Notwithstanding delays due in part to the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020-2022 and resulting supply chain issues, construction of the newly created parkette at 625 O’Connor Street at Fifth Avenue next to Fire Station Number 12 in the Glebe is set to begin in the Spring and Summer of 2022.
Having pushed for the creation of this park throughout the last decade and seeing it as an opportunity for the city to get park and parkette planning right with the times, the Glebe Community Association (GCA) Parks Committee continues the work of advocating for, and actualizing, a vision for this greenspace that is aligned with the city’s, and the world’s, Carbon 2050 Neutral goal, provides a natural habitat for animal and plant life, has a particular focus in this case on meeting the needs of senior citizens, and meaningfully engages the peoples on whose un-ceded and un-surrendered territory the space is on in the spirit of land stewardship and reconciliation.
The City’s current design for the Park, including its senior citizen-focus, takes into account some ideas articulated by the committee and the community at various opportunities over the years since 2013 when the park was first proposed by the Committee and members of the community.
Planning for this park began before the City enacted its 2018 City of Ottawa Reconciliation Action Plan. However, moving forward, the GCA Parks Committee has encouraged the City of Ottawa and Councillor Menard’s office to pursue an approach to the development and naming of this park which is aligned with this policy and the City’s 2050 Carbon Neutral objective. The Parks Committee and the City have thus been exploring whether an Algonquin name incorporating the concept of respect for elders might be appropriate for the park being developed for seniors. Councillor Menard’s office is supportive, and has asked that we pursue our ideas on the engagement and related naming front further.
We see this as an opportunity to do so in conjunction with achieving the broader vision for the park described above, including, ultimately, the creation of a Healing Forest Garden within the park. While not yet supported by the City, the Committee has discussed the desirability of planting native plants to support ecological sustainability, and to enhance park interest for seniors by attracting butterflies, birds and wildlife, creating an enriched ecological zone.
City park designers often do not incorporate standard planting beds into parks due to ongoing maintenance issues. However, perennial native plantings require far less maintenance and when left to naturalize, will minimize soil disruption, will help with healing the soil, will reduce City maintenance costs, and will improve safety by keeping foot traffic away from guy-wire hazards.
To that end, on March 22, 2022, the GCA Board passed a Parks Committee motion which seeks to harness the momentum of an existing Healing Forests initiative and the creative energies of the Algonquin community, Ottawa Horticultural Society’s Community Planting Program, and City of Ottawa staff. The motion called on Councillor Menard to ensure that such a reconciliation, partnership and native plantings approach be incorporated into the final design of the 665 O’Connor seniors park. This would mean that this spring’s excavation plans would need to take these issues into account, and include grading and soil removal/replacement for a rain garden, and enabling other plantings that support climate resilience and the resilience of owners of the unceded territories on which we sit.
At the very least, grading of the space between the driveway and the east-west sidewalk into the fire hall is needed to establish a runoff rain garden (not unlike the City’s innovative rain catchment gardens along Sunnyside Ave), with an educational and native plantings component. Contaminated soil on the site will require soil removal and replacement and cost savings dictate this should be done along with other site preparation work.
Given that construction of the park is now imminent, the Parks Committee recognizes that incorporating such an approach may require a longer term roadmap with regards to the physical elements. This is regrettable, as opportunities to enact aspects of this plan now may be entirely lost if not incorporated into the construction schedule.
However, as we continue to press for this longer term vision, the naming of the park in this same spirit can proceed now in conjunction with a new National Healing Forest initiative.
On this front, the Parks Committee is seeking a connection and further engagement with the Algonquin community with the hope that a name for the park may emerge that is consistent with a longer term vision of National Healing Forest initiative, one which furthers the spirit of reconciliation and respect for Ottawa’s indigenous community, for survivors of residential schools, and for climate sustainability, using native and sacred plantings and ceremony to promote healing here in the Glebe, in collaboration with the local Algonquin community.
The GCA’s established garden angels program, along with gardening seniors and the possibility of ongoing interest by the Algonquin community, could all be called upon for maintenance assistance were it needed. Some city staff already see the educational opportunities here for rain gardens and pollinator gardens.
In this proposed idea, many of the native planting areas would be along the periphery of the park, but all plantings would need to be planned in a way that would meet with existing site use requirements identified by the city, while location of new trees, and of native, traditional, sacred, pollinator and educational plantings would need to be developed in dialogue with the Algonquin community for planting in fall 2022.
Potential partnerships among the local Algonquin community, the City, the GCA, and the Ottawa Horticultural Society and its community exemplify how the Healing Forest and Garden initiative may bring people together to reconcile, build mutual respect and achieve climate sustainability goals.
The text of the motion seeking a Healing Forest Garden at the 625 O’Connor Street Park, passed by the GCA Board on March 22, 2022, is below.