MoveIn Status
Praying for a team.

Firsthand
A visitor to Bayshore East noticed that there were a lot of kids playing outside after school in the courtyards between the row houses. Most of the yards were well-kept, quiet, and clean. A short walk south revealed a series of large apartment buildings, casting their shadow on the heavily-used field of the Bayshore Park nearby. The sound of an impromptu game of pickup cricket fills the air. Kids are running amok on the playground, riding on the swings and playing basketball. It doesn’t take much to envision a large gathering like a barbecue or sporting event taking place at the park, which is a focal point for the whole neighbourhood.

A video on YouTube shows the Bayshore ESL school (located in Bayshore East) hosting a winter fun day. It shows the broad array of cultures and backgrounds represented in this gathering as well as new Canadians enjoying some of Canada’s most traditional winter activities such as tobogganing.¹

The Landscape
The Bayshore East patch is right behind the Bayshore Shopping Centre. This triple-floor mall, which opened in 1973 attracts over 7.1 million people per year and brings a lot of traffic and attention to the area.² But it also attracts crime such as theft and mugging. Bayshore East is bounded on the east by Bayshore Drive, on the north and south by Woodridge Crescent, and on the west by Bayshore Public School (which is in the Bayshore Central patch). This patch features row housing in its northernmost portion, Bayshore Catholic School in the middle, and five large apartment buildings in its southern edge. The western portion of the patch is where the neighbourhood’s primary park − Bayshore Park − is located, which features baseball diamonds, a soccer field, and other greenspace.

Bayshore is a large community in Ottawa’s far west end, right near the shores of the Ottawa River. The larger Bayshore neighbourhood extends from Carling Avenue in the north to Richmond Drive and the Queensway (Highway 417) in the south, and from Holly Acres Road in the west to Ridgevalley Road in the east. Bayshore is home to one of Ottawa’s largest malls, Bayshore Shopping Centre, and one of Ottawa’s largest theatres, the Famous Players Coliseum. In and around the neighbourhood are many Catholic and public schools, as well as numerous churches, community and recreation centres set up to serve those who live in it. A couple of other parks are just outside the Bayshore area such as Judge Park and Andrew Haydon Park, providing beautiful greenspace and excellent recreation opportunities. This neighbourhood is home to a wide diversity of cultures including Arab, Caribbean, Somali, Sudanese, East Indian, Afghani, and many more. Despite consisting primarily of two streets, Bayshore Drive and Woodridge Crescent, Bayshore has a remarkably high population, due in large part to its very high-density housing.³

The People
In the larger Bayshore community of which this patch is a part:⁴

• The population in 2006 numbered 7,535
• The population density is 6,244 people per square kilometre compared with Ottawa’s 198 people/km² average
• A full 50% of those older than 15 are legally married
• Two-thirds (68%) of the families in the area are led by a married couple
• Apartment buildings comprise 61% of the total dwellings, with row housing comprising 32%
• A clear majority (81%) of the housing in the area is rented, as opposed to owned
• The mother tongues of 59% of those who live here are something other than English or French, and 40% of the population speak neither official language at home, hinting at a large immigrant population
• These hints are confirmed, as fully 52% of the population is identified as immigrant and 40% of those have arrived since 2001, many of whom are not yet Canadian citizens.
• Of those over the age of 15 who are employed, 35% take public transit to their jobs
• About 56% of the population are visible minorities, with just over a quarter of them being South Asian and other major groups including Arab, black, and Chinese

The History
Bayshore was originally conceived as “Canada’s first country-club style rental community.” Styled after a development originally observed near Houston, Texas it launched as a part of the former city of Nepean in 1963 as a high class 2,400-unit rental development and had such amenities as tennis courts, swimming pools, and a clubhouse for tenants. Named after Sir Evan Nepean, the city itself was established in 1792 on the Rideau River, incorporated as a city in 1978, and amalgamated into the city of Ottawa in 2001. The area continues to be called Nepean, and Bayshore remains a key community within it despite being a hotbed for crime − numerous criminal incidents have occurred even since the start of this year (2009).⁵

The Challenge
Home to the neighbourhood park and living in the shadow of one of the city’s largest malls, Bayshore East needs the light of Jesus. Will you take it to them? Would you be willing to move in?

Sources
¹www.youtube.com
²bayshore.shopping.ca
³www.ottawaliving.ca
⁴All statistics in the section taken from the Census tract profile for 0138.00 (CT), Ottawa-Gatineau (CMA) and Ontario
⁵en.wikipedia.org and www.ottawacitizen.com