Tag Archives: Ottawa

Ottawa neighbourhoods with high percentage of single parents more exposed to COVID-19, data shows

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Sonia Poliquin, a single mother, and her nine-year-old son Robert-Michel, pictured at the Stonebridge Trail near Barrhaven. Many Ottawa neighbourhoods with a high percentage of single parent families also have higher rates of COVID-19. [Photo © Sonia Poliquin]
Sonia Poliquin, 46, remembers being screamed at by another woman in a Costco parking lot for leaving her nine-year-old son in the car as she ran in to get groceries.

She only had two options: keep her son in the car or bring him into the store to risk contracting COVID-19. That’s the reality for many single parents during the pandemic.

“If I want to go grocery shopping or do anything he has to come with me,” the Barrhaven resident explains. 

The Ottawa neighbourhoods with the highest total COVID-19 rates are also the ones with a higher percentage of single parent families, according to an analysis of Ottawa Public Health data which tracks COVID cases excluding cases in long-term care and retirement homes reported from March to October 2020. 

Total COVID rate per percentage of single parent families

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This is the trend among most Ottawa neighbourhoods, with a few exceptions. 

Single mothers are bearing the brunt, as they make up 78 per cent of single parent families, according to the 2016 Canadian Census. 

This bar graph shows the top five neighbourhoods with the highest total COVID-19 rates per 100,000 people from March to October 2020. The percentage of single parent families living in these neighbourhoods are at least 20 per cent or higher. [Visualization by Yasmine Ghania]

Ivy Bourgeault, a professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa who specializes in gender and health, explains there are many factors that can increase the risk of exposure for single mothers.

“Mothers tend to do the hands-on body work with children, dressing, feeding, bathing, which puts them at increased risk,” Bourgeault says. “If you are in a partnership you are disproportionately doing that work but there is somebody to share that with. As a single mom, you don’t.”

The sectors in which single moms tend to work also have an impact. “Single moms are segregated into certain labour market areas that we now call the frontlines such as the retail and hospitality sectors,” Bourgeault explains.

The low incomes generated by these types of jobs cause single mothers to live in higher density housing which furthers their risk to the virus, Bourgeault adds.

Samantha Pha, 40, is dreading going back to her sales associate job at a big-box store as she’s a mom to a nine-month-old daughter. The Britannia resident has been on maternity leave since March and has been able to get half her income during that time but must return to work in February. 

She’s afraid of potentially bringing the virus back home to her baby who has had some medical issues including frequent fevers.

“My concern is her safety above and beyond everything because she’s my one and only,” Pha says as she begins to cry.

Samantha Pha, a single mother to a nine-month-old baby, describes her fears of going back to work in February in a big-box store. She didn’t feel comfortable sharing the name of the store. [Photo © Samantha Pha]

Pha chose to become a parent without a partner and went through a sperm bank.

“I said to myself ‘by the age of 40, if I don’t have a reliable partner who is willing to have children with me, then I will do this on my own,’” Pha says. 

She gave birth to baby Eleanor just four days before Ottawa went into lockdown.

Poliquin is also concerned about her son’s safety as she struggles to find a childcare centre to accommodate her work schedule. As a hairdresser at exhālō Spa, Poliquin has to work many long evenings and weekends. 

With the rest of her family in Sherbrooke, Quebec, her son often has to go to his friend’s house after school, who they have included in their bubble, to wait for his mom to finish work.

“The last thing I want is to have a stranger in my house to come babysit,” Poliquin says.  “Most of my friends are working in the public so I don’t want them to take care of my child when they are exposed to a lot of people as well.”

Ottawa’s new child care centres face uncertain future with halted provincial funds

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The City of Ottawa spent approximately $10 million to create and subsidize new child care spaces. Pictured is Andrew Fleck child care centre, a provider that receives funding from the city, on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Photo by Erika Ibrahim

Ottawa is spending almost 90 per cent less to help parents who need spots in licensed child care spaces, according to an analysis of the city’s 2020 budget.

The city’s increased spending came from several one-time transfers in 2017 from the province in an effort to make child care more affordable.

This funding went toward creating about 400 new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2020.

“You can build a beautiful child care centre. You can’t really hire people to work in it unless you have a budget [to pay them]. Then parents end up having to pay for it.”

Martha Friendly, founder of a national child-care policy group called the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, said to keep these new spaces running, the city would have to not just create new spaces and subsidize child care fees, but also put money toward paying staff.

She said when governments don’t subsidize staff salaries, those costs are passed along to parents, making child-care fees even higher and more out of reach.

“So essentially you could have it running, and the room is just sitting there [empty].”

Special purpose funding also helped approximately 2,000 families with the high costs of child care, according to a city spokesperson.

 

Ontario licenses child care centres, as well as private-home day care agencies. These spaces may care for children of different age groups, such as infants, toddlers and pre-school-aged children. These spaces can also be for school-aged children before or after school hours, or when schools are closed.

Child care fee subsidies are given, according to a family’s level of financial need.

In an emailed response, a city spokesperson said that they continue to receive provincial and federal investments, but did not explain how much and whether it was enough to cover keeping the newly created child care spaces going long-term.

This drop in funding comes at a time when the Ontario government announced cuts to child care funding for municipalities.

Starting this year, Ottawa will have to pay 20 per cent of costs to create new centres. This change results in a reduced projected revenue of $2.7 million, according to a staff report presented to the committee overseeing the child services budget.

The provincial government says this change is part of reducing administrative costs and wasteful government policies.

Child care in Ottawa may become less accessible and affordable as an effect of the provincial cuts, according to the report. The funding drop may also result in fewer supports to child care providers.

The staff report says that the City would discuss proposals on how to make up this shortfall in the 2020 budget. However, there is no mention of proposals of the budget tabled for this year.

Jason Sabourin, Manager of Children’s Services in Ottawa, could not be reached for comment before this story’s deadline.

Large local child care provider Andrew Fleck Child Services could also not be reached for comment before this story’s deadline.

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Newly elected Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde aims to unite the French and English communities in Orléans

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Orléans looks to a bilingual future, with the newest Liberal MP bringing plans to integrate the French and English people in the riding. Marie-France Lalonde, the MP elected for the Orléans riding, believes that being bilingual is imperative in this area. At a Starbucks in the newly constructed Trim Road area in Orléans, Lalonde appears to be in her element. After almost 20 years in Orléans after moving from Gatineau, she’s very focused on keeping in touch with her community and ensuring a blend of French and English cultures in her riding.

According to an analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2016 census, Orléans has the third highest Francophone population and the second highest English and French speakers in Ottawa. Lalonde points this towards the high number of government workers in the area who are required to be bilingual. The high level of bilingual officials, along with the high post-secondary graduation rate, makes Orléans one of the highest income ridings in Ottawa.

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As a newly elected official, taking over from the previous Liberal winner Andrew Leslie, Lalonde was surprised with the amount of support she received from the community. “I didn’t know I was going to win until after it was over,” she chuckles. She says her main excitement is getting more involved in a community she loves, which is visible from her bubbly conversation with the barista as she orders her coffee.

Lalonde was concerned a Conservative win in her area would result in cuts to education, primarily French education in the area. As former Minister of Francophone affairs, she had been very involved in Francophone rights and education, including supporting the creation of the Université de l’Ontario Français. “It’ll be the first of its kind, a governance for only Francophones.”

The university was proposed and started in 2017. Jason Luckerhoff, the vice-president of program and research development for the university, says that a full range of programs will become available in September of 2021, including law and political science courses. Luckerhoff says that the creation of a French-only university is not a new ask from the Ontario community. “People have been working on that project for the past 40 years. We want at least one governance to be in French, offering only programs in French.”

The federal Liberal government has promised to promote minority-language rights and bilingualism investing $60 million to build cultural centres and infrastructure that support minority-language communities. As part of this, the federal government has also promised to take over funding for a new campus for the sole Francophone university in Ontario. Lalonde states that it was the federal government that convinced the Ontario government to revisit the funding after they cut the university earlier this year. “The federal Liberal government came to the table and reached out to the Ford government, saying “Hey don’t make this harsh decision, let’s sit down and let’s talk.””

Interview with Marie-France Lalonde

In order to further integrate the English and French communities in Orléans, Lalonde is discussing rebuilding a French cultural centre to have a hub for the Francophones in her riding. “This will help the cultural Francophonie, the school boards that are offering French classes.” She also plans to work with the English community, especially seniors in her area, to ensure that they are receiving the same benefits as the Francophone population.

“We do have a friend as a government, and I’m so happy to join them in bringing that voice for Ontario and for Orléans.”

Targeted Facebook Ads and Youth

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The federal Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) targeted young voters on Facebook at a higher percentage compared to the Conservatives, according to an analysis of data from the social media platform’s ads library.

Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), had the highest percentage of targeted ads for youth Facebook users at 13.5 per cent, followed by Justin Trudeau, the leader of the Liberal party, who had 6.4 per cent. Andrew Sheer, the leader of the Conservative party, had just 5.9 per cent.

The data analyzed covered users from the ages of 18 to 24.

According to Acabus data, people between ages 18 to 38 have the power to swing this year’s elections since they make up 37 per cent of the electorate – citizens eligible to vote.

In the 2015 election, voters from ages 18 to 24, had the lowest voter turnout segment with 57.1 per cent according to Elections Canada’s website. Voters from 25 to 34-years-old were the second lowest with 57.4 per cent.

Samantha Reush, the research and evaluations manager at Apathy is Boring, – a non-partisan, youth-led organization aiming to encourage youth to actively participate in Canada’s democracy, – said the hypothesis of first-time voters not turning up for their first elections – yet participating in their second one – is unlikely.

“If you don’t vote in your first two elections, it is not likely a habit you will pick up eventually,” said Reush.

She said if young people stop voting and voter turnout keeps decreasing, “we are going to end up in a position where we have a small percentage of the population deciding the outcome of the elections on behalf of the country.”

“It could erode out our democracy,” she added.

When talking about the targeted ads towards youth Facebook users, Reush said she was surprised to hear party leaders were targeting youth at such a low percent.

“I’m surprised is that low,” Reush said.

But not everyone shares the same sentiment regarding the low percentage on the infamous social media platform.

Ramona Pringle, director of Transmedia Zone and associate professor at Ryerson University, said she was not surprised to see that party leaders are not targeting youth with Facebook ads.

“Facebook is not a helpful platform for them to reach a younger demographic,” she said.   “Facebook has a reputation for attracting older and older users now, maybe that’s why they are doing it.”

However, she added that social media is crucial when it comes to advertisements.

“I think social media is huge in terms of elections,” Pringle said.

Pringle said she believes parties will be targeting different demographics at different points of the elections based on strategy.

“I think the responsibility – and what we hope for in a leader – is someone who is addressing everybody,” she said.

The targeted ads not only varied in percentage but also in content.

Ads by NDP leader, Singh, focused on things such as “Lower Cell Phone Bills,” and adding a Canadian federal minimum wage. Whereas ads by Liberal Party leader, Trudeau, and Conservative leader, Sheer, focused on promoting the party’s plans, and volunteer opportunities with titles such as “210,000 Canadians + You,” and “Better Together” by the Liberals and “Creating Opportunities for Canadians,” by Conservatives.

Laura French, the Administrator Campaign Manager for the Green Party in Ottawa-Centre, said youth are usually overlooked in elections.

“The youth are often ignored and not taken as serious voters and not taken as serious participants in society,” she said. “If the climate strike says anything – that’s just not true. They very much want to be involved and want to be engaged.”

The Green party in the Ottawa-Centre riding has aimed 8.2 per cent of their Facebook ads towards users between the ages of 18 and 24, while parties such as the Conservatives, the NDP and the Liberals have directed less than 6.4 per cent.

Entrepreneurship and Canadian women: encouraged to rise

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Samantha Armstrong outside her first house flip on Sunnyside Avenue, in Ottawa. Photo provided by Armstrong.

With a wake-up call like 5:10 a.m., Samantha Armstrong doesn’t linger in limbo.

Between coaching personal training clients and meeting potential contractors for her latest house flip, the thirty-one year old has it all planned out: from travel time, to getting her three kids on the bus and even taking the dog for a walk.

“I always knew I probably wouldn’t work for anybody else, just because of my personality,” Armstrong laughed, sipping from her Bridgehead coffee.

“I don’t follow rules very well, so I need to make up my own as I go along.”

It seems to be her motto: defying the odds, and just for kicks.

With only a yoga teacher and personal training certification, Armstrong opened the doors to Iron North in 2015, a fitness studio in Hintonburg, a neighbourhood in Ottawa. Somewhere along the way, she enrolled in a private design school based in New York and created North and Nash, a house flipping business.

To top it off, in September 2017, Armstrong sold her shares in the studio and dove full-time into her real passion for design. Her income for this fiscal year is approximately $107,000 before tax.

“There are days where you think, ‘man, should I really be doing this, or should I go get a nine to five?’” Armstrong said sarcastically. “But every time, entrepreneurship wins.”

With just under three million individuals self-employed in Canada in 2017, one million of those are female, according to an analysis of Statistic Canada’s Labour Force Survey estimates.

In Ontario alone, the survey estimates 393,800 female entrepreneurs— making up almost 40 per cent of the Canadian female total.

“There’s never been a better time to be a female entrepreneur,” said Sonya Shorey, the vice president for marketing and communications at InvestOttawa, a local business consulting and mentorship company. “I truly mean that, especially when you look across all the exciting developments of what’s happening.”

 

In July 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the backing of women entrepreneurs around the world, dedicating 20 million dollars toward the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative.

“There’s a lot of political force and will behind the female entrepreneur,” Shorey said, noting the media attention as of late.

Investment opportunities, like the Business Development Bank of Canada’s (BDC) well-exceeded goal to give 700 million dollars-worth of loans in three years until March 2018 provides women with practical financial tools.

“We want to fill a gap in the marketplace,” said Cora-Lee Ratcliffe, the BDC’s Business Centre Manager location in Ottawa.

“Women entrepreneurs make business decisions differently— they take different things into consideration.”

The Ontario city with highest employment income for females was Ottawa, totaling $36,799 before taxes, according to Statistics Canada’s 2015 data. That’s 10 thousand dollars short of meeting the hallway point of the combined household income in Ottawa of $81,450.

Regardless of income numbers, when it comes to security, women are more risk-averse and are less likely to take advantage of investment and financial opportunities, Ratcliffe explained.

“When we look at being a part of changing that, and how we encourage the advancement of women in business, or in any other place,” Ratcliffe said. “Then we’re contributing to the overall course of our GDP and our success of Canada.”

Armstrong believes self-employment isn’t a risk, but an intentional mindset.

“It’s in your own hands, and if you don’t work, you won’t get paid,” Armstrong said matter-of-factly. “It’s not a risk, it’s a fact– you either do it or you don’t.”

Highest rise of visible minority population in Barrhaven

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(Photo| Marina Wang)

Barrhaven in Southern Ottawa has had the highest growth in the visible minority population according to an analysis of census data from Statistics Canada. Between 2011 and 2016, 4260 residents that identify as belonging to a visible minority (persons that are non-white or Aboriginal) have moved in to a census tract area that makes up the southern two thirds of the neighborhood.

Visible minorities now make up 43% of the residents occupying private households in the southern Barrhaven, compared to a city-wide average of 20%. Residents that identify as having a South Asian background made up the highest proportion of the visible minorities at 26%. This is followed by Chinese at 24%, Black at 14%, and Arab at 13%.

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Click on a census tract area to see a demographic break-down

“It’s a very diverse community,” said Andres Leon, a young professional that moved to the neighborhood in 2014 with his family. “On my street you have people from Cuba, you have people from India, you have people from the Middle East. We’re from Colombia.”

Low housing prices is part of the reason Leon’s family decided to settle in Barrhaven. “We used to live in Kanata. It’s almost fully developed so the prices were higher for the houses but since Barrhaven is just developing there’s no real estate,” said Leon. “There’s more opportunities to get houses in that area for good value.”

The suburban neighborhood is around 20-kilometres from downtown which has posed challenges for Leon who doesn’t own his own car. However, being far from the Ottawa core provides opportunities for peace and tranquility, said Leon. “The thing that I love about the neighborhood is that I feel like there’s nothing better than being away from the city itself. It’s so quiet. It’s so safe.”

(Photo: Andres Leon was born in Colombia and moved to Barrhaven in 2014 | Marina Wang)

According to Alison Stirling, assistant to Barrhaven city councillor, many of the new residents are young families drawn to the neighborhood’s many local amenities, convenient location, and low cost of housing.

“There’s just an incredible amount of green space in the area,” said Stirling.  “The number of different parks is just astonishing.” Stirling also said that the ward has a high number of community associations, recreational sports teams and activities for children.

The ward contains 26 schools and five community recreation centres including the Minto Recreation Complex which contains a pool, ice rinks, and outdoor turf fields. The Barrhaven Town Centre, a shopping complex, includes a movie theatre and stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Cosctco.

Barrhaven city councillor Jan Harding is also working towards bringing more businesses to the area so that residents won’t have to commute long distances for work. For example, the Tomlinson Group, a construction company, will be moving their new headquarters to Barrhaven.

Another appeal to living in Barrhaven is that it can be easy to access other areas of Ottawa and is located close to highway 416 and close to the Fallowfield VIA Rail station for those that frequently commute to Toronto or Montreal. “It’s a cheaper way of life,” said Stirling. “Not everyone can afford living in Toronto.”

Stirling said that the diversity in Barrhaven isn’t immediately obvious, but that “for sure we are a multicultural community and a very welcoming community.”

(Photo: Barrhaven’s many schools and relatively affordable housing is attracting new residents to the area | Marina Wang)

“Barrhaven probably represents what Canada aspires to become on a national level: a true and thriving multicultural community,” wrote Andre Lefrancois in an email. Lefrancois runs a community news website called The Barrhaven Blog.

“Many different things attract people from various ethnic backgrounds to Barrhaven. Our new mosque and synagogue have certainly played an important role, as have the quality of our schools and growing business sector. But I think that at a certain level, people who come from different ethnic backgrounds want to live in a multicultural community – one where residents respect each other based on values, not religion or race,” wrote Lefrancois.

Suicide rates remain stagnant for youth in Ottawa

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Trying to help someone with mental health issues only when they show signs of self-harm isn’t proactive — it’s reactive.

Counsellor Nathaniel Jewitt equates this problem to a focus on preventing suicide —but only when a person is at the edge of a cliff.

“If somebody is starting to acknowledge that they’re suicidal, there’s already been a lot of pain and suffering and that’s been going on for a while,” said Jewitt, counsellor for Carleton’s Health and Counselling Services.

More has to be done for those facing mental health issues before they reach a point where self-harm and suicide is a thought, said Jewitt, who is one of three counsellors specifically allocated to Carleton’s residences.

“Counselling isn’t the only solution for all of that. It’s how we build communities, how we teach people to make decisions and coach themselves and others through their lives,” he said.

Nathaniel Jewitt, a counsellor for Carleton's Health and Counselling services helps students in residence who might be dealing with anxiety and depression. He's pictured here in his office. Photo by Olivia Bowden.
Nathaniel Jewitt, a counsellor for Carleton’s Health and Counselling services helps students in residence who might be dealing with anxiety and depression. He’s pictured here in his office. Photo by Olivia Bowden.

While services like counselling and crisis hotlines work to prevent suicide, the suicide rate in Canada has remained relatively stagnant since 2000 with suicides making up about 1.5 per cent of all deaths, according to data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey compiled by Statistics Canada.

Tableau Graph

The above data was compiled via the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey published by Statistics Canada. Click here to view the graph in full. 

For those aged 15 to 24 the average is similar and has also remained fairly stagnant.

For Ottawans in that demographic, the average rate between 2005 and 2009 was six per 100,000 for men and four for women, according to Ontario Mortality Data extracted by the City of Ottawa.

According to Ottawa Public Health Data, about 600 women per 100,000 aged 15 to 24 were admitted to emergency rooms for self harm in 2012, with the rate being about 195 for men.

As a counsellor for students in residence specifically, Jewitt’s office is in Renfrew House on the first floor. Posters in the offices advertise for Tuesday afternoon therapy dog visits and it’s not far from where students live on the floor above. He’s one of three counsellors allocated for that office.

He said common issues among students include depression and anxiety, often related to being away from home for the first time or navigating new social environments.

Interacting with others and reminding each other that it’s normal to be imperfect tends to reduce anxiety, he said.

He said the key to preventing someone from reaching a crisis point with their mental health is to first reduce stigma surrounding valuing emotional well-being.

“It’s about taking emotional needs seriously, but also learning how to manage expectations and deal with hard times,” he said.

The above graphic was compiled using data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey published by Statistics Canada and The State of Ottawa’s Health 2014 report published by the City of Ottawa. 

Finding resources to help develop those abilities and navigate challenging environments can be difficult-especially for youth, said Charissa Feres.

Feres is an undergraduate student at Carleton University and Vice-President of Student Issues at the Student Alliance for Mental Health (SAMH).

Dealing with her own experiences with mental illness and trouble accessing services caused her to get involved with SAMH to help others going through similar concerns.

Recognizing that a discussion can be had about self-harm without rushing to call 9-1-1 is important, she said.

“There’s different levels to suicidality. A large amount of people who are suicidal aren’t necessarily at that level of intent,” she said.

Charissa Feres
Charissa Feres from Carleton’s Student Alliance for Mental Health says suicide prevention needs to be more proactive. Photo by Olivia Bowden

Spaces where there isn’t fear of being sent to an emergency room are important —unless there is an imminent threat to that person’s life, and then 9-1-1 is necessary, she said.

Recognizing the core reasons for someone reaching a stage where self-harm is considered is crucial, she added.

There can be issues of secure housing, financial instability and multiple oppressions and discrimination that cannot be ignored.

“It’s not always about restricted means,” she said.

“When we talk about suicide prevention, often we are talking too late in the spectrum. We need to talk about preventing suicidal thoughts to begin with.”

Scroll over photos for captions. 

Need major repairs? Better hope you have a good landlord

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Located at 235 Cooper St., the Manhattan building is just one of hundreds in Ottawa's Somerset Ward that tenants say need major repairs.
Located at 235 Cooper St., the Manhattan building is in Ottawa’s Somerset Ward, an area with a high number of buildings tenants say need major repairs. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

Note: The tenant featured in this story asked that his name not be included. A fictional name is used instead.

Justin Smith knew what he was getting into when he moved into the Manhattan building at 235 Cooper St.

“It’s old,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It was built in the 1930s with 1930s sensibilities in mind.”

The Manhattan is an attractive, four-storey apartment block, with a red brick façade, and Art Deco-inspired doors and columns.

Jonas Langille worries that the large cracks running across the floors and walls in his apartment building are signs of an underlying structural problem.
Justin Smith wonders whether the large cracks running across the floors and walls in his apartment building are signs of an underlying structural problem. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

A stone’s throw from the bustle of Elgin Street, it was just the kind of place Smith was looking for in April 2015 when he moved in.

“I like living here. It’s got a little character,” he said.

But like dozens of other buildings in Ottawa’s downtown core, the Manhattan is starting to show its age.

“They do a great job of gussing it all up and making it look pretty good,” Smith said. “But there are some structural things you notice that are always in the back of your mind.”

Like a crumbling, three-foot-wide ceiling patch in the lobby, with several layers exposed. Elsewhere in the building, obvious cracks stretch six feet across the tiled floor, while others run the entire length of the hall’s textured walls.

“I wonder if that’s the wall itself or just the veneer,” Smith asked himself. “Is this a sign of things to come? Is this a sign that perhaps this building is not structurally sound? I’m not sure.”



(Click the note above to read the City of Ottawa’s entire Property Standards By-Law.)

According to analysis of data from Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey, more than 2,000 homes or apartments across Somerset Ward were reported as needing major repairs.

Source: Statistics Canada (2011 National Household Survey).

In Smith’s immediate neighbourhood alone, near the eastern edge of the ward, there are 455 homes or units that reportedly need major repairs.

People responding to the survey were asked to assess the condition of their residence. The survey provided examples of problems that would need major repairs, including defective plumbing or faulty wiring, as well as structural problems affecting walls, floors or ceilings.



(Click the note above to read Statistics Canada’s entire Housing Reference Guide for the 2011 National Household Survey.)

And it’s not just issues with the walls or floors that Smith has had to deal with.

“These were all two-pronged outlets,” he said, pointing to the newly installed electrical outlets.

Smith had to ask his landlord to update all of the outlets and wiring in his apartment, a job that he said required “tremendous work.”

And while he credited his landlord for accepting to do the work, Smith said he had to insist on the upgrade. “‘Well, why don’t you just use an adapter plug?’” his landlord asked him.

Even with the new outlets, Smith worries they aren’t properly grounded. “I’ve gotten a few shocks,” he said, adding that he’s still concerned about the risk of an electrical fire.

Pascale Ouellette is a lawyer with the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic. She said the clinic handles the vast majority of tenancy-related cases across the city, especially those involving low-income residents.

“What we generally see are minor and regular maintenance issues,” said Ouellette, adding that they deal with these kinds of cases “all the time.”

To Jonas Langille, the damaged ceiling in the lobby of the Manhattan building where he lives at 235 Cooper St. is a worrying sign of other potential issues with the building.
To Justin Smith, the damaged ceiling in the lobby of his apartment building might be a  sign of other potential issues. (Photo credit: Marc-André Cossette)

Ouellette said she and her colleagues will occasionally also treat cases involving major repairs, usually after a major flood or once a building is condemned.

While some landlords are more accommodating than others, Ouellette said the clinic will always support whatever decision the tenant decides to take. This might involve contacting the City of Ottawa’s Property Standards By-Law officers in order to issue a warning or fine, or instead filing an application with the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Smith said he’s grateful he hasn’t had to go that far. And as much as he likes the building, he said he’s looking forward to moving out sometime in the new year.

Albion-Heatherington revitalization not realized yet, say residents

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Since the neighbourhood of Albion-Heatherington gained the attention of city council — and city funds — improvements have been made to one of the lowest-income areas in Ottawa in the last year, say some residents.

But revitalizing a part of the city that has an individual low-income rate of 34 per cent, will take more than the attention of councillors.

“I’ve seen the difference over the past decade. I would say they have tried- I feel perfectly safe,” said resident Yolande McMillan. “But yes, there is some crime.”

The average low-income rate is about twelve per cent for all of Ottawa, according to data from the 2011 National Household Survey, compiled by Statistics Canada, meaning Heatherington’s is almost three times higher than average.

Over the past year, a lens has been placed on the neighbourhood as it’s one of three areas the City of Ottawa has picked for a revitalization project, titled Building Better Revitalized Neighbourhoods, approved in March.

The project specifically targets low-income neighbourhoods, including Carlington and Vanier South.

On Oct 19, the city announced Heatherington will be the subject of a revitalization study, one that will cost $250,000. It’s the result of the work of Diane Deans, councillor for Gloucester-Southgate, who called for the city to bring specific attention to Heatherington over the past year and a half.

Funding for the neighbourhood also came this year after Deans submitted a project proposal for federal funding- for a community kitchen to be added on to the Albion-Heatherington Recreation Centre.



The recreation centre boasts programs for youth and children with a basketball court inside. On any given night you can hear balls bouncing and shoes screeching on the court.

McMillan has lived in the neighbourhood for ten years and often walks her dog behind the centre. Nearby is a local park nestled between several apartments and housing units.

The primary reason for moving to the area was diversity of people- which may not be as present in other Ottawa neighbourhoods, she said.



She believes the city has made major improvements that benefit children in the area specifically.

“They are cleaning the parks on a weekly basis. They tore down the Herongate Mall and are putting up new housing on the other side of the street,” said McMillan.

In the summertime, you can often see children playing in the parks, and an ice rink is set up near the recreation centre in the winter, she said.

The Albion Heatherington Recreation Centre received funding for a community kitchen earlier this year. Photo by Olivia Bowden.
The Albion Heatherington Recreation Centre received funding for a community kitchen earlier this year. Photo by Olivia Bowden.

Some business owners and workers in the area continue to be wary of crime in the neighbourhood.

Yj Zhung works at the local Dollarpal near Heatherington Road, in Walkley Plaza. She said most of the customers at the store are low-income families in the area.

Zhung said she does feel uneasy sometimes-as fights sometimes occur in the plaza parking lot. “This area specifically is not very safe. The police come a lot,” she said.

She often sees teenagers roaming the neighbourhood- as not enough community activities seem to exist. More of these via the community centre, could help.

In the same plaza, Mo Ali works at Bullo Wireless and Exchange Ltd, a tech shop, as a part time owner. On one of the plaza walls is a community graffiti mural, with “community is a shared responsibility” written on it.

He said he likes working in the neighbourhood- but would not want his children to live here.

Crime remains a worry, say residents of the Albion-Heatherington neighbourhood. Photo by Olivia Bowden.
Crime remains a worry, say residents of the Albion-Heatherington neighbourhood. Photo by Olivia Bowden.

“If my kids were here, I’d feel uncomfortable,” he said. “They should have a better recreation centre, or another place where they can play basketball.”

Mentioning the new community kitchen, Ali agrees that this is a good use of resources. But it’s still not enough, he said.

Without enough of these public spaces, kids play on the street and witness drug deals that happen nearby, he said.

“They stand in the plaza sometimes, selling stuff,” said Ali. “The police need to do something about that.”
Earlier this month four were arrested for several swarmings involving robbery that occurred near the recreation centre. Ali said he is in favour of a heavier police presence in the neighbourhood.



Above is a map of Ottawa Census Tracts. Click on each shaded area to learn the percentage of low-income individuals in that neighbourhood. Darker shades indicate a higher percentage. It’s important to note that several low-income neighbourhoods are next to high-income neighbourhoods. All data is from the 2011 National Household survey compiled by Statistics Canada. 

Getting out is hard to do for Carlington’s social housing residents

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Carlington’s public housing complex is a place where people land if they need to get back on their feet. The problem is getting out of the highly concentrated social housing complex built in the 80s. You have two options: one you either manage to improve your socioeconomic status and move out of the area or you apply to transfer to another subsidized housing unit.

The wait times for social housing in Ottawa can be up to five years, and according to Ray Sullivan, executive director for Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation – a community-based non-profit housing corporation for low and moderate income people – 20 per cent of those requests are from people seeking transfers to other types of social housing.

Joanne*, 60, lived in one of the high-rise apartment buildings on Caldwell Avenue for 18 years with her daughter Sarah. She recently received a transfer to move to another subsidized housing unit after a domestic incident. Domestic violence and overcrowding are two circumstances that are given priority if you are on a waiting list.

“The reason why it’s hard is because once you’re in a community like this – low income – to put your name on a transfer list, it’s very hard to get out of here unless you have a valid reason. You can’t just up and go because you don’t like the area.”

Joanne says when they first moved to Caldwell it was fine until the social problems and issues with the living conditions began to emerge.

“Everything was okay until the alarms would start, but there was a drug-house right across from us, other problems in the building like drug dealers and prostitutes.”

“The fire alarms would go off any old time, sometimes that would be if it was for a fire, but very rarely, more because people were just pulling the alarms. As a lot of us knew sometimes it was being pulled by some drug person who was wanting to get in (the building).”

According to the Ottawa Neighbourhood Survey, the Carlington neighbourhood has five times more social and affordable housing units in the City of Ottawa at 1,200, compared to the average and is one of the least socio-economically advantaged neighbourhoods in the city.

Another long-term resident Andrea Terry is the first to admit the public housing complex has issues, but she wants people to see how vibrant the tight-knit community is.

“The biggest problem with areas like this is people just assume, they don’t know people’s situation. For the longest time I couldn’t tell you where I lived because of the stereotyping and because of the bad reputation this area has,” Terry said.

“Now I come out and say ‘yes I do live on Caldwell’, ‘yes I live on ODSP’…I am not embarrassed by any means, because you know what home is where the heart is.”

View larger map

Map data sourced from 2011 National Household Survey

The crime and social ills are only one aspect of the neighbourhood which has a strong community presence united by a desire to support each other. Resources like the chaplaincy, foodbank, clothing depot, community centre and family centre are located inside the community. In the middle of the day residents descend on the family centre for a free big breakfast or take part in the language lessons that are offered next door.

Cst. Kevin Williams with the Ottawa Police Service is a community police officer who offers support to the Carlington community and occasionally helps out at the foodbank.

“I’ve sat on committees with Andrea and it’s awesome the dedication that they have and it’s great. It just makes you want to be involved and be a part of this. It’s refreshing to see that,” Williams said.

“It’s too bad because Carlington is a great place and sure there might be one or two incidents that might happen and it doesn’t reflect what this community is, it’s a great community.”

*Joanne declined to use her last name out of privacy.