Mediation on Lansdowne OMB Appeal
As you will know, OSCA, the Glebe Community Association (GCA), the Glebe Business Improvement Area and a number of Glebe residents, especially those on Holmwood, have appealed the City's re-zoning of Lansdowne Park to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). This appeal is examining the new zoning by-law the City has passed for Lansdowne. This is separate from the court case launched by the Friends of Lansdowne in Superior Court which is challenging the legality of the City's actions.
There is now an ongoing mediation of the Lansdowne OMB appeal, and while very critical of the zoning, OSCA has always said it is prepared for meaningful dialogue and negotiations with the City. OSCA will be spending up to $15,000 on this appeal, more than double OSWatch's reserve fund going into this fight. This money is funding the services of a Professional Planner that OSCA has engaged in partnership with the GCA. On March 11, at a Pre-Hearing at City Hall OSCA's representative, OSWatch Co-Chair Brendan McCoy, indicated that along with all the other parties to the appeal (the Glebe CA, the Glebe BIA, and the Holmwood residents) we were having some success with mediation and would continue to negotiate with the City on a possible settlement. OSCA will only accept a settlement if it included our other community partners and we felt it was in the best interests of Old Ottawa South. Events are moving quickly on this file and if there are changes or developments between the time of writing this column (March 19) and OSCAR’s publication I will be updating you on our web site (www.oldottawasouth.ca).
OSCA’s Annual General Meeting is on May 3
OSCA will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, May 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the main hall of the community centre. This is a chance for you to hear reports from all our committee chairs on what has been accomplished over the last year and to elect the Board members for OSCA for the coming year. The meeting usually lasts about two hours and we have a wine and cheese social afterwards so you can meet your new Board members and your neighbours. Do try and attend as it is an excellent opportunity to make your views known on community issues and on what you think the community association should be doing.
New Board Members
We will have a number of vacancies on this year’s OSCA Board due to members who are retiring. If you are interested in joining the Board, please contact the chair of our nominating committee, Greg Strahl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you apply we will need your address in the community, a short statement on why you would like to join the Board and what you might like to accomplish or work on and what kind of work or volunteer experiences you have that you think might be useful to the Board. We need people with all kinds of interests and skills so please do give it some serious consideration. If you are elected to the Board you would be expected to participate in our monthly meetings which are held on the third Tuesday of the month from September to June, and help out on a committee or a project. To be a Board member you need to have been a member of OSCA for at least three months prior to our May AGM and live in Old Ottawa South or own a business located here.