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THE VIEW FROM TORONTO
The April/May issue has left me revved up and eager to get moving. So many things to do when I come to town for the Tulip Festival! Even though this was, in large part, an “Ottawa for Ottawans” issue that reminisced and enjoyed the evolution of the city, I still found plenty for Ottawans to show their visitors. After reading what the executive director of the Diefenbunker had to say, I will visit it next time I am in the city. I liked her comment about what makes great art: “that which shifts one’s perception and/or illustrates the divine through the common.” That idea bears some reflection, as does the commentary in the real estate package about how the influx of anglophones into Hull’s new condos will have a profound effect on the nature of that city. All in all, this was a refreshing, invigorating read.
IAN CAMPBELL, TORONTO
ONCE SHY
I was dreading receiving the profile of me in Ottawa Magazine [“Straight Talk,” April/May], but as I read the article, I just smiled. Ottawa Magazine captured my heart and what I am about so well. We have been burned so many times by the media that it makes us really gun-shy, but reading this restores my faith in good journalism.
BRIAN PENGELLY
NEW DIRECTION MINISTRIES, TORONTO
FLOWER TREATMENT
The article on the anticipated visit of Toronto youth pastor Brian Pengelly to area churches [“Straight Talk”] to speak to youth about sexuality was a real disappointment in an otherwise meaty, thoughtful, and fun April/May issue of Ottawa Magazine. What a fascinating article this could have been, on an issue that has (probably unfortunately) become one of the fault lines between individual liberal and evangelical churches in Canada. Instead, we got a sketch of Pengelly (lacking even the basic information of what faith tradition he belongs to) interspersed with the author’s confessed lack of knowledge or curiosity about the issues his ministry might raise. As stated on the first page: “fewer and fewer of us even bother to ask (or care) whether our friends are religious or not, gay or straight.” The article’s closing sentence unwittingly reveals the research the writer might have undertaken: “Time will soon tell if local churches are ready for the message that Pengelly brings.” Why didn’t she ask any of them? Why didn’t the writer research local church positions on the relevance of the Bible, human rights, and welcoming and marrying gay Christians? Or interview members of the local chapters of the national church organizations that support gay Christians and their friends and families, such as Affirm (United Church), Integrity (Anglican Church), or Dignity (Catholic churches)? I hope that in the future, Ottawa Magazine will insist that journalists deliver the same rigour and depth in articles on religion as are demonstrated in the excellent article on the tribulations of Gilles Leclerc that follows this item in the last issue.
TANYA MIDDLEBRO', OTTAWA
ART OF THE DIG
I am writing in response to “Rummage Sale” [April/May], which—by its title and introductory paragraph—suggests that the venues mentioned are either places to rummage around in or are consignment stores. The title is not only misleading but maligns the practices of several of the businesses noted. A rummage sale, as most know it, is akin to box lots of old junk that you might find in a community centre or church basement and is not at all representative of the inventory of the majority of the businesses mentioned in the article. A simple matter of correct phraseology might be recommended for future articles, which might, in turn, better serve your readership.
ERNEST JOHNSON
ERNEST JOHNSON ANTIQUES, OTTAWA
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