Old Ottawa South fighting to be a top spot in Canada

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Michelle Nash

Old Ottawa South is fighting for a spot to be one of Canada's great places to live in the second annual contest of the same name.

The Great Places in Canada contest asked Canadians to nominate areas in the country they feel are the best. More than 100 nominations came in by Jan. 30, with 90 places up for nomination.

Ontario is a front runner with 29 nominations, five of which are in Ottawa. Old Ottawa South holds two of those nominations: one for for the Brewer Park Skating Oval and one for Old Ottawa South in the great places neighbourhood category.

"It is all about bragging rights," Amanda Kutler, spokeswoman for the contest said. "The contest was created to draw attention to places that Canadian's love."

The contest was created by the Canadian Institute of Planners to showcase great Canadian destinations and neighbourhoods. This is the second year for the contest, with last year's contest having more than 75,000 votes.

The contest has a number of different categories, including great public spaces, neighbourhoods and streets. Voting is via www.GreatPlacesInCanada.com. As of Feb. 8, 50,000 votes have been recorded.

Old Ottawa South resident Gwen Gall nominated her community in the great neighbourhood category. Gall was pleasantly surprised by the dual nominations for the area.

"I nominated a neighbourhood and the (skating) oval is a place, and there are winners in different categories," Gall said. "As there are several winners, there is no reason why both the community and the oval couldn't win."

Gall added she feels urban neighbourhoods are threatened by inappropriate overbuilding, not just in Old Ottawa South, but everywhere in Canada. She nominated Old Ottawa South because she wanted to draw attention to appropriate infill in established urban communities.

"It's a growing problem across Canada, in particular when intensification becomes a city policy," Gall said. "The vast majority of residents I have spoken with in Old Ottawa South approve of intensification as a means to prevent urban sprawl...unfortunately, there are developers who continually portray us as Nimby's who don't want change, and this is patently false and deliberately misleading."

Gall would be pleased and proud if her neighbourhood could win and she pleads the case for Old Ottawa South, stating that even without living in the neighbourhood, people have the chance to enjoy all it has to offer.

"I would simply like to emphasize that walkable, environmentally sustainable, healthy urban communities such as Old Ottawa South are of great value to this country and its cities, and must be protected, maintained and enhanced, for the good of their residents, the greater community, and indeed, the health of the planet," Gall added.

Kutler said judging is based on a location meeting a number of criteria, such as promoting social and eco activities, having a memorable or unique character, a design that is interesting, sustainability, transportation and any cultural ties. The judges are members of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

The deadline to vote is Feb. 29. Winners will be announced April with the plaques for the neighbourhoods presented in May.