COVID conflict: Skaters face bylaw scrutiny at Mississauga pond popular for pandemic exercise
Communities are wrestling with the conflict between pandemic protection and the public’s desire to get outdoors and skate, play hockey or slide down hills.
Amid pandemic lockdown, social media campaign dominates virtual Carleton student elections
COVID-19 meant that this year’s election for the Carleton University Students’ Association was a virtual affair.
Skaters enjoy good conditions in canal’s opening weeks despite tightened COVID-19 rules
Ottawa residents have enjoyed more than two weeks of good skating since the National Capital Commission opened the Rideau Canal Skateway on Jan. 31 under modified rules because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCC opened a section of the skateway for the 51st skating season on the last day of January despite concerns caused by the coronavirus emergency. The skateway…
Lookahead ’21: Lebanese arts hub hopes to offer in-person, digital classes with fall relaunch
Tony Yazbek, the driving force in promoting Lebanese arts and culture in Ottawa, said he’s hoping for a fall re-launch of programming in updated studio spaces equipped for both in-person and virtual classes. In 1976, at the height of his career as a professional dancer and choreographer, Yazbek left Lebanon because of a civil war that was raging. After settling…
Lookahead ’21: Ottawa Curling Club waiting for word the season can resume
The Ottawa Curling Club decided to melt its ice in mid-January after a province-wide stay-at-home order meant the playing season would be indefinitely delayed. The O’Connor Street club typically hosts about 500 members between the months of September and April. This year, however, club membership is down 40 per cent as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. While 60 per…
Pandemic pressures have added to the struggle for newcomers and refugees in Ottawa
Data shows that refugee communities in Ottawa are being harder hit by the COVID-19 pandemic
Lookahead ’21: Alberta seniors club helps community battle pandemic isolation
For many members of the Okotoks and District Seniors Club, which serves the town of 31,000 south of Calgary, the pandemic has meant learn how to use technology or face long stretches of loneliness. “The main thing for the seniors is the social aspect,” said Valerie Thom, the club’s outreach co-ordinator. And connecting people remains the ODSC’s priority today. Even…
Lookahead ’21: Community group prepares for another virtual Great Glebe Garage Sale
The event is still at least three months away, but organizers are gearing up for another virtual Great Glebe Garage Sale in 2021. The massive neighbourhood yard sale is one of the main events co-ordinated every year by the Glebe Community Association. It has taken place every spring since 1986, typically on the fourth Saturday in May. Participating vendors donate…
Hazel McCallion’s 100th birthday bash to showcase arts council’s virtual transition during pandemic
When the curtain came down on live performances and other in-person cultural events because of the pandemic, the Mississauga Arts Council immediately switched gears. MAC has been navigating a virtually supportive environment since March 2020 and continues to bring artists and audiences together as best they can. Executive director Mike Douglas says he hopes people will embrace the arts more…
Canada’s child welfare system needs to be torn down and rebuilt to end its anti-Indigenous racism, critics say
The overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the Canadian welfare system accelerated throughout the 1960s, as a result of the Sixties Scoop. This is where Indigenous children were ripped away from their homes and placed into the child welfare system. The goal was to assimilate Indigenous children by placing them into white homes.
Organization fighting COVID vaccine hesitancy among Canadian adults
Misinformation and social media play key roles in perpetuating anxieties among vaccine-hesitant Canadians
Women’s support services in Ottawa struggling to keep up with rising domestic abuse cases
Domestic abuse cases continue to rise across the country. Ottawa services face a challenge in delivering the support women need.