This is a week for Lansdowne Park meetings. Whether you're interested in the specific design plans or broader public policy, there will be something of interest.

A national organization, the Council of Canadians, is hosting a public meeting called "Fight for Ottawa's Commons: Stop the Privatization of Lansdowne Park" on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar (at Elgin). National chairperson, Maude Barlow, will speak about what is happening at Lansdowne Park in the context of a growing trend to privatize public spaces. Steven Shrybman will give an update on the Lansdowne legal challenge, and a representative of CUPE will talk about the impact of privatization on public sector jobs. This will be an intriguing opportunity to look at Lansdowne Park through a national lens. Admission is free and all are welcome to what is bound to be a thought-provoking evening.

On both Wednesday, March 23 and Thursday, March 24, the City of Ottawa is holding neighbourhood stakeholder consultations on the proposed urban park portion of Lansdowne. Vancouver design firm, Phillips, Farevaag Smallenberg, will be on hand to present the plans and get public input on them. This is the first time the public has had a chance to comment on the quality and quantity of green and recreational space. It will be important to look carefully at the details, as we understand that some of the park will be dedicated to bus marshalling and overflow parking.

There are two opportunities to give your input:

Wednesday, March 23
Glebe Collegiate Institute (in the cafeteria)
212 Glebe Avenue
7:00 to 9:30 p.m.

or

Thursday, March 24
Old Ottawa South Community Centre
260 Sunnyside Avenue
6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

And mark your calendars for three upcoming fundraising events:

• Wednesday, April 20: An Earth Day 2011 Concert by Just Voices Choir with singer-songwriter Ian Tamblyn.
• Thursday, April 21: A concert by MonkeyJunk at the Glebe Community Centre
• Monday, May 2: The Green Door and the Old Ottawa East Community Association will host an evening of vegetarian fare and folk music by Missy Burgess and Chris White.

See our website for more details: www.letsgetitright.ca