http://www.offhand.ca/ The Latest and greatest from Miss Vicky's fevered quill. en-ca Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:35:01 EST Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:35:01 EST http://www.offhand.ca/rss.xml Blather 0.75 http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100831_Feeling_Entrepreneurish_ listing suggests Restauranteurs take note: also up for grabs is Cozy's. This makes me sad. When they go (and I hope it's not too soon), we will really miss their breakfast combo number 2. And for deep pockets: The block that includes the Indian Express is up for sale . It seems like a lot for a property that has had vacant retail space and sketchy tenants for quite some time. ]]> My Main Point Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:58:03 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100831_Feeling_Entrepreneurish_ http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100831_Feeling_Entrepreneurish_#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100822_Has_Ottawa_Gone_to_the_Dogs_ Cleo. Judging from her twitter feed, she's going to be an active, engaging candidate. Welcome to the race, Cleo. Can't wait to hear more about your platform! If we support you, will Hintonburg finally get a dog park? ]]> Ringing Endorsements Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:20:43 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100822_Has_Ottawa_Gone_to_the_Dogs_ http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100822_Has_Ottawa_Gone_to_the_Dogs_#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100821_Comings_and_Goings Marshall's gym had their grand opening today - did anyone check it out? They offer personal training and a number of other services. The Hintonburg residents who own Global Pet Foods Kanata have been looking for a place on Wellington West for quite some time - they've finally secured space next to Ravensara and renovations are underway. Another long-vacant property, the former House of Staples, has paper on the windows, so something is going in there. If anyone has anything to share, please do! UPDATE: according to @kaitli on twitter, Dalhousie's Workshop boutique is opening a second location. Interesting! ]]> My Main Point Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:03:42 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100821_Comings_and_Goings http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100821_Comings_and_Goings#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100816_Talking_economics_at_the_HCC Transition Ottawa, are hosting a discussion the credit bubble, peak oil, and what these events represent to individual Canadians. Nicole Foss (aka Stoneleigh), co-editor of The Automatic Earth, will focus on the converging global factors that contribute to the predicament we face today. Fresh from a European speaking tour and ready to embark on tour of the American Midwest, Nicole brings her message to those interested in understanding the impact of excessive debt on individuals and society. The talk takes place at the Hintonburg Community Centre on Wednesday, August 18th at 7pm. ]]> Ringing Endorsements Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:20:59 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100816_Talking_economics_at_the_HCC http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100816_Talking_economics_at_the_HCC#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100813_Playground_Raising_at_Rochester_Heights_ Community Development Framework. We started this new process by targeting one neighbourhood, Rochester Heights - it's an Ottawa Community Housing project with a lot of diversity and a lot of challenges. The idea is to engage the community in discussing how best to meet those challenges, to work with them to build capacity and to connect them with the resources they need to take on the projects they identify as priorities. One of those projects was a new playground. The previous equipment was decades old, worn and probably quite unsafe. With some hard work and excellent advocacy by community members, they were able to secure funding for a new structure from Let them Be Kids (more info about that process and their fundaising campaign in this post. The play-structure-raising is coming soon and they need some help making it happen. Here's the callout Miss Vicky received today: Greetings friends and partners of Rochester Heights, As most of you know, we are about 2 weeks away from the big build day in Rochester Heights where two play structures will be completed in one day! We have just been informed that we need a few extra hands leading up to the Build Day, and I am sending this information to all our contacts in hopes that you may be able to help us out or connect us to someone who can. We are in need of a WELDER on site on Thursday, August 26th from about 10am-4pm, and potentially for a short period of time on Friday, August 27th. Ideally, we are looking for someone who will donate their time, or provide a discounted rate on their services. If you know of a welder who may be able to help, please contact me ASAP! We are in need of 4-6 volunteers on Thursday, August 26th and Friday, August 27th from about 9am-5pm. These volunteers need to be able to lift about 100 pounds to help set up the frames for the play structures. No experience is needed – just people who are willing to work hard and follow direction. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please pass this on to friends, family, and networks and ask people to get in touch with me ASAP! We are still looking for volunteers for the Build Day on August 28th. Volunteers can help from 8am-12pm, 12-4pm, or all day. Food and drinks will be provided, multiple volunteer roles are available, and no experience is necessary. Anyone planning on volunteering MUST register at http://www.rh.ltbk.ca. Please spread the word far and wide. ]]> My Main Point Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:13:29 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100813_Playground_Raising_at_Rochester_Heights_ http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100813_Playground_Raising_at_Rochester_Heights_#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100729_New_Spacing_Blog_Gender_and_the_City Miss Vicky is blogging about the 2010 Municipal Election over at Spacing Ottawa. Here's the latest City Vote column: Apparently there are a record number of candidates running for municipal council this year. For those looking for some alternatives to the status quo, this is good news. Only one candidate is running unopposed, and several incumbents are retiring – so no matter what, we'll see new faces on council this year. And it's good for our local democracy to have a lot of people show their interest in serving their community. In the coming months, we'll have a chance to look at the ward races in detail. Folks are still launching campaigns, so the field is shifting. I'm reluctant to step in and start analyzing each race at this point. But as someone who has a keen interest in seeing more women in elected office, I couldn't resist doing a little calculation. According to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, women make up 13.9 per cent of mayors and 23 per cent of councilors – pretty much on par with other levels of government, and contributing to Canada's dismal international rating for women's participation in politics. FCM wants to raise Canada's average to 30%, and have been running campaign schools and workshops across the country for a few years now. Local councilors Marianne Wilkinson and Jan Harder held a campaign school for women here, which from all reports was well attended. There are currently 7 women serving on Ottawa's council – that's 30%. Above the national average and right at the FCM's target. One of these women – Kanata's Peggy Feltmate – is retiring. Unfortunately, no woman has registered to run in her ward, so if we are to maintain (or – dare I dream – improve on) these numbers, at least one new woman needs to be re-elected. So how is the current race shaping up? Not so well, I'm afraid. Of the 86 candidates registered or expected to run*, 14 are women. That's 16 per cent overall. There are women running in 10 wards – that's less than half of Ottawa's 23 wards. In the 6 wards where incumbents are not seeking re-election, only two have female candidates, and in both those races they are the only women running. Three of the six female incumbents face challenges from other women. There's only one female candidate for mayor (out of 13 candidates so far). I'm not sure why many of the women running have chosen the uphill battle of challenging incumbents, and why more women have not decided to enter the races which are wide open. But I'm guessing we won't see a huge shift in the gender makeup of the next council. If all the female incumbents are re-elected (not to discount the campaigns of their female challengers, but Ottawa does like its incumbents. We'll assess the challengers' chances in future posts), we need at least one other women to be elected to maintain 30 per cent. The two women who are trying to replace retiring councilors - Isabel Metcalfe and Oni “The Haitan Sensation” Joseph – probably stand the best chance, but a lot of people are running in those wards, and there are some very strong male candidates to beat. The numbers are a bit of a disappointment, especially given the various workshops and campaigns to attract new faces to municipal politics. It's also a little surprising that the excellent work of theCity for All Women Initiative has not yielded more women interested in taking the plunge – CAWI does amazing political engagement work with very diverse women. I've been to a few of their events and have been so impressed by the strong, articulate and creative women I've met there. Why aren't more of them running for council? It's a question we need to start asking ourselves. I suspect it's going to take more than workshops to encourage more women to put their names on the ballot. It can be quite isolating, being a candidate – especially in the early days, when few people are paying attention to municipal politics and it's hard to get folks to commit to spending time on your campaign. There are the inevitable sexist comments and attitudes to face. Family obligations, employment... so many things can make women second-guess themselves. It takes money, a good team and a great support network to mount a winning campaign. Anyone who'd like municipal government to reflect Ottawa's population might consider seeking out a candidate that reflects their values and offering more than just a vote on election day. The female candidates thus far: Mayor: Jane Scharf Ward 1 – Orleans: Jennifer Robitaille Ward 3 – Barrhaven: Jan Harder (incumbent) Ward 4 – Kanata North: Marianne Wilkinson (incumbent) Ward 7 – Bay: Oni Joseph Ward 8 – College: Lynn Hamilton , Julia Ringma Ward 10 – Gloucester-Southgate: Diane Deans (incumbent) Lilly Obina Ward 14 – Somerset: Diane Holmes (incumbent) Ward 15 – Kitchissippi: Christine Leadman, Katherine Hobbs Ward 16 – River: Maria McRae (incumbent) Nadia Willard Ward 17 – Capital: Isabel Metcalfe *a few incumbents and challengers have announced their intention to run but have not yet filed their papers. I included them in the tally. A recent news report cited 95 candidates, but as they were not yet posted on the website, I couldn't identify their gender. I'll do an update on the numbers in a later post.]]> My Main Point Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:20:47 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100729_New_Spacing_Blog_Gender_and_the_City http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100729_New_Spacing_Blog_Gender_and_the_City#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100722_Fools_in_the_hood Company of Fools are bringing their annual summer production to the 'hood tomorrow. Catch A Midsummer Night's Dream at Reid Park - show starts at 7. It's pay what you can, but the suggested donation is $10. Bring your blankets, a picnic...and see you there!]]> Ringing Endorsements Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:55:20 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100722_Fools_in_the_hood http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=re&name=20100722_Fools_in_the_hood#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100717_4Cats_Kids_Art_Studio 4Cats is opening at the former location of Salon M (next to Fabgear 64, on Wellington near Stirling) in August. They're having an open house on August 14, with refreshments and fun paint-splattery activities. 4Cats is a franchised art studio which started in Vancouver but has spread to other BC locations and now is making inroads into Ontario. Kids learn about art history but also get messy and cultivate their own inner artist with fun activities. It seems to take a montessori-inspired approach to teaching art, and from the pics in their magazine (which you can get from a drop box on their window), it looks like a lot of fun. They are kicking things off with some summer camps in August - so if you haven'it completely programmed your kids' holidays, consider giving them a try! We'll definitely be checking out their open house and welcoming 4Cats to the 'hood.]]> My Main Point Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:56:41 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100717_4Cats_Kids_Art_Studio http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100717_4Cats_Kids_Art_Studio#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100716_A_sad_loss Mary George was the mother of one of my best friends from High School. But for me, she was a mentor, a sounding board, a kind of auxiliary mom. I first met Mary at church (yes, folks, Miss Vicky was once a regular church attendee)- First Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, where she was the pastoral assistant (kind of a lay minister). We started attending when we moved to Winnipeg, as my great-grandfather had been its first minister. Kind of a weird reason for a previously secular family to start going to church, but we quickly found ourselves part of a close-knit community - and Mary and her family played a central role in that community. This closeness came in handy later when my parents separated; Mary and her husband Forbes became a real source of support for me during a very vulnerable, emotional time. I left Winnipeg for university not too long afterwards, but had periodic contact over the years and the sense of fondness remained. Mary's influence on my life extended beyond her role in the church or as the mom of a close friend, however. She had an intellectual sharpness, a love for a good discussion and a passion for history and Classics. She went back to school and pursued a Classics degree with a specialty in Greek. And while she was working at the church, she started writing historical romance novels. Turns out, she was really good at it, eventually leaving the church to start writing full time. I know a lot of people who say they'd love to write a book some day (I might even be one of them), but very few that actually get to the stage of finishing one, sending it off and getting it published. She wrote under the pen name Elizabeth Thornton. And she didn't just a few novels - she wrote twenty-seven. Twenty-seven novels, each of them involving considerable historical research (not to mention the challenge of the steamy-yet-not-formulaic sex scenes). Mary's example showed me the importance of pursuing your passions, of having confidence in your abilities and your potential. She brought that out in others as well, I think - her sons joke about how hard she was on them, but they have all done some pretty interesting things. Mary had no patience with low (or even mediocre) expectations, and that's a quality I can appreciate (and seem to have absorbed, much to the frustration of some people I know!). I certainly have Mary to thank for showing me that it's OK to do what you feel that you are meant to do, and to not be afraid to be ambitious about it. I will keep that - and Mary - in mind the next time I find myself ready for new challenges. So thanks, Mary, for being there for me when I needed you. Thanks for raising someone who has been a stalwart friend over the years. Thanks for your friendship, your quick wit, and the fun cottage reading material. It was abundantly clear at today's service that you will be missed by many.]]> My Main Point Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:10:27 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100716_A_sad_loss http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100716_A_sad_loss#comments http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100713_Now_things_are_getting_interesting Spacing Ottawa: What a difference a few weeks make. It seems we have a mayoral race. It wasn't much of a surprise when Mayor Larry O'Brien announced his intention to seek re-election. With the passage of Lansdowne Live, he likely concluded he had accomplished enough to run on his record. Sure enough, that was the focus of his re-election announcement (as awkward as it was). O'Brien declared that he wants the election to be about leadership, which he says is about “getting things done”. “We've finally gotten over the constipation of amalgamation”, he said. It's an odd statement to make for a mayor who leads a fractured council that often split along urban/suburban/rural lines, that has flip-flopped on multiple decisions, that cost taxpayers millions by canceling the former light rail contract, and that unnecessarily prolonged a bus strike. Yet when it came to budget time, the council seemed to be able to get things done in spite of the Mayor. But is it a more functional body than when Larry O'Brien took office? Hardly. And as others have pointed out, O'Brien is quick to claim the credit for projects that were started well before his time or which have been spearheaded by someone else. And as for those voters who have been paying closer attention, he is counting on a certain number of them overlooking the flaws, and focusing instead on the promises he has kept. The real surprise was longtime Capital Ward councilor Clive Doucet's entry into the race. Doucet had been rumoured to be mulling over a mayoral bid, but his announcement several months ago that he intended to retire from his council seat (followed by a rough winter marked by family illness and the loss of his parents) had most municipal-watchers figuring he had decided to set aside politics altogether. Perhaps the passage of the Lansdowne leaves unfinished business. Perhaps it felt like the last straw for a councilor who has long crusaded against what he and his supporters see as bad development and unsustainable planning practice. There are two kinds of political junkies: the strategist and the policy wonks. Strategists will evaluate Doucet's candidacy with an eye to his chances, or analyze the impact of his candidacy on other mayoral hopefuls. Polling results show that 53 % of Ottawa voters would support Jim Watson, while O'Brien and Alex Cullen trail at 31% and 16% respectively. How different would the numbers be had the poll included Doucet's name? If anything he will draw the most from Cullen, who has similar views on many issues but also carries more baggage on the bus strike than Doucet. If Jim Watson continues to avoid articulating a comprehensive vision for the city, he may draw votes from him as well, from people who want to see more than “I'm not Larry” as a candidate. As for Larry, Clive's entry to the race won't change his numbers much – but the bleeding from other candidates means that he stands a better chance, especially if his base in the rural and suburban wards shows up to the polls. For the policy wonks, Doucet's campaign means an end to the snooze-fest the race has been thus far. Even those who disagree with Clive's vision will admit that he has one – which is more than we could say for his opponents right now. Will he force the others to offer Ottawa voters more substance? Will he draw them out on issues they might not be prepared to debate – like deamalgamation? Of course a good campaign needs strategy and substance (not to mention a good organization and a lot of money). Doucet has been proud of his “kitchen table” campaigns in the past – that won't work at the mayoral level, especially not in a city this tech-savvy, this diverse, this geographically huge. Sounds like it's going to be a long, hot summer for all of them.]]> My Main Point Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:36:42 EST http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100713_Now_things_are_getting_interesting http://www.offhand.ca/index.php?section=mmp&name=20100713_Now_things_are_getting_interesting#comments