Editor’s Letter: Celebrating 20 years of Kitchissippi Times

Photo of Charlie Senack. Taken by Zenith Wolfe

By Charlie Senack

Happy March Kitchissippi residents.

If you’re like me, chances are you’re done with winter. I’m ready to pull my boots off and go for long walks at Westboro Beach. Lunch at a Richmond road patio also sounds nice! 

Spring is almost here and the snow should start to melt soon. Groundhog Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring after not seeing his shadow. We got a taste of March on Feb. 15, when Ottawa broke a record with 8.9 C reported. This was the first year the Rideau Canal didn’t open for Winterlude, and if trends continue, it might be the first time it doesn’t open for skating at all. 

The Kitchissippi Times is getting ready to celebrate a milestone of our own. We are turning 20 years old! The first issue of KT was published in October 2003. Since then we have reported on thousands of stories and reached hundreds of thousands of readers. We have big plans in store. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

In this issue, Zenith Wolfe had the chance to sit down with Sherri Harding, a local musician who is releasing her first solo album. She worked alongside Dick Cooper of the Cooper Brothers.

We also take a look at some of the 50 or so little libraries that are popping up on front lawns and nearby businesses and churches. 

I spoke with Kitchissippi Councillor Jeff Leiper about a new public greenspace coming to the ward. Two residential lots were purchased through a rare move which will expand Armstrong Park and open up a new patch of greenspace at Spencer and Huron. 

Ellen Bond photographed the Fisher Park Winter Carnival which returned for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. She joined dozens of community members who braved minus-30 degree temperatures to take part in the fun.

The KT team also visited the Wall of H’earts show put on by local artist Alison Fowler. Fourteen hearts were auctioned off for charity and around $2,400 was raised for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. 

We also stopped by Morris Formal Wear – in the Wellington West community for almost a century. Owner Samuel Feldberg is going to pass the family-run business on to the fourth generation, his son Joseph. 

Down the street in Westboro, Zak’s Diner has moved into the former Savoy Brasserie. Owner John Borsten says their comfort food will add flavor to the community. 

For our “Humans of Kitchissippi” profile, Millie Farley spoke with Barbara Brown, a local artist who is inspired by nature and the changing seasons.

And in “Early Days,” historian Dave Allston looks back to when Holland and Byron was mostly railways. The center of Kitchissippi once played a big part in Ottawa’s streetcar system.

That’s all the news that fits into print. Have a story idea? Send me an email: editor@kitchissippi.com.

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