Talk on Depaving, Building a Forest and Pollinator Garden – March 10

Thursday, March 10th – Daniel Buckles, of Champlain Park, will outline how the community turned a paved street into a model forest and a pollinator garden. The project won the 2020 award from the Society for Organic Urban LandCare in recognition of its benefits to local wildlife, the urban forest and public engagement.

[Pollinator Garden June 24, 2021]

Join the Riverview Park Community Association on Zoom for a virtual presentation from 7:00pm – 8:00pm on the date shown above. Each presentation will be followed by a short Q & A. To attend, please register by sending a message to forpgsottawa@gmail.com A link to the Zoom meeting will be mailed out to all registered participants a day before each session.

Their community association: https://riverviewparkca.com/
FORPGS stands for Friends of Riverview Park Green Spaces. They’re on Facebook.
The event was also mentioned in the Riverview Park Review – February 2022.

[Pontiac street rubble and stone dug up, ready for planting a small forest]

Coyote Seminar – March 7

Going along with the recent coyote sightings in the neighbourhood, our city councillor Jeff Leiper’s newsletter has notice of a seminar that may be useful:

Living With Coyotes seminar March 7

Very timely in light of a few notes I’ve received concerning coyote spottings particularly in the Champlain Park and Westboro Beach areas, my colleague Councillor Dudas is hosting a virtual information night on March 7 about coyotes in the urban area. Read a little bit more here and RSVP for the session by writing to laura.dudas@ottawa.ca.

[Coyote standing and staring sideways at you]

Community Association Board Meeting Agenda – March 3

Agenda

Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA) Board Meeting

Thursday March 3, 2022
7:30 PM via Google Meet
Everybody Welcome

Board meetings will have an open session for community residents to observe business discussions. Non board community members will also be invited to participate at certain times by the chair and there will be “in camera” topics for the board members only. Please contact the secretary via champlainpark@gmail.com to request a link to join the meeting.

Open session

  1. Approval of minutes of Jan 10, 2022 – Liz
  2. Report of interim motions – all
    • Doodle Result for Minutes: Royal Mental Hygiene Challenge- To post – carried
  3. Website Posting Guidelines – Carol – (Information – 10 minutes)
  4. Financial : Renewal of GIC – Dave – (Decision – 5 minutes)
  5. Discussion on various Policies: – Lynne – (Information/Decision – 25 minutes)
    1. CPCA Board members attending external organization meetings: When are we reps for CPCA vs. reps for other organizations or participation as independent members; how to interact with the CPCA Board as a CPCA rep – Lynne
    2. Delegated Authority for CPCA input on technical items such as zoning; how to interact with the CPCA Board – Lynne
    3. CPCA signing of Contracts: “The Devil is in the Detail” – Lynne
  6. Writing a letter to the City re rink renewal – Liz (decision, 5 minutes)
  7. Other Business
  8. Next Meeting

Agenda last updated at 22:16 on March 1st.

The Royal Mental Hygiene Challenge

From https://mailchi.mp/theroyal/mental-hygiene-challenge, #MentalHygieneChallenge

Joining us is easy! Just take 10 minutes every day throughout March 2022 to do simple, research-based activities that support your mental health. These 10 minutes can be done all at once, or broken up into shorter intervals – it’s up to you!

It’s fun, it’s free, and no special equipment or skills are needed.

Sign up below and you’ll receive:

  • a list of mental hygiene practices that are easy to do, recommended by mental health experts at The Royal
  • a free digital calendar to track your progress
  • links to helpful resources and how-to videos
  • an invitation to our virtual launch event on March 1 to help inspire and motivate you!

The goal here, of course, is to see how you feel after 31 days of practice. And who knows? The small changes you make might be the beginning of a big boost for your mental wellness.

Also see The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre Facebook Group for the Challenge.

Here is a nugget of information from their Good hygiene for your mental health article:

Start your own your mental hygiene practice today

Guillaume Tremblay recommends spending at least ten minutes every day doing one of the following activities. (Pro tip: if you choose an activity you enjoy – and do it at a time that fits your schedule – you are much more likely to stick with it over the long term.)

  • Meditation or mindfulness exercises (there are many free apps and podcasts to guide you)
  • Focused deep breathing
  • “Prosocial” prayer (with themes of thanksgiving, praying for others, gratitude)
  • Journaling (writing about positive experiences or expressing gratitude)
  • A walk in a natural setting

You can also combine activities, such as taking a walk in the woods while thinking about the things for which you are grateful or listening to an “eyes open” mindfulness meditation. As Tremblay writes: “These kinds of deliberate and intentional exercises foster cognitive patterns conducive to well-being.”

Notice to Residents: Coyote Sightings

This is a notice asking residents to be vigilant when working, exercising, or playing outside, particularly when and where children and pets are present.

In recent weeks (February 2022), there have been several reports of one, or several, slightly emboldened coyote(s) in the immediate area. More specifically, closer to the wooded areas along the SJAM Parkway; at Remic Rapids; at Tunney’s Pasture (see photo below); and near Island Park Dr. where it intersects the SJAM Parkway.

[Coyote standing and staring sideways at you]

While the CPCA has heard no reports of outright aggressive behaviour by the animal(s), witnesses have noted they are less timid than what would normally be expected, and at least one of them is on the ‘larger end of the spectrum’ for a coyote.
Continue reading “Notice to Residents: Coyote Sightings” →

Crossing Guards Needed

Subject: Urgent Need for Crossing Guards in Champlain Park
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2022 18:00:41 +0000
From: stephanie dotto <stephanie.dotto@ottawasafetycouncil.ca>

[Poster with a crossing guard photo and some text]

Good Afternoon,

I am with the Ottawa Safety Council, the local non-profit that runs the Crossing Guard program and I need your support. We are currently experiencing a guard shortage and reaching out to the community for help in keeping our kids safe.  This directly impacts your residents as we risk not having crossing guards to keep children and other members of your community safe during the hectic time before and after school.  We think your members would make great Crossing Guards and it’s a fantastic way to give back to the community while supplementing ones income.
Continue reading “Crossing Guards Needed” →