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An uphill (and downhill battle) on the slopes of Tom Brown
New signage has appeared on the slopes of Scott Street leading to the O-Train station at Tom Brown arena. The signs warn residents that the slope is not a public pathway, is private property, and notes that there is to be no trespassing. The signage has already been vandalized. The HCA has been asking for years for pedestrian access to the O-Train station from Tom Brown be normalized with stairs. Have a Tom Brown slope story to tell? Write to us at info@hintonburg.com.
$50k grant for Tom Brown arena
City of Ottawa press releaseOttawa - The City of Ottawa was awarded a $50,000 grant Saturday from a program run by Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse in association with Hockey Canada. The money will be used for upgrades to the Tom Brown Arena.
“On behalf of our city, I would like to thank Lowe’s and Hockey Canada for including Ottawa in its grant program,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “This is great news for the many residents who make Tom Brown Arena one of the busiest facilities in the City.”
The Lowe’s and Hockey Canada Community Rink Renovation Program will see $500,000 invested into 10 arenas over five years. Saturday’s announcement, which also named Scarborough’s Centennial Arena as a grant recipient, was made from the Maple Lions Arena in Vaughan, which received its grant earlier this year.
“What a wonderful example of a corporate citizen stepping forward to partner with the City and invest in its community,” said Councillor Mark Taylor, Chair of Community and Protective Services Committee. “I also want to thank our Parks and Recreation staff for its role in making this grant a reality and ultimately taking some pressure off of the taxpayer.”
Because there are two Lowe’s locations in Ottawa, program administrators decided to award a grant to an Ottawa arena where Lowe’s can leverage employees and vendors alike to significantly increase its initial financial investment. Parks and Recreation staff led Hockey Canada officials on a tour of several arenas to help program administrators make their decision.
“The Tom Brown Arena has been well used by residents of Kitchissippi and from all across Ottawa for more than 30 years.,” said Councillor Katherine Hobbs, Kitchissippi Ward. “I’m thrilled the judges for this grant chose our local Hintonburg Arena and I look forward to the opportunities this will provide for the community.”
Decisions will be made in the coming weeks on exactly how the money will be spent at the Tom Brown Arena, with the work most likely being completed between February and April of 2012.
Thanks for a busy week!
Dear resident,The eight-day period from Saturday May 28 to Saturday June 4 was one of the busiest the HCA has ever had in its 20-year history, and we wanted to mark the occasion:
- We began with ArtsPark on May 28, a highly popular regional festival organized by our Arts Committee that for the first time this year included a bike parade organized by our Cycling Champions committee;
- We held a pancake breakfast and Ottawa Samba cheering station for the Ottawa Race weekend in partnership with the West Wellington BIA and Elmdale Tavern on May 29. The Race Weekend organizers announced that we won second prize in the city for community spirit;
- We arranged and hosted a multi-stakeholder meeting attended by politicians, funders, residents and proponents of the Hintonburg HUB project on June 1;
- We held the Hintonburg Garage Sale on June 4;
- Also on June 4 we held a community "wake" to mark the changes in our community represented by the closing of the KFC that evening and raised several hundred dollars for the Parkdale United Church's charitable work;
- This was all in addition to the important work done by our members on May 31 at the Neighbourhood Planning Initiative meeting and by our Zoning Committee which heard at its June 2 meeting from the developers of the proposed Attika tower. Members of our zoning committee also participated in the June 1 Infill Design consultations hosted by the City.
In the middle of it all, on May 31, Kathleen Wilker, co-chair of our Cycling Champions, was deservedly recognized by the City with the Timmerman Award.
All of these events were possible only because of the engagement and commitment of the residents of Hintonburg who support our activities with their time. Volunteers are the lifeblood of Hintonburg. Without you, none of our efforts to organize events would ever come to fruition. Our committees include Zoning, Security, Communications, Environment, Arts, The Hintonburg Cycling Champions, Schools, Traffic and others that do the heavy lifting. Dozens of volunteers from these committees worked tirelessly to achieve the results we did during that week. More volunteers organize and run events like the Centennial 5k, Craft Fair, Movie Nights and the Kringle event during the rest of the year.
Every bit as important are the many members of the community who put in the many hours of work on city planning and development issues, as well as security issues. Those are at the core of our activies, and our volunteers' commitment ot putting in long hours of work have helped define a vision for Hintonburg that has been developed by the residents themselves, and recognized in planning documents by the City.
None of our activities would be possible without the financial support of the local business community which has responded enthusiastically year after year to our sponsorship program. Their names are at the bottom of this email. Multiple members of the community such as Nat Myles at the Elmdale Tavern, Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey of the Parkdale United Church, Annie Hillis of the West Wellington BIA, and the staff and owners of the Hintonburger and Cyclelogik all worked with us on several of the events from May 28 to June 4 to organize our events and get the community engaged. Throughout the year, many, many more individuals become deeply engaged in our work with their own resources, energy, and creativity.
Looking ahead this summer, we still need to run the Hintonburg 5k, our Movie Nights, continue our development and security work, our communications efforts and more. By now, you have all heard about the proposed Tega tower and we will, of course, be busy responding to that development.
We hope we can continue to meet the needs and wants ofour membership at the same level as we have. To do this, we need three things from residents:
- Your continued engagement is critical. It seems as though no fundraiser, event or email campaign goes unnoticed by Hintonburgers, and we can always count on your participation.
- Secondly, we need you to become members of the Association. Paid membership for $5 indicates to City Hall that you support our efforts, and that we speak with a community voice. It makes a difference.
- Finally, we need you to continue volunteering to help us hold our events.
If residents help us with these three things - engagement, membership, and volunteering - we will continue to be among the best-organized, financed, and energetic community associations in the city, protecting Hintonburg's interests at City Hall. Your efforts on the community's behalf do not go unnoticed by our Councillor, the Mayor, our MPP or our MP. The Board of Directors wishes to take this opportunity to say thank you for everything you accomplished during this busy period, for all the hard work that went into preparations for these events and activities, and for participating and making them a success. We look forward to serving you in the months ahead.
Together, Hintonburg residents are a force to be reckoned with.
Safe cycling letter
We were recently copied on a letter by a resident to the city and police about unsafe cycling practices in the 'hood. Our Cycling Champion committee co-chairs Kathleen Wilker and Stefan Matiation took the opportunity to talk about the activities they've undertaken to promote safe cycling:To promote safe cycling in the neighbourhood, The Hintonburg Community Association has set up a cycling committee called the Hintonburg Cycling Champions. Since the group formed in November 2010, the Hintonburg Cycling Champions have undertaken a number of projects to promote cycling and to increase cycling safety.
We conducted an online survey to identify key issues for cyclists. 94% of the 141 people who responded to the survey said that partnering with the City to influence cycling policy and facility design would be an effective way to encourage cycling. So we joined cycling advocates from around the city in speaking up for the Laurier Segregated Bike Lane project. Work has begun on this Segregated Bike Lane and it is expected to open by mid summer. The Cycling Champions are now working with the Dalhousie Community Association to identify safe bike routes and bike lanes that would join our neighbourhoods to the Laurier Segregated Bike Lane as having safe routes to cycle around the neighbourhood and through the city was a top priority for survey respondents.
The Cycling Champions also arranged to have introductory CANBike Courses offered to students at local schools, and began an After School Bike Club at Devonshire Public School to teach safe cycling and basic bike maintenance to students in grades 1-3. A number of neighbourhood schools held successful spring bike rodeos to promote safe and active transportation to school. And a recent all ages bike parade from Hintonburg Park to Parkdale Park was well attended by residents, councillor Hobbs and MP Paul Dewar. The Wellington West BIA donated bike bells -- mandatory bike safety equipment -- to all parade participants.
The Cycling Champions promote safe cycling in the neighbourhood and around the city and advise cyclists to obey the rules of the road and drivers to be aware of cyclists and to share the road with cyclists. The need for consideration and safety of all road users is especially important in a construction zone. When construction on the Somerset bridge is complete, it will include bike lanes that will make the route safer for everyone using it.
With more and more Ottawa residents taking to the streets on bikes and more and more measures like bike lanes, signed bike routes, connections between recreational trails and city streets and cycling education, cycling is becoming a safer way for people to get around. The Cycling Champions hope that police will treat this upcoming blitz as an education campaign for all road users and be sure to promote safe sharing of the road between cyclists and motorists.
Wellington Street West Community Design Plan Meeting
A Community Design Plan is now under consideration for the area bounded by Spencer, Wellington West, Parkdale and Holland. Changes to the permitted height and land uses are being proposed. The HCA is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, April 7 from 7-9 pm in the Wellington Room of the Hintonburg Community Centre. A copy of the Draft Community Design Plan, the proposed zoning changes, and the proposed Official Plan Amendment can be found here. Ottawa's Planning Committee will be considering these documents and making a descision to accept or amend the recommendations on April 12 at 9:30 in the Champlain Room at 110 Laurier Avenue.Public Forum: Hintonburg Hub, April 4, 7-9pm, Hintonburg Community Association
An important meeting about this initiative proposed for our neighbourhood. More accessible health and social services and affordable housing for the Hintonburg area are recommendations in the Neighbourhood Plan approved by City Council in February 2010. Somerset West Community Health Centre and the Salvation Army, working with other community partners, will present a proposal to provide these services at 1134-1140 Wellington Street (the Bethany Hope Centre & parking lots). The HCA Board has informed the Hintonburg Hub Partners that we support the concept in principle but have some concerns: The HCA is committed to preserving the existing Bethany Hope Centre building through designation (exterior only) under the Ontario Heritage Act, and have formally requested the City of Ottawa to consider this designation. We believe that the building will lend itself to adaptive re-use, and sensitive adjacent development. It is an important symbol of the Salvation Army’s long term service to the community.The HCA supports the development of mixed income housing on the site, and we look forward to working with CCOC and the Hub on the details of the massing and site layout.
The HCA is committed to the Safe Zones established for the needle exchange program in our community. This site, surrounded by a library, primary school and senior centre, is not appropriate for a needle exchange site.
Kitchissippi Public Meetings - Les Soeurs de la Visitation (114 Richmond Rd.)
Councillor Katherine Hobbs invites residents to have their say on the possible purchase of parkland at the former Les Soeurs de la Visitation site. The meetings are scheduled as follows:March 1, 7-9 pm at the Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington Street West
March 2, 7-9 pm at Hilson Avenue Public School, 407 Hilson Avenue
March 5, 3-5 PM at the Churchill Seniors Centre, 345 Ricmond Road
March 6, 3-5 pm at the ottawa Civic Hospital Ampitheatre (main building across from Ruskin Street)
A meeting yet to be determined will be held at the Champlain Park field house.
City meeting on small scale infill development
Kitchissippi is the fastest growing central area in Ottawa. Intensification and its effects have been a top concern for residents in the ward.
The City’s Planning and Growth Management Department will be holding meetings on small scale residential infill development with the public, including one in Kitchissippi on February 17th at 7-9 PM at Connaught Public School, 1149 Gladstone Avenue. City Staff will give a presentation and are asking residents to provide feedback on the survey of infill development the city has undertaken. Aesthetic, Social and Environmental concerns will be discussed and your solutions to the challenges of infill development will be recorded. The evening will be a great opportunity for all of us concerned with the direction and character of residential infill to voice our concerns and engage with staff to direct future infill towards a better result for our communities. This is especially important as we work towards a review of the Official Plan in 2012. Learn more about this unique opportunity at visit www.ottawa.ca/infillSecurity Alert
ALERT
3 Attacks on women in the late afternoon.There have been 3 reported attacks on women walking on sidewalks, between 4 & 6pm. Robbery is not the objective - one woman was hit on the head with a hammer and needed stitches. The second attack was on Dec. 11, 2010 at 5:20pm around Hamilton & Spencer just 35 minutes after the first at Albert & City Centre. The third attack was Jan. 4, 2011 at Bay & Gilmour.Description
White male, between 18 and 25 years of age, with a slim build, dark wavy hair, and possibly a mustache.
Be alert. Don’t wear earphones while walking so you are aware of your surroundings.. If you have any information on these attacks call: Sgt. Dave Veinotte 613-236-1222, ext. 5309 or Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477(TIPS)
Report any suspicious activity to:
Hintonburg Community Police Officer: Cst. Andrew Milton at 613-236-1222 x 5871. Hintonburg Community Association Security Committee at info@hintonburg.comTemporary route detour to route #2
OC Transpo is advising that the westbound #2 on Somerset Street West, between Preston Street and Wellington Street, and on Somerset Street West, between Wellington Street West and Carruthers, is being temporarily disrupted due to the roadway construction. From October 25 to November 5, westbound buses will be re-routed from Somerset to travel via Preston, west on Albert and Scott, south on Bayview, west on Armstrong, and south on Carruthers to Wellington. The eastbound bus will remain on Wellington and will not be detoured.
For further info, visit octranspo.com.
Hintonburg Community Association seeks community protections in wake of prostitution ruling
Hintonburg Community Association seeks community protections in wake of prostitution ruling
October 5, 2010 - In reaction to Tuesday’s prostitution law ruling by Ontario Superior Court Judge Susan Himel, the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA) is calling on municipal, provincial and federal authorities to ensure steps are taken to protect communities in a legal vacuum.
“Communities acutely affected by drugs and street-level prostitution require strong protections against their detrimental and demoralizing effects in residential areas," said Pat O'Brien, president of the HCA. "We consider that sections of the Code prohibiting communication for the purpose of prostitution, living off the avails of prostitution, and keeping a common bawdy house, were important provisions to help mitigate their effects."
“For communities dealing with prostitution, drug dealing and problem properties, the solution is not to leave them with no laws and no other options,” said O’Brien. “These changes will have a harmful effect on our community’s ability to deal with these important issues.”
In the wake of the effective decriminalization of prostitution, police will lose some of their abilities to protect communities from an influx of johns who exploit both women and the communities in which those women are forced to work due to addiction. The HCA is calling in the immediate term for authorities to make a commitment to protection for vulnerable communities, and to meaningfully engage communities throughout the next steps.
For further information, please contact Pat O'Brien, 613.798.7987
Upcoming meetings for Kitchissippi candidates
Ward Debates:All-candidates debate. Monday, Oct. 18 7-9 (doors open at 6:30). St. George's Parish Hall. 415 Piccadilly.
Proposed amendment to HCA constitution
(Pursuant to section 13 of the Constitution)
The Board of Directors proposes that section 8.3 of the Constitution be amended to increase the maximum term that an individual may serve as Treasurer from two consecutive years to four.
Section 8.3 of the Constitution currently provides:
"8.3 Tenure limits and Service Requirement
a) The position of President and Treasurer
shall not be
held by the same individuals for more than two (2) consecutive terms.
b) The President and at least one other member of the
Executive Committee must have served on the Board of Directors within
the previous two years."
The Board proposes that section 8.3 be amended to provide (changes shown in underline):
"8.3 Tenure limits and Service Requirement
a) The position of President (delete “and Treasurer”)
shall not be held by the same individual for more than two (2)
consecutive terms.
b) The
position of Treasurer shall not be held by the
same individual for more than four (4) consecutive terms.
c)
The President and at least one other member of the
Executive Committee must have served on the Board of Directors within
the previous two years."
The proposed amendment will be considered and voted on at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). A two-thirds vote of Members in Good Standing present at the AGM is required to adopt the amendment.
For information only, the proposed amendment would read in French:
AVIS DE PROPOSITION D’AMENDEMENT AUX STATUTS DE L’ACH
(En vertu de la section 13 des statuts)
Le conseil d’administration propose de modifier la section 8.3 des statuts afin d’augmenter la durée maximale du mandat de trésorier de deux à quatre années consécutives.
Présentement, la section 8.3 des statuts prescrit ce qui suit:
«8.3 Durée maximale du mandat des membres et exigences relatives à la signification
a) Les postes de président et de trésorier
ne doivent
pas être occupés par les mêmes individus pour plus de deux (2) mandats
consécutifs.
b) Le président et au moins un autre membre du comité
exécutif doit avoir siégé au conseil d’administration au cours des deux
dernières années.»
Le conseil d’administration propose que la section 8.3 soit modifiée afin de prescrire ce qui suit (les changements sont soulignés) :
«8.3 Durée maximale du mandat des membres et exigences relatives à la signification
a) Le poste de président (supprimer et « de
trésorier »)
ne doit pas être occupé par le même individu pour plus de deux (2)
mandats consécutifs.
b) Le
poste de trésorier ne doit pas être occupé par un
même individu pour plus de quatre (4) mandats consécutifs.
c)
Le président et au moins un autre membre du comité
exécutif doit avoir siégé au conseil d’administration au cours des deux
dernières années.»
Les amendements proposés seront considérés et votés lors de l’Assemblée générale annuelle (AGA). Un vote des deux-tiers des membres en règle présents à l’AGA est requis afin que l’amendement soit adopté.
Message from Councillor Leadman: Westmount expropriations
The councillor has asked me to pass along this update
to
you regarding
the homes on Westmount being expropriated for the widening of the
Parkdale Ramp. We have had a few people contact the office worried
about
safety and property standards issues that might result when the homes
are vacated so Councillor Leadman wanted to make sure you had the
update
she received.
The Ministry has hired a security company to keep an eye on the vacant
properties, and a maintenance company to make sure the lawns and
outdoor
spaces are kept clean and trimmed. Most importantly, the Ministry will
be implementing a "moving demolition" policy this fall. Once they have
acquired several houses in a row, they will proceed with tearing those
homes down to avoid security issues.
Right now, the Ministry is in the process of acquiring and vacating a
few of the properties, and anticipates they will be ready for their
first demolition sometime this fall. As soon as that is scheduled, I
will be sure to pass that information along.
The councillor has also alerted Jake Gravelle (the property standards
officer for the area) and Andrew Milton (the community officer) so they
can keep an eye on it as well.
Alert - CPR courses
An organization called Canadian Council for Safety and Families is contacting residents offering CPR and First Aid courses in the community. This organization is not supported by nor is it affiliated with the Hintonburg Community Association or the City in any way. They have rented a room from the City at the Hintonburg Community Centre to deliver the CPR instruction.
We understand that they do not always have literature on their courses to leave with people and they have not always provided their contact information. Their phone is 613-715-9700 (answered by volunteers) and the person in charge is Serge Leduc and he has provided his cell phone number 613-282-2902 and e-mail ccsf@rogers.com You should only provide a cheque or cash to someone you feel comfortable doing business with. You should never give money if you feel pressured. CPR & First Aid courses are also offered through the City website at: ottawa.ca/recreation and some classes are free of charge. The Hintonburg Community Centre says that it can also arrange a CPR class through the City if 10 or more people request it as a group - the HCC number is 613-798-8874.Hintonburg Park Redevelopment News
Hintonburg Park is now closed for the summer as the redevelopment project proceeds in earnest. D&G Landscaping, an Ottawa landscape construction company, has been contracted by the City to conduct the project. This will comprise moving the existing play structures to accommodate a new splash pad, together with landscaping, park lighting and other improvements. The City's optimistic schedule is for all work within the walls of the park to be completed by the end of August or first week of September. An additional three to four weeks will be needed to allow new sod to take root. Some final work on the Fairmont and Duhamel entranceways will be completed by the wall contractor once the work inside the park is finished. Questions about the project can be directed to the City planner, Kevin Wherry, who can be reached at Kevin.Wherry@ottawa.ca or (613) 580-2424 ext. 24350. If you wish to speak to someone at the HCA about the project, please contact us at info@hintonburg.com.
Substantial portion of OC Transpo route #18 restored
The HCA has received the
following letter from
Kitchissippi Councillor Leadman:
Hello Everyone, I am proud to announce the return of the number 18 bus.
OC Transpo will be reinstating the 18 from St. Laurent to Carlingwood
beginning in September. This is not a reinstatement of the full route
which used to extend to Britannia Park, but the majority of it will be
back. There will be the opportunity to transfer at Carlingwood Shopping
Centre should residents wish to continue on to the park.
I, in conjunction with overwhelming support from the community, was
able to present a solid case for the reinstatement of the route 18.
This change will greatly improve access to transit service and make
connections to major destinations more convenient. This represents the
second increase in operating resources OC Transpo has made in the last
two years, exclusively for Kitchissippi Ward.
I know this is an integral route for this area and that it was a large
blow to you all when it was taken away last year. Reinstating it will
greatly improve transit access for many of you.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you as well as
this would not have been possible without the incredible community
support for this route.
OC Transpo will be making changes to route 18 in the area west of
Bayview Station starting in September. These changes will provide
service to and from Carlingwood and will operate all day roughly
between the times of 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., including rush hours.
This change will provide a connection from stops along Richmond Road to
Carlingwood at more times of the day and provide longer hours of
service along Scott Street, Woodroffe Avenue and Churchill Avenue,
between Westboro Station and Tunney’s Pasture Station. It will also
provide more trips to and from downtown along Scott Street, east of
Tunney’s Pasture Station during peak times. The specific details of
trip times will be available on www.octranspo.com in mid-August.
Please pass this information on to anyone else you know affected by the
routes cancellation as I am sure I don't have the contact information
for everyone who has been affected.
Thank you all again for your work on this and support.
Kindest regards,
Christine Leadman
Tennessy Willems patio
In late April, the Committee of Adjustment denied the
application for a patio behind the new Tennessy Willems restaurant. As
many in the community are aware, the HCA opposed the request for the
necessary variances that would have allowed the patio to operate. Since
that time, many in the community have asked why the Association was
opposed to the patio, and some have suggested that opposition to patios
is a matter of Association policy.
In fact, the HCA, in general, considers that the neighbourhood needs
more patios, and we are willing to work to support those when
appropriate. In this particular instance, the patio would have been
within a few feet of a neighbouring residence (less than 1m). While the
Association
has no reason to believe that this restaurant will be the source of
nuisance in the community, our history leads us to be cautious. While
the Tennessy Willems restaurant will likely be a positive addition to
the
community, the variance allowing it would survive the business.
In past, "bad bars" have created significant problems in Hintonburg.
Our volunteers have spent countless hours working to close bars that
were the source of weapons, prostitution and drugs in the community. In
the event this restaurant does not survive - and we hope it's around to
serve Hintonburgers for a long time to come - the next property might
not be such a postitive addition.
We have encouraged the owners of Tennessy Willems to consider modifying
the window at the front of the building to a roll-up or folding window
and request an agreement from the City to set up a patio in front of
the building. After all, that is part of the reason why the sidewalks
were widened. However, we are comfortable that our opposition to
putting a patio within less than one metre of a residence was correct.
We further hope that residents of Hintonburg will encourage the owners
of restaurants in our area to create street-side patios.
Parkdale Re-development
Click here to see information about the re-development of Parkdale Park.
Bell Canada Utility Box Pilot Project
The Hintonburg Community Association, Councillor Christine Leadman and Bell Canada have collaborated, to offer a unique opportunity to artists to enhance their neighbourhood this Spring. In an attempt to discourage the repeated graffiti tagging of the Bell Canada Utility boxes, a pilot public art project has been launched seeking artists to paint murals on a select number of boxes. Full information and more details can be found here.
Hintonburg Arts Committee meetings!
Third Thursday of every month. For more details and location please email James Valcke.HCA hires summer student
The Hintonburg Community Association would like to welcome Mahreen Nabi. Through Canada Summer Jobs, Mahreen will be working for 6 weeks with the HCA’s board on membership, outreach and other projects. Mahreen is a MA Anthropology candidate studying Socio-Cultural Anthropology of the Diaspora at Carleton University. Her past work experience within the non-profit community reflects her commitment to local priorities. We wish her the best of luck this summer!Hintonburg Park Redevelopment Meeting
(May 2009) Public meeting held on May 13 at the Hintonburg Community Centre
The City of Ottawa’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department
is seeking your input with respect to the redevelopment of Hintonburg
Park.
The proposed redevelopment, which is expected to occur in phases, will
include consideration for the lowering of two sections of walls
bordering
the park, relocation of the existing play structure, additional park
seating, realignment of the park’s main pathway and potential for new
pathway lighting.
You are invited to attend the community consultation to discuss and
provide comment on the proposed park changes. Representatives from
Councillor
Leadman’s office and City staff will be available to answer questions.
Heritage Reference List
(May 2009) Heritage Committee volunteers are updating the Heritage Reference ListYou may have seen (or you will soon see) a volunteer from the HCA Heritage Committee photographing houses on your street. The Committee is updating
the City of Ottawa Heritage Reference List, prepared in the 1970s. Heritage staff use the list when development applications come in in order to assess whether a building merits further investigation and possible protection or designation. The list is most useful when demolition is proposed. The list is out of date since many buildings have already
disappeared through fire or demolition and others have been significantly altered over the years.
Buildings on the Reference List are not protected by the Ontario Heritage Act, so your renovation plans will not be affected. Some homes in our neighbourhood may merit designation and we would like to hear from you if you think your home or a home on your street should be designated.
Please contact us at info@hintonburg.com.
HCA Board urges use of infrastructure spending to expand Community Centre
(April 2009) The HCA was asked by Councillor Leadman's office to outline its priorities for new federal infrastructure spending in our ward. Here is our response:Ms. Leadman,
The Hintonburg Community Association considered recently the list of potential infrastructure projects proposed for our ward, and thank you for soliciting our feedback with respect to prioritizing those. While all of the projects are worthy, we consider that revitalizing the Hintonburg Community Centre (HCC) should be both our and your top priority among the many spending choices the City will face.While we are pleased to see both revitalization of Parkdale Park and the wall surrounding Hintonburg Park on the list of potential projects - both items that we consider important - we believe that none of the projects on the list can have the same impact to the quality of life in our community. We believe that funding will eventually be found for both of the latter, but that the Hintonburg Community Centre will not be used to its full potential without the kind of extraordinary funding that the City is now seeing.
We have noted for many years, both to yourself and your predecessors, that recreational programming for youth is sorely lacking in our community, due in large part to a lack of available facilities. Without significant capital expenditure to use the unused space at the HCC, we believe that this situation will be perpetuated well into the future. Given that youth programming has the potential to have a long-term effect in reducing costly social problems in our neighbourhood, we consider that any new infrastructure money would be well-spent on this project. It is also worth noting that this building is fully accessible, and well-used by both those with physical challenges and by senior citizens.
The HCA would be very pleased to expand on this at your convenience.
Yours truly,
Jeff Leiper
President, HCA
HCA to support Galpin defence fund
(April 2009) The Board of Directors, at its most recent meeting in April, voted to make a contribution to the legal defence fund for Albert Galpin, one of the most outspoken opponents of the current location of the parole office at 191 Gilmour Street. Mr. Galpin is currently being sued, in his capacity as an individual, for the role he played in expressing his community's opposition to the parole office location. The landlord is currently seeking several million dollars to compensate for lost revenues and in punitive damages that he feels ensued from Mr. Galpin's criticism of the parole office location, and subsequent commitment by the government to re-locate it. Groups including the Hintonburg Community Association and others face an increasing risk of similar suits from landlords, developers, and others with a financial interest in minimizing public opposition to their activities. While the HCA is incorporated and adheres strictly to its by-laws and transparent processes to minimize the risk of legal exposure, suits such as these can nonetheless result in significant legal bills when individuals are sued rather than the corporation. For this reason, we feel compelled to support Mr. Galpin in his defence. Community members who wish to donate to Mr. Galpin's defence fund may visit http://ottawaparoleofficelegaldefencefund.myshopify.com for further details.1010 Somerset West proposed as potential parole office re-location site
March 31 Update. Correctional Service of Canada has withdrawn its proposal to locate a parole office at 1010 Somerset. Thank you to all who took the time to give us their feedback. We have removed the feedback form, but are always pleased to hear your thoughts about neighbourhood development by writing to us at info@hintonburg.com.[March 20 update] The HCA is in touch with the Plant Pool Recreation Association, which has been in contact with Correctional Service of Canada. PPRA were provided by CSC with the information that follows, as well as a copy of the CSC's 2006 guidelines on locating parole offices, which can be found here (PDF format).
(March 2009) The HCA has been made aware that office space at 1010 Somerset Street West has been proposed as a potential re-location site for the Ottawa parole office. The site is the Public Works property just to the east of the O-Train tracks. Correctional Services is holding consultations with the community on both this site and a potential site at 831 Industrial Avenue. The Somerset location will be considered at a Town Hall on March 30 at 7 pm at the Bronson Centre. The Industrial location will be considered at a Town Hall at the Chimo Inn on March 31 at 7 pm.
The invitation to attend the Town Hall for the Somerset location is available here. A fact sheet about the potential relocation is available here (both documents in Word format).
Correctional Service of Canada has also indicated that it will be holding an online consultation to provide an opportunity for feedback at http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/consultation/. This site also contains further information about the background to this proposal. CSC's online consultation is open until April 1.
The HCA has not yet adopted a position either in opposition or not to the proposed site. We know the site is in relatively close proximity to Devonshire School (as well as the Plant Recreation Centre), and that proximity to a school is likely a key reason why CSC wishes to move the office from its current Elgin street location. We will be in close touch with our school trustee Jennifer McKenzie, MP Paul Dewar, MPP Yasir Naqvi, with councillor Christine Leadman, and others throughout this process.
We are very interested in hearing your feedback on the proposal. By using the form below, you can send your comments to us, and to the officials listed above, as well as to Correctional Services. Thank your for your time in making your thoughts known. You can also write directly to the HCA at info@hintonburg.com. The site is not located within Hintonburg proper, so the HCA will also be in touch with the Dalhousie Community Association as well as Councillor Diane Holmes.
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