by Kathryn Hunt The limestone wall on Bronson Avenue, north of Laurier, is in trouble. The Bronson Rehabilitation Project and its implications for traffic patterns north of Laurier, as well as the deterioration of the wall itself, have caused serious…
Category: May 2012
Preserving our heritage buildings
by Nancy Oakley One of the biggest challenges to conserving our heritage resources is our own planning. Communities across the province have seen their heritage character eroded by insensitive development when heritage is not effectively incorporated into planning processes. It…
More and more seniors staying in the workforce: Is 70 the new 65?
by Georgia Lay and members of the CCCA Seniors Committee Last month’s Seniors’ Committee column examined income and housing for seniors in Centretown. This month, the CCCA Seniors Committee decided to explore the financing of longer life spans further. The…
The Draft Community Design Plan and tall buildings
by Joan Spice CCCA Planning and Development Review Committee The Centretown Citizens Community Association (CCCA) will host a public meeting on Wednesday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the McNabb Community Centre to examine the draft Community Design Plan (CDP)…
More tall buildings in our future
by Dan Mullaly The chairman of the Ottawa Planning Committee, Councillor Peter Hume, has been an ardent supporter of tall buildings for more than 10 years. He believes Ottawa cannot continue to grow out and that the only alternative is…
Trees and greenspaces in the draft CDP: upgrades and new parks
by Bonnie Mabee Chair of CCCA Trees and Greenspace Committee The CCCA welcomes the “strength in the vision for enhancing and increasing greenspace” contained in the draft CDP. At the same time, it calls on the City to ensure that the…
Boulevard of Blooms: Elgin Street blossoms
by David Gladstone and Kathryn Hunt Chris Blais, owner of Woody’s, poses with his favourite tulip. Thanks to Keith Loiselle, owner of Woody’s Urban Pub, and his fellow Elgin Street business owners, this year’s Tulip Festival includes flowering and man-made…
Enriching the cultural scene: Doors Open Ottawa allows a look inside Enriched Bread Artists
by Vanessa Burguete Put on your walking shoes or ride the free shuttle bus* and explore several architecturally, historically, and functionally interesting buildings at this year’s Doors Open Ottawa event! Over 125 locations across the city will be inviting you…
Ground up: the Basement Artists
by Nicholas Ruest Basement Artists is a collective of artists from a wide variety of genres—argely music and visual art—that produces high quality local art that is displayed in Centretown galleries and bars. Marcus Lamoureux is the director of Basement…
Solar panels flourishing in Ottawa
by Ian Mallov Generating renewable energy at home is steadily gaining popularity in Ottawa. Since Ontario’s introduction in 2008 of the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program paying homeowners for green power, home solar power installations in particular have quickly caught on. “It…
Backyard Beat: Graffiti is not victimless
by Const. Khoa Hoang Ottawa Police Service Living next to me is a sweet little old lady who fits all of the stereotypes that come to mind. She has a strong personality, a good sense of humour, and has lived…
Centretown Citizens Community Association May Report
By CCCA President Jordan Charbonneau Following is some information on just a few of the many ongoing events and initiatives in Centretown in which the Centretown Citizens Community Association is involved. For more information, contact us via the information provided…
Provincial Affairs: Update on Ontario Budget 2012
by Yasir Naqvi MPP, Ottawa Centre The Ontario government is taking strong action in the budget to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18, grow the economy and create jobs while protecting health care and education. It takes leadership and cooperation to…
Metcalfe Street to be redesigned?
by Georgia Lay Converting Metcalfe Street from a northbound one-way street to a two-way thoroughfare has been a dream of neighbourhood activists and urban planners since 1974 when the Centretown Neighbourhood Development Plan was published. Wrongly characterized as a “high…