Friendly reminder: It’s Spring Cleanup time!

CHAMPLAIN PARK GOES GREEN AND CLEAN ON APRIL 28!

The last weekend in April is Capital Cleanup Weekend, and Champlain Park needs volunteers.

Spring Cleanup is an annual tradition in Champlain Park. It is a chance for neighbours of all ages – kids, teens, and adults – to get together and help spruce up the neighbourhood. It is part of the city’s Cleaning the Capital campaign to beautify public green spaces each spring.

We’ll meet at the fieldhouse Saturday, April 28 at 10 a.m. Juice, coffee and cookies will be served, and people will sign up and pick an area to do. Usually the work is done by noon. In case of rain, we’ll meet instead on Sunday, April 29.

The designated cleanup areas are the south side of Premier above the transitway; the boulevard on Northwestern and the path at its north end; and the areas along the fence on Patricia and Pontiac. It can also include the area along the river at the foot of Carleton, or any other public spaces you think need it.

We recommend wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wear appropriate footwear and bring gloves. The City will provide garbage bags and other supplies.

The Keyworth School Age Program has adopted Champlain Park and the students of St. George School are doing a great job cleaning it each spring and fall. Thanks go to them.

Now it’s time for the rest of us in the neighbourhood to do our part. Last year 40 people showed up – a wonderful turnout.

If you have any questions or suggestions, call Andrea Murphy or Ian Reid at 613-715-9504.

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING – April 21

On Saturday April 21 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) the Broadview Avenue Public School Parents Council will be holding an e-waste collection fundraiser. This is a good opportunity to get rid of those old cell phones, computers, monitors, scanners, CD players and other bits of technology you might have lying around. Funds raised from this drive will go toward the Broadview Yard Renewal Project.

Although the main event is on Saturday there is an early bird drop-off on Friday, April 20 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Items can be dropped off at Broadview Public School, 590 Broadview Avenue (at Avondale) in Westboro. Use the Broadview Avenue entry.

A complete list of the devices that you can donate can be found at www.broadviewparents.org/yard/2012/01/20/give-us-your-old-electronics-please

For additional information please call 613 721-1460.

Other Electronics Recycling:
Best Buy – Recycle and Save Event April 20 – May 3, 2012

Thank you Champlain Park!

Dear friends and neighbours,

The bake sale and raffle for Kadra’s Family Fund was a big success: we raised $4250! We had a ‘great big’ turn out with kids, bikes, dogs, strollers, moms and dads, teachers, seniors, and everything in-between spilling out onto Daniel Avenue. Thank you to everyone in Champlain Park who was able to come out and buy baked goods and raffle tickets. We had pre-sold at Churchill and D. Roy Kennedy schools around $1300 worth of raffle tickets before the start of the sale on Saturday afternoon so almost $3000 was collected on our driveway!

Raffle tickets were drawn for the prizes at 4:00pm on Saturday and a number of Champlain Park residents were winners. They have all been contacted.

Many thanks to the Holland family on Patricia (Eloise, Ian and Lydia) and Edlin-St.Pierre family on Keyworth (Carole, Cliff, and Nadia) for their help with the event: we couldn’t have done it without them or without the many bakers from Churchill and D. Roy Kennedy schools who contributed baked goods. Thank you also to the many Churchill students and families who helped out during the sale. A big thanks to our neighbour Helen Spencer for letting us use her driveway (which is joined with ours) for the sale. And thank you to the Wellington Village and Westboro retailers and restaurants for their generous prize donations and support.

We live in a wonderful neighbourhood and community!

Sincerely,
Nancy, Detlef, Annika and Sacha

Garage Sale

Yes, it’s that time of year again!

Time to buy back all that stuff you sold to your neighbour last year, but at twice the price.

We are planning to hold the community-wide garage sale again this year.
As usual, it will be held on the first Saturday in June.

Event date: Saturday June 2, 2012.
Rain date: Should it be pouring rain, the sale is moved to Sunday, June 3.

We anticipate that residents on Island Park will take part as well.

Think about donating a portion of your proceeds to the charity of your choice, or to help support Champlain Park Community Association.

Leftover treasures
If you have leftover treasures when the garage sale ends keep in mind that the Ottawa’s Spring Give Away Weekend will take place the same weekend as the garage sale (both days).
See Rules for setting out at your Leftover Treasures at the “Ottawa’s Spring Give Away Weekend” link provided above.

Website guidelines for Champlain Park committees

Comments and postings submitted by the Champlain Park Community Association, Environment Committee and Development Committee are not pre-moderated. Each committee should review and agree upon any submission sent to be posted on this website, as it should reflect the views of the committee, rather than the views of an individual.

Here are some guidelines to follow when posting information from your committee on the Champlain Park Community website:

Please observe copyright rules for graphics, photos and text. That includes copying and pasting from other sites without permission and attribution.
Do not violate the privacy of any individual. That means asking permission to take/use a photo if a face is clearly identifiable. Ask if it’s OK to post contact information.
Permission must be requested for development drawings.
Confirm names are spelled correctly and that the subject has given permission to be quoted.
Do not post text in caps (this is difficult to read and in online speak it looks like you’re shouting).
No submissions that can be construed as personal attacks or defamatory statements.
No racist, sexist or offensive language.

Comments that violate these rules will be removed from the site.

Committee members can submit information they would like to have posted using email, or they can post the information themselves if they have a WordPress account. Adrian will provide training for anyone interested in learning how to use WordPress.

Bake Sale and Raffle for Kadra’s Family Fund on April 14th at 248 Daniel Avenue

Churchill Alternative School recently lost an Educational Assistant, Kadra Koulmiye. She leaves behind four sons (ages 19, 18, 12 and 6) and many students who benefited from their time with Kadra. The two eldest boys who are in first and second year university are hoping to keep their family together.

On Saturday, April 14^th from 1:00 – 4:00pm three Champlain Park families are holding a bake sale and raffle at 248 Daniel Avenue to raise money for Kadra’s Family Fund. All proceeds will go to the fund.

The raffle features over $500 in prizes! Win a gift certificate or gift basket from one of these retailers:

Boomerang Kids
Bridgehead
Cube Gallery
John’s Restaurant
Kiddie Kobbler
Mrs Tiggy Winkles
Newport Restaurant
Parma Ravioli
Saslove’s Meat Market
Thyme and Again
Tivoli Florist
Truffle Treasures
Wabi Sabi

Raffle tickets are $5.00 for one and $10.00 for three. The raffle draw will be made on Saturday, April 14th at 4:00pm (at 248 Daniel Avenue). Winners will be contacted by phone or email.

And there will be lots of delicious home-made bake sale goodies to buy!

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the local retail community for their generosity and support, and to the many Churchill Alternative School families who will be providing baked goods for the sale.

If you would like to buy a raffle ticket and will not be able to drop over during the sale, please contact Nancy Elias at nancy.joan@hotmail.ca or at 613.728.7885.

Donations to Kadra’s Family Fund may also be made directly at http://kadra-koulmiye.ca/

Please come to the bake sale and raffle rain or shine!

For Earth Hour and beyond, Canadians are up to the challenge.

On Saturday March 31st from 8:30PM – 9:30PM, when you switch off your lights for Earth Hour, you’ll be part of a movement that in its five year history has sparked a number of game-changing strides towards a cleaner, greener Canada:

Visit wwf.ca/EarthHour

Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia have introduced rebate programs and other support for electric vehicles, signifying a strong commitment to developing alternatives to fossil-fuel cars.
In 2008 British Columbia introduced a landmark carbon tax that to-date has resulted in a 3% reduction in BC’s gasoline consumption.
In 2009 Ontario introduced the Green Energy Act, a policy aimed at energy conservation, expanding renewable energy and building a green energy industry in the province.
In 2011, for the first time, global investment in renewable energy sources was higher than investment in fossil fuels.
50% of the Canadian population now lives in a city or town that has a climate action plan.
As important as these changes are, there is still plenty of work to be done. That’s why on March 31, 2012, WWF, along with our partners, will launch the first annual Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC).

The Challenge will provide cities with toolkits, training and expert advice, as well as a platform to showcase and be recognized for their work and progress towards preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Participation in the EHCC is free and open to any city! To learn more, contact WWF at citychallenge@wwfcanada.org.

Visit wwf.ca/EarthHour

CHAMPLAIN PARK GOES GREEN AND CLEAN ON APRIL 28!

The last weekend in April is Capital Cleanup Weekend, and Champlain Park needs volunteers.

We recommend wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wear appropriate footwear and bring gloves. The City will provide garbage bags and other supplies.

The Keyworth School Age Program has adopted Champlain Park and the students of St. George School are doing a great job cleaning it each spring and fall. Thanks go to them.

Now it’s time for the rest of us in the neighbourhood to do our part. Last year 40 people showed up – a wonderful turnout.

If you have any questions or suggestions, call Andrea Murphy or Ian Reid at 613-715-9504.

Minutes: Annual General Meeting (AGM) February 16, 2012

The 2012 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA) was attended by more than 30 members of the community, a great showing for a cold wintery night in February.

Some Highlights (please see attached minutes for full details):

Calls for nominations to the Executive, completion of the slate of candidates, and addition of a new member at large were passed unanimously.

Two presentations were given on urban infill development in mature neighbourhoods and Councillor Katherine Hobbs provided comments on the Infill Study.

Presentations:

1. “Study of Small Scale Infill Housing in Mature Neighbourhoods” Guest Speaker: Selma Hassan, Planning and Growth Management Department, City of Ottawa.

2. “Development in Champlain Park: Working Towards Compatibility” Speaker: Heather Pearl, Co-Chair, CPCA.

Many Thanks!
We wish to thank all, who were able to attend, present and organize this very informative meeting.

Minutes:
Please see the minutes provided below from the AGM meeting which took place at the Champlain Park Field house on February 16, 2012 at 7:30pm.

Word version: AGM2012Minutes-approved
PDF version: AGM2012Minutes-approved

Door to Door Hot Water Heater Sales

There’s been a flurry of activity on the mailing list about recent door to door sales of hot water heaters. Quite a few people thought it could be a scam, prompting this warning from our neighbours in Hintonburg, Cheryl is on the security committee there:

—— Forwarded Message: ——
From: Cheryl Parrott
Subject: Re: [Champlain] [Crime] Hot water tank guy – anybody mention this in relation to Crime Stoppers?
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:42:19 -0500

[…]
Across the City people have complained about the aggressive tactics of one water heater rental company – National Home Services. Their sales people have been very aggressive at the door, hard to get rid of them – sometimes people have to threaten to call police to get them to leave, one was charged with assault. They make us stories about why they need to check the water heater and have accused people of not being environmentally friendly. Attached is one recent article in the Citizen where it mentions them again. They are mentioned near the end of the article where it talks about a salesman saying the Govt has asked them to inspect to make sure water heaters are all Energy Star. I have copied the sentences below

Last Tuesday, a marketer for National Home Services told Garvey that the Ontario government had contracted the company to check residential water heaters for Energy Star efficiency ratings. Suspicious, Garvey asked to see a letter which gave National that authority. Garvey told him to leave when he couldn’t produce it.

In the late fall our Community Officer, Andrew Milton, plus a representative from MPP Yasir Naqvi met with the VP of National Home Services. They committed to monitoring the training of their representatives and to have our Officer come and speak to the trainees. So far that has not happened and we have asked to have a meeting with the VP here.

So they are not scamming just aggressive to get people to buy so they get the commission. So if they are aggressive – won’t take no for an answer, or block the door from closing Police should be called and also Cst. Milton should be informed for follow-up miltona@ottawapolice.ca 613-236-1222 x 5871

Cheryl

MailingList.2012.02.21.HughAdamiNationalHomeServices.pdf