Yoga Class Starting

Thinking of doing yoga this fall? Sandy our fabulous instructor from last year has kindly agreed to come back and teach her one-hour classes on Monday nights.

Depending on how many sign up she’s willing to again offer 2 classes – one starting at 6 and the other right after at 7:30. The classes will run for 10 weeks from Monday September 30 until Monday December 9 (with no class on Thanksgiving Monday). The price will be determined based on how many sign up. If you’re interested please send Laurie a message including your email and phone number.

Cheers

[Generic Yoga class, from 2024 post]

Please see the general Yoga Page for more details.

Also posted at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChamplainPark/posts/1916202682196146/

New Zoning Bylaw Info Session – August 29

Join the City for a ward-specific virtual information session on Thursday, August 29 from 6:30 to 8 pm on Zoom to discuss Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law.

The session will begin with a citywide presentation that will provide an overview of the new Zoning By-law. At 7 PM, following the citywide presentation, ward-specific breakout rooms will take place to cover key topics relevant to Wards 12, 13 and 15 and host a Q&A session. It’s your chance to learn about the basics of zoning, key concepts of the proposed by-law, and engage in further discussions where you will have the opportunity to ask questions and share your thoughts! To attend, please register here.

See the previous post on what the changes mean for our neighbourhood (mostly increasing the number of units on a lot and decreasing green space).

Scam Alert – Ottawa street parking meters

The City of Ottawa is warning residents of a recently discovered scam at parking meters involving fraudulent QR codes. The City does not provide QR code on parking meters for payment. Please see details from the city on the following link:
https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/city-news/newsroom/city-alerts-residents-new-qr-code-scam-parking-machines-ottawa

There’s also a CTV news report at:
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/city-of-ottawa-warns-of-qr-code-scam-at-parking-meters-1.6995472

Here’s what the QR code looks like, it takes you to poybyphone.online rather than paybyphone.com.
[Parking Meter QR Code Scam photo from Ottawa City press release]

New Zoning Bylaw applied to our Neighbourhood

Neighbours,

This document is long but very important for all homeowners to read. It is the first in a series that will take us through the new Bylaw Provisions and their likely impacts.

As you know the city of Ottawa has released the first Draft – third (final) draft proposed for Q4 2025 – of a proposed comprehensive new zoning bylaw that will greatly increase the density in our community. Developers are being encouraged to build a lot of new housing, especially in communities close to the LRT.

The By-laws proposed for Champlain Park will allow developers to build multiple units on our lots. Our standard lot sizes will be reduced. Front and rear yard setbacks will be reduced. This will have a significant impact, particularly on our streets or parts of streets that already have shallow front yards. Greenspace and many trees will be lost. There will be little room left to plant new trees to replace them.
Continue reading “New Zoning Bylaw applied to our Neighbourhood”

Biodiversity Restoration Garden Tour – July 29

Visit to the Champlain Park Biodiversity Restoration Gardens on Monday July 29

The Champlain Park Community Association environment committee invites residents and friends to visit our local biodiversity gardens on Monday July 29, 7-8 pm at Carleton and Pontiac. There will be a guided tour of the gardens and chance to meet volunteers. A presentation to a special volunteer will occur.

[Champlain Park Pollinator Garden 2024]

Survey on What’s Allowed in Parks

The City of Ottawa wants your input to learn how the City’s Parks and Facilities By-law can better serve its residents.

This Bylaw provides details on the activities allowed in municipal parks and activities that are prohibited. We have started public engagement for the review of the Parks and Facilities By-law, which is intended to enhance public safety, maintain green spaces and provide equal opportunities for the public to enjoy these spaces.

This review is intended to consider more substantive changes to the bylaw to reflect evolving user needs. The review will also assess and recommend activities people can’t do at their residence, such as barbecuing or permitting the responsible use of personal consumption of alcohol in parks.

If you are interested in completing the survey, please visit the Parks and Facilities By-law Review Engage Ottawa page. The online survey will be available until August 2. Results of the survey will be shared in a ‘What We Learned’ report, along with recommendations for a new and improved Parks and Facilities By-law.

The City of Ottawa Parks and Facilities By-law Review team
parksfacilitiesbylaw@ottawa.ca


La Ville d’Ottawa sollicite votre avis pour savoir comment les règlements des parcs et les installations pourrait mieux servir les résidents.

Cet examen régit les activités autorisées dans les installations et parcs municipaux et décrit les conditions et restrictions relatives à ces activités, ainsi que les interdictions. Nous avons commencé les démarches de consultation publique en prévision de l’examen du Règlement sur les parcs et les installations, dont l’objectif est d’améliorer la sécurité publique, d’entretenir les espaces verts et les commodités et de traiter le public sur un pied d’égalité pour permettre à tous de profiter de ces lieux.

Cet examen vise à apporter au règlement des changements plus substantiels pour tenir compte de l’évolution des besoins de la collectivité et des besoins émergents des usagers, en plus de mettre à jour la terminologie et d’apporter des changements administratifs. Il permettra aussi d’évaluer et de recommander les secteurs à prévoir pour les activités auxquelles les gens n’ont pas l’occasion de participer dans leur résidence, par exemple les barbecues ou la consommation personnelle responsable et autorisée d’alcool dans les parcs.

Pour en savoir plus et accéder au sondage, consultez la page sur l’examen du Règlement sur les parcs et les installations sur le site Participons Ottawa. Le sondage sera en ligne jusqu’au 2 août. Les résultats seront présentés dans un rapport « Ce que nous avons appris », accompagnés de recommandations destinées à améliorer leRèglement sur les parcs et les installations.

N’hésitez pas à le partager avec les membres de votre communauté. Nous vous remercions et avons hâte de vous entendre!

L’équipe de l’examen duRèglement sur les parcs et les installations de la Ville d’Ottawa
Reglementsparcsinstallations@ottawa.ca

U of T Housing Features Survey

For a bit of summer variety (we usually don’t post surveys but this seems fun), here’s a survey from the University of Toronto, asking people to send in photos of parts of their housing they like and parts they hate. The professors (Dr. Marianne Touchie and Dr. Alstan Jakubiec) seem legitimate, and have published quite a lot of similar research.

The primary goal of our study is to uncover the environmental, economic, and social aspects of housing design that are most significant to residents. Through this study, we aim to inform the design of socially and environmentally sustainable urban housing in Canada.

Who knows, maybe one day building codes and what developers offer will reflect things that bug people (like not having dangerously narrow stairs) or make people happy (like having big windows for enjoying winter sunshine). So what do you enjoy or get annoyed by?

– Alex


Subject: Request from the University of Toronto to share survey on housing perceptions
From: CivMin Housing Survey <housingsurvey.civmin@utoronto.ca>
Date: 2024-07-16, 20:27

Hello Ottawa Resident Associations,

University of Toronto researchers, Dr. Marianne Touchie and Dr. Alstan Jakubiec, seek your insights on the experience of living in different housing forms, from multi-unit residential buildings (MURB) to single-family homes.

To collect our data, we request residents in your neighbourhood to fill out a short (10-15 min) survey which involves answering questions about their dwelling unit’s features and amenities and taking pictures of housing features. Please help us by sharing this survey link with residents in your neighbourhood through your newsletter/mailing lists/social media channels: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/housingpreference.

Participants will receive a $10 Amazon e-gift card for their participation if they complete the survey and provide their contact details.

Thank you. Please feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Alstan Jakubiec and Dr. Marianne Touchie

[Poster for MURBS survey on housing likes and dislikes, 2024]