Author: AGMS

I'm a game programmer, doing pretty much everything (from Wii, Kinect to iPad). On the side, just for fun, I write file systems (for the nifty BeOS/Haiku operating system) and experiment with metadata.

Daniel Buckles on Downsizing

On 2024-05-02 19:00, Daniel Buckles wrote (and had a later version published in the Ottawa Citizen):

When I was a teenager, decades ago, I read The Waste Makers by Vance Packard. Published in 1960, two years before Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the book was one of the earliest bestsellers on consumerism. It showed how industry pushes over-consumption and the impact this has on our values and the environment.

The lessons of this book have come home to roost for me over the last few months as my wife and I downsize in preparation for a move from Ottawa to Toronto where our son and his growing family now live. Downsizing—going from a three bedroom house we have lived in for almost thirty years into a small Toronto apartment—is both painful and liberating. A life-time of accumulation, even for a modest consumer such as myself, has taken months to go through, sort, separate and find homes for. My goal has been to re-home as much as possible, and not waste my priceless time on Facebook finding buyers for ten dollar items.
Continue reading “Daniel Buckles on Downsizing” →

Wading Pool Opening – June 24

Summer time around the pool is here!

Our wading pool will open for the season starting on June 24, 2024 (weather dependent) and run until August 18. It’s usually open noonish until around dinner time, closed on Wednesdays. The city’s Wading Pool Information Page has more information and a map. The opening of wading pools is dependent on the weather. If the weather looks uncertain, call the Seasonal Recreation Office at 613-580-2590 to find out if the wading pool is open that day.

[Wading Pool Photo]

Our Pool is Located at Champlain Park – 140 Carleton Ave.

Visitors are reminded to abide by admission requirements and water safety rules.

Day July & August
Monday 11 am to 6 pm
Tuesday noon to 7pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday noon to 7pm
Friday 11 am to 6 pm
Saturday noon to 5 pm
Sunday noon to 5 pm

Other related pool cooling off options:

Other pools and beaches are listed on the City’s swimming page.

There’s also the RA Outdoor Pool Schedule

Garage Sale – June 1

The 2024 Kitchissipi Ward-wide Yard Sale is scheduled to happen on Saturday, June 1, starting at 8AM (usually ending around 1pm but it can go longer). Our city councillor Jeff Leiper is hosting a map of sale locations. Write to him if you want to be added, but it’s not necessary.

[Poster for the 2024 Kitchissippi Ward Yard Sale]
Kitchissippi Yard Sale 2024 – poster.pdf

Here’s a possibly useful 2017 article about preparing for a garage sale in the Kitchissippi Times.

For late breaking news and posts about the garage sale, see https://champlainpark.org/category/community-news/garage-sale/

Stolen Bike

From: Bill Baggs <billbggs@gmail.com>
Date: May 11, 2024 at 11:45:39 AM EDT
Subject: Stolen Bike

Good morning, I just wanted to pass along an incident that happened last night on the corner of Cowley and Sunnymede. Someone had broken into the resident’s shed and stolen his bicycle. A police report is being or has been filed.

If anyone has a door cam could you kindly review the footage to see if there is anything that might be useful for the police.

For those of you who have bikes, I would suggest registering them with Garage 529 (Bike registration to reduce theft and help recovery | 529 Garage project529.com). Also, I would suggest that even if you store your bikes in a locked shed, or in the backyard, that you lock your bike to a solid structure. It’s just any added level of defence.

Thanks very much.

Bill Baggs
Block Captain – Central Cowley

You may wish to see our usual spring theft warning post and an earlier Garage 529 Bulletin.

Spring Cleanup 2024 – May 11

Time to limber up and to get ready to stoop, scoop, lunge and squat our way to a cleaner community!

It’s a great way to get some exercise and help make our neighbourhood beautiful at the same time.

When: May 11th (in case of rain May 18th)

Where: meet outside the Champlain Park fieldhouse at 10am and pick up a garbage bag and gloves. We’ll also provide snacks to tide you over! Children should be accompanied by an adult.

What: Choose a part of the neighbourhood and pick up any garbage you see and make our neighbourhood clean and beautiful. Dispose of the garbage bag with your normal household garbage/recycling/composting.

[A happy garbage recycling bin - generated by DreamStudio.ai]

Tribute to Daniel Buckles

Thanks Daniel! From Your Neighbours in Champlain Park

Today, Champlain Park is saying a heartfelt thank you and best wishes for the future, to our neighbour, Daniel Buckles, who has made exceptional contributions to the community and to the residents of the City of Ottawa. In May, Daniel will move to Toronto.

  • For several years, Daniel was a member of the CPCA Board. As Environment Committee lead, and later, participating as a non-board member, he and his teams of dedicated volunteers oversaw a number of exciting and successful projects. Some are:
    • The historical installations inside and on the outside of the Fieldhouse
    • Neighbourwoods in Champlain Park: Daniel engaged experts in urban Forestry to train residents to do a tree inventory for CP. An analysis of the multitude of benefits provided by the trees in one area of CP is posted on our website: https://champlainpark.org/ticp/ticp-home/
    • Replanting neglected land on the NCC and City properties with native trees, shrubs and plants, some of which originated in his back yard native tree nursery.
    • Depaving Pontiac between Carleton and Cowley Ave and creating terraced gardens and a rain garden in and around what used to be a stony parking area: community-stewardship-and-biodiversity-enhancement-of-public-greenspaces.pdf
    • Working with the City to have diverse species of trees planted on the Northwestern median and, just last fall, around the perimeter of the Park.
  • We who live in Champlain Park can see and directly benefit from Daniel’s contributions, but many may not know that Daniel has made major contributions not only to our community but to Ottawa’s communities as a whole.
    • Daniel founded the very active People’s Official Plan volunteer organisation, which has brought a much needed holistic view to City planning in Ottawa. https://popottawa.ca/
    • He worked tirelessly with volunteer organisations, the universities and City Staff to advocate for sustainable development in the face of a changing climate.
    • He helped disparate organisations to work together to achieve the common goal of a greener more resilient, more inclusive City.
    • I firmly believe that City Planners eventually will be referencing and adopting many of the POP’s recommendations.

Daniel, you might be leaving the ‘hood, but the good that you have done remains to inspire us. This plaque comes with a huge measure of our respect and gratitude for all you’ve achieved.

We wish you happiness and success in your coming endeavours, as you take on the challenge of a well-deserved career upgrade. The new job title? Best. Grandpa. Ever!

[Plaque honouring Daniel Buckles, presented April 24th 2024]
20240424 Tribute Daniel.pdf

Parkdale and Queensway Closure – April 28+

Update on April 27th 2024 from councillor Jeff Leiper:

I’m told the closure of the Parkdale off- and on-ramps that I wrote about here has been delayed until May 13. The eastbound ramp will be closed from May 13 until August 25, and the eastbound offramp from May 13 to May 28.

From https://kitchissippiward.ca/content/parkdale-ramp-closures…

From April 28 until August 25, the eastbound on-ramp to the 417 at Parkdale will be closed. Residents who want to go eastbound can get on the 417 either at Carling or at Metcalfe.

From April 29 until May 14, the eastbound off-ramp from the 417 at Parkdale will be closed. Eastbound vehicles on the 417 can exit the highway either at Carling or Rochester.