School board loses legal battle
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board failed in its attempt to recover $10,000 in legal fees from Lori Simpson, a parent who tried to prevent the closing of McNabb Park and three other schools last spring.
Simpson, a spokesperson for the now defunct Parents 4 Schools, said the court’s decision was a “victory for democracy,” and shows parents have a right to fight school closings.
In April, Parents 4 Schools failed to get a court order postponing school closings until a study of the impact was completed.
Simpson assumed the matter was over. But in June the school board voted to seek court costs.
Simpson said the board’s effort was an attempt to stifle dissent and intimidate parents who oppose future school closings.
Deaths linked to unvaccinated staff
If more nursing home workers had taken immunization shots last year, fewer residents may have died, says the regional medical health officer.
Dr. Robert Cushman linked 16 deaths in nursing homes to last year’s flu outbreak in the region, in a memo sent to the community services committee.
A Health Canada report also says staff at long-term care facilities are the group most likely to transmit influenza to residents.
Only 36 per cent of staff at long term care facilities in the region were immunized last year.
“Bronson People” a safety reminder
Drivers in Centretown along Bronson Avenue will soon have a colourful reminder to slow down.
“The Bronson People,” 23 cartoonish wood cut-outs of neighbourhood residents, will be on display from the Queensway to the Bronson Bridge.
The cut-outs are a reminder to drivers that children, families, and the elderly work and play along Bronson Avenue.
Some parents are so worried about their kids’ safety that they drive them a few blocks to school, rather than have them cross the busy avenue, said Bhat Boy, the local artist who came up with the idea.