As I write this, it’s one day after the Ottawa Athletic Club (OAC) announced that it is closing its doors after 44 years.

OSCA was officially incorporated on October 17th, 1979. The loss of the OAC hit too close to home. I was struck by the number of friends sharing their memories of the OAC and recalled my own visits during high school. We’ve seen other institutions and businesses close in the last few months, while others have held on. But what resonates the most is how unexpected it feels. In many ways we overlook the very real possibility that a deep-rooted and well-established organization can close. But it can.

OSCA's Planning & Zoning Committee made two submissions to the City's Planning Committee in September, one regarding R4 Zoning and one regarding infill zoning amendments. The links are below.

The AGM has traditionally been a welcome opportunity to gather in the Firehall in the springtime as a community, hear what our OOS Community Association has been doing for us over the preceding year, and share ideas for the coming year.  Sadly, OSCA’s AGM was among the many things disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, nonetheless OSCA still has a legal obligation to hold an AGM.  Because of public distancing public health guidelines, and to keep attendees safe, OSCA will be holding a virtual AGM this year, using ZOOM platform.

We are very excited to introduce a brand new feature to our Health & Fitness Programming: OSCA's All-Access Fitness Membership!

We will be offering Memberships in three tiers, allows clients to choose the one that best suits their needs. For the Fall Session, the Fitness Membership runs from October 1st until December 31st. See below for more details.

OSCA’s 2020 Annual General Meeting will take place virtually (via ZOOM) on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, commencing at 7:30pm.

So what do you think is the biggest myth about the Old Ottawa South Community Association?

Most of the people I talk to in the neighbourhood think that OSCA is funded by the City of Ottawa. Here is the reality.

The City owns the Firehall and is responsible for the maintenance of the building. The City, however, does not cover the operational costs. Operational costs include: staff wages; instructor fees; program supplies; the equipment in the Fitness Centre; the pottery wheel and kiln; Amilia (the new program registration system); the website; computers; communication services; furniture; replacing kitchen appliances; etc.

The deadline for participating in the City's 15-minute neighbourhood survey has been extended to September 15, 2020. If you haven’t yet had a chance to take the survey, please take a few minutes and do so.

https://engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan/news_feed/15-minute-neighbourhood

The City survey questions deal with the 15-minute neighbourhood, one of the core concepts for the new Official Plan and asks residents to prioritize the importance of things like schools, clinics, parks and transit. It takes more than access to services to make a neighbourhood a viable, livable 15-minute community though.

We’ve been busier than ever at OSCA over the past few months. Even though the Firehall is not full to the brim with summer camps, we’ve been working behind the scenes with our virtual summer camps, yoga and fitness classes.

We’ve also been hard at work planning next steps for reopening the Firehall. After much consideration and discussion, the Executive Committee, Staff and Board of Directors have decided to launch programs in four phases:

Ottawa’s population has risen significantly since the last major ward boundary review of 2005. Some wards now have significantly more residents than other wards.

For this reason, at City Council’s request, an independent consultant was hired to study viable alternatives that would lead to more equal representation. After public and stakeholder consultations, research and study, the consulting team presented 5 options for Council’s consideration. Council then passed a motion asking the consultants to present a sixth option based on different criteria.

The Bank Street Canal Bridge has been a source of concern for neighbouring residents for years. At street level, it is unsafe and unpleasant for pedestrians and cyclists. From a distance, the bridge is beautiful with its rounded arches crossing the canal and has a historic designation – it should be a joy to cross, but it is not.

Since he has been in office, Councillor Shawn Menard and his staff have been working with City staff to try and find a solution to the woes of the bridge. Over the summer, he has asked for input to several proposals.