Glebe Report - September 2025

Irene’s Pub celebrates 40 good years

By Michael Estabrooks

The measure of a good neighbourhood pub lies in the sum of all its parts. A smile on the way through the door, a cold beverage, a comforting meal and a good chin waggle with staff are all integral aspects, but what truly sets the stage for a pub’s longevity is the depth of community that supports it. A pub is a place where you can find a government worker, a labourer and a musician all wrapped up in a spirited debate about the merits of Ottawa’s light rail transit. An artist breaks bread with a doctor while they complain about the sticky summer heat. At the pub’s wood, we are all equals looking to connect to a community.

I was lucky enough to connect with Irene’s community nearly 15 years ago when I first walked through its doors. Little did I know that over a decade later I would be fortunate enough to step into an ownership role and continue the legacy that came before me. Over my 15-year tenure, I have watched the pub grow – upgrades to infrastructure, evolving menus, growing staff and a vibrant carousel of musicians – but the one throughline has always been the community of patrons. Irene’s has thrived because of the loyalty, creativity and spirit of those who gather here. As we get ready to celebrate our 40th year as a fixture in the Glebe, we invite the neighbourhood to join us in

marking this milestone event during four days of celebrations incorporating local musicians, visual artists, raffle giveaways, an array of local vendors and a block party from September 25 to 28. Proceeds from the event will be donated in support of the Ottawa Food Bank.

Thursday, September 25 ~ 40 Years of Blues

$5.00 Entrance Fee

Our resident blues band takes the stage to present the Best of the Blues Sessions with guest hosts Vince Halfhide, Shannon Eddy, Iyono Ede, Marc Seguin and Matt Chaffey. The evening will feature four distinct sets led by the hosts, featuring blues from Texas up through the Delta and all the way to Chicago. Showtime is 7:30.

Friday September 26 ~ Staff Picks

$30.00 Entrance Fee

For over 40 years, Irene’s has been more than a pub – it is an incubator for artists. Drawn in for food, conversation and community, many musicians have found themselves not just performing here but working here, shaping their craft within its walls. Friday evening will see four bands take the stage in a showcase of homegrown talent featuring past and present staff-led bands.

Wicked Mercy – Swampy blues-rock with grit and soul.

Claude Munson – Soulful folk with tender, heartfelt storytelling.

Main Street Revival – Roots-rock grooves that get the crowd moving.

Saturday September 27

Daytime ~ Folk Sessions

$20.00 Entrance Fee

Our lineup for Saturday afternoon will feature a who’s who of local grassroots and folk musicians.

Sal Valley – Soulful folk with melodies that linger.

Jack Pine – Roots-rock grooves that get everyone moving.

Ian Tamblyn – Timeless folk tunes with catchy, memorable melodies.

Evening ~ Country Swing

$30.00 Entrance Fee

Saturday evening gives way to the Valley’s finest in country and swing.

Slo’Tom – Rollicking hardcore country with sharp wit, gritty storytelling and a punk edge.

Joe Ray McDonald Band – Alt-country tunes delivered with masterful flatpicking with honest songwriting.

Ball & Chain – Vintage country and Cajun grooves, blending heartfelt storytelling with infectious rhythms.

The Haylofters – Country rock with a touch of Ottawa Valley flair, delivering foot-stomping tunes.

Riishi Von Rex – Dark, theatrical folkrock full of passion.

September 1984. Dave & Lee’s Country Store closed, making way for Capt’n Pinky’s, soon to be Irene’s Pub.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF IRENE’S PUB

Irene’s

Continued from page 1

Sunday September 28

Inside Irene’s ~ Shanks Presents $5.00 Entrance Fee

Patrick Shanks – Delivering folk-punk tunes with sharp wit and raw energy, offering a humorous take on everyday life through his solo performances.

Megan Jerome – Crafting a soulful, piano-driven set that celebrates the beauty of everyday love, drawing from a rich tapestry of jazz, roots and cabaret influences.

Nerdwires – Instrumental modular synth-rock with a cosmic blending of ambient textures and electronic grooves to create immersive soundscapes.

Chris Page – Introspective folk-punk songs with a touch of indie rock, blending heartfelt lyrics and raw emotion.

Sunday September 28 ~ Block Party (Regent Street) $40.00

Sunday will be our culminating block party to bookend the week. Irene’s will take to the neigh-

December 1994. Irene’s Pub sign hangs in the window among other long-time businesses – McCrank’s Cycles, BRIO and now closed Prime Crime Books.

Excel Radiator Service, 1950s, now Irene’s Secret Back Patio

Again what is now Irene’s Secret Back Patio after Excel Radiator Service closed its doors

Alex Neve: a lifetime of human rights advocacy

2025 Massey Lecturer

By Jessie-Lee Wallace

Alex Neve, an impressive long-time resident of the Glebe, is touring the country this fall for a good reason: to promote peace and justice during a time many would agree is divisive and challenging all of us to be good citizens.

Alex Neve, the 2025 Massey lecturer, has dedicated his life to championing human rights causes both globally and locally.

His upcoming Massey lectures represent the culmination of decades of advocacy work and offer a timely reflection on the state of human rights in today’s challenging global landscape. His new book was written to accompany the lectures and uses the same title, Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World. It was released with a book launch at Abbotsford House on September 2.

The Glebe Report recently sat down with Neve to find out more about his journey into human rights advocacy that started when he was a child. After losing his father at the age of eight, he watched his mother, who worked as a dietitian running a hospital kitchen in Calgary, campaign for accessible daycare in Alberta during the early 1970s.

This early experience left a profound impression on young Neve, instilling in him the principle that “if something’s wrong, if something’s not right, if something needs to change, don’t just complain about it, do something.”

His path became clearer during his first year at Dalhousie University Law School in the mid-1980s when he attended a meeting of the Halifax chapter of Amnesty International.

That evening proved transformative as Neve wrote his first letter on behalf of Beatriz, a law student who had been abducted in El Salvador. The experience gave him clarity about his future: he wanted to become an international human rights lawyer, a relatively uncommon career path at that time.

In 1999, Neve was appointed secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, which brought him and his family to Ottawa. During his tenure, he conducted extensive frontline work in conflict zones, including Darfur in Sudan and eastern Chad. The post 9/11 era presented significant challenges as he witnessed what he describes as “a

professor and former secretary general

is

rollback, erosion of very fundamental principles” in the name of security.

Neve was centrally involved in advocacy for Canadians caught in what he calls the “war on terror machinery,” including Maher Arar and Omar Khadr. His work took him to Guantanamo Bay three times to observe proceedings against Khadr. These cases eventually led to institutional and legal reforms in Canada, including new oversight agencies for national security operations.

Currently a professor at the University of Ottawa, teaching in both the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social Sciences, Neve continues to engage with pressing human rights issues. His teaching keeps him connected to the next generation of advocates, whom he describes as a source of hope because of their “dedication, curiosity, anger, outrage and imagination.”

The prestigious Massey Lectures offer Neve a platform to address what he sees as our “fractured, heaving, broken world” and to explore whether human rights can provide a way forward.

His lectures, like his book, will begin with an assessment of our current global challenges, from climate crisis to rising hate, mass atrocities and economic inequality. They will also explore the historical foundations of human rights, examine how we have failed to fulfil the promise of universal human rights, celebrate the power of peopledriven movements for change and outline an agenda for moving forward.

For Neve, the most critical aspect of human rights is their universality –the idea that they apply “to everyone, everywhere, anytime, no matter who they are.” He argues that we have never truly embraced universal human rights and that now is the time to “get serious” about doing so.

The Massey Lectures will be delivered in five Canadian cities: Toronto (September 19), Vancouver (September 25), Edmonton (October 1), Happy Valley-Goose Bay (October 15) and Ottawa (October 30) at the National Arts Centre. Neve will also participate in the Ottawa Writers Festival in late October in conversation with Adrian Harewood.

In an effort to get more people involved, his book includes an appendix of resources for taking action on human rights issues.

“Silence is not an option,” Neve says. “Inaction is not an option.” He emphasizes “that we all have a role to play in creating a more just world and that it starts in our daily lives, in our homes and neighbourhoods.”

Jessie-Lee Wallace is a writer, non-profit leader and volunteer who believes in the strength of local community. She lives in the Glebe Annex.

At Villagia In The Glebe, you’ll enjoy independent living just steps from the scenic Rideau Canal. Walkable, welcoming, and well-connected, our location makes it easy to stay active and engaged in the heart of Ottawa.

Enjoy delicious, chef-prepared meals every day in our dining room, with menus that suit your tastes and dietary needs. Whether it’s breakfast with friends or a quiet dinner, you’l l always feel at home.

Need a little extra support? With our caring team, you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing help is close by when you need it.

Alex Neve,

of Amnesty International Canada,

this year’s Massey lecturer. The fifth lecture in the series on human rights will be held in Ottawa on October 30. PHOTO: JL WALLACE

A Glimpse of the Glebe

Contributors this month

CHARTRAND

JOHN CRUMP

ANDREA D’EON

ELLYN DUKE WATSON

MICHAEL ESTABROOKS

LESLIE FIRTH

ALAN FREEMAN

OSCAR GORALL

PAT GOYECHE

GEORGE HAY

MAUREEN KORP

HANNAH LIM

COOPER LOVE

ANGUS MCCABE

CATHERINE MCKENNEY

IAN MCKERCHER

SHAWN MENARD

SIMON MORRIS

JOHN MUGGLETON

YASIR NAQVI

SUSAN PALMAI

JOSH RACHLIS

LOUISE RACHLIS

KATE REEKIE

SUE REIVE

JOHN RICHARDSON

JULIA ROCCHI

MARISA ROMANO

SARAH ROUTLIFFE

PETER SIMPSON

ROBIN SMALL

SUE STEFKO

RÉMI THÉRIAULT

JESSIE-LEE WALLACE

CECILE WILSON

CHARLES ZAVE

ZEUS

Editorial

KEEPING THE SHIP AFLOAT

The school year has begun and, in fact, everything has begun! We are back to work, back to school and school-lunch making, back to fitness routines, piano lessons and on and on. Life is back in earnest.

But all is not as it was. As we come back to our regular lives, we know somewhere in the recesses of our minds that things are not “the same.”

It was summer, and we were able to forget the world out there, at least partly, and focus on our summer reading, the garden, the cottage, road trips, summer evenings on patios, fresh fruit.

But that was a mere interlude, a brief escape from the sharp-asbroken-glass “life” out there. Come September, we are brought back with fresh intensity to the new reality. The consequences of climate change are everywhere, with drought and wildfires in almost every part of Canada.

The U.S. president is both harming

and threatening Canada and other countries and systematically dismantling the infrastructure of a good life for both America and the world (think decimating the Center for Disease Control, cancelling vaccine research, dismantling USAID, withdrawing African AIDS treatment and child vaccination programs, sending armed National Guard troops to U.S. cities. . .) We are witnessing the rapid decline of American world leadership, with all that that might mean for its hapless next-door neighbour.

We carry on our daily lives, trying our best to keep our own ship afloat, dealing with the usual stresses and strains of life. Keeping our balance in a world that’s dipping and sliding.

And we’re doing OK. But we need to keep in mind that the ship is floating on turbulent waters, and we may need to keep our life jackets handy.

—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

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The first day of school, September 2 at Mutchmor.

Priority is social problems, not Lansdowne

Editor, Glebe Report

Letter addressed to Shawn Menard, Capital Ward Counsellor, copied to the Glebe Report.

It is hard to imagine that the City is still considering the approval of Lansdowne 2.0. The reasons are well known and expressed very eloquently in June Creelman’s recent article in the Glebe Report.

How could the City consider contributing $419 million (and counting) of taxpayers money when social problems continue to grow? The problems associated with homelessness, drug addiction and crime are slowly but surely becoming more visible in the Glebe.

OSEG had their chance, let us now have a chance to address the problems of the neediest.

Continue Shawn to give it your best!

Robert Benoit

Patterson’s Creek musings

Editor, Glebe Report

With Queen Elizabeth Drive closed to cars between Pretoria and Fifth avenues for at least three months for Patterson’s Creek Bridge construction work, I had much time to sit in a crimson Adirondack chair and muse on its unique nature.

I did that in order not to complain about the inconvenience of one more road closure in this area.

I watch as the huge old weeping willows hover over the water of Patterson’s Creek like mastodons. Below them in the green still water, reflections of the table umbrellas of the

bistro are wide, striped, red lines. On the kayak deck are two thoughtfully placed and much-used bright crimson Adirondack chairs.

A man in a green shirt fishes from the fence and kayakers paddle by. Patterson’s Creek runs for two blocks from the canal to just west of O’Connor. It is a gem but not hidden. The creek was originally a small stream flowing east through a swampy area to the Rideau River. The construction of the Rideau Canal blocked the creek, causing it to become much larger. Work began on landscaping the area in the 1890s. Dating back to 1905, the creek and park are named after George Patterson, former chief of the Rideau Canal Commissariat and one of the Glebe’s first residents. Patterson owned the lot where the creek emptied into the canal.

Patterson’s Creek Bridge, a Glebe gem dating from 1905, is undergoing repair and rehabilitation to ready it for another hundred years.

The Patterson’s Creek Pavilion is a federal heritage building built in 1923. It’s now a public washroom, a changeroom for canal skating and NCC bistro in summer.

Today, Patterson’s Creek Park is used by dog owners, picnickers on blankets, cyclists and strollers chilling out on benches and chairs, and those enjoying bistro drinks and meals by the water. One summer evening, The Company of Fools presented Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.

It’s nice to think that more than one hundred years ago, Patterson’s Creek Park was being used the same way, and that the rehabilitated bridge will hover happily over Patterson’s Creek for many more decades.

Louise Rachlis

Poetry 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.

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

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

Send your letters, comments and/or suggestions to

Business Buzz

Mandy’s Gourmet Salads is now open at 581 Bank Street, former home of Top of the World. “Fresh, colourful, and oh-so-delicious salad experience.”

Sultan Ahmet Turkish Cuisine, at the top of the Glebe at 575 Bank Street, is back in business, under new management, after a brief hiatus.

Tallow, located in Viens Avec Moi, is now open at 797 Bank Street. Moved from Westboro. “Drawing inspiration from the laid-back coastal vibe of the east coast of Australia and from California, Tallow is Ottawa’s favourite luxe-boheme boutique.” Instgram @ shoptallow.

Big Bamboo Cannabis Company at 675 Bronson Avenue has closed and the shop is for sale.

POETRY QUARTER

PHOTO: LOUISE RACHLIS

UNIQUE POWELL AVENUE HOME

By Sue Stefko

In the Glebe Annex, a neighbourhood full of homes of all shapes and sizes, 323 Powell still stands out as unique.

The stunning, mid-century, modern-style home, located just west of Bronson, was designed by renowned architect Matthew Stankiewicz. He lived there from its construction in 1972 until his death from cancer in 1979.

Stankiewicz was born in Poland in 1926 and studied in the United Kingdom where he briefly practised architecture before immigrating to Canada in the early 1950s. He initially worked for the federal government, but he soon launched his own firm and quickly became a leading modernist residential architect in Ottawa.

Stankiewicz was prolific, designing vacation homes, office buildings and single and multi-unit homes, primarily in Ontario and New Brunswick but also across Canada and around the world. Some of his most recognized projects include the Canadian Government Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, the Ukrainian Museum in Saskatoon and the Polish Embassy in Ottawa. He achieved national fame in 1965 when a home he designed was selected by Canadian Homes Magazine as “House of the Year.” The home was built by Minto near Parkwood Hills in Nepean but has since been torn down.

Stankiewicz was one of the most prominent architects championing modernism in Ottawa. Modernism embraces function, simplicity and minimalism while eschewing ornamentation. Some of its key tenets include “form follows function” and “less is more.” Modernism was a conscious break from revival architecture which was more grandiose and opulent.

In Ottawa, one of the first communities to embrace modernism is the area now known as the Briarcliffe Heritage Conservation District. Developed between 1961 and 1969, it is the first mid-20th Century Modern Heritage Conservation District to receive designation in Canada. The neighbourhood was built in a rocky, treed area, with a focus on maintaining harmony with nature. Stankiewicz designed two of the homes in the development.

Though his own home at 323 Powell was in a much more urban setting, Stankiewicz also found ways

to embrace nature through his use of wood throughout the home, large windows and five large skylights. The attention to detail is obvious, with copious amounts of built-in storage, efficient use of space and premium materials, such as tiles imported from Italy, and an intricate front door crafted by famous Ottawa artist James Boyd, which has its own local significance.

Boyd, known as the Kilted Warrior, was a painter, printmaker, sculptor, muralist and educator. He was most famous for developing printmaking techniques in the 1960s by compressing paint, metal and paper. Traditionally, prints are made by applying paint to metal plates and pressing those plates onto paper, canvas or other materials to create identical images. However, Boyd took pains to ensure that each print he created was unique, working tirelessly to ensure that no two were the same. He was a perfectionist, who was known to set fire to works he was unhappy with. Boyd was acclaimed around the world, and his works can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Lugano Art Museum in Switzerland and the National Gallery of Canada. His art was vibrant, whimsical and unique, much like the artist himself.

Boyd’s doors were particularly renowned – perhaps his most famous are in the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) building at 233 Gilmour Street. He spent four months painstakingly carving three doors which serve as entrances to PSAC boardrooms.

In addition to its architectural significance, 323 Powell has also been the backdrop to some significant movements in the community. Vivian Grant, Stankiewicz’s wife, lived there for almost two decades after his death. She was one of the key organizers behind Dalhousie South Residents’ Association, believed to be the first community-based organization in the neighbourhood. The association was formed in 1990 to fight against four large apartment buildings that had been proposed for the neighbourhood. The community was concerned about overcrowding, increased traffic and insufficient water and sewage infrastructure. The group’s efforts were instrumental in convincing the city to create a park in the neighbourhood, resulting in the creation of Dalhousie South Park in 1995. Grant sold the

home in 1998 to Peggy Kampouris, who in turn was one of the founding members of the Glebe Annex Community Association in 2013. The home was sold again this year – who knows what awaits it during its next chapter in the community.

Sue Stefko is vice president of the Glebe Annex Community Association.

The main living area of 323 Powell, with its natural elements of wood and stone and copious amounts of natural light PHOTOS: GEORGE HAY, EASYAGENTMEDIA

Artist’s rendering of the plans for 323 Powell Ave – the second floor was never built. (COURTESY OF Z.M. STANKIEWICZ ARCHITECT)

The ornately carved front door by local artist James Boyd, seen from inside the entryway.

Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis

Bringing Hellenic culture to the heart of the Glebe

By Jessie-Lee Wallace

The Greek word “philoxenia” means, roughly, “friend to a stranger.” According to Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis, it is a core Greek value and one that she shares with every guest who visits her residence close to the Rideau Canal.

“I’m living in the Glebe,” Ambassador Dimakis explains with enthusiasm. “It’s the heart of the city, the most beautiful part of the city. We have Bank Street, which is a fantastic street with everything on it, absolutely everything. It’s the park, the Tulip Festival, the lake, the canal. We just go down and we skate in the winter.”

A seasoned diplomat with nearly 35 years of service, Dimakis arrived in Ottawa about a year and a half ago, but her diplomatic journey began far from Canada’s shores.

She was born in Corinth, Greece, a place she describes as “paradise on earth” for its ideal climate – “everything grows there, literally everything.” She studied law and political science in Athens before joining the Greek diplomatic corps.

Her extensive career has taken her to Norway, Australia, Austria, Germany, the United States and now Canada.

When asked what distinguishes Canadians from citizens of other nations, the ambassador doesn’t hesitate. “Canadians are so friendly, happy and open. They’re great. And I find working with them very easy and constructive.”

Dimakis arrived at a fortuitous moment in Greek-Canadian relations. Just months after her appointment, the Greek prime minister made an official visit to Canada during the national day of Greece, with stops in Montreal and Toronto, culminating in high-level talks that she describes as “fantastic to start off with such a highlevel and motivating atmosphere.”

Beyond formal diplomatic relations, the ambassador takes pride in Ottawa’s Greek community, which she characterizes as “very vibrant, organized, energetic, with great, hard-working people.” The annual Greek Festival in August, “one of the biggest in the country,” she says, is “a great success credited to the Greek community in Ottawa.”

The ambassador is grateful for her career but acknowledges that she has seen an erosion in diplomacy and that it is often less valued during this current geopolitical moment. Yet she still believes in the power of sharing culture.

“Culture builds bridges when everything else is either not successful or truly not taken care of,” she explains. “Culture is more than creating a good atmosphere; it is creating understanding; it is creating tolerance.”

While many associate Greek culture primarily with its ancient heritage, the ambassador is passionate about showcasing contemporary Greek arts. This

cultural exchange extends to her culinary arts as well. An accomplished cook, the ambassador revealed to the Glebe Report that she has plans to establish cooking workshops at the residence soon.

“Many of my colleagues have requested that from me because they’ve tried my recipes and they’re all impressed. I try to organize workshops here, cooking, and so that’s also a nice way to present Mediterranean cuisine, Greek cuisine, which is the best of the Mediterranean cuisine.”

Dimakis is part of what she describes as “a wonderful group of women ambassadors” in Ottawa. She believes women bring “a different perspective” to leadership and are “easier to open doors and create good atmosphere and maybe solve problems when and where they exist.”

Looking toward global challenges, climate change ranks highest among her concerns.

“For me, personally, the biggest challenge is climate change, which is, I’m afraid, out of control,” she says, noting that Greece has experienced “mega fires” and tremendous floods of unprecedented magnitude in recent years. Events once described as occurring once in a millennium now happen once a year.

Recently, the ambassador organized an important event that shared a dark chapter of the Holocaust in Greece, a part of Second World War history.

“I knew when I talked to people, not many people knew what happened to Greece in the Second World War, and specifically what happened to the Jews in Greece during that time. I wanted to shine a light on that lesser known but important history,” she explains.

Through her genuine embrace of local community life, Ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis embodies Greek hospitality as she continues to champion diplomacy, education and connection in small everyday gestures and on a more global scale.

On a more personal note, when asked about her proudest achievement, she said, “My children are the best achievement of my life. “

Jessie-Lee Wallace is a writer, non-profit leader and volunteer who believes in the strength of local community. She lives in the Glebe Annex and writes frequently for the Glebe Report

Greek ambassador Ekaterina Dimakis believes in creating understanding and tolerance by building bridges through culture. PHOTO: JL WALLACE

Exploration Garden: protecting a valued natural play setting

By Angus McCabe

An urban parkette in the Glebe that is a popular play space for kids has been damaged again by vandals, and efforts are underway to repair it.

Exploration Garden was created to stimulate the imaginations of toddlers and preschoolers – a natural oasis of make-believe riverbeds and paths, ancient fossils and bamboo forests. Located in the southwest corner of Central Park East, it is safely enclosed, with its entry set back from Bank Street at Clemow Avenue.

Nestled beneath the dappled shade of an urban tree canopy, its balance beams, stepping-stone boulders and logs, sandpits, outdoor musical instruments and chalk drawing wall provide a wonderland of features on which to climb, sit and daydream.

This unique environment of creative, active recreation was completed in 2014 after several years of consultation, the pro-bono contribution of designers Brett Cardinal and David Lashley and funding from Capital Ward’s Cash-inlieu of Parkland.

Regrettably, this beautiful, wellloved play space has experienced several waves of damage lately, the most recent appearing to be a very deliberate act of vandalism causing significant damage to its bamboo fencing. The Glebe Community Association (GCA) Parks Committee is grateful to members of the community for keeping up their ongoing vigilance around this wonderful space. The arbitrary

destruction of late is sad, and any information that might help put an end to it is much appreciated.

In the meantime, the committee is working with Councillor Shawn Menard’s office and City of Ottawa staff to repair the damage and restore the park to its original vision. We extend our thanks to the City for the renewal work that has thus far been done. As part of this mitigation effort, our aim is to find a solution that will provide more structural stability for its bamboo fence, so integral to the park’s original natural design and feel.

This ongoing restoration work at the park will also include the enhancement of its garden features as part of a garden maintenance agreement and the city’s

Exploration Garden’s bamboo fence was vandalized in early August.

In July, the City renewed Exploration Garden, adding pea gravel to the “river” beneath the bridge, clearing the path around the tree to the sandbox and stage, and adding mulch. PHOTOS: ELIZABETH BALLARD

Community Gardens Action Plan. Thanks to play time at Exploration Garden, the enrichment of countless more childhood dreams and memories awaits!

Angus McCabe is chair of the GCA Parks Committee and Elizabeth Ballard is the committee’s Exploration Park and Central Park East representative.

Estate Broker basia ca

Start the year with GNAG

Things going through my head right now: why is it suddenly too cold for shorts, why do I have the urge to wear fuzzy socks and sip tea all day, and why is my entire life consumed with finding the best pumpkin loaf recipe? Oh right, it must be that time of year when my brain shifts to hikes, holidays and scheduling activities with friends and family.

Fall registration always feels bittersweet. As a summer fanatic, I find it hard to let go of the long, warm days. But the excitement of new possibilities is in the air. Whether you sign up for a class with us or attend one of our events, this season is full of opportunities to connect, have fun and maybe learn something new!

Fall Program Registration

Fall registration began on August 26. While some of our programs sold out right away, others still have spots available! Check the Fall Program Guide at www.gnag.ca. And if you have any questions about our programs, please reach out to the front office or email info@gnag.ca.

The Glebe House Tour

We are excited to announce that the Glebe House Tour is returning on Sunday, September 21. Explore how six homes breathe new life into older properties, then enjoy tea and baked goods at the Glebe Community Centre. Proceeds from this event will support the Community Development Fund, which helps finance our Financial Assistance and Integration Programs. As of now, there are still tickets

Sarah Routliffe GNAG Executive Director

N 613-233-8713

E info@gnag.ca gnag.ca

available for the tour! You can register through our website at www.gnag.ca. We are grateful to our wonderful sponsors; it truly takes a village to make this event happen!

Before and After School Care

Our Breakfast Club (before school) and Quest-4-Fun (after school) programs offer quality activities for children who attend schools in the neighbourhood, from the arts and sciences to sports and adventure games. We strive to keep your child so entertained that they may not want to leave!

While we have limited spaces, openings come up throughout the year. For more information, please visit www. gnag.ca/q4 for the “Parent Fact Sheet” or contact info@gnag.ca, and we will do our best to find a spot for your child!

GNAG Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held in person at the Glebe Community Centre on Wednesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. We will review and celebrate all the amazing moments from last year, honour the 2024-25 board members, and elect the new board of directors for 2025-26. The public is welcome to join us!

Another Summer ‘for the Books’

If you stopped by the centre this summer, you probably noticed our full-time team members were rarely at their desks, thanks to one of our busiest and most successful summers yet. When you hear how much fun the

campers are having outside your door, it’s impossible not to join in!

To show you the true magnitude of our summer programs, we hosted a grand total of 165 camps this year! On average, we had around 340 children registered daily, including camps at the St. James Tennis Club.

For all of this to run smoothly, behind the scenes it takes 33 volunteers, eight full-time team members, 57 coordinators and camp counsellors, seven junior counsellors, six partnership programs, three staff for children with exceptionalities and two front-desk

staff devoted to customer service. I’d like to extend my gratitude to our full-time team, our customer service representatives, all the coordinators and counsellors, the junior leaders and especially the amazing volunteers. And to the City of Ottawa staff in the building, thank you for enduring the “all around the centre games” – we hope they lived up to their name! Lastly, thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs Grant. We were awarded six staff positions, which allowed us to add an additional integration staff this year.

GCA works on your behalf

This column was written before the Glebe Community Association’s Annual General Meeting took place on September 10. Nevertheless, you can be sure that a new board is in place, and that the GCA is ready for another busy year.

Here are a few highlights of the past year, and what we’re looking forward to this fall.

Looking Back

In early 2025, the GCA organized two back-to-back candidates’ debates with Centretown, Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South and other community associations. Around 200 people attended the provincial debate at the end of February at the Glebe Community Centre. Hard on its heels, mid-April saw a federal candidates’ meeting at Knox Presbyterian Church in Centretown attended by well over 500 people. Both events were taped and rebroadcast by Rogers Cable, allowing a couple of thousand additional voters to learn something about the people vying to represent them in Ottawa Centre.

In May, the GCA Environment Committee partnered with Community Action For Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) to host a Tour of Heat Pumps in the Glebe. Five Glebe homeowners who had installed heat pumps in their century-old homes shared their experience and knowledge with 100 residents, who then met at the Glebe Community Centre for a Q&A session with representatives from Hydro Ottawa, EnviroCentre and Electrify613.

Also in May, we again organized the Great Glebe Garage Sale which was another resounding success that raised community spirit and funds for the Ottawa Food Bank. To add some historical interest to the event, the GCA’s Heritage Committee prepared nearly 300 temporary heritage plaques explaining the history of many designated heritage homes in the Glebe.

The GCA also has been involved with issues that affect well-being in our neighbourhood. We made a presentation on the environmental and health impacts of artificial turf to the Mutchmor School Parent Council Playground Committee and Ottawa Carleton District School Board. We’ve supported neighbours in fighting for noise mitigation from the air conditioning units at

The Clemow.

John Crump President, Glebe Community Association www.glebeca.ca

We continued to work to protect park spaces including efforts to improve the soil risk management and design plan for Lionel Britton Park, addressing vandalism at Exploration Park and working with the City on piloting a boarded hockey rink in Sylvia Holden Park.

What’s Ahead

We expect a busy fall with a decision on Lansdowne 2.0 at the top of the agenda. The GCA will actively follow what’s happening at City Hall and keep members informed of developments including the final costs. A decision is expected in October. If the project is approved, we will turn our attention to mitigating the impacts of 10 years of construction and heavy truck traffic on the neighbourhood.

Another important issue for everyone who lives in the Glebe is what’s happening with the Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study that is looking at options to improve conditions for transit, walking and cycling. It has taken two years to get to the point where four original options have been narrowed down. We are now likely looking at dedicated bus-only lanes in both directions only during rush hours and during major Lansdowne events. The City of Ottawa is having its second Open House for Study on Wednesday, September 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Parish, 194 Fourth Avenue, Ottawa. The presentation is at 7 p.m.

We continue to work with various levels of government on an affordable housing initiative at Bank and Chamberlain.

Just as the lack of affordable housing is a crisis, this summer’s heat waves remind us that the City has declared a climate emergency. The GCA will work with other communities and organizations to push for practical steps, like cooling centres and other initiatives, to help us adapt to the rapid changes we are experiencing.

Next Meeting

Please join us for the first fall meeting of the GCA on Tuesday, September 23, 7-9 p.m., at the Glebe Community Centre.

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The Clemow noise problem – baby steps to resolution

By Alan Freeman

Residents of the Glebe urging action to force the developer of The Clemow to reduce high noise levels from the apartment building’s central air conditioning units have a new ally – Councillor Shawn Menard says the noise levels are unacceptable and mitigation measures are essential.

“Upon hearing it myself, it is too loud, and it doesn’t matter what the rule is, it needs to be fixed,” Menard told the Glebe Report in late August, two weeks after doing a walkabout of the area most affected, from Bronson west to Percy and from Powell south to Third Avenue, especially on hot days.

On the evening of August 13, Menard joined about a dozen members of an ad-hoc group of residents formed this spring to fight the droning sound of the AC units atop the 17-storey Clemow. Dozens of bylaw complaints have ensued with bylaw officers indicating that the units didn’t break city regulations, a contention disputed by the residents who have hired their own sound engineer and say the building isn’t in compliance with the rules.

Kim Merritt, a leader of the residents’ group, which has more than 100 followers, was on the walkabout with Menard and said it was “a big turning point (for Menard) and he became very engaged,” particularly on hearing for himself the unbearable noise on the playing field of Glebe Collegiate and in backyards along Clemow.

Merritt, a long-time resident of Second Avenue, said that despite Menard’s engagement, there is still concern that the situation is not being addressed properly by the City and despite promises of mitigation by the developer, KTS Properties, there is no sign of concrete action.

“People are very worried that the City won’t force a timeline” for mitigation, she told the Glebe Report. Efforts at having serious discussions with city officials have proven frustrating. “We’re just getting bounced around.”

The situation is complex, involving both municipal noise regulations and provincial norms for this kind of HVAC systems. But the most effective

tool to force action is through the city’s planning process, which requires the developer to submit a noise study for a new building like The Clemow.

The problem is that the City allows occupancy of a new building before site plans are actually finalized, which happened in the case of the Clemow. Even more disturbing, the sound engineer hired by the residents has discovered that the initial noise study didn’t even address any impact from the AC units on the area east of Bronson, where the problem is most concentrated.

In correspondence with the residents’ group, a city planning official said on August 20 that the City is working closely with the KTS and Menard’s office to find solutions, noting that KTS said its consultant was looking at “further mitigation measures.” No details were provided. In a statement, KTS said it’s working with its acoustic consultant on a sound abatement plan that will be submitted to a structural engineer and then to the City for approval. “Upon receiving the required permissions, our team will move forward with sourcing materials and scheduling the installation.” No precise timing was given.

In the end, Menard believes that the problem can and will be solved. “It’s going to be a combination of walls and other baffling that’s needed,” Menard said, adding that “city staff are very aware of this issue. They want it solved as well.

“We can’t go into another spring and summer where this is still going on. I do think this is going to be resolved. The question for me is the timeline.”

Residents aren’t about to give up either. They’ve already got media coverage, and some are pushing for a public protest. At date of publication, a protest was planned for September 9.

Alan Freeman is a noted journalist, columnist and academic who lives in the Glebe.

The Clemow air conditioning unit, at date of publication, is still roaring, but owners, residents, the City and the councillor are talking. PHOTO:LIZ MCKEEN

Capital Ward improvements and construction in the Glebe

People often ask me what a typical day looks like as a city councillor. The breadth of issues is enormous and in our ward, infrastructure is older compared to most wards and requires renewal. Hundred-year-old underground pipes and changing above-ground safety enhancements are becoming a larger part of the job with each project requiring extensive attention, consultation and advocacy to improve outcomes for residents. We want to get these projects right because the opportunity doesn’t come along often. I’ve included a sampling of that ongoing work below.

Road Renewals

The reconstruction of Glebe Avenue between Bank and O’Connor has been completed, with crews finishing work on some deficiencies, and some of the last landscaping and cosmetic treatments.

Construction continues on Ella and Ralph after discussions with thoughtful residents on these streets. It began this year and we expect substantial completion by the end of the construction season. Next year, we expect only to see the finishing touches on landscaping and corrections of any deficiencies in the work.

At the time of writing, the Monk-Oakland-Wilton-Woodlawn renewal project is finishing up on schedule. There is still some landscaping, pathway work, street painting and sign installation to happen. Even though many of the streets are done and ready for normal

Shawn Menard

Councillor, Capital Ward

N 613-580-2487

www.shawnmenard.ca

use, the construction-related parking signs have remained until signage crews install permanent fixtures in September. I appreciate all the input from residents and on street meetings we had to get this project right.

Planning and design work continues for the renewal of Clarey, Melgund and Thornton avenues and Monk, Morris and Regent streets. A public consultation is coming up from 5 to 8 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.) on October 1 at Blessed Sacrament Church, 194 Fourth Avenue. Construction is scheduled to begin on some streets next year, with the entire project scheduled for completion in 2027.

Staff have just about completed plans for the reconstruction of Pretoria Avenue between Metcalfe and Bank and expect to begin construction next year. This will be a one-year project. I know that the repeated delays to complete the design work for Pretoria has been frustrating. This work is greatly needed, and I am confident that staff are now prepared to move ahead.

Looking beyond 2026, we’ll see a resurfacing of Percy from Clemow to Glendale, renewal of the Glebe Avenue cycle track from Bronson to Lyon, and

improvements to O’Connor. As those projects come up, we’ll notify residents through our Capital Ward Bulletin. You can email us at CapitalWard@ottawa. ca to sign up for the bulletin.

Sunnyside Library Updates

Preparation is ongoing for masonry wall repairs at the Ottawa Public Library’s Sunnyside Branch. Work will be done to repoint cracked and deteriorated mortar joints on existing walls, repair cracked and spalled masonry, and apply breathable sealer to the bottom five feet of the masonry around the perimeter of the building.

Staff have finished the design phase of this project and they will now go out to tender to select a contractor to complete the work in the coming months.

Libraries are more than just books, and with all the community programming, internet service, washroom access and restful places it offers, the Sunnyside library is an important part of our community, and we are happy to see an investment in the building.

To improve service at this branch, we continue pushing to expand its hours, in particular, to open on Sundays. I am working with staff to achieve this in the coming years. It would be a wonderful service improvement to have more library branches open on Sundays across the city.

Bank Street Construction South of Billing’s Bridge

Although outside the Glebe, this

area is part of Capital Ward and affects all residents. Construction of Phase 1 of the Bank Street Renewal project (Riverside Drive to Collins Avenue) is ongoing. The work includes the installation, rehabilitation and replacement of various components of the underground infrastructure including watermains and sanitary and storm sewers. It includes full reconstruction of the road and sidewalks and will add a cycle track, new street lighting, traffic signals and streetscape improvements.

This is a multi-year project to be constructed in phases. The full completion of Phase 1 (from Riverside Drive (westbound) to Collins Avenue) is expected in 2027.

In the fall, Bank Street will remain reduced to one lane in each direction between the Transitway and the Heron Road intersection.

The Bank Street and Heron Road intersection opened again at the end of August and is one lane in each direction between Alta Vista Drive and Kaladar Avenue to facilitate road reconstruction and utility pole relocations.

Thanks for reading!

10TH ANNUAL Walk for the Centre

By Susan Palmai

This year’s Walk for the Centre in support of the Centretown Community Food Centre will be held on Sunday, October 5.

When we hear news reports of famine in Sudan, Yemen and Palestine, we feel helpless and overwhelmed. Knowing that children in Ottawa go to bed hungry and live in homes that experience food insecurity on a daily basis gives us an opportunity to respond. We can do something to help this situation by raising as much as possible to support these local families. Please assist us in making 2025 our most successful walk ever!

The Centretown Community Food Centre (CCFC), located at 370 Catherine Street, serves over 1,500 people each month, including a large number of children. Like all food centres in Ottawa, it is in constant need of more food and money to meet the growing need. CCFC is accessible. Our friendly staff and volunteers make it a welcoming place for everyone. The food centre offers more than food. It is a good starting point for summer students, placement students and new refugees looking for volunteer experience. At times, it serves as a place to meet others from the neighbourhood when you just need some social interaction. It is a place where people find

hope and encouragement to help them make it through the month.

CCSAC (Centretown Churches Social Action Committee) is a collective of 22 churches in downtown Ottawa, one of which is Glebe-St. James United. Since 1978, CCSAC’s main project has been oversight of CCFC. CCSAC’s main fundraising event is the annual Walk for the Centre.

For this year’s Walk, the festivities begin at Canadian Martyrs Church, 100 Main Street, at 1:30 pm. The short program will have joyful music and inspiring speakers. Pipers from the Sons of Scotland band will lead the walkers off on the 2 to 4 km walk from the church to Pretoria Bridge and west to Queen Elizabeth Pathway.

A number of local Glebe businesses sponsor the Walk with generous donations and prizes. Some prizes will be given during the program before the walk begins, so arrive in time to get a ticket for the draw.

Please plan to support this worthwhile and necessary fundraiser for the CCFC. Donations can be made by cheque (made payable to CCSAC) at the registration desk on October 5 or mailed directly to CCSAC at 507 Bank Street, Ottawa, K2P 1Z5. Online donations can be made at www.centretownchurches.org/walkathon. Receipts will be issued for donations over $20. Looking forward to seeing you at our 10th annual Walk for the Centre 2025!

Susan Palmai is chair of the Outreach Committee at Glebe-St. James United Church, a CCSAC member church.

Saturday, October 4, noon to 4 p.m.

The Enviro Crew of Old Ottawa South is holding its twice-yearly “big collection” of items that we can recycle, reuse or repurpose. Here’s the latest list of items for recycling:

• Egg cartons

• Milk bags (outer only, clean please)

• Bread bags (no crumbs)

• Bread & milk bag tabs

• Markers, pens, etc

• Crayons

• Printer cartridges

• Batteries

• Razors, blades & their plastic packaging

• Walmart (& other) reusable shopping bags

• All light bulbs and tubes

• Mesh bags from onions, oranges

• Scrap metal (appliances, cables, electronics etc )

• Empty skin care & cosmetics containers

• Pull tabs (from cans)

• Contact lenses and packaging (ask for a collection bag in advance, envirocrewoos@gmail com)

The Glebe Community Association (GCA) Environment Committee is collaborating with the Enviro Crew, so please save these items for our collection and drop them at Windsor Park (parking lot is at the east end of Windsor Avenue off Riverdale) on collection day.

Then stay and have fun at Fall Fest! oldottawasouth.ca/event/fall-fest-4/ Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about waste reduction –

com and

Windsor Park

Last year’s recycling event held by the Old Ottawa South Enviro Crew. This year it will be held on October 4 at Windsor Park from noon to 4 p.m. PHOTO: KATE REEKIE

DRAWING THE LINE FOR PEOPLE, PEACE AND THE PLANET

Ottawa-Gatineau’s September 20 Climate March

By Cecile Wilson

[Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa, Hawaii on August 23, 2025: 425.53]

On Saturday, September 20, residents of the Ottawa-Gatineau region will join a coalition of climate and social justice advocates in a family-friendly Climate March. The purpose of the march is to Draw the Line against deteriorating conditions for people, peace and the planet and to demand substantive action from our legislators.

In 2019, one slogan of the global Climate March was “System change, not climate change.” This year, as part of a global and national initiative, the Ottawa-Gatineau organizers are identifying specific parts of the global system that need to change and emphasizing the connections between ecological crises and social ones. The organizers assert that these crises are rooted in prioritizing profit and power over the well-being of people. In response, the global calls to legislators are noted below.

Affordability

The affordability crisis has probably received the most attention recently. A prime example is the shortage of affordable housing, fed by accommodation being treated as a commodity rather than a basic need. Millions in Canada live in dwellings without adequate cooling systems and are more likely to suffer serious health consequences or even death from excessive heat. On a neighbourhood scale, many low-income urban communities are heat islands lacking adequate tree cover and park infrastructure to help lower outdoor temperatures and provide relief from hot streets and buildings. The demand: Invest in public services and housing, healthcare, education, transit and the arts.

Indigenous rights

Recent surveys show the majority of Canadians (around 70 per cent) want governments to take stronger action on the climate crisis. One of the most significant ways to reduce greenhouse gas pollution is to switch from fossil fuel to electric power. This often requires the extraction of minerals to be used in batteries or solar cells, and these mines are frequently located near Indigenous communities.

In June 2021, Canada adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP),

enshrining in law the government’s duty to consult Indigenous nations. Yet both the federal and provincial governments have recently passed acts that speed up projects such as mining and pipeline construction, threatening the likelihood of engaging in true, meaningful consultation with affected Indigenous nations. As we transition away from fossil fuels, we need to engage in the transition in ways that do not replicate the harms and exploitation enacted by the fossil fuel industry. The demand: Uphold Indigenous rights and land sovereignty.

Promote peace

Wars are one of the greatest sources of misery and a direct cause of human migration. In addition, the large amount of fuel consumed by the world’s militaries means that they are significant contributors to climate change. However, the greenhouse gas output of militaries is neither reported nor measured. The demand: Invest in peace and diplomacy and oppose war profiteering and arms exports.

Migrant rights

Many migrants would prefer to stay in their home countries, but war and climate disasters make it impossible to remain. As one of the world’s top 10 fossil-fuel producers and top 10 per capita greenhouse gas emitters, Canada has an outsized role in causing the climate chaos that drives people from their homes. The demand: Ensure justice and protections for migrants and displaced peoples.

Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy

While most Canadians want greater government action on climate change, a surprising 51 per cent of us do not understand that the greatest cause of climate instability is burning fossil fuels. Part of the reason for this may lie with the intensive lobbying and adver tising campaigns that fossil fuel com panies have carried on for decades. Just last year, fossil fuel companies and their associations met with federal government officials 1,135 times or just over four times per workday to advance their interests.

In Ottawa, we’ve seen ads on bus shelters and in hockey arenas that claim, “Canadian LNG [Liquified Nat ural Gas] will reduce global emis sions.” However, when you count the emissions created to ship the prod uct abroad, this is not true, even when

comparing LNG to coal. Fortunately, we have the technology to switch to cleaner sources of energy. The demand: Rapidly phase out fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy.

“This movement is about more than climate,” says Sara Washburn, one of the organizers with Fridays for Future Ottawa. “It’s about justice in every part of our lives – from the right to clean air

and water, to Indigenous sovereignty, to housing, transit, peace and democracy. People are feeling the strain, and they want a livable future. We are coming together to demand it.”

Join us!

Cecile Wilson lives in the Glebe and is part of the Fridays for Future Climate March planning committee.

Glamming up the Glebe

By Julia Rocchi

Over the past year, staff at the Glebe Business Improvement Area (BIA) noticed that there were certain aspects of the Glebe that needed some TLC. Some key features seemed to have fallen into disrepair in this vibrant, historic and distinctive part of Ottawa. Overgrown gardens, tired intersections and struggling public amenities made the neighbourhood feel forgotten.

To support the area’s business community, boost foot traffic and enhance civic pride, the BIA has made public realm improvements an ongoing priority.

The scope of potential improvements is broad – ensuring adequate care of public or municipal assets, improving lighting, restoring the fading paint on light posts, expanding community gardens, creating gathering spaces, maintaining Bank Street trees and encouraging community participation in revitalization projects.

Ultimately, the BIA endeavours to restore and sustain a welcoming neighbourhood atmosphere that invites people to visit and spend their days here, where they can relax in shaded nooks with accessible seating, enjoy live music along the sidewalk, grab a coffee and groceries and feel a sense of pride in this unique corner of the city.

Last November, the BIA team conducted a full walkthrough of the Glebe. The staff took inventory of city-owned assets that needed repair, such as waste

receptacles, parking meters, street posts and benches, and they identified potential spaces for new seating, garden beds and public art.

Working in collaboration with the City of Ottawa’s Public Realm, Ground Operations, Public Works and Right of Way teams, along with support from Councillor Shawn Menard, the BIA set out action steps and timelines. These included reintroducing maintenance schedules for aging assets and identifying areas that would benefit from new features or equipment.

To help bring these visions to life, the BIA retained Siteform, a landscape architecture firm led by Jonathan Loschmann. Three projects have been identified for rollout through this year and next. The first was a Public Seating Program – eight colourful chairs were installed this summer at four locations

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in the Glebe to provide more seating for customers to sit and enjoy all the neighbourhood has to offer. In 2026, the BIA will explore a redesign of the southeast corner of Third and Bank, introducing more seating and greenery, and it will implement the new GlebeOff-Bank program, with new street pole banners, gardens and community mural projects along Pretoria Avenue and Isabella Street.

The BIA also continues to champion small-scale, big-impact ventures. A new agreement to upgrade the courtyard at the Fourth Avenue Baptist Church has enabled the BIA, in partnership with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, to bring music back to Bank Street. The BIA is also actively working on creating and maintaining more native gardens and year-round perennial planters, alongside the 13 gardens it currently maintains.

Bank Street is now illuminated

year-round, not just through the winter, by the Tree Lighting Program. The parkette at Third Avenue and Bank Street, now in its fifth year, remains a community gem. Designed, built and lovingly maintained by the Glebe Community Association, the BIA supports this space by coordinating with city departments and paying for the permits and insurance needed to keep it open to the public for up to six months of the year.

The Glebe’s newest mural is in place on the north wall of Fairy Dreams Bridal at 724 Bank. With funding support from the City of Ottawa Mural and Architectural Design Feature Funding Program and in partnership with the store owner, Irene Mei, the BIA worked with local artist Tia Wong to install this unique take on Glebe history. “Chinese Aces Skate the Canal” recalls the local Chinese community that formed the first all-Chinese hockey team in Ottawa in the 1930s.

These projects – public art, seating, community spaces and free events –are direct responses to the questions and input provided by our members and the visual cues we see in our community. They’re inspired by improvised coffee tables, friends perched on planters and benches offered by our cafes. These offerings are key traits which draw visitors and tourists to the Glebe every day.

There’s still work to do, but the BIA is energized. With a strong team and momentum building, the Glebe is on track to become even more welcoming and connected. As these projects continue to take shape in the coming years, each one will help strengthen a sense of belonging for those who live here and for everyone who loves the Glebe.

Julia Rocchi is events and placemaking manager at the Glebe BIA.

The Glebe BIA is working in partnership with the city and the councillor to brighten up the Glebe through public art, seating, community spaces and music events, making it even more welcoming.

PHOTO: GLEBE BIA

Abbotsford is flourishing

By Pat Goyeche

Back to basics at Abbotsford this fall – Beginner Tai Chi, Beginner Pottery, Beginner Ukulele, Memoirs Level 1 and Conversational Spanish classes are among the fresh offerings. September always feels like a time of renewal and commitment; we are ready to help you rediscover a favourite pastime or strike up a new regime.

As our membership grows so do our programming options. Conversational Spanish and French are the backbone of language classes this fall along with classes to help us with the fast-paced world of technology and devices. You can also keep stimulated and engaged with our bridge and Mahjong classes.

If fitness is your jam, we have dance, tai chi, yoga and multi-level balance/ strength/stretch fitness classes available in person and on Zoom. We truly have something for everyone.

Music also abounds at Abbotsford this fall. Want to learn to play the ukulele? You can start with us; or if you already have the basics, you can join the intermediate class. We have oneon-one piano classes for the rusty, and a hand-bell-ringing course as well.

If your creative bones need a tickle, we have a few ways to help bring out your inner artist. We are offering several one-day workshops as well as weekly classes in watercolour and acrylic painting. Our pottery studio is open to membership for experienced potters, and we have a beginner’s class available for those looking to start.

We are keen to keep our book, writing, art, movie, play reading, discussion,

Mahjong, bridge, snooker, ping pong, Tai Chi, caregiver and language clubs available to the membership.

Our weekly Wednesday Learn & Explore Speaker’s Series is an excellent way to get involved at Abbotsford. We have a roster of diverse and interesting speakers each Wednesday at 1 p.m. in our dining room. Look online for our fall guide and list of speakers; the sessions are free and open to the public.

We offer general programming for those 55+ and Community Support Services for our catchment area. Please visit our website for more information: www.glebecentre.ca under Abbotsford Seniors Centre and check out Abbotsford programming at myactivecenter.com

Celebrating Abbotsford Seniors Centre @ 50, and our folks!

This is a special year for us, celebrating 50 years as a community centre. It has provided opportunities to reflect on our growth and look forward to the future. Anniversary and birthday parties have of course been de rigueur throughout this celebratory year, and we have launched new fundraising events and initiatives with our members and volunteers.

The Birthday Circle is a wonderful way to honour those celebrating as well as fund raise for Abbotsford. This initiative began with Pat Steenberg, a longtime participant and volunteer, and has grown into a great circle of fun. Folks donate their “age” and we add them to the Birthday Circle. We truly appreciate the way this makes it possible for members and volunteers to support the programming and services we offer.

Recently Joseph Cull, one of our core fitness instructors and volunteers, held a fundraiser for Abbotsford for his birthday, asking his guests to donate to

Abbotsford in lieu of presents. It was a fun evening and a marvelous way to celebrate!

Abbotsford is indeed flourishing in a time of funding cuts and rising prices. We are thankful for these first 50 years and look forward to all that lies ahead as we continue to grow.

Abbotsford Seniors Centre of The Glebe Centre Inc. is a charitable, notfor-profit organization which includes a 254-bed long term care home. Find

out more about our services and programming by dropping by 950 Bank Street (the old stone house) Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., telephoning 613-230-5730 or by checking out all The Glebe Centre facilities and seniors’ services on our website www.glebecentre.ca.

Pat Goyeche is coordinator of community programs at Abbotsford at The Glebe Centre.

Joseph Cull and Micheline Boyle at his birthday celebration at Abbotsford PHOTO: ELLENI ADANE

GCA Transportation Committee: update

By Simon Morris

The Glebe Community Association Transportation Committee (GCA TC) is busy trying to stay on top of a number of projects and issues impacting traffic in the Glebe. At the top of the list is Lansdowne 2.0.

Though the funding for the massive project has not been approved by Council (a vote is expected this fall), the planning is proceeding. Justin Kurosky, the City’s manager of design and construction for Lansdowne 2.0, held an online meeting in May to discuss the expected impact on traffic over the five years of the project and how traffic from the site will be routed. The City’s latest data predicts a peak of approximately 67 heavy vehicles per hour to and from the site, with an average of around 45 per hour. During the five years of demolition and construction, the project will increase heavy-vehicle traffic by 16 to 18 vehicles per hour at peak times which is about a 35 per cent increase compared to the average during the five years for phases 1 and 2. I proposed that there be no street parking on Bank Street during these peak periods, similar to how peak rush-hour traffic is managed now. The information can be found on the Lansdowne 2.0 Engage Ottawa page of the City’s website under Documents and the Public Sessions folder.

Bronson Avenue Redevelopment: Barbara Popel from Dow’s Lake Residents Association has been instrumental in making sure concerns and recommendations have been submitted to the City’s project manager. This effort was assisted by both James Stuewe and Matthew Meagher from the GCA Transportation Committee.

Bank Street Active Transportation Study: The City is proceeding with a trial of dedicated shared bus and bike lanes during rush hours, but the trial will not likely start until next spring as some additional consultations are still expected to decide exactly how this trial will be implemented.

Glebe Active Transportation & Transit Study: Mark Redwood and I met with Cedric Williams, NCC’s public affairs manager, to discuss the addition of pedestrian crosswalks on the Queen Elizabeth Parkway where the pedestrian paths come up to the parkway at the Patterson’s Creek inlet and around Patterson Street in particular. These crossings would help facilitate the implementation of one of the recommendations made in the Glebe ATS report presented to the GCA two years ago. The NCC has added these suggestions to their list for parkway improvements. There are 18 excellent recommendations in the Glebe ATS report to improve active transportation in the Glebe, but we need more volunteers to help push for them. Check out the GCA website for details of the recommendations and how to volunteer.

Queen Elizabeth Driveway closures: Concerned citizens in the southeast corner of the Glebe also presented

Closure of 417 eastbound BRONSON off-ramp

The Queensway eastbound off-ramp at Bronson Avenue will be closed for three months from September 2 to November 28

their concerns and recommendations to the NCC – they hope to improve safety and reduce the impact on residents of the additional traffic diverted into the Glebe during parkway closures. This impact is particularly acute from July to October this year while the parkway is closed from Monkland to Fifth Avenue due to the reconstruction of the Patterson’s Creek bridge. The NCC has responded so far by adding more signs to help divert traffic, though additional signs are still recommended around Preston and Dow’s Lake to advise

Donna Edwards House Portraits 613 233 4775

www.donnaedwards houseportraits.com

Facebook: Donna Edwards Art

drivers of the closures before they venture further down the parkway.

Hwy 417 Bridge replacements: The Rideau Canal 417 bridge replacement will have a substantial impact on parkway access for about two years likely starting in 2027. This will heavily impact residents of Old Ottawa East in particular.

Simon Morris is chair of the Glebe Community Association Transportation Committee.

Everyone likes perogies

By Peter Simpson

The best perogies in Ottawa are the product of a child of Ukrainian heritage and a grandmother in New Brunswick.

created the Classics menu when the bar opened 11 years ago.

“Paul and I are Ukrainian,” McHale says, “and we were looking for a sort of a comfort food and something versatile and something that hadn’t been really done.”

“I’ve had a few ideas that were based on stuff my grandmother used to make when I was a little kid that I loved,” says Sammy Sutton, who’s from Moncton, N.B. and is the chef and chief perogi wizard at House of Targ on Bank Street. Sutton was inspired by his grandmother’s “cod and white gravy dish. She would spread it on toast with molasses. It was a weird but awesome thing. I took potato and celeriac and a bit of garlic and herbs as the filling, and then on top of the perogi would be chopped salt cod with the white, halibut stock-based gravy, and then asparagus and fried tomatoes on the plate

Targ is an apt testing ground for just how versatile the humble perogi is. From daytime hours with their cacophony of pinball machines to the evening-to-late-night hours with their blast of punk rock, the place offers a daily mix of age groups from kids to grizzled dudes in carefully aged concert T’s.

After 11 years, the versatility verdict is in: everybody likes perogies. Kids like them. Adults like them. Adults really like them after a few drinks. “The poutine perogi for sure, yeah,” Sutton says.

That one was on the specials menu at House of Targ, the basement barball and perogies. Sutton has come up with pretty well all of the versions on the specials menu. Mark McHale, Paul Granger and the other owners of Targ

The crew boosts that versatility with accessibility. Because they make their perogies in-house – including the dough, though Sutton says “I can’t tell you exactly our secret recipe, but it’s not super complicated” – they can be agile with the menu. They also make gluten-free perogies and dairy-free perogies.

The dairy-free perogies are also vegan, and I’ve hoovered through a tray of them on several murky late nights. (I can’t eat dairy. I’m not allergic to it, I’ve just never gotten over an argument I once had with our neighbour’s cow.)

Sometimes a recipe is tested and doesn’t quite work. A current appetizer (they have a selection to complement the perogies) of cauliflower didn’t work as a perogi, Sutton says, but it was delicious so was reborn as an app. (Speaking of apps, Targ perogies are available via food-delivery apps, but only until bands start to play.)

The most popular choice on the menu remains the “traditional” perogi of potato and cheese. It could be the start of a meal that includes one of the local craft beers on Targ taps and finishes with a dessert perogi.

Wait, a dessert perogi?

“Yes,” Sutton says. “We have a banana berry cheesecake perogi and one we call the Big Sweetie, which is like an apple pie perogi.”

Peter Simpson is a part of the team at Flora Hall Brewing that writes this column.

Ottawa’s best perogies, from traditional to dessert, are at the House of Targ in Old Ottawa South.

PHOTO: PETER SIMPSON

Milk – for a creamy cold avocado and cucumber soup

By Marisa Romano

There is more to milk than creamy recipes.

Milk from animals has been providing nourishing fat, proteins, sugar, minerals and vitamins to humans for millennia. According to the latest report by the World Population Review, each Canadian consumes on average about 150 litres of cow milk annually. Milk is morning cereal’s companion and the basic ingredient in ice cream, shakes and cheese, but we find it also in a plethora of other dishes: smoothies, dips, chowders, quiches and baked goods, to mention just a few. Cold avocado and cucumber soup is a recipe I received this summer. Here, milk and avocado add creamy sweetness to the fresh taste of cucumber. Refreshing on sizzling summer days, this smooth blend can still be enjoyed during these last warm spurts of September, before hot-soup season kicks in.

Cows produce more milk than any other mammal and provide 85 per cent of the global milk supply. According to the Dairy Farmers of Canada, cows supply 20 to 40 liters of “moo juice” daily.

But across the globe, milk is harvested from other domesticated mammals as well. Buffaloes, goats, sheep, camels and, less commonly, yaks, horses, reindeer and donkeys provide staple food in areas where cows are not as common. Their milk is also a more digestible alternative for people with allergies and intolerances to cow’s milk.

Milk is such a staple of global importance that it is celebrated annually: World Milk Day is June 1.

Here in Canada, we rely on the abundant and safe cow milk produced by dairy farmers and proudly labelled by Dairy Farmers of Canada with the recognizable Blue Cow logo. We purchase it in cartons, jugs and in the 4-liter plastic bags common in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

But there is more than milk in those plastic bags.

Mondays are crochet days for the 10 or so women who transform the discarded outer milk bags into comforting, cushiony and lightweight sleeping mats. I met some of them one day this summer, chatting under the cool shade of a maple tree in Brewer Park, their hands busy looping plastic strips with large crochet hooks. The strips are cut from milk bags collected from the community. Their mats reach disaster areas, third-world countries and local unhoused people.

The group, based in Old Ottawa South (OOS), started looping plastic in

2011, when Norah Hutchinson, inspired by an article published in the Ottawa Citizen , gathered a small group of like-minded women. Together they attended a “how to” workshop, began collecting the coloured milk bags from friends and neighbours and started producing bed mats to send to Haiti after the devastating earthquake there a few months earlier.

Over the years, the “mats for Haiti” project has gathered supporters all over Canada and abroad, and the OOSbased group is now part of a large and growing community of “bag ladies” who volunteer their time to help people worldwide while also diverting plastic bags from the landfill.

It is this environmental aspect that has moved Sandy Garland to join in. She is a member of the Enviro Crew of OOS, the group that works towards reducing waste to zero in that neighbourhood. She now collects and receives bags dropped off at different collection points and redistributes them to two very productive local groups of bag ladies.

Cold Avocado and cucumber soup

Easy and fast to make; fresh, creamy and just spicy enough, this recipe is shared by Silvia Satta, one of the OOS bag ladies I met in Brewer Park (Serves 4-6):

1 cup (375ml) water

1 cup (125 ml) milk

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced

4-5 Lebanese cucumbers cut into chunks

1 green onion, cut into chunks

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth Garnish with pomegranate seeds, nasturtium or calendula flowers

Serve cold

Marisa Romano is a foodie with a sense of adventure, who appreciates interesting people and good food.

One of the collection points is at the Glebe Community Centre; an unpretentious plastic box tucked in a corner by the entrance. Thank you to all who fill it up. These bags (about 50 bags every other week) have until recently been collected by Hilda van Walraven on behalf of the GCA Environment Committee. Patricia Lightfoot has kindly agreed to take on this task going forward.

It takes 250 to 300 milk bags to make a sleeping mat so keep them coming (cleaned and flattened). They will keep the bag ladies busy while helping the environment.

Take your short story writing to the next level!

If you’ve written a short story, and you want to learn ways to enrich your work from experts and authors, this Audio-Visual Writing Workshop called LEARN – WRITE is for you. Tuesdays, September 16 to October 28 at the Glebe Community Centre.

Learn more and register at www.GNAG.ca/adult-programming Participation is limited.

Milk bags are collected and crocheted into bed mats by “bag ladies” of Old Ottawa South. A collection box for the bags is located in the foyer of the Glebe Community Centre.

Cold avocado and cucumber soup is fresh, creamy and just spicy enough.

PHOTOS: MARISA ROMANO

Sylvie’s thriller& mystery review

By Sylvie Chartrand

Here is a summary of some of the books I have read so far this year, in order of when I read them, not by favourites. I mostly like mystery novels, but hopefully you can find something that appeals to you in the book reviews below.

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Weight of Silence. She lives in Iowa with her husband and children.

Wylie Lark, a true crime writer, went to an isolated farmhouse to write her new book. She knows a murder took place at this farmhouse, and a girl disappeared without a trace. One stormy night, she finds a child outside, in the snow. She brings the child in to warm up and goes looking for whomever the child was with. Soon, she realizes that there is something very wrong and that danger is near. ls the past coming back to haunt her?

This book is a must read.

The Companion by Lesley Thomson

Lesley Thomson grew up in west London. Her first novel, A Kind of Vanishing, won the People’s Book Prize in 2010. Her second novel, The Detective’s Daughter, was a number-one bestseller,

and the resulting series has sold over 750,000 copies. Thomson divides her time between Sussex and Gloucestershire. She lives with her partner and her dog.

If you like Agatha Christie, you’ll probably like Lesley Thomson. The Companion is a stand-alone novel. It is about a serial killer who has no qualms killing even children. DI Toni Kemp of Sussex police is on the case. It leads her to Blacklock House, a grand country mansion converted into flats. The seven residents all have secrets. Rex Lomax is one of the residents and had hired a companion because he was lonely since his wife died under suspicious circumstances. But the companion, Timothy, has his own agenda. Could one of the residents be the killer?

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz

Andrea Bartz is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor. Her debut thriller, The Lost Night, received starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist and was optioned for TV by Mila Kunis and Cartel Entertainment. Her second novel, The Herd, was named a best book of 2020 by Real Simple, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping and CrimeReads. Her third thriller, We Were Never Here, was a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller; it’s in development at Netflix.

This is a story about a close friendship that seems to shift into a power struggle and obsession. Emily and Kristen have known each other for a long time, but a trip to Cambodia changed things between them. They were able to get through it and planned another trip to Chile, but what happened there made Emily question everything she knows about Kristen.

On their last night in Chile, Emily

walked into their hotel room and found a backpacker dead on the floor. Kristen said she had been attacked and had to kill him in self-defense, but the description of events is eerily familiar to Emily. The year before, in Cambodia, Emily was attacked. Kristen helped Emily get over it, but now Emily is questioning Kristen’s motives. Will this secret they share destroy everything?

Wicked Dreams by Lisa Jackson and her sister Nancy Bush

Lisa Jackson is the bestselling author of over 95 novels.

A twisted thriller with a supernatural element, Wicked Dreams is book five of the Wicked Series (the others being

Wicked Game, Wicked Lies, Something Wicked and Wicked Ways).

A man is found dead on a beach with a phone number pinned to his chest with the words “next of kin.” That number leads to Ravinia who at first denies knowing the man, but she knows who he is, her half-brother, and the fact that he is dead is bad news. She must let the rest of her family know that the monster, nicknamed Charlie, whom they thought they had gotten rid of five years earlier, is back for revenge. These books and so many more are available at the Ottawa Public Library.

Sylvie Chartrand is a public service assistant at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

17 Rupert Street, Glebe 59 Glendale Avenue, Glebe

Bay, Hunt Club

Art Lending of Ottawa welcomes new artists at September show

by Leslie Firth

Art Lending of Ottawa (ALO), a nonprofit artists’ cooperative, now has an all-time high membership of 47 local artists. We hold a juried competition each year for new artists, and this year we had a record high number of applicants. After reviewing the applications, the jurying committee offered membership to 11 new artists.

We invite you to join us in welcoming our new artists at our upcoming art show on Saturday, September 20. To see representative work of all our artists, visit ALO’s website at www. artlendingofottawa.ca.

Marie Arsenault: Uses oils, acrylics and watercolour to capture the world around her.

Kim Chase: Through her wildlife and portrait work, she strives to present a window into our spiritual connection with wildlife and to offer poignant reflections on humanity.

Sue Daugherty: Her recent pastel paintings explore the intense colour and simplification of form of Matisse.

Janis Fulton: Her oil paintings, starting as plein air smaller studies, capture the mood of the natural landscape.

Marian Gaucher: Her abstract paintings in oil and pastel feature geometrics, fracturing, unpredictable lines and vibrant colours.

Pradnya Gujar: Her mandala art in acrylic focuses on balance, symmetry and colour harmony.

Elizabeth Metcalfe: Her acrylic paintings communicate the peacefulness, joy, sadness or love that she sees and feels in the natural world.

Jainie Park: Her “stylized representationalism” is a reflection of her state of mind, rendered as a visual poem.

Johanne Richer: Her figurative oil paintings focus on movement, reflecting the techniques, postures and aestheticism associated with dance.

Eileen Stevenson: Her watercolour paintings preserve the detail and beauty of wildlife, people and things surrounding us every day.

Betty Sullivan: Her acrylic paintings reflect a deep spirituality inspired by beautiful landscapes.

ALO’s juried shows offer an impressive range of styles and themes to suit any taste. While sales are welcomed, the rental option is a great way for art lovers to support a local artist and hang original art in their home, all without breaking the budget. Rentals are for a three-month period and are easy to renew. Plus, if you fall in love with a rented artwork and would like to purchase it, all rental fees paid will be applied to the purchase price.

The September 20 show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre on Walkley Road. Admission and parking are free. New at this show is a demo and walk-in workshop.

Drop in if you are interested and would like to see an artist at work and perhaps try your hand at creating art.

Don’t forget to visit ALO’s website at www.artlendingofottawa.ca, where you can browse the artists’ galleries and learn more about how our rental option works.

to see you

Hope

at our show. Browsers are always welcome!

Leslie Firth is an artist member and board member of Art Lending of Ottawa.

Years of collecting art: The Bill Staubi Collection

By Maureen Korp

Grotto: The Bill Staubi Collection, curated by Sam Loewen and Caro Stewart, presents the work of 27 Ottawa artists arising from Ottawa's multicultural queer community. It is a big, important show for the Ottawa Art Gallery.

Entering the exhibition on the fourth floor of the OAG, we are greeted by the voice of Bill Staubi coming from “Rainbow Flag” in the corner on the right. Save that filmed interview for later.

Start with “Flagging,” off to the left at the back. Its large stained-glass window depicting Jeanne d'Arc on horseback overlooks Ottawa. Why is that window here in this exhibition? One hundred years ago, the window was in the convent wall of Ottawa's Sisters of Jeanne d'Arc. Today, the convent is no more. Its window, however, was saved when Bill Staubi took it home. Really? Why not?

Jeanne d'Arc is a saint embraced by the queer community, one of several saints so honoured, among them John the Evangelist, Aelrod, Sebastien. Said Pope Francis notably in 2013, “Who am I to judge?” The Jeanne d'Arc window of “Flagging” is centred in an area of signage display.

“Handkerchiefs [A-D],” 2021, by Kent Monkman is a set of four cotton handkerchiefs, which when seen at a distance appears to be bullets, four large upright bullets. Seen close at hand, however, the bullets become hands

folded in prayer. Praying for whom?

Small beavers with wings are on the handkerchief edges. Do beavers go to heaven, too?

Saivani Sanassy's tapestry “Blooming Together,” 2024, hangs nearby. It proclaims: “WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE.” Look at its flowers and attached elfin stuffies. Nothing scary here. Look at the quietude of “Consider it Said,” 2015, a work by Christos Pantieras – all done peacefully.

Are there naked bodies to be seen in Grotto? Yes. Here, there and underway. Inside an adjacent room of Body Talk work, two thoughtful paintings by Claude Marquis are paired. The top one, “Man,” 1998, is blueish in tone; the bottom one, “Devil,” 1998, is rosy. In both, we see the same figure

Ongoing Exhibitions

Grotto: The Bill Staubi Collection

Ottawa Art Gallery, 10 Daly Avenue, until February 8

Free Wheelchair accessible

The Bill Staubi Collection

Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, 3 Rosamond Street East, Almonte mvtm.ca

– a naked dead man lying sideways, emasculated. The afterlife is after life, after all.

In the centre of the largest area of the exhibition stands a tall column topped with a black crow, “Eve's Rib,” 2017, a sculpture by Anna Williams. The big bird holds a thin curved something in its beak. More thin, curved shapes are scattered at the column base. Do you know this Genesis story? The story of Adam and Eve is not set in stone. There are other tales, too. The Kiowa have a story that Crow turned black after eating the Snake. Was this the snake that tempted Eve? Whatever happened to Lilith?

Ron Bergeron might have known. He was the first pastor of Ottawa's Metropolitan Community Church, a church of particular outreach to Ottawa's queer community. In 1984, Evergon photographed the pastor in profile holding two magpies, as we see in “Untitled Portrait of Ron Bergeron.” Why magpies? Folklore tells us one magpie means death; ah, but two are mirth. The lesson here? Laugh, be happy. Ron Bergeron (1941-1990) died of AIDS.

The historical backdrop of colonialism with its Christian missionaries in the New World frames a goodly lot of the artists' work throughout Grotto. Kent Monkman uses the persona of Chief Miss Eagle Testickle in his work with historical referents as we see in “Resilience Plate,” 2018. “The Treaty of 1869,” 2016, presents another possibility, too, in its depiction of the kneeling soldier and the chief in full regalia.

Along the wall is a bookshelf filled

with studies of colonialism and culture for visitors to peruse. The curators have done their work well. An activity booklet for all ages includes simple questions. What do you know of it all? What do you know of yourself? More to say? Walk into the Confessional, an anteroom to the exhibition. Here, your comments may be left safely and anonymously.

Grotto is named for another “grotto,” the one inside Bill Staubi's home – a small room filled with icons collected over many years. Near the exhibition's rainbow flag is a little shrine Staubi himself fashioned – “A Piece of Cake,” 2017. Its angels hold high a beautiful cake, untouched by the devil below. Cherubs watch overhead, whispering secrets.

The OAG exhibition celebrates Staubi's acumen as a collector. More of the Staubi collection is currently at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in nearby Almonte. (https://mvtm.ca/ art-from-the-collection-of-bill-staubi/). This is work Staubi donated to the museum for fundraising.

An artist's work enters the lives of others when it is seen, recognized, embraced. You, too, can collect art. The arts are here all around.

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.

In the exhibition Grotto, “Flagging” is a stained-glass window depicting Jeanne d’Arc, rescued by Bill Staubi from the former Sisters of Jeanne d’Arc convent. Grotto: The Bill Staubi Collection is at the Ottawa Art Gallery until February 8. PHOTO: RÉMI THÉRIAULT

Ottawa Bach Choir offers magnificent choral music!

By Hannah Lim

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) is set to embark on its 24th season, showcasing an impressive lineup of three choral performances that promise to dazzle and inspire.

The professional ensemble has travelled the world, received national and international recognition and also won a JUNO award for Best Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, for its album Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets. Under the leadership of founder and artistic director Lisette Canton, the choir continues to uphold its tradition of delivering outstanding musical experiences. With its reputation for excellence and collaboration with leading local, national and international musicians and ensembles, the OBC remains a cornerstone of the cultural landscape of the region.

The 2025-26 season begins with a jubilant performance of Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, HWV 76, on Saturday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. at St. François d’Assise Church. It was written in 1739 to John Dryden’s poem in honour of the name day of the patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia. We will also include Purcell’s Welcome to all the Pleasures, Z. 339, and Haydn’s Missa Cellensis, Hob. XXII:8, with Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra and soloists, including soprano Ellen Wieser, tenor Owen McCausland and countertenor Nicholas Burns.

The second concert, Bach’s Johannes-Passion (St. John Passion), BWV 245, on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral, features Bach’s dramatic Passion-Oratorio, composed in 1724 in Leipzig. The performance of the Passion was the outstanding musical event of the year in Leipzig, and this setting of John’s Gospel is Bach’s most theatrical. With the Theatre of Early Music baroque orchestra and international soloists, including countertenors Daniel Taylor and Nicholas Burns, British tenor Charles Daniels and more, this performance is not to be missed.

The season culminates with Sacred and Profane on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, and it will include Frank Martin’s moving Mass for

Founded in 2013 and presented without interruption ever since, Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) offers free 45-minute concerts every Wednesday at 12 p.m., September through June, at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue. Concerts are live and live stream broadcasted on YouTube. The series is sustained entirely by freewill offerings.

Accesibility

Enjoy DOMS in person or online via our weekly YouTube livestreams and recordings. The church is wheelchair accessible and on OC Transpo routes 6 and 7. Seniors (65+) ride free on Wednesdays on OC Transpo buses and O-Train service.

Refreshments

A special thank you to Colonel By Retirement Home for welcoming DOMS concert attendees each week with complimentary coffee and cookies!

DOMS Fall Lineup

September 3 – The Journey Together

Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne and pianist James McGowan perform original works and improvisations blending classical, jazz, Middle Eastern and progressive metal styles.

September 10 – All That Jazz

Trumpeter Ed Lister leads a powerhouse sextet with Sam Cousineau (alto sax), Ben DiMillo (guitar), Deniz Lim-Sersan (piano), Chris Pond (bass) and Jose Garcia (drums), featuring Lister’s own compositions.

September 17 – Nature of Sound

The Passamano Trio – Annie Noël-de-Tilly (flute), Aidan Fleet (cello) and Kevin Chen (piano) – explores nature-inspired works by Gaubert, Piazzolla and Mendelssohn.

September 24 – Geniuses (re)Discovered

Pianist Dane Ko juxtaposes Mozart sonatas with those of George Enescu, marking the centenary of Enescu’s groundbreaking First Piano Sonata (1925).

October 1 – Golden Hills

Flute and harp duo sheila&Lucile – Sheila White (flute) and Lucile BraisHildesheim (harp) – blend Celtic and Gaelic traditions with newly composed works inspired by their instruments’ colors.

October 8 – Verdi and Puccini!

Soprano Stephanie Beams, tenor Corey Arnold, baritone Joseph Chi and pianist Brahm Goldhamer perform beloved opera arias and duets from La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and more.

Double Choir, along with delightful music on texts by Shakespeare by Vaughan Williams, Mäntyjärvi, Perrie, Tavener and more, with Jennifer Loveless on piano and organ. Don’t miss this enchanting spring celebration.

Season subscriptions (at a 10-per-cent discount) are on sale at the following levels: Reserved $162, Adults $129.60, Seniors (65+) $112.50, Students $58.50. For more information, visit our website at ottawabachchoir.ca, e-mail us at info@ ottawabachchoir.ca or phone 613-270-1015. We can also be found on social media via @ottawabachchoir.

Don’t miss the chance to share our passion and experience the best that choral music has to offer!

Hannah Lim is the general manager of the Ottawa Bach Choir.

October 15 – The Brian An Quartet

Trombonist Brian An, pianist Mike Manny, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Mike Essoudry present jazz classics by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Jobim and others.

October 22 – Magia Vestis Folk

The Magia Vestis Café Orchestra – Peter Andrée (accordion), Kate Weekes(guitar), and James Stephens (violin) – celebrates folk traditions from Europe, Quebec, Venezuela and Louisiana.

October 29 – Goldberg Variations

A historic first for DOMS: acclaimed pianist Beguentch Gueldyev performs Bach’s monumental Goldberg (Aria with 30) Variations.

November 5 – Canadiana Celebration

The Concert Docs – tenor Fraser Rubens and pianist Carol Wiebe – explore Canada’s rich musical heritage with songs by composers from coast to coast.

November 12 – The Guitar in All Its Colors

Guitarist Marc-Étienne Leclerc showcases the expressive beauty of the classical guitar through masterpieces of its repertoire.

November 19 – Latin American Jazz

Vocalist Rachelle Behrens sings in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, joined by Mark Ferguson (piano), Tom McMahon (bass, and Jose Monchito (drums).

November 26 – Romantic Piano Trios

Violinist Laurence Kayaleh, cellist Elizabeth Dolin and (MPRS) pianist Lucas Porter perform trios by Rachmaninoff (Trio élégiaque No. 1) and Schumann (Op. 110).

December 3 – Keys to Bach

Pianist Fiona Wu plays Bach transcriptions by Hess and Busoni, alongside Bach’s Keyboard Partita No. 6 in E minor.

December 10 – Flautists Four!

Cathy Baerg, Kirsten Carlson, Diana Lam and Loyda Lastra unite piccolo, C, alto and bass flutes, interpreting works by McIntyre, McMichael and Guiot, bridging jazz and classical styles.

December 17 – Gloria in Excelsis

Celebrate the season with Vivaldi’s Gloria, a Bach Cantata and other sacred works for Advent and Christmas, performed by choir and chamber ensemble.

December 24 – A Jazzy Christmas Eve

The Mark Ferguson Quartet – Mark Ferguson (piano/trombone), Mike Tremblay (sax/flute), John Geggie (bass) and Jamie Holmes (drums) – swings into the holidays with jazzy takes on seasonal favourites.

The award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir launches its 24th season with a concert featuring Handel’s OdeforSt.Cecilia’sDay on November 22 at St. François d’Assise Church.

The

Glebe

according to Zeus

Graffiti vandalism or art embellishment?!?

The Glebe is in a wild uproar over just who is responsible for “changes” to the mural at Feleena’s Mexican Cantina on Bank Street and what it means.

“At most it’s a pentimento – and a mild one at that!” squealed Marwut, a local groundhog who owns Weedoo Landscaping Inc. “It’s not like a full-on go over – it’s not a declaration of war!”

The feline community vehemently disagrees, however. After all, it was their black cat icon that was replaced with a tri-colour guinea pig in the colourful mural. “It’s unforgivable! This is graffiti war!” Indeed, the J&L tag, in bold yellow, seems to indicate the graffitist is ready to fight.

But just who is (or are) J&L? Many assumed J&L must be the popular Clemow Avenue guinea pigs, known for restaurant hopping and posh holidays in Chelsea, Quebec. After all, their names are Jamaal and Flanky! And the guinea pig on the

JAMES McCULLOCH

LAWYER IN THE GLEBE

mural has an uncanny resemblance. This dominant theory was debunked, however, by a recent article by Matthew Rippeyoung, renowned rodentologist. According to Rippeyoung: “It’s not just that the guinea pig has no opposable thumb, they all suffer severe acrophobia and would be unable to climb a ladder, even for a carrot!”

Others support Rippeyoung’s position. “It’s physically impossible!” declared Butchie, GPP officer and parttime forensic scientist. “The guinea pig

James provides legal services to Glebe residents, offers home visits and welcomes new clients.

613 565-5297

mccullochlawyer@rogers.com

Richard Merrill Haney, Ph.D. (Counselling & Mediation)

“You are your dreams...limited only by your fears.”

would have to climb a ladder, true –but first he or she would have to obtain a ladder – what guinea pig owns a ladder?! It wouldn’t even fit in their hutch! Come on!”

But does it matter who did it? Other than the felines, many are admiring the cuddly guinea pig on the mural. Feleena’s has been teeming with customers wanting to photograph it or have a meal there with Jamaal and Flankie who, some contend, are now as famous as Banksy (and close personal friends).

Farida Khanum Care Coach

Providing caring support and comfort to the elderly and their families:

• Companionship

• Presence

• Life Stories

• Restorative Yoga

• Mindfulness

• Technology Assistance

613 572-0902

hathaway.yoga@icloud.com

DRAMA THERAPY GROUP LAUNCHES IN THE GLEBE

Healing through creative expression

By John Muggleton

Registered psychotherapist Dana Truelove is bringing a fresh approach to mental health support by combining her two passions: therapy and theatre. Starting September 14, Truelove will lead a Drama Therapy Group on four consecutive Sundays from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Ottawa Acting Studio on Bank St.

With more than 10 years practicing psychotherapy, Truelove supports clients’ personal growth with a focus on social relationships, community and the importance of in-person connections in the real world.

“One thing that has been key for me in my own personal growth is community theatre, particularly my involvement with Ottawa Little Theatre, and the Ottawa and Kanata Acting Studios,” she says. “I can never overstate the positive effects I have personally experienced and observed in this type of creative expression.” In learning about drama therapy, Truelove discovered an ideal way to integrate her two passions.

What is drama therapy?

While traditional talk therapy remains the most widely known form of mental health support, Truelove hopes to expand the view of what therapy can look like.

“Fortunately, there’s a lot of awareness now about mental health and the value of therapy,” she notes. “But mostly we just hear about traditional talk therapy. Drama therapy is something quite different. Yes, it’s creative and fun – but it’s also legitimate psychotherapy.”

Participants in the group can expect to engage in a variety of active and immersive exercises such as improvisation, role-playing, movement and breath work. Unlike a theatre class, however, the focus isn’t on performance, it’s on personal exploration and emotional processing.

“People will have the chance to bring in real-life situations they’re struggling with,” says Truelove. “It could be anything – past trauma, a relationship issue, anxiety, self-concept . . . As a group, we can explore the issue through dramatic enactment. This allows people to try out new perspectives and ways of processing what they’re going through.”

A safe and supportive space

Truelove emphasizes that her Drama Therapy Group will follow all professional and ethical standards of psychotherapy, such as informed consent and confidentiality. Every participant will have a clear understanding of what to expect and how their privacy will be protected. The group is designed to be supportive, inclusive and non-judgmental, and participants won’t be pushed to do anything they don’t want to do.

“My goal is to create a space that feels safe and compassionate,” she says. “No one will ever be pushed to share or participate beyond what feels right for them.”

The power of theatre for healing Truelove has long believed in the

transformative power of theatre, even before formally integrating it into her psychotherapy practice.

“I’ve seen firsthand how theatre can help people come out of their shells and connect with others,” she says. “It gives us permission to behave in ways we normally wouldn’t, which can be incredibly freeing. There’s something very powerful about stepping into another role, exploring different parts of yourself and doing it all within a supportive community.”

It was during her professional development as a psychotherapist that Truelove discovered drama therapy and psychodrama.

“When I learned that this was an actual discipline with specific techniques and training, I immediately thought, ‘This is what I need to be doing’,” she recalls. Over the past couple of years, she has done professional development to integrate this approach into her practice.

For Truelove, theatre is more than entertainment, it’s a celebration of human complexity.

“What could be more therapeutic than getting in a room with other people who are all willing to be vulnerable and creative together?” she says. “Acting allows us to explore different ways of expressing emotion, interacting and understanding ourselves.”

Limited spaces available

While there has already been strong interest in the Drama Therapy Group, a few spots remain open for the upcoming session. Those interested in participating are encouraged to reach out directly to Truelove.

“If someone is curious, they can email me, and we’ll set up a free 15-minute intake call. It’s a chance to answer any questions, learn more about the person’s needs, and see if this group is the right fit for them.”

Whether you’re looking for a new way to explore your inner world, improve your emotional well-being or simply try something creative in a supportive space, Truelove’s Drama Therapy Group offers a unique and meaningful opportunity to do just that.

For more information or to inquire about registration, check out www. djtruelove.ca or email dana@djtruelove.ca to schedule a consultation.

John Muggleton is an actor and playwright and is the owner of the Ottawa Acting Studio.

At Saint Paul University, we embrace students who think critically, act compassionately, and seek a meaningful education.

Our social science programs are designed to address the most urgent human and global challenges — from mental health and social innovation to ecology, communications, and public affairs. We prepare students to engage with complex issues and drive positive change in the world.

Dana Truelove is a registered psychotherapist leading a drama therapy group this fall.

“I used to rely on pads just to get through the day. But now? I don’t need them anymore. I can laugh, sneeze, or workout without worry. In just three weeks –two quick sessions a week – I did the equivalent of a year’s worth of pelvic floor exercises, without the effort!”

Yasir Naqvi MP, Ottawa Centre

N 613-946-8682

E yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca

Budget 2025: Share Your Priorities

This fall, the Government of Canada will table Budget 2025 to address the significant challenges – and opportunities – ahead.

As your Member of Parliament, I am here to ensure your voice helps shape the future of our community and our country. Your ideas, concerns and hopes guide the work we do together. Hearing from you about the issues that affect you and our community is very important to me. Your lived experiences offer valuable insight that guides us in creating policies that are not only effective but also help make our community prosperous and more inclusive for everyone.

As we prepare for Budget 2025, here are some of the ways the federal government since the election has already been working to deliver results for you and Canadians across the country.

Putting More Money Back by Cutting Income Taxes

Effective Canada Day 2025, the federal tax rate on the first $57,375 of income was reduced from 15 per cent to 14 per cent, saving up to $420 per person or $840 per couple annually. This measure will return over $27 billion to families over five years, helping Canadians with day-to-day expenses and monthly bills.

Removing GST on New Homes for First-Time Buyers

Legislation introduced in May 2025 will eliminate GST on newly built homes up to $1 million for first-time buyers, with partial relief up to $1.5 million. This could save buyers up to $50,000 and help more young Canadians achieve home ownership.

Expanding Access to Dental Care

The Canadian Dental Care Plan is now open to eligible Canadian residents of all ages. More than four million people have been approved, and more than two million have already received care – we are helping Canadians access essential dental services without having to choose between their health and their bills.

Opening New Markets, Building Stronger Partnerships

Canada is advancing a trade agreement with ASEAN by the end of 2025, boosting ties in digital services, agrifood and ocean tech. We have launched an Africa Strategy focused on renewable infrastructure and inclusive growth, and we have strengthened trans-Atlantic cooperation through the new EU-Canada Security and Defence Partnership, supporting skilled jobs, technological innovation and global stability.

Meeting Our Security Commitments

Canada will meet NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of GDP this year and has committed to the 2035 goal of five per cent. Investments in Arctic surveillance, ports, telecommunications and emergency preparedness will protect our sovereignty, support our allies and strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces.

Growing Our Economy

The recently passed One Canadian Economy Act is cutting through red tape by streamlining approvals for key nation-building projects, harmonizing and simplifying regulations and improving labour mobility. It helps workers move between provinces more easily and enables businesses to grow faster by simplifying compliance and boosting productivity.

Your Voice in Budget 2025

Building on these initiatives, the federal government is seeking input to shape future policies that continue to strengthen our economy and improve everyday life for Canadians. Your feedback during this budget consultation will help guide decisions on these important topics.

The budget consultation is focusing on three questions:

1. How can the government build a strong economy today and for the future?

2. What are the most meaningful ways the Government of Canada can support Canadians in their daily lives?

3. What should be the highest priorities for Canada’s defence and security?

There’s no doubt that we are living through consequential times. The decisions we make today could have a lasting impact on Canada’s economy, society and sovereignty. That is why I need to hear directly from you. Your experiences and ideas can shape this important budget and ensure that the issues that matter most to our community and country are heard and addressed.

There are a few simple ways to share your feedback – you can either complete a survey that is mailed to you at home, visit our website at www.YasirNaqviMP.ca or respond online by scanning the QR code in this column. Whichever method you choose, your perspective is deeply valued and will help guide the work I do on your behalf.

I invite you to take a moment to reflect on what matters most to you, your family and our community. I look forward to hearing your insights and to continuing this important dialogue.

Catherine McKenney MPP, Ottawa Centre

N 613-722-6414

E CMcKenney-CO@ndp.on.ca

Ontario needs a better plan to tackle the housing crisis

After months of refusing to tell the public Ontario’s most up-to-date housing statistics, the government has finally updated the housing supply progress tracker. The numbers aren’t good.

Ontario’s total housing starts this year were 94,753, far short of the 125,000 starts the province needed in 2024 and nowhere near on track to meet its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. The situation is even more dire when you look closer at the numbers to see that the total now includes long-term care beds, university dormitories and retirement suites as housing starts (spoiler: they were not included in the original number of 1.5 million).

Despite the rapidly worsening situation, the Ford government refuses to take the housing crisis seriously. Ontario keeps falling behind other provinces when it comes to housing; people are struggling to find a home they can afford, rent is skyrocketing, and more people are at risk of losing their homes. In Ottawa, we’re seeing the drastic effects of this inaction in our growing homelessness crisis and the encampments that so many of our

neighbours are living in. The private sector alone cannot get us out of this mess, and the status quo is not working – something needs to change. We need to invest in solutions that rapidly increase the supply of affordable non-market homes so Ontarians can finally get ahead.

Those solutions aren’t far away. Whenever he wants to, Doug Ford can enact our Homes Ontario plan that would fix Ontario’s housing crisis, protect renters and get the government back in the business of building housing by:

• Using grants, low-cost public financing, public land, fast-tracked approvals and other supports to enable the construction, acquisition and repair of at least 300,000 permanently affordable homes.

• Protecting the existing supply of affordable rentals, including completing renovations and repairs.

• Enabling the purchase of existing privately-owned rental units, to be converted to permanently affordable public, non-profit or co-op housing.

• Updating zoning and planning rules to make it easier and cheaper to build all types of new homes, including fourplex apartments.

• Introducing real rent control.

• Constructing 60,000 new supportive housing units.

And so much more.

You deserve a government that takes the housing crisis seriously with a real plan to end chronic homelessness, bring back rent control and build good quality, affordable public housing. We know what it takes to get the job done and as your MPP and the Shadow Minister for Housing, I will continue to fight to make it happen.

By Ellyn Duke Watson & Cooper Love

Kitchen protective wear (5) 40 Atmospheric layer (5) 42 Princess’s crown (5)

Person that is greatly admired (4)

30 Years Ago in the Glebe Report

by Ian McKercher

TONY THE ELEPHANT

During the Central Canada Exhibition, Tony, a 12,000-pound elephant who ate 450 pounds of grain and hay a day, took a daily walk from Lansdowne Park along the Rideau Canal for a bath in Dow’s Lake. Tony lunged and sprayed and trumpeted his bliss to the delight of onlookers who gathered to watch the spectacle of Tony bathing then being showered down by his trainer. Tony was on a 10-day loan from the Bowmanville Zoo.

GLEBE

CENTRE ADDITION PREVIEWED

The Glebe Centre was to hold a Community Consultation Opportunity on October 3 concerning the planned development of a 70-bed multicultural long-termcare facility to be built on Bank Street south of the Abbotsford Seniors’ Centre. The two-story addition would continue a century-old tradition of providing high-quality care and services to older people in Ottawa-Carleton. Part of the design was a 33-bed, special-care unit for persons with Alzheimers disease and related dementias. The development would also recognize and serve the needs of seniors whose language of comfort was neither French nor English.

CATCH BASIN GRATES

Councillor Jim Watson’s column highlighted the fish design on the new catch basin grates on Glebe streets that have recently undergone sewer work. A few years before, the Girl Guides of Canada undertook a project to paint fish near catch basins to raise awareness that anything poured down a catch basin goes directly into our rivers, often killing fish. The new design was to remind us that everything entering the grates, such as paint, soapy water and dog droppings, ends up polluting our waterways.

HOWARD SMITH

Councillor Watson also paid tribute to Howard Smith, the Capital Ward Councillor from 1980 to 1985 who passed away earlier in the summer. “Howard worked tirelessly for his constituents, and will be missed,” Watson stated.

This retrospective is filed bi-monthly by Ian McKercher of the Glebe Historical Society. The society welcomes the donation or loan (for copying) of any item documenting Glebe history (photographs, maps, surveys, news articles, posters, programs, memorabilia, etc.). Contact Ian at 613-235-4863 or ian.s.mckercher@gmail.com. Note: All back issues of the Glebe Report to June 1973 can be viewed on the Glebe Report website at www.glebereport.ca under the PAST ISSUES menu.

Sketches of Glebe homes

By Andrea D’Eon

When I was in high school I fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater house after perusing a coffee table book my mom had bought. I loved it so much that I built a model made of foamcore, kabob skewers and various items from the recycle bin and soon after decided to become an architect. Unfortunately, I despised math and didn’t achieve the advanced math grades needed to study it in university. However, I had discovered a longstanding passion for sketching architecture and urban environments.

I love how buildings can have a personality of their own, and some of my favourite films, including Knives Out and North by Northwest, feature a prominent residence practically as a main character, setting the tone and atmosphere of the film.

Whenever I pass by stunning architecture, I can’t help but stop and stare and, living in the Glebe, this happens a lot. The name “Glebe” refers to “church lands,” and the area was originally referred to as “the glebe lands of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,” later shortened to “the Glebe” by real estate agents in the 1870s. This makes the

neighbourhood more than 150 years old, with construction of many of its most iconic buildings taking off in the early 20th century.

The neighbourhood boasts a smorgasbord of residential architectural styles from Arts and Crafts to Queen Anne to Spanish Colonial Revival and more, sometimes a combination of multiple styles in the same home, making the Glebe an exciting destination for architecture enthusiasts.

This summer, after enjoying a number of sunny walks around the neighbourhood’s tree-lined streets, I took to sketching the architecture. My sketches are 8x10 inches and done in

ink and alcohol-based Copic markers. Eventually, I would like to amalgamate my sketches into a coffee table book of my own that highlights the unique beauty and history of Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood.

Andrea D’Eon is a local artist with a passion for drawing architecture. She is open to commissions from local residents interested in capturing a portrait of their home or business in the Glebe. She can be reached at andrea. deon@hotmail.com and you can check out her portfolio at https://andreadeon. wixsite.com/visual-arts-portfoli.

Sketches of interesting Glebe homes is a passion of local artist Andrea D’Eon.

OLD HOUSE OR NEW? In my experience

By Charles Zave

You are looking to buy a home. Your first choice is the Glebe, understandably – a safe area, excellent schools, access to stores, restaurants and cafés, friendly and community oriented. The big question is, do you buy an older home or a new one? As a structural specialist with 30 years of experience in foundations and joist support as well as post and beams, I aim to answer this question.

Older home

If there has been little upkeep on the building – its plumbing, electrical, insulation and structure, such as roof and foundation – there might be hefty bills to restore the home to a livable state. All price estimates, of course, depend on the size of the building and other factors.

The most critical repair is the roof, especially when rain and snow load is a concern. It is a good idea to have the wooden support below the roof inspected. If it needs new sheeting and a quality roof covering including a layer of ice shield, you could be looking at $15,000 to $30,000 for a full repair that will last 50 years. This includes spraying insulation into the roof cavity if it hasn’t already been done.

The second important repair is the foundation. No use dreaming of a renovated kitchen if the foundation is too costly a repair to be viable.

The best foundation in the Glebe and easiest to repair is the traditional stone foundation. On average, to pack all the joints between the stone with a concrete base mortar and waterproof the

below-grade structure will cost around $50,000 to $60,000. Variables include whether there is room on site for excavated dirt and machines and the amount of hand digging required.

The cost to repair a rubble foundation may exceed $120,000 for both the interior and exterior work needed. This includes replacing old wood or brick posts under the centre support beam and replacing or doubling joists if the ends have been damaged by moisture. If properly done, the structure will maintain its integrity for another 100 years.

Plumbing is important. Many old homes have aged cast-iron sewage pipes. These extend from bathrooms down to the basement and usually underground to the exterior of the home. Copper water pipes are fine if the PH of the water is neutral – it is far safer than PEX (polymer) tubing, especially older PEX that can leach up to 50 carcinogenic chemicals, even after running cold water through the tubes for three months. You can purchase a PH filter for copper pipes to prevent degradation. As well, water tanks

Older Glebe home versus a new home – structural considerations might need to be replaced. Budget $15,000 for this work. This does not include replacing any fixtures like toilets, sinks, showers and baths.

The next important area is electrical. It is best to replace wiring at the same time as plumbing so drywall that needs to be opened can be repaired, sanded and painted just once. The electrician may recommend upgrading your circuit breaker box. Electricians in Ottawa are expensive, and there is always more to be done than expected. I recommend getting at least two estimates, but it will usually cost $15,000 to $30,000. A tip: if you get a final-year electrical apprentice to do the work, it will save you a bundle, although a fully licensed electrician is needed for the circuit breaker box and exterior connections.

It is also a good idea to insulate the walls at the same time electricity and plumbing are upgraded. A non-insulated home with older windows can cost more than $10,000 a year in heating bills. This should be factored into your decision before buying an older home. Windows are also a big expense, costing upwards of $20,000 to replace.

On a positive note, the lumber used in an older home is one third stronger on average than lumber used today, because it was cut from knotted trees and cut thicker. Wood flooring, both sub floor and finished, is superior in strength to flooring sold today.

The total rough estimate, including

$5,000 for drywall repair, comes to around $165,000 for a home with a stone foundation and $230,000 for one with a rubble foundation. When placing an offer on a home, you may negotiate with the seller to deduct some repair costs.

New home

First, you will pay two-and-a-half to three times as much for a home of similar size, and it might often be a townhouse. In some cases, the developer buys an old home, demolishes it, builds the new one and makes a profit on resale. Yes, you are getting a brandnew structure but usually with a much larger mortgage.

As for building materials, flooring and siding, unless guaranteed, may need renovation within 35 years, and the roof may need it even sooner if inferior materials were used.

When retirement looms and you wish to sell, these structural and aesthetic problems may prove more of a hindrance than you thought. On a positive note, the plumbing, electrical and foundation, if made of poured cement, should not be an issue.

Charles Zave is a structural specialist with an interest in older homes. He offers a free inspection service for homeowners and new buyers. He can be reached at charleszave65@ gmail.com.

LOWER BACK PAIN

By Sue Reive

Lower back pain (LBP) is a common complaint. Studies indicate that 80 per cent of people will suffer LBP at some point in their life. It can result from an acute injury or be more chronic in nature and come and go depending on activities of daily living.

There are many causes of LBP: muscle strain, ligament or disc sprain and sprain of the facet joint. The treatment varies depending on the cause. Ultimately, the goal of treatment is to restore functional mobility and strength and improve posture.

The lower back is referred to as the lumbar spine. It is comprised of five articulating vertebrae which are separated in front by a fibrous disc and attached together at the back by two facet joints. In between is the spinal canal, which houses the spinal nerves and blood vessels. The spinal nerves exit the canal between the vertebrae at each corresponding level. The intervertebral disc and ligaments hold the vertebrae together. The disc has an outer fibrous ring which surrounds the inner nucleus of gel-like material.

Varying lengths of muscles cross the vertebrae and function to support and move the spine. The lumbar spine

bends forwards, backwards and sideways. It doesn’t rotate a lot due to the shape of the facet joints; indeed, excessive rotation can result in an injury to the disc.

In younger individuals, with strong healthy discs, injury of the surrounding muscles is often the cause of LBP. Older people with wear and tear of the discs and ligaments are more likely to sustain a disc sprain, especially people between 30 and 50. This age group is particularly vulnerable as the disc still has a fluid nucleus, but the outer fibrous ring of the disc is weaker due to age. The muscles are also usually weaker and therefore more stress is placed on the discs, ligaments and facet joints.

Treatment varies depending on the cause of the LBP and the structure that is injured. With mechanical LBP, there will be a movement or position that aggravates the back but conversely there will be a position of comfort. The key to treatment is finding the movement which relieves the pain. For example, with disc injuries, people will usually have a lot of pain sitting and bending but feel better standing. This is because sitting puts more pressure on the discs than standing. Conversely, people with a facet joint injury usually prefer sitting and the flexed position because bending forward opens the joint space. A thorough physiotherapy assessment will determine what’s injured and provide

the correct exercises to relieve the pain. As well, education in posture and lifting is equally important for successful rehabilitation. Without proper knowledge, people could be doing an exercise that is not appropriate for their condition. In fact, they could be making the problem worse. Finally, be careful with fall gardening. Splitting perennials and replanting

them involves lots of digging, lifting and bending. All these movements increase disc pressure and can cause injury. Frequent breaks, good biomechanics and improving core strength can help prevent lower back injuries.

Sue Reive is a physiotherapist at Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics Glebe.

The Garden Club of Old Ottawa South Program 2025-6

19h00

Tuesday 9 September 2025

19h00

Tuesday 14 October 2025

19h00 Tuesday 11 November 2025

Rays Repairs

19h00 Online

Tuesday 13 January 2026

19h00 Online Tuesday 10 February 2026

19h00 Tuesday 10 March 2026

19h00 Tuesday 14 April 2026

19h00 Tuesday 12 May 2026

17h00 Visit Tuesday 16 June 2026 Subject to change

Preserving the Harvest are you tired of struggling to use up your garden s zucchini or tomato surplus? Join Master Gardener, Rebecca Last, for an informative session on preserving your harvest to enjoy homegrown flavors all winter long. She’ll cover a variety of methods, including: drying herbs; dehydrating fruits and vegetables; jams and chutneys; making herb-infused vinegars; freezing; and curing. Don’t miss these practical tips to make the most of your garden’s bounty!

Gardening to Attract Birds and Butterflies Jana Freeman, a horticulturalist at Ritchie Feed & Seed, will share insights on the best native and climate-resilient plants to attract birds and butterflies to Ottawa gardens. She’ll also discuss Food Web Gardening, a method that supports these species throughout their life cycles. Additionally, she’ll cover ways to help declining bird populations.

Vines vines are versatile, often underrated plants, that offer ornamental, native, and edible options for various landscaping needs. They can enhance garden design with colour, texture, fragrance, and by attracting pollinators. Mary Shearman Reid, a Master Gardener and owner of Green Thumb Garden Centre, will share her top recommended vine species and basic care tips.

Japanese Gardens club member, Elaine DeCoursey, will provide an armchair-travel tour about her recent trip to Japan. She will introduce us to many kinds of inspiring gardens found in grand parks, shrine sites, and smaller residential yards.

Native Plants and Pollinators long-time gardener, Elizabeth Sheehy, will help us understand the vital role of pollinators in our ecosystem and the part played by native plants in this relationship. She will explain how we can begin to introduce more native plants into our gardens and provide us with some local resources.

Pruning How and Why knowing how and why to prune is so important to the health of your plants as well as their beauty for you to enjoy. James Wilson, professor of horticulture at Algonquin College and horticulturalist, will discuss the importance of knowing how and why to prune as well as something that is just as important knowing when and when not to prune. Tools for pruning and a demonstration on pruning techniques will be given.

Planting for Pollinators in Pots the ornamental gardening industry is transforming shifting from purely aesthetic spaces to eco-friendly havens that support nature. Instead of fearing insects, it ’s time to embrace our role as environmental stewards, even in small spaces like balconies, patios, and backyards. Join Lana Doss, native-plant expert, as she guides you through this horticultural evolution.

The Urban Potage: from Field to Table imagine vibrant salads with crisp lettuces, sweet tomatoes, and edible blooms all grown in your own urban oasis. Master Gardener, Odette McIntyre, will show you how to blend veggies, herbs, and ornamentals into a small-space paradise. Discover: vertical gardening and space-saving planters; best plants for beauty and flavour; and design tips to impress guests. Transform your balcony or patio into a lush, productive retreat!

Lady Slippers at Purdon join us for a stroll along the boardwalk of the Purdon Conservation Area near Perth to see Canada’s largest colony of showy Lady Slipper orchids in a rare fen-wetland. A visit to see these rare, pink native orchids is part of the celebration of the garden club’s 30th anniversary. After viewing the orchids, we’ll reconvene for lunch in Perth. We may revise the date depending on the progress of the blooming at Purdon.

Meetings: Old Ottawa South Community Centre (The Firehall), 260 Sunnyside Avenue (except where noted).

Membership: $25 per year; $40 for a family; drop-in fee $7 per meeting.

Information: Old Ottawa South Community Centre at 613 247 4946

Glebe Snow Generals look to broaden horizons

By Oscar Gorall

Mistakes are a natural part of learning. As high school wraps up for me and many of our staff, that may very well be the biggest takeaway from my three years running The Glebe Snow Generals snow removal service.

I’m the now-17-year-old co-owner of the Glebe Snow Generals. Our goal has always been to turn our perceived limitations as a company into the principles by which we distinguish ourselves as a premier snow removal service.

Shovelling 100-plus homes each snowfall may seem like an impossible task, but by utilizing 50-plus neighbourhood students, we allow our staff to spend whatever time is necessary, become familiar with clients and operate with standards of service not possible in the traditional snow removal model.

But with innovation comes pitfalls. Lots of them. As we’ve grown, each problem has seemed more insurmountable than the last. From all-nighters getting ready for the next morning, to crafting schedules around students’ exam schedules to record-breaking snowfalls, the road hasn’t been smooth. But each time we climb the mountain, the path is clearer on the other side I take pride in our operation, but I especially acknowledge the importance of that word “our.” That’s a second but equally important lesson I’ve learned – it takes a village. For the students who have worked for us on cold days, early mornings and through their already busy lives, we know how much you’ve helped.

The 100-plus clients who stuck with us through our lengthy learning curve and who have reaped the benefits of

our improved service, their part in our growth was integral. And I’ve learned to lean more on people involved for their opinions. Whether with surveys or conversations, creating an environment that welcomes constructive criticism is a never-ending positive feedback loop.

This brings me to the value of this community that is the Glebe. We’ve been blessed to interact with amazing people, and that can sometimes be taken for granted. I’ve heard and experienced countless instances of kindness, like employees being served hot chocolate or invited into homes for warmth. This community is the gift that keeps on giving. Our company would be nowhere without the support of our neighbours.

And that brings us to the present day. As high school comes to an end for many of us, the priorities of the company have shifted. No longer is it survival or expanding rapidly, it’s now become giving back. With a service that I’d now consider to be a well-oiled machine with wider parameters of operation, I have

In the Glebe

By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius.com

two goals: one, to provide the best service possible, for those who need it; two, to give the students who helped us the opportunity to learn in challenging positions within the company.

Fulfilling the first is fairly simple; the second is more interesting and is the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken.

This past season, we tested having a “regional manager” help out with servicing Old Ottawa South and Old Ottawa East. The test run was plagued by the usual problems, but it helped us create a roadmap for this year. I call that a success. The person responsible, a Glebe student, learned the lessons in customer service, communication and plain work ethic.

This year, we want to roll this out further by bringing in eager students who want to learn and follow our roadmap in their own respective communities, ones still within the reach of the Glebe so we can monitor and help out every step of the way.

This has another positive effect of providing jobs for students who may have previously lived too far from the

Glebe and of serving clients who may have been out of our range.

In addition to the Glebe, Old Ottawa East and Old Ottawa South, we plan to set up in the Civic Hospital area, Centretown, Alta Vista and wherever else an eager young entrepreneur is willing and there’s a need for a unique kind of snow removal service.

This way, we can truly give back to the community that has built us into who we are today.

If you’re interested in being served by the Snow Generals, feel free to reach us via any of the contacts below. We look forward to a fourth year being our best yet. See you all out there!

Phone: 613-981-8215, email Oscar. gorall@snow-generals.com, website www.snow-generals.com.

Oscar Gorall is a high-school entrepreneur who launched the Glebe Snow Generals snow-clearing service with partner Nick Crichton. They look forward to a successful fourth year with a growing clientele.

Before you know it, you’ll be waking up to this scene. Who you gonna call? The Glebe Snow Generals!

Welcome Back, Glebe students!

By Robin Small

As the halls of Glebe Collegiate Institute fill with energy once again, we are thrilled to welcome students, staff and families back for another exciting school year. This year promises to be especially memorable, as our community continues to grow and new opportunities for learning and leadership continue to blossom.

One of the most exciting additions to Glebe’s academic offerings is the brandnew Specialty High Skills Major (SHSM) in Athletic Leadership. This program will allow studentswith a passion for athletics, wellness and leadership to develop real-world skills, gain valuable certifications and explore careers in sports, fitness, coaching and recreation. The SHSM is designed to connect classroom learning with hands-on experience, helping students become leaders both on and off the field.

In the History department, our

News from Glebe Collegiate Institute An

continued commitment to the Walking Them Home project is providing students with a unique opportunity to engage deeply with local and national history. Through this project, students are becoming part of a living narrative. Our vibrant parent community has raised funds for new resources for our STEM clubs. Our Arts department is planning music nights and theatre opportunities. Our Co-operative Learning, Non-Profit SHSM, and Technology departments have formed wonderful community partnerships. Our Math and Business departments will continue to offer opportunities for student leadership.

This year, we are also proud to be welcoming an even larger student body. More families are selecting Glebe for its programs, the diversity of its community, its dedicated teaching and

coaching staff and the spirit of excellence that has long defined the school. With new students comes new energy, new perspectives and new opportunities to grow together.

As we begin this school year, Glebe remains committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and inspiring environment where every student can thrive. Whether it’s through academic innovation, leadership opportunities or meaningful projects, Glebe continues to live up to its reputation as a place

where students prepare not only for the future, but shape it.

Welcome back, Gryphons! Thank you to our amazing community for supporting students in co-operative learning placements, partnering with us on unique projects and playing a key role in the rich experiences we offer.

Robin Small is the principal of Glebe Collegiate Institute.

Chef Ric’s Café now open at the Taggart Family Y

By Louise Rachlis

The YMCA/YWCA on Argyle Avenue, celebrated the grand opening on September 3 of a second Chef Ric’s, a new partnership between The Ottawa Mission and the YMCA.

It has been created to provide YMCA residents, members and people who live and work nearby with “delicious, lowcost food, while supporting two important community organizations.” There is also an extensive catering menu.

The Ottawa Mission established the first Chef Ric’s in 2021 on Rideau Street in the historic Rideau Bakery site. Chef Ric’s is named after Chef Ric Allen-Watson, the Mission’s director of food services and founder of the Food Services Training Program, a culinary job training program designed to provide all the necessary culinary skills and certifications needed to excel in a commercial kitchen. The training is provided at no cost to those at risk of homelessness.

The new partnership allows the training program to grow in scope and class size, with the YMCA providing space at no cost for a storefront retail experience, an expanded prep kitchen and added classroom space for the students.

Drop by for take-home meals, daily breakfast specials and a variety of prepared food options.

Chef Ric’s at the Taggart Family Y is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. On weekdays, they serve breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while all-day breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. is offered on weekends.

Louise Rachlis is a painter and writer who lives in Old Ottawa East.

The grand opening of a new Chef Ric’s Café at the Y. PHOTOS: LOUISE RACHLIS

Messages without

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ART LENDING OF OTTAWA Art Show Buy or rent art by local artists Sept 20 10 a m -4 p m , Jim Durrell Recreation Centre (1265 Walkley Road)

COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS Performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream meets all Hallow’s Eve at the Gladstone Theatre Oct 2-4 This play is a unique twist on a Shakespeare classic, and boy does it have it all: unusual fairies, druidic dances, funny chase scenes – even a tuba! Directed by Cynthia Sugars and Paul Keen Come join in the fun! Tickets are free, and actors will pass around a hat for donations to support Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue and the Gladstone Theatre Tickets can be booked at thegladstone ca Contact csugars@uottawa ca for any info

DRAW THE LINE March for people, for peace, for the planet, Sat Sept 20 Ottawa start at 11 a m , corner of Elgin and Wellington streets Organized by a coalition of climate and social justice advocates for a family-friendly Climate March The purpose is to Draw the Line against deteriorating conditions for people, peace and the planet and to demand substantive action from our legislators Everyone join in!

GARDEN CLUB OF OLD OTTAWA SOUTH Next meeting Tues Oct 14, 7 p m , Gardening to Attract Birds and Butterflies Jana Freeman, a horticulturalist at Ritchie Feed & Seed, will share insights on the best native and climate-resilient plants to attract birds and butterflies to Ottawa gardens She’ll also discuss Food Web Gardening, a method that supports these species throughout their life cycles Additionally, she’ll cover ways to help declining bird populations

GLEBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (GCA) Next meeting Tues Sept 23, 7 p m , Glebe Community Centre

GLEBE HOUSE TOUR Sun Sept 21, 1-4 p m Explore how six homes breathe new life into older properties, followed by tea and baked goods at the GCC Tickets in advance: $40 plus HST & fees Tickets day of: $45 plus HST & fees

GNAG Annual General Meeting Wed Oct 22, 7 p m , Glebe Community Centre We will review and celebrate the amazing moments from last year, honour the 2024-25 board members and elect the new board for 2025-26 The public is welcome to join us

IRENE’S PUB 40TH ANNIVERSARY celebration, Sept 25-28 Thursday, 40 years of blues, free show at 7:30 p m Friday, staff picks, $30 entrance fee Saturday afternoon, folk sessions $20 entrance fee Saturday evening, country swing, $30 Sunday inside Irene’s, “Shanks presents ” Sunday block party, music festival on Regent Street, noon to 9 p m $40 Features an outdoor stage, food and beverage tents, beer garden, games area

MASSEY LECTURE by ALEX NEVE Oct 30, National Arts Centre The last of his five Massey lectures across Canada on human rights

OLD OTTAWA SOUTH ENVIROCREW “Big Collection of Recyclables,” Sat Oct 4, noon to 4 p m , Windsor Park (parking lot is at the east end of Windsor Ave off Riverdale) With collaboration of GCA Environment Committee Recyclables include egg cartons, milk bags (outer only, clean please), bread bags (no crumbs), bread & milk bag tabs markers, pens, crayons, sprinter cartridges, batteries, razors, blades and their plastic packaging, reusable shopping bags, compact fluorescent bulbs, mesh bags from onions, oranges, scrap metal, skin care & cosmetic containers, pull tabs from cans, contact lenses and packaging (ask for a collection bag in advance) envirocrewoos@gmail com

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, not to mention relaxed socializing See: www probusoav ca for more detailed information We will be meeting on Wed 24 Sept, 10 a m at Gloucester Presbyterian Church, 91 Pike Street, Ottawa for a presentation by Gary J Smith about the 1972 Canada–USSR hockey series

WALK FOR THE CENTRE Supporting Centretown Community Food Centre Oct 5, 1:30-4 p m , 2 or 4 km walks Festivities begin at 1:30 p m at Canadian Martyrs Church, 100 Main Street, with joyful music and inspiring speakers Pipers from the Sons of

Scotland band will lead the walkers off on the walk to Pretoria Bridge and west to the Queen

FOR SALE

SCHWINN FITNESS RECUMBENT EXERCISE BIKE 215P, $90 (was $800 new)

50 LEGAL SIZE HANGING FOLDERS Free 613-5940139

FREE PLANTS 4 large palm trees, eight feet high 613-230-5690

Pat Goyeche, coordinator of community programs

Elizabeth pathway

Abbotsford House celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 5 with a lively party in the sun, featuring line dancing, belly and jazz dancing, volleyball, live music and a delicious lunch. PHOTOS: LIZ MCKEEN

613-808-8763

P a i n t e r

+1 (613) 808-8763

info@edwardspainting ca

edwardspainting ca

Ottawa and surrounding areas

Welcome

Please call Jamie Nininger @ 613-852-8511.

ADAMS

613-978-5682 HOME RENOS AND REPAIR - interior/exterior painting;all types of flooring; drywall repair and installation;plumbing repairs and much more.

137 Second Avenue, Suite 2 Tel: 613-233-7771 Ottawa, ON K1S 2H4 Fax: 613-233-3442

Email: tedlupinski@rogers.com

“Crabapples on Holmwood” by Liz McKeen