JANUARY 15, 2021 VOL. 26 NO. 1 THE CENTRETOWN BUZZ Decorating Dundonald, 10 Heritage horsepower home deliveries, 3 A better winter deal for pedestrians? Alayne McGregor his month, you can tell the City of Ot- T tawa what your priorities are for clearing sidewalks, paths, and roads in the winter months–with an emphasis on keeping pedestrians, transit users, and cyclists safe. The city’s current Winter Maintenance Quality Stan- dards, which determine how soon and how frequently the city clears snow and ice, date back to 2003, shortly after amalgamation. They’ve been criticized for concentrating on clearing roads for motor- ists – and for simply failing to keep up with several recent winters with heavy, repeated snowfalls, freezing rain, and below-normal temperatures. Should the city clear stairs, like these ones on the Corktown Bridge, in the winter? That’s one issue up for debate in the city’s For example, the current current review of its winter maintenance quality standards. Have your say this month in virtual workshops. BRETT DELMAGE/THE BUZZ standards specify that, after 5cm of snow has fallen, col- residential roads, pedestrian the 2022 budget. lector and arterial roads will walkways, cycle paths, and Why the new standards? Solutions wanted for West be cleared within six hours multi-use paths. It’s because Ottawa residents of the last snowflake having The public will be able to have moved from single-per- Centretown’s “food desert” fallen, but busy sidewalks participate in the workshops. son cars to transit, walking, Victoria Welland ultimately creating a com- could wait 16 hours for a You can register for a work- and cycling, the city website munity food store to ad- plow. shop and fill out a survey at says, and have “come to rely recent study com- dress the problem in the long At virtual workshops be- engage.ottawa.ca/wmqs on year-round access to these missioned by the term. “A kiosk could mean a ing held January 25 to 28, In March, city staff will options and face challenges A Somerset West small section, a shelf or an city staff will unveil pro- issue a summary of resident when mobility is obstructed Community Health Cen- aisle that starts to carry fresh posed new standards, which feedback and preferred op- for prolonged periods.” tre (SWCHC) has shed new produce and other staples,” will focus on “sidewalks and tions for the standards. The As well, the 2003 stan- light on food insecurity in the Pei-Ju Wang, a community pathways, reducing rutting final version of the proposed dards did not consider “is- area, a problem which is only health promoter at the SW- on residential roads, roads new standards will be re- sues like climate change, growing with COVID-19. CHC, explained in an email. next to schools with no side- leased in September for City accessibility, equity, gender, The Food Security Fea- As the kiosks would op- walks and roads with bus Council approval. Any fund- sustainability, injury preven- sibility Study, published on erate inside local grocery stops.” The project website ing for improved snow clear- tion, healthy living and liv- November 24, highlights the and convenience stores, this said these changes will im- ing next winter would need ability,” it said. scarcity of affordable, healthy, option would require “buy- prove winter maintenance of to be approved next fall in cont on p 3 and accessible food in West in from local BIA and other Centretown. The study says agencies supporting local Comment the area can be classified as a businesses in the neighbour- “food desert” since the closure hood,” according to the study. “Plain Jane” monster skyscrapers of the Loeb grocery store on “Our next step is to speak Booth Street in 2006. with local businesses,” wrote don’t deserve landmark status But not everyone agrees Wang. “We know it’s been a Jack Hanna with this classification, in- difficult time for small busi- Jarring, massively in- cluding a local business im- nesses and our hope is that this trusive skyscrapers are pro- provement association (BIA). initiative could lead to further posed for a Centretown heri- According to a 2013 re- collaboration and investment tage neighbourhood. port from Health Canada, in the West Centretown busi- Taggart O’Connor Corp. food deserts are “areas where ness community.” has applied to the city to erect vulnerable populations have a pair of skyscrapers, 28 and poor geographic access to Chinatown not considered? 30 storeys tall, at the corner of nutritious food.” But Grace Xin, the ex- Gilmour and O’Connor. The The SWCHC commis- ecutive director of the Som- skyscrapers would stick up like The podium of the proposed 267 O’Connor development sioned the study in response to erset Street Chinatown BIA the proverbial sore thumb in a cation, 267 O’Connor Street, trict’s zoning calls for four feedback from the area’s low- in Centretown West, is con- neighbourhood of elegant old because of the quirky out- storeys. Along O’Connor, income residents on the ac- cerned that the report doesn’t houses and mid-rise buildings. come of a legal battle over the Centretown Secondary cessibility and affordability of reflect what stores in that The site is located in the the site several years ago. Plan (part of the city’s Offi- food. According to the study, area offer. Centretown Heritage Con- However, the new tow- cial Plan) allows up to nine 28.2 percent of the area’s resi- “There was no consulta- servation District; the red ers, exceeding even that lim- storeys. The proposed towers dents are classified as low-in- tion with the business com- brick podium base is a con- it, would be a monster-sized would exceed that by well come, compared to the Ottawa munity,” she said. “We were cession to this. violation of both the charac- over three times. average of 12.6 percent. not interviewed, we were not Taggart does have the ter of the neighbourhood and The secondary plan explic- The study recommends invited to the discussion, so right to build towers up to 27 the district’s zoning. itly mentions 267 O’Connor establishing food kiosks that’s our concern.” storeys on this particular lo- The surrounding dis- cont on p 5 as an interim solution and cont on p 4 2 AT THE HEART OF OTTAWA JANUARY 15, 2021 The Lighter Side of the Pandemic, by Karen Munro-Caple January 15, 2021 — Vol. 26, No. 1 THE CENTRETOWN BUZZ AT THE HEART OF OTTAWA SINCE 1995. 101-210 Gloucester St. Ottawa, ON K2P 2K4 Phone: 613-565-6012 centretownbuzz.com twitter.com/centretownbuzz facebook.com/centretownbuzz BUZZ Staff Managing editor: Alayne McGregor [email protected] Associate editor: Eleanor Sawyer City Editor: Robert Smythe [email protected] Distribution manager: Archie Campbell [email protected] The Good, the Bad, and the Bumpy: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT we need to step up the lockdown The Centretown BUZZ is created and distributed in Centretown, Ottawa, located on traditional and Ryan Lythall Over the holidays, I saw many pho- predict that the number of cases will unceded Algonquin land. tos and videos of people gathering with- continue to grow and the lockdown will appy 2021! I hope you all out masks or any type of physical dis- be extended. had a good New Year’s Eve tancing. One example was the skating The longer the city chooses to do NEXT ISSUE H and are enjoying the New rink outside Ottawa City Hall. There nothing, the more risk you’re putting on Year so far. have been several videos of people sit- those who need to use public transpor- The next issue of The BUZZ will be published As I write this, we’re once again ting on benches near each other. Some tation to get to their jobs or to go out for Feb. 12. Deadline for ads and submissions: Feb. 1. in lockdown and the number of peo- were wearing masks, while others wore groceries and other necessities. ISSN 1204-1604 ple with COVID-19 continues to rise. them like a chin strap, face uncovered. As for people with disabilities and We’re not off to a great start this year. I understand that people need to go the immuno-compromised, many of us Some of you may recall that, when out for both their physical and mental have stayed home. Yet, while we’re sit- ADVERTISING Premier Ford announced the second health. But it’s clear that some people ting at home, we see all these people go- lockdown, Mayor Jim Watson quickly continue to ignore the request to wear ing out and only thinking of themselves. The BUZZ is proud to offer an effective advertising responded that Ottawa shouldn’t have masks and keep their distance, especial- Mayor Watson, if you genuinely medium that reaches 10,000 Centretown homes and to be in the lockdown for 28 days due to ly around strangers. want the numbers to go back down, businesses each month. Our competitive advertising rates are our (then) low numbers of people with I hate to say this but I think Otta- more needs to be done by you. as low as $31 per issue. COVID-19. wa needs to step up in terms of stricter The sooner that happens, the sooner View our rate card and publishing dates at Since the lockdown has started again, lockdown measures. Our numbers are we can all get back to business. centretownbuzz.com/advertising. there seem to be many people fighting continuing to rise, and unless Mayor Follow Ryan on Twitter: For more information, email against it or downright ignoring it.