Ottawa band crowdfunds Christmas album
By Kyle Duggan and Brett Throop One Christmas, North Easton made a promise to his mother: he would write her a Christmas album of his own songs. That was some years ago. And while Easton plugged away at the Christmas collection over the years, tragically, his mother died of lung cancer before the project could be completed. Now, with the help of online fundraising, Easton is making good on his promise. Easton and his three-piece acoustic band, My Favourite Tragedy, raised $6,414 on Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding website, to produce the original Christmas album. The album has eight songs that tell intimate stories about family and the holidays. The band is doing a music video for the song Christmas Lights, which is about Easton’s father’s tradition of waking him up early to put up the Christmas lights—rain or shine. Click on the photo below to view an audio slideshow about the making of their music video for Christmas Lights. “Traditions of Christmas aren’t just waiting in a mall in a line up to buy something somebody doesn’t want. But more like sharing something inside of you that’s real,” he said. The group’s Kickstarter page asked for $5,000 to produce the album and raised it with just three days to go before their deadline. They then pushed on to get another thousand to make the video for Christmas Lights. Drummer Phil Desmarais said friends wanted to buy an original Christmas album but the band didn’t have the resources to make one. But when Easton found Kickstarter, he saw an opportunity to launch their album. Kickstarter works by direct donations, where artists pitch their project to potential backers. If the backers like what they see, they can donate to the project in exchange for products or services. “There was a musician on there who raised over $1.5 million and I thought this could very well be the next revolution in music,” Easton said. “Artists now have a chance to sell to their fans before they’ve created their product, as long as the trust value is there.” Desmarais said crowdfunding is a “very democratic way of getting things produced because ultimately the public has the right to say what is good and what is not.” Phil’s brother, John-Marc Desmarais, plays bass and cello for the group. “It’s kind of a gamble on backers’ part given that the product they’re trying to purchase hasn’t yet been produced,” he said. “But thankfully they’re willing to gamble.” He added the band will likely look to Kickstarter again for future projects based on their success. The group raised funds from 92 people around the world, offering...
The uglier the better: Christmas sweater season is upon us
By Diana Matthews, Mara Selanders and Jordanna Tennebaum Many shoppers are trading in Grandma’s closet for store racks for finding the perfect ugly Christmas sweater, and retail establishments are cashing in. “They’re a big, big seller. They’re definitely a highlight of the Christmas season,” said Sarah Frey, store manager at ByWard Market clothing store Bang-On. “They’re really fun to be known for—having such a good collection.” Click on the image below to view an audio slideshow of shoppers looking to score ugly sweaters. Frey said that it’s only Bang-On’s second year selling the sweaters and the market for “over the top and too much ridiculousness” has kept people coming back. In their first year, she said that the shop sold out at the beginning of December. “We had a lot of very angry people coming in December 15, December 20, needing sweaters for their parties.” Frey said. Businesses like Bang-On have responded to the demand and increased the selection of sweaters in stores — but with a higher price tag. While residents of Ottawa can find sweaters at thrift stores like St Vincent de Paul and Bibles for Missions for no more than $5, sweaters at Bang-On are going for as high as $40. Thrift superstore Value Village hovers somewhere in the middle, providing a range of prices anywhere between $4 and $25. The offending garment is a must for the perennial ugly Christmas sweater parties scattered throughout the holiday season. The parties are like any other Christmas party, except guests forgo cocktail wear in favour of their most atrocious holiday-themed sweater. The ugliest sweater wins. Though the party concept isn’t a new one, more and more people are looking for sweaters outside of their own closets. Bethany Breault, general manager of the Bibles for Missions thrift store in Nepean, said the shop routinely sells out within two weeks of all Christmas merchandise hitting the floor. Bibles for Missions now hoards the sweaters over the calendar year in preparation for the early-December rush. Value Village has dedicated a special section of its floor to the sweaters, while Bang-On and international chain Urban Outfitters bring in vintage pieces of their own for sale. Bang-On gets their ugly sweaters from a vintage reseller that scours garage sales and thrift stores around the world for the sweaters. As Christmas party season gets underway, it becomes increasingly difficult to snag a repulsive sweater. “It’s just the idea of having an ugly Christmas sweater. It just seems cool.” Rebecca Feddema said as she rifled through the racks at Value Village with her friends. Though several shoppers on Saturday afternoon attributed the popularity of the sweaters to...
Warm temperatures threaten Rideau skateway’s future
By Thomas Hall and Clayton Andres Winter in Ottawa is the time of year when the world’s largest, naturally frozen ice rink opens, but there could be a time when skating on the Rideau Canal will be impossible, according to a study on global warming. The 2011 study out of McGill University found “warming of winter temperatures in Canada is having a deleterious effect on the outdoor skating season.” The Rideau Canal skateway happens to be the Guinness Book of World Records’ largest outdoor rink in the world. You don’t need tropical weather to shut down outdoor rinks, said Chris Burn, a Carleton University professor who specializes in geography and environmental studies. A small rise in average temperatures could do it, Burn said, and the average temperature in Ottawa has gone up by about one degree since the early 1980s. “I don’t think I’ll see it in my lifetime,” Burn said. “But in the next 30 years we will start to think about whether a skating season is sustainable.” ‘The weather is everything.’ – Jean Wolff Burn said you need about five cold weeks to make the skateway viable. Conditions that don’t get cold enough could make opening for the season a risky investment for the National Capital Commission, which owns the skateway. Andrew Kaleta, manager of environmental stewardship at the Commission, said climate change is a concern, and that the commission has looked at what to do should the ice not form properly. “We are always looking to find contingency plans for events, like possibly moving them off the ice surface,” said Kaleta. The skateway not only needs cold weather to be a success, but nice weather too. The nearly eight-kilometre-long rink has become a “Canadian icon,” said Jean Wolff, a spokesperson with the National Capital Commission. “The weather is everything,” Wolff said. “If it’s nice like last year we get more people out.” In 2012, about 17,000 visitors used the skateway each day, but that number went up to 22,000 last season due to sunny days and relatively tepid temperatures. One company concerned with the trend towards shorter seasons on the skateway is Beavertail, which makes the flat fried dough that has been sold along the canal for 30 years. Adam Hendren is a local store manager and one of four licensees who sells Beavertails on the canal. Although Hendren said they are a long way from the time when selling Beavertails on the canal is not worthwhile, the trend toward shorter seasons is a concern. While the National Capital Commission is concerned about the long-term impact of climate change on the skateway, it’s also concerned about more...
Year’s first snowstorm may be followed by colder than normal winter
By Kyle Duggan and Brett Throop Ottawa will be whomped by the first snowstorm of the year Tuesday night, the first in a year that’s expected to be colder than usual, according to the national weather service. The weather service issued the winter storm warning for Tuesday night and Wednesday. Dave Phillips, Environment Canada’s chief climatologist, said there could be a significant amount of snow in the Ottawa area and there could be rain or freezing rain. “The morning commute might be a little bit on the messy side, with some blowing snow – that kind of a situation,” he said. The warning calls for 10-15 centimetres of snow Tuesday night, followed by another 5-10 Wednesday. “You haven’t had much of a winter. London’s had 60 or 70 centimetres of snow and Ottawa has had traces of snow, about six centimetres total,” Phillips said. He said this is nothing surprising. “It probably won’t be the biggest storm of the winter. There’ll still be lots of time for that.” Phillips said after the system passes through Ottawa and heads toward Quebec and the Maritimes, Ottawa should see “some very nice sunshine and temperatures a little on the cool side.” The weather warning cautioned driving conditions are expected to rapidly worsen tonight and tomorrow. City police reported over 50 accidents in an hour on Saturday after Ottawa’s first snowfall of the year. Look ahead Environment Canada is preparing its winter outlook and expects to issue it within the next week or so. But this year their crystal ball is a little cloudier than normal. Phillips said the water temperatures in the Pacific that normally control the winter aren’t warm or cold right now, making it hard to forecast. “There’s not a lot of skill in a forecast where the water temperature is rather neutral. It’s more for curiosity’s sake. I don’t think anybody should invest any money in it, or make any plans on it, or cancel your Florida trip,” he said. But Phillips said it’s clearly going to be more of a winter than it was two years ago, “when we almost cancelled winter.” That was one of the warmest Ottawa winters on record with about half the usual snowfall. Last winter, he said, was slightly warmer than normal, with about 12 per cent more snowfall than usual. “My sense is this year we may be colder than last year but we may not see as much snow,” he said. But Phillips said he wouldn’t bet the family farm on it. “There’s no guarantees with weather in Canada, that’s for sure,” he said. Ready for winter Carleton University students waiting...
Winter cycling route expansion expected in 2015
By Allison McNeely and Sarah Trick Ottawa cyclists will have to wait until at least 2015 before they see more pathways and bike lanes cleared in the winter. City council voted unanimously Tuesday to pass the 2013 cycling plan, part of the city’s transportation master plan for the next five years. The plan proposes to nearly double the amount of winter-maintained cycling lanes from 21 kilometres to 40 kilometres. The cost of expanding the winter cycling network is $200,000 per year for maintenance, according to the plan. ‘Winter is a key to get more people cycling and the easier we make it to get people on their bikes in the winter, the better.’ – Michael Napiorkowski But the current council isn’t committing any funding. Instead they are leaving funding up to the 2014-2018 council term and have not set aside any funding in the 2014 budget for the cost. Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury introduced the motion to push funding to the next council term at the Nov. 15 transportation committee meeting. The motion also included a recommendation for more public consultation on the network. Fleury said the details of winter maintenance need to be worked out before the plan can be put in place, such as coordinating snow plows for the road, bike lane and sidewalk. “It takes more than saying ‘Let’s plow this, let’s fund it.’ Before we do it and fail at it, we need to come up with a plan,” Fleury said. “We got into a tough spot last year where the lane was plowed and then the road plow would come and plow onto the cycling lane.” Consultation will include speaking with cycling groups around town to finalize which routes should be plowed, Fleury said. The plan currently suggests expanding the winter cycling infrastructure to Beechwood and Lees Avenues leading into downtown, along the O-Train line from Carling Avenue to Scott Street and other connection points to the existing winter network. The routes have not been finalized. Cycle route information courtesy of the City of Ottawa. Michael Napiorkowski, co-founder of the Ottawa Bicycle Lane Project, is disappointed winter maintenance won’t be expanded sooner but said the more segregated bike lanes there are, the more options winter cyclists will have, since the lanes are automatically cleared. “We’re pushing to have a network of protected lanes and from our perspective if we had more protected lanes then this would automatically be part of the package for snow removal, like the Laurier bike lane,” Napiorkowski said. “You’re establishing it as a real piece of infrastructure. You can’t just leave them in the winter.” Snow buildup at the edge of...
Ottawa group makes the case for non-profit fundraising
By Jordanna Tennebaum, Mara Selanders and Diana Matthews A small philanthropic team in Ottawa is reinterpreting traditional models of charity work through a local holiday food drive that relies on grassroots fundraising. The 11 members of GoodGuysTri, or as they like to call themselves, “Do-Gooders,” are focusing their food drive on communal involvement and the exclusion of corporate spending. The group came together in 2007 when founder Mike Herzog heard reports of charities spending large sums of money on administrative and legal fees. http://cusjc.ca/wintertimes/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Clip-1-Mike-Herzog-Interview-for-Photo.mp3 “Having been involved in fundraising, I thought somebody needs to do something about this,” Herzog said. Now in its second year of operation, GoodGuysTri already has 20 organizations participating, ranging from the Orleans Veterinary Hospital to a sports injury-oriented Holistic Clinic. Cheryl Rutherford of the Orleans Veterinary Hospital supports the medical center’s shift from aiding pets to people. “At this time of year there is a greater need. Last year we did a food drive that helped animals only and this year we opened up our boxes to people with needs,” Rutherford said. Herzog’s ability to incorporate diverse organizations with differing mandates is central to his project as he aims to include the interests and contributions of over 100 volunteers. “We’re a collection of all sorts of different people. It’s open to everybody. People come to me and ask ‘what should I do to help?’ and I try to answer that question, even if it doesn’t have to do with us. I’m not trying to build an empire.” According to Herzog, empire building tends to be at the heart of many affiliate charity organizations that have experienced exponential growth over the past decade. Herzog is particularly critical of the Movember campaign, an annual event that addresses men’s health issues through its focus on prostate cancer. While it has enabled many participants to hit lofty fundraising targets, he points to a potential lack of substance and concern for its mission. “I’m not sure how much awareness growing a mustache for Movember brings in. There’s so much white noise. It’s the lowest common denominator of effort that you can put into doing something,” Herzog said. https://cusjc.ca/wintertimes/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Clip-2-Good-Guys-Tri-Interview-Food-Photo.mp3 ‘Having been involved in fundraising, I thought somebody needs to do something about this.’ –Mike Herzog For the group’s food drive this year, Herzog wants community members to collect and deliver non-perishables to the Ottawa Food Bank. He said they must take logistics into account when putting multiple food bins in place throughout the city. As such, one of the greatest challenges he faces during the execution of the holiday food drive is ensuring the participation and engagement of...