Manotick

Manotick
—  Community  —
Manotick Location in Ottawa
Coordinates: 45°13′35″N 75°41′11″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Ottawa
Established	1830s
Incorporated	1903 (Police Village of Manotick)
Amalgamation	1974 (Township of Rideau) 2001 (City of Ottawa)
Government
• Mayor	Jim Watson
• MPs	Pierre Poilievre
• MPPs	Lisa MacLeod
• Councillors	Scott Moffatt
Area
• Total	6.69 km2 (2.58 sq mi)
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	4,520
• Density	673.0/km2 (1,743/sq mi)
	Canada 2011 Census
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)

Manotick, Ontario is a suburb of Ottawa on the Rideau River, located on the south edge of the National Capital Region. Manotick is located immediately south of the suburbs Barrhaven and Riverside South and is about 25 km (16 mi) from downtown Ottawa. It was founded by Moss Kent Dickinson in 1864. He named the village "Manotick," after the Ojibwa word meaning "island in the river". It has been part of the City of Ottawa since amalgamation in 2001. It had a 2006 population of 4623. [1]

History

In the 1830's, a small settlement formed in the area of the newly constructed Long Island locks on the Rideau Canal, but there was no development in the area of present-day Manotick. In 1859, when a bulkhead was constructed across the west branch of the Rideau River, entrepreneur Moss Kent Dickinson and his partner Joseph Merrill Currier obtained the water rights and constructed a stone mill, on the shores of the Rideau River. The flour mill, as well as a carding mill, sawmill and a bung factory, also built by Dickinson, helped spur the development of the settlement. The flour mill was purchased in 1946 by Harry Watson and renamed Watson's Mill. It survives today as a museum.

Dickinson House, built in 1863, was the first major building in Manotick. It served as a general store, bank, post office, and telegraph office. The Dickinson, Spratt, and Watson families, who owned/operated the grist mill, now known as Watson’s Mill, used the house as their residence from 1870 to 1972. The house is currently furnished to give visitors an interpretation of what the space was like when the Dickinson family was in residence. It is included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in Doors Open Ottawa, alongside Watson's Mill. Open Doors Ottawa 2012 coincides with Dickinson Days, which is Manotick’s annual festival celebrating the Founder of the village.

The original St. James Anglican Church was built of wood in a Norman style in 1876, on land donated by Moss Kent Dickinson. When a larger church was built in 1985, the original style and appearance, including a Norman tower, the original stained glass windows, plaques and much of the other furnishings were maintained. The church was included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in Doors Open Ottawa, held June 2 and 3, 2012.

Manotick was host to a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) experimental ionospheric laboratory often referred to as the RPL, or the Radio Propagation Laboratory . It was located on the Prescott Highway.

The RPL evolved from Section 6 of the Operational Intelligence Centre (OIC/6) of the RCN during WW II. It originally occupied small huts on the Prescott Highway, which, in the years 1944-47 housed a naval High Frequency radio station, operating under the call sign CFF. The station received and transmitted messages between Naval Service Headquarters, Allied Authorities, ships at sea, and frequently intercepted enemy transmissions. A name plate now marks the site, which is located south of the Experimental Farm's (Ottawa) arboretum, between the Rideau Canal and the Prescott Highway.

SunTech Greenhouses LTD, a Hydroponic Greenhouse covering 2.3 acres was constructed in 1999 on a ninety acre lot. An additional twelve thousand square feet was added in the spring of 2001, bringing the greenhouse acreage to 2.5 acres. Since then, the infrastructure was increased by 1.5 acres in 2012, bringing the total greenhouse surface to 4 acres.

As commercial traffic on the Rideau became less important, the population in the village declined. The population in the village rebounded as Manotick came to be viewed by some as a bedroom community for Ottawa, joining the City of Ottawa in 2001.

With overdevelopment of housing in south Ottawa, and Barrhaven rapidly growing, Manotick is maintaining its character by carefully managing growth and working closely with developers. Large mass production developments south of Ottawa often advertise as being located in Manotick during early development which can lead to confusion on the borders of Manotick.

Schools

Watson's Mill

• Manotick Public School - The only public elementary school in Manotick, teaches kindergarten to grade 5 in English and French.
• St. Leonard Catholic School - Teaches over 500 kindergarten, primary and junior students in English and French.
• St. Mark Catholic High School - Teaches grades 7-8 and 9-12 in English and French
• South Carleton High School - Teaches over 1300 grade 9-12 students, located in Richmond. It is the primary public high school for the region.

Dickinson Days

Fishing at Watson's Mill Dam

On the first Friday and Saturday in June every year, the people of Manotick congregate in the heart of Manotick around Dickinson Square to celebrate Dickinson Days. The festival is named after Moss Kent Dickinson, who operated Watson's Mill and was responsible for founding Manotick. This spring festival, organized by local organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, the BIA, and Watson’s Mill, usually includes activities such as a parade, pancake breakfast, arts and crafts sales, wagon rides, music, dance and drama performances. The celebration coincides with "Pioneer Days", organized by the staff and volunteers of Watson's Mill.

Dickinson Days usually coincides with Doors Open Ottawa, where many local buildings, such as churches and government buildings, are open to the public for one day a year.

Watson's Mill

Watson's Mill is Manotick's most recognized landmark. Its image is used as a symbol for the village. It is the only working museum in the Ottawa area and one of very few operating industrial grist mills in North America. Indeed, Watson's Mill still sells stone-ground whole wheat flour which is made on site.

Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier founded the mill as the Long Island Flouring Mills in 1860. It was one of a series of mills constructed in the area using power from the Rideau Canal. It earned its current name when it was purchased by Harry Watson in 1946. Watson was the last owner to operate the mill at an industrial level. When the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority bought the mill in 1972, it was developed into a museum.

The mill is also well known for its ghost story. The legend is that Ann Currier, wife of Joseph Currier, haunts the mill, following her death in a tragic accident there in 1861.

Watson's Mill is open to the public during the summer months and hosts a variety of events, including milling demonstrations every Sunday.

Mahogany subdivision dispute

In 2007 Minto Developments Inc. sought approval to construct a community of approximately 1800 new homes within the Village of Manotick. The number was later revised to 1400 in early 2008 through the Development Concept Plan process with the city of Ottawa and numerous public meetings and consultations with residents. The project drew concerns by residents in the area. In the opinion of some local residents, the Minto proposal went against the spirit and letter of the pre-existing Manotick's Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan for the Village of Manotick was adopted by the City of Ottawa at amalgamation in 2001, providing for growth of only 250 houses by 2020. Residents cited that the project will double Manotick's population and that the current services and infrastructure will be insufficient to handle the population explosion. Some residents were also concerned that Manotick will lose its "small town" character. Villagers want future development direction to be decided by residents and their elected officials, not developers.

On April 24, 2007, the [West Manotick Community Association (WMCA][2]) organized a town hall meeting to discuss the issue of Minto's proposed development at the Manotick Arena. The event drew over 2000 citizens concerned about preserving the rural character and scale of Manotick and to ensure any future planning accounts for the rural nature of the village. During 2007 and 2008, The City of Ottawa, the WMCA and Minto all hosted several formal and informal public meetings to demonstrate changes and evolutions to the proposed Development Concept Plans and to encourage public debate. Changes to the plan were made by the developer through the process.

In 2008, the Ottawa city council rejected Minto's proposed development, stating that Minto's plan did not comply with the City's official plan for Manotick, nor its Secondary Plan. Additionally, the City claimed that the proposed development did not match the village's "rural character". Minto appealed the council's decision, sending the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board in a 7-week hearing that ended in late-January, 2009. The OMB overruled city council in a "controversial" decision to approve Minto's plans. The City of Ottawa requested a Leave to Appeal the OMB decision, with a hearing scheduled for June 25, 2009.

Ultimately, extensive cooperation between Minto and the Community resulted in an approved plan for the development, and the first phase of construction is expected in 2012.

Fentanyl Outbreak

Following the August 4th, 2012 death of a Manotick teen, recent media attention has shed light on a deadly drug that has made its way into the community. The rise in Fentanyl use has sparked concern among area residents and Ottawa Police alike, as the drug has been known to be highly addictive and has several negative consequences, one of which is death. It has affected the families of addicted teens as well as those who have been indirectly affected through the increase in criminal activity caused by the need to fund the addiction. While area residents fear that there is an epidemic on the rise, officials have taken steps to deal with the issue at hand.

The Drug

The drug itself, Fentanyl, is an opiate painkiller that has been compared to morphine. According to Constable Dave Stewart, an Ottawa Police Service Worker, the drug is 100 percent addictive and more dangerous and potent than any other prescription or non-prescription drug that the police service has ever had to deal with. The drug has been around for decades, and since the 1990’s has been introduced in a patch form, as a painkiller for cancer patients or those experiencing severe chronic pain. While the drug can take various forms, addicts tend to smoke, inject, or ingest the drug from its patch form.

Paul Brooks, the pharmacist at Paul’s Pharmasave, worries that the rise in Fentanyl abuse may not only be causing harm to those using the drug illegally, but may also make it harder for those who actually require the drug for medical purposes to obtain their prescription, “Fentanyl is a very effective drug and a very useful drug, but when it is used the way kids are using it, it becomes a very deadly drug”, stated Brooks. The improper use of the drug by youth could result in the drug being removed from the market altogether, which would then require patients to seek out a new treatment.

Effects on Families and Rise in Criminal Activity

For those that have been directly affected by the addiction, it has had devastating consequences. Parents of youth gripped by the addiction have watched the drug deteriorate their children’s, as well as their families’, lives. Families, under anonymity, have described their own struggles with trying to get their children clean. Family, marital and financial troubles befell those who took steps to set their children on the right path.

The addictions not only affected the families of the youth, but also the community at large. As Staff Sergeant Kal Ghadban of the Ottawa Police Service stated, “There is a direct correlation between the increase in crime and Fentanyl use”. Desperate for a way to finance their dependence, many resorted to crime. Residential break-ins have risen in recent months, as youth looked for anything that could potentially be sold or pawned off quickly. Police have reported that money, electronics and jewelry seem to be the most targeted items, as they tend to be the most liquid assets available.

Remedies Available to the Addicts, Community Solutions

While police estimate that approximately 30 high school students in the area are addicted, public officials and service workers have taken steps in order to prevent further spread of the narcotic. Constable Paquette, the school resource officer at St. Mark Catholic High School has been giving presentations to students about the dangers of the drug, trying to stop the problem at the source. Constable Paquette also works with local addiction centers to identify teens who may be connected with the drug, offering them treatment options. One such centre, Rideauwood Addiction Centre, also aims to educate school-aged youth about the drug, in addition to providing counseling services to older students.

While it is vitally important to educate the youth about realities of the drug, since it is an issue affecting their peer group, it is equally important to inform the community so that they may have a greater understanding of the issues that affect their surroundings. Public information meetings have been scheduled for November 2012 in local churches where all can attend in order to develop a greater understanding of how to recognize symptoms of drug use and how to remedy them.

Final Thoughts

The recent rise in Fentanyl use among area youth is not something that can be easily dismissed, the effects are real and dangerous: the drug is highly addictive, and its improper use can lead to death. Through education and informative sessions, the goal is to understand the implications of use with the intent of deterring use altogether. The message is clear: stay informed, stay safe, and seek the necessary help as soon as the warning signs become apparent, because in the words of one area father, “you can’t do this alone”.

External links

• Manotick Business Improvement Area
• The Manotick Directory
• Manotick Web Page
• Manotick Village and Community Association