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Hey everyone - spring is here in our region! We have tulips, crocuses and hyacinths in bloom now znd tomato seeds are busily percolating under our basement grow-lamp. The migratory birds are returning in droves - or do I mean flocks, murders, parliaments or exhortations? Enjoying nature in spacious outdoor spaces is one of the keys to surviving this pandemic. So this week's donation goes to the building campaign for a new Wild Bird Care centre in the Ottawa area:

https://wildbirdcarecentre.org/build

The existing facility on Moodie Drive is already one of my favourite spaces to soak up a little nature therapy. Chickadees and other birds eagerly swoop down on my outstretched arm and with no effort on my part, I have them literally eating out of my hand. I've seen wild turkeys roaming the area too.

That's just the wide-open-spaces, public enjoyment aspect. But they perform a highly practical service too. Anyone finding an ill or injured bird can bring it to the centre for treatment, rehabilitation and eventual release - all of which obviously requires resources!

But after 40 years on that site, they have outgrown the premises and are looking to raise money for a new improved expanded bird care centre, which will also encompass a substantial public education component. Last I checked, they had achieved approximately 2/3 of their fundraising target, with just under 6 months to get there.

Is mean-spiritedness an inevitable outcome of months of enforced social distancing? I'm beginning to think so. Two recent cases involving bylaw enforcement officers, one in Ottawa and the other in Toronto, have me shaking my head in disbelief at the pettiness of human nature and city hall.

Here is the first story:

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/plot-thickens-in-old-ottawa-south-shakespeare-drama-1.5085851

A family of five in Old Ottawa South sets up a makeshift stage in their backyard and involves their kids and a few friends in rehearsing the Shakespeare play A Comedy of Errors. All necessary safety precautions are taken and opening night was scheduled for this past weekend. The audience is limited to twenty people. It promised the young people a fun and educational in-person experience, something that has been far too rare in recent months. It wasn't conceived as a profit-making venture either. It was strictly pass-the-hat, with all proceeds donated to the Ottawa Food Bank. Surely a win-win kind of venture, don't you think?

Not so fast, said the Ottawa Bylaw folks. Your backyard isn't zoned for that. Even the mayor stepped in to offer Windsor Park for the performance, but that just didn't work for them because they would have to re-build all the stage sets over there. The latest madness is that By-law want to inspect the structure in the backyard, probably so they can maintain it was never legal in the first place and justify a hefty fine of some sort.

A comedy of errors indeed. I'd like to think next year's performance might be All's Well that Ends Well, but I rather suspect it's more likely to be Much Ado About Nothing for all those poor 'ados' and their families and friends!

Moving from "ados" to elders, many folks are having to modify their housing arrangements during this pandemic, often under less than ideal conditions. Many people see granny flats and coach houses as a sensible alternative to unhealthy and overcrowded long-term care and retirement homes, at least for some. This Toronto-area father and son felt it would work well for them. The City of Toronto, however, wasted no time in nixing the idea:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-coach-houses-illegal-city-rules-1.5703790?cmp=rss

I think back to the days when I worked with my colleagues on recruiting new people. In working out what job qualifications we required, we always allocated a bit - maybe 15% or so - to the Personal Suitability factor. This generally included things like good judgement, discretion, tact, flexibility, ability to negotiate... all qualities I find to be sorely lacking in the aforementioned bylaw enforcement officers!