Soaring cost of living has food bank use in Ottawa rising to record levels
With rising grocery costs locking more people out of a nutritious diet, rates of food insecurity are soaring across the country.
Refugees need safe havens to rebuild communities: U.K. migration expert
A British expert on refugee resettlement delivered a keynote lecture at Carleton University on March 17 that stressed the importance of re-establishing refugees’ sense of community to combat risks associated with isolation and loneliness. Nishat Awan, a lecturer at University College London, shared research she has been conducting for nearly 10 years on the disruption and dislocation suffered by refugees….
Drag defenders: Supporters of ‘love’ and inclusivity thwart angry protesters at NAC storytime standoff
A Drag Storytime event at the National Arts Centre was the scene of a protest by the conservative Christian group Save Canada. Counter-protesters pushed back and the event went ahead.
Decriminalization, more funding key to saving lives, say drug reform advocates
Decriminalization is a good first step, but advocates and experts say bigger leaps must be taken to address the overdose crisis.
Prayer vigil at Ottawa mosque honours victims of Burkina Faso terror attack
Ottawa’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Community members are mourning the killing of nine of their community in an act of violence in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Chef escapes war in Ukraine, brings expert culinary creations to Ottawa café
Chef Nasser Saleh has brought his talents to Ottawa after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
A digital virus: How the online spread of antisemitism inflicts long-term harm
Antisemitism in online spaces has been growing in the past several years; experts warn more needs to be done to combat it.
‘It’s so normalized’: Jewish students, teachers confront rising antisemitism
Ottawa teachers and members of the local Jewish community are pointing to growing antisemitism in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board after an increase in reported anti-Jewish hate crimes across the city in the past year. “It is not pretty,” said David Sachs, a community relations specialist with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. Sachs is handling concerns from Jewish parents who…
UPDATE: City to consider renaming street to honour Mahsa Amini and send message to Iran
The human rights organization B’nai Brith is urging the City of Ottawa to rename the site of the former Iranian embassy after Mahsa Amini. “We think that there could be very powerful symbolism to renaming this portion of the street in Ottawa” – CEO Michael Mostyn.
End of government supports will likely push up poverty rates, experts warn
A new Statistics Canada report suggests poverty will likely increase past the 2019 levels as even lower-middle class people struggle with inflation.
Downtown clinic for refugees at full capacity for past year, waitlist stretched to nearly 800
The Ottawa Newcomer Clinic has been at capacity since American troops pulled out of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, triggering nearly 700,000 Afghans to flee the country and seek refuge elsewhere. The number of clients the clinic saw increased five-fold over August and September last year and they now have a waitlist of nearly 800 people waiting for an initial medical assessment.
The Ottawa Paw Pantry adjusts to keep helping low-income families feed their pets
Ottawa Paw Pantry provides pet food to low-income families. Operations have been rethought because of the COVID-19 pandemic.