Bits and Pieces

Wow! Nice weather today! So I went out.
And when I got back it was to a bunch of calls on my voice mail. All personal except one or two. Florence from Housing called. She has found someone in the know to help us out with Mr. YoungerNoMore's problem. Tomorrow we will make an appointment to get to the bottom of that one.

More good news~~~~

The Intercoms for the building are on order and we are just waiting for them to be delivered. I have heard a few comments that we are waiting due to politicking. Maybe, but I don't think so. Montreal is a big metropolis, Ottawa isn't. Montreal is a manufacturing center, Ottawa isn't. The only place in Ontario that compares to Montreal for this type of purchase is Toronto and the fact is that getting things from there is more expensive - the shipping costs and times are bigger because it is so much farther away. So we have to wait a bit. Part of the waiting is our own fault. Had we complained directly to Housing instead of among ourselves, Housing would have done something about it sooner. There are something like 200 buildings that fall under the heading "Ottawa Housing". Housing staff do not live here so unless we tell them, they do not know. So, if you have a complaint or you find something broken, Call Housing and tell them. Complaints are treated a bit like triage during a disaster - The worst get priority. In this building, if only one person calls about the door, it is less important than say, the elevator that gets 10 calls or the washer which get 40 calls. CAll even if you know your neighbour already did. Remember how fast the cameras were fixed when Housing got a petition with almost 4 pages of signatures. There really is power in numbers! There is an old expression that is so true and it is, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil". So be a squeaky wheel!

The other good news is that Housing is putting together a newsletter for this building and 2080. In it they will give an update of the things they are working on for us and the things they are looking at doing. We complained that Housing does not communicate and they heard us. It is a start! So Smile! You are a winner!

Did you watch W-5 last week? They did a piece on the outdated mail box locks that Canada Post has on it's boxes. I am pretty sure that our mail boxes are supplied by Canada Post but I will find out for absolute sure. If they are, we all need to write letter of complaint so that they will get their duffs in here and replace these old, easily robbed mail boxes with new, hard to break into ones. Keep an eye on this post for more info.

Have you noticed that the Security are a lot more visible of late? They are!
Have you seen our new cameras? They are up and working. Calibration is still being worked on so if you see someone doing something they should not be doing, make a mental note of the time. It will make it easier for them to find clips particular to that incident. If you find something broken, like a window or a washer etc, make a note of the time you discovered it. That way they know they do not have to look through 24 hours of tape - just the time prior to your finding it.

Tax time is fast running past us. Options ByTown has someone coming in to do taxes for you if you need help. ACORN also has a free tax service. If you want either outfit to help you with your taxes, you need to make an appointment. I have put the numbers below.

Call Donna at Options ByTown at 613-523-2952
Call Jill at ACORN at 613-746-5999