followed by Mosquito Madness on
Carleton family barbecue set for Sept. 7 at Richmond Fairgrounds
I am pleased to once again host my annual Carleton Family Barbecue.
This year’s event will take place Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Richmond Fairgrounds. Firefighters from Richmond will be manning the grill and cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs, while we will also be serving up cobs of corn, vegetable spring rolls, veggies and dip, ice cream, and more.
The most entertaining and multi-talented man in all of Carleton, Dr. Kaboom, will be joining us. We will also have face painting, and entertainment and activities that will be announced closer to the date.
I also want to emphasize that this is a non-partisan, nonpolitical event and everyone is welcome. This is an event to celebrate Carleton, and to celebrate our best summer in years.
I hope to see you there!
The Capital Fair is just around the corner at Rideau Carleton Raceway
One of the great things about being the MPP for Carleton is that our riding hosts three amazing fairs every year.
The Richmond Fair and the Metcalfe Fair are well known throughout Eastern Ontario, but the entire fair season kicks off with a big one that is right in the back yard for readers in Riverside South and Findlay Creek.
The Capital Fair gets underway Aug. 16 and takes place at the Rideau Carleton
Raceway. While many people think the fair started to replace the old Central Canada Exhibition or Ottawa Ex, the Capital Fair is actually the old Gloucester Fair.
In 1999, the Gloucester Agricultural Society moved the Gloucester Fair to the Rideau Carleton Raceway. They changed the name to the Capital Fair in 2014. In taking on a new 10-day format in August, the fair moved to introduce its expanded program to the region by implementing an introductory free gate admission program. The results were wildly successful as in 2017 the fair attracted more than 255,000 guests.
With all of the restrictions from COVID-19 now behind us, we hope to see the biggest and best Capital Fair ever!
Ontario exploring more ways to expand role of
pharmacists
The Ontario government is looking at additional innovative and creative ways to make pharmacies a one-stop-shop for people to conveniently connect to care, close to home by further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care. Starting today, the government is consulting with its partners on further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care by treating additional common ailments, administering more vaccines, and performing more pointof-care testing.
Since January 2023, Ontario’s pharmacies have provided more than 1 million assessments to treat and prescribe for 19 common ailments such as cold sores, pink eye, insect bites and urinary tract infections. Over 4,600 pharmacies, or 99 per cent of all Ontario pharmacies,
are now participating in the program, connecting people to care in every corner of the province.
Building on this success, Ontario is consulting on more ways to leverage the skills and expertise of pharmacists to continue making pharmacies a one-stop-shop for more convenient care closer to home, including:
- treating and prescribing for 14 additional common ailments, such as sore throat, calluses and corns, mild headaches, shingles, and minor sleep disorders including insomnia
- ordering specific laboratory tests and performing additional point-of-care tests such as strep throat testing, to make it faster and easier to assess and treat common ailments
- administering additional publicly funded vaccines at
pharmacies, including Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pneumococcal, and Shingles to increase access to care and save people a visit to the doctor’s office
- allowing pharmacy technicians to administer additional vaccines, such as Hepatitis A and B, Rabies, Meningococcal, and Human Papillomavirus
- identifying barriers in hospital settings that limit pharmacists from ordering certain laboratory and pointof-care tests, to make it easier for people to connect to care and reduce burden on nurses and doctors
- improving the MedsCheck program to support health outcomes and reduce unnecessary service duplication and administrative red tape, while continuing to protect patient choice.
goldie continues from page 2
In addition to providing more convenience, allowing pharmacists to connect people with more care options at their local pharmacy will also give family doctors more time to help people with more complex needs. As with visiting a family physician or walk-in clinic, Ontarians can receive a prescription from a pharmacist for common ailments with just their Ontario health card. The cost of the medication being prescribed will continue to be paid for by people directly or through their drug benefits plan.
As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government is strengthening all aspects of the health care system, including making it easier for highly skilled, regulated health care professionals, like pharmacists to work to the full extent of their training and expertise to provide people more connected and convenient care.
Quick
Facts
- Pharmacy assessment of common ailments began in January 2023, with an initial 13 ailments, and was
expanded in October 2023 to include 6 additional ailments.
- More than 1 million assessments have been completed since allowing pharmacists to treat and prescribe for 19 common ailments, including pink eye, UTIs, and acne. More than 4,600 pharmacies (99 per cent) have participated in the program.
- Recent changes by the province also allow pharmacists to administer certain injection and inhalation treatments so that they can better care for people who need help taking certain medications, such as insulin, vitamin B12, or osteoporosis treatment.
- Anyone with symptoms should contact their local pharmacist to confirm whether they provide prescribing services for certain common ailments before visiting the pharmacy.
- On July 1, 2022, regulatory amendments came into force under the Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act, allowing pharmacy professionals to collect specimens and perform the following pointof-care tests for the purpose of medication management
to treat chronic disease: Glucose, HbA1c, Lipids, and PT/ INR.
- Vaccines that are part of Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program are free if administered by a primary care provider or local public health unit. At this time, pending the consultation and implementation timing, patients who choose to receive vaccines in a pharmacy will need to pay for the vaccine and the administration, other than COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
Governments expanding mental health supports for farm workers
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $538,000 through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to expand the Farmer Wellness Initiative to Ontario farm workers. Of that total, nearly $178,000 will be dedicated to supporting the delivery of services in Spanish.
Delivered by Agriculture Wellness Ontario, a suite of free programming man-
aged by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, the Farmer Wellness Initiative provides farmers, farm workers and their family members in Ontario with unlimited access to a free, 24/7 phone line that connects them to tailored mental health counselling. Earlier this year, the line expanded to include farm workers, and now the expansion includes the delivery of mental health services in Spanish to better serve international agricultural workers.
Services offered through the 24/7 phone line include crisis counselling, risk assessments, and face-to-face, phone or video sessions with a counsellor.
Today’s action builds on a series of recently launched and expanded free mental health supports for workers in the farming sector. It also supports the priorities of the Ontario government’s Grow Ontario Strategy, which include strengthening the stability of our agri-food supply chain and attracting and growing local agri-food talent.
Sustainable CAP is a five-
year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.
This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.
Quick Facts
- Since its January 2022 launch, the Farmer Wellness Initiative has been supporting 617 farmers and their families.
- In total, the governments of Canada and Ontario have invested $5,306,244 into the initiative.
- With this new funding, farm workers can now access services in Spanish in addition to English and French by calling 1-866-267-6255.
- According to a 2021 study conducted by the University of Guelph, 76 per cent of farmers experience mod-
erate or high stress.
- Supporting and empowering farmers to take care of their mental health was among the priorities set for Sustainable CAP by the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural ministers in The Guelph Statement.
- Sustainable CAP will help enable the goals outlined in Ontario’s Grow Ontario Strategy, which includes increasing total agrifood sector employment by 10 per cent.
Inspiration for the week
What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Office Notice:
My office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. If you require assistance on any matter, please contact me at any time. My staff and I will be happy to assist. Even if it’s not a provincial issue, I’ll make sure to connect you with the proper office.
Goldie Your voice at Queen’s Park
City of Ottawa and Ottawa Police unveil new H135 police helicopter
The Ottawa Police Service now has something to combat the ongoing street racing and auto theft problems in Barrhaven.
The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) welcomed presented the new provincially-funded H135 police helicopter at a special event at the Rockcliffe Airport July 30.
“As the Mayor of Ottawa, I am grateful to the Ontario Government for investing in the safety of our residents and communities,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. “Ottawa’s population has exceeded one million and is spread across urban, suburban, and expansive rural areas. This dedicated police helicopter will transform our ability to help combat crime across Ottawa’s vast area. From downtown streets to the rural communities with over 1,000 farms and 26 unique villages, our helicopter will provide crucial aerial support to deter vehicle theft and other crimes.”
The police helicopter will be used to keep Ottawa roadways safe from organized auto theft, street racing and impaired driving. It will also be used for general frontline patrol, serious offences (e.g. active shooter incident) and
missing persons searches.
“We are deeply grateful to the province for this generous donation and to the Solicitor General for their unwavering support,” said Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs. “This helicopter is a game-changer for our oper-
ational capabilities to support search and rescue operations. Whether it’s a major event downtown or an emergency in a suburban area, we will be able to get there faster thanks to the strong partnership we have with the OPP.”
The helicopter’s mainten-
ance will be under a contract and paid for by the Province.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will provide both the pilots and ground crew and there will be OPS Tactical Flight Officers paid for and trained by the OPP. The helicopter will be able to as-
sist other police jurisdictions within eastern Ontario with major incidents.
“Our government is making critical investments to ensure Ontario’s police services have the tools and resources they need to keep their communities safe,” said Solicitor
General Michael Kerzner. “This police helicopter will be critical to helping Ottawa Police and the city of Ottawa crack down on auto thefts, carjackings and street racing while improving response times to address other serious crimes.”
Teacher charged with sexual offences, police seeking other victims
The Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse (SACA) Unit charged a man following an investigation into sexual assaults that occurred at Ottawa-based programs and schools since 2019. The incidents involved a male victim under the age of 18.
Rayon Finnikin, 37, has been charged with sexual assault, voyeurism, sexual exploitation, and telecommunication with a person under the age of 18 for a specific criminal offence.
Finnikin has worked in both of the city’s English language school boards.
During the 2023-24 school year, he was an occasional teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic High School.
Before becoming a teacher, Finnikin, who grew up neat Montego Bay, Jamaica and grew up in poverty and violdence before
coming to Canada as a refugee, worked as a guidance services assistant with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), where he worked full-time while studying Law and minoring in Psychology at Carleton.
Investigators believe there could be other victims.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit at 613-236-1222, ex-
tension 5944. Tips may also be sent electronically to SACA@ottawapolice. ca.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800222-8477(TIPS).
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs addresses the media at the Rockcille Airport.
Boundary changes coming for St. Joseph, St. Mother Teresa
The Ottawa Carleton School Board is realigning its boundaries for its two Catholic high schools in Barrhaven.
According to a statement from the OCSB, the “rapid development of new homes in Barrhaven South will increase projected enrolment at St. Joseph High School to numbers we will not be able to manage reasonably. After a consultation process that began in April, on November 28, 2023, the OCSB approved the boundary revision for St. Joseph High School and St. Mother Teresa High School to commence in September 2024.”
Current grade 7 to 12 students who reside within the redirected area and attend St. Joseph High School during the 2023-2024 school year will be given a one-time option to remain at the school.
Students choosing this option would remain designated to attend St. Joseph High School and eligible for transportation, subject to meeting OSTA criteria.
The attendance areas of both schools will be revised so that students that reside in the cur-
As of September 2024, a portion of the current St. Joseph High School attendance area will be redirected to St. Mother Teresa High School. These revisions are meant to open up space for more St. Joseph High School students and balance enrolment between the two schools in the long term. This boundary revision will be effective for the 2024-2025 school year.
rent St. Joseph High School attendance area generally situated west of Greenbank Road and north of the Jock River and McKenna Casey Drive are redirected to St. Mother Teresa High School for September 2024.
Starting in the 20242025 school year, feeder elementary schools to St. Joseph and St. Mother Teresa High Schools have also been updated.
For the 2024-2025 school year, students starting grade 7 from the following elementary schools will feed into St. Joseph High School:
- St. Emily Elementary School
- St. Benedict Elementary School
- St. Cecilia Elementary School
- St. Juan Diego Elementary School
For the 2024-2025 school year, students starting grade 7 from the following Elementary schools will feed into St. Mother Teresa High School:
- St. Patrick Elementary School
- St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton Elementary School
- St. Luke (Nepean) Elementary School
- St. Andrew Elementary School
- Monsignor Paul Baxter Elementary School
“Many of these chan-
ges are the result of a public consultation process that started in April 2023,” said the OCSB statement. “To help parents who may want more background on how these decisions were made, we’ve gathered several resources.”
The OCSB has realigned its boundaries for St. Joseph and St. Mother Teresa Catholic High Schools.
INDEPENDENT EDITorIal
$500M settlement not enough dough
Tne bread price-fixing scandal, which has been unravelling since 2001, continues to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Canadians. Despite the recent announcement that Loblaw and George Weston Limited will settle a classaction lawsuit by compensating Canadians approximately $500 million, the matter remains unresolved.
The scandal began when Loblaw and Weston Bakeries, then under the ownership of George Weston, admitted to colluding with other major grocers and Canada Bread to fix bread prices between 2001 and 2015. According to our calculations, this price-fixing scheme cost Canadian consumers between $4.3 and $4.9 billion due to inflated bread prices over 14 years. Whule the $500 million settlement might seem substantial, it pales in comparison to the true cost of the scheme.
In 2017, when Galen Weston first acknowledged the involvement of his companies in the scandal, about 3.84 million Canadians registered to receive a $25 gift card from Loblaw. This amounted to roughly $96 million in compensation, suggesting that Canadians should anticipate an additional $400 million once the courts approve the settlement.
Meanwhile, Loblaw’s recent financial performance indicates modest yet noteworthy growth in the retail sector. The company’s overall revenue in Q2 reached $13,947 million, marking an increase of $209 million or 1/5 per cent, with retail segment sales rising by $187 million or 1.4 per cent. Specifically, Loblaw’s food retail division experienced an increase of 0.2 per cent in samestore sales despite a national decline in food and beveriage sales by nearly one per cent since January.
These figures suggest that the purported boycott of loblaw, driven by allegations of profiteering, had minimal impact on the company’s financial health.
The narrative that social media platforms like Reddit fuelled the protest against Loblaw is largely inaccurate. It was, in fact, poor reporting by certain media outlets that gave rise to the movement. This protest was largely politically motivated and lacked substantial evidence, leading to misguided public outrage.
The Competition Bureau has been investigating the bread price-fixing scandal for nine years. Thus far, Loblaw, Weston Bakeries and Canada Break have admitted their guilt. However, Walmart Canada, Sobeys, Metro and Giant Tiger, all of whom deny their involvement, remain under investigation.
Canadians will receive an addition $400 million in compensation, thanks to the efforts of lawyers and the courts, not the Competition Bureau. This sum represents only about 10 per cent of the estimated $5 billion Canadians overpaid for bread for 14 years. The public’s outrage is justified.
Moreover, not a single executive has faced arrent, charges or conviction for price-fixing. Galen Weston received immunity from the Competition Bureau despite admitting to 14 years of bread price-fixing.
Unless the total compensation approaches the $5 billion mark, Canadians have every right to remain skeptical and upset with the food industry. The current settlement is a step in the right direction, but it falls short of addressing the full extent of the damage caused by this prolonged price-fixing scheme.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois
Troy Media
BARRHAVEN
5567 Manotick Main St., P.O. Box 567, Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5
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Website: www.manotickmessenger.ca
Staff/Contributors: Gary Coulombe, Larry Ellis, Skyler Fraser, Goldie Ghamari, David Hill, Wilson Lo, Jeffrey Morris, Greg Newton.
The lost medals of the Canadian Cheetah
They are out there, somewhere.
They may be the two most significant gold medals in Canadian Olympic history.
But they are gone. Maybe they are in a box in an attic. Maybe they are displayed in someone’s basement bar. Maybe they have just been lost forever.
In 1928, Percy Williams, the Canadian Cheetah, blistered his way to victory in the 100 metre final at the Amsterdam Olympics. Two days later, as the only sprinter entered in both the 100m and 200m races, he won his second gold medal of the Games. His medals, maybe the most significant gold medals in Canadian track history, were stolen and never recovered.
Williams was born in Vancouver in 1908. He suffered from rheumatic fever at the age of 15, which left him with a heart condition. He was advised not to participate in strenuous activities, but he still excelled as an athlete in high school.
Unfortunately, he suffered a football injury that, without the advanced sports medicine of today, also hindered him.
Despite these problems, Williams’ reputation grew. He started to train as a sprinter and although he was a teenager, he was beating the fastest men on Canada’s west coast.
Track coach Bob Granger learned of the fleet, undersized sprinter who could run the 100-yard dash in close to 10 seconds. He travelled west, and began working with Williams. In 1927, Granger and Williams took a job with the Canadian Pacific Railway waiting on tables and washing dishes to earn their tickets to Hamilton and the 1927 Canadian Olympic Trials.
Once in Hamilton, Williams put himself on the track and field map by tying the world record of 10.6 seconds in the 100 metres.
Williams, whose story is told in a book by Kingston writer Samuel Hawley, would become Canada’s first great international athlete. On Hawley’s website, he has copies of stories written in newspapers through the decades on Williams.
In 1929, Williams toured the United States, winning 14 races, losing just two, and breaking or tying four world records. In 1930, Williams would run for Canada in Hamilton in the first British Empire Games. He tore a quad muscle in the final, and he would never be the same. He would run in the 1932 Los Angeles Games, but he would not reach the final.
“It was as if the hand of fate had written after the Olympics, ‘this far and no further,” said Granger at the time, according to Levitt. Williams would become an insurance agent. He had issues trusting people, and he would live with his mother and never marry.
He was a civilian aircraft pilot during World War II, ferrying aircrafts around the country.
In 1945, Williams was at home in Vancouver after being discharged. One of his friends, Sgt. Dick Moore, sent Williams a letter informing him that an imposter had posed as him at a track meet in Amsterdam. According to a 1945 Vancouver Province story, Moore and another friend, Major Ed Roulstone, learned of Williams’ appearance in a race and travelled to Amsterdam to see him.
“The P.A. system was extolling the virtues of the great Percy Williams,” Moore wrote in his letter to Williams. “I looked around and asked, ‘where’s Percy Williams? The lad accepting the flowers was pointed out, so I immediately crossed over to the infield and approached him. ‘You are Percy Williams?’ I said. He said, ‘Yes, how are you, Sarge?’ So I left him and gathered a couple of officials, the press photographer, who had been making a newsreel of you, and denounced the imposter.
“We took him into a dressing room, where I cross-examined him… I convinced everybody that he was an imposter, and the officer from the paper phoned for the provost-martial. This guy was due to run in a relay race but somehow scrammed before the race.”
The Barrhaven Independent is published every other FRIDAY in Manotick, Ontario. Letters will be edited for length, clarity and libellous statements. Display rates are available on request. The Barrhaven Independent is not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other material used for publication purposes.
One of those stories is from 1971, where Canadian Press Sports Editor Bruce Levitt recounted a story from 1928 on how Granger motivated Williams for the 100-metre final. Granger knew that Williams could be motivated by hate. The day before the race, he penned a letter to Williams saying that he could not possibly win the race. He signed the letter from a person whom Williams disliked. Granger recalled that the next morning, “after stewing all night on adrenaline,” Williams dusted the field and won gold.
Levitt wrote that Granger wept after winning the gold medal. In the 200-metre final, Granger was so excited that he was gripping a barbed wire fence during the race. When Williams won, Granger raced over to congratulate Williams with bloodied hands.
Williams lived with his mother until she passed away in 1977. In December, 1979, Williams donated his gold medals to the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Just a few weeks later, they were stolen, along with gold medals from 1928, and Olympic medals from the 1960s won by swimmer Elaine Tanner.
The medals were never recovered.
Two years later, Percy Williams took his own life. No one saw it coming, no one knows why.
In 1995, a statue of Percy Williams was unveiled in front of BC Place Stadium. It’s a statue that thousands of people walk by before every BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps game.
Few pay attention to it, just as time has paid little attention to a man who, in 1928, put Canada on the map.
A seismic mentality shift for transit revenue is vital
By Wilson lo Barrhaven east CounCillor
OC Transpo is facing an extraordinary financial circumstance.
A decade of underinvestment, poor decisions around the LRT launch, a hesitant attitude to change and dynamism, and the lingering effects of the pandemic have led us to Ottawa’s transit death spiral.
Declining ridership leads to fare increases, to service decreases, to diminished service quality, and back to the vicious circle of declining ridership. The transit levy in our property taxes also has not kept up with the increasing cost of operating OC Transpo.
I’m not perfect in all this—I voted to keep the transit levy increase capped with the property tax increase, because I don’t think taxpayers should be on the hook for an institutional problem, especially with all the financial pressures we face in our daily lives.
For decades, the institutional reliance on the taxpayer and fare-paying customers as the primary sources of transit revenue has worked, especially with Ottawa’s stable commuter base.
There were gaps, but nonfare revenues like special products, advertising, and the gas tax covered them.
But the world has changed and stabilised as our new reality since 2022, but we have not adapted. We continue to believe the
East
Barrhaven Ward Report
Wilson Lo, Councillor
provincial and federal governments will come through with top-up funding, which never materialises, despite budgeting for it in the last two budgets.
To be fair, OC Transpo is not the only transit system in North America facing similar challenges—most large systems have not recovered to pre-pandemic ridership, but our situation is unique. We have acknowledged, but not embraced, this reality.
Whether or not it was right, the plan was for the LRT to replace the central Transitway. So, transit system service, resources, and funding were adjusted leading up to the launch of the LRT, but its performance was never realised.
The vehicles, operators, and funding needed to re-extend every bus route into the downtown, even if only for expresses, would be prohibitively expensive, unsustainable, and unattainable, even if we had enough lead time to buy buses and hire operators.
Despite the federal government’s announcement of three days a week return to the office, OC Transpo will soon be adapting its services to the new reality that our core ridership is no longer the downtown 9-to-5 commute.
The route realignment exercise, due to start after Line 2’s launch, recognises that and focuses the service on travel within communities and to less traditional trip generators like universities, colleges, and other employment nodes—though it misses the mark for employment areas, like hospitals.
One can make the argument the realignment really was geared to Line 2, and we’re just marketing it as an overall shift. But as an expensive higher order transit line, it needs to be a common denominator to capture as many trips for as many
people as possible.
But all the acknowledgement and service changes in the world won’t truly pull us out of this transit funk. We need institutional change— a seismic shift in mentality towards how public transit generates revenue.
Transit is unique in that it has capital and land assets it can leverage. In Barrhaven East, transit “owns” almost seventy-five acres of land for park and rides and space set aside for future projects.
The most glaring example of transit land as a money sink is Nepean Woods, which has been
empty since 2012. With a larger park and ride opening at Bowesville Station with Line 2, I see no future for Nepean Woods.
We also need to take a hard look at what’s possible for planned capital projects.
We know the incredibly expensive Stage 3 LRT won’t happen unless it’s 100 per cent funded by the upper levels of government, yet it remains on our books as a multi-billion-dollar longterm budget pressure. We need to shelve that project until we have certainty around funding.
Additionally, a variety of
transit systems around the world use administrative structures that allow for diversification to generate real and sustainable revenues; some are in use in Ottawa, but not for transit.
The bottom line is that while the transit levy and fares are decent sources of revenue, our institutional over-reliance on them has led us to believe we don’t need to be creative. The current situation says otherwise.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we must be willing to get out of that tunnel.
Pride and Prejudice: MacLeod among those disappointed with Capital Pride
A pro-Palestinian political stance by Capital Pride has irked many community leaders, as well as the Jewish community.
On August 6, Capital Pride Ottawa issued a statement confirming its solidarity with Palestine.
“Following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the world watched in horror as the full extent of the atrocities committed against civilians were uncovered’” the statement reads. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the acts of terrorism committed that day. By the same token, we cannot stay silent in the face of Israel’s endless and brutal campaign in Gaza and mounting violence in the West Bank, where innocent Palestinians—many of whom have friends, families and loved ones in our communities—are being slaughtered, dehumanized and dispossessed of their land in flagrant violation of international law. The situation is so dire that the International Court of Justice expressed grave concerns with the state of the war in Gaza, stating that there is a plausible risk of genocide.
Capital Pride goes on to accuse Irael of ‘pinkwashing’, which critics call Israel’s attempt to link itself to the LGBTQ+ community as a counterpart to the Palestinian identity of being violently homophobic.
“Part of the growing Islamophobic sentiment
we are witnessing is fuelled by the pink-washing of the war in Gaza and racist notions that all Palestinians are homophobic and transphobic,” reads the statement.
“By portraying itself as a protector of the rights of queer and trans people in the Middle East, Israel seeks to draw attention away from its abhorrent human rights abuses against Palestinians. We refuse to be complicit in this violence. Indeed, to withhold our solidarity from Palestinians in the name of upholding 2SLGBTQIA+ rights betrays the promise of liberation that guides our work. We join our voice to the calls for greater protection of civilians and reject any attempts to use a devastating conflict as a pretext to advance hate.”
Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod was among those who immediately criticized Capital Pride after its statement. MacLeod called the Pride position antisemitic.
As a supporter of both @JewishOttawa and @ FierteCapPride, I am heart sick to see Pride distract from its support for a safe space for LGBTQ++ with a focus instead on the IsraelHamas/ Houthi/ Hezbollah/ Iran conflict,” MacLeod posted on the X platform. “Israel is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East. It is also the only safe space in that region for the LGBTQ++. This decision is antisemitic and it will prevent Ottawa Jews who are LGBTQ++
from feeling safe at Pride. I truly hope they reconsider this ill-considered proposal.”
Critics of the Capital Pride statement say that it will make Jewish members of Ottawa’s LGTBQ+ community unwelcome and targeted at the August 25 Capital Pride parade.
Charlie Senack, a reporter for the Barrhaven Independent and a member of the LGTBQ+ community, penned an opinion piece for the Ottawa Citizen on the topic.
“Pride is supposed to be a celebration of all, regardless of your race, sexual orientation or background. Yet Capital Pride decided to go against the rules of logic when it announced this
week that it supports Palestine during the war in the Middle East,” write Senack in his Ottawa Citizen piece. “How an LGBTQ2S+ organization can support a country that’s killed people for living as their authentic selves is beyond me.”
Senack points out that in Palestine, being in a same-sex relationship is illegal and can come with a prison sentence of up to 10 years. He pointed out that in October, 2022, Ahmad Abu Murkhiyeh, a 25-year-old gay Palestinian native, was found decapitated with a severed head near his family’s home because of his homosexuality.
In 1988, Israel became the only country in the
Middle East to decriminalize homosexuality.
“You would never see the sights of rainbow flags, sparkles and drag queens across the border in Palestine,” Senack wrote in the Citizen.” There, same-sex relations are still illegal, and men face up to 10 years in prison if they are caught. That does not exactly match Capital Pride’s mission of “respecting the full diversity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.”
Senack said in the Citizen piece that he will not be attending this year’s event.
“As a proud queer
person, I’m disappointed and angered by Capital Pride’s decision to publicly take a stance toward protecting one marginalized group and not another, in a volatile conflict that has detrimental effects to both parties,” Senack wrote.
“I no longer feel safe attending, nor do I want to support, a cause that is creating a further divide in an already polarized world. I also think of my Jewish friends who I know feel sidelined and discriminated against in a war they did not create. I’ll be celebrating my rights on the sidelines this year.”
Hey Barrhaven, are you ready to be plastic-free?
y A lex A D ADDA rio
Paper straws suck.
As a journalist and environmental scientist, myself, one of my biggest criticisms of the discussion around plastic pollution is the lack of nuance regarding the benefits of plastic. Cheap, durable, and sanitary; plastics have revolutionized industries from shipping and packaging to healthcare, allowing civilization to support greater numbers of people and making participation in society possible for all. Plastic straws themselves are flexible and have lower heat conductivity, which could provide many individuals with disabilities and grip mobility issues a convenient way to consume a variety of liquids.
Previous estimates suggest plastic straws only contribute to plastic pollution by about 4 per cent per piece and about 0.02 per cent by weight. However, that’s still about 8.3 billion pieces, pieces we are sticking right in our mouths and consuming liquids running through them. An easy way to ingest plastics in their most pernicious form, microplastics.
Microplastics are plastic pieces that are less than 5mm in length. Microplastic can be produced directly, such as in the now banned microbeads in cosmetics and oral hygiene products, as well as indirectly through the mechanical or chemical breakdown of larger plastics by erosion, solar radiation et cetera. The largest sources of microplastics are textiles, such as clothing which release microplastics into the water supply when we wash our clothes, and tires which release microplastics from treading.
Microplastics are found in all areas of the globe, from sprawling metropolises to barren
deserts, plastic doesn’t just move there by water, but also through the air. Emerging research is finding microplastics in our guts, our lungs and our blood, even breast milk, placentae and brains. For better or worse, plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it just breaks down, getting smaller and smaller until it ends up in our water, food, air and subsequently our bodies.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution convened in Ottawa the last full week of April, 2024 with delegates from 175 countries to negotiate a treaty proposal aimed at reducing plastic pollution. The week was kicked off with the premiere of the film Plastic
People at ByTowne Cinema, co-directed by Ziya Tong whom many of you will remember as the host of Discovery Canada’s Flagship program Daily Planet, where I had the privilege of completing my internship while a journalism student. Having kept in touch with Ziya, I was fortunate enough to also work on the documentary myself after studying microplastic pollution in Ottawa waterways in graduate school.
Recently, the Federal Court overturned Canada’s single-use plastic
ban, citing it too “unreasonable and unconstitutional”. Certainly plastic in and of itself isn’t inherently bad. Plastic is simply characterized as materials synthesized from the polymerization of organic molecules. Humans have been molding natural rubbers for millennia, and before mass industrialization, bakelite and celluloid made up all our shiny new toys.
Today, most plastics are derived from petroleum sources such as oil, coal and natural gas. Additionally, many contain resins, coatings and additives such as phthalates and bisphenol-A.
While the research is still in its infancy, there is some data linking this type of plastic expos-
water?
ure to poorer health outcomes. Phthalates used to soften plastics such as for use in baby bottles have been linked to asthma, allergies and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Alternatively, bisphenol-A which is used to harden plastic was actually first discovered for its hormone disrupting properties, believe it or not.
In my own research, I found microplastics in 149 of the 150 Rideau River invertebrate samples I collected. While we are far from being the greatest of plastic polluters, and admittedly, many of the substitutions are far more inferior, the question I pose to you, dear reader, is how much plastic are you willing to accept in your food and
If you are interested in minimizing plastic exposure in your own life, try using metal, wood and glass, particularly when storing food, and purchasing clothing that uses fabrics with less plastic such as cotton, wool or silk. These are luxuries few of us can afford, however, and ultimately one of the biggest questions raised in Plastic People is whether the onus should be placed on the user or the producer? In which case, writing to elected officials and supporting more plastic aware businesses could make a bigger impact.
Another major insight from Plastic People was the exploration of Bayfield, Ontario. Approximately 80 per cent of eateries in Bayfield have committed to eliminating single-use plastics, becoming the first town in North America to be listed as plastic-free by Surfers Against Sewage, an environmental organiza-
tion based in the United Kingdom. Are the residents of Barrhaven ready to try as well?
Barrhaven resident Alexa Daddario received both a Master of Science and Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University and Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). Her research has been featured in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, Environmental Conservation and the Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and her reporting in The Canadian Science Policy Centre, ComSciConversation and The Hill Times. Alexa enjoys learning about the environment, animals and fossils, and communicating that information to others. When she’s not doing research or reporting, you can find her reading, doing cartwheels and round-offs (badly), and making dated pop culture references no one understands.
B
Barrhaven journalist and environmental scientist Alexa Daddario has been researching the presence of microplastics in water.
Poster for Plastic People documentary.
Ziya Tong and Alexa D’Addario at the Canadian premiere of Plastic People at ByTowne Cinema on April 22nd, 2024.
Microplastic fibers extracted from crawfish flesh.
I MAge TA ken By AlexA D’A DDA r I o
10 years ago: Tanning salon gets burned by landlord
From the Barrhaven Independent augustg 14, 2014
Darcy MacLennan woke up in the middle of the night, realizing that the lease at Palm Beach Mega Tan would soon be up for renewal.
Two days later, she received an e-mail from RioCan, informing her that she would have to vacate her spot in the mall by September 18, 2014.
“I called our corporate office and the owner of Palm Beach Mega Tan told me not to worry about it and to give the landlord a call,” MacLennan said.
MacLennan called, and she was informed that a new tenant would be taking over her spot in the mall, and that she had to vacate in September.
In the lease she signed in 2004, there was a clause that said she would have to inform RioCan one year before its expiration if she intended to stay.
“It was the fine print in a long lease signed 10 years ago,” MacLennan said. “Of course we had every intention of staying. We just renewed our franchise agreement with Palm Beach. RioCan had even come around and collected 12 post-dated cheques earlier this year.”
MacLennan said that a new tenant was taking over the old Randall’s location, and that they would be knocking down the wall between the two spots as the required both store areas.
A sandwich board sign promoting a fitness centre was placed on the sidewalk near the location at RioCan.
Representatives from RioCan did not return our repeated calls to comment on the situation.
MacLennan said she was “devastated” when she found out she would be losing her storefront, and she is still looking for options.
“I’m still in shock,” she said. “We have been a perfect tenant for more than 10 years, and now we are being forced out. We are losing our business, we are losing our investment, and our employees are losing their jobs. It’s horrible for us.”
Palm Beach Mega Tan currently has five employees as it is the offseason, but in the winter, their business is much steadier and more employees are brought on. RioCan does not have another spot in the mall that Palm Beach can move into.
MacLennan said that the investment in her current location for the electrical needs of the tanning salon was $60,000.
“If we did find a location, our cost of moving would be about $100,000,” she said. “We would have to have
our electrical requirements met, and then we would have moving and administration costs on top of that. Even if we found a location that is suitable, I don’t know if we can do it.”
MacLennan said that when she got the Palm Beach Mega Tan franchise in 2004, getting the business was contingent on getting a spot in the RioCan Marketplace.
“It’s the only location that we wanted,” she said. “It’s the best location in Barrhaven, and with the bridge now open, it’s an even better location. If I couldn’t get into the RioCan Mall, I don’t think we would have moved forward.”
Another problem that is upsetting MacLennan involves her customer base. Palm Beach would have no way of refunding their thousands of customers for packages that they have purchased. She would have to approach other tanning salons to see if the minutes sold can be transferred. Over the past 10 years, Palm Beach Mega Tan has had more than 21,000 customers in Barrhaven, Manotick and the surrounding area.
MacLennan is spending most of this month at the
front counter of her business, explaining the situation to her customers.
“I feel really bad for everyone,” she said. “They are all being blindsided by this, and a lot of our customers still don’t know that we have to leave.”
A final sticking point with RioCan for Palm Beach Mega Tan was the last two months of operation.
“We have to be open and we have to pay the bills and have our staff here,” MacLennan said. “We can’t sell any packages and we have
very little means of making money. We can sell lotions and single tans, but most of our revenue comes from selling minutes. We can’t do that anymore. It would be fraudulent.”
MacLennan contacted RioCan asking if she could have a break in her rent for the past two months, since she has no way of covering her operating expenses. RioCan emailed her back, refusing her request.
MacLennan said she will never know, but she is suspecting that RioCan wanted her business out of the loca-
tion to make room for whatever is going in there.
“They didn’t communicate with me at all about the lease, and I would guess that once I didn’t contact them, they had their way to get us out of here,” she said. “They should have contacted me. Don’t you think if our lease was coming up they would have sent a reminder or a notice? And who knows, maybe if we would have told them we wanted to renew, they could have jacked our rent up so high we couldn’t have stayed anyway.”
Darcy MacLennan owned and operated Palm Beach Mega Tan in Barrhaven until 2014.
Canada’s only Kosher BBQ Cook-Off brings culture and flavour to Barrhaven
The Ottawa Torah Centre (OTC) is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated Ottawa Kosher BBQ Cook-off and Festival 2024, set to take place on August 18, from 11:00am-4:00pm at the OTC campus located at 111 Lamplighters Dr. in Barrhaven.
Supported by the Government of Ontario and in collaboration with various community stakeholders, the Ottawa Kosher BBQ Cook-off and Festival promises a vibrant celebration of culinary delights. This event aims to engage all sectors of the Ottawa community, welcoming both Jews and non-Jews to explore Jewish culture through its rich Kosher cuisine.
This one-day culinary extravaganza will feature teams and pit masters competing in multiple categories, including best brisket, chili, and chicken, all prepared in accordance with Kosher dietary laws. Each team will be equipped with a Kettle Grill and a smoker, provided with equal quantities and quality of meat, and judged by professional Kansas City Barbeque Societyapproved judges. Additionally, attendees with advance “Taster Tickets” will have the opportunity to sample dishes from the competing teams and vote for the People’s Choice Award.
Adding to the excitement, popular television host Derick Fage will emcee the judging of the competition. Fage’s vibrant personality and culinary enthusiasm will bring an extra
layer of excitement and engagement to the event, ensuring a memorable experience for all attendees.
“This is the only Kosher BBQ competition and Jewish food festival of its kind in Canada,” says Rabbi Menachem M. Blum, the event’s organizer. “It provides a unique opportunity for our diverse community to come together, connect, and learn about each other while enjoying some delicious food.”
The Ottawa Kosher BBQ Cook-off and Festival 2024 is set to attract hundreds of participants and spectators from all age groups and ethnic backgrounds. The festival will feature a kid’s zone with inflatable obstacle courses, bouncy castles, carnival games, face painting, and balloon twisting. A Kosher food court, presented by Cater 4U, will offer mouth-
watering BBQ and Middle Eastern favorites, including Chicken Shawarma, Falafel, Schnitzel Sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs. The beer garden will showcase award-winning craft beers from Shillow Beer, Ontario’s only Kosher brewery. Indulge in a delightful array of desserts, ice cream, and sweets, all expertly crafted by Keeping It Vegan.
Kosher BBQ cook-offs and Jewish food festivals have gained popularity in many Jewish communities across the United States, serving as a creative way to foster community bonds over food in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
The OKBBQ 2024 aims to replicate this success in Canada’s capital, offering a unique opportunity for all to experience and learn about Kosher Jewish food and culture.
General entry to the fes-
tival is free. Tickets for the food court and kid’s zone can be purchased online in
advance or on the day of the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theotc.org/ bbq or call 613.843.7770.
popular vendors in the 2022 Kosher Cook-off in Barrhaven.
Eagles kick-off 2024 NCAFA football season at Mosquito Madness
The kickoff of the National Capital Amateur Football Association’s 69th season and the 2024 Ottawa Tackle Football Season took place last weekend. First, on August 10th, the Tyke Tussle at TD Place Stadium brought together families and children in the U10 age division for their first taste of competitive football in a jamboree-style format. It was a memorable experience as these young athletes faced other teams and stepped onto the field with official referees for the first time. Following this, on August 11th, Mosquito Madness took place at Bob Barr Field in Kanata. This event featured all U12 teams in a similar format, with a day full of spirited competition and community fun. Additionally, both days featured the Purolator Tackle Hunger event for the Ottawa Food Bank. Each club received red Purolator bags to bring to their respective event, and a Purolator truck was on-site to collect the bags. The NCAFA regular season for Tyke, Mosquito, Pee-Wee, Bantam and Varsity (formerly Midget) gets underway the weekend of august 16-18.
New doors for Chapman’s fairy colony, thanks to local carver
Chapman Mills Conservation Area in Barrhaven has long been home to a colony of fairies, who make their tiny homes in tree stumps along the trail. Brightlycoloured doors beckon to visitors, although the fairies themselves are rarely seen.
This summer, regulars may have noticed the trail’s fairy doors have undergone some renovations, with many new doors sprouting up sporting lucky ladybugs on their thresholds.
But the fairies didn’t work alone; they contracted an anonymous human carver for help. This carver lives in Barrhaven and has been making whimsical fairy homes for her tiny clients for more than 20 years. She said it brings her joy to help the fairies and to watch Chapman’s youngest visitors delight in finding all the doors.
“It’s nice to have that bit of whimsy around,” said the anonymous carver, adding
that the COVID-19 pandemic really highlighted the need for joyful additions to public spaces. “It’s wonderful to see the kids having something fun to discover as they go along the trail.”
She said hearing from kids and seeing how it sparks their imagination is better than any payment for her work.
“The stories the little ones come up with are just incredible, and so creative,” she said. “It’s really important.”
The award-winning carver uses locally found cottonwood bark for most of her work, usually from the Britannia area. She lets it dry for about six months before its ready to carve. It takes a full day to make a fairy door from start to finish.
She got permission from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority to install the fairy doors, with the understanding that she wouldn’t put them in live trees. She hopes the public will respect
the fairies’ homes and leave them where they are.
“This is for everyone to enjoy, and I hope it puts a smile on faces.”
Chapman Mills Conservation Area is located on the west bank of the Rideau River on Prince of Wales Drive between Winding Way and Lodge Road. It consists mainly of natural river shoreline, wetlands and flood plain areas that are unique in the City of Ottawa.
Visitors can enjoy a covered picnic shelter, scenic
lookouts, walkways and boardwalks that lead pedestrians on a 1.5 km stroll through some sensitive and beautiful habitats. Interpretive signs along the way tell the site’s environmental story. At the trail’s north end visitors can also enjoy an accessible dock for launching canoes, kayaks and other paddlecrafts, as well as a viewing platform. The south end has a shoreline entrance for paddlecrafts. Parking is located off Winding Way.
The land for Chapman Mills Conservation Areas
was a gift to the people of the Rideau Valley from the South Nepean Development Corporation, along with additional land ceded from Parks Canada. Minto Development Inc. provided the development funds necessary to carry out the improvements for public use of Chapman Mills Conservation Area.
Compromise Customize!
Though compromising has its place, some things are simply non-negotiable. Your health and relationships, for example, are areas where settling is simply unacceptable. Consequently, you take even the slightest hearing loss seriously.
or promoof-the-month program. The right solution cannot be pre-determined. To be successful, you will want the assessments to be detailed and done by an Audiologist, you will want the selection unlimited, and the flexibility maximized.
The good news is that with nearly a dozen manufacturers, there are numerous product lines offering thousands of solutions, so with some detailed consideration of all the options, finding what’s best for you is possible. The key is to consult a clinician that can prescribe based on your unique needs and wants rather than be limited by the owner’s pre-determined product portfolio.
Offering just that is Hearing Freedom, a locally owned, grown, and operated clinic. Their customized intervention approach is unfortunately rare in today’s market, where retail settings, larger clinics and manufacturer owned chains have limited the patient’s options to a single or few manufacturers.
“best”
for
from
Why? Because you know untreated or improperly treated hearing loss not only has a negative impact on precious relationships, it is also linked to health concerns such as cognitive decline and depression. You also know that hearing is highly individualized, and so you want a solution tailored to you and your needs, not
and
to
The unique and refreshing approach that sets Hearing Freedom apart from other providers was established over 20 years ago when Rosanne McNamee, Doctor of Audiology, decided to do it her way. After interviewing for employment at many local clinics, she was disheartened to discover that the focus was always on sales targets and the company’s affiliation to certain manufacturers. “That was not my idea of proper hearing health care,” says McNamee. “I came into this profession to improve my patients’ quality of life. To do so need to consider everything available
a one-size-fits-all or promo-of-themonth program. You therefore seek a clinic where the assessments are detailed and done by an Audiologist, where your selection is unlimited, and where the flexibility is maximized.
works for one will not work for another. Blanket solutions just don’t cut it.” And so, she decided to set up her own business, doing it her way and putting patients first. At Hearing Freedom, there are no predetermined products or plans. Each and every patient’s intervention plan is as unique as they are. The experience begins with a thorough assessment which is followed by a detailed needs assessment, giving proper foundation. All options, amplification or otherwise, are then discussed. “We devote all the time necessary to ensure our patients’ hearing needs are met.” explains McNamee, “We offer demos as well as a 90-day trial period on purchased hearing aids. These options give patients the confidence that they have chosen the right solution for them, their lifestyle and hearing needs.” With a focus on rehabilitation and continued support, a 5 year service plan is
Though hard to find in today’s market, the good news is that Hearing Freedom offers just that. Unlike retail settings, larger clinics and manufacturer owned chains, at Hearing Freedom nothing is pre-determined, everything is customized. Your options are not limited to a single or few manufacturers. To the contrary, your Audiologist will study the numerous product lines available in the market to find the one that best suits you. You will not be unknowingly compromising.
This unique and refreshing approach has been setting Hearing Freedom apart for over 20 years. It came to be when a newly graduated Audiologist was looking for employment in Ottawa and became disheartened by the interviews’ constant focus on timelines, sales targets and preferred Manufacturers. “I came into this profession to improve my patients’ quality of life” says McNamee. “Hurried assessments and limited product offerings is sacrificing a patient’s potential success for better profit margins –not my idea of proper hearing health care.” And so, she decided to set up her own business, doing it her way and putting patients first.
In addition, there are no Hearing Instrument Practitioners (aka HIS,
HIT or HIP) at Hearing Freedom. Rather, patients are seen by Audiologists who have a university degree and are registered to a regulatory body. They are the most qualified in their field, able to service both children and adults, whether they are private pay or third party supported (WCB, VAC, etc).
“Not only is hearing complex, so are today’s hearing aids,” McNamee explains. “Dealing with the most qualified health care professional, in the most independent setting, is crucial to success.” At Hearing Freedom you can be certain that you have chosen the best place to trust with your hearing needs.
For more information
CLUES ACROSS
1. Major American automaker (abbr.)
4. Pressure measurement
7. Two-year-old sheep
10. Indigenous person from Laos or Thailand
11. Up in the air (abbr.)
12. Actress de Armas
13. Not moving
15. Cool!
16. Bog arum genus
19. Perceptible by touch
21. Type of test
23. Monetary units
24. Collection of various things
25. Sum of five and one
26. Type of sword
27. Hates
30. Immobile
34. Pie _ _ mode
35. Moved quickly
36. Passenger’s place on a motorbike
41. A way through
45. Former US Secretary of Education Duncan
46. Leader
47. Flowing
50. Greetings
54. Remedy
55. Soft lightweight fabric
56. Building material
57. Sea bream
59. A way to cause to be swollen
60. One and only
61. People get one in summer
62. Wreath
63. Thus far
64. They __
65. Sea eagle
CLUES DOWN
1. Policemen (French)
2. Toy dog
3. Inflamed colon disease
4. Can’t move
5. Helps little firms
6. Lists of names, subjects, etc.
7. Takes down
8. Makes possible
9. Wife of Julius
Constantius
13. Engine additive
14. Arctic explorers (abbr.)
17. Written account
18. Consumed
20. Something the first shall be
22. No (slang)
27. Gov’t lawyers
28. Peyton’s little brother
29. Small amount
31. Investment vehicle
32. Fall behind
33. Midway between northeast and east
37. Head pain
38. Popular sport in England and India
39. King Charles’s sister
40. Boat race
41. About fish
42. Maidservant
43. Able to be marketed
44. Tinier
47. Parts per billion (abbr.)
48. Paddle
4.9 Oneness
51. Bitter chemical
52. Not around
53. Very fast airplane
58. Swiss river
