Glebe community association appeals Lansdowne plan

Good morning!

It’s been cold for some time now, and it might be time to get optimistic about the Canal. Crews are hard at work most nights pumping water to the surface and flooding the ice, working to thicken it up enough for skaters.

We might just get to see skates on the ice this year if the cold snap keeps up. Fingers crossed.

Today we’ve got news about Lansdowne, a brief digression on the Sens (are they as bad as they seem?), plus weekend events and more.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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WEATHER

Friday: -15 🌡️ -20 | ☀️

Saturday: -11 🌡️ -17 | 🌤

Sunday: -9 🌡️ -10 | ☀️

Monday: -1 🌡️ -7 | ❄️

PLANNING

Glebe association files Lansdowne 2.0 appeal

What happened: An appeal of the proposed Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment means much of the project can’t go ahead until the Ontario Land Tribunal weighs in on the plan, according to a memo from the city.

• Some aspects can still go ahead until the tribunal rules: the procurement options analysis, a development of a social procurement framework, and the development of the air rights evaluation criteria.

Appealers: The Glebe Community Association is the organization that filed the appeal, CBC reported. The association is trying to halt the $419-million Lansdowne plan based on two factors.

• The removal of greenspace from the park;

• And the size of the proposed residential towers.

Building size: The two towers could rise to as high as 40 storeys each, making them taller than all but the city’s biggest, the Claridge Tower in Little Italy. The condo building already at the site is 20 storeys.

• The association told CBC the proposed towers don’t fit in with the character of the neighbourhood, and they’re concerned that they will add too much traffic.

Greenspace removal: The Glebe Association also said the removal of space from the Great Lawn to make way for a new end zone arena and event centre. Initially, there was a plan for a green roof on the arena, albeit one that was blocked off from public use. But that was dropped for cost reasons, and reinstating it was voted down by council during the redevelopment approval process.

Next steps: Now, the issue will have to go before the Ontario Land Tribunal for adjudication. “[A] hearing will be scheduled according to the next available date on the tribunal’s calendar

with the city’s legal staff advocating for a date at the tribunal’s earliest availability,” the city’s memo said.

Heritage designations

Elsewhere: A first batch of approvals have gone to city council to put more buildings on the city’s heritage ledger. It’s part of a mad dash to get the buildings listed before a provincial deadline arrives at the end of the year, CBC reported.

• The city has until the end of the year to consider whether more than 4,500 buildings are worthy of heritage protected status. Any building that doesn’t make the list, won’t be able to be considered for five years.

Bulk approvals: At the moment, the city is only approving buildings one at a time. But the chair of the heritage committee, Coun. Rawlson King, told CBC it’s likely they would start approving buildings in groups based on theme to help speed the process.

• Part of the provincial government’s overhaul of planning and housing rules was to put a deadline on heritage designations to spur more development. Ottawa has thousands of buildings on its registry of  possible heritage properties. Any building on that list not given official protection will not be able to return to the list until at least 2029.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

⚠️ $300,000: The amount a developer is providing for traffic calming in Capital Ward as part of a voluntary agreement with the city. The developer, Katasa, is building a new 22-storey tower at the corner of Bronson and Carling. [CBC]

💰 1,263: The number of homes in Ottawa that sold for more than $1 million last year. That’s a 32 percent decrease from 2022 when 1,872 homes sold for more than a million. [CTV]

🩺 $1 million: Kingston city council added this much to their doctor-recruitment budget. The initial $2 million from the program’s 2021 launch is down to about $600,000. The program has brought 13 new family doctors to the city. [Ottawa Citizen]

HOCKEY

DJ’s gone, so why do the Sens still (mostly) stink?

What happened: The old guard is out, the new (old) guard is in, and still the Ottawa Senators are still a mostly bad hockey team. Last night’s game aside, they’ve spent the season blowing leads in spectacular fashion, falling apart under pressure, and generally unable to play well for three full periods, the team is 4-6-0 in their last 10 games.

Maybe last night was the night they turned it all around?

Still, despite beating Montreal 6-2, the Sens sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a 16-24-0 record, their .400 winning percentage only good enough for 32 points. Across the NHL, only Chicago (28 points), and San Jose (24 points) are worse.

• “The area that we need to improve is our ability to be more resilient at times. I feel there’s several games that we’ve lost where there’s moments that we give up what I call ‘gimmes’ where we give up goals that we shouldn’t give. Whether that’s through mistakes, not competing or not executing enough sometimes. Those are different factors, but it’s a work in progress,” head coach Jacques Martin told reporters according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Loss to Avs: Tuesday, the team fell apart against Colorado at home. Up 4-3 against the Avalanche at the end of the second, Colorado scored just four minutes into the third period to tie the game. It fell apart from there. The team finished the night down a demoralizing 7-4.

About last night: But the team won in style yesterday, beating the Canadiens 6-2. It was a dominant performance from a team that…doesn’t really do dominant performances. The real question will be whether they can keep this up in the future. They meet the Habs again on Tuesday for a rematch.

What’s next: With the season more or less out the window, there’s not a ton left to play for. Will they get good enough to drag themselves toward a playoff spot? Or is it maybe worth just letting the team sink for a shot at the number one draft slot?

THE AGENDA

🚔 Next week, the Police Services Board will discuss giving special constables more power in a pilot project. The Ottawa Police Service wants to give the special constables, who are non-sworn officers, the ability to detain people at risk of harming themselves or others, supervise custody of patients under arrest at hospitals and mental health facilities, and do traffic duty. [CTV]

⚖️ Eastway Tank, facing workplace safety charges over an explosion that killed six people, is suing their insurance broker for $14 million for failing to ensure Eastway had enough insurance. [CBC]

🏥 The province will expand more publically funded surgeries to for-profit clinics. The health minister did not say how many new clinics would be added to the 900 across the province in this expansion. [CTV]

👶 An Ottawa baby born extremely prematurely was the first in the world to receive an experimental stem-cell treatment to reduce the health effects of a very early birth. The baby was born at just 23 weeks, weighing only 500 grams. The treatment is to help prevent the chronic lung disease bronchopulmonary dysplasia. [Ottawa Citizen]

📚 Trustees of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board voted to uphold sanctions against Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth that barred her from attending a meeting and sitting on board committees for several months. Kaplan-Myrth said she may take her appeal to court for judicial review. [CBC]

🚨 A man was pronounced dead after being discovered unresponsive on an OC Transpo bus that had returned to the garage. Maintenance workers for the man and called special constables, who performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. [CTV]

🚃 Two separate minor issues on the LRT limited service to a single track for a time Wednesday. In all, the system was down a track for about 90 minutes. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚒 No one was injured in an Orléans garage fire that quickly spread to the rest of the house. It took firefighters about an hour to put out the blaze. [CTV]

🛠️ Two people have been charged with stealing about $20,000 worth of tools from a Napanee construction site. The pair allegedly tried to sell the tools online. [CTV]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

Arts

☘️ Céilí (dance) by Ottawa Irish Arts, Sunday 2 pm: An afternoon of Irish dancing — set and céilí dances — with an intermission harp performance. Some food and refreshments will be provided. At St Brigid's Centre for the Arts, 310 St Patrick St. Tickets start at $10.

Music

🎙️ Musk Ox Inheritance Vinyl Release, Saturday 7 pm: Local chamber folk trio Musk Ox host a release party for the LP of their latest album, Inheritance.At Kailash Mital Theatre, 1125 Colonel By Dr. Tickets $30.

🎼 Picture This! Saturday 7:30 pm: The Kanata Wind Ensemble presents this concert of music inspired by works of art. At Glen Cairn United Church, 140 Abbeyhill Dr. Tickets $23.

General

💍 Capital Wedding Show, Saturday and Sunday: One of the city’s biggest wedding shows, where you can get all your planning done in one spot. Plenty of prizes, including trips, jewellery and more. At Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, 200 Coventry Rd. Tickets $20.

Culture 

📖 Peggy Blair at Jabulani, Saturday 2 pm: Author Peggy Blair talks about her work, and how she went from lawyer to best-selling mystery writer. Ticket includes a glass of wine and snacks. At Jabulani Vineyard & Winery, 8005 Jock Trail. Tickets $26.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A new grocery service could save you a bundle on groceries by delivering oddly shaped fruits and vegetables to your door. [CTV]

• The corner of Bank and Wellington looked very different in 1929, as you can see in this photo of the first stages of construction of the Confederation Building. [Reddit]

• The first Atlético Ottawa game of the season will be April 13 at TD Place. [Twitter]

• Despite the lower range, EV drivers in the city say they’re happy with their vehicles. [CTV]

• It all started at a Sens game at the Civic Centre, and this week The Dancing Guy celebrated three decades of dancing in the aisles. [CTV]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

CAPITAL EATS

This week in food

🇬🇷 If you’re looking to challenge your palate a bit, this pine resin Greek wine is an excellent choice.

🍷 If, on the other hand, you’d like a can’t miss Pinot Grigio, this bottle is the one for you.

🥡 You know them, you love them, and the Golden Palace egg rolls still hold their charm.

🍺 This brand of non-alcoholic beers offers a variety of styles, all of them great choices for whatever your preferences are. 

🥢 You’ll want to take a biteout of the buns at this Chinese eatery. (It’s not just the buns, either. All sorts of goodies abound.)

OTTAWA GAMES

Unfortunately, no one wrote in with the answer to this week’s Ottawa Guesser, which was of Albion Road heading south near Findlay Creek.

Think you can solve this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now.