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Foster family reunites over gingerbread homes Emma Jackson emma.jackson@metroland.com
News – An unconventional family reunion promises an afternoon of candy, chaos and communion on Dec. 14. Scott and Heather Munro have been fostering children for the past 14 years, and a number of them have since been adopted into new families. In an effort to keep in contact with them, every
Christmas the couple organizes a holiday party to decorate gingerbread houses and catch up with their extended “family.” “This is my once-a-year reconnection, to see how they’re doing,” said Heather. “Fostering never really ends. They leave, but they don’t leave. I always have my heart hoping to continue the relationship.” The couple started fostering wards of the state when
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their own daughter, Morgan, was two years old. Heather had grown up with her parents fostering children, and when she saw a local call-out for applicants she and Scott decided to continue the tradition. Heather said bringing the kids back to Metcalfe can help them find closure after they’ve settled in with their adoptive family or returned home to their own. And getting to see the children after their time in the foster system is a gift in itself for Heather. “They’ve just bloomed; it’s like watering a wilted flower,” she said. The Munros have rented out the community hall in Kenmore for the event, since the foster family has grown to more than 50 people. The Munros typically foster about three kids each year, and about 20 of them have kept up with their Metcalfe foster home over the years. Once the children’s parents, siblings and other family members are added up, the number is too overwhelming to host the event in the family home as they used to. Heather builds all the gin-
EMMA JACKSON/METROLAND
Metcalfe residents Scott and Heather Munro have been fostering children for the past 14 years, and will host an annual reunion on Dec. 14 for their former foster kids to decorate gingerbread houses in time for the holidays. gerbread houses herself – one per child, siblings included – and buys mountains of candy for the kids to use as decoration. “(The houses) start out weighing about one pound and when the kids are done, they weigh about three,” she
laughed. Ray’s Reptiles will make an appearance, and a Sandy Hill father who adopted one of the Munro’s wards will play the guitar to help everyone get into the holiday spirit. Heather said she fully expects an afternoon of chaos
– icing bags squeezed into mouths, children tripping over each other to get to the candy – but she said that’s exactly what a Christmas party should look like. “It’s a great time of the year,” she said. “It’s so much fun.”
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Riverside South Elevated Water Storage Tank Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Notice of Study Commencement The City of Ottawa is commencing a study to identify a preferred site for an elevated water storage tank to service the Riverside South area. The tank, which is identified in the City’s Infrastructure Master Plan, is expected to be required to supplement the supply of water under future peak demand conditions. The project is being planned as a Schedule ‘B’ project in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment, 2007, which is an approved process under the Environmental Assessment Act. The EA Study will investigate the project need and justification, examine existing environmental conditions, evaluate alternatives and potential impacts, and recommend mitigation measures. At the completion of the study, a Class Environmental Assessment Report which documents the process will be prepared and placed on the public record for public and agency review.
DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED ARE: 5PPUI 1BTUF t 5PPUI #SVTIFT t 4IBNQPP t 4PBQ t 'FNJOJOF 1SPEVDUT t %FPEPSBOU t 3B[PST Bring your donation to any of our convenient locations from 9:00am to 4:00pm throughout December. For financial contributions, please make your cheque payable to the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation or The Ottawa Mission Foundation. Capital Memorial Gardens & Reception Centre 3700 Prince of Wales Dr. 613-692-1211
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Manotick News EMC - Thursday, December 5, 2013
There is an opportunity at any time during the EA process for interested persons to provide comments. Any comments received pertaining to the study will be collected under the Environmental Assessment Act and, with the exception of personal information, will become part of the public record. For more information, or if you wish to be placed on the study’s mailing list, please contact: Chris Rogers, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Planning and Growth Management City of Ottawa 110 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1 Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 27785 E-mail: christopher.rogers@ottawa.ca
Kevin Alemany, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Project Manager, Stantec Consulting 1331 Clyde Avenue Ottawa, ON K2C 3G4 Tel: 613-724-4091 Fax: 613-722-2799 E-mail: kevin.alemany@stantec.com
This notice first published on December 5, 2013.
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