Baby. Duck likes to think he’s an expert hand at<br />
everything, which will leave you and your young<br />
reader chuckling at his predicaments!<br />
Julia Donaldson is well-known for her classic<br />
picture book The Gruffalo. With titles like A<br />
Squash and a Squeeze, The Snail and the Whale,<br />
and The Fish Who Cried Wolf, there are a lot of<br />
options to choose from, with most stories written<br />
in charming rhyme and humourously illustrated by<br />
Axel Sheffler. For those looking for something a<br />
bit different, have a peek at her book The Magic<br />
Paintbrush, where vibrant verses bring fresh life to<br />
a traditional tale of how a little girl’s integrity can<br />
withstand the corruption of power and greed in her<br />
hungry village.<br />
Lauren Child may be most associated with<br />
creating those lovable characters, Charlie and<br />
Lola, but her picture book adventures all started<br />
with the irrepressible Clarice Bean as she started<br />
her search for a little peace and quiet amid the<br />
wonderfully wacky chaos of a large extended<br />
family in Clarice Bean, That’s Me. With her<br />
unique collaged illustrative style and generous use<br />
of different typefaces and sidebars, these books are<br />
a great way to keep young readers engaged, with a<br />
dry sense of humour that allows adults to read them<br />
again and again.<br />
For me, Emily Gravett has a way of creating<br />
simple yet mischievous illustrations and spare text<br />
that really resonate. My new favourite is Dogs,<br />
which is all about the different kinds of dogs to<br />
love, but that’s followed closely by Meercat Mail<br />
(with postcards attached inside!), The Odd Egg,<br />
and Monkey and Me. Timeless.<br />
In our kid fiction section, there are many titles<br />
to choose from – here’s a sampling:<br />
Enid Blyton’s wonderful works of fiction are<br />
always in demand. Anything that can maintain<br />
popularity for over 70 years is worth a read, don’t<br />
you think? We’ve got the Mallory Towers and<br />
Twins at St. Clare’s school books, as well as a threebook<br />
set of the Magic Faraway Tree Collection.<br />
Those who are Harry Potter fans might be<br />
interested in having a look at Jenny Nimmo’s<br />
popular Charlie Bone series. The stories centre<br />
on Charlie Bone, a descendant of The Red King,<br />
who reluctantly possesses a powerful “endowment”<br />
(he seems to be able to communicate with people in<br />
photographs and pictures), along with many of his<br />
friends who he meets at a special school he attends<br />
called Bloor’s Academy. His family, the Yewbeams,<br />
have many dark secrets and Charlie Bone embarks<br />
on a series of mysterious adventures to find out the<br />
truth about his past.<br />
Some of you may be familiar with Cressida<br />
Cowell’s clever series, which she has “translated<br />
the stories of Hiccupp Horrendous Haddock III<br />
from the <strong>Old</strong> Norse”. Recently released in movie<br />
theatres, How to Train Your Dragon is just one<br />
title in this popular series. According to her official<br />
web site, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an<br />
awesome sword-fighter, a dragon-whisperer and the<br />
greatest Viking Hero who ever lived. But it wasn’t<br />
always like that. Why not take a peek at some of<br />
his hilarious adventures the next time you’re in the<br />
store?<br />
Who wouldn’t want to read about a 12 year<br />
old millionaire, genius, and above all, a criminal<br />
mastermind? Add in a fairy kidnapping, a<br />
LEPrecon unit to police an underground world,<br />
and a butler/bodyguard named Butler, and you<br />
have an Artemis Fowl adventure. Irish author Eoin<br />
Page 43<br />
Colfer has many titles in this series, as well as<br />
some younger reader chapter books. Funny and<br />
fantastical, with loads of adventure thrown in for<br />
good measure!<br />
Teen pix:<br />
Helen Dunmore writes the Ingo books, a<br />
popular fantasy series, set in a tantalizingly beautiful<br />
and dangerous world of adventure under the sea,<br />
where Mer people live. Through their quest for<br />
their missing father, Sapphire and Conor discover<br />
they have the power to enter the mysterious world<br />
of Ingo. They learn they have both human and Mer<br />
ancestry, and that as their Mer blood grows strong,<br />
they have powers they never knew they possessed…<br />
Spy story fans should check out Charlie<br />
Higson’s Young Bond series. File Note: Strictly<br />
Confidential - Authorized Personnel Only. Subject:<br />
James Bond. Description: Age 13. Dark hair; blue<br />
eyes; tall for age; surprisingly strong; fluent French;<br />
good German. Need we say more?<br />
Robert Muchamore has two great series for fans<br />
of action, adventure, and intrigue. The CHERUB<br />
series of books starts with James Adams joining the<br />
CHERUB organization in The Recruit and tells the<br />
story from the day his mother dies. You can read<br />
about his transformation from a couch potato into<br />
a skilled CHERUB agent, and meet Lauren, Kyle,<br />
Kerry and the rest of the cherubs for the first time<br />
and learn how James foils the biggest terrorist<br />
massacre in British history! The Henderson Boys<br />
series, which sets the stage for the modern-day<br />
CHERUB organization, occurs during World War II<br />
with Hitler’s army advancing towards Paris. Gritty<br />
and fast-paced!<br />
There are so many more British authors we’d<br />
love to tell you about – drop in any time and ask us!<br />
Kaleidoscope Kids’ Books is located at 1095 Bank<br />
Street, three doors south of Sunnyside.
Page 44 The OSCAR - OUR 37 MAY 2010<br />
th YEAR<br />
Alta Vista Branch Library<br />
Alta Vista Library Adult Programs<br />
2516 Alta Vista Drive<br />
Register online at:<br />
www.biblioottawalibrary.ca<br />
or call 613-737-2837 x28<br />
Book Banter<br />
Drop in to share the enjoyment of<br />
good books in a relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. (1 hr.)<br />
May 6: The House Gun by<br />
Nadine Gordimer<br />
Alta Vista Sleuth Hounds<br />
Share the enjoyment of good<br />
mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Title: A Certain Justice by<br />
P.D. James<br />
Thursday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. (1.5 hr)<br />
Infusions littéraires<br />
Partager une tasse de thé ou de<br />
tisane en discutant de livres.<br />
Les mardis, 14 h (1 hr.)<br />
18 mai : La création du monde<br />
de Jean d’Ormesson<br />
Home and Cottage Security<br />
Find out how to improve security<br />
at your home or cottage.<br />
Presentation by <strong>Ottawa</strong> Police<br />
Service representatives.<br />
Thursday, May 13, 6:30 p.m. (1.5<br />
hrs)<br />
Boat Pro<br />
Obtain your Pleasure Craft Operator<br />
Card at the 3-session course offered<br />
by the <strong>Ottawa</strong> Power and Sail<br />
Squadron.<br />
Participants must attend all 3<br />
sessions.<br />
Registration fee is $50 for adults and<br />
$45 for students. Register online at<br />
www.cps-ottawa.com.<br />
Wednesday, May 12, 19, 26.<br />
6:30-8:30 p.m.<br />
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE LIBRARIES<br />
Knit 2 Together<br />
Love to knit? Bring your needles,<br />
yarn and good cheer. No need for<br />
expertise, we knit for the pleasure of<br />
it.<br />
Saturday, May 1, 10:30 a.m. (1.5 hr.)<br />
Wednesday, May 12, 6:30 p.m.(1.5<br />
hr.)<br />
French Conversation Group<br />
Improve your spoken French in a<br />
relaxed setting. For those with an<br />
intermediate level of French.<br />
Tuesdays, Jan 12 - May 18<br />
6:30 p.m. (1.5 hrs.)<br />
Advanced Spanish Conversation<br />
Practice your conversational Spanish<br />
with other advanced learners.<br />
Alternate Wednesdays, Jan 13-May<br />
19<br />
6:30 p.m. (1 hr.)<br />
Computer Tutorials<br />
Gain computer skills and get answers<br />
to your questions. This one-on-one<br />
session will help you learn to use<br />
the internet and send email.<br />
Contact the library to make an<br />
appointment.<br />
Library Online<br />
Learn to use OPL’s online resources.<br />
Search for library material using<br />
BiblioCommons, find newspaper and<br />
magazine articles in our databases,<br />
and learn about our online<br />
audiobooks<br />
and e-books.<br />
Contact the library to make an<br />
appointment.<br />
English Conversation Group<br />
Improve your English and meet new<br />
Friends. In partnership with<br />
Somali Family Services.<br />
Mondays, 6:00-7:30 p.m.<br />
Tuesdays, Beginner 1:00-2:00 p.m.<br />
Elmvale Acres Branch Library<br />
CHILDREN/ENFANTS<br />
Babytime<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for babies<br />
and a parent or caregiver. 0-18<br />
months.<br />
Tuesdays, April 13-May 25 (no<br />
session on May 4) at 10:15 a.m. (30<br />
min)<br />
Toddlertime<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for babies<br />
and a parent or caregiver. 18-35<br />
months.<br />
Wednesdays, Apr 14-May 26 at<br />
10:15 am (30 min)<br />
Storytime<br />
Stories, rhymes and songs for<br />
preschoolers and a parent or<br />
caregiver. Ages 3-6.<br />
Mondays, April 12-May 24 (no<br />
session on May 3) at 10:15 a.m. (45<br />
min)<br />
Math and Science Tutorial Help<br />
E.A.G.L.E will provide tutoring in<br />
Maths and Science to grades 1-10<br />
(ages 6-15). Registration required.<br />
Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. (2 hr) - every<br />
Saturday (no sessions on April 24 &<br />
May 1)<br />
Frontier College Reading Circle<br />
Volunteers will help your child learn<br />
to love books and become a better<br />
reader through stories and games for<br />
ages 6-8. Registration required.<br />
Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. (1 hr) - every<br />
Saturday (no sessions on April 24 &<br />
May 1)<br />
TEENS/ADOS<br />
Game On!<br />
Challenge your friends to get<br />
Intermediate 2:00-3:00 p.m.<br />
PRE-SCHOOL/PRESCOLAIRE<br />
Babytime<br />
For babies and their parent or<br />
caregiver with stories, rhymes, songs<br />
and activities. Ages 0-18 months.<br />
Wednesdays, January 20-February<br />
24, April 14-May 19, 10:30 a.m. (30<br />
min.)*<br />
Toddlertime<br />
For toddlers and a parent or caregiver<br />
with stories, rhymes, songs and<br />
activities. Ages 18-35 months.<br />
Mondays, January 18-February 8,<br />
February 22, April 12-May 17, 10:30<br />
a.m. (30 min.)* and<br />
Thursdays, January 21-February 25,<br />
April 15-May 20, 10:30 a.m. (30<br />
min.)*<br />
Storytime<br />
Stories and rhymes for young<br />
children-parents and caregivers are<br />
welcome to join. Ages 3-6.<br />
(Bilingual) Tuesdays, January<br />
19-Feburary 23-April 13-May 18,<br />
10:30 a.m. (45 min.)* and<br />
(Bilingual) Wednesdays, January<br />
20-February 24, April 14-May 19, 2<br />
p.m. (45 min.)*<br />
Contes<br />
Contes et rimes pour les enfants.<br />
Parents et fournisseurs de soins sont<br />
les bienvenus. Pour les 3 à 6 ans.<br />
(Bilingue) Les mardis, 19 janvier-23<br />
février-13 avril-18 mai , 10 h 30 (45<br />
min.)* et<br />
(Bilingue) Les mercredis, 20<br />
janvier-24 février, 14 avril-19 mai,<br />
14 h (45 min.)<br />
SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR<br />
CHILDREN/PROGRAMME<br />
SPECIAL POUR ENFANTS<br />
gaming. Compete on the Wii for<br />
bragging rights. Ages 10-14.<br />
Wednesday, May 26 at 4:00 p.m. (60<br />
min.)<br />
ADULTS/ADULTES<br />
English Conversation for<br />
Newcomers<br />
Improve your English and meet new<br />
friends in a relaxed setting. This<br />
program is offered in partnership<br />
with the Conseil économique et social<br />
d’<strong>Ottawa</strong>-Carleton. Registration<br />
required.<br />
Tuesdays at 6:30 pm (60 min) (no<br />
session on April 27 & May 4)<br />
FSL Conversation<br />
Improve your French and meet new<br />
friends in a relaxed setting. This<br />
program is offered in partnership<br />
with the Conseil économique et social<br />
Frog party!<br />
Stories, videos and crafts. Ages 4-8.<br />
(Bilingual) Saturday, May 1, 2 p.m.<br />
(45 min.)*<br />
Les grenouilles en fête<br />
Contes, vidéos et bricolage. Pour les<br />
4 à 8 ans.<br />
(Bilingual) Samedi 1 er mai, 14 h (45<br />
min.)*<br />
N.B. Registration for winter<br />
programs starts on January 16./<br />
L’inscription pour les programmes<br />
d’hiver commence le 16 janvier./<br />
Registration for March break<br />
programs starts on February 10./<br />
L’inscription pour les programmes<br />
du congé d’hiver commence le 10<br />
février./ Programs followed by an *<br />
require registration. / L’inscription<br />
est requise pour les programmes<br />
suivis d’un *. The address of the<br />
Alta Vista Library is 2516 Alta Vista<br />
Drive, <strong>Ottawa</strong> and the phone number<br />
of the Alta Vista Library 613-737-<br />
2837./ L’adresse de la bibliothèque<br />
Alta Vista est le 2516, promenade<br />
Alta Vista, <strong>Ottawa</strong> et son numéro de<br />
téléphone est le 613-737-2837.<br />
Program registration will be done<br />
on-line only. <strong>Ottawa</strong> Public Library<br />
cards are needed to register online.<br />
Children’s library cards<br />
are required for registration of<br />
children’s programs./ L’inscription<br />
des programmes est faite<br />
seulement en ligne. Les cartes de<br />
la bibliothèque publique d’<strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
sont requises pour l’inscription en<br />
ligne des programmes et les cartes<br />
de bibliothèque des enfants sont<br />
requises pour l’inscription aux<br />
programmes d’enfants.<br />
d’<strong>Ottawa</strong>-Carleton. Registration<br />
required.<br />
Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. (60 min)<br />
(no session April 28)<br />
Mystery Lovers Book Club<br />
Share the enjoyment of good<br />
mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere.<br />
Join us for discussion.<br />
Registration required. Monday, May<br />
10 at 6:30 p.m. (60 min)<br />
Flower Arrangement<br />
Bring your own flowers and vase<br />
and learn how to make a beautiful<br />
arrangement. Get expert advice from<br />
Elmvale Florist and Gifts. Enter a<br />
prize draw.<br />
Wednesday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. (45<br />
min)
MAY 2010 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 45<br />
CLASSY ADS<br />
CLASSY ADS<br />
are free for <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> residents (except for businesses or for business activity) and must be submitted in writing to: The OSCAR, at the <strong>Old</strong> Firehall,<br />
260 Sunnyside, or sent by email to oscar@oldottawasouth.ca by the deadline. Your name and contact information (phone number or email address) must be<br />
included. Only your contact info will appear unless you specify otherwise. The editor retains the right to edit or exclude submissions. The OSCAR takes no<br />
responsibility for items, services or accurary. For business advertising inquiries, call 730-1058.<br />
For Sale<br />
Handmade Baby Blankets: Crocheted.<br />
Prewashed and dried. Size 36” by 38”.<br />
Beautiful pattern. One-of-a-kind gift.<br />
Excellent price $35. Call 613-730-2411.<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Moving Sale: Tons of stuff including<br />
beds, entertainment units, TVs, stereos<br />
and other electronics, toys, sporting<br />
gear, light fixtures, small appliances,<br />
gerbil cage, air hockey table and much<br />
more. Lawn and garden tools and even<br />
winter tires. Contact David at 613-697-<br />
4812 or montoyas@rogers.com<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Pair of wheel rims (15” x 6”) Fits all<br />
1996 to 1999 Ford Taurus models<br />
$45. Tel 613 327 9080<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Handmade Baby Quilts: 100% cotton<br />
fabric. Extra loft batting. Pre-washed<br />
and dried. Variety of sizes and colours.<br />
Prices $40.-$75. Call 613-730-2411<br />
Accommodation<br />
Private 3 Bedroom island cottage for<br />
rent. Cottage is located on Newboro<br />
lake (part of the Rideau canal system).<br />
Fully-equipped traditional-style cottage<br />
on beautiful, peaceful 8 acre island.<br />
Three bedrooms (sleeps six), screened<br />
porch, kitchen, BBQ, dining/living<br />
Around Town<br />
La Leche League Canada has a group<br />
in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong> <strong>South</strong> - Are you breastfeeding<br />
your baby? Are you pregnant<br />
and planning to breast-feed?A La Leche<br />
League meeting is a relaxed, supportive<br />
and non-judgmental place where you<br />
can: meet breast-feeding women, ask<br />
specific questions about breast-feeding,<br />
learn more about breast-feeding from<br />
accredited leaders who have breast-fed<br />
their own children and who volunteer<br />
their time, get tips for working through<br />
best breast-feeding challenges, find out<br />
more about getting ready to breast-feed<br />
(if you are pregnant), find out more<br />
about the benefits of breast-feeding<br />
for baby and you, borrow books about<br />
breast-feeding and related parenting<br />
topics.Meetings every second Tuesday<br />
of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at<br />
36 Glen Ave. Next meeting May 11.<br />
For more information call 613-238-<br />
5919, the local La Leche League phone<br />
line.<br />
Join Joseph Cull and Kathy Godding<br />
and get down and boogie the night<br />
away in support of the YMCA YWCA<br />
- Strong Kids Campaign on Saturday,<br />
May 15 2010 from 8:30 p.m. to midnight<br />
in The Glebe Community Centre, 175<br />
Third Ave. Put on that Disco outfit,<br />
frizz out your hair and party with your<br />
friends. Be wowed by the disco decor<br />
authentically created by Event Design,<br />
enjoy the fashion show by Sukhoo<br />
room, 2-piece bath, and fire pit. Included<br />
with the cottage is use of canoes and<br />
Kayaks. Excellent swimming and<br />
fishing, close to the towns of Newboro<br />
and Westport, excellent hiking and road<br />
biking. Pets welcome. rental is Saturday<br />
to Saturday and 700.00 per week. For<br />
more information contact Stephen at<br />
swasteneys@hotmail.com<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Longboat Key, Florida for sale. Simple,<br />
charming, house on quiet road, steps<br />
from loveliest beach on the gulf coast<br />
2br/2ba/pool easy to maintain must sell<br />
½ former price $489,000 US Florida<br />
Regional MLS #A3913831 or call: 613<br />
256 6522.<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Accommodation: Meticulous retired<br />
gentleman from Germany coming to<br />
<strong>Ottawa</strong> for intensive English study,<br />
seeks accommodation in <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
<strong>South</strong> from June 14 to July 15.<br />
Could be house sit, or modestly priced<br />
room or apartment. Must have private<br />
bathroom. (613) 730-0906<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Wanted one house to rent close to<br />
Carleton. We are a family of five with<br />
children aged 5, 8 and 10 and will be<br />
living in <strong>Ottawa</strong> for at least 9 months,<br />
from August 1 to April (or longer). We<br />
do not smoke and do not have pets.<br />
Please contact John at valentinej@<br />
macewan.ca<br />
Sukhoo Couture, savour the fabulous<br />
light food from Thyme and Again, dance<br />
the night away to the music of Showtime<br />
Entertainment, special guest host<br />
Michael Bhardwaj of CBC’s In Town<br />
and Out. A special gift from <strong>Ottawa</strong>’s<br />
own Mistura Beauty Solutions. An<br />
evening of fun and frivolity for all, so<br />
get those dancing shoes polished! Prizes<br />
to be won! Tickets are $50.00 per person<br />
and are available at all YMCA YWCA<br />
Locations or by calling 613-788-5043,<br />
more info at www.ymcaywca.ca . Get<br />
a head start on exercising those “dated<br />
dance moves” with the Complimentary<br />
Disco Lesson Friday, May 7, from<br />
7-8 p.m. at the YMCA YWCA Metro<br />
location.<br />
Chorus Ecclesiae Spring Concert -<br />
On Sunday May 16, at 3:00 pm and<br />
8:00 pm, the Chorus Ecclesiae and<br />
the Symposium Choir, conducted by<br />
Lawrence Harris, present their spring<br />
concert of Gregorian chant and early<br />
renaissance church music. The concert<br />
will be held in the Cloister of the<br />
Dominican Convent, 96 Empress Ave.<br />
Tickets at the door: $15 / students $5.<br />
Information, 613-567-7729.<br />
Hawthorne Public School, 2158 St.<br />
Laurent Blvd., is celebrating its 111th<br />
anniversary this June 11. Former<br />
Hawthorne students and teachers from<br />
all eras in the school’s history are<br />
Child Care<br />
Caregiving: experienced and loving<br />
child-care worker available through the<br />
spring and summer on a part of full time<br />
basis. Home help such as light cleaning<br />
or yummy cooking also possible.<br />
References. Please call (613) 730-8098.<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Wills baby-sitting services! Need a<br />
break or night off from your wee ones?<br />
You’ve come to the right place…<br />
I’m a responsible, athletic, musical<br />
and bilingual teen guy with lots of<br />
experience. Have OSCA babysitting<br />
certificate References available.<br />
Weekdays from 4:00pm – 10:00pm<br />
Weekends from 8:00pm – 12:00pm<br />
Now booking for the summer as well!<br />
Contact me @ (613) 730 5531 or (613)<br />
883 8436 will_kuijper.dickson@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Summer Tutoring: Fill Gaps. Improve<br />
Skills. Raise Level. Retired Elem.<br />
Teacher will tutor student in your home.<br />
Grades 1-6. Literacy or Numeracy. Call<br />
613-730-2411<br />
Services<br />
Top-notch deep cleaner. Mon- Fri<br />
mornings. Currently employed in<br />
Rockcliffe as nanny/cleaner/cook<br />
afternoons. Available for weekend<br />
invited to join us for a day and evening<br />
of nostalgia and fun. There will be an<br />
open house 10:30-2:30, Reception at 1<br />
p.m. and Family Activities 4:00-6:00<br />
p.m. to celebrate not only Hawthorne’s<br />
50 years in its current building, but also<br />
to remember the school’s earlier life as<br />
a one-room schoolhouse built in 1899<br />
in the tiny rural village of Hawthorne.<br />
Contact Hawthorne111@rogers.com<br />
, call 613-733-6221 or go to www.<br />
hawthorneps.ocdsb.ca.<br />
Motor Coach Trip To Benedictine<br />
Monasteries Of Québec<br />
Saturday, June 19, 8:45 a.m. - 11:30<br />
p.m. This all-day trip will visit the nuns<br />
at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie des Deux<br />
Montagnes, outside of Montréal, and the<br />
monks of St-Benoît-du-Lac, between<br />
Magog and the Vermont border. We will<br />
hear services sung at the monasteries<br />
as well as brief recitals by the Chorus<br />
Ecclesiae and the Symposium Choir,<br />
conducted by Lawrence Harris. Two<br />
meals are included. For information<br />
and reservations, call 613-567-772 9<br />
Saturday, May 8th - The <strong>Ottawa</strong><br />
Regional Youth Choir, directed by<br />
Kevin Reeves will perform at 7:30 p.m.<br />
with Kingston ’s Cantabile Youth Choir<br />
directed by Dr. Mark Sirett at Knox<br />
Presbyterian Church, Elgin Street and<br />
Laurier Avenue Tickets: Adults-$20;<br />
Seniors-$15 Students-$10<br />
evenings for childcare. I have a<br />
business degree in the Philippes; I<br />
am alert, caring, intelligent and hard<br />
working. Great OOS references. Please<br />
contact: Lally at 613 794-0916 or<br />
glitz_2007@yahoo.ca<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
Published OOS writer can help you<br />
meet your communications deadlines.<br />
Experience includes media relations,<br />
feature articles, editorials, andreports.<br />
Credits include: national journals, daily<br />
newspapers, chapters in threebooks.<br />
Reasonable rates: ooswriter@rogers.<br />
com<br />
Looking For<br />
Wanted: 4 Adult Bicycles In Good<br />
Shape For A Good Price. Two bikes<br />
frame size from 56 - 58 cm. Two<br />
bikes less than 56 cm.The buyers are<br />
newcomers from Equador and a student<br />
moving to <strong>Ottawa</strong> fromAlberta. Price<br />
range: $10-50. Please contact; 613 730-<br />
0033 or georginahunter@rogers.com<br />
Lost/Found<br />
Lost at Brewer Park around April 9 - a<br />
silver dog whistle with cap and chain.<br />
Sentimental value. Please call 613-736-<br />
5984 if found.<br />
WANTED:<br />
Part-time receptionist/office assistant<br />
for a large group psychology practice,<br />
located in a heritage office building in<br />
Centretown.<br />
Responsibilities include day-today<br />
office operations, including<br />
correspondence, telephone and<br />
public reception, liaison between the<br />
psychologists and their clients as well<br />
as public communications via the<br />
webmaster and promotional material.<br />
The suitable candidate must<br />
be a self-starter and able to<br />
work independently, have good<br />
conversational levels of French<br />
and English with demonstrated<br />
diplomacy and sensitivity, proficiency<br />
with MS Word, Publisher, Power<br />
Point and Excel. Familiarity with<br />
multipurpose business machines<br />
(printer/scanner/fax/document server)<br />
and phone systems would be an asset.<br />
Training will be provided and paid.<br />
Please provide references in your<br />
application.<br />
CONTACT:<br />
Ms. Penny Skelton - Email: gpsys@<br />
magma.ca<br />
437 Gilmour Street, <strong>Ottawa</strong>, ON K2P<br />
0R5<br />
TEL: 613-230-4709 ext. 21
Page 46 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010<br />
Your<br />
RELIABLE QUALITY CARE<br />
RPN (38 years experience)<br />
Relief for Family Caregiver<br />
Private Duty<br />
Palliative Care Provided<br />
By Michael Moynahan<br />
730-4957<br />
Cell: 240-9394<br />
A<br />
Rent Wife Household Organizers<br />
“Every working woman needs a wife!”<br />
Regular & Occasional cleaning<br />
Pre & Post move cleaning and packing<br />
Pre & Post renovation cleaning<br />
Blitz & Spring cleaning<br />
Organizing cupboards, basements...<br />
Perhaps a waitress ???<br />
rent-a-wife-ottawa.com<br />
Marketplace<br />
Laurel 749-2249<br />
ENVIRONMENTALLY-<br />
FRIENDLY CLEANING<br />
Homes, offices, move in / out,<br />
pre-sale, construction sites<br />
HOUSE HELP<br />
CALL 729-2751<br />
JOHN GRANT<br />
RENOVATIONS * RESTORATIONS<br />
Homes, Apartments, Kitchens, Bathrooms,<br />
Basements,<br />
Shops, Restaurants, Offices<br />
25 YEARS EXPERIENCE<br />
WE ARE CARING,<br />
CREATIVE CRAFTSMEN<br />
Call John<br />
Day: 613-294-6441<br />
Eve: 613-623-6441<br />
Extra Mile Renovations<br />
Quality bathrooms, kitchens,<br />
porches & more<br />
Trim work, installations, plumbing,<br />
electric, doors, fixtures<br />
Local Renovator Creative Solutions<br />
Reasonable Prices<br />
References Available<br />
Please call (613) 297-8079<br />
Gibbon’s Painting and Decorating<br />
Local House Painter - Bonded<br />
With 20 years experience<br />
Customer satisfaction<br />
ALWAYS GUARANTEED<br />
For a free estimate please call Rory 731-8079<br />
Ask about my $25 referral rebate<br />
Book now for your<br />
All your painting needs<br />
www.gibbonspainting.ca<br />
cell:613-322-0109
MAY 2010 The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR Page 47<br />
Marion Jamieson, a volunteer who is a member<br />
at large of the Abbotsford Members Council. She<br />
volunteers weekly for the Day Away program at<br />
Abbotsford. She was rocking for the Abbotsford<br />
Council Team who had won the “most spirited team”<br />
prize in no small part because of Marion.<br />
Photo by John Flanders.
Page 48<br />
The OSCAR - OUR 37 th YEAR MAY 2010