Blessed again!

I have the happiest of excuses for my recent absence. Our family has been busy, welcoming our newest family member. Baby Lauren is the first child for Aaron and Karen and a third grandchild for us. Going to the hospital to meet her and holding her for the first time, was pure joy. There is nothing as touching as holding a precious newborn. She is perfectly adorable.

Babies bring out the best in us, of course. Life slows down as we set aside the  realities of our everyday lives and focus on this tiny miraculous bundle. Every movement, twitch, yawn or hiccup, is a source of wonder. You can have a room full of adults but if there's a newborn there, nothing else is as important.

Besides the ongoing entertainment that a new baby provides, there is the  awesomeness of watching the transformation of your child into a parent. Witnessing their instant tenderness and care is heartwarming. For Aaron and Karen, life is changed forever. They now have the toughest and best job around. For us, we get to drop in, soak up the latest triumphs and then go home. As we've been told..."Grandchildren are the dessert of life!"

Infill Housing # 17

# 65 Kenora is history. It was demolished on September 23rd.

Although I notified the city forestry department of this impending demolition, months in advance, the two city trees in front of it were also destroyed. I understand that it would have been difficult to construct the doubles with both trees remaining, but I had hoped that maybe the tree which was on the front corner of the property, might have been spared.

However, upon reading the forestry departments' explanation for this decision, I understand that perhaps these particular trees were not the best ones for this location.

According to the city forestry department:

"All trees are greatly impacted by even a little site disturbance. In this case, the site will be massively altered. The amount of root loss is too significant for the overall retention. Trees will foliate for a few seasons but inevitably slowly die back, leaving the Forestry dept to remove the tree and stump, then replant, all at  our expense.

-Large site alterations and root loss would create a structural stability concern with this Norway Maple, thus leaving the tree to be compromised and a safety concern.

-The Crimson King “Norway” Maple is not suitable to have been planted under the Hydro Utility lines and should have most definitely never have been planted in that location. Both trees were planted under the lines and very much too close to one another to actually thrive for any length of time.

-This species of tree is considered invasive in our region due to numerous ailments and site conditions.

-As the building permits were granted, receiving monetary compensation for the inevitable death of these trees was a best case scenario. We now have more funds to plant within the community, Forestry will require the developer to plant the “Right tree in the right place”  considering the overhead hydro lines. Additionally, building code services collected the $700.00 tree planting deposit per address, to ensure planting takes place. If the developer opts out of the planting, Forestry will also retain these funds and plant through our program." 

However, that first paragraph, about site disturbance causing too much root damage, does not bode well for the decision about the tree I desperately want to keep, at #77.  In fact, it seems to sound the death knell for all trees, who are guilty of the venial sin of living in the path of developers' plans for massive houses.

With the house and trees out of the way at #65, we now have the resulting construction madness of a blocked street, truck traffic and constant noise.

Last Sunday, the excavator worked all day long, until darkness fell. In my last post, when listing the characteristics of living in a construction zone, I neglected to mention the shaking of our house. Some mornings I wake up, thinking that we may be experiencing an earthquake. Then I realize that it's 7 am and work has resumed at this latest work site. I'm no structural engineer,  but I'm guessing that this shaking is not beneficial for neighbouring houses. In recent conversations in the neighbourhood,  I was reminded of perhaps the most serious  problem with infill construction - the very real damage which sometimes occurs to neighbouring properties, resulting in long and acrimonious dealings.

So here's my revised list, of the problems associated with living in the middle of a construction zone:

1. The hassle of having large vehicles all over the street, often blocking driveways

2. The dust and dirt that blows everywhere

3. The workers who sometimes leave garbage around

4. The debris, including the cement that was allowed to flow down our street

5. The constant, ever-changing  NOISE!

6. The shaking of neighbouring houses

7. You can never sleep in.

8. The loss of trees, shrubs, gardens and lawns.

9, The damage sometimes inflicted on neighbouring properties and the resulting stress

Infill Housing #16

Our summer of construction was actually a little quieter than expected. That's because the planned renovation at Elmdale School has not started yet. For families affected by the relocation to a distant school, this delay is a major disappointment. Although I'm very weary of the construction in our area, it seems a shame that project has missed out on Ottawa's best months for working outside.

However,  here on Kenora Street it was business as usual. Most days there were maybe ten or twelve trucks and pieces of construction equipment parked up and down the street.

A typical summer day. On the right is the landscaping job at #73. The street is blocked off because of the work at #79.

This view of the commotion at #79 shows the tree at #77. That's the tree that we'd love to save, but we'll probably be told it is too damaged to keep. It looks pretty healthy to us and hides a multitude of sins.

Many days we felt trapped in our own home. It would have been pleasant to sit or perhaps even nap on the verandah, on those perfect summer days. However, we often stayed inside, with the windows closed, become of the ongoing construction chaos. It's not that they tore down the next two houses, slated for demolition this summer. No, instead we endured the exceedingly slow progress of the two projects at #79 and #73.

It's hard to say which aspect of living in a construction zone that I mind the most:

1. the hassle of having large vehicles all over the street, often blocking driveways,
2. the dust and dirt that blows everywhere
3. the workers who sometimes leave garbage around
4. the cement that was allowed to flow down our street
5. the NOISE !

I'd have to say it's the noise. That's the worst. There are different noises every day. As I write this, someone is loading heavy metal objects into a truck, resulting in loud, jarring, clanging  smashes.
Believe me, if there is a noisy way to do something, these guys will do it. Remember the old days when you would shovel dirt into a wheelbarrow? Gone. Now you have to listen to a mini excavator that beeps constantly, as it scrapes across the pavement to load the wheelbarrow, one painstaking load at a time.

The absolute worst day of the summer was the day we endured this particular procedure. Workers parked their vehicle on the lawn of the lovely house (#77) awaiting demolition and ran a hose out to the backyard. When asked, they told me they were removing fill from the back yard at 79. This was accomplished, not with your old fashioned digging but by sucking the dirt out with this truck/hose contraption. The noise was horrific, absolutely horrific. Inside our house, with all the windows closed, you could not hear yourself think. It went on all day long.

The house across from us (#73) has been under construction since May of 2018. It is their landscaping that dragged on so long. It wasn't the owners' fault. There were problems with the wrong materials being ordered, a change in design for the back yard etc. For most of the summer we looked at this.

The landscaping was finally finished sometime in September. Last week there was a cement truck and other equipment there, to repair the sidewalk in front of the house. They have replaced a couple of sections of sidewalk but there are more damaged sections to be replaced. Apparently developers have to pay for the sidewalk sections that they damage.  The city will be back to replace the other sections at a later date.

With the landscaping finally complete at # 73, we can be thankful that project is finished. However the doubles at #79 are nowhere near the finish line. There are always trucks there, with workers coming and going.

Here's the worst thought of all. There is no end in sight. Even when they finally finish # 79, we have two other properties on our block to go through the same horrible process.

Summertime

As you can tell by my prolonged absence, I have enjoyed our season of repose. It's so true, that getting out in the natural world, away from our ever-present screens, does a person a world of good.  I always feel better after a swim in a lake, a drive in the country, a bike ride, or some time at a cottage.

We are truly blessed to have the entertainment, the excitement and the love of our grandchildren. Time spent with them is a welcome diversion from the steady stream of negative news which threatens to overcome us. Being outside with them was my favourite part of summer.

What fun, to watch kids running on a summer day.

Water fights are just so much fun.

It had been years since I'd been to Toronto's Centre Island. One fine July day I visited there with our grandchildren. What a wonderful oasis! While walking around there, in the vast fields, beside the water, or around the gardens, one can easily forgot you're so close to Canada's largest city. It's wonderful to see so many people, of all backgrounds, enjoying a day away from their regular city life.

Enjoying the merry go round on Toronto Island

The grandkids (and I) were thrilled with the rides on Centre Island. It was so much fun to watch their excitement. While watching them on the boat ride, I had a flashback to my own childhood.

Back in the late fifties and early sixties, Dad would take us to the Ottawa Ex. As a child, I went on this same ride. How did my life slide by so quickly? While watching my grandchildren, I could suddenly remember my own excitement all those years ago. I really thought I was in a boat and that we were in deep water!

Camping at Sandbanks was another special time shared with family this summer. I don't have a photo of the kids' faces, as we jumped up and down in the waves, but I hope I'll always remember that magical time of pure joy.

This past year and a half, since Dad's death has been filled with so many firsts. This summer was my first time back at Sandbanks. As I walked  onto the beach after a swim, on a wild and windy day,  I looked over to the campsites which we've been lucky enough to occupy over the years. While camping at those beach-side sites, Dad would set up a hammock in the trees, overlooking the lake. As I contemplated that area, as I walked along the sandy roads, as I roasted marshmallows with the kids, I was filled, not with sadness but with a profound sense of gratitude. I have been so lucky, to have had all those times with my family in such a peaceful place. When I returned home, Mom and I shared our memories of early camping days and I thanked her for all our wonderful family trips.

Infill Housing #15

Now it's on to # 65. Infill truly is like a cancer on this block. This house will also be destroyed and replaced by yet another set of doubles.

Here's an example of the cowboy mentality of some of these builders. One morning last month, an excavator appeared on the front lawn of this house. You can see the marks on the lawn.

Thankfully, a neighbour ran across the street to confront  the operator and ask what he thought he was doing. Of course he replied that he was about to tear the house down. She informed him that the hydro and gas were not yet dis-connected. Also, the contents of the house were still inside. It took some convincing, but he finally turned off his machine. What if she hadn't stopped him?!

And so, once the utilities are really and truly shut off and the proper permits issued, this house too will bite the dust.  Will the two trees also go? On just that one side of our block we will have lost five of our original houses.

And so we anticipate summer. After this long winter, it would be nice to think of spending some time relaxing on our front verandah. However, there will be a steady parade of trucks, noise, dust and dirt as we deal with three infill projects on our block at one time.

Happy Holidays indeed!

Infill Housing #14

Many residents are saddened when they learn that #77 is slated for demolition. The front of this place has so many unique features and we recently learned that it's on the city's heritage list. It turns out that heritage status offers little protection, other than the requirement that owners provide sixty days notice before demolition.

It sold for $905 000 so that's how much a property is worth here now, regardless of the building on site. It's only worth that much because the city will allow developers to build a double on this size (fifty foot) of lot, in our zone. That's what is planned here. Will either of the families who build, still live there in three years time? Time will tell.

We don't have a chance of saving this lovely dwelling but I still hope that the tree out front may survive. The two Japanese lilacs closer to the house will no doubt go. The tree near the sidewalk is an Amur Maple. It's a city tree with a circumference of 246 centimetres so that qualifies it as a distincintive tree.

It will be some kind of miracle if it survives. From recent tree news in Ottawa, it seems that if a building permit is issued and the tree is in the way of service hook ups like water and gas, then the tree goes. The city's tree conservation bylaws are rarely enforced.

Disregard for trees seems to be a characteristic of all developers. This tree at 77 is not only under possible destruction from its current owners but has also faced attacks from the builders at 79. When they were hooking up their hydro, the hydro company simply hacked away at branches that came anywhere near the new house.

March 25

When I complained, the young man had the nerve to tell me that it would probably help the tree. I reported the incident to the city forestry office and they sent out a forestry inspector. In early April I learned that the forestry inspector arranged to have the maple pruned, to address some of the damaged branches from the hydro connection. They noted that the tree was in good condition for its size and age.

April 10

Next came this lovely machine, to do the gas hook up. All our residential streets now feature these cuts across them, at the sites of all the new builds. Anyhow the operator of this machine also took a few good whacks at the tree branches until I told him to stop. He reluctantly re-positioned his machine.

In early May I had the opportunity to speak to the developer at #79 and I voiced my concern about the manner in which his workers were treating the tree at 77. There was no apology. Instead he told me that the tree was coming down, that the arborist working for the new owners had told him the tree was dead anyhow. At that point, I told him to look at the tree which was full of buds. It is definitely not dead.

June 4

If this tree lives,  it will shield us from the doubles he is building. It will enhance the look of whatever happens at 77. However, I'm not counting on that. Chances are, we'll be looking at two sets of doubles with not one living thing in front of them.  We didn't buy in this area so that we could look at a street that resembles a brand new suburb!

Infill Housing #13

Forgive my lack of updates. Of course, the site at #79 looks a lot different now. Over these past few months I have heard about a few specific problems, related to this build, but I am reluctant to publish them. Instead I will provide a photo update.

March 14

With the walls up, the roof trusses were dropped into place.

Even in winter, you can appreciate why we are hoping that the tree in front of #77 survives. With just a little snow on its branches, it provides a lovely visual screen.

March 25

So by this point we knew what the final size of this project would be. A city inspector checked the height. It complies with the height restriction  for our area, which is 11 metres.

Of course, there has been a steady parade of trucks of one kind or another.

Apri 10

How many of these road cuts will our block have, as infills are built up and down the street?

April 21

With the roof on and windows installed, work has shifted to the inside of these structures.
Too bad they don't match. If they were both going to be a more traditional design, like the right side,  that would be easier on the eyes.

Pot Shop Re-visited

So, I'll reverse my opinion once again. On May 14th  I wrote that the local plot shop was not causing any big traffic problems along Wellington Street. If anyone from Warren Avenue ever read that version of events, they would be furious. The potshop (Superette) is at the corner of Wellington and Warren.

Last week I attended the AGM of our local community association. The meeting was fairly calm until many residents of Warren Avenue voiced their concerns about their new situation. Those poor people. Warren Avenue is only one block long, a dead end street. Until the past two months, it was probably one of the best blocks to live on, in this neighbourhood. Kids played out on the street on this quiet block. No more! Parents are now afraid to allow their children near the street because of the constant stream of cars who, in spite of the dead end sign, come looking for parking on Warren. Because it's a dead end,  they then have to turn around, when there is no parking available. People who have lived on this block for years, said that it's now a living hell. Besides the traffic and parking woes, they've also encountered extremely rude behaviour, with some people urinating on their lawns.

I felt badly for them at the meeting. They are desperate for someone to help them. There doesn't seem to be any easy solution to their problems. What a terrible transformation for them.

Wellington West

If you hang around long enough and write some grouchy oped pieces, eventually you may get asked for an interview - that is, if the young writer is looking for a neighbourhood curmudgeon. That's what happened a couple of months ago, when I had a call from Taylor Blewettt, of the Ottawa Citizen. She had read my 2008 piece about Wellington Street.  It was called Losing a Useful Store.

My friend Christine and I sat down to talk with Ms. Blewett, about the current state of our main street, Wellington.  The area is called Wellington West but it's confusing. There is our Wellington Street and there's also Wellington St. downtown, where Parliament Hill is located. To add to the confusion, our Wellington Street changes names, to become Richmond Road. Anyhow, it was interesting to read Ms. Blewett's piece, with other opinions on what happens when an area becomes so desirable.

Click here to read Ms. Blewett's piece, which appeared in The Citizen on May 9th.

From January 15, 2008, here is my Losing a Useful Store:

When my husband and I moved back to Ottawa in the late '80s, we decided to come back to this end of town, now called Wellington West, because it was a lovely old-fashioned neighbourhood.

There were children, bikes and strollers all over, so we knew we were in the right place. We liked the fact that we were near the Transitway and within walking distance to shops all along Wellington Street and Richmond Road.

While many extol the virtues of this currently fashionable neighbourhood, some of us old-timers are mourning the loss of the way it was. If you think it's a great place now, you should have experienced it before it yuppified. It was just ordinary families walking and biking to small, local stores. That was before house prices went crazy, before people started tearing down perfectly fine houses to build mansions, before retailers convinced us that bigger stores were better for us, and before Wellington Street had all these exclusive baby stores selling infant undershirts for more money than we paid for a second-hand stroller.

At our main corner of Clarendon and Wellington, we had Carver's Drugstore, with a post office, a branch of the CIBC, a video store and for many years, Wellington News -- a great place for newspapers, magazines and cards. The drugstore is now blocks away, at the corner of Parkdale Avenue and Wellington Street. It's much larger and probably sells 50 different kinds of shampoo but I'd rather have the original, cramped store. There was a post office at that corner for as long as my mother can remember (and she just turned 80) but last year, when Wellington Street Cleaners moved to Hintonburg, the post office went with it. CIBC closed their tiny branch, making Carlingwood the closest branch for its loyal customers. The video store and Wellington News are also gone.

At Holland Avenue, we had some real frills: a Laura Secord Store, a Biway, a liquor store and our own movie place -- the Elmdale Theatre -- all gone now. Of course, pretty well all our old movie houses have disappeared, in favour of the flashy, multi-screen warehouses. This year we lost the liquor store. If you want to pick up a bottle of wine now, you've got to go west to the new, (huge, of course) LCBO, next to the Superstore -- the grocery store where you have to walk the distance of a city block to find milk.

I'm not a fan of big stores. I'd much rather go to our local Loeb, where I can find what I want and inevitably meet some of my neighbours. When I do go into big stores, I waste too much time looking for items and waiting in line.

Fortunately, we still have some of our long-term establishments that make life enjoyable: Ottawa Bagel, Herb and Spice, Home Hardware, Fresh Air Experience, John's Quick Lunch, Thyme and Again are but a few. Some of the newer places like the bakeries and restaurants, GCTC, Collected Works and World of Maps, are all great additions.

So, it's not that I'm against progress and new initiatives. I simply find that the loss of basic services to a neighbourhood is detrimental, both to the 'environment' and the community. Back in the '50s, before we had heard of the word environment, our neighbourhoods were actually fairly eco-friendly because we were able to satisfy most of our needs in our own geographical areas. Then came the suburbs, with their houses set up far from stores, necessitating all that driving to malls. Now, as some of our inner city neighbourhoods become more popular, causing retail rents to rise dramatically, many small businesses leave, forcing inhabitants of these traditional old areas to do what suburban dwellers do -- drive to access basic services like banks, post offices, pharmacies, hardware and grocery stores -- in big impersonal stores. With all that driving, we lose the friendly, community feeling that comes with running into the same people as you shop in a small geographical area. Isn't it ironic, that as the environmental movement is constantly encouraging us to buy local and drive less, some of us who moved to traditional neighbourhoods to do just that, are being forced to travel farther?

On my last trip to that Canadian Tire store, I asked a cashier about the new store. "You should see it!" she enthused. "It's so big, it has criss-cross escalators." Well, I don't give a darn about criss-cross escalators. I'll go to our tiny Home Hardware for as many of our hardware needs as they can provide. Unfortunately, they don't have an automotive section, so the next time I need to replace a windshield-wiper blade, I'll have to venture in, to the newest shrine to retail excess.

As I left the old store, I read, once again, the memorial plaque on the front of the store. It's dedicated to the late Trevor Smith , who worked there for 40 years. That's the kind of time it was, when you would shop at your neighbourhood store and see the same employees, people who knew you. That was back when my dad first took me there, when he was teaching us about cars and later sending us there, to pick up parts, downstairs, in the automotive section. There were no escalators, criss-cross or ordinary, just the stairs to the basement. It was another era.

I'm Back

To anyone who has been checking this site, my humble apologies. In an ideal world, I would write regularly. I would also exercise regularly and even sit down and play the piano again. Ah, so many resolutions. My grandmother used to say that the way to hell is paved with good intentions.

Anyhow, lately we have been fortunate to have enjoyed a lovely holiday on the west coast. As well, we have been busy with family commitments.  In spite of all the busyness, I really do intend to make more time for writing. There is no shortage of news about Kenora Street - the drama continues.

I will end with an admission that I was wrong about the pot shop. Once in a while, I'll see a lineup of people on the sidewalk, but other than that, I haven't noticed any horrendous traffic because of it.

Pot Shop Open!

In my February 21st post, about the pot shop in our neighbourhood, I encouraged readers to register their comments with The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. I feel slightly embarrassed to admit that my own attempt to contact that body was unsuccessful . Goodness knows I tried. I made at least three phone calls and did my best to navigate their site. I filled in their form and felt confident when I sent it in. However, I received an email back, that my comment, with an official number attached to it, would not be considered in their deliberations. I'm not sure why, but at that point I just gave up. Pretty sure that's what they were hoping I would do. It was an act of futility. Their minds were made up and the brief comment period was only for show.

So here's what the shop looked like on Friday afternoon, with last minute preparations underway.

Here's what it looked like this morning, about 11 am. It was a relatively small crowd, which was a pleasant surprise. The real test will be this weekend, especially if the weather is warmer than today.

Even with this small crowd, you can understand the concern among residents of Warren Avenue. That's the street that white truck is trying to exit. Having that other truck parked at that corner does not help matters. Warren is only one block long and a dead end. If this intersection is constantly blocked, the residents will literally have nowhere to go. Click here to read their views in today's Ottawa Citizen.

As Erma Bombeck famously said, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." That's what the owners of the Won Ton House Restaurant must be thinking. The Won Ton has been around for years and we've enjoyed many fine meals there. It's on the other side of this corner, at Warren and Wellington. I enjoyed seeing their windows when I walked by yesterday. 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Comfort at the Curling Club

Over this past year I have been keeping a journal of sorts, about Dad's death and my grief journey. Some of those thoughts made their way into a piece I wrote, that appears in today's Ottawa Citizen.
Click here to read it. In the piece I wrote about a special day at Dad's curling club, the Navy.

Here are a few photos to accompany my story:

Dad, helping with the harvest at the family farm in Saskatchewan in 1949. This was after he moved to Ontario. For several years he took the train home at harvest time to help out. 

At Ottawa's Glebe Curling Club in the early 50's. Peter Darcovich, Dad, Merle Brown and Bob McKenzie. They all worked together at the federal government patent office.

At the Navy Curling Club, December 20, 2019.  We each wore one of Dad's curling sweaters.

My siblings and I with our mother, the new trophy and Dad's last curling broom.

Infill Housing #12

February on Kenora Street:

February 4th....Ongoing frustration continued, with long trucks like this one, blocking laneways, with nowhere to pass because of the snowbanks.

February 6th  Cause for celebration! This wonderful snowbank- destroying machine appeared. It was such a relief to drive on a street devoid of snowbanks.

Of course, that transformation was short-lived.  February 12th -  30 centimetres of snow fell. 

The following day was a treat - a real snow day!  Because schools and many offices were closed, some of the young families on the street took advantage of a perfect day to go sliding down the Kenora St. hill. For a short while, it felt like an old fashioned neighbourhood again...lots of people out shovelling, visiting, kids sliding and absolutely no one driving on the street.

Now however, it's back to business as usual. It was raining on February 15th, when I took this photo, but that does not affect construction in an Ottawa winter. The chipboard walls started going up on the double at # 79. 

And yes, the house beside that project? It's official. It has been sold and will be demolished to make way for another double. Ten years ago there were five original houses across from us - all unique and reasonably sized. As of this spring, only one will remain.  There will be seven properties instead of five. We thought our area was zoned for single family dwellings only, but we were sadly mistaken. That zone starts about six houses up the hill from us.

Over the past month we have had discussions with city officials, community activists and fellow neighbours.  Long time residents are pretty upset that our neighbourhood is changing so rapidly. We hate to see the original houses and mature trees disappear, in favour of overly large houses with little green space. In short, we feel that our neighbourhood is under siege. What can be done? The province and the city have a policy of intensification. As long as there is money to be made and builders adhere to the current restrictions, it's full steam ahead. We all live in fear that more of our neighbours' homes will go up for sale. 

Pot Shop !

With profound apologies to Humphrey Bogart,

Of all the streets, in all the neighbourhoods, in the entire National Capital area, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has picked ours!

Ottawa's first pot shop is set to open at 1306 Wellington St. West (not to be confused with the downtown Wellington St.)  Really? Why here? Is it the whole trendy Wellington Village/Westboro thing?

A bit of background: When we bought here, thirty years ago, it wasn't trendy - just a quiet residential area, with stores like BiWay.  There were a couple of schools and regular families could afford to buy here, unlike now.

However, with the city's current policy of intensification, they are stuffing as many doubles, triplexes,  apartment buildings and condos as they can, into every square inch of this area. You literally cannot go on any block of this neighbourhood, without seeing a construction vehicle or a hole in the ground where a house once stood.

As if all this house construction (and resulting truck traffic) was not enough, this summer Elmdale Public School will be undergoing major renovation. That is expected to go on for over a year, resulting in even more disruption and truck traffic.

A few years ago they re-worked Wellington St. itself. Yes, I know. It's called traffic calming. They widened the sidewalks to make them more pedestrian friendly. There were once places for a bus to tuck in, beside the sidewalk, while letting traffic continue, in the other lane. Those places disappeared, in favour of the widened sidewalks. So now, when a bus stops to let off or take on passengers, the entire lane of traffic stops. It is an extremely slow drive along Wellington, between three and seven pm. You can walk it faster.

So now, into this incredibly congested area, the AGCO, has decided that we should host Ottawa's first and only pot shop! What were they thinking? If people drive here, from all over the city, where are they going to park? It's just not going to work.

What can we do? The city has no say in this. It is up to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Residents can make their views known until February 22nd - tomorrow! Their site is not easy to navigate. Go to agco.ca, then at the top of the page click on… iAGCO online services, then click …submit a complaint.

David Wise, of the City of Ottawa, provided me with an explanation of the process. Here are the only grounds on which to complain:

"The Provincial legislation provides that the AGCO may not issue a retail store authorization for applications deemed not to be in the “public interest”, which has been defined in s. 10 of Regulation 468/18 as meaning:

1. protecting public health and safety, 
2. protecting youth and restricting their access to cannabis, and 
3. preventing illicit activities in relation to cannabis. "

As far as # 1, public health and safety, I think this area will be more dangerous because of the influx of traffic. Buses will be even later than they are now. Emergency vehicles will not be able to attend to crisis situations in time, because our roads are going to be impassable. 

And # 2, our youth? How about the grade 7 and 8's who attend Fisher Park Public School? It's a five minute walk away. Those students have the right to leave school  at lunch time. They are always roaming along Wellington Street. It's going to be easy for them to ask others to go into the store and buy weed for them. How would you like to be teaching those kids in the afternoon?

Five minutes south of here is Westgate Shopping Centre, which has plenty of vacant stores right now. Why not go there? There's a large parking lot and no residential neighbourhood would have to bear the brunt of the influx of cars.

There is a limit to how many houses, people and cars this area can absorb. Sorry Ottawa, but we're full up already. Thanks for reading this and hopefully, taking the time to help us out, by contacting the AGCO.

Click here to read about how Warren Avenue residents feel about this.

Click here to read how area businesses feel about it.

Paul Dewar

It's a sad evening in Ottawa. Paul Dewar has died. He served here, in the riding of Ottawa Centre as our MP from 2006 until 2015. He was such a highly principled politician. We were shocked and disappointed when he lost that 2015 election, in the tide that swept the Liberals into power. This riding (and I)  go back and forth between the Liberals and New Democrats.

There were rumours that he was going to run for mayor in last year's election. Many of us hoped that was the case. The last time I saw him was at the Great Glebe Garage Sale in May of 2017. That community wide garage sale has grown over the years. There are not only households selling goods but countless charities that take advantage of the huge crowds to raise money for their causes. That's where Paul was, working at a charity booth. Of course. He urged me to buy a cupcake and I answered, "I'll buy one of your cupcakes if you'll run for mayor." He laughed and said there was a lot of money to be raised if that was to happen. I took it as a hopeful sign. He would have been a great mayor, just like his mother was.

However, it was not to be. Others, far more eloquent than me, have many pieces online, about his career, his illness, his remarkable attitude.  Like Jack Layton, Paul has left a thoughtful, inspiring goodbye message to us all.  In it,  he advised readers to, "concentrate on what you can contribute - to your country, your community and neighbours." He was a real gift.

Click here to read Paul's message.

Infill Housing #11

Some day I will write something positive, something uplifting ....but not today.

It's official now. January 2019 is the snowiest on record for Ottawa, with 97 centimetres,  as of yesterday. It's impossible for city crews to keep up with the situation. Driving conditions are the worst I have ever seen. Many streets are simply impassible, with only one lane. Some are like cow paths with two wiggly ruts down the street. There's nowhere to park. Short drives have to be carefully planned out, to avoid getting stuck. It didn't snow today but it was cold and windy; about -24 with the windchill.

As I have mentioned before, Ottawa used to have a holiday from construction. Truck drivers would haul snow to the snow dump, not dirt. However, this is 2019, the era of extreme greed, so no time is wasted.
As the sun rose on Kenora Street this morning, this is what greeted us.

Today was the day they chose to backfill the construction site on our block.

So, in addition to the narrow street, lined with snowbanks, we had huge trucks blocking our way for most of the day.

The sidewalk plows are also missing in action.  

In the late afternoon I  set out for the nearby residential neighbourhood of Champlain Park. I had to alter my route because of a school bus, stuck in a snowbank. At one point I came to a corner and couldn't turn right or left because of a huge truck and trailer blocking both directions. My only option was to continue along the street, following this excavator as it rumbled along to its next conquest.

This city,  this area, is a madhouse today. As our neighbour said tonight, "With this cold, snow and extreme traffic challenges, you just want to stay inside. " 

Tomorrow is January 31st. Besides being our regular garbage day (Pity those poor drivers),   I suspect it is moving day for the new infill house across from us. That's what we need here - moving trucks!