Opioid overdose crisis outstrips COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, frontline workers say
The rules of physical distancing and recommended isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a spike in overdoses across the country. According to drug policy experts and advocates, the opioid epidemic has overshadowed the pandemic while also increasing the risks faced by drug users.
I downloaded the ‘COVID Alert’ app: Here’s how it went on the first day
Tracking whether you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 in Canada became a lot easier on Friday. Well, only if you’re in Ontario. On Friday, the federal and Ontario governments launched COVID Alert, the app which notifies users if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 within the past 14 days. “Together, let’s limit the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future...
Amid COVID devastation, staffing crisis, ‘unacceptable’ service in Ontario’s long-term care homes persists, survey shows
Ninety-five per cent of respondents in a new survey of long-term care homes in Ontario say they're short staffed and therefore unable to properly care for residents.
Listen: COVID-19 prevents altruistic retired Ottawa nurse from donating kidney
Margaret Lerhe is no stranger to altruistic gestures. She tried saving Corporal Nathan Cirillo's life after he was shot in 2014. Now she wants to donate her kidney, but the pandemic is getting in her way.
New air-quality monitoring project aims to help Ottawa residents Breathe Easy
Ecology Ottawa and Sierra Club will follow in the footsteps of the INHALE project in Hamilton and Toronto which aimed to foster air quality awareness.
Local childcare centres prepared for Stage 3
Some childcare centres say they feel prepared to increase their cohorts of children from 10 to 15 as of July 27.
Unhappy campers protest Liberal government, COVID-19 measures
Since Canada Day, members have of the Canadian Revolution have been protesting against the Liberal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In focus: Researchers, optometrists stress importance of eye health as online market for glasses grows
Eye experts are expressing concerns over online eyewear consumers not getting regular eye exams.
Police chiefs urge decriminalization of drug possession; policy experts urge faster, broader reform
Despite police chiefs urging the decriminalization of personal drug use, Canadian drug policy experts say that more needs to be done to keep community members safe.
City council endorses mandatory mask bylaw
Ottawa City Council has followed up a public health order by passing a bylaw ordering the wearing of face masks in indoor public spaces. The vote was 14 to eight, with dissenting councillors expressing concern that the fines accompanying the bylaw are too steep. The fines would range from $200 for individuals to $400 for stores that break the bylaw,...
Four Ottawa-area public health units issue mandatory-mask directive for enclosed public spaces
Ottawa Public Health has shifted its approach to reducing the spread of COVID-19, and is now officially requiring that city residents wear face masks in indoor public spaces. In a statement issued jointly on Monday by four regional public health units in Eastern Ontario, including Ottawa Public Health, the agencies stated that they were “invoking a directive under the province’s...
Pets, vets, vaccines and the pandemic: Animal and human health entwined more than ever in COVID times
With COVID-19 forcing people to practise physical distancing, a pet can make a big difference in terms of emotional support. Fortunately, while the novel coronavirus is believed to be a zoonotic disease – which means it was transmitted from animals, presumably bats, to humans – research shows it’s very unlikely people can get it from their pets. And despite some...