Every day, Bill Ross sends out 40 front-line workers to scavenge the streets of Ottawa for used needles, crack pipes, condoms and sometimes, broken glass.

These women and men are needle hunters who work with the Causeway Work Centre, a not-for-profit agency. Their finds vary each month. Ross said they picked about 2,600 needles off the street in October.

“A lot of these people used to be drug addicts and they feel like they are giving something back by going out and cleaning these areas up,” he said.

According to analysis of data from the City of Ottawa, needle hunters picked more than 17,000 needles off the streets in 2015, a 32 per cent increase from the 2014 total, and more than fifteen times the number retrieved by city staff.

Since 2013, Causeway’s needle hunters have picked an increasing number of improperly disposed drug paraphernalia off the streets, every year.

“They are really responses to the transient nature of needle hotspots,” Dan Osterer, the spokesperson for the health hazard unit at Ottawa Public Health said about why the numbers keep increasing.

Ottawa Public Health and Causeway regularly work together to fine tune needle hunting routes, which results in higher finds,  said Osterer.

When Ross started managing the program at Causeway in 2007, he said the hunting routes were not very organized. His organization had fewer hunters who worked only morning shifts.

“When we added the afternoon shifts and we added more people downtown, that meant that we were hitting every park, every school yard, every play ground twice a day,” Ross said.

During one recent exercise, Ross said hunters found about 900 needles stashed at a building downtown.

(Play the Soundclod file to hear Don Ross talk about Causeway’s needle hunting program)

The hunters clean up 10 routes during the summer, scouting the Byward market area, Vanier, Carlington and Centretown in the mornings and late afternoons.

“Spots come and go and we just keep adding or taking away. Some places just die out,” Ross said about routes with the highest number of needles..

The city introduced a winter route in 2012. There’s only one active hunting route for the winter.

“The first couple years had moderate returns but we fine-tuned the way that the winter route functions and that has also led to increase in the finds,” Osterer said.

876,763 objects were dropped in Needle boxes across the city in 2015, a seven percent decrease in the numbers retrieved in 2014.

“It is an estimated number,” Osterer said about the decrease. “We do endeavor to put drop boxes in areas that we think would balance both public safety and encourage usage to ensure public safety.”

There are 78 needle drop boxes across the city where needles and other related paraphernalia can be disposed.

(Click on the icons in the map to see the location of the needle drop boxes in Ottawa. You can also click on the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ buttons under the map to zoom in and out) 

Source: City of Ottawa

Osterer guessed that this year’s collection numbers would return to average, but the final number aren’t out yet.

Regarding the risk of needle hunting, Ross said his message is always clear to his hunters.

“I’ve always put forward that their safety comes first,” he said. “If there’s a problem, if there’s somebody back in that alley that’s yelling and screaming, don’t go in.”

(Click on the annotated image to see the City of Ottawa document on what to do with used needles and crack pipes)

Future cloudy for syrup seller vs. “maple mafia”

Christine Generoux is not a fan of over-regulation. The outspoken Byward Market standholder started a petition against the city’s outdoor smoking bylaw in 2012, and spoke out publicly against another bylaw in 2014 that required all food sold in a market stall to be at least 51 per cent pure. When it comes to the so-called “maple mafia” in Quebec though – The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (FPAQ) – her feelings are mixed.

Continue reading Legal battle boils in Quebec over maple syrup production →

The percentage of inmates over the age of 50 in federal penitentiaries is growing at an alarming rate and Correctional Service of Canada is struggling to keep up with the healthcare and mobility needs for aging offenders.

Known as the “grey wave”, every year older offenders are making up a larger share of the incarcerated population according to Offender Profile data from Correctional Service Canada. The percentage of inmates over the age of 50 has nearly doubled since the early 2000s from 13 per cent to 25 per cent today, according to statistics from the CSC watchdog.

Michel Gagnon, executive director for Maison Crossroads — a men’s halfway house in Montreal that provides services targeted for older offenders, says the explanation for this phenomenon can be partially explained by the abolishment of the death penalty in 1976.

“People who had committed a crime or murder before the 70s would usually be sent to prison for 10 to 12 years.” After the death penalty ended that changed. “Suddenly a life sentence could go from 15 to 25 years in jail,” Gagnon said.

A report by David Hooey, director of policy and research with the CSC watchdog gives a few reasons for the increase. Longer sentences have resulted in a “stacking effect” of long-term offenders who are aging behind bars. One out of four inmates in federal penitentiaries are serving indeterminate or life sentences which carry on average a 15 or 25-year punishment.

“What we know about these (older) offenders is they are more likely to be a vulnerable population. More likely to be: exploited by other inmates, bullied, forced to hand over their food or medication; they have serious chronic health conditions,” Ivan Zinger said, executive director and general counsel for the Correctional Service Investigator.

“The system is not very good in terms of providing routine and regime that are responsive to their life status.” Zinger adds that CSC has a lot of work to do in order to improve the infrastructure and programming for aging offenders.

In the Correctional Service Investigator’s annual report for 2015-2016 the top two complaints from offenders were healthcare related and conditions of confinement.

“Suddenly we are asking personnel in the prison to have some sort of geriatric expertise,” Gagnon said.

60-year-old Karol Frimmel Jr., a recent parolee, recalled assisting elderly inmates with showering and dressing while he was in prison in Quebec.

Gagnon is hoping to work with Corrections Services Canada towards an intervention model that would allow for a faster release of inmates who are suffering from health issues that are aggravated by imprisonment, and no longer pose a threat to the community.

Terminally ill and other inmates suffering from poor health have only two real mechanisms for seeking release: either they apply for a parole by exception (based on certain criteria) or a Royal Prerogative of Mercy. Neither has proven to be effective for releasing inmates requiring palliative care.

In the Correctional Investigator’s annual report for 2014-2015 none of the 28 requests for the Royal Prerogative of Mercy were granted. Zinger examined a sample of 94 in-custody deaths and found nearly 60 per cent of the inmates had been receiving palliative care inside CSC facilities. Of those cases, there were only four instances where parole by exception was granted between 2011 and 2014.

Source: 2015-2016 Correctional Investigator’s Annual Report

“There are no issues around risk when people are in palliative care under last breath and I think there is a significant case to be made in terms of human dignity,” Zinger said.

“It serves very little purpose to have someone in prison if there is no risk, instead of in the community, hopefully surrounded with family and some sort of support.”

By: Brenna Mackay

Each weekday morning, Amanda Paisley wakes up, packs her lunch and runs to catch the bus to work. Living downtown and working in Bell Corners in Kanata isn’t convenient, she admits, but it’s a price to pay to live on bustling Elgin Street.

Paisley, 25, is a recent graduate from Carleton University, receiving her BA in law in 2015. She’s one of many university educated citizens who have chosen to reside in the Somerset ward. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the Somerset ward is home to the largest population of university graduates in the city, with 13,425 residents, aged 25-64 having a university degree at the Bachelors level or higher.

Map of Residents with a University Degree, created with data from 2011 National Household Survey

This is equal to roughly 33 per cent of the population, based on City of Ottawa population and household estimates by ward. Not far behind, the Kitchissippi and Capital wards see high numbers of university educated citizens too.

Paisley says she chose to live in the Somerset ward following graduation because she appreciates the convenience of her location.

“Everything you really need is like, two blocks to get to,” she explains. Easy access to amenities such grocery stores, drug stores and the transit way were a huge selling point when trying to determine where she would live.

However, she admits that her living choice is by no means the cheaper option, especially for a recent graduate.

“You understand that you’re paying for your location more than you’re paying for your actual apartment and you just have to deal with that.”

Catherine McKenney, Councillor of the Somerset ward, says that she is proud to know that well-educated individuals are choosing to make Somerset their home.

“The city works hard to provide support and job opportunities for university graduates,” she shares. “We realize they play an important role in shaping our community.”

However, Paisley argues that the city should do more to provide resources for recent grads to get on their feet. She says she found her apartment and job through Kijiji, separate from any university or government program.

“To jump through those hoops can get really time consuming,” she explains. “My job nor my apartment had anything to do with the city. The government hasn’t really made it easier to deal with.”

McKenney explains there is a job board that lists careers within the City of Ottawa as well as a housing website that offers resources for finding affordable lodging.
“These resources are largely directed towards those who are less advantage and need that extra support,” she admits.

Paisley suggests that having a localized site for renters and apartments that have been deemed acceptable by the city would be a great resource for apartment-hunters. Additionally, providing workplaces with incentives to hire a recent graduates would be a way to motivate companies to give young workers a chance to get their foot in the door.

“That would make it more likely to hire new grad, rather than no hiring at all, which is often the case,” she explains.

Looking forward, Paisley says she could definitely see herself living in Somerset ward as she gets more established in her career. However, she admits she would be hesitant to raise a family in such a busy and compact neighbourhood.

“There isn’t really space to spread out unless you have the money for it,” she explains.
“You’re usually confined to about two or three rooms and that could get complicated with a kids and family.”

She envisions a future with a backyard where she can sit outdoors and barbecue.

Ben started selling marijuana when he was a teenager. He was 17 when he was charged with possession of under 28 grams of marijuana.

“I didn’t tell my parents at the time and dealt with it purely on my own, which is a lot for a 17 year old to take on,” he says.

His encounter with the law did not stop him from selling marijuana. Because of this Ben asked to remain anonymous. Ironically his brush with the law had almost the exact opposite effect. Ben was given a conditional discharge fro making a thousand dollar donation to charity.

“I don’t think it did anything to make me not want to sell weed,” he says. In fact it motivate him.

“I thought, ‘I have this fat fine to pay, I better sell more weed.'” he says.

Ben may be a poster boy for how prohibition has not had its intended effects. With the federal government poised to introduce legislation in the spring that would legalize cannabis, numbers are indicating that the legal system is preparing to adapt to legalization.

According to incident based crime numbers from Statistics Canada, possession and trafficking arrests have decreased significantly since 2011. While arrests for possession have dropped by a quarter nationwide, trafficking arrests have ben nearly cut in half. In Ottawa, trafficking arrests have dropped by an astounding 57 per cent.

Eugene Oscapella is a drug reform policy expert and advisor. His company, Oscapella and Associates Consulting, has been researching drug policy since 1985. He says that it is difficult to pin the decrease in arrest numbers on any one cause, but that it is likely a combination of police and prosecutors not wanting to of after small possession and trafficking cases. Particularly given that cannabis is likely going to be legalized within the next few years.

“I doubt very much that it is because of decreased use or decreased activity,” he says.

Despite the drop in trafficking arrests, Ottwa Police cracked down on seven local dispensaries last month. While Oscapella is in favour of legalization, he says there is a difference between small trafficking cases and dispensaries because they appear somewhat legitimate.  “These dispensaries are essentially trafficking,” he says.

Source: Ottawa Police Press Release

Oscapella says that because of the lack of quality controls and regulations, dispensaries could be selling product that is of poor health quality. “All you’ve got are the promises of the people running these dispensaries,” he says.

“This is basically a wild west environment,” Oscapella says.

It is not clear whether the regulatory system introduced by the government would allow for private dispensaries. For now it appears that they are taking advantage of the public mood, assuming enforcement will be minimal and make money. “Its what capitalists do,” Oscapella says.

Like Ben, with his first brush with the law, some dispensaries do not appear moved by the recent raids. Some, such as WeeMedical Dispensary on St. Laurent Boulevard have already reopened. However Ben believes they might suffer some loss of business. “At this point I think they are more sketchy than coming to me right now, because of the raids,” he says.

Ben says that dispensaries are attractive in part because they have an air of legitimacy with an office, as opposed to his small apartment, complete with his personal smoking devices. “They hand out cards but they don’t really mean anything,” he says.

“If it would mean getting people to come here I would make a card. You could get  stamp every time you come.”

However Ben sees dispensaries as a glimpse into what legalization may look like, even though dispensaries may not be included in the new system.

“I think once its legalized people are going to step up their game and leave us street dealers behind,” he says. “But that could be a good thing.”

Throughout its six years of trials and triumphs, Little Italy Bakery is bouncing back after a temporary closure earlier this year, adding to a lengthy list of painstaking struggles that has rid the confined bakery of its desired potential.

Located in the heart of Preston St., the authentic Italian kitchen has long spent its days and nights hand making the bread of its customer’s desires. Whether it’s for the city’s craving restaurants and banquet halls, loyal walk-ins or an in-need individual during the holidays, the orders that come in have been met regardless of the business’ circumstances.

“If you’re closed for a week, you’re finished, you’re dead,” admits Ottavio Formica, who has been with the bakery since it’s opening in 2011. “I mean [customers] might wait a day, but they need the bread then and there so if they have to go somewhere else they will.”

Although it was not the first time, such circumstances nearly plagued the bakery in the early months of 2016. On March 9, after an inspector from Ottawa Public Health deemed their sanitation and food protection to be unacceptable, they were shut down. On March 11, after a frantic two-day effort to comply with the city’s regulations was made, Little Italy Bakery reopened with a sigh of relief.

Massimo Marti, owner of Little Italy Bakery, says it was a setback that they could barely afford. “We have no choice but to work hard,” says Marti, who emigrated from Calabria, Italy in 2008. “Tomorrow is supposed to be freezing rain and ten centimetres [of snow], but if you ordered the bread, the bread is coming.”

Evidently, this workhorse attitude of Marti, Formica and the bakery’s three other employees has been its saving grace. According to the City of Ottawa’s inspections data, Little Italy Bakery has been subject to the most non-complacent run-ins with city health and food inspectors since 2013.

In addition to these issues, the bakery has suffered mightily throughout Marti’s contention with the government. Throughout trials of his family’s deportation, the working permits of he and his wife, Vittoria Toscano, and his pending permanent residency, Marti has been, at times, forcibly absent from his high-demand bakery, leaving Formica and others to work for unwavering stretches of time. Working 24 shifts with a quick rest in between, they continued to make good on the bakery’s deliveries until Marti’s work permit was granted.

“It’s a very loyal friendship,” smiles Marti as he cradles his right hand, which has been frozen with carpal tunnel after an intensive work week. “We’re friends, I’m not an employer, he’s my friend.”

Along with Toscano, Marti and Formica have been working the Preston St. locale since the start. Having purchased the vicinity from past bakers, their compact kitchen, which stretches no more than 15 feet wide, has been serving bread for nearly six decades.

“Everyone gets inspected under the same regulations so of course older buildings don’t appear as great, however, that’s not an excuse,” says Toni D’Ettorre, an inspector supervisor from Ottawa Public Health that notes older buildings like Marti’s can slow down attempts to comply with food regulations. “Sometimes these types of establishments take more time to get a resolution than others.”

According to Marti, his hope for a bigger bakery that can handle more orders is currently on the backburner. Without a permanent residency, his future of working in Canada, along with the future of the bakery, is cloudy.

“I’m sorry. I’m still fixing my families situation. When I’m okay, the business will be more focused on.”

Little Italy Bakery from Peter Rukavina on Vimeo.

In the video above, Marti and Formica discuss their bakery, the techniques they use and, of course, their bread.
Source: Peter Rukavina