Western LRT – Planning and Environmental Assessment Process Has Begun

Check out this report on the Hampton Iona Community Group web site.

Reactions to the Lansdowne Park plans

From the Old Ottawa South Community Association:

PDF

OOS Flyer

and from the http://www.friendsoflansdownepark.ca/

PDF

Lansdowne Transportation Report (June21)

also check out http://www.letsgetitright.ca/

We’ve changed our name

At the Annual General Meeting held on May 19, 2010, members present voted in favour of changing the name of our community association to the Wellington Village Community Association.

Wellington W Blooms!

From our friends at the Wellington West BIA:
Event Date: May 16, 2010

Event Time: 10 am to 4 pm

Location: Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St W

Celebrate the coming of spring… and just in time to plant your own garden, come and get tips and a demonstration of container gardening from author, radio personality and master gardener Ed Lawrence!

On Sunday, May 16, 2010, from 10 am – 4 pm, the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) and Wellington West BIA present Wellington Blooms: a Spring-inspired trade show for the whole family!

Highlights include:
- Ed Lawrence’s demonstration and gardening Q&A, starting at 11am.

- A mini trade show exhibited in the lower lobby with gardening books available for sale by Collected Works, as well as beeswax artworks, handmade chocolates, handbags, and more, by local artists.

- In the upper lobby, vibrant artwork by Mark Seabrook on display at the Fritzi Gallery.

- Enter a free draw to win a gorgeous Spring Bouquet, courtesy of O’Callaghan Floral at the Parkdale Market.

- This event is FREE.

GCTC is located at 1233 Wellington St We st, at the corner of Holland Ave. It is easily accessible by public transit. Parking is available across the street behind The Table restaurant or along Wellington St W.

Please note: Parkdale Market is now open for the season! Bedding plants, hanging baskets and cut flowers are available. Hurray for Spring!

For info, call Kerry Beckett at 613-236-5192 ext 312 or e-mail email hidden; JavaScript is required

Convent rezoning application

Our friends with the Westboro Community Association posted this news about a rezoning application for the Convent site:

http://lovewestboro.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/convent-rezoning-application/

Newswest Student Writing Contest

Newswest, Kitchissippi’s volunteer-run community newspaper invites high school students 14-18 either
resident or attending school in Kitchissippi Ward to submit entries on the theme of “Community”. First prize
will be an iPod Touch; the runner up will win a second-gen iPod Shuffle.

Topic suggestions include (or develop your own!):

What does “community” mean?
Why is community important?
What communities do you consider yourself part of?
How can you make a positive impact in your community?

1500-word maximum / Deadline for submission is May 15, 2010 / Winners announcement June 17, 2010

Entries will be judged on clarity and logic, the effective use of rhetorical and metaphorical devices, ageappropriate
vocabulary, originality, and emotional appeal.
Send entries and inquiries to email hidden; JavaScript is required. Include your full name, age, address, and school.
www.newswest.org

Entries will be judged by a panel of Kitchissippi bloggers:
Bob LeDrew, FlackLife blogger (www.translucid.ca)
Vicky Smallman, Miss Vicky’s Offhand Remarks (www.offhand.ca) blogger
Andrea Tomkins, a peek inside the fishbowl blogger (www.quietfish.com/notebook)

Historic Designation for the Soeur de la Visitation Convent and Site

From the Hampton Iona Community Group:

On April 14, City Council will be debating whether to give the Soeur de la Visitation site heritage status.  Staff recommended that the convent and the land north of the convent to Richmond Road should receive heritage status.  Planning Committee overruled this recommendation and voted to give the convent and the entire site heritage status.  While this would not prevent Ashcroft from developing the site, by giving the entire site heritage status, Ashcroft will have to be much more respectful of the site and the site lines of the convent building from the surrounding community.  Development will have to take into account not just the convent building but its relationship to the site as well.  In addition, unlike the zoning approvals that will be required, heritage designation cannot be appealed to the OMB.
 
It is important that the full Council agrees to give the entire site heritage status.  Councillor Leadman has been lobbying her fellow councillors and it appears that there is good support to give the entire site heritage status.  That being said, our community needs to support this initiative.  Living next to the convent, we have a unique perspective on what it has meant to our community which we should share with councillors throughout the city.   That being said, while it would be useful for all of us to write/email the various city councillors and mayor, councillors outside of the area are much more likely to listen if they hear from their own constituents.  If you have friends or family in other parts of the City, please ask them to also write their councillors on this issue.
 
Ottawa is not a city with a lot of heritage buildings.  It is important that we preserve what we have, especially those buildings that are as unique architecturally and historically and as well maintained as the Soeur de la Visitation Convent.  As this was a cloistered convent, the 5 acres on which it sits, played an important part in its history.  The Sisters seldom left the property so this site was in effect their entire world.  To only designate the building and part of the land would not give proper appreciation to the full meaning of the site or the nature of life behind the walls of the convent.
 
Interestingly, the City’s Heritage Report refers to the site as a monastery.  For those of you unaware, a convent that is cloistered is also referred to as a monastery.

Councillor Christine Leadman has released the slides and handout that were prepared for her 31st March Community Meeting on the convent development.  They can be found here.

Also, there are still spots available for those interested in participating in the 10 April charette concerning uses for the convent building.  For more information, please see here.

HICG has been maintaining a list of meetings, documents, and press clipping concerning the development.  Information can be found here.  Please feel free to leave your comments on the development at the bottom of the page.

www.hamptoniona.ca

The Convent

Our friends in the Hampton Iona Community Group have a page on their site on the Soeurs de la Visitation Convent development by Ashcroft Homes.

http://hamptoniona.wordpress.com/convent/ 

Keep an eye on this page, and also this WWCA site, as things develop.

Les Soeurs de la Visitation convent

For those interested but who were unable to make the February 1 meeting, the Westboro Community Association has posted the presentation given by the Ashcroft architect at the Feb. 1 public meeting on Planning and Design Guidelines for the Convent site:

http://lovewestboro.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/presentation-feb10.pdf

Also, here is a link to Ken Gray’s Citizen column on the same subject:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/columnists/will+speak+convent/2543702/story.html

OC Transpo Route 18

from Councillor Leadman’s office:

Hello Everyone,

Marc Chenier, a member of the Champlain Park Community Association who is spearheading the 18 petition, sent this information along to me regarding the petition and asked me to pass it along to all of you . If you know of any members of your community affected by the cancellation of Route 18 who would like to participate, could you please pass this information on to them. If you have any questions please let me know.

A petition is being circulated about the loss of the Route 18 bus west of LeBreton.

It reads as follows:

“WHEREAS we the residents of Kitchissippi Ward find changes in Trans PLAN 2009 resulted in transit being more difficult to use throughout the day. The changes increased our walking time, increased transfers to crowded buses and contributed to lower service on local routes.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT we the residents of Kitchissippi Ward wish to petition the City for the reinstatement of OC Transpo route 18 west of Lebreton Station.”

Councillor Leadman is hoping as many people as possible will sign it to help strengthen her arguments to have the route re-instated. Indeed, OC Transpo has indicated that proof of demand for the service is required before it will consider reinstating the route. Ms Leadman believes if she can make a strong argument –backed by large community support– she can be successful.

Starting last week, a few Champlain Park residents have covered the whole Champlain Park neighbourhood in a door-to-door canvass to circulate this petition. An opportunity was also offered for those who were not home when the door-to-door canvass occurred to come to the fieldhouse last Wednesday, to sign the petition.

These efforts have been very encouraging, and to date, over 250 signatures from our neighbourhood have been obtained, in addition to other petitions from other sources that Ms. Leadman has already received.

But we want more signatures, to ensure that the case presented to OC Transpo is as solid as possible. As such, we need help in these areas:

• we need canvassers to cover other affected neighbourhoods, such as Westboro Beach, Wellington West Village, West Village Private and other neighbourhoods along the former route of the No. 18. If you are interested in helping in such a canvass, please call Marc Chénier (613-798-9384);
• If the loss of the route has been a hot topic of conversation at work, school, or play and you feel that your colleagues will be interested in signing the petition, please  call Marc for copies of the petition;

• we will hold another signing session at the Champlain Park fieldhouse (149 Cowley) on Wednesday, February 17, from 8 pm to 9 pm. Anyone who did not yet sign the petition, but wishes to do so, can come to the fieldhouse at that time;

• we need you to forward this e-mail to anyone and everyone who you think has been affected by the loss of Route 18, and who may be interested in participating.

Thank you for your help!

Kindest regards,

Jennifer Young

Office of Christine Leadman