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Going out on a ledge to help the city’s youth Volunteers fundraise, rappel for Easter Seals Steph Willems
steph.willems@metroland.com
News - It takes courage to step off the side of an 18-storey building, but that’s what Ottawa residents were lined up to do on Sept. 23. The roof of the National Hotel & Suites Ottawa, located on Queen Street, served as the windy launching-off point for volunteers taking part in the 4th annual Easter Seals Drop Zone Ottawa. The event, presented by property owner Morguard, saw participants dress up as their favourite superheroes and rappel down the side of the hotel. Money raised will support children and youth living with physical disabilities who are served by Easter Seals Ontario. “We see amazing generosity every year,” said Stephanie Miller, development officer for Easter Seals Ontario. This year, 16 cities across Canada will take part in the Drop Zone event, which started in Halifax and spread nationwide. On Monday, Windsor,
Ont., hosted its first-ever Drop Zone. While the large federal government presence in Ottawa forbids some buildings from being used in the fundraiser due to security concerns, Miller said that Morguard has stepped up to the plate each year. “They’ve put a lot of money and time into it,” said Miller. “They installed roof anchors (on the hotel) two years ago just for this and left them so they can be used in the future. They wanted the event to stay.” Participants in the event each raised $1,500 or more, then received professional training before stepping over the precipice. From the lofty perch atop the hotel, participants were treated to stunning views of the capital and the Gatineau Hills, not to mention the long drop to the street below. Remote Access Technology performed the technical oversight for all of the Drop Zone events, while Ottawa’s Coyote Rock Gym supplied climbing ropes and offered its facilities for training. Like many taking part in the rap-
Photos by Steph Willems/Metroland
Keith McLaughlin of Ottawa Fire Services, left, prepares to rappel down the side of an 18-storey Queen Street hotel on Monday. Residents lined up to take part in the intimidating Easter Seals Drop Zone Ottawa event. Right, firefighters Conrad Sendybyl and Jens Altman-Hughes demonstrate a high-level rescue. pelling, the physical act of stepping off the ledge – committing one’s self to the act -- was the scariest part. Non-professional rappelers made
the drop in tandem with a trained instructor. Miller took part in the drop for the first time this year, and said she was
Results show water purity declines as river passes city “Essentially, as you go down the river – especially south of the National Capital Region – the water quality becomes poorer,” said Brown. “Nutrient-wise, in the mid-channel the results were pretty negligible, which is pretty fantastic. South of the South Nation River, readings were slightly higher.” The South Nation passes mostly through Eastern Ontario’s agriculture belt, and the higher amount of nutrients (used in fertilizer) would be expected due to normal run-off. A cause for concern in the upper Ottawa this year was two large bluegreen algae blooms, one near Lac Temiskaming, the other near Muskrat Lake. These algae blooms can seriously affect the health of a body of water.
The results of the Ottawa River testing are being loaded into a searchable online map for public usage.
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emphasize the difficulty in gathering a diversity of voices on the many issues impacting the river. “They’re uncoordinated and not sharing information. The challenge is trying to bridge those gaps and bring people together. We need action on all levels.” On Monday they welcomed Adele Michon, their new director of operations for Quebec – a three-year position that will allow the group to navigate the laws and policies of Quebec and its many municipalities. Brown is hopeful as they recently added new partners from Quebec into their river watcher fold and helped open the eyes of Gatineau politicians through their “bio-blitz” on Brewery Creek. To emphasize the need for crossriver co-operation, Monday’s conference was held in Gatineau’s Hull sector.
With the Riverkeeper’s website poised to undergo a re-vamp, the map is being hosted offsite in a beta version. The Riverkeeper plans to update the map as individual water samples come in. The map can be found at ottawariverwatchers.ca/map.php.
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Limited E. coli sampling this summer saw high readings recorded in Gatineau’s Brewery Creek and near the Ottawa Rowing Club. E. coli levels can fluctuate greatly and are normally caused by storm sewer overflows – a phenomenon the Riverkeeper is advocating action on in Ottawa and Gatineau. The many jurisdictions and levels of government encompassed by the river’s watershed makes collective action on water quality a challenge. However, the Riverkeeper has made headway and is optimistic following Cousteau’s expedition, which will no doubt serve to raise the profile of the Riverkeeper’s work. “It really gave a lot of people the opportunity to tell their stories and voice their concerns,” said Brown, adding one of Cousteau’s main points during the conference was to
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reassured by the abundant emphasis on safety. “It was scary but awesome,” she said.
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