Temperatures are soaring in Ottawa, and wildfire smoke isn't helping!
If you need a comfortable place to escape the heat, FirstU has several air-conditioned spaces which are often available during the week.
Call the office - 613-725-1066, Mon-Fri 9:30-4:00pm - to find out what rooms are available on any given day.
Bring a book, bring some cards, bring a friend for a chat. Stay cool!

The master plan of the project involves two new buildings and programs to help provide much-needed affordable housing to the Ottawa community with themes of reconciliation, prosperity, and sustainability. The first building will be approximately 50 units of affordable housing and will be owned and operated by OAHS. The second building, a planned 16-storey mixed market/affordable rental building, will be jointly owned by FirstU and Theia Partners, a real estate development company rooted in strong values of inclusion, affordability, and sustainability. Overall, the project will provide over 200 families with a beautiful place to call home.
 
Both new buildings will be close to existing greenspace along the Ottawa River, as well as a new light-rail transit (LRT) station currently under construction.  The project’s transformation of underutilized parking spaces, the site’s convenient access to new public transit, integration with existing gardens, and expected energy-efficiency design choices help to fulfill the project’s environmental sustainability goal.
 
Much momentum from the project was kick-started in 2021 with FirstU’s Campus Planning Committee meeting with Cahdco to discuss how to build more affordable housing on their six-acre property. The desire for this project came from FirstU seeing the opportunity to transform their campus on Cleary and achieve their goals of meeting community needs and preserving the green space and environment.
Early on, Graeme Hussey, President of Cahdco, provided explanatory workshops on affordable housing and introduced FirstU’s Board of Directors to Theia Partners and OAHS.
 
“Cahdco listened to FirstU to understand their values & priorities, which included creating affordable housing, reconciliation and addressing climate change,” Hussey recalls. “OAHS & Theia are the ideal partners to help realize this vision.”
 
With OAHS’s roots in the Ottawa Indigenous community and significant asset base throughout Ontario, FirstU felt confident in the partnership to not only provide affordable housing solutions to the development project, but through the two organizations' parallel values.
 
“Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services is proud to partner with FirstU, Cahdco, and Theia Partners on this significant housing development in Ottawa,” says Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Board Chair of OAHS. “We are pleased with their willingness to collaborate with Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services on housing that is designed, developed, and delivered by and for Indigenous people. This partnership showcases how organizations can come together to make a real difference in the lives of Indigenous people in urgent need of housing. We hope that this project will serve as a model for future partnerships and collaborations, and we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on the community."
 
Rodney Wilts, Partner of Theia Partners, is just as enthusiastic. “We are ecstatic to be working with such incredible partners on an amazing development,” Wilts exclaims. “Affordable housing, reconciliation and climate change are some of the most pressing issues of today and this project makes a tangible response on all three. We think it is a great model for other Churches and non-profits.”
 
Over the past year, there has been much consultation with the Congregation and its campus partners on how best to transform the campus. The campus partners include a seniors’ residence, a daycare centre, and a Jewish reconstructionist synagogue, all of whom rent space from FirstU. Consultation included a design workshop, and several town hall meetings for the development partners to present options and
hear concerns. Relationships strengthened and by March 27, 2023, members of the Congregation voted in favour of proceeding with the housing project of affordable and market-rental housing on its campus.  
 
“The Congregation’s decision to proceed with the project is a significant milestone for FirstU,” says Brent Nicolle, president of the Board of the Congregation. “It simultaneously advances toward four goals: providing affordable housing, making a tangible step toward Indigenous reconciliation, building an environmentally responsible choice for our planet, and aiming for future financial stability to the Congregation. I am enormously pleased to see FirstU living its values with this project.”
 
The development partners recognize that there is much consultation with the neighbourhood and the city ahead, and that building a village requires community engagement. Coming together is the key to
 
major developments like this, and the shared values of all project partners including innovation, sustainability, respect, and reconciliation make this collaboration a strong and exciting example of what can be accomplished in a community like Ottawa or anywhere across Canada.
 
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Click HERE to Learn More

For more information, please contact:
Brent Nicolle, Board President, First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
C: 613-261-2736
O: 613-725-1066
E: president@firstunitarianottawa.ca
 
 
About First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa (FirstU) has occupied its current location at 30 Cleary Avenue
since 1967, where it shares a six-acre campus with a seniors' residence and a daycare. As a Unitarian-Universalist congregation, we strive to find concrete ways to live our Eight Principles, which include recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of everyone, seeking a responsible search for truth and meaning, and respecting the interdependent web of all life. You can find out more at www.firstunitarianottawa.ca.
 
About Cahdco
Cahdco is a non-profit real estate development corporation and related to Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC). Cahdco develops affordable housing in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario area and combines the experience and resources of CCOC with a team of development, construction, and project management experts. In 2023, Cahdco launched the Toolbox+, a national coaching and mentoring program to increase affordable housing development capacity.
 
About Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services
Founded in 1994, Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services provides safe and affordable housing to urban and rural First Nation, Inuit, and Métis people in Ontario. Our vision is to lead the design, development, and delivery of a sustainable and culturally-appropriate continuum of housing. We are governed by representatives from three Indigenous organizations in Ontario – the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, Ontario Native Women’s Association, and the Métis Nation of Ontario. Learn more at ontarioaboriginalhousing.ca.
 
About Theia Partners
Theia Partners is a values-based development company with expertise in socially and environmentally sustainable real estate and renewables-based energy projects. Theia is best known for its groundbreaking work at Zibi, the first endorsed One Planet Community in Canada, a 4 million square foot redevelopment with a mix of affordable and market housing, powered by a zero carbon district energy system.

Hey friends,
If you're like most of the city, you're out of power right now thanks to the dericho that blew through town on Saturday.
By luck, FirstU still has its lights on so:
If you need to charge your phone or plug in your laptop while you work, come on over! Our doors are open 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Hopefully we'll all have our power back soon!

Reverend Eric Meter – Our New Minister
At a virtual Special Meeting held on Sunday May 2, 2021, the members of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa overwhelmingly approved the motion that Rev. Eric Meter be called as the next Settled Minister for our congregation.
A third generation Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Eric has served UU congregations in Ohio, northern California and upstate New York. Prior to answering the call to ministry, Eric worked with both the Minnesota Literacy Council in St. Paul, MN and the Twin Cities’ Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant communities. He is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul and Starr King School for the ministry in Berkeley, CA.
In 2007, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Pacific Central District of the UUA. He is passionate about grief work, small group ministry, interfaith cooperation, and the possibilities of religious community. We are excited to see how Reverend Eric’s skills, experience, compassion, and dedication help shape not only our congregation, but our community at large, in the coming years.
​
Jenn Berntson – Our New Music Director
​After a competitive search with talented applicants, input from our Music Search Team, Choir members, and Ministers, we are excited to announce Jenn Berntson as First Unitarian's new Music Director.
In addition to joining our music team, Jenn is the 2021-2022 Chamber Choir conductor for the Ottawa Children’s Choir, and has been the conductor for OCC's Prima choir for the last four seasons. She sings with the Capital Chamber Choir, and is also the founding artistic director of Aella, an advanced treble ensemble based in Ottawa known for its innovative and engaging programs.
Jenn holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Mount Allison University and a Master of Arts in Music and Culture from Carleton University, where her research focused on collective music-making as a form of protest. We are excited for Jenn to bring her experience, talent, creativity, and passion for choral music to First Unitarian.