The Orleans Star May 27, 2021

Keep it up, Orléans!

We’re almost back to normal.

Dr. Sally Ing

Dr. Kat Muzar

chapelhilldental.ca 3400 Innes Rd., Orléans (at Pagé) 613.424.4241

May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

Next edition June 10

L’édition de cette semaine à l’intérieur...

Orléans Health Hub to open its doors on June 24

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star

The Orléans Health Hub will receive its first patients on June 22.

The health care facility will initially offer senior services, medical imaging, rehabilitation services, mental health and wellness services and some specialty clinics. STAFF PHOTO

It’s been more than a decade since former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty promised Orléans residents that they would get a state-ofthe-art community health care centre.

Now – after more than 13 years of delays and empty reassurances – it looks as though Orléans residents will finally get the facility they have been waiting so long for.

The Orléans Health Hub, which is located at the corner of Mer Bleue Road and Brian Coburn Boulevard, is scheduled to open it’s doors to the public on Thursday, June 24.

The Health Hub is a unique and innovative facility that combines a range of specialized and community-based care under one roof.

When open, east end Ottawa residents will be able to benefit from integrated, needs-based programs offered in both official languages and

close to home in a welcoming building inspired by nature.

The building will actually open in two phases. During the first phase, the Health Hub will provide senior services, medical imaging, rehabilitation services, some mental health and wellness services, some specialty clinics, care coordination, a mobility aid store and a laboratory.

In Phase 2, which will commence sometime this fall, the health hub will also offer some mental health and wellness services that were not transferred in June, as well as specialty clinics currently being offered at the Montfort Hospital and a coffee shop.

All family physicians in the area will be able to refer their patients to the Health Hub for whatever community and specialty services they may need.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

We can all help bring families together again.

Get vaccinated.

Canada.ca/covid-vaccine 1-833-784-4397

1 2 •72300_4_Vac_ripple_print_9,75x11_families_English.indd May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

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Active cases in three east end wards drop to six-week low

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The number of COVID-19 cases in the east end has continued to decline over the past two weeks, going from 368 cases between April 19 and May 3, to 217 cases between May 3 and May 17. That’s the lowest number of active cases in the east end’s three municipal wards since April 5.

Innes Ward saw the greatest drop in active cases, going from 138 active cases between April 19 and May 3 to just 58 cases between May 3 and May 17.

In Orléans Ward, the number of active cases dropped from 96 to 69, while in Cumberland Ward the number of cases dropped from 134 to 90.

City-wide, there was an average of 1,458 active cases in Ottawa between May 3 and May 17. That’s a 42 per cent decrease in the average number of cases during the previous two-week period when there were 2,529 active cases.

On Tuesday, there were 1,002 active cases in the city. That’s the lowest number of active cases in Ottawa in almost two months.

Hospitalizations are also down. Accord-

ing to the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 dashboard, there were 58 individuals being treated for COVID-19 in Ottawa Hospitals as of May 17, 18 of whom were in ICU. Both numbers have been on a steady decline since April 26 when Ottawa was experiencing record highs in both areas.

The seven-day average number of reported cases in the city is also at a four week low, with 53 cases being reported per 100,000 residents between May 11 and May 17.

If the current trend continues, it will be under 40 by the time the provincial stay-athome order is lifted next week. Forty cases per 100,000 residents is the benchmark for regions to move into the orange zone which would allow restaurants and other nonessential businesses to reopen.

The reproduction rate, which is a measure of the average number of secondary COVID cases caused by a single infected person, must also be below 1.2, which it has been since April 10.

Finally, the positivity rate for COVID testing needs to be below 2.5 per cent. That may take a little more time to achieve. In fact, it has not been below 2.5 per cent since March 13.

Number of reported cases in the east end wards between May 3 and May 17

Innes Ward 58 cases down from 138

VACCINATIONS The one thing that might help get us there are vaccines. We have been averaging over 47,000 vaccinations a week for three weeks now. On May 15, a record 9,792 people were inoculated in one day.

As of Sunday, May 16, 438,178 Ottawa residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 30,360 residents had received two doses.

Any resident 18 and over is now eligible to

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Orléans Ward 69 cases down from 96

Cumberland Ward 90 cases down from 134

receive a vaccine. However, due to the initial high demand, all the available appointments at the community vaccination centres are temporarily full and the online booking system is closed until more vaccines become available in the coming days.

Ottawa Public Health’s goal is to vaccinate at least 75 per cent of the population. The city is currently sitting at 42 per cent. At the current rate of vaccinations we should reach the designated target by mid-June.

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May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27 • 3

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S H O P, T O U R A N D B U Y O N L I N E 4 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

Plenty of blame to go around for COVID-19 deaths in senior homes It’s been more than a month now since Ontario’s Long Term Care COVID-19 Commission released it’s hotly anticipated final report into the circumstances that lead to the deaths of nearly 4,000 seniors in long term care facilities during the pandemic.

In putting their findings down on paper, the report’s authors didn’t hold back any punches. In short, they lay the responsibility for the thousands of COVID-related deaths in long term care homes squarely at the feet of the former Liberal government under Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne, and the current Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford.

The report begins by summarizing the McGuinty government’s initial response to the SARS outbreak in 2003.

“In the years following SARS, the province made influenza pandemic plans, created a stockpile of emergency supplies and began earnest preparations,” the report’s authors outline. “(But) as the years progressed pandemic preparedness ceased to be a priority.”

“Public health scares such as H1N1 and Ebola resulted in passing attention being paid to emergency readiness, but there was no lasting resolve to ensure the province was ready for a pandemic.

Up Front Fred Sherwin By the time COVID-19 arrived, successive governments had allowed 90 per cent of the province’s stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) to expire and be destroyed, without replacement. There was no comprehensive plan to address a pandemic.

Worse yet, there was no plan to protect residents in long-term care.

Prior to the pandemic, there had been numerous warnings that Ontario’s long-term care sector needed a significant overhaul, but successive government’s, both Liberal and Conservative ignored those warnings.

So in short, the former Liberal government was responsible for the sorry state the province’s long-term care sector was in prior to the pandemic and for the lack of any real pandemic preparedness. And one can easily lay the 29 deaths that occurred at the Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon

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last March at their feet, but any of the deaths that came after Bobcaygeon happened under Doug Ford’s watch.

The proverbial writing was on the wall for anyone to see if they only took the time to look at it. It’s became abundantly obvious from very early on that Ford never took the time to look at it.

They dragged their heels on requiring a ban on non-essential visits. They failed to anticipate the impact the pandemic would have on staffing levels as individuals either got sick or elected to stay home for their own safety. And they failed to provide long-term care homes and retirement communities with sufficient levels of Personal Protective Equipment and COVID testing needed to keep both residents and staff safe.

Worse still, the Ford government failed to learn any lessons from the first wave of the pandemic which they could have applied in the lead up to the second wave. As a result, more than a thousand seniors lost their lives, many of them needlessly. In the three month period between April 1 and July 1, 1,817 seniors died in long-term care homes. From July 1 to Nov. 1, 147 more long-term care residents succumbed to the virus.

Almost as many seniors died during the second wave of the pandemic as the first.

Between Nov. 1 and Feb. 1, another 1,619 seniors died in long-term care, many of which could have been prevented if Ford had taken action. He did not and he is culpable for his failure not to act.

Here is the Commission’s take on the second wave – “Sadly, the second wave of the pandemic was more deadly than the first in Ontario’s long-term care homes. The story of how this province failed to protect its most vulnerable residents during the second wave is still unfolding. It is clear, though, that problems such as insufficient staff, lack of training and aging home infrastructure were too deeply ingrained to overcome in the period between the first and second waves.”

Unfortunately, the Commission neglected to point the finger of blame at Ford himself.

That job has been left to the Toronto law firm Diamond and Diamond which has launched a $500 million class action law suit against 13 different long-term care providers as well as the provincial government and a number of municipal bodies including Ottawa.

Ford has yet to offer any sort of apology to the families of the thousands of seniors who have died as a result of his government’s failure to protect them.

His failure to apologize is reprehensible.

His failure to act is criminal.

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Health, Happiness and Home May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27 • 5

Help needed Orléans-Cumberland’s less fortunate residents need your help and the best way you can help them is by donating to the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre’s Mother’s Day/Father’s Day fundraising campaign.

To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a heightened demand for the Resource Centre’s services is an understatement. Combined with a drop off in donations and the cancellation of major fundraising events like their annual golf tournament, the Resource Centre has had to think outside the box to try and make up for the shortfall.

The Mother’s Day/Father’s Day Fundraising Campaign is focused on helping moms and dads.

Parenting is challenging enough at the best of times, but it has been especially so during the pandemic. Parents who were struggling to make ends meet prior to the pandemic, were suddenly faced with challenges they never dreamed of. Hundreds of parents who were already out of work were suddenly faced with a shrinking job market, while hundreds of other parents in the retail and service industry sectors faced the prospect of indefinite layoffs. On top of the financial pressures, they’ve had to take on the added challenge of helping their children navigate the pitfalls of virtual learning.

Prior to the pandemic, the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre provided assistance to more than 1,900 mothers and fathers in their catchment area which includes Queenswood Heights, Fallingbrook, Chatelaine Village, Avalon and the rural portion of the former municipality of Cumberland. Since the onset of the pandemic, demand has increased substantially.

Parents come to the Resource Centre for a variety of services: the food bank, Child and Youth drop-ins and workshops, individual, family and couple counselling, crisis intervention, parent workshops, etc. – all of which costs money to provide. This is where you come in.

Every time the Resource Centre has put out a call for donations, the Orléans and Cumberland communities have stepped up to the plate.

Funding for the day-to-day administrative operation of the Resource Centre is provided through government funding. That means that 100 per cent of the donations the public provides goes to programming and services which directly helps mothers and fathers in need. For instance, the food bank uses the money to purchase items like milk, eggs, bread and fresh produce to ensure that Orléans families facing financial challenges can still have a balanced diet.

When you make a donation to the Mother’s Day/Father’s Day Fundraising Campaign, you are helping your neighbours, many of whom are dealing with the challenges in total anonymity. To make your online donation today visit www.crcoc.ca.

Fred Sherwin, editor

Fredrick C. Sherwin, Editor & Publisher fsherwin@orleansstar.ca The Orléans Star is a bi-weekly publication distributed to 44,000 residences in Blackburn Hamlet, Orléans and Navan. The newspaper is locally owned and operated by Sherwin Publishing Inc., 745 Farmbrook Cres., Orléans, ON. Inquiries and delivery issues should be sent to info@orleansstar.ca.

6 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

Orléans to get over $1 million in COVID-19 resiliency funding Thanks to the federal government’s ongoing efforts to acquire enough vaccine doses for everyone, the Government of Ontario has now opened vaccination to all people over the age of 18. This is encouraging news and the sign that we are getting closer to a healthy and safe immunized community.

As we celebrated National Nursing Week on the week of May 10, and Personal Support Worker Day on May 19, I want to thank and salute our nurses and Personal Support Workers for continuously safeguarding our well-being and health, as well as for their hard work, sacrifices, devotion, and care for our most vulnerable.

You truly are our champions, every day of the year.

Last week, I had a fantastic townhall with our local business owners to highlight the exceptional measures that Budget 2021 puts forward to support our small businesses, the core of our community. The Heart of Orléans BIA’s executive board co-hosted this event with me and I commend them for their collaboration.

I am truly grateful for the privileged relationship we have and for what we can accomplish together to better our community.

It’s always a pleasure to recognize the achievements of some of our community’s outstanding personalities. I notably want to highlight three constituent from Orléans: Roda Muse, for her nomination as Secretary General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Germaine Chazou-Essindi, for her nomination as

Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the National Arts Centre, and Rachel Homan, an Olympic curling champion, for winning the women’s Grand Slam last month.

I am thrilled that our one-of-a-kind Orléans Health Hub will be welcoming its first patients on June 24.

This is a great milestone in bringing integrated medical services closer to our homes and I want to acknowledge the leadership of Montfort and the community partners for their vision in making this project a reality.

This year, the Canada Summer Job Program granted a record amount of approved positions to Orléans. This program is vital to our small businesses and organizations and helps youth gain experience and put their skills to use. A total of 94 organizations in Orléans received funding through the program, 624 job positions have received support, bringing the total amount of funds allocated to our community to over $2.4 million.

Moreover, I am pleased to see the federal government investing in our city under the COVID-19 Resilience Municipal Stream – Infrastructure Canada.

This means an investment of $1,043,000 for Orléans, which will provide our community with more multiuse pathways, picnic areas, gazebos, pedestrians crossings, parks and more. I can’t wait to visit these new infrastructures with my three municipal counterparts when provincial COVID guidelines permit.

Help get our community on the East end councillor launches path to normalcy, get vaccinated Gems of Innes Awards I hope everyone has been able to handle disappointing, but please know that as soon the heat over the last several days! With those as Ontario receives more doses, vaccine hazy days of summer upon us, make sure appointments will be opening up and you to pack on the sunscreen and drink lots of will be able to book an appointment before water. Enjoy the outdoors you know it! as much as you can, all We’ve also got more the while making sure to look forward to in Tim to physically distance as the coming weeks as Tierney the province announced much as possible.

With vaccine appointtheir official reopening ments rolling out to plan which includes three Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward 11 adults 18 and up, we can steps. envision a near future where we can hang The first step will involve opening out with family and friends again and enjoy more outdoor activities and allow for community events. We’re not quite there small gatherings outdoors. The province is yet, but we need to keep this train rolling expecting to begin the first step on June 14. down the track by being COVID-Wise and This past weekend, on Saturday May 22, COVID-Kind. outdoor recreation was allowed to reopen, The horizon is looking brighter every including but not limited to, golf and tennis! day!

The steps will continue to roll out based Opening up those vaccine appointments on the percentage of adults with their first to all age groups 18+ is incredibly exciting vaccines (at least 21 days apart). news and many people were able to book I personally can’t wait to reconnect with their appointments in the coming weeks. my community in person and visit with There were also quite a few people who friends and loved ones that I haven’t been logged in to see that no more appointments able to see in ages. We’re all in the same were available. I realize that this this may be boat... let’s keep it steady as she goes!

Last year, when I recognized residents - Best Arts/Culture Business/Organization who were supporting their community - Best Community Support Organization during the pandemic with the Heroes of - Best Retail Business – Food (including Innes Award, I was taken take-out) aback by the incredible - Best New Business response and support that - Best Personal Laura I received for the award.

Service Business (gym, Dudas With that in mind, I salon, etc.) am excited to announce In addition, this year that I will be making the in light of the pandemic, Innes Ward 2 awards permanent, and I also want to include this year will mark the first of the annual awards recognizing our community’s: Gems of Innes Awards. These awards will - Favourite Frontline Worker help to celebrate and highlight the great - Favourite Frontline Business and businesses and community organizations - COVID-19 Community HERO! in the east end that make our community To nominate a business or community sparkle! organization for a 2021 Gem of Innes The awards are open to any business or Award, visit LauraDudas.ca/Gems or send organization that serves residents of Innes me an e-mail at Laura.Dudas@ottawa.ca.

Ward and Orléans.

The deadline for submissions is June 25, The Gems of Innes Awards are in the 2021. following categories: I look forward to recognizing and cele- Best Restaurant/Café brating the amazing businesses, community - Best Professional Service Business organizations and local heroes that make (medical, legal, real estate, etc.)

Innes Ward and the east end such and - Best Retail Business – Merchandise incredible place.

May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27 • 7

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Orléans food truck comes to the aid of fellow food truck operator ORLÉANS – Matt Robitaille is the co-owner of the Stoked food truck located in the in the parking lot in front of 1455 Youville Dr. across from the Orléans Self Serve Car Wash. In the evening, he usually locks up their generator, a flat screen monitor, two gas-powered water pumps and their soft drink supply in a shed on site and drives the truck offsite. Sometime during the early morning hours on Saturday May 8, the shed was broken into and everything was stolen, forcing them to shutdown on what is normally their busiest day of the week. That’s when a neighbouring food truck La Ha Tacos jumped in. When the owners of La Ha Tacos found out about the theft, they took several pounds of Burnt Ends from Stoked and sold them into a charity taco, raising nearly $750 in the process. When word began to spread about the theft, dozens of people flocked to Stoked when they reopened the next day to place an order or to just drop by and make a donation, proving once again that Orléans is one of the most generous and supportive communities in the world.

Popular Petrie Island grill and rum shack gets the boot

Going bonkers with boredom?

Virtual summer camps Mix and match half days Register now ottawa.ca/virtualprograms 8 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

ORLÉANS – Over the past 10 years, the Bananas Beach Grill and Rum Shack has been an oasis for Petrie Island visitors looking to wet their whistle on a hot summer’s day, or grab a bite to eat. The oasis turned into a mirage this week, when city staff awarded the summer concession contract to the owners of the Baja Burger Shack which has made a name for itself over the years with two locations at Mooney’s Bay and Britannia Beach. With Britannia Beach undergoing an extensive rehabilitation this year, the owners of Baja Burger were looking for place to relocate their operation. After applying for the contract through the city’s parks and recreation department location, they emerged the winner ending Banana’s 10-year reign. Understandably, Banana’s co-owner Trever Mason was more than a little ticked off when he heard the news. “For almost 10 years, we operated a successful business despite three floods, a tornado, countless break-ins, and yes, a global pandemic,” Mason wrote in a post on his Facebook page. “Our 10 years of building a business, 10 years of building a community resource, 10 years of creating a tropical destination on Petrie Island, was ended by a single bureaucrat, supposedly using a rating scale/chart.” The decision was made despite support from Mayor Jim Watson and Orléans Ward councillor Matt Luloff who had no say in the matter. The awarding of municipal contracts such as the Petrie Island concession contract is left up to staff working at arm’s length from city council so as to avoid any potential conflict. When Mason was informed that their contract would not be renewed, he was told to get their trailers and all materials off of Petrie Island as soon as possible or possibly sell them to the new tenant.

Mason was stunned. His post received 37 comments within the first 16 hours all of them supportive and many of them from loyal customers.

Flawed COVID testing is the most inexact science of all and here’s what you should know about it

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Testing has been one of the key mantras among public health officials in Ontario and throughout the country since the COVID-19 pandemic began and one which has been echoed by the mainstream media for just as long.

“Testing is the key,” they all said. “We need to get people tested, so we can do the necessary contact tracing.” “We need to test everyone coming into the country.” And my favourite: “We need testing to keep people safe.” The problem is that sometimes it can do the exact opposite. In fact, an argument can be made that flawed testing may have cost people their lives and I’ll explain why.

Early on in the pandemic, a friend of mine who is a research scientist here in Ontario, told me that testing was a waste of time. My friend cited that if you test negative one day you may still catch the virus the next day.

Now we find out through various reports that if you test negative you may still, actually, be positive. “Testing,” my friend said, “was for the data collection people and statisticians.”

I thought about what she said when Ottawa Public Health sent out the mixed messaging regarding testing. On the one hand, they advised people to remain at home if they started to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, but then in the same breath they recommended that people with symptoms should get tested.

Which is it?

Another red flag moment came when the Canadian government started insisting that anyone arriving in Canada from abroad must be quarantined in a hotel at their own expense while they get tested, even though it was already necessary for people to have a negative test no more than 72 hours before returning to Canada.

Could it be because they didn’t trust the testing being done in some foreign countries?

And if they didn’t trust the testing, why not?

There has always been the potential for false negative results, but there is also the potential for false positive results.

A false negative result is problematic for obvious reasons. If someone falsely tests negative for COVID-19 when in actual fact they have the virus, they can cause quite a lot of damage by unwittingly passing it on to others. It’s one of the reasons that I have been arguing for double testing for months.

Back-to-back tests, three to four days apart, is standard for most front line health care workers. The idea being that the second test will catch the false negative of the first test.

But what if the first test was right and the second test was wrong? Could there be a potential for a false positive result? More so than you think and that’s because of the way COVID testing is conducted.

When a person goes for a test, a nasal swab is taking using what is essentially an oversized Q-tip. The swab is then sealed and sent to a testing facility where it is tested not once, not twice, not 12 times, but possibly 45 times as the lab technicians try to find the existence of the COVID-19 virus in the sample.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING Each of us reacts totally differently to the COVID-19 virus and our reaction is based on two factors – the strength of our individual immune system and the level of virus we have been exposed to known as the “viral load”. Your viral load is a combination of the level of virus you’ve been exposed to and the duration you were exposed to it.

Your viral load also changes over the course of your infection. It’s highest four or five days after you’ve contracted the disease and goes down from there.

After a certain a amount of time, your viral load is not sufficient enough to infect others, and in fact, remnants of the virus can stay in your system for months, which is where the issue of false positive results comes into play.

Getting back to the testing. The standard test to detect COVID-19 is called a Polymerase Chain Reaction test, or PCR test, which dramatically amplifies the amount of genetic material captured in a sample and then compares it to the DNA or RNA of a particular segment of the COVID-19 virus.

If the virus isn’t detected in the initial test attempt, the PCR process increases the genetic material present by copying it and then copying it again, over and over until the virus is eventually detected. Each time the material is replicated is referred to as a “cycle” and the total number of cycles is referred to as a cycle threshold, or Ct. If someone has a heavy viral load, the virus will be detected within the first few cycles.

The smaller the viral load, the more cycles that are needed to detect it.

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HOW TESTING CAN BE PROBLEMATIC There are two different ways to conduct PCR testing – qualitative and quantitative.

So how does a qualitative PCR test work?

Basically, the manufacturer sets the test to turn off the cycling or amplification process after a pre-determined number of cycles. If a qualitative is set at 40 cycles, it will turn off after the 40th cycle whether the virus was detected during the 25th cycle, or the 30th cycle, or whenever.

A quantitative test is designed to come up with the actual cycle threshold value as the cycling process turns off when detecting any virus. There is not a preset value, so a quantitative measure is obtained. A test that registers a positive result after 12 rounds of amplification for a Ct value of 12 starts out with 10 million times as much viral genetic material as a sample with a Ct value of 35.

So now we begin to see the problem.

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Flawed testing protocol can lead to false positive test results Continued from page 9

eventually detected. But here’s the kicker – no matter how many cycles if takes to detect the virus, the person infected is still referred to as an active case.

This is problematic for a number of reasons. It gives a false sense of the number of asymptomatic people that are in the community as health officials automatically assume that a positive test result from a person not showing symptoms is therefore asymptomatic; and it can falsely indicate that someone who has already had the virus still has it and can therefore be listed as an active positive case when in actual fact the result is a remnant of the virus.

According to the Journal of Clinical Virology, labs in Ontario set there testing equipment to cut off anywhere from 38 to 45 cycles.

The Centre for Disease Control in the United States recommends that the tests should cut off at 33 cycles to eliminate the chance for positive results from samples that are non-infectious because the viral load is

too small, or from samples that are merely remnants of the virus.

The latter is more prevalent than you would think, owing to the fact that people with a strong immune system will only experience mild or moderate symptoms and therefore not subject themselves to testing at the time.

If those same people go through a PCR test for whatever reason later on down the road, they will inevitably test positive even though they are no longer infectious. Weeding them out would require an anti-body test.

Most virologists now believe that the PCR tests should cut off after 30 cycles.

Counting positive results from tests that are run at 30-45 cycles gives an inaccurate indication of the number of active cases on any given day as well as an overblown positivity rate.

Incredibly, testing facilities are not obligated to give the Ct values to public health agencies and in most cases the public health officials aren’t interested in them. Even more incredibly the person being tested isn’t privy to that information either.

So why is that? The only possible reason is that it doesn’t fit into the public health narrative which is to keep people at home to prevent the spread of the virus.

But there’s no question that using Ct values over 35 means the current number of active cases, new cases and asymptomatic cases are overinflated.

In a perfect world, Ottawa Public Health would report the Ct values among the active cases. For instance, out of 1,000 active cases 70 per cent were the result of tests under 30 Ct and 30 per cent were from tests over 30 Ct. That would give us a better picture of the potential for transmission.

REAL WORLD ISSUES We’ve already established that qualitative PCR COVID-19 tests give a false impression of both the number of active cases in the community and the improbability on unlikelihood for people to be infectious whose samples were subjected to a high Ct value.

So how can this potentially affect you?

Well, your reaction to a positive test might be

different if you found that it took 40 cycles to detect the virus in your system.

There is a direct correlation between viral load and the Ct value. The lower the Ct value the higher the viral load and vice versa.

At present, you merely have to test positive to be subjected to a 14-day quarantine period. But if you were to test positive and found out that it was the result of a 35-45 Ct value, there would be no need to quarantine.

If laboratories were directed to set their testing equipment to 30-35 cycles, it would give us a clearer picture of the actual number of infectious cases that are out there rather than a global figure.

In the final analysis, there’s no question that the reporting of test results in terms of the number of active cases at any one time is flawed. If political leaders and public health officials are going to use testing and data to establish public policy they should be telling Canadians the whole story. In the meantime, hospitalizations are still the truest barometer by which the seriousness of the pandemic can be measured at any given moment.

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Ruisseau Park Ravine Rehabilitation Integrated Orléans Community Improvement Plan Municipal Class Environmental Assessment

The meeting on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, is to present the proposed Integrated Orléans This notice isImprovement to advise thatPlan the City of Ottawa will holdofa successful virtual public meetingfrom on March 31, Community (CIP), a combination elements both the 2021 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to present the results from the project’s existing conditions Orléans and St. Joseph Blvd. CIPs plus additional features. The integrated CIP will propose assessment. programs to enable the provision of financial incentives directly to commercial and high rise property owners to encourage property upgrades and improve economic vitality.

Residents are invited to ask questions and provide feedback on this study. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. The presentation will be posted Project objectives include: on the City’s website following the meeting with an opportunity to submit written comments.

- Urban renewal and revitalization - Stimulate private investment - Encourage highest and best Add varietythe to results business mix A second and final public meeting willuse be held in fall 2021- to present from the assessment of alternatives and the preferred solution.

To attend the meeting on March 31, members of

- Pedestrian-friendly, healthy vibrant streets - Job growth the public must register by email or by phone using the contact information below.

Please Consult the Orléans CIP project website and the St. Joseph Boulevard CIP project For more information, please visit website on Ottawa.ca for additional information. To join the zoom meeting please use: the project web page at URL: https://zoom.us/join Ottawa.ca/bluewillowpark, Meeting

ID: 925 7084 7085 or contact.

Passcode:

695939

Laurent P. Eng.+17789072071,,92570847085#,,,,*695939# Canada One tapJolliet, mobile: Project Specialist, Stormwater

+12042727920,,92570847085#,,,,*695939# Canada City of Ottawa Laurent.jolliet@Ottawa.ca Contact information: 613.580.2424 ext. 17149 Chris Cope. Economic Development Officer

Economic Development and Innovation Department 110 Laurier Ave., 3rd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1

www.orleansstar.ca

Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 28991 Fax: 613-560-6028 E-mail: Chris.Cope@ottawa.ca

May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27 • 11

Join debate on Integrated Orléans Community Improvement Plan

Your turn is coming soon.

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As vaccinations continue, we need to stay the course to protect those we love. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance.

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12 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

(NC) The City will host a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 2 to present the Integrated Orléans Community Improvement Plan (CIP) and to seek community feedback.

In July 2019, the City undertook a review of the St. Joseph Boulevard CIP and Orléans CIP with the objective of integrating the two plans under the Orléans CIP. Following this review, staff are ready to present the preliminary outline of the Orléans CIP to the public.

The plan draws on successful elements of the existing plans, aiming to encourage property upgrades and improve economic vitality.

Key proposals include: - New tools for Orléans businesses and major streets, such as the St. Joseph Boulevard Main Street Program and the Employment Creation Incentive Program - Measures to foster vibrancy and activity along main streets and pedestrian and cyclist thoroughfares, through the Pedestrian Friendly Streets Program - New tools to encourage multi-story development to develop ground-floor rental space aimed at sidewalk-oriented active uses where permitted You can provide feedback following the presentation and ask questions of City staff in both French and English. Visit the plan’s page on Engage Ottawa for more information and to access online engagement opportunities.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401). You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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14 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27

1301-2175_ann_Orléans_star — Collège Boréal date de parution : septembre 2020 grandeur : 9.75” x 11” h couleur

Long-awaited Orléans Health Hub to open its doors on June 22 Continued from page 1

Services will be fully bilingual and parking will be free. Existing COVID-19 health and safety protocols, will be adhered to within the building.

The Orléans Health Hub project is a partnership between Hôpital Montfort, the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre, Home and Community Support Services Champlain, ParaMed, Ottawa Public Health, Geriatric Psychiatry Community Services of Ottawa and Bruyère Continuing Care.

A major fundraising campaign will be launched shortly by the Montfort Foundation to support the financing of the Hub. The goal of the campaign will be to raise $12 million which is roughly 15 per cent of the $85 million price tag for the building.

A second, less ambitious, fundraising campaign will be launched by community supporters of the Health Hub with the goal of raising $50,000. In exchange for their efforts several of the area’s health care pioneers will be recognized in some capacity within the building. Details of both fundraising efforts will be released in the coming weeks.

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May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27 • 15

16 • May 27, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 27