Hunt Club Community Association

General News

From the Editor

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

Spring is almost here!  And we’ve got another newsletter for you!  It’s bursting with news and events happening in your community:  from Get Growing to the Hunt Club Cares Garage Sale and  Councillor Riley Brockington’s events! Read on and see what’s happening in your community.   This is your newsletter and your voice!  You can submit articles for consideration directly to editor@hunt-club.ca or by filling out the form on the Newsletters page on the HCCA website:  https://hunt-club.ca/updates/newsletters/    We’re waiting to hear from you!

GetGrowing Hunt Club 2023

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

GetGrowing Hunt Club is a program run by the Hunt Club Community Association. It is a great opportunity for residents to get involved in gardening and improve the sustainability of their community. By providing free seedlings and seeds to residents, the program helps encourage the growth of fresh, locally-grown produce and promotes food sustainability.

There are many benefits to participating in community gardening programs like GetGrowing. Some of the ways include:

  • Encouraging self-sufficiency: By growing their own food, residents can become more self-sufficient and reduce their reliance on imported, non-local produce.
  • Promoting healthy eating: Fresh, homegrown produce is often healthier and more nutrient-dense than store-bought options. By growing their own fruits and vegetables, residents can improve their own health and the health of their families.
  • Building community connections: Community gardening programs provide an opportunity for neighbours to come together, work collaboratively, and build connections with one another.
  • Beautifying the community: Gardening can also have a positive impact on the aesthetics of a neighbourhood, as gardens can add colour and life to the community.
  • Environmental benefits: Growing produce locally, and relying less on imported produce that may have been shipped long distances, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Our team is already planning, and excited to kick off the fourth year. Registrants will be able to pick up their kits at the Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre, on Saturday, May 20, between 10am–1pm (weather permitting). Register for your free seedling kit by visiting getgrowinghuntclub.ca.

Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a beginner, there’s something for everyone to gain from this exciting program.

Sponsor a Seedling

Last year we distributed 234 seedling kits within our community, with the potential to generate a market value of $17,800 in fresh vegetables. To continue our efforts, we’re calling for your support. With just a $10 donation, you can make a difference by providing a seedling kit to a neighbour in need. Together, we are planting the seeds of change to cultivate a sustainable and self-sufficient community. To make a donation, please visit getgrowinghuntclub.ca/#donate.

Councillor’s Corner

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

I am pleased to see the return of the HCCA newsletter. It is a valuable tool to keep the community informed and engaged. Thank you to community volunteers for all your efforts on this publication. 

With the election well behind us and the City Budget 2023 tabled, I am focusing on our collective goals, meeting with community members and stakeholders and championing issues that will build our neighbourhood together. 

Major Developments

There are two major developments happening in our community, St Mary’s and Tudor Hall. Tudor Hall, the former site of the Tudor Banquet Hall, has applied to develop 2, 14 storey residential buildings, with a total of 365 units, 364 parking spaces and 183 bicycle spots.  I expect to see this application presented  before  the Planning Committee this year. Taggart Real Estate and Developments has submitted a revised zoning application and plan of condominium for 3930-3960 Riverside Dr. The proposed plan includes 589 apartments, 53 townhouses and 24 detached dwellings. This plan is in its infancy, meaning we do not expect this application to come before committee this year.  

Road Repaving in 2023

  • McCarthy Rd (Hunt Club to Paul Anka)

Traffic Calming in 2023

Assessments will be conducted in 2023 at various Hunt Club locations for:

  • Stop Sign compliance
  • Speed Bumps
  • Raised intersections
  • Yellow Flex Stakes
  • Crosswalks

My Events

I also wish to inform the community that I am hosting some events this month:

  • Trivia Night – Carlington vs Hintonburg – March 4 (Sign up required)
  • International Women’s day – Speaker series – March 7

It continues to be a pleasure to serve the Hunt Club residents.

Please contact me at any time to discuss any matter.

 

Riley Brockington
City Councillor, River Ward
613-580-2486

Halt the Road (Salt) Assault

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

Photo courtesy of the Ottawa River Keeper

It’s the time of year when we either take out the shovels or take out the road salt.

De-icing your steps and driveway using traditional road salt comes at a steep environmental and financial price. Environmentally it increases the salinity (salt content) of soils, damages plants, contaminates ground and surface water, and leads to the death of aquatic life. Financially, because salt is corrosive, it damages fabric, metal (cars, trucks, bicycles) and our roads. This can total more than $5 billion a year.

This year, before reaching for the salt, consider what you want to achieve. Do you need to completely melt the ice and snow on your driveway? Or do you just need to make sure there is a safe path to walk for you, your neighbours and your kids (four-legged or two)? If you want to minimize your financial and environmental impact answer these three questions:

Am I choosing the right product?
Am I using the right amount?
Am I applying it at the right time?

To find the answers to these questions, visit the link on OSEAN’s website:  https://ottawasouthecoactionnetwork.ca/halt-the-road-salt-assault/.

Preserving our green space and biodiversity takes place all year round, including through our choices during the winter months to maintain our environment safe and accessible.

 

The Hunt Club Cares Garage Sale is Back

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

The Hunt Club Cares Garage Sale is coming back this year! Community member Linda King had started this initiative and ran it for five successful years to raise money for Interval House. Interval House is a Women’s Shelter that provides safe shelter and support, intervention and prevention services, and advocacy to break the cycle of violence.

Now the HCCA is bringing this event back for the community. The garage sale will be held on June 3, 2023 in our Hunt Club neighbourhood. Stay tuned for more information to come on our Facebook and Twitter pages! In the meantime, if you’re interested in participating, volunteering, or learning more, please contact info@hunt-club.ca.

Ottawa Police Service in Hunt Club

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

For most of us, our interaction with the police is very occasional. We see them on patrol, perhaps attending to an incident; they’re present at festivals and other events. We look for them to be there when they’re needed, and out of the way at other times.

The front-line police officer’s job is no bed of roses. There’s a monument on Parliament Hill to those who lost their lives — names are added every year. The vast majority, good, decent honourable people, are asked to uphold the law and be counsellors and social workers, responding to drug overdose situations and mental health crises. Is that expecting too much of one person? Are they overtasked? Many think so.

According to its website, the OPS aspires to be a “trusted partner in community safety” with a mission “to protect the safety and security of our communities.”

But there’s an elephant in the room. The Ottawa Police Service failed Ottawa in connection with the Trucker Convoy that occupied the area around Parliament Hill a year ago. Studies by the City Auditor General found that the OPS performance adversely affected the city’s ability to quickly and effectively respond to the convoy. There was a lack of timely communication of vital information to other agencies. Some of the police appeared to condone illegal activities. That shook public trust, it will take time to rebuild.

Local OPS Community Police Officers Brad Burleau and Marcus Cibischino commented that, of particular interest for our area, OPS is a multicultural service that prides itself on diversity. Some immigrants come from places where the first thing to come to mind about the police is not “good, decent, honourable people.” So cultural understanding is important for our officers as well as being well-trained in crime prevention, dealing with emergencies, de-escalating and problem-solving.

Maintaining safe neighbourhoods takes us all and knowing each other and interacting is a deterrent to crime: eyes on the streets. As residents, we can also assist others in difficult situations by reporting them quickly to the police through 911 if an emergency, otherwise through the numbers at www.ottawapolice.ca, or to 613-236-1222.

BOX – CRIME STATS
Data for 2019, the latest available from the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study provided by the OPS, shows the rate for all criminal code offences, excluding traffic, averaged 42.5 per thousand population for the city overall, and over 200 for Centretown. It was less than half the average, 20.1, for the part of our Association area east of the north-south hydro corridor west to Sawmill Creek. A greater occurrence of property crime accounted for the 46.7 rate per thousand population for the remainder west to the Rideau River and including Revelstoke. Both areas showed more traffic collisions per kilometre of road than the city overall.

Speak Up Now for Better Library Services in Hunt Club

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

The new Chief Executive Officer of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL), Ms Sonia Bebbington, has confirmed that the Library will be working on implementing OPL’s Service Delivery Framework in this term of Board.  Public input will be invited.  Potential changes to the Kiosk services and Bookmobile services currently available to us in Hunt Club, will be considered as part of this process.  Staff also expect to report back to the Board regarding gaps in library services offered to us.

What improved library services would YOU like to see here in Hunt Club?  Now is the time to express this by sending an email to the OPL board members (libraryboard@ottawa.ca) and to the C.E.O (Sonia.bebbington@biblioottawalibrary.ca) with a cc to our City Councillor, Riley Brockington (Riley.Brockington@Ottawa.ca)

Maybe you would welcome the OPL offering a dedicated library area in our community, along with programs such as … a weekly Storytime for Preschoolers?  … a weekly language conversation class? … a monthly Book Club? … an occasional local author reading and Q & A? … a Graphic Novel workshop series for kids? … All of these services need a space, … here … in our community … to which we could walk.

Knowing the positive impact that a community library has on the social, physical and mental wellbeing of its members, here is what I envisage:

Tier 1 (meaning, it doesn’t get any better): A stand alone newly built bricks and mortar library branch, ideally an extension of our Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre. (Hey, we can dream!)

Tier 2 (the next best thing): A small OPL branch in one or both of units 1006 and 1008 of our Hunt Club Centre, next to our Shoppers Drug Mart, which have been vacant for years.  (This would be similar to the ones at Elmvale Acres, Blackburn Hamlet, and  Emerald Plaza.)

Tier 3 (pretty good): One of the existing rooms in the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre, with dedicated book shelves (for reserved items and a much larger selection of other materials that could be signed out – compared to the limited choices in the current kiosks), and 1 self-checkout terminal.  The Book Return box could be moved next to the round tables at the west end, against the wall. (Maximizing room use makes good sense.)

Tier 4 (which we’d happily welcome):  Eliminate from our community centre both OPL kiosks on site now, the hold lockers and the monitor unit to access these.  Replace these with the same equipment suggested in Tier 3 in the area now occupied by the kiosks, and install an accordion-type metal gate that could be locked when no OPL staff is assigned to this area.  This would create an ‘alternative library space’, along with the round tables and chairs and the ‘Take a Book/Leave a Book’ bookshelf already in place.   Other rooms at our HC-RP CC could be reserved for programs offered by the OPL.

What each of the above examples would provide is a walkable community destination to browse library materials, to sit and read, or to sit and converse with other like-minded neighbours.  This is not possible in the Bookmobile.   It is not at all conducive to building community as it does not encourage prolonged stays.  It’s a ‘get in, pick up your holds, or quickly choose something, then get out’ set up.      So, speak up now to help make our community stronger with improved library services!

Paul Landry Park Spring Cleaning: Saturday, April 29th, 2 pm

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

It’s that time of year again!   The snow will be melting, the birds returning, trees and flowers rising up higher from the ground in our beloved community park.   Sadly, the detritus dropped or blown in over the winter months will also be revealed.
That’s why we all meet there and clean it up!  Please mark your calendars now for Saturday, April 29th : Paul Landry Park clean up at 2 p.m.   Rain date will be on Sunday, April 30th at 10 am.   We meet at the Uplands Drive end, at the picnic table close to the Parc Paul Landry Park sign.
Bring your energy, gloves and pride for our park!   Many hands make for light work.  By splitting up and heading along the pathways at the park’s periphery and interior, we do a thorough clean up.  The more people who come out, the less time it takes.  Treats and additional bags will be available.
Who will find the hidden treasure at this year’s Spring clean up?

Hunt Club Riverside Creative Arts Club

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

It’s time to get creative! Our Creative Arts Club at the Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre is now open for all adults, no matter their age. Join us every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm and let your imagination run wild. With only a small $3 drop-in fee per visit, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss.

The club has been running for seven years and is a wonderful way to build strong connections within yourself and with others. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a complete beginner, this is the perfect place to unleash your inner artist and create something truly amazing.  Use a medium that works for you. Paint, Canvas, Wood, Coloured Pencils, and bring your own supplies from home.

Come with a smile, your thoughts, inspiration, ideas and create with other like-minded people from our community, no experience needed. Build a strong connection within yourself and with others.

 

Location: Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre, 3320 Paul Anka Drive

When: Every Wednesday from 10:00am – 12:00pm

Duration: October 4 2023 – December 20 2023

Cost: $3 drop-in fee per visit.

 

 

PROBUS – Ottawa (Alta Vista)

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

The ProBus Ottawa – Alta Vista Program takes place on the 4th Wednesday each month at 9:30 am at the Gloucester Presbyterian Church on Pike Street, off Lorry Greenberg Drive.  The speaker starts at 10:00 and lasts until 11:00.

The purpose of a ProBus club is to provide regular gatherings for semi-retired and retired people in local communities to meet with others with similar interests.  Meeting new people, making new friends and discovering new interests are just some of the advantages of ProBus membership.  ProBus clubs are simple in structure and free of the constraints and obligations of service clubs and involve members at minimal cost.  Clubs are non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit based and non-fundraising.

Please visit our web site for details on membership, past and upcoming speakers and other activities:  http://www.probusoav.ca.  The presentation at the April 26th meeting will be from  “Osteoporosis Canada”, and the May 24th presentation will be from the “Ottawa Riverkeeper”.   Visitors are always welcome at no cost.

Meet Your New Board of Directors

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

The Hunt Club Community Association (HCCA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 7, 2022.  At that meeting, Brian Wade, Past President, revealed the results of the elections to the Board of Directors.   Here are your new Directors:

President – Audrey Belanger – Baur – 6 years in community

My objectives in concert with the Board and our Councillor are to:

  • Advocate for more affordable housing
  • Explore options to alleviate food insecurity
  • Improve the safety of our streets for children
  • Work on solutions to reduce congestion and for best urban planning practices
  • Grow our local flora biodiversity and replant trees
  • Foster a culture of open and transparent governance in the HCCA
  • Engage a broader segment of our community through increased social and community activities and doubling of our membership

I count on you, the members, and the Board to help me to achieve these objectives in whatever way you can.  Thank you for your vote of confidence. I look forward to working with you.

Vice President – Mary Nduati – 5 years in community.

I have been a  member of Hunt Club Community Association for 2 years since I joined the Maudlin Matilda McEwan Community Garden as one of the gardeners. My education background is in Institutional Management, Counselling, and Social Work. I am a registered Social Service Worker with Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). I am currently pursuing graduate studies in Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy.

I work at Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC) as a Community Support Worker in the Mental Health and Counselling Department serving different families from visible minorities in Ottawa region.

My passion is to serve different communities by walking alongside them to ensure that they reach their full potential. As a Director of the Hunt Club Community Association, I will use my experience in counselling, advocacy, service coordination and academic background  to ensure  the safety and wellbeing of our community in the Hunt Club area.

Secretary – Patrick Morton – 3 years in community

Hello, my name is Patrick. I’ve lived in the Quinterra portion of the Hunt Club neighbourhood for three years with my fiancée. I work as a Public Servant for the Federal government.

I joined the HCCA and the Board in the Spring of 2022 in order to both give back to the community and advocate for changes to make housing more affordable in our neighborhood and city.

My goals for this year are to:

  • Improve the transparency of the HCCA
  • Get members more involved in organizing and planning our activities
  • Make sure that the wider community benefits from upcoming large scale construction projects here, and
  • Advocate for better and safer transportation options.

Treasurer – Brian Wade – 15 years in community

Hello Hunt Club.  I am pleased that I am once again on the HCCA board of directors and have been appointed your Treasurer for 2022-2023.  I have lots of experience in this role, having been the treasurer for my condo board for several years, and also currently the treasurer for South East Ottawa Community Health Centre.  I am no stranger to local issues and City Hall as I was the Chair of the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Advisory Committee from 2014 to 2018, and its most recent vice chair.  As well, I was president of the HCCA for many years.

When I am not at my paid work, or getting involved with matters associated with my volunteer activities, you can find me putting together various Lego sets with my two nephews.  I enjoy cooking and especially the eating part.  I love to travel, being creative and enjoy our local arts scene.  You’ll often find me at our own Greg Kelley’s Tunes Afternoon at Moose McGuires.

Past President – Peter Brimacombe – 37 years in community

As Past President, I would like to help the Board build on our successes that occurred during my term as President such as:

  • The Annual Fall Festival which was held the first time in 2.5 years due to COVID.  The festival was well attended and provided great entertainment, free food, artisans and vendors for residents of all ages
  • Housing affordability.  I would like to continue to work with the Board to advocate for improvements to housing affordability as the City implements Ottawa’s Official Plan
  • I would like to continue assist the Community Association to inform community residents about government changes that affect them.

Director – Peter Foulger – 43 years in community

I joined to focus on community issues where we could achieve results that improve our experience of living in Hunt Club by:

  • Bringing Community issues to the attention of our Councillor and disseminating their reports through social media
  • Supporting Councillor programs to improve our community and providing feedback on development.
  • Initiating and supporting community events
  • Initiating and supporting projects for sustainability of our environment
  • Monitoring and improving our local parks through adoption and cleanup campaigns
  • Monitoring the status of Hunt Club Creek, our only stream, and reporting issues to the Councillor and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA)

Director – Piero Narducci – 27 years in community

As a proud resident of the Hunt Club community for over 25 years an  I have volunteered and supported:

  • The Get Growing Hunt Club and Butterfly Way initiatives.
  • The Hunt Club Community Fall Festival.

I have also served previously on the Hunt Club Community Association (HCCA) Board of Directors. I have over 20 years of executive leadership experience. In addition, I have served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada for many years, on the Executive Board of Directors for 3 years, and as Chair for a brief period at the end of my tenure. I would like to bring that accumulated experience to serve our community and am honoured to be elected to the HCCA Board of Directors.

Director – Fiona Bailey – 31 years in community

I am a Healthcare worker turned union activist and Representative. I care about the residents in my community and hope that working with the other Directors will create change for the better in our community.

Director – Sabrine Barakat (incumbent) – 14 years in community

As a fortunate resident and homeowner in this community I care deeply that it meets our family’s current and future needs – which are likely not unique to our family: affordability, safety, a variety of small businesses and city services (library, community office, green spaces) and the chance to grow and thrive. I wish to remain on the Board as I want to ensure my voice is heard, and I am interested in hearing the voices of others – where we meet and where we differ – with a view to finding respectful consensus and a way forward. I am also interested in community-government relations.

Director – Zane Oueja (incumbent) – 14 Years in Community

My name is Zane. My family and I have lived in Hunt Club since 2008, and I attended Bayview, Fielding, and Brookfield schools. As a 3rd-year university student in urban and regional planning at Toronto Metropolitan University, I have a keen interest in how neighbourhoods like ours can develop and grow. More importantly, Hunt Club is my home, and it is where I wish to return once I finish my studies. I want to serve on the Board to advocate for safe, accessible and reasonable densification and improved transportation options.

Melissa MacIsaac – 5 Years in Community

I moved to the area in 2018 with my 2 children, I have since grown my family with my now finacée making our total number of children in our home, 5, his 2 teens (in college) and my 2 teens (at St. Patricks) and our daughter under 2 years old. As you can imagine, I have a vested interest in having a safe, welcoming community to raise our kids. I have worked as a fundraiser/communications manager at non-profits for the past 10ish years. I would love to be part of the community association to share my skills and help make our community even better!

Carl Fannin – 15 Years in Community

Hi, I work as an analyst with the Ottawa hospital and help support the anesthesia module of their electronic medical records Epic. I‘m a parent of three and have a vested stake in the safety, security and general maintenance of the area and community. I’d love to be able to contribute. I’d also like to see an additional stop sign added at the Cahill Dr West and Owl Dr intersection. I walk my daughter to school and have been nearly hit there.

Hunt Club Book Club

Posted on by Sue McCarthy

The Hunt Club Book Club is a brainchild of resident Linda Sabine and meets monthly on the second Thursday of each month, from 3 to 4 pm at the tables in the front lobby of our Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre.  The inaugural session was held on Nov 10th, with Linda, Christine, Maura and Sabiha in attendance.

This is a no stress book club, without any homework, as we do not discuss the same book.  Each participant brings a favourite book and shares something about its author, when it was written, the time and setting of the story and a very brief summary of the plot.  They then explain how they came upon this particular novel, and why it’s meaningful to them.   The conversation flows from there.  Coffee or tea is brought in by the participants.  There is also the option of making a cup of tea from the selection of teas donated to the community centre kitchen by the Hunt Club Community Association.

We welcome new participants for this free, monthly social gathering.   Next session will be on Thursday, January 12th at 3 pm.

Below: Maura talks about her book pick as Linda, Sabiha and Christine listen carefully.  In behind, we see the new Recycling Library where residents can ‘take a book’ and ‘leave a book’, another way to support literacy in our community.

November 10th Book Club Meeting         Recycling Library                              Fun Facts

 

 

 

 

Hunt Club Community Association (HCCA)
3320 Paul Anka Drive, Ottawa, ON K1V 0J9
info@hunt-club.ca

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