After community outcry, Lady Evelyn School gets a lifeline The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has backed down on its wind-down plan, though the neighbourhood school’s long-term future remains uncertain. JOHN DANCE The Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has reversed its decision to wind down Lady Evelyn School but the future of Old Ottawa…
McDonald’s traffic trouble exposes mounting Greystone Village concerns Residents say illegal parking is only one part of a growing traffic problem around des Oblats Avenue and Main Street. MAINSTREETER STAFF Improvements to address traffic problems generated by the new McDonald’s at the corner of Main Street and des Oblats Avenue will soon be made,…
Major four-tower development breaks ground at 320 Lees Avenue Long-planned, transit-oriented project will bring 3,000 residents, new rentals and commercial space to Sandy Hill and Old Ottawa East JOHN DANCE Just across the Lees Avenue bridge over Highway 417, a…
Petition campaign to save the school boasts some 500 signatures 120-year-old Lady Evelyn School faces closure under school board plan Parents, community push back against planned grade-by-grade phase-out of Old Ottawa East’s only English public school. JOHN DANCE The rich 120-year history of Lady Evelyn School (LES) on Evelyn Avenue may come to an…
OUR CHANGING COMMUNITY Higher, denser, closer: How Ottawa’s new zoning by-law will dramatically reshape housing, streetscapes of Old Ottawa East The City’s new zoning rules boost housing density throughout our community while triggering debate over height, sunlight and neighbourhood character. JOHN DANCE After three years of public and developer “engagement,” City Council recently approved a…
One of the City’s options for the use of part of the former AVTC lands bordering Lees Avenue is to have 250 – 500 units in high-rise buildings fronting Lees with parkland immediately to the south. The land farther to the south and bordering the river would also be parkland. 160 Lees Avenue City declares…
FRIENDS OF THE MAINSTREETER 2026: Our busy Year of Community Engagement Our brand new Friends of the Mainstreeter group offers a simple way for you to show your support for local, independent journalism – but it’s just one of the exciting community engagement initiatives we’ll be unveiling during 2026. MAINSTREETER STAFF As 2025 draws…
When Brenda met Sherri… Giving, receiving, belonging: The Buy Nothing spirit in Old Ottawa East DIANNE WING Sorel boots, roof-top mounted bicycle carrier, mint green hoodie, kitchen calculator, utility sink with faucet, books, large globe ice-cube maker, wooden kitchen canisters, doll seat, projector, paint-by-number kits, candles, Bunnykins plates, red tablecloth, garden tools, vintage sewing machine….
JOHN DANCE PHOTO The Mainstreeter takes the pulse of the neighbourhood… Local residents are pleased but not fully satisfied with outcomes of the Greenfield/Main/Hawthorne project As the five-year $46.5M rebuild winds to a close, those living in the area cite major improvements in infrastructure – but traffic and design irritants remain a cause for concern…
JOHN DANCE PHOTO Citizens from across Ottawa rallied to protest the Lansdowne 2.0 plan but to no avail as the controversial project was given the green light by City Council. Pro-Lansdowne Mayor, Councillors unfazed by risk factors, debt load in approving Lansdowne 2.0 project JOHN DANCE The massive Lansdowne 2.0 (L2.0) plan is proceeding despite…
