Hi neighbour! This free public community site is for anyone who lives, works or passes time in Bells Corners.
It’s also the official site of the Lynwood Village Community Association. Sort of.
Please feel free to contribute – anyone can post whatever they want, even if I don’t agree with you.
Be anonymous if you want.
I’ll edit for typos, spelling, grammar, brevity, clarity and also for anything that goes beyond snarky into rude.
If you want to your comments to be left unedited just let me know and I’ll respect your wishes.
If you just want to comment to me, without it being posted, that’s fine too.
If, after you comment, you change your mind, just let me know and I’ll remove your post or make whatever changes you want.
If you spot a typo, an error, a copyright violation, or anything that will give the lawyers something to latch on to, point it out and I’ll correct it pronto.
Craig, ottawaowl2@yahoo.ca
bellscorners 
I must admit, I am looking at changing my name 😉
Never have I seen (edited out), who (edited out, no ad hominem attacks please).
The question begs, what fools keep voting for him?
I always thought Bells Corners had a fairly intelligent population, but every four years, I am reminded that we don’t cull the weak ones.
We should rename a street after Earl McRae for doing his share!
http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/04/26/reverse-naming-decision-robertson-relative
The number of businesses providing the petition for people to sign is growing – here’s the current list: Foil Head, 120 Robertson Rd.; Paintball Paradise, 130 Robertson Rd; Randall’s, 120 Robertson Rd; Goodwill, 150 Robertson Rd; Spahara, 150 Robertson Rd.
– There’s also the gas bar by the car wash and many other places. The petition is gathering steam – this story has legs!
After the Earl McRae columns I phoned the Sun and said “sign me up for that special deal, $20 for three months or whatever it is, and make sure you tell your boss that the ONLY reason I’m coughing up after-tax dollars for something I can get for free on the web is because of Mr. McRae’s EXCELLENT investigative journalism, his willingness to kick the shins of even the biggest bigwigs. Please give Earl a raise.”
Margaret: I second your motion – Sun Media should give Earl a raise. You have not seen anything yet – watch for tomorrow’s article.
– I doubt that Earl will be getting a raise anytime soon. His boss, Pierre Karl Peladeau, is notoriously cheap when it comes to paying real journalists.
Seems to me more work has been done on this website than what’s been done in the BIA office.
What’s the deal with all of the storage containers around Brady’s Pool and Spa? Is this kind of outdoor storage allowed? Seems like they should have built something a bit bigger, but clearly they were strapped for money given the ugly monstrosity they erected.
– Good question. It’s sure a good example of crappy Bells Corners architecture. They should have torn this down instead of the Vox.
Hello All,
To change the subject, I wanted to inform residents of Bell’s Corners about some of the positive changes occuring in the local business landscape.
There has just opened a great new PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC that is located inside the LifeSource Medical Centre at 130 Robertson Road (beside McDonald’s).
NEPEAN ORTHOPAEDIC PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC
There is also an Indian restaurant that is opening in the same plaza….another sign that this is a business-friendly area.
this blog is awesome, thank you!
– Thank YOU for reading and commenting.
Trivia Night!
Support a great charity and have fun in Bells Corners on Sat. Sept. 8 at 9:00 p.m.
http://www.charitytrivianight.ca/
The Brew Table
360 Moodie Drive
$20 per person, includes appetizers
Test your knowledge of sports, music, politics and pop culture in teams of up to 4 people.
Proceeds raised will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada
You can comment anonymously on this blog if you want. An email address has to be provided, but it can be me@me.com or spezza@heatley.ca or any other phoney address you want.
Or just mention in your comment that you don’t want it to appear on this blog or email me ottawaowl2@yahoo.ca.
If you put in a real email address it won’t appear on the blog or be ‘harvested’ by anyone, and it does make your info more reliable.
Question….
Any idea what this tag means?
It’s all over the Bells Corners area and up towards Greenbank. Is it a local gang thing or have any meaning behind it? I can’t seem to find any info but it’s always painted in red. Figured somebody would have seen it around and can speculate as to what it might mean.
Cheers.
– No beheading of skateboarders? Watch out for red speed skaters?
Maybe a modified trip hazard similar to this?
Or this one – avoid being chased by foxes (?)
I too have spotted them peppered throughout BC.
As a street art aficionado, I don’t think they’re anything to worry about: stencilling and clever placement are hallmarks of organized and playful artistic intent, not mindless graffiti.
In fact, given the recent defacing around Bells Corners of OC Transpo sites and the mosque (likely by idiot-kids-with-spray-cans), I am apt to welcome whimsical, clean, well-placed colour on BC’s grey concrete.
I like that you’re trying to express an opinion and have your own website, but I think that you should avoid taking pictures of random people on the street.
– Huh? Random people? Can you point to a specific photo so I know what you mean?
It’s perfectly legal to take pictures in public WITHOUT asking permission – reporters and politicians like Rick do it all the time.
I ask permission before clicking, show people their photo, and ask them if I can use it on my blog before posting anything.
If anyone feels that a photo that Rick has posted has either a) caused them harm or b) is being used for monetary gain, feel free to take the councillor to court (if you can afford a fancy lawyer – Rick would be able to use the City’s lawyers for free).
Personally, I don’t even bother looking at the photos. I am here only to read the story and, if there are too many photos, I just leave the page without reading anything.
– I know that many people in Bells Corners don’t have fast internet speed (even if they pay a lot to Rogers and Bell), so if too many photos make the pages on this blog slow to load, that’s a concern.
Try out the FREE computers in the library to see what decent internet speeds are all about – even posts with dozens of photos will appear almost instantly.
How about giving Pat and Vernon a plug at Plus 1 Performance at Stafford Road and Bexley Place? Best Honda/Accura mechanics in town. They’re at the back of the strip mall behind the car rental place.
– I did a post on Bells Corners garages last year and there was a good plug for Plus 1 Performance in a reader’s comment – they definitely have fans.
I have a Honda Prelude and regret not taking it there for a timing belt change.
Sometimes it pays to go to a “specialist” when it comes to Hondas.
What happened to the Canadian Tire Pit Stop? How come it’s all closed up now?
We should have a bubble tea place in Bells Corners – it would thrive!
– This popular place in the Giant Tiger plaza has it, and maybe it’s at Koi Asia too.
When I say we should have a bubble tea place in BC I mean we should have a real shop just for bubble tea drinks. I hear that Mr. Pho isn’t even that good for beverages – if they were they would emphasize it more.
I’ve checked out Koi Asia… there’s no bubble tea there.
– I ate at Mr. Pho’s a couple of times and I thought the food was great. Prices were quite reasonable and the service was super. Same goes for Koi Asia.
If I were an entrepreneur I sure wouldn’t start up a bubble tea place in Bells Corners. How could you possibly generate enough profits to pay the ridiculous rents our strip mall owners charge? You’d be lucky to cover the taxes and the BIA levy with what you could earn selling tea at $2 a pop.
Anyway, the big chains will eventually wipe out most of the small independents in Bells Corners – you can’t fight the marketing clout of Tim and Ronald.
Bubble tea sells from $3.50 to $6, not $2. There’s definitely a market for it, just not in the suburbs. There are lots of shops downtown where tourists go.
I was wondering if someone reading this blog can help me. My son is in grade 6 at D.A. Moodie Middle School and I am looking for before and after school care for him – every second week Mon.-Thurs.
His elementary school where I live had pre-school and after-school care, so this has never been a problem until he started at D.A, Moodie. Is there an organization that has some sort of program for 11-13 year olds within walking distance of the school that anyone knows about?
I have asked at the United Church and they said no. I’ve tried the Westcliffe community center with no answer and am not sure where else to turn….
Any help or suggestions? Please email me – it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
– If you have Facebook (and who doesn’t these days?) you could post on this community site.
When in the Bio-Test lab going to open? And why does the Liquid Gym website still say that more information will be available in the future, when they’re saying they’re going to open Nov. 4?
You’d think that with all the layoffs from Nortel and RIM, they’d be able to hire a computer person to update their websites.
– If I remember correctly the Bio-test gentleman said they’d probably be opening around Remembrance Day.
And… can you please make the Facebook page public, so it can be read without logging in? My uncle tells me that it gathers too much information about you to be safe.
– If you’re talking about the Bells Corners Rocks! Facebook group – it isn’t my group, so I can’t change the settings.
It’s already an “open group” – you can’t see Facebook groups without a Facebook account, and I’m certainly not going to encourage anyone to use Facebook. I agree with your uncle about being wary of it.
But you don’t HAVE to give away any important personal info to create a Facebook account – not even your name. All you need is a valid email address which is easy enough to create.
Craig I cannot meet with another candidate and discuss his/her withdrawal to benefit another in any municipal election…..you do remember Terry kilrea and Larry obrien, i encourage you to run a campaign for CHANGE like i am, as i indicated to you last week in my message, “from what i am seeing at the doors Craig there is enough ANTI RICK SENTIMENT” to go around for all to take advantage of, sorry you don;t like my campaign material, i tried to find yours but was unable, please excuse the delay in my response i was out in Bells corners today putting up lawn signs, see you Saturday. I do like you punchy sense of humor, it works well in Satire or improv shows, but municipal politics to me, like most, folks is Serious business when they see debacles like Orgaworld, or throwing money down the river when Quebec fails to install even the simpliest monitoring devices after 7 years, 200 million to upgrade social housing in my view would be a much better investment
BREAKING NEWS CRAIG Bells Corners loses another Retail ANCHOR, OTTAWA SEPT 13 2014 , for immediate release Staples has closed its doors in Bells Corners robertson road location as of September 13th 2014 5 pm , The Store Manager cited dropping sales volume and dropping sales volumes. I guess the Soioner DND comes to the NORTEL site, the Sooner Rick can claim it was all his idea and that Bells corners retail will rise like a phoenix from the ashes and should be renamed Chiarellis corners. Until then , the best way to visit Staples is Kanata or Merivale Road, All employees have been laid off 2 are bineg relocated to other stores SAD……Alex Lewis, any comments….did not think so
I’ve noticed something VERY unsettling. It happens frequently enough that I feel it should be cause for community concern.
Last spring I was strolling near Franco-Ouest High School. It was early morning. The Westcliffe neighbourhood had received A LOT of rain the previous evening and all through the night.
Over 30mm in a short period of time, so the storm drains were overflowing along the street, something we frequently see.
Well, that morning I was walking my dog near the track on school property when he suddenly caught a scent and bolted.
I ran after him to the hill that’s between the track and the back doors to the school. When I caught up to him he was rolling blissfully in the grass on a thin layer of white flaky material. Huh?
I decided to investigate more closely. MISTAKE! To my DISGUST, I discovered that the grass was covered with feces and broken-down toilet paper! AHHHH!
So what happened? When the storm sewers can’t handle the heavy rains the excess water goes to the sewage lines? And then they overflow and raw sewage gets dumped in the Ottawa River and Westcliffe Park? That’s what somebody told me, not sure if that’s true.
Anyway, I made a mental note to avoid that area after a heavy rainfall and led my poop-covered dog home for a bath. I forgot about that unpleasant event until I noticed that it happened again mid-summer!
I figured that the school MUST know about this – feces and used toilet paper don’t disappear overnight! I just hope that for the sake of the kids (for their health if nothing else) that at some point SOMEONE can look into it.
Okay, so the other night (Sept. 21) we once again received a LOT of rain. Guess what I saw at 6 a.m. before the first students and staff arrived?
The sewer had overflowed AGAIN! The ground was covered in feces and God knows what else. That makes three times that I’ve noticed this crappy situation.
We don’t have any kids and have only been living in Westcliffe neighbourhood for a few years, so I don’t know if residents are aware of this issue. I searched your blog to see if you had mentioned it, but I couldn’t find anything.
I’m SHOCKED that it seems that nothing has been done about this. If I’ve noticed it then SURELY the staff and children who run around the fields daily must know about this disgusting situation? It’s so gross and unsanitary. Who knows what diseases kids and adults could be exposed to?
Is this something that is already known by the neighbourhood? Am I the only one to have noticed?
– Sounds gross. I knew that dog poop was a big issue in Westcliffe but HUMAN POOP too? Crap, that’s pretty shitty!
If you don’t mind I’ll post your questions to the Facebook group Bells Corners Rocks! Maybe someone there can answer your questions.
Yo craig i’m not old enough to vote but you’re a funny guy go you
Zina and I want to thank you again for the lovely ride you gave us today! We look forward to seeing the pictures you took of us. Would you be able to email them to us?
(The baby in the white hat and mommy in the green dress) 🙂 thanks! ❤
– It was my pleasure – you were my FIRST passengers of the 2015 bike-taxi season! I selected one photo for the blog and here are the other three – they’re all good! You can just pull them to your computer but I’ll email them too to be sure. Say hi to Zinia!
Augh, Allspice Superstore is gone! Ok, so apparently they moved out a while ago (last I was there was this summer/fall, couldn’t be that long ago). Did they move, or just close? They were in the Zola’s/Beddington/Louise’s strip mall.
Hi Craig! A big, mighty thank you for your warm and generous energy and helping make our Bike & Pizza fair a success yesterday! Thanks to you, dozens upon dozens (possibly hundreds) of kids and adults enjoyed a tour of Bayshore Park on your bike-taxi. I was so grateful to have you and love what you give to the community! Thanks again!
– No thanks necessary, Clayton, I had a blast. I was VERY impressed with the event you put together. It’s great to see someone working so hard to build community. We salute you!
Hi Craig,
Thank you for taking the time to explain to me what you are providing our community and for being so understanding of the construction. I would much appreciate the opportunity for us to share some pictures with you and hold a formal interview. This way you can get the full scoop about This Is Healthful Inc. Thank you again for your time.
Cheryl
Hi,
I am here in Nepean for two weeks and I would like comment that Nepean has similar amalgamation issues with Ottawa as Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (70,000, my home) has with the Halifax Regional Municipality since 1996.
I showed people in Dartmouth how most Nepean signs are still standing.
Presently we are pressing HRM on getting more Welcome to Dartmouth signs placed on the entrances to Dartmouth. We still have a strong downtown community
Victor Matthews, Dartmouth
