Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2022 i Ottawa Magazine

THE RESISTER “I realized that, who I am as a person, would allow me to speak for these people” Zexi Li has become a symbol of resistance. The bubbly, energetic 22-year-old suddenly became part of the public consciousness when she decided to sue the freedom convoy. “I had a very difficult time accepting that at first,” says Li. Eventually, she realized she was able to give voice — and hope — to a population that felt left out. Li grew up in Toronto, spent her high school years in Montreal, and came to Ottawa at 17 to attend university. When the convoy came to town, Li was one of the first to know — she can see the flag of the Peace Tower from her apartment window. During the day,…

A moon rock is at once simple and mysterious: it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand but big enough to inspire a lifetime of wonder. Usually weighing about one gram of rock gathered from the surface of the moon. The one on display at the the Canadian Museum of Nature is a typical moon rock, gathered from the surface of the moon, weighing about one gram. It was presented to Canada following NASA’s final crewed moon mission in 1972. It’s been 50 years since Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt collected the sample, believed to be 3.8 billion years old. Ever since they tagged it Lunar basalt 70017, it’s been having some wild adventures here on earth. The excitement began with a 13-year-old…

Lawrence Aronovitch and Joël Beddows Number of years in ’hood: 2 What do you love about where you live? That we are nestled between the canal and the Rideau River. It’s perfect for walking and biking in summer, skating and snowshoeing in winter. There have been a lot of new builds among older homes, but always in good taste and in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood. The bells at Holy Family Parish ring every day at noon and 6 p.m., giving a sense of community to the entire neighbourhood. Our daughter loves the Children’s Garden on Main Street, and the nearby Café qui pense makes the best cappuccino in the city. What do you dislike about your neighbourhood? We could use more variety for food shopping. There are…

Dale Mason Number of years in ’hood: 10 What do you love about where you live? That it has a lot of green space, that it is friendly, and has a fairly low crime rate. We also have a few wonderful festivals such as Canada Day and Octoberfest. What do you dislike about your neighbourhood? It lacks an art and entertainment scene, higher-end restaurants, and boutiques. If you want to get dressed up for a night out, you’ve got to go downtown. Here, it’s just a hoodie. We’ve got the Home Depots, the Costcos, the Walmarts, but I’d like to see specialty boutiques like you see in the ByWard Market. What changes would you like to see, short and long term? I’d like city planners to come up with an expansion…

Rosaline Hill • Principal, Rosaline J Hill Architect “If we’re talking about designing streets for walkability, there are lots of things you can do, architecturally, to make a walk more enjoyable. Most importantly, a facade needs to have features on the front of it that show the space to be a transition space – you walk by, and you can imagine people enjoying a front porch or talking on a balcony.” Barry Hobin • Founding partner, Hobin Architecture “Classic neighbourhoods are now expensive enclaves that are eliminating the next generation of owners. In order to move ahead, we need to create a vision. The Heron Road site offers a unique benefit because it is in total control of Canada Lands. Another example of Canada Lands work is the Rockcliffe air base. The…

So you've decided to find a slice of Canadian wilderness where you can sip a cup of coffee on a dock overlooking some sun-speckled water — all without the roar of passing OC Transpo buses or the incessant thrum of your neighbour’s garage band. Congratulations! There’s just one hitch: eastern Ontario and western Quebec are huge. Where do you start looking? If your priorities are great boating, a reasonable commute, and a wide selection of waterfront real estate, here are three great regions to plug into your GPS — all within a two-hour drive of Ottawa. La Pêche / Wakefield Boundaries: From Rockhurst in the south to just north of Farrellton in the north, from a few kilometres east of the Gatineau River to just west of Lac-des-Loups and East…

For cheese lovers, a visit to Back Forty Artisan Cheese on the banks of the fast-running Mississippi River is a must. On a 160-acre farm an hour west of Ottawa near Mississippi Station, Jeff and Jenna Fenwick keep sheep and highland cattle, as well as chickens and pigs. They also have an on-site creamery. The couple turned to farming 10 years ago. They work with four local family-run farms, using the milk from approximately 300 animals to make their cheeses. They also keep pasture-raised lamb for meat. Now visitors can sample the bounty at an outdoor tasting bar. The Fenwicks’ cheese is handmade in small batches and aged from two to 12 months; they specialize in six different varieties of raw ewe milk cheese. With names such as Madawaska, Bonnechere,…

TAVERN AT THE GALLERY Set in a secret sunken courtyard filled with flowering cherry trees, Tavern at the Gallery is the newest addition to the Tavern portfolio, which aims to make the most of some of Ottawa’s more picturesque spaces. Owner Andre Schad and his team laid down 8,000 square feet of decking during the summer of 2021 and have filled the space just off Sussex Drive with comfortable and stylish contemporary patio furniture as well as firepits and heaters for cooler nights. High walls covered in greenery plus moody lighting create a magical atmosphere. The menu of sophisticated but simple food such as wood-fired pizzas, oysters, and charcuterie boards makes for a chic night out or an addition to a visit to the National Gallery of Canada.…

When the COVID pandemic hit, no one could have imagined how it would affect everyday life. Nowhere is this more evident than in the restaurant business. Two long years of lockdowns and health protocols called for restaurateurs to reimagine their enterprises — or face the prospect of closing. Meanwhile, young chefs attending culinary school have questioned their aspirations. But it’s not all doom and gloom; in reality, a new vision of the future of food is emerging. Cory Haskins, coordinator of the culinary management program at Algonquin College, observed a drop in applications. This was in part because foreign students could not enter Canada, but news of kitchens closing also resulted in potential students asking themselves whether cheffing was a wise career choice. “Enrolment numbers were down across the board,”…

THE HISTORY OF OTTAWA’S RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL building industry has included plenty of well-known and sometimes colourful people. The list includes Robert Campeau, Lorry Greenberg, Herb Nadolny and Lyon Sachs, Wes Nichol and Bill Teron, to name just a few. Walter Stenger also deserves recognition. If you don’t recall his name, it’s probably because he kept more of a low profile. He stayed focused on building his company with a quiet determination. That company is Uniform Developments, a builder of custom homes and a major player in commercial and industrial leasing. The company has residential developments throughout Ottawa and the surrounding area. The commercial side of Uniform leases shopping centres, business parks, and warehouses. Walter Stenger passed away in Ottawa on October 31 at age 94. The story of how he…

The View From Here | Seeing the light EVERY YEAR, OTTAWA MAGAZINE WORKS WITH Algonquin College to showcase the work of student illustrators. The magazine’s art director, Jeff Eustace, collaborates with instructor Fred Sebastian of the School of Media and Design to develop a concept — a few words that serve to guide the students. This year’s concept? “Designing a better downtown.” For Skye Vanderwal, a 20-year-old native of Cobden, that translated into envisioning a master designer — an all-seeing entity overlooking the transformation of the city, almost as though it were their sandbox. “I chose to go with an iteration of that, with the image being drawn from their point of view,” writes Vanderwal. “We see through their eyes as they are at work, coming up with ideas and…

The COVID-19 pandemic shrank our personal world. Most of us stopped commuting; homes became offices. Restaurants and gyms closed, and we took to our neighbourhoods for diversion and exercise. En route, we discovered what was within reach. Without knowing it, many of us entered the 15-minute neighbourhood, a concept the city has recently adopted to help guide development until 2046. In essence, the concept suggests that basic needs for individuals should be located within a 15-minute walk (or 1,200 metres) from their homes. This includes shops, schools and daycare, amenities (think libraries and greenspaces), plus transit, so you can easily get to things outside your 1,200-metre walk, such as medical specialists or friends. It’s an ideal long promoted by urban planners such as Jane Jacobs and proponents of new urbanism, but…

Janet Mark Wallace Number of years in ’hood: 16 COMMUNITY 1.7 km Average distance to 3 community centres (vs. city average of 2.9 kilometres) DENSITY 12,882 people/square kilometre (vs. city average of 327.8 people/square kilometre) FOOD 1.2 km Average distance to 3 grocery stores (vs. city average of 2.5 kilometres) The land we today call Alta Vista — comprised of neighbourhoods Playfair, Heron Gate, and Canterbury, among others — served as farmland throughout the 19th century. In 1950, Ottawa annexed Alta Vista from the Township of Gloucester, which spurred initial housing developments. The addition of the George McIlraith Bridge, which links Main Street to Smyth Road, transformed the area into a bedroom community for downtown workers. Thus began the era of modern Alta Vista, known for its brick bungalows, winding…

AN ORNAMENTAL ARCH CRESTS THE INTERSECTION of Somerset and Bronson on unceded Algonquin territory. When I look up, I see art and tradition — but also a weathered and deteriorating artifact. Chinatown, for me, is at once comforting and disruptive. It is a place where I have found an intimate familiarity. I have delighted at discovering childhood treats such as Haw Flakes in Kowloon Market. I have gathered with friends and family to celebrate the first 100 days of my child’s birth at Shanghai Restaurant where the matriarch, Nancy Kwan, made a surprise party batch of traditional pig’s feet soup. The dark, earthy broth made with ginger in black vinegar brought me back to my childhood when my mother would warm us with the soup after a day spent outside…

A GROUP OF MEN ACTING AS SENTRIES STOOD at the main entrance in front of a wooden sign painted with the words “It’s about constitutional rights” in bold red. Dressed in my “hockey mom” uniform — black puffy coat, Roots Canada toque — my curious gaze eventually caught the attention of a man named Ray, who flagged me over and offered to give me a tour. He proudly pointed out the two tractor-trailers he’d donated to the cause, which were now stuffed with pallets of food. Parked along one side of the Marriott hotel was a rusty orange diesel tanker, and rows of jerry cans and propane tanks were stashed under transport trucks. Each day, dozens of volunteers would take food and fuel from Coventry to the truckers entrenched in the…

What has it been like leading Run Ottawa for the past few years without a Race Weekend? I’ve found the work to be really stimulating, really challenging, and really fulfilling. The public thinks about what we do at Run Ottawa as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend solely. But we have a full organization to run. I created a strategic plan for the organization and made some changes operationally that I thought were essential. Initially, I really wanted to get the first Race Weekend under my belt as quickly as possible, but when that didn’t happen in 2020 and 2021, I just resigned myself to putting my head down and doing the business of running the organization. How do you feel now about finally putting on the event? Terrified [laughs]. I’m super…

In 2013, the city of Gatineau received a proposal to demolish practically all their arenas and rebuild them with a smaller footprint. The city rejected that idea, and in 2015 a committee was formed to study alternative solutions. Members eventually determined arenas are regional facilities and that rebuilding neighbourhood arenas was unnecessary. Planifika returned to the drawing board. Its new suggestion? Replace neighbourhood arenas with multi-pad facilities, a move that council approved in 2017. Last fall, Gatineau Olympiques fans said goodbye to the Robert-Guertin Centre in Old Hull after a 64-year run. The same fate awaits Hull arenas Cholette and Jean-Paul Sabourin. A new ice-pad facility in the west end will offer three or four pads; the population is booming, and ice time is in high demand. In the Gatineau…

COMMUNITY 0.5 km Average distance to nearest community centre (vs. city average of 2.9 kilometres) FOOD 100% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store (vs. city average of 60.3%) DENSITY 4,112 people/square kilometre (vs. city average of 327.8 people/square kilometre) Marie-Camille Lalande and Nathan Lemphers Number of years in ’hood: 4 What do you love about where you live? Nathan: It’s close to everything. It’s extremely walkable; we don’t have a car and don’t want one. There’s everything we need — grocery stores, schools, lots of green space, museums, and galleries. Marie-Camille: This neighbourhood is very close to my family; my great-grandfather had shops on Dalhousie and my mom was born nearby and grew up here. For me, it felt like I was coming back to…

Rhea Sabatine Number of years in ’hood: 4 What do you love about where you live? My neighbourhood is full of green spaces, walking paths, bike trails, and recreational facilities that help with staying active and getting outside and into nature, something I really appreciate. The safety, quiet streets, and friendly neighbours are a major plus: if we’re walking our dogs, everyone says ‘hi’ even if they don’t know you. What do you dislike about your neighbourhood? Being within walking distance of more restaurants and entertainment like movie theatres would be a plus. Access to downtown via transit is hit or miss, which is a major downfall: sometimes the buses come, sometimes they don’t; they might be on time or they might not. What changes would you like to see, short…

A visit to Juniper Farm, just outside Wakefield, Quebec, is balm to the soul of anybody who is looking for nature immersion with a serving of good food. Here, you can easily pass a couple of hours visiting with chickens, dogs, cats, donkeys, as well as a pot-bellied pig and a rabbit, all while admiring the endless rows of perfect organic, biodynamic vegetables that stretch into the distance. Through a takeout window, find nutritious and creative food by award-winning chef Caroline Ishii. She has designed the menu of take-home products such as salads and dressings, soups, and bowls, as well as veggie-inspired muffins, and sandwiches stuffed with fresh ingredients including pesto, greens, house pickles, and roasted veggies. Enjoy them at a picnic table just a few feet away. (Food miles…

Pretty Planter These ceramic wall pockets, handmade by the good folks at Plant and Curio, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. They are perfect for a young bud, dried flowers, or an air plant. $28 - $58. plantandcurio.com Heart Felt Soap wrapped in felted wool – it’s a genius invention. The natural fibres offer gentle exfoliation and extend the life of the soap by absorbing excess moisture. Sisters Wendy Chaytor and Janet Stanley of Starbright Curios make the soap using high-grade glycerin and food-grade iingredients, and wrap the bars in merino wool and silk. $10 - $12. Facebook.com/Starbright.Curios Sweet Sight There’s nothing like the sight of a hummingbird at a feeder. Encourage these speedy flyers to your outdoor areas with this handpainted, hand-blown glass feeder. The red…

Soup’s On! With the news cycle filled with pandemic and war stories, it comes as no surprise that comfort food is having a moment. The first Ramen Isshin joint opened in Toronto eight years ago, helmed by executive chef Koji Zenimaru. Now there’s an Ottawa location at 775 Bank Street, most recently home to the much-loved Eldon’s. Ramen Isshin woos ramen lovers with red miso ramen options, which begin in the wok; the dish gets a smoky start, the veggies fried up with the restaurant’s signature blend of red and white miso, sake, and other seasonings before the tonkatsu broth is added. The liquid is then poured over a fresh bed of noodles. Hot Opening In 2015, it became an instant neighbourhood hotspot when Étienne Cuerrier and his wife, Myriam…