Occupy the Elmdale--Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Former Councillor Clive Doucet, the long-time champion of a competitive process to revitalize Lansdowne Park, is back in town after a long and well-deserved vacation. He is holding a fundraiser/social event for Friends of Lansdowne at the Elmdale Tavern (1084 Wellington Street in Hintonburg) on Wednesday, November 23th.  The event, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., costs $10.00 at the door. Come by for  a chance to connect with like-minded people while enjoying a beer and live music. All proceeds go to the Friends of Lansdowne.

The South Side Stands are Down

The City has demolished the south side stands of Frank Clair Stadium opening up the site and offering great new views of the Rideau Canal. It is amazing how different everything looks. Enjoy the openness while you can. If the Lansdowne Partnership Plan goes ahead, there will not only be new south side stands but also an 18-storey condo tower next to the canal.

Consultation on Proposed Rideau Canal footbridge near Lansdowne Park

The idea of a footbridge linking Old Ottawa East and the Glebe is a long-standing community-supported project that is not linked to the Lansdowne Partnership Plan. However, since the proposed mid-town crossing will be at Fifth Avenue, adjacent to Lansdowne Park, this may be a subject of interest to Friends of Lansdowne. Check out the the City's just-released progress report and give your opinion on the project and the two proposed designs at http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/rideau_canal_bridge/oh2/index_en.html. It is worth noting that in this case (unlike Lansdowne) the City has actually consulted the local communities and is undertaking a  serious consultation process. This is a nice change.

One Week to Go to the Appeal

It's just one week until the Lansdowne appeal is heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal at Osgoode Hall. If your are able,  come  to Toronto next Monday, November 28th to hear the arguments and encourage our legal team. The  hearing starts at 10:30 a.m. and should be over by 4:30 or 5:00 p.m.--so you can make it a one-day trip. Our lawyer, Steven Shrybman, will be joined by Steven Barrett, the managing partner of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell. This support from the firm's Toronto office underlines again the incredible support  that Sack Goldblatt  has offered to Friends of Lansdowne. We are very grateful for their dedication to this cause.

Thanks for Your Generous Support

In the last two weeks, we have received more than $10,000 in donations. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity and support. It shows that there are many, many principled people who care deeply about issues of fairness, transparency and accountability. Our donations have come from over 500 unique postal codes and now amount to more than $260,000. Can we make it to $300,000? To find out how to donate, go to our Let's Get It Right link here.