Bank Street is a key transit corridor in this city, connecting north and south, serving Carleton University and Lansdowne, travelled by two of the city’s busiest bus routes and passing through major commercial districts like the Glebe.
As many of us know from experience, it is one of the most crowded streets, bursting at the seams with cars, buses, delivery trucks, cyclists, scooters and pedestrians, some with wheelchairs or strollers.
The City of Ottawa recently undertook a study – the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Study – to try to improve travel along Bank Street in the Glebe from the Sunnyside Library to the Queensway. The study completed, the City held an open house on September 24 at Blessed Sacrament Church to present its proposals for improvements. Lise Guevremont, the project manager, presented the findings and the proposed changes to improve Bank Street, which she described as one of the most important transit corridors in the city, with some 6,000 passengers a day travelling on that stretch of it.
Lansdowne, with its major events and well-known transportation flaws, further complicates travel. Bank Street is also a major commercial destination, and businesses want parking on the street for their customers. The Glebe is also a designated tourist area with stores allowed to open on holidays. Finally, Bank Street is an important flow-through artery connecting many communities in the south to Centretown.
However, Guevremont pointed out that Bank Street is relatively narrow and cannot be widened. The study team needed to look for an acceptable balance among these competing uses and needs.
What they came up with was a combination of bus lanes (some full-time and others one-way during rush hour), relatively minor bike improvements with a promise of a future cycling study on other north-south Glebe streets and the removal of a relatively small number of Bank Street parking spaces (16). For pedestrians, some added visible crosswalks.
Rush-hour-only bus lanes are proposed:
• from Pretoria to Holmwood one way in the peak direction
• in both directions during major Lansdowne events
New full-time bus lanes are proposed:
• in both directions near the Bank and Fifth intersection
• northbound at the Bank and Aylmer intersection just south of the bridge
• southbound at Exhibition Way outside Lansdowne
While the study is billed as being about “active transportation and transit,” the proposals focus on bus travel, with relatively few improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.
The open house was well attended, about 150 to 200 people with a large contingent of transit riders as well as cyclists and pedestrians. After the presentation, a question period provided an opportunity for comment.
The mood of the crowd was clearly antagonistic, and several reminders to be respectful were felt necessary. Many speakers disagreed with the City’s balancing of competing interests and advocated giving greater priority to the needs of transit users over the needs of businesses – buses over parking. Several questioned why only 16 parking spaces were proposed for elimination and urged more full-time bus lanes even if it means less parking. Someone commented that while business owners think parking is important for customers, transit riders could well be a more important customer base.
Glebe BIA executive director Darrell Cox spoke in defense of the interests of Glebe businesses in keeping on-street parking, pointing out that some Glebe businesses are long-time members of the community and support the
neighbourhood in many ways, including providing jobs for local young people.
One questioner urged overall bolder action, such as 24/7 bus lanes, and termed the City’s proposals “a first step.” Others commented that the assortment of short bus lanes, some full-time and others during peak hours only, was overly complicated and would not be readily understood by drivers.
The City’s proposals included some minor cycling improvements, but the study essentially concluded that there is no room for bike lanes on Bank Street. A future study is proposed of cycling on other Glebe north-south streets: Percy, Craig, Lyon and O’Connor.
For pedestrians, given the lack of space, no major improvements are proposed, but the City will look at relocating scooter parking.
Guevremont thanked those present for their comments and interest, and she reiterated that the City’s consultation process includes a range of groups and individuals with a variety of interests and priorities, among which a balance must be sought.
The study findings are published on the City’s website at engage.ottawa. ca/bank-street-active-transportation-and-transit-priority-feasibility-study.
The next step is for the study proposals to go to the City’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, followed by City Council sometime in the fall.
The City held an open house September 24 at Blessed Sacrament Church to present its recommendations for improvements to the design of Bank Street in the Glebe The study, billed as the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Study, proposed among other things a number of temporary and full-time bus lanes on Bank Street while keeping most of the street parking
PHOTOS: LIZ MCKEEN
Remembering Doug McKeen
From the files of the Glebe Report
Doug McKeen died in September after a long and difficult battle with dementia. He was 81.
McKeen was the son of Harold and Laura McKeen, part of four generations of McKeen family grocers in the Glebe. His brother Jim and Jim’s daughter Rebecca were the most recent family grocers at McKeen Metro. Brother David, also a former grocer, has been in the news for inventing a house-soaking device to prevent wildfires from burning houses and cottages.
Doug McKeen often said he was born in the Glebe, raised in the Glebe and worked in the Glebe his entire life. That was true, except for his last year at the Perley Health, where he enjoyed thoughtful care that sometimes included midnight music sessions and rye-and-ginger mouth soothing.
McKeen had an extraordinary and diverse career, respected by many. His working life began even before he had a driver’s license. He started as a DJ, known for hosting the best sock hops from the Glebe to Pembroke, Kazabazua, and Cornwall before moving into radio at CFRA. There, he produced the CFRA Swing Sets (hit parade) while still in high school. His collection of 45s and albums was renowned.
After leaving school, by which time he already owned two companies, he grew McKeen Productions, working with Harvey Glatt on ticket sales and artist management for concerts in Ottawa. He soon learned to mix sound for bands, providing and servicing their equipment. He also founded and ran the “Where It’s At” building at the Central Canada Exhibition at Lansdowne Park.
He later spun off his professional sound business to focus on McKeen Electronics, his retail audio and video store in the Glebe, which he operated for 17 years. Shortly after marrying Claudia and starting a family, Doug closed the stereo store and then joined his wife in 1989 in running The Glebe Apothecary. Together, they built a successful
business and a balanced life with their two daughters, rooted in his beloved Glebe. He and Claudia later became inveterate walkers, trekking the footpaths of England from one pub to the next, often with friends. He was always interested in those he met, always ready for a joke or a laugh.
Known affectionately as the “Mayor of the Glebe,” Doug McKeen was an advocate for small business and downtown neighbourhoods, keeping an eye on city decisions that might affect them. He could often be seen walking the Bank Street strip, observing what needed fixing.
McKeen was a visionary and a trailblazer. He was also stubborn, passionate about his work, community and music, and he was deeply devoted to his family.
This year’s
Doug McKeen, music lover and promoter, entrepreneur, sometimes deemed the unofficial mayor of the Glebe, died in September at the age of 81
Andrea Vuletin
Andrea Pillar
Mary Philpott Karla Rivera
Zoe Pinnell
77 Placel Road
‘Secret Garden’ at Lansdowne gets a Royal visit
By Lynn Armstrong
Tucked away behind the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park is a raisedbed Ethno-botanical and Demonstration Garden that is notable both for what it grows and for how few people realize it’s there, even after 10 years.
When I work there with other volunteers, it’s common to have a passerby express surprise to find the garden, saying they’d never noticed it before. That’s okay – we like the low-key nature of the garden tucked away in a quiet corner of Lansdowne where bees, butterflies, bunnies and birds enjoy visiting. It’s why I call it the Secret Garden.
But it’s hard to keep a garden secret (though we don’t really want to!) when Royals want to see it. That’s what happened on May 26 when King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the garden during their visit to Lansdowne, with the media tracking their every move –suddenly our garden was on national television!
There was a lot of pressure getting ready for the big occasion. We only got 10 days’ notice that the high-profile visitors were coming, and we hadn’t planted anything yet because it was too early. We worked frantically at putting plants in during that cold, wet week before the visit, powered by brownies and tea in a mug that said, “Stay Calm and Garden On,” which became our motto.
Because of security, I could not tell my volunteers exactly why we were suddenly gardening at warp speed, but they helped me anyway and only found out the reason when the Royal itinerary
was announced six days before the visit. One of the beds was renamed the Monarch bed in recognition of King Charles and of Monarch butterflies. That meant we had to add butterfly plants and the King’s favourite, delphiniums, to the bed. Luckily, there were a few delphiniums in the bed already, but they were not in bloom. So, I enlisted my friend Tina Liu, who does tulip- and annual-planting design for the National Capital Commission and
aboriginal community for medicine, food and ceremony and form the ethno-botanical portion of the garden.
the Tulip Festival, to help me find some. She arrived the day before the visit with a carload of plants. The all-day planting marathon that Sunday went on until the lights went out at 10:45 p.m. We were as ready as we could be.
I think the King enjoyed the gardens – he even smiled at the “Stay Calm and Garden On” mug which I had placed in one of the gardens. While explaining the Monarch bed to Charles and Camilla, I mentioned that the centre of the bed has a river of blue plants (including the delphiniums) that represent the Ottawa and Rideau rivers, and I added that Queen Victoria had chosen Ottawa as the capital because of its location on these two rivers. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was standing beside me, then added that Ottawa was also chosen because it was farther from the American border than other contending towns, which is also factually correct, and that brought a chuckle from the King.
The gardens he saw have flourished and evolved since it was built in 2015. I often tell inquiring visitors that Mother Nature does a lot of the work, but dedicated volunteers help with gardening and harvesting of food for the Centretown Emergency Food Centre, and the Lansdowne Park landscape team helps with the important task of watering.
Of the 25 steel raised beds in the garden, seven at the south edge are plants of significance to Ottawa’s
The remaining 18 beds demonstrate the growing of food and flowers, often together in symbiotic relationships that are also very pleasing to the eye.
There are beds specifically for the young at heart – a Peter Rabbit garden and a Fairy garden – and there are beds that showcase the horticultural history of the Glebe which homed the school gardens (1917 to 1950) and vacant-lot gardens over by Glebe Collegiate to produce food during the First World War. Four beds together demonstrate a family-size garden of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. There is a bed with plants for natural dyes, a bed of heritage and unusual tomatoes and a bed specifically for pollinators. Interestingly, the bee biologists at the University of Ottawa inventoried the garden and say it has one of the highest diversities of native bees found on any one site in Ottawa.
The Royal visit was definitely a day to remember and an unexpected way to celebrate the garden’s 10th anniversary. However, early this month, a visitor mentioned they didn’t know the garden existed, so perhaps we have escaped celebrity garden status and can go back to being the quiet lovely oasis we have been for the past decade. That said, I hope you will come by to visit the Secret Garden and enjoy its unique character.
Lynn Armstrong is a Glebe gardener who designed the Lansdowne community gardens and has expertise in native and heritage gardening.
Lansdowne community garden features a “river of blue plants” representing the Rideau and Ottawa rivers PHOTOS: LYNN ARMSTRONG
The Monarch bed at Lansdowne
King Charles and Queen Camilla, with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Steven Guilbeault, minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, listen to Lynn Armstrong explain the river of blue in the Monarch garden PHOTO: LAUREN WOHLFARTH
A Glimpse of the Glebe
DORSE HEATHER DUGGAN
ELLYN DUKE-WATSON
NADINE FAULKNER
JOSEPH GIBSON-KING PAT GOYECHE
CHARLOTTE HALSTEAD
ROD HUGHES
JULIE IRETON
CLARE JACKSON
SHARON DAWN JACKSON
MAUREEN KORP
COOPER LOVE
ANGUS MCCABE
CATHERINE MCKENNEY
JESSICA MCINTYRE
JOHN MEISSNER
SHAWN MENARD
YASIR NAQVI
NINA POPOVICH
JOSH RACHLIS
SUE REIVE
SARAH ROUTLIFFE
NICOLE SAMMUT
BHAGWANT SANDHU
MEGAN SCHREINER
ROBIN SMALL
JANE STALLABRASS
SUE STEFKO
JESSIE-LEE WALLACE
CATHERINE WATERS
MICHELLE WEINROTH
CECILE WILSON
TONY WOHLFARTH
ZEUS
WHO ARE WE?
Profiles of our neighbours
Most of us want to talk about ourselves and our neighbours, looking for what we have in common and how we differ. We have all chosen to live in the Glebe – or perhaps it’s just where we somehow ended up – but here we are. We are surrounded by fellow travellers in the same metaphorical boat as us –we all suffer and rejoice in the same weather, the colour of the leaves, the ripples in the water on Patterson’s Creek, the unexpected snowstorm, the smell of manure wafting to us from the Experimental Farm, the sound of air conditioners on The Clemow. Increasingly, we are all suffering the scourge of traffic in the neighbourhood, with many more cars, construction trucks and crews, visitors looking for parking, and on it goes.
And always, we are curious about our fellow travellers, our neighbours. Who are they and what do I have in common with them? Or how are they different from me – what are their opinions, talents, causes they care about, traditions? What languages do they speak?
Are they diehard sports fans, orchestra concert-goers? What do they think of Lansdowne 2.0? Are they parents who bring their kids to school every day, or are they retired and long past that? Are they comfortable in their lifestyle, or are they striving, perhaps struggling?
The Glebe Report would like to help you get to know your neighbours. Say you have finally chatted with that neighbour down the street or across the way and discovered you both are vegetarian or have grandchildren in the same school or play the same position in hockey. Just send an email to editor@glebereport.ca with the name and contact details of the person. The Glebe Report will contact them and, with their permission, may write a short profile for an upcoming issue. No need for you to do anything else, but if you wish to interview the person yourself and write a short piece on them for the Glebe Report, all the better!
We suspect that there are many lovely people who live here, some with extraordinary lives. Let’s discover each other.
–Liz McKeen
Established in 1973, the Glebe Report, published by the Glebe Report Association, is a monthly not-forprofit community newspaper with a circulation of 7,500 copies It is delivered free to Glebe homes and businesses Advertising from merchants in the Glebe and elsewhere pays all its costs, and the paper receives no government grants or direct subsidies The Glebe Report is made available at select locations such as the Glebe Community Centre, the Old Ottawa South Community Centre and Brewer Pool, and is printed by Winchester Print www.glebereport.ca
PROOFREADERS................ Martha Bowers, Jennifer D'Costa
AREA CAPTAINS................. Martha Bowers, Bob Brocklebank, Judy Field, Deb Hogan & Dave Yurach, Lynn & Dave Johnston, Elena Kastritsa, Brenda Perras, Julie Stephens, Della Wilkinson
The Glebe Report strives to be inclusive and to represent the full diversity of the community we serve.
Ackerman-Katz Family, Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Aubry family, Gaja Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Joanne Benoit, Carolyn Best, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Bridgett family, Bob Brocklebank, Ben Campbell-Rosser, Nico Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Claypool Family, JJ Comptois, June Creelman, Marni Crossley, Olivia Dance, Mark Dance, Dawson family, Richard DesRochers, Davies Family, Roslyn Demarsh, Marilyn Deschamps, Diekmeyer-Bastianon family, Dingle family, Delia Elkin, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, The Foo Family, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Marjolein Groenevelt, Ryleigh and Hayden Hendy, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jennifer Humphries, Sandiso Johnston, Tani, Pete & Bryce Nisbet-Jones, Jungclaus Family, Elena Kastritsa, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Fenton & Cora Hui Litster, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Kathleen Larocque, Brams and Jane Leswick, Alison Lobsinger, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Andy Lunney, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Paul McA, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Josephine & Elise Meloche, Julie Monaghan, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Diane Munier, Benjamin Munter-Recto, Rafi Naqvi, Imogen & Maddy North, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, Nicholas & Reuben Ott, Matteo and Adriano Padoin-Castillo, Finn Pedersen, Miles PersohnHough, Brenda Perras, Brenda Quinlan, Annabel and Joseph Quon, Kalia and Elijah Quon, Beatrice Raffoul, Frederick and Kasper Raji Kermany, Bruce Rayfuse, Kate Reekie, Thomas Reevely, Mary & Steve Reid, Jacqueline Reilly-King, Luke Robertson, Anna Roper, Frank Schreiner, Short family, Cathy Simons, Andrew Soares, Heidi Stelzl, Stephenson family, Elsie Sutherland, Cameron & Quinn Swords, Ruth Swyers, Tomlin Boys, John & Maggie Thomson, Tom Trottier, Trudeau family, Will, Georgie & Blaire Turner, Zosia Vanderveen, Veevers family, Carina and Matteo Vella, Nick Walker, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Hope, Jax and Ash Wilson, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Berkan Yazici, Martin Zak.
WELCOME TO:
Luke Robertson
Frederick and Kasper Raji Kermany Kalia and Elijah Quon
Miles Persohn-Hough Heidi Stelzl
Protesters gathered September 9 for a demonstration calling on The Clemow to mitigate the noise of roof air conditioners that has plagued nearby residents
Restore funding for ODA to boost foreign aid
Editor, Glebe Report
We are living in uncertain times, which has undoubtedly had an effect in our beloved Glebe neighbourhood and our nation. It is natural to feel anxious and helpless, but what if we could channel these feelings into positive action towards a good cause?
According to The Borgen Project, a not-for-profit advocacy organization, one of the most impactful ways we can demand change is through asking our local MPs to prioritize issues that are important to us. Now that Parliament is back in session, one of the issues that is top of mind for me is the recent cuts to the Official Development Assistance (ODA)
GLEBE REPORT
COVER ART
As a Glebe artist – amateur or professional –would you like to have your artwork featured on a future cover of the Glebe Report?
The Glebe Report is seeking photographs of visual art suitable for use on its covers The photo should be a clear, horizontal, rectangular photo of artwork that is appropriate to the season, colourful and preferably features a scene or event associated with the Glebe (Compensation is not available )
Please email your photo as a separate highres jpeg file to editor@glebereport.ca
budget. ODA is Canada’s main channel for foreign aid, which has a huge impact on global poverty reduction. For example, it funds sustainable development projects and ensures those who most need humanitarian assistance are able to access it. Unfortunately, cuts to its funding significantly reduce our ability to combat global poverty. It also undermines our objective to fulfill and respect human rights everywhere.
We must do something.
We have a right as citizens to have our voices heard, and we have a responsibility to use them in a meaningful way. Our Ottawa Centre representative Yasir Naqvi and his fellow MPs have a duty to listen to our concerns and relay them to the House of Commons so they reach the highest levels of decision-making. We must come together to ask Mr. Naqvi to support an increase of the ODA budget.
Nina
Popovic
Business Buzz
Cô O’i Vietnamese restaurant is now open at 103 Fourth Avenue. “At Cô O’i Kitchen, we bring that same energy [as the Vietnamese aunties] – authentic flavors, a warm welcome, and food made with love (and maybe a little sass).” (www.cooikitchen.ca)
Physiotherapy iQ Sports Clinic now open at 117, Unit 2, Glebe Avenue, just east of Bank Street. “This registered physiotherapy clinic provides evidence-based assessment analysis, focusing on injury assessment, manual therapy, and exercise prescriptions for various musculoskeletal issues. Your clinicians use scientific literature to guide their practice and provide one-on-one, movement-focused treatment that is tailored to your specific diagnosis.” (Facebook)
O’Connor Confectionary at 41 O’Connor Street has a For Lease sign.
2026 DEADLINES
February January 19
March February 16
April March 23
May April 20
June May 18
Glebe Report explores community speaker series
A Call to conversation
By Bhagwant Sandhu
The Glebe Report has long been a voice for local stories, issues and celebrations – and now, we’re exploring a new way to connect, converse and learn together.
We’re considering launching a community speaker series, and we’d like your input. The idea is simple but exciting: invite knowledgeable Glebe residents to share their expertise on any topic – from science and art to history, health, environment, technology, urban planning and beyond.
The only requirement? The speaker must live in the Glebe.
Imagine an evening where a neighbour sheds light on climate policy, another shares their passion for astronomy and someone else breaks down local history or current affairs. We’re surrounded by people with rich life experiences, deep knowledge and unique perspectives. Sharing that can
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spark the kind of engaged and informed conversations that build stronger communities.
These talks would be designed as welcoming and informal opportunities to listen, discuss, question and connect. Whether held in a local coffee shop or a church basement, the gatherings are envisioned to be small but meaningful moments of learning and connection.
We see the speaker series as a new chapter in the Glebe Report’s mission: turning pages of print into spaces of real-time exchange among neighbours, a Parisian salon if you will.
But before we move forward, we want to hear from you. Do you know someone in the Glebe with a fascinating area of expertise? Would you attend or host a talk? Your input will shape what this series could become. You can share your thoughts by writing a letter to the editor, because we love to hear from you. Or alternatively, send an email to chair@glebereport.ca.
Let’s tap into the remarkable depth of knowledge that quietly lives among us. Let’s turn neighbours into speakers and our shared spaces into sharing of ideas. Let’s talk.
Bhagwant Sandhu is chair of the Glebe Report board of directors.
QUARTER
for November 2025
The Poetry of sleep
Call for submissions
Ah! The panacea of sleep! Of closing off the day and being alone at our core, succumbing to the miracle of sleep with its promise of rejuvenation. Few things are as gratifying, and few are as disturbing as missing it. Shakespeare called it the “balm of hurt minds” and the “chief nourisher in life’s feast.” Here at the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter, we want to read your poems about this most primal of human activities – be it the renewal of sleep, sleep disturbance or, as Freud called it, the mimic of death.
21
18
25
22
20
August July 27 July 29
September August 24 August 26
6
6
10
8
5
14
11
October September 28 September 30 October 16
November October 26
October 28 November 13
December November 23 November 25 December 11
* Electronic artwork due (reserve your ad space well in advance to ensure availability)
As usual, poems should be:
• Original and unpublished in any medium (no poems submitted elsewhere, please);
• No more than 30 lines each;
• On any aspect of the theme within the bounds of public discourse; and
• Submitted on or before Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Poets in the National Capital Region of all ages welcome (school-age poets, please indicate your grade and school). Please send your entries (up to 5 poems that meet the criteria) to editor@glebereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you are in school.
Deadline: Monday, Oct. 27, 2025
POETRY
Glebe Annex Community Association is having a busy fall
By Sue Stefko
The Glebe Annex Community Association (GACA) is in the midst of another busy fall season.
On an incredibly beautiful September day, the association hosted our community and park clean-up. We don’t know if it was because of the great weather or because word spread that we were offering free coffee from the relatively new Bacata Columbian coffee shop around the corner on Bronson, but we had the best turnout we’ve had in years! Having a large and enthusiastic group meant that the neighbourhood was cleaned up and looking tidy in short order, leaving the clean-up crew time to chat, have coffee and enjoy a mini social when the work was done.
GACA is now preparing for our free Halloween event, which will be held at the front of Dalhousie South Park on Bell Street South from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 31. We will have loot bags for the children and, back by popular demand, our photo booth – weather permitting. There will be a new spooky backdrop, and DJ Morris will be back to spin some scary tunes. This will be our third Halloween event. It’s rapidly becoming a tradition in the Glebe Annex, and it came about in a roundabout way. We got our first City of Ottawa grant for a party in the park in 2020 – officially the worst year ever to try to host a social event! We tried to salvage the grant by delaying the party until late summer, but COVID restrictions were still in place. Finally, we proposed a safe social distancing
Halloween event, but that too was not to be. While we unable to take advantage of the grant that year, it did plant a seed for some kind of neighbourhood Halloween event.
Our community was seeing a decline in trick-or-treaters, as more local children preferred to go to neighbourhoods like the Glebe with fewer apartment buildings and more houses giving out treats. So, in 2022, we finally decided to take a chance on a Halloween event. We were happily surprised to see crowds lining up to get their photos taken at our photo booth and to collect candy. While the neighbourhood still doesn’t see many trick-or-treaters, we are happy to see the Halloween spirit alive and well in the Glebe Annex and are excited that families make our photo booth and candy collection a part of their evening plans.
GACA gets involved in many different areas in our community – providing input on development, advocating for better transit, sharing information about upcoming events, and promoting neighbourhood safety. While we believe all our work is important and valuable, none seem more appreciated than our events, and certainly none are as fun to undertake! We are always excited to meet new community members and to make new friends at our events, and we hope that this year will be no exception. We hope to see the community come out to enjoy some spooky fun at this year’s Halloween event!
Sue Stefko is vice president of the Glebe Annex Community Association.
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The GACA clean-up crew getting ready to get down to work, showing off both their gloves and their enthusiasm
Some community members, a cow and her cowgirl, came out to enjoy last year’s GACA Halloween event PHOTOS: GABRIELLE DALLAPORTA
An accessible Halloween leaves no one out
By Christina Anderson
I have used a wheelchair my entire life, having been born with a congenital disability called spina bifida. As a child, I loved the idea of Halloween – the costumes, the lights, the laughter echoing through the streets – but the reality was always different for me. Trick-ortreating wasn’t something I could do independently.
Almost every house in my neighbourhood had what felt like mountains of steps up to the front entrance. For me, those steps were insurmountable barriers. While other kids bounded up and down porches, I often found myself waiting at the bottom, watching. My two younger sisters, with my mom, would climb the stairs on my behalf, knock on the door and explain to the neighbour: “Our sister is down there in her wheelchair.” Sometimes the candy would be handed to them for me. Sometimes, kindly, a neighbour would come all the way down to meet me at the curb. Either way, the exchange – the little ritual that makes Halloween magical –wasn’t mine to have.
On top of the steps were steep driveways, broken sidewalks, uneven curbs and poorly lit streets. The darkness made every crack in the pavement a hazard. What should have been a night of fun and freedom became an obstacle course. I never complained, but the truth is that Halloween always carried with it a sense of exclusion.
That’s why last year’s Glebe Halloween Village was so remarkable. For the first time, I felt what Halloween could be when accessibility is built in from the start. Last October 26, a stretch of Glebe Avenue between Bank and Lyon was transformed into a daytime, family-friendly trick-or-treating experience designed to welcome everyone. Instead of steps, treat stations were set up at the ends of driveways, where children using wheelchairs, walkers or strollers could roll right up. Instead of darkness, the event took place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with bright autumn sunlight making the streets safe and cheerful. Instead of flashing lights and blaring noises, there were sensory-friendly activities – bins to explore, quiet corners and regulation spaces. Allergy-safe goodies and nonfood treats ensured that no child felt left out. Volunteers, neighbours and local businesses joined in, creating an atmosphere that was festive without being overwhelming.
For me, it was a revelation. I didn’t have to wait at the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t have to rely on my sisters to explain me to strangers. I got to roll right up, smile, and say “trick or treat” for myself. I got to belong.
This year, the magic continues. The second annual Glebe Halloween Village takes place on Saturday, October 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Glebe Avenue between Bank and Lyon Streets. Admission is free, but families are encouraged to register for tickets through Eventbrite. You can also follow updates and sneak peeks on Instagram at @glebehalloweenvillage.
The event builds on the success of last year and has been inspired in large part by the Treat Accessibly movement (although we are not formally affiliated). Treat Accessibly has encouraged households across Canada to think differently about Halloween: set up treat tables at the end of the driveway, avoid steps, consider sensory sensitivities and make inclusion the default. Their motto is simple: “Halloween is for everyone.” The Glebe Halloween Village brings that motto to life at the community level, proving that accessibility isn’t complicated – it just requires intention and care.
As a volunteer helping to plan this year’s event, I have seen first-hand the enthusiasm from neighbours, volunteers, and local businesses. People want to make Halloween joyful for every child, not just those who can run up and down steps. They want to create memories where no one has to wait on the sidelines.
For me personally, the Glebe Halloween Village has rewritten what Halloween means. I no longer think of it as the night when I was left at the bottom of the steps. Instead, I think of a bright fall morning where children of all abilities shared the street together, laughing, playing and trick-or-treating side by side.
That is what accessibility is: not a special event for a select few, but a community coming together to make sure everyone is welcome.
I hope to see you there on October 18. Bring your costumes, bring your family, and bring your spirit of inclusion. Let’s make Halloween magical – for all of us.
Christina Anderson lives in the Glebe and is volunteering again this year with Glebe Halloween Village. She is passionate about accessibility, inclusion and community building.
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Last year the first Glebe Halloween Village accessible trick-or-treat event was a remarkable success and the magic will continue this year on October 18
How Lionel Britton Park – now in redevelopment – rose from the ashes 50 years ago
By Angus McCabe
Saturday, October 4, 1975 was a beautiful autumn day in the Glebe.
Fifty years ago this month, neighbourhood children, parents, volunteer gardeners and landscapers, a City “Tree Department” supervisor and city councillor D.D. Lockhart gathered for a “plant-in” in what was then and remained affectionately known as “the Tot Lot” – today’s Lionel Britton Park on the corner of Fifth Avenue and O’Connor Street.
Handmade posters and wooden signs on the fence had publicized the park’s opening day event in advance, and the McKeen-Willis IGA had agreed to donate cookies, carrots, apples, lemonade and hot chocolate.
Alderman Lockhart (city councillors were called aldermen back then) hooked up his own hose to the neighbouring Lillico family’s water supply, and the assembled group dug, watered, and spread topsoil, patched sod on the park’s slide hill and planted its trees: maple, honeysuckle, Chinese lilacs and two Colorado spruce donated by the community from Fines Flowers and a blue spruce donated by the Glebe Community Association (GCA) in memory of longtime executive member Elizabeth Palamedes.
Then it was play time. Throughout the afternoon, children and parents enjoyed the new park’s slides, swings, sand and benches. Even the alderman took a trip down the slide on the slidehill – upturned pitchfork in hand – as
the children watched, looking somewhat worried but smiling nonetheless, from the hilltop.
The moment was captured in black and white for the front page of that month’s Glebe Report by renowned Canadian journalist and longtime Glebe resident Clyde Sanger.
How are memories like this made? How does a park become a park? Sometimes, like Lionel Britton Park, they literally rise from the ashes – with a little help from hard-working community members.
Fire had destroyed the homes on the lot. The city had taken ownership of the land. Soon, the vacant lot sat idle, strewn with weeds and litter. That’s when Mary Kovacs, Pat Close and Lynn Cully sprang into action. Joined by Elaine and Randal Marlin and others, the group pushed hard for the city to turn the land into a playground for preschool children.
After many meetings and discussions with community members, City officials agreed to a park on the site. Perhaps at first the City had something more temporary in mind, not wanting to fence in the area. The community group pushed harder.
“Getting the fence was a hard fight,” Elaine Marlin recalls.
Their advocacy for what Marlin calls “our precious park spaces” led to that magical October day in 1975.
The park was subsequently named after Lionel Britton because of his involvement in Little League baseball, played at the nearby ball diamonds at what would become Sylvia Holden Park.
As the decades went by, Lionel Britton Park helped create countless childhood moments and memories of imaginative play. The children gathered there on that October opening day would have children of their own before they set eyes on a smart phone. Back then, parents and children had to find other creative ways to play and stay in touch.
“I used to blow a horn from my fire escape to summon my daughter – then
aged 7 or 8 – to dinner,” recalls Carol Macleod, who still lives close by.
Today, Lionel Britton Park remains a beloved greenspace. But half a century on, some soil risk management and redevelopment is in order.
Meghan Schreiner, the GCA Parks Committee’s representative for the park, grew up across the street and used the park regularly with her own children too. She and fellow Parks Committee member Chelsea Corvus were instrumental in ensuring City planners got the current redevelopment plan right.
The goal is to improve the park’s surface cover, recommended because of poor-quality soil fill in this area. The shallow soils will be excavated and replaced with new material. The aim is to protect and maintain existing amenities and mature trees within the park. The project will also improve accessibility while minimizing the necessary paved surfaces.
The park was closed when work commenced on September 15 with reopening scheduled for late next July. The contractor aims to accelerate this schedule – timing depends mostly on how long construction can continue before the winter shutdown and resume after.
It will no doubt be another beautiful opening day for this much-loved park.
Angus McCabe is chair of the Glebe Community Association Parks Committee.
A Glebe Report article in October, 1975, written by Sylvia Holden, reported on the Tot Lot’s opening
Lionel Britton Park, on the northwest corner of Fifth and O’Connor and known as the Tot Lot, was created 50 years ago this month
PHOTO: MEGHAN SCHREINER
Lionel Britton Park is currently closed for redevelopment and is slated to reopen next summer
PHOTO: HEATHER DUGGAN
GNAG fall favourites!
Celebrating the seasons is my specialty, and I tend to do it with slightly obsessive enthusiasm. If you’re new here, welcome to a place where every occasion gets the spotlight it deserves.
Halloween is one of my favourites, and we’re lucky at GNAG to have several full-time team members who share a genuine love for the spooky season. I admit I might love it a little too much. I’m not opposed to jumping out and trying to scare Paul O’Donnell at practically any time of the year. So far, I’ve only succeeded once, while he’s spooked me at least a hundred times. The good news is that all that practice means this year’s Haunted House is guaranteed to deliver some extra-special scares.
Halloween Party at GNAG!
Calling all ghosts and goblins! The Halloween bash of the year creeps into town on Sunday, October 26 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
This fun-for-the-whole-family event is something not to be missed. Every room in the centre bursts with Halloween excitement. You’ll find bouncy castles and carnival games in the great hall, and a friendly play area for babies and toddlers on the third level. Enjoy a preschool and younger children’s fun house and a super scary haunted house through the basement level – enter only if you dare. Don’t forget the crafts and colouring, cookie decorating, fortune telling, photobooth and more!
Babies who aren’t walking yet and parents get in free. Simply grab a $15 ticket for your child and come get spooky with us. We recommend registering in advance to help us plan, as tickets increase to $20 on the day of the event.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.gnag.ca.
GNAG Craft Fair
Discover an array of handcrafted treasures at the GNAG’s Craft & Artisan Fair! With more than 50 local vendors showcasing their unique handmade
goods, you’ll find the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday list.
Not only is this event a shopper’s paradise, it’s also one of our most important fundraisers, and it supports local artisans. All proceeds benefit the GNAG Community Development Fund (CDF) in support of crucial community programs, including subsidies, integration support and community projects. As a thank you for your support, every guest receives a free ticket to our fantastic raffle, featuring prizes from our talented participants.
Saturday, November 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
House Tour Success
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible individuals and organiz ations who made The Glebe House Tour a resounding success. These funds go towards our Integration Support Pro gram, which helps children with spe cial needs access our programs and camps. They also provide Financial Assistance, ensuring that everyone in our greater Ottawa community can par ticipate in our activities, regardless of financial barriers.
Our committee members, with spe cial mention to chair Ana Marsland, deserve applause for their dedication. Our house leaders Anne-Marie Waters, Catherine Waters, Lauren Lemke, Mel Vaz, Simon Kennedy and Wendi Cibula ensured every guest had a memorable experience. A big shoutout to Cindy Scott, our sponsorship representative, for her exceptional fundraising efforts and Caroline Warburton whose writing captured the essence of the homes. A huge thank you to Suzanne McCarthy whose photos make our event look so professional. Lastly, tea ladies Cindy MacDonald, Jane Graham, and Katrin Trost added warmth and charm to the event.
and made sure nobody peaked into a drawer (you know who you are), we couldn’t do this event without you!
Finally, a big thank you to our sponsors for their crucial support in making our event a huge success:
Titanium Sponsor: Faulkner
Real Estate
Platinum Sponsors: Amica: Senior Lifestyles and OSEG Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
Gold Sponsors: Switzer-Carty Transportation, Amsted Design Build and Adcor Construction and Sons
Shuttle Bus Sponsor: Amica Senior Lifestyles
Partners for Flowers: Bloomfields
Partners for Reusable Bags: Amsted
Art by Deborah Kuffner and Pottery by Kathrin von Dehn
To all involved in this event, your kindness and dedication are deeply appreciated.
To our 60-plus volunteers who helped at the tea or stood in the homes
Volunteers dish out goodies at the tearoom as part of the Glebe House Tour in September
Glebe Community Association – a busy fall season
(By Catherine Waters GCA vice-president)
Glebe Community Association Annual General Meeting
On September 10, the Glebe Community Association held its Annual General Meeting to report on its activities and financial accounts over the past year, hear from City Councillor Shawn Menard and MPP Catherine McKenney and elect the board members for 2025-26. Over 100 members show up, making it one of the best attended AGMs in a number of years. The meeting also included an
John Crump President, Glebe Community Association www.glebeca.ca
excellent talk and presentation by Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of Nanos Research, chancellor of Carleton University and a Glebe resident. His thoughtful presentation gave insights on some of the challenges facing governments and public purpose organizations like the GCA.
Membership in the GCA
The AGM was open to members who have signed up for the year 2025-26. Membership is important to the GCA, to strengthen the GCA’s representative voice and to gather your views
and concerns. If you missed signing up or renewing your membership, it is not too late! You can join by visiting glebeca.ca/membership and following the link. The cost is $10 a person.
Transportation – Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study
The City of Ottawa presented its proposed plans and vision for a redesigned Bank Street from the Queensway to the canal bridge (the length of Bank Street in the Glebe). At an open house held on September 24 at Blessed Sacrament Church, the City project manager presented the plan and answered questions from a sizable crowd. Members of the GCA were also there, as this open house was an important consultation in a lengthy process of hearing from different groups and interests, including residents, businesses, bus users, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. This stretch of Bank Street is one of the busiest transportation arteries in Ottawa and the narrowest, making the necessary compromises between uses particularly difficult.
The City’s current proposal focuses on dedicated bus lanes during rush hours and some reduction of on-street parking. The GCA has engaged in discussions with the City as well as the NCC (as it relates to Queen Elizabeth Drive) over the past year to improve transportation in the Glebe and will continue to do so in the coming months leading to the implementation.
If you missed this open house but would like to see more about the City’s proposal, please go to the City of Ottawa’s website at Engage Ottawa: engage.ottawa.ca/bank-street-active-transportation-and-transit-priority-feasibility-study.
Board and GCA Transportation Committee vacancy
The GCA board of directors has a vacancy for the position of chair of the Transportation Committee. This committee is made up of a chair (who is also on the GCA board) and members who take an active interest in issues involving transportation. The committee has been active in working with the City of Ottawa and other organizations to understand the City’s proposals and represent residents’ interests in the consultation process.
The GCA Transportation Committee currently is still active and will be taking on the tasks associated with the Bank Street Active Transportation Plan under a temporary chair. If you have an interest in learning more about the role, please contact gca@glebeca.ca.
Clemow Noise Problem
The high noise levels from the central air conditioning units at The Clemow continue to be an important issue for Glebe residents. At the GCA meeting, there was discussion about the ongoing noise measures, the question of what mitigation measures are needed and the additional issue of other noise problems in the community. There was a demonstration to protest the noise from The Clemow on August 13 led by local residents and joined by Councillor Shawn Menard. However, despite cooler weather with less need for air-conditioning and discussions with The Clemow, the problem continues to be a major concern.
Next Meeting
Please join us for the next meeting of the GCA on Tuesday, October 28, 7 p.m., in person at the Glebe Community Centre.
Introduction Lecture
A PATH TO A HEALTHY BODY AND SOUL
Based on the work of Bruno Groening
Learn how to absorb the life stream and how it can help you attain health, joy and inner freedom.
Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Place: 91A Fourth Ave., Ottawa K1S 2L1
Free Admission, Donations Welcome
Contact
Danielle: 613-331-2773, evenings only boutind2@gmail.com or Nicole: 613-841-9216 nicole51m@hotmail.com
The people of Ottawa deserve a budget that will improve their quality of life instead of increasing debt
In September, City Council approved the budget directions. These directions will now be used by staff to put together a draft budget that we’ll get to see in about six weeks. The directions included such things as a property tax increase of no more than 3.75 per cent, a potential 6.5 per cent increase in the police budget and a transit fare increase of up to 7.5 per cent.
I voted against these directions, along with many other urban councillors. My vote was a reflection of multiple concerns about the way the City has operated in recent history and the inevitable protracted debate that takes place about which services may suffer and how low taxes can be kept. I will be the first to admit that I find this debate frustrating. The reason for that is in the same breath we may hear from some that they want a low tax increase or none at all, but they also want to bankroll Lansdowne 2.0 or further expand the urban boundary or spend more on road widening than affordable housing. Meanwhile, core services – muchneeded park improvements, bathroom availability, library hours, tree planting or city sidewalk upgrades – are non-starters at budget time for those same folks if they will “raise taxes” in any way.
But why have taxes and service costs increased? All along, much more pressure has been placed on our taxes because of poor decision-making: a tripling of City debt in just 10 years, a transfer of wealth from local public services to international private sector companies and spending which does
Shawn Menard
Councillor, Capital Ward
N 613-580-2487
www.shawnmenard.ca
not improve quality of life, such as large subsidies to developers and tax breaks for Porsche dealerships.
Debt now sits at $3.4 billion with increasing costs to service that debt, as I was told at a recent debenture committee I attended. The top three project debts are all associated with public-private projects (P3s) where new significant legal risk is taken on by the City. LRT Stage 2, LRT Stage 1 and Lansdowne 1.0 were all signed with reckless long-term arrangements with private sector companies, endangering City finances.
And in urban Ottawa, we pay a disproportionate amount of those taxes relative to expanding areas in Ottawa. Growth is not paying for growth; rather, those living within the greenbelt are subsidizing that growth.
The proposed transit fare increase will send us further down the transit death spiral: fare increases lower ridership, lower ridership leads to service cuts, service cuts lead to lower ridership, lower ridership necessitates fare increases. This is a game of ping pong that will worsen our transportation problems and hinder economic growth and prosperity.
We’ve seen this play out before – for more than a decade, in fact. We need a
different vision for our Ottawa and for our budget. One that focuses on getting the basics right, public service and quality-of-life enhancement.
While I raise these issues at the table and fight to change them city-wide, my priority has been on advancing quality of life for Capital Ward and ensuring our residents benefit from a different vision.
Longer pool hours, accessible bathrooms in parks, longer library hours, street renewals that provide for more safety for all modes of transportation, new bus stops in the ward, new community buildings (paid for through funding that our office directs), snow clearing of stairs in the winter, new affordable living options, seniors care and advocacy, filling pot holes and repaving streets, distinctive tree preservation and climate change adaptation and building retrofits are just some of the wins we try to advance for residents in the ward, despite the decision-making that can make these changes so difficult to advance.
I know that budgets and spreadsheets and line items aren’t everyone’s favourite topic, but the budget is truly where council decides what kind of Ottawa we will all have. For too long, mega-projects with large spending and unkept promises have hindered the city, and a re-focus on quality of life and value for money cannot come soon enough.
Shawn Menard is City Councillor for Capital Ward. He can be reached at CapitalWard@ottawa.ca.
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Eclecticism in Glebe architecture
By Nicole Sammut
The Glebe is known for its historical streetscapes and eclectic mix of architectural styles that are well maintained and preserved within the community. On Sunday, September 7, I led a soldout walking tour, hosted by Heritage Ottawa, on “Eclecticism, Asymmetry & Irregularity,” exploring stylistic elements of picturesque design within Glebe residential architecture. We explored the significance of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles, the adaptations made within the Canadian landscape and why these styles were so readily applied to residential
prevalent in Canada between 1880 and 1900, though we see aspects of the former as early as the 1870s and as late as 1919. On the walking tour, we explored the beauty of these styles with reference to the governing principles of “picturesque design.” Throughout their composition, planning, materials, motifs and decoration, balance is the governing rule to harmonize the aspects that bring opposing elements of design together: namely, Classicism with Medieval and Tudor features. Balance can be sought through multiple means in architecture and design. First, the residences we explored showcased the beauty of asymmetrical and irregular rooflines and the power of colour and texture in facades. This is possible within the Canadian landscape through the use of coloured, patterned brick work and the pronounced compact rooflines with classical wooden brackets painted in white. While wood is often used with stone, brick and stucco, materials like
HELPING HAND ON VOCABULARY
*oriel window: a bay window that protrudes from an upper floor of a building, supported by brackets or corbels, and does not extend to the ground
*capital: the topmost, decorative part of a column, pier, or pilaster
*keystone: a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together
*voussoir: a wedge-shaped or tapered stone used to construct an arch
terra cotta are used less frequently as the material has a low tolerance to ice and snow.
Second, balance can also be found through the integration of classical and medieval elements that divide the facade’s surface into pleasing sights. The turret or round towers with bay and *oriel windows juxtapose classical columns, *capitals and exaggerated *keystones with wedge shaped *voussoirs. The juxtaposition of opposing architectural design allows the harmony of the classical and medieval aspects to come together in remarkable and brilliant ways.
Third, balance is acquired through the use of thoughtful and effective planning. In addition to viewing of private residences, we meandered along Second Avenue to O’Connor Street to observe Prince Rupert Apartments. Within this 25-unit apartment complex, the same principles of balance and picturesque design are applicable on a large scale due to the flexibility and variety of the Queen Anne Revival style. The use of pavilions, the beautiful contrasting colours of brick, stone and woodwork, the variety of window types and the integration of classical aspects all contribute to the success and harmony of this style within multiple housing units.
With thoughtful and effective planning, private houses would include a central hall and central circulatory space where all principal rooms are
connected on the main floor. This feature is primarily used for family members and guests to access importance spaces on the main floor. This feature still continues today in most residential design projects but is also consistent and applicable in community-apartment building design.
Lastly, the principle of balance is also achieved through the interplay of light and shadow on each of the residential facades. Our final stop included Queale Terrace located along Queen Elizabeth Drive. It is a two-storey, five-unit series of row houses that encapsulates the picturesque design of the Queen Anne Revival style. A great sense of depth is created within the set of double porches of each unit, thus producing a series of shadows along the facade. This contrasts with the variety of window types that are prevalent in this space. Windows are important – they not only break up the facades’ surface but they also allow sunlight to enter the interior, transforming both the exterior facade and interior space throughout the day. For more information regarding this or any of the upcoming walking tours for the 2025 season, please contact Heritage Ottawa: www.heritageottawa.org.
Nicole Sammut is a former member of the board of Heritage Ottawa and has taught Canadian architecture in the Lifelong Learning Program at Carleton University.
Classical and Medieval/Tudor elements converge on Clemow Avenue PHOTO: NEMANJA DAVIDOVIC
Queale Terrace #304-312 Queen Elizabeth Drive PHOTO: NEMANJA DAVIDOVIC
Local artist shares the beauty of the Glebe
By Jessie-Lee Wallace
“There’s something about the community that is super special,” says local artist Andrew Milne.
As a long-time resident, Milne is no stranger to the Glebe. A graduate of Sheridan College with a background in illustration, he became a well-known business leader who founded a digital marketing and content agency. In 2019, he became chief revenue officer at cybersecurity startup Field Effect Software, located in Lansdowne Park.
But all along, his creative life was calling.
“About seven or eight years ago, I sold that agency . . . and I started painting again in earnest,” Milne recalls, saying he was encouraged by his wife Dominique, a local realtor.
“As an impressionist artist who finds solace in the great outdoors, my art celebrates the beauty and wonder of Canada’s landscapes. It serves as a visual reminder of the impact that the natural world has on our lives.”
His return to painting marked a significant turning point in his life. He knew he needed more time to paint and find a way to focus more on his art. As a full-time executive, he says, “I found that when I was in the studio, I just had no creative brain left. But I started travelling and painting . . . and immediately fell in love.”
His Glebe studio serves as a hub for his creative work. There, he works on bright, expressive paintings that draw on the natural beauty of the Canadian landscape, particularly the Rideau Lakes, which he describes as “big water, clouds, rocks.”
His subjects often run hyperlocal, too, depicting Glebe favourites like Browns’ Inlet, the Rideau Canal and Bank Street.
Milne’s commitment to community also extends beyond the subjects of his artwork. He actively participates in local initiatives, including the Glebe Art in the Garden Tour, and aims to foster a vibrant arts scene in Ottawa. “We need more visibility for the arts, especially now,” he notes.
Milne credits the launch of his artis tic career to the “Square Foot Show” in Kingston. “I booked my next show, and then I booked my next show, and it took off,” he recalls, as his work began to resonate with new audiences.
Over the past five years, Milne has produced works for more than 50 commissions and is not slowing down. “I love hearing people’s stories and painting their space for them,” he shares. This collaborative process allows clients to engage deeply with the artwork and the artist.
This past summer, his art took him a little further, with Milne becoming the artist-in-residence at The Opinicon, “a historic resort
on the Rideau Canal system, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” according to its webpage.
During his stay, he produced a new body of work called the “Opinicon Rideau Lakes Summer Series,” featuring over 35 brand-new paintings “inspired by the stunning lakes, the big sprawling skies, granite shorelines and vibrant forests of the Rideau Lakes region.”
In recent years, Milne has also embraced the concept of giving back. He has initiated a monthly art giveaway, donating pieces to local organizations to raise funds and awareness for various causes. “I take the money that I would usually give to this gallery, and I’m going to give away artwork,” he explains. “I feel better by giving it to charity.”
One of his most recent projects is also a collaboration with the clothing line Raised by Wolves and the footwear company Flower Mountain, where his painted works are presented in the same space, as part of an installation.
“The idea is simple: art, streetwear and design in conversation. The colours of the Dandelion series flow into Flower Mountain’s outdoor-inspired ethos and carry through to my new canvases. Each part stands alone, but together they create something sharper – a mix of culture, nature, and rhythm.”
Coming up this fall, Milne returns to the “Blue House” show near Island Park Drive to share a year of his paintings. As he looks to the future, he is eager to explore new avenues, including public art projects. “I want to do some public art. The Glebe is a real art centre, but there is more to be done,” he notes.
As Milne continues to paint, engage and give back, his work will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on both his neighbourhood and the region. To learn more about Milne’s work, visit: andrewmilneart.com
Jessie-Lee Wallace is a writer, non-profit leader and volunteer who believes in the strength of local community. She lives in the
At Villagia In The Glebe, you can embrace winter without the worries of icy sidewalks or endless shovelling. Our welcoming community in the heart of Ottawa makes it easy to stay active and enjoy all that the Glebe has to offer.
Enjoy chef-prepared meals every day with menus designed to suit your tastes and dietary needs. Whether it’s breakfast with friends or a quiet dinner, dining is always a pleasure.
And with our caring team close at hand, you’ll have the comfort of knowing support is there whenever you need it.
If you think stories are just for children, think again. Storytelling, the most immediate and intimate way of sharing information, is definitely for adults, and it is alive and well in Ottawa. And the Sunnyside library is a hotbed of storytelling activity. The library is partnering with Ottawa StoryTellers to offer a place to learn how to tell stories at workshops on Saturday October 18, November 8 and December 6, and to hear or tell stories at Open Mics on Wednesday October 22, November 12 and December 10. All these events are free!
Storytellers can choose from a wide variety of story content: traditional tales passed down through cultures, personal stories that give voice to lived experience, stories that illuminate history, literary stories – really any aspect of fact or fantasy.
At the relaxed and interactive storytelling workshops, participants will be given techniques that will help them select and present material. They will have the opportunity to put what they learn in one workshop into practice at the next one, as the workshops will build on each other. But even if folks can only attend one of the workshops, they will come away with valuable insights that they can use in telling stories for the public or their families or in a work context. Spaces in the workshops are limited, so registering early will ensure a place.
Workshop participants and the general public can flex their storytelling skills at Open Mic evenings at the library. Beginning at 7 p.m. on the designated Wednesdays, the audience becomes a community of listeners who together experience what is offered by those who come to share stories that are sometimes light fun and sometimes explore the depths of what it is to be human.
You can learn more about the storytelling opportunities at the Sunnyside Branch of Ottawa Public Library on the Ottawa StoryTellers’ website www.ottawastorytellers.ca. You can also learn about Ottawa StoryTellers spectacular Signature Series season launching on October 23 at Arts Court and the Ottawa’s Children’s Storytelling Festival celebrating its 31st year on November 1 at Centrepoint Library.
Gail Anglin is co-president of Ottawa StoryTellers and has been involved in the community for over 30 years.
OttawaStorytellers is partnering with the Ottawa Public Library to present a series of free workshops on how to tell a story and offer free “open mic” storytelling It starts at the Sunnyside Branch in October PHOTOS: OTTAWA STORYTELLERS, SIGNATURE SERIES 2024-25
The Glebe according to Zeus A
GUINEA PIG’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE GLEBE
2025 Autumn Posterity Budget – Genius or Word Salad?
The Glebe is a-buzz with chatter after Zeus revealed his muchawaited Autumn Posterity Budget (APB) for GiddyPigs.com on Friday. Economists, investors and pundits just can’t stop arguing about the multi-dollar empire’s new approach.
“Everyone should pay attention to this APB,” stated Roam Vronsky, political pigeon pundit. “Zeus’ APB is at best word salad and at worst serious manipulation of shareholders.” Vronksy further claimed that the APB was clearly influenced by the Glebe’s Prime Administrator (PA) Chilly Con Carne, a close friend of Zeus.
Indeed, the friendship between the two seems mutual. “Zeus’ APB for his company is genius,” gushed PA Con Carne at his latest press conference, where he himself unveiled his “Buy Ultradian” plan for the Glebe economy. “The ultradian plan just means buy local and buy often, at least every 90 minutes. And GiddyPigs.com is one of many locally owned businesses you can buy from!”
When GiddyPigs.com mailroom attendant and part-time reporter Claudette asked Con Carne how such purchases could be sustained given high personal debt, inflation and unemployment, the PA was prepared. “This is why I also have the Buy Circadian and Buy Infradian plan! Purchases can be every 24 hours or greater than 24 hours, like every 36 hours! The important thing is to keep buying; you can tailor the plan to your debt level!”
When Zeus was queried separately on how his company’s APB would benefit shareholders and employees such as Claudette, many wondered if he had been eating too much salad. “Investing in myself is entirely different from spending on myself. Everyone knows that!” responded the rotund CEO as he ordered his Rodeo Greens at Mandy’s Gourmet Salads on Bank.
In the meantime, Vronsky admits Zeus is right about one thing, the budget name. “It’s true the Autumn Posterity Budget will be felt long after Zeus is gone!”
By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius com
On September 22, an SUV plunged into Dow’s Lake from Queen Elizabeth Driveway, and was later lifted out of the water by crane The lone occupant survived
In the Glebe
The “big five” Canadian banks are all among the top 20 financers of fossil fuels, which makes them major contributors to climate change. Data source: Banking On Climate Chaos: Fossil Fuel Finance Report, pp. 10-11.
By Cecile Wilson
Next month the Glebe Community Association Environment Committee, with support from the City of Ottawa’s Environmental Projects Grant Program, will host a “Climate and your Cash” workshop on protecting your investments while making a positive impact on the climate. Attendees will hear from professionals in banking, pensions and renewable energy projects, as well as from a community member who has successfully divested her savings of fossil fuel companies. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a chance to visit information tables staffed by insurance representatives and the Ottawa Public Library, among others.
Money makes the climate change
Not only does money “make the world go round,” it also makes the climate change. Researchers at Bank Track, a non-profit based in the Netherlands, have been following the funding
activities of the world’s largest banks and publishing their findings annually in their Banking on Climate Change reports.
This year’s report provides sobering evidence of the large-scale failure of the banking sector to support the transition towards clean, sustainable energy. Although there are a few notable exceptions, the world’s banks are increasing their financial support for fossil fuel companies exactly when they need to be decreasing their contributions. In 2024, the top 65 banks collectively allocated more than $869 billion US, bringing their total commitments from 2021 to the end of 2024 to $3.3 trillion US.
Sadly, the Canadian banks – RBC, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC and BMO – are among the top 20 banks who have increased their funding over 2023 amounts. Some of that money comes from your bank account. Even worse, Canadian banks have increased their support for expansion projects despite the International Energy Agency’s assertion that no new fossil fuel infrastructure can be built
if we have any intention of keeping global warming to an increase of 1.5 C.
Banking and investing alternatives
Given the size, reach and resources of the banks, what can the average person do?
Kieran Humphries, a Glebe resident, has a young family and a deep appreciation for the natural world. When he started looking into the connections between fossil fuels and banks a few years ago, he discovered a Climate Town explainer on YouTube that referenced the 2022 Banking on Climate Chaos report. Humphries realized it was time to move to a credit union.
Credit unions offer all the same services as a bank, he explained: credit cards, access to ATMs, online banking, phone apps and an opportunity for self-directed investments. The only difference was a $1 fee for a share in the credit union.
Another attractive feature for Humphries was that credit unions invest money in the province where they are located. Being in Ontario, he reasoned it was unlikely his credit union would be directly financing a fossil fuel extraction project. He acknowledged, however, that the holdings in the investment instruments offered by his credit union are not as consistent with his own ethics as he would like.
As an alternative, Humphries turned to the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op (OREC). OREC provides opportunities to invest in solar panel installations, wind turbines and energy retrofits,
What can you do?
most of which are located in the Ottawa area. OREC is local investing, he emphasized.
Kate Reekie, a local environmental activist, was also motivated to move her money away from one of the big banks after becoming acquainted with the Banking on Climate Change reports. She also credits Fridays for Future and an online graduate course in sustainability for making her familiar with divestment. Nearing retirement, preserving her savings while making climate-friendly and equitable investments was an important consideration.
Reekie also turned to a credit union, one that prioritizes social justice. With help from her investment advisor there, Reekie was able to eliminate undesirable companies from her portfolio and build a fund that aligned with her values. “As an investor, you’ve got to look at every equity in the fund. You might be surprised what’s in there,” she said.
Both Reekie and Humphries admitted that it was a slow process to move from a bank to a credit union, but they are happy with their decisions. “What are the banks doing with your savings account? Who are they lending to? What are their criteria for lending?” Reekie asked. She knows what her credit union is doing, and she’s satisfied with that.
Cecile Wilson lives in the Glebe and is committed to working to mitigate climate change.
Learn more; Attend the GCA workshop: Climate and Your Cash Workshop Sunday, November 30, 9-11:30 a m Glebe Community Centre $10 Register via Eventbrite at https://bit ly/Climate_and_Your_Cash
Coffee, tea and cookies provided; bring your own mug!
By Rod Hughes
There’s something magical about brewing with fresh hops, those green, fragrant cones harvested at peak ripeness and rushed straight into the brew kettle.
It’s a fleeting opportunity, a oncea-year celebration of the hop harvest that results in one of the most aromatic and expressive beers we make. This year, that journey began at Stone Hedges Hop Farm and ended with bubbling fermentation tanks right here at Flora Hall Brewing.
Harvest day starts early at Stone Hedges, a small but passionate farm in Eastern Ontario. These growers care deeply about their hops, and it shows in the quality. On the recent morning of the harvest, our team joined them in the fields to help pull down the hop bines – long, vine-like plants heavy with resinous cones. The goal is simple but time-sensitive: get the hops off the bine, into the kettle and into the beer as quickly as possible. But before they can be brewed, they need to be separated from the tangled vines and leaves. That’s where Lupuline Hop Yard in Quebec enters the picture. Just across the border in Chapeau, Lupuline is home to one of the only German-made hop harvesters in the region, a mechanical marvel designed to strip hop cones cleanly and efficiently from their bines. As soon as we finished collecting the hops at Stone Hedges, we loaded them into trucks and raced over to Lupuline. There, the machine got to work –bines in one end, cones out the other.
It’s a hypnotic process, with the thrum of machinery, the thick smell of hops in the air and piles of vibrant green cones tumbling into crates.
Within a few hours, we had freshly separated hops ready for brewing –no drying, no storage, just pure, wet hops brimming with volatile oils that degrade quickly once exposed to air. That’s what makes fresh-hopped beer so unique.
With the hops packed and cooled, we rushed them back to our brewhouse in downtown Ottawa. Timing is everything. Every hour that passes dulls the character of those fresh hops, so we planned the brew day down to the minute. The beer we’re making is an extra pale ale (XPA) designed to showcase the freshness and complexity of the hops. The base is intentionally simple, with pale malts, a clean yeast strain and just enough bitterness to balance the lush green flavours of the wet hops.
The moment they hit the hot wort, the brewhouse filled with an intoxicating bouquet that was herbal, citrusy, grassy, almost floral. It was a sensory overload that never gets old, no matter how many fresh hop brews we’ve done. The result is a beer with a vivid, almost ephemeral hop character, softer than a dry-hopped IPA but bursting with unique, field-fresh nuance.
Our fresh-hopped beer is more than a seasonal release, it’s a story in a glass. From the careful hands at Stone Hedges to the precision equipment at Lupuline and finally to our tanks, it’s a collaborative effort across provinces, farms and friends. And it’s only available once a year.
Drink it fresh.
Rod Hughes is head brewer at Flora Hall Brewing and part of the team that writes this column.
Brewer Rod Hughes with fresh, locally grown hops on the recent annual harvest day
PHOTO: COURTESY FLORA HALL BREWING
28 Years Later
Not your average zombie apocalypse flick
(UK/Canada/US,2025)
Director: Danny Boyle
Review by Iva Apostolova
Another memorable zombie apocalypse gem by none other than director extraordinaire Danny Boyle. Although 28 Years Later is based on the story line of the successful 2002 28 Days Later, it is, in fact, a stand-alone flick. The plot is simple – a small group of zombie apocalypse survivors are isolated on an island and getting to the mainland for food and supplies not only poses considerable risks but is also considered a rite of passage of sorts. Which is why whenever somebody ventures out, he or she is forewarned that there would be no searching party sent out on their behalf.
Young Spike (played by Alfie Williams whom viewers may remember from the visionary show His Dark Materials) leaves the island with his dad, Jamie (played by the talented Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who, despite grumbles from the small community, believes that Spike is ready to face the outside world. After getting stuck on the mainland overnight and killing
zombies in the process, they manage to return safely to the island, literally by the skin of their teeth. This marks the end of what might appear to be a fairly standard, albeit brilliantly acted, zombie apocalypse horror film. And although I agree with some viewers that the plot somewhat lacks coherence, it is at this point that the real movie begins, allowing Boyle to flex his directorial muscles.
We have been given a glimpse of the fact that Spike’s mom, Isla, played by one of my personal favorite female leading actresses working today, Jodie Comer, is not well. We are not sure, though, what exactly is wrong with her; it appears that she may be, put simply, mentally unstable. But the truth lies elsewhere, and when Spike sneaks her out of the island in the middle of the night, the movie takes a turn for the best.
Spike has heard from his dad the lore of a mad doctor, living on the mainland all alone, who burns people. On a blind hunch and in an act of sheer desperation, he decides to bring his mom to Dr. Kelson. Not only are you exposed to hard-to-forget cinematic scenery, the kind that only a director like Boyle can create – the brilliant Ralph Fiennes smeared in blood from head to toe, burning bodies in DIY contraptions and building towers of skulls – but you are also be treated to marvellous dialogues filled with tenderness and philosophical reflections about life and death. And as if that wasn’t enough, in the last 10 minutes, you get to see a memorable cameo, a la Mad Max, by Jack O’Connell as the bad-ass, zombie-killing band leader who comes to Spike’s rescue, potentially teasing a sequel.
Running time: 1h 55m , Rated R, Prime Video
Iva Apostolova is associate professor and vice-rector, research and academic at Saint Paul University and a regular Glebe Report contributor on films and TV.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery An outstanding documentary
(Canada, 2025)
Director: Ally Pankiw
Review by Tony Wohlfarth
Of the almost 300 films screened last month at the 11-day Toronto film festival, among the most outstanding is a Canadian one you can stream via CBC GEM – Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery.
Sarah McLachlan is one of Canada’s most accomplished musicians. In the 1990s, the Halifax native led a women’s only musical tour known as Lilith Fair.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery is a new film directed by Ally Pankiw, a Canadian who has directed 23 films –a considerable accomplishment, considering she is just 39 years old.
McLachlan’s Lilith Fair was a remarkable accomplishment. The tour ran from 1997 to 1999, with 134 concerts in 54 cities throughout North America, raising over $10 million for a range of women’s charities. It introduced audiences to a plethora of performing artists who otherwise might not have received as much recognition, like Nathalie Merchant, Sarah Bernhard, Paula Cole, The Indigo Girls (who performed in Ottawa at CityFolk last month), Liz Phair, Sean Colvin, Missy Elliot, Nelly Furtado, just to name a few. Many of these artists are queer, and their artistry
reflects their sexuality.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery was produced by Dan Levy. To make this remarkable documentary, Pankiw and her team reviewed hundreds of hours of archival footage along with still photos and, of course, McLachlan’s journal. The result is a film that gives audiences the opportunity to revisit a special chapter in music history.
I interviewed Pankiw at TIFF following one of its sold-out screenings. Her team began the process of making this documentary by compiling an unprecedented collection of archival footage from hundreds of sources. All the behind-the-scenes footage and performances combined with interviews with many of the Lilith musicians makes this a film not to be missed.
The film ends with an incredible performance in 1992 at The Gorge near Seattle. Singer Brandi Carlisle was just 11 years old when she attended a Lilith concert. In the film, she pays tribute to Lilith Fair for inspiring her to become a musician. Then she and Sarah perform “Building a Mystery” together – an inspirational moment for any musician or viewer.
One hour and 30 minutes
Tony Wohlfarth is a Glebebased freelance film and entertainment writer.
Review by Nadine Faulkner
When I was asked to review Jordana Globerman’s debut graphic novel Soul Machine, I wondered if I would be the right person. The book starts out with Chloe, a seemingly precocious 15-yearold, happily frolicking in the woods with her puppy. I got nervous – the last graphic novel I read was on Soren Kierkegaard’s life and philosophy – he was the man who brought us the terms angst, despair and existential dread. I recall no frolicking dogs, just a lot of horror-stricken faces anguishing over their infinite freedom.
But a few pages in, I was happy to see that Chloe’s life took a little turn for the worse. Things got interesting as the young girl is plummeted into a world of corporate control, deception and greed. Set in a futuristic world where souls are woven from a plant called breth, we learn that two young girls were seemingly deserted by their father, and their mother died at a young age. Persie, Chloe’s older sister, has learned the family business, the art of weaving souls. But now there is a severe shortage of breth. Chloe’s mission is to find a market in the big city, which she has never visited, and buy the much-needed breth.
Globerman does a mesmerizing job of eliciting through her images a sense of a futuristic sci-fi city that feels frenetic, invasive and alluring all at the same time – a ramped-up Times Square with massive advertisements catching passersby by name via live AI chat personas. In fact, the city feels like the nottoo-distant future. Kim Kardashian lookalikes pack the streets, with matching lip fillers and purchases. Everyone goes to the spa and drinks lattes. The reader can feel Chloe’s excitement and wonder in the bustling city but also a sinister undertone.
“Take a shower, flower power!” And it’s hard not to laugh when Maya rushes off after Chloe with a mass of matching luggage carried by assistants.
The art in Soul Machine masterfully complements the storytelling. Globerman uses magically drawn dream sequences where Chloe questions the world or struggles for clarity, including when she learns that her father is indeed alive and has had something to do with the soul machines. Chloe painfully questions whether her father is an evil, corporate sell-out responsible for the science behind soul machines or someone good who wanted souls for all but faced unintended consequences.
Chloe sees the unintended consequences firsthand when taken by the hippies to a warehouse full of the grotesque and freakish results of early efforts, where people given artificial souls stare in perpetual horror and dread. But either way, something has to be done because both Chloe and Persie start to get sick, and the breth required to make souls is dying. Chloe’s quest now becomes fully existential.
Soul Machine captures our current struggle with the corporate takeover of society and attempts at resistance. It refreshingly avoids the over-simplistic, black and white of debates. For example, Chloe meets up with a hippy-activist group about to be arrested for protesting the corporate takeover. The group wants to protect the breth plant and soul weavers like Chloe’s sister. But through a quick statement they make about who should get souls, a classist attitude seems to emerge: “Not everything should get a soul!” Well, why not, we wonder?
Enter the antagonist Maya (meaning “illusion” or “dream”). Maya is a flashy, charismatic, alpha-uber businesswoman – the woman Chloe dreamed of becoming as she frolicked through the forest. It’s just that Maya wants to make artificial souls, not weave natural ones. But unlike the “Hippy Elites,” as she calls them, Maya wants to be egalitarian, not classist, and sell them to everyone. Chloe is impressed. Further, Maya seems to be acquainted with Kierkegaard’s works, stating that Chloe’s generation is “all existential dread.” But we then see her capitalist bent emerge as she brags how existential dread is great for profits because of people’s infinite unfulfilled needs, not just for “bodies by Maya” but also for soul machines.
Despite the heavy topics, Soul Machine is full of satire, wit and memorable lines. Reminiscent of Batman and Robin, Maya quips to the hippies,
Chloe’s journey to save her soul is really our journey, especially for every young person struggling to make sense in a web of tangled messages and conflicting points of view. Soul Machine does not provide answers, but it does raise all the important questions.
Nadine Faulkner is a philosopher, author and cartoonist who contributes regularly to the Glebe Report.
Jordana Globerman, Glebe resident and author of Soul Machine
Soul Machine, by Jordana Globerman Annick Press, 2025 228 pages Suitable for readers 12 and up Available at Octopus Books in the Glebe
Meet me at the library!
By Charlotte Halstead
This fall, Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is launching our Meet me at the Library! campaign to mark Canadian Library Month in October. We encourage prospective users to come in and register for a card, whether it’s their first-ever visit or first in a long time. As a thank you to our clients, the library will be giving away free branded swag, including stickers, tote bags, keychains and book bags. We hope to connect with emerging adults (those aged 16-28), as this is a group that we tend to lose in the library as they age out of children’s materials and return years later as grown adults.
Throughout October, we will have themed programs and activities for all ages. These include live music events happening at several of our branches. On Saturday, October 18, Main Branch (120 Metcalfe Street) will host award-winning Gatineau folk rock artist Mia Kelly at 2 p.m. for a live musical performance. Grab a cinnamon oat latte and come enjoy the ambiance (or as we like to say, #libraryvibes). You can view the full range of Library month events on OPL’s website under the Programs and Events tab.
Libraries have become stereotyped as spaces where you will be given a “shhhh” for making the slightest noise. We want our clients to know that this is no longer the norm. At Sunnyside, we have a vibrant children’s library in the basement, where our littlest clients come together for story times, scavenger hunts and to pick out their next reads. Noise is permitted so long as it isn’t negatively impacting others’ reasonable enjoyment of our space.
There are multiple study carrells, armchairs and computer workstations to aid you in working on research projects and business affairs. Need to scan important documents? You can create digital scans for free and print copies for 10 cents per page.
In addition to print materials, OPL is proud to offer museum passes,
Chromebooks, telescopes and digital content. With your library card, you can access eBooks and eAudiobooks with Libby and CloudLibrary, stream content on Hoopla or Kanopy and catch up on current affairs with PressReader. If you’re part of a book club, you can request a kit that includes 10 copies of the chosen title as well as question prompts for your next meeting. We have dozens of popular titles that are available on request, such as Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, Normal People by Sally Rooney and Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.
At a time when the cost of living remains at a premium, becoming a regular library user can save you hundreds of dollars a year. Membership is free for residents of Ottawa, as it is covered under municipal property taxes. You can even use your library card to obtain 20 per cent off fitness memberships from City of Ottawa facilities. If you are visiting Ottawa for a short term (three months or less) or don’t have a fixed address, we have special membership categories available to grant you access. Residents from nearby municipalities can purchase non-resident membership for $90 (or $180 for a family membership).
For clients who face physical barriers using the library, OPL provides Homebound Services. This free service brings monthly deliveries of client- or staffselected materials right to your door. Homebound is intended for those who
The Knowing Tanya Talaga Social Book Club
James Percival Everett Helen’s Book Club
The Safekeep Yael van der Wouden Bookworms
James Percival Everett The Bookies
Still Life Sarah Winman Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Value(s): Making a Better World For All Mark Carney
cannot make it into the library due to age, illness or disability. There is a minimum commitment of three months, and clients receive an extended checkout period beyond our usual threeweek loan for most materials. For more information, contact Homebound Services directly at 613-580-2944. This time next year, we will be celebrating the opening of our new Central Branch at Ādisōke. This space will offer a massive upgrade, with library services spread out across five floors in a joint-use facility being shared with
Library and Archives Canada. There will be a new collaboration space, designed with entrepreneurs, workers and students in mind. This section will offer traditional workstations mixed with comfortable lounge-style furnishings. I had the opportunity to tour the construction site last year and am eagerly looking forward to the grand opening.
Charlotte Halstead is a librarian and the branch coordinator at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Images: Courtesy of OPL
David Chernushenko’s STANDING WITH UNDERDOGS
A Family memoir, a national story
By Nathan Cox
David Chernushenko has lived many lives. In one, the life of an activist, he pushed for sustainability in government, business and sports. In another, the life of a politician, he fought for clean energy solutions, bike lanes and affordable housing at Ottawa City Hall, in campaign speeches and in leadership debates.
Today, at 62, Chernushenko has turned the page once again and begun a new chapter in his life: that of an author.
Whether in the halls of municipal government, the streets of Ottawa or in the pages of his newest book, Standing With Underdogs: A Family Journey, Personal Quest and Universal Story, it’s clear that Chernushenko has always sided with the team fighting uphill battles.
From Journalist to Activist
Chernushenko’s path to activism was not straightforward. He began his education at Queen’s University, where he studied political science, hoping to be a journalist. He spent four years writing for the student-run paper The Queen’s Journal , where he also picked up photography. That experience helped him land a job in Japan with the Asahi Evening News. “I was actually more interested in making things happen, more than writing about other people who were doing it,” Chernushenko said in an interview at his home in Old Ottawa South. There was a certain calmness to him as we sat at his kitchen table, beginning with questions about
Excellence,by design.
his advocacy and education. His revelation led him to Cambridge, where he completed a one-year master’s program in international relations. During his time there, he read a book called Green Politics, which he recalls being the “opening the eyes moment of that’s what I want to be doing.” This launched his activism career, as he went on to work for consulting groups and within the federal government promoting clean, green and sustainable practices.
The Jump to Politics
Chernushenko says that after 13 years of consulting, “I was not seeing change happen as fast as I wanted it to, as I thought it needed to.” Luckily, in 2003, he was approached by leaders in the Green Party of Ontario to run against future premier Dalton McGuinty in the Ottawa South riding before the provincial election. As the underdog, his first reaction was a resounding no, and he wasn’t even a member of the Green Party. After reflection, he came back saying, “If not now, you know, when?”
Chernuskeno went on to run federally in 2004 and 2006 for the Green Party. In his 2006 campaign, he secured the most votes of any Green Party candidate, despite being defeated by veteran politician Ed Broadbent. Following his losses provincially and federally, Chernushenko took a break until 2010, when he ran for municipal office. He spent eight years representing Capital Ward in City Hall before being defeated in 2018. He states, “Pretty sure I’m done politically,” adding, “at 62, you’re feeling like there are plenty of
Exceeding provincial standards in literacy and numeracy instruction.
Confident learners aren’t born, they’re built. At Elmwood, we devote more time to literacy and numeracy instruction, starting in Pre-K. Building these strong skills early gives her the confidence to ask questions, solve problems, and take risks, opening doors to deeper learning at every stage.
See what’s possible.
older politicians, but your energy isn’t quite what it was.”
Writing the Family Story
Chernushenko’s third act, you might say, began with his book Burning Souls, a 666-page climate fiction. However, for his latest book, he has turned inward, examining his family’s past. Standing with Underdogs is part family memoir, part personal reflection and part a relatable, universal tale of displacement.
Chernushenko’s newest book finds its roots in his Aunt Raya Juchymenko, who wrote extensively about their shared family history and created a book for the family a couple of years ago. His father, aunt and grandparents fled Ukraine, ended up in Austria, before settling in southern Alberta. For Chernushenko, his family’s past was a revelation.
“My father wasn’t someone to share days gone by,” Chernushenko said. As a teenager who came to Canada as a displaced person or DP, his father “was bound and determined not to be seen as a DP” (a derogatory term at the time). His father was determined to rid himself of that label, so he joined the Navy and worked for Canada’s foreign service. Chernushenko’s grandmother, still obviously traumatized by her trek across a continent with an open wagon, horse and two young kids, would end up in tears at the mention of the time period, refusing to revisit the past.
feeling they had to go somewhere else to survive, to have a better life.”
The story itself is rooted in the family’s escape from Ukraine, but he believes it speaks to a broader audience. It’s the story of immigrants building new lives under difficult conditions, of struggling to fit in and feeling the pressure to assimilate, of children growing up balancing the two worlds of privilege and responsibility passed down through generations.
Chernushenko intertwines that sentiment with his childhood of being “not even Ukrainian Canadian, but a Canadian with many questions,” along with his experiences being the underdog throughout his career.
At its core, Standing with Underdogs asks readers to reflect on their own family histories, on the immigrant struggles that continue to shape Canadian society and, as Chernshenko puts it, “[choosing] causes, people and groups that I wanted to support because I thought we shared values.”
That commitment, to side with the underdog, is the connection between his activism, his political life and now his authorship.
The book launch for Standing with Underdogs will take place November 10, 7-8:30 p.m. at Abbotsford Seniors Centre, 950 Bank Street. (No on-site parking but excellent for bus, cycling and walking)
Nathan Cox is a journalism student at Carleton University.
Specialist teachers in French, art, music, and more
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Chernushenko said that after reading his aunt’s writings, he was determined to share the story. “That story is so fascinating that it shouldn’t just be for family members for whom she wrote it. It needed a bigger audience.” Chernushenko makes the point that this isn’t an original story.
“It’s a universal story
know it’s coming.
Be ready for sweater weather with beautiful cozy fall fashions. Black tickets are 20% off.
David Chernushenko, climate activist, politician and now author
They call him Raph
By Michelle Weinroth
You may have seen him walking somewhere in the Glebe, with long hair blowing in the wind, cello slung over one shoulder, marching so swiftly that his silhouette disappeared as quickly as it came into view. Over the years, neighbours living close by his Glebe home would have heard his nightly rehearsals for sundry gigs and concerts. Others would have seen him at the Gladstone Theatre performing to sold-out audiences. In September, some of you would have heard him play with James McGowan at the Southminster United Church, premiering his heart-wrenching composition “The Glimmering” and revisiting his early work “Shattered Dreams,” written at the University of Ottawa for four cellos and two pianos.
A decade or so ago, the Norwegian prog metal band Leprous spotted him performing at what was then Mavericks. Smitten by his inspired musical energy, they welcomed him into their fold. He toured and recorded with them for half a dozen years. Under the influence of these (and many other) great metal gods, he honed his craft.
Last August, the Ottawa Citizen described him as Ottawa’s heavy metal cellist, a musician of classical training but desirous of a career with autonomy and freedom. Never a slavish follower of norms or traditional styles, he has defined his own voice with unmatched uniqueness. Global in
his range of sensibilities, he has drawn on Persian, Arabic and Celtic repertoires, both modern and ancient. “Difference,” often marked by his youthful passion for heavy metal, has been his badge of honour. From an early age, he refused to suppress this mark of “otherness,” regardless of the cost. And yet nowhere is his musical signature strictly metallic, never is it purely “fast and evil.”
With the passage of time, his distinctive style has crystallized in lyrical renderings of raw human feeling. His recently released singles – “Lifeblood,” “Possession” and “Ophidian” – showcase this candour with percussive intensity and melancholic beauty; they capture the psychological impulses of the performing artist in his quest for fulfilled personhood, plumbing the depths of human sorrow while also ascending into horizons of hope and possibility.
You will tell me that I am biased and that I have engaged in a shameless promotion of my son’s musical artistry. All this is true. I confess it freely. But hey, don’t take it from me. Go see Raphael Weinroth-Browne perform and judge for yourself. His latest solo cello album, titled Lifeblood, will be released on October 24 at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre. An after party will follow the show in the adjacent Woodside Hall where the audience can chat with Raph and mingle.
If you are searching for a shaft of light in these dark times, some human solace and a sparkle of magic, you’re bound to find it all there.
Michelle Weinroth is a long-time resident of the Glebe and parent of Raphael Weinroth-Browne. She is grateful to be living among kind neighbours.
Raphael Weinroth-Browne in concert
On the Shoulders of Giants: commemorating 20 years of SPAO
By Joseph Gibson-King
This fall, the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Galerie Annexe becomes a space of reflection and return. On the Shoulders of Giants, which opened in August and runs until October 19, commemorates the 20th anniversary of SPAO (formerly School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa). Featuring work from 58 artists who have either graduated from or significantly contributed to SPAO, the show is a living archive of a grassroots arts institution that has quietly but significantly influenced the landscape of photographic arts in Canada.
The story of SPAO began in 2005, when founding directors Michael Tardioli and Kahlia Scott, along with a handful of students, set off to create an alternative to traditional photographic education. A lease was signed just 43 days before classes started, as staff and students built a school from scratch.
“It was an act of faith,” Tardioli recalls. “We didn’t have time to secondguess ourselves. We had a vision of what was needed, a place where photography was taken seriously as an art form, and we built it.”
That spirit of collaboration became SPAO’s DNA. What began as a modest hub now stands as one of Canada’s foremost photographic arts centres. It houses the country’s only two-year, photographic arts, college diploma program, a diverse roster of recreational classes, a six-month international artist residency and the region’s only critical and independent gallery dedicated to lens-based art. Through these programs, SPAO has cultivated an inclusive community of distinct artistic vision, critical dialogue and technical
Thank you to the Glebe community for your support over 35 great years!
expertise in the photographic arts.
On the Shoulders of Giants brings SPAO’s mission into sharp focus.
The works on view span cyanotype, photogravure, lith printing, scanography and more, moving between intimate portraits and conceptual experiments. Co-curator Katie Lydiatt explains how some pieces lean into historical processes that echo SPAO’s ongoing commitment to analogue and alternative techniques, while others embrace digital tools and conceptual frameworks.
“A digital photograph made using a scanner may sit beside a centuries-old printing method, yet all feel part of the same conversation: how photography can be used to question, reveal and connect,” she says.
For Tardioli, the other co-curator, this anniversary is deeply personal. Every artist in the show, he notes, is someone he has tutored, collaborated
with or befriended.
“Every single piece in this exhibition has a story behind it,” he says. “I see the hours in the darkroom, the risks taken, the conversations that pushed someone a little further. To me, this exhibition is an archive of the people and relationships that have built SPAO.”
That human element – the slow work of mentorship, critique and artistic growth – runs like an invisible thread through the exhibition. It reflects SPAO’s broader aim: to provide more than technical training, creating not only skilled photographers but also a culture of visual literacy, dialogue and artistic bravery that extends far beyond the classroom.
The title of the exhibition, On the Shoulders of Giants, speaks directly to this ethos. Each generation of SPAO students learns from those who came before, and alumni often return as mentors or collaborators. The show’s
58 artists reflect that cycle: some now well established, others still emerging, all part of a lineage. Together, they form a kind of family portrait of SPAO’s first 20 years.
To walk through the exhibition is to feel not only the weight of individual artworks but also the presence of an overarching vision. SPAO has long aspired to be an internationally recognized photographic “school of thought,” and this exhibition demonstrates that it already is. That recognition, however, is not built in isolation but through community of artists, educators and supporters who have created something larger than themselves.
In October, the anniversary reception will welcome alumni, artists and the public back into the fold – a moment to celebrate, but also to look ahead. As Tardioli puts it, “We started by building walls and installing sinks. Now, 20 years later, we’re standing on what we built, looking at what’s possible next. This exhibition is about honouring where we’ve been, but also about asking: where will we go?”
Under the strains of a collapsing photographic education community in Canada, SPAO has remained a stalwart presence, affirming that photographic education is not a luxury but a vital part of our cultural fabric. For anyone who has ever been moved by an image, the exhibition is a reminder of what is possible when vision, craft and community come together – something worth protecting and strengthening now more than ever.
On the Shoulders of Giants is more than an anniversary celebration. it is an invitation to join the SPAO community to discover and nurture your own creative identity.
Here’s to 20 more years.
Joseph Gibson-King is an advancement assistant at SPAO Photographic Arts Centre
On the Shoulders of Giants Commemorating 20 years of SPAO Photographic Arts Centre. Until October 19
OAG Galerie Annexe 50 Mackenzie King Bridge
“Ivory Gull” by Christine Fitzgerald
Illuminated Seasons / Saisons illuminées
Exhibition at the Karsh-Masson Gallery until November 2
Review by Maureen Korp
Back to school, back to work, back to getting from point A to B – where is the centre of it all? In downtown Ottawa, in the heart of rambunctious, argumentative City Hall, surprisingly, there is a centre of stillness, an ordered, reflective quietude.
Illuminated Seasons/Saisons illuminées, the current exhibition at the Karsh-Masson Gallery on the first floor of City Hall, is the thoughtful work of two artists – Marie Drolet and Emily Rose Michaud. It is of this time and place, of plants, waters, sunlight. Ottawa is located at the confluence of three rivers: the Kichi Zibi (Ottawa River), the Tenàgàdina Zibi (Gatineau River) and the Pasāpikahigani Zibi (Rideau River). In their work, the artists present the truths of their walkabouts in the valley.
There are three display areas in the exhibition. In the entryway are several blue cyanotypes by Michaud. “Interconnected Watershed,” 2025, for example, in its multiple fields of blue, connects river pathways with imagery drawn from plants found along its riverbanks. Sunlight pulls it all together. In the centre area, the largest work is presented. “Earth, Water Installation,” 2025, a low table shaped as a circular ring in four sections, is centred on a large water bottle. All of this sits on a pile of sand, sand borrowed from the riverbanks, sand to be returned when the exhibition ends.
Laid upon the tabletop are offerings: relics, bits and pieces from the forest
floor. All are thoughtfully presented in arrangements of dried petals, leaves, branches, tree bark, pinecones. Some lie flat, some hang from the table’s edge, some are displayed in vases, two in small picture frames behind glass. Each bit of detritus is a story in and of itself, each a part of the whole.
The four sections of the table’s ring are somewhat aligned to four nearby illuminated and framed compositions. They are hexagonal arrangements of seven porcelain tiles each, named for the four seasons of the year: in all, 28 hexagonal tileworks, shared among four hexagonal compositions, all illuminated and framed in cherrywood.
The tilework designs are specific to local vegetation, plants associated with particular seasons of the year by the artists. What plants inspired this work? Plants with stories to tell, stories the artists learned walking the trails of the Ottawa Valley.
Along the back walls of the gallery is another edition of the tilework series. Here, we see the tiles separately, one by one, 28 tiles in a single straight line, each one identified by the artist with a bit of story of how she came to know this bit of nature.
Reading the artists’ stories, learning the plants’ individual names enables us to know the work better. Now we see designs, individually drawn from nature, centred, hexagonally unified in a deeper sense.
The chanterelle mushroom tile, for example, is one of the seven porcelain tiles comprising “Illuminated Winter/ Hiver illuminé,” 2023. Its label credits
Drolet and relates her tale of the mushroom. The artist writes: “Gold of the Forest . . . I love to scour the woods in search of it, to the clearly mysterious spots where the magic happens.”
Similarly, “Willow,” one of the seven porcelain tiles comprising “Illuminated Autumn/Automne illuminé,” 2023, is the work of Michaud. Reading its label, we learn: “Weeping willow, the one of watery depths . . . To know willow is to be touched simply and frequently (and at times through tears) by the gifts of beauty that surround us.”
Drolet’s accounts speak for half the collection, Michaud’s for the other half: 28 plants, 28 stories in the medium of 28 tiles. All are framed in iconic harmonies within the hexagon.
The hexagonal format of Illuminated Seasons/Saisons illuminées is drawn from mathematical principles of balance and harmony credited to Pythagoras. Proportional relationships Pythagoras saw in the natural world – and expressed as the golden section, golden mean – have long linked the verities of math and science with religious belief for many visionaries. They became Neoplatonic underpinnings for mysteries of the Kabbaleh, of Keltic interlacings, of teachings found in Theosophy, Sufism, and other mysticisms. Vitruvius identified Pythagorean ratios in the human body. Leonardo da Vinci used those ratios to draw “Vitruvian Man” in the late 1400s. The Fibonacci number series matches whorls on pinecones, petals on sunflowers and a
goodly lot of plant life generally with the golden section, golden mean. With their use of the hexagon throughout Illuminated Seasons/ Saisons illuminées as a visionary framework, the artists create the possibility of illumination for us all. Thank you.
Maureen Korp is a writer, historian, independent scholar. She taught university courses for many years in comparative religions and art history here and abroad. Her most recent book, THERE and HERE, a small collection of poetry, is available in Ottawa bookstores.
Exhibition continuing until November 2
Karsh-Masson Gallery 110 Laurier Ave W Gallery hours: Daily, 9 a m – 5 p m , excluding holidays
Illuminated Seasons / Saisons illuminées, an exhibition of works by Emily Rose Michaud and Marie Drolet, continues at the Karsh-Masson Gallery until November 2 PHOTO: DAVID BARBOUR
lluminated Seasons / Saisons illuminées
Galerie
Free. Wheelchair accessible
Out of the Box Fibre Artists host Fall Fibre Fling
By Sharon Dawn Johnson
Out of the Box Fibre Artists invite you to join us for our popular Fall Fibre Fling Art Show on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. The show and sale will showcase the fibre art of nearly 100 artists from Ottawa and the surrounding areas, offering a range of works including embroidery, felting, beading, art quilts and wall hangings, purses, silk scarves, altered book art and cards.
“Textile” usually refers to woven cloth, though the term is now used more broadly and inclusively. Fibrebased string-making, knot-making for nets (rudimentary forms of crochet and knitting) and weaving extend far back into prehistory. Over time, the learning and skills moved forward into subsequent centuries of fibre and material development, along with the handand machine-stitching traditions that continue to feature in our everyday lives now.
The ground-breaking textile research of archaeologist-linguist Elizabeth Wayland Barber, in Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years opened that field to younger archaeologists who were tired of investigating “stones and bones.” In Barber’s Afterword, she notes that the discoveries of Dr. Olga Soffer of “both twined and plain-weave” cloth clearly indicate that simple looms “must already have been invented by 25,000 BCE.” Just imagine the ancient ingenuity that continues into our daily lives!
In contemporary areas like art, fashion, industry, agriculture and medical science, natural and synthetic fibre and textile applications continue the development and innovative design skills of our forebears. One Out of the Box fibre artist has been successfully using dried daylily leaves for her artistic mini basket weaving. And the art felting of another using wool fibres, beads and upcycled sari silk is far removed from felted mittens and dryerruined wool sweaters we’re more familiar with.
Horticulturalists cover soil using weed barriers woven of synthetic fibres and materials. Industrial developments of fibreglass and fibre optics have purposefully adapted fibre shapes, techniques and the language associated with our ancient human heritage.
We art makers at Out of the Box value the rich legacy of diverse traditions and inherited techniques while seeking to carry forward the skills and artistry shared by earlier generations of talented people. As a group, we celebrate textiles, fibres and other related materials through their varying applications in our own artmaking.
Our dedicated group celebrates the joy and beauty of textiles and fibres, handling and working with them in ways expressed in stand-alone artworks and in those creations that marry beauty and usefulness – nourishment for body and soul.
Our popular show on October 24 and 25 will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive. Admission is FREE, with monetary donations gratefully accepted for the Ottawa Food Bank.
“Our visitors feel a personal connection to our artworks,” says Sandy Goldsmith, co-chair of Out of the Box. “They are inspired by the textures, materials and techniques and by the memories and emotions evoked by the diverse materials that connect them to our themes and subjects.”
Out of the Box is celebrating 17 years dedicated to showcasing fibre art and artists. Our events attract increasing numbers of visitors, drawn by the amazing breadth and beauty of the artworks created by our talented members.
Several artists will be on hand to share fibre art insights and demonstrate various techniques. For example, I will be demonstrating beading techniques on Friday and another bead artists will be doing so on Saturday.
Fall Fling offers you a treasure-trove of unique fibre, textile and mixed media gifts that are perfect for the special people in your life during the gift-giving season ahead.
Come and enjoy contemporary fibrebased creativity that witnesses our ancient lineage and precious human heritage.
Sharon Johnson, a 37-year Glebe resident, is a writer and bead artist devoted to experimental 3-D beading, along with encrusted, freeform beaded artworks.
Experimental 3-D beading: left, Tri-Wing 1 75 inches; middle, Highly Unlikely Triangle based on Penrose infinity loop, 1 inch diameter; Horned Sample, 1 75 inches long NFS PHOTO: SHARON JOHNSON
Felted merino wool with recycled sari silk and invisibly stitched beading, one example of felting for sale at Fall Fling PHOTO: LAURA CORKILL
Yasir Naqvi
MP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-946-8682
E yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca
Building together: Budget 2025 and the work ahead
This November, the Government of Canada will introduce Budget 2025. It will be a chance to chart the path forward, not only to meet the challenges before us, but also to build on the progress already made together.
Some of the highlights we shared earlier this summer included a middle-class tax cut on Canada Day, lowering the federal rate on the first $57,375 of income from 15 to 14 per cent; the passage of the One Canadian Economy Act to cut red tape and boost jobs and growth; Canada’s commitment to meet NATO’s defence target of 2 per cent of GDP this year, with a path to 5 per cent by 2035; progress on new trade and security partnerships with ASEAN, Africa and the EU; expanding access to dental care for all eligible Canadian residents; and legislation to eliminate GST on first-time home purchases up to $1 million, saving buyers as much as $50,000.
But preparing for Budget 2025 is not simply about what our government believes is best; it’s about listening to Canadians. That’s why this summer I sent a newsletter across our community to invite residents to take part in pre-budget consultations, ensuring your voices and priorities shape our decisions.
We asked three questions. Here’s a summary of the top responses from neighbours across our community.
1. How can we build one strong economy today and for the future?
Break down internal trade barriers, support Canadian industries and invest in nation-building projects, while boosting clean-tech investment to cap emissions, strengthening trade with reliable partners and expanding skills training through apprenticeships, co-ops and reskilling.
2. What are the most important ways our government can help Canadians day to day?
Bring down the cost of essentials, build more affordable homes and improve access to health services, including mental health and dental care.
3. What should Canada’s priorities be in defence and security?
Invest in smart, dual-use infrastructure (ports, telecommunications, emergency systems), strengthen defence agreements with allies and ensure the Canadian Armed Forces are well equipped for the future.
These insights reflect what I have consistently heard across Ottawa Centre: people want a government that delivers affordability, invests in workers and keeps Canada strong at home and abroad. I am happy to share our government has already taken big steps in those directions.
In August, we launched the new Major Projects Office (MPO). The MPO will fast-track critical infrastructure by streamlining approvals to a maximum
of two years and coordinating financing for projects in Canada’s national interest. That means ports, railways, energy corridors, critical-mineral developments and clean-energy initiatives can be built faster, creating jobs, strengthening supply chains and growing our economy.
We also resumed trade negotiations with the Mercosur trade bloc, opening new markets for Canadian businesses. We deepened our transatlantic ties with a new agreement with Germany on critical minerals, energy and defence and an enhanced partnership with Poland on trade, energy, aviation and defence collaboration. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, I had the honour of representing Canada at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, where I met with diplomats, government leaders and industry partners to expand our trade and security ties. It was a powerful reminder that Canada is recognized globally as a trusted ally and a nation that brings both innovation and industrial strength to the table.
Furthermore, our government unveiled a multi-billion-dollar plan to strengthen Canada’s workforce and industries. Some highlights include:
• $450 million through Labour Market Development Agreements to retrain and upskill up to 50,000 workers.
• $382 million to launch new Workforce Alliances that bring employers, unions and industry together to help businesses and workers succeed in a changing labour market.
• A $5 billion Strategic Response Fund to help companies pivot, grow and secure new markets.
• $1.6 billion to extend Employment Insurance benefits for long-tenured workers.
• A new Buy Canadian policy to ensure federal procurement prioritizes Canadian suppliers and materials.
These investments protect jobs today, equip people with the skills to succeed in a fast-changing economy and build resilience so Canada can not only withstand global shocks but emerge stronger.
As we prepare Budget 2025, one message is clear: Canadians want a government that listens and delivers on affordability, opportunity and Canada’s strength at home and abroad. In the weeks ahead, we’ll work to ensure the budget reflects your priorities, with measures to lower costs, create good jobs and keep Canada secure – building a stronger, fairer, more prosperous country for everyone.
Catherine McKenney
MPP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-722-6414
E CMcKenney-CO@ndp.on.ca
Hands off our schools!
No more elected school board trustees? That’s the plan if Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra have their way.
Earlier this year, before taking an extra-long summer vacation, the government introduced Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act. The bill makes a big change to how the province places school boards under provincial supervision, the process of taking direct control of a school board’s operations and finances. This change will make it easier to do to other school boards what the province did to the OCDSB when it was placed under provincial supervision over the summer.
Years of underfunding and cuts to local schools has left Ontario with overcrowded classrooms, fewer mental health supports and teachers and staff who are stretched thin. Instead of reversing those cuts, the bill overrides the will of communities and parents by giving police forces the power to place officers in our local schools – despite evidence that it does not make schools safer and could unfairly criminalize marginalized students.
Bill 33 also has a major impact on our post-secondary institutions, forcing crucial funding cuts for student services like food banks, sexual assault centres, academic centres, campus radio stations and newspapers, LGBTQIA spaces, cultural associations and campus clubs. As though all that wasn’t enough, Calandra announced he is seriously considering eliminating elected school board trustees in the English system – shutting parents out of decisions that affect their child’s school by permanently eliminating
local democracy and putting control over local schools into the hands of unaccountable, unelected Conservative insiders.
Outrage at the announcement was immediate, and in early September hundreds of people from across Ontario joined Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles and education critic Chandra Pasma over Zoom to share their concerns and learn how they could fight back against Bill 33.
We heard from teachers, trustees and union leaders about the need for education funding and support that the provincial government is failing to provide.
We also heard from Ottawa Centre resident Katy De Sousa, who shared her experiences as a parent in the OCDSB, stressing the importance of having an elected representative at the school board to advocate with. Another Ottawa Centre resident, James Adair, shared what Bill 33 would do to campus life at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions by gutting critical services and campus clubs that students rely on to thrive.
Everyone at the meeting agreed that these changes need to be fought and said they were ready to put in the work.
On October 1, we knocked doors in the Westboro neighbourhood around Broadview Avenue Public School with Katy, Chandra and other concerned neighbours. We let community members know about the dangers of Bill 33 and shared resources on how to organize against it.
But one community canvass isn’t enough, and we need to keep the momentum going.
If you want to get more involved in the fight against Bill 33 or have a story to share about your experiences with our education system, please send me an email at: info@mckenney4mpp. com. We also have a digital petition you can sign at: catherinemckenney.com/ withdraw_bill33.
Our kids deserve the best education we can give them. Bill 33 and the undemocratic elimination of school trustees isn’t the way to do it. I hope we can count on you to help us save our schools!
People concerned about the effect of Ontario Bill 33 on school boards accompanied MPP Catherine McKenney in canvassing the Westboro neighbourhood October 1
October Crossword
By Ellyn Duke Watson & Cooper Love
Rectus Femoris muscle strain
By Sue Reive
With the start of autumn, many people will be splitting perennials and digging in their garden. More than once, patients who have overexerted themselves come limping into my clinic. They can hardly lift their leg, making walking difficult and climbing stairs impossible. The repetitive digging strained the muscle on the front of their thigh called the rectus femoris.
The rectus femoris is a part of the quadriceps muscle which consists of four muscles. It runs from its attachment on the pelvis, joins with the three other quadriceps muscles to become the quadriceps tendon and then continues as the patellar tendon beyond the kneecap (patella) to insert onto the lower leg bone (tibia). Thus, the rectus femoris crosses two joints – the hip and the knee – and functions to bend the hip and straighten the knee. The three other quadriceps muscles just function to straighten the knee. The rectus femoris muscle is used in sprinting, running, jumping and kicking and is commonly injured, especially in sports like soccer and martial arts. Repetitive pushing down on a shovel can also strain the muscle. Often the muscle is injured at the muscle-tendon junction at the front of the hip.
Symptoms of rectus femoris injury include pain with walking, climbing stairs and just lifting the leg up to put on a shoe or socks or get out of the car.
There will be weakness and pain with an active straight leg raise and hip flexion; that pain is increased with resistance. The muscle will be sore with palpation, and there may be a tear which will cause bruising and swelling. If a tear is suspected, imaging will determine the extent of it. While rare, a complete tear would require surgery. If it’s simply a strain, physiotherapy can often help.
Treatment of a strained rectus femoris muscle initially involves a period of rest and avoiding activities that aggravate the injury and increase pain. Ice and gentle range of motion exercises are incorporated. Modalities like ultrasound and electrotherapy help to reduce the swelling and pain and enhance healing. Once active mobility
Across
1 Barrhaven or Kanata, for example (6)
6 Worried or nervous (7)
10 Go to see the RedBlacks play this at Lansdowne (8)
11 Tall (but not the tallest) tower condo in Little Italy (4)
12 Dodgy (7)
14 To play a part (3)
16 The subject of a manicure or pedicure (5)
19 Inside or within (2)
20 A crop you might find at 28-Across (5)
22 Carbonated beverage (3)
23 Pastry or dessert often made with fruit (4)
24 Expression of disgust (2)
25 Exclamation after stubbing your toe (4)
28 Ottawa-area attraction famous for it’s ‘haunt’ in autumn (12)
29 Slowly leak through small openings (4)
30 Large orange gourd found in a patch (7)
31 La ___ Province! (5)
34 Popular movie genre around Halloween (5)
35 A community-driven way to combat addiction (2)
36 Terrible flood (6)
38 Tyler the Creator’s hip-hop collective (2)
40 Unit of measurement equal to twelve inches, abbr (2)
41 Currency of Turkey (4)
43 The first half of Scrooge’s curse (3)
44 Foliage that gives the Fall its namesake (6)
46 Large bundles of hay or straw (5)
48 Yes, especially in nautical or Scottish contexts (3)
50 Fermented apple beverage (5)
51 The fruit of 52-Down (5)
53 Unfair practice of lending money at excessive interest (5)
Down
1 What hangs out of a farmer’s mouth (5)
2 Flying saucer (3)
3 Middle word in Scooby Doo’s famous expression (3)
4 A welcome benefit or advantage (4)
5 The night of trick or treating (9)
6 Type of beer (3)
7 Ancient Chinese city and home of terracotta army (4)
8 Spirit board used in séances (5)
9 Cozy autumn conditions perfect for knitwear (7,7)
11 Slow-cooked dish with meat and vegetables (4)
13 Life, in French (3)
15 First name of Argentinian revolutionary (3)
17 Portable music players made by Apple (5)
18 Tall pointed structure on a building (5)
21 Holiday celebrating gratitude (12)
23 Gobble gobble (6)
26 Particularly or notably (10)
27 Ottawa women’s soccer team (5)
31 Informal term for brother or male friend (3)
32 Ottawa’s oldest bar (9)
33 Speaker setting, abbr (3)
37 English word for pimisi (3)
39 Small lie (3)
42 Egyptian sun god (2)
43 Burrowing mammal with distinctive markings (6)
45 You might eat this dish with a spoon (4)
47 Neck accessory (5)
49 First Canadian to win an NBA MVP title (4)
52 Large deciduous tree (3)
56 Goodnight, abbr (2)
57 Social safety net (2)
54 Ford Mustang __ (2)
55 Empty space or opening between things (3)
56 Welcomes or says hello to (6)
58 Common activity for Gatineau Park (4)
59 Large outdoor fire (7)
has improved, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises can begin. The key is load management and being careful not to strain the healing muscle. A return to sport or activity should be gradual to prevent reinjury. The goal of physiotherapy is to guide the healing process such that you have a strong yet extensible scar tissue.
While rectus femoris strain is common with sports involving kicking, running and jumping, it can also occur with activities of daily living like digging. So warm up and take frequent breaks to avoid injury and maintain adequate strength to do the activity you want to do.
Sue Reive is a physiotherapist at the Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics in the Glebe.
The rectus femoris muscle on the front of the thigh can be strained through overexertion
Seventeen Voyces presents 1923 silent film in time for Halloween
By Clare Jackson
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel about love, power and redemption, has been depicted on film many times over the past century. But no adaptation has quite the power of Lon Chaney’s heartrending portrayal of the titular character Quasimodo in the 1923 silent film production. On October 31 and November 1, Seventeen Voyces, under the direction of founder Kevin Reeves, will present this classic silent film accompanied by live choral and organ music at St. Matthew’s Church in the Glebe.
Seventeen Voyces has been presenting silent films with live musical accompaniment for more than two decades. Past silent films presented by the choir include Nosferatu (1922), The Phantom of the Opera and Ben-Hur (both from 1925) and Joan of Arc (1928). Reeves, himself an award-winning filmmaker as well as a composer and musician, is a huge movie fan and delights in programming what has become a beloved annual tradition for the choir.
Set against the iconic backdrop of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the 1923 production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was produced by Universal Studios for the (then) eye-popping sum of $1.25 million. The streets of 15th-century Paris were meticulously recreated to bring the world of Victor Hugo’s novel to life, including construction of the bottom 60 feet of Notre Dame. (Other sections of the building were made separately for use in close-up shots.) All the sets were built sturdily so they could be reused in future productions, which they were for 40 years. The elaborate undertaking also included the design and construction of 3,000 costumes for the film’s main characters and hundreds of extras.
Renowned for his groundbreaking work as a character actor thanks to his exceptional makeup skills, Lon Chaney was already a star known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces” when he was cast as Quasimodo. Chaney’s unparalleled ability to alter his appearance using intricate makeup techniques and physical appliances captivated audiences and confounded even the most
Lenten motets by French composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) as well as selections from Zigeunerlieder (Gypsy Songs) by Johannes Brahms (18331897) and Catulla Carmina by Carl Orff (1895-1982). This last piece, a rarely performed cantata, is part of a triptych of music that includes the famous Carmina Burana. Seventeen Voyces recently performed Carmina Burana when they presented the silent film version of Ben-Hur this past spring.
Seventeen Voyces’ thrilling presentation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame will take place on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 pm at St. Matthew’s Church (130 Glebe Avenue). Tickets are $30 each, $20 for students. Tickets can be purchased
online at www.seventeenvoyces.ca and at the door (cash, credit and debit accepted).
Audiences can also mark their calendars for other upcoming concerts in Seventeen Voyces’ 2025-26 season: Christmas with Seventeen Voyces on Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church and Sunday, December 21 at 4 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New Edinburgh; a concert featuring the choir partnered with the Ottawa Baroque Consort on Sunday, March 29; and a concert of favourite motets and anthems on Sunday, May 17.
Clare Jackson is a member of the Seventeen Voyces choir board.
observant viewers. In some films, his disguises were so convincing that he successfully portrayed multiple characters without audiences realizing they were watching the same actor. He created the Quasimodo makeup himself by closely following Hugo’s vivid descriptions as well as illustrations found in the 1831 first edition of the novel. Chaney could not bear to wear the makeup and the 50-pound hump on his back for longer than six hours at a time due to the physical discomfort it caused him.
For Seventeen Voyces’ performances, the film will be projected onto a large screen while the choir, along with organist Matthew Larkin, bring the scenes to life with a perfectly timed selection of music. The main choral work that will accompany the film is Louis Vierne’s Messe Solonelle for choir and organ. Vierne, who was the principal organist at Notre Dame for many years, was inspired by the dramatic architecture of the church, making this piece a perfect accompaniment for the film. Other choral works will include The Lamb, a gentle piece by British composer John Tavener (1944-2013),
Seventeen Voyces will provide live musical accompaniment for the 1923 silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame on October 31 and November 1 at St Matthew’s Church
Abbotsford celebrates partnerships and its 50th anniversary
By Julie Ireton
Abbotsford at the Glebe Centre and its next-door neighbour, Chartwell Lord Lansdowne, now have an official partnership which will bring in new money for seniors programming, says Abbotsford manager Dave O’Neill.
Through the partnership, Chartwell will contribute $15,000 every year for three years.
“It provides some financial stability, knowing there’s money we can rely on,” said O’Neill. “It allows us to plan for capital projects or community programming.”
In return, Abbotsford welcomes Lord Lansdowne residents to take part in activities at the seniors’ centre, and it will promote the retirement residence by including its logo and branding at events.
“There’s a need for corporations to show they’re doing good in the community,” said O’Neill. “This shows they’re giving back.”
The Lord Lansdowne tower and historic Abbotsford House are actually attached, and the two groups already had a close rapport, according to Curtis Vasquez-Guindon, regional business development manager for Chartwell in the Ottawa area.
“We’ve been working with them for years in an unofficial capacity,” said
Vasquez-Guindon.
For instance, the food for Abbotsford’s popular men’s breakfast club, a social group of 20 participants, is prepared in the Chartwell kitchen once a month.
The door opens both ways, notes Vasquez-Guindon.
“All activities on site are open to seniors in the community at no cost,” he said of the Lord Lansdowne facility. “A lot of people don’t know that. The partnership with Abbotsford allows us to spread the word to the community.”
Lord Lansdowne welcomes seniors who want to live independently, but it also offers full assisted-living services if necessary, says Vasquez-Guindon, who notes that 85 per cent of those living in the residence are from the Glebe.
“We want the community to know it’s a hub for anything they might need for social services, engagement, help and
advice,” he said.
Celebrating 50 years of Abbotsford Seniors Centre
The retirement residence was also
one of the sponsors for Abbotsford’s recent 50th anniversary celebrations in early September.
The event attracted attention in the neighbourhood, with multi-generational belly dancing, a beach-ball volleyball game and line-dancing in the parking lot on Bank Street.
Twelve booths were on site in the multi-purpose room that day with a range of information on services for seniors.
The Older Adult Centres’ Association of Ontario (OACAO) sponsored the fair and celebration. All the activities were open to the public at no cost. Two art classes were held, two presentations were made, and there were also individual hearing and dental assessments.
Musical entertainment, games and a communal barbeque lunch were held in the parking lot free of charge to all who registered for these celebratory events.
“It’s an honour to be part of an organization that’s been serving the community for so long,” said O’Neill, who started his role as manager at Abbotsford this past spring. “We need to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Abbotsford Seniors Centre is for adults 55+. It houses the community programs of The Glebe Centre Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization which includes a 254-bed long term care home. Find out more about our services by telephoning 613-230-5730 during regular business hours or by checking out all the Glebe Centre facilities and community programs on our website www.glebecentre.ca.
Julie Ireton is a broadcast journalist who writes occasionally for the Glebe Report about Abbotsford House.
Glebe students honour history through community projects
By Robin Small
This fall, Glebe Collegiate Institute students are taking part in several meaningful initiatives that connect history, remembrance and youth creativity.
The History, Arts and Technology departments at Glebe Collegiate Institute respectively led by department heads Jessica McIntyre, Sandra Christie and Scott Hughes are preparing powerful initiatives for this year’s Remembrance season.
Operation Remembrance brings together history students, communications technology classes and the Glebe choir in a national broadcast at the Château Laurier, where they will present a short video honouring John McCrae and his treasured Flanders’ Fields poem. Glebe will be featured on day four of the series, available on YouTube through the Operation Remembrance page.
Building on a cherished tradition, Grade 10 history students in both French Immersion and English streams are once again bringing local history to life through the Walking Them Home project. Each student researches and commemorates a Canadian soldier from the school who lost their life in the Second World War. This year, newly added archival sources will deepen these stories, while commemorative signs will stand throughout the Glebe from November 3 to 14, offering a moving reminder of sacrifice and memory.
On Thursday, November 6, Glebe students will join with Lisgar Collegiate Institute and the Canadian War Museum for a youth-led evening of remembrance. From 5 to 8:30 p.m., the museum will host Youth Night, providing free transportation to ensure broad participation. Marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, the event will feature music, art and communications technology projects, along with a collaborative concert and interactive art activity.
The Walking Them Home project will also be showcased in the museum lobby, weaving together the personal research of students with this larger public commemoration.
News from Glebe Collegiate Institute
Through these initiatives, Glebe students are not only studying the past but also carrying its lessons forward. They are honouring sacrifice, celebrating resilience and ensuring that remembrance lives on through new generations.
Robin Small is principal of Glebe Collegiate Institute.
From left, Curtis Vasquez-Guindon, regional business development manager for Chartwell in Ottawa, Abbotsford manager Dave O’Neill and Abbotsford community programs coordinator Pat Goyeche celebrate the partnership between Abbotsford and the Lord Lansdowne
PHOTO: JANE STALLABRASS
Abbotsford’s 50th anniversary party featured a lively group fitness session in the parking lot
PHOTO: PAT GOYECHE
Glebe Collegiate Grade 10 history students are once again bringing local history to life through the Walking Them Home project commemorating individual Canadian soldiers from the school community who died in the Second World War
PHOTOS: JESSICA MCINTYRE
My sparrows at breakfast
By John Meissner
An unwritten law in my apartment building is do not feed the birds. This rule is based on bad experiences that residents have had with the winged vermin of our city.
Balconies are full of pigeons, which can be messy, noisy and aggressive. Recent stories (confirmed by me and others) attest to beloved house cats falling to their deaths from high balconies after chasing pigeons. Money has been spent on netting and strips of metal spikes to hinder pigeon landings. Some residents have power squirt guns loaded with pepper water to discourage the pigeons (to no avail). Meanwhile, I have violated the “do not feed the birds” rule, even though I only feed sparrows.
I started feeding sparrows with custom (small) bird feed in early spring. Initially, it was one bird or two that would show up, but now about five to seven of these little creatures land on the railing of my balcony early on. They signal they are ready. I throw a handful of seed onto my balcony into a corner that a larger, less adroit bird would avoid because they would be boxed in if a house cat emerged. Less so for my sparrows (yes, they have become “my” sparrows), which can quickly duck under a small opening in the barrier to the balcony next door.
Not having been a birder of any kind in the past, I have learned to tell the females – they are more of a gentle grey – from the males – they have deep brown lines on the wings and a white chevron if they are older. I’m starting to be able to separate generations of birds and can easily identify the newly hatched birds of the spring season that are fluffier and spend much of their time stretching and quivering their wings. I imagine that these exercises are helping them to develop strength and muscle tone.
I was astonished to see the older birds feeding this new generation of sparrow chicks. The chicks made no attempt to feed themselves, even though they had developed the flying ability to make their way to my thirdfloor balcony. I felt, somewhat critically, that they were like adolescents who had graduated from high school, living in their parents’ basement off the fat of the land. The parent birds have no hesitation in feeding their chicks and will do so while only occasionally
swallowing a seed or two themselves.
A visiting friend who was sparrow-watching with me told me that she had read that in some seasons, robins can lay two clutches of eggs. The first generation of robins returned to help feed the newly hatched second generation. So, birds and people can all pull together to help the next generation survive and thrive.
Most of the time, my sparrows are a quiet bunch. They spend a lot of time looking, and while they do not appear to have an ankle joint, they can stretch tall to look at me through the glass siding door. Initially, to confirm their safety, but later, I imagine, out of curiosity, as if I’m a living zoo exhibit. I find this quite charming and think that the Disney animators got this right. They are just as schmaltzy and cute in real life.
My birds tend to be quiet except on sunny days when a lot of seed has been thrown, and then they chirp a lot, seeming to communicate territory, contentment and family information. They must have a marvelous memory and spatial awareness to navigate over barriers in constricted spaces and skillfully navigate unlikely paths. This reminds me of competitive obstacle races where humans compete against each other while navigating souped-up drones. But it’s different with birds, more analogous to swimming in and under water, using muscle, memory and detailed perception. I am now starting to think of air as more like water, with many dimensions beyond our immediate awareness, that can be skillfully mastered by creatures who live in the air. I would guess that pilots of hang gliders have a better appreciation of this.
This winter, I plan to keep my sparrows well-fed and will help fatten their new chicks in the spring as well. Not a single pigeon has darkened my balcony, so my activities may loosen and modify the deeply held belief of neighbours who might enjoy a similar pastime.
John Meissner is a retired psychologist living in the Glebe who has worked and developed programs at Carleton University and worked at the Board of Education and Algonquin. He has many interests in the arts, cars, Buddhist philosophy and premillennial music.
ability to pull together to bring up the next generation
While the neighbours may object to my feeding the birds on the balcony, “my” sparrows increasingly astonish me with their skillful navigation, detailed perception, family feeling and the
PHOTO: J MEISSNER
By Kevin Dorse
Everyone has noticed; Ottawa has to get smaller to get better.
Canada’s national newspaper arrived on the first of September with a surprise for Ottawans. It finally said what many of us have been thinking for a long time: Ottawa needs to break up. Like the voice of God, the editorial page of The Globe and Mail declared that the era of one big Ottawa is over.
It wasn’t just that The Globe said it, it was the way it said it. Tucked discreetly into a piece about the challenges facing the city’s downtown core were the words “Ottawa is too big and should be broken up into urban and rural municipalities.”
That’s it. A single declarative sentence. No explanation or justification asked nor given. No maybes, no please considers. I mean, why would you? This is the kind of objective truth one delivers the way you’d tell a friend it’s raining out.
And consider the source. We’re talking The Globe and Mail editorial board. The same august editorialists who, by their own admission, were late to reality on residential schools and took a blinkered view of the relevance of Canada’s West. But on the question of whether this city’s current governance model is failing its residents? The verdict is clear and without dissent.
Ottawa sometimes feels like a city with an undiagnosed dissociative identity disorder. On one hand, we want to be a modern G7 capital with
infrastructure and amenities to match. On the other, depending on the winds, we also aspire to be a sleepy farming town with well-paved roads, and . . . well, that’s about it.
These two contradictory visions of municipal perfection are held together by a governance model imposed on us by a provincial government almost 25 years ago. And like a lot of us at that age, Ottawa is short on cash, racked with self-doubt and rethinking its choice of roommates.
Amalgamation was sold to us as a no-brainer. We would get a richer, more efficient and effective city able to stand confidently in Canada and globally. The reality has proven somewhat different. Financially, City Hall seems perpetually teetering, without the revenues it needs to keep basic services running let alone to fix the deepening problems of a large Canadian city.
In terms of efficiency, big Ottawa is no better at getting things done fast or well. The list is long, but it starts with our on-again, off-again O-Train. Amalgamation actually ended up slowing projects. Construction of a $28-million
tunnel under Terry Fox Drive will start this year, even though the project has been planned since the 1990s. Former Kanata mayor and city councillor Marianne Wilkinson explained the decades-long pause by saying amalgamation meant City Hall had too many projects across a sprawling city.
And that size is a problem. Every year, around the time of the provincial budget, the city’s social media accounts publish a map showing the outline of Ottawa’s enormous 2,800 square kilometers. Within it are the shapes of other cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, all crammed in like a jigsaw puzzle you’ve given up trying to finish correctly. The point of the map? The present Ottawa is just too much city to run on the tax base we have. We need help from other orders of government. Okay, sure. But a more sensible read would be Ottawa is too big and should be several smaller, more manageable cities instead.
Parts of our city operations have already given up on one-big-Ottawa. Hailed as a “complete reimagining” of how to serve a diverse population
with widely differing expectations, the Ottawa police have begun to abandon their centralized structure in favour of four service districts – west, central, south, and east – each led by its own superintendent. The plan makes sense. The needs of the city’s core aren’t the same as what residents in suburban and rural parts want.
Despite 25 years of trying, Ottawa isn’t one big city. It is at least two. One is a mostly urban centre looking for innovative solutions to problems funded through reasonable tax rates. The other is a rural/suburban municipality that expects reliable, basic services with low taxes. This duality is on vivid display every time our current council votes down progress on a nine to 16 vote.
Now that it’s out there, we should expect the reimagining of Ottawa to come up in future municipal and provincial elections. If it isn’t, we shouldn’t worry. Once expressed, good ideas rarely disappear by ignoring them.
Kevin Dorse is a Glebe resident and communications consultant.
Life as a young Mennonite in the Glebe
By Christopher Babcock
Two Glebites and a Mennonite walk into a bar.
“Wait,” the first Glebite says. “You’re allowed to drink?”
“And where is your funny hat?” the second interjects.
Mennonites are, in fact, allowed to walk into bars. We also dress normally and drive cars – though many of us choose to live simple lives and avoid consumerism when we can. Many of us are avid fans of the Glebe Buy Nothing Group and the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market. And we are, in fact, members of Bytown Community Church, a Mennonite Brethren group of Christians.
For a 25-year-old like me, calling yourself a Mennonite is not a fun trick to pull at parties. It tends to conjure images of headscarves, horses and homemade sausage. You don’t incur any hostility from the partygoers, but it’s a bit like sharing that you collect stamps. People assume it must be a strange habit you picked up from your deceased grandfather. Awkward smiles, nods, and offers of condolence circle around the room, and then the conversation shifts to safer waters. Sausage, anyone?
Few of us grew up as Mennonites, and we come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from downtown Toronto to rural Manitoba or Quebec. What draws us together is our faith in Jesus, and our belief that his way is
worth following – the way of hospitality, forgiveness, healing, non-violence, simplicity and generosity. We welcome everyone to learn with us, no matter their background or beliefs. I came to join Bytown Community Church on the tail end of the pandemic, at the invitation of my mentor Deirdre. Burnt out by religion, I found myself strangely warmed by the hospitality, openness and transparency of people at the church. As it turned out, I discovered that many others in the room were also, like me, the children of pastors. After years of putting on a façade for congregants, we found a place where we could re-learn to follow Jesus together. And if that meant sitting on the tops of the pews from time to time or letting the children run wild down the hallways – well, so be it. I don’t think Jesus minds very much.
Even as an urban Glebite, I have begun to find that the Mennonite way is insidious. It creeps into your bones. It still surprises me that the born-andbred Mennonites I know are some of the least cultish people I have ever met. They do not judge others, preach dogma or push a one-size-fits-all narrative. They simply show up, ready to listen and love people. They choose simplicity, considering each new purchase and piece of technology by asking themselves if it will truly benefit their lives. They choose to share possessions when practical, sometimes
In the Glebe
By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius com
going as far as living together. And they choose non-violence in all its forms, whether that means buying fair trade coffee, serving refugees or protesting a far-off war.
Bytown Community Church seems to attract weary sojourners – students worn by campus life, parents exhausted by screaming babies, families struggling through visible and invisible disabilities. Masks begin to fall away as people trickle into the pews, staring up at the gorgeous stained-glass windows of the Presbyterian church that hosts us. There is a feeling of holy peace, not
manufactured through pageantry but embodied by a community choosing hope over fear.
Our worship service is unassuming – perhaps painfully so for visitors. I remember one Sunday when I led music on my guitar and dropped my pick onto the carpet. Unable to finger-strum on my heavy 12-string, I had to stop playing to kneel and grab the pick. My friends and neighbours in the pews charitably kept singing a capella, but my clumsy fingers, now shaking with embarrassment, dropped the pick yet again.
This is the awkwardness and the grace of a community life where performance comes second to personal relationships. It means being known by others, even when they see your clumsiness or your scars. Our pastor, Dan Chook-Reid, leads by example in his humility and openness.
Everyone is welcome to join us as we sing, learn and pray together. We meet in the building of St. Giles Presbyterian Church, where many of you likely voted during the election. We use the side-street entrance at 181 First Avenue, and we gather every Sunday at 4 p.m. The door is made of heavy oak, but it is always open – and you are always welcome.
Chris Babcock is a Glebe novelist and public servant with a masters degree in international affairs.
The Bytown Community Church meets Sundays at 4 p m at St Giles Church, the side entrance at 181 First Avenue PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
PROBUS OTTAWA Welcoming new members from the Glebe and environs Join your fellow retirees, near retirees and want-to-be retirees for interesting speakers and discussions See our website: www probusoav ca for more detailed information about the club and its activities as well as contact points and membership information We will be meeting on Wed Oct 22 at 10 a m at Gloucester Presbyterian Church, 91 Pike Street, for a presentation by Dave Allston who is a local historian and will present the history of a particular community in Ottawa
ABBOTSFORD HOUSE Time is Just a Four-Letter Word, a six-week course by Peter Watson, Tuesdays, Oct 28-Dec 2, 4:30-6:30 p m , $150 To register, call 613-230-5730 Time is a universal human experience, affecting every detail of our lives, but we understand very little about it In this course, we will explore how we think about time, how time permeates our culture, and how most of our naïve ideas are wrong!
ABBOTSFORD Learn & Explore Speakers’ Series, free lectures but registration required for a seat or online link Abbotsford Seniors Centre, 950 Bank St Wednesdays from 1-2:30 p m Tea and coffee available for sale OCT 15: After a career as an academic archaeologist specializing in South America, Dr Emily Stovel developed a career in museum administration, bringing community stories into small rural museums in North and South America During her talk, she will give examples of new museum practices and ideas Live and on Zoom Oct. 22: Nancy Edwards, professor emeritus at uOttawa, heads CARP’s Fall Prevention Committee She will talk about the importance of preventing falls, with practical advice for people at home and how fall prevention can reduce health care costs Feel free to take notes! Live and on Zoom Oct.29: Karin Davidson-Taylor, former School Programs Officer at the Royal Botanical Gardens, is back to present “Squash Season ” Learn about the origin, history, varieties and uses of pumpkins and squash Live and on Zoom Nov. 5: Steve Zan, (mostly) retired aeronautical engineer, will present Norfolk Island – Gem of the South Pacific, about the Australian territory, one of the most isolated of islands He will recount the adventures of he and his wife and talk about the history, geography, economy and culture of the island Live and on Zoom
ABBOTSFORD Holiday Craft Fair will take place Nov 29, 10 a m -2 p m , Abbotsford Seniors Centre 950 Bank St Homemade crafts, ornaments, baby
FALL FIBRE FLING The fabulous fibre arts sale by the multi-talented artists of Out of the Box, will be held on Fri, Oct 24 and Sat , Oct 25, 10 a m -4 pm at Kitchissippi United Church, Island Park Dr Come and see one-of-a-kind treasures, stay for demonstrations, and chat with on-site artists
FRIENDS OF THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM
Learn about the history of this unique asset, tracking its creation in 1886 through its storied history and its invaluable contributions to Canadian agriculture Discover the horticultural legacy of the CEF’s hybridizers, who gave Canadian and international gardeners floral beauties such as the Preston lilacs and the Explorer series of roses Oct 22, 7:00 p m Speaker: Blaine Marchand, a writer with 10 books to his credit, has lived close to the Farm for most of his life Venue: Salon, K W Neatby Building, 960 Carling Ave
GLEBE CRAFT & ARTISAN FAIR Nov 15 & 16, Glebe Community Centre
GLEBE HALLOWEEN VILLAGE Sat , Oct 18 Accessible trick or treating Glebe Avenue (Between Lyon and Bank),11 a m -2p m Come join us at the second annual Glebe Halloween Village for a fun and free daytime trick-or-treating event that everyone can enjoy!
GNAG (Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group) AGM will take place Oct 22, 7-9 p m , Glebe Community Centre Refreshments will be served
REMEMBRANCE DAY CEREMONY Brantwood Gates, Sun , Nov 9 at 10:30 am Main Street and Beckwith Road Reception following the ceremony at St Paul University Free parking at St Paul University General public, veterans, serving Armed Forces members, families and friends are invited to attend
BOOK LAUNCH Standing with Underdogs, by David Chernushenk, Nov 10, 7-8:30 p m at Abbotsford Seniors Centre, 950 Bank Street No on-site parking but excellent for bus, cycling and walking FOR SALE
OAK WHISKY BARREL PLANTERS authentic, secured steel rings, $65 each Can be delivered in the Glebe /Ottawa South area Call 613-261-4504
LARGE MAHOGANY DISPLAY EASEL magnificent, hand carved Measures 85” high x 26” wide Perfect for displaying a special painting or a restau-
rant menu $325 Call 613-261-4504
BEAUTIFUL MODERN GLASS COFFEE TABLE approx 40” almost oval shaped, thick glass on aluminum legs with a bottom wooden shelf Unique Sell for $285 Call 613-261-4504
UNIQUE LIVING-ROOM GLASS-TOP TABLE SET 2 end tables, thick round top glass, 20” x 24” high Living-room table features 2 glass tops which rotate independently, 36” x 19 ” Must be seen to be appreciated $225 Call 613-261-4504
FLAGPOLE 18 ft , galvanized steel, 2 sections, heavy duty, complete Easy to install in sand or soil $185 Call 613-261-4504
ANTIQUE DINING-ROOM TABLE Duncan Phyfe mahogany double-pedestal table measures 62” long x 42” wide x 29” high Comes with one leaf to extend to 72 ” $800 Call 613-261-4504
FREE PALMS I am giving away my eight-foot palms Contact Claire - clairetre@sympatico ca or 613-230-5690
AVAILABLE
HOUSESITTING Good day neighbours I am a young, experienced volunteer housesitter I am available to live in and care for your home while you travel this season I have experience supervising renovations, gardening, shovelling snow, packing/moving a home, organizing, watering plants, collecting mail, etc I have also cared for God’s precious creatures while their families were away long term (I especially love puppies!!) I have excellent references living in and caring for many families in our neighbourhood while away short and long term Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions 613-682-0802, mayyouhope@ gmail com
DOG WALKER Are you looking for someone reliable to give your beloved dog the exercise they need?
My name is Janna, I am here to give your pet(s) the care they need All breeds and sizes are welcome I have experience with large dogs, cats, geckos and more! I also offer in-home check ins for dogs and other pets If you have any questions about my experience or services, please call me at 613-2936883
LOST & FOUND
GOLD WEDDING BAND I found a gold wedding band in the Glebe during the summer If you lost your wedding band, text 613-820-0447
A good time was had by all who attended Irene’s Pub 40th anniversary street party celebration
October 17, 2025
GNAG.ca
Glebe Neighbourhood Ac0vi0es Group
Glebe Community Centre 175 Third Avenue, O9awa, ON K1S 2K2 613-233-8713 info@gnag.ca
SAT, NOV 15: 10 am - 5 pm SUN, NOV 16: 11 am - 4 pm
