Donald Harry Paskovich
1935 – 2024
The Westboro Beach Community has lost a stalwart and beloved resident whose legacy in protecting our community will live on. Shortly after receiving his Ph. D. in organic chemistry from Northwestern University in 1961, Don left the USA and moved to Canada. He quickly became an internationally respected scientist at Innovations, Science and Economic Development Branch at Industry Canada, a career he loved so much that he continued to work there until well into his 80’s. As his family grew, he and his first wife, Yvette, and their two children, Alexia and Jan, moved to their house on Lochaber Ave. In those days, Westboro Beach Community was still a little rough around the edges, but Don soon fell in love with the Ottawa River and most especially, Westboro Beach itself. He shared his knowledge, expertise and passion for many decades to ensure its vitality and safety.
Don became actively involved with the beach in the early 1980s when the Westboro Community Study of the late 70s showed a need to make broader use of Westboro Beach as a recreational resource. As a response, Dovercourt Recreation Centre was created and the goal for the beach was to use the centre as a means for creating a choice of activities more than for just supervised swimming and a poor learn to swim program. It was probably 1981 when a group of community volunteers led by Counsellor Tripp Kennedy started constructing a hard top patio one Saturday morning in early Spring with Don being one of the first to sink his shovel into the ground in helping to set up a refreshment centre for Sunday cyclists, florist displays and recreational opportunities like beach volleyball, paddling and winter skating and skiing. Things flourished in the 1980s but Dovercourt had to withdraw their beach staff when the City would not give up their poorly operated aquatic program and the accompanying funding that went with it which would have enabled Dovercourt to maintain their beach supervisor. By the 1990s the beach had returned to being poorly managed with lots of vandalism, litter and numerous no swimming days because of supposed polluted water. Don and John Almstedt organized a team of volunteers to fight back. Don, with his chemistry background, led a program to monitor water quality and identify sources of pollution. This directly reduced the number of beach closures and played a major role in the founding of Ottawa Riverkeeper. By 2000, the beach was revitalized once again. Don played a major role in helping Moe Attalah reorganize and upgrade the kitchen. Don was an ardent supporter of the beach cafe up until his last days.
In late 1990’s, there was a push to widen the Champlain Bridge. As part of that thrust, the NCC pushed the City of Ottawa very hard to open Churchill Ave. to the Ottawa River Parkway, a move that would have bisected the Westboro Beach Community and turned Churchill Ave. into a major feeder route for Quebec bound cars. Around the same time, another big issue was the development of the greenspace between Selby Avenue and the parkway. The NCC was beginning to quietly sell off big chunks of its greenspace to pay for its operating costs when the federal government cut their budget. Don decided to make an access to information request to find out what was going on. It became horrifyingly clear that the NCC was planning development in the area. They even had the drawings which included streets. The WBCA quickly renamed the land the Selby Plains and the Atlantis Woods to give it a real place name. Don, along with the rest of the newly formed community association, was opposed to losing this space. For a start, it was a flood plain that absorbed water from the rest of the neighbourhood. Don never gave up this fight. He made an access request every week to keep on top of this file. He phoned them constantly and asked them just to cc him on the e-mails to save time and expense. At the end of the day, the NCC relented and took this greenspace off the real estate market. When you now enjoy skiing and walking in this area, please take a moment to remember Don. He kept it safe for future generations.
Don leaves behind his partner, Susan Barker, his children and grandchild.
We will miss this gentleman, scientist and community builder.
A celebration of life for Don will be held on July 27 from 12 to 4pm at the First Unitarian Church, 30 Cleary Ave.
Westboro Beach Community Association 