An East Coast-inspired afternoon of music is coming to Woodroffe United Church later this month, as Ottawa’s Newfoundland and Labrador choir Atlantic Voices takes the stage in support of affordable housing at LeBreton Flats.
Hosted by the Multifaith Housing Initiative (MHI), the March 29 fundraiser — Home of Our Hearts: An East Coast Afternoon — will raise money for the Odenak buildings, a major affordable housing project now underway near the city’s future central library.
Born in New Brunswick, Atlantic Voices member Scott Richardson grew up in Nova Scotia, worked in PEI, and says the choir harmonizes with members from all of the Atlantic provinces.
“When I first moved to the city in the ‘90s I used to play with bands in Irish pubs,” Richardson recalled. “It felt like the first few years, all I met was people from the Maritimes. It’s a very tight knit community. They seem to find each other here in Ottawa like they have some sort of radar.”
The group’s set list includes Song for Peace by prolific Cape Breton songwriter Allister MacGillivray and The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers, along with preview selections from their upcoming spring concert. Richardson, with Robin Guy, will also perform an acoustic folk set as the duo 100 Floors Above.
As a renter, Richardson says high housing costs in Ottawa affect all income levels.
“There are a lot of people struggling. Even for people who are making a decent living, rent is still really impossible. There are a lot of people who can’t even manage that. It’s great that there is an organization like MHI providing affordable housing for those people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get in the lower end of the rental market.”
Named after the Algonquin Anishinàbe word for “community,” the Odenak buildings at LeBreton Flats will include 600 rental units, with 250 designated as affordable. MHI will own and operate 133 of those affordable units.
After merging with Gloucester Housing Corporation in 2024, MHI became the city’s third-largest supplier of affordable housing after Centretown Community Housing Corporation and Ottawa Community Housing.
Former MHI president and concert planner Sue Smarkala says the organization’s Andy Carswell Building is a major accomplishment. The building opened in 2021 and now houses veterans, including Diane Claveau, who lived in her car before receiving assistance from MHI.
With places of worship and organizations across the spectrum of faith among its members, MHI aims to build a strong sense of community among residents at Odenak.
“Sometimes with apartment living people just want to go to their unit, close the door and be done. But there is a way that you can chat people up and get to know one another with coffee klatches and that sort of thing,” Smarkala says. “We want to make sure the two towers are positive, cohesive and there is a sense of community throughout.”
The United Church of Ottawa group has set a $150,000 fundraising goal for Odenak and has raised $120,000 so far, Smarkala says.
Located next to Ādisōke, the new central library, the buildings are designed to meet a “zero carbon building standard,” according to development partner Perkins&Will. Led by Toronto-based developer Dream, the team also includes KPMB Architects and Two Row Architect. The project is described as “built for a post-pandemic world,” emphasizing connections between sustainability and social equity.
Odenak will use an advanced “sewage energy exchange system” to harness wastewater’s thermal energy for efficient heating and cooling, according to the City of Ottawa.
Smarkala describes the concert as “a warm hearted nod to the east coast” followed by “post-show mingling with tea, coffee and goodies.”
Atlantic Voices’ mandate includes community engagement, having previously held concerts in support of Hurricane Fiona relief and refugee resettlement. Richardson says supporting affordable housing is “the natural thing to do” for the choir.