Community Sleigh Ride – December 22 Reminder

Sorry, but due to bad weather, the sleigh ride has been cancelled.

The Sleigh Ride takes off December 22, with horses, sing-along!

Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 at 6:00PM

[Sleigh ride horses stopped outside Santa's house, photo by Joyce Mortimer, December 2019]

The annual horse-drawn sleigh ride is back and arrives just before Christmas, a lovely start to the school holidays. Special thanks to Jim Cocks, volunteer organizer, and to the Wellington West BIA for sponsoring the ride. The sleigh ride will wind through the neighbourhood and there will, of course, be a sing-along of holiday carols. Feel free to bring bells or other instruments. There is a rumour Santa may stop by. Best be there to find out!

The sleigh will be available for several rides and will start at the front of the fieldhouse at 140 Cowley at 6pm. To ensure everyone can ride the sleigh and manage overcrowding and safety issues, the first sleigh ride will prioritize young children, their caregivers, seniors and anyone needing assistance. Then there will be the main sleigh ride through the neighbourhood and of course all interested are encouraged to walk behind the sleigh and sing holiday carols. The sleigh will continue to be available for several more rides to accommodate all. Poor weather sometimes cancels the sleigh, so best to check the website for last-minute updates.

Hot chocolate will be served inside and outside at the Fieldhouse. Feel free to bring Christmas cookies or snacks. If you’re able to volunteer to help with the sleigh ride or Fieldhouse set up, clean up, hot chocolate, please contact Jim Cocks at jim.co@sympatico.ca.

To accommodate COVID considerations, please note these proposed precautions:

  • Ottawa public health guidelines will be followed. Ottawa public health recommends wearing a mask in crowded and indoor spaces. To note the ride is outdoors with an open sleigh and the Fieldhouse will be open for refreshments.
  • Several tours of the neighbourhood are planned to avoid overcrowding and there is a limit to the sleigh capacity: first tour would prioritize young children, their caregivers, seniors and anyone needing assistance, second tour open to all, third and/or a subsequent tour could be for only masked participants if there is a demand (to ensure choice for those being more cautious).

Happy holidays.

Daybreak Housing Fundraiser – Successful

A message from Laurie Fagan about the fundraiser:

Well neighbours, you did it!

All 47 residents at Daybreak Housing will receive a drugstore gift card with their homemade cookie bundles this Christmas.

I didn’t doubt for a minute the generosity of residents here in Champlain Park. A huge thank you to all those who contributed – you truly are kind.

On behalf of the residents I wish you all a wonderful, joyous holiday season. 2023 is going to be great.

Laurie Fagan

Daybreak Housing Fundraiser

A message from Laurie Fagan:

As a board member of Day Break housing I reached out to our community to donate a $20 gift card for either Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall for the 47 residents live in Daybreak houses (one on the edge of Champlain Park).

I was blown away by this community’s generosity and I have received 30 gift cards so far.

If you want to help us reach our goal we have 17 cards left to go. You can purchase the cards and contact me to drop them off. If you can’t make it to either store I can purchase them for you if you drop off the funds.

My email is: lauriefagan59@gmail.com

Thanks again – the spirit of giving is alive in our small community.

Be Fraud-Aware this Holiday Season

As we head into the holiday season, Ottawa Police Service, in partnership with 211, is reminding residents to be cautious of scams preying on your honesty, trust, good nature and sometimes fear. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. When in doubt, check it out – do your research.

Never feel pressured to provide information or make a financial contribution right away. In Ottawa, you can call 211 to speak to someone who can help you figure out if something is a scam,

IMPORTANT: If you’ve been a victim of fraud and lost money in a transaction, please report the incident to the Ottawa Police Service online reporting or by calling our Police Reporting Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 7300.

Common scams circulating right now include:
• Merchandise scams
• Emergency (aka “Grannie”) scams
• Canada Revenue Agency scams
• Tech support and Refund scams

If you’re not sure if something is a scam call or not, here are a few tips:
• Hang up. If someone says they are calling from a reputable organization, like your banking institution, you should be able to contact your banking institution and verify the caller’s information or claim.
• Call 211 or phone a friend! Don’t be embarrassed! It’s becoming harder and harder to tell what is legitimate and what is a scam. 211 Ontario has a wealth of fraud prevention information and can help point you in the right direction if you need additional resources or support.
• Check out the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website or call them at 1-888-495-8501. They have up-to-date information on the latest scams and how to report them.

For more information, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Community Sleigh Ride – December 22

Sorry, but due to bad weather, the sleigh ride has been cancelled.

The Sleigh Ride takes off December 22, with horses, sing-along!

Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 at 6:00PM

[Sleigh ride horses stopped outside Santa's house, photo by Joyce Mortimer, December 2019]

The annual horse-drawn sleigh ride is back and arrives just before Christmas, a lovely start to the school holidays. Special thanks to Jim Cocks, volunteer organizer, and to the Wellington West BIA for sponsoring the ride. The sleigh ride will wind through the neighbourhood and there will, of course, be a sing-along of holiday carols. Feel free to bring bells or other instruments. There is a rumour Santa may stop by. Best be there to find out!

The sleigh will be available for several rides and will start at the front of the fieldhouse at 140 Cowley at 6pm. To ensure everyone can ride the sleigh and manage overcrowding and safety issues, the first sleigh ride will prioritize young children, their caregivers, and seniors. Then there will be several more rides to accommodate all. Feel free to walk behind the sleigh. Details on the route and exact times will be posted on the website closer to the date. Poor weather sometimes cancels the sleigh, so best to check the website for last-minute updates.

Hot chocolate will be served at the Fieldhouse. Feel free to bring Christmas cookies or snacks. If you’re able to volunteer to help with the sleigh ride or Fieldhouse set up, clean up, hot chocolate, please contact Jim Cocks at jim.co@sympatico.ca.

To accommodate COVID considerations, please note these proposed precautions:

  • Ottawa public health guidelines will be followed. Ottawa public health recommends wearing a mask in crowded and indoor spaces. To note the ride is outdoors with an open sleigh and the Fieldhouse will be open for refreshments.
  • Several tours of the neighbourhood are planned to avoid overcrowding: first tour would prioritize small children, second tour open to all, third and/or a subsequent tour could be for only masked participants if there is a demand (to ensure choice for those being more cautious).

Happy holidays.

Webinar featuring our Pollinator Garden – November 29

Champlain Park’s experience with the pollinator garden and community forests will be featured tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29 in a webinar series for the Year of the Ecological Garden, hosted by the Society for Organic Urban Land Care (SOUL). Champlain Park received an award for its work from SOUL earlier in 2022.

Tickets are free upon registration at the SOUL website: https://organiclandcare.ca/2022_Series

Previous presentations on a wide range of gardening topics are also posted to the site, which contains a wealth of experience from across North America, on topics ranging from urban agriculture, ecological turf care, greener greenspaces, etc.

Cheers, Daniel Buckles (the speaker for tomorrow).

Found Child’s Knitted Hat

Late breaking news from Laura…

On 2022-11-28 11:02, Laura wrote:
> Thanks so much, […]! I just got a call and someone is going to pick it up!

From Laura…

We found this hat on the sidewalk in front of our house (middle block of Cowley Avenue) and left it out on the edge of our yard for a few days, but no one picked it up. By then it was pretty soggy and sad looking, so we washed it. I’ve printed up this poster (attached) to staple to a few nearby poles, […]


20221128 Hat FOUND.pdf

Webinar on Bill 23 – November 23

via Heather, quoting our city councillor Jeff Leiper:

“The most sweeping city planning decisions in a generation are in the process of being imposed on Ontario municipalities. What does it all mean?”

On Wednesday, November 23, Councillors Jeff Leiper and Glen Gower are hosting a webinar on Ontario’s Bill 23 and its impact on Planning in Ottawa. Details on this issue and how to join the Zoom webinar are here:
https://kitchissippiward.ca/content/qa-webinar-bill-23-and-changes-ottawa-city-planning

There’s also a letter to the province from the CPCA on the impact of the bill on our neighbourhood:
[Screen shot of the first page of the letter]
20221115 CPCA re Bill23.pdf