Rink is Open!! La patinoire est ouverte!

Congratulations to our Recreation Committee and our many community volunteers for all their work on our community rink! 

The rink is now open for our community members to enjoy.

To view rink conditions, go to www.ottawarinkconditions.ca and search under "Kilreen."



Félicitations à notre Comité de récréation et à nos bénévoles qui ont travaillé fort pour créer la patinoire au Parc Kilreen.

La patinoire est maintenant ouverte pour les membres de notre communauté.

Pour une mise à jour de l'état de la glace, veuillez consulter  www.ottawarinkconditions.ca  et rechercher «Kilreen».
 

New Years Eve Family Event

Head to Centrepointe Dec. 31 for a fun, family New Years Eve event. The theme is pirates & princesses so bring along your own pirates & princesses in costume.

http://www.alcoholfreenewyears.com/

Thanks to Appleseed Snowblowing Service

A huge thank you to Ken Dale and Appleseed Snowblowing Service and to operator, Jeff, a QTSR resident, for packing down the base of our community rink at Kilreen Park. Your community spirit and willingness to help is much appreciated. Come out for a skate in a few weeks when we'll all be out enjoying the ice, too!

Appleseed Snowblowing Service (Westend)
Phone: 613-820-4944 
http://www.appleseedsnow.com

Rink Updates

Our QTSR rink is shaping up well thanks to all the hard work of our Recreation Committee and volunteers from the community. 

Volunteers have been busy watering, scraping and clearing the ice. Our community has done a fantastic job in pitching in to help with the rink. For information on the rink's conditions or to update information on the rink, visit the City's rink site.

Rink volunteers from QTSR, you can update rink conditions here.

Reminder to lock cars at night

Now that it's the holiday season you may be tempted to leave items in your car overnight. We urge you, however, to take all items of value out of your car especially overnight and to lock car doors. Report any suspicious behaviour or break ins to the police and your Neighbourhood Watch.

Community pitches together for rink

Congratulations to our Recreation Committee who gathered community members on Sunday morning to pitch in to help clear snow for our new rink. Many families showed up and representation from those under 10 was excellent!

If you live in the neighbourhood and want to help out, please contact QTSRCommunity@gmail.com or pick up your shovel after a snowfall and help us clear the ice! Volunteers and helpers are always welcome.

 

City of Ottawa Services' Holiday Schedules

For the holiday schedules of City of Ottawa services such as libraries, transportation, etc., click here to find out details.

Volunteers Needed for Rink

Good news!  The Queensway Terrace South/Ridgeview Association received a grant to maintain the ice rink at Kilreen Park this winter.  We are looking for volunteers to water the ice, clear the snow, etc.

If you, your children,  partner, or anyone you know in our neighbourhood are interested in helping out, please contact QTSRCommunity@gmail.com. Many hands make light work!

Our first task will take place at the rink site in Kilreen Park on Sunday, Dec.15 at 9:30 a.m. We'll be working on setting the base. Drop by to help out or contact us to sign up as a future volunteer! 

Information on how to create an outdoor rink is provided here.
 

Proposed site of the rink for 2013/2014

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas

Pretty blue lights and evergreen wreaths look lovely on this home in QTSR.

 

Lots of holiday spirit at this festively decorated home.

 

Boil Water Advisory in Queensway Terrace North

Boil Water Advisory in Queensway Terrace North has been lifted--Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m.

 

• Repairs to the watermain break in Queensway Terrace North are now complete and water service should be restored shortly. See the City notice here.
• Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has issued a precautionary Boil Water Advisory until further notice for water users in the Queensview Terrace North area. 
• This advisory affects approximately 180 homes (please see the attached map).
• A reduction in pressure in the water distribution system means that groundwater or soil contamination could potentially seep into the watermain pipes through small cracks or leaks.

Holiday Events and Activities

One of our community members shared this list of holiday events and activities. There's a lot to see and do around Ottawa this time of year. Enjoy!

Don't forget to send photos of homes in QTRS that are decorated for the holidays. It would be fun to have Christmas tree photos, too! Send them to:

qtsrcommunity@gmail.com

Gingerbread House Day 1

Gingerbread House Day 7

Winter Wonderland in our Neighbourhood

Be proud of our lovely neighbourhood!  Winter looks great in Queensway Terrace South / Ridgeview!

If you have photos of  QTSR homes decorated for the holidays, please send to qtsrcommunity@gmail.com. We'll add them to the blog. Let's showcase our lovely neighbourhood all dressed up for the holidays.

Rink of Dreams Open, Centrepointe Rink to follow

For those who embrace winter, you'll be glad to hear that the Rink of Dreams downtown at City Hall is now open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., including holidays. There is a heated change hut.

Look for the green flag at City Hall and for notices on  ottawa.ca for daily information on whether the rink is open.

 

Centrepointe rink is scheduled to open December 15, weather permitting.

 

Lock car doors

Hi QTSR Neighbours,

We've had another car break in last night, this time in the Ridgeview area. A van was broken into and a wallet stolen. The contents of the wallet were strewn around Kilreen Park where a dog walker noticed them and returned them to the owner.

Friendly reminder: Please lock your car doors at night. This will discourage these petty thieves from doing the "rounds" in our neighbourhood. 

WARNING: Door-to-door "energy" sellers

It has come to our attention that there are some door-to-door "salespeople" in our neighbourhood, claiming they want to help save you money on your energy bill. They often want to come into your home to look at your furnace or water heater.

Click on this link to read more. Let neighbours know about this issue, especially any single or elderly neighbours.

Transportation Master Plan

An important issue for QTSRCA is the City of Ottawa's Transportation Master Plan. 

To find out more, click here.

If you are interested in getting involved in issues related to transportation and traffic, join our Traffic and Transportation Committee. Contact QTSRCommunity@gmail.com for details.

Great First Executive Board Meeting!

We had a great first Executive Board meeting on Nov.12 at Sonny's.

Minutes will be posted next week.

Highlights include:

• Great progress on a rink at Kilreen being made by the Recreation subcommittee
• QTSRCA voted to join the Federation of Citizen's Associations
• New subcommittees were formed, including:
• Traffic and Transportation (Lead: Scott)
• Recreation (Lead: Manon)
• Outreach (Lead: Gina)

Volunteers from the community who are interested in joining a subcommittee are more than welcome. Send us a message at QTSRCommunity@gmail.com to let us know what you'd like to help out with.

NEXT EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING: Monday, Dec.9 at 7:30 p.m. Venue TBD.

Executive Board Meeting tonight

Just a reminder for Executive Board members: tonight we are meeting at 7:30 at Sonny's.

Agendas have been sent by email. Contact us if you want to add anything.

Executive Board Members Attend Budget Consultation, FCA

On Nov.4, QTSRCA Executive Board Members, Gina and Dawn, attended a 2014 Budget Consultation meeting for the community at Pinecrest Recreation Centre. A summary of the consultation will be presented to the rest of the Board at our meeting on Nov.12.

On Nov. 7, QTSRCA President, Andrea D'Agostino, attended a meeting of the Federation of Citizen's Associations. Topics on the agenda included infill and other issues common to  Ottawa community associations. Details of the meeting will be presented to the Board on Nov.12.

Women's Group Cocktail Hour CHANGE

Women of QTSR, there has been a change of venue for tonight's Cocktail Hour. 

It will be at the ROYAL OAK, 117 Centrepointe Drive instead of at Montana's.

Time is still the same.

Art sale to support local school Nov.17

On Sat., Nov. 17, there will be an art sale of posters, paintings, sculptures in the school gym at Our Lady of Victory. Come out to support a local school!

If you have art to donate, click on the tab "Community Events - Nov & Dec" in the menu bar above for details.

QTSRCA President Attends Infill Meeting

On Wed., Oct.30, QTSRCA President, Andrea D'Agostino, attended the City's meeting (click here) to solicit  input from the public on  infill residential development in the mature neighbourhoods of Ottawa.

Infill is when large buildings (like the one at 2522 Thorson) are built in older neighbourhoods because it allows developers to condense the population in an area and build larger buildings on the lots (hence, "filling IN" the neighbourhood).

QTSR is a mature neighbourhood that will probably be dealing with these issues on a frequent basis in the future. We need to be vigilant about what is being allowed to be built in our community as it can have a major impact on the character of our neighbourhood.

Budget Consultation Nov.4, Pinecrest Rec Centre

If you are interested in finding out more about the 2014 budget, Councillor Rick Chiarelli will be holding a
budget consultation on Monday, Nov.4 from 6:30 to 8:30 at Pinecrest Community Centre.  

For more information, click here or contact Nancy Cairns at:

City Hall: 613-580-2400 X 25264

Ward Office: 613-580-2400 X 46634 

Ottawa flu clinics

Clinics run Oct.26 to Nov. 28. 

Check out this map for  the clinic nearest you.

Seasonal Parades around Ottawa

If you have young children, check out the parade list on our "Community Events - Nov & Dec" page. Click on the tab in the upper menu bar.

Note that Sonny's is having their bake sale event next week. Help out a local business that is doing good for others.

Neighbourhood Watch Signs Scheduled to Go Up

Great news:

Our request for Neighbourhood Watch signs on Thorson Ave have been submitted to the City and we are scheduled to have the new signs in early December!

Neighbours, keep watching out for those around you on your street! 

Our first Neighbourhood Watch subcommittee meeting will be held the week of Nov. 18. Email qtsrcommunity@gmail.com if you would like to help out for your street!

Neighbourhood Watch Update

Hi QTSR neighbours,

Just a quick Neighbourhood Watch update that a number of cars were broken into early Monday morning along Thorson Ave. If you see any suspicious activity in the neighbourhood, please call 613-236-1222 ext.7300 to file a report. If you see a crime in action, call 911.  If you are a member of NW, let the police know when you call in to file a report.

WE DID IT!!!

Queensway Terrace South / Ridgeview Community Association is now official!!!

We now have:

• an Executive Committee:
• President, Andrea D'Agostino
• Secretary, Jenny K 
• Treasurer, Kelly M 
• 13 Members at Large, including:

             Mike Ash (Stanton)
             Linda Gionet (Placid)
             Scott Plunkett (Tobin)
             Gina Bies (Torquay)
             Jonathan Crone (Firestone)
             Barbara Adair (Sudbury)
             Dawn (Firestone)
             Abby Paige 
             Manon D 
             Mike S
             Claire F

• a constitution, and
• 2 subcommittees: 
• Rink/Winter Events and 
• Neighbourhood Watch.

Our first QTSRCA Meeting (all community members are invited) will be on Tuesday, Nov.12. Email QTSR for details.

Stay tuned for more later!

First QTSRCA AGM!

The Steering Committee is really excited that, at long last, after a summer full of meetings, agendas, lists, flyers, distributions, emails, tweets and blog posts, we are finally ready for our first ever QTSRCA AGM!!

We are looking forward to launching a Community Association that:
1. acts as a voice for the community on issues that affect us all
2. works effectively with the City 
3. organizes events to promote healthy and active living and gets neighbours to meet neighbours..

If you are interested in the agenda for Sunday at 2:00 at Pinecrest Rec Centre Lounge, click here.

We are limiting the topics at the AGM to only dealing with the task of launching the Association and subcommittees. All other issues, we'll take on as tasks for the Association to work on now that it exists. 

Look forward to seeing lots of QTSR folks out on Sunday!

Annual General Meeting Oct.20

Community Association Annual General Meeting

Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m.

 Pinecrest Recreation Centre Lounge

We are putting into place a new Community Association in Queensway Terrace South/Ridgeview. To make things official, we'll be holding our first Annual General Meeting this month.

Our Annual General Meeting will take place:

When: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013, at 2:00 p.m.

Where: Pinecrest Recreation Centre Lounge

Why: To vote on Executive Committee members  (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer plus 11 Directors at Large) and to vote on our Constitution.

Nominations for the Executive Committee still being accepted!

Get involved in your community and take advantage of a great leadership opportunity! We are still taking nominations for Executive positions, especially Treasurer. Don’t be shy or modest: we need you! Send nominations to: QTSRCommunity@gmail.com.

Please vote!

On Sunday, Oct. 20, take some time out of your day to come vote for your Community Association! Get involved and join the effort to make our community an even better place to live!

417 Lane Reductions Oct. 7

Just a heads up that the 417 will have reduced lanes between Parkdale and Rochester starting Monday, Oct.7.

Fancy new digital signs are coming in kind of like what they have on the 401 in TO (not that we want that as our model for a highway, but just sayin').


The City of Ottawa has tools on ottawa.ca to help motorists and transit users plan their routes and manage their commute including:

• Travel Planner at octranspo.com – transit users can chart and plan routes... when it's working properly

• City of Ottawa Traffic Report – outlining citywide road closures, traffic restrictions and detours

• Interactive traffic map – showing construction areas and live traffic cams throughout the city

• Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) cameras along Highway 417

• Cycling maps and information – detailing bicycle pathways and lanes throughout the city

Well done, QTSR Community Cleaners!

We had the most gorgeous weather for Clean the Capital this fall! We also had a wonderful showing of young volunteers.

 
Families came out with strollers, wagons and smiles. The City provided T-shirts and cleaning kits for the volunteers. 

Coffee, hot chocolate and donuts were also provided, along with a visit from Councillor Chiarelli.

 The donuts were a big hit with the lucky kids who were there in time to partake!

Overall, we collected about 15 bags of trash and received a lot of  positive feedback from participants saying they enjoyed it and would be happy to do it again in the spring! Keep those thoughts throughout the winter as we try to maintain the looks of our pretty QTSR community.