Ottawa’s first T.A.N. cafe is coming to Sandy Hill!

Erin Cochrane is the owner of Sandy Hill’s newest fair trade cafe. The People’s Food Co-op will now be sharing their space with Ottawa’s first T.A.N. coffeehouse. After countless renovations and lots of hard work, Cochrane says she expects to open mid-February.

Check out this audio slideshow to learn more.



A ‘Queensway’ for Cyclists: The Laurier Avenue Bike Lane Pilot Project

At the corner of Bank Street and Laurier Avenue, a bundled up cyclist braves the cold and the traffic. In a year’s time, this intersection may mark the midpoint of Ottawa’s first segregated bike lane connecting Westboro and Sandy Hill. For now, the only thing building is controversy.

In 2008, City of Ottawa staff, along with hired consultants, created a plan to make Ottawa a more bike-friendly city. They wanted to increase the number of people using bikes for transportation. With more people commuting on bicycles, the city hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve the general health of citizens. Another key focus of the plan was to increase safety.

Here is a link to the Ottawa Cycling Plan (OCP): http://ottawa.ca/residents/onthemove/cycling/plan_2008_en.pdf

Colin Simpson is the project manager in charge of designing the bike lane. The cost of the project is estimated at $1.3 million, Simpson said. This number includes the cost it would take to deconstruct the bike lane if the project was not successful, he added. Simpson said the construction cost alone is closer to $800,000.

The bike lane would separate motorists from cyclists, making people feel more comfortable using bikes as transportation, said Simpson. In between the car lane and bikers would be a buffer of parked cars, planter boxes and concrete dividers, he said.

“It’s important to get more people cycling,” Simpson explained. Part of getting cyclists on the road is providing safety measures such as this segregated lane, he said. Simpson quoted an Ottawa Citizen survey of the types of cyclists in Ottawa. According to the numbers, over half of Ottawa’s potential cyclists would benefit from this project. He explains the findings in the following audio clip:

While it would be logical to think that cyclists would be in support of the project, there are those who oppose it.

A group called the Responsible Cycling Coalition, led by Avery Burdett, opposes the bike lane. Burdett said the group is made up of “very experienced cycling veterans.” Many of the groups’ founding members are also members of the Ottawa Bicycle Club, said Burdett. The group said the lane is unnecessary because of three main reasons: it is not actually safe, it will not be used enough due to Ottawa winters, and it is a waste of money that could be used to educate cyclists and motorists on how to share the road.

“Those types of bicycle lanes, segregated ones with a barrier, only protect against collisions in between blocks, however, most accidents occur at intersections,” said Burdett. Often these accidents occur because of a cyclist error, he adds.

“You, as a city, don’t have any evidence that cycling lanes such as you’re proposing are any safer, in fact they’re probably not,” said Burdett.

Instead of spending a million dollars on a segregated bike lane, Burdett said more attention should be given to educating cyclists about the rules of the road, as well as educating motorists.

Here is a link to a video created by to get their opinion heard: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8219921/

However, Hans Moor, president of Citizens for Safe Cycling, said Burdett’s group represents a small minority of cyclists. Moor quoted the Ottawa Citizen cyclist survey when he said that only two percent of cyclists consider themselves ‘experienced’. Many people are intimidated by large motor vehicles, like the OC Transpo buses, Moor said.

In regards to the concern about weather, Moor said the problem actually lies in getting the roads cleared and sanded enough to allow for safe travel.

“Some people are worried about cyclists in the winter time,” said Moor, “but we see thousands and thousands of people skating on the canal, so obviously the temperature is not an issue.”

Moor said that Citizens for Safe Cycling has some members who are for the segregated bike lane, and some who are against it. However, the formal stance of the organization is in support of the pilot project. Moor said it’s important to connect the four neighbourhoods of Westboro, Hintonburg, Centretown-Downtown, and Sandy Hill.

“We have a Queensway running right through the city. I think it’s time that we worked on the cyclist’s Queensway,” Moor said.

“They’re not even a cycling club,” Burdett said about Citizens for Safe Cycling, “they don’t even do any cycling.”

Burdett said he believes this type of segregation will promote incompetent cyclists and create more dangerous intersections.

Phase one of the project would connect Bronson Avenue with Elgin Street, said Simpson. The second phase would reach Sandy Hill, he added. Whether or not the pilot project even gets off the ground is up for debate on Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall. Both sides encourage residents to come out and voice their opinion.

This just in: Sandy Hill’s Outdoor Ice Rink!

The boards are up! Now all that’s missing is the ice.

But with all this rain, residents will have to wait for much colder temperatures to hit Ottawa before they can get involved in the winter fun.

According to Ottawa City Parks and Recreation, the rink was set up last week by local volunteers and university students.

Robert Stehle, president of Sandy Hill’s community group, Action Sandy Hill, says this is a collaborative project. It brings permanent residents and Ottawa University students together to create a winter treat. This outdoor rink where neighbourhood tykes first learn to skate can also be the spot where a fun and competitive game of pick-up hockey can be played.

The outdoor arena is classified as a “Rink with Puddle” on the City of Ottawa website. This means there is a formal ice sheet with boards all around it, as well as a a smaller skating rink beside it (the Puddle part), without boards.

The rink is equipped with lights and public washrooms. It is located at 250 Somerset Street East, just across the road from the University of Ottawa campus.

In the past, Carleton alumni and long-time Sandy Hill resident, Kevin Booth, volunteered his time every winter as the rink manager. Booth received the title of Volunteer of the Year from the Action Sandy Hill group in 2007 for his great work. This year, however, Ottawa Parks and Recreation say that there is a new rink manager. Stay tuned for details on this recent development.

For more information on the outdoor arenas available in Ottawa, please click here.

Renovations planned for Sandy Hill’s Food Co-op!

This small corner store operates as a co-op and keeps money in the local economy

Reflecting on my last blog post, I decided to search for local grocery stores in Sandy Hill that might not be known to residents.

In my quest, I came across the Sandy Hill People Food Co-op.

Sandy Hill Food Co-op is on the street opposite to it's partner venture, Sandy Hill Pet Food Co-op

It is a small store on the corner of Friel and Wilbrod Streets just off King Edward Avenue.

It opened in August of this year. The shop provides residents with locally grown, organic produce, hand-crafted soaps and colourful jewellery.

Handmade jewellery is on display just inside the shop doorway

ORGANIC is a big theme at this store

Bins of bulk foods like beans, seeds, and oats line one of the walls of the petite store.

Fresh produce just in!

Behind the cash desk, a new shipment of produce was being organized on a counter in the back.

Beautiful artwork mixes with the items for sale

Local artwork is also on display. When I asked about the prices of the paintings, I was told that because I was a student, the artist would give me a discount.

Jars of various nut butters

Other food items, not made locally, include organic peanut butter, rice chips, jams, and hair products. In total, the store had three isles and two refrigerator stands. Although I like the idea of buying organic and local foods, the higher prices, and lack of packaged, bulk items would deter many university students from shopping here.

The volunteer cashier showed me the store’s latest development plan to include an independent cafe in the front part of the shop:

These renovations are expected to start any day now and the T.A.N. cafe is set to open on January 3, 2011.

Grocery Store Shortage

Local residents say the lack of a  large-scale grocery store in Sandy Hill is a one of the downfalls of living in the neighbourhood. The closest Loblaws is on Rideau Street, down in Lowertown. Zoning bylaws and development space are the two key impediments to building a Metro, Loblaws, or other large grocery store in Sandy Hill.

With the university already looking to expand, and the abundance of protected historical sites, building space is limited and permits are hard to come by.

University students are feeling particularly annoyed by the lack of grocery stores in their local neighbourhood.

With a student budget, you’re looking for the cheapest prices, and often for bulk foods. The fancy organic corner stores aren’t usually the most economic place to go.

“The distance to a grocery store is a pain since our small corner store, Ayoub’s Minimart, burned down almost two years ago,” said Travis Comeau, “They’re waiting on a permit from the city to rebuild.”

Comeau is a fourth-year Ottawa University student living in Sandy Hill. He bikes or borrows a friend’s car for all his grocery needs because there isn’t one within walking distance.

A new large-scale grocery store in Sandy Hill would not only be more convenient for residents, but it would also be quite the lucrative business.

Restaurant on the Rise: Sandy Hill’s “The Giggling Jerks”

Recently featured on The Food Network, Sandy Hill’s newest Caribbean-style restaurant, The Giggling Jerks, is gaining popularity. 

The restaurant, located on 332 Wilbrod Street in Ottawa, is owned by two  brothers: Devin Mcleod, 26, and Dylan Mcleod, 20.

Although many locals are pleased with the laid-back atmosphere and wonderful Caribbean-style dishes,  not all residents in the surrounding neighbourhood are celebrating.

Legal action is being taken to halt the restaurant’s application for a liquor license. The Wilbrod Watch, a small, locally-created group is protesting it because they don’t want any more noise or rowdiness in their streets.

Mcleod says the restaurant closes at 11pm, and therefore is not at all considered a bar, or dance club. As well, proper serving and appropriate consumption of liquor will be monitored closely.

“Business has been on a steady incline the entire time we’ve been here,” says Mcleod, “We’ve got great prices, great atmosphere, great ambiance, good servers, great tasting food. The only thing that’s missing is a liquor license.”

Shortly after Mcleod’s comment, a group of potential customers came in, and promptly left after hearing about the lack of liquor. Mcleod says this is a common occurance after 3pm.

For now, Mcleod’s dreams of serving banana martinis and mango rum cocktails will have to wait.

Check out this story in pictures!

Hello Ottawans!

This blog is an informative and explorative look at one of Ottawa’s most diverse and exciting neighbourhoods –> SANDY HILL!

I hope to delve into the major issues currently faced in this neighbourhood. As well, I will be covering some of the interesting goings-on and the various events that are taking place. In the future, I will be posting photographs from the Sandy Hill area and, eventually, an audio slideshow.

Follow along and feel free to give feedback and/or advice! I would love to hear your comments.