Coalition calls for Matthew Perry House plans to be halted

A radical of Ottawa residents is calling for plans for a caller addiction betterment centre connected a spot of greenish abstraction to beryllium halted, portion those who enactment the task are accusing them of spreading misinformation.

The Common Sense Planning Coalition says it's worried the Matthew Perry House — projected successful the aftermath of the Ottawa-raised actor's 2023 death from a ketamine overdose — would instrumentality implicit "valuable assemblage greenish space" connected the grounds of The Royal, Ottawa's intelligence wellness centre.

It wants the projected lease negotiations to beryllium terminated and says the centre should alternatively spell up connected an adjacent parking lot.

"This is not astir NIMBYism. It's astir smart, sustainable and liable readying that benefits everyone, including those who request addiction betterment services and the communities that enactment them," the radical says successful an online petition.

But officials with The Royal and the Matthew Perry Foundation say immoderate of their arguments astir the task aren't factually accurate.

Perhaps champion known for his relation arsenic Chandler Bing connected the sitcom Friends, Perry was recovered dormant successful his Los Angeles blistery tub successful October 2023.

According to a study by the Los Angeles County aesculapian examiner's office, his decease was an accident, caused by the "acute effects" of the cause ketamine.

The 54-year-old had been reportedly undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to woody with slump and anxiety. While Perry had struggled with cause addiction successful the past, helium was "reportedly cleanable for 19 months" astatine the clip of his death, according to the report.

After his death, Perry's sister Caitlin Morrison — with the assistance of family, her brother's puerility friends and others — launched the Matthew Perry Foundation successful his memory.

Not a nationalist park

According to the foundation, the Matthew Perry House would connection a "comprehensive scope of enactment services" to roughly 160 radical going done the betterment process. Residents would already person completed a attraction programme by the clip they arrive.

If each goes according to program with the support process, operation would statesman successful the outpouring of 2026.

But the coalition's leader, Robert Simpson, said alternatively of going connected a grassy spot of land sandwiched between Island Park and Byng drives, the location would beryllium amended situated connected an adjacent parking lot.

Members person circulated astir 3,000 brochures opposing the plans passim the neighbourhood, Simpson said. In them, the coalition criticizes The Royal for — among different things — moving to motion a "75-year-lease that volition spot bulldozers rotation successful and level 3 acres of nationalist greenish space."

"We've been precise wide that we enactment the Matthew Perry Foundation. We've been precise wide that we enactment what they bash and their mission," Simpson told CBC.

"Our interest is atrocious municipality planning."

But not lone does The Royal need to supply parking for staff, the onshore wherever the recovery centre would go is zoned for organization usage and is "absolutely not a nationalist park," said president and CEO Cara Vaccarino.

Vaccarino said the Royal has engaged successful "wholehearted and sincere" connection astir the task with radical surviving nearby, holding aggregate consultation sessions — including another one scheduled for April 29.

"It is successful our commitment, arsenic nationalist servants, to bash each we tin to leverage nationalist assets for the greater bully of the community," Vaccarino said, noting the betterment centre would assistance trim supportive lodging hold times for radical with intelligence wellness oregon addictions struggles.

She besides said the coalition's run was misrepresenting the onshore wherever it would go.

"There is nary children's playground. It is not a assemblage tennis court. There is nary grassy playing field. There are nary existent walking trails," she told CBC, referencing claims made successful the group's brochure.

"We privation our neighbours to beryllium happy. We privation our neighbours to thrive and to bask their homes," Vaccarino added. "But we besides consciousness that, you know, successful a batch of instances ... people with intelligence unwellness and addiction, they don't get the accidental to unrecorded in beautiful neighbourhoods [like this one]."

Space utilized for decades, conjugation says

Morrison, who serves arsenic enforcement manager of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, told CBC she's not amazed there's been pushback but is staying hopeful she tin bring the project's opponents connected side.

"It was a small spot saddening — disheartening, I conjecture — to spot a papers similar this wherever truthful galore of the things that we're doing ... look to beryllium the other of what we're really doing," she told CBC.

The Island Park Community Association, meanwhile, said it supports the coalition's efforts, passing a question past week calling for the improvement to beryllium moved to the parking lot.

Even if the land is The Royal's backstage property, it's inactive important to sphere greenish abstraction successful Ottawa, said acting president Bill Brooks.

"It's onshore of a nationalist hospital, which I instrumentality the presumption is for a nationalist benefit," Brooks said.

Brooks said the relation besides passed a question asking for The Royal to suspend its negotiations with Ottawa Community Housing, which is acting as developer for the house.

As for Simpson, helium said helium didn't consciousness the coalition's brochure was misrepresenting the quality of a abstraction that's been accessed by dogwalkers, tennis players, children and others successful the area for much than 4 decades.

"It's accurately describing that that country that they mean to bulldoze is utilized by the nationalist connected a regular basis."