Brace yourselves neighbours! We are in for about 10 years of construction traffic and noise now that the City has approved Lansdowne 2.0.
At the time of writing, the City had not yet signed the construction contract with EBC Inc. so the final construction schedule is not known. But we do know that the project will be carried out in three stages:
Now to 2028: Excavation of the toboggan hill and construction of a new arena/event centre.
2028 to 2030: Demolition of TD place and construction of new northside stands.
2030 onwards: Construction of a retail podium, residential towers, grand entrance and parking.
In the immediate future, we can expect fencing to go around much of the great lawn and toboggan hill, and some seats will be removed from the south-side stands. Excavation will begin shortly.
Increased truck traffic on Bank Street will be one of the biggest impacts of Lansdowne construction. During peak
periods, we will see up to 20 trucks an hour. The truck route is expected to be south from the 417 on Bank Street, right on Wilton Crescent, left on Queen Elizabeth Place and then left under the Bank Street Bridge, circling behind the south-side stands. When trucks are exiting the site, they will return to Bank Street via Wilton and head south on Bank Street through Old Ottawa South.
It goes without saying that the busy Bank-Wilton-Queen Elizabeth Place loop is already tricky to navigate. There will be flag people to direct traffic during construction hours, but there is no doubt that this route will cause a significant safety concern for pedestrians and cyclists and will be a pain point for drivers.
The City will provide more detailed information on the construction schedule and truck route once the construction contract is in place. A drop-in public information session will be held on Wednesday, December 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the TD Place Arena Concourse between Gates 2 and 3. Enter via Gate 2 off Exhibition Way or via the accessible entry at Gate 1 on Bank Street. Information will be posted on the Engage
Ottawa website as it becomes available. If you have immediate questions, please contact LansdowneRenewal@ Ottawa.ca.
June Creelman is chair of the Glebe Community Association’s Lansdowne Committee. She has followed the Lansdowne saga for many years.
LANSDOWNE 2.0 OPEN HOUSE
Wed, Dec 17, 6 to 8 p m TD Place
Arena, Concourse between Gates 2 and 3 Enter via Gate 2 off Exhibition Way or via accessible entry at Gate 1 on Bank Street Public info session on the redevelopment and construction of Lansdowne 2 0 City staff will be present to explain how Lansdowne 2 0 will be constructed and will be available to answer questions This is a drop-in session for residents and the public to meet the construction team, learn more about the project and upcoming construction milestones All information boards presented at the Public Information Session will be available online and posted to the Lansdowne 2 0 Engage Ottawa project page after the event, 2025
ISSUE: Friday, February 6, 2026 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: Monday, January 19, 2026
ARTWORK DEADLINE*: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
THE DENTAL OFFICE AT LYON
GLEBE
Andrew Fleck - Glebe Parents Day Care amalgamation a success despite initial controversy
By Nathan Cox
The amalgamation of Glebe’s community day care with Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, the Ottawa-wide childcare company, is now a done deal.
The change started in June 2024 when the board of the parent-run Glebe Parents Day Care on Fifth Avenue (GPDC) announced its decision to go ahead with the amalgamation, amid financial difficulties and looming threats that their class-three license might be revoked by the Ministry of Education.
The amalgamation also included the three other GPDC satellite daycares at Mutchmor, First Avenue and Hopewell schools.
Despite initial oppositon from some staff, parents and supporters, including a petition to stop the deal, Kim Hiscott, the chief executive officer of Andrew Fleck, insists things are now going smoothly.
“Things have settled,” she says, “things have settled significantly.” The parent board decided to approve the amalgamation, she added, after it realized its limitations.
“As [childcare] became more publicly funded, the accountabilities became so much greater,” said Hiscott. “The accountability to the city, to the provinces, everything was much more complex, so the board recognized that it was time, and they approached us.”
Patricia and Spencer Dunn, who have a child at the daycare and sit on a new parent advisory committee, agree the daycare operation had just grown too big for parents and volunteers
to handle.
“At the end of the day, it had grown to be this huge centre, and they just did not have the experience or the wherewithal to run it.”
As part of the amalgamation, Andrew Fleck, which runs 25 daycares across the city, offered voluntary buyouts to existing employees, many of whom had had spent their entire careers at the GPDC. About half the staff took the package and left.
“They were closest to retirement and maybe just weren’t interested in working under a different structure,” said Hiscott.
While there has been some structural change, Hiscott says most day-today operations remain the same. “The educators are still responsible for programming. They are still making decisions around what things to purchase for their program. They still figure out who should be on what shift, that kind of thing.”
One big plus has been recently completed upgrades at the Fifth Avenue location. They include foundational changes such as plumbing, heating, electrical and new windows along with cosmetic changes such as a new kitchen, changes to the infant age playroom and ongoing construction of the outdoor space.
The other three daycares in the Glebe and Ottawa South remain unchanged, but Andrew Fleck is looking to switch from catered food to the company’s standard in-house food preparation, which may require kitchen renovations at Hopewell and First Avenue schools.
One issue post-amalgamation problem has been finding enough qualified staff for kindergartners. Hiscott says it’s an issue across the daycare system that will require some innovation to solve. One idea under consideration is to bring in Algonquin College students to supplement full-time staff. “We’re looking to see if we could do some earn and learn options,” says Hiscott.
The Dunns admit the initial transition with staff was difficult – in their daughter’s room, there was only one holdover from the previous staff.
“Once amalgamation was definitely a go-ahead, a lot of the teachers just seemingly walked out overnight.”
But now they are happy with the new arrangement and say there’s no question they will send their newborn there as well as soon as she’s old enough.
“It’s been fantastic. The
communication is great. The educators are top tier. It’s good we’re getting a mix of people from different centres, different experiences. It’s just an overall better atmosphere too.”
Despite the change in governance, the four daycares still have only tierthree childcare licenses, reflecting a history of lower compliance with provincial childcare regulations. Only about 10 per cent of Ontario childcare programs fall into that category.
“It’s nothing to be proud of,” says Hiscott, adding that licensing inspections to get an upgrade have been good so far. “Unfortunately, it takes multiple years of going through relicensing before you can get rid of that (legacy).”
Nathan Cox is a journalism student at Carleton University.
Fifth Avenue Child Care Centre, formerly Glebe Parents Day Care, joined Andrew Fleck Children’s Services last January and provides care for families in the Glebe.
PHOTO: NATHAN COX
This is our investment in good memories
Live music and drinks at new Robo Lounge in The Clemow
By Jessica Jagodics
A coffee lounge and bar is set to open in early January inside The Clemow building at 275 Carling Ave. Robo Lounge will be a place where the community can gather to enjoy a wide range of drinks, food and live music.
Co-owners Scott May and Ali Fuentes have been working to create a welcoming atmosphere and a charming gathering place for friends and neighbours in the community. Every day at Robo Lounge will begin with fresh coffee and pastries. In the early evening hours, the lounge will offer a happy hour, with craft cocktails and wine available alongside light food options, and the music will begin.
“We wanted to have a coffee in the morning and music and an interesting place to hang out at night versus trying to open a coffee shop that tries to morph into a live music space,” May said.
May and Fuentes began their journey in 2016 by opening their first business, Bar Robo, to try to prove to people that Ottawa is not a boring city. Since then, they have put on thousands of shows. While their first location in Chinatown has closed, they have since opened a second Bar Robo at 170 Queen Street.
“The brand of Bar Robo was intended to dispel the idea that Ottawa is a boring predictable robotic city,” May said. Robo Lounge will be another way to
highlight the vibrant culture in Ottawa with local artists preforming at the venue regularly.
“Certainly, a city is much more livable if you have art and culture,” said May. “Think of the great cities of the world – Paris and the art galleries. I mean, Ottawa has a sleeper music culture. It has a really good centre of professional musicians in this city.”
Jazz and folk are among the genres that will be performed at the lounge by local artists. Scott says the lounge will provide musicians with the opportunity to build their experience.
“Musicians have a challenge to find venues that will support them,” he said, “and it’s not uncommon for musicians to flee to larger centres as they get more and more popular, so not only does it support those musicians that want to stay and play but it also supports the artistic growth of artists as well.”
The Bösendorfer grand piano on stage is one of the elements that Scott is most excited about as it will enhance the live music experience. The piano was acquired in collaboration with Carleton University’s music department.
“Their support has been incredible, and we’re happy to reciprocate by having their students come and use it,” Scott said. He noted that there will be dedicated nights for students to
perform at the lounge.
May wants the Robo Lounge to become a go-to place for people come together for live music. His goals, he says, are “to support the music ecosystem, become a hub for the community and the neighbourhood, have a comfortable place where people can come and hang out. I’d love to create a melting pot amongst the artists that live and work in this community so that we can spark some collaborative project.”
Fuentes has always wanted to own a coffee shop and hopes Robo Lounge will become a popular hangout.
“People are angry and aggressive lately and it’s nice to sometimes say we hope this is an escape from all that, “she said, adding that music should add to the vibe for customers. “Appreciate live music and the live music experience of some sort and leave a little less heavy. Your shoulders are down, maybe you have a smile on your face.”
May and Fuentes say support in the community has been strong, with many of their neighbours in The Clemow coming down to help prepare the venue for opening day.
“This is our investment in good memories,” Fuentes said.
Jessica Jagodics is a second-year journalism student at Carleton University and a reporter at The Charlatan.
The Bösendorfer grand piano is set up on the Robo Lounge stage, where local artists will play live music once the doors open.
PHOTOS: JESSICA JAGODICS
Co-owners Ali Fuentes (left) and Scott May stand at the bar of Robo Lounge, slated to open in the new year.
IVA APOSTOLOVA
CHRISTOPHER BABCOCK
PENNY BERTRAND
LUCY BOTTOMLEY
CLIVE BRANSON
DENISE CHONG
NATHAN COX
JOHN CRUMP
JOHN DANCE
ELLYN DUKE WATSON
TAMARA GLAVINOVIC
PAT GOYECHE
TOM GRACE
JULIE IRETON
CLARE JACKSON
JESSICA JAGODICS
MARTHA JEACLE
MAUREEN KORP
LINDSAY LARWILL
COOPER LOVE
CATHERINE MCKENNEY
SHAWN MENARD
BIJAN NOUROZI
CHRISTINE OSBORNE
RAFAL POMIAN
JOSH RACHLIS
LOUISE RACHLIS
SUE REIVE
KATE ROBERTS
MARISA ROMANO
SARAH ROUTLIFFE
BHAGWANT SANDHU
TOM SHERWOOD
PETER SIMPSON
LIZ SMITH
ROGER SMITH
DOROTHY SPEAK
MARK SUTCLIFFE
JIM THOMPSON
WENDY THOMSON
ELSPETH TORY
CATHERINE WATERS
TONY WOHLFARTH
ZEUS
Message from the Chair
Association Board of Directors
The Glebe is festive — Let’s make sure everyone feels it
By Bhagwant Sandhu
The holiday season – as we’ve grown accustomed to calling the latter part of December – is meant to be a time of celebration. It’s the stretch of the year filled with gift exchanges, shared meals, clinking glasses of eggnog or wine or whisky and visits with friends and family. It is, at its heart, about building community and staying warm together.
But as festive as this period can be, we know that not everyone experiences it equally. Some exceptions are obvious: people who are unhoused, those in hospitals, anyone facing barriers that make celebration difficult. We usually respond to these forms of hardship through community programs. What we talk about far less is a quieter kind of struggle, one that hides behind friendly faces, busy schedules and the illusion of connection.
It’s loneliness.
Loneliness doesn’t care about age, income, religion, ethnicity or social status. And it doesn’t always look like isolation; in fact, some of the loneliest moments occur in rooms full of people, at social gatherings or amid the bustle of everyday errands. It’s a subtle, silent force –sapping energy and dimming spirits – and it affects more of our neighbours than we might imagine.
As the board of The Glebe Report, whose mission is to strengthen the fabric of our neighbourhood, we want to acknowledge this reality openly. More importantly, we want to do something about it. Not with grand programs or sweeping campaigns, but
with the simple tools we already possess as neighbours: curiosity, kindness and a willingness to reach out. When you’re in a café and see someone sitting alone with a laptop or a book, consider walking over and asking, “Mind if I join you?” They may prefer solitude – and that’s perfectly fine – but they may also welcome your company.
When you’re standing in line at a local shop or walking down Bank Street, offer a simple greeting or ask someone how their day is going. When you pass neighbours putting up lights, shovelling snow or walking their dog, stop for a minute, have a chat. These small gestures are not intrusive; they are invitations to belong.
This holiday season, let’s make social connection a conscious practice. Treat your walks, errands and coffee breaks as moments of recognition, opportunities to weave tighter the threads of our shared community. Ask neighbours how they’re doing. Offer a smile. Make space. Share a conversation with someone who looks like they could use one – or if you could use one yourself.
If loneliness is a quiet force, let’s counter it with quiet generosity. Together, we can make this season brighter not just with decorations and celebrations, but also with the simple act of showing up for one another. And in so doing, advance the mission we share as a community.
Bhagwant Sandhu is chair of the board of directors of the Glebe Report Association, publisher of the Glebe Report
Ackerman-Katz Family, Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Aubry family, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Joanne Benoit, Carolyn Best, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Bridgett family, Bob Brocklebank, Ben Campbell-Rosser, Nico Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Henry, Abigail and Matthew Campbell, Claypool Family, JJ Comptois, June Creelman, Marni Crossley, Olivia, Maisy and Mark Dance, Dawson family, Richard DesRochers, Davies Family, Roslyn Demarsh, Marilyn Deschamps, DiekmeyerBastianon family, Dingle family, Delia Elkin, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, The Foo Family, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Marjolein Groenevelt, Ryleigh and Hayden Hendy, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jennifer Humphries, Sandiso Johnston, Tani, Pete & Bryce NisbetJones, Jungclaus Family, Elena Kastritsa, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Fenton & Cora Hui Litster, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Kathleen Larocque, Brams and Jane Leswick, Alison Lobsinger, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Andy Lunney, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Josephine & Elise Meloche, Julie Monaghan, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Diane Munier, Benjamin MunterRecto, Rafi & Ellie Naqvi, Imogen & Maddy North, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, Nicholas & Reuben Ott, Matteo and Adriano Padoin-Castillo, Finn Pedersen, Miles PersohnHough, Brenda Perras, Brenda Quinlan, Annabel and Joseph Quon, Kalia and Elijah Quon, Beatrice Raffoul, Frederick and Kasper Raji Kermany, Bruce Rayfuse, Kate Reekie, Thomas Reevely, Mary & Steve Reid, Jacqueline Reilly-King, Luke Robertson, Anna Roper, Frank Schreiner, Short family, Cathy Simons, Andrew Soares, Heidi Stelzl, Stephenson family, Elsie Sutherland, Cameron & Quinn Swords, Ruth Swyers, Tomlin Boys, John & Maggie Thomson, Tom Trottier, Trudeau family, Will, Georgie & Blaire Turner, Zosia Vanderveen, Veevers family, Carina and Matteo Vella, Nick Walker, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Hope, Jax and Ash Wilson, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Berkan Yazici, Martin Zak.
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
PROOFREADERS................ Martha Bowers, Jeanette Rive
AREA CAPTAINS................. Martha Bowers, Bob Brocklebank, Judy Field, Deb Hogan & Dave Yurach, Lynn & Dave Johnston, Elena Kastritsa, Brenda Perras, Julie Stephens, Della Wilkinson
The Glebe Report strives to be inclusive and to represent the full diversity of the community we serve.
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Glebe Report
Lansdowne 2.0: breach of trust or white elephant?
Editor, Glebe Report,
Re: “Lansdowne 2.0 approved,” Glebe Report, November 2025.
So. Lansdowne 2.0 is going ahead despite years of public protest, campaigns, surveys (60 per cent were against) and a damning auditor’s report. Mayor Sutcliffe and his councillor cronies who voted yes have appropriated $485 million (and more) from the people of Ottawa and put it directly in the pockets of the millionaire owners of OSEG. Our children and grandchildren will carry the debt. This is, plain and simple, a flagrant breach of trust.
Justifying his so-called leadership on this issue, Sutcliffe takes us for fools, offering laughable platitudes: “Lansdowne belongs to the people of Ottawa.” I commend Shawn Menard and his staff for their tireless efforts to stop Lansdowne 2.0. Shame on the councillors who betrayed the will of the people. Little wonder that no one has faith in government anymore.
Reading between the lines of the flawed Lansdowne 1.0 business plan, which was calculated to fail, it is obvious that the endgame of OSEG was always to get permission to build housing on the site. Council has granted its wish.
For 10 years, the Glebe has been treated as an instrument, a mere accessory to Lansdowne. Lied to about parking arrangements, we have been pummelled, sometimes daily, with Lansdowne events, ramped up year by year, leading to breach of noise bylaws, crowds, traffic, emissions, bumper-to-bumper parking on residential streets, parking violations ignored by bylaw officers, as well as preposterous demands that we widen our sidewalks, change our parking laws and alter our neighbourhood in other ways, to accommodate day trippers. Our neighbourhood has become unrecognizable. The owners of OSEG care nothing about this. They don’t live here.
Now, we face 10 years of construction. By what routes will trucks arrive at the site and where will the thousands of construction workers park? I suspect on the streets of the Glebe.
Dorothy Speak
Editor, Glebe Report
I can’t believe this Lansdowne 2.0 white elephant has been approved. It is estimated to cost taxpayers $419 million but will likely be more. We spend a vast amount of money to produce something that is forgettable, unimaginative and does little for the Glebe or for Ottawa. With that kind of money, at least put a dome over the existing stadium for year-round use.
When Lansdowne 1.0 was introduced, I proposed two ideas to thenmayor Larry O’Brien, to place Ottawa on the international map and generate revenue.
My first proposal was a music/ entertainment complex. The stadium would become a concert bowl with world-class studios and an underground amphitheatre for music teaching, recording, recitals and lecture halls, in a collaboration of school and professional music, sponsored by entertainment corporations. Chamberfest, Folkfest and other nonprofit organizations, who currently need to search for facilities for their concerts, could hold them here. The facility would include a cinema, a theatre, an above-ground stadium for basketball, tennis and similar tournaments, as well as restaurants and a hotel.
The second proposal was for a first sports school in Canada, dedicating resources to training professional team managers, scouts, coaches, agents, medical staff, general managers, etc. – a collaboration between Lansdowne and Ottawa and Carleton universities, sponsored by corporations. The surrounding fields would be used for practices. Underground would be classrooms, auditoriums, a lecture hall, a cinema for instructive films, a mini pool and a track surrounding a soccer pitch, as well as restaurants. This academic endeavour would appeal to local, provincial, national and international students.
Instead, we have Lansdowne 2.0, probably soon obsolete, with halfempty restaurants and retail stores and overpriced condos. I agree that the most interesting part of Lansdowne is the sculpture “Moving Surfaces” that is to be razed. Well done, Ottawa.
Clive Branson
Remember the mayor’s role in Lansdowne
Editor, Glebe Report
I was surprised to see Mayor’s Sutcliffe’s face beaming at me in an ad in the last Glebe Report. Then I remembered 2026 is the municipal election, and candidates are lining up early.
The mayor’s track record is not good for the Glebe community considering his huge influence on the Lansdowne 2.0 project. He influenced most of the rural councillors to vote for it with him, and considering the 15-10 yes vote, it would easily have gone the other way if he had voted against it.
Glebites now face the brunt of horrendous traffic jams, increased pollution and parking problems. not to mention loss of green space and the addition of two out-of-place 40-storey luxury highrises. Did I mention our taxes are bound to go up significantly to pay for the $420 million (and counting) expenditure the City will incur? I hope Glebites will remember Mayor Sutcliffe’s role in this costly and ill-conceived project that is Lansdowne 2.0.
Rafal Pomian
Corrections
Re: Glebe Report, October 2025, “How Lionel Britain Park – now in redevelopment – rose from the ashes 50 years ago”
Paragraph 16, first sentence should read: “Meghan Schreiner, the GCA Parks Committee’s representative for the park, used the park regularly for her children.”
Re: Glebe Report, November 2025, “Scarf and Jewellery Sale at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church”
The photo credit should be for Jane Oulton.
Babies of the Glebe 2025
Was your Glebe baby born in 2025?
If your Glebe baby was born in 2025, email to editor@glebereport.ca a high resolution digital colour photo suitable for print, your baby’s name and date of birth, both parents’ names, address and contact info (email or phone), which will not be published
Deadline to submit is January 19, 2026. The issue will come out Feb. 6, 2026.
Lansdowne –or separated sewers?
Editor, Glebe Report
One thing that seems to have been ignored in the approval of the $418plus million for Lansdowne is that much of the Glebe still has combined sewers, quite unlike Old Ottawa East and Old Ottawa South. This means, if I understand it correctly, that when there are major storms, we end up with sanitary sewage being mixed with storm sewage in quantities that can’t be processed. Thus, there are overflows into the Ottawa or Rideau rivers.
There may be a good technical reason for why the Glebe hasn’t been treated like OOS and OOE have with separated sewers but, at first glance, I’d say it is irresponsible to proceed with Lansdowne 2.0 when there seems not to be money for fixing the sewer problem. I may be missing something here, but it seems the city and mayor’s priorities are simply wrong. I think a massive storm retention reservoir is being created under the Great Lawn, but wouldn’t it have made more sense to get the sewer separation done?
John Dance Old Ottawa East
Business Buzz
Sandy’s Flowers & More, moved to 675 Bronson Avenue from Westgate Shopping Centre. Sandysflowersandmore.com.
Chris Green Stamps at 151 Second Avenue appears to be no longer in business.
Physiotherapy IQ Sports Clinic is now open at 117 Glebe Ave, unit 2. www. physiotherapyiq.ca.
Insomnia Cookies is now open at 142 Fifth Avenue, corner of Bank Street. “Cookies, ice cream, brownies and a whole assortment of delicious toppings.” www.insomniacookies.com
A Chipotle Mexican Grill location at 825 Exhibition Way in Lansdowne is now open.
The Effect Healing Collective at 151-D Second Avenue. info@theeffect.ca. Indigenous enterprise offering wholistic chiropractic, massage, nutrition, reflexology, osteopathy.
Eye Love Beauty Bar at 137 Second Avenue eyelovebeautybar.com. Specializes in personalized services for natural eyebrow shaping, lashes, makeup artistry and targeted skin treatments.
The Raven’s Den Tattoo Shop opening at 889 Bank Street. theravensdentattoo@gmail.com
Lotus of Siam coming soon to 925 Bank Street. Lotusofsiam.ca. Thai dining with contemporary vibes in the heart of the Glebe.
The Robo Lounge coming in January to The Clemow (see page 3).
Jocelyn Favreau was a childcare builder and innovator
By Jim Thompson with Penny Bertrand and Wendy Thomson
Jocelyn Favreau helped to raise hundreds, if not thousands, of Glebe kids during her 38-year childcare career. She was instrumental in creating the childcare facility on Fifth Avenue where many graduates of her care send their own children today.
Favreau died on November 10 after a lengthy illness, surrounded by people she loved. She was 74.
She was a nurse, a trained early-childhood educator and an ace baker. But mostly she was a childcare pro, devoting her working life to caring for kids in the Glebe. She never boasted or put herself out front. One former colleague remarked, “Jocelyn was great at being important in the background.”
Back in the mid 1970s when she started her career, there were few caregivers as credentialed as Favreau and some of her colleagues at the Glebe Parents Co-op. They were on the front line of the professionalization of the sector’s workforce, with Favreau leading the way.
Favreau and her colleagues loved what they did and quietly demanded the recognition they deserved. She was a steadfast supporter of CUPE Local 2204, the childcare workers union.
“Most of us had formal training, which was very different from most
other childcare of the day,” said friend and colleague Wendy Thomson. “We were so proud of the quality of our work with the children and the profession we were making for women in our sector.”
Favreau began and ended her childcare career at the Glebe Parents Co-op. Her working life spanned massive changes in the way our kids are cared for. She was a quiet leader of many of those changes here in Ottawa.
When Favreau joined the Glebe Parents Co-op a few years after it opened, it was still located in a multi-use space in the basement of the Glebe Community
Centre. This meant the childcare centre had to be dismantled and put away at the end of every day and re-assembled the next. All the furniture was on wheels, which meant the kids could push it around too. Yikes!
At the time, finding suitable space for a childcare centre was nearly impossible. Though the community centre gave the co-op an initial lifeline, the basement was an untenable situation in the long term.
It took several years, but Favreau and her husband Dave Hagerman did the impossible and willed a new childcare centre from the ground at the corner of Fifth and The Driveway where it exists to this day. As one of Canada’s first purpose-built childcare centres, it was revolutionary.
Together, they were the dynamic duo. In meetings with potential funders, Dave was the finance guy while Jocelyn was the credible voice in support of a modern vision of childcare. It wasn’t easy, especially because Favreau had to keep the centre running at the same
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Thank you for supporting your local family-owned
Favreau and her colleagues loved what they did and quietly demanded the recognition they deserved
time, but they eventually raised all the money needed even before they found a location for the centre. That took another year before the City of Ottawa entered into a 99-year lease agreement, providing a solid foundation for the community’s dream. A dream Dave and Jocelyn brought to life.
With the money and site in place, Jocelyn and Dave led a design process that gave maximum voice to the caregivers, so its design was child centred.
Amid the sometimes-chaotic environment of the centre, Favreau brought a calm, non-judgemental kindness to all she did and everyone she interacted with. She inspired trust from parents who placed their children in her care and love from the kids she looked after. Favreau was not an anything-goes kind of person; she had a no-nonsense streak that was guided by her deep sense of what was right and fair.
With a centre full of kids, there is no guessing what kind of mischief the wee ones could get up to, and they did! Favreau was the go-to person for most cuts, bumps and tantrums. Colleagues turned to her for reassurance that all would turn out fine. And it usually did.
After retiring in 2015, Favreau developed new interests. She spent happy afternoons watching Michael Runtz’s lectures about the flora and fauna of the area. She also took up painting, enrolling in Bhat Boy’s weekly classes in the basement of the Glebe Community Centre, the original home of the toddler room – her happy place.
Jim Thompson, Penny Bertrand and Wendy Thomson were friends and admirers of Jocelyn Favreau.
A plaque that hung in the Glebe Parents Cooperative Daycare, now known as the Andrew Fleck childcare centre
Jocelyn Favreau with kids at the Glebe Parents Daycare
Total Communication Environment understands and respects adults with disabilities
By Tom Sherwood
In 1979, Christine and Murray Wilson were a young couple living in the Glebe when they founded Total Communication Environment (TCE) to create a home and a future where adults with developmental disabilities could be understood and respected. Their son Jamie was one of the first three residents in the first group home.
Christine died in 2019, but her legacy lives on, and so do Jamie and TCE.
Her legacy was celebrated on November 22 at Centrepoint Theatre when hundreds of people joined in an evening of reflection and celebration, featuring the premiere of the Christine Wilson Legacy Documentary, a film that tells the story of 45 years of vision and courage. The evening honoured Christine and Murray, and their belief in dignity and belonging for all individuals.
A second highlight of the evening was the premiere of No Day Wasted, the video documentary of a collaborative music project with Carleton University’s Jesse Stewart and several TCE residents.
Stewart is another Glebe resident making a positive contribution to our society. His We Are All Musicians program has been featured in magazine and newspaper articles. He uses technology and his own musicality to help people overcome obstacles to musical expression. For example, he worked with a woman in the w who could control no muscles in her body other than her eye muscles. Using motion detectors and a set of chimes, he allowed her to play music . . . using her eyes.
Earlier this year, Stewart connected a group of his Carleton students with several TCE residents in a song-writing project. Working together, they wrote lyrics and composed music together for an original song, No Day Wasted, which they performed before an audience at the Dominion-Chalmers Centre.
It is striking to me that I first met both Christine Wilson and Jesse Stewart through Glebe St. James United Church, another “good citizen” in our Ottawa neighbourhood.
Since 1979, TCE has grown from a single home to a network of neighbourhood residences and day supports across the city, serving more than 90 individuals and their families. For example, Herb and Wendy Westman live on Glebe Avenue and are the parents of 56-year-old Kristi who lives in a four-person TCE home. Despite Kristi’s cluster of health issues, they can enjoy each other with regular outings in the Glebe, supported by TCE.
TCE’s culture of belonging has been
strengthened by strong relationships with families, staff, neighbours and local partners. The organization has always believed that community is not defined by geography alone, but by connection, contribution and shared experience. This principle has guided TCE through major system and culture shifts. Think how many different provincial governments we have had in 45 years. Think about how the vocabulary for discussion of disabilities has changed. Through it all, the Wilsons’ values remained the TCE compass.
The 45-year timeline showcased at the Legacy event reflected a dynamic engagement from the early days of building trust and stability, to opening new homes, to expanding communication supports, to pioneering person-centred planning, to the current era of creative programming, wellness initiatives and cross-community partnerships.
I see the inclusiveness every week in the Adaptive Fitness class that I lead for
TCE residents. It is trilingual: French, English and American Sign Language. The Legacy Night was not only a celebration of the past but also a renewed call to protect a culture built on dignity, belonging, fairness and the belief that everyone has a place in their community.
Caregivers are somehow both essential and undervalued in our society, a fact that was addressed at the Canadian Caregiving Summit held at the Chateau Laurier on November 3 and 4. The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, which organized the summit, has lobbied federal parties, advocating a National Caregiving Policy. It has organized a Caregiving Caucus of elected officials who have pledged to work toward such a policy. Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi is one of the original members.
The next frontier for people with disabilities may be society’s realization that caregivers are part of Canada’s infrastructure, as essential as highways and bridges, airports and public transit, the power grid and clean water. Twenty-five per cent of the Canadian work force can go to work because there is a caregiver looking after their family member back home. Canada works because caregivers work.
That may be a new idea for some people, but it is congruent with something that started around a family kitchen table in the Glebe 45 years ago. TCE now has a long and celebrated history that points to a future when more people will care about caring.
Tom Sherwood is a retired minister, university professor and the parent of a TCE resident.
From left, Lindsay, Anna Marie, Brenda and Gareth, with musician Jesse Stewart
Former Senator from the Glebe honoured by Japan
By Roger Smith
Retired Senator Jim Munson, a longtime resident of the Glebe, was honoured by Japan in late November for his work during five years as co-chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group.
In a ceremony at the Japanese Embassy, in front of more than 100 people, including family, friends, diplomats, senators and MPs, Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi conferred on Munson the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
“It is an honour to award this prestigious decoration and celebrate Munson-san’s incredible contributions to the promotion of friendly relations and mutual understanding between Canada and Japan,” the ambassador said. “Allow me to personally thank you for your precious commitment to Japan-Canada relations.”
The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875 by the Japanese Emperor to recognize service to the state. There are six levels – the Gold and Silver Star is the second highest, and it has also been awarded to past co-chairs of Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group.
“I am so deeply grateful to receive one of your country’s most prestigious awards,” said Munson in his acceptance speech, noting the personal bond he had formed while working with the Japanese on issues like trade, nuclear safety and the environment.
“In my search to understand Japan, I like to believe I felt its soul, its values. Whether I was in Fukushima, the site of the nuclear power plant disaster, or laying a wreath in Hiroshima, I was
moved to tears.”
Munson also joked about “baseball diplomacy,” pointing out that Canadian fans had huge respect for the Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, despite the heartbreak they inflicted by beating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.
Looking on proudly were Jim’s wife and closest advisor, Ginette, and their two sons –Jamie is a journalist and Claude is a musician.
Munson was a reporter for CTV, bookending two stints in Ottawa around assignments as a foreign correspondent in London and Beijing. A victim of network layoffs in 2001, he worked in the Prime Minister’s Office under Jean Chretien. In late 2003, Chretien appointed Munson to the Senate where he spent almost 18 years, focusing on issues like autism, Special Olympics and relations with Japan before retiring on his 75th birthday in 2021.
Former deputy prime minister John
TESKEY I CARTWRIGHT I KEELEY
Manley praised Munson’s work in the PMO and the Senate, saying “I have to be careful what I say” because there were senators in the room. “There are senators who just go along for the ride,” he said, “but you, Jimmy, were a senator who got things done.”
(Full disclosure: I am a former colleague and close friend of Munson and also had the honour of speaking. I spared neither praise nor “short” jokes – Jim stands five-foot-four on tiptoes but, as he likes to say, “pound for pound, inch for inch,” he packs a lot of power, for his size.)
The dignity and emotion of the conferment ceremony gave way to a celebration over sushi, saki and music. Ambassador Yamanounchi, an accomplished musician, played Let It Be on the piano (he also plays guitar) while Munson and his former colleague, Senator Pierrette Ringuette, sang along.
One of the most touching moments involved Michael Trinque, a 37-yearold with Down Syndrome who worked for Munson for 15 years in the Senate – the two of them still go regularly to movies together. Michael’s first love is Pokémon; having heard Munson mention that in his speech, the ambassador sent staff to retrieve something from the cultural section, then called Michael on stage and presented him with a special Pikachu, his favourite character. A wideeyed Michael grabbed the microphone, announced he was going to do an impression of another Pokémon character called Charizard, let out a roar, then gave back the mic. The crowd’s laughter was as loud as its applause.
Roger Smith is a former broadcast and print journalist and a friend of Jim Munson’s, as well as the Glebe Report’s copy editor and occasional writer.
~50% of Elmwood grads pursue STEM. Enhanced
Every detail, from curriculum to the structure of her day, is designed with purpose.
The result? Nearly half of our graduates pursue STEM at university, far above the national average. At Elmwood, she doesn’t just imagine her future; she builds it.
hours in
+ numeracy
Specialist teachers in French, art, music, and more
IB Diploma scores consistently exceed global benchmarks
Average class size: 15; student–faculty ratio 6:1
103 co-curricular, spanning academics, athletics, and the arts
Jim Munson and his wife and closest advisor Ginette PHOTOS: FRANCOIS BISSON
Japanese Ambassador Kanji Yamanoutchi awards former Senator Jim Munson with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
The Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Temporary wartime buildings at Dow’s Lake
By Sue Stefko
The new parking garage for the Ottawa Hospital Campus, going up on what used to be a park and a parking lot, is taking a lot longer to build than the two wartime timber buildings that were thrown up on that site during the Second World War.
As the public service tripled to 36,000 during the war, the city needed additional facilities to support its rapidly increasing workforce. Land was carved out of the Central Experimental Farm to construct two so-called “Temporary Buildings.”
Number 5 Temporary Building was built in 1941 and Number 8 was completed in December 1942 and expanded in 1944. They were two of Ottawa’s 18 Temporary Buildings (though some sources only note 14 such buildings).
Built at a rapid pace – some in a matter of weeks – the timber structures were quickly assembled and surprisingly robust. Their lack of insulation, however, led to frequent complaints from employees about sweltering heat in summer and frigid conditions in winter. Most structures incorporated courtyards to admit light and promote air circulation; when viewed from above, their orderly, block-like layouts made them look like bricks.
Despite the important work taking place inside these buildings, local media coverage often focused on their cafeterias. Because the site was considered remote, it was felt that “lowwage” workers had neither the time to go into town for lunch nor the means to buy nutritious meals. To address this, Mrs. Donald Gordon, known for running the Eight Bells Cafeteria for the Women’s Naval Auxiliary, was tasked with establishing cafeterias on site.
Menus and pricing were frequently noted in local newspapers and with proceeds going to the Red Cross, even modest price increases prompted allegations of profiteering. Mrs. Gordon defended the operation, noting that volunteer labour kept costs comparatively low. The controversy peaked in May 1943, when employees in Building 5 protested the rise in meal prices – from 35 cents to about 50 cents – and argued that the cafeteria ought to serve and support war workers rather than function as a fundraising arm for the Red Cross.
Allegations of rudeness from Mrs. Gordon and her staff further fuelled the debate, with some volunteer cafeteria workers countering that they were not prepared to give their services for free to provide low-cost meals to disgruntled, discourteous employees. It all culminated in Mrs. Gordon’s abrupt resignation from the Building 5 cafeteria – a sensational topic in local papers, sparking letters to the editor and heated public debate.
Coverage of the cafeterias also provided insight into the employees working in the buildings. In 1945, for example, it was reported that 700 government employees were served lunch in Building 5 daily. Initially, Air Force
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and Army staff were the building’s primary occupants. Some Air Force staff were removed from the building in 1944 to make way for the newly formed Veterans Affairs department and the Ottawa District Income Tax Office. By war’s end, civilian departments like unemployment services, the Auditor’s Department and Ottawa’s Emergency Shelter had moved in. Post-war rumours about turning the space into housing for homeless veterans proved unfounded, and civilian office use expanded further to include employees from the entomology branch of Agriculture, the Taxation Data Centre and the Insurance Branch.
Building 8 was larger, housing approximately 4,600 at its peak. The Air Force was a significant tenant along with Veterans Affairs, Geological Survey and the Bureau of Statistics, among other departments. Controversy flared again in 1956 over the site’s “unreasonable remoteness,” this time sparked by the relocation of the Patent Office to Building 8, which made visiting the search rooms markedly more difficult.
By 1979, the government deemed these temporary buildings obsolete and no longer required. Both were sold to Quebec-based companies interested in salvaging the old-growth cedar timber. After a fire due to suspected arson, the buildings were demolished in 1980. The government promised in a cabinet decree that the land would always remain open space. Building 5’s site, later a National Capital Commission parking lot, was slated for sodding (which apparently never happened), while Building 8, which was supposed to return to the Central Experimental Farm, became Queen Juliana Park. Both the park and the parking lot disappeared to make space for the new hospital parking garage.
Sue Stefko is vice-president of the Glebe Annex Community Association and a regular contributor to the Glebe Report.
1958 Aerial view of the site, with the larger building Number 8 on the left.
SOURCE: CITY OF OTTAWA, GEOOTTAWA
Temporary Building Number 8.
SOURCE: CITY OF OTTAWA ARCHIVES, CA021401
Winter fun with GNAG!
I’ve always loved December, with its crisp mornings, twinkling lights and the quiet magic of fresh fallen snow. This time of year reminds me of the generosity, connections and moments of joy that make GNAG special.
None of our successes would be possible without you. To every restaurant that donates to Taste in the Glebe, every local business that sponsors our events, every staff member who goes above and beyond and every volunteer who gives the precious gift of their time: Thank you. Your support fuels everything that we do.
Much of our fundraising comes from events we host throughout the year – the Glebe House Tour, Taste in the Glebe, Trivia Night and the Craft Fair, to name a few. Local partners –businesses, restaurants, and community groups – also play a vital role in supporting our Community Development Fund. For example, the Glebe Central Pub’s Charity Golf Tournament recently raised $1,480. We are deeply grateful for this ongoing generosity.
With this strong foundation, we’ve been able to reinvest in programs that make a meaningful difference. Over the past three years, we’ve expanded our financial assistance program, helping more children and families participate in camps and classes. Our Integration Program for children with exceptionalities now includes a third Summer Camp staff member and offers enhanced year-round opportunities, ensuring children have the support
Sarah Routliffe
they need to fully enjoy GNAG programs in every season.
A newer initiative, the Community Outreach Subsidy, has opened doors for groups from local charities and health centres to join activities such as pottery classes, creating new connections and experiences for people who might not otherwise have access.
The impact is real. Between 2023 and 2025, we invested $101,920 back into the community. This year, we’ve budgeted an additional $91,000 to continue supporting assistance programs and to renovate the Youth Room at the Glebe Community Centre. Seeing a child light up during a pottery class or watching friends cheer each other on at camp reminds us why this work matters. I am truly proud to invest back into a community that invests so generously in us.
Winter Program Registration
Winter registration opened on December 9, and there’s still time to sign up. Browse our full program guide at www.gnag.ca.
Parents, don’t forget that March Break Camp registration is now open, and spots are filling up fast! This year, we’re offering all our favourite Odyssey Camps for a range of ages, along with a few specialty camps, including Art & Pottery for grades 1 to 3, with Anna Macquistan and Cooking with Tanis for grades 4 to 6.
There are still a few spots left in our
JAMES McCULLOCH LAWYER IN THE GLEBE
Winter Break Camp. This year, we’re offering flexible options: register for all four days or choose daily registration to fit your family’s schedule. Camp days are December 22-23 and December 29-30 – don’t miss out on the fun!
Craft Fair - Thank You!
This year’s Craft Fair raised an incredible $11,129 for the Community Development Fund. We thank all the crafters who participated; it was a fantastic event. And a heartfelt thank-you to committee members Clare Davidson Rogers, Clare Pearson, Jasmine Fenn
and Paige Anderson for their months of planning and dedicated support.
See you in 2026!
GNAG staff will be taking a well-deserved break over part of the holidays, and the Glebe Community Centre will be closed, so please check our website or social media before heading over. From all of us at GNAG, we wish you a season full of laughter, cozy moments and the joy of being with the people who make your world brighter. May your holidays be full of magic and plenty of fun.
The GNAG Team! From left, Tanis Hodder, Erica Nowlan, Clare Davidson Rogers, Jason Irvine, Sarah Routliffe, Paul O’Donnell, Lauren Kirk and Peter Wightman
John Crump President, Glebe Community Association www.glebeca.ca
GCA has issues on the go
(By Catherine Waters, GCA vice-president)
Lansdowne 2.0
At the GCA board meeting November 28, Hannah Tellier from Councillor Shawn Menard’s Office updated the board on the issues relating to the Glebe and Capital Ward. She spoke about the City Council’s recent vote to approve the Lansdowne 2.0 project, and relayed the disappointing news that Ottawa’s PWHL team, the Charge, has confirmed that they will not play in the planned new arena due to the much-reduced seat capacity. The community will truly miss the Charge at Lansdowne.
The board also discussed other issues related to Lansdowne construction, including the impact of noise, trucks and traffic issues and access to Lansdowne businesses. Please see page 1 for construction plans and keep your eyes open for articles in the Glebe Report over the coming months updating residents on the construction timelines and plans for Lansdowne, including an open house to be held in December. The board voted to thank Councillor Menard for his dedicated hard work on behalf residents to influence the Lansdowne development and mitigate the negative impacts.
Glebe BIA – strengthened relationship with the GCA
The GCA is working with the Glebe BIA on some key issues of common interest. Darrell Cox, executive director of the Glebe BIA, was welcomed as part of a shared effort to improve communications and strengthen relations between the GCA and the BIA. Cox reported on a number of live issues that the BIA is working on, including events and initiatives underway to make the Glebe an attractive and lively place to shop. The BIA has taken steps to increase the space for shoppers, visitors and residents to relax together along and near Bank Street, including comfortable chairs, sidewalk cleaning and façade improvements.
The GCA and BIA also discussed the City’s Bank Street Active Transportation
and Transit Priority Feasibility Study and its effect on parking, cycling and bus transit on Bank. We discussed how residents – as opposed to people travelling through the Glebe – will be affected as pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.
Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study
The City’s Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study is designed to accommodate different users of the narrow stretch of Bank Street from Chamberlain in the north to the Bank Street bridge in the south. The study aims to balance the wishes of businesses and residents of the Glebe with those of people on buses, bikes, on foot and in cars. In effect, the plan is to limit some parking on Bank Street near the intersection with Fifth Avenue, improve bus lane usage and ultimately to improve bike traffic on O’Connor and Percy streets. Details can be found on the Engage Ottawa site at engage.ottawa.ca/bank-street-active-transportation-and-transit-priority-feasibility-study.
The GCA board passed a motion indicating that it does not oppose the measures outlined in the study, but it is pushing for the study of cycling infrastructure and also for some new measures to improve pedestrian safety and ease.
Noise Issues at The Clemow
The GCA board had an update on the noise problems generated by the air conditioning at The Clemow. Though the cold season has stopped the immediate problem for nearby residents, the lull has only confirmed to residents the stress and harm they feel when the air conditioning unit is going. It was reported that there is still no move by building owner KTS to meet with the community, despite its assurances and promises when the residents agreed to suspend their demonstration earlier in the fall.
The community has asked for assurances that the City’s final noise study looks at the wider geographic area covering the Glebe avenues both before and after mitigation, and to look at how measures taken elsewhere to mitigate disruptive noise, such as “noiseless” fans, could be implemented at The Clemow.
Next meeting
The GCA board will not meet in December due to the holiday season; its next meeting will be Tuesday, Janu ary 27, at 7p.m. using Zoom.
Until then, we wish you happy holi days and a happy new year!
City budget – small wins, big picture concerns
The draft budget was released on November 12. Throughout November and early December, each City Council committee receives their section of the budget for discussion, debate, public delegations, amendments and approval. By the time you read this, the full budget will have been debated, amended and voted on by City Council on December 10.
I understand that for many people, budget debates may seem unexciting. Certainly, most residents do not spend spare time poring over spreadsheets or checking line-by-line spending. But the budget is one of the most important decisions Council will make, each and every year. That’s why it’s important to approach it with focus and thoughtfulness.
Ward Consultation
Back in April, our office held a townhall on the state of the ward and on the City budget with 150 residents in attendance. We had management from various city departments there to hear directly from residents. And on
November 25, we co-hosted a public information session with three other south-end councillors. We take public suggestions seriously and use them to advance ward priorities.
Big Picture Concerns
Our office has concerns about the financial direction of the City. For years, City Council has been approving wasteful, long-term spending projects and adding significant debt, like Lansdowne 2.0, urban sprawl and the Tewin lands, tax breaks to developers and car dealerships, public-private partnerships (such as the LRT) which come with high legal bills and costly road expansions.
If we are to keep taxes in check (of which urban residents pay a disproportionate share), we need to focus our spending on reasonable basic service improvement for residents and quality of life priorities, not extravagant mega projects.
New Quality-of-Life Improvements
We’ve worked hard to advance a number of important projects in Capital Ward in this budget which can improve the day-to-day life of residents.
We will see improvements made to our parks and community facilities. We will see improvements to the Brantwood Park Field House and playground equipment. The tennis courts at Chamberlain Park will be resurfaced.
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Shawn Menard
Councillor, Capital Ward N 613-580-2487 www.shawnmenard.ca
Improvements will also be made to the Old Ottawa South Fire Hall and the Glebe Community Centre; there will be further assessment of the Windsor Park Field House and upgrades to Brewer Arena.
Our roads will see improvement, as well. There is new funding for road reconstruction for the Bullock-Toronto-Rideau Gardens-Elliott project and the Greenfield-Echo-Concord-Montcalm project, in addition to other ongoing projects. There will also be funding for resurfacing on Clementine and Ohio.
There will be funding for design work for Bank Street in Heron Park, Brookfield-Carlsen-Clover-Chasseur-Kaladar, Chamberlain-Isabella and Glebe and Lyon.
I’m also happy to say that a new median bus rapid transit facility from Algonquin Station to Billings Bridge, as part of the Baseline Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, will advance. There is improvement coming to the Hurdman Station layby, the Smyth Station south entrance and the pedestrian facilities at Billings Bridge Station.
You can find a full list of budget projects at www.ShawnMenard.ca/ Budget2026.
Under-18 U-Pass
At the time of writing this, my team and I are also working on a motion to give free transit for youth in Ottawa
under 18. This stems from a motion I passed at the Transit Commission during last year’s budget deliberations, directing staff to explore the feasibility of the development of the equivalent to a U-Pass for students under 18. This year, we will be seeking minor investment to offer free transit to all riders under 18 on weekends, evenings and during the summer. It would use existing capacity in the system, which means it can be done at a very low cost for the City. Currently, a family of four taking a round-trip excursion on transit could pay as much as $32.
Such a change would offer safety enhancement, greater flexibility and affordability to children and families as they go to jobs, to extra-curricular activities, to visit family and friends or just to explore our city. It would offer a more economical, more sustainable and more efficient way for youth to get around our city and would complement the U-Pass I campaigned to bring to the city for post-secondary students years ago.
Encouraging transit ridership at a young age can help instill a culture of transit ridership in this city, and that will pay great dividends for years and generations to come.
My team will remain vigilant in pushing for small quality of life improvements for residents as a priority while pressing for a more responsible fiscal vision for the city.
Rideau Winter Trail –extending our reach
By Martha Jeacle
Last winter marked an exciting new chapter for the Rideau Winter Trail as we were finally able to realize a longheld dream: extending the groomed trail network south, continuing under Bank Street all the way to Vincent Massey Park. This pilot extension represented a major milestone for our volunteer-run initiative, connecting more communities and expanding access to outdoor winter activity along one of Ottawa’s most scenic corridors.
The response from trail users was overwhelmingly positive. Families, skiers, walkers, fat bikers and snowshoers all embraced the opportunity to explore this new stretch, enjoying the peaceful river views. People told us how much they appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a safe, accessible and welcoming space so close to the heart of the city.
Our goal is to make this extension a permanent feature of the trail. However, maintaining this extension presents new challenges for our small but dedicated team of volunteers. The stretch between Bank Street and Vincent Massey Park includes some narrow passages and terrain features that are difficult to navigate with our current fleet of grooming equipment. While our existing machines have served us well on the main trail, they are not ideally suited for these tight spaces and
specific grooming requirements.
We are seeking to upgrade and expand our equipment so we can continue to deliver a high-quality experience for all trail users while protecting the surrounding environment. The right tools will allow us to groom more efficiently, respond more quickly to changing weather and ensure that the extended section remains safe, smooth and enjoyable.
Our vision is simple but powerful: to provide a continuous, well-maintained winter trail that connects even more people to nature, community and active living, with easy access to the Carleton University community via the “new” pedestrian bridge.
With the support of our partners, sponsors and trail users, we can make the extension to Vincent Massey Park a permanent and reliable feature, one that enriches Ottawa’s winter landscape for years to come. If you’d like to volunteer to help with the RWT, please email volunteers@rideauwintertrail.ca.
Martha Jeacle is a volunteer with the Rideau Winter Trail.
Thoughts on housing from a young whippersnapper
By Christopher Babcock
I am 25 years old, and I have loved the Glebe ever since I moved here three years ago. I share a pre-war house on Fifth Avenue with four other young professionals. Most of us are in the process of moving from university to work, and I recently began a career with the federal government. By cleaning, cooking, and shopping together, we have made life infinitely better for one another. We also share a single car.
By splitting rent five ways I have been able to afford to live in the Glebe, with all its benefits: the community, the canal, Lansdowne, proximity to downtown, the local parks and small businesses. Yet the sad reality is that Glebe housing will be unaffordable for me once I start a family.
Housing debates in the Glebe seem to be driven by retirees or late-career professionals, many of whom are very knowledgeable and care deeply about their community. The voices of young people are often unheard.
Some in the Glebe have spoken against dense forms of housing such as apartments, low-rises, condos and duplexes. A letter to the editor in the August Glebe Report argued against rental units by stating: “It is important that we offer the next generation a chance at home ownership and give our young families a path forward to a sound investment in their future retirement.” While this is an admirable
sentiment, it does not reflect the way that most young people think about housing and retirement.
Dense forms of housing do not threaten the ability of young people to own a future home. Instead, they allow us to save money, avoid long commutes and live in proximity to the services we need. Of course, the Glebe is already one of the densest areas of Ottawa, and new housing comes with trade-offs. There are legitimate reasons to object to projects such as Lansdowne 2.0. However, resistance to new housing should be the exception, not the norm.
Young people want a market in which housing is an accessible right, not a way of building retirement equity. Since 1981, housing prices have risen seven times faster than wages. This is not sustainable, yet it is what the logic of retirement investment demands. When housing becomes an investment, homeowners are incentivized to drive the price of housing higher to create a seller’s market.
Zoning laws and bylaws are used across Canada to restrict the development of new housing and protect pristine neighbourhoods. The results are predictable: housing becomes a scarce good, and prices climb. According to a Scotiabank survey, 58 per cent of Gen Zs now believe that buying a house is unattainable. And it’s not for lack of saving – data from TD Bank and Statistics Canada show that Gen Z saves more for retirement than millennials did at
that age. If current trends continue, home ownership will be utterly out of reach for our own future children.
As Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue in their bestseller Abundance, the irony is that progressive cities in North America talk big on affordable housing but fail to deliver. The same is true of Ottawa. We claim to care about homelessness and poverty, but we lag the rest of the nation when it comes to building. Last year we started only 7,871 homes in a city of 1.5 million. Calgary, a city of 1.7 million people, had almost double our number of housing starts per capita from January to June this year.
I strongly believe that older generations care about people my age. You raised us, loved us, sent us to school and have high hopes for us. I see this in the twinkle in your eye when you talk about your children and grandchildren. My hope is that we can partner together to build a city in which everyone can afford to live side-by-side. This is not a zero-sum game, nor a binary choice between detached homes and ugly monoliths. We can work together to fast-track townhouses, low-rises and multi-unit renovations. Protecting heritage buildings and parks is important, but turning parking lots or aging buildings into denser housing should be met with a reflexive “yes.”
In addition to saying “yes” to new homes in the Glebe, we need to support similar policies across the city. Together, we can greenlight affordability by building the “missing middle” homes. More middle-density housing will mean shared (and therefore lower) infrastructure costs, less homelessness, better public transit, a more sustainable city and an ability to welcome more newcomers and children. Will you give a young whippersnapper a hand up?
Christopher Babcock shares a house in the Glebe and hopes to be able to afford to buy a home here in the future.
The Glebe is a great place to live, if you can afford it. PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER BABCOCK
Help Santa Toy Parade
This year’s Help Santa Toy Parade took place on November 22, a beautiful sunny day, following a new route along Queen Elizabeth Driveway to Lansdowne. A young crowd of thousands provided enthusiastic help to Santa.
Photos: Liz McKeen
HOGMANAY CEILIDH 2025
By Liz Smith
From the Streets of Edinburgh into the heart of the Glebe!
We are bringing the magic of Edinburgh’s fabled New Year’s Eve celebration, Hogmanay, right into the heart of the Glebe this year at Blessed Sacrament Church Hall. With an intimate capacity of 350, book early and expect to share all the energy of Scotland’s capital packed into one unforgettable night!
Entertainment to keep you dancing
Anna Ludlow – Nova Scotia-born, Ottawa-based musician, Anna weaves traditional Cape Breton and Scottish style Celtic fiddle music with contemporary sounds. Anna was the winner of the 2020 Ottawa Capital Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year.
Bang on the Ear – From Ontario’s Celtic heartland, Glengarry County, bringing their signature highenergy sound.
Ottawa Highland Dance Association – Talented dancers will perform early in the evening to set the festive tone.
Inspired by the street celebrations of Scotland, we’ll have an indoor street truck serving hearty fare to fuel your ceilidh spirit all night long. Among the many choices from the “truck,” we can assure you we’ll be serving haggis and other classic belly warmers from Ottawa’s Scottish and Irish store.
Whether you’re Scottish by heritage or simply by heart, this is your chance
to celebrate tradition, music and community. Dress in your tartan – though that’s not mandatory! – grab your dancing shoes, and join us for a ceilidh to remember! In case you’re wondering, a ceilidh, pronounced “kay-lee”, is a Gaelic word for a party with music, dancing and often storytelling.
So, let’s welcome in 2026 together with the warmth of this Scottish tradition. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
For Glebites, the celebrations are just a walk away; for others, the bus ride is
free (thank you OC Transpo!) Alternatively, there’s ample street parking and a nearby City of Ottawa parking garage.
Scottish-style New Year’s Eve – December 31
Blessed Sacrament Hall, 194 Fourth Avenue
Doors open 5:30 pm
Tickets: $85
Children 12 and under: Free admission (ticket required)
Tickets on sale now from the Scottish Society of Ottawa at ottscot.ca.
Please note that this will be a cashless event. Debit and credit only!
Liz Smith, born on Scotland’s east coast, has attended a few ceilidhs and Hogmanay celebrations in her day and particularly recommends attending this version in the Glebe! She is the communications director for the Scottish Society of Ottawa.
Glebe Video
A story of catalogue and comfort
By Iva Apostolova
Glebe Video will soon close its doors after 40 years.
It was the start of the second year of my PhD studies at the University of Ottawa, and I was feeling homesick. I had just taught my first course, which kept me busy, but Ottawa can be cold and grey and unwelcoming at times. Streaming services weren’t quite a thing like they are now, and I was desperate for a taste of something familiar.
So, I took a suggestion from a fellow grad student. He said that I may be able to find something in the Glebe to soothe my European soul. Next thing I knew, I was walking on Bank Street between Second and Third avenues, climbing the stairs toward this mysterious video store, tucked away on top of a pub, that I was nothing short of sceptical about. No, they didn’t have an online catalogue, which I thought was for sure a red flag. And they were ancient –around since 1985, for God’s sake!
The place wasn’t what I had expected at all! Instead of a dishevelled mess lorded over by an apathetic store guardian, I was greeted by two older gentlemen, busy organizing returned DVDs in an immaculate backroom. There was a funky Fellini clock on the wall and an old TV that was playing movies on a loop. When I was finally able to look around the several spacious rooms, I was dumbfounded by the endless stacks of DVD covers that went all the way up to the ceiling.
One of the quietly friendly fellows
immediately inquired about what had brought me there. I was so relieved that I immediately confessed the reason for my visit. The spark in his eyes was unmistakable. Wait, he said, let me show you our international collection. In the middle of a large room, there was a catalogue table for Russian films only. I am not just talking about the six token Tarkovsky movies that have made their rounds on the festival circuits –I found myself flipping through several hundred titles ranging from such classics as the 1925 Battleship Potemkin to obscure action flicks that I never thought I would see outside my parents’ living room!
One of the guys came to inquire whether I have found what I was looking for. I didn’t know, I said, I hadn’t had the time to look through the enormous catalogue . . . nervous chuckle. Oh, but if you gave me the title, I could double check for you . . . warm smile. After a five-second pause . . . no, we don’t have that title, but I will contact the embassy on Monday to see if they might have it. That’s when I knew these guys weren’t joking when it came to movies! I don’t know if I was more relieved or elated, but I knew that what I had stumbled upon was a whole experience. It’s an experience I relived over and over again for the next few years when, becoming a regular, I was either eavesdropping on conversations with other clients or I was an eager participant in one myself. And when I eventually moved to the Glebe with my new family, I discovered that the same quiet enthusiasm, precious knowledge and kindness (among other things, not pushing the return dates of even the newest releases!) was extended to my young daughter who would stare at the kids’ section for a good hour or so at a time. Although streaming movies
online was slowly but surely becoming the norm, my daughter, like any kid, still enjoyed being able to not only pick the titles herself but also to hold and touch the physical disc of the moving pictures that so mesmerized her. By the time the pandemic rolled around, my life had become impossibly full and busy. Although I could no longer afford the luxury of visiting the video store that had given me so much comfort and solace as a student and had also become a permanent fixture of my daughter’s childhood years, I was heartbroken to learn that Glebe Video had to leave what I had considered its permanent home on top of the pub between Second and Third. There was definitely panic and deep regret. Regret that I had not made more of an effort to keep up the visits, if for nothing else than for the conversations with real movie connoisseurs!
I was beyond relieved when I learned that the store had found a new home in the basement of Fourth Avenue Baptist Church. Even though the space was significantly reduced (many of the movies were in boxes on the floor, which had
forced the creation of an online catalogue), I was cheering the owner so hard for keeping it alive when all but one other video store in Ottawa had long closed its doors that I thought I was going to cry when I first visited. Sadly, that first visit turned out to be my last. Such is life. But looking back, I don’t think my new life in Canada would have been the same without the store and its wonderful guardians. Rest in peace, Glebe Video, and know that you have served the purpose of bringing pure joy and comfort to everyone who visited you!
Iva Apostolova is associate professor and vice-rector, research and academic, at Saint Paul University and a regular Glebe Report contributor on films and TV.
COP30: The Truth COP?
By Cecile Wilson
For Canada and the world, the outcome of November’s 30th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Belém, Brazil had some bright spots among the biggest disappointments.
Good COP
On the Good COP side, Canada signed on to the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change. Dubbed “the COP of Truth” by Brazil’s president Lula da Silva, this was the first time the effects of misinformation and disinformation on climate change action have been addressed at the international meeting.
What does “Information Integrity” mean? The declaration acknowledges the importance of access to “consistent, reliable, accurate and evidence-based information on climate change” as a prerequisite for all segments of society to respond to “the urgency of the climate crisis”, including “citizens, communities, businesses…civil society organizations [and] media organizations.”
The Declaration also supports the protection of climate journalists and those defending their rights to a clean and healthy environment from threats and intimidation. Global Witness reported that in 2024, 146 people were murdered or disappeared for protecting their environmental human rights. In Canada, we’ve seen Indigenous people arrested for blocking projects on their traditional territories.
By signing on to the Declaration, Canada agrees to promote the integrity of climate change information locally, as well as nationally, and to ensure that climate information is understandable so that citizens are empowered to respond appropriately to the climate crisis.
Mind the gaps
Re.Climate’s 2025 report, What Canadians Really Think About Climate Change, points to some current gaps in climate communication. For example, while a majority of Canadians are worried about what climate change may bring in the next five years (69 per cent), the outlook for future generations (76 per cent), and want their governments to prioritize renewable energy (77 per cent), only 49 per cent of survey respondents correctly identified the burning of fossil fuels as the main source of pollution causing the climate crisis, even when presented with a selection of choices.
This lack of comprehension of the primary cause of the climate crisis leads to inappropriate assessments of how to protect the people and places we love. In “Stuck in the Middle: Why Canadians Feel Trapped Between Climate Action and Oil Expansion”, Cara Pike reports that 72 per cent of Canadians believe that it is possible to build fossil fuel pipelines to the east and west coasts and still meet emissions targets! Spoiler alert: it is not.
This misconception may arise from misleading messages from fossil fuel corporations. These corporations often present a “green” image by pointing to reductions in operational emissions. However, the pollution caused by burning fossil fuels far outstrips operational emissions.
Messages like these seem to muddy the advertising transparency and accountability that the Declaration is seeking to promote. At the same time, the Carney government has proposed amendments that would roll back parts of greenwashing legislation from 2024. One of those amendments would remove the need for businesses to prove their claims are true by meeting “international standards”. Unfortunately, Canada does not have domestic standards for testing the veracity of greenwashing claims.
Bad COP
On the Bad COP side, the bid to create a “roadmap” for transitioning away from fossil fuels did not materialize, despite having committed to such a phase-out at COP28 and having support from over 80 countries. A number of oil-producing and oil-importing countries blocked the move and effectively created a veto.
Several countries from around the world refused to be stymied by this development and drafted their own response: The Belém Declaration. An International Conference on the Just Transition Away From Fossil Fuels will be held next year in Santa Marta, Colombia and co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands. Santa Marta is a large coal port. Part of the rationale for
“A climate text that cannot mention fossil fuels is a climate text that refuses to speak the truth”
Juan Carlos Monterry Gómez
holding the conference there is to demonstrate that it is not just small island states that urgently want to move away from fossil fuels. Producer nations do, too.
Sadly, Canada did not sign the Belém Declaration even though climate scientists agree that the only way to prevent catastrophic warming is to reduce our use of fossil fuels. This begs the question: Where do Canada’s intentions lie?
What you can do
Gain further insight on COP30 by attending Green Drinks Ottawa on Thursday, January 9. Robb Barnes from Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment will speak about his COP experience.
Did you know that Ottawa has its own project to find and counter misinformation on climate change? Check out the CAFESOttawa.ca website, click on “Projects”, then “CAFES Climate Misinformation Project”.
Watch the video of the Belém Declaration on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative’s YouTube channel.
Cecile Wilson is a resident of the Glebe and a member of CAFES’ Climate Misinformation Project and the GCA’s Environment Committee.
A Media mystery: Who really took the Napalm Girl Photo?
By Denise Chong
Of all the iconic images of war, the photo of the “napalm girl” Kim Phuc taken on a road in the hamlet of Trang Bang in South Vietnam on June 8, 1972, remains perhaps the most famous. A new documentary, The Stringer, asserts that credit for the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo belongs to a previously unknown Vietnamese stringer, not Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. In the 53 years since it was taken, Ut and Kim Phuc, who subsequently became a UNESCO advocate for peace and reconciliation, have become synonymous with the famous photo.
I first heard this rumour when I was working on my book, The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph and the Vietnam War, published in 1999, seven years after Kim Phuc’s defection from Vietnam to Canada. I’d interviewed Ut about his coverage of the napalm strike in Trang Bang. He was among the journalists that day watching from afar fighting between the South Vietnamese army and the North Vietnamese when a South Vietnamese plane – clearly off course –came in low over the road and dropped napalm bombs on its own army’s positions. A few minutes later, as the thick smoke began to clear, a half dozen children came running out.
Ut told me of how, once he’d shot his day’s photos, he was anxious to get the undeveloped film back to the AP bureau in Saigon before nightfall, the hour of the Viet Cong. How he’d agreed to take the severely burned victim – Kim Phuc – in his driver’s van and
deliver her to a hospital en route.
My manuscript was almost ready for publication when I heard an astonishing accusation. It was relayed by a contact of Carl Robinson, who at the time the photo was taken was the junior photo editor in AP’s bureau in Saigon. Robinson did not believe Ut took the picture. On that day, Robinson and the dark room technician looked over photos developed off rolls of film shot by Ut and by stringers. Once Robinson’s boss, the photojournalist Horst Faas, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, selected the napalm girl photo, his job was to compose the caption and add the credit. The caption done, he expected to add a stringer’s name. Instead, he did as Faas directed: he typed in the name of the AP staffer, Nick Ut. I was stunned.
A writer has to decide early on what the book they want to write is about. What Horst Faas had said to me about why he’d chosen that particular photo
The story I told was about Kim Phuc and the photo as an organizing presence in her life, which would also bring into focus the upheaval war visited on the everyday life in South Vietnam.
had given me clarity: “Pain keeps you conscious. It’s a picture that doesn’t rest.”
Ultimately, I did not include Robinson’s contention. The story I told was about Kim Phuc and the photo as an organizing presence in her life, which would also bring into focus the upheaval war visited on the everyday life in South Vietnam.
I waited what turned out to be decades for the allegation to resurface.
Three years ago, I received a call from Terri Lichstein, a documentary producer. She, Fiona Wright, and Gary Knight, who would later narrate The Stringer, were chasing a rumour that the napalm girl photo was miscredited. Lichstein said she had discerned a cautious ambiguity in my book.
I openly shared my research with the documentary’s producers and with the Associated Press. AP, willing to correct the record if justified, conducted a meticulous months-long investigation,
which it subsequently published.
Like others, including AP, I saw The Stringer only when it premiered. It laid out how, relying on forensic imaging to recreate the sequence of Kim Phuc running down the road, only the freelancer, Nguyen Thanh Nghe, named for the first time, could have been in position to capture that moment. Timed with the release of the documentary, AP issued a statement, concluding that there was “no definitive evidence” to change the credit.
Faas died in 2012 and was never confronted with Robinson’s allegation.
What do I think now, having viewed The Stringer? Discrepancies between the documentary and AP’s analysis suggest that definitive credit is impossible. Regardless, the moment the napalm girl photo was sent around the world, Ut and Kim Phuc were marked for fame. In that sense, if he was not the photographer, Nick Ut becomes another casualty of the war.
In the end, I’ve alighted on a wider truth of the napalm girl photo. As long as the cycle of conflicts repeat, it won’t rest. The pain and terror in the face of Kim Phuc forces us to reflect on the moral ambiguity of war. If we appropriate responsibility, it’s because of a collective guilt we carry in the face of the wrongdoing, the evil, and the destructiveness of war.
Glebe author Denise Chong’s latest book, Out of Darkness, recently won the Ottawa Book Award for non-fiction. This piece was first published in The Globe and Mail
Steamed puddin' -who
By Peter Simpson
I knew I was part of a “happy old married couple” when The Missus gave me a British pudding tin for Valentine’s Day, and it was what I had wanted most.
The tin is round with a snap-on lid for cooking steamed puddings, which aren’t really in fashion these days – sort of the Wedgwood Jasperware of the dessert world. This makes me sad, as steamed puddings are brilliant, and this one is fairly easy to make. It’s also easily made vegan, if desired.
Some pudding people remain – the BBC Food website (bbc. co.uk/food) has an entire section of reader-contributed recipes for them. I can also confidently state that every dinner guest loves a warm dessert, as they are now rare treats.
My love of steamed pudding goes back to growing up in Prince Edward Island. No Christmas dinner was complete without Mom’s steamed cranberry pudding from a recipe that, according to family lore, came from my dad’s side. This is a patrilineal pudding.
Mom made the pudding in an old juice or coffee can, cleaned and with paper label removed. I smugly use my proper pudding tin, which snugly fits into my eight-litre Instant Pot. This is a modern pudding.
Beer tip: I asked Rod Hughes, our head brewer at Flora Hall, which beer would go with this dark, classic pudding: “A Belgian Dubbel (we have one at the moment) would be great. The cranberries and molasses would go well with the spice and brown sugar notes from the Dubbel. It has high carbonation and is relatively dry, which will cut through the rich butter.”
Pudding peddler Peter Simpson is part of the team at Flora Hall Brewing that writes this column. florahallbrewing.ca.
For pudding
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup whole cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
For sauce
1/2 cup milk (or soy or oat milk)
1/2 cup butter (or vegan butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar (or white, or honey)
Add flour, soda and salt to a bowl, mix thoroughly. In another bowl or cup, mix molasses and hot water (hot enough to melt the molasses into a smooth blend) and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add liquid to the flour and stir just until everything is mixed (watch for bits of unmixed flour, which like to hide on the bottom of the bowl).
Add cranberries to the dough and stir until spread throughout. Rub butter onto inside of pudding tin or repurposed can
and put in dough, making sure there are a couple of inches between the dough and top of can. Snap lid onto the tin, or for a can cut a piece of aluminum foil that is at least two inches wider than the top of the can. Double the foil over for extra thickness, place it on top of the can and gently fold the edges of the foil down onto the side of the can – be careful not to tear the foil! Place a rubber band over the foil around the side of the can to create a seal (it needn’t be airtight). If you have an eight-litre Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, the pudding tin should fit nicely into the fitted pot, preferably on top of a round rack or other tool that can lift the can above the bottom of the pot. Add an inch or so of water to the pot, put top on the cooker and set to steam setting for 90 minutes to two hours. If using a repurposed can, place it on a small rack in a large pot on the stove top, add a few inches of water but not enough to make the can float. Put a lid on the pot (don’t worry about it being airtight) and set burner just high enough to simmer for a steam effect within the pot. Check occasionally to make sure it doesn’t run dry. Steam for 90 minutes to two hours, remove can from pot, peel back foil and make sure the pudding is done. It should look dark and moist, and not stick to a knife or toothpick. Turn upside down and shake gently to remove. If necessary, slide a long knife around the pudding to separate from the side of the can. For the sauce, put sugar, milk and butter in a small pan and cook until melted. Cut pieces of pudding in a bowl and pour enough sauce over them until the bottom of the bowl is covered. Serve warm and enjoy. Happy holidays!
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Steamed cranberry pudding, the dessert that warms your heart PHOTO: PETER SIMPSON
Steamed Cranberry Pudding
Vegetable scrambled eggs for a better world
By Marisa Romano
Jackie Ngonzi has achieved remarkable results with her work towards improving living standards for people in a small district of her native Uganda.
Her latest project, supported by Women Connect4Good, aims at empowering rural women so that they can bring positive changes to their families and community. It started this past spring with a vision for poultry farming and a few women who embraced it, a handful of chicks and a network that includes veterinary care and training, and the helping hands of everybody in the village.
Six months later, the project tallied 12 women who are now poultry farming, each with 20 laying chickens, better nutrition for their families and income from the sale of extra eggs. That money allows not only education for their children but also seed money to help other women start their own poultry farming.
“Eggs are a symbol of hope in our project, showing how small beginnings can grow into something sustainable,” explained Ngonzi during her presentation to a group of women who meet regularly at Glebe-St. James United Church to engage in meaningful societal discussions. “But this is not (just) about eggs,” Ngonzi insisted.
In 2015, all 193 UN member states committed to work towards a better world for everyone. The agreed goals – 17 in all – address global challenges like poverty, inequality and climate change, and they stem from the recognition that improving the social and economic life of impoverished, vulnerable and marginalized people – the ones left behind – improves the life of all.
The year 2030 is the agreed deadline outlined in the UN’s Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda. Meeting that goal depends not just on governments but also on the private sector, academia and individual citizens.
Ngonzi’s work is remarkable and contributes to several objectives of the 2030 Agenda: it fosters economic growth, nutrition security, gender equality and environmental stewardship, and it ultimately improves the life of many left behind. Her life mission is activism.
The rest of us can also contribute, despite our busy lives. In December, we look back at the past year and forward with hopes and plans for the next one. Looking back, we can recognize something we have done to help people left behind: signed a petition, wrote a letter, spoke at a meeting (or just showed up and listened), contributed to a worthy cause. Looking forward to the New Year, we can keep in mind that small actions can contribute in surprising ways to the 2030 Agenda’s goals. As Alex Neve, international human rights lawyer and former secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, validated in his moving and inspiring Massey lectures on Universal Human Rights: “Big things come from small places.” We are the small places.
For more information, go to: Sustainable development goals: sdgs.un.org; Women connect4good: drnancyoreilly.com; Alex Neve’s Massey lectures: cbc. ca/radio/ideas. To help Ngonzi’s project: gofund.me/ b555264ae.
The recipes for Ugandan breakfast are shared by Jackie Ngonzi.
Ugandan Breakfast
“This breakfast is simple, nourishing, and deeply connected to our community. It reminds us that food can bring people together and that empowering women to raise chickens can help create lasting change for families,” says Ngonzi.
Vegetable Scrambled Eggs
4 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon Royco [bouillon] or any mixed seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Add onions, tomatoes, and green pepper together and cook until they soften.
Add curry powder and Royco to blend the flavours. Beat the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and pour them into the pan.
Stir gently until cooked but still soft. Serve hot with boiled cassava, which many families grow in their own gardens. It’s a good local alternative to bread.
Ugandan Spiced-milk Tea
1 cup fresh milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon black tea leaves
A small piece of ginger or cinnamon stick, or a few omujaja (African basil) leaves
Sugar to taste
Boil the water and milk together in a saucepan. Add the tea leaves and your chosen spice (ginger, cinnamon or omujaja).
Let it simmer for a few minutes to bring out the flavour. Strain and serve hot, sweetened to taste.
Marisa Romano is a Glebe resident who loves food and the people who make it.
Seventeen Voyces brings
By Clare Jackson
Seventeen Voyces – Ottawa’s premier chamber choir, directed by Ottawa musician and filmmaker Kevin Reeves – is returning to the Glebe and New Edinburgh this December, bringing a beautiful program of sacred and secular choral music to put you into the Christmas spirit.
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Please join us on Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church or on Sunday, December 21 at 4 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church for a selection of music sure to get you into the spirit of the season!
In this year’s Christmas program, the choir will perform their signature mix of traditional and contemporary choral works. From the hushed radiance of Tomas Luis de Victoria’s O magnum mysterium (‘O great mystery’) to the rollicking good-humoured charm of Thomas Ravenscroft’s Toss the Pot, Seventeen Voyces breathes new life into both sacred and secular musical gems.
Modern works on the program will include the luminous Hymn to the Virgin by Benjamin Britten and Mary is a Lady Bright by the British-born Canadian composer Derek Holman. Each piece offers a musical meditation on Mary, the mother of Jesus, with text drawn from medieval or other early sources – from Britten’s reverent dialogue between choir and semi-chorus to Holman’s graceful homage to the “lady bright.”
The choir will also perform arrangements of seasonal favourites, including Le bel ange du ciel (Francois-Auguste Gevaert), Un flambeau, Jeannette Isabella (Nicola Saboly), and a medley of old English carols arranged by Gustav Holst.
Accompanying the choir will be organist, pianist and harpsichordist Thomas Annand. He was the director of Music at St. Andrew’s Church in Ottawa for three decades. A regular
performer with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Annand has also appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as Opéra de Québec and Les Violons du Roy. Seventeen Voyces will perform two pieces by Annand at their Christmas concert – I Sing the Birth and an arrangement of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.
Seventeen Voyces is celebrating its 29th season this year, and the ensemble has built a reputation in Ottawa for bringing unusual and rarely performed repertoire to the stage. The choir’s 2025-26 season began with two performances of choral and organ music accompanying the 1923 silent film classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which took place at the end of October and beginning of November. The pairing of silent film and live music has been a cherished annual tradition for the choir for two decades.
Tickets to the two Christmas concerts are $30, $20 for students and free for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www. seventeenvoyces.ca/concerts or at the door (cash, credit, and debit accepted).
Audiences can also mark their calendars for the remaining two concerts of Seventeen Voyces’ season. A concert featuring the Ottawa Baroque Consort will highlight works by Rosenmüller, Bach and Mozart on Sunday, March 29 at 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s. The final concert of the season will present favourite choral motets and anthems spanning four centuries, accompanied by piano and organ, on Sunday, May 17, also at St. Matthew’s.
Clare Jackson is a board member with Seventeen Voyces.
Seventeen Voyces will hold concerts on December 20 at St. Matthew’s Church and December 21 at St Bartholomew’s Church in New Edinburgh.
We Rise Again
Soulful Songs From Down East
Sunday January 25, 3 pm
Forthcoming Concerts in December
Founded in 2013, Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) offers free 45-minute concerts every Wednesday at noon, September through June, at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue, in Ottawa.
DOMS concerts are live and livestreamed to YouTube every week. Enjoy past concerts any time. Southminster United Church is wheelchair accessible and located on OC Transpo routes 6 and 7. Seniors (65+) ride OC Transpo free on Wednesdays.
Doors open at 2:15 for Fumblin' Fingers Band
Centretown United Church 507 Bank Street
Tickets $30 until Jan. 24 or $35 at the door.
Free for children 12 and under.
Tickets from choir members or through EventBrite. Visit atlanticvoices.ca for more info, or scan the QR code.
A special thank you to Colonel By Residence for welcoming DOMS concert attendees with complimentary coffee and cookies each week.
December 17 — Gloria in Excelsis
Celebrate the season with Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria featuring choir and soloists, supported by chamber ensemble of strings, oboe, trumpet and organ.
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.
By Louise Rachlis
Last spring, the National Capital Commission (NCC) asked popular artist Bhat Boy for a proposal to create an art installation in the lobby of the new NCC headquarters at the site of the old British High Commission on Elgin Street.
This fall, when the artist was ready to unveil the giant work he’d just completed, the first people he invited to view the painting in his Glebe home were his art students.
“My students are special to me,” said Bhat, “and they deserve to be first. They are the first seed in my grapevine in an industry where word of mouth is gold. The art was intended to highlight ‘assets’ of the NCC with a particular interest in how they are used by the public. The idea was very big, but not specific.”
The NCC had asked him to represent the four seasons, which, he explained “is a bit of an anathema for artists – it creates a very complex and confusing colour palette which can be difficult to harmonize and balance in a single composition.”
He came back five weeks later with a one-tenth scale proposal featuring just two seasons, autumn and winter. “I divided the seasons diagonally with a flock of Canada Geese in flight. The geese give the painting depth, but also create a focal subject in what could otherwise be a busy and confusing cityscape. The placement of the geese makes the change from autumn to winter almost unnoticeable.”
He set up his paints and supplies for the nine-foot-by-nine-foot painting
on birch wood in his dining room last June. “That’s because it was too big for my studio, and I still needed the studio for other work.”
There wasn’t a firm timeline for completing the project but four months later, it was ready. “The painting is meant to celebrate 125 years of the NCC, which is 2025, but the building where it will be installed at 80 Elgin will not be ready until sometime next year.”
Keeping such a big painting “visually organized” can be very difficult, he said, “dividing the painting into different coloured seasons. There is a complicated structure, and the foreground of the painting, Gatineau Park, although still autumn, is a different palette again.”
It’s not the biggest he’s ever done –he painted a complicated cityscape in the 1990s – but it took more time than any other.
Bhat hosted a sold-out artist showcase vernissage and tea party featuring the giant artwork on November 14 and 15 at the Salon des Bananes on Carling Avenue. Located in a former tire shop, Salon des Bananes is the art studio of Rich Loen, a retired Ottawa tech entrepreneur and now artist. The 7,000-square-foot space includes an art gallery and a workshop with machines for woodworking and metal work.
Bhat’s work has now been put into storage until the new NCC building is ready sometime in 2026.
Louise Rachlis is one of Bhat Boy’s many long-time art students at the Glebe Community Centre.
Bhat in his dining room where he worked on the painting
PHOTO: LOUISE RACHLIS
Some of Bhat’s art students toast the NCC artwork at his house. PHOTO: TOM GRACE
At Bhat Boy’s Salon des Bananes vernissage and tea party PHOTO: LOUISE RACHLIS
Putting humanity back in art
By Christine Osborne
As AI continues to permeate the online art world, it’s refreshing to be reminded that incredible art in the real world is still being made by the human hands of artists who have spent years perfecting their craft.
Art Lending of Ottawa (ALO) is bringing the humanity back into art through a new and exciting feature at their shows: live art demonstrations. In addition to browsing the works of more than 40 local juried artists, which are available for both rent and sale, visitors will now have the rare opportunity to watch an artist at work. You’ll be able to see art materials up close, observe creative techniques, and chat directly with the artist about their process.
At the upcoming art show on December 13, ALO is pleased to feature a live demo by longtime member Linda Bordage. Originally from Saint John, New Brunswick, Bordage’s lifelong love of colour and drawing has led her to explore many mediums over the years. Recently, she has been creating stunning mosaics as well as experimenting with printmaking and alcohol inks. This month, Bordage will share how she crafts her intricate mosaics, a process that is sure to inspire.
The show is also the perfect opportunity to finish your holiday shopping while supporting local artists. You’ll find one-of-a-kind gifts that are full of heart and creativity. And if you’re looking to refresh you space for the holidays, you can even borrow a piece of art to brighten your home through ALO’s unique art-lending program.
Join us Saturday, December 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Road. Admission and parking are free.
Christine Osborne is an artist and member of Art Lending of Ottawa.
Supporting our community through the Rotary Club of Ottawa Bytown
Art + Parcel 2025: a holiday sale
By Maureen Korp
The end of the year will soon be here, and what have you done for yourself? Or for others? It could be time to have a look at Art + Parcel 2025, an art sale of original works by Ottawa-Gatineau artists, modestly priced, domestically sized to fit into a home, apartment, office. It may be where you will find that bright, good thought to cheer your day or someone else’s. If so, buy it!
Art + Parcel 2025 is an annual exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery. It is a good, big show of textiles, painting,
Art + Parcel 2025
Continuing until January 18
Galerie Annexe / Level 1 of the Ottawa Art Gallery
50 Mackenzie King Bridge
Gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday: 10 a m –6 p m
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10 a m –9 p m
Free Wheelchair accessible
mixed media, photography, sculpture, ceramics.
The cost? Many works are in the $100–$350 range, some less than that, some a good bit more, but nothing over $1,000. Most of the work displayed is already beautifully framed, and the frames go home with the buyer too on the day of purchase.
A tabletop steel and bronze sculpture by Cairn Cunnane prompted a few timely thoughts for this writer. “Encounters with Times,” series 1, 2025, priced at $700, is a graceful calligraphic line, almost a mobius loop, two curves reaching towards infinity. Yet, held within the loop is a small, rippled case. What is it? Something found, something marked, shadowed? Is that
“LFG” means “looking for group,” to play a game. Cat's cradle, perhaps?
Frances Laube's textile compositions invite storytelling with the kids. “Horses in the Sun,” 2025, $350, is a small, framed composition of four soft, fuzzy ponies in an open field with the sun shining bright. The white, grey and black ponies are all headed in one direction: not so, brown pony. It stands alone. Why? Maybe the lonely pony needs a pat. Gently touch the little one.
Two small collages by Rebecca Clouâtre also invite storytelling. Both are shadow-box framed, elegantly suspended from satin ribbon bows. “Vase with a Dragonfly,” 2025, $135, floats bits of flower and leaf with bird and dragonfly within the composition. Its ribbon is dark green. The shadow-box framing “Margarita,” 2025, $135, presents a very small figure standing alone atop a mound of flower blossoms. More is happening in the distance. What can it be?
Across the way are three large ceramic pots by Monica Rosenthal. They are subtle, tactile work. “Wrapped,” 2025, $350 is an open, round bowl with a textured, brown glaze. It appears darkest at the rim. Ten uniform strips of tan have been laid tightly together over a bit of the edge.
positions by Greta Grip have been worked with trailing threads and her sense of humour. “LFG,” 2025, $250, meshes purples and yellows into an elegant composition. Élie Crighton, gallery coordinator, told me it’s title
As many know, trees speak to those who walk with them and listen. Their whispers are wise. In keeping with traditional understandings, Dinho Bento brings us mixed-media portraits of street people located within urbane, storytelling tree-bark settings. “Blooming,” 2025, $600, centres a young face, sadly looking for someone, amid the colours of street murals. “Disposables,” 2025, $800, centres an older, bearded face within a setting of tree bark, embedded with throwaway bottles, village sleds and city street detritus. Joyce Crago has long photographed flea market bits and pieces of anonymity, lost stories. “Detritus, Annie,” 2019, $500, displays a crystal jug laid on its side, a bit of red liquid still inside. On the outside of the jug are etched three words: “Annie London 1901.” Who was Annie? Is this a souvenir? A small card underneath reads “Hazel.” Who was Hazel? Is this hers?
Christopher Lee Dunning opens another line of thought with his small, framed acrylic painting, “Turning Point 24,” 2025, $750. A black swoop of a line reaches from a green field into dark yellows. Above is a dark red cross. Questions unanswered, to be sure.
Answers may be found in the poetry of flowers, as we see in the sumi-e calligraphic work of Lilith Ohan. The watercolour “Bloom Whisper,” 2017, $475, bends low with its soft orange petals. “Poem in Vase,” 2019, $450, does the same.
Look around, learn to see more of the world – here in the work of artists, there on the walls of your home.
Maureen Korp is a writer, historian, independent scholar. Her most recent book, THERE and HERE, a small collection of poetry, is available in Ottawa bookstores.
“Turning Point 24,” 2025, by Christopher Lee Dunning
“Spring Hills” by David Merritt
Holiday music at the library
By Lindsay Larwill
This is a busy time of year with everyone running around preparing for holiday celebrations with family and friends. If music helps lower your stress levels and get your errands done, the Ottawa Public Library has a variety of holiday albums to choose from. You can stream or download music from Hoopla, a digital music service, or dust off your CD player and borrow CDs from the collection. Library clients will need to create a Hoopla account with their email addresses to access the music. You can borrow complete music albums for seven days. The Hoopla music collection can change from time to time as it is not permanent. Please read on to find some examples of what you can find at the library, including some well-known Canadian artists:
What a Wonderful Christmas – Anne Murray
Anne Murray’s What a Wonderful Christmas album includes songs such as “Joy to the World,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Christmas Wishes” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” This album is available to borrow through Hoopla.
Wintersong and Wonderland – Sarah McLachlan Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan has released at least two holiday-related albums over the years. Wintersong features the original title song that she wrote, as well as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day.” On Wonderland, she sings more holiday favourites, including “White Christmas” and “Silver Bells.” Digital copies of both albums are available through Hoopla. The Wonderland CD is also available from the library.
Christmas – Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé’s first full-length holiday-themed album features him singing along with both small
Valentine in Montreal Heather O’Neill The Topless Book Club
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand Abbotsford Book Club
Long Island Colm Toibin The Social Book Club
Convenience Store Woman Sayaka Murata Carleton English Grad Book Club
Kukum Michel Jean Helen’s Book Club
The Botany of Desire
Michael Pollan The Bookies
Rosarita Anita Desai Ottawa Book Worms
Robert Macfarlane The Book Club
Is the River Alive?
Les angoisses de ma prof de Chinois Jean-Francois Lepine Le club de lecture des Francophones du Glebe/OOE/OOS
Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre Mark Bourrie
Midnight’s Children Salman Rushdie
A Killing in November
Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Sunnyside Friday Book Club
Simon Mason Sunnyside Mystery Book Club
ensembles and an orchestra. He covers well-known holiday songs such as “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” This album also features a “White Christmas” duet with Shania Twain. You can borrow a CD of Christmas or stream or download through Hoopla.
Barenaked for the Holidays – Barenaked Ladies
Find this older holiday album on Hoopla and listen to the Barenaked Ladies singing songs such as “Hanukkah, O Hanukkah,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Auld Lang Syne.” This album also features Michael Bublé and Sarah McLachlan.
A Christmas Celebration – Various Canadian artists
This CD features some of our favourite Canadian artists singing holiday tunes. You can listen to Gordon Lightfoot sing “Song for a Winter’s Night,” “Now the Bells Ring” by Rita MacNeil, “O Holy Night” by Jann Arden and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Diana Krall. Bryan Adams, Serena Ryder, Tom Cochrane, The Tenors and Anne Murray are also featured. This album is available in CD format only.
A Holly Dolly Christmas – Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is joined by various artists on this album, including Willie Nelson, Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus, Michael Bublé and Jimmy Fallon. They sing songs such as “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Mary, Did You Know?” “Circle of Love” and “Pretty Paper.” A Holly Dolly Christmas is available both digitally through Hoopla and in CD format.
Lindsay Larwill is a public service assistant at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Roofman a character drama with heart
Directed by Derek Clanfrance (US, 2025)
Review by Kate Roberts
Bad things can happen when a love language goes too far. I’m sure there are a few serial killers out there who are the acts-of-service kind of guy, or so the dark romance novels tell me. Physical touch is a big red button on a nuclear dashboard just waiting to be pushed, and too many movies about soundproof basements tell me that quality time can go sour without much warning. Words of affirmation is probably the safest language of the five, but then again we’ve all heard of groupies turning their adoration into obsession. In Roofman, we get to explore the act of gift giving – one of the safer love languages, I’d say – and what can happen when the law has to get involved.
Here’s a question: if someone you care about wants something real bad but you don’t have any money to pay for it, is it socially acceptable to steal from the rich to give to the needy? In Roofman, a humble civilian steals from faceless corporations to buy a bike for his little girl. He breaks in to collect their weekend earnings and then spends the cash on his family. It’s adorable. Illegal, yeah, if we’re using labels and whatever, but also sweet.
Our roofman, Jeff (Channing Tatum), is addicted to the happiness his thievery brings others, but it’s just a matter of time before the cops close in. And that’s where our story really begins. This observant genius breaks out of prison, scrambles into a Toys “R” Us, waits until dark and sets up shelter right under their noses. When news of his escape starts to blow over, he gets back to funding his social life with items right off the store’s shelves. It’s hard to feel bad for the box stores he robs since Jeff does it to be kind and feel loved. He can’t help himself. It starts small with a donation to a local church, but the more people he meets, the more he wants to make them happy, the more he steals, spends, paints a larger target on his back.
Not sure if I should be thanking Channing Tatum for making me believe, however briefly, that stealing is okay. It’s not. But Jeff is just so nice, and it’s hard to hate a good person. Criminally, Jeff does a bad thing – several times – but he’s so darn kind about it. He apologizes to the store clerks. He
tells everyone they’re doing a great job. He calls the police when a security guard “takes a bad fall.” Yes, robbery is wrong, but when someone steps on your heel and apologizes profusely, it dulls the bitterness.
Making Jeff look even better is his social circle. Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a Toys “R” Us employee, was put on Earth to do the right thing. She stands up for the meek, disciplines her daughters without being harsh and volunteers for every church function. She is an exhausted, underpaid saint. She accepts Jeff despite his mysteries, and we love that they make each other happy.
But the best way to brighten morally grey characters is to give them a foil. Where Jeff breaks the law to do nice things, Mitch (Peter Dinklage) follows the rules and is a tyrant. Mitch puts the company first at the expense of his employees. His flavour of pretend-nice is sickly sweet, especially next to Jeff’s quiet kindness. Under the law and company policy, Mitch does everything right, but his staff hate him as the inflexible, self-important bully that he is. Jeff may be a career criminal, but at least people enjoy his company. Mitch is the antithesis to Jeff, and the contrast makes us sympathize with the escaped convict that much more.
Stepping into Roofman is also a journey into the early 2000s in the most freakishly nostalgic way. It was like I’d walked right into the pink aisle at Toys “R” Us. Even the camera seems to shoot through a Polaroid-like filter. The attention to detail on the props, costumes, TV stations and payphones is meticulous and a little eerie. Right down to the boy jeans worn too low for confidence. Roofman steers us through emotional ups and downs like a good story should. It feels a little longer than necessary, but it’s all part of building audience sympathy for someone we know isn’t going to get his happily ever after. Jeff is like a golden retriever with a rifle.
Roofman is for people who love character dramas, especially if you have a soft spot for awkward irregulars. Although I don’t advise taking nutritional advice from someone who lived off M&Ms for a full month, even if they look like Channing Tatum. Roofman is a soft and unexpected 8 out of 10.
Running time: 2h, 6m Showing in theatres
Kate Roberts grew up in the Glebe and is a movie addict who has been writing reviews since 2013. Her reviews can be found at plentyofpopcorn. wordpress.com.
Yasir Naqvi MP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-946-8682
yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca
E
Budget 2025: build, protect, empower
We are living through a period of profound change and uncertainty. I hear it in the stories from our neighbours, see it in rising grocery prices and feel it in the daily stresses of hardworking Canadians. The foundations that have supported our prosperity for generations are being shaken. The United States is increasingly unpredictable in its global economic strategy, eroding trust amongst allies and leaving Canada to grapple with the fallout. This isn’t just a moment of change; it’s a generational shift.
We face tough times, and we can either yield to uncertainty or seize this moment to build a stronger nation. Canada stands on a solid foundation with abundant resources: from critical minerals to a world-class agrifood sector and a highly skilled workforce supported by stable institutions and strong democratic values.
Budget 2025 is our roadmap to harness these strengths, seize the moment and invest wisely. Here’s how we are helping our community and building a stronger Canada:
Affordability and Employment
To make life more affordable for Canadians, we are introducing a middle-class tax reduction, cancelling the consumer carbon tax and making the national school food program permanent. We are also cutting the GST on new homes to help first-time buyers and investing $1.5 billion in youth opportunities, including jobs, training and a Youth Climate Corps. In addition, we are automating benefits for 5.5 million low-income Canadians.
Climate Competitiveness
We are empowering Canadian businesses to lead the clean economy by strengthening industrial carbon pricing, expanding Clean Economy Tax Credits and launching a $2 billion Critical Minerals Fund to support cleaner production and expand energy supply chains.
Nation-Building Projects
We are investing $115 billion to modernize infrastructure including housing, transit, clean energy and public services. The new Major Projects Office will fast-track projects like high-speed rail and energy corridors, while tripling funding for Arctic and Indigenous infrastructure.
Build Canada Homes
We are investing $13 billion to double housing construction and expand non-market housing. Homes will be built faster and more sustainably using modular, factory-built and mass timber technologies. We are also investing $1.5
billion for a Rental Protection Fund and $1 billion for transitional housing to reduce homelessness.
Culture
To celebrate and protect our shared identity, we are investing in Canadian creators. The Canada Strong Pass will be renewed to continue providing access to cultural and recreational activities at reduced costs. CBC/ Radio-Canada will also receive $150 million to modernize and strengthen public broadcasting.
Trade Diversification
To strengthen trade resilience, we are launching a $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridor Fund to expand export infrastructure and open new global markets. The new Strategic Exports Office will remove trade barriers and coordinate international business opportunities, while trade finance tools will help Canadian SMEs grow exports and compete globally.
Supercharging Growth
To boost business investment in technology and innovation, we are introducing a Productivity Super-Deduction. We are investing in AI infrastructure, launching a sovereign Canadian cloud, and committing $51 billion to the Build Communities Strong Fund, driving regional growth and creating good jobs.
Defence and Security
We are investing $30 billion to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces, including the largest pay increase in a generation. The new Defence Investment Agency and Defence Industrial Strategy will boost domestic production, while a new Financial Crimes Agency will strengthen law enforcement and protect Canadians.
Spending Less to Invest More
Since 2015, the federal public service has grown over 40 per cent, twice the pace of economic growth, placing pressure on public finances and programs. The plan will reduce the workforce to 330,000, saving $60 billion over five years. This will be accomplished by restructuring operations, consolidating services and rightsizing programs through voluntary early retirement and incentive packages. These savings will be reinvested into essential social services that protect the vulnerable, empower communities and build a sustainable workforce. This is not an across-the-board reduction exercise.
Canadians have always shown that what we build together endures. In Budget 2025, we are investing not just in programs, but in people – in the ingenuity of our workers, the strength of our communities and the promise of a fair and sustainable future. This budget is more than numbers on a page; it is a commitment to stability in an uncertain world, opportunity in a changing economy and the enduring belief that Canada’s best days are still ahead.
What’s the rush?
With little debate, and no consultation, Doug Ford is ramming through Bills 33 and 60.
The provincial government, with little debate and no public consultation, recently used it legislative majority to rush two major bills with huge consequences for Ontarians through the Ontario Legislature – Bill 33 and Bill 60.
For our elementary and secondary schools, Bill 33 gives the Minister of Education unchecked power to take over local school boards, override decisions of elected school trustees and put whomever he (or she) wants in charge. For our public universities and colleges, Bill 33 forces crucial funding cuts for student services like food banks, sexual assault centres, academic centres, campus radio stations and newspapers, LGBTQIA spaces, cultural associations and campus clubs.
Bill 33 had final debate on November 18 and passed on final vote on November 19.
Bill 60 makes changes to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) that would strip away key tenant protections, make it easier for your landlord to evict you and leave the door open to ending rent control as we know it in Ontario. It also gives the province the power to stop communities from building new bike or bus lanes that close a lane of car traffic, stripping away another tool municipalities have to make neighbourhoods safer and more efficient for all road users.
Bill 60 had final debate on November 20 and passed on final vote on November 24.
Both votes saw the public galleries filled with members of the public frightened by the impact of these bills on their everyday lives. Parents, teachers, educators, students, trustees, renters, cyclists and transit users all made their voices heard at Queen’s Park ahead of the vote, and more than 150,000 people wrote emails to their MPPs asking them to vote no.
Following the final vote on Bill 60, in my capacity as Shadow Minister of Housing, I moved the following motion demanding restoration of real rent controls, vacancy control and a full reversal of Bill 60’s disastrous attack on renters:
Whereas housing is a human right, and every Ontarian deserves a safe, secure and affordable place to call home; and
Whereas Ontario is losing thousands of affordable rentals every year due to acquisition by corporate landlords that displace tenants in order to raise rents; and
Whereas this unethical business
Catherine McKenney
MPP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-722-6414 E CMcKenney-CO@ndp.on.ca
model, and other unfair practices that threaten rental affordability and security of tenure for tenants, are incentivized by the lack of real rent control in Ontario; and
Whereas chronic delays and understaffing at the Landlord and Tenant Board have allowed bad-faith actors to exploit the system, undermine fairness and deny timely access to justice
Whereas the Ontario government refuses to invest in new, permanently affordable public, non-profit and co-op homes that provide a non-market alternative to private, for-profit housing; and
Whereas Bill 60 will increase rent gouging and unethical eviction in Ontario, worsening the housing and homelessness crisis;
Therefore in the opinion of the House, the Government of Ontario must immediately protect rental affordability and security of tenure by reversing Bill 60, restoring real rent control, establishing vacancy control and ending badfaith evictions.
With skyrocketing rents and the number of new homes being built in the province coming to a grinding halt, finding an affordable place to live in Ontario has never been more difficult. We need a plan that makes homes more affordable, that makes life less expensive and delivers hope for our neighbours – not strips them of their rights and protections.
Unfortunately, the government voted against my motion.
I will keep pushing back against these attacks on our community and work with my colleagues to find solutions that address the serious issues facing our neighbours. As always, I encourage you to send me a message at CMcKenney-CO@ndp.on.ca if I can support you in any way.
Since this will be my last MPP column before the winter holidays, let me end by wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year! I look forward to seeing many of you out in the community over the holiday season, either visiting one of the many incredible markets happening in our community or at our MPP New Year Levee in January (details to come soon).
City Hall in review
By Mark Sutcliffe
I’ve been chatting with residents all over our beautiful city, including in the Glebe and Old Ottawa South. I’ve heard a lot of concerns about affordable housing, public safety, public transit, and the condition of our roads and sidewalks.
For many families in our city, it’s been a difficult time because of the rising cost of food and housing. That’s why this term of council, we’re investing more than $105 million in affordable housing, a 133-per-cent increase over last term. We’re putting more money toward food security and the agencies that support the most vulnerable. And a few weeks ago, I pledged that we will end youth homelessness in Ottawa by 2030. Working with our wonderful partners in the community, we will make sure every young person has a safe place to call home.
Like residents managing their household budgets, we’ve been working hard at City Hall to manage taxpayers’ dollars very carefully. In the past three years, we’ve found more than $250 million in savings and efficiencies. That’s the equivalent of more than $530 per household in our city, putting more money in your pocket at a time of high economic uncertainty and rising household costs.
Because of those savings, we’ve been able to maintain the lowest tax increases of any major city in Canada. While cities including Toronto and Vancouver have had increases of 10 or 11 per cent, we’ve kept ours to an average of just over three per cent.
When I ran for mayor in 2022, I was very concerned about
the number of level zero events, where there are no ambulances available in Ottawa. I’m happy to report that number has dropped by 80 per cent in the last year. And we’ve launched a primary care strategy to attract and retain more family doctors in Ottawa. We’re also hiring more police officers to respond to issues including street racing and genderbased violence.
We are continuing to invest in improving public transit. In 2026, we’ll have another significant increase in the transit budget. The OC Transpo budget will increase to $938.7 million dollars, almost $300 million more than in 2021. We’re also freezing the EquiPass and Community Pass rates to keep transit affordable for residents who need it most. And we’ll see the opening of the eastern extension of the Confederation light rail line.
Another game-changer for public transit is the commitment from the Ontario government to upload our LRT, saving local taxpayers billions of dollars. And we’re continuing to increase our budget for repairing roads and sidewalks, adding another $30 million this year.
My goal since I ran for mayor three years ago has been to make Ottawa safer, more reliable and more affordable for you and your family. The 2026 budget renews that commitment. We’re doing everything we can for Glebe residents, while investing significantly in public transit, public safety, infrastructure, roads, sidewalks and supporting the most vulnerable.
We’re so fortunate to live in a kind and caring community like Ottawa. Let’s keep working together to build an even better city for our children and grandchildren.
Mark Sutcliffe is the current mayor of Ottawa.
Screen suggestion
Trainwreck: The Mayor of Mayhem
By Tony Wohlfarth
Trainwreck: The Mayor of Mayhem is a documentary about the days of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who served from 2010 to 2014. When it was released, his brother, the current Ontario premier Doug Ford, called it “disgusting” – which is probably all you need to know to watch this film.
The story begins in 2010, when Rob Ford was unexpectedly elected mayor of Canada’s largest city. A tape emerges of the mayor snorting cocaine. The Toronto Star is asked to pay for the video and refuses. As more details emerge, it becomes clear to the media that there is something to the story. Two reporters – Robyn Dolittle and Katie Simpson – are key to breaking the story. Salacious details emerge about oral sex and also a night-duty security team assigned to accompany the mayor. At every press conference, Mayor Ford is accompanied by his brother Doug.
Trainwreck had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The director is Shianne Brown from Great Britain – the film benefits from the perspective of an outsider. Rob Ford died of cancer in 2016.
Running time: 49 minutes Available on Netflix in Canada
Tony Wohlfarth is a Glebe-based freelance film and entertainment writer.
Aberdeen Pavilion at night PHOTO: LUCY BOTTOMLEY
As Lansdowne once again faces redevelopment, we thought it would be a good time to look back at its storied history and the many roles it has played in Ottawa over the years. These photographs were gathered and preserved by Ian McKercher of the (now inactive) Glebe Historical Society.
1 Army, pipe band and the public at Lansdowne, facing northwest towards the Aberdeen Pavilion, ca 1916
2 Car race at the Ex (Central Canada Exhibition) at Lansdowne, ca 1925
3 North American Speed Skating Championship, 1930. Photo faces southeast from the north grandstand. The building on the far left may be a boathouse
4 The Ex at Lansdowne, ca 1953
Across
1
6
9
By Ellyn Duke Watson & Cooper Love
25
item filled on Christmas Eve (8)
43 Traditional lump for naughty children (4)
44 Tart red berries often served as sauce (11)
46 Baked dessert with crust (3)
47 Holiday beverage often spiked with rum (3)
48 The son of Homer and Marge (4)
Down
2 Memory card format (2)
3 A cozy bar known for its live music and tasty meals on Bank (6)
4 Plant hung for holiday smooches (9)
5 A German name for Santa Claus, with 40-Down (7)
6 Primate (3)
7 For each (3)
8 Russian emperor (4)
10 Containing nothing (5)
11 Narrow boat used with paddles (5)
12 Pavilion at Lansdowne (8)
17 Popular Christmas tree variety (7,3) 19 Nonprofit, abbr. (3)
21 Flower or flourish (5)
22 Fear of open spaces (11)
26 Jazz instrument, abbr. (3)
27 Damp or rainy (3)
29 Head gesture of agreement (3)
30 Evergreen shrub commonly used for Christmas wreaths (5)
32 Feline ganja (6)
33 These small rodents might eat the snacks left out for Santa (4)
37 People hang hoops and rings from it (4)
38 Gross or unpleasant (4)
39 What is collected from maple trees to make syrup (3)
40 A German name for Santa Claus, with 5-Down (4)
41 Number of reindeer (4)
42 Prefix for the study of Earth (3)
45 Electric guitar model made by Gibson (2)
Waiting for joint surgery?
The Advantage of pre-op physiotherapy
By Sue Reive
With the long waiting lists for diagnostic tests and for appointments with orthopedic surgeons, people with moderate to severe arthritis will unfortunately suffer pain and increased disability. Many studies have demonstrated that pre-operative physiotherapy exercises prior to a total joint replacement – hip or knee – increase the chance of a better post-operative outcome.
With moderate osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, patients have restricted mobility, mild swelling and weak lower leg muscles; the quadriceps (the muscle on the front of the thigh) and the gluteal muscles of the hip also tend to be weak. There is more trouble bending than straightening, though with severe OA, extension may be restricted to the point that patients cannot fully straighten their knee. This is a problem because full extension of the knee is necessary to walk properly. A slightly bent knee will throw off the lower back and hip and possibly cause pain. A physiotherapist will assess the knee and give specific exercises to strengthen the weak muscles and maintain mobility. Many of the exercises will also be done post-op.
Likewise, with arthritis of the hip, mobility is restricted particularly with rotating the leg inwards, moving out sideways and backwards. With severe OA, patients will often be unable to extend their hip backwards, so the hip may sit in slight flexion. This will add increased stress to the knee and lower back. This tightness can cause issues after the operation. The hip abductor muscles tend to be very weak which sometimes causes a waddle while walking. Use of a cane in the opposite hand will help until the muscles are strong enough. Once again, a physiotherapist will provide the appropriate exercises to strengthen and keep mobility. Gentle stretching along with treatments with heat, cold and electric stimulation can help reduce pain and maintain sufficient range of motion while waiting for a total joint replacement.
Sue Reive is a physiotherapist at Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics Glebe.
IMAGE BY FREEPIK
Grocery bus initiative through Abbotsford
By Julie Ireton
Trudging through snow and ice with heavy grocery bags is a tough slog for anyone; for seniors, it can be treacherous.
“I no longer have a car. I’m an older senior, and I find it difficult in the wintertime getting to the grocery store because of the condition of the sidewalks,” said Kathie Pettit, a longtime member at Abbotsford at the Glebe Centre. “If I have heavy items on slippery sidewalks, my chance of going down is accelerated.”
So, when Pettit heard Abbotsford is setting up a free grocery bus service for seniors, she signed up right away.
The grocery bus picks up people at their homes and takes them to Billings Bridge Shopping Centre. It’s intended to help seniors like Pettit who no longer drive and have trouble taking or arranging public transportation.
“This will allow me to go once a month to get the heavier items,” said Pettit. “In the summer, I can use a wheelie buggy and it’s easier, not a problem.”
The bus and its driver are being provided free of charge by the Colonel By Retirement Residence in Old Ottawa South.
“We have a little shuttle bus that’s very safe for seniors,” said Norman Reid, general manager at Colonel By. ‘We have a safety lift on the bus, and everyone can be comfortable. There’s also room for walkers and wheelchairs.”
That organization partners with Abbotsford on other initiatives, and some of its residents attend the centre’s Day-Away program for people with dementia.
“We try to embed ourselves in the community and help out as much as we can. We want to give back,” said Reid.
He explained that the bus driver is experienced working with and interacting with seniors, he said.
In November, the bus started running once every two weeks. Seniors in the Glebe and Glebe Annex neighbourhoods can sign up for a ride once a month. The second run of the month is reserved for folks in the Hunt Club and Ottawa South areas.
to the grocery store at Billings Bridge where they can purchase groceries with a senior discount, and their purchases will be delivered by store employees right to their homes,” said O’Neill.
“We can take 10 on the bus, so we want to fill it with people, not grocery bags,” he said.
Pettit looks forward to her first ride and the “social interaction” she’ll have with other riders on grocery days.
“Abbotsford is always on the lookout for improving the experience for seniors to age in place at home. They look after our social aspects, mental health and even getting our groceries. It’s a wonderful organization. I can’t say enough about it,” said Pettit.
Anyone interested in signing up or getting more information about the grocery bus can call Abbotsford weekdays at 613-230-5730.
The Glebe Centre Community Programs and Services at Abbotsford are part of a registered charity, The Glebe Centre Inc., which includes a 254-bed long-term care home. Find out more about our services and pro-
Call for submissions for February 2026
POETRY QUARTER
Beginnings
The word “start” means “to begin,” yes, but it also means to startle, to jump, perhaps to be frightened. We all remember that feeling of beginning – beginning a new school or a new school year, a new job, a new city. Throughout our lives we have many beginnings: a new love blossoms, a child is born, retirement begins. Morning, the beginning of a new day, is a kind of reset button on our life, when all things are newly possible. Spring brings renewal in nature and with it, the joy of new life.
But beginnings can be hard – think of a writer sitting before a blank page (or screen).
Poets, send us your poetic thoughts and feelings on the theme of “beginnings.” Let us begin.
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, January 19, 2026.
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 five poems that meet the criteria) to editor@glebereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you
Jane Stallabrass, Community Support Services support worker, speaking with a potential grocery bus client PHOTO: PAT GOYECHE
In the Glebe
By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius.com
The Glebe
according to Zeus
A GUINEA PIG’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE GLEBE
The Pollex Problem is real
Every year during the holiday season, owners of public venues receive complaints from customers that depressed, grumpy guinea pigs are disrupting the festive atmosphere.
“I try giving them lots of presents, but that just seems to make them grumpier!” observed Liam, the owner of Erling’s, a known guinea pig gathering place.
Apparently the problem of guinea pigs being “holiday downers” has deep underlying causes. Normally outgoing and boisterous, the furry pigs have for generations silently suffered the effects of having no opposable thumbs. “It’s called the Pollex Problem and the medical name Pollexosis.
It’s a deep shame about how the lack of a thumb impedes the guinea pigs’ physical abilities, such as opening presents,” explained renowned rodentologist Matthew Rippeyoung.
“What you’re seeing is really the culmination of that denial
and shame, presenting itself in anger or depression, which is just anger turned inwards.”
But could AI solve the Pollex Problem? He-Long Tusk, owner of the digital platform Y, seems to think so. In an interview that aired on GP-TV’s Carrots and Controversies, Tusk boasted that guinea pigs will benefit from AI in unimaginable ways, and life will be grand. “They’ll each have an AI agent and self-driving cars – the digital divide is solved!”
Others disagree, noting that He-Long Tusk is short on common sense and possibly taking too much Ozempig. “Um, last I checked, AI agents don’t have thumbs either,” observed Jamal, long-time Clemow resident and aspiring Uber driver, who asked that his self-driving car be delivered unwrapped. Flankie, Jamal’s roommate and silent partner, had nothing further to say on the topic.
Rippeyoung noted that going wrapless can really help.
“While it doesn’t address the root causes of denial and shame, it is a very good mood enhancer, returning guinea pigs to their usual jovial and chatty demeanour, an asset at any party or soirée.”
A Grade 8 kid wrote this, completely without AI
By Bijan Nourozi
To start, it is important to note that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a massive topic. For some, it is a tool to be utilized at workplaces to help with minor computing tasks and small assignments. Other people (notably children around my age) see AI as a cheat code out of their math homework and scientific essays. Some are astounded by the idea of AI, and they refuse to touch it. I find it a bit unsettling, however, I am starting to find my groove with it. Although opinions about AI are divided, most people can agree on one fact: Artificial Intelligence is now a part of our lives. AI is ever present in my life. A good chunk of my life is spent at school, which means that a lot of the conversations I engage in about AI are in school as well. My friends and I will often make jokes and tease each other, saying stuff like “I’m feeling pretty tired today – thankfully I still have my trusted buddy ChatGPT to help out with my homework.” However, those conversations are solely held outside the business area of the school: the classrooms. A typical middle school classroom has changed a lot since the arrival of screens. It all began with clunky computers, which then evolved into heavyweight laptops, then finally light chromebooks. Now that AI is in the picture as well, teachers not only have to worry about students goofing off on different sites or video games, but they also have to keep a keen eye out for AI. Most students, however, opt to stay away from the infamous AI sites, thanks to the teachers and their constant warnings.
In my mind, AI is comparable to a tree growing from a pinecone. It all began with the seeds in the pinecone, and it has since then grown up and branched out. Over the past few years, AI has quickly sprung many branches, including pop culture, which has affected many people. Recently, I’ve heard of movies and songs made completely by AI. This creates a whole new scope for the artificial intelligence conversation; pretty soon, I could be
seeing AI-produced movies, shows, songs and articles in my feed. As a middle schooler, I am quite immersed in the media and pop culture genre and watching music videos and film change over the years is already a bit melancholy. Saying that, I can’t imagine how I would feel if AI started replacing the artists and creators that I love.
In my opinion, the key to maintaining a healthy relationship with AI is to ease into it slowly. It feels like right now, AI is progressing at a shockingly fast rate. A couple of weeks ago, I watched a video of Queen Elizabeth dunking a basketball on Lebron James. Although I had a good chuckle, I was a bit taken aback by the realism of the video. This led me down a spiral of thoughts and, I concluded that, in just a couple of years, AI will be indistinguishable from a human’s work. This would cause an inevitable surplus of risks and downsides. So how can we slow down the freight train that is AI? Is there a way that we can implement this powerful tool into our systems so that
society as a whole can adjust at a safe rate? While these questions are definitely heavy and are worth pondering, I still believe there are a few paths we can take to maximize AI’s potential and minimize its risk.
The concept of AI for me is more than a little frightening. Change is a little scary but, at the end of the day, change is the one thing we can expect. The fact is that AI is the hottest concept on this side of the galaxy, and we are already rewriting history with it. AI is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. As my peers and I go through our lives and pursue different interests, we will have to live with AI, adapt to it and learn how to use it without overpowering our knowledge. In other words, we will need to learn how we can use this resource to help us, while also maintaining our mental capacity. I am hopeful that we will use AI for the betterment of humanity and the planet.
Bijan Nourozi is a Grade 8 student at Glashan Public School.
Glebe Coop Nursery School puts the bears to bed
By Tamara Glavinovic
Toddler insights on hibernation are practical:
“Are the bears hibernating this winter? Yes, I believe they are, my darling. What is hibernating, Mama?
It is like going to sleep for a very long time and waking up when spring arrives. But don’t the bears get thirsty? Do they still have to pee? They do, my love. They wake up occasionally and might have a sip of water. But if I had to pee, I don’t think I would do it in my bed. I would go into the forest.”
Hibernation is one of nature’s wonders, and the arrival of winter offers the perfect opportunity for young children to explore how everyone prepares. As the season changes, the toddlers and preschoolers at the Glebe Coop Nursery School have embraced the shift with enthusiasm and curiosity. The end of November brought our much-loved pajama day – a cozy celebration where the children help “tuck the bears in” for their long winter rest.
Each child created their own saltdough bear and built a papier-mâché den, carefully filling it with leaves and soft cotton to ensure their bear stays warm through the snowy months. Through these projects, the children learn how real animals prepare for winter: how bees warm their hives by buzzing their wings, how certain animals grow thicker fur, and how some creatures journey to warmer places when the cold sets in.
Circle time has been filled with joyful seasonal activities. The children pretended to be leaves drifting gently from trees and worked collaboratively during a leaf-scramble activity, searching for coloured leaves around the classroom. They proudly used their collected treasures to decorate the branches of a previously bare classroom tree, transforming it into a beautiful display of late autumn colours.
As the colder weather arrives, the children have been practising the important skill of dressing for the season – pulling on hats, mittens and winter jackets with growing independence. Outdoors, they have delighted in the first snowfall, learning how to use their snow shovels and completing cheerful snowman puzzles together. Indoors, they continue to enjoy homemade snacks thoughtfully prepared by our duty-day parent volunteers, adding warmth and comfort to their days.
In these past weeks, the children have also begun sharing their own observations about winter – stories about animals they’ve seen, the excitement of the first snowflakes and the cozy routines that make the season special. These conversations not only deepen their understanding of the natural world but also encourage curiosity, language development and a sense of community within the classroom. Our toddlers and preschoolers will wrap up this joyful half-year by welcoming their families to a heartwarming holiday sing-along on the last day before the holiday break, complete with sweet treats and festive outfits that capture the season’s charm. Wishing everyone a cozy, joy-filled holiday season and all the very best in 2026. Tamara Glovinovic is responsible for communications for the Glebe Coop Nursery School.
Third Avenue’s Living Advent Calendar
As the first snowfall hits the Glebe, we are starting to feel holiday cheer. Residents on Third Avenue between Bronson and Lyon are gearing up for the third annual Living Advent Calendar!
This event was started by a local family who were invited to participate in an advent calendar while living in England and then brought this charming tradition to the Glebe in 2022. Participants light up their window with varied winter or holiday-themed
decorations for each of the days of December leading up to the 24th.
Going for an evening stroll in December becomes heartwarming. Seeing emerge the creative choices of your neighbours is a joy.
We challenge you to bring this fun activity to your block and light up the windows of your street! For more information on how to create your own advent calendar, contact Ben at vonnerism43@gmail.com.
Toddlers and preschoolers at Glebe Coop Nursery School make their bears and bears’ den for their long winter sleep.
News from Glebe Collegiate Institute
A Season for sharing at GCI
By Elspeth Tory
At Glebe Collegiate, giving isn’t just something we talk about during the holidays; it’s quietly built into the dayto-day life of the school. This fall, our community has once again shown how generous it can be in ways that support not only our students and staff, but also our neighbours across Ottawa.
Our recent “Fresh from the Farm” fundraiser is a perfect example. Thank you to everyone who purchased apple and vegetable bundles in support of GCI. Because of your participation, we were able to raise important funds for the school and extend that generosity beyond our own hallways.
Families had the option to buy bundles specifically for donation, and the response was overwhelming. Thanks to this kindness, 84 bundles of fresh produce were delivered to the Centretown Community Food Centre, helping local families access healthy, Ontario-grown fruits and vegetables.
“This large amount of produce will soon be distributed to our clients, as we provide food supplies for about 1,500 people each month, and with our new system of giving people fresh fruits and vegetables according to the number in each family, we are giving more than in previous years,” said Allison Dingle, the Centre’s chair.
A small click on an order form has turned into real food on someone else’s table, showing that even a bag of onions and carrots can be an act of solidarity.
Giving at Glebe also happens in quieter ways, like filling out workplace forms. As many offices launch annual charitable giving campaigns (including United Way), we’d like to remind families that Glebe Collegiate Institute School Council can be selected as a beneficiary. Designating GCI in your workplace campaign is a powerful way to support our students, even if you’re doing it between emails and your third cup of coffee.
These donations help the School Council fund things that don’t always fit into regular school budgets: enrichment activities, clubs and teams, guest speakers and initiatives that ensure all students can participate fully in school life, regardless of financial circumstances. This year, we are also focusing fundraising efforts on supporting the Developmental Disability Program classroom, helping to make improvements to the learning environment.
Funds will go toward practical enhancements, like updated furnishings, storage and sensory-friendly materials that help make this classroom as welcoming, functional and engaging as possible for the students who learn there.
If you’re taking part in a workplace charitable campaign this season, please consider directing part of your gift to our school council. You can find us easily on the CRA’s list of registered charities – just search “Glebe Collegiate Institute School Council.” You can also donate directly by e-transfer to sc-glebeci@ocdsb.ca. Donations over $20 will receive a charitable tax receipt – just be sure to include your name and mailing address in the message field.
And don’t be shy about spreading the word; friends, neighbours and grandparents can give too!
Of course, giving at Glebe isn’t only about money or fundraising totals. It’s also about time, care and the occasional legendary casserole. In that spirit, the School Council is busy planning our annual Staff Appreciation Lunch. Each year, families contribute a wide range of homemade and store-bought dishes, from salads and mains to desserts and treats, creating an incredible buffet for our staff to enjoy over lunch.
For teachers and support staff, it’s a rare chance to sit down, share a meal and experience the magical phenomenon of a hot lunch that isn’t eaten standing at the photocopier. For families, it’s a way to say a heartfelt thank you for the extra help, encouragement and emotional support. Teachers at GCI go above and beyond the classroom every day, overseeing 50 different clubs and coaching an astonishing 32 school teams in their spare time.
Details on how to contribute a dish or volunteer at the lunch will be shared through the school’s usual channels. We’d love to have as many families involved as possible, whether your specialty is a signature recipe or a store-bought tray that arrives in its original packaging (both are warmly welcomed).
Every act of giving matters. On behalf of the Glebe Collegiate School Council, thank you for all the ways you continue to show up for our school and our wider community.
Elspeth Tory is the board member managing communications for the GCI school council, Instagram @ glebecollegiateschoolcouncil.
From left, Laura Hurst, Allison Dingle (chair, Centretown Community Food Centre), David BeckMacNeil (food coordinator), Ana Gonzalez-Marsland. Glebe Collegiate’s Fresh from the Farm fundraiser saw 84 bundles of fresh produce delivered to the Centretown Community Food Centre.
Tables laden with goodies contributed by the school community for the annual Staff Appreciation Lunch
This space is a free community bulletin board for Glebe residents Send your GRAPEVINE message and your name, email address, street address and phone number to grapevine@glebereport ca Messages without complete information will not be accepted. FOR SALE items must be less than $1,000. While the Glebe Report strives to keep our free Grapevine listings safe and reliable, we advise readers to exercise due caution and best judgment when responding to the notices
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
LANSDOWNE 2.0 OPEN HOUSE, Wed, Dec 17, 6 to 8 p m TD Place Arena, Concourse between Gates 2 and 3 Enter via Gate 2 off Exhibition Way or via accessible entry at Gate 1 on Bank Street Public info session on the redevelopment and construction of Lansdowne 2 0 City staff will be present to explain how Lansdowne 2 0 will be constructed and will be available to answer questions This is a drop-in session for residents and the public to meet the construction team, learn more about the project and upcoming construction milestones All information boards presented at the Public Information Session will be available online and posted to the Lansdowne 2 0 Engage Ottawa project page after the event, 2025
ATLANTIC VOICES NEWFOUNDLAND & LADRADOR CHOIR concert “We Rise Again; soulful songs from Down East,” Sun , Jan 25, 3 p m , Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St Doors open at 2:15 for Fumblin’ Fingers Band Tickets $30 until Jan 24 or $35 at the door Children 12 and under free Tickets from choir members or through EventBrite Visit atlanticvoices ca for more info
DEMENTIA SOCIETY Celebrate the holidays with the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County and the Joyful Sound Ottawa Choir’s Holiday Concert! After weeks of rehearsals, this session’s concert takes place Sat , Dec 13 Friends, family and members of the community are invited to attend starting at 11 a m at St Stephen’s Anglican Church at 2821 St Stephen’s St in Ottawa Any interested future participants are also welcome to experience the fun and joy of singing with others
RIDEAU CHORALE will perform Messiah on Sat Dec 13 at 7:30 p m in Southminster United Church Doors open at 7p m Tickets are available at www zeffy com/en-CA/ticketing/rideau-chorale-messiah
MUSICA VIVA SINGERS is excited to announce “Winter’s Tales,” a concert featuring musical settings of Shakespeare’s poetry from across five centuries, including works by some of Canada’s finest composers Local actor Robin Guy of Three Sisters Theatre Company will help bring the language to life Our collaboration will welcome winter with open arms! Tickets: $25 General Admission, $15 Limited-Income & Students, $70 Family Pass (two or more adults with any number of children) All 3 ticket types are available from choir members about a month before the concert, or purchased online through the MVS website at www musica-viva ca The concert will be on Mon Dec 15, at 7:30 p m at Centretown United Church (507 Bank Street) which is accessible by ramp
ORKIDSTRA On Tues , Dec 16, at 6:30 p m, join OrKidstra at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre for “OrKidstra Centre Hub Holiday Concert,” a popular Ottawa holiday favourite that’s perfect for the whole family Admission is free – bring your friends, bring your family, bring your holiday spirit!
ABERDEEN CHRISTMAS MARKET Get into the holiday spirit at the Ottawa Christmas Market! This festive celebration at Lansdowne brings together dozens of local vendors offering unique gifts, handcrafted treasures and seasonal delights that are perfect for everyone on your list Taking place Dec 1-31, 10 a m –10 p m
613 HOLIDAY NIGHT MARKET The not-forprofit 613flea transforms into a winter wonderland this holiday season! This humongous monthly marketplace, held in the historic Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park, is the perfect place to find unique gifts for everyone on your list This free-to-attend event takes place Fri , Dec 19, 5 p m – 10 p m LOST & FOUND
Bank St If you lost your wedding band, text Pamela, 613-232-7670
SERVICES
SEEKING - LIVE-IN SENIOR CARE Seeking in-home care (15 hrs/week) to help a senior couple (95 & 91) stay in their home as long as possible Please contact John at 613-8261242 to discuss next steps
AVAILABLE
ALL-NATURAL HOUSE KEEPING Hi, my name is Janna I have been providing home cleaning for neighbours in the Glebe for over 7 years
My services include cleaning of kitchen, bathroom and all areas of the house, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, organization, laundry and dishes, etc I use all natural products like Dr Bronner’s Sal’s Suds Available starting January 2026 References I am also available for dog walking and pet sitting (I have experience with large dogs and small animals ) Please contact Janna at 613-293-6883
POSSIBLE SCAM ALERT
Glebe Report readers, please be aware that a notice posted in the November Grapevine section may be associated with a scam –under Available, the header Yamaha Baby Grand Piano
While we strive to keep our listings safe and reliable by requiring local contact information for those who place Grapevine notices, we are unable to do detailed verification We urge readers to exercise due caution and best judgment when responding to the free Grapevine notices
Abbas Grocery
Abbotsford House
Black Squirrel
Bloomfields Flowers
Bridgehead 1117 Bank St.
Capital Home Hardware
Douvris Martial Arts
Ernesto’s Barber Shop
Escape Clothing
Feleena’s Mexican Café
Fourth Avenue Wine Bar
Glebe Central Pub
Glebe Collegiate Institute
Glebe Community Centre
Glebe Meat Market
Glebe Physiotherapy
Glebe Tailoring
Goldart Jewellery Studio
Happy Goat Coffee
Hillary's Cleaners
Hogan’s Food Store
Ichiban Bakery
Irene’s Pub
Isabella Pizza
Kettleman’s Kunstadt Sports Lansdowne Dental
LCBO Lansdowne
Little Victories Coffee Loblaws
Marble Slab Creamery Mayfair Theatre Metro Glebe Nicastro Oat Couture
