Hello,

The Peace & Environment Resource Centre (PERC) is looking for members to join its board starting at this year’s Annual General Meeting in May. If you are interested in the stories highlighted in the PEN, or any of PERC’s other work, you might want to consider applying to join!

PERC is a local grassroots charity that was founded as the Peace Resource Centre in January, 1983, by a group of Ottawa residents who wanted to take action on peace issues of the time, like nuclear disarmament. The organizations started publishing its first newspaper, the Ottawa Peace Calendar and News, in November 1985, which eventually became the PEN.

The Peace Resource Centre went through several transformations over the years—you can read more about its history in the PEN’s June 2023 edition.

PERC carries on this work today by collaborating with Ottawa-area non-profit organizations “through partnerships, web hosting, promotion, and cooperation towards a more peaceful, sustainable and socially just world.” Some current goals include facilitating Leadership Labs events (read about the February event in the Announcements section below) and creating a digital resource library for youth environmental professionals on skills development. More information about PERC is available on its website at https://perc.ca.

The board is looking for people to join as members at large and possibly as a treasurer. If you are interested in joining, you can apply by emailing your resume and cover letter(optional) to [email protected] by the end of April.

Stories from the PEN!

This month’s stories from the PEN include:

• Community Farming Options in the Ottawa Regions describes how Community Farm Programs can help city-dwellers take part in their local food production, and highlights two ongoing Programs in the Ottawa area.

• Nasha Choudhury gives an update on the BIPOC Fellowship. Now in its fourth year, the Fellowship “continues to grow and thrive, offering direct financial support to BIPOC leaders and changemakers across Canada.”

• In From Intern to Mentor, you can read about one intern’s experiences working with StepUp Energy as an Energy & Climate Equity Intern.

From the PEN Archives

The PEN’s March-April 2010 edition covered charges against an Ottawa resident and a so-defendant from the Mitchikanibikok Inik First Nation (the Algonquin Community of Barriere Lake). In 2008, the defendants had taken part in highway blockades on Hwy 117 to protest the provincial and federal governments’ ongoing violation of an agreement signed with Mitchikanibikok Inik over a decade prior. The First Nation said their lands were being exploited, and they had “not seen a dime of the $100 million extracted from their traditional territory each year by logging hydro, and sports hunting operations.”

[More recently, Mitchikanibikok Inik First Nation is in court as the Quebec government appeals a 2024 win for the First Nation, where a federal court ruled that the province’s mining practices breached the constitutional duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous communities laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Read more here.]

Announcements

• PERC’s will be holding its AGM on May 23 from 12pm-1pm at Rideau Park United Church. 2203 Alta Vista Drive Ottawa, ON K1H 7L9.

• The Capacity Building Institute is excited to host its monthly Capacity Building Webinar Series! Mark your calendars for the next session on April 15th, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST. Join our charismatic host, Sam Laprade, as we welcome Alex Keenan from Stage Light Communications for an inspiring presentation on “Communication with Volunteers!”

  • Find more information about the event HERE.

• PERC held Leadership Labs event in February and Eco-Internships hosted its Alumni Celebration in March. Read the highlights in Youth Leaders Rise.

Other News

• The city’s new Transportation Master Plan is no longer planning to develop a freeway through a field beside 170 Lees Avenue known as “the People’s Park.” The proposed freeway—called the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor (AVTC)—was originally planned as a four-lane freeway running from Walkley Road to the Queensway, but received pushback from local residents. A future AVTC would now run from Walkley to Hurdman Station.

• In this short video, Neil Saravanamuttoo breaks down projected costs for the Lansdowne 2.0 project and estimates that it will put taxpayers on the hook for roughly $20 million each year—equivalent to about a 1% property tax increase—during its first few decade.

  • And the Tewin development project would amount to a 2% increase, read about that and Lansdowne 2.0 in Saravanamutto’s Substack post, here.

• Ottawa residents can now grow food on the boulevard in front of their homes. Whether to allow fruit and nut trees is still being considered by councillors.

• Food programs across the city are calling on all political parties to commit in the next federal election to reducing food insecurity 50% by 2030. The Ottawa Food Bank has a resource for how you can raise your voice on the issue here.

• Ottawa Bylaw Services received 91 complaints about idling cars after the City passed the anti-idling bylaw last year. One person was ticketed.

• On World Water Day, the City of Ottawa shined “a light on the unsung heroes of our water system” who ensure the quality of our drinking water.

• A federal court sided with Kebaoewk First Nation in its opposition to the Chalk River nuclear waste dump.

• City councillors voted to reduce the speed limit on Bank Street south of Kitchener Avenue and Hunt Club Road to 50 km/h from 60 km/h.

• Residents of Osgoode ward will vote in a byelection on June 16 to replace Councillor George Darouze after he resigned. City staff estimate the election will cost about $552,000.

I look forward to connecting with you again next month through the PEN Newsletter. In the meantime, please use the comments section of the newsletter or email [email protected] with thoughts or questions.

—Christopher Bonasia, PEN editor

PERC appreciates all of our readers for giving us this chance to connect with members of our community, and we love being able to provide you with a forum to discuss pressing environmental and social justice issues.

But we also rely on your support to make this happen. If you are interested in helping our organization continue to use storytelling and networking to help individuals, non-profits, and community groups work locally for a greener and more peaceful world, please consider making a donation to the Peace and Environment Resource Centre.