Kitchissippi Times May 2025 by Great River Media inc.

EDITOR’S

I love living in a democracy

BY CHARLIE SENACK

Ottawa Centre witnessed high voter turnout during the recent federal election, with 81,364 ballots cast. In total, 77.49 per cent of the eligible voters in the riding decided to do their democratic duty.

I’ve covered a handful of elections as a journalist, and I always particularly enjoy watching what happens in the central part of the city. Candidates are engaged, they bring unique and innovative ideas to the forefront, and, most importantly, they are kind.

There is little to no bashing of each other; they don’t make party politics

personal. And that’s how it should be. Behind every politician is a human with a family, feelings and emotions. I’ve seen politics bring out the worst in people but also the best.

This was arguably one of the most critical elections in recent history. That was apparent by just how engaged Canadians were. Candidates tell me they saw it, too. People were more prone to stop and talk politics, ask questions, and give their ideas. People are scared of what’s happening in the United States and how

that could impact us on this side of the border.

Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is quoted as saying President Donald Trump brought Canadians together at a time when he tried to divide us. I think he’s right. Just look at the number of Canadian flags hung in windows, flying on the sides of houses or the number of people boycotting American products and shopping locally instead.

It’s nice to see some good come out of a crisis. But no matter what lies ahead, this country is more united than ever.

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The Kitchissippi Times is an award-winning newspaper that has serviced Westboro, Wellington West, and surrounding communities for the last 20 years. The word Kitchissippi, meaning “great river” in Algonquin, is the former Indigenous name for the Ottawa River.

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Juno Jeannie: Nepean High School educator recognized as 2025 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year

BY CHARLIE SENACK

It’s lunchtime at Nepean High School and music teacher Jeannie Hunter walks onto the stage to rehearse with her clarinet choir. A small group of students assemble in a semicircle, pick up their instruments and start to play.

Ms. Hunter, as the kids know her, is not just any music teacher; she’s a Juno award-winning educator who was presented with the 2025 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year award in Vancouver in late March.

Now back in the music room where

she is inspiring teenagers through the art form, Hunter admits she’s still in shock over the national recognition.

“There is definitely a mixture of disbelief because you hope to win. But it was a great teachable moment leading up to the awards because whether I was granted the recognition or not, nothing about what I have done or will do changes really, right? It was just such an honour to be recognized with such a great group of educators," Hunter told the Kitchissippi Times.

While Hunter has taught at Nepean High School since 2019, she’s been in the

classroom for over 30 years.

The road to winning a Juno actually began when Hunter was a teacher at both Hillcrest and Brookfield High Schools — where she both times received a Music Counts Grant. In 2009 she was nominated the first time but lost.

What made the nomination even more meaningful this time, Hunter says, was the fact it was the first time the award was handed out on stage during the live television broadcast. In the past, it was done either at the gala beforehand or during a ceremony at the winning high school.

HUNTER HAD TO CHANCE TO HANG OUT WITH ONE OF CANADA’S GREATEST PERFORMERS

The entire experience was a Hollywood moment. The day before the ceremony, Hunter and the four other Canadian educators nominated had the chance to watch a soundcheck in the Vancouver Rogers arena.

Just that in itself was a cool enough experience, she said, but was topped later when Michael Bublé walked out to his famous “Haven’t Met You Yet” song. Hunter and Bublé met again the next

Left: Jeannie Hunter poses for a photo with some of the students in her clarinet choir.

Right: A sign outside Nepean High School congratulates Hunter on her win. PHOTOS BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Insert: Hunter with her Juno after the show in Vancouver. CREDIT: CARAS/FUZE EVAAN KHERAJ.

She’s the best music teacher I’ve ever had. She pushes students to go past their boundaries — JOSHUA WONG

day when the Canadian singer presented Hunter with the award.

“He was super kind. He told us that night that the reason he wanted to present that award with his wife is because to him it was the most important award. That was just really validating and amazing,” she said.

Hunter wrote out her acceptance speech beforehand on her phone, but when she realized everyone else would be reading off a paper, she had her sister scribble it on a piece of ripped stationary from the hotel. The Nepean teacher's hands were too shaky to write it herself.

Being onstage was a daunting experience. Hunter was in front of over 20,000 people in the audience and over 2.5 million viewers watching at home.

“I was overwhelmed and I was terrified. I had this moment where I thought, what if they start to play the music and I have to leave the stage and I haven't said what I came here to say? I just had to take a deep breath,” said Hunter. “Michael Bublé was going ‘Do you want me to hold that for you? I’ll just be your holder; I’ll hold everything.’ I’m glad he did that because the Juno is about 15 pounds. I couldn’t really manage it with a microphone and hold onto the speech at the same time.”

Back in Ottawa, students held watch parties and filed their reactions to Hunter winning. She also received dozens of photos taken of people’s television screens, and had heard from countless people she’s crossed paths with, including her grade 7 music teacher.

At Nepean, the halls were filled with excitement. Grade 11 student Joshua Wong said he couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. The clarinet player struggled with music through middle school but found his footing thanks to the support of Hunter.

“She’s the best music teacher I’ve ever had. She pushes students to go past their boundaries. She pushed me to find my own identity as well, something many high schoolers struggle with,” said Wong.

“Ms. Hunter helped me decide that I wanted to go into music in the future. I may have not chosen to do that at the beginning because I felt as though it wasn’t for me.”

Grade 11 student Liam West agrees. He first became inspired by his older twin sisters who took music at Nepean. It was Ms. Hunter who encouraged him to take it a step further.

“She’s very supportive and if you ever need any help, she’s very accommodative and is definitely going to do everything she can to help you. Even when I was first starting out she got other students in to help tutor because she wasn’t as familiar with the base,” he said.

MUSIC SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, HUNTER SAYS

Hunter's passion for music began in the small rural community where she grew up.

“In grade 6 they came and said, here's a random test. If you pass the test, you can go do music in town twice a week in grades 7 and 8. But there was a commitment to do the whole thing,” she recalled.

The rest was history. Hunter, who feels music should be available to everyone regardless of test scores, kept at it and in grade 9 began conducting at a summer music camp.

You can’t tell today, but Hunter says she started as the shyest kid in the group. It was music that broke her out of that shell.

“Music is everything and music is magic. I've taught students that were nonverbal and became able to speak because of the way music builds pathways in your brain,” said Hunter. “I've watched kids build community, find a safe place to be. But I also believe that being involved in making music with other people actually produces more creative and collaborative problem solvers. It engages so many different parts of your brain and builds pathways between them that make information travel differently.”

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VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND SCHEDULE

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Churchill parents protest the closure of alternative programs

BY CHARLIE SENACK

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board is scaling back changes to its elementary program, but alternative education is still on the chopping block.

That worries parents at Churchill Alternative School, who says the program has been a lifesaver for their children. Unlike traditional school programs, it focuses on individualized learning with flexible scheduling. Report cards only have comments, not grades, and sports teams are for all and not competitive.

“There’s no sticker charts or awards. There is no recognition of individual accomplishment. That’s a cultural thing. All the teachers and the principal are addressed by their first names. The idea is to remove the official hierarchy in schools and value each person's contribution to the school community,” said Amanda Case, co-chair of Churchill Alternative's school council. “ As a result, kids aren’t trying to outperform each other or be the fastest. If a student finishes their work early in class, instead of being given a fun task, they are reassigned to help their struggling peers.”

Case has two kids who attend the west end school in Westboro and two others who aren’t yet old enough to attend.

Parents Amanda Case and Rosalind Paciga are concerned about

alternative program being taken away.

While there are plans to grandfather some students, her youngest would not be eligible to attend.

Rosalind Paciga has two children — one who’s already graduated from Churchill and another who is still enrolled. Current changes would see her youngest need to move to Devonshire Public School due to a restructuring of the boundaries.

“The community my family and kids have developed here would be ripped apart from them,” she said. ”My eldest

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started his elementary at Devonshire in a mainstream French immersion program, and it wasn’t a fit for him. He struggled both academically and socially. Since moving to Churchill in grade 3, he did a 180 academically and socially. He was so happy to go to school which didn’t happen before in the mainstream program.”

The OCDSB is making massive changes. While there were plans to change school grade structures massively, most of that has been rolled back. Many

in the Westboro and Wellington West neighbourhoods will still face negative changes due to a redrawing of the boundaries. Several specialized programs set to be cut have also been saved.

However, the board says that alternative education still needs to be ended. The OCDSB is currently facing a $20-million hole in its budget for the next school year and says it’s costly to transport students out of their neighbourhoods.

This is the fourth year the board has been running a deficit, which has resulted in the province launching an investigation into its finances. The Ministry of Education will receive a report on May 30, but depending on its findings, the Ontario government could take over the board's finances.

OCDSB Chair Lynn Scott has blamed the province for the mess and says it’s due to a “misalignment” between the funding formula and the board's staffing model.

Despite this, Paciga is encouraging the board to reconsider its stance and invest further in alternative education.

“I’ve asked trustees to recognize that not all children learn the same way. Taking away the alternative program and forcing every learner in Ottawa into a single one-sizefits-all mainstream program is completely inequitable,” she said. You’re setting these children up to fail.”

Churchill’s

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

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Students are ready to rock the stage at Churchill Alternative’sa 20th concert

BY AICHA CHAMOR

In a bustling music room at Churchill Alternative School, about 50 students from grades 4, 5 and 6 gather in preparation for their upcoming concert, “School Rock,” scheduled for May 22 at the Fisher Park Centre.

The atmosphere is vibrant as students play a variety of musical instruments while singing in unison, creating a lively soundscape. At the front of the room, their teacher, Owen Glossop, sits with his guitar and guides them through a list of songs.

This annual event has become a highlight of the school year that showcases the talents and dedication of the students involved in the music program.

“We’re trying to pay homage to all the previous years of School of Rock, ensuring that every year’s represented on the set list,” said Glossop, who has devoted nearly 15 years to the program.

The upcoming concert promises to be a spectacular showcase of talent that will reflect the remarkable evolution of the music program. Over the years, the students have transformed from merely singing along to becoming skilled musicians in their own right.

“It used to be that kids would sing along while their parents played instruments,” said Glossop. “Now they’re the ones playing drums, glockenspiels, guitars, and ukuleles, so they’re going to put on a great show and try to entertain everybody.”

Preparation for this year’s concert has been extensive, with students dedicating countless hours to their music. Glossop said that they have been working on their performances all year, with various clubs meeting weekly.

The ukulele club and guitar club provide students with opportunities to practice and collaborate on their music. This year has also marked a significant milestone for the program, as Glossop adds that they had the opportunity to perform with the Arkells at the Canadian Tire Centre. He said, “That

Above: Students in the School of Rock are excited about their upcoming May 22 performance. PHOTO BY AICHA CHAMOR.

Below: In the fall, students got to perform on-stage with the rock band Arkells. PROVIDED PHOTO.

was a highlight for sure.”

The concert this year also marks a special 20th anniversary for the program, and the set list reflects its rich history.

“We’ve included at least one song from every year we’ve been doing this,” said Glossop. “If you’ve ever been part of the School of Rock, at least one of the songs you performed will be in the show.”

Students are feeling excited for the upcoming show, drawing on their past experiences performing in front of thousands.

“I was really nervous the first time I performed, but when my group and I got on stage and heard the applause, it felt amazing,” said Violet Caroline Lackey, a Grade 6 student.

“I’m super excited about the show because I’ve never played the drum kit in a performance before,” adds another Grade 6 student. “And we’re going to be in a new place instead of just the usual gym.”

Despite the dedication of teachers and students, the threat of discontinuation looms over Churchill Alternative School, especially after the proposal from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) to eliminate the city's five

alternative schools. This decision raises serious concerns about the future of the program and its impact on the community.

Teacher Ray Kalynuk said that the staff, community, and students are united in their desire to maintain the music program. “I don’t see it stopping for the next few years.”

While he hopes to keep the program intact, he recognized that if the administration decides to allocate resources differently, they may need to adapt. Even so, he believes they will continue to pursue music education, potentially as an extracurricular club, ensuring that students still have opportunities to engage with music.

He noted that there likely isn't another elementary public school in the city with a program as robust as theirs, attributing this to their innovative approach and dedicated staff.

Kalynuk expressed concern about the potential loss of options for students if the program were to end. “Regularly, I hear from parents who say their child is excited to go to school, or they cry when it’s time to go home. That’s the complete opposite of what brought them here. They found a better fit in our alternative program,” he said.

Lorenzo’s Bar & Grill falls victim to the LRT construction

BY AICHA CHAMOR

If you’ve driven down Richmond Road, you’ve certainly noticed the maze of construction equipment that makes it difficult to get around. With structural work complete on the installation of light rail tunnels underground, work has shifted to street level to rebuild Byron Linear Park.

But it’s been a tough few years for businesses along the strip. First they endeared the COVID-19 pandemic, then the loss of customers due to the light rail work. Signs were installed to make entrances more visible, but merchants say it provided little relief.

Neighbourhood staple Lorenzo’s Bar & Grill was hoping business would improve, but it was forced to close just before Christmas. Owner Gillian Danby said they saw a 75 per cent reduction in clientele and are now looking to move to a new location on Greenbank Road.

“Before all this happened, I had to turn people out the door on Friday, Saturday, because I was so busy,” Danby told the Kitchissippi Times. “Now it’s empty.”

Danby said she expected more understanding from the Mayor, given his background as a former business owner. However, when she approached his assistant for help with business taxes and rent, her requests were met with indifference.

“I asked him for catering jobs since there are many opportunities in government. He promised to look into it, but nothing came of it,” she said. “They just talk, but they don’t do anything.”

As her business awaits clarity on a new lease, Danby feels trapped in a situation beyond her control. “We’re waiting to hear back from the property owner. Until we get that lease signed, our hands are tied.”

The lack of support from city officials has led Danby to consider reaching out

to the Premier for assistance. “The city forced us to shut down. It wasn’t our choice,” she added.

She is now worried about other local business owners, like her neighbour Alaa Kiki, who may also be forced to close due to mounting pressures.

“We were crazy busy here,” said Kiki,

the owner of Kiki’s Barbershop. He launched his business in 2024, only three months before construction began on a two-kilometre section of the LRT line.

“I was shocked when I found out the construction was starting,” Kiki said. ”I slept one night and woke up to find the work underway.”

Having immigrated from Syria to Canada in search of a better life, Kiki borrowed $150,000 to start his barbershop.

“I promised these people I would pay them back after a year, but now that year is over, and I don’t have the money,” said Kiki.

Initially employing three people, he has had to let them go one by one as financial strain mounted.

“Now, it’s just me and my son, but he has school and can’t be here all the time,” he said.

Giving up is not an option for Kiki. He works seven days a week, putting in 14hour days without a break.

“My family doctor advised me to stop working and get some rest, but I will keep fighting until I collapse,” said Kiki.

Just next door, Maggie Freitas, the owner of “Flowers by Maggie,” says she is tired of talking while nothing has changed.

Despite promises from the City of Ottawa to promote local businesses during the construction, Freitas feels let down.

“The signs they provided are too small and not visible enough,” she said. “I read in other newspapers that they’re updating locations on Google Maps, but a 75 or 85-year-old person doesn’t know how to use it. This is unfair. Even an Uber driver gets lost three times trying to find us.”

Maggie’s shop name is not even included on the city’s signage, which has further complicated matters. With a significant portion of Richmond’s clientele being seniors, the construction has made access increasingly difficult for them.

Kiki is now calling on the city for support, asking for larger advertising signs and assistance with rent and taxes.

“We are human beings. All we want is for someone to listen to us and help us through this crisis,” said Kiki.

Lorenzo’s Bar has moved out of the Mackellar Park neighbourhood due to construction. Closed roads and large fences made it difficult for customers to get there. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

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The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre’s Backroom Deal

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre is intending to sign a one-dollar, 75-year lease with Ottawa Community Housing to bulldoze a valuable three-acre parcel of cherished green space in Ottawa, while saving the adjacent six-acre parking lot.

Why destroy three-acres of green space, a tennis court, picnic areas, grassy ﬁelds and groves of old growth elms, when a six-acre parking lot sits directly adjacent?

This decision flies in the face of every common-sense urban planning principle—and undermines everything we know about healthy, liveable cities.

But so far, the only answer we can get is: “It’s our land. We’ll do what we want with it.”

That’s not good enough.

All we are asking for is a pause on the lease until an independent, alternative site assessment of the parking lot has been done.

Image Credit: Hobin Architecture

BY AMANDA MCLEOD

Agiant bear statue named Kevin, a shark hanging from the ceiling, and shelves of other wilderness creatures are there to greet you after stepping inside Somerset Street’s Natural History bar. If you had too many to drink, perhaps you would think you were out for a night at the museum or visiting a scientific lab. It’s a strange but wonderful experience.

The rather distinctive drinking hole, full

The history of 835 Somerset St. Natural History offers more than the traditional drinking experience

If only walls could talk, the property at 835 Somerset Street in Ottawa’s Chinatown neighbourhood would have countless stories to tell. Its original structures were built in the late 1800s and were razed to the ground not once, but twice in a very short time.

First came the Great Fire of 1900, caused by a defective chimney in Hull. The fire decimated the City of Hull, sending embers across the river to Ottawa’s west end and destroying almost one fifth of Ottawa, from Lebreton Flats to Dow’s Lake - including any structures at the 835 property.

Then, just three years later, the 1903 West End fire burned through the area encompassed by Preston Street, Albert Street, and Booth Street to just south of Gladstone Avenue.

of taxidermy and other artifacts, was opened by Max Anisman, who’s no stranger to the community. The 38-year-old also runs Ward 14, a bar and consignment shop on Preston Street, which also has a peculiar look as if it came out of Netflix’s hit tv show Riverdale.

“I had Ward 14 for a long time, and the plan was maybe to move it...but nobody wanted to disturb a good thing. So I sat on it a bit, and renovated the apartment upstairs,” said Anisman. Then came the Somerset space.

Directory Archives from the City of Ottawa detail the property at the intersection of Somerset Street W and Rochester Street in 1903 as being “fire swept.” It wasn't until 1910 that a name and business was registered to the property again.

J.M. Guenette, a barber, had set up shop at 835 Somerset W with the adjacent address of 833 housing Richer & McGuire Real Estate, as well as a pool Hall/room belonging to Anthime Richer.

The building would go on to house an assortment of businesses and events for the next half centurythe aforementioned barber shops and pool halls, as well as athletic clubs, and was even regularly used in the early 1900s as polling stations for municipal, provincial, and federal government elections.

toy lovers' Bank Street space.

But the connection goes even further back. The late Ann and Ralph Silverstone, Anisman’s maternal grandparents, ran an antique shop in Montreal. And during that time they collected a lot of historic items that were displayed in “museums” his grandfather had put together.

“My grandfather built all these little cabins in the woods. They were nature people. He also built tons of model airplanes,” said Anisman as he flipped through old photos.

Almost everything in Natural History has a personal connection to Anisman, whose immediate family are no strangers to the world of business. Remember Mrs. Tiggy Winkles? It was owned by the bar owner's mother, Maida Anisman. As for his brother Simon, he runs a gift shop and vintage store called Hokum in the former

“These books were my grandfather’s,” he said, pointing to the wall, as were “the taxidermy, and a lot of the other bric-

While describing it all, Anisman’s focus shifts to the many walls of Natural History, which are layered in a myriad of collectibles — maps and globes, ocean shells and ships in bottles, framed butterflies and moths, and the previously mentioned books, which he has placed on shelves above the bar.

“The books are actually amazing. They were ordered by mail, part of a club, and they’re stuck back there,” said Anisman.

However, there was also an illicit side of things to the legally registered establishments. It seems J. M. Guenette’s son, Jean Baptiste, wasn't content with simply cutting hair.

The Ottawa Journal, in a number of articles dating from February 1936 to June 1937, reported gaming charges being laid against the proprietors for running poker tables - not only a socially taboo endeavour, but an illegal one at the time. On June 16, 1937, Guenette, along with a handful of others, was sentenced to a month in jail for “keeping common gaming houses.”

The property also has ties to another significant part of history. On June 6th, 1944, a young Canadian soldier by the name of Antonio Ladas, a resident of 835 Somerset W, died in the Allied attack on the beaches of Normandy, France. The

Ottawa Journal reported in August a message from George Drew, Premier of Ontario, to the family expressing “deep sympathy in the loss of your dear son.”

In 1981, after years of ping-ponging between pool hall or billiard club owners, the Somerset storefront became the Wah-Shing Grocery Store.

For 40 plus years, it offered everything from fresh fruit to household essentials and traditional Chinese ceremonial clothing. A staple of the neighbourhood, it was memorialised by Colin White, a local artist, in one of his prints in the summer of 2017.

Sadly, Wah-Shing closed its doors not long after the pandemic arrived. The family-owned business had seen the retirement of the original owners a few years previous, and like many local businesses, struggled to remain profitable once COVID-19 hit.

“I don't want people really going through them all that much. And they shine, not because they’re gold, but because they're from when they used to make books a little bit more carefully.”

A quick browsing of the shelves offers titles like The Imperial Collection of Audubon Animals, or The Last Days of Pompeii, alongside authors like Herman Melville and Rudyard Kipling.

In addition to the collection of books, Anisman has decorated the bar in dozens of National Geographic magazine covers dating back to the 1970s. Layered under a protective glass cover, a person could easily get lost in the iconic images.

Even the sign above the bathroom has a deep meaning. The letters are from the former Wah-Shing grocery store, which predated the now drinking hole for over 40 years.

“I left everything I could because I like the rusted out metal,“ said Anisman.

The bar has plans to expand. It’s currently working on a food menu and wants to host events. That could include DJ nights and music nights for the young and hip, or spelling bees instead of trivia nights for the inner nerds.

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Max Anisman is the owner of Somerset’s Natural History bar. PHOTO BY AMANDA MCLEOD.

Liberals win Ottawa Centre and Ottawa-West Nepean

BY CHARLIE SENACK

In a race that many thought could be competitive, Liberal Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi is heading back to Parliament Hill with a decisive vote of support.

Naqvi won the recent federal election with 51,026 votes, totalling 62.7 per cent. His primary challenger, NDP candidate Joel Harden — who previously served the riding provincially — took 15,906 votes, or 19.5 per cent. Conservative candidate Paul D'Orsonnens came in third place with 12,712 votes, 15.6 per cent.

On election night Monday, Naqvi and his team of supporters met at Beyond the Pale brewery in Centretown. He thanked the community for trusting him again and said the work began now to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

“I feel very honoured and humbled by the support from the community,” Naqvi later told the Kitchissippi Times. “We have a lot of hard work ahead of us both in terms of the big issue dealing with Donald Trump and the United States and making sure that our economy is strong not only across the country but here in Ottawa as well.”

On a local level, Naqvi said he’s committed to building more affordable housing. That includes converting former unused office complexes like the Jackson Building downtown, which he’d like to see transformed into Indigenous housing.

“I have been working on that issue before the election, and now that we are re-elected, I want to continue to find a way to complete that project,” said Naqvi. “That’s not to mention housing at Tunney’s Pasture and Confederation Heights.“

This was a particularly challenging election for the NDP, which lost 17 seats across Canada. Many speculated Harden would win in Ottawa Centre, as he beat

Above: Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi won with 62.7 per cent of the vote. PROVIDED PHOTO.

Insert: Ottawa-West Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld is returning to Parliament with 63.6 per cent of support.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

election seemed to be about who would be the best prime minister — not the best candidate, which our electoral system is meant to do.”

With the Liberals forming a minority government, there is speculation an election could be called sooner than four years from now. Asked whether he’d run again, Harden expressed interest, saying he leaves that up to the party membership.

STRONG LIBERAL SUPPORT IN OTTAWA-WEST NEPEAN

Over in Ottawa-West Nepean, Liberal incumbent Anita Vandenbeld is also celebrating another win. First elected in 2015, she saw her best results in percentage and number of ballots cast. Vandenbeld took home 43,553 votes, totalling 63.6 per cent. Conservative Ryan Telford came in second with 18,515 votes, or 27 per cent. The NDPs Josh Bizjak came in third with 4,837 votes, which was 7.1 per cent.

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us both in terms of the big issue dealing with Donald Trump and the United States and making sure that our economy is strong not only across the country but here in Ottawa as well. — MP Yasir Naqvi

Naqvi provincially in 2018.

Speaking to KT after his defeat, Harden said he heard from many voters who typically vote NDP but went Liberal instead to keep the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre out of power.

“I think what I saw consistently was the fear in the eyes of people given

what this election represented. There were people who levelled with me who said they supported me in the past but they are worried,” said Harden. “I’d follow up with those folks on the phone and email, visiting their doorsteps for a second time. It was extremely difficult for Canada’s national third party because this

In an interview with KT, Vandenbeld said she is excited to get back to work on the Hill. She thinks Ottawa and Gatineau will significantly benefit from being made up of all Liberal representatives. The long-held Conservative seat of Carleton, which party leader Poilievre held, turned red for the first time in 20 years.

“It's going to be wonderful to have Prime Minister Mark Carney as one of our local caucus members of Parliament. I think it also gives us quite a bit of voice,” she said. “On both sides of the river, we’ve worked very well together to advance the issues that matter here in the National Capital Region.”

On a local level, Vandenbeld says she wants to see federal lands used for housing. That includes converting a parcel across from the Queensway Carleton Hospital.

‘I'm hoping we can turn that into something where we can work with the hospital and others to build some housing for the frontline workers, but also for people transitioning out of hospital, and perhaps a combination of long-term care.” she said. “We've already started some of the discussions on this on being able to provide that land at a nominal cost, like a dollar a year, to the right combination of partners.”

2. An Ottawa Citizen clipping from September 2, 1921, stating the Springfield baseball team, were declared the 1921 champions of the Trolley League.

When Baseball came to the 1900s Champlain Park cottage country

BY DAVE ALLSTON

In the early 1900s, the waterfront of Champlain Park to Britannia Beach looked vastly different. Rows of cottages and camping parks lined the Ottawa River, providing a summer reprieve for those looking to get away from the big city

With the arrival of the streetcar line west from Holland Avenue to Britannia in 1900, land along the Ottawa River soared in value. For $100 or $200, a person could purchase an idyllic lot and have a spot for the summer to enjoy the cool breezes off the Ottawa River and the shade offered by clusters of mature trees. Due to the lack of water and sewage services, electricity, and the annual threat of spring flooding, yearround residents were rare for a long time. These small communities sprung up all along the Ottawa River, from “Riverside

Park” (now Champlain Park), and out to Britannia. Each small community saw a big uptick of new residents each year.

There were various recreational activities to partake in, but inevitably, organized sports developed as quickly as the resort community itself. The eventual popularity of these sports led to the development of relationships with other neighbouring cottage communities through friendly competitions, and led to a growth of pride in representing your home resort. These little communities were largely self-contained, and travelling to another park for a sports match was a big deal.

This was also an era where organized sports were still in their infancy. Professional sports barely existed. Though baseball and football had their earliest beginnings as sports in the mid-19th

dramatically announce their arrival. There are few records of women playing, and as you might expect for the era, their role fell to organizing the many post-game festivities. The games became almost a full-day carnival for residents. A large dinner would be held on one of the nearby cottage properties, often numbering over one hundred attendees, and the musicians of both parks would combine to play music for dancing and celebrating. A bonfire would often be held, and the party would run well into the night.

By 1911, the games became a major event, pulling in everyone from both the home and visiting resort. For one game, it was reported that River Park arrived in Champlain Park with a contingent of 200 residents, led by a fife and drum band, and a well-rehearsed “rooters’ club.” A number of major league scouts from the United States were also reportedly on hand to see an over-confident Riverside Park (who, before the game, talked about the need to play games against an “allstar team” from neighbouring resorts, as they felt too strong to play against any single resort) lose 16-5 to River Park. It was reported that by the end of the eighth inning, half of the 500 Riverside Park spectators had “left in disgust”!

century in Canada, competitive team sport was still a novelty. Small local leagues developed, and would change how sports were enjoyed.

Spectator sports emerged with community members cheering on their team, travelling by streetcar, horse, bicycle or on foot to watch a “road” game.

With the popularity of baseball surging in Canada, and the game an easy sport to play during warm weather, kids - and even more so adults - were having increasingly competitive games. Soon, exhibition games between parks became big events for the community. Teams adopted nicknames and colours, and would show up for games "fully decorated" in the uniforms they had made.

The visiting team would arrive, often accompanied by a small group of musicians including buglers, to

Finally, in May 1912, after several years of discussion, a Britannia Line Baseball League was officially organized, with clubs representing the small resort communities along the streetcar line. Six teams joined this inaugural “Trolley League” association: Riverside Park, Westboro, River Park, Woodroffe, Springfield and Britannia.

The friendly nature of the exhibition games appears to be somewhat lost with the arrival of a trophy and an organized league in 1912. Management of the league was serious business, with a president and executive board with representatives from each park involved. Strict rules were implemented to ensure fairness, but loopholes in the rules were plenty.

The main issues centered around player eligibility. At the start of each season, all clubs submitted to the league a list of twenty players who would be eligible for the season and who had to be bona-fide residents of the resort. But what determines residency? Teams would recruit top city, Gatineau or even more distant players, and might set up a tent by the water which was their “home” for the

A photo showing the players on the Woodroffe Baseball Club team in 1915.

summer. Did they sleep there? It was a grey area.

It was initially decided that the league would be strictly amateur, in that any player who had ever played a single game of the competitive Ottawa City League ball was ineligible to participate in the Britannia Line League. This was intended to help keep competition honest and modest, but it upset players who legitimately spent their summers at the resorts but were now ineligible. Similarly, residents were cheated out of seeing one of their own play. The amateur rule was relaxed two years after the launch of the league, and the league began to be filled with some of Ottawa’s top athletes.

The 1915 championship team from Woodroffe even featured two future Ottawa Senators hockey players, Morley Bruce and future hockey hall-of-famer George Boucher.

League rules also included the requirement of matching coloured uniforms. Champlain Park was dark blue and white, Westboro was maroon and white.

Some parks did not have their own diamonds. Champlain Park had space set aside for recreational activities, so when ball games began in the park around 1905, this area became permanently reserved for baseball, a space which remains today. Another popular diamond was by what is today Westboro Beach, but was then still the remains of the former Skead’s Mills.

Games were always held on Saturdays, and timed for the end of the game to coincide with the dinner hour, even though games would have been played at the hottest time of the day.

The competition was intense and winter recruitment became critical, so that when parks began to open in May, practices would be held with near all-star

teams of city and local athletes.

Teams also began operating ice cream booths at their games, which generated money to help defray team costs for the year. Some teams also saw their female supporters make and sell popular “booster badges” for which the revenue would help cover some of the team’s expenses.

The league grew steadily in popularity, leading the Ottawa Electric Railway to add special cars on Saturday afternoons to handle the extra fans. Newspapers began running boxscores and game summaries.

The inaugural champion is unclear, but in 1913, Westboro won the league crown. They received a banquet in Nepean Town Hall on Richmond Road, where each player was awarded watch fobs. Dinner was served at midnight, with the party breaking up at 3 a.m.

During the WWI war years, play was largely suspended as almost all of the young men of the parks had gone to the front. There was some talk of organizing a league of female players, led by Champlain Park, but it never came to fruition.

After the war, the league returned in full force, and had even gained a connection to the Central Canada Association, which meant that the league was linked to other leagues in the district, and would compete for a national championship. The league was as popular as ever through the roaring twenties.

By the late 1920s, the league outgrew its humble beginnings, and with the proliferation of the automobile, there was no longer a dependency on proximity to the streetcar line to enable the league. The Trolley Line league morphed into the West End Suburban League. Most of the parks continue to compete in this expanded league, as baseball’s popularity continued to grow into the mid-century.

The challenges of competing with large retail chains are felt very deeply by Pham. With a lack of help, rent and utility bills on the rise and crime, as well as parking problems, driving customers away, she fears she may have to close the store soon.

“They opened very big, big stores,” said Pham. “And some people, they don’t come to Chinatown anymore because without a parking lot, it's very hard. It's hard to compete. It’s all very hard right now. Chinatown changed a lot and even regulars don’t come as often anymore.”

Pham said the success of small businesses is vital for maintaining diversity in the market and ensuring a wide variety of products. She also voiced concerns about the growing trend of unregulated home-based businesses selling products online without any overhead costs, which she believes puts even more pressure on brick-and-mortar shops.

"I pay rent, I pay taxes, I follow all the rules. But people buying in bulk from home and selling it online, they don’t have to deal with any of that. It’s not fair, it’s not fair," said Pham.

Concerns about the economic landscape are similar at a Persian grocery store in the same neighbourhood, which has been operating for nearly 40 years. The store, Shiraz Food Market, specializes in products from Iran and European countries.

Small grocers in Ottawa’s Chinatown struggle to stay afloat

BY NATHALIA LENCIONI

When entering the Saigon Meats and Vegetables market in Ottawa’s Chinatown, a bell tied to the doorway will announce your entrance. Soon after, you’ll hear a timid, chirping hello from behind the register. Hong Pham, the owner, runs the business by herself and has shouldered most of the strain of being a business owner in a

competitive market for the past 20 years.

The small grocery store is packed tightly with shelves containing products from all over Asia, organized neatly and awaiting Pham’s loyal customers. At the back of the store, meats and seafood can be found at an attached butcher counter.

Small independently-owned grocery stores such as Saigon Meats and Vegetables are facing unprecedented challenges as they attempt to stay

afloat in Ottawa. Amid rising costs, concerning crime rates, competition from massive grocery conglomerates and an increasingly difficult economic landscape, the mere existence of these culturally diverse markets is threatened.

After months of uncertainty about how tariffs imposed by the U.S government would affect local businesses, small business owners are still wary of the shifting landscape.

The market is a family business that has been run by different family members across decades. The current owner, Mina Patoo, said that the main challenge for her has been keeping prices stable. The slow pace of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with economic inflation, means customers are more cautious than ever about spending.

"When the economy is bad, people can’t afford as much,” said Patoo. “Wholesale nuts, which used to sell well and give us a lot of profit, aren’t moving like before. But we do what we can to keep prices within a range that our community can afford.”

Despite these challenges, Patoo said the community is what keeps her going.

“I love people, I love our community,” said Patoo. “We have fun with our customers. You know, sometimes if they have no money, we just tell them to pay later. We work together. So it’s a lot of fun knowing everybody, sharing sweets,

Above: Businesses along Somerset Street say rising costs and crime in the area is deterring customers.

PHOTO BY NATHALIA LENCIONI.

Insert: The archway which greets visitors to Ottawa’s Chinatown. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

talking about life. We laugh and we joke. It's kind of like family.”

Patoo said she feels strongly that in times of economic crisis, it’s important to support the local economy by buying from locally owned businesses instead of relying on big chain stores.

“I think this situation with the tariffs is a wake-up call,” said Patoo. “That we need to rely on ourselves and start supporting the small businesses around us. I never shopped at Costco. They always come here and offer me a card, but I said I'd rather spend my money locally. I know it's less money to spend there, but if we all start to buy local, the prices eventually will come down.”

As more and more customers opt for convenience, either through larger chains or online purchases, the question remains - how can small, family-owned businesses compete? Many small business owners are hopeful that the community will continue to support them, and that the solution lies in loyalty.

“I think they're already doing their part very much,” said Patoo. “They come here and buy something - the next day they don't buy it anywhere else. They’re very loyal. Canadians are very loyal people. And that's why I think we will be okay.”

Currently, the biggest concern for Patoo is the rising crime rate in the once safe neighbourhood. She said there isn’t enough investment on keeping a strong police presence on Somerset so that customers and business owners can feel safe.

“Sometimes it's very scary,” she said. “I called the cops a few times to remove homeless people from the store. But I try to be very friendly with them. A few, like four or five of them, come to the store, and I said, ‘Don’t yell and don’t cause trouble, I’ll feed you.’ But it’s getting out of hand. Two weeks ago, I saw people doing drugs in the back of the store. And I didn't get cops involved because I was afraid. Later on, they'd come and break the windows. People are afraid to come to Chinatown after seven o'clock now.”

The La Tiendita grocery store in Chinatown exclusively carries products from Central and Latin America and has served the local community in tandem with a restaurant called La Cabaña for over 30 years. But now, inflation and tariffs are putting a strain on their ability to keep prices competitive.

Mayra Scott, from the Dominican Republic, has been working at La Tiendita for four years. She said that despite rising costs, customers continue to shop at the store to buy products from their home countries, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in Ottawa. But keeping prices affordable is still a concern amid tariffs and inflation.

"We try to keep competitive prices,” said Scott, “even though some products are getting more expensive. But people buy them because they are from their home countries, and they miss the taste of home.”

“Any loss will be offset with a high volume of new plantings and large trees. We will have a common garden and plan to integrate Matthew Perry House into the community, so it becomes a welcoming, vibrant space where people can connect, heal, and grow together,” said Vaccarino.

The tennis court will be removed and replaced with a new one named after a community volunteer who freshly paints it every year.

A counter-petition has been started by supporters who say the Matthew Perry House will significantly benefit the community. It highlights the fact Ottawa is in an addiction epidemic and that demand for service is growing.

Once opened, the treatment program will provide long-term support and recovery to people who have completed initial addiction treatment. There will be between 160 and 170 housing sites in the building, including a special substance use support program for women who can seek more barriers to accessing treatment.

Locals oppose Matthew Perry House being built on Royal Ottawa greenspace

BY CHARLIE SENACK

Ottawa is set to be home to the Matthew Perry Foundation's first addiction recovery center. It will be built on land owned by the Royal Ottawa Hospital on Byng Drive near Island Park Drive.

But some of the locals have concerns.

The Common Sense Planning Coalition, as they are branded, says the site would take up community greenspace, which is well-loved by the

community. A petition page with over 290 signatures calls for the pause of proposed lease negotiations and construction until more consultation can be done.

“While we fully support the mission of the Matthew Perry Foundation and recognize the urgent need for addiction recovery services, we are concerned about the permanent loss of one of Ottawa’s dwindling natural green corridors,” the petition read. ”This cherished green space enhances the quality of life for nearby residents, offering a peaceful

place for informal recreation and acting as a vital ecological anchor in the heart of the community. Meanwhile, a sixacre parking lot adjacent to the hospital remains a viable, low-impact alternative for development.“

The group would instead like to see the Matthew Perry House built on the neighbouring parking lot. But the Royal says that just isn’t possible.

“Parking is essential to our daily operations. It is used 24 hours a day, seven days a week by approximately 1800 staff and Physicians who rely on accessible, onsite parking to come to work and take care of people who are ill in the hospital,” wrote Cara Vaccarino, president and CEO of The Royal in a statement. “Any disruptions to parking would create significant challenges for our staff, and relocating and rebuilding the parking lot elsewhere would be a significant financial challenge for both the hospital and our other partners.”

Vaccarino went on to say the hospital continues to look for ways to minimize any impact on the neighbouring Island Park community. The site is also already zoned for institutional use.

The patch of greenspace the Planning Coalition refers to is technically private land. The Royal Ottawa says it values its grassy area and is working to preserve as much of the tree canopy as possible, including the buffer.

What also makes the initiative unique is the number of service agencies involved. The list includes Salus, the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, CAPSA Canada, the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, and Rideauwood.

The foundation is named after the late Hollywood star Matthew Perry, known best for his role as Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends. A native of Ottawa, he openly battled drug and alcohol addiction and was found dead inside his hot tub in October 2023. Large amounts of ketamine were found in his system, but the death was ruled an accident.

Caitlin Morrison, the foundation's executive director and Perry’s sister, wants to reiterate to the community that this will not be a “typical” treatment centre.

“Within the walls, they will find data-proven recovery programming, a community of residents with shared experience who help each other succeed, and warm spaces that feel like home. On the acres of green space around the building, residents will find vegetable garden plots to tend, quiet spaces to meditate, walking trails, and gathering spaces for activities like yoga on the grass,” Morrison said in a statement to KT. “Matthew Perry House is not where people go to get a taste of sobriety. It is a place to discover and build better lives in sobriety, become an integral part of a broader community, and help others do the same.”

The Royal Ottawa hospital says it has palms to safe as much greenspace as possible. A new tennis court will be built near its current site. PHOTO BY CHARLIE SENACK.

Wild,Wild WESTboro GARAGE SALE the

Proceeds

•

Saturday June 7

June 18–28, 2025 | The Gladstone Theatre

Next month, Plosive Productions will bring a modern masterpiece to the Gladstone stage: Private Fears in Public Places, by the legendary Sir Alan Ayckbourn.

Hailed as “rueful, funny, touching and altogether wonderful” by The New York Times, this richly human play offers a poignant, sometimes painfully funny exploration of urban isolation and the messy business of human connection. Written just a year after Love Actually, it echoes that film’s intersecting lives and heartfelt moments—only sharper, smarter, and more grounded in emotional reality.

Local artist-producers David Whiteley and Vivian Burns, the dynamic duo behind Plosive Productions, are bringing Private Fears to the heart of Little Italy June 18-28. As we go “elbows up” and look for alternatives to all things American, they offer a 100% local take on British comedy. “Ayckbourn like to say of this show, ‘It’s

8am - 12pm

Saturday June 7 Giddy up!

Saturday June 7

There is no rain date.

Saturday June 7

Dovercourt Recreation Centre

411

Saturday June 7

Dovercourt Avenue

Behind the Centre, around the wading pool

Dovercourt Recreation Centre

Saturday June 7

Dovercourt Recreation Centre

Behind the Centre, around the wading pool Proceeds

Private Fears in Public Places

like Pulp Fiction without the violence’ because of its intertwined stories,” Whiteley relates. “But I’d say it’s more like Love Actually with brains.”

“This marks Plosive`s 39th show,” Burns points out. “That includes three other Ayckbourn shows that have tickled audiences pink: his trilogy of domestic comedies The Norman Conquests.” Ayckbourn has long been a favourite with Gladstone audiences, with How the Other Half Loves, Bedroom Farce and Absurd Person Singular drawing huge crowds and provoking huge laughs. In Private Fears in Public Places, he sheds the farce and froth of his earlier work for something still comedic but deeper. The result is a play as cinematic as it is theatrical, weaving together the lives of six lonely Londoners in search of love, meaning—and a decent apartment.

This is Ayckbourn at his most mature and masterful. With his trademark wit, insight, and compassion, he delivers a story that feels more relevant now than ever.

Don’t miss this quietly powerful gem.

• Tickets are on sale now at thegladstone.ca

• Use coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout for a special discount — but hurry, the offer expires May 31st!

Local Canadian Company Pillowpacker Pillows

Celebrates 15 Years in Business

Fifteen years ago this May, Garry Logue and Beth Shepherd launched Pillowpacker Pillows, offering comfortable yet compact home-style inflatable travel pillows to discerning travellers all over the world. As travellers themselves, Beth and Garry knew that Canada had its own cachet and wanted their pillows to be Canadian-made. According to Garry, “We were making them in Canada from the beginning, long before the current reawakening of Canadian pride.”

The idea for an inflatable down travel pillow came from personal experience. Garry and Beth used to bring their bedroom pillows with them wherever they travelled. But preparing for a 2008 kayaking expedition in Canada’s High Arctic with its strict luggage allowances forced them to choose between their down pillows and their parkas. They chose their parkas. While their days were spent paddling the pristine waters, their nights were spent tossing and turning in berths of a refurbished research vessel with pillows “barely as thick as a double-folded napkin,” as Garry describes them. Over drinks in the ship’s lounge, fellow expeditioners encouraged Beth’s idea to develop an inflatable down travel pillow that would replicate the comfort of their home pillows. Design and development began as soon as they returned home. Suffering from neck issues, Beth wanted an adjustable, inflatable inner pillow contoured to the neck and head. She also wanted washable home-style pillowcases in an assortment of colours. Everything had to be light-weight, compressible, and fit in a travel sack. Luckily, they were able to find a bedding manufacturer in Ottawa

that could manufacture to their strict specifications. “We want people to get a really high-quality product that we can stand behind, and if they’re made here, we have total control of the quality and design.”

Several prototypes and many test sleeps later, Pillowpackers launched two pillow models – one in Canadian duck down and the other microfibre. Picked up by travel editors, the Pillowpacker Pillow was an instant success. Orders came in from across Canada, the United States, England, France, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and many are repeat customers.

Over the years, Pillowpackers has shifted to an online marketplace, weathered a decline in sales during COVID, and now faces uncertainties of U.S. tariffs. Through it all, the company remains committed to its local, Made in Canada roots and to delivering travel comfort to discerning travellers everywhere. As their tagline says “Wherever you roam, with a Pillowpacker Pillow, it’s like sleeping at home!”

Today Pillowpacker

Inflatable Travel Pillows come in a choice of the original Canadian duck down and two premium grades of Hutterite duck and goose downs, as well as an ecofriendly microfibre filling. In addition to the luxurious outer pillow, each pillow set includes an inflatable inner pillow, a selection of pillowcases in a variety of fashion colours, and its custom stuff sack. An optional home-style pillow protector and extra pillowcases are available for purchase. Garry runs the day-to-day operations and provides the personal touch on every order.

“We’ve sold almost 1,800 pillows in the last fifteen years and I’ve packed every single one.”

He describes the great satisfaction he gets from the work, saying “It’s been fun and rewarding because I know that people are using them and loving them. Last week, a woman gave us a five-star rating saying she bought her Pillowpacker Pillow for travel but now it’s her bedroom pillow and she sleeps on it every night. And that’s my reward, you know.”

To celebrate the anniversary of the launch of Pillowpacker Pillows at the Britannia Yacht Club in May 2010, they have added a special “Anchors Away” fabric to the selection of pillowcases. They are also offering a 15% discount on all purchases of $125 or more during the month of May (use discount code PPP15 at time of checkout).

Buying local has its own benefits. Pillowpacker charges no tax, offers curbside pickup saving shipping costs, accepts credit cards, and best of all, you can visit “Pillowpacker Pillows World Headquarters” in Britannia Village and leave with your pillows under your arm.

1. Daily kayaking excursions launched from the Akademik Ioffe in the Canadian High Arctic, August 2008.

2. Pillowpacker Pillow replicates the sleep experience of a full-size home pillow

3. Pillowpacker Pillow components with a choice of pillowcase

4. Anchors Away fabric commemorates the origins of the Pillowpacker travel pillow abord the Akademik Ioffe in 2008 and the product launch at the Britannia Yacht Club in 2010.

Mixing things up: How a bartender from The Third is teaching skills in China

BY SIMON HOPKINS

Right in the heart of Hintonburg is a bartender who’s taken his craft across the world.

Marc Bossé has served thousands of patrons at bars across the city, teaches young hosts at Algonquin Colleges, and will soon travel for a second time to teach at a school in China.

The local was called to the profession of bartending before he could even drink.

“I ended up falling in love with the showmanship,” said Bossé.

Crafting drinks is a performance for the young mixologist. He raises the bottle up to the level of his eye as he pours the ingredients out into his mixer, and when he shakes the drink, he does it with great force up above his head.

When he was 18, Bossé attended bartending school on Bank Street with permission from his mother. Once he was 19, he worked in restaurants around Ottawa, including Boston Pizza and the Calypso water park.

After studying at Algonquin, Bossé moved back to his hometown of

Plantagenet, Ont., halfway between Clarence-Rockland and Hawkesbury. There, he worked as a barista and was trained by Ottawa’s Equator Coffee roasters.

Bossé competed as a barista and learned a lot about hospitality and bartending by working in a café. He explained that sourcing the proper ingredients for the perfect latte is just like finding the best flavours to add to a cocktail. And when preparing the coffee beans for an espresso pour, precision is just as important as when mixing ingredients in a shaker.

“There's a lot of precision to it that I took and integrated into cocktailing,” Bossé said.

Bossé became a staple of Ottawa’s cocktail scene working at high end

restaurants and bars.

“I've worked in so many different places in the city, from The Savoy in Westboro to Sur Lie on Murray Street,” he said. He served at Bar Lupulus, Sidecar and was the head bartender at the acclaimed Bar Laurel on Wellington West until it closed in 2021. Shortly after, he moved a block up the street to The Third.

And now, he teaches his craft at Algonquin College.

“I went full circle to now teaching the bartending program,” he said. Bossé also told the Kitchissippi Times that he has recently been selected to update and review the school’s curriculum for their bartending program.

Algonquin College has a partnership with a hospitality school in Ningbo, China, just south of Shanghai. In 2024, Bossé

I ended up falling in love with the showmanship. — Marc Bossé

traveled to China with his partner and new baby, living there for a month while he taught.

“I strive to give and, in hindsight, I was a perfect fit for [the school],” he said.

Bossé was caught off guard by the offer, as it came only two months before he was set to leave when the planned teacher backed out.

“Did I imagine myself ever going to China? Absolutely not,” he said. “But I loved it.”

In June, he’ll return to Asia alone to teach another month-long course. “It'll just be me this time,” he said. “I'm going to miss [my family] very much.”

Marc Bossé has taken his bartending skills from Ottawa to China. PHOTO BY SIMON HOPKINS.

Counter-protesters drown out anti-trans activists on Broadview

BY CHARLIE SENACK

There was a sea of bright rainbows and chants to end transphobia outside Broadview Public School on April 25 as dozens of counter-protesters rallied against a group of far-right activists.

For the third time in three years, an antitrans movement marched down Broadview Avenue to protest against what they call “gender ideology” being taught in schools. Key players in attendance included ”Billboard Chris” Elston — who has rallied worldwide for “Education over Indoctrination” — former Lanark— Frontenac—Lennox and Addington MPP Randy Hillier, and Peoples Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier.

But they were met by an even bigger crowd who made it clear their hateful presence wasn’t welcomed. Members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and allies held signs which read “refuse to be your child’s first bully” and “trans is beautiful.”

One of the counterprotest organizers, Emily Quaile, said it was important to rally behind a community that has been increasingly targeted for their existence.

”The last few generations of queer folk in North America have fought tooth and nail for equal rights, but I think recent clawbacks show us that if we live in an unequal society, then our rights are always at risk,” she said.

In the United States,

President Donald Trump recently declared that the country will only have two genders: male and female. There have

also been rollbacks on allowing transgender athletes to compete on the teams they identify with.

Changes are also occurring in Canada. In Alberta, hormonal treatment, puberty blockers and gender-confirmation surgery for children 15 years old and younger have been banned.

“We just kept fighting the same old thing, and we're still getting beat up on the streets,” said Quaile, who noted she was the victim of anti-queer violence in 2006. “I'm terrified of what comes next because I'm not seeing enough allyship and real support for this movement. It needs to be extremely vocally condemned.”

At times, the demonstration on Broadview got heated, with intense words exchanged between the two sides. If someone from the far-right side crossed over, flags were shoved in their faces, and a wall of people blocked them from passing by.

Ottawa Police said two people were arrested and released under the Trespass to Property Act.

A counter-demonstrator holds up a sign demanding protection for transgender individuals.

BY CHARLIE SENACK.

HELLO CARLINGWOOD

PHOTO

Protecting your home against summer rainstorms

By Patrick Langston

Summer is around the corner and that could mean torrential rainstorms like last year’s recordsetting deluge in Toronto, which caused an estimated $1 billionplus in damage and left many homeowners with a frightening mess to clean up.

More intense storms are just one of the many faces of climate change, according to climate scientists, and Ottawa is hardly immune to violent weather, as we know from the

tornadoes, the 2022 derecho and other calamities that have swept through our region.

With that in mind, here are some tips for protecting the home you love from excessive rain. You should get started on these things now, because when it’s too late, it’s too late.

ROOF

A semi-annual inspection will alert you to missing or damaged shingles, faulty caulking and flashing that needs repair or replacement.

if your property is flat. You’d be surprised how often gutters can become blocked, particularly if there are a lot of trees around you. A word to the wise: unless you know what you’re doing with ladders, hire a pro for this job.

WINDOW WELLS

The simplest way to keep rain out of window wells, where it could get into your basement, is to install clear plastic covers. They start at less than $40 at building materials stores. For full protection, make sure your window wells extend about 20 cm (eight inches) below basement windows and are kept clear of leaves and other debris. Bonus: covers keep wild animals, including skunks, from getting trapped in window wells.

CAULKING

Check the caulking around windows and doors in the spring and fall. It helps keep water outside your home and reduces outside air infiltration that increases your heating and cooling costs. Replacing caulking is an easy DIY task when you know how (again, be safety conscious if using a ladder).

GRADING

Stay off the roof — it’s dangerous up there — and use binoculars to check. An occasional inspection by a professional roofer is a wise investment.

GUTTERS

Keep them free of debris and in good working condition so that water flows away from your foundation. That means regular inspection and cleaning, ensuring joints are solid, and that downspouts extend at least 120 centimetres (four feet) from your home, or further

Correct grading is essential for runoff. That’s especially so with a recently constructed home, where backfill around the foundation can settle, which may lead to water flowing toward your foundation instead of away from it. The correct grading for a home is a drop of two to seven cm (three inches) for every three metres (10 feet).

SUMP PUMP

The sump pump protects your home by pumping water that could accumulate in your basement or crawl space into a drainage area outside the home. Test the sump pump every three to four months (YouTube is a great how-to source for DIY tasks like this one) and keep it clear of mud and debris. Some experts recommend a battery-

Being proactive can protect your home against damaging summer rainstorms.

powered backup pump in case yours fails or a power outage occurs during a bad storm.

BASEMENTS

Don’t store valuable items in the basement even if you’ve taken all the flood-avoidance precautions. Make sure you have a backwater valve to prevent city sewers from backing up into your home if the sewage system becomes overwhelmed in a storm. The City of Ottawa offers financial assistance to eligible homeowners to install a valve and other protective devices through its Residential Protective Plumbing program.

STORM DRAINS

If you have a municipal storm drain or catch basin in front of your property, keep it clear of debris and check it for blockage after an intense storm. It is an essential part of the city’s stormwater management system and helps

protect both you and your neighbours from damaging rainfalls. Cities generally have too many drains to keep them all clear all the time, so lending a helping hand is part of being a good citizen and helps protect your own property.

MORE IDEAS

There are other things you can do to mitigate intense rainfalls. They include replacing paved driveways — which prevent the ground from absorbing excess water — with permeable ones, installing rain barrels (great for watering your garden when dry weather returns) and creating rain gardens to absorb excess water. For more on rain gardens, check ecologieottawa.ca.

The City of Ottawa’s Rain Ready Ottawa rebates program offers financial assistance to eligible homeowners for water mitigation, including rain gardens and permeable pavement.

Patti Brown Broker

Susan Chell Broker

Sarah Toll Broker

Home owners choose Sansin Enviro Stains for their extraordinary beauty, durability and ease of maintenance. Protect your deck with Sansin Deca deep penetrating deck stain.

Logs End is Canadian owned and operated manufacture of exquisite custom engineered wide plank hardwood flooring. Tailored to perfection, our bespoke finishes elevate any space. Renowned among designers and architects we’re pleased to offer premium white oak, hickory and reclaimed wood selections to help you create timeless, luxurious interiors. Visit our stunning showroom at 66 Iber Rd. Stittsville to experience the artistry of premium flooring. Discover more at logsend.com

66 Iber Rd. Stittsville, ON. | info@logsend.com / 613-831-9333 www.logsend.com

Welcome to PostHouse by Azure in Westboro

A Landmark Reimagined

In the heart of Westboro, PostHouse is more than just a place to live — it’s a lifestyle. Thoughtfully designed for modern comfort, this distinctive residence blends timeless character with a strong sense of community. Set in one of Ottawa’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, PostHouse offers a unique connection to Westboro’s rich past while embracing the best of contemporary living.

Timeless Charm, Modern Comfort

Inside, discover beautifully curated spaces where classic charm meets contemporary luxury.

• Striking Architecture: Historic details blend seamlessly with modern design — including a logo inspired by a 19th-century iron grate from the original Lowry home.

• Refined Interiors: Gourmet kitchens, spacious layouts, and upscale finishes come together to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Westboro at Your Doorstep

Step into a walkable world of boutique shops, cozy cafés, scenic trails, and lush green spaces. PostHouse puts you at the center of one of Ottawa’s most vibrant and connected communities.

Dine at Elise

Our on-site restaurant, Elise, is a Manhattan-inspired gem that nods to the past with original Lowry brick and delights in the present with bold, modern French-inspired flavours. Whether it’s brunch, a date night, or cocktails with friends, Elise sets the perfect scene.

Financial incentives make improving your home’s energy efficiency even more attractive

By Patrick Langston

Gasoline prices may have dropped recently, but the cost of heating and cooling our homes is unlikely to go anywhere but up in the coming years. That plus climate change means residential energy efficiency is more critical than ever.

Fortunately, government programs can help defray the cost of reducing our homes’ energy consumption and our bills. Here are some to consider:

Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program, introduced earlier this year and part of the provincial government’s 12-year, $11-billion energy-efficiency plan, offers homeowners rebates of up to 30 per cent for an array of upgrades. The program is open to all households rather than being restricted to those heating with electricity, as an earlier program was.

Rebates range from $75 for smart thermostats and $100 for a new window or door to as much as $7,500 for insulation, $10,000 for solar power and $12,000 for heat pumps. Some rebates require a home energy assessment, but there are rebates for that as well.

Energy-efficient appliances are slated to be added to the program later this year.

The federal Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program provides up to $10,000 for low- and medianincome households switching from oil heating to a heat pump system. The money applies to both the purchase and installation of a heat pump, and the funding can be combined with additional

financial assistance from other existing federal, provincial and utility programs.

CMHC Eco Improvement offers a partial premium refund of 25 per cent if you’re insured through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and working on energyefficient renovations to your recently purchased home.

While the popular Canada Greener Homes Grant program, which issued more than $1 billion in retrofit grants, has closed, homeowners can still take advantage of the Canada Greener Homes Loan. It provides loans up to $40,000 for homeowners to increase the energy efficiency and comfort of their homes. The loans

are interest-free and repayable over 10 years.

Up to 15 per cent of the loan is deliverable up front to cover the deposit on a retrofit.

Ontario’s Energy Affordability Program offers free support to income-eligible electricity consumers by helping them to better manage their monthly

All three levels of government provide financial support for upgrading residential energy efficiency.

electricity costs and improve the comfort of their homes. Support services range from energy needs assessments to energy-efficient appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners and more. Homes heated by electricity may be eligible for an insulation upgrade or an airsource heat pump.

Eligibility is fairly broad, ranging from pre-tax household income ($66,595 for two people) to those receiving the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement or enrolled in the Ontario Disability Support Program and others.

The City of Ottawa also supports home retrofits through its Better Homes Ottawa – Loan Program. The program provides loans up to $125,000, repayable over 20 years, for energy-efficiency retrofits and climate adaptation renovations.

Ottawa’s loans can be combined with other energy-efficiency rebate,

HOMES

incentive and financing programs such as the Canada Greener Homes Loan.

Other financial assistance programs for energy-efficiency retrofits may be available now or in the future at the local, provincial and national level. Check Natural Resources Canada’s Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs for Homes to stay up to date.