Infill Housing # 19

Why do I care about this particular infill project;  #77 Kenora? You would think I'd be used to this by now. What's another house lost? Here's why I care:

We've already got enough construction going on, in our area right now.
It's very close to our house, so the resulting chaos will really affect us.
This is the fifth house to go down, across the street from us in the past few years. We've seen this movie before. We already know the ending.
It's a pretty house! Do you think the new doubles will have these interesting features - the stone, brick, bay window, leaded windows, various peaks, a curved archway over the front door? It's highly doubtful.

For a bit of background on this place, have a look at Infill Housing # 7 of November 2018,  when the place went up for sale. And then, Infill Housing # 14 of June 6th, 2019, after it was sold.

Since the place was sold, I have had numerous conversations with city officials about the city tree out front. While I am not entirely surprised that we have lost it, I had held onto some hope that it might be spared. If it had survived, it would have softened the look of these new doubles, as well as the others already built at 79 and 81. Alas, it was not to be. Although just last April a city arborist determined that the tree was in good condition for its age and size, the "consulting arborist" stated that it was in poor condition. Was it in perfect shape? No, it was an old tree. However, maybe it might have lasted another fifteen or twenty years. The city assessed the value of the tree and the builder paid that fee. Down it goes. Game over.

April 7th. One last look.

All those buds, all those leaves, that lovely canopy, lost.

"Essential" services in action

Last Tuesday, in the midst of  various construction noises, I suddenly recognized the buzz of a chain saw and rushed to the street. Sure enough, the two Japanese lilacs in front of # 77 were being cut down. When asked,  workers confirmed that the amur maple would be next. They assured me that they had the necessary permits to remove the trees.

The owner came along and agreed that it was a shame the tree had to go but that if left, it would interfere with the foundation of the new house. Yes, depending on the size and placement of the new dwelling on the lot,  that could happen.

Around the corner, on Java, there's another new house going up. A friend remarked that it was good to see a builder who respected trees. Here's how that building site looks. The owners here, are erecting a house that will be situated on their lot so that their tree survives. The tree out front has protective fencing around it. Existing trees and new houses can co-exist, it there's a will to do so.

Even this small tree is protected

Protective fencing around front yard tree

You wouldn't know we're in an emergency situation here in Ottawa, to watch those trees on our street be destroyed. Somehow tree destruction and house demolition are essential services! When Premier Ford declared that no new construction could take place now, we thought we might be spared for a while. However, any work that was " in progress" is allowed to go ahead. It turns out that "in progress" means that if your demolition and building permits were issued by April 5th. (And yet we recently learned that the work on our local library branch, has been halted. Go figure!)

So, we will be subject to yet more noise, truck traffic, blocked driveways, and general commotion for the foreseeable future, as we pass our isolation period at home. We have a fairly quiet street and there is even less traffic now, so a number of families have been using the street to play with their young children. That will all change, once the endless trucks take over our block, once again.

Welcome to the spring of our discontent.

Infill Housing #18

Nothing says good morning like the sound of heavy construction equipment. Or, more heartbreaking; the buzz of a chain saw. However, before I relate the sad tale of the trees at # 77 Kenora, let me update you on the general state of Kenora Street. It may take your mind off Covid 19 for a few minutes.

My last infill housing post was in October, back in the days when kids travelled in packs on Halloween and took candy from strangers. By January, the doubles, or "linked singles",  as they were advertised, were more or less finished. The builder moved into the one on the right and kept up his efforts to sell the other side.

The black (left) side was selling for $1.2 million

Meanwhile #77 continued to sit, awaiting its fate, still shielded by the huge maple.

                             
                                 Down the street at #65, work continued on the doubles there.

Of course, there are always a variety of vehicles out front.

I must admit that I have no objection to the size of these doubles. They are two stories, not three, with a sloped roof.  Here's hoping that they might be covered in something other than grey, black or beige and that at some point some greenery, any greenery, might be planted. 

At least they won't overpower their neighbours, like this new place that was recently built on Java, one street over.

By the end of February the left side, #81 was sold.

So it's sold. I wonder when the new owner takes possession. Who will be responsible for the repair work to be done between that new house and the existing house on it's left. Here is the "pathway" between those two houses, now, as of April. The people in the house on the left have not had outdoor access to their back yard since the construction started at # 79 (November 2018).  It started with the gaping, crumbling  hole. Now the house is completed but this ongoing problem is still not resolved. Such is the nature of living next to some infill projects.

On March the 4th we were awakened by construction noise that seemed closer than usual. I looked out our bedroom window to see this project starting at a house on the other side of our block. I guess it's some sort of addition. Although it's more noise, I'm always happy to see someone adding onto an existing house, rather than tearing down a perfectly fine dwelling.

Meanwhile, they were hooking up the gas at #65 Kenora.

However, it wasn't usually the residential projects that woke us up. No, that role went to the construction at Elmdale Public School. In the winter they usually started right at seven every day. I'm not sure if they were still working  this past week.

And here we sit, in our "isolation" area, which is really a construction zone. On Java, behind us, we have the Elmdale School project and the house addition.  Out front, # 79 is more or less finished except for the mess between #81and its neighbour. The doubles at # 65 are progressing. You might think that was enough commotion for one block, but oh no. Next time I will continue with the sad saga of #77.

Leadership in times of crisis

Thank God I live in Canada! Right now, I'm truly grateful for the intelligent leadership our government is providing. Say what you will about Justin Trudeau but I appreciate his daily briefings, followed by the press conference with his ministers. Over the past few weeks we have become better acquainted with some of the top players in his cabinet, along with the medical officers of health in all the provinces. I'm grateful that Trudeau and his team are acknowledging and following the advice of Canada's top doctors and scientists.

We even have cooperation between provincial premiers and the federal team - something that would have been unheard of, just a couple of months ago. Yesterday in the National Post, there was an article about how Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, has risen to the occasion. Click here, Ford Draws Praise from Friends and Foes.

It was Thursday, March the 12th, when Ford changed his tune. In the morning, Ford appeared at a press conference, telling Ontario families, " Go away, have a good time, enjoy yourselves."
Only a few hours later his government announced the drastic step of extending March break for two extra weeks. Finally, the reality of the situation had sunk in, as Ford and his team listened to the advice of scientists and public health officials.  Over the past couple of weeks we've seen a new Ford, as described in The National Post:

"Gone is the pugnacious partisanship and populist rhetoric that opponents once used to compare Ford to U.S. president Donald Trump. The premier's regular briefings have instead drawn widespread plaudits for their calm collegial tone, as well as their comparatively progressive content."

When I look at the "leadership" on display in the U.S. and the disjointed efforts by various states, I feel even more grateful that our politicians here in Canada have managed to put aside their political differences and work together for our common good. At today's news conference, goodwill was on display again, as Quebec's premier thanked Doug Ford and Trudeau and his team.

Recently I read Michelle Obama's book, Becoming. I really enjoyed  her observations on President Obama's role. Unfortunately, it is all in very sharp contrast to the current administration.

"Nighttime was when Barrack's mind travelled without distraction. It was during these quiet hours that he could find perspective, inhale new information, adding data points to the vast mental map he carried around. Ushers often came to the Treaty Room a few times over the course of an evening to deliver more folders, containing more papers generated by staffers who were working late in the offices downstairs....Most nights of the week he stayed at his desk until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning reading memos, rewriting speeches and responding to email....I was used to it now - his devotion to the never-finished task of governing. For years, the girls and I had shared Barrack with his constituents and now there were more than 300 million of them. Leaving him alone in the Treaty Room at night, I wondered sometimes if they had any sense of how lucky they were."

"When you're married to the president you come to understand quickly that the world brims with chaos, that disasters unfurl without notice. Forces seen and unseen stand ready to tear into whatever calm you might feel....His job, it seemed was to take the chaos and metabolize it somehow into calm leadership, everyday of the week, every week of the year.....How Barrack and I comported ourselves in the face of instability mattered.We understood that we represented the nation and were obligated to step forward and be present when there was a tragedy, or hardship or confusion. Part of our role, as we understood it, was to model reason, compassion and consistency."

In these regular morning appearances, Trudeau is doing just that. He is modelling reason, compassion and consistency. Thank you Prime Minister.

Our New Era

So I last wrote here on January 29th...a totally different era. I keep wanting to ask, What the heck happened to our everyday lives? Some days, when I wake up, just for a second, I think we are back in the old days. Back then, I used to lie in bed and do a mental run-through of my activities for the day...go here and there, attend to tasks around the house, grocery shop, see family or friends. When I go to bed at night, same thing; I used to glance at the calendar just before going to bed, to remind myself of my commitments for the following day. Of course, all the items on the calendar have now been stroked out. There is no one to see and no place we should go. Old habits die hard. This complete change of lifestyle has happened so rapidly that I'm still adjusting my thinking.

That's part of the stress; the mental adjustments we have all had to make. Like many, I didn't grasp the reality of the situation very quickly. I didn't fully understand or acknowledge the warning signs. Bear with me...For the record, I'll try to make some sense of this past while.

Luckily for us, we have enjoyed a lot of family time over the past couple of months. We spent a week in Florida with baby Lauren, our newest grandchild, and her tired parents. It was lovely to bask in warm weather and I understand those who were reluctant to abandon their southern holiday plans. We returned on February 11th. I don't remember being concerned about the coronavirus then. It was something on the other side of the world, like when there is an earthquake in eastern Europe. It doesn't affect you. A few days after our return, we spent the family day weekend at Elmhirst's Resort  (near Peterborough) with the rest of our kids and grandkids. It was our first time there and we enjoyed this family run resort. Their Sunday brunch is sensational.

The rest of February was spent participating in the kind of group activities that are now forbidden: lounging at an outdoor spa, visiting Parliament Hill for Question Period and a tour of the new Senate chambers, attending a birthday party,  a funeral, book club and exercise classes. I even tried pickle ball.

By early March we were hearing more about the virus. That first weekend, we went to Toronto to visit our grandchildren before their March break trip to California. That was when everything started to go off the rails. Fortunately, Norah and Sean had the foresight to cancel their trip, scheduled for the 11th. I was upstairs and heard them telling the kids, at the breakfast table, that they would not be going to visit their cousins in L.A. I felt horrible as I listened to the kids cry.

That day, the 10th, I took the train back to Ottawa. The woman beside me used a disinfectant wipe on her armrest and tray table and offered me one. That was a wakeup call. Then came all the cancellations: the NBA, the NHL, community centres, all sports. On Thursday, the 12th, I did a lot of grocery shopping, not because of virus preparation but because Norah's family had decided to substitute our house for their California holiday. We were more than happy to welcome them home.

I sure wasn't thinking virus protection that day, as I went to several stores. Pat hit me with the big news when I returned. Ontario schools were closed for two weeks following the March break! That's when I knew it was serious. The cancellations kept piling up on the weekend: universities, libraries, concerts, restaurants, bars, museums, everything.

And yet I still didn't get it. Maybe I was just basking in having our family altogether that weekend. It was only on the night of the 17th, the day before she left, that Norah had to spell it out for me. It would probably be a long time before we saw each other again. That night, as we played board games, she had Choir Choir Choir on the laptop, leading a sing-a-long. When they sang Rainbow Connection it was all I could do, not to weep. What was happening?

The developments over these past two weeks have been head-spinning. Yesterday was Ontario's first day with only essential stores open. Our days and evenings are spent listening and watching CBC television and radio, even though this virus is the only item being covered. It's the only thing that matters anymore. It seems like we are all waging a war against this invisible killer that could be lurking anywhere.

And so we are here, inside. I feel extremely privileged, to be living in a house, in a safe neighbourhood, where I can go out for a walk. I do not have to teach or entertain young children all day long, although we did read some stories over FaceTime yesterday. We'll try to do that regularly. Parent of young children are putting in some pretty long days but what about the parents of teens? How hard must that be! What if our three kids, at university age, had suddenly all moved back in with us, without warning? How well would that have gone? There's nothing university-age kids like better, than spending time cooped up with mom and dad.

For the large families in small apartments, with no place to go, these days must be dreadful. So many of these parents are also, without warning, suddenly out of work. This morning, Davis Blair predicted on CBC radio that Canada's unemployment rate could be the highest in seventy years! If the situation is bad here in Canada, it is going to be much worse for the world's more vulnerable areas. Yesterday Stephen Lewis was on The Current, talking about how hard this will hit Africa.

So, from my place of privilege, I think it's only right to start thinking about how to help, in some small way. It's not possible to physically volunteer anywhere right now, but there are countless organizations, like The Ottawa Food Bank, that could really benefit from extra donations.

"There but for the grace of God, go I."

Standing Up for Ontario Students

(Revised Jan. 29th)

Do retired teachers still care about issues affecting education? Absolutely! There is probably nothing more important than the education of our future citizens. Besides caring about society in general, I have a personal interest because of our grandchildren.

So the current disputes and rotating strikes here, have certainly caught my attention. Last week I listened with interest to CBC radio's Ontario Today. On Jan. 20th  the open line show discussed some of the issues which have led to the current teachers strikes. Then on Jan. 23rd, the show focussed on class size. It's hard for non-teachers to imagine teachers' work days.  If you're working in an office, with adults, it's hard to imagine how a school day, spent with unpredictable children, unfolds. The last few calls to the Jan. 20th show demonstrated that unfamiliarity.

A ten year old girl called in and expressed her concern about the size of her class. She stated that there were 31 students in her combined grade 4/5 class. Host Rita Celli asked her what grade she was in, and when the girl replied that she was in grade 5, Rita said,  "Your actual class is kind of a nice size....You only have maybe 14 kids in your class.... So that's not so big, I don't think."   Really?

Imagine organizing your child's birthday party. Would you find it easier to entertain and keep track of 6 or 12 or maybe 18 little kids? Would you like to have 30 kids at that party? However, it's only a party. There are no learning objectives to pass along. There will be no assessment of their learning at the end of the party. All you have to do is entertain and feed them. Still, would you not find it easier to keep track of a dozen of them?

That teacher has 31 bodies in a classroom. With desks, chairs and equipment they hardly have any room to move. It's a combined grade. That teacher has to teach both the grade 4 and the grade 5 curricula. Sure, if the teacher had only 15, grade 5 students that would be a great class size. However, this teacher has to keep her grade 4 class engaged in meaningful tasks, while she teaches the grade 5 class. The age and ability spread in any split grade is often very wide. You may have students in the grade 4 class with learning disabilities who are barely reading and writing. At the same time there may be gifted grade 5 students who are functioning at a grade 8 level. Add to that, the students with various special needs. It would not be unusual to have a number of students with behaviour problems and some ESL kids.  Ontario has welcomed many new Canadians in the past few years. How well are we serving their needs? There may be an autistic student, or others with hearing or visual impairments. 

Following that girl's call, there was a call from a retired teacher. She stated that she was tired of today's teachers complaining about their jobs. When she was teaching,  she was dedicated to her students, taught large classes and everything was fine. She thinks that today's teachers only want more money.

Fortunately, Rita Celli asked her when she retired from teaching. It was in the 1970s!  That's when I started teaching. It was a whole different ballgame back then. Teaching was a lot less complicated than it is today. There were more special education classes. (Today those students are all in regular classes.)  The curriculum was not so involved. IEPs (individual education plans) were unheard of.  I must confess that I did not have a good understanding of learning disabilities or autism back then. Any ESL students had their own classes and teachers.

I taught for 4 years in the 70's, then took a long time off with my own children, before returning to the classroom. My last eight years were spent as a special education teacher. Education in general and teacher expectations in particular, have really changed since the 70's.

In the 80's, our family was very grateful for the Learning Disabilities classes that existed in Ontario. Those classes, which were limited to 8 students, were a wonderful place for LD students to receive intensive instruction for a few years, before being re-integrated into regular classes. Sadly, LD classes are long gone, making school life so much more difficult for LD students, as they struggle to keep up with their classmates.

Today's teachers are called upon to teach large classes, composed of students with a variety of needs and abilities. We start kids in school when they are barely 4 and push them along, year after year, regardless of their achievements.

Just a few months ago, this same radio show, Ontario Today, held a two day discussion on the failure of Ontario schools to teach many students to read. This was based on Ontario's human rights commissioner announcing a study on the issue. "Today, (Oct. 3, 2019) the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched Right to Read, a public inquiry into human rights issues that affect students with reading disabilities in Ontario’s public education system."

Well folks,  let's connect the dots here. We have a large homeless population, we have too many people in jails, crime and violence are increasing. Many of these problems can be traced back to the failure of our education system to address the complicated needs of our students. The problems that exist in Ontario's schools are not going to be resolved with less professionals in our schools.

According to the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario website:

• 1 In 10 people in Ontario are impacted.(by learning disabilities)
• 35% Of students with LDs drop out of school
• 62% of students with LDs will be unemployed a year after graduation
• 36% of youth in correctional facilities have specific learning disabilities.
• Almost 50% of adolescent suicides have a diagnosis of an LD. 

 These strikes are about the quality of our schools, class size, the student/teacher ratio and the impersonal, inadequate nature of e-learning. These strikes are about the future of Ontario's society. We need more trained professionals (special education teachers, ESL teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers, speech and language pathologists) in our schools, not less. E-learning cannot replace a caring knowledgeable teacher.

Education is not a simple business. It is a complicated, vital aspect of society. How Ontario's students emerge from high school will affect all of us, in countless ways. We need to take care of them while they are young, if we expect them to take care of us, when they are older.

You Can't Ask That

Happy New Year! Long time no talk to! No need to bore you with excuses for my prolonged absence. Real life just gets in the way. Of course I'd like to blog more regularly. For that, I need more self- discipline and help from my readers. If you might take the time to send a comment to this site or a quick email, with any feedback, that might give me the kick in the pants  I need. No long essays required - just a quick yay or nay would be appreciated. Many thanks.

I'd like to get back to this blog by recommending a tv show on CBC.  It's called You Can't Ask That. Here's a description from their site:

"Each episode asks a group of people with the same disability the awkward, inappropriate or uncomfortable questions you are too afraid to ask. It's an audacious, touching and funny series that is guaranteed to challenge everyone's assumptions about life with a disability."

That may not sound like riveting  entertainment but it is. You can't help but watch and listen, as these very brave individuals answer extremely personal questions. So far we have seen an episode with wheelchair users and another with people living with Tourette Syndrome. It's very touching to listen to their responses. If I needed another new years resolution, it would be to try to remember the experiences of these people and to act with increased understanding when I meet people with disabilities. The physical differences are obvious and should be more easy to appreciate. However, there are often invisible handicaps (like Tourette Syndrome) which require more patience and understanding than many of us often exhibit.

Congratulations to everyone involved with this excellent production, which airs on Friday evenings at 8:30.
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A series of coincidences, perhaps?

After posting that on Saturday, I listened to Mary Hynes show, Tapestry, on CBC radio on Sunday. She had a very interesting discussion with California writer s.e.smith, about how disabled people are depicted in modern media and how this contributes to social stigma.

"A pretty big percentage of disability is actually what some people call invisible or non-evident disability," they said. "Where you see someone sitting on a seat on the train who looks just like a non-disabled person, or you see a popular actress appearing on a daytime talk show, and she looks like a non-disabled person, but maybe she has a mental health condition or maybe she has a congenital illness that is not visible."

Click here to listen to the whole program.

And last but not least, in  Saturday's Ottawa Citizen, I read about a one armed golfer, Canadian Laurent Hurtubise, who recently got a hole-in-one at a PGA event in California! 

Yet another reason to re-think our attitudes about folks with "disabilities."

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!"