Construction of this frame church began in 1891, and it opened, appropriately, on 25 December 1891. The new church was a means of drawing better congregations and in every way putting new energy into a comparatively feeble branch of the Parish of Hawkesbury.

What better time could there be for a photograph of the interior of the Church of the Nativity than when this house of worship was decorated for Advent and Christmas. If we do not know the precise year this photograph was taken, we can estimate that it was taken in the early 20th century, probably before 1920, certainly before the advent of hydro-electricity.

The building of the Church of the Nativity not only strengthened the local congregation but made it the centre of a mission. In 1899, the parish of L’Orignal included outstations at Caledonia Springs and Alfred. These churches were grouped with Fenaghvale, Maxville, Plantagenet and Ross’s Schoolhouse to form the Parish of Plantagenet in 1903.

There was hope of growth at L’Orignal by 1903, with mills being built, hopefully to infuse new life into the whole neighbourhood and considerably augment the congregation of the Church of the Nativity. In 1904, L’Orignal moved to the Parish of Hawkesbury which included congregations at Alfred (from 1923 to 1965), Caledonia Springs (from 1921 to 1937), Crysler (in 1981 and 1982) Hawkesbury, L’Orignal and Plantagenet (from 1921 to 1923).

Despite the whole interior—floor, walls and ceiling—being covered with darkly painted wood or darkly stained panelling, we can clearly see every detail. Why? Was it because the photographer, John Brokham of Hawkesbury, used flash powder to illuminate it? Or, has he used a lengthy exposure to bring out details? Or, yet again, do the numerous, wide windows lining the nave of this church provide sufficient light to show up the details? Who can be sure?

Someone certainly had been busy decorating for Christmas. There were large trefoils made of cedar branches, featuring foil stars and the words ‘PEACE’ and ‘PRAISE’ on either side at the front. The top of the chancel window was accented by more cedar boughs to highlight the words ‘Glory to God in the Highest,’ crowned by a star.  There were sprigs of spruce in the vases on the altar, and boughs of spruce adorned the pulpit, the lectern, even the bottoms of the coal oil lamps hanging above the centre aisle.  Above each lamp we see the mechanism by which they could be lowered for cleaning and refilling.

The more permanent words on the chancel arch included the phrase ‘Reverence My Sanctuary.’ We can make out the details of the melodeon, the pews featuring a pointed arch at the base and a trefoil at the top, the herringbone design of the panelling both in the ceiling and in the walls above the wainscotting, the arrangement of the chancel being one step up from the nave, and the altar being two steps up from the chancel.

If you would like to help the Archives preserve the records of the Diocese and its parishes, why not become a Friend of the Archives?  Your $20 membership brings you three issues of the lively, informative Newsletter, and you will receive a tax receipt for further donations above that amount.

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The Saturday morning gathering introduced youth to the Cathedral and offered some activities to help them get to know one another.

Before beginning an informal worship time, Dean Beth reflected on the ways that people pray and commune with God individually and when they come together in churches:

“Every place has its own way of living out their worship life, and every one of us has a way of living that out as well. We heard a number of people talk about what they do to pray, what is worship for them besides the church.

“Mine is kayaking. Sometimes when I go kayaking I am not happy, and it’s the Book of Lamentations, and I am paddling with some anger or some angst or some sorrow. And sometimes it is the beauty of thanksgiving and just so grateful for the opportunity to be in nature.

“But all of us need a home for that, and that’s what our churches are and our Cathedral. It’s a home where we can gather as a community and bring all of those experiences that we have elsewhere together, be refueled, re-energized and bring some of that peace to ourselves, and then go out and share that with everyone else. So we all have that as a part of our Anglican heritage, which is a beautiful thing.”

Cathedral music director and organist James Calkin led the group singing some hymns, and the Rev. Matthew Brown of Parish of the Valley shared some reflections on the history of the Cathedral and the Anglican Church.

The youth had an opportunity to explore the Cathedral, learning about its magnificent stained glass windows, symbols, seats for the bishop and Cathedral canons, as well as whimsical touches like the carvings of four church mice tucked into hiding spots around the sanctuary. And they tried their hands at ringing the bells.

The youth received a special invitation to come back to the Cathedral to start 2025 “on a high note” at the New Year’s Day Eucharist service and following reception.

Check out ADOy updates 

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Gwen Lévesque, chair of the board of the Cathedral Hill Foundation (CHF), which was established in 2010 to represent the Cathedral and the Diocese in this project, told Crosstalk that the objective “was to provide a secure revenue stream for the church’s many important social ministries and to ensure that there is ongoing revenue to maintain its important heritage buildings without compromising its ministries.” She added that members of the foundation “have been resolute in their determination” to realize that goal, and “and also to ensure that in doing so these buildings which bracket Ascension House and the Cathedral would be a good fit for the neighbourhood. There is a great deal of satisfaction in accomplishing these results.”

David Morgan, who has been a member of the cathedral parish for 43 years and has been a CHF board member from its beginnings, described the challenges that first sparked this dream. A second cathedral hall built in 1950 “was 30 or 40 feet high inside with a stage at one end and a mezzanine balcony at the other end which we no longer really used. You had to heat all that before you got the heat down to where people were actually standing. The roof leaked. It was inappropriate in terms of architecture,” and he added they needed more space for the girls’ choir, which was just being established. “There were all kinds of reasons why we felt the need to remove that hall,” he said.

The cost of building a new hall, however, was beyond the Cathedral’s capacity. “We thought we would try and offer it up as a development parcel and get a hall that way… but it very soon became apparent that it was too small a parcel to be successfully developed and to give us back all the wonderful things that we wanted,” he said.

The Cathedral turned to the Diocese, which also owned parts of the block, but the situation was complicated by the fact that the Cathedral and Diocese each owned bits and pieces, like a patchwork quilt on the 40,000 square foot area. Rather miraculously, Morgan said, it turned out that when you added all the bits up about half was owned by each party. “So, we had a very quick and short meeting with the Diocese where it was agreed that we could go into a joint venture on this, and everything would be split 50-50.”

Initially, representatives from both the Diocese and the Cathedral formed a joint development group, working out the details according to the Canons, Bylaws and Regulations (CBRs) and holding bidding processes with the proviso that payments would come from the development, and the parties involved had to be willing to wait for that. “We selected Gowlings. They had a very good commercial real estate partnership, and Windmill Developments, who basically knocked it out of the park above all the other proposals in terms of being willing to work with the church and understanding the church’s motivations to be doing this,” Morgan said.

The group did discuss the possibilities of including affordable housing as a part of the development, but in the end,  Morgan said they decided that it was more beneficial to get the maximum return from properties in this prominent location in the city and then use those revenues to benefit community ministries in the diocese.

Windmill was contracted to develop the property in two phases. The first phase was a residential condominium tower to be built on the west side of the cathedral next to Ascension House, with a commercial building to be built later. At that point, the joint venture group was formalized as the non-profit Cathedral Hill Foundation, and it was chaired first by David Caulfield, then David Morgan, and by Barbara Gagne, who led the board until she stepped down in 2020 and was succeeded by Lévesque. The ownership of the land was transferred to the CHF, so that the developer was only dealing with one entity representing both the Cathedral and the Diocese.

Bishop Shane served as the dean and rector of the Cathedral from the beginning of the development and was instrumental throughout, supporting volunteers on the joint venture committee and being the face of the development project to outside parties. He recalls making a representation to the City of Ottawa, persuading planning authorities to rezone the land so the project could proceed. “I had to explain that, while we were responsible for a municipal “heritage asset” called Christ Church Cathedral, we were in a self-defeating circle where spending money to keep the building in good repair meant no money for all the good things we offer to the city, which meant diminishing givings. We needed to develop our property to pay for our property. Fortunately, we prevailed.”

A large-scale construction project inevitably comes with disruptions of various kinds, but Morgan says that overall members of the cathedral parish were supportive. “It helped to meet often with them in special vestry meetings and other sessions when the developer would explain the plans….We kept up a pretty steady and consistent communication,” he said. The loss of parking spots was the biggest inconvenience, for which there was $30,000 annual compensation during the construction. The first phase included 25 underground parking spots when it was finished, also split between the Cathedral and Diocese.

The 21-storey, 140-unit condominium tower was completed in 2015. It is a 99-year ground lease, with option for another 100 years. As a part of that phase of the development, the Cathedral’s present-day Great Hall was built along with a kitchen, and revamped archives space. The area that links Lauder Hall and the Great Hall to the cathedral itself was renewed and updated. Masonry was repaired. Ascension House was also renovated and the parking spots purchased. The total cost was more than $2.5 million. The lease payment was made as a lump sum, with the costs for the Great Hall, replacements/repairs/parking spaces being paid from this revenue, and the balance invested in the Consolidated Trust Fund (CTF), Lévesque explained. Disbursements from the CTF dividends are allocated 50/50 to the Cathedral and Diocese.

After some delays and an extension of the original time frame, Windmill let the CHF know they could not do the second phase. Fortunately, the Reichmann Senior Housing Development Corporation saw it as a prime location and opportunity to build a retirement accommodation complex. Lévesque said they have been very good, professional partners. As occupancy begins, annual rent will be paid, with an escalation based on CPI changes on a 10-year review cycle, Lévesque said. Disbursements will be 50/50 between the Cathedral and Diocese. Underground parking will include: 10 spaces for the Cathedral’s exclusive use 24/7; 15 spaces from Monday to Friday from 6 pm to 6am and Saturday-Sunday 24 Hours, with five additional spaces for special events with notice given.

As is expected with construction and development, a few adjustments had to be made along the way. Most notably, the plan to make another level of underground parking had to be changed. Due to fractures in the bedrock, Reichmann said including another layer of parking would have cost them $3 million. “So, we split the difference and received $1.5 million from them in addition to the lease rent. That’s the sort of adaptability you have to have as you go along,” Lévesque explained. No project goes exactly according to plan.

Despite such hiccups and the fact that the pandemic slowed everything down, The Vista on Sparks officially opened on Oct. 21, offering 152 units including independent living as well as assisted living options. The restaurant Cooke’s-on-the-Water occupies the top floor and offers residents and their guests an expansive view of the city and river. There is also a pub, patios and many other amenities. The move-in date for the first residents was Nov. 4. Marketing manager Julia Riddick told Crosstalk that they have had lots of interest from Anglicans in the city who would like to live near the Cathedral. They expect to reach 25% occupancy by early February and 50% by the end of May 2025, she said.

Morgan said the completion of the development and an influx of hundreds of new neighbours is a good opportunity to rejuvenate the cathedral community. “We’ve got all these new facilities which are useful and that we can rent out,” mentioning the annual Ottawa International Writers Festival as an example. It will also help reach out to the community more. “We can now go to the Vista on Sparks and say, you know, we’re having a music night on Thursday, please come and Dean Beth Bretzlaff, the current rector of Christ Church Cathedral, echoed that hopeful view: “The Cathedral Hill Foundation has not only created a revenue stream but also a neighbourhood, and our Cathedral is now focusing on building community. These are gifts that will keep on giving well into the future, honouring the faithful stewardship of those who worked so hard to bring a dream to reality.”

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Bishop Shane Parker offered the homily, beginning by remarking on how much things have changed since St. Mark’s was founded.  “There weren’t solar panels on the roof back then. Oil was endless and in great supply….. If we said we were going to build an Anglican Church, people would be lining up and when the church was finally built it would be filled and we didn’t need to do to much to make that happen.

Now we live in a very different context where we’re not really noticed as much as we used to be. And we need to come to terms with that, not in a way that discourages us. The simple truth is that we are a smaller church in a city, in a context where many people are suspicious of religion, have no religion, or are members of another religious tradition. And we need to learn how to be faithful in such a change of context. And as many of you know, our diocesan church has done a lot of work in recent years to come to terms with the things we know we’re being called to do in this changed environment.”

The bishop recommended the diocesan Learning Commons, designed to offer resources to help learn how to be healthy parishes and to learn how to be the church in the world at this time. He encouraged parishioners to focus on discerning how God is working in the world around them and around St. Mark’s and to look for ways to “participate with other people in serving the common good.”

The bishop thanked Father Julian Campbell, the Incumbent of St. Mark’s, for his ministry in the church and in the diocese and prayed for blessings on all of his and the parish’s endeavours.

At the end of the worship serve, the parish officially welcomed a group of individuals and families who had joined St. Mark’s during the pandemic when such in-person ceremonies were deemed to be unsafe.

As everyone gathered in the parish hall to have lunch and celebrate the anniversary together, Father Julian told Crosstalk that parishioners had also marked anniversary over the year at different points during the year by planting a tree; holding a strawberry tea; hosting a musical performance by the group “Aged in Harmony;” and creating a pictorial directory of parishioners. This special worship service and celebratory lunch capped off their celebrations.

The post St. Mark’s celebrates 75th anniversary with worship, food and fun appeared first on Perspective.

The Rev. Susan Lewis has been appointed Incumbent (half-time) of the Parish of St. Columba in Ottawa, effective Jan. 8, 2025.

The Rev. Canon Stewart Murray will retire on Jan. 1, 2025.  Bishop Shane Parker made the announcement with “thanksgiving for his 45 years of excellent priestly ministry in our diocese.”

The Rev. Robert Sicard has been appointed part-time Associate Priest in the Parish of Mississippi Lake, effective Nov. 20, 2024.

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The full text of their letter follows:

Dear Friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Over five days, 15-19 November 2024, we travelled together, as fellow brothers in Christ, on a long-planned pilgrimage to pray and worship with the living stones of Palestine and Israel, listening to their voices, and offering solidarity with them in the shadow of the ongoing war in the region. As Archbishop Justin prepares to leave office, we give thanks that his final official visit to the Holy Land affirmed the prayerful solidarity of the Church of England with the Diocese of Jerusalem and all Palestinian Christians.

The last time we met in Jerusalem was just two weeks after the sudden eruption of war in the Holy Land in October 2023. Since then, the world has witnessed unimaginable suffering, death, destruction and displacement that has made Gaza simply uninhabitable. We give thanks that even in the midst of such horrors the Al Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza City continues to serve those in need. We stand united in our call for an immediate end to the war, the release of all hostages and prisoners and an end to forced displacement.

In Ramallah and Bethlehem we were profoundly shocked and shaken to hear from Palestinian Christians — lay and ordained, young and old, male and female — about their daily struggles to survive the ongoing occupation. Such is the despair we encountered that many, especially young adults, question their own future here. We fear for the long-term survival of the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land that stretches back to the time when our Lord walked this land. This existential challenge demands our focused attention and collective response.

We met with the Nassar family at the Tent of Nations outside Bethlehem City. We heard of their never-ending legal battles before Israel’s Supreme Court to defend their ownership of their farm, which has been in their family since Ottoman times. In the Al Makhrour valley we met with the Kisiyia family, who are challenging through the Courts the demolition of their home and the confiscation of their land by settlers.

We met with the Nasir family in their home in Birzeit and heard of the ongoing administrative detention of their daughter Layan, a young Palestinian Christian from St Peter’s Anglican Church, Birzeit. Layan has been detained since 4 April 2024 without legal proceedings, by order of a regional military court, based on classified evidence that leaves her facing unknown allegations. Layan’s family do not know when she will be released, all the time without being charged, tried or convicted. There are thousands of Palestinians like Layan in administrative detention.

We thank all the families we met for their peaceful resistance and costly witness. These are not isolated cases, but part of a deliberate strategy of harassment and intimidation to force Palestinian families from the land. Reducing Palestinians to a position of despondent surrender, where they must either live under the yoke of occupation or emigrate, is deeply wrong and unjust. It will bring neither peace nor security.

In Nazareth, we met with the clergy and indigenous Christians, and heard about the challenges that church schools and Arab communities are facing in Israel. We prayed at St Gabriel’s Church of the Annunciation and the Basilica of the Annunciation. We are greatly encouraged by the ecumenical life that exists amongst the churches in Galilee and give thanks to the leadership of the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem for their ecumenical witness.

Throughout our journey together, we heard repeatedly that many indigenous Christians of the Holy Land feel abandoned by the global Church’s response to the war and the challenges they face. This must change. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be united in saying there can be no Gospel justification for denying people their God-given human dignity and the rights that flow from this.

As we approach Advent, when we remember and celebrate the birth of the Messiah and anticipate his second coming, we invite Christians across the Anglican Communion to recall the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18: 1-8). Please join together in prayer against these injustices, appealing both to God to intervene and enact justice, and to soften the hearts of the oppressor. We must always pray and never lose heart. Through our prayerful persistence, justice will prevail.

We call on you to advocate with your political representatives for a just and lasting peace that recognises the human dignity of all people, and upholds international humanitarian law. We ask for your help in pressing for the immediate release of Layan Nasir.

Finally, we renew our appeal of 24 October 2023, and ask that you support financially, if you are able to do so, the Church’s ongoing ministries in Gaza, Israel and Palestine and across the whole Diocese of Jerusalem. Alongside healthcare programmes and hospitals, the Diocese also provides education and training, youth and women’s ministries and ecumenical and interfaith engagement, all of which builds the resilience of the local indigenous Christian community at a time of great crisis and emergency.

Thank you for your ongoing support for the living stones of the Holy Land and for the work of the Diocese of Jerusalem in the very lands in which our Lord Jesus Christ was born and ministered in his earthly life – before offering up his life on our behalf and then rising again victorious from the grave, overcoming death and giving hope for a new life.

May God bless you and your loved ones this Advent, and may the peace of Christmas bring peace to all the peoples of the Holy Land.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, The Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Reverend Hosam E. Naoum, The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem

Notes: International Partners receiving donations for this appeal include:

Canadian Companions (Canada):

https://www.anglican.ca/gr/provinces/jerusalem/companions/

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The Multi-faith Housing Initiative (MHI) is a partner in this residential housing project and will own 133 of the 608 units. “Our units will house Algonquin and other Indigenous peoples, veterans, recent newcomers, women and children, and adults with cognitive disabilities. If you’re interested in helping, we are currently fundraising to designate 30 of these homes for the Indigenous people,” executive director Suzanne Le told those assembled.

The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa contributed to that effort earlier this year, donating $75,000 to MHI for Indigenous housing. At the time, Bishop Shane Parker said that the gift was “specifically to assist in the construction of 30 units for Indigenous households, as a sign of our church’s ongoing commitment to both reconciliation and affordable housing.” He expressed hope that the gift would encourage others to donate. The funds for the donation came from the sale of the Christ Church Maniwaki building.

The bishop was travelling in the U.S. and was unable to attend the ground-breaking ceremony, but Executive Archdeacon Linda Hill and the Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer, diocesan interfaith officer represented the Diocese.

Wendy Jocko, former chief of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn, was the first speaker at the event: “As we turn the soil today, we are not just beginning construction, we are planting the seeds of a new legacy, a legacy that honors the rich history of this land while embracing the promise of tomorrow. This project represents a unique opportunity to create a community that embodies the very best of what Canada can be — inclusive, sustainable and deeply respectful of Indigenous rights and traditions,” she said.

“To our partners in government and private sector, your commitment to this project demonstrates a shared vision for a more inclusive and prosperous future. Your willingness to engage in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities sets a powerful precedent for how development can and should occur on Indigenous lands,” Jocko added. “To the Dream LeBreton team, your innovative designs and commitment to sustainability align beautifully with Indigenous values and environmental stewardship.”

In her remarks, Le noted that MHI’s vision goes beyond just providing affordable housing and into community building. She thanked the Dream Unlimited Foundation for its 20-year commitment to provide $150,000 in funding annually.  “What this means is that everyone living at Odenak will have the chance to belong to a community, enjoying their choice of wellness programs, craft get-togethers, after-school programs, cultural learning events, and activities coordinated with our new neighbours, the Adisoke, the Ottawa Public Library,” she said. “MHI has a solid track record in doing just this in our other spaces. We’ve been able to create close-knit communities in which tenants really look out for each other and feel part of something bigger…. We are thrilled to be part of this story with Dream Unlimited, the federal government, the CMHC [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation], the NCC [National Capital Commission], and the City of Ottawa. It is only through these partnerships that we are here at all.”

Michael Cooper, president and CEO of Dreams Unlimited, the private-sector developer in the project, said he named the company because “we think it’s important that we dream of things to do that make our society better. We can’t exist if we don’t get our financial returns, but everything we do is try to figure out how we make a difference.” Dreams Unlimited will make 20 percent of its units affordable (80 percent of market rate), but partnering with MHI, which will provide its 133 units at 60 percent of market rates, will make 41 percent of the 608 units more affordable.

Jenna Sudds, federal minister of Children, Families and Social Development spoke on behalf of Sean Fraser, minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, announcing more than $322 million in federal investments in three projects that will create more than 656 new homes, 608 of which are in the Odenak project.

Yasir Naqvi, MP for Ottawa Centre, recalled meeting a group of community members on the site who were protesting and calling for more affordable housing to be built on land owned by the federal government. “Here we are, three years later, with shovels in the ground, a big hole behind us, and that is exactly what is taking place.”

He added that he hoped that this project is “the first of many that we will develop in our community where we are bringing a private developer and not for housing our providers together. We’re building an inclusive community, a community where neighbors will live together regardless of their financial needs.”

After the ceremony, the Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer told Perspective, “I found myself remembering neighbourhoods—built in the past with good intentions—segregating the affordable housing away from market housing. The social impact was unsafe neighbourhoods. Mixed housing fits better with a vision for the future of our city that is inclusive and welcoming for people of differing economic circumstances. Mixed housing brings us all together, and I think we all hope that the resulting neighbourhood will be vibrant, safe, inclusive and a place where people want to live.”

Related story:

Diocese donates $75,000 to support Indigenous housing in LeBreton project

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Terilee Kelford, based in Carleton Place and co-chair of the National Alliance to End Rural and Remote Homelessness, identified transportation as a leading problem as well as the widespread lack of services.

Atlas Commanda, now working with Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa and a member of a rural youth network, spoke of coming to Ottawa from Renfrew at age 17 in search of help. There was no other option. Ten years later, she is planning to return home where others can benefit from her experience.

She said it is twice as hard for rural youth to get help compared to those in the city and three times as hard for Indigenous youth.

Small ancillary things like a lack of public transportation can pose a big problem, she said.

Information about the reasons for rural homelessness and a guide to estimating numbers is available on ruraldevelopmenrt.ca

Heather Hay from Elder Abuse Prevention Muskoka emphasized the plight of older women in rural settings, some spending as much as 80 per cent of income on housing.

Many are living in much older houses, she said, and are not able to pay for needed maintenance and upgrades. Their numbers are increasing. They are living alone longer; in the worst cases ending up on the street because they didn’t want to take advantage of “the system.”

Another presentation, from west-central Alberta, described an initiative to develop a rural transit system that addresses local needs.

The Tamarack Transit System followed a county-wide survey and consultations. It is a project of the Clearwater Regional Housing Foundation, partnering with the federal Rural Transit Solutions Fund.

“All the services were saying that quality of life would definitely be improved with better transportation options for people,” project manager Janice Fraser said.

Related story:

Diocese benefits from participation in Conference on Ending Homelessness

The post Rural areas need more services for homeless appeared first on Perspective.

Sue Garvey, chair of the panel (formerly known as the diocesan Homelessness and Affordable Housing Working Group), offered two questions in particular to address:

• How can we increase the voice with those of lived experience in the work of the diocese, its committees and advisory bodies?
• How can we connect the work of the Bishop’s Panel with the work of the National Anglican Church?

Garvey represented the diocese along with the Ven. Kathryn Otley, Incumbent of All Saints Westboro and Archdeacon of Central Ottawa, at the conference held in Ottawa from Oct. 29 to 31. Representing the Anglican Church of Canada was Ryan Weston, lead animator, public witness for social and ecological justice for the national church.

They joined a record 2,000 delegates, including frontline workers, policy makers, funders, researchers, advocates, politicians, volunteers, and 300 people with lived experience in homelessness, who are working to end homelessness in their communities.

Tim Richter, president and CEO, said the alliance is retooling to deliver more resources to local service providers to respond to a “lethal upward trajectory” of homelessness.

“Every day, hundreds, if not thousands, of people are lifted out of homelessness across Canada,” he said.  “But homelessness grows because unaffordable housing markets throw thousands more onto the street.”

A current initiative, a new Encampment Response Service: a step-by-step service of community-wide supports, was promoted by the alliance in two sessions.

Sean Fraser, minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, announced the Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund, a $50-million fund to help communities develop innovative projects to prevent homelessness and accelerate new homes for people currently experiencing homelessness.

The need for full engagement of those with lived experience in developing responses was among the main takeaways for the Ottawa group.  “Nothing about us without us,” one presenter said.

The conference heard evidence of the need to change the way advocates communicate about homelessness and affordable housing.  In other words, put a human face on the issue. Tell stories with impact that invoke emotion and inspire.

Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People, an American non-profit that specializes in story-telling to change public perceptions, said the public doesn’t relate well to expert discourse. “We need to amplify the voice of lived experience.”

In terms of lessons learned, Archdeacon Otley rated effective advocacy highly important.  Harmful discourse gains currency, acquires misinformation through social media and leads to fear of a threat to social norms. The curtailing of harm reduction strategies is a perfect current example, she said.  “It is essential to counter harmful discourse at its source with factual information.”

While the Ottawa delegates heard a few references to faith groups— the role of churches with property and the work of chaplains such as the Rev. Hilary Murray at Cornerstone Housing for Women were mentioned—but the contributions they make weren’t well represented at the conference.

Archdeacon Otley suggested consideration be given to offering a session at the 2025 conference in Montreal on the theme of faith groups as partners in ending homelessness.

Conference takeaways

• The face of homelessness is disproportionately Indigenous. There is a need to engage Indigenous communities in Indigenous solutions and leadership.
• Housing is and must be seen as a human right. There is a need to pursue a Right to Housing eco-system, a preferred approach to housing initiatives. As Guy Felicella, a harm reduction advocate and keynote speaker said: “We’ve made housing a privilege in this country instead of a human right…that has to change.”
• The connection between housing and health should be amplified. Housing is a health issue, a social determinant. You can’t have one without the other.
• Canadians are very concerned about the homelessness issue, housing affordability and homeless people. They believe that mental health and addictions are main factors, but they primarily believe that homelessness is a failure of leadership.
• A communications handbook: How We Talk about Homelessness in St. John’s (Wecandoit.com) could be useful in shaping educational tools for the Bishop’s Panel on Housing Justice. https://wecanendit.com/handbook

Cornerstone project was highlighted

Cornerstone Housing for Women’s Aging in Home Program was featured in a panel discussion on Innovative Practices in Housing and Homelessness in Ottawa at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness.

Devika Pawar, Cornerstone senior manager of supportive housing, said the program prioritizes holistic well-being for those aging at home. “Our services include accessible medical support, nurturing spiritual care and harm-reduction practices that enhance safety and health.”

She appeared with representatives of Shepherds of Good Hope, John Howard Society of Ottawa,  Ottawa Inner City Health and Youth Services Bureau.

Cornerstone is a Community Ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.

The audience of about 100, many from other parts of Canada, registered agreement with the panelists that close collaboration is the key to their success in solving many problems.

“We service providers in Ottawa work in a web,” Adrienne Sesiakin, senior manager in supportive housing at Shepherds of Good Hope, said. “We are always consulting each other on the best solution to a problem.”

Related story:

Rural areas need more services for homeless

Read more here:

www.ottawa.anglican.ca/housing-justice/

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