Articles Tagged ‘Urban Decoder’

URBAN DECODER: Hot on the heels of Busker Fest, we look at the ins and outs of street performing

Trained in Europe's biggest circus and largest theme park, and performing at the extreme games, "Bike Boy" Sean Bridges has astounded audiences around the world and will take on Busker Fest this weekend.

DEAR URBAN DECODER: I’ve noticed as soon as the warm weather hits, street performers are out all over the ByWard Market. I want to do this too. Can I just head down to the Market and start playing?

Though I’m sure passersby would probably enjoy the impromptu show of your talents, there’s actually a lot more a street performer has to juggle than just flaming bowling pins.

Street performers, or buskers as they’re often called, have to jump through a few hoops before they can actually perform, given the bylaws the City of Ottawa instated in 2008 and has regulated since 2010.

In 2008, the Community and Protective Services Committee explained that the regulations were to “increase the number and variety of performers and reduce the tension between performers who must now wait in line for a space to become available.” This regulates the fair usage of the most highly sought-after spots, such as those with more tourist foot-traffic. In 2010, a fee was also applied to perform on the streets of the ByWard Market. Buskers must now pay an annual $50 licence and a daily $10 permit fee, to a maximum of $200. As there used to be no fee, and since many buskers use these performances as a primary means of income, there have been some negative reactions about the changes from performers in news articles. Though some buskers are upset about the regulations, the city has also provided opportunities for them to display their talents. For instance, when the JUNOs were in town, the city lifted the ban on busking fees to encourage Ottawa’s musical street performers to fill Ottawa’s historic ByWard Market with live music.

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  |  August 3, 2012 at 11:29 am

URBAN DECODER: Have you seen “shoreline at work” signs around Ottawa’s waterways? We’ve got the low down on what they mean

A before shot of one of the shorelines that was spruced up with the Making Shorelines Natural initiative. Photo credit: Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

DEAR URBAN DECODER: I was walking along a creek in Ottawa and saw a sign that said “shoreline at work.” What is happening to this waterway, and who put the sign there?

The signs popped up this past spring and were put there by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, a local organization that aims to protect watershed areas throughout the Ottawa region. It takes on a variety of projects in the city that protect clean water, preserve natural shorelines, and create sustainable land use for years to come. The RVCA also protects our waterways from contamination and misuse.

Specifically, the RVCA’s Making Shorelines Natural project is a two-year initiative in partnership with the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation, an environmental charity group involved in protecting and conserving land and water in Eastern Ontario. Together, they coordinated to plant thousands of trees and shrubs along Becketts Creek, Bilberry Creek, Nepean Creek, Sawmill Creek, Stevens Creek, and more. More than 530 volunteers – consisting of volunteer groups, local landowners, and businesses – worked more than 1,700 hours to create better waterways in several communities by helping to plant greenery during the spring and summer of this year.

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  |  July 25, 2012 at 8:45 am

URBAN DECODER: Dreaming of a campfire this long weekend? Get the ins and outs of outdoor fires in Ottawa

DEAR URBAN DECODER: I want to have a campfire in my backyard this summer, but I’m confused about whether or not I’m allowed. Are there certain restrictions?

Good question, but the answer really depends on what area of the city you live in.

According to the City of Ottawa, outdoor fires — including open-air, outdoor fireplaces, and campfires — are not permitted in urban areas of the city. Strict rules have been put in place to ensure the safety of both people and buildings within the city. Things like lot size, the proximity of surrounding buildings, and population density come into play with the burning bylaw.

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  |  June 27, 2012 at 8:45 am

URBAN DECODER: Poetry plaques in Ottawa give a nod to nature and Canada’s literary talent

A poem by William Wilfred Campbell that is part of Poets' Pathway.

DEAR URBAN DECODER: This spring, as I walked on the bike path near Nepean Creek, I noticed plaques attached to boulders along the waterway. Who put them there, and what are they for?

The plaques that you saw were placed there by Poets’ Pathway, a local organization made up of volunteers whose goal is to commemorate Canadian poets. The plaques contain the works of celebrated poets such as Archibald Lampman, Duncan Campbell Scott, William Wilfred Campbell, Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, and several others. These writers were chosen for the link between their work and nature in Canada.

These commemorations can also be found on other pathways throughout Ottawa, but most notable are the three anchor points within the city that represent the poets’ lives and work. Poets’ Pathway starts near the Ottawa River at Britannia Park where poets Lampman, Scott, and Campbell often canoed. It continues south toward McCarthy Woods and Meadow to the second anchor point where lush green forests line the paths and mirror the landscapes described in many of these artists’ poems. Heading northeast, the third anchor point ends at Beechwood Cemetery where many of the famed writers have been laid to rest. This site contains many symbols that pay tribute to the poets, including the William Wilfred Campbell Bench, Lampman Boulder, several plaques, and the Poets’ Hill Book Monument.

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  |  June 15, 2012 at 8:45 am

URBAN DECODER: Just in time for hunting season, a rules primer for the newbie urban crossbow owner

DEAR URBAN DECODER: I recently inherited a crossbow, and I heard that you can use it within city limits. Is that true? Can I use it to hunt wildlife on my property?

According to the City of Ottawa, crossbows can be fired within city limits. However, better read the fine print: crossbows are classified as firearms, and as such, their use is severely restricted. They are not only banned from use in almost every urban part of Ottawa, but they cannot be used in any area where other people might be present — that includes public lands, schools, parks, roads, recreation centres, and churches. In fact, the bylaw specifically states that crossbows cannot be fired within 200 metres of any place of worship (even in non-urban areas where discharging a crossbow would otherwise be considered legal). A relic from medieval times? Not really, since it merely pertains to the avoidance of people.

Even if your property falls within a geographical area where a crossbow is allowed to be used and all other criteria are met, you must still meet all of the hunting and discharge of firearms requirements set out by Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. Moreover, only certain animals, at designated seasonal times, can be hunted. There are hunting exemptions, though, for farmers within city limits (think coyotes in North Gower) and municipal officers looking to scare away sick or vicious animals, like that moose that wandered into a Rockland schoolyard last year. Of course, the latter two are not likely using crossbows.

So before you get all trigger-happy and thwack off a few bolts at that pesky varmint chewing up your garden, you might want to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Violations of related city bylaws and provincial hunting laws result in fines and possibly imprisonment.

  |  November 10, 2011 at 10:00 am

URBAN DECODER: I sent a letter the other day and noticed the mailbox is covered with postal codes. What happened to the traditional red boxes?

Photo courtesy of Canada Post

Canada Post unveiled the new mailboxes in the summer of 2010 in an effort to prevent people from spray painting the boxes, an action that always garners complaints from residents.  The new boxes are covered with a special Teflon layer that limits the sticking impact of spray paint, which makes any vandalism that does occur easier to remove.  In addition to preventing vandalism, the new design also aims to add a modern artistic aesthetic to the traditional depository: the outer casing is now adorned with different coloured postal codes, an ode to the postal system that has connected Canada for more than 140 years.  If your neighbourhood doesn’t yet have these special mailboxes, don’t worry – Canada Post says the new rollout will be complete in January 2011.

  |  November 23, 2010 at 9:51 am

URBAN DECODER: I’ve heard you can be fined for skateboarding on roads. I was wondering about longboarding — can I get in trouble even if I’m just using it as transportation?

Photo by Hilary Duff

Taking a quick look at the City of Ottawa website, it isn’t clear if longboards are included in the bylaw that prohibits the use of skateboards and rollerblades on city roads and sidewalks.  So is this surfboard on wheels considered illegal?  Troy Leeson, the program manager of bylaw services and parking enforcement, says yes. Longboards are considered to be in the same family as its wheeled relatives, he says.  Unlike bicycles, the bylaw doesn’t currently recognize longboards as a mode of transportation, which is why they are still banned. Leeson says he thinks it’s a matter of age: “at this time skateboarding and rollerblading are more of a younger generation thing so universally they’re not as accepted yet.” That means riders can expect a $25 fine if caught, but this is at the discretion of the police.  With the right lobbying, Leeson says that bylaw changes can be achieved, so longboarders wanting to take back the roads: unite and conquer.

  |  November 18, 2010 at 9:18 am

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