The Carp Villager by carpvillager

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SPRING | 2021

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR AROUND THE VILLAGE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT BUSINESS MAP A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E V I L L A G E OF C A RP BI A © 2021 | THI S PUBL I C ATI ON W A S PRODU CED BY SYNTAX STRATEGIC

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THE CARP VILLAGER | NEWSLETTER

MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR VILLAGE OF CARP BIA

The Village of Carp BIA Board Members: Jen Stewart, Chair Stuart Hodge, Former Chair Greg LeBlanc, Treasurer Tara Azulay, Board Member Lisa Kyte, Board Member Neil Falls, Board Member

Welcome, Spring! With the warmer weather and change of season comes a time of reflection. It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since the pandemic started. It has been a challenging year for everyone full of obstacles and navigating the unknown and uncertainty. What is certain is the resiliency of our small-but-mighty village. From messages of hope in windows to the community stepping up and supporting each other and our local businesses, it gives me a great sense of pride. Businesses have persevered through pandemic shutdowns, to opening, to closing, to changing the way they do business. We’ve all pivoted and adapted in countless ways, and it truly shows the value of a community coming together. We all know the saying “it takes a village” and I have to agree. I am grateful to call Carp home. With spring in the air, we have hope of brighter days and we can’t wait to see our community come together once again. We look forward to a fresh start and embracing the outdoors in many ways. We hope that activities and events can safely begin again, and the hustle of the village and local businesses will continue to bloom. Inside this issue, you’ll see several local business spotlights and hear about how they’ve adapted through the pandemic and what’s next for them. If you’d like your business featured, please contact carpvillager@ gmail.com. On behalf of the Village of Carp BIA, stay healthy, stay well, and we’ll get through this together. Jennifer Stewart Chair Village of Carp BIA carpvillager@gmail.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAYLA BRYANT

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RP 21 -

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Ottawa Valley Grain Products | Kevin Stewart

During this time, we did increase the production of our flour to meet the demand. Working with local farmers and their grains allowed us to continue to meet the demand with no supply issues. We continue to sell our freshly milled flour to customers. You can check out our online store at www.ovgp.ca | www.ottawavalleygrainstore.ca How has COVID impacted your business?

Tell us about your company. Located in the heart of Carp Village, Ottawa Valley Grain Products is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business, processing specialty grain products sourced from local farms in and around the Ottawa Valley, and often, directly from the farmers themselves. We know where our grain comes from, and exactly how it is delivered to our mill and then processed. By sourcing all-natural products, we remain true to our heritage of providing nutritious and wholesome grains to Canadians. Our various flours are made with 100% whole grains, where nothing is added and nothing is taken away.

We are passionate about milling Canadian grain, supporting local and regional farmers, and ensuring that Canadians from coast-to-coast-tocoast have access to the highest quality product. At the start of the pandemic, flour production and demand increased. Did this affect your business? At the start of the pandemic, we saw demand for our flour products increase tremendously. The shortage of flour on shelves at grocery stores turned a lot of customers our way (add in the sourdough craze!), and the interest and inquiries from new and old customers of our products were at an all-time high.

Production and distribution of our products to larger clients were not impacted. From an operational standpoint, modifications were made to ensure the safety of our staff and products – a priority then and now. Where we saw the biggest impact was our way of doing business with customers sourcing local flour and grains. Our online store saw a huge increase in visitors and sales. Due to this demand and COVID protocols, we did have to adjust pick-up options and offered curbside/contactless options for customers. COVID has certainly made us rethink the functionality of our current online store and our marketing direction moving forward. We’ve learned a lot since COVID started and are making improvements to our online store and finding other ways to get our local products to customers across Canada.

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We also can’t thank the local community enough for supporting us through the pandemic! You mentioned you offer curbside pick-up for customers? We offer 1 kg, 10, kg and 25 kg bags of all our grains and flours. Our flours are 100% whole grain and perfect for pastries, bread, and baking. From hard red wheat, to soft white wheat flours, rye flours, and oat flours, we have a variety of options for whatever you plan on baking. Our grains are also very popular, with barley being our main product which we offer in a variety of options like pot barley, pearled, and whole grain. Barley is so versatile and can be used in baking, salads, stews, soups and so much more.

All our products are available online at ottawavalleygrainstore.ca or at our mill location at 405 Donald B. Munro Dr. Customers can do curbside pick-up on any item and pay online for contactless shopping. What’s next for OVGP? What we’re really excited about is our new online store. Having learned a lot from the early days of the pandemic and demand for our products online – as well as the overwhelming support of customers wanting local products – the new shop site will allow us to showcase our products better and be easier to use for our customers. In addition to these improvements, the new online store will allow for our products to be shipped directly to homes across Canada!

We also have a variety of merchandise items available to customers online and at the mill. Our most popular items are our Harvest T-shirts. Each year we design a limited-edition t-shirt and they’ve become quite the collectors’ items for our customers. We also sell hats, toques, and hoodies.

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT CSS Building Inc. | Allan Duncan

CSS was established in 1970 and continues to operate across Canada providing services that include inspection, cleaning, sealing, and painting the radomes along with panel repairs or replacement, installing and servicing the aircraft warning lights on the top of the radomes, inspecting, and repairing the lightning protection systems, the ventilation and blower systems. What does your business do? Canadian Space Services Ltd. (CSS) is a private corporation that provides radome field services to the DND, Nav Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Raytheon Canada, Telesat, and Lockheed Martin Canada. It works with organizations that have radomes over their satellite communication (SatCom) or radar antennas. The radome service has taken our teams around the world working on every continent including Antarctica.

As we continued work in the aerospace industry, we developed a second company to provide field services on wind turbines. With more and more renewable energy projects springing up around the world, there is a growing need for blade repairs, plus gearbox and tower maintenance. The wind farm service business is proving to be a growth industry. Why did you choose Carp for your business? The CSS Building was originally part of CFB Carp when the Department of National Defence purchased land for an underground bunker (currently the Diefenbunker), along with a satellite ground station for secure communication with Canada’s NATO allies around the world.

The first visit to CFB Carp’s NATO SatCom building occurred in 1996 when the CSS team was contracted to clean and paint the 68 ft. diameter radome. Like all good service companies, the supervisor asked the Warrant Officer when we could schedule the next maintenance interval. His answer surprised us: we were told DND had decided to tear the building down and sell the land. We jumped on the opportunity and made it the new home for CSS in April 1999. We continue to enjoy this location. How has COVID affected your business? Servicing radomes and wind turbines are essential services, so the technicians have been fortunate to continued working through the pandemic. Even though international travel has been restricted, we have been able to travel to some parts of Canada. The techs continue to follow COVID guidelines meticulously. To many residents of Carp, your business is known for its “golf ball.” Can you tell us what it is and what it does? The 68 ft. (20.6m) diameter geodesic radar dome, known as a radome, houses the 50 ft. (15m) antenna that was used to send and receive signals from the early NATO satellite system. It was built between 1960-1963, at the same time as the Diefenbunker.

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The radome is perfect for training new employees how to work on it using rope access methods to ascend and repel while washing and painting the exterior surface. In the past, we have opened up the building to the public for Doors Open Ottawa, an annual June weekend event that invites people into various organizations throughout Ottawa. CSS has attracted as many as 700 visitors through its doors over the weekend. Many are local neighbors who are curious to see what is inside the ‘golf ball.’

What’s in store for Canadian Space Services? The CSS Building will be open for visitors this summer, pending COVID rules. We are working towards offering the inner space and radome interior for small events and meeting space. Guided tours into the back of the SatCom antenna can be booked soon. For more information the CSS Building visit us at www.cssbuilding.ca

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Gloss Hair Salon & Aesthetics | Sarah Gray What can people expect when coming to your salon?

Tell us about your business and what services you offer. We are a small, intimate salon location that offers full hair and aesthetic services. Gloss has been a part of the Carp community for the last 11 years. We are nestled on the top level of McNeely's at 469 Donald B. Munro Drive.

From the moment you walk in the door, our focus is on relaxation. Our spa services are a great way to take a step back from the bustle of everyday life. We have two hairstylists and one aesthetician offering hair and spa services. You can get pampered from head to toe! Clients can expect a friendly and comfortable environment and know that we are also making sure all health protocols are being followed, so you can simply enjoy your services.

What is your favourite part of owning a business in Carp? Having a business in Carp is fantastic. It’s a growing town with such friendly people and wonderful businesses. I feel so lucky to be able to work and live in this great community. For our full list of services and online booking, find as at www.glosshairsalon.ca

How has COVID affected your business and how have you adapted? Like every small business owner, it has been a hard adjustment. It’s been really difficult throughout the pandemic trying to adjust – not knowing when you will reopen and for how long before you have to close the doors again. That has been the biggest struggle. Health and safety are very important to us. We disinfect the chairs and stations in between every client and all surfaces, bathrooms, doorknobs are disinfected throughout the day as well. We want to ensure every client feels comfortable and safe in our environment. It's been a big change, but it is so nice to be back and to see our clients! We have such a great loyal clientele that has supported us for over 11 years, and we are so grateful for their support.

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HUNTLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE

OUTDOOR RINK

Carp Mess Hall

Carp Memorial Hall

Carleton Masonic Lodge 465

Contributed by Jake Davies. Originally published in West Carleton Online (Source Link)

“It’s a family business,” Valdete, who now leads the business, told West Carleton Online yesterday (Feb. 3). “My parents came here and started it first. When I got older, I took over.

CARP BAKERY | KOSOVO SKILL, LOCAL FLAVOUR

By Jake Davies - West Carleton Online

The Carp Bakery's Valdete Nuhijaj shows off some of the amazing bread and treats she and her family bake fresh every day. Photo by Jake Davies

CARP – When the Nuhijaj family took over the Carp Bakery nearly 11 years ago, it was under the condition they would not change the recipes the bakery had used the 30 years before that. The conditions were certainly unusual, but the original owner was firm, and had already turned down two other offers for the business because those buyers wouldn’t agree. Rexhe Nuhijas and his wife Zoja were bakers “for a very long time in Kosovo,” before immigrating to Canada with his wife Zoja and their five children Valbona, Valmira, Valdrin, Valdeta and Valjeta. The family took over the bakery and continue to start work late every single night baking a variety of breads, rolls, sweets and treats fresh for the Village of Carp every day.

“The owner wouldn’t sell the business to anyone who wouldn’t bake his bread. He said he knew what the community wanted.” Of the five children, three still work at the bakery – Valmira, Valjeta and Valdete, as well as mom Zoja who still helps out. “Our family are big bread fans,” Valdete said. The Carp Bakery also provides some dine-in service and, in a time before COVID-19, offered a daily soup and sandwich combo. Of course, the dine-in lunches are no more right now, they are not making soups due to COVID-19 complications, but their core service is still open and the family is still baking their incredible selection of breads every morning.

The Nuhijajs make white, sourdough, rye, pumpernickel (to name a few) – usually around 40 to 50 loaves a day; dinner rolls and buns (10 to 12 dozen); and a variety of sweets including peanut butter and chocolate squares, Chelsea buns and donuts. The bakery doesn’t have much of an online presence, but Zoja says it doesn’t need one. “The bakery has been here for 40 years, people know what we have,” she said with a laugh. COVID-19 was a challenge for the bakery. It instantly killed their dine-in service. They were closed for weeks at the onset, but as an essential service were able to re-open, but on reduced hours. “As soon as the government said stay home, it was dead, dead,” Zoja said. “But we’re the only place to get bread in the area. So, we were lucky. We’ve been able to stay open.”

“My dad taught me how to bake bread and now I do it with my mom,” Valdete said. “The former owner taught us how to make the bread more ‘Canadian.’ There’s more sugar, more salt, than the bread we used to make in Europe.”

“It’s still a bit slow, but we have something to do,” Valdete said. “We’re hoping our lunch will come back (after the pandemic) and people will come in to eat it.”

Zoja says in Europe, the style of bread is “more natural, more of a crusty break, wherever you go in Europe, people are cooking. Everything fresh is better.”

The family is hopeful things will return to normal soon, as they have grown to love their adopted community.

Zoja adds another difference between Canadian and European bread is the plastic bags.

“We really like it,” Valdete said. “It’s a nice, quiet, sometimes busy town. It’s nice to be here. To have a small business in a small village. It’s a good community.”

“European bread is crusty,” she said. “The crust is thick. Usually no bag. Maybe a paper bag, but we never used plastic to put bread in.” The crew starts working around 6 or 7 p.m. in the evening. They start making the bread around 6 or 7 a.m. in the morning. And it doesn’t get much fresher than the Carp Bakery. The selection of breads is usually coming out of the ovens about a half-hour before the doors open for the day.

“Country people are absolutely the best,” Zoja said. “I don’t know all the names, but I recognize the faces.” The Carp Bakery can be found at 461 Donald B. Munro Dr. and is open Monday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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UPDATE:

OUR OFFICE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, BUT WE ARE STILL HERE TO HELP. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) Veterans Affairs Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Old Age Security (OAS) Passport Canada

Karen McCrimmon

Employment Insurance Benefits (EI) Citizenship and Immigration Canada Student Loans (CSL) Greetings for special birthdays Anniversary congratulations Acquiring Canadian flags and pins

KarenMcCrimmonMP.ca

Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton

/KarenMcCrimmon.ca

Contact Me: Karen.McCrimmon@parl.gc.ca

@KarenMcCrimmon

THANK YOU

to the Carp businesses and organizations whom have shown

incredible determination, commitment and creativity when presented with the challenges of COVID-19. They have supported and served their community, and the people of Carp and West Carleton have been there to support them in return! Shop local is a win-win! Together we can ALL succeed in spite of these challenging times. Your leadership and teamwork matters greatly! Better days are ahead. Take good care and stay safe! Sincerely,

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Contributed by Jake Davies. Originally published in West Carleton Online (Source Link)

CARP CABIN |

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES

By Jake Davies - West Carleton Online

The Carp Cabin's Diana Fuller has had to adjust three businesses to the ever changing regulations surrounding COVID-19. Photo by Jake Davies

CARP – On Nov. 21, 2019 popular boutique The Carp Cabin held a grand opening celebrating a move from the outskirts of the village right to the heart of the community. It was an opportunity for Diana Fuller’s growing business to expand in a new space in the village’s centre at 107 Falldown Lane, surrounded by popular destinations such as the Carp Fairgrounds, the Carp Farmers’ Market, Alice’s Village Café and the Carp Commons Retirement Village. “I had been eying this place for some time,” Fuller told West Carleton Online last Thursday (March 11). “I told (property owner) Greg LeBlanc let me know when it comes available. The timing just worked out.” The Carp Cabin focuses on items for the cottage, lodge, hunt camp, even the home with a large selection of antiques, collectibles and gifts as well as a unique line of paints under the brand

of Farmhouse Paint. The Cabin does some consignment work as well and also focuses on the work of local artisans. The new location is just behind another of Fuller’s businesses, The Hive, a multi-vendor shop with three unique businesses contained within.

The auction house, located in a 5,000 square foot building located at 1523 Laperriere Ave. in Ottawa, doesn’t see the business it did preCOVID-19, but that’s because the business moved online.

“Our staff look at each other through the windows when they talk on the phone,” Fuller joked.

“It’s been interesting,” Fuller said. “We have a very loyal following of people who come back year after year. We went from 300 people in the crowd to 300 people online and with 100 or so live, depending on OPH regulations. We built relationships with the people who come back to the auctions. For many, our weekly auctions were a day out. We miss that.”

Less than four months after the move, the Cabin joined all other businesses in a forced closure due to the arrival of COVID-19 and the start of a global pandemic and Fuller had to pivot, readjust and re-work her business plan of operating a bricks and mortar business in an age when people weren’t allowed inside public places. “It’s been good,” Fuller said. “Our clients have followed us over from our Donald B. Munro location. It’s nice to be in the village and the community has been amazing. I think another shop was needed in the village. With the Carp Fair and the Carp Farmers’ Market, we still have the village atmosphere here. I’d like to see a few more shops open up.” Fuller says Carp, at least prior to COVID-19, the village was becoming a destination place for residents of Ottawa’s urban core and beyond. “It’s starting to be,” she said. “The Carp Cabin is a very different type of shop. The Carp Fairgrounds brings in a lot of makers and growers. Slowly, we will build that back up.” Currently The Carp Cabin is open with reduced capacity and hours. It is also offering curb-side pick-up. Fuller has been dutifully uploading almost all the products in The Carp Cabin on to the store’s website, a challenge with the large variety and ever-changing list. For many business owners, COVID-19 has been an incredibly busy time, adapting to regulations; installing COVID-19 safety equipment; and staying on top of everchanging Ottawa Public Health rules. All while having to endure two lockdowns, several closures and greatly reduced revenue. For Fuller, times that by three as the Carp-based entrepreneur also owns next-door business The Hive and an auction house all under the banner of McLean and Associates.

Fuller says her last auction had 200,000 visits online. Fuller is a certified personal property assessor and auctioneer with more than 30 years experience. Moving auctions online in 2015 was a big change for bidders. Mixing the online auction with the in-house auction in the age of COVID-19, could have been very bad for business. But Fuller and her team made sure the auction house’s clients would be completely satisfied with the new process. “We installed televisions in the building so those in attendance could track the online auction,” Fuller said. “We were able to gain the trust of our clients because everything was very transparent. You can’t see the expressions anymore (due to mask-wearing), but all of our clients have been very understanding.” Currently, The Carp Cabin is open five days a week. Fuller hopes to increase that to its preCOVID-19 hours, but of course, that is not under her control (and with Ottawa again approaching the province’s red-restrict COVID levels, who knows when that will be). For up-to-date information on The Carp Cabin, visit its website here. For information on The Hive, visit its website here. For information on Fuller’s auction company MacLean & Associates, visit its website here.

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