Findlay Creek Community Association
2013 Annual Report
Presented at the AGM on November 20, 2013
Fred Barrett Arena
Board members
Returning:
Eva Pigeon-Seguin, Co-president and Communications
Caroline Rohrig, Co-president and Builder Relations
Jeff McVeigh, Vice-president and Sponsorship
Brad Nixon, Secretary and Roads/Transportation
Sumana Jana, Schools
Rose Pigeon, Membership Coordinator
New:
Linda West, Treasurer
George Barrett, Greenspace
Stepped down:
Andrew Martin, Events Coordinator
Vacant:
Events Coordinator
Membership
The 2013-2014 membership card came into effect August 1, 2013 and expires July 31, 2014. Currently
we have 212 members and 20 retailers, called Membership Associates, who offer preferred rates to
cardholders. As an incentive to become a member, Tosca Ristorante generously donated $25 gift cards
to the FCCA to be used in conjunction with the Community Fun Day. People who got or renewed their
membership, on or before that day, received a gift card. At the end of the Community Fun Day event,
there were 152 members, surpassing last year’s total of members of 115.
Community partners, sponsors and membership associates
We renewed the existing agreements with the following community partners: Acceptable Storage,
Aesthetica Day Spa, Alliance Security Systems, Automatic Car and Truck Sales, Back on Track
Physiotherapy and Sports Injury, Klukes, The McVeighs with Royal Lepage, Scotiabank, Tartan Homes
and Tamarack Homes, Taylor Group of Companies and Tiny Hoppers. Astra Motors, Elite Accounting,
Investors Group, Laurier Optical and Moving Boxes stepped down as community partners.
Canadian Tire, Jonny Canucks, Tosca Ristorante became community partners this year.
These companies pay a yearly fee to be community partners. We greatly appreciate their support.
In addition to community partners, and the Membership associates (businesses that offer discounts to
FCCA members/cardholders), the FCCA has introduced a new ‘Sponsor’ support level for an annual
fee of $250. This is being implemented to address the issue of not being able to have multiple similar
businesses (competitors) as community partners. CIBC is the first FCCA Sponsor.
Schools
ENGLISH PUBLIC
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In the summer of 2013, the Department of National Defence announced that they were not going to
renew the lease for Elizabeth Park Public School. The school is slated to close in 2017. The Ministry
of Education asked the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to put the Findlay Creek school on its
capitol priorities list to ensure that a plan was put in place to accommodate the kids that currently go
to EPPS.
Findlay Creek parents and residents attended OCDSB board meetings along with OCDSB Trustee
Mark Fisher and presented a business case to ensure that the FC school stays high in the
list. Residents also sent in letters with concerns to the Ministry and OCDSB.
Since the decision to move the FC school down to #8th place from #5th place on the list, parents
along with the FCCA have been lobbying to the Ministry, OCDSB and media to raise awareness of
the dire situation in our community.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
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Land was bought in Findlay Creek in 2012 for a Catholic school
The Ottawa Catholic School Board Trustee Alison Baizana stated that since St Thomas More still
has capacity there is no plans for a new school her until earliest 2017
Parents and residents are urged to contact the trustee if they have questions and concerns
Greenspace
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During the winter of 2012-2013, the FCCA coordinated getting a skating rink in Butterfly and
Diamond Jubilee parks. The FCCA received funding to maintain these two parks. Don Cleary
continued to maintain Butterfly Park on his own, as he has done for many years, which we very
much appreciate. Many volunteers came out to help maintain the rink at Diamond Jubilee Park. At
one point, 9 volunteers were on the roster of rink volunteers. We would like to acknowledge the
following volunteers: Geof Gainsford, Bob Arnold, Sean McGregor, Jeff Paul, Andrew Black, Arjo
Mukherjee, Steve Gilroy, Steve Humphrey.
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The FCCA Board wrote a letter thanking Don Cleary for his services over the year, maintaining
Butterfly Park, on his own, with his own equipment. The FCCA will fix or replace his existing
snowblower. He has gone through two snowblowers of his own over the years to maintain the rink.
The FCCA has only ever provided him gas card. (And the regular thank you gesture/gift certificate
that all volunteers get in recognition of their time). When Don decides to no longer volunteer his
services, we will compensate him accordingly for having used his own snowblower during all his
years of service. This will be up to the discretion of the FCCA Board at that time, in accordance with
how Don prefers to be compensated. The letter will serve to document this plan for Don’s benefit,
and for the FCCA’s.
Once the nets at Diamond Jubilee Park were removed by the City of Ottawa when it warmed up,
residents asked us to have them put back. We contacted the City about this and came to an
agreement that they would put them back as a pilot, so long as the FCCA agreed to pay for any
damaged/theft.
On December 18 at City Hall, David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, Mayor Jim Watson
and Ward councillor Steve Desroches officially named the new Findlay Creek park as Diamond
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Jubilee Park. Members of the FCCA, Eva, Caroline, Brad and Rose, and long-time rink volunteer
Bob Arnold attended the ceremony.
FCCA board members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Findlay Creek Boardwalk in
May. We also purchased a bench that is installed on the boardwalk.
We decided against organizing cleanup events as part of the City of Ottawa’s Cleaning the Capital,
Spring and Fall editions, as they have had a very low turnout each time we’ve had one in the past.
We encouraged residents to clean up their properties, and to help clean up the parks and public
areas on their own time. Although we offered, no one came forward to get supplies.
Roads and Transportation
Roads
 We are actively involved in the Bank Street widening study and will ensure the concerns of the
community are brought forward.
 We worked with the City to review the designs for the upgrades to the intersections of Bank Street
and Rotary Way, the entrance to the Claridge development, and Bank Street and Conroy. Both
projects will construct more paved shoulders to improve cycling safety.
 We successfully lobbied for the construction of paved shoulders on Albion Road between Findlay
Creek Drive and Leitrim Road. These will be extended further north when Albion is repaved
(currently planned for 2014).
 We continue to lobby for further improvements, particularly paved shoulders on Conroy Road.
 We are working with the traffic department on a 4-way stop at the intersection of Kelly Farm Drive
and White Alder Avenue.
 We are working on new northbound left-turn arrows at the intersections of Bank Street and Findlay
Creek Drive, and Albion Road and Leitrim Road.
Transit
 We were successful in having two early morning trips on route 144 added to the bus schedule.
 We worked with OC Transpo on the installation of new bus stops at the corner of Findlay Creek
Drive and Kelly Farm Drive, Findlay Creek Drive and Woodbriar Way, and a new bus shelter at
Bank Street and White Alder Avenue.
 We are currently lobbying for extra rush hour service to South Keys and more direct routing.
Events and Activities
Breakfast with Santa was held on December 2 in 2012. Tickets were $10 for non-members and $5 for
members. There were two sittings, 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. In addition to covering the cost of the food the
Lions provide, the FCCA provided a $200 donation to the Lions for their service. The event was
supported by CIBC, Tiny Hoppers and FreshCo.
The Community Fun Day was held on August 5, the Monday of the Civic Holiday weekend. We
estimate between 1200-1500 people came out, by far the most successful event ever held by the
FCCA. We received civic event funding from the City of Ottawa, we had event sponsors and the
association paid for the rest.
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Community Partner The McVeighs sponsored burgers and hotdogs
Aesthetica Day Spa provided mini-manicures and mini-massages.
FreshCo provided beverages
CIBC provided sno-cones and re-usable bags
Bulk Barn provided candy and re-usable bags
South Gloucester church manned a craft table
Canadian Tire provided popsicles
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Scotiabank provided $250
Tiny Hoppers staff did facepainting
Local teen Sanjay Dhawan ‘spun’ tunes
South Nation Conservation had an info booth at the event
Local musician Spencer Scharf performed
The FCCA paid for the services of Big Sky Ranch (animal display, pony rides) and Circus Delights
(inflatables)
The Community Garage Sale took place on June 8. Jeff and Kathy McVeigh went around the
community and provided refreshments to sellers and shoppers.
The FCCA’s first Swap Shop took place on April 7. This event was well received. 25 people had
registered but only 18 showed up to sell their gently used kids clothing and small items. 5-6 vendors
were FCCA members. Those who weren’t didn’t want to purchase a membership. Vendors brought a
LOT of stuff, but there wasn’t enough space to put it.
Online presence
We currently use four online tools to communicate information: our website, our Twitter and Facebook
accounts email updates to the membership. We sent our 5 updates by email in 2013. The ‘Findlay
Creek Community Association’ Facebook page has 557 fans, up from 430 last year at this time. Our
Twitter account now has 193 followers, up from 115 last year at this time.
We changed our website host this year. The FCCA website is now hosted and maintained by Steve
Strang, a Findlay Creek resident.
Community awareness, involvement and support
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Open a bank account and deposited $1000 into it for victims of the house fire on White Alder in
August
$1000 donation to former membership associate who closed his business due to his wife’s battle
with cancer.
Bought a bench on the boardwalk
Alerted the City of Ottawa to make mailbox at White Alder and Meadowlilly accessible
Developed collaboration with local author Randy Ray who is researching little known facts about our
community which we will regularly share
Held ‘Best decorated house’ contest (quite unsuccessful – only one participant)
Letters of support
o South Nation Conservation’s Urban Water Action Project
o South Nation Conservation’s project application
o Proposed O-Train extension that includes two stops near Findlay Creek
The street signs were replaced this year at a cost of about $1000 for the hardware. Unfortunately
someone ran over one of them and it’s broken, but still in use. Although the inserts are more
expensive to produce, and add to that that we are using some of the signs in a double-sided
fashion, the signs are structurally more stable and durable and the inserts are easier to swap out.
In the coming year
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We endeavour to develop guidelines as to the circumstances under which the FCCA donates
money to individuals within the community