

McKeen Metro now just Metro
By Roger Smith
The first family of groceries in the Glebe is out of the business.
More than a century after his grandfather set up shop on Bank Street, Jim McKeen sold McKeen’s Metro, surprising legions of loyal shoppers in a neighbourhood that has benefited so much from the store’s charitable support.
Though the deal was more than a year in the making, the news only started filtering out as Metro advised the Glebe Report that McKeen, who’d owned and operated the store since the late ‘80s, was about to “transition ownership” to the company. The sale closed on November 26. Though some McKeen signs remain for the time being, the store is now owned by Metro and is being run by a corporate manager.
“Retail’s different now, it’s exhausting,” McKeen said in a phone interview a few days before the official handover. “We’ve been around for a long time, and we just hit our best-before date.”
Rebecca, McKeen’s daughter and business partner, who’d been running the store for several years, was seen by some as the fourth-generation heir apparent to keep the dynasty alive, but with COVID, increased shoplifting and inflation, her father said the past five years have been even more challenging.
“It’s probably why she said she’s had enough.”
McKeen called back later to say he wasn’t ready to say more about the sale. He said the fire in March at the Glebe Apothecary (part of the building he owns, which makes him Metro’s landlord now), negotiating with Metro and leaving a business “I was born into” had put him and his family under incredible stress.
“I want time to think about what I say to the community,” he said.
The Glebe Report is sensitive to McKeen’s situation and has offered space in its next issue for him to tell his own story. Metro also provided a statement (see sidebar) that McKeen gave to the company, thanking his family, his staff and the community.
“The Glebe has given us countless fond memories,” he said, “and we are deeply grateful for the support and warmth we have received over so many years.”
He also said he’s known the new manager, Chris Shaeen (pronounced “Shane”), for many years, “and I am confident that the store is in good hands.”



James McKeen, the grandfather after whom Jim is named, opened his store in 1910 at Bank and Clarey, where the Running Room is now. His son, Harold, Jim’s dad, took over a store at First and O’Connor in 1931, then moved to the current location in 1955 to run an IGA franchise that would later become a Loeb and finally a Metro. From that first store until the recent sale, the McKeen sold groceries in the Glebe for 114 years.
Of Metro’s 230 stores in Ontario, Jim McKeen was one of the last three franchisees; the rest of the stores are corporately owned and managed. A franchisee has more freedom than a corporate manager to order different products and set different prices. In the days after the sale, headquarters staff met with every department to see how the McKeens did things and to determine what works and what doesn’t.
“We’re here to make things run according to how Jim ran it,” said





Shaeen while also acknowledging there may have to be some changes to “integrate the franchisee system into the Metro system.”
His first move – handing out new Metro uniforms during a Staff Appreciation Day on December 12. And the next

may be to spruce up the store.
“We have some ideas to make it a little more inviting,” he said, “and that’s what we’re planning to do.












Jim, Christine, Martha and Rebecca McKeen, in the early days. The youngest, Rebecca, is the most recent owner/manager of the store.
Chris Shaeen, new manager of the Glebe

Glebe, Shaeen admits he has big shoes to fill.
“I applaud the challenge,” he says. “I am a community guy to begin with.”
The new manager grew up on Echo Drive and had a part-time job through high school at the Loblaw’s on Pretoria. After graduating from the University of Ottawa in 1984, he worked at and owned a couple of Loeb franchises. When Metro bought Loeb, he became a corporate manager and ran half a dozen Metros in Ottawa. He clearly loves his work.
“Every day is like a two-hour movie,” he says. “That’s how great my job is.”
Shaeen is divorced, lives in Orleans and has two kids, 36-year-old Tristan, a pilot, and 34-year-old Regan, a nurse. When they were little, the family lived for several years on Fifth Avenue in a house that Shaeen still owns and rents. Knowing the McKeens’ legacy in the
The McKeens set a high bar by allocating up to 10 per cent of annual profits to support local charities and events, like the Great Glebe Garage Sale, Taste of the Glebe, Abbotsford galas and so many more. Metro admits it’s a hard act to follow.
“We’ll definitely be matching them in spirit,” said company spokesperson Stephanie Bonk. “I don’t know we can match in numbers.”
While Metro is hoping for a smooth transition, customers and fans of the McKeens will be watching closely in hopes the future lives up to the past.
Roger Smith is a retired journalist and the Glebe Report’s copy editor.

Message from Jim McKeen
Operating our family business in the Glebe neighbourhood has been an incredible journey. The Glebe has given us countless fond memories, and we are deeply grateful for the support and warmth we have received over the years.
The success of the store and our involvement in and contributions to the community would not have been possible without the unwavering support from my wife Christine and my daughters, Rebecca, my business partner, and Martha. Their dedication and hard work have been the backbone of our success.
We would not have been able to be successful without an amazing team working in the store. Their commitment and dedication to the business and the community helped maintain the close and personal feeling of the neighbourhood grocery store.
Over the years, Metro has been a great partner. This transition has been a collaborative experience, and we wholeheartedly support Metro and their vision. I have known the new store manager Chris Shaeen for many years, and I am confident that the store is in good hands.
As someone who was born and raised in Glebe, I hold this community close to my heart and, although I no longer reside in the Glebe, I will always consider myself a proud Glebite.
We are truly grateful to have been able to serve the community for four generations of McKeens. It was an honour and a pleasure, and we would like to thank the community for the many years of continued support.


James McKeen, who opened the McKeen grocery store in the Glebe in 1910, with his delivery truck, ca 1934
McKeen



Glebe Meat Market, serving the community for more than 100 years
By Dana Mitchell
For more than 100 years, Glebe Meat Market has supplied fine meat products and the timeless taste of a homecooked meal.
The business first opened at 793 Bank Street in 1920. Originally owned and operated by the Faith brothers, the business was eventually sold to Harry Amada. André Sauvé, one of Amada’s part-time cutters, bought the business in 1975 after selling his own butcher store in Orléans.
Glebe Meat Market is now owned and run by André’s son Stephane, who started his career in the meat industry at the age of 13. He recalls his early days building forts with delivery boxes and separating chicken organs. After the shop moved a few years later to its current location at 869 Bank, he helped his father renovate the interior of the store, making it into the quaint establishment it is today.
The younger Sauvé took over the business in the 1990s, and while he’s faced challenges due to the pandemic and an ever-changing market, he says interacting with customers makes his job worthwhile.
“I love my customers,” he says. “I like when they come in with questions or with a recipe I’ve never tried. The other thing is that I love cooking food, and a lot of my friends are chefs, so it’s always fun talking about that stuff.”
Over the years, the Glebe neighbourhood has grown up around the butcher shop. As an independent, family-run business, it maintains a heritage feel while staying current with evolving consumer needs.
“We have a lot of regular customers,
and some families have been shopping here for generations,” says Sauvé. “But most of our customers come for the special stuff that they can’t find anywhere else, stuff that they can’t sell at larger supermarkets because it doesn’t move fast enough.”
Adorning the walls and shelves of the store are a variety of antique implements, some of which were used over a century ago when the business first opened. Other items were acquired by Sauvé and his father, who share a passion for antiques, including an old cash register that they exchanged for a side of beef. These features recall an earlier time and make shopping at Glebe Meat Market a truly unique experience.
“We’ve always tried to keep the store old-fashioned,” says Sauvé. “All the pies are my grandmother’s recipes. We also sell cretons, sausage rolls and scotch eggs for the British. We want to keep those old recipes alive.”
Traditional food preparation techniques and recipes allow the business to remain connected to its rich history. Sauvé says that he’s still learning from his parents to ensure these culinary traditions persist into the future.
“My parents make the relishes at their farm, and we do all the canning there,” he says. “People get disappointed when they don’t have the old ketchup with our tourtière. That’s the tradition. You can use Heinz, but it’s not the same.”
In addition to their food products, Glebe Meat Market offers cooking advice and instructions to customers.
Sauvé has a small but mighty team of five employees, some of whom have been working with him for more than 30 years. They bring their personal expertise to the shop and welcome
inquiries from seasoned cooks and culinary beginners alike.
“All my staff are full-time,” says the owner. “They all know how to cook and how to help the customer, so when people come here, they know they’ll get the answers they need.”
One of the business’s newest traditions is its haggis, which has become an acclaimed signature dish. Sauvé first developed the recipe 25 years ago after taking a customer’s request into his own hands. There followed a monthslong effort to perfect the recipe, which included extensive research and taste testing. Eventually Sauvé’s labours paid off, and the recipe quickly gained traction locally and internationally. In their best year, he says the business sold
two tons of haggis, some of which was shipped as far away as the North Pole.
The wide reach of Glebe Meat Market speaks to the dedication of Sauvé and his team, who care about their clients and take the time to prepare high-quality products. In the words of one Scottish customer, their haggis “tastes like home.”
You can visit Glebe Meat Market at 869 Bank Street or check out their website at glebemeatmarket.ca to learn more.
Dana Mitchell works with the Glebe BIA as their communications and outreach intern. She is a Glebe resident who is currently completing her PhD in English at Carleton University.













Stephane Sauvé, owner of Glebe Meat Market PHOTO: DANA MITCHELL
Business Buzz
D’or Thrift Shop is now open at 857B Bank Street, former home of All ECO. “Dieu peut le faire encore.” “Anything you need we have. All items are new or in really good condition, and the price is just for your budget. All items fully sanitized and fully tested.” (807) 698-9893
The Jungle is now open at 858 Bank Street, Suite 100. “Curated vintage clothing, unique handmade pieces and novelty décor.” @thejungleottawa
Hokum is now open at 809 Bank Street, former home of The Good Cannabis Co. and Mrs Tiggy Winkles. (613) 231-2823. “Gift and vintage décor.” Hokum.ca, @hokum_ottawa.
Contributors this month
IVA APOSTOLOVA
MYA ASTON
BRIGIT BASTIANON
LUCY BOTTOMLEY
SARAH BRADFIELD
ALANNA BROWN
VALERIE BURTON
SYLVIE CHARTRAND
JUNE CREELMAN
JOHN CRUMP
JEFF DELOYDE
IAN GLEN
PAT GOYECHE
ROLAND GRAHAM
DANNY HANDELMAN
PATRICK HART
JOEL HARDEN
ROD HUGHES
ISAAC JACKMAN
STEVE JACOBSEN
GISSI JOHN
LYNN JOHNSTON
AYESHA KHAN
ALEXA MACKIE
KEITH MACLELLAN
SHOSHANA MAGNET
ANA MARSLAND
SHAWN MENARD
DANA MITCHELL
REGAN MORRIS
ANANT NAGPUR
YASIR NAQVI
BARBARA POPEL
JOSH RACHLIS
SUE REIVE
MARISA ROMANO
SARAH ROUTLIFFE
NATASCHA SEKERINSKI
TARA SHIELDS
JESSIE-LEE WALLACE
DELLA WILKINSON
MATTHEW WILSON
CECILE WILSON
ZEUS
Saulteaux, Nipissing and Mississauga First Nations
A Glimpse of the Glebe �

Farewell and thank-you, McKeen’s
McKeen Metro Glebe, as you will have read on the front page, is no longer McKeen, just Metro.
A warm welcome to the new Metro store manager, Chris Shaeen.
But let’s take a minute to reflect on the McKeen’s four generations of grocers in the Glebe.
James McKeen opened a store in 1910 on Bank Street at the corner of Clarey Avenue and a family-run McKeen grocery store has operated in the Glebe ever since then, run first by James, then son Harold, his son Jim and recently Rebecca. The current store was first an IGA, then a Loeb and finally a Metro.
But no matter the affiliation, the philosophy of the store has been to engage fully as a member of the community. The store was quick to support many local initiatives, events, fundraisers, celebrations of any kind organized by volunteers at schools, churches,
community groups. Whenever food or financial support was needed, McKeen’s was there. And many a Glebe teenager over the years got their first job as a cashier, shelf stocker or deliverer at McKeen’s.
The store also has a record of progressive policies in seeking to stock local produce and organic foods, supporting local farmers and encouraging recycling of plastics, among other initiatives. With their long history in the Glebe, they got to know their customers well and were able to stock shelves with food and packaging that met their needs.
A locally owned and run business embedded tightly within the community with long roots reaching from past to future – exactly the kind of business needed for a healthy, vibrant neighbourhood.
For those many years of partnership with the community, a sincere thank you.
—Liz McKeen
(Full disclosure: I am related, but not involved with the store.)
Established in 1973, the Glebe Report, published by the Glebe Report Association, is a monthly not-forprofit community newspaper with a circulation of 7,500 copies It is delivered free to Glebe homes and businesses Advertising from merchants in the Glebe and elsewhere pays all its costs, and the paper receives no government grants or direct subsidies The Glebe Report is made available at select locations such as the Glebe Community Centre, the Old Ottawa South Community Centre and Brewer Pool, and is printed by Winchester Print www.glebereport.ca
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Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Aubry family, Gaja Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Joanne Benoit, Carolyn Best, Daisy & Nettie Bonsall, Martha Bowers, Bowie family, Adélaïde and Éléonore Bridgett, Bob Brocklebank, Naomi and Audrey Cabassu, Ben Campbell-Rosser, Nico Cauchi, Bill Congdon, Ava & Olivia Carpenter, Chiu-Panczyk Family, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Claypool Family, JJ Comptois, June Creelman, Marni Crossley, Olivia Dance, Mark Dance, Dawson family, Richard DesRochers, Davies Family, Nathan and Roslyn Demarsh, Marilyn Deschamps, Diekmeyer-Bastianon family, Dingle family, Delia Elkin, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, The Foo Family, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Marjolein Groenevelt, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jennifer Humphries, Sandiso Johnston, Tani, Pete & Bryce Nisbet-Jones Jungclaus Family, Elena Kastritsa, Kasper Raji Kermany, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Fenton & Cora Hui Litster, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Kathleen Larocque, Catherine Lawr, Jamie, Alexander & Louisa Lem, Brams and Jane Leswick, Alison Lobsinger, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Andy Lunney, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Patrick Collins Mayer, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Josephine & Elise Meloche, Julie Monaghan, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Diane Munier, Rafi Naqvi, Maddy North, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, Nicholas & Reuben Ott, Matteo and Adriano Padoin-Castillo, Brenda Perras, Brenda Quinlan, Annabel and Joseph Quon, Beatrice Raffoul, Bruce Rayfuse, Kate Reekie, Thomas Reevely, Mary & Steve Reid, Jacqueline Reilly-King, Anna Roper, Frank Schreiner, Short family, Deka Simon, Cathy Simons, Andrew Soares, 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, Nick Walker, Vanessa Wen, Paul Wernick, Hope, Jax and Ash Wilson, Howard & Elizabeth Wong, Berkan Yazici, Martin Zak.

This year's Help Santa Toy Parade PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN
We need a proper bus station
Editor, Glebe Report
It is high time to bring back to Ottawa a proper bus station serving all of Canada and the U.S.
Some of us remember the bus station on Catherine Street (Voyageur Colonial, then Greyhound), a proper station with proper facilities. You could go anywhere in Canada and the U.S., with a few stops and changes to other buses. Those were the days when buses went to Montreal and Toronto every hour on the hour. Miss one bus and you knew another one would come soon. Students would do their homework or read, munching on something from the coffee shop located there. It had washroom facilities and security guards on duty and a ticket counter on site. I remember going by bus to Mirabel Airport to bring my cousins from Bombay to my place for a visit, and it was very convenient.
I am surprised no city councillor, MPP or MP has made an issue of the lack of this much-needed service. There are a few bus services now, but they are very limited, and one has to wait in an open bus stop in all weather conditions. Just imagine – for people needing help, there is none.
I urge the mayor and other influential people to figure out how to bring a proper bus service to Ottawa, the nation’s capital. I know COVID19 destroyed well-served travelling, but the time has come to revisit it and bring back that essential service. I ask city officials and others to engage in discussion to bring it back.
Anant Nagpur

Light at the end of the tunnel?
Editor, Glebe Report
Since April of this year, on my block of Glebe Avenue (between Bank and O’Connor), I along with my neighbours have been dealing with incessant construction.
To say it has been a lot to put up with would be a massive understatement. Oooof.
At last, as I was walking up Glebe just a bit ago, I snapped this photo. I finally felt, dare I say it, hopeful the end of the work might be near. A glimmer of light.
I have captioned the photo: “Could there be light at the end of the tunnel?”
If you lived through the past many months on our block, you would know why the street being almost finished – final work this week? – is so exciting. And important. Did we actually survive this? Will it ever end? Here’s hoping.
I nominate my photo for the cover of the December 13 issue.
Tara Shields
Babies of the Glebe 2024

Was your Glebe baby born in 2024?
If your Glebe baby was born in 2024, 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 20, 2025. The issue will come out Feb. 7, 2025. A Special colour feature in the Glebe Report’s January/February edition
Activism and the Glebe
Editor, Glebe Report,
After six years away from the Glebe (while in Montreal), I have noticed some subtle changes in this neighbourhood.
I hear my given names used much more often, which I interpret as the personalization of everyday life, activating the synapses of the brain, reversing the aging process. My exposure to the French joie-de-vivre culture impressed on me the value of this youthful interior life. Activation of the brain allows me, for example, to remember other people’s names. This community-building exercise will yield a rebirth of people’s creativity for the betterment of society. It is more effective than the fountain of youth.
Satisfying the hunger for food and philosophy instills peace in the mind and the stomach, so that previously complex subjects become easily digested.
The increasing concentration of people with PhDs in the Glebe results in ever-changing discussions of a philosophical nature, recognizing the importance of food to fuel the brain, soul and spirit, especially for youth.
The word activation shares the same root as activism. The scope of influence of the Glebe Community Association (GCA) is expanding, as evidenced by the appearance at the GCA’s annual general meeting of the elected representatives of the three levels of government. Activists make private positions known publicly. There are activists among public servants, where their voices might be tempered by political expediency, and in the private sector.
Formal education assists in understanding the sometimes-bureaucratic maze that is government. Education yields a refinement of vocabulary that decision-makers rely upon to make decisions that have short-term and, more importantly, long-term ramifications. There is sometimes the accusation that formal education and hands-on activism are inversely correlated. I would argue that the ballot box is the primary vector for grievances to be expressed. Activism is about making an appearance. The thriving community that is the Glebe incentivizes such appearances.
Danny Handelman
For the love of local
Editor, Glebe Report
I have very much enjoyed the humour of @SparkThe Genius (Josh Rachlis’s) cartoons in the past few issues. Love the humour and the messaging it contains specific to our neighbourhood –keep them coming, Josh! And a shout-out to an advertiser –Garden Sorceress – whose services I utilized this fall. The work was completed in a timely, tidy and very reasonably priced basis. And Judith has such a great sense of humour too! Love our community newspaper! Thank you for supporting local business!
Lynn Johnston

Artificial turf at Mutchmor? Just say no.
Editor, Glebe Report,
At 90 years old, I’ve seen a lot of silliness. But few ideas have made my head spin as much the proposal to cover the Earth with a plastic carpet. I am talking about the OCDSB’s proposal to cover certain schoolyards in our neighbourhood with artificial turf – including the yard at Mutchmor where my great grandchildren attend. Frankly, I cannot understand how this can be considered a viable option in 2024: we are in the midst of a climate crisis in which extreme weather is becoming the norm and every summer is hotter than the last. There is an alarming increase in rates of cancers and autoimmune disorders in young people, which some researchers link to a proliferation of “forever chemicals” or perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs).
In this context, is would be unconscionable to cover up a field (even a muddy one!) with a layer of shortlived, nonrecyclable, fossil-fuel-derived plastic and chemicals, and then encourage children to play on it. The crumb infill that is put down underneath artificial turf is known to contain (and leach) heavy metals and PFAs. It sheds microplastics, which pose a growing threat to our ecosystems and wildlife. This is not a project that can be “offset” by any amount of tree planting: the OCDSB would be committing to sending every single blade of plastic grass and every crumb of infill to our over-burdened landfills in just eight to 15 years – and then doing it all over again in perpetuity (or until our regulatory agencies catch up with the European Union, which has already banned the sale of crumb rubber artificial turf starting in 2031).
Does the OCDSB not have anything better to commit their money to than maintaining and replacing this costly and toxic product every decade? If the board is sitting on extra funds, perhaps I can offer some common-sense proposals that won’t poison our kids or the planet: spend money on reducing classes to a reasonable size or paying educators what they’re worth. We owe it to future generations to make better choices and look for real, eco-friendly alternatives. Enough with the plastic; it’s time for a change.
Gissi John
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By Brigit Bastianon
With the giving season upon us, I can’t help but think of the thousands of Canadians waiting desperately for a life-saving gift: an organ donation. Until this year, I knew very little about the world of organ transplantation or the shortage of organs in Canada. That all changed in early April, in the most ordinary of settings.
As I sat eating dinner with my parents and brother here in the Glebe, my dad happened to mention that his friend’s wife, Carolyn, was urgently looking for a liver donor with an O+ blood type. Carolyn had been fighting Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the bile ducts in the liver, for five years. Her liver was beginning to fail, and her options were limited: wait years on the deceased donor list or try to find a living donor as soon as possible. While I’d never met Carolyn, her story deeply resonated with me. I’ve never faced a chronic illness, but I’ve struggled with my mental health. Like many, my mental health took a nosedive during the pandemic. My motivation, self-esteem, and love for life vanished. Slowly, with therapy, medication and the support of those who believed in me when I couldn’t, I climbed out of that dark place. This experience gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to feel hopeless and watch your quality of life slip away. Carolyn was living her own version of that struggle, but unlike me, her way out depended on finding a new liver. I thought to myself: I am a healthy, 22-year-old who has the opportunity to make a huge difference in someone’s life, I should step up. So that’s exactly what I did. This summer, I donated 40 per cent of my liver to Carolyn at the Toronto General Hospital. Of course, it wasn’t as simple as deciding and heading into surgery. I had to travel to Toronto for a series of tests to see if Carolyn and I were an anatomical match. Once it was confirmed, I met with a whole team of medical professionals over the next couple of months. They prepared me for everything, explaining the risks and complications, making sure I knew I could back out at any time. I also had to have some tough conversations with family and friends who were understandably
anxious about the process. Despite my own fears and uncertainties, I never wavered in my decision. It always felt natural and unquestionably right. As you may have guessed, the surgery was a huge success. In fact, just two days after the transplant, Carolyn’s jaundice had disappeared. My liver was already working hard to restore Carolyn’s health. That said, recovery wasn’t easy for me or for Carolyn (but that’s her story to tell). I spent six days in the hospital dealing with nausea, intestinal pain and exhaustion. After I was discharged, things were still rough. I felt wiped for a couple of weeks, had to give myself blood thinner injections every day for six weeks, lost 10 pounds, couldn’t swim all summer and looked like a ghost from the blood loss. But all of that was worth it knowing that Carolyn now has a second chance. Her future is now bright and this difficult chapter can be left behind her.
Unfortunately, not every story ends this way. Every three days, a Canadian dies waiting for an organ transplant. Obviously, not everyone can be a living donor; it’s a big commitment, and there are risks involved. However, there’s one thing almost all of us can do: register as an organ donor. It takes two minutes, and your selfless act could save up to eight lives in the event of your passing.
Reflecting on my own experience, I’ll share this. Throughout the donor process, the transplant team was adamant about making sure my decision was entirely my own. They wanted to be absolutely sure that I wasn’t being coerced or pressured into doing something that in my heart of hearts I didn’t want. I’ll never forget when a social worker candidly asked if I was expecting to receive a large sum of money after the surgery. (I joked, “No, but I’m getting a Ferrari.”) In all seriousness, though, this experience has been worth more to me than a million dollars. It’s given me a new appreciation for life, for my family, my friends and my health. Sometimes, the gifts we give end up giving give just as much back to us. So, thank you, Carolyn.
Brigit Bastianon is a fourth-year social work student at Carleton University passionate about improving others’ quality of life. Born and raised in the Glebe, she lives in her childhood home with her parents and brother.

Brigit Bastianon taking a short walk around the transplant unit, post donor surgery.
By June Creelman
Seventeen years ago, in January 2008, the Glebe Community Association (GCA) put out a press release applauding the City of Ottawa for its approach to planning the future of Lansdowne Park. The City had announced that it would hold public consultations to guide an international design competition for this important civic space. At the time, I was chair of the GCA’s Lansdowne Park Committee. I was optimistic about the upcoming revitalization of Lansdowne. Little did I know that by the end of the year, public consultations and the design competition would be quashed in favour of a sole source proposal from the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). And never did I dream that Lansdowne’s redevelopment would still be on the agenda in 2025, and I would still be involved.
Many people are not aware of just how controversial the sole sourcing of Lansdowne’s redevelopment to OSEG was back in the day. There was a huge citizen mobilization to fight the handover of this prime public land to private interests. From 2008 to 2012, there was intense activity that included rallies, meetings, presentations, debates, protests and performances. Thousands of people from every part of the region joined the fight for a better Lansdowne Park plan. Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly for years to protect this public treasure.
Some of the highlights of that period include:
The creation of a city-wide coalition calling for a competitive design process. This included such diverse organizations as the Rural Council of Ottawa Carleton,

the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects, CUPE 503 and the Glebe Business Group. Community associations in every corner of the city – Kanata, Orleans, Manotick, Vanier and Rockcliffe – supported an open procurement process.
More than 200 individuals and organizations made delegations to a special City Council meeting on Lansdowne. The meeting ran into the evening and over the next day.
A new non-profit organization, the Friends of Lansdowne (FOL), was formed to keep the public informed of developments. I was the president; our vice-president was from Kanata. After the City failed to follow its own policies regarding procurement and leasing of public land, FOL launched a legal challenge with the Ontario Superior Court.

To cover the legal costs, FOL undertook a major fundraising campaign. With support from local businesses, artists and residents, we staged a series of public events. Perhaps the most memorable of these was the Lansdowne Follies at the Mayfair Theatre. Who will forget the sight of our city councillor, Clive Doucet, doing the can-can? This entirely volunteer fundraising effort raised $330,000 to cover the legal fees.
We drew on the expertise of supporters to conduct in-depth studies and analyses of various Lansdowne issues – financial, environmental, transportation, heritage, architecture, urban planning, governance and more. Many professionals volunteered hundreds of hours to prepare background papers to counter the city’s rosy projections.
So here we are in 2025. The City has given preliminary approval to spending half a billion dollars to create Lansdowne 2.0. even as the City faces a financial crisis. There has been no accountability for the financial failure of the original Lansdowne Partnership Plan, and there have been no meaningful public consultations on the proposed changes. The City’s own evaluation of its consultations on Lansdowne found that 69 per cent of participants had no confidence that public input would be taken into account.

We all know how the story ended. Friends of Lansdowne lost the legal battle. Basically, the courts ruled that an elected city council could make decisions about city-owned land, even if it violated the City’s own policies and practices. After the decision, FOL disbanded.
And so the Lansdowne Partnership Plan was implemented. The site was divided in two, with a commercial portion near Bank Street and a public park facing the Canal. The City of Ottawa agreed to spend $127 million to renovate the stadium and the arena and to lease them to OSEG for $1 a year. With interest charges, the cost to the City was estimated at about $225 million.


In addition, the City of Ottawa spent over $46 million to hold an international design competition and build a public urban park that included the Aberdeen Pavilion, Horticulture Building, Aberdeen Square, Great Lawn and park space. The City also leased 10 acres of land for $1 a year for retail and residential development. The redeveloped site opened in 2014.
The Lansdowne Partnership Plan was a 30-year agreement; the retail portion included options to extend the arrangement for two 10-year terms. Ottawa taxpayers were told that the arrangement meant that Lansdowne was settled once and for all, and that the deal would not only recoup the City’s investments but would also be profitable for both the City and OSEG.
But of course, as FOL had predicted, the financial plan did not work. Less than five years after Lansdowne’s grand reopening, OSEG was back to the city, cap in hand, asking for a better deal and brand new sports facility; and the City had earned nothing on its $127 million stadium and arena investment.
And here I am in 2025 once again the chair of the Lansdowne Committee for the GCA. I don’t regret the thousands of hours I have personally invested in trying to keep the public interest paramount in decisions about Lansdowne’s redevelopment. To me, due public process and investing in the public good are fundamental values. And through this work, I have discovered a wonderful fellowship of smart, engaged, caring people who want the best for their city’s future.
This coming year, the City will make a final decision on Lansdowne 2.0. If it goes ahead, the City will have half a billion dollars less to spend on public transit, affordable housing, social services, recreation facilities and everything a city does. And this investment is unlikely to make Lansdowne successful because of the fundamental transportation challenges getting to and from the site, competition from the new sports and entertainment district around the proposed Senators arena at LeBreton and an unrealistic financial model that relies on retail revenues. And many of the things we enjoy about Lansdowne – the green space, sunny patios, the toboggan hill – will be lost. How many of Lansdowne’s businesses will survive the 10 years of construction?
I know that many people across Ottawa care deeply about the future of Lansdowne Park. For the good of the city, and to avoid the mistakes of the LRT project, could we take a pause to review priorities and return to good solid planning and proper consultation? It’s not too late to make Lansdowne better so that everyone can enjoy this exceptionally rare cityowned property in the heart of the city.
June Creelman is a long-time Glebe resident who has an abiding interest in the health of Lansdowne. She is chair of the Glebe Community Association’s Lansdowne Committee.
Lansdowne’s sad 17-year history – can the dollar hemorrhage be stemmed?
DOES A HOME ENERGY RETROFIT DELIVER RESULTS? PART 2
By Matthew Wilson
I’m plugging back into the story I started last month. In November, I wrote of our work to insulate and reduce natural gas use. Now, I’ll explore how we are saving electricity, how much money we are saving and sum up with a few recommendations for homeowners.
Let’s talk electricity reductions. Thanks to insulating, we have decommissioned three electric baseboard heaters. Three inefficient window-box air conditioners are also gone and replaced by the highly efficient heat pump. With lighting, we replaced over 40 incandescent or halogen bulbs (which use lots of power) with modern and efficient LED bulbs.
On the laundry side, dryers use more energy than any other appliance in a home and with small kids, we do a lot of laundry. We purchased one of the most efficient machines on the market with a condensing heat pump dryer. Instead of continuously producing heat and exhausting that moist heat outside, this dryer does the same job differently. The heated air is continuously recycled, and a dehumidifier sends the extracted water down the drain. It uses up to 60-per-cent less electricity than its vented equivalent. It can be installed on an inside wall.
I can’t compare the old heating system to the new one just yet. But what we can account for is the impact of the insulation (installed before winter) when paired with the previous furnace. Have we noticed improved energy performance? Did we save money?
The previous owner provided numbers, and I am comparing August 202223 to August 2023-24. Our electricity
use is down by $244 or 20 per cent. The operation of the heat pump for five months is included in that usage. Insulation, light bulbs and the dryer were installed at various points, so we’ll have a more complete picture next year.
On the natural gas side, our bill this past year was $1,357, excluding waterheater rental costs. It includes the use of a natural gas stove, and the addition of a fireplace and BBQ in late spring with minimal usage. For the year prior under the previous owner, the bill was $3,140. Depending on whether that amount includes tank-rental costs, it translates to either a 28- or 43-per-cent reduction in natural gas costs. Either way, these are big savings just on account of the insulation alone.
Let’s also compare for winters; after all, the winter of 2022 was much colder than the winter of 2023. There were an additional 254 heating degree days in 2022. (A degree day measures the fall for a day of one degree below 18 degrees Celsius. Translation: colder, more call for heat.) Dividing total costs by the number of degree days, each degree day cost $0.77 in 2022-23 and $0.51 in 2023-24, a reduction of 39 per cent. That is as close to an apples-to-apples comparison as I think you can get.
Next year will bring a clearer picture of energy savings. But so far, we have saved $2,027 one year to the next. We don’t yet know the grants we will receive. A Green Homes grant takes an astonishing 26 to 30 weeks for the application to be reviewed and the cheque to be sent. Once that arrives, we can calculate our final capital cost.
Similarly, we applied for and received the Green Homes Loan. Administratively, this was more complicated than



getting a mortgage, but the result was a very helpful 10-year loan with no interest.
From this experience, I offer the following advice:
Do something. When it comes to climate, be the change you want to see in the world. It can start at home.
Don’t rent a hot water tank. The cost to get out of renting a 12-year-old hot water tank from Enercare was over $950. What a terrible surprise. You can buy a new tank for half that. There are only two ways of getting out of a rental agreement easily – when the house is sold or when the tank fails. The Enercare buyout fee was a penalty for replacing my furnace and hot water heater with more efficient models. It locks people into inefficiency. Renting hot water
heaters or furnaces can be an incredibly expensive long-term proposition. Avoid it or get out when you can.
Do consider an EcoBee thermostat. I’m not especially tech savvy, but this is an easy to use and well-designed controller. Multiple temperature sensors are used, which averages the overall temperature. You can easily register through the app for PeakSaver program. It offers participating households a $75 incentive (which arrived just a few weeks later). And while I won’t ever need to play music through my thermostat, it does that too.
Don’t wait 25 years to insulate your house. A lush urban backyard forest is an excellent feature of any home, but it doesn’t replace insulating. Insulating saves you money, reduces GHG emissions and improves overall comfort.
Do recruit some good help on your efficiency journey. Talk to friends, ask around, be aware of incentives and favourable loan programs, talk with an energy advisor to get the ball rolling. They can be immensely helpful. Pick one carefully. Unfortunately, my advisor went silent partway through, and it complicated the conclusion of the process.
Don’t leave it for your kids. The time is now to have an impact on the Earth that our children will inherit. We can make a difference in the actions we take as individuals, as families, as a neighbourhood and as Canadians.
So yes, the retrofit is delivering results. Stay tuned for updates!
Matthew Wilson is a Glebe resident who took on the challenge of improving the energy efficiency of a classic fixerupper home.


EcoBee thermostat
PHOTOS: MATTHEW WILSON
The author suggests you don’t wait 25 years to insulate your house.
GNAG brings winter fun!
There are many reasons to feel happy and grateful this time of year, but everyone occasionally wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. As a leader, I know how important it is to shake it off and leave it at the door! To reset, I turn to my go-to mood boosters: a brisk walk, brewing a delicious cup of tea, playing some uplifting music or saying hi to the toddlers at playgroup – those little smiles work wonders!
I hope GNAG can be a similar source of joy for those who need a pick-me-up. Whether it’s an event one’s been looking forward to, a weekly program or the endorphins from a morning fitness class, we strive to be the place where people can reset, recharge and feel their best.
We’re thrilled about the lineup we’ve put together for this winter and hope you are too! With over 30 new programs spanning all age groups, there’s something for everyone to enjoy – we can’t wait to see the community dive in! This year’s winter programming was informed by thoughtful, data-driven decisions based on demographics, surveys and community feedback.
Registration opened on December 10; if you haven’t yet registered for your program of choice, feel free to browse our program guide on www.gnag.ca.
There are still a few spots available in our Winter Break Camp on December 23 and 30 and January 2 and 3. This year, we’re offering flexible options: register for all four days or choose daily registration to fit your family’s schedule. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Community Partnerships
As the year draws to a close, I find

Sarah Routliffe GNAG Executive Director
N 613-233-8713
E info@gnag.ca gnag.ca
myself reflecting on the highs, the lows and the opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally. At GNAG, this year’s many successes would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our community. 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 time – thank you! Your support fuels everything we do, and we are deeply grateful.
This year we had some standout Glebe residents who came up with some amazing initiatives to support GNAG and give back to the community. A huge shoutout to Chris Joslin for the incredible Scrap Metal Recycling initiative, which raised $1,200 for GNAG’s 50th Anniversary Youth Room Renovation – what an amazing contribution to the community! And to Blair and Dan at Glebe Central Pub, thank you for your outstanding generosity! The $1,760 raised from your golf tournament is a fantastic boost for the Youth Room project. Your support means the world to us and the future of this space. Together, you’re making a lasting impact – thank you.
Trivia Night Success
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our sold-out Trivia Night! From the clever Smartinis to the punloving We Glebe in Miracles, the competition was fierce and the laughs were plenty on that final Friday in November.

We’re incredibly grateful to the businesses that helped make the night a success. A special shout out to the BlackJacks for their amazing prize of game tickets for the entire winning team, as well as to The Mat Lab, Octopus Books and Browns Crafthouse Glebe for their generous prize donations. To Dominion City Brewing and First Quality Sound, thank you for offering discounted services that helped maximize the event’s success.
A heartfelt thanks to Sheri Segal Glick and Elspeth Tory for crafting such challenging questions and keeping the energy high with your witty banter. Your hard work and humour made the night unforgettable. Finally, to our incredible planning
your dedication and effort in creating such a fantastic event. It wouldn’t have been possible without you!
See you in 2025!
As the holiday season approaches, GNAG wants to extend our heartfelt wishes to each and every one of you. From our community to yours, we wish you a season filled with warmth, joy and the company of cherished loved ones. Though the days may be short, we are hopeful that they will be illuminated by the spirit of togetherness and kindness.
2025 DEADLINES
Leslie J. Kirk & Iuliia Shulakewych

17
14
12
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committee – community member
Rachel Knee, Sheri Segal Glick, Clare Davidson Rogers and returning chair Tanis Hodder – thank you for
The GNAG team makes the fun happen!
Pause Lansdowne spending, deal with crises first
When Ottawa is facing a climate crisis, a housing crisis and a financial crisis, does it make sense to keep spending money on things that aren’t urgent? Does it make sense to spend $24.6 million this year on “planning” Lansdowne 2.0 even though a final plan has not been approved, final cost estimates have not been provided, and there is a lack of evidence to support claims that it will be affordable?
The answer to both questions is No.
There are many reasons Ottawa taxpayers should be concerned about the state of the city’s finances. Declared housing and climate emergencies remain underfunded. There is a $120 million shortfall in the transit budget. And the City has an identified infrastructure renewal funding gap of $900 million. All good reasons to pause spending on Lansdowne.
The Glebe Community Association underlined this point in a motion at its November meeting that calls on the City to:
Create a clear plan to address infrastructure lifecycle funding gaps and prepare for larger shortfalls in 2026. Provide transparency through explicit disclosure of funds allocated for Lansdowne 2.0 in the 2025 Budget. Pause spending for Lansdowne 2.0 until infrastructure lifecycle funding and the city’s financial crisis have been properly addressed.

John Crump President, Glebe Community Association www.glebeca.ca
Lansdown is not a crisis. The City needs to spend every dollar of taxpayers’ money in a targeted, strategic fashion.
Artificial turf at Mutchmor?
The GCA was approached by a concerned Mutchmor parent about a proposal to install artificial grass on the Mutchmor Public School playing field. The proposal comes from a desire to extend the use of the field. At the meeting, a number of points were raised, including the fact that research has shown artificial turf is not a healthy product (its original name was “chemgrass”), and there is evidence of toxicity, environmental and health impacts. It is not biodegradable and would have to be replaced in eight to 10 years, contributing to landfill. Crumb rubber is a common filler in synthetic grass and includes micro-plastics which can be inhaled. The European Union and the states of California and New York have banned artificial grass for these reasons.
Since the field is an important natural, green recreational space for residents of the Glebe community, the GCA passed a motion to engage with Mutchmor school, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and other partners to express concerns about the community, health, child safety and environmental impacts of the
installation of artificial turf. There will be a meeting at Mutchmor on January 15 to discuss the proposal.
Protecting heritage
The GCA passed a motion supporting the city’s improved measures for the heritage properties application process. The changes came after Clemow Avenue residents raised concerns this summer about not getting sufficient notice of a heritage application on their street. Councillor Shawn Menard got a motion through Council to develop a procedure for posting temporary notification signs on properties subject to a Council-level heritage permit application, beginning in 2025. City staff have also been directed to look at developing a city-wide electronic mailing list that residents in heritage conservation districts can sign up for.
Q: What do bike lanes and Lansdowne have in common?
A: Both are symbols of the erosion of democracy and citizen engagement in Ontario
Last spring, the GCA’s appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal to hear an appeal on Lansdowne zoning was dismissed when the province made the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act retroactive, disallowing any development appeals scheduled before the legislation was introduced in early April.
Now the Ford government plans to force cities to tear out bike lanes and has passed legislation to protect itself from lawsuits, including in cases where people are injured or killed after the removal of a lane.
In the case of Lansdowne, the government took away citizens’ rights to have a say in how the latest iteration of the project is developed. In the case of bike lanes, Ford’s actions – which the government has no data to support – literally threaten people’s lives. Whether or not you are a supporter of Lansdowne or bike lanes, this kind of provincial overreach affects everyone and only leads to cynicism about the nature of our political system.
Next meeting
Please join us for the next GCA Board of Directors meeting Tuesday, January 15 at 7 p.m. via ZOOM. Details to follow.






Dec 2024 Lansdowne tree lighting
PHOTO: LUCY BOTTOMLEY

Shawn Menard
Councillor,
N 613-580-2487 www.shawnmenard.ca
Proposed city budget on transit and housing needs to change
At the time this is published, we will be in the middle of the budget debate. On November 13, the City released the proposed draft budget for 2025 which will be considered by Council on Wednesday, December 11.
The budget documents are dense – full of spreadsheets, opaque references to projects and capital and operating spending for each major department. Make no mistake, though, this is the most important time of the year.
The budget determines what kind of city we have. When we don’t plan our budget well, we can’t plan our city well.
The draft transit budget is taking all the headlines, and for good reason. We are seeing some significant hikes to the price of fares and monthly passes. Senior passes were originally proposed to go up 120 per cent, but that was revised to just 60 per cent at the Transit Commission meeting. The budget also seeks to increase senior single-ride fares by 10 per cent to $3.20 while also eliminating free fares for seniors on Sundays.
Further, the threshold for qualifying for the EquiPass is too low for seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, locking them out of this needed program.
Kids who are 11 or 12 years old have been riding for free the past few years. This budget wants to eliminate that, forcing parents to take on this additional burden when trying to navigate our city. At the commission meeting, we directed staff to work with the province and school boards to look into creating a program that would provide bus passes to all high school and intermediate school students.
Across the board, the City wants to raise fares by five per cent, including on the U-Pass for post-secondary students, which I helped bring to our city back when I was on the student association at Carleton. The U-Pass is a great initiative for both the City and students, bringing in reliable and predictable revenue for OC Transpo but at a reduced fee for all students. Any increase over 2.5 per cent must be approved by the educational institutions (Carleton, uOttawa, Saint
Paul, Algonquin). The City banking on a larger increase for the U-pass, already one of the most expensive in the country, is a risk and one that I don’t believe is wise, with students being among the least able to pay and already suffering from years of transit/ LRT delays.
We also passed a motion directing staff to refrain from implementing the full 5-per-cent increase until negotiations with the four schools could take place.
This plan would deter transit use, creating more traffic congestion. We will be fighting to reverse these damaging proposals. We need transit that is more reliable and more affordable. We have to get out of this cycle of cutting service, seeing ridership drop, raising fares and cutting services in response, only to see ridership keep falling. It’s a transit death spiral.
Of course, transit is not the only big issue in this city. Housing affordability is something that so many of our friends and neighbours struggle with, and it was identified as the top priority of council this term.
Last term of council, our office worked with like-minded councillors and motivated community activists to get money in the city budget to build affordable housing. The City devoted $15 million to affordable housing capital in that first budget.
Last year, there was $30 million for affordable housing capital.
This year, that number drops to $22.9 million. A big need remains for not-for-profit housing – and this goes to the heart of the issue – rather than relying on expensive market supply created by private developers. To put the $22.9 million figure in a broader context of capital spending, the capital budget for the work this year on Bank Street between Ledbury and Riverside is $25 million. That’s just one of many road projects for which capital dollars will be expended this year. The $22.9 million capital budget line for affordable housing is one line for the whole city.
When it comes to fighting and surviving climate change, my team has been pushing for more money for building retrofits, so that our built environment can be a tool to help mitigate climate change. We need to preserve and plant more trees to improve air quality, mitigate heat-island effects and improve our mental health. We need back-up generators for the once-in-a-century storms that tend to hit every few years. These are all areas I have directed staff to pursue as chair of Environment Committee.
The budget is more than just num bers in a spreadsheet, it’s about people’s quality of life and our prior ities as a city.
JAMES McCULLOCH
LAWYER IN THE GLEBE
James provides legal services to Glebe residents, offers home visits and welcomes new clients.
613 565-5297 mccullochlawyer@rogers.com


613-236-9101

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What do you say? Lansdowne 2.0
Lansdowne Park is a publicly owned, iconic Ottawa site, located in the Glebe, with a long and storied history, encompassing the marshalling of troops in the Second World War, speed-car racing, agricultural fairs, music concerts, including a visit by Elvis, and many years of the Ex. It includes heritage buildings, the Aberdeen Pavilion and the Horticulture Building. It has been called Ottawa’s jewel on the Rideau Canal.
However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it deteriorated into a shabby collection of buildings surrounded by a broken-asphalt parking lot. Redevelopment of Lansdowne was needed. After the cancellation of an international design competition, redevelopment was given sole-source to the Ottawa Sport and Entertainment Group (OSEG), who had promised the return of a CFL football team (the RedBlacks) to Ottawa. The result was Lansdowne Live, a complex of restaurants, retail, condos and a revamped sports arena, followed five years later by current planning for Lansdowne 2.0.
Lansdowne has been hailed by some as a success – an improvement over what it had been, and a lively people place. Jim Watson, former mayor of
Ottawa, has praised it as a one of his legacy accomplishments.
On the other hand, a number of criticisms have been voiced. The Achilles heel of Lansdowne is considered by many to be transportation. The difficulty of getting to the park remains a major deterrent, and there are no plans for LRT access to Lansdowne.
The details of the plan also have critics. Lansdowne 2.0 calls for a smaller 5,500 seat arena, too small to accommodate, for example, the Professional Women’s Hockey League crowds or bigname concerts. There will be no roof for football fans, and no green roof on the arena, whose relocation will result in the loss of public park and green space. The toboggan hill berm will disappear.
The city’s Auditor General has said that the cost of Lansdowne 2.0 could be $75 million higher than estimates, bringing the total bill for the 2.0 redevelopment to close to half a billion dollars. She said cash distributions to the City are likely to be $10-$30 million less than estimated.
The recent progress on plans for a Senators arena and large entertainment complex at LeBreton Flats has also changed the sports and entertainment landscape in Ottawa.




Do you think the plans for Lansdowne 2.0 are:
On the right track, are a good use of taxpayers’ money and will result in a thriving people place?
If so, what do you like most about the Lansdowne 2.0 plan?
New arena
Entertainment / restaurants
More housing
Stable OSEG finances
Other
Or
Wrong-headed, financially reckless and biased in favour of private developers to the detriment of public green space and urban parks for people?
If so, what do you most dislike about the Lansdowne 2.0 plan?
Taxpayers’ burden / financials
Loss of green space
More condo towers
Traffic / parking
Other
To respond to these questions, scan the QR Code or go to go to www.surveymonkey.com/DPQTLV5
Survey results in our next issue.
Poetry in response to art in any form
Call for submissions

Have you ever been so affected by a work of art that you were compelled to write a poem about it? It could have been a movie that touched you, music or dance that enthralled with its rhythm, or art that inspired you. Your poem may illuminate the art itself or the artist who created it. The poem stands alongside the art that inspired it and deepens its meaning.
Here at the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter, we want to read your poem created in response to another piece of art.
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 20, 2025.
Poets in the National Capital Region of all ages welcome (school-age poets, please indicate your grade and school). Please send your entries (up to 5 poems that meet the criteria) to editor@glebereport.ca. Remember to send us your contact information and your grade and school if you are in school.
Deadline: Monday, January 20, 2025

POETRY QUARTER
Celebrating Yuletide at Witch Chest
By Jessie-Lee Wallace
Among the many celebrations in December, Yuletide or Winter Solstice is the one that customers will notice most when they visit Witch Chest at 740 Bank Street, nestled in between Feleena’s and the Glebe Barber.
So exactly what is a witch?
Owner Julie Saunders says simply, “A witch is a wise woman.” She adds, “I do have brooms, plural, but I don’t fly on them.”
Saunders emphasizes that her shop is open to all and provides a judgment-free zone where individuals can learn in a supportive environment about themselves.
The store is full of items for study, relaxation and ritual use, like candles and essential oils. The owner makes many of the selection herself. There is a wide range of items for the witch-curious like divination tools, books, incense, crystals, spells and potions.
Witch Chest recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of its brick-and-mortar shop, although its move to the Glebe is more recent, happening this past June.
Originally located on Rideau Street, the shop needed to relocate to accommodate its growing clientele and thriving online sales that really took off during COVID.
“We were getting bigger, essentially. We didn’t want to move too far from where we were because people knew us there. The Glebe is an area that has really embraced this business,” she explains. She and her husband will also be moving to the Glebe as residents soon enough, to be closer to work.
For Saunders, the idea to open her own shop had been brewing since her 30s because of her lifelong passion for all things witchy.
“I’ve been in it since I was young,” she shares. “It runs in the family.”
Growing up in Prince Edward Island and practically



being raised by her grandmother, a practitioner, Saunders fondly recalls her childhood filled with gardening and baking.
“My great grandmother was also the town healer in Aurelia, Simcoe County,” she says, her family history instilled in her a deep appreciation for the craft. It wasn’t until her university years that she fully re-embraced witchcraft, a journey that continues to shape her life and her business today.
Despite lacking formal training in business, Saunders knew exactly what she wanted.
“There was a gap in the market for a space that

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catered to those interested in metaphysical practices and witchcraft,” she says. With the closure of another long-time local store, Crystal Dawn, Saunders saw it as an opportunity to cater to her community.
According to the owner, Witch Chest is not just a retail space; it serves as a sanctuary for a group that often feels marginalized.
“It’s a fairly big community in Ottawa, but there are a lot of people on their own, a lot of solitary practitioners,” she reflects.
As her shop continues to flourish, Saunders is exploring new ideas for community engagement, such as workshops, classes and collaboration with local artisans. The Witch Chest team aims to build a space that welcomes everyone, regardless of where they are on their spiritual path.
“If people have questions, we encourage them to ask.”
Since moving to the Glebe, there has been a steady clientele, with plenty of repeat customers. In fact, many of her employees were once customers themselves. Like Maura Stephens. Three years ago, she stumbled on the former location along with her sister, and they became regulars.
“Immediately I felt welcomed, warm, cared for. I want that for other people…to not feel alone. It’s the best job,” says Stephens, smiling from behind the cash, backed by dozens of jars full of curiosities.
So, when December 21 rolls around, how will Saunders be celebrating the Winter Solstice?
“We will be hosting a get-together in the store as a way of honouring the growing light after the darkness of the autumn, and the natural rhythms of it all.” The celebration will include wreath-making, food and drink.
Witch Chest has successfully carved out a unique niche, offering not just products but also a sense of belonging for those who seek it.
To learn more: www.witchchest.ca/ Witch Chest, 740 Bank Street
Jessie-Lee Wallace is a proud mom, wife, writer, non-profit leader and volunteer who believes in the strength of local community. She calls the Glebe Annex home.
HOUSE & HOME


Witch Chest opened on Bank Street in the Glebe in June.
Witch Chest owner Julie Saunders (right) and employee Maura Stephens cater to the needs of witchcraft and its practitioners in a welcoming environment.

Sisters Mart: a new hub for holistic health and wellness
By Patrick Hart
Sisters Mart, a new store nestled in the popular Bank Street block between Third and Fourth avenues, is co-owned by a mother-daughter duo and is making a name for itself since opening in the spring.
The store describes itself as a “onestop shop for holistic health and wellness” and offers products from top brands in the health and wellness space along with a café serving prepared food and their signature matcha drinks. It’s the dream come true of Emma Dagher and her mom Stephanie Mathieson.
“It’s been a long-time dream of ours to share our way of living and make it available for the community,” says
Dagher. “We wanted to facilitate the access of curated holistic goods and make-from-scratch food that nourishes both the body and the soul.”
Mathieson is a holistic nutritionist and herbalist while Dagher grew up in the family business and did her studies in human design, astrology and energy work. “We have always said we are soul sisters!” Dagher says of her mother when asked about the store’s name. She says it also reflects women working together, empowering each other and creating a community of “sisters.”
“Here at Sisters Mart, we consider ourselves a one-stop shop for all things health and wellness, with a specific focus on holistic products,” says Sara Smith, manager and in-house nutritionist at Sisters Mart. “This means that when you come in, you can find products like body care, nutrition and supplements.”
The tables and shelves throughout the store’s open-concept layout put the depth of the product catalogue on
full display. Cymbiotika (natural supplements), Living Libations (organic beauty products), The New New Age (herbal teas) and Ghia (non-alcoholic alternative drinks) are among the brands that the store carries.
When asked to identify one product that has been particularly popular with customers, Smith points to Agent Nateur’s holi (mane) collagen. “Their collagen is world renowned at this point and keeps people coming back to purchase time and time again.”
In addition to the retail offerings, Sisters Mart boasts a café complete with a matcha bar and a selection of “grab ‘n’ go” foods. “Our matcha bar is definitely the heart of the store,” says Smith. “We only use organic, ceremonial grade matcha. Oftentimes we get people coming in who say that they don’t like matcha or have never tried it before and leave absolutely loving it.”
The café menu includes a variety of items that are refined-sugar-free, seedoil-free and organic, including signature hot or iced matcha drinks, cacao, herbal teas and house-made salads and bowls. For the holiday season, Sisters Mart currently has a few festive menu items like the peppermint and gingerbread matcha lattes.
Sisters Mart has made community integration a focal point for their business. In addition to sourcing the ingredients for their grab ‘n’ go bowls from local farms, the store stocks a variety of local brands. “A couple of lovely local companies that we work with and stock are La Fée Des Bois, who provide many health and wellness tinctures, as well as Ferme Sucre Doré, whose honey and maple syrup products are customer favourites,” says Smith, citing two businesses nearby in Quebec. Other local products include juices from Apothecary Kitchen and meat products from

Arc Acres, a community-supported agriculture operation located just south of Ottawa.
Sisters Mart is also putting a great effort into engaging with the local community through events. The store holds “cacao circles,” guided by a facilitator, for those interested in mindfulness practices paired with the enjoyment of ceremonial-grade cacao. “We’ve found there’s a community in Ottawa with a strong passion for cacao that has really come together,” says Smith. “We know a lot of people in Ottawa are new to cacao, so we also hold introductory circles for anyone interested in learning a bit more about it and connecting with others.” Sisters Mart also used their storefront on November 30 to host the Sisters Holiday Market, which brought together local artisanal vendors to showcase their products.
“There are so many wonderful health and wellness spots in Ottawa,” Smith says, in explaining how the store is trying to set itself apart, “so we’re trying to do something different, bringing all these great products under one roof and combining it with a strong community.”
Patrick Hart is a Glebe resident with an interest in local business.


























Emma Dagher, co-owner of Sisters Mart, a one-stop shop for all things health and wellness, especially holistic products. PHOTOS: PATRICK HART
Sisters Mart’s striking green exterior is easily spotted on Bank Street.
Bronson Avenue redevelopment –some good news
By Barbara Popel
The City has started the planning process for the redevelopment of Bronson Avenue, and the Bronson Team, a group of volunteers from the Glebe, Glebe Annex and the Dow’s Lake neighbourhood, have been included as an official stakeholder in the consultations.
On October 10, the Bronson Team met with Roxanne Tubb, a senior City engineer who is the project manager for the redevelopment project, which has three components:
A – Carling from Bronson to a point west of the Dow’s Lake LRT station
B – Bronson from the Queensway (Imperial Avenue) to Carling
C – Bronson from Carling to the Canal
The requirements analysis and design phases of these three components will be done concurrently. They will be implemented in an as-yet-to-be-decided order. It’s possible that “A” will be split in two due to the Ottawa Hospital’s ongoing Civic campus construction in the Experimental Farm.
We invited Jonathan McLeod from Councillor Shawn Menard’s office to the meeting; Ms. Tubb was accompanied by four City colleagues who are charged with providing requirements from stakeholders.
We learned a lot at this meeting.
Ms. Tubb is now working on the project charter, which is the “kickoff point” that establishes the scope and structure of the project. She cannot forecast when the charter will be completed and approved.
In parallel, Ms. Tubb has begun collecting the project’s requirements, which will come from many sources, including the City, the cancelled 2019 Bronson redevelopment project, new standards set by the City and the province, several utility companies and, of course, our group, the Bronson Team.
We gave Ms. Tubb a copy of our report, “Bronson Avenue – Solutions for a Safe and Healthy Street.” It contains 14 solutions that could be implemented immediately and 21 solutions that could be incorporated into Bronson’s redevelopment.
We highlighted how unsafe Bronson currently is for pedestrians and bicyclists. We talked about Bronson’s narrow sidewalks and speeding cars. We think this is because Bronson was designed as a “stroad” (see sidebar). A “stroad” is an arterial street which, by its appearance, encourages drivers to drive at high speeds to reach their destination. Stroads are not designed for pedestrians or bicyclists.
One of the Bronson Team’s highest priorities is to widen the sidewalks; we want them to be 1.8 metres wide and clear of obstructions. Ms. Tubb was pretty sure that 1.8-metre sidewalks will be part of the design, because it’s now the standard for streets like Bronson.
We also want Bronson designed so it discourages speeding. Our document proposes a number of ways this could be done.
Another of our requests is that the City do a safety audit of the intersections and treat the results as requirements. After the project’s completion, we want the City to do another safety audit to see if there are still safety issues. Ms. Tubb said that on

The Bronson Team (composed of members of the three community associations, Glebe, Glebe Annex and Dow’s Lake) has recommended a number of traffic safety improvements for Bronson Avenue, and additional safety measures are anticipated with Bronson redevelopment. Work has begun on a project charter for the City’s Bronson redevelopment project. PHOTO: BARB POPEL
the project she is currently managing –the redevelopment of Bank Street south of the Rideau River – they did several safety audits. She thinks it highly likely that the Bronson redevelopment would involve at least one safety audit as the project gets underway.
As well as improving safety for pedestrians, transit users and cyclists, we want to see improvements in the environment (pollution, noise) for those who live on or near Bronson. We’re inspired by the Main Street Redevelopment project which focused on the immediate community rather than on commuters who drive through the area twice a day.
We also support Councillor Menard’s request that the City install an automated speed enforcement system (ASES, better known as “photo radar”) near Senator Eugene Forsey Park and a permanent red-light camera at the Fifth, Madawaska and Bronson intersection.
After the requirements are gathered (this will take awhile) for the Bronson redevelopment, the City will hire a consultant to do the design. The City will then hold public consultations. The Bronson Team will be there, and we hope you will be too!
Barb Popel is the team leader of the Bronson Team. She has lived in the Glebe for over 33 years.
What is a stroad?
A stroad is a type of street-road hybrid Streets provide access to shops and residences at safe traffic speeds, and can serve as a destination Roads, on the other hand, serve as high-speed connections that move traffic efficiently and at high speed and volume from one destination to another Stroads try to do both, and do neither well They are wide arterials (like roads) that often provide access to strip malls, drive-throughs and other businesses (like streets)
Common in the US and Canada, stroads have been criticized by urban planners for their safety issues and inefficiencies: they are considered expensive, inefficient and dangerous



HURRY! THE GLEBE SPREE ENDS DECEMBER
31!
Shop The Glebe before December 31 for your chance to win 1 of 4 $2,500 Shopping Spree Grand Prizes.
PICK UP YOUR GLEBE SPREE PASSPORT!
Available at participating Glebe merchants, or download a ballot at glebespree.ca.
SHOP THE GLEBE!
Collect a sticker for every $15 purchase. When you reach $150, enter your ballot for your chance to win.
DOUBLE UP!
Every Tuesday each $15 purchase gets you TWO stickers!
SHOP OFTEN!
You never know when you can win an instant Any Day prize just for shopping at your favourite Glebe merchant! (Until Dec. 15, 2024) 1 2 3 4

Where Santa Goes to Relax After the Big Night



City sidewalks, broken sidewalks
By Isaac Jackman
Sidewalks are the arteries of the community. They provide access to parks, school and life outside. Sidewalks protect the pedestrian from the threetonne hunk of metal going a little too fast down the road. They are the set piece of the Great Glebe Garage Sale and the student getting a late-night snack. From the special to the mundane usage of the humble sidewalk, it is hard to overstate the importance of it, and yet it crumbles before our eyes.
After tripping over a broken paver for the 900th time, I thought “**** that’s annoying,” but my personal frustration is minor compared to the barrier that the broken pieces of concrete represent. For members in our community who use mobility devices or are older, a broken paver can make the trip to the grocery store or to work a struggle.

I started taking photos of cracked, eroded and smashed pieces of pavement. Once I started noticing the damage around where I live, the slow decay of this critical piece of infrastructure across not only the Glebe but all of Ottawa became clear. Most of the broken pavement noted in my sample area had sprawling cracks which gave the sidewalk an uneven surface; some were more cracks and holes than solid concrete. As winter arrives, the problem gets worse. The cracks fill with water and freeze and expanding ice turns cracks into caverns.
City employees do the best that they can to respond to reports of damaged sidewalks, but it’s an uphill battle. With limited resources, only so many broken sidewalks can be patched. These patches of asphalt are only temporary band-aids, especially for sections completely smashed. Many of the patch jobs have broken exactly where the original crack was; others were made even worse when the patch peeled off the
concrete, exposing the crack and creating an additional change in height.
Broken sidewalks are not an issue that we can afford to sideline, they are a hazard. It is not just an issue for those who don’t own a car; even drivers who get out of their cars to shop or go to a coffee shop will intersect with a sidewalk at some point. The City of Ottawa 2023-2026 Strategic Plan says “a city that is more connected with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options” is one of four strategic priorities. On the City’s website, there is no emphasis on sidewalk construction nor the maintenance of existing sidewalks, aside from the “report a pothole” feature.
One of the performance indicators for making Ottawa more accessible is the number of kilometres of sidewalks; what is not an indicator is the number of new or rebuilt sidewalks. A similar metric for roads being built or reconstructed to a speed limit of 30km/h does exist. The problem is hard to address when an indicator of rebuilt sidewalks is not included or catalogued. A general survey of Glebe residents’ satisfaction with the state of the sidewalks could bring additional insight into what our neighbours think.
Sidewalk restoration must encompass all areas where it is needed, extending beyond sidewalks along main roads. Side streets must also receive adequate maintenance. Without a whole city approach, areas will become less accessible to residents and community members; the goal of achieving “a city that is more connected with reliable, safe and accessible mobility options” will be a pipe dream.
With the end of 2024 rapidly approaching, many challenges face the citizens of Ottawa, and our sidewalks may be an afterthought. I do not pretend that a broken curb is our number one issue as a city, but it is a pressing issue nonetheless.
Isaac Jackman is a student at Carleton University and a long-time Ottawa resident.


Sidewalk on Ralph Street. Sidewalk on Broadway Avenue PHOTOS: ISAAC JACKMAN
Ottawa pilots the first stormwater trench in the Glebe
By Della Wilkinson
Glebe residents may have been curious about the big trench that was dug along the side of Shoppers Drug Mart this fall. It’s Ottawa’s first stormwater tree trench.
On November 18, City of Ottawa staff from stormwater management and forestry invited residents to learn about the project on Glebe Avenue at Bank Street. It turns out that this location was optimal because there were few services running underground through the site and no overhead wires to interfere with the growth of the two native trees that will eventually be planted there. In addition, the work could be added to the ongoing Glebe Avenue Integrated Renewal to limit costs to taxpayers since the expertise and equipment were already in place.
While the City has installed tree trenches with soil cells, this pilot is the first to incorporate stormwater infrastructure. The plan involves planting two drought- and salt-tolerant Honey Locust trees in soil cells with stormwater engineering (pipes, inlets, catchment basins) to direct road run-off into the trench to be absorbed by the soil, thereby absorbing rainwater where it falls, filtering pollutants from run-off and diverting water from storm drains, all while watering the trees. The catchment basins can handle rainfalls of up to 27 millimetres before releasing excess water into the drain system.
The water from the road runoff and the soil cell’s 60 cubic metres of organ ic-rich soil will allow the trees to grow to full height and clean our air for up to

need additional water – the road runoff will give them everything they need. Soil nutrients can be replenished by the road runoff or by natural organics or fertilizer at the open soil area around each tree. The plastic supports inside the soil cell will keep the soil from being compacted and allow the tree roots to happily spread out.
The meeting was organized by the Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) which has been a long-term advocate for the installation of stormwater tree trenches and for overall stronger linkages between green infrastructure and stormwater management in Ottawa.
being returned to its original state, which included space for public art, three bike racks, a post box, a parking ticket dispenser and, most importantly, a Glebe Report newspaper box.
Contact us at environment@ glebeca.ca Follow us on Instagram @ gcaenviro175.
Della Wilkinson is chair of the Glebe Community Association Environment Committee.


A schematic of a stormwater tree trench showing a tree planted in an “engineered soil filter medium” that is designed to support the hard landscaping of the sidewalks whilst allowing the roots to grow through it.




City of Ottawa staff from stormwater management and forestry provide details to Ottawa residents on the stormwater tree trench. PHOTO: DELLA WILKINSON
Who pays for existential threats?
By Cecile Wilson
[Atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa, Hawaii on 28th November 2024: 424.43]
Two recent events, one global and one local, raise questions about whom we ask to pay for climate change remediation, mitigation and adaptation and what the different entities consider to be an existential threat.
The global existential crisis is now
The first event was the outcome of the “finance COP” (the Conference of the Parties) in Azerbaijan in November. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) had requested from the developed countries at least $1 trillion US annually by 2030 to fight the effects of climate change. The money is required to rebuild damaged infrastructure, reduce emissions and adapt to

COP29 marches backwards
At the other end of the climate change responsibility continuum are the world’s fossil fuel companies and the top polluting countries. Burning coal and oil has raised the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by about 50 per cent since the Industrial Revolution. “Natural” gas is mostly methane: a powerful greenhouse gas that is around 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide during its first 20 years





Where’s our own ‘climate lens’?
The second event was the presentation of OC Transpo’s draft budget, which contained notable fare increases for those least able to afford the hikes: preteens, post-secondary students and senior citizens. As former transit chair Alex Cullen noted, increasing fares seems a counterproductive strategy for increasing ridership. It doesn’t seem fair to expect the most financially vulnerable customers to bear increased costs when affordability in general is such a concern. Transportation is Ottawa’s second biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The transition to a clean and sustainable transit system will improve personal and environmental health outcomes in our city by reducing air pollution. A reliable and affordable transit system will reduce gridlock on our roads, further decreasing air pollution and climate change effects. As a service that provides both social and climate goods that benefit even people who don’t use public transit, OC Transpo deserves funding that is stable and sufficient.
Who pays?
ship levels and is expected to suffer the largest decrease in transit subsidies in the province in 2025. But subsidies aren’t the only possible income stream. In Canada and around the world, jurisdictions are leveraging development rights, so that those who profit from proximity to transit stations help fund the service they benefit from financially. (For more
mate change we will all pay sooner or later. Even fossil
ate government ministers, and tell them you support



The Community Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa (ADO) offer drop-in day programs, professional counselling, supportive housing, emergency shelter, and refugee sponsorship.
Individually and together, the five Community Ministries serve the most vulnerable people throughout the Ottawa region. Our staff is well-trained, offering services ranging from compassionate listening to professional expertise.
Please consider supporting us with a donation—your gift can bring hope to those facing tough challenges.



The black walnut has come down
By Ian Glen
St Matthew’s Anglican Church was in deliberations with the City of Ottawa Forestry Service over the summer and early fall months, seeking a permit for the removal of a large black walnut tree located immediately beside the west wall of the church.
The foundation of the church in that area had deteriorated over the past years and now requires significant repair. The root system of the tree was one of the factors contributing to the damage. Sadly, given the close location of the tree to the church wall, the repair work would remove too much of the critical root zone for the tree to survive.
The City granted the required permit in early November, and the tree was safely cut down on November 19.
Prior to the removal, we benefitted from advice from the chair of the Environment Committee of the Glebe Community Association and a lead staff person in Councillor Shawn Menard’s office on how we could give notice to residents nearby of the disruption that might occur during the removal work. Most importantly, we consulted closely with neighbours owning property directly to the west of the church on Glebe Avenue, and we very much appreciate their understanding and co-operation during all stages of seeking the permit and then dealing with the contractor
hired for the project.
During the past three years, St. Matthew’s has been an active participant in the planting of new trees alongside the church lands under the City of Ottawa’s Trees in Trust program. With the removal of the walnut tree, the church is committed to planting one or more trees in collaboration with the adjoining landowner in a safe area for both our properties. This work will await the spring of 2025 planting season and will benefit from the guidance of the city forestry inspector who has been a diligent player in the assessment of the situation and the granting of the permit.
The congregation of St. Matthew’s knows much about the aches and pains of an old building. The church building, opened in 1930, is nearing the century mark and with appropriate repairs and upgrading, we hope to be a presence in the neighbourhood for years to come.
May the new planting safely grow along with it and the people of the Glebe.
Ian Glen is a resident of Glebe Avenue and a member of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church.










Sadly, the large black walnut tree to the west of St Matthew’s church was removed on November 25. It had contributed to damaging the church’s foundation and would likely not survive the needed repair work. PHOTOS: IAN GLEN
Beers for the holidays
by Rod Hughes
You can enjoy your favourite lager any time of year, but the cold weather, plentiful food and quality time with friends and family make the holiday season a good time to be more adventurous with your beer choices.
Beers with higher ABV (alcohol by volume) tend to go well in cold weather – have you heard of a winter warmer? The winter months are a good time to slowly sip your seven- or eight-per-cent ABV double India Pale Ale (DIPA). If you’re curled up in front of the fireplace, the higher ABV in a DIPA can warm your bones. You’ll be cozy enough to appreciate the array of hop flavours and aromas of your beer. My favourite DIPAs usually contain fruit-forward hops like Citra and Mosaic, perhaps with an Australian hop like Galaxy. These hops provide notes of pineapple, mango and passionfruit, reminding you of warmer tropical days. You can find excellent locally made DIPAs at the LCBO, Beer Store or – best of all for supporting local – in brewers’ own on-site beer shops in Ottawa or Gatineau. Examples include Overflow Brewing’s Fair Warning DDH IPA and Brasserie du Bas Canada’s 7ieme Anniversaire DIPA. Those holiday dinners likely mean plates of turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other seasonal, fatty and flavourful foods, often seasoned with herbs. For me, the best beers to pair with rich holiday foods are Belgian styles. They usually have that higher ABV to give you that warming effect, as well as the
spice-forward flavours provided by Belgian yeast strains and, sometimes, from darker malts. Light-coloured Belgian beers (such as Spark Brewing’s Belgian Pale Ale) will pair well with lighter foods, while richer foods may want a darker Belgian-style beer with a higher ABV, such as Tooth and Nail’s Truce Holiday Ale. These beers can be complex and tend to pair well with herbs and spices, and their high carbonation and light body will cut through rich foods, cleansing your pallet between helpings.
Time with family and friends can also be perfect for sharing a bottle of aged sour beer or a strong imperial stout. Many beer lovers save bottles of aged beer for special occasions. Local options include Small Pony’s Half Remembered Dream and Flora Hall Brewing’s Foeder Aged Margarita Gose. The latter also contains Brettanomyces, a wild yeast that gives the beer a complex, fruity funk. Fruits are also often added to aged sours to give them a fun extra dimension.
Rich imperial stouts are also complex and enjoyable. Bicycle Brewing’s Banana Seat Imperial Stout is brewed with cocoa nibs and bananas, while Flora Hall Brewing’s Imperial Chocolate Stout is brewed with vanilla, cocoa nibs and a variety of chocolate malts. These beers are meant to be shared and sipped. I often call them “dessert beers,” because they pair well with sweets such as chocolate cake and ice cream.
Have fun with your holiday beer selections. They will warm you when it’s cold outside, complement your holiday feast


and provide a bit of beer adventure to share with loved ones. That said, don’t feel guilty if you sneak in your favourite lager.
Rod Hughes is head brewer at Flora Hall Brewing and part of the team that writes this column.














Complement your holiday feasts with a well-paired beer from a local brewer.
Christmas Eve baccala’ (salted codfish): an Italian cultural heritage
By Marisa Romano
Books are a “must” under the Christmas tree for readers who crave the smell of paper and the sound of turning pages and who are not yet fully converted to e-books.
Besides the hot-off-the-press new adventure of Frances McFadden (Ian McKercher’s Home & Away) and the eye- and soul-pleasing Pathways to the Trees at the Central Experimental Farm (Friends of the Farm), this year I am giving Echoes of Growing Up Italian (Guernica Editions 2024). It is a collection of stories by daughters of Italian immigrants who made the journey to North America, lured by new opportunities, their suitcases packed with traditions of the places they left behind.
The editor of the book is Gina Valle, daughter of Italian immigrants, a writer, producer and educator who received multiple awards for her work on diversity that she pursues through the organization that she founded: Diversity Matters (www.diversity-matters.ca). Valle collected the stories to give voice to women who are often invisible in the Italian Canadian community, she said at an event organized by the Italian Embassy for the Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo. In its 24th edition, the October celebration focused on literature as a vehicle to impart cultural heritage, Italian values and identity.
The stories in Valle’s book tell of the traditions that followed the Italian diaspora. Through the written words emerges the challenge of the new generation of women, traditionally the keepers of traditions, as Valle noted, who straddle two cultures, one at home and the other in the society they strive to belong to.
As Valle remarked in her presentation, while the stories are specific to the Italian cultural heritage, the challenge that emerges from them is universal among all women who harbour two loves in their hearts.

men with different ethno-cultural heritages. We all speak with different accents, follow different traditions and celebrate different holidays. We all have unique stories to tell, but we all share the duality of the culture we inherited and the one we live in every day. Our conversations around the water cooler often focused on the food shared with our families during our different cultural celebrations. The dualism that we experienced and the stories that we shared enriched our lives, and the recipes that we exchanged enriched our tables.
Valle hopes to celebrate the book with many people who are immigrants to Canada. She shares a traditional recipe that families in some parts of Italy serve on Christmas Eve.
Marisa Romano has been straddling two cultures since 1984, when she arrived in Canada from Italy to work as
Christmas Eve baccala’ (salted cod fish)
Baccala’ or salted cod fish is a traditional dish and a favourite on the table of many Italians who celebrate Christmas Eve with a meatless meal The preservation of cod with salt was developed by the Basques around the 8th and 9th century The technique allowed for reliable transportation of cod caught in the rich North Atlantic waters of the Grand Banks In Ottawa, salted cod can be bought at places like Nicastro, Luciano Foods and Farmer's Pick Desalting and rehydrating the stiff slab of dried fish requires a bit of patience but once that is done, the plump fillets can be stored in the freezer, ready to be cooked in many different ways The pulp is white and firm and the taste very delicate
Desalting baccala’
Rinse the dry fish in fresh running water to remove the surface salt
Cut in chunks of about 10-15 cm; place them in a large glass bowl and cover with water Store in the fridge Rinse and change the water every 8 hours Repeat for 4-5 days The fish is now ready
Ingredients
800 g desalted cod, cut in 1-inch chunks
Flour to coat the chunks
Olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 5 cups tomato passata
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions
Lightly flour the chunks of cod
In a pan, heat a little oil, and fry the fish until browned on all sides
Set aside on paper towel to drain
In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp of oil and cook garlic and onion until translucent, add passata, salt, pepper and simmer for about 20 minutes, adding some water if too dry
Add the cod and simmer for a few minutes until soft Top with chopped parsley
Serve as is or break up the chunks and scoop onto pasta cooked al dente
Notes: As a rule of thumb, chunky sauces like this one are best served on short, thick pasta or thick spaghetti Parmesan cheese is not added to dishes with fish


Baccala’ (salted codfish) is an Italian tradition on Christmas eve.
PHOTO: MARISA ROMANO
CREATED BY CHATCHAI PRIPIMUK FROM THE NOUN PROJECT

Here is a list of some titles read and discussed recently in various local book clubs: TITLE AUTHOR BOOK CLUB
The Snow Road Station Elizabeth Hay 15 Book Club
Unearthing Kyo Maclear Abbotsford Book Club
A Woman of No Importance Sonia Purnell Broadway Book Club
Do or Die Barbara Fradkin Carleton English Grads Book Club
L’impossible retour Amélie Nothomb Club de lecture des francophones d’origine ou d’adoption du Glebe/ OOE/OOS
Family Furnishings Alice Munro Helen’s Book Club
Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence
James Bridle The Book Club
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin Topless Book Club
The Chancellor Kati Marton Sunnyside Adult Book Club
Portrait of an Unknown Woman Daniel Silva Sunnyside Mystery Book Club


Sylvie’s thriller& mystery review

By Sylvie Chartrand
Here is a summary of some of the books I have read so far this year, in order of when I read them, not by favourites. I mostly like mystery novels, but hopefully you can find something that appeals to you in the book reviews below.
The Woman in the Attic, by Emily Hepditch Emily Hepditch is an award-winning emerging author from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University in 2019, where she studied linguistics, psychology, and criminology.
Hannah Fitzgerald must return home on the coast of rural Newfoundland to help prepare her mother, who is moving into assisted living. Seeing her mother again brings back a lot of memories, some not so good. Colleen, a hospice nurse is there to look after Hannah’s mom and deal with her outbursts. When Hannah discovers a trap door to the attic, she goes up and finds a furnished room, a bloodied coat in a trunk and a diary. Hannah wonders if she ever knew her mother. She looks for more clues as she’s afraid someone was murdered, but digging into her mother’s past might put her life in danger.
A Slow Fire Burning, by Paula Hawkins
The Push Ashley Audrain Sunnyside Parents Circle Book Club Fire Weather John Vaillant Sunnyside Second Friday Adult Book Club
If your book club would like to share its reading list, please email it to Micheline Boyle at grapevine@glebereport.ca

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for 15 years before turning her hand to fiction. She is the author of two number-one New York Times bestselling novels, Into the Water and The Girl on the Train. Hawkins was born in Zimbabwe and now splits her time between London and Edinburgh.
Daniel is found dead on his houseboat by his next-door neighbour, Miriam. Miriam told the police she saw two women visit Daniel the day he was killed – Laura, who had a one-night stand with Daniel, and Carla, his aunt. These three women all have gone through a traumatic event at some point in their lives, and they all have yet to come to terms with what has happened to them. Did one of them finally explode and take someone’s life?
The Rose Code, by Kate Quinn








Kate Quinn is the New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress, The Alice Network, The Empress of Rome Saga, and the Borgia Chronicles. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband live in San Diego with three rescue dogs.
In 1940, England prepares to fight the Nazis. A place called Bletchley Park is where great minds come together to break intercepted codes sent by the enemy. Three women, Osla, Mab and Beth, all from different backgrounds, become friends while working and living together. Once the war is over, Osla and Mab receive a message from Beth, who ended up in an asylum. The three women must reunite to break one last code. Was there a traitor at Bletchley Park?




The Truth of it All, by Gwen Florio
Longtime journalist Gwen Florio moved to fiction in 2013 with her first novel, Montana, which won the Pinckley Prize for debut crime fiction.



Julia Geary, a public defender, who is still dealing with the pain of losing her husband to the war in Iraq, lives with her mother-inlaw who helps take care of her son, Calvin. One of her cases involves a high-school soccer player who is reported for assault on a girl in the locker room. Sami, being an Iraqi refugee, is found guilty in a town where racism is rampant. Sami ends up in the hospital in critical condition. After some digging, and with the help of the high school principal, Dom Parrish, Julia tries her best to find proof of Sami’s innocence amid the threats from the townspeople.



These books and so many more are available at the Ottawa Public Library!
Sylvie Chartrand is a public service assistant at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Krakowsky McDon a l d
1204 Cline Crescent, Bel Air Heights 18 Birch Avenue, Rockcliffe Park
By Shoshana Magnet
I’ve been listening to too many parenting podcasts, trying to get through this interminable time with nothing but bad news in it. My obsession lately is getting the children to be competent since, according to psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy, competence is the opposite of anxiety. (I can attest to the fact that obsessing about competence can be a sign of anxiety, Dr. Becky. So haha on you!)

I was teaching one of my sons to make his lunch (competence!) and he was excelling at his “job,” which was to complain with aggrieved rage. “What is WRONG with YOU?” he yelled at me. “I am a child! This is CHILD LABOUR!” As I dutifully thanked him for sharing his feelings with me while telling him that I “loved him too much” to let him go into adulthood with no life skills, and that I was “working hard” to learn how to help him to be more competent, he told me: “Mom, I can give some free advice – parenting podcasts are the worst!”
Anger and parenting: such a struggle. “Describe the behaviour” say therapists, including my own brilliant therapist telling me that “observation is the first step of nonviolent communication.” I am trying. “I see chewing gum being thrown on the floor, I see plates sitting on the couch,” I singsong. “I see Tic Tacs being fed to the dog!” I see, I see, describe, describe! What I long to say: “I see two wolves dressed up like children, slyly contemplating the best way to eat me alive!” Like their parents, like all of humanity, so too do our children struggle with what Mister Rogers called “the mad that you feel.” We are in such an angry and anxiety-ridden time – it empties our buckets, in preschool language.
Too much rage, and also too little. I taught a class on feminist approaches to popular culture that children were invited to attend. My children came as did the children of my undergrads. “What are some unfair things to boys?” I asked. “That they can’t cry, and that they get teased for wearing nail polish,” said the children in my class. “And for girls?” I wondered. “That they can’t get mad,” said one of my sons wisely, “although the girls I know sure don’t

seem to have gotten the message.”
And yet for all the times women, girls and nonbinary folks are systemically accused of being angry – the justified rage so often goes unseen and unspoken. I watched a girl pushed out of line by older boys as she waited for the monkey bars. “It’s my turn” she said quietly, firmly and to absolutely no avail. Rather than push forward, she sighed and turned towards the slide. Rage is structural, it is primal, it is a cover emotion for deeper feelings of grief. And here is to facing it with tenderness, with chagrin and with understanding. And to accompany us on that journey are picture books, including the amazing book Lunch Every Day
Lunch Every Day explains a parenting principle that is counterintuitive, at least to me. Children so often don’t say what they mean, technically called a “miscue” in psychoeducational speak – this book is filled with the miscues of a boy who is a bully. Every day, he acts angry while feeling sad and emotionally lonely. As part of this struggle, he bullies a boy he calls “Skinny Kid” by taking his lunch, every day. The structural piece of bullying becomes clear as the bully child is revealed to have a difficult home life, with parents who fight, a brother who frightens him and no food to bring for lunch. Then one day, Skinny Kid passes out birthday invitations, and everyone gets one, “even me.” Although the child doing the bullying is afraid to go to Skinny Kid’s party since he doesn’t have a gift to bring, at the last minute he decides to attend. When he arrives, he realizes from photos that Skinny Kid’s dad has died. Skinny Kid’s mom sees the bully who takes her son’s lunch and comes to speak to him. For the first time we see the bully’s face as Skinny Kid’s mother says in a real quiet voice:
I hear you like my lunches.
Here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m going to make a second lunch. And my son will bring it for you, every day. Okay?
And do you know something?
She did.
And that’s how I got lunch every day. . .
and a whole lot more.
Oh, life, art, wonder, grief – all mixed up into every second of every moment of every day. “See, there,” said my youngest son to me, “that puddle is hiding a beautiful home for the fish who live there.” “Yes,” I told him, marvelling at his ability to see worlds within worlds – marvelling at him, marvelling at this beautiful, impossible world, full of kindness, cruelty and puddles for fish. “I do see.”
Dr. Shoshana Magnet is a professor at the University of Ottawa and staff at Child in Mind. She is offering online workshops and one-off parenting seminars, found at childinmind.com/groups, on how to help children with anxiety and grief and other big feelings.









Advent Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 1st, 7 pm
Nine Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 22nd, 7 pm
Nativity
Tuesday, December 24th, 4 pm
Nativity
Tuesday, December 24th, 10 pm
Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 25th, 10 am








FILM DEFIES GRAVITY, DEFIES EXPECTATIONS
Wicked (US, 2024)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Review by Alexa MacKie
Ariana Grande’s Glinda the Good dons a shimmering, ruffled pink ball gown and floats down from the sky in a bubble. She wears a tense but assuring smile as her eyes glaze over with a sense of hidden melancholy.
The people in the Land of Oz leave their colour-plenty homes to rejoice the Wicked Witch of the West’s demise –“No One Mourns the Wicked,” after all.
But as Grande’s voice tingles in a satisfying upper range, with crisp, light musical theatre-esque pronunciation, the age-old question falls upon us: “Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”
Such is the question first posed in the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, loosely adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is in turn a spin on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the 1939 film adaptation starring Judy Garland. No matter the form, the yellow brick road and the Land of Oz are home to cherished stories. There’s a reason the Broadway show has been a raging success since it opened in 2003 and is likely to stick around for the foreseeable future.
Director Jon M. Chu is next to spin the tale, this time in two parts – Wicked: Part Two is slotted for theatres in November 2025.
Wielding a screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, Chu transforms Stephen Schwartz and Holzman’s
stage musical into a feast for the eyes on the big screen.
And a feast for the eyes Wicked certainly is. Whether in the whimsical, glowing nature of the forest or the towering Emerald City of skyscrapers and castles, the set design reflects the shining spectacle of wonder that first conceptualized the story on Broadway.
But at the epicentre of that spectacle is a story about love, goodness versus wickedness and the seeking of justice. Powering these themes is a cast and crew who clearly poured love and dedication into every crook and cranny of the film to shape the story.
In a vocal and acted show-stopping performance, Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba, the green-skinned soon-tobecome Wicked Witch of the West. The film’s lengthy prologue tells us that young Elphaba (a soft Karis Musongole) was shunned as a child and grew up on the outskirts of fitting in. Years later, Elphaba joins Shiz University where she is quickly swept up for private magic lessons with Michelle Yeoh’s gloriously conniving Madame Morrible.
Erivo belts with clarity and vigour in “The Wizard and I,” sprinting freely throughout the university. She harbours a delicate preciousness in her eager eyes as if her newfound possibilities are to be cradled with care. Her excitement melts to mournful longing in “I’m Not That Girl,” lamenting how Shiz-newcomer Prince Fiyero (a dazzling and irresistibly charming Jonathan Bailey) will never love her as he does Glinda, Elphaba’s polar opposite enemy-turned-roommateturned-friend.
As Glinda, Grande is delightfully perky with hair tosses and a sly determination to always be perceived as good. Grande’s spirit radiates in her soft but mighty vocals, as she flits about

with unabashed confidence for “What Is This Feeling?” and “Popular.”
In one of Holzman and Fox’s greatest additions to the source material, Glinda’s complicity is fleshed out with her reluctance to disrupt her own privilege for the good of others. Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), a goat professor at Shiz, is no longer permitted to teach at Shiz in an ongoing movement to suppress talking animals throughout Oz. The greatest effort Glinda can muster up in support is changing her name (she was formerly Gah-linda) to Dillamond’s pronunciation.
Grande masterfully displays her character’s complex emotions, whether teary-eyed in moments of connection with Elphaba or in her desperate pleas
with others to not disrupt the status quo. Behind Glinda’s complicity is a fragile carefulness and desperate need to affirm herself as good — though a great deal of the film delves into what exactly “being good” entails.
Elphaba’s fight for goodness comes out in her ruthless caring for others, including her paraplegic sister, Nessarose, played by an endearing Marissa Bode. But when Elphaba’s cause leads her to the Emerald City – “One Short Day” is a brilliantly grandiose dance number with Broadway cameos – she has a stark realisation that all is not as she had hoped.
Such is the beauty to the question of “wickedness” and the nature of evil.
Wicked explores these themes in epic fantasy style, with Glinda and Elphaba’s contrasting personalities and character journeys. With music and humour accessible to magic-loving children and adults alike, Wicked tells us that it is never too early nor too late to question what being a good person entails. Are we strong enough to fight for our cause, whatever that may be?
Appropriately, when Elphaba tires of accepting other people’s limits, “Defying Gravity” closes off part one. Erivo’s unwavering vocal prowess is rife with both original flair and homage to the quintessential rendition first heard on stage. And if my joyful tears spilling during the credits were any indication, it’s clear that Wicked fans are ready for what’s to come.
Running time: 160 mins Showing in local theatres.
Alexa MacKie is a freelance journalist and a third-year journalism and law honours student at Carleton University. She is also the managing editor at the Charlatan, Carleton’s student-led newspaper.

Horror movie with surprises
Heretic (US / Canada, 2024)
Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Review
by
Iva Apostolova
Heretic is written and directed by the power duo that gave us A Quiet Place, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and it was filmed on location in Squamish, BC. It stars Sophie Thatcher, best known for her role of teenage Natalie in the TV phenomenon Yellowjackets, the lesser-known Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and none other than Hugh Grant. Heretic is classified as psychological horror/psychological thriller, which describes it fairly accurately. Although it is so much more!
Thatcher and East play sisters Barnes and Paxton, two Jehovah Witnesses who end up at Mr. Reed’s secluded, up-on-the-hill house for a “recruiting” meeting. Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) appears to be a chatty and unassuming middle-aged man, interested in all things spiritual, only soon to reveal himself to be anything but. I personally believe that Hugh Grant has earned himself an Oscar nomination with the role – the level of creepiness and sinisterness that he manages to exude with only the intonation of his impeccable British accent or half a smile is something that can give even Anthony Hopkins a run for his money! He certainly has come a long way from the dorky heartthrob that the industry was trying to make him to be in the late 90s and the aughts!
At the start, Heretic does have all the features of a horror movie, albeit a good one: the old-fashioned house, perched
on a secluded hill and full of semi-dark corners and hallways, the incongruence of the parties gathered – two young, religious women and an older, jovial man, the proverbial brewing rainstorm that will, no doubt, prevent the protagonists from escaping whatever dark plight awaits them. Given the setup and the religious undertones, for the first half an hour I was convinced that the plot would develop in the direction of Mr. Reed, the deranged fanatic/cultist who will try to outsmart and kill the innocent young women on account of their faith, or lack thereof. But boy, was I ever mistaken! Heretic genuinely surprised me, something which I consider an accomplishment.
It is true that the movie takes to heart the religious theme and milks it for all it’s worth, but it does that in such a clever way that by the last half hour, it is abundantly clear that the plot has truly thickened, adding yet another layer with each jump scare. Instead of offering the viewer yet another formulaic horror movie that exploits the abundantly fecund soil of religious faith, the creators have succeeded in giving the audience a genuine philosophical discussion about the nature of faith and evil, as well as the possible underpinnings of institutionalized religion. And yet the movie does not, in fact, violate the “rules” of the horror genre while at the same time, it manages to convey the psychological and philosophical seriousness of the situation. And just to be clear, horror movie fans won’t be disappointed, either: there is plenty of scare to go around!
Running time: 1h 51m
Rated R In theatres


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.





Art Lending of Ottawa welcomes eight new artists in December


by Sarah Bradfield
As winter’s chill sets in, there’s no better way to brighten up your home or refresh your office than by adding new, vibrant art pieces. Art Lending of Ottawa (ALO) invites you to explore its winter show on December 14, where you’ll discover a wide variety of works from 40 talented local artists, including eight new members.
ALO’s juried show offers an impressive range of styles and themes to suit any taste. The show provides both purchasing and rental options, making it an ideal choice for those looking to switch up their décor without longterm commitments.
The works of the eight new members promise to add fresh energy to the event, offering visitors a broader selection of artwork to explore.
Heather Bennett is an acrylic artist who studied fine arts at St. Lawrence College, working primarily in pastel, conté and acrylic.
Tamara H. Campbell is a mixedmedia artist specializing in impressionist and abstract works that are inspired by nature’s diverse textures, colours and forms.
Erika Farkas is a self-taught artist working primarily in oil and is known for her detailed portrayals of the human form.
Jess Fleury is a self-taught visual artist specializing in acrylic painting, ink and marker illustration, wool illustration and stained glass.
Sandra Hawkins is an artist whose work across acrylic, watercolour, photomontage, printmaking, video and installations explores the relationship between water, light and the
natural environment.
Linda Lovell is an artist with a lifelong passion for creative expression, working across diverse mediums such as glass, fabric, clay, ceramics, acrylics, watercolours and alcohol inks.
Nicolette Pilypaitis is a professional mixed-media artist who has been creating and exhibiting art full-time since 2020.
Kristina Murray is an oil painter who draws inspiration from urban gardens and waterways and explores diverse mediums such as acrylic and encaustic.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 14 at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Road. Admission and parking are free, making this an easy and accessible event for art lovers across the city. Don’t forget to visit ALO’s website at www.artlendingofottawa.ca where you can browse the gallery and learn more about rental options.
Come and support Ottawa’s vibrant art scene, and take home a piece that will brighten even the coldest days! P.S. If you miss our December show, mark your calendars for our next show: March 15, 2025.
Sarah Bradfield is an artist member of Art Lending of Ottawa.


Art works on display at an Art Lending of Ottawa show

Local artist Pat Durr honoured
Artist Pat Durr, a celebrated painter and printmaker who is based in the Glebe, was honoured on November 26 at this year’s Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) Artist Investiture.
Durr was honoured along with four other prominent Ottawa artists whose works are part of OAG’s collection and who have made a big impact on the art scene in our region and beyond. It was a lovely event with fellow artists offering a personal tribute to each inductee.
Originally from Kansas City, Durr studied at the Kansas City Art Institute before arriving in Ottawa in 1964. She became one of the first women in the city to work in abstract expressionism. From her early drawings of the 1960s to her explosive multi-panel paintings in the 1980s and her large-scale
collagraphic monoprints in the 2000s, Durr’s dynamic practice speaks to her interest in pushing the boundaries of form.
For her “monster prints,” Durr chose her material from used industrial products taken from city streets, artists’ studios, consumer packaging and industrial sites. Her criterion was that they must be man-made. “My work has always been concerned with the formal tradition of abstraction,” said Durr. “Gradually the work has evolved from landscape metaphors to signs and symbols.”
She has received numerous grants and awards, including the 2017-18 Open Studio/RCA Fellowship Residency Award. Her work has been exhibited in Canada, the U.S., Australia and Chile. Her 2012 retrospective at the OAG was titled Pat Durr: Persistence of Chaos. Her work can be found in numerous public and private collections internationally.





The Company of Adventurers presents Hamlet
The Company of Adventurers is presenting Hamlet as part of the Eastern Ontario Drama League festival, a competition among community theatre groups throughout eastern Ontario. Hamlet has something for everyone: music, a spooky playwithin-a-play, two silly popcorn-eating badminton players, a girl gone mad, a fencing match, a graveyard and a ghost! There are so many traps, false turns, deceptions! Who is acting? Who isn’t? We are doing three performances at The Gladstone Theatre (910 Gladstone Avenue). Entrance is free; shows are being presented as a fundraiser for The Gladstone (actors pass hats for contributions). Show dates are:
Friday, January 17, 7 p.m. Saturday, January 18, 1 p.m.
Adjudicator will be present for this performance. Saturday, January 18, 7 p.m.
Come and see us! All are welcome! Reserve tickets at Hamlet2025.eventbrite.ca or at the door.
For more information, contact Cynthia at csugars@uottawa.ca or visit The Company of Adventurers on Facebook!







Artist Pat Durr with her 2001 artwork, “Landscape,” was honoured by the Art Gallery of Ottawa.
The Company of Adventurers will present Hamlet on January 17 and 18 at The Gladstone as part of the Eastern Ontario Drama League festival.
PHOTOS: NATASCHA SEKERINSKI, TASCH PHOTOGRAPHY





By Clare Jackson
Join Seventeen Voyces, Ottawa’s premier chamber choir, and celebrate the holiday season with a festive concert of carols! The choir, conducted by founder and director Kevin Reeves, will bring Christmas cheer to Ottawa with an evening concert at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in the Glebe on December 21 and a second afternoon performance at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New Edinburgh on December 22.
Following a moving start to its 2024-25 season last month with The Unknown Soldier, a concert for Remembrance Day, Seventeen Voyces returns to bring you seasonal treasures that will uplift your spirits. This year’s Christmas program will feature an eclectic mix of familiar favourites such as “I Saw Three Ships,” “Riu Riu Chiu” and “Up on the House-Top” along with lesser-known festive works by composers such as Tchaikovsky (The Crown of Roses), Zoltán Kodály (a Hungarian traditional Christmas carol) and Martin Shaw (Fanfare for Christmas Day).
The program will also feature several enchanting pieces of early music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras –a specialty of the Voyces – with a seasonal theme, including the sprightly “Psallite, unigenito (Singt und klingt)” (“Sing with praise, make your voices one”) by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) and the gently lilting “Quem vidistes, pastores?” (“Whom did you see, shepherds?”) by Richard Dering (1580-1630).
The choir may also bring back, by popular demand, a rousing choral rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” A clip of the choir performing this piece last year has garnered close to 10,000 views on YouTube!

Seventeen Voyces has been delighting Ottawa audiences with eclectic concerts featuring rarely heard music for

over 25 years. The choir has collaborated with many top Ottawa ensembles, including Thirteen Strings, the Ottawa Baroque Consort and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. While Seventeen Voyces got its start by specializing in music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, the choir’s repertoire has grown extensively over the years and now encompasses music from all eras, from Gregorian chant to jazz and beyond.
The choir particularly enjoys bringing rarely heard musical gems to the stage and also stages an annual performance in which the choir accompanies a silent film with specially selected choral music to enhance the visual experience.
Seventeen Voyces also frequently premieres new music by Canadian composers, including local composer and musician Andrew Ager, whose new setting of a multi-movement piece for choir, baritone solo, string quartet and harp, The Unknown Soldier, was featured in the choir’s first concert of the season. Ager will accompany the choir on the organ in this month’s set of festive concerts.
Please join us for what promises to be a delightful Christmas concert, which will take place Saturday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church and on Sunday, December 22 at
4 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church (125 MacKay Street). Tickets are $30, $20 for students and free for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.seventeenvoyces.ca/concerts/ and at the door (cash, credit and debit accepted).
Audiences can also mark their calendars for Seventeen Voyces’ final two concerts of their season. Romantic Voyces will showcase music by Brahms, Mendelssohn and other Romantic era composers just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend on Sunday, February 16 at 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church. The final concert of the season will be a live music accompaniment to the projection of the epic silent film Ben Hur. This promises to be a spectacular performance with guest singers the Ewashko Singers, virtuoso organist Matthew Larkin, four percussionists and vocal soloists. The performances of Ben Hur will take place at St. Matthew’s Church on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3.
Clare Jackson is a singer and board member with Seventeen Voyces choir.





Seventeen Voyces PHOTO: KEITH MACLELLAN


By Roland Graham
For more than 10 years, Southminster United Church in Old Ottawa South has been presenting free 45-minute, noon-hour concerts on Wednesdays weekly from September through June.
Offering upwards of 40 concerts annually since 2013, Doors Open for Music at Southminster – DOMS for short – has become widely respected among live music lovers across the region, especially classical music and jazz fans, for presenting superb artists, both local and touring, in a unique format that makes it an invaluable supplement to the regional arts scene.
Through the many hundreds of concerts, DOMS has established a reputation for consistency and excellence – fans know there will be an amazing concert each week, even if they haven’t seen a listing, and many show up no matter who’s playing.
Several key developments have helped solidify its standing as a series of primary importance in the city. In 2020, Southminster was gifted a world-class, nine-foot Steinway concert piano by supporters of its musical programming, who pitched in to purchase the piano, which came new from the Steinway Gallery of Ottawa, to keep it accessible to the local artistic community in a centrally located and community-centred organization.
During the pandemic, the series went online and to this day, its concerts are livestreamed to YouTube every week, enabling fans to view them remotely or enjoy them later on the series’ YouTube channel (Google “DOMS + YouTube”). We estimate
that for every audience member in physical attendance, another two or three enjoy the concerts from home.
And just before the pandemic, Colonel By Residence, located just a block from the church on Aylmer Avenue, partnered with DOMS by committing to bring a spread of coffee, tea and cookies to greet concert goers each week, an offering that has been resumed and is graciously ongoing today.
The series is financed entirely through patron support, both by donations collected at concerts each week (we suggest a freewill offering of $10 to $20) and through funding bodies such as the Community Foundation of Ottawa.
There are concerts in December (save for December 25), and on January 8, DOMS kicks off its Winter 2025 lineup that includes piano recitals (Goldberg Variations, anyone?), instrumental and vocal, baroque, chamber, choral, Indigenous music and jazz.
In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the children of Hopewell Elementary School will make their annual mid-February offering of music by various school bands, reflecting the commitment to community engagement which is at the heart of Southminster’s music ministry.
DOMS concerts take place on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. at Southminster United Church at 15 Aylmer Avenue. Learn more and follow the series online at www.DOMS613.com.
Roland Graham is artistic director of Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS).

Winter 2025 Lineup
January 8 Passion and Virtuosity
An exploration of Romanticism’s heart: CBC 30-under-30 violinist David Baik and pianist Frédéric Lacroix pair Franck’s introspective Violin Sonata with Wieniawski’s dazzling Faust Fantasy, blending soulful lyricism with virtuosic brilliance
January 15 — Schubert’s Arpeggione
Bibik Duo, comprising violinist Anna Baksheeva and pianist Natalia Bibik, plays Romantic masterpieces for the violin and piano by Schubert, Grieg and Tchaikovsky
January 22 — Madrigals and more Coro Euphonia, directed by Roland Graham, sings a program of a capella madrigals and art songs from the 16th century to modern day
January 29 — Tendre et fidèle
Countertenor Matthew Muggeridge and lutist
Jonathan Stuchbery explore themes of love, courtship and heartbreak in music by prolific seventeenth-century troubadours
February 5 — Conversations
Virtuoso pianist Philippe Prud’homme and flutist Pascale Margely mine the expressive potential of the flute and piano pairing, playing sonatas by Hindemith, Poulenc and Desmarais
February 12 — Indigenous Sounds
Pianist Elaine Keillor C M and composer/ pianist Beverley McKiver collaborate to play excerpts from the significant and growing body of piano music by Canadian Indigenous composers
February 19 — Mancini & Mandel
The Mark Ferguson Quartet plays jazz interpretations of works by two of the most influential cinematic songwriters of the 20th century, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mandel
February 26 — Hopewell Showcase VII
Students from Hopewell Elementary School share their gifts with the community, with offerings by the junior, senior and jazz bands under the direction of Marya Woyiwada
March 5 — Fingerprints
Multiple award-winning ‘Made in Trio’, comprising Rute Fernandes (flute), David Dias da Silva (clarinet), and Sinforosa Petralia (piano), plays pop and folk-influenced chamber music
March 12 — Heartbreak Songs
Acclaimed Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Steve Amirault plays original music in an exclusive solo concert featuring instrumental piano pieces and vocal compositions
March 19 — Dueling Harps
Harp duo Lucile Hildesheim and Susan Toman play Celtic music to honouring St Patrick’s Day, baroque music to engage the mind, and tango music to fire the heart
March 26 — Berg and Barber
Soprano Susan Elizabeth Brown and pianist Lucas Porter perform music by Berg (Seven Early Songs) and Barber (Knoxville: Summer of 1915) evoking the carefree serenity of summer


Yasir Naqvi MP, Ottawa Centre
N 613-946-8682
E yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca
Fighting climate change one tree at a time in our community
When I asked for your support in 2021 to serve as your Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, I made a key promise to tackle the greatest threat of our time – climate change. And to do it in a way that is ambitious nationally and practical locally. Fast forward to today, and I am proud to be part of a government that does not just talk about the climate crisis but is ready to make the tough calls needed to rise to the challenge.
As I write this column, our Canadian delegation is in Azerbaijan for the UN’s COP29 summit. It’s clear to us all that climate change is a global problem that demands a global solution. Together, we must work across borders to fight for the future of our planet, ensuring that it’s healthy enough for our children to thrive. This is at the heart of our duty as stewards of the Earth, and it’s what drives my work as your MP.
But our government knows this fight is not just about international summits, it’s also about mobilizing the people who are already on the front lines. The old saying “many hands make light work” has never been truer than when it comes to tackling climate change. That’s why we are committed to giving communities the resources they need to make a difference locally.
I am deeply grateful for the many volunteers and community groups in Ottawa Centre who are stepping up to make our city more sustainable. One of the pressing challenges faced by our community is the loss of large, mature trees. The erosion of the urban tree canopy is alarming. Over the years, I have been working closely with community groups to plant more trees in our community. We have teamed up with the Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) and groups like the Mechanicsville Community Association and Fôret Capitale Forest to plant almost 200 new trees in neighbours’ backyards (as part of Mother’s Day Tree Gift initiative) and on public lands (most recently near Tunney’s Pasture on NCC land).
In addition, the federal government continues to plant trees as part of its Two Billion Tree Program, launched in 2021. This bold project aims to plant two billion trees over the next decade. Due to our advocacy, I am thrilled the government is investing $12.45 million over eight years to plant 88,500 trees in the National Capital Region, including downtown Ottawa.
This is exactly the kind of progress I promised you when I campaigned to make Ottawa the greenest capital in the world. The report by the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force, which was released earlier this year, outlines how we will make that vision a reality by boosting green spaces and integrating climate change adaptation into the very fabric of our downtown core.
Tree cover is a natural climate control system – it cools the city in summer, absorbs carbon dioxide and gives us

the oxygen we need to breathe. By expanding our urban tree canopy, we are not only fighting climate change, but we are adapting to it as well. Trees are truly the “lungs of the earth.”
Here’s a stunning fact: in a day, one large tree can produce enough oxygen for four people; in a year, it will absorb between 22 and 48 pounds of carbon dioxide. But right now, our downtown tree canopy only covers 15.7 per cent of the urban area. That needs to increase to 30 to 40 per cent for us to truly feel the benefits of a robust, green city.
An expanded tree canopy just does not improve air quality, it boosts our economy too. It reduces energy costs, helps manage water runoff, and makes our downtown more attractive to visitors and residents alike. Working along with our community, I am fully committed to transforming downtown Ottawa into a cleaner, healthier and more vibrant place to live.
If you have an idea in mind to plant more trees or maintain existing ones, please share it with me so that we can work together to make it a reality. As always, please do not hesitate to contact the team at our Community Office or myself for any assistance.
As 2024 draws to a close, please accept my very best wishes to you and your family for the holiday season.
Organized compassion is a powerful force
I have seen the best and worst of human nature in the last month. Let’s start with the best.
Hours before I left for Queen’s Park on Sunday, November 17, hundreds rallied in Nepean for asylum seekers. Many neighbours reading this paper were there. Mayor Sutcliffe and a majority of elected municipal councillors were also there. It was good to see.
I will never forget the words of Thomas Ndayiragije, who came to Ottawa in 2018 from Burundi fleeing persecution. Blair Crawford from the Ottawa Citizen captured his words in a story you should read (if you haven’t already):
“If you’re wondering who is a refugee and who is an asylum seeker, you have one before you. I hope I am not intimidating. I respond to smiles. I respond to love.”
Love encircled Thomas at the rally last Sunday. This is the Ottawa we need.
At the Nepean Sportsplex, a smaller group rallied to “save our field.” The rally opposed a sprung structure there to offer temporary housing for 30 to 90 days for asylum seekers.
The field, they said, is best used by a local football team. An array of unsubstantiated claims were made about safety risks and asylum-seeker housing.
Chelby Daigle, a Black Muslim woman, addressed that crowd despite her support for the sprung structure. She wanted to reach them and to humanize the issue. I salute her for making that attempt; it was good to see.
The disinformation hasn’t just been limited to a few in Nepean – there is also plenty at Queen’s Park. The targets include neighbours who use drugs and

suffer from addictions.
The Ford Government tabled legislation to ban the location of consumption and treatment services (CTS) for addictions within 200 metres of schools. This was a red herring, because rules around the location of CTS sites near schools already exist.
The goal was to ramp up community anger against people who use drugs. Everyone can see the toxic drug crisis in our downtown streets. But some want to exploit anger and frustration from that crisis for partisan ends.
If the Ford government were serious about this, they would work with community street health providers to expand CTS services to include housing, food, psychotherapy and day programs that people need. But that didn’t happen.
Instead, they decreed that all CTS sites 200 metres from schools would close by March 31, 2025. They promised new addictions programs that require sobriety for admission. They have told street health groups to apply, and that is happening.
But what if sobriety for some is an impossible first step? What about street health workers who know folks that will die under these rules? The indifference to such questions is callous and wrong.
We can’t be indifferent to suffering. We can’t set unrealistic goals and expect success.
We have to summon Chelby’s courage and seek conversations with others who disagree with us. We must base political decisions on evidence, not disinformation.
Organized compassion is a powerful force. Let’s keep it going in Ottawa.

MP Yasir Naqvi and his children plant a tree during the “Greening Ottawa Centre” initiative.
Rotten Pumpkins on Monk PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN
A Wrist injury not to be ignored
By Sue Reive
Wrist injuries are common after a fall on an outstretched arm. Wrist injuries can range from a mild ligament sprain to a broken wrist (radius and/or ulna). X-rays are important if a fracture is suspected. Another injury is a tear to the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC) – left untreated it can cause chronic wrist pain.
Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex (TFCC)
The wrist joint consists of the radius (long arm bone at the base of the thumb) and a soft tissue disc which articulates with three carpal bones in the hand (scaphoid, lunate and triquetrum). The wrist joint is held together by a capsule and reinforced by ligaments. The TFCC is a triangular fibrocartilage complex. It includes a soft tissue disc between the ulna (long bone at base of the little finger) and the carpal bones. In addition, there are many ligaments, some between the long bones (radius and ulna), which are also part of the TFCC. It functions to stabilize and cushion the wrist joint; moreover, it aids in load transfer across the wrist joint.
Plantar fasciitis
By Ayesha Khan
Picture this: a sharp, stabbing heel and arch pain, especially with the first steps in the morning or after long periods of inactivity. A pain that typically decreases after walking or moving around but returns after prolonged standing or physical activity. Sound familiar?
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain, affecting about one in 10 people at some point in their lives. Whether you’re a runner, a factory worker who spends hours on your feet or someone who enjoys daily walks, you may have encountered the discomfort associated with this condition. While it can be frustrating, the good news is that plantar fasciitis is treatable and often preventable with the right steps to care for your feet.
What Is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot connecting your heel to your toes, becomes inflamed. This band supports the arch of your foot and acts as a shock absorber during daily activities like walking, running and standing. When this tissue is overstressed or overstretched, it can develop small tears, leading to inflammation and pain.
Causes of Plantar Fasciitis
Several factors can contribute to the development of plantar fasciitis, including:
• Overuse and Physical Activity: Repetitive stress on the feet from activities like running, walking or prolonged standing can irritate the plantar fascia. This is why athletes and individuals with physically demanding jobs are more prone to the condition.
• Foot Mechanics: Flat feet, high arches or abnormal walking patterns can put extra strain on the plantar fascia, increasing the likelihood of developing plantar fasciitis.
• Age: As we age, the plantar fascia naturally loses some of its elasticity, making it more susceptible to injury. This is why plantar fasciitis is more common in middle-aged individuals.
• Inappropriate Footwear: Shoes that lack proper arch support, cushioning or fit –especially those with hard, flat soles – can lead to plantar fasciitis over time. Wearing high heels regularly can also contribute by shortening the Achilles tendon and straining the plantar fascia when switching to flat shoes.

TFCC Tears
There are two types of TFCC tears. Type I occurs as a result of trauma such as a fall on an outstretched hand. Type II is due to wear and tear and degeneration of the disc and occurs more often in people over 50. Incidentally, people who sustain a fracture of the wrist may also have a TFCC injury.
Symptoms include pain in the wrist on the side of the little finger. The pain increases with wrist movement, particularly side to side and twisting of the forearm. Sometimes swelling is evident. Patients will often complain of clicking and reduced grip strength.
Diagnosis is made from the history, examination and specific stress tests. The extent of soft tissue damage is difficult to assess, and MRIs are helpful to view the soft tissues.
Treatment for a TFCC injury includes a period of immobilization (often four weeks) to allow healing. Physiotherapy can help. Ultrasound and progressive exercises to improve strength and mobility are incorporated. In some cases, where the TFCC tear is large, surgery may be required.
If your wrist is sore, clicking and weak, don’t ignore it. Seek treatment.
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Calf Stretch: Stand facing a wall with one foot in front of the other. Keep your back leg straight and your heel on the ground as you bend the front knee and lean toward the wall. Hold for 20-30 seconds, and repeat on the other side. This stretches the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles, relieving pressure on the plantar fascia.
Plantar Fascia Stretch: Sit down and cross one leg over the other. Grab the toes of the top foot and gently pull them toward you, feeling a stretch along the bottom of your foot. Hold for 20-30 seconds, and repeat three times on each foot.
Towel Curl Exercise: Place a towel on the floor and use your toes to scrunch it toward you. This strengthens the small muscles in your foot and helps improve arch support.

Rolling Stretch: Sit down and place a frozen water bottle or a tennis ball under your foot. Roll it back and forth along the arch of your foot for 5-10 minutes. This not only helps stretch the plantar fascia but can also reduce inflammation and alleviate pain.
Additional Tips for Better Foot Health
Wear Supportive Footwear: Choose shoes that provide good arch support, cushioning, and stability, especially if you’re on your feet for long periods or engaging in physical activities. Avoid shoes with flat soles or excessive heel heights.
Use Orthotics: Custom orthotic inserts or overthe-counter arch supports can help distribute pressure evenly across your feet and reduce strain on the plantar fascia.
Rest and Ice: If you experience foot pain, rest your feet and apply ice to the affected area for 15-20 minutes several times a day to reduce inflammation.
Warm Up Before Exercise: Always warm up before engaging in physical activities. This helps prepare your muscles and tendons for movement and prevents overstressing the plantar fascia. Plantar fasciitis can be a painful and frustrating condition, but with the right treatment, exercises and preventive measures, you can manage the symptoms and protect your feet from further injury. For persistent or chronic pain, consult a physiotherapist to help guide your treatments.
Ayesha Khan is a physiotherapy resident from the University of Toronto working at Glebe Physiotherapy & Sport Medicine Centre. She will be moving back to Toronto and continuing her physiotherapy practice after her wedding!

TFCC Tear
Sue Reive is a physiotherapist at Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics Glebe.
Plantar fasciitis typically causes intense pain in the heel and along the bottom of the foot.
From the front lines: a student’s perspective on Ottawa’s public toilet crisis
By Mya Aston
Where do you go when there’s nowhere to go? It’s a question I hadn’t given much thought to until I started my student placement with the GottaGo! Campaign. Now, as I walk through Ottawa’s neighbourhoods, the lack of accessible public toilets has become glaringly obvious. It’s not just an inconvenience, it’s an equity issue.
On World Toilet Day 2024, I had the opportunity of joining the GottaGo team at City Hall for an event that highlighted just how urgent this issue is. As someone new to this kind of advocacy, the experience was insightful and uplifting.
GottaGo
The GottaGo! Campaign is a grassroots organization dedicated to creating a network of clean, safe and accessible public toilets across Ottawa. Their work isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential. Public toilets support dignity, health and inclusion, especially for parents with young children, seniors, people with disabilities, menstruating individuals, those with medical conditions and the homeless population.
Throughout my placement, I’ve witnessed the team’s commitment to keeping this issue front and centre. From meeting with community groups to designing creative campaigns like postcards to city councillors, GottaGo! combines passion with persistence.
World Toilet Day
At the World Toilet Day event on November 19, GottaGo presented over 400
signed postcards from residents to over a dozen city councillors. These postcards, designed by local artists with funding from the Ottawa Community Foundation, symbolize the city’s collective demand for change.
It was great to see the collaboration between advocates, community members and local leaders like councillors Shawn Menard, Theresa Kavanagh and Marty Carr, who attended the event. They spoke about the tangible impact of even small changes, like adding signage to Ottawa’s “hidden” public toilets – those tucked away in places like libraries and community centres.
“Signage is not expensive,” Menard reminded us, highlighting one of the campaign’s key proposals. Simple solutions like this can make a huge difference in people’s lives.
The State of Public Toilets in Ottawa
One of the most surprising things I’ve learned during my placement is just how limited Ottawa’s public toilet infrastructure is. Outside of downtown, there are few facilities. The only public toilets you’ll find in the Glebe, for example, are located at Lansdowne Park. As councillor Marty Carr pointed out: “Going to the bathroom isn’t a seasonal sport.”
The GottaGo! team has worked tirelessly to address these gaps. Their 2024 World Toilet Day Report graded the city’s efforts this year a D+. While there have been minor improvements – like more porta-potties at some parks and sports fields, along with updated maps in the Byward Market – there’s still no comprehensive plan for broad public

toilet infrastructure.
But one big initiative was recently announced – the City’s 2025 budget includes money for two new standalone, self-cleaning public toilets in Centretown. That’s good news, especially for groups hit harder by a lack of facilities. For seniors, individuals managing Crohn’s disease, caregivers of young children or those experiencing homelessness, finding a toilet isn’t just a matter of convenience, it’s often a matter of urgent necessity.
A Student’s Takeaway
This placement has opened my eyes
to how public infrastructure – or the lack thereof – can profoundly shape people’s lives. The absence of public toilets limits access to parks, markets and downtown spaces, for residents and visitors alike. At the same time, I’ve seen how grassroots advocacy can create change. The postcards, the meetings with councillors and the media coverage we’ve garnered all contribute to building momentum. This work has shown me that even small victories like better signage or extended park washroom hours can improve lives in meaningful ways. And while Ottawa still has a long way to go, I’m hopeful that the efforts of GottaGo! and its supporters will lead to lasting change.
Looking Ahead
What’s next for GottaGo? The campaign will continue advocating for better signage, year-round washroom access in parks and a city-wide plan for public toilets. From my perspective as a social work student, this issue is about more than just toilets – it’s about equity, dignity and ensuring that public spaces truly serve the public. And as I near the end of my placement, I’m grateful to have been part of this work, knowing that even the smallest efforts can make a big difference.
To learn more about the GottaGo! Campaign or to join the movement, visit our website, follow @GottaGoCampaign on social media, or email us: gottagocampaign@gmail.com.
Mya Aston is a social work student whose work placement was with GottaGo.



The only public toilets in the Glebe PHOTO: COURTESY OF GOTTAGO
By Pat Goyeche
Before we shut the door on 2024 and open the window to 2025, I find myself reflecting on where we are and where we are heading. In 2025 Abbotsford Seniors Centre will turn 50 years of age!
Abbotsford Seniors Centre has been serving adults 55 + in the community since 1975, when the last of the men who lived in Abbotsford moved into the “Tower,” now known as Chartwell Lord Lansdowne.
Abbotsford membership and participation in general recreational programming has more than doubled in the last 10 years. We also support clients through Community Support Services such as provincially regulated Day Programs: Luncheon Club (those at risk of isolation) and Adult Day Program (for people in the early stages of dementia). We also help seniors remain in their own homes through services such as home help, medical drives, friendly visiting and telephone assurance.
The population of seniors in Ottawa is growing, as it is in all of Canada. The baby boomers have bloomed into zoomers and they are looking for interesting, challenging fitness, art and other recreational activities to enjoy. Abbotsford is buzzing with activities, participants and volunteers.
Our membership and programming are flourishing but our government funding, though consistent, is not keeping up with inflation nor the demands of building maintenance. Our mandate is to offer affordable programming, but our challenge is that we are not fully funded and therefore we need to fundraise.
Luckily we have creative staff, volunteers and members who keep coming up with marvelous fundraising ideas such as the Birthday Circle where members and their friends donate their age in money on their birthdays. Other initiatives like the Abbotsford Garden Tour and the WomenSong Concert have been well supported by the wider community as well. These new initiatives, along with our traditional annual Holiday Craft Fair and our participation in the Great Glebe Garage Sale, go a long way to keeping Abbotsford on track. We also appreciate the many individuals who donate monthly or annually.
That said we couldn’t keep up our programming and services without the support of the many local businesses who donate goods for our silent auctions and lend a hand to sponsor many of our fundraising events.
We would like to recognize and thank Whole Health Compounding Pharmacy Glebe, Chartwell Lord Lansdowne,



Glebe Metro, Amica the Glebe, Jack Uppal Realtors and David Burns & Associates Brokerage for their continued sponsorship of events and programming over the years.
As we look toward 2025, we value our community partners, friends, members and volunteers who continue to support Abbotsford’s programs and services.
Abbotsford Seniors Centre has a full menu of fitness programs set for 2025. Yoga, dance and different levels of fitness will keep many healthy, fit and engaged this winter. Some of our fitness classes are held on Zoom.
Are you interested in artistic programming? We have classes in pottery, mixed media and watercolour for our members.
Membership is $50 for the calendar year. Membership is key to our being able to offer so many affordable activities such as our clubs.
We have a retirement club, play reading club, book club, pool/snooker club, ping pong, writing clubs, bridge clubs, hand bell ringing, mah-jong, men’s breakfast, Tai Chi clubs and caregiver clubs.
We also offer language classes in
new clothing), a wide variety of books, jewellery, greeting cards and other treasures such as art, household items and décor for sale.
Our weekly Learn & Explore ‘Speakers Series’ is also a great way for non-members to get a taste for Abbotsford Seniors Centre. These talks take place on Wednesday afternoon at 1 pm. You must register in advance but it is free and open to the public.
We welcome 2025 and all that it brings, we hope you pop in and see us. We would love to show you around the centre.
Abbotsford Seniors Centre is part of The Glebe Centre Inc., a charitable, notfor-profit, organization which includes a 254-bed long term care home. Find out more about our services by dropping by 950 Bank Street (the old stone house) Mon- Fri 9-4 pm, telephoning 613-230-5730 or by checking out all of The Glebe Centre facilities and community programs on our website www. glebecentre.ca.
Pat Goyeche is coordinator of community programs at Abbotsford at The Glebe Centre.













































Matt Burns presented a financial planning seminar as part of Abbotsford’s Learn & Explore speakers’ series.

Hogman-eh! has moved!
Many Glebites have walked to the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park every December 31 to bring in the New Year to the lively Scottish-style Hogman-eh! This year the Aberdeen Pavilion was not available to the organizers, the Scottish Society of Ottawa.
We invite you instead to the Infinity Centre at 2901 Gibford Drive, one of Ottawa’s newest meeting spaces. It’s elegant and spacious with a large welcoming foyer. The centre is served by four major bus routes and offers something we haven’t had in the past: lots of free parking in the area. There are also four hotels close by if you’d like to stay the night.
As veterans of Hogman-eh know, the event is for families and people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate the end of the year with great music, dance, friendly people and delicious food and drink. You don’t need to be Scottish to participate – you just need to like have a good time!
The event begins at 2 p.m. with the opening of the Hall of Origins, which is free for all. Come learn about Scottish history, perhaps your own family history, and enjoy the music. At 4:30 p.m., the main ballroom will open, and many exciting musicians and bands will entertain you until 1 a.m.
This year, get ready to sing along or dance to local tenor John Young, Cape Breton fiddler Ernie Fraser, The Royal Canadian Air Force pipe band, Celtic favourites Brandy ‘N’ Port and our headliner act, internationally acclaimed The Devil’s Brigade
There will also be a chance to watch as dancers from several Ottawa High land Dance schools demonstrate their impressive talents.
As no party can be without good food and drinks, guests will be able to pur chase a $25 voucher at the door that can be exchanged for a tasty meal prepared on-site by Dhruvees restaurant, which has proudly served its Asian-style food at previous Hogman-Eh! events. VIP patrons will be provided a tasty menu from the centre’s on-site kitchen.
Mavericks Donuts will also be there to provide an array of gourmet donuts.
Exercise class
A memoir
By Valerie C. Burton
First thought on waking up early in the morning is “exercise class.” That thought is instantly dismissed as I snuggle down in the warmth of my bed.
Second thought is the mental picture of all the fat people my age who were lounging by the pool on the cruise I was just on. Watching them struggling to get out of the pool chairs is a lesson for me. Do I want to be fit and continue to be active, or do I want to sink in the morass of flabbiness?
Third thought is of my aunts, my mother’s older sisters, who lived to be old, very old, but they never did anything physical other than, once in a while, run for the bus. They each spent five years in bed in a chronic care hospital and then died in their nineties. So, my genetics are good, but there was another real lesson about inactivity inherent in this thought. This five-year hospitalization before dying happens, in spite of your genetic inheritance, when you spend a lifetime drinking and smoking.
Last thought still in bed is of stretching. Surely it would be easier to get up if I start by stretching. I raise my arms and try to lengthen my spine and my back muscles a little. It’s difficult but feels better for a few minutes. Dithering, I think more about getting up and what that would involve besides the stretch I just did. Twisting, that would help to start. I put both my arms to one side and follow with my whole body. Now, I’m halfway there and lying on my side.

But the covers are still so warm, and I’m still so comfortable, pillow under my head. I take a deep breath. I give myself a talking-to. Pulling aside my duvet and the sheet that are keeping me so comfortable, I swing my legs and feet to one side of the bed. I need all the
mental fortitude that I’ve got to follow with the rest of my body, so that I’m sitting up. I suddenly realize that I need to go to the bathroom and I stand up. Now, being up, I have no further excuses. I have to go to exercise class for all the reasons that I’ve just gone over in my head. I know that I will meet friends there who have just gone through almost all the stages of rising that I’ve just experienced.
I have to get myself out of the house. Choosing my exercise clothes the night before has made decisions somewhat more simple. I quickly dress and haul myself and my ancient workout kit out the door. I drive to class in the car, when I should be walking the few blocks to the Y.
But I’ve had another successful argument with myself, I’m up and on the way. I pin another hypothetical medal on my threadbare T-shirt.
Valerie C. Burton is a Glebe resident who is experimenting with memoir writing.


The Hogman-Eh! bar, as always, will serve premium scotch whisky, Scottish beer, soft drinks (Irn Bru, of course) and a good selection of wines and other refreshments.
Ticket prices are $45 for general admission (free for children under 12); $75 for a VIP ticket and $125 for a VIP ticket and a three-course meal. Taxes and service charges will be added at checkout.
Tickets available at Eventbrite (newyears-eve-party-hogman-eh-2024).







President-elect Rump
appoints “good friend” Zeus as Secretary of Fate!
Porcine pundits are in a tizzy after Rump appointed Zeus, the CEO, CFO and POO of GiddyPigs.com, as Secretary of Fate. “Zeus just has no experience in managing the future, let alone the present! GiddyPigs.com has gone bankrupt 14 times in the last three years!” squealed Floof, CEO of Ouija Board Inc., and former investment advisor for Zeus.
As implied by its title, Secretary of Fate is a big job. In addition to omniscience, it also requires some degree of integrity and compassion. Yet many question Zeus’ ability to put himself in other rodents’ feet, so to speak. “Once he tried to sell me on eBay! Sell me on eBay!! And another time, he almost sent me to Peru! Luckily my Uber was late, and I missed the flight,” provided Puck, Zeus’ former personal assistant.
Still, those in the Rump camp say that what
In the Glebe
By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius.com
really matters is that Zeus is loyal to Rump, since he calls the shots and will determine the fates of the masses. “Zeus and Rump do have a lot in common – and not just because of the bankruptcies and privileged lifestyle. For example, Zeus loves the golf greens as much as Rump. They have been spotted together often at the Rump Inter-neighbourhood Golf Club in Westboro Beach, gorging on the greens,” said Milou, a Rump security guard dog. The Rump camp further added that the lawns had never been kept so well groomed – or fertilized. Despite wild disagreement on Rump’s choice for Secretary of Fate, many are taking solace in Zeus’ daughters, nicknamed the Fates. Indeed, Clotho, spinner of life, Lachesis, the measurer, and Atropos, she who cuts the thread, may be the ones who in the end are really pulling the strings behind the scenes. Only time will tell!


Community building through sport at Glashan
By Regan Morris
In a windowless gym in a red-brick building a stone’s throw from the Queensway, dedicated teachers have been changing the lives of students through sport for close to 50 years.
Glashan Public School’s volleyball program is the stuff of local legend. It was started in 1975 by Rick Desclouds. Since then, Glashan teams have won 18 provincial cup titles. Their most recent victory was in October in Milton in a tournament with about 27 teams from across the province. Former players have gone on to play volleyball at university and on Canada’s national team.
What is more impressive than the success of its teams, however, is the sense of community that Glashan has created around the sport. Every morning, the gym is opened at 8 a.m. for anyone from the school – not just team members – who wants to play volleyball. Every Friday afternoon after school, Desclouds, although long retired, returns to help run a community-wide open gym. Everyone, whether a student at the school or not, is welcome and gets a chance to play, no matter what their skill level. If a player can’t serve across the net, they can step closer until they get it over. The operating premise is that anyone can play volleyball and that doing so together is fun.
Every April, Glashan hosts the Thach Memorial Tournament in memory of two brothers on the volleyball team who died in a tragic house fire in 2005. The tournament is attended by former players, current students and families, and it has become a local institution.
The credit for Glashan’s volleyball program goes to Desclouds, who was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 for his many contributions to sports at the school and in the community. However, its continuing success would not be possible without the dedicated coaches who carry on what he started. Since 2010, the boys’ team has been coached by Murat Erlik, a former Glashan
student and volleyball player who wakes up early to make it to open gym every morning and who runs team practices during and after the school day. He is assisted by Guy Lacroix – affectionately referred to as “Mr. G” – who is also one of the school’s custodians. Ron Sloan has coached the girls side since 2002.
Volleyball at Glashan is one example of the positive impact that public schools have in our community. Glashan’s catchment area straddles the Glebe and Centretown, and its diverse student body includes the children of many immigrant families and spans the socio-economic divide. Erlik credits the school and Desclouds specifically with changing his life. Growing up in difficult circumstances in social housing, Erlik says he was insecure and directionless when he came to Glashan. Playing volleyball gave him confidence and a sense of purpose.
After the Glashan players received their medals at the provincial cup in October, Erlik said a few words to the players, family members and coaches. He first thanked and awarded a medal to Mr. G, who was visibly moved. On the sidelines, Mr. G is the team’s most vocal cheerleader and chief moral support.
Next, Erlik thanked Rick Desclouds. To this day,

Desclouds still attends the provincial cup and other important matches with the team. Erlik’s voice was hoarse from a day in the gym, but there was also a tremor that spoke to something heartfelt and more important than sports or winning: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to Mr. Desclouds for all that he has done for volleyball at Glashan and for me. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you, Mr. Desclouds. Thank you.”
It is heartening to see the teachers at Glashan dedicate so much time to their students and the community at large. Of course, they are not the only ones, and sports are not the only means – every day across the city, countless teachers run band practices, chess clubs and art programs, and they change the lives of kids through their work both inside and outside the classroom. Witnessing these contributions up close feels like a ray of hope in these clouded times.
Regan Morris is a parent of a Glashan student and a Glebe resident.




Murat Erlik (left) and Rick Desclouds discuss strategy at the most recent edition of the provincial cup.
PHOTO: STEVE JACOBSEN
By Ana Marsland
Glebe Collegiate Institute’s (GCI’s) School Council and staff are thrilled to have this new column. We’re a vibrant community of engaged teachers and staff, students and parents. We will be showcasing events at our school, whether they be student-led, teacher-led or parent-led initiatives.
We also know that teenagers don’t necessarily tell their parents or guardians what’s going on at school, so we hope this column will be another way to communicate directly with the community to ensure that we’re all informed.
The year started with a “Fresh from the Farm” fundraising campaign. Households could order bundles of fruit and vegetables for themselves or to be donated to local food banks.
The generous response was overwhelming, with more bundles ordered for donation than for household consumption! These donations were welcomed by Centretown Food Centre and Centre 507 at a time when more people than ever rely on food banks. Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed to this effort, from those who ran the campaign to those who were on site the day the fresh produce was delivered.
Now, you might wonder why the school council needs to fundraise. The answer is simple: we use the money we collect to make improvements in the school experience. We give annual graduation grants to students, we help the school pay for items it might need but can’t afford within the school budget, and we try to help students in need.
We run events such as our popular teacher appreciation lunch, where parents donate dishes and their time to show GCI staff and administration how much we appreciate their tireless work with our teenagers.
If you have students at Glebe this year, you may know that there is a Snowsuit Drive and a Sock Drive underway. These two student-led initiatives are part of their individual “Passion Projects.” The projects range from bringing accessible sports to the school, clothing drives, dances, international potlucks and fairs, researching essays, to name just a few.
These projects are being organized by the pilot EquiUnity Committee. Glebe is moving towards turning EquiUnity into a growing leadership opportunity for up-and-coming students.
There are many active clubs and committees at GCI, such as the Athletic Council and the Reach for the Top Trivia Club, which recently won the Ottawa-wide Consensus Gradwrite tournament.
Among Glebe’s athletic achievements so far this year, our cross-country
team won the city’s overall title for the 14th year in a row. Both the Junior boys’ rugby 7s and boys’ tennis doubles won the city championships.
Within the Unified program, Glebe student Sophie Prior was named Special Olympics High School Athlete of the year, and our own Angela Nixon on staff at GCI won the Ottawa Region Special Olympics Educator of the Year award. Congratulations to both!

On November 20, Athletic Council hosted their annual dodgeball tournament, which was a great success and raised approximately $500 for the Ottawa Food Bank.
Within the Arts program, BackStage Theatre returned this year with three shows written, directed and performed by Glebe students from November 20 to 22. Music Night took place on December 12 featuring Glebe’s choirs, concert bands, jazz ensembles and offbeat groups. For future students, Glebe will be hosting its Grade 8 Night on Tuesday, January 15.
As for learning, our students are lucky enough to be taught by top teachers, among them Jessica McIntyre who is receiving the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching.
As part of Project True North, McIntyre asked her Grade 10 students to become detectives by combing through military records, diaries and other primary sources to tell the stories of Canadians whose wartime service has been overlooked, like women nurses and Blacks in the No. 2 Construction Battalion during the First World War The award comes with a $2,500 cheque plus $1,000 for the school. Congratulations Jessica!
We’d love to hear from you and value your input. Write to us at sc-glebeci@ ocdsb.ca to share your ideas, questions or concerns. Keep in mind that we are volunteers and might take a couple of days to respond. For more information about GCI’s school council, visit https://sites.google.com/view/ school-council-hub/home, where you can sign up to our mailing list. You can also follow us on instagram at @ glebecollegiateschoolcouncil.
Thank you for supporting Glebe Collegiate Institute!
Ana Marsland is chair of the Glebe Collegiate Institute’s School Council.
Glebe Coop Nursery School, where clay bears go to hibernate
By Alanna Brown
Our toddlers and preschoolers have welcomed winter into the classroom at Glebe Coop Nursery School (GCNS)! Every year we celebrate the start of wintertime by having a pyjama day. Each student has their own clay bear with their name written on it. They take turns putting their bears into the papermaché cave where they will hibernate until springtime. This is a day that our teachers and students look forward to, as we get to hear about each other’s bedtime routines and tell stories about our favourite pyjamas.
It gives us a great opportunity to learn about how different animals prepare for the cold months ahead. Some grow thicker fur, some look for extra food to eat and some cuddle up with their families to prepare for a long, cozy sleep. We sing songs about bears and imagine what kind of beautiful dreams they’ll experience during their long restful time in the cave.
With the colder weather comes ice and snow, changing the environment of our new playground outside. A favourite activity in the wintertime is shovelling. The teachers help the kids learn about the proper way to hold a shovel, and they work together to clear a nice play space in the playground. It’s fun to draw designs in the snow. The snow is a canvas to work on writing letters and numbers. It’s great to take what is learned inside the classroom out to the playground.

It’s important that the children practise taking on and off their mitts and hats independently. We can use our mitts to play fun matching games, helping each other match each pair.
The children have been learning lots of new songs to celebrate the start of winter and are getting very excited about inviting their families into the classroom for a holiday singalong. Music is such an important part of toddler and preschool education, and we are fortunate to have teachers who love to sing. We also love to invite musicians into the classroom to put on performances for us, giving us the opportunity to play hand drums, shakers and bells.
It’s fun to learn about all the different types of food that families like to enjoy around the holidays, and our duty-day parents like to bring in homemade goodies for the children to enjoy at snack time. There are many different traditional dishes that we are learning about and it’s always a treat to have a parent bring in something new to try! We are looking forward to learning about the different traditions celebrated during the holiday season through songs, food and activities.
Alanna Brown is responsible for communications at Glebe Cooperative Nursery School.






Phaedon putting his bear to sleep

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St )
BOOK SALE, ongoing till Dec 20, Mon –Fri , 8:30 a m to 4:30 p m Pocketbook: $1, paperback: $2, hard cover: $3 or fill a $10 bag (available at Reception) with as many books as it will hold
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St )
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FOR 2025 began on Fri Nov 15 and registration for winter programming started on Fri , Dec 6 Please note that members keep the same key-tag but cannot register unless they have renewed their membership The only ways to renew are to call in (613-230-5730) or come in person We need to update any changes and like to check in with our membership New members for 2025 can drop in and tour the facility, meet the staff and fellow members and get their own key-tag for registration Please note that Abbotsford will be closed Dec 24 to Jan 2
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St )
MINI-CRAFT SALE, ongoing near Reception until Dec 20 from 9 a m to 4 p m
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St )
WINTER PROGRAM GUIDE is now available Pick up your own paper copy at Abbotsford, Mon –Fri , 8:30 a m to 4:30 p m or go to www glebecentre ca under Abbotsford Community Program and Current Program Guide For those who have renewed their 2025 membership, registration can be in-person or by telephone (613-230-5730) with Visa or Mastercard and also on-line with your own member key-tag: myactivecenter com/ (look for Abbotsford Seniors Centre)
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank) continues to look for books, flea market items and your treasures to sell in house. Accepted at Abbotsford House on Mon -Fri , 9 a m to 4 p m , your donations will be supporting the Centre’s Programming and Services
ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE (950 Bank St Tel : 613-230-5730) LEARN & EXPLORE SPEAKER’S SERIES, Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p m Jan. 8 –Kieran Wilkins, founder of In Your Nature Resource Centre, a local environmental nor-for-profit, will be here to present: Community Connections in the Environment Kieran will speak about how to connect with the community to make a meaningful difference for the environment and sustainability The session will be interactive and include guided conversations about barriers to engaging with environmental initiatives and the outdoors LIVE and on ZOOM Jan. 15 – Marie Howell, team member of ILC Canada, International Longevity Centre & CCAA, Canadian Coalition Against Aging What is Ageism? This presentation will explore how prevalent ageism is, the different ways it is expressed and how it negatively affects older people and Canadian society LIVE and on ZOOM Jan. 22 – Alfred LeBlanc is a recently retired executive in the Government of Canada and avid photographer, originally from Margaree Forks, Cape Breton Alfred will be presenting a recent collection of photographs found in his book Portraits of Cape Breton This book is a collection of intimate, true and honest black and white portraits of Cape Bretoners at home, work and play LIVE and on ZOOM Jan. 29 – Aging-in-Community: Considering Alternatives to Long-Term Care Institutions Researcher, writer, caregiver and elder John Lord will discuss the growing advocacy among seniors groups for a more robust home and community care system Based on his new book, Aging and Elder Care: Time for Transformation, he will explore how our aging society is impacting the way we need to “care” for each other, including age-friendly communities and naturally occurring retirement community initiatives John’s book will be available to purchase LIVE and on ZOOM FEB. 5 – Join Marie-Chantal Ross, President and CEO of SeniorSynCare, a company whose mission is to transform the end-of-life experience from medical to meaningful by developing effective communities of care She will provide an overview of the typical end-of-life experience for seniors in Canada today and how approaching death, dying and dependence within an effective community can radically change the experience to one that heals and connects LIVE and on ZOOM N B : The lectures are free, but one must register in advance for a seat or zoom link Tea/coffee and treats available for purchase in dining room courtesy of your Members Council and Amica the Glebe

Aberdeen pavilion, Lansdowne at night

CANADIAN CENTENNIAL CHOIR (ccc-ccc ca/) presents: Renaissance and Baroque Christmas / Noël de la Renaissance et de la période baroque, Tues , Dec 17 at 7:30 p m , Woodroffe United Church, 207 Woodroffe Ave Tickets for this concert Adult: $25; Senior/Student: $20 available at https://bpt me/6460759
FRIENDS OF THE FARM NEW TREE BOOK “Pathways to the Trees at the Central Experimental Farm” is now available for purchase! For each copy of the book you buy, you can also receive a 20-per-cent discount on some of our other books! Visit our e-Boutique (friendsofthefarm ca/home/ boutique/) for more information
ORKIDSTRA CENTRE HUB HOLIDAY CONCERT, Tues , Dec 17, 6:30 p m , Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St Bring a friend and celebrate the sounds of the season with OrKidstra! Perfect for the whole family, OrKidstra’s free holiday concert will be an inspirational celebration of music and community OrKidstra is a local charity that helps to empower kids and build community through music In high demand for their energy and musicianship, OrKidstra has performed at the JUNO Awards, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, with superstar Alessia Cara and much more! Free, tickets not required, donations to OrKidstra welcome! Learn more: orkidstra ca/ events/upcoming-events/dec-17-orkidstra-centrehub-holiday-concert/
OLD OTTAWA SOUTH GARDEN CLUB MEETING, Online, Tues , Jan 14, 7 p m : Gardens in New Zealand Retired Master Gardener and plant collector Mary Ann Van Berlo will take members on an armchair tour of the amazing gardens of the south and north islands of New Zealand The tour will emphasize the different styles of gardens she recently visited, from formal to English cottage-gardens, from the exotic to the native Membership: $25 per year; $40 for a family; drop-in fee $7 per meeting Info: Old Ottawa South Community Centre 623-247-4946
PATHWAY YOGA is hosting a NEW YEAR OPEN
HOUSE on Sat , Jan 18, 1–4 p m : 1–1:15 Greet and Meet, 1:15–2:15 Beginner Class, 2:30–3:30
Demonstration and Q&A, 3:30–4 Snacks and Chat
All are welcome for the demonstration If you plan
to attend the free class, numbers are limited so please reserve your spot by emailing welcome@ pathwayyoga ca We are located at 253 Echo Dr in the Church of the Ascension For more information about Pathway Yoga, check our website www pathwayyoga ca/ Pathway Yoga is a not-for-profit organization, dedicated to promoting the study and practice of Iyengar yoga for health and wellbeing We offer a wide range of hybrid and studio classes for students of all levels and backgrounds
AVAILABLE
HOUSESITTER to live in and care for your home while you travel or stay at another residence this season I have experience supervising renovations, gardening, shovelling snow, packing and moving a home, organizing, watering plants, collecting mail, etc I am a young lady who studies the Word of God (the Bible) remotely at home I am at homemaker at heart I have several years of recent housesitting experience in the Glebe with excellent references from many families in our neighbourhood I have cared for and lived in many homes over the last five years I also love caring for God’s precious animals, especially puppies! Sarah 613-682-0802, mayyouhope@gmail com
FOR SALE
ANTIQUE VICTORIAN SIDE CHAIRS, set of 3, handcrafted in walnut with beautiful gold fabric Must be seen to be appreciated $675 Call 613-261-4504
HERMAN MILLER AERON CHAIR, mint condition, $550 Call 613-230-5552
MODERN GLASS-TOP COFFEE TABLE, oval, thick glass, approx 50” x 28 ” Chrome legs with lower wooden shelf, unique $245 Call 613-261-4504
NORCO MULTI-SPEED BICYCLE, like new, model LRT RILEX RY, original cost $1,600 Comes with bike manual Could be the perfect gift $650 Call 613-261-4504
SNOW JOE SNOW BLOWER, electric, like new, perfect for a smaller laneway or walkway Clears a path 17” wide $135 Call 613-261-4504

PHOTO: LUCY BOTTOMLEY,































