The September 2022 issue of The Centretown BUZZ is out! We hope you’ll enjoy reading it.
Our volunteer team will be distributing the paper around Centretown this weekend. If you’re in Centretown, you should have the choice of reading the 12 pages on newsprint or here as a PDF.
How to read this paper online
Read this month’s newspaper online here, or as a flipbook. We also have a high-res version for printing your own copy.
In this issue
The BUZZ has 12 packed pages this month!
It’s only 5 weeks until the city elections in which you can vote for your school board trustee, city councillor, and mayor. E-day is Monday, October 24, but you can also vote in advance on six days, and we tell you how.
More than half of city council will change, and Ottawa will have a new mayor. And the new mayor will have way more powers, through the just-passed provincial “Strong Mayors” bill. We tell you what’s changing, and why many people – including the current mayor and city council – objected to the provincial bill.
The hottest-button issue this election is OC Transpo, and the ongoing problems with its LRT and bus systems. We look at all the Mayoral candidates’ positions on this issue and how they plan to fix transit.
We continue our series of questions to the three candidates in Somerset Ward. This month: “You’ve heard the standard solutions like repurposing offices into housing and adding bike lanes. As a city councillor, what new ideas would you advocate to make downtown and Centretown more attractive to work, visit, and live in? Feel free to steal from other cities and to think big.”
We get an update on what happened to the funds seized from the convoy occupation for the Zexi Li class action on behalf of local residents and businesses, and why some convoy participants/organizers want to claw some back. Lawyer Paul Champ updates us on the class action’s progress, and we look at the upcoming hearings of the federal Public Order Emergency Commission, starting October 13.
The independent People’s Commission into the convoy occupation starts its public hearings September 21. We have an update.
City Council picked a parking lot over an affordable apartment building. We watched the entire debate at two Planning Committee and one City Council meetings to give you the complicated blow-by-blow reasoning of those who voted in favour of demolishing 142 Nepean Street. Unlike many City Council decisions, this one was close and exposes a lot of the financial reasons and advocacy of “right to parking” behind that choice.
Who knew that Dundonald Park was the result of so much political infighting? Robert Smythe explains the debates of 120 years ago.
Ryan Lythall examines the city’s assessment process to ensure that construction sites don’t affect accessibility for people in wheelchairs – and points out one place it failed drastically.
Dinah Robinson explains how your garden flowers can help nourish monarch butterflies and other pollinators as they prepare for their long migration south.
The walk to support Centretown’s food bank is on October 2, and we tell you how to take part.
The new community fridge opens September 28. Find out how to help stock it!
We let you know what you can see and hear locally, and we have lots of news from our MP, MPP, and the Centretown and Dalhousie Community Associations.
And we have photos of the Ecology Ottawa tree giveaway September 4, the trial run of the hydrant drinking fountain, and Pride Week (more photos to come on the website as well).
On the website only, we’ll have a review by Stephen Thirlwall of Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza show.
We need your ideas, feedback, and ads
Please let us know what you think of this issue: which articles did you enjoy most? Is there anything we missed? Email us at editor@Centretownbuzz.com.
As always, this newspaper is a community effort. Thanks to everyone who contributed articles, photos, ideas, tech support, and proofreading to this issue.
We also appreciate the financial support of our advertisers who enable us to bring you this community newspaper,
Our next issue will be published October 14. Tell us your feedback, ideas, and news tips at editor@centretownbuzz.ca or 613-565-6012 x2! Our deadline for letters, articles, and ideas is Monday, October 3.
And if your business would like a boost from advertising in The BUZZ, we’re happy to talk: ads@centretownbuzz.ca or 613-565-6012 x 1. The deadline to confirm ads is Monday, October 3.
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