MARCH 13, 2020 VOL. 25 NO. 3 THE CENTRETOWN BUZZ Last track on the album: Compact Music leaves Centretown 5 Acquired tastes: Pearl likes beets now 4 Centretown: space for everyone residents don’t feel alone or tion. Much of the privately- Jack Hanna bored, and become drawn owned affordable housing in he shortage of af- back into old street habits. downtown Ottawa is in older fordable housing in Downtown Ottawa al- buildings, built decades ago, T downtown Ottawa ready has some support- and now aged and rundown. is only going to get worse ive housing. Residents can When an older building is with ongoing gentrifica- obtain training in practical renovated, or torn down and tion, said panelists at a skills such as cooking, bud- replaced, the new apartments recent Carleton University geting or proper hygiene, or command higher rents. forum on housing. life skills such as problem “We have a lot of rental But that’s not the only solving or goal setting. stock that is aging and aging problem. The city’s core also “Some people need sup- fast,” said Adamo. “We need has an urgent need for di- ports, so that they not only to make sure we don’t lose verse types of housing. become housed but remain it to demolition, redevelop- “Supportive housing” stably housed over time,” ment and condo conver- is crucial, said Councillor said panelist Abra Adamo, sions.” Catherine McKenney. a researcher with Canada “We have to preserve There are about 500 Mortgage and Housing Cor- our rental stock,” said McK- chronically homeless people poration. enney. “People are being in Ottawa, many of them in The need for affordable pushed out and then the land- the core, McKenney said. housing in the heart of Ot- lords are renovating those Often people with a a long tawa is so great that city spaces into units with higher history of homelessness need council in January declared a rents that the people being social supports in order to housing “emergency.” pushed out can’t afford.” succeed on their own. Some 20,000 households The city wants to hike “Without supports, these in Ottawa need affordable housing density near LRT people end up back in the housing, according to McK- stations. McKenney points shelters.” Supportive hous- enney. (Housing is afford- out the city has identified ing, they said, “is proven. It able if the occupant’s rent is 12 vacant sites within 600 works.” 30 percent of their income.) metres of an LRT station CCOC/THE BUZZ Downtown Ottawa has Council has adopted the and hopes these will be used Affordable housing under construction, early 90s supportive housing, provid- target of cutting that need by for affordable housing. But ed by organizations such as 50 percent in the next half that’s far from certain. lands near LRT stations and mixed-use neighbourhoods, Ottawa Salus, Options By- decade. But the panelists “There’s nothing to stop the councillor says those too with access to services and town, and the Shepherds of were not optimistic. City Council from selling should be earmarked for af- frequent, reliable transit.” Good Hope. They provide McKenney says the city those lands to developers. I fordable housing. And Ottawans need to staff support, sometimes cannot come close to meet- have asked city staff to look A successful residen- fight to keep schools, parks, around the clock, connecting ing the need without help. at a public trust to hold these tial neighbourhood needs a rinks and community cen- residents with services they “We need funding and that lands, so they can only go to diversity of housing—and tres, added McKenney. need, such as counsellors, has to come from other lev- public housing.” Otherwise, much more. “In the end, we are all go- nurses or psychologists. The els of government.” “I fear we will lose them.” “Housing disconnected ing to live closer and closer, staff also organize activities As well, existing housing The provincial and feder- from services is not healthy,” and we are going to have to and build community, so that is being lost to gentrifica- al governments have vacant said Adamo. “We need figure that out.” Redrawing Ottawa’s wards: what’s the fair solution? Alayne McGregor lation of 62,848, has more wards were so much geo- In 1991, the Supreme In practice, the federal and residents than West Car- graphically larger. Court of Canada ruled that provincial ridings which ow far can you leton-March (26,003) and Their argument carried “effective representation” cover the City of Ottawa do stretch “one per- Osgoode (28,557) combined. the day, and the city ended up should be the determining not vary in population much: H son, one vote”? Somerset Ward, which with ward populations rang- factor in setting electoral the smallest is 11% below That’s the major issue in covers all of Centretown, has ing from 20,000 to 55,000. boundaries. This “Carter” the local average and the the city’s new ward bound- 42,277 residents–just below One of the rural wards decision said that “rela- largest is 5% above. ary review, which begins the citywide average num- (Stittsville) has substantially tive parity of voting power” “25% is a big variation,” this month. ber of residents per ward. increased in population but should be a prime factor con- Brocklebank said. “But right The structure and vot- Someone living in either the other three have not. sidered to avoid “uneven and at the moment, the varia- ing balance of Ottawa City of the two rural wards thus The Federation of Citi- unfair representation.” tion [among City of Ottawa Council–as well as how has twice the voting power zens’ Associations (FCA), However, other factors wards] is greater than that – much your vote counts–may of someone in Barrhaven, or the umbrella organization of including “geography, com- so even just getting to 25% be affected by this review. 60% more than someone in Ottawa community associa- munity history, community would be an improvement.” Centretown residents Centretown. tions, appealed the boundary interests and minority repre- Currently, he says, “we can learn more at a City It’s been 15 years since decision. The FCA appeal sentation” could be consid- end up with some wards that Hall open house on Tuesday, the city last examined ward was led by Glebe resident ered to ensure effective rep- are much more heavily popu- March 31. boundaries. That was a Bob Brocklebank. resentation of “the diversity lated than others, and there- The review will reex- highly contentious process, Brocklebank is con- of our social mosaic. Beyond fore those people, in a sense, amine the boundaries of ev- which was appealed to the cerned about the current re- this, dilution of one citizen’s receive less representation ery ward in Ottawa to see Ontario Municipal Board by view–in particular about its vote as compared with an- on council. Or another way whether they fairly represent several different groups. underlying guidelines. “For other’s should not be coun- of looking at it: some coun- residents and reflect recent Rural residents argued example, what kind of varia- tenanced.” cillors are overcharged with growth. It could also recom- they needed more power tion in population should be A variation of up to 25% work, whereas others have mend more or fewer wards. on City Council in order to permitted between the least either way is allowed for relatively few constituents to Barrhaven, the largest preserve their community and most populated electoral federal ridings, with more in deal with.” city ward, with a 2019 popu- of interest and because their districts?” extraordinary circumstances. (cont on 2) 2 AT THE HEART OF OTTAWA MARCH 13, 2020 March 13, 2020 — Vol. 25, No. 3 The Good, the Bad, and the Bumpy Ryan Lythall The reason why I’m thing like that. And besides, ate the gesture, there’s noth- THE bringing this up is because everyone’s different. De- ing you can really help with. or those of you that this month, I’ll be talking pending on the situation, it’s There’s one other impor- CENTRETOWN don’t know my sto- about how to act around good to at least acknowledge tant thing that I feel needs ry, I’ll give you a personal care attendants and them though. Again, that de- to be addressed here. If you BUZZ Fbrief look at one aspect of caregivers that is respect- pends on the situation. For want to ask me a question, it. I was born in 1975 with a ful to them, and the person example, if you see me in a please ask me, not the atten- AT THE HEART OF OTTAWA SINCE 1995. rare neuromuscular condi- they’re with. public bathroom, it’s okay to dant, or whomever a person tion called Nemaline My- I have 24/7 care: that not to acknowledge them. It with a disability happens 101-210 Gloucester St. opathy. My parents were means wherever I go in pub- has led to some interesting to be with. At many coffee Ottawa, ON unable to look after my lic, one of my staff has to moments though. shops, restaurants, or bars, K2P 2K4 medical needs, and back come with me. This could Some of my staff are fe- staff will completely ignore Phone: 613-565-6012 in the 70s and 80s, wheel- include shopping, going for male. When I use a public me and ask whoever I’m with chair accessible housing coffee, appointments, er- washroom, I always use the what I want. I understand that didn’t exist, at least none rands, movies, concerts, male washroom.