Glebe Report

Let me introduce myself. I’m a Norway maple tree, quite tall now, and I live on the front lawn of Derele and Les’s home on Fourth Avenue. Been there for about 60 years, and what a fascinating journey it’s been. There are a few stories I could tell you.

Despite the pandemic, climate change, political divisiveness and social media focused on virtual communities and individuals, local physical communities continue to thrive through their newspapers. The Mainstreeter is just one of the non-profits that regularly entertains and enlightens residents.

The Internationals are especially proud of their popular city-wide Developmental Soccer Program (DSP) for boys and girls ages four to 12, which has operated since 1997 and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The soccer program will return to its community roots this summer at neighbourhood parks and playgrounds.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt access to all public toilets in downtown Ottawa. Our count is that there are 24 public toilets in the downtown

For 48 years, the Glebe Report has been the paper of record for the Glebe and nearby neighbourhoods, keeping residents informed, amused and occasionally outraged. A board of directors is responsible for the governance and overall affairs of the Glebe Report Association (GRA), the non-profit organization that publishes it. We are currently looking to invite more people from the community to join the board. Here is what motivated each of us to join.

OPINION: In Kelly Egan’s column of July 10 in the Ottawa Citizen, he asked, “Have we botched the location of the (Civic) Hospital?” His question was, of course, rhetorical, as illustrated by the flood of concurring letters to both the Citizen and local newspapers like the Glebe Report.

Chis White is a man with a mission. “I want to raise awareness about tree-related issues and to expand and strengthen community connections so we can halt deforestation of parklands across the country, including Ottawa’s Experimental Farm.”

Students at Mutchmor Public School were entertained during recess on November 19 by the planting of nine new trees along the school playing field on Fourth Avenue.

At the end of August, I was filled with joy and hope as we’d just run five “Jabapalooza” events through my little Glebe office with a team of Ottawa volunteers, immunizing more than 2,000 people (construction workers, bus drivers, teachers, child-care providers, other essential workers, people with disabilities, seniors). Fast forward to the morning of Monday, November 1.

What birds use breadcrumbs attract fish? What birds stamp their feet to produce rain-like sounds to lure earthworms? What birds engage in play, showing off their acrobatic flying skills by purposely dropping a bit of food while up in the air and swooping down to catch it?

For over 40 years, December was the month when GNAG hosted its annual winter community party, the Snowflake Special. After it was cancelled last year because of COVID-19, we hoped to reinstate it this year but given the circumstances, we do not yet feel ready. Instead, GNAG will host a new event, which promises to be festive, fun and safe!

As we continue to meet virtually, the Glebe Community Association has had to be creative in our work and advocacy. For example, we had another virtual Great Glebe Garage Sale this year and conducted our membership campaign virtually too. Our collaborative effort with Operation Come Home’s Bottleworks program continues to be a great success.

Noted Canadian urban planner Brent Toderian said, “The truth about a city’s aspirations isn’t found in its vision. It’s found in its budget.” The City of Ottawa’s approach to the budget needs improvement. Consultations occur after the majority of the budget has already been decided; more participatory budgeting would be desirable.

The official ribbon cutting for Abbotsford House’s restored front porch took place on Friday, November 19. The original porch, built just under 150 years ago, was quite different from today’s version.

I received an early Christmas present from a neighbour: one of those recipe collections printed on sheets of paper held together by a spiral binding, the type put together for fundraisers. The one I received had an intriguing title: Cooking with Characters – A Cast of Favourite Recipes. It is presented by Characters Inc. My gift-giver did not know its origin and I needed to find out. And from the book, here’s a recipe for Holiday

Now that summer has left us, our good friend stew comes to visit. There are a lot of good things about stew. On days when it’s a gloomy out there, stew reminds us to dig out your Creuset – or whatever cast-iron pot or slow cooker you have – and soon your kitchen will fill with the aromas of stocks simmering and meat cooking at a relaxed pace. It’s a powerful tool to make us happy through these grey days. Read the recipe for Tim’s Coq au Vin.

We all love Christmas films that reflect the typical warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday, but there’s always a risk-taking storyteller who goes beyond the usual Christmas movie norms. Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian Christmas horror film directed by Bob Clark. During the holiday season, a group of sorority girls are invaded by a dangerous stalker, making his presence known with obscene phone calls and striking victims without warning inside and outside the sorority house.

The excellent Irish lm Ordinary Love does something relatively rare – it takes us into the lives of a very ordinary middle-class, middle-aged couple whose placid, uneventful lives are knocked sideways by a traumatic crisis. Tom and Joan (Liam Neeson and Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville) have been married for many years. The degree of their “ordinary” love is evident before the title credits roll. Then Joan finds a lump in her breast. And their ordeal starts.


Poet JC Sulzenko is curator of the Glebe Report’s Poetry Quarter. Her collection, Bricolage, A Gathering of Centos, published by Aeolus House and launched this fall, represents a departure from her lyric and narrative poetry, so much so that it came out under her pseudonym, A. Garnett Weiss. The Glebe Report asked Sulzenko (or Weiss) why and how she embraced the cento, a particular and unusual form of poetry.

As a reader who typically consumes over 100 novels, graphic novels and audiobooks each year, I’m always looking for my next read. When library branches closed back in March 2020 and browsing the shelves was no longer an option, I turned to a few different corners of the internet to discover titles I might enjoy: Instagram, YouTube and NoveList.

Bianca Pedretti is a nursing student at the University of Ottawa whose passion for visual art expression has led her to create throughout her life. Drawing inspiration from scenes from a diverse range of cultures and people, she primarily uses coloured ink to unify these pieces with characteristically vibrant and bright colours. Bianca’s art is on display throughout the month of December at the Wild Oat.

It’s been quite a trying time for Ottawa’s LRT. I’ve been asking the provincial government to help fix our LRT for a long time. After over almost two years of urging action, it’s finally beginning to listen.

As we enter the holiday season, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza. And of course, a very Happy New Year! For some in our community, the holidays can be a difficult time. Please check in with your friends and family to make sure they are okay. Also, connect with our community. We have many amazing local organizations here in Ottawa Centre that continue to do great work to support those in need.

Running a small business is one of the biggest risks someone can take in life and it can be challenging at the best of times. Add a pandemic to the equation and it makes things nearly impossible. Lockdowns, talent shortages, constant rule changes – you name it, Ottawa’s small business owners have been through it all.

After 12 years serving as the Southminster United Church’s music director, Roland Graham will step down from his post at the end of January. For the time being he will continue to run the Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) noon-hour series, which he has run in parallel with his role in the church since launching the series in 2013.

After 12 years serving as the Southminster United Church’s music director, Roland Graham will step down from his post at the end of January. For the time being he will continue to run the Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS) noon-hour series, which he has run in parallel with his role in the church […]

The holiday festivities are on the way! This is the time of year when we savour traditional feasts, maybe have more wine and cocktails than usual. It is a joyful moment that we share with our loved ones, when we take the time to relax, get out of the routine and perhaps overindulge a bit. As we want to enjoy all the upside of the celebrations without feeling remorse or physical discomfort, here are some tweaks to help find a balance during the holidays.

Choice is not a word we associate with the pandemic. Still, thanks to the Ottawa Catholic School Board opening two new virtual schools in September, that is precisely what OCSB offered our students and their families – choice!

My daughter, Tamara, has lived in the Glebe since birth. Tamara has always been artsy and as she pondered where to go to high school, she decided that despite her close friends in the Glebe, she wanted to try out for Canterbury. I thought the school would be a perfect fit for her. Singing is her passion.

Toddlers and preschoolers love to enjoy music in many ways – singing, dancing, clapping and actions. At Glebe Cooperative Nursery School, music and movement is a big part of circle time.