Académie West boro Academy To advertise Académie Westboro Academy OPEN HOUSE/PORTES OUVERTES in this spot, TUES. FEB. 3 - 7-9 p.m. v WED. FEB. 4 - 9-11 a.m. » ’ Î4TBO»° I call Gayle at See our ad on page 14 730-1058 0-SOAR 200 Brewer Way (613) 737-9543 The Community Voice of Old Ottawa South Year 30, No. 02 The Ottawa South Community Association Review FEBRUARY 2004 Preserving Ottawa South’s history, heritage By Leo B. Doyle and Sandy Hill, photos and archival materials document- February is Heritage ing Old Ottawa South’s history Month, but even in a and development are not read- neighbourhood such as ily available. Old Ottawa South, it’s not According to Hariette always easy to access materi- Fried at the City Archives, als that help us learn and better their collection comprises understand our community’s approximately 2.5 million unique identity and heritage. images but only about 22,000 One of my favourite ways of images are catalogued and, interpreting and understanding therefore, easily accessible to the past is through archival researchers. Budget cuts in photographs and film footage. recent years and the current Last fall, I spent many budget crisis make it very dif- hours at the city of Ottawa and ficult for the City Archives to National Archives looking for catalogue its existing photo historic photographs and collection or to solicit new footage of Old Ottawa South. donations of photos. To drive I found some interesting home the point, Ms. Fried said Fast Track images, videotape and docu- that in early January 2004, the ments that show how our City Archives was forced to A participant rounds the bend in the 500-metre Olympic Style race during the Ontario Long Track Speed Skating Championships at the Brewer Park Oval. neighbourhood landscape, lay off three contract employ- The Provincial Olympic Style and Mass Start Age Class Championships were buildings, houses, and busi- ees, all of whom were young, held January 24-25 at Brewer and were hosted by the Ottawa Pacers Speed nesses have developed and university-trained archivists. Skating Club. The Oval was closed to the public due to the championships. changed over the years. But For Old Ottawa South, which was annexed to the city But it is generally open to the public Monday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to compared to some other 9:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The rink can be Ottawa neighbourhoods, espe- used by people wearing long blades as well as hockey and figure skates. cially in the downtown core Heritage, cont’d on page 4 ARTISTS OF OLD OTTAWA SOUTH WHAT’S INSIDE Mid-Mids vs. Up-Mids 3 Aili Kurtis: An artist in her Firehall Kitchen Renovations .>..5 By Patty Deline stint as the Creative Director of of an old Native woman and pastel Notes from the Garden Club ...6 Corel Corporation responsible for portraits she had done while working Clive Doucet’s Report.... ....7 Aili Kurtis has been an artist the publicity launch of Corel Draw. at Expo ’67. She left CJOH to work for more than 40 years, hav- We “made it famous around the from home, as she now had a baby Boots and Blades 9 ing begun to sell her work as world.” Working at Corel took her daughter. For ten years, she ran Aili a teenager growing up in from being “a starving artist/teacher Studios, doing graphic design, court Chocolate Mousse for Valentine’s... 10 Yellowknife. But only in the last few to flying to Las Vegas for trade room sketches and fine art. She also Pansy Avenue’s Fire and Ice 12 years has she been able to concen- shows and riding in stretch limos,” began to put her art education degree trate on her own art, not having to laughs Aili in reflection. She left to work, teaching drawing, portrai- Southside, Bytown Merge 13 take paid work to support herself and Corel in 1995, having earned enough ture and landscape at the Ottawa Making a Killing 14 her daughter. This year, Aili says money to buy a house and work full- School of Art. with obvious pride, “I will be able to time on her own art. Aili never saw Aili’s own art education began Talking with Inter Pares 15 support myself as a full-time artist.” herself “as a corporate gal...at heart as a child in Yellowknife. Her natural This is in part due to a commission to I’m an artist.” aptitude was recognized by her grade School Board Trustee Reports 19 execute works, each 12 feet by 12 four teacher who advised her parents When she first moved to Ottawa Hockey Tourney Wrap-Ups 17 feet, for the lobbies of two condo- in the 1970s, following her hus- to nourish her talent. This was diffi- minium buildings. band’s career, Aili worked at a num- cult, as there were no children’s art March Break Camp at Carleton 17 Her path has taken her through a ber of design-related jobs, including classes in Yellowknife. So for many variety of art-related careers, as pre- four years as Art Director at CJOH years, Aili was the only child or teen Poetry Book Review. 18 in adult classes. Through one of dicted by her father who insisted she television. Among her many tasks Community Bulletin Board 19 go to university in addition to study- was to attend news-worthy trials as a these classes, Aili met A.Y. Jackson, ing art so she could support herself. court room artist. Aili attests that she Classy Ads ; 20 Aili’s last position was a seven-year got the job on the basis of a drawing Artist Aili, cont’d on page 6 Page 2 The OSCAR - OUR 30th YEAR FEBRUARY 2004 The OSCAR CONTRIBUTIONS We have no fax. Contributions should be less than 250 words in length The OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY and must be provided in electronic format, either by e-mail to ASSOCIATION REVIEW [email protected] or on 3 1/2 inch diskette along with a 260 Sunnyside Ave, Ottawa Ontario, K1S 0R7 clear, unformatted, printed copy, delivered to the Firehall office. Your www. OldOttawaSouth. ca/oscar diskette will be returned only if you label it with your name. Phoned in submissions or Classy Ads by phone will not be accepted. If you are sub- mitting your articles by diskette, please do not format the text. Please PLEASE NOTE: THE OSCAR HAS NO FAX ensure that you use virus checking. We cannot confirm receipt. THE OSCAR PHONE LINE: 730-1045 E-mail: [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Editor: Norma Reveler 730-1045 Moving away from Old Ottawa South? Know someone who would like to Distribution Manager: Lily Hecht 730-5902 receive The OSCAR"? We will send The OSCAR for one year for just $40 Business Manager: Colleen Thomson to Canadian addresses (including foreign service) and $40 outside of Advertising Manager: Gayle Weitzman 730-1058 Canada. Drop us a letter with your name, address, postal code and coun- (not classy ads) try. Please include a check made out to The OSCAR. SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS NEXT DEADLINE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 The OSCAR is sponsored entirely from advertising. Our advertisers are The OSCAR is a community association paper paid for entirely by advertising. It often not aware that you are from Old Ottawa South when you patronize is published for the Ottawa South Community Association (OSCA) Inc. them. Make the effort to let them know that you saw their ad in The Distribution is free to all Old Ottawa South homes and businesses and selected OSCAR. They will be glad to know and The OSCAR will benefit from locations in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and Billings Bridge. Opinions their support. If you know of someone providing a service in the commu- expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of The OSCAR or OSCA. nity, tell them about The OSCAR. Our rates are reasonable. The editor retains the right to edit or include articles submitted for publication, which become the property of The OSCAR. FUTURE OSCAR DEADLINES Got 30 minutes? The OSCAR needs a volunteer coordinator once a month to drop off bundles of the OSCAR to seven Friday, February 13, 2004 (March issue); Friday, March deliverers, who do house to house delivery in the Aylmer, 19, 2004 (April issue); Friday, April 16, 2004 (May issue); Carlyle and Fulton area. Phone Lily at 730-5902 for more Friday, May 21, 2004 (June issue). details. No issues in July and August. PROOF READER. Patty Deline THE OLD FIREHALL FOR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES, CALL 730-5902 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR LILY OTTAWA SOUTH COMMUNITY CENTRE The OSCAR thanks the following people who brought us to your door this FALL/WINTER HOURS PHONE 247-4946 month: ZONE Al: Mary Jo Lynch (Coordinator), Eric and Brian Lynch, Brian Eames, Kim MONDAY TO THURSDAY 9 AM TO 9 PM Barclay, Marvel Sampson, Wendy Robbins, Ron Barton, Jim Robb, Kevin and Stephanie FRIDAY 9 AM TO 6 PM Williams, Christina Bridgeman. SATURDAY 9 AM To 1 PM* ZONE Bl: Ross Imrie (Coordinator), Andrea and Cedric Innés, the Montgomery family, SUNDAY CLOSED Laurie Morrison, Norma Reveler, Stephanie and Kulani de Larrinaga. * Open only when programs are operating, please call first. ZONE B2: Joan Potter (Coordinator), Leslie Roster, Joan and Rick Potter, Karen Landheer, Caroline and Ian Calvert, Matthew and Graeme Gaetz, Kathy Krywicki, Moira Duchesne. WHAT’S THAT NUMBER? ZONE Cl: Laura Johnson (Coordinator), the James-Guevremont family, the Williams Ottawa South Community Centre - The Old Firehall 247-4946 family, Sylvie Turner, Lynne Myers, Bob Knights, Jeff Pouw; the Franks family.