Barrhaven Independent April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN

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Year 31 • issue 7

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FRIDAY • April 2 • 2021

Overcoming racism to follow a dream

An incident at the border turned a simple drive to Ogdensburg into a 15-month nightmare for local student-athlete Jonathan Edouard. Now, it’s all behind him Valerie Wutti photo and he is looking forward to playing football at Carleton and graduating. For the full story, see pages 8-9.

Lyne and Dave

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Page 2 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

City is ready to ramp up once they have vaccine supply

Are you loving this weather? I know it’s cooler right now but wow those few days last week of 20 degrees were more than a breath of fresh air.

Over a year now into COVID, who isn’t weary? I surely know I am and there isn’t one of you that I have spoken with no matter your age who hasn’t had enough!

As I am writing this, we learn that the anticipated increased vaccine inventory may not be realized. What does that mean for us particularly now we have decided to delay the second shots. Hearing Tony DiMonte state this morning (last Thursday) that he wasn’t sure when the next age group would be called was certainly disturbing. I don’t know what to tell you. As you know there are so few decisions within our control here at the City level.

Rest assured though that we are ready to ramp up as soon as we have the vaccine supply.

You can count on us.

Find out what is happening

LET’S TALK

BARRHAVEN

by Jan Harder

in your Barrhaven & City of Ottawa communities through my weekly email blast. To sign up for my email blast please email mark.bouwman@ottawa.ca.

In need of more community promotion? Send an email with what you would like to get promoted and see it in my email blast!

Barrhaven Messaging Barrhaven Traffic Update Road Close Authorization for Jockvale Road from Greenbank Road to Longfields Drive.

The road will be closed: - Friday, April 9th, 2021 at 7:00pm until Saturday, April

10th, 2021 at 10:00am - Saturday, April 10th, 2021 at 7:00pm until Sunday, April 11th, 2021 at 10:00am - Thursday, April 29th, 2021 at 7:00pm until Friday, April 30th, 2021 at 6:00am Aecon Construction Ontario East Limited will be performing work on the watermain and completing a watermain connection.

Cleaning up the Capital This year marks the 28th year of Cleaning the Capital, a popular City of Ottawa program that leverages corporate sponsorship and resident engagement to help keep our city clean and green. Since the program’s inception, over 1,400,000 volunteers have participated in over 23,000 cleanup projects in communities across the city, removing approximately 1,700,000 kilograms of waste from our public spaces.

This memorandum is to provide Council with information regarding the upcoming

Spring campaign, including changes to sponsorship and to program delivery, as well as key dates for 2021.

Sponsorship Changes GLAD (Clorox of Canada Ltd.) has recently advised that they will not be providing municipalities with monetary contributions moving forward.

We are thankful for the financial support GLAD has offered over the past many years, and we continue to welcome their in-kind (product) support. Further, I am pleased that our program will continue to be sponsored by Giant Tiger, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, ROMCO and the National Capital Commission. It is expected that the Spring and Fall 2021 campaigns will proceed on a significantly reduced budget while program staff explore options for a new title sponsor.

Ruth E. Dickinson Library Library services remain the same in the Red-Control Zone.

Our branch is open for indoor

returns and holds pick up, as well as browsing and use of public computers. Due to provincial regulations, branch capacity will be limited, and masks must be worn both inside the branch and in lineups outside.

Please visit the Ottawa Public Library website for the most up to date information. All library branches will be closed on Friday April 2, Sunday April 4, and Monday April 5.

Planning and Enjoying Your Garden | Préparer et profiter des joies du jardinage OPL is partnering with the Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton to offer a series of free online gardening programs throughout the spring and summer. The series runs on select Wednesdays from 12 pm - 1 pm. Programs are offered in English and in French.

Registration is required. Join us over your lunch hour!

• D’une toute petite graine (Comment effectuer vos

semis) en français, mercredi 31 mars • Gardening Basics with Claire McCaughey, Wednesday April 14 • Les bases de jardinage en français, mercredi 21 avril • Organic Gardening 101 with Rebecca Last, Wednesday May 5 April Break at the Ottawa Public Library: April 12 17, 2021 Children: Let your imagination run wild! Ages 4-12.

Join us for daily live performances at 3:30 pm, yoga, dance, arts and crafts, puppets, and much more! Most programs require registration with a valid library card, while others are drop-in.

Teens: Let your creativity shine! Ages 13-18. Space is limited to allow for plenty of communication and interaction between the presenter and participants. Register online with your library card.

harder continues on page 4

BARRHAVEN PROUD Ward Office

Walter Baker Centre, 100 Malvern Drive Nepean, ON K2J 2G5

613-580-2473

www.janharder.ca

jan.harder@ottawa.ca Find us on: https://twitter.com/BarrhavenJan https://www.facebook.com/BarrhavenJanHarder

FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 3

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Hate incidents targeting Asian Community throughout city Racism toward the Asian community in Barrhaven is on the rise, and the Ottawa Police Service is taking action.

Last year, an editorial in the Barrhaven Independent addressed the issue after we witnessed multiple acts of racism against Asians in the community at Costco and at other retail outlets after the pandemic started.

“The Ottawa Police fully

investigates all hate-motivated incidents and takes them very seriously,” said Sgt. Ali Toghrol of the Hate and Bias Crime Unit. “We encourage anyone in our community who has been targeted to report it to police.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Ottawa Police has reported that the proportion of racialized members of the community who have experienced an increase in ha-

rassment or attacks based on their race, ethnicity, or skin colour has increased compared to the rest of the population. The largest increase is seen among Asian-Canadians. In 2020, the number of reported incidents targeting people of Asian descent increased to 14 from 2 in 2019.

“The tragic events that occurred in the mass shooting event in Atlanta, Georgia,

US last week have refocused attention on this important issue,” said a statement from the OPS. “The Ottawa Police continues to reach out to the Asian community to express our support and our commitment to everyone’s safety.

Neighbourhood Resource Team members have been engaged to work with community contacts and uniformed police presence has

been increased. Our Hate and Bias Crime Unit and Diversity Resource and Relations Unit are focused on ensuring community members are better educated on and enabled to report hate incidents.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of what they perceive to be a hate-motivated incident, please report it to the Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime

Unit at 613-236-1222, ext.

5015 or online. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers tollfree at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca A hate crime is a criminal offence committed against a person or property which is motivated by hate/bias or prejudice based on race, national or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, or other similar factor.

City of Ottawa Messaging

process to create murals to prevent or deter graffiti.

Applications are due on April 23. We are releasing the call for proposals with a timeline to ensure the completion of the projects over the summer period.

This year we have added questions to the application form about pandemic safety. All projects will be required to adhere to Public Health guidelines and ensure health and safety. We are seeking a balance between

ensuring pro-social activities for youth and pandemic safety. We have also produced an information sheet with resources to assist you in developing COVID safe programming.

For more information about funding, please visit crimepreventionottawa.ca.

Help During Self Isolation Do you need help during self-isolation? Call 2-1-1 for information on resources from the Community and Social Services Line.

Do you need a space to selfisolate safely?

The Voluntary Isolation Centre (VIC) is for people who do not have access to an adequate shelter or cannot self-isolate safely in their own homes. To find out more or to apply please call 613-580-2424 ext. 25890 or email OPHisolationcentre@ ottawa.ca.

Here are some resources that might help: • Access to food: goodfoodottawa.ca

• Access to mental wellness support: counsellingconnect.org • Supports for seniors & adults with a disability: communitysupport.covidresponse. ca • Delivery of food & supplies - Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre: 613591-3686 • CRB- Canada Recovery Benefits information & support – Service in English & Arabic: Email hanadi.alashi@occsc.org or fidaa.osman@occsc.org

harder continues from page 2 Hydro Ottawa Support Available For residents who are on a low income and struggling to pay their hydro bills, there is support available through the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP).

Eligible residents receive a monthly credit on their hydro bill, but they must apply to receive this credit. NROCRC is providing OESP application support to anyone within the city Ottawa.

Paint it Up! Funding Applications Available – Crime Prevention Ottawa Funding is available for outdoor mural art projects that support graffiti prevention, youth empowerment, community safety and the beautification of Ottawa neighbourhoods.

Projects must contribute to a clean, safe and beautiful city by engaging neighbourhoods and youth in a constructive learning

Page 4 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Pandemic was costly as OC Transpo lost $108M in 2020

We now know how much the pandemic cost OC Transpo. A report released March 24th shows an operating loss of $108 million for 2020. It’s a staggering amount.

Put into perspective, it’s double what the City will spend on the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative and three times more than it will spend to resurface roads in 2021.

It’s little wonder OC Transpo announced route adjustments the same week that reflect the drastic drop in ridership due to the pandemic.

Nine routes will be temporarily suspended. The frequency of some routes

will be reduced, and others will be shortened where parallel service is available, and other routes will be improved to meet customer needs.

The changes, according to OC Transpo, will save 5.5 million dollars this year. Seventy jobs will be eliminated through retirement and attrition.

Here’s how Gloucester South-Nepean will be affected. Weekend schedules will be adjusted for routes

Other major cities in Canada and the US are actively seeking ways to modernize and improve the way residents get around. We owe the same to those who rely on transit in Ottawa and to taxpayers.

Heavy Construction in 2021 The summer of 2021 will be a busy one for the Ottawa Heavy construction industry. After a slowdown in getting tenders out at the end of 2020, I am told the construction floodgates have opened.

Ottawa’s planning department has been working to ensure fewer obstacles for companies doing business in Ottawa.

74, 75 and 93.

Routes 275 and 80 will see minor changes on weekdays.

Afternoon school trips on Routes 80 and 171 from Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School will be shifted to match the revised bell time.

I have consistently stated it makes no economic or environmental sense to continue to run full service when ridership is down 80 percent.

Commuting patterns may never be the same. It’s time we recognize that and consider transit options, like transit on-demand that works in conjunction with fixed routes.

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Members of the National Capital Heavy Construction Association (NCHCA) are pleased that the wait time to get road cut permits has been reduced by weeks.

While there is no shortage of work, the industry is working to address a shortage of skilled workers. It’s beginning a recruitment program to educate parents and young people about the benefits of a job in heavy construction.

They point to improvements in working conditions and good entry-level positions that can lead to other job opportunities.

Why not check it out? https://www.nchca.ca/ working-in-construction/

It’s time to spruce up our neighbourhoods! The remnants of winter are littering roadsides and ditches.

I am challenging all of us to grab our gloves and a garbage bag and clean up an area where we live or play. It doesn’t have to be a huge effort, but many hands make light work, as they say. If we all pitch in, think of how lovely our communities will look?

Civic pride starts with each of us.

Let’s do it now. Take a picture of what you cleaned up, send it to me, and I will share it in my newsletter.

Carolanne.meehan@ ottawa.ca

Bill McDonald

Financial Advisor The Co-operators 5560 Manotick Main St | Manotick 613-692-5070 www.cooperators.ca/William-McDonald

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FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 5

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

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Page 6 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENT Editorial

Restaurants catch a break The last thing anyone wants to see in Barrhaven is local businesses closing their doors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to many small businesses in the community. A few Barrhaven businesses have closed, and many are hanging on for dear life during the “third wave.”

Some businesses are not affected with the pandemic. For example, people still need home insurance whether there is a pandemic or not.

But other businesses are fighting to survive.

One of the good news stories out of March’s journey back into the red zone was the change in restrictions placed upon restaurants.

While many local residents do not know about the kind of work the Barrhaven BIA does behind the scenes, their voice was among the first – and loudest – to fight for the survival of restaurants.

The restaurant and hospitality industries have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the measures imposed by the province and Ottawa Public Health.

When the announcement was made that we were going back into the red zone, restaurants were going to be limited as to how many people could be in an establishment. It was unfair to the larger establishments. If the limit was 10 people, did it make sense that 10 people in a large restaurant like Heart and Crown or Boston Pizza equals 10 people in Starbucks?

After some pushback from the Barrhaven BIA and other business associations, the city quickly pivoted – we can’t wait until we don’t have to use that word anymore – and changed the rules. Restaurants can now base how many people they can have in their establishments based on a percentage of their capacity.

The warm weather in the last week of March provided a boost as well, as the city had announced an early opening for patio season. Capacity on a patio does not count as indoor capacity. Limitations are based on social distancing protocols rather than fixed numbers.

Patio openings are a help for local restaurants, but their success is weather dependent.

While the restaurant industry got a reprieve, some businesses did not.

Yoga studios, for example, are being left out in the cold with limits of 10 people. They argue that dance studios have looser restrictions, and that it is close to impossible to survive much longer with not enough patrons to hold proper classes.

We are all handcuffed on moving forward with our lives and the local economy until we are vaccinated. We are watching the news every day, hoping that a million or so doses will end up in Ontario, and that a fair percentage of those doses end up in Ottawa.

Having everyone vaccinated won’t fix things immediately, but it will be a big step toward back-to-normal.

But it will take time, something we hope local businesses don’t run out of.

BARRHAVEN P.O. Box 567 Manotick, Ontario www.barrhavenindependent.on.ca The Barrhaven Independent is published by Manotick Messenger Inc. biweekly at P.O. Box 567 in Manotick, Ontario. The Barrhaven Independent is not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or other material used for publication purposes. Letters will be edited for length, clarity and libellous statements. Display, National and Classified rates are available on request.

Publisher: Jeff Morris Managing Editor: Jeff Morris Advertising and Marketing: Gary Coulombe Photographer: Greg Newton Reporter: Charlie Senack

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DEADLINE FOR ALL ADVERTISING IS THURSDAY PRIOR AT 12PM All layouts and composition of advertisements produced by employees of Manotick Messenger Inc. are protected by copyright invested in the publishers of the Barrhaven Independent.

Home of the Fightin’ Racoons

Twenty-five years ago, I drove into Frisco, Frisco Realtor Hava Johnston, a DemoTexas for the first time. cratic activist, said in the Post article that It was a little town of about 10,000 people, some residents feel the area has become “too 20 miles up the North Dallas Tollway from diverse.” downtown. It was a sleepy old town about to become a bustling Dallas suburb.

“They created this perfect little bubble of The water tower as you drove into town the way they wanted things … now we’ve got had a huge racoon in a fighting pose, wear- true diversity, and those Christian nationaling a blue and yellow sweater with a big ‘F’. ists are afraid of losing their power,” said “Welcome to Frisco,” the tower read. “Home Johnston, who according to the Post helped of the Fightin’ Coons.” unmask local residents I cringed, thinking of who participated in the an obvious racial slur, Capitol riots. “These are and wondered how they FROM THE OTHER the very people who would could still allow that. do things like have Trump And that was in 1996. parades every weekend To say that Frisco and take a private jet to a Jeffrey Morris was Republican was riot.” an understatement. I Jenna Ryan, a 50-yearremember seeing a car old realtor from Frisco, parked in front of the little shopping plaza was among those arrested. She was doing that was drawing attention. It had an Al Gore a Facebook Live during the riot. She was bumper sticker. People gathered around to charged with unlawful entry, disorderly contalk about it. They took pictures of it. Who duct and disrupting government business. on Earth would have such a sticker? Was it She has been banned from social media plata prank? forms. Her self-help book she was writing I try to follow what’s going on down COUNCIL there. has been cancelled by the publisher.

CORNER My kids spent a huge chunk of their child“I bought into a lie, and the lie is the lie, hoods there. I coached football and kids’ and Mayor Suzanne Dodge it’s embarrassing,” she told the Post. “I soccer there. I was a regular at the Hacien- regret everything.” da Ranch, a Tex-Mex restaurant that served Pastor Brandon Burden of the Kingdomthe best food I have ever had in my life. It Life Church in Frisco, according to the Post, crushed my soul when we left Frisco to move “spoke in tongues and urged his flock of to Seattle, a place I also loved. warriors to load their weapons and stock up Frisco, TX made the national news this on food and water as the transfer of power month. The story was as cringe-worthyTHE andNOTloomed.”

SO disturbing as the Fightin’ Coons water tower.

Burden went so far as saying that a Trump Between 300 and 400 people from NEW Frisco GUY presidency was God’s will.

Tim Ruhnke “We have an executive order — not from were in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 to take part in the riots at the White House. They be- Congress or D.C., but from the desk of the long to a group called the DFW Deplorables. CEO of Heaven, the boss of the planet,” BuAlthough the group represents the entire Dal- rden was quoting as saying by the Post. “He las-Forth Worth area, Frisco seems to be the said from his desk in Heaven, ‘This is my vortex. will. Trump will be in office for eight years.’

The group made the news as March 4 ” was the day that the rioters assumed Donald The entire thing is just disheartening.

Trump would be reinstated as the President Moving to Frisco 25 years ago was a culWALKER HOUSE of the United States. ture shock. Freedom of religion, after all, As of last week, 19 people from Frisco was something I interpreted as “First Baptist, Susan Vallom have been arrested for the D.C. riots. The Second Baptist, or even Third Baptist.”

FBI’s field office in Dallas is targeting the The Frisco I lived in is much different community in its investigations. The rioters now. The population has grown twenty-fold were not, as you would expect, stereotypical from 10,000 to 200,000 people in the past redneck country boys. They were, according 20 years. There are corporate headquarters to a Washington Post story, from the main- located there, a giant mall and a giant Ikea, stream of society. The list included three real and even the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas estate agents, a retired Air Force LieutenantBLAKE’S Stars have relocated their corporate and pracTAKES Colonel, an oil executive, and an actor from tice facilities there. Frisco even has its own the TV series ‘Friday Night Lights.’ There Double-A baseball team, called the RoughBlake McKim are images on social media of the actor beat- Riders. ing a police officer with a crutch.

Regardless of the actions and viewpoints They were driven by a “salad bowl of of a few, I still miss Frsico. I miss the people, grievances,” the Post quoted the FBI as say- the weather, the lifestyle, and the Hacienda ing. The Post said these grievances included Ranch. “anger over the presidential election, whiteAnd at least the high school has changed supremist ideology, and the discredited ex- its team name. tremist ideology QAnon, which holds that Frisco is now home of the Racoons.

Trump will save the world from Satan-worIt’s a small step – a very small step – in the shipping pedophiles.” right direction.

SIDE

NEWS

FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 7

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

17 Myers AAA Bantam players selected in CCHL Draft Although the 2020-21 competitive hockey season was limited to practices, scrimmages and workouts within the parameters of Ottawa Public Health’s guidelines, it was a successful one for many players of the Myers AAA Bantam team.

A total of 17 players from the team were selected in the Central Canada Hockey League Bantam Draft held last week. The Myers team is made up of players from Nepean and Kanata, with many on the team coming from Barrhaven.

Forwards Catan Ryan and Henry Mews were selected in the first round, with Ryan going to the Carleton Place Canadians and Mews picked

by the Nepean Raiders.

The second round saw five Myers players selected.

Forward Liam Calvert was selected by Carleton Place; forward Cole Beaudoin went to Nepean; forward Lucas LeBlanc was selected by the Ottawa Jr. Senators; defenceman Jonathan Laporte was picked by the Pembroke Lumber Kings; and defenceman Griffin Gagnon was chosen by the Renfrew Wolves.

The third round had only one compensatory pick, but the next round had another four Myers players selected.

Forward Thomas Dickey was selected by Carleton Place; forward William Nicholl was picked by the

Ottawa Jr. Senators; forward Miller Kay was drafted by Renfrew; and forward Liam Monahan went to the Rockland Nationals.

Three Myers defencemen were fifth round selections.

David Huang was selected

by Carleton Place; Robert Steenbakkers was chosen by Renfrew; and Jack Paquette went to the Smiths Falls Bears.

In the seventh round, Myers defenceman Tyler Bell went to the Nepean Raiders while the Ottawa Jr. Senators chose Myers goalie David Egorov.

The Rockland Nationals selected Myers forward Ben Watzenboeck in the ninth round.

SHOP SAFE ~ SHOP LOCAL

Food Cupboard Donation McDonough’s Your Independent Grocer in Barrhaven raised an impressive amount of $2,300 for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard. Proceeds from the sale of Mini Express Donuts from March 1-14 yielded this amount. Pictured from left to right are Desa Grivas (Director of Operations BFC), Lyne and Dave McDonough (Owners McDonough’s YIG), Janet McCaugland (President BFC), Kevin Miller (Past President BFC),and John Falkingham (Treasurer BFC).

Gary Coulombe photo

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Page 8 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Local student-athlete overcomes alleged profiling incident

By Jeff Morris Two years ago, there is a good chance that Jonathan Edouard was on your doorstep at least a few times.

The Carleton University student-athlete was working in Barrhaven, delivering advertising material for Glen Schumacher, owner of the Old Schu Flyer Distribution Company.

Edouard, a defensive back with the Carleton Ravens football team, hustled on his deliveries. He was polite, courteous, personal, and he had a mile-wide smile for everyone he encountered.

Schumacher said he was a “great kid.”

Little did he know that when he returned to school, his life would be turned upside down by what he called a racial profiling incident at the Canada-U.S. border.

For Edouard, Sept. 15, 2019 seemed like any other day. The Ravens had played their third game of the season at Western the day before.

Edouard, a 2018 OUA AllStar, had another good game despite the Ravens’ loss.

Edouard and his girlfriend, Olivia, took a drive

down the 416 to Johnstown and crossed the bridge to go to Ogdensburg, NY. Edouard, a Haitian-American who grew up in Orlando, FL, had lost his passport and visa during a move, and he and his girlfriend had planned the trip to get his new passport stamped and his visa sorted out. What he did not know that day was that it would be the last time he would be on Canadian soil for more than a year.

“We were waiting for my passport to arrive so that we could go down and get a new visa,” Edouard said. “My passport arrived the day we left for the Western game, so we planned the trip to Ogdensburg for the day after we got back. I let them know on both sides of the border exactly what I was doing.”

On his way back from Ogdensburg, Edouard was not allowed back in Canada.

He lost his football season at Carleton, and he lost his school year. He went for more than a year without seeing his girlfriend. Their relationship went from being room mates to seeing each other only by Facetime.

And this was before COVID-19.

Five months ago, Edouard was in front of a hearing with USports and told his story of what happened to him at the border when he was denied re-entry into Canada.

He won the hearing, meaning his eligibility for the 2021 OUA football season has been retained. He took classes online from his parents’ home in Orlando, FL.

By Christmas, he had finally arrived back in Canada after a 15-month exile.

“Jondo,” as his teammates call him, is the son of two pastors – his mom also works as a nurse – and he is one of eight children in the family. He came to Canada in 2017 to be a student-athlete at Carleton, opting to come to Canada to play football rather than continue at Henderson State University in Arkansas.

“I was unhappy in Arkansas,” he said. “I was told to switch my major and it seemed that all that mattered was football, not me as a person or my academics. One of my teammates was Canadian and we talked a lot. I realized going to Canada to finish my degree and play football would be something

Jonathan Edouard breaks up a pass against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in 2018.

Valerie Wutti photos

Jonathan Edouard returns a punt against the Guelph Gryphons in 2018.

different and exciting for me.

After meeting with (Carleton head coach) Steve Sumarah, I realized that Carleton was where I needed to be.”

When Edouard went through the border initially in 2017, his documentation was for a four-year visa. The border agent filled his paperwork out as a one-year visa.

Edouard said he was questioned by the border agent about why he would come to Canada to go to school.

Edouard alleged that the agent told him that it looked like he was “taking advantage of a situation.”

Edouard said he did not know he was given a oneyear visa instead of a fouryear visa. He found out trying to return home after that drive to Ogdensburg.

“I had no idea about my visa when I got to Canada,” Edouard said. “Initially I gave them all the right documentation, but they gave me a one-year visa instead of a four-year visa.”

On their way back from Ogdensburg on Sept. 15, 2019, Edouard was told at the border that his visa had

expired, and that he had been in Canada illegally for the previous eight months.

“One of the officers was telling me ‘you have all the right documentation for a four-year visa, we don’t know why you have a oneyear visa.’ I dealt with the same officer I dealt with the first time and he got really frustrated at me and raised his voice at me and my girlfriend. He threatened me. He really wanted to arrest me but I would not raise my voice back at him. I made sure I complied,” Edouard alleged.

Edouard and his girlfriend went back over the bridge and talked to the border officials in Ogdensburg. They thought they had sorted out what they needed to and went back to the Canadian side of the bridge. Not only were they denied re-entry again, but Edouard was ordered to stay out of Canada for six months, which is standard for someone who has been in the country illegally.

Edouard said one of the border agents saw what was going on and tried to help him. He told Edouard that he

walked into that agent’s line, so he was the agent Edouard had to deal with. Edouard was told that they knew it was a mistake, and that’s why he was not headed for jail. Edouard alleged that he was also told that the agent he was dealing with could have made things right, but opted not to.

“I was given a six-month removal order and had to leave immediately,” Edouard said. “I had no money. I had no clothes other than what I was wearing. I had no food.

I had nothing. I was on the other side of the border and I thought I was just going to go and make a stop and get my visa and come back. By the grace of God, my girlfriend’s dad sent money so we could get a hotel. We stayed there for a few days. I called the superintendent, people in the Canadian government. I was trying to get my story out there to tell them what’s going on and why I should be able to come in. And if they weren’t going to let me back in could I at least come back in to get my stuff.”

Profile continues on page 9

FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 9

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT Profile continues from page 8 Edouard alleges that on his second attempt to enter Canada, he was dealing with a female officer who was being influenced by the original border officer he dealt with.

“They were in the background laughing and stuff, talking about me,” Edouard alleged. “I was trying not to get frustrated. I was just, ‘yes ma’am, no ma’am.’ That’s my character.

“And then I was approached by another border officer before having to leave the second time, and he stopped me and said, ‘Yo, they’re making racist jokes.

They don’t like you. I think because you’re Black and from America and from the south.’”

Edouard and his girlfriend ended up back in Ogdensburg and checked into the Anchordown Motel. His girlfriend’s father arranged to put the hotel bill on his credit card.

Edouard’s girlfriend had to return home to go to school.

Both thought the situation would be resolved.

It wasn’t. Edouard was stranded in Ogdensburg for almost four days with no money, no food, and no change of clothes.

To turn things from bad to worse, Edouard could not go home to Orlando. His parents had just been left homeless a week earlier when Hurricane Dorian destroyed their house.

The office of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MP Michael Barrett tried to get involved.

Barrett’s executive assistant, Randy Hopkins, worked tirelessly on the case for three days to try to help Edouard.

He hit nothing but dead ends.

No one at the border crossing

in Johnstown could do anything for him as Edouard’s case had been kicked up to the Canadian Consulate in New York. His only hope was the Ministry of Immigration, but because the incident happened during an election campaign, the Ministry was shut down.

Edouard wanted to file a complaint against the border agent. He was told they could not give him the agent’s name. He was also told the agent had since lost his job.

“I know how I look,” Edouard said. “I know I’m a black man. I know I have hair that might be frowned upon by someone, but I’m a really good guy.”

Edouard ended up staying with his brother in Milwaukee, and then spent a year couch-surfing with different siblings and relatives. He was in Milwaukee until December. Then he went to Dallas for a couple of months. Then he lived with a friend and mentor in Louisiana who is a former NFL player. By summer time, he was in Orlando in his parents’ new home.

Bu September, he was back in school at Carleton, taking his classes online. He was cleared to return to Canada last April, but the border had just been shut down because of COVID-19.

During the offseason, Edouard was courted by several NCAA schools, including Central Florida, Florida South and Florida Atlantic.

He was also offered an opportunity to enter the XFL Draft. Edouard said he had already had an American college football experience, and was focused on returning to Carleton, playing football,

Jonathan Edouard (2) warms up before facing the Queen’s Gaels.

graduating, and going back to Ottawa, the city he now considers his home.

The virulent racial and political climate in the United States made Edouard yearn for Canada even more.

In August, a high school friend of Edouard’s, Salaythis Melvin, was murdered by police at the Florida Mall in Orlando. Police cornered him because they had an arrest warrant for a suspect who looked like him. Melvin, who was unarmed, was scared, and he ran. Police shot him in the back. News footage showed Melvin lying on his stomach, shot, and being cuffed before medical help was given. He died in hospital later that day.

“I went to high school for two years with Slay,” Edouard said. “He lived in my neighbourhood. We knew the same people.”

Edouard said that being

Black and in the U.S. with all the racial injustices is surreal. Racism is something he grew up dealing with. His third grade principal told him he would either be dead or in jail by the time he was 18.

His parents moved him out of that school into a private Christian school, where he was the only Black student in his class. He faced racism on a regular basis from his peers.

Racial tensions in the U.S. were intensified following the murder of George Floyd.

“It was terrifying to be back in the United States,” Edouard said. “There’s two sides of this. There are people who are mad about this, and then there are people who are scared. And honestly, I was really scared to be there. I’m not afraid of anyone. But I am scared of the police. I just don’t want my life taken away before I

reach my dreams. So when I was there, I was just trying to stay out of the way. I had every reason to be inside in quarantine.”

By Christmas, Edouard was back home. His belongings were all still at his girlfriend’s place. In the classroom, he is working toward earning his degree. His major is film studies. On the football field, he is locked in on having another good year and is hoping to make the jump to the CFL. But most of all, he wants to become a Canadian citizen.

“Ottawa is home to me,” Edouard said. “The Canadian dream is everything I’ve wanted it to be. I went more than 400 days without seeing my girlfriend and my teammates. I didn’t see my coach for a long time and he has held my hand through this whole thing. Mentally, I really leaned on him and on the

administration at Carleton.”

Edouard has been working out and practising with the Ravens throughout the winter and spring. He has one year of school left and is getting ready for his final season of college football before he enters the Canadian Football League Draft. He has not secured a summer job yet, but says he would like to deliver flyers in Barrhaven again if he gets the chance and if COVID-19 parameters allow for it.

Most of all, however, he is just happy to be back in Canada, back with his girlfriend, and working on completing his degree.

“Canada is like a dream come true,” he said. “It’s like a fairy tale. It means everything to me. It means freedom. It’s a safe place. When I was away, I really, really want to be back over here. I can’t express it enough.”

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Page 10 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Ten months later, local teen still feeling effects of COVID-19

By Charlie Senack Barrhaven teen Ashleigh Pomerant was at her prime before catching COVID-19 in June. Now she’s known as a COVID-19 long hauler who is trying to gain her old life back.

Pomerant, a 17-year-old grade 12 student at Longfields Davidson Heights High School, said the first 10 days of having the virus were the worst. She says watching TV was the only activity she could do, but even that was sometimes hard. One day, watching ‘High School Musical’ became too much; brain fog made the high paced dancing scenes and music too much to bear.

“I had just a mild fever, shortness of breath — getting up off the couch was like I just sprinted up the stairs,” said Pomerant. “I had a lot of aches and pains in my legs. Just in general brain fog where I’d get confused very easily and a lot of fatigue.”

It’s been almost 10 months since Pomerant first contracted COVID-19, and she’s still reeling from the effects of the virus. Pomerant is known as a COVID-19 longhauler, which means you still feel the impacts of the virus long after testing negative.

Typically, it hits older or more compromised people, not someone like Pomerant who went for frequent runs, played sports, and was a part of many clubs and extracurricular activities in school. Pomerant, an otherwise healthy 17-year-old, had no major health issues before contracting COVID-19.

“I’ve had slow improvements and it’s not linear,” she said of her improvements.

“I’ll have some good days and I’ll have some bad days.

It hit a point in July and August where it did hit get better.

But since September it’s been stronger improvements.”

Pomerant says she can now sing without getting out of breath and is going for regular walks. She still can’t walk and talk, and aches and pains still pop up. Her breathing is not fully back to normal, but it’s getting there.

“It was really scary because I really had no idea if this was going to be my life forever or if I’d eventually get better,” said Pomerant. “I’m still not pushing myself a lot.

I’m just able to go for a walk most days. After that I’m ok so I don’t wanna push myself and end up back where I was.”

How Pomerant caught COVID-19 still remains a medical mystery. Her mother caught the virus a month before in May and showed similar symptoms. She never went for a COVID test but had a positive diagnosis after going to the emergency room.

They ran various tests, including an X-ray of her chest and blood work, which confirmed the diagnosis. Her mom also does not know where she contracted the virus; most likely through community spread in a place like a grocery store.

Pomerant says she believes she must have caught COVID-19 from her mom, but why she showed no symptoms for almost a month remains unclear.

“Maybe I was just asymp-

totic for that whole month and then something happened to trigger it. I really don’t know,” she said. “It’s a mystery.”

Pomerant now sees a naturopath to help with her diet and both a massage and physio therapist to help relax the muscles and regain strength.

Her family doctor has also sent her for a variety of tests to see what damage — if any was done.

The grade 12 student also admits her final year of high school has been a struggle due to the exasperating brain fog.

“School has been really hard this year — harder than it’s been any other year because normally I do pretty well in school and I can balance it with my extra curriculars,” said Pomerant. “This year it’s been really different.

But as the year has gone in and my health has improved, school has gotten easier.”

Pomerant also admits the long lasting effects of the virus has out much of her life in hold. She was unable to play ringuette last summer because she was weak and had no strength. Now this year she’s hoping for a summer where sports can be a big part of her life again.

The Barrhaven teen also says it’s been a hard adjustment for her friends. Not everyone understands why Pomerant isn’t like her old self and why she doesn’t have the energy of a typical 17-yearold.

“It’s hard because not all my friends really understand what I’ve gone through, but others have tried which is really good,” she said. “Others

were just dismissive of it which is hard. It’s also meant I can’t always hangout at someone’s back deck to socialize safely so it’s been isolating, too.”

Pomerant was worried she’d have to delay attending university in the fall due to her side effects but is now confident she will be well by September. She plans to attend Ottawa or Carleton University for their international development program.

After following all safety precautions and thinking she’d never catch COVID, Pomerant now has a message

for all those who believe it’s a hoax or isn’t taking it seriously.

“It’s annoying seeing online people who are gathering and everything and they haven’t gotten sick but I took all the precautions and I still got it,” said Pomerant. “You never know; it could happen to you. You never think it can be you but it can be and you really don’t want it.”

Longfields Davidson Heights student Ashleigh Pomerant has been dealing with the effects fo COVID-19 for 10 months.

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FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 11

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

The Barrhaven RioCan Loblaws recently made a donation to the Barrhaven Food Cupbaord.

Community helping Barrhaven Food Cupboard meet demands

By Charlie Senack

The Barrhaven Food Cupboard has seen a 12 per cent increase in food orders since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But thanks to the generosity of the community, they have been able to keep up with the demand.

Operating out of the Walter Baker Centre, the Barrhaven Food Cupboard currently fulfills about 40 orders a week and feeds the mouths of roughly 600 people every month.

“We are fulfilling about 160 food orders a month, but under the pandemic restrictions we limit the number of people and volunteers in the facility, said Barrhaven Food Cupboard President George MacDonald. “Our clients now have to make an appointment and instead of selecting the food of the shelves themselves, we now have them go around with a volunteer who does it just to

limit contact.”

One of the busiest times of the year for the food cupboard is around the Christmas season when they launch their annual hamper campaign. In 2019 they had 197 requests, a number which rose to 298 in 2020 with more people needing support.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, however, they were able to break even.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, this year hampers were not handed out; instead gift cards from stores like Loblaws, Independent, and Shoppers Drug Mart were purchased for the clients to do their own shopping.

“Since the pandemic started you would think that people would be a little more Conservative with their financial donations but we have experienced exactly the opposite,” said MacDonald. “The level of donations we have received over the

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last six or eight months has blown us away. We have broken a bunch of expectations and records.”

One of those records was broken just last week when the Barrhaven Food Cupboard received their biggest donation by far.

Thanks to a campaign put on by Food Banks Canada in conjunction with Loblaws grocery chain, customers at both the Your Independent Grocer and Loblaws stores in Barrhaven were able to give a donation with their order during holiday seasons in 2020. The campaign ran for a few weeks at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When the total was tallied up and the cheque was presented just last week, MacDonald admits he was blown away.

“We received a cheque a few days ago for $49,017.

That is far and away the largest donation we have

received from anybody,” he said. “The fact that companies like Loblaws do this in the first place is great. But what is really heartwarming is the fact that there are so many customers throughout those two stores that were willing to make a donation to us.”

“This is the kind of donation that will carry us and the food that we have to buy for months and it’s an incredible contribution,” MacDonald added.

All of that money will be directly invested back into the community to support families in Barrhaven who have fallen on hard times.

Since moving to their location at the Walter Baker Centre two years ago, the Barrhaven Food Cupboard has started to carry perishable items for their clients including milk, eggs and butter. Toiletries are also given out.

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nate to the Barrhaven Food Cupboard can do so on their website at: Barrhavenfoodcupboard.ca. Food collection bins have also started popping up again at grocery stores in the community after being taken away for a while due to the pandemic. Cash donations however can go a further way because they are able to buy in bulk.

MacDonald also stresses the Barrhaven Food Cup-

board is there to help anyone who has fallen on hard times. He says there should be no stigma attached to requesting support because it can happen to anyone. He also says all the volunteers are discreet and are just there to lend a helping hand.

Anyone who needs support can call the Barrhaven Food Cupboard at 613-8254505 or email info@barrhavenfoodcupboard.ca.

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Check out our Facebook page for puzzle solutions.

FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 13

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Residents on Zoom meeting raise concerns over coyote sightings

By Charlie Senack As coyote sightings in suburban and rural village areas continue to grow, the councillor for GloucesterSouth Nepean held an information session to inform local residents.

The virtual zoom meeting held by Councillor Carol Anne Meehan on Thursday, March 18, was joined by more than 50 residents — primarily from the Riverside South and Barrhaven communities.

Wildlife experts who were part of the call said coyotes are prone to urban and suburban communities thanks to their habitat.

They are not forest animals like many think and are attracted to small animals like rabbits, mice, moles and rats, which are all common in our neighborhoods.

The amount of food and garbage left out by humans has also made our suburban streets a desire and is fueling their diets.

“There are some people who will feed coyotes — it’s very strange but they do,” said Nick Stow, Ecologist and Environmental Planner for the City of Ottawa. “It also comes from people putting food outside for their dogs (or) not properly putting out their garbage.”

The animals have a sweet tooth and our leftovers they are now eating are making the animals more sick which poses a risk to us all.

According to research done at the University of Alberta, Coyotes that eat food discarded by humans tend to be unhealthy and may pose a health risk to humans since they carry more parasites and have gut bacteria linked to aggression.

With more people at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of waste we throw out has also been increasing leading to more garbage being put out on the curb.

Stow says it is always a good idea whenever pos-

sible to wait until the day of collection instead of the night before to make sure the coyotes don’t stop by for a midnight snack.

Some people are also leaving food out for other animals which are causing the coyotes to move closer to our homes and backyards. Others are just leaving out food for their own pets but are also attracting many other animals. Some fruit trees can also lure the coyotes in.

“Coyotes love fruit; their diet consists of a lot of fruit in the winter in particular,” Stow said. “So if you have an apple tree or a cherry tree that you don’t clean up in the fall, coyotes will go there.”

Coyote sightings have been on the rise in recent years; no more so than in the first few months of 2021.

According to data released during the virtual meeting, Ottawa’s 311 phone line has received 41 reports of coyote sightings in Gloucester-South Nepean in just the first two and a half months of this year. That’s compared to six total reports in all of 2019 and zero in 2020.

Many of those numbers are from the same households and often have to do with the same few coyotes, said city officials, but still the numbers show coyote sightings are rising.

During the question and answer part of the meeting, many residents expressed concerns about the large number of coyotes being spotted in the Barrhaven and Riverside South communities. What’s concerning to them is how comfortable the animals are becoming with humans.

But Stow said what many might see as a threat is really a coyote engaging in typical behaviour. He stressed that having coyotes live among us is completely safe, calling it a “risk”.

You’re encouraged to call 311 and report coyote sightings whenever you see them in an environment

which isn’t typical for the animals. If you see a coyote roaming in an open empty field it’s no cause for concern and shouldn’t be reported.

“You may see coyotes stand and look at you; that is not an aggressive animal,” said Stow. “Aggressive animals are when they show persistent patterns of attacking animals on a leash or going after people in broad daylight. If it’s needed that animal will be trapped and killed. It’s a very rare instance.”

From 1970 to 2014, only 367 coyote attacks have been reported in the United States and Canada, said Stow, who adds other risks like lightning strikes have much higher rates of Injury in this country .

“The risk of injury from a coyote is about 10 times less than a lightning strike and about 500 times less of a risk than an attack from a dog,” he said. “Yes coyotes are a hazard but the risk is very small.”

Even if coyotes become comfortable with humans, that doesn’t mean they provide more of a threat; Instead it means they will be more visible. Problems only arise when they begin to show aggressive behaviour such as with a recent incident in Riverside South in June 2020.

That’s when a large coyote was seen roaming Beryl Gaffney Park and surrounding streets showing no fear to humans. The large dog-like animal bit a number of people including an 83-year-old woman and chased multiple others — many of the attacks taking place in broad daylight.

Some speculated the coyote was sick given its odd behaviour, but after it was trapped and killed due to being a safety risk to the public, testing on its body revealed it was in perfect health. It’s behaviour was rare and uncommon.

Incidents like this have put many residents on edge but Stow says in the last decade, he can only

Coyote sightings have been on the rise in rural and suburban south Ottawa.

Manotick Messenger file photo

recall three times coyotes have had to be trapped and killed — an action which is always a last resort. Besides the incident in Riverside South, the other two incidents had to do with coyotes who were infected with mange, which is transmitted by a mite that infects an animal by burrowing into their skin.

Some residents asked why more efforts aren’t being taken to limit the coyote population by killing or moving the animals when they are seen roaming

urban areas.

“We can’t manage the intensity enough to have an impact. Every coyote habitat in Ottawa has a coyote living in it,” responded Stow. “Removing a coyote from a neighborhood if it is not a public risk just won’t work because you will have (new) coyotes back almost immediately.”

When coyotes begin to realize that a coyote isn’t coming back, a pack will often break apart and move into vacated dens. Each community in Ottawa has

coyotes living within them and Stow predicts many people have unknowingly been within a few hundred feet of the animals who are hiding and watching in the shadows. Coyotes are more commonly spotted in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees and the brush is more bare.

Urban coyotes only live an average of 18 to 24 months which means if a community reports a problem one year, it’s very likely it will resolve itself by the next year.

Page 14 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Student’s future includes making a difference in the world Name: Lydia Adamu Age: 17 School: St. Francis Xavier High Grade: 12 Parents: Abeba Hailu (Mother), Adamu Berhanu (Father) Brother: Sami (31) Sisters: Lia Adamu (14), grade 9, St. Francis Xavier High Luwam Adamu (11), grade 6, Sawmill Creek Public Sara Adamu (30), works for the Ontario Provincial Government Pet Peeves: “Having to constantly repeat myself, and people who lie all the time.”

Part-time Work: Waitress at the Ottawa Army Officers’ Mess Favourite Subjects: “My favourite subject this year by far, is Law. I enjoy that Law is a subject where I’m required to look deep

into cases, and use critical thinking in order to find the best solution. I love debating and looking at different perspectives to achieve a common goal, and that is what my Law course allows me to do.”

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

“In my free time, I enjoy reading books about social justice and real issues that go on in the world. My favourite book is called The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This novel is about the experiences and trauma of systematic racism on an African American teenager, and how she is able to overcome them through being strong and resilient.”

Who is your favourite author?

“My favourite author is the amazing Angie Thomas. She is able to make one connect to her books, and really feel the emotions that a character is going through. While I’m reading her novels I catch myself zoning out and forgetting where I am, because I am so captivated.”

What is your greatest accomplishment?

“I have recently received early offers to the Political Science and Law program at both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. I thank my amazing and hardworking mother and father for pushing me hard to always do my best and achieve all my goals. If it weren’t for them, I would not be who I am today. With that being said, I’m going to continue to work hard and make them proud.”

School Activities: “Being on the Coyotes Football Team for three years, and participating in the YMCA Student Exchange to Newfoundland, over the years I have been very active in participating in school activities. Specifically, this year I was one of the three individuals chosen to represent my school in the OCSB Black Student Forum. The Black Student Forum was a great experience.

Representatives from each school in Ottawa came together to create a safe and welcom-

ing space for black students to learn about mental health, and to also have a space where they can feel free to speak.”

Other Activities/Interests: “One of my many interests is learning about political and humanitarian issues that are prevalent around the world. One issue that I have taken personal interest in, as an individual that comes from an Ethiopian background, is the devastating humanitarian crisis that is going on right now in the region of Tigray. Since October 25, 2020 Ethiopia has been in a civil war. Innocent people of Tigray, including thousands of children, have been beaten to death, slaughtered, shot, and raped by the people of Eritrea and the military of Ethiopia. The Eritrean military are currently stealing all the food of innocent people, leaving 4.5 million Tigrayans in starvation. It’s important that the world speaks up, uses their voices for the voiceless, and raises awareness for these people.”

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Lydia Adamu is planning on studying at the University of Ottawa in the fall.

Submitted photo

Career Goals: “Next year my plan is to attend the University of Ottawa for Political Science to achieve my Undergraduate Degree, and eventually

attend Law School and become a lawyer. As a lawyer I would like to help make a difference in the world by utilizing my voice, which is my superpower.”

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FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 Page 15

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Barrhaven doing well despite Ottawa’s red zone status

By Charlie Senack Ottawa is well into the red as the daily rate of COVID-19 infections rise, but numbers from February show Barrhaven was doing well.

The data was released later than usual due to Ottawa Public Health gearing their time towards vaccination efforts. According to the Ottawa Neighborhood Study, Old Barrhaven West reported 19 cases of the virus in February with another 17 in Old Barrhaven East. The communities of Stonebridge, Half Moon Bay, and Hearts Desire reported 23 new cases and Chapman Mills reported 17 new cases. RideaucrestDavidson Heights reported 13.

The neighbouring area of Riverside South-Leitrim reported 12 new cases during that same month and less than five in Manotick, the lowest rate seen yet in the community during the pandemic.

But as the temperature outside rises, so is the rate of new daily infections. On March 25, Ottawa reported 151 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number seen in months.

The city’s positivity rate

has risen to 4.2 per cent in the past week, a percentage that hasn’t been seen since January. Under the provincial government’s framework, anything over 2 per cent is considered red zone territory. If trends continue in this direction — a likely scenario with waste water levels showing high rates of COVID-19 infections — Ottawa could enter into another lockdown in April.

“I know due to limited contact with loved ones this year the world has felt small,” said Ottawa’s top Doctor Vera Etches in a virtual press conference on March 24. “Grandparents are excited to hug their grandchildren, people want to book their summer holidays. We all want things to get back to normal (but) we are simply not ready for that yet.”

As of last week, 106,000 vaccines had been administered in Ottawa and 35,000 Pfizer doses arrived in the capital — the biggest shipment yet. All retirement residents who wanted to get the vaccine have also got their first and second shot.

Vaccination centres have been set up at four locations around the city including at the Nepean Sportsplex where long lines were reported on

their first day in operation.

But after receiving some complaints of 80-year-olds being forced to stand out in the cold, the issue was quickly resolved within hours.

Pop-up vaccination locations have also opened in a number of rural areas including: Greely, Navan, Osgoode, and Richmond.

But while the news of mass vaccinations are a positive sign in stopping this pandemic, the reality is we still have more months of restorations to deal with, warns Etches.

“Our collective efforts will prevent more loss. As for vaccinations they are just starting to make a difference for older adults in our community,” she said. “The reality is vaccine protection is not immediate; it takes time.

We are still learning about how the vaccines prevent transmission and protect the recipients in real-world settings.”

As COVID-19 cases climb in the city, Etches says it’s primarily young people getting and spreading the virus.

“COVID will be transmitted where people are gathering without mask wearing,” said Ottawa’s top Doctor.

“We are seeing that before

and after school, we are seeing that in sports, kids activities, households, childcare.”

As of March 25, the Ottawa Catholic School Board had 25 active COVID-19 cases among students and another six among staff.

The cases impact 20 different schools. The same day the Ottawa Carleton District School Board reported 60 active cases among students and another 13 in staff.

In Barrhaven St. Mother Teresa Catholic High School reported one student case that same week which led to two classes being closed and one cohort. At John McCrae two students had active cases of the virus along with two staff members at Longfields

Davidson Heights. Half Moon Bay and Berrigan Public Schools each reported one student case.

Etches says schools are not a risk for transmission because of all the enhanced safety measures that are in place.

With Ottawa now in the red zone, restaurants and bars can remain open and operate at 50 per cent capacity under revised framework.

The catch however is people can only dine inside or out with members of their own household. If you’re caught not complying, you and the restaurant can both receive a fine.

“It is the responsibility of the restaurant or bar operator

to screen all patrons,” said Ottawa Bylaw in a statement.

“The screening process involves obtaining information from patrons to demonstrate that they are from the same household, and that they have no COVID symptoms or exposure. The operator also records the name and telephone number of patrons for contact tracing.”

The red zone also means you are only allowed to gather in groups of five people indoors and 25 outdoors.

Supermarkets and big boxed stores can also continue to operate but at 75 per cent capacity. Gyms also remain open at a reduced capacity of only 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.

Page 16 FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

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