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.