Glebe Report June 2024

Glebe Apothecary has closed permanently

The Glebe Apothecary, a landmark Glebe institution and much-appreciated purveyor of drugs and pharmaceutical advice for 40 years, closed permanently on May 31. It was the site of a devastating fire on March 24 which closed the store, but many hoped that it would be renovated and reopened. Shoppers Drugmart issued a notice on May 27 informing customers that their prescriptions and personal health records would be transferred to the Shoppers Drugmart at 702 Bank Street (corner of Bank and Glebe), unless they request that the files be transferred

Canada at D-day, June 6, 1944

On June 6, 1944, Second World War Allied forces (UK, US, Canada and other Commonwealth countries) invaded western Europe along an 80-kilometre stretch of beach in Normandy, France, code-named “Juno.” Canadian troops numbered 14,000, of the close to 150,000 Allied troops who landed or parachuted there that day.

They encountered robust German defences, including artillery, mines, machine guns and booby-traps. Some 110 Canadian ships and 10,000 sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy assisted in

elsewhere. It also gave instructions on how to set up an online account with the new pharmacy.

Media reports about the fire indicate possible arson, although no charges have been laid.

Zenah Surani, pharmacist/owner of the Glebe Apothecary who took over the Shoppers Drugmart franchise in 2014, had anticipated celebrating her

10th anniversary at the store in April. Instead, she is overseeing its closure. “As you can imagine, I’m pretty devastated by the news, after putting so much into the store over the last 10 years,” she said in an email. “It’s been a very heartbreaking time for me.” She added that the entire Glebe Apothecary team has been hired at the Shoppers at 702 Bank.

the landings. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) bombed targets inland in preparation for the invasion. On DDay and in the days afterward, 15 RCAF squadrons helped control the skies over Normandy.

D-Day was a success and is deemed a

key turning point in the war. On that day, June 6, total Allied casualties reached more than 10,000. Canadians suffered 1,074 casualties, of which 359 were killed.

Source: Canadian War Museum, Canadian Encyclopedia

The Glebe Apothecary, forced to close March 24 by a devastating fire, has now closed permanently. PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN

A Celebration of fathers

Father’s Day, on Sunday, June 16, is an opportunity to pause and celebrate the father who is, or was, in our lives.

Fathers have a deep and lasting effect on every child, no matter whether Dad is present or absent, lenient or strict, fun or boring, loving or distant. As adults, we are able to look back and see more clearly the full impact he had on our lives. Father’s Day gives us a moment to salute the dad in our lives, to recognize his importance to us and to celebrate him and his life with us.

Here in this month’s Glebe Report, we recognize, salute and celebrate the fathers among us!

My dad Jack

By Louise Rachlis

Back in 1957, there was a regular column in the Ottawa Citizen called “Civil Service Roundup.” The headline one June Saturday was “Mighty Handy for RA to have a Lawyer VP”.

That lawyer so involved in the RA was my father, Jack Vinokur (1914-1983). Jack should be called “Mr. Civil Service Recreational Association,” the writer said, “but the name was too long.”

While my father spent his career in

My dad Pierre

By Miranda Boyer

My dad was a jokester. I got my funny bone from him. Because he died when I was 11, I don’t have too many memories from our short time together, but the ones that stand out most paint the funniest picture of him.

He was very successful and very driven, but once back in his home, in his domain, he pranked and joked and teased the best of anyone I knew. He used to tell my sister, brother and I that he would pay us $1 to find his beer in the house. He would start one, put it down, then forget where he put it!

Every summer, we would go to the Muskokas where my grandparents lived and set out on houseboat for two weeks. The activity that occupied our time the most after we anchored on a sandy beach was diving for jujubes. My dad would throw them far and wide, and we would dive with our goggles

on and search for them. Our prize was being able to eat the soggy mess once we found them.

Watching home movies now, I see so many moments where he said something inappropriately funny, just to get a rise out of my mother’s father, my mother or even one of us kids. A memory that lives on through video is on a New Year’s Eve where he and his friends and their kids were all at one house together celebrating. He was coercing the adults to sit on a chair backwards, and he would pour shots down their throats. Well, the kids were jealous and asked if they could play too! He then proceeded to do Sprite shots with all the children. We all thought he was the coolest person ever.

His high school yearbook quote was “we’re here for a good time, not a long time.” He lived that line to its fullest potential, and it radiated from him every day he was with us.

Miranda Boyer lives in the Glebe with her daughter, Ava.

the then-called Civil Service, he spent much of his free time with the fledgling RA, the Civil Service Recreational Association. “He is best known here for his work with RA, editing the RA News, broadcasting a weekly summary of RA events, and handling many other duties,” the column said.

My father also organized RA cruises. “Next year’s RA cruise is cannily planned to begin the last week in March towards the end of the government fiscal year,” the column went on. “Thus, civil servants can take the last week of their 1957 leave, plus their regular 1958 three weeks for a glorious

My dad Renald

By Carole Tremblay

My dad, Renald Tremblay, what a phenomenon.

I guess many people would say that about their father. And they may well be right. But mine, despite his flaws (we all have some, don’t we?) stays a phenomenon in many positive ways.

First, at 81 years old, he “stands straighter” than many of his younger friends, thanks to many years of hard work, eating more fruit and vegetables than my mother ever ate, still walking like crazy two to three times a day and pushing himself in some weirdo challenges. But, hey, it works!

Second, he has his own philosophy of life. I don’t 100-per-cent agree with it and in some areas I can strongly disagree. But I must admit he has a positive way of accepting the difficult circumstances of life, like troublesome familial situations, aging, the inevitability of the end of life. He is satisfied with the life he has had, with the life he is having now and with his plan for what’s to come. And indeed, my dad has lived his life, most of the time, the way he wanted to. Sometimes it was not to the satisfaction of others, but he respected himself and this led to his overall contentment in life now. That is something not everyone can

month abroad without having to take leave without pay. Trust a lawyer to figure that out!”

The RA was founded in 1943, and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker laid the cornerstone for the new (and still current) building in 1958. I spent my childhood following my father around as he visited RA activities.

So, this Father’s Day, I decided to salute my late father with this glimpse into the pre-social-media world of the early days of the Recreation Association of the Public Service of Canada, the RA.

Louise Rachlis is a Glebe writer and painter who has had her paintings on the cover of the Glebe Report. She is celebrated in the May issue Mother’s Day tribute.

say. And because of this, he is aging without anger or resentment but with gratefulness.

Third, he showed me (and my brothers), not so much in words but more with his own actions, the important values in life: family, work, generosity, the need to stay active, the need to do what you like to have fun in life.

Being a father is a difficult job. I know that now. He did his best. We always had the security of a home and food on the table. I did not always appreciate all of the above. But I do now. And I hope he knows I love him, despite and because.

Carole Tremblay is a Glebe resident and appreciative daughter.

Melissa, Miranda and Brydon Boyer with dad Pierre Boyer, March 1991

Pierre Boyer, December 1992

Renald Tremblay with granddaughters Madeleine and Zayid

My dad John

By Kaamil Furtado

This is the first time I am doing this – writing a public tribute to my dad, I mean.

Every year on Father’s Day, I usually give him a handmade card and fresh flowers or a potted plant before we go out for breakfast at his favourite restaurant.

This year, I am turning 16 and wanted to do something grander than just a card and flowers – even though I can see how much joy a handmade card brings him. He has saved and proudly displayed every card I have ever made for him.

Dear Abba, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge how much your

My dad Lorne

By Josh Rachlis

I always thought I got my skills and interests from my mom, until I started to write this profile of my dad, Lorne Rachlis. He was a teacher and then vice principal in Toronto. We moved to Ottawa when he got a job as superintendent at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. He then became director of the Avon-Maitland School Board (when Justin Bieber was a student there) and then finally back to Ottawa as director of the OCDSB. After retiring he ran for school trustee, he’s been president of Temple Israel and he has written a book about our family history.

As I was writing this, I realized I want to become a teacher. I also recalled that in the last election, I ran for school trustee. It was like that scene in Return of the Jedi where (spoiler alert) Luke looks at his robot hand, then where he just cut off his father’s robot hand and realizes he’s becoming his father. I should have seen this coming. When I visit my parents and answer the home phone, the caller often says: “Lorne?” When I answer the door, the visitor does a double take and says, “Oh, I thought you were Lorne.” If my dad is around to hear that comment, we both act insulted or flattered, depending on our moods. And when I do stand-up comedy, in Ottawa clubs or at my dad’s retirement party, my dad’s

love and support have meant to me over the years.

Thank you for always being there for me when I need you and even when I think I don’t.

Thank you for always hearing me out and trying to understand my point of view even if it doesn’t make any sense to you.

Thank you for always being so proud of all my small and big achievements and never hesitating to cheer me on.

Thank you for cutting short your sleep for all those early morning drives to school activities and volunteering events.

I feel like I’ve won the lottery for best dad!

Kaamil Furtado is a Grade 10 student at the Glebe Collegiate. He loves reading books and training his muscles.

friends tell me that my dry wit reminds them of my dad, who always cracked them up in school board meetings or at the synagogue.

So, it turns out I’m my father’s son after all. For this profile, I was origin ally going to submit a photo of my dad holding his book about the family his tory. Instead, I’m submitting a photo of me and my dad on my 50th birth day. I guess I was waiting for this profile to reveal the twist at the end – that I’ve become just like my dad. Which, unlike with Luke and Darth Vader, is a good thing.

My dad Erele

By Derele Scharfe

A treasure made from paper is a gift from my dad Erele Armstrong. In 1943, my dad, Captain Erele Armstrong, headed to the Aleutian Island of Kiska with the Canadian Army.

This posting was extremely remote and because of this isolation, the soldiers were encouraged to write letters home. I was a wee baby living with my mom and my grandparents at 36 First Avenue.

The Paper Treasure was made using a pencil, a small picture, some carbon

paper et voila, an image was reproduced onto an envelope.

These envelopes were sent by regular mail across the North Pacific and flown across Canada to 36 First Avenue, Ottawa. I found over 30 unique pieces of mail art addressed to my mom and me.

P.S. Dad mentioned in a letter to me that he was told to stop this project because “they suspected it was a code.” But my dad continued the drawings and tucked them inside his parcels. I love my Paper Art Treasures!

Derele Scharfe is a long-time Glebe resident with fond memories of her dad.

Josh Rachlis is a cartoonist, writer, actor and Glebe resident who’s turned out, to his surprise, much like his dad.

Dad John Furtado with toddler Kaamil, flexing their muscles

Captain Erele Armstrong and daughter Derele

Paper art treasures sent by dad Erele to young daughter Derele during the war

Lorne Rachlis with son Josh PHOTO: LOUISE RACHLIS

Jide Afolabi, Jennie Aliman, Lawrence Ambler, Nico Arabackyj, Aubry family, Miko Bartosik, Alessandra & Stefania Bartucci, Selena Beattie, Adrian Becklumb, Beckman family, Joanne Benoit, Inez Berg, Carolyn Best, Carrie Bolton, 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, Sarah Chown, Sebastian, Cameron & Anna Cino, Janis Ellis-Claypool, 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, Nicholas, Reuben, Dave & Sandra Elgersma, Patrick Farley, James & Oliver Frank, Judy Field, Federico Family, Maria Fobes, Liane Gallop, Joann Garbig, Joyce Goodhand, Camilo Velez Gorman, Barbara Greenwood, Marjolein Groenevelt, Oliver, Martin, Sarah & Simon Hicks, Cheryle Hothersall, Jennifer Humphries, Sandiso Johnston, Jungclaus Family, Janna Justa, Elena Kastritsa, Kasper Raji Kermany, Michael Khare, Lambert family, Fenton & Cora Hui Litster, Leith and Lulu Lambert, Catherine Lawr, Mel LeBlanc, Jamie, Alexander & Louisa Lem, Brams and Jane Leswick, Alison Lobsinger, Aanika, Jaiden and Vinay Lodha, Hudson Love, Andy Lunney, Vanessa Lyon, Pat Marshall, Patrick Collins Mayer, Catherine McArthur, Ian McKercher, John and Helen Marsland, Matthew McLinton, Josephine & Elise Meloche, Cameron Mitchell, Julie Monaghan, Thomas Morris, Vivian Moulds, Karen Mount, Maddy North, Diane Munier, Xavier and Heath Nuss, Sachiko Okuda, 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, Sabine Rudin-Brown, Frank Schreiner, Short family, Cathy Simons, Andrew Soares, Stephenson family, Cameron & Quinn Swords, Ruth Swyers, Saul Taler, 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, Ella & Ethan Wood, Berkan Yazici, Martin Zak.

Hollowing out Glebe?

The permanent closing of the Glebe Apothecary, a much-appreciated local presence for 40 years, is a blow to the neighbourhood. The closure, the result of a fire suspected to be arson on March 24, is a disappointment to many. Not only is it a practical problem for its customers and patients with prescriptions, it feels like the passing of an era.

The Papery was also closed by a devastating fire on Boxing Day 2022, a year and a half ago. The Papery has stayed in business with its pop-up location upstairs at 858 Bank Street beside the Studio Sixty-Six Gallery, but it cannot be ideal for a thriving business to lose its beautiful corner of prime Glebe real estate. There have been no visible signs of renovation of the original site, and no word lately on any reopening.

A recent visitor to the Glebe commented on the number of vacancies on

Bank Street. Indeed, if one looks at the four corners of Bank and Fifth, arguably a prime locale in Ottawa: on the northwest corner we have The Papery, closed now 18 months; the southwest corner has the now-defunct Score Pizza, with the “S” on the sign hanging askew; the northeast corner has a vacancy at 99 Fifth; it seems the southeast corner is the only one so far to have escaped the plague of closures.

Then there’s the Glebe Apothecary, still boarded up with a faint smell of smoke hanging in the air. Add to this the closing of The Good Cannabis Company, formerly Mrs Tiggy Winkles.

A vibrant community needs to refresh and regenerate itself – preferably with local businesses with strong personal ties to the neighbourhood that are in it for the long haul.

—Liz McKeen

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Glebe Apothecary at 778 Bank Street has closed permanently after a fire on March 24, 2024. The Glebe Apothecary was an eminent presence on Bank Street for 40 years.

Moniker Tattoo Parlour is open at 103 Fourth Avenue, 3rd floor. “Moniker is a family-owned shop located in the heart of the Glebe. We offer custom tattoos in a welcoming, inclusive environment. We use eco-friendly supplies to minimize the environmental impact of tattooing.”

Sisters Mart is now open at 793 Bank Street. On the window: “Alternative. Ro Water. Ceremonial matcha. Life and body harmony. Sacred cacao. Wholistic. Home & body wellness.”

Kari Design Build opening soon at 225 Marché Way, Unit 102, Lansdowne. karidesignbuild.com. “At Kari DesignBuild, we value your home as a sanctuary and investment, offering tailored design solutions with exceptional service and craftsmanship.”

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The Folly of parking fines geared to income

Editor, Glebe Report

To Shawn Menard, Capital Ward councillor, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe:

Respectfully, my economic training tells me that your proposal to gear parking fines to income is hare-brained.

The parking bylaws are a way to control access to a public good that is a scarce resource. The rules are explicit and clear enough for anyone to adhere to. Anyone choosing not to adhere to the rules has full knowledge of the consequences, so risking a fine by not doing so is a choice.

It is also worth noting that the cost of administering the parking system is funded through property taxes that are already highly geared to income i.e., progressive. The transaction costs in the system are fixed – it costs the same to issue a ticket to a poor person as it does to a rich person.

So, what you propose is double dipping – charging people on the upper end of the income distribution more of the costs of administering our parking regime and reducing the cost of infractions for people of lesser means, when you have already charged richer folk most of the cost of administering the system through their property tax.

In economic terms, a measure like this is designed to increase poor folks’ consumption of parking fines because the city has subsidized the price, all for a cost that is explicitly in the individual’s control. I would be happy to show you supply/demand curves that illustrate this phenomenon.

In more general economic terms, what poor people have is an income shortage. I would encourage you and your colleagues to focus on measures that allow poor people to generate more income, or failing that, use the tax system to give them more income. I would suggest focusing on the potential of literacy and numeracy skill upgrading as a way to generate much more economic growth in the city at a low cost.

Parking is not a human right but a lifestyle choice. Parking fines can be avoided with little effort. Leave the choices for people to make themselves.

Scott Murray

Foundation advice

Editor, Glebe Report

Re: “They call it a rubble foundation for a reason,” Glebe Report, May 2024.

As a former Glebe resident, I read your paper regularly and was interested in the article on rubble foundations.

We owned an 1880 home with an aging rubble foundation in West Centretown and restored the foundation in 2014 with advice from Merkley Supply.

It is important not to use a regular mortar as it can be harder than the stone and damage the foundation over time. We used a Type O mortar which is the lowest in cement – 1 measure Portland to 3 measures lime to 9 measures of sand. We mixed it dry and then mixed it with some water to the consistency of cottage cheese. We let it stand for half an hour. Then we mixed it to mortar. This does an excellent job of filling the cracks without risking further damage to the stone.

Nelson Coyle

Tulip Festival a circus of commerce and junk food

Editor, Glebe Report

As I see the so-called Tulip Festival return, I wonder if it would be more aptly named “The Festival of Junk Food.” Every year for two weeks, Commissioner’s Park is turned from a place of beauty into an ugly circus, where people are encouraged to eat nothing but things that are bad for their health. And this is an event sponsored and, I assume, partly funded by government. It seems the public is deemed incapable of appreciating the pure glory of the tulip beds without distractions and entertainments that have nothing at all to do with tulips, gardening or nature. An excellent educational opportunity –both historic and environmental – is consistently lost in favour of crass commerce. I am wondering who actually profits from this event. I don’t think it’s the public.

Dorothy Speak

The Poetry of Poo

Editor, Glebe Report

POETRY QUARTER

Ah, to be young!

George Bernard Shaw said that youth is the most beautiful thing in the world, adding “what a pity that it has to be wasted on children.” We have all been young and (arguably) in that beautiful state and perhaps unable to fully appreciate its benefits.

But now we at the Glebe Report, for the August Poetry Quarter, are asking the poets among us to contemplate, poetically, the experience of being young – what childhood means, how memories of that time have prevailed. Or if you are still young, how you feel about it today.

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, July 29, 2024.

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, July 29, 2024

Help imagine what your neighbourhood could be!

Change

The June 26 performance at noon at Southminster United Church will be the following:

June 26 THE NEW STANDARDS

The Mark Ferguson Quartet (Mark Ferguson, piano/trombone; Mike Tremblay, saxophones/ flute; John Geggie, double bass; Jamie Holmes, drums) plays jazz arrangements of Cohen, Bacharach, Lightfoot, Lennon & McCartney and Simon.

Please support our advertisers and shop local!

Re: “My green bin is not for your dog poop,” Glebe Report, May 2024

Green Bin

by Quinn Horwood

I am your local neighbourhood green bin, Please open me, and look within, I’m so glad we have met, and not a moment too soon, For I am barely full, and the garbage men will be here before noon, I am still so hungry for your apple cores and your orange peels, And even the crumbs from your on-the-go breakfast meals.

Oh, and please don’t deprive me of your bags of dog poop, For the park bin has far less use for your fresh scoop, Whereas for my manure, there is nothing so sweet, And I am waiting patiently to receive it, out on the street. I cannot wait to turn this all into fresh compost, For that is my purpose, first and foremost.

I’d hate to think others would consider me just theirs to use, I can’t quite understand what they think they would lose, Because an overnight or morning addition will not a disaster make, For I am strong and hardy, and certainly shan’t break, And even if I did become too soiled to be embraced, Please don’t fear since from the city I can always be replaced.

So please, feed me your food waste, Let me have a nice taste, For if I’m out on the curb, I’m there for the whole ’burb.

Dr. Emelia Quinn

Looking to shape the way the neighbourhood looks? Got a keen eye for graphic design?

We’re looking for help to envision how streetscapes in the neighbourhood could look

There are big, exciting efforts afoot these days with the Glebe Community Association Active Transportation Study and efforts on Bronson Avenue renewal

Be in touch at traffic@glebeca.ca if you have some time and skills to contribute

James Stuewe

Co-Chair, Glebe Community Association Traffic Committee and Bronson Team member

Glebe welcomes entire city to the GGGS!

By Colette Downie

Great Glebe Garage Sale 2024 saw a gorgeous day and huge crowds from all over Ottawa and beyond come to the neighbourhood to enjoy the event. Glebe neighbours offered a warm welcome to what felt like the entire city all at one huge celebration of spring.

Donations to the Ottawa Food Bank are rolling in strong at the time of writing. It’s not too late to donate online at donate.ottawafoodbank.ca/ ui/gggs2024. Food insecurity is a huge problem in Ottawa, including in the Glebe. Please consider helping the Ottawa Food Bank tackle this enormous task.

New this year, the Ottawa Jazz Festival sent us an amazing band – we hope you enjoyed them as much as they enjoyed marching around the neighbourhood drawing attention to our fundraising efforts. GNAGs leadership group helped with games and face painting but also helped distribute flyers with our donation QR code to vendors in the neighbourhood. Diffusart pitched in and helped with posters and businesses like Amsted and Starbucks helped by accepting food donations on our behalf. Thanks goes again to Metro McKeen Glebe who tirelessly support the Ottawa Food Bank year-round, including at the GGGS and this year also helped with ice donations for the St Johns ambulance volunteers at the First Aid Station at the Glebe Community Centre. And once again thank you to all of the bake and rummage sales, lemonade stands and musical performers who raise funds for the Ottawa Food Bank as well as to all of you for donating a share of your sales.

Our spruce tree sculpture

By Bernie Sander

The friendly giant

An aerial view of Google Earth showed a huge black cloud, smack in the middle of our backyard on the south side of Brown’s Inlet. Reaching over 50 feet, our mighty spruce tree featured three distinctive trunks branching skyward. We happily swept the deluge of tiny pinecones and practised our bending techniques.

A Slow decline

Over the last years, there were ever more withered limbs. Finally, in the summer of 2023, there were only dead branches and no more pine needles and cones. We summoned an arborist recommended by a good friend. His first question to me was how long I’d lived here. Odd question, I thought but answered: “Almost 40 years.” And how tall was it when you moved here? “Same height,” I replied. Well, the normal lifespan of a spruce is 70 years and yes, your tree is dead. So much for our bird haven, privacy screen, curtain and shade provider.

What to do

Max Carmanico, our arborist, stated that before he could remove the tree, Ottawa Hydro had to remove the branches to the height of its power line. So, a call was placed, and a file was opened. The worker’s strike coupled with the ongoing derecho clean-up made our tree a low priority. But each month, I dutifully called to ensure we remained on the radar. Only when I noted that the threat of falling

branches was increasingly real was a visit prompted. So now we were in the queue, and a date was set for April 2024. A three-man crew arrived at 9 a.m. with ladder and hard hats. Within an hour the necessary branches were removed by the amazing chainsaw work of the solitary climber. A neat pile of felled branches and major trunk sections now occupied our backyard.

Timber

Our arborist returned a few days later to finish the job…no crew, no ladder. He acrobatically climbed the main trunk and moved like a cat between the three separate trunks, expertly dropping branches and two six-foot trunk sections within three meters of the tree. Deftly wielding a chainsaw, our old friend was reduced to a height of 17 feet, with three distinct trunks still pointing skyward, the same length as the yellow canoe lying beside it.

To carve or not to carve

We were of two minds. Jen liked the clean look with ample sun shining

In the summer of 2023, there

“When I’m Gone” Song by Bobby Bare, 1964 Will anybody know I’ve been here when I’m gone Will anything that I’ve done here live on Everyman’s allowed just so much time And all you take along is what you leave behind Will anybody know I’ve been here when I’m gone When I’m gone, when I’m gone?

on the gardens and the option now of planting fruit trees. I, on the other hand, favoured a monumental carving to augment my medicine-man collection of sticks, rock and shells that adorn our lattice work. I succumbed to “the clean look,” and the remaining tree trunk was doomed. While we were away for a week, my sister, who regularly stays with us during the week, was smitten by the carving opportunity. She left me with chainsaw-carving website references and restoked my flames of enthusiasm.

The Naming game

I was set to go to tender and have scaffolding erected. But our arborist was up to the challenge and after several design debates, the work was contracted for early May. Originally, the three hands were to symbolize the Hands of God, Fate and Friendship. But hands could prove tricky, so the design morphed to flames licking

skywards. Over the course of a day, pivoting on a huge ladder with expert chainsaw strokes, the three trunks took the designed shape. Day Two was designated for fine-tuning, sanding and staining. The white trunks, denuded of bark were very imposing…but barndoor stain, so goes the colour name, was chosen to both blend in and protect.

What else could it be

So now we have an imposing 17-foot chainsaw-carved piece of wood art in our backyard. Interesting what people see in shapes: everything from flames to hands, claws, tentacles, a squid and even a giant, scary, deep-sea creature. By all means, view it from the Brown’s Inlet park or come around and see it from all sides in its full splendour. Jen, our Boston Terrorist Bailey, old cat Chue and I live at 25 Broadway Avenue.

Bernie Sander is a 40-year Glebe resident and tree art lover.

The 70-year-old giant spruce that became a sculpture PHOTOS: BERNIE SANDER

Monkland

Glebe

Sarah Routliffe GNAG Executive Director

N 613-233-8713

E info@gnag.ca gnag.ca

GNAG in the summer

As the days grow longer and the warmth of summer beckons, there’s no better way to herald the season of sunshine than with the GNAG Arts Show. Transforming the Glebe Community Centre into a vibrant gallery, this annual event breathes life into our halls and showcases the creativity of local artists. It’s always a highlight for me when Clare Davidson Rogers and her incredible team of volunteers hang these beautiful pieces.

As the show’s curtain draws to a close on June 19, we want to extend one last heartfelt invitation to all our neighbours and friends: come and experience the magic before it’s too late! The art is hung in our lobby so you are welcome to come by at any time we are open.

And here’s the best part: if something speaks to you, you can take it home! Purchasing a piece not only adds a touch of local flair to your space but also supports the talented artists directly. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Integration Program Expansion

We’re thrilled to announce that our GNAG Integration Program, designed to cater to children with special needs in our summer camps by removing barriers and fostering a positive environment, has grown into a year-round initiative. Previously, integration was limited to our summer camps, but thanks to the funds raised by the House Tour, we’ve expanded the program to include specialty children’s programs throughout the school year. In addition, we will be adding a third integration position to this year’s summer camps so that more families can access this service. We’re proud to offer this extended support and inclusion to our community.

We anticipate that by the end of this summer, our expenditure on staffing for the Integration Program will total approximately $14,000.

Not only do the fundraising events at GNAG build community spirit and bonds, they truly allow us to go above and beyond with our initiatives.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all the volunteers and committee members

who have dedicated their time and efforts to support our fundraising endeavours this year. Your unwavering commitment and generosity have been nothing short of incredible, and we couldn’t have achieved this without you. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to GNAG and our community as a whole.

House

Tour Sponsorship -

A message from the Committee

We’re delighted to announce the early support from several sponsors for the upcoming Glebe House Tour on September 15. This event holds special significance as it plays a vital role in bolstering our Integration Support Program, enabling children with exceptionalities to participate in our camps.

Titanium Sponsor: Judy Faulkner

Gold-level sponsors: Amsted, Roxborough Bus Lines, Unrefined Olive, West of Main

Moreover, we’re thrilled to announce we’ll be giving back to the community by donating a portion of the event proceeds to Cornerstone, furthering their impactful work.

Would you or your organization like to be part of this community-driven initiative? Sponsorship opportunities are available, offering prominent exposure on tickets, our website, and social media platforms. Your support will not only contribute to the success of the event but also make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families in need. Join us in making a positive impact!

Call for Homes: Be Part of the 21st Annual Glebe House Tour!

Do you have a unique home you’d love to showcase to your community?

The Glebe House Tour invites you to join us in celebrating the vibrant tapestry of our neighborhood’s architecture and design. Whether your home boasts historical significance, showcases eco-friendly innovations, flaunts modern renovations, or embodies multigenerational living, we want to hear from you!

Nominate your own home or suggest a standout residence in the area by contacting us today. Let’s make this year’s tour an unforgettable exploration of our diverse and inspiring community. Don’t miss the chance to be featured in this celebrated event!

Contact us now to secure your spot or nominate a home: clare@gnag.ca.

Save the Date - GNAG TURNS 50!

We are delighted to announce that GNAG is commemorating its 50th anniversary next year, and we’re gearing up for a celebration like no other! Save the

date: May 31, 2025. Join us for a spectacular community party!

As we write this “save the date” announcement, it’s birthday week in the office – Paul and I have birthdays just a few days apart. Our excitement for this milestone GNAG birthday, a whole year in advance…..just highlights how much we both love a good party.

Leading the charge on the planning committee for this epic celebration is the ever amazing and kind Mary Tsai. With her at the helm, you can bet it’s going to be a blast!

Stay tuned for more details as we count down to GNAG’s 50th bash. It promises to be a party you won’t want to miss!

The GNAG Arts Show & Sale, featuring the work of local artists, is on until June 19 at the Glebe Community Centre, anytime the centre is open.

John Crump President, Glebe Community Association

A beautiful day in May

Everyone has a favourite Great Glebe Garage Sale story. Mine is, we bought a house. Well, not at the garage sale exactly, but because of it.

When we moved from the Yukon to Ottawa three decades ago “for a couple of years,” we landed in a small Glebe house that was fine for a family of four. Soon we were five.

At the GGGS one year, hunger sent me down the street to a neighbour who was selling her famous homemade samosas and pakoras. I was attracted by both her cuisine and the for-sale sign on her lawn. I said I’d take a half-dozen samosas and the house. She laughed and offered me a tour. As lunch waited, I walked through the house and thought, this is the place. We weren’t quite ready to move, and eventually the owners rented the place out. A couple of years later, it was for sale again and we bought it.

All this by way of an introduction to an important theme typified by the GGGS but by no means exclusive to it. That theme is community.

This year, the community came together to hold the biggest and most successful garage sale since before the pandemic. While heartfelt thanks go to all the people and organizations behind this annual event – the BIA, local businesses, GNAG and the GCA’s tireless volunteer team – it only succeeds because of community participation.

Just as our community is known for its generosity, it is also known for its activism. Community activism led to the creation of the GCA in the 1970s to protect the Glebe from encroaching high-rise development and road expansion that would have forever altered the character of the neighbourhood. If concerned neighbours hadn’t come together to demand their democratic right to have a say in development plans, Glebe Avenue would be a fourlane extension of Carling Avenue and there would be apartment towers on every street. This activism relies on volunteers and the need has not diminished over the years.

We are recruiting now for the 20242025 board that will be elected at our September Annual General Meeting.

The businesses on Bank Street are essential to a walkable, liveable community, and we know they are one of the main reasons people choose to live in the Glebe.

There are multiple openings. Find out more at glebeca.ca/board or contact vp@glebeca.ca.

Garden Angels

Have you ever wondered who looks after the planters and gardens that dot the Glebe? It is volunteers with the Garden Angels. Although the Angels have been active for years, the City now requires an agreement stating that the GCA “is committed to ensuring that these gardens and planters will be sustained over the long-term including any ongoing maintenance of right-of-way gardens and planters.” This agreement is another example of how the city is formalizing arrangements that have traditionally been ad hoc. The GCA is now required to carry $5 million in insurance to cover the Garden Angels and all other activities on city property. To see what the Garden Angels are doing, drop by sites at many of the cross streets along First and Glebe Avenues or visit the garden bed at Imperial and Renfrew. Thanks to the Garden Angels for their great work!

Consultations – Bank Street Study

The City is planning an online consultation starting June 12 to discuss the Bank Street Feasibility Study. The GCA wants Bank Street to continue to be a great main street for our community and to serve pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and drivers as well as providing delivery services to businesses. The businesses on Bank Street are essential to a walkable, liveable community, and we know they are one of the main reasons people choose to live in the Glebe. It’s important that residents get a say in the future of what is in effect our “High Street.” Go to Engage Ottawa to learn more (engage.ottawa.ca)

Consultations – Lansdowne 2.0 –tell the city what you think

The GCA has always distinguished between Lansdowne activities and businesses and the process the City has used to ram through Lansdowne 2.0 that will end up costing taxpayers more than half a billion dollars. At the last GCA board meeting, we got wind of an in-person consultation on Lansdowne to be held at the Civic Centre on June 18 at 7 p.m.

It’s not clear if this initiative is connected with an online survey the city is running on its Lansdowne “Community Engagement Initiative.” Never heard of it? That might be an issue to be flagged in the survey: engage. ottawa.ca/embeds/projects/25667/ survey-tools/47053

The next GCA meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25 at the Glebe Community Centre (Preschool Room). All are welcome.

Shawn Menard

Councillor, Capital Ward N 613-580-2487 www.shawnmenard.ca

Bringing needed improvements to Bank Street

I think we all know how important Bank Street is to our neighbourhood, surrounding communities and the city as a whole. It is one of the most important north-south connections in our city, as well as a well-loved destination in its own right.

For all its uses, its role as a focal point in each neighbourhood through which it runs far outshines its use as a traffic corridor. People in the Glebe know this, implicitly or explicitly. Recently, the Glebe Community Association released a study on potential improvements to the neighbourhood’s transportation network (you can read it at their website, www.glebeca.ca). I want to thank the GCA for taking on this work. We, too, believe transportation can be improved in the Glebe, and fixing up Bank Street is key to that goal.

Bank Street has its issues. Coming into office five years ago, I knew that improving Bank Street would be a priority for our office. Concerns about safety and traffic levels, the need to maintain and enhance vibrancy, and desires for better transit and more transportation options dominate discussions.

We want to see Bank Street become a street that prioritizes the needs of the community, enhances small business activity (with more patios), improves safety and induces less congestion (ie: improved quality of life for residents who use the street).

Within months of coming into office, we found an opportunity to make longneeded improvements to the Bank Street Canal Bridge. The bridge was being resurfaced. Usually that wouldn’t include any changes to the design of the bridge, but we were able to secure funding and pass a motion at council to enhance safety on the bridge, add separated bike lanes and design a configuration that allowed for better sidewalk separation from vehicles and buses driving by. This is a huge improvement, providing a better connection between the Glebe and Old Ottawa South without creating more traffic along Bank.

This is a key point we all have to remember: the design of the street

determines the type of traffic and congestion you get.

Transit has also been a big concern for residents of our ward and for people visiting our ward. Coming off COVID, there have been pressures at the city to cut transit services. In Capital Ward, though, we have been able to increase service along routes 6 and 7, adding articulated buses where they didn’t run before. In addition, we’ve increased the running time of route 56, giving the community an east-west connection that links up to Bank Street.

Soon, we’ll also see improvements made to the Billings Bridge. We’ll have protected intersections, bicycle lanes and an advanced right turn lane onto Riverside. This bridge and the Riverside split have been the site of collisions and of tragedy, and these safety meas ures will help to connect the commun ities of the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Heron Park and Alta Vista, opening up more city life to more residents.

We’ve also worked to enhance the pedestrian experience along Bank. Since we’ve been in office, we’ve extended and prioritized pedestrian walk times, and last year we started seeing improvements to our street trees, work that will continue this year.

And there’s still more work to be done this term of council. The city has launched an Active Transit and Tran sit Priority Study for Bank Street in the Glebe, a study we pushed for, with the help of the GCA and residents. This study will look at moving people to and around the Glebe in a better, safer, more efficient manner. And in the coming years, we expect the city to launch a similar study in Old Ottawa South. We know we need better facili ties for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users along this entire corridor, and we are excited to see what can be done for residents and businesses in our ward.

Garden Sorceress

With proper vision and commitment, the city could transform Bank Street, bolstering its identity as Ottawa’s main street. Changes that we have already implemented and that we are likely to see in the future will make Bank Street more people-focused. It will encourage more activity. It will bring more customers to local businesses. It will be better for our environment.

And Bank Street will remain, now and forever, the place to be.

Speak up for climate action

By Cecile Wilson

CO2 at Mauna Loa, 20 May 2024: 426.28 ppm

Re.Climate (reclimate.ca) recently released a report entitled “What Do Canadians Really Think About Climate Change in 2024?” After analyzing 91 surveys from 2023 and early 2024, the report concluded that while Canadians are connecting extreme weather, wildfires with climate change, they are confused and skeptical about the best ways to deal with the problem. Canadians are also unclear about the role fossil fuels play in climate destabilization.

Dr. Louise Comeau, one of the report’s authors, stated that confusion and skepticism can be attributed in part to our limited bandwidth for dealing with the range of challenges and to gaps in our understanding about climate change. Dr. Comeau pinpointed two misconceptions: the “distance gap” (‘climate destruction is taking place

somewhere else or in the future, not to me’) and the “perception gap” (‘other

people aren’t as concerned about climate change as I am’). When these two gaps combine with a limited understanding of the personal and social benefits of clean and sustainable solutions to climate instability, people are more susceptible to misinformation or disinformation, says Dr. Comeau.

Perception affects action

Members of Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) noticed this phenomenon last year at both their Community Resiliency Dialogues and at City Council meetings. “Predictable and consistent climate misinformation” was being presented by some of the participants at the consultations. Using these events as their cue, CAFES tracked the climate tropes that came up, and the Climate Misinformation Project was born.

“Conflicting information causes doubt, uncertainty and delay,” says Sarah MacHardy, team lead for the project. “The majority of people are concerned about climate change, but only a small percentage of them speak up.”

The Climate Misinformation Project’s goal is to provide reliable information to help people overcome gaps in their understanding and to empower them to speak with family, friends, neighbours and even at City Council committee meetings about why climate action matters to them. Each backgrounder is researched by the project’s volunteers (full disclosure: the writer is one of them). The information is arranged in a series of short talking points and includes links to research reports, policy documents, further reading and even fun videos!

Engaging with city councillors is an important aspect of climate action. As the adage goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” We usually take this to mean we should complain about things we disagree with. However, we also need to show our support when councillors try to take the kind of decisive and accelerated climate action we need. It’s time for the climate “silent majority” to speak up!

Everything is connected

We’ve achieved a common goal in Ontario before. In 2003, phasing out coal-fired electricity generation was an election issue. A coalition of grassroots organizers and the main political parties set a precedent, achieving “the largest single greenhouse gas reduction in North America” (Ontario Power Authority, 2003). This accomplishment protected Ontarians’ health, environment and pocketbooks.

Climate change – like the lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing food costs – is a symptom of a system that is not serving the needs of the average person. Building new, affordable, energy efficient homes can meet housing and climate goals at the same time. Retrofits can safeguard health and allow people to reduce energy costs. Switching to electric vehicles and using public or active transportation – like biking and walking – will reduce emissions, help prevent the worst effects of climate change and provide a more hospitable climate for agriculture.

What you can do

Let your councillor know you appreciate their dedicated work to ensure a safe and healthy Ottawa. (Thanks, Shawn Menard!)

Participate in an Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting by making a delegation (presentation). Delegations are limited to five minutes, and any resident is eligible to do so. Go to the City of Ottawa website and search on Councils, committees and boards.

Check out the Climate Misinformation Project’s online resources at cafesottawa.ca/projects/

Attend the Climate Misinformation Project’s webinar on June 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. Search for Speak Up for Climate Action on Eventbrite to learn more and to register for the event.

Attend Green Drinks on June 13 at Good Eats, 207 Bell Street North. The Climate Misinformation Project team will give a presentation from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Green Drinks is held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. the second Thursday of every month.

Cecile Wilson is a resident of the Glebe and a member of the Climate Misinformation Project’s volunteer team of writers.

SENIOR PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH STUDIES

The University of Ottawa’s SCOPE laboratory is recruiting persons 65 years+ to participate in studies on face perception. Compensation ($20+ depending on duration) will be provided and bus tickets/parking will be covered. Contact Dr. I. Boutet at 613-562-5800 ext. 4893 or SCOPElab@uottawa.ca for more information. Thank you for your interest.

Friends in deed

Quakers of the Glebe

Edited by Carol Dixon

Did you know that the Glebe is home to Ottawa’s Quaker community? The meeting house is situated at 91A Fourth Avenue, and every Sunday members and attenders gather to find peace and spiritual connection – in silence. Yes, quiet contemplation reigns for an hour or so, during which those present look inward for spiritual wisdom (the “Inner Light”). Sometimes a person will be moved to share an insight, or to read a passage that has inspired them, or even to express new understanding through a song. Sometimes, no voices are heard at all during the meeting. Afterwards, though, many voices can be heard chatting over coffee!

The Quaker movement, formally known as the Religious Society of Friends, dates back almost four hundred years. George Fox, a young restless religious seeker after “Truth” in England, was its founder. Although the movement was rooted in Christian Protestantism, he came to believe that everyone has equal access to universal truths without needing to follow a religious leader or a prescribed set of beliefs. Today, there are just under 400,000 Friends worldwide, of whom about 1,000 are in Canada. Their spiritual paths continue to be shaped not by creeds or religious doctrine handed down through the centuries but by the Quaker testimonies of Equality, Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community and Stewardship of the Earth and the belief that there is that of God in everyone.

Some famous Quakers from the past are: Elizabeth Fry and John Cadbury of chocolate fame, William Penn after whom Pennsylvania is named and John Woolman, who advocated for the abolition of slavery. More contemporary Quakers include Murray Thomson who, along with his Mennonite colleague Ernie Regehr, founded Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace research institute now part of the Canadian Council of Churches – it maintains a focus on disarmament efforts, weapons and security, specifically related to the arms trade, emerging military and security technologies, nuclear weapons and outer space. Other famous Friends include Ursula Franklin, scientist, feminist and peace activist; Ruth Morris, seeking the way to transformative justice and an activist working on prison abolition; and long-time Glebe resident, architect John Leaning. Friends shy away from proselytizing.

American Friends Service Committee and the British Friends Service Council

received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 on behalf of Quakers from a number of countries who were recognized for their compassionate peace and social justice work and for caring for victims before, during and after the two World Wars in Europe.

From that Nobel presentation speech: “The Quakers have shown us that it is possible to translate into action what lies deep in the hearts of many: compassion for others and the desire to help them – that rich expression of the sympathy between all men (sic), regardless of nationality or race, which, transformed into deeds, must form the basis for lasting peace. . .But they have given us something more: they have shown us the strength to be derived from faith in the victory of the spirit over force.”

Quakers continue to be active today in peace and social justice work across the world.

After a number of divisions among Quakers over the centuries, there are now two main strands of Quakerism: Unprogrammed Friends (Canada, parts of the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand) and Programmed Friends (Africa, Latin America and parts of the U.S.)

Almost half of the world’s Quakers live in Africa, and their numbers continue to grow. Recent arrivals from Rwanda and Burundi note how different Quaker meetings are back home. They are usually guided by a pastor who fulfills this role on a part-time basis, and cheerful music rather than silence is the norm. They gather to celebrate their quest for the Inner Light with songs and praise. “I found it a little strange to be in silent meetings when I first arrived in Canada,” a recent arrival says, “but I have learned to appreciate the peace that both silence and song can bring.”

What seems certain is that, whether they worship quietly or more energetically, Quakers are a force for good in the world.

Curious to learn more? Visit the website Quaker.ca or visit the Quaker Meeting House at 91A Fourth Avenue at 10:30 am on Sundays. You will receive a warm welcome, and you will be invited to join the silent meeting, which will be followed by coffee and chat. Or join us for potluck on the first Sunday of the month. A large library of Quaker writing is available.

Carol Dixon edited this article prepared by an international committee of newcomer and old-timer Quakers. She is a member of the Glebe Quaker community.

The Quaker movement, formally known as the Religious Society of Friends, dates back almost four hundred years.

Vanderveen, MBA Real Estate Broker

The Glebe is home to Ottawa’s Quaker community, otherwise known as the Religious Society of Friends, at 91A Fourth Avenue. PHOTOS: CAROL DIXON

Basia

Khalsa Day procession marks Sikh celebration

By Bhagwant Sandhu

If you were around Lansdowne on May 4, you would have seen the start of the Khalsa Day procession hosted by the Sikh Society of Ottawa. It eventually wound its way to City Hall, where a free kitchen and displays were set up.

The term Khalsa refers to the initiation ceremony first held by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It gave Sikhs a shared vision anchored on the principles of social justice, equality and the defence of all oppressed people. Sikhs first arrived in Canada in 1897 as soldiers. There are now nearly 800,000 Sikh-Canadians, fully integrated and participating in all aspects of Canadian life.

Bhagwant Sandhu, originally from British Columbia, is a member of the Glebe Sikh community. He is also the new chair of the Glebe Report Board.

PHOTOS: BHAGWANT SANDHU

Slow development land sales in Glebe Annex amid housing shortage

By Sue Stefko

Several years ago, the development property market was booming in and around the Glebe Annex, with prospects for large-scale developments. There were two Canada Lands Company projects. Homes on Bell Street South were to make way for 49 apartment units and a single-family home was torn down to build a seven-unit apartment building.

Since then, all these projects have stalled, even as more development properties hit the market.

Just outside the neighbourhood, we recently learned that a developer who had planned a project for the Booth Street complex (for sale since 2020) had pulled out of the deal. Last August, the application for 450 Rochester – the large parking lot south of the Heart and Crown on Preston – was cancelled by the owner. That’s a particularly tough blow, given the promise of a much-needed grocery store and other amenities.

In the neighbourhood itself, the 7 Maclean project was cancelled, although the land was purchased by Canci Homes for the future expansion of their apartment building at Bell South and Maclean. However, the Bell Street South property (269281) was relisted for $5.8 million and sat for nine months before the listing expired in May. The property was being touted as a prime development

land with “immediate development opportunities.”

The land at 317 Arthur Lane South at Plymouth, where a three-unit townhouse was demolished in the summer of 2023 after a fire, was likewise described as a “clean slate” for developers on a lot permitting “higher-density, multi-unit residential buildings” that was ripe for “favorable zoning amendment for higher density.” At nearly $1.1 million, the 60-by-70-foot property is clearly priced for developers, but it’s been on sale for nearly a year.

On Bronson, the half -acre property next to McDonalds has been empty since the Esso gas station was demolished more than 20 years ago. The property (likely contaminated) has been for sale by its owner Imperial Oil since 2021.

At the south end of the neighbourhood, 522 Cambridge Street South, an adorable but dated little bungalow sits on a generous 50-by-130-foot lot. This home has been listed since last October as a development property, first for $1.5 million, then down to $1.4 before the listing expired. It proclaimed the site as a “golden ticket to capitalize on Ottawa’s booming urban growth,” selling the dream of “towering edifices” on the site. However, this too remains unsold. [Breaking news: this property has now been sold.] So does the three-acre parking lot at 299 Carling Avenue, which also promised tall buildings and higher density. It’s been on the market since November 2022.

So, what’s going on? How can so much prime development land remain unsold in the middle of a housing shortage? Well, it’s complicated, and pandemic related. The personal finance website WOWA.ca notes: “The average home price in Ottawa has decreased by about 6.6% over the past three years and increased by approximately 52%

“ We chose the Diane & Jen Team because they knew the neighbourhood inside and out and because we were impressed by their warmth and professionalism. They helped us set a strategy and prepare our home for the market on a tight time-frame, and worked incredibly hard to attract potential buyers.

Selling a home is stressful, but they helped us navigate the process without breaking a sweat. Their efforts resulted in a favourable result just one week after listing. We couldn’t be more delighted with the experience or the outcome. ”

Happy Sellers

over the past five years.” In translation, WOWA notes that after a meteoric rise in home prices (a 50 per cent increase between 2020 and 2022), we’re coming down from the pandemic buying spree.

Of course, low interest rates during the pandemic fueled the buying spree, but they have since climbed as central banks around the world raised rates to fight soaring inflation. Higher rates mean more expensive mortgages for buyers and higher construction costs, so some home purchases and projects have been put on hold until interest rates come down again.

The interest-rate chill helped make 2023 the slowest year for Ottawa home sales in 13 years. Condos – what most

of the empty properties were targeted for – sold for 5.5 per cent less in the first eight months of 2023 than the year before. However, Ottawa’s condo construction starts reached historic highs in 2023, largely due to pre-construction condo sales during the 2021 and 2022 boom. Things may be turning around for condos again, as they are seen as a more affordable way to get into the real estate market. Condo prices were in fact 3.7 per cent higher this January than the year before. So, can we expect the condo market and land sales to heat up again?

Nothing is ever simple. Ottawa developers are battling high interest rates, more expensive building materials, a labour shortage and rising development charges. However, real estate sales in general are on the upswing, with more inventory and brisk sales activity this spring, perhaps in anticipation of reduced interest rates. And, with low rental vacancy and soaring rental rates, perhaps this will encourage the construction of apartments.

What does all this mean for the vacant properties in our neighbourhood that owners hope to sell to deep-pocketed developers? With so many competing pressures and factors to consider, it’s still anyone’s guess.

Sue Stefko is vice president of the Glebe Annex Community Association and a regular contributor to the Glebe Report.

A nearly 29,000 square foot lot at 644 Bronson that served as a gas station from about 1966 to 2001

Boarded up houses on Bell Street South PHOTOS: GABRIELLE DALLAPORTA

Vacant land slated for development in Glebe Annex

Popular

Glebop Jazz Trio summer performances are back in the Glebe

By Louise Rachlis, with Christiane Fitzpatrick

This summer, the Glebop Jazz Trio & Friends will once again be performing on various front lawns, porches and patios in the Glebe and elsewhere in return for donations to various charities, mainly the Ottawa Food Bank. And they’ve raised as much as $4,000 in a single summer.

John Haysom is an 82-year-old retired engineer who has been playing the trumpet since he was an eightyear-old schoolboy in Toronto.

A resident of Ottawa since 1972, who has lived on Second Avenue since 1987, he has been a member of Glebop – initially a quintet but now a trio – for more than 21 years.

The trio describe their music as “generally mellow, accessible jazz consisting of popular standards, jazz standards and originals.”

The members are Bert Waslander on piano, Cory Parsons on bass, and Haysom on trumpet, flugel horn, valve trombone and more. Glebop’s original bass player, Howard Tweddle, passed away from COVID19 in 2020.

The name was chosen because Haysom and Waslander live in the Glebe and sometimes play bebop – hence the Glebop Jazz Trio.

After decades of performances, Glebop is a fixture

on both the Glebe and the wider Ottawa music scenes. Their 16 years of regular Sunday evening performances at the Arrow and Loon Pub in the Fifth Avenue Court ended when Fifth Avenue Court was torn down in 2019. They’re now just finishing their fifth year of performances at the Glebe Central Pub on Bank Street. They perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, except July and August when they’re performing outdoors. June 5 was their last performance at Glebe Central Pub until September.

Each month’s performance features one of the National Capital Region’s leading jazz singers or an up-and-coming singer. They rehearse briefly with each singer to work out beginnings and endings of each song and to ensure they are playing the song in the range preferred by the singer. “In order to avoid sounding like an opera singer, it is necessary for a jazz singer to sing each song in a key that accommodates their normal range,” says Haysom, who has a twofoot-long shelf in his basement filled with three-ring binders of music charts that he calls his “binders of crazy singer keys.”

Although they perform most frequently as a trio, they add drums, a vocalist and/or additional horns, depending on the demands of the occasion. They’ll use all these formats at this summer’s outdoor performances. Glebop has appeared several times at the Ottawa

International Jazz Festival and perform frequently at weddings, corporate and private receptions and parties. The list of those who have appeared with Glebop includes Brian Browne, Mike Rud, Garry Elliott, Sol Gunner, Karen Oxorn, Betty Ann Bryanton, Peter Hum, Dominique Forest, Nicole Ratte, Norbert Boyce, Charlie Gordon, Don Johnson, Denis Ouellet, Dave Ward, Chris Fagan, Lu Frattaroli, Steve Berndt and John’s partner Helen Glover.

Visit Glebop’s website glebop.weebly.com to hear and see examples of their performances.

You might also want to get on Glebop’s performance email list. Just send an email to john.haysom@gmail. com with your name and email address and you’ll be in the loop for notices of upcoming Glebop performances. Emails announcing dates and locations are usually sent out about a week ahead.

So, if you’re looking for a relaxing outdoor summer evening activity, get on the Glebop email list and then bring your own folding chair and enjoy the music for a pleasant hour or two. And remember to bring a few dollars for the charity collection box.

Louise Rachlis is a Glebe writer and painter who has had her paintings on the cover of the Glebe Report. Christiane Fitzpatrick is a neighbour of a member of the Glebop Jazz Trio.

The Glebop Jazz Trio (from left: Cory Parsons, Bert Waslander and John Haysom) will be performing on front lawns, porches and patios in the Glebe this summer, for charity. Get on the email list to find out when and where.

Dedicated to enriched experiences

Behind the scenes at the annual Glebe House Tour

By Caroline Warburton

The Glebe House Tour is a much-loved fundraiser that has been running for over 20 years. Ninety per cent of proceeds this year will go to GNAG programming for families with children with special needs; the rest will support the provision of food and shelter to the vulnerable. Run by volunteers and sponsored by local businesses, this event is made possible by generous Glebe homeowners who open their homes to the public for one fall afternoon. We caught up with two residents whose homes were featured on the 2023 tour.

Della, why did you decide to include your home on last year’s tour?

Della: By accident! I was going to the community centre for a fitness class, and as I walked in the foyer, one of the GNAG employees had just put down the phone and said that someone was no longer able to include their house on the tour. She asked me if I knew anybody that might be interested in participating. At first, I couldn’t think of anyone, and then I said, well, we have a house. She immediately came over to see our house, and that was it.

What did you do to prepare?

Della: Well, not much. I put away some personal things, and our house cleaner came in.

You didn’t make decorating changes?

Della: No, I just made sure our house was clean and tidy.

How about you, Jean? Why did you join the Tour? Did you do any preparation?

Jean: We had recently met someone on the organizing committee who asked if we would include our house on the tour. My first reaction was that it would be too much work. And then I thought about it a bit more, and I wondered if the designer we had worked with would help us get the house ready. They were delighted and offered to be in the house during the Tour to answer questions. Since we had just finished a major renovation, all we did was make sure our house was clean. Well, I guess I did hide the dog beds and toys, and I put a couple of family photos away.

What are some things we should know about being on the House Tour?

Jean: Bloomfields puts beautiful

flower arrangements in all the homes, and you get to keep them. And they have a reception for the homeowners before the event. We were also given two tickets to Taste in the Glebe; those tickets are very hard to come by. Before the tour, the house leader (the volunteer who oversees the visit to your home) came over to see our house and she talked to us about what would happen during the tour. We discussed which rooms visitors would be able to access and the general flow through the house. There is a volunteer in every room to answer questions and make sure no one opens drawers or takes pictures. I felt the house would be in really good hands.

Any other homeowner benefits you can think of, Jean?

Jean: Someone took lovely pictures of our house. They are used for the House Tour tickets, and they were also sent to us.

Were you motivated by the fact that the Tour is a major fundraiser for GNAG?

Della: Yes, along with the fact that my children participated in GNAG programming, so I was happy to support them.

Jean: Both of my kids participated in their programming as well. The community centre and GNAG are such an integral part of this neighbourhood.

How did you feel after the Tour?

Jean: I was happy; it was for a good cause. It was minimal work and it raised a lot of money.

Della: My husband had been concerned about people walking through our house with their shoes on. But each person is given a bag for their shoes; visitors put their shoes in the bag at the entrance, carry the bag around with them, and put their shoes back on at the exit. When we went in our house after the Tour, we couldn’t tell that anyone had been inside.

The work of finding five special homes for this year’s tour is underway. Are you open to including your home? Are you a local business interested in sponsorship? In either case, please email Clare at clare@gnag.ca. Tickets will be available soon, online or at the Glebe Community Centre. This year’s tour is scheduled for Sunday, September 15.

Caroline Warburton is a communications volunteer for the 2024 Glebe House Tour.

This year’s annual Glebe House Tour will take place on September 15. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, planning is underway. Organizers are seeking house owners who may want to participate in the tour. PHOTO: SUZANNE MCCARTHY

In memory of Linda Thorne – Thorne & Co.

By Andrew Burton Anderson

A warm-hearted, thoughtful and fun-loving friend to many and a familiar presence in the Glebe for many years, Linda Thorne died peacefully at Kingston General Hospital on April 16 in her 81st year. She will be gratefully remembered by her many friends, neighbours, former colleagues and all those who were lucky enough to have met her.

Linda was born and raised in Toronto. As a young woman, she travelled to London, England where she lived, worked and found adventure. She returned to Canada to study at York and Carleton universities. After completing her Master of Public Administration in Ottawa, Linda spent a decade in the Department of Public Works with postings to Vancouver and Ottawa.

Many will remember Linda for her three passions: gardening, animals and bringing people together. In 1990, she opened Thorne & Co. – a gardening and gift shop – which quickly became a Bank Street institution and a natural meeting place for gardeners and animal lovers alike. Customers were often greeted at the door by one of Linda’s beloved dogs – first Martha, then Benwho enjoyed the camaraderie of the shop as much as she did.

Thorne & Co. quickly gained a reputation for having an unparalleled and carefully curated collection of gardening books and decorative items, but it was also known as a community gardening resource due to its knowledgeable and friendly staff. Linda also supported and sold the work of local Glebe artists, with their paintings and sculptures adding colour and beauty to the store. In later years, the store also sold fresh-cut flowers to the delight of neighbourhood residents. Linda

was a proud member of the Glebe small business community and a passionate advocate for the neighbourhood.

Working at Thorne & Co. was like being part of a family, with everyone sharing a love of gardening. Linda kept in touch with the Thorne & Co. family until the end of her life, often bringing together co-workers who had become friends and ended up as extended family. She enjoyed recounting various tales from over the years at 802 Bank Street, and Linda would be the first to say that opening her shop in the Glebe was a dream come true.

After retiring from the business in 2005, Linda organized and led memorable garden tours to England, Ireland, Scotland and Italy. Many of the participants in the tours first met Linda as customers of Thorne & Co. In 2016, she sold her house in the Glebe and settled in Kingston where she was happy to meet a new community of interesting, caring friends. As she looked out at her view of the Cataraqui River, her years in the Glebe remained close to her heart.

Naturally community-minded, Linda was a board member of the Canadian Tulip Festival and spent many years as the lay councillor on the board of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. She found great pleasure and fulfilment in both roles, and the organizations benefitted from her collaborative approach, outgoing personality and insightful contributions.

Family, friends, colleagues and customers will remember Linda’s quick wit, sincere interest in their lives and the sparkle in her eye when she laughed – which was often.

Linda was a lifelong animal lover, and she derived immeasurable joy from the many dogs and cats that she cared for over the years. As an

expression of sympathy, friends may choose to donate to the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, Manotick, Ontario.

Andrew Burton Anderson is a landscape architect and biocultural heritage advisor originally from Ottawa. He spent many happy summers and holidays working at Thorne & Co. while completing his undergraduate degree in landscape architecture at the University of Guelph.

Linda Thorne–(1943–2024), owner of the Thorne & Co. gardening store in the Glebe PHOTO: DR. SUSAN PEPPER

By Tim O’Connor

After the prior success of our vegan fried chicken (see last month’s column), I wondered, can this seitan be used to make something that tastes like beef? There began my quest to make a vegan tartare.

I find that people are scared by the thought of chopping up raw beef at home to make tartare. What meat to use? How to cut it? How much fat do you include?

A vegan tartare can get all the best of having a tartare at home with none of the worry.

I set out to alter the vegan chicken recipe to make it more beefy, and the first thing I did was to replace the tahini with luxurious hoisin sauce. Hoisin gives the mixture that meaty, beefy taste.

Next, I reduced the baking powder because I didn’t want this to be as airy as the vegan chicken seitan. The last change was that instead of poaching it like

Vegan “beef” tartare with seitan

we did last month, to add a bit more liquid and sponginess for the vegan chicken, I baked this seitan so it would have less liquid and be a little more dense, like beef. I baked it in a cake pan and got this wonderful product that sort of looks like a loaf of bread, but when you slice and chop it, it tastes like beef.

I chopped the loaf into small cubes and mixed it with the classic French tartare ingredients, including shallots, pickles, capers, Dijon, parsley and garlic. You can then serve it up with bread, chips or whatever you prefer to complement tartare. The result is a wonderful beefy tartare that makes a delicious appetizer for your guests on BBQ night. It’s outstanding and so simple. It’s even easier to make than the vegan fried chicken.

I’ve not yet made other vegan beef dishes with the seitan loaf, but you could just slice it and douse it with BBQ or other dark sauce and enjoy it as sliced vegan beef, perhaps even on a sandwich. Top with sauteed peppers and onions and cheese (vegan or real) on a bun and you have a vegan or vegetarian Philly cheesesteak. You can also cube it and add it to a stir fry.

I wouldn’t advise it for a vegan burger just yet, as it must be ground and have a binding agent added, and I haven’t gone there yet. That’s an idea for our next column, the third in a “turning seitan into vegan meat” series. So, next month, it’s vegan burgers and meatloaf.

Tim O’Connor was raised in the Glebe and is head chef at Flora Hall Brewing.

Vegan “beef” tartare

1 cup vital wheat gluten

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup water

1/2 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

Mix all ingredients, form into a loaf and put in a cake pan, on parchment paper or an oiled surface. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

To make tartare, cut the loaf into tiny cubes, and mix with:

1 tbsp chopped shallot

1 tbsp chopped capers

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped pickles

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp Dijon

1/4 tsp ground black pepper juice of one lemon (and zest, to be extra fancy)

The rule of thumb is 2 parts chopped seitan to 1 part tartare mix; adjust accordingly.

Local Service in Ottawa since 1988 with Quality Flags, Banners, and Flagpoles.

Vegan “beef” tartare a delicious appetizer PHOTO: TIM O’CONNOR

How does their garden grow?

By Pat Goyeche

Abbotsford Seniors Centre is hosting a unique and beautiful fundraiser on Saturday, June 22 from 12 to 4 p.m. This members-driven fundraiser offers a tour of eight magnificent local gardens. These gardens represent the gardening efforts of Abbotsford members in the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Old Ottawa East and Lansdowne. Tour participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn and get inspiration from experienced gardeners who have practical advice to offer about what grows well in our zone and in an urban setting.

You can purchase tickets for $25 over the telephone or in person at Abbotsford Seniors Centre Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Drop in at 950 Bank Street (the old stone house) or telephone us at 613-230-5730. Have your Visa or MasterCard handy.

Organized disorder

The first garden, situated on a deep 165-foot lot, has been continuously maintained by the owner for 52 years. It has evolved over the decades from the shade of elms to full sun with vegetable plots, and now back to shade. The front garden is densely planted with sunflowers, and the back is an oasis of colourful shade perennials and annuals in containers. Its style might be called “organized disorder.”

Native plants, flowers, shrubs and vegetables

Next, behind the Horticultural Building at Lansdowne, is a demonstration

garden consisting of 25 raised beds of corten steel. The landscape designer will describe the themes of the various beds and share what has worked well in the nine years since the original installation. Seven beds are planted with native plants of importance to the Algonquin people of the region.

Wild thing

This is a wildish shade garden which lost a venerable silver maple in an ice storm and has been surrounded by infills. Many birches have been planted for privacy and summer cooling. Wild life loves the wee still pond. Pampered plants are native woodland, including a big trillium patch.

Particularly pleasant

Our next garden is all about enthusi asm for the diversity of leaf and flower forms. It has changing displays about every 10 days from April to November. Layers of colour and shape make up a tapestry of wild beauty. You move from a small sunny front garden packed with plants, down a fabulous, pebbled path with flower beds on each side, to a rear garden that is a riot of colour and volume. After 25 years, the gardener no longer needs to manage her perennials, they just enjoy themselves and are supplemented by yearly gifts from other gardeners and must-have nursery finds.

perennials from the old garden were transplanted to the new one; some survived, others didn’t. Survivors were moved around, as the gardener figured out the miniature patches of sun and shade in the new garden. The tiny garden now pretty much looks after itself.

The grass isn’t greener, but the perennials are brilliant

Round and round the garden

This small garden is neatly laid out on a small city lot. It is reminiscent of a formal English garden with roses, peonies, clematis and hydrangeas. It features compact and columnar tresses, well-suited for a small urban site. Several bird baths dot the garden, and a small deck fountain muffles city noise.

Whimsy and beauty combined

Downsizing but blooming beauty

For our next gardener, downsizing their garden 12 years ago was one of the hardest parts of moving to a new home. From having a quarter of an acre, it was quite a jolt to go to one small arc of earth around a concrete patio. Favourite

This front yard garden was recently planted with an assortment of perennials and a wide variety of ornamental grasses to replace a front lawn. The gardener designed the partly shaded space using a colour palette of chartreuse, steely blue, reds and greens. It features a Japanese lilac tree along with a Bloodgood maple. In the backyard, an inviting curved pathway leads through a cottage-style garden showing how much serenity can be achieved in a small space. Don’t miss the shed featuring a “green roof”.

Our final garden, on a double lot, features whimsical containers such as a log train planted yearly with annuals. It abounds with perennials for both sun and shade. The collection expands annually and includes grasses, bleeding hearts, tradescantia, ferns, sedum, nine bark, tiger eye sumac and more.

What an inspiring, relaxing and beauty-filled way to spend a Saturday afternoon. You won’t want to miss this splendid opportunity. And you will be supporting Abbotsford at the same time!

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

Art enhances a garden. PHOTO: ELIZABETH BALLARD Daisies are delighful. PHOTO: BRENDA SMALL

Baby Reindeer an emotional roller coaster

Baby Reindeer TV mini-series (UK, 2024)

Set in Edinburgh, Baby Reindeer is based on the life story of the Scottish phenomenon Richard Gadd, the show’s creator and writer, as well as its main star. Donnie Dunn (Richard Gadd) is what one might call a loser: an aspiring stand-up comedian whose day job is bartending. And if things weren’t pathetic enough, the viewer will soon learn that Donnie still rooms in his ex’s mother’s house. It is at the pub where he meets Martha, a 400-pound, 40-plus woman, played by the brilliant English actress Jessica Gunning (who does a mean Scottish accent). One day Martha stumbles through the pub’s front door ordering a coke she can’t pay for, while claiming that she’s a high-profile lawyer. Donnie takes pity on Martha and offers her a drink on the house. And so it begins.

Martha, clearly unstable, carrying a heavy load of mental health issues and possibly past traumas, slowly but surely becomes Donnie’s stalker. She appears in front of his house, at the bus-stop, sending him hundreds of poorly spelled text messages and emails daily. But as is the case with true stories, nothing is black and white here; on the contrary, the viewer will be treated to the whole palette of moral shades of grey.

Donnie, originally and instinctively wanting to shake Martha off, grows gradually attached to her. He even fantasizes about her. Martha, on the other hand, puts her cards on the table from the get-go, and despite all her follies, insanities and flaws, it is precisely this authenticity and steadfastness of her character that allows her to naturally gravitate toward the wounded with a mixture of compassion and yearning, bordering on emotional greed. And while some episodes are hard to watch as they tell the excruciatingly complex and painful story of sexual assault, the show does maintain its bittersweet, at times comedic and oh-so-human touch throughout. Nothing feels enhanced or exaggerated for the sake of the audience. There are no straight moral or psychological lines, either; no cookie-cutter solutions to real-life dilemmas that seem to leave everyone a loser. The viewer will laugh through tears and feel every feeling that the characters feel: from shame to joy, to lust, to fear, to self-loathing, to empathy, to pride, sometimes all at the same time. While this most certainly is not a show for the faint of heart, it is an emotional roller coaster a thousand per cent worth getting on!

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.

Even though Martha gives off the vibes of a typical bunny-boiling character, she is anything but. What is more, she manages to put her finger on the pulse and sense Donnie’s deeply buried secret, the main source of his shame and depression. And that is where things get really complicated and existentially knotted.

7 episodes

Running time per episode: 30 mins.

2024 Netflix original

By Luna Vo

Summer is here, but how will you keep your kids entertained now that they are out of school? Of course, your first thought was to turn to your public library for answers!

Every summer, the Ottawa Public Library partners with the TD Summer Reading Club to encourage a life-long love of reading. It also encourages children to explore literacy in new and fun ways! This free, bilingual program is available to children of all ages, interests and reading abilities. With 2,000 public libraries across Canada participating, every child can join online from home, abroad or even on the road.

Why join the TD Summer Reading Club? Studies show that there is significant learning loss over the summer months for children. Joining the club is a fun way for them to maintain their reading skills, confidence and motivation. Children will also get a head start with their reading levels when entering their new grade!

To join, simply visit your closest public library starting June 10 and get a Summer Reading Club (SRC) kit. You will receive an activity booklet, a web access code, stickers and an agamograph (art using optical illusion) activity.

What can children do on the website? As part of the largest reading club across Canada, children can connect with other children across the country, read books and comics online, join in activities such as writing jokes, stories, voting in Battle of the Books and more! There are also great resources for children with print disabilities and for pre-readers.

But wait! There’s more!

Everyone has been waiting for summer to begin, and we at the library have been busy bees planning some fun summer activities and programs. Come participate in some free activities with your community (and maybe win some prizes too)!

What free activities and programs are happening at Sunnyside Library this summer? Sunnyside will be offering programs for different age groups. You can expect to see lots of crafts, storytimes, movies, Cubetto, breakout rooms and lots more! Keep your eyes peeled for updates on our website at ottawa.bibliocommons.com/ or come visit us in the children’s section for more information.

Please note that some programs will require registration, which will open to the public on June 10. You (or your child) will need to have an Ottawa Public Library card.

We will also be hosting a contest to encourage children to read consistently during the summer. Children will receive a calendar in their SRC kits to keep track of how many days they have been reading. At the end of summer, children can submit their calendars for a chance to win a prize!

Lastly, to celebrate the beginning of summer and the Summer Reading Club, please join us for the Launch Party on June 17 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. You can pick up your kits and join in some fun activities too!

Hope to see you soon!

Luna Vo is a children’s programmer at the Ottawa Public Library’s Sunnyside Branch.

Murder mystery skewers academic politics

University of Lost Causes

By Larry McCloskey

After serving as Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger did a stint at Harvard where he said, “University politics makes me pine for the relative peace of the Middle East.” And when asked why university politics are so fierce, Kissinger responded, “because the stakes are so small.”

My book University of Lost Causes is a mystery novel that has the requisite murder and dead bodies, but more pointed, more relevant, indeed so prevalent as to be ubiquitous is the murderous intent of university politics. The unfolding of events and the piling of bodies makes this novel less a whodunnit than a whytheydunnit. Underneath endless virtue signalling and the swirling obsession with small-stakes politics are plain old ego, greed and maliciousness of the players. Identity mania and murderous university politics are really just cover for human nature run amok.

Despite what my protagonist might say, I love universities and, mostly, those who populate them. But in channeling Machiavelli in recent years, much of the university sector has chosen to be feared rather than loved. University life used to a time for immersion in the deep weeds of discovery both of oneself and the infinite possibilities of learning, an exploratory reprieve from the coarseness of the world. With rigorous application over a challenging period of trial and error,

one’s study of objective truths led to an informed, evolving, and dynamic point of view and sense of self.

But the intellectual safe space of university experience of past generations has been subverted by a metaphoric safe space obsession over perceived threats and correct thinking in a world too dangerous for individual exploration. Danger requires direction and correct thinking which the modern university is only too willing to give and insist upon. But this progressive bias comes at the expense of impressionable students who need to figure it out for themselves.

Ideology is borrowed thinking, antithetical to what universities used to stand for and were conceived to do (beginning with University of Bologna, in continuous existence since 1088). All of which makes for a smorgasbord of satirical possibility and, becoming less permissible, humour.

University of Lost Causes is set in the perpetual near future at New England’s fictitious St. Jude’s University – St. Jude being the patron saint of lost causes (no, seriously). The novel is fiction and satire with humour tending towards farce – and in combining its dystopian flavour with my quirky brand of farce, I’ve coined the term farcetopian. Still, in Shakespearean fashion, the farcetopian fool may convey a message. Henry James and other writers have articulated variations on this truism: “The art of fiction is to take truth and tell a lie in order to tell a greater truth.” My

purpose is not to offend but to have fun and expose – with absurdity alternatively packaged as fanciful, commonplace, exaggerated or understated – the inner machinations of university dysfunction towards the possibility of renewal.

The great satirist Jonathan Swift created a sensation in A Modest Proposal when he advised impoverished Irish parents to sell their wee babies to the rich for culinary consumption. The sensation was not from Swift’s modest call for the consumption of babies, but rather from the immodest reforms he argued Britain must make to its heartless Irish policy. The British public understood that Swift was not advocating eating babies, that his satiric hyperbole had purpose, and that the

The intellectual safe space of university experience of past generations has been subverted by a metaphoric safe space obsession over perceived threats and correct thinking in a world too dangerous for individual exploration

real sensation was his audacious call for change.

The year was 1729. The public understood. Swift was not cancelled.

University of Lost Causes is a novel for our absurd and troubled times. It is a creative, humane and unique treatment of a hot topic that can be enjoyed regardless of one’s personal politics. This character-driven novel is antithetical to taking entrenched and polarized political stances that have become endemic in these uber-serious times.

University of Lost Causes won the 2023 Word Guild award as Best Canadian Manuscript. and is available June 2024 at: castlequaybooks.com and amazon.ca. Or if you send me an email, I am happy to deliver signed copies to you or your book club: larryjohnmcc@gmail.com. My website is larrymccloskeywriter.com

Writing is an interesting and lonely endeavour. The best way to mitigate loneliness is to find community. This past winter, I gave a writing workshop at the Glebe Community Centre. If you would like to hone your writing chops and meet like-minded people, please sign up for my September writing workshop.

Endnote: Reading books and writing them is still relevant. Modernity and AI will not replicate you or your passion. Waiting for life on a South Seas island to start writing or procrastinating until conditions change is folly. Rather, consider Margaret Atwood, “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word,” followed by Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

Larry McCloskey is a writer and former publisher, and the author of the novel University of Lost Causes

Glebe Art and Garden Tour 2024

By Martha Bowers

It is the season of festivals and the popular Glebe Art and Garden Tour is back for another year. The tour will be held on July 6 and 7, rain or shine, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

This year we have 28 local artists exhibiting their work at 16 sites. You will be pleased to see some returning artists but there are also new artists who are excited to join the tour and show their work to visitors. A wide range of artwork in many styles and mediums will be on display for purchase, from still-life paintings to abstracts, from portraits to photographs to pottery. There will be something to please everyone.

The Glebe art tour is a relaxing way to spend a summer weekend, supporting artists, picking up ideas for your own gardens, enjoying a snack at one of the Glebe independent businesses. And grouping artists together on sites makes it an easy, accessible way to plan your visit and discover the talented people who live and work among us.

This year we again are offering prizes. Pick up a ballot at any site and deposit it in the box. The more sites you visit the more chances you will have to win a voucher towards the purchase

Poster art tackles climate at the Wild Oat Café

By the Art for a Liveable Planet Collective

Come savour a delicious treat and beverage at the Wild Oat Bakery and Café while taking in an exhibit of poster art entitled “Protect What You Love” all through July.

Nine local artists of diverse backgrounds and mediums have come together to create more than a dozen posters addressing specific local environmental issues as well as broad concerns that touch us all.

Historically, posters have been used to call for urgent change and to rally the public mind, for better or for worse. Many posters have become iconic by: documenting struggles for social progress and freedom, such as the image of Che Guevara; marking cultural eras like those of Toulouse Lautrec and the “psychedelia” of the sixties; or rallying citizens in times of war and for national defense.

Now the world is faced with the existential battle to sustain a liveable planet, today and for future generations. In 2022, Bill McKibben, internationally renowned environmentalist and founder of 350.org, wrote: “Art is at this point as necessary as science in the battle for the future. The poster is likely to be the place where art meets

of a work of art from any participating artist!

Site maps and brochures with the list of artists will be available in Glebe shops and the community centre, and there will be notices on social media. Information is also available on our website www.glebearttour.ca

Be sure to mark your calendar for the first weekend of July for the Glebe Art and Garden Tour. Bring your friends. Bring your neighbours. Even dogs are welcome – if well behaved! Don’t miss this wonderful Glebe summer event!

Martha Bowers is the long-time organizer of the Glebe Art and Garden tour.

“Later is too late” by Magdalene Carson organizing, where it lends its hand most powerfully.”

In this spirit, Art for a Liveable Planet is the name chosen for this collective project. The participants see this show not as an end in itself but as a beginning of lending our hands to the environmental movement.

Some artists take aim at the destruction of trees, forests and greenspace for parking garages and “development” while others point to the complicity of the municipal government in ecologically retrogressive decision-making. There are posters that sound the alarm on the up-river Chalk River Nuclear Dump and on nuclear power as a whole, expose incineration as an ill-advised waste-management solution, decry the ubiquitous presence of microplastics and single-use plastics, and call for urgent action on all fronts. We look forward to your feedback and suggestions after seeing the exhibit between July 1 and 31 at the Wild Oat (819 Bank Street). A special thank you to the Wild Oat for making its walls available to local artists.

The participating artists include Aïda Warah, Cathy Blake, Heather White, Jane Keeler, Magdalene Carson, Mary Anne Robblee, Romani Bays, Stuart Kinmond, and Velvet LeClair.

“Plastic is forever” by Stuart Kinmond

Art in the Park takes back its name

By Michelle Potter

There were mixed reactions to our most recent name change.

Our newer friends, who have only ever known us as The New Art Festival, were a little confused. “Why the change? Is it still the same show?” Whereas those who had always known us as Art in the Park wondered why we’d ever changed our name at all.

The festival was founded back in 1992 by our very own Ottawa artist Bhat Boy. Originally known as Art in the Park, it began as a grassroots event with local artists gathering in the Glebe’s Central Park. In the beginning, it was just a few friends, sitting under the huge maple tree in the lower park, strumming guitars and sharing food and hanging paintings off the trees for any and all to see and enjoy. It was a day of visual art, music, picnicking and merriment.

Over the next few years, Art in the Park grew in stride with the park itself. People started bringing tents, stands and easels to display their work. Flowers bloomed. Artists came and went. Somewhere along the way, that big, beautiful maple tree had to come down. Word started to spread, and the gathering became an event, and that event became a festival.

In 2009, under the direction of Chandler Swain, a jury was introduced, with its criteria focused on showcasing original, handmade art. The decision was made to change the name to The New Art Festival, to better reflect this growth and shift in mission.

For the next 15 years, The New Art Festival had the honour of hosting extraordinary events alongside

thousands of incredibly talented artists, each unique in their own way.

Now in 2024, the festival isn’t what it was 32, 15 or even 5 years ago. What started with just a few friends sitting under a tree is now a festival that features over 150 artists, stretches over two entire blocks of Central Park and attracts vendors and visitors from across the country. We have a website (www.artintheparkfestival.ca) and online events. We poster and advertise in neighbourhood papers. We have partnerships with local businesses, who generously support the festival by sponsoring several awards. There are registration forms, permits, insurance, rentals, volunteers, lists, lists, lists.

But throughout this transition, the festival has remained committed to its grassroots beginnings. No matter how big it has gotten, this festival has always been the same at heart. It’s families having picnics in the shade. It’s dogs rolling around in the grass. It’s couples strolling by the pond. It’s people sharing stories and laughter. It’s neighbours and community. It’s shape and texture and colour. It’s art.

And we’ve decided to honour those humble roots. We feel our original name perfectly represents the festival’s ethos and spirit, along with what has grown and evolved since 2009. Art in the Park is a showcase and celebration of truly incredible Canadian talent, a weekend of art, music, picnicking and merriment.

This name change feels like coming home.

It is an absolute joy to invite you to Art in the Park 2024! With over 170 artists showcasing their work, this is going to

Merry Meet!

be our biggest event yet! Some of these makers have been with us since the very beginning, and some will be with us for the first time. We have painters, potters, sculptors, jewellers, photographers, mixed media artists, embroidery artists, glass workers, wood turners and a guy who makes banjos out of old tin cans.

We’ll be joined by several local eateries, who will be cooking up some tasty meals and snacks for you to enjoy. We have local entertainment and activities for the kiddos. We have portable toilets to keep everyone comfortable, a first aid station to keep everyone healthy, and a water station to keep everyone hydrated. And as always, admission is free.

Art in the Park is not just an art

festival, it’s a full-day experience! Enjoy the sunshine and watch the ducks frolicking in the pond. Have a picnic under a willow tree. Explore art and meet the makers and maybe add to your collection. And if you want to bring along your guitar and do a little strumming, well, that would be fine by us.

Please join us on June 8 and 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, in Central Park in the Glebe!

Michelle Potter is a local librarian, event planner, artist and fan of picnicking and merriment. She joined the festival in 2019 and has sent thousands of emails since then. You can find her at the info tent all festival long.

We are excited to announce that Witch Chest is opening at 740 Bank Street on June 15. Find an amazing selection of candles, incenses, herbs, books, tarot and oracle cards, ritual supplies, and so much more... Come Experience e Magick

June 15 Only Join Us For:

Buy one get one free (BOGO) Herbs, Crystals, and Incense Sticks. Free Tea Leaf Readings for first 3 customers each hour (10 am-5 pm). First 50 customers get a free goody tote bag (It can be our little secret!)

740 Bank Street 613-903-9959 www.WitchChest.ca

Art in the Park, known recently as The New Art Festival, will be held June 8 and 9 in Central Park in the Glebe – and it’s free. Come browse the art of more than 170 artists!

Older women and the Grandmothers’/Grand-others’ Action

By Susan Carter

Older women make valuable contributions to society as leaders, employees, policymakers, volunteers, academics, community builders, carers, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, neighbours, colleagues and friends. But too often, older women are brushed to the side and deemed invisible, despite their years of accumulated experience.

Older women count

From the grandmothers you know who help with childcare and pass on cultural traditions, to the older women who are community gardeners, to the indefatigable grandmothers of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) who are raising millions of vulnerable young people orphaned by AIDS, older women are at the heart of families and on the frontlines of the fight for justice the world over.

The grandmothers in SSA and those in Canada who volunteer with the Grandmothers Campaign and the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN) are examples of dynamic older women who challenge traditional thinking about aging, gender and activism.

The Grandmothers Campaign, which was started by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2006, works to support and empower older women/grandmothers in SSA and the young people in their care. Eighteen years after the launch of the campaign, the grandmothers in SSA have become a force to be reckoned with, demanding their rights to gender equality, education, healthcare and a decent quality of life. In addition to raising money and awareness through the Grandmothers Campaign, grandmothers and grand-others in Canada are effectively advocating for the rights and needs of older women and grandmothers and vulnerable children and youth in SSA through GRAN.

Celebrating older women and the moon

On Wednesday June 26, you are invited to a magical evening of stories, music, refreshments, camaraderie and solidarity celebrating grandmothers and the moon. “Moon Magic: A Tribute in Stories and Song” will be held at the First Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Avenue. Appetizers and socializing begin at 6:15; the program runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

In the Anishinaabe culture, the moon is Grandmother and the sun is Grandfather. On June 26, we will celebrate the moon in her many moods – bright and playful, mysterious and romantic. The

stories, one haunting, one light fun and one in which a Canadian grandmother talks under the moon with her African sister, will be underscored by evocative melodies on harp and flute, with insistent rhythms of guitar and percussion.

The event is hosted by a unique partnership of the Ottawa StoryTellers and the One World Grannies and Unitarian GoGos – two of some 160 voluntary groups across Canada that are part of the Grandmothers Campaign.

If you are interested in joining a grandmother group in Ottawa, contact Peggy Edwards (wanderingpeggy@ me.com). For more information about the Grandmothers Campaign, visit grandmotherscampaign.org. See more about Ottawa StoryTellers at www. ottawastorytellers.ca.

All proceeds from the June 26 event will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers Campaign to support urgently needed programs that grandmothers and community-based organizations are leading in sub-Saharan Africa. The cost, just $35 per person, includes a night of entertainment, homemade hors d’oeuvres ticket on EventBrite or call 613-729-0077.

make this annual fundraiser happen: lead sponsors Joni Campbell, Royal LePage Real Estate and Amica the Glebe and supporting sponsor Wat Centre. And to our wonderful tellers

talents to support the grandmothers in Africa and the children in their care: Gail Anglin, Susan Sweeney Hermon, Jack Pyl, Anne Hurley and Peggy Edwards.

We hope to celebrate grandmother solidarity and the moon with you on June 26! After all, no one should ever feel invisible, and we are definitely relevant.

Susan Carter is a long-time resident of the Glebe and an active member of the One World Grannies (oneworldgrannies.ca) and GRAN (grandmothersadvocacy.org).

Grandmothers’ solidarity march. One World Grannies, along with Ottawa StoryTellers and Unitarian GoGos, part of the Grandmothers Campaign, invite you to a storytelling fundraiser June 26. PHOTO: MAUREEN MURPHY

Film to raise funds to bring queer refugees to Ottawa

By Lauren Roulston

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is hitting the screen at the Mayfair on June 20 to raise money to help queer people find refuge from countries where being gay could mean prison.

The Australian film is a cult classic, telling the story of three drag queens facing a comedic string of errors and vibrant characters. The queens are adorned in colourful feathers, towering wigs and sparkling ball gowns. They travel through the Australian desert in a bus named Priscilla. The film became a surprise worldwide hit in 1994.

As an adventure flick that celebrates queer culture, this screening will be fundraising for a similar cause.

Northern Lights Refuge (NLR) is hosting the screening at the iconic Mayfair theatre. This group brings queer individuals to Ottawa from countries that criminalize gay relationships.

“This kind of work is a passion to me,” says Dino Blasioli, founder of NLR. “Everyone deserves a safe home, free to be themselves.”

As of 2024, 64 countries criminalize homosexuality, according to Statista. com . Twelve countries impose the death penalty for private, consensual, same-sex sexual activities.

“Parents put bounties on their children’s head. I just feel so fortunate to live in Canada where I can be free to express myself,” says Blasioli. He founded the group in 2017 to help his friend Dori, a gay dentist from Syria. The two had become friends online, chatting for years, and finally met when Dori attended a dental conference in New York City.

According to Blasioli, Dori had three

things he wanted to do when he got to The Big Apple where he could express himself freely: see a drag show, catch a movie and go dancing. “Things he couldn’t do in the Middle East,” Blasioli adds. The duo caught Kinky Boots on Broadway.

When he got back to Syria, Dori told Blasioli that he was considering sneaking into Canada. “I said no, no, no, there’s gotta be another way,” Blasioli says.

So, he founded Northern Lights Refuge in April 2017 under the mentorship of Capital Rainbow Refuge, another organization supporting and sponsoring LGBTQI+ refugees.

Dori arrived in Canada two and a half years later in September 2019. He’s been working towards his re-accreditation as a dentist and officially became

a Canadian citizen last year.

He was the first refugee sponsored by NLR. Now, the group is working to bring over their fifth.

“I didn’t realize how great the need was, but it just snowballed,” says Blasioli. “We can’t help everybody, but one person at a time can make the world a better place.”

For Blasioli, the work is very rewarding. “The best thing is when we greet them at the airport, seeing the smile when they come down that escalator,” he says.

The group makes signs to welcome the newcomers. Blasioli remembers one man arriving from Kenya. “When he got off the escalator, he kissed the ground at the airport,” he says. “I can’t imagine what they go through and then to come here where their whole life is changed.”

While greeting newcomers is his favourite, Blasioli says a close second is introducing them to Beavertails.

As for his friend Dori, the two still catch movies and see drag shows like they did in New York. Dori even won a Mr. Ottawa Bear contest just before the pandemic lockdowns took effect. Since the lockdowns, the contest for husky or larger men with a significant amount of body hair hasn’t been running. “So the big joke is that he’s the longest reigning Mr. Ottawa Bear in its history,” says Blasioli.

This month’s fundraiser at the Mayfair represents a vibrant and uplifting celebration of queer culture and expression. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is one of Blasioli’s favourites. He’s seen it twice in Ottawa and once on Broadway in New York with his husband.

“I actually have a costume from the movie I bought after one of the local productions in Ottawa, and I plan on wearing it that night,” says Blasioli.

Tickets for the June 20, 6:30 p.m., screening are $15. The money goes directly to NLR.

Lauren Roulston is a graduate of Carleton’s journalism program currently working in community radio.

Dino Blasioli, Dori and Dino’s husband Chad

Yasir Naqvi

MP, Ottawa Centre

N 613-946-8682 E yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca

I want to take this opportunity to wish Happy Father’s Day to all the dads in our community. I love the joy of being a dad to my two beautiful children, Rafi and Elliana, especially subjecting them to dad jokes and pranks!

When I think of what it means to be a dad, there is a word that comes immediately to my mind, and that word is “service.” I think of the legacy that my father, Anwar Naqvi, had passed on to me at a very young age — to be fearless in the cause of doing what is right,

courageous in challenging the status quo, and seeking to build a society where the rights of every human being are respected.

I continue to be inspired by the sacrifices my father made for our family, in standing up to the dictates and persecutions of an authoritarian military regime, suffering the consequences of those actions and, ultimately, together with my mother, bringing us to Canada and a new life filled with opportunity.

My hope for all the dads this Father’s Day is twofold: to inspire our children to discover the joy and wonder every new day brings, and instill within them a desire to always strive to leave things better than they found them. It’s our service as a father, and to our community.

Happy Father’s Day!

Italian Festival 2024 in June

The Ottawa Italian Festival will take place June 6 to 16 in Little Italy

The festival celebrates the rich Italian heritage woven into the fabric of Ottawa Enjoy the festive atmosphere on Preston Street with live entertainment, delicious food and a chance to mingle with fellow Italian culture enthusiasts

Embark on a guided walking tour through the heart of Ottawa’s Little Italy, exploring historical landmarks, hidden gems and local Italian businesses on June 8 and 9

Meet Me in Little Italy Masterclass Series: Sign up for unique culinary experiences featuring an Italian wine expert who will guide you through a selection of artisan Italian wines on June 7 Or learn how to make pasta from scratch on June 11 Or discover the secret to the perfect espresso on June 12

An exclusive aperitivo reception with celebrity chef David Rocco on June 13 will celebrate the Italian tradition of the aperitivo Grand Finale Weekend: It’s a street party on Preston Street, plus comedy, music, performances and more Full festival schedule is available online at www italianweekottawa ca Tickets to the masterclasses and the David Rocco event must be purchased in

Weddings?

Patios? Date Nights?

If you have summer events coming up, we have lots of beautiful outfits to take you there in style. Now up to 60% off.

Joel Harden

MPP, Ottawa Centre

N 613-722-6414 E JHarden-CO@ndp.on.ca

Survivors of violence are denied their day in court and at Queen’s Park

We are nearing the end of the spring session at Queen’s Park, it’s a time when patience is low and emotions run high. Unfortunate things are bound to take place.

But even with that caveat, something happened recently that was truly disappointing.

Advocates had come to support Bill 198 (or Lydia’s Law), an initiative from MPP Catherine Fife to address the shocking amount of sexual assault cases thrown out of court because of backlogs.

Survivors, Fife noted, are doubly harmed when this happens. Local lawyers tell me the Ottawa Courthouse is now quadruple booked, giving survivors grim prospects for justice – 1,326 sexual assault trials were withdrawn or stayed across Ontario in 2022 alone.

Survivors from across Ontario had planned to watch the debate on Bill 198 this week in person, but that moment was taken away when the government used its majority to send Lydia’s Law to committee without debate at Second Reading. Fife was incensed, and that was a sentiment that was widely shared in all opposition caucuses.

“This is a slap in the face,” Fife said, “to the hundreds of survivors and advocates we are expecting in attendance for this incredibly important debate. This bill will introduce measures to help the survivors of sexual assault seek justice. And the PCs don’t want to hear it? If they think they can silence the voices of survivors, they need to think again.”

The government insisted it had different motives and wanted to send Lydia’s Law to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy committee right away so it could be studied in tandem with Bill 173, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act that I have discussed before. They claimed this was a way to “expedite” the legislation.

Fife had proposed Bill 198 to shift in a different direction. The legislation was based on an assessment from Ontario’s Auditor General five years ago; it would require the Attorney General to provide statistics to the Legislative Assembly on the progress of sexual assault cases that have been in the system for eight months and not heard, and report on why. Bill 198 was named after a young sexual assault survivor who endured two years of court delays.

But the only thing expedited was the government’s exposure to debate on Bill 198 and the throngs of advocates poised to fill the galleries. This is what happened for Bill 173, which was among the most powerful days I have seen at Queen’s Park. Survivors of violence are fed up and are organizing for change. It is our responsibility as elected officials to respond.

It is unacceptable that survivors of violence are denied their day in court, and for Bill 198, their day at Queen’s Park. But we will keep mobilizing for justice. Stay tuned here for updates.

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The Company of Adventurers presents Hamlet !

The Company of Adventurers invites you to our all-girls production of the greatest play ever: Hamlet! Our cast of 11 young women is incredible. And we have music, a spooky play-within-a-play, two popcorn-eating badminton players, a graveyard, a girl gone mad and a GHOST! Finally, a fencing match to settle the score. But what’s that? A pearl dropped into a goblet of wine? Do not drink it!

All are welcome! Shows are at 57 Glen Avenue in Old Ottawa South. Entrance is free. Shows are a fundraiser for the Ottawa women’s shelter, Harmony House:

Saturday, June 1 (6:00)

Sunday, June 2 (2:00)

Friday, June 7 (6:00)

Saturday, June 8 (2:00)

Sunday, June 9 (2:00)

For more information, contact Cynthia at csugars@uottawa.ca or visit The Company of Adventurers on Facebook!

Entrance/En transe: celebrating eight women graduates from the Ottawa School of Art

By Kathryn Shaw

In anticipation of a vibrant summer in our bustling city, an exciting showcase of creativity awaits. From June 20 to July 21, art enthusiasts and locals alike are invited to immerse themselves in “Entrance/En transe,” an art show featuring the remarkable talents of eight women graduating from the Ottawa School of Art. The opening-night vernissage will take place on June 20 at the Ottawa School of Art at 35 George Street in the Byward Market; it promises to be a sparkling, catered evening of inspiration and celebration.

Each artist, having honed her craft under the guidance of the school’s renowned faculty, brings a distinct voice and vision, offering viewers a captivating journey into the kaleidoscope of experiences that shape their artistry. Throughout the show, visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the creators, gaining insight into their inspirations, challenges and aspirations. This exchange of ideas and perspectives will not only enrich

the viewing experience but also forge connections that transcend the confines of the gallery walls.

The title Entrance/En transe is meant to symbolize the artists’ entrance into the professional art world while simultaneously captivating and entrancing visitors. The eight graduates are local women of varying ages and experiences, showcasing their best work in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, ceramics and mixed media techniques.

There will be something to entrance everyone who makes the trip downtown to enjoy this show.

Entrance/En transe

Thursday, June 20 – Sunday, July 21

Ottawa School of Art 35 George Street Opening night vernissage June 20, 7-9 p.m.

Kathryn Shaw is a local artist and participant in Entrance/En trans. She has lived just over the bridge in Old Ottawa South for 12 years.

Queensway ramp closures

Summer of 2024

Queensway ramp closures this summer will include the Parkdale westbound off-ramp, the Rochester westbound on-ramp and the Rochester eastbound off-ramp.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has contracted with Kiewit Dufferin Midtown Partnership (KDMP) to replace the Preston Street, Bronson Avenue, Rochester Street, Booth Street and Percy Street bridges on Highway 417. KDMP will also undertake improvements between the O-Train bridges and the Kent Street bridge, along with noise barrier and retaining wall replacements between Island Park Drive and Kent Street.

To do this work, closures on Highway 417 will be implemented this summer and fall, as follows.

Parkdale Westbound Off Ramp – anticipated dates: June 16 – September 8

Rochester Westbound On Ramp – anticipated dates: June 19 – October 8

Rochester Eastbound Off Ramp – anticipated dates June 19 – October 8

The closures are to provide access for construction, which includes replacing retaining walls and noise barrier walls along Highway 417, excavation, grading, replacing curb and gutter, replacing asphalt pavement, replacing electrical infrastructure and reconstruction of Highway 417 where the highway and off-ramp meet.

For any questions, contact Robyn Gould, Morrison Hershfield contract administrator at 613- 809-5028 or rgould@ morrisonhershfield.com.

Left to right: (back row) Diane Fletcher-Falvey, Sandra Gorska, Armita Zahedianaraki, Hyeson Yang, Wendy Hanna: (front row) Kathryn Shaw, Teresa Rozkiewicz, Christine Belle-Isle

PHOTO: JENNIFER VENTURA

POSTER: SANDRA GORSKA

The play’s the thing

KNEE osteoarthritis

Simple strategies and exercises for daily relief

By Eric Chen

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects millions worldwide, causing pain, stiffness and reduced mobility. But fear not! There are practical, day-to-day strategies and gentle exercises that could help tackle that knee discomfort and hopefully get you back to doing the things you love.

First let’s understand what knee OA is. It is a degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint. Factors like age, genetics and previous injuries contribute to its development. As cartilage deteriorates, bones rub against each other, leading to pain, inflammation and stiffness.

Here are excellent strategies to help manage OA symptoms.

1. Maintain a healthy weight: It’s easier said than done, right? But on average, with each additional pound of body weight gained, there is an estimated increase of three to four pounds of pressure on the knee joint during activities such as walking or climbing stairs. This means that even a small amount of weight gain can significantly increase the load on the knees, potentially leading to more discomfort or pain. By adopting a balanced, healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise, individuals can manage weight effectively, reducing strain on the knees.

2. Stay active: Low-impact exercises such as swimming, cycling, yoga, Tai Chi, balance exercises and walking strengthen knee-supporting muscles without

causing further damage. Staying active promotes joint flexibility and lubrication, crucial for managing OA. It’s important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercises as tolerated.

3. Step into the proper footwear: Supportive shoes with cushioned soles and arch support reduce strain on knees, improving joint alignment. It is time to retire the high heels and unsupportive footwear that maximize discomfort during weight-bearing activities.

4. Practise good posture: No slouching allowed! Maintain proper posture and avoid slouching to distribute weight evenly across joints, reducing stress on knees. Your grandma is right – good posture is the key!

5. Try walking poles! Walking with proper-sized poles helps distribute the load away from the knees and onto the arms and upper body. This can significantly reduce the amount of stress placed on the knee joints, making walking less painful, improving stability and balance, increasing confidence and fun!

6. Low impact exercise! That’s right! Back to staying active! Low impact exercise enhances joint

Rotator cuff injury

By Sue Reive

It can happen suddenly: you lift something heavy and feel a sharp twinge of pain in your shoulder or the pain develops gradually over time despite no traumatic event.

Whether it’s a sudden or insidious onset, rotator cuff tendinopathy is painful and can interfere with activities of daily living. Opening doors, pulling a sweater off over your head and reaching are painful and difficult to perform. Physiotherapy can help in guiding the healing process in rotator cuff injuries and in preventing a frozen shoulder from developing.

The shoulder joint consists of the arm bone (humerus), the shoulder blade (scapula) and the clavicle. Where the clavicle meets the scapula is the roof of the shoulder joint (the acromioclavicular or AC joint). The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint between the humerus and the socket on the scapula. It is held together by a fibrous capsule which is reinforced by ligaments and the rotator cuff (RTC) tendons (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor). Note that the tendon is continuous with the muscle and attaches the muscle to the bone. A small sac of fluid called a bursa lies between the supraspinatus tendon and the AC joint to prevent friction or rubbing of the tendon. The articulation between the humerus and the shallow socket looks like a golf ball on a tee. This allows for a lot of shoulder mobility but also requires the RTC to offer dynamic stability. The four tendons must work together to keep the humeral head centred on its socket when the shoulder moves. If one of the tendons is injured, weakened or tight, the humeral head tends to shift in the socket causing pinching of tendons or the bursa. Indeed, a muscle imbalance can cause poor biomechanics in the shoulder. Often the pectoral muscles and subscapularis are tight, causing rounded shoulders and limited motion. More importantly, the rounded shoulder can cause pinching of the supraspinatus tendon which is vulnerable as it runs under the AC joint to attach the humerus.

lubrication (synovial fluid) which in turn reduces friction, prevents joint stiffness and allows for smooth movement. You can try the following initial mobility exercises:

Knee flexion and extension: Sit on a chair with feet flat on the floor. Slowly bend the affected knee, bringing heel towards buttocks without pain. Hold for a few seconds, then gradually straighten the knee. Do 10-15 reps, increasing gradually. Perform multiple times daily to improve knee flexibility.

Knee/ankle circles: Sit with feet flat, hip-width apart. Lift affected leg slightly off the floor, extending it outward. Rotate foot in a circular motion, moving knee gently. Perform 10-15 circles in each direction. Repeat on the other leg if needed. Knees and ankles are connected, so improving their mobility can reduce abnormal stress, minimizing pain and discomfort.

Calf stretches: Stand facing a wall or sturdy surface for support. Step one foot back, keeping your heel on the ground, and bend your front knee slightly. Lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your calf muscle. Hold for a few seconds, then switch legs. Calf muscles have a direct connection to the back of your knee. By stretching calf muscles, you can alleviate tension in the muscles of the knee tissues, which may relieve stress on your knee joint.

Knee osteoarthritis can be challenging, but with the right strategies and exercises, any discomfort can be alleviated. Maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, using proper footwear, trying walking poles and doing simple mobility exercises can help improve knee OA symptoms. Remember to keep active in gentle, low impact ways to help with your knee OA management and recovery. As always, if the pain and discomfort persist or increase, it is important to consult with a physical therapist or healthcare provider for advice and guidance, ensuring safe and effective knee OA management.

Eric Chen is a physical therapist who works at Glebe Physiotherapy and Sport Medicine at Lansdowne. He is enthusiastic about getting people back to functioning.

Degenerative changes in the AC joint can rub the supraspinatus tendon, causing fraying and damage (tendinosis) that make it more susceptible to tearing. Trauma such as lifting or falling can damage the tendon. Patients will have pain when lifting their arm and possibly limited mobility. Sleep is often disturbed. Tendinitis of RTC tendons is a spectrum; it can be mild inflammation due to micro tearing or a partial or larger full-thickness tear. Tearing is more common in older people due to degenerative changes in the tendon. A thorough assessment will help with the diagnosis. Selective tissue testing will determine which tendon is strained and the extent to which it is injured. Marked weakness and pain on resisted muscle testing could indicate a partial tear. An ultrasound is helpful to confirm the diagnosis if a partial or full-thickness tear is suspected. Treatment varies depending on the extent of injury and the stage of healing. Active assisted exercises to maintain range of motion while allowing the tendon to heal is essential to help prevent frozen shoulder.

With a frozen shoulder, the fibrous capsule tightens up and mobility becomes extremely restricted. Once active movement is relatively pain free, strengthening exercises can begin.

Rest and avoiding activities and sports that aggravate the tendon are important. Most mild RTC tendinopathies heal in six weeks. Partial tears could take six months, while full-thickness tears may require surgery to suture the tendon.

Anti-inflammatory medications and ice can help in the acute stage. When medication, rest and exercise do not relieve the pain, a steroid injection can help.

Rotator cuff tendon injury is a common injury which, if not treated, can lead to reduced mobility, weakness and difficulty with normal activities. Physiotherapy helps to heal the tendon and speed the return to normal activities.

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

Knee osteoarthritis is painful for many but can be mitigated with a few simple strategies. PHOTO: SAMITIVEJ HOSPITALS

30 Years Ago in the Glebe Report

by Ian McKercher

GLEBE NORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

On Friday, May 20 (1994), residents celebrated the official opening of the Glebe North Neighbourhood Watch Program which was organized by Brian Lynch in response to a rash of break-ins on Renfrew Avenue and nearby streets. The ceremony took place at Bank Street and Powell Avenue where one of two official signs was unveiled. First Avenue School choir provided a spirited singing of “O Canada” and “God Save the Queen”. Ottawa Police Chief Brian Ford stressed that such programs help maintain the public good in times of cutbacks in resources. Refreshments were provided courtesy of Jim McKeen of Loeb Glebe and the Isabella Loblaws.

LANSDOWNE RENAISSANCE

On June 27, the newly renovated Aberdeen Pavilion was to be unveiled. The adjacent vast parking lot had been relandscaped with trees, bushes and grass. Writer John Leaning hoped that this was “the beginning of the end of a long-standing feud between the residents of the Glebe and Ottawa South and the Lansdowne Park administration.” He added, “the deplorable banalities of Lansdowne have started to change for the better thanks to the considerable diplomatic skills of ward councillor Jim Watson.”

FEASIBILITY STUDY

Retiring Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG) co-chair Wendy Daigle Zinn announced that a feasibility study of the Glebe Community Centre (GCC) was being conducted as a blueprint for the community’s future growth and development. In 1993, 60,000 people participated in city- and GNAG-sponsored programs at the GCC, and over 80,000 people used the centre. This success was despite the physical limitations of a 70-year-old building not designed as a recreational facility.

BOOK BAZAAR CHANGES HANDS

After 20 years building up an inventory of 20,000 books at 775 Bank Street, Book Bazaar owner Beryl McLeod was retiring. New owners, John and Jane Wyatt, would take over the business in early July.

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

Fred Bradley of 25 Morris Street with four of his eight children, ca 1922.

Zeta and Douglas Bradley, in the back yard of 28 Morris Street, looking north, September 1924

28 Morris Street, before stone facing, ca 1930s

Morris Street historical photos

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GLEBE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. (PHOTOS FROM ZETA BRADLEY OVERTON AND JOHN VINCENT).

The Glebe according to Zeus

John Shappon Ledon of Clemow Avenue, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated that he did not realize he was a possible victim until he stumbled across others on Instaham and Y (formerly Pigger) who had similar stories. “I mean, Ripley the guinea pig just showed up one day, Father’s Day, actually, two years ago. He claimed to be my long-lost pet from when I was a child, said he had been living on the street, looking for me his whole life. He was small, furry, and he said he had no money for food. And I guess he just kind of grew on me. But then you know, he found my credit card. . .and he has his friends over all the time. . .”

John Shappon Ledon’s story is not unique. Connecting on social media, he and dozens of men in the Glebe recently found out they were part of a larger phenomenon of alleged “reunifications” with family pets – or is it the con of the century? These men are sharing their stories with each other and receiving support and advice. Despite racking up huge credit card bills, having raucous parties and engaging in what seems like illegal squatting, no charges have ever been laid against a single guinea pig.

Constable Butchie, renowned rodent investigator, stated that after a thorough review of multiple lines of evidence, the complaints were deemed to be regular family dynamics, with both parties consenting. “Look, the online chat groups were full of complaints about layabout guinea pigs who won’t get a job or clean their rooms. That’s normal with kids these days. Then we see dozens of photos of fathers showing off their guinea pigs getting chin scratches or napping. They add cute captions and get hundreds of shares and likes, including by John Shappon Ledon!” concluded Constable Butchie. Indeed, since the writing of this article, John Shappon Ledon was seen purchasing large bundles of parsley. . .

In the Glebe

By Josh Rachlis | SparkTheGenius.com

Repdigits and portmanteaus

By Michael Kofi Ngongi

Golf fans will know that the 2024 Masters Tournament was the 88th edition of that most prestigious of golf tournament. Film aficionados will know that the 2024 Cannes Film Festival is the 77th edition of that acclaimed cinematic gala. And we all know the Great One’s jersey number was 99.

The mathematicians among you would know that the numbers 77, 88 and 99 are examples of what are known as repdigits. A repdigit being a number composed of the same digit repeated over and over. Another popular one is 666.

Coincidentally, repdigit is also a fine example of what’s known as a portmanteau. A portmanteau is a word formed by combining the spellings and meanings of two or more words (not to be confused with a compound word). We may not think about them often, but portmanteaus are everywhere, hiding in plain sight in culture, fashion, business, science, sports and more. Portmanteaus populate every facet of our everyday language.

Breakfast and lunch got together and gave us brunch. Jeans and leggings did the same and gave us jeggings. Television and marathon combined to give us telethon. From smoke and fog, we

got smog. And what do you get if you cross spot and identify? Spotify. We could go on and on, blending words together to create a new word meaning something in between.

Interestingly, the word portmanteau is itself a portmanteau. Of French origin, it combines the words “porter” (to carry) and “manteau” (a cloak), and it originally referred to a large suitcase. It found its way into the English language courtesy of Lewis Carroll and Humpty Dumpty, who first used one in 1871 in Through the Looking-Glass.

With some portmanteaus, it’s easy to see which two (or more) words are combined (like bionic) while others can be a bit tricky. For instance, guess the words that gave birth to this one: goodbye. Spoiler alert, answer ahead! [Putting you out of your misery: “god be with ye.”]

Michael Kofi Ngongi is a Canadian originally from Cameroon. He has experience in international development and is a freelance writer.

Curbside gardening now legal

By Christina Keys

Thousands of curbside gardens that were previously illegal in the City of Ottawa are now permitted.

Last summer, City Council approved amendments to the Use and Care of Roads bylaw to allow gardening within the city-owned area along the front of properties called the right-ofway (ROW). In the Glebe, this can be one to two metres in from the sidewalk or even the entire front yard.

Previously, only grass was permitted. Restrictions for gardening in the ROW include:

• Maximum height of plants of one metre

• No invasive species

• No rocks, pavers, stones or other hard landscaping

• No trees unless city-planted

• No planting within 1.5 metres of city trees and infrastructure

• Sidewalks must be unobstructed

Invasive species that are not permitted include those already regulated by the province such as dog-strangling vine and buckthorn. These show up unintentionally in gardens. Newly banned plants include species that are intentionally planted and still for sale in Ontario despite their harm to natural environments. These include periwinkle, lily of the valley, daylilies, creeping jenny, pachysandra, miscanthus grass and burning bush.

Unfortunately, all these plants are common in the Glebe. The newly banned plants have not previously been regulated in Ottawa but have been identified by Ontario’s auditor general as invasive. They escape gardens, invade natural areas, displace

short, salt-tolerant perennial that flowers in May and is suited to dry sun or shade. It is an excellent alternative to periwinkle, creeping jenny or lily of the valley. All three are now illegal in your right-of-way, as they present threats to local biodiversity.

PHOTO: DAVE KEYS

native species and disrupt food webs, creating a serious threat to biodiversity in Ottawa. For now, consumable plants such as vegetables and herbs are not permitted in the ROW while city staff conduct wider research into balancing food safety and food security. Watch for public consultation on this issue later this summer.

Suitable curbside plants

Many beautiful native plants are suited to harsh curbside environments. Salt-tolerant plants for sunny, dry gardens include spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata), prairie smoke (Geum triflorum), orange butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and

little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium).

In shade, consider hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) and zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis). Native groundcovers for shade include woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), blue violet (Viola sororia), wild ginger (Asarum canadense) and Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis).

One of the easiest ways to create a new garden bed is to use a hose to outline the shape of the bed, lay cardboard down to smother the grass and add mulch on top. Another method is to lift the sod with a lawn edging tool. Cover the space with mulch right away, or weeds will take over within days. To have free mulch delivered to your door, visit www.getchipdrop.com or contact an arborist.

Whichever way you choose to create

garden beds in your right-of-way, you will be beautifying the neighbourhood, reducing stormwater runoff, sequestering carbon and providing habitat for native insects, birds and mammals. Gardening by the street also allows us to build connections with each other in the Glebe. Be sure to leave yourself plenty of time – you’ll spend more time chatting with neighbours than gardening!

Christina Keys is a wildlife gardener with Garden Releaf, a Glebe-based ecological garden restoration and design company. She volunteers with the Manor Park Community Association to remove invasive species and establish native plant gardens in the neighbourhood.

A version of this article originally appeared in the Manor Park Chronicle

Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a

Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is a host plant for the American lady butterfly, pictured here laying eggs in a ROW garden in Manor Park in May 2024. It is an ideal curbside plant, growing in sun to part-shade locations and is salt-tolerant. PHOTO: DAVE KEYS

Glebe-St. James United Church: building trust and connection

By Pamela Fitch

Healthy churches create strong supports and safe spaces for local communities and those in need of support. As a part of this community since 1905, Glebe-St. James United Church (GSJ) welcomes everyone with open arms, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, culture, abilities and sexual orientation. This is a bold statement in the face of increasing threats and discrimination against the LGBTQ2SI+ community both locally and globally.

Each Sunday morning and in all its communications, GSJ tries to represent the best of community building by creating a place of safety, possibility and trust. GSJ is full to the brim with community building. You can hear it in the laughter and see it in the smiling faces that greet you at the bright red door at 650 Lyon St.

Members were asked recently: “How do we inspire Christian spirit at GSJ?” Geoff McGuire suggested we share a “subversive” message of welcome, kindness, acceptance and respect – “subversive” meaning to undermine the world’s fearfulness, violence and brutish realities. By sharing respect, compassion and integrity, GSJ becomes a safe place, a sanctuary for those in need.

Right relations

At the heart of GSJ’s commitment to community is its learning journey surrounding reconciliation with Indigenous people. Over the past year, a working group called ReconciliAction has investigated how GSJ can deepen its relationship with local First Nations and Indigenous organizations which provide much-needed services within their ancestral territory. The church created a fund for Indigenous communities to support their priority needs to acknowledge our property’s location on unceded Algonquin land. In addition, the Women’s Intergenerational Group has partnered with One Plane Away, an Inuit charity that ensures adequate supplies of clothes and basic items for Nunavut mothers and their babies.

Community space

By providing space and support for activities, GSJ helps the community thrive. Glebe Montessori School has made its home at GSJ for almost 20 years, and the school generously engages with GSJ fundraising projects like the November Bazaar and One Plane Away. Each spring and summer, GMS students and parents work with GSJ gardeners to grow food for Centre 507. The school also offers after-school programs and March Break and Summer Camp programs.

The Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group shares space at GSJ through its tutoring programs, as well as theatre and arts camps in the summer. The church provides storage and recreational space for the Scouts. In exchange, Scouts assist with events like the Great Glebe Garage Sale.

Rev. Dr. Teresa Burnett-Cole was asked recently to share some stories and wisdom about Indigenous issues with the Scouts. She discovered that none of the Scouts had ever explored the Sanctuary or the Lantern Tower. Jim Louter took them, six at a time,

into the attic and the tower where the Scouts could explore all the nooks and crannies and walk on the Lantern Tower glass floor.

Choral singing and community

GSJ has a long musical tradition. Under the inspired direction of Minister of Music, James Caswell, the GSJ choir has doubled in size since the beginning of the pandemic. Choir members expecting to only sing in the choir have discovered the church community in interesting ways. The choir enjoys monthly pub nights. Members sing for individuals who are ill or unable to attend services. The choir sponsors several coffee hours after Sunday services, and this year it hosted GSJ Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday.

Through the church’s acclaimed musical series, “Live from the Glebe,” GSJ welcomed the Ottawa Gospel tour de force, the London Trio Plus (LTP) in February. The LTP taught singers from across the city how to sing gospel, and the group performed a remarkable concert of Gospel standards, spun with LTP finesse and energy. In April, choral singers from several local choirs attended “Why does my voice wobble?

Choral Singing and the Aging Voice,” a workshop led by vocal pedagogue, Dr. Mark Wilkinson. Glebe-St. James provides a choral home for the renowned Canterbury Trebles Women’s Ensemble, also conducted by James Caswell, and a rehearsal space for Hypatia’s Voice.

Finding welcome, safety and trust in one’s community offers a crucial way of allaying social isolation. It is only through treasuring different contexts of peoples’ lives that true communities grow.

Website: www.glebestjames.ca

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/ UCpOcpcBeW0bTwa0vZduCDBg Facebook: www.facebook.com/ groups/2082942205273313/

Pam Fitch sings in the choir, is a longtime member and current Chair of Council for Glebe-St. James.

Socializing with the GSJ choir

Glebe-St. James bake sales on the lawn

Glebe-St. James friends try Dragonboating at the Rideau Canoe Club.

Capital Lead Summit inspires girls across Ottawa

By Tait Gould

On May 6 at TD Place, girls gathered from all over Ottawa to take part in the inaugural Capital Lead Summit. More than 250 girls participated in various workshops, listened to a career panel and had the opportunity to apply skills learned through sport and active living to their lives and future careers.

Fostering an inclusive environment that improves both physical and mental health is vital. After understanding the research proving that girls drop out of sports at a significantly higher rate than boys, the OSEG

PHOTO: OSEG FOUNDATION

Foundation partnered with Fast and Female and the City of Ottawa to create the Capital Lead Summit, a place to inspire and empower self-identifying girls in Grades 7 to 10.

The summit worked towards the

First Avenue Public School

Book Sale donations

First Avenue Public School is accepting donations in May, June and September of gently used books for our October Book Sale Please drop off your donations at the school, 73 First Avenue, Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 4 p m

We welcome your jigsaw puzzles and kids, teen and adult fiction & non-fiction books We can’t accept encyclopedias, VHS tapes, DVDs & CDs, magazines or textbooks

Thank you for supporting our school programs

OSEG Foundation’s mission of improving physical and mental health, leadership and skill development as well as fostering inclusion for the youth of our community.

Interactive workshops hosted by Brittney Gibbs, former NCAA athlete and current Mental Performance Coach, and Molly Hurford, writer, cyclist and runner, allowed participants to feel empowered with knowledge and inspiration to continue their skill development both inside and outside of a sport environment.

The event also hosted a career panel featuring Gibbs and Hurford along with Rosey Edeh, former Olympian and current anchor of “CTV Morning Live”, and Dani Sinclair, head coach of the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team. Seeing these focus areas applied in real life scenarios with the panel of former professional athletes helped introduce various career paths and provide a new sense of direction.

As girls approach the age of 10 and continue making the transition between middle and high school, they are faced with environments that may lead them away from participating in sports. This event aimed to highlight the importance of keeping the passion for sport alive as it can foster a place to develop resiliency, self-confidence and problem-solving skills, all while continuing to be in an active environment.

After a successful summit, the OSEG Foundation continues to find ways to work towards inspiring and empowering more girls in the community. We look forward to the upcoming Girls on the Run 5k event as well as Sports Day the Girls Way coming this fall.

For more information on how you can get involved, please visit osegfoundation.ca.

Tait Gould is a Community Impact intern at the OSEG Foundation, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Glebe Community Association (GCA) is a volunteer, non-profit organization that advocates for a liveable, sustainable and diverse urban neighbourhood.

We work on issues such as neighbourhood planning, transportation, environment, heritage and more. We also organize the Great Glebe Garage Sale.

We are seeking volunteers to become members of our board of directors for 2024-25 in a variety of roles.

To

If you’re as passionate and interested in improving life in the Glebe as we are, we would love to hear from you.

Girls at the Capital Lead Summit May 6 celebrate the day along with the Ottawa 67s mascot, Riley Raccoon.

The Ottawa 25th Girl Guide unit canvassed the Glebe for dog toys, treats, leashes, scratching posts and more to donate to the Ottawa Humane Society. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the Guides for their hard work!

One week on the Arctic Circle

Our trip to Naujaat, Nunnavut

By Zahra Duxbury

There were 18 of us: 16 Glebe Collegiate students and 2 teachers. We flew from Ottawa to Winnipeg, then Rankin onto Naujaat. And for seven days exactly, we Glebites lived out our hyperborean fantasies (for the most part).

Our trip up north from April 8 to 15 was to facilitate a cultural exchange between our two communities. Mr. Yip and Ms. Jansen, teachers at Glebe, organized our end of it and came with us. It was funded by Experiences Canada, which sponsors exchanges to promote reconciliation and learning about Indigenous peoples.

The locals greeted us warmly; indeed, their good-naturedness would set the tone of the whole trip. There was no shortage of cheerful kids with toothy smiles who followed us around, asking our names and calling us “best friend.”

It’s best to get the worst out of the way first. We were hit by a horrible form of norovirus that wrecked our stomachs during the early days of the trip. On the worst night, a line of us crouched before the row of baby toilets – we were sleeping in the high school’s nursery – vomiting our guts out, repeatedly. At some point, one of the toilets clogged and began to overflow, eventually draining the school’s water supply and suspending school for a day. Not the highlight of our trip, to say the least, but after copious Gatorades and a day of rest, we were on our feet again. At least it helped us bond!

Throughout the week, we were lucky to visit many of Naujaat’s local sites. At the town hall, we met Richard, who graciously told us about his work as an administrative officer and the ins and outs of managing a northern community. Our Lady of the Snows, Naujaat’s Roman Catholic Mission, was certainly one of the most interesting churches we’d seen, with its qamutikshaped altar and the polar bear skin and baleen that decorated its walls. At the Co-Op and Northern, we bought gifts for our families and bonded over our mutual shock at certain price tags: “Sixty-five dollars for a pack of soda?!”

Although we may have been thousands of kilometres from Glebe Collegiate, we still ended up spending a lot of time at school. Tuugaalik High School was where we were put up, and we spent many boisterous hours sprinting recklessly down hallways in games of tag or in elaborate rolling-chair relay races. We also visited Tusarvik, Naujaat’s elementary school, where we were greeted like bona fide celebrities by the schoolchildren.

As for the Arctic setting, there are no words to describe the vastness of the land that surrounded us and the sheer awe it inspired. A land of endless rolling white, nearly unchanging but for the hints of mossy rock that nodded to its summer form. A land beautiful, yet unforgiving. It’s not just the cold that could do you in, it might also be a slip on the ice or the claws of the creature we saw stretched out on railings as we walked around town.

It’s easy to define a place by its dangers, but our two trips onto the land were undisputed favourites. We were pulled out of town on sleds attached to ski-doos, which bumped ferociously –and that’s putting it lightly.

The first outing was to go ice fishing. When we weren’t passing the

reel around in search of Arctic char or carp, we sheltered in an igloo or hiked the surrounding hills. On the second outing, we were pulled across the bay towards Harbour Island, where in the old days, bowhead whalers docked their ships. In fact, there are still carvings left behind by these men: “Perseverance, 1885” was one and below that was an etching of a whale. We found this fascinating, for in a world where history usually marks places that change and grow, our Harbour Island was identical to theirs, despite the gap of time.

We saw no whales, but we visited a formidable set of Bowhead bones. In truth, our sightings of arctic wildlife were mostly limited to their skins, except for one of us lucky enough to go Caribou hunting with her exchange partner. There were also chance glimpses of seals from the back of our sled as we returned to Naujaat across the bay. We ran out each time, but they had already disappeared beneath the ice.

Before long, we disappeared, too, not beneath the ice, but into the sky heading home. “So long, Naujaat, you were unforgettable.” But our trip is not yet over. At the end of May, students from Naujaat came to visit us. Our home may not boast tundras or northern lights (oh yes, we saw those too!), but perhaps to them, it’ll be just as wondrous. We shall see.

Zahra Duxbury is a Grade 11 student at Glebe Collegiate Institute.

Naujaat, a hamlet of just over a thousand people, is located on the

Standing here, you are directly on the Arctic Circle. PHOTO: SYDNEY CAYLEY

This space is a free community bulletin board for Glebe residents Send your GRAPEVINE message and your name, email address, street address and phone

Messages without complete information will not be accepted. FOR SALE items must be less than $1,000.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR CENTRE (950 Bank St , Tel : 613-230-5730) is unable to collect donations of books, art, jewellery, elegant treasures or flea market items at this time We are bursting at the seams with items that were so graciously donated to us for our Glebe Garage Sale fundraiser in May Our volunteers who sort, price and sell will take a break over the summer, and we will start collecting again in the fall Thank you for your generous contributions

ABBOTSFORD SENIOR CENTRE (950 Bank St ) Stay tuned for the Summer Program Guide coming out in mid-June In addition, please note that through the summer months, our Atrium Book Store will be open, and people will be able to shop in the Boutique for good quality ladies’ clothing as well as handmade crafts and teddy bears!

ART IN THE PARK is happening June 8 and 9 in Central Park on Bank Street in the Glebe More than 170 artists represented Free admission 10 a m to 5 p m

BRIDGE CROSSING, September 8, 10 a m – 2 p m on National Grandparents Day Connect with the “Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign” Stephen Lewis Foundation, on the Chief William Commanda Bridge, Ottawa to Gatineau Cross the bridge with Ottawa grandmothers to connect with grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa and the Ottawa Gatineau region Add to the grandmothers’ cross-Canada “Clothesline,” raising awareness of this important work and affirming support

COFFEE HOUSES ON SUSTAINABILITY Sat , June 8, 9:30–11:30 a m at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Rd Topic: Climate Risk – Basement Flooding For more information or to register for this free events, please go to www eventbrite com/cc/ coffee-houses-on-sustainability-2828129

FIRST AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL is accepting donations of gently used books and jigsaw puzzles in May and June for our October Book Sale Please drop off donations at the school, 73 First Ave , Monday to Friday between 8:30 a m and 4 p m We welcome jigsaw puzzles and RECENTLY PUBLISHED kids, teen and adult fiction & non-fiction books Please note that we cannot accept any out-of-date materials or encyclopedias, VHS tapes, DVDs & CDs, magazines or textbooks These items do not sell and create a lot of extra work for our wonderful team of volunteers Thank you for supporting our school programs

GARDEN TOUR . . . ABBOTSFORD SENIORS CENTRE is hosting a wonderful fundraiser on Sat , June 22, From 12 to 4 p m The eight gardens on the tour represent the efforts of members to show their gardens, located in the Glebe, Landsdowne, Old Ottawa South and Old Ottawa East Tour participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn and get inspiration from experienced gardeners who can give practical advice on what grows well in this zone and urban setting You can purchase your $25 ticket by phone or in person at Abbotsford Seniors Centre 950 Bank St (the old stone house) Mon –Fri from 8:30 a m

to 4:30 p m

Phone us at 613-230-5730 Have your Visa or MasterCard handy along with your name, telephone number and e-mail You will receive your own ticket/map

Don’t miss this summer’s GLEBE ART AND GARDEN TOUR, to be held on July 6 and 7, 10 a m to 4 p m Come out to support local artists and enjoy a summer day in the Glebe Site maps available in Glebe shops and at the community centre or visit www glebearttour ca for information

ORKIDSTRA END-OF-YEAR CONCERT Join us at the beautiful Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre on Tues , June 11 at 6:30 p m This popular group will spring forth with a wonderful array of music including classical, jazz, choral, popular favourites, music from around the world, a world premiere and much more In high demand for their energy and musicianship, see why Ottawa audiences are calling this OrKidstra performance “the BEST concert”! No tickets are required but donations to OrKidstra are welcome! For more information, please go to: orkidstra ca/events/ upcoming-events/june-11-orkidstra-centre-end-ofyear-concert/

ORLÉANS PICKLEBALL FESTIVAL BENEFITTING BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS (www bbbso ca/events/ orleans-pickleball-festival), Orléans Tennis & Pickleball Club, Sun , June 16 The event is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa For questions about this event, call 613-325-0555 or email jake naylor@bigbrothersbigsisters ca

PROBUS Ottawa is welcoming new members from the Glebe and environs Join your fellow retirees, near retirees and want-to-be retirees for interesting speakers and discussions, not to mention relaxed socializing See our website: www probusoav ca for more detailed information about the club and its activities as well as contact points and membership information We will be meeting on Wed , June 26 at 10 a m at Gloucester Presbyterian Church, 91 Pike St for a presentation by a long-time journalist, reporter and producer with the CBC

LOST

Have you seen Duke? Grey, black and tan TABBY HOUSE CAT is missing Please check your garages, under your backyard porches and sheds, especially if you have a dog If you see him, please call or text 613-724-0044 We miss him!! [Breaking news! Duke has been found ]

WANTED

CARETAKER/BUILDING MAINTENANCE COORDIN-

ATOR Southminster United Church is seeking a caretaker/maintenance coordinator for 16 to 20 hours per week to support maintenance, cleaning and regular servicing of the church building and grounds A detailed job description is posted here: www southminsterunitedchurch com/job-posting Qualified applicants are invited to send a resumé and cover letter outlining their experience as soon as possible to Janet Sutherland, Ministry& Personnel Committee at office@southminsterunitedchurch com

FOR SALE

DISPLAY RACKS for retail display and craft fairs

Includes: 5 steel powder coated heavy duty grid panels each 6’ high, 2’ wide with 3” standard grid, 3 Racks 2’ wide and 2 hook extensions: $200 Please call 613-890-6044

OAK WHISKY BARRELS , 3 large new authentic, secured rings, never used $195 Can be delivered in the Glebe area Call 613-261-4504

DINING ROOM TABLE , beautiful antique Duncan Phyfe, includes one leaf crafted in mahogany Approx 72” x 42” x 29 ” $925 Call 613-261-4504

PEDAL BOAT by Monaco, works great, seats up to 4 people Great way to see the lake or canal $450 613-261-4504

The many volunteers who put the Zero-Waste Living Coffee House together on May 8, including the knowledgeable neighbours and presenters who shared their expertise PHOTO: JENNIFER HUMPHRIES

In Central Park PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN

RUSSELL ADAMS PLUMBER

613-978-5682

Home renos and repair — interior/ exterior painting; all types of flooring; drywall repair and installation; plumbing repairs and much more.

Please call Jamie Nininger @ 613 852-8511.

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1 FOR 8-10 MONTH TERM:

Furnished, fully-equipped two-bedroom apartment with roof deck for rent in the Glebe. Parking, bicycle storage, WiFi, Fibe TV, all utilities except Hydro included. Call Hugh or Carolynne at 613-233-9455 for availability and details.