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February 2021 The skating season at New Edinburgh Park has been in full swing since early January. Read more in www.newedinburgh.ca the CCC’s report on p. 21. Photo by Rachel Leadlay Let’s keep the 10 years since the Beechwood fire By Christina Leadlay in the aftermath? earliest childhood memo- conversation going This year marks 10 years Below are their answers, ries. [The fire] had a devastat- since fire gutted a section of which have been edited for ing impact on local business. Beechwood Avenue between length and content. Sales at the SconeWitch took about policing MacKay and Crichton Streets. seven years to recover to pre- Heather Matthews, fire levels.” By Samantha McAleese housing instead of relying on On Mar. 16, 2011, fire started owner of Sconewitch (35 and Marc d’Orgeville the police to respond to pov- in the basement of the Home Beechwood Ave.) Eric Passmore, store man- erty and homelessness. Hardware store. Over 100 ager at Nature’s Buzz (relo- Like most community news- firefighters worked to knock “Around 10 o’clock that morn- papers, the New Edinburgh In the December edition, ing I noticed a lone police cated to 55 Beechwood Ave.) Marc d’Orgeville (chair of the down the six-alarm blaze that “It was a surreal day los- News provides space to share sent toxic smoke into the air. car parked across Beechwood thoughts, concerns, ideas, and New Edinburgh Community Avenue at MacKay. The offi- ing our shop to the fire. It Alliance’s traffic and safe- Four businesses were lost that took us nine months to reopen resources that might spark day, over two dozen people cer was standing in the mid- meaningful conversations and ty committee) summarized dle of the street facing the and there was a ton of risk a conversation he had with were left homeless, and many involved with that effort. connections with neighbours. others had to be evacuated. hardware store. He was soon This article is the result of a community police officer joined by a single firetruck. However, when we did final- to remind New Edinburgh In all, 12 shops had to be ly open our doors again, we that particular power of the demolished. Fortunately, no I couldn’t see anything hap- press. residents of the process for pening from outside my shop were met with nothing but filing police reports. Advice one was hurt, and many of the support and kindness from In the NEN October edition, businesses have since relo- until moments later when the Samantha McAleese wrote received from the officer on smoke poofed out of the sec- this incredible Beechwood dealing with issues like break- cated within the community. community!” an article about people expe- We reached out to people ond floor [of the hardware riencing homelessness and ins or speeding drivers was to store] and emergency vehi- Tracey Black, owner of call the police and call them who were affected by the fire living in encampments along or who witnessed that day, cles began to arrive from all Epicuria (relocated to 357 St the Rideau River. She asked more often, as police rely on directions. Laurent Blvd.) community members to be asking: neighbours to connect with At 10 p.m. I stood in the “My lasting memory of the community-based services What is your lasting memo- Metro parking lot with neigh- Continued on page 3 ry from the Beechwood fire Beechwood fire was watch- and to advocate for affordable bours and watched as the fire ing a traffic webcam of the of 2011, and what did you fighters poured water on the learn about the community scene until the early morn- dying embers of some of my ing hours and seeking infor- mation the following day as many of us tried to under- stand the impact of what had happened. I recall the real loss felt by the neighbour- hood, and customers continu- ing to call months later to see how we were doing. The value our community places on its small businesses really hit home when we reopened a year later, and struggled dur- ing the first few days to keep the shelves stocked!” Kellyann Riley, barber at Lester’s Barbershop (now owner of Kelly’s Barber & Beauty and KBB Boutique, 30 Marier Ave.) “My lasting memory of the Beechwood fire is just being Photo by Richard Guy Briggs there and watching your life Over 100 firefighters worked for hours to quell the blaze on change in front of you and not Beechwood Avenue on Mar. 16, 2011. Continued on page 4 Page 2 New Edinburgh News February 2021 What’s the New Edinburgh Tell the City what you think about Community Alliance? its Official Plan NECA is the umbrella organization for all residents and a New Edinburgh-wide community organizations in our neighbourhood. Every perspective, and will feed resident of New Edinburgh is automatically a member of into the submissions by larger NECA. community groups, we would also urge concerned residents Its mandate is to develop and foster a sense of community Cindy Parkanyi to submit their own comments among the residents; to research, develop positions and directly to the City via their make representations to various levels of government on NECA President website engage.ottawa.ca/ matters affecting the community; and to coordinate activi- the-new-official-plan. Since ties between organizations. the draft New Official Plan is a complex document, the NECA’s committees include Traffic and Safety, Heritage Goodbye 2020, hello 2021! and other Ward 13 commu- City has created a series of and Development, Beechwood Development, Park Vision We can only hope that this nity groups at a Ward Council one-pagers on the key topics, and Environment and Climate Change. It also publishes year will be less traumatic meeting in early February. 21 in all. You can select the this newspaper. than last year and that we can The language has changed topics of interest to you or go The NECA board meets nine times a year, normally on move beyond a world where significantly from previous through them all. the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. (no meetings COVID-19 rules our every- official plans, but at least It should be noted that residents and community in July, August or December). Its annual general meeting day lives. That said, we still there is a nod to encouraging do need to stick with the strict 15-minute neighbourhoods organizations have not been takes place in October. measures for quite a while and maintaining greenspace given much time to review Meetings are open to all New Edinburgh residents. Anyone longer. Courage! and the city’s tree canopy. That the massive document and wishing to make a presentation to the board should please Meanwhile, at City Hall… said, the devil is in the details; annexes, as the formal thus the working group. At consultation period ends on contact Cindy Parkanyi in advance at newedinburgh@ The City of Ottawa is current- outlook.com. first blush, it appears that Feb. 17. At its next meeting ly updating its Official Plan, the greatest impact will be to on Feb. 16, the NECA Our next meetings will take place Tuesday, Feb. 16, 7:30 which is a document that the areas of New Edinburgh Board will be reviewing its p.m. and Tuesday Mar. 16, 7:30 p.m. Meetings are held will set the stage for upcom- that lie outside the Heritage proposed inputs to the City on virtually on Zoom. Contact [email protected] ing zoning bylaw updates Conservation District (south the Official Plan. We would and guide development for for details. of Dufferin Road). These encourage you to attend the many years to come. The areas have been designated virtual meeting to provide Your NECA Representatives 2020-2021 New Edinburgh Community under the “Transforming your feedback, or send us an Alliance (NECA) has struck Ari Abonyi [email protected] Transect” and are targeted email with your thoughts in a special working group to for more densification, with advance. 613-255-1741 review the 280-plus page doc- obvious implications for infill To receive the monthly Sarah Anson-Cartwright [email protected] ument with a focus on areas and new developments. The NECA e-updates, please send that may directly impact our an email to newedinburgh@ Ted Bennett Treasurer other area of concern is along community, as well as look- Beechwood Avenue, which outlook.com or sign up [email protected] ing at the broader effects of has been designated as a through the community Ray Boomgaardt [email protected] what is being proposed. We “major corridor” similar to St. website at newedinburgh.ca. are also collaborating with Laurent Boulevard. This is of You can also join the Google Alison Fabian [email protected] the Community Collective particular concern since we are Group “New Edinburgh of neighbouring commu- Katherine Hall [email protected] already facing developments Discussions” (new-ed-talk@ nity associations as well as with inappropriate building googlegroups.com). You can Heather Matthews [email protected] the Federation of Citizens’ heights that will inexorably also follow us on Twitter @ Associations to leverage col- New_Edinburgh. If you Gail McEachern Heritage & Development lead to a dark, wind-tunnel lective reviews and support like main street with little of would like to know more [email protected] consolidated inputs to the the charm and vibrancy that about NECA’s committees City from the broader com- Marc d’Orgeville Traffic & Safety attracted many of us to this and working groups, don’t munity.

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