Ottawa is stricken with a divide between the affluent and “everybody else,” says a report by the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres of Ottawa.Titled, Bridging the Gap, this inaugural report was released, say advocates, in hopes of shaping discussion among candidates in the upcoming Ottawa municipal elections.
The wide income gap is an issue that is especially pertinent among residents in the Centretown area, according to Jane Moloney, director of primary care services at Centretown Community Health Centre.
“We do have people who are living with disabilities, we have people who are living in city or other social housing and we also have a very large and growing number of affluent residents in our community due to the influx of condos,” she says.
The 2014 report has made several recommendations to bridge this gap. One of these includes the introduction of “programs and protocols to hire underrepresented groups”.
Natasha Beaudin, a health promoter from the Centretown CHC, notes that unemployment is an especially acute problem for immigrants owing to the “requirement for Canadian experience, which can be a barrier to getting jobs.”
But creating employment opportunities is only part of the answer to improving the overall health and well-being of residents in Ottawa, the report states. Other recommendations point to more affordable housing and transit, as well as greater access to nutritious food.
With Ottawa set to vote on Oct. 27, Centretown News sent e-mail questions to all of the candidates. Four responded with action plans to tackle the issues mentioned in the report.
Catherine McKenney, at one time a single mother living in social housing, says this experience will “inform the choices (she) makes” as she hopes to work with city employment programs and “add $8 million to the existing $14-million annual commitment for housing affordability.”
Emphasizing the need for affordable public transport, Martin Canning promises to “lead a policy options paper exploring tax and pricing reforms using distance-based transit fares as a case study.”
Regarding the issue of employment, Jeff Morrison notes the importance of “enhanced partnerships” between post-secondary institutions and training centres in Ottawa to “provide training and educational opportunities” for people from marginalized groups.
Meanwhile, Sandro Provenzano acknowledges that many immigrants “fall victim” to a system that does “not recognize people’s credentials from other areas of the world.” He suggests educating Ottawa students about cultural differences could address this.