By Hayley Kirsh

According to an analysis of data from the City of Ottawa’s monthly service requests, dog barking consistently has the highest number of complaints regarding animals in the city.

The data comes from Ottawa 311, a non-emergency system that allows citizens a fast and easy way to make complaints about issues they’re experiencing in the neighbourhood regarding animals, garbage, noise, and more.

In 2016, dog barking made up one third of the total number of complaints submitted to the system. Between January and October 2017, dog barking still saw the highest number of complaints with a total of 1757 complaints being made.

(The following Ottawa 311 data from 2016 shows the top ten complaints made in regards to animals in the city)

Trina Etmanksie lives in the Gloucester-South Nepean ward just south of Carleton University. This past September, she came home to find a Chihuahua named Chester waiting for her at the front door.

She was so excited that she tried to let him sleep in her bed but after the first night his cries were too much, she says.

The small, brown and white speckled puppy has high and loud levels of energy throughout the day, she says as he jumps around playfully behind her chair. “Now, before bedtime, I try to tire him out by playing with his toys. He loves to chew things,” she says, lifting a pale brown boot in the air. Last week, Etmanskie came home to find her new shoe had tiny teeth marks.

“We’re crate training him, so at night if he’s too loud we’ll throw a blanket over the crate to trick him into sleeping,” she says. “His barking has gotten a little better, but Chihuahua’s are known for their ‘sass’.”

Elise Muchmaker lives in the Alta Vista ward. Two weeks ago she made a call into 311 after a barking dog kept her up until two in the morning. “I heard it before I went to bed at around 11 p.m.,” she says. The barking continued for the next few hours but she was too tired to call in.

Muchmaker said the dog slipped from her mind until later the following day when her daughter said she had also heard it in the early morning. “I’ve owned a dog all my life and if they’re barking that much, something’s wrong,” says Muchmaker.

Muchmaker then dialed 311, “Come to think of it, I haven’t heard the dog since,” she says.

She says she is happy with how fast the City responded to the situation, evident by the lack of barking she hears now.

According to the City of Ottawa website, after a complaint is made an officer is sent to examine. A courtesy warning is often issued first but continued violations may result in fines or court proceedings.

All animal-related issues are under the Animal Care and Control By-Law. The by-law specifically states that, “No person shall keep, own, or harbour in the City any animal which makes or causes noises that disturb or are likely to disturb the peace, quiet, rest, enjoyment, or comfort of any person in the vicinity or the neighbourhood.”

Kevin Burns has been a dog trainer for the past 37 years and says the best way to deal with a barking dog is to ignore them.

A big issue he finds with his clients and dog owners in general is that they think all dogs want to be leaders. The barking is them acting out to protect their property, he says, “In truth, the owners need to act as the leaders. Once the dog sees you’re not afraid then they won’t be.”

In his training Burns emphasizes, “It’s about changing the dog’s brain and then their behaviour will follow.”

By Hayley Kirsh

According to an analysis of the most recent census data released by Statistics Canada, the median monthly rent price in the residential area just East of Carleton University has gone up 56 per cent between 2011 and 2016. The current average rent in the area for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,294 according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) annual survey.

In comparison, surrounding areas showed percentage increases much lower like 18 per cent and 28 per cent.

This map outlines the census tracts of the City of Ottawa, darker areas show the highest percentage increases in median rent from 2011-2016. To the right of the Carleton University Marker you will see the Old Ottawa South area in dark blue.

Source: Statistics Canada

The area, known as Old Ottawa South is home to a mix of families, students and retirees. It is especially sought after by university students because of its close proximity to Carleton University and shopping amenities like Billings Bridge and Lansdowne Park.

In her basement, bachelor apartment that she shares with her partner, Carly Parks, a 4th year Public Affairs and Policy Management student at Carleton University explains, “Rent is astronomical in this area, and would be unaffordable if I didn’t split costs with my partner.” Parks describes the $850 unit as “one room with a kitchen off the side and some storage.”

According to the CMHC annual survey, in 2016, bachelor apartments in the Old Ottawa South area cost on average $842 per month compared to 2015 where the average was $775 per month. Bachelor apartments in other Ottawa neighbourhoods like Chinatown cost on average $790 per month.

Meaghan Beale, another Carleton student moved out of the Old Ottawa South area into the area just North by Chinatown because of the cost of rent and substandard living arrangements. “The landlord kicked everyone out of the building to renovate one year (except my unit, because the other tenant at the time refused to leave).” She continued, “My unit was a mess; I think the landlords wanted to keep it that way so the people living there would leave voluntarily.”

Ian Grabina is the ward office liaison for Old Ottawa South, he manages and coordinates resident issues in the area with the Capital Ward councillor David Chernushenko. Grabina says high rent and substandard living arrangements is an issue plaguing many neighbourhoods adjacent to schools like Old Ottawa South. “Single family homes are being converted to triplex’,” he says. “The challenge then becomes, that students are willing to live in these inappropriate builds, with some having upwards of seven to 10 bedrooms per residence.”

“It’s a challenging situation.” He continued, “We’re trying to control the number of bedrooms one would see going into a triplex.” Over the summer, an Interim Control Bylaw was put in place by the City of Ottawa to temporarily halt the development of multi-unit dwellings in areas like Old Ottawa South and Sandy Hill (residential area beside University of Ottawa). In the meantime, according to a September 13 city council meeting, the City is trying to come up with some restrictions for multi-unit dwellings in residential neighbourhoods.

Dominique Milne, a real estate broker in Old Ottawa South says, “The resale market in the area has gone up, so landlords have to cover their costs in terms of mortgage payments.” The Ontario Residential Tenancies Act states that landlords are only allowed to increase rent by market rent for newly signed leases. Market rent is the estimated amount a property with a certain number of bedrooms, in a certain area, will rent for according to the Ministry of Housing. The 2017 market rent value allowed for an average percentage increase of 1.5 per cent.

Rent is on the rise across the city says Grabina, and as long as there are students hoping to stay close to school, landlords are able to charge more for less.

By Hayley Kirsh

Female seniors living in Canada are 10 per cent more likely to take inappropriate medication like incorrect dosage amounts in comparison to male seniors, according to data obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Sylvia King, 82, was almost one of the many senior women included in this statistic before she noticed an error on her prescription bottle. “I had just gotten home from picking up my (prescription) renewal and I saw the milligram dosage on the bottle was 25mg higher than my old bottle.”

Concerned about the difference, King contacted her pharmacy to find out where the mistake was made. “I haven’t been to the doctor in a while so it couldn’t have changed,” she says. “I called and the pharmacist said it must have been a mistake with the label but to come back so they could make sure there wasn’t an error in sizing of the prescription.”

Although the mistake was corrected, King feels very lucky she took the time to read the bottle because a lot of people, especially with renewals, she says, wouldn’t look twice because they assume that nothing changes from pick-up to pick-up.

The latest statistics from 2015-2016 show that senior women aged 65 and up have an approximately 50 per cent chance of taking inappropriate medication.

But as Sarah Cohen, a board certified geriatric pharmacist (BCGP) points out, “Inappropriate is a huge umbrella term.” Inappropriate, she explains, could mean wrong dose, right medicine, may cause an allergic reaction and/or reactions to medication an individual is already on.

A study of the same nature completed in 2016 by the University of British Columbia shows that of the prescriptions taken, “Women receive inappropriate prescriptions for benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants and NSAIDs more frequently than men.”

Benzodiazepines act as minor tranquilizers and tricyclic antidepressants are used in treating depression according to the American Addictions Centre.

“Women are prescribed more medication than men because women are more likely to complain about symptoms than men are,” says Cohen.

It’s not a joke, the 13-year pharmaceutical veteran explains, “When I was taking the CGP (certified geriatric pharmacy) course, I was taught that older men do not complain. We’re talking about someone who is say 90 years old today, they were taught that men are supposed to be strong and stoic and to keep their mouth shut and take an aspirin.”

The UBC study suggests that a woman’s risks are higher because of gender norms built within society and therefore incorporated into the medical community, “Approaches to address inappropriate prescribing must include changing the norms and expectations of both prescribers and patients.”

Other ways of ensuring that seniors are getting appropriate medication is through government funding that pays pharmacists to do quarterly reviews, says Cohen. These reviews entail assessing every single medication someone takes. The pharmacist sees if the dose is right, is it interacting with anything, is the person feeling better/worse and then makes suggestions like maybe the dose should be increased or lowered.

Men reaching their senior years are becoming more vocal with their symptoms and pain. “Give it 5-10 years,” Cohen says. “Men will definitely start advocating for themselves and I think the numbers will change.”