LOCAL SERVICE DEVELOPMENT:
INCUBATE SERVICES AND SUPPORT LOCAL INITIATIVES
The NDG Community Council supports many residents initiatives with in-kind contributions or financiary when possible. The objectives of this support is to link those participants with existing resources and mobilise them to be an active part of our community. An important part of our mandate is support for groups of local residents who want to make a difference in their community. This support can take the form of staff time, or use of the Council's space or other resources. If you are interested in starting your own NDG-based group, or if you belong to a group that you think could benefit from the support of the Council, please contact us
Incubating Local Initiatives:
- Objective: Facilitate the development and growth of local initiatives by providing in-kind contributions and financial support when feasible.
Community Mobilization:
- Objective: Mobilize initiative participants to actively engage in community activities and contribute to the overall well-being of NDG.
Support for Resident Groups:
- Objective: Strengthen the capacity of resident groups, enabling them to effectively implement their projects and initiatives.
Community Engagement Outreach:
- Objective: Encourage and support the formation of new NDG-based groups by diversifying community engagement, and ensuring a broader representation of resident interests.
Fiduciary for projects and initiatives
The fiduciary role may be either permanent ( e.g. the NDG Christmas Dinner ) or for a limited time ( e.g. MTL 375 funding ).
The Council can act as a fiduciary in one of 2 ways :
- Receive the money ( funding ) and transfer it directly ( for example the Food Depot project funded by the D.R.S.P. or Women on the Rise funding from Ville-MTESS ); or
- Support the project partner financially including but not limited to - receive funds, process invoices, and issue charity receipts ( e.g. the Christmas dinner )
Held over 2 days with more than 100 musical performances on balconies spread across the neighbourhood, the festival brought thousands of people out as spectators, NDG residents and visitors to the neighbourhood alike, and raised more than six thousand (6,000$) in donations for the Walkley Community Centre. Porchfest is now a staple of NDG’s cultural scene and the partnership between the Council and the amazing Porchfest team is as strong as ever. We will continue in our supporting role for 2019 and beyond. Aurora Robinson and Sarah Ring work tirelessly with a team of volunteers and musicians to host this wonderful weekend.
Special thanks to the NDG Community Council and Notre Dame des Arts for offering fiduciary support. In the upcoming year, we face new funding challenges and encourage people to donate and volunteer. Contact Marlo at 514.482.4435 or email ndg.arthive@gmail.com for more info.

INCUBATION OF LOCAL SERVICES

The initiative that the Council has chosen to highlight for this application is that of Bienvenue à NDG, an organization that supports the integration of new immigrants in the neighborhood. Bienvenue à NDG was formed relatively recently, though the process started a decade ago in 2007 as a response to the closing of the Centre Multi-ethnic, an organization that had provided services to immigrants in the neighborhood for over 15 years. Recognizing that a significant gap in services and support for an important (and growing) segment of the local population had been created, the Council worked quickly to mobilize different partners, from private residents to the Borough of CDN-NDG, to better understand the needs in the community and to find solutions to fill the void.
Starting in 2009, the Council led a multi-year process of creating a permanent solution to serving the needs of new immigrants in our neighborhood. Through a collective action in 2012, the community officially formed Bienvenue à NDG which the Council incubated as a project for several years until such time that it was able to establish itself as its own entity. Still today, the Council continues to work closely with Bienvenue à NDG and to support its mission through collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and by sharing office space, as we strongly believe in the work and services they provide in the community. As well, many NDG residents continue to take pride in and feel ownership of Bienvenue à NDG and remain deeply implicated: as volunteers, as Board Members, or as participants in their activities.
This process of Bienvenue à NDG’s formation is a clear demonstration of Council’s role in identifying a community need and then in taking leadership in mobilizing a wide range of actors in a collective action to support a common solution.

The Depot Community Food Centre, or The Depot, formerly The NDG Food Depot, is now a well-known leader in the fight against poverty and food insecurity in NDG and beyond. It has been an autonomous organization since 2003.
Food banks first appeared in Canada in the early eighties, in part because of the recession of 1981. There were almost suddenly new needs to fight poverty and food insecurity all over the country, and many organizations, such as Centraide, were invited to help.
In the NDG area, the NDG Community Council became involved and created, in 1986, a new program, the NDG Food Depot, or the “Food Bank”, under the leadership of Sandra Frosst. The first location was Saint Augustine Church on Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Avenue. Two years later, the Depot moved for the summer in the small chalet of the Girouard Park. In the fall of 1989, a new location was found on Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Avenue until 1992 when it moved to the Oxford Street site.
A Food Needs Committee (FNC) was set up as a committee of the NDG Community Council to coordinate the food needs in the neighbourhood at a time when the churches were giving out food. January 14, 2001, the NDG Community Council Board of Directors decided that, after 14 years, it was time for the Food Bank to become autonomous.1986 - Food Depot is founded by concerned citizens and operated as a project of the NDG Community council out of St. Augustine’s Church rectory.
2003 - The Depot becomes an independent organization with charitable status.

An independent organization since September 2016, LogisAction continues to benefit from the support of the Community Council for its daily operations. The Council is proud to offer them a free (or several!) office space and access to equipment and meeting rooms to enable them to offer assistance and referral services to neighbourhood tenants, who are in need of advice on their current rental situation or in search of a new home. 564 tenants benefited from the service this year, both at the Council’s offices and through their satellite services at the NDG Food Depot and the

SUPPORT LOCAL INITIATIVES

Chinese Seniors Group

Persian Seniors Group
friendships, reduces isolation, and keeps them informed about what they have access to in the community.
Playing games, sharing food and knowledge, or playing music; the Council provides this group with more than just a space - we allow them to
be themselves and feel safe together.

Motherland
The project has grown and last summer Motherland went on various field trips, ending the season with a sleepover camping trip. This is an opportunity for both child and mother to socialize and share experiences with others in similar life experiences.
GENERAL SUPPORT
If you're part of a community group seeking support, do not hesitate to reach out—we're here to help you make a difference.
- Wi-Fi Access
- Space rent
- Free room location for workshops (*Only for NDG Community Council Organisational Members)

