What a month!

Whew. What a month it’s been. As I write, we have just come through a weekend of intense police action downtown, the likes of which I have certainly never seen before in our city. I am thankful for the action that was finally taken, but I must admit that I am disappointed in the lack of response over the first three weeks of the occupation.

The occupation took place between the Glebe Community Association board’s monthly meetings, so the executive passed an urgent motion in early February to ask that all three orders of government and the Ottawa Police take immediate and appropriate action to protect the personal and civil liberties of those who live and work in the National Capital Region, including the right to live and move through their city without the fear of harassment, intimidation and threats, as well as the right to live without deliberate noise and exhaust. I subsequently wrote to the leaders and our representatives at City Hall, Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill.

As the situation downtown continued, we tried to think of ways that we could show some positivity and support for our city. One idea was distributing posters with a positive message that folks could hang in their windows. Following a request to Dominion City Brewing Company to use Steve St. Pierre’s “We heart this city” image, we were so grateful to Dominion City for printing more than 200 posters for us to hand out. Volunteers from the GCA fanned out to deliver the signs, and many are still up. It was quite heartening to see the signs around the neighbourhood, to know that there is such love for this city at a time when others were trying to shut it down.

Though life seems to be getting back to normal, we know that there will be a lot of community rebuilding to do. If you have ideas of things we could do in our community or ways to support downtown neighbourhoods that were directly affected, please let me know at gca@glebeca.ca.

At our board meeting in February, we were pleased to welcome Peter Nor from the Rideau Winter Trail. Peter gave us an overview of the trail and the volunteer efforts to maintain it. You can find more information about how to enjoy and support this nearby trail at rideauwintertrail.ca.

The board passed motions to adopt communications guidelines for the various ways that we communicate with the community and to support efforts by the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group to recognize the amazing contribution that Mary Tsai has made in our neighbourhood.

As usual, there is lots of work going on in the GCA’s committees. Jennifer Humphries, who sits on the Environment Committee, made a presentation to the City of Ottawa’s Planning Committee on behalf of the GCA with respect to The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus and the need for an independent environmental assessment of the Dow’s Lake site. The GCA’s Environment Committee is also providing 100 tips for a greener Glebe on Instagram and Twitter as we get closer to Earth Day in April. Check it out at @gcaenviro175 and #greenerGlebe.

The GCA’s Health, Housing and Social Services Committee is looking for someone to work with our neighbours in Old Ottawa South to form a working group about aging in place, as more people desire to stay in their homes as they age. Led by Senior’s Watch Old Ottawa South (SWOOS), the group will conduct surveys to assess what resources are lacking and need to be improved so more people can stay in their homes longer. If you are interested in being involved, please email us at health@glebeca.ca.

Finally, the board discussed a draft conflict of interest policy and draft guidelines to help us in decisions about when to engage legal counsel, particularly with respect to development in our neighbourhood.

The GCA board meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, and our meetings are open to the public. Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 22. If you would like to join us, please email the board secretary, Janet, at secretary@glebeca.ca.