a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve always had a special interest in using web technologies to raise awareness (and funds) for non-profits. It might be geeky, I know, but the idea of reaching out to potential donors and spreading the word in this way – a.k.a. harnessing the POWER OF THE INTERWEBS FOR GOOD – well, it gives me a little thrill.

That’s why I was so excited when this appeared in my Inbox the other day.

The upcoming University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s annual telethon on Sunday, March 28, 2010 (9:00am–6:50pm EST) on CTV is offering viewers the opportunity to donate using their iPhone and a mobile barcode payment system created by a Canadian company, MobioID.

(Sidebar: it occurs to me that this is shopping of the future. Scan and buy. Scan and buy. My head is spinning.)

For the first time in history, viewers will be able to make a real-time donation right off of the TV screen using Mobio.

• During the telethon, a customized Mobio barcode will be displayed on screen to allow iPhone users to scan and donate instantly.
• If donors miss the telethon, they can visit the Ottawa Hearts or MobioID website and scan the barcode anytime.
• Barcodes will be distributed in local publications as well as over Twitter, Facebook and email for “anytime” donations before, during and after the event.

Isn’t that cool? This is a significant development for the not-for-profit sector.

Not only does it give them the ability to reach a younger (perhaps untapped?) audience, but it increases their reach (and ease of donation) exponentially. Mobio barcodes can be used on Twitter, Facebook, and email, and it makes ongoing donations possible even after the event. Once a custom barcode is created it can be used indefinitely in print, advertising, TV, T-shirts etc. (!)

Recent earthquake relief efforts for Haiti indicate there is a demand for quick and easy ways for donors to give. And this is it.

I was sent my own little bar code too. Want to make a donation and try it out? If you have an iPhone, download the Mobio app from the iTunes store (it’s free right now), register, and use the app to snap a photo of the image on the right.

It is incredibly quick and easy to give. It took me about 45 seconds to make the donation to the Heart Institute (that is, after downloading the app and registering, which took about 5 minutes). AMAZING.

Think of the applications. You can donate on a bus in the middle of the night, while you’re at grandma’s house, walking the dog, reading your email, reading a BLOG – anywhere.

The future is now. I am so excited. I feel like I’m in an episode of Star Trek. WHERE IS MY JET PACK.

Let me know if you try this out!

I’m still on a roll from yesterday’s post (to which I have to return because the discussion has been amazing) but I wanted to quickly summarize last night’s public meeting about the development of the Sisters of Visitation convent (and site) at 114 Richmond Road. They unveiled prelimary concept plans.

I live-tweeted the meeting (which, to non-users, basically means that I “reported” the meeting electronically as it unfolded). The conversation is ongoing, and you can follow it here.

The West-side action blog has a really good summary of the meeting.

The Citizen has a story about the meeting here and actual plans are here. What’s missing from the Citizen gallery are two important views … and that’s this one and this one, otherwise you don’t have a sense of what it’s going to look like from streetview.

My thoughts, just off the top of my head:

• This is big. Really big. Do we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate an extra 1000-1400 people?
• I know design is a highly subjective thing, but the proposed plans are ugly. I’m sorry, I have to say it. Councillor Leadman called it a fortress, and I agree. All you need is a moat and a drawbridge and the picture would be complete. The plan is to replace the existing wall with a giant stretch of building with an arched entrance. If this site – one so precious and rare – needs to be developed, we need to insist on something a lot more compelling, a lot greener, a LOT smarter.
• I don’t have a problem with infill and intensification, but how much is too much? This property is zoned for a maximum of four storeys, they want 12.
• In a perfect world the convent would be restored and repurposed and the green space would be left alone. Consider the old Maplelawn building (now a Keg, which is private property) and the adjoining garden (which is public). Why is this so impossible? Why does money trump everything else?
• Developers want to cut across Byron Tramway park to allow for vehicular access to their underground parking. 
• I don’t even want to launch into the issue of traffic. It’s just so frustrating. Apparently they don’t need to worry about traffic impact outside a 1 km radius. (?)
• Are we prepared for the old bait and switch? It’s become the norm. It goes like this. (1) Developers unveil a massive development. (2) There is a public outcry. (3) Developers scale it back – allegedly in response to demand – but (3) it’s still bigger than allowable by law (“Hey, nine storeys is better than 12, right?”) and the public is forced to accept it

I want reasonable, beautiful, well-planned development. This isn’t it.

Tell me, when do we say enough is enough? What rights do the residents have as it pertains to development? What will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?

I need to think about this some more. In the meantime, over to you.

ETA: Local Fishbowl readers might be interested in the public meeting regarding the development of the Soeurs de la Visitation convent and site. It’s tonight (March 10) at St. Georges Church, 415 Piccadilly Avenue (in the downstairs meeting room). Futher details details are on the Westboro Community Association blog.

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The first part of this post is here.

Westboro has lots of good things going for it. It’s close to downtown, close to the river and close to parks and recreation. Westboro has good schools and cool shopping.

It’s no wonder that people want to live here. It’s become a trendy neighbourhood. The price of homes have skyrocketed, as well as rents for stores along the main drag. The businesses that call Westboro home (and I’m thinking specifically of Richmond Road) have changed drastically over the past 10-12 years. MEC moved in and a whole bunch of shops came along with it: the Expedition Shoppe, Bridgehead, and Lululemon (for starters) essentially created Westboro’s new reputation as a mecca for treehugging, latte drinking, eco-friendly consumers. (A group in which I count myself!)

Hot housing markets beget more housing. Residential infills are everywhere, but I’m not too keyed up on infill. My only issue is with owners and developers who ask for zoning adjustments to accommodate massive mega homes that don’t jive with the rest of the neighbourhood. People want 10 metre high homes where only 8 is allowed. People want to chop down all of their trees and replace their front lawns with driveways and fill every square inch of their property – and more – with extra closets and a fifth bathroom. To those of you who pooh pooh me on this issue I say this: how would you like a concrete behemoth towering over your home?

Anyway, I this isn’t about residential infill. I wanted to talk about commercial development (or lack thereof) in Westboro.

The Westboro BIA (at least I’m assuming they are the ones who are responsible) has procured some new decorations for Richmond Road. Here is one of them, shown at the corner of Richmond and Roosevelt Avenue. (You will need to click to enlarge this image.)

In the background are two new condos: Westboro Station (on the left) and The Exchange (on the right). The construction site in the forefront is for the second phase of Westboro Station.

The new banners show a bicycle with a basket in which we can see a baguette, a bottle of wine, and a bouquet of flowers.

The Westboro BIA is fond of marketing this neighbourhood as “Westboro Village.” This idea appears in newspaper and magazine ads and on other promotional material, like their website. The phrase goes back over 100 years when this actually WAS a village. It was annexed to Nepean, which then became part of the newly amalgamated city of Ottawa. Nevertheless, a village is a community in which people live, shop, work and play.

The link between “Westboro” and “Village” is getting weaker with every passing month. Despite there being a Community Design Plan, there is little thought to what Westboro will look like as a whole, 20 years from now. Development seems piecemeal with little regard for how all of it will impact on available resources.

The illustration on the banners isn’t exactly a lie. You can hop on your bike (courtesy of Westboro Sports, or better yet, Bushtukah or Tall Tree) and certainly obtain a bottle of wine (from the LCBO on Richmond Road), the baguette (from the Real Canadian Superstore) and the flowers (from Tivoli). But all those new condos that are promising exciting ground floor retail don’t seem to be able to deliver it. Harvest Loaf – an actual local baker – was pushed out long ago. The shoe repair fellow had to move around the corner. How long is the Candy Store going to last? The newspaper and magazine store? What about the other independents?

At first we were excited about all this commercial development. Sushi place? Total score. A Candy Store? BRING IT.

But it gradually began veering down a different road. To quote the Westboro BIA website, Westboro offers a “quaint, yet urban shopping experience.” I think that shopping – or doing anything – along Richmond Road is going to become less and less pleasant, not unlike walking in a wind tunnel, but with fewer interesting stores and less sunshine.

We are heading towards a street filled with Botox stops and chiropractors. I don’t want any more places to buy yoga gear or touring bikes. I want a cozy pub (and so do you, judging by a few comments in the first part of this post), and a good deli like Nicastros. Give us something we can use!

I know many of you are thinking that it’s fair market; those who can afford it will pay the increasing rents. I get it, that’s how it works, but is this good for those of us who actually live here?

I don’t even want to get into the condo issue. There’s one sprouting up on every corner. Why hasn’t this happened in the Glebe?

Perhaps what sets Westboro apart isn’t the eco-friendly bent, it’s greed. Greed that fuels all of the super-sized developments; lining the pockets of people who don’t even live here. Greed of the people who live the I-Want-the Biggest-House-Possible-And-I-Don’t-Care-What-The-Neighbors-Say-or-what-it-Does-to-the-Neighborhood kind of philosophy.

Can a city council legislate what stores open in Westboro? It’s not impossible. Councillors can take strides to attract a certain kind of commercial real estate. How has Niagara-on-the-Lake, for example, managed to preserve the historical feel of their main street? What kind of zoning and development bylaws are in place in order to create the kind of “village” people want to live in?

As for parks and recreation: we have so many people, so few facilities. Dovercourt is stretched to the max. Have you tried signing your kids up for swimming lessons? Or, related, tried snagging a spot for their afterschool program? Greenspace is eroding. Traffic is increasing.

I used to joke that everything I possibly needed was in Westboro: coffee, a newspaper, chocolate, a good meal and a pint of beer. (And when my life is all over you can bring me over to the funeral home on the corner.) I still believe that, but I’m not sure if it’s going to last.

I’m not sure what the solution is, but I fear that we’ve tipped the balance and are past the point of no return.