Spring has sprung – time to join the GCA!

Spring has arrived and there is much hope in the air. Isn’t it wonderful to hear the stories of people in our community, across Canada and around the world receiving their vaccinations against COVID-19? I cannot get enough of these stories. I was so relieved and thankful when we heard that my mother-in-law in Sault Ste. Marie (an avid Glebe Report reader!) had received her first dose. I am definitely sensing a light at the end – or at least closer to the end – of the tunnel.

The longer days and warm sunshine help as well. It is hard to resist getting outside, enjoying a walk or bike ride along the canal, thinking about the wonderful summer days ahead.

National Capital Commission
proposal for a bistro at
Patterson Creek

The NCC has put forward a revised proposal for a bistro at Patterson Creek this summer. The Glebe Community Association (GCA) board had a good discussion about it at our March meeting. Several community members were there as well to participate in the conversation. We passed two motions from the GCA’s Parks Committee at the meeting, both of which focused on the importance of community involvement.

The first expressed the board’s feeling that any decision by the city to change the use of Glebe parks should be informed by meaningful consultation with the community, including the GCA, and that municipal or federal heritage professionals should also be included, as appropriate (i.e., if any proposal is within or bordering a heritage conservation district or involves a recognized federal-built heritage property). We also asked that relevant baseline data be collected in advance and that any pilot project include an evaluation strategy, evaluation criteria, data collection and decision criteria.

The second motion specifically concerned the NCC’s bistro proposal. The board reiterated that the NCC and city should continue to engage in meaningful consultation with the community on the proposal. We also asked that the GCA and other stakeholders be involved in the evaluation process undertaken for the pilot project and that the evaluation criteria include park experience, unintended community impact, the environmentally friendly aspects of the proposal, traffic and parking issues and any safety implications for those in the area. We requested that any necessary data collection be undertaken to facilitate the evaluation. Finally, as with the first motion, we asked that consultations and evaluations include municipal or federal heritage professionals as appropriate. I communicated the substance of the second motion to the NCC. We will continue to engage with them going forward.

Getting involved in your
community association

The GCA holds our membership drive in May. This is normally a great opportunity for our volunteers to stop by your homes and chat with you about the work of the GCA and any priorities you would like to bring to our attention. Given the public health measures in place last year, we moved our membership drive online; we are doing the same this year, to play it safe. Watch for the postcard in your mailbox in May or check out the ad in this month’s Glebe Report, for instructions on how to join. Please consider joining your community association – every membership helps us in our work to advocate for a livable, sustainable and diverse urban neighbourhood. Anyone who lives or works in the Glebe, Glebe Annex or Dow’s Lake area can join the GCA. We will again miss the opportunity to connect with you directly this year, but please know that you can still contact your area representative or other board member with any questions or comments. You can find the names of the area representatives and other board members, as well as more information about membership, on our website: www.glebeca.ca.

We are also starting to think about the GCA board for 2021-2022. There may be some vacancies to fill. If this interests you or if you would like to hear more about what is involved, please feel free to reach out to one of our vice presidents, June Creelman (vp@glebeca.ca), for more information.

If you are interested, a great way to see what we’re all about is to tune into one of our monthly board meetings. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Our next meeting will be on April 27 at 7 p.m. If you’d like to attend, please contact Sheryl, the board secretary (secretary@glebeca.ca) and she’ll send you the Zoom information.

Happy spring!